Fair is foul and foul is fair

i look at hans "god damnit it will be weeks till he has regenerated from that!" i throw my hands in the air.

the events have unfolded faster then i would like, but here we are anyways, I look from ignacy to hans to lily, the cuckoo is hovering frantic in it's pattern over it's creater "Lily" i murmur "i am going to move you a little bit. it is .ous but more dangerous for you to be sitting here" with that i drag her a little closer to Hans "Liv, Kaija, Ignacy. Kindly come here and huddle up, Ignacy that sword is about to be severly misused, cut a trench as close to circular as you can about two finger widths deep, around the group of us." I am loath to admit how much about magic i theoretically know but this is something any idiot can do if they take the time to look, lets hope i am not wrong.

My eyes widen in understanding. "Of course. Good call." I watch the preperations being made with approval. Simple protection magic, but effective. "She'll be safer. Keep her there till I return." I turn, heading for the door.

"Liv, get by them. " the tone is as cool as hers earlier "Lily and kaija have less experience and quite frankly, so do you. stay and be a line here. you can gauge how well it hold up easier." I pull two bottles of what looks like fuel from my pockets (hey i said he carries random crap in his bio) and a small amount of salt" nodding to ignacy i pour the contents of the yellow bottles into the channel until it is full and add the small amount of salt with it. "please. Art of war liv, remove the targets he has, and he needs to come in to try and get new ones"

I glance at him sharply. "Perhaps, but I do not stake out the defenseless as bait." I ignore the grimace on Lily's face, holding Liam's grey eyes. "I can face one half-competent blood mage, Liam. This is magic; it must be bested with magic greater than itself. Besides, his blood calls to blood. But my blood isn't what he expects." I smile grimly. "I've dealt with this kind of thing before. This isn't your sort of war, my friend, it's mine."

my lip curls weather in a grimace or a snarl is anyone other then my guess, as i stride closer i drop my voice so she hears me and the others don't "Livantreach" the name tastes funny to me but no matter "Do not belittle what i know, there is a lot of my past that you and the others don't, you can fight sure, but as you said, charge blindly and die. you are pissed off, and not thinking farther then a move ahead" I smirk at this one "I am thinking about 5 ahead of what this man is likely to expect"

For a long moment, I hold his eyes. Then I smile wryly. "Well, perhaps you are right. And I suppose I can wait for the prey to walk into the snare. Well enough, Liam. But I know this kind of magic. Blood magic. We all use it, time to time, humans too. It's indispensable for healing. But as you see, it has darker purposes. It relies partly on focused attention and eye contact. If he can see you, he can harm you. I can put up wards against it; he's not as strong as I had feared, though he's practiced. I was hoping to have fewer bodies in the...line of fire, if that's the right term."

I smile "do you know where he is physically?" trying subtly moving closer to the circle "i think ignacy needs some fun"

"Out in the alley to the west side." I say. "His mind was quiet for the moment." Taking the hint, I step inside the circle. "And like I said, magic against magic. Unless you killed him outright a blood mage would have no trouble with wounds. If you're going to use weapons it has to be a clean kill."

The prone figure stirs, fingers twitching a moment before clenching in a fist. Gritting his teeth, he pushes himself up to his knees and touches his temple and the flesh gives, causing him to wince; the bone hasn't knit yet. Looking up at the windows above, he probes the minds, finding only three, two male and an alien mind moving rapidly back and forth. Carefully he pushes his way to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall as a wave of nausea hits. Forcing himself forward he continues down the ally to a parting of ways an chooses one at random. Focusing on finding a place to heal, he staggers on, one hand on the wall.

i run out of the circle holding my sword two handed screaming in norwegian "VALHALLA VENTER!".

I look at the group of them "however there is a second part to that option, he still needs bait, and well i don't think ignacy will work" with that I touch off the fuel, the combination with the salt giving the flames a vibrant Green. my look at ignacy's charging form is tinged with annoyance and a certain amount of longing, when did I become so mild as to be willing to be bait
Moving to the the window lily had look out of, the fool should have stayed put, if shadows conceal you movement doesn't ignacy's random bouts of Napalm help light the alleyway though. I could tell him to stop but he will eventually run out of napalm so I let him vent. it helps after all. the man, at least i think it is a man, is still staggering and the reek of blood magic is potent enough off him to be noticeable even at this distance. blood calls to blood gods i hope this works, I draw one of the many objects from my pocket, the youngish necromancer i once worked for was brilliant for this subtle work twisting it until the lines run rust red i smile and murmur to it "your work is not done" gods this is draining, i am not the battery I once was "but what you have done you want to remember you want to see your handywork" I smile ducking back in, Ignacy turning away from the window all of the napalm spent. hopefully the fool will actually react i don't want to try anything creative

