641/The General's Daughter: Part 2

The General's Daughter: Part 2
Date of Scene:	21 September 2014
Location:	Terra Majora
Synopsis:	Elliana invades Arnol's Watch, her heart set on revenge for her family.
Cast of Characters:	12, 92, 168, 242, 253, 299, 347, 548
Tinyplot:	New Blood

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Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    ARNOL'S WATCH is a fortified city, but it usually doesn't need to worry about air attack. After all, the WINDWARD EMPIRE's airship fleet is far stronger than anyone else's, and most would only be able to muster a few warships at best from the air. Naval power is far more common. Of course, Arnol's Watch does have an air force... one battleship and two destroyers. Airship ones are much smaller than naval ones, but still impressive.

    They are not prepared for a city-sized tree rising over the mountain and floating toward the city, however. The DRASILLUM makes short work of any airships defending, within minutes moving to near the town itself and sinking massive roots into the ground nearby. It does take care not to actually damage anything important, though some of the streets are torn up by the roots burrowing downward.

    Elliana herself doesn't need one, but several long ropes and ladders tumble down from the tree now situated near the NOBLE QUARTER. Elliana floats down lightly, watching the city watch still organizing, and calls back to her own forces, "We are here to make a statement, not to destroy or even permanently conquer this particular city. Avoid /unnecessary/ deaths, do not target civilians. Everyone remember where we parked."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    "Whaaaaat? Awwww, fiiiine," Mordred says, apparently opposed to the idea of no mindless destruction or conquering. They have the force to do it! Why not? They could plant the tree in the middle and call this Elliana County or something. Fairburg. Whatever. Woulda been great.

    The Saber walks alongside her Master, wearing heavy, almost evil looking red and silver plate mail, without a helmet. This unfortunately means her amazing height of five foot tall and young teenager appearance are not concealed right now, so for all she's a walking wrecking ball she's not going to be scaring the townsfolk off attacking Elliana quite as easily.

    Fortunately most of them are probably not Elite and they're going to find out the hard way what it's like trying to assault the Master of a Saber, if they try.

    Rather than Clarent, the dazzling silver sword, Mordred is currently wielding BLOODY AMHAR, her Abstractum. Whether it is asleep or awake, it is bound to enjoy all the blood on its blade-- worst-case it wakes up covered in food and wonders what the hell it missed.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber (and Nathan) are basically always ready to deploy to Terra Majora at a moment's notice. Optimized paths between warp gates, repeated deployments to the world. For their disagreements on how its most famous native should be handled, the two were here often and Psyber had made it his personal goal to get response time down to a minimum.

    "Nathan, there's going to be mobbing in the streets. I want you to grab hold of my coat and do not let go. Shout if we get separated, I'm going to split the crowd for you where I can," Psyber says in a firm tone, walking along the streets and mostly using his much larger physiology to force his way through crowds where necessary.

    Steppenworth is Psyber's chief concern here. And he knows Nathan has the same thoughts he does. There's a greatsword across his back, a pistol at his hip, and in his hands he has what appears to be a double-barreled shotgun. Antiquated, but there's something to be said for the reliability of a good coachgun.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
Part of being a mystic wanderer was the tendancy to wind up where you need to be without really knowing what was going on. But this was Cheyanne's usual lot in life, usually if the Elements didn't have a way to lead her, Fate in itself did. And while it could often seem random, Fate never did so without a reason.

That and catching word of giant flying trees. A flying tree, such a novel idea. Wonder if she could do that with the right combination of plant material and Air elementalism. But that was something for musing at another time. Right now was time to find out what was up with this particular one, as it looks like the giant tree is attacking a city, and that's not something even the animate vegetation back home does very often. So of course that bears some amount of investigation in its own right. Along with the whole protect the city deal as well, of course.

A seemingly breif passing of a breeze and the faint twinkle not unlike wind chimes is the only thing to herald the shaman's arrival, and moments after there was no one before the zebra woman has come strolling along with the other Union elite gathering. "So who wants to explain to the displaced mystic what is transpiring. I so terribly hate not knowing what is actually going on." By her placid tone of voice it is hard to tell if she's being sardonic or not about the whole hating not knowing part.

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    While Elliana is her Mistress as well, Charity does not have the escort job. She also knows exactly where they are going. The cloaked assassin has no need of the ladders and ropes that the troops might need, and instead she glides down from above, swooping along air currents to land atop some of the houses. From there, she begins her quick leaps from rooftop to wall to rooftop, heading for her goal.

    That being, of course, Steppenworth's manor. It would look much better for them if Elliana could just walk in without opposition, naturally. So she's aiming to get there first, moving at high speed. Hopefully her boss won't decide to just teleport or something just to show her up.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan's observations are done with his usual straight-faced, stoic expression. His eyes now narrowing, he observes the placement here. "Noble quarter." He says, in his usual monotone. "She may be interested in the same individual that we are." He's grabbed on tight and keeping close. "We may yet see a repeat of the Duke Luonheart incident. I will do what I can to assist him, as before, but I will need your protection." Nathan also drones off directions of the optimized route, having perfectly memorized it, just after their first visit.

    Let's try to get to that mansion ASAP... But Charity Whiteheart is currently leaping towards the mansion herself, yet unnoticed by Nathan, and with their surprise advantage, might be ahead of them. Now, where is Elliana...

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
Xau'ra Tayuun, a male miqo'te from Eorzea also decides to report in for the task at hand. Though he comes by means of using the Unions own gates and quickly. Once he does arrive, he quickly runs up the side of one of the buildings, before leaping to another, then leaping back to the one to get up on the roof.

He taps his comm to let Nathan and Psyber know he is in the area. Though as he goes to crouch down and get a feel for the area around him, he finds himself once more being placed a touch out of his element. He-- may never really get use to the Multiverse.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    "Now, when ya say 'unnecessary'..." Bloody Amhar says, with a good-humored but entirely vicious sort of tone. "What's necessary here? 'Cause I've got a hunger we've not gotten fed in a /long/ time." There's a snarling from the blade's jaw. The sword, as is by now per the norm for Mordred, is constantly pushing for that takeover Shift, and it flares up for a moment, but is easy to reject.

    At the very least, it snarls and roars aggressively at anyone considering getting close, anyone who looks at Elliana funny, or, in fact, basically anyone who isn't one of Elliana's allies. It is also gushing with red fire that brings massive enhancement and gouging consumption to every strike.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    "Elliana Fairchild, the Confederate and ex-Union-member, is attacking. This is Arnol's Watch, an unaffiliated city, but the Windward Empire of which it is a part has negative relations with the Union. According to the General, we are here to extract Arthur Steppenworth, a local noble and retired military commander." Adjudicator, the greatsword on Psyber's back, is the one who answers Cheyanne with a deliberate, mature sort of tone. The little eye at the hilt has a grim, but attentive and focused expression.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Brilliant Dawn won't ever, EVER mention how much it dislikes the idea of causing terror to anyone but its User's specific targets. However much it is averse to it, it is well-versed in choking back its own emotional reactions, and so has remained silent. The pendant has a professional tone and expression. "Tandem is established, and I'm linked to your allies." With a shimmering green light, it projects convenient 3D maps of the city, the natives that its magical sensors can detect, the allies Elliana Fairchild has... And any "troops" she might have brought along.

