Job: Nightmare Incarnate: Kaori & Ashleen: C Rank: Private

Walking around a castle all day was exhausting in and of itself. Even more exhausting, and frustrating at that, was the distinct lack of people in said castle that weren't busy doing "something else", whatever it happened to be. She had come to the castle after reading the journal of a man called Samuel Martin, as well as listening to the entries recorded on the bloody lacrima delivered alongside it. She had been deeply troubled by the nature of its contents and, not being one to shy from something serious like this, she had set her sights on traveling to the first in question.

Ashleen had intended to gather some sort of help from the castle, but nobody seemed to be available. Bad timing, she told herself, forcing her chin up and not letting her disappointment show. "Alright then, thanks anyway!" She said in a bright, cheery tone, before walking away from her final prospective team mate with a bit of a sigh. She was grimacing internally, of course. This wasn't the sort of job she was comfortable with taking on herself, but on the other hand it wasn't the sort of thing that could be put off. She cradled her right elbow in her left hand as she walked, chewing the nails of her right hand nervously and pondering other options. Perhaps she could call upon a mage from another guild? She shook her head swiftly at the idea. She wasn't sure who to even ask in that case, or how long it might take.

When she finally broke her train of thought, she had decided on going to the forest alone. She'd just have to be extra careful. That was when Ikuchi appeared before her. She was startled by his sudden entry into her life, jumping backwards with a shout and holding her right hand near her waist, as if to draw a sword that didn't appear to exist. Her left side was angled towards Ikuchi, and her stance low. She offered Ikuchi a level gaze for a moment, before relaxing and letting slip an embarrassed giggle. "O-oh, sorry! You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that, you know. Wait, how did you know my nam-" Ashleen began to ask, but Ikuchi had already continued on to speak. She listened patiently, favoring Ikuchi with a soft smile as she watched him. When he finished his piece, see began again. "Well, thank you Ikuchi. But who is lady Ceostra? Or her ally for that matter. And how did you know who I was? I don't mean to look s gift horse in the mouth, but I also don't mean to become indebted to the wrong people. I've only just met you, after all..."[/color] She questioned him with an apologetic tone, folding her arms behind her back to show a lack of intended offense. Ashleen awaited an answer to her questions for a brief moment, then spoke again, "Actually, do you wanna walk and talk? No point waiting around here, in the end." Ashleen suggested, starting to walk towards the end of the bridge, setting her course for the Spooky Forest.

Ashleen nodded her understanding as Ikuchi explained the situation to her. She wasn't sure she trusted him yet, not with how proactively available he had been. Still, she decided that his explanation sounded reasonable enough, and as she was assured that she would not be obligated to pay back any sort of debt, she shrugged slightly. There really wasnt much reason for her to doubt him, and if there was trouble, she told herself that she'd just handle it. However it may be necessary to do so.

She shined a bright smile at Ikuchi, forcing herself to dash away her suspicion and doubt, as she frequently did. "Well, thanks so much for accompanying me, Ikuchi! It was very kind of you. Or, your master I suppose?" Ashleen wasn't completely sure if she was being insensitive or not when regarding Ikuchi and his master, so she just kept smiling warmly to show she meant nothing by it. [Color=gold]"Actually, Ikuchi, I don't have any way there... Now that you mention it, I suppose I had planned on walking. But, if you have a better way, I'd really love to hear it!"[/gold] She continued in her bright, cheery tone, her eyes focused on Ikuchi now after turning to face him.

"Woaaaah.... He's amazing! I mean... just look at him! That's sooooo cool!" Ashleen almost cooed as she spoke, clearly impressed. She didn't hesitate to reach out, gently stroking his feathers and feeling an intense sense of satisfaction in doing so. She had always been a fan of magical creatures of nearly any kind. She was glad to be offered a ride in his back. "Really, you are something special..." She muttered, speaking to the large bird. "An excellent choice in transportation, sir Ikuchi. Is this how you usually travel, or are you showing off for me?" Ashleen winked playfully at Ikuchi.

