A close call

You swat his attack aside, scrambling back as you do so. “More assassins? What a surprise.”

The man grins. “No mere assassin. I am a mage hunter. Darius hired me because we heard you’re rather powerful, and he wants to be sure this time.”

You chuckle. “Just you then? And you think an anti magic ability makes me an easy target?”

Maya steps up beside you, snarling, her claws extending. “NO ONE threatens my Josh! How dare you interrupt our time together!”

The man scoffs. “You don’t scare me, girl.”

Lightning quick, he leaps forward and kicks her aside, sending her sprawling. At the same time, he thrusts at you, scoring a cut along your right arm, fortunately not deep. You’re able to parry the next couple attacks, but without your powers you feel highly **** to the skilled assassin.

Maya leaps forward to attack from the side, but he spins away, swatting her aside with the pommel of his sword against her temple. She crashes against the table, stunned. Angrily, you lunge at the man, and despite his speed you carve a line along his ribs, drawing a grunt of pain. He parries your next strike and circles, grinning. “Not bad, I might actually need some effort. Too bad you needed the dragon girl to distract me. Looks like she’s no help now!”

He attacks again, this time with a solid cut on your thigh, and you’re barely able to stagger back out of reach. Now bleeding from two wounds, you limp backwards, trying to keep the distance from the assassin. Clearly sensing victory, he maintains pressure on you, causing several minor wounds as you back away. A lucky thrust stops him short, and you back away.

He smiles, and gives you a mocking salute. “It’s been interesting, but enough is enough.”

You chuckle. “Indeed it is. Unfortunately, you attacked me in my home, and made a lot of noise.”

He looks at you in confusion as you lower your sword, but only for a moment. “Giving up? Fine, I’ll make this fast.”

He raises his sword and takes a step forward. Or he tries to. A red hand closes around his wrist, holding him in place. “You really need to invite me to these parties sooner, Josh!”

The assassin struggles in Uzume’s grip, but it’s futile. The massive Oni squeezes, and there’s a horrific crunching sound as his blade drops to the ground. The man gasps in pain, his other hand flashing to his belt, pulling a long knife. As he attempts to thrust backwards into Uzume, a different hand closes on this wrist. The hand is pale and smaller than Uzume’s, but the grip is nearly as strong.

Kali twists the assassins arm, and there’s another crunch as the arm breaks. Clearly infuriated, she takes it a step further, stomping on his ankle to break it as well. The girls release him, letting him fall in a heap on the floor.

You limp over, looking down at the man as you lift your sword. “Normally I wouldn’t kill someone so thoroughly defeated, but I made my promises the last time someone attacked me. Good riddance.”

One quick thrust, and you feel your power return. Kali lays a hand on your shoulder, and you feel your wounds closing. “Good timing. Thank you both.”

Maya gets up, holding her head. You pull her into a hug as Kali heals her. She sighs. “He had the worst timing…”

You chuckle, trying not to think about how close that was. Anti magic assassins…