    A full strategic perspective! The Tac Drive is spinning at its full, rather considerable power right from the outset, giving Elliana the best possible situational awareness right from the outset. It'll even immediately pick up and call attention to any of the more open combat opposition she might get on the shimmering magical holo-map.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Elliana has troops of her own... some human, now forming up behind her, and some less so. She still has a load of worms, and the huge 'splut' of all those worms tumbling from the tree is both gross and kills a fair number of them. Then again they're... going to be dying soon anyway, since they don't live long, really. But the ones that survive writhe together into humanoid bodies, crawling into the armor and taking up weapons from the drop above. In moments, a full fighting force is behind her and marching toward the manor.

    Already, the defending forces are mustering. Here, it's largely the City Watch and professional guards of the Nobles that are forming up in ranks, though a few of the Watch are uneasy about the nature of the troops. Naturally, some of the Watch are also forming up in front of the Union, with a demand: "HALT! State your intentions!" At least they didn't shoot first, right?

    As for Mordred and Amhar, Elliana has an answer for them. "The militia is largely made up of citizens defending their homes. We are not likely to encounter them in this area, but if so please avoid crippling injuries or death. They will be ill-trained and no threat. For the Watch, military, and guards, give quarter if asked for... but otherwise you are free to kill." She glances to Mordred. "No civilians. Not even the Nobles, corrupt though they are likely to be. We are after Steppenworth in particular."

    Charity will find an easy path along the rooftops, though here and there a guard may launch an arrow at her. Nothing someone with her agility can't handle. The same goes for Xau'ra, though he has the option of stopping and talking if he wishes.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber raises his shotgun up defensively, levelling both barrels at the guards before him. But he notably doesn't fire, since Nathan wants to try to talk his way through. If that fails, he WILL blow his way through, trying to hit guards in the upper thighs or shoulders.

    "What the sword said," Is Psyber's response to Cheyanne. Seems he's pretty much all business at the moment, taking his job of protecting Nathan rather seriously. Psyber does comment to Nathan, "I think we can talk her out of it if we tell her that he was acting under orders. If we meet up with her, let me appeal to her emotionally first. Just one chance."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan doesn't have time for this shit.

    His voice drones in the usual completely calm, completely emotionless tones, but he's quietly optizes his voice for authority, absolute declarations, and other similar suchlike with a sudden charge of essence. "We have reason to believe there are individuals who intend to harm or kill Arthur Steppenworth. We intend to prevent this. We have the means and capability to do so. Your defenses are outmatched, as can be seen from the response to your air force. Please allow us through, or he may die."

    While response to this is figured, he deals with Psyber. "I do not intend to cease taking my traditional approach." His eyes narrow as he stares in the direction of the mansion. "I intend to provide a compelling argument to her if direct extraction is inviable. Make your appeal as you like. It is not as though I am going to /fight/ her."

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
Xau'ra is an agile combatant and a very skilled hunter, not to mention a thief with quiet the record in Eorzea. Though he stays low and moves quick, his swords barely move at his hip as he runs and his bow stays along his back with his quiver.

Though when a few guards decide to fire a few arrows at him, he twirls his body around the shots and then uses both hands to actually catch the arrow, with the tip coming rather close to his face. He then spins the arrow around and balances it on the tip of his finger.

"Hello gents!" He says with a smile and a flick of black cat tail. His sharp canines may be easy to see with someone who has keen enough eyes, but those red lens goggles of his are hiding his eyes, mostly because Xau'ra is rather sensitive to the light. He then hops the arrow, before catching it and rotating it around in his fingers, "Mayhaps we can have a word! After all, we are surely not the enemies you are looking for. At least not of myself!"

If anymore arrows come though, he is ready to move, but he does keep to the high ground. "And really! You should not waste such fine arrows," He then looks at the arrow in his hand, "..though the tip is a little dull," He then points the arrow at the guards, "Not sharpen them much?"

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
"A retrieval then, before they bring the end," Cheyanne replies, utterly unbothered by the fact that it is a sword answering her. Sentient weapons, nothing new here. Though the Abstractum aren't quite the same thing, it keeps the matter in perpsective.

One cannot really fault the guards for doing their job, seeing as their city is under attack from one front already. Hall is correct, however, they don't have time to expend on dealing with this interruption. She has someplace to be, something to do, and little time to waste on the trivialities that come between this point and that point. Even if she's still not entirely sure of why she's been lead to getting involved in this, that she is here is proof enough that she needs to be here for something.

"You would do best to get your civilians out of potential harms way, sirs. This matter shall be dealt with swiftly." Hopefully.

Cheyanne doesn't pause in her stride as she reachs to draw her staff from her back. Either the guards will let them pass from Hall's insistance, or she will have to mystic her way through to get to the real problem here. One way or the other.

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    At the distance the guards are shooting, normal arrows from plain old guards aren't a threat to Charity. A swirling 'shield' of wind surrounds her, knocking any of them off-course. She doesn't bother to stop and deal with them, barely giving a glance as she bolts from roof to roof, with one goal in mind: Steppenworth's manor.

    She has reason to hurry though. No doubt Steppenworth has seen the tree, and might be on the move already. Not the way she would have attacked, but then Fairchild did say this was a 'statement' rather than specifically meant to simply kill him.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Brilliant Dawn actually seems a little bit relieved to hear those sorts of directions coming from Elliana, but has maintained its silence on the matter, and offers Elliana the quick and simple mental interface by which to create the broad tactical directions to her troops as they deploy, as well as the Elites. It's like realtime strategy!

    Mordred finds her generalized sword combat is buffed! A soft green fire lines the edge of Bloody Amhar... But the buff only applies to injuries that disable, rather than killing or crippling blows, which only work at the normal level. Amhar grumbles and snarls but keeps it under its hat, so to speak. But, of course, Tandem orders can't debuff, so nothing is there to stop the killing.

    Adjudicator makes a few approving noises. "If anyone can make an emotional appeal to get Elliana to stand down, I expect it is you, Psyber. No offense, General." It also begins to burn with a soft red light that saturates Psyber's body, trying to bring him some stunning sorts of physical forcefulness that he can use to help power through mobs if the Watch doesn't go along with this.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    "Fine, fine, no horrible maiming. I am reserving the right to interpret the word DISARM literally, though, Master," the Servant warns Elliana, as they advance slowly through the streets. She will respect those wishes and only disarm whoever gets in the way-- it'll be messy, but it shouldn't be lethal unless the doctors here SUCK. And Amhar gets to eat entire arms! That should still appease him.

    "And quit pushing at my brain, we'll Shift if we run into something worth it. You really want to waste your trump card on lowlife militia?"

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    "You say 'waste' like I'll run out." Bloody Amhar says, aggressively. "Remember, I'm powered by /blood and carnage/. As long as you're killing, I'm not going to get tired!" And with much gusto and enthusiasm, its buffs only apply minimally; Amhar intends to devour as much as it can, the ravenous jaw in the sword rapidly chewing up anything Mordred can shove at it.

    Not a terribly smart sword, but a lot of bloodlust there.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Hmm..." Elliana has to figure out how best to deploy her troops, now. Awkwardly, her bodyguard is probably better at this. As much as she prides herself on her strategy in the form of political maneuvering, actual battle tactics are not her strong suit. Fortunately, she has the element of terror and surprise on her side, along with horrifying troops that can lead the charge and move in unnatural ways. She also understands the basics of strategy and moves her troops to seal off and blockade choke points in the streets, letting her focus on grabbing one at a time. "Most of the City Watch is corrupt, I care little about what you do with them."

