Chapter 1
Spoiler: show
A breeze flows through the air as the evening sun shines down on the earth below, the grass on the small hill swaying in the wind ever so slowly as the wind moves through, stopping only after a few moments as the breeze itself finally dies down. A tint of light orange fills the area, the bright orb in the sky slowly setting in the horizon, the signal that the evening is continuing while also showing that the night will soon be upon the land itself.
A light yawn fills the air as a young man lays on a flat, gray rock, his shoulder length, dirty blond hair only resting at it's place as he uses his glove covered hand to cover his mouth. The yawn continues, it dying after a few moments as he sets his hand back down on his chest, resting it on the leather bound armor that hugs his upper body. His eyes remain closed as he stretches his legs out, the dark green pants he was wearing ruffling as his legs stiffen before finally relaxing and his brown, leather boots remaining where they are on his feet as he lightly knocks them against the edge of the rock he's laying on.
Two small pouches remained tied to his belt on each side of his waist, along with a three inch blade resting in it's dark black sheath on his left side just inches away from one of the pouches, along with a somewhat larger pouch strapped to his right thigh. All three flaps on the pouches remain closed as the young man with dirty blond hair remains where he is, his chest slowly rising and fall as he relaxes and watches the sky above him, another breeze flowing through and blowing a few strands of his hair around his face, the fair color of his skin showing no blemishes anywhere.
“Old headless is late again.” The young man sighs to himself as a smile forms on his lips, the hand on his chest idly scratching the leather armor on his chest as boredom sets into his mind, his other arms resting on the rock, his fingers lightly tapping against it's surface, a beat forming from whatever comes into his mind at the time. For the moment, nothing happens as the young man just lays still and continues his actions, the call of the birds in the air being the only thing that breaks the silence and subsequently, the young man's boredom, his eyes opening, revealing the baby blue color of his irises as the birds in the sky come into his view.
For only a moment the young man watches the birds leave his view, the orange tint of the sky coming back once again, when something on his senses click, the sudden rise of power and energy hitting him swiftly. His instincts kick in, he rolls to his left and off the rock as the sound of metal hitting stone fills his ears as he hits the ground, only a moment passing as he swiftly gets to his feet and jumps back, a grin forming on his lips as he spots his would be attacker standing on the side of the rock, the edge of her long blade, jet black in color, resting against the surface of the rock, a crack formed as a result of her strength used in her attack.
“The hell took you so long headless!?” The young man yells out at the woman in his sight, the grin on his face never leaving as he watches her silently move her sword off the rock in question, her blood red eyes locked in a piercing glare at the young man. Standing up straight, the woman's breast plate hugs tightly against her upper body, the frame curved to match her shapely body perfectly, the swells of her rather large breasts being the most prominent feature. A hint of chain mail can be seen near her shoulders where two plates, one on each side, adorn and protect her shoulders from any harm that would come to them.
Holding her sword in one hand, the woman starts to walk around the flat rock, the metal of her knee high boots clanking against the soft grass and dirt on the ground, the muscles on her legs flexing a few seconds at a time, showing off both the light purple stocking that connected and flowed from her feet inside the boots to stopping right on her upper thighs. She stops once she's past the rock in question and waits, her gaze never leaving the young man's as the two just stare at each other, the breeze that came forth blowing strands of the woman's barely shoulder length dark teal hair about and only after another second passes does she deign to speak, her stoic expression and her glare never leaving the young man's sight.
“You will have to forgive me Trickster, for I wanted to cleave you in two after you got complacent.”
“Oh? If I was just a bit slower, then you wouldn't be having a future husband, now would you? Not that I'll accept being married to a woman who can't even catch me after boasting about being able to find and pin down anyone in the world. How's that working out for ya anyway, sweet thing?”
The pale white skin on the woman's cheeks gained a small hint of red as she blinked a couple of times at the Trickster's words, the grip on her sword tightening as she holds herself back from a forward assault, the Trickster sticking his tongue out at her as he begins to slowly sway side to side, his eyes never leaving hers even for a second as he waits for her to make a move, himself ready to run at a moments notice. She watches his own movements and takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm her building annoyance and anger at the man in front of her, the same man whom had done this exact same thing to her before.
“Make no mistake Trickster. You cannot run from me forever and on this day, I will catch you before the terms of our deal force me to leave you alone once again.”
Trickster remains quiet as he listens to the woman's declaration, wanting to avoid making any comments about her words...At least at the moment anyway, as he wanted to save his best for when the chase was on, something he knew would happen any second as it had before.
“Well what are you waiting for headless? I'm not getting any younger you know and I wanna get to the nearest town before the crazies come out okay sweet cheeks?” The Trickster says, the playful tone in his voice obvious as is his taunt, something that only serves to infuriate the woman even more.
“Why do you not take this seriously Trickster!?” The woman yells out.
Trickster only stares at the woman in question for a second as her question sinks in while ceasing his swaying and standing up straight, his eyes closer as he speaks out to her while losing all pretense of his own playfulness, with a more serious expression and tone taking over.
“Why should I? It's obvious you haven't been serious since you had to send another to try and catch me. I mean, that Dark Elf was just sorry as she was really arrogant and easily fell after I turned her into a living beating rug for the local kids. Really, it's just insulting sending others to do your dirty work just because you got frustrated that you couldn't catch me.”
The woman flinches at the Trickster's accusations against her before glaring at him once again as she points her sword at him, the light from the setting sun gleaming off her blade and her gauntlets, a small growl escaping her lips as she speaks.
“Do not mistake the actions of that serving wench as anything more than her own desires to capture a man that is my prey alone! I did not send Nadia, for she went on her own to capture you after hearing my own frustrations and only after she tried and failed to take you did I realize what was happening and put a stop to it once and for all. That is why I'm meeting you here today as all ways instead of some long eared Drow who learned a valuable lesson in trying to take a Dullahan's prey!”
Trickster's eyes widen at the dullahan's words, the very idea that she hadn't sent the Dark Elf surprising him more than anything, though his own shock slowly ebbs away as his playfulness starts to come back, a warm smile slowly etching it's way on his face.
“Heh. So you like me so much that you hate the idea of another trying to take me? Well I'm flattered headless, I really am.”
Trickster watched as the blush on the woman's cheeks grew bigger at his flattering words, something that made the woman's body tremble with a feeling of both delight and anger as she continues to grip her sword before taking a single step towards him, causing Trickster to smile and take a single step back at the same time. Even as she slowly recomposes herself and speaks in a much more calm tone, Trickster slowly reaches for the pouch on his left side, taking only a second to open and reach inside for the objects he has stored there.
“Do not take this my actions as anything to do with my feelings. You are my prey and I will take you on this day. This I swear open my honor as Lady Mikana, Captain of the 14th unit of the Demon Lord's Dullahans! So prepare yourself Trickster!”
“Heh...Then we play it a little different this time Mikana! You have until the sun completely sets to catch me or else our deal forces you to wait another three months before you can even try again!”
Mikana's eyes narrow and her muscles twitch before she lunges at Trickster, sword held outward as she rears her arm back, taking her weapon with her in the process before bringing it in a forward arc, the blade gleaming in the light as it starts to come down towards Trickster's position. Trickster however, was ready for her attack and proceeds to grab a small, spherical object in his left hand from his pouch before taking his hand out and tossing the object straight towards her mid-section as he jumps back.
The sword misses it's mark by a few inches as it soars in front of Trickster and heads towards the ground, but the round, white shaped sphere, no bigger than a marble, hitting Mikana right in the chest and bursting open, a cloud of white smoke covering her entire body and blocking her vision, the Dullahan stopping in her tracks and coughing as the smoke fills her lungs, her body hunching over slightly as the smoke cloud expands around her.
Trickster takes this turn of events as his cue to turn completely around and take off, using his natural speed to run as fast and as far away from Mikana as he possibly can, the sound of his laughter filling the air as he moves along the plains, the grass below his feet flattening beneath his boots as the distance between him and Mikana increases. Mikana stumbles out of the smoke cloud, still coughing all the way as her eyes clear from the temporary blindness of the cloud that appeared in her face, her glare intensifying once she was able to blink a few times and see that her intended target was gone from the immediate area.
With a growl, Mikana dusts herself off as she looks up at the sky and then behind her, the sun halfway down the horizon as it sets, the orange tint of the sky slowly giving way to the dark blue of the night night. Looking away, she scans the area, using her senses to give her a better advantage as she tires to find just where Trickster had truly run off to, only to pick up a very faint trail of his spirit energy off in the distance.
“You will not get away from me again trickster.” Mikana whispers to herself as she takes one single step, sword still gripped in her hand as a wave rushes through and around her, the air rippling with power as her demonic energy expands around her and with a single, solitary leap in the air, the aura painted around her body flares before taking her away in a flash, no trace of her left behind nor that she was ever there.
A light yawn fills the air as a young man lays on a flat, gray rock, his shoulder length, dirty blond hair only resting at it's place as he uses his glove covered hand to cover his mouth. The yawn continues, it dying after a few moments as he sets his hand back down on his chest, resting it on the leather bound armor that hugs his upper body. His eyes remain closed as he stretches his legs out, the dark green pants he was wearing ruffling as his legs stiffen before finally relaxing and his brown, leather boots remaining where they are on his feet as he lightly knocks them against the edge of the rock he's laying on.
Two small pouches remained tied to his belt on each side of his waist, along with a three inch blade resting in it's dark black sheath on his left side just inches away from one of the pouches, along with a somewhat larger pouch strapped to his right thigh. All three flaps on the pouches remain closed as the young man with dirty blond hair remains where he is, his chest slowly rising and fall as he relaxes and watches the sky above him, another breeze flowing through and blowing a few strands of his hair around his face, the fair color of his skin showing no blemishes anywhere.
“Old headless is late again.” The young man sighs to himself as a smile forms on his lips, the hand on his chest idly scratching the leather armor on his chest as boredom sets into his mind, his other arms resting on the rock, his fingers lightly tapping against it's surface, a beat forming from whatever comes into his mind at the time. For the moment, nothing happens as the young man just lays still and continues his actions, the call of the birds in the air being the only thing that breaks the silence and subsequently, the young man's boredom, his eyes opening, revealing the baby blue color of his irises as the birds in the sky come into his view.
For only a moment the young man watches the birds leave his view, the orange tint of the sky coming back once again, when something on his senses click, the sudden rise of power and energy hitting him swiftly. His instincts kick in, he rolls to his left and off the rock as the sound of metal hitting stone fills his ears as he hits the ground, only a moment passing as he swiftly gets to his feet and jumps back, a grin forming on his lips as he spots his would be attacker standing on the side of the rock, the edge of her long blade, jet black in color, resting against the surface of the rock, a crack formed as a result of her strength used in her attack.
“The hell took you so long headless!?” The young man yells out at the woman in his sight, the grin on his face never leaving as he watches her silently move her sword off the rock in question, her blood red eyes locked in a piercing glare at the young man. Standing up straight, the woman's breast plate hugs tightly against her upper body, the frame curved to match her shapely body perfectly, the swells of her rather large breasts being the most prominent feature. A hint of chain mail can be seen near her shoulders where two plates, one on each side, adorn and protect her shoulders from any harm that would come to them.
Holding her sword in one hand, the woman starts to walk around the flat rock, the metal of her knee high boots clanking against the soft grass and dirt on the ground, the muscles on her legs flexing a few seconds at a time, showing off both the light purple stocking that connected and flowed from her feet inside the boots to stopping right on her upper thighs. She stops once she's past the rock in question and waits, her gaze never leaving the young man's as the two just stare at each other, the breeze that came forth blowing strands of the woman's barely shoulder length dark teal hair about and only after another second passes does she deign to speak, her stoic expression and her glare never leaving the young man's sight.
“You will have to forgive me Trickster, for I wanted to cleave you in two after you got complacent.”
“Oh? If I was just a bit slower, then you wouldn't be having a future husband, now would you? Not that I'll accept being married to a woman who can't even catch me after boasting about being able to find and pin down anyone in the world. How's that working out for ya anyway, sweet thing?”
The pale white skin on the woman's cheeks gained a small hint of red as she blinked a couple of times at the Trickster's words, the grip on her sword tightening as she holds herself back from a forward assault, the Trickster sticking his tongue out at her as he begins to slowly sway side to side, his eyes never leaving hers even for a second as he waits for her to make a move, himself ready to run at a moments notice. She watches his own movements and takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm her building annoyance and anger at the man in front of her, the same man whom had done this exact same thing to her before.
“Make no mistake Trickster. You cannot run from me forever and on this day, I will catch you before the terms of our deal force me to leave you alone once again.”
Trickster remains quiet as he listens to the woman's declaration, wanting to avoid making any comments about her words...At least at the moment anyway, as he wanted to save his best for when the chase was on, something he knew would happen any second as it had before.
“Well what are you waiting for headless? I'm not getting any younger you know and I wanna get to the nearest town before the crazies come out okay sweet cheeks?” The Trickster says, the playful tone in his voice obvious as is his taunt, something that only serves to infuriate the woman even more.
“Why do you not take this seriously Trickster!?” The woman yells out.
Trickster only stares at the woman in question for a second as her question sinks in while ceasing his swaying and standing up straight, his eyes closer as he speaks out to her while losing all pretense of his own playfulness, with a more serious expression and tone taking over.
“Why should I? It's obvious you haven't been serious since you had to send another to try and catch me. I mean, that Dark Elf was just sorry as she was really arrogant and easily fell after I turned her into a living beating rug for the local kids. Really, it's just insulting sending others to do your dirty work just because you got frustrated that you couldn't catch me.”
The woman flinches at the Trickster's accusations against her before glaring at him once again as she points her sword at him, the light from the setting sun gleaming off her blade and her gauntlets, a small growl escaping her lips as she speaks.
“Do not mistake the actions of that serving wench as anything more than her own desires to capture a man that is my prey alone! I did not send Nadia, for she went on her own to capture you after hearing my own frustrations and only after she tried and failed to take you did I realize what was happening and put a stop to it once and for all. That is why I'm meeting you here today as all ways instead of some long eared Drow who learned a valuable lesson in trying to take a Dullahan's prey!”
Trickster's eyes widen at the dullahan's words, the very idea that she hadn't sent the Dark Elf surprising him more than anything, though his own shock slowly ebbs away as his playfulness starts to come back, a warm smile slowly etching it's way on his face.
“Heh. So you like me so much that you hate the idea of another trying to take me? Well I'm flattered headless, I really am.”
Trickster watched as the blush on the woman's cheeks grew bigger at his flattering words, something that made the woman's body tremble with a feeling of both delight and anger as she continues to grip her sword before taking a single step towards him, causing Trickster to smile and take a single step back at the same time. Even as she slowly recomposes herself and speaks in a much more calm tone, Trickster slowly reaches for the pouch on his left side, taking only a second to open and reach inside for the objects he has stored there.
“Do not take this my actions as anything to do with my feelings. You are my prey and I will take you on this day. This I swear open my honor as Lady Mikana, Captain of the 14th unit of the Demon Lord's Dullahans! So prepare yourself Trickster!”
“Heh...Then we play it a little different this time Mikana! You have until the sun completely sets to catch me or else our deal forces you to wait another three months before you can even try again!”
Mikana's eyes narrow and her muscles twitch before she lunges at Trickster, sword held outward as she rears her arm back, taking her weapon with her in the process before bringing it in a forward arc, the blade gleaming in the light as it starts to come down towards Trickster's position. Trickster however, was ready for her attack and proceeds to grab a small, spherical object in his left hand from his pouch before taking his hand out and tossing the object straight towards her mid-section as he jumps back.
The sword misses it's mark by a few inches as it soars in front of Trickster and heads towards the ground, but the round, white shaped sphere, no bigger than a marble, hitting Mikana right in the chest and bursting open, a cloud of white smoke covering her entire body and blocking her vision, the Dullahan stopping in her tracks and coughing as the smoke fills her lungs, her body hunching over slightly as the smoke cloud expands around her.
Trickster takes this turn of events as his cue to turn completely around and take off, using his natural speed to run as fast and as far away from Mikana as he possibly can, the sound of his laughter filling the air as he moves along the plains, the grass below his feet flattening beneath his boots as the distance between him and Mikana increases. Mikana stumbles out of the smoke cloud, still coughing all the way as her eyes clear from the temporary blindness of the cloud that appeared in her face, her glare intensifying once she was able to blink a few times and see that her intended target was gone from the immediate area.
With a growl, Mikana dusts herself off as she looks up at the sky and then behind her, the sun halfway down the horizon as it sets, the orange tint of the sky slowly giving way to the dark blue of the night night. Looking away, she scans the area, using her senses to give her a better advantage as she tires to find just where Trickster had truly run off to, only to pick up a very faint trail of his spirit energy off in the distance.
“You will not get away from me again trickster.” Mikana whispers to herself as she takes one single step, sword still gripped in her hand as a wave rushes through and around her, the air rippling with power as her demonic energy expands around her and with a single, solitary leap in the air, the aura painted around her body flares before taking her away in a flash, no trace of her left behind nor that she was ever there.
Spoiler: show
Trickster, for his efforts, had already made it away from the spot of his resting and was heading towards away from his pursuer, his mind abash with ideas, plans, traps; anything that could give him an advantage against Mikana and her abilities. The plains, proving to be flat as he had hoped they wouldn't be, showed no mercy in terms of hiding spots nor anything in the way of objects he could use to distract or combat Mikana's own prowess. Passing a set of small boulders on his right only provided a hefty sigh as he keeps moving, his leg muscles tensed as he continues moving, the sight of the grassy waves of ground and the slow coming of the night sky being the only serene grace he could feel to be had in such a situation as his.
It was only moments later when Trickster's senses flared up again, his eyes narrowing as he jumps to his right just as Mikana's left hand launches at his back, the gauntlet covered appendage moving past him as he skids along the grass and finally to a stop, Mikana clenching the air in her fist, a brief smile adjourning her face as she turns to meet Trickster's eyes with her own whilst standing upright, her sword in her other hand settled on her right side and at the ready. She takes a step towards him, left hand held up as her smile turns to a smirk, the young man looking to his left and right out of the corner of his eyes as his right hand falls to his other pouch on his belt, slipping past the sheathed blade and slipping inside as he heard the Dullahan speak out in a rather taunting tone.
“What's the matter Trickster? Thought a little smoke would stop me? Oh you can do much better than that. Give me a challenge so that this doesn't end so quickly. Pull something out of that pouch that will actually make me flinch instead of shaking my head in disappointment.”
As if to mock him further, Mikana starts to slowly shake her head, her smirk never waning as she decides to wag her finger in Trickster's direction as well. Trickster's left eye twitches slightly at her blatant mocking of his own prowess and skills, him wasting no time in reaching inside the pouch his hand was currently occupied with, his gloves fingers coming into contact with another spherical object as he grins and pulls it out, the small pill, red in color, held tightly between his thumb and fore fingers.
“All right then Mikana, let me show you what I'm really made of!” Trickster yells out as he takes the pill and shoves it in his mouth, his teeth coming into contact with the object as he begins chewing on it, the sweet taste of the object, similar to an apple, filling his taste buds. Mikana's left eyebrow arches slightly as she watches Trickster eat the object he pulled out, her eyes peering at his throat as he finally swallows the remains.
'What are you up to Trickster?' Mikana thinks to herself.
Trickster remains perfectly still, his mind slowly blocking out all the sounds around him except for his heartbeat as it slowly ticked at an even pace, his gaze remaining on Mikana, a grin forming on his lips. He could feel it, the effects of the pill slowly coursing through his body, the slow building of his muscles and energy coming forth, before finally, he flinches. His muscles flex, his body feeling stronger, faster than before and the spirit energy in his body pulsates, something that didn't go unnoticed by Mikana, her eyes narrowing as Trickster stands up straight and continues to grin at her.
“Heh. Didn't think I would have to use an Increaser so soon, but whatever. Now then Mikana, you want your challenge, then you'll get it, so lets see if you can keep up with me this time.”
A bout of confusion spread through Mikana's mind as she tried to process the sudden increase in Trickster's spirit energy and his tensed muscles, her sword raised in order to guard against any attack from his person. Trickster saw the Dullahan put up her guard and just smiled before readying himself, his legs bending as he lowers himself into a crouching stance, his eyes never leaving her person in the process.
The two remain still as another breeze blows by, the hairs on both of their heads fluttering about, both of their eyes on the other, waiting for one to finally make a move. What seems like an eternity of waiting only lasts a second longer when Mikana blinks, a signal Trickster was waiting on as he make his move, his body literally shooting off as he picks up speed and runs right past Mikana. Time seems to slow down as Mikana opens her eyes and sees Trickster on her left side, her head slowly turning as time speeds up again, with him zipping right past her and moving beyond, the gust of wind picking up and blowing by her as he does so.
Looking back to where Trickster originally was, Mikana's eyes widen as the realization that the human had indeed just run by her and that he was already quickly leaving her range of sight. Not waiting a second longer to ponder just what had happened, she makes a small hop in the air and once again disappears in a flash.
Trickster smiles as he gains his stride, his body feeling invigorated by the effects of the Increaser, with nary a look fatigue on him as he quickly runs across the plains, the sight of small boulders and green grass being less than savoring to his addled mind. His eyes glance at the setting sun, already past the halfway point of setting and just continues to run, knowing that for all of his bravado, he wasn't going to outpace the Dullahan chasing him for long.
“Damn. Headless is gonna appear any second and I'm still a bit away from the spot.” Trickster whispers between breathes as he goes from a sprint to a full dead run, his senses open for any sudden jumps that Mikana may have ready for him. Sweat slowly begins to run down his forehead, even after minutes of running in a dead heat, effects of the Increaser still affecting his body with each passing moment, the soft grass being flattened beneath his feet and the sun slowly setting even more than before.
Fate however, was on Tricksters side as his eyes take in the sight of the very 'Spot' he was running to, large outcrop of gray boulders, all formed in a circle and each one taller than he is. A glint flashes from his eyes as he moves closer and closer to the outcrop, his body still in a dead run until he finally reaches the outer most boulder in front of him and only then does he finally stop, coming to a skidding halt just inches in front of the rock itself.
Breathing hazard and hard, with more sweat pouring down his brow, Trickster leans against the boulder in front of him, his palms flat on the rock itself as he catches his breath, eyes closed as his mind cycles just what he was going to do now that he was here and just how long it was going to take Mikana to finally jump at him.
