3089/He Who Would Bring Ruin to the Heavens - 1.5

He Who Would Bring Ruin to the Heavens - 1.5
Date of Scene:	24 September 2015
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	Routed with ease on their first encounter, those who would stand opposed to Kalameet prepare themselves for a second, and last stand against Lordran's annihilation.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Staren, Priscilla, 168, 183, 253, 560, 570, Ayako Hasekawa, Lezard Valeth, Reiji Arisu

---

Priscilla has posed:
    The Kiln is the same as it was left last time. The same it has been for over a thousand years. Despite the severe new tangle in the plan, the nowhere-realm in the heart of the world remains the smouldering aftermath of what had come before, the impossible skies eternally churning with the drifting smoke and ash of a conflagration beyond imagining, dunes of fine, white dust swept through the crags of the endless, basalt mountains. It is quiet, lonesome, and oddly peaceful, and yet distinctly the opposite of comfortable or relaxing, as if living presence were somehow wrong, liable to cause some sort of irrevocable damage or incur the wrath of some fearful figure of authority, like drinking at night inside of the Sistine Chapel.

    The marks of trespass are only visible as one ventures very close to their end destination, as despite the lack of wind, their old footsteps have been hidden completely. First, it is the fact that no steel lances plunge from the heavens to greeet them. The black knights remain entirely passive, stoically at attention as people walk by them. Drawing even closer, the distant base of the Kiln tower, far into the dark recesses of the mountain caldera, is invisible through the thick layer of pale fog that has crept from seemingly nowhere, shifting in strange and uncanny ways without disturbance. There is little in the way of actual guidance, as attending in phantom form is relatively optional without any expectation of serious threat, but with how high and exposed the lattices are and how otherwise barren the place is, it shouldn't be hard to find each other, or Priscilla and her companions by extension.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko has arrived in person, for various reasons. She is already transformed, this being far from a casual visit, and looks at the knights she passes with some wariness. She wouldn't like to take on many of them at once, on her own.

    She's not going off on her own, though. Not yet. She's currently wih Nathan Hall, because she needs to ask him a question. "Can we use the kiln?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Is it done yet?"

    The voice comes from behind Priscilla like an ominous sort of apparition, even if she could have been well aware that he ws there. It belongs to Psyber, who is currently hanging out and smoking a cigarette in the kiln. He looks somewhat tired and overworked, but is definitely here and fairly focused on the task at hand.

Staren has posed:
    Staren is here as a phantom, because who knows if that dragon might attack. However, he doesn't make Priscilla summon his weapons and armor.

    Staren gives Kimiko a curious look. "Use it? For what? I thought it was... reforging the new order, and then we're done. Is there anything else we /can/ do with it?"

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    After what happened last time, Shirou isn't taking many chances. He appears as a Gold Phantom like before, the emerging presence scattering some of the fine ash. He has not forgotten the AGONY inflicted upon him recently, and shivers in place once he opens his eyes.

    Lordran is a TERRIBLE place.

    Setting it right is even harder than he first thought...

    "As a weapon. Against the dragon." He answers Staren, as if this should be obvious. "Don't you remember the general asked Gwyn about that a lot? How to beat Kalameet with the Kiln's defenses?"

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako floats lazily in the air, tending to stay very close to Psyber. The heat of the kiln is of course making her more sluggish than usual, but she seems to be dealing with it. "Ungh... hot..." She is however, here in person! Not as a phantom.

    After seeing Priscilla hurt, Ayako wanted to make sure such a thing wouldn't happen again! Especially since she's still healing. Not to mention something definitely doesn't like anyone healing Priscilla magically! She does quietly watch, though.

    Some people might notice that the air around Ayako is quite comfortably cool, though!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki is here. She is merely a phantom today rather than the phantom of a phantom, meaning that she is as 'in person' now as she is capable of being anywhere. She did want to see this place at least once without some variety of magical filter, after all; to feel the air, to endure the heat, to gaze deep into the mist and fog at the roof of the sky. It's the only way she can even begin to have some concept of what it must have been like for Gwyn and his knights to remain here all these years. In earnest, the mere fact that all of them were capable of doing so without dying of starvation or heat stroke speaks volumes about the lot of them -- and oddly enough, this is not by any means a facetious thought. Mizuki draws a small quantity of ash and allows it to sift from her fingers. Eventually, she draws another, forming a cone with her palm such as to strain the sand as if through an hourglass. She smiles faintly at that.

    It feels so soft, to her -- silken. She had expected it to feel as coarse as sand, but it seems the heat has purged any corrugated edges from the small atoms she cradles in her hand. Yes, fire... but what an apt analogy it is. Purifying, illuminating; chaotic, destructive. The humans of modernity could never have been without fire, and yet so many tragedies have been wrought by it in kind. Its light can be that of a Wintertime hearth, or that of a searing capital building at the beginning of a war...

    Risk weighed against opportunity.

    A fire in one's eyes, or a brutal weapon.

    What is the light? She does not know, yet always will she be drawn to it.

    Some time later, she dusts off her hands, looking to Priscilla. She gives a fairly neutral nod.

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks at Shirou. "I thought that's what all those guys with spears outside were. And maybe some secret knowledge that was passed on to his 'son'... who hasn't said anything to us about it, come to think of it."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan's shown up here, of course, and Kimiko is with him. He moves and acts the way he always does these days, like an exhausted robot, but he's definitely up for the tasks at hand. He's here to check on the Kiln's development, and the progress of that soul engine therein, here to assess the timeline they have before the Ashen Heart elements of the engine provide the offspring... Which Kalameet will be seeking out.

