View source for 793/Prophetic Plunder

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/10/12
|Location=Caverns of Prophecy (CP)
|Synopsis=The Union wants the Caverns of Prophecy back.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=150, 359, 524, 589
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The woman is a pale one, with black hair and cold blue eyes, dressed in strange armor. Normally she would be protected from the rich atmosphere by a helmet-like forcefield, but today she is working on some training to get used to the oxygenated atmosphere- by exposing herself to a less rich one. She's sitting near the entrance to the Caverns of Prophecy, staring at her gauntleted hand trying to get her mind to focus and filter out the extra senses she has while breathing the thinner atmosphere. It's not nearly as intense as what her commander did, but it's still disorientating and very difficult, her face furrowed in concentration and sweat beading on her face despite the cold air of the Olympic-sized peaks. This is Faora-Ul, Zod's right-hand woman and second-in-command.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:150|Hayate Yagami (150)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hayate rubs one finger over the arm of the command chair, ignoring for the moment the corusculating play of plasma on the main monitor of the Wolfram. That'll be gone soon enough, once the vessel finishes this leg of the trip as a brilliant meteor streaking northwards towards its destination. There's nothing to see about their goal yet - it was still over the horizon and half a dozen time zones away. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The quietly nervous chatter on the bridge, its lights dimmed for general quarters, circled around two things: the early breakfast of omlettes delivered from the galley and the stranger who had embarked, however briefly. Hayate didn't begrudge them this looseness; the Caverns were still far below the horizon and they were supposedly sneaking up on it for a reconaissance in force, in any case. Nothing particularly dangerous. Supposedly. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Two minutes, Ma'am." <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thank you. Let's be about it, y'all."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:589|Princess Paladin (589)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>A pink-haired woman in something like a cross between a Japanese school girl's outfit and knight's armor is ascending the peak. Her clothing may not be well-suited to the weather or temperature, but she seems to be faring well enough - even if she is shivering the whole time. The magical girl, Princess Paladin, has heard of this place and is on a mission to make her way to the top and seek a vision of who is responsible for the demolition of an abandoned building in Slum Urbania. They may be either a danger to her interests or a potential subject of recruitment to her side. Since she is not really a detective, a magical solution is right up her alley.<br /><br />She still has a ways to go, but she is working her way up ice steps gradually. If needed she can speed up, but that is a long fall and she is not at all sure she would survive it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elasaid asked to be dropped off a warp gate or two away from the target zone, so she could approach in her Deployment. She does so, hiking up the mountains with the heavy klank of armoured boots on stone, and the soft growl of some mighty engine and the whirr of turrets traversing. After the Wolfram jumps in, Elasaid transmits over local radio.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Attention all hostile personnel. This is the captain of the HMS Hood, ordering a full surrender and general withdrawl of all troops within the Caverns of Prophecy. You have ten minutes to begin evacuations." her voice is prim, and stereotypically British Accented. "Failure to evacuate will result in hostilities beginning. Shore bombardment will commence in eleven minutes."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Faora-Ul turns her helmet back on, breathing out the alien atmopshere and letting her senses dull to normal levels before getting on the radio to let the Confederates know there's a problem at the Caverns of Prophecy.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I think you should retreat before you embarass yourself, Hood." comes the cold and arrogant reply, a slight accent audible over the radio. Well, first Faora let her senses back to normal, so she's making her way, -slowly-, down the mountain. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;More radio chatter. "This place reminds me of home. Colder than ice. A dangerously thin atmosphere. We fought wars on a world like this, without protection, with a dying sun in the sky. Without the gifts we have in this place."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a pause, a smirk almost audible over the radio. "Do you think you can intimidate a born and bred warrior in this place?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elasaid looks up as Faora shows herself. The Fleet Maiden comes to a stop, arms folded over her chest as the sunlight glints off her armour. "My ancestors fought and died in the Highlands of my home. Cold as death, wind that would slice through a weaker man or woman, and we did it nearly naked." she replies, her green eyes narrowing in challenge. "Do you believe you can intimidate /me/ here, in this place?" she retorts. All the while, those four large turrets are traversing around, aiming their barrels at the Kryptonian.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;However, the attack comes from another angle... a High Angle, as it were, as shells start launching from behind the woman, raining down in contact-detonation 'grenades' around Faora.<br /><br /><span class=" bold_fg_x bg_n ++ hx">&lt;High Angles firing Captain.&gt;</span><br /><span class=" bold_fg_x bg_n ++ hx">&lt;Possible second hostile on radar. Will advise.&gt;</span><br> <br>

