Kill 16 - Video

[deadliest6]

This again.

[Kazuo studies things before removing a City coin from his pocket. He studies it a moment and it doesn't seem clear as to what he is going to do with it. Then, he flips it in the air.

When it comes back down he catches it.]

I play.

[And that is all. There is a crossbow in his hands now and he is on the hunt for everyone in the game.]


[ooc: Kazuo here will fight anyone and is trying to kill people. If you're interested in him killing your character, he's your man. Just let me know what is okay and what isn't. (I'm always okay with setting up an escape scenario or Kazou getting hurt instead.) Open to action here or other replies. Just know that now that he's in hunt mode, he probably won't say a single word.]

Comments

voice;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Your honesty is appreciated.

... I guess this means I'll just have to find her first. ]

voice;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Gooooood luck with that.]

voice;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Or you. In fact, maybe that's an even better idea. ]

voice;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[I don't need luck when I have mad hunting skills.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ That's okay. Stay in one place and the whole world will walk right by you.

Well, Clef hasn't been staying in one place, but he's been keeping an eye on Umi and maintaining a constant distance from her. It helps that he's only after one specific person - someone he knows just well enough to be able to pick out his aura in a crowd, perhaps. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[The girls got away from him earlier but that doesn't bother Kazuo. Instead he focuses on finding new targets. He can always find them again later to take them out. Walking along, he hides the weapons he's accumulated during this curse and just keeps out a crossbow. One he picked up along the way since the curse didn't let him have the weapon Umi gave to him here.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Clef is in a tree. Like teacher, like student.

The key here, he thinks, is to not give away his position as soon as he spots Kazuo. And also not to assume that Kazuo doesn't know his position anyway.

But does he know that I know that he knows where I am? That's the important question. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Guess what? This kid has senses that are practically magical and he stops beneath the tree.

That's it. Just stops.

Then he points the crossbow at the tree, right at Clef, and fires. Nope. He doesn't aim but it's amazing how that arrow flies right at Clef anyways.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Clef is impressed!

Actually, no. There's a tiny sound - a soft gasp coming from a small person - right before the arrow strikes a branch behind him.

Then, having dodged and survived, he is impressed. But not for very long.

There isn't quite a bow, nor is there quite an arrow, but archery is much more easily performed from trees than on people in said trees. Magic is just a stylized form of archery, anyway. You line up your spell, aim by focusing your will upon your target, and then pull back until your intent is taught with energy and then... let go.

So, it isn't an arrow but a shimmering white thing that goes flying towards Kazuo. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Kazuo dodges out of the way and around to stand behind a tree. He watches Clef carefully now. After all, it's another person who uses magic. But he has him trapped. In a tree.

Whipping his arm around, he fires another blind shot that heads for Clef's face then runs into view so he can throw a knife. Right at Clef's coat to try pinning him to the tree.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Clef dodges the arrow to the face, but not the knife.

Well, enough fooling around. He reaches for the knife, but pauses with his fingers just touching it. After a moment, a gust of wind shakes the tree, doing very little to it and the surrounding scenery. It has a nearly supernatural effect on the knife and the two arrows he has already shot, however, dislodging them from their resting places and sending them flying towards their original owner as though they had been shot or thrown anew. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Problematic.

Kazuo gets out of the way and ends up with a cut to his cheek. Bringing his hand up, he touches his face to find blood there. That will have to be treated later. For now, he gets rid of the crossbow and grabs a tree branch to flip up into Clef's tree. Much like someone who has been doing gymnastics all his life.

Because hey, if projectiles don't work then why not try getting up close and personal?]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Because now you are also trapped in a tree, Kazuo. Emphasis on the 'trapped' part, because the tree, supplied with an abundance of energy, is able to be convinced to grow its branches into a tangle such as to make a sudden egress quite difficult. On the upside, you don't need to worry about falling out.

