4762/The Nexus - Finale I

The Nexus - Finale I
Date of Scene:	07 November 2016
Location:	City of Ravnica <Rav>
Synopsis:	Ijiwaru claims he's captured Yunomi and intends to turn her over at the Mana Nexus...
Cast of Characters:	1037, 325, Maya, Yang Xiao Long, 750, 272, Corona Arclite, 385, Bahamut, Sanary Rondel, 300
Tinyplot:	34 - Moeru

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Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
The humming of the Mana Nexus was all around them, dark clouds looming over head, the flash of electricity along the coiled towers of the Izzet League echoed in the flash of light and the rumble of thunder overhead, threatening to hide the blue and red stars that gleamed over Ravnica. Gone are the grandstands and stage of presentation day, and now, in front of the mana nexus, there were protesters, demanding that outsiders -- like Yunomi, like Ijiwaru -- stop interfering in Ravnican business, stop taking their jobs -- and their lives.

Inside the mana nexus only members of the Izzet, the attache of their allies, and a few Boros and Orzhova were permitted -- the former as the arresting officers represent, and the latter for a 'fair and unfettered' trial representation for the creature captured by the Magic Eaters. The Boros officer, a younger man with a scar running down his face, seems highly suspicious. THe trio of the Orzhova seemed largely unconcerned with the preceedings, conferring amongst themselves quietly.The upper rim of the mana nexus, with its control room and walkway is unoccupied y the magic eaters, who seem mostly concerned with the central platform.From the center platform, four walkways errupt, each leading to an outer platform and exit, marked in friendly red letters. Someone has spray-painted an image of the Izzet Sigil -- the proud form of a dragon, with a five-point corona over head -- along with the tri-wing symbol of their new Guild Leadership.

The teams of Magic-Eaters were on high alert, each of them wearing tactical gear, armor, baring a rifle and a sword a peice. There had been a long carpet set up -- red, of course, in an ode to the Boros and the kind members of the Izzet, and their associates.

Among the number of magic-eaters, Ijiwaru alone is without a helmet, whether by hubris or the trust that Richard Stadler's attache would never consider killing him outright with snipers. No, he trusts Stadler's honor more than that.


    After all, it'd be horrible if anything were to happen to his little girl.

In the midst of the stand of magic eaters, there is a large box shape, covered in a dark, black sheet. Theatrics? Perhaps.

        The only thing that moves the heavy sheet is the wind.

Ijiwaru is smiling, relaxed, and willing to peaceably hand over the creature and have his hands freed of it.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
        This day took too long to arrive.

    This was the version that Rhapsody had been terrified of. The possibility of Ijiwaru finding Yunomi first and then the result of what he did to her. Even as she walks in, it's clear that Rhapsody is on edge and rather anxious. Thianel would come in from above, and Ryxinel is... elsewhere, trying to determine just why the Mana Nexus was gathering energy. Sidonia is still no where to be seen.

    Once inside, Ijiwaru would receive a cold stare from the guildmaster first, only for the gaze to fall onto the box covered by a black sheet. She nearly breaks into a run, the only thing stopping her being the newly reconstructed frame of Thianel taking a step that places his arm in front of Rhapsody. At this point, both of them stop and simply wait, with no words said.

Maya has posed:
Maya was here she knww what had to be done she'd had her rifle slung across her back after all she was not one to go unarmed but she'd also knew how tense this might be. She knew they had to do this by the book or it would prove Ijiwaru right. At least she had more trust in Ravinca's legal system when it came to trials over all than anything else at least back home. She was concerned about how far Rick was threating to go she understood family but damn that may have hurt things in the end either way she's here flanking near Rhapsody and just holding in place she knew it was time to wait there's nothing to be said yet and she will attempt to not rise to any bait that's thrown out there. Though one thing might be noticed while she wore seemingly the same leather and metal armour she always had? This looked /new/ or fully restored to new like levels.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang is here. Glowering and trying very desperately to keep the boiling rage that's burning within her from overflowing and sending her flying at Ijiwaru. Instead, she hangs near the back, looking over towards where the protesters are outside the Nexus... this could get ugly, very, very quickly.

Rebound (750) has posed:
"I wonder if any of those guys are the ones I beat the crap out of the other day." Rebound says, hopefully loud enough for the Magic Eaters to hear her. She wiggles one of her gauntlet clad fingers at one of them, trying to get a rise out of the armored goons.

She is half tempted to see just how much she can get away with, but she doubts these guys are the British royal guards and may respond to provocation.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    On the exterior ring, Mi hops up to the edge of the desk, looking outside the shielded glass in the control room. She presses a button on the radio, and in a thin voice says "Chuugi-Yo, the Nexus is approaching full capacity, but we slowed the recharge.... at least we can do that." Mi says... and releases the button. She looks out over the approach of the Izzet. "Good luck, Guildmaster... don't fail us Yunomi."

Corona Arclite has posed:
Something about this still smelled rotten to Corona, but she was dutifully keeping her yap shut in hopes that they might finally get some long needed answers. And then deal with the Magic Eaters if/as necessary. Still didn't trust them... but as long as they kept up their side of things, couldn't really do much.

So instead she kept her hands busy with her C-Pad device, for all the world looking like she was just hoving around Thianel doing running diagnostics to be sure his new body was functioning properly.... which was not necessary at all with all the testing they'd already put it through, but it was a convenient excuse for her to 1) stay close to the dragons, and 2) keep the device out and ready.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Technically, Yuna wasn't exactly sure where Yunomi was being brought for the hand-off. Fortunately, she has an advantage that most girls - and even most Unionites - don't: she can be in several places at once.

.... Kind of.

Among Yuna's assets as the Savior of Light are what Elner has called her 'alter-egos' - Jiina of the Earth, Marina of the Sea, and Erina of the Sky, the three androids who can transform into supplemental armor that gives Yuna her ability to fight underwater or in the sky, or just heavier armor and weapons (and faster speed) for land combat. But each of them can also take on a human form, and while their hair colors and styles are a far cry from Yuna's blonde ponytail, their faces and figures are reasonably close. So while Yuna herself is at the Mana Nexus with Rhapsody and their friends, she's got the rest of the Matrix of Light (save Elner, who floats by her as usual) stationed at different, possibly-relevant points around Ravnica.

As for Yuna herself, she's dressed up for the occasion ... not in full kimono, but a few steps up from her usual good-looking casual wear. The outermost layer consists of a light blue sweater (both in shade and in weight) and a deep maroon skirt, the former with long sleeves, the latter reaching a little bit past her knees. The collar of the sweater is just low enough to show off the collar of the white blouse worn underneath it, elegant in its simplicity; where the skirt would reveal her legs, midnight-blue tights or stockings sheathe her calves, descending into the black dress shoes she's wearing (flats, thank you; this isn't a high-heels occasion by any stretch).

And she's picked out some jewelry as well, although nothing too gaudy. She's chosen to wear a pair of earrings shaped like small magatama, one red and one blue; the shades of both are dark enough that they stand out without drawing attention to the contrast; a silver necklace bearing a small pendant, in the form of a dragon wrapped around a clear crystal sphere, rests about her neck, outside the blouse's collar and framed by the sweater. And finally, a silver bracelet hangs about her right wrist, a simple silver chain that supports five differently-colored stones ... in order: white, blue, black, red, and green.

The clamor of the protestors prompts a pronounced and sustained wince from Yuna, but she stifles her reaction beyond that. She similarly suppresses her distaste for the Magic-Eaters' presence; technically, they're still under contract with the Ravnican guilds' council or whatever it's called, and ... well, while Yuna still wants to kick Ijiwaru's butt? He seems to have upheld his word - and if so, then Yuna owes him an apology.

But until Yuna sees Yunomi for herself, and confirms with her own eyes that she's relatively safe and comparatively sound, all Yuna can do is stick to her word that she'd be here in civilian form ... and so she is. Elner's presence is the only hint that she has any plans or contingencies that *could* involve engaging in combat - surely Yuna didn't pick out this outfit and jewelry just to bide her time until she'd have to transform.

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut has joined Rhapsody and the others as they enter. He looks around with a cool, level gaze, the dragon of justice holding any judgements for now. He trusts in Rhapsody and his other Union friends, but so far he has no reason to actually think the Magic Eaters have any agenda other than capturing an alleged criminal. But, he had to admit that this entire situation felt off. Ijiwaru just struck him as a sneaky type who only gave as much information as was necessary for him to get his way. And the other guilds had seemed a bit too eager to give him free rein in the city.

     Bahamut is also worried about Rhapsody. This entire ordeal has been hard on the Guildmaster. Bahamut isn't sure if she can hold out. Bahamut takes up a spot opposite Thianel at Rhapsody's side and places a hand on Rhapsody's shoulder.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Despite her best efforts, Sanary's still feeling somewhat out of place in the Mana Nexus. Not a lot of people she knows, the ones she does know would probably rather be throwing her out a window right now, and all those protestors outside... Is she even on the right side this time?

     No matter. The healer's not here to fight, anyway, but to keep an eye on things. She's even made sure /not/ to bring her gunaxe with her for once, opting for the more defense-oriented option of just lugging two giant shields along with her. She's also dressed to impress, dressed in a relatively fancy-looking black coat that's slowly becoming her new staple coat. It even covers up the definitely-not-sweatpants she's wearing underneath it!

     Following Rhapsody and Thianel inside, Sanary lets Thianel do the bulk of the stopping-Rhapsody work before stepping beside her.

     "Easy. Don't do anything too crazy yet." She murmurs, shooting a glance back towards Rebound at her comment and cracking a slight smirk before feigning a disapproving frown. A deep breath later, and she steps aside to start looking over the group of Magic Eaters and Ijiwaru himself.

Richard Stadler (300) has posed:
Stadler was once again prepared... as much as he could be. The problem, he had thought, between fitful bits of sleep and hours staring at maps and paperwork to avoid staring at the dark ceiling of his bedroom, was that it wasn't enough. It was dashing about 10 steps behind someone, who obviously wasn't exerting himself too badly keeping up the job ahead. Mad scrambles for evidence, for intellgence, for anything that would let him be the one in smirking in the knowledge of something secret, all to no avail. It had come down to this, to seeing his daughter handed over by a man who wore the sickening armor of law and beaucracy in a way Stadler had to horrifyingly respect.

He stands off to the side of Rhapsody, and Thianel, distracting himself for the moment with thoughts of the protestors outside. Part of him felt they were woefully misinformed (the naval base the RQ-4 wasn't going near, if anything, seemed very disinclined to leave), but mostly, he was having a very hard time not taking it as an insult. Yunomi had given up much, studied much, to become a member of the Izzet guild. In a way, one of them, just as she belonged to so many other places. And they would throw her to the hounds based on a slick sales pitch told by a monster that the aggrieved 'victim' didn't beleive. So be it. If they wanted his daughter gone, then maybe she should go. Rhapsody and her Guild were the good ones. The rest... Fuck them.

But those distractions slithered to a halt as that box was brought out, covered by that sheet. The hate Stadler radiated got past that stone mask his face resembled, hands stifly behind his back, his uniform the one of a father, for once, instead of a soldier. The doctor next to him, lab coat covering the kahaki's of her station, didn't hide what she felt. If Ijiwaru could have died from a look, he'd have been dead as soon as he entered the room.

