Bait

[red_branch]

Cu Chulainn wasn't a patrolman, nor did he ever aspire to be one. He was the guardian of his country in the sense that he would respond immediately to dire threats but he had never been the man to watch every village one by one and butt his head into every squabble he saw. Despite that, he had a keen eye for trouble and countless thoughts about what justice was supposed to be--so, he tended to intervene in problems when they presented themselves if only because of the fickle nature of what justice looked like to him.

Two farmers were arguing over a fairy mound, claiming ownership over a magic bow that sprung out of it. It had been hovering in the air, moving around on occasion from their perspective. Cu Chulainn, puzzled, wondered if the two men were fools--as there was clearly a man in white attire holding the damned thing. He stepped down from his horse to approach the two in the middle of their quarrel, watching the bowman, who was ignoring them as he read from a thin piece of paper held up in front of him. The two men didn't notice the bowman at all.

The bowman met eyes with Cu Chulainn, perplexed.

"You can see me?"

"Yeah. You can call me Cu Chulainn and... I'm curious. Never seen an archer carry that kind of bow, before."

Their exchange of words was brief, if not polite on Cu Chulainn's end. The farmers backed off immediately when they saw Cu Chulainn speaking to what they presumed was a demented ghost clutching the bow and ran when the bow lifted and fired, trying to take off Cu Chulainn's head from the neck. The young man let out a terse sigh, unstrapping his spear from his back after avoiding the volley before making a bit more effort to close the gap and stride towards him. The dark-haired archer was stunned that his shot hadn't landed and even more so when the following dozen bolts were parried and redirected just as easily. He jumped up and kicked the bowman square in the chest, dropping him to the ground before there had been a few popping sounds.

Strange. It didn't sound like the sound of bones breaking--he didn't think he kicked hard enough to do that. The bowman stumbled back, coughing and wheezing, his eyes bulging open as he buried his hand in his clothing to pull out a vial. The thing had broken in the center and little white tablets fell to the ground, dissolving. The shocked expression he wore spoke more about what happened than whatever he could pull out with his strange accent.

"I--I can't stay here!"

He threw a capsule to the ground, blinding light shining and catching Cu Chulainn off guard. He stepped back, vanishing into a tear in thin air, just as a few more of the tablets landed on the ground where he had been standing. Cu Chulainn rubbed under his eyes before stepping over to the remaining tablets, picking them up with a scowl.

"What a pain--fairy mounds are just troubling these days. Nothing good comes out of the damned things anymore--"

As if proving him right, a dozen or so howling voices rose up in the woods, the town, and the mountains all at once. Screaming farmers and milling people came shortly after, clearly bothered by the owners of those inhuman howls. His irritated scowl deepened and he ran off, away from the mound and towards the sound of trouble, "Speak of the devil... and he'll come crawling right away, huh?"

Comments

[red_branch]

[It was common knowledge that the children of gods were creatures influenced by the world around them. In times of peace, those children of mighty beings were innovators and inventors. They were diplomats and artists. In times of war, those children were horrors and nightmares brought to life.

Cu Chulainn completed inscribing the runes of Ath N'Gabla, holding out both his hands to the soldier and to Yoruichi. In other nations, turning down such a ridiculous prospect would be fair. The soldier Yoruici had come to face off with was stricken and pale but he still approached Cu Chulainn with the expectation that he couldn't turn the offer down.

The sunny smile he offered Yoruichi in return for her confident grin had been a stark contrast to his explanation. Medb looked to her soldier and fixed cold eyes on him, assuring him that he had no choice in the matter anymore. No matter what, he would accept as he knew there were things worse than death to befall someone who'd placed his ego before his pace.

Even without hearing Cu Chulainn's explanation, the soldier touched the rune offered to him. He swallowed hard, as if trying to accept what was to come. It only left Yoruichi, her rune and her choice whether to accept it.]

You won't have any better chance to show it than now, Lady Yoruichi. The Shoal of the Four Branches... It's an old tradition of Ulster's warriors to duel under this decree. When you two accept, the duel will begin.

