wizardmanor | Floor 1, Room 5

[ That earns a scoff, but you do you, Khun. Do all the digging in monster guts that your little heart desires. While this thing isn't exactly in Shinjiro's ballpark, he's seen enough shadows that look similar that it isn't totally jarring. ]

Works for me.

[ He works better on the frontlines, anyway.

There's a flicker of surprise at the sudden rush of energy, but it's a very familiar feeling, to the point it feels pretty good. Khun disappears, and Shinjiro shifts his posture, hefting the axe off his shoulder to grip it with both hands. Some people use magical attacks, but all he needs is this; a lurch forward, right into that roaring face, and the axe is heaved behind him before he abruptly rips it forward with a ferocity, right into the wing.

Unfortunately, it doesn't hit as hard as it should, as the thing is far faster than it's heft belies. Still, it does cleave a bit through the wing, earning a very angry roar that rattles the trees. It swipes, and claws clashes into the axe as it comes up to protect him, but he's pushed back and nearly off his feet with a grunt. Alright, tough guy. ]

[ well that won't do. shinji won't have to struggle with the manticore for too long, because it's soon distracted by icicles raining down over head. given it's tough skin they're more annoying than anything else, but it's still enough to piss it off and distract it, and an opening is an opening.

khun's revealed his location in doing so, due west and up a tree, but such is the nature of teamwork which he surprisingly understands very well. ]

[ Luckily, he has the foresight to step back enough to avoid a few errant icicles; he's been hit by too many a bufu not to take precautions. While it doesn't seem to do very much damage, it turns with a low growl, which works just fine for him.

Even with it's attention turning, in the process of lumbering around to the culprit, it's still an imposing figure; but not imposing enough, as Shinjiro takes advantage of the distraction to go for another shot. This time, there's a wind up, arching the axe high above his head before bringing it down with a brutal swing. It slices right through the midsection, leaving a nasty wound in it's wake, blood splattering the leaves and the blade itself.

Unfortunately, this also comes with the side effect of garnering a very bad reaction, tail and body lashing about in a pained frenzy. The tail itself slams straight into the tree Khun is, and Shinjiro himself has to dart with a muffled curse to avoid the abrupt swipe of clawed paws. If it was unhappy before, now it's furious. ]

[ woah!

khun jumps down from the tree rather than be violently thrown from it, but it still means he needs a few seconds to get his bearings once he's on the ground. the beast of course, notices this.

hmmm.

khun takes a moment to cast something and then just stands there in place.

🧍‍♂️

or at least it looks like he's just standing there. the west is known for it's illusions after all, but khun doesn't have time to tell shinji as much, so hopefully he gets the message.

the manticore however, charges straight for the easy target with a roar. ]

[ Shinji takes a step right out of the line of fire from that lashing, but his gaze does snap to the tree the moment the tail slams straight into it- thus it snaps right onto Khun, who hops to the ground seconds before.

He can see the faint movement of...the cast, probably? But then he just stands there, and it takes him a moment of straightening up with widened eyes before he actually remembers.

...Still, what if that isn't it? He would like to have some faith that he knows what he's doing, but he's also not interested in watching the guy get bitten into like a chew toy.

Compromising on both, Shinji opts to instead wind up, muscles tensing....

and with a grunt, throw his axe directly at the manticore. Yeah, one-handed and everything. There seems to be a lot of power behind it, the way it flies through the air, before promptly lodging itself directly in the monster's hide.

Sure, it starts to thrash in pain even more, but it's definitely starting to slow down now! ]

[ if he could shout from where he's actually hidden, perched on the branches of a neighboring tree, he'd congratulate shinji on a nice hit. but it's important for him to remain camouflaged for the next bit—

a thrashing manticore not a stationary target, but it is a predictable one even if he's going to get banged up somewhat for what he has in mind. it's fine though, because despite how he holds himself he's not the type to shrink from injuries or danger. so down he goes, a glint of his blade in the air aimed for it's head. this knife, another "gift" from his father can slice through bone, and it does so with a spray of blood.

it'll be dead or close to it soon, but there's still the matter of it's tail so here's to lacerations and bruises and ruining these clothes. ]

Floor 1, Room 5

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject