Dark Dealings

Those booted heels moved gracefully across the room "I hope you have my order" she spoke within a whisper upon approaching the older man who had always had a devilish grin upon his lips -Have I ever been late? Miss Morte- Dominic couldn't hide the displeasure of dealing with an demon, but unfortunately he was the only man who could get what she needed in such a short amount of time "I guess not" those sickly, pale yellow eyes only ever did take note at her facial markings -Please take seat- muscles were beyond tense, as slid into the booth and finally she lifted her mix coloured gaze onto the older gentlemen "Is a 1,000 gold coins enough?" His hand toyed with the hair upon his chin in thought -Indeed it will, Miss Morte, but may I be so bold in asking what a witch is doing asking  for ashwood?" His face was twisted in what looked to be curiosity, with a dash of amusement, yet a silence fell coldly between them, as a waitress came by to drop his drink off.

Dominic folded her arms firmly beneath her chest "Well reasoning is my own" it was a simple answer given and the demon nodded with a shrug -Well here is your order- he slid over a black leather poach and Dominic exchanged the gold coins in return "I'll get in touch for my next order" she stood after pocketing her dealings before leaving -Take care little witch-. Dominic made a quick getaway out into the world of fresh air and it took everything in her not to be sick on the sidewalk, her skin was crawling (What have I done) she couldn't hide her guilt but she needed to be safe her ex coven were fast approaching.

Hands slipped into the pockets of her jeans, as she made journey home but her magic was casted out for caution.

In a place where the local law enforcement chose to remain unbiased and would sooner avoid than to face the reality of the district, Raikou Diasu's nature seemed most fitting to step within upon his return to the City. The last time that he'd stepped foot into the human kingdom of the land had been in Cayden's hour of need where the vampires had looked to frame him and inspire a larger feud between the two races. Given that the Immortals were still much less a known presence here than back in Raikou's homeland, he did not mind walking the rooftops keeping an eye out for the odd appearance of another that sought the guidance of his katana from time to time.

Quiet feet met the edge of the roof as he slowly wandered the building-top, his eyes down in the street, his form a dark silhouette against the sunshine that beamed down upon the land around him. For such a venture that ever held the risk of running into a short-lived and ill-fated end, he bore his armaments as per the norm'. Both swords sheathed on his left side, the Katana and Wakizashi whose steel would only meet the cool of the air upon a dire threat. His Longbow, the Daikyu slung across his chest, straddled at his back while the quiver fell much lower, nestled and linked into his belt, the tails of his projectiles on his right side, elevated to save a loss of numbers should the time present itself and call for such action.

In open daylight, most commonly the Vampires weren't known to risk the burden their bloodlines befell upon them, the burning of flesh to ash upon the warm breath of the human world. Sadly to Raikou's rarely voiced concern, Vampires came in many different forms and had alternating abilities, a skill range that seemed to evolve with the coming of technologies and the development human mind. As disappointing as it could be, they were more the likely kind that he would stumble across in search for the truer threat, that of the demon scourge, the Oni. Masters over the creatures born and bred in death, for whatever purpose and whatever the nature of said immortals, it seemed chaos always managed to follow in their wake and in doing so, bring suffering to the human kind.

His pace quickly escalated as he met with the gap in which the road separated his approach, his knees bending, strength building up in his lower half before he threw himself across the air, silent and swift, doing so with little evidence aside from the cautious eyes that might be on the skylight this day.
Upon the other side he landed with a smooth grace that was as quiet as his ascent, soon moving to turn in league with the street, moving down the left side, above the footpath where the others crowded in their daily business, watching patiently and hoping for a day in which he'd be disappointed to see no action at all; for a change.

A searing sensation came over her left hand, before she tore her hand free from the pocket with the poach smoking away in her grasp and it started to melt the flesh cleanly away from the bone till she flung it aside, but made sure no one saw, or came in contact with it. Dominic clutched her hand to her chest -Like the gift- from corner of her right eye she spotted one of the demon's henchmen "That double crossing......- the pain had silenced her -No we got a better offer witch- his red eyes sparkled in delight -Capture you dead, or alive- Dominic took one more look at demonic puppet before taking off into the crowd of people.

