<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Apollymi]

Maki was soon hearing more words from Yugi. According to the lad he couldn't hold in his own word vomit most of the time. He claimed that even now she was getting the abridged version. He reinforced his earnestness in pursuit and claimed she should take the bait already. "I don't need anything... and you're weird," Maki claimed. But still she couldn't discount his words. And with him being so direct about it, she had little to no choice but to accept what his honest intention was, even if she found it odd herself. The things holding her back in her own mind were still there though and a certain amount of trust had already been acquired, obviously his words did a decent amount of work as she gained another 2 percent Intimacy in the moment. At the same time, Miko was still holding her casual conversation with Aki, she'd tried to offer him the out of a mini-vacation for having to regrow an arm, and she was in turn given credit, as he claimed he often grew back arms but she'd put the actual work in this time. "Iia... you definitely let me do what I considered an experimental treatment without being certain I could actually do it. Risky behavior should come with a few bonuses and rewards, Aki-nii. And I'm not taking credit, but I am taking a holiday or two, you're even getting me dinner, so treat yourself♪~ It's the point of being young♪~" Miko chirped, with a playful wink.

Still the time for play and flirts was coming to an end. They weren't even going to have enough time to properly look through all the loot drops and other things... "I mean relative free... we did actually have to kill the spider♪~" Miko said about the crossbow he'd apparently picked up. Still the approach of Sato Kenta was one which came with the gentle lowering of that fox. While that occurred and he yelled about what they'd done, Miko and Yugi were casually discussing their upcoming problems, while Miko absently rubbed her ears, hearing this man speak again was a special brand of annoyance to her. Did they know what they'd done? Yugi thought so, he gave a list and Miko nodded along, "Hai, that sounds about right... you seem very upset Sato-san. The job is done, what's there to be upset about?" Miko asked as if she didn't already know... she was actually just curious about how much of his own folly he'd admit in his anger. Growing up the way she did, she knew moments of frustration were the worst for hiding things. When offered something from Yugi, Maki looked a bit apprehensive, "No funny business?" she said as she took a few steps closer and Miko gently smiled encouragingly, giving the girl, the thumbs up. She seemed more standoffish than one would expect but perhaps that was simply one of those hidden story bits that would make sense later. At least that was Miko's take on it.

[Bloodedge]

"You don't know you need something. And we're weird," Yugi countered. Not a single member of this existing group could be called normal. The same could be said of Sato Kenta, who had to be some kind of weirdo for his sacrificial tendencies and overinflated ego. He'd have to be dealt with. Such was the thought of Aki, who never took his eyes off the angry Tanker while the group's mount descended through withering spiderwebs. "No time to be young when adulthood keeps making things annoying. I'll burn the flame of youth or whatever later. That guy's the reason I've got no house," he said, hoping he'd have the opportunity to teach Kenta a lesson himself.

Yugi had himself a bow, and there were some armor pieces in their new loot as well. Miko argued that his crossbow was only free in a relative sense. Of course, Yugi had an argument about that as well. "Fuck that. Money-free is the best kind of free. Besides, it's not like that spider took real effort anyway. It was the easiest shit ever!" he said, seeming to answer an urge of antagonizing Kenta at the end. "Little shits! Why are the E-ranks still alive here? Everyone else is dead! If everybody just followed me and did what they were told, we'd all be swimming in offers by now! You nobodies could have a place in a good guild as its startup crew! But what now? Three B-ranks and two E-ranks think they're gonna get credit for a B-rank Dungeon Break? Don't make me laugh!" Kenta griped. If only they'd all listened, they still could have cleared the raid... but with the bonus of Kenta's plan to become master of a new guild. Surely that would have benefited everyone. Yugi had so many things to say about that, but nothing he cared to mention now. No, he was already calling Maki toward himself. She wondered if there'd be no funny business. Yugi chortled. "Always funny business," he said initially. By the time she approached him, Yugi would be holding a pair of purple glasses more than suited to anyone's eyes. That extra tomoe in one of his eyes had gone missing in the past few moments ─ if only because a purchase wasn't all he did. "You didn't need glasses before the Gates, did you? Your body's too quick for your eyes, so the strain hit really hard when you became a Hunter. If your eyes could catch the fuck up, you'd be fine... and probably more than just another B-rank threat, right? A little closer, by the way."