Ashleen took his hand gratefully, lifting herself up using him as an anchor, then grabbing on tight, holding onto Ikuchi as she was told. When the hawk took off, she couldn't help herself from screeching, much in the same way that one does while riding a roller coaster. This was much faster and much higher than she was used to moving, by a long shot. Then, as Ikuchi spoke to get her attention, she forced herself to quiet down, holding her breathe firmly.

As Ikuchi finished speaking, Ashleen would cast her eyes downward, an air of incredible grief and weariness coming over her as she responded in a low, even, but not dangerous tone. "Don't think you know my motivations so well. You seem to be mistaken, at least In one regard. Nothing I have done is due to fear. Not in a strict sense anyway. Id really rather not talk about it, but my smiles are for me, not you." She said, before taking a long pause of silence, building back up to her normal, cheery self.

"Im sorry, I try not to be so blunt... I appreciate what you're trying to say, really." Her normal energy seemed to have returned at this point, and she began revelling at the sights that the hawk had been pointing out. At several points, she would reach out and soak her arms in the pools is vaporized water, grinning with glee at the sight of mountaintops.

"Anyway, Ikuchi... What do you think is waiting for us, when we get to the spooky forest? Maybe a ghost... Could it really be a demon?" She asked, trying to put focus on the job, now that she could see the forest on the horizon. "We're almost there..."

Ashleen hesitated for a moment when dismounting the hawk, realizing she had forgotten to ask if it had a name. She shrugged, figuring it didn't really matter. She could always ask later. With a sigh, she hopped off, holding Ikuchi's hand for support. Then, as he began apologizing to her, she began to shake her head quickly. "No, it's fine. I understand, and it's not like you hurt my feelings. I just didn't want you to have the wrong idea... It's a little hard to explain, really." She interjected, before looking ahead at the spooky forest before them. She couldn't wait to finally start working as a guild mage, and this would mark her first job. She was shaking, but less out of fear, and more anticipation. There certainly was some apprehension, though. "Thanks, by the way. I'd be glad to talk some time. I need as many friends as I can get, with what I've planned."

As they entered the forest, she began looking around at the trees and bushes that cluttered the area. She was partially trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, and partially just curious about the various kinds of plants that grew here. They all seemed about twice as spooky as other plants of their kind, somehow. Suddenly, Ikuchi was calling out for her to follow him. She was curious as to why, but didn't bother asking just yet, figuring she'd find out soon enough. When they arrived at the shack, she couldn't help herself any longer, simply asking, "Hey, Ikuchi, what are we doing here?"

Then, as Ikuchi asked if she had a key, she raised one eyebrow at him. "Did your master read that in my dossier too?" She asked a bit playfully, a bit sarcastically. Without waiting for a response, she stepped forward, lifting her hand with thumb and forefinger pinched together, almost like she was holding a key. Suddenly, as if formed from her fingertips, a small brass key appeared in her uplifted hand, and she thrust it effortlessly into the keyhole of the door in one, smooth motion, twisting it sharply back and forth, then pulling it back out and pocketing the key. "There, it's unlocked. Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, do you want to take point, or should I?" She said, grinning pridefully.

As Ikuchi entered the building, Ashleen would stand in the doorway, looking in after him. What she saw was atrocious, but she seemed shockingly jaded to the display, as if she had seen similar things before. "Damn.... I cant believe this..." Ashleen muttered, the same grim tone from earlier oozing from her lips as she spoke. She took a step into the shack, taking a deep breath at the same time. The stench was not unfamiliar either. She walked amongst the bodies, glancing at them briefly.

It was Ikuchi's next words that seemed to strike a chord with her personally, as she grimaced briefly, before generating a large 1 meter long brass key with axe head shaped teeth, slamming it quickly into the wall. "Damn it all... If I had just left sooner, I could have helped!" She yanked the key out of the wall swiftly and turned to face the door.

