Footsteps in the Snow

There was a moment of absolute peace, one of those moments when the rest of one’s cares were cast aside to the wind, and all that would remain: a transcendent feeling. There were no outwardly distractions, no interruptions from within, nor anything but Celeste and the nature that so gently encompassed her form in its natural embrace. She fought the shivers, ignored the bumps that rose about her skin, and tuned out the chill that continuously tried to run up her spine. The softness of the wind, as much as it wished to bite, was taken in solace as its comfort caressed her cheeks within the faint fluctuations of her energies. For many minutes, there was contentment, there was peace inside a heart still at war with itself.

Another sound would come forth in the form of a sharp crack, an indication that the ice beneath her had given way somehow. Had she pressed too much during that last breath? Was the ice beginning to surrender its fortitude and composition to the might of her aura? At this point she was barely trying to tap into her power, merely searching through instinct for a means to tap into the cold around her body. She tried her best to ignore the faulting of the frigid aqua, passing it off as nothing more than her mere suspicions. That was until a voice broke the silence, ushering in the faltering of the blond’s focus, enough so that her eyes would slowly open to meet that of a samurai.

The words rang true, the inquiry that followed an apology a disruption to her somber reverie. Celeste would sigh in silence through her nose, finding her patience through intolerance, as she regarded the enigma with a tug at the corner of her lips. Her hands spread wide as they left her knees, before she would descend to the ice in a graceful manner. Celeste would regard the stranger again, garnering a clearer observation of them from underneath the brim of her hat. The swords were spotted along her waist, telling Celeste that she wasn’t dealing with a monk, but rather a practitioner of the blade. Well now, this was certainly a first-time experience. Her mother had shared tales of the sword bearing clans before, but never did she actually anticipate ever running into a living member. From her understanding, they were almost as rare in the world these days as her own people, or at least that was what she had been led to believe.

”Performing a rather delicate dance.”

The answer was offered rather bluntly, whilst the mage took her sweet time stepping casually across the ice as though it were dirt and ridden with friction, rather using her Telekinesis to steady her form until she reached the snow. The gap between them was closed rather moderately, with Celeste remaining wary of the hand still firmly placed upon the hilt of that sheathed fang and claw. Despite retaining a cautious approach, she did so in her usual nonchalant demeanor, shrugging once before striding around the newcomer in a wide, but small circle. She would stop, raise a hand to the sky, and let out an echoing snap with her fingers which rang through the trees. Two halos of light converged on each other, before expanding apart vertically to manifest the spellcaster’s staff, which was taken firmly in Celeste’s right hand.

”I suppose if you lack the ability of flight, you’re as equally ignorant to the attunement of the natural elements. Nay?” A confident, affable smirk would cross her face. The mage would offer a nod back to the frozen pond, where flurries of snow continued to billow where the girl had been meditating. ”Take no offense with these words, I’m merely making an observation. This is the first time I’ve encountered anyone of your discipline you see. It wasn’t often we received visitors from where I hail.” A carefree shrug as she turned her back on the samurai; a subtle dare to the girl, to strike her down by the very notion of the gesture. A mere show of a lack of fear, nothing more. Celeste would casually stride several steps away, before the end of the staff was thrust into the snow.

”But what of you?” she would muse, giving a shrug as she turned on her heel to look upon her newest acquaintance with an air of aloof amusement. ”I can’t imagine you’re simply out here for a brisk walk ‘neath the trees. What of it then? Did we fancy a pilgrimage to the unforgiving north, stranger? Or have we simply gotten...lost?”

Antisense: Active
utilizes Magic Materialization to summon Staff of the Moon
WC: 782

Celeste would play with her hair in a casual manner whilst she let the samurai give her explanation, finding some curiosity build at the mention of the Itto-Ryu. There was a familiarity to the name, probably turned up in one of grandfather’s old books somewhere, though the details of it all would escape her recollection. The witch took her for a rather humble wanderer, given the young woman probably possessed enough skill with those blades to take down a squad of professionally trained soldiers. Either her case was presented very well, or she was out here performing a rather spectacular cosplay, though it wasn’t as if she had any room to talk. It wasn’t anything to really dawdle over, Celeste only remained concerned with the sincerity of the will behind this individual. It took a great sum of determination to travel from one end of the world to the other, few people could do it after all. Perhaps that was the notion in this traveler’s tale which piqued an interest from the sorceress.

