6231/The Minstrel's Ballad: Gaius's Ambition(3)

The Minstrel's Ballad: Gaius's Ambition(3)
Date of Scene:	02 January 2019
Location:	The Shrine of Adversity
Synopsis:	The Wandering Minstrel's Third Act takes the Warrior of Light and his companions to the fight against Gaius van Baelsar
Cast of Characters:	6843, N'raha Tia, Athela Valemore, Inga, Tomoe

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Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
Once more, there are those who gather to hear the words of the Minstrel.  The song he weaves about the tale he was told by a man who helped bring the downfall of Gaius van Balsar and his terrible weapon.  Once more, the dark-haired man with googles and lute in hand sits on a stool, as drink and food are passed to the patrons.

Strumming the strings, as he prepares once more to sing...

"Come my friends, gather around for a tale of a would-be crown.
When our hero, protector of the realm
Faces against ambition sound
Who fights with the strength befitting a ruler..
But who's ambition clouds his vision.
For the reeking cloud's ambition
Shines as bright as the baleful moon's light.

With fierce gale quelled, with the roaring inferno choked, with the wrath of earth abated...
With the Heart of Sabik glowing with pale green light
With conviction and determination does the would-be conquer
With righteousness does our would be savior
all of these and more meet on the field of battle..

As the words come as the battlefield starts to materialize in your mind's eye.  Like before, for those of you who have been here to see this, but for those who have not, the song and the melody are so enrapturing that you picture yourself there...and somehow, you too /are/ there, apart of the story being spun to you.

Standing before you is a man in dark plate, with a red overcoat that seems to be integrated with the armor itself.  Even his head is covered in a flat horned helm, his face covered by a white mask.  In his hands is a gunblade, a sword attached with a gun at the hilt.  On his right hand seems to be another projectile weapon, but attached to the armor.  He speaks to you, firmly and with confiction.

"I see you have the strength of a ruler, able to push back the Ascian and chase him from this moment.  Ha!  If only I were there to see the look on his face.  However..." he says, the amusement ending as he starts walking across the battlefield.  "We have business to settle, warriors of light. However, I must know.  For whom do you fight?  Do you believe in Eorzia, the land you are fighting for now?"

As you answer, he responds, "Eorzia's unity is forged of falsehoods.  Its city-states are built on deceit and its faith is an instrument of deception. It is naught but a cobweb of lies.  To believe in Eorzia is to believe in nothing. In Eorzia the beastmen often summon their gods to fight in their stead.  Though yours only respond rarely in kind, which is strange, is it not?"

"Are the Twelve otherwise engaged?  I was given to understand they were your protectors.  If you really believe they are your guardians, why do you not repeat the trick that served you so well in Carteneau and call them down!?"

"They will answer, so long as you lavish them on crystals and gorge them on ether.  Your gods are no different than those of the beasts; Eikons, everyone!  Accept but this, and you see how Eorzia's faith is bleeding the land dry.  Nor is this unknown to your masters, which prompts the question: Why do they cling to these false deities?  What drives great men of learning, even the great Louisoix, to grovel at their feet."

"The answer?"

Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
"Your masters lack the STRENGTH to do otherwise!  For the world of man to mean anything, man must OWN the world..." he says this as something is released from his armor.  Soon, there is a burst of SOMETHING...it certainly is not magic, as the armor of the Garlean burns brightly, and turns gold.  

"To this end, he has fought ever to lift himself up through conflict.  To grow rich through conquest.  When the dust of battle settles, it is always the fate of the strong to dictate the fate of the weak.  Knowing this, but a single path is open to the impotent ruler- that of false worship!  Only a man of power can rightly steer the course of civilization, and in this land of creeping mendacity, that one truth will prove its salvation."

The gunblade comes down pointing right at the group.  Come, champion of Eorzea, face me!  Your defeat shall serve as proof of my readiness to rule! It is only right that I should take your realm, for none among you has the power to stop me!"

With that, he stands ready, perhaps in his arrogance, allowing you all to make the first blow...to take the first strike."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    As Giaus rambles and rants at the party, the Warrior of Light stands in front of him, the Miqo'te mildly dwarfed by the very tall Hyur in his powered armor. But N'raha still exudes that warrior's energy, the Light of Hydaelyn practically slaking off him in waves. He's hot off the defeate of Lahabrea, his armor is caked with soot and smoke and damage, his axe glows with a holy light.

    "That little trick at Cartenau, as you call it? It took down Bahamut, sure. But... we don't need that 'trick' again, Gaius. It's just you... and just us. And we're more than enough to handle you. Handle some petty man with a grudge and a very fancy toy." His hands grip his axe, and like most of the other fights so far, the catman leads the charge in at the man.
    There's a swing of his axe, a blast of energy lashing out at the Imperial, looking to harass and antagonize, rather than damage. Get the man's attention, and let his friends, his trusted fellow Waarriors of Light handle this.