    Fortunately for Mordred, the Watch IS the first to encounter her, with a row of pikemen and archers. None of them are Blooded, though, so the hail of arrows probably won't be much of a problem. The forces arrayed in the Noble Quarter just aren't organized enough yet to be a problem.

    The Watch dealing with Xau'ra pause, looking at one another, but they aren't /stupid/ at least. "What are you here for, then? If you're to help then help us get Savior Street back!" Well, they aren't /shooting/ at him, so that's an improvement? The fact that he's not trying to kill them is probably why. Bigger priorities.

    The Watch dealing with Nathan and Psyber are less friendly, at first, but fortunately someone with authority IS in there. "Hold up, I know them," the woman says. She's using a large axe, and appears more competent than the others. "Or, know of them. They're probably right. The General did warn us that he might be targeted." Looks like Steppenworth did take the warning to heart and used some of his pull. Still, the Watch look rather leery of Cheyanne, until she points out, "They're offworlders! I'm pretty sure she isn't a Twisted!" So they have the freedom to go where they want, within reason.

    Finally, Charity makes it without incident to the Steppenworth Manor! But not, as it seems, AT the manor without incident. Several guards are already knocked unconscious, and a slender, cloaked figure is waiting for her, right there on the roof. She might recognize the Rat, from the posters. "Hello," he says calmly... but as he speaks, a white lance shimmers into being in one hand. The Rat isn't supposed to be a Blooded, which means this lance must be some kind of enchanted weapon. "I'm afraid I can't let you inside."

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
The guards ask Xau'ra for help and though he knows the Union is here for one thing, he can't just turn down and say 'nope'. After all, if he can get these guys support, then that be a bigger group heading for the main problem right?

Which is somewhere in Noble Quarter.

Xau'ra raises an eye brow as his tail moves side to side in thought. "Alright gents, I'll lend you a hand, but in return I need a clear way to Noble Quarter. Trouble may be seen going down there and someone could be in great danger."

Xau'ra then leaps off the side of the building and flips in the air before he lands down, he then hands the arrow to one of the Watch, "Deal?"

Mordred (12) has posed:
    "Alright then. By your leave, my Master!"

    Mordred makes a mock-polite bow to Elliana, before she suddenly slams her foot down into the ground. The streets underneath her shatter, kicking up a dust cloud and a gust of air sufficient to knock most of those arrows off-course, with JUST enough precision to only mildly inconvenience Elliana-- the fact the arrows are now no longer an issue is worth it, really, if she didn't feel like deflecting them herself.

    The Saber then emerges from the dust cloud, bee-lining straight for the pikemen and archers. She swings Bloody Amhar in a wide arc as she reaches the first row of pikes, infusing the blade with prana to turn its slice into a shockwave able to clear through the entire first row of guards and those directly behind, if they can't defend themselves.

    "AMHAR! /FEAST/!"

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    Charity stops cold on one side of the roof. Her own hood is up, so... it's a battle of assassin to assassin? This should be interesting. Only, The Rat is someone she's investigated. "I thought you didn't like Steppenworth. Aren't we on the same side here?" Her daggers come out, twirling a few times before she gets into a ready stance. "/I'm/ not here to kill him, but I really don't want any interference when my Mistress gets here. What do you want?"

    She asks that as she drops down through the roof, phasing through it to pop up behind. She's not going for a kill strike, or anything... just putting him at an obvious disadvantage, aiming to let him feel a knife at his kidneys so he knows she's in control. Or, that's the plan. He's just a normal human, no threat right?

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
Thank goodness there was a sensible authority figure present to sort things out. Or at least get them passage without a greater time consuming hassle. Cheyanne continues on her way into the city. Finally we are getting somewhere.

Sort of. She's still not entirely sure just where she's suppose to go. They want to get to the Noble Quarter, but the entire city is under seige here that they need to get through. Finally she just shrugs and keeps going. Eventually she were get where she needs to be, be it where the others are headed or otherwise.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Come on, Nathan. We're running," Psyber says in a commanding tone. Adjudicator agreeing that if anyone can appeal to Elliana emotionally gives Psyber a swell of confidence. He actually didn't expect the sword to believe in him, mostly because he only half-believes in himself that he can talk Elliana out of a decision or into his viewpoint.

    Psyber does grab Nathan by the wrist and start sprinting. He's strong enough to carry Nathan this way, but he does try to go slow enough that Nathan can keep up with him, "Nathan, above all else, we have to get to Noble Quarter before her."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    There's a firm nod from Hall to the woman, an acknowledgement of this and a quiet, wordless statement that she can work however she likes, but if she wants to assist, she can feel free to come along.

    "That is dealt with." Nathan says, simply. "Now, we move." Psyber grabs him, and he dashes along, twice as swift as you would expect but still not nearly as fast as Psyber's top speed. A late reaction is given to the sudden gushes of dust and bright light that herald Mordred and Bloody Amhar. "This battle does not concern us. I leave the handling of your rival to your discretion, Psyber." Nathan says simply.

    Anyway, hopefully going where they want within reason means heading to the Manor is acceptable. His mind flashes with information. Nathan knows how this ends. The Watch isn't going to hold Elliana off, and based on her tactics in the attack on the Drasillum, traditional defense won't stop her unique bypass method. When he comes to it, though, there's a soft, frustrated noise. "Charity." He says, pulling back a bit. Psyber can keep dashing in if he wants, but Nathan intends to retreat just enough to see where this is going with Charity and the Rat.

    Pulling back to where Cheyanne is following along, he says, "You may have your own opponent, though if Xau'ra cannot successfully cut a path, I may need you to assist that. Choose according your discretion." For now, he watches, though Charity Whiteheart may have had the chance to hear him or see him... Or maybe just see Psyber and be alerted that way.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    XUA'RA gets a glower from the guard, who snatches his arrow back and immediately hoofs it for the street nearby! The reason they were asking for help is pretty obvious once he gets there... the Watch and some of the soldiers from the personal guard of several nobles are there, fighting off some troops. It looks like a half-dozen human troops are there with bows and arrows, but the real threat is a dozen marching 'troops' bearing spears, which are steadily driving back the Watch. These spear-users appear to be writhing masses of worms wearing helmets and breastplates and gauntlets, giving them shape. It's no wonder that the guards are having trouble, as the natural earthworm regeneration has been boosted to a tremendous degree, letting them reform limbs and heal injuries remarkably quickly. Savior street leads directly to the Merchant Quarter, with a gate in the way that is currently open. So it WOULD make for a good evacuation.

    Mordred has no trouble whatsoever with these troops, as all of them are human. She smashes through without difficulty, leaving Elliana to draw her sword and prep for more interesting combat. "Steppenworth's Manor should be just around the corner," she states. Getting through there necessitates crossing by the statue to him, which she casually shatters with a small gesture. Gee, wonder who HER target is?

    Charity will find the Rat looks... prepared. Not for her phasing, exactly, but ready for a fight. "This isn't about my grudge with him. It's about the city. This is MY city." He whips his lance about again, and as Charity rises through the roof to threaten him, he sweeps it in a quick slice with the blade portion along her leg, aiming to slash a deep cut. If it hits, two things will become apparent to Charity. One: it can damage her while she is phasing. Two: it burns like the fires of hell itself when it touches her.