"You're probably stronger... I don't sense any weakness or hesitation from you. But think about it... The kid can't protect herself even a little. She needs more strength than I can provide to stay safe. If we're going to make sure no one else gets hurt, I should fight. You should protect the girl. If I can't handle it on my own once we find this thing, then we switch places." Ashleen looked over her shoulder, pain in her eyes. "What do you think? Am I just crazy?"

As Ikuchi mentioned the girl's tight grip on his clothing, Ashleen thought that in another situation she may have at least given a chuckle. This wasnt the time or the place, she told herself. By now she had fallen fairly silent, and seemed to be extremely focused on nothing in particular. Her thoughts were dark, and angry. It took Ikuchi asking her if she felt something, after a fair time spent walking, to snap her out of her single minded quest to find whatever killed those people. She didn't have any person attachment to them, but she hated herself for not arriving sooner. When she did snap out of it, she stated at Ikuchi for a moment, her eyes wide as if she had just been startled awake. "Feel what?"

Of course, just as she spoke, she stated to feel an eerie creeping sensation tingling at the back of her brain, up and down her spine. She became distinctly aware of every little sound, and not a single inch of her body felt comfortable, whether or not it was tensed. "On second thought, I think I know what you mean..." Then she began to hear her old friends calling out to her, her eyes narrowed, and she bit down hard on her tongue, her fists clenched tightly. She remembered flames, and tears, and screams. She knew she was getting lost, but couldn't even hear Ikuchi as he told her about the strange plant. She started to shiver with fear and rage, emotions that she only ever seemed to experience when paired.

Suddenly, Ashleen was startled free of her spiraling downwards by an extraordinarily loud crash as two large trees fell, one after the other, only inches from her feet. She shrieked in her surprise, jumping back and viciously gouging the bark of one tree with her key/axe. She stumbled to a stop, turning to look for Ikuchi. "Damn! That was close! You alright, Ikuchi?" She asked, now hearing a loud, wailing voice, "LEAVE NOW!" The voice sounded almost as though the air itself was speaking, surrounding Ikuchi and Ashleen, before disappearing again.

"Okay, that was creepy..." She nearly whispered, her eyes wide and staring at her surroundings, as if to search for whatever had done this. Between fear and rage, the balance was certainly in fear's favor by now. She was beginning to seriously doubt if she had what it would take to bring down this threat.

The member 'Lemon Lime' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Ashleen stared, shocked at the way Ikuchi had simply shrugged off an entire tree. Not that it looked easy, but it was still impressive to say the least. She noticed a relatively large splinter protruding from Ikuchi's right shoulder. Though she was concerned, Ashleen also knew that the injury wouldn't be likely to stop the kind of guy who can withstand the rest of the tree. His bold shout reassured her that he would be fine, so she chose not to question it further. She was almost distracted enough to halt the progression of fear inside her heart, but it wasn't enough. When the ghastly apparition appeared before Ikuchi, she suddenly remembered everything in much more vivid detail than ever before. The primary fear insider her soul was screaming to identify itself as loss, helplessness, and regret. She tried, but failed, to stand up against it, unable to speak. Her eyes themselves shook and trembled, but before her rage could take back over, she heard Ikuchi's request.

Nodding firmly, still shaking like a leaf, Ashleen took the child in her arms and ran. She ran hard and fast, as quickly as she could from the demon that seemed to delve into the depths of her heart and mind, stealing old memories to use against her. It was unnatural, and she couldn't help but feel completely powerless in the presence of such a being. She but her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks, frustrated by her own incompetence. How could she have hoped to do this without Ikuchi here? Maybe she really wasnt cut out for all this mage business.

