Scene #7854: Return of the IFAS

Owner	Pose
Kirishima	After Kirishima's last well-intentioned, yet largely improvised attempt at insurrection, she's learned a fair bit about picking targets, proper timing for making a move on said targets, and even picking out a defensible location instead of somewhere that's simply convenient for the moment emotionally. It's taken a while, but the Spirit Liberation Front has finally identified a new potential home for their gathering of liberated spirits. The climate is temperate, if a bit windy, and the land is rich in natural resources and defensible terrain. The island is also just isolated enough that it can expand its mass safely without encroaching onto another country's turf, but still close enough that it wouldn't be impossible for the SLF to reach a larger land mass if necessary. The main problem is that there's still people on the island that might understandably be upset if someone decided to just annex their land without giving them a say in the matter. That's why the leader of the SLF has decided to address the island's governor directly, planning to issue a formal challenge for ownership of the island so as to mitigate the risk to the actual people living there already. The warpgate leaves Kirishima and all those joining her own today's mission on a smaller island not too far from their actual target, and the ninja-themed spirit is already standing on the prow of a ship overlooking the sea with a dramatic wind blowing through her scarf. She might not need to actually ride it there herself, but many of her allies do, including those from the Spirit Liberation Front. She'll fill everyone in about the purpose of today's mission on the way over so everyone's caught up, and it proves to be a fairly peaceful ride there as the ship Kirishima is on approaches the island straight on with a few others while the remaining SLF ships break off to encircle the island. The reason why things are so quiet becomes more apparent as the lead ship draw closer to its destination. Awaiting them is not a token defensive garrison, but an entire squadron of armed defenders lined up along the cliffs overlooking the sea in that same direction. "How did they...? Evasive maneuvers!" As Kirishima issues a warning to the rest of her SLF allies, the defenders open fire with a veritable buttload of guns, forcing the ships approaching from the front to split up. The ninja herself leaps off the ship to start running for the island outright, sprinting over the surface of the water and drawing more shots her way to give her ship-bound allies a bit of a reprieve to continue their own approach.
Hiromi	Hiromi arrived aboard the ship by leaping onto it, shaking to spray salt water over everything. She then hangs around during the trip and explanation. Specifically, she hangs from a railing by her legs, upside-down, arms crossed over her chest, affixing Kirishima with a constant, vaguely threatening stare, 'vaguely threatening' being her lowest and most casual state of being. The explanation is easy enough to understand. The SLF is coming here on a challenge to take territory. Hiromi neither approves nor disapproves of their claim, but does approve of the mechanism of its enforcement. "Leadership, between you, and them, goes to the strongest." That's both natural and unavoidable. With nothing more to say on that, her gaze turns back, toward... THEN: "Do you believe that there can be a cost too high for growth? Something that allows a person to grow, but makes them no longer people in the process?" Kirishima takes a deep breath to try and keep her stance, then lets her arms down after a few moments as the posturing no longer seems necessary at this point. "Cannibalism for power, as an example. Done by choice, or even forced upon those that would gain those powers. Would they still be people in your eyes?" NOW: "'To grow' is 'to walk a path.' Some paths are easy, swift, but short. They end quickly, final visions of short-sighted hunters. Without a path, without escape, they cease 'to grow.' There are no people in dead ends. Only remains of foolish decisions. Only challenges to grow beyond. This is your answer." When the ship is fired upon, she bends at the waist, pulling herself upright, grabs the rail, then twists and launches into the water. She sinks. It's fine. She doesn't need to breathe. She'll just walk to shore like this.
Kale Hearthward	Kale doesn't strictly need the ship, but it's nice to keep all of one's forces and allies in one place. It's also not like there's any sort of trouble anticipated that would benefit the group if he was to scout ahead from the air. "So - about settlement design and city planning," Kale is saying to Kirishima, trying to draw her into his newest passion, when Kirishima spots the garrison. "Well, that's a show of force as a welcome," he says, peering at them. "This world has megaphones, right? Radio? We should be prepared to accept their parlay, or expect some warning shots-" A bullet narrowly misses him, his contingency spells kicking in and directing it off course just in time. "- Or they could be shooting to kill," he says, clicking his boots together to activate them and then stepping off the side of the ship smoothly as it turns to take evasive maneuvers. He's not at all inclined to play nice with people who are trying to kill him or his allies. Step one is to get low - letting gravity take hold till he's just above the water's surface, and then jetting forward, skimming the ocean to present a target that's no longer at a near-eye-level plane with the soldiers (and thus harder to hit). Step two is to start casting. Spells in the Windswept Tradition are delightfully uncomplicated. It's all about starting out with raw power, raw wind, and literally shaping it the way you want to, as easily as one would tie a string into knots. Twist a bit of the wind current here, alter the pressure to make a low front here and a high front there... A storm starts forming. And as Kale continues his own evasive maneuvers, trying to stay one step ahead of the incoming fire, he keeps feeding it, shoring it up, letting it grow not only from his own power but letting it draw thermal energy from the ocean, trying to form not just a 'weather disturbance' but a full on hurricane-force storm - if a very localized sort of one. The storm doesn't move inland - yet - but it's probably a very bad idea to be standing near a cliff right now.