[Laeg said nothing, gripping his sword more tightly for fear of a single complaint gaining the prince's anger. There were few ways to truly enrage that boy but when those sore spots were found... it was always a disaster.]

When the circle is cast and you agree to the duel, neither of you will be able to leave it until the other is dead.

[goneonenight]

[At home, Yoruichi is in a strange position. People vacillate between expecting the world of her due to her family, or dismissing her due to her youth and gender. Cu Chulainn doesn't want her to die, therefore, he wouldn't have suggested this if he thought there was a chance she would fail. He simply takes it as a matter of course. Outside of her best friends, no one, no one, had displayed such utter faith in her.

Despite the tension in the air, Yoruichi draws in a long breath, flashing Cu Chulainn a slow, brilliant smile. It lights up her face, and she looks at him like he's the only person present. The duel, the enemy, the danger are all forgotten for that brief moment. It's the oddest thing, but she can almost feel something snap into place between them, as though his unquestioning trust had strengthened a newly forming bond.]

Huh.

[She breathes the word, reaching out to touch the last rune. Almost reluctantly, she tears her eyes away from Cu Chulainn to face her opponent. Her warm smile fades to something sharper, regarding Mebd's soldier as no more than an obstacle to be assessed and torn apart. His earlier arrogance is gone, his expression that of a man looking at his own death.]

[red_branch]

[Faith was a tricky thing. When she met his eyes next, he'd seen someone behind hers that he hadn't seen before. Trusting others came easily for him. There were dishonest people that he could trust to lie like vipers and honest people he could trust to give him everything they had. So long as they were true to their nature to the very end, he found it easy to admire them and he hadn't known whether or not Yoruichi would stand up and trust in her strength the way he had. Among the people that stood at the top like they had, some were still too cautious to bet on themselves.

So, when she spoke the word, he lit up. Wild, happily endeared and ready to be her first fan in Ulster, he'd set his hands on his hips and followed her eyes until the moment she turned to face her enemy. The sensation of being on the border of clashing hot and cold winds came with an uncanny stillness, fully present in the nature of his spell. There was a barrier cast in a circle around the two opponents but neither Medb or Medb's men could interfere with the battle. The nature of the spell denied anything but retreat for those in its borders who didn't match the names of the two inscribed.]

Seth Mac Want and Shihouin Yoruichi.

[The two names scribed burned in the air with furiously hot embers. Laeg kept his curses to himself, horrified by Yoruichi's display. He'd wondered if he misjudged the princess and whether she would be the young prince's foil or another source of his near endless fuel. Medb, crossing her arms, turned from the shore and went to take a seat on a boulder half-embedded in the fjord. If she were close to the site of the battle, then she was wholly unconcerned.

Seth, on the other hand, drew his sword in one smooth gesture. There was no signal for the battle to begin but rather--the moment their names were scribed, there was the sense that the spell had taken effect. For the sake of formality? Cu Chulainn lifted a hand and...]

Three.... Two.... One.... Go! [A flash of silver followed. Seth, digging his heels into the grit of the sand and stone beneath him, lunged towards Yoruichi despite the fear that caged him. Sweat ran down his cheeks, eyes bulging to take in the whole of the world at once. By all means, he was far from a trivial opponent in order to stand by Medb's side but he wasn't one who could rise to the rank of a Captain, none the less a prodigy.

The gulf he was trying to cross was simply too vast.]

[goneonenight]

[There are times when it's useful to be underestimated. Holding back some of your power allows you to take your opponent off guard when it's most effective. But hold back too much, and you make yourself into a target for those who prey on the weak.

Seth is clearly caught in an unenviable spot. Back down, and he's sure to be punished by his sadistic bitch of a queen. But he's obviously not convinced he can win this fight. His lunge, respectable enough by most standards, looks painfully slow to Yoruichi. His hand grips his sword too tightly, and he's dripping with sweat despite the fight barely having begun. She might almost feel badly for him, but he'd brought this on himself.

