The segue to a new subject wasn't subtle, and she took the hint like she took most things nowadays: with just a hint of grace. She rolled a set of fingers from a pocket and mopped up scything bangs from her eyes; setting them in motion as she combed back the jagged mess of hair. "I might be a little bit." Her stomach concurred, rumbling in extremely audible protest. "...I guess it's decided." The stomach has spoken! She angled a set of fingers at the mouth of the park, marked by a set of wide globes radiating a warm, orange hue. They, like most street lamps, did little to chase off the encroaching night. They didn't ward the girl's anxiety over the dark, and as such, clung to them explicitly whenever she could. Such was the case when she flitted off with light steps, her arms outstretched and parallel with the mismatched pavement she strode across. As she came to the gate's borders, a dreadful feeling ran through her body like ice water--landing in the pit of her stomach. At first dismissing it as hunger pangs, that thought was abolished when a swath of crimson began to rise all around the park's setting. The zounds of trees that surrounded them were a muddy black, darker than tar, and the grass was like faded ash. Airflow ceased, like the currents no longer possessed the zest to gust, and all around her--those few people eager to walk their dogs and jog out the last leg of their exercise for the evening, was disgustingly pallor. She barely had the realization to funnel a small power of existence into the tips of her fingers and heave it at Minoko as the zone they were standing in became fully sealed. Thick ribbons of phosphorescent beryl crisscrossed around her liberally, riddled with countless runes written in an archaic language even she wasn't fully fluent in. They pulsated and hummed with the dull purr of a sleeping kitten, readily thrashing the effects of the carmine world that had been invoked all around them from fully taking effect. Senselessly, she asked, "Are you all right?" It was her first time to counteract the power of the Fuzetsu, the method in which Dwellers and their monstrosities use so they may feed in relative peace.

She was very thankful that Mayu?s stomach had decided in her favor. Shrimp tempura made everything better, and the two females could start on their journey to forgetting. Dark eyes followed along with the uneven path as she started after Mayu. "So where did you want to... Hmm?" Her gaze swept up from the pavement and towards the shades of crimson that began to surround her. For a few moments she was more curious than alarmed. What kind of color-changing shenanigans were the people of the Marketplace up to? But once she spied a frozen pedestrian a panic began to well up inside her. Of course. Danger was always on Mayu's tail. Somehow Minoko had gotten caught up in the moment and forgotten that, despite the girl's explanation of the mystery monsters. This had to be their doing, right? The woman looked back to Mayu just in time for her to get a glimpse of the thin blue flame heading her way. However, before she could give a proper defensive reaction the fire had transformed into mesmerizing ribbons. She couldn't help but be reminded of the first time metal sakura petals had swirled around her. Protective things tended to do that. "Yeah... I'm alright."

A sentient, highly functioning Japanese girl made the Hunter breathe in crisp, humid air a little easier. She wasn't sure why she felt instinctively protective over another. Especially one she didn't know. Or, thought she didn't know... Damn it, this is confusing... "Pay attention. Funaki, it would be best if you retreat from these grounds immediately. We cannot guarantee your safety if you decide to remain." Unlike what the voice was directing Minoko's way, Mayu was retracing her steps and bouncing back toward her. The sooner she got beside the girl, the better. Fortunate for them (and not so much for their immediate surroundings), the cause of this unseen dilemma was already rearing its head from behind a three story apartment complex just across the street from the park. A hideous, bald monstrosity sporting rigged teeth like a bear trap, was making quick work of the building that was little more than a speed bump in its way. Its eyes were a putrid, urine yellow hue that beamed like small moons in the crimson world they were locked within; pudgy flesh rippling and rolling every time it strived to move. Due to its massive size, its weight was factoring in its inability to be quick-paced. "Nayrraaaaa! Plllaaaaaay! Jeebo wants plaaaaaaaaay!" it screamed in a high-pitched, prepubescent voice.

"Can anyone guarantee my safety, really?" The ribbons were quickly forgotten once she laid eyes on the monster. Well.... That wasn't quite what she had pictured. In Minoko's head the beast would be red, maybe purple, and speak with a sort of vicious, snarling voice. Instead, she was staring at a cherubic disaster of a being. At least it had exceeded her expectations when it came to size. "How are you planning to take it down?" Eyes settled on the Hunter. Minoko had seen the girl turn into a damn scythe before, so she was sure Mayu would have some impressive tactics planned out.

Cherubic. The most deadly was always under the masquerade of innocence. She danced the last meter to Minoko's side, draping the length of a skinny arm about the hub of shoulders and squeezed out a light embrace. ?Don't mind her,? she advised with a smile. ?Are you any good under pressure? Because I think--? The luxury of thought wasn't something the Hunter could afford. The atmosphere enveloping them was dense as a chunk nearly five times their size was shredded from the building and used like a football by the adolescent abomination, lobbing it their way. A mangled array of construction piping and cement was overkill in terms of potential hazards. ?Aw, crap!? That was her insightful commentary for the evening. Her loose wrap came undone, skittering back even further in wholesome defense. "I think we're going to have to use his size against him somehow!"

Judging by the night her village was attacked, Minoko was extremely good under pressure. Sniper good. But she couldn't think of a Rhy'Din situation that even came close to that one. So... Wait and see? A few bits of cement were easily dodged as she dashed off of the path and onto the eerily gray grass. Finally, her powers would come to use. Both of the woman's hands began to glow a bright pink. Any of the nearby debris that contained piping was flung in the direction opposite Mayu. "How so?" Her mind was totally blank. Minoko was no tactician. Her skills involved rolling with all the punches that Rhy'Din threw at her, not planning against them. But she did realize that this free moment should be used in preparation. The pink aura began to creep along her arms. Soon it would envelop her whole body, contrasting the protective ribbons that Mayu had blessed her with.

Well spank a rhinoceros and call her Susan. Did she just witness some kind of super power? Roiling silver swelled in awe. (Don't really spank a rhino, please.) "...did you just..." cutting herself off with a jerk of her head to either side. "That's how!" "This servant is much larger than either of you. I would advise retreating until you can properly devise a course of action. Reckless combat will only lead to failure." Mayu, as she always favored in times such as these, completely disregarded the voice's insight. "Nono. This is perfect!" too excited to care about the incredibly dangerous situation that'd befallen them. She fired a finger up at the Jeebo. "This servant's size means he shouldn't be able to move very fast! All we have to do is hitch a ride up to him and knock his lights out!" Jeebo, on the other hand, was swatting away what volley of concrete was directed his way from Minoko's projection. "Reeeyaaaaa! Jeebo no like! Jeebo want play!" Round two on the horizon, tearing off another slab of cement like it was moist bread and tossing it down like a bunch of textbooks at the only two mobile entities in the park.