    So, of course, despite the somber, judgemental atmosphere of the Kiln, he's using his scholarly Scanning abilities in tandem with Hastur magic to monitor the activity. "Our engine, by nature, has little immediate effect. But the constant stream of death from the Hollowed Undead that remain in this world would likely affect it. Priscilla, have you noticed any shifting in the number of Hollows?" He expects she's somewhere in there, possibly invisible, and he's going to talk to her with the assumption that she's there even if she's invisible. He's just sort of used to that now. His tone is of the more obviously firm sort right now, which means it'll likely falter later. "Oscar, is your Darksign showing any response to the current intake of souls? It is possible that whatever mechanism was put in place to create it is being appeased by the current and future intake."

    There's a nod to Shirou and Staren. "The advantageous environment is intended to pose as much of a threat as possible to Kalameet, and we have as many reinforcements with as much possible training as we can expect. However, the Kiln may have other uses as well, if Kimiko has other intentions." He says, and then seems to shake his head, breaking into the more exhausted tones he's been using lately. "Mmmh. Been focused, very focused you know, on using it just these two ways. There's other ways, I'm sure, other things we need to consider. Feel free to find some use for..." He gestures out to the Light-blasted wasteland of sorts. "Well."

Staren has posed:
    Staren's gaze follows Nathan's gesture. "...No defenses I could build could stand up to Kalameet."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is silent is in the sort of place she's never thought she'd gone. Tomoe's foot falls are about the only sound she makes other than the rustle of her armore as she moves. She quite, she's respectful and seems to be on edge given the sort of power they will be aming use of. She looks to Nathan for a moment and she nods as she moves to take point befoe anyone else can trip something.

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako slowly raises her hand. "What sort of things do we know about Kalameet? Maybe I could help with defenses in some way?" She lies down on her stomach on top of her floating broomstick, looking very unenergenic. The heat really is not friendly to her!

Priscilla has posed:
    Priscilla is of course, still in superficially pretty rough shape. She looks somewhat better than a week ago, but it's obviously slow going; the kind of injury that gives the bearer plenty of time to reflect on their poor choices. Quite obviously, she's at the location of the circle used to summon the handful of phantom attendances, left in the same place as last time, though it seems to be sharing space with a handful of small, esoteric objects; chunks of odd stone and crystal, bizarre trinkets bearing complicated knots, engravings, and growths, including a quivering eye in one case, a box of odd tools of no discernable purpose, and a woven, onyx basket of some kind, filled with a tiny, soundless flame in the same, light-sucking, inverse monochrome as a sprite of Humanity.

    Foremost among these is what she hands to psyber; an object wrapped in plain, white cloth as long as he is tall, and obviously fairly hefty by the way she handles it. Despite the utterly unremarkable draping, the sight of it makes one vaguely uneasy, and yet simultaneously oddly nostalgic, with a certain kind of implacable gravitas of momentous occasion to it. "To thine specifications, as well as the nature of such a thing may be relied upon." she responds vaguely.

    Oscar seems to be doing rounds of the current tier, a pile of maps and documents obviously hand-drawn in hand. Careful examination will notice that a number of installments have been moved, as have several of the knights. The runes engraving the floors below also seem to have their own sort of brightness, indicating a steadily rising level of readiness. Priscilla looks reticently towards Nathan, but the knight of Astora answers first. "The Darksign is the same as it was. The Flame has yet to receive it's kindling. As for the number of souls . . . well . . . see for yourself." He gestures towards the mist below, inviting a second glance. Priscilla continues, quiet and blank in tone. "The undead burg is . . . gone. It appears Kalameet was not content with mere phantoms. Every last part of it hast been razed. Periodically, new waves of souls arrive as he annihilates some distant stretch of land and purges it of life. I believeth he intents to simply destroy all he can find in an effort to force our hand, placing the pressure of time upon us if we wish to save anything. Of course, he cannot possess any knowledge of what preparations art already in place but . . ." "It will work." finishes Oscar. "Solaire is . . . well, you'll see very soon I'm certain. He's been hard at work. The knights recognize him as their captain now. It's something to see, I assure you."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko shrugs to Staren. She has no satisfying answer, but as Shirou said, Nathan might. Or maybe they're wrong about the kiln in the first place. But then Nathan answers, and she nods. There's a couple meanings to that nod, but she's not the sort to elaborate.

    They arrive, and Kimiko gives a nod toward her usual host. "Miss Priscilla. Sir Oscar."

    Maps. Maps will be useful. Kimiko goes to study them, to commit every portion to memory. No questions, though. Once she's done memorizing, a minute or three, she'll walk away, and go to see for herself.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber takes the wrapped sword from Priscilla, suitably pleased by both its aura and the suitably mysterious way she bestows it to him. For his own purposes, he'll be keeping it wrapped until the moment it needs to be presented to the one he's going to kill with it. The half-angel instead slings the entire wrapped weapon over one shoulder.

    "Thanks. Now I'm sure you'll understand if I ask you to never make another weapon like it," Psyber says with a joking tone to his voice as he grips the handle of the wrapped weapon. After a beat's pause, he looks at the Crossbreed, "More seriously, thank you. I am sure this will be useful in the coming battle against Kalameet."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Solaire? The 'captain' of Gwyn's knights? That garners a small smile from Mizuki -- one that would likely be far larger were she not fighting to suppress it. "I imagine so," She retorts. "It is already quite a thing to hear." It is several moments later when Mizuki walks to the edge of their present level of the Kiln to look on in appraisal. To see things moving here, to see the runes and light filling the area... it impresses her, somehow. With a deep breath, she can't help feeling as though this small, dingy corner of Lordran's universe is truly the last 'settlement' in all the world. Even in a world so bleak as this, life endures. People persist. They have naught but ash to build with, and yet every one of them capable of doing so is nevertheless taking the stuff in hand and throwing it against a wall until it yields a new, solid shape. The truly phenomenal bit is that this seems to be working.