Coolly, she dodges his wild slash, not bothering to unsheathe the sword at the small of her back. Finishing this with her bare hands will send a message. Before he can regain his balance, Yoruichi is inside his reach, too close for him to use his sword. She sends a short, powerful punch into his midsection with enough power to pulverize his ribs and crush his insides. The noise is...disturbing, but she tucks the feeling away to deal with later.

He's dead before he hits the ground, his sword still loosely clasped in his fingers as silence falls around them.]

[red_branch]

Though the great majority of the warriors could see Yoruichi with the assistance of their druids and magi--they couldn't keep up with how she moved. There were a great number of eyes glued to where she'd been, hoping to take in how a foreign warrior did battle but it yielded them little information.

By the time Seth swung, it was apparent to any seasoned warrior that Seth was dead. Even when he'd been intimidated, he performed without flaw but it was no better than acting as a mannequin. Medb's smile cut into her cheeks with fascination as she followed Yoruichi's every move before it was made. The warriors around her remained puzzled by the outcome as the gut-wrenching sound of Seth's body being crushed and collapsing hadn't even hit them before their Queen was skipping forward. Cu Chulainn, who had been busily admiring the stance Yoruichi had taken to raise her fist, found himself puzzled by the Queen's strange awareness of when Ath N'Gabla would break... and when it would permit someone else to enter the field.

He hadn't a moment to offer Yoruichi her deserved praise or even to demand that Seth's body be taken care of with respect before the Queen roared with a peal of delighted laughter. In her hand, she tapped her riding crop without a care for being within the range of someone who'd proven their might as thoroughly as Yoruichi. She'd been only a moment from speaking Yoruichi's praises before she'd turned to face Cu Chulainn, who'd leveled his spear head in her direction with a deep-seated scowl.

"What fool interrupts," He began, gripping his spear so tightly that a thread of blood ran down from his palm. As cool as he kept his voice, he was deep in a well of fury for the arrogance of the Queen who, even then, offered a joyous smile and despite the hushed silence of her bewildered men. Despite Yoruichi's domineering strength and despite Cu Chulainn's rage. "...before the winner is called? Before the one who is killed is buried? Do you not know respect?!"

[goneonenight]

The quiet is broken by Medb's glee, darting towards the fighters without even a glance at her fallen warrior. Yoruichi's dismay at having so easily killed someone is drowned out by a deep upwelling of disgust at the queen's reaction. If there had been any goodwill in her towards the other woman, this would have absolutely killed it.

Even at her young age, Yoruichi knows that the responsibility inherent in her position; the vassal families serve, and in return, House Shihouin protects. Anyone who doesn't understand that dynamic isn't fit to lead. But Medb obviously just sees everyone as pawns, to be thrown away when they're of no more use.

But Yoruichi's anger is nothing compared to Cu Chulainn's, who looks one breath away from gutting Medb where she stands. She shifts, ready to cover him in case he launches an attack; even knowing that she's not fully unaware of all the politics involved, she wouldn't be able to blame him for killing her right here.

Yoruichi looks at the rest of Medb's followers, her expression full of disdain. "This is your queen?" She flicks her hand, letting droplets of Seth's blood patter to the ground. "How many more of you will she throw away?"

[red_branch]

He'd understood what it was like to wear someone else's blood and to feel it grow cold and vile on his skin. What was left on Yoruichi's knuckles had once been a warrior with prospects--someone who might have lived to old age if he were careful and diligent in battle. The potential of a man left absent in the wake of a mad queen's joyful dance left Cu Chulainn hollow in heart, warmed only by the fury Yoruichi kept in check. Behind him, Laeg began to tighten his fingers on the reins of the horses, coming to realize that he had no tether on the two young ones. In the wake of something as horrific as Medb's celebration, they were full of righteous ire and he was only comforted to know that the rest of the queen's soldiers were aligned with him. A battle-hardened princess, a mad warrior and a psychotic queen--

"What you breathe is fury for a warrior lost, darling princess," Medb, her smile unchanged by her disgust and Cu Chulainn's outburst. Were she intimidated, it was only something that would have sent a shudder of delight through her to experience, for she was far beyond them in her reasoning. Tapping her crop against the open heel of her palm, Medb's loving smile settled on Yoruichi. To be ignored--Cu Chulainn's heart raced more feverishly with the crawl of a fury raising cracks in the skin of his cheeks. "Was he really thrown away... or did he have his moment to prove he was a fantastic warrior before his queen? You may have felled him artfully but Seth was glorious when he faced you. He was beautiful."