"Hitch a ride..." That gave her an idea. Metal could be a form of transportation. She had realized this a while ago but had never been gutsy enough to actually try it. Zipping around in the sky seemed rather lazy in her eyes. This situation seemed more than appropriate for a bit of laziness, though. Her legs started up again once dark eyes locked on that massive piece of cement. The loose piping that stuck out of it was withdrawn with a flick of her wrist just before the slab hit the ground. "I can get you up there." As she always tended to do when shaping, Minoko thought back to a specific night of training. Memories of cheap jewelry and a fist making an imprint in a wall kept her focused. The cluster of piping that hovered before her slowly began to break down. An awkward mess of glowing liquid metal would replace it momentarily.

She trusted in Minoko's power now that she was aware it existed, but it didn't stop her from flinching when the chunk of concrete and twisted steel came careening their way. Nothing she couldn't weather with a tensing of fingers and a bunching of shoulders. She could get all kinds of used to a person that had such an incredible ability. "You're damn good!" she barked as she danced around Minoko and stood in front of her, arms spread wide and parallel with the ground, grinning from ear to ear at Minoko's satisfying answer to her presumably sound plan. "All right! Let's get on board this metal train and choo-choo-chooooke this big hunking lard right up!" It wasn't safe to get on while it was contorting liquid, was it? ...pretty pink...

"RAAAAAA! JEEBO MAD!" Jeebo was mad. With an impressive showing of sound strength, the large creature that resembled mobile putty jammed a fist through the top story of the building he was working through like a preening co*katoo. A jagged shower of small shards of brick and mortar and shattered shrapnel rained down all around them. Small chunks and pieces embedded themselves in the earth, the trees, the pallor humans. The many chips, only unavoidable by those paused in this atmosphere of smoky crimson, wedged deep in their flesh and were capable of striking bone. Blood oozed from torn flesh in real time, some teetering about as though they were a priceless vase on a high pedestal. Some fell. None broke. Their expressions, frozen stiff like the statues they were, never changed.

A reluctant smile came to Minoko's face upon hearing May's compliment. "I have a really amazing sensei, so..." It was highly doubtful that Batosai would be remembered, so she didn't bother to mention him by name. Continuing her work on their method of transportation, the liquid metal was stretched out and smoothed. Once she was satisfied with the shape, it would harden back up. The metal plate was perfectly circular and roughly five feet wide. "This should be big enough, right?" Jeebo's fist caused a crash more than loud enough to alert Minoko of the raining debris. In one swift movement the plate was angled above both of them, blocking the majority of rock and shrapnel. Shaping would be pretty useless if you couldn't fashion yourself a shield.

Now she's flinching for a reason. Solid stone sharper than shuriken and at a velocity faster than bullets. She layered both hands over her face and held them there. Even after the pang-twang! vibrations when they bounced off Minoko's makeshift shield. "Nnh... incredible sensei or not, you're still remarkable!" She'd have sustained insurmountable injury had it not been for Minoko. If not died a third death already. When the hailstorm of debris subsided, the girl swung around Minoko a final time, bumped her fists together, and pointed up at the pudgy servant again. "All right! Now we're ready! Flying high and illegal to punch him right in his nose!" Jeebo didn't have a nose, however. "...or in the eye. I think that might work..." Invading Minoko's personal space, the girl latched hold of shoulders with small fingers and fit herself against the woman until distance was negligible. She was soft and delicate at mere touch--her fingers without calluses and the expanse of her palms like down-feather pillow cushions. Even after all her training and conditioning, the Hunter wafted black and blue berries. It was light on the air, vaguely enough to cause a tickle, if anything at all.

Jeebo stomped over the three story building as if it was a tower of legos, tantruming at his lack of success at playing with the two girls. "JEEBO NO LIKE! JEEBO HATE! JEEBO KILL!" Jeebo would kill, prying his jaw wide with the aid of fatty fingers. It was as flexible as a snake's, able to be spread until his nose was aimed high toward the Heavens and his chin pressed firm against what resembled his neck. A palpable energy with the semblance of a flame oozed from his throat and worked down the path of a pus-white tongue. As it reached the writhing tip, it combusted into a much larger source of power and fired off at the two girls with the strength of a pirate ship's cannon. A single wad of his existence was unleashed, capable of tearing apart anything that got in its way.

The girl who could turn into a living weapon was telling her that she was remarkable? Minoko would just have to accept this one. "Stabbing it in the eye should be easy enough, yeah." Before she could instruct the fellow Asian to jump on the plate, they were already latched together. Heh... That would be productive. They had each other?s backs, at least. Lowering the metal platform to a few inches above the ground, the woman hopped onto it. All her concentration was put into lifting them a couple of feet off the ground. "Okay! I can do this." The statement was said more for herself than anything. Having noticed a lack of shrapnel being flung at the pair, Minoko turned to look at Jeebo. Was he... charging his laser!? "SH*T!" She crouched down in an attempt to keep her balance. The plate was flung to Jeebo's left, barely escaping the blast of deadly existence.

Her added weight wasn't a struggle when stepping on the plate, boots firmly planted and her body poised for the coming flight. She wasn't used to being airborne--not in the voluntary sense. However, she loosened her grip on Minoko once they touched off, turning 90? to face horizontally in conjuncture to Jeebo's towering location just ahead of them. "We're going to have to be careful, because he's liable to use his stored existence to--" An incredible, dreadful feeling overcame her. That impending doom sort, where the entire world felt like it was bearing down on her seemingly fragile set of shoulders. "Aw, crap!" Minoko's quick thinking left her with no time to consider her options, twisting back around to latch hold of the woman by the shoulders. The wide breadth of the blast was too close for comfort, disturbing the flow of air around them and riling up turbulence. Unscathed as they were, the zone where the fiery ball of existence landed wasn't able to say the very same, earth and tree roots and concrete crumbling and disintegrating like hot ash spewed from the mouth of a volcano. Shockwaves of kinetic energy rippled through the park's limits and spread wide to the nearby residential buildings that encompassed their immediate vicinity, causing widespread disaster all around them. "Okayokayokay! That was too close! Get up there before he has time to puke again!!"