:'''{{#var:150|Hayate Yagami (150)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A warm breeze briefly menaces the cold ground, moments after a thunderous, ear-popping BANG rings through the hills and the sky. One more long, languid swerve, and the Wolfram is engulfed briefly in a white cloud of its own condensate as she drops below supersonic cruise, twenty kilometers away from the new contention. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The top-side hatch hisses open and a faintly white disc lifts Hayate into the whipping winds streaming just over the ship's hull. She bends in it, bracing Schwertkreuz against a lip and wheezing in the air. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;Environmentals, Online. Compensating.&gt; <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thank you, Schwertkreuz. Open channel to Hood-san, if you please."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:589|Princess Paladin (589)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Blink blink. What's that voice? When she hears over her radio that there are hostiles attacking the Caverns, Paladin frowns. She has a mission to complete. Anyone or anything that interferes with her mission is an enemy to be defeated. She switches from careful climbing to a series of rapid, superhumanly agile leaps that carry her further up the winding stairs, into the hard-to-breathe and frigid air near the peak. Paladin does not have a very good idea how to operate her radio, so she just yells into it as she leaps, "If you get in my way you will suffer righteous punishment! It will be I who make use of the Caverns on this day!" Whether it even went to the right people or not is unknown, but a pink rod with a spherical tip is drawn from thin-air, and the gems upon its surface glow as magic is focused through it.<br /><br />This is a Magical Girl who does not hesitate to fight. Her justice speeches are just a warning, not truly meant to change anyone else's life for the better. She arrives in the same general area as Elasaid and Faora after a few moments, though she does not yet know which of the two combatants is which.<br /><br />She stands there for several seconds until she can hear the voices of both women and compare against what she heard on the radio. Then she acts! "You have transgressed in your interference with my mission! Now you must suffer the consequences!" Then she charges forward, faster than a purely mundane human could achieve, and leaps towards her target attempting to clobber her with the Sacred Scepter using an overhand-strike!<br /><br />She is not yet aware of the airship approaching, though any noise it may be making is likely to eventually start echoing off the mountain and making its presence known. Already, Paladin is facing an opponent unlike any she has seen before. It is likely that she is going to have more than a few other 'firsts' this day.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Currently Faora is the one obscured by smoke, explosions, and shrapnel. All this noise is not helping her get her head clear. She wishes Nam-Ek was more amenable to the atmosphere training; having his strength right now would be nice. She jumps out of the smoke, a blur trailed by fog and a black cape, coming down with the force of an artillery shell at Elasaid. Problem is, with her wonky senses and nasty headache brought on by the bombardment, Faora's usual accuracy is not there. The real goal here, however, is that Faora wants to get clear of the obscuring mess.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Warriors wear armor to protect themselves from the enemy. But if you wish to honor your ancestors and fight without protection, be my guest."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:150|Hayate Yagami (150)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hood-san, are you alright?" Hayate holds baack a wince of sympathy and looks away from the open video to Hood. She can't just stand here and wait - there are preparations that can be done. A copy of the Book of the Azure Sky flips open, floating just in front of her, but she's not reading from it. Nor could anyone through the blinding white light from its pages. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hayate grips Schwertkreuz with both hands, "Targeteering, paint effects for airburst over the target area. Yield three. Three carriers." <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Running. Thirty seconds." <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hayate watches the streaming targeting data with one eye while she begins. A white, glowing Belkan magic triangle springs up beneath her feet and in front of her, rotating slowly. The wind begins to freeze from the air, forming a bubble of quiet around her where the tinkling of suddenly-formed ice needles is broken by her steady, droning voice. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"O ruler of the white snow, with silver wings..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elasaid glances to the side, her 'radar' picking up Paladin's approach. She steps away, and brings her arm out of the fold, blocking the strike with a glowing field that forms in front of her arm. She narrows her eyes at the girl. "I'm not stopping you using the Caverns... Unless you are allied with the Confederacy." she replies, bringing her other arm around in a brutal hook punch, backed by all the power of a Battlecruiser's engines. Black smoke pours from the funnel on her backpack.