Athela Valemore has posed:
At least this time Athela is prepared for how immersive the Bard's song is. So when the next 'chapter' puts them right where the last story left off she's already got one hand on the hilt of her weapon though yet not drawing it. Because this is the point where the opponent lays out his grand intentions in an attempt to sway to his point of view. One that is, while still flawed, not nearly as blindingly self-absorbed as the Asciian before him. There may actually be a point or two in there.

But the points are entangled in power-lust and ambition, negating what good they could possibly do.

"Man and beast must fight for their own. Gods do not stay their hand from involvement; they bring hope and guidance so they don't -have- to bring their own power to bear. A war amongst gods... Is a thing worlds barely survive on -any- side. But to take that power for oneself?" The power being sucked out of those Primals before did not go unnoticed. "It is no better." Yes, they are basically talking to a memory in a story so there is going to be no real discussion over the matter. But something in voicing her reason for fighting, for serving the godly Legendaries she does and their cause against the Corrupt and Injust, is invigorating resolve in its own right.

"Perhaps you would prefer a demonstration." Athela draws her weapon, but instead of lunging headlong into a fray she doesn't know the full capacity of the foe yet, strikes it to the ground and sends a surge of water rushing across the ground towards the armored foe. A low profile attack while he's got airborn ones like the Tomahawk to also worry about.

Inga has posed:
Inga has returned for another story, because why not? Everyone loves a good story. A story that sucks you in like this one is rare indeed. It is some kind of magic, no doubt. Indeed, it's not all that different than what she experiences through visions. A touch more vivid, perhaps.

Inga limps up behind N'Raha, looking up (waaaaay up) at the philosophizing armored man. It's not a viewpoint she is unfamiliar with. Nor even one she necessarily disagrees with. That is certainly how it was all done in her time. But there's more nuance to leadership. Wisdom, responsibility. This man knows only might. "You scorn the gods because they have clearly not shown you wisdom," Inga says, drawing her seax from her belt. She cuts deeply into her flesh and blood blossoms to the surface, rising into the air. She flicks her knife in N'raha's direction, a ward of protection shimmering around him, buzzing with life.

With the blood still gushing from the wound, Inga directs more with her knife, this time toward the armored man, the liquid solidifying into a long spear that seeks out any chink in that armor.

Tomoe has posed:
So here she is once more the bard is here, the stage is set, and she ponders getting N'Raha a good drink after this latest session with the Bard is over. Given the cat mans noting how wildly overblown things are in these stories. She checked her gear once more and took a deep breath as she got ready to handle the latest event they are facing.

"Bahamut...."

She knows that name but it's likely nothing to do with the Bahamut she knows.

She will take a deep breath.

"Why do I fight? I wonder that sometimes but then I see things like this. You'd not just run over your world but over as many others as you could with that toy so you know what it's time to stop you here, old man."

For her bluster she looks up at Gaius has got this far and she knows it's not going to be an easy fight, she'll chant rapidly and golden runes will dance about her body as she then finishes he spell sending a bolt of flame at the general.

Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
"How very glib," He responds to Raha, who is a cat of very few words and a large axe.  Though he seems to chuckle at his accusation of what he is, "'Petty man with a grudge', am I?  What does that make you then?  A tomcat looking for a place to die?  A warrior who has lost what it means to fight?"

The axe swings in, but gunblade moves to meet it, he tries as hard as he can to meet the blade with his own, as sparks fly as the two weapons collide.  The gunblade does a lot better than expected at parrying the blade, but the sparks from their attack cause the Garlean to stagger just a bit, as the blade bit only barely into that armor.  Given that hit was a lot more powerful of a blow, this was not bad.

"The gods of this world do not bring hope, warrior.  They bring despair and false hope.  They bring the shackles of their false worship because they are too weak to fight for their place without it MEANING something.  I fear no gods, with the machine behind me is proof that no matter how powerful or frightening a being can be, we can topple and trap them.  We will be FREE to grasp our destiny."

"A demonstraition?  Very well, lets dance champion of the gods!" he shouts towards Athela, as the water surges at him.  Giaus, however, is no slouch, as he turns he fires a shot from the gun on his right hand to try and counter the wave of water aiming to wash over him.  The shot managing the blunt the water's offensive, as it washes over him the damage to his armor and to the person underneath was dramatically weakened.  Giaus looks satisfied, but ready to attack.

"I scorn gods because they have no wisdom to show, only slavery and suffering.  Only a web of lies and the clouding of destiny.  If you so willfully submit to them, then you have not the right to rule!" he says, as spears of blood dash at him.  

The Gunblade swings in a wide arc, aiming to defend against the spears of blood.  This time, however, the gunblade cuts through all of the spears.  The blood splattering in all directions, except for the direction of hitting the Garlean.  

"It depends on if those lands need to be free from false gods, warrior.  The shackle of worship does nothing but control the masses with lies of falsehoods.  Men must needs be strong enough to face the day on their own two feet, instead of relying on the supplication to creatures who live capriciously to men's needs."

The fire fires at Giaus, but like with the water, the cannon on his right arm points up, aiming to try and shoot down the oncoming storm of fire, aiming to send it off course so that he can get to the work of cutting these warriors down.  Like before with the water, the fire is disbursed to a point by the cannon shot, but most of it still manages to get through to the Garlean, heating up his armor and causing some pain.  