“Only got a few seconds at best before old headless tries to jump me again.” Trickster says to himself, taking one deep breath before pushing himself off the boulder and quickly walking around it, stopping once he was inside the diamond of the rocks themselves. A quick glance tells him all he needs to know as all three rocks around him, one in front, one to his right and the third to his left, come into view, with the fourth just behind him.
With a sigh escaping his lips, Trickster reaches down into the pouch on his right thigh and opens the flap before reaching inside. Even with the gloves on his hand, he still smiles as the familiar hilt of the knives reaches his fingers and in one quick movement, grabs a hold of a knife, takes it out and tosses it at the boulder in front of him.
The fluid motion, combined with the spirit energy he imbued inside it and the effects of the Increaser, gives the knife enough power to let it stab into the boulder, a small crack forming in the middle as a result of the blade striking it. The gray colored blade, with many a rune engraved on it, remains on the boulder itself as he lets his arm drop back to his side. Not wanting to waste time, Trickster reaches back into his pouch and repeats his previous motion again, turning his body to the left and tossing another knife at the rock a small thunk being produced as metal hits stone.
Trickster smiles at the knife embedded in the boulder and was about to grab another when his senses flared up once again, the sudden shift in the air causing his hand to immediately reach for his knife pouch as he turns completely around, opposite of the rock in front of him and steadies himself. His sight never leaving the boulder as he looks around, the gentle sway of the wind hitting his hair and the sight of nothing but grass and rock in his vision.
“Damn. Here already?” Trickster whispers to himself while taking out another knife and holding it in his hand, the hue of his spirit energy covering the blade of the weapon. He remains still and listens for any sign of movement, the shifting of grass, the sway of the wind against flesh and metal, the sound of metal hitting rock. Anything that could give him an edge in dodging Mikana's next attempt to grab him.
Trickster could feel himself relax, his shoulders dropping as he breathes a sigh of relief, only to flinch and spin to his right, his knife hand already moving as he stops and throws the spirit infused blade at the boulder in question. A loud thunk is heard once again as the knife is imbedded into the center of the boulder and another crack is formed as a result. He remains still, hand outstretched and body tense, senses still open as he looks tries to look around him.
“Come on headless, I know you're hiding ya coward!” Trickster yells out with a grin, his hand already reaching for and then grabbing another knife from his pouch, when he heard the sound of the shifting grass. Turning slowly to his left, Mikana came into his vision, eyes fixed in a glare, sword gripped tightly in her hand while her free hand remained balled in a fist.
“Coward? That's mighty fine talk coming from a runner like you Trickster. Why not stay and fight me like a man instead of running away like a little boy?”
“Because I'm not stupid headless. You and I both know that in a straight fight, I wouldn't be able to do squat against you, so instead, I do what I do best.” Trickster says, a grin still plastered on his face as he adjusts the grip of his knife.
“Tricks and traps I take it?” Mikana asks, a small hint of sarcasm in her voice as she takes two steps towards Trickster, causing him to stiffen as her approach, knife at the ready, but with his trademark grin still plastered on his face.
“Tricks, traps, throwing skills...Kinda like this!”
Trickster wastes no time in throwing the knife at Mikana, who merely opts to watch the blade soar at her before bringing up her hand and covering her face, the sudden surge of power evident as a deep gray aura covers her gauntlets. The knife, full of power, comes into contact with her gauntlet, the two auras colliding together before the small blade itself harmlessly bounces off her armor and lands in the grass in front of her.
Cursing under his breath, Trickster watches as his knife lands on the grass below with a soft thud, his right hand reaching down for another knife, taking a second to feel around in his pouch and nearly grimacing when only three hilts are felt. Mikana takes another step towards him, gauntlet still held near her face, and remains silent as Trickster takes out another knife and continues to face her. While his eyes remained on Mikana, Trickster peeks past the dullahan and at the boulder behind her, his mind wondering just what he should do next.
'I could try my luck with the spell using only three knives and a fourth as the catalyst or I could try to go with the four/five combo for the full effects. Either way, both are going to be risky and one misstep will let her catch me...Wait. I got just the thing.'
Smirk on his face, Trickster slowly reaches for his left pouch once again, his eyes never leaving Mikana even as she slowly begins to walk towards him, her steps deliberately slow, sword at her side and a keen glare thrown at him. Trickster however, does his best to remain calm and still, despite his own body, shaking slightly from the sight of the Dullahan in front of him, telling him to run away as fast as he can.
Keeping his smirk, the human continues to fumble his fingers in his pouch till he catches another small, sphere in his hand and pulls it out. Keeping the object hidden in his fist, Trickster takes a step back, his left leg sliding back as his body turns slight, with Mikana moving closer towards him, the hue of her aura slowly shimmering around her like a low lit flame. Rearing his arm back, Trickster readies himself, deciding to let out his contained voice at the woman in front of him, taunt and all.
“You know headless, you really shouldn't be wasting time trying to intimidate me cause I'm only going to escape again while you do so or even worse, get the jump on you with something I cooked up.”
“Pah! You're in no position to taunt me Trickster so don't even try.” Mikana replies back in a cool tone, which only made Trickster chuckle at her as she continues to step towards him, the distance between them growing closer and closer. Trickster waited, watching Mikana's steps, his eyes spying her well toned thighs, a small tint of red forming on his cheeks as she takes another step. Getting himself together, he finally makes his move, his left arm reared forward, his body turning along with him as he throws the spherical object, black in color as opposed to white, at Mikana's chest.
Mikana however, sees the object soar towards her and on instinct, shifts her body to her left, letting the sphere pass her by as it flies past her and towards the boulder behind her. The sphere crashes into the rock, shattering on impact and releasing a black cloud of condensed vapor. Mikana refuses to smirk nor taunt as she tries to look back at Trickster, who was not done in his actions. His body shifts once again, his knife arm rearing forward, his spirit energy pouring into the knife as he lets it go, a low whistling being heard by both as the blade flies towards Mikana...Or rather, past her and straight towards the black cloud.
The knife parts the smoke as it passes through it and embeds itself into the boulder itself, the impact of metal and stone being heard by both parties. Mikana looks at Trickster, eyebrow raised as he lets his arm drop to his side, a grin on his face and his own aura slowly forming around his body. He doesn't say a word as he reaches for one more knife in his pouch and pulls it out, the runes on the blade itself emitting a small glow as his spirit energy comes into contact with the blade and fills it with power.
Mikana begins to wonder about the knife in Trickster's hand and the knife embedded in the boulder behind her, only for her attention to turn towards the other rocks around the two, her senses flaring as the other knives emit the same glow as the one in Trickster's hand. Anticipating an attack on her person, the dullahan lets her aura burst out in a display of power, the air shifting and growing heavy as she does so whilst turning her head towards Trickster, who, despite the sudden weight on his body, starts to lightly chuckle at her while trying to stand upright.
Mikana doesn't say a word to his chuckling, but instead charges at Trickster, aura expanding and flickering as she blinks out of sight. Trickster flinches at this sight and immediately dives forward, dropping his knife behind him in the process just as Mikana's hand reaches out to grab him, only to end up catching air instead. Hitting the ground, Trickster wastes no time in getting off the soft grass and standing upright, his hand feeling empty as he realizes that his knife is gone and turns around to see Mikana's foot on the blade.
The dullahan's glare never leaves her face as the knife remains under her boot, a faint trace of Trickster's spirit energy still flickering about. Trickster remains undeterred even as the air around him grows thicker and his welling fear begins to show itself in the deepest pit of his heart. He looks back at the knife beneath the her foot, the trace of spirit energy on part of the visible rune emitting a faint glow, and feels for a link between him and the blade. He blinks in surprise when he feels a twinge of his soirit energy still connected to him and smirks as he falls to his knees, then leans forward and places the palms of his glove covered hands on the grass below.
'This can still work!' Trickster thinks to himself as his spirit energy begins welling up and increasing in scope, both on him and on all five of his knives, the runes glowing brighter and brighter, the power flaring up on Mikana's senses and causing her to growl in response as Trickster starts chanting.
“Edurk, halera, cangurack, pularne. Edurk, halera, cangurack, pularne. Edurk, halera, cangurack, pularne!”
The very thought that Trickster was chanting at a time like this, along with the appearance of a magic circle forming around him, brought a feeling of anxiety to Mikana, something that showed as she dropped all intents of strategy and made a full on rush towards the man. With his eyes on the ground, Trickster only continues his chant, muttering the same words over and over as the light from the knives grew brighter and brighter until finally, a rattling could be heard from all around them, the sound of an otherworldly metal ringing out louder and louder.
Mikana, despite the increasing sound of the rattling, continues her charge and reaches out with her free hand, gripped and poised to latch onto Trickster's head as it comes closer and closer. It was not meant to be however, as the knife embedded in the rock behind her suddenly bursts with with power, a transparent, runic circle forming around the object itself. With a shimmer, a dark blue link of chain bursts out like a cannon, the speed of which quickly lets it catch up to Mikana's waist and with no time wasted, wraps itself round her.
The chain tightens it's grip around Mikana and jerks to a stop, the sudden shift causing her to come to a complete halt, the burning sensation of the chain itself tightening it's grip sending shocks of pain through her body. She grimaces at the pain she feels, but more than that, growls at the position of her hand, fingers just inches from Trickster's head, digits dangling in the air as they desperately try to grab onto even a single lock of his hair.
A laugh permeates Mikana's ears, the same one that has taunted her for ages from the one man who escapes her, that same man looking up from the ground and right into her eyes, beads of sweat pouring down his face as he keeps his concentration going on the chain itself. A smile forms his face as he pours more energy into the circle itself, his body shaking as he feels his spirit energy flow from his body to the circle and finally to the magic filled knives themselves. The chain holding her suddenly shifts back, pulling and dragging her along with it till she's planted right back to her original position, her right foot stepping right on the growing knife on the ground.
More rattling hits Mikana's ears as she looks away from Trickster and at the other boulders around her, the sight of similar chains as the one wrapped around her flow out of the knives themselves, bursting out at blinding speed towards her one right after the other. Mikana, shocked to see more chains heading her way, tries to fight them off as the chain on her right is the first to come near her. A swing of her sword down at the oncoming chain would prove to be the right action for her, were it not for the chain around her waist yanking itself back, jerking her along and causing her sword swing to falter as it passes over the chain coming at her.
The chain however, does not miss it's mark as it weaves itself around the woman's sword arm and pulls, Mikana feeling her appendage nearly pulled out of it's socket, the sudden rush of pain causing her to yelp out. She does not receive anytime to get her bearings straight as the chain to her left weaves itself around her other arm, tightening it's grip before it pulls downward, taking her arm with it as the chain on her right follows suit. The dullahan keeps tight grip on her sword even as her arms are forced down, with no time to try to retaliate as the next chain in front of her wraps itself around her upper body, restricting her arms to her sides and locking itself after wrapping three times around her person. As if to add insult to injury, one last chain erupts from the blade beneath her foot and spirals around her legs before tightening it's grip, forcing them together and nearly knocking her off balance had the other chains not been holding her.
Trickster only watches with a tired smile as the chains restrict Mikana's movements, her frustration clearly evident on her face as she struggles and flexes her muscles against the chains, which only tighten their grip on her body. This does not go unnoticed by Trickster however, who slowly stands on his feet, sweat pouring down his face and spirit energy still radiating from his body and the chains themselves.
“Sheesh, you got caught in my trap headless! That's just sloppy.”
Mikana's attention briefly turns to Trickster, a growl escaping her lips as she continues to struggle and fight the chains, flexing her muscles, letting her demonic energy spill out and around her body, but to no avail as Trickster alters his breathing to a slow rhythm while continuing to pour his spirit energy into the chains. The chains, bolstered by his energy, continue to keep their tight embrace on the woman's body, even as she tries to thrash about, various curses leaving her lips, all aimed at Trickster and the chains, as she tries to make any kind of dent possible.
Trickster however, just laughs at Mikana's attempts to escape as he slowly moves towards her, arms behind his back and a grin on his face. He makes it to her in no time and stands just a few feet in front of her, arms now at his side. The dullahan stops struggling and glares at him, wishing she could break the chains with her fury and grab him right then and there, but stops when she notices him raising his arms. Hands at level with her head, he lets out a small chuckle as he makes his move, suddenly grabbing the side of her skull and with some effort, pulls her head right off her body. She yelps as her head is pulled off, her body stiffening in response, which only elicits a laugh from the wily human who keeps her skull trapped in his hands.
“Trickster! Put my head back on my body!” Mikana yells out while growling at Trickster.
“Hmm...I think not Mikana. In fact, I think I'll be keeping hold of your head while the sun sets.” Trickster says with a grin on his face as Mikana continues to glare at him.
“Bah! I can see how tired you are human! No way you can keep my body under wraps in your condition. Plus, I can all ways just port my way over to you like so!”
“I wouldn't.” Is all Trickster gets out as the energy around Mikana's body starts to spill out, the air shifting around her once again. Trickster however, merely opts to let his knives do the talking, the runes glowing brighter as he pours his spirit energy into them. The chains emit a bright glow as the spirit energy flows through them and begins interacting with Mikana's own demonic energy. Her body flinches when the spirit energy begins to shift itself around her body, her demonic energy shifting in response and dissipating.
Mikana feels her demonic energy become unstable and tries to concentrate again, only to be met with the same result. Her body trembles as small amounts of energy leaves her now empty neck, the vapors rising in the air and dissipating. She tries again and again to escape, but the results remain the same every time, while the affects of her energy loss start to take a toll on her body, which writes in the chains themselves as the heat within her starts to build up. She can only look at Trickster with a heated blush on her face and a glare in her eyes as she begins to speak.
“What...is this Trickster!? Why can't I escape these chains!?”
“Why you ask? Well Mikana, there is something I've noticed about you in our past encounters. You seem to get weaker when your head is not on your shoulders. Now correct me if my theory is wrong, but you store your energy in your body and use your head a a cork yes?”
“Yes, w-what of it?”
“Well, since that is the case, all I really needed to do was find a way to keep your body chained down long enough for you to run out of steam once I removed your head. That's where I got the idea for the chains here. Had to do some research and pull a couple of jobs on people to get both the necessary incantation and the special knives to pull this off.”
“...T-That doesn't explain why I can teleport to you.” Mikana responds, her glare softening for a second as a lustful glint forms in her eye.
“Oh that's an easy one! You see, the chains use my spirit energy to emit a disrupting flow of power from the chains to your body. Every time you tried to use your own power to leave, the chains would stop you via disruption, though I theorize that under normal circumstances, you would be able to escape...However, with your head removed, you're constantly losing energy and coupled with the chains, escaping from my trap is...Not so easy.”
Trickster's grin couldn't be wider as Mikana realizes the extent of his trap that she fell into and the lengths he went to in order to keep her there. Eyes wide open in shock, she can only let her jaw hang from her mouth as her body writhes once again, a slim trail of liquid slowly falling down her left leg. Slowly she tries to recompose herself, eyes blinking in response as she lets her slowly regaining confidence known through her voice.
“S-Still! You are more tired than I am Trickster and I highly doubt that you can hold this spell before the sun completely sets!”
Trickster's grin slowly disappears as Mikana speaks her peace, a sign to her that she had indeed found a hole in his plan. A smirk forms on her lips as Trickster blinks a couple of times in response before his arms shift slightly. Moving his hand, he positions his right hand on top of her head and takes a firm grip of her hair. The dullahan yelps as she feels her hair being pulled on before having herself held by his right hand while he reaches for his left pouch once again. Slipping in hand inside, he shuffles around till he grabs another red pill and pulls it out, a smile forming on his face as he shoves the object in his mouth and chews on it. After swallowing the contents, he feels his body begin to refresh itself once again, his slowly dwindling spirit energy restoring itself as his body moves faster in producing energy for him, which he then continues to pour into the chains little by little. A sigh of content escapes his lips as he moves back from Mikana's body, putting some distance between the two before finally sitting down on the grass while putting her head in his lap.
Trickster adjusts Mikana's head till her vision is filled only with her body, which trembles as more spirit energy leaves the neck and another trail of liquid flows down her other leg. Blushing more than ever and breathing beginning to become more shallow, Tricksters merely opts to speak in a taunting tone to her while gently rubbing the top of her head with his right hand.
“Funny thing about the Increaser. The properties within are especially made to increase the speed, strength, stamina and spirit energy production in a human. They can last for quite a bit, but of course if a human were to use a rather powerful spell, the regeneration affects would negate itself, causing the need for another pill. Found out, thanks to the creator of such materials, that only three pills should be taken in a three day span or else the person could end up overclocking themselves and getting hurt.”
Trickster pauses for a moment and waits for Mikana to make a comment on what he said. When she remains silent however, he decides to continue on as a grin slowly forms on his face.
“I've already taken one and used the energy for that spell I have you trapped in. I just took a second pill, which will ensure that I'm good for at least another couple of hours. That and with your own energy slowly leaving you, I won't have to worry about the upkeep of spirit energy in the spell itself since the disruption effects takes the most energy...Which means?”
Trickster pauses once again as he looks up at the sky, his eyes spotting the slow forming darkness of the sky as the sun sets another quarter. Waiting, he remains silent as Mikana mulls over his words, her eyes still staring at her most uncomfortable body, until a gasp escapes her lips and she whispers a single statement.
“Which means...that I lost as soon as I fell into your trap...”
“Bingo.” Was all Trickster says as he pats the top of Mikana's head once again and waits for the night to completely take over the sky. Mikana's teeth mash together as her temper begins to flare, one more growl escaping her lips a she yells out to the sky.
“Damn you Trickster!!!”
It was only moments later when Trickster's senses flared up again, his eyes narrowing as he jumps to his right just as Mikana's left hand launches at his back, the gauntlet covered appendage moving past him as he skids along the grass and finally to a stop, Mikana clenching the air in her fist, a brief smile adjourning her face as she turns to meet Trickster's eyes with her own whilst standing upright, her sword in her other hand settled on her right side and at the ready. She takes a step towards him, left hand held up as her smile turns to a smirk, the young man looking to his left and right out of the corner of his eyes as his right hand falls to his other pouch on his belt, slipping past the sheathed blade and slipping inside as he heard the Dullahan speak out in a rather taunting tone.
“What's the matter Trickster? Thought a little smoke would stop me? Oh you can do much better than that. Give me a challenge so that this doesn't end so quickly. Pull something out of that pouch that will actually make me flinch instead of shaking my head in disappointment.”
As if to mock him further, Mikana starts to slowly shake her head, her smirk never waning as she decides to wag her finger in Trickster's direction as well. Trickster's left eye twitches slightly at her blatant mocking of his own prowess and skills, him wasting no time in reaching inside the pouch his hand was currently occupied with, his gloves fingers coming into contact with another spherical object as he grins and pulls it out, the small pill, red in color, held tightly between his thumb and fore fingers.
“All right then Mikana, let me show you what I'm really made of!” Trickster yells out as he takes the pill and shoves it in his mouth, his teeth coming into contact with the object as he begins chewing on it, the sweet taste of the object, similar to an apple, filling his taste buds. Mikana's left eyebrow arches slightly as she watches Trickster eat the object he pulled out, her eyes peering at his throat as he finally swallows the remains.
'What are you up to Trickster?' Mikana thinks to herself.
Trickster remains perfectly still, his mind slowly blocking out all the sounds around him except for his heartbeat as it slowly ticked at an even pace, his gaze remaining on Mikana, a grin forming on his lips. He could feel it, the effects of the pill slowly coursing through his body, the slow building of his muscles and energy coming forth, before finally, he flinches. His muscles flex, his body feeling stronger, faster than before and the spirit energy in his body pulsates, something that didn't go unnoticed by Mikana, her eyes narrowing as Trickster stands up straight and continues to grin at her.
“Heh. Didn't think I would have to use an Increaser so soon, but whatever. Now then Mikana, you want your challenge, then you'll get it, so lets see if you can keep up with me this time.”
A bout of confusion spread through Mikana's mind as she tried to process the sudden increase in Trickster's spirit energy and his tensed muscles, her sword raised in order to guard against any attack from his person. Trickster saw the Dullahan put up her guard and just smiled before readying himself, his legs bending as he lowers himself into a crouching stance, his eyes never leaving her person in the process.
The two remain still as another breeze blows by, the hairs on both of their heads fluttering about, both of their eyes on the other, waiting for one to finally make a move. What seems like an eternity of waiting only lasts a second longer when Mikana blinks, a signal Trickster was waiting on as he make his move, his body literally shooting off as he picks up speed and runs right past Mikana. Time seems to slow down as Mikana opens her eyes and sees Trickster on her left side, her head slowly turning as time speeds up again, with him zipping right past her and moving beyond, the gust of wind picking up and blowing by her as he does so.
Looking back to where Trickster originally was, Mikana's eyes widen as the realization that the human had indeed just run by her and that he was already quickly leaving her range of sight. Not waiting a second longer to ponder just what had happened, she makes a small hop in the air and once again disappears in a flash.
Trickster smiles as he gains his stride, his body feeling invigorated by the effects of the Increaser, with nary a look fatigue on him as he quickly runs across the plains, the sight of small boulders and green grass being less than savoring to his addled mind. His eyes glance at the setting sun, already past the halfway point of setting and just continues to run, knowing that for all of his bravado, he wasn't going to outpace the Dullahan chasing him for long.
“Damn. Headless is gonna appear any second and I'm still a bit away from the spot.” Trickster whispers between breathes as he goes from a sprint to a full dead run, his senses open for any sudden jumps that Mikana may have ready for him. Sweat slowly begins to run down his forehead, even after minutes of running in a dead heat, effects of the Increaser still affecting his body with each passing moment, the soft grass being flattened beneath his feet and the sun slowly setting even more than before.
Fate however, was on Tricksters side as his eyes take in the sight of the very 'Spot' he was running to, large outcrop of gray boulders, all formed in a circle and each one taller than he is. A glint flashes from his eyes as he moves closer and closer to the outcrop, his body still in a dead run until he finally reaches the outer most boulder in front of him and only then does he finally stop, coming to a skidding halt just inches in front of the rock itself.
Breathing hazard and hard, with more sweat pouring down his brow, Trickster leans against the boulder in front of him, his palms flat on the rock itself as he catches his breath, eyes closed as his mind cycles just what he was going to do now that he was here and just how long it was going to take Mikana to finally jump at him.
