Shirley
Kohm blinked in surprise as he took in what had transpired, the two men proving to be more than competent at defending themselves- having seen at first hand Kyuu's monstrous strength, he knew fully well what being able to get out of dodge in such a scenario meant. That old man was no simple character, and so was the lad.

Then the wave of bloodlust hit him, and Kohm knew more blood would be spilled this night- thus he had to plan out a course of action immediately. 

Firstly though, the pragmatic part of Kohm's mind warned him that them possessing such strength smelt of something fishy- quickly though he rationalised- It was cheaper to pay for adventurers to whittle an enemy down than go in themselves and potentially lose their lives.

If he were to guess, these quest givers must be town's last, yet greatest bastion of strength- them staying up so late at night made a lot more sense in hindsight. The town wasn't so run down that there was no one else, someone just had to keep guard. With that in mind though, he only had more questions; the signs of riot in the town surfacing in his mind, he wondered just what else was going on here, behind the vein.

Regardless of that though, from a moral standpoint there wasn't much to think about- his (former) party were the unjust aggressors, and he had long promised to himself that he would stand his ground, if conflict were inevitable. Of course, they would not look kindly upon him and likely deliver unto him the appropriate retribution for 'betrayal'; though everyone knew he was never really on their side from the start. That was a fact Kohm could care less regarding, even if he knew that there would be zero chance of him coming out of the battle unscathed.

The firestorm runes under his cloak thrummed with a glow that tried its hardest to penetrate his woolen cloak as they primed themselves in anticipation for what would soon occur, and quickly his sandman took shape, right in front of him. 

He already had his firing sequence in mind, and while the ancient vampires would quickly take note of his actions and react appropriately, they would have imperfect knowledge of what he could do with his runes and likely would never see the massive barrage of flame incoming, considering how he didn't have the chance to show it during the life and death battle with the minotaur when such a situation would indeed have warranted one pulling out all their stops. What would have been a mistake in most scenarios turned out to be a great boon in the end, as he held an alpha strike that could indeed tip the scales of the conflict if he leveraged it carefully.

To further ensure the success of his strike, the position where the sandman was summoned such that would entirely conceal the already diminished glow of his runes from their angle. His hope was that when they realised what was happening, it would be far too late to block everything.

Looking at the young macen, he blinked both his eyes twice. It would not be much, but he hoped he would understand the message.
Cathy
*The younger of the two Macen would hold his silver knife out even further towards Yuu, taking due notice of the wolf and the Macen summon appearing simultaneously from in front and behind him. Gulping, he would also watch as Yuu also drew his sword, but stood steadfast as he continued to back off with the old man towards the light of the mansion, making a point to stay out of the path of the wolf, holding his dagger pointed towards it as he backtracked back. Never would he have imagined that the night would end up like this; a simple reward collection turning into a bid for his own life. These vampires were something else, weren't they? He would eye Yuu with apprehension, turning it quickly into a steeled, ruthless gaze. He would breath, calming his nerves, and then stop as he morphed his stance into an intense, poised defensive position. He could probably take on the summoner himself, but the wolf? The knife wouldn't dig deep enough, but his sword most likely could do some serious damage to it. Harnessing the power of electricity, he would cast current on the dagger, in the case that one of the vampires went in for an early strike.*

*However, he would also take notice of the older adventurer's gaze, seeing a sort of sandy-demon erupt out into the front of his chest, and saw the man blink twice in quick succession. A message of sorts? What could it mean? Not a lot could be gathered from simple blinking, but... Judging by the man's cold, unforgiving face, he could tell that this Macen detested his company with a burning fury. Perhaps this was the notion of a preemptive strike? If so, then perhaps they wouldn't die tonight if they could fend off these vampiric menaces. The young man gazed back, blinking his twice eyes as well in rapid succession, waiting for some sort of signal by the lone Macen.*

*The old man, however, would sit there looking as intimidating as ever. He watched Mizu's gaze, noticing the severe blood thirst that it emitted, even at this current distance. He saw a spear fly back into her arms, chuckling silently as he drew his own from his back. Ymir, his ancestral might, gift from generations down. Thinking to himself as he put down the young macen's outstretched arm, he would put his own spear by his side, he would continue to stare down at the three of you all, standing tall against the mountain hilltops.*


"Well then, I suppose I *Am* Growing old. To be fair, It would be much more enjoyable to die at the hands of a worthy opponent than on some cheaply made wooden bed, dying of some stupid illness. Now, let me test your mettle."