    Did Gwyn foresee this? For a moment, a part of her indulges that old human cliche: 'He's looking down on us right now'. Whether or not such a thing is possible - oh, and she knows painfully well that it isn't - she wishes that he could see this. She wishes so earnestly that he could see his Kiln again being used as bastion against the dark, as it was in his time. Surely their effort here lacks the triumphant fanfare of the sun decorating the sky for the first time, bathing the world in its rays, but this is... this is another sort of victory, too. The mere fact that this world has clung to life to see this moment is an unfathomable novelty itself. Thinking that way, them actually arriving here and beginning their work -- all that is nothing short of a miracle.

    Yes, miracle after miracle. Coincidence after coincidence. Priscilla just-so-happening to find an interest in this world after so long; Psyber just-so-happening to become close to her so that he could be present to present his idea; the rest of their merry band just-so-happening to arrive her, at the most opportune of a smattering of inopportune moments, to see this through. Doubtlessly Lordran had played some part in that iself. It's as if the Light itself has a will to live.

    A will that they'll not disappoint, she trusts. In the meanwhile, though, Mizuki's arms casually fold behind her back, and her eyes scroll over the terminally bleak horizon of the Kiln's enclosing valley. A small frown comes to her face when she recalls that this is exactly how she once looked over the Burg. How she looked on after she had met with Ezio on the bridge, and the rest of the group had been cavorting with that salesman, and... and her eyes scrunch closed, even if only for an instant.

    ... it's a pity.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "Kalameet's doing WHAT?!" Shirou blurts. that's very hard to believe... and OUTRAGEOUS to the boy. He looks around frantically.... and finds his vision filled with Priscilla in no time at all. The boy winces. She took far more injury than he, he has no reason to feel bad over anything...

    So he ambles over to her, and finds himself looking up. "Priscilla. How are you holding up? We all got trounced by Kalameet, but nobody as badly as you..." He sounds more than just a little concerned by this, but what can he really do to help a half-dragon heal?

Staren has posed:
    Staren listens to all this. "So... until the new... cycle, whatever we call it, has started, the souls and humanity of anyone killed just... go nowhere and are lost forever? Does Kalameet want to be alone in an empty world?"

    Staren blinks at Oscar. "Oh, he has? Yes, I'd like to see what he's prepared."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "Don't need to kill him in one hit. Don't expect to kill him, really, don't expect it at all, but we can expect to..." Nathan starts at Staren, then looks up contemplatively. "Punish? We simply need to make it harmful for him to pass through defenses. Enough harm, enough force, enough lethality, eventually something has to give way. So long as the force is applied reasonably." No antimatter! Or at least only applied reasonably.

    "Kalameet's aware of the same principles. Very aware of those same principles, mhhh." There's a somber nod. "He's forcing our hand. Forcing all our hands, really." He rubs his forehead briefly. "Can't save the world if there's no world left to save. So we play by his terms if we have to. But his terms are to come in here, and that's where we can decide our terms." He looks out whistfully for a moment. "I'd like to see Solaire. Always something to see, Solaire is always something to see. Just have to make sure not to stare at him for too long." Ha ha.

    "Well. I have preparations, all sorts of preparations of my own to make here, preparations for war. Preparations for the battle that might ensue. Might ensue, still holding out hope. After all, maybe he really does just want the tiny piece. Maybe he'll take what he wants and go peacefully. Would be better." He makes a shrugging sort of gesture. "Well, I'm not hoping too hard. Better to prepare for the worst."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "He's quickening things. And it's terrible, but it's not so much pressure that we can't bear it. We can still bear it. Not long. We're on a time limit." Nathan says, shaking his head at Shirou. And then at Staren too! "No. We're siphoning a little, skimming some off the top, but before, before you could just take it all. Think of it like a... Reality tax."

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks at Nathan. "No. We can't allow him to live, because then he can torch the new world we worked so hard to make into ashes. He chose this path, just as everyone else who stepped into our way has. Hopefully, for his sake, he considers whatever cause he doomed himself for 'worth it', but..." Staren shrugs. "It doesn't really matter. He has to die, now. Or, since he's indestructible, I still like the idea of banishing him to an empty pocket dimension for eternity. He wants to be alone, he can have that, as long as we can have it too." Staren smirks slightly, then looks increasingly... scrutinizing at Nathan. "Are you alright? You seem... nervous?"

Priscilla has posed:
    "I will be surprised if ever I am able. A soul of this nature is . . . not something one finds twice in a millenium, no matter how hard one looks." Priscilla says to Psyber. "Thou hast no need to thank mineself for this labour. We both know how sorely it is needed." Oscar responds to Mizuki with a little bit of an aimless chuckle, turning sideward as Kimiko comes to look at his handiwork. "I will agree once again. He should be somewhere near the top, last I saw."

    The maps are surprisingly detailed, and neat as well as accurate, though Oscar writes in a very tight, sharp, gothic scrawl. Making these things might be one of his hidden talents, judging by the quality of the infrequent sketches to be found alongside the plans. The tower is something like fourt stories tall, wound in a spiral set of inner tiers and outer platforms, set with a semi-shielded middle corridor where the main arches are, and a fully enclosed inner circuit where the support columns are located. Several of the floors are partially or completely unusable, especially near the base, and the very top ones are barebones scaffolding at best. The tower is surrounded by miles of multi-layered, concentric latticework as well, some of which have actually been completed as supplementary battlements, whereas others are simply a skeletal framework just barely acceptable to use as a set of bridges. They climb almost as high as the tower itself, converging into dense nexuses of crossed walkways, though they are broken up into four rough gatherings, having not quite joined together in a full circle yet. Numerous installations and fortifications are noted, as well as the placement of hundreds upon hundreds of knights.

    Priscilla tries to look and sound reassuring towards Shirou, but only partially succeeds, coming off as weary more than anything. "I am able to once again speak, and shortly enough I shalt regaineth use of mine breath, though I wouldst wish for the full use of mine sight sooner. There is little need to worry. The worst hast passed." She turns to Staren, gesturing towards the Mist in turn. Not so. The gravity of the Dark Soul is well in effect. Those departed souls hath little place to go but here, as dragons feel no need for them, never possessing one of their own. They wait in limbo, for the time being."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is more somber than she normally is she's not got a lot of the normal excitement she has. She gets this is effecting an entire world, possibly for the rest of it's exsistance. So she's taking it serious and she looks to Oscar for a moment as she litens to the plan an eveyrthing else. Pris also adds imporant details and she thinks she gets an idea, she will fight she knows that that's whar she's here to help with. The thought of Solaire makes he smile as she hears what he's been up to.