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When Faora leaps out of the smoke and comes in from overhead... it makes the Maiden balk for a moment, eyes going wide, and her stance to shift back from the incoming Kryptonian. This causes the strike to glance off a bubble of energy that seems to surround the woman. Both strikes leave faint cracks in the shield that seem to be slowly sealing. "I will honor my ancestors by defeating you and your ally here." she replies, before stepping back forwards, twisting around to bring a left hook into the Kryptonian's midsection. This isn't her best range for engagement.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:589|Princess Paladin (589)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Paladin's strike did not do much damage, but she brings a foot up and pushes herself OFF of the force field, launching her backwards and out of range of the powerful punch coming her way with inches to spare. She lands back on the ground and skids slightly in the snow, before raising her Sacred Scepter up and pointing it at Elasaid. When she speaks, she sounds sincere. Her tone is such that she does not appear to doubt what she is saying in any way. It is a form of magic, passive and innate, that makes her seem to be more mature, wise, and knowledgeable than she really is. Whether it has any impact or not matters little to the magical girl.<br /><br />"If only it were that simple. You ordered all hostile forces off of the mountain so that you might declare ownership. This mountain is not yours to claim! By agreement with those who currently hold it, I may make use of it! We have exchanged blows now, and though I regret any misunderstanding, I am now committed to this course of action. In order to complete my mission, I must remove all intruders from the mountain, and preserve the health of those with whom I have formed an agreement." Glowing pink energy gathers on the tip of the Sacred Scepter, but stays relatively low-level. "Perhaps in the future, we will not be enemies. But at least for now, my path is set. And by my oath, I can not deviate no matter what else I may wish, and no matter what other factors come up. The only recourse is either for you to depart or for us to continue our battle!"<br /><br />So saying, she slams her Sacred Scepter into the ground and then swings it forwards and up, sending a cascade of snow and small rocks flying at high velocity. They may not be the hardest or the fastest, but they may still pelt the enemy with the force of small-caliber bullets - though likely not surviving their own impact. That forcefield and body armor look sturdy!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:150|Hayate Yagami (150)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Not... ah... that's difficult." Hayate wipes away an imaginary drop of sweat with the back of her hand, with the same motion cancelling her incantation and channeling it towards another. "Let's see... okay, this should..." The triangle in front of her reshapes into a series of concentric circles, each counterrotating within the other and bearing smaller circles around it. The wind, which had been calm, reverses and begins pouring in towards Hayate, raising the hems of her battle jacket and appearing to vanish into the spell. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Come, spirits of ice and darkness! With the darkness flees the snowstorm, and with the snowstorm rises the darkness. Frozen breath of..." <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The sky grumbles, as if a giant stirred from deep sleep and rearing up to swat blindly at a passing gnat. A certain, yellowish darkness steals over the Wolfram, as if the air above is congealing into laden clouds.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Kryptonian catches the punch, turning sideways as the fist cracks and shatters the armor across her stomach. It's retaining atmospheric integrity though, since it was not the helmet or collar that was hit. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The cold angular woman says simply, "No. That is not how you fight. Allow me to demonstrate." And she lets a series of punches loose, blindingly quick, each one with explosive force behind it, aiming for the shoulders, the solar plexus, throat, and other places designed to disable or knock the wind out of her opponent. The soldier thinks, that perhaps, Elasaid is not going to be disabled or winded because of that field she saw earlier. That is acceptable; it is useful to know her opponent's strength and weaknesses.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elasaid narrows her eyes at Paladin. "You speak maturely, but you are nothing but a child." she retorts simply, bringing her arms up and taking those debris bullets in a bright blue-white field that forms from the bubble. Once the little storm abates, those big cannons come into play. Only two barrels swivel and elevate, while the bubble returns, showing more cracks. "There is another option. But you will not listen to it." she states grimly, before the roar of her guns echos out across the mountain. BWAKOOM BWAKOOM.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Faora comes in for that rapid combo, her strikes land against the bubble shield, spiderwebbing cracks from the impact points... until the Maiden grabs one of the last punches in a gauntlet-clad hand. "You, on the other hand, need to lighten," she goes to pull the Kryptonian closer... then WHAM. Glasgow Kiss, right in the helmet. "UP!