“Only got a few seconds at best before old headless tries to jump me again.” Trickster says to himself, taking one deep breath before pushing himself off the boulder and quickly walking around it, stopping once he was inside the diamond of the rocks themselves. A quick glance tells him all he needs to know as all three rocks around him, one in front, one to his right and the third to his left, come into view, with the fourth just behind him.
With a sigh escaping his lips, Trickster reaches down into the pouch on his right thigh and opens the flap before reaching inside. Even with the gloves on his hand, he still smiles as the familiar hilt of the knives reaches his fingers and in one quick movement, grabs a hold of a knife, takes it out and tosses it at the boulder in front of him.
The fluid motion, combined with the spirit energy he imbued inside it and the effects of the Increaser, gives the knife enough power to let it stab into the boulder, a small crack forming in the middle as a result of the blade striking it. The gray colored blade, with many a rune engraved on it, remains on the boulder itself as he lets his arm drop back to his side. Not wanting to waste time, Trickster reaches back into his pouch and repeats his previous motion again, turning his body to the left and tossing another knife at the rock a small thunk being produced as metal hits stone.
Trickster smiles at the knife embedded in the boulder and was about to grab another when his senses flared up once again, the sudden shift in the air causing his hand to immediately reach for his knife pouch as he turns completely around, opposite of the rock in front of him and steadies himself. His sight never leaving the boulder as he looks around, the gentle sway of the wind hitting his hair and the sight of nothing but grass and rock in his vision.
“Damn. Here already?” Trickster whispers to himself while taking out another knife and holding it in his hand, the hue of his spirit energy covering the blade of the weapon. He remains still and listens for any sign of movement, the shifting of grass, the sway of the wind against flesh and metal, the sound of metal hitting rock. Anything that could give him an edge in dodging Mikana's next attempt to grab him.
Trickster could feel himself relax, his shoulders dropping as he breathes a sigh of relief, only to flinch and spin to his right, his knife hand already moving as he stops and throws the spirit infused blade at the boulder in question. A loud thunk is heard once again as the knife is imbedded into the center of the boulder and another crack is formed as a result. He remains still, hand outstretched and body tense, senses still open as he looks tries to look around him.
“Come on headless, I know you're hiding ya coward!” Trickster yells out with a grin, his hand already reaching for and then grabbing another knife from his pouch, when he heard the sound of the shifting grass. Turning slowly to his left, Mikana came into his vision, eyes fixed in a glare, sword gripped tightly in her hand while her free hand remained balled in a fist.
“Coward? That's mighty fine talk coming from a runner like you Trickster. Why not stay and fight me like a man instead of running away like a little boy?”
“Because I'm not stupid headless. You and I both know that in a straight fight, I wouldn't be able to do squat against you, so instead, I do what I do best.” Trickster says, a grin still plastered on his face as he adjusts the grip of his knife.
“Tricks and traps I take it?” Mikana asks, a small hint of sarcasm in her voice as she takes two steps towards Trickster, causing him to stiffen as her approach, knife at the ready, but with his trademark grin still plastered on his face.
“Tricks, traps, throwing skills...Kinda like this!”
Trickster wastes no time in throwing the knife at Mikana, who merely opts to watch the blade soar at her before bringing up her hand and covering her face, the sudden surge of power evident as a deep gray aura covers her gauntlets. The knife, full of power, comes into contact with her gauntlet, the two auras colliding together before the small blade itself harmlessly bounces off her armor and lands in the grass in front of her.
Cursing under his breath, Trickster watches as his knife lands on the grass below with a soft thud, his right hand reaching down for another knife, taking a second to feel around in his pouch and nearly grimacing when only three hilts are felt. Mikana takes another step towards him, gauntlet still held near her face, and remains silent as Trickster takes out another knife and continues to face her. While his eyes remained on Mikana, Trickster peeks past the dullahan and at the boulder behind her, his mind wondering just what he should do next.
'I could try my luck with the spell using only three knives and a fourth as the catalyst or I could try to go with the four/five combo for the full effects. Either way, both are going to be risky and one misstep will let her catch me...Wait. I got just the thing.'
Smirk on his face, Trickster slowly reaches for his left pouch once again, his eyes never leaving Mikana even as she slowly begins to walk towards him, her steps deliberately slow, sword at her side and a keen glare thrown at him. Trickster however, does his best to remain calm and still, despite his own body, shaking slightly from the sight of the Dullahan in front of him, telling him to run away as fast as he can.
Keeping his smirk, the human continues to fumble his fingers in his pouch till he catches another small, sphere in his hand and pulls it out. Keeping the object hidden in his fist, Trickster takes a step back, his left leg sliding back as his body turns slight, with Mikana moving closer towards him, the hue of her aura slowly shimmering around her like a low lit flame. Rearing his arm back, Trickster readies himself, deciding to let out his contained voice at the woman in front of him, taunt and all.
“You know headless, you really shouldn't be wasting time trying to intimidate me cause I'm only going to escape again while you do so or even worse, get the jump on you with something I cooked up.”
“Pah! You're in no position to taunt me Trickster so don't even try.” Mikana replies back in a cool tone, which only made Trickster chuckle at her as she continues to step towards him, the distance between them growing closer and closer. Trickster waited, watching Mikana's steps, his eyes spying her well toned thighs, a small tint of red forming on his cheeks as she takes another step. Getting himself together, he finally makes his move, his left arm reared forward, his body turning along with him as he throws the spherical object, black in color as opposed to white, at Mikana's chest.
Mikana however, sees the object soar towards her and on instinct, shifts her body to her left, letting the sphere pass her by as it flies past her and towards the boulder behind her. The sphere crashes into the rock, shattering on impact and releasing a black cloud of condensed vapor. Mikana refuses to smirk nor taunt as she tries to look back at Trickster, who was not done in his actions. His body shifts once again, his knife arm rearing forward, his spirit energy pouring into the knife as he lets it go, a low whistling being heard by both as the blade flies towards Mikana...Or rather, past her and straight towards the black cloud.
The knife parts the smoke as it passes through it and embeds itself into the boulder itself, the impact of metal and stone being heard by both parties. Mikana looks at Trickster, eyebrow raised as he lets his arm drop to his side, a grin on his face and his own aura slowly forming around his body. He doesn't say a word as he reaches for one more knife in his pouch and pulls it out, the runes on the blade itself emitting a small glow as his spirit energy comes into contact with the blade and fills it with power.
Mikana begins to wonder about the knife in Trickster's hand and the knife embedded in the boulder behind her, only for her attention to turn towards the other rocks around the two, her senses flaring as the other knives emit the same glow as the one in Trickster's hand. Anticipating an attack on her person, the dullahan lets her aura burst out in a display of power, the air shifting and growing heavy as she does so whilst turning her head towards Trickster, who, despite the sudden weight on his body, starts to lightly chuckle at her while trying to stand upright.
Mikana doesn't say a word to his chuckling, but instead charges at Trickster, aura expanding and flickering as she blinks out of sight. Trickster flinches at this sight and immediately dives forward, dropping his knife behind him in the process just as Mikana's hand reaches out to grab him, only to end up catching air instead. Hitting the ground, Trickster wastes no time in getting off the soft grass and standing upright, his hand feeling empty as he realizes that his knife is gone and turns around to see Mikana's foot on the blade.
The dullahan's glare never leaves her face as the knife remains under her boot, a faint trace of Trickster's spirit energy still flickering about. Trickster remains undeterred even as the air around him grows thicker and his welling fear begins to show itself in the deepest pit of his heart. He looks back at the knife beneath the her foot, the trace of spirit energy on part of the visible rune emitting a faint glow, and feels for a link between him and the blade. He blinks in surprise when he feels a twinge of his soirit energy still connected to him and smirks as he falls to his knees, then leans forward and places the palms of his glove covered hands on the grass below.
'This can still work!' Trickster thinks to himself as his spirit energy begins welling up and increasing in scope, both on him and on all five of his knives, the runes glowing brighter and brighter, the power flaring up on Mikana's senses and causing her to growl in response as Trickster starts chanting.
“Edurk, halera, cangurack, pularne. Edurk, halera, cangurack, pularne. Edurk, halera, cangurack, pularne!”
The very thought that Trickster was chanting at a time like this, along with the appearance of a magic circle forming around him, brought a feeling of anxiety to Mikana, something that showed as she dropped all intents of strategy and made a full on rush towards the man. With his eyes on the ground, Trickster only continues his chant, muttering the same words over and over as the light from the knives grew brighter and brighter until finally, a rattling could be heard from all around them, the sound of an otherworldly metal ringing out louder and louder.
Mikana, despite the increasing sound of the rattling, continues her charge and reaches out with her free hand, gripped and poised to latch onto Trickster's head as it comes closer and closer. It was not meant to be however, as the knife embedded in the rock behind her suddenly bursts with with power, a transparent, runic circle forming around the object itself. With a shimmer, a dark blue link of chain bursts out like a cannon, the speed of which quickly lets it catch up to Mikana's waist and with no time wasted, wraps itself round her.
The chain tightens it's grip around Mikana and jerks to a stop, the sudden shift causing her to come to a complete halt, the burning sensation of the chain itself tightening it's grip sending shocks of pain through her body. She grimaces at the pain she feels, but more than that, growls at the position of her hand, fingers just inches from Trickster's head, digits dangling in the air as they desperately try to grab onto even a single lock of his hair.
A laugh permeates Mikana's ears, the same one that has taunted her for ages from the one man who escapes her, that same man looking up from the ground and right into her eyes, beads of sweat pouring down his face as he keeps his concentration going on the chain itself. A smile forms his face as he pours more energy into the circle itself, his body shaking as he feels his spirit energy flow from his body to the circle and finally to the magic filled knives themselves. The chain holding her suddenly shifts back, pulling and dragging her along with it till she's planted right back to her original position, her right foot stepping right on the growing knife on the ground.
More rattling hits Mikana's ears as she looks away from Trickster and at the other boulders around her, the sight of similar chains as the one wrapped around her flow out of the knives themselves, bursting out at blinding speed towards her one right after the other. Mikana, shocked to see more chains heading her way, tries to fight them off as the chain on her right is the first to come near her. A swing of her sword down at the oncoming chain would prove to be the right action for her, were it not for the chain around her waist yanking itself back, jerking her along and causing her sword swing to falter as it passes over the chain coming at her.
The chain however, does not miss it's mark as it weaves itself around the woman's sword arm and pulls, Mikana feeling her appendage nearly pulled out of it's socket, the sudden rush of pain causing her to yelp out. She does not receive anytime to get her bearings straight as the chain to her left weaves itself around her other arm, tightening it's grip before it pulls downward, taking her arm with it as the chain on her right follows suit. The dullahan keeps tight grip on her sword even as her arms are forced down, with no time to try to retaliate as the next chain in front of her wraps itself around her upper body, restricting her arms to her sides and locking itself after wrapping three times around her person. As if to add insult to injury, one last chain erupts from the blade beneath her foot and spirals around her legs before tightening it's grip, forcing them together and nearly knocking her off balance had the other chains not been holding her.
Trickster only watches with a tired smile as the chains restrict Mikana's movements, her frustration clearly evident on her face as she struggles and flexes her muscles against the chains, which only tighten their grip on her body. This does not go unnoticed by Trickster however, who slowly stands on his feet, sweat pouring down his face and spirit energy still radiating from his body and the chains themselves.
“Sheesh, you got caught in my trap headless! That's just sloppy.”
Mikana's attention briefly turns to Trickster, a growl escaping her lips as she continues to struggle and fight the chains, flexing her muscles, letting her demonic energy spill out and around her body, but to no avail as Trickster alters his breathing to a slow rhythm while continuing to pour his spirit energy into the chains. The chains, bolstered by his energy, continue to keep their tight embrace on the woman's body, even as she tries to thrash about, various curses leaving her lips, all aimed at Trickster and the chains, as she tries to make any kind of dent possible.
Trickster however, just laughs at Mikana's attempts to escape as he slowly moves towards her, arms behind his back and a grin on his face. He makes it to her in no time and stands just a few feet in front of her, arms now at his side. The dullahan stops struggling and glares at him, wishing she could break the chains with her fury and grab him right then and there, but stops when she notices him raising his arms. Hands at level with her head, he lets out a small chuckle as he makes his move, suddenly grabbing the side of her skull and with some effort, pulls her head right off her body. She yelps as her head is pulled off, her body stiffening in response, which only elicits a laugh from the wily human who keeps her skull trapped in his hands.
“Trickster! Put my head back on my body!” Mikana yells out while growling at Trickster.
“Hmm...I think not Mikana. In fact, I think I'll be keeping hold of your head while the sun sets.” Trickster says with a grin on his face as Mikana continues to glare at him.
“Bah! I can see how tired you are human! No way you can keep my body under wraps in your condition. Plus, I can all ways just port my way over to you like so!”
“I wouldn't.” Is all Trickster gets out as the energy around Mikana's body starts to spill out, the air shifting around her once again. Trickster however, merely opts to let his knives do the talking, the runes glowing brighter as he pours his spirit energy into them. The chains emit a bright glow as the spirit energy flows through them and begins interacting with Mikana's own demonic energy. Her body flinches when the spirit energy begins to shift itself around her body, her demonic energy shifting in response and dissipating.
Mikana feels her demonic energy become unstable and tries to concentrate again, only to be met with the same result. Her body trembles as small amounts of energy leaves her now empty neck, the vapors rising in the air and dissipating. She tries again and again to escape, but the results remain the same every time, while the affects of her energy loss start to take a toll on her body, which writes in the chains themselves as the heat within her starts to build up. She can only look at Trickster with a heated blush on her face and a glare in her eyes as she begins to speak.
“What...is this Trickster!? Why can't I escape these chains!?”
“Why you ask? Well Mikana, there is something I've noticed about you in our past encounters. You seem to get weaker when your head is not on your shoulders. Now correct me if my theory is wrong, but you store your energy in your body and use your head a a cork yes?”
“Yes, w-what of it?”
“Well, since that is the case, all I really needed to do was find a way to keep your body chained down long enough for you to run out of steam once I removed your head. That's where I got the idea for the chains here. Had to do some research and pull a couple of jobs on people to get both the necessary incantation and the special knives to pull this off.”
“...T-That doesn't explain why I can teleport to you.” Mikana responds, her glare softening for a second as a lustful glint forms in her eye.
“Oh that's an easy one! You see, the chains use my spirit energy to emit a disrupting flow of power from the chains to your body. Every time you tried to use your own power to leave, the chains would stop you via disruption, though I theorize that under normal circumstances, you would be able to escape...However, with your head removed, you're constantly losing energy and coupled with the chains, escaping from my trap is...Not so easy.”
Trickster's grin couldn't be wider as Mikana realizes the extent of his trap that she fell into and the lengths he went to in order to keep her there. Eyes wide open in shock, she can only let her jaw hang from her mouth as her body writhes once again, a slim trail of liquid slowly falling down her left leg. Slowly she tries to recompose herself, eyes blinking in response as she lets her slowly regaining confidence known through her voice.
“S-Still! You are more tired than I am Trickster and I highly doubt that you can hold this spell before the sun completely sets!”
Trickster's grin slowly disappears as Mikana speaks her peace, a sign to her that she had indeed found a hole in his plan. A smirk forms on her lips as Trickster blinks a couple of times in response before his arms shift slightly. Moving his hand, he positions his right hand on top of her head and takes a firm grip of her hair. The dullahan yelps as she feels her hair being pulled on before having herself held by his right hand while he reaches for his left pouch once again. Slipping in hand inside, he shuffles around till he grabs another red pill and pulls it out, a smile forming on his face as he shoves the object in his mouth and chews on it. After swallowing the contents, he feels his body begin to refresh itself once again, his slowly dwindling spirit energy restoring itself as his body moves faster in producing energy for him, which he then continues to pour into the chains little by little. A sigh of content escapes his lips as he moves back from Mikana's body, putting some distance between the two before finally sitting down on the grass while putting her head in his lap.
Trickster adjusts Mikana's head till her vision is filled only with her body, which trembles as more spirit energy leaves the neck and another trail of liquid flows down her other leg. Blushing more than ever and breathing beginning to become more shallow, Tricksters merely opts to speak in a taunting tone to her while gently rubbing the top of her head with his right hand.
“Funny thing about the Increaser. The properties within are especially made to increase the speed, strength, stamina and spirit energy production in a human. They can last for quite a bit, but of course if a human were to use a rather powerful spell, the regeneration affects would negate itself, causing the need for another pill. Found out, thanks to the creator of such materials, that only three pills should be taken in a three day span or else the person could end up overclocking themselves and getting hurt.”
Trickster pauses for a moment and waits for Mikana to make a comment on what he said. When she remains silent however, he decides to continue on as a grin slowly forms on his face.
“I've already taken one and used the energy for that spell I have you trapped in. I just took a second pill, which will ensure that I'm good for at least another couple of hours. That and with your own energy slowly leaving you, I won't have to worry about the upkeep of spirit energy in the spell itself since the disruption effects takes the most energy...Which means?”
Trickster pauses once again as he looks up at the sky, his eyes spotting the slow forming darkness of the sky as the sun sets another quarter. Waiting, he remains silent as Mikana mulls over his words, her eyes still staring at her most uncomfortable body, until a gasp escapes her lips and she whispers a single statement.
“Which means...that I lost as soon as I fell into your trap...”
“Bingo.” Was all Trickster says as he pats the top of Mikana's head once again and waits for the night to completely take over the sky. Mikana's teeth mash together as her temper begins to flare, one more growl escaping her lips a she yells out to the sky.
“Damn you Trickster!!!”
Spoiler: show
The day had finally given way to the night, the stars shining brightly in the sky as the moon slowly rises from the horizon. Looking up at the sky, Trickster remains where he has seated for the moment, Mikana' head still in his lap as he enjoys the night with a grin on his face. Even as the time passes by and the heat rises in Mikana's body, he refuses to move at all, only basking in his victory while once again petting the top of Mikana's head. She can only utter a sound between a growl and a subdued moan as her body flexes against the chains themselves and finally opts to speak, doing the best she can to sound intimidating despite her own lust trying to betray her.
“D-Damn it Trickster! You already won so put my head back on my body and let me out of this trap of yours before I get angry and truly hurt you.”
“Hmm...No.” Trickster says while looking down at Mikana's head.
“W-what!? Why!?”
“Cause I wanna see you sweat just a bit more headless, just like you're sweating between your legs...Or are you really feeling that randy?”
Mikana gasps as her body flinches from the words spoken, her thighs feeling damp and moist from the lust that constantly builds within her.
“I-I am not Trickster. Now let me go!” Mikana yells out whilst trying to look tough despite her own lust filled feelings, something that Trickster picked up on as he spoke again.
“Only if you promise on your honor that you won't try and jump me afterward. Yes, you have to obey the rules of our game and can't do anything to me for three months, but I only trust ya as far as I can throw ya and that's not very far even without your armor on.”
“...And if I refuse?”
“If you refuse...I can just pop one more Increaser and leave your body here while I take your head some place else and drop it. Maybe in a ravine or in a pit I dig up.”
Mikana's eyes widen as her mouth opens to speak, only to shut it once Trickster lifts her head and turns it around, looking straight into her own eyes with his own. She sees his expression and is initially shocked to find no trace of his usual playful nature. Instead, she sees that he is serious in his tone and actions, his eyes narrow while the grip he has on her head tightens. Not knowing whether he would truly carry out his actions, she glares at him despite her blushing face and sighs as she finally speaks.
“I...Swear on my honor as the Captain of the 14th unit of the Demon Lord's Dullahans that I will not attack you in anyway should you free me. This I promise.”
Despite the inward cursing Mikana was doing in her mind, she still found herself saying her words in as sincere and professional tone as she could possibly muster, all while hoping that Trickster thought she was serious. Trickster only opts to stare at the Dullahan for a second as he assess whether she was truly serious or not. He mulls over the tone she used before finally standing up on his feet, her head trapped under his arm as he gets up, and sighs as he walks over to her body. Once there, he gently sets her head back on her body, his eyes spotting a small trace of her demonic energy forming around her neck and hears a small click as her head finally sets on her neck.
After doing so, Trickster takes a step back and sighs as he closes his eyes and looks inside himself for the link between his spirit energy reserves and the chains from the spell that bound them. He only opens his eyes when he finally finds the link in question and brings his palms together, a low whisper escaping his lips as his aura slowly seeps out of his body.
“Iklerte barick. Release!”
As those words were spoken, a light shines from each of the blades, illuminating the boulders and the ground as the chains rattle once more. Slowly the light spreads to the chains themselves and at once, they slowly break apart and dissipate in the air one by one until finally, the last chain holding Mikana's legs dissipates, leaving the dullahan to stagger forward as she tries to regain her footing. As she finally manages to right herself and fully stand, Trickster is already reaching inside his pouch, his hand grabbing onto another sphere and waits to see what Mikana does next.
Mikana only rises to a full stand and stares at Trickster as he holds the black sphere in his hand, eyes kept sharply on her person and body tensed as he waits for her to make a move. When she finally does, it it not a sudden jump like he was expecting, but soft words that come out of her mouth instead.
“...Relax Trickster. I agreed not to touch you on my honor and that is something I would never break, no matter how much my body is telling me otherwise.”
“...Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Trickster only watched Mikana, his body tense and ready to run, as he kept tight hold of the sphere in his hand, his eyes never leaving her body. The dullahan can only sigh to herself as she takes a step back, then bends down and grabs onto the knife on the ground with her free hand before finally standing up straight. Hand holding onto the hilt, she lets her eyes rest on the blade itself, marveling at the craftsmanship of the metal and the runes carved into it, then takes her eyes off a moment later and looks back to Trickster as she flips the knife so that her gauntlet covered hand is holding onto the flat side of the blade while holding it out to him. With the best and most friendly expression she can manage, she speaks to him.
“Here Trickster. I believe this belongs to you.”
Trickster, ever the wary one, only stares at Mikana, confusion spread across his face as he watches her before finally taking a single step towards her. She remains where she is, knife still held out to him, which only prompts him to take another step then another till he is a few inches from her outstretched hand. Cautiously, he reaches out with his free hand and gently grasps onto the hilt of the blade, his eyes watching her the whole time. For her, time seems to stand still as she looks into his eyes while trying to ignore the pleas her body is making to make him hers, all while he gently tugs on the knife itself, causing her to realize that she was still holding onto the blade and finally lets go.