Then the rest hits her andf she narrows her eyes.

"Doing what?! Well we can't waste much more time then can we?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Mmm, yeah," Psyber says to Priscilla as he nods his head, gripping the handle of the wrapped blade and hoisting it a bit, "I still haven't named it. I might wait until after I use Kalameet's blood to baptize it as an actual weapon."

    He scowls a bit, taking a legitimately angry stance as he says, "It's vital to my plan, actually. What I want to do to him. I'm going to need this sword to do it. But..." Psyber furrows his brow, "He hurt you. Very badly. Even setting aside the devastation in the Burg, what he did grievously wounded you."

    "For that alone, the next time he sees me will..." Psyber sighs a bit and then takes a slow breath, "I'm going to kill him. Or, if nothing else, I'm going to show him that he is not as immortal as he thinks he is."

    "I won't hold back. Not next time."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "He didn't destroy the world before. Can't imagine that he'd do it more, can't imagine it. Only doing it now because he has a motive, because he has a reason. He's got a reason this time, you know. He's got a cause, something he wants to do. He wants to restore the hatchlings, but his goal's accommodated for. The hatchlings are a risk, but they're not an unacceptable one. Not any kind of unacceptable risk. No." Nathan shakes his head.

    "If he takes what he claims he wants and leaves us alone, then we're not going to kill him. Though Psyber, yes, Psyber has some... Specific reasons. Specific causes. Now, given his nature, I'm not going to tell you not to kill him. Not going to tell anyone not to kill him. But I won't prioritize it over Lordran. Save the world, above all else. Drawing more aggression from him at a critical moment isn't a smart move. If he wants to hurt the world, he'll make his move in the Kiln, and we'll try to kill him because we have no other choice. No other choice."

    He utters a bit at the end of that. Despite everything he's been through, both inside and outside Lordran, he's still trying to hope for the nonviolent outcome, it seems.

Staren has posed:
    Staren blinks. "Of course. Saving the world is the goal here. But it's not saved if he can still threaten it. He showed he can't be reasoned with. Is that /really/ an acceptable risk? It seems to me that spiting us is potentially reason enough. He views us as enemies, and what better way to make us suffer than to force us to watch as the world we worked so hard to save is burned by an" he raises his hands for 'air quotes', "'invincible, unstoppable' enemy? He already abandoned the terms when he attacked us. Besides, we can't have the /next/ big bad dragon the Union has to stop in the multiverse hearing that going on a rampage worked for the /last/ guy."

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    After seeing Psyber legitimately angry, Ayako nods her head once quickly and firmly. "Psyber's right. I can't forgive someone who would hurt you like this." She looks up at Priscilla and then blows some air out through her lips in frustration. "Some diplomacy meeting..." Despite the heat, she shows some signs of energy. "Honestly? It sounds like we can't trust him at all." She frowns and puffs her cheeks out.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "You can try to kill him if you want. But not in the Kiln, unless he breaks the terms of agreement." Nathan says, his voice firming up to a more retro tone, back when he was less exhausted. "I care very little about sending a public relations message or what principles are inherently violated by his violent gestures. I do not intend to trust him. That is why we are making the exchange surrounded by many, many soldiers trained to kill him, and whatever defensive apparatuses we can establish. But I do care about the objectively optimal path to saving the world, and if that means an unsatisfying encounter with the dragon of calamity, then that is what it means. The world is more valuable than any opinions or any feelings."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki glances over her shoulder briefly as she hears more of the others quietly fuming over what transpired during the 'meeting' with Kalameet. As she does so, a small, unconscious frown begins to form. Why... why doesn't she feel the same way? Under any other circumstances, she would certainly feel intense anger toward any creature that would lay a hand on Priscilla. She easily understands why Psyber is so angry, and yet she can't conjure any feelings of malcontent -- or at the least, not anything genuine. When she looked to Kalameet, she did not feel anger. She tried to do so, though: she tried to see him as an envoy of the dark, something senseless, driven by raw need and rote instinct. In the end his actions essentially -proved- that to be the case, but it was at the very instant when he revealed his anger that she ceased to care.

    Again: why? Her eyes meander down, down, probing the depths of the crags that run through the Kiln. Is it because she is losing the ability to feel such anger? Or is it because, heavens forfend, she related to him? ... it was more the latter, she believes. Were she to suddenly 'fall from paradise', as it were, and to begin to 'need' -- need for food, for air, for an ideal temperature -- it might well drive her to the same depths. In fact, the mere thought of suddenly becoming mortal is horrifying enough to draw her arms into a hugging gesture around her shoulders. It... it isn't an /omen/ that she has begun to fear death, is it? That's merely a thought so familiar to her because of what transpired in her world before, correct? S-She can only hope that that is so.

    She shakes her head, letting her arms fall slack. It's so much easier to judge others whom are lower than you on Maslow's Pyramid. So much easier until you realize that the pyramid exists, and begin connecting it to the circumstances of one's life. Yet beyond all of that, she wonders what -Priscilla- made of the encounter. She doesn't seem to harbor any especial feelings of hatred toward Kalameet herself, so... so perhaps Mizuki's stance is justified.

    ... and there she goes again, fervently trying to substantiate her own viewpoints on the approval of others. How had she done that before? Was it even necessary then? She can scarcely even recall.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    "The world, first." Kimiko quietly agrees. "And for the world, kill the monster." She says this without a trace of audible malice. It's more like she's quoting a proverb, a truth that should be obvious if one thinks about it, and of concern only because it is her job to do just such things. But then, she does not show much of anything in tone, if she can help it.