    Approaching from a different direction, Psyber and Nathan and Cheyanne can see both the main force approaching the manor, and the duel going on atop said manor. It looks like most of the guards have been knocked unconscious already, but some of the Watch is rushing in.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Big shockwaves are turning into giant masses of blood-constructed teeth that impale, drawing corpses back towards the blade after the huge hits from Mordred. It's not just a bite, it's a direct and enthusiastic SNACKING. Amhar responds to the call to feast with a hungry, low-toned ROAR. Apparently, where most Abstractum would do big energy waves or things like that... Amhar just extends massive blood teeth, these days. It's not running out of materials, at least.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Fairchild finds that Brilliant Dawn is acting as a sort of tactical secretary, which is to say, an officer; it's currently doing little optimizations to her strategies, reactive to every battlefield shift. Her genius may be in politics, but Brilliant Dawn's tactical effects help out with even this sort of thing, bringing a strategic edge to her little army's maneuvers.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    AT THE STEPPENWORTH STATUE:

    As Elliana passes by that statue and shatters it with a casual gesture, the shattering is much bigger than she may think. And much more explosion-y. In fact, it's a pretty massive explosion, as if several bundles of C4 all detonated at once in a massive, shock-wave causing blast that might slow down her advance. She's also very durable, so it might not.

    AT THE STEPPENWORTH STATUE, JULY 29th, 22AU:

    As they are heading away, Psyber has left a mysterious satchel at the foot of the statue. It looks mostly benign, being brown leather with a gold metal buckle. In the worst case scenario, he will come back for it later. Best case, it will serve a purpose later.

    NATHAN AND PSYBER, BACK IN THE PRESENT:

    "I'm going to try to slow them down, but I'm not sending you to Steppenworth alone. I really hope I hid that thing in the bushes right, otherwise this might just blow up a random place in the city," Psyber says to Nathan as he points out the dust and ruckus from advancing troops nearby. The half-angel rolls back his sleeve to reveal a watch. He then presses a finger each to two buttons on the watch and presses them three times apiece in a certain pattern.

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
Xau'ra quickly follows the watch and finds himself looking at-- humanoid like worms, or something that his mind can only equate too. He reaches under his leather armor and pulls out a pendant of some kind, which he kisses gently as he whispers to it, "Menphina.. I know I scorn you sometimes.. but.. give me strength.."

He looks back at the group he has to face and huffs out a breath of air, before he tucks the pendant back away and draws out both of his swords. He was unsure if the elements of earth here could aid him or not, as its hard to speak to them or even give them proper respect when the world of cities and towns get in the way.

Yet each place is different and perhaps here, the placement of building has not heeded them far.

Xau'ra then with both blades in hand snarls his teeth at the worms ahead as his tail bristles a bit, then with a quick push off of his foot, he goes to charge in for the worms. Using his agility to try and not only cleave into the weaker points of the worms, but even try to 'de-head' them if he can.

Including jumping on top of a few when able and using the environment around him as leaping to or from points. It was a dangerous game, but he had to do something.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
At about the same time Hall gives his assessment of the situation and possible progressions from here, Cheyanne catchs sight of the invasion force approaching the Manor as well. "Ah. I do believe I finally see, where it is that I am needed to be," she replies to Hall and Psyber, turning sharp enough to make her adornment of charms jingle faintly and redirection her stride in the direction of the approaching forces. Totem staff held in one hand as it starts to glow with a faint hint of greys and browns. Then Cheyanne comes to a stop and turns, reaching forward to lower her staff and strike it to the ground. The glow discharges from there, surging across the ground towards the main force of the attack. It may even pass under the marching troops without being noticed.

Until it blasts upward, releasing an eruption of sand and grit up from the ground, hopefully either blinding them in surprise or knocking them over from the sudden bursts of pressure from beneath their feet.

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    No, Charity was not expecting that. She jerks back, but not fast enough... while she's still half inside the rooftop, the phasing assassin gets a slice across one thigh, opening up her leg with a sudden gush of blood and a startled, incoherent cry of pain!

    It doesn't incapacitate her, though. Charity jerks backward, one of her daggers disappearing so she can hold her leg. "We aren't here for your city. Just the man. Step aside."

    She'll just have to handle this fight directly. A flick of her blade sends a wind slash toward the Rat, then she charges in with inhuman speed, though slowed a little by her injury. Her free hand darts forward, a spire of bone erupting from the wrist in an attempt to scratch the man's side and inject some of her paralytic venom into him. The entire battle is atop the rooftop, of course... which means she's in much plainer sight than she'd like.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan feels like he could actually probably deal with this Steppenworth thing alone, if he had to! But he also feels like, you know, maybe that's not something he should depend on. So he's dashing through, intending to crash through the main door with Psyber, who will probably suffice as a battering ram substitute.

    There's also a little bit of a worried noise at that explosion, but he keeps himself focused on this exclusively, trying to use the memorized layout of the retired General's house to his advantage and get through it as fast as possible. Whether or not they even breach the mansion itself, he intends to call out, a bit loudly, his monotones likely instantly recognizable with its flat tones even during the shouting. "Steppenworth. We are here to assist and protect you from Fairchild."

    Charity Whiteheart is on the roof, so Nathan figures he doesn't need to worry about that JUST yet. She definitely won't wind up being relevant at all during this search.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    The Windward Empire is not all that friendly with the... 'spirits' of the earth. This city is a little less hostile, which does help Xau'ra. Of course, those marching masses of worm-things in the shape of men are an outright affront to nature, which means he'll find a fair bit more 'help' from the earth than he may have expected, though perhaps not as much as he'd have hoped for. Either way, the troops themselves may be terrifying to the average guard, but to the miqo'te they are merely a minor challenge. One is beheaded right away, and another falls moments later. The rest begin to converge, but now that their line has been broken Xau'ra has the aid of the Watch and guards, who charge in and slam into a pressing maneuver to try to drive them back. The spears of the things are still sharp and surprisingly fast, but it's better than ten to one odds would normally be.

    Meanwhile Charity on the roof is fighting the Rat... whose reflexes are MUCH better than they have any right to be. He twists and slips aside, dodging the bone spire at the last minute. The wind slash tears at his cloak and opens up a stain of red along his shoulder and arm, spreading out rapidly. "What we want is different, I think," he says curtly, whipping his lance around to try slamming the butt end into Charity. It still burns, but at least it won't cut, right?

    The explosions from Cheyanne and Psyber's detonation hit two parts. One shatters the main force, giving an opening for the Watch to move in... if they dare. Thing is, Elliana could care less about the earthworms, so she just directs the human troops to withdraw and fortify at the last known good choke point. The C4 explosion sends her flying though, and through a wall... giving the others some time to talk while she pulls herself out of the rubble. It might end up bad for those against Mordred though, as she seems to have finished up with Amhar's snack. "That was unexpected..."

