<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

Beyond her other skills and abilities, Maki proved herself to be quite the open individual. Taking the instructions of an E-rank was one thing, but taking that same E-rank's request to take on the B-rank horde for even a second? That was a different matter entirely. She took the time to announce 'last man standing' in regards to the Tanker both were willing to abandon. As Yugi had a few moments before the swarm was in the right position, he looked over. "That's not true. There's still..." He paused there. One other member was on their team, but that man had managed to be ensnared around the legs by spiderwebs and set upon by an ant. "Oh damn. Last man standing," he corrected himself. Either way, Yugi had something more important to focus on. Ants and spiders were in position, so he started moving in a startlingly similar way to Maki's earlier onslaught. There were some heavy alterations as he wielded a sword instead of a naginata. Even so, those changes still allowed him to make contact with the encroaching creatures and inflict fatal damage in... most cases. When he finished that distorted mirror of Maki's sequence, one spider remained functional. Yugi thought it was time to test his countering ability. He adjusted the movements seen in Maki to lodge his blade into the ground when that remaining spider aimed its thorax his way. Using the sword as leverage, he swung himself around to kick the spider, turning its body toward their remaining teammate's assailant. Once the ant was ensnared, Yugi stood atop the spider's thorax, dislodged his sword and stabbed it through the thorax he stood upon. "But wrong target. Ready?"

Meanwhile, Kenta was at the receiving end of Miko's response. Part of his plan had been ruined by a Mage looking the part of a fire specialist, yes ─ but that wasn't going to stop his overarching plan. "Steps change, plans don't! No fire? Hit it with what we've got!" Kenta demanded. At the same time however, Miko was pointing out weak points on the centipede, which the swordsman found... increasingly odd. "... Explain," he said, blade cleaving through the residual webs of a fallen spider. As for their Mage, his aim was brought into question. He was still channeling Frozen Mist, but could presume she meant for him to target that giant centipede. "Uhh, not incredible? I'm nearsighted! I don't have much range anyway. G-gomen!" he announced.

[Apollymi]

Maki wasn't an open individual, she considered herself fair. If someone had a skill set that was better than hers at something she'd allow them freely within that spot. The lad currently calling the shots had better ideas that brute forcing their way through a horde, and as such she'd take his advice. What she didn't expect though, was for him to show a prowess with physical techniques, which were similar enough to her own style of movement to make her brows furrow. 'Is he learning or does he always fight like that?' she couldn't help but wonder as her eyes followed him as fast as she could move them. Odd though it was, it seemed he had a pretty good time of handling the horde even managing to save their fence-sitting teammate that lone fighter who'd not joined the other two in their death march against the ants. "Still pretty impressive regardless. I'm ready, what's next?" Maki wondered seemingly unfazed by death be it creatures or humans dying around her.

Meanwhile, Miko's group had some success with keeping themselves on the back end safe from the incoming horde. Kenta on the other hand was claiming that while steps had changed the overall plan hadn't changed at all. "Okay but that still wouldn't have done us any good if we were being picked off by ants and spiders you weren't drawing the aggro of," Miko said as a logical extension. Still, there was a big creature to kill and another snap would be added of her fingers aimed at the top-knot swordsmen as she figured telling him about the weaknesses would help him in being the main source of damage. But he wanted an explanation. "Well, heads are almost always weak points. Hitting around that forth segment will likely keep it from spewing poison, at least temporarily, as that's the point that expands before it does it. And the 10th one might cut its mobility a bit. My partner has been teaching me to observe. It might not be foolproof but it's something to work with," Miko asserted. The System marked those places and Miko herself knew a bit based on the sounds the creature made, the rest was a bit of on the fly thinking but she assumed the Fatal Edge skill was something like critical damage marker she could fill in the rest with common sense terms. As for her last idea, the Icicle the mage claimed he had wasn't one which could be shot off with incredible accuracy. He was near-sighted and as such his aim wasn't particularly good. "No need to apologize. No one's great at everything... We can move a bit closer and you can aim for wide spaces without any people around them in that case. The ice will continue to slow it, even if you can't hit a precise target. Just don't maim anyone in the process and we should be golden," Miko thought throught hat part. With a fair bit of ease. "I'll keep the bugs off us in the meantime," she decided flipping that staff of hers upside down and splashing out frozen bursts of water on any stragglers approaching while the more damage oriented party members did their thing too. She was also careful enough to avoid any of the others moving around, having a very good understanding of the other people in the group based on sound alone, and making sure to keep an eye on the top-knot guy. Miko to her credit was also keeping Yugi's words in mind, wondering when she was going to be 'sacrificed', in fairness she was undermining him but she also didn't want to die, nor did she want anyone else to if it wasn't necessary.