Stadler's people were around, of course. camoflauge clad infantry from an element of the 3rd ID based in critical positions. The doors, the generators, watching the entrances. Hidden in a nearby building, a reserve of Z-team members, Black BDUs and gas masks covering the most serious faces. Ijiwaru was somewhat off. Rick's honor was only part of the equation that kept the Magic Eater alive for the moment. His daughter was another part, a larger part, but the biggest was that he suspected Ijiwaru's life wasn't worth it to kill. Not to Stadler... and not to Ijiwaru himself. And that was the terrifying part.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
"Hm." Ijiwaru begins, regarding Rhapsody as she icily glares at him. He raises a look to the dragon descending from above, and appears, for a moment, to be concerned. His eyes look over the mechanical dragon's form, examining it with a wary eye before he steps forward to address the group. Rhapsody's honor guard each are examined in passing then -- Maya, he was familiar with. He'd seen her around, knew little about her and cared less. Yang, the blonde who got her hair tarred in the last encounter the Magic-Eaters met up with the Izzet at -- not from any realm he was familiar with, curious weaponry on her fists.

Rebound's comments are met with a few men in masks turning to face her, the red lit eyes of the gasmask-like visage (... mummy?) examining her for a moment before returning to attention as Ijiwaru slithered past, smoothly walking.

"Well, Guildmaster Rhapsody Mizzet." he begins, and makes a show of a deep, sweeping bow from his waist. "I had expected three dragons, yet curiously, these two are ones I have not made aquaintence with. You, sir," he turns up to the mechanical dragon, "must be Thianel, whose voice I have gained some familiarity with. It is good to meet you in person -- and Richard Stadler. How can I forget such a face as the adoptive father of my greatest foil? How /are/ you doing, Richard? Sleeping well?" he gives his most charming, disarming smile, and then straightens up fully, then motions back to the shape under the thick sheet. "Shall we? I realize, you must be anxious to see her again." he states, and strides back along the carpet.

"As I said before, had we cooperated without need to coerce you, Guildmaster, it would have been a much easier chase. There is really no one to blame save for our joint lack of communication -- which in itself is a failing of mine. Like yourself, I was not ready to assume the mantle of the group I lead. Really, I was journeying through Europe, a curiosity of my time since it was mostly the Dutch were permitted to visit our land -- we were quite xenophobic, I'm afraid, much more than the people protesting outside... ah, yes, but I never made it to England, we discussed briefly that I am entirely illiterate in English, pesky language in my time." Ijiwaru states conversationally as he walks back...

    And grasps the sheet...

        And simply walks by, pulling the sheet off the cage. The sheet collapses behind the cave, showing that it's really quite short, with it standing on a tall table. Low, enough for a person to crawl in -- but it's not a person inside.

It is a tanuki. A racoon dog, its muzzle white but the mask around its eyes gray and faded with age. Its ears are drawn low, its tail limp as it hardly stirs. Its back is to the gathering, flecks of white and grizzled gray along its dark coat. It's missing Yunomi's trademark red collar -- but perhaps that had burned to ash weeks ago, without the power of the Kami to power it. There is a food bowl and a water bowl. Neither seem to have been touched.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    There is a -long- moment as Rhapsody's gaze shifts from Ijiwaru to the cage. The sheet is removed, the Racoon Dog is revealed, and Rhapsody's gaze angrily shifts back to Ijiwaru, "Is this some kind of joke?" Thianel moves a -little- more ahead of Rhapsody, likely to keep her from doing something She Would Regret. "I know her looks, I know her transformations, I know how she carries herself in any form. If she knew she was going to be seen by me? My allies? My Izzet League?" Her tone goes frigid.

        "Where.. Is.. She?"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang doesn't say a single word. But the distinctive unfolding sound of Ember Celica is all she needs to say here.

    She doesn't move or make any overtly hostile action apart from that. The ball is firmly in Ijiwaru's court right now.

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut has not seen Yunomi in her natural form, but Rhapsody's reaction makes it clear that this is not Yunomi. Either that, or Yunomi is in very bad shape. Bahamut lets out a low rumble as the tanuki is revealed and Rhapsody speaks. But, it is not his place to speak so he remains quiet for now. And gives Rhapsody's shoulder a more firm grip. "Do not do anything rash, Rhapsody." he says quietly.

     And after a moment adds, "...until we have a bit more information."

Maya has posed:
Maya would be happy to know Ijiwaru could care less about her, she remains polite and gives the proper respect and she doesn't say a thing but she does shoot Rebound a bot of a look for a moment. She knows the whole dela about doing a poltical dance she wasnt' ready for the sort of thing she'd seen when she'd crashed slaver operations back on her home world as she sees racoon dog's condtion and is very concerned.

She seems to get a sympathic look to the raccoon dog that's doesn't seem to well off and she simply waits she doesn't rise to it or make any hostile action she simply waits.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite leans a little to glance out from behind one of Thianel's legs as the sheet is pulled away... and really has to resist the urge to facepalm. Com'n, we know she's a shapeshifter, but seriously.

... No, there has to be something else. If Ijiwaru is making this big show about this... There's something else they're not suppose to see...

True to form, Corona rolls her eyes a bit in the usual distaste for the more political things she's previously shown, and wanders around behind Thianel as if continuing her monitoring.

But it's not the mechanical dragon she's monitoring now. While out of direct sight she fiddles with the C-Pad's various settings, going through multiple scanning modes both technical and the newer magical ones she's been tinkering with while working with the Izzet.

Something about this was like that dang fangled New Math.

It didn't add up.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Far away, in the Izzet Artificer's lab, a small orb buzzles to life. Its red and blue lights flash, as if in warning before it zips up, internal gyroscopes suddenly working again, and then zips away.

    A goblin, intent on following orders to the letter cries out "OH NO YOU DON'T! GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE" and chases Pidge with a net, trying to catch it, as the orb makes a little 'blaaaat' noise.

    True to form, with the Mana Nexus nearly at full storage, there was a LOT of magic floating around. Those magic eaters must be getting a belly full at this point.

Rebound (750) has posed:
    The impact drivers spark to life, green energy flowing through them as Rebound's stance shifts, "Cocky son of a bitch." She snarls faintly. She didn't really know Yunomi before this whole thing started, but she's gotten to know everyone who's been trying to save her, and she's known people like Ijiwaru before.

    She tenses her leg muscles, not striking out yet, but very, very close to doing so. It's not her place to call him out on his bullshit, but the moment the opporitunity arises, she's going to lash out.

Richard Stadler (300) has posed:
Stadler doesn't have a quip at hand, some clever mixing of words that would say one thing and then another. The only answer to Ijiwaru he gives is that stone mask, joined by the doctor's bayful gaze in tandem. He doesn't even issue a command for him to get on with it. He simply watches, waits for that sheet to be removed...

And then looks at the raccoon dog that occupied the cage. It took willpower, more than he had expected, to not turn that place into a charnal house, but he did so, simply looking at what, at best, was a horrible insult, and at worst, was one of the worst things he could imagine. His hand extends, slightly, to the doctor next to him, who, upon adjusting her gaze, moved to her hip and drew her M9, placing the pistol in Rick's hand before striding forward. "I'm a doctor. Make a fucking hole." She mutters, approching the cage itself. Crouching down, her hand moved to a device, flipping out a medical tricorder, detaching the bit and running it over the Raccoon dog in front of her.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
The possibility that Yunomi was inside that covered cage was ... well. For Yuna, it seemed like Ijiwaru was living up (or down) to his name again by being unnecessarily nasty - keeping Yunomi in a cage and keeping her from seeing her friends, or vice versa.

But when the cage is uncovered?

It's not until Thianel's prompting that Yuna draws in a slow, deep breath, letting it out with just as much control, and forcing her hands to unclench. She can't claim to know Yunomi as well as Rhapsody does, but ... if Yunomi's magic was being drained from her, of course she'd most likely revert to her natural, non-magical form, and the strain might weaken her further.

But logic does very little to prevail against emotions - and Yuna's emotions have always tended to overwhelm her reason in any case: one of her recurring failures as a warrior, and one that's difficult for her to overcome even *with* knowledge of it. For now, keeping her emotions as tightly under wraps as she can, Yuna takes a couple of steps forward, consciously suppressing the desire to transform and try to blast the cage open.

She's very pointedly not looking at Ijiwaru, averting her gaze from the magic-eater as she approaches. "You'll have to allow us to confirm her identity before we accept that you've brought our beloved friend back to us - even if she's first to stand trial and face the accusations against her," Yuna points out. "Rhapsody already disputes that this is Yunomi Stadler, or Umehana Odanuki as you insist upon calling her ..."

Now she looks at Ijiwaru, and smiles - but it's a smile without warmth, the only light in her eyes a steely glint that promises immense fury if she finds a reason to unleash it. "Although, I suppose ... you've only ever seen her as an animal to be hunted ... never as a person to be valued, and certainly never as somebody whom others might see as a friend to be cherished."

She does indeed stand aside as DeClere comes past her.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Sanary raises an eyebrow slightly as that sheet is removed, a cautious glance tossed towards Rhapsody as she questions Ijiwaru. She doesn't seem to quite understand the implications just yet, but it does eventually dawn on her, and once that thought finally settles in, Sanary gives Ijiwaru an incredulous look.

     "... Really? You've never...? Uh." The healer doesn't look offended at Ijiwaru as she does give him a look of utter disbelief, then a light shrug.

     At least she's not the one drawing their anger today.

     She does glance over at her companions for the day, though, seemingly more interested in their reactions to all of this. Yang's reaction isn't quite so unexpected, although Sanary is making sure that she's not directly between her and the Magic Eaters. Rebound's stance, too, keeps her from staying too close to her as well, although she does eventually step forward with DeClere.

     "Confederate medical. I ain't a surgeon, but if you need some patch healing..." She taps her shields together lightly, almost as if signaling like she's ready to draw out some healing magic for exactly that purpose. She's still got her own job to do, after all!

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    "I promised I would deliver the tanuki in a safe form for others to take. I had no idea that removing the transformative powers would lead to this." He motions. "I was confident that because of her mother she would remain /human/ Harmless. How was I to know that she chose what she looked like even in a 'native' form?" Ijiwaru gives a small shrug of his shoulders. "No. This is no joke. This is the Odanuki. This is my enemy, and I have delivered her to you, /fully/ intending on handing her over with not. A. Scratch. Not a single hair on that body harmed. Not a single one of those folicles was harmed by my hand."

    And it's true. This ancient looking tanuki has either been healed, or has had time to heal. It also seems... weak. Unable to walk. Unable to do much except lay there, dying. Tanuki aren't supposed to live so long as this one without magic.

    The tanuki is also not a female. Once DeClere gets close enough, it's obvious that this tanuki is a male.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"You're lying," Yuna states, looking straight at Ijiwaru - and no longer even pretending to smile.

"You've been hunting youkai for how long? And you've had a grudge against Yunomi for how many years? Don't tell me - don't try to tell *us* - that you seriously did not think the loss of her magic wouldn't cause her to revert. I'm going to ask nicely just once, Ijiwaru ... where is the real Yunomi Stadler?"

Meanwhile, Elner is still hovering back where Yuna had been standing ... but that doesn't mean the robo-faerie isn't ready to assist.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    Ijiwaru gives a sad smile. "Tonight it ends, my old enemy."

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    And for her part, Rhapsody still looks entirely cheesed off.

    "Oh -CAN- it already, Ijiwaru!" Yep. She's snapped. She's done being nice and calm and held back by everyone around her. She's the damn Izzet Guildmaster, she's going to do what she -wants- to do. "That. Is. Not. Yunomi. Stadler. This is a -clear- breach of the contract issued by the Guild Vote to allow you to hunt for -her- and to bring -her- to us. THE VOTE IS NULLIFIED!" she howls, pressing -past- Thianel's outstretched leg, and now she's rolling up a sleeve, "And now I am going to f#@$^&ing clean your damn clock!"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"Hm... Yeah, she... He? Everything checks out. No injuries. Just... Being old." Sanary glances back at the others after looking the tanuki over, even directing some regenerative magic its way to see if that helps bolster the creature's ability to function any. Not that she knows what 'Yunomi' or 'Oadnuki' or whoever this is supposed to be looks like to begin with, but still.