[Apollymi]

Maki apparently didn't know she needed something and they were weird. She could assume he meant the whole of this group, which she would agree with after hanging out with everyone for the duration of this raid. "Fair," Maki said to the last bit, she didn't know what he thought she needed but she took some very sexual connotations from his words. No matter, Miko was casually speaking with Aki, even at the approach of the angry Tanker. Apparently, Aki couldn't play at being young again, while someone he needed revenge against was present. "As long as I get to see that flame, I guess... a bit of vengeance is in order. All those unnecessary sacrifices today were definitely on him," Miko commented knowing more about the situation than she let on.

Yugi and Miko were still able to have their more casual conversations as they were lowered towards the ground and a bit of antagonizing came with that last statement of his. "Money-free is always good. And it was pretty easy... aside from swarm numbers we probably would have been able to properly dance for this one," Miko said thinking about the part of this situation where she and Yugi were supposed to be taking on this Dungeon by themselves. Oh well, there was no use crying over spilled milk... unless of course, your name was Sato Kenta. Who cried about the E-ranks still being alive. Who claimed that they would have still gotten the kill, if they'd followed his directions and who spat in the faces of the B-ranks in the same breath. Once again, Miko was pinching the bridge of her nose, she had to be developing some kind of migraine related disorder. "Your lack of personal accountability here is reprehensible. As for what now, we're still alive because we didn't allow you to sacrifice us to your lofty goal and we still get paid. You're making a lot of assumptions about whether or not anyone here would even want to work with you, after finding out how this whole situation started in the first place. The blind disgruntled followers all died at the start, you know? And you don't sound like you're actually looking to include anyone... Also 4," Miko said that number at the end seemingly unrelated but it was definitely the number of times he'd been classist while trying to make it sound like he was being reasonable. At the same time Yugi was calling Maki over to himself, she asked about funny business and he claimed it always was, oh well, she was too close now to back out. And soon enough a set of observations came from the lad in front of Maki, about her condition. It was true, she hadn't needed glasses before the Gates opened, becoming a Hunter made her move faster than even her own eyes could follow and she'd strained her eyes quite a bit initially. "Yeah, I move faster than my eyes can follow... its one of my own weird flaws... not that it stops me or anything but... How did you know all that?" she asked somewhat astounded but not able to quiet the sound of her own heart beat in her ears. A little closer... she stepped up a bit more wondering what the lad was doing and incidentally catching a peek at his eyes again, noting one less tomoe, but wondering if that was just a trick of ehr currently shattered glasses.

[Bloodedge]

Some details about Kenta's exploits, whether by intention or by the fault of word vomit, were shared by Miko. Aki surmised that a few other tidbits were hidden between the lines of her speech to the man, further implicating him for terrible behavior. The word sacrifice was especially damning. He definitely had no interest in joining the guild of someone who'd let a Dungeon Break occur in range of a residential area. Hayashi was in a similar boat, though for different reasons. "Ano... Sato-san is a little too reckless for me. I don't think I'd join that guild anyway," the mage said. "Reckless isn't the word. I'm not following an idiot," Aki added. Already furious, Kenta was allowing his mana to leak out. The others had a lot to say for a group he could wipe-out singlehandedly. In fact, why shouldn't he? The plan was already ruined, so who was to say they didn't all die during the raid? "An idiot, huh? That's funny. You all know I'm the one with real experience? Anybody here been to an A-rank Gate? There's a golden rule, y'know. What happens in a Dungeon... stays in a Dungeon. So you all can either get onboard with the story of what really happened here, or I guess those spiders got the best of you a while back!" Kenta threatened.

