“Damn that hurts," Adira groaned, stretching her sore arm and spitting some blood from her mouth. In the next instant Taki was in front of her, her right scythe delivering an upward slash at the werewolf's midsection.

Only for it to be stopped in place as Adira blocked the blade with her left forearm. Sure enough blood flowed from the cut but her bone had not been penetrated.

“Sturdy, see?" her toothy grin returned, even as Taki swung her Left scythe at her neck. The werewolf reacted in an instant, her right hand grabbing and blocking the blade. More blood accumulated in her hand, but she ignored it and continued to kick Taki in the stomach while twisting the scythe with all of her effort, which caused it to break with a horrific crack as Taki flew backward and crashed into a tree trunk.

Carter finding himself resisting the impulse to get involved as the werewolves applauded even though he knew he could do nothing to help.

He reminded himself that Taki wasn't simply acting in his favor; she was also defending her home. He felt bad seeing her suffer such harm, though.

Taki grimaced in pain as she struggled to stand up, blood dripping from the end of the severed scythe that was still attached to her arm. She slowly absorbed it back into her wrist armor. Meanwhile the werewolf held up the torn piece of scythe like a trophy.

“Give up?"

“Not yet."

“Suit yourself." Adira threw the torn blade at Taki, who simply knocked it aside with her remaining scythe, then rushed at the mantis, only to stop as Taki moved like a blur to leap over and kick the werewolf in the head. Adira stumbled, momentarily stunned, while Taki Leaped up to a tree branch.

“Still able to move that fast huh," Adira stated.

“Here I figured my kick broke a few ribs."

“Merely bruised," Taki clarified.

"I get it," she realized, “you jumped backwards when I kicked you so

I'd do less damage, even if it meant losing your blade. You're a pretty smart fighter, Taki."

If Taki thought anything of being called by name for the first time by the werewolf she didn't show it. Instead she rotated her remaining scythe forward. In the next instant she practically vanished, becoming a blur of green that raced round and round Adira, time and again streaking past her and leaving the werewolf with a new cut on some part of her body.

Adira tried to attack back, only to strike an after-image, the real

Taki taking the opportunity to slash her in the back before flipping away. Adira turned toward her, both foes assessing each other again.

"So this is your full speed," she stated, Licking the blood from a cut on her cheek.

“Slashing like that you don't even have to actually touch me to cut me."

"It's a useful technique, an air blade," Taki clarified, hoping a description would encourage the werewolf to forfeit. "I cut with enough speed and precision to displace the air in front of my blade, so that the resulting wind cuts for me. By combining it with foot speed I attack without putting myself in range of your attacks."