     The healer's also making a distinct point not to turn around when Yuna and Rhapsody call him out on his suposed deception, sparing only a quick glance over before observing the caged creature further. If any fighting's going to go down, she can at least make sure something significantly more innocent than just about anyone in the room is protected, at least!

Richard Stadler (300) has posed:
Stadler stands there, far enough away from the cage. the way he's adjusting his neck indicates he's subvocalizing, speaking without sounding on a radio, but it would be very hard to detect what. And he never moves from looking at Ijiwaru. Before... pausing. Pausing for a moment. And narrowing his eyes. THis may coincide with the report DeClere whispers over, once she gets the analysis.

"You. You just promised you'd delivered her to us. but you never said that was who was in that cage. This wasn't a hand over. You never had her. This was how you planned to /get her/."

As Rhapsody walks forward. "The one image we got was a robed figure, handing over a weapon. Nothing else. The Tanuki in there is male. And as I am not a man who beleives in coincidences, I have to beleive that there's only one old male tanuki that Ijiwaru could drag in here with the expectation that Yunomi would appear."

Corona Arclite has posed:
Meanwhile, as others are aruging over Ijiwaru and the now clearly not Yunomi tanuki, Corona is paying more attention to her analyzer and the magic energy amassing in the Nexus around them. On a scale of 1 to 10... this would probably be a 12. Maybe a 13, because Corona has a definate bad feeling about it.

An ear swivels forward briefly, mostly at Rhapsody finally getting to vent some of what she's been holding in for the last three months, trap or no trap. Frankly, after putting her through this for that long, she's got every right to punch the bastard's teeth in, vote or no vote.

Not like the Council has done a damn thing to help anyways.

Then her attention snaps back to the analyzer... mostly because it's started to spark and smoke. The mana detectors was still a new and experimental thing, and the sheer capacity of the Nexus was more than it can handle.

"Yeep!" With a yip Corona blows smoke off the device and waves it a few times, then slaps it shut and ditchs it before it overloads entirely.

Probably for the better, because it sounds like things are really heating up, and not just becahse Rhapsody's lost her temper. Sounds like a few lines have been seriously crossed.

That's it. The gloves are off now.

Or on, in this case, as Corona gets out her bigger reinforced ones.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"To think I was actually planning to apologize to you ... !"

Sometimes, Yuna's transformations are quiet and relatively subdued. Sometimes they're dramatic. And sometimes ... sometimes, the transformation itself is intended to be a spectacularly clear threat.

Yuna's whole body glows, brightly enough that the drapery of her clothes is obscured into vanishing entirely. The light around her then crackles, the components of her basic Light Suit condensing out of the light itself and taking physical, material shape.

And as her Light Suit takes shape around her body, Yuna speaks, loudly enough to be clearly heard. "I actually thought that I might indeed have misjudged you, Ijiwaru Magic-Eater. I thought that after all your complaints about the way we'd distrusted you and refused to cooperate, you had made good on your promise to bring Yunomi in alive and well and relatively unharmed ... and as soon as I'd given her the welcome-home hug she needed, I would have turned to you, bowed, and apologized for treating you with the distrust that I've shown ... but THIS - !!"

One final flare of light, and Yuna's transformation is completed, the Matrix Divider taking form in her hands. "Is Rhapsody correct, Ijiwaru?" snaps Yuna, the Matrix Divider already flaring as she focuses power into her weapon - and keeping the Divider pointed conspicuously *away* from not just Ijiwaru, but the other Magic-Eaters. "Did you capture Yunomi's father, just to lure Yunomi herself into your trap?!"

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
The tanuki gives a sort of thankful look to Sanary, though one could hardly call the Best Carouser in Kyoto and Edo 'innocent'... just, old and tired at this point, feeling every one of those five centuries on his bones and muscles.

    Pidge is chased by a goblin with a net, and goes out a lucky opened window. The Goblin gives a low curse, throws the net to the ground, and stomps on it.

    Repeatedly.

    Up above in the control room, Mi is monitoring the situation, and the hair on her head is beginning to stand up from all the mana in the room. The little creature is practically glowing, feeling better than she has in months.

    "Chuugi, the mana nexus has reached full storage and capacity!"

    Outside, the mana vines that connected the Nexus to the mana power grid are beginning to glow, their excess energy crackling along their forms, flowers beginning to bloom along their thornless vines.

    Pidge is sailing along through the air, speeding along.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang's hair begins to rise on its own, beginning to flow in the mana currents as if she were standing underwater. The crackling along the vines is mimiced along the blonde's own body, skittliating traceries of yellow 'lightning' arcing across her Aura. Flecks of Aura lift out of her hair like embers of flame, her eyes very slowly turning a darker shade of purple, bleeding into red as the anger courses through her body, filling her with its power.

Rebound (750) has posed:
"That's it. That's what I was waiting for." Rebound has been waiting for the cards to wind up on the table, and now she's going to finally do what she's been waiting for. The cards all laid out, Rebound's thoughts about this guy and his cronies all panning out exactly how she'd expected.

The tensed muscles of the kangaroo's legs finally release, and she drives forward. It's a big distance to cover, but she knows she can do it. She hopes the element of surprise will give her the advantage that she needs. She knows this is such a terrible idea, but Rebound doesn't worry about things like plans or consequences, at least not in the heat of the moment.

The Impact Drivers burn bright green as she sails through the air, twisting herself around to throw everything she has into the punch as she sails through the air. She's heading straight for Ijiwaru, the kangaroo has had enough of his lip and his stupid pretty boy face, and from the moment she saw him, she has wanted to do this. She's going to punch him right in the face at full speed.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
The Magic-Eater gives a sad smile, stepping away, his back to the cage as he straightens himself out.

The rest of the magic eaters draw their weapons, standing at the ready, turning to each of the Unionites and Izzet Allies in their midst, centering on Rhapsody. There are at least fifteen little green dots on her back and sides, taking aim at the Guildmaster as the rain begins to fall.

Four are on Richard Stadler.

At least two aiming throught he bars at the exhausted tanuki in the cage.

He looks around to the assembled, and gives a sad smile.

"I wish I had thought of this sooner, gathering her most loyal companions, her most treasured associations. All of you in one place, her father, her adoptive father, her lover -- admittedly, it was far, far easier to manipulate you. What an opportunity arose, forcing her to choose between staying safe or saving everyone, how could I not force it?"

Ijiwaru smirks.

    "So. If you would all be so kind," he draws his sword. The blade hums in turn, its ice cold glint even in the heat of this moment shining thirstily, Muramasa, glows as the kangaroo approaches. Ijiwaru braces --

And outwards a concussive force errupts, with enough force to make the magic-eaters around him draw downwards, but its effect focused on the airborn Rebound!

     "If you stay still, this should all be over very, very--"

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    -- that's about when a bolt of lightning hits the ground behind Ijiwaru -- and up above there is a figure, clad in a dark, brown, ragged robe, the hood pulled up and over her face.

    And around her floats an orb, happily burbling with its red and blue lights aglow.

    The left arm hangs a little limply to her side, her right hand still crackling with red mana before it falls, grasping onto the guard rail of the catwalk.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    DOTS. MANY DOTS. HANDLE IT!

The moment all the guns train on the riled up Izzet Guildmaster, Thianel doesn't give a single one of them the chance. The dragon lunges, lands over top the Guildmaster, and his wings fan out, probably getting in the way of a -majority- of the lines of fire. Rhapsody does indeed stop, but the crack of lightning and the form appearing above prompts the response anyone here would expect.

    "YUNOMI!"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Tracer lines? Check. Multiple targets? Check. Stood atop a giant world ending time bomb? Double check.

    "Wrong move." Heroic one-liners? Priceless.

    Yang braces as the blow from Muramasa comes screaming off the blade, flaring her Aura to absorb the overflow of the strike, before she throws both arms back.

    CH-BLAM! CLU-CLAK!

    She launches forwards, aiming to smash one fist right into the side of one of the Magic Eaters aiming at the tanuki in the cage. She's not holding back this time, and as her fist connects, a double tap of her Impulse shells goes off, hopefully sending the poor bastard flying over the railing.

    She isn't still though, the recoil from her first attack sends her wheeling backwards, bringing a round-house kick into another Magic Eater's midsection, aiming to knock his aim off at least with a sudden blonde brawler up in his business.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
And then things start going to crap rather quickly. Perhaps luckily or unluckily, Sanary's not particularly invested in... Well, anyone here. Maybe Yuna at most because of a certain kid elsewhere, but aside from that? She's more than content to stand guard by the old aching father.

     Yunomi's dramatic entrance does get her attention rather easily, though, and she's soon drawing both shields out to provide both the odanuki and Declere with a rather substantial shield wall. Plus, herself!

     "Hey, Ijiwaru? Mm... Good luck, I guess." Should he look her way, she'll point a finger towards the increasingly rageahol-filled-looking Unionites just over there. If Ijiwaru or the Magic Eaters were hoping for Confederate assistance somehow...

     Sanary's not /that/ stupid. "Just don't throw too many of 'em this way, alright, Yang? Er. Everyone?"

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
There was exactly one way to get Yuna to abort from a prepared attack, and the Magic-Eaters have found it - and then Thianel does what Yuna was about to need to. She gives the mechanical dragon a quick, relieved grin -

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

- and lunges straight at Ijiwaru, pitting her modest weight and her strength of will against the erupting shockwave, trying to break through it without losing speed; the Matrix Divider is swung like a broadsword wrapped in lightning, and at the instant at which she judges is optimal contact, she pulls the Divider's trigger.

If she wanted Ijiwaru dead and the strike was true ... well, it'd mostly depend on the latter how many pieces the lead magic-eater would be left in. As it is, the 'lightning' is released in a concussive clap of thunder, manifesting as a near-blinding shockwave to add to the Matrix Divider's physical impact; if Ijiwaru eats *that* whole then he's probably not going to stay on his feet.

Maya has posed:
Maya gets a dawning look of horror on her face as it seems to not be Yunomi but becomes even more horrifed as she starts to understand. She gets a look of horro she's not sure she can save someone so far gone but she could ease the Tukanki's suffering. However then comes the mana so much mana it mak3es Maya's home world in most places seem bone dry for magic. Maya's floored by the massive amount of magic. Maya is just inately trying to keep herself together as she staggers even as the magic eaters make their move as wella s Rebound also jumps into action.

Maya now manages to get herself in gear as the fight's starting in earnast she hears Ijiwaru's word even as her own magic surges causing her tattoos to glow through her clothing and be visable to others as he makes ready she knows the fight's coming and then comes the entry of Yunomi.

Maya channels a spell to her allies as as a pair of cards rise up out of her hands, one glowing blue the other red and all those who have been working with Rhapsody seeking to solve this mess would find they are gaining a good deal of magical protection as she puts a ward on all her allies.

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut growls as Rhapsody, Yuna, Yang, Rebound...pretty much everyone gears up and either confronts or outright attacks Ijiwaru. It is unwise to attack in a situation like this, not knowing what the target has planned or what his capabilities are. But, like Thianel, when all of those dots appear on Rhapsody, Bahamut lets out a roar and leaps just after the mechanical dragon. What Thaniel cannot cover, Bahamut will. "Your timing is terrible yet impeccable! The city is on the verge of collapse thanks to you! As is your guildmaster!" he roars, obviously a bit annoyed with Yunomi.

     Standing firmly between Rhapsody and the snipers, Bahamut starts firing spells and shots of Impulse at the Magic Eaters. Lightning, fire, water, ice, and perhaps worst of all, those Impulse bolts that deal damage of no particular element. Just pure energy that threatens to petrify anyone hit by them.