Midway	A trio of aircraft, Abyssal in design, circle lazily overhead in a wide arc. Distinctively Abyssal, these craft are most easily described as white orbs shot through with black cracks, sporting stubby wings and wide mouths filled with jagged, mismatched teeth. Once hostilities begin, however, the craft drop altitude and circle more closely, jostling one another for position. Deep below the surface, eyes slip open. Narrow, crimson cracks in the dark. Far out to sea, on the opposite side of the island from where the landing craft first approach, the water's surface erupts into a geyser. Salt and spray shoots dozens of meters skyward, pauses, then slouches back down to the surface-- around a ghostly pale woman in a billowing white dress. Most notable are the horns, the brace of iron spines surrounding her neck, and her towering height. Unmistakably the Princess of Progress herself. A great sphere rises behind her, floating in accompaniment. The pristine white surface shining in the sun as the Princess glides forward across the waves like a ghost.
Staren	Staren is here for a diplomatic meeting. From the warpgate, she steps onto the ship and rides, waiting for Oh. Alright. There needs to be A TALK. Maybe there's a misunderstanding, maybe there isn't. WHen there's more information, everyone will be free to direct their vengeance where they see fit. Having dove for cover on the ship, Staren shifts to cat form to run to the aft in cover and then leap off, before a 40-foot-tall humanoid mecha warps in around her. It manifests an energy shield on its arm, positioning to block shots aimed for its center of mass, as Staren's voice booms: "This is Staren Wiremu of the Concord. You will cease fire immediately and let us talk over WHY you are fighting. Or: We will kill you until we run into someone who prefers talking to death. I'm out of patience." Assuming that the shooting continues, dozens of missiles launch from the mech's backpack, spreading out before turning to rain down on the defenders from a variety of angles.
Kirishima	> Hiromi: upside-down hanging Hiromi's presence on the ship is a confusing, but not entirely unwelcome one. The upside-down staring certainly had her glancing over at the Archwolf every now and then while she was still doing that dramatic mast-stand, but the ninja's actually expression would have been hard to read from looking at her masked face alone. > Hiromi: growth "Such dead ends are far more literal than one might expect, in the case of spirits. Those who overindulge in consuming their brethren, if they don't lose their minds in the process, may very well lose their bodies." Kirishima replies, furrowing her brow and managing to look troubled even with the mouth covering. "I was one of the lucky ones." > Kale: city planning "The buildings aren't strictly necessary, but I'd prefer not to break too many things. There's less work rebuilding after the fact if we leave them intact." > Hiromi: sinkwalking Nobody on the island, at least, sees Hiromi approaching. Some of them might have noticed her just yeeting herself into the water, but they're too busy shooting at everyone to really worry about someone that they might assume just drowned. > Kale: magic The unnatural storm doesn't go ignored by the forces on the cliff or the forces approaching the island. While the SLF's non-Elite forces continue circling around the island, the ships approaching from the front give the storm a wide berth. The soldiers on the cliff, meanwhile, lose track of the culprit for at least a few moments, but they're split between trying to find where he's gone and also firing at Kirishima. There's still some that catch sight of him, however, firing bursts from surplus assault rifles and a few even shooting outright missiles in his direction that explode upon hitting the water. > Midway: aircraft The unfamiliar flying shapes have both the SLF and the local defenders on edge despite their lack of doing anything visibly threatening. Until they start firing or otherwise attacking anyone, however, neither side seems willing to make the first move against these things. Just as well, since they're busy trying to not get shot/shoot each other, respectively. > Midway: other side of the island Compared to where all the stuff is happening, there's relatively little in the way of defenses on this side of the island. The SLF forces haven't reached this side just yet, so there's still time for Midway to make a first impression here. There's a few watch towers scattered around, and one of them even turns a spotlight towards Midway while the guards in the other towers turn their guns and cannons towards her, but they don't fire just yet. Instead, they issue a warning: "Identify yourself! Are you with those invaders?"
Kirishima	> Staren: TALK button The call for a ceasefire rings hollow for the defenders as they see and hear a giant robot just showing up out of thin air and yelling at them. There's some panicked shouts from the defenders as their attention is further split between shooting at Kirishima, trying to identify Kale near the water, and also shooting at Staren's mecha. The front liners who hadn't moved back from Kale's storm get blasted by missiles, but those that remain are still firing for dear life. > GENERALLY The towers scattered around the island start shifting, revealing larger cannons and people strapped into them as though they've partially merged with the cannons. They fire massive volleys of into the sky that proceed to rain down upon the approaching forces from the front side of the island, bombarding them with an excessive amount of explosives rather than trying to actually aim. Considering how quickly or how large some of their opposition might be, it's probably more useful than actually aiming, too. Kirishima is able to burst upwards as she finishes running up that cliff side, weaving between and through explosions to continue punching out the defenders or hurling kunai into them to keep their attention scattered rather than focused on any of her allies.