“...Thanks headless.” Trickster reluctantly says as he takes the knife and places it back in his large pouch, then backs away, a restless feeling coming over him as Mikana's eyes follow his movements. Sighing to himself, he turns and moves away from Mikana, takes his other hand out of his pouch and finally stops in front of the boulder that is in front of him. As soon as he stops, he begins to take hold of the knife embedded in the boulder, a grunt leaving his mouth as he puts his strength in pulling it out, then huffs and puts the knife in his large pouch while walking to the next boulder.
Time slowly passes as he moves around to the other boulders and pulls each knife out of them, with Mikana never taking her eyes off him for even a second. Instead, she opts to turn and watch him as he moves around and pulls each knife out of the boulders right to the last one. She feels her instinct to grab him hit and backs away in an attempt to put some distance between them as he struggles to pull the last knife out, only to finally wrench it free moments later, stumbling back a couple of steps in the process.
“Gotcha!” Trickster yells out as he smiles and puts the last knife in his pouch before turning around and seeing Mikana farther away from him than before. Initially confused, Trickster takes a couple of steps towards only to see her flinch at him moving closer and holds her trembling hand in front of her to stop him. He raises his left eyebrow and wonders just why she silently told him to stop, only to look down towards her legs and once again see the liquid rolling down and sparkle in the moonlight. He takes only a second more to look at her legs, feeling a blush come over his cheeks before shaking his head and looking back at her face, the urge to smack himself for forgetting what he did to make her like this in the first place ever present in his mind, though he hides that by adopting a smirk on his lips and speaking out to her only a moment later.
“Wow. Feeling so randy that I see a flood dripping down your legs, yet so honor bound to your promises that you will actively avoid taking me and will tell me to stay away in the process.”
“I do have a sense of honor and I keep my promises Trickster.” Mikana responds back.
“And that's something I actually like about ya Mikana. A gal with honor, guts and a mean sword arm!”
“Q-Quit trying to flatter me Trickster, it's embarrassing.” Responds the dullahan with a hint of red on her cheeks, causing Trickster to chuckle before speaking again.
“Well I would love to embarrass ya more, but I gotta take my leave. See ya in another three months honey!”
Mikana raises her own eyebrow at Trickster's statement, her mind wondering just what he had planning as she watches him reach back into his smaller pouch and pull out another white sphere. Holding it between his fingers, he smiles and tosses it at the ground just in front of her, the cloud of white smoke forming at her front as she jumps back. The smoke blocks her vision, but she does not move an inch as his spirit energy begins to fade from her senses, a sign that tells her that he has run away and is slowly leaving the area.
Mikana merely steps back and sighs to herself while looking up at the night sky, the shine of the stars doing nothing to rid her of the feeling of defeat and her own lust for the man she could not catch. Despite her own instincts telling her to go after him, she moves towards one of the boulders and finally sits down on the ground. With her back resting against the boulder and her sword laying on the ground beside her, she closes her eyes and takes in the moonlight, her body trembling from the memory of how close he was to her, how he held her head ever so gently and the words, the sweet words he spoke to her before leaving.
Mikana feels it in the deepest part of her core, the very want of Trickster's touch on her body instead of her head driving her mind to her breaking point. Slowly and almost unconsciously, she raises her right arm, then lowers it till she can feel the tips of her fingers resting between her inner thighs. She hesitates to move on, her mind slowly driven with lust, but only treads on as she lets her fingers travel further inward, the tips of her fingers reaching the outer lips of her neither regions. A single touch of her fingers against the outer walls only served to heighten her pleasure as she forces her mouth shut, keeping her moans silenced. As she delves further, a single finger entering her dripping snatch, no words leave her mouth, but the sound of her moans begin to permeate the air.
Further away, Trickster finds himself tiring out sooner than he likes as the sight of a nearby road finally comes up. Soft grass slowly turns to smooth gravel as his run turns into a brisk walk and finally a complete stop as a whole; breathing heavy, he bends over and steadies his legs while keeping his hands just above his knees. Sweat pours down his face as he tries to catch his breath, a small pang of pain coursing through his lower body, his eyes staring at the ground below.
“Damn. Guess I'm more exhausted than I thought.” Trickster says with a tired chuckle in his voice as he takes another couple of seconds to catch his breath before finally straightening up while rolling his shoulders and looking at the path ahead. To his eyes, nothing but road laid ahead of him, which only elicits a sigh from the young man as he finally settles for shrugging his shoulders and making his way along the path itself.
Walking for him proved to be a quiet venture, with only the sound of the crickets chirping in the air filling his ears and nothing else to give him reason to worry. So enamored by the quiet and by his recent victory, Trickster saw fit to let himself relax and finally let his guard down. He felt a cool breeze flow by and smiled as it hit his face, the heat giving way to the cooler air, as he thought about slowing his pace down even more to enjoy the night itself. His thoughts even turned to Mikana and how, despite being chased by her once again, he liked the feeling of her head in his lap and the peaceful time that came because of it. Alas, his more cautious mind told him to keep moving, for he knew that in his tired state, he could be considered easy pickings for any monster that crept around the area and shook the thoughts of Mikana from his head so he could better move without distraction.
Trickster's pace picked up and soon he was moving in a more quickened walk when he felt something change in the air, a heavy sense of foreboding washing over his body. At once, his guard is back up in full force as he looks around the area, only seeing the illuminated plains and road, with nothing else entering his line of sight or his own senses.
“...I could have sworn...” Trickster whispers to himself as he reaches into one of his pouches once again and slowly pulls out a black sphere from his left pouch. Unsure if he had heard anything at all or if it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, the young man slowly begins walking along the road again, his left fist still clenching the sphere and his eyes darting about every other second. It was only a moment later that something picked up on his senses and on instinct, he turns completely around and throws the sphere. The object courses through the air and flies straight at the figure that was standing behind him, only to be stopped as the figure holds her hand out and creates a orange, dome like barrier around her body, with the sphere crashing into it and exploding on contact, the black smoke releasing from it's container and blocking his vision of the person in front of him.
Trickster doesn't wait for the agonizing cough nor for the smoke to clear to turn around and start running, only to be stopped as a stream of orange flames travel across the ground in front of him, blocking his escape path. Still trying to stay in control, Trickster turns to his left and tries to run in that direction, only for the sound of a cracking whip to stop him as it catches his right arm. He looks at his right arm and digs his heels into the ground as the figure pulls on the whip and consequently, his arm as well, and tries to lead him to her. Holding his ground, Trickster uses what strength he has in his body to pull back, resulting in a tug of war between him and the figure as looked straight at her...and felt a chill run up his spine as he realized who the whip holding woman was in the moonlight.
Three things immediately come to Trickster as she sees the woman in front of him: Her long, pointed ears, her shoulder length, silver colored hair and finally her chocolate brown skin. A grin was spread across her face, that of a woman in her late twenties, and her blood red eyes held a glint that only made Trickster suppress a shudder. His eyes narrow as her outfit comes into his vision next, which consisted of leather corset keeping her large bust from spilling out, giving him a plentiful look at her cleavage while keeping her flat stomach hidden. Along with that were a pair of leather made shorts that he thought showed too much of her shapely legs as they only reached down to her upper thighs and the knee high boots she wore were, in his opinion, the last thing to complete the outfit. Her clothing being all purple in color only made Trickster question her tastes even more before his eyes finally trailed back to her face...and once he managed to get a good look at her did he flinch at the sight and gasp.
“You!? You're that drow that tried to take me months ago!”
“Ah, so the human finally recognizes me.” The dark elf said as she tugged on the whip in her hands, forcing Trickster to pull back with his own might, just to keep from being reeled in.
“Sheesh! Really!? So getting beat like a rug months ago wasn't enough for you!? ”
“Oh stop trying to act tough human! You and I both know that I caught you off guard and that you aren't at your best.”
Trickster did not want to admit it, but he knew the dark elf was right in this regard. He was tired, his supplies were not at full capacity and he was in an area where even setting up a quick trap was something that could not happen at this very moment. To make matters worse, two more voices sounded off, his body flinching when he remembered that this dark elf was not currently alone.
“This is the guy that gave ya trouble Nadia? Yeah he's cute, but he wasn't a challenge at all!”
“I must concur with our child like companion. He was not as impressive as you described him and certainly not one who should have given Captain Mikana such a great challenge.”
Trickster keeps himself from groaning in response to the voices of the two newcomers and instead opts look over to his left at the rather small figure approaching him, her dark blue witch hat being the first thing that his eyes spot. As his eyes trail down the young girl, he spots the strands of her shoulder length, dirty blond hair, along with her light green eyes giving him a rather lustful stare that only makes him more nervous and peach colored skin tone shining in the light of the moon. Trying anything to avoid her face, he continues to look down, his eyes spotting her dark blue jacket, grass green skirt that barely reaches down her upper thigh and as his eyes move further down, the black and white stripped silken socks traveling from her knees down to her feet, where he spots the brown boots on her feet.
When the witch, who in all looked like a girl that was just ten years of age, sees Trickster looking over her body, she only gives a wink and a grin to him, something that only makes him turn his head in disgust, opting to look to his right at the other female that was slowly approaching the dark elf from behind. The sight of a woman's thick, red scaled tail causes Trickster to flinch, especially once he sees the small batch of orange flames arise from the appendage. Next in his line of sight was the woman's upper body, his eyes seeing her dark, tanned skin in the moonlight, along with her well toned stomach, with her well endowed chest being held by a red/orange scaled chest plate. His eyes trail up further, the black vest the woman is wearing coming into view for only a second before finally seeing her face, one that held that of a young woman in her early twenties, a neutral expression on her face, along with her amber gold eyes staring right at him, analyzing him.
Trickster turns his gaze downward, only catching a brief glimpse of the woman's shoulder length, auburn colored hair and her fin like ears, before finally turning downward at her lower body. He avoids taking too long to stare at the red and black battle axe in the woman's claws, the bladed edges of the ax gleaming in the moonlight as he puts his sights on her lower half, her black, silken made shorts, at least to him, barely reaching her upper thighs and leaving her toned, muscled legs completely naked. His eyes only took one last glance at the rest of her legs from the knee down, the red/orange grieves covering her scales and clawed feet before glancing back up at her face, a feeling of embarrassment coursing through him as he realizes that he was staring at her longer than he wanted to, something the salamander caught as her lips curled into a smirk.
“Ha! I think the guy likes what he sees in ya Mira!” The witch said as she quickly trots along and stands on the Nadia's other side.
“I can only agree Shiro, though I am still disappointed that he did not present a better challenge.” Mira answered.
“All the better for us, since I no longer have to wait to turn him into my personal toy.” Was all that Nadia said as she tugged on her whip once again, causing Trickster to pull back once again in order to keep the stalemate going. His arm shaking from the strain, Trickster can only look at the three monsters in front of him and dread the situation that he is caught in. Cursing himself for being caught unprepared, Trickster slowly reaches for his blade, his left hand brushing against and finally grabbing hold of the hilt, his voice ringing out as he gives the three women an uneasy grin.
“Heh. So you had to get help just to deal with little old me? That is really pathetic, especially for a drow as arrogant as you. Not only that, but you pick these two morons to help? A little brat who still looks like she needs to be in bed with a glass of milk and a scaly who would better serve as a lamp than being of actual help? Hilarious!”
To add insult to injury, Trickster lets out a hearty laugh and sticks his tongue out at the three women, all whose reactions differed from his comments. Shiro, for her part, just giggles at the insults aimed at her companions while either ignoring or just not caring about the one aimed straight at her. Mira on the other hand, can only opt to let her smirk drop in favor of a frown at the attempt to insult her very character, her tail swaying slowly in the air. Nadia however, took the insult harder than her compatriots, her eyes narrowed, her teeth bare and a growl escaping her mouth as she makes one more pull on her whip, the material of the whip itself slowly glowing as she starts putting her energy into it, with Trickster pulling back, but shaking as he feels the energy pulse on his wrist.
“Always with the insults you worthless welp! Why don't you shut your mouth before I have Mira shut it for you!?” Nadia yells, even as Shiro's giggles increase in frequency.
“Oh sure, I'll shut my mouth...But you don't want me to shut my mouth drow.” Trickster responds with a smirk.
“And why is that welp?” Nadia asks as Mira ignores Shiro's continued giggles and keeps her axe tightly held in her claws. Trickster, while ignoring the dark elf's question, sees the salamander's claw adjust and keeps his sly, yet now forced smirk while adjusting his right hand, slowly twisting his wrist in a counter-clockwise motion as he grips the handle of his blade tightly in his other hand. Through his observation, he surmised that the scaly woman was the best fighter among the group and one who had the most experience when it came to watching her opponent, something that only made him feel nervous and full of dread despite his more confident appearance.
'Of course this Mira woman would be the best of the group. The way she's holding that axe suggests as much, not to mention the way she addresses old headless.' Trickster thinks to himself as he gathers his spirit energy in his body and lets it slowly seep from his arm to his blade while resisting the urge to shudder as the energy travels through his veins.
Then, without warning, Trickster strikes, pulling hard on the whip, forcing Nadia to suddenly pull back in order to keep herself from toppling over. Stretched to the absolute limit and held tightly, Trickster makes his move by removing his blade from it's sheathe, flipping it in his hand to move from a reverse grip, and in one quick moment, he turns his wrist, holds the straight, single edged blade to the side and puts it under the whip a few inches from his hand. Thrusting upward, his spirit energy coats the blade itself and cleanly severs the whip with one slice, causing Nadia to stumble backwards and only a second later, fall back on her bottom, a yelp escaping her lips as she does. Trickster, upon being released from the whips grasp, jumps back, skids to a halt, then tosses his blade to his right hand and grips it tightly in front of him while his left hand falls to his pouch, ready to grasp the contents within at a moments notice.
Trickster's eyes never leave the trio even as Shiro goes from giggling to straight laughter at Nadia's misfortune, the witch holding onto her sides in the process. Nadia sends a bone chilling glare at the witch in question, who only continues to ignore the dark elf as she fights to try and keep herself from falling over on her face. Trickster wanted to smirk and laugh himself at the obvious lack of partnership between the two, but one look at Mira's face stopped him from doing so. The salamander's face had contorted into a big and rather satisfied smile and along with that, as Trickster immediately noticed, the flames on her tail slowly began to flare up and dance about in the air. The young man could see the lust of battle flickering in the salamander's eyes, the amber gold giving off a light that he personally wished was not there.
Mira for her part, felt her excitement build in her body, knowing full well that the man in front of her, despite being tired and ambushed by three monsters, was not going to give in without a fight. That one aspect renewed her faith in the young man's abilities and only made her want to test herself against him even more. Though she wanted nothing more than to go on the attack and truly test the young man to the fullest, the sound of Shiro's laughter and Nadia's growls snapped her out of her growing battle lust and with a sigh, she turned her gaze towards her compatriots and spoke, her voice brimming with authority.
“That is enough you two! Honestly Shiro, you should take this more seriously and quit laughing like an idiot. As for you Nadia, this is why he was able to defeat you in the first place. Quick to anger and being arrogant. I suggest you calm yourself so we can concentrate on taking this man in front of us.”
Nadia's reaction was immediate, her gaze turning towards the salamander in question and her eyes locked in a glare once again. Blood red stares straight at amber gold and for the moment, the two monsters remained locked in a stare down, Mira keeping her cool and only keeping a neutral expression on her face while Nadia looks on with more anger on hers. While wanting nothing more than to run away while laughing at the sight of the two monsters paying more attention to each other than him, Trickster remained standing, blade still in hand, as his sight turned to Shiro. Shiro, who had stopped giggling after Mira's call, kept her eyes trained right on Trickster, never letting him leave her sight for a second as she let a lecherous smile form on her lips, which was then replaced with her tongue as it slowly trailed across her lips, an act that she had intended to use in order to entice the young man in question.
That smile and act unnerved Trickster as he could feel the sexual intent behind it, something that he was not ready nor willing to be part of anytime soon. Taking a step back, he keeps his free hand near his pouch but instead of grabbing onto a smoke bomb, he decides on a different course of action. Taking a deep breath, he searches inside his body and drudges up a small amount of his spirit energy from the little reserves he has left, then resists the urge to shiver as he feels it course through his body, down his arm and finally rest in the palm of his hand, his fist balling in order to keep the energy contained and hidden from view. This did not go completely unnoticed by Shiro, who had sensed a small shift in the young man's spirit energy and proceeded to call out to her companions, both of whom were still glaring at each other.
“ Hey Sadist! Scales! Our hunk of a man here just did something with his spirit energy, so quit trying to stare each other down and look up!”
Trickster frowned and suppressed a groan, knowing that his actions with his spirit energy had been noticed by the witch. As Mira and Nadia turned their attention away from each other and back to him, he had taken the opportunity to let the energy in his hand mold itself and take shape while taking solace in the fact that none of the monsters in front of him knew what the energy was despite knowing he had it.
“Shiro. Be ready to block whatever he has...and don't call me a sadist!” Nadia orders, her glare softening into a more confident look, lips formed into a grin as Shiro holds her hand out and prepares her body to create a barrier once again. While the witch and the dark elf brimmed with confidence, Mira remained skeptical, remembering how Trickster had managed to quickly escape from Nadia's whip and remembering the stories she heard from the same dark elf on how crafty the young man could be. Mira herself, standing to the right of Nadia, moved off a couple of inches to the side, putting a small amount of space between herself and the dark elf in case Trickster were to try catching all of them in a plan of some sort.
Trickster flexed his left arm, the energy in his hand finally stabilizing, and flashes his trademark grin at the three women, even knowing that odds were not in his favor. With a quick flex of his left arm again, he rears back, arm raised, and with his might, opens his hand as the energy, blue in color and spherical in shape, flies free and heads straight towards the three monsters. Shiro did not even need to look at Nadia to know to put her defenses up as she raised her arm and opened her palm, her mana leaving her the orange colored barrier appeared once again and surrounded the three monsters. The sphere, pulsating with power, continues to soar towards the dome like barrier, though not a hint of worry was on Nadia's nor Shiro's face at the ball breaking through and harming them. Mira however, was not so confident, her mind still awash with doubts on this energy of Trickster's, her instincts acting up and telling her to do something instead of standing there.
Mira listened to those instincts, her mind not sure of Shiro's strength of magic against the Trickster's cunning, and turns away from the others, then jumps away from the them, her body sliding out of the barrier and facing away from the oncoming sphere. Just as she did, the sphere crashes into the barrier and pulsates with power, though Shiro only smiles at the feeble attempt to break her barrier while holding her hand out still. Nadia, her confidence brimming, lets out an evil chuckle and begins to speak out to Trickster, only to stop when she sees that his grin has not left his face and his arm is held out. With his hand closing, Trickster only whispers the words that leave his mouth while closing his eyes.
“Flash Bomb!”
Trickster's hand closes completely and as he does, the sphere suddenly grows in size, to that of a small orange, before finally exploding in a flash of blue light. The sudden bright flash of light, as bright as the sun itself, causes both Nadia and Shiro to scream out in pain, the two of them hunching over and falling to their knees as the light blinds their sight, leaving only a flash of white in their vision. Only seconds later does the light dissipate, leaving the once illuminated land to darken once again, save for the light of the moon in the sky.
“By the Sabbath's grace! I can't see damn it!” Shiro yells out.
“Trickster you bastard! I will hunt you down and make you pay as soon as I can see again!” Nadia yells out afterward while still rubbing her own eyes.
Trickster merely stays quiet, choosing to avoid any taunts for once as he slowly opens his eye, though while he does so, a realization comes over him. The realization that he only heard two voices scream and yell at him instead of three hit him like a ton of bricks, but instead of dwelling on such a thing, he instead jumps back, the shine of Mira's ax blade crossing his vision as it hits the grass where he was standing. Skidding to a halt, the young man looks up at Mira and the sight is something that he wishes he had not seen. Small flames danced around Mira's tail and continue to rise in the air, the heat emanating off and around her, the grass beneath her slowly turning brown before being turned black as they charred, something that only made the young man more nervous as he held his blade in front of him while reaching for his pouch with his left hand.
Mira's smile, that smile showing a lust for battle, crossed Trickster's eyes and made him wish that she had been caught in his Flash bomb instead of the witch, Shiro as he remembered, feeling better about taking on a little girl than a full blown warrior monster. He had to shake these thoughts however, because at the moment Mira had found her voice and decided to speak to him, still all smiles and tail alight with fire.
“Nice trick. I can see why you were able to avoid Commander Mikana's grasp for so long. A mind like yours, that can think quickly in any situation and turn the tables while fooling the enemy and letting them become overconfident, is quite something.”
“Heh. Thanks for the compliment scales, but don't think that means that I wanna kiss ya or anything. Yer not my type.” Trickster responds while adopting a sly smile even as he felt his stomach turn at the odds that were currently against him.
“I give credit where it is due, though you will find that I am not as gullible as my two companions behind me.” Mira speaks out while standing up straight and ignoring the cries and yells of Shiro and Nadia, both of whom are still on their knees and rubbing their eyes, their vision still not retuning despite their efforts. Trickster does the same and keeps his eyes on Mira while wanting nothing more than to find something to get him out of this situation, though returns to his battle ready position as Mira hefts her ax up and bends her knees, lowering herself into a crouch while putting her ax arm behind her and her free arm in front and crossing it over her front. Arm held at a horizontal angle, she keeps on smiling while the flames on her tail increase in size and intensity, the prospect of fighting this young man continuing to excite her more and more even as she tries to keep a cool head, which shows in her tone as she speaks again.
“May I have the honor of getting your real name?”
“My real name is my own and one that I don't give out to anyone save for family and friends, but you can call me Trickster like everyone else scales.” Trickster says while his mind races to come up with a plan of attack.
“Heh! Very well then. I am Mira Lambart, former mercenary and the direct pupil of Commander Mikana herself. Prepare yourself for my ax Trickster and give me a good fight, one that puts Lady Mikana to shame!”
