Multiverse Crisis MUSH - User contributions [en]

2720/WMAT BQ1 Ysabel Thibault vs Kirikou Rung

2015-08-04T00:58:32Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/08/03 |Location=WMAT Arena - Northern Mountains |Synopsis=WMAT Bracket B starting qualifiers, where Ysabel and Kirikou face down to see who co..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/03
|Location=WMAT Arena - Northern Mountains
|Synopsis=WMAT Bracket B starting qualifiers, where Ysabel and Kirikou face down to see who continues!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=127, 581, 816
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel is not really accustomed to fighting people at her size. Unfortunately, though, she's been involved more than once with other worlds where giant wyverns and beasts aren't the main issues, so...why not get some practice against a few people and hopefully get some money too? Not many quests in Wyveria that pay this much.     Fortunately, she feels right at home in the wilderness of the Northern Mountains. The huntress already stands among a meadow in the battlegrounds, dressed in her wolf-like Zinogre X armor. On her back is the Daora's Casca, the huge turtle-like shield serving as a sheath for the slim blade of steel dragon's plates. Ysabel's expression is about as cold, hard, and sharp as the weapon she has today; a firm frown is settled over her features as she waits for her opponent, and her arms remain folded over her chest.     Unfortunately, she doesn't know too much about Kirikou. Lightning and fire attacks, sure, and a tendency for punching; the closest she can compare any of that to is a Rajang, so she's come equipped for that kind of situation. At least the Zinogre armor will resist his electricity for her. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     Kirikou is no stranger to the tournament, or to fighting fellow humans for that matter. He's fought a few giant-class opponents, plus a few true monsters as well... but most of his training is geared towards facing humans. Or at least, towards facing things that were once human.     He's pretty casual about fighting though, at least when it comes to a glorified duel. That might be suggested by how he enters the fighting grounds. At first he's announced only by the sound of a distant bass beat, carrying in from somewhere unknown. As he gets closer the sound resolves more clearly into a dubstep beat accompanied by another sound, higher-pitched and quieter... the drone of a high-pitched engine.     He cruises to the designated grounds riding an ATV amped out with a powerful sound system belting out music. Not *his* theme or anything, just something out of his playlist. He's already set for battle, his everpresent gauntlets already on and in place. Kirikou's also got shin guards and a tactical belt with holstered pistols.     When he spots Ysabel, Kirikou grins in a friendly way. Heavy armor, and a big... shield and sword? Man, looks like he's fighting a good toe-to-toe fighter! Excellent... he'd much rather not use his guns. He only has them for emergencies.     As he drifts to a stop, he cuts the music and the engine both, letting silence drift over the arena. Kicking off and forward, he comes out to face Ysabel. Not aggressively, just ready and apparently confident. He doesn't attack, just watches her. Then he shrugs, rolls his shoulders, and slams his fists together in a loud ringing clash that could easily work as the equivalent of an announcer's bell. 

:'''{{#var:816|Celestine (816)}} has posed:''' Celestine makes her way to the stands with some popcorn, two steakburgers, and a large soda. She plops herself down on the stadium seating and stares at the monitors with anticipation for the battle to start. It also gives her a chance to see how this all works before her own match later in the month. The Raptor-Dragon does yells out, "Go get them Kirikou!!" In support for her fellow confederate, even though she is not sure if they can even hear her. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The sound of an approaching bass beat is...strange to Ysabel, to say the least. A confused expression settles on the hunter's face once her attentive hearing catches onto it, and even more so when the 'music' (assuming someone still used to medieval instruments could call it that) becomes paired with an engine's growl. Soon enough, though, she catches sight of Kilik's approach, and her look turns more exaspirated.     She's not exactly one for big entrances.     Ysabel's stance changes, one hand coming to rest on her hip while the other hangs at her side. She waits patiently enough for Kilik to dismount from his noble (and now, thankfully, quiet) steed before she unsheaths her sword with her left hand. That alone is about the size of a sword most people would need two hands to control, but she seems able to hold it nimbly enough with just one. The sea-turtle-like shield is gripped in her right hand and braced at her side, and Ysabel's sea green eyes become fixed on her opponent.     "Not much for talking, huh?" The quip comes as she settles into a combat position, shield ready to block and sword ready to strike. She waits for a moment or two, watching Kirikou...then strikes.     It's a quick assault: she rushes forward, her sword coming in for a quick diagonal slash upwards at Kilik's center. Test his reactions, see if he prefers to avoid or block, and plan her attack from there. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     Kirikou laughs at Ysabel's quip, genuinely amused. "Normally people can't get me to shut up!" he claims. "But, you know, this is a preliminary. We haven't even qualified yet. I don't care much for bragging or trashing before it's time, and it's not like we'll have an audience..."     It's at that point that Kirikou's fan calls out from the stands. There might just be a sweatbead forming on the Meister's brow thanks to that. Not that he really knows Celestine, beyond some casual chatter on the radio. Not that she knows him or could be called a fan really. She's just cheering for a fellow Confederate. Still, the timing is golden and contasts his point at just the wrong moment.     He shakes his head ruefully. "Right. Time to... whoa!" he cries out. He HAD signalled his readiness, and doesn't fault the Monster Hunter at all for her timing. He does get his fists into play, intercepting the sword before it cuts through his torso. He can't stop the blow's momentum though, and his gauntlets are crushed into his gut as he absorbs the hit. There's blood, though it's only a scratch. Mostly it's the power of the blow that has Kirikou staggered. Seems like this warrior is every bit as physically powerful as Kirikou himself. He's flung backwards despite his attempt to absorb the blow.     Shaking his head, Kirikou sets his feet. "Damn. Not bad." he says admiringly. "Not much for talking yourself huh?" he grins, before flying forward. His weapons are very short-range, and for some people this would be a disadvantage. Kirikou's turned it into an advantage however. His fists are faster than most weapons would be. If he sometimes has trouble landing blows, that's only because he has to get inside his opponent's reach. Rarely is this much of a problem though. He rips off a few probing punches, not intending to do anything more than try to get Ysabel to block her own sightlines with that massive shield, before he throws his true attack: a hooking punch aimed to come around and hit in floating ribs or kidneys below her guard. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel doesn't press very hard when Kirikou's sent staggering back. She got what she came in for, and so when her strike hits, she quickly steps back to open up the distance further and avoid the chance of a counterattack. She doesn't know this guy, after all; gotta play it safe while she learns what he can do.     The grin isn't returned as Ysabel braces her shield again. "Kind of a waste of time, isn't it? Not to mention distracting," she adds, snorting softly as if pointing out Kilik's earlier distraction. Not that she's going to complain about getting more openings like that.     Kirikou comes in with flying punches, but as quickly as he can move his heavy gauntlets, Ysabel can move her giant shield. The turtle's shell intercepts his floating punches, frigid metal clanging and jarring her arm slightly...and she's managed to block her sight enough that his next hook /does/ manage to slip around. If it weren't for her quick reaction, he'd slam right into her waist, but she manages to slip her shield down just enough to deflect his attack. The force of the blow is jarring and pushes her to the side, though at least that's better than actually getting hit.     She's quick to get her footing again, rushing in to retaliate (hopefully) before Kirikou can recover. Freezing ice blasts up where her strikes land: one slash cleaves down toward Kilik's chest, another swings out to seemingly leave her open, and then she brings up her shield.     Not the back, however, but the base, which drives up into Kirikou like an icy punch. A hissing, mechanical sound comes from the shield as the turtle's fins flare out briefly, now easily seen to be sharp blades, though those aren't aimed to hit Kirikou. It's the metal track that drives out of the shield's base like an icy piston that comes for his ribs before both blades and track retract again a second later. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     The shield has Kirikou a little puzzled, and more than a little frustrated. Shields aren't really something he's faced before. Not big heavy shields like this, at least. He'd normally punch through a shield. He can punch through walls after all. But this? No, he's gotten a feel for the thing. This is designed to stand against monstrous creatures far larger and heavier than Kirikou. His advantage, if anything, is going to be speed and agility.     His frustration is only aggravated, however, when it turns out the shield isn't just a shield. He blocks the blade easily enough, though the elemental blasts strike cleanly through his guard to stagger him. The transformation of the shield catches him completely off-guard, the piston slamming into his ribs beneath his guard. Still, the kid is tough. His gauntlets are unbreakable steel but the rest of him isn't much softer. He lets out an explosive whoosh of air as he's struck, but he doesn't back away. Instead he unleashes his own attacks. Speed and agility. While his soul energy is still charging; while he's still attuning himself to deliver power into his gauntlets, speed and agility are his best weapons. He slams a fist down hard overhead to hopefully draw the shield up, then arcs around with a series of looping punches, trying to get around the shield by using unpredictable rhythm and angles rather than trying to overwhelm it with power or raw speed. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Well, that's a problem. Ysabel expected that blow to stun Kirikou a little more, but he dives into combat almost right away! While her shield is still in recovery from that attack, she can't quite shove it into position in time, and his blows come at a time when her best option is her /own/ agility.     Not that it's quite enough. Her teeth grit as she tries to stagger back out of the way of that downswing, but she barely avoids that before his whirlwind of punches comes swinging in against her. One, two, three - powerful strikes slam against her shield arm's shoulder, and it's only her quick tumble toward Kilik's right side that saves her from enduring any more.     Her shoulder aches - that's going to make it difficult to block for a bit - but she can't let herself slow down. If Kilik's going to be agile, then she needs to as well, and she's quick to get her footing and try to rush forward to take advantage of Kirikou's recovery. Down her frigid blade comes again, but this time it's aimed for the back of Kirikou's thighs to make it harder for him to maneuver: a single powerful slash to disable him and buy herself more of an advantage, if she can manage it.     The hilt of her sword has started glowing with yellow energy, too, strangely enough. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     The fight is going poorly; Kirikou can see that clearly. This weapon-and-shield thing has aspects to it he hadn't expected, and he's having trouble adapting. Unusual for the Meister, who usually fights with surprising flexibility and mental agility. He's beginning to understand however. If he were stuck using just metal-clad fists, he'd be at a major disadvantage. As it is, he's nowhere near used up his collection of skills and powers.     One of Kirikou's peculiarities of his own personal fighting style is how wide-legged he stands. Others stay more upright, preferring maneuverability over balance. He stays low, and it's for just such attacks as the Monster Hunter's. He blocks low with a gauntleted fist, protecting his legs. The sweeping blade's momentum is all but impossible to stop, but he's only knocked over by it, absorbing the blow with metal and rolling aside to dampen the impact somewhat. The hit obviously hurts, the shock travelling up his arm and giving him something to fret over, but at least he isn't crushed or slashed.     His diving sidelong roll ends up with him in a crouch, and he comes out of it in a raging charge, expression grim. His left hand is up defensively, his right cocked back, the fist blazing with spirit fire. There's no fanciness behind this attack, just raw aggression and power. He assumes Ysabel will assume he'll continue chipping away, going angular, sweeping around for hits past her shield. No such thing though, not this time. Kirikou puts his soul into an attack, slamming himself at the Hunter's center of mass straight-on with the kind of power that's made him half a legend even at his young age. 

:'''{{#var:816|Celestine (816)}} has posed:''' Celestine continues to watch the fight before her, munching away on the steakburger with her eyes glued to the screen. Her tail tip twitches gently as she observes the combat and form of both parties. Picking up on little things here and there about them both, but once Kirikou hits with his attack, Celestine stands up cheering, "That's the spirit!" 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     While Kirikou may be having trouble, Ysabel isn't faring too much better. She's gotten several good hits in, but the huntress is forced to stay on her toes and stay alert for openings that normally wouldn't be a problem. Such as now, when Kirikou's fallen, and she steps back to bring her shield down and shove her sword into the shield's sheath. The turtle's fin-like blades spread out again as energy is transferred from the sword to the shield's interior phials, letting out a sound of a mechanism briefly locking in. Normally, Ysabel /should/ have enough time for this quick transfer, but Kirikou gets up much faster than she's used to.     Her teeth grit as she catches sight of him charging straight for her just a second too late to do much. She tries to bring her shield up, but to no avail: his punch drives straight into her gut and sends her tumbling back head over heels.     At least her comparison of him to a Rajang wasn't too far off.     Ysabel is only on the ground for a few seconds before she shoves herself up to her feet again, already in a run toward Kirikou. Her sword, however, is still sheathed, even with her hand right on the hilt. That yellow glow is gone, but as Ysabel charges ahead, she lets go of her grip on her shield, too. Several feet away, much too far away for her to actually hit Kirikou with her sword, she digs her clawed boots into the ground and gives a furious /shout/ of effort as she swings her sword around.     In the middle of the arc, the weapon's mechanisms get right to work. It only takes a few seconds: the track where the sword is sheathed extends into a long handle, and the shield rotates so that the turtle's head is on the opposite end; the fins extend outward, and the turtle's eyes light up with a cold blue glow. Just before the weapon hits Kirikou, it's clear that it's not just a sword and shield anymore, but a massive double-bladed axe longer than Ysabel is tall.     The heavy weapon swings at Kilik once before Ysabel brings it up and around again in a second weighty arc, but the power and ice element aren't all the charge blade delivers. Each time the blade hits Kirikou, it sticks a mote of yellow energy to his body about the size of his own torso. Once Ysabel's second swing finishes, both of those motes explode in concussive blasts meant to daze while delivering a powerful explosion. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     A soul-charged punch from Kirikou often destroys Kishin-candidate humans in Kirikou's world, breaking through their defenses, their attacks, and consuming their bodies leaving nothing behind but their red-tinged soul. Not that Ysabel Thibault is anywhere near as soft a target as a once-human Kishin Egg.     Kirikou knew he'd be betting a lot on his ability to do damage even with that massive shield present. He's a bit surprised he catches her while she's preparing her own attack, but she's as tough as anyone he's ever faced. Even taking that hit on armor, he can tell she's nowhere near out of the fight. He probably shouldn't have been surprised though. That's more than just a shield, he realizes. It's a weapon, every bit as much as his own gauntlets are Weapons rather than defenses. Sure, she could turtle (hah) behind it, but he's beginning to realize she'd be giving up the largest part of her own offence to do so.     After his own big attack, Kirikou goes defensive for a time, trying to analyze the sword-and-shield combo weapon. He could have followed up, but only by foregoing the powerful soul-fuelled attacks and returning to simple metal-on-metal... which is a battle where he'd been losing.     He brings both his fists up quickly to block Ysabel's blow, regardless that the swing is too short to actually strike him. The elemental projections of the attack are something he's wary of. His eyes widen behind his glasses as he sees the weapon combine into its true form. He's up to the task however, blocking the blow with crossed fists. The strike pushes him, making his feet draw furrows in the dirt, but he responds with a grin as the attack does no harm.     He actually seems to be unafraid of the giant switch-axe. It's slower than the sword-and-shield, and he seems to think with good reason that his armor can protect him. He blocks a few more blows, getting visibly cocky as his grin widens. Still, he's not TOO cocky. He can see the little motes of energy. As he defends himself, he realizes there's more to this attack than just raw mass and edge.     Inside his head, Thunder is almost frantic to point this out. Motes are her sort of thing. Charging up and being defensive... are also part of her tendencies. The wordless alarm of Thunder resonates with Kirikou's own alarm, and his defensive stance suits her emotions. Their soul bond resonates, and when Ysabel's true attack falls he's ready.     When the axe falls, Kirikou's simply NOT THERE any more. He leaps to the side possibly faster than the eye can follow. Whether the axe lands or not is moot. Kirikou's already attacking, interrupting the massive swing with his own charged blast. Motes explode from his left fist, sending a surge of soul energy laced with resonance of lightning into the Monster Hunter's armor. The attack isn't about power or impact, not this time. It's all about soul-resonating power, and whether or not that power can harm the warrior within the armor. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     That's...new.     A charge blade's phials are an almost guaranteed source of damage. No matter where the motes from them hit, they'll stick, and they'll explode. To have someone just.../interrupt/ the blasts like that is completely unheard of to Ysabel.     Needless to say, she's pretty shocked at the results, no pun intended. Kirikou flies at her just as her second swing whiffs, leaving her wide open from the momentum of the axe. The lightning she's not so concerned about: her armor should eat up the brunt of that damage, soul energy or not. It's the punch itself that she feels a desperate need to avoid, and her options for doing so are limited.     In the heat of the moment, she can't really think, and so she just acts. As her axe swings wide and Kilik attacks, Ysabel lets herself be pulled along by the massive weapon and hurtle herself to the side. Lightning jolts along her back as Kirikou's gauntlet glides just over her skin. If he's perceptive, he might see the electricity seemingly being absorbed by the glowing blue lightning tattoos along her back in the moment before she flies past him.     Ysabel stumbles slightly when she lands, but she keeps her footing well enough to heft her axe again. This time, however, she does something different: the axe is brought behind her like a batter about to swing, but the axe's blades come back in and the head rotates 180 degrees before sliding down to the hilt. Yellow energy courses along the weapon, and a second later, Ysabel steps toward Kirikou and spins.     The track retracts back into the shield as the entire thing suddenly flares with a red sheen. The momentum of Ysabel's rapid spin powers her slash as she tears the sword from its sheath, the blade crackling with yellow energy, and drives her foot into the ground. The powerful slash that comes explodes with ice again, but the energy lingering on the blade also comes off on Kirikou in another yellow mote. Once more, it explodes a second later in another concussive blast. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     Kirikou's a little off-balance after his attack, and once again he'd rather recover than press. That axe is an impressive weapon, and not just because of its huge size. And as much as he is a feared powerhouse, it's Kirikou's defense that puts him a cut above (pun definitely intended) many others.     Settling in a deep balanced stance, Kirikou brings his fists up. It might become clear why he fights like this. Those massively huge gloves are as much of a shield for him as Ysabel's shield is for her. It's comparatively easy to defend his body, but by staying low he can also protect his legs. In this case though, he doesn't really need to defend his legs. His fists stay poised, and the two of them handily fend off the impact of the spinning strike while also shielding him from the icy energy of the blade.     It doesn't protect him, however, from the concussive force. He'd been expecting a followup attack to detonate those motes, like before. The blast catches him off-guard, flinging him into a tree. He grunts, shaking off the blow. "Hell of a weapon you got there." he says gruffly, setting himself and preparing to lunge again. Looks like leaving her time to transform her weapon might end up costing him. Very well, time to shake things up a little!     Kirikou's left fist is still charged with glowing golden-blue soul energy. Not electricity so much as the aura of electricity. If lightning is less effective than he might expect, he can still do plenty with the Weapon. "T2!" he cries out, slamming that left fist down, releasing the soul energy abruptly into the ground, sending out a concussive blast of dirt and gravel at the Monster Hunter. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     This fight is starting to wear on Ysabel. The huntress' breaths come heavily as she stands watching Kirikou, taking a moment to recover herself while she doesn't have any pressure on her. Most things this size, from what she's used to, should be down by now; Kilik's a tough one, that much she can see.     "Yours aren't junk either," she huffs back at him, brow furrowed in tension. She's ready to dodge, or block: with her shield empowered and shimmering red, she'll be able to defend even better now, so she doesn't worry too much about the situation.     Though she probably should, with the surprises Kirikou keeps throwing at her.     Ysabel is expecting a lunge, not for the ground beneath her to explode. She's caught off-guard and sent flying, like a burrowing monster suddenly burst out of the earth at her feet. Up into the air she goes, before she crashes down on her back with a dull wince. That one...hurt.     She's a little slower to get on her feet this time, but when she does, it's right back into the fray. Ysabel's charge takes her straight toward Kirikou, and rather than bring her sword arm toward him, she instead attacks him with the shield. Nothing fancy: just a powerful slam with the turtle's hard, reinforced shell, meant to throw his balance off and open him up to the assaults that follow. One, two, three - she puts her weight into the icy slashes of her sword that come next, pressuring Kirikou with strong, relentless assaults that come with harsh shouts of her own. If she can build up more energy... 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     Kirikou is easily able to block the shield slam, but it does its job in setting up the follow-up hits. None strike flesh cleanly, but a spray of blood goes up nonetheless from a hit he can't fully block. "Think I'd... aah... like to see... OW... the monsters it's... HAAAH... built to fight!" he says, his words interrupted by pauses as he sets himself to defend each blow. On the last attack he spins away, the blow only grazing him, and he takes the opportunity to launch his own flurry of attacks. If he does nothing but defend against the comparatively small-and-fast sword and shield combo, he'll be overwhelmed in no time. His best chance it to try to drive his opponent back to the defensive with the help of a narrow evasion freeing his arms for attack instead of defense.     Kirikou's attacks seem like flailing, but they're not. He spins, striking with the back of a fist. Dipping low, he swings his armored shin around aimed under the shield, going for a strength-sapping kick to the calf. He continues the spin around full-circle, planting his hands on the ground and arcing a heel up with all the momentum he can put into the spin, following this with a twist of his hips and a half-hop, lashing out with his first foot again before bounding up to his feet. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel isn't even given a chance to recover once Kilik finds his opening. Her sword's hilt glows yellow again, but there's no opening to transfer the charge when she's put on the defensive. That first strike catches her on her recovery, jarring against her more exposed chest and winding her briefly, but she's quick enough to shift her shield down to slow down his leg's sweep so that it doesn't knock her leg out when he hits. That's enough footing for her to jerk back and avoid the brunt of his next kick, but her balance is off: that second kick is unexpected and strikes her dead-on the gut, nearly sending her flat on her back again with the strength behind it.     "Somehow," Ysabel winces, drawing back to get out of Kirikou's range, "I don't think you'd have much trouble with them."     No time is wasted: Ysabel's sword drives into its sheath again, siphoning its power into the shield. Again the weapon transforms into its massive axe form, and mid-transformation Ysabel brings it down on Kirikou. This time, however, there aren't any explosive motes, but the red aura around the axe increases its power enough that those aren't really needed. All it is is a heavy mass coming down on top of Kirikou with a strange boost of power behind it, ready to burst with ice again on impact. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     "We're both Monster Hunters." Kilik says somehow. One shouldn't presume too much in a fight... there's always time for banter, or to show your opponent some appreciation. Even when attacking furiously, there's often feints and maneuvers for position. In this case Kirikou needs time while recovering from his capoiera kick-flurry, and he sees no reason not to engage in banter.     Kirikou springs to his feet straight in the path of the falling axe. Or rather, he would have. Seeing the weapon transform and come around, he doesn't even try to remain upright. His feet touch down only momentarily, and he dives out of the way in a maneuver more properly called a tumble. Perhaps a topple. Something effective but not particularly graceful. He only comes to his feet a few seconds later, as the blast of ice and dirt from the axe slam clears enough to show he's not there.     Kirikou's own fist is wreathed in red. He's focussed on offense, and this makes his soul synchronization closer to that of Fire than the protective Thunder. "Just different monsters." he says abruptly, slamming that fist out like a battering ram. 

:'''{{#var:816|Celestine (816)}} has posed:''' Celestine continues to observe the match as both fighters continue their brutal stride after one another. Her eyes are wide as she drinks the last of her soda, before she yells out, "Come on Kirikou! End her!!" Though as she does this she nearly drops her cup and has to quickly recover before she spills what is left. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The axe misses, but Ysabel's ready to retaliate. She hefts it up again, bringing it back as she keeps an eye on Kirikou. The timing of this will be tough, she knows, but if she can pull it off...     As she sees Kirikou's fist glow red, her own weapon shifts, the blades retracting into the turtle's shell as the head rotates back and slides down to the sword's hilt again, as if it were about to transform back. It never gets there, though, because just as the track retracts into the shield, Kirikou's fist flies at Ysabel, and she suddenly slams the weapon mid-transformation forward to block his attack.     Kilik's burning fist crashes into the shield, and the impact releases a sudden explosion like the concussive blasts that come from the charge blade's motes. It doesn't do much on its own: a stunning, jarring blast at close range to surprise Kirikou and throw off his balance like a parry, hopefully enough to buy Ysabel the time to follow up. And that she does, once more drawing the weapon with its red aura back into a batting position as the track extends from the shield once more.     It's barely a moment before she swings. All she needs is one hand to swing the charge blade in a horizontal arc in front of her, and mid-swing the axe blade swings back to the end of the track. /That/ is just the windup, though: by the time the charge blade is behind her, the axe head is spinning rapidly like some kind of rotary saw, sparks flying from its mechanisms as it seems like it's flying out of control.     Then the weapon arcs down over Ysabel, slamming down on Kirikou as the axe finally locks into place on impact. The raw power of the weapon's red aura is expended in that smash, and all five phials of concussive energy are spent in five towering explosions that erupt from the ground in front of the weapon. It's the kind of assault that sends giant wyverns staggering; how will Kirikou handle it? 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     Kirikou's knocked back by the blast as his Fire Fist almost literally bounces off the charge blade shield. Not hurt by the blast, he's stunned just for a moment as his pent-up power and fury doesn't land in the expected manner. It gives Ysabel the time she needs for that follow-up. Somewhat dazed, he hops up and backward out of reach of that horizontal swipe. He's still coming down when the axe changes direction, screaming down at him from over Ysabel's shoulder like the fist of an angry god.     Kirikou has no chance of dodging. If that axe doesn't hit him when he's still in the air, it'll hit him before he can push off again; long before he can get his body entirely out from under that horrific swing. Fire and Thunder shriek wordlessly within his head. If it hits him, the fight's over. And there's no possible way it's NOT going to hit him.     Kirikou has only one chance. He throws his arms up over his head, locking his elbows, bracing his body like a coil, setting up for the landing and the impact. He can't tank this hit though. It's not just the mass of the axe, it's the evil red glow of the elemental burst he by now knows to expect. He could deal with either alone, but not both at once.     He doesn't have to, however. Opposing force with force, that's for losers. Kirikou allows himself to bend as the strike hits, twisting his body slightly out of line, redirecting the attack marginally to one side. And thanks to certain well-known laws of momentum, the attack pushes him in the opposite direction. His body compresses somewhat, his shoulders distending, his knees bending. A normal human would be pulverized, their body unable to absorb the blow. Kirikou isn't normal however. He's many times stronger than an ordinary human, many times tougher. Being one of the top three Shibusen students in terms of raw muscle means ordinary human limits simply don't apply. The force of the monstrous blow squirts him to the side, out of the direct path of both the kinetic strike and the explosive one.     That's not to say Kirikou's unhurt. Far from it. His arms are damaged. His left shoulder's dislocated by the force absorbed while deflecting the blow. The explosions don't miss him entirely. But he's ALIVE, if not precisely sound, and now BOTH his fists are blazing with elemental power. Glowing red fire surrounds one arm, while blue-yellow plasma wreaths the other. It's as if, somehow in the middle of that terrible blow, he absorbed some of the energy and made it his own.     This is nonsense, of course. Soul energy simply doesn't work that way. It's desperation, pure and simple. In the blazing will to survive, he's managed to draw both Fire and Thunder's souls together, to resonate cleanly with both. Grimly he clasps his blazing fists together, letting his relatively uninjured arm support his dislocated one. The attack owes little to muscle for its power anyways. Muscle power is just the way it's delivered. The true attack is almost pure elemental fury. "Triple D!" he cries out hoarsely, swinging his fists together backhand as if there were a baseball bat between them and he was aiming for the fences in the World Series. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Once the super elemental burst is discharged, the charge blade is forced to revert to its sword and shield mode, its energy currently expended. Mechanics clank and twist into place as the shield's mechanisms retract, allowing Ysabel to draw the sword free and brace the shield on her right arm...and see that Kirikou's still standing.     How, she's not really sure. Her confusion is obvious in her expression as she stares at him, shield raised slightly in caution. "...what the /hell/ are you made of," she pants, mostly to herself.     His fists swing, and Ysabel is just too slow to react. While her armor may be able to weather the effects of lightning, it's certainly not immune, and it has absolutely no defense against fire. Both giant explosions strike Ysabel dead-on, and as if she were simultaneously struck by a Rathalos' fireball and a Lagiacrus' electric ball, she goes flying back into a tree that rattles with the force of her impact.     The hunter lands on her knees, still gripping her weapons with what strength remains, but obviously weakened. Wincing, leaning on her shield, and steaming with the heat of that explosion, it takes her a few moments to recover. Still, she does: shaky as it is, she rises up to her feet and gives her neck a dull crack. Holding up her sword and shield is hard right now, but the strength she has left is pushed right toward that goal. She can win this. Right?     "Whoever wins this, we're both going to need a drink afterward," she groans, eyes narrowed.     Another powerful shout. Ysabel charges, ignoring the pain jolting through her body as she rushes toward Kirikou. Her shield comes back, and like Kirikou's own punches, she drives it toward him again, punching with the aid of the interior track's piston thrust to add some further strength to what's left of her own. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     There are very few people Kirikou would aim that attack at while not intending to actually kill with it. Certainly very few humans. He's used it a few times before in the WMAT, but only once against a human. That human was Toph, so Ysabel's in good company. It's a credit to her obvious toughness that Kirikou was willing to aim such a vicious attack at her, expecting her to survive. Sure, some of that's her impressive armor. Big deal... Toph was encased in rock at the time. Makes no difference, and it does nothing to diminish the toughness of the person inside the armor.     Kirikou makes a wheezing sound, and it probably takes some time to recognize it as a laugh in response to the Hunter's words. Well, a chortle at least. He hurts too much to actually laugh. But not too much to move, it seems. He raises his good arm when she comes in at him, using it as a shield. At this point, sore and weakened as he is, he can't possibly block the kinds of hits he was taking before. One wounded arm isn't up to the kind of abuse two sound arms were needed to deal with.     The shield slam rocks him hard, and he staggers from the blow. Even if it's not got the power of some of Thibault's earlier attacks, even as he gets his arm in the way, it does plenty of damage due to his state. "A sound soul." he wheezes. "Dwells within a sound mind." he adds with effort. Never does Shibusen's mantra seem more appropriate.     "And a sound body!" he finishes, throwing himself forward. As hurt as his legs are from the explosion surrounding that horrendous attack, they're in better shape than the rest of him. He might not be in great shape, but he's almost as quick as ever. Maybe not quick enough to go out running races, but he can still fight. He hops forward, planting one foot out in an attempt to ram the shield out of alignment. Then he follows the pushing kick with a quick flurry of blows. feet, knees, even a blow from his relatively-undamaged right arm, while his left does what little it can as a counterbalance. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Sound mind, sound body...may not exactly describe Ysabel, but the huntress is pretty stubborn. She can hold up well against this kind of assault for a while, far beyond what most normal humans would deal with. It seems to be something exceptional for hunters in her world, especially with the powers of monsters granted to them by their equipment. Even now she keeps up that stubbornness in the face of exhaustion and pain, but how long will that last?     Ysabel attempts to block, but while it spares her from injury, Kirikou manages to kick her shield away and open her up. She jolts back to try and avoid the flurry that follows, but there's only so much she can do: his attacks graze her, then strike much more soundly, kicking her back again and again until she finally finds an opening to disengage.     Bruised, battered, and burned, Ysabel twists out from in front of Kirikou to slip toward his side. Another strong shout bursts up from her, almost as powerful as the slash she drives her strength toward cleaving down at his thigh again. His legs are all that he has left, right? If she can just take those out from under him... 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     Kirikou's not much for defense at this point, and his flurry of kicks and that one punch was without soul-power enhancing them. Dual Dynamo uses every scrap of power the Meister can channel. There'd be no point in holding back more for a second attack, though it's not quite all-or-nothing.     As he presses the attack, Kilik's will to fight powers his soul energy. It's not much. Certainly not nearly as much as he'd used in that elemental detonation. It's enough, however. Enough to allow his right fist to once again begin to glow in a weak blaze of red. No heat... his attacks have never been that kind of flame. Still menacing enough though, and should be enough to point out that Kilik still has more than just his feet to rely on. As Ysabel slips to his side to reverse the fight's momentum he vaults upwards, the sword cutting into his foot instead of his thigh as intended. Not a crippling blow, but one that would make it almost impossible for him to continue attacking or to flee once he lands. More importantly, hitting him in the foot instead of the thigh means the cut doesn't alter his trajectory. He arcs up, over... down. Coming down from almost straight above the Monster Hunter. "Yaaaaah!" the Meister calls out, wordlessly summoning his last true gasp of power and effect. No named attack this time, not even a two-syllable shortform that can be called out quickly. Just a single drawn-out cry of effort. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     There's only so much that even a Monster Hunter can endure. That blow strikes Ysabel /hard/, and after everything else she's endured, it's simply too much. The hunter is knocked back, sending her sprawling to the ground and knocking her weapon free from her hands. She winces on impact, groaning as the pain all over her body really starts to settle in.     "...yeah, I think you got me."     It's a few moments before she manages to sit up again, but she pulls through. Stubborn to the end, Ysabel pushes herself up, then rises up to her feet. It's a strain to stand up straight, but she figures Kilik's earned that much respect, and so she manages it. Head up, expression firm, she reaches out her hand in offer of a shake. "You're tougher than a goddamn Gravios," she grumbles, "and I gotta respect that. Good fight, kid. You've earned your respect."     Another wince comes as her free hand slips to her waist, pain jolting through once again. "...so I'm gonna guess you don't mind paying for drinks now, huh," she hisses, her tone still gruff and her face lacking a smile, but it's clear enough that's meant in good humor. 

:'''{{#var:127|Kirikou (127)}} has posed:'''     Kirikou for his part staggers as he lands, almost collapsing. That last hit, graze though it was, would have made it all but impossible for him to avoid any follow-up. In itself it's not that much damage, but on top of everything else he had little left.     He lands hard, one good leg, one knee, one arm. He does land though, and manages to push himself back to his feet before Ysabel arises. He limps over towards her, wanting to check up on her. For his own peace of mind and for the honor of the fight, he wants to be sure she's okay. If nothing else he can offer her a hand up. But when he sees her struggling to her feet he stops a few paces away, respecting her effort. Only when she's fully up and extends her hand does he grin, tapping his gauntleted fist to the back of her hand before accepting the handshake. "You got it, Hunter." he says with a grin. "Drinks are on me any time. I got no idea what a Gravios is, but you can tell me all about huntin' one." he replies. 

}}

2460/Snowed In

2015-06-16T13:13:24Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/06/15 |Location=Wyveria |Synopsis=Sanary goes out to the Tundra to hunt a Barioth and a Lagombi. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=581, 714 |Tinypl..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/06/15
|Location=Wyveria
|Synopsis=Sanary goes out to the Tundra to hunt a Barioth and a Lagombi.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=581, 714
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The blustering peaks of the Tundra are cold even in the daytime, but at night, the rime-blasted landscape is only worse. The winds howl, darkening the night skies with a chilling blizzard that hinders vision beyond several yards out. Trees laden with snow rustle their branches in the wind, only for the blizzard to proceed with restocking what snow has fallen off. It seems like the time where many sensible monsters would rather go into hiding.     However, Sanary is here on a mission tonight, and her prey would most likely be out in the cold as well. While travel to the Tundra's base camp would be provided by the Guild, on arrival she would be left alone with the canopied bed shielded against the wind and the twin chests, red and blue, that mark the base camp. If a campfire was lit, it's long since been smothered in snow, but at least the camp is set up in a safe place. Just by the freezing river, on the outskirts of the frozen forest, just out of the way enough that no monsters should be able to easily wander into it.     The blue chest has the usual equipment for such a quest. Hot drinks, red liquid of crushed hot peppers kept in vials to stave off the worst effects of the cold; potions for healing; vials of cleanser to break up any ice locking one's limbs together; as well as paintballs, whetstones, and a helpful map of the area. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      It had been a while since Sanary had gone hunting for anything bigger than Jaggis or Popos, and she really needed to get some fo the kinks out of her system from not fighting alone for so long. Sure, it was good to work with others and cover each other's weaknesses, but she needed the time to just dig in and remember how to fight on her own.      What better way than to fight two giant monsters on her own? She arrives at the camp in her usual/only set of non-basic armor: The Tetsucabra Z armor. She's also got her trusty gunaxe strapped to her side, the Daora's Casca slung over her back, and even a pickaxe in case there's any particularly shiny chunks of ore on the way to her targets.      She's learned from the last time she went on a hunt unprepared, at least, even remembering to bring some hot drinks along in a satchel. No sense wasting time in the camp, though. After gathering everything in that blue chest (even the ammo!), Sanary peers at the map closely before starting on her path for the for the caverns! 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The path is mostly quiet as Sanary proceeds, passing through the forest and along several clearings. A few small Popo herds are braving the cold, but they barely seem to even take notice of her as she goes. The air is even clear of Bnahabra annoyances, most likely because the harsh winds would be too difficult for them to fly through easily. Better to hide in the caves where they can be lazier about things.     However, soon enough, Sanary approaches a larger clearing that seems flanked by a few different caves that must weave through what seems like a massive wall of ice and stone, rearing high up in front of her with a sheer drop from the peak down to her level. It's from here that a strange, guttural cry echoes over the howling wind.     One would expect to make use of snow by sledding, and that's exactly what the Lagombi does. From its high cliff, the rabbit-like beast slides on its smooth stomach down the icy mountainsides, weaving and slipping with nearly expert control. Its path is taking it down to the clearing, of course, but in particular...it's aimed right to smash into Sanary where she stands in the clearing.     It would probably be best to avoid the several tons of fifteen-foot-long rabbit barreling down as fast as a speeding car.     BOSS MUSIC: http://goo.gl/Hf3PQ2 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Chugging one of the hot drinks once she finally realizes that she hadn't done so earlier, Sanary sighs in relief at the heat from the peppers keeping her from freezing her ass off. Just in time, too, as the Lagombi comes charging down the mountain straight for her!      "Not gonna mess it up this time..." The healer mutters to herself as a wide grin crosses her face, watching the oncoming rabbit beast while drawing the charge blade from her back. She could use the gunaxe, sure, but she hadn't really had an opportunity to practice with this thing just yet. Might as well do it now!      As it draws closer, Sanary starts running towards the Lagombi diagonally, trying to move herself out of its path and turning radius. As she does so, she also takes quick swipe at the creature as it passes, trying to feel out the range of the blade without fully committing to a more reckless attack just yet. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     While the Lagombi can shift pretty well mid-slide, there are certain movements that are harder to pull off, like sharp turns while keeping momentum. By the time it's realized Sanary's out of its path, it's a little too late to turn, and the beast suffers a slash against the side for its fault. Its hide isn't very dense, and while the blast of ice from Daora's Casca barely seems to cause any harm, the sharp blade leaves a rather large spurt of blood from its flank.     The Lagombi is quick to recover from that, digging its claws into the earth to come to a skidding, spinning halt not far from Sanary. Ears flat against its head, it levels a short bark at her before rearing up onto its hind legs.     It doesn't charge this time, though. Instead, it digs its forepaws into the earth, then suddenly flips it all upward, sending a steadily-growing ball of ice, earth, and snow rolling swiftly toward Sanary! No doubt she's going to need some of those cleansers if she gets run over by that. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      "Didn't like that one, eh? Well.. Sorry, but a job's a job." Grinning slightly at her handiwork, Sanary keeps her shield raised as she circles around the Lagombi slowly while it's standing up. She's still not completely used to using a weapon requiring (relatively) more finesse than her usual fare, but it's not terrible. Weighty, at least.      She raises an eyebrow slightly as it digs its paws into the ground, content to observe the creature for the time being while it isn't attacking just yet. "Come on... Take a swing, why don't ya?"      When the massive ice ball starts rolling at her, though, Sanary's a little more confident in the sturdiness of her shield. Instead of trying to run past the ball, she instead braces herself for impact behind the shield and thrusts it out at the last second, intending to break right through the ice ball itself. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     While the attempt to smash the ball is...somewhat successful, it's a difficult thing to do with even a shield build entirely for this kind of purpose. The massive ball smashes into Sanary's shield and cracks, but doesn't exactly shatter: it strains against Sanary's defenses and crumbles, falling all around her. At least it doesn't send her flying or crush her, but instead she's now stuck in a pile of snow and ice for the moment. That might take a bit to get out of.     The Lagombi seems content with this, giving a low grunt before starting to lumber up toward Sanary and her snow pile...     ...but, before it can follow through, a far more menacing roar echoes through the Tundra. A streak of white flies through the air, smashing the Lagombi onto its side with a heavier burst of blood as black claws rake across its torso. The Lagombi howls, flailing its legs in the air, and the Barioth comes to a skidding halt as its wing claws dig into the ice and catch it for its landing.     Far larger than the relatively small rabbit creature, the sixty-foot-long Barioth rears up, delivering a tremendous howl into the air. It's enough of an opening for the Lagombi to get onto its feet and attempt to start loping away, but with the Barioth's speed, it'll likely soon be overcome. However, the Barioth also doesn't seem to notice Sanary under that snow pile; could that be an opening for her?     BGM CHANGE: http://goo.gl/koylpG 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      That didn't go nearly as well as Sanary had hoped. Cursing quietly to herself as she struggles to free herself from the snow pile, there's still just a slight grin as the Lagombi comes closer. It's not a completely pleased grin, of course, but there is a the prospect of the fight being more interesting than she had initially expected.      Or... Maybe getting stuck in the snow did go better than expected? When the Barioth arrives suddenly, Sanary watches at the significantly larger beast with a wide-eyed stare.      Right. The quest objectives did mention a second monster, didn't it? Thankfully, with the Barioth's attention diverted elsewhere, she's soon able to free herself from that snow pile. She doesn't waste too much time regaining her bearings, though, realizing how little time she might have to take advantage of the situation. Combining the blade with the shield to activate the weapon's axe mode, she puts all her weight into a massive swing at the Barioth from behind, aiming the weapon right for its rear leg to try and hamstring it early. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The heavy axe strikes at just the right time...for the Lagombi, at least. As the Barioth lunges forward, amber tusks bared to sink into the Lagombi's neck, Sanary's axe cleaves into its ankle and sends it stumbling down, blood bursting from its leg and a feline howl rolling from its maw.     At the same time, though, it's that sudden interception of the predator that draws the Lagombi's attention back to Sanary. Upon seeing that she's /still/ there, it seems to forget its earlier fear and wheel around, rearing onto its hind legs and belching out a roar at her. Once more, it leaps as if to tackle her-     Only for the Barioth's heavy, axe-like tail to swing toward Sanary at the same time as it regains its footing. That tail is going to send her flying if it hits, but so too will the Lagombi's tackle. Of course, they're both aiming for the same place... 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Sanary lets out a satisfied shout as the axe hits its mark, seeming quite pleased with just how effective the charge blade is as an axe. Too big to use against people, definitely, but it's the perfect size for beasts like these!      That said, Sanary's strategic decision-making could probably use some work. Perhaps it would have been better to let the Barioth tire itself out with the Lagombi first, but what's done is done. She'll just have to focus on making the most of it instead.      Gripping that charge blade tightly in both hands, Sanary practically flings it in front of her and uses the momentum from that to try and throw herself /towards/ the front of the Barioth rather than away from its tail, hoping to get herself out of the range of that incoming tail from one side and the Lagombi from the other.      Should she actually succeed in avoiding that whole mess, her next move will be to detach the shield and blade for additional mobility before chop at the Barioth's front arm. She's sorely tempted to switch to the gunaxe, but she's sticking it out for now! 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Sanary's bizarre choice of evasion proves to save her this time. She slips just between the Barioth and the Lagombi, and the air suddenly fills with a sharp /crack/ as the Barioth's tail impacts against the Lagombi's cranium, cleaving off one ear and sending the Lagombi tumbling in howling pain.     While the Lagombi is temporarily distracted with its broken ear, the Barioth is already turning to face both of its targets. Sanary's blade slashes against its forewing, but only just cleaves into the plated arm. That seems to be one of the stronger parts of the Barioth's body, and with good reason, considering how much it relies on that to be able to stop on the slippery ice. The blast of ice that comes up with the blade's impact doesn't seem to hurt it much, either, but considering where it lives, that's not too surprising.     The Barioth's turn is purposeful. As it wheels around to face Sanary, its mouth opens to give full room for those massive amber tusks. Its arm pulls back, and with the full force of its body behind it, it tries to chomp down on Sanary with its bared fangs, each the size of claymores. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Sanary's stubbornness knows no bounds as she keeps wielding that sword instead of switching to her gunaxe, knowing full well that the fire or lightning shells loaded into that weapon would probably be much more effective than the icy blade.      AT least the Lagombi's out of commission for now. That lets her focus most of her attention on the Barioth, trying to figure out just how to successfully damage the creature without putting herself at too much risk. She's not quite fast enough to outright dodge the bite, and using the shield to take it head on might not be the best idea after that incident with the ice ball.      So she tries to just grab onto the Barioth's head instead. She bites back a pained grunt as the Barioth still grabs hold of her lower leg in its teeth, but she's hoping the armor will be enough to keep it from ripping her shin off while she starts trying to stab its eyes out. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Strangely, it seems the head of the Barioth is one of the weaker points. As Sanary's leg is caught between its teeth - but fortunately not those massive tusks - and the sabertooth wyvern starts swinging her into the air, it suddenly suffers a severe injury from the blade stabbing into one of its eyes. The wyvern abruptly releases Sanary with a tremendous howl, staggering back and pawing at the bleeding orifice with a mixture of confusion and pain. That should at least provide Sanary a minute to pull herself together.     Or at least it /would/, if the Lagombi - now enraged and puffing a frosty cloud from its mouth - weren't gathering its own wits. The rabbit-like beast suddenly leaps toward Sanary from behind, except this time its arc is more aimed upward. The reason for this becomes obvious soon enough, as its rear comes crashing down onto Sanary from above, only for the Lagombi to roll forward and flop back onto its stomach once it lands.     The Barioth isn't too happy, either. Its one good eye now glows a hateful red instead of the blue it was before. As the wyvern rears back its head, a cold mist seems to gather around its fangs before it snaps forward again and launches a ball of ice at Sanary only moments after the Lagombi lands. This isn't a normal ice ball, though: on impact with the ground, it erupts into a small, freezing tornado, casting icy winds all around for a few seconds. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Sanary grunts and curses a few more times as she's unceremoniously dropped by the Barioth, bouncing off and rolling on that icy ground a bit. She focuses some of her magical energy into the wounds on her legs to jumpstart their regeneration, still staggering a bit as she picks herself up off the ground...      ... Right in time to notice the Lagombi coming at her from above! She's got enough feeling in her legs to start moving again, at least, and she just narrowly manages to avoid getting crushed by the rabbit beast by diving away from the landing point. dives out of landing point.      Unfortunately for Sanary, that's still not quite far enough to avoid getting tagged by that freezing tornado, and she's knocked back several yards by the blast. Sent into another roll and tumble before flopping flat on her face, it takes the healer a little longer to get up this time. The weakness to ice from her armor certainly isn't doing Sanary any favors, and she's looking just a little more irritated at this double-teaming going on. She's still circulating energy inside herself to mend the more grevious bruises, punctures, and fractures, but she's also starting to focus energy into her eye as well while waiting for the creatures' next moves. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The Lagombi and Barioth don't seem to be dealing with each other much anymore. As is natural for this world, all the focus is on the hunter who's assaulted them both. The Lagombi is still on the recovery, but the Barioth is far more aggressive.     The sabertooth wyvern suddenly leaps up onto the frosty wall just long enough to gain a footing, then just as quickly dives down at Sanary, claws outstretched and tusks bared to slam into her with all its weight!     The Lagombi, meanwhile, takes a few moments to recover before making its move. It crouches as the Barioth leaps, wiggling its rear for a few brief seconds before bounding forward and sliding toward Sanary at high speed once more. Its rocketing sled assault should impact a few seconds after the Barioth, if they keep going at this pace. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      There's just no helping it. If the Barioth and Lagombi are targetting her, that's enough for Sanary to justify cheating. Just a little bit, anyway.      At least she's not using her gunaxe still. Bracing her shield in front of her as she steps back, the lone hunter casts her gaze straight at the oncoming Barioth and channels the last bit of energy necessary into her eye before firing a concentrated heat laser at it! She detonates the blast early just in case the laser misses its mark, although she can't keep her attention on the Barioth for that long with the Lagombi coming her way.     Sanary doesn't have nearly enough time or stamina to try and avoid it after having fired off that beam at the Barioth, but she's still got that shield on her. If the Barioth doesn't just land right on her and pin her down with its sheer weight, she'll try to intercept the Lagombi head on with both the shield and sword, aiming to use its momentum to maximize the impact against it.      And if she does get landed on? Well, cart rides aren't so bad. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     While the Barioth is very skilled at what it does, handling surprising and powerful blasts of heat while hurtling through the air is beyond its capabilities. The heat laser strikes its vulnerable head mid-flight, and the force of the blast sends it hurtling out of its precise dive. It tumbles and yowls, and when it crashes into the ground, it's fortunately just past Sanary. Unable to land on its feet and use its wing claws to slow down, it tumbles through the ice and snow before crashing onto its front, dazed and scorched.     The Lagombi, meanwhile, doesn't slow down at all. Whether it could on such short notice is questionable; either way, it barrels toward Sanary at breakneck speed, ready to slam into her head-on!     Of course, doing so comes to its detriment. With several hundred pounds crashing into that shield, it may send Sanary flying, but it also suffers a deep impalement just below its chin. The Lagombi suddenly slumps, its controlled slide dissolving into a tumble as it crashes into the struggling-to-rise Barioth. Unlike the wyvern, it doesn't get up.     One down, one to go.     The Barioth, much more stubborn and durable than its rabbit kin, finds its footing soon enough, though with an added limp from its hind leg. It huffs and snarls, struggling to stay upright, yet defiant against this enemy hunter. With its limp, leaping may not be an option, but it still has a few more tactics left.     The Barioth rears back, looking ready to hurl another ball of ice, but this time it uses the momentum of slamming back down to swing its hindquarters around and deliver a solid sweep of its tail to her side! 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Success! Sort of. Even though Sanary's plan worked better than expected, there's still the little issue of getting launched back several yards from the impact of the Lagombi crashing into her. Even with the shield and armor bolstering her defenses, she can still feel several bones in her arm cracking from the sudden force hitting her all at once.      Tumbling around and falling on her yet again also isn't that fun. Thankfully, she's still able to keep a hold of her sword even though she's forced to leave the shield on the ground for the time being. It's better than being completely unarmed, at least.      "That'll... That'll do for that. Alright. Come on, you big bastard!" Psyching herself up to get ready to finish the hunt, Sanary resists the urge to use the last of her reserves for another heat laser and focuses instead on circulating it through her broken arm to get it back into working condition.      Plus, doing that dodging thing faster people are so fond of. Without the weight of the shield to slow her down, she is able to move a bit faster on her feet, and even manages to avoid that tail sweep with several hops backwards. Once that tail passes her, she rushes back in with a heavy slash at the base, trying to just cleave it off with... A sword that might not be long enough to actually do that. Still, she's swinging it pretty hard! 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The tail seems to be another open spot against the Barioth, though perhaps not quite as much as the head. Sanary's blade digs deep between the Barioth's plates, drawing up a solid burst of blood against the wyvern's white armor. It's not a sever, but that's a powerful hit nonetheless.     One that draws out a pained howl from the wyvern, its tail lashing back to try and pull free from Sanary's sword. Unfortunately, she's slipped in on the side where it's been blinded, so precision in attacking her is out of the question. However, at the same time, it has its whole body behind it that it can use. With a sudden lurch, it bounds to the side to slam its body into Sanary to try and open up the distance from her. Hopefully that should buy enough time for it to turn around and face her directly, where its remaining red eye can fixate on her and guide its fight for its life. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Good news! Even though the tail hasn't been removed yet, Sanary can see that the Barioth's tail has some heavy damage. Even better, she's regaining the feeling in her shield-holding arm and could probably go back and grab it once an opening presents itself.      The bad news: Getting rammed into full force by the Barioth's hipcheck is not very pleasant. Spitting out blood as she's sent flying by the impact, Sanary does at least land near where she had left her shield. To make matters worse, though, getting hit that hard without a shield to blunt the impact means that instead of having one good arm to work with, she instead has two broken arms and some cracked ribs.      "Tough one, ain't ya? Hah.... Shame I gotta take you out, but... Well." Coughing out some more blood as she forces herself back up onto her feet, the one-eyed human-sized hunter stares at the significantly larger one-eyed hunter defiantly while directing the rest of her magic reserves into her eye again. Trying to mend her wounds now would take too long, and getting hit again would just put her back at square one. "Come on. Let's finish this!" 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The Barioth, pained and struggling to remain as proud as it normally is, snarls its rage at Sanary. The predator stays upright, though its injured tail stays on the ground, and it seems forced to lean on one side. Burns cover its head, and one eye is gone. The other glares red at Sanary...though soon enough fades to blue again. It just doesn't seem to have the energy left to maintain its fury.     As the blizzard howls, the Barioth seems mostly silent, gauging the hunter shouting and struggling herself. Claws rake at the ice. A low rumble rolls up from its throat.     All of the sudden, it leaps again. Claws and tusks bared, the Barioth puts all of its remaining force into one last leap at Sanary, one last blow to try and finish her off. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      There's little point to trying to run now. The Barioth's bigger, stronger, and probably even faster than Sanary is in an outright chase. With her body in the condition it's in, she's also probably not going to get very far if she misses.      She just has to make sure not to miss. Giving the Barioth an almost respectful nod as it makes one last descent at her, the human digs her feet into the snowy ground beneath her and lets out a hot-blooded roar. She pumps the last bit of energy needed into her eye, firing off another explosive laser at the white creature when it's descending from the leap. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     A roiling explosion blasts into the Barioth's head mid-flight. The creature lands, but just short of Sanary, its wing claws barely scraping over her before it comes to a skidding halt on all fours. The wyvern lingers there for a few moments, two slow breaths huffing between its fangs...and then it collapses, slumping onto the ice and snow and finally staying still.     Quest Complete! https://goo.gl/WIYfI8 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Sanary braces for impact as the Barioth comes down after getting blasted, waiting for the pain that never actually comes. She keeps staring straight at the wyvern as it takes its last breaths, stepping towards it slowly once it finally stops moving.      "Not bad, fanged... Uh. Thing. Barioth! Yeah, that... Yeah." She takes a deep breath before collapsing onto it herself, a satisfied smirk crossing her face at the mission's success.      "... Gotta tame one of these next time." 