    Inside Steppenworth's manor, rushing in will find... well, Steppenworth himself. He hasn't left and is ushering some of his servants out toward the back door, in fact. Drily, the man in the half-mask replies, "Really, I hadn't noticed someone new had come to the city."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is carrying his shotgun up and resting across his shoulder, trailing in behind Nathan. He has no problem being battering ram, shield and sword of Nathan in this moment. Psyber gives Steppenworth a polite nod, "Jaded joke aside, I'm going ask you something very serious," He says to Steppenworth. He seems completely serious, "If she reaches you, she will show you nightmares before she kills you. She will shatter your mind beyond usability and pick out the one piece of information that she wants before she kills you shortly after." He might be being a bit hyperbolic, he also might not. He's not fully sure.

    "Nathan and I need to know who issued you orders. If it wasn't the Duke, we need to know who it was so we can counter her next move if this fails. If you don't tell us now, you might never get the chance to tell us. Then more people die." He pleads with the General, "We want to save people. Pride is one thing, but if this information is lost, we all lose until she strikes." Psyber looks at the man dead on.

    He's not an orator like Nathan, and he doubts it'll work. So finishing this, he turns on his heels and levels his shotgun at the door, waiting for the inevitable arrival of Elliana.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Snack over!

    Mordred wipes a few splashes of blood from her cheek, glancing behind as a statue detonates and Elliana gets vaguely caught in that. What. They have explosives here? Or was that a spell? She didn't feel anyone hurling a fireball, though. Hrn.

    Oh well.

    "Feeling better, Amhar?" she asks her sword.

    And then she regroups with Elliana, almost too casually for someone who just messily gored God knows how many people. Enemies are enemies, there are no chivalry articles preventing her from being an unusually cruel and messy combatant against enemy armies. That's just war!

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
The worm-mass soldiers were of unnatural order; prehaps that is why she had been led here to assist in the first place. Cheyanne really isn't in the mood for asking questions at this point. The human soldiers were falling back, leaving only the abominations.

Good, it means she has to hold back a little less.

Miasma crackles from the corners of Cheyanne's eyes as she opens her connections fully, the usual green glow of her 'neutral' Life attuniment flaring all the more brightly. But it was not for herself that she was channeling it. No, it was time for the sage to step back and provide support as she is to do now that the lines were broken. The locals need to have their resolve restored, so the city does not fall again after this due to waning strength and spirit.

So instead as the Watch moves in to press the monsters back farther, Cheyanne unleashes her gathered strength amongst the ranks of the Watch instead, the energies of Life filling them with strength and endurance needed to fight the worm-mass terrors directly. The spirit to fight and the will to do their duty will be their strongest weapons against this encroachment.

"Now is the time to rise to the defense! It is upon your strength that your city depends!"

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    The butt of the lance slams into Charity's stomach, but that's okay. She's already phasing herself out. While the lance might hit, it doesn't matter because she's letting herself 'slip' through the roof and floor below... as many as needed to just plummet into the main area.

    So while Psyber and Nathan are talking, Charity suddenly appears through the ceiling, tumbling down with bleeding leg and wheezing from the impact. She'll land wherever she happened to come down, be it atop someone or just in the middle of the floor. "Ugh... what IS that thing?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Atop someone is more accurate than on the floor. Charity's descent through the ceiling is not something Psyber had expected. Front door, sure. Wall, sure. Balcony? Maybe. But not the ceiling.

    With a heavy thud and an oof of plaster, debris, and rocks, Psyber is abruptly landed upon after his heartfelt plea to the general. The impact of it puts him on the ground, sending his double-barreled shotgun clattering across the floor as Psyber is pinned on his back under Charity.

    "Nnnn. Ow. Hello, Miss Whiteheart."

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
Xau'ra is laying on the impressive moves and quickly swings his blade to clean it swiftly of any of the blood they may get on the blade-- whatever their blood may be like. Though when the spear strikes come he deflects them with both blades and quickly tries to disarm maybe one or two by well-- trying to disarm them in general!

He is going to keep helping push this offense until he is sure that not on is this way clear, but so the Market Square dead ahead.

Though he does take one misstep and finds himself nearly getting caught by a spear, that cuts into his leather armor and clips a bit of his dark gray fur skin. He snarls out, before he flips back. He can feel the earth elements here, even if slight.

So he does another flip back to get some distance before he shealths both swords and kneels down low. He then gently places his hand upon some of the soil, before he closes his eyes and whispers, "Elements of the earth, forgive the disruption that has been brought upon your mighty surface, but those whom walk upon your cradle bid your aid. We need of succor in this dire time and a cleansing of those whom are not of your call."

Xau'ra looks ahead at the remaining worm men, he removes his goggles to stare them dead on. Putting up with the light of the area. Those gold eyes looking out with a wild stare of one may expect from a big cat of the nature. "Give aid to your children, so they may witness thy power. End this suffering, I beseech the elements."

In silence he wonders how long it has been since he has requested aid from the elements, even of his own world. He knows the rituals and the rights. He knows the words to say and in his hearts, he knows he is being true in the call, but elements-- elements have a mind of their own and they don't always do things on request, if anything-- they sometimes desire something in return, yet surely to remove the sin upon its land would be enough-- wouldn't it?

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Psyber's intent is to loosen the bricks, but Nathan follows his intent and does his best to bring the house down, as the half-angel has so concisely called it.

    He grabs Steppenworth's shoulder with uncharacteristic roughness and leans in closely, his posture emotionless but somehow aggressively so. "Listen." He says, locking eyes - or eye - with the retired General. "I can see what is going on. The purge in the Western Binders. The ease of cornering and capturing the Duke. The Twisted in the Starshine Kingdom. The deception in the Empire." His monotone is firm, but his otherwise blank expression has wide eyes. "There is something /bigger/ going on, something larger than us, but it is /not/ here today and it will /not/ save you. /You can no longer afford to be beholden to it/. Declassify whatever it is if you hold any moral scruples, before it is too late."

    There's a moment, hopefully long enough for an answer. And then Charity Whiteheart crashes headlong into Psyber. Nathan's eyes go a little wider. He remembers before. Charity is used as a teleportation relay by Elliana Fairchild. Nathan yanks on his grasp of Steppenworth. "Out of time. She is almost here." He declares, with pure, serene calmness. "We abscond." And he intends to pull Steppenworth out of the mansion, hopefully before Elliana suddenly shows up, roughly trying to get the man started on fleeing. Man, this is actually a lot like that incident with the Duke.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Elliana hauls herself out of the rubble, spitting rock dust and looking fairly singed. She's durable, but that took her by surprise and probably left a mark under her clothes. Also she isn't perfectly presentable any more. Sigh. "Hmn. A good thing we are not trying to capture the city. It would be difficult at this point." Shrug. She dusts herself off and makes for the manor. "Saber, I believe the Union is here. You may get more than just a warmup."

    Elliana refers to how the troops are rallying, of course, and surging forward to manage to pinch off the support of some of the human troops. The wormthings are indeed abominations of a sort, and with the aid of Cheyanne's enchantments the regulars are cutting down some of them, though not without losses. "Thank you for the aid," the woman from earlier says, motioning to some others. "I think we can drive them back toward the tree with a little luck." SHE seems to be faster and stronger than most, and is rallying the Blooded, the superhuman sorts who make up a minescule part of this city, into attacking back.

    The elementals summoned up by Xau'ra are... different. 'Sleepy' is the best term. They resist in the same sense that a child resists getting up in the morning, but when faced with their enemy demand nothing from him. The earth itself ripples and splits the stones of the walkway, rising up to wrap over and crush the worm creatures beneath, leaving just the human archers. One more volley is sent to cover their retreat, and Savior Street is clear.