Immediately after saying her peace, Mira takes off, flames following as she charges towards Trickster, whose body tenses up as she does so. Reacting quickly, he reaches into his pouch and pulls out another white sphere before tossing it at the ground right where Mira would cross, the sphere breaking and releasing the white smoke held withing. Mira does not let this stop her as she continues to charge through the rising smoke, intent on catching Trickster before he can move out of her range. Quickly moving to the left, the young man watches as the salamander swings her axe straight at the ground where he originally stood, the metal blades alight with fire that chars the ground itself. Staying on the defensive, he channel his spirit energy into his body, an aura of blue surrounding his body and becoming a light with power as the salamander recovers and looks to her right before charging once again, her ax swinging wildly as she closes the distance between the two.
Seeing the ax blades coming, Trickster only dodges them the best he can, each swing barely passing by his body, the heat making his skin crawl. Left, right, up and down. Each of the swings pass by his body, his head, his face, his arms. Any body part that the ax could come close was out of the way before the blades could connect, though dodging the blades ended up being only one of his worries as Mira stopped swinging her ax, only to quickly turn her body, spinning in once place on her feet and letting her tail fly through the air. Trickster barely had time to react to such an attack and could only brace himself as the tail connect with his left side, his grunt being heard by the salamander herself. Pain and heat shot through his side as the salamander continued her tail swing, carrying him along until she completed her spin and tossed him aside, his body rolling on the ground twice before coming to a stop on his stomach.
Despite the protection of his leather armor, he could still feel the sting of the heavy tail against his side and guessed that he would be bruising as well, with the sudden burning sensation not making matters any better. In his tired state, Trickster knew that was in no shape to take on a fresh salamander in a one on one fight, though that did not stop him from rising to his feet and keeping his aura intact. He briefly wondered why he was not being attacked at the moment and got his answer when he looked over and saw Mira standing still while facing him, her smile telling him that she was only getting started. Knowing what he did about salamanders, the young man realized that the woman in front of him was trying to make this fight last, deliberately avoiding a finishing blow and giving a tired man all the chances he needed to keep going. He thanked whatever deity there was out there that Mira was like that as well, because he could feel his odds dwindling every second and knew that if the salamander did not finish the fight now, that her two partners would once they were able to fully recover.
“Thank the gods that they were right in front of the Flash Bomb when it went off.” Trickster whispered to himself as he kept his aura going despite his dwindling reserves of spirit energy, though he hoped that his aura going would do it's job and help him in the end. Even while watching Mira prepare another charge, he still kept it up, with only one thought on his mind as the salamander charged at him once again.
'Come on lady luck! Please let old headless be near the area!'
“D-Damn it Trickster! You already won so put my head back on my body and let me out of this trap of yours before I get angry and truly hurt you.”
“Hmm...No.” Trickster says while looking down at Mikana's head.
“W-what!? Why!?”
“Cause I wanna see you sweat just a bit more headless, just like you're sweating between your legs...Or are you really feeling that randy?”
Mikana gasps as her body flinches from the words spoken, her thighs feeling damp and moist from the lust that constantly builds within her.
“I-I am not Trickster. Now let me go!” Mikana yells out whilst trying to look tough despite her own lust filled feelings, something that Trickster picked up on as he spoke again.
“Only if you promise on your honor that you won't try and jump me afterward. Yes, you have to obey the rules of our game and can't do anything to me for three months, but I only trust ya as far as I can throw ya and that's not very far even without your armor on.”
“...And if I refuse?”
“If you refuse...I can just pop one more Increaser and leave your body here while I take your head some place else and drop it. Maybe in a ravine or in a pit I dig up.”
Mikana's eyes widen as her mouth opens to speak, only to shut it once Trickster lifts her head and turns it around, looking straight into her own eyes with his own. She sees his expression and is initially shocked to find no trace of his usual playful nature. Instead, she sees that he is serious in his tone and actions, his eyes narrow while the grip he has on her head tightens. Not knowing whether he would truly carry out his actions, she glares at him despite her blushing face and sighs as she finally speaks.
“I...Swear on my honor as the Captain of the 14th unit of the Demon Lord's Dullahans that I will not attack you in anyway should you free me. This I promise.”
Despite the inward cursing Mikana was doing in her mind, she still found herself saying her words in as sincere and professional tone as she could possibly muster, all while hoping that Trickster thought she was serious. Trickster only opts to stare at the Dullahan for a second as he assess whether she was truly serious or not. He mulls over the tone she used before finally standing up on his feet, her head trapped under his arm as he gets up, and sighs as he walks over to her body. Once there, he gently sets her head back on her body, his eyes spotting a small trace of her demonic energy forming around her neck and hears a small click as her head finally sets on her neck.
After doing so, Trickster takes a step back and sighs as he closes his eyes and looks inside himself for the link between his spirit energy reserves and the chains from the spell that bound them. He only opens his eyes when he finally finds the link in question and brings his palms together, a low whisper escaping his lips as his aura slowly seeps out of his body.
“Iklerte barick. Release!”
As those words were spoken, a light shines from each of the blades, illuminating the boulders and the ground as the chains rattle once more. Slowly the light spreads to the chains themselves and at once, they slowly break apart and dissipate in the air one by one until finally, the last chain holding Mikana's legs dissipates, leaving the dullahan to stagger forward as she tries to regain her footing. As she finally manages to right herself and fully stand, Trickster is already reaching inside his pouch, his hand grabbing onto another sphere and waits to see what Mikana does next.
Mikana only rises to a full stand and stares at Trickster as he holds the black sphere in his hand, eyes kept sharply on her person and body tensed as he waits for her to make a move. When she finally does, it it not a sudden jump like he was expecting, but soft words that come out of her mouth instead.
“...Relax Trickster. I agreed not to touch you on my honor and that is something I would never break, no matter how much my body is telling me otherwise.”
“...Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Trickster only watched Mikana, his body tense and ready to run, as he kept tight hold of the sphere in his hand, his eyes never leaving her body. The dullahan can only sigh to herself as she takes a step back, then bends down and grabs onto the knife on the ground with her free hand before finally standing up straight. Hand holding onto the hilt, she lets her eyes rest on the blade itself, marveling at the craftsmanship of the metal and the runes carved into it, then takes her eyes off a moment later and looks back to Trickster as she flips the knife so that her gauntlet covered hand is holding onto the flat side of the blade while holding it out to him. With the best and most friendly expression she can manage, she speaks to him.
“Here Trickster. I believe this belongs to you.”
Trickster, ever the wary one, only stares at Mikana, confusion spread across his face as he watches her before finally taking a single step towards her. She remains where she is, knife still held out to him, which only prompts him to take another step then another till he is a few inches from her outstretched hand. Cautiously, he reaches out with his free hand and gently grasps onto the hilt of the blade, his eyes watching her the whole time. For her, time seems to stand still as she looks into his eyes while trying to ignore the pleas her body is making to make him hers, all while he gently tugs on the knife itself, causing her to realize that she was still holding onto the blade and finally lets go.
“...Thanks headless.” Trickster reluctantly says as he takes the knife and places it back in his large pouch, then backs away, a restless feeling coming over him as Mikana's eyes follow his movements. Sighing to himself, he turns and moves away from Mikana, takes his other hand out of his pouch and finally stops in front of the boulder that is in front of him. As soon as he stops, he begins to take hold of the knife embedded in the boulder, a grunt leaving his mouth as he puts his strength in pulling it out, then huffs and puts the knife in his large pouch while walking to the next boulder.
Time slowly passes as he moves around to the other boulders and pulls each knife out of them, with Mikana never taking her eyes off him for even a second. Instead, she opts to turn and watch him as he moves around and pulls each knife out of the boulders right to the last one. She feels her instinct to grab him hit and backs away in an attempt to put some distance between them as he struggles to pull the last knife out, only to finally wrench it free moments later, stumbling back a couple of steps in the process.
“Gotcha!” Trickster yells out as he smiles and puts the last knife in his pouch before turning around and seeing Mikana farther away from him than before. Initially confused, Trickster takes a couple of steps towards only to see her flinch at him moving closer and holds her trembling hand in front of her to stop him. He raises his left eyebrow and wonders just why she silently told him to stop, only to look down towards her legs and once again see the liquid rolling down and sparkle in the moonlight. He takes only a second more to look at her legs, feeling a blush come over his cheeks before shaking his head and looking back at her face, the urge to smack himself for forgetting what he did to make her like this in the first place ever present in his mind, though he hides that by adopting a smirk on his lips and speaking out to her only a moment later.
“Wow. Feeling so randy that I see a flood dripping down your legs, yet so honor bound to your promises that you will actively avoid taking me and will tell me to stay away in the process.”
“I do have a sense of honor and I keep my promises Trickster.” Mikana responds back.
“And that's something I actually like about ya Mikana. A gal with honor, guts and a mean sword arm!”
“Q-Quit trying to flatter me Trickster, it's embarrassing.” Responds the dullahan with a hint of red on her cheeks, causing Trickster to chuckle before speaking again.
“Well I would love to embarrass ya more, but I gotta take my leave. See ya in another three months honey!”
Mikana raises her own eyebrow at Trickster's statement, her mind wondering just what he had planning as she watches him reach back into his smaller pouch and pull out another white sphere. Holding it between his fingers, he smiles and tosses it at the ground just in front of her, the cloud of white smoke forming at her front as she jumps back. The smoke blocks her vision, but she does not move an inch as his spirit energy begins to fade from her senses, a sign that tells her that he has run away and is slowly leaving the area.
Mikana merely steps back and sighs to herself while looking up at the night sky, the shine of the stars doing nothing to rid her of the feeling of defeat and her own lust for the man she could not catch. Despite her own instincts telling her to go after him, she moves towards one of the boulders and finally sits down on the ground. With her back resting against the boulder and her sword laying on the ground beside her, she closes her eyes and takes in the moonlight, her body trembling from the memory of how close he was to her, how he held her head ever so gently and the words, the sweet words he spoke to her before leaving.
Mikana feels it in the deepest part of her core, the very want of Trickster's touch on her body instead of her head driving her mind to her breaking point. Slowly and almost unconsciously, she raises her right arm, then lowers it till she can feel the tips of her fingers resting between her inner thighs. She hesitates to move on, her mind slowly driven with lust, but only treads on as she lets her fingers travel further inward, the tips of her fingers reaching the outer lips of her neither regions. A single touch of her fingers against the outer walls only served to heighten her pleasure as she forces her mouth shut, keeping her moans silenced. As she delves further, a single finger entering her dripping snatch, no words leave her mouth, but the sound of her moans begin to permeate the air.
Further away, Trickster finds himself tiring out sooner than he likes as the sight of a nearby road finally comes up. Soft grass slowly turns to smooth gravel as his run turns into a brisk walk and finally a complete stop as a whole; breathing heavy, he bends over and steadies his legs while keeping his hands just above his knees. Sweat pours down his face as he tries to catch his breath, a small pang of pain coursing through his lower body, his eyes staring at the ground below.
“Damn. Guess I'm more exhausted than I thought.” Trickster says with a tired chuckle in his voice as he takes another couple of seconds to catch his breath before finally straightening up while rolling his shoulders and looking at the path ahead. To his eyes, nothing but road laid ahead of him, which only elicits a sigh from the young man as he finally settles for shrugging his shoulders and making his way along the path itself.
Walking for him proved to be a quiet venture, with only the sound of the crickets chirping in the air filling his ears and nothing else to give him reason to worry. So enamored by the quiet and by his recent victory, Trickster saw fit to let himself relax and finally let his guard down. He felt a cool breeze flow by and smiled as it hit his face, the heat giving way to the cooler air, as he thought about slowing his pace down even more to enjoy the night itself. His thoughts even turned to Mikana and how, despite being chased by her once again, he liked the feeling of her head in his lap and the peaceful time that came because of it. Alas, his more cautious mind told him to keep moving, for he knew that in his tired state, he could be considered easy pickings for any monster that crept around the area and shook the thoughts of Mikana from his head so he could better move without distraction.
Trickster's pace picked up and soon he was moving in a more quickened walk when he felt something change in the air, a heavy sense of foreboding washing over his body. At once, his guard is back up in full force as he looks around the area, only seeing the illuminated plains and road, with nothing else entering his line of sight or his own senses.
“...I could have sworn...” Trickster whispers to himself as he reaches into one of his pouches once again and slowly pulls out a black sphere from his left pouch. Unsure if he had heard anything at all or if it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, the young man slowly begins walking along the road again, his left fist still clenching the sphere and his eyes darting about every other second. It was only a moment later that something picked up on his senses and on instinct, he turns completely around and throws the sphere. The object courses through the air and flies straight at the figure that was standing behind him, only to be stopped as the figure holds her hand out and creates a orange, dome like barrier around her body, with the sphere crashing into it and exploding on contact, the black smoke releasing from it's container and blocking his vision of the person in front of him.
Trickster doesn't wait for the agonizing cough nor for the smoke to clear to turn around and start running, only to be stopped as a stream of orange flames travel across the ground in front of him, blocking his escape path. Still trying to stay in control, Trickster turns to his left and tries to run in that direction, only for the sound of a cracking whip to stop him as it catches his right arm. He looks at his right arm and digs his heels into the ground as the figure pulls on the whip and consequently, his arm as well, and tries to lead him to her. Holding his ground, Trickster uses what strength he has in his body to pull back, resulting in a tug of war between him and the figure as looked straight at her...and felt a chill run up his spine as he realized who the whip holding woman was in the moonlight.
Three things immediately come to Trickster as she sees the woman in front of him: Her long, pointed ears, her shoulder length, silver colored hair and finally her chocolate brown skin. A grin was spread across her face, that of a woman in her late twenties, and her blood red eyes held a glint that only made Trickster suppress a shudder. His eyes narrow as her outfit comes into his vision next, which consisted of leather corset keeping her large bust from spilling out, giving him a plentiful look at her cleavage while keeping her flat stomach hidden. Along with that were a pair of leather made shorts that he thought showed too much of her shapely legs as they only reached down to her upper thighs and the knee high boots she wore were, in his opinion, the last thing to complete the outfit. Her clothing being all purple in color only made Trickster question her tastes even more before his eyes finally trailed back to her face...and once he managed to get a good look at her did he flinch at the sight and gasp.
“You!? You're that drow that tried to take me months ago!”
“Ah, so the human finally recognizes me.” The dark elf said as she tugged on the whip in her hands, forcing Trickster to pull back with his own might, just to keep from being reeled in.
“Sheesh! Really!? So getting beat like a rug months ago wasn't enough for you!? ”
“Oh stop trying to act tough human! You and I both know that I caught you off guard and that you aren't at your best.”
Trickster did not want to admit it, but he knew the dark elf was right in this regard. He was tired, his supplies were not at full capacity and he was in an area where even setting up a quick trap was something that could not happen at this very moment. To make matters worse, two more voices sounded off, his body flinching when he remembered that this dark elf was not currently alone.
“This is the guy that gave ya trouble Nadia? Yeah he's cute, but he wasn't a challenge at all!”
“I must concur with our child like companion. He was not as impressive as you described him and certainly not one who should have given Captain Mikana such a great challenge.”
Trickster keeps himself from groaning in response to the voices of the two newcomers and instead opts look over to his left at the rather small figure approaching him, her dark blue witch hat being the first thing that his eyes spot. As his eyes trail down the young girl, he spots the strands of her shoulder length, dirty blond hair, along with her light green eyes giving him a rather lustful stare that only makes him more nervous and peach colored skin tone shining in the light of the moon. Trying anything to avoid her face, he continues to look down, his eyes spotting her dark blue jacket, grass green skirt that barely reaches down her upper thigh and as his eyes move further down, the black and white stripped silken socks traveling from her knees down to her feet, where he spots the brown boots on her feet.
When the witch, who in all looked like a girl that was just ten years of age, sees Trickster looking over her body, she only gives a wink and a grin to him, something that only makes him turn his head in disgust, opting to look to his right at the other female that was slowly approaching the dark elf from behind. The sight of a woman's thick, red scaled tail causes Trickster to flinch, especially once he sees the small batch of orange flames arise from the appendage. Next in his line of sight was the woman's upper body, his eyes seeing her dark, tanned skin in the moonlight, along with her well toned stomach, with her well endowed chest being held by a red/orange scaled chest plate. His eyes trail up further, the black vest the woman is wearing coming into view for only a second before finally seeing her face, one that held that of a young woman in her early twenties, a neutral expression on her face, along with her amber gold eyes staring right at him, analyzing him.
Trickster turns his gaze downward, only catching a brief glimpse of the woman's shoulder length, auburn colored hair and her fin like ears, before finally turning downward at her lower body. He avoids taking too long to stare at the red and black battle axe in the woman's claws, the bladed edges of the ax gleaming in the moonlight as he puts his sights on her lower half, her black, silken made shorts, at least to him, barely reaching her upper thighs and leaving her toned, muscled legs completely naked. His eyes only took one last glance at the rest of her legs from the knee down, the red/orange grieves covering her scales and clawed feet before glancing back up at her face, a feeling of embarrassment coursing through him as he realizes that he was staring at her longer than he wanted to, something the salamander caught as her lips curled into a smirk.
“Ha! I think the guy likes what he sees in ya Mira!” The witch said as she quickly trots along and stands on the Nadia's other side.
“I can only agree Shiro, though I am still disappointed that he did not present a better challenge.” Mira answered.
“All the better for us, since I no longer have to wait to turn him into my personal toy.” Was all that Nadia said as she tugged on her whip once again, causing Trickster to pull back once again in order to keep the stalemate going. His arm shaking from the strain, Trickster can only look at the three monsters in front of him and dread the situation that he is caught in. Cursing himself for being caught unprepared, Trickster slowly reaches for his blade, his left hand brushing against and finally grabbing hold of the hilt, his voice ringing out as he gives the three women an uneasy grin.
“Heh. So you had to get help just to deal with little old me? That is really pathetic, especially for a drow as arrogant as you. Not only that, but you pick these two morons to help? A little brat who still looks like she needs to be in bed with a glass of milk and a scaly who would better serve as a lamp than being of actual help? Hilarious!”
To add insult to injury, Trickster lets out a hearty laugh and sticks his tongue out at the three women, all whose reactions differed from his comments. Shiro, for her part, just giggles at the insults aimed at her companions while either ignoring or just not caring about the one aimed straight at her. Mira on the other hand, can only opt to let her smirk drop in favor of a frown at the attempt to insult her very character, her tail swaying slowly in the air. Nadia however, took the insult harder than her compatriots, her eyes narrowed, her teeth bare and a growl escaping her mouth as she makes one more pull on her whip, the material of the whip itself slowly glowing as she starts putting her energy into it, with Trickster pulling back, but shaking as he feels the energy pulse on his wrist.
“Always with the insults you worthless welp! Why don't you shut your mouth before I have Mira shut it for you!?” Nadia yells, even as Shiro's giggles increase in frequency.
“Oh sure, I'll shut my mouth...But you don't want me to shut my mouth drow.” Trickster responds with a smirk.
“And why is that welp?” Nadia asks as Mira ignores Shiro's continued giggles and keeps her axe tightly held in her claws. Trickster, while ignoring the dark elf's question, sees the salamander's claw adjust and keeps his sly, yet now forced smirk while adjusting his right hand, slowly twisting his wrist in a counter-clockwise motion as he grips the handle of his blade tightly in his other hand. Through his observation, he surmised that the scaly woman was the best fighter among the group and one who had the most experience when it came to watching her opponent, something that only made him feel nervous and full of dread despite his more confident appearance.
'Of course this Mira woman would be the best of the group. The way she's holding that axe suggests as much, not to mention the way she addresses old headless.' Trickster thinks to himself as he gathers his spirit energy in his body and lets it slowly seep from his arm to his blade while resisting the urge to shudder as the energy travels through his veins.
Then, without warning, Trickster strikes, pulling hard on the whip, forcing Nadia to suddenly pull back in order to keep herself from toppling over. Stretched to the absolute limit and held tightly, Trickster makes his move by removing his blade from it's sheathe, flipping it in his hand to move from a reverse grip, and in one quick moment, he turns his wrist, holds the straight, single edged blade to the side and puts it under the whip a few inches from his hand. Thrusting upward, his spirit energy coats the blade itself and cleanly severs the whip with one slice, causing Nadia to stumble backwards and only a second later, fall back on her bottom, a yelp escaping her lips as she does. Trickster, upon being released from the whips grasp, jumps back, skids to a halt, then tosses his blade to his right hand and grips it tightly in front of him while his left hand falls to his pouch, ready to grasp the contents within at a moments notice.
Trickster's eyes never leave the trio even as Shiro goes from giggling to straight laughter at Nadia's misfortune, the witch holding onto her sides in the process. Nadia sends a bone chilling glare at the witch in question, who only continues to ignore the dark elf as she fights to try and keep herself from falling over on her face. Trickster wanted to smirk and laugh himself at the obvious lack of partnership between the two, but one look at Mira's face stopped him from doing so. The salamander's face had contorted into a big and rather satisfied smile and along with that, as Trickster immediately noticed, the flames on her tail slowly began to flare up and dance about in the air. The young man could see the lust of battle flickering in the salamander's eyes, the amber gold giving off a light that he personally wished was not there.
Mira for her part, felt her excitement build in her body, knowing full well that the man in front of her, despite being tired and ambushed by three monsters, was not going to give in without a fight. That one aspect renewed her faith in the young man's abilities and only made her want to test herself against him even more. Though she wanted nothing more than to go on the attack and truly test the young man to the fullest, the sound of Shiro's laughter and Nadia's growls snapped her out of her growing battle lust and with a sigh, she turned her gaze towards her compatriots and spoke, her voice brimming with authority.
“That is enough you two! Honestly Shiro, you should take this more seriously and quit laughing like an idiot. As for you Nadia, this is why he was able to defeat you in the first place. Quick to anger and being arrogant. I suggest you calm yourself so we can concentrate on taking this man in front of us.”
Nadia's reaction was immediate, her gaze turning towards the salamander in question and her eyes locked in a glare once again. Blood red stares straight at amber gold and for the moment, the two monsters remained locked in a stare down, Mira keeping her cool and only keeping a neutral expression on her face while Nadia looks on with more anger on hers. While wanting nothing more than to run away while laughing at the sight of the two monsters paying more attention to each other than him, Trickster remained standing, blade still in hand, as his sight turned to Shiro. Shiro, who had stopped giggling after Mira's call, kept her eyes trained right on Trickster, never letting him leave her sight for a second as she let a lecherous smile form on her lips, which was then replaced with her tongue as it slowly trailed across her lips, an act that she had intended to use in order to entice the young man in question.