"Is that what that was?" Some puke. No wonder Jeebo was so upset! Nobody would drink with a guy with deadly vomit, and there was little else to do in these parts. He was probably just homicidally lonely. "Hey, Mayu..." Minoko hadn't taken the time to think about what the girl would prefer to be called, and the name came out in an Eastern accent that was tainted with panic. "What happens to the people?" Those poor, motionless souls. She had taken one quick look backwards as she righted herself on the metal board. Fallen bodies frozen with seemingly random expressions were scattered about, and in this area Jeebo's blast had surely hit some apartment buildings. They were far too close to Motoko's house for her to be comfortable in this battle. But, as she was accustomed to, Minoko would carry on. Balance now regained, their makeshift hoverboard would begin to circle around Jeebo, gradually closing in on the massive creature's crown.

She passed Minoko a deranged look, the stem of her nose thickly crinkled and her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "Isn't that what you call it when stuff comes spewing out of your mouth!?" It was far too large to be a loogie, even if Jeebo was the size of an apartment building. She edged away and turned back out, raising a fist to the large Servant. She'd sneer, but she wasn't sure she could hold the look whilst balancing on a disk that barely fit the two women. "Hey! We're flyin' here! What the hell?!" Good talk. Her rant was cut off in its prime at Minoko's question, invoking a calm in the girl that was no more solemn than it was somber. "...you mean the people that got caught in that blast?" There wasn't a need to look down to survey the holocaust of Jeebo's attack. The park was in tatters, its beauty marred by charcoal that painted the landscape like frosting on a cake. Nothing could have survived that. "...don't worry about them. So long as their existence hasn't been consumed by this thing, I can help them... we need to worry about this guy right now, though. Considering his size, he's got the capacity to eat a large portion of this city. I won't be able to help them if he does that."

Jeebo howled at his failure to hit the now airborne women. Pushing through the walls and foundation of the apartment complex, it fully disassembled underneath his monstrous weight, pluming dust and debris that climbed twice his height as the building fully collapsed. He trudged through it like a toddler would his lego kingdom, making an angry grab at the air for what he saw as nothing more than small playthings. Every action of his was slow, his size a major, cumbersome flaw.

A sigh of relief was let out. "That's good news..." And that was a massive understatement. Minoko wouldn't be able to express in words how much better she felt knowing that if Weston was down there in pieces then they could put him back together, and so she stopped talking. All her focus was now easily being put into taking that monstrosity down. Her adrenaline was pumping. It was during high pressure situations like these that Minoko really shone, whether it was a busy night at the inn or one of the various life or death situations that the Nexus tended to bestow upon her. Their speed was increased, causing any pathetic grab that Jeebo made for them to be easily avoided. Thanks to peripheral vision, she could see him coming from miles away while still managing to make neat circles around the sluggish terror. "Okay, we'll be on him soon enough. Should I still go for the eyes?"

There was no purpose in the bob-and-weave motions she kept making as though she was prepping for a difficult boxing championship. Those hands were large enough to take her, Minoko, the disc, and perhaps half a chunk of the moon and ground it into fine powder. Still, she kept it up, dukes at the ready, teeth clenched and fangs poking out. Maybe a fist through the air, just for good measure. "Wahyoooo! Okayokayokay." She's still ascertaining their position in the air, fighting through the friction the speeding air hit her face with. It wasn't until after they zipped around the initial grab and subsequent reach that she crouched low, knees scraping at the disk's surface. "This should be good enough! WEEEOOOOH!" A frog off the lily pad, she flung herself high and wide over one of Jeebo's arms as he swung a backhand toward them, feet momentarily touching down on the balled fist to propel herself further into the air. His shoulder was like a massive, squishy mountain for her to latch onto, fingers burrowing into it as though it was composed entirely of putty. Her hands didn't just sink into the surface. Her arms, up to the elbow, were all but consumed by the fleshy mass. "Ghk! Gross! It's spongy!" Jeebo's mass rippled and contorted around her hands and stuck to her abdomen when she pressed against him, sticking like glue. "Blagh! Jeebo's stupid! Stupid Jeebo! Let me go!"

For someone who was about to face a giant evil toddler, Mayu sure was excited. It almost reminded Min of the girl that she used to know. Any stray trains of thought came crashing to a sudden halt, though, once the smaller Asian leapt off of the board. Eyes widened into black holes once they locked onto her. Minoko couldn't bear to look away as Mayu began to sink into the grotesque flesh that made up what was Jeebo. "Hang on May!" Forcing her gaze to turn back to the plate's circular path, she went around the giant in yet another speedy lap before pulling up next to Mayu. One hand reached out in an attempt to grip the Hunter's ankle. "I can try to yank you out, or I'll attack him!" Both seemed like bad ideas to her right now. Nevertheless, the hand that wasn't reaching for Mayu stretched towards an unseen elemental forest. The summoning fingers now glowed an even brighter shade of pink, meaning that Minoko's greatest weapons would soon arrive.

Hang on. Is that even possible? She's being held! Twisting an arm this way and that, she slowly worked the limb out like she was carefully unscrewing a lightbulb. Tendrils of fleshy goop oozed from the freshly made orifice in the mountainous shoulder, slopping over thick pools of bloated, polluted liquid that ran down Jeebo's body like a dam's concrete base had been ruptured. It greased him up worse than a stuck pig, making already impossible traction even more unbearable. Mayu's other arm kept her up, but for how long, she couldn't make certain. Ignoring the erosive pink halo flowing from Minoko's hands, she reached high, above where she'd bore a hole in Jeebo's fatty tissue, and grabbed hold of another wad of skin, hoisting herself up and over the sickly flow of fluid. Amassing all her upper body strength, she worked her other arm out and quickly scrambled before the second fissure started to pour out copious amounts of bodily broth. "Gaagh. It stinks!" Fetid as any corpse fresh from the coffin. She didn't have an available set of fingers to plug her burning nostrils with, forcing her to dry heave through the pungent aroma. She barely had a chance to glance back at Minoko when Jeebo started another ear-shattering screech at Minoko and Mayu's trespass, twisting and writhing with the agility of a salacious tongue. Forcing to bury the hatchet, she flung herself forward with another leap, climbing up along the side of his face and beelining it with the pace of a panicked firefighter toward the apex of his cranium. Whatever Minoko was doing, she was going to hope for the best.