"Good, you at least have some promise of skill, but..." he says, and quickly dashes to one side of the Arena.  he slashes twice as a ball of blue light appears.  It seems to hover there, aiming at Raha.  He vanishes again, once more appearing at another end of the arena.  Once more he slashes, as a second ball of energy starts forming, aiming towards Athela.  

He leaps into the air and comes down towards Inga and Tomoe.  The smash was enough to potentially throw both the ground, but the worst part came as a blue fire starts spreading out from around him, aiming to start sticking to clothes like napalm.

As he lands, the two blue balls formed dash towards their target, aiming to smash each of them back and fling them away.

Inga has posed:
Inga has heard much this before. She always seems to come up against those who have something against gods. Just because she's the chosen of one god, does not mean she will defend all gods. But, having heard one of the goddesses here, knowing at least one of her chosen...Inga can say she's worth defending. "All this submitting to the gods, being slaves to them...I am so tired of it. It shows a lack of understanding on the relationship between gods and men," she replies, annoyed more than anything. It's like hearing Lezard prattle and it raises her hackles just because she hates that bloody man.

Inga gasps when Gaius leaps into the air and comes down upon them. She tries to get a ward up around herself before he falls, but she is a moment too slow.

She falls.

Luckily, she doesn't need to be on her feet to blast him a with a bolt of lightning.

She's also slightly on fire, which is inconvenient to say the least!

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is a tank yes she takes a lot of damage fairly well, yet? She does know how to move and void things and she knew how to do so long before the Death Game changed her life forever. She also thinks from some of Gaius' words he might have had some serious conversions with Staren about the topic of Gods. Even with her speed, she's not able to avoid a full hit, she catches part of the attack with her shield which helps direct the blue napalm-like stuff away from her body, even when the heat is pretty bad and leaves her quite toasted even then. She's clearly in a bit of pain, and she is being more aggressive, she preps a sword art and her blade glows white for a moment before she leaps at Gaius hacking and slashing in rapid succession at the memory of the General.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The catman snarls back at Gaius. "My reasons are my own, and maybe you'll get to find them out, when I send you to the Lifestream." Oh. Oh. That's... there's an unreasonable amount of anger building up in the catman, his aetheric aura spilling out, turning slowly redder and redder as he faces down the man. The flashes of the carnage at the Waking Sands flitters though the cat's mind behind that visor, making his resolve harden.
    Which makes it easier for the catman in the Iron Works armor to shoulder through that blast of magitek, the cutting wind slashing and biting at his body, his axe lifting to plunt the attack, but only so much.
    But then he's broken through the energy, watching as Gaius starts to lay down the Ceruleum. A moment to wait for an opening, and then he's dashing back in, sweeping around the bleeding awful puddles of bad to swing that axe once more. "No more /words/, Imperial. I'll end you like I did Livia. Now show me your strength."

Athela Valemore has posed:
As the projectile hurtles towards her Athela digs in with her heels and flips Resolute Blade in her hand so the blade is resting flat along her arm. This allows her to hold it across her front defensively. The energy sphere slams into it, but thanks to the weapon's great durability the impact only makes her skid backwards noticably instead of throwing her across the arena. Tch. Guess she's still not completely back to full capability, story or not.

Not like it's going to hold her back. She makes uses of her own agility to leap over the trails of burning chemical released towards the other fighters, using it to also get closer to the enemy's position. As she lands and slides to turn towards Gaius she regrips her weapon in both hands, channeling through. Water starts to ripple around Resolute Blade, but then a surge of energy through the weapon cause the water to quickly boil and fume into heated steam.

With the haze engulfing her weapon Athela steps in and swings, propelling the scorching vapors towards Gaius to seep through the armor and get at what likes underneath.

Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
The red aura is not unknown to Gaius, nor the pain and suffering that came to Raha at his subordinate's command.  The woman was very brutal...but at the same time someone who Gaius had become very close to.  For her faults, her loyalty and devotion to him were unwavering...one of which would come to haunt his final project.  

Which of course, when he mentions Livia...there is a glow in his mask.  The pearl in his head glowed brightly, as with a burst of the Cat man's axe, he braces with the gunblade...and to his credit, despite the devastating counter-attack he got, he held.  

Lightning surges through Gaius next, but this time he weathers it much better, bringing his free hand up to form a magitek shield, as the energy coursed through him, but seems to be grounded slightly.  His visor turns to her.  "Maybe where you are from, but not here.  In the end, I imagine it is very much not so different everywhere else, you just fail to see the truth clouded with your eyes in their grace!"

Tomoe dives at Gaius, who blocks her sword with his own gunblade.  The two exchange blows, as a few hits of her sword can manage to barely get through his defense.  He is being pressed, which might be a good sign...or bad if he has anything else to give.  

The sword of boiling water sears the armor of the Garlean, driving him back and causing him to let loose a grunt in pain.  Staggering, but not dropping, he is forced back, before he rises to his feet.  Turning to Raha for a moment,  his eyes sear through the Warrior of light for a moment.