That smile and act unnerved Trickster as he could feel the sexual intent behind it, something that he was not ready nor willing to be part of anytime soon. Taking a step back, he keeps his free hand near his pouch but instead of grabbing onto a smoke bomb, he decides on a different course of action. Taking a deep breath, he searches inside his body and drudges up a small amount of his spirit energy from the little reserves he has left, then resists the urge to shiver as he feels it course through his body, down his arm and finally rest in the palm of his hand, his fist balling in order to keep the energy contained and hidden from view. This did not go completely unnoticed by Shiro, who had sensed a small shift in the young man's spirit energy and proceeded to call out to her companions, both of whom were still glaring at each other.
“ Hey Sadist! Scales! Our hunk of a man here just did something with his spirit energy, so quit trying to stare each other down and look up!”
Trickster frowned and suppressed a groan, knowing that his actions with his spirit energy had been noticed by the witch. As Mira and Nadia turned their attention away from each other and back to him, he had taken the opportunity to let the energy in his hand mold itself and take shape while taking solace in the fact that none of the monsters in front of him knew what the energy was despite knowing he had it.
“Shiro. Be ready to block whatever he has...and don't call me a sadist!” Nadia orders, her glare softening into a more confident look, lips formed into a grin as Shiro holds her hand out and prepares her body to create a barrier once again. While the witch and the dark elf brimmed with confidence, Mira remained skeptical, remembering how Trickster had managed to quickly escape from Nadia's whip and remembering the stories she heard from the same dark elf on how crafty the young man could be. Mira herself, standing to the right of Nadia, moved off a couple of inches to the side, putting a small amount of space between herself and the dark elf in case Trickster were to try catching all of them in a plan of some sort.
Trickster flexed his left arm, the energy in his hand finally stabilizing, and flashes his trademark grin at the three women, even knowing that odds were not in his favor. With a quick flex of his left arm again, he rears back, arm raised, and with his might, opens his hand as the energy, blue in color and spherical in shape, flies free and heads straight towards the three monsters. Shiro did not even need to look at Nadia to know to put her defenses up as she raised her arm and opened her palm, her mana leaving her the orange colored barrier appeared once again and surrounded the three monsters. The sphere, pulsating with power, continues to soar towards the dome like barrier, though not a hint of worry was on Nadia's nor Shiro's face at the ball breaking through and harming them. Mira however, was not so confident, her mind still awash with doubts on this energy of Trickster's, her instincts acting up and telling her to do something instead of standing there.
Mira listened to those instincts, her mind not sure of Shiro's strength of magic against the Trickster's cunning, and turns away from the others, then jumps away from the them, her body sliding out of the barrier and facing away from the oncoming sphere. Just as she did, the sphere crashes into the barrier and pulsates with power, though Shiro only smiles at the feeble attempt to break her barrier while holding her hand out still. Nadia, her confidence brimming, lets out an evil chuckle and begins to speak out to Trickster, only to stop when she sees that his grin has not left his face and his arm is held out. With his hand closing, Trickster only whispers the words that leave his mouth while closing his eyes.
“Flash Bomb!”
Trickster's hand closes completely and as he does, the sphere suddenly grows in size, to that of a small orange, before finally exploding in a flash of blue light. The sudden bright flash of light, as bright as the sun itself, causes both Nadia and Shiro to scream out in pain, the two of them hunching over and falling to their knees as the light blinds their sight, leaving only a flash of white in their vision. Only seconds later does the light dissipate, leaving the once illuminated land to darken once again, save for the light of the moon in the sky.
“By the Sabbath's grace! I can't see damn it!” Shiro yells out.
“Trickster you bastard! I will hunt you down and make you pay as soon as I can see again!” Nadia yells out afterward while still rubbing her own eyes.
Trickster merely stays quiet, choosing to avoid any taunts for once as he slowly opens his eye, though while he does so, a realization comes over him. The realization that he only heard two voices scream and yell at him instead of three hit him like a ton of bricks, but instead of dwelling on such a thing, he instead jumps back, the shine of Mira's ax blade crossing his vision as it hits the grass where he was standing. Skidding to a halt, the young man looks up at Mira and the sight is something that he wishes he had not seen. Small flames danced around Mira's tail and continue to rise in the air, the heat emanating off and around her, the grass beneath her slowly turning brown before being turned black as they charred, something that only made the young man more nervous as he held his blade in front of him while reaching for his pouch with his left hand.
Mira's smile, that smile showing a lust for battle, crossed Trickster's eyes and made him wish that she had been caught in his Flash bomb instead of the witch, Shiro as he remembered, feeling better about taking on a little girl than a full blown warrior monster. He had to shake these thoughts however, because at the moment Mira had found her voice and decided to speak to him, still all smiles and tail alight with fire.
“Nice trick. I can see why you were able to avoid Commander Mikana's grasp for so long. A mind like yours, that can think quickly in any situation and turn the tables while fooling the enemy and letting them become overconfident, is quite something.”
“Heh. Thanks for the compliment scales, but don't think that means that I wanna kiss ya or anything. Yer not my type.” Trickster responds while adopting a sly smile even as he felt his stomach turn at the odds that were currently against him.
“I give credit where it is due, though you will find that I am not as gullible as my two companions behind me.” Mira speaks out while standing up straight and ignoring the cries and yells of Shiro and Nadia, both of whom are still on their knees and rubbing their eyes, their vision still not retuning despite their efforts. Trickster does the same and keeps his eyes on Mira while wanting nothing more than to find something to get him out of this situation, though returns to his battle ready position as Mira hefts her ax up and bends her knees, lowering herself into a crouch while putting her ax arm behind her and her free arm in front and crossing it over her front. Arm held at a horizontal angle, she keeps on smiling while the flames on her tail increase in size and intensity, the prospect of fighting this young man continuing to excite her more and more even as she tries to keep a cool head, which shows in her tone as she speaks again.
“May I have the honor of getting your real name?”
“My real name is my own and one that I don't give out to anyone save for family and friends, but you can call me Trickster like everyone else scales.” Trickster says while his mind races to come up with a plan of attack.
“Heh! Very well then. I am Mira Lambart, former mercenary and the direct pupil of Commander Mikana herself. Prepare yourself for my ax Trickster and give me a good fight, one that puts Lady Mikana to shame!”
Immediately after saying her peace, Mira takes off, flames following as she charges towards Trickster, whose body tenses up as she does so. Reacting quickly, he reaches into his pouch and pulls out another white sphere before tossing it at the ground right where Mira would cross, the sphere breaking and releasing the white smoke held withing. Mira does not let this stop her as she continues to charge through the rising smoke, intent on catching Trickster before he can move out of her range. Quickly moving to the left, the young man watches as the salamander swings her axe straight at the ground where he originally stood, the metal blades alight with fire that chars the ground itself. Staying on the defensive, he channel his spirit energy into his body, an aura of blue surrounding his body and becoming a light with power as the salamander recovers and looks to her right before charging once again, her ax swinging wildly as she closes the distance between the two.
Seeing the ax blades coming, Trickster only dodges them the best he can, each swing barely passing by his body, the heat making his skin crawl. Left, right, up and down. Each of the swings pass by his body, his head, his face, his arms. Any body part that the ax could come close was out of the way before the blades could connect, though dodging the blades ended up being only one of his worries as Mira stopped swinging her ax, only to quickly turn her body, spinning in once place on her feet and letting her tail fly through the air. Trickster barely had time to react to such an attack and could only brace himself as the tail connect with his left side, his grunt being heard by the salamander herself. Pain and heat shot through his side as the salamander continued her tail swing, carrying him along until she completed her spin and tossed him aside, his body rolling on the ground twice before coming to a stop on his stomach.
Despite the protection of his leather armor, he could still feel the sting of the heavy tail against his side and guessed that he would be bruising as well, with the sudden burning sensation not making matters any better. In his tired state, Trickster knew that was in no shape to take on a fresh salamander in a one on one fight, though that did not stop him from rising to his feet and keeping his aura intact. He briefly wondered why he was not being attacked at the moment and got his answer when he looked over and saw Mira standing still while facing him, her smile telling him that she was only getting started. Knowing what he did about salamanders, the young man realized that the woman in front of him was trying to make this fight last, deliberately avoiding a finishing blow and giving a tired man all the chances he needed to keep going. He thanked whatever deity there was out there that Mira was like that as well, because he could feel his odds dwindling every second and knew that if the salamander did not finish the fight now, that her two partners would once they were able to fully recover.
“Thank the gods that they were right in front of the Flash Bomb when it went off.” Trickster whispered to himself as he kept his aura going despite his dwindling reserves of spirit energy, though he hoped that his aura going would do it's job and help him in the end. Even while watching Mira prepare another charge, he still kept it up, with only one thought on his mind as the salamander charged at him once again.
'Come on lady luck! Please let old headless be near the area!'
Spoiler: show
Back at the rock formations, away from the battle that is currently raging on, Mikana continues to stimulate her lower regions, her mouth shut as she tries to subdue her rising moans, her face flushed in red as presses two of her fingers just above the entrance of her mound, right on top of the nub that would be her clit. The wave of pleasure flowing through her body as she does so only prompt her to touch and press again, all while circling her fingers around the nub, her body flinching in response to the pleasure she seeks and her lower lips oozing with her juices.
No longer able to keep the moans of pleasure silent, Mikana opens her mouth and lets loose a loud moan to the sky, followed soon by her heavy breaths. Sweat pours down her face as the circular motions of her fingers pick up speed, her cries of pleasure ringing out into the night, her fingers damp with the warm liquid from her snatch.
'Not enough!' Mikana cries in her mind as she moves her other hand towards her blade resting on the ground and stopping only once she grasps the hilt. While still working her fingers on her clit, she maneuvers her blade until it is safely over and then finally resting between her legs, the tip of the hilt just barely an inch away from her dripping snatch. Hand still holding tightly on the hilt, she moves the tip forward and finally lets the cold steel touch the outer lips of her pussy, a shiver running down her spine. Teasing herself with the tip, she gently rubs it on the outer lips of her puss, only to take hold of the bottom of the handle and slowly push it inside of her.
Lips parting, Mikana lets out a gasp as she continues to push the hilt into her vagina, with only half of it entering her before she finally stops it. The feeling of cold steel inside her sends another shiver down her spine, but that only heightens her pleasure as she slowly pulls the hilt back, the metal glistening in the moonlight because of her juices. Subduing a moan, she closes her eyes and lets her imagination go to work, the image of Trickster's smiling face filling her mind, which only causes her to increase the gyrations of her fingers on her clit. She imagines him speaking to her, teasing her with his every word, keeping her just out of reach while giving her that coy smile of his.
Just to add to this image, Mikana uses her senses and searches around the area, picking up on Trickster's leftover spirit energy a moment later. Finally sensing this, she lets out a gasp as she pushes the hilt back into her dripping snatch and pulls it back a moment later. In and out the hilt goes, her lips parting and closing with every push and pull, her inner walls tightening as the hilt goes in and loosening as it moves out. With her fingers continuing to gyrate on her clit, she fully lets go of her silence and lets her moans come out unhindered, her senses still picking up on any trace of Trickster's energy.
Feeling more and more of the intense pleasure she was giving herself, Mikana increases the speed of the hilt in her vagina, the now slick metal going in and out of her snatch smoothly and without obstruction. She opens her senses even more and to a wider range as she tries to pick up even more of Trickster's spirit energy, so much so that she feels a large gathering of it far from her current spot. Feeling this energy only increases the pleasure she gives herself and only makes her want to give herself more, wanting nothing more than to cross that threshold and feel the apex of her bodies' pleasure. So close she was that she dropped all thoughts except for the spirit energy she picked up on and her own pleasure, though in the back of her mind, she felt the energy dropping at an alarming rate.
Mikana wanted nothing more that to just cross that threshold, to ignore any other instinct except for the one that gives her pleasure, to ignore that the mass of spirit energy she is feeling belongs to the one she longs for and is not part of her imagination. Whether by good or bad fortune, the logical side of her mind starts to edge out her own lust when the spirit energy she senses drops once again, causing her to open her eyes suddenly. Looking to her left and right, all her eyes see are the grassy landscape, but she knew better, her hand moving away from her clit while her other slowly pulls the hilt from inside her pussy.
“T-Trickster?” Mikana questions, a small yelp escaping her lips as the last of the hilt leaves her still dripping snatch. Her lust slowly disappearing, her logical side starts taking over, with her senses more free to get a lock on Trickster's dwindling spirit energy despite the distance between them. Feeling another drop in pressure, she lets her sword drop to the ground and attempts to stand up, her legs shaking so much that she uses the boulder as a crutch in order to fully stand without falling over. Though slow going, she finally manages to stand upright, even with her legs shaking, and with the burning lust in her mind slowly dissipating, she is able to open her senses even more and while doing so, slowly turns and faces the direction that Trickster's spirit energy is coming from.
What Mikana feels surprises her. Trickster's spirit energy alight like a low burning flame that is slowly dying out, something that immediately causes her muscles to tense up in response. Wondering just why his spirit energy is dropping as fast as it is, she closes her eyes and lets the power of her senses pick up on the area where the one who she desires is currently presiding and what she feels once she finds it completely shocks her. Three more signs picked up on her senses, all demonic energy based and all converged on Trickster's location. As if things could not be worse for her mood, she feels one of the beings whom the demonic energy belongs to and clenches her teeth as the energy becomes familiar to her.
“Nadia.” Mikana growls as the pleasure in her body turned into a distant memory and was replaced by anger. Before she dropped to grab her sword and take off to hunt the one who is once again messing with her prey, she feels another presence that was more than familiar to her, one that she knew personally as much as Nadia.
“...Even Lambert is there? After MY Trickster!?” Mikana responds out loud while dipping down and picking up her sword in her right hand, not once caring about the sticky juices on the hilt itself, though even as she stands back upright, the feels her legs shake again and stabs her sword into the ground to help keep her balance. Only a for a moment was she incapacitated due to her own body as she finally stands upright and looks at the horizon, her anger welling to it's highest as she tightens her grip on the hilt of her sword. With nary another word said, she takes a step back, her demonic energy gathering and jumps once in the air, intent on traveling straight to Trickster, only to land on her feet merely inches from where she stood, her body shuddering from the lack of energy she could gather.
“Damn Trickster! Too much of my energy has been drained...Two. Two is all I have enough energy for.” Mikana says to herself as she closes her eyes and lets whatever amount of demonic energy she could gather from her body out around her person while saving what she has left for another attempt. Taking another deep breath, she jumps in the air once again, this time feeling her mana expand around her and in a flash, she disappears from sight, more than intent on arriving on the scene to save her prey.
Another slash of her axe barely missed Trickster's cheek as he jumps back, only to dart forward and rear his arm back before throwing his arm in an overhead arc, his blade coming down on Mira's head, who jumps back herself as the tip of the blade passes in front of her, her nose being nicked in the process. Even such a small hit only made the salamander more fired up, the flame on her tail burning brighter than ever, something she uses as she turns and flicks a stream of fire straight at her opponent. Upon seeing the flames coming towards him, the young man immediately jumping to his left the second he sees the flames coming towards him and feeling the heat emanating from them as they pass.
Righting himself, Trickster could only regard his current state with a mix of frustration, pain and disdain. A dull ache in his side from Mira's earlier attack, leather armor slashed from another, legs getting weaker by the second, aura nothing but a dull hue and even his face, sweat ridden with a bruise on his left cheek from a punch he took, only made him realize even more on just how outmatched he currently is. His dwindling reserves of spirit energy only added to his woes and upon blinking once, saw double in his vision, which he solved by blinking again, his eyesight returning to normal.
“Damn. I'm working on reserves here and even those are almost gone.” Trickster whispered to himself as Mira stood upright, her tail swaying in the air and a grin on her face. Seeing the physical state that Trickster and yet him still fighting brought about a euphoria that he only got when she was fighting Mikana, which only made her want to prolong the fight even more, just to see if Trickster could come up with anything else.
“You know Trickster, you are quite the fighter considering your current state. Gets me excited just looking at you...Yet sad at the same time because I could not fight you when you are at your best.”
“W-Well thanks, but if you want to see me at my best, then how about letting me go and rest up for a few days?” Trickster says while forcing a smile to come on his face.
“Not a chance Trickster. You're too good a prize to just let go.” Mira responds, her grin never waning as she grips her axe tightly in her claws while making small hops in place. Trickster wanted nothing more than to smile and just laugh this off while hoping that it was a dream, but he knew better than that, especially if all the times Mikana chased him were not a dream. Despite the condition of his body, he still held his ground and waited for the salamander to make a move, only for the voice of another to sound out.
“Hold still cute stuff!” Yelled out the familiar voice of Shiro as she aimed her open palm at Trickster and in a flash, sent a gathered sphere of her own mana straight at him that was sure to hit...or would have, had her eyesight been clear. The sphere, pulsating with power, flies right past Trickster's face and finally explodes in a shower of orange light a few seconds after-wards, leaving a surprised Trickster looking over at the witch and seeing that her eyes were partially open. A cold shiver an down his spine as Trickster realized that the effects of the Flash Bomb was wearing off, his gaze turning away from the witch and towards the dark elf, who was rising to her feet, her own eyes opening more and more by the second.
Trickster's attention was brought back to Mira as she made a grab for his armor, something he was barely able to avoid by jumping back and swiping his knife at her outstretched claws, the blade scrapping across the underside of her claw and drawing blood from the newly created wound. Without even jumping back, she only continues her assault, the red blood dripping from her free claw onto the ground, a grin on her face as she tries to swipe at Trickster again with her axe, her arm moving in a downward arc as the blades on her weapons whistle in the air forcing Trickster to jump back once more.
Once landing however, Trickster felt his legs shudder under his weight, forcing him to stumble and losing his balance in the process. Falling forward, Trickster landed on his knees, then thrust his hands out, his gloved palm touching the soft grass below him while the other keeps his blade held tightly in a fist, keeping his body from hitting the ground as he propped himself up,. He knew, just by the feeling in his lower body, that he was on his legs, that he could barely keep going, that he could no longer dodge any blow. His mind was willing, trying to come up with a plan of action, yet his body was not, the exhaustion, the pain and soreness from both this fight and his run in with Mikana and the drain on his spirit energy keeping him from doing anything except keeping his knees on the ground. Eyes on the ground, he could only hear the disappointed sigh coming from Mira, along with the soft thud of her feet on the grass below as she approached him.
“Looks like you're done. You lasted longer than I thought you would Trickster, especially considering your current state.” Mira says as she finally approaches Trickster's side and kneels beside him on his left side.
“Does...that mean you'll let me go?” Trickster said with an uneasy grin, knowing full well what the answer to that was going to be.
“Ha! Not a chance Trickster! I'm gonna hand you over to Nadia, but I have arranged for us to share you. After a few days with Nadia, I'll get you back and then we can have a true rematch.”
As if on cue, Nadia makes her way to Trickster, her vision slowly clearing by the second as she does, her eyesight finally clear as day after she is right in front of Trickster. Not even giving her the satisfaction of his eyes, Trickster keeps looking at the ground, finding it more favorable than the chocolate colored woman standing before him, though that changes when she kneels before him and grabs onto his chin with her right hand. Feeling her squeeze tightly onto his face and forcing him to look up, the surge of pain from her grip causing him to grunt in response, in order to see her face to face. When Trickster did, he could only grimace at the look Nadia was giving him, a look of triumph by the grin on her face ad the lustful glint in her eyes.
“You are finally mine Trickster. Oh I will enjoy breaking you after what you did to me.” Nadia says while licking her lips, something that made Trickster shudder in response. Before he could so much as say anything, she lets his chin go, his head dropping down and his gaze returning to the grass below. That however did not last as only a second later, she was at his right side and rearing her leg back, she thrusts it forward and lets her boot connect with his ribs, the sudden surge of pain causing him to shout and roll on his side while his free arm held onto his now bruised ribs. Even as he lay on the ground, the dark elf was not done, delivering another kick to his side and then another, each time making the young man grunt and yell as each blow connected with his arm and ribs, his leather armor only holding back the weight of the blows from becoming deadly.
Nadia, with a wicked smirk on her face, kicks Trickster again and again, even as Shiro's own vision cleared, allowing her to see the young man getting repeatedly kicked by her dark elf companion. Still clutching the blade in his hand, Trickster could only endure the kicks, each one sending a new wave of pain to his side, the dark elf not letting up for even a second. Only after a minute of kicking passed did the dark elf stop her assault, giving Trickster one last kick that was hard enough to make him roll on his back, his breathing hoarse and his side feeling like it was on fire. As Trickster clutched his ribs, he managed to steal a glance at Mira, who, while frowning at the sight of him on the ground, did nothing to stop Nadia's attack and only heard the voice of Shiro as she approached.
“Wow. Don't kick him too much and too hard Sadist. I still want a piece of him for some experiments later.”
“You will have your chance to experiment on him after I am through breaking him...And don't call me a sadists damn it!” Nadia responded as she looked back down as Trickster, relishing the thought that the man who humiliated her was now within her grasp. Just to solidify her victory, she lifts her left leg and drops the heel of her boot straight on Trickster's stomach, his armor doing very little to block the sharp pain the point did on his gut. A grunt followed by a wordless scream escaped his lips, his eyes closing as she digs her boot deeper into his armored covered stomach, twisting her heel left and right as she grinds it into his body. His hand clutching his blade was the only relief that Trickster could find, his strength waning and keeping him from so much as defending himself.
“How does it feel to be beneath my boot worm!?” Nadia yells out at Trickster, who can only look up at the dark elf with a painful expression before closing his eyes once again, his mind trying to formulate any kind of plan at all while his senses opened to try and find any kind of relief to help him. Feeling around, Trickster felt his hopes slowly fading as nothing, not even an Order patrol, came to his senses...Only for a familiar spike of mana to finally hit him, causing him to suddenly open his eyes and look away from the dark elf's face and up at the sky. The mana was getting closer by the second, he could feel it, and the familiar nature of it did something that he did not think would happen again. It made him grin.
“What are you grinning at welp!?” Nadia yells out, stopping her heel from digging into Trickster's chest for only a moment to get her answer, which Trickster gladly gave after sticking his tongue out at her.
“Bitch...getting punched says what?”