There also existed a similar desire in this Katsu, as she introduced herself so formally. A search of her own for a mastery to her craft, much similar to Celeste in that regard, whose very purpose in being here revolved around perfecting another avenue of the arcane. The sorceress couldn’t help but find amusement in the samurai's gesture, which only built to the standing respect of her clan. It wasn’t often that you ran into people with manners out in these parts. The sorceress would offer a curtsey and a tip of her hat in response.

”Celeste; granddaughter to the former arch-magi of our village, Levinwood.”

A flippant wave of a hand would prompt the crescent topped staff to dislodge from the snow, before it righted itself to hover parallel above the powder. The blond would park herself upon it as though it were a chair, nonchalantly resting upon it as though it were a perfectly common thing to do. Now that introductions were out of the way, perhaps she could seek to make use of this stoic sword by some means. Neither of them risked truancy at this current hour after all, it wasn’t as if these ancient ruins she actually sought were really going to get up and walk away. Maybe it was safe to let her in on the game?

”Though, an interesting thought has suddenly occurred to me. Perhaps you would be willing to lend an ear to a most curious proposition?”

Antisense: Active
WC: 426

The sorceress would feign a stretch to fill the silence, while she weighed the repercussions of involving the samurai in the business involving the man on the mountain. She had let her thoughts wander back to the other day, when she had visited the ruins atop a collection of peaks a few days walk from here. The maniacal deity that had offered many words over his ambition to campaign across the cosmos to commit galactic genocide, was a rather steep topic for conversation to bring up. After all it wasn’t entirely a normal thing to begin with, so it was rather difficult to just ease into when it came to small talk. Maybe that’s why she chose to address it this way, to place it on a faux yet superlative pedestal. The real purpose behind the attunement had been an attempt to clear her head of it all, to try to find some peace of mind on how to weigh it all together. So Celeste would try to do what she did best with her peers back home, and honey the circumstances of the predicament on her shoulders the best she could.

"There is a chance I am about to undertake a potentially dangerous set of tasks in the near future. I wouldn’t deny, that the services of your blades in a pinch would certainly prove beneficial to us both. To perfect the mastery of your craft, what say you to serving as my guardian? A surrogate daimyo if you would, and perhaps in the pursuit of knowledge we might come to better understand the nature of this world together. That is what most samurai desire is it not? To bring both their charge, and themselves honor?”

Though she considered Katsu’s rogue behavior in her presence so far from her home, taking into account the idea that the girl may very well have decided to live as a Ronin. It wasn’t something that could be helped were that the case, but it wasn’t really a variable that was going to dissuade Celeste, whom was too stubborn for her own good at times. If Katsu really was competent with those swords, it warranted a demonstration at one point. As the girl declared, her steel was practically starved for use and attention, and she too probably thirsted for the thrill of a good fight.

Celeste gave silence to the air as she allowed Katsu enough time to consider this potentially beneficial arrangement. For a moment the sorceress would entertain the notion of testing this prowess herself, if only to see if Katsu could live up to the weight of her words. Though where was the fun in that, when someone could guinea pig this samurai’s skills in her place? Therein persisted the problem, there weren’t many people exactly out wandering the woods today, or so it would seem. Their encounter was pure chance, after all there existed the possibility that the girl with raven locks might have missed this grove entirely.

Antisense: Active
WC: 507

Ah there it was.