To hear such a thing, Cu Chulainn grew still. While he couldn't erase, the disgust and fury, he couldn't hear a single lie come from that woman's mouth. Completely and utterly, she spoke with adoration and affection. Love. Though there had been an undercurrent of fear from Medb's soldiers to see Seth fall so swiftly, it had diminished to hear her speak of him in such a way. There were wary looks sent to Yoruichi that grew more determined as the moments passed and, with a boom, a number of them beat their swords and spears against their shields before a rallying cry rose up.

Cu Chulainn could feel the weight of their rally against his bare skin, reverberating through him as if he'd plunged into a foamy storm at sea. There was weight to the respect they held for their queen and he couldn't deny that it was intimidating in its own right. The number of powerful warriors at her beck and call, so passionate that they'd cheer for the death of their own, made him anxious for the first time.

"...Lady Yoruichi," He began, fighting back the bristle of rage threatening to overtake his features. With slow steps, he'd come beside her and lowered his voice. The air around him was fiercely hot, drying up the water at his feet. Her pride, as much as he wanted to avoid besmirching it, had to be considered but there was the matter of time and space. For the force they stopped, there were certainly going to be more. "I'm going to offer her a game. More duels, to buy time and stop any of her other forces from marching... but, I won't ask you to stomach killing more men. Would you send word to my uncle to strengthen the defenses while I address this?"

[goneonenight]

Seth didn't die for anything but Medb's whim. Because his fall hadn't been beautiful, it had been sad. It had taken Yoruichi no effort at all to end his life. She's taken longer to get dressed or finish a meal. It hadn't needed to happen, no matter how strongly Medb has convinced these warriors otherwise. Her charisma is a danger all on its own; with the ability to make zealots of her troops, they'll be borderline crazed to carry out her wishes.

A wash of heat has her turning towards Cu Chulainn, unsurprised to see the fury he struggles to hold back. She bristles a bit when he asks her to go back to arrange the defenses, but she sees the sense in it. Even now, there could be another group on its way to the castle. With their forces still weakened from the last attack, an unexpected force at the gates would be devastating. With her speed, she can give them all a fighting chance.

"Don't worry about me killing people." Her hand itches with the dried blood, but she forces it out of her mind. If she's going to lead a squad of assassins one day, she'll simply have to learn to deal with the discomfort. "I'll go, but I'm coming back. I won't leave you to this on your own."

Like Cu Chulainn, she keeps her voice low so as not to be heard over the noise of Medb's men. "Anything specific I need to tell him?" She'd hate to miss some nuance that the king could use to prepare them better. The sooner she can pass this on, the sooner she can come back and support Cu Chulainn. The thought of him dying out here alone...well. It's not anything she wants to dwell on.

[red_branch]

Each heavy thud of his heart shook his body. The cracks in his skin deepened. Among all the thoughts coalescing in an oily pool in the back of his mind, his promise to Yoruichi held above the surface. The thrum of voices across the shore melted together into praise for Seth, questions of who would take the next duel and whether they could impress their queen. Shihouin's Princess, as Medb referred to her, seemed to be preparing to move out and a number of the warriors surmised correctly that she might be sending word to Conchobor on a course of action, which left them with Cu Chulainn and his jockey. It seemed there was no realistic way for them to consult in secret, leaving him with his frustration.

None of the younger warriors seemed outwardly impressed. He was young, lacking a beard to show his dignity and a title to tie his glory to. Not only that, but from afar--it almost seemed he was quaking. The older warriors seemed more wary, not at all certain what to make of the young man.

He'd shaken his head when she asked him for anymore details.