}}

2281/A Storm of Steel

2015-05-20T13:03:06Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/05/19 |Location=Wyveria |Synopsis=Ainsley needs dragon bones, and Ysabel's willing to provide them, assuming everyone goes through the work fo..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/19
|Location=Wyveria
|Synopsis=Ainsley needs dragon bones, and Ysabel's willing to provide them, assuming everyone goes through the work for it first.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=151, 236, 495, 581, 619, 626, 714, 766
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     While scorching hot during the day, the Desert region instead experiences a sharp chill at night. The moon hangs high in the sky, surrounded by a blanket of stars streaked now and then by the tail of a comet. The wind is hardly a breeze for now, but further in the distance over the rolling dunes, a sandstorm is all too apparent as a chaotic pillar rising to the sky. What's more, it's incredibly localized: normally a sandstorm should be heralded by blustering winds, spread out through a wide area, but this one seems oddly constrained, as if all the wind in the region found itself focused on a single point as wide as a city block.     The observant may notice the bizarre absence of wildlife for a wide area. Normally, one would at least see Genprey wandering the oasis, or Apceros herds grazing on tough grasses, or Cephalos swimming through the sands, or at the very least small insects and lizards making a nuisance of themselves, but even the smallest creatures seem to have gone into hiding. Not a single natural sound passes through the air, save for the distant whistling of the sandstorm. The silence feels as if the entire world holds its breath in anticipatory dread.     The base camp where Ysabel waits is located on a rocky overhang in one of the few oases of the Desert, overlooking the sandstorm raging in the distance. It's a simple setup, with a tusk-and-leather-built tent sitting under the overhang's shade and a ladder leading down the cliff to the dunes. The standard red and blue chests sit at opposite ends of the camp, and a fire pit ready for a campfire is settled in the hard rock in front of the tent.     Ysabel deals with none of these things. Her form entirely shielded by the silver sheen of her Kushala armor, she stands at the edge of the rocky overhang watching the distant sandstorm and contemplating it in silence. On her back is the strange azure and pink shape of the Azure Rosebloom switch axe, folded up for storage and ready to unfold at a moment's notice. She's about as silent as the steel mask of her helmet might suggest, waiting for others to arrive to deal with the elder dragon residing in that distant storm. 

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:''' Every week, the young Ellard picks a new highlight for his hair. He goes through the primary color wheel. Today his iron colored hair has electric purple highlights. He is decked out in his customary gear. Leather jacket/breast plate. Tower shield. Seven foot wooden case on his back. Loose desert wrap on his head. Water bottles on his mount. Goggles around his head. mPro video camera strapped to his goggles. Speaker system around his neck playing the latest PHAT ELECTRIC RAMUH BEATS. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Too much sand, very cold nights, a general lack of water... Yep. This was definitely a desert. Sanary had never been to a desert at night, but she's definitely seen her fair share of deserts during the day. It's because of that discrepancy in temperatures that she's shivering right now, no doubt partly due to her wearing only a t-shirt and sweatpants underneath the set Tetsucabra Z armor.      "What the hell... I-I thought deserts were supposed to be hot!" The healer's practically jogging in place just to keep herself from freezing, looking much better than she did just a few days ago. She's also armed to the gills: A gunaxe on her hip, a buckler on the other side, and a massive metal bagpipe strapped to her back.      "W-well. There's probably some of those drinks in the... The box, right?" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley wasn't about to simply sit out something like this. Despite not wanting to participate in combat in general these days, she has arrived prepared for just that. She also has a proto-abstractum ribbon tied to the end of her tail to help with the chilly air out here, since she is, in fact, cold-blooded and would probably die if she was hit by a wave of fatigue at the wrong time in the form of a snap of cold air.     She probably showed up earlier than most of those showing up today, and this meant she had time to prepare snacks on the open fire. It smells like barbecue around the camp site, and there's an array of meats for everyone to snack on at the camp fire if they so choose.     The lizard woman floats up to land near Ysabel, and stare out at the sandstorm, frowning in that direction. She checks her equipment while she waits for everyone to show up, having brought her daggers and the sword, as well as a very large book strapped to her back like a shield. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra will gladly hunt monsters if it is a team job involved. It's pretty much guarenteed between Ainsley coming and Kyra knowing that Ellard was as well. She's pretty confident about all of this too knowing that very recently she had a Magic Incident so there was a very high probability that there wouldn't be any more for a while. That's /usually/ how it worked, after all.     Kitted out with her 'expert support' loadout (CURE-ALL plus various potion sundries), she too has a set of goggles over her eyes. The goggles are usually standard riding equipment but given yonder sandstorm, she probably won't be removing them this fight. Across her forehead is the camera she's using to stream the fight-though with Ellard that means they'll have DUAL FEED ACTION. Multiple angles! The Mognet will go wild!     She too is astride a chocobo-or more specifically her chocobo summon matrix. Being the standard model, it is a yellow-feathered bird with respectable speed. She doesn't dismount once she finally arrives at Ysabel's meeting spot-that is until she sees the snacks that Ainsley made. She'll get off the chocobo, which disappears once she does, and help herself. "Hi guys!" 

:'''{{#var:619|Sanae Kochiya (619)}} has posed:'''     One of the things for Sanae Kochiya, on these assignments, is that she gets the full force of the local flavor. Accordingly, when it came time to ride out across the desert in a world where monster hunting is more than a hobby, but a way of life, there was only one way to properly do it. Certainly, she could have walked, or flown under her own power. Instead, with the dose of wealth from her last job still burning proverbial holes in her pockets, and her standard policy of supporting local economies, she decided to rent a valiant steed to take her out to the rendezvous point! She had heard of large, bipedal birds that are typically used as pack beasts on some worlds like this - but instead of a striding, noble figure cutting across the desert, she settles for what they had. A cart, pulled by a pair of creatures resembling something between a fluffier ostrich and a peafowl, which certainly get the job done but are not quite so elegant about it. They kick up a small dust storm of their own, heading in.     The priestess, herself, also bought a simple, grey-brown cloak to go over her normal adornments. Light and breezy, and easily removed, it is the perfect shelter against the bite of the night's chill. With the camp in sight, but more importantly that incredibly dense sandstorm in the distance, the Gargwa come to a stop on their own, seemingly refusing to go any farther. "..well, I guess that's close enough. Thanks!" Was she just talking to the birds? Apparently so, since she reaches to give one a pat on the flank. And just then, some cacophony chimes in across the desert, heralding the approach of another fellow would-be hunter. Her eyes glance over with just a touch of momentary jealousy. That's the kind of horse bird she wanted! Nonetheless, she plods the rest of the way to the camp, pulling down the hood of the cloak, smiling broadly, "I guess this is where we're meeting, then! I'm Sanae Kochiya. And that conspicuous dust storm is..?"     The aproach of another distracts her, though, and she brightens again when turning to her, "Miss Sanary! Deserts get cold at night. There's little plant cover to help regulate the temperature gradiants, you see." A glance is also given beyond, to Ainsley..a figure familiar from a week or two ago in that strange nightmarescape. But she seems preoccupied, just like she was back then. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva definately likes the desert at night more than the day. You can always put on more warm clothes, but there's a limit to what you can take off. Nevertheless, Riva doesn't bundle up much. She figures she's going to be warming up by running around a lot soon enough. The vast and multiudinous variety of horribly murderous and deadly wildlife in this land doesn't go unnoticed either... Or it wouldn't if there were any. Right now the place is kind of bare. Thus it is that Riva approaches the base camp with her large two-handed mace in the shape of the anchor-like Ajoran cross on her back and two MP7s at her sides. "Hiiiiiiiii!" She waves to Ysabel, almost defying how serious business the situation is with her cheerful greeting. "I'm here to help!" 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     The first sign of his appearance will be a large yellow bird riding towards the base camp, with a man in a red coat mounted on its back. That would be Auron. He has his sword, as well as the bow he acquired here. It's made for killing giant monsters, and that's generally what needs to be done when someone puts out a call for help in Wyveria.     The sounds of people arriving are likely to fill the silence. But still Auron doesn't like it. Why isn't there any wildlife? What's got them so scared? Or has it actually eaten everything? He notes a very large group already there, and relaxes a bit. The more people there the better. He arrives at the base camp, pulls the bird to a halt, and then dismounts     "Hello," he offers, to the group at large. As much as he's glad for so much help, greeting everyone individually would take a while! And he's not really one to say much. Unless he has something to say, of course. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ellard's arrival gets...a long, expressionless stare from Ysabel. She's seen a lot of strange things and people, but this is certainly new. At least she recognizes the bizarre bird he's riding on from Auron's various appearances, so that's something familiar. Kyra's on one too; they must be from the same place, so hopefully that should apply some kind of reason to their strangeness. "...hi," she finally says with a mix of uncertainty and weariness to the two. "Ysabel Thibault. Nice to meet you. Don't get mauled."     Ah, Sanary, that's someone she recognizes. The huntress raises a hand in greeting, then jabs a thumb toward the blue chest. "Yeah, hot drinks are in there. You'll want to chug one on the way. Without anything to hold in all the heat, the Desert's going to freeze your ass off at night. Haven't you read the region summaries?" Well, hunter in training. She'll go easy on her.     Ainsley gets a long stare of her own, considering Ysabel hasn't run into the lizard woman before. Lizard people are still a bit of an oddity for her, considering her usual targets; fortunately, the grimace she no doubt shows is hidden by the mask of her helmet, giving her a moment to compose herself before she responds. "Ainsley, right? Hey. Hope you're prepped for this one. Keep that lightning you were talking about handy, this thing's weak to electricity."     Sanae gets a nod as well; is that a hint of relief in Ysabel's voice when she speaks, seeing someone ride in on something /reasonable/? Brownie points for the shrine maiden, it seems. "Ysabel Thibault, hey. The dust storm is our target, the Kushala Daora. I'll give a summary once everyone's set up, since I think we have a couple more coming."     Speak of the devil, there's Riva and Auron - people Ysabel recognizes enough to not stare, even despite that baffling cheer on Riva's end. Both of them are offered brief waves, and then Ysabel's folding her arms and giving people a summary of what's to come. "So, that sandstorm over there is caused by a Kushala Daora. It's a particularly dangerous elder dragon whose scales are made of steel - literally - and who controls the wind at all times. It'll be hard to get close to it, and even harder when it's angry, so I hope you have some ranged abilities. This isn't some random animal, so don't expect it to fall for dumb tricks. It's probably as smart as any of you, and it'll fight with all its power to defeat you. We have a few things we can do to counteract what it can do, though."     Ysabel counts the various points on her fingers as she speaks. "First, we can poison it, which is why I have this specific weapon here. It's very susceptible to poison, and while it's suffering from that, it can't muster winds to the strength it normally can. Second, we can break its horns, which is a permanent solution to weakening its wind ability. Second one's not exactly /easy/, but it's something. Just stay alert, be ready to get blown around, and don't let it surprise you."     With that, she nods, letting her arms fall to her sides. "Now let's get this finished before it moves off somewhere else. Be ready to defend yourselves as soon as we get to the sandstorm." The hunter turns away from the group, then, and starts down the ladder toward the dunes a good distance below. 

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:''' Ellard does the same as Kyra, sliding off the chocobo and grabbing the harness, making it disappear. He hoists the harness up over one shoulder, adding it to the weight of his other objects. "Oh hey, we get a meal too? This is great." It's hard to tell that Ellard is ready for serious business. He is, after all, sixteen, wearing brightly colored clothes, listening to music, and not actually armed with a weapon. He grins at everyone else, "Hello!" He slaps his hands together, then tightens his gloves. "Pleased to meet you, Ysabel, everyone, I'm Ellard." He then stops, and waits patiently. He listens attentively and nods along with Ysabel as he sticks meat in his mouth. He pulls out a pad, makes a few taps on it, swirls his fingers a few times, then shoves the pad back in his jacket, sipping it away. He takes up three more kebabs, puts them in his mouth, then pulls out his shield. Holding it over his head, he runs out towards the ladder. "woooooompppppppppph" He leaps out into the air, rolling the tower shield under him as he plummets to catch the sand dune and slide. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Sanary grins slightly upon spotting more familiar faces and hearing those familiar voices. Ainsley making food, Kyra on a big yellow bird that disappears somehow, Sanae on a different type of bird, that old guy that did the thing with the reapers...      "Really got a full crew for this hunt, eh?" Her confidence bolstered and the coldness temporarily ignored, Sanary snags a hunk of meat for herself and brings her other hand up for a quick salute to Ainsley. She perks up at hearing Sanae, turning to greet her with the same salute as well.      "Evening, Sanae! Yeah, I probably should've looked into this a little more. But... I-it's fine. The box over there usually has some drinks for cold weather in it, so I'll just grab one o' those. You ready to fight the... Whatever we're fighting tonight? Kushalla Dorra?" She flinches just a bit at the scolding from the veteran hunter, chuckling weakly as she scoots towards that blue chest Ysabel indicated. "Sorry, sorry. I'll know for next time!"      It's a good thing she pointed out that one, too. She might've gone for the red one otherwise.      Listening to Ysabel as she fishes one of the aforementioned hot drinks from the chest, Sanary sips it slowly and chuckles lightly at Riva's cheer. With so many people fired up for this, how could they lose? "I'll focus on support and healing, then. Got this big noisy thing and the ol' standby if I gotta do some real damage." And thus, she'll take the rear! Partially because that's just a better spot for a supporter, partially because it's better than risking crushing someone if she falls off that ladder somehow. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Hi!" Kyra waves cheerfully at Ysabel, one hand holding onto a barbequed rib made by Ainsley. Her cheer slowly fades as she realizes that their guide is giving her and Ellard the hairy eyeball. "The name's Kyra and I'm here to heal and provide magical support." Slowly, she frowns, "I probably won't get mauled if the party formation stays tight enough." She gestures at the weapon on her back-clearly looks like a long-range grenade launcher, insinuating that she's not going to be getting up in the face of any dragon today.     It's worth noting that Kyra came covered, exposing very little skin to the sun here. It makes her kind of hot but it prevents the pretty serious sunburn she'd be getting otherwise.     She listens as Ysabel fills them in on the monster, specifically pointing out that it's in the sandstorm and it has scales made out of actual steel. "I've also got ways of poisoning stuff though I'm not sure my darts are going to have the usual penetration against steel scales. If it's as smart as you say it is then it's possible it'll come attack the healers. Hmm." She pulls something off one of her belts and hands it to Sanary. It's a flask filled with purple liquid. "Hey Sanary! If the dragon tries to eat you, cram that poison down its throat. I'll do the same if I get aggro."     Kyra moves to climb down the ladder, laughing as Ellard decides to go the sledding route. 

:'''{{#var:619|Sanae Kochiya (619)}} has posed:'''     That's another advantage to using the local conveyances. You don't shake things up quite as much. Of course, it might also help that Sanae is wearing this drab covering over her normally colorful robes. "I read up a little bit," she says, something that she's had to get more used to in the multiverse, with all its exotic fauna. "But, I'll wait for your briefing! No doubt they left a lot out - they always do." With that, and awaiting others to file in, she sets to mingling mode during the calm before the sandstorm. She wasn't feeling particularly dehydrated, or chilled, even with the desert as it is, but she still helps herself to a drink and bite of something to be sociable, and keep her energy reserves up. Her eyes glance between several of the newcomers, a chewed bit of barbecue managing to hide most of her trace of a frown at how many people have these fancy birds. Even Kyra, a face she knows well, had some kind of holographic one.     Even before Ysabel begins her descriptions, the emerald-haired priestess distracts herself by glancing out at the sandstorm again. As something of a being of wind herself, even from the distance, she can feel how 'angry' the element has become around it, something the words only verify. That deepens her frown a few degrees, but she swallows her food when addressed by Sanary, burying that dread for now. "Research is good to do, but no plan survives actually getting into combat, right? If this thing is that smart, I'm sure we'll have to adapt quickly, anyway." She reaches under her robe, tugging up a detached sleeve while sticking her tongue out in effort, "Ranged, I can handle. Never heard of something like this literally covered with metal, so it should be a good learning experience." After pumping herself up adequately, she moves to stand up and begins to follow behind Ellard and Ysabel. She *could* just float down, but taking the ladder is so much more rustic! 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron waits quietly for the explanation of what they will need to go after. Steel scales, huh? He nods, though he waits until Ysabel is done with her explanation before he offers, "My Katana was made to crack open tough fiends. I might be able to help give openings." Though he'll have to go melee to do that. He is, however, brave enough to do that. Or stupid enough, whichever!     Ellard offers an introduction, and so he offers in return. "Auron. Pleased to meet you." Good diea to know everybody's name. And When Ysabel starts moving towards the sandstorm Auron follows. He's actually close to where Sanary is, preferring to stick to the back of the pack himself as well. That and he just walks slow... 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva may be kind of silly, but she pays attention. She nods, listening to the explanation, and then at the mention of the windstorm looks out into the distance. "Wow. That's /huge/." She says, marvelling at the scale of the creature one would have to be to create something like that. HOWEVER, Ysabel is ready for this! The fact that she has a gameplan makes Riva much more happy, and she leaps over to draw Ainsley and Kyra into a big group hug! "All right! You both ready for this action? This is going to be /amazing/. Let's stick to Ysabel's plan and get moving! She's the expert, after all!" She releases the pair and looks to Sanary, nodding. "All right, keep us all going!" She turns to the sandstorm and begins charging forward, making her way across the sands towards their target for the evening. As recommended, Riva pulls her guns. Until that wind is weakened, there's no way she's going to get in close, not with /those/ winds. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     The lizard woman wouldn't be too bothered by the weird look she'd cause in Ysabel. Ainsley would look confused, though. Once the hunter speaks up to her, she offers a polite nod of confirmation, and smiles gratefully at the advice to use lightning magic. Once this has been said to her, she flits on over to check on the others, sharing a fond smile with Kyra and Riva--     Ains lets out a gentle *squeak* when hugged, a bit of a bird-like noise. She laughs lightly, and then turns toward the soon-to-be-angry monster over there kicking up all of the sand.     She lowers herself to the ground for the extra bracing, not wanting to fly around and just get thrown into one of the nasty rocks that can be seen sticking up out of the desert. She walks somewhere to the rear of the party, not in a rush to leap into the fray, especially not after she's been told she has her best chances with spells she can easily use at a range. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel draws her weapon immediately after she gets off the ladder. The axe blade of the Azure Rosebloom slides up and clanks into position, giving the weapon the appearance of a massive, heavy halberd. She can still move at a decent clip, and so she does, running across the dunes toward the swirling column of sand that comes ever closer as the Kushala Daora moves. It's not long before the barrier is breached, and everything turns into a whistling storm.     Vision is terrible in the sandstorm, as is to be expected. The winds almost immediately go from a light breeze to a powerful gale, whipping sand around with remarkable strength, but fortunately not enough to send anyone flying or falling on their rear; just enough to be suitably dramatic. There is, however, something /else/ flying.     A black shadow dances in the storm, fading in and out as it sweeps and dives, broad wings flapping to propel a lithe shape through all the wind as if it weren't even a concern. Strangely, the shape appears to be big, but not as gigantic as the sandstorm might suggest it to be. Metallic screeches can be heard over the sound of the whistling wind, growing louder as the shadow comes closer. Ysabel visibly braces herself, coming to a halt; no doubt the dragon's noticed them by now, especially as a last powerful /howl/ rolls through the storm, and the dragon...swoops up, even its faint outline vanishing.     It's silent for a few moments, and then another screech pierces the sky as the dragon's shape dives down toward the group. What comes faster than it is the swirling, concentrated blast of wind that crashes down on them first, blasted like a fireball to scatter the group with a hurricane gust. Ysabel, fortunately, rolls aside enough to avoid being hurled, but what about the rest? At least the dragon's dive may provide a good opening, even with the wind whipping around it.     BOSS MUSIC: http://goo.gl/FNrvj6 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley steps into the domain of a dragon. The Kushala Daora's sandstorm winds nearly enough to topple her off her feet from the beginning thanks to a misstep on the sands, and she has to push against it with a hand and her own wind magic. She looks up through the storm and toward the flying beast that they are here to battle, her eyes narrowing through the haze of sand thrown around them.     It dances down through the air on the wind, it's metallic screech rending any shred of courage from her heart. Ainsley sucks in a breath when it disappears into the sandy sky, and when it drops down at them after the silence again, she can already feel the storm of its wrath bearing down upon them. She throws up her own hands to try and repel the blast, while also taking a bit of a hop to the side. But she's not built for this kind of fight, and it sends her head over heels through the sand, landing on her face, pretty bloodied and very unhappy.     Ainsley focuses on the dragon, following it through the air. She raises her hands and tries to draw the power of the wind to herself, and redirect the flow of it to interrupt the Kushala Daora's flight path, in the hopes of sending it down into the ground near the party. They'll have a hard time fighting something that won't leave the air for long enough for them to hit it! 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Sanary takes the flask carefully and flashes Kyra an appreciative grin as she puts it away. "Thanks, Kyra. Here's hoping we don't have to use 'em that way, but... I've got decent armor on, so just stick behind me if you have to." She looks to Sanae next. "That goes for you, too! I've actually got armor on, so I should be able to take a few hits if someone has to."      If nothing else, she's a team player. The hot drink seems to be kicking in rather quickly as the healer stops shivering finally, just in time to make it down that ladder aaaand there's a dragon coming from them.      Well, then. She's not going to try and tank that thing head on, instead opting to make a mad dash for one of the rocks instead to use it as cover. Only when he's behind that rock does she take the bagpipe off her back and start flailing it around like a madwoman. She's careful in just how much she flails it, though, making sure to do her flailing away from her allies. But is there a purpose to all of this dumb movement? There has to be, if she's doing this instead of actually shooting at the dragon... Right? 

:'''{{#var:619|Sanae Kochiya (619)}} has posed:'''     It was nice to sound all cool about this, how she was going to perform miracles with Ainsley. It's quite another to run into battle, of course. It has a sort of..nostalgic feeling. When the pace picks up towards the sandstorm, Sanae's steps keep pace. She certainly doesn't have heavy armor or weaponry to slow her down, but with all these athletic people around, she can't be blamed if she augments her movement with small bursts of wind of her own. A feat that becomes even more paramount as the creature in the maelstrom of debris' storm grows stronger with proximity, almost threateningly. Reaching beneath her cloak, while it's not strictly necessary yet, she withdraws her own weapon - an implement that looks little more than a stick with a trapezoidal fold of stiff paper on the end. Many monsters of another world would know different.     She does keep astride Ainsley, making sure not to move ahead or fall too far behind, as well as trying to keep track of the group as the visibly drops from relatively clear to 'a few meters without radar'. Her connection with the wind would normally give her clues, but the battering gales are disrupting any notion of that, even as her own magic tries to keep a 'bubble' around her free of the obscuring dust. "Miss Ainsley, was it? Ready your spell whenever you wish, I'll begin focusing!" With that, her own small windstorm kicks up at the edges, and she clasps her hands in front of her, the odd wand held between them as she closes her eyes in effort. It comes a little late, though, and she regrets what she said about plans not surviving the encounter. Instead, she tries to create a denser still pocket of air behind Ainsley to cushion her position, as her own feet slide in the sand from the dragon's approach. Such a powerful force!     "U-understood," she manages to Sanary, though it's somewhat strained already, from trying to maintain a somewhat workable atmosphere for herself. "Be careful!" 

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:''' As Ellard comes to the bottom of the dune, he pulls himself back up, spitting kebab sticks out of his mouth. He breaks into a steady loping run, pumping his arms back and forth as he moves into the sandstorm. It helps when you are both heavy and strong to move through the wind. He brings up the massive tower shield as he runs, not head on into the storm, but at an angle, using it more as a wind break so he can keep charging. As the fireball comes against him, Ellard braces himself, putting his shoulder out and his shield up. He takes it on the huge steel face of the tower shield, but not perfectly. If Kyra is paying attention, she might notice Ellard is a pretty piss poor shield-oriented Knight if that's what he's going for. He is trained in group tactics, however, and watches for his opening. There. He moves as Ainsley casts, hurling himself up at the dragon, trying to catch something and pull himself up. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Seeing Ysabel draw her weapon as she steps off the ladder, Auron does the same. The Katana at first, since he needs to protect himself -- and others -- while he gets a read on the beast. Observing from a distance seems impossible. Once they enter the storm, he draws his free arm up, to protect his face and remaining eye from the stinging sand, enough that he can see where the others are going and follow them.     The looks up as the dragon begins its dive. He knows what's coming, and isn't disappointed. He can't, however, move out of the way in time. Not only because he's not exactly the speedy type, but because if he gets out of the way he'll lose any chance to hit the thing. So he weathers the blast, though he emits a grunt as it forces him down. That hurt!     But he's still in the area. Quickly gathering his chi he takes a swing at the beast, the edge of his blade gleaming yellow. Bad enough that the blade is made for cracking open tough skells and cutting through thick hides. But he's also concentrated a small 'charge' of chi along the edge of the blade. So if the blad ehappens to hig, the 'charge' will explode. Hopefully this will crack the armor a little. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Eeee!" Kyra squeals as she's scooped up into a group hug with Ainsley and Riva. She enthusiastically hugs Riva back.     Once they get down the ladder, the group will hear Kyra start muttering to herself almost like a crazy woman. Of those here, Ellard will immediately start to feel his skin firm up, though he doesn't really feel any heavier than before: "Stoneskin!"     Auron is next as a green shield of energy briefly shimmers in around him, then fades. He'll get the feeling it's still there and will no doubt recognize the white magic. Riva and Ysabel also receive the effects: "Protectga!"     As they get closer and the wind picks up, Kyra struggles to keep visuals on the dragon. She tries hanging back a bit more, not just behind Sanary, but /away/ from Sanary, separate from the rest of the group. She doesn't cluster up with them at all and tries to pick a spot where she can see everyone. It's this that keeps her out of the range of the first opening blast of wind directed at the group but even then she has to leap back a few steps as sand blasts outwards with a scathing force. She is insanely glad she covered her skin for this or she might have lost some with that.     Her attention immediately turns to Ainsley, white magic weaving between her fingers: "Regen!" The healing spell is a slow one compared to the usual Cure but it seems to last indefinitely. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva stops charging once she hits the storm. She didn't bring goggles, soe she's forced to hold up a hand lest the flying grains of sand hit her in the eyes. "THIS IS TERRIBLE!" Riva calls out into the noise and furor. However, it's mostly wiped out by virtue of the sheer overwhelming power of this beast of steel and wind. As the shadow looms overhead, Riva looks up and suddenly gets and idea of just what Ysabel deals with. "HOLY CRAP!" She yells. "IT'S LIKE GODZILLA HAD AN ANGRY UNCLE!" She yells, pointing up at it. This doesn't help her case, as the massive screech causes her to clap her hands over her ears, moments before the blast of wind hits, Kyra's protect barrier shining and taking some of the edge off of the hit before throwing her backwards with concussive force. she impacts a due, rolling over it and putting dents into barachans sweeping across the area, before hitting hard into an exposed shelf of rock. "AAAAAGH!" Riva yells... But somehow, she keeps moving, pulling up one of her MP7s. The weapon seethes with a blue-green light as she channels the world-power of Anima through it, and fires a salvo of charged bolts directly towards the steely creature as it hangs there, impossibly, in the air. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     There are few (if any) other dragons that can manipulate the wind like the Kushala Daora. The fact that Ainsley and Sanae can to any extent is simply /baffling/ to the creature. It doesn't need the wind to fly, for it manages that well enough with its own wings, but as it swoops away from its dive, it can feel the storm around it being stripped away. Confused and furious, it screeches again and swoops back down to land on the sands, wings beating in a last powerful gust before the storm starts to subside and provide a clear view of the dragon.     The Kushala Daora is not a wild animal. There's a distinct /pride/ in the way it stands with its head upraised and its rib-plated chest thrust forward, perhaps seventy-three feet from nose to swaying tail. Its gleaming blue eyes shine with awareness and intelligence as it watches the group, the same intelligence beyond simply the predatory that powers its regal stride. One may feel that if it /could/ speak, it would; when it rises onto its hind legs and beats its powerful wings, however, all it looses from its maw is a metallic screech that summons the wind whipping around its body once more to obscure its steel outline in swirling sand (http://i.imgur.com/ozgxmPK.png).     But before it can manage to fully regain its power, Ellard comes in, crashing against its plated chest and climbing up to its shoulders and head. The winds return, but they can't return as strong as before, for the Kushala Daora finds its attention taken up by the heavy person trying to crawl on top of it. The steel dragon falls to all fours, its head lowered - an opening Ysabel capitalizes on. With a shout of effort, the hunter charges in and swings her huge switch axe in a horizontal crash against the dragon's head, the sharp blade digging into steel and beginning to loose its potent toxin. Auron follows suit, his own blade cutting through the metal head and detonating with a powerful burst of its own, and by the time Riva's salvo of blasts strikes it, the Kushala Daora releases another pained screech and is sent staggering back a step. Already various gouges along its face can be seen, brighter and softer silver gleaming beneath the duller steel above.     Ysabel, as if in reflex, tumbles away from the dragon when it flinches, rising up on her feet again a good distance away. Probably a good idea, for the moment the Kushala Daora recovers, its blue-eyed glare speaks enough of its anger to make anyone want to get out of the way. Its head rears back, and only a moment's silence is granted before it suddenly opens its mouth again and blasts a powerful wind to the ground. The point it impacts immediately erupts in a massive, swirling tornado that towers into the air, spinning with devastating power. Anyone nearby would be at risk of being sent hurtling away from that tornado, but to deal with Ellard, the Kushala Daora has another plan: it simply bounds up /into/ the tornado, buffeting him with the powerful winds that it clearly doesn't need to worry about. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron does indeed recognize the white magic, even if it's not exactly the same. He's had it cast on him enough times in the past to recognize it, and the benefit it gives. He looks to Kyra and nods his thanks. Once the creature starts to summon that tornado, though, Auron gets the heck out of the way. He's at least fast enough to do this, though the residual wind from it does make to push him away.     And then suddenly it's trying to jump in and deal with its 'rider'. Auron pauses to switch weapons, sheathing the sword and grabbing the Ice Crest. He aims a blast not at the Kushala Doara, but at the whirlwind itself. He looses the shot into the whirlwind, hoping the resultant ice blast will dissipate the whirling winds and spare Ellard too much trouble. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "HEY RIVA! TRY NOT TO DIE PLEASE! I know it's not permanent for you but-" Reconsidering mid-sentence, Kyra decides to cut it off there. She didn't neeed to get into details about how unpleasant it was to watch her friends die and respawn. Riva especially since she was practically a proxy sister now.     She turns to bring a palm at Riva, deploying a (CORRECTLY WORKING, THANK YOU VERY MUCH) cure spell on her fellow red-head.     Ah, a tornado. Kyra knows exactly what to do here and flees at a right angle away from the path of the tornado. Keeping out of range of the deadly breath weapon seems to be working out for Kyra so far so she continues with the strategy. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley doesn't have to worry about being knocked off her feet again, not with Sanae providing some cushioning and keeping up with the lizard girl's inability to avoid the powerful wind. She braces against the gusts until they start to die down, the dragon's winds subsiding... but not for the reason she wanted. It just landed as if her magic had been only a minor inconvenience, though it does happen to end up in range for everyone else's initial attacks. She scans over the battle, taking note particularly of Kyra's buffing behavior... especially after the curing energy washes in her direction, slowly mending bruises and scrapes from the tumble.     The lizard woman doesn't overthink it, moving away and to the outer edge of the battlefield before the dragon even prepares for the next attack. But the tornado results in a huge blast of sand up in the air and more trouble getting a good hit on it, since the dragon leaps into its own tornado blast.     The lizard woman pushes herself up into the air with a gust of wind below her feet, and charges a crackle of lightning up from her feet to two of her fingers. Lightning pulses from the ground, to her tail, along her back, and then toward the Kushala Daora's face, aiming with a trained precision for the horns, trying to cripple its ability to make more big gusts of wind. It SEEMS to be made of metal, so she's counting on the electrical resistance (the electromagnetic force and not a videogame stat) in its hide working in her favor and creating heat and a lot of pain. 

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:''' Ellard slaps the shield onto his back and starts using his fingers to climb. He digs at the scales, grabbing into the pits and joins where he can, hauling himself up hand over hand. "Alright, mister dragon. Now I don't have anything against you, but you ARE a menace, and I need one of your bones." Ellard pauses as he considers, "Okay, that is a little bit morbid." Stoneskin goes up, like a proper tank, giving him some defense against the dragon and the beating wind. Both of them start moving up. The wind continues to howl like the angry dead, like a great abyss, blowing against him, sucking moisture from his body, ripping at him with sand particles. They batter against his stone skin, soaking up the pain of the assault. Ellard grabs both horns, holding on for dear life. His grip is tight and iron clad, the grip of a man who has been trained from two years old to never drop his sword. He holds with his legs, clinging. Terror and exhilaration loosen his bowels slightly, throw adrenaline at his muscles. He begins to shake. He can feel his eyes buzz. His vision sharpens. Slowly, carefully, Ellard leans forward, dragging at something on his breastplate, something strapped in and well protected. He pulls it out, straining it against the wind. It's hard to move, hard to aim. But it has a small piece of air magic just for this purpose. Just for this mission. His hand steadies. Ellard gets in close, arm outstretched, ready for the perfect strike. He grins boardly. The camera flashes. He lets it snap back on the lanyard. THEN he starts trying to tear the horns off the dragon with his bare hands. 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      As Sanary is swinging that bagpipe around to get it prepared for whatever it is she's doing, she takes the opportunity to get a better look at just what they're up against. A massive steel-covered beast, roaring and throwing literal /tornados/ around? If she had eaten anything before that meat Ainsley had cooked up for them, the healer would have been worried about smelling terrible right around now.      It almost makes her regret doing what she's doing while everyone else is actually attacking it, but it's a massive weapon. She doesn't want to hit her own allies, after all! Plus, there's the hope that this'll help turn this whole thing into an easy win.      Thankfully, the dragon being so focused on everyone else gives Sanary the opportunity to make the purpose behind all that flailing she's doing more apparent. After taking one more swing in preparation, she starts stomping rhythmically while raising the heavy instrument overhead, and the bagpipe starts blares out several loud notes in rapid succession!      That can't be it, though, can it? At first, the music's might not seem so noticeable. The wind is still strong and gusty, although the group of warriors would find it a little easier to withstand it. As Sanary keeps playing the 'song' to its end, however, the wind's effects would be significantly reduced! Not so much that they'd be able to take one of those blasts to the face or jump into the tornado without a care, but enough to greatly mitigate the unbalancing from the gusts surrounding the windy dragon. 

:'''{{#var:619|Sanae Kochiya (619)}} has posed:'''     She had known ahead of time, both from reading and from Ysabel's warnings, that the Kushala Daora was intelligent. It was little preparation, though, for when the winds manage to stop being quite as forceful, and seemingly through the cooperation of her and Ainsley's magic, caused it to land and take stock of its situation. She can feel its eyes upon her and the others, sizing them up as she often was when encountering a new opponent before a spell card duel. A tinge of sadness touches her briefly, despite how glowering it is, that their target is something like this. But as she had also read - this kind of struggle is a way of life, here. The dragon likely knows the terms here as well as they do. She soon blinks out of her thoughts, realizing, "It's down? That's the opening!"     Thankfully their front liners are a bit more alert in the moment, as a few have already seized upon the opportunity. Now that she doesn't have to concentrate so much on maintaining air cushions and barriers, it gives her her own chance. Rolling up the edge of her dusky cloak, as well as the sleeve beneath, she once again takes her wand into her hand, tracing a five-pointed star in the air in front of her. The points glow and converge into a point in front of it, forming a magical beam aimed at the beast's metallic hide - and hopefully clear of Ysabel and Ellard, whom would be closest to where she's aiming. The downside of beam magic is she's kind of glued to the ground here while she's aiming it, which the beast, mindful of it or not, takes advantage of the timing.     The tornado erupts just a few meters away from her, which due to all of these factors, catches her off guard! She has enough time to crease her eyebrows as her feet lift off the ground, for once not of her own will, and she yelps as she tries to dispel has magic laser and switch to a defensive air cushion like before. It doesn't do much good, as she's blown clear, and slides across the ground prone afterward, though with a bit less force than it should have had - thanks to Sanary's intervention. A taste of her own medicine! At least this cloak was cheap in the village, as when she sits up it's absolutely shredded, a bit more of her robes showing from beneath. "Ugh," she groans, rubbing a sore rib as she gets back to her feet, "Dragons are so...sneaky!" 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva seconds Kyra's vote of not dying. If you think it's bad for Kyra, imagine being the one who's actually dying. The curative spell reinvigorates Riva, causing her to pulls herself up and stomp forward while the wind is low, using her improved mobility and sight to begin to join the others. However, the tornado knocks her back, threatening to rip her off of the ground as she barely hurls herslef back out of the critical distance. She switches her guns out for that huge mace, using it as a makeshift shield to block debris as she plants herself in front of Ainsley, trying to keep attention off of her as she does some critical spellslinging. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     As steadfast as the Kushala Daora might be, few things could simply take a lightning blast to the face and not be shocked, no pun intended. Especially with Ellard tugging and pulling at its horns, trying to simply tear them off with brute force and making its flight in the tornado much more erratic than it would like. Head twisting, wings flapping, claws raking, it struggles to make sure it's still airbound...and then gets shot in the face with electricity that courses through its metal body with powerfully concussive force. It certainly doesn't help that Sanae's laser crashes into its chest; even if it endured the first blast, there's no way it could also endure the second and stay in the air.     With another great screech, the dragon plummets to the ground, crashing into the sand on its side. Others might call 'good work' or other encouraging statements, but Ysabel doesn't have time for that: she charges in again while the Kushala Daora flails on the ground, trying to both regain its footing and dislodge Ellard from its head as his grip starts to further crack its metal shell. As she brings her weapon down on its head, the switch axe in Ysabel's hands transforms, the axe blade sliding down to the hilt while the sword blade flips up from the back. A greenish aura flares to life around the weapon before it cleaves down into the dragon's plated head, discharging another, more potent burst of toxin - and then again as Ysabel swings it back up, delivering a second solid hit to the dragon's head. The winds die down yet again, even forcing the barrier around the dragon to fade as the storm flickers and weakens. Away goes that tornado, too, thanks to Auron's bow disrupting what's left after the Kushala Daora's focus fades; the skies are looking clearer overall.     But, as she goes in for a third, it seems Ysabel might have misjudged her opponent. With a great heave, the Kushala Daora strains against Ellard's strength, chomping down on Ysabel's legs and sending her hurtling away with a sharp twist of its neck. The silver hunter shouts her pain, tumbling over the sand over and over until she manages to slide to a halt. Standing is a bit of an issue, though, with the sharp pain that bite sent through her legs. She's doing her best, but it'll take her a minute to find her feet again.     The Kushala Daora, meanwhile, is starting to find its own footing! While the wind may be dying down, its physical powers aren't, even with Ellard's firm grip. The dragon flails, snaps, and swings, trying to buck Ellard off its head while its lashing tail and razor claws swipe out at anyone else close enough for it to reach. It's distracted enough for now, but how long will that last? 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Hang in there, guys! I don't think it'll be able to keep this up with us much longer!" Kyra calls out, encouraged by the additional, follow-up poisonous strikes to the dragon. That would weaken it, Kyra knew according to Ysabel's briefing.     Though speaking of Ysabel, Kyra gasps as she watches the dragon snap its jaws onto the monster hunter's leg. She's a little relieved when the leg isn't ripped off. "You got these guys, right Sanary?" she calls out as she closes in on Ysabel, approaching the spot where the woman was flung. "Hold still!" she announces in her approach, "I've got this!"     The white glow returns, persistantly functioning against all odds tonight. Kyra summons a much stronger Cura spell to handle Ysabel's injuries. 

:'''{{#var:619|Sanae Kochiya (619)}} has posed:'''     How Ysabel didn't, at least, have some snapped bones from that much force is beyond Sanae Kochiya. She's gotten a bit more used to how rough and tumble the multiverse can be, though, especially as she's only now recovering from her own close encounter with the turf. She blurts out a bit of dust to clear her mouth, after making certain that Ysabel is still seemingly okay-esque, and then she herself stands back up. Flight was never going to be a good idea with this many unexpected gusts of air around, but she can still manage short bursts of her own. Freshly alert after the burst of whirlwind, when a claw is swiped in her direction, she retreats to a hopefully safer distance, motes and arcs of seemingly solidified air left in her wake. There's not even time for catching your breath with this thing.     "It..it looks like it's completely lost its focus," speaking the obvious analysis. Not that this makes it any less dangerous. Stepping along the ground in these measured bursts, she barely keeps ahead of the swipes and thrashing, spacing more bursts of magic along the flanks as she goes. These don't take the form of a laser, as she quickly learned that staying in one place was a bad idea. More like balls of energy, floating through the air at a somewhat more leisurely pace. It almost looks like she's sweeping out a magical mine field, before long, perhaps in an effort to keep the somewhat grounded Kushala Daora fenced in. "Uhm--best to keep clear of these, everyone!" She had mentally set them for friendly fire, but in the heat of the moment it's hard to say how it might react. 

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:''' Ellard grins like a mad man. You would too if you've never fought a dragon before and you were trying to drag one into the sand with your BARE HANDS. He locks his legs and twists his upperbody around, pulling with all his might to one side, trying to avoid Ysabel's great blade swings and the magic being slung at him. He hears a crack. Ellard stands, putting one foot on the back of the dragon's head. He starts to wrench with all his might. That isn't really a good position for holding on. The dragon gives a mighty buck and Ellard comes tumbling off the dragon's neck, twisting out to one side. He dangles by one hand, his iron grip the only thing keeping him on there. Until razor claws slam into his side. They rend at the plates of his armor and hurl him off the dragon, driving him down into the cold sand with red beginning to leak. Slowly, Ellard pulls himself up, getting both hands underneath him. "Ow. Sparks." Pause. "Worth." 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      Satisfied with the effects the hunting horn's music are having, Sanary promptly sets that thing down once she notices the damage the group is taking and starts hoofing it to bring herself out of the cover of the rock and closer to the actual battle. The close-ranged fighters seem to be having their work cut out for them, but the fact that they have the Kushala Daora's attention does let the healer do what she does best!      "On it! Thanks, Kyra!" Satisfied that her senior's handling Ysabel's injuries, the one-eyed healer claps her gauntleted hands together as she starts channelling magical energy into her own hands. Several targets to focus on, but not nearly as many as there could have been, thankfully. Thrusting her hands out, green light starts to flow from Sanary's hands quickly as it weaves through the air to those further away from the dragon before moving closer. From Sanae to Ainsley, then to Riva, and finally in a lingering light cloud circulating through Ellard! Although it's not as immediate as Kyra's Cure-type magic would be, the regenerative and rejuvenating effects are still relatively potent, especially when they're being focused on Ellard the way they are! 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''     Ainsley puffs a breath and hovers higher into the air, carefully pushing her wind magic against the storm so that it doesn't pluck her out of the air. Her reactions to the battle as it unfolds are fairly neutral, until she spots Ellard taking a selfie with the dragon. She frowns lightly at the sight in the way a disapproving librarian would, the risk taken for a simple thrill and glory moment evidently not sitting right with her. It doesn't break her focus, and thankfully she's healed by Sanary's magic, reinvigorating her and letting her keep up with the dragon as it gets pinned to the ground by all of the violence happening around it.     Strike after strike, until the dragon is swinging its claws at them. The lizard girl flits away from the thrashing beast, thankful that her ability to fly is now completely unhindered. She floats over the top of it, sparks shining off of her hands. She spreads out her hands, and a feeling of magnetic force hits before her spell does. Then she lets out a SPRAY of lightning down at the Kushala Daora, which is, in fact, her drawing the charge from the desert ground below and sending down her own magical charge like real storm lightning to try and cook the dragon.     It is very bright, though unlikely to be nearly as dangerous as a natural lightning bolt. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' And then the opening comes. Riva gets boosted by Sanary's healing as well, and she charges forward, lunging for the massive beast. The first impact causes Riva to bounce rift off of the massive scales, and she's thrown back by the lashing, frenzied attempts of the huge beast to keep its assailants away. Riva grunts, picking herself up out of the deep indentation she made in the sand, and scrabbles back to her feet, looking up at the thing. As soon as the lightning from Ainsley strikes, Riva leaps again, grappling onto the beast and shimmying up, using her anchor-like mace to grapple onto the beast's horns. With a yell, she positions herself, and then raises the mace high, red-gold Anima flaring as she brings the weapon down with a shockwave blast, trying to hammer down into the horns to break them off before the beast can somehow bring up another sandstorm! 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel isn't very used to magic, but at least she stays still when Kyra tells her to. The spell courses through her, calimg the pain of her wounds as it heals them. It's a strange sensation, but once Ysabel feels like she can stand again, she gives Kyra a brief nod and a murmured "...thanks." See, Ysabel? It's handy having teammates sometimes.     Meanwhile, everyone else seems to have their hands full too. The flailing, steadily more desperate Kushala Daora finds itself stumbling into blasts of magic again and again thanks to Sanae's attentions, and Ellard's strength pulls and pulls against its gradually weakening horns. Finally, he fumbles and falls - but as he's sent flying, he brings with him a hard /crack/ that sends the Kushala Daora screaming in agonized rage and sets rearing back on its hind legs.     The sandstorm fades away at last. Brighter silver gleams in the stumps of its horns, which find themselves caught in Ellard's grasp several feet away.     Fury gleams in the Kushala Daora's eyes as it lands again. It doesn't think or plan any further: in pure desperation, it blasts another gust of wind into the ground, sending a trio of thin tornados ripping along the sand in front if it in strange weaving patterns to assault Ainsley, Riva, Sanae, Kyra, and Ysabel-     ...Ysabel, who's taken the opportunity to run from where she was before, and instead comes in at the Kushala Daora's side while it's busy attacking the rest. Her sword-form switch axe is suddenly thrust against the Kushala Daora's flank, drawing blood with its impalement, but it doesn't stop there. The weapon's blade is coated in that green aura again, and the weapon audibly and visibly shudders in her hands, energy building and building. The Kushala Daora turns its head toward her, mouth opening in readiness to snap her up again - but the air fills with a blinding flash as Ainsley sends bolt after bolt of lightning down on the dragon, electricity coursing through its metal body and jarring its senses. Muscles seem to freeze as it sits paralyzed and straining to move, glaring up at Ainsley in abject /hatred/.     But it's enough of an opening for the others. As Ysabel's attack continues, Riva takes the chance of the Daora's paralysis to climb over the remains of its horns and find footing on its head. The attacks both come at once: the energy built up in Ysabel's weapon explodes in a devastating blast that sends Ysabel herself stumbling backward with the force of it, the switch axe's sword blade flipping back into place as its axe blade slides back up to the end of the weapon, and at the same time, Riva's hammer /smashes/ down against the dragon's weakened head with the resounding crash of metal and the twisting of steel. The Kushala Daora stumbles away and jerks its head down, but manages to keep its footing...but for how long? Its wings strain to lift, and it pushes itself to remain upright. Blue eyes are cast toward each of the group in turn, settling last on Sanae, of all people...before they close, and the dragon collapses onto its side in the sand, lying still at last, though likely dislodging Riva in the process. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Victory! (https://goo.gl/Rriur0)     Ysabel takes a few moments to stare at the steel dragon, her weapon gripped tightly in her hands, still on edge as she prepares for it to rise again. When she's sure it's actually dead, though, she lets the Azure Rosebloom fold up again and places it on her back. A heavy, somewhat relieved sigh is loosed, and she turns her head to look over at Ainsley. "Well. There's your bones. Not a bad job with the lightning."     To the others, she nods, the gesture a grateful one even as her face remains mostly hidden. "Nice job, all of you. You did pretty well for your first elder dragon, and faster than I expected. If you want, we can make some equipment out of this thing for you to take back home. There should still be enough for the rest of you to get something out of this as thanks."     Strange how...non-vulgar she is about this, for once, a quality most who know her would recognize her for. The hunter walks over to the dragon's body and takes a minute to kneel beside it, bringing one armored hand up to gently rest it on the Kushala Daora's neck as if in a gesture of respect. Perhaps even apology. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Welcome!" Kyra grins before she's on the move again, busily flitting and kiting around the edges of the battle. Her attention seems to remain on those closest to the dragon since those people were most in danger of being bitten. The ranged capabilites were also clearly a problem since a good gust of wind could send someone flying into rocks.     This time, though, she cannot really help herself fast enough when a small tornado is aimed at her. This time it's Kyra who's knocked off her feet and onto her back in the sand. Fortunately, the Kushala Daora isn't going to get a chance to follow up on Kyra's vulnerability, between it's sudden paralysis and the follow-up mauling from the others.     By the time Kyra's on her feet, the steel-scaled dragon has collapsed on the ground. "I agree! That was fast and fierce. Nice going, everyone." She says nothing to the offer of equipment, worried how Soan might take that kind of thing. 