Then he hunches down, starting to remove the limiters on his armor.  Soon, cerulium fire starts surging all over his armor, before he points the cannon on his arm towards Inga.  A volley of blows follow before he turns the blade and dashes towards Athela.

The swing is brutal, aiming to cut down towards her, aiming to cut through her blade before aiming to give her a swift kick backward, and another cut through the air, following through with another blast of that blue fire that charges her.

Tomoe gets a single shot of the cannon, but this time it seems more like a burst than the initial blast, aiming to try and send her flying away.  Aiming to make it more difficult for her to get into melee again.  

Then he dives in for Raha, the blade swings in repeatedly, aiming to cut through him with each swing.  Aiming to dig into his defenses as he eventually brings the axe into a clench.  They both stare at each other as he speaks.  

"I will not defend her actions, I will not blame you for your revenge.  Do not, however, use her name like that.  I give enough respect to you by not taunting you with your loss, do not do the same to me.  This is your one warning, Warrior of light."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The blows rain down on Raha, as his axe comes up time and time again to try and blunt the attack, all the while, pushing forward, trying to keep himself close in on the Imperial. But he's still launching attacks at his friends and allies.
    N'raha's eyes narrow as he locks up with Gaius... If he heard the warning he's not showing it, but he does not taunt further. That said, he does smash his axe up against Gaius' sword and arm, looking to shove the man out of place, push him out of his stance. He's got to blunt the attacks. Got to keep the man focused on HIM. Not Inga, not Athela, not Tomoe.

Tomoe has posed:
She can guess not all of Gaius combat abiluity here is the Bard making the tale even more interesting than it was. She wonders though if he's got more to give it could be bad, normally Tomoe is main tank but that look from N'Raha makes her back off on the taunts nd she'll shift to trying to support Inga so she doesn't get turned into street pizza. She keeps herself with in easy reach to intecept attacks on Inga more easily and then she launches into a new series of attacks on the General, this time her blade bursts into white fire as she makes use of it's holy element.

She makes note to not taunt Gaius about the dead. She calls out to Inga.

"I'll do what I can Inga keep behind me if you need to!"

Tomoe keeps forgetting Inga is immortal...

Athela Valemore has posed:
Weapon clatters against weapon, and while Resolute Blade is durable enough to take the repeated blows against it, but Athela lacks the strength to completely resist the larger and more heavily armored foe. She's forced back with every direct clash, until the abrupt kick in middle of the swings throws her entirely off her foot. She hits the ground hard, wheezing out air painfully. Opting for lighter armor and mobility worked against her that time, and she's barely got time to roll away from the surge of blue flame as Gaius turns his attention back on Raha.

She pulls herself to her feet, muttering at her lack of effectiveness in this fight. Then shakes it off. Doubt is not going to help anything.

She does however opt to keep her distance, and fling another bolt of pressurized water at Gaius while he's weapon-locked with Raha.

Inga has posed:
Inga laughs derisively, shaking her head. "Perhaps not. Are the gods cruel? Sometimes. Do they use us? Absolutely! But why? That is what it comes down to, doesn't it? That is the thing about being Chosen. You must know why. You must always keep that in your mind's eye. The gods use us because if they do not, we will all perish. They need our worship, our sacrifice, because my gods fight to protect us all from calamity. To beat back the things /outside/ that are trying to get in. There's something like that at work here as well, isn't there?" she says, climbing back to her feet with the aid of her staff. Her, facing off against someone like Gaius is so ridiculous. He'll hit her every time.

And he does. Hard. Inga throws a blood ward up around herself to soak up some of the damage, but she falls again after just getting to her feet. Which sucks.

When Tomoe comes to guard her, Inga appreciates it. "Thank you Tomoe," she says, breathing hard, healing, but too slowly. She needs time to recover her defenses. She tosses another splash of blood toward Gauis, this time a little acid blood toward the eyes, if she can manage it. Mainly, she is using the blood to increase her defenses, or she will not make it to see the end of this.

Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
Axe and gunblade strain against each other, with each blow sparks fly everywhere.  The blades lock, as the Garlean and the Warrior of Light are forced head to head.  The two stare back at each other, one starting to fall to his inner beast, the other fighting for what he believes is the only way to save Eorzia.  

The two clash again and again, but each time it seems that Gaius is starting to come out on top, the blades seem to easily deflect the wide swings.  Gaius is conserving his energy while making Raha expend it...despite the odds against him, it appears the Garlean might come out on top, even as a few good swipes get under his defenses.  

Tomoe comes in, attempting to also lend aid and keep him from striking at Inga effectively.  The white flaming sword strikes at the Garlean, but this time he was not quite able to bring his sword to defend, as Raha had tied his blade up with the dance they were in.  It cut into the magitek armor, forcing the general back.  

This puts him into the way of the water jet from Athela.  The two collide, but despite the coordination of the attack, the gunblade was ready, attempting to cut through the water as it surged over him.  Painfully, he could feel the wounds start to build up, he was being pressed...that was for certain.