"Come!"
Peter
*Mizu would grin at the old man's response. Indeed, she would rather go out doing what she loved best than to lazily lay down and end her unlife as a weakling. However, she would be a bit disappointed in the man's acceptance of death. It is only a privilege that the living had, to fear death, a privilege that she never got to experience. She had heard tales of the living showing tremendous shows of strength as part of their survival instinct, a trait that her body would never get to experience. But at the very least, she wished to see others display it, to show a grand feat of strength worthy of the mightiest of warriors. As such, she didn't want this man to fight her while accepting death, she wanted him to struggle with all he got.*

 
*She would notice Kohm summoning a sandman and she would raise an eyebrow in surprise. Was he going to join in on the fight? No, seeing how he was upset at their teasing, he was likely going to stop them. She wasn't pleased about having someone interrupting her fun, and she was certainly not going to let Kohm stop her. It could be taken as a sign of aggression, but he was also the one dumb enough to cast a fire spell in a forest, so perhaps he wasn't thinking everything through. Thus she would opt give him a warning*

"Ara Ara Kohm, I hope you aren't planning on joining? It is rude to interrupt a lady while she's eating no?"

*Hoping he would get the message, she would then charge forward with Kiyuketsuki, aiming to clash her spear against the man's. As a fellow spear bearer, she could tell it was of higher quality and meant a lot to the old man. No better way than to test a fellow warriors resolve than to put their weapons to the test! But she wasn't going to dishonor this man by not giving it her all. He was was strong enough to break free from her grips after all, meaning she could go beyond her limits to play with him. He should be able to handle it, no? Thus, her blood vessels would expand, causing the blood in her body to strengthen her reflexes and muscles.*

```Cast 'Turning Feral', 107.5/150 mana remaining. Str is now 22, speed is 48 mph, gen speed is 1.9```
Willie
*Yuu would look at the Macen, all serious in a defensive stance. It was quite a scene to behold, as there were few things as beautiful as people looking in the face of death. However his sightseeing was ruined as he saw the Sandman getting summoned nearby. Given Kohm's previous attitude, it was safe to say that he was not on the same side as them. However there -was- something that Kohm had that could be exploited. It was his morals.*

*Judging by the fire spells he cast in the forest, they affected an area, and given the fact that he is going up against two stronger vampires just to save the Macen meant that he wasn't going to willingly kill them. Accordingly Yuu would start running towards the Macen with his Soldier Summon, casting a Project Ward behind himself as he arrives.*

*The fighter would attack first, coming down with a simple sword swing, though Yuu knew that it wouldn't be hard for the Macen to dodge given his movements before. The swing was meant to throw him off. The next attack would be by the wolf, attempting to ram the side of its body into the macens leg as it runs. Yuu would finish off the attack sequence by attacking from the opposite side that the Macen had the dagger in, effectively surrounding him, to prevent further escapes. He would make a stabbing motion at the Macens neck, or the small gap between the helmet and chest piece if he was wearing one.*
Shirley
As they moved, he was already peeling off his cloak, haphazardly letting it drop to the wayside with as much prepared haste he could muster, 4 firestorm runes unveiling themselves on his chest with a bright sheen. Gritting as he realised what Yuu was attempting, he, however, could not back down now, with this perfect opportunity. 

Besides, with him having warned the young macen beforehand, judging with his movements even if the fire got out of control there was a *Good* Chance that he would be fine. Now was no time to care about property damage- it was time for action.

Positioning his chest, he let the runes lock into position. As a massive barrage of flame emerged, he took a step back, following it up with a strew of actions. 

Firstly his left hand unslung his spear from his back, letting it droop to the ground awkwardly as there wasn't enough time for him to properly hold and level it yet, knowing that he might have to take to arms personally if they turned towards him- it wouldn't be ideal, but he would manage. 

Secondly, he decided that he might as well add one last gout of fire to the mix, and moments after the initial barrage, another firestorm erupted from his free right hand. Attempting to time it such that he could catch Yuu attempting to get out of dodge, while he knew plans would never go swimming, the least he could do was give his all.