Dominic turned into the closest alley, but didn't stop as she nearly knocked someone over and she didn't have time to stop, or apologize as the demon was hot on her trail. Heels skidded to a sudden halt, as she spun around to face him head on now that public was safely behind them -Finished running? Ready to fly the white flag?- a smile crept on to his lips "No" she glanced down at the injured hand and noted that some of flesh was taken away where bone was left exposed while the rest was red raw with blistering wounds, but she didn't have time -You only have to come willingly Miss Morte- within a quick second both hands moved quickly into a craft of ancient hand signs and a gust wind ripped through the alley and sent the demon hurling towards a massive trash bin.

The red eyed demon pulled himself up from the ground and admired the perfectly outlined dent he had left behind -Wow didn't think you had it in you to use magic being injured, but now my turn- balls fire erupted into the palms of his hands and he started hurling them at her one after another. Dominic quickly motioned her hands into another set of signs once more before slapping her good hand against ground and the earth shook violently till a rock wall sprout up and shielded her from the onslaught of balls flames.

Movement, quick and desperate. Raikou watched as a woman cut herself away from the rest of the city life and found someone quickly in tow. Keeping his distance though nearing the scene, he crossed from building to building until he finally came to stand over the alleyway, crouching down to keep himself from being spotted as he soon peered over the side to observe the unfolding conflict through the eyes of the Shikami; his left hand resting against the hilt of his Katana.

One of the two held the remains of an ominous and darker presence between the pair, one that told Raikou he held connections with those the Ronnin hunted. The female who sent the marked one flying into the nearby trash bin however did not; instead she seemed to mimic a form of fighting that he recognized only from his time back in the Arcane Sanctum. "Hm.." He murmured somewhat absently as she went about the summoning, skilled while the other sought to take her with the means of fire, rather unoriginal in his line of work. Raikou felt the urge to step in, to intervene while the girl had herself hidden behind the high guard yet it wasn't his fight and though the target was right for him, the victim of the attack was not without her own ability to defend herself.

Dark strands of dirtied hair fell around the front of the demon mask as he waited for the fight to reveal the driving force behind it, the reason the girl had been targeted by the Oni and how this 'marked one' (What he called those who did the bidding of the Oni), had managed to slip passed his notice back in the street he'd been looking down over. From above, Raikou had the leverage, the advance of not being known by the two, the reach he could use to drop down onto the marked one without pulling a weapon, but using his momentum to end the fight there. His eyes tightened, it was in his nature to step in when he found someone moving against a female the way this one was...-Yet doing so would reveal himself and his eyes soon moved toward the end of the alley, wondering if perhaps the 'marked one' was not alone.

He materialized out of the shadowed darkness atop a building, having felt the ripples of the unleashed by, what he saw, to be the girl on the street below him. Across from him, he saw another male perched atop the opposite building, also watching her. He looked down again, and saw that she was being attacked by a group of larger, things, he wasnt sure what it was, but, with the size difference, he didnt feel this was a fair fight. So, he did what came naturally to him, and jumped off the edge of the roof. He came down on the, man, he guessed, all 350 pounds of him, landing directly on the man. In the surprise, they went down in a gaggle of flailing limbs, with a very firm fist delivered directly into Blade's gut, forcing the air from his lungs.

Rolling away, he struggled slightly to regain his breath as he retook his feet, 5 1/2 foot long black blade materializing into his hand. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?" He said, with a slight wheeze as he was still working to regain the last bit of his breath. "Targeting this young lady does not seem all that fair. If your looking for a fight, perhaps I could interest you in one with myself instead?" He grinned, knees bending slightly as he took up a bit of a fighters stance. His eyes momentarily moved past the man looking thing, and too the, again, what looked like a young lady, "Are you ok?" He asked, trying to remember a few of the manners his mother had taught him those centuries ago. He could feel the song of battle beginning to rise and sing in his blood.

The demon had a devilish smirk -You are a tricky little witch I can see why your coven wants you dead- he tilted his head upright to catch the falling movment from above and in within seconds it was a picture of limbs everywhere before the attacker was taken by a swift punch where red eyes watched the second intruder to roll away, yet his eyesight caught a glimpse of another but the glare of aun didn't help his sight -Leave this none your business- he snarled in distaste at being distracted -Who else is here?- his paranoia was growing so was hellish fire spilling from his form.