[Bloodedge]

Though one life was spared for the moment, another was sacrificed. One thing Yugi could hear during his onslaught was the gurgled screaming of that Tanker, who could now be seen having his throat chewed through by one ant while others piled atop his body. No matter. Yugi only cared to save the one who didn't make a moronic decision today. In doing so, showing his combat ability got that Fighter silently on the side of him and Maki... but there were a few things left to do. He cleaved through the thorax of the spider beneath him with little difficulty, gaining a bit of edge from the Fatal Edge Skill. Looking to the remaining Fighter, he gave one piece of advice before moving on. You've got a spear. Keep range, avoid webs entirely, and aim quick strikes at bodies. Go for maiming before killing," he said. As for Maki, who was ready for the next step... Yugi pointed his blade at the second centipede: their target. Those crimson eyes with asymmetrical tomoe, however, were looking straight at Maki. "Next, I want you to put everything you've got into launching me at that big bitch over there. While I'm up, you vault right behind me. I think you and I could manage a little 'sky dance' to build some extra momentum. Watch out for poison though."

Miko and Kenta weren't going to agree. Well, Kenta didn't want to get on that one's bad side too much; she was too interesting a lass. A little E-rank brought over to his side instead of remaining full of animosity would be a good thing, he thought. "I've done my fair share of real Dungeons, little lady! You think it's better to tire yourself out dealing with small fry? Be my guest and die like the last team!" he said, choosing to take the 'hardass' approach. The swordsman had more actual animosity to offer, strangely enough. After his demand for an explanation, Miko gave the purpose for those weak points. He scoffed. "Not what I meant. At all," the man said. He was still moving around, in and out of the freezing radius while keeping his body active for proper blood flow. "Forget the little guys. I'll take care of them as long as this zone is up. Focus on getting that centipede down so Sato can shut up." It seemed he had some established priorities, if nothing else. That Mage was advised to move closer, which he'd sadly need Kenta for, given the centipede's attack pattern. "I... think I can do that. Sato-san, can you push forward?" he requested timidly, taking a position close behind Sato. As for Sato himself, the idea of an E-rank being listened to over himself wasn't very appealing at all. Why couldn't this group just follow orders when he gave them initially? Maybe... after he made a bit more progress toward the first centipede, he'd make sure they all learned a lesson ─ two for the brunette.

[Apollymi]

One life was spared while Yugi showed off his ability. His fighting prowess was definitely something worth respecting. What was more, the lad even had advice for the other fighter. "That's pretty solid," Maki muttered finding that advice to be good considering he'd need to mostly take care of himself with that spear of his. It seemed that after all of that the spear wasn't even going to call into question the lad's rank, which was likely a good thing, considering the A-rank Tanker was definitely taking his last breath, not not following simple directions. But what about saying something to Maki. Yugi looked directly at her and Maki saw uneven tomoe in red eyes, something she recognized but she also immediately looked away. "Woops," she muttered aloud. 'Why the fuck does he actually have a Sharingan?!' that might have been one of the coolest things she'd seen in a while. And perhaps she'd have geeked out about it a bit more in a different situation. Ah, but a certain amount of that couldn't be stopped especially not when there was a plan ahead. Hearing what he wanted to do the girl cracked a smile on her face. "That's the most awesome shit I've heard in ages. Let's go!~" she said, respecting the flex of that kind of activity and happily appreciating the fact that the lad in question was willing to put his safety in her hands. It was worth a bit more confidence than he could know, and way more than she'd realize. But before anything else, she took an odd stance rooting herself into the ground and allowing her naginata to be the point he could launch off of, when he hopped into place, she'd lift with all her might and send him flying into the target centipede. As soon as he's launched she'd spin that naginata around and use it as a pole to launch herself right after him pulling that with him. While he flew he'd likely see a notice,

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — BOND ROUTE UNLOCKED〕

Bond Route: Zen'in Maki
Status Update Detected.