However, the Cerulium flame that is burning on his armor does not flicker even the slightest, seemingly far more resilient to means to try and extinguish it.  There was a reason it was a popular fuel in many machines, Eorzia and the Empire both.

"Foolish," he shakes his head towards Inga.  "Then if you will not see reason, then instead be washed away by the will of man!  You who does not see value in humanity, instead begs the god for the scraps they deem worthy of giving!" he says this...

Until a blast of blood comes hurling at him.  He lifts the gun to fire, but it seems she had gotten wise to this tricks, as the blood splits, cutting through the shot and then INTO his chest.  This causes no small amount of pain as he is staggered from the blow.  Talk shit, get hit.

However, with Tomoe and Raha deciding to keep him from engaging the dangerous blood cultists, instead, he is forced to deal with them /first/.  This time, he comes back, forcing that Cerulium fire onto his blade, before he leaps towards Tomoe first.  His blade, burning with blue fire, comes down viciously.

He attempts to cleave through the woman, aiming each strike viciously and with great precision, before he leaps back, another one of those flaming strikes forming into a X shape and a ball, before flying down towards Tomoe, aiming to send them flying.  

As he lands, he unleashes another storm of flame around him, aiming to catch Raha in the wave, aiming to slowly start burning him from the inside out as the shockwave aims to send him flying away too.  

Then he points the gunblade at Inga, and then Athela, each shot is patiently taken, each one aiming to try and catch each one in the chest, aiming to lead the way until his next strike, aiming to weaken their defenses.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The blast wrecks Raha right in the damn face, his body crunching backwards into the stone and steel, diging up furrows of material, driving him and his armor back even as he's doused with awful chemical flames. This isn't good at all. Not even in the slightest.

    But that's not about to stop the Warrior of Light. There's a flashover of energy from the catman, as he steps in again, carrying himself and his bleeding, flaming self right into Gaius' face again. There continues to be a lack of words from Raha, his red eyes and scorched face all the reaspone he has for the Imperial now. That axe comes up and around, and starts to harry at Gaius with quick strikes, swipes and jabs, trying to force him backwards and away from the rest of the party. Every motion a response, as he works to maintain control of the fight.

Inga has posed:
Inga is shot in the chest. It lays her out flat. It is extremely painful, and she is most certainly starting to look like she's having a bad day. She'd bleeding from multiple wounds, and just keeps getting hit before any can significantly heal.

But she's still kicking, metaphorically speaking. She sits up. She's more or less given up on being standing for this fight. It doesn't actually matter anyway. "You're not /listening/ you woolheaded windbag!" she says, tired of beind compared to a slave, to a dog, to any number of unflattering things simply because she refuses to forsake her gods. She is Chosen. She is volva. She has told the deaths of kings and great warriors and bathed in the blood of a hundred sacrifices.

She is tired of all this direspect.

Inga turns her eyes toward Gaius--eyes that are black as the space between the stars. Her voice is thunderous. "Gaius Van Baelsar, all the strands of your fate are about to be severed. There is but only one path that remains to you now," she pronounces, a fiery glow surrounding her.

A rather large ball of fire flies from her, barreling toward Gaius.

Tomoe has posed:
She has somewhat got used to the Bard and wonders what if the man found a way to share his stories like someone might share a movie. She'd think more on that later as it feels just too real, and yet she knows it's not. Still, she fights on she wants to see how far she can push herself for this, as she moves to help pen him in. She's scored a hit she knows the general is not finished yet, and that's why she's not laid out on the floor the savage blow slams into her and does knock her off her feet, her wings flare out helping to slow her back and lets her make a landing before she vanished but the blow has left a large portion of her appearing to be red wireframes and they do not warp back to normal. Tomoe's also clearly looking to be in pain right now.

"Damn..."

She has her blade in hand again she has a plan, but she must live a bit longer to pull it off and she'll launch herself again at Gaius in attack which is a distection in an attempt to shield slam him.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Admist the chaotic fight Athela attempts to refocus herself, drawing inward with her powers instead of out. Elemental energy starts to ripple around her, briefly giving the appearance of looking at her as if underwater.

But then it bursts much like a water bubble as the shot hits, sending droplets splattering in all directions. It lessened the force of the attack, but she lost whatever she was trying to reshore her defenses with.

Once again she found herself at the very end of her proverbial rope. She couldn't take another hit like that, or hit at all at this point. She sucked in a few ragged breaths, willing up the last of the strength that she could. Exhaustion was already rippling through her body, spirit bruised as much as flesh was. Yet it refused to simply bow beneath his triades.

If this was to be the end of the fight for her, then she was going to make it count.

With a gritted growl of final determination heels kicked off the ground and Athela launched into motion despite her wounded state. She had nothing to say, no witty retorts to make. Her god was not one of debate and mockery, but of action. Elemental energy churned up around her as she surged forward, and for an instance as she barreled down upon Gaius seemed to take the visual of great equine, like some blend of unicorn and kelpie lowering it's head into the charge.

And the horn being the energy sheath around her blade driving forward.

Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
Raha attempts to push himself into Gaius way again.  This time, however, he was ready for the catman.  The two clashed again, Gunblade and Axe causing sparks as the very ground around the two shake and splits at their power.  

"This is the power of a ruler!  Yet you waste it on protecting those fools who do not have the strength of a ruler.  Such a waste.." he says, seeing through the next attack, and pushing through, the gunblade tearing through the axe as he steps through towards...

The fire sears the armor, threatening to bake him alive, but the flames of the Cerulium protect him, burning too brightly to be silenced so easily.  There is a burst of them, as Inga's fire is thrown aside in all directions like a walking fireball, as he starts walking forward towards her.  

"Who are you to dictate my fate?  A worshiper of false gods?  A dog to their whims?!  Nay I say, blood cultists!  I shall not be daunted by the likes of you!  Your all of your claim of power, your gods do not strike me down.  I stand to them, and to you and laugh!"

Until a shield smashes him in the mouth.  Talk shit, get hit his still in effect.  Staggering, the man looks up towards Tomoe.  "Very well then," he says to her and moves to meet her strike...

Until the furrious assault from Athela comes in.  Surging into the body of the Garlean, something seems to stop the assault of the horn of the charging elemental.  The elemental power surges through him, threatening to consume his body completely...

Then he pushes back, back against that great power staring into Athela's eyes.  "You too, have the strength of a Ruler.  Much like his, yours is similarly a shame that you waste it like this.  Defending those who can not defend themselves.  Keeping a rotten rule together...allowing yourself to worship beings who do not deserve you.."

Gaius then shifts, turning around and swinging the blade in a wide arch through the horse, aiming to cut through it, and the blade extends, aiming to slice through Athela too.  

Not stopping, he turns, firing a shot from the Gunblade towards Raha, and a shot from the Hand of the Emperor towards Tomoe.  Each shot aiming to drive them back as he walks towards Inga.  

"Now, allow me to be the one to sever your fate here.  Before I do, I shall know your name, fool." Giving her just enough time to answer, as he thrusts the blade down towards her, aiming to impale her body on the end of the gunblade.  

"I want something to put on your tombstone, besides 'Blood Cultist.'"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The Power of a Ruler is something that Raha has heard quite enough of. His eyes water with the arrogance of it. His body aches with the pains of battle, his grip loosening with each swipe of that gunblade, his ears and tail scorched and singed, the smell of burnt flesh and fur acrid clinging to him.
    But he's held Gaius at bay, long enough for his squad to rally behind him, to unleash their power. And he could FEEL the energy of Gaia rolling off of Inga behind him, as that smiting ripples in. He can feel the power of the Buzzing writhe through his body with the bond he's got with the Seer, his fellow Chosen. It's whats kept him and her alive. Even through massive blasts. Even through... all of this.

    The red aether starts to bleed from his eyes, casting a haze around the pair of dueling Warlords. But it suddenly flashes over to a blue. A clear blue. A shining, horrible, awestruck Crystal Blue. "My name is Raha, Warrior of the N'. Warrior of Light. Chosen of Hydaelyn. And I am here to prevent the tragedy of your rule." He grips Bravura, the ancient weapon glowing, sizzling with energy as he whips it around, brings it in a massive cleaving, revolving strike, aiming to shatter armor and sword and man in one swift stroke.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks to Gaius for a moment and makes ready but then come Athela, the young fighter prove she can do quite a good deal of damage but its' not enough to stop the general. She makes use of this action, it gives Tomoe time to make ready, and this is why she's not turned into a smear from the upcoming strike she moves to bring up the mourning wall to intercept it helps somewhat but Magitek weapons are not something Tomoe has had to deal with too much. Even if one might consider her whole existence and powers to be more or less the same thing at this point.

"So this is what an Imperial General can do..."

Tomoe isn't quite out of it yet, she starts to act readying a spell she chants again golden runes dance about her body again. The then finishes and will let loose with a focused blast of wind at the Gaius, that's just the set up she now triggers a chain of sword arts and launches herself with everything she can muster. She chains several rapid-fire ones together, making a storm of blades and just does not seem intent to let up on Gaius as if she does? She knows they are all going to go down very soon.

"STORM OF BLADES!"

Inga has posed:
Inga is impaled. It's not the worst way she's died.

Though, it seems--somehow-- she's still alive. She laughs, blood gurgling up and dripping from her mouth even as she speaks. "I am Inga Freyjasdottir, wisewoman of Uppsala. I only give you the knowledge that these are you last moments. My fate does not end here. It marches unnervingly forward into madness," she informs him, her voice hoarse and wet with blood.

Blood that she can use against him even to the end.

She flicks a spear of blood upward, aimed right for the slit in the visor of his helmet.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Even with the phenominal force put into the attack, drawing as much on the spirit to keep fighting on despite being overwhelmed as it is physical strength, the mighty counterswing slices into the manifestation with little difficulty. Athela tries to twist away from the strike even knowing she can't evade it at such close proximity. All it does is catch the gunblade in her side where her midweight armor is still strongest, and that is still enough to catch and throw her out of the attack. Hurtling across the arena before she finally hits the ground and rolls.