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:589|Princess Paladin (589)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Princess Paladin is blasted by the turrets! She feels pain from her injuries - but though the girl within her may fear getting hurt, Miko's concerns and worries are suppressed by the feeling of power and confidence that comes with being her magical girl self. However, as the ground is obliterated in the area around her, leaving her in a smoking crater, she has to admit that this is the first time she has been hit with artillery or cannons or whatever those were. She is not a military buff. Even guns have been rather absent from her, admittedly new-ish, magical girl career. The concussive force alone has destabilized her, to say nothing of the noise. And yet, as part of her magic, her body acts gracefully and swiftly even without a coherent thought process to guide it.<br /><br />She leaps from the crater, raising her scepter and pointing it at Elasaid. Again, it glows and gathers energy, but this time, the energy that gathers is much more significant. It hovers on the tip of the Sacred Scepter, swelling into a sphere. "It is not a matter of listening, it is a matter of the ability to comply!" the magical girl responds fiercely. She can not abandon her mission once she accepts it. She must pursue it until its completion or her destruction, without exception. She also does not hold back against any opponent or obstacle. With cannons bombarding her, she feels not a single twinge about returning the favor.<br /><br />The glowing energy builds to its peak for this particular attack, and then Paladin yells out, "Crusader's Judgement!" A blast of bright light spreads outwards from the tip of her mystic relic, spraying heat and holy energy before her - and potentially into Elasaid and her forcefield!<br /><br />Paladin may be disoriented by the attack she suffered, and focused on her mission, but the swirling clouds and the distant shape in the sky near them has become rather noticeable. While not innately able to feel magic, a certain little pixie has spotted the airship and, invisibly, come to whisper in Princess Paladin's ear about it. She can not turn from the battle to examine what is being discussed, but she does call attention to the information on her radio.<br /><br />See? She is getting the hang of teamwork kind of!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:150|Hayate Yagami (150)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Shot." <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In that word, Hayate reports the flash of white light that scythes forth from her casting circle and roars downrange towards the distant fight. It sweeps out a swirling column of snow, leaving intricate, frantic vorticies in its wake. New shadows spring up and fade away as it passes high over the ground, arcing gently first up and then down towards... <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The sunlight fades out, shadows disappear, as a glowing cascade of snow blots out the sky. Driven by hurricane-force winds cold as the Antarctic winter, Hayate's avalanche falls out of the sky onto... well... everything.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Faora's arm is grabbed by the extremely dense Elasaid Hood, and isn't /going anywhere/ with that kind of density attached to her. Kryptonians are super strong in this environment, true. But they aren't capable of lifting nearly ten million pounds of mass. Even Nam-Ek can't do that. She does however, twist out of the way to avoid being smashed by a headbutt. The storm turned avalache hits, burying Faora and her opponent under multi-tons of snow and ice. It lets her twist free though, the gauntlet coming off in the Mighty Hood's grasp and leaving scrapes against her fair skin.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Faora leaps free of the avalanche, a deep rumble preceeding her skyward ascent. She lands, grabs a boulder about the same size as her, and throws it in the direction of the ship, as indicated by her ally. She repeats this a few times, bombarding the TSAB ship with rocky missiles.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elasaid is unceremoneously buried under an avalanche. This is hardly ideal, but it protects her from Paladin's holy blast thing, the energy fizzling out before reaching her. Unfortunately, it also keeps her from doing pretty much anything... until she runs her 'boilers' hot, causing the snow and ice to melt away, sloshing aside in slurry and icy water.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes track from Paladin, to Faora... and she punches her fists together. "Load tubes one through four. Reload A turret with HVAP shells. Load C with same. Load B and D with HE-I shells. Target hostile cruisers. Fire at will."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The commands relay to her magic, making those hulking turrets swivel around. The right ones aim for Faora, while the left set aim for Paladin. Once in position, they fire with that same resonant blast and gouts of black smoke. Eight reports, four shells for each woman, two designed to punch through armour, the other two designed to detonate violently on impact.