A Meeting of Spirits (June vs Airi)

The swamp might be a natural deterrent for most people, but June's not like most people. Appearance aside, what would push some people way, she sees as an opportunity. For one reason or another, the place was positively teeming with magical energy, and this affected the flora and fauna as well. The plants, the fungus, the wild animals, all of them had latent magical power flowing through them, and this made all of them incredible research materials. Both from a scientists perspective and for using them in experiments.

Humming to herself the whole while in content, June, carrying a decorative basket, could be seen walking through the swamp in stride, examining any sort of fungus, flower or dead animal and taking with her anything she could feel on a spiritual level.

All around her she could feel the Spirits of other beings. Some wildlife, some even low level midara, all watching her go about her business as an intruder, but none dared to engage with her. Be it for one reason or another, they left her alone, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of respect, and perhaps because of even ambivalence to the stranger. Except for one in particular, who was feeling brash that day...

June
vs
Airi

"Mmmm..I'm getting a bit famished."

The spectral maid let out a sigh as she floated through the swamp. There had not been much in the way of travelers, and as such, not much life force to drain. She was getting by, some of the fauna making a suitable replacement, but it didn't feel the same.

Just as she was about to give up home, she noticed something. A new life force...Floating towards it, she came across a strange wom-What was with her torso?! Was that her actual body, or a fashion statement? Shaking her head, she began to lurk, licking her lips at the possibility of a new meal.

"Hmm, not this one. Maybe this one...no, not ripe enough. Ooh, this one has halucinegenics, into the basket with you~"

Paying no mind to the beings around her but aware of their presence, the findings on today's trip have been incredibly fruitful. At this rate, you'll have enough left over that it might make a nice few dinners to boot.

That is, until she noticed one specific presence. This one was new, and very different from the surrounding types. A league above them in the power scale, for one, and showing no fear or indifference to her presence. A hint of hunger? And maybe a touch of lust as well. Can only be one thing.

Midara. Typical. Just when I was having a good day.

"Why don't you come out and introduce yourself, instead of sulking in the corner like I wouldn't find out?" she yelled in her direction without turning around or stopping from exampling a batch of mushrooms growing in front of her.

Oho? She could sense her. That was interesting. Floating out, Airi gave a small curtsey. "Well hello there. I'm surprised. Not many travelers come to our swamp." A few spirits floated behind her, empty gazes locked upon the newcomer.

"And those who do..Well, they're quite delicious, as I'm sure you'll be~"

"Truly? I would expect many a wizard come by here for just the energy flowing through here. Anyone that has any magical potential can feel it, this place is special. Do you live here?"

In truth, she was curious about anyone that called this place home. Imagine all the effects that would come from being in a magical epicenter like this. It'd probably be beneficial to investigate it later, maybe run a few tests. It might just be what she's looking for.

Of course, and then she had to add that little bit at the end.

So she's a predator? Quite confident in her abilities too. Makes sense with the aura surrounding her.

June gets up from her crouched position and takes a good look at her supposed "assailant" and had to try very hard to stifle a laugh and what she was presented with.

What, the help is trying to kill me now? Nevermind, this day continues to be good. I don't even care if she's some sort of wraith, that's too funny not to indulge in.

"Alright, look, I'm not here for a fight, just to grab some materials and maybe some information about this place. How about we have a nice talk, get to know each other..." she says, getting up and facing her at eye level before igniting a ball of ethereal flame in her hands.

"and so I don't have to splatter you all across this swamp and pick out the answers I need from what's left of your soul," Laced with venom and coupled with a death glare.

"I do. Airi, servant of the Swamp Witch, at your service~." Another curtsey, even if a scythe appeared by her side. Grabbing it, she began to twirl it about in her grasp.

"You want information? Tell you what. How about you entertain me? That or feed me. You do that, and I'll gladly let you know what you want."

The flame didn't bother her too much, her expression remaining as smug as it had been. "In fact, if you just feed me, I promise to only take the required amount I need~"

Trusting a Midara? Hah, as if. We both know I'm going to end up as a mindless husk at the end of that.

"So you want entertainment, is it? I take it that means some exercise. Very well, if it'll give me what I want, I suppose it's a small price to pay."

Dissipating the flame, she turned around and took a few places, before turning back to face her.

"I'll even let you get the first hit in, surprise me. But don't blame me if this ends up in a way that you'd find unpleasant."

"Oho? Well then, I guess I'll be having a taste of your essence by force."