Well, it looked like Mayu had her escape under control. That was a good thing, too, because watching Jeebo's shoulder mutate was enough to make her nauseous. Sensing the monster's increasing agitation, she dove the metal plate downwards, away from his face. Just as Minoko started to make her way around Jeebo's torso a massive amount of glowing pink sakura petals seemed to appear from the horizon and follow after her. "Okay, this is it!" For what she hoped would be the final time, the Japanese woman wrapped around the cherubic creature. Once a good view of Jeebo's full face came into sight, she flung her arms forward. The metal sakura would follow her command and fly past Minoko, some of them coming within an inch of her but none actually making contact. Rapidly approaching their targets, they would split into three separate divisions: two of them shooting towards his disgustingly yellow eyes with the final one heading towards that deadly mouth.

Mayu was already halfway up Jeebo's countenance when Minoko circled around, her annoyance factor to Jeebo comparable to a gnat's crazy Flight of the Bumblebee. He couldn't swat at her and gain any probable success, the pudge of his arms preventing close and personal combat. Peering over at her newfound friend's approach, she hefted an arm up in cheer. "Yeah! Now we'll cram this guy full of holes an?" She chopped her voice off when the pink halo materializing a thicker aura in her fingers commanded Mayu's attention. How long had they been like that? She was still a terribly far distance from the summit of Jeebo's noggin, and gobbled up a fistful of air when she realized this important fact. "Awcrapcrapcrapcrap! Don't shoot!" A fruitless request as the razor blossoms ignited all around the Japanese woman; becoming the embodiment of a beautiful but extremely deadly sakura blossom herself. Although they didn't seem to have a clearcut path in mind as they curved around every which way, their accuracy was as precise as a sniper with a scope, embedding themselves into the many places Minoko wished them to be. Like shrapnel from a blown grenade, they sank deep into the fleshy surface of urine-yellow eyes, forcing more pus and thick bodily fluid to the surface. The inside of his mouth, from pallet to saliva-drenched esophagus, was mangled into a horrendous mess, membrane and fleshy tissue ripped apart like wet paper. It didn't stop Mayu from slapping one arm over the other and climbing the creature like a ladder, well aware that the prime reaction was to scream and tantrum and twist around from the onslaught of agony. "Damndamndaaaamn!" She'd only managed to get to the crown when Jeebo unleashed a third shrill holler, this one of blood curdling proportions, and fumble backwards from the small Minoko, stunned.

Oh, don't worry Mayu. Minoko's right behind you. She had only stood still long enough to assure that her aim would be true. Immediately after seeing that her sakura petals were heading straight for their intended targets the woman drove her board into an upward climb after the girl, allowing all sorts of Jeebo's bodily fluids to rain down upon her. Disgust was visibly seeping through the once determined expression on her face. But even though the stench was extremely unappealing, she still had to say that she would take the saliva-pus mixture over blood. "Mayu! Jump on!" Her shrieks would add to the din as Minoko hovered over the monster's head, reaching out for the smaller female.

The sickly ambience of gurgling and sputtering was an unwelcomed addition as Mayu glided across the servant's scalp with the grace of an on-stage dancer. Her arms stabbed the air at either side, forming a horizontal plane to keep her balance as she moved deftly, quickly, with intended purpose toward the forebrow where the cranium became a steep forward slope. "Jumping off seemed like a pretty bad idea now!" It had on the surface, anyway. As she reached the point of no return on Jeebo's head, she pivoted and curled low in another crouch. "I'm not letting you have all the fun here, Minokokokoko! Just you wait!" Her fighting spirit was raging, her blood boiling with the anticipation of a true battle. Naturally, fighting something six hundred times larger than you proved to be quite the challenge, that didn't hinder her wishes. She leapt from the scalp with the strength of a gymnast, somersaulting through the air with Pliable legs high and wide over one another. Dragging her momentum and all of her weight behind her, she brought her right leg down and roughly struck the spot where the formation of Jeebo's pudgy nose began and dug the heel in deep; crushing what should have been bone and mucus membrane. More pus and fluid leaked around her foot, pressure accumulating all around her. "Sorry, pal... but you need to go." Rather than try and work with the motion of the building pressure, she fought against it and shoved her leg deeper into the crevice she'd formed; twisting the current inside Jeebo's head completely around and causing it to rush headlong to the core of his skull. She sank deeper when the flow of fluids altered; suddenly having formed a vacuum that worked against her. It was like a riptide, only incredibly tight. "Gnh...! W-Wait! ...lemmego, you stupidstinkybastard!" She worked her hands through the slippery secretion and pressed into his forehead, applying what strength she could gather. With a shove, she jettisoned from the opening like cargo. Straight at Minoko. "Waaagh! Catch!"

Seeing Mayu's finishing tactic, Minoko couldn't help but stare in amazement. That girl had some legs! But her moment of stupor quickly ended as Mayu began to sink into Jeebo's severely wounded head. "Try to-" Nevermind! Mayu already was a step ahead, something that seemed incredibly obvious as she flew out of Jeebo's flesh and towards Minoko. Knowing that she would most likely fall off their high flying method of transportation, Minoko crouched down as far back as she could manage on one knee. Arms were held out so that Mayu would simply jump right into them.

It wasn't intentional, the way she flew with a jetstream of mucus like some kind of putrid version of Nyan-Mayu, straight into Minoko's arms. The woman seemed to adapt quick to her surroundings and think on the fly, no pun intended. A slimy hand wrapped effortlessly around one wrist, the other high toward the base of the shoulder, and heaved herself forward with a forceful pull. Rather than yank Minoko off her flying object and straight into the abyss that is Jeebo's face, which was quickly cracking and distorting from the immense pressure wound in his head, she pulled herself onboard and flattened out like a pancake, breathing heavily like some kind of feral pet in heat. "...ngha..." A high pitched whine emitted from beneath them; loud like feedback from nearby tower speakers at a concert. It was more than disconcerting; like a forewarning to yet another sense of impending doom. The girl couldn't collect her senses in time to tell that Jeebo's existence was spiraling out of control and fast. He fumbled beneath the girls another couple of steps before shrinking in on himself. His head sucked deep into what was supposed to be his neck, his arms shriveled up, and his main body bulged twice the size it already was. When it passed the threshold of capacity, he bloomed like a rancorous flower, and exploded, spraying massive chunks of goop and ruptured tissue every which direction. The kinetic force beneath them was a torrent of energy, currents lapping over one another and creating a wide plume of force that could--and did--toss buses and uproot trees.