The fit of laughter, while unbefitting the samurai’s mannerism up to this moment, echoed throughout the grove as Celeste merely watched on with a smug tug on the corner of her lips. A good sign she was probably rubbing this one the right way, excellent. When she had finally did regain her composure once more, the sorceress could only shrug to her inquiry as to just why she had offered up the barren honesty in the first place. Did Celeste even know why she did things sometimes? What did it even matter if she were turned down? Those wearing rain clouds over their heads were only going to miss the field trip if they declined the invitation. Fortunately, Katsu wasn’t one of those it would seem, agreeing to the proposal of an alliance despite how vague Celeste remained about both herself, and well, everything else about this unusual chance encounter. Her eyes drifted momentarily to the sky, narrowing ever briefly at the sight of inclosing snow clouds.

Despite seeming distracted by this turn of events, Celeste hung on every word that came from the samurai with a keen ear. Though it wasn’t until she began mentioning words like command and liege did Celeste’s focus fully return to the dark-haired woman, shades of an incredulous scoff passing momentarily over her face. She stood from her perch upon the broom-like staff as it righted itself alongside her, before she would take it up once more in hand.

”Oh, you do flatter me so, but I’m not suggesting servitude whatsoever. You may simply consider me to be your ever so enchanting and charmful friend.”

Celeste would offer an upturned freed palm, and another smug smirk.

The rest from Katsu came, prompting a chuckle from the sorceress as she was regarded to be hiding her power by some means. Well, it was probably the first time in many years that she had been taunted over that little trait. She recalled how Selene always used to goad her into the first strike with similar words, every time they met on the floor during their dueling club days. How enticing this girl was turning out to be, evoking memories and buried feelings the way she was. Red-amber drifted down to her grasp coiled around the blackened walnut wood of the staff, at the offered opportunity to test Katsu’s skills.

”My dear I’ve no intention of hiding anything,” she outright lied with another chuckle. ”However if you so desire a binding covenant between us, then I suppose there is naught to do but oblige your suggestion.” She would release the staff as it began to slowly hover over the snow at her side, whilst she raised another hand to the sky to make another loud snap, which reverberated through the grove with such an absolute sharpness to its clarity. That was when another set of light-based halos separated themselves in the air before her, as the Sun Wand would take form. A fluctuation of wind began to encircle her form, before Celeste would rise from the ground to hover above it. The two crafted weapons would then begin to orbit her in the wind at a moderate pace, a low hum would begin to emit from these manifested currents. A series of hand flourishes would allow her to tap into her mana, and remove the incantation which kept the arcane seal in place.

The sorceress would concede to let Katsu begin this little spar, if she was so curious to find out what she could do.

”I suppose this puts your heart at ease? There, not so different after all. Are we?”

Antisense: Deactivates
- utilizes Magic Materialization to summon forth the Sun Wand.
- The Mystic (Telekinesis) & Flight (Glide) has been activated, staff and wand now orbit Celeste.
- Celeste choses to stall, granting Katsu the pleasure of first draw.
WC: 616
PL: 5000
KP: 6/6
MP: 1/6
HP: 0/250%

”Don’t let us down, now.”

This was going to be rather thrilling, or at the very least entertaining one way or another. Regardless whether Katsu lived up to the reputation that preceded her by this Itto-Ryu clan, Celeste would admit that the opportunity, and even the challenge to study the girl’s heritage proved fascinating. Her mind raced over what her newfound ally’s predecessor may have bestowed upon her in their teachings.

The sorceress retained an ever-locked gaze with the samurai as the blade was drawn, observational of every footstep in the snow, and just as she anticipated the girl would inevitably begin her advance. So, what did the might of this Itto-Ryu entail? For what style of cuts and forms were they known? Anticipation mounted as she could feel the race of her heart begin to elate. The gap closed; Katsu had made her move. Or had she? A wave of the hand would prompt the Staff of the Moon to rotate, before it would attempt to slice into the girl’s head like a large scythe. Though the samurai would succeed in baiting the thaumaturge with her feint, as the weapon would meet naught but air. Celeste felt her eyes narrow as her casting hand would ball into a fist, before the currents that kept her aloft began to charge in energy and precipitation.

”Aha! Well I can’t say I was expecting that!”