Clef is crouched on the branch above, waiting in the dim light like a cat ready to pounce. A fluffy house cat, maybe, but a cat nonetheless. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[He regards the branches with the look a robot might give such circumstances. A blank stare, head cocked to the side. And then Kazuo looks up and climbs quickly, reaching for Clef's leg.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Clef hadn't brought his staff. It was large, heavy, and not strictly necessary. In such close quarters, his hands were a more than sufficient tool for focusing his magic.

It was a simple gesture. His right hand, fingers pressed together, slid over the upturned palm of his left hand. Yet somehow that action was enough to command razor-sharp sheets of hypothetical ice into cold, hard, and very heavy reality in the air between him and Kazuo. They flew downwards towards the younger man faster than gravity would normally permit, as though having hypothetically fallen from a long way up.

It wasn't very often Clef got to use some of the older, more complicated spells like this. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Kazuo loses his grip and falls back on a branch below. He has cuts on him but he still doesn't seem like it's had any impact at all. Especially not with the way he rises up and starts climbing for Clef again.

In a flash, he's out of his jacket and throwing that upwards as a distraction as he flips up the other direction to get into a higher branch that Clef. Like he's vanished from sight.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Crap. Who knows where he went? He could attack from anywhere.

Since he can't be seen, Clef tries to just sense him instead. The eye is pretty easily tricked, anyway, as is evidenced by how effective that maneuver was just now. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Well look who is now hanging from a tree branch above by his knees? He has a knife in hand and he slashes that at Clef while he's distracted.

Someone isn't against stabbing someone in the back.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Clef notices just in time to receive a knife to the face. It isn't a huge wound or anything, but he does cover his face with both hands and yell.

It's his face, okay. Don't judge him.

There isn't even a specific spell involved here, just a very unhappy mage who just got unexpectedly knifed in a sensitive area not very far from various important bits. Call it a defense mechanism. Several shafts of light go flying towards Kazuo from out of nowhere - warm, glowing-white beams of pure energy that act more like sharpened shafts of metal than any kind of light. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Kazuo falls from where he's hanging, his body cut up. He knows he needs to treat his body and debates on whether he should right now or not.

Catching a branch, he swings onto it and begins to inspect his wounds, already cutting away pieces of his shirt with his knife to tie off the more serious ones.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Clef hesitates a moment. This guy is in definite danger of being attacked with more pointy things from out of nowhere and he's just settling down to treat his injuries?! It's a lot harder to attack someone who isn't actively attacking you.

Then again, he doesn't really have to kill him - it's just that he'd be willing to, if it came to that. With a wave of his hand, another gale shakes the boughs of the tree, this time spiraling its way around Kazuo's in an attempt to trap him within the hurricane-force walls of wind. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[He ignores the winds for now, only focusing on them once he's done with taking care of the most serious wounds. When that is done, he tilts his head to regard the winds. As if searching for a weak point.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Well, this is the difficult part. He could just lob off the kid's head right now if he really wanted to kill him, but since he still wants to sort of avoid that he's going to have to get a little more creative and work a little harder.

This next spell requires a lot of energy, concentration, and the promise that he'll come back just before spring and feed the tree. The winds die down enough for a pair of strong branches to swing down on either side of Kazuo in the shape of an X to pin his torso to the tree. Smaller branches move in to secure his arms and legs. ]

actions;

[deadliest6.livejournal.com]

[Kazuo hits the trunk but still shows no reaction. Instead, he just takes the time to analyze the situation to find weak points. To try pulling himself free.

Hm. This is a challenge.]

actions;

[bequiet_hescreamed]

[ Clef lets the wind spell exhaust itself and then begins backing away slowly along his branch, refusing to take his eyes off of Kazuo.

It will never be enough, will it, leaving him alive? There is always a chance. Kazuo is clever - he'll escape eventually. But will this hold him for long enough? There's just no way to be sure... except one.

Clef reaches the bramble of outer branches that form a cage around the tree and slowly - careful so as not to break a single one - extricates himself and the messenger bag he still has slung over his shoulder. He jumps gracefully to the ground with a thump and begins running, his footfalls disappearing into the brush.

And then... silence.

He will find the Knights, help them get out, and remain on his guard. That is how he will be sure. ]