"Only tell him what you've witnessed here," He began slowly and deliberately. Even as his thoughts began to slip, his first instinct was to keep matters simple. Anymore complex thoughts and he'd start to lose track of his relatively simple plan. "That stupid-ass eye of his works best when you know what's the truth."

[goneonenight]

Drawing this out will just make it harder to leave; even now, she can see Medb's soldiers shifting as if to head her off. Blowing out a short breath, she holds one palm towards the ground.

"Sekienton."

A cloud of red smoke billows from her feet, obscuring her from sight. Before the enemy can do anything but shout in surprise, she's gone, shunpo carrying her well out of range between one blink and the next. Out of habit, she'd paid attention to the path they'd taken from the castle, so she easily makes her way back.

Those on guard are undoubtedly on high alert after yesterday, so she makes sure to come out of shunpo far enough away from the castle so they can see her approaching. Given the urgency, she doesn't want to have to waste time fending off an attack.

They're still on edge on she approaches, and Yoruichi slows to a walk, holding her empty hands up to show she means no harm. She doesn't recognize any of the faces, but if people here gossip the way they do at home, they must all know who she is by now.

"Medb is on her way, and Cu Chulainn's stayed back to buy us time. I need to see the king. Now." Her voice is polite but firm, and her expression makes it clear that she's getting past them one way or the other. Cu Chulainn is capable, but she has no intention of leaving him on his own for any longer than she has to.

[red_branch]

A half-dozen of Medb's druids had stepped out from the fold, staves raised when she called to cast a spell. Medb whistled, feeling generous enough to not critique them over their sluggish reactions. Instead, she offered praise.

"A single word was all it took? You'll have to clear a path to follow her."

With a gentle flourish, Medb had brandished her crop. Two soldiers stepped forward with a few of the druids, determined to pounce and give chase. A number of soldiers began carving runes in the air--screaming when their wrists bent backward instead. Cu Chulainn, keeping his back to the fjord, drew his lips up into a fierce sneer, turning over stones between his fingers with a challenge burning behind his eyes. As quickly as Yoruichi could move--he expected she'd need less than an hour. Elevated, there was a fresher wildness to him in such a way that he seemed almost at home.

"Line up and challenge me or I'll start skewering everyone I see! Queen Medb--call your men to stop their march or I'll reduce your camp to ruin. The only ones allowed past this gap are ones who can take my life!"

Cathbad had been quick to make his way to the gate, supporting his injured arm in a sling. Though they'd only departed in the morning, the swollen bruising had already diminished, though he still seemed pained as he crossed through the crowd to look over the wall to her. With the slightest gesture, he called for the gate to be opened for her--only to hop down before her and lower his voice to a hush. With a wave of his hand, he threw up a wall of darkness between himself and the tense throng of people behind the gate.

"Girl, the king can't even lift his head from his pillow. What in the hell are you doing back here without Cu Chulainn?!"

[goneonenight]

Yoruichi scowls right back as Cathbad hobbles his way towards her. As useful as the old man is, she's not in any mood for his shit right now.

"He sent me to warn you all that Medb is sending people this way." She quickly summarizes their meeting with the queen, glossing over her duel with the unfortunate Seth. The fight still rubs her the wrong way, but there's no time to deal with that now. "He started changing into that...form from yesterday." She's worried about the toll it might take on him; something that uses up that much energy must be punishing to sustain.

"I need to get back to him. Do you need me to do anything here first?" Despite the speed with with she'd made her way back, Yoruichi is nowhere near her limit, and fairly buzzing with the need to return to Cu Chulainn. He's already someone whose loss would hurt, and she doesn't plan on finding out how much.

[red_branch]

Cathbad's weight fell on one side, beads of sweat running from his brow to his cheek simply with the exertion of moving himself on his post. Though his frustration ebbed when she started giving him her breakdown, the old man was left with a stark flush of uneasiness that left him red from fretting. Grasping the front of his robe, he'd mopped sweat from his eyes with a grumble undisguised in its fury. Yoruichi was their messenger and his best hope of protecting the prince and yet he knew they were both impulsive and willing to act.