Her thoughts continued to run wild, until she came to her senses facing down a troupe of 10 ninja-like individuals. At first, she mistook them as friends of Ikuchi's, but it didn't take long for her to work out the true nature of these men. Now her fear was being quelled, as she had reached the very furthest reaches of the monster's territory, and the being was no doubt distracted at the moment. As her fear seemed to wash away, she found it difficult to fear the ninja in front of her. They seemed comparatively... underwhelming. She regarded them with tired eyes, kneeling to set the girl down by her feet, and with a flick of her wrist she'd generated a second key in her left hand - now dual wielding a club-like key and an axe-like one. She lowered her stance, channeling her paralysis spell into the left key and watching the ninja carefully. She wasn't sure that she'd be able to take them on, herself, but she was certainly going to try. "I think you'd best be leaving now." There was no joy in her voice, only a low and dangerous note that carried an unspoken threat. She waited to see how they would respond, keeping her eyes on the two crimson wearing ninja, as well as the gold one. He looked the strongest. She spoke to the child now, without looking down. "You're going to be safe, kiddo. I'll make sure of that." Internally, she still want sure she could do this alone, but she knew she had to. It was the only option left to her.

Ashleen couldn't help but let herself become distracted by the strange white balls of energy, as well. She took a moment, along with the various ninja surrounding her, to stare at them, a strange sense of positivity welling up inside of her. It had been years now, since she was able to feel this way without forcing it on herself, so she took a moment to adjust to it. It was shocking enough to throw her off-balance a bit, but she quickly shook herself from the trance it had put her in. She stared down the ninja around her, now, tempted to attack while they weren't paying attention.

Unfortunately, Ashleen didn't actually have this opportunity in the end, as the ninja seemed to come to shortly after her. To an observer, it may well look as though she'd allowed the ninja time to recover, in order to be fair. Ashleen thought it over once or twice while facing down her opponents. She had no idea how skilled they were. She knew she was heavily outnumbered. She also knew that she'd have to protect a small girl at the same time as fighting. With all these things considered, it was obvious that this would either be a fight just to stay alive long enough to be rescued, or if she wanted to win, Ashleen would have to use an astounding combination of wit, planning, and coordination.

The strangest thing happened, though; as the feeling of warmth and devotion, but more specifically the sensation of hope, coursed through her, she lost the desire to doubt her ability. It wasn't as though she had a death wish, or was taking unnecessary risks. To her, there would be no risk, as long as she could do this just right. Observing her enemies, she took note first of their colored bands, deciding that it must be some measure of their rank, and thusly their respective skill levels. Her first target would have to be the gold one; perhaps if she could fend off the others and take that one down, she would be able to scare them into a retreat.

With a nod, she decided on her plan. She lunged forward, now, only to stop dead and bend backwards sharply, dodging a slice that had been aimed at her head by one of the ninja in white. She quickly rolled to the side, intentionally crashing into the legs of two more of the ninja in white, sending them tumbling onto their backs with little ability to cancel the damage of the fall, as their legs were essentially acting as levers to send their torsos crashing downwards. She didn't waste any time, however, stabbing the ground with the axe-shaped key and nearly dislocating her shoulder with a primal thrust. Of course, the ground gave no way, but Ashleen was able to lift herself deftly off the ground, as if she weighed nothing at all, spinning in the air and swinging the deadly axe head in an arc at one of the white ninja's heads as he approached the child. Figuring that would be enough to deter him, for now, she continued her spin and oriented herself mid-air so that she would land with both keys held out to the side, down on one knee. She was glaring at them with all the determination in her body, the kind of determination it took to keep herself going for years by sheer force of will.

The ninja seemed taken aback as a whole, but not thrown off-balance just yet. They were no doubt used to a certain level of resistance. The crimson ninjas chose now to attack, lunging past each other in an x-formation, attempting to cut through Ashleen much like a pair of scissors. Ashleen disrupted their attack by flinging her axe-key in the way, destroying her key in the process but creating enough of an opening in their attack for her to roll forward, toward the ninja wearing gold. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he dodged, but rather than hesitate to think about it, Ashleen simply swung her club-like key wildly at the ninja's legs. The gold ninja was far too skilled to fall for a desperate attack like that, though, simply hopping over the attack and kicking off the back of her head, sending Ashleen forward further, into the dirt.

