[X] Kill the witch from distance.
You are not going to let down your guard now. Witches are dangerous from the moment you step into the barrier to the moment you can wrap their grief seeds in your palm. For all you know, the creature is still planning to do something to attack you with its last strength.
And that is assuming the witch is actually on its last legs and not just bluffing.
But regardless of the thoughts going on in the witch's… well, lack of head, you should take the chance to attack and hopefully finish this. You push your sabre back into the shield and channel a small portion of the sizable charge inside the shield to the blade.
You don't know how you pulled off the multiple energy slashes earlier, you'd need to take some time to practice in order figure out what you accidentally did… But for this, the one you have learned to use will have to do.
You fall quiet and focus your aim on the witch. You draw your sword in a quick and smooth motion and send out a vertical energy slash at the witch. It doesn't even attempt to dodge your attack, but meets it head on without flinching. The armor's remains are cleaved in two, and they start breaking into tiny pieces that scatter around the surface of the ice.
A fitting way to go for a knight, a twisted one or no...
The barrier around you begins to ripple as you calmly slide your blade back into the shield. A long sigh of relief escapes your lips when the real world returns back to your view. You may not have been in the barrier for that long, but all the disturbing mist and ice was enough to make you miss this so much.
At the same time, you almost instinctively reach out with your free hand and let the fresh grief seed fall on your open palm. A pleasant feeling swells up inside you as you grasp the cold surface of the trinket. More so than against any other witch before, you almost feel like you're allowed to be proud of what you managed to do here.
"T-Tamiko!" you suddenly hear a relieved shout from behind you and barely have enough time to turn around to see the body of Kishi slam into you with great force. her arms wrap around your back and pull you into a tight hug with her. She appears to have de-transformed.
"I-I was so worried when you fell, a-and… and..." she stammers, sounding quite happy to have you there in one piece, "A-are you alright? W-what happened to you?"
Well, you are in one piece, even if the witch did give you two minor wounds during this hunt. They are not bleeding very much anymore from under the cover of your uniform, though, so you aren't staining Kishi's school uniform at least.
Behind her, you can notice Mariko slump down and sigh wearily with her back against a pillar. She appears unharmed from this particular fight, but she is avoiding looking at your way, preferring to let you have the moment with Kishi.
Tamiko shield charge: 60/100
What do you do?
[] Hug your friends instead!
[] Talk with your friends.
[] Go hunt another witch.
[] Write-in.
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It is nearing the beginning of what would be the lunch break in-quest in terms of time. In terms of grief expenditure, this fight was a major success.