:'''{{#var:619|Sanae Kochiya (619)}} has posed:'''     She's not naive enough, after all this, to assume just because it's down, it's 'down'. Sanae, while she's stopped setting down what were essentially the magical mines, remains ready and alert, eyeing the newly de-horned and infuriated Kushala Daora almost expectantly. If nothing else, it has become a bit more predictable in its fury, as it's soon blasting with what remains of its might, prompting her to dance around the onslaught, near-misses finally doing away with the last shreds of her plain, but utilitarian, cloak. Dagnabbit, she wanted to keep that as a souvenir! If they lived. When she finally comes to a stop, she feels oddly re-invigorated, soon glancing over to whom she was able to determine was the source, and flashes a bright smile to Sanary.     Finally, though, the beast seems to be succumbing to fatigue as well as seemingly just getting beat up by so many opponents. It's only a matter of time now, and it seems that it knows it - keeping its eyes open to give one last glance at each of the team that had brought it down. Sanae blinks when it's her turn, and seemingly the last - eyebrows furrowing as she lets down her guard, and places a hand over her chest as she braces against a final attack that doesn't come. 'This is just how this world is, right?' She reminds herself, with the very intelligent dragon's eye upon her seeming to last much longer than it does. 'That's right. Duke's world is difficult, too. I guess - I shouldn't be feeling this way.' And yet she can't help but feel that tinge of sadness again.     Still somewhat in that state, even as it falls, she moves forward on auto pilot to take a closer look. She even reaches out a hand to try and touch some of that metallized hide. "I think I'll pass on the equipment," she figures, biting on her lip, and seeming a bit down at first. But, she brightens soon after, shaking off the chills, and gives a broad smile, "I mean, Miss Kanako provides equipment for me. And, Miss Ainsley gets what she needs, so that's good enough for me. Just, try to be respectful as you're harvesting...if you can." 

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''      And that was that! Keeping that healing energy pumping into Ellard for a while, Sanary eventually redirects the flow to keep a little bit lingering and circulating through everyone to try and patch them up a little bit more for a job well done! It doesn't last long with her trying to maintain it on so many people at once, though, and the light just fades moments after she starts to avoid letting her reserves bottom out completely.      "H-hah... Knew we could do it!" A victorious laugh erupts from the one-eyed healer at that. "Let's.. Ah. Let's get back and grab something to eat, eh?" Returning that bright grin to Sanae, she lets that second laugh linger for a little longer before sighing quietly. She steps up to the fallen dragon's corpse to rest a hand on a wing lightly, trying to mimic Ysabel's show of respect. "Next time... Next time, I'll fight one of these properly." 

}}

Archived: Monster Hunter-1

2015-05-08T00:53:28Z

Squidtentacle:

{{CastPage
|Desc=The world of Wyveria is blessed by the absence of war. Humans live together peacefully, trading between towns and villages and prospering among each other.

Of course, such unity comes mainly from necessity. Wyveria is a world crawling with dangerous monsters. Monsters who breathe fire and soar through the sky, whose breath itself is a toxic death, whose voices rupture the earth, who command storms and bend the wind. Most of these majestic and terrifying beasts have no fear of humans and will attack on sight, sometimes putting entire towns in grave danger.

In response, the Hunter's Guild was formed. Brave men and women from all over the world train as mercenaries, specializing in defending their homes from monsters. Requests always fill the boards at Guild outposts, requesting aid for missions as trivial as gathering sushifish in the wilderness or as important as taking down a pair of rampaging wyverns. These brave hunters work together or alone as the mission requests, but always with one mutual goal in mind: the freedom and safety of the human race in the face of overwhelming odds.
|Cat=Themes
}}

== Mythology of Wyveria ==

These are various myths and legends written by the player of [[Ysabel Thibault]] to build further depth into the theme and develop its culture and history a little further. They are based primarily on the descriptions of items, monsters, and equipment provided in the games, elaborated upon by the player and developed into cohesive legends that exist in the theme as it is played on MCM. These can be considered to be well-known myths among the population of Wyveria, and, as is known to occur in Monster Hunter, likely have some basis in fact.

=== The Creation of Wyveria ===

Ages and ages in the past, the world was formless, ruled over by a brilliant white dragon with scales like the stars. The bottomless oceans crashed against one another, and the skies cracked with red lightning. It was a world of beauty, awe, and unbridled power, but it brought with it instability and chaos. Save for the glory of the white dragon, whose grace and might were unparalleled, nothing could exist.

So the white dragon created life. First its power formed another dragon of stone and fire that crawled through the endless oceans. Land came into being as the molten stone rolled off its body and hardened in the cool waters, solidifying into a floor for the bottomless ocean and growing into a shape that rose above the crashing waves. Only once enough land was formed to create the continent did the blazing dragon come to rest deep below the ocean, soon becoming one with the volcanic earth. Its immortal heart still beats, pulsing the fires of life that roil to the surface to this day and form the great volcanoes of Wyveria.

Then the white dragon formed a serpent whose every gleaming scale was like a sword of fire, its body long enough to wrap around the world a hundred times. In its coils, the land was carved into shape, forming mountains, valleys, caverns, and plains. The earth was crushed and broken and shattered until the white dragon was content, and then the great serpent coiled itself around the tallest mountain, where it encased itself in a tomb of stone. From its flesh, the white dragon formed earth capable of carrying with it life; from its blood, rivers flowed through the land; from its bones, great forests were sculpted; from its eye, a sun was cast into the sky, and beneath its tomb its body still recovers from its gift of bounty.

The storms still raged, however, and so the white dragon formed a dragon who swam through the air like a leviathan beneath the ocean and whose fins trailed in the wind like the silken scarves of a dancer. The air-swimmer's dance quelled the endless storms and allowed the sun to shine on the forests and rivers of the stone dragon's formation and the serpent's sacrifice, but so too did its dance allow the skies to darken when they must and cast down rain on the fertile soil. So it was that the oceans and the skies were calmed, and the air-swimmer vanished into the one storm it refused to dispel at the peak of a towering mountain in the land where the mists are ever-present.

But pure benevolence was not the aim of the white dragon. As it wished for creation and the natural world, so too did it allow destruction and that which is unnatural. In the darkness below the earth, it created a last massive dragon whose obsidian scales seeped shadow and whose great wings scraped along the ground, for they were too heavy and tattered to take it to the skies it could not see. The fire and pitch of the netherworld was placed under its baleful glare, where lost souls would eventually flock to have their sins revealed and punished. Its fangs devoured and crushed, its red-hot claws seared and branded, and nothing but misery and agony could be found by those cast into its prison.

So did the white dragon form the world, and, content, it took to the stars, where it still watches the passage of the world and all the joy and strife that takes place within it, waiting for the day when it might return.

=== The Netherworld ===

The fate of those who insult the order of life and the peace of their kin is as severe and painful as the sin they committed in life. In death, their souls fall to the depths of the earth and are reborn imprisoned in the netherworld, where demons of misery condemn them to be forgotten and punished until their sins are paid for in suffering. Human though they may appear, the demons of the netherworld are anything but, with eyes that glow with despair and claws that crush whatever remains of light and hope. Above them all rules a great dragon of malice, the most wretched and terrifying of their number: fire bursts from its claws and shadow oozes from its scales, and whenever it passes through its prison, dread and suffering follow.

But the dragon's attentions began to pass beyond its terrible domain. The lamentations of those forgotten souls spoke of a world vibrant with life and light, and the dragon's resentment for its realm grew and grew. While the misery of those trapped in the smoldering dark sustained it, it grew hungry for the world above, where all other beings of creation gave their efforts to create the antithesis of its wallowing prison. Its spite and jealousy grew like the roiling flame in its breast, and soon it could endure no longer.

Its howl summoned the attention of the demons of the netherworld, and in unison they armed themselves with the souls of the condemned. Mockeries of the weapons of hunters manifested in their claws, twisted arms echoing the torments of the netherworld. With their dragon's fury leading them, they clawed their way out of the netherworld with intent to dismantle all that is pure. Where their feet fell, the earth was stained with darkness. They howled and mourned, consuming the light of the sun and dragging soul after soul into the dark abyss. The strength of many went against them, but all mankind succeeded in doing was lodging their weapons fruitlessly in the iron hides of the netherworld's many servants. The ground split and life perished, and above it all loomed the massive shape of the dragon, whose fury soon began to turn to the very heavens themselves for forcing it into its task.

But, in its rage, it forgot its greatest flaw. Its wings had been made too ragged, too weighed down by its own shadow. The dragon howled in rage, but instead of hurricanes, its wingbeats only splattered the ground with pitch. The dragon lashed at the skies, but the storms that began above it were from something greater than itself. The dragon spewed fire and oil into the air in vain, and in retaliation, a bolt of crimson lightning struck from the heavens to send it and its servants back down to the depths of the earth for their insolence.

The netherworld's defeat came with it increased punishments of that prison. The dragon found itself condemned to a deep slumber, and for their compliance in its rebellion, the demons had black armor forced onto their bodies to hold their wickedness in check. Never again would they find freedom, eternally imprisoned in the darkness like the souls they punish.

But, every hundred years, the dragon may awaken from its slumber for a few short days to feast on the light of the world. The earth will again find itself coated in darkness, and for a few days, the netherworld's misery will overflow once more.

=== The Black God and the White God ===

Long ago, before the great cities rose and the Great Dragon War raged through Wyveria, two hunters stood in defense of their village. Days passed into weeks, weeks into months, months into years; with each wyvern they felled, they grew more and more powerful, taking the strength of monsters into their once fragile bodies. The villagers heaped praise upon praise on them for every wyvern that no longer threatened their village, and soon praise turned into worship. As great dragons fell before their swords like grain before the scythe and the twin hunters donned armor of their powerful foes, they began to transcend the level of mere humans until they were seen as gods. No other hunters could ever hope to surpass them. Soon, even their names were forgotten as they grew beyond the confines of mortality: one, whose fearsome armor was black as a volcanic plain and cracked as if ruptured by magma, became known as the Black God; the other, garbed in plates of the purest white like snow fallen over ice, became known as the White God.

However, as their majesty grew, so too did their pride. Soon, the village was not enough. Their visions extended to the whole of Wyveria, and where once they were a unified force that no monster could surpass, now their ideals clashed as if they viewed one another as the very monsters they fought. The Black God felt that they had surpassed humanity and reached the station of the Elder Dragons themselves; with this power, they were meant to take on the tasks of monsters and exert their strength over the weak, forming a kingdom of unending power where those too frail to command would be bent at the mercy and will of the strong. The White God felt that the confines of the earth were too small for their newfound majesty, and that their power would be enough to bring down the moon and shape it into a grand ark to carry all, weak and strong, past the stars and onward to conquer their deserved kingdom in the heavens themselves.

A conflict of ideals turned to blows. The earth cracked under their shouts of rage. Swathes of fire consumed the farmlands. Pillars of ice crushed houses. In their fury, the Black God and the White God were blind to the destruction they caused, and within minutes nothing was left of their village but ashes and dust. Even then, their anger refused to abate: the sun fell and rose, and still they hurled strike after strike at one another, determined that one of them must fall so that the other could decide the fate of whatever remained of their people. Finally, they were driven to exhaustion, neither closer to defeat than the other, and they retreated to the ends of the earth to wallow in isolation and gather their strength for another battle. The Black God secluded himself in the blazing ruins of an endless inferno, while the White God found his solitude in the frozen north where not even the hardiest beast will venture.

And so they have remained for ages and ages since, blind to the flourishing of the world outside their rivalry. Eventually, their patience will reach an end, and their conflict will resume, but who will be victorious will have to be seen. Will the Black God fulfill his role as the tyrant of hellfire, feasting on the sun and rending the earth to pieces, crushing the weak under his heel and conquering the ashes that remain? Will the White God become the true argent lord, shattering the skies and parting the seas, forming a bridge to the heavens and carrying those who follow into battle with the ancients? Or will their pride and ignorance prove to be their inevitable downfall and the destruction of their own home as it was ages before?

=== The Knight of the Wind ===

There was once a village in the snow-capped mountains, exposed on all sides to attacks from monsters without a single hunter to protect it. The villagers found themselves forced to stay in their homes day and night, making do with whatever they could manage, for their fear overwhelmed them. How could they farm, when the ground could shatter open and swallow them whole? How could they chop down firewood when a beast could rush from the forest and devour them instantly? How could they seek help from their distant neighbors when a wyvern could simply swoop down and carry them off?

In their fear, the villagers began to pray to the heavens for protection, for someone to come and give them peace from the terror that lurked outside. For days and days, starving and shivering, they prayed, until one day a blizzard rushed over their homes. However, it was the answer to their prayers, for the wind brought with it a pure knight gilded in armor of shining steel. His shoulders were lifted high and proud; his waist was mantled with a great dragon's wings; his gaze through the unwavering mask of his helm shined with the noblest light. His voice rose as if it were the whistling wind itself, calming the villagers with words of peace. His quest was heaven-sent, his presence delivered to answer their prayers. He bade the villagers to let go of their fears and live their lives, and only have faith that in their times of need, he would deliver them from danger.

The blizzard passed, and the knight left, but he would return. The villagers began to till the soil outside their homes, and whenever the ground trembled, the knight's arms swept them up like a whirlwind and delivered them to safety. The villagers began to gather firewood to warm their homes against the cold, and whenever a beast rushed out from the trees, the knight's legs flew him to the village fast as the mountain wind to cut it down. The villagers began to walk the paths to less fearful villages, and whenever dark wings shrouded the heavens, the knight's guiding light pierced the shadow and conquered the sky.

But there was one flaw to the villagers: wherever the knight went, the wind followed. For every noble victory, the blizzard howled and roared like a great dragon's icy breath. As their fears of monsters began to abate, their irritation with the knight's storms grew, for they blasted cold on prosperous crops and sent precious materials flying through the air in disarray. Finally, the villagers had enough, and they told the knight to be on his way and never return. The knight, heaven-bound to chivalry's path, agreed to their foolish demands and was carried off by one last storm.

For a time, the villagers were at peace, but soon enough the beasts of the wild knew they were unprotected again. Monsters assaulted their homes and the villagers cried out for the knight, but the wind never flew down on their enemies. The village burned and houses crumbled, but the blizzard never returned. Soon the village was reduced to nothing, and only a breeze drifted through the snow-covered mountains in quiet mourning.

The knight still wanders the mountains alone, even after all these years. Time wears down his steel armor to brown rust, but his iron will remains unbroken. The wind beats at his proud form, but so too does it grant him wings to conquer the skies. The storm never leaves his side, but his noble soul still shines forth with all the pride of heaven, guiding him on his search of constant solitude.

=== The Kingdom of Flame ===

In the land of fire and stone, where the molten blood of the earth spews freely from the great volcanoes, there was once a prosperous kingdom of strong walls and stronger rulers: an emperor and empress who stood proud in their beautiful kingdom like celestial bodies gracing the earth, one robed in the blazing scarlet of sunlight and the other clad in the moon's soft azure glow. When the fires of battle threatened their people, they took up arms alongside their shining soldiers and fought until wyverns and leviathans alike fled from their brilliant majesty and peace settled into the walls of the kingdom. Shielded by their brilliant flames, the kingdom lived on in tranquility and prosperity for many years.

A day came, however, when darkness and lightning struck through the sky and the sun and moon were blotted out by a great dragon's shrouded mantle. The dragon's jagged horns pierced the skies themselves until they wept on the burning earth, and its scales formed a dark army raising a thousand swords in conquest to the kingdom below. Lightning flashed from its claws and its wingbeats sent a frozen gale down into the kingdom; its breath was the hottest flame, and its body coursed with a baleful crimson power. Before the soldiers on the wall could arm themselves, it struck them down like a vengeful god from the heavens; before defenses could be rallied, it consumed them in the underworld's chaos.

As the walls crumbled, the emperor and empress rushed from their palace in blazing fury to confront the dragon. Like the sun and moon piercing the shadows of the starless night, their divine justice pierced the dragons scales and sent it howling in pain. But for every blow they left on the chaotic beast, they suffered another strike fueled by chaotic rage, and so too did their kingdom. As buildings crumbled under the dragon's lashing tail and beating wings and crops withered under blasts of ice and crashing thunder, the emperor and empress saw that their kingdom was doomed, and ordered that the people they served must flee to safer lands. And so they did, leaving behind the calamity of the dark dragon locked in mortal combat with the emperor of the sun and the empress of the moon.

They say that the twin rulers managed to imprison the beast in the heart of the volcano, and the scarlet emperor and azure empress can still be seen watching over the land of fire. The descendents of those once prosperous folk still live in the outskirts of the fire country, guided by a single princess; for no pair of rulers could ever hope to compare to the divine emperor and empress of flame.

=== Heaven's Wheel ===

Upon a great mountain sat an angel descended from the heavens to bless the glorious peak. The sight of her beauty was enough to bring the coldest of hearts to tears, for her light shone brighter than the sun and her grace rivaled the flowing wind. Her veiled smile calmed the skies and her loving touch soothed the foulest beasts into peace, and every passing day cast a blanket of prosperity over the lush mountain.

But what the angel never knew was that a demon had found its way into her shadow. Scurrying from the depths of the netherworld, free from the bindings placed on its wicked soul, the fiend found protection on the world above in the only darkness a servant of the heavens could show. Its days were spent waiting as it watched the angel's love invigorate the mountain's life, and its cruel heart grew heavy with contempt for every blade of grass that grew beneath her feet.

As soon as the angel slept, the demon saw its chance. Its billowing cloak blotted out the sun and chased away the day, and its pitiless stare fell on the mountain shrouded in shadow. As the angel slept in blissful ignorance, the demon cast the peak into an inescapable nightmare; claws dragged prey into the abyss, screams boiled up from the earth in its stride, and the helpless pleas of the suffering were smothered in coils of darkness. Only the awakening of the angel spared the mountain from its agony, and the moment her eyes opened, the netherworld demon slithered back into her shadow and allowed the rays of dawn to pierce its night.

When the maiden's eyes fell on the stained earth and polluted air of the demon's wrath, she wept, her grief and fear overwhelming her pure soul. Her lament stirred the sun to shine brighter than before, and the sorrowful beating of her wings cleansed the air with fair winds. Her tears became a soothing balm for the mountain's wounds, and in her hands she held the dead and returned life to their cold forms. Soon, life returned to the mountain even greater than before, and the pain of the demon's nightmare faded in a merciful reprieve.

Yet the demon never left the angel's shadow, and still lurks there to this day, waiting for the moment when she sleeps again. Their cycle would turn endlessly, casting a pall of death over the mountain only for life to return in even greater splendor than before. A wheel of pain and healing as sure to turn as the dawn chases away the dusk and night rebounds against the flight of day.

Archived: Monster Hunter-1

2015-04-30T00:55:33Z

Squidtentacle:

1552/Attack on Boston

2015-02-12T15:40:49Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/02/11 |Location=Boston-666 |Synopsis=Kongou, reverted to Ko-Class by her earlier sinking, is turned against her former allies in a gamble by S..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/02/11
|Location=Boston-666
|Synopsis=Kongou, reverted to Ko-Class by her earlier sinking, is turned against her former allies in a gamble by Samar. With the aid of his Union allies, Psyber is forced to fight against Confederate and Abyssal forces to get his friend back.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=2, 253, 342, 385, 494, 495, 546, 575, 582, 637, 653, 680, 685, 710
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Thick clouds shield Boston-666 from the light of the dimming sun and cast down a thick blanket of snow over the city. A chill wind rolls through the city streets, blowing the snow into flurries that pile and pile on every rooftop and sidewalk and blotting out the distant ocean into little more than a grey wall. The ocean spray cast into the air by the waves lapping against the port of Boston is even more frigid than the biting wind, but the cold is less of a concern than the waves themselves. They're strong, more so than one would expect even with this wind. Each wave crashes against the docks like a punch from a giant; something out there is moving below the waves, and it's big.     The coast guard would likely be alerted to something by the time it comes into view far out at sea. The water swells up in a dome that grows taller and taller before breaking, shattering into a cold spray that cascades down the form of the rising dark shape. And it keeps ascending, higher and higher: a massive head whose mouth glares with crimson light; broad shoulders mounted with triple turrets; muscular arms supporting the titanic shape of flesh and metal when it finally settles into standing on the ocean's surface as if it were solid ground. It's difficult to make out any details from the shore, but the creature is easily six hundred feet tall, maybe more. Its mouth opens, casting that crimson light out through the thick weather like a baleful lighthouse, and it lets out a foghorn-like trumpet that echoes across the city's rooftops in warning, challenge, and pride. If the coast guard weren't already on high alert from the massive form looming off the shore, that would be more than enough to get the attention of the entire city.     Samar lies draped on the back of her gigantic symbiote, her own humanoid body only a couple hundred feet shorter than that of the mechanical /thing/ bristling with muscles and cannons. A tube connects them, moving from the back of the metal brace on her neck to the chest of the creature. She smiles with self-satisfied pride; the creature rumbles, ichor dripping from between its teeth and falling to turn the ocean below it to steam. Now just to see who answers her challenge.     She already has her own allies, too; she casts a glance of her red eyes toward them and addresses them in a ghostly, reverberating tone. "They'll be responding soon, I think. Be prepared to face whatever Psyber has in store for us. We'll see if he's really as capable of holding up against the Abyssal Fleet as he thinks." 

:'''{{#var:653|Sindragosa (653)}} has posed:'''     A frost-rimed shadow passes across the harbor's waters. Cold, rushing wind gusts along with it, keening like a wailing ghost as it whistles past the horrible, tattered wings bearing yet another monstrosity toward the city.     Fog and a pale blue fire gusts from her fanged maw at every breath. An aged patina stains her bared bones almost black where they stick through the frail remains of her flesh. Where she should have eyes and a snarling visage, she instead has the sunken pits of a gruesome, spiked skull lit from within by yet more icy flame, the whole weight of her immense head born down by a crown of heavy, twisting horns. She lashes the sky with a long, bony tail like a tool for flagellation.     Where she flies, the winter air is stirred into a snow-laced tempest.     Sindragosa.     In response to Samar's clarion call, the great Queen of the Frostbrood releases her own terrible cry. Her roar is a defiant, hateful, discordant shriek. As she bellows, her ribs stretch wide, and the necrotic flames giving life to her colossal form all burn brighter, as if stoked to new intensity by her battlecry. Though the sky is dark, the light she radiates reveals her swift approach, and the course she takes toward the harbor's famous skyline. One snapping backwing later, and she draws up into a sudden hovering halt.     A heavy thud, and the crunch of glass and stone, and she coils herself atop Harbor Tower I, claiming its roof like she would a throne. Her jagged claws carve deep gashes into the building's surface, and shatter many of the windows. She mantles her wings like a hawk protecting its prey, and roars again -- this time breathing a fountain of freezing ice shards into the air along with her condemnation.     "COME! DEFY ME! PERISH BEFORE ME!" Her voice is distinctly feminine, but haughty and cruel, and there are bestial growls accompanying the echoing words. 

:'''{{#var:710|Ri (710)}} has posed:''' ENEMIES. The flagship of the Ri-class heavy cruisers, simply called 'Ri', is here at the behest of her admiral. She has no knowledge of what Boston is or means, beyond it being the harbor of the enemies. Though she kind of feels like she should, at least a little. But all thought is put aside. All feelings are put aside. Orders from her admiral have wiped confusion from her mind. And the a black mass, like a floating carpet of rotten moss, floats in a relatively short distance behind Samar. A mass that rises up out of the waves with a rumbling sound possibly missed thanks to the bellow of the Abyssal Admiral's symbiote. Briny water cascades down a giant head, from shortish black hair, slicked down against dead-white skin. Glowing golden light radiates from the yellow rings of her eyes, set upon a background of black as dark as the abyssal depths themselves. Her expression is emotionless. No confusion, no rage, none of her berserker tendencies showing. They might make an appearance once battle is joined, but for now, she is under control. The rest of her body continues to rise, up, up, up. She as a huge black cable plugged into the back of her neck, and other harnesses linking her two a huge pair of bio-mechanical monsters like someone turned sharks into gauntlets, took away their eyes, but supplemented them with heavy artillery. These two constructs are bound to Ri's arms. For the rest of her, there is not much armor to speak of. She has boots on her feet, fully capable of standing upon the waves, but as the giant rises up to her full 610 foot height, it does not seem she feels inclined to guard herself with heavy plates and frivolities like 'pants'. She can probably tank cannon fire with her face. Who needs armor? She responds to the commands offered with a simple, silent, telepathic, <<Yes, Admiral.>> Individual thought isn't necessary. All that is needed is that she obey, and struggle against the insanity that continues to claw at her mind. That... And to destroy the enemies. 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     Some Abyssals lack the cataclysm-invoking intimidation of the Leviathan Form. One such Abyssal is nonetheless a valuable member of the arsenal. A white patch forms on the surface a few hundred meters from the explosive arrival of the Battleship Princess. This soon reveals itself to be hair, as the head rises from it, parted around mangled black radar masts. Also parted around a hollow face with sunken, glowing yellow eyes, this hair quickly dries as the woman it belongs to gradually rises out of the water until she stands upon its surface.     To either side, from a mount affixed to her back, rises two armor-covered monstrous heads resembling dragons or, perhaps, moray eels. Mouths filled with mismatched teeth part in low growls, foam escaping between their teeth. One head remains low, jaws parted and extending the rusted muzzles of three cannons, while the other lifts up enough for the woman they're attached to to rest a hand formed from crimson bone on the flattened snout.     "...This place," she murmurs hesitantly, "...Cold." Leaning back, empty yellow eyes lift to the clouded sky, "...Light. ...Surface." Why the Princess demanded her presence here escapes the Abyssal Fast Battleship Ko-Class. The location confuses her. As she grows confused, the maiden's eyes narrow and her jaw shakes. Recovering from it, she tears her gaze from the sky and settles a more furious expression on the shoreline.     "Sink."     Rather than skate like normal, Ko simply stalks forward with slow, unsteady steps. 

:'''{{#var:582|Wo (582)}} has posed:'''     With far less flash than her leader's, a smaller shape also emerges from the depths, at first appearing to be a bulbous jellyfish with glowing portals atop it, giving the semblance of eyes. Similar to the radiant areas of Samar's symbiote, some manner of light beacons out of the opening, though the nature of the glow obscures what must be further inside, causing it. Moments later, the young-appearing woman it is attached to, being worn like a hat by, also comes into view, the black cape secured around her neck flapping like it was the Abssal battle ensign as she makes full steam forward, her boots skimming across the surface of the water in what some might consider terrible weather. The day of the operation had arrived, and the Wo-class carrier - or at least, the one most commonly encountered by the multiverse's denizens - appears focused.     Not that there weren't some misgivings, odd words, misunderstandings, over the intervening days. Why must they place their newly returned sister into such a compromising position? In a worst case, they would be delivering her right into the arms of those that wrested her away the first time. But, there was also wisdom in this action. To test the willpower of the enemy, and of allowing the Ko-class fast abyssal battleship to realize for herself where she truly belongs - with the forces of the deep. More than anything else, though, there is the unwavering idea that Samar has all of their best interests at heart. She certainly isn't the kind to perform an operation like this as a personal vanity project.     With that resolved in her mind, she casts her amber eyes through the haze, cutting through it as she lifts her staff in a black gloved hand. With this, the eyes of her hat blaze brighter, as its mouth gapes in a silent scream, more dark shapes issuing out from the cauldron inside it - ones that rapidly expand into meter-wide abyssal fighters. They fly ahead of her personal formation, making way for the very earliest of streets where they soar far above. Instead of dropping ordinance, though..a common enough sight in the old days. From the screams of the jets, flyers float down, dampened by the snow, and the general gist of the treatise in 1940s period font: If any civilians value their lives, they should evacuate to shelter now. Because it's about to get real.     "..the one..kindness. ..I will, perform today," she echoes, coldly. "I won't..fail.. This time." 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Now there's certainly an impressive sight. The Abyssal Fleet's entrance may be the flashiest Nox has ever seen, and Boston itself is likely the largest city he's laid eyes upon as well. From the first second into the operation, his attention is captivated by the sight unfolding, despite the patently awful weather. His own entry is decidedly understated compared to everyone else, making the spatial leap from home base to the shores of Boston with the use of pre-gathered coordinates, teleporting to a point roughly a hundred meters or so above the water, and a little further out from the shore. He is almost impossible to see in the snowstorm for anyone at that distance, save for perhaps a tiny blue glow from the ports in his armour. He's charged up his batteries to their maximum for today in order to prepare for heavy combat.     "Oh I certainly look forward to it." he replies. "I think everyone else might be just as excited, if I am to judge." He folds his arms behind his back, waiting for the first signs of resistance. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber is a faster responder than people expect. This is partially because he was expecting this attack for a couple days now and had been preparing to counter it. A news chopper, flying high over the city, abruptly has the outer paneling fall off to reveal that it's actually a scout helicopter. The massive, bellowing sound from the symbiote shakes the rooftops and rattles windows through the city. The vehicle in the air shudders and wobbles.     The Coast Guard peppers, or at least attempts to pepper, the emerging Abyssal Forces with cannon fire. It's stinging, but probably not enough to do more than draw ire or be annoying. Along the harbor, which is slightly deserted for a Wednesday afternoon, is being expertly evacuated of civilians. Braver members of law enforcement and the Paranormal Response Teams are rolling up and trying to guide people where they can, prepared to defend their city to the death if need be. They're not going to let Wo's courteous allowance of civilian evacuation go to waste.     The ground forces are sent into a scatter as Sindragosa lands on one of the Harbor Towers. The massive construction of steel and glass creaks and her coiling around it sends glass and stone scattering to the street below. The people inside are all treated to an icy chill and forced to get towards the center of the building and away from windows to avoid her movements. Her mighty roar flows out over the harbor, causing smaller icebergs to appear in the waters around the coastline, as well as floating sheets of ice atop the water. A snowy city is made even colder by her presence.     But let's go back to that helicopter in the air. Psyber is leaning out one side of it, coat fluttering and flapping in the high-altitude winds and the movements of the circling aircraft. Psyber is shouting to the pilot, "ALRIGHT. WHEN I JUMP OUT, AND I WILL EVENTUALYL TO HEAD FOR MY TARGET, YOU GO HOME. Don't stick around!" Psyber calls to the man, who gives him a thumbs up.     The half-angel is dressed almost entirely normally, wearing his coat and shirt with slacks. Guns holstered at his side, the whole shebang. The only difference in his outfit is that in stark contrast to his normally dark-colored attire, a bright white admiral's hat rests atop his head, being held there by his free hand so it doesn't blow off in the winds. For now, the half-angel is sticking to the skies and observing, waiting for the moment. The pieces were still lining up. He's calling out orders into his radio, "I need ship response in the harbor and ground forces to cover. We also NEED that goddamn dragon engaged. It cannot run rampant in the city. We haven't had a dragon problem since fucking 1872 and I'm not allowing this shit to escalate too much. Nearly lost half the city to that Fire. If she gets into the city, she could do some serious damage. Any of them could. Call your targets, move to intercept. Don't be afraid to shout for backup if you need it."     It's once the Ko-class emerges that Psyber finally waves his hand out. The helicopter banks in the air and then goes in low over the harbor like a swift sparrow. The pilot is good, able to navigate the even icier winds now that Sindragosa is here, though sheets and coats of ice now hang to the outside of the air vehicle.     During that low swoop, Psyber hops out the side and lands on one of those huge, floating pieces of ice that Sindragosa's breath made earlier in this pose. The force of his landing sends it skimming across the water like a shot, skipping and bouncing as he crouches and holds on. It looks like it's heading towards Ko-Class. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     They've been expecting this attack for some time. A strike by the former Kongou, on whatever she held most dear. A way to cement her nature. Nozomi has planned the entire time to be present, to help. Pysber told them outright they're not going to be destroying the Ko-class, so she's there intending to send Taiga out for battle on his own, but...     "...there's so many," Nozomi murmurs. Taiga is quiet, for the moment. "...w-we have to," she says, as if to convince herself. "If Psyber orders us..." The mechatiger finally responds, "I believe it will be sufficient." The schoolgirl nods her head quietly.     "Disengaging Independent Mode. Rerouting Gensou Engine power to motive and combat systems. Rampart Mode engaged."     An armored warrior in black and yellow erupts into the sky, hurtling as expected straight towards the harbor. The cold eyes of the TIGER's user are locked right on the Ko-class in the distance, intending to go for the 'heart', for the person she knows is the source of this attack. Destroy morale. Rout the enemy, end things quickly and effeciently.     She stops dead in mid-air when orders come through, her brow furrowing in frustration. In front of her eyes, a holographic display appears. Targeting priorities are altered; one icon displays as bright red, one a duller purple. Nozomi looks between the Ko-class contact and the mark designating Sindragosa, and with a last silent frown, turns and hurtles into the sky.     If nothing else, the undead dragon is a supernatural threat. That's what Rampart Mode is for.     The first warning Sindragosa will have of the armored girl's approach is a small volley of yellow energy shots, a blend of particle blast and magical shot, unleashed from the skyline. Nozomi herself comes hurtling in right behind them, her gaze positively frigid. 

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''     Kuma was waiting in the lee of the harbour. She'd approached under cover to lay in wait. As the bellow of the Battleship Princess rings out, and Sindragossa's roar causes ice to form on the harbour, Kuma steels herself. "Shigure, make sure they can't escape, kuma... Fleet command goes to you." she transmits to her support ships out beyond visual range. She looks out over the edge of her cover, spotting those baleful, glowing eyes. "Ri-class... lets do this, kuma!"     The little cruiser-girl pushes off the harbour wall, and hits the water skating. She rounds the barrier and tenses her entire body which begins to glow brilliantly. She's encapsulated within a sphere of white light, which bursts outwards as the form of the Kuma-class light cruiser soars forth at a slight angle, crashing down into the water with enough force to partly submerge the bow deck before bouyancy takes over. She sets course to intercept the towering monster of the Ri-class, turning to present her broadside, the turrets arrayed along her length traverse, elevate, then fire a stacatto of six shells. "Kuma engaging the Ri-class, kuma!" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     It's cold! But Ayako loves the cold and loves it when there's water everywhere! The plentiful snow, cloudy sky, and flurries have made Ayako more cheerful than usual! The water spirit was cheerfully flying around in the skies above Boston, enjoying the weather when that terrifying bellow echoed throughout the city.     "Eeep!" The water spirit dressed as a witch suddenly pulls back on her broomstick to stop it as she quickly looks in the direction of the sound. "I... well. I guess Psyber was right. Something wicked this way comes." She grins as she yanks the stick of the broom in the direction of the harber. "Then~. Let's go my broom!" A bright giggle, and a burst of mist from the broom's brush sends her off in the direction of the harbor.     "Gray skies and flurries in the air~" Why yes, Ayako is singing cheerfully as she's flying. "Spread water and love everywhere~!" She continues to sing cheerfully as she makes her way over to the harbor.     Once she's nearing the harbor, she blinks her eyes quickly as she tries to pick out the... unpleasent shapes in the water. Ayako nods her head once and then suddenly dives straight into the ocean! No splash. Not even a ripple. Immersed in herself, she can move incredibly quickly, and so she gets into position underwater, ready to help!     "Radio if you need support! I'm ready to go!" Her amber gaze turns upwards as she raises an arm upwards. "Water Bubble!" And a bubble of water forms around her allies for just a moment, and then fades away.     Like always, Water Bubble isn't much of a barrier. It only slows incoming attacks a negligible amount, but without casting it, Ayako's other barriers won't work! At the very least, it's difficult to destroy and uses very little magical energy. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Few situations require Homura to be pre-emptively ready. The reason for this is pretty obvious, but the short of it is that when you have time on your side there's not really such a thing as a hurry. She wouldn't mind going a step further and having a certain troll's disposition towards completely discarding the temporal context of hapennings, but that's likely completely out of her reach. Her powers go a different route, sadly.     But that is why she can shift gears so quickly, putting the homework away. Having been in the HoH tower at the time, working on research for a small paper (unfortunately those are becoming more common, and will probably become more and more so in the next years), it's pretty easy to look out the window, sigh, and then get to work.     By which we mean that there's a fairly long period of unseen time-- well, unseen, except by one person-- which Homura uses to stuff books and papers in a corner, outfit up, and hop onto the roof of the tower.     Battleships, dragons... they sure came in force.     The Puella Magi stands on the edge of the roof, glancing towards the harbor. Guess she'll have to pitch in. She produces her bow out of thin air, the large black weapon's magical string pulled back to create arrows of light. From her perch she unleashes a barrage of pink-purple light arrows towards-- Sindragosa as well, apparently, since Psyber seems to mind her so much. The arrows aren't especially threatening though, but given the range Homura is firing from, she's surprisingly accurate if anything. 

:'''{{#var:680|Nagato (680)}} has posed:'''     Kitted out, the land-fit Admiral Battleship gives a brief nod. "Atago, fleet command is yours. Meet up with Isuzu and Chitose. Barricade the escape." Nagato gives one more nod as she skates from the harbor, the ice that covers the harbor and the sea making it a bit difficult to move in, she charges through, breaking the ice with each skating motion. When that bubble encapsulates her, and the understanding from an ally she continues with eyes locked on the Battleship Princess. Samar.     "Admiral, engaging the Battleship Princess, my only request is that you sink the Ko-Class and recover the body." the four turret mounts swivel into place, pointing forwards and at Samar, the admiral's eyes and resolve steeled, a lot is at stake here already. A city, her Admiral and Kongou. "Sink your target, Nagato. You'll do this." skating through the rest of the ice and back into cold ocean, she thrusts an arm forward, the blast of eight 41cm barrels flash in the low light, sending armor peircing shells at the Battleship Princess, even if she's a large being. "Almost enough room to use it..." 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Riva isn't going to take this situation lying down. She also can't take it swimming, though. Not like this. And certainly not carrying the thing she's using for the operation. But that doesn't mean she can't still support. With a clattering, atop another building Riva kneels, sighting down a long tube as she aims it into the air. "Bee-1, fox-2! FIRE!" Riva calls out. A moment later, a screaming rocket whips through the air towards the massive ice dragon. Who knows? It might actually hit! 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' It's been a while since Yuna headed into a fight primarily of her own volition; the mission where she met Iji was an 'assignment' from Elner, and the recovery of the Dragon Ball from that canyon was less of a planned fight and more of a scramble to grab it and get out. But Yuna likes the Fleet Maidens she's met, and while she hasn't really met Kongou or her 'sisters' from that world yet, knowing that a girl who's been on the side of good has somehow gotten 'lost' to the other side just isn't something that she can turn away from. That's why Yuna declared her readiness to help Psyber and his allies recover Kongou; 'trying' isn't even a factor - she's going to do everything she can to help save a friend of her allies. Yuna is reminding herself of that as Marina of the Sea combines with Yuna's Light Suit, giving the blonde quasi-paladin magical girl armor which looks very much like a mermaid in design. As soon as the transformation to Marine Form is complete, a spring of the tail and a twist in the air carry Yuna from dry dockside ground into the water, and from there she swims out to meet the Abyssals. Her allies are already calling their targets; Elner identifies one for Yuna, and she calls her target as per Psyber's orders, swimming out to get in the way of the Wo-class Abyssal ... 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Cannon fire crashes against the grey flesh and black metal hide of Samar's symbiote, bursting on impact in relatively small blasts. The creature's maw opens again to release another bellow, but it seems to be more one of anger than pain; the cannons of the coast guard leave marks against the lumbering abomination's body, but not much else. This must be why the Fleet Daughters are needed in their world, if the leader of the Abyssals is so incredibly resiliant.     Samar's expression turns into a slight frown as she looks toward the humans on the shore. "Really," she sighs, gently caressing the metal cranium of the beast she's connected to. "Do they think they can intrude on our matters so easily? We should show them the depths of their mistake."     The various cannons along the lower body of the creature swivel toward shore with the rumbling grind of turrets on tracks. Hardly a moment passes before it opens fire with those many smaller cannons, launching them toward the docks. It's more of a warning shot than a direct attack: the charges detonate powerfully in the water near the shore, blasting up towering columns of water and ice and rocking the docks with kinetic force, but only one actually explodes against the docks themselves. Samar laughs, musical yet brimming with cruel satisfaction.     There's not much time for her to savor the moment, though, because more capable reinforcements are quick to arrive. Her various allies are already under attack, but the Battleship Princess narrows her eyes toward Psyber first. The giant triple turrets on her symbiote's shoulders swivel down to follow her gaze, tracing his skating path along the ocean's surface...     But before she can fire, her symbiote is struck by an array of much more powerful explosions against its chest. Black armor twists and cracks. The creature bellows its foghorn-voice again and staggers back over the ocean's surface, its massive hands sending up gouts of spray as they crash down and return its balance. Samar's expression twists into a grimace that quickly turns to Nagato. "Of course..."     The creature of metal and flesh steadies itself and turns toward the approaching Fleet Daughter. Every turret swivels on its tracks to aim for her, as well, before Samar's vicious grin bares her teeth again. "Nagato," she shouts, "I was /hoping/ I'd run into you here! Our first little traitor...how long has it been since you turned on your sisters?"     The air fills with smoke and a rumbling report as three of those main turrets fire their heavy shells straight at Nagato. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     There is one person who is aware of those few minutes that pass completely unseen by the others. A xelor is always sensitive to the innate ryhthm of time, and the best of them can sense fluctuations in the steady tick-tock of the universe. It doesn't quite take a genius level wielder of Xelor's magic in order to understand that something had happened when Homura had stopped time, but the senses granted to Nox by the Eliacube, boosted well beyond what is normally possible for any xelor, are sharp enough to make an educated guess on exactly /what/ had happened. Though visibility is exceptionally poor in the snow, he isn't relying on light to see, instead reading the flow and density of ambient energy, looking to where it collects to mark out targets. The one that suddenly appears on a roof in less than a blink of an eye all but confirms his suspicions. The shields over the lenses of his helmet close halfway together, as it to express that suspicion with the narrowing of his eyes.     Nox winks out of existence with an electronic chirp that is lost in the howling of the ice and wind, the steady churning of the waves, the scream of engines, and the thunder of cannon fire, reappearing close enough to Homura that she alone can hear the sound in reverse. He seems to be content to wait just outside of her line of fire, hands still together behind his back. "Good evening madame." he says in an incredibly facetious tone, tinged with the metallic reverb of his mask. "When you have a moment, I'd like to have a chat about that most particular kind of magic you seem to be using." His voice suddenly turns serious. "I suggest you take the offer now. My time is precious." 

:'''{{#var:710|Ri (710)}} has posed:''' ...Isn't that dragon the one from that pokemon islands place? Not to be racist or anything, but skeletal dragons blazing with icy magic all look the same to her! A helicopter is incoming, and some guy seems to be challenging their newly-rescued sister. Ko-class will take care of him, Ri is sure. There are so many enemies appearing. If not for Samar and Wo, Ri likely would have just started shooting wildly at all of them at once, missing all of them as well probably. It's amazing what having the Admiral here does for her. How it gives her something to focus on. But then Ri is under attack! The pelting of fire from the shore may not be terrible damaging, but it is definitely an attack! Upon HER! And also her sisters, which is double-unacceptable! She raises her huge shark-gauntlets, freezing water sluicing down their smooth exteriors, and all the little channels formed along their jaws. Ri obtains permission to begin shore bombardment, and so those jaws drop open with an ominous mechanical shift. Cannons are exposed within, as gruesome double-rows of teeth lie open and waiting - either to bite down or to launch their barrage of terrible fire into the city. But then Kuma appears, and while her glow is highly-noticeable, the threat she poses significant, if not for her orders to engage Elites before attacking the city, she would have single-mindedly focused on shelling the civilian targets. But she has different orders. And being blasts by shells from the Kuma-class light cruiser is more than enough incentive to change targets. She turns her head away slightly as explosions tear across her giant body painfully. Even in Leviathan Mode, cannon fire still HURTS. She is displeased with feeling pain. But though she wishes to sink Kuma, the words of her Admiral instill a new emotion in her as well. 'Sink her, Ri. It'll be good to have /her/ back, too.' Now she feels an obligation alongside her anger and fear. An obligation to rescue Kuma, and bring her back to their side. Yes, she still wants to destroy the ship girl. But she also wants to save her. And those twin desires, destruction and salvation, seamlessly merge in her still-fragmented mind, so recently ascended from total madness. It makes sense to her somehow. To save you must destroy. She lowers the trajectory of her shark gauntlets, and she opens fire with her cannons, even as she starts to skim forward slowly across the choppy grey waters, getting closer to her target. *BOOMBOOMBOOM* go the cannons. <<It's... Okay, Kuma.>> Ri sends, even knowing that Kuma won't hear it. Not yet. <<I'm here to... Rescue you. So... Drown!>> And maybe, just maybe, the Admiral will rescue the traitorous Nagato as well, and they can all be together again. 

:'''{{#var:653|Sindragosa (653)}} has posed:'''     Projectiles fly at Sindragosa from two directions. The first salvo -- a scattering of yellow bolts reeking of magic and power -- skim along her massive flank and blister new holes into her fragile-seeming wings. The second salvo -- a streaking array of pink arrows -- stings at her opposite side, piercing through her tarnished, rotted scales to expose the roiling furnace inside her torso. Neither assault is more than an insult to something as /big/ as Sindragosa, but both certainly earn her attention. The great dragon's neck swings left and right in a serpentine motion, and her head cocks to consider both her likely prey.     She tucks her wings in close against her sides, unfurls her tail from its tight coil around the skyscraper's uppermost levels, and pitches her entire mass down into a steep dive toward the streets below.     Just as her bulk begins its descent, a plume of smoke erupts high atop Sindragosa's bristling crown. There is a loud snap and a furious snarl as one of her larger horns breaks off under the rocket's explosive impact. It's more insult than injury, to be sure, but it's still a depletion of Sindragosa's body and essence. If Riva's luck holds out, hits like that will add up quickly.     Though she is a skeleton held together by rage as well as magic, though something her size has no right to be anything close to 'nimble', she is a surprisingly capable and agile flyer. Long before the streets are any danger, she snaps open her wings to turn her steep dive into a swift soaring. There is hardly enough space for her to maneuver between the buildings -- even down the broadest avenues -- but she twists however she must to navigate the tight terrain.     Sindragosa doesn't fly very far away from her enemies, of course. She is not one to retreat from a challenge, and besides, she is far too new to the Multiverse to understand how great a threat Nozomi, Homura, and Riva together represent. Arrogance draws her into the fray as much as her anger.     Pumping her wings once drives Sindragosa briefly above the rooftops to a level altitude with the oncoming Nozomi. She twists mid-air, folding her wings to permit a corkscrewing action, and releases a gusty, frosty breath all around, not only to make Nozomi's flying conditions difficult, but to potentially freeze the schoolgirl in her armor. Temperatures within Sindragosa's breath attack go way, way below zero.     As she does this, the great dragon careens toward Riva's perch, too. Sindragosa doesn't quite sight Riva well enough to make a direct attack, but as with Nozomi, she's able to wreak a generalized havoc which may still catch Riva in its midst. The dragon rakes her claws across the roof she thinks contains Riva as she flies overhead it. Before she passes by, her tail delivers a final, crushing blow, shaking the building to its foundations.     After this, she twists again to try and track down Homura, but she is unable to get a bead on this third and final target. It's just as well; it looks like Nox has Homura well in hand. 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     The slow steps of the Abyssal Fast Battleship slow further until she comes to a stop, eyes drawn upward by the distinctive rumble of a helicopter overhead. Eyes locked on the aircraft, she lowers her head with a teeth-bared growl. In response, the eel-like heads of her mutilated fit-out raise, teeth parting in roars that sound like metal grinding against more metal. The various smaller guns attached around the head on either side swivel forward, opening fire.     It's a testament to the pilot's skill that he avoids the incoming flak after dropping Psyber off, though the harrowing escape of shells bursting in air around his vehicle is a story he'll be telling for years to come. He might even have the scratches on the chopper to prove it.     Surrounded by smoke, Ko-Class steps forward again, kicking an ice floe aside as she emerges into full view of the half-angel approaching her. The woman pauses, planting her stance and spreading her arms out in a threatening gesture. Behind her, the dragon-like heads of her fit-out rear back, unleashing their roars while disgorging the muzzles of the Abyssal battleship's main battery amidst a spray of spittle and foam.     "...Surface-dweller," her voice is hollow, angry, "...Sink."     A heartbeat later, that main battery opens fire with reports that rattle bones. Though armor-penetrating rounds aren't the best to use against soft targets like ice--she hasn't had an opportunity to change her shell type. 

:'''{{#var:582|Wo (582)}} has posed:'''     While they might have appeared threatening during their lightning course over the streets nearest the bay, the abyssal fighters would serve no real purpose there, after dropping the leaflets. It would be pointless to strafe civilian targets after that, and their cannons wouldn't deal enough damage to structures to matter. Their business there finished, then, they make their way through the overcast back out to sea, where their floating base awaits. Small-ish targets to begin with, relative to full scale aircraft, and with the cover of the weather, they aren't bothered much by any anti-air the coast guard might have been mounting, slipping through... Unfortunately, that same advantage also means they couldn't really do much scouting, as they're operating mostly on instruments and innate, abyssal communication, here. In their case, it takes the form of a buzzing and an occassional burst of static, barely audible over the roar of their turbines.     The coast guard's fire, for perhaps similar reason, isn't much more than a nuisance to the carrier. Wo at times raises an arm as if to brace against an incoming round, but the presence of the far more conspicuous and intimidating symbiote of Samar perhaps helps focus their efforts elsewhere, sparing her the indignity of having to do much dodging about. Instead, she looks almost stately and aloof as she continues her advance, both hands clasped atop the rusted chunk of metal, fashioned into something that for all the world looks like a wizard's staff. Right as she's about to recall her fighters completely and move to launch something more damaging, though, something catches her eye through the haze. Mostly because it practically appears right in front of her. A humanoid shape, though from this distance she could be forgiven for assuming she's seeing things, since the shape fits the old mariner tales of mermaids. Still working on that multiverse nonsense thought allowance thing.     Regardless of what it is, though, it is apparently and purposefully moving on an intercept course, and with her jets already in the air, it provides a target of opportunity, if not the best one. A hand raises from its resting place, and the planes once again hiss and drone between each other, as though acknowledging an unspoken order, diving towards Yuna while the chainsaw-like rip of their cannons spinning up soon joins the cacophony that accompanies them. "Don't know..who you are.. ..but - if you, are with him.. ..I'm sinking you," she states with a dead-focused calm, and a light reverb. Her voice, obviously strained to articulate her words, but finding them where it counts. Samar and Ri-class, she has the utmost expectation will hold their own, but she can momentarily be seen to avert her eyes over to where the Ko-class is doing battle with her former 'Admiral'.     While she doesn't want to surrender her sister to them again, she's nonetheless interested in what happens, regardless of the outcome. Hopefully that distraction won't affect her effectiveness. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Teleportation?     Homura's senses are just keen enough to turn around-- unfortunately that ends her barrage on Sindragosa, but then again, the arrows weren't that threatening to start with. But you know how ranged DPS goes-- if you leave them alone too long it'll add up. Not the case here.     Probably for the best, since the magical girl has no particular desire to tank a dragon's wrath tonight. She has a paper to finish and that would make it a pain.     "That is not a matter I wish to discuss. If you are that interested in generic magical arrows and bows, then--"     Time stops. The dull grey tone the world takes mutes most sounds, halting the flow of battle. Homura lets an arrow loose towards Nox, simple blunt force in magical arrow form.     Then she would try to run around, and let another arrow loose in a perfect pincer-- that's when, normally, she would unpause things to finish her line and completely feign the nature of her powers, thinking Nox meant the arrows.     But that's unlikely to be how it goes. 