Leaning forward, Airi placed two fingers to her lips, before blowing a kiss at the woman, a heart fluttering towards June.

"But I'll make it pleasurable, I promise. You'll love it~"

(Spirit Blow)

(Spirit Blow - 87, Miss)

A heart? Really? I asked for surprises, and all I got out of it was a Midara standby.

Exerting barely any energy whatsoever, June simply moved her face out of the way as it shot harmlessly by and collided with the ground. All with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Come now, you'll have to try something better than that. That's just disappointing."

(Ghost Flame - 2 Success)

With barely a motion, June dashed forward at an unexpected speed, rushing past Airi before she could react and grabbing entire head from behind.

"You're going to have to get creative if you want to keep me from falling asleep. Wasn't I supposed to be entertaining you?"

Right as her sentence ended, Airi's entire body erupted in a blaze of the same ghostly flame she had earlier as it slowly burned away her soul from the inside out.

June: 40
Airi: 38, Bind

Airi rose an eyebrow, sighing as the heart floated by. "There's a reason I never use that move....And that's why." As June zipped by and grabbed her, Airi let out a scream, courtesy of the spectral flames.

Gripping June's hand, she tried removing it.

(Struggle)

(Struggle - 91, Success)

Starting to regret this decision, I see.

As she reached for her arm, June forcibly disingaged from her hold with a sound that could only be described as unplugging an active fuse and hopped back a few steps.

(Ífingr - 25, Failure)

She raised her hand to try and gather a portion of spiritual energy at a concentrated point, but nothing seemed to be happening after a moment.

"Interference? I'm sure it's totally the latent magic and not my own failing. Probably."

June: 40 HP, Ghost Flame at 2 turn cooldown, Ífingr 3 turn cooldown
Airi: 38 HP

Airi gasped for breath as the hand was removed, turning to glare at June before charging towards her. "Fine...Too bad for you, I have just the way to fix what you've done to me!"

(Kiss of the Wraith.)

(Sorry about that, had to eat)

(Kiss of the Wraith - 53, Miss)

She's faster than I thought...that said, I anticipated this too.

June slid right between her legs as the wraith launched itself at her, placing her just behind her, and gave herself some distance between the two.

(Basic Attack - 90, Success)

As she hopped back, June quickly gathered some negative energy from the air around her and formed a ball that she lobbed as hard as she could, directly at her assailant, colliding with her stomach and forming a small explosion on contact with a ghostly wail.

June: 40 HP, Ghost Fire at 1 turn cooldown, Ífingr at 2 turn cooldown
Airi: 36 HP

This enemy was fast. The blast caused Airi to skid backwards, before she charged forward once more. She was intent on draining the hell out of this woman.

(Kiss of the Wraith.)

(Man, this just isn't Airi's night so far)

(Kiss of the Wraith - 97, Miss)

Ooh, now that's a grimace. I think I made her upset. Good. She's certainly a stubborn one.

The creature blew straight through the mini explosion and kept going at high speeds, directly at her. Anticipating the same tactic, she vaulted over her mid lunge as Airi hit the dirt from the impact.

"Not quite the exercise you were expecting, I take it? I never said I'd make it easy for you," she said as she looked behind her to see the maid with her face in the ground.

(Zombie Wall - 70, Success)

Having a moment to think, she plunged her hand into the ground. The dirt around her glowed a sickly green before a number of human-like forms emerged from the ground, ragged and lacking in body mass. The zombies formed a wall around June in a defensive position, although it looked quite like a football player preparing to tackle instead.

"...oh my, you've been quite busy, haven't you? A lot of them recognize you. They're not too happy about it. Shame my magic can't give them muscle, they're dying for a chance to slug you."

June: 40 HP, Ghost Fire cooldown resolved, Ífingr at 1 turn cooldown, Zombie Wall active for 2 turns
Airi: 36 HP

Spitting out the dirt, Airi stood up, growling angrily as she turned around. "You have quite the mouth on you, don't you? I'll gladly preoccupy tha-"

Well...This woman seemed to be a necromancer. That would explain the aesthetic. With a grunt, she summoned a wraith to fly off towards June. If she wanted to hide behind a wall, then Airi would have to make her approach.

(Obey the Maid)

(Obey the Maid - 45, Miss)

So she controls spirits as well? Interesting. It seems picking her brain once all this is over might be more worth it than I thought.

The spectral entity zoomed towards June but was intercepted by one of the zombies, who...invited his friends to play hacky-sack with it. They're fairly good at it for lacking most of their muscle. June and Airi looked on in disbelief and confusion.