In the meantime, Yugi was mostly ignoring the exchange. He considered the progression of Maki more important than some washed-up A-ranker who could surely be defeated by the three he currently faced. As his summary of Maki's situation was spot-on as well, he could probably ensure her ability to defeat the annoyance by herself. Ah, but she had a question. How did he know so much? "Because you're too confident in yourself while still having something to prove. You'll slam your head against the wall of your own limitations as many times as it takes, probably in an effort to prove to yourself that you're worth it. You're also too girly to be this much of a tomboy. It's still hot; it works for you... but it reeks of retaliation." While Yugi spoke, he held that new pair of glasses in both hands, turning their arms toward Maki while keeping them close to his torso. "You also seem like you've had some bad experiences. Nobody becomes that emotional and that reserved at the same time without a story behind it. If I had to guess, I'd say you've been two-timed more than thrice ─ a lot more. But that's not important. These should help level you up. Closer still, and close your eyes."

[Apollymi]

The details of Kenta's exploits were known by Miko because she heard him. Because this Dungeon was supposed to be hers and Yugi's first one, and because she'd been directly in his group while he sacrificed other pieces for a goal that was something she should have worked for on his own merit. Hayashi called the man reckless claiming that to be reason enough not to join him, and Aki called him stupid. "Sou ka, you also don't hold back that sort of thing..." Miko muttered quietly. Ah, but the knowledge that none aligned with him in the moment didn't sit well with the A-rank Tanker. In this moment, Sato Kenta claimed to be the one with real experience. Had any of them ever been in an A-rank Gate? Miko hadn't but she'd said that... already. "Hm, you're threatening me..." Miko said casually applying new loot and stat points for herself and keeping an ear out for the end of Yugi's conversation. She was stalling for him after all. "You say the story but you mean lie. If being an A-Rank really meant as much as you think it does, it wouldn't matter what any of us have to say would it? You could have left as soon as the boss died and told your lie to everyone who would listen, but here you are... standing in front of us..." Miko said her eyes trained on the man in front of her. "So, what lie do you need us poor E and B ranks to back you up on?" she asked earnestly.

Meanwhile, Maki was being confronted by a bit too much truth in a single moment. And after questioning the information he had, she received an even deeper reading of herself. Her confidence, her tomboy nature, her girly side and all of it together seemed to reek of retaliation, even though it worked for her according to the young man. "You could take it a little easy on me you know," she said. Still there was something about him noticing so much about her. It made her feel properly seen, and properly understood. She saw in the man's hands a pair of glasses and she stepped forward a bit more as he asked her to as he explained something else he noticed. He understood her personal issues even without her ever mentioning any details. Two-timing wasn't exactly the issue, but it did boil down to a certain amount of lack of attention to her as opposed to someone else, she didn't need that sort of energy it wasn't worth the effort. "That's freaky and you shouldn't just read that far into people you just met," she said still, she trusted him so she'd close her eyes as she took that final step forward.

[Bloodedge]

After his acknowledgement of Kenta, Aki was addressed in passing. Miko said something about him not holding back, to which he had a simple response. "Calling it as I see it," he said. Kenta himself would only become more infuriated as time passed, mostly because Miko's words struck deep. Did he want them to lie? Of course! It only made sense for the one remaining A-rank to have all the credit. He wasn't going to become a laughingstock in the terribly-run Ember Skull Guild because rumors of some lesser Hunters clearing his raid got around. However, he wasn't going to take any of that talk from one of two E-ranks in the group ─ especially that girl. "And why's the little E-rank hooker doing all the talking, huh? Neither of you wants to be a real man today? Or did the little bunny girl do some twirls good enough to wrap you both around her fingers already?" he asked, much to Aki's visible confusion. "Tell you what, little miss... c'mon over here with me, and I'll give you a pass on all this stupid shit. I know what you're really looking for anyway. I can pass you around to the whole guild I'm establishing if you want; just back me up."