He'd grimaced, "There's nothing to do here that you'd be suited for, girl but you can't fly back to him at fool speed."

It was written plain on her--that willfulness that bled into how she'd held her feet as if she were waiting for the approval to dive right back into things. Lifting his staff, he snapped it out to 'thump' her calf with a scowl. Strangely, he hadn't lashed out quickly to catch her off guard, throwing it out as if he knew where her foot would fall, leaving behind an icy cold mark in the shape of a rune on her calf.

"Relax those feet, girl! No matter how sweet on you that brat is, if he's flown into a frenzy--he'll react to anything coming up on him fast. This rune'll cool you off if he's burning up but it won't do a thing if he turns the Eye on you."

[goneonenight]

Yoruichi scowls back, hissing at the icy rune now on her calf. It's all she can do not to thump him in return, but the old man is injured enough. The battle and its aftermath have clearly taken a toll, and she knows he'll be needed in the defense preparations as well.

Thanks to Medb, no one will be getting time to recover anytime soon.

She looks down at her leg, giving it a shake as the initial cold subsides. "Fine, I won't go back at top speed." But there's no time to waste, either; she'll ease up about halfway back, making sure to approach Cu Chulainn more slowly. Given the approaching threat, the last thing they need is to weaken their own forces by fighting each other.

"How do I activate it? Does it just react if I get near too much heat, or do I need to be touching him?"

[red_branch]

Cathbad's nostrils flared, a lance of pain running through him to be wielding magic in his condition, but he was on edge.

"Touching him direct should be your last plan," He'd shuddered, leaning on his staff. Sweat was running in rivulets down his cheek as, beside his injury, he was focusing on a spell far beyond his normal limits. Even if he laid himself in bed, there was really no time to rest even for him.

"We use it to cool him off by soaking up the heat around him and expelling it into water but you might not have much around to disperse it. Hit somebody with it and it'll vent a bit."


Cathbad sighed, grimacing, "If you don't expel the heat it takes in, you'll lose that leg."

-

The front portion of Medb's cart had been sheared away, flames licking the seat where her driver had once been. There was a blackened mark where he'd once been. Her ears were ringing and her soldiers were beginning to pick themselves up but, after the last duel, no one rose to challenge Cu Chulainn right away. In a way, Yoruichi's way of killing had been much more appealing than what they were facing. The water boiled around Cu Chulainn's ankles. Twenty duels. Twenty dead. Only the last left his spearhead in Cu Chulainn's stomach and it hadn't even registered to him. He'd simply raised his sword and beckoned for the next.

Medb thumbed the guard of her crop and considered her options, her listless gaze betraying how infuriated she was becoming. One thought crossed her mind--that it would have been ideal if that soul reaper princess were to come back sooner. She needed her there. Shihouin Yoruichi was the piece she needed to clear that river.

[goneonenight]

[Yoruichi heads back towards Cu Chulainn, making sure to slow down as she gets closer to him. Even from a distance she can see the steam rising off the surface of the water, and she knows she's going to have to use the rune Cathbad gave her.

Even if she's still irritated that he said she could lose her leg using it. Who does that without asking??

There's no way for her to tell if he's in that killing rage or not, but she can definitely see what looks like a couple dozen bodies littering the riverbank. Yoruichi does her part by launching a couple of throwing knives at two of the soldiers on the edge of the group. One catches it in the shoulder, while the other is hit dead in the throat.

She comes to a stop, well away from both Cu Chulainn and Medb's group. She holds back a wince at the sight of the spearhead embedded in his belly; that's a nasty wound, and he won't be able to move around much without it doing more damage. Making sure everyone is in her view, she calls out to Cu Chulainn.]

Were you planning to leave me any?

[There's no sign of worry in her voice or manner, she's balanced on her feet and ready to attack or defend as needed.]

[red_branch]

[Cu Chulainn stole a glance Yoruichi's way simply to make certain she'd arrived without injury only to give pause as his eyes fell to the presence of a familiar rune placed on her calf. His lips flattened, his scowl turning more grave as a curse fell from him.]