Mayu's heavy breathing was music to her ears. Everything had gone far, far better than she had expected. These things tended to end without scars, though, at least for Minoko. She had always been the lucky one. "Do you..." Her question would remain uncompleted, as it had been interrupted by Jeebo's horrifying whine. A shiver ran through her. Please, please don't let him regenerate. If he could heal himself then the next step would have to be flight. Well, sometimes running was necessary. She allowed both pink knees to rest on the plate as dark eyes peered over the edge. For a moment the woman looked rather confused. Where had that mess of a head gone? It was then that she noticed exactly how much his body had expanded. Not able to express her fear in words, Minoko simply let out a cry as her glowing hands gripped the edge of the metal circle. There was no time to stand, to warn Mayu, to do anything other than get the hell out of there. Their miniature island would be flung in the direction opposite Jeebo just as the monster blew. It would only be a second or two before their delicate balance was destroyed. Minoko flipped off of the plate and was sent flying, along with the piece of metal that she managed to keep ahold of in one hand.

She hated g-force. She hated the way it contorted her face and made her cheeks flap with the consistency of water. It hurt, too. She squeaked out in surprise when the abomination of existence beneath them exploded. Was it Minoko's quick thinking that helped them avoid a collision with a thick ribbon of fiery existence as it streaked like some glorified firework just past them? It had to be, as another whizzed on by. The potent level of energy each streamer produced could make the hairs on your arm stand on end and send crackles of electricity up and down the column of your spine. She couldn't tell which direction she was heading, or if something was even keeping her upright and airborne. There wasn't anything she could do to assist in situations like these. She didn't have any magical powers that involved flying. She couldn't will the Fuzetsu they were engrossed in to somehow cushion them or break their fall. Looks like they're blasting off. ...not again, yet. Jeebo continued to deconstruct, pale white flames hungrily engulfing him from the rupture in his engorged stomach. Like plastic under intense heat, his large frame buckled and melted away piece by piece. Even his shrill whining, which had somehow prevailed when his head imploded through his neck, was consumed by the blaze of destruction that didn't so much as emit heat as it did erode the wealth of crimson that the Hunter created with her seal and turn the atmosphere to a dull, milky alabaster. When he fully evaporated, a slow, painstaking process that was agonizing torture on the giant toddler, only then did everything grow silent, and chilled as a refrigerator cranked to max.

This had to be it. There was no way she could right herself on the board and get to Mayu in time. As she was tumbling in the air Minoko was racking her brain, struggling to think of something that could save them both. Sure, she could make metal materialize, but it was something that took far more concentration than she had available right now. She had always had time before. Except for when... Yes! Gripping ahold of the plate using her ki, Minoko sent it flying straight up. There had been one time before where she had attempted to catch something and ultimately failed. The good news, though, was that Mayu was all girl and no Chi. The second that dark eyes spotted the Hunter's figure in the open air she thought back to that adrenaline filled night. Toby had saved her from the ChiChis on that occasion, and she hadn't been able to pay him back during his lifetime. Maybe this could make up for that. Where there had been empty space under Mayu there was now a wire mesh net that was being supported by invisible hands. Don't worry, May. She's not planning on keeping her catch as a pet this time around.

She was an acrobat without a stage to perform on, without an audience willing to clench their butts as she tumbled, or a net to catch her when her aerial stunts started spiraling out of contr--fwump! Her rump caught the net between the threads, the most of her weight bearing down on the suspension and bouncing clean from it several times until she came to a complete, and sudden, halt. Her fingers instinctively found themselves coiling in the mesh to grapple for support, and twisted around as though she was a salmon fighting against upstream currents to seek out what had her. Was it a trap? An aftershock of Jeebo's destruction? Pink. Through the spokes of wire, she spied Minoko, who appeared unscathed by both the destruction and previous tumble. "...i-incredible..."

In the alley of one wrecked apartment complex, a small silhouette paced back and forth, hovering inches from the ash laden road. Nothing had gone according to plan. Everything was in ruin the moment Jeebo ruptured into a massive flame of pure existence. Sneering, the figure darted from the shadows and started up toward where the disk-flying girl and the netted Hunter resided.

Watching Mayu land safely in the net was nothing short of satisfying. A laugh born out of intense relief came from the woman, despite the fact that she was still dangling from a metal plate. Her fingers were getting rather sore, too. Trusting her powers, Minoko released her grip from the circle. A moment passed where she was once again a victim of gravity, falling quickly towards the earth. But in that time the plate had fallen with her, ultimately righting itself under her. As always, Minoko would land on her feet. "Are you okay?!" was shouted over to Mayu as she repositioned herself and began to zip over to the net.

She wasn't able to revel in Minoko's laughter, even if it eased her mind concerning if the woman was all right or not. With a wince and sputtering cough, she pressed Z or R like a maniac and barrel rolled on the net a couple of times until she was upright and able to sit up. "Nygh... That was a little sloppy, wasn't it?" A rhetorical question that came equipped with a sheepish rub at the nape of her neck. She watched Minoko zip toward her, but was distracted by another figure that was close on her tail. ...there was a dull ache in her stomach when she saw it. "...move!" she shouted, the only thing she was capable of doing while snared.

The silhouette breached shadows as it bulleted toward them, a tiny head full of ginger red locks neatly curled at the shoulder and kept in line with an equally red bow that made her look like a Christmas present come extremely early. Her eyes were small dollops of dark chocolate on her head, seemingly put together by buttons ripped from worn, tattered jackets, and she had an adorable blush that was, quite literally, stitched on underneath the buttons. Not so adorable was the small trinket that she was brandishing. It was a small hoop, more like a keychain ring than a bracelet, and surrounding it was a vibrant white aura that was pulsating with the ferocity of a rapidly beating heart. There was no warning between when the bracelet was charged, and when it let off a single pulse in the shape of a halo that caused reality itself to ripple. It was launched at the two of them, its girth wide and all-encompassing.

