His feet crunch on the stone road that leads to the nearby town. Hoshikata was close to rest, and knew it would be a brief such respite before continuing on to his goal. Somewhere in here was a group dedicated to the removal of him, and he needed to pay them a visit, and perhaps even leave a calling card for any who happen to come after him. His thoughts were wandering across these things as he walked, which would explain why the man got such a jump on him. One moment he's walking past a tree, and the next he has a solid chunk of steel inserted in his shoulder, which was not made to hold swordtips quite as well as it could have been.
The shock of the wound shook him from his thoughts as the blade retracts and lunges in again. They chose correctly, taking the arm that was holding his staff. This left his defensive maneuver something less than a parry and more like dropping his staff onto the weapon and backpedaling as fast as he could. The wielder of that blade was quite short, only an inch over five feet, but build like a brick house. For all that he was large, he moved gracefully enough to throw the staff off his blade right back into Hoshikata's face, blinding the Seer, ironically, to the follow up slash that he avoided by simply falling backwards.
So now he was on his rump, bleeding from a deep hole in his shoulder, tired, and being attacked by a skilled swordsman. He was quite happy no one was around to see this. As the blade dives in, Hoshikata directs his kinetic force, not at it but the ground at his feet. Like a paperclip coming free of the rubber band, he flies a dozen feet away from the man and hits that same tree, using it as support to swiftly rise to his feet. The attacker wastes no time in rushing in slashing his weapon.
Hoshikata steps around the tree and uses his good hand to call to the Staff of Verin. A triumphant smile crosses his face as the weapon flies in at the man's back, tip first. The smile vanishes as the man spins around and slaps the staff out of the air, then grabs it with his own free hand and comes running in brandishing two weapons. Hoshikata-dammit.
He has no other weapon besides his tanto, which is scant protection from a sword and his own staff. With a frown, the self proclaimed god merges himself with the realm ethereal. As the weapons fly through his form, the damage caused is severely lowered by his not truly being there. His hand reaches out, black flames licking at it, and grips the man's face.
A scream sounds, short but violent, as those flames flow into the man's eyes, ears, nose and mouth. He chose to attack a master of sealing, and he was now sealed. Hoshikata took his time experimenting with seals, and this was one he was hoping to have a chance to use. As the man begins to convulse, the seal would cut off all oxygen to his organs. Hoshikata's good hand begins to glow before he applies it to his shoulder, healing the would and looking at his dying opponent.
With a sigh, he lifts his staff and heads for the town once more. He needed some sleep. He stops as he hears a sound, turning to find the man rising and coughing. He overcame the seal, how unique. Hoshikata prepares his staff, but the man splits into three, two diving for the flank as the third comes in straight. A kinetic burst flows from him, sending the forward and left ones sprawling even as the right dives through it and slashes, catching the fleeing Seer on his robes and putting a large rip in them that showed the bare skin of his back and upper buttocks.
“Have you any idea how hard it is to get proper robes in these boonies!?”
Hoshikata turns on the man and holds out a hand, kinetic force gripping him tight. His eyes shine with a golden glow as he squeezes his hand, the man compressing into a small bone with a sickening crack. He drops the corpse and turns, heading off once more. Now he had to get proper clothing before he could get some sleep. And this man, he knew who to attack. Likely part of the group he sought. He would ask about him in the town.
The shock of the wound shook him from his thoughts as the blade retracts and lunges in again. They chose correctly, taking the arm that was holding his staff. This left his defensive maneuver something less than a parry and more like dropping his staff onto the weapon and backpedaling as fast as he could. The wielder of that blade was quite short, only an inch over five feet, but build like a brick house. For all that he was large, he moved gracefully enough to throw the staff off his blade right back into Hoshikata's face, blinding the Seer, ironically, to the follow up slash that he avoided by simply falling backwards.
So now he was on his rump, bleeding from a deep hole in his shoulder, tired, and being attacked by a skilled swordsman. He was quite happy no one was around to see this. As the blade dives in, Hoshikata directs his kinetic force, not at it but the ground at his feet. Like a paperclip coming free of the rubber band, he flies a dozen feet away from the man and hits that same tree, using it as support to swiftly rise to his feet. The attacker wastes no time in rushing in slashing his weapon.
Hoshikata steps around the tree and uses his good hand to call to the Staff of Verin. A triumphant smile crosses his face as the weapon flies in at the man's back, tip first. The smile vanishes as the man spins around and slaps the staff out of the air, then grabs it with his own free hand and comes running in brandishing two weapons. Hoshikata-dammit.
He has no other weapon besides his tanto, which is scant protection from a sword and his own staff. With a frown, the self proclaimed god merges himself with the realm ethereal. As the weapons fly through his form, the damage caused is severely lowered by his not truly being there. His hand reaches out, black flames licking at it, and grips the man's face.
A scream sounds, short but violent, as those flames flow into the man's eyes, ears, nose and mouth. He chose to attack a master of sealing, and he was now sealed. Hoshikata took his time experimenting with seals, and this was one he was hoping to have a chance to use. As the man begins to convulse, the seal would cut off all oxygen to his organs. Hoshikata's good hand begins to glow before he applies it to his shoulder, healing the would and looking at his dying opponent.
With a sigh, he lifts his staff and heads for the town once more. He needed some sleep. He stops as he hears a sound, turning to find the man rising and coughing. He overcame the seal, how unique. Hoshikata prepares his staff, but the man splits into three, two diving for the flank as the third comes in straight. A kinetic burst flows from him, sending the forward and left ones sprawling even as the right dives through it and slashes, catching the fleeing Seer on his robes and putting a large rip in them that showed the bare skin of his back and upper buttocks.
“Have you any idea how hard it is to get proper robes in these boonies!?”
Hoshikata turns on the man and holds out a hand, kinetic force gripping him tight. His eyes shine with a golden glow as he squeezes his hand, the man compressing into a small bone with a sickening crack. He drops the corpse and turns, heading off once more. Now he had to get proper clothing before he could get some sleep. And this man, he knew who to attack. Likely part of the group he sought. He would ask about him in the town.