"Bait?" I say, cocking my head, "But-" Then it hits me as he sets the light. He means himself. He's going to use himself as bait! "Liam!" I cry as he lights the flame. He's outside the bloody circle! I step forward, but the circle is complete before I can move, burning low and green. If I cross it I'll break it, and leave the two girls defenseless. They'll be prey quick as heartbeats, for all that Kaija thinks she can control herself. I can't leave. But I can't use my own gift from within here, it would short-circle the working and leave the circle broken. I'm trapped. I stalk to the edge of the circle, glaring at Liam's back. He's trapped me and left me a spectator. The idiot! The liar!
"You bastard, Liam, you slimy lying smirched eel!" I shout at him where he peers from the window. "You gods damn condescending base false bastard! How dare you hold me from the fight! You had the balls to tell me not to charge, and then do so yourself?! But it's all right if you do it, isn't it, because you're a big strong man?! You suet headed stone-brained bloody human fool!"
His back hunches a little at my words, but he does not turn. He's going to get killed. Again. This is harsh magic, blood magic. I can't let my kith stand alone against it. I've got to get out there and help. I can't stand here, leaving him defenseless.
"Damn it by flint and dark water Liam, this is deadly magic! Quit playing! Let me out, we need to fight this together!"
Still his back is turned to me. My hands ball into fists. "You...you.... bloody Viking!!!"

"I murmur quietly "Liv, Shut up" when she pauses for breath "the point of having you in the circle is to blindside him, i know i can't face him and be assured victory but i can renew the element of surprise. if i thought you had to be kept out of the fight i would have taken your weapons or gone out the window. now be quiet before he comes in or you will give it away and i am running the risk for nothing." i spin the small talisman between my finger "all i need do it toss this through the circle and you can come down like the wrath of what ever god you want" the mischief is back in my eyes as i turn "do you really think me that stupid?" I begin stalking twords the door, making sure i am placed to draw attention when he enters so his back will be to the circle, putting the talisman near my mouth again i continue to murmur to it "you have already proven yourself what can the others do? you have proven your Art why skulk when you can be worshiped, yours is the power to rival a gods touched"

I blink in surprise. "You...oh...."
I could kick myself. Of course, it makes sense, perfect sense. This way we'll have the eel in ambush. For a long moment, I watch Liam. I have really got to stop thinking of him as a simple fighting man with a few extra tricks. The way he speaks and japes so often lulls me into treating him like an older brother, brave but not bright. But it's me who's been foolish. He's a warrior,and no mean strategist. I must remember that.

Dizziness ensues, and the attacker slumps again. Trying to focus, thoughts twine together, tangling, he slips backward, almost to the point of blacking again before rising a fresh thought, clear, bright formulates.

"Hans is disposed of at the moment," he murmurs, before smiling broadly to himself, tail whisking, "Ignacy, brother, your time to bleed."

Staggering unsteady, he turns once again to the house. "And once the immortal man is dealt with, all will be perishable."

"Your brother can be quite the clever man." I murmur to Kiaja. "He can also be extremely frustrating."

"You only have to work with him, try being his charge...."

"Bloody viking." I mutter under my breath. I don't like being left in muddy water. I also truly dislike the lack of sensation here in this circle. In this lockdown, my sense of the underlying magics of the worlds have nothing to sense but Kaija and Lily. It's like losing your sense of touch.

"Idiot couldn't even tell his own blood...." I glare at Liv *If he thinks I'm not going to tear him to shreds, he is sorely mistaken.* "So," I say nonchalantly, "What now?"

"shush" i murmur to them as i take the talisman away from my lips the dull 'thudding of heavy footsteps betraying the mans slow approach, no doubt thinking he is being quiet

My ears perk at the sound of feet creaking on the stairs, my body tensing for action.

*Don't you tell me to shush...I am going to help Liv with some magic later...and so help me if Sayliyn doesn't aim some toward you.* I place in Liams mind. Outwardly, however, I keep quiet.

The intruder pauses, listening, probing. Reaching out probing, only three minds present themselves; however, a moment ago he could have sworn he heard the low voices of two women. Shaking his head, cursing his stupidity at not concealing his movements better, he slips his boots and tosses them back down the stairs, only thick wool socks now protecting his feet.

*Ignacy's not this clever* he muses peering through the gloom to the end of the corridor. "How now... You set a trap, dear friends?" His voice lilts of the passage walls, sweetening the harsh German dialect with a polish accent.

My breath comes sharp in my own ears as my senses strain to feel what's coming. I feel blinded, dependent on only what I can hear and see with two eyes. But that was a step on the stair...yes, and another, quieter but not so quiet that my ears cannot hear it in this silence. He's here. Close.
A voice breaks the silence. I ball my hands into fists. My knife will be no use in this battle. It's magic and skill or nothing at all.