    Psyber is probably partially right. Elliana is a little unreasonable when it comes to her family and vengeance thereof. But she's just on her way... and it won't be long. That much is true. How does Steppenworth react?

    He shrugs off Nathan's plea and shakes his head. "No, this isn't about Pride. If she has issue with what happened... I will handle it. If you want to help, get my family to safety." He gestures to the servants, of which there are about three here, and a young girl about six or seven years old who is unfortunately seeing ALL of this. They are on their way out, as mentioned in the previous pose.

    That's when the window nearby shatters and the Rat lands nimbly in the room as well. The mysterious vigilante is still bleeding, but he seems to shrug it off, rising to his feet with the shimmering lance held at ready. He doesn't /say/ anything, but Steppenworth is unsurprised to see him, and they don't seem ready to attack.

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    "Psyber," Charity says shortly. Tempting as it is to see if her ass can subdue the half-angel, she'd never hear the end of it if it actually worked. The woman leaps off and to her feet, drawing her blades in a fluid motion... and that's when the Rat reappears, prompting her to say her statement quickly. "General, my Mistress would like a word with you. Now excuse me."

    She doesn't rush to attack, but neither does she panic that she's surrounded by Union now. She gets into a careful guard and circles, keeping her eyes on the man with the lance.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
Ah, there she is, the officer from before. Cheyanne smirks a little as the woman passes her with her thanks. "These creatures are unnatural, it is my calling to dispose of them, regardless of what world it may be in." Push, yes, pushing is good. They may not be the primary threat to the activity over in the Royal Sector, but if it keeps them from dogpiling on her allies trying to handle that matter, that is entirely fine with her. Cheyanne is not what she is to be the hero, she is what she is to help the heroes be able to do their heroics.

Or just those brave enough to fight for their home in general. The shaman seems to almost meld into the back of the ranks, continuing her efforts in bolstering the ranks pushing the worm-soldiers back rather than striking out directly herself. Occasionally she pauses to pull back one of the wounded and seal the injuries at least enough for them to not be lethal as they're shuttled away from the fighting.

If the invaders make it through the Watch still, they will have to deal with her yet. But until then, Cheyanne is not forcing her hand. Merely offering it in support to the real defenders of the city.

Mordred (12) has posed:
    "Good, I love action. Well then. ONE WAY IN, COMING UP!"

    Mordred's bright red prana surges around her like a tide of red blood, gathering especially around her blade until she plunges it into the earth in front of herself. The Prana Burst causes a thunderous roar, and a shockwave that sunders the streets and stairs all the way to the manor's front doors.

    And those essentially explode, chunks of them flying in every direction into the inner foyer of the manor. This will leave those inside with a clear sight of Mordred and Elliana just casually walking along the crack in the ground towards the blown gates.

    "YO, SURPRISE INSPECTION, GET YER TAX FORMS OUT!"

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
The earth elements respond and at first, Xau'ra was concerned-- but then they attack crashing the way and the male Miqo'te smiles brightly, before he closes his eyes and speaks with respect in his voice even in a hushed whisper, "Thank you, wise land." He then places the goggles back on before he gives a deathly smile to any worm that still stands.

"Oi! You lads better start to run before I find the means to sick on the trees on ye lot!" He says as he points the sword toward them and then goes right back into the frey to help clear up the location and then looks at several of the watchers who don't look in the best of shape and tosses them a vial of some kind. "Put that on your wounds, you don't need much. It will take away the sting and heal it up some, but wont do much to mend a broken or fractured bone."

He then looks over to some other watchers, "There is trouble in the General's mansion. So forgive me for-- not taking the most proper of paths. I'll pay for the damage! I swear!" Would he? Its always hard to say from a thief and outlaw.

Xau'ra then leaps up to one of the buildings and then takes one of his arrows to ready it. He arrow twice at a window to weaken the glass and if that does indeed work, he takes the leap of faith and goes to jump right through the window covering his face with the guards of his armor on his arms and roll back up to his feet if his landing is not obstruct by something.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    It might, Charity, but that's neither here nor there.

    When Charity hops off of him, Psyber pushes himself to his feet with a tired grunt. He then looks around, dusting off his front, "Good of you to drop in," He notes with a bit of a joking tone. And then he's cracking his back and sighing a bit.

    He looks to The Rat and his eyes widen. Psyber, who has been studying Elliana's world heavily, has a flash of recognition, "One of the Hundred. How did you get that?"

    But then... the front of the building explodes inward from Mordred's sword and the half-angel looks that way, "Nathan. Get back." Psyber does NOT draw Adjudicator.

    Instead he just looks dead on and says, "Elliana. I need you to hear me out. Please, just give me one conversation."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan's glasses shine with a brilliant white light as his frustration surges to a peak. HE'S SO CLOSE. He can FEEL it! The room is saturated with chaos - the Rat, Charity Whiteheart, Psyber and Xau'ra Tayuun, and General Steppenworth are all here, and now Mordred and Elliana Fairchild are approaching, judging by that sound. His lead is going to slip away. Now it's less a plea and more a demand. "You misunderstand entirely." Nathan says, in the last of his monotone, the librarian himself taking a ready stance against the incoming intruder even while he obeys Psyber's demand t get back.

    He half-whispers, ideally inaudible to Fairchild, to from one General to the other. It's supercharged with the intensity of accidentally-activated Essence. "Listen to me now. I have been hounding the cause of all this for /three years/. I have been stabbed by a friend, I have walked through the nightmares of gods, I have been betrayed left and right while I get talked down at every turn, I have nearly died more times than I care to count for you, and I have seen more death wrought by whatever lies behind this than I can bear to think of." His glasses shine with the intense glare of the suddenly-exposed sun within the mansion. "Do not be so selfish as to think this is about you, or me, or any /one/ of us. If you die, more than just one man dies tonight. /You know something/. This may be the last moment you ever have to make an unfettered choice that could finally change the course of what has been happening for the last thirteen years or more."

    "You said you wish what you had done had been done differently. This is the only chance to alter the course of what you helped shape to something better. Past this, I cannot guarantee we can extract you." With a tense, hissing sort of element to the slightly breaking monotone, "/Please/. Explain. Or /run/."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    It appears that Cheyanne's efforts are paying off. While they can't just beat back the attackers who have dug in, they've managed to gain some breathing space and put the attackers on the defense. And of course, reinforcements will be coming eventually. The major point of this is that it's keeping the Watch busy while Elliana handles her business. In that, it succeeds. It is not quite so effective in sweeping through the Noble Quarter as she had desired, though.

    The window shatters to let a catboy in, just as the foyer explodes to let Elliana in. She's rather pleased with Mordred's choice... much as she likes subtle, the /presence/ of walking in so casually like this through the shattered frame is also good. "Thank you, Saber," she says mildly. So Xua'ra will now see the civilians hustled out, or at least the last one vanishing, and an elderly(think healthy 50's, not decrepit) man with a warhammer wearing a half-mask on one side of his face. The man is staring down Elliana, but not making a move to attack. Besides, his 'defenders' seem to want a word with her.

    As for Charity, the Rat is on guard, but when the door shatters he steps back to lower the lance into a more proper 'ready to spring' position. "Found it," he says curtly to Psyber. It's a pretty short answer of the type that says he's not telling the whole truth.