```Just to note, current mana reserves are:
170-60-15-50=45
45/120(-50 off cap)```
Cathy
*The brightness of the firestorm runes attached to Kohm's chest would illuminate the entire area, filling the night sky with the orange sparks of scarlet fire as the spell itself would launch an entire volley towards Yuu, just as the Macen soldier swung downwards at the first young man, who easily dodged the first attempted strike by the macen soldier with a slight jump back. However, this would leave him susceptible to the attacks by Yuu's wolf, who rammed into the young man's right side after the step back. The force of the impact would send the macen back a few feet, causing the man to stumble onto the ground. He would get to one knee, but shortly after, Yuu himself would come forth to the young man, stabbing his dagger down at the space between his chest armor and neck. With little time to react, the macen awkwardly jerked his upper body back and up, in such a way that the dagger that Yuu had stabbed down at his neck would clang against the man's breastplate, causing him to be knocked down from his knee once more. 

However, this would leave Yuu vulnerable to the firestorms; thankfully, the kitsune had put forth a project ward behind him, so not all of the firestorms that had been sent his way had made contact; rather, the ward had shattered after the first two firestorms had hit, allowing 2 of the firestorms to make contact with Yuu's back. The third one that Kohm had cast would miss its target, however, instead landing a foot away from Yuu, setting the surrounding area on fire. The waves, upon impact, would begin to grow to their maximum height, but only one would have a designated target of sorts; the macen soldier. However, given the slow pace the waves spread, it would be more or less easy to dodge.*

*With this, the macen man saw that he had an opening. Casting Psionic Speed on himself, he rushed not towards Yuu, but instead towards the macen soldier that attacked him earlier. Attempting to get behind the summon, he would use his strength to ram into the macen soldier, trying to push him into the fire. He opted not to use his dagger strike yet, choosing to save that for Yuu or the Wolf themselves, so he kept his silver dagger in his right hand as he shoved the soldier with his right shoulder.*
``` Psionic Speed cast. 5 mana regained. Remaining mana: 30/50```
*The old man from earlier would watch as Mizu conversed with Kohm from near the bottom of the hill, watching for any sudden moves that the vampire would do. Suddenly, he would leave his spearplay and reaction to his instincts and muscle memory as the female kitsune vampire seemingly flashed towards him, swinging her spear like lightning towards his own direction. He knew he himself was fast, but this? This was on a completely different level than what he was used to. Still, he managed to bring his spear up in time to guard her strike, his muscle memory taking control as he became surprised at the ferocity of the strike entirely. Sure, he was strong, but this? He found himself struggling to keep up a guard as the kitsune pushed further and further. Gritting his teeth and grunting, he would attempt to break free from this locked state by focusing all of his strength in a single push, hoping to throw the kitsune off balance since she was, literally, fighting an uphill battle.*
Peter
*Mizu would grin seeing the man was able to hold his ground. 'Good', she would think, it would seem they both had weapons of decent quality and had appropriate amount of strength on both sides to call it a fight rather than a slaughter. She could tell the man was trying to throw her off balance, but she was already planning on pulling back her spear after testing the waters so to speak. Now the fun truly began. Blood mist would start to surround her, causing the man's reflexes and movement to be slowed and give him a sense of nausea and dizziness. Hopefully he would be able to keep his balance, she though, epically after this.*

*She would summon a blood barrier in her hand and purposely crush it toward the man's face to exert force on his upperbody to throw him off balance while she used her superior movement and quickness to then maneuver behind the man and swing Kiyuketsuki to cut across the ankles of the man, hoping to get Achilles tendon. Well, hoping would be the wrong word. She wanted the man to put up a fight and resist her onslaught, to fight back. She didn't want to purposely hinder herself, as otherwise it wouldn't be much of a fight, it would be a show, and would deprive her of any enjoyment.*

*She would be lost in thought for a moment, calculating what her next move would be if the man would manage to counter-attack or avoid her strike, but would then notice a blast of flames coming in the direction of Yuu. She would quickly glance and her eyes would widen in rage as she watched Kohm envelop Yuu in a flurry of fire. This macen, where was this strength when they were fighting the Minotaur?! Was he purposely holding back a trump card this whole time, even against such a strong enemy? Or was he just an idiot that wasn't able to set it off before being sent flying across the landscape with his internal organs turning into soup? Seeing how he had once more set fire to the forest prior, and now to the surrounding area, and harmed Yuu despite her warnings, she was leaning toward idiot.*

*That being said, she had already shown him mercy by providing the warning. It could only meant he knew what he was doing and was purposely causing harm to Yuu. At that moment all the battlelust that had been directed toward the macen would seize, causing the air to feel a bit stagnant and chilly. But it would only last that long, a moment. A surge of wrath and bloodlust, not battlelust, would now be solely directed toward the macen that had disrespected her by ignoring her warnings. Had he not seen the fight before? Did he think he stood a chance thanks to his trump card? She would no longer be interested in the silly guards, strong opponents come and go, but she had been waiting for a mate for 250 years, and this macen had decided to cause harm to it. It was clear what had the higher priority here. If/after finishing her attack on the man's ankles Mizu would charge toward the idiot macen that had decided to incur her wrath*

"So you like playing with fire, don't you macen? Let's see how you handle the flames of my rage!" *She would growl with her eyes now black instead of her usual grin and red eyes*