Corona Arclite has posed:
And with the gloves in place, Corona is back at front with the dragons and the others. "The only thin' endin' is this silly cherade finally." ... Sigh, a little quick on the leap there Rebound, though good points for effort.

And of course there's a ton of guns being pointed down at them, especially Rhapsody... which Thianel quickly moves to shield the smaller Guildmaster from. "Hah! Good thin' we made ya outta tougher stuff!" Cue Yunomi making a timely arrival, and all of hell going to handgrenades in a hand basket.

Corona for her part, just moves. She's small, she's nimble, and she's been dodging gunfire all her life. The quick grey fox jumped through the fracas... and when she clenched her fists the gauntlets started to light up, steam hissing readily from ducts. Even as she weaves through the attacks she whips around and lunges for the nearest Magic Eater, gaunlets lighting up as the pulsarium cores pump a debilitating energy discharge out of them.

It's like grabbing the guy with two massive steampunk tasers.

"Ah hope y'all ready for a RE-VOLT-IN experience!"

Rebound (750) has posed:
Okay not the best idea she's ever had. Rebound's plan, so to speak, has backfired as the kinetic energy lashed into her and knocked her backwards. The impact sends her flying way back past the direction she came from.

It hurts, but not as much as the impact with the ground on the other side of the Nexus hurts. She tumbles and tears into the ground, rolling several times as she goes until she finally stops, the Impact Drivers hissing off energy as she lays there, trying to shake off the force of the hit.

Richard Stadler (300) has posed:
It's times like this, as Ijiwaru's men point their weaponas toward the assembled group, the trap sprung, that Stadler thanks what planning he could do. Such as the fact that, while he may be dressed like a vice principal of a high school, he was still wearing ceramic scale underneath the dress shirt. That would hold aganist one or two shots, certainly. Maybe more, but that would be pushing it. He needed more. And he got it.

The first, of course, is the shock of lightening that comes down from the catwalk, there standing his daughter, at the end of her plan, a glourious sight to behold for a father long starved for information. He looks up at her, for a moment, face still as nothing, before a slow, warm smile comes to his face. "Lord. About time. I think I'll try prayers more often." He says. before looking at the other soldiers in front of him. "We're going with Whiskey-Seven." He says, to the open air.

And that was the cue for the last bit he needed. Because DeClere, crouching down next to the old tanuki, gives him a short nod, then stands up. "I'd appreciate the shield. If not, make a fucking hole." She says again. As DeClere has a certain, activist interrprtation of the Hippocratic Oath. Because she's drawn a subcompact Glock from an ankle holster, and fires it with lethal intent toward those pointing the guns at Richard.

Three parts, all brought together, gives Stadler enough time to start moving, dashing to the side, muscle memory sending his hand back to draw the Hi-Power from the small of his back. He sights quickly, pulling the trigger rapidly, aiming three shot groupings. Not at helmets, or at body armor, but at necks. He wasn't a Magician, but one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise with a firearm.

From outside the Nexus, the door of a building bursts open, and the two Z-teams move forward. Riot shields at the front to get through the crowd, and heading toward the Nexus itslef.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    Yes. Let's all gear up and attack Ijiwaru.

    Let's hope that he's not seen Season 3 of RWBY -- the nearest magic eaters to the cage turn around just in time to get a face full of Yangry Huntress, getting bowled over the side of one of the platforms with a Wilheim Scream following the sound of those explosive shells. Two more turn, opening fire on Yang, one drawing a sword and rushing in for the kill, looking to take off at least one arm.

    The magic eaters who had been intent on keeping their gdots on Rhapsody end up with a growling, hissing, angry mechanical dragon. A little more than what they bargained for. They open fire on it, bullets trying to peirce through the tough metal hide of Thianel.

    The tanuki in the cage hisses, weakly, and limps to the side Sanary's on, eyes wide and in pain. Its presence in the world is fading.

    Ijiwaru, on the other hand, was prepared for the attack. Masamune turns, its blade glowing as Ijiwaru draws in more magical power, feeding off the Mana Nexus itself and he lifts the weapon, trying to stop Yuna dead in her tracks, skidding backwards slightly as his eyes narrow.

    More of the magic eaters open fire on Bahamut, their formation turning, breaking at the impulse bolts strike against them -- but the magical effect is somewhat lessened -- Ijiwaru is absorbing it, eating it, and generally feeling pretty good about himself.

    Corona Arclight's weapons rip through the magic eaters around her, smacking through the tactical armor as she delivers an ELECTRIFYING experience for half the cost of seeing stars.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    "What's the matter, Guildmaster? Afraid to cross swords without your Guardian standing over you? IJiwaru taunts Rhapsody, giving a wide smile.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang's been in the multiverse long enough to be savvy when it comes to her brawling.. but the sword user does have an advantage in that his super human strength is easily equal to Yang's own, and his weapon can pierce her Aura. As she turns and fires another shell to clear from the running slash, the tip of the blade cuts her jacket down the center, causing the buttons to come free and the jacket to swing open. Yang skids along the catwalk, grunting as bullets rain down around her, some simply squashing against her Aura, others deflecting away with bright yellow bursts of the power of her very soul. "Heh... Nice of you to CUT IN." she quips, her grin more of a snarl as she jukes to the side, attempting to come in under the sword weilder's guard and elbow smash him in the gut, using another shell to add power to the strike.

    Even if that doesn't disable him, she just keeps going, picking the guy up and charging straight into another group of Magic Eaters with a near bestial roar.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    All hell breaks loose? No. Rakdos is still asleep. THIS IS AN IZZET LEAGUE AFFAIR.

    Thianel lunges forward to protect Rhapsody, Bahamut moves up to protect the guildmaster as well. Beneath both dragons, the Guildmaster growls, rolls up BOTH sleeves, changes her mind, -tosses- the coat, --- then something rushes past her. In fact, it came clear from outside. A hooded figure was outside with the protesters, actually chanting with them, however...

        That was just a ruse.

    As the shadowy figure surges from the entrance, its speed makes it easy to miss. A Magic Eater about to place a round in one of Thianel's optic suddenly goes flying. Another about to slice for Bahamut's leg has his head bashed into Thianel's rear leg. It then surges right by Rhapsody, actually catches the coat, and -throws- it toward Ijiwaru,

        "HEY. ASSHOLE!"

    Ijiwaru will likely get a facefull of coat, or slice it in half. Either way, SIDONIA would be visible for a -brief- moment before absolutley PLOWING into the Magic Eater with all the speed of a sport's car.

    Upon seeing this, Rhapsody actually shouts for her sister, then follows right after her. Each of her hands go to her sides, the Spellblades come free, are -pressed- together, and then one ignites, and the second freezes, "IJIWARU! I HAVE A BLADE TO SHOW YOU!" SLASHING ENSUES.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"Us medical jockeys gotta watch each other's backs, right?" Sanary says with an audible and visible grin as she glances between the fighting and DeClere. She ducks her head down a bit when that Glock is drawn and fired, though she doesn't move much aside from that. They still need cover, after all, and her shields are there to do just that!

     Of course, it doesn't take long for her to notice the tanuki's waning condition, and she leans over with the shields still held up to inspect him. "Whoa, easy there. Uh... Let's get out of here. Doc! Yunomi! I'm getting your dad outta here!" She's not fond of the idea of leaving her shields, but she'll need those hands free to grab that cage and start hauling it out of there! As she moves, though...

     Didn't everyone else mention tanukis running on magic? Although Sanary will probably regret it soon, she focuses her own magic into the odanuki, 'linking' herself to him and acting as a makeshift mana battery. Will it last through the mana nexus' absorption, though?

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    The lights around the Nexus begin to flash, and get brighter. Yunomi, up there on the catwalk is... mostly watching. She's tired. She can hardly hear the battle going on around her.

    "Huh. Thianel looks well... nice work... Dad's in good order.... the new girl has dad... you go, DeClere and..."

    She glances up as the lights flicker. She grips her left hand as tightly as she can, and reaches up, tapping Pidge a moment as he orbits her.

    "Go on. They'll need you in the control room." she whispers, and she begins to make her way around, the rain picking up.

    THe platforms are getting wet and slippery. The thunder rumbles ahead, and outside, the shields are beginning to hum -- even without Tibor and Lumia's commands being put in.

    Pidge burbles, and heads off towards the control room where Ryxinel and Mi are at!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna's teeth grit behind the Matrix Divider, a flicker of worry crossing her face at the sight of Ijiwaru actually absorbing mana from the spells being tossed around, and from the Nexus itself. Wasn't it supposed to be enough ambient mana to give them lethal indigestion ... ?

Well, nothing to do about it except keep fighting. And maybe to be glad that, for a magical girl, Yuna is decidedly low on 'actual magic' to be eaten.

It's mostly thanks to Elner's perspective that Yuna knows when to break the clash of weapons and make room for her allies to come in. Sidonia's swift attack catches Yuna's attention long enough to elicit a fierce grin, widening a little as Rhapsody charges in.

But it's in tandem with Rhapsody's assault on Ijiwaru that Yuna closes in again - not committing all her power to a single strike like her first attack, but trying to flank Ijiwaru and jabbing at what look like gaps in his armor. It's almost like she's using the Matrix Divider to fence, now, releasing a concussive burst of hard light with each jab - and more, trying to target his joints as much as possible, *especially* his hips and knees. That's where armor usually has gaps or thin parts anyway, right?

Corona Arclite has posed:
If there is one thing the enemy still has, it's numbers. To a degree. The fact that several of them still have swords or other pain inflicting weapons is a good reason for her to back off, and take a little stock of the situation.

Like the healer trying to make a getaway with the old man tanuki. Then glances over her shoulder for a moment. "Com'n Hoppy, this ain't time fer a nap. Plenty of faces to apply those fists to yet!"

The steam-minijets affixed to her boots fire, giving Corona a bit of a speed boost just in time to juke and twist out of the way of another attacker. But instead of returning the assault, she uses the boost to break in the direction of Sanary trying to make off with the caged raccoon dog.

Though those sharp ears did hear the comment about Thianel's new look, to which she yips a quick "Thanks!" even as she's darting through.

Then comes to a skidding spin and a stop behind Sanary. Trying to run with the family bait is sure to get them unwanted attention from the Magic Eaters. "Ah've been meanin' to have a few words with y'all..."

And that's when she finally pulls out her trademark pulsarium shotgun from wherever she'd stashed it, though the matter manipulator hanging from her belt is a good guess. "So who's feelin' lucky, punks?"

Most of the 'talking' is actually done by the Forgesweeper, belching out bursts of blazing plasma-like energy as Corona moves to cover the medics retreat.

Maya has posed:
Maya has done what she can to support others and now it's time for maya to get into the fight, her rifle doesn't come out as a melee is on and she's going to make use of magic she channels more magic into another spell, but she wonders will it do anything to the eaters and how much magic can the magic eaters consume at once? She doesn't know but she does start launching water spells at severla of the magic eaters doing what she can to back everyone else up.

"I admit you and your ilk have been far more clever than most I have locked heads with in a veyr long time."

Odd maya's not shouting insults what's up she's clealry very pissed off but in enough control.

"Though I wonder how much magic can you take?"

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut hears Yuna's warning, and though he retorts on the radio he takes her advice anyway. Those long, rending claws of his bare themselves, and he leaps into the fray. Bahamut's spells are bad enough, but his real power is in his physical strength. Slashes from his claws are known across his world as being more devastating than just about any other attacks, dealing more damage than most on his world think possible.