    This is said in passing, as she walks out. She has the map in mind. It's time for her to walk across the kiln. Not all of it, but... she's prepared to spend hours here before she leaves. That was one reason she had to come in person, to not be held to any kind of summoning magic that might disrupt her time. She has no specific place to see, but instead moves in a spiraling search pattern, starting from the center and moving outward. She needs to not just see this place, but feel it through her feet, and touch the walls and ground with her hands. She's searching for those tell-tale feelings. That feeling of touching a weapon, for one, but it doesn't have to be a weapon. Just any metal that responds to her magic, and the only kinds she know that won't are those filled with opposing magic.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "That's good to hear." Shirou's immediately relieved, but this matter still leaves him pensive. Everyone around him is far superior in a lot of ways and they all still got their asses kicked.

    HOW can they defeat Kalameet...?

    "He turned aside my best shot like it was nothing..."

    Admittedly, that Caladbolg II had been hastily done and lacked a lot of the power it should have had... it was... yeah, nothing like the one THAT GUY used.

    "He's less like a Dragon and more like a force of nature. Like fighting a hurricane.. heh, we just keep ending up with ridiculous enemies."

Priscilla has posed:
    "Our time is dictated moreso by the process of the First Flame than by our readiness, though most certainly that is our deadline for preparation. We art well on schedule, for the time being, though it is far from pleasant to hath little else to do." Priscilla admits to Tomoe. She seems a little too uncomfortable with the subject to have much to say to Psyber by comparison. She knows how he gets this way, but the fact it had happened at all was entirely her own faulty decisionmaking. It feels wrong to ask him to stand down on the issue, but at the same time she can't feel wholly reassured by his adamance.

    "He is not invincible. Not since he was betrayed by Seath, as all dragons. We didst manage to harm him, however lightly. He dost knoweth this." She concludes, before Oscar continues, looking towards one of the utterly gargantuan ballistae mounted off to the side. "However, he wasn not incorrect in assuming he could easily win if challenged. All the same, we've concealed all of this from his knowledge. His lack of ability to judge the full extent our preparation and prowess, all of us together, will prove to our advantage."

    "As much as I respect Sir Hall's dedication to thoroughly exhausting all options, I wouldst very much prefer his death, and I hold little hope that he shalt giveth us no reason to make such so." settles Priscilla in agreement as unreserved as she usually ever gets. "Though I doubt the multiverse shalt see another enemy of quite the same nature for a very, very long time. I wouldst giveth much for our foe to be a simple, greedy, arrogant beast, as such that constantly plagues so many worlds."

    Kimiko, for once, is in for a remarkable, positive surprise. Through the heat of the First Flame, burning all things to their basest, most essential of forms in its crucible, the elaborate construction beneath her feet has been largely reduced to a solid patina of raw, unclouded godmetal. Titanite is unlike anything she may have worked before, but it is not quite beyond her means. This is a place of possibility, the past and future of all potential worlds, and this metal, brought to life for the sole purpose of slaying these ancient foes, will listen.

Staren has posed:
    Staren shrugs. "I don't see why you're so adamant that we hold to an agreement he refused. The world takes priority. However..." Staren begins to pace. "Nathan does have one point: We /can't/ risk the safety of Lordran. We can't just throw a bunch of guns and swords at this guy. He took us out like we were nothing." Staren waves his hand at the distant knights. "And we can take them. So, what's a thousand times nothing? A million times nothing?" Staren lowers his hand and shakes his head. "We need something guarunteed to kill him. Our usual force of gathered heroic arms won't do it this time. We have to approach this problem from another angle. I suggested finding a weapon that, like, tears a little hole in the Multiverse with him in it, or banishes him to a suddenly-formed pocket dimension pinched off from the Multiverse, but it doesn't have to be /that/." He looks at Psyber. "It does have to be more than anger, strong weapons, and really wanting to kill him." He looks around at the others. "So, who's got suggestions on how we can /actually/ kill Kalameet?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber looks over at Staren and tell him flatly, "My plan is simple, Staren. I am going to cease holding back, I am going to use this weapon, and I am going to kill him. Whether you believe this is possible or not, it is what will transpire. You operate under the assumption that I cannot, because I failed in spirit form. I invite you to be proven incorrect during the next encounter," He says to Staren flatly, not particularly willing or keen on to entertain the assertion that he can't do it.

Staren has posed:
    Staren raises an eyebrow at Psyber. "I really don't mean to insult you, sir," and he says that without any odd inflections or hints of sarcasm, "and I hope you succeed because Kalameet gone is a good thing, however it's done, but I think we at least have reasonable justification to want to have a backup plan of another nature."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I agree with the need for a backup plan," Psyber replies to him with an almost unnatural level of seriousness, "And I welcome people to prepare their contingencies," He adds with a flat look back in response to the raised eyebrow, "But if you didn't wish to insult me, you should probably have picked a better phrasing for how you wanted to put forward a desire for alternate plans rather than telling me outright that I will not succeed. A better phrasing in the future will stymie potential miscommunication."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan gets a rather odd look. His glasses shine for a moment. "We scratched him. It was enough." He says, quietly. "Martial strength is not a specialist tool that instantly kills a particular foe in a particular situation, and if a tiny shift in circumstances is enough to neuter that strength, it was never strength in the first place. It is simply enough force in enough concentration, repeatedly, ruthlessly, without hesitation, timed properly, and with enough allies. I invite you to find a tool you can use to contribute, but if you want to kill Kalameet, you must bring calamitous force with human precision. I am confident that we can do this, but it will not be because of a gimmick. Here is what the plan is, as I understand it."

    Despite the brutal fiery atmosphere of the Kiln, Nathan begins to summon a thick wet mist in front of him, intended to conduct a pseudoholographic magical display. Looks like he's going to detail some things.