Kale Hearthward	The sudden emergence of Midway's fleet is troubling, as is Hiromi's disappearance - but Kale has bigger things to worry about. The guns, missiles, and full on artillery emplacements(!!!) that are targeting him are making it increasingly hard to stay untouched, and he's having a few too many close calls and nearly singed feathers. And so he sets the storm loose, giving it a push, and falls back, using it as a sort of ersatz-cover as it starts moving in over the island. There's no lightning in the mini-hurricane, but there's strong enough winds, and a torrent of rain from the water it pulled up, and in general it's a very bad time.
Hiromi	Jumping out would be easy, but walking along the bottom of the sea, on the rising path up toward the island, it's less like jumping -- less like climbing, even -- than like the slope carries her silently upward, letting her up with hardly a splash. She darts over the harbor area, pauses to listen, and makes her way over to one of the cannons. "Aimed wrong." She kicks the cannon-man, softly enough to just get its attention, then wrenches the whole apparatus up, sighting and listening up through the storm. "There." Moments later, her arms clench with the same explosive power as the fired shell, as she rides it high into the air. It's still off-aim, and too weak and slow, but the mass of it provides a convenient platform from which she can jump. Her feet destroy it utterly, setting off the midair explosion, but that only helps propel her further -- passing right by Kale's face, and grabbing him with one hand around his leg. "A challenge!" is the only explanation he gets, before she twists, using nothing but the act of uncoiling again to provide the necessary action-reaction, with no ground on which to place to her feet, as she launches him, spinning, clear over the island and into Midway's firing lines.
Kirishima	> Kale: TORNAAAD The magic whirlwind unleashed upon the island's defenses makes short work of many of the soldiers, not unlike those that had been struck by Staren's missile barrage or even Kirishima's rushing body blows. Although the artillery launchers don't look like they should be able to withstand such powerful winds, they're one of the few things that actually stay firmly in place as they simply continue launching explosives INTO the whirlwind to let them propagate further, friendly fire be damned. > Hiromi: aiming The cannoneer jerks sideways when Hiromi arrives abruptly, nearly ready to turn the cannon upon her until she just pulls him and the setup right off the ground. He struggles for a while to try and wrench himself and his gear free, but this is his life now. Taking aim at the sky instead, he watches blankly as Hiromi rides that shot into the air, actually holding his fire to see where she's going with that challenge to Kale (and possibly Midway).
Kale Hearthward	Oh, there's Hiromi, surfing on an artillery shell towards him. "What are you-" He gets grabbed and thrown, bodily, across the island. "Doooiiiiing- SQUAWK!" This is because Hiromi's aim is presciently good - and he's not only been thrown clear across the island but is on a direct collision course with Midway at high speed.
Staren	Talking never works. Staren can already picture the future that's coming: They're going to find out that these people were manipulated, and she's going to feel bad about exploding some of them with her missiles. Tracking down whoever is responsible for the misinformation will be a whole DEAL. It probably won't happen at all, and if it does, well, LAST time that meant going to alien hellworld, fighting through bodyguards, and STILL seeing the bad guy teleport away. But if she turns away, she'll let down Kirishima and her people. Why do things have to be like this? In the cockpit, Staren hangs her head and closes her eyes, sighing. She's getting all the sensor feeds through her cyberware anyway. The cannon-people are an odd sight, but tha artillery is more of a problem. Indirect-fired shells? Intercept. Staren turns her focus from shooting the defenders, raising the mech's right arm to fire the gatling railgun and launching another volley of missiles, trying to intercept some of the shells her computer projects have a chance of hitting her allies. Only after having a moment for a thought to work its way through the back of her mind, does it surface: Seilatiya points out: It's a problem YOU'RE bad at, but didn't you build a computer for that? ...Could that WORK? Even with so little data? It's worth a shot. Staren feeds everything seen so far to the AI in her lab in the Elysium Apex, and poses it the question: How can I best stop whoever is pulling the strings behind this conflict?
Midway	The Princess does not stop when addressed, although she also does not unveil any weapons or the like when addressed by the island's current guards. Through her mind's eye, she observes the battle unfolding from multiple angles, aware not only of Kirishima's actions but also the explosive behavior of the Archwolf. She does suddenly stop moving, swiveling on the waves to face-- Kale Hearthward, who slams into her at incredibly high speed. It's an impact solid enough to distress the water around her, but scarcely moves the colossal figure at all. Rather, she towers over him at the apex of her three-meter height, glaring down with glowing crimson eyes through the shadow cast across her face by cloud-white bangs. "Forward," she states simply, "Bold." She snaps into motion suddenly. An inhuman transition from steady and plodding to sudden, frenetic energy when she rears back, hand raised and fingers curled into cruel steel-tipped talons. While at its core a simple swat to knock the birdman out of her way, it carries behind it all the force of an artillery shell. Behind her, the glistening white sphere emits a creaking, straining sound. The surface cracks, then splits in a shower of metallic shards. The chasm yawns open into a mouth lined with enormous human-like teeth, the maw filled with crimson flames as it disgorges sheets of corroded black steel, marked in stark white lines.
