Johannes Volkner bid farewell to a life without combat. Jill was sent staggering back several steps by the aftershock of an explosion of flame. The ground itself seemed to shake with the impact, though that may have been his own imagination. Worse yet, he could see that several of his allies were panicking, or unsure of how to handle the situation. Wilhelm was staring wide-eyed at Jill for reasons he was unsure of. Pádraig had drawn his sword, but he was shaking from what seemed to be a mix of anticipation and fear. The bomb suit man and his Spirit -- They had turned around to run away. They were leaving them to rot. It could barely even be called a run, they were walking away almost casually, as if the entire scene was simply something they had nothing to do with, and for a brief instant Johannes considered firing something their way. That errant thought was dismissed immediately though, as they had more pressing issues than supposed teammates who were willing to toss them aside. The woman with the scarf was on the ground; the knight Spirit standing over her and refusing to budge, blade drawn.
Even the two Spirits who had somehow entered seemingly without a caller were out of it. The woman had been knocked to the ground and seemingly unconscious through unknown means, and the apologetic man had at least raised his spear, but his stance betrayed a complete lack of confidence. Their forces were scattered, they had no plan of attack or defense, and few of them were ready and able to fight against this clearly powerful foe. Yet, as she launched forwards, swinging that blade down not at Jill, but at Padraig, who staggered back, one of their allies made his presence known. The tall samurai with the long spear crashed down like a comet, the tip of his weapon leaving a glimmering trail as it swung through the air at the woman. Her blade twisted, wreathed once more in those red flames, and matched it, yet that was when something incredible happened.
That sword was clearly an Artifact, the supposedly unbreakable legendary weapons used by Spirits. And yet, despite being an Artifact, when it met with the tip of that man's spear, the spearpoint dug in and chipped at her blade, as the two knocked each other aside. The warrior-woman actually took a second to pause at that, looking down at her chipped blade in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "You work for these would-be Romans, and yet you fight well and with honor. Who are you?"
A shadow seemed to drape over the man, and Johannes swore that he could see his Menpō curve into a wicked, demonic grin as he twirled that massive spear in a single hand, pointing it towards her with a flourish. "I! Am Honda Tadakatsu. You have not heard of me, and my reputation need not be spoken. My skill will prove itself against you once more." Johannes found himself jealous. Again. Seriously, why were there so many Japanese heavy hitters around? Before he could further question that, though, the honorable exchange of names was swiftly cut off by Jill, who had lunged at the woman in black iron from behind, hissing and snarling like some kind of feral cat. The woman turned, whether from hearing her or by having some sixth sense, and threw out her leg, hitting Jill sharply in the midsection and sending her sprawling among the rubble.
While her back was turned, though, Johannes could do something without being at risk of becoming her next target. Pointing Bellende Hunde out, he let his magical energy pour through it, casting the rune of Ansuz, which facilitated communication, poems, and mysteries, as well as a few other symbolisms. More importantly, it allowed him to speak into the minds of both this Honda Tadakatsu and the apologetic spearman. "We need to move, now. That artifact doesn't seem to be her only trump card, otherwise she would've fled already. Between the two of you, you have range advantages and should be able to hold her back without pressing her into a corner. If you buy me some time, I should have a way to immobilize her. As for Jill... I can't control her in this state, unless I focus my energy into the command array."
Tadakatsu glanced back, but didn't say anything, simply nodding and levelling his spear at the woman. The apologetic spearman, though, took a second to look Johannes over. "I... I'm not sure that I should be taking orders from you. But, I'm supposed to run a combat test, so that should be fine. And-And it's helping people, too!" Johannes couldn't help but wonder how a powerful Spirit could be so weak-willed. Still, the situation was further complicated as Jill pulled herself up from the ground, one hand reaching back to open the lid of her lantern. Billowing, thick smog coated the area, far thicker than the smoke that had already been choking Johannes's lungs. He quickly poured magical energy into both his glasses and his coat, giving him some small measure of protection and allowing him to see, before almost falling over with the first step he took. Even with his protection, the smog seemed to be affecting his sense of direction, though he could see the downed redheaded Spirit just nearby.
He needed to use a larger, more powerful array if he wanted to perform any lasting effect on a Spirit, given the power difference between them and humans. Further, he needed to fuel not only the magical energy Jill was using up in her rampage against the enemy, but also his own protections against the effects of Jill's lantern. Given her rage, her knives, her profession, and this lantern, he realized just who Jill might be, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. No, rather, he had an incredibly deep magical energy pool, something around the top ten percent. If one used the standard units, where an 'average' spell typically was measured at about fifty units, he had six hundred and sixty units or so to spend. Yet, even so, maintaining a Spirit's combat capabilities drew magical energy from the one who called them, unless their link was intentionally shifted elsewhere or supplemented, and was often far more taxing than any regular spell. Furthermore, he needed to keep all three of his magical items powered simultaneously, and complete writing the runes needed for a large, powerful spell. Put simply, even with his large reserves, it was a tall order outside of what most normal magi would be capable of doing without outside storage or energy.