Intimacy has reached 25%.

Route Activated: “Steel & Shadow”

Objective: Deepen connection with Zen'in Maki.

Current Progress: 25%

Warning:
This route carries moderate volatility.
Zen'in Maki does not tolerate weakness or half-measures.
Failure to maintain favor may result in:

• Permanent loss of her respect
• Targeted sparring challenges (no holding back)
• “Steel Rejection” debuff

Reward Teaser:

• Exclusive Title: [Steel Shadow]
• Access to restricted close-combat insights
• Personal favor from Zen'in Maki (value: lethal)

Accept Invitation?
[ACCEPT] / [DENY]

*Refusal may permanently lock this route.*

*The System advises compliance.*

In the meantime, Miko had at least a couple of these individuals on her side. It wasn't about that for her currently, she was instead trying to get them meeting back up with some real damage dealers as quickly as possible. Ah, but now Miko was being lectured. Sato Kenta decided to share information with her, he'd been through his fair share of dungeons and advised against wasting time on smaller creatures. Perhaps he could be considered right, in the microscope of closed in spaces, but... in the open they were surrounded and could be picked off by numerous creatures not just the centipedes. In fact, Miko would say he was more dangerous to everyone present than any of the creatures, but instead of saying anything she looked at him. 'He doesn't know, but that kind of speech would only work, if I didn't know he'd bragged to Makima about how strong his team was before leading them to their deaths...' Miko thought her face mostly blanked. Those big eyes studying his face. His words weren't the flex he thought they were, mostly because she'd heard him bragging about his team before this Dungeon broke. Admittedly someone like him couldn't be a hard ass with her, such things were reserved for those actually capable of leadership. No, instead her attention turned to the swordsman who was a much better person than the Tanker. "If you meant something else, I'll have to explain later," Miko offered gently. She couldn't clarify things for him, but that didn't matter. No, she was content to keep up the work she said she would. If he had the back end for them, she'd help the Mage with the bad eyes a bit. Snapping a couple more barriers onto herself and him for safety purposes because given how timid he was she didn't trust the Tanker to do as he claimed. And as they got into position, Miko readied herself to back up the Mage she would be found behind them, "Remember to breathe, holding your breath won't help your aim. Let go with the exhale," Miko offered her own understanding of such things from her time spent in open fields. She also kept her ears open and her eyes on the people in front of her, she trusted the top-knot swordsman to have her back.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed Yugi had forgotten a matter he, himself, had previously brought up. He looked to Maki, and she looked to him... only to avert her gaze with an uttered 'whoops' after what seemed to be recognition. "Oh, right. Yeah... don't worry about that. I said that for the dumbasses who'd waste time asking questions. I can answer yours later," he said. Irrespective of that, Maki seemed rather excited for the plan of attack he suggested. With that sort of enthusiasm present, there was no point in waiting around. "You're goddamn right it is! When we're both up, I'll send you in for the first strike. We'll down it in two!" he claimed. Without further ado, he sprinted in Maki's direction and leaped onto the upper end of her naginata's pole. When she launched, his legs extended for a bit of extra boost ─ not that he seemed to need much of that. "Woo!" he shouted on the way up. Maki was soon to be upon him, but first came a notification from the System... about a new route. 'A merit-based route spawn, huh? Right up my alley,' he thought. Just then, Maki was right next to him in the air. The centipede had already become privy to their presence, but Yugi had a way of dealing with its likeliest attack. He quickly ensured the 'Doctor's Pet' title was equipped before extending a hand toward Maki. When the centipede turned its head toward them and aimed to spray its venom, he'd be rotating to take that blast to the back. Though he grimaced upon being struck, Maki would remain safe as he continued to twist, intending to launch Maki at the centipede's head while it recovered from its own attack. He didn't seem worried about that poisoning at all. "Shell's hard. Hit it right in the middle; I'll follow!"

