A Bro's Life (AGG-ish Anime Bro Quest)

[X] ...to grab Yato. You'll take this thing on together. Your first real fight. Let's do this. (Will fight the oni using UMT with Yato; ???)

[X] ...to take Kuziwa down. You can't bring yourself to cut his arm off. But you can't get the oni out of him as you are. You'll just...try to knock him out and hope for the best.

Rolls: 37, 23, and 33.

Your feet carry you faster and farther than they ever have before. You think you put more effort into running those few feet toward the end of the arena than any time you were rushing back to the apartment from work. You doubted you even had to do that. It was only a few feet away. But before an actual, honest to the Gods monster that was wielding a sword that could hurt you?

It certainly didn't feel like you were moving fast enough.

Vaguely, you're aware of the emptiness of the arena. Outside you hear the sounds of running and shoving. Students and otherwise panicking while trying to get out of the building. You briefly wonder where Yamato is in all of that. If he's safe, if he's gotten away from this place, and what exactly he plans to do about all of this?

Then those thoughts leave you as you reach the end of the stairs. You feel the air behind you get parted, the hair on your neck standing on end as it just barely misses your back. The force is enough to make you lose your balance, sending you tumbling down the steps...but thankfully right into the spot where Yato had been dropped.

"Lord Hayato!" Yato calls as you close in on him. Grunting you push yourself to your feet and immediately grab both of your gloves. Body tensed and ready for anything, you put both on as quickly as you can. A bright white glow expands across your arms just as you see a shadow fall over you. Instincts screaming at you to act, you turn around and hold both of your arms up to block the falling sword.

The sound of metal on metal echoes through the room. You grunt as you feel the blow reverberate throughout your body. Thankfully, Yato managed to materialize just in time. The oni's butcher knife is being blocked by your right arm while you use your left to better support it.

As the adrenaline starts to fill your body, you hear Yato speak out loud. His tone is hard and filled with a barely constrained rage, "Foul beast. Begone from my Lord's presence!"

The oni's eyes widen and she quickly backs up as you push back against her. Her movements have become less jerky since she knocked out Kuziwa. Evidenced by how smoothly she backpedaled away from you. Her eyes narrow as you get to your feet. A low, rumbling growl leaves her throat "So that's how it is. Was wondering why ya bothered to go after some weird gloves. Bit impressed ya managed to snag a Goryo. Though, have to admit, woulda expected it to have taken your body by now. Ya don't exactly look like the type to attract one. Not enough pomp and pride to ya swagger."

"Sorry, but I don't think I'm gonna buy the words of an oni," you say as you get into a fighting stance. The familiar feeling you had when you and Yato faced off against Kirin's raid fills your body. That of the two of you being in sync as his metallic form covers your arms. You pound your fist together, making them clang and spark before your face, "Especially not one who knocked out my friend."

The oni rolls her eyes, "Dude, you two just met today an-"

"That's all it takes! Now shut up and let him go! Or else you'll be getting a serious beat down. Courtesy of Hayato and Yato."

The oni's about to speak again but pauses for whatever reason. The hand she's inhabiting goes to Kuziwa's chin and starts to rub at it. Her lips purse as she speaks, "Yato. Yato, Yato, Yato. Don't know why but...that name...it sounds familiar."

"I hope it does, beast," Yato's voice carries feelings of rage with it. You swear you can almost picture his teeth gritting as he glares daggers at the red-skinned monster in front of you, "I hope that, whatever I did in my past, it was enough to burn the memory of me into your horrid species' collective conscious! That you may forever remember what you did and the consequences that came of it! Consequences that shall repeat themselves upon your body today!"

You swear you hear a "DING" and Yato suddenly feels more...solid for lack of a better word. Stronger. More durable.

[Yato Activates "Rage Against Oni" Trait. +20 to Combat when fighting against Oni; Increases by 5 as the battle goes on]

The oni frowns and gets into her own martial stance. She holds her butcher's blade up, its edge seeming to glow a dull red in the light of the arena. Steam comes out of her mouth as she lets out a breath. The air suddenly has the smell of rotten meat as she speaks, "Really now. Let's see if you can back up those words of yours. Come at me whenever you're ready!"