Hiromi	Bereft of additional counterweights, there's little way Hiromi can reasonably change her ballistic arc. While not, in fact, a reasonable being, she has something close to a satisfied expression, watching Kale fly in the opposite direction, as she hits the water beyond even cannon range. She's going to need to spend a little while beneath the waves before she can catch up and properly watch the results.
Kale Hearthward	Kale is still a bit unsure of what's going on when Midway comes in to swat him - and he gets sent flying a fair distance out of the way. The jet boots kick in and he comes to his senses just a moment before he'd hit the water - and he hovers there for a moment, righting himself and shaking his surprise and stupor off. This is Hiromi's challenge - not a fight with the wolf herself, necessarily - he may still have to do that. But he knows enough, without asking, that if he doesn't take this battle face on he won't get a chance to face her - win or lose. So. Midway. This isn't like Persephone where he has a full dossier he can skim through - and this is his first time facing her in person. So what can he quickly divine as far as weak points and tactics. "Well - she's big," he says to himself, reaching back and pulling his left-hand sword out. "That means..." The jet boots flare, and Kale holds his sword out in front of him, breathing into it - it unfolds into a giant drill. "That she should be easier to hit!" he yells, as he accelerates, streaking across the water at her, drillsword first, like a self-propelled missile.
Kirishima	> Staren: internal At least there's no aliens or hellwords here. Just a whole lot of people and what might be more spirits on the ground, shooting back at those they see as invaders. Why wouldn't they? A whole bunch of people just showed up in their waters, proclaiming an intent to kill them, and launching all sorts of tornadoes and explosives and punching them really hard. The simplest solution to stopping all of this comes fairly quickly: Kill Kirishima. Without her as their leader, the SLF will crumble and fade back into obscurity, and the world will go on as it has been this whole time before she announced her one-island rebellion. From the data that's been gathered, there isn't a clear person pulling strings behind anything here or anywhere else so much as this whole matter with the spirits is simply how the world works. Stopping it would require a paradigm shift in society generally: in how humans treat the spirits, how spirits react to people, and so on. > Staren: external Missiles and artillery get shot down by the sheer quantity of bullets coming out of the mecha, making it a little easier for the frontwards facing forces to approach the island! Kirishima's certainly taking advantage of it, taking less damage overall even as she keeps punching the shit out of the local forces while the SLF's ground fighters (a small squad of people with riot shields and ship-like cannons on their shoulders, oddly enough) start breaking through the front-liners that are slowly being forced to cede ground. > Midway: TRANSFORM That's certainly enough for the defenders on the back end of the beach to take notice. With a fight seemingly brewing between the bird and the princess, however, they're not inclined to fire on them just yet. Instead... > GENERALLY At the back of the island, the tops of each guard tower has slid over to the side of the towers instead, revealing more of those cannon-bearing spirits. They start firing on the SLF forces approaching from around the sides of the island, forcing those ships into taking evasive maneuvers so as to not get sunk themselves. With the commotion out on the front side between those defenders getting blasted apart, thrown around in a magic hurricane, or kidney-punched at high speeds, however, the SLF forces are soon able to get on the island at multiple points without losing too many of their own! That means it's time for the battle on the ground itself to begin. At the rate things are going, there's definitely going to be a lot of bloodshed, but it doesn't seem the defenders have that many more tricks up their sleeves if they haven't pulled anything else out by now. It's just a matter of how much blood needs to be shed and how much destruction needs to happen before the (non-challenge) battle finally comes to an end.
Hiromi	The water churns, this time, with the force of her less-subtle passage. The Archwolf leaps ashore with a fountain that carries rain into the swirling winds, then races up the streets on four legs, a monstrous wolf clad in bronze rings, looking for a vantage point from which to observe... everything, really. She sniffs the wind. Too much water washes away the scents. Tracks over sea don't work as tracks should, but her eyes work without issue, as do her ears. Along the way up toward the island's highest point, she keeps her senses tuned for something else: the one in charge. A being of Authority, herself, Hiromi is adept in that specific sort of identification. And the island men, at least, have nothing to hide their tracks.