Under any normal circumstance, Yugi would have offered an interjection of some sort. This time however, he saw no cause for true concern. When viewed, his aura wasn't nearly as threatening as it would have been several hours ago. As such, Yugi kept at his discussion with Maki. "I can only go so easy. Besides, I figured you'd like it a little rougher than most. I'm a flexible guy though; no worries," he said. When Maki finally stepped forward enough and closed her eyes, he took another step forward as well. She had some amount of issue with how deeply he read into her life... but something was missing. "Sou. That's not even all of it, huh? We'll talk about that later," he suggested. All the while, Yugi was lifting those glasses to slide them gently, slowly onto Maki's face. His hands lingered in the process, and his face crept inward to boot. By the time Maki's new spectacles were secured, he'd have a hand resting against either side of her face, resting his own so close to hers that they could feel one another's breath. From there, he began to whisper. "Everyone's busy with that dumbass A-ranker. Here's something else for you~" That statement came just before Yugi finished closing the distance ─ specifically between their lips. Maki's new glasses carried a sacrificed portion of Yugi's Sharingan. He didn't mind; it was something he could develop again later. That matter was also secondary to cementing his intentions with the lass through a bit of forced lip contact.

[Apollymi]

Aki was apparently, as straight-laced as Miko assumed. Not without the desire for fun, but instead with a clear-cut understanding of the world. As Miko casually adjusted her stats and talked trash to the Tanker who was only becoming more enraged by the second. She couldn't help but be a bit disappointed when he finally had something to say. Miko was quiet as the man outed her earlier outfit and tried to use it as an excuse to dismiss her valid points about him. She heard everything he had to say but it didn't even hurt her feelings, no, because over the last 48 hours or so, the girl had developed a startling sense of self-worth and a great understanding of the male mind. And by understanding good ones, she'd definitely come to understand bad ones. In fact she was listening to a good one woo another girl and could only assume he planned to join after settling something properly. Still a laugh would come from Miko as she heard that man's offer. She snappd her ingers again, recasting that barrier for her two companions knowing they'd be within strike range whenever the Tanker lost it. Her stats worked out for the most part she couldn't help but laugh at his words... "TEHEHEAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA♪~" she couldn't help herself as she looked at him. Taking a couple of steps forward her posture still mostly relaxed so she could look to Aki directly and help his confusion. "This man saw me in a bunny outfit at the Hunter's Association HQ while he was telling Shidou-kaichou that him and his strike team could handle this Dungeon before he let them die and it broke. A girl can't like dress-up, but the murderer who tried to hit on her is claiming the moral high ground," Miko said as she got over her own laughter fit. "It takes pure audacity to call someone a hooker to try and discredit them and beg for their help. Let's be honest here, I'm not the one who needs to convince other people to lie for me, I wouldn't even make that ask. I don't need credit for something I didn't do... and I don't need anything from an UB hiding behind his rank. And for the record even if I was a hooker, my standards are way higher than you and people who would call you friend, ewwww♪~" Miko asserted knowing full well she had a few special techniques up her sleeves.