     And those slashing, rending attacks are now being focused on the Magic Eaters. As Rhapsody and Sidonia target Ijiwaru, Bahamut does his best to make sure none of the underlings in tactical gear can catch the dragon siblings from behind. The draconic wall of steel becomes a whirling dervish of bladed fury, punctuated by bursts of his non-elemental Impulse attacks. And that gold gyro on his back is really starting to glow brightly. If they weren't in the middle of a town, he might unleash his most dangerous attack on the enemy.

Rebound (750) has posed:
"Ugh. Something something truck license plate.." Rebound says, as she slowly pushes herself back up to her feet. She takes a few moments to shake the cobwebs out of her head, "Okay. That was a cheap shot. I'm not out for the count though."

Back to her feet, she takes one more moment to shake off the pain, before she drives back into the thick of things, going right for the closest of those damn Magic Eaters. She doesn't care who it is, she's going to grab a hold of him and smash his armored face into paste. She won't kill him...Probably...But she's going to render him totally combat ineffective.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    Rhapsody would find that Ijiwaru was entirely awaiting her, giving a bright smile before he catches the shadow incoming, he turns, and growls, his lips pressing disapprovignly together before getting a faceful of coat /and/ slicing it in half -- and then the dark dragon is incoming, and strikes at him. He staggers back, the swing of his blade a split second too late to eliminate the foe, and he staggers backwards, against a suddenly empty cage! He turns, taking a swipe at Yuna Kagurazka with that hungry blade, Masamune's edge eager to cut into flesh and through armor, heating up with all the magic it's been absorbing. "My dear Miss Kagurazaka, please make way for the Guildmaster." he purrs, and with a soft huff, he turns to greet the Guildmaster head on, with Yuna at his back.

    "GOOD THEN! Shall we fight for the fate of my dearly betrothed? Duel as in the fantasies of writers of drivel and boddice-rippers? Oh." he drones, "What fun to take on a /child/."

    The ancient tanuki seems quite happy to be out of there. He even rrrlls.

    The way is cleared by a quick-talking fox of a gunslinger, and the magic eaters leap out of the way -- the concussive bursts not doing anything for their health as they scatter, regroup and keep firing on everyone! AH! SO MUCH TO SHOOT! Target rich environment!

    A pair of magic-eaters look at Maya, look at each other, and then even though they're all wet, they exhale, and one of them answers "A lot."

    Before the other opens fire at close range!

    Bahamut would bear the brunt of the attacks, with Thianel, a great many of the magic eaters continuing to open fire at the two largest targets! IT's mayhem!

    Yang would find that the swordman just kind of tilts his head, wondering how such a girl was able to avoid his very best blow, and then is smashed in the gut. He gives a grunt, even as the shell explodes against his armor, and literally /growls/. He brings the swird back, and turns his body, putting all his weight into a blow, a kick, right to the back of Yang's knee as she continues on without him.

    "What's the matter, honey, don't wanna dance?"

    Rebound picks a nervous looking Magic Eater, who gives a cry as he flails his arms over his head, and is smashed! Blood from a broken nose colors the front of his faceguard.

    Another Magic Eater opens fire on her!

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang stumbles, turning as she's hobbled by that kick, and rolls out across the walkway. She pushes herself up, slowly, her baleful red eyes glowing in the gloom. "Oh, y'wanna dance? Lets dance." Fists come up, receivers cycle in the next shells, and with a shift, the blonde punches where she stands. Instead of a burst of raw kinetic force though, both gauntlets hurl an explosive packet of energy out at the Magic Eater Swordsman.

    If he's good he'll be able to cut them in half and disable the attack, but if he does, he'll find the blonde is suddenly right up in his face again, aiming for limbs, and dropping for a round-house sweep at his legs, before using the rising motion to hurl herself upwards in a rising uppercut, flames lapping from her gauntlets.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    "Do NOT underestimate me, Ijiwaru!"

Rhapsody is -pissed- and if this was the night she was going to vent everything, then so be it. The fused spellblades are held in one hand while the other is free to do other things, like fire a lightning bolt after she calls up enough red mana to press through her trouble with casting. The shot, however, is not intended to strike the Magic Eater. It thunders, it strikes at his feet, and the -flash- is meant to allow Rhapsody's sister to come surging in from the side to attempt to strike at Ijiwaru once more.

It's only after Sidonia makes her second pass that Rhapsody lashes out with the blades once more. The freezing, burning blade leaves a glowing path in the air as it slices for Ijiwaru, crashing blade against blade, sending up sparks and frozen chips in all directions over and over and over again as they dance the blade waltz. "I AM SO SICK OF YOUR SLITHERING WORDS, IJIWARU. You're a LIAR. A MURDER. A MONSTER and I will NOT tolerate you here ANYMORE!"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Why's Sanary even doing this? It's not like she has any fondness for anyone here. Hell, she'd much rather just sit back and watch the show, but... But dammit, the old tanuki's not involved in any of it, and he's probably in more danger than anyone else. Might as well get some practice with escorting someone out of a high-density combat zone without anything to protect herself while she's at it!

     If nothing else, it'll be an interesting story to re-tell back home and possibly gloat about later. Corona's impromptu assistance does draw a grateful grin from the healer, though, as she sends off a small burst of healing magic towards Corona as well. It won't heal anything instantly, but it does provide a steady boost to natural regeneration and even an extra kick of energy!

     "Thanks, lady! We can talk later or somethin' once... All of this is... Whatever!" Talking while sprinting is hard. At least making a break for the exit is probably easier than trying to get closer to the fighting, although a small part of her is also wondering...

     If those protestors are still outside, is she going to be running smack dab into them? Well, she can find out soon enough if nobody stops her evacuation run!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Rather than biting into armor or flesh, Masamune clashes against the Matrix Divider just as Yuna's starting to run a fresh charge of power into her weapon - and she knows full well how dangerous that sword can be; right now, Yuna is a little desperate in her hope that her powers CAN'T be leeched by the magic-eaters.

But with Ijiwaru getting so much attention, other matters are pushing to the forefront of Yuna's consciousness - like getting the cage and its weakened inhabitant to safety.

Towards *that* end, Yuna finally breaks away and leaves Ijiwaru to Rhapsody (and Sidonia), turning and sprinting towards Sanary. "SHUGOSEIHEKI!!" Yuna shouts loudly, letting the Matrix Divider disappear and bringing her left arm up for the Wall of the Guardian Star to materialize as invoked. Running with that kite shield on her arm is kind of a challenge, but ... well, Yuna is *supremely* motivated right now, not just to protect an ally (and let's face it, Sanary's practically a friend by now) but also to make *absolutely* sure that the old male tanuki is gotten to safety as well.

It's not just the magic-eaters she's worried about, either. The protesters have been loud enough to hear over the commotion of battle, and Sanary and the tanuki she's carrying may be way too tempting a target for anyone's good. Yuna is bracing herself mentally for the task of tanking basically anything and everything - Sanary may be able to take the hits Yuna can't shield her from, but Sakiaro (if that is in fact him) is still far too weak.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Mi looks at the radio, incredulously, and then up to Ryxinel. She looks terrified.

    "How much do you trust Yunomi?" she asks, deadly seriously, to the older dragon. She's already running to the other side of the control console.

    Yunomi is moving, slowly, her left arm limp at her side now, but she's moving. She feels sick to her stomach, but she focuses what she can, and hops over the side of the catwalk, holding on to the rail with her legs, looping one leg around and hanging upside-down.

    The cloak's pinned to her side as she opens a penl, and begins to fiddle with the control inside.

    She works as quick as she can, using her teeth in place of her left hand, the arm hanging down.

    It's dripping something down her fingers. It stains the side of the wall.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Ryxinel just looks back at Mi. "Completely. Tell me what to do..

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut growls as shots and blades impact his metal scutes and armor plates. He is tough, but punctures and slashes are starting to appear in his armor, and a bit of crimson flows from the wounds. But, Bahamut keeps going. He chases down swordsmen, slashing them or hitting them with his tail, while maintaining a close presence to Rhapsody and Sidonia. Sparks fly from his claws as he clashes with one of the Magic Eater swords before kicking the swordsman holding it with one of those large, talon-studded feet.

     But, even a mighty dragon like Bahamut cannot weather a storm of this magnitude forever. If the number of Magic Eaters does not soon drop to zero, he may very well be overwhelmed. He will fight until his very last and protect Rhapsody with everything he has. He is putting his trust in Yunomi as well. If she can end this with whatever plan she has in mind, then they may all be saved.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona is being heroic, dealing out Shotgun Justice in the most literal sense it can be taken! It's a thing you do on the wild cosmic frontier.

It also earns her a lot of fire in return from the Magic Eaters. She twists and turns as much as she can but it's pretty dense and she can't do much for avoiding everything as bullets whizz by too close for comfort, grazing her clothing or even her furry flesh. She staggers back a couple of steps and crouches partially, huffing to catch her breath.

Then Sanary's little thank-you for the assist hits her. It doesn't instantly heal any wounds, no, but she can feel the revitalizing energy surge through her like a second wind. Maybe third wind at this point. What matters is it is a much needed rekindling of the fires.

A boot heel digs into the ground to push the fox back into a ready stance. A glance to the side sees Yuna moving to give Sanary some more cover from attacks while she hauls Yunomi's kin out of here. One arm reachs down and out a bit to inspect her weapon. The glow within the chamber had dulled a bit due to how much energy she was firing off. So she flips the shotgun around, grabs the activator in the one hand, and gives it a good firm jerk as if cocking it. Though not being your typical shotgun, it's resetting the charge cycle on the pulsarium core rather than reloading it. Then flips it around again.

The other gloved hand reachs up to tug her hat down firmly into place, a few sparks being given off as fingertips briefly touch the metal plates riveted to the exterior for protection.

"Let's get this rodeo -really- rockin'." And then she breaks into another dash. Right -towards- the Magic Eaters as they're trying to regroup and fire.

As soon as she's in close Corona ducks down to avoid close-range fire, and thrusts the butt end of the shotgun into one's tactical armored gut. Followed by swinging it up to crack him in the chin, which also sends the weapon spinning upward into the air.

Corona on the other hand grabs the first one she assaulted and uses him as leverage as she twists around, aiming her metal-shod boot at another's chest for a sort of kick, as well as kicking off with the force.

Followed by grabbing Forgesweeper back out of the air, leveling it and firing off the now recharged boost, hurting another volley of plasma into the Magic Eater ranks while the recoil, since she's not on the ground to brace it, actually helps launch her -away- from their close quarters as well.

Maya has posed:
Maya smiles. "Oh really?" Maya seems to almost take that as a challenge as she now readies other spells but more are coming at her. She's forced to deal with the weapons fire and her barrier does save her ass. She doesn't seem to be holding back now as she starts launching more spells, some lightning are mixed into it along with some water. She moves trying to keep otu of harms way and doing so amy throw off her aim a bit.

Still it may be time to shift to guns and she wonders how they'd take to Napalm.

Rebound (750) has posed:
After clobbering the hell out of one of the Magic Eaters, Rebound gets shot from behind. Adrenaline plus outright rage makes the kangaroo drop the guy she pummeled in the face and turn around to the guy who shot her, "I'm not done with you yet!"

She points at the guy with one of her gauntleted hands, and then rushes at him. She's got the barrier spell from Maya backing her up, and she's going to take it out on that guy. As soon as she gets her hands on him, she's going to hit him as hard as she can, just like the first guy. Then she'll move behind him, grab him and flip him through the air.

With him tossed out of the way, she's going to finish her initial goal of punching Ijiwaru in the dome. She runs, full speed, crossing the distance to where he is fighting the dragons. This time she doesn't know if he's going to be able to defend against her while he's fighting them..Or if he's busy with them, her strike might make it home. Either she'll distract him from Rhapsody and the guildemaster will stab him, or he'll not see her coming until the Impact Driver connects with his head.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    I underestimate nothing. I am a surviver. I am /the/ Survivor. I am the one, the Chosen, I am the echo in the night and the doubt in that little reptilian mind, that part that's telling you to run."