The Mage of Team 1 had a plan to follow. All he had to do was stick behind Kenta until they were close enough for an attack. Of course, Kenta seemed to be following along nicely, pushing through the swarm and making decent headway despite how many attacks were battering his shield. The Mage was trying to keep Miko's advice in mind, keeping his eye on the centipede's body and finding it marginally easier to focus by the step. The more strikes Kenta took though, the more his active defense seemed to be slipping... just enough to allow an ant or two to slip by after charging. Yes, that would be the approach Kenta took. If he let a single ant get by enough to target that brunette, he could play the hero, and even teach that finnicky Mage a lesson by abandoning him to save the girl. Ah, and the swordsman wasn't going to be much good either, now that he was occupied defending the rear.

[Apollymi]

Yugi and Maki were becoming a bit closer, through a combined effort in a fight. Still, she'd incidentally seen his eyes and wanted to question them, but wouldn't as they were obviously a point of secrecy. Still, it seemed he was willing to share such a secret and she could only nod. "That's cool... I have way more questions than I'm comfortable with," Maki claimed. Well, mostly she wanted to have the general conversation of fangirling. Perhaps she just hadn't wanted it enough. No matter, what she did want, was this push forward. The rest of the plan came together naturally and both of them were soon airborne. The lad in question took a hit of poison but he seemed relatively unbothered. The spun and then Maki was sent back down, a smirk crossing her face as she was tossed with a bit more effort towards the creature. "Ryokai~" she claimed that naginata of hers would be used to perform a hard sweeping strike to the creatures head. She fully intended to crack that exoskeleton and her physical fitness became a point of obviousness as she twisted herself around to fall out of the way for the follow up attack.

While a trio had moved on to clearing a centipede, the other group was barely making headway. Sato Kenta could claim all he wanted that the little creatures weren't a problem but in an open space they were way to free to move. Miko was behind the ice mage, giving encouragement and listening to the ants slipping by. She wondered if that other healer had properly gotten out of the way, given the few that were slipping by. 'I wonder if this is a part of the plan?' Miko held a certain curiosity but she put it away and aimed an precise water jet from that staff she still had active at the ant nearest her form. She wasn't afraid but she knew the mage in front of her would be. Miko was willing to take Yugi's words about this man at face value, if he was going to set himself up to be a hero, he'd likely sacrifice her or the mage to make his 'hardass' point from earlier, with the assumption that the swordsmen wouldn't catch up and that she wasn't strong enough to damage the ants herself. But she was, and if she used her real catalyst she'd probably do so easier but it wasn't the time for that now, she was keeping the water staff out as support, so she could help with the accuracy of fired off icicles.

[Bloodedge]

The length of conversation Yugi would have with Maki was to be determined, but he was sure it would be quite time-consuming. Since a route appeared, he also figured it would lead to far more interesting places. Beyond that, Maki would be a very interesting sparring partner if he needed such a thing. They were currently of similar strength, both with strange mana situations attributed to them. For the moment, he could call her a proper peer... but that would only last so long. The first stepping stone to advancement came after he flung Maki toward the centipede, where her naginata formed a nice crack in its shell. Yugi stared at that crack as he descended afterwards, chanting one thing mentally. 'Activate Skill: Fatal Edge,' he thought. The crack in that centipede's skull was glowing brightly the way he saw it... and Yugi had a wonderful idea. "Watch close! I think it's gonna be awesome!" he announced. Yugi's chokuto was aimed downward for Fatal Edge's decisive strike, adding channeled lightning to its blade. Ah, but there was one more thing. 'Activate Skill... Black Flash!' he chanted mentally. The System acknowledged every command made in Yugi's mind, triggering a critical strike from the downward thrust. If that and the lightning weren't enough, the activation of Black Flash automatically channeled through the lightning itself. The ensuing mana explosion from the centipede's head caused a large surge of lightning that had become black in color, cackling out around Yugi as he landed on the insect's head. He didn't seem affected by that venom at all. In fact, his physical stamina was steadily rising instead ─ which let Yugi flip himself off the falling creature's head. He pulled his hood into place, and landed in a squatting position, still drenched in venom.