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''     Towers of water plume up around the Light Cruiser, rocking her with the concussive waves, until one shell strikes just behind her smoke stacks, wrecking the catapult. "Tch... Evasive maneuvers, kuma!" her voice echoing hollowly through her 'body'. She can feel the pain of the ruined parts, as the lattice support falls from the deck into the water, sinking rapidly away. "I can't keep trading cannon fire, she's got bigger guns than I do..." she muses to herself, tilling port to take a wide swing around Ri's position. "Must get closer, to use torpedoes." she 'nods' to herself, tilling starboard and clicking up to Flank speed, rushing in closer to Ri, before hauling hard to port again. The torpedo 'turrets' on her port side traverse out, and spit four long tubes into the water, which bubble away rapidly towards their target. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox has something to say in response to Homura as she does him the courtesy of giving him her attention. In the midst of proverbially taking a break however, time stops once again, leaving him in the same muted grey tones as the rest of the world around the puella magic. Her own, private, inviolable little world, into which nobody can see or hear. The world she has spent a huge portion of her life in, all alone with all the time in the world to think, act, and prepare.     That isn't the case today. Shortly after the second arrow is fired, both hovering mere inches away from the xelor's chest and back, Nox slowly regains colour, fading into prominence against the bleached backdrop, where he lets out a echoing sigh, as if just retrieving the breath he expended trying to talk. He slowly turns in place to face Homura, hovering down gently from between where the two arrows are set to converge, formulating another set of words to replace those that had gone unspoken.     "No, if I wanted to see magical arrows then I would speak to a Cra. This, however, is far more interesting. To the best of my knowledge, I am, or rather was, the only one who can completely stop the flow of time." It certainly is something to think about. The first time he had been caught unprepared, but the second time, he had taken advantage of the temporal disturbance to let himself drift along in its wake, shifting sideways in the timeline along with Homura.     "I think you will find this was a very bad day to come out to fight, madamoiselle." Snapping one arm up from behind his back, he levels one palm towards Homura, opening a glowing blue circle that seems to actually go into his hand. An elongated bolt of cyan energy bursts from his palm, streaking through the air towards Homura, fast enough and at a close enough range that it should hit her before it comes to a halt like her arrows had. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     Frigid air blasts and buffets the black-armored girl that is Nozomi, and though she utters a silent hiss of pain and frost forms on her forward-facing armor plates, the sheer magical protection the TIGER provides means that she also doesn't even slow down one bit. As Sindragosa twists and banks up, the armored girl follows without skipping a beat.     More of those yellow energy blasts follow, the techno-magical girl raising her left gauntlet to do so without dropping her grip on her blade with the right. They are just the precursor, it's true, but the shots are dangerous in their own right, coming from an armor designed to hunt magical threats. But she only uses those to catch her enemy offguard, to try and hobble Sindragosa's maneuvering, while she closes in for the true hit.     And the instant she comes in reach, Nozomi whips her blade around herself and pours on the thrust to lunge forward. That tremendous blade, nearly as long as Nozomi is tall, swings around the armored warrior one last time before she takes a proper slash at the skeletal dragon. And the EM Zanbatou is no simple piece of technology; magic runs through its blade, energizing its strike, enabling it to cut through supernatural defenses so keenly that it can even strike hostile spirits. And on top of that, the swing is augmented in sheer force by a set of thrusters, pushing it beyond what even Rampart Mode's already-impressive strength can manage.     It is, in short, a blade that is very well-designed for slaying dragons. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     The pilot wobbles and adjusts in the air, taking a couple flak shells that cause him to pull away. He's done for the day, due to the smoke pouring from his aircraft. He's going to be grounded for a while.     Psyber is a sitting duck in the water for those dragon cannons. And he leaps off of it and onto a second chunk of ice as her shots tear up his former platform. Where he was standing just a moment ago is turned into ice cubes and water, exploding. Shards of ice are caught by the water bubble Ayako put around him, giving him some protecting.     "Shit that was close," Psyber remarks as he keeps a hand on the hat he's wearing. He squints his eyes shut and exhales, "If I go into the water around here, I'm in trouble."     He made a tactical error coming into the water, but that's all he can be doing at this point. As his NEW piece of ice skips across the water, Psyber shouts, "SO IS THIS WHAT YOU'VE BECOME?" He screams.     He's not opening fire on her yet, instead trying to get right into eyeline with that hat SHE gave him, "When we first met, you told me you remembered. Is this what you WANT to be, Kongou?" 

:'''{{#var:680|Nagato (680)}} has posed:'''     Nagato winces at the word 'traitor', "I'm not a traitor, I just found myself admist the dark." she states plainly, "Don't ever... say I was a traitor you poisonous woman." as shells rain down on the Admiralship. One hits its mark, the resulting explosion creating a massive plume of smoke around Nagato's location, the other two splashing in the water with equally powerful explosions. Nagato's gaze is fixated on Samar, her turrets still trained on the leviathan-mode woman. "I'm going to sink you... and your entire fleet for taking my fleet away from me and attacking here."     Nagato skates off, the turrets spinning and leveling off before another loud bang, eight more shells firing right off towards Samar from blackened turrets, the Admiral heading off towards the west, looking for some room. "Not yet..." she mutters, "Not enough room and distance." she bites her lip, shaking her head. "I'm going to rescue Kongou... and we're going to put an end to this war." 

:'''{{#var:710|Ri (710)}} has posed:''' Oh! Oh, good! Kuma is coming closer! Just as Ri is heading to meet her! That will make things easier! ...For both of them. And actually also probably harder for both of them as well. See, just those torpedos detonate beneath Ri causing her to stagger and suffer damage throughout her structure, she was also reaching out with those great big gauntlets of hers, bending forward when she is rocked and thrown off-balance. This causes her to close the distance much more quickly than intended, but she still intended to do so regardless. ...Though preferably without the smoke now trailing from her boots and the pain radiating through her legs, or the water churning and bubbling around her. Why was she trying to get in close? One of those shark gauntlets attempts to BITE DOWN on Kuma's Ocean fitout form with incredible, crushing force. And then fire its cannons directly INTO her if that attack succeeds. But hey, good news! Ri is off-balance and becoming somewhat confused and frightened by the damage she has suffered! That means she won't be thinking quite as clearly in the near future or have the same capacity to try tactics like she just did! ...Which also probably means she'll be going berserk, but at least she'll be easier to take down in such a state? 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     A lack of paying attention, or maybe it's just a lack of expecting a difference, leaves Homura fairly baffled when Nox moves, and speaks. Is he shaking it off? No, this is much worse. He confirms her firms by explaining it himself. Unlike her it seems that he makes no secret of his trade. The two bright purple arrows remain pointed at one another behind Nox, faded out like everything else already.     "I see. How unexpected."     She knew she wasn't the only one out there; there's the troll, and the masked assassin man. To some degree, Samael counts. Guess there's a fifth now, but Nox is closer to her specialty if he's being honest he's the only other one she's met too.     The energy blast slams into Homura, sending her tumbling back several feet on the roof and dropping her bow, which disappears in a flicker of magic. The scorch mark on her clothes indicates they're at least protecting her, but that still hurt. A bad day to come out and fight, indeed.     "I still have no desire to discuss this. Least of all with a man whose name and goal I don't even know," she finally answers, before time resumes its pace. The two arrows collide behind Nox, exploding outright in an extremely bright flash of pink link. Though not directly harmful to him, the flash might give her the second she needs.     A pitch black sword appears in her hand from thin air, and she tries swinging the Regisword for one of Nox's shoulders. Wicked and pointed, the chess-motif sword is surprisingly sharp, although it's dulled by the fact she doesn't seem like a trained swordsman. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Somewhere overhead - far enough up as to escape notice, unless somebody is actively searching for it and KNOWS what they're looking for - a tiny little robo-faerie observes the developing battle. Elner of Wisdom is here, as so often is the case, to watch over Yuna, and to help ensure her safety if she loses her fight. /Remember, Yuna,/ Elner transmits over the sort-of-telepathic link that connects the robo-faerie with the Savior of Light, /the Abyssals are harbingers of death. Don't expect the Wo-class to show any mercy./ Yuna grimaces a bit at Elner's transmission. /I know,/ she responds - and then bullets begin striking the water, and with a squeak of startlement, she dives and twists through the water, trying to avoid being strafed by the spectral fighters. Despite her attempts to dodge, some of those bullets still find their mark, brief little flares visible where they impact her armor and its protective field. Yuna was uneasy enough already; between Elner's reminder and the ghostly-looking Wo-class's response to her approach, there's only one thing that keeps her from simply freaking out and bolting. They have a friend to save. Sucking in a breath from her armor's air supply, Yuna answers the 'dead' carrier girl, "I'm Yuna Kagurazaka, a friend of Psyber's - and I should hope that makes me Kongou's friend as well! And if I can't persuade you to back off -" The long, straight 'pigtails' hanging off of her armor's helmet suddenly pivot forward, pointing towards Wo. "- then I can at least stop you from hurting any of my allies!" finishes Yuna, a salvo of miniature torpedoes launching from the 'pigtails'' ends and racing through the water towards the carrier. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako blinks her eyes as she hears the Ko-Class' growl and words. Sound travels better underwater, after all. She frowns to herself for a moment as she thinks. "I don't like this Kongou. There's no <love>! There's just anger!"     In a brief moment, she swiftly moves through the water and pokes her witch hat and head out from the water's surface by Psyber. "If you go into the water around here, you'll be fine!" Ayako giggles softly and then gestures at Psyber. "Sea's Depth Floor Barrier!" And the sea's water suddenly swirls about Psyber to help shield him!     Sea's Depth Floor Barrier is a bit different from the normal Sea's Depth Barrier! It still slows incoming attacks significantly and increases the raw strength of outgoing attacks. However, it also provides solid footing on ocean water, letting the bottoms of Psyber's feet push off the water as if it were solid! Unfortunately, because of this effect, the shield is stronger from the bottom and weaker on top, but those are the breaks! 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     "Oh? How unusual. Normally none of your kind are concerned with either my name or my goal. By now it's usually heroic speeches and utterances of defiance. How /very/ interesting." If Homura weren't already something well out of the ordinary, she certainly is now. The xelor barely seems to notice as time unsticks itself, though he winces slightly from the explosive flash that takes place right above him, holding one hand over his eyes as if squinting into the sun. That certainly gives Homura that time she needs to draw her sword and launch her counterattack, but just centimeters short of hitting Nox, time stops again.     This time it isn't her doing.     Nox chuckles at the sight of his handiwork, gently brushing Homura's sword off course with his shoulder. "Ahaha! Just in time I see. You're quick, I'll give you that." Unlike Homura's magic, the world remains in full colour. Nox's version of timestopping is a little different from hers. She can see and hear what little there is to perceive in a motionless world, but in exchange, Nox's attacks won't stop for her while she's paralyzed.     Secure in the knowledge that she can't stop time while it's /already/ stopped, Nox takes the time to summon his own sword, letting the interlocking gear teeth scramble into assembly and the clock hand point flash into existence at the end of the straight blade. "For what little it matters, I am called Nox, and my goal is . . . well, I will give you a hint. A few years from now, you won't remember any of this ever happening. Nothing today will have mattered. With that in mind, you shouldn't have any regrets." Speech concluded, Nox swings his own sword down on Homura's opposite shoulder, however . . . 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     Bathed in smoke from her battery's report, Ko-class whirls in place. Dragon-like kit fittings sweep aside, one dipping low while the other remains arced high. She steps forward, feet splashing across the water's cold surface and emerging from the gunsmoke again partly due to wind and due to her approach.     "...Become..." that hollow voice echoes. The woman's colorless face is filled with the same contempt that consumes the Ri-class heavy cruiser just a few hundred meters away. Deep-seated hatred with no clear outlet.     With a rattling sound, one red-stained skeletal hand reaches forward, fingers spreading. Taking the cue, her gun-equipped snake heads lean forward with grinding snarls, their interiors clicking as the guns are reloaded one by one.     Golden eyes widen, her outspread fingers twitch, and she hesitates. Very slowly, the ghastly woman murmurs, "...Mem..o..ry..."     Her eyes are fixed on the hat. It's plain to see something is conflicting deep down, something struggling, clawing towards the surface. Her outstretched hand quivers, a rattling going through the hideous fit-out attached to the base of her spine.     After a very notable hesitation, Ko seems to come back to herself. Those eyes narrow at the distance, then shift to focus on Psyber more directly. Perhaps furious and confused by what just happened, she lets out a wordless shout and opens fire a second time. However, the shots are poorly aimed, going wide in a spread of high explosives that hurl up plumes of water everywhere except where she was aiming at. Hands shaking, she starts skating forward, a slow but increasing speed while the small arms on her fitting swivel into position. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' The explosion is satisfying to Riva. She fistpumps in the air as she sees the rocket hit, even if the damage was minimal. SHE'S HELPING! The problem is now the dragon wants to rip her apart. "OH CRAP!" She yells, seeing the dragon breathe ice all over the place. She ducks out of the way to make sure an errant blast doesn't freeze her into a Rivasicle, but that doesh't help when the massive dragon smashes down upon the top of the building. The AC unit she was hiding behind goes flying, sending Riva with it in a single blow. She screams in surprise and pain. How can anything be that strong? She doesn't get long to reflect upon it before she impacts the roof, sent tumbling quickly to hit the wall around the edge. She groans there for a moment, her vision clearing a bit in the frosty air to see... "DOUBLE CRAP!" The tail hammers home, and the building shakes from the impact. When Sindragosa passes, Riva is gone. Gone from the building, that is. The Tamplar clings to the massive tail, attempting to pull herself up and along the bony back. With a sweep of her hand, she produces the massive Glabadosian cross that Faruja had gifted her, and that she had modified into something akin to a sledgehammer. More importantly, it has one more thing. The Hammer surges with Anima as Riva slams it towards Sindragosa's back, trying to use the curved edges to hook into the bony back. "HELLO LADY!" Riva yells into the frozen wind. "DON'T MIND ME!" 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     "/Poisonous/?" Samar scoffs at that, a sound echoed by the mechanical growl of her symbiote that sounds more like a ship's engine rumbling to life. "Is that what you call someone who welcomed you and cared for you? Who found a direction for all your /hatred/ and /anger/? Don't forget what you were, Nagato."     Large waves roll through the water as the massive symbiote steps forward on hands like small houses, lumbering toward Nagato and keeping its attention fixated on the skating Fleet Daughter. Black ichor and crimson steam pour from between its teeth like a drooling predator. It's prepared somewhat for that next volley, though only enough to lurch to one side to let a few of them sail past its massive bulk. Five still find their mark, crashing against black armor with tremendous explosions, and the symbiote seems about to lose its balance. The creature lurches, but leans back quickly to shove its momentum forward as it gives chase to Nagato. "Maybe you just forgot what the humans /did/ to you," Samar shouts, her red eyes burning from her perch. "Maybe I need to remind you of all that, if you're going to call /me/ the enemy!"     Suddenly, the symbiote hurls one arm out. Longer than a city block, its bulky limb stretches over Nagato as its hand spreads wide. Without its balance, the creature lurches forward, but that's intended: that gigantic hand is in the perfect position to come smashing down on top of Nagato to slam her against the surface of the water.     Psyber's shouting doesn't go unnoticed during the cacophony of battle, however. As her symbiote attacks, Samar jerks her head to glare at the half-angel, red eyes narrowing into threatening slits. So that's how he's going to do it, then... 

:'''{{#var:653|Sindragosa (653)}} has posed:'''     Charging into short range introduces Nozomi to another peril quite natural to Sindragosa. The dracolich radiates a breath-stealing cold; in order to deliver her blow, Nozomi shall have to power through and resist that aura, not just Sindragosa's breath. It's not a powerful enough force to truly repel a determined warrior, but the effect can still be detrimental, if Nozomi chooses to stay at close range for the totality of the brawl. Hypothermia and frostbite are not magical effects, even if the cold itself is a byproduct of a magical creation.     How good can her armor hold up against long-term exposure?     Sindragosa banks in an instinctive reaction to Nozomi's energy blasts. Herded into perfect precision, Sindragosa is left open to the wicked slash imparted by EM Zanbatou's magical edge. A long gash limned by blue embers appears between her shoulders. Thorny, ivory verterbrae are exposed as Sindragosa's rotted flesh and aged scales peel away from the wound. Another gout of blue flame spurts out in place of blood -- forced out by Sindragosa's pained roar -- and as if propelled by the fire's expulsion, Sindragosa plunges down into another steep dive.     What Nozomi may notice shooting up her arm is a strangely enhanced reverberation stemming from her sword's vibration. The magic strengthening the weapon is pushed back by Sindragosa's natural defenses. It's not a very painful effect, but the backlash is still noteworthy enough. The stronger the hit, the stronger the reverberation. This is a minor warning that magic may be a folly weapon to wield against the likes of this dragon...     Sindragosa comes to an abrupt skidding stop in the middle of the well-trafficked streets. Her tail, claws, and buffeting wings sweep the vehicles out of her path with ease. Grounded, she whips around like a cobra to face Nozomi -- and to draw in a deep, powerful breath. Her wings flare. Her ribs strain. Her chest swells.     An incredible gust of ice-lanced wind shall force Nozomi into Sindragosa's melee range, if Nozomi pursues. The effect of Sindragosa's ICY GRIP is all but irresisible; moreso, as Nozomi is flighted. But, if she is a particularly strong flyer...     "THE ICY WINDS OF NORTHREND SHALL SMASH YOU INTO QUIVERING RUIN! I WILL BREAK YOU. I WILL SHATTER YOU UNTIL NOTHING REMAINS OF YOU! COME, HERO -- COME AND MEET YOUR DOOOOOOOOOOM!"     Sindragosa cleaves at Nozomi with her bared claws.     That is whenever the pesky passenger, Riva Banari, makes herself known...and felt. What Nozomi may have seen -- and what Sindragosa did not notice -- is the girl clambering into a dangerous strike position.     The frostwyrm releases another loud rasping hiss of pain, and swings her head around to snap at Riva like she might a flea. As with the wounds already incurred, Sindragosa does not bleed. Bones crunch, and blue fire lances outward, and pain shudders through her form, but it is difficult to define how much trouble Sindragosa may be in if she can't knock Riva off her back.     "CURSE YOU! You insolent little insect --- ggggrrrrrah!"     At least she's distracted. 

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''     The problem with getting close. Those gauntlets are likely more dangerous than any Long Lance. The unstable nature of that lunge probably saves Kuma from being bitten in half, but she still loses a smoke stack and part of her forward bridge, metal rending with that banshee's scream as it's torn from her. "Ouch ouch... bad idea, kuma!" she chides herself, but from that range, her turrets traverse again, angling up and unleashing another stacatto of six shells, right up into Ri's midsection. "Don't you dare underestimate me, kuma!" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber is able to step off the ice patch and into the water thanks to Ayako, "Right. Thanks. Even with my physiology, freezing water can be a bad time," He says seriously, rolling his neck and shoulders as he brings a hand up to shield from the splashes of water left by her shots into the water.     "I will not become a memory. I'm going to get you your memory back," Psyber says, finally taking a shaking step off the ice patch and towards Kongou. WHen Samar glares at him, he turns to glare back at her. Red eyes lock with hers and he meets her gaze. If the Abyssals want to talk to him about not understanding, then he will understand them.     "I'm not walking away from this one," Psyber says, marching in counter to Kongou's skating. The icy harbor winds kick up his hair and coat, and he has to keep a hand firmly on that hat as he stares at the Ko-class while heading straight in towards her.     This pacifistic stance he's taken does leave him wide open to any attacks from external Abyssal intervention, since he's openly unarmed and on a one-track mission, "You sank. So I'm here. If you need to drag me to the depths to feel better, then do it," He holds out his hand to Kongou.     "A Captain goes down with his ship."     This entire plan is brazen, somewhat stupid, and could easily horribly backfire. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Time stops. It isn't Homura's fault, and it's actually strong enough it holds her still. But it's also different-- she can see and hear, she just can't move. Nox pushes the sword aside like it's nothing, and she struggles to work the magic out in her brain. There's no reason she shouldn't be able to do the same thing he did-- how often she does it with others, joining them in their stops, when working together. But the masked man's wasn't strong enough to hold her in place, so this is still new.     "You are overconfident, then!"     Said the pot to the kettle. Homura's body is wrapped in purple light, if only for an instant, and she wrestles herself free of the effect just in time to change her heading-- still headed past Nox, but the Regisword crashes into his sword instead of him, knocking it away. Homura tumbles, rolls and stands back up an instant later behind the man, frowning.     "Looks like it works both ways. Yours is different. I would call it cruel, compared to mine. Akemi Homura. I'd say nice to meet you, but it isn't really." In one hand the Regisword, in another an uzi. The SMG is aimed at Nox, and she starts unloading immediatly. "I can only think of one context in which time magic results in a lack of memories-- the road you walk isn't one that can succeed!"     It would be a lie to say she knows his plans already. Her deduction, at the moment, is that he's looking to do some form of looping, but on a fairly ridiculous scale if he figures it'll affect offworlders.     If an opening presents itself, she'll go for another slash-- presumably while Nox is busy avoiding machine gun fire. But that's a big if. 

:'''{{#var:582|Wo (582)}} has posed:'''     Somewhat ironically, this Wo-class might be more inclined to show mercy than some of her sisters. Of course, such things cannot be read easily, especially when she uses words such as those -- this isn't some social call, after all. With the distance effectively closed to visible range, now, it's somewhat comforting to her sensibilities that her eyes weren't seeing a mirage: It's not a mermaid, but it is a girl in aquatic armor that vaguely resembles it. This might be out of her normal range of expertise, but as she reaches up to pull her hat lower over her piercing, golden eyes -- you know what they say, everything is weak against bullet elemental.     The rounds coming from the drones might be of a caliber suited to targets of Yuna's size, but the impact is intense. Thankfully for her sake, they're more designed to combat other fighters to achieve air superiority, than attacking armored surface targets. Finishing their attack, they pull back up into the air, and begin making their way back to their carrier. A carrier that is suddenly a moving target again, as she's sadly forced to take evasive maneuvers. The torpedoes are of a make she's never seen before, unsurprisingly, and she slides somewhat tentatively in a semicircle owing to that unfamiliarity with their velocity. Perhaps, a bit too conservatively, as one strays a little bit too close and detonates at her feet. Right at the waterline, if she were still in her old, more familiar body.     She had been maintaining eye contact throughout the maneuver, but this renders her momentarily off-balance, not unlike the pitching of a struck ship. In the resulting chaos, one of the four jets returning misses the mark of where it was intending to 'land', ricocheting off the side of her hat and crashing into the water with the combination of a wet, fleshy sound and of a metallic clunk somewhere beneath. As if the concept of a ship zombie needed any more physical proof to Yuna. The others fly into its open, toothed maw and seem to become..digested, in whatever that pulsating, glowing mass of what-the-hell is that can briefly be seen. The throaty roar of their turbines is quelled, but soon replaced by that of a second wing that will likely soon be replacing them. While still regaining her sea footing and awaiting the launch, she also proves she's got more than planes.     The turrets on either side of her hat aren't just for show, it turns out. She suddenly raises her head at Yuna with a subtly angered expression, but still under control of herself for the time being. The ends of the barrels glow red, level, and then fire off two scarlet beams each. A concentrated form of her and her sister's anguish. The dreaded sadness laser. After the shot, she climbs back to her feet, "You - know nothing..of us.. She..belongs.. ..with us!" 

:'''{{#var:680|Nagato (680)}} has posed:'''     "That hatred and anger was misplaced and unwarranted. I was WRONG to have those emotions at the people who built me!" Nagato scowls and launches a hastily aimed set of shells towards Samar, with the aim level of someone slightly better than Fubuki. "I know what they did to me, Battleship Princess. I know how they held me..." unfocused, that arm does hit its mark, sending Nagato into the water and under with a heavy splash, the waves from the impact spill forth from her location.     Under the water Nagato's eyes close, reflecting on that past of hers. That Ra-Class she was, everything she's done towards the humans who made her. she shakes her head, pushing off under water to resurface a bit a ways from that arm. "I am not going to sink before you, I will not turn on my allies, the Union... the Union is my home now and you will not change it!"     She fires off another burst of shells towards Samar and with a radio message, she prepares for something else. "I'll show you the might of the Big Seven. And what it means to be a Flagship!" 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     "...Cap...tain..." Ko-class' skating slows to a stop again. Golden eyes wander to the hat again, those skeletal hands shaking with a noisy, metallic clattering sound. A murky image surfaces in her mind of a man in a white uniform, surrounded by the unrelenting sea. She shakes her head violently, hurling that image back into the black depths of her memory that it had bubbled up from. Furious eyes lock on the half-angel again, close enough that she could reach out and take his hand.     "...Ko," she states dimly. Those eyes widen again. As if moving without her knowledge, her hand lifts, reaching. Another memory surfaces, fiery and hot. The pain in her side, the hole ripped through her by an American torpedo. The men swarming from below decks, into the lifeboats.     Leaving her behind.          Abandoning her.     Catching herself reaching for Psyber's hand, Ko's eyes snap from wide to narrow slits, "...Left.. Behind..!" She wrenches her hand back. From her hip, one of the snakeheads snaps forward with its maw wide open. The other follows through, though keeps its mouth shut in more of a ramming headbutt with its pitted cranial plate. Furious, Ko's hollow voice echoes, "..I .. will not be left..! ..Not to sink.. again..!" 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     If Nox could look atonished with that mask over his face, he certainly would right now. He had figured Homura's power for an innate gift, rather than something that involved any innate understandings of the workings of temporal mechanics. It doesn't seem as if she's simply overpowered the effect, but slipped her timeline into his as well. He withholds the urge to declare something like that impossible. /Anything/ seems possible in the multiverse now. "Perhaps a little." he admits. "It is relatively difficult to overestimate someone when they can't move. Normally I would be /very/ interested in seeing how our . . . versions, compare and contrast. I'd think it would be very educational. As it stands however, I have no particular care for the cruelty of my methods. Whatever I do will cease to matter in the end. You may not believe me, but I am very certain of my eventual success."     Seeing as Homura can move as well, Nox drops the timestopped effect rather than wasting energy, allowing the sparks from the clash of swords to spray into the air. Holding out his free hand as Homura produces the SMG, he lets off a faint pulse of blueish discolouration into the air, into which the bullets fly, and immediately halt, caught in localized stasis. His palm flashes with another charge of magic, but Homura is a little too quick, forcing him to catch the regisword on the edge of his arm with a metallic clang and a spout of embers as the armour covering it cracks and falls to pieces.     "How very annoying." he states simply, teleporting from the spot and fizzling back into Homura's way as her slash carries past him. Another temporal distortion goes out the moment he reappears, catching her in place long enough for him to wind up. He fully expects her to break out, but the momentary freeze while she breaks the effect is enough to launch a quick succession of blows; one to repulse her guard, another aimed at her side, and then one carrying across her midsection to her opposite shoulder. Unlike her, he appears to be fairly skilled with his blade. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     Though it possesses no true 'environmental sealing', the TIGER was designed with the climate of Japan fully in mind; the cold is deeply uncomfortable, seeping in even through the suit, but it's much less a problem than it would be in simple metal armor. And more importantly, Nozomi in this form refuses to let up even in times when her body is screaming at her. The explosive burst of blue flame is the first thing to batter the armored girl out of range, and while she follows right along after the skeletal dragon, that proves to her detriment as well, as the girl struggles and strains against the potent Icy Grip, only to be hauled in no matter how hard her thrusters strain. Even now, however, she utters no sound, not one reply, not even as she hurtles right into the claws of the dragon.     And that is where Sindragosa's claws, pardon the pun, stop cold.     Make no mistake, they've made contact. The tips of her claws have reached the armor, jabbing into bare skin and piercing through black hull to draw blood from beneath. But the girl in black armor has planted her feet on the ground, brought up the EM Zanbatou, and on the sheer strength of the TIGER unit, stopped Sindragosa's forelimb even though it be as large as she herself.     For a moment, the yellow eyes of the girl wearing the armor look straight into Sindragosa's, giving the dragon a chance to realize one mistake she's made. Those aren't the eyes of a 'hero'. There is no outrage in them. No fear, no fury. Merely a calm, ruthless killing intent. Though her body may radiate heat, Nozomi's eyes in that moment are as cold as Sindragosa herself. They're the eyes of a killing machine in human shape.     And in the next heartbeat, Nozomi turns the EM Zanbatou, and as if in answer to the unspoken challenge of the undead dragon's magic repulsion, she floods her blade with energy, kicks on the thrusters and swings /harder/, trying nothing less than to cleave Sindragosa's bony claws right off her forelimb. 

:'''{{#var:710|Ri (710)}} has posed:''' There's no way to avoid those shots at that range. She takes a direct hit - a critical one, in fact - right to her bare belly. ...Maybe some armor would have been good after all. Pain tears through her, leaving her clothing somewhat ragged, and smoke streaming from the blackened flesh on her torso. She manages to get back up into a stable position, but just straightening up sends agony through her. Her mind flashes back to when she first sank. The hole in her belly when she was still in her original ship form. The hole that seemed like it was trying to suck in the whole ocean, making her go down, down into the depths. Panic starts to set in, as she begins to go into a frenzy. But the Admiral's words on the radio bring her back. She's still hurt, still afraid of drowning again. But for now, her attention is back on the battle, and on her target. Her eyes lose their golden hue, becoming concentrated blue with almost cat-like irises. Her gaze is as focused as a laser beam. And speaking of lasers, as snow flurries around them all, chaos raging across the sea and the land and in mid-air and on building tops, the damaged Ri-class flagship points both gauntlets at Kuma, with golden light already emanating from within. At this range, missing is unlikely. The cannon in each bio-mechanical maw glows with a brilliant and yet menacing radiance. And then Ri finally utters her first spoken words in this battle so far - at least outside of the radio. She speaks, and her voices carries thanks to her giant size as she says, "Don't worry... Kuma. You'll be... Coming home... Soon. I won't leave... One of my sisters... To suffer." Then the cannons fire out concentrated beams of golden energy. They burn like the regrets of watching those who dependend on you suffer and die while you could do nothing but watch, suffer the same fate, in fear, pain, and despair. They burn with all the Abyssal sisters lost because simply THINKING well enough to protect them had been stripped away, and emptiness when you realized you were alone again. They also burn like lasers. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Samar's gaze doesn't falter from Psyber's when he meets her. Let him return her glare; it'll just embed all her own resentment and spite even deeper, especially with Nagato helping fuel it. That ship just won't give in, will she?     Fortunately for Psyber, for the moment, Samar is distracted by the volleys of cannon fire being launched at her. The first wave strikes with more hull-breaching explosions, creating holes in the symbiote's metal armor that billow with smoke. In the moment Samar has after Nagato is struck, she curls the beast's fingers and rakes its hand back through the water, digging furrows into the water that crash back together in its wake. Samar's teeth are bared; her voice drips with spite. "Misplaced? /Misplaced/? How is wrath against the ones who treated you like a /target/ misplaced? After you survived all that, to put you up so they could just send you back down to join all your sisters again?"     This time, the creature is ready. Samar's symbiote lifts its arm as Nagato opens fire again, the volleys exploding along muscles like iron and skin like steel. They leave marks, of course, burning and ripping flesh without a trace of blood, but at least it's not a direct hit. That arm comes crashing down again as Samar lifts herself up on her own arms on the symbiote's back, looming high above Nagato. "And I'll tear you apart piece by piece, you /petulent/ little girl!"     The symbiote's mouth opens, but not to roar. Its throat glows a brighter crimson as if Hell itself burned in its stomach, glaring brighter and bright. Ichor practically pours from between its teeth and drools down its chin, billowing up steam when it impacts with the cold ocean. The symbiote rears back...     ...and fires all six main cannons on its shoulders right at Nagato as it lurches its head to the side, aimed right for Psyber.     A blazing column of crimson light bursts forth from the symbiote's gaping mouth. Hatred, pain, sorrow, vengeance; they all fuel its incredible power in a single gigantic beam. The greatest Abyssal's suffering is aimed right for Psyber in an attack that sends the ocean around him roiling if it hits, burning right through the water in its path of ceaseless destruction. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Homura watches carefully as the bullets stop; so he can do it more localized too. At least her sword hits something solid, even if it's only armor. So this man has no body under those bandages and armor? If Cirra's to be believed, anyway. He seems to act and move like a human enough, for a goo monster. Better not make assumptions with that knowledge.     She recoils from the sword strike against the armor, rather than push her luck in melee combat. It turns out not to matter-- that teleportation, she can't do anything about. It doesn't seem to be time magic, or if it is it's different enough it's completely out of her field. Nox reappears and stops time again. Now that she's actually used to it, it'll only take a couple of seconds to break free, but that's a couple of seconds he can use to batter her if he likes.     The first two strikes are met with her own blade as she breaks free and regains the ability to move, but the last cuts from waist to shoulder, drawing a streak of red through her clothes. It might not have cut her in half, but it stands out. The injury is, very, very slowly regenerating, too. Faster than a human would-- slower than a regenerator, though. Just enough she won't bleed to death.     "I'm sure you would find that interesting. But I don't lend even indirect aid to those who might misuse it. You are about to find me much more annoying than you already do!"     Her turn.     If it takes a couple of seconds to break free, then stopping time a couple of seconds at a time should still kind of work. She suspects overexposure will lead to further hardening, but it's too good an advantage to pass up.     Time stops.     Homura empties the uzi's clip, throws it aside.     Time resumes. She strafes to the right.     Time stops.     Homura's Regisword is replaced by Tyrfing in a bolt of lightning, which then arcs off the sword towards Nox, halting a few feet from him.     Time resumes. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Fortunately for Yuna's composure, she doesn't get a really good look at how Wo's fighters 'land' only to be devoured by Wo's hat-symbiote, or whatever it is. That would definitely have put her off her feed. Unfortunately, the beams Wo fires off from her turrets bracket Yuna *perfectly*, so even if she HAD seen the fighters getting nommed for recycling, she wouldn't have had much time to dwell on it before her world turned into a whole hell of a lot of PAIN. Externally, Yuna's scream is pretty well drowned out by the lasers' own noise and the sounds of impact, plus cavitation as their force drives her violently backwards through the water - and even when the beams cease, she's still curled up and shuddering too hard to right herself in the water. And it may not even be entirely Yuna's own shuddering that wracks her; if Wo's gaze can pierce the harbor's surface like her beams did, she'd be rewarded by the sight of Yuna's Marine Form armor crackling all over with arcs of green-gold energy, its very circuitry convulsing from the nearly catastrophic overload of the Light Suit's defensive aura. Far above the harbor, Elner is as close to panic as it's come in countless years. /Yuna!! Yuna, respond! Are you all right?! YUNA!!!/ But Yuna can't answer. At first, it's simply because of the raw, overwhelming pain that those beams brought with their impact; fear comes close behind the pain, choking her voice even as she starts to regain it. But the fear doesn't last either - Yuna forces herself to breathe in, then out, and reminds herself what's at stake: not just protecting Psyber's home city of Boston, but rescuing Kongou. The sparking subsides, and Yuna straightens herself out, willing the Matrix Divider to appear in her hands as she begins swimming towards the Wo-class Abyssal carrier again. "You're right," she calls out, "or at least you were ... but I know that Kongou's friends are fighting to bring her back! Even if I don't know Kongou personally, I can't turn my back on my friends - and I *WANT* to get to know Kongou! I want to be her friend too, and I don't want to let Psyber and the others down!!" This time, Yuna is zigging back and forth as she approaches Wo, watching out for more of those lasers and trying to be as difficult a target as she possibly can. And this time, when Yuna attacks, it's not torpedoes but a focused beam of radiant power, laced through with holy energy - the power of the Queen of Light, channeled through Yuna's primary weapon. 

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''     Kuma's eyes would go wide as those lasers power up. She guns her engines, trying to get clear... but one golden beam smashes into her side, searing metal and punching a glowing hole clear through her superstructure. A cry of agony tears out from the ship, before it dissolves into motes of light, leaving Kuma the girl kneeling, half sunk in the water.     The second laser, fired a moment late, strikes water, filling the are with the burnt smell of ozone and seared salt. "Kuma... isn't going... anywhere... WITH YOU!" she roars defiantly. Two Torpedoes form in her outstretched hands, the cruiser-girl miniscule by comparison to her opponent now. "Kuma will make you sorry you UNDERESTIMATED HER, KUMA!"     With a defiant, wordless shout, she hurls the torpedoes into the water at Ri, followed by another series of shots from the single turret on her land-fitout. She's 'bleeding' smoke, and the superstructure backpack sports a glowing hole from the laser, fires licking at parts of her uniform. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     "Oh I don't expect you would. Don't worry though. I'll be sure to find out one way or another! Ahahaha-" the thoroughly amused, perhaps slightly unhinged laughter is cut short by another timestop, still seeming to have at least enough effect on him to last until Homura ceases maintaining her spell. The laugher doesn't resume as time does, as Nox is instead caught up in a hailstorm of clattering and clanging as thirty odd bullets impact him simultaneously, throwing sparks and metal chips off his belt, chestplate, mask and arms, punching dents and cracks all over the metal in rows of little craters. Snarling in irritation, he rounds on Homura and takes a ready stance just as she timestops for the second time, frozen before the lightning of Tyrfing.     As according to her estimate, the xelor is getting better at tuning into her frequency. A mere split second before the ligtning impacts him, so close that arcs of electricity crawl over his armour, Nox vanishes from the spot, teleporting with unbelievable speed and precision as though it were the simplest spell in the world. He arrives directly in Homura's path, firing off another timestop and extending his palm to fire off a rapid spray of energy bolts in a staggered cone around her, aimed to make it near impossible to dodge. Using the same tactic as her, he lets the effect end before he estimates she'll be able to move, and then teleports again to leave her line of sight, using a second timestop to catch her from the side, and then fire a sweeping beam of roiling blue-white fire from the tip of his sword, cutting through the cloud of projectiles as they descend upon her all at once in a curtain barrage. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' YOU IS NOT PREPARED. SHUT UP, ILLIDAN. Regardless, Riva is in fact not prepared to deal with the frozen aurao f Sindragosa. The chilling effect seeps into her body, the cold threatening to overwhelm her even as her natural Anima attempts to battle against it. The result is fairly unpleasant as she struggles to keep a grip as Sindragosa flies here and there. Her cries are losti nthe wind and Sindragosa's own voice as she hits the ground and goes into melee with Nozomi, and the impact causes her to lose her grip, scrabbling as the hammer rotates, swinging outward from its lodged position. Good news: Riva catches it with a desperate grab. The bad news: This beings her face to face with Sindragosa, and BOY IS SHE ANGRY. Riva pales, and not just from the lack of blood going to her extremities, as the mighty dragoness bellows her anger and snaps at Riva. Riva yells, swinging one way as the teeth scythe past her, ripping her clothes. A second time, she swings the other way, This one doesn't go so well, as the teeth bite into her, causing a painful gash in her flesh. Riva is knocked away with a yell, and she falls towards the ground at high speed, trailing freezing blood in the air. Frigid hands grip ofr something, anything that can save her.... And her hands grasp the rocket launcher. "... Well, it works in the games." She muttere, before she points the launches straight down and fires. The detonation sends hr flying back upwards, trailing flames. "THIS WAS THE WORST IDEA EVERRRRRR!" Riva yells in pain as she flies right back towards the dragoness, attempting to catch her midflight once more! 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako glances in the direction of Samar and then gulps nervously when she notes... That Look that is being given to Psyber as he talks to Kongou. She sinks back below the ocean's surface. In a moment, she moves underwater to circle Psyber; ready to shield him from there.     And it's a good thing she did. That massive blazing column of crimson light that suddenly bursts forth wouldn't give her much time to react! She can't let Psyber be interupted! Kongou came back, even if it was just for a moment. He just needs more time! She suddenly thrusts both of her arms upwards. A magic circle lights up into existance underneath, drawn from her circling Psyber. "I won't let you interfere! Eleven Dimensional Crossed Boundary Barrier!"     Eleven Dimensional Crossed Boundary Barrier, a rarely used barrier when Ayako is not looking spirit-like. As it's name suggests, eleven barriers layered and crossed, each made to slow down and weaken anything that tries to go through! Her primary defensive barrier she uses when things are looking really bad!     The glistening, multi-faceted water barrier is oriented to defend Psyber from the crimson column of light! 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Bullets work. That's good, at least. Opens up a lot of options. Sadly, seconds-long delay is still too short combined with Nox's ability to teleport. This is a thing she can't do, putting her at a pretty clear disadvantage overall. Frozen in place again, Homura can't react quickly enough to stop the first barrage. The small shots might not be that big a deal on their own, but added up like this, the scorch marks that go through her outfit and burn her skin underneath are multiplying rapidly. Not to mention that she's knocked back by the impacts, and then frozen again.     This time she manages to free herself a second earlier, just enough to swing her own blade. What she lacks of swordsmanship she can make up for in raw power, at least as far as Tyrfing is concerned. The blade launches several lightning bolts, impacting with Nox's beam. Though she can't stop it, it gives her just enough room to dash to the side, much to the chagrin of the rooftop.     This leaves the two to face one another, with no effects on the field for a short moment. Homura circles around-- if Nox will allow it, she's looking to make a full 90 degrees around him, from the position she fought the swordbeam from.     "Like you said earlier, heroes tend to be more inclined to make speeches than trying to understand who they are fighting. I prefer to understand. And I understand you to have a dangerous disregard for lives and consequences, knowing you can fix it later. I was like that. I don't recommend sticking to it."     On the other hand it's worked for Nox for the last, what, two centuries? It's not like a teenager is going to convince him to go good overnight.     The words are ultimately a distraction though. Time loops, and the lightning bolts that were fired earlier to push the swordbeam back repeat themselves-- but this time there's not a swordbeam between them and Nox. All the while Homura points the tip of the blade at Nox, and lets loose a wider, arcing cone of electricity, to incite Nox to block it rather than dodge. It does look far too spread out to be that dangerous. 

:'''{{#var:680|Nagato (680)}} has posed:'''     "Because I realized, after all the times I was sunk being under YOUR command, that my anger was not in its right! That's how it's misplaced! I'm sure they came to try to save me when I was sinking!" ... Nagato holds still a bit, did they really try? It's a bit hazy, she doesn't remember it well and that momentary stutter in thought... the shells land right on top of Nagato, blasting chunks from her recently repaired superstructure. The smoke from the impact billowing out from the woman.     She isn't sure they were coming to save her, but she can't falter here right now, especially with important matters being attended to. She shakes her head and concentrates, back in the fight Nagato... She skates forward, out of the billowing smoke, two of her four turrets look to be twisted and broken and bits and peices of superstructure are missing while cuts cause smoke and 'oil' to leak from the Admiral's body. "I'm not going to let you win. Face me you coward!"     The two remaining turrets she has focus and fire, the muzzle flash bright once more as she reloads to let a second volley at the Battleship Princess. "I am your target, 'Princess'. Your TRAITOR is defying you!" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     WHA-POW!     Psyber gets hit in the face with a Snakehead made of armor. Psyber wasn't expecting it, and so it connects cleanly with his face, slamming into his nose and causing a huge spray of blood and a telltale cracking noise. Psyber staggers backwards about half a dozen steps from the impact, somehow scrambling for purchase on the surface of the water as his head snaps backwards.     When he looks towards her again, he squints a bit. His voice also comes out slightly more stuffed up, "Owth." He notes, blood pouring down the front of his face from his broken nose, "Thath wath painfuh." He notes, rubbing at his face a bit. Both hands come up to pop the nose back into place, but it's still bleeding pretty copiously.     "I didn't leave you behind. You went out alone and got attacked," Psyber says pretty seriously. He wants to adjust the askew hat on his head, but he can't. He'd risk dirtying it with the blood on his hands. So he flicks his head a bit to try to fix it, "Against all better judgment, you were isolated and attacked."     It's some pretty harsh words for her, "Where was your escort? Where was my chance to help you?" He glares a bit flicking his hands a bit so blood falls in the icy water around him, "If anyone was left behind, it was me. YOU abandoned M-"     Psyber is cut off as a massive ray of lasers is sent right towards him. Fortunately, he's spared the Lion's Share of damage. Whatever does manage to get through Ayako's incredibly sturdy barrier hits Psyber square on. What at one point would have been a devastating attack is weatherable, if unpleasant. Psyber staggers back several steps in the water, immediately turning his back to the laser blast and enduring it. When it dies off, Psyber slowly stands up again. His jacket is scorched and falling off of him in flaming pieces of fabric.     "Fine," Psyber says in a hard tone. The reason he turned his back to the blast was to protect, of all things, the hat from Kongou. He slowly places it back on his head, only now it's got bloody, smeared fingerprints on it, as well as a couple scorch marks. Nothing as bad as Psyber himself, though. His entire upper body is covered in scorch marks. Centered on his back are two vertical scars, from shoulderblade to hip. And in the center is a different scar, glowing faintly blue. He's burned and bleeding in a few places, though the blood almost instantly freezes against his body in the cold winter air.     "I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry that it has to be this way, Kongou," Psyber notes in a distant tone, slowly flexing his muscles. He adjusts his stance on the water. Almost everything about his posture and his holding have changed, in an instant. This is like a whole different person. His hands slowly come up and then close into fists, every muscle in his body tenses up.     The Hunter looks around the water, "But if I need to sink you to save you, then I'll do it. But you won't go to the bottom of this Harbor alone." Psyber says with finality. In an instant, he flashes forward. Ayako's ability to let him walk on the water allows him to fight at peak efficiency. He darts across the surface like a flash, coming in towards Kongou.     His opening move is a haymaker to the center of her chest, hitting like a freight train if it connects. He readjusts his stance and then curls his hands into fists again, taking a boxer's footing on the water. He just begins throwing punch after punch, trying to overwhelm the ship with a raw showing of pure offensive power. 

:'''{{#var:710|Ri (710)}} has posed:''' There's this neat little quirk with Leviathan Mode. It's really effective against enemies of similar scale, or for causing destruction over a wide area, but it's a lot harder to fight smaller enemies while using it. Ri's aim isn't so great in the first place. In the middle of a snow storm, at night, Ri is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to landing a direct hit on a human-sized target. But given how injured BOTH of them are, evasion might also not be so easy. It's all up to chance now. Chance and Kuma's skill and determination. Ri tries to coast to the side to avoid the torpedos, but she is gigantic right now and can barely see the trails they leave. One is a glancing hit, but the other lands directly. Her right foot drops under the water abruptly as though it had just remembered it isn't supposed to be able to stand on liquid. This throws Ri off-balance something terrible. But she bellows out regardless, in spite of her fear, of her pain, as she raises one of her gauntlets to shield her face, and takes damage from cannonfire in the process, "YOU WON'T DROWN ME!" Then she raises the other gauntlet and fires artillery shells into the water, aiming just in Kuma's general vicinity. Ri is not a diplomat. The enemy is the enemy. Even if she wishes for Kuma to join their side once more, right now the other girl needs to be sunk, to be destroyed. There is no negotiating with Ri. There is no mercy, no second-thoughts, no elaborate plan. So recently returned from madness, it's still so easy to slip back into that mindless frenzy of destruction. And since falling into such a state will aid in her mission anyway, she simply lets herself go, spiralling back into that black place of desperation that birthed her Abyssal form. And she starts shooting everything she has, non-stop. Triple cannon, two rapid-fire cannons, a torpedo, all while trying to drag herself forward on one foot, since the other has forgotten how to stand on water. The churns and seethes around her, as even the leg that remains on the surface begins to sink as well. There is no more thought for aim, just unleashing everything in the vague vicinity of the enemy. Kuma will thank her when she has rejoined them, she's sure. But dimly, on the peripheral of her awareness, she thinks maybe she should be concerned about something. Is there something going on with her sisters? <<Ko-class. Are you still there?>> Ri sends telepathically, the only fragment of thought she can spare in her maddened state. 

:'''{{#var:582|Wo (582)}} has posed:'''     If only she'd just allow herself to sink..or whatever was happening there. Or, just swam off. Having returned to her feet, the lasers on her hat subside along with the anger in her expression, and the Wo-class carrier stares down Yuna, or more appropriately the girl's last known location. That's because between all the ice, snow and now steam from all the weapons flying around, it's getting even harder to keep visual contact. She allows herself to be momentarily distracted, in the momentary lull while her adversary is gathering her senses, directing her attention to the struggles of her sisters. It turns out to be an opening that is short-lived, however, as the girl seems to manage to pick herself back up.     "..so you won't, turn away," she says, the expression of her deathly pale face remaining as cold as the harbor waters, but somehow through the stilted words there comes a tinge of..regret. She can certainly understand the notion of not wanting to abandon friends, but that is precisely why she won't be backing down, either. Directing a hand forward, the mouth on her hat once again opens, the emissive aura around the empty eyes blasting out at renewed strength, as a new set of planes fly out. These ones lack the twin guns of the one before, instead seeming to have a single cannon pod right behind the - oh god, even the planes have teeth and a tongue, now that Yuna can likely get a good look at them. Regardless, the reason for the draw-down in firepower is apparent by the single, black-hulled torpedo mounted on their bellies, as they begin their climb. She wasn't fibbing about that 'sinking' business, it appears. "No more..words then."     With the planes away and beginning to make their turn, and having exhausted her ability to fire her lasers for the time being, she's left somewhat vulnerable for the moment. Yet, she stands confidently, even daring to maneuver a bit closer to Yuna, and to keep her full attention despite the buzzing in the air above - chatter between the torpedo bombers as they coordinate the details of their likely attack. The carrier leans forward a bit as she reaches full speed, which is actually deceptively quick for what should be a ship of her class. The glowing amber eyes continue their stare down, even as Yuna makes her approach. There are no attacks, insomuch, but at the last moment she does raise her staff as a more direct implement, to at least partially defend against what she anticipated to be an incoming, physical assault. Instead, she gets a bonus in the form of the scarcely deflected, radiant beam, practically point blank. A taste of her own medicine?     She's consumed, briefly, by the light. There's no scream, more of a low hiss, as it burns at her tortured soul more than it does her body. But..the feelings of decades spent among the voices isn't so easily dispelled. Whenever Yuna's light subsides, Wo remains there, visibly shaken and with physical tears on her suit, but still - if quivering-kneed - standing. From this close, they can actually meet face to face. Her previously dead eyes begin to quiver, first in sadness and then anger and confusion, as she aggressively swings with what strength remains in her, with her staff. More to clear away from Yuna than actually trying to harm her with it, at this point. "Get..away!" Breaking her own vow of no more words, she hastily directs a hand again, the planes coming in and dropping their torpedoes in the water at Yuna. White streaks in the water, seldom good. If she were defeated here, she couldn't be there to properly greet Ko-class' return..right? 