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:589|Princess Paladin (589)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Avalanche! Oh no! Paladin's attack manages to both fail to strike Elasaid and to protect Paladin herself from the initial brunt of the cascade of snow. The rest is solved by leaping straight up and running on top of the snow delicately like it were merely a mobile bed cushion or something instead of a shifting, fast-moving, semi-yielding surface. Magical girls, man. However, when she comes to a stop, it is just in time to be blasted again, this time with twice as many cannons! She already has burns and soot and scrapes that her magic couldn't shield her from. This is enough to bang her up much more heavily, and leave her blackened and with a trickle of blood coming out the corner of her mouth. But honestly, given what she just endured? The damage could have been a lot worse. A normal human would have been dead. The shockwaves could have torn internal organs loose even with a barrier adequate to avoid direct damage.<br /><br />Paladin is hurting, she is disoriented, and the teenage girl that she really is would have fled long ago in a situation like this. Fled or given up. Yet here she is, picking herself up out of the rocks and snow and dirt and smoke, standing on her feet, and raising her pink magical rod. She turns and holds it with both hands as though it were a sword or a baseball bat. The Sacred Scepter glows along its entire length with crackling magical energy. Then she says, "Surrender is never an option for me. But you have chosen to dismiss that option entirely. So be it. The battle continues until its end, one way or another." Then she yells, "CRUSADER'S CRESCENT!" and swings the Sacred Scepter in an arc. A large, crescent moon-shaped 'blade' of glowing, ephemereal white magic flies from the Scepter! And then Paladin swings it again, and again, and again. Faora is taking care of the threat of the huge airship thing that caused the avalanche, she assumes. So she focuses single-mindedly on destroying the enemy before her.<br /><br />These crescents can ordinarily slice through almost anything they touch. How will they fare against Elasaid's defenses!? And how much longer can Paladin hold out!?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:150|Hayate Yagami (150)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt; LIMITER RELEASED &gt; <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Rein, please!" <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hayate gets a bit of a dye job, turning blonde as she dials from her usual A rating clear up to SS. The letters don't mean much to anyone except the TSAB environmental impact paperwork processors, whose supraluminal office chatter already has them clenching their bottoms in worry. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Attention all non-Union-aligned elements in this area!" Her voice booms out over the Wolfram's loudspeakers, "This area has been declared a Secure Area and access is restricted. Please cease your activities immediately and depart the area, or it will be necessary to conduct you to the nearest Union facility for questioning. This can be accomplished from a dist-OW" <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Huge rock! Where did that rock come from? There's a dent now where it had bounced off of Hayate's hat, soundly thumping the head underneath it, and it proceeded to put another small dent in the paint on the Wolfram as it clatters past. Rubbing her head, Hayate clears her throat and resumes. "This can be accomplished from a distance, but there will be regrettable collateral damage. Appropriate notification to next-of-kin will be performed! You have... thirty seconds, so please help!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even if Faora had a pithy remark to make in respones to Hayate's ultimatum, she couldn't find the will to make it. The barrage hurt, and shattered her armor, leaving a ragged-looking undersuit as she wobbles to her feet, bits and pieces of the wrecked armor falling off of her. The forcefield that holds in the atmosphere is flickering and sputtering, and then gives up the ghost.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her vision swims, ranging from normal light to UV, showing the internal compositions of things superimposed over their solid surface. Add to that a riot of color and spots swimming before her eyes from the explosions she took direct hits from. And then there's the auditory issues too. There's too much sound everywhere, from the distant but close thrum of the Wolfram's engines to the extremely LOUD BREATHING of Elasaid and Princess Paladin 'nearby'. She thinks, for a moment, that she can even hear the earth groan beneath her feet as it shifts and moves from the countless tons of rock above it.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once upon a time, she had heard about a group of laborers who took psychotropic drugs because they enjoyed the strange sensations they produced on the mind. The hallucinations had been described as vivid; hearing and seeing things that one normally couldn't see. She imagines, now, this is how they must have felt, and the one-two punch of an alien atmosphere and getting her bell rung by artillery shells keeps her from doing anything effective for now.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She focuses on trying to get things under control.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elasaid once more brings her arms up, forming that bright blue-white directional field to intercept the incoming attack from Paladin. The first strike shatters some of the field, though the others, in that way that spinning attacks usually do, don't strike the same spot, giving it time to recover. One even goes wild and spirals off into the distance. However, once the 'bubble' returns from the directional field, there's a big gaping hole in it that's very slowly closing, refilling with whatever power the woman wields. "Surrender? No. But if you really just want to use this place, we could form an agreement with you instead." she replies evenly, before bringing her left arm up, fist clenched as two ports open in her bra<span class=" bold_fg_x bg_n ++ er.