[LEVEL UP!]

At the same time, Team 1's Mage was distracted by that ant passing him by. Kenta was a better Tanker than that, wasn't he? It looked like things would become rather dangerous for their alleged E-rank Hunter, but then... she struck it with a water jet. The Mage followed her initiative, wasting one Icicle Lance to at least freeze the creature where it stood. "I got it!" he exclaimed. Kenta didn't like that. The girl was supposed to be endangered, that he might abandon the Mage and be the savior of their weakest member. Ah, but he could still manage something. As if he didn't know the others were liable to make less progress forward, Kenta advanced more quickly to create more space between himself and the others. The centipede attacked him directly, but his shield was large enough to hold its jaw open in an effort to fend the giant bug off. From there, he'd be swinging that axe at its teeth while leaving the others to fend for themselves. Ah, but he couldn't afford to look back. Kenta couldn't realize those three were doing fine without him, both males even taking position around the E-rank. The Mage was even aiming his wand over Kenta's shoulder. Shaky though it was, he was trying to resolve himself ─ trying to aim an Icicle Lance right into the insect's open maw. "I-I... can't steady a shot!"

[Apollymi]

Yugi and Maki were doing quite a good job together. Both of them seemed to be helping towards the progress of downing that particular creature. After making that official first strike Maki fell towards the ground landing and righting herself while Yugi took up the next part. He claimed she should watch because something awesome was about to happen. And in truth she was quite curious about the 'Pupils of Hunter Gojo' and boy did Yugi do a good job of cementing several ideas. The combination of skills he used was crazy. It looked liked something straight out of a manga panel. "Sugei!~" that was it. There was nothing more that Maki could have said as black lightning and a critical strike hit a creature and took it down. He wasn't wrong, it'd fallen in two strikes in epic fashion. The lad had even managed to put on a hood and land in style still covered in venom. "That was totally awesome!" mentioned Maki, of course it confirmed several things. This lad was not, under any circumstances, an 'E-rank' of any kind of standard order. He'd definitely earned the title of Gojo's apprentice in whatever way and she absolutely made the right choice following his lead in this. If nothing else, his strength spoke for itself and if you could be strong and flashy well, all the better. Her eyes were sparkling as she wondered over the progress of the others in the background.

That level notification and the sound of chirping birds let Miko know exactly what was happening in the distance. Given their forward progress and the actions of the mage, she could assume he was getting more comfortable. He'd get her first address as his type really needed to know they were doing alright, technically speaking with his decreased range he could use a bit more encouragement. "Hai♪~ You really did. You just gotta hit stuff in your own comfort range, and have a little confidence. Trust yourself a little more~" Miko encouraged him on a personal level. She'd continue what she did, even as Sato pushed forward and put space between them. Obviously, this situation wasn't going according to his plan so he'd decided to change it again. "One of the centipedes has been taken down. It's looking like progress is being made~" Miko said encouraging her own group, by speaking of overall success. Clearing up the Dungeon Break was a group effort after all. The males having taken up their spots, Miko was between them, she heard the complaints of the Ice Mage who couldn't steady his own shot and offered more assistance in the form of guidance and words. "It's okay. Listen to me..." she offered her voice as a point of calmness. "Take a deep breath and relax let the mana flow naturally, down your arm, into your finger tips and into the wand. Eyes on the target, arm steady.... follow this and exhale♪~" she gave him soft words, drowning out everything else, and raising that water staff. Another jet stream of water steady into that open mouth with pressure and her own body and an extended arm aiming to help steady the man beside her. If he couldn't do it on his own, she'd help... and the stream of water would add spread to an icicle once it was fired.