```Cast Sanguine pool and blood ward. 5 regen, 52.5/150 mana```
Willie
*Yuu would let out an audible sigh as the Macen barely avoided death by his choke combination with two other summons, though it wasn't completely unexpected. He was analysing the situation as he heard his Project Ward shatter behind him, his eyes widenned as he felt the heat of the flames burn off his coat and etch deep burn marks into his back. (I think it's fair to say 4 severe wounds? Given its 2 burn attacks that burn at double temp.) He would scream in pain as he drops onto one knee, trying to avoid losing consiousness due to the pain and while he manages to do that, he would remain dizzy. The best option for him is make as much distance away from the Macen with a silver dagger right now so he would leap forward making the distance between them around 10 ft, with a wolf and fighter Macen between them. Raising an arm he would focus on getting another wolf out, forming a summoning circle before him.*

"Did I underestimate him? Did he not care about the Macen's safety? Or was he so confident in himself that he would not miss the attack? A few inches to the wrong side and he would've fried the person he was trying to protect." *Those were the throughts in his head as he analyzed the actions which led up to his injuries, though given he was no longer in any immediate danger, he would look at the whole battlefield, noticing Mizu charging towards Kohm and leaving the opponent she was fighting to go for the one that attacked Yuu from behind.* "Did she care that much about the spells? Or did she just assume Kohm was the stronger enemy? I guess it would be something he would only be able to guess for now."

*Due to the actions the lad would have to take in order to get into position behind the Macen and push him into the flame, the Macen would have enough time to get into a defensive stance with his shield up. If the attack was made by the dagger, the outcome may have been different, but with it being a ramming attack, chances are he would be able to stand his ground, or at the very least avoid the flames for now.*

*Yuu's first wolf would take this opportunity to follow the young guard and attempt to knock him down once again when the Macen shifted his weight forward to shove the summon. If there was one thing Yuu was good at it was controlling his small army and making up for each others weaknesses using them. The second wolf would have just left the summoning circle so it stood guard near Yuu while the dizziness subsided, though Yuu would make an effort not to show it, hoping people didn't know enough about vampires to know the side effects. There was a good enough chance they didn't given they though one bite would turn them.*

``` 30+45+10+45 = 130 100/110 Mana + 5 Mana regen, 105/110 Mana remaining. ```
Shirley
Kohm wasn't stupid- he knew that enraging Kyuu would be a terrible decision- she *Had* Warned him multiple times after all, but while dealing a severe hit to Yuu caught her ire, it was also a very severe hit. It was disappointing to see how high a constitution Yuu had since no normal person would have survived from the shock alone, much less a normal vampire, it was also within expectations- never should one claim that ancient vampires were pushovers.

Tactical merits of his suicidal action aside, he had to make sure that it would only be an *Attempted* Assisted-suicide. He had to prepare full-scale for the oncoming retaliatory barrage.

He quickly moves through a set of actions in response to the simple bloodlusted charge of Kyuu.
First of all, he pulled out the small bongo with his now free right hand. Dropping it on the ground he stepped on it three times, as hard as he could to activate the latent magic within.

An assassin vine rose up to his left, 4 feet away. It wouldn't be too much against the monstrous power of Kyuu but it would help, being fast and decently dangerous with proper support, with it's long, deadly tendrils.

As he did that, his left hand uprighted his spear shaft, and his right hand moved to quickly hold the shaft of his speer, and lower it for use as the sandman moved into place to guard against the oncoming attack, reaching 6 feet in front of him.

Magic flowing through his vein, steel skin was activated on himself, giving his skin a metallic hue. It might not be enough, but it was better than exposed flesh even with the buffer, and taking the monstrous strength of Mizu into consideration

```45/120 -20 +10 = 35/120 + Bongo of Summoning Vine Used```