Just the same, Maki was being bombarded by truths about herself while the others were busy with the Tanker. Such a kill probably would have fallen to her on a regular basis, and she wouldn't have minded putting that man in the dirt for being so ridiculous but she was currently being distracted. "This is all kind of really new and moving a lot faster than I thought..." Maki admitted. Of course, she usually didn't get into such close proximity with other people. Nor did she think about how she was going to do it. He even realized all of her issues weren't ones he'd figured out. "Sure we'll talk about it later..." she offered, she wasn't dishonest and warning people about that problem in her life was something she usuallly did. Soon enough, Maki was having a new pair of glasses slipped onto her face. But after seeing those random dropped items she was sure this man was so interested in her and she didn't know why. His hands were lingering on her face, and he was still speaking. His lips were so close to hers, and she could feel his breath on her face. Her face went red and she found herself being told he had something else for her, because the others were busy. She would have argued but, by the time her eyes and mouth would have opened, his lips were pressed against hers. Maki found herself surprised.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed the E-rank Kenta was trying to put in her place was content to further antagonize him. How foolish she was. It meant nothing that she went on to explain everything he'd done thus far, painting him in a bad light. He didn't need her precious 'moral high ground' or anything of the sort. Kenta's primary issue was her rejection of a most generous offer. An E-rank allowed in the company of an A-rank? Such a dream it was. Obviously she'd been spoiled after walking around looking like Hunter Gojo's new pet. "Takes a lot of nerve to pull a move like that. Your one chance is up. Maybe I can hold back enough to leave you alive ─ just barely. You can see what happens to the others and come to your senses," Kenta spoke. Already, he was using a reinforcement Skill on himself. That shield rose, that axe was slung over his shoulder, and then...

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — URGENT QUEST〕

[Urgent Quest: Defeat the Enemies.]

GOAL
There are people present who want to kill the Players.
Defeat them all and ensure your safety.

WARNING
If you do not complete this quest, you will receive an appropriate penalty.

Of course, that notification appeared for both players before Kenta leaped toward the fox's neck. Yugi remained unconcerned, thinking there was no need for a quest. 'Brainface, you're being dumb. Why even give a quest with no reward?' he wondered. Either way, there were more important things on his list. Maki agreed to talking about her past at a later time, only to receive Yugi's lips against her own when those glasses were equipped. He could have simply used the System's Inventory function to place them on her, but that would have served only a single purpose. With their lips connected and Maki doing nothing to resist or push away, he advanced. Joining the fray would be for the best soon enough. First though, he had to work on slipping his tongue tenderly into the green-haired girl's mouth, one pair of lips smacking against another all the while.

[Apollymi]

Miko had taken her extra speech time to allot her stat points and prepare for the next leg of combat. This was something worked into her brain after the issue with a certain Riverglass Phantom. Of course, she couldn't tell anyone about that, but if a human was going to let her talk shit and adjust her stats she'd appreciate it. The dream that this man though his company was, wasn't at all one. A difference in rank didn't make him appealing to someone who didn't crave power, and for someone like her who had plenty of options. "That is such a low-brow hentai villain sentence. Not beating the allegations," Miko muttered. "Incoming!" Miko chirped. Her eyes were on the man as he stood and the System properly registered him as a threat. Miko took a deep breath as Brainface spoke in her head to her. 'Alright Brainface, but I mean if you're going to make it a quest we could get something out of it at least. I would have killed him because of the other people that died today, the personal threats to me are just extra,' Miko thought as that jump was made she hopped backwards casting a veil on the fox as well wondering if it would out last a hit from this man or not at its current level of strength. At the same time that crystal sword appeared in Miko's hand as she... wondered over the whole of the situation.

At the same time, the Fox was being attacked but Maki and Yugi were a bit engrossed in something else. She'd let her guard down just a bit, being kissed in such a way was such a rare occurrence she didn't have an immediate response. Nor did she want to stop him. She was being kissed and a tongue was slipping into her mouth. Once it was there hers tentatively caressed it, as if unsure of what to do with the invasion. Perhaps she should have been more concerned about what was currently going on but... obviously there was a problem with that A-rank Tanker but... she could definitely help out in a second. She trusted this group to function well regardless of which of the pieces were moving. 'I should stop him... but it's so nice~' the girl thought. Maybe she should have considered this was an odd thing to think. Even so... she'd let it go for a bit longer than she meant to, before her hands rose to push against his chest. "You shouldn't sneak a girl like that..." she commented as she pulled away with a reddened face.