Staren has posed:
    Staren narrows his eyes slightly. "Have you forgotten about Leviathan and Viridian Sunrise? Sometimes, you /do/ have to use another angle. But, perhaps I don't understand the entire plan." He then turns to watch the mist expectantly.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
"How sad it is that we are reduced to such a state. Has your anger noy been aroused? Have you no pride?"

Boots crunch in ash as a black form approaches, a cape whipping in the nonexistent ashen wind as Lezard Valeth, Necromancer of Midgard, approaches the group. He reaches up and adjusts his glasses, his eyes seeming to brim with energy, his voice touched with the echoes of an indignant mania. Even now, Lezard has not forgotten, has not forgiven.

"If you wish to bring to bear calamitous force, you need not look any farther than the tools we have at hand." Lezard says. "Master Hall, you are correct. We will need to use the very thing Kalameet desires in order to destroy him. Combined with our knowledge of the dragonkind of Lordran and the various tools at our disposal, we will finish him."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki's eyelids ease lower at Priscilla's response to General Hall. So she sees it, too: there is indeed more to Kalameet than simple avarice. His greed is driven by something more... thoughtful, if it can be called that -- this is what Mizuki keeps coming back to every time she muses on the creature. But, ah, that's quite enough of these idle thoughts. They've long since started to make her uneasy, and there's no way she can see them bearing any fruit. These are all quandaries she has run through her mind hundreds if not thousands of times before. If she gleaned nothing definite from those attempts, she can see little that a few moments - and moments spent in an irrational state - will help her to learn anything.

    So instead she turns from the ridge, walking closer to Priscilla. When she's within a comfortable speaking distance, she gives the girl a small, restful smile. "... while we have the opportunity," She begins, "And while we're not preoccupied with some other epic struggle between life and death, I had a few things I wanted to ask you. Would that be okay? Er... rather, would that be acceptable?" In a way, that expression betrays a hint of the little girl that others - Arthur, Psyber, and Priscilla - had seen before in private. That alone may hint at the nature of her inquiry.

    "I don't suppose that you've been to Ariamis of late? ... if you'll indulge my curiosity, has it begun to change at all? Has its perpetual Winter started to move into Spring, or perhaps just to Fall in the opposite direction? It would be symbolic if it had." Then reign several seconds of silence whilst her eyes wander before, "Regardless, I would like to visit. When you have time. I find myself yearning for another conversation like the one we had before. It feels like so long ago now, and in hindsight I don't believe you ever gave me the 'grand tour'. I don't believe I would forgive you if I was never allowed to, so why don't we get it out of the way sooner rather than later?" After that, she falls silent again, inclining her head and keeping one hand glued to her arm. Something seems to have put her in a decidedly shy mood today, it seems.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe nods she gets they have to wait then and seems to dial it back a bit, she hates having to wait like this, but they can't do anyhting else right now save that. She settles in a bit, she gets it they got things the dragon isn't aware of and that is something they can play up.

"Rather than some alien thing that doesn't evne think remotely like most of us? I hear you there PRiscilla."

The Salamander seems more relaxed now as she goes back to listening ans she looks to Kiln and th firey nture of this place? It does not bother her but Salamanders are being connected to fire, after all. Then she catches herself she's seeing herself are a Salamander over being human, that does make her pause a bit mentally.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Staren gets a look for his last statement, but beyond that is pointedly not responded to. Instead, he turns to Nathan.

    "Calamitous force is my intent, Nathan. Focused, precisely delivered ultraviolence without my usual level of restraint in execution," He notes to the general, hefting the wrapped weapon up and across his shoulders again. He seems protective of his new, wrapped weapon.

    He does turn to regard Lezard with an even, formal, if slightly distant nod in greeting, "Valeth. I will look forward to you delivering your retribution upon the creature alongside me," He gives the Necromancer a curt nod.

    "With this blade, I will carve mortality into his very being."

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    "If I can help in some way... I will!" Ayako smiles softly... and then kicks her feet and waves her arms frantically to float upwards! The broomstick was getting a bit too close to the ground! She doesn't want to crash into and be covered in the fine white ash on the ground! And then slumps back down on the broomstick.

    So she says, but... is she really going to be of help with how the heat affects her?

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "You recall, it did not beat Viridian Sunrise." Nathan says, one eye revealed behind the glare of those glasses to Staren. Then he focuses. As his pseudo-holography begins to display a visual representation of the plan for the upcoming battle. "I avoid rousing my anger whenever possible. My pride is irrelevant." He says, plainly, then turns back to focusing on this plan. "Our regularly dependable allies, I have plans for. Amalthea, Psyber, Tomoe, and Staren will be prepared to handle combat in the air. Psyber will be present in person, using his new weapon, to maximize the viscerality of the combat and to make a lack of holding back more effective. If you can find some particular method to deal exceptional harm to him, I invite you to find it, Staren, but it will not outpower our group, nor be depended upon. The budget for Union operations in this area is to be fully expended; you will have appropriate access." He adjusts his glasses. "I will be providing support to Amalthea and Psyber personally from the air, to maximize their personal combat efficiency. Tomoe, I expect to dig rather deep into her inventory."

    "Below, we have our melee combatants and our high-range combatants. If the incident becomes violent, I will coordinate the air team and ranged team to immediately ground him, while Solaire provides further support and direction to more thoroughly saturate the area in anti-air and sheer coverage. I intend to ensure that his wings are torn off or othewise rendered inoperable within minutes of the initiation of any combat operations. Using a combination of my own Eidolon, Midgardsormr, the temporal abilities Mizuki possesses, and whatever reality-based support can be summoned by Shirou, we will immobilize Kalameet as much as possible. From here, the team of Reiji and Xiaomu, who I believe are currently developing a mixture of specialist countermeasures for the dragon, will go to mixed-range combat, working in tandem with the air team as they land, splitting to melee and ranged as appropriate. These will work alongside the initiation of whatever projects Lezard is devising, which I assume will provide tremendous damage in a short period of time. We will spike our output of violence as much and for as long as possible, supported and sustained by Priscilla making use of her Lifehunt."