"...okay, I don't actually control them. I just sort of give them a job, and how they do it is up to their discretion. It seems they REALLY don't like you."

(Basic Attack - 21, Miss)

June couldn't bring herself to focus on actually attacking with the display going on in front of her. Truly, it was a once in a lifetime experience.

I've always wondered what zombies do in their free time. What runs through the minds of that which has no working mind? The world may never know.

June: 40 HP, Ífingr cooldown resolved, Zombie Wall active for 1 more turn
Airi: 36 HP

"....." Airi just stared, before looking over at June. "I...I'm not going to lie, I never thought I'd ever see that....I'm not going to get that Spirit back for a while, am I?"

(Turn Pass)

(Ífingr - 40, Success)

"I don't assume so, no. Who even plays hacky-sack anymore? I think they're doing it just to mess with you at this point."

The last statement was punctuated by a guttural noise that could only be a laugh from one of them. Yup, definitely to spite her.

During the confusion, June lifted her hand into the air as dark energies gathered at a single point in her palm, eventually forming a sphere that was slightly larger than herself. With a vast, sweeping motion that showed it's spiritual weight, June hurled the blob of negative power at the wraith. The orb carried her a fair distance before exploding in a much bigger blast than the earlier shot, spreading globs of dark energy all across the arena.

At the impact, the zombies crumbled to dust and returned to the earth, freeing the spirit they were playing with to return to it's owner.

June: 40 HP Ífingr at 3 turn cooldown, Zombie Wall at 4 turn cooldown
Airi: 33 HP, Atk/Def down for 3 turns

"They're lucky they aren't alive. I'd be draining them for that...!" Any other thoughts the annoyed wraith had were dashed as she was consumed by the magical explosion, falling flat on her back. "D...Damnit...!" Slowly standing up, she shot her spirits forward in an attempt to bind the woman.

(Ghostly Bind)

(Ghostly Bind - 20, Success)

"I'd assume that you already did that, if their ire was any indication...!"

Before she could make a followup statement, she was caught between a number of spirits, and as she tried to swat them away, they grasped her arms and started pulling her towards their master.

"Yeesh, not so rough! If you wanted a hug, you could have just asked."

(Struggle: 23, Failure)

June: 39 HP, Ífingr at 2 turn cooldown, Zombie Wall at 3 turn cooldown
Airi: 33 HP, Atk/Def Down for 2 turns

Alright..She got her! Smirking, Airi began to walk forward, a sway in her hips as she did so.

"A hug? My dear, there's going to be much more than that...Now pucker up and let me taste you~"

(Kiss of the Wraith.)

(Kiss of the Wraith - 39, Failure)

"My, you got cocky in an instant, didn't you? One success and you're suddenly walking on air. You should be careful about that hubris thing, that's been the death of a number of powerful people."

As Airi leaned in for that life sucking kiss, June leaned her head back and collided her head with hers in a vicious headbutt, hoping to knock her back and buy her some time.

(Struggle - 31, Failure)

She couldn't quite break free of the spirits holding her, but she left a message with that impact as she struggle to break free.

"I'm not quite just a mage, after all."

June: 38 HP, Ífingr at 1 turn cooldown, Zombie Wall at 2 turn cooldown
Airi: 33 HP, Atk/Def Down for 1 more turn

"Tch...!" The impact made Airi frown as she stumbled back. "You say that. And yet you've failed to break free of a couple ghosts. This will be so much easier if you just let it happen~"

She licked her lips before moving in once more, lips parted ever so slightly as she moved in for the feast.

(Kiss of the Wraith.)

(Oh my god I feel bad for her now, she just cannot land that kiss.)

(Kiss of the Wraith - 3, Miss)

Once again, she reached in for the kiss, only to be met with June's heel giving her a quick kick to her gut as she was held back on the upper part of her body by the spirits.

"Truth be told, I'm already spoken for. I'll take your insistence for that kiss as a compliment, but I have to politely decline~"

(Struggle - 48, Success)

June managed to finally get an arm free as she swiped at the ghosts holding her with a clawed hand, dispelling the ones she managed to capture and reducing them to nothing, while the others ran now that she had both of her hands free.

"Holding something down is one thing, but they were getting grabby in the wrong places. You really ought to teach them some manners."

June: 38 HP, Ífingr cooldown resolved, Zombie Wall at 1 turn cooldown
Airi: 33 HP, Atk/Def Down removed.