That old stone should know respect for royalty. Must be senile, using a princess as leverage.

[Grunting, he'd lowered his sword but not his guard. Were there orders to strike at a time such as that, none had taken it. With Yoruichi within reach, they'd all become acutely aware that ambushes would land them in worse a position. When he looked to Medb, Cu Chulainn realized she was drinking from a wineskin and yanking a man twice her size to his knees so she could kiss him--wine running between their cheeks and down their chins.

He'd only bothered checking his wound when he realized Yoruichi had been staring at it and grimaced when he'd seen just how much blood had spilled from it--realizing too late that the warrior Medb had kissed had grown a couple feet in size. Medb touched his cheek and let him stand, popping a finger in her mouth to save an excess of wine lost. She'd run her fingers over his bicep, exposed between bristly plates in his armor and he'd shuddered.

There was power thrumming through him, boiling enough to create a red fog around his heels.]

The two of them made you lose your nerve but I know you're more incredible than that. Will you fight for me, Foich? Will you put fear in their hearts for standing against my right to opulence?

Aye.

[Foich lifted his axe with one hand--snapping his free hand up to catch something that nearly struck him in the face. His palm was smoking and he'd seemed particularly unbothered when he saw Cu Chulainn's hand held out. He'd been the one to throw the stone, loosing a snort from his nostrils. Not good.]

Not just for show, is it?

[goneonenight]

[Astonishingly--or maybe not, seeing how single-minded Cu Chulainn could be--he hadn't even seemed to notice his wound until she got there. She doesn't let her concern show, as there's no sense giving the enemy any further advantage.

The sight of Medb molesting yet another one of her soldiers prompts a disgusted sigh. Bad enough she throws her soldiers away the way she does, but to give them her obviously false signs of affection beforehand makes it even worse. Yoruichi likes to tease and play pranks, but toying with someone like that has never been her style.

Her eyes narrow as Foich swells to a monstrous size; his pain tolerance and strength have clearly been affected as well. She doesn't know what kind of technique that is, but she does know it has to be hard to adjust to suddenly fighting in a different body than the one you've trained with for years. She remembered getting annoyed when her breasts started to grow, and Kisuke was uncharacteristically clumsy during an adolescent growth spurt. If that's the case with this guy, she may be able to take advantage.]

Doesn't matter how big he gets. [Her words are addressed to Cu Chulainn, but they carry far enough for them all to hear.] He'll just make a bigger mess when he's dead.

[She looks Foich dead in the eye.] Are we going to get on with this? I'm not kissing you though--I don't do leftovers.

[If she can goad him in attacking and get his attention off Cu Chulainn for a bit, she figures she has a better chance of gauging how best to take him down.]

[red_branch]

[There wasn't a soul among Ulster's men who hadn't known of Medb, except for himself. When she'd made an effort to seduce Conchobor through a series of camp greetings and flirtatious rendezvous in the countryside, Cu Chulainn had been training in the Shadow Lands. He hadn't any chance to really see what Medb was capable of but there were some things that pierced his inexperience's fog.

At first, the wineskin hadn't seemed terribly abnormal to him but the transformation she brought about by sharing a drink through a kiss with him was more than enough to cement that one rumor.

Foich took long strides through the shallow water on his way to approach the both of them but came to a sharp halt at Yoruichi's call. He straightened his back, thick muscle twitching as a newfound dose of adrenaline seemed to make the entirety of him a tense and wound-up battle aching to begin. Cu Chulainn sighed, tightening his fingers around the handle of his sword and drawing it from its scabbard.]

Don't think you needed to taunt him quite so much. [It should have become apparent, with the gleam of that well-maintained axe and its unnatural arc, that most anything in the way of Foich's swing would be severed--including everything beyond it for hundreds of feet. His face twisted, distorted by anger, pain and the cathartic release of gaining access to immense strength beyond his normal means. That monstrous strength ignited the air around that blade aimed so brutishly for her throat, splinters forming in its handle from the power of his grip.