She groans audible, pressing a hand to the floor and lifting herself up a little. Just enough to raise her head and look right towards Gaius, and lift her blade upward. "Defend the defenseless; strengthen the weak. The Swords of Justice shall always stand up for those whom cannot!" You may have batterned her body to the brink, but not the cause she strives for. Your words will not sway this Champion from her fate.

Stubborn defiance is all she had left though, and after that Athela keels over on her side with a heavy, heaving breath. The physical body just can't keep up with the fighting spirit this time.

Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
The power of the attack throws Gaius back, cleaved by the powerful blade of aether and steel.  Catching himself, he just barely manages to stay on his feet.  Blood can be felt running down his armor, it was a powerful blow...and if he took another like that, he would be finished.  

However, Tomoe would not give him the time to rest and recover, as soon as he was clear of Raha, he was facing down a storm of blades.  He kept up, for all of his efforts, managing to keep up with the sword art.  The Two collide, Gunblade and blade, and while a few good cuts get through, nothing as devastating as Raha's blade manages to catch him this time.  

Only for a stream of blood attempting to pierce him again.  This time Heirsbane to fire, disbursing the blood, and some of it goes for his face, but there is no grate.  It is Garlean technology, which the blood has a hard time trying to get in and kill...it does, to its credit, crack under the force of the blow, revealing a single eye to which to stare at her.  

A few moments pass, and the General places the gunblade on his back.  "I did not think to be so hard pressed.  Well, then I suppose I have found no better place than here, and no stage than now to test the might of the Weapon," he says, walking away towards the monster behind them all.  

Soon, he is on top of it, sliding into the controls, as the monster comes to life.  It's eye glowing, as it takes a few steps forward...

A dark ripple appears...next to the Ultima weapon the Ascian from before, apparently back in full health.  Lahabrea laughs, "It appears these troublesome adventurers are even pushing you back, Great General."

"Lahabrea, what do YOU want?"

"Only to help, there is a power that yet sleeps in the Ultima weapon, one that you have now just awakened with the power of the Eikons...allow me to show you it, as a gift."

"What are you playing at Ascian?!" he says, as one of the claws moves to swing towards the already disappearing Ascian.

"I talk of the Heart of Sabik.  A relic ancient even during the time of Allag...but now..." With that, the words of the Ascian, the Ultima weapon seems to glow.  Brightly, dangerously...with an Aether off the /scales/.  Everyone can feel the massive amount of energy surging off of it.

Zenos yae Galvus (6843) has posed:
BGM Change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdflqnTvsgo

"From the deepest pit of the seven hells to the very pinnacle of the heavens, the world shall tremble! Unleash Ultima!" Lahabrea says, with an almost maniacal tone...

And then the Ultima weapon grips at its chest, before slamming down on all fours and arching back.  A massive surge of power is unleashed, lines of magical power gather along the entire area, as finally, a massive surge of pure magical destructive power surges up into the sky...and then back down in a stream of ultimate destructive magic.  

However, like before, the gentle light of Hydelan glows.  The mother Crystals resonates with each and every one of you, as a shield appears above your heads.  The ultimate magic means the ultimate defensive magic.  The explosion is blinding...

The light clears.  

The entire area is devastated, magical energy is radiating everywhere, burning the earth like a wildfire.  Your area is protected, and then the Ultimate weapon changes.  Glowing with that same light of Ultima, it glows light green and gold, as it arches back.  Two wings of the same light as before spring from it back as it prepares itself.

"Gaius, our enemy shield is broken, I leave the rest to you.."

"Such devastation...I did not wish such a thing.." a stunned Gaius says taken aback, and then angry, "We shall have words later, Ascian...but for now, the question of who is stronger remain.  Come, warriors of light...let us find the answer to that together!"

However, as the camera pans, as there are so many shots of you before the Ultima weapon...the song slowly comes to an end, and once more you realize you are not actually fighting, but in a tavern listening to a very talented bard.  with the story of what comes next having to wait until next week.

Tomoe has posed:
The fight has been hard she expects the pain train to be pulling in shortly. It doesn't quite pull in in the way she expected it to do so. Gaius seems hard pressed, Lahabrea shows up again and Gaius pulls out that machine which really looks like it's bad news.

Tomoe has no magic in the sense of this world but even she can feel the power coming, she somehow doe snot get flattened by it, yet it seems the Ultima weapons is very much ready for a fight, also everything is on fire she looks up at it.

"So this is how we end it? All right General let's finish this..."

Tomoe got a bit too into it as the world fades back into the tavern and she looks about for a moment shaking her head a bit.

"Geeeze how does he do that?"

She knows at best she'll get a smirk or a non-answer but it had to be said.

"As for the rest of you? Dinner on me?"

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore rubs her head briefly. "Still can't get over how -real- those stories feel." It was just a story but she still feels like she actually went through that hell. "And the next chapter looks to be... Ominous."

But the ominous feeling is broken by the mention of food. "Dinner after that sorray would be a fine idea."