[Bloodedge]

The kiss Yugi initiated was not only allowed to continue. Maki did nothing to stop his advancement either, welcoming his tongue as if greeting a new, yet permissible experience. Her virginity was a bit more extreme than he expected, making him consider animosity from some end of the equation. After a few moments, Maki did push against his chest. That was hardly a suitable effort to deter his actions, Yugi thought. "I'll let you know it's coming next time then. Deal?" he offered playfully as they began to sink. Why was that happening? Well...

In the other ongoing exchange, Kenta's attack had finally begun. He didn't care what was being said about him; they'd all pay the ultimate price... except, perhaps, the brunette. That one, he'd try to keep for the future after beating her into submission. In spite of Miko's veil being applied to the fox summon, Kenta's axe cleaved through its neck with little to no issue. He may have been a Tanker, but an A-rank he remained. "First I'll pull down this stupid dog of yours! Who's next?!" Kenta shouted. Aki already had his sword in hand, though Hayashi was still behind Miko wondering what use he'd even be. "You wouldn't happen to have an actual plan for fighting an A-rank, would you?" Aki asked. They were all experiencing that sinking sensation as the fox collapsed, soon to disappear entirely. At that time, Yugi had another question for Maki. "How's the vision now, by the way?"

[Apollymi]

Yugi and Maki actually got through their kiss uninterrupted. By the time Maki thought to force their separation it didn't have quite the same impact as her overzealous behavior would have marked her for. Beyond that point, there was a new offer to let her know about a kiss ahead of time in the next encounter. "Yeah, do that..." she said managing only to just barely not look completely out of sorts. Her face was still red though and her lips felt a bit swollen. But suddenly they seemed to be losing altitude.

At the same time, the fox began to sink, and Miko heard the sound of that Veil breaking. It would seem that the A-rank Tanker still hadn't learned his lesson about showing off. And in that time, Miko was burning through a bit of a plan, it wasn't nearly the same quality as the previous one, but she did have some idea of what to do... she wasn't as scared as she was of the Riverglass Phantom so she could put together some easy sentences. "Honestly, my idea is pretty basic, don't get hit, this fox is proving you'll take damage. Also disarm him? After that he's just a really sturdy punching bag right?" Miko asserted her own understanding as she knew that Yugi was currently free and thus might have a bit more to offer. "Definitely look after yourselves and let me know if you need me. Even if you whisper I'll hear it," Miko mentioned to the pair who'd followed her for the duration of this raid. Ah, but there was a question being asked for her, how was her vision, she looked out properly and saw that A-rank and things in the distance moving pretty well. "Uh... I can see way farther and clearer than before. Wow!~" she seemed genuinely excited. As they started to fall she'd even seen that movement of the A-rank tanker which had him colliding with the summon they were currently on top of... "We taking that guy out? If so I gotta grab my weapon but I'll run the front~" she wondered seeming not to care very much whether he lived or died, or whether she was going to be the one to kill him.

[Bloodedge]

"Will do♥~" Yugi agreed in a flirty tone while they were all descending atop the fox. As their interaction wound down to its natural end, Miko was looked to for guidance by the other males nearby. She'd been guiding that pair effectively enough thus far, so both were willing to defer once again in the face of a larger threat. Neither could imagine themselves accomplishing much against someone able to fell Aki's fox with one axe swing. Miko's suggestion was to avoid being hit, implying that Aki's fox had her protection active to no avail. "This spell's just a buff then, huh? Great," Aki said as if annoyed. "Day just got even better. I'll work on disarming. Hayashi, can you try chilling him enough to leave me an opening?" Aki asked of the other male, who wondered if he could manage that request. "I... I'll try my best!" Hayashi announced. "Then we're going down. Everybody else, you've got a little while before my summon dissolves completely. Mindful of the drop," Aki warned before both he and Hayashi were leaping down to confront Kenta ─ Aki taking the lead.