    Ijiwaru, this time, was prepared for Sidonia. He draws another weapon -- a throwing knife -- from his boot with a snarl.

    "WAIT YOUR TURN, you /damn lizard/." he growls, and then turns his attention back to Rhapsody, raising his weapon and clashing with hers, Masamune's blade drinking from the mana of the spellblades, his face illuminated by the light. And it changes slightly, his eyes narrowing as his lips part.

    "Sakiaro broke an agreement. You should have seen his face, realizing who I was, where I have been -- what it meant when he had made an agreement. I will make her /beg/ for your life. I will cause her all the pain that could have been saved through executing /you/ first, Guildmaster." He gives a dark grin.

    Yuna is providing cover for Sanary, and Sakiaro is kept going by that little bit of magic. His heart beats a little stronger, though he longs to get up, to fight, to draw a weapon... he cannot. He knows there should be something but... he can't quite remember... he's so tired. The magic eaters, though, appear to focus on the Brightly Glowing Fraulein and not the healer carrying the tanuki. Obviously Glowy=More Threat.

    The magic eaters are declining in number, but not in spirit, as it were. They keep firing on Corona, on Bahamut, some replacing clips, some switching out weapons and trying for those still on the ground. A few more turn to take pot shots at Rebound as something comes over their radio.

    And the crowd outside is going wild. A figure in a black cloak slides into the crowd, seeming to materialize at random, tapping others on the shoulder, implanting ideas against the graycloaked Guildless protesters.

    Someone's fireball errupts outside.

    ANother answers back with a roar, Fiendish Strength showing as he tears away his cloak and furnishes a chest-wide tattoo of the symbol of the Cult of Rakdos, and turns to grab another figure in the crowd, throwing them into another.

    THe rabble is roused. And beginning to clash against one another. The Boros doing crowd control go to try and interrupt the beginning battle!

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Mi looks up at Ryxinel, and then hits a button with her foot.

    THe window lights up with instruction. THANKFULLY NOT CODED. Buttons, guidance, meter readings, colors and generators and the controls are all very much pointed towards enough power to explain the need to ask if Ryxinel trusts Yunomi completely -- there is a lot of power going into this.

    A note at the end reads "This should generate, in theory, enough power to do some Really Good or some Really Bad Things. -- Y.S."

    Yunomi is still at work, and nearly slips from her mooring. It jars her arm, and she gives a bark of surprise and pain.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    Oh. Red eyes. Dancing. The magic-Eater thinks he might be in love, and he braces for impact -- by slicing through the attack, and going to press forward with a follow up 'cutting in' joke about making a move on the dance floor -- when he finds those red eyes are much, much closer than he would consider to be proper.

    ANd then comes the sudden pain at his arms and shoulders. She sweeps his legs right out from under him -- and then when she upper cuts, he goes sailing, arcing up and over and crunching upon landing, skidding a few feet away from the edge of the platform.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    The throwing knife catches Sidonia in the side of her stomach, sending her skidding to the ground, but only causing Rhapsody's ferocity to turn up to 11. Seeing this, even Thianel turns from dealing with the other magic eaters to roar at Ijiwaru. However, as he does, there's a rush of air going into the construct's chest.

Rhapsody doesn't care that the blades are being drained. She is absolutley -wailing- against the Murasama with all the weight of her true from behind each attack. Hearing the rush of air behind her, however, causes her to do absolutley nothing. She's a red dragon, Dragonsfire won't harm her! The blazing flames rush down from Thianel toward Ijiwaru and Rhapsody both.

In the Control Room of the Mana Nexus, Ryxinel looks at everything, silently thanks Yunomi for not coding this last bit of information. "Welp. If this is the point of no return, then we are running right past it.." he muses before pulling one last switch with a -lot- of emphasis.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Sanary is relatively satisfied with Corona helping her out, but with Yuna showing up now? Maybe not /all/ Unionites are jerks. She's not pleased about it, of course, but she does eventually give Yuna a slow nod in thanks as they get closer to the exit. "Thanks, Yuna! Once we get this one outta here, we can..."

     What is the plan once they get him out of there, anyway? Sanary has no clue. She can keep an eye on the old tanuki, at least, but with whatever it is Yunomi's got planned in there, she's not sure how far she even needs to go to get him to safety. All she can do is keep running and relying on Yuna to tank the Magic Eater's attacks for her! That link between Sanary and Sakiaro persists in granting the latter more healing energy and access to the former's magic reserves, although it's still likely weakened by the Magic Eaters' presence. Sanary can even feel her eye flickering a bit, but not so much that she can't at least see something of where she's going with his cage for now!

     Besides, being attacked still means not being anywhere near Rhapsody and Bahamut. Dragons still freak her out, even if it's mostly internally now! Alas, it couldn't be that easy, because now the crowd outside is fighting after something exploded!

     "... Ah, shit. Plan B, then! OR... C?" Sanary shrugs, then bellows out a loud roar as the crowd comes into view. "Out of the way! B... Bwahaha! I ain't with these guys, so either move or die!"

     That's how stereotypical bad people sound, right? She's even raising Sakiaro's cage (carefully) over her head like she's preparing to do... Something with it. Something? Something.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang's starting to get tired. As she lands from her leaping strike. She stumbles as another rifle user turns is fire on her, grunting as the bullets start to punch through her Aura, drawing bleeding scores across her bare midrif and arms. The brawler snarls, as she slams her fists together, her Semblance exploding all the energy it's absobred so far, deflecting the next wave of bullets and generally sending a disruptive force wave out in a circle around her... even causing the rain to pause for that brief moment.

    A moment that Yang uses to launch herself forwards with enough power to dent the walkway under her feet, as she bowls right into her assailant, aiming to just blow by him with a fly-by face-punch, while aiming to disrupt another group of Magic Eaters, howling like the dragon of her namesake, all fire and fury.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    The control pannel lights up, then slides upwards, rolling itself like an old writing desk and showing a sub pannel beneath. It's labeled in Yunomi's neat writing "WINDOW CONTROL PANNEL -- UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS THIS TO BE USED WITHOUT SUPERVISION

    It has switches like 'Flood Box' 'Kill Generators' 'EMERGENCY DISCONNECT -- UNDER CONSTRUCTION.' and POWER UP WINDOW.

    Yunomi finds her own control pannel is active, and gives a quiet 'yes' sound through teeth holding wires. She pulls a few more, plugging them in, and kicking the side with her knee before it hums.

    There is another massive pull. Anyone who is capable of producing magic may feel a tug, somewhere near their navel as the Mana Nexus completes its power up sequence, and prepares to produce the window.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Things are sounding decidedly worse outside the Mana Nexus, but with magic-eaters getting in her way - well, Yuna's not overly concerned about conventional firearms or bullets; if she tries to take too many hits, her Light Suit will still break, but her shield can take more punishment than the Light Suit itself.

She'd still rather be in Powered Form right now - the heavier armor, higher speed, and extra arms would be a REAL boon under these circumstances - but she can't give Jiina time to get there, nor could she spare the moment it'd require for the transformation to proceed. All Yuna really *can* do is keep running, and keep holding Shugoseiheki up to take as much of the incoming fire as possible, hoping nothing happens that she *can't* protect Sanary and her 'passenger' against.

In fact, leading with her kite shield, she's quite willing to try plowing into a magic-eater if that's what it takes to get to safety. They just have to get through the rioting mob as - wait what's going on out there?

Sanary trying to go all EVIL HAM and bulldoze through the crowd makes Yuna wish she could spare the moment to facepalm. She just keeps sprinting, calling out, "She's right, she's not with us, we just happen to be running in the same direction before something really big happens!"

She does peek out around the edge of her shield as she takes note of the cultist. Elner, who's departing the Nexus at a higher altitude, might get a better look - and more to the point, be in a position to query others about it.

... but only when they have time to look at images captured in the middle of combat.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite hits the ground with another slide after her gun-acrobatics, but she's quick to get back onto her feet. At least with the numbers thinning out its getting a little easier to avoid the worst of the attacks.

As she ducks and jukes Corona stows the shotgun for the time being, instead pulling out a more elaborate looking sidearm. It becomes more of a run-n-gun firefight as she's moving and pulling that trigger as fast as she can, still running on the boost Sanary had given her earlier.

Except it appears that being on the run is affecting her aim as the laser-like shots fly off widly.

Or maybe not as wildly as the Starslinger's spacial warping effect takes over and the lasers all abruptly make angles that would normally be impossible for light energy and zings straight for their targets from random unexpected vectors instead.

Maya has posed:
Maya ia glad to have helped out as she sees Rebound take the hit and it would have been a much worse one the fight isn't over ryet and she can't well do more to deal with. She now will put her rifle to work as she fires off a few shots at any remaining magic easters she knows many of them eaters are down, yet their moral is not broken they are fighitng hard and it tells. Maya now moves and fires her wepaon but this time it's not bullets the housing of the rifle opens up and small missiles launch seeking out Magic eaters and avoiding allies htough they hit a bit less hard than a full on rifle burst from her.

Bahamut has posed:
     Seeing Sidonia go down draws Bahamut's attention as well. He spins quickly, using his tail to give himself some space even as bullets dent and embed themselves in his armored hide. As Thianel prepares that dragonfire, Bahamut moves to scoop up Sidonia and get her back on her feet, using his body as a shield much like he has for Rhapsody in the past. And he adds his own attack to the mix. A nice bit of Impulse. Four large orbs of grey-white energy that explode around Ijiwaru's feet. Pure energy, seeking to oversaturate the magic eater and possibly slow him down with some petrification effects.

     The big metal dragon is looking worse and worse. All those bullets have punched out some of the colorful plumage that spans his wings, and his armor along his belly and chest is actually starting to break off. Bahamut grunts as he is forced to a knee. He gets back up slowly and growls. Magic Eaters. No wonder no one likes them. He can't unleash Mega Flare in the middle of a crowded street, and he can't throw spells around if they will just strengthen the enemy.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    ONe pest is down.

    Ijiwaru can feel the pull of the air, though going towards Thianel. The air around him heats up, and he prepares. The fire envelops him. It burns, his outer clothing becomes ash, his armor heating up, fusing... but he was so close.

    He wouldn't let just this stop him.

    His blade is raised, and the dragon'sfire parts around him, as did everything else the sword's blade is brought against, hungry for violence, thirsty to cause damage and dismay to others -- and as the dragonfire ends, he surges forward.

    His blade sweeps, catching between the twofold blades of Rhapsody's weapon, and he twists hard, holding it, pulling it and r bringing one leg up, tries to deliver a kick to Rhapsody's solar plexus, and knock her down, knock the breath out of her -- and most importantly, rob her of her weapon, trying to take the blade and sling it away, and put Rhapsody between himself and her allies!

    The crowd seems to be engaged in fighting itself, the man with the devil-horned mask like emblem of the Cult of Rakdos gleams as the man infuriates himself, slamming his fists into other crowd goers.

    Amongst them, a younger girl in a gray robe, her brown hair hanging forward before she looks up at the Spires, then back to the cult of Rakdos member, exhales, and brings her arms, focusing.

    And her own invention leaps to life, a wailing, windy sound errupting from one arm as a home-made storm engine thunders to life, sweeping a way open for Sanary and Yuna!

    "Go!" she calls out, the thin teen bracing herself for backlash! She grits her teeth, shaking slightly, terrified of what might happen if she /doesn't/ help the guild she wanted to join!