While Katsu’s blade would descend, so too would Celeste’s other palm as mana was primed, and pressed forcefully to the earth. The winds accelerated violently, carrying with them the gathering water in the atmosphere, whilst a cage of static lightning would flare to life around the sorceress. Snow billowed about wildly, further distorting the visibility as it was continuously thrown skyward by the spell. The eruption of the sudden gale came with enough force to catch the momentum of Katsu’s blade, which would come to feel as though it had just collided with a very solid, immovable wall. The squall would continue its roar for but a few seconds longer, while Celeste used the opportunity to twirl about in her glide. A hand was waved slowly overhead, her fingers spread wide at the apex of the motion, as they began to weave the electrical currents of the prior spell to follow them.

The sorceress would flourish her hands quickly, the bolts snaking through the air like a great purple serpent. There was little warning for when Celeste would offer a single, flippant wave toward the samurai, as the levin dragon would roar and surge forward in a purple beam for the sword maiden. The light haze would unfortunately cause the sorceress to lose track of the samurai in midst of the burst. Celeste would lower to the ground, eyes narrowing for any signs of Katsu, whilst the two weapons would begin to slow the pace of their orbit about her form.

Oh, don’t tell me she’s already gone and expired after that.

PL: 5000
- failed non-KP attack
- casts Medium Defensive || 嵐 Arashi: Williwaw to catch Itto-Ryu: Setting Sun

• (2,500 x 2,500) = 0 | damaged negated

- casts Light Offensive || 嵐 Arashi: Jolt at Katsu.

• 2000 pt damage incoming

KP: 0/6 (-6)
MP: 3/6 (1+1)
HP: 0/250%
WC: 505

The snow had started to fall from the clouds that eventually found their way to the grove, further thickening the visibility with a gradual fog. The shadow of the approaching sorceress would eventually become clearer with each confident step that she strode, arrogance and depravity drugging the senses as her demonic nature began to emerge; a neon purple silhouette would glow through the haze. Red-amber scanned the environment back and forth in a lazed and impartial demeanor; the sorceress prowling toward the sound of her spell’s impact, intent to be on her prey before they could recover. Now just where had that little samurai gone? Celeste came to a pause with a breath, before calling out into the mist with a charming, yet demented manner to her tone.

”Hello!? It’s me! Be so kind as to shout, or grunt something! Let us know you’re not dead!”

With little warning beyond the distinctive color against the weather, her eyes caught sight of the oncoming blow intended to cut her down to size. The sensation of her demonic nature would rush through her blood, her form rendered momentarily intangible as she became wreathed in shadow, seething wisps of umbral fog as Katsu’s desperation would pass through. As Celeste would become corporeal once more, she cast an amused glimpse back over her shoulder. ”Curious decision that! I wonder how you expected it to work against someone trying to kill you.” A chuckle in the depth of her throat as she strode up to Katsu, oozing confidence as she raised a single finger to point toward the sky. Celeste would look down on the samurai with an air of disappointment, despite wearing a mask of affable charm as she smiled on the downed warrior.

”Done already? But the fun’s just begun...”

A twirl of her finger and the Staff of the Moon would stab into the earth, and as Celeste would make to point toward the samurai it would till, and rip through the dirt in Katsu’s direction. Without warning it would make motion to cut upward at her face, only to come to an abrupt stop but inches beneath her chin as the staff would freeze in its poise. A hearty laugh was offered to compliment her own sadistic threat, and both to mock the samurai as she would goadingly cock her head to the side. A hum would emit from the staff as it flew away from Katsu in an abrupt manner, before both it and the Sun Wand would vanish in respective flashes of crystalline dust.

”Must be a fine feeling, having friends. Look how happy you are!”

- Manafication activated | PL: 25,000
- uses flavored Dark Departure to evade Draw, Cut & Sheathe.

• (12,500 > 3000) Evaded

- Staff of the Moon and Sun Wand are dismissed.
KP: 2/6 (+2)
MP: 0/6 (-3)
HP: 0/250%
WC: 443