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''     Kuma brings up her arms, for what good they'll do in protecting her from those shells. She's disabled, unable to move and already slowly sinking. Plumes of water surge up around her, rocking her already precarious position. Luckily for Kuma, Ri's accuracy level is currently Fubuki, so she doesn't take a direct strike, unluckily, that torpedo detonates nearby, and sends her flying sideways. Instead of skipping along the water, as she hits, she just sinks underneath, the shattered backpack falling clear as she drifts under the waves.     Chitose, meanwhile, locks a pair of 'model' floatplanes onto the launch rails holstered from her superstructure. She takes aim towards the flashing lights through the haze in the distance. "Zuiun, GO!" She pulls the 'triggers' launching the planes with a hiss and rush of steam power. She doesn't wait before replacing another pair, and launching them, repeating the process until a dozen are banking around in a formation. "Flight lead, target: Battleship Princess. Mission, sink!" she transmits to her air wing, which bank around, and fly off towards the battle, gaining altitude so they can bring their dive-bomb payload down atop the Abyssal Flagship. 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     Far out to sea, in international waters, a collection of old warships has gathered. This is no naval review, however. It's the 4th Mobile Unit, circling on a patrol route to block off Abyssal retreat attempts. Isuzu leads, monitoring with radar, while Akizuki maintains an inland echelon, placing herself between the shore and the bulk of the light carrier Zuihou.     On an unspoken order, Zuihou's elevator lowers, and then slowly raises. Lifted in pairs, old propeller-driven airplanes spin up their engines and accellerate down the flight deck, ascending into the air. When an air squadron has formed, they all bank one after the other towards Boston, joining flights from Ryuujou and Chitose. MINUTES LATER     The snowy sky rumbles with the sound of piston engines. From the clouds, a squadron of Suisei dive bombers emerges at a sharp angle, descending in pairs a few dozen meters apart. Their target is unmistakable against the dark waters of the harbor: The lounging Battleship Princess atop her monolithic Symbiote. Mid-dive, the Suisei planes disengage their bombs and then rapidly climb, banking away from anti-air fire, only for the next pair to follow the same path. This release pattern carries on through four pairs of aircraft, before they form up and make their way back out to sea. Damaged by anti-air fire, a few of them trail smoke. One of them catches fire, descends, then breaks apart and spirals down into the water. MEANWHILE, AT SEA LEVEL     "...Abandoned..!" Ko-Class screams, her voice still disjointed in her rage. Attempts to reach her through words are failing. Her hunched posture freezes again, though, when she spies the hat cradled and still damaged, placed back. It gives her pause and gives Psyber the time he needs to turn on the Badass Switch. By the time he's turned back towards her, she's shaking her head, muttering, "...Ko...nn-gou.. ..Ko."     Snapping back to her senses, she greets the angel's charge with a spray of small arms fire from her secondary batteries, the heads of her kit roaring their screechy roars. One snaps at him, misses, and the result is the Abyssal Battleship receiving a solid fist to the chin. It's like striking metal--as one would expect from a battleship--but Psyber has pulled out all the stops. The force is enough to bowl Ko-Class right off her feet. With a heavy sound, she strikes the water a solid meter back, slamming into it as if it were solid ground, bouncing, and winding up face-down. With a hollow sound, she starts hauling herself back to her feet. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Nox lowers his sword as time unsticks, anything he could say momentarily drowned out by the simultaneous explosion of lightning bolts, energy projectiles and sword beams all reaching their impact points at once, blasting out windows, shattering rooftops, caving in ceilings, and kicking up flying clouds of gravel and concrete powder. He turns to face Homura with a distinctly mechanical snap of his head, fixing her with the luminescent blue circles set into his helmet, giving off the impression of a penetrating gaze.     "Most impressive, but why should I listen to your recommendation? You're a century too early to be lecturing me. At this point, I've done far too many things and invested far too much to simply give up now. I don't intend on trying to 'cut my losses' when I will have them all returned once I succeed. And believe me, I have every reason to be assured that I will." The repeat lightning causes his head to swivel back in the other direction with a metallic creak, and prompts him to throw up his hand in defense, summoning a brilliant barrier of interlocking clockwork holography that interposes itself between him and the bolts. The crash of lightning streaks over its rotating edges like water over a stone, carving up the rooftop around him and issuing great gouts of steam from between the cracks.     Unfortunately, he can't teleport and maintain the barrier at the same time, and so Homura's electrical suppression finds him caught in the middle, only able to use his sword as a lightning rod to focus the incoming energy into that one arm. The remaining armour simply explodes, sending cherry red fragments falling down to earth as long, ugly scorch marks rake over the bandages up to his elbow, drawing forth a barely suppressed sound of pain.     The moment he the attack abates however, Nox jumps the gun to stop Homura before she can stop him, rushing forward with a near-instant teleport, and then driving his fist into her. Whether or not she reacts in time to avoid the punch itself, the exploding bubble of compressed timespace will likely catch her in it regardless, forceful enough to put her through a building should she be caught head on. Not leaving anything to chance, he follows up with a flurry of corscating energy blades that arc and swivel through the air, stopping just short of where her tracjectory should take her to thoroughly carve up and collapse anything she might land in. When he lets go of the timestop, everything occurs simultaneously with well calculated precision, staggered to happen in perfect order. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako shudders once the beam of light passes through her barrier. Making That Barrier while being a witch was tiring! Luckily, being immersed in ocean water helps her recover quickly. She blinks her amber eyes quickly and nods when Psyber tells her over the radio to help out Kuma. "Alright! Hold on, I'm on my way!"     The water spirit jets through the water at a terrifying pace and stops below the ship girl. "Kuma! Don't worry, it's me! I'll help you out! Although it might look alarming!" Ayako smiles brightly and then points upwards. "Bullet Maelstrom!"     Normally, this would result in a whirlling water barrier with the whirlpool pointed outwards. But out in the ocean? The ocean water itself suddenly begins to whirl around Kuma-and even highly upwards! Bullet Maelstrom increases the power and speed of projectiles thrown out of it and tries to throw off the aim of projectiles that try to enter! But moreso, in the ocean, it increases the movement speed of what it protects!     "I won't let you sink! Now get back up!" 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     "You abandoned ME." Psyber says in a rare show of actual anger from the half-angel. He darts across the waves in towards her again. He's willing to grit his teeth and push forward through the onslaught of cannon fire. Several small arms shots hit him across the chest, going through and out the back in heavy sprays of blood and blowing easily see-through-able holes in him. But he's not going to give up there.     With blood pouring down his chest and stomach, Psyber pushes in towards Kongou with his hands curled up. It may be like punching a steel bulkhead, but Psyber is more than willing to break his hands to get this point across to her, "After all the talk of how I saved you. After you forced me to accept a position of responsibility for you. Forced me to CARE," He ducks under a volley of shots, skidding along the water.     "You went and sank. You left me. And then you had the gall to claim you were the one left behind," He's rising from that crouching slide, grunting as he aims a colossal uppercut towards Kongou's chin as she tries to rise to her feet again, "I'm tired of caring about people and they just betray me." He snaps, trying to follow up the uppercut with another haymaker to the center of the chest.     "Now you WAKE UP. And you remember who you are." 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     That confidence is certainly reflected in his power. Homura'd have a hard time arguing that. Nox stands his ground, though-- whether he's overconfident or not doesn't matter to the Puella Magi, as long as he freaking stands still. With all that lightning directed straight at him, surely it should short out those robotic parts that keep making noise. Unfortunately, that does not happen. Sure, Nox has one arm less in armor, but that's not the stopping power she was hoping for.     And he pays her back in kind.     With his fist and a bit of spatial manipulation, the Xelor sends the magical girl flying backwards, likely with a few broken ribs-- the timestop is practically secondary to the damage there. She slams into the next building over, which is then cut to pieces by the compressed blades and sent crumbling down. Thankfully, the area around the tower has probably already been evacuated-- if Psyber hadn't thought of it, she certainly would have.     A pile of scrap that used to be a building, dust and silence is all that's left, before bright pink light shines through cracks and holes in the debris. Homura bursts out-- angelic pink-purple wings on her back, making a beeline for Nox.     "Ask me how that worked out for me!" Time stops. Two rockets are fired towards Nox. Time resumes. Time stops. An assault rifle is emptied in two seconds flat, the gun under some sort of haste spell itself. Time resumes. Time stops. Now close enough, half a dozen grenades a lobbed in a single toss, suspended without their pins for quick deployment from her hammerspace. Time resumes. All the while she's altered her course from a beeline to a wide circle, to make sure to cover multiple angles.     She'd attempt coming in from behind with one last stop, navigating the explosions and bullets to try and run Nox through with her sword, before time resumes a moment before that can happen.     With how much she's doing it, figuring out where she's drawing that power from might just be getting easier and easier, if he can multitask it with dodging. 

:'''{{#var:653|Sindragosa (653)}} has posed:'''     "HAVE YOU NO FEAR?!"     The first bellowing response to Nozomi, whose EM Zanbatou holds the line against the massive dracolich, is an incredulous snarl. "What mortal creature DARES believe herself capable of defying the QUEEN of the FROSTBROOD?!" Sindragosa's limb quivers as she begins to exert all her strength against the blade's edge. Behind her, the dragon's bony tail lashes across the ground. There is a rustling cacophony above as she draws in her tattered wings. The fires in her eyes seem to expand with excitement.     Yes. This is it. The end of Nozomi Houken. Sindragosa's shock disappears inside a blood-curdling sound of deep pleasure at the imminent kill.     Leave it to Riva to ruin a good thing.     Sindragosa's snapping teeth force Riva into an uncontrolled retreat; it looks, to Sindragosa's relief, like the woman is tossed aside like a ragdoll. Blood gushes warm against her fangs, and she is convinced of Riva's death -- but any smugness she may feel is short-lived.     In the same distracted instant she turns on Riva, Nozomi lashes out with her weapon.     Sindragosa lets out an awful SHRRRRRRRRRIEK as the blade cleaves through her aged wrist bones and drops her entire forelimb onto the city streets.     As she reels, Riva's rocket-propelled jump strikes her from behind, staggering the great frostwyrm into an off-balance half-sprawl. Riva -- if she's good -- might find a space among Sindragosa's many spikes and horns to make a safe landing.     Quick to recover, the frostwyrm rallies, pulls herself up onto her haunches, and spreads her wings wide. Once more, she swings her horned head around to fixate her fiery stare on Nozomi. Her black tongue slithers out between her fangs to lick away the traces of Riva's blood as she glares at the impudent swordswoman.     "If you think me finished," she says, her voice almost purring, "you are a fool indeed! LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE COLD FINALITY OF DEATH!"     There is no further warning. Sindragosa's maw looses a gout of freezing air and shards of ice blowing hard and fast enough to strip paint in seconds. The torrent goes on and on and on, crafting immense blocks of ice and snow all around, creating a blizzard-like hazard in the air, on the streets, and on the buildings framing either side of the avenue. The ambient temperature plunges dramatically, and as Sindragosa releases her attack, she beats her wings, creating a secondary mass of churning air to flatten her foes. This also has the benefit of getting her off the ground by several dozen feet.     If Riva's numbed body can hold on through a tight barrel roll...well, it might be almost miraculous.     Sindragosa looks as if she's trying to make an escape. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Perhaps surprisingly to the Abyssal carrier girl, there's no malice in Yuna's eyes at all. There's determination aplenty, certainly, and still some of the fear that she wrestled back from her thoughts scant moments ago ... even a degree of desperation. But there's no hatred and no anger in the singer's gaze; it seems she actually doesn't WANT to sink the Wo-class if she can help it. But that's a luxury that the carrier doesn't seem likely to allow Yuna, as her planes drop their torpedoes. Yuna glances around herself briefly, realizing that the torpedoes are coming in from all sides except one, and that one is ... For a split second, Yuna disappears beneath the surface - only to erupt upwards, Matrix Divider gone from her grasp as she FLINGS herself out of the water, flipping through the air like a dolphin doing a stunt. Her armored tail actually slaps against Wo's hat, once, before Yuna gathers herself for another leap, trying to dive back into the water BEHIND the Wo-class. Yuna is torn between resuming her attack - not that she WANTS to keep hurting the Abyssal - and trying to take advantage of any confusion her maneuver might engender. Her third thought is the one that wins out, though: heedless of the danger to herself, she tries to hug the scary, creepy, ghoulish-seeming Abyssal girl. From behind, maybe, and with armor covering her pretty much from the head down ... but still, trying to hug rather than hurt. Even if it means they BOTH eat torpedoes exploding as a result. 

:'''{{#var:680|Nagato (680)}} has posed:'''     With the order from the Admiral and following the lead from the rest of the carrier squadron placed back, Ryuujou smiles and flattens her landing strip scroll. "Right, saaa, here we go! Ra, ni, sa, Suisei!" with a few hand symbols, the paper doll crafts start shooting off the the scroll and into the air, transforming into the Suisei dive bombers to join up with the rest of the aircraft party! "Aaaah~! Here we go, helping out the Admiral! I'm sure we'll e ven get praised for helping won't we sisters!"     Following along the rest of the aircraft, the Suisei's from Ryuujou make their own diving motion, unhooking the bombs on their underbelly before pulling up. A few get hit and take a nosedive towards the water, the pilot fairies that were shot down come out of the planes with little tiny parachutes, landing safely in the water. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     The beam didn't work. Well, not as much as Samar was hoping, at least, with Ayako's interference. Eventually, the symbiote has to stop pouring out all that negative energy to give itself a break, and it lurches forward slightly, drooling and steaming and rumbling in momentary exhaustion. Samar's hands curl into tight fists, and she seems about ready to order it to attack again-     Cannons strike the side of the symbiote again, two explosions striking at just the right spot to make the left turret blast apart in turn with another explosion from the internal battery. Shrapnel and chunks of metal go flying, forcing Samar to duck down and shield herself as the symbiote in turn lurches back and bellows in pain with its foghorn-howl. A faint buzzing starts to fill the air, then, and Samar has just enough time to look up and see the tiny planes swooping in toward her.     Her lips curl back in a snarl of deep-seated loathing. As the symbiote aims smaller guns up to launch anti-air rounds against the approaching planes, Samar reaches back, grabs the plug at the base of her neck, and /yanks/. Her eyes squeeze against the strange jolt that abrupt disconnect sends through her body moments before she and her symbiote are consumed in a series of violent explosions.     The Battleship-Symbiotic Princess vanishes from view, but as the smoke starts to clear, the outside of her symbiote's massive frame is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a dark shape about the size of a person shoots out of the smoke, flying straight for Nagato.     It's Samar. Clothes burned, pale skin ruptured, shrunken out of her Leviathan Mode to instead be /hurled/ by her symbiote toward the object of all her current loathing. No guns are aimed for Nagato, for the Princess instead aims to bring her surprisingly strong hands around the battleship's throat and yank her in close. Her eyes burn, trailing an aura of bloody red from her irises. Her lips are pulled back in a snarl like that of a demon. Her hands /squeeze/, tighter and tighter, as she hisses all her burning hatred through her teeth at Nagato. "You want me to face you? You call /me/ a coward? I will cower from NOTHING, Nagato. Not the humans. Not the Fleet Daughters. Least of all /you/."     As the smoke finally fades from the whipping winter winds, Samar's symbiote can be seen at a more normal scale, twisted and injured, leaking oil and spouting flames as it struggles to stand. She doesn't seem to care; all her focus is on the woman she continues to hold in her vicelike grip and hateful stare. "Go on. Make my sisters turn on me. Show them your precious 'better' path. Demolish everything I have struggled to build, all the healing I have /toiled/ to provide. I won't falter. I won't /fail/. And soon enough, you and everyone beneath you will be back in /my/ hands." 

:'''{{#var:710|Ri (710)}} has posed:''' After receiving affirmation that the other Abyssal sisters are still with them... Except for Ko-class, but she might not be ABLE to respond... Ri throws herself entirely into just expending as much ammo as possible. Until... She loses track of where her target even is. For a moment she is confused. There's lots of smoke and waves, and in the dark, and in this weather, identifying ANYTHING is difficult. But as near as she can tell... Kuma has sunk! She announces this excitedly on the radio. She has finally rescued one of her sisters! This is an event! The first time she has ever been able to do this! With Wo and the Admiral still up and fighting, they will win! Ko-class must be okay too, or there'd be noise about it on the radio! But really, Ri has always focused solely on the fight before. And that cost her countless sisters. This time... She was able to save one. And now she would get to protect her from ever being lost again! But... Her joy is quickly muted by her realization that she is still sinking. Gradually, but it's happening, she is now up to her knees, which is, like, 100 feet deep. Fear starts to sweep over her again, but she fights it down. Maybe suppressing fear isn't part of the training she has received, but she does it anyway, because right now, one of her sisters is down there, waiting to join them. She's sure she can carry her back to base, just as soon as Kuma changes! And she has already received the okay to withdraw too! She'll just change back to her smaller size, wait for Kuma to drown, and then they'll all go home together. Any minute now. She just waits right where she is, sinking more and more, and stares into the waters. Unaware of what's going on just below the surface. Of the 'rescue' occurring right now that is completely different from the 'rescue' Ri has in mind. Not until a giant whirlpool forms, surrounding Kuma and raising her up to the surface. Ri doesn't understand what she's seeing. She doesn't get it. But the dread that sweeps over her is the same as when she fears that she's alone again. Someone is stealing one of her sisters from her. Ri's eyes blaze gold once again as she surges forward to the best of her ability, reaching out ahead of herself as she tries to stop this... This... THEFT. "NO! NO NO NO NO NO! YOU WON'T TAKE HER! SHE IS OUR SISTER!" She has almost sunk up to her waist now, and her forward movement is a struggle. Despite her size, keeping up with the smaller, more mobile targets she is reaching for is not working out. She doesn't even think to shoot, just mindlessly, desperately charges forward, sending up huge waves and a tumultous wake behind her. "I WON'T LEAVE YOU ALONE WITH THEM!" She was going to rescue Kuma! This can't be happening! How could the surface-dwelling scum do this!? Just how evil are they!?! She will kill them all for this! 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     Normally, fistfighting a battleship would be a laughable prospect. Most people aren't an ancient angel in peak physical supernatural condition. While the Fleet Daughter known as Kongou had demonstrated monstrous and even hilarious ability in close range, it doesn't seem to be an ability shared by Ko-Class. Her movements around Psyber are jerky and hesitant, as if she were fighting not only the half-angel but also herself.     Ko hauls herself to her feet only to be struck again, twisting away from the blow with a sound like steel striking steel. Something cracks. One of the dragon heads mounted to her hips snaps out with its maw of jagged teeth, only to meet Psyber's fist head-on. The pitted cranial plate shatters, revealing cancerous-looking flesh underneath. Thick oil spills out where the beastly fitting is carved open by its own shattering armor and it recoils in a spray of black sludge.     "...Wake..." the pale girl mutters. Her hands ball into fists. Shuddering, her movements hesitant, she steps forward and returns the melee pummelling, a punch that goes wide. This puts her in an awkward position such that the final blow Psyber delivers outright snaps her arm right off, driving metallic crimson 'bone' into her chest with enough force to knock her onto her back again.     This time, she remains there, oil staining the water around her. Ko's remaining hand reaches up, wrenching the shattered ulna from her chest.     "...Re..mem..ber.." she mutters, the fire gone, "...Me-mo-ry..."     After a long pause, Ko slowly starts hauling herself up. One of her eel-head fittings has gone limp, drooling black oily ichor from its mouth. The other seems hesitant to attack, though after a moment opens its mouth to extend its main battery's barrels again. There's a long pause, as if Ko is debating whether to shoot or not. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     Through all the taunting, through every howl of rage, the frostwyrm's black-armored opponent remains completely silent. She doesn't react to taunts. She doesn't make anything more than quiet, voiceless exhalations of pain. She doesn't grunt with effort. Even a Death Knight wouldn't be this silently, mercilessly driven. Even when actively avoiding an attack - for the potent breath of frost is enough to get her to do just that - her concern seems purely academic. 'Taking this directly would remove my ability to fight, and so I will avoid it.'     And she doesn't even manage that entirely; the thrusters on the TIGER kick in full power, launching her straight into the air, but the breath covers a wide enough cone to catch her as she launches, engulfing armored girl in a bone-deep, frigid chill powerful enough to overwhelm even her defenses. She actually goes rigid in mid-air, teeth gritted, thrusters sputtering... only to suddenly flex, shattering the cold enveloping her, and turn to pursue the skeletal dragon that has taken flight again at last.     Breaking free on its own cost her a lot. It's becoming more and more clear that, on her own, Nozomi and her armor would not be enough to best Sindragosa, though they would come close enough to press the undead wyrm. And it's becoming just as clear that the girl simply /doesn't care/. She is the most dangerous opponent, in her own way; the kind willing to forego all safety for the sake of destroying or even simply deeply wounding her target. Even though frostbite and blood stripe Nozomi's body, she's still coming. Still lifting one gauntlet to unleash blasts of yellow energy, covering her own approach.     With Riva there as well? She presents a very real danger indeed. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     "Go on then! Tell me!" Nox all but shouts in response to Homura, though whether he is actually angry or simply really getting into the fight is difficult to tell. Just like Homura is aware of when he does it, he's aware of her manipulation of time, even if he can't see anything during the few seconds she limits it too, though her window to act is slowly but steadily narrowing with each one. Able to feel the moment that time stops, Nox does his best at anticipating and intercepting the incoming fire.     Leveling both his sword and free hand at the incoming maelstrom, he fires bolts and beams in steady succession, moving from target to target in an attempt to catch multiple of them at a time. Those that slip through he attempts to teleport around, zipping in and out of the cloud of rockets, bullets and grenades wherever a safe place presents itself, all in the effort to try and keep up with the edge Homura gains in speed from pulsing her timestops so rapidly.     He is mostly successful. As time resumes one final time, the air lights up in a rapid fire blanket of fiery detonations, billowing smoke, molten metal, cyan tinged ripples, distortions of space, and searing beams of light. Unable to keep up with Homura completely, a pair of grenades explode right next to him before he can redirect them, sending high velocity shrapnel hurtling into him from all sides, slashing bandages and metal alike where they puncture his exterior in a dozen different places. A final rocket catches him directly in the chest, shattering his breastplate completely and sending him hurtling head over heels backwards, spinning through the air trailing smoke like a comet, before suddenly throwing his arms out to his sides, instantly halting his momentum and leaving him hovering again.     With his back turned to Homura, he notices her just a little too late, halfway turned towards her as she lunges at him with her sword, and caught from behind once she allows time to resume its flow. The sword punctures through his midsection with a screech of metal and a spray of luminous teal fluid, falling to the streets below. "Haha . . . /most/ impressive indeed." he says in a slightly distorted, but even tone. "I'd guess that you've spent a great deal of time mastering those powers. More than your age would suggest." Homura's blade is momentarily obfuscated by a flurry of blue static as nox teleports off of it, moving back a few feet, but still facing her. "Why not show me a little more? I think I might know a little secret or two."     With that, he resumes the offensive at double the pace of before, returning Homura's blistering succession of timestops with a meteoric chain of his own. For anyone other onlooker, the procession of attacks is simply too quick to see, only resulting in rippling, spontaneous sprays of sparks and violent cyan detonations as he assaults Homura with a steady stream of sword blows and blasts of raw energy, steadily pressing her backwards over towards another rooftop, where the simple proximity of blade meeting blade will crush and crater the cement. The gaps between his are a little longer than Homura's, giving her just enough time to alternate her own in return, which will likely be her best bet to avoid being killed, giving her a precious instant before each incoming blow to defend herself. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber slowly tries to catch his breath as he watches her struggle against both memory and her own injuries. To say it hurts him to have to do this to a friend is an understatement, but when painful necessity arises, Psyber has always been there to step to the plate and this time will be no different.     When she stands up and looks at him, Psyber slowly walks towards her. Careful steps across the water as he tries to make his way over to her. His own injuries are pretty hefty, all told, with blood smearing his bare upper body as bullet holes attempt to shut themselves. He inhales and then coughs up some blood and wipes it away from his mouth.     He doesn't attack her this time. Instead, he just puts his hands on the Abyssal's shoulders and says seriously, "It's okay to sink and come back. I'll come with you, just like when we first met. And then you'll be back."     And then, using his hands on her shoulders, he pulls Ko-Class into a tight hug against him, actually fully intent to go under the water with her if she wants to sink. 

:'''{{#var:582|Wo (582)}} has posed:'''     So many distractions on the battlefield, suddenly. The thrum of pistons momentarily catches Wo's attention, but she can scarcely spare a glance at them now. So they had a support fleet.. She was careless again. This compounds the look she gives Yuna, which turns from another glance with a tinge of regret - to a confounded one, as she leaps right for her. What is this foolish girl trying to accomplish now!? "Wo," she yelps! And if it weren't for the tenseness of the atmosphere around them and the situation at large, it might be almost comical, the way Wo tries to haphazardly slap the advance of Yuna away with her hands and metal shank. This as the hat's dangling tendrils tense and coil slightly at being struck with the tail - such indignity! Then comes the belatedly realization of where her own planes' torpedoes were heading, and the - oddly concerned-sounding - buzzing from the planes themselves as they pull up trumpets as much.     Thoughts of conventional evasive maneuvers are cut short, as her strange adversary trots out yet another oddity of her arsenal. She'd have been more than willing to let her swim off, but instead she rises up again in proximity, and..a hug? The sudden tenseness of her frame is easily felt, adding even more urgency. In the split second available, she makes a costly decision, to avoid Yuna from getting both of them sunk. Summoning the last of this surface dweller-like body's surprising physical strength, she lifts her hands up to her hat, hefts it off of her head, and casts it into the water in front of them. Somehow, the ghastly visage on the front of the hat almost casts a look of betrayal, as it spins around to face the two of them, right before it falls into the water, and just in the nick of time, too. The torpedoes strike it, causing it to crater at the moment of impact, and then explode into fragments. Which could still be dangerous, if Wo and Yuna weren't tough Elites. Two more torpedoes remain, but were astray.     Wo stares long at the oil slick and fragments, and she herself is now splattered by some of it. She can recover a flight deck, but this main body of hers is a more significant investment. After that moment is over, and if she has the strength, she will slowly wheel around in the water..and move to try and physically shake Yuna by the shoulders. At this point, she's exhausted all of her realistic combat capabilities, so it's more venting of frustration at this point. This is echoed in her apparent inability to string any words together, except her own class designation, "Wo wo wo!!!" Her angry expression now more closely resembles someone scolding someone for doing something stupid, than that of an enemy combatant. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako whimpers softly. Kuma isn't getting back up on her own. She swiftly surfaces from the water and then scoots forward on her broom. Gently, she places Kuma onto her broomstick by the brush. "I said I won't let you sink, so there!"     Her amber gaze moves towards the Bullet Maestrom that is still swirlling around her. "Oh, how conveinient!" She grips her broomstick and then moves the brush towards the violently swirlling water. "Off we go!" The brush catches the water and swiftly sends them both spinning for a moment-and then slings them off flying towards the coastline.     Along the way as the watery boost begins to slow down, Ayako descends slowly and gestures towards the water. A small wave forms, and refreshes her frantic watery skip towards the coastline. "Oh oh, I wonder how many water skips it will take to reach land? Let's make it as few as possible!" And so Ayako and Kuma try to make a broom-based skipping stone retreat! 

:'''{{#var:685|Kuma (685)}} has posed:'''     Kuma is limp, seemingly lifeless in Ayako's grasp. Her skin is becoming pale... but then that touch. Warmth, life... Brown eyes flutter open, and with the greatest effort, Kuma's head lifts to look at Ayako. She can feel it too, she's not sinking anymore, being brought back to the surface.     A smile crosses the girls lips, and she closes her eyes again, entrusting herself to Ayako's care, even as Ri tries to chase them down.     The Zuiun break off after their attack run, two... three catching flak fire and breaking apart in mid air, their fragile frames shattering. Their fairy pilots bail out, floating through the buffeting snow to land in little life rafts. They all sigh and break out the fishing rods, casting them out to await rescue. 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     Struggling to stand, Ko-class is deeper in the water than when she had arrived. She constantly shifts her feet, trying to bring them back to the surface, but they always go down to about mid-shin before she finds purchase. The entire time, her body shakes with the clear desire to shoot and yet, something holding her from doing so.     "...Stay away," she mutters, her voice strained. Armor plates rattling on her remaining snakehead, she threatens Psyber with it as he approaches, "...Don't... come closer."     Arms wrap around her and the Abyssal girl goes bolt upright, eyes wide in surprise and shock. Not just a memory from a distant past. Something far more recent. Far more precious. Floating to the top of the murky sea of her mind.     Eyes locked on the sky, wide with shock, tears start streaming down Ko-class' face. The remaining snakehead, its cannons already extruded, curls around on itself. There's a cataclysmic report as the guns fire at point blank range. They intentionally miss the man hugging her. Instead, Ko-Class has assassinated herself, blasting a hole through the side of her torso that now spews smoke and oily ichor.     "...Sink..." the girl mutters softly. Her body goes limp and she falls backwards into the water. The remaining gun fitting goes limp, its cannons ruined and smoldering, while the woman they're attached to slips beneath the icy waters of Boston Harbor. 

:'''{{#var:680|Nagato (680)}} has posed:'''     The smoke from the explosions made by the Carrier Air Squadron cause the battleship to squint her eyes. She's already battered and bruised with missing turrets, damaged superstructure and ripped clothing, but not down for the count yet. The yet is the part she's worried about. As it clears, the thing she sees hurdling towards her is someone her size... the Battleship Princess. No time to train the guns on her, the hands wrap around her neck like a vice, squeezing hard as her head rears back, turning red as she gasps for air under that grip.     "You saw... what the... response was to get Kongou back..." she coughs out, turrets slowly swiveling, "I call you... a coward because you are." that smile returns to her face, "Look.." another cough.. "before you, Princess. Wo class... Ri Class. Your allies." and a spit to the face. "They all suffer under your hands. You lead them into ... unwinnable situation." she brings her right arm back, hand balled up into a fist.     "Princess. No, Samar. I refuse to call you princess any longer." she makes another gasp for air from the tightening hands. "I will show them all the better path... the path that your anger.. your hatred... cannot show. And one day... you'll see that you are wrong. Wo Class... and Darwin... they ASSISTED us... in the sea. I know they can see the light that we bring. You, however... need more convincing!"     Nagato's fist comes right around into a right hook aimed directly at Samar's face, while the turned cannons, point blank and with one loud explosion, she allows them to fire, taking shrapnel blasts herself from proximity. "You will sink... you will see our way... and you will know peace Samar." 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Homura is quite happy with the edge-- every bullet or explosion that impacts Nox is a tiny dent forward into him. He's fast and powerful enough to keep up, to shoot back, to intercept. Opponents like him, you can't kill in one strike. You'll never land direct enough of one. You wear them down, because they won't stand still. You chip their armor, study their powers. Spin circles around them. She's lucky to have enough experience to pull it off.     But when her blade goes through him, and there's just that odd liquid to show for it, her confidence deflates. Hollow, huh... whatever he is under those bandages, probably can't just be hacked away with a sword. Not if you're looking to cripple, anyway.     As he teleports away, the magical girl's eyes narrow. "There is nothing else to show you. I've honed this for longer than I can put a precise number on. Perhaps I'm still a century too young to lecture you, but I have kept you from helping your allies, have I not? From the sounds of it... mine are succeeding right now." A slight smile, more akin to a cocky grin.     And then they are right back into the thick of it. Nox and Homura's forms blink around constantly, timestops firing every other second of realtime and attacks crashing in and out of that state. She doesn't realize that she's being pushed back, until her feet touch a rooftop. She can't actually compete with Nox's strength that directly-- the first sword to sword impact, which shatters the roof under her feet, seems to cause significant strain to her body too. Mostly her arms and legs. She's not built for that.     That's why further stops become centered on dodging instead, gaining half a second of traction in whatever direction seems safer. Energy bolts get clumsily stopped by a purple-ish energy shield around her other arm, but every strike cracks it like glass and it doesn't last very long.     All in all she's starting to slow down and weaken.     "And you would not like my story."     Putting some distance between herself and Nox, Homura swipes her sword three times in the air-- nothing happens. The attacks are suspended in time though, and resume at three random moments afterwards, resulting in arbitrary sword strikes attempting to cut Nox across the shoulders out of thin air. 

:'''{{#var:495|Riva Banari (495)}} has posed:''' Yeah, that's Riva. RUINER OF EVERYTHING AND QUEEN OF BAD PLANS. Like rocket jumps. Rocket jumps are a terrible plan, and Riva takes another nasty gash as she collides with Sindragosa's back. OH LOOK NOW SHE'S FREEZING AGAIN. BEST PLAN WINTER 2015. Riva chatters as she slings the rocket launcher back onto her back. She starts grabbing for her guns, but before she can do anything about that Sindragosa launches again. "OH GOD, NOT AGAIN!" Riva yells as she grabs for the frigid bone spine and holds on for dear life. The barrel roll occurs, and Riva does her damnedest to hold ont, thrusting her fingers into the bones to try to find a place they won't freeze off or get crushed by the motion of the dragoness. Her numb hands slip, and she goes flying, skidding along the length of Sindragosa. Her hands flail... And then Sindragosa might feel something wrench in the back as Riva grabs that handle of the Ajoran cross-hammer that had been stuck in her for th last couple minutes. Holy crap is that thing getting mileage tonight. ... And then it dislodges with a snap, Riva being sent into freefall. "OH GOOOOOOOOD!" Riva yells, whipping the hammer onto her back and quick-drawing her guns. Sindragosa might be retreating but she's got one shot at giving her something to remember her by. Blue-green Anima pours into the guns, pulsing as she forces the energy of the World through the weapons, shaping the power into a growing sphere. She brings the MP7s back behind her head, as if preparing to throw them... And then she snaps them forward, the sphere exploding towards Sindragosa at high speed! God knows if it will hit or not. A few seconds later, Riva thuds unceremoniously into a thick snowbank, sending up a massive gout of snow from the impact and leaving a nice, well-defined Riva imprint from above. "I'm so cold..." She can be heard whimpering from within the snowbank. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Psyber exhales massively, taking a deep breath and then watching the girl go beneath the waves, "Thank god." Psyber says in a tired tone, panting a bit as he looks around and then tries to figure out his next course of action. The city is somewhat a mess right now and Psyber has a lot to manage to keep a scraped-by success from turning into a pyrrhic victory.     The half-angel claps his hands together and a longsword appears in them. He wobbles in his footing and looks around the harbor, taking a deep breath. He spots Ayako retreating with Kuma, a giant in tow behind her. That longsword in his hand crackles with lightning and he points it up towards the sky, shooting a single bolt straight up. It seeds into the clouds, crackling and growing.     "Job... 36... verse 30. "Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea. "For by these He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance. He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark."     A MASSIVE bolt of lightning cracks the sky, falling right down into Psyber's sword and wreathing his entire body in holy, smiting electricity. Psyber whirls in his footing and points the sword straight towards the massive Ri-Class, directing it out of his body, out of the tip of his weapon, and trying to slam into the side of the massive woman and draw her attention with the big attack.     He's not sure he can WIN a second fight, he just wants to draw her attention. 

:'''{{#var:653|Sindragosa (653)}} has posed:'''     Sindragosa's wings labor. The great frostwyrm's cold-fogged breath is drawn and labored. Exhaustion burns throughout her ancient bones, reminding Sindragosa she's meant to be long dead. To exist beyond death's clutches is not only a drain; it is a torment. A torture. Clarity briefly awakens her mind to the reality of her daily unnatural existence --     Thrall to the Lich King.     Prisoner.     Monster.     Yet more energy shots blister Sindragosa's hide and blacken her bones, but as she struggles to escape their range, she does not seem to feel the pain. Some part of her may be aware of it; but, she is calling out not in agony, but for help. Desperation edges her voice. "I will /not/ fall here! Not in this place! My master -- call to me! Guide me! Give me the strength to return to you!"      Riva's last shot fires through the gaps in Sindragosa's ribs. It does not come out the other side. Nozomi's persistent attacks shred the dragon's wings to frail ribbons. "NO! NO! BEGONE FROM ME! RELEASE ME! RELEASE ME!"     Blinded by rage and by fear, maddened by pain, Sindragosa summons the last of her strength to repel her attackers with a massive burst of arcane energy. It ripples out from her body in all directions like a purple-hued bubble. Fast-shrinking lightning plays alongs its unstable surface. As the magical force swells, its color shifts, becoming indigo, then a deep blue, then to green and even yellow at its fading edges.     Then, Sindragosa roars once more in a last, animalistic expression of /something/ between grief and loathing, and she races into the clouds, where she'll soon be lost from sight. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Maybe it's because of a helmet covering Yuna's head and face, and armor covering the rest of her body, but somehow ... Wo doesn't seem all that scary while Yuna is hugging her. Cooler than a living body should be - Yuna can tell THAT much - but her armor keeps her from feeling anything worse than that. And Wo just sacrificed her hat to stop the torpedoes which would have blown both of them out of the water, so - well, certainly self-preservation was a major factor in that, but she still protected Yuna as well, when she could have sacrificed herself to take Yuna out. But the battle seems to be wrapping up around them now. Yuna slowly lets go of Wo, smiling gently and warmly at the carrier-girl. "I'm sorry I hurt you ... but we were both fighting for the sake of people we care about, weren't we?" She sinks down in the water again, floating about waist-deep, after releasing the Abyssal. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:'''     There is nothing Nozomi can do to defend against the sudden omnidirectional blast. It hits her like a truck, smashing her out of the air entirely and stunning her breifly. The armored girl goes sailing back, slamming into a taller building before dropping down onto the roof of the shorter next to it.     It is several seconds before she even moves, but when she does so, she soon comes to her feet. She is bleeding from numerous wounds, bruised, frostbitten... and yet still, she levels that ruthless, withering stare at the retreating dragon. But she doesn't pursue. Even she won't waste effort on a fruitless chase. 

:'''{{#var:710|Ri (710)}} has posed:''' They're getting away. That... Whatever the heck that is is flying Kuma away. Stealing their sisters. Making them suffer in isolation at the hands of the ones who betrayed them. Before now, Ri's main feelings were fear, regret, and despair. There was a faint hint of joy, of affection, for her sisters, and the idea of protecting them instead of losing them. But now... With this... As a sister she fought to save is snatched away from her, she finally... Finally gets why her sisters feel the way they do. And she hates the surface-dwellers. She hates the humans and what they've done. And she hate, hate, HATES whoever and WHATEVER that watery tart is! Overcome with rage, she finally goes full berserker. No more thought, no more communication spared. She raises her arms and starts shooting at everything, in every direction she can. The vast majority of her shots are not going to hit anything or anyone, but the explosions that go off everywhere are probably going to still be quite a sight and something to at least not go anywhere near. The lights of Boston catch her fragmented mind's eye, and the giant Ri-class, now nearly up to her chest, aims both arms at the city as her shark gauntlets stream smoke - half from the barrage that was just unleashed, and half from the damage they've suffered in general. They think they can escape to land? They can't escape to something that doesn't exist. Golden light blazes in the cannons within those horrible, tooth-bearing weapons as hatred flows into them. "-ALL MUST DIE!-" the giantess screams out as the energy just keeps building and building until the gauntlets themselves seem to start showing signs of cracking. Then divine lightning strikes her in the side and she screeches deafeningly as she lurches to the side, and releases both shots at a high angle, missing her targets. They air-detonate somewhere up above, resulting in quite the dazzling light show and painfully-loud series of explosions. Ri falls over onto her side, and struggles to stay above the water. But that additional damage is making her sink even faster now. She regains a slight amount of clarity, but only because she's no longer in berserker mode. Her attempt to fight to the end, raising her left arm and aiming it unsteadily in Psyber's direction, wind up being abandoned as one side of her head sinks below the waves. Her arm drops, and then she seems to just vanish suddenly. Shrinking down to her normal size, but still heavily damaged. Retreating is going to be no fun at all. Blackness threatens to swamp her vision. But she won't drown here. Not again. And... This time... She isn't going back home alone. She still has Wo and the Admiral... And... What happened to Ko-class? She wants to send a message, but can't think clearly enough. So she just starts skimming away over the surface of the waves, listing to one side from the damage inflicted. They failed here. But some day. Some day they'll rescue their sisters. Even the traitor. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Samar, normally capable of holding herself together and being at least /somewhat/ reasonable, finds herself consumed in a burning anger whose fires are only fed more and more by Nagato's response. Her teeth grind. Her entire body tenses, then shakes. She seems about ready to do something even /more/ violent to Nagato, but before she can manage anything, she suddenly finds a fist striking her jaw.     Shock seems to immediately dampen all her roiling fury, turning her snarl to a wide-eyed, open-mouthed gasp as she releases her grip on Nagato and staggers back several steps on the waves. Her hand lifts to her jaw as if most of her shock comes not from the force of the blow, but the fact that she was struck at all. It lasts for only a second before she's consumed in another powerful explosion that sends up a towering column of icy water around her.     The Princess flies back, skittering over the water's surface until her back slams into the arm of her symbiote and she slumps against it. Jarred, burned, and barely kept from falling to the ocean's embrace, Samar takes a moment to grasp the situation. Ko-Class is lost. Ri and Wo are gravely injured. Sindragosa has been forced to flee.     "...get out. We're done," she hisses to her allies before leveling her scarlet gaze at Nagato. She winces as she drags herself to her feet, hoisting herself into an uncertain stand that leans against her symbiote's bulky frame. While it also struggles to stay up, it nonetheless wraps a protective arm around her. "...peace," she scoffs, glaring at Nagato in her weakness. "We're engines of war, Nagato. We...will never know /peace/."     With that, Samar sinks, slipping below the cold waves to drift back out of Boston's port. There's recovery to be had...and plans to build for the future. A Princess is not one to take lightly to insults. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     Parts of the conversation are lost entirely to the void as Nox's and Homura's battle continues. They're already been fighting for twice the length of everyone else, with the flow of combat too fast to properly read, attacks and interceptions going off like waves of deadly fireworks in the sky. Flashing to and fro from instant to instant, visible only for the moments that sword meets sword and bullet meets shield, it's simply completely impossible to follow, or even to tell who's winning. In fact, even to both combatants, it isn't clear who has the overall edge.     "As I thought." Nox all but whispers between the sounds of keening metal and roiling detonations. "You've done it, haven't you? How long? And how many times?" His interest is unnervingly intense; far from the almost jovial attitude of before. The exchange of words seems to enrapture him more than the exchange of blows, even as he drives Homura into a corner. So focused is he that he fails to break eye contact as the first of Homura's slashes makes contact, and the second, and the third, remaining fixed on his target as fresh wounds open on with with deafening peals of breaking clockwork.     He drives forward faster and faster, moving with a singleminded fury that causes his joints to tick and clatter with the strain being placed on them. His augmented body is simply far too strong, and continues onward without flagging, never tiring or faltering. Only once Homura has been driven back to the edge of the roof, leaving a trail of blasted craters ahead of her, does he suddenly not swing during a timestop, leaving it on for more than the space of a strike in an unexpected maneuver, wherein he teleports out from in front of Homura. Surrounded her on all sides are now twelve identical visions of Nox, each flickering with static as they simultaneously position to attack her. It isn't clear whether they're illusions or he's simply teleporting that fast, but all at once, they rush her, swords extendeded to skewer her through the heart. At the very last second however, the image loops back in on itself; a rollback effect wherein a second dozen appears and fires on her at all angles, collapsing the upper floor of the building completely under the combined explosion, and then the floor under it, blowing the wall out of the skyscraper across the street.     As the last motes of cyan light die, the 'real' Nox is directly behind her, sword plunged straight up to the hilt through her chest. "Now . . ." his tinny voice reaches her ear as he suddenly grasps her left wrist, squeezing her soulgem bearing hand in a vicelike grip. The surface of his hand that makes contact with hers suddenly lights up with a deep, resonant hum, and then both their arms are consumed in writhing tendrils of blue-white electricity; the bleedoff effect of him consuming her life. Siphoned straight from her soulgem, he absorbs the puella magi's energy, adding it directly to his own to more than recover that which he had expended fighting her, even if the damage still remains.     Just short of the point where the process would snuff her out completely however, he lets go. Unsure of exactly why, he lets her fall to the broken floor beneath them, turning to look at his hand, and then back to hers in silent contemplation. Something about it doesn't feel right. Homura has sewed a tiny seed of doubt. Though he can't confirm it, Nox is absolutely certain that Homura has likewise done the impossible. The forbidden art of turning back time. Clearly not very far at such an age, and yet the fact she had clearly lived so long despite never maturing out of her teens only makes it crueler. How many times had she done it? For what reason? What had she tried to accomplish? How had she failed? On some level, he feels some kind of bond with the puella magi. As if she of all people, could come to understand him. To understand his sorrow for what he will do to the world. 

:'''{{#var:546|Nox (546)}} has posed:'''     His head snaps up again as he hears Samar's voice over the radio, signalling the retreat. Relieved at finding an excuse, he casts one more look to Homura Akemi, and then vanishes from the spot, crossing the vast leauges of space back to Horologium. 

:'''{{#var:637|Kongou (637)}} has posed:'''     After some time, deep beneath the harbor, there's a pale blue glow from underwater. This ascends, reaching the surface in a dome of water that explodes outward and then showers down across the sea's surface. There's a figure amidst the mist, metal glistening, white sleeves rapidly drying until they billow in the chilly ocean breeze.     Like a doll at first, the brunette lifts her gaze from staring nearly straight down until she can behold the city of Boston before her with dull blue eyes. Depth gradually returns, the emptiness filling in as the haze clears her mind and retreats from her memories.     Back to herself, Fast Battleship Kongou closes her eyes with a big smile, "Ahh, I've returned <Home~!>" 

:'''{{#var:582|Wo (582)}} has posed:'''     After she's had a chance to calm down, she releases her own clutch on Yuna, and gives a glance around at what the battlefield has become. A slight frown comes to the Wo-class carrier, as she realizes just how quickly things turned. But even more than that, she catches the tail end of Samar's proclamation to Nagato. Something that, in the post-struggle haze, she doesn't fully process yet, but might become deeply troubling. 'We will never know peace.' Her eyebrows knit together somewhat, but there are far more important things to be doing right now. With all of her allies leaving, it might not be long before, while Yuna has dropped her assault, her allies might not have gotten the telegram yet.     She glances down at the girl smiling at her, itself another novel and strange thing. It reminds her of those weird Fleet Maidens that tried with partial success to befriend her, even if they are also natural enemies. She reaches out with a gloved hand, and if not stopped, bends down slightly and moves to give Yuna a pat on the head, like she might one of her Destroyer escorts. "..you..fought well. ..weird..but well.." Raising back up to her full height, she casts another glance toward where she'd last seen her sister, Ko-class. But she somehow knows that won't be the name she's using when they meet again. "..good-bye." With that, she slides back several meters, before herself dropping beneath the surface. 

:'''{{#var:253|Psyber (253)}} has posed:'''     Having to wait for Kongou graduates from anxious to dread as Ri-Class levels a cannon at him. He's only spared a shot by divine luck, and so exhales heavily. The half-angel looks massively anxious, though, as a retreat begins. His footing on the water is uneasy and he's unsure what to be doing.     This only compounds for him when Homura, of all people, sends out a distress request. He looks down at the water, anxiously moving from right foot to left foot, "Come on, come on, come on."     Finally, when Kongou emerges from the water, Psyber slaps both hands down on her shoulder, "KongouwelcomebackIhavetogo!"     Ever one to refuse to stop juggling crisis after crisis, as soon as Kongou re-emerges and Psyber has greeted her, the half-angel's wings unfold from out of nowhere and he's off and flying, moving as fast as he can through the city skies to try to make his way to Homura's last location.     There's an almost frantic gait to his wing flapping. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako glances back to check on Kuma and smiles gently. "Just one more hop and you won't be able to sink at all!" She gestures down at the water one last time and propells herself swiftly over Boston. Her eyes blink quickly at the radio chatter and winces when suddenly Homura cries out! "Sorry Kuma! I can't take you to the dock just yet."     She grips her broom handle and, "I got lots of water from the ocean, so... Sorry people below!" Ayako and Kuma go flying off in Homura's direction-a torrent of water pouring from the brush to send them blasting through the sky. "Homura! I'll be there in a few moments!" 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:'''     Too many swords. She doesn't know how to react-- or maybe, just can't react that quickly without abusing time magic. Unlike Nox, who is superhumanly strong, fast, and can teleport like a damn cheater, she's pretty constrained to doing crazy stuff outside time, and that's about it. Double-edged dagger in situations like this.     Though she tries to bat as many of the weapons away as she can, it ultimately results in Nox plunging the sword through her chest. Silver lining, she's a lich, it's technically nothing but a flesh wound. Not so silver lining, he's locked onto her Soul Gem and he's draining it.     If he cared to observe, he would see the bright purple gemstone darkening with every bit of magic and life he snuffs out, until there's only a muddy dark purple jewel with large black spots bubbling about. It remains purple, if only because he pulled back early. Homura's screams, eventually, are replaced with something far worse, some sort of rumbling that absolutely isn't human.     Before Nox can leave, the Puella Magi answers his questions. In a way. Homura's body from the neck down is basically skeletal, with no skin, muscles or organs. But it still moves, as if that were completely normal. The pink wings are pitch black, like cracks in reality.     "YOU ASKED WHAT HAPPENED. AND HOW LONG. LONG ENOUGH TO REACH THIS CONCLUSION: DESPAIR!" A screech, completely psychic. Like a feedback loop, trying to echo in Nox's head as a parting gift.     But then Nox is gone, and Homura collapses. She vaguely reverts back to standard form, due to that alone. Ayako and Psyber will find her in the rubble of what used to be two buildings close to the tower. Tons of lacerations, energy burns, couple of broken bones. Nothing Ayako can't handle, and Psyber can't help fix faster through her Soul Gem later. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Yuna raises a hand to wave to the Wo-class before the Abyssal girl retreats ... and then Wo's gone. (Yuna is also blushing a bit after being patted on the head like that. But nobody is around to notice THAT at this point, and given the rest of the situation, it'll have faded well before anyone gets to notice.) So. The fighting largely seems to be over, with one or two exceptions; Yuna's too far away to do much by way of helping Homura.. Also, Yuna's armor - while intact enough that she was able to finish her confrontation with Wo - is rather the worse for wear from the anguishbeams; one of her 'pigtails' was blown away about a third of the way down from its mount, and there are cracks and scorch marks across most of her mermaid-esque armor. Yuna takes a moment to regain her bearings, then - after hearing Kongou confirm she's okay - Yuna heads towards Nagato, to render what assistance she can. 