The lone word hung in the still air surrounding her. There was another creature, something else, something dangerous (probably even more so than Jeebo), and it was heading their way. Seeing that Mayu wasn't yet capable of moving, Minoko simply continued to keep the net glowing pink. Her steady zip would increase to a rapid zoom, with the net following along next to her at an identical pace. To Mayu, this would probably seem like an extremely unsafe roller coaster ride. "What is she?!" would be cried out in desperation while they attempted to escape the halo's reach.

She was fighting with her bindings to try and stand, but fell over when Minoko turned and hightailed it with her in tow. "Ghwya!!" With her head poking through the mesh, she peered down and back at the rippling white halo that curved its course and started following after them. It was like a ring made of lightning, capable of covering its ground in mere moments. It didn't seem outrunning it was going to do either of them a lot of good. "Ohcrap!" That's her insight to Minoko's question. The storm of clashing elements in her pendant came to life, its modified voice not quite as panicked as Mayu's. "It appears to be another servant. That ring is part of a treasure, a Hougu, known as 'Imperium.' You will have to combat it or be consumed by its reality-bending attribute. It is very painful." Then, added, "And fatal." Very important information. Pushing into the net's bindings, she wiggled her arms from between the mesh and kicked herself upright. If the ring was intent on chasing them, she'd give it a target worth going after. Without thinking, she climbed through the net's mouth and spit herself out, leaping long and hard at the bright angel halo. Winding her left leg over her right one, she quickly brought her weight around to start herself in a spin cycle. She didn't so much judge her time as she did just keep the rotation on an axis going, legs out, with the full intention to kick the ring the very moment it was within reach of her. It seemed to solve a lot of problems today. Why not this? Existence raged like a fiery aura around her the moment she made impact, shattering the phosphorescent ring like glass and flaking shards of residue back toward the small creature that had fired it. The velocity of the shards was akin to a thousand small bullets when compared to the doll-like creature, who was a little more than a foot in height, and when it struck her, she reeled back in her flight and tumbled back toward the ground.

Sensing that the net was no longer carrying Mayu's weight, Minoko spun around to face the halo. It was then that she witnessed the most spectacular kick that she had ever seen (and probably ever would see). If the situation had been appropriate, the woman would have broken out into a round of applause. Instead, she just let wide eyes linger on the tumbling enchanted doll. Talk about an anticlimactic boss battle. "Mayu!" There were several compliments she wanted to cry out, but she'd wait until the doll was definitely defeated for training talk. In the meantime she would continue to concentrate on the metal net that hung near the Hunter, along with her own metal platform.

The doll's descent wasn't a progressive one, but Mayu didn't have the luxury to keep her sights set on its fall. Spiraling out of control from her midair collision with a ludicrous burst of Power of Existence, she made an impossible reach for the woven-steel nest Minoko had fashioned for her earlier, tumbling into it with a gymnast's clumsy grace, chanting until she came to a complete stop at the pocketed center where all her weight gravitated toward. "Yee! Woo! Waa!"

The pipsqueak mannequin doll quickly rebounded from her attack and leered her polished button eyes up at the joint couple like any villainous entity would after being foiled from their ultimate plan. Clutching the device in her sewn hand, she waved it in a crescent arch, preparing another round of Existence in its core. "Ooh, Master... I won't let them get away with this..."

Through the net, the Hunter peered down at the doll, clutching the wire frame for dear life. She wasn't prepared to make another gravity-defying leap of faith to ward off another potential attack. The voice lodged in the paradox of fire and ice filled the air. "I would advise we seek means of ending this, quickly. If she is in possession of the Hougu known as Imperium, we will continue to possess the disadvantage."

The words Hougu and Imperium didn't mean anything to her. However, she did understand that first sentence. "Should I just put a bucket over her?" The bucket would probably need to be magically reinforced with Existence, though, so she'd just stick with what she knew. Minoko simultaneously lowered her plate and Mayu's net. Once she was only a few feet from the ground, the Asian hopped off and swept the plate in front of her. The circle would begin to break apart to form multiple sakura petals. It was always easier to reuse than to create.

Dipping lower than the doll seemed like a sound strategy to Mayu, and she gladly hopped off the net and landed on her own two feet the very first instant she could. "Sweet Christmas jerky! It's ground!" she exclaimed with far more excitement than the situation warranted. "Focus!" the voice chided, "She's capable of anything with that Hougu. Do not take it lightly." The girl shook off her excitement with a shiver that'd been between her heart and her spine and returned her gaze high above. With the doll still in flight, she was next to useless. "I don't exactly have anything capable of handling flying Dwellers." It was a grim admission that had her lips flatter than pancakes; just a notch short of frowning. Or pouting. A finger lifted and tilted toward Minoko, who was already in the process of preparing another one of those pretty pink lightshows. "Okayokayokay. I'll give you cover! Blow her outta the sky like the trampy doll she is!"

"Trampy doll? Ooh, Master... that's not true... I'm only yours..." Imperium ignited in a brilliant flash of silver light, transforming the shapely halo design into something far more intricate; wrapped in spiny ivy and sprouting translucent tendrils like the tentacles on an octopus. Sentient in their own way, they writhed aimlessly, giving the silver halo additional reach. Something it hardly required, judging from its previous breadth.

She let out a chuckle as the last of her razor sharp petals were formed. "Can do, May!" The metal sakura started to swirl around in a pink blur. Minoko wasn't able to see the doll through her whirlwind, but she was able to hear the thing's creepy comment. It made her miss Jeebo's childish nonsense. "Here we go..." The pink tornado began to break up into three separate sections. Each individual group of petals would then shoot towards their target. One would be heading straight towards the doll's pretty face, while the other two would be attacking her from the top and bottom. If she tried to run, they would follow.

Her pitifully gloomy frown was mangled when Minoko replied with such zest. The talented Asian certainly knew how to keep her chin-up. She struck the ashen earth with a boot and grounded the sole, funneling her own Power of Existence into the length of her arms and centralizing it in the flat of her palms, igniting them in a hazy amber and citrine hue. Circuits of phosphorescent gold crackled along the jagged tips of raven hair, splashing it brilliant gold every now and again. If there was ever a moment when she seemed prepared for the absolute worst, now was it. Minoko didn't seem like she needed the protection, however. The blurry pink whorl of metal made an admirable wall, the torrent easily more profound than a mere pair of arms and legs. She ducked her head protectively, slinking around and behind Minoko just to be on the safe side. "Jeez! I should let you do everything! That's incredibly more useful!"