[Combat Round 1]

[Hayato Status: Healthy]

[Oni Status: Healthy]

[Kuziwa Status: Possessed, but still alive]

[Offensive Hayato: 38 (Hayato UMT) + 50 (Yato UMT) + 20 (Rage Against Oni) + 37 (Dice Roll) = 145 VS 30 (Kuziwa Dodging) + 40 (Kuziwa Physical Resistance) = 70. Hayato Wins his Round 1 Offensive]

[Offensive Oni: 90 (Oni Cooking Style) + 65 (Kuziwa Swords) + 77 (Kuziwa Kendo) +5 (Catch The Prey) - 20 (Impregnable Defense) = 217 VS 3 (Dodging) + 50 (Hayato Physical Resistance) + 10 (UMT Passive) + 10 (Impenetrable Soul Armor) + 50 (Yato Physical Resistance) + 20 (Rage Against Oni) = 123. Oni Wins Her Round 1 Offensive. Hayato Inflicted with a - 5 Debuff To Dodge]

You see no reason not to oblige her.

With a loud battle cry, you rush forward, lowering your head to make yourself a smaller target. The oni swings her blade but you manage to duck under it. She scowls while backing up, heading back towards the arena to get some distance. You quickly change direction to keep up with her. If you lose her now, you'll lose your momentum. Then she'll take advantage and cause you damage. A growl leaves her throat as she launches an overhead swing at you while she retreats.

"Now!" you and Yato's thoughts sing in unison. You raise your left gauntlet and catch the blade on the edge of your wrist. Sparks fly from the collision as you parry the blade away from you. The oni's eyes widen as you close in, feeling the force from her attack travel through your body and into your right arm. Once the power reaches your right arm, you strike out with a hard punch. The oni tries to dodge but you're too close and she's too slow.

"Gah!" she shouts as your fist collides with Kuziwa's chest. You swear you feel the flesh bruise beneath your attack. You get ready to pull back and go for another strike, but that's when the oni makes her move.

You see the flash of steel in the corner of your left eye. Her blade, its edge shining, is heading straight for your face. You raise Yato to block, but only then realize your mistake. The oni's blade falls faster than you thought possible. It lowers until it hits your left knee and cuts into the flesh.

The burning pain of something cutting through your skin rockets through your body. You bite your tongue to stop yourself from crying out, focusing your all on getting another blow in. You manage to land a falling hammer strike with your right arm onto the arm the oni is possessing. A pained cry rips from her throat, but she returns your attack in kind. She twists her weapon and gouges more flesh out of your leg, forcing you to knock it out of you with a swipe of your left arm.

The two of you separate, and you feel the blood dripping from your left leg. You do your best to ignore it, but it proves to be hard. In fact...you feel...slower for some reason. Like you can't move as well. You mean, sure, getting a cut in your leg will do that to you but this feels...

"Yato, what did she do?" you ask while keeping your eyes on the oni. She's rubbing at the shoulder you walloped with her other hand, flinching each time she touches a tender spot. Good to see neither of you got out of that unscathed.

"It appears to be a type of malady, my Lord. It is how their misbegotten kind operates. They weaken their targets, then attempt to devour them. Body and soul," he states, sounding angrier than before. If that was even possible.

"Great. So that means the longer this goes on, the worse it's gonna be for me?"

"Not necessarily. If you cut off the-"

"I'm not doing that Yato."

"But my Lord it-"

"No. Kuziwa...there's gotta be a way to let him keep that arm. The oni's the main problem here. If we can get rid of her somehow, then maybe...maybe it'll work out. I know it's a long shot but damn it, I'm gonna take it! And it starts with us waking Kuziwa up and knocking that oni bitch out!"