    Magic Eaters still try and take pot shots at Corona, the flying fox, a trio quickly taken out by the bending of the light weapon and they go down, armor not aiding them against this fight!

    Bahamut is taking a lot of damage, and the magic eaters begin to lift their assault as he goes down to protect the dark dragoness. They turn their rifles to work at Maya, no longer warding her allies.

    The magic eaters that Yang plows through are also prettye xhausted, and a few of them collapse down, no longer strong enough to hold up the eighty pounds of armor -- some of them sporting red spots against the visors of the armor.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Thank you!!" Yuna calls out, her gratitude heartfelt to the teenaged girl whom she recognizes - even in passing. She had a feeling there'd be another chance to see her; she's glad she wasn't wrong.

Of course, given the circumstances of their second meeting, now Yuna starts hoping they cross paths a third time - hopefully THEN they'll have the chance to really talk at length ... and after that demonstration of an artificial storm generator, Yuna is more certain than ever that she has to get that girl back into the Izzet League. So what if she can't *cast* magic, she can still do something awesome with the technology she knows ... and it looks like magic of a sort in its own right.

For now, though, she stays focused on covering Sanary and Sakiaro as well as she can on their way through the protesters and back out of the crowd. Yuna is figuring on bending her steps towards Nivix, and she starts calling out turns to Sanary - probably over the radio instead of out loud.

Hopefully the Confederate battle healer won't 'argue' about where they're taking Sakiaro.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Fire, flames, ash, silence, and Ijiwaru comes through it, burnt, but not beaten. Rhapsody's eyes actually go wide at this, and in her moment of stupor, the man proves his experience. His blade slips between the fused spellblades, catching her swing. The kick finds its mark, sucking the air out of the dragon's lungs. The spellblades split and go clattering across the ground in random directions. Rhapsody drops to her hands and knees, gasping for air.

    Thianel is -furious- at this point, lifting an armored hand, full of claws, ready to bring down on Ijiwaru's head...

    In the control room, Ryxinel hears the call and goes for the POWER UP WINDOW switch, throwing it with all the flair of a mad scientist, because really. Izzet League. "WINDOW OPENING!"

Rebound (750) has posed:
With multiple people shooting at her, Rebound has to back off her attack on Ijiwaru and go after the guys shooting at her. She bends down as she runs, grabbing a hold of a fallen gun from one of the other Magic Eaters, and whips the weapon through the air at the closest of the shooters.

She takes to the air afterwards, leaping towards the second shooter, intent on landing right on top of him, dropping her full weight onto him and those big kangaroo feet to boot.

One guy left. She grabs the gun from the guy she just landed on and breaks it in half, before she leaps again. She changes her direction as she sails through the air, dropping towards him again, Impact Driver coming to bear as she slams it into the ground in front of him, doing the classic superhero landing pose and sending the kinetic shockwave through the ground into the Magic Eater. They can eat magic, but they can't eat physics.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
So much for trying to ham it up. Well, they tried. It's starting to look like Sanary and Yuna are going to have find a different way around, and the healer's just about ready to start brute-forcing a path through when the crowd opens itself up...?

     Wait. No, it's parting because of someone else's magic! Or a wind machine. It's hard to tell from here. Either way, it's easy enough for even Sanary to realize who's responsible for that, and she flashes the girl a brief grin as she hurries onwards. "Thanks, kid! Alright..." She keeps running for a few more moments, then stops to glance back at the girl. Why's she so scared? Unless...

     Is she an unwilling member of the Magic Eaters or something? Well, she's helped them, so Sanary's not about to leave her behind to face the wrath of the Magic Eaters. "... Hop on!" That's all the explanation she gives before gesturing towards that opened path with her head, then squatting for a few moments should she actually take that invitation. Whether she does or not is fairly irrelevant, though, as Sanary is soon back on the move, following Yuna's directions closely seeing as how the idol's the only one of them that seems to actually know where to even go.

     Maybe it's better she doesn't know where Yuna's leading her. Not that she'd recognize that name, anyway.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang skids to a halt, just inches from the edge of the platform. She grabs the guard rail, and hauls herself back to her feet.

    Eyes fall on Rhapsody at Ijiwaru's mercy... and she does something INCREADIBLY STUPID. "Choke on a FIST!" she growls into her Scroll, before surging forwards, aiming to either A: Smash Ijiwaru right in his smug face before he can strike, or B: Intercept the blow with her own body so someone ELSE can hit Ijiwaru in his smug face.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    And the hand that Thianel had raised crashes down in front of Yang. "ENOUGH!"

Corona Arclite has posed:
A few more Magic Eaters are put out of the fight, but in midst of the fancy gunslinging and distorting conventional spacial physics Corona inadvertantly leaves herself open for a lucky shot in retaliation. The vixen yelps sharply as a shot cuts across her left shoulder. It's not a potentally lethal hit thankfully, but it still hurts like a bitch enough for Corona to lose focus for a moment. Hissing between teeth as she's down on one knee, one hand hitting the floor to brace herself. The other goes up to grab her shoulder and rub off some of the blood while the end of the regen spell works. Hehs softly to herself. She really needs to consider some better armor or something.

She's down just long enough for some of the Magic Eaters to start moving to surround her. Except the fox stands back up, Starslinger still in one hand. And the other has quick-drawn her repeater. Which she holds out at two of the Magic-Eaters, hammers drawn back. Considering what she did with just one gun a moment ago, they'd be right to be wary, even if they technically outnumber and outgun her.

The only reason she doesn't pull the triggers immeadiately is because of the bad spot Rhapsody is in. But that doesn't mean she can't make sure the bad guy's underlings don't run off to help their boss, either.

"Go 'head, just give me a reason t'fire anyways..." She'll still shoot one of them if they make the wrong move.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Nearby, the Window opens. The generators hum to life around them, and anything lighter than thirty pounds begins to draw upwards, towards the sky. Discarded weapons, shells, helmets. Broken teeth. Goggles that aren't properly tethered down begin to go upwards.

    ... to a hole, ripped in the sky above them. Perfectly square, with a brilliant white light enveloping -- though the square is only a feet wide.

Maya has posed:
Maya may have made a mistake but she is drawing fire from some of the magic eater which is forcing the junker to go on the evasive to avoid the incoming fire. Theres ius a clear notice they are trianing them out so to speak but she's having to return fire she needs to finish this up so she can get back to supporitng her allies. The fight is still not lookign so good naybe sse's made a fatal mistak but it seems the there is something else going on and there's a massive hole in the sky? By the fates? She's done it, she's seriously done it!

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut growls menacingly, cradling Sidonia protectively even as Ijiwaru threatens Rhapsody. "You must realize that if you strike that blow, you and your entire race will have not only the Izzet but the Union hunting them like the animals you have proved yourselves to be. And you will not survive the day."

     Then, that 'window' opens. It is quite the sight, and Bahamut's eyes widen as he sees it and feels the slight shift in gravity. But, he has other things to worry about. Sidonia seems badly hurt. Bahamut pulls out an Al Bhed potion and tosses it up. The healing energy flows over himself and Sidonia, providing some relief to their wounds and getting of any poisons or other bad things that might have been carried by that blade or those bullets. Once that is done, all Bahamut can really do...is wait. Ijiwaru has the next move. Unless it is somehow trumped by that portal. Bahamut is sincerely hoping for the latter.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    "/You/ should have listened to me. You should have just kept quiet, let her come, and it would be over, and you might have lived through the encounter while the guilds were tested, their loyalty and dedication to one another put to its mettle, and I would have taken her. I would have eliminated her, and ended this long, bloody feud. But no." Ijiwaru hisses, He raises his weapon.

    "Rhapsody Mizzet, I wish I could say that I was sorry that I would have to cause you pain to kill her..."

    THe blade flashes.

    "But I would be lying. Now her fate will be /shared/!"

    And the blade comes down, its tip glinting red in the brilliance of the blinding eternities, looking to send Rhapsody to meet her father in the afterlife!

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Where Yunomi had been hanging, there is naught but a few plum blossom petals, sinking slowly downwards. There is the sound of displaced air above Rhapsody, and then a sudden weight as the blade bites down. The blade hits something fleshy, and halts at something metallic with a THUNK.

    Rhapsody would feel metal pressing down against her, a meager weight against the gravity of the situation. The soft caress of hair against scales and skin. A gentle hand pushing against her shoulder. The warmth of brass and leather armor, well worn and smelling of ozone and leather oil and hard work.

    The silky touch of a red and blue rose as a head bowed against her. Yunomi's useless arm hung at her side, the hand blackened, oozing, useless.

    Her face had an expression of shock on it. Her eyes wide, and then it fades, shock replaced with a strange tranquility. The right hand raises from Rhapsody's shoulder, letting the rose fall from Yunomi's grasp to the dragon's side, as burned, aching fingers brush against the side of the dragon's muzzle.

    A tear leaves Yunomi's eye, and drops down.

    "... until my last breath, I shall pro.. tect..."

        ... and then, there is no more breath.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang finds a large metal wall of Thaniel's talon in her way. She's mid-air in a reckless dash, with no way of stopping herself, and so...

    CLANG.

    The blonde slams into Thaniel's talon full force, rebounds and thumps heavily to the catwalk. Luckily she brought her arms up in a defensive posture, but her right hangs at an unnatural angle as she lays in a sprawled heap, unmoving.

    Probably for the best with what just happened.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
        *THUNK*

When the blade started to come down, Rhapsody was wide eyed. Was this really how it would come to an end. The Window above possibly bringing her father home, only for him to find her gone? No.. It's not. A familiar weight presses into her frame, every sense she posessed knew exactly what was there before her. "No.." The whisper reaches her, her allies, and she hears the breath slip out.. "No no no..." Arms reach up, wrapping around Yunomi Stadler, clinging to her before she actually -screams- at what has happened.

        The Guardian of The Izzet has fallen.
        https://youtu.be/hyfV0GBe18w

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    This is a Bad Time. And Ijiwaru feels that in order to complete his part of the Contract, it would be better to seek things when he was not about to take on a wailing, mourning dragon.

    "... your time to mourn begins, as I gave her every time she grieved." he warns, and he reaches to his shoulder.

    THe magic eaters still in the field begin to disappear, taken away via teleportation, some screaming as they go, the high mana interrupting the process. The teleportations get slower, and slower as they get closer to Ijiwaru.

Corona Arclite has posed:
... Well, damn ...

And while everyone is gawking in awe and horror, Corona has swiftly moved away from the little standoff she was having. Damn that fox is a quick one.

Fortunately she's only gone far enough to grab Rebound by the shoulder, before she goes rushing off in a haphazard fury of hate again.

Of course, the bastard has to just go rubbing it in. She almost lets go. ALMOST.

"As much as we all wanna, some things are more important than smashing in that ugly frackin' skull of his."

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Whatever's happening at the Mana Nexus is, at the moment it happens, on the wrong side of the mob and the rest of the magic-eaters from Yuna, Sanary, and their pasenger(s).

Yuna slows from her headlong run to a walk, then to a complete halt, Shugoseiheki disappearing from her left arm. Sanary says she's okay from there, but - "Elner. Lead her to Nivix."

There's an almost dead tone to Yuna's voice - a tone which Elner is acquainted with, and which the robo-faerie knows full well what it means. But there's really nothing the robo-faerie can do to stop Yuna at this point.

Neither can the mob. If they actually *try*, Yuna will shove anyone and anything out of her way with a silent single-mindedness, sparks of light crackling around her Light Suit.

As for the magic-eaters? Bullet impacts elicit brighter flares from the Light Suit - but Yuna is only moving faster now.

"... Ijiwaru .... !!"