    "I will be providing reinforcement to Kimiko, who I will depend on to provide dedicated defenses, as we have absolutely no opportunity to allow our traditional defense-focused Elite to cover other more vulnerable entities. I will require Ayako, who can assist me in the use of my storm magic. Her water-based support will be critical to the execution of my ranged storm-magic support techniques, which I will use in immediate compliment to all other spikes of damage output, in order to maximize their effectiveness and penetration of defense. With the support of the knights of Gwyn, we can survive long enough for the sheer, overwhelming degree of pure damage to criple the dragon. After this is done, we will not stop attacking him until he ceases to continue 'living', in as much as he is alive in the first place."

    "Or, ideally, he will not turn against us at all. My hope is that he will enter the Kiln, take what he needs without disrupting our engine, and then leave." Nathan says, dispersing the holographic mist and adjusting his glasses. "That would be ideal."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko is still out there, in case anyone was wondering, doing her thing out of view of all and thereby letting it remain a mystery for the nonce. This is convenient to the fact that her player is busy but not actually caused by it. She just has more hours of work to do than is actually time to work, and will come back sometime later, entirely exhausted, whether or not anyone is still standing around here.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber nods his head as he listens to Nathan's plan, "Your plan is acceptable, Nathan. I will follow your lead on it, as it reasonable accomodates for my... unique requirements by virtue of what I am." He seems vexed by his own need to commit such an act, but at the same time he can't deny the inherent requirement he has to do so. Nor does he, at that particular moment, want to deny himself going against Kalameet at full force.

    "I'll rely on your tactics."

Ayako Hasekawa has posed:
    Ayako stews over Nathan's plan. "Hmm... focus completely on offense to the point where the target has no chance to meaningfully respond?" She nods her head slowly. "Against an opponent with a powerful offense themselves... that does seem to be the best option."

    And then Ayako's normally gentle smile becomes quite aggressive. "Sounds pretty satisfying too." Wait. Where did that come from?

Priscilla has posed:
    "Thou art wise to be wary of Kalameet, but potentially underestimating ourselves. Last time we were caught ready for diplomacy, not war, with little knowledge of our foe, and whilst an individual Knight of Gwyn may be less powerful than our number, we now possess an army at our disposal. This field was made specifically to prove difficult for dragons. These weapons to pose threat to them. The divine magics written into its structure to strip them of their advantages. These warriors to spend their lives as the wages of battle. Additionally, we hath use of several new reinforcements, Solaire's newly regained divinity amongst them. Many of our number shalt be able to employ weapons they were previously unable, mineself included, as I didst not previously maketh attempt to wield the Lifehunt. Alternate plans of last resort wouldst be prudent, but I wouldst not swiftly discard our chances whence mustered so, especially in ambush, and to say little of the power that yet sleeps on these grounds."

    For once, she looks to Lezard with something other than professionally suppressed mistrust; odd, considering his current state of composure. "I see someone hast been well occupied." she says, not disapprovingly. Oscar gives him a wide berth, following after Kimiko, though possibly by coincidence. Priscilla looks momentarily guilty as Mizuki begins to ask her questions however. "I hath . . . had little opportunity. It is mine hope that some manner of peace will finally cometh to those souls, but pray, forgiveth mine immaturity when I admit that mine fears of the matter hath kept away any confirmation." She nods firmly towards Tomoe. The Salamander gets it.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
"We've got something else coming down the pipe," a voice calls from nearby, "Preliminary preparations are ready, but there's still a bit more to be done until we can deploy it."

    A thin glaze of sweat covers his brow. He feels the heat in earnest today. Reiji Arisu is here in the flesh, and he has been busily making a circuit around the whole of the Kiln of the First Flame. Ash and salt and ink cover his hands in a thin caking of filth, but his expression is one of a man whose day was filled with some tremendously fulfilling work. "As Priscilla says, this place is... Powerful."

Reiji glances over his shoulder, casting a long stare over the ashen interior of the Kiln. "We'll be able to make good use of it, I think."

Staren has posed:
    Staren listens, and nods. "I... /do/ have an idea for a more powerful conventional weapon that /won't/ cause massive collateral damage... Might only have one shot, though." He takes a deep breath. "I can prepare for that." And his eyes widen a bit as Priscilla lists off a number of reasons why This Time Will Be Different. "I see... that does make me feel a bit more confident... well, a lot more confident really, about our chances in a fight."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard nods in agreement with Psyber. If there's one thing they both can agree on, it's that the gloves are off. Kalameet is going to learn new and interesting emotions before they're done with him.

Lezard always liked regret. Seeing it on the face of his enemies makes him happier.

He listens intently to Nathan's planning, and considers his words, nodding. "Your planning is, as always, exceptional, Master Hall. I suppose I am fortunate in that I am not the target of your ire."

He smiles, and then turns to look out over the valley of the Kiln. "This is a confined space. We can alter it, control it. He must come here, and he knows it. We /all/ know it. Therefore, we can augment this situation in order to allow us to remove the advantages that Kalameet possesses. First, I intend to create several structures, focusing alterations in space to restrict the movements of Kalameet and deprive him of his greatest advantage: Freedom of moement. If he cannot freely bring his gaze to bear, it will allow you all to engage him in an unhindered fashion. Your idea to use aerial combat to destroy his wings will further hobble him, forcing him to the ground and keeping him relatively contained."

Lezard looks back to the others. "It is at this point that we need to open a gap in his guard. He is still a dragon, despite being the Dragon of Calamity. He is bound by the same protections and weaknesses of all dragons. If we are to open a hole in his Scales of Immortality, it can be exploited. Hence comes the grand declaration of Master Psyber, as well as Lady Priscilla and others who possess weapons that can inflict mortality on others. If we focus these attacks and shatter a hole in those scales, it can be exploited by all present to bypass Kalameet's defenses. This will augment our collective ability to leverage assault upon the beast."