Dominic rested against the safety of the barrier, yet the potion that caused the harm hadn't finished it's job and as the acidic powder worked through the blood stream a droplet of blood fell from her nose and she clutched her hand tightly to her chest; she needed to get home for the antidote. In the distraction of pain she hadn't noticed the commotion till a voice called and with that Dom forced herself to straighten "Be gone" the wall crumbled to the earth. The demon looked from the man to the witch -Done hiding?- he grinned sweetly -Now those who aren't involved leave- his voice grew with annoyance.

"You aren't welcome here" she took unsteady step forwards before looking to the man "I'm fine, thank you" but in a mere blink of an eye more dark figures seeped up through the ground -Looks like my friends have come to help and you can't escape alive now......-

Bladewolf, Raikou had met him once before. The male had given his position away in his haste to leap to the woman's assistance just as the Ronin himself had considered doing though despite his caution, he'd caught the brief glimpse of the demons eye enough to know that this was no longer a game of discretions. Blade had managed to distract the assailant yet others began to grow from the concrete floor, seeping through the cracks to take on the form of lesser kin to the Oni, outnumbered and with the girl already suffering a wound, it seemed intervention was inevitable now; should they both survive. Slowly rising to his feet, both of his hands moved for the right side of his belt, taking a handful of small black roundish looking balls from within a pouch, an onyx darkness and a chemical concoction when exposed to the air; the smoke bombs would offer the female time to recover. Taking one between each finger, Raikou stepped forward.

The descent was quick though his instincts sharp, he threw the smoke pallets down ahead of himself. The alleyway floor erupting in clouds of thick grey smoke, covering everyone and masking the Ronin's landing, the Shikami seeing through the fog led by the trace of the dark and deviant aura's the Oni held. "Step back!" He called through the smoke to the woman as his right hand drew the Katana from it's sheath, his left finding the lower portion of the hilt and shifting his weight, he quickly fell into stance with the blade out to his right pointing behind him, his elbows bent and his body tensening, preparing for the probably onslaught. Numbers held the sway yet the lesser demons had yet to formerly materialize by the time Raikou began his approach.

Within the cover of the smoke, the air almost imploded and sucked back into where the Ronin had been standing. His speed phenomenal for a human, he shot straight passed Bladewolf and the larger of the Oni, offering the male a slight glance as he moved between the two heading directly for the others, to which the woman was on the other-side.
A flash of light caught the smoke and illuminated his silhouette as the steel of his Katana lifted and found the down-pouring sun, a clairvoyant sheen to its edge that spoke of more than a simple sword; coated in oil that had been caped by the sheath, the first of the lesser Oni cried out in it's inhuman, almost animistic way. The Katana caught and sliced cleanly through the midsection of the demon, that of what had formed soon fell from the lower half as Raikou sought the target closest to the girl. He plunged his Katana through the second, the pommel meeting the beasts flesh before being swiftly pulled from it's form, the sound of a burning and seering pain, droplets of the oil excreting from the wound where Raikou turned and rendered it visible to those closest. The two fell in those first seconds and did not climb back to their feet.

As the smoke started to dissipate and thin through out the alleyway, Raikou could be seen rolling the Katana forcefully with a flick of his right hand, spraying the blood that it had caught, against the concrete floor while his eyes took through the remaining lesser demons, falling upon Bladewolf and the larger of the Oni, calm and collected. He awaited for the others to make their next move, the Ronin remaining silent as he stood off to the right of Dominic, a few paces ahead.

After seeing the other man dash by him, Blade made his move upon seeing the large brute's eyes flick towards Raikou. Lunging forward, his blade whipped about him, dissipating the quasi-formed figures of other shadowy things about him. As he moved, darker, blacker shadows flowed out from under his cloak to form armor about himself. As he closed upon the brute, his sword vanished, and with a wolfish grin, they closed and met in hand to hand combat. An armored fist smashed, first, into the brutes gut, a payback for the shot landed earlier, a grunt pleasantly met his ears, serving to make him smile, and fanning the song of battle singing in his blood. Though, the brute got his feet under him, and bodily threw Blade off of him.