Midway	Midway seems to have lost interest in Hearthward after knocking him aside, which gives him the opening he needs to do some damage. It's only when the sword is drawn and he charges that her attention returns to him, scarlet eye swinging his way before she suddenly lurches about to face him, arms raising and fingers spread and curled. His drillsword impacts her midsection solidly with the sound of steel striking steel. Sparks shoot off, as if he were trying to drill through face-hardened armor. The bit skips, drawing dark lines across her body until it slips past her hip and drives into the Parasite behind her. Here, it finds more purchase, boring a hole in the sphere's surface and drawing out a gout of oily black ichor. Her response is immediate. One hand snaps down, snatching the twirling drill blade in a shower of sparks. She leans down towards the hawkman's face, her eyes now wide perfect-circles of glowing crimson, lit by sparks as she squeezes on the drill-sword in her iron grip. Wrenching it suddenly, she whirls in place and releases. The damaged parasite emits a horrid wretching sound, hurling out a heavy drum with huge wheels over her head. This lands in the water in front of Midway, who rears back and slams one heeled shoe into it. Pustules along the wheel rim hiss, then discharge plumes of jet exhaust, hurling the wheel into a spin that sends it careening across the water after him, hissing flame and smoke the whole way. Regardless of what it hits, the unusual munition explodes on impact.
Kale Hearthward	And - there! Yes! Kale's exultation is short lived as Midway screams - and then launches a giant flaming wheel at him. He dives and evades - doing what he can to stay ahead of it and away from it (and out of the smoke), but not going too far - not wanting to give up his close-range positioning, even if it results in him getting hit. And then the thing explodes. He drops Periactus, and full-evades backwards - not quite out of the blast zone, and getting singed for his trouble. He coughs once, clearing his lungs... "Need to focus..." "... She's a ship, get her - out of the water!" He casts, again, using both free hands - a massive windball that he winds up and pitches overhand at Midway. He doesn't try too hard to hit her with it - he doesn't have to, necessarily. As long as it goes off nearby her, there's a massive updraft that goes off, trying to pull her up out from the ocean!
Midway	The Princess advances across the waves in pursuit of her Panjandrum and her foe, little more than a silhouette save for the perfect circles of her wide, glowing crimson eyes. A smoke that is quite suddenly cleared by a burst of powerful wind, scattering the seawater around her. This is the only virtue in which it separates her from the sea, though. This woman is extraordinarily heavy. She presses forth against the wind, making no headway, descending slowly into the 'crater' formed in the ocean by the windblast while buffetted by it. When it abates, the waves suddenly crash in around her in a spray of foam, and all goes still. Just long enough for nerves to start relaxing, the sea's surface erupts again. Before the geyser has even collapsed back to the surface, the rhythmic thunder of cannonfire erupts from within it, hurling multiple shells into the sky. Not directly aimed at Kale; but around him. Before they can even hit him, these shells explode in midair, sending out dense cones of steel shrapnel and flaming spikes. The water collapses, revealing Midway once more on the surface, having traded the airstrips of her parasite for a pair of multi-barreled artillery guns.
Staren	>KILL KIRISHIMA Staren bangs her fist on the armrest. "That's not what I meant! Stupid machine..." >THIS WORLD IS CORRUPT Staren sighs. So that's the way of things. These soldiers are no different than those who wear the black skull-armor back home. There is a very brief moment of confusion as Staren sees some soldiers step forward in something reminiscent of Kancolle gear, and then it clicks, and her face falls further. And here are their dogboys... Still, servants that shoot at their master's behest and won't listen to reason must also be stopped. Staren continues to contribute sprays of railgun fire and missile salvos to getting the SLF forces room to make landfall, before landing among them. And then she keeps doing that, because being a mobile artillery platform and a symbol of her side's power is what mecha pilots do in fights like this. She's also shouting: "Monsters! Bigots! These spirits just want to live free, and you hate them for that?! They're no different than humans! You monsters!" When she's tired of shouting that she radios Kirishima and says, more morosely: "Build a better society atop the ashes of this one."
Kale Hearthward	Oh damnit. Of course she'd have anti-air shrapnel shells. Kale, notably, is off of his rhythm. He doesn't have Hiromi's way of packing multiple meanings into a single word, but if he did, 'rhythm' would carry with it 'tempo', 'timing', 'savoir faire', 'momentum', 'sense of place', 'certainty', 'inflappability', and a bunch of other words besides. But he doesn't have Hiromi's way, and he definitely doesn't have his rhythm, whether that's one meaning assigned to it or a dozen. All of that is a long way of saying that he eats shit when the shrapnel goes off. He drops - getting closer to the surface of the ocean, even if that's more risky, it's still better than facing off against those shrapnel rounds. And he pulls out his other sword, activating it, and jets into close range again - and as he strikes, the blade leaves a trail of sharp afterimages, trying to box Midway in!