“What-” was all Nadia managed to say as a gauntlet covered fist collides with her left cheek, the crunch of bones meeting metal sounding off, and sends her flying across the field a few feet away from Trickster. Both Mira and Shiro, realizing just what happened, prepare to defend themselves, only for the figure to twist and turn her body, her left fist still balled up, and swing it back towards the witch. Again, metal collides with flesh as the figure backhands Shiro, the witch yelling out in pain as she was sent rolling about just like Nadia, the figure not even stopping as she twists her body back to the right, her blade soaring in the air as she swings it at Mira.
Seeing the blade coming towards her, Mira twists her axe until the flat side is facing the figure, the tip of her own blade colliding with the salamander's axe, the force of the blow pushing her back. Feet skidding against the ground, she tries to right herself only to trip and fall, landing on her back as she hits the ground. Trickster, craning his head to see all this, suppresses a laugh as he looks up at the figure that just saved his life, his grin still remaining on his face as he speaks.
“D-Damn headless. What took ya so long?”
Still facing away from Trickster, Mikana could feel the sarcasm in Trickster's voice, along with something else that she did not expect from him. Gratitude.
“I would have been here sooner, but I wanted to see you sweat a bit Trickster.” Mikana says as she adjusts her body, part of her side being visible to Trickster, her relieved smile betraying her cold exterior as a bead of sweat poured down her cheek. This sight did not go unnoticed by Trickster who could not resist making a comment about the situation as he fights to sit up.
“Oh I see! Is that why you came in swinging when you showed up?” Trickster asks.
“I have some pent up aggression towards you that I needed to get out and Nadia, being the first in my line of sight, was the perfect person to let that out on.”
“And the other two?”
“The witch was in the way and Lambert, being my subordinate, deserves her own punishment for going after you.” Mikana says, her hand tightening it's hold on the hilt of her sword as she watches Mira sit up.
“...Heh. Well, if it's all the same to you, I'm rather glad that you came to rescue me...and I prefer that you chase me. You're nicer than them.”
Mikana, who still kept an eye on Mira as the salamander slowly gets to her feet, can not help but let her smile be known to Trickster as she takes two steps away from him, though once doing so, she finds her legs shaking once again and stops moving altogether to keep herself from falling. Trickster, upon noticing this, swallows the spit accumulating in his mouth and gasps as a surge of pain flows through his side, his free hand grabbing onto his ribs while his other hand keeps tight hold of his blade.
'Damn! I'm in no shape to do much of anything after all those kicks that Nadia gave me and Mikana does not look like she's in any shape to give a long fight.' Trickster thought to himself while looking over at Mira, the salamander standing to her feet and keeping her axe held tightly in her claws. Feeling nervous about the condition of the other two monsters, Trickster turns his gaze over at Nadia, who was holding onto her jaw, feeling something fractured and the flaring pain, and then to Shiro, who was wiping a tear that was forming in her eye while reaching out for her hat that had fell off after the hit. Though he wanted to keep his gaze on the other two, the voice of Mira brought his attention back.
“C-Commander!? What are you doing here!?” Mira says, her shocked tone flowing through.
“'What am I doing here?' Lambert! You are attacking my prey! Did you really think I would not notice that!?” Mikana responds, her own anger showing through her voice.
“Is it so wrong that I wanted to see the big deal with the man that has evaded you?”
“When it involves going after a man I strictly said was forbidden, then yes it is!”
“Wait...headless did that?' Trickster thought to himself as he watched Mira tries to argue her case, feeling that Mikana's choice in making him forbidden from other monsters attacking him was weird in a way, yet somewhat flattering at the same time.
“But Commander! You've been hunting this man for months and are still not successful in catching him! Considering your past failures, I say that he's free game at this point! That and he's a lot better than I thought he would be! So why don't you move along and let me take him!?”
“Lambert, I am ordering you to stand down. Now!”
Trickster only watches the two warriors stare each other down, a glare in their eyes as he shakily gets to his feet, his side flaring in pain with every movement he makes. Keeping his groans to a minimum, he looks back at Nadia and Shiro, who have recovered from the hit they took from Mikana and have slowly gotten to their feet. Seeing this and the angry look on their faces made him turn his gaze back to Mikana, who was gripping her blade tightly and was ready to strike, then as much as he could, he moves right next to her, making her flinch at the close proximity that he was at, and whispers in her ear.
“Uh headless? We have a couple more problems here.”
“I know Trickster. The dark elven bitch and the woman-child are up and truth be told, I do not think I can take them and Lambert while keeping you safe.” Mikana whispers back.
“Running on empty as well. I'm on reserves here and those are practically gone except for a little spike. What's your plan here?”
“Simple. I'm going to grab you and shift out of here.”
“And that will work?”
“It should provided that I can gather the last bit of my mana and use it.”
“Then do it headless.” Trickster says as he spies Nadia growling at the two of them before speaking.
“What are you two whispering about!? And you! I suggest you leave here dullahan or else I will turn my tortures on you as well!”
“Hey dark elf! Shut yer damn trap for once! I'm trying to have a private conversation with Mikana here and yer damn voice is interrupting that! Did no one ever teach a bitch like you any manners!?” Trickster yells out, which only infuriates Nadia even further while leaving Shiro, who for once was not laughing, to hold her hand out and start chanting to herself while Mira crouches slightly and readies herself to attack at a moments notice.
“...Thank you very much for inciting her anger even more Trickster. Really, that was awfully helpful.” Mikana says, her expression completely deadpan.
“Shift now, tell me how much of an idiot I am later!” Trickster yells out while grabbing onto Mikana's arm with his free hand, the leftover mana in his body surging slightly. Flinching from the touch for only a moment, Mikana turns her concentration back on her own body and gathers the leftover demonic mana inside her body. This gathering of mana did not go unnoticed by the three monsters around the pair and the second Mira felt it, she growls and charges straight at her commander, her tail alight with a bright orange flame. Seeing her charge, Trickster can only look with worry at Mikana not being able to help them escape in time and looks on as the salamander moves closer and closer, with the dullahan stopping the flow of her mana temporarily to block the incoming assault from her subordinate.
Sword raised while shrugging off Trickster's hand from her arm, Mikana readies herself for Mira's blow as the salamander raises her axe and brings it down as she finally nears her commander, the dullahan jumping back as Trickster moves to his left, barely keeping himself standing before he finally stops moving. The dullahan, finally righting herself, barely has time to react as the air around her grows dense and the demonic mana from Shiro surges, two twin spears of orange light forming above her head. Grinning, the witch wordlessly launches the spears, one after the other, at the dullahan, who dodges to her left as the first spear narrowly passes by her, then moves to her right as the other passes by, the bladed edge clipping her cheek and making a cut as it to moves past her.
With no time to rest even as a trickle of blood flows down from the cut on Mikana's face, Nadia takes the remnants of her whip and attacks, the weapon cracking in the air as it moves. Normally short of hitting it's target because of Trickster cutting it off, the whip's sliced off edge glows with power, the mana that flows from the dark elf's arm to the whip itself growing and reforming the end that was sliced off, becoming solid in form, deep purple in color and just as dangerous as her old one.
Mikaka feels the tip of the newly made whip strike at her left shoulder piece, the loud scrape of mana hitting metal piercing her ears as a large gash was made in it, causing her to immediately jump away from the dark elf's range of attack. Sliding to a halt, she begins to look back at the dark elf and the witch, both of whom were preparing their next attacks, only to turn back towards Mira, who was once again charging, axe held low to the ground before she raised it in the air as she jumped. Immediately holding her sword up and then horizontally, the dullahan keeps tight hold of the handle in her right hand while placing her open, left palm further up the flat side of the blade before bracing herself for the inevitable impact, which comes only half a second later.
Mikana could feel the sudden weight of Mira's axe on her blade and by extension, the rest of her body, on her, forcing her to use all the strength she has in her body to keep from faltering even as she was being pushed against by her subordinate, who finally landed on her feet and was using all her strength to push down on her commander. Both warriors stare into the eyes of the other, the salamander growling as she presses downward, forcing the dullahan to grunt as she pushes back, though she feels her strength start to fail her as her legs shake. Fighting to keep her knees from buckling, she fights to push back, even as her arms start to tire and slowly lower in response, with the salamander showing a grin as she continues to press her now gained advantage, all the while, both Shiro and Nadia prepare their next attack, the dark elf cracking her whip in place and Shiro preparing another pair of mana spears to launch.
'Damn it! I...I can't do this alone.' Mikana thinks to herself as she takes a glance to her left and sees both Shiro and Nadia preparing to launch their attacks and dreads that she is too weak to actually do anything to stop them, let alone her subordinate.
'Come on! I know I got a little bit left in me! Just gotta find it!' Is all Trickster thinks to himself as he tries to gather whatever leftover spirit energy he can find in his body, knowing that Mikana, like him, is in no shape to actually fight off a single opponent, let alone three. Despite feeling completely weak, injured and ready to collapse, he still felt the spirit energy in his body travel through his arm, his hand closing into a fist as he gathers it and lets it form into a sphere once again. Feeling his vision blur from taking the last of his energy and his body shake, he keeps his eyes on his savior while rearing his arm back, the sphere pulsating in his grip and then, with all the might he could muster, throws the sphere straight at her, though his aim was a little off and instead ends up traveling towards Mira. Even with the sphere traveling towards her, he still manages to yell out while keeping his arm extended and closing his eyes.
“Mikana! Close yer peepers!”
Mikana, upon hearing Trickster's voice, turns her head towards him and sees the shining sphere coming towards both her and Mira. Knowing full well that the sphere that Trickster launched would be trouble for anyone, she kept up her struggle against Mira's axe while tightly shutting her eyes in the process. Mira, hearing too late, watched as her commander closed her eyes and looked directly at the sphere coming at her, the salamander only getting out a single curse as Trickster yells out.
“Flash Bomb!”
Nadia and Shiro let out a gasp when the sphere, identical to the one before, grows in size once again, then explodes in a flash of light once Trickster closes his hand. All at once, three screams are heard as Shiro, Nadia and especially Mira feel the light burn their eyes, with Mira especially feeling the effects even more since the sphere detonated right next to her. No longer able to see and feeling the sudden pain in her eyes, the salamander backs away and drops her axe on the grass below, using her clawed hands to cover her eyes while Nadia and Shiro are once again kneeling on the ground with their hands over their eyes.
“”Damn it! Not again!” Says Shiro.
“Damn you Trickster!” Nadia says as well.
“Argh! By the Demon Lord's grace! My eyes!” Mira finishes up as the light slowly dissipates, the returning moonlight being the only light in the area. After a second of waiting, with the wail and groans permeating her ears, Mikana opens her eyes and sees her subordinate on one knee, claws closed and rubbing her eyes to try and clear them so she can see. Still remaining where she is, she hears the harrowed voice of Trickster, who is currently wobbling as he tries to avoid passing out from exhaustion.
“Hey headless! Quit yer gawking and lets go! Longer we wait, the better chance we have of those morons getting their sight back and I don't have the energy for another Flash Bomb!”
Mikana's own senses pick up on this fact, feeling Trickster's already low reserves going on empty and, with her eyes now open and adjusted to the normal light, she rises and moves quickly towards Trickster, her own demonic energy swelling as she does so. Despite the feeling of exhaustion in her body, she still manages to reach him without any trouble and upon getting next to him on his right side, she wraps her left arm around his lower body, taking hold of his waist, him leaning into her as his body finally starts to give out. Close as he is, she holds her happiness back and lets the last of her own demonic energy swell to it's highest before letting it expand around her, the air rippling in the process, and in a flash, both of them are gone from both sight and mana senses.
Nadia, eyes still blinded, tries to sense any sign of Trickster and Mikana being in their vicinity, but nothing comes to her, causing her to yell out to the smallest of the group.
“Shiro! I can't feel those two! Where are they!?”
Shiro, despite being just as blinded as the rest, leans back and opens the palm of her hand, letting her minds eye wander as she moves her arm and scans for any sign of their targets. However, only a faint trace of their combined energies are felt by her, which was slowly fading away, causing her to growl to herself as she announces her findings.
“They're gone Nadia!”
“Are you sure Shiro!?” Nadia yells out.
“No, they're just sitting a few feet away from us and discussing the fine art of tea making while their mana fades. Of course I'm sure! You're asking the same person, who managed to find the bastard in the first place I might add, if she's sure you stupid, long eared, sadistic slave driver!” Shiro yells out with as much sarcasm and venom as she could manage even in her current state, which only angers Nadia further as she yells back at the witch.
“Watch your mouth Shiro or you will be my next toy to break!”
“Oh yeah!? How about I turn you into one of my experiments instead!?”
The yelling session between Shiro and Nadia only continues to go on, much to the annoyance of Mira who had fallen back and sits on her bottom while rubbing her eyes, hoping that it will make her eyesight return faster. Feeling disappointment at being unprepared for an assault by a half dead and exhausted man and angry that she could not fully best her superior despite the person being exhausted as well, the salamander only lets out a low grow, her thoughts turning to the two who escaped from her.
'Next time Commander. When we meet next time, I will defeat you, but not before I defeat and claim Trickster for my own. I swear it!'
Far away from the three monsters, in an area where the grass gave way to a rather medium, two story sized house made of strong oaken wood, Mikana and Trickster reappear, both landing upright, their feet on the soft grass below. Panting as the last of her mana was spent, the dullahan barely keeps both herself and Trickster from falling, though the barely conscious young man does not help things as he continues to collapse against her. She could feel his body so close against her and now that they were out of danger, the thoughts of him, his warmth, everything started coming back to her. Yet, despite the want in her body, exhausted as it was, her mind would not let her do anything to him, the very honor of her word keeping her from doing anything except slowly letting him down to the ground, her arm wrapped around him as she sets him on the ground in a sitting position, her sitting right next to him and keeping him propped up while laying her sword down on the ground next to her.
Trickster, feeling his conciseness fading, keeps hold of his blade and refuses to let it go, despite being out of immediate danger, all while slowly sinking onto Mikana's body and laying his head on her shoulder, not caring about the cold metal against his skin nor how the dullahan might feel about this. Eyes barely open, he lets out a exasperated sigh and finally starts to visibly relax, his breathing becoming slower as he just lays on the person who saved him from danger despite chasing him earlier in the day.
“...Hey Mikana?” Trickster asks quietly.
“...What is it Trickster?” Mikana answers while looking ahead at the land beyond.
“Are...we out of danger?”
“Yes we are Trickster.”
“Good...Thank ya for helping me out...and letting me use you as a pillow.”
“...Whatever Trickster.” Mikana says, the coming red of her cheeks betraying the stern tone of her voice, something which Trickster, despite not seeing it, found funny as a weak laugh escapes his lips.
“Heh...Bet I made ya blush Mikana.” Was all Trickster could get out as his conciseness finally faded, his eyes closing while still leaning against Mikana's body, more than intent to use her as a resting post, something that causes the dullahan to sigh to herself. Yet despite this, a smile slowly formed on her face as she looked down at his hand, the blade still grasped tightly in his hand. Seeing the blade, she feels herself reminded of what that blade means to him, the reason surfacing as a past memory of their encounter, but instead of letting the memory dwell on her, she keeps Trickster close to her as she lies back, using her free arm as a crutch to keep the two of them from hitting the ground hard. Finally, after a moment of movement, both are laying on the ground, Trickster's head still on her shoulder and her arm still around him. Deciding that sleep was better in this place than any other and feeling the exhaustion in her body fully catching up with her, she slowly lets her own eyes close, the night sky slowly fading from her vision as she starts to fall into a deep slumber.
Neither Trickster nor Mikana realized the sound of a door opening, their ears shut out to the noises around them, nor did either of them feel the approach of the figure from the house itself, both too tired to try moving or waking up. Even as the figure moved close, Trickster himself felt his mind drift off to the land of dreams, memories of the past slowly coming back to him as he slumbers next to Mikana.
No longer able to keep the moans of pleasure silent, Mikana opens her mouth and lets loose a loud moan to the sky, followed soon by her heavy breaths. Sweat pours down her face as the circular motions of her fingers pick up speed, her cries of pleasure ringing out into the night, her fingers damp with the warm liquid from her snatch.
'Not enough!' Mikana cries in her mind as she moves her other hand towards her blade resting on the ground and stopping only once she grasps the hilt. While still working her fingers on her clit, she maneuvers her blade until it is safely over and then finally resting between her legs, the tip of the hilt just barely an inch away from her dripping snatch. Hand still holding tightly on the hilt, she moves the tip forward and finally lets the cold steel touch the outer lips of her pussy, a shiver running down her spine. Teasing herself with the tip, she gently rubs it on the outer lips of her puss, only to take hold of the bottom of the handle and slowly push it inside of her.
Lips parting, Mikana lets out a gasp as she continues to push the hilt into her vagina, with only half of it entering her before she finally stops it. The feeling of cold steel inside her sends another shiver down her spine, but that only heightens her pleasure as she slowly pulls the hilt back, the metal glistening in the moonlight because of her juices. Subduing a moan, she closes her eyes and lets her imagination go to work, the image of Trickster's smiling face filling her mind, which only causes her to increase the gyrations of her fingers on her clit. She imagines him speaking to her, teasing her with his every word, keeping her just out of reach while giving her that coy smile of his.
Just to add to this image, Mikana uses her senses and searches around the area, picking up on Trickster's leftover spirit energy a moment later. Finally sensing this, she lets out a gasp as she pushes the hilt back into her dripping snatch and pulls it back a moment later. In and out the hilt goes, her lips parting and closing with every push and pull, her inner walls tightening as the hilt goes in and loosening as it moves out. With her fingers continuing to gyrate on her clit, she fully lets go of her silence and lets her moans come out unhindered, her senses still picking up on any trace of Trickster's energy.
Feeling more and more of the intense pleasure she was giving herself, Mikana increases the speed of the hilt in her vagina, the now slick metal going in and out of her snatch smoothly and without obstruction. She opens her senses even more and to a wider range as she tries to pick up even more of Trickster's spirit energy, so much so that she feels a large gathering of it far from her current spot. Feeling this energy only increases the pleasure she gives herself and only makes her want to give herself more, wanting nothing more than to cross that threshold and feel the apex of her bodies' pleasure. So close she was that she dropped all thoughts except for the spirit energy she picked up on and her own pleasure, though in the back of her mind, she felt the energy dropping at an alarming rate.
Mikana wanted nothing more that to just cross that threshold, to ignore any other instinct except for the one that gives her pleasure, to ignore that the mass of spirit energy she is feeling belongs to the one she longs for and is not part of her imagination. Whether by good or bad fortune, the logical side of her mind starts to edge out her own lust when the spirit energy she senses drops once again, causing her to open her eyes suddenly. Looking to her left and right, all her eyes see are the grassy landscape, but she knew better, her hand moving away from her clit while her other slowly pulls the hilt from inside her pussy.
“T-Trickster?” Mikana questions, a small yelp escaping her lips as the last of the hilt leaves her still dripping snatch. Her lust slowly disappearing, her logical side starts taking over, with her senses more free to get a lock on Trickster's dwindling spirit energy despite the distance between them. Feeling another drop in pressure, she lets her sword drop to the ground and attempts to stand up, her legs shaking so much that she uses the boulder as a crutch in order to fully stand without falling over. Though slow going, she finally manages to stand upright, even with her legs shaking, and with the burning lust in her mind slowly dissipating, she is able to open her senses even more and while doing so, slowly turns and faces the direction that Trickster's spirit energy is coming from.
What Mikana feels surprises her. Trickster's spirit energy alight like a low burning flame that is slowly dying out, something that immediately causes her muscles to tense up in response. Wondering just why his spirit energy is dropping as fast as it is, she closes her eyes and lets the power of her senses pick up on the area where the one who she desires is currently presiding and what she feels once she finds it completely shocks her. Three more signs picked up on her senses, all demonic energy based and all converged on Trickster's location. As if things could not be worse for her mood, she feels one of the beings whom the demonic energy belongs to and clenches her teeth as the energy becomes familiar to her.
“Nadia.” Mikana growls as the pleasure in her body turned into a distant memory and was replaced by anger. Before she dropped to grab her sword and take off to hunt the one who is once again messing with her prey, she feels another presence that was more than familiar to her, one that she knew personally as much as Nadia.
“...Even Lambert is there? After MY Trickster!?” Mikana responds out loud while dipping down and picking up her sword in her right hand, not once caring about the sticky juices on the hilt itself, though even as she stands back upright, the feels her legs shake again and stabs her sword into the ground to help keep her balance. Only a for a moment was she incapacitated due to her own body as she finally stands upright and looks at the horizon, her anger welling to it's highest as she tightens her grip on the hilt of her sword. With nary another word said, she takes a step back, her demonic energy gathering and jumps once in the air, intent on traveling straight to Trickster, only to land on her feet merely inches from where she stood, her body shuddering from the lack of energy she could gather.
“Damn Trickster! Too much of my energy has been drained...Two. Two is all I have enough energy for.” Mikana says to herself as she closes her eyes and lets whatever amount of demonic energy she could gather from her body out around her person while saving what she has left for another attempt. Taking another deep breath, she jumps in the air once again, this time feeling her mana expand around her and in a flash, she disappears from sight, more than intent on arriving on the scene to save her prey.
Another slash of her axe barely missed Trickster's cheek as he jumps back, only to dart forward and rear his arm back before throwing his arm in an overhead arc, his blade coming down on Mira's head, who jumps back herself as the tip of the blade passes in front of her, her nose being nicked in the process. Even such a small hit only made the salamander more fired up, the flame on her tail burning brighter than ever, something she uses as she turns and flicks a stream of fire straight at her opponent. Upon seeing the flames coming towards him, the young man immediately jumping to his left the second he sees the flames coming towards him and feeling the heat emanating from them as they pass.
Righting himself, Trickster could only regard his current state with a mix of frustration, pain and disdain. A dull ache in his side from Mira's earlier attack, leather armor slashed from another, legs getting weaker by the second, aura nothing but a dull hue and even his face, sweat ridden with a bruise on his left cheek from a punch he took, only made him realize even more on just how outmatched he currently is. His dwindling reserves of spirit energy only added to his woes and upon blinking once, saw double in his vision, which he solved by blinking again, his eyesight returning to normal.