    Steppenworth glares at Nathan with his good eye. "Only one man could give the order that I would follow. It doesn't erase my responsibility for the act. I'm ready for that... but if you pursue this, I don't think you are ready for what will come of it."

    Elliana looks at everyone, then shrugs and rests her hand on her own weapon. "Fine. Talk. If we fight here, with all the people that I see present - assuming that this new one is as strong as the others - it will destroy the manor anyway." She looks to Mordred then, and speaks to her alone. "If they try anything, do as you wish."

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
Xau'ra lands down and then goes to stay low, but moves across the floor quickly. His steps moving across the ground as if he was out in the woods stalking a prey to hunt. Keeps his feet steady in there steps and quiet.

He can hear the voices and his cat-like ears are pinned on the sound. He goes to move in closer, but if he has to make nay corners, he checks before he moves and if he sees anyone, you can bet he is going to try and stay hidden from sight.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan simply returns the glare from the general's good eye with his own harshly blank stare, obfuscated by the shining lights of the lenses over his eyes. "It was not a choice I ever had the chance to make. There are things I have a responsibility to do. You have no obligation to protect me. You may be responsible for what happened. But I have my own duties. I will handle the consequences." There's another urgent glance at Elliana Fairchild, especially sidelong at Psyber. He's actually genuinely hopeful he can pull this off. He has his own things to day if it doesn't take, though he'd rather not.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
Cheyanne has full faith in her allies to be able to handle what transpires at the Royal Quarter, making it easier to dedicate her attention to this task. And yes, while the invasion is keeping the Watch busy, it is also providing them with the chance to gain respect for defending their city, even with the outside help. Sometimes there is no way to handle a matter but to give a little in order to gain some ground as well.

Let's see, the invaders are some kind of mass of worms. What is the best way to deal with worms. She could summon intense cold, but that would possibly hinder the Watch soldiers as well, so no. Not unless she needs a last ditch option if it comes down to just her.

She has a better idea, anyways.

Cheyanne closes her eyes, shifting the focus of her natural magic, pushing farther into the realm of Life and its myrad of forms. Yes, this will do nicely. When she opens her eyes again they are glowing to the point that the irises cannot be seen, chanting something in a tongue so ancient and unknown it doesn't even translate, a mystic language long forgotten save the very few like her that still use it. Though at first, nothing seems to happen.

Not until there is a screeching cry from the skies above as the summoning effect finalizes, and a flock of giant Astral Birds swoop down upon the invading force. Supernatural talons and beaks pry at the armor, trying to get to the masses of their natural prey beneath. Maybe it will give some of that extra push needed for the Watch to get the upper edge.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber makes a show of something. First he takes the gun off his belt and puts it on the floor in front of him. Then he takes Adjudicator off his belt and does the same. It's a show of his lack of desire to fight, but also giving him time to think of what he wants to say, "Shit, you know I'm not you or Nathan. I don't have a logic bomb for you. Some fancy... thing with lots of quotes from your past and a vast realization of what we should have known all along. Where the puzzle all clicks together."

    He brings a hand up to his head and rubs the back of it, looking around the room. He tries to think of where to start, "Shit. While we've fought over your methods, I never disagreed with your goals. Part of me always agreed with what you want to do... I still do. Hell, part of NATHAN understands why you're doing what you're doing. And I've defended you through a LOT, because I want to understand you. Understand your pain, what drives you, why you are the way you are," Psyber actually seems pretty uncharacteristically open about his emotions at the moment.

    "I don't want you to be a monster. Hell, I NEED you not to be a monster, deep down, because I think I might actually lose it if I can't view you as some 19 year old girl that tries to cover up some deep-seated fear of not being in control by making plans all day." Psyber takes a deep breath and then looks around the room, "What does this have to do with today, right? I mean, all me on a tangent and ranting at you."

    Psyber waves a hand around, "You've created almost the exact situation that you went through as a child. Look at it, Elliana. A manor in ruins. A father meeting his death willingly while a young child flees out the back, no older than 6 or 7. A shattered nobility that will never recover. Don't you see? You're sentencing some little girl to EXACTLY what you went through, Ell. Almost down to the letter."

    Psyber looks towards Elliana while he paces around a little. Despite all the people in the room, it's her he's talking to exclusively, "Elliana, I know you want justice, but the orders came from over his head. He only even took the field to try to stop his own son from making a mistake. This is above him, above Viktor."

    "Elliana, you want your Justice. And I'm willing to stand by you through that, even if I have to stop some of your methodology, I won't stop being someone you can talk to or trust. And I'm hoping that the trust you have in me will make you think about what I'm saying." Psyber pauses, "Ell, are you really willing to impose your own suffering, your own experiences, on some innocent girl in the pursuit of this?"

    "Ell, I need you to stop. Just turn and leave. You can get your Justice on the Emperor himself if you want and I'll probably hold him down for you. Just not this way. Don't cross this line."

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Mordred is quiet.

    Not just because the player is being bogged my stuff RL, but also because she simply has nothing to say. Her Master's orders are to wait, and act if someone fucks up. So far nobody is fucking up. Probably, at Bloody Amhar's great sadness. Especially since Psyber just discarded his Abstractum.

    She eyes Adjudicator on the floor.
    She eyes Bloody Amhar.

    She puts Bloody Amhar on the floor too, blade crossed with the other Abstractum. "Here, hang out with your friend while people are talking."

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    For Charity, who doesn't know Elliana's history, this whole speech makes her pause in circling with The Rat. She dares a quick glance over toward the group, then focuses on the man with the lance again. She shifts her grip on one of her daggers as she murmurs softly, "Nothing personal. I'm not even the one who was supposed to kill him. But why do you care, again?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Normally Nathan would be the one making speeches at Elliana, but right now, this is Psyber's ballgame, and Nathan can't even really figure much to add. Instead, he keeps an attentive, observant posture, watching both him and the Rat, trying to get as much information as possible, and extremely hopeful that the General intends to give him something to work with too.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Adjudicator now has Bloody Amhar on top of it. It seems a little averse to this fact. Amhar seems full, and as a result, is actually a little friendly. "Oh hey, not seen you in a while, boy scout." It says, with derisive tones. "How've things been?"
    "Fantastic, ever since stabbing you and not seeing you for a long time."
    "Guwahahaha! Been busy, then! I'd thought a bit of blood while I was in a body would loosen you up. Can't hold a drink?"
    "Can hold one better than you, what with vomiting it into those blood-techs of yours, I'd say."

    This goes on for a while, and will be left offscreen and in the background.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Cheyanne's Astral Birds first. Screeching down through the skies, they harry the worm-beings enough that the remainder start to fall apart. Some stay in formation, perhaps helped by Brilliant Dawn, but for the most part they are pretty much done, and the human troops are not enough in number to hold all the chokepoints. They're starting to retreat, which could make it difficult for Elliana to get out... well, if she weren't able to teleport. But perhaps if she and the others were wounded...

    Inside the Manor, Xua'ra will spy the tense situation ongoing. Elliana, of note, does NOT lower her weapon... but neither is it directed toward anyone. Her sword is aimed at the ground, in a clear attempt to keep things calm. Her first reply to Psyber is simple. "Regardless, he should take responsibility in some way." She's not finished yet.

    The Rat has lowered the lance some, and shakes his head, "I've fought against the General before, but I also owe him... and I don't intend to see him killed, or his granddaughter orphaned."

