Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-5999656-20170521035143/@comment-5999656-20170609011958

(Gotcha)

Zanipher ducked instinctively as the explosion engulfed the wood cabin. She looked back at the smoking wreckage, and the distinct scent of wafting herb. Once the smoke had cleared, there were no stragglers or lackeys to be seen, only a single, rugged-looking man glaring right at her through the dark gray haze. She watched, unmoving as his weapon shifted with a series of screeches of metal against metal, and clicked into its secondary form: a gun that looked as tired as its owner. She tensed as Gren pointed the weapon straight at her, and with a deafening volley blew apart the branches where she had stood just a second earlier.

Zanipher somersaulted from the tree and performed a dramatic three point landing, crouched forward like a cat as she cocked her head just slightly to the side.

''Huntress against Huntsman... both fully trained, that means this fight will be decidedly...''

Aerial.

Gren fired again, and this time Zanipher zipped to the left, braking hard and launching herself straight at Gren with an upward burst of fallen leaves. Her guandao shifted into sword mode as she ignited the barrels extending from the hilt with Fire Dust, and drove it one-handed straight at Gren's throat. Prepared for this, he swung his weapon in a large upward arc and met her blow straight on, using his increased momentum to launch her into the air with a bestial cry. Zanipher rolled in midair, regaining her orientation against the hazy backdrop, and with another Dust blast she sent herself ricocheting down again. Gren swung once more, and Zanipher twisted on her approach as his spiked bat barely grazed her chest. She made contact with the packed, black earth, and began leaping around Gren, directing a flurry of strikes from all around him as she sought to find a vulnerability. To an untrained observer, the only thing visible would be a faded green and black blur rotating around Gren, who was able to parry each of the strikes with impressive speed despite being forced on the defensive.

This chaotic dance continued for less than ten seconds before Zan had a new idea. If Gren's reaction time was impeccable, then she couldn't rely on straightforward strikes. She swung downwards, and as Gren crouched to absorb the blow again, she instead switched her balance and performed a forward sweeping kick. The move swept Gren off his feet, and Zanipher capitalized by driving a sharp elbow into his solar plexus. The sheer speed with which she struck sent him flying back against the wall, which crumbled from the impact.

Zan straightened up and sneered behind her mask, twirling her sword as she considered the ragged Huntsman. However, her arrogance quickly faded as Gren stood up and rolled his right shoulder, apparently unfazed by her combo.

"FUCK!!" Gren roared, and this time it was he who took the offensive. He ran forward, and flung his bat with all the force he could muster. Zan ducked backwards automatically as it whizzed overhead, and looked up just to see Gren plant his boots on her stomach and perform a backflip kick to her chin. The impact sent her careening wildly as the bat bounced off a tree trunk and back into Gren's grasp, and he launched himself at Zanipher. Without a sense of up or down, Zan did the only thing she could think of: she activated her semblance. As her midair rotating slowed, she blinked and found herself floating upside down, facing Gren. His bat was raised above his head, and she met his bloodshot eyes through the tint of the off-place visor as his contorted face screamed somethine between 'bloody murder' and 'what the fuck'. Zan released her semblance and caught Gren's bat between her legs before he had a chance to realize that he was freed, and with a backwards rotation moved with his momentum to launch him straight into the treeline, whereas she landed in the center of the clearing a few seconds later.

Zan reached up and adjusted her mask back into place, rubbing her jaw tenderly. She'd bitten the inside of her cheek, and while her Aura kept her mostly protected, she'd ended up drawing a little blood. She could taste it on her tongue, and as it pooled she bent over and opened her mouth, letting the red run out onto the ground.