“Damn. I'm working on reserves here and even those are almost gone.” Trickster whispered to himself as Mira stood upright, her tail swaying in the air and a grin on her face. Seeing the physical state that Trickster and yet him still fighting brought about a euphoria that he only got when she was fighting Mikana, which only made her want to prolong the fight even more, just to see if Trickster could come up with anything else.
“You know Trickster, you are quite the fighter considering your current state. Gets me excited just looking at you...Yet sad at the same time because I could not fight you when you are at your best.”
“W-Well thanks, but if you want to see me at my best, then how about letting me go and rest up for a few days?” Trickster says while forcing a smile to come on his face.
“Not a chance Trickster. You're too good a prize to just let go.” Mira responds, her grin never waning as she grips her axe tightly in her claws while making small hops in place. Trickster wanted nothing more than to smile and just laugh this off while hoping that it was a dream, but he knew better than that, especially if all the times Mikana chased him were not a dream. Despite the condition of his body, he still held his ground and waited for the salamander to make a move, only for the voice of another to sound out.
“Hold still cute stuff!” Yelled out the familiar voice of Shiro as she aimed her open palm at Trickster and in a flash, sent a gathered sphere of her own mana straight at him that was sure to hit...or would have, had her eyesight been clear. The sphere, pulsating with power, flies right past Trickster's face and finally explodes in a shower of orange light a few seconds after-wards, leaving a surprised Trickster looking over at the witch and seeing that her eyes were partially open. A cold shiver an down his spine as Trickster realized that the effects of the Flash Bomb was wearing off, his gaze turning away from the witch and towards the dark elf, who was rising to her feet, her own eyes opening more and more by the second.
Trickster's attention was brought back to Mira as she made a grab for his armor, something he was barely able to avoid by jumping back and swiping his knife at her outstretched claws, the blade scrapping across the underside of her claw and drawing blood from the newly created wound. Without even jumping back, she only continues her assault, the red blood dripping from her free claw onto the ground, a grin on her face as she tries to swipe at Trickster again with her axe, her arm moving in a downward arc as the blades on her weapons whistle in the air forcing Trickster to jump back once more.
Once landing however, Trickster felt his legs shudder under his weight, forcing him to stumble and losing his balance in the process. Falling forward, Trickster landed on his knees, then thrust his hands out, his gloved palm touching the soft grass below him while the other keeps his blade held tightly in a fist, keeping his body from hitting the ground as he propped himself up,. He knew, just by the feeling in his lower body, that he was on his legs, that he could barely keep going, that he could no longer dodge any blow. His mind was willing, trying to come up with a plan of action, yet his body was not, the exhaustion, the pain and soreness from both this fight and his run in with Mikana and the drain on his spirit energy keeping him from doing anything except keeping his knees on the ground. Eyes on the ground, he could only hear the disappointed sigh coming from Mira, along with the soft thud of her feet on the grass below as she approached him.
“Looks like you're done. You lasted longer than I thought you would Trickster, especially considering your current state.” Mira says as she finally approaches Trickster's side and kneels beside him on his left side.
“Does...that mean you'll let me go?” Trickster said with an uneasy grin, knowing full well what the answer to that was going to be.
“Ha! Not a chance Trickster! I'm gonna hand you over to Nadia, but I have arranged for us to share you. After a few days with Nadia, I'll get you back and then we can have a true rematch.”
As if on cue, Nadia makes her way to Trickster, her vision slowly clearing by the second as she does, her eyesight finally clear as day after she is right in front of Trickster. Not even giving her the satisfaction of his eyes, Trickster keeps looking at the ground, finding it more favorable than the chocolate colored woman standing before him, though that changes when she kneels before him and grabs onto his chin with her right hand. Feeling her squeeze tightly onto his face and forcing him to look up, the surge of pain from her grip causing him to grunt in response, in order to see her face to face. When Trickster did, he could only grimace at the look Nadia was giving him, a look of triumph by the grin on her face ad the lustful glint in her eyes.
“You are finally mine Trickster. Oh I will enjoy breaking you after what you did to me.” Nadia says while licking her lips, something that made Trickster shudder in response. Before he could so much as say anything, she lets his chin go, his head dropping down and his gaze returning to the grass below. That however did not last as only a second later, she was at his right side and rearing her leg back, she thrusts it forward and lets her boot connect with his ribs, the sudden surge of pain causing him to shout and roll on his side while his free arm held onto his now bruised ribs. Even as he lay on the ground, the dark elf was not done, delivering another kick to his side and then another, each time making the young man grunt and yell as each blow connected with his arm and ribs, his leather armor only holding back the weight of the blows from becoming deadly.
Nadia, with a wicked smirk on her face, kicks Trickster again and again, even as Shiro's own vision cleared, allowing her to see the young man getting repeatedly kicked by her dark elf companion. Still clutching the blade in his hand, Trickster could only endure the kicks, each one sending a new wave of pain to his side, the dark elf not letting up for even a second. Only after a minute of kicking passed did the dark elf stop her assault, giving Trickster one last kick that was hard enough to make him roll on his back, his breathing hoarse and his side feeling like it was on fire. As Trickster clutched his ribs, he managed to steal a glance at Mira, who, while frowning at the sight of him on the ground, did nothing to stop Nadia's attack and only heard the voice of Shiro as she approached.
“Wow. Don't kick him too much and too hard Sadist. I still want a piece of him for some experiments later.”
“You will have your chance to experiment on him after I am through breaking him...And don't call me a sadists damn it!” Nadia responded as she looked back down as Trickster, relishing the thought that the man who humiliated her was now within her grasp. Just to solidify her victory, she lifts her left leg and drops the heel of her boot straight on Trickster's stomach, his armor doing very little to block the sharp pain the point did on his gut. A grunt followed by a wordless scream escaped his lips, his eyes closing as she digs her boot deeper into his armored covered stomach, twisting her heel left and right as she grinds it into his body. His hand clutching his blade was the only relief that Trickster could find, his strength waning and keeping him from so much as defending himself.
“How does it feel to be beneath my boot worm!?” Nadia yells out at Trickster, who can only look up at the dark elf with a painful expression before closing his eyes once again, his mind trying to formulate any kind of plan at all while his senses opened to try and find any kind of relief to help him. Feeling around, Trickster felt his hopes slowly fading as nothing, not even an Order patrol, came to his senses...Only for a familiar spike of mana to finally hit him, causing him to suddenly open his eyes and look away from the dark elf's face and up at the sky. The mana was getting closer by the second, he could feel it, and the familiar nature of it did something that he did not think would happen again. It made him grin.
“What are you grinning at welp!?” Nadia yells out, stopping her heel from digging into Trickster's chest for only a moment to get her answer, which Trickster gladly gave after sticking his tongue out at her.
“Bitch...getting punched says what?”
“What-” was all Nadia managed to say as a gauntlet covered fist collides with her left cheek, the crunch of bones meeting metal sounding off, and sends her flying across the field a few feet away from Trickster. Both Mira and Shiro, realizing just what happened, prepare to defend themselves, only for the figure to twist and turn her body, her left fist still balled up, and swing it back towards the witch. Again, metal collides with flesh as the figure backhands Shiro, the witch yelling out in pain as she was sent rolling about just like Nadia, the figure not even stopping as she twists her body back to the right, her blade soaring in the air as she swings it at Mira.
Seeing the blade coming towards her, Mira twists her axe until the flat side is facing the figure, the tip of her own blade colliding with the salamander's axe, the force of the blow pushing her back. Feet skidding against the ground, she tries to right herself only to trip and fall, landing on her back as she hits the ground. Trickster, craning his head to see all this, suppresses a laugh as he looks up at the figure that just saved his life, his grin still remaining on his face as he speaks.
“D-Damn headless. What took ya so long?”
Still facing away from Trickster, Mikana could feel the sarcasm in Trickster's voice, along with something else that she did not expect from him. Gratitude.
“I would have been here sooner, but I wanted to see you sweat a bit Trickster.” Mikana says as she adjusts her body, part of her side being visible to Trickster, her relieved smile betraying her cold exterior as a bead of sweat poured down her cheek. This sight did not go unnoticed by Trickster who could not resist making a comment about the situation as he fights to sit up.
“Oh I see! Is that why you came in swinging when you showed up?” Trickster asks.
“I have some pent up aggression towards you that I needed to get out and Nadia, being the first in my line of sight, was the perfect person to let that out on.”
“And the other two?”
“The witch was in the way and Lambert, being my subordinate, deserves her own punishment for going after you.” Mikana says, her hand tightening it's hold on the hilt of her sword as she watches Mira sit up.
“...Heh. Well, if it's all the same to you, I'm rather glad that you came to rescue me...and I prefer that you chase me. You're nicer than them.”
Mikana, who still kept an eye on Mira as the salamander slowly gets to her feet, can not help but let her smile be known to Trickster as she takes two steps away from him, though once doing so, she finds her legs shaking once again and stops moving altogether to keep herself from falling. Trickster, upon noticing this, swallows the spit accumulating in his mouth and gasps as a surge of pain flows through his side, his free hand grabbing onto his ribs while his other hand keeps tight hold of his blade.
'Damn! I'm in no shape to do much of anything after all those kicks that Nadia gave me and Mikana does not look like she's in any shape to give a long fight.' Trickster thought to himself while looking over at Mira, the salamander standing to her feet and keeping her axe held tightly in her claws. Feeling nervous about the condition of the other two monsters, Trickster turns his gaze over at Nadia, who was holding onto her jaw, feeling something fractured and the flaring pain, and then to Shiro, who was wiping a tear that was forming in her eye while reaching out for her hat that had fell off after the hit. Though he wanted to keep his gaze on the other two, the voice of Mira brought his attention back.
“C-Commander!? What are you doing here!?” Mira says, her shocked tone flowing through.
“'What am I doing here?' Lambert! You are attacking my prey! Did you really think I would not notice that!?” Mikana responds, her own anger showing through her voice.
“Is it so wrong that I wanted to see the big deal with the man that has evaded you?”
“When it involves going after a man I strictly said was forbidden, then yes it is!”
“Wait...headless did that?' Trickster thought to himself as he watched Mira tries to argue her case, feeling that Mikana's choice in making him forbidden from other monsters attacking him was weird in a way, yet somewhat flattering at the same time.
“But Commander! You've been hunting this man for months and are still not successful in catching him! Considering your past failures, I say that he's free game at this point! That and he's a lot better than I thought he would be! So why don't you move along and let me take him!?”
“Lambert, I am ordering you to stand down. Now!”
Trickster only watches the two warriors stare each other down, a glare in their eyes as he shakily gets to his feet, his side flaring in pain with every movement he makes. Keeping his groans to a minimum, he looks back at Nadia and Shiro, who have recovered from the hit they took from Mikana and have slowly gotten to their feet. Seeing this and the angry look on their faces made him turn his gaze back to Mikana, who was gripping her blade tightly and was ready to strike, then as much as he could, he moves right next to her, making her flinch at the close proximity that he was at, and whispers in her ear.
“Uh headless? We have a couple more problems here.”
“I know Trickster. The dark elven bitch and the woman-child are up and truth be told, I do not think I can take them and Lambert while keeping you safe.” Mikana whispers back.
“Running on empty as well. I'm on reserves here and those are practically gone except for a little spike. What's your plan here?”
“Simple. I'm going to grab you and shift out of here.”
“And that will work?”
“It should provided that I can gather the last bit of my mana and use it.”
“Then do it headless.” Trickster says as he spies Nadia growling at the two of them before speaking.
“What are you two whispering about!? And you! I suggest you leave here dullahan or else I will turn my tortures on you as well!”
“Hey dark elf! Shut yer damn trap for once! I'm trying to have a private conversation with Mikana here and yer damn voice is interrupting that! Did no one ever teach a bitch like you any manners!?” Trickster yells out, which only infuriates Nadia even further while leaving Shiro, who for once was not laughing, to hold her hand out and start chanting to herself while Mira crouches slightly and readies herself to attack at a moments notice.
“...Thank you very much for inciting her anger even more Trickster. Really, that was awfully helpful.” Mikana says, her expression completely deadpan.
“Shift now, tell me how much of an idiot I am later!” Trickster yells out while grabbing onto Mikana's arm with his free hand, the leftover mana in his body surging slightly. Flinching from the touch for only a moment, Mikana turns her concentration back on her own body and gathers the leftover demonic mana inside her body. This gathering of mana did not go unnoticed by the three monsters around the pair and the second Mira felt it, she growls and charges straight at her commander, her tail alight with a bright orange flame. Seeing her charge, Trickster can only look with worry at Mikana not being able to help them escape in time and looks on as the salamander moves closer and closer, with the dullahan stopping the flow of her mana temporarily to block the incoming assault from her subordinate.
Sword raised while shrugging off Trickster's hand from her arm, Mikana readies herself for Mira's blow as the salamander raises her axe and brings it down as she finally nears her commander, the dullahan jumping back as Trickster moves to his left, barely keeping himself standing before he finally stops moving. The dullahan, finally righting herself, barely has time to react as the air around her grows dense and the demonic mana from Shiro surges, two twin spears of orange light forming above her head. Grinning, the witch wordlessly launches the spears, one after the other, at the dullahan, who dodges to her left as the first spear narrowly passes by her, then moves to her right as the other passes by, the bladed edge clipping her cheek and making a cut as it to moves past her.
With no time to rest even as a trickle of blood flows down from the cut on Mikana's face, Nadia takes the remnants of her whip and attacks, the weapon cracking in the air as it moves. Normally short of hitting it's target because of Trickster cutting it off, the whip's sliced off edge glows with power, the mana that flows from the dark elf's arm to the whip itself growing and reforming the end that was sliced off, becoming solid in form, deep purple in color and just as dangerous as her old one.
Mikaka feels the tip of the newly made whip strike at her left shoulder piece, the loud scrape of mana hitting metal piercing her ears as a large gash was made in it, causing her to immediately jump away from the dark elf's range of attack. Sliding to a halt, she begins to look back at the dark elf and the witch, both of whom were preparing their next attacks, only to turn back towards Mira, who was once again charging, axe held low to the ground before she raised it in the air as she jumped. Immediately holding her sword up and then horizontally, the dullahan keeps tight hold of the handle in her right hand while placing her open, left palm further up the flat side of the blade before bracing herself for the inevitable impact, which comes only half a second later.
Mikana could feel the sudden weight of Mira's axe on her blade and by extension, the rest of her body, on her, forcing her to use all the strength she has in her body to keep from faltering even as she was being pushed against by her subordinate, who finally landed on her feet and was using all her strength to push down on her commander. Both warriors stare into the eyes of the other, the salamander growling as she presses downward, forcing the dullahan to grunt as she pushes back, though she feels her strength start to fail her as her legs shake. Fighting to keep her knees from buckling, she fights to push back, even as her arms start to tire and slowly lower in response, with the salamander showing a grin as she continues to press her now gained advantage, all the while, both Shiro and Nadia prepare their next attack, the dark elf cracking her whip in place and Shiro preparing another pair of mana spears to launch.
'Damn it! I...I can't do this alone.' Mikana thinks to herself as she takes a glance to her left and sees both Shiro and Nadia preparing to launch their attacks and dreads that she is too weak to actually do anything to stop them, let alone her subordinate.
'Come on! I know I got a little bit left in me! Just gotta find it!' Is all Trickster thinks to himself as he tries to gather whatever leftover spirit energy he can find in his body, knowing that Mikana, like him, is in no shape to actually fight off a single opponent, let alone three. Despite feeling completely weak, injured and ready to collapse, he still felt the spirit energy in his body travel through his arm, his hand closing into a fist as he gathers it and lets it form into a sphere once again. Feeling his vision blur from taking the last of his energy and his body shake, he keeps his eyes on his savior while rearing his arm back, the sphere pulsating in his grip and then, with all the might he could muster, throws the sphere straight at her, though his aim was a little off and instead ends up traveling towards Mira. Even with the sphere traveling towards her, he still manages to yell out while keeping his arm extended and closing his eyes.
“Mikana! Close yer peepers!”
Mikana, upon hearing Trickster's voice, turns her head towards him and sees the shining sphere coming towards both her and Mira. Knowing full well that the sphere that Trickster launched would be trouble for anyone, she kept up her struggle against Mira's axe while tightly shutting her eyes in the process. Mira, hearing too late, watched as her commander closed her eyes and looked directly at the sphere coming at her, the salamander only getting out a single curse as Trickster yells out.
“Flash Bomb!”
Nadia and Shiro let out a gasp when the sphere, identical to the one before, grows in size once again, then explodes in a flash of light once Trickster closes his hand. All at once, three screams are heard as Shiro, Nadia and especially Mira feel the light burn their eyes, with Mira especially feeling the effects even more since the sphere detonated right next to her. No longer able to see and feeling the sudden pain in her eyes, the salamander backs away and drops her axe on the grass below, using her clawed hands to cover her eyes while Nadia and Shiro are once again kneeling on the ground with their hands over their eyes.
“”Damn it! Not again!” Says Shiro.
“Damn you Trickster!” Nadia says as well.
“Argh! By the Demon Lord's grace! My eyes!” Mira finishes up as the light slowly dissipates, the returning moonlight being the only light in the area. After a second of waiting, with the wail and groans permeating her ears, Mikana opens her eyes and sees her subordinate on one knee, claws closed and rubbing her eyes to try and clear them so she can see. Still remaining where she is, she hears the harrowed voice of Trickster, who is currently wobbling as he tries to avoid passing out from exhaustion.
“Hey headless! Quit yer gawking and lets go! Longer we wait, the better chance we have of those morons getting their sight back and I don't have the energy for another Flash Bomb!”
Mikana's own senses pick up on this fact, feeling Trickster's already low reserves going on empty and, with her eyes now open and adjusted to the normal light, she rises and moves quickly towards Trickster, her own demonic energy swelling as she does so. Despite the feeling of exhaustion in her body, she still manages to reach him without any trouble and upon getting next to him on his right side, she wraps her left arm around his lower body, taking hold of his waist, him leaning into her as his body finally starts to give out. Close as he is, she holds her happiness back and lets the last of her own demonic energy swell to it's highest before letting it expand around her, the air rippling in the process, and in a flash, both of them are gone from both sight and mana senses.
Nadia, eyes still blinded, tries to sense any sign of Trickster and Mikana being in their vicinity, but nothing comes to her, causing her to yell out to the smallest of the group.
“Shiro! I can't feel those two! Where are they!?”
Shiro, despite being just as blinded as the rest, leans back and opens the palm of her hand, letting her minds eye wander as she moves her arm and scans for any sign of their targets. However, only a faint trace of their combined energies are felt by her, which was slowly fading away, causing her to growl to herself as she announces her findings.
“They're gone Nadia!”
“Are you sure Shiro!?” Nadia yells out.
“No, they're just sitting a few feet away from us and discussing the fine art of tea making while their mana fades. Of course I'm sure! You're asking the same person, who managed to find the bastard in the first place I might add, if she's sure you stupid, long eared, sadistic slave driver!” Shiro yells out with as much sarcasm and venom as she could manage even in her current state, which only angers Nadia further as she yells back at the witch.
“Watch your mouth Shiro or you will be my next toy to break!”
“Oh yeah!? How about I turn you into one of my experiments instead!?”
The yelling session between Shiro and Nadia only continues to go on, much to the annoyance of Mira who had fallen back and sits on her bottom while rubbing her eyes, hoping that it will make her eyesight return faster. Feeling disappointment at being unprepared for an assault by a half dead and exhausted man and angry that she could not fully best her superior despite the person being exhausted as well, the salamander only lets out a low grow, her thoughts turning to the two who escaped from her.
'Next time Commander. When we meet next time, I will defeat you, but not before I defeat and claim Trickster for my own. I swear it!'
Far away from the three monsters, in an area where the grass gave way to a rather medium, two story sized house made of strong oaken wood, Mikana and Trickster reappear, both landing upright, their feet on the soft grass below. Panting as the last of her mana was spent, the dullahan barely keeps both herself and Trickster from falling, though the barely conscious young man does not help things as he continues to collapse against her. She could feel his body so close against her and now that they were out of danger, the thoughts of him, his warmth, everything started coming back to her. Yet, despite the want in her body, exhausted as it was, her mind would not let her do anything to him, the very honor of her word keeping her from doing anything except slowly letting him down to the ground, her arm wrapped around him as she sets him on the ground in a sitting position, her sitting right next to him and keeping him propped up while laying her sword down on the ground next to her.
Trickster, feeling his conciseness fading, keeps hold of his blade and refuses to let it go, despite being out of immediate danger, all while slowly sinking onto Mikana's body and laying his head on her shoulder, not caring about the cold metal against his skin nor how the dullahan might feel about this. Eyes barely open, he lets out a exasperated sigh and finally starts to visibly relax, his breathing becoming slower as he just lays on the person who saved him from danger despite chasing him earlier in the day.
“...Hey Mikana?” Trickster asks quietly.
“...What is it Trickster?” Mikana answers while looking ahead at the land beyond.
“Are...we out of danger?”
“Yes we are Trickster.”
“Good...Thank ya for helping me out...and letting me use you as a pillow.”
“...Whatever Trickster.” Mikana says, the coming red of her cheeks betraying the stern tone of her voice, something which Trickster, despite not seeing it, found funny as a weak laugh escapes his lips.
“Heh...Bet I made ya blush Mikana.” Was all Trickster could get out as his conciseness finally faded, his eyes closing while still leaning against Mikana's body, more than intent to use her as a resting post, something that causes the dullahan to sigh to herself. Yet despite this, a smile slowly formed on her face as she looked down at his hand, the blade still grasped tightly in his hand. Seeing the blade, she feels herself reminded of what that blade means to him, the reason surfacing as a past memory of their encounter, but instead of letting the memory dwell on her, she keeps Trickster close to her as she lies back, using her free arm as a crutch to keep the two of them from hitting the ground hard. Finally, after a moment of movement, both are laying on the ground, Trickster's head still on her shoulder and her arm still around him. Deciding that sleep was better in this place than any other and feeling the exhaustion in her body fully catching up with her, she slowly lets her own eyes close, the night sky slowly fading from her vision as she starts to fall into a deep slumber.
Neither Trickster nor Mikana realized the sound of a door opening, their ears shut out to the noises around them, nor did either of them feel the approach of the figure from the house itself, both too tired to try moving or waking up. Even as the figure moved close, Trickster himself felt his mind drift off to the land of dreams, memories of the past slowly coming back to him as he slumbers next to Mikana.