    Steppenworth finally gives Nathan /something/ and says, "I don't think it is quite so simple as the Emperor wanted them gone. That's all I can tell you, was that he ordered them taken care of... but killing Elliana was never in the orders."

    Finally, back around to Elliana. She's giving Mordred a funny look, but in the end she relents, "I... cannot fault your point that this would do the very thing I had done to me. Fine. If I will not be killing the General today, then present me with an alternative. I will not let him go without some form of payment." It's probably more for HER satisfaction than a real sense of justice, at this point, but she's relent that going far enough to torture and murder him would probably be something she couldn't say was 'right' in her worldview.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
That seems to be it. The lines are broken, the worm-soldiers are falling, the human soldiers are pulling back in pretty much full retreat. Surely some will try to hold their positions out of loyalty or such. Cheyanne isn't going to go after them, her work was done with the worm abominations.

Though she's not going to stop the Watch members that try to go after them, either.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber heaves the kind of sigh of relief that sounds like the world just came off his shoulders, staring up at the sky, "OH Jesus, Mary and Joseph," Psyber says in a grateful tone, taking a few moments to recover himself. That took way more out of the half-angel than most people here (Save for Elliana, ironically, who knows him well enough. And Nathan) will realize with how closed off he is in his emotions.

    "Nathan will take over bartering your alternative." Psyber says in a serious tone, stepping aside to allow Nathan to speak. He makes no move for his weapon other than to stare at this strange conversation.

Charity Whiteheart (299) has posed:
    "Well it looks like he's not gonna die. Whatever, I just do what Lady Fairchild tells me," Charity says, lowering her blade... but keeping an eye on that lance. "You keep that thing away from me. I thought you weren't Blooded, but I can tell you aren't exactly human either... and with one of the Hundred, I'm betting you aren't a Tainted. Doesn't leave much of an alternative. Someone's been pulling the wool over the town's eyes."

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
Xau'ra has been listening to the intense conversation. He is ready to move in if violence breaks out, and narrows his eyes, including his ears go back when the woman who has caused all this speaks of wanting a means to apparently satisfy her time here if she can not kill the one she is after.

He can't reach the elements inside of a building and though he could try to give her an arrow for all this trouble, it could make the situation worse. He curses mentally and looks about at this situation. There has to be /something/ that can be done...

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    The Emperor. A lead. Not a full one. But enough. "Intent matters only until action occurs." Nathan says, simply, and concisely, as a bit of punctuation in their exchange. "Thank you." Then, he steps forward, narrowing his eyes and walking in front of the General. "You want payment. Fine. Payment it is, then. There is only one currency of any value between people like us."

    "I recall your agenda and your efforts in this world. You seek reform. But you also seek vindication. I intend to work to offer both to you." He crosses his arms. "Lionheart was a scapegoat. Wightseer was a patsy. Steppenworth was an underling. The Nobility of many of the locales of this world were a means to a vile end, exploiting their human nature. All of them were responsible for their own actions, their own parts of this. But someone is responsible for the whole. Someone is responsible for thirteen years or more of strife, death, and oppression, the murder of your parents, the devastation of the Binders, and, I expect, the threat of the Twisted. One cause, with many schemes."

    "Unlikely and insane as it may sound, I am quite sure you know I would not say this if it were not true. And so, in payment, I offer you my own resources to this; to question to Duke and the General with me, among other matters of collected information. And I offer you my alliance, Lady Fairchild, as has been the unspoken case with the Shajem. However open or secretive it may, eventually, be, I offer you a promise that I will follow your decisions and work together with, or for, you in the matters that pertain to stopping the true source of this and exacting justice."

    Nathan's banking on two emotional facts. First, Elliana probably wants there to be SOMEONE at root fault of all of this awfulness in her life, some one person she can unquestionably blame. And Nathan has just enough evidence to show that there might be, if he can keep Steppenworth alive. The second is perhaps a little more narcissistic. He's trying to evoke what he hopes is a mirror of his own feelings; an old nostalgia for their work together, a mild desire for a proper alliance. Offering to work for her in this matter was something Nathan was likely going to do anyway, eventually. It's also blatantly flying in the face of his claims, so long ago, that he hates her, but he's conspicuously failing to acknowledge that.

    His blank expression remains completely unchanged throughout this exposition and offer, and in the ominous silence he leaves hanging in the air to prompt Elliana's response.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    That is... an offer. Elliana murmurs softly, consulting via radio with her companions, then she looks up. "I would still like the General punished somehow, as well. However... his death would serve no purpose, in this case. I will have to think on a proper punishment that does not harm... innocents." The comment about his granddaughter probably did get to her.

    "Fine. You may be right, Sir Hall. And it would be much better if we were to work together on this topic. As you have determined... if something is bigger here, it would be best to take care of it now."

    She sighs. "We will stand down and withdraw the Drasillum for now. But I think my point has been made. If I wanted to, I could have destroyed much more of this city, but needless death is not what either of us are after. I accept your offer."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber nods his head to Elliana as she makes her decision. The half-angel looks to Mordred and then to Elliana before stooping over and picking up both his handgun and his sword off the floor in a pair of smooth motions, making sure not to move Amhar too much as he slings the gun into a holster and the sword across his back.

    "Elliana..." Psyber says, thinking over what to say. A number of possibilities go through his head, "If my opinion means much... you made the right call. Thank you." And it's a genuine thanks. Though whether it's for sparing Steppenworth's life or for reaffirming his faith in her, he's not fully clear.

    He turns on his heels and walks over to Nathan, stopping in front of him and the General, "I'm gonna stick with you every step of the way on this, Nathan. Thank you too." He puts a hand on Nathan's shoulder and firmly squeezes it, "As ever, you remain a friend."

    "Tomorrow we're going to meet in your library, too."

Xau'ra Tayuun (548) has posed:
It seems the troubles are over. Good. So Xau'ra goes right back out and if there is anything that looks of value that can be stuff in a pocket on his way out-- he may try to take it. Cause he knows some people who probably love to have it for some good gil and that gil he can give to some kids that don't have anything.

Hey! If your not caught! Then you don't get in trouble!

Mordred (12) has posed:
    Mordred retrieves Bloody Amhar.
    She is indifferent on the deal, other than the fact keeping him alive is for the moment quite useful, so it'd be a waste to kill him without getting what he knows out of him first. If Elliana is being given guarantee of punishment AND access to the interrogation, AND cooperation from Nathan in the future, that's a pretty decent deal.

    "So, how you feel, Master?"
    Also...
    "Dibs on driving the giant tree on the way back."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan nods grimly. "Justice and punishment as fits the crimes will be given to each of them - the Duke, the General, the Nobles - when we finally understand the full scope of it. But not until then. And not until the core problem, the one most worth justice, is rectified." He says, his voice hollow of feeling.

    "You have made your statement. Consider my offer an appeasement, made in respect of your power and as a means to avoid your more destructive potential. Thank you. Now, goodbye." And he turns, motioning to the General to come with him, his face hard-set in a particularly intense stoic look that makes it clear he's actively fighting back some emotional response.

    He walks alongsie Psyber, accepting the hand on his shoulder. "You as well. I will be prepared to speak, should you need to." Little stiff on the mannerisms there, but at least it's a genuine sort of statement of friendship.