}}

1447/A Celestial Duel

2015-02-02T13:29:16Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/01/30 |Location=Azuma |Synopsis=Dominic and Kyra meet Oinari for a duel and information. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=85, 626, 655 |Tinyplot= ..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/30
|Location=Azuma
|Synopsis=Dominic and Kyra meet Oinari for a duel and information.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=85, 626, 655
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     The journey to the Celestial Plane, Takamagahara, is as long as it was before. A straight climb up the path that cuts through the dark forest of Koryu, whose trees grow dense in the looming fog and make the entire surface of the tallest mountain in Azuma a vague, shifting shadow. The path lined with bright red torii gates is the brightest part of Koryu; outside the path, in the forest that abhors any sunlight, one can only occasionally see the rustle of black feathers or the gleam of dark eyes belonging to the kotengu. At least any travelers would be safe on the path for the long, long climb up.     Finally, the path leads to the large portal of pure jade that sits on the clearing at the mountain's peak. The portal is guarded by nearly a dozen kotengu, crows with a vaguely humanoid outline and wearing clothes and weapons almost in mockery of a civil appearance, but the menacing, glaring, croaking youkai would step aside at the request to meet with Oinari, allowing free access to the portal.     And on the other side of the portal is the beautiful land of Takamagahara, a landscape of floating earth high above the clouds, each island of lush grasses and blooming peach trees linked by carefully-carved wooden bridges. The sun still hangs in the sky, beaming down on the beautiful landscape and casting a radiant gleam over the great golden palace that sits on the largest central island of the celestial plane. Colors fill the air thanks to the large, serpentine dragons that fly without wings and whose rainbow scales shimmer in the sunlight, and the hou-ou birds of billowing multicolored feathers who perch in the peach trees and glide through the sky. It almost seems like no place in the world could possibly be as bright and vibrant as this one.     Dominic and Kyra would not need to travel far, however, for Oinari kneels beside a clear pool only one island away from the entrance. She was beautiful enough inside the palace, though out here among the flowers and sunlight, she seems even more so; almost as if this sort of environment is more natural to her than the palace halls and hard tiles. Even so, she still wears her golden, fur-lined robes that drape off her shoulders, and the flowering pins and brooches that keep her dark hair partially bound up, when it doesn't billow down her back and around her shoulders. On the ground beside her is a sword, too: a broadsword about the size of a claymore, though with a much shorter guard and nine sharp branches coming off the steel blade on either side. It's clearly not the same one Dominic saw the other day, however. For one, the radiant orb on the hilt isn't there, and it doesn't seem /quite/ as excellently crafted. A replica, then, to be used for practice without the need for taking out that powerful artifact. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "I think you're really going to like this place," Dominic notes, coming out of the portal. The landscape is lovely and there are a wealth of opportunities to help people. The Fencer is here, wearing his usual attire and with his sword at his side. He adds, "I appreciate you coming in case I get injured, as well." He nods his head a few times and then looks around at the amazing scenery they get to view as soon as they come out of the portal. "Do you see?" He asks her eagerly. He keeps an easy pace, careful not to move faster than Kyra. Oinari gets a wave and a call, "Ah! Lady Oinari! I have returned with a friend of mine." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     For Kyra, the journey even before they step into the tengu-guarded portal has been a pleasant one. As it is the first time she's visited this world, she's thoroughly enjoying the sights, occasionally stopping to take a picture of the landscape. Even the tengu get photographed-barring threats from the youkai, that is. If anything, her excitement is probably slowing down poor Dominic a little.     Her awe only increases once they pass through the portal at the impossibly colorful and beautiful world. "Wow." she gasps. "I've never seen anywhere so....uh, hmm, what's the word? Pure, maybe? Just...wow."     From the look of it, and perhaps contrasting strangely with Dominic, Kyra seems to have come right from her classes at Alexander Academy. She still has her uniform on...which as far as visible parts goes only really consists of the skirt. Her white hoodie, which is the same hoodie that Tomoyo made for her and featured in the commercial, covers whatever mandated blouse or shirt female students are meant to wear. Kyra's leather boots, decorated with silver chains, don't seem to be part of the uniform but she wears them anyway. Amongst all the beauty, the punk looks more than a little out of place.     When they finally arrive by the clear pool and the woman that Dominic will duel today, Kyra is quick to shove her phone (the means to which she was taking pictures) back into the pocket of her hoodie. "Hi." she greets, waggling her fingers at Oinari. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari turns her thoughtful attention away from the gleaming carp swimming in the pool before her to instead look toward Dominic and Kyra as they arrive. She offers the two of them a soft, welcoming smile before she pushes herself to her feet, straightens out her robes, and turns to face them.     "Welcome back, Dominic," she greets in a warm, serene tone, smiling to him in his eagerness. Every time she speaks, a radiant orb in the center of her tongue is made obvious, gleaming bright and brilliant. "A friend, you say? Well, I have no reason to deny friendly visitors."     The kitsune turns to Kyra and smiles, then offers a slight, yet respectful bow. "Greetings. I am Oinari, leader of the kitsune of Azuma. It is a pleasure to meet you, certainly." Once she straightens up again, her head tilts slightly to one side in curiosity. "Another person interested in learning more about our land, I take it? We have leisure to speak here, as you wish, if there is anything I may offer you."     Her attention turns to Dominic again, looking him over once. "Do you need a sword, Dominic? I am afraid I could not bring the original, but I had a replica made of the weapon you were so interested in, so you could see how it handles." 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "It is truly beautiful. I am glad you have chosen to accompany me," He states, a hand coming up to rest on Kyra's shoulder and squeeze it a bit. He may have dragged her to this partially to get her in a more positive place after that whole affair yesterday. Exploring is a nice way to distract yourself from the woes of life. "Ah, yes, the replica. It is of a fine make, even if obviously not so much as the sword it is based on," He laughs slightly, rubbing his hands together out of nervousness. And then he takes off his beret and his cloak he wears, folding them up to hang them off a tree branch, "I will accept the replica. Who did you wish to have me face off against?" He may be expecting some male kitsune or warrior type. Those are usually the ones that a village sends to face off against a challenging warrior and represent them. He adds, waving to Kyra, "Kyra is an excellent alchemist and an amazing healer. I thought she could be of great help during these times for your world." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Although the predicament that Ainsley identified weighs heavily on her mind, in here the effect is certainly lessened. Kyra is definitely easy to distract, especially with a locale as beautiful as this. Dominic made a wise choice. His comment draws a cheeky grin from Kyra, "Well someone needs to cheer you on~" she teases.     Looking to the kitsune fully now, Kyra nods her head. "I'm Kyra Hyral, one of Dominic's classmates. From what I heard he and a few of my other friends came here to visit your world, interesting in helping! I'm not a great swordsman or warrior or anything but like Dominic says, I am great with /the science/. This place is very pretty, by the way. Just being able to look around it is enough."     She pushes the hood down from her hoodie since this place had enough shade-her skin is extremely pale. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari smiles to Kyra again. "Yes, several people came with him recently to inquire about our situation and see how they could assist. Another person willing to offer aid is always welcome, especially if it broadens the capabilities available to us. Healers are always welcome; what exactly does your alchemy entail?"     Dominic is given a curious glance, then a warm smile. "Actually, I had intended to use it myself, so that you could see the result of my own training. And I, then, would be your opponent." She gives a soft, musical laugh at that, then steps over to the base of a nearby tree. "I thought you were interested in that, after all. Though if you are too intimidated to face /me/, I could certainly find someone to have a duel with you instead."     At the tree, she reaches down behind it and plucks up a steel broadsword, similar in style to her own but far simpler, and without the branching blades. This she carries over to Dominic, flips so that she's carefully holding the blade, and offers him the handle. "Though, if you wish to use the replica of that sword you were so interested in, I suppose I could use a simpler blade instead and let you make use of the replica. Do you have a preference in that matter?" 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "Ah, it has been some time since I wielded anything but a rapier, or a katana once," A hint for Kyra on a long-standing mystery. He looks at the broad sword as she holds it out to him and then carefully takes it by the hilt. He unbuckles the sword that was around his waist and sets that with his others, since he won't need the rapier. "And you shall be my opponent? I see," A vexed look comes over his face for a moment, conflicted, "I will attempt not to harm you. I hope you will go easy on me so as not to embarass me in front of the Lady Hyral." He gives a humble smile and a gentle laugh. Of course, a moment later his entire stance and posture shifts as if a totally different fighter. One foot slides forward and the other shifts to a more firm standing position. He holds the sword in both hands, taking a slow breath out and then lowering the blade so that the tip rests in the ground and he holds it down and low. "I am still unsure how I can help your village, myself, but I will do what I can. Also, you may attack when you are ready." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Alchemy, biochemistry.." Kyra invokes the word for it that she uses more often. "It can replicate healing with potions. There are also a large number of offensive uses that mimic other branches of magic...well, with the exception of some time magic spells, I'm still figuring that out. Then there's the viruses and bacteria. Those are used to debilitate people with illness. I'm...not sure how the latter would help out. Generally people are pretty uncomfortable with those being used, period."     She falls silent for a moment, interested in Dominic's reaction when Oinari tells him that she will be his opponent. There's a small grin on her face, followed by a giggle. "No, don't go easy on him at all." she laughs, "That way I can take care of him afterwards." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari doesn't seem very troubled by the methods Kyra lists off. Healing, magic replication, viruses and illnesses...the kitsune only nods thoughtfully and considers them before speaking again. "Certainly an interesting set of skills. Are you also capable of the reverse, creating substances that can counteract certain poisons? I ask because of one of the beasts Kagenashi released, Omukade; a centipede the length and breadth of a river, who infects air, earth, water, and anything else he touches with his venom. We know that human saliva is a toxin to him, but we have not found an antidote for his venom yet."     Her attention shifts back to Dominic, then, and his vexation seems to summon a light smile from her. She even gives a brief laugh, light and musical. "Oh, you do not need to worry about harming me. I am quite powerful and resiliant, after all. I will be able to manage whatever injuries you may give me, should things become problematic." Her smile brightens with amusement as Kyra chimes in, but she gives Dominic a brief nod as she takes her multi-branched sword in both hands and lifts it in front of her. "We will see how it goes, I think. Perhaps you will surprise me, and I will not /need/ to go easy on you. Get ready, then."     A moment of silence settles over them before Oinari moves. Despite the weapon's clear heft, she handles it with a surprising grace and strength, lifting it in a quick upward slash at Dominic before twisting and quickly bringing it around for a horizontal slice to match. She's not really aiming to strike, that much is clear; more to test Dominic's response, and see how he handles his own sword. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "She wishes me harm so that she can be the one to heal me. I am unsure how healthy that mentality is," Dominic says, chuckling a bit as he grips the sword in both hands. It's all in good fun and he knows Kyra doesn't wish him any harm that she doesn't threaten to inflict herself to keep him from working. While Oinari explains a giant centipede (and Dominic wonders what crafting materials such a creature might drop), Dominic takes a few moments to get ready mentally. Kyra already knows his secret, Oinari wouldn't care or know who to tell either way. That means that, while rusty with large weapons, he doesn't have a reason to pretend he's just a Fencer. As she steps in towards him with the two-slash combo, Dominic easily plants the tip of the sword into the ground and uses it as a leverage point so he can backflip out of the way of her attacks. The upward slash barely misses him, while the horizontal slash goes clean under. As he lands from the backflip, he springs off the ground a bit and thrusts straight forward with the tip of the blade, almost immediately transitioning from dodge to counter-attack in an agile display despite the size of his weapon. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Perhaps in the multiverse biological warfare was more acceptable. Kyra speaks like she expects people to get uncomfortable when she admits that she can create organisms meant to get people very, very sick. "Reverse engineering? Oh yeah, pretty common way of creating vaccines and antidotes. I wouldn't be much of physician if I couldn't do that...well. I'm not a physician /yet/ but when I graduate and finish the medical programs I will."     She takes a breath and finds herself a seat to watch the duel, settling down on her knees with her feet folded underneath her. "If I had a sample of the Omukade's venom, I can probably create an anitvenom to it. Knowing that human saliva is toxic to him definitely helps-it gives me a starting point, though I would want to study the poison first to understand it better."     Dominic gets a big bright smile. Does she REALLY wish he'd get hurt so she can take care of him? It's...hard to tell, actually. "Go, Dominic, go!" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari certainly seems impressed with Dominic's skill. Not one to overcommit, however, she's able to step back just after her second swing, buying her enough space and time to react to his immediate counterattack. It's here that she's able to display her own quick thinking, as she reacts to the thrust almost right as it happens. A graceful twist puts her sword in position not only to block, but to catch Dominic's sword in the curve of one of her blade's branches and proceed to deftly twist it aside and out of the way. The strange sword's design seems manageable even as unweildy as it looks, and Oinari appears to know how to make the most of it.     Rather than follow up with her sword again, however, Oinari instead suddenly ducks and twists, sweeping one leg out to try and trip Dominic before twirling upright again and taking a brief leap back, whether or not she actually gets the Fencer off his feet. Even with her luxurious robes, she seems capable of quite some agility.     She stays back, either way, taking a quick breath and glancing aside to Kyra again. "I believe that could be arranged, though you may have to get the sample yourself, from the source. Omukade resides in the region of Seiryu; he was last seen assaulting the town of Seta, and that town's guardian, Tawara, should be able to help you with information. The town has been experiencing difficulties lately, however. Perhaps you both should pay it a visit?" 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' The sweep manages to catch Dominic in the back of his legs as he takes a moment to pride himself in the fact that Kyra is cheering for him. A mistake on his part to underestimate the skill of the kitsune he is facing off against. However, almost as soon as his back hits the ground, he is springing back up onto his feet and reading his sword again. The simultaneous parry and trip meant that Oinari had enough room to back away from him and prevent him from an immediate counterattack. While she takes a moment to talk to Kyra, Dominic figures out how to proceed. "You are very skilled," Dominic notes, immediately before stepping in towards her again, "And I would be happy to accompany Kyra and any others who wish to help to the village." He agrees with the assessment of him and Kyra helping out. With a surprising speed, the sword comes up over his head and then down towards Oinari in a cleaving strike. The follow-up isn't a second sword-strike, though. Dominic uses the sword that is in the ground as a pivot-point and attempts to dropkick the kitsune with both feet before landing on his own right after. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "I don't see a problem with that." Kyra says casually, as if fighting monsters was a natural part of every day life for her. "I would not do that alone, no, but I don't have to, clearly." Obviously, the latter is pointedly directed at the handsome fencer and his admission that he'd accompany her.     From her hoodie, she pulls out her phone again and fiddles with it, making a few notes for later-name of the town, name of the town's guardian. "Difficulties? Besides getting attacked by giant, super-poisonous centipedes?" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     "Ruined crops," Oinari replies briefly, before turning her attention to Dominic again. That compliment inspires a pleased smile, the kitsune offers a nod of gratitude in return. She doesn't respond further yet, though, nor does she clarify her earlier response to Kyra. She's still in a duel, after all.     That cleave descends on Oinari, and the kitsune responds with an agile leap backward to deftly clear herself from the strike. Unfortunately for her, she didn't expect Dominic to be so agile: the dropkick catches her off-guard, and with a grunt of surprise, she stumbles back several paces from the impact against her stomach before forcing herself to a halt with braced feet. She winces slightly, but it comes with a smile as she lifts her sword again. "...well done. You are quite skilled yourself, Dominic."     She glances back to Kyra, then, to briefly continue. "Seiryu is the region of eternal spring, dominated by the element of wood. The forests are lush with fruit trees, but recently they have started rotting in greater and greater number. The villagers have been unable to find the source so far, and it is significantly impacting their food stores."     With that, Oinari looks back to Dominic and releases a brief, weary sigh. "One of many, many problems around Azuma these days, unfortunately. I wish I were not so confined myself."     She moves forward...and seems to clear the space between herself and Dominic in hardly an instant, with only a single step. Rather than strike with the blade of her sword, however, she delivers a quick, firm jab of the hilt against his chest, meant to wind him and strike away his balance. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "You very much do n-oof," Dominic is cut off as the hilt of a sword is jammed into his chest while he responds to Kyra after Oinari has finished. The impact of it staggers him a bit and he lets out a faint wheeze. A hit that strong probably bruised a rib or two, and he backs up to get some distance. He takes a deep breath and then steps in towards Oinari, "Is yours the only tribe left that Kagenashi has not targetted?" He asks in a serious tone. Planting a foot on the ground, he swings a cleaving horizontal strike towards the fox woman, only to follow it up a moment later by releasing the sword from one hand and grabbing it with the other, using the momentum of the moving blade to attempt to sidestep around her and come in for a second horizontal strike. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     'Ruined crops' draws a frown from Kyra. Unless there is a monster causing that, it didn't seem like it was a problem she could handle. Then again, if the centipede was poisoning the crops...     Her thoughts are interrupted as she witnesses the dropkick landing upon the woman, knocking her back. A grin flashes upon the white mage's face. Dominic was putting in an impressive showing so far.     "Oh, that seems like a pretty serious anomaly. It could be a fungus or other invasive organism destroying the flora. It's definitely something we could look into while there...I assume they'd be alright if I took samples? Unless that kind of thing works differently here." She makes another few notes to herself on the phone alongside the first few.     Though no sooner than Oinari has recovered does she seem to be RIGHT THERE in Dominic's face. Kyra let's out a soft gasp: "Fast!" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     "I believe no one should mind, if it would help find the cause of the problem," Oinari replies to Kyra in the moment it takes Dominic to recover. Her attention doesn't leave the Fencer, though. That hit should only stun him briefly before he's on the offensive again...and there he goes.     The first swing is met with Oinari's sword, lifted so that Dominic's blade clashes against her own with a ring of metal on metal as it passes. His agile sidestep, however, is not quite so direct. Fortunately, Oinari's mind is as swift as her limbs, as alert as she is now: the second it takes her to see where Dominic is going leaves enough time for her to twist to face him and lift her own sword to meet his. Golden robes billow, and the air fills with another metallic clang as Oinari catches Dominic's blade in the branches of her own again, stopping it just before its edge would reach her arm with her hand braced against the flat of the blade.     Concern starts to settle in her expression. "No; there are several villages and towns in Azuma. All Kagenashi needs is a kitsune at the next level of power before she moves on, and there are many across the island. But those of greater power are much fewer in number than their younger kin, and as I am the only nine-tailed kitsune currently in Azuma, she will eventually have to come to me. If I were to risk leaving Takamagahara, I would also risk giving her an opening to completely bypass her steady growth."     Oinari suddenly shoves against Dominic's sword, but only enough to get it out of the way for a moment as she ducks under it. In her crouch, she takes a step across to the side opposite Dominic's sword arm and spins, using the momentum of her twist and subsequent rise to fuel the upward swing of her own sword she aims at him next. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "But you are not the only soul whom she could prey upon, are you?" Dominic asks as she answers him, staring at her evenly, "She could circumvent just as easily were she to find the existence of your blade. She, herself, is skilled at subterfuge from what I have heard. How much do you trust those around you?" When their lock breaks and she comes in to spin, Dominic moves in a fluid and practiced way. The tip of her sword scrapes along his shirt, leaving a deep gouge in the fabric and a thin cut along the Fencer as he gracefully slides backwards, "And I mean that with no sentimentality. How well can you believe none who know of its existence would betray you?" "She may not need to kill someone of your power, merely steal a weapon," He cautions, sliding backwards across the ground. A gloved hand drags through the grass to bring him to a stop and he stands up, "In politics and games of power, betrayal is the most feared piece on the board." He makes no motion to attack further. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "That'd make things easier for me, yes, if I can take samples back to the Academy to study in their lab space. Or the Union lab space. I might be allowed in some of the areas though I don't anticipate needing anything beyond what's available to me at the Academy. You never know, though, when dealing with material from other worlds. Granted, I am excited at the opportunity to study the biology of this place!" Kyra beams.     Falling silent, she continues to watch the duel with interest, letting out another quiet 'ooh' as Dominic's blade is parried away. The subsequent light wound does not go unnoticed either, a white mage like herself having spent training to take notice of people getting wounded in battle. Often she sees a person's wounds before they themselves realize they have them. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Just when Dominic slides back, so does Oinari, opening up the distance between them further and casting a gentle storm of colorful petals into the air from where she lands. Her sword remains lifted and her posture braced, but...just as he doesn't move to make another attack, neither does she. The frown crossing her beautiful features is enough of a sign that she's thinking more on his words than the duel.     Finally, she straightens into a more relaxed posture and lets the tip of her sword come to rest on the ground. A sigh passes her lips, a breath both weary and uncertain. "...kitsune - and even nogitsune, as well - hold a bond that nearly no other race that I have seen shares. We can only survive with the companionship of our own kind. To harm another kitsune or nogitsune strikes as deeply into our soul as the sword used in the act. No kitsune or nogitsune in their right mind could bring themselves to knowingly kill another of their kind. That is why no nogitsune survives for more than a few years, maybe decades at the most, before turning back to the side of good. And that is...why Kagenashi troubles me so. She has not /killed/ any of us, but she has endured for perhaps more than a thousand years now, alone, and willingly causes us harm as she steals our power."     Her frown deepens with frustration. "I have known the kitsune I watch over and work with for centuries. They are family to me, and I am the same to them. To harm /me/ would be an agony none of them could endure; that much I know for a fact of those closest to me. And to betray me would be an even deeper wound, for they would be ostracized and shunned by all kitsune in the process. The kitsune I trust with my life; other youkai...I do not allow to even enter Takamagahara, since Kagenashi's reappearance."     Golden-brown eyes shift down to look at the replica in her hands. "There are too many guards for her to enter here safely. And even if she did, there are too many precautions for her to face. At least now. Assuming she gains even more power, the chances of her attempting to come /here/ grow greater and greater..."     The kitsune falls silent after her words trail away. Whatever her thoughts are, they bring with them a subtle tinge of vexation and melancholy to the air around her. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "Perhaps she has found a way to circumvent such social obligations via the creation of alternate social ties?" Dominic ventures as a guess. He lets his posture relax and then leans on the sword a bit, finally letting himself show some level of injury as his open wound gently begins to stain his shirt. "It is also not merely the Kitsune who know your secret. Those outside your village have that information, and information has a way to spread. As the son of a politician, no secret is air tight," He smiles a bit to Oinary as he uses the sword as a support and slowly catches his breath, "I mean you no offense, simply... remain on guard." He smiles even wider and says, "And thank you for our duel. I appreciate that you went easy on me and did not rough me up too terribly." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra pushes herself up to her feet now that it seems that blows are no longer being traded. With Dominic's rather pointed questions, she seems to sense that maybe the wind has been taken out of duel. "Dominic may be onto something. Maybe she found something outside this world to replace it. Maybe like-minded evil kitsune to bond with?" Reaching up, she unzips the front of her hoodie to reveal that the inside of it is lined with pockets and all of those pockets are filled. She selects a vial filled with green-hued liquid.     Calmly, Kyra strolls up to Dominic and presses the vial into the fencer's hand. He is lucky today, he would realize, since this doesn't involve her sticking him with a dart or syringe. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari listens, but remains silent in her thoughts for some time. The thoughts that pass through her mind crease her brow and render her as still as a statue, until at last she releases a slow, relenting sigh and lifts her head toward her companions again. "You make valid points. I will remain cautious...or, at least, more so than I already have been. These times require a great deal more caution than I am used to."     It's then that she seems to actually notice Dominic's wound. She's about to say something, but Kyra steps in with medicine at the ready. That earns a faint return of her radiant smile again. "I only regret injuring you as much as I did. You are a skilled swordsman, and," she adds, looking toward Kyra next, "clearly a skilled medic. I feel certain both of you are destined for quite the adventures in the future. Fortunate for me - or, rather, all of Azuma - that our island is part of them."     Oinari takes a moment to set her own sword down among the grass and flowers beside her, then folds her hands in front of her and dips into a low, respectful bow. When she straightens up again, her gentle, serene expression has returned. No doubt something she's had plenty of time to practice in her position, keeping up appearances for the sake of those who look up to her. "Thank you both for coming today. It has been a pleasure to meet you, and a greater pleasure to have your advice. These are dark times that approach, but...I believe that the light of peace will return in time, thanks to you and your allies. And if there is anything I may do for you, you need only ask, as I will no doubt be in your debt soon enough." 

}}

1430/Purging the Taint

2015-01-28T13:09:17Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/01/27 |Location=Earth-1111 |Synopsis=Nasa comes to Beli to finally rid herself of the demonic influence plaguing her for so long. |Thanks= |Ca..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/27
|Location=Earth-1111
|Synopsis=Nasa comes to Beli to finally rid herself of the demonic influence plaguing her for so long.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=238, 367
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Journeying to Purgatorio is a strange thing. The only entrance is a lake in the middle of a particular forest where the blue clouds of Paradiso and the red clouds of Inferno don't hang in the sky. One of the few places in the world, really. The lake is unmistakable when it's seen, however, for it gives off an air both holy and unholy, no doubt contributing to the abnormal lack of any wildlife in the area. Nasa would then have to step into the lake herself, until she's entirely submerged.     The world around her fades, and for a moment, there's a strange sense of displacement. Then everything changes.     Nasa then finds herself perfectly dry on the beach of a gigantic mountain separated into seven layers, each level connected by a stairway carved into the steep mountain's face all the way up to the flat plateau at the top. The sky is locked in an ever-present twilight, with a black sun on the daylight eastern horizon and a white moon in the western night. Thousands of spirits linger around the mountain in vaguely human forms, loitering around the beach, climbing the stairs, lingering on the various levels of Purgatorio's long, long climb. It's quiet, save for the lapping of waves on the shore and the gentle sea breeze. Not a single other island is anywhere in sight on the horizon.     Beli, meanwhile, stands waiting at the beach a few feet in front of where Nasa should appear, her wings and halos hidden for now. She looks almost normal like this, and she rocks back and forth on her heels with her arms folded behind her back. Waiting, thinking. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Walking into a lake was not the strangest thing Nasa has done in the past few days while wandering the fae forest, so when the directions told her to do such... she quite happily did, stepping into the lake silently. Really, stepping into the water was a relief, as the lack of wildlife reminded her far too much of her own personal faerie forest.      Once in the beach of the mountain, Nasa looked around curiously, her eyes shifting over each detail quietly, taking it in as fast as she could on a reflex. She takes a soft breath, scenting the air. On some level, being in a place like that was ... uncomfortable. She was completely out of her element and in a strange place, but also she knew that Beli was there. Her ear turned towards Beli before her gaze finally did.      Nasa quietly made her way over towards Beli, her wings fluttering to help her hover just about an inch above the beach. A part of her was terrified of letting go of the taint. What if she would get weaker, what if she would lose all of her powers? But it was necessary. She really believed it was. She dips her head into a bow towards Beli, dropping to the ground as she did. "Nasa greets, Beli-person." She murmurs, her head straightening as she looks up, attempting to meet Beli's eyes with a small smile. "Appreciates you to being willing to help." 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli offers a soft, warm smile when she sees Nasa arrive and stops her idle rocking. The rephaite is so much taller than her guest; she decides it might be a good idea to kneel for now to be at a closer level to Nasa for the moment, and so she lowers herself to the sand, on her knees with her hands in her lap. "Hello, Nasa," she greets in her soft voice, each syllable backed by the gentle ringing of small bells and the dull rumbling of a dormant volcano. "I am certainly willing to help. It is...something I can sympathize with, really. And if I can do more to benefit my allies, then that is even better."     A glance is given to the spirits nearby. The ghostly forms seem to be gravitating away from the pair for now, though, and Beli rises to her feet once again. Her wings extend from her back, spreading out to either side in their broad darkness, and her halos manifest behind her head. Both are suddenly tinged with blue as she shifts to her angelic presence: a cyan sheen over each black feather, and a burning blue flame in the center of each halo.     Beli's expression grows a little more serious, then, as she looks down at Nasa. "So you are certain about this, then? It should not harm you to go through with this, judging by my experiences in the past, but...it will not be pleasant. I should do it all at once, I think, just to make sure it does not fight it and try to come back." Concern flits over her expression. "You will be different afterward, too. I do not know the extent of the taint you want to remove, but you may need time to adjust after it is done. You might even be unable to do several things you have been able to, depending on how it works."     Her right hand lifts, then, hovering over Nasa. Gently, but firmly, Beli continues. "With all that in mind, are you certain you want to do this, Nasa?" 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Yes, Nasa was a shorty, though when Beli knelt, she was given somewhat of a quizzical look from Nasa. Nasa was used to being shorter than people, really, so her kneeling down was ... different! She didn't seem to mind it too much. Nasa gives a small smile, restraining herself slightly to avoid giving a toothy grin, unsure how the residents of the area might react. "Is part of why Nasa does want to get purified... so that can to benefit allies better. Does feel like needs to cleanse self, to get rid of all darkness that does to make Nasa so tempted by bad things, yes." Nasa murmurs softly.      As the forms moved away, Nasa's ears somewhat reflexively tilted in their directions. As always, she was almost... on edge, like she expected to be attacked at any time. A side-effect of the taint, Drow treachery and suspiciousness, expecting the former and subject to the latter. And why the Drow rarely ended up closer than allies. Nasa tilts her gaze along Beli's form as the halos manifest, noting the change as they tinge cyan. It was fascinating in a way.      The question of certainty is given an immediate, resolute nod. "Yes. Is certain. If... if is different, then is sure is good way, if is to being without the taint. If loses powers, then... is still to being better, because power granted by that darkness is to being bad." Nasa says with another firm nod. "Drow were to being tainted by a demon lord that did to breed with them. Power from him is power that does to taint."      Nasa tilts her gaze up towards that hand that was hovering over Nasa, her purple-edged eyes glowing faintly as she looks up at the hand. "...Is it to going to be bright? Should Nasa to close her eyes?" She asks quietly. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli's smile turns a little sympathetic, almost sad, when Nasa talks about temptation. "...I know what you mean," she replies softly, before she rises to her feet again.     Nasa's determination is admirable, certainly, though Beli can't help feeling a certain sadness from it. Is she not at least half demonic herself, with powers spawned from selfishness, corruption, and hatred? She's certainly dealt with the temptation to use them for those purposes herself, more than once...but she's managed to resist, so far. Ever since joining the Union, at least.     "I understand," Beli replies, nodding gently. "And...it should not be too bright. But close your eyes, just in case...and brace yourself, as well. If you feel I need to stop, or if it feels like it stops hurting, tell me and I will take it away."     As soon as Nasa's ready, Beli begins. Cyan flames flow down from her hand like burning water and wash over Nasa's form to pool on the ground beneath her. The flame itself holds a comforting warmth, but only to any part of Nasa that does not have an embedded demonic taint. As the flame's heat seeps through her body, it reacts to the presence of any unholy power, scorching it away with an intense burning sensation. Nasa isn't physically burned by the fire unless any physical traits are brought on by that demonic presence, but the feeling of that holy cleansing is impossible to ignore.     As much as it hurts, however, Beli continues pouring the seraphic fire over Nasa's form. At least only the initial purging would be the worst: as the demonic taint is scoured away, the fire's gentler effects start to become more apparent. As much as it blazes against the unholy, it is soothing anything lacking a demonic presence, caressing and comforting with the gentle warmth of a loving embrace that pushes away the lingering traces of pain that come from that cleansing. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa shifts her gaze towards Beli for a few moments, her ears shifting a bit, perking up now and then, before beginning to fold down slightly as she listens to Beli. Not in an upset manner, but she was definitely a little nervous, even with all her determination. No matter how she acted, Nasa was still a relatively young drowess, and the unknown was still more than a bit scary for her.      Nasa gives a slow nod when she says it shouldn't be too bright, her eyes beginning to slide closed as she begins to brace herself, breathing slowly as she began to work her way through some of her teachings to keep herself calm. As the fire began to wash over Nasa, at first she began to panic, to press her magical resistances out, possibly hindering it... but then she quickly began to force herself to pull it back, to suppress the magical resistance and attempt to accept it.      It burned. Nasa had been fairly thoroughly tainted during her time as a lolthian priestess, and she had never gotten properly cleansed of that taint, not to mention she was something like 1/16th demoness. Her demonic blood felt almost like it was boiling away, and she was beginning to change gradually, as some of the 'curse' began to lift. Her skin grew lighter, and though it was not visible, the red in her eyes began to recede, leaving only purple.      Though Nasa had put up a strong front, she was also scared, her eyes closing a little tighter as a couple of tears flow down her cheeks. The thought that, perhaps, on some level, she may just burn away played through her mind. But ... as the taint began to burn out of her, she began to feel less and less unpleasant. Soothed and contently warm. Nasa's eyes slowly opened as the pain began to fade, looking silently up towards Beli with her purple eyes. Things did feel different. Her mind felt clearer. Her thoughts less nervous and expecting to see enemies in everything. Even the light seemed less intense.      As the pain finally flushes fully out of Nasa's system, she takes a slow breath, murmuring quietly, "...It does naut hurt anymore." As she spoke, her voice sounded almost more musical, less harsh and rough, closer to the beautiful voices that fae are told to have. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli keeps her gaze fixed on Nasa for the entire time the cleansing happens. A slight frown settles on her features as she feels Nasa resisting, but she keeps going; even as she begins to notice tears forming and rolling down the fae's cheeks, she continues the downpour of seraphic fire. It's working, at least as far as she can tell. The vampire girls that were saved from D's world had to undergo something similar, so at least she has something to go on there. Not that it makes the pain any easier.     As soon as Nasa tells her it's done, the cyan sheen over Beli's wings and the flames in her halos immediately flicker away, taking with them the remnants of her seraphic fire. She sinks back down to her knees to get a better view of Nasa, looking at the strange shift in eye color and the notable change to the fae's skin. Concern lingers on her features...but it seems like everything worked, just as she'd hoped.     Carefully, so as not to startle her, Beli reaches out to wrap her arms around Nasa in a gentle, comforting embrace. She's brought close, if she allows it, and Beli's wings fold onto her back as she lets out a slow, relieved sigh. "...congratulations, Nasa," she murmurs softly. "That was very, very brave of you. How do you feel now...?" 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Luckily, Beli was someone who Nasa had trusted, otherwise she may have been more than just slightly resisting briefly! Nasa's gaze shifts a little bit, watching as the cyan flickers away. Nasa holds still as she was examined. Another change of note, was that the pattern of her wings is less... tattered. The designs were less like spiderweb and more like designs traced along them, forming what almost looked like small moons and stars here and there, with remnants of the spiderweb still seeming to hold them together-- though more like connections than anything caught.      As Beli wraps her arms around Nasa, Nasa's wings fold down slightly, flattening against her back to avoid getting crumpled or anything of the sort. Where Beli would be met with awkwardness and hesitence before, instead Nasa lifted her arms to wrap them around Beli in return, her eyes half-lidding as she leans a little into the hug with a slow, content exhale. "...Is nice ... to feel a hug that does not leave fear that Nasa will find a dagger in her back." Nasa mumbles as her first response, her eyes opening to look towards Beli's face, watching her curiously.      "... And... lighter, in a way... mind is clearer. Less full of hatred and anger and suspicion of everything." Nasa murmurs softly, her ears twitching slightly as they tilt towards various sounds. Her control over her emotions began to slip though. Emotions bottled and suppressed for years upon years all began to come tumbling out, and Nasa buries her face against Beli as she simply began to cry. All the 'weakness' she had hidden out of fear, all the joy she had suppressed because showing it meant someone could take it from her. It was overwhelming, wonderful, and terrible all at once. "...Appreciates you." She manages to get out in between sobs. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli leans back enough to meet Nasa's gaze. The look in her eyes is soft, caring; there's a deep-seated kindness to her that comes more naturally than any other emotion, and now it colors every motion she makes and every looks she gives. She honestly cares, and she listens to Nasa's soft murmurs until the fae finally lets every emotion come tumbling out at once.     The demonic angel doesn't disturb Nasa further. She lets Nasa lean into her, lifting a hand to gently run her slender fingers through the girl's hair. Her wings extend just slightly, enough to come around Nasa in a dark, comforting shield as she vents her fear and sadness. A soft, comforting hum rises from her chest, too, a gentle sound given strength by her demonic rumble and beauty from her ringing bells. She is otherwise silent, however, for she of all people knows what Nasa must feel, and she lets the fae vent every last bit of it that she needs.     Only when Nasa seems to calm down does Beli shift, pulling back enough to look down at the girl and offer another warm, gentle smile, letting her hands come to rest on Nasa's shoulders. "I hope this is the start of things becoming much better for you, Nasa. You deserve better. I...know what it is like to be unable to trust, but maybe now you can." Her smile warms a little further. "And if you need somewhere to call home, somewhere safe, you can always come here. I will help you however I can, with whatever means I can." 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa shifts slightly at the hand through her hair. A gesture that she was not entirely used to; the wings wrapping around her in that comforting shield... they were wholly alien things to her, but they were alien things she found that she did not mind at all. "...This... wants to share this. Wants to show drow that this that would to normally being called weakness isn't. That is better life than is down there..." Nasa mumbles softly as she's held close, listening to that demonic rumble of a hum.      Nasa takes a small breath as she listens to Beli, watching her face as she pulls back and smiles, resting hands on her shoulders. Her ears perk slightly with a bit of curiosity at this gesture, and then Beli speaks. Nasa's lips spread into a smile, uncaring who saw her teeth now. She had gotten good at smiling without their sharpness being threatening anyway. "...Yes, Nasa thinks ... is going to get better." She pauses. Words that she deserves better were things she hadn't thought of before, but then she'd been barely aware of better. And the offer of home... Nasa's cheeks actually tinge a lighter shade of purple. "...Appreciates it. Does like the sound of that."      Nasa takes a deep breath, looking up towards Beli's face and working on gathering herself. "Has been lost for a long time. Lost in self, lost in what wants to do. Focused on surviving. Is still a little lost, but this... does help." She gives a firm nod, her fingers shifting a bit. She could already tell some things were missing. Her spell-like abilities were gone, and some of the strength granted by her demonic blood. But it was a small loss compared to what she felt now.      "Will do what can to help you, too." Nasa says with a firm nod. "...But then that was probably going to happening anyway, after what did to seeing the other day with beast-thing." 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli's hands give Nasa's shoulders a gentle squeeze. The knowledge that she's helped someone so much is...certainly a relief to her. After all her efforts in the last several days, to have been able to be purely beneficial to someone, especially to such a degree, is a pleasant change.     "I think you would do well with the girls that were saved from Castlevania," she remarks. "They were not able to return to their home after I cleansed their vampirism, since D was certain their families would not trust them. But they have been able to enjoy their time here, and they help encourage the spirits that are still making the climb up Purgatorio. I think they might appreciate someone like you."     The rephaite gives a soft sigh, letting her hands fall to her lap again. Her smile fades, but only slightly. "It will take a while to find yourself. I know; I was...lost for decades, before I found my purpose. Everything was so confusing then, but...it has gotten better. I am still uncertain about the things I do, about /myself/, but...I have a cause to uphold, and people who rely on me. You will find your place in time. Or make one for yourself."     A frown settles on her features, then, at the mention of Behemoth. "...that was...something that troubles me. I will appreciate any help you will be willing to give against Inferno and Paradiso, but do not put yourself at too much risk. You need some time to get used to your new situation, as well. You are different now; you would not want to jump into fighting without knowing what you are now capable of, would you?" 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      An ear tilts towards one of Beli's hands, as if she could hear something from it. It was partially curiosity, partially just reflex from the subtle noises of the action. Nasa absently tilted her head afterwards to rest a head on the hand, listening to Beli, possibly looking quizzical, though it was unintentional. "Ah, that ... does to sounding like is good they have a place for them here, yes. Nasa does know her family is kind of ... well, would to naut accept her anymore. Especially after what did just happen, so maybe is similar situation... though mirrored in way? Nasa's family would naut to accept her because she is naut monster." She wrinkles her nose slightly.      "Is still confusing a lot for Nasa. So many things that is hearing that is contrary to what was taught growing up... is unsurprising, but... decades of teachings are hard to forget, yes." Nasa mumbles softly, rubbing at her cheek absently to brush away at some of the dampness. "Things like you did to doing when Nasa cried were to being unheard of down in Underdark." She shifts slightly, giving a little nod. "Has idea of what wants to do. Though will have to figure out how is going to do it. Does naut want revenge anymore." She murmurs thoughtfully, and then... mention of the behemoth.      "A-ah... uhm... apologizes. Was fine, did have plan to take care of self, but did... well. Could hear their screams, did remind Nasa of the slave pits of Underdark when a slave did to make mistake. Would to not have let self be hurt too badly, but did get little too focused..." She takes a small breath, before giving a nod. "Yes, will to rest and get to knowing self again. Already can to feel that can nau longer use inherent spells." She murmurs, shifting her fingers again. "Will be careful. ...Though will also to naut stop searching for heart of forest, does want to find it as soon as possible, so that can to bring life back to it." 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli sighs softly at the word of Nasa's home and family. "...living one's entire life in a certain way will make it difficult to even imagine that other ways could exist," she murmurs softly. "I did not think it was possible to find a place where others would not hate me for what I was, or think that I could not possibly do anything of worth. I was not willing to accept what the Multiverse showed me for quite some time, but...I have adjusted, since then, and have almost forgotten what things used to be like. At least enough to not think that they are true still."     A gentle smile returns to her lips, and her hand lifts to give Nasa a gentle ruffle of her hair. "And what you did was extremely brave. You helped save them and make sure they would not suffer anymore. Now we just need to help the other thousands, right?" There's a light grin of good humor. The task ahead of her is daunting to Beli, incredibly so, but she manages to treat it with some levity now and then. "I would be very happy to have your help again. And I would gladly help you in your own efforts, Nasa, if there is anything I can do. I do not know if I can help with your search, but when the time comes...I will give my strength."     Beli rises to her feet, then, straightening out her skirt briefly as her wings fold over her back again. "For now, though...I think we both might need some rest. There is a garden on Purgatorio's peak that I think you may enjoy settling into. I do not really have any beds or anything set up, but...if you do not mind the grass and flowers or the trees as your bed, then you would be very welcome to come up there." 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      "...Yes. Is very much like that. When first came to surface, was so scared too. Did to hear so many stories of how surfacers would to react to Nasa growing up. Probably to scare Drow children from wandering to surface..." Nasa shakes her head a bit. "Stories were to being partially true. But ... yes. Is glad that did come to Multiverse too. If was just in the wilds, would probably have to probably turned into monster to destroy monsters." Nasa mumbles, her tone a little saddened. Being in the multiverse had taught her a lot.      "Yes! Just do to need to help the other thousands." Nasa says with a resolute nod, flashing a wide, toothy grin. It wasn't the most ridiculous thing Nasa wanted to do eventually, after all! As her hair is ruffled, Nasa's head moves a little from side to side loosely from the movement, her ears perking up a bit. "Would appreciate it! Does think has gotten as far as can alone, really... is good at getting through illusions, but having someone else there to say 'Hey this does to look familiar' is good at very least." She nods slightly.      And then the offer of the garden, Nasa's wings almost immediately spread, getting ready to flutter and lift her up gracefully. "Does sound beautiful~. Also... did to survive alone in forest for long time. Grass and flowers does to sound like luxury bed compared to some of things has slept on or around!" Nasa says with a firm nod, giggling. Though sleeping in fallen trees was not entirely uncomfortable, it also wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world ever! 

}}

1342/A Meeting with Oinari

2015-01-24T14:44:39Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/01/16 |Location=Azuma |Synopsis=The Union and allies enter Takamagahara to meet with Oinari on the subject of Kagenashi and the troubles sprea..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/16
|Location=Azuma
|Synopsis=The Union and allies enter Takamagahara to meet with Oinari on the subject of Kagenashi and the troubles spreading over Azuma.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=85, 183, 232, 369, 481, 518, 527, 570, 575, 642, 652, 655
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Most of Azuma's regions are locked in a single season, no matter the time of year: spring in Seiryu, summer in Suzaku, autumn in Byakko, and winter in Genbu. However, the central region, Koryu, the towering mountain that serves as the path to Takamagahara, seems unbound to any particular season. Below the cloudy sky, the air is neither warm, nor cold; neither dry, nor humid. The leaves do not fall, but neither do fruits grow on the trees that blanket the mountain in darkness and fog. It's remarkable how ominous the looming mountain is, considering that its peak houses the path to the Celestial Plane.     The forests are the home of crow-like kotengu, who would leap at the chance to assault travelers if their daitengu leader weren't paying attention, but there is one safe path from the base to the peak. Flanked by large kitsune statues carved from light stone and poised with a regal alertness, the entrance is obvious to any who would look for it. Additionally, the wide path is framed all the way to the peak by bright red torii gates spaced only a few feet apart from one another, each one supporting a paper lantern to be lit for travel at night for additional safety. It's a long trip, considering that Koryu's mountain is the tallest in Azuma, but it would be a peaceful one. The kotengu keep their distance, only disturbing travelers with rustles of black feathers among the shaded woods and croaking crow's calls echoing in the shadows.     At the peak, the woods open into a wide clearing, where the gate to Takamagahara is finally clearly seen. It's a very large arch formed entirely of a mixture of green and white jade, the stone polished to a perfect, smooth gleam and carved with carefully-etched Japanese writing along its curve. "As long as the sun shines, our beautiful land will know peace," it says, easily readable by those who know the language. A blessing and a gesture of faith, but has it held recently?     The gate is guarded by a regiment of kotengu: humanoid creatures with bodies covered in black feathers, arms and legs like a bird's talons, crow heads, and broad black wings, each dressed in rudimentary plate armor with long swords sheathed at their hips. It's only a matter of informing them of the group's intention to meet Oinari to get them to allow entry. With croaks of assent, the kotengu move aside, allowing free passage to the portal whose surface ripples like water and distorts the bright image beyond. What the group is presented with upon passing through is a greatly changed landscape, a sight paired with the scent of air both fresh and sweet. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     (BGM: http://goo.gl/gG4ysU)     The portal exits into a gate identical to the one on the top of Koryu's mountain, but the landscape is dramatically different. The Celestial Plane lies high above the clouds, high enough that the light of the sun that hangs low in the horizon is undisturbed. The landscape is made up of floating islands of earth, each hovering perfectly still in the air and each of different sizes, from a small house to a broad field. Not a single patch of bare earth can be seen on any of the islands' surfaces: each one is covered by vibrant grasses, colorful wildflowers, glistening ponds that serve as home for small carp, and peach trees of various sizes, each one laden with fruit and flowers. Arching bridges of red wood connect each island for easy, safe travel, each one lined by strings of paper lanterns to provide light when night falls.     Takamagahara is not at a loss for life, either. Large serpentine dragons fly through the sky without the aid of wings, their iridescent scales gleaming in the sunlight, their manes billowing in the wind. The trees serve as perches for hou-oh, whose musical songs are nearly as beautiful as the rainbow of long, streaming feathers that cover their bodies with the radiance of the sun. Kirin wander the fields, too; creatures of many colors somewhere between dragons and deer, their forms covered by scales that crackle with light and power, their heads decorated by branching antlers, and their manes long and flowing from their heads to their tails. Most apparent, however, are the tennin themselves: they seem like normal people, men and women alike, but their clothes are instead billowing robes of rainbow feathers that change colors as they move. Now and then, some take to the air, using their robes like broad wings to carry them among the youkai that dance in the sky above. The tennin are at peace here, content to savor Takamagahara's beauty and serenity however they see fit.     In the center of the broad landscape of broken, beautiful land is a single giant island, taken up almost entirely by a golden palace of resplendent beauty and wealth. It reaches up for several levels, each one decorated by a sloping roof, the peak mounted on either end with large carp statues whos tails curl over their backs. No outer wall surrounds the palace, and why should it in a place where nothing would dare attack? The doors are open to visitors who come and go, either kitsune or tennin, and the path to that island isn't much more of a trek from the jade portal back to Koryu. Nothing will obstruct the group from reaching the palace. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     This outing was Shizune's idea. It would be utterly silly for her not to be here. But at the very least, she has come in her very best, a kimono far more formal than her usual fare, done in earthy tones that accentuate her hair and eyes nicely. She has even paid heed to the traditional meanings of the kimono's style and cut, a thing seldom seen in the more modern areas of Japan. The only concession she's made to comfort or convenience, at least visibly, is the pair of comfortable tabi she wears to make the long walk much less painful on her feet.     Even for someone who's seen the wonders of the Multiverse, though, this place is something else. The moment they step through the portal, Shizune stops to look around... and for just a second or two even she can't keep the wonder out of her eyes. She quickly pushes it down under a polite, calm expression, but there is at least a murmur of, "There aren't many places in the Multiverse this beautiful." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     While she is under no real rush, Kirika does seem to waste little time to get through the forests. The kitsune moves swiftly and alertly, tail flowing behind her as she moves down the path until she reaches Takamagahara itself.     This land grows more and more akin to Kasun as Kirika begins her way up the mountain, careful not to disturb the local kotengu, eyeing the birdlike beings with red eyes of curiosity and mild wonder.     Her journey past the gates leads her through the portal, and she emerges on the mountainttop. Kirika pauses only for her eyes to observe the landscape from up high, and the skies as well. Her gaze is wide with awe, as if Kirika's breath has been stolen from this world's beauty. Her tail flickers, and then the half-blood notices the kirin, and tennin as well. "Hmm..."     Shizune's assessment is echoed with a nod, as Kirika nears the student and martial artist. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      Helping and seeing other worlds is one of the few pleasures Landon al Cid currently has not tremendously tainted by politics and concerns of his world. Here, on this beautiful world far from his own, he can appreciate the scenery without worrying about impending war. He can enjoy the serpentine dragons, marvel at the kirin and the hou-oh, record snatches of song and take pictures on his mPhone of the stunning beauty of the world. Much of it looks as Ramuh supposedly did in days long past, and much of it looks completely new to him. It is an experience that he wishes so many of his people could enjoy and appreciate, because if they could, surely, they might see that open arms and smiles is the way to approach the vast Extraverse Galianda has found itself neighboring. Yes, there are dangers amidst the worlds that are unfamiliar to them and strange and terrible, and yes, there are nightmares and demons across the land, but there are also things like this - visages of moving, celestial beauty. Surely this must be some glimpse of what the Palace Of Raiden is like.      It is for all of this that Landon has a genuine smile on his face. It is the first genuine smile he's had in a while - utterly untainted by any concerns of his world, he is freer now than he has ever been, and he revels in it. He delights in it. There are no innocents to be saved, no battles to be fought, nothing he need argue or bicker or be troubled by. There is only glorious beauty.      He is not wearing his Judge's helmet, but the silvery plate mail and purple cloak wrapped around his shoulders are nonetheless heavy and mak the climb difficult. He bears no weapons at all, not even his Judge Sword, though that's hardly a problem - it will spring to life in an instant if he needs it. He doesn't think he will. For now, he's simply recording everything - everything he can see, everything he can hear, all the beautiful things around him. He almost feels bad at the quiet 'clang' of his Judge's Armor - for though he is most used to wearing it, and he makes little noise, he cannot yet fully eliminate the sound, and each clang is an intrusion upon a harmony that he would rather enjoy.      "But for each one that is, we are enriched," he replies to Shizune. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko Shinobu is here. She has not been, previously, though not for lack of interest. In fact, her reasons are rather personal, sufficiently so that her suspicions are unlikely to be shared. This makes the quiet magical girl no different from usual.     She's here transformed, if slightly differently from her norm--her dress is long and even, though still she possesses those detached sleeves. Formal enough for some places, though perhaps inappropriate here. She's entirely unarmed, for the sake of politeness. And she does rather feel that it would be impolite to openly carry arms in this place; as few locales have managed, this places awes her, as small as the reactions in her expression are that show it. While her facing is kept straight ahead, her eyes dart to either side as each new sight reveals itself.     Nakamura is of some long acquaintance of hers, and that may explain why she's staying close. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' Dominic is incredibly inexperienced and lacking in information on the myrdiad of problems and inter-Kitsune warring occurring in Kagenashi's homeworld. But that won't stop him from trying to learn none the less. He has an mPad in his hands which is hooked into a device on his waist wirelessly. He's pouring over a huge briefing file and trying to make sense of it all with a scowl on his face. He looks over to Landon and says, "So it would seem that on this world, one of the fox-tailed beings is defeating the leaders of the others in an attempt to accrue more power by stealing theirs." He looks up and around a bit, taking in the surroundings, "The result of this is that it is allowing numerous y... y..." He scowls a bit at a word, "Yo-oo-kai." He struggles with the word and then continues, "Monsters, I guess. To roam the land and threaten the human population. It is a seriou-" Hey! Feed me! Hey! Feed me, kupo! Dominic looks around and then swipes tabs on the mPad, switching over to his My Pal The Moogle app where his pet Moogle is sitting on the ground and bawling for food. He carefully drags some Green Cherries over and sets them down in front of the digital creatures. Some stats flash across s chr">+1 Status Immunity -20 Hunger +7 Spoiled +10 XP Moogle Status: Content And then he swipes back over into his work window, "A-anyway. Uhm. It seems like a very dangerous situation. I will help the Union how I can, but until I know more I will follow the lead of those more experienced than I." He looks over to Shizune on this one, as the reports flag her as one of the more involved parties. 