[Bloodedge]

There were some tough exteriors out there in the world. One form of tough exterior Yugi enjoyed was the type that appeared in girls like Maki. Those types made it that much more interesting when the 'girly' interior was revealed. Perhaps he'd acquired himself another fangirl after that maneuver? Yugi didn't have much experience with those in reality; it was a nice thought. He bowed with a flourish, deciding there was now ample opening to accept that 'Steel & Shadow' route. It seemed they were also the first to take down a centipede. Team 1 were currently struggling against theirs, and... well, he'd lost visual on Team 3 some time ago. Team 2 had even been reduced to two ─ three if one counted a trembling spearman. Oh well; Yugi was more interested in accepting the compliment of Maki's outburst, along with her route. "Figured you'd think so. Team 1 should be done in a minute. We'll have an opening to form a decent group after that. I... lost track of the other group, but the third centipede is still way over there. So..." Yugi paused there, placing himself back-to-back with Maki once more. There was still some fodder to deal with while they waited. "Time to kill, time to chat?"

The Mage of Team 1 had managed to be of use. He'd have the nerve to be a little happy about that later, when the lives of himself and others weren't at stake. Still, he'd gladly accept Miko's encouragement. "Hai!" he said. Hearing that one of the other centipedes had been felled before his own team could manage one, Kenta became a bit antsy. How could that happen? He'd taken the best group, the best general setup for tackling insects! If only they'd listened. Obviously he had more lessons to teach whenever they got their act together and worked to take down this centipede. Luckily, the Mage was working on steadying himself with Miko's additional advice. He breathed deeply, slacked his shoulders slightly, and focused mana through his arm. The wand he carried began feeling more like an extension than a tool. After a few moments of deep breathing, he exhaled... and released. "Icicle Lance!" he shouted as ice formed a spearhead to shoot over Kenta's shoulder. The Mage's aim still wasn't perfect; that shot did clip the corner of Kenta's oversized shield before joining the water stream Miko sent along. Nevertheless, it was effectively launched into the centipede's open maw. Kenta felt the chomping insect's jaw weakening by the moment, as though it were dying slowly. "Finally! It's going down!" he exclaimed, stepping onto the monster's tongue to push that shield against the roof of its mouth and further stretch its jaw. "Did I do it?!" asked the Mage, who'd closed his eyes right after releasing the shot.

[Apollymi]

Yugi did have a certifiable fangirl in this young woman, though she likely wouldn't show it outwardly. No, instead they could happily stay rooted in their victory and she'd appreciate his ability to be both competent and flashy. "Hm? Really? I figured if they were close to done it was likely the swordsman and maybe your friend. That Ice Mage was squinting and I know why people do that..." Maki stated of her understanding of the situation playing out over there. As for the third team, she sighed, "I'm not surprised that team hasn't made any headway... no real range," she offered her own understanding of the situations that were playing out as she ended up back to back with the lad again he claimed he might want to kill time and chat. "Hai hai, kill the small stuff and chat, give the rest a safe place to regroup," she offered. "And chat I guess, I will say it's pretty obvious you aren't E-ranked, if anyone has a brain, are you on clean-up?" she wondered why the pair had bothered with something as annoying as an insect Dungeon Break.

The Ice Mage was on his way. Miko figured he could likely use a catalyst upgrade and some glasses, but that would be fine. She also made a mental box to talk about what she noticed from this one, and the other healer, both didn't seem to understand mana flow as mages, and both were not getting the most out of their catalyst. If nothing else. Perhaps Makima wasn't aware of the underlying issues people like Miko had the time in her training dungeon to work through. That didn't matter though, she'd managed to talk the man through the build up and firing of an easier Icicle Lance which though it clipped the shield of Sato, the attack found its home in the creatures mouth, it was slowly dying Miko could tell, but she'd rather they finished it off and moved out. "Hai hai♪~ Great job. Eyes open when you shoot though, it'll help!~" Miko chimed as she kept up her own firing into the mouth of that creature as well. "Can you hit another one, or do you need a bit more time?" Miko wondered over things like cool downs and mana pools for more normal people. She knew herself to be approximately B-ranked currently but she also had quite a few cheats. Even her current precision blasting wasn't costing her much by way of mana. "Nii-san, are we about clear back here? A finishing blow can give us time to head towards Team 2 to regroup..." Miko gave the general outline of her plan, fully intending to abandon this area for now, given the sheer number of creatures they'd not managed to take out.