Yato is silent for a few moments. Then you hear him speak, "As you say, Lord Hayato. In which case, I suggest you keep aiming for the parts of the body the beast has control of. If you deal enough damage, it may be possible to bring Kuziwa back to consciousness."

"And that'll give him his body back?"

"...We'll see."

"....Good enough."

[Combat Round 2]

[Hayato Status: Damaged, bleeding]

[Oni Status: Damaged, losing some control]

[Kuziwa Status: Possessed, but still alive, waking up]

[Rage Against Oni rises to +25]

[Offensive Hayato: 38 (Hayato UMT) + 50 (Yato UMT) + 25 (Rage Against Oni) + 23 (Dice Roll) = 136 VS 30 (Kuziwa Dodging) + 40 (Kuziwa Physical Resistance) = 70. Hayato Wins his Round 2 Offensive]

[Offensive Oni: 90 (Oni Cooking Style) + 65 (Kuziwa Swords) + 77 (Kuziwa Kendo) - 20 (Impregnable Defense) = 212 VS -2 (Dodging) + 50 (Hayato Physical Resistance) + 10 (UMT Passive) + 10 (Impenetrable Soul Armor) + 50 (Yato Physical Resistance) + 25 (Rage Against Oni) = 143. Oni Wins Her Round 1 Offensive. Uses Seasoning The Meat. Hayato inflicted with a -5 Debuff to Physical Resistance]

"You two done talking!?"

Startled, you look up to see the oni baring down on you with a large grin on her face. You get ready to respond with a parry, but she spits something into your face. You gasp then start spitting out some kind of substance...which unfortunately leaves you wide open.

A burning pain shoots through your chest as the oni's weapon cleaves a diagonal wound across it. You cry out in pain but fight through it to take advantage of the situation. One hand grabs the oni's weapon while the other is sent forward in an uppercut that slams into her chest. You hear something crack as your attack strikes home, sending the oni's body back. You don't waste the opening, sending hook after hook into her torso, forcing her back step by step.

You land one final straight punch to her solar plexus when you reach the middle of the arena. Your blood has created a trail on the ground and stained your outfit. A grimace comes over your face. You don't envy whoever will have to wash these.

The oni doesn't appear that damaged. At least on a surface level. But you can see her stumbling and panting. She's still standing tall, and Kuziwa still seems to be out of it. But you're making some progress.

Unfortunately, that hasn't come without some damage on your part. Your left leg is still bleeding, making your movements far slower than they should be. The cut across your chest isn't making things better. Not to mention she put...something in whatever the heck she spat at you. You don't know what it was, but for some reason, you feel like your body is...softer for lack of a better word. Not exactly something you want to feel when you're up against a monster-wielding steel.

You're unable to take any moment to rest though. Cause the moment you both catch your breath, you're back at it.

[Combat Round 3]

[Hayato Status: Damaged, bleeding, softer skin]

[Oni Status: Major Damage, not fully in control]

[Kuziwa Status: Possessed, but still alive, starting to wake up]

[Rage Against Oni Increases to +30]

[Offensive Hayato: 38 (Hayato UMT) + 50 (Yato UMT) + 30 (Rage Against Oni) + 33 (Dice Roll) = 151 VS 30 (Kuziwa Dodging) + 40 (Kuziwa Physical Resistance) = 70. Hayato Wins his Round 3 Offensive]

[Offensive Oni: 90 (Oni Cooking Style) + 65 (Kuziwa Swords) + 77 (Kuziwa Kendo) - 20 (Impregnable Defense) = 212 VS -2 (Dodging) + 45 (Hayato Physical Resistance) + 10 (UMT Passive) + 10 (Impenetrable Soul Armor) + 50 (Yato Physical Resistance) + 30 (Rage Against Oni) = 143. Oni Wins Her Round 3 Offensive. Uses Cook The Flesh. Hayato inflicted with a -5 Debuff to Physical Resistance]

This time around things don't go as clean as they did before. You've both gotten a better feel for how the other fights. And both of you try to incorporate that. She knows that hitting Yato wouldn't turn out well for her. So her blade continually comes at you from odd angles or wherever Yato isn't. Your legs, chest, neck, anything that's considered unprotected.