And it was. The doll was far too busy channeling every iota of Existence into the halo of a metallic hue to even bother darting away for cover. To do so would rupture Imperium's strength and cause a chaotic backlash capable of destroying the wielder then and there on the spot. She knew its risks and gambled them. As the army of razor sharp pink petals was unleashed, her button-stitched eyes averted from the treasure she was holding. They shot clean through her plushy abdomen, forcing her to release her hold on the charging device. Without a host, the halo distorted like the Wicked Witch after being splashed with water, Existence buckling and warping until it exploded in a shower of white sparks. The other flanking sets of petals tore through her, jolting her this way and that as though she was riding a mechanical bull. She was ripped from the sky and hit the ground with a pathetic slap, a bath towel heavily used and now discarded. She didn't budge. Not at first. "...ooh... Master... I... I failed again..."

Hearing the doll speak after hitting the ground made her almost feel bad for the tiny thing. What would they do now? Set it on fire? Until Mayu told Minoko to do otherwise, the petals would stay hanging in the air above them. "Should we..." Suggestions were running through her mind. Ultimately, Minoko would decide against all of them. She wouldn't even take a step closer to the doll, since magic button eyes could be capable of anything.

Mayu wasn't too sure of the options herself. It was the first time she was directly dealing with a set of Servants like these. The voice residing in her exposed pendant wasn't offering her any direct opinions, either. She was busy calculating her options. That, or sleeping already. The girl peered over one of Minoko's shoulders, fingers rap-tap-tapping at the curve where it became the arm. "...If she's here along with a fatty like that child-monster, the person that made them isn't far."

The entirety of the situation seemed to be composed entirely of clockwork; a cleverly crafted script that they were all unwittingly playing into. Not far behind where the doll's gutted body was strewn out, a streak of white flapped in a nonexistent breeze. A tendril of cloth, no greater than several inches in width, snapping and slithering along unseen currents. No sooner than it arrived did it vanish, leaving behind a pleasant odor of raspberry mingled with brimstone. "There, there, Anne Marie. All will be well." That cloth, what seemingly arrived and vanished faster than eyes could blink, had reappeared, secured to a set of broad shoulders. A gentleman, no taller than six feet and with short, beautifully groomed lavender hair, was kneeling before the tuckered out mannequin, scooping together the remains of torn cotton and stitching as though it was roadkill left on the side of the highway. "You did exceptionally well. Exceptionally well, my dear."

"Ah! Really?" Two down, one to go. She began to frantically look around, dark eyes searching for the final final boss. Who would it be this time? A dragon, maybe? Or some sort of dark being... Either way, Minoko was hoping that he would obviously be bad. Like that skull demon thing that ravaged the Red Dragon that one night. Or Thalos. Silver hair didn't hide homicidal eyes. "There!" She froze when the cloth appeared. Her petals didn't follow. Each individual bit of metal would fall in front of her, waiting for the command that would turn them into an oversized shield. Before she could react to the cloth disappearing it was in front of her again, this time attached to a...nice looking gentleman. Really?! She had to destroy a cute doll and now this gorgeous man? If Rhy'Din had a face she would punch it!

The doll was the scrupulously dressed man's poodle, lovingly stroked at the threads of rosy red hair. Cream white was his particular color of choice, from the buttoned sports jacket to the tie that complimented his style of dress. Every inch of him was untarnished; a gleaming pearl lodged in the clam of chaos that surrounded them. The aftermath of their battle made his physical charm all the more pleasing. A secondary weave of cloth, forked like a snake's tongue, spreads evenly behind him, almost mirroring Mayu's own tailed coat, sans the way it rolled at the end. "Oh. My, my, my, the Hunter and the..." He regarded Minoko with a dash of reserve. "...I suppose a fledgling Hunter would have a hound tend to her duties."

"A hound?" Give her a second... It was an animal. She knew that much. Wasn't there some song about hounds? Hound...dog! Oh. She grimaced. Well, at least that confirmed that the pretty purple guy was indeed their enemy. "At least a 'hound' is a lot more useful than a dolly. Couldn't you find a minotaur or something?"

The primly dressed man shook his head, calm as the eye of any brewed storm. A gentle caress of fingers ran laps across the top of Anne Marie's head, who was looking up at her master with those eerily polished button eyes. She couldn't fathom anything other than he; a light that sparked the embers of love in her core. "Stupid as an oaf. Perhaps a dog is too polite a title for you." His eyes were a royal blue, chiseled like spheres of pure ice in the arctic. They danced around Minoko to judge the woman standing behind her. "I wasn't anticipating to meet the Hunter in the flesh so soon. You look much too scrawny to have actually put down my other creation."

The girl flinched during her glower at the man, baring teeth unintentionally amidst her response. "You wanna try me?" The pendant swayed as she made a sudden movement to push herself past Minoko. "Albrecht, The Hunter Chaser. I knew better than presume these silly dolls roaming around the city were just a fluke."

"Oh? Why, that wouldn't be Rin, would it? The Blazing Sun of Shamanista? Then you're the Flowing Claws of Shamanista. My... I surely have lucked out in my adventures," he boasts with sardonic amusement. It took everything in his power not to simply laugh outright. "As fun as it would be to... Tango, I'm afraid my time here is short. ...We'll be in touch. Soon." Anne Marie wiggled around in Albrecht's hold, her ruptured head far too comical to be considered threatening at the moment. "Just you wait! Soon, my Master will have everything he needs to bring the ultimate destruction to this city! Its consumption will be from our everlasting love! And there's nothing you can do about it!" She replicated the sound of a raspberry, unable to properly convey it without a working mouth. Lifting from the ground, the two ascended above the women and promptly vanished just like that.

For Minoko, the raspberry was, well, the cherry on top. After the bizarre pair vanished she simply stood there in disbelief. Having decided that it really was over (for now), the metal sakura lost their pink sheens and fell to the ground. This was usually when Minoko would proceed to ask a million questions in a sad attempt to understand what was going on around her. Not this time, though. "I'm so lost..." She would have to learn to embrace her bewilderment, since all of this business was clearly over her head.