From the corner of her eye, she was sure to see Cu Chulainn coming from the side not in some meaningless effort to save her but to capitalize on what she would do once attacked. His own blade curved, twisting and sliding through Foich's bicep bloodlessly.]

[goneonenight]

Yoruichi scoffs as Foich absorbs her words, sparing Cu Chulainn the briefest glance. "It's not like he's in his right mind anyway. He wants us dead either way." There's nothing in their opponent's expression but rage and a disturbing bloodlust. She doesn't know if Medb made him this way or if the transformation simply built on what was already there, but it's clear he plans to enjoy inflicting as much pain as possible.

Cu Chulainn's attack slows the blow by just a hair, but by all appearances it's not enough. The giant axe carves through Yoruichi's torso, her expression full of shock and pain as her upper body is completely severed at the waist. Foich lets out a roar of truly unwholesome joy, triumphant at having struck the first blow against the stranger who had done his comrades so much damage.

Or so it appears.

In a blink, Yoruichi's corpse disappears to reveal the sliced sleeve she'd ripped off during Foich's advance. It's the first time she's used Cicada in battle, and she allows herself a brief sigh of relief. As he gapes at the spot where her afterimage had stood, she uses shunpo to get behind him. Stabbing him in the kidney doesn't seem to do much, so she follows it up with a punch that should have pulverized his rib cage.

He staggers, but still doesn't fall. Medb's technique has given him incredible durability; Yoruichi might be impressed if she didn't loathe the other woman so much.

[red_branch]

"Is it even him anymore?" What Yoruichi threw into Foich's stomach was nothing less than a fatal blow. The grind and crunch of bone and the quieting echo of muscles tearing apart made it impossible to think that the man would be capable of getting back up, none the less continuing their battle.

Cu Chulainn followed every twitch and spasm of that man's body with a predatory gaze, his body held tight as a muscle with every intent to sprint. From where he stood in the fjord, water flowing over his ankles stained by a deep crimson from Foich's dripping wounds, he'd simply kept his eyes on their immediate priority. Foich, gasping and retching, was still standing. One hand clutched his side in vain, as if trying to capture something crushing his chest and remove it only to find bloody splinters of bone raised from torn skin.

He wanted to admire that beast of a man for standing as long as he had, whether or not that tenacity came from Medb's spell or not.

It was only then that his thoughts all ceased. In those few moments, he and Yoruichi were forced to take Foich seriously. The man might have had borrowed power but he commanded their focus--their attention. In that short time, Medb and her chariot had vanished. He stood at attention suddenly, turning to face where her chariot had been, stunned by the realization that, somehow, she'd snuck from them silently. It wasn't until he heard the crack of thunder from that same spot that he'd realized she hadn't done so quietly. She'd rerouted in a flash.

"Noticed, eh?" Foich choked out his words around thick clumps of blood as the frenzy began to leave him and the parts of him that were stunted from failure were finding their chance to degrade. Cu Chulainn watched him, wide-eyed. A cold feeling lanced through his heart as he watched that man crumble under the weight of those wounds. "Gave her majesty her chance to... lead her forces..."

[goneonenight]

Yoruichi is so focused on her opponent that she makes a mistake that would have gotten her sharply chastised by her teachers--she fails to notice the soldiers leaving until the thunderclap heralding their departure. She swears under her breath, only bothering to answer Foich with two last swipes across the backs of his legs, severing his tendons. Even if he managed a last lunge, he wouldn't make it far.

She has no idea about the range of the technique Medb used--how far ahead are they? Are they already at the castle itself? Her eyes fly up to Cu Chulainn's. That wound to his belly is nasty; he's still standing, but that's a far cry from being able to run to head off an army.

But she won't insult him by making the choice for him. "We have to get back." Her voice is firm. She'll go herself if she has to, but this is his home. Yoruichi already knows he'll defend it to his last breath.

"Can you make it?" She's got plenty of energy--they may be able to spare a few minutes for her to at least apply first aid level of healing. But will it be enough?