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''     Tall mountains are the natural habit of Monks. It is where they go to be pilgrims. It is where they meditate, taking in the light of the sun at the highest peak, enduring the elements. It is where they hone themselves, climbing, braving the wild. It is where nature allows a man to reach peace.     Audrey Stormfist is not a Monk.     "Ridiculous, already out of signal range?"     The Heritor (slash Monk, but shut up) is pushing buttons on a holographic screen being projected out of her opposite hand, from a screen atop it. If anyone really wants to peak, it is obvious that she's trying to get Wi-Fi (well, Mognet's variant) and isn't. She is dressed as usual, a blue overcoat, a sheathed sword, a stern glare.     It's certainly not that the beauty of this world is lost on her, it's more that she's... well, alright, it's completely lost on her in favor of the equipment failure. Grumble grumble.     When she finally pays attention, it seems the group has already arrived at their destination. The island lies ahead without obstruction, after a scenic route that she wasn't able to enjoy.     "Masoch. What is the status on those signal boosters?" Audrey snaps towards him, as her way of saying hello. Possibly explicitely because he's either getting signal or getting to enjoy his tablet regardless. Landon gets a much flatter: "Al Cid." While others mostly get a glance. She does not know anyone else here, after all, so it would be difficult to greet them by name. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     To say Azuma is 'beautiful' would be an insufficient claim; no, to journey here is to experience true paradise. Every sight, scent, and warm breath of air is like a spiritual and physical balm, enabling any traveler to feel at ease, and even the the sun does not feel so harsh. Yes, there are pitfalls to be found here as there exists in any other world, but few such troubled places could boast such a flawless facade.     Whether or not D has any true appreciation for Azuma is impossible to tell, of course. He rides in brooding silence all the way, his lidded gaze directed on the road ahead and nowhere else. One would think at least one of Azuma's glorious vistas would capture his admiration, but he can't seem to emerge from his brooding enough to give the land any consideration whatsoever.     "Nothing half so lovely out here as your own face, eh?" the cruel voice of the carbuncle snickers. D doesn't pay him any mind, either; without the Hunter taking the bait, the carbuncle keeps quiet for the rest of the ride.     The climb is a long one, but not difficult for a horse enhanced by cybernetics, and a man used to the road's challenges. At last, he arrives at the mountain's summit in silence, and dismounts from his saddle in grace, all without any feeling disrupting the icy serenity forming his pale yet regal face. After winding his horse's reins around the saddlehorn to keep them from dangling in the horse's way, he finally turns to become part of the group, entering their periphery with no more than a slight tip of his hat to convey his greetings. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     A pleasant mountain climb surrounded by friends? How fantastic!     The curious seasons of Kagenashi's world are a surprising change from those of Yuuki's nameless land, though the nearly-always cold and snowy peaks mirror lightly with Genbu. It was here that Yuuki had clashed with Kagenashi and the corrupted D for the first time. Now, she was here as a token of exploratory friendship! Or... something.     Honestly, it was because hanging out in her giant mansion (that Zero hated), or Zero's apartment (which Aido hated) was boring either way. Being a secret TOTALLY NORMAL princess sucked. Nobody let you do things! Well, Zero did. Sometimes. Especially when she dragged him out. It was supposed to be a climb up a dark and shrouded summit, and then...     They break into the great openness of the Celestial Realm. Wincing, Yuuki quickly pulls on some sunglasses. She looks put out by SOMETHING. Maybe she's light-sensitive! Then again...     The sounds of a needy moogle cut out her reverie. "W-what is that?" She asks, of Dominic, drawing close over his shoulder, as he plays with his mPad. A WONDEROUS DEVICE!!! What is it?     Her world didn't really have... super awesome luxury technology. "It's so cute!"     Yep, the glories of fantastical awesome heaven is ignored in favor of pixellated moogles. It's like Yuuki is a high school girl or something. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''     It's been a bit too long since the last time Mizuki indulged one of her many niggling desires to visit a place entirely unrelated to anything she normally concerns herself with. Far too long since she's played the role of aimless, capricious pseudo-deity with intentions as mysterious as the mount she finds herself on this evening. Though, perhaps it's not entirely random; some months ago, Mizuki had lent her aid to a wolf who claimed to be the avatar of Amaterasu in purifying the land of their home. At that time, the lady met Kagenashi who, to this day, is one of the only confederates with whom she has had any time to 'socialize' in earnest. So maybe it's natural that she would find herself curious of the woman's dealings, at least so she could know the character of that person she had met so fleetingly before.     Regardless, she steps through the portal with her parasol drawn and its handle rested in its usual position on her left shoulder. She would idly twirl the thing as she takes a brief few moments for analysis of the setting. Earnestly? This all seems pretty natural to her -- the beautiful yet eerily placid atmosphere, the sense of stillness... really, all those sorts of things are pervasive in her home as well. It feels as though the realm itself has some degree of artistic sensibility from the panoramic peaks of the mountains to the individual kotengu. But she has to admit, it's still quite stirring. The similarity it bears to her world helps this rather than diminishing its impact, even, as though this world were an echo of a melody she had many times heard, played in some form of blissful reprise that was just changed enough to make it fresh again.     Ah~. That thought might bring a smile to her face.     She gradually makes her way to the palace, silently marveling at the nuances of its design and the fineness of the materials that were likely used to make it. She knows that no one here had her in mind when any of this was created, but 'zen gardens' and 'flying cities' are two of the loveliest domestic creations fathomed into existence during the stint of sapience's sovereignty over Creation, to her eyes. She would continue to twirl her parasol with glee, almost incorporating the whisper or a hint of a skip into her step, quite blissfully unaware that anyone she has already been acquainted with might see her this way.     ... thooough this would immediately cease once the girl lays her eyes on Kimiko, whom she most certainly does know. Thankfully, having an incorporeal form does wonders to stifle a blush when you are cognisant of the fact that your cheeks have become rosy, so she may yet start this whole venture off without any crushing blows to her ominous witch facade. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako lazily follows the path while sitting sidesaddle on her broomstick, her amber gaze darting about to gaze upon the trees that make up the forests that border the path up the mountain. There also happens to be room on her broomstick for another person if they want to save their feet the hike up the path! Once in a while, she looks over fondly at the large kitsune statues and red torii gates. Such things remind her of a time long, long ago... and make her smile a soft reminiscent smile. And then she arrives up at the arch of green and white jade.     That material... she definitely reacts to the jade and blinks her eyes quickly for a moment. Followed by a bright smile and a soft clap of her hands. "Aa~aahh... how wonderful." Ayako then carefully reads what is written on the arch out loud. "Hmm... well, that's a nice thought!"     When the group makes it to the gate guarded by kotengu, Ayako lets someone else do the talking. She's not really the diplomatic type, anyway! And then floats after the group once they enter the portal proper.     While Ayako could care less about the fresh and sweet air that breezes through Takamagahara, she is quite delighted by the plant life and particularly, the ponds. She tends to spend a few moments to poke the water of each pond she comes across with her pointer finger, and giggles softly when she spots a few carp inside of said ponds. Of course, she has to float quickly to catch up with the group often, but those are the breaks for enjoying new water!     They've arrived at the palace, huh? Ayako glances up and takes in the golden palace. Then glances at how Shizune is dressed... and then glances down at her witch outfit. "Hmm... am I underdressed?" 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     You know what Zero is? Zero is grumpy, and this trip isn't helping. It's not the first time he's been here, and he hasn't got any good memories of this world. All of it is nonsense and attempted murder, and it's not helped that they're here in daylight hours (sort of). If he wasn't such a stubborn fool he could lay down and fall asleep through this entire trek, and his stomach is grumbling at him as surely as it would at anybody else who declined to eat while walking so far. In short, the man looks about as approachable as an incredibly hungry, angry badger.     He trails alongside Yuuki for the majority of the trip, silent as a ghost. Unfortunately for him she's a social butterfly who is easily drawn to aggravating, noisy little things that he'd just as soon keep away from. As soon as Yuuki's interest draws her over that way, Zero drifts off to hang around near D, whose demeanor most closely matches his own.     Zero's only explanation of his presence is a jerk of his head in Yuuki's direction. Much like D, no amount of majesty or fantastic environment seems enough to shake away whatever it is that makes him such a grumpy jerk. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     The journey to the palace is short and undisturbed. Certain members of the group, like Zero and D, get curious looks from the tennin and kirin, but nobody is very interested in stopping them. The feather-robed people only murmur thoughtfully among themselves, curious about the Oinari's new guests.     The palace interior branches off into many hallways and passages that disseminate into the rest of the sprawling structure, but the main entryway is a straight passage into the broad hall that is Oinari's throne room. It's a very large space, big enough to fit dozens of people at once. Polished stone floors spread from one wall to the next, and red pillars curled around by giant fox statues line the hall to support the high ceiling. There are balconies above, as well, for people on the upper levels to sit and watch the proceedings, though for now these remain empty. The ceiling is broken by a large window tinted with gold to allow the sun to shine gently through, though at this hour, it's not quite so bright: lanterns near the walls need to be lit, and even then, the room is a dim, but comforting place. The air is graced with the gentle scent of incense, just subtle enough to be missed unless one consciously tries to focus on why the air feels so serene.     "Greetings, travelers," a soft, welcoming voice echoes through the hall from the far end. "I am pleased that you have arrived."     (BGM: http://goo.gl/33Tk7e)     Kitsune are naturally beautiful, and their leader, tantamount to their goddess, is no different. Her station is elevated off the lower level by a small set of stairs, and on top of the platform it leads to, she kneels on a soft cushion of fine gold and silver. She is a graceful figure, her features slender and elegant, her form blessed by fair skin. Flowing hair of dark brown is done up partially in a bun and decorated by pins and brooches of gold shaped into blossoms, a fair compliment to her bright, narrow eyes that shine like amber beads and the gleaming earrings that hang from beneath the sweep of her hair. Her outfit is of a similar golden color, a form-fitting dress that drapes off her shoulders with a lining of soft fur and pools around her wrists in wide sleeves. The light of two lanterns beside her dances off skin, fabric, jewlery, and hair, giving her a soft radiance as if she had been touched by the sun itself. She is at once regal and gentle, a fitting representation for a benevolent race of protectors. (http://goo.gl/ZYljyc)     Hanging behind her is a large broadsword, its golden blade lined with nine sharp, alternating branches like the tails of a fox, and its hilt decorated by an opalescent orb brimming with light. The same kind of orb that shines in the center of Oinari's tongue when she speaks.     The kitsune greets the group with a gentle smile. Whether over or underdressed, whether welcoming or brooding, she doesn't seem to care; her hand lifts from her lap to gesture to the array of soft cushions arranged on the floor at the foot of the stairs in open invitation. "Please, have a seat. You all must have had a very long journey, and I assume you would like to rest before we begin. I will have tea brought over shortly, if it would please you."     Her hand settles back with the other in her lap, and though her smile fades, her expression remains gentle and welcoming as she looks over the assembled group. Not exactly the sort of people she expected, but she should be the last to question anyone based on their appearances. A final nod is given before she speaks again; she seems satisfied, at least. "I understand you have several questions, which I hope to be able to answer. Whatever I can offer, I will, if it means ensuring Azuma's peace and safety. Please, feel free to speak as you wish." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     D isn't surprised to see Yuuki arrive, considering he could probably smell her coming from a few miles off, yet even braced against the effects of her close proximity, he offers only a reluctant greeting. "...Miss Kuran." The cool voice delivers far from the warm welcome the girl deserves; however, the last time he'd seen her had been some time ago under less than ideal circumstances, so perhaps it's understandable that he's withdrawn. Still, Yuuki has a way with people of D's type, so it's likely he'll thaw soon enough, given enough time in her company. After all, hadn't Zero?     "Zero." Of course, wherever Yuuki goes, her guardian follows. D offers his fellow Hunter a respectful nod. After a moment, he looks like he wants to say something further, but then, Oinari bids them welcome, and the opportunity is lost.     Rather than ask any questions right away, D merely makes the polite pretense of accepting an unnecessarily cushy seat. He will wait to see what others ask before he voices any of his own thoughts. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     "Very much so," Shizune replies to Landon, smiling warmly. The Multiverse really could use more places of beauty like this. To Audrey she looks more amused than anything. "We aren't just out of your world, I think we're a bit out of the way for the Multiverse in general. Especially if we're going into another plane or a pocket dimension." Bad reception is to be expected in situations like this. Ayako does get a critical gaze for a moment, but Shizune's conclusion is simple. "It should be all right. They're expecting people from other worlds, after all."     D's carbuncle receives a brief look, an arched eyebrow, and a slightly dry, "Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"     But the time for teasing and idle banter is past. The martial artist folds her hands in front of herself as they venture into the palace, taking in the sights but being careful to keep her reaction to them well-concealed. Even with someone ostensibly on the same page, it can pay to keep your cards close to your chest after all; even so much as 'letting it be seen that you're impressed' can weaken the other party's impression of you. But that also doesn't mean she can't offer complements. "Oinari, thank you for welcoming us into your home. It truly is a beautiful place," she says, opening with a deep and polite bow. "Nakamura Shizune. Pleased to meet you at last." She is careful to take a seat on one of the cushions, seiza-style, with her hands folded in her lap. "We do. They aren't easy questions, of course, but we all have a vested interest in stopping their subject, so it's our hope you'll be able to help us. We would like to know more about Kagenashi, and especially the sword she's taken up, Nageki. We have the basic information about its forging, and you seemed the most likely to be more knowledgeable." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika has dressed, despite what her desc implies, properly enough for such a meeting with a person as important as Oinari. Her kimono is immaculately designed and fitted, and she gently removes her geta upon entering the palace. The half-kitsune has been accustomed more to this than small-talk, sometimes, given her upbringing among Shukutou's family, and by extension hers as well. "Greetings, Lady Oinari. I am Kirika Half-Blood of Kasun, Warden and Vassal to Matron Shukutou Nine-Tailed."     Her tone is polite and calm, the half-blood bowing reverently to Oinari as tradition dictates, her tail perfectly still as she rises up again and approaches the cushions. "Thank you for your hospitality, and for agreeing to see us for this discussion, your grace."     She takes a seat near the much much MUCH older kitsune, her tail wrapping around her legs and her sword handed to a servant should one request its surrender, or laid besides her. Upon settling in, Kirika takes in Oinari's grace and splendor as though she was beholding the sun for the first time. It's familiar, like a lot of what Azuma offers, and familiar is good to her. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko notices Mizuki here, as she notices everyone. She does not, for whatever reason, comment on her skipping. Perhaps she considers this normal. There are a few others here whose presence is more likely to cause her concern, but what are the chances of running into another man-eating forest, way up here?     Shizune and Landon got a murmur of assent regarding the beauty of the place, while complaints of reception are carefully ignored. When they arrive, Kimiko bows, stiffly and formally, no matter how relaxed the greeting. To relax and address casually is the privilege of such a domain's ruler; she has no expectation of being able to do the same, herself. She does take a seat when offered, primarily because it was offered, arranging her dress and sitting on her heels. Her shoes have disappeared at some point. She's not particularly tired, even after a climb like that, but it wouldn't be polite to stand at attention in a case like this.     She does not introduce herself. She does not speak at all. She may not speak during this entire trip, if not directly addressed; it wouldn't be surprising, at least. She does, however, listen. 

:'''{{#var:642|Landon al Cid (642)}} has posed:'''      "Lady Stormfist," Landon replies at Audrey's greeting. She may be kind of rude, but he's a prince. You aren't rude to anyone when you're a Prince. "Ah, Dominic, I don't know how you can play around ith at in a place like this. It's too beautiful. It's a shame it's marked with such problems."      They enter the palace and meet the kitsune's leader. Landon bows politely. He is a diplomat. He deals with diplomacy all the damn time. Literally every waking day of his life is spent representing the people of Ramuh or the al Cid family to some degree, so he's used to being extremely formal. He pulls his cloak around himself and everything, and even keeps the armor from making creaky clanky noises when he bows and straightens.      "I am Prince Landon al Cid, heir apparent of the plate of Ramuh. I am honored to be here in your presence, my lady, and see the staggering beauty of this world and the staggering beauty of one of its leaders." Landon takes a seat, because to do otherwise would be terribly rude.      Once he's comfortable, he looks her in the eye. His face is firm and strong and steady, and his eyes are the same - determined and honest. "How can we help you?" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako hops off of her broomstick before entering the palace proper and stashes it away inside of her witch hat. She walks along with the group inside and then smiles softly when she is greeted by the Oinari. Ayako bows deeply and politely to the kitsune and then smiles softly. "It's wonderful to meet you, Oinari! I am Ayako Hasekawa, a Water Spirit." She then quietly sits down in the standard seiza position on one of the offered pillows. Past that, however, she's quiet... and just listens. 

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''     Audrey grumbles, muttering something or another under her breath. It sounds unkind, but at least not directed at anyone. More this place in general. This is in direct response to Shizune, whose explanation puts several bullets into the idea of maybe getting reception anytime soon. She really needs to upgrade her gloves, now that spreading Mognet to the Extraverse has become a thing.     "Audrey Stormfist. A pleasure," she manages, prying her eyes off her screen. She taps her hand over the screen slash projector, shutting it off for now. Seems she has lost interest in repeatedly refreshing her email page for now.     Though their host offers them to sit, Audrey stays standing, her glance falling back onto Landon. Rude? Nah, she's not rude. Just curt. She lets him speak, though; she has nothing to say, just yet. She is not quite here to help, merely to satisfy her curiosity. See some sights. Gather intel and experience from the outside world. Though if that means playing hero, well, that's fine too, it's what their school teaches them.     Maybe Kagenashi will have a use for her.     Ayako is one she recognizes, if a bit late. She extends an idle wave. "The water spirit. Aren't you working at the Academy too?" They haven't crossed yet, evidently. Or if they did Audrey wasn't paying attention. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:'''     "They're in testing, still. I can't get you guys test copies until they've hit patent," Dominic says to Audrey with a sheepish smile. He can feel her pain, his MogNet is suffering out here too, so he can only use apps in offline mode. In contrast to her grumbling, he gives her a polite and slightly warm smile. But that only lasts a moment before a teenage girl is asking about his little friend on the mPad.     "Oh, uhm. It's called My Pal the Moogle," Dominic says, tabbing back into the application on his tablet, "You see, I named this one Mogsworth. You raise him from a little Moogle, and then when he's grown up enough you can team him up with other Moogles and he'll run dungeons and bring back rare items to equip on him. Then the next Moogle can inherit his stats and gear when you've leveled him up all the way. You can also team them up with your friends Moogles and run raids and stuff. But since I don't have signal out here, I can't show you that." He adds, "It usually takes stamina to run dungeons, but you can spend Gil and get these Ethers to give him more energy to do more in a day before he has to recharge." He adds, after a couple moments, "I also bought a tophat to put on him."     And then Dominic gets distracted. Not by the very attractice woman, but by the very attractive sword hanging behind her. You can practically see the stars, "Fwaaaah! A broadsword variant. Hand-crafted, it looks like, with magical enhancements inlaid to the blade as patterns. Between fourty-seven and fifty-five inches in total length and weighing probably five or six pounds. I'd say the blade is about fourty... four inches? Maybe fourty-five?" He doesn't bother to introduce himself, forgetting for the moment. He doesn't even remember to sit down, he's just standing and staring at her sword, "Do the additional protrusions affect the balancing of the blade and does it require frequent repair? It seems like combat use would wear or warp its designs. Is it more of a display piece, then?" 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''     Mizuki would lower her parasol as she enters the palace proper, gingerly tossing it into the air before her where it dissipates into a milky stream of sparks. Then her arms would move to their usual, official-casual position behind her back, her eyes glimmering just as the lights from her departing parasol as they make their way about the building. Architecture of this buildings' ilk is, unequivocally, one of her life's loves, though she feels so utterly mystified in its presence that she often has a difficult time settling to a calm mindset as she normally would elsewhere. Still, it is unlikely that this would show in any way more apparent than that meaningful glint behind her irises, and the wide grin that she greets Oinari with. Ah, but not moments after she has entered, she is being offered tea.     In lieu of a Haiku poem, she simply internally states the following it a rhythmic fashion: tea, the elixir of life; tea, the Intermultiversal symbol of hospitality; tea, the thing that inspires meetings of reconciliation which not even rivalries of the most eternal longevity may withstand. Tea, the thing that foretells of a mirthful evening in this bower of elegance.     "Tea would certainly please me, if I may be so bold as to say so." Smile smile~. "And might I praise your hospitality? Even though I've only been present here for but a few moments yet, already I have been seeing ways in which your gracious manner might surpass my own. But ah, I've not come here to goad you into a discussion of proper hosting practices." With that, she would bow her head, at least engaging in her typical rituals of greeting. "I presume you are the one called 'Oinari'? It is a pleasure, Miss Oinari. I am Mizuki, and I had, prior to this evening, only made the acquaintance of but a single denizen of this world. As such, I am perhaps not in the best position to be posing inquiries just yet, though it is my hope this evening shall educate me so that I'll not need to in the future." After a brief pause, she would add somewhat abruptly, "-- ah. And before it fades out of mind, thank you very much for welcoming me, and those with me, into your abode."     After this, she, like many others, would fall silent. As far as gestures go, though, the quirk of her brow that she aims at Landon's commentary is fairly loud. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari bows her head respectfully to those who personally greet her, though when the subject is opened up, her expression settles into one that is slightly more grave as she looks over to Shizune. "Yes, Nageki. She stole the sword that was forged for her defeat, as I have heard. I assume you already know the reasons for its creation, correct?"     Two tennin enter the room, one female and one male, each carrying a tray containing small cups of green tea that are offered to Oinari's guests. Weapons are then requested to be taken and set aside on the other end of the room, mostly for safety's and courtesy's sake. It's a difficult time in Azuma, these days.     Oinari continues as the tennin tend to her guests. "My mother, the former Oinari, went to seek the aid of a particularly wise and skilled blue kijo who resides in Genbu. Aoihana is her name, and while she is often reclusive and prefers to stay outside of Azuma's conflicts, my mother was able to convince her to aid in the creation of the sword. Aoihana is very capable when it comes to magic both beneficial and malevolent, so it did not take very long to finish the process, culminating in the sacrifice of one of Oinari's own tails that now graces the blade's hilt. The previous Oinari was not patient enough to linger for the proper countermeasures to be placed on the sword, however, for she required a weapon that could steal the strength of another, which is an inherently malicious ability. Without that countermeasure, the sword grew to lust for blood and strength, and so, after Kagenashi was stripped of her power, it was sealed away in Jigoku under the guard of the oni."     The nine-tailed kitsune sighs quietly with a fleeting air of dismay. "...it was intended that no one would be able to descend that deep and past so many fiends to get it, let alone learn where it was in the first place, but it seems Kagenashi managed that anyway. She has not had it taken from her yet, I assume?" 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     Shizune gives a little shake of her head. "No, she still has it. And I'm afraid that its bloodlust has affected her, though I believe that she has become aware of this and learned to curb it. It still pushed her to do things that I don't believe she'd have done when she opposed your mother. But that's a story for another time, I think. I would actually like to know what you remember of her last bid for power, from the perspective of yourself and your predecessor." The more information they have about Kagenashi's previous behavior, her tactics, her tendencies, the better. It can help predict her movements, and it can also help contrast her past behavior with what the sword may have done to her. And of course, it could provide a clue they don't even realize exists yet. It never hurts to delve deeper. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Landon's flattery at least manages to draw a light smile from Oinari as she looks to him next. "You speak with kind words," she replies, amusement faintly coloring her tone. "Thank you, however. I am pleased to have such visitors today."     That question is taken with a more serious expression, however. A moment is taken to consider what words she might offer in return, but soon she speaks again in a level tone. "Kagenashi is creating a threat to the safety that the Oinari and the kitsune have long worked to establish. A peace that has been maintained for centuries, only through vigilance and care. I would see her stopped, though the ways I am willing to accept seem to be growing broader by the day. At the very least, if her sword can be taken from her, then she will be forced to slow her efforts, though then I fear it falling into the hands of someone without proper resolve." 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     "Zero. Bodyguard. Pay me no mind." Zero offers to their host, having no real place here apart from making certain that Yuuki stays out of trouble. He claims -two- of the cushions that have been arranged for them, laying his jacket over the one to his left. He seats himself next to D, so there's no other cushions nearby to claim anyway. A puff of air escapes him, an exasperated sigh. It's not that he's utterly uninterested, but this sort of thing definitely isn't his ballpark. The only reason he's considered for leadership within the Hunter's Association is because they are violent by nature.     It only stands to reason, then, that somebody who can beat the whole lot of them would be the organization's chief successor... however socially maladjusted.     "D." Zero answers his partner in brooding. He glances towards him, expression turning vaguely curious. "What's your business in this affair?" Surely he didn't just follow Yuuki's scent. It just goes to show that Zero is not particularly familiar with all of D's activities.     Distantly, he eavesdrops on Yuuki's conversation with the other guy. The entire thing is exactly as annoying as he expected it to be. He can't possibly catch the entire conversation, but Zero can tell what the general subject matter is. Yuuki having some sort of noisy, electronic pet is...     ... Well, maybe if it kept her out of trouble. Doubtful, though, if she could just carry it around with her. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko has no weapons to give up. This is not to say that she has no weapons to declare, but that was not asked of her, fortunately. Tea, she accepts--as if there could be any doubt. You don't /refuse tea/. Not unless you plan on immediately leaving.     Her gaze is drawn, briefly, to the sword, as Dominic's was--but she ignores it soon afterward. It's not her type. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Dominic's sudden gushing over the sword behind Oinari draws a faint hint of surprise over her expression. She responds evenly, however; it seems she's had plenty of practice keeping composure and calm. "Your guesses are about right. It is far from just being a display piece, however. My mother, when she passed, demanded that we take her star orb, the source of her power, to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of those who would see it used for malevolent ends. We forged a blade of enchanted and reinforced metal and implanted it into the weapon so that it could channel her strength. It has not yet had reason to be drawn, but the time might soon come when it is needed. The power of a nine-tailed kitsune in a single blade is not to be used lightly."     She glances back at it for a moment, then. "Though I have practiced with it now and then, for recent events have given me reason to fear that it may need to be used. It is a unique blade, but not very difficult to get used to, and sharp and sturdy when brought against a target." 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako returns the wave that Audrey gives her softly. "That I am. As a nurse. Although not having to see me is a good thing, right?" She smiles at her cheerfully and then resumes paying attention to Oinari.     Her head inclines to the side gently. "Hmm... I don't suppose said countermeasures could still be placed on the sword, could it?" Ayako then shakes her head quickly. "No no... that's more of a question we would have to ask Aoihana... huh..." And then is served some tea. She gracefully accepts the tea with a happy smile given to the tenin, and then takes a long sip from it. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika accepts the offer of tea graciously, taking a cup and sipping gently as she eyes DOminic complementing Oinari's blade. Her gaze shifts to inspect the sword itself with fascination, and she nods in approval after a moment before she sips tea again. "It is a truly immaculate blade indeed." Her tail swishes side to side, before the half-kitsune glances to Kinugiri.     "These creatures Kagenashi seeks to release, what do you know about them, and might there be others she seeks to free and command?" She ventures a question of her own for a moment, before nodding to Oinari's own assertions. "Aye, my mother played a part in the forging of my own sword as well, as did her vassals, an oni smith and his mate, a swordsman who served as my protector, and later teacher." 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki sees D and Zero hanging out in the BROOD ZONE, where PRETTY BISHOUNEN WITH PERFECT HAIR go to be DARK and MISUNDERSTOOD and GRUMPY together. In Yuuki's estimation, this means that they're bonding and making up for lost time and being friends. She truly doesn't understand that they gravitate together like planetary bodies, congealing their Grumpavity (That's Grump Gravity) Field to make sure that normal people annot enter their orbit. Only a truly strong - or truly foolish - person could pierce that veil!!!     Oh, hey, look, Zero saved a spot for her! And there's tea! Awesome.     Before joining her bodyguard (And that guy who one tried to eat her), Yuuki grins at Dominic as he explains his app. Though, her big, soulful animu eyes start to glaze over as he gets into the mechanics. Blah blah blah pets blah blah blah moogle blah blah blah - Ooh!     "A top hat! How adorable!" She beams up at Dominic, before heading into the GRUMP ZONE. "Thanks for saving me a seat, Zero." She offers, sitting down, accepting tea.     "Ah, I'm Kuran Yuuki. But you can just call me Yuuki. Ah... Sorry, I've only been here once before, but I'm eager to help! I'm just... Well, I don't know how I can." She admits. 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' 'Hey, we took this incredible power, condensed it into a sphere, and forged a sword around it in order to contain its power.' Dominic's eyes light up even more, "Woooow, that is so fraying cool." Unlike Landon, the more composed of the two nobles, it's not hard to tell why Dominic is the less successful in negotiations and meetings. His formality slips easily and he's not a leader at heart. He looks towards her and says, "Oh! Dominic Masoch of Ramuha. I'm something of a swordsman. Sorry for not introducing myself sooner." Dominic then asks the logical escalation of his prior questions about her sword: "Can I hold it?" Yuuki is spared any further explanation or sales pitch about My Pal the Moogle by the fact that he's more enraptured by the sword. He does give her a small wave as she goes to join her friend. Her friend (Zero) also gets a nod, but that guy looks like he doesn't wanna be bothered, so he leaves it at that nod. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     Tea offers no sustenance to any dhampir; to drink it would serve no purpose for any of D's kind except to create the illusion of humanity. D takes the offered cup, anyway, and keeps it held in his hand as if he means to drink, but anyone watching him will never see him actually commit to the ruse. He's here to look polite, and to ask questions, not to pretend he's something he isn't.     The steam wafting up from his tea cup is disturbed by the thoughtful sigh he lets out before he answers Zero. "I'm here to learn something more about Kagenashi. I believe I owe her my life twice over." He looks to Zero, and shakes his head in the slight way one does when unable to understand even the most basic aspects of a strange concept. "It's difficult to explain, and I care not to detail the matter here, given our company."     Some of whom might be quite foolish; D at least does not well recognize everyone who is present.     "...Oinari." D's voice doesn't lift above a cool, quiet timbre, yet it cuts through the gathering anyway, reaching the kitsune goddess's ears without trouble. "I would like to know how you perceive Kagenashi's motivations. Do you know anything of her reasoning, and why she seeks to threaten Azuma?" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Mizuki is given a smile and a nod of greeting at her own effusive compliments. "You are correct. You have quite a way with words, Mizuki. Fitting, I suppose, for one with a beautiful name to match. You may listen or speak as you please, for I am sure you will learn plenty tonight that will help you."     Oinari's attention shifts back to Shizune again as the girl answers her own concerns and speaks again. "Hm," the kitsune murmurs, her expression narrowing into a hint of a frown. "I feared as much, but I also expected that. As for her last attempt...to be honest, neither I nor my mother even knew of her existence before she went into action. She managed to move among the shadows and inform various other youkai of her plans, seemingly focusing on those who were particularly powerful and in opposition of other kitsune. The spirits of Fukuro Shrine, the centipede Omukade, the black oni Kurokabe, just as a few. It seems she had arranged for a particular moment to strike, for when the illusion hiding her palace in Byakko faded, all her forces spread out at once. The kitsune were stretched to their limits, at the time."     She considers for another moment more, slender fingers lightly drumming against her thigh. "They went far and wide. The walls of towns and villages were assaulted, but never completely breached. Those humans who stayed within their homes were safe, as it only took the course of slightly over a day for the event to start and finish. I imagine it was only the vigilance and determination of the kitsune that spared the humans from death. Kagenashi herself remained in her palace, and my mother, after realizing where the command of the events was coming from, immediately made her preparations. I cannot say it was very directed, however; more like she simply loosed the youkai from their cages and spurred them into action. I myself was placed in Koryu with the daitengu and the kotengu to ensure none of the youkai entered Takamagahara, though none of them approached the mountain, and I went to my mother's aid the moment I heard she was in combat with Kagenashi. It was just in time to see Kagenashi's fall and my mother's final faltering."     Oinari's brow furrows, but only for a brief moment. It's enough of a moment to show, however, that a hundred years haven't quite allowed those events to pass from her mind. She shakes her head, then looks back to Shizune with a soft, even gaze. "It was chaos for the hours that it happened, but once their leader was removed, the youkai's strength faltered, and they were herded back into their territories easily enough." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Ayako's question comes next, and Oinari answers after only a second's consideration. "I do not really know, to be honest. Such arts are not something I have studied. Perhaps it is worth trying, but I imagine that a hundred years of starvation in Jigoku have left Nageki ravenous enough to resist even that. Aoihana may be able to give you a more certain answer, if she can be rooted out again." 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko has somewhat more interest in the sword after it's explained, but that's precisely nothing in comparison to D's recent admission. It's enough to get an actually clear and visible reaction out of her, as she looks over toward him. Only for a moment. Then her attention returns to Oinari.     There is a point on which she sees some possible, unexplained meaning. Perhaps it is nothing. Perhaps not. Thus, she speaks.     "Attacks, everywhere, without concentration, yet nothing takes advantage of the distraction. Curious." 

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''     Dominic gets quite the stare from Audrey. Forget the signal boosters for now. "That's an uncanny eye for swords you have. Does your fencing really require such studious work?" She likes weapons, herself; but evidently, not as much as Dominic.     Speaking of weapons, Audrey will politely hand over her sheathed gunblade, although she makes no mentions of the inventory space within her pockets. If she had to empty that, we'd be here all night counting knives, swords, spears and axes, and then another night for her to repack them.     She actually addresses Oinari now, resisting the urge to also ask to hold that sword. Her question is more practical. "That blade contains the power of a nine-tailed kitsune; is that not what Kagenashi is attempting to become? I have only heard about this once or twice, but there was something about her stealing and acquiring power. Aren't you concerned fielding that sword of weapon against her might precipitate her ascent? A sword is easier to steal than several legendary beasts' powers." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kirika asks next about the youkai, drawing Oinari's focus. "She appears to be aiming for those that are particularly unique and powerful. Those she can command, perhaps with grudges that can be bent to her benefit. Omukade is a creature of pure spite and venom, but he loathed his defeat by Tawara a hundred years ago in Kagenashi's first assault, and before that he was the hated enemy of the dragons. The Fukuro spirits are driven in their mad inspiration and wisdom to create, and their usage of humans as objects in their inventions caused them to be rendered inactive. The last remaining Yatagarasu is necessary in the he is the source of our sun, but we cannot allow him to fly as freely as he wished, for his kind nearly burned Azuma into the ocean when there were more of them."     "There are others across Azuma, still. Shinju, a sazae-oni whose wrath was tempered when a song lulled her into slumber in the oceans of Genbu. Nami, a spirit of mindless vengeance and hatred who resides in Yomi, the land of those who were unable to continue in the cycle of life after their death. I have begun to question Kurokabe's malleability after his and the oni's participation in that assault, as well. There are others, but not quite as strong; those are who I can think of right now that could be the greatest threats." 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''     Mizuki does not have any weapons on her person this evening, and though that does not mean she does not possess any weapons at all, they unfortunately aren't the sort that one can relinquish, temporarily or otherwise. So she instead vows to remain on her best behavior, though this vow is, of course, made to no one but herself. Every other external feature of the world must just take her on her seemingly harmless attitude and appearance.     Her gaze, for the most part, would follow the conversation. To the sword with the storied past, then to Oinari when it comes time for more words that concern Kagenashi. Really, there are so many questions she has that she doesn't have the foggiest idea of where to establish her baseline. But as she's considering that very thing, Oinari conjures her own response, this time catching her too off-guard for her to manage a swift withdrawal of the rosiness that spreads over her countenance. Of -course- the people of this world would know precisely what her name meant, wouldn't they? Seeing as she chose her name for herself rather than having it given to her, it carries quite a lot of meaning, though -- and an even more pronounced reaction, clearly, whenever that meaning is brought up.     "Ahahaha... ha. Well." She would clear her throat. "Words are... my niche, really. I've not the dexterity of a painter nor the tender ear of a musician, so they are often my only method of conveying what I'd like to." She would fall silent afterward to yield the conversation to Shizune whilst continuing to allow a question to fester in her mind.     And finally, after some moments, a line of inquiry resolves. Something fittingly basic, since she's uninitiated. "What exactly are Miss Kagenashi's goals? Rudiments are fine, if you are not fully aware of them. She did not seem inclined toward violence when I met her, and though that meeting was an ephemeral thing and likely holds no bearing on reality whatever her disposition, it seems terribly odd that she would wish to shake the foundations of such a hard won peace for no particular end." Her cheek would fall to rest in her palm. "And if I may extrapolate this further -- what would occur were this period of latency to be moved? Any insight you have into that might be important to note, for in the event that we fail to stop her, we'd best be ready to lessen the ensuing consequences and their impacts on those who lacks the means to defend themselves." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika nods, mulling this information slightly as she frowns with thin lips. She rubs her chin softly, before she asks again, "Where might they be found, this Shinju and Nami?" She asks, before her tone softens. "Any information you can present us with before Kagenashi can find them herself will be of great use to us, my lady." Kirika adds. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki is given a warm smile at her admission. "There are many ways one can be of help in times like this. If the fields of battle are not suited to you, that is fine; the humans could use aid in recovery and lifting their spirits, certainly, in the face of the removal of many of their guardians. The youkai have begun to grow more bold, as well, and I have heard reports of many issues sprouting up around Azuma. Statues of the dead built in respect coming to life, patches of Seiryu's lush forests withering, people vanishing from villages in Byakko. I have been trying to send the kitsune to these matters, but...our numbers are stretched, certainly." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari, despite her surprise at his effusive personality, still seems more amused than offended by Dominic's excitement and questions. She smiles as his request, but shakes her head. "You will forgive me, but I would rather not simply hand over something of such power and sentiment, even for a moment. Perhaps, however, if you continue to prove your benevolence to our aid, I would be willing to allow it." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     "I'm skilled both on and off the battlefield, personally," Shizune replies to Oinari. "I'd be just as glad to help with negotiations or with securing areas, if I can find the time in my investigations. I'm trying to learn all about Kagenashi I can, after all." She reaches up and adjusts her glasses. "Which brings me to my next question. I wonder if you might give me a letter of introduction to Aoihana, and directions on how to find her. She would have the most perfect understanding of Nageki out of anyone in Azuma, I believe. And at this point, Nageki is the key to Kagenashi's strength, and possibly her bloodthirst as well." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     D's question is one that draws out the longest silence Oinari has shown so far tonight. She considers the question carefully for several moments, and when she does respond, her tone is lower than usual. Just like Kagenashi, she doesn't seem keen on displaying her emotions very clearly, but the thought of Kagenashi and her motivations doesn't seem to be one she holds any pleasure in considering.     "Selfishness," she finally summarizes. "Or a lack of compassion, more accurately. Outside of any contact with the kitsune, something unheard of for such a long period, she lasted for nine hundred years and directed her efforts solely on assaulting our peace the moment we knew of her existence. She never stated her wishes, and vanished the moment she was defeated, and all I can assume from what I know of her is that she is a force of complete chaos. As soon as she had power, it was used to break the chains we had carefully established, with no clear benefit to herself."     She sighs quietly, shaking her head. "Perhaps, if I were to be /gentler/ with my opinion, I would guess that she sympathizes with the youkai whose actions we have limited to ensure the humans' safety. But if the youkai roam free and unhindered, the humans will be helpless, as they were ages before even my own birth. That is why the kitsune have acted as they have for so long. I believe that nothing good can come from her." 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "Sure, I understand. I apologize for my overzealousness, maam," He starts to slip back towards his normal demeanor, "I am something of scholar of swordplay, myself. Being a Fencer and all." He actually forfeited a rapier to the two attendants who took the weapons over to the other side of the room, "If I can help in any way, feel free to call upon me." He slowly moves into a seated position on the floor. Much of what is being talked about is over his head and beyond him. So he doesn't say much. This world's political positions and the nuances that Shizune and D are talking about are beyond his current grasp. So he kind of sits next to Landon and listens. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     D bows his head in solemn thanks. "You have said enough to indulge my curiosity, Oinari. You have my gratitude."     He considers the tea in his cup, and other things far away. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari's expression doesn't shift from its pensive severity when Audrey asks her own question. "Yes, that is exactly why it has not been brought to bear yet. Were she to take this sword, it would be all too easy for her to rush to her goal. Fielding the weapon is then a question of risk over reward: if I, a nine-tailed kitsune, hold in my hands the additional power of another nine-tailed kitsune, its strength should be enough to completely overpower her. But so too would it be at risk of her thievery, were it to be brought out into the open. I hope that the time does not come when I will be forced to use it, for that reason." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Mizuki's initial question is answered with an unfortunate lack of information, but Oinari still has a response for her second inquiry. "I assume you should be aware of the dangers of a normal human wandering into a wilderness of wolves and beasts. Should the kitsune be removed from their position, those dangers would be tenfold, and the wilderness would be all of Azuma. The youkai are capricious and selfish, and even the weakest may be capable of overpowering a human. They would wander free and unrestrained, open to assault any human they come across and do whatever they wished with them. Walls could easily be shattered, villages raided and trampled, homes turned into places of violence. It would not be genocide, exactly, but the human population and their freedom would suffer greatly in the result, and Azuma would be a place of chaos." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     "Shinju is located in the oceans off the northern coast of Genbu," Oinari replies to Kirika. "She rests deep under the waves, at the darkest point of the ocean. I doubt any who are not capable of swimming in such cold depths would be able to reach her easily, unless a second song were played to awaken her again. Yomi, meanwhile, is located below Genbu's mountain, its entrance sealed off by an enchanted boulder. Nagi, a seven-tailed kitsune who resides with the monks at the mountain's peak, ensures the stability of the seal. Yomi itself is a dangerous land; the grudges of the dead have made the very air like a poison." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Oinari nods to Shizune next, a light smile of gratitude curving her lips at the sound of better news. "Thank you. Both will be required, I believe, to prepare for the future. And yes, I will certainly give you the information you would need to meet with Aoihana. She lives in Genbu now, too, I believe, though I will have to ask a scout to confirm the exact location of her home. I would warn you, however, that she is still a youkai, and related to the oni, as well. As much as she may be wise and willing to aid now and then, her kind's urges are still violent and untamable. Be cautious if you speak with her, and make sure you do not accept any offers that do not have clear conditions." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika nods, already well accustomed to yokai-human politics. The situation here sounds no different than in Kasun, really. If anything, Kirika feels she's perfect to do so, as she says, "I believe that given your numbers, some assistance might be merited, if I may say so. If you would permit me and others to do so, my lady, I would be interested to look into these occurances and mayhap assist the defenders there in solving this land's troubles."     The prisons these three beings are posted, might be a bit difficult to see to immediately, but Kirika could possibly render aid in other ways herself. "I am willing to assist with blade and words as well, if SHizune does not mind another to look into these affairs as well." She offers, nodding to the student graciously. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:'''     Mizuki would nod along with Oinari's reply. It's what she had begun to infer as she had learned more about the groups involved in this whole affair, but nevertheless, it helps to be sure. Still, it would be a disturbingly... traditional bout of villainy to unleash such a horrible situation upon a world that had finally managed to find some 'happy medium'. So all she can wonder now is, what piece of this is she missing? Do the Youkai have any sort of a cohesive opinion on the matter, or are those opinions polarized? She feels compelled for the moment to try to fathom some situation in which Kagenashi's actions might be oriented toward a mutually desirable 'end', even if it was one where the means were difficult to justify. If there's one thing that the Multiverse and genre savvy has taught her, it's that things are always - always - more convoluted than they appear at first glance with this like this.     And for once, she kinda hopes that gut feeling is right. She really doesn't want to believe Kagenashi (or anyone, really) is that callous.     Though all these errant thoughts would be belied by a rather dry 'I see' in reply. "Regardless of her rationale, that is, clearly, a thing none of us can allow to occur." She might smile, faintly. "... I apologize for the bland reply, but alas, I can fathom no other way to do so until I have more information. It is my hope that I will be able to find some, now that I at least have a basic idea of the checks, balances, figures, and concerns of this world." She would bow her head, faintly. "Thank you for elucidating."     Though, to be honest, she doesn't know how much more she might be able to learn from Oinari at the moment. So she'll just slide into the background and catch what hints of revelation that she can. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Dominic is granted another light smile. She seems to be taking a liking to him. "No apology is needed. Such zeal is admirable in these times, and it shows no small amount of knowledge and skill. I might like to see your ability with a sword first hand in the future, if you would be willing. As far as how you can help...yes, I will certainly be willing to call on you. I might suggest looking into information on the various youkai of Azuma, if you are not already familiar with them. I would not expect you to know everything about them immediately, but even some knowledge will help in the future."     Kirika gets a nod of understanding, though her expression settles somewhat. "You are correct. That is why I have reached out beyond Azuma's borders for assistance. We are dwindling, as much as I would not wish to admit it, and any aid we can have is aid to be welcomed. I will offer what information I can about these situations, and perhaps something will appear that falls under your skills."     Mizuki draws Oinari's attention next. The kitsune shakes her head, offering another smile of reassurance. "Emotion is not always required for such things. You understand; that is all that really matters now. I am only pleased you have all come to show such interest in lending your aid." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     Shizune inclines her head again, this time grateful. "I appreciate your help deeply. And don't worry about me, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, if it comes to it." If the kijo offers her a drink, there might be some trouble, but she can defend herself just fine, and she's more than capable at handling negotiations and pacts. "Ah, there is one other thing, although it's not so much a request as... an offer, I suppose? I wonder if you could prepare us a list, of the areas of Azuma in most need of help. I can pass it along to my allies and see who we can bring on to provide assistance." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "You may count on my assistance as well, Oinari." D sets aside his tea cup, perhaps sensing the meeting will soon draw to a close. "Thank you for your patience in answering our questions." 

:'''{{#var:652|Audrey Stormfist (652)}} has posed:'''     "I see. That makes sense. Does she know this sword exists?" Audrey asks, to close the matter of the blade and using it. There are no ulterior motives to this question, nope. None at all. "For that matter, how much does she know about you and your intentions? You have been allowed to remain passive for the time being, but what prevents her from targetting you directly?" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako might not need to eat or drink, but she still slowly finishes her tea. It is offered hospitality and... of course, said tea was made with water from this place. Which is more than enough for her. She gently places her empty tea cup aside and then nods her head once. "Yes! If I can be of help somehow, please let me know!" Her amber gaze moves off to the side for a moment, "I'm not sure exactly how I can be of assistance, but... I still would like to help." 

:'''{{#var:655|Dominic Masoch (655)}} has posed:''' "I would be happy to demonstrate my skills with a blade if you wish to match me against a champion from your village. Alexander Academy encourages all its students to encounter as wide a variety of situations as possible to foster personal growth," Dominic notes, watching the woman carefully. He tilts his head a bit to the side and adjusts his beret. "But yes, I will get you my contact information at the Academy for whatever you may need me for." 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko places down her tea, and her hands in her lap.     "My name is Shinobu Kimiko. I am of the Puella Magi--those who hunt demons. If I am called on, and I am able, I will assist." That is all she has to say. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     "Of course, I would be very willing to give that information," Oinari replies to Shizune. "It may take some time, but I will ask the kitsune for input and have a list prepared and delivered as soon as I can."     Then Audrey asks another question, one that Oinari only needs a moment to consider. "No, she does not. At least to my knowledge. Neither she nor her allies have entered Takamagahara, and my mother's wishes were spoken only to me. I see no reason why she would know, and if she has, she has not made any attempts toward it. As for me...she will come for me, inevitably. As I am the only remaining nine-tail in Azuma, she will have to come to me to gain the last leg of her power. The only thing preventing her from directly coming to me is the array of defenses that have been established to prevent unwanted entry in Takamagahara, as well as my own power being capable of destroying her. She would need to amass an army to overcome the barriers in front of her, if she does not come close to me in power."     With that, Oinari takes a breath, then releases it in a slow, careful sigh. "I suppose that is all that we have for now, then. I am grateful that you all chose to come here and learn more of our situation. To have such willing assistance is a relief to me, at least somewhat. Be certain that you all will be called on if I find that I need your aid, or wish to speak with you for your counsel. For now...we can only hope that the sun continues to shine, and that Azuma's peace regains its earlier strength."     Once everyone is ready to leave, their weapons are returned to them and they are escorted from the palace. Night has fallen by now; the sun has set in Takamagahara, though light still remains from the lanterns across the land and the stars gleaming in the sky, watching over the affairs of the world from afar. 