Hitting the ground, Blade rolled quickly to his feet, to be met by the charging brute slamming into him. Driving him into the wall, there was a ringing clang as a dagger was attempted to be driven into him by the brute. "Nice try, these shadows are special." Blade chuckled, before slamming his head into that of the brute. He stumbled back, a brief respite before Blade fell upon him again, they rolled across the alley, grappling, clawing, for supremacy and dominance. They banged off of the far wall, with Blade on top. Having had enough, he wrenched a hand free, and began slamming it down into the brutes face, again, and again, and again. After satisfactorily pulped the brutes face, the helm dissolved from Blade's head, as it shifted to a wolven appearance, before his new large jaws clamped down onto the brutes neck and lower jaw. He then tore the brute's head clean off the body before standing back up.

Looking over at the two others, he smiled and laughed, "Sorry if that was, a little violent, but, he seemed like he needed to be dealt with." Then he gave a bow, "My name is Danarius Blakthorne, but, I am known as Bladewolf." He introduced himself, standing erect again, he looked at Raikou, "nice work with your blade." He nodded to the man.

((hope it was ok i took that guy out, if not, i can adjust my post))

Everything moved so quickly upon the arrival of someone else, smoke had started to fill the alley with a voice in the distances had made it clear enough that it wasn't another enemy. Dominic ducked down which also gave the woman time to deal with poison traveling through her body and the forbidden magic that was laced carefully into the fake bag she had brought off the elder demon;  corruption was a sort of magic that if maded right could cause someone's body to start decaying and rotting away, but unfortunately there no cue as of yet and there were only methods of slowing the process down but Dom wasn't in her workshop so a quick seal was all she could do for now. Dominic moved her hands swiftly into those ancient signs "Twilight Sealing" a flash yellow erupted as she slammed her good hand against her chest and she felt the poison become slow and watched as the rotting  flesh of her left stop just above the wrist.

Once the smoke had finally cleared away, she rose up from the ground before spinning around so she was ready to aid in the fight, but watched from the sidelines as the sword wielding man ran through the demons like they were nothing but pawns on a chest board and once he was down she eyed him off from right, yet she soon looked off towards first man that had came to her aid, as he killed off the demon henchmen.

Dominic stood silent, as the first man introduced himself "I thank you both for helping me, yet unfortunately you two must forget about seeing me" she pulled out a small purple ball from her pocket and in one hard thrust she threw the ball down against hard surface that it erupted into purple mist "I'm sorry.....Truly am grateful for the help" that caused two kinds of side effects it either erased the memories completely of the weak minded, or it caused those of strong minds to feel a bit dazed and confused were it felt like your brain was fuzzy and it only lasted 5 minutes, but it was enough time for Dominic to disappear into thin air.

Dominic hoped these two men were of weak minds, as she took off into the crowd of people.

-Exit Dominic-

The Shikami swallowed the majority of the illusive tactic, keeping Raikou's mind free from penetration though leaving him a little shell shocked in the moment while the female successfully managed to evade him and possibly Bladewolf too; his left hand lifted to cover his gaze as the Ronin stepped off a couple paces and turned away. The almost acidic blood at his feet began to pool together and sink back between the cracks in the concrete beneath him, an unnatural stench about the air what smelled like sulfur clung to the mortal wind, the remnants of the demonic incursion though for what reasons, Raikou couldn't tell, it only seemed they'd been interested in the woman.

His arm slowly lowered away from his face, his gaze finding Bladewolf not to far away now, on his own with no further risk of being attacked, Raikou let his Katana slide easily back into it's sheath before lowering himself to a knee, his fingers reaching out to touch the ground where the fallen Oni had been. Still warm to the touch, his eyes narrowed into something of a furrowed brow, his head lifting once more though seeking skyward, he questioned silently the chance of another breach into the mortal veil, if not having missed the fact that they might already be being watched for their intervention.

"Hm..." He finally made an audible sound as he rose to his feet, his right hand lifting to remove the Shikami from his face and returning it to his sachet, pausing to look back towards Bladewolf offering a second acknowledging nod and speaking out to him, "It's over.." he spoke in a very factual manner before turning and glancing back to the roof from whence he'd dropped in from. "Had there been another in the area waiting for a chance to ambush the girl, you'd have given my position away and left me open, the way you dropped into the fight. No hard feelings though next time I would prefer to seek a different route to my own...".

((Sorry for the late response Blade, I've been away!))