Kirishima	> Hiromi: IDENTIFY A wolf running through the streets of this island should be reason enough for people to panic, but the sounds of battle in the distance mean that even the civilians she passes don't quite register that this wolf is covered in things that wolves normally aren't covered in. As she finds a sufficient vantage point, the smell of seawater is the first thing to hit her nose followed by food, gunpowder, and forest in descending order. With so much seawater surrounding the island, it should be difficult to really track much at all here by scent alone. The Archwolf's senses proves to be more than potent enough to overcome all that, however, as her ability to detect beings of Authority through her combination of everything makes it all too easy to figure out where to go next. There's a distinct glow coming from one particular building not quite on the outskirts of town, but far enough away from the main plaza that even a celebration in said plaza could go ignored. It's not a particularly strong glow coming from that top floor (likely an office or a bedroom), and it's certainly not strong enough to outshine that of the Elites here, but it's the strongest she'll find outside of the actual Elites present. > Staren: GUN The high-tech ordinance continues to be about as effective as one might expect it to on significantly lower-tech fighters: Really well. Even when Staren's on the ground, acting as artillery support means that the SLF is able to make massive gains into wiping out the remainder of the defenders' forces, human and spirit alike. > Staren: WORDS/GENERALLY These, sadly, don't quite land quite so well as her shots do. It seems they're not quite as interested in exchanging verbal barbs as Staren is, instead just fighting for their lives at this point. Kirishima, weirdly enough, is the one to respond to her rather than anyone with political power on this island. Amidst the sounds of swords cleaving through flesh and metal alike, the ninja raises her voice, both for her allies' benefit and the defenders who are still getting their shit pushed in really hard. They're even getting pushed back to the point that the battlefield around Kale and Midway has largely shrunk towards the center of the island, too, giving them more room to go ham should they not want to worry as much about collateral damage. "Some of the spirits here are already free. They fight for people like this because it's the easiest way for them to become powerful and act as freely as they desire, but it is as Lady Hiromi said earlier!" Kirishima explains as she fwips out of existence briefly before reappearing atop a statue of a long dead figure from the island's past, projecting her voice through the main plaza. "They seek power through the fastest means possible, not realizing or not caring that cannibalizing cores is only a dead-end that destroys their bodies and minds alike! The SLF is here not for them, but for the freedom of spirits to live without fear of death or enslavement!"
Midway	The Princess of Progress shifts her footing when Kale swoops in again, planting her back foot. The cannons emerging from her parasite click, rotate, and then raise into a readied position, their barrels still smoking from moments ago. Striking her body once again has an effect not unlike hitting solid steel, the shimmering blade sending off a cascade of sparks and jerking in his hands up until it has passed her body, finding purchase in the more vulnerable parasite where the sword cleaves much more as it would be expected to. It comes out the other side covered in nasty, sticky ichorous black bile; the same oily 'blood' that drools from the open wound on Midway's equipment. Despite the afterimages, however, she remains solidly focused on the real Kale, unfooled by tricks of the light. As he passes her parasite, she whirls in place, snatching at his trailing foot and wrenching him back. Using this newfound momentum, the Princess whirls the airborne knight in a wide arc over her head and, with monstrous strength, slams him into the water's surface hard enough for the surface tension to make it more akin to hitting solid rock at terminal velocity.
Kale Hearthward	Just a bit more - Kale's sure he has Midway on the ropes now, he just needs to get a few more good hits in- Midway comes in for the grab. He dodges it. No - he should have dodged, that should have been a dodge... ... The reminder hits him with full force - almost as much as the surface of the water is going to hit him in a moment - he's lost his rhythm. If he'd been just a hair faster, a bit more agile- And then the surface of the water hits him, hard enough to knock him out and send him bouncing away, where the waves push him well out of Midway's way at last. He'll wash up on the shore, later.
Hiromi	There's a fight to watch, but Hiromi will just have to ask Staren for the footage and -- as importantly -- Kale for his thoughts, if he lived. If he didn't, that tells her what she most had to know, and she'll take the answers from Midway, instead. For now, there's a war to deal with. Hiromi doesn't like war. There's a better way. Finding the building with the greatest signs of belonging to an authority, Hiromi arrives with all haste, busting a wolf-sized hole in the wall through the expedient means of running straight at it. (If wolves were roughly the size of elephants.) She shifts to her two legged form and continues sniffing, finding, most likely, the scent of a human. It doesn't matter who it is, or what they look like, or what they're doing. There is only one most important thing for them to take care of, whoever they are, and that is heeding Hiromi. She is here to impart wisdom, and it will be followed. "Come, waster! Your pack falls. You have one chance. A challenge comes for leadership. Take it, win, and let your pack survive, and theirs. Lose it, and your pack still survives! Go, now. No other choice. No other path to live. No greater wisdom. Humans have so little!" She laughs. In the likely event that she is attacked, Hiromi completely ignores it, attacks and bloody wounds alike. Being covered in her own blood doesn't so much as give her pause. Even stripping her to the bone wouldn't stop her from grabbing the most-likely-governor and forcing them out to meet Kirishima in single combat, nor will any attempt at argument. This is the better, wiser path.
Staren	Staren shakes her head. "Free as long as they betray their kind to take a place of power in this messed-up society... it's not really free, is it? I bet the speciesists only tolerate them because they're helping oppress the rest of you, right?" This is too easy with the disparity between the locals and elite power. They're not pushovers, but unless reinforcements better than what's already here show up, it kind of seems like the writing is on the wall which way this is going to go, isn't it? "Why are they still fighting to the death?? Can't they run, or surrender? We're not here to hunt them down..."