"Damn it, he's fast... I guess I should have figured as much." Ashleen muttered, and as she stood back up to face the ninja down, she was forced to back flip away from a barrage of sword swings, all of the white ninja attacking at once to try and overwhelm her. She saw this as a sort of opportunity, choosing to dodge away from their attacks, even managing to evade the crimson ninjas' scissor attack again, by vaulting over it with yet another key - this one about 2 meters in length, and also immediately destroyed by their attack. She didn't need that one, though, as in mid-air she had generated yet another key. This one seemed different, though. It had a translucent blue appearance, and as she landed again, she had forced the key into her sternum. The gold ninja, standing in front of her, hesitated for a moment, wondering what spell she had just cast. This gave her the perfect opportunity to swing her club-key once more at his legs. He dodged again, taking a step back this time, but the key managed to graze his right knee while he had it lifted off the ground, with his knee bent.

Suddenly, the ninja in gold toppled over, unable to move his leg. "W-what the hell?! What's going on?!" He demanded, Ashleen standing over him with a new key in her right hand, one whose teeth had been noticeably sharpened and extended into a blade. With the steel at his throat, Ashleen glared at the other ninja. "Do you want to keep doing this, or should I let you take him and leave?" She had given the fight all she had. She knew that the moment those crimson ninja landed an attack, she'd most likely be done for. Let alone the gold ninja at her feet, who would only remain paralyzed for one round. They didn't need to know that she couldn't keep paralyzing them. Had it only been the 7 white ninja, she may have stood a chance, but even then, their attacks were certainly overwhelming in such large numbers. Ashleen's mind was already racing, trying to come up with a backup plan. If she had to keep fighting, her only choice would be to whittle down the white ninja, then the crimsons, and finally the gold, but she would certainly run out of energy by then. Subconsciously, she looked over her shoulder to see if Ikuchi had come to her aid.

It hadn't been long enough for that, though, and the answer to Ashleen's question came in the form of the white ninja attacking again. With a curse, Ashleen began deflecting their attacks rapidly, using her two keys in conjunction to form a veritable curtain of steel, preventing any of their attacks from landing properly. A few scratches here and their managed to fall on her body, but for the most part, Ashleen was able to stave off their advance. She'd have to start picking them off, though, since the fight was clearly intended to continue at this point. The strange thing was that the smile on her face still had not faded this entire time. She swung the bladed key now as she deflected using her club-key, taking a small gash on her side as a trade, her blade finding it's mark and gouging one of the white ninjas across the chest. The wound looked fatal, but with medical attention the ninja would be capable of recovering.

Ashleen's eyes shifted steadily from one ninja to the next as she skirted away from the gold ninja, not wanting him to attack her from the ground while she was distracted. The crimson ninja came in hot again, seeming to intent another scissor-like attack. If that kept up, she wouldn't be able to keep dodging it. She looked over her shoulder to judge the timing of her next move, then began counting off quarter-seconds in her head, in order to keep time. She ducked low, swinging her keys up and across three of the white ninjas' bodies, the club dislocating one of their knees, the blade nearly gutting another, and the club finally coming up to smack the last one in the temple, knocking his lights out.

Despite the surprising effect of this attack, Ashleen's goal had been entirely alternate. She was using this upwards spiral to generate as much momentum as she could, while fending off the white ninja that continued to attack her, so she could hope to defend against the crimson ninjas' attack. As her keys circled her head, she turned around, rooting herself to the ground in order to give her added stability. The two keys crossed each other in an "x" of their own, catching the leftmost crimson ninja's katana in the crook of the crossed keys. She continued the swinging motion of her keys, even leaning forward a bit to add force to he redirection, the katana suddenly sinking deep into the flesh of the second crimson ninja. Without waiting for a reaction, Ashleen leaped towards the child again, tackling one of the white ninja away from her. Ironically, Ashleen hadn't even noticed this ninja's approach towards her protectee, she had simply decided to regroup with the child, in order to prevent just that sort of sneak-attack. Even Ashleen was off-guard for a moment while she processed the sudden collision, but she managed to recover faster than the ninja she'd accidentally tackled, knocking him out cold with a swift strike to the back of his head with the handle of her key-club.