He turns to Psyber, then. "Also, there is one additional thing. There may be an opportunity at some point. If the dragon leaves his eye exposed, use your blade to pluck it from its skull. If you or anyone else can deprive Kalameet of his great Eye, our victory will be all but assured."

He looks back to Nathan. "If nothing else, once we have breached Kalameet's defenses... We can turn the First Flame itself upon him as a weapon if we must. All flame consumes. All we must do is channel it properly, yes?"

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    "Taken care of," Reiji asides to the sorcerer. Dust scatters into the air as he strikes his palms against one another. "There are still some steps to follow, but there is something in place to use the Kiln's power like that." He glances up at the ancient walls, frowning slightly, "For the next few, I'll need to get up there. I hope this old place can take the strain."

Priscilla has posed:
    That's quite a strategy to commit to memory, but Priscilla has no reason not to try. She can see it working. Potentially at least. Seeing Ayako of all people getting into battle plans really says something, worth at least a second glance in the water spirit's direction. "An elaborate approach, but if I wouldst trust one to see it through, it wouldst be thee, Sir Hall." Though she makes no such vote of confidence towards Lezard, it's clear to the perceptive that she's impressed with his forethought, especially after the rage he had whipped himself into before. She greets Reiji with remarkable casualness as he returns. After all, he's been at this almost all day. Oscar's left his supply pack as an open invitation to him, having plenty of water from short trips to Firelink Shrine, anchored back in reality.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko will actually be pretty easy to spot. So will her work, for that matter, though she's making some slight effort to hide it from the air. If there's enough ash... but when you're raised above the ground, that becomes more difficult.

    Oscar will find her tiring, but slightly.

Priscilla has posed:
    Unsurprisingly, as indicated, Kimiko eventually runs into Solaire on her trek back. It'd be a lie to say that the knight should strike her as an entirely different person, but there's no mistaking a change about him. Aside from the obvious fact that he is actually, physically taller and more imposing, even with all that home-made armour obscuring his form and features, whereas before he had a humble unassuming atmosphere about him, now the air almost seems to crackle where he walks, as if he were being followed by the quiet before a storm; a not-inappropriate thematic considering his propensity for unexpected feats of incredibly violent martial prowess.

    The effect is more than a little disconcerting, but where one might expect a voice an octave lower and several decibels louder, his greeting is as friendly and helm-muffled as ever; at extreme odds with the way the knights in his immediate vicinity seem to snap to attention to their former and once again general. "You've been busy. It's rare I see one of you wander so far from the good lady's side. You must have something very clearly in mind."

    Oscar pretty much stumbles up the slope behind her, probably on his way to see his on and off again travelling companion. "Oh! I was wondering where you'd run off to. Seeing it for yourself is a little different than maps, yes?" It's suddenly a little awkward. After all, three is a crowd, and this had been Kimiko's private time until just now.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko looks up--and then slightly more up. "Sir Solaire. You're looking well." 'Bigger.' She turns, then, and nods to Oscar. "The maps were detailed. Accurate. Yet..." For a moment, she closes her eyes, envisioning. Open again, "...I must see for myself, to truly know."

    The greeting out of the way, she answers Solaire's implied query next, idly examining his less-changed armor, as she is wont to do. "Preparations. Important. I will show something... close to my full power, when we fight him again." She pauses, and hakes her head. "Not arrogance. I plan to survive. That is why it can only be 'close to.'"

Priscilla has posed:
    "I was about to ask." admits Solaire. "It's not what I once had, and still it's been a very long time since I remember even this." he says, looking into the palm of his right hand as if it had some kind of significance. "But I will make do as best as I am able, as I am sure all of us will." He then proceeds to slap the girl heartily on the back. "I look forward to seeing it then! Be mindful of your limits, because I'd like to keep seeing you after as well!" Oscar, as usual, is slightly more reserved, merely nodding to express his approval. "I've heard a little of your general's strategy. It's a little more than I think I can fully grasp, so I'll be counting on seeing it for myself. You've always seemed like you know what you're doing. Just . . ." he pauses briefly. "Be careful."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko looks a bit... curious? Her expressions are difficult to read without watching carefully. It passes. "Nn." She nods, budging only a little at the backslap. "Having people to come back to, is important. I won't disappoint, unless... it is truly necessary." She stands straight again, while admitting that possibility.

    "I can't return from death again." That sentence may be strange for entirely different reasons in Lordran than it is anywhere else.

    Still straight, she gives--for the first time, in contrast to the nod of greeting more usual to her--a short bow. Respect; apology for potentially going ahead. "I would..." Speaking isn't as hard for her as it was years ago, but there are plenty of times where it seems so, and this is one of them. "...like to see you both after this, as well. As knights, in this war, you have my respect."

    It might surprise no one to learn that a girl whose Wish gave her the appearance and abilities of Kimiko Shinobu once held certain, romantic images as worthwhile ideals. Of course, you couldn't torture that out of her at this point.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki gives a series of short nods in response to Priscilla. "I... can understand that, somewhat. What with how my own home has been changing lately, I, too, can worry at times. Though..." Her gaze meanders again. "It seems that whenever I come here I become so preoccupied with my thoughts that I never have anything very meaningful to say. I apologize if that is at all an inconvenience." She gives a small bow of her head. "But there are others who wish to speak to you, and other things that likely require your attention. I will leave you for now that you may focus on them instead." But not before she gives another, small grin. "It was nice to see you, though. And if you are truly so nervous to traipse within Ariamis again, then that only gives me more good reason to visit. If it would be helpful, I will accompany you when that time comes. When all of this is over. Until then..." She takes a small breath.

    "Until then," She echoes. With that final word, she turns around, summoning her blade and silently cleaving a gash in the sky. She hesitates but one more moment before taking her leave through that celestial doorway.