Midway	Having hurled her assailant away, Midway remains hunched over, arm extended, other arm drawn back like the hammer of a readied firearm, both cannons raised and aimed as he skips away. When it becomes clear he is not getting back up, she rises to her full height. Her extended arm retracts, hand lifting, flexing her fingers in a way that strains and pops the joints of the glistening steel brace across the back of her hand and knuckles. Her head jerks towards the shore once more, her wounded parasite drooling ichorous oil into the water as she turns and casts a renewed, baleful gaze towards the island. She reconnects with her observation planes, having lost touch with them while distracted, and refreshes herself on the state of the island and how this little war has progressed.
Kirishima	> Kale: SHORE Luckily, there's SLF troops arriving a little late that happen to find him there. They'll pick him up and keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't wash right back out to sea, and one of them even gets to work performing basic first aid on the most pressing-looking wounds. There aren't any full ass doctors on hand to really treat him, unfortunately, but it'll have to do while they get word back to Kirishima so she can arrange for them to bring him back to more medically-appropriate Paladins territory before the night is over. > Midway: SHORE That same boat of SLF soldiers eventually approaches the Princess as well, the lead swallowing back a nervous hitch before finally speaking up while the rest of the crew on board looks about ready to send their boat right onto the shore at a moment's notice. "E... Excuse me. Do you need a hand, too? You're bleeding, so if you need..." That's about as much coherent wording as he can get out. They clearly haven't heard of her, but they're terrified nonetheless. > Staren: OBSERVATIONS "Freedom bought at the cost of others' freedom is still a kind of freedom, although it is not one I can abide by so long as I breathe." Kirishima replies to Staren with an affirming grunt. "And those who fight here... Perhaps they could, but it is not my place to ask each of them for permission to slay them as I invade their home for my own cause." Her hands shift through several seals in a row, and then a pair of fireballs appear and launch outwards to blast apart another group of soldiers for emphasis. "But as long as they continue drawing their weapons upon us, we have no choice but to fight for our own peace!" > Hiromi: HOLE Luckily for Hiromi and unluckily for anyone else that has to clean up the mess later, the walls are not equipped to deal with elephant-sized wolves running right through them instead of screen doors or windows like a deer might. Inside the authority-figure's home, it's not hard to detect the scent of someone wearing way too much cologne and aftershave instead of just showering properly, mixed with incredibly recent anxiety (likely owing to all the crashing noises downstairs). When she finds the leader and starts talking about packs and challenges while laughing, he's definitely smelling a lot more waste-y than moments ago. "Ch...? What? I'm not...1 I can't fight out there...!" Indeed, the leader is something of a coward, definitely more of a paper-pusher in both build and spirit rather than someone actually willing to fight. Still, with Hiromi dragging him outside, he doesn't really have much of a choice in the matter.
Kirishima	> GENERALLY The governor of the island is brought out to the main plaza courtesy of Hiromi, clearly a fifty-something politician and paper pusher rather than someone meant for true combat. Nevertheless, Hiromi's demanded that he challenge Kirishima to single combat, and the ninja lets out a low sigh as she tosses a sword down at his feet. A katana, of course, because she's a ninja. "This bloodshed could have been avoided! But... No, that reminds me. How did you know we were coming?" Kirishima asks as she fwips from the top of the statue to barely more than ten yards away from the governor. "Your troops were ready for us before we even arrived." Her expression darkens, but before her mind can go too hard into the possibilities... "Y... You announced it on a public band!" <B-anter> Kirishima says, "Land! I've already identified a good spot, so it's just a matter of impressing ourselves upon the locals to gain their support for our endeavors." "... Ah." Kirishima clears her throat, then sighs as she raises one hand towards the governor and beckons them. "Come, then. Let us end this battle as only true leaders should!" The governor, terrified of getting his ass kicked, picks up the katana and holds it shakily. He looks from it to Kirishima several times, then takes out a gun and aims it forward. The ninja, looking utterly unsurprised, waits until after he's already fired a shot into her waiting wrist before she closes the gap, delivering a hard uppercut to the jaw in return. Before the governor even hits the ground, she's already turned around, zipping back up to the top of the statue to once against project her voice (after glancing back to make sure that he actually does hit the ground). "Soldiers! Your leader has been defeated, and I offer those of you who have survived a chance to survive! Lay down your arms, and we will not pursue you any longer! Fight, and you will only guarantee your own deaths in battle!" With that ultimatum issued, she waits. There's no more gunfire. There is, however, a chance to go after Kirishima herself if someone opts to do so at this point.