It wasn't exactly in the girl's repertoire to explain everything from beginning to end. She didn't know where to start, if there even was a legitimate place to begin in the first place. Slightly dumbfounded for her own personal reasons, she slapped the back of her head and sheepishly rubbed out the dull ache that reminded her they'd been without respite until just now. "...I can't say I understand, myself..." First things first, though. She quickly hunched over and gave Minoko a more thorough examination, fingers grazing clothing and skin alike for any scoring or possibly injury. "Are you all right? I... sorry for getting you pulled into all this. You did a lot of really cool stuff back there!" It would completely negate her barrage of compliments if she wound up getting the Asian girl wounded in any possible way. The neon blue swirl of ribbons were examined as an afterthought, nodding profusely, content with their harmonious construction. "These held up pretty well, too," much to her own shamed astonishment.

"I'm alright. Don't worry about it. These kinds of things don't usually pick the most opportune times." A sheepish smile appeared, which was Minoko's way of trying to bring Mayu some relief. "What about you? I've never seen anyone kick like that!" Seriously, after watching that spectacular performance she was planning on incorporating some more kicks into her training. Punches were obviously overrated. "Hmm?" She glanced downwards, having forgotten about the protective blue ribbons. They were far easier to notice now that her pink aura had all but disappeared. "Yeah, they did." At least she was assuming they did, considering that Minoko was still able to move.

Able to move, breathe, and act on her own. She wasn't just another pallor statue left to crumble away in the zone that was quickly beginning to lose its strength now that its creator was ultimately defeated. She smoothed the heel of her palm against a thigh and purchased a hefty amount of leg when she happily squeezed it like a squeaky chew toy. "...yeah, I..." She didn't know what to say about her kicking. She was still caught up in the pink haze of destruction. "Y-You're like some kind of killer... flower... bee thing!" As admirable as a slew of compliments was in regards to morale boosting and how it could cement a friendship, Rin's voice pierced the air with the power of thunder. Quite suddenly. "Albrecht is what we refer to as a Dweller, a previously sealed male of Shamanista, and an incredibly powerful one, at that. They are the ones that require people's existence of this world in order to sustain their manifestation. They were originally part of our society a long time ago, but were locked away by one of their own who came across an immensely powerful artifact. One that is not unlike the Hougu, Imperium--only more substantial in strength. The large mass called Jeebo and the small doll, Anne Marie, are known as Servants, a name that best describes their use, and the ones we were originally speaking to you about before they showed. ...Something tells me their appearance was not by chance, judging by their strange means of timing." An indirect means of agreeing with Minoko's comment about "opportune times."

Float like a butterfly, sting like an Asian. That was how the saying went, right? "Albrecht..." She echoed the pretty man's name in hopes that she would actually remember it. "So what happens to this area now?" The previously nice section of the Marketplace was now a discolored wasteland. Minoko kicked at some nearby rubble, waiting for the buildings to start piecing themselves back together. She purposely avoided looking at the broken people.

That was the more complicated measure. Something the Hunter hadn't done before, but knew how to fashion in the tips of her fingers the same way spiders knew to spin their webs. She splayed all five digits as she held one hand well above dark raven hair. "There's... not a lot of time, but I think I can... piece most of this back together before the Fuzetsu collapses." Several people, somewhere close to them, were still suffering with open wounds when the original blast from Jeebo struck the ground. They were unmoving, inattentive to what had happened to them and their beloved city. That's where Mayu put most of her attention. "...I can use their existence to rebuild the rest of this." Tiny fires made of sapphire shades collected in the soft as cotton pads of her fingers, steadily amounting to a sizable energy that burned without emitting any manner of heat that should naturally accompany the element. "Once the seal comes down, there... won't be anything I can do. Everything will be permanent."

Permanent. She hated that word. It was harsh and rarely true, at least in Rhy'Din. "Then please, try to save everyone... My sister doesn't live too far from here." It wasn't Minoko's place to tell Mayu what to do with powers that she didn't understand. But she would at least let May know why she had fought so hard and why the rebuilding was so important to her. Any of those faceless injured civilians could be one of her nephews.

She'll just have to hope that the existence she was using wasn't one said nephew, then. "Right. Okay." It seemed the extra details weren't necessary. Exhausting another's existence to save the whole was a required step. Without a tremendous level of power, nothing would be restored at all. It was a necessary sacrifice, no matter how brutal it may seem in the end. As the sapphire flare burned in her hand, another wave of gold blitzed through strands of dark ink, bathing it in a blaze of pure gold. It wholly consumed the dark shade, completely altering it to a phosphorescent hue; as though she was a living citrine campfire. Her eyes melded to a shade similar to the flame she was wielding, glancing high above her as the flame spilled over into the palm of her hand and exploded outward into a thousand, needle-thin tendrils that initially weaved around several of the injured, and likely would be deceased, citizens. Once their existence was exhausted, the threads spread every which direction, seemingly consuming the entirety of the havoc they were surrounded in. The dull crimson hue cooled into a relaxing cerulean for a split second; enough time for stripped buildings and disembodied humans to be revitalized as though nothing had happened to them. It only took a few seconds for the chaos to be reverted and for the cradled existence to be consumed. Blink your eyes, and the whole process might have just went by without realization. All but several surrounding pedestrians were upright and frozen in some busy state or frolic. What few weren't so fortunate... they, too, seemed to exist as they'd been before the chaos, but with a notable difference on their countenance. Distant eyes, a strange gloom that was borderline manic depressive. As though, all of a sudden, they lost their purpose and the meaning of "bliss." Mayu heaved a sigh as the last tendril of existence whimsically danced from her fingertips, shoulders hitching before being enveloped in a slouch. Clearly fatigued, she dabbed her fingers across her brow and pressed liberally. "...o-okay. ...simple as pie. I think, anyway..."

Any gloominess coming from the unfortunate chosen was not something that she picked up on. Minoko spun around a few times, observing the familiar scene that she had previously taken for granted. The color green had never looked more vibrant and beautiful before. A stranger's smile was now a precious thing. Even though there was a nagging voice in her mind that was saying she had exhausted her powers, Minoko was ready to resume her run. "That was easily the most memorable thing I've seen today!" was exclaimed as she turned back to Mayu. It all came back to memories. The forgotten ones could be replaced with today's adventure.