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He let out a deep breath, and crouched over the redhead, as the sound of combat drew close. Tadakatsu, the apologetic spearman, Jill and the woman in black iron were all fighting less than five meters away, if he had to guess by the discordant clashing of steel and flesh. He could hear the occasional burst of wind or flames, many of them shooting skywards. If even a single errant blast were to come his way... No, he needed to focus. Looking down at her, she was half-awake, but seemed heavily affected by the smog, delirious and unable to properly see. "Mmh..." She was probably a Spirit, and while their bodies were given a slightly more human form, he was unsure of the exact structure. Flash of Inspiration pointed him in this direction, but he couldn't help but feel that he was gambling. He slipped the knife at her waist out of its sheath, bringing it up to her non-prosthetic arm. "I'm sorry about this, but it's needed. I'll pay you back later, I promise."
...He was making another promise he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep. Looking at her, pained and borderline unconscious on the ground, he couldn't help but think of Jessica. Bleeding, burning... His hand shook as he made the incision, just barely nicking several capillaries close to a vein to bleed her without a chance of serious blood loss. He wasn't sure if it was the same in Spirits, but in humans and other living creatures, excess magical energy often pooled in the body's liquids and vitals. In an emergency, blood, organs, and almost any other fluid or membrane in the body could be utilized for magical energy, and a Spirit's body should contain an overall greater amount in it than a living person. To his surprise, though, her skin wasn't as hard as he expected a Spirit's to be, and indeed, her blood seemed almost completely normal. Was she... Just a regular girl after all? Had he cut open an ordinary girl in the hopes that she would just be something other that could handle it?
Was he becoming the same sort of monster as his parents?
No, he needed to clear his head. There were more important things. If he let everyone around him die because of his inaction, that would be more monstrous. Pouring her blood onto the ground, he began to start on an array, letting the necessary Runes click into his head with Flash of Inspiration, before directly linking together the 'how' and 'why' himself. Jera, the Rune of time, harvest, and waiting for a prime opportunity. Ansuz, the Rune of communication, wisdom, and Runes. Ehwaz, in reverse, the Rune of the horse, and one of several that symbolized movement. By reversing it, he could give it a negative connotation, a stasis or inhibition of that same movement. Gebo, the Rune of gifting, whether for good or for bad. Eihwaz, not to be confused with the similar Ehwaz. It was the Rune of the Yew tree, typically involving longevity, restoration, and similar effects. Yet, by combining it with Raidho in reverse, another Rune of travel and movement, he could use the traits of the Yew tree in a negative light.
JAEGER. At the perfect time, communication will be unable to sound off, and the gift of a Yew tree's implacable, stable location will be given. By the word spelled out, he could further empower its meaning. A Jaeger, a hunter, was a perfect symbolism for this spell, locking down its prey in a single spot after waiting for the right time. Looking up, he could see almost nothing but the occasional sparks or blasts of flame from the fast paced battle. He couldn't see any of the individual combatants, much less actively aim his strike for the woman in black iron. Using Bellende Hunde to bring forth Ansuz once more, he spoke into Tadakatsu's mind. "Hold down her movements for me, flank her with the other spearman. I'm going to remove this fog and give us a chance to end this."
He couldn't hear or see if he'd gotten any form of response, but he needed to trust that Tadakatsu was working with him. Outstretching his arm, he lowered Bellende Hunde and focused on his command array. On the link between himself and Jill - No, himself and Jack the Ripper. It was hard to believe, but every sign pointed to his Spirit being as such. Reaching deep, he connected his own magical energy to that of the array, pouring it out as his arm crackled with a sickening, unnatural green lightning. That excess magical energy wasn't his own, but rather the implanted magic of the command array, an absurd amount needed to fully wrangle control of a Spirit with no cause or reason. "Jack the Ripper, by my order, close your lantern and stand down!"
Jill - No, Jack - Fell to the ground, writing in pain as that lightning entered her body, her arm moving down to slam the lantern shut. Yet, her knives were still drawn, and even as the bolts of electricity visibly seared her flesh, cracking around her, she tried to stand, having been pushed beyond all reason. The woman in black was surprised, yet so far had been almost entirely unharmed, fighting off all of the combatants with relative ease. Johannes pointed his hand towards her, linking his magical energy with the bloody array etched into the ground and readying himself to cast through it.
No. A deafening, screaming warning blasted through his mind as he readied the final blow, ready to paralyze her so that Tadakatsu and that other spearman could end her. No, if he did it now, they would all die. He could feel it, every instinct screaming at him as if he was facing down an apex predator. She had another trump card, and it would play into her hand. Letting out a deep breath, he shakily forced words free from his mouth instead. "Leave, warrior against Rome. I don't know who you are, but you have lost this day. I can let Jack run free and finish you, but more death won't help anyone." This woman was no doubt the enemy. She had caused the deaths of many innocents, and yet, Jack the Ripper was standing under him, ready to fight at his command. Were they any better? He didn't have time to think about it, he needed to end the fight. The woman pointed her sword at him, and he internally braced for the flaming embrace of death.
"I am Queen Boudica. Remember the name, for I will come to slay you and this Jack the Ripper, personally, in seven days time."
With those words, she turned, streaking off into the distance with a blaze of flame as if enshrouded by wings of sunlight. They had ultimately lost out, but they were all alive. As he disconnected the links to his equipment, Johannes nearly dropped to one knee, finally letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. He had survived the initial drop, and directly standing against a Spirit... He felt like he was still going to die at any moment.