Standing again, she took stock of the situation. There were nearly 5 white ninja removed from the fight in one way or another, and it appeared that the two crimson ninja had both retreated, one caring for the other with first aid. Ashleen was sweating, nearly exhausted, but she still had a little more in her. She was making each action look nearly instinctive, but almost every part of her defense was planned at least seconds ahead of time, and she was starting to lose her focus. She would start slipping up soon, if she didn't end this fast, but these ninja didn't scare off easy. She wanted desperately to call for help, but as the heat of the fight burned on, she felt herself becoming more stubborn than simply determined, refusing to let herself feel so weak on her first mission. She'd have to be much, much better to get where she was going.

Then, as she took another step back, to drop into a fighting stance, she nearly stepped on the child she'd been protecting, and she snapped out of it. None of this fighting with the ninja would mean anything if the child was hurt. She decided it would be better to call for assistance, then keep fighting the ninja if nobody came. She could still do this, she felt, but it would be better to be absolutely certain. "Ikuchi! I can't keep this up for much longer, not if I'm going to keep the girl safe, too!"

Ashleen watched, stunned, as another version of herself seemed to step out of the tree line. A few different theories crossed her mind as to who, or what, the interloper might be. After a moment, she simply shook her head, trying to refocus on the ninjas that she'd been fighting. Her eyes went wide when she saw that the last ninja, the one in gold, was being slain already. "What the hell..." She muttered, trying too work through what she had missed in her distraction. Whoever this other Ashleen was, she was fast.

When the remaining ninja fell, Ashleen didn't know what to think. She wanted to be relieved, but she couldn't help but also feel terrified by the skill and speed with which her dies had been dispatched, and she wasn't sure she could trust someone who would hide using her face. Suddenly, Ashleen leapt to the little girls side as she lay on the ground, stabbing one key into the ground and kneeling in a defensive position.

Ashleen was put at ease when Ikuchi was mentioned, and even more so when the other her vanished. Once Ikuchi arrived, Ashleen looked over her shoulder, sighing gently and standing. She reeled for a moment, her joints screaming as the adrenaline wore off. She felt stinging sensations all over her body, and when she looked down, she finally noticed several shallow cuts in various spots on her body. Apparently, she'd not been quite so good at dodging as she thought. She had lost a bit of blood, and significantly more stamina from fighting a fair deal above her physical level. The exertion was getting to her, and she knew it, but she made herself remain standing. "Ikuchi... There you are. I trust the demon is no more?" By now, she thought she had a good guess as to who had saved her. Knowing about Ikuchi, calling him by nickname, and the way she fought all made her think it must be one person. "Hey, don't worry. This all wasn't me. I'd have lost if I had to fight them alone. Actually, I think it was your master who stepped in on my behalf... Whoever it was, she said to tell you to escort me to 'the pub'."

Ashleen took little note of the features of the bar. By now she was dead tired, her legs burning their dissent as she walked into the deathtrap of a building. Her eyes were narrowed slightly, and she gave a soft yawn as she stretched hard, raising her arms far over her head and arching her back. Then, as Ikuchi pointed out his master, she approached the crimson-haired woman and sat next to her without a thought, pushing back the urge to put her head on the counter and sleep. "So, you're Ikuchi's master, huh? Why are we meeting here, if I may ask?" She looked over at Ikuchi briefly, as if expecting him to sit as well, offering him a small smile. She'd put on her happy go lucky attitude in no time after the fighting stopped, but she was too tired to muster more than that.