But you know she knows that. And you act accordingly. Many times the fight is reduced to a game of feints. She aims high so you feint Yato up, which makes her feint down, but then you use that feint to get closer and go for a stomach blow. Then she jerks to the left or right, barely managing to evade your attack. She swings with the opening, but you manage to duck under the blow at the last second. You sweep out for her legs, but she jumps over your attack.

Back and forth, back and forth it goes. Neither of you managing to gain any ground.

You're not even sure how long it takes before you manage a mutual hit. In return for you landing a hay-maker straight to a rib, she manages to cut your right leg in the same way she did your left. You both stand there, clashed and gritting your teeth through the pain. Then you both back up at the same time.

"Damn...kid," the oni pants out. The arm she's inhabiting shakes, barely holding her blade up in a ready position. The ethereal form she's taken shimmers in the light of the arena, "How...how the heck...are you even standing?"

"Don't...rightly know," you say with a grin, ignoring the burning sensation of blood leaking from your chest and legs. You keep your fists up while your eyes shift between the oni and Kuziwa. You see his head still lolled back and frown. Did it not work? Was all this for nothing? What are you gonna-

Kuziwa stirs.

Your eyes go wide and hope surges in your chest. You see him lift his head, eyes blinking rapidly to remove any fog over them. He doesn't speak, but it's good enough to see that he's waking up.

Now though...what are you gonna do?

You and the oni are injured, but something tells you you're worse off than she is. Yato seems to be getting stronger by the moment though. Maybe you could just keep going until she finally falls over? Or whatever would happen if you deal enough damage.

"Lord Hayato, I do have an idea," Yato's voice is calm but you can hear the urgency in his tone.

"I'm all ears. Not like I got anything else right now."

Yato's silent for a moment. Then he speaks again, "If possible...perhaps you could convince that human to force the oni out?"

"Huh? But didn't you say that she's inhabiting him physically?"

"Yes. But for a Bond to even exist, a monster must allow their soul to intermingle with the human's. Even if she resides in his arm, a part of her must be within the boy's soul. Which would mean that, if done properly, he could eject her from his soul. Thus freeing his body."

"And that would work?"

"Only if the boy has enough will to accomplish it. And for that to happen he may need a push from-"

[Rolled: 89]

You see Kuziwa's eyes suddenly shot open.

A roar escapes his lips, "ARASHI!!!"

Suddenly, his other arm reaches over and grabs hold of the one the oni's inhabiting. The oni's eyes widen, "How the fuck-! You should be sleeping! Let go you-let go! I'm finally getting something to eat after thousands of years! You're taking this from me!"

"You will not harm another soul while I still live," Kuziwa's voice is strained but he stands firm in the face of the monster. The arm Arashi swings and cuts at Kuziwa's arm. He grunts in pain but only tightens his grip. He turns his head towards you and shouts, "Now, Hayato-san! While I've got her pinned! Take the arm off!"

"What but-"

"Please! I don't know how much longer I can hold on," Kuziwa screams as the blade digs deeper into his good arm. Blood drips onto the floor below, staining his feet red.

"Let go!" Arashi shouts again, teeth grinding together.

"Hayato!" Kuziwa shouts your name.

You feel your heart pounding in your chest. Isn't this what Yato was talking about? This is the chance for Kuziwa needs to get Arashi out of him! He just needs a push, probably from you.

But...do you risk that?

He's already struggling to keep her at bay now. If you don't do something now, then you'll be right back where you started. This is the perfect chance to cut the arm off.

But if you do that then...then this would've all been for nothing, right?

In the end, the choice is yours.

[] Encourage Kuziwa. He can do this! Force that oni out of his body!

[] Rush in and punch the arm Arashi is inhabiting. Maybe that'll give him the opening he needs!

[] ...Rush in and cut the arm off. While you've still got the chance.

[] Write in...

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Finally. Took me long enough. Hope you all enjoy!