And so there were three atop the fox's head. While Aki's sword switched from one hand to another, clashing aimlessly against a powerful shield in wait for Hayashi to aim properly, Maki came to realize the potency of her new glasses. If Yugi could have given her a new pair of eyes, he would have done so... but of course that was something he only entertained as a future idea. "Distance and clarity are from the glasses, but you should also have the Eye of Insight. I gave you a bit of the extra I've been developing, but it shouldn't be an issue. We'll work something better out later," he said while casually perusing the System shop. As for taking out Kenta, Maki merely wanted to collect her weapon before taking the frontal assault unto herself. "Don't bother," Yugi said. He'd seen quite a few things across multiple shop visits. Many were out of his personal budget before, but no longer was that the case. Since Maki contributed so much to the funds they now had, he made a quick purchase. What Yugi produced after said purchase was a three-section staff connected by three rings between the joints of the weapon. Each staff was decorated with a flame-like pattern near the ends by the metal which connected to the chains. That weapon appeared in his extended right hand, on offer to the official Fighter-type of their group. "Have this. It's called... Playful Cloud. It's got a hell of a power that should scale with your physical ability. Should be a strong combo with your constitution. Give it a shot; we've got a nice thick target down there for it."

[Apollymi]

Miko had been leading the pair of males this entire time. She realized that this was a bit of a different thing to contend with, but she wasn't nearly as afraid of him as they were. Her advice was solid and Aki heard it and pieced together some context. "It isn't just a buff, but it's defense is less than the power of that axe. Too many variables... I don't encourage reliance. I never do for just shields," Miko explained of herself. If she felt that way in games, she felt that way in real life one hundred times over. Aki's plan was a reasonable one, and Miko could affirm, "I'll pop in as backup as much as possible. Box is open... Hayashi-kun, if you're into science remember how crystals grow... that might help you spread the ice a bit better!" Miko offered finally finding a better metaphor in her brain for the lad to use. Aki encouraged them to be mindful of the drop as he and Hayashi made their way down. "Hai!~" that came from Miko. "Ryokai~" came from Maki and then there were only three.

While Aki and Hayashi started with their assault, Maki got a quick explanation of her new glasses. And it included a bit of self-sacrifice on Yugi's part of something she was familiar with as a reader of Naruto. "Woah?! Isn't that too much?!" she said quickly. Beyond that, Maki was encouraged not to pick up her weapon. Instead one was being provided for her apparently magically. "Where the hell do you guys keep pulling this shit from?!" Maki wondered immediately. Maki herself was pretty well versed in quite a few weapon types, so this one would be handled and a grin spread across her face as she listened to what it did. "Awwww yeah, that's what I'm talking about!~" she claimed seemingly excited. She'd give a moment for any cursory exchanges before she aimed to jump down and join the fray below properly. Just the same Miko was thinking over the situation and speaking once again, "I spread my stats around and got ready... I think if he doesn't have that axe, we'll be okay to actually use him like a punching bag. Do you want to try power-leveling Black Flash. It could let us keep the pressure on while allowing everyone else to develop as well," Miko offered her thought processes.

[Bloodedge]

Aki's initial approach proved just as difficult as he figure it would be. He was putting forth more effort to dodge the occasional than he was to pointlessly dull his sword against Kenta's shield. Still, he was willing to continue if it was the only way to allow Hayashi room to debuff the A-ranker. Miko spoke of entering as backup before delivering Hayashi an improvement on her earlier magical advice. He was told to consider how crystals grow to spread his ice. "Hai!" Hayashi said. Did he need more spread now? Time would tell. For the moment, he was just trying to focus and avoid hitting Aki when the time to fire came about.