Abruptly, the Savior of Light breaks into a full-tilt run, the sparking of gold flaring brighter and bolder. A handful of Yuna's acquaintances have ever seen her in this state - power flaring and surging, the normally-gentle Yuna abandoning all restraint and restrictions. By the time she reaches Ijiwaru - if he doesn't disappear first - the Light Suit's aura has erupted into a *sphere* of energy surrounding Yuna, and as she leaps at him, fist drawn back, the only emotion left in her voice --

"YOU'RE MINE, YOU MURDERING BASTARD!!!!!"

-- is a bloodthirsty rage, wholly unlike the idol singer that most of the Multiverse knows.

Maya has posed:
Gets a look of horror on her face and she moves to act, she knows she'd not have long. She pulls out a seldom used card the life card and attempts a spell. Blue fires leeches into her card from her and doesn't stop. She works the spell well and then casts yet?. Nothing happens, she attemps to cast again burning more magical power, nothing happens. Maya then just sinks to her knees and a sound that not often nas been heard from Maya, she starts to sob...

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Still shaking from emotion, Rhapsody -gently- sets Yunomi's form down. Sidonia, despite her lack of visibility in the last days of the event, simply touches her sister's shoulder, as if to let her know she'd look over the fallen form. The dragon actually moves away from the touch as she simply lurches, not toward Ijiwaru, but into the sky. In a flash, her form actually changes to the draconic form few have seen. "This city is broken," she says in to eerily calm of a voice to be anywhere near sane. "They called the vote," she whispers next, in a tone that borders on conspiracy. Her wings send her surging out of the Nexus in the direction of Prahv, the Azorius Guildhall. Nope. She's snapped, wracked with grief, and turning to what she sees as the -source- of the problem, rather than the symptom they brought in.

        I will burn Prahv to the -ground!-"
        https://youtu.be/BCjbzbmH6K8

Rebound (750) has posed:
    The Magic Eater that Rebound was beating on continues to get beaten on until he literally teleports out from under her. Rebound has to take her agression out on somebody. When Corona grabs her, she stops mid swing, having been hitting the ground where the bloody mess of the guy's face had been.

Still being held by Corona, she turns to point one of her gauntlted fingers at Ijiwaru, "COWARD!" She yells as loud as she can muster, "I can still fight, why are you running! I'm not done!" Corona's grasp is the only thing keeping her back, the vulpine mechanic's gloves capable of even holding Rebound back.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Yunomi's body is gently laid to the side, where it gains a sunlight-like glow -- or perhaps it is a trick of the brilliant square of light overhead -- and her body disintigrates, slowly, starting at the arms and legs, moving up the limbs until, with a small flash of light, it disappears completely, its golden motes of light and ash drawn up towards the Window.

Bahamut has posed:
     It seems that Bahamut's hope is misplaced. He should have known, he should have acted!

     It is hard to incite the metal dragon to action through rage, but Ijiwaru has done just that. The dragon roars loudly, and that gyro on his back starts spinning up as energy builds around his open maw.

     This charging is broken when Rhapsody suddenly shouts about...burning Prahv. With all that has happened, such a thing would plunge the city into...who knows what. Perhaps a full out guild war. Bahamut roars out. "Rhapsody, NO!" His wings spready and he shoots off like a bullet toward the Guildmaster. Those powerful arms seek to wrap tightly around Rhapsody, and that steely grip promises that once grabbed she will be hardpressed to escape. Bahamut curls up like a ball around Rhapsody, locking her in a cage of colored metal feathers and powerful steely arms. Even his tail wraps around, trying to restrain the Guildmaster.

     "Do not give in to hatred or grief! This is probably just what he wants! If you attack the Azorius, the city is plunged into complete chaos, and the other guilds would have all the ammunition they needed to band against the Izzet! Think of your city, Rhapsody! Think of your guild! Doing this throws away everything Yunomi just gave herself to protect!" Bahamut says quickly, holding Rhapsody tightly the entire time, those noble, golden eyes trying to keep eye contact with Rhapsody.

     Bahamut prepares himself. With rage and sorrow like this, he fully expects to take the brunt of Rhapsody's fiery rage. He is more than willing, if it means protecting the city...and saving Rhapsody from something she'd regret.

Ijiwaru (1037) has posed:
    Ijiwaru is watching, backing up towards the edge, his eyes wide as the oncoming heroes approach. The other magic eaters -- and their bodies, if they had not survived the encounter -- are brought back to whatever hole they hide in.

    Ijiwaru's eyes go wide at the oncoming Yuna, and he braces for impact, momentarily weaponless before his head smaps to the side, Yuna's fist imbedding in his skin, making his vision flash white and see stars, and he tilts, teetering back, and then slowly seems to fall into the nothing -- before he too disappears.

    And the assembled heroes are left with an open window, and nothing to mourn.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"Nivix?" Is that a name Sanary should be aware of? Well, it's not like she came here knowing much of anything. That shift in tone from Yuna certainly doesn't go unnoticed, however, even if the healer doesn't do anything to actually stop her. From what she's heard over the radio, the situation probably isn't going too well, and someone's probably dead by now.

     Should Sanary be trying to stop her from doing something she might regret? Maybe. Is she going to? No. She's still got a tanuki in tow to get to safety (and possibly a wind-techmage girl?), and until she does that, she's just going to settle for following Elner towards whatever that place was called.

     "Gotta learn sometime..." She sighs, and then it's back to carrying a cage and maybe a mage to safety.

Corona Arclite has posed:
To be honest the mechanized gloves were not originally made for this intention... but they're pretty good at keeping her friend from roaring off to make matters worse when Corona needs to.

Don't get me wrong, she's as pissed off as everyone else is.

But she's been down this road before. Losing family. Losing everything. And having to drag yourself back up out of it. She saw it in that bastard the first day he showed up with his greasy claims and slick tounge twisting, and what could happen when you gave into that burning hatred and revenge.

She's -not- going to let her friends sink to that same level.

"You." And with everything the gloves have Corona pushes Rebound to the ground. "Sit. And cool off. Before Ah knock ya out myself to keep ya from doin' somethin' brash."

Hopefully someone could do the same for Rhapsody.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Pidge has been in the control room. Pidge was part of the plan to open the window. Pidge beeps, concerned, and tries to get out the glass!

    Until the form disappears. And then he gives a crying, loud wail of high-pitched whines, and falls to Ryxinel's shoulder.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    The dragon of Spira is right. The rage that pours out of Rhapsody would be palpable. Despite her white hide, she is still a red dragon, and that rage is currently turning into heat, and it is just -pouring- off of her. Random breath weapon blasts go in every direction, mostly upward, "LET GO, BAHAMUT! IT'S THEIR FAULT!" she cries out, writhing, trying to slip a limb, a wing, or anything, free from the grip.

    "They've always hated us! They kept us from hatching! They let Szadek raom free! They.. Bolas.. They.." the rage is fading, turning into something else. Not far behind, Thianel was trailing Bahamut, and now motions for him to slip down to a roof in the Izzet Sector. He'd help keep the Guildmaster from doing something she'd regret, if needed. "It.. it's .. it's always them. .. every time.. why.." by the time the trio of dragons land, Bahamut would be able to set Rhapsody down. All the pent of rage is gone, smashed into Murasama. All the fear has manifested. And now all the sorrow was pouring out, and it isn't going to stop anytime soon.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    In the control room, Ryxinel slumps into the nearest chair, exhausted, depressed, and utterly deflated by everything. After catching the drone, he simply shares the drone's grief, likely along with the Kodama in the room . . . . if they're even still there...

    Sidonia, still where Yunomi was, can only watch helplessly as the Off-World Apprentice dissolves and vanishes through the window.

        Again.. It happened -again-

Maya has posed:
Maya is in tears but 5then she hears what Yuna is saying and she comes out of it she pockets her card she had tried to save Yunomi with. A moment later Maya is springing into action after calling out to Yuna on the radio. Maya moves lik there's none other she moves to pull two fate cards reverse and barrier hoping to strip Yunna og her seeming energy field and she will end up then dropping the cards she can recover them later as she moes to end up flying tackling Yuna attempting to pin her and hold her fast.

"I will not let you betray everything you are about Yuna! Do you think Yunomi would want a cycle of bloody hate and murder to keep going consuming her friends and loved ones?! THINK YUNA THINK!".

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"NO!!!!"

She landed one hit, but Yuna's second punch has no target save the ground - and she BARELY checks it enough to avoid potentially punching the ground or walkway into rubble underneath her.

He's gone.

Ijiwaru, the murderer of Yuna's friend Yunomi, has escaped.

The sphere of power that surrounds Yuna starts to waver; with the target of her fury gone, the rage which had pulled her focus and her will together into a killing force is starting to dissipate. It's not exactly fading quickly - time will tell what to what extent it actually *does* fade - but without a target, Yuna's frenzy is sputtering out.

She sinks to her knees, fists still clenching as she wobbles, teetering emotionally more than physically as her heart wavers between rage and grief. That's when Maya reaches her, pitting her Fate card magic against the Light Suit's power - followed by bodily pinning Yuna to the ground.

That shifts the balance out of its equlibrium. Yuna gasps deeply, her chest heaving under the Light Suit's breastplate ... and simply starts to wail, crying her eyes out, bawling openly. If Maya isn't holding Yuna's arms down, the blonde simply latches onto her - not to struggle: far from it.

Just to cry. On Maya's shoulder, into her chest, or just curling up in her misery. It doesn't matter.

One of her friends - those greatest treasures whom Yuna values more than fame or money or any other treasure - has been lost. Yuna knows, in her rational mind, that nothing will change that - not even the death of Yunomi's killer.

But gods know, the Queen of Light knows, that won't let her forgive Ijiwaru.

Bahamut has posed:
     Bahamut just holds Rhapsody, letting her pour out her rage against him. When she starts to calm a bit and Thianel motions to him, Bahamut spreads his wings and floats down to a rooftop with Thianel. He then lowers to one knee, but does not release Rhapsody yet. He continues to hold her, but now in a much softer embrace. "I do not know. They are lawmakers, and dragons are powerful things. Perhaps they fear that they could not control the Izzet League if they did not keep you and your family in check. But, they did not cause this. They may have allowed it, but they did not cause it. And you must remain strong. Now more than ever, your guildmates will look to you and your siblings for strength. And if there is some sort of corruption at work, then you must not weaken the city further by attacking another guild."

     He noses Rhapsody lightly after that. "And, if there is any way for your father to return, it is through that portal. Do not give up hope, and do not surrender to your grief. Yunomi is wily. She may yet have another trick up her sleeve."

Maya has posed:
Maya lets Yuna latch on to her and holds her tight letting Yuna cry, god Maya wants to cry more but she knows others are suffering right now and much as she did when she was a child she put othes befefore her own feelins and does her damnest to tay and comfroted Yuna just letting her cry as much as she needs to. Maya will hold on to the Maiden of light as no one, no one is an island.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Once she's sure Rebound isn't going to off doing stupid things, Corona ambles over and hefts Yang over a shoulder. Which probably looks pretty rediculous considering she's shorter than the human blonde. Those strength boosting gauntlets are getting a workout tonight. "Com'n you, this ain't no place to be taken a nap."

Bahamut has posed:
     With Rhapsody incapacitated with grief and rage, Bahamut gives her one more squeeze before he rises again. He looks pretty battered, but a proud dragon does not show that he is weakened. He spreads his wings and heads back to the platform. He finds that Corona is already here, picking up Yang. Bahamut offers a hand, but also makes sure to recover Rhapsody's spellblades while he is there. Then, he helps Corona and Yang if needed. Once that is done, he heads back to Rhapsody and hands over her blades, offering a few more words of encouragement and offering to stay with her for a while. Or, as an alternative, to avail herself of the Temple of Bahamut, where dragons are revered and practically worshipped.