Staren	Hey, Staren's here! But would Kale WANT to be treated by Staren, is the question. She nods at Kirishima's assessments. "Still, I wish the forty-two-foot-tall robot scared them away... I guess it's good that I still feel bad slaughtering people, even if it's for a good cause, huh..." She does deliberately miss with her next railgun burst to give troops a chance to break and flee. And now it comes down to single combat. The Star Hawk stands over the battle imposingly, crossing its arms as its optic visor looks down at the governor. Judging. When the governor explains what happened, she's flabberghasted. "You... you... THIS REALLY IS HOW YOU RESPOND TO SOMEONE WANTING TO TALK TO YOU?! Someone who wanted to be FRIENDS?!" She aims the mech's right arm at him, but doesn't fire. This IS to be a duel with Kirishima to spare local and ALF lives alike, after all. "You really are no better than the Coalition. No... Free Quebec." She spits the name as if talking about something horrible. "You have education and knowledge and you STILL chose to treat people like this. SCUM!" She watches the troops after Kirishima's declaration warily, expecting an attack. People this rotten usually fight to the death, don't they? Because they can't imagine you'd treat them better than they would.
Hiromi	Hiromi clicks her tongue while trying to think of the word, before asking Staren for the recordings. Some old men in sage's robes will put those into a projector for her to look at, later. She watches over the duel impassively, waiting for it to complete, and giving little outward indication that she's ready to enforce its results. If Kirishima would somehow lose, then she'd have to usher the SLF, and anyone supporting them, back out again. That's the way of things. But that's not what happens, to no surprise. Now that he's defeated, the governor may as well not exist in her eyes. Hiromi only looks toward Kirishima -- but whatever judgment she makes isn't put into words. There's not so much as a nod. Either the SLF leader will keep her word, or she won't. These are her people, now, and they'll judge her for it, before anyone else has the chance to. The Archwolf makes her own way out.
Midway	When approached by SLF soldiers, Midway pauses. She rolls her shoulders, straightening her back and holding her head high while peering down at them in a fashion that doesn't involve turning her head. Simply a downcast glare from the corner of her eye, her lower jaw concealed behind the necklace of spines she wears. "I do not require your care." She pauses for a moment, though, and then turns to face the group directly. With two steps, she closes the distance, blocking out the moon with her height, highlighted by the crimson glow of her eyes. "But you will assist me in a different fashion." Her head inclines, casting a deeper shadow over those eyes, "Tell me everything about what you are."
Kirishima	> Staren: "friends" "Uh." "Uh." Both Kirishima and the (now former) governor both look at Staren with utter confusion in their eyes. The latter is only able to do that much before passing out from getting rocked in the face, but the former is still fully conscious and able to utter a confused "... What? I was hoping for a more direct turnover of power or a duel, certainly, but becoming friends is... A stretch." She actually drops her ninja-ing voice momentarily. "Like a really... Really huge one." And then she's back to her previous tone. "Leaders such as these have their place in times of peace, but turbulent times such as these are ill-suited to their kind. To enact the sort of change that's needed for my people, there need to be more decisive warriors!" > Hiromi/GENERALLY Indeed, the duel goes as expected, and Kirishima goes unaccosted. Hiromi, too, is not stopped, although Kirishima does whistle once before raising a hand in front of her face like some sort of vague gesture of acknowledgment. "Thank you, Lady Hiromi. May we meet again sometime! Perhaps..." No. She'll leave her challenge for another time. Maybe when they're both fresher than now. Kirishima stays true to her word as well, as the remaining soldiers that had been defending the island are allowed to leave or stay without being hassled by her or the SLF soldiers. Some have decided to lay down their arms, while others have opted to take their own ships and leave. It might not have been apparent earlier during the chaos of combat, but it's easier to see the discrepancy in clothing and armaments of those leaving compared to those staying. Those that stayed are wearing considerably cheaper-looking clothes and had been bearing less-advanced weaponry. Even those artillery-bearing spirits have stark differences in their weapons, the remaining numbers carrying stuff from half a century ago compared to the leaving spirits' gear being only one or two decades old. > Midway "Right! The.. Of course." The soldiers let out a collective sigh of relief as it looks like Midway's about to go, but they freeze up again when she actually comes closer. The lead in particular looks right up at her, clearly fighting the instinct to back off in favor of just staying right where he is while being towered over. "Y... Yes? Uh. What we...? Oh! We're the Spirit Liberation Front, a..." He clears his throat, trying to fight back the anxiety in his voice to no avail. "We're fighting to free Tool Spirits from being treated only as tools for humans or food for other spirits." "We're technically just a branch!" "But it's the same thing!" "At least we're actually out here!" "... S-so you see, we're part of a larger entity, but the real power is kind of lying with..." The lead trails off, gesturing towards Kirishima in the distance. "Other self-appointed leaders have fought before, but she's the first one to survive past a few weeks of this." > Generally With the fighting coming to a proper end, Kirishima gets a hold of a loudspeaker and takes a stance atop that statue once more. She clears her throat, then projects her voice even louder through that with all the peaking that entails. "ATTENTION! This is the beginning of a new era for Tool Spirits! No longer are we simply a rebellion, but from this day forward, we will make this our new home! The new home of the Independent Federation of Autonomous Spirits!" The SLF members and some of the remaining soldiers look towards each other as Kirishima continues, but nobody bothers interrupting her as she does what she can to rally the troops here, surely planning to continue this work further into the future.