<br /><br />chx">&lt;Firing Solution acquired.&gt;</span><br /><span class=" bold_fg_x bg_n ++ hx">&lt;Fire one! Fire Two!&gt;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The internal commands are silent, as is the release of two near-invisible pulses of explosive magic. They're slow moving, but should they hit, would be devastating.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Faora seems to be out of the fight, so Elasaid's threat assessment places her on a much lower priority, perhaps a mistake.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:589|Princess Paladin (589)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Paladin is torn. On the one hand, her mission is, without exception, to reach the Caverns and make use of them. Any means necessary to achieve this will be employed, and she is 100% committed to this task. She has no doubts about this. But she also acknowledges she has allies to protect. Ultimately, however... The ally is not part of the mission. As she is blasted by torpedos, suffering more damage, she rises again, slowly, dramatically, her body not heeding the severe pain she is actually feeling, the true damage done, making her seem very determined and resilient.<br /><br />She has never been hurt this badly in a fight. Ever. Princess Paladin does not know how much more she can take. But she raises her Sacred Scepter above her head. It extends by about a foot, and magic energy gathers from it in great intensity, making any unmelted snow around her rise into the air. A pair of angel-like wings extend from the sides. Then she calls out, "Watch in awe! Heavenly Glory!" An eruption of magical energy blasts from the Scepter...!<br /><br />When the light fades, Paladin appears to be in much better condition. Even in places where her outfit was torn or her armor dented, the material has been repaired. "Cease attacking me, and I will consider this agreement. I do not see any reason to seek conflict if it can be avoided. It is only the Caverns that I must reach."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:150|Hayate Yagami (150)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"A Union-affiliated representative will be with you shortly to help you fill out your visitation registration. Until then, please stand by warmly. If you need medical attention, registration paperwork will also be available with this representative." Hayate leafs quickly through the announcement from the SOP book, her reading lit by the backglow of her readied spell. That reminds her and she finally dissipates it, breathing a sigh of relief that she wouldn't have to fill out an environmental impact statement after all. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Wolfram, proceed to the Caverns, please!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elasaid nods to Paladin. "Of course." she does, however, pointedly eject the 'spent casings' from her turrets, letting them thunk into the remaining snow before they evaporate into blue-white mana motes. The turrets cycle with a resonant KLACK-KLANK. "See to your ally, then we will process your visitation request. Since you only seem to be incidentally in the area, I'm sure our Command will grant the request." states the Maiden, stepping up along the path to meet the Wolfram. "Underway to rendezvous coordinates now, Wolfram."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The kryptonian soldier looks blearily at the incoming ship, trying to focus her eyes on it. Such a wealth of information she sees! The locations of the crew, the energy conduits, the engines, the person on top who looks like like she should really be in a training creche. But she has been humiliated, embarassed, and Faora is trying to choke down her own rage and bile and get herself together enough to retreat. Veins of darkness begin to appear around her eyes, which flare briefly with intense heat. Likely it registers on the ship's sensors as an insane amount of heat from that one spot on the mountain.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But heat beams from the eyes drain a kryptonian's energy reserves like no other power they possess. Faora is not in the best of shape either, and instead of her eyes erupting with beams of white hot rage that can bring down buildings, she passes out, slumping to the ground with a heavy thump.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:589|Princess Paladin (589)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Certainly. It would be an act of good faith both for him and for you." Paladin turns to Raora as she passes out, feeling some of the heat she is emanating just before, and prepares to help her off the mountain. She has the strength and speed for that at least. She may need to provide more healing along the way or upon reaching the bottom, but she will definitely be back as soon as possible. She can't go back to being Miko Fujimoto until her mission is completed. She isn't allowed. There were a lot of firsts in this battle.<br /><br />First time being shot with cannons. First time being attacked by an airship. First time getting severely injured while in the form of Princess Paladin.<br /><br />First time realizing that has much power she gains in this form, she is very much a slave to that power.<br /><br />She used to think that was okay, because it let her do so much she could not... Let her be someone free and able to choose her destiny no matter what anyone else says.<br /><br />She is not so sure anymore.<br /><br />What kind of freedom takes away the ability to change your mind?<br> <br>


}}