In the meantime, Yugi's 'sacrifice' had to be played-down as much as he could. Even with him saying it shouldn't be an issue, Maki thought it was a bit too much. "No, it's really fine. I can just level it again. It's pretty close to another growth anyway," he insisted. The ensuing offer of a weapon suited to Maki's level. It costed over two-million gold to acquire, but Yugi no longer had to get a bow for himself... and again, she'd definitely contributed to that kind of gold in the System. Ah, but the questions would always come. Where did they keep getting those things? "Just shut up and take my fucking rod~" Yugi replied. The moment Maki delivered that excited utterance, things took a turn in the battle. Hayashi didn't have his aim ready yet, but Aki seemed to suffer an abrupt... hiccup of sorts. For just a moment, the summoner seemed frozen in something almost resembling fear. That brief hesitation was all it took for his hop over Kenta's sweeping axe to begin a little too late. He managed to avoid having a foot removed easily enough, but his ankles were still swept by the axe's handle. That force alone was enough to bruise, to shatter the veil, and to make Aki spiral until he landed roughly on the ground. "Shit!" he swore, fruitlessly holding up a katana as if it would help guard him against a coming downward axe swing.

Yugi took the time to look into his own stats while Maki jumped down. He had so many to allocate, and some words to exchange with Miko. She presented the idea of Kenta being a punching bag without that oversized axe, and further spoke of power-leveling the Skill: Black Flash. As he distributed Skill points, Yugi grinned. "Dance time? I get the feeling he's not gonna be able to keep that axe for long. I'll finish these stats first. From what I see out of you, and what happened with a non-combat A-ranker earlier... even if this one's ready for it, we should currently be able to pull off a juggle. We'll definitely need Black Flash to do real damage though. These weapons need new upgrades."

[Apollymi]

Aki's efforts were noted by Miko as she saw him dodging and putting forth the proper effort to disarm. Whatever time they took, Miko was still ready to provide support, one of those crystal swords in her hand was having a thread attached to it for the sake of being able to throw it but reel it back in, in case some healing was needed in a quick moment.

Meanwhile, Maki was hearing a bit of commentary for the first time. It would seem that he was fine giving up a bit of his eye as he could simply level it back up again. That was still a sacrifice he didn't have to make considering they'd only just met. She was touched in the strangest way. "This one..." was all Maki had to say about taking a rod, before she leaped down. A situation below was looking kind of shading and though Aki had been doing a good job, he was apparently caught off guard a bit. He had a sword up ready to defend himself from a coming downward swing, but that weapon would never make contact with his or his body. No, that three sectioned staff broke apart, swinging around Maki's body and blocking the young man behind her as she pushed upward with all her might backing that staff against the axe. She'd start swinging the other section immediately towards that same axe wielding hand, with the full intention of disarming him, whether he let it go or lost the arm was of no concern to her. "Naaaw, don't go getting comfortable now just cause you're A-rank. SHOW ME SOMETHING!~" the girl said with the increase in strike power being enough to rattle others. She might have been 'B-ranked' but she'd always had the physical strength of an A-rank, and now with a weapon that wouldn't shatter under the pressure she was willing to throw her strength into it a bit more. With the ability to attack and defend she'd free up the other two quite a bit. At the same time, Miko launched a crystal sword down behind Aki, "I got your back, Aki-nii. Just a second and I'll have you back in~" could be heard radiating from that weapon as she cast Pulse healing through that sword from a distance and even cast the broken Veil again. It truly was a tool meant exactly for her, while she held the other one and used it as a resonator of sorts.

Soon after Miko and Yugi were talking strategy. With the group they had it would be fine once the man didn't have his weapon, and Maki's first actions made it seem like he wouldn't have it for long. Miko agreed with his assertion and also thought their weapons could use a bit more upgrading if fighting against actual A-ranked creatures. "Definitely time for the dance, that's my favorite part♪~ In truth, I'd like to get a few more made before the type of Essence Stone needed changes. You know, make the mass while it's cheaper. Still... we can definitely do it. You want me to take the first strike or would you like to?" she wondered as that healing pulse would come to an end and she'd draw that extra weapon back to her with the thread she'd attached moments ago.