Inga has posed:
Inga reaches up to rub her temples. She has a completely unrelated nosebleed. "It is something, isn't it? A wonderful sort of magic," she replies. The mention of dinner is appealing. "I will accept that offer Tomoe. How kind of you," she responds with a small smile.

She looks toward N'Raha. "Are you alright?" she asks.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The catman just wilts a little bit, and sighs, slipping out of his chair long enough to crack his back in a rather feline manner, a little click of his fangs in frustration at his exhaustion. Though...
    There's a deeper hardness to his face than there was before the night started. His tail's also fluffed out in a way he's not easily putting back into place. "...Yeah, just... brought back some bad memories."

Inga has posed:
Inga nods, reaching over to give his shoulder a brief squeeze. "Perhaps food and drink will help. I find it helpful whenever I'm recovering from a vision--and that is almost what this is, isn't it?"

Inga reaches into the small pouch at her waist. Her arm disappears inside up to the elbow. After a few moments digging, she pulls out a chocolate bar, which breaks into several pieces and distributes.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore frowns a little, but Raha says he's otherwise okay, and she can understand the 'bad memory' explaination after seeing the way he went into Angry Red mode or whatever it's called. Though something still nags a little at her. "Is it just me because I was still reeling from that blow, but was the man almost... distraught over the level of destruction the Ascian triggered with the weapon?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha takes the chocolate bar, and with a mild huff slides his chair over next to Inga. Chosen have to stick together. "It's... complicated. Gaius wanted to conquer Eorzea to eliminate... all of the 'Eikons'. But he didn't want to destroy it like the guy before him did."
    A bite of his chcolate, and his tail lashes a bit more, his ears fluffing. "The guy who dropped Dalamud on Eorzea and caused the last Calamity."

Inga has posed:
Inga sighs. "It was not just you. He did seem upset. He was manipulated, but he would not want to see it. Then he would need to admit that he is not above being used by beings beyond his ken," she replies, taking a small bite of chocolate.

"I think...were circumstances different, he might not have turned out so terrible," she muses.

"You all fought very well though. Who knew I was surrounded by such warriors?" she smiles.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore nods her head at the explainations. "I see. So he was a man with purpose... but it got obscured, and misused, but ambition and machinations of others." She massages her temple a little, and takes off her headpiece so it stops rubbing against a sore spot. It's set aside, and she takes the offered bit of chocolate. "Thank you, milady. For both the treat and the compliment."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha's ears perk up at the compliment at least, and he looks to Athela. "I just wish he could have properly seen that... before... well."
    He sips his beer. "You'll see next week, I guess. Or maybe you won't. I'm not sure exactly how he's going to end this version of the story." A roll of those crystal green eyes, and he finally starts to un-puff.

Inga has posed:
Inga nods graciously to Athela, who has just won brownie points by being respectful.

She gets another piece of chocolate.

"I suppose we shall. I know it is not exactly how it transpired, but it is interesting to see how it all turns out. I think perhaps the skald struggles to fit me into his story," she chuckles.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    At Inga though, Raha perks his ears up again, and then smiles. "Honestly? I think he takes it as a challenge to make sure everyone fits into his stories. I mean..." He noms on his chocolate and takes a breath. "He enjoys telling stories big, but the good guys usually win out in the end."

Inga has posed:
Inga nods, looking mostly amused. "It is no real stretch for most of you, but I am no great warrior," she says, waving a hand flippantly. "I'm sure your allies in the real fight were...sturdier."

Athela Valemore has posed:
"There seems to be little issue with accomidating my abilities." Though elemental magic is hardly unusual here. So Athela is okay either way, other than not using her Pokemon. But whatever magic the Bard weaves his tales through might not work so well on such creatures so she hasn't tried.

In hindsight, not having one to assist in defending her is probably why she got clobbered so hard by that one attack. So learning experience.

She accepts the second piece of candy. "Do not sell yourself short. We do not all need to be warriors to make a difference... Besides, you lasted longer than I did." Though she did kinda get a little overly risky on that last bombastic attack.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Another swish of his tail, and Raha just mmmmhs. "On the contrary. We had a very talented thaumaturge in our party, as well as a Scholar." A look to Inga. "And scholars call forth ancient beings of light to heal and prevent damage to their allies... while also choking out their enemies in magical miasma and foul aethers."
    A pointed look to Inga, and a mumble around some chocolate that sounds vaguely like 'and who does that sound like?'

Inga has posed:
Inga waves it off. "It is my healing and my wards that kept me alive--and Tomoe and N'raha," she says, nodding to them.

N'raha's grumble gets an eyeroll. "But I suppose I have learned some useful tricks," she concedes with a shrug.

"I'm also fond of lightning," she adds, almost sheepishly.

Athela Valemore has posed:
"Versatility and variety is the strengths of any good adventure party," Athela agrees.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe has been chilling out for the most other are chatting gor the moment. "Me I just play one on TV." Making a very earth joke that hits her a second later no oner else would get. "I'm still wondering where all of this is going. IT was a team effort."