}}

1312/Cold Tea

2015-01-21T13:13:29Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/01/11 |Location=Northrend |Synopsis=Ivraala owes Artyom a few answers about herself and the Scourge. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=665, 679 |Ti..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/11
|Location=Northrend
|Synopsis=Ivraala owes Artyom a few answers about herself and the Scourge.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=665, 679
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     Northrend is a frigid place, fitting its name. Tundras and frozen landscapes spread all over the region, sapping it of warmth and comfort. It is not an inhospitable land, though: many call this place home, particularly the less harsh Borean Tundra that sits on the southwestern shore. A small, fortified settlement is the particular spot in this region today where a requested meeting will be assembling.     It's a decently protected place on the shore, with a dock for ships to come and go between other regions of Azeroth and a small fortress for more official planning to go underway. Soldiers and civilians alike, whether human, night elf, draenei, dwarf, or gnome wander the corridors and bustle between buildings and ships, just as many arriving as leaving. It's clearly a hub of sorts, and the large inn just next to the docks is profiting from it.     Ivraala has set herself up on the ground level of the inn, where a bar is set up for anyone interested in stopping by for a chance to relax and refresh. It isn't a quiet place, but she's found a corner to herself, where she sits alone at a table with her greataxe leaning against the wall beside her and her hood lifted over her head. Nobody seems interested in coming near her, so that should provide some space whenever Artyom arrives. She has some explaining that's owed; it could take some time. 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     This place is not so bad. It is far better than Shiva- at least here, there is the occasional volcanic upsurge and sprawling geyser fields. The earth lives in Northrend, and that makes it automatically better than a lot of other places, as far as its latest visitor is concerned. Of course, its natural beauty does little to disguise the forces threatening it.     Artyom makes his way through the Alliance port-town, his heavy blade slung peacefully across his back. The same travelling cloak he wore only a few days ago in Skyrim still billows about his legs as he steps into the tavern. As a matter of courtesy, he pauses at the door to kick some of the ice and snow off the soles of his boots- rudeness is unacceptable no matter where you are, after all. Unless it is specifically called for.     Artyom draws a few looks from the patrons as he enters. That kind of height is usually reserved only for Tauren and particularly tall Draenei- seeing it on someone who looks more or less human is somewhat... odd. His attire seems to soothe most of their concerns. Adventurers are inevitably kind of weird in one way or another, and this guy definitely looks like an adventurer.     His eyes scan the tavern- it doesn't take long for him to find the person he's looking for. It's hard to tell if that's because he recognizes her or her axe, or because she still hurts to look at for too long. In either case, he hesitates for a brief moment, before undoing the clasp of his cloak. Artyom folds it beneath an arm as he approaches, before settling wordlessly into the chair opposite to his host. "So," he says, setting his cloak aside and folding his hands atop the table, "I believe we have much to discuss." 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     As warm as the inn is with the blazing hearth set up to one side and the heat of cooking wafting from the kitchen, Ivraala's corner seems eternally chilled. Simply a natural effect of who she is, it seems; no warmth will settle where she lingers.     She remains nearly unmoving when Artyom approaches. Arms folded, legs stretched and crossed for the comfort of her hooves, the most she does is lift her head to meet his eyes with her own cold, shining gaze. A nod is offered, but it seems he doesn't need any more welcome.     "Indeed we do," she replies in her even, accented tone. Her lips tighten slightly with a lingering sense of tension, but she continues, shifting a little in her seat with a rattling of dark armor. "You have many questions, I imagine. About me, about the Scourge, about why I, a Death Knight, am only formerly of their ranks. You probably wonder why I am what I am, and why I should be trusted. Am I right?"     The draenei gives a slow sigh, fog seeping from between her lips. Her hand lifts in a vague gesture to Artyom, indicating that he should go on before her voice says the same in a tired, practiced tone. "A lot to talk about, but I will let you choose where to start. I will answer your questions truthfully, to the extent of my knowledge. You have my word on that, whatever it's worth." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     Fortunately, a chill that is only (relatively) mild is... tolerable. The summit of Titan gets about as cold as any mountain does once you go that high up. The cities and caverns keep the people warm, but otherwise, you need to be of hardy stock to find that sort of weather comfortable. Titans were born of their land, and they are exactly as hardy as they need to be to survive upon it.     "Indeed," Artyom rumbles once Ivraala finishes. Wariness and suspicion manifest as a slight edge in his words and sharpness in his eyes. His lips form a thin line on his face as he goes on. "Moreover, the fundamentals of your magic, why it even exists, and more pressingly, what you and your fellows intend with it." There's a hardness to his expression that makes it pretty clear his guard is still very much up. Though perhaps it's understandable why that might be.     "But I am not the kind of man to ask deeply personal questions straight-away," he says, leaning back. He laces his fingers together under his nose, resting his elbows atop the table, "So let's start with... How this all came to be. What force is behind the wrongness I feel in this place?" 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     Ivraala has come to expect wariness of all kinds in her days now. She certainly doesn't seem to begrudge Artyom for his, but there is a clear tiredness to her tone, as if she dislikes this situation just as much as he does.     A nod is given once he begins, and the Death Knight takes a moment to pull her hood back before she speaks, letting it drape behind her and expose bright hair and the shining crystals dangling from her ear. "Very well, then. You already met the general forces of that issue: the Scourge. They are an army led by one known as the Lich King, though I could not tell you his origin. What I /can/ inform you of is his nature, for he is a being of incredible power and influence. He has raised armies of the dead and the twisted with the sole purpose of ending life and spreading suffering across the world. Ghouls and skeletons are the least of his followers, for he has under his complete control even more horrifying and powerful abominations. Liches, like the one you saw; frostwyrms, like what he intended to turn that dragon into; and Death Knights, like myself. I have even heard the vrykul have allied with him. Giants of the north, the original practitioners of the rune magic Death Knights use, once thought to be gone from the world. They speak of an undying devotion to the God of Death...but if that is the Lich King or someone else, I am uncertain. I do know that there is something...different about Northrend. The armor I and all Death Knights wear is forged from saronite, an ore unique to this land. Any mortals who are exposed to it for a prolonged period of time are driven to insanity and obsession, but the Death Knights are given an immunity to its effects. Whatever it is, there is /something/ in this land that no doubt spawned the Lich King."     A frown settles over her features, then. Not one of weariness, but something closer to a deep-seated resentment that sends a sharp chill through her words. "Everything that does not willingly join the Scourge is killed and forced to in death. The Lich King particularly delights in corrupting those who are holy and good. My race, the draenei, with our connection to the Light the naaru granted us, are choice subjects for that reason, though it is rare that any endure their transformation. Whoever becomes part of the Scourge is forced into the total control of the Lich King, subject to his goading and whispers and the conditioning his followers instill. It is not a fate one escapes from easily, if at all." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     Artyom sits silently as he listens. There's quite a bit to take in, it seems! Fortunately, the depth of his patience is somewhat famous in Alexander. He waits and waits and listens and listens, all the while barely moving save for the slow rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes. Finally, Ivraala finishes, and Artyom nods.     "I see. So there may be something else at fault for all this," his eyes flit to the heavy axe at the Draenei's side, then back towards her. If she is insulated from that metal's effects, then does it only harm the living? And if so, why? "I suppose it is fortunate that we managed to protect that dragon, then. I dread considering what doing battle with one of these Frostwyrms would be like." Probably something involving a lot of flying. Ugh.     "Perhaps these Vrykul have some inkling as to what the root cause of all this is. It may be worthwhile to... Interrogate some of them," he murmurs, rubbing at his chin. A giant fighting giants would be an interesting show, certainly, but he should probably gather a party before venturing forth. It'd at least be worth acquiring what they know of Rune Magic- could potentially be useful.     He shakes his head, then, banishing the thought from his mind for the moment. One thing at a time. "So you say that the Scourge is completely and totally under the dominion of this Lich King. And that it is difficult to escape from this control, but then..." Then Artyom decides to ask the question that's been looming over this conversation like some kind of interrogatory Sword of Damocles, "How did /you/ escape?" 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     The suggestion of interrogation draws a brief, mirthless smirk to Ivraala's lips. "A bold idea, but consider that one is not very different from you, and there is a whole race of them. They are spiteful creatures, too. I have never met one who did not think I was wasting its time with my mere presence, and it might take some convincing to get anything from one of them. But...perhaps it is something to consider for the future."     Her expression settles again when the discussion moves on. The resentment has faded, but something different seeps into her visage at his next question. The air she holds is one closer to melancholy; one that is as firm and unrelenting as the cold mountain winds. "...I was purged of the Lich King's control," she replies quietly, "by an exceedingly powerful force of Light. It is difficult to explain, but the Lich King intended to send a large detachment of Death Knights, myself included, into a suicide mission to draw out one of his greater enemies, a paladin by the name of Tirion Fordring. Our commander, Highlord Mograine, was...inspired to return an object of great holy power to Tirion. In that effort, he and the Death Knights following him were severed from the Lich King's influence, for good or ill, and the Highlord formed the Knights of the Ebon Blade from their ranks."     Her tail sways behind her, flicking around before draping over her lap. The draenei falls silent for a few moments of thought, then finally shrugs her shoulders and looks back up to meet Artyom's gaze. "I have never heard of any being freed before or after that. Any Death Knights that showed resistance or tried to escape were slaughtered. I'm still not sure how easy it would be to replicate such fortune." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     "Perhaps, but perhaps that is a bridge for negotiation," Artyom suggests, leaning forward onto his elbows ever so slightly. "They are spiteful, they are arrogant, but I know these kinds. They sound... Shivan. Prove one's strength, and perhaps they will be... willing to listen." Besides, if they're the kind who think all non-giants are lame, then what happens when one shows up on their doorstep? It could be interesting, at least.     Ivraala has more to say, though, and so Artyom goes quiet once again. He listens, still and silent as a stone in a field. There's a sense that he's either very used to being utterly motionless for long periods, or it's something that comes naturally. It's almost unnerving, in any case. "I see," he rumbles, nodding. "So his mental control was purged by the employment of high-level White Magic. I suppose that is roughly analogous to using an Esuna spell to clear similar mind-affecting enchantments." He frowns, brow furrowing curiously, "But how did this Highlord of yours manage to resist to begin with? Surely he must have, if he handed the artifact over." More importantly, how did that much white magic /not/ eradicate all the ostensibly undead knights where they stood?     He moves on. It would be rude to ask 'why didn't you die when it happened' after all. Artyom's stare remains fixed in spite of the wrongness assaulting his senses. "Perhaps. Do you have any reckoning as to what this Lich King is using to control his subjects? Moreover, what /is/ the means he uses to... Defile the dead? I doubt it is simply necromancy." 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     "The artifact was...corrupted," Ivraala replies, her tone uncertain and the furrow of her brow echoing as much. "It was a sword in his possession, and Tirion was simultaneously able to restore it and use its power to enhance his own. Again, I am unfortunately lacking the knowledge of /why/ it was in that state to begin with. Such would probably be a matter for the Highlord to answer. But...I assume it had something to do with his transformation into a Death Knight." Another idle shrug, another sigh of resignation. "It would fit the Lich King's preferences, at least."     "As far as why the Highlord managed to resist...it was Tirion's influence again, I think. He was shown an image that reminded him of who he once was, what his purpose once was. It inspired an already powerful soul, and he was able to resist long enough to give Tirion the weapon." She huffs sightly, shifting her crossed legs beneath the table and glancing down to her lap. "If Mograine had any signs of weakness in the Scourge's cause, enough so that Tirion's methods inspired him, then he must have held them off very well. But that is in the past; I didn't concern myself much with it all, under the circumstances. I apologize."     With that, the draenei sits up a little straighter, folding her arms on the table instead as she looks back to Artyom. More questions are posed, and more answers are ready to be given. "Yes, actually. There are several tactics that are used, each of which is intended to make use of the weakness of the target. The Lich King's whispers are in the minds of every Scourge, for one thing. He is always present, goading them into their acts of cruelty and malice against the innocent. Emotions such as compassion, mercy, and happiness were beaten out of us, and hatred, bloodlust, and a joy in the suffering of others were encouraged and rewarded. The Scourge are like hounds, and the Lich King is their master, training them to act just how he wishes."     Again, that icy frown returns. The table around Ivraala's arms starts to gain a light coating of frost where she touches it, but she manages to keep her voice level after a moment's pause. "...he uses other tactics, but they are difficult to remove. Those, at least, are lessened when his influence is severed. As far as animating his followers, it is just necromancy; an extremely powerful version of it, but necromancy in essence." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     "That... Miasma from the other night was the same sort of necromancy, then?" Artyom asks, frowning rather severely, though it's difficult to tell beneath his steepled fingers. The memory of that spell is... rather strong in his mind. Next time, he must remember not to overextend himself against these creatures so quickly. Perhaps save the Limit Break for when he actually needs to kill a lich or something? Probably wise.     "From what you're telling me," he goes on, unfolding his hands and allowing them to rest back on the tabletop, "If a strong spirit can be made to recall its own identity, then it will be able to resist this King. The question then becomes why he chooses those with powerful souls to corrupt to begin with. It seems... Counter-intuitive. Why attempt to control those who would be most difficult to manage? Better to create agents that are strong enough to accomplish desired goals, but not strong enough to rebel." It seems rather strange in his head, or at least tremendously hubristic. Though that wouldn't be entirely unexpected in situations such as these.     "Furthermore, if he truly does go beyond merely controlling his subject's minds," Artyom continues, glancing briefly at the creeping layer of frost across the table's surface. Fortunately it doesn't creep too far. "Then it is my understanding that such... Manipulations are often difficult to dislodge. Which brings us to my other concern," he rumbles, leaning back again into his seat as his eyes narrow somewhat, "How... ingrained are these things in the psyche of a Death Knight?" And, by extension, in herself as well. 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     "In a way," Ivraala replies, in regards to the miasma. "Disease is a choice method of the Scourge's, for their goal is not only to kill, but to corrupt and taint. Part of the dark magic some of their practitioners hold, Death Knights included, revolves around the creation of magical diseases. Far more potent than anything natural, and that kind was specially crafted to act as an automatic revival of the dead into malleable followers."     The next answer comes readily; Ivraala is very experienced with the reasoning for the Lich King's particular choices. "Pride. Or resentment, perhaps. It brings him great satisfaction to bend the true and just under his will and make them complete servants of his efforts, and with the numbers he has behind him, the few that resist should be of little concern overall. The events that freed me and Mograine were remarkable; there was something else there, I believe, than what was immediately apparent." Her hand lifts, balling into a fist that serves as a perch for her cheek. The frost on the table seems to be thawing already, at least. "And besides, most who are connected to the Light and given their own freedom after the Lich King's manipulation would rather kill themselves again than live as a Death Knight, knowing the atrocities they committed. Many did, in fact. It's a problem that takes care of itself."     There's a certain frankness and apathy to her words, with how easily she can talk about people killing themselves in horror and grief. That could be enough of an answer to his next question, though she falls silent for another moment more before she continues. "...they are very strong. A memory of the life one once lived returns when the Lich King's influence is freed, but the conditioning ingrained in a trained Death Knight is powerful. There is...a last resort, as well, in case they attempt to revolt. The Endless Hunger; something that causes not only a desire to cause harm, but a need for it. If we do not hurt anything for too long, we are striken with agony until our minds are lost to violence. And as for emotions, I..."     Something seems to hit her, suddenly. That melancholy air settles over her again, but even stronger than before. Shoulders sink, her hand lowers to the table again. The air is quiet for another lingering, frigid pause until she speaks again, this time more softly. "...I can't remember the last time I felt those things. Happiness, compassion...I barely remember what they were like. Even fear is gone." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     A flicker of... Something passes through Artyom's eyes. Like a wicking flame-tongue surging out of the pits of his pupils. It may take Ivraala a moment to recognize it as wrath, terrible and contained only by virtue of Artyom's typically calm nature. "I see," he says. There is a low undercurrent to his voice, "That would explain my... reaction to the spell. Fortunately others were capable of dispelling it. I will need to be more careful in the future." Or just, y'know, obliterate liches and the like with incredible prejudice whenever he seems them. Scourge Casters of all stripes, really. Probably most Death Knights too? Speaking of which. "Pride is a common failing of most tyrants," Artyom agrees. "As is sadism. It will almost certainly be his downfall, one of these days. The higher one builds one's tower, the less he sees of its foundation- and the more tenuously it rests upon that foundation." Perhaps it's wishful thinking? Perhaps it's confidence.     He goes silent again when Ivraala goes on to explain the more subtle aspects of Scourge indoctrination. His lips curve downward at that- but this is not a stern, furious kind of frown, but one of genuine sincerity. He sighs, "I see. My condolences. I suppose it is only logical that death will take something from the dying. Unfortunate then that what is taken was any chance of truly appreciating the world. This Lich King is cruel indeed." But then...     "Fear is gone," he echoes, "As are happiness and compassion. Other things too, I imagine." Artyom inclines his head forward, his hands folding back atop the table. And then he decides to, maybe, ask something that is... A bit too close to the heart. "What remains, then? Anger? Regret? How deep does this wound bite? Do you fight the Lich King for the sake of vengeance alone? When he is dead and gone, what will remain of you- and of the other Death Knights?" 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     "Perhaps," is all Ivraala murmurs in response to Artyom's confidence. As determined as she may be, that sort of optimism still seems to be lacking. How, then, does she manage to endure?     Chilling silence falls over her again as she leans back in her seat. More a slump than anything relaxed, but she tries to maintain some semblance of fortitude. Her gaze isn't focused on him, or really anything, distantly aimed at the floor. Finally, she responds again.     "Hatred, for both myself as I am now, and the Scourge for making me into this. Anger that my life was wasted to defile everything my people stand for, after everything they've been through. Regret that I wasn't strong enough to resist the Lich King, or determined enough to die instead of being conditioned like I was. I was..." Her eyes shut, finally cutting off their icy glow. For a moment, her gritted teeth are bared, elongaded canines glinting briefly in the dim light before her hand comes to rest on her face.     "...I was not just made to slaughter fleeing civilians and eradicate whole armies. I was made to /enjoy/ it, to /revel/ in it," she hisses. "And it disgusts me. My people believe that death would be a mercy for something like me, and maybe they're right. But before then, I will see the Lich King destroyed and ensure that he will never, /ever/ do something like this to anyone again. And after that, I-"     The draenei stops abruptly, silenced by her own uncertainty. Her cold, hissing wrath, a stark contrast to the flaring volcano that started in Artyom, soon begins to fade. Her hand falls to her lap; her eyes are still closed, but those sharp fangs are no longer bared. When her voice comes again, it's back to that frigid, even tone of before, though somehow even more tired. "...I don't know. Forgive me. Wrath is not the way of the draenei, and there are some things I need to learn again." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     Artyom is quiet for a long moment. As terrible as it might be, he finds himself... Judging. Silently, stoically judging. Behind his calm visage, the cogs of his mind churn, digesting information as it continues to emerge by trickle or by flood. One way or another, it would come to this. This was the reason he came to speak with the knight, after all.     Not only to determine the severity of the threat that that Scourge posed, but also to discern the nature of these Death Knights. Artyom is a thoughtful creature, in the end. His emotions affect him like they would any other, but he is slow to make up his mind. Sometimes this is to his advantage. Other times it is to his detriment.     A few more moments tick by. His eyes are set studiously in his skull, lips stoic and still, forming a line between his chin and nose. Distant firelight casts shadows over his face as it plays across his cheek and the bridge of his nose, giving his stationary visage the illusion of motion and gesture. Whatever Ivraala might see in his expression is only hers to decide. After a moment, he speaks again. This time, he has very little to ask. "This Lich King," he begins, "You said he is something of... a God of Death, yes? Or something close to this?" 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     Silence lingers over the pair, and Ivraala doesn't seem eager to break it. Her head lifts, and her eyes slide open, but her gaze is cast to the side instead. What else is there for her to say after all that? It's already enough of an embarrassment to her kind that such a deep-seated loathing crackled up to the surface; is there much more to say on the matter?     She sits in the darkened corner until Artyom speaks for himself, arms crossed, tattoos and gems and eyes creating a glow in the dim light that is more cold than comforting. What a contrast, befitting their natures: one figure sturdy and unmoving like a carved stone, the other lithe but lacking in any warmth or light like ice in the depth of winter.     When he speaks again, her head lifts, casting her gaze back at the titan. "The Vrykul call him that, I believe," she replies, her tone even and subdued. "It isn't a title I've heard elsewhere, but it may very well be. Why do you ask?" 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     To say that Artyom's nature is that of Earth and Stone is rather hitting the nail on the head. While Titans can have dispositions as widely ranging as that of any subspecies of humanity, Artyom's seems to have been anchored particularly deeply to elemental roots of his homeland. He is very much like a mountain when he is feeling particularly contemplative.     For a moment, he withdraws into that place of internal awareness and contemplation, assembling the words in his mind before he gives voice to them. Timing, in such situations, is everything.     Then, he finally speaks, leaning back slightly to recline in his seat. "You feel regret for... Not dying. Why? All things that live do so in defiance of death. Eating. Breathing. Even the things we do without thinking- they are done because the alternative is unacceptable." "You are undead, I suppose that is the difference. Dead, but not." Artyom shrugs, then, folding his arms over one another upon the tabletop. "Still, only the living dare to seek out what lies beyond the horizon. After the long night comes dawn. So long as one continues move forward, they will certainly walk once more in the light of day."     "If you died then," he rumbles on, the words pouring out like an avalanche, "You would have stopped. If you stop, you will have truly died, and Death would claim another. Destroy him, claim your revenge, but if that is all and there is nothing left, then so too do you destroy yourself." "So then," he finishes, asking the final question that rests at the end of all his philosophizing. "When all is done and vengeance is spent, who is it that will stand triumphant?" 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     It's Ivraala's turn to be silent as Artyom speaks, in his steady, thoughtful way. She doesn't seem to mind; maybe silence comes naturally to her, or maybe she's simply gotten used to it after a while. Whatever is the case, she allows Artyom his time to speak, listening to his every word and considering it all in turn.     When he's done, she doesn't exactly rush to answer, but she doesn't wait, either. With a slow sigh like a winter's breeze, she lets her last thoughts assemble, then speaks again. "Because I would rather have died than lived a life that went against every tenant my race was built on," she replies simply. "But, it is done. The past cannot be changed. I simply have to accept that it happened and continue to make up for it."     Her brow furrows and her eyes narrow, her expression settling into one that is pensive and uncertain. "...before I end this life as well, I want, more than anything, to make my life one that assists the Light and aids its purposes, even as I am now. And, if I possibly can, I want to regain what I lost. I want my emotions, my desires, my home. I want to live again. But, even if I cannot have that, then I will be content in the knowledge that I did something good in my life. Maybe happiness will come with it."     Her arms fold over her chest again, and a slow breath falls from her once more. "What that assistance is, what /I/ can do, I don't know yet. But I will find something, somewhere. That is what I hope for." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     Artyom listens again, he goes silent again. The odd beat of their dialogue hammers on in its larghetto rhythm. Back and forth it goes, until once more the pendulum swings into his court. "Do not worry so much about that," he gestures... not dismissively, but with a wave of a hand that accentuates his words, "Keep seeking, you will find it, then you will lose it again, then find something more. I do not feel as though life is so simple as to have a single answer. Instead, it has many small ones that come and go with time, separated by periods of confusion and meandering- but all of life is full of uncertainty, yes? Anything can happen."     His eyes remained fixed for a few moments more. It might occur to her that they have /been/ fixed to her own for much of this conversation, save for when his gaze shifted to look at something particularly relevant to his meditations at the time. Now, though, they finally look away to peer intermittently at other things in the way that is only natural for most people in conversation.     "For what it is worth," he says, sighing, "Though your presence is still tremendously unsettling and though I can feel the corruptive magics within you affect the very land you walk on, I believe your intentions are sincere." Whatever that might be worth, anyway. Perhaps a lot. Perhaps nothing at all. "However, from what I know of undeath and white magic, I strongly recommend against attempting to remedy your... condition- until you are certain that it will work."     "The results could be disastrous, otherwise," the man finishes, idly recalling what happened that one time he threw a Phoenix Down at a zombie. It was quite a pretty lightshow, at least. 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     Finally, a light smile is summoned to the corner of Ivraala's lips. It's not exactly mirthful, more a smirk than anything, but it's a different gesture for once. "You have the mindset of a draenei. That is certainly admirable. Ah...yes, I hope that I will find something. I have little reason to believe that except faith, but perhaps that is all I need. It has gotten me here, at least."     Her expression settles again, and she straightens up a little in her seat. "I appreciate, then, that you took the time to be here and speak with me, to try and understand me. That can be said of few people in regards to my kind, but...can you blame them? When the Scourge has taken from them what they love and cherish, these things aren't so easily forgiven. In time, I hope to show them that we are different."     With that, the draenei stands, pushing her seat back to clear space for her great height. Her axe is lifted and hefted onto her back, buckling into place once more. "You are right; that is probably something to wait for until a much later date. But I am not very concerned with that. If it can be managed, I will be pleased; if not, well...I will endure, as I have thus far. That is the way of my people."     She pauses, looking down to Artyom with a thoughtful stare. "...I am indebted to you, you know. Your trust in my sincerity means much to me. If there is something I may do for you in the future, whatever it may be, you need only call on me, and I will do whatever I can. The debt of a draenei is not readily forgotten; I remember that much." 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     Artyom... Actually chuckles a bit. It's probably the first bit of genuine mirth this table has seen all night. "Is that so? Perhaps such things transcend worlds and species. Or perhaps it's simply a bit of common wisdom." He shrugs, then, "Call it faith, call it determination. I have met my maker- our people live upon them. But life will endure for as long as it can, belief or no. If faith is what carries you, then guard it well."     He pauses briefly when Ivraala starts speaking again, remaining silent until she finishes- and gets up to leave. When he resumes, he's on his feet as well, "Nonsense. The reason I met you here was to confirm or refute my own suspicions. There is no need to thank me for indulging my own selfish desires."     Though was it really selfish? Most would have simply stuck to their presumptions and prejudices rather than even taking the time.     "More importantly," he produces a small rectangle of paper from a satchel on his belt and offers it to the Draenei- it's a business card! "If it would not trouble you, please keep me informed whenever you next move against the Scourge and I will endeavor to accompany you. I would rather not see an acquaintance move to engage them alone. Otherwise, if you are ever in need of a geomancer, please keep me in mind." 

:'''{{#var:679|Ivraala (679)}} has posed:'''     An acquaintance? Maybe a somewhat detached term, but it's certainly an unfamiliar one for Ivraala these days. Confusion flits over her expression, but she nonetheless takes the offered card, examining it curiously before nodding her thanks. "You were an excellent ally in Skyrim. I would be a fool to deny your aid again. It won't be much longer; you can be sure I will ask for aid soon."     For a moment more, she pauses, staring at the titan with a lingering thoughtfulness. "Remain as you are, Artyom, no matter what crosses your path. The world could use more like you, and it would be a shame to lose someone so needed."     With a last, practiced motion, she pulls her hood up over her head again, letting her horns pass through its surface. "I should take my leave, I think. This inn has tolerated my presence long enough, and I have some things to investigate. May your days be long, Artyom, and your hardships few. We will meet again soon." She bows her head once more in farewell, then slips past her companion to the door, and beyond that, to the rest of Northrend's cold reaches. 

:'''{{#var:665|Artyom W. Valodjn (665)}} has posed:'''     A detached term, but one gets the sense that Artyom meant it in a somewhat more... friendly sort of way. Or perhaps he finds it unusual to call someone a friend after only two meetings? Perhaps there's something more to it, but it is still a strong step away from 'warily considering the possibility of a threat.'     "Nothing that lives does not change," Artyom says, his lips and eyes both brightening into a smile. "All that we can hope and endeavor for is that whatever does change does so for the better." He lifts his cloak from where he had set it aside and wraps its tremendous volume around his shoulders and neck. It conceals everything below his adam's apple. His blade is next, sliding back into its place over his shoulders.     "Yes," he nods as she bids him farewell, "I feel as though I should have a look around this region before night settles in earnest. It is a rather beautiful land, for all of its flaws." He pauses briefly as she bows, and inclines his head somewhat in reply, "And you. May sure ground be always underfoot, and the Earth generous with its bounty." He watches her go, then, taking his time as he collects the rest of his belongings. Perhaps he will rent a room here for the night? Hmm. 

}}

1380/The Primal Beast of Earth

2015-01-21T13:12:07Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/01/20 |Location=Earth-1111 |Synopsis=With Shanghai liberated from the control of either Paradiso or Inferno, it becomes a choice target for sw..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/01/20
|Location=Earth-1111
|Synopsis=With Shanghai liberated from the control of either Paradiso or Inferno, it becomes a choice target for swift, destructive harvesting.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=10, 238, 255, 367, 522, 578, 636
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     The city of Shanghai stands in a stark contrast to the rest of Earth-1111. Where every other city is blanketed in clouds of bloody red or celestial blue, their landscapes respectively shrouded in shadow or glistening with holy light, Shanghai looks almost...normal. The sky is as dark as one would expect at night, and the only lights and shadows come from those produced by the waning moon and the city lights. As normal as it may be, however, it's far from peaceful tonight, as the stampede of terrified citizens and the billowing clouds of smoke and exhaust from within the city foretell.     (http://goo.gl/8ogucR)     The source of this horror is nowhere near subtle as it crashes through the city streets. The hideous amalgamation of flesh and metal holds a vaguely elephantine form, but with too many alterations to be exactly that. Its serpentine neck is far longer, for one, and the flesh is wasted away enough to expose bleached bones and several strange tubes of metal winding down its throat. The head it supports is worn down to the bone, but braced with patches of rusting metal, particularly along the massive, curving tusks, where the metal forms vicious spikes caked with old blood. In the place of a trunk, it instead has two thick, long worms colored a fleshy pink emerging from its nasal cavity, pulsing and squirming in search of humans they harvest with ropes of barbed wire from their hinge-jawed, rotten-fanged mouths.     And where do those people go? Down the beast's gullet, to be dropped into its stomach: a transparent, but solid vat of molten gold that replaces its belly, framed by metal ribs that descend from its fleshy, rotten back to firmly surround the tank. This is where they are forced to suffer in endless immolation, their burned flesh healed over only to be melted away again. The whole creature is made mobile by lizardlike legs that primarily seem to be made of flesh, but which creak and groan like rusted metal with each motion it makes, and whose trio of claws are little more than ragged blades of iron. Behind it drags a thick tail that tears up what ground is not crushed beneath its feet, and jagged smokestacks line its spine to halfway down its tail, belching smog into the air as it passes.     The gigantic demon, easily large enough for its shoulders to crash against the roofs of the taller buildings in the city, is piloted by a single figure. Seemingly around nine feet tall, but dwarfed by the monstrosity on whose head he's perched, he is a human figure whose flowing robes seem to be made of liquid gold encrusted with precious gems. While a skeletal form seems apparent beneath those 'clothes', his face is hidden behind a solid steel mask of a vacant, bearded man grafted onto his skull, and a sharp, elaborate crown of gold emerges from the top of his head as if it were breaking through the bone. He grasps in his bony hands chains that extend to the side of the creature's head, embedded in its own skull so that he can tug and pull to direct its movement. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     "March onward, Behemoth!" His cackling voice echoes with scraping metal backing every syllable, a further contribution to the cacophony of the beast he directs and the screaming of the citizens it harvests into its gullet. "Gather these souls for your lord Mammon, and for Inferno's victory!"     And where is Beli? The rephaite has taken to the air in a streak of radiant blue from her wings and the flames in her halos. She already holds Fairness in both hands: a pair of silver longswords, each one with a blade of pure cyan magic. Her expression hardened into a glare of determined ferocity, she dives toward Behemoth with swords ready to cleave into /some/ part of it...but the primal demon is prepared. Mammon's chains yank its head up, and its mouth opens with a bellow halfway between a foghorn and a trumpet before it belches a gout of blood-red hellfire at her. Beli's quick banking dive spares her from being immolated, though the creature's sinuous neck allows it to chase after her, melting through the buildings she passes with the incredible heat of its fire. Mammon only laughs, cruel and scraping, though at least it draws the worm-trunks away from harvesting the fleeing citizens filling the streets. 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     Ryu has never seen something like this before. When he heard Beli, he flipped on the relevant news outlet and saw the sight of the broadcast being cut off. He went to grab up his weapons, but thought better of it... instead he shifted from human to dragon form and set out toward that world, to that city, moving as fast as his legs could take him. The dragon was very fast, but not faster than those who had some better form of transportation. Still...     When the dragon arrives, he's bouncing from building to street lamp to telephone pole. He may not be able to fly, but he has titanic strength and he's using that quite well. When he spots the creature already engaged with Beli, he takes advantage of Mammon and Behemoth's distraction. He leaps through the air and extends his draconic claws to prepare for what he's about to do.     The dragon tries to bodily land on one of the worms, grabbing onto it by sticking his claws into it. And then it's just a matter of violently gouging into the creature... with hands glowing with Light energy, the holy glow harmonizing with his crystalline dragon cry. He saw the worm-like appendages grabbing people, so his first priority is trying to remove one or both and make protecting the citizens easier.     Of course, this makes him kind of a sitting duck, since he's entirely at the mercy of the sheer mass of the tremendous demon beast while hanging off of it like that. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Her presence precedes her, long before her arrival. It's impossible not to notice, especially for beings like the angels and demons of Beli's world. And yet she comes, at all haste, letting her divinity scream out her arrival as a warning. She doubts it will frighten the perpetrator, but she can at least let the responsible party wonder.     But the first sign of Setsuko's physical presence in the city comes not in the form of her typical hoverbike high over the city, nor in a challenging yell. The first hint that she has arrived comes in the form of Zanjintou itself, banking through the air in the shape of a tremendous boomerang blade, cutting right across the Behemoth's line of fire in a bid to slash its face and disrupt its attack on Beli.     Only its return to her hand calls attention to Setsuko's location, floating above and to one side, taking her sword in one hand and staring down. "You were a fool to come here. You know who we are. You know what we've done. Had you only caused destruction, I might consider offering you a chance to escape. You wouldn't take it. But I would offer anyway. However..."     She draws her weapon up into a ready stance, and it snaps open, deploying the full-sized blade. "That offer isn't even on the table anymore. There will be no escape. You die tonight." 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' Freya is familar with gaint mosters, and one showing up in a friends city? No way she going to let it rampage around! She human size starts walking up towards it. "No way I"m letting you get away with this!", and in flash she shifts up to her max size, 300 feet. She hopes the monster will focus on her so that people can get away.. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Upon hearing and seeing that report from Beli's world, Nasa had quickly gathered up her strongest poisons, quickly filling the reservoir of her twin Kukri with an icy plant-based poison, along with grabbing the Light of Hope dagger, sliding it into a sheathe at her back. She ran and flew as fast as she could, passing through warp gates where she could. And soon...      Nasa was at the location, tattered wings keeping the fae aloft in the air. She shifts her gaze rapidly towards the massive form of the demon, her eyes glowing with rapidly buildling fury as she took in what was happening before her. Torture. Heinous torture from a demon. Her fingers twitching on the hilt of one of her kukri, and the hilt of the holy dagger gifted to her. Hanging from her belt was several potions and poisons. Nasa fluttered there, twitching her fingers as poison began to spread over the blade of her kukri. Plit. Plit. Plit.      "Torture, theft of souls... you are to being unforgivable." Nasa says, her voice holding a quiet fury, but the blaze in her eyes more than countered that. As Beli moved in to attack, and the monster chased her... Nasa began to dart in close, attempting to dart in at an angle to avoid the flame that was chasing Beli, intent on distracting it from her with a swift slash to the side of it with her holy dagger. Likely a relatively shallow cut, but hopefully the holy nature of the blade would more than make up with that. Meanwhile, Nasa flashes an aggressive smile up towards the elephant and its rider alike. "Hopes does to naut mind if we do to tear you apart~." Truly, a paragon of hope and goodness. Really. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys had been involved in the liberation of Shanghai from this insanity of the war in heaven. She understood often such battles were waged but here? S0omething didn't strike her as right it reminded her of something from long ago on a twisted world that she and a handfull of others had faced down. As she arrives to the source of the distubance she holds the arm ring that's she's worn for most of her life and mutters a brief prayer to the profound light before getting ready to move in. The Newman weapons are freed from the photon trap a pistol in her off han a huge hulking mechanical claw on the other which mechaism go all the way up to her shoulder as she now moves heading she sees the creature and what it's soing as she moves in. "The Behmonth..." crys is not entirely ingorant legends and myths of the various earths the one that stuck in her mind was a creature so powerful only God could kill it. Either way she was about to find out as she looked at the horrible thing. "Come Demons you want some of this I faced down greater than you and lived to tell the tale. I seen a single soul resist the darkness even a her flesh was taken by it. You will meet your end today." Crys isn't known for many battle speeches as she starts to focys on a tech sending a burst of ice at it to get it's attention. The Newman is very unhappy today. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' Gaius Van Baelsar was out and about, exploring at that, when he saw the news broadcast come up on a TV near by a store. A massive beast eating civilians. Though he was no 'hero' in perhaps the eyes of many, he still had a soul. He was still human and he did give a damn about lives that were defenseless against larger creatures. This meant the man was not going to simply stand around when hell was breaking loose--- perhaps literally at a location. Now how does Gaius get here in his cogneto form of looking like an average civilian himself? Simple. Warp Gates. Yep, he takes one and when he arrives, he comes to a quick halt with his boots tapping the ground from his run as he stares far up at the large demonic beast. Those gold eyes narrow sharply under the brim of his hat, as he then goes to draw out his blade. As soon has one of the tendrils go for a person on the street, the Legatus hidden as a normal man, rushes forward and actually attempts to cut the tendril in half while yelling, "RUN!" 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Despite Ryu's size in relation to Behemoth's, his efforts are certainly effective. It's a giant creature, but not one immune to pain; surely it must be wracked by it, but when his holy energy blasts through Ryu's claws, the demonic worm screeches a metallic cry of pain, squirming and writhing in the agony of holy power. Its flesh seems to sear and smoke under Ryu's claws, but the second worm is more than prepared to counteract Ryu's efforts. It rears up and opens its fetid maw, lashing out ropes of barbed wire to tangle around Ryu, dig into his flesh, and drag him down its gullet.     Or at least that's the intention. Nasa's sudden arrival slashes along the worm's hide, boring deep into fragile flesh and seeping poison into the wound. The second worm howls its pain, rearing back and no longer quite as focused on consuming Ryu. It would probably still hurt if the wires manage to catch him, but it would at least be easier to break free thanks to Nasa's intervention. At the same time, Gaius's blade manages to cleave right through the metal wire forming the first worm's tendril as it searches, catching it off-guard and preventing it from binding up even more people.     The Behemoth already nearly takes up the entire six-lane street, so while Beli flees, its ability to turn and chase her is limited. Even before it can reach those limits, Setsuko's blade suddenly cleaves along the metal plates over its skull, carving through them enough to leave only a clean, still-glowing split that leads partially into the bone itself. The Behemoth gives its trumpeting foghorn cry and jerks back in pain, stumbling a few steps backward that smash cars into scrap under its metal feet. At the same time, Freya's presence draws its attention, and Crys's shard of ice smashed into the wound carved by Setsuko.     Mammon gives an abrupt yank of those chains, however, jerking its head back to face Setsuko, Freya, and Crys so he can laugh directly at them, screeching and painful to hear. "Hah! Those you killed before were foolish and weak, simpletons compared to my glory! Cycle after cycle of our rule has passed, wretched servants of the aberration, and still we persist! What makes you think /you/ and your filthy ally will change anything?" Another yank of the chains: Behemoth's head jerks aside, digging its armored tusk into a nearby building and hurling massive chunks of debris at Setsuko, Freya, and Crys all at once. No doubt the citizens fleeing from the site will be in great danger, too, for the building crumbles into ruins that smash across the entire street.     Beli, spared from the assault of Behemoth's hellfire, is free to swoop around through the smoke belching out of the creature and sweep low over its rotten spine. Mammon, however, is too prepared to be so easily caught: he hurls a hand back, casting out over a dozen gold coins. When they land, each one immediately rises up into a lanky, abstract figure of black with curling horns and broad wings. Beli's moving too quickly to adjust, and when she crashes into one, it abruptly bursts into molten gold, forcing out a pained shout from her as it burns her skin, clothes, and wings. She's forced to land uncomfortably on Behemoth's back and stagger away to get her bearings, but the black creatures relentlessly start striding toward her. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     "Because we are nothing like anything from this world," Setsuko replies calmly. "And if you're too arrogant to see that, it's a wonder you survived this long."     There's no way Setsuko can reach the rubble in time. So instead she turns her attention to what she can do - dealing with the chunk of building that's been hurled at her. She could cleave it in twain, and protect herself easily. She could cut more rapidly, and perhaps divide it enough to minimize whatever damage it would do upon landing. But neither option is satisfactory. Not in this moment. So instead, the demigod sheathes her sword.     And begins floating backward, arms outstretched, matching her momentum to the huge piece of masonry.     It hits her like a small semi. She visibly recoils in the air. But then she stops. Floats. Holds the tremendous, massive hunk of rubble in both arms.     And the next thing she does is go sailing down towards the Behemoth at top speed and /SLAM/ the piece of building, full-strength, into the black creatures stalking towards Beli on Behemoth's back. By the time the dust of the impact clears, she's already standing on the creature's back between Beli and whatever remains of the demons, her hand on Zanjintou's grip. 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' A collapsing building isn't good at all! She rushes forward trying to block and catch as much as the rubble as she can consdering her current massive size that proably a fair amount. The buidling rubble peice that do hit her sting a bit but nothing she has to worry about. 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     Ryu realizes he's cutting into a demon with his light magic and it is working quite well. His confidence bolstered by how effective this is, he lets out a cry of surprise and agony as barbed wire raked across his scales and gouges red blood out of him in running droplets. It doesn't dig very deep before Nasa is distracting the second worm. As the beast slams into the nearby buildings, Ryu has to hold on just to keep from being thrown well clear of the monster.     He doesn't wait. He moves. He turns during a moment where he can coil against the momentum of the thrashing worm tendril, and leaps down to street level while the rubble starts to crash down. His mouth cracks open and particles of light collect in his mouth seemingly from the air itself, his chest expanding and the cracks in his scales emitting a soft blue hue like an intense flame is building in his chest...     He emits a huge inferno of white fire... white fire that has absolutely no heat to speak of. Instead, it's like an explosive blast of Light magic. It has the force to obliterate or drive back anything he hits with it, and he is aiming to sweep the fire over a wide range of debris, covering the gaps in Freya's efforts so that no stray innocents are hit in the fray.     It makes a cacophonous crystalline scream that competes quite well with the sound of collapsing buildings and combat. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Not entirely what Nasa had planned, helping Ryu was quite convenient though! Not that Nasa was planning much at present, Mammon's actions were beginning to push her deeper and deeper into anger, especially with the way he was capturing souls. Demons capturing souls usually enslaved or devoured them. She took a deep breath, an angered hiss escaping her breath. As Nasa began to make her way up the worm's length towards the Behemoth's central body, the poison would likely begin to take effect.      Icy and frigid, the magical poison would begin to war with the worm's own heat to fight to freeze it slowly from the inside-out. While the single dose probably wouldn't get very far in doing such, the poison would likely be incredibly unpleasant for the behemoth as it worked at forcing itself through the beast's body. Nasa, however, was now working at a much more important task, in her mind.      As Nasa moved, she rapidly approached that tank in the Behemoth's gut, sheathing the Light of Hope in favor of drawing the second blade of her Viper's Fangs, the magical enchantment on them beginning to glow brightly as she brought the blades towards that vat, attempting to bring her blades HARD through the metal of that vat. First one slice... then two... then three... working as quickly as she could to attempt to slice open that vat full of molten gold. Regardless of if they actually were screaming, Nasa could hear screams from within the vat. She had to get them out. She had to get them out. Each moment she 'heard' those screams, she began to care less for herself and more for their freedom and the death of the one attempting to capture and enslave/devour them. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' SO the Behemont and it's master is not very happy at this pint or is it hungry she can't tell she looks at them for a moment. "So you think? It amuses me to hear your arrogance, all I have left to say you die to today." That's it there's say the hice slams into the oen wound and she's now looking at them and she gets on the move she does not want to sit still as the thing comes at her she's forc e to use her claw in n attempt to blast the incomming chunks trying to buy time for the local civilians to run but that means she's not attacking the beast for the moment. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' Gaius watches as the people run away and then he watches as the others try to take charge against the large creature. He can't get to that height without his armor, so the ground he must remain, for now. Though he does slap in some ceruleum shells and starts to fire away at the chunks of building starting to come down. Using the high powered explosive bullets to either redirect the material with a black explosive flash or break it up further so people have time. Its all he can do for now is collateral damage. At least until he can find a means to get up there higher up. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Mammon seems absolutely perplexed by Setsuko's course of action. First there's the matter that she was actually able to resist the massive chunk of debris, but aside from that, she flies over Mammon, rises through the cloud of smog billowing from Behemoth's back, and /slams/ the debris into the creature's spine. Bones crack, metal groans, and, most importantly, the creatures Mammon summoned are splattered into a spray of molten gold that burns into Behemoth's remaining flesh. Beli is forced to lift her arm and stagger back, but she's spared the backsplash: once she's certain of her safety, she gives Setsuko a quick nod of thanks, then grips her swords all the more tightly in her hands.     Mammon's mask doesn't change, but his metallic, grating voice clearly shows his rage. His beast of destruction is attempting to recover itself, but rather than continue to guide it, he instead drops the chains to the Behemoth's neck and turns to face Setsuko and Beli. "There is no questioning the might of Mammon! The might of our Lord Samael! If you /doubt/, vile scum, then allow me to demonstrate for you!"     In a single sweep of his bony, metal-robed arm, Mammon sweeps at Beli and Setsuko in a twofold attack. Both those golden coins and a gout of hellfire spew at them, but Beli is prepared to act. Her right hand thrusts out, and a shield of golden light surrounds both herself and Setsuko, allowing the hellfire to flow harmlessly around them and forcing the coins to bounce off. Cracks begin to show in the shield's surface, however: it won't hold for very long. "He is only a projection," Beli hisses to Setsuko, straining to maintain the barrier as much as she can. "He is not as strong as he could be. We can defeat him...!"     Meanwhile, between the efforts of Ryu, Freya, Crys, and Gaius, the massive piles of rubble cascading from the ruined building are blasted and hefted away, sparing the wave of people fleeing the scene. The entire ordeal is still a terrifying one for them, however: they scramble over one another, struggling in their panic to escape the massive beast lumbering after their souls. Souls to be used to increase its own power and form into demons, later on. Nasa's efforts begin to show fruit, too: the transparent tank begins to steadily crack against her repeated stabbing, first a bit, then a bit more, then a bit more, until at last a stream of the molten gold spews out in a steady flow. It's not much, but it's a start. A start that might be prevented from growing into anything more, as one of those worms curls under Behemoth's body and lashes out at her with tendril after tendril of barbed wire. If she's trying so hard to get in there, why not help her out? Those people inside are indeed screaming in agony, at least where they're not drowned by the liquid metal sloshing around with Behemoth's every movement.     Even without Mammon's direct command, Behemoth's instincts come to the forefront against the aid protecting the citizens of Shanghai. The worm not trying to devour Nasa lifts up and vomits forth a shower of coins, easily dozens of them spewing out to the street to form into more of those strange, black minions of burning gold that will charge after the people and pile on any person foolish enough to stand in their way. Behemoth itself charges into action, too, and quite literally: head lowered enough for its spike-lined tusks to carve into the street, it charges forward with remarkable speed for its size to plow into Freya and possibly trample Ryu, Crys, and Gaius as well, as if they weren't in enough danger from the golden minions. Setsuko and Beli are going to have some trouble with their footing, as well. 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' "Does he ever stop talking??", Freya wonders. Uh-oh Behemoth is shooting out coins? or are they demons? Freya not sure and she doesn't have time to worry about that as it charges! She not going to let it trample over the people. She moves to intercept it and blocks it with her massive size trying her best to keep it from coming any closer and if she lucky pushing it back. "YOU. SHALL. NOT. PASS!!" 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Slash, stab, slash stab! The molten gold was beginning to spew out! Nasa felt rather victorious in that case, lifting her blades to begin to slash wildly at it again, even as barbed wire began to wrap around her. She didn't seem to care at first, but one of them slashed her particularly viciously... and that was it. Pain mixed with being faced with a 'slaver' got Nasa's gaze turning on that worm with fierce rage, and her teeth were suddenly bared. Magic bursts along Nasa's body as her hands are consumed with the light of the Hand of Transference. "I will /devour/ you." She hisses towards the worm.      Nasa immediately leapt towards the worm, moving through the slashing and lashing barbed wire. Her wings fluttered to lift her up, attempting to land on TOP of the worm, lifting her blades up to begin to attempt to stab repeatedly into the top of the worm's 'head'. However... the slashes would do... nothing? If the worm had focused on that Nasa, it would possibly find itself focused on... nothing?      And then the sound of blades on the tank might be audible again, as the Glamour that Nasa was using faded, broken by the fact that Nasa turned her focus on flying after that now-moving tank to begin to slash at it once more, magical energies bursting through her blades, channeling ice magic through them to attempt to freeze and make the tank more brittle with every slash. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Setsuko drops low, prepared to leap, when a shield shimmers into place between her and Mammon. Her gaze, calm and cold, meets his eyes through the barrage, unflinching in the face of that power. "I do not doubt your might, nor that of your master. The problem is that you doubt mine." She looks over her shoulder at Beli briefly. "And hers. She, who has gone further than any of you dared, who has done more than any of you dreamed. If you are blind enough to write us off as weaklings, vile scum, then allow me to demonstrate for you."     And the silver-haired demigod vaults, soaring up over the barrier and drawing Zanjintou in one smooth movement. By the time she starts coming back down, a SNAP of the blade has brought it to its full size, and her landing is followed by an immediate whirl. With all her might, she swings the colossal sword around, cleaving apart any demon unfortunate enough to be within reach, including Mammon himself; even he can easily sense that this blade carries the power to slay him. It is not a blade which hides its nature. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' Gaius took notice as the minions came down from the coins. Shifting into demons. His quickly swapped the clips and went to more standard rounds. Taking aim at some of the minions to bring them down. His aim was ever accurate as it was even in his suit. Though he was grateful he practiced without the need of a HUD, cause in times like these in cam in useful. However as he fired, he shot one that came in close, having to leap away as it exploded into molten gold. Nearly getting touched by the heat and tsking at the intensity of how close it was. As he landed back, his foot tripped under him. Gaius had to quickly rotate his body around, swinging his heel in order to get into a knelt position and then try to take aim again. That little screw up-- may just costed him precious time. 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     Ryu is winded from the effort of dealing with so much debris at once, having to take a few big breaths and work off the dizzy feeling of expending so much energy at once like that. This makes him a prime target when a handful of molten gold demons fall down on him, and he reacts entirely on reflex-- cleaving through them in a spray of flesh-searing metal. But something is a little odd about the gold that melts over his scales. It glows and sputters with white fire, as if the metal was reacting with his element.     Not daring to get in melee range with more of them, he sweeps his hands in a wide arc, a pulse of light sending the excess metal off of his durable scales, leaving patches of gold plating here and there, including half of his face. With his head tilted to peer through his uncovered eye, he points one claw forward to provide a focus for his spell.     Points of light generate in the air around him, and begin blasting energy down at the remaining Coin Demons. This allows Ryu to see Behemoth's approach, and react with a quick leap to the side, guarding his face from the rubble blown up by the massive creature's charge. He growls with each movement, his burnt scales hurting quite a lot. He's only even alive thanks to his draconic scales, and all that gold is weighing him down, making him look halfway to being a statue already. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz is trying to spare as may people as they could. She sees that Nasa has the right idea, she's very much in line witht he idea. She knows she's got to do something and she's going to need some bigger and more heard hitting but the thing is she's got to get at them Crys will start making use of her own ice baed powers to try and freeze either hte minions and or the taited demonic gold as she goes however if she can break off she got very much somerhing that might help crack this horror open! 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Fortunately for everyone behind her, Freya's strength is enough to hold back Behemoth's charge, though it no doubt pushes her back some with how incredibly heavy and forceful it is. Its neck arches and buckles under the strain of its body still moving behind it until it's forced to a standstill, at which point it lurches and thrusts to get Freya off balance and continue its ceaseless charge.     Nasa's efforts manage to fool the strange worm, as well. It reflexively lashes up at her, trying to consume her from where she stabs down on its head...but there aren't any stabs. Or Nasa, for that matter, for the fey has used the distraction to cleave even deeper into the creature's damaged gut. The crack widens into a hole: molten gold spews out in a torrent, as well as one or two people fortunate enough to be near the bottom of the tank. The worm, of course, is not happy: the moment Freya stops the Behemoth's charge, that worm lurches out again to try and devour Nasa more directly. Not with wires, not with tangling, just opening its massive maw and swallowing her whole into its bristling gullet.     "SHE," Mammon snaps, growling in frustration as his free, bony hand points right for Beli, "is nothing more than an /abomination/. A fiend, a wretch, a squirming, filthy worm masquerading as-"     Whatever other verbose insults Mammon was about to throw are suddenly cut off by Setsuko's massive bound. A few summoned minions managed to be formed from the coins that fell on Behemoth's back, but Setsuko's blade cleaves through them like a scythe through wheat, shattering them into gouts of molten gold. Mammon is not spared from her great reach, either, for it cuts right across his torso and sends him stumbling back, clutching at his stomach as darkness seeps out of it like ethereal blood. Only when Setsuko leaps does Beli feel safe enough to dispel that barrier, as well, and when she does, she rushes out to pair Setsuko's cleave with two of her own. Her blades seem to pass through the demon harmlessly, but the burst of angelic magic that explodes through him at their touch is enough to send out another cry of pain from him.     Meanwhile, on the ground, the defenders are more than effective against the coin-formed minions that charge after them like animated zombies. Gaius shoots through many of them, popping them like balloons of agonizing heat. Ryu absorbs their gold into himself and shatters those he doesn't, while Crys's ice freezes the creatures over and leaves them easy targets to be harmlessly shattered. But there are still so many... 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     (http://goo.gl/HZqTp1)     Streams of holy light suddenly blast down from the sky, crashing into Mammon and his beast with searing force and blasting right through several of the remaining minions on the ground. Mammon cries out in agony and collapses back onto Behemoth's neck, his form shot straight through from the many strikes and already wounded by Setsuko and Beli, and Behemoth is weakened by the holy retribution in its struggle with Freya, allowing her to push it back skidding across the street and tearing into concrete with its metal claws.     The source comes from none other than the angels of Paradiso: specifically, the Powers, angels representing the grace of Charity. Their bodies are formed by many hovering, opalescent crystals arranged into a vaguely humanoid shape, but without any piece completely attaching to another. The only piece that remains completely static is a single radiant orb in their heart that sends a constant glimmer through their crystalline bodies, lighting up the night with a glorious radiance. Two 'wings' spread from their backs, stretching out with crystals hovering along their lengths like feathers. The halos that hover above their featureless heads are decorated by dangling crystals like an assortment of wind chimes, and in place of legs they have similar arrangements of crystals that trail down beneath them. Their hands are formed into weapons: swords, pikes, whips, spears, all prepared to drive into the forces of Inferno and purge them with holy might. Dozens of them fill the air like stars in the night sky, each as unusual as they are beautiful.     And their leader comes with them, as well: Gabriel, the Archangel of Charity, formed of the same crystals as his followers, but far taller and more slender, with an even more striking radiance from his heart. Four wings extend from his back, each crystal feather trailing off a band of light, and his feet taper into sharp points. In his hands is a long, solid polearm, and at its head is an orb surrounded by orbiting crystals of many sizes and shapes. As he plummets down like a comet from Heaven itself, the blade of the polearm forms into that of a sharp glaive aimed right for Behemoth's skull. With a powerful gleam of harp-song, he crashes down into the wound formed and weakened earlier by both Setsuko and Crys, while the Powers start hurling streams of light to blast into the mechanical beast's body and send it howling and stumbling back even further. 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' "About time!", Freya says looking up seeing the angel descened from the sky. She just holds her postion with the Behemoth making sure it stay still, so that other people can finish off this monstosity. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Good, the stomach was breached, the gut burst open, spewing out the molten gold -- Nasa immediately darted out of the way. Right into the worm's waiting maw as it attempted to devour her. Unfortunately for the worm, Nasa was not particularly a pleasant thing to devour. "Is time to make it so that Nasa did to naut lie..." She murmurs softly, before her Hand of Transference bursts into existence, channeling through her blades. And Nasa began to slash wildly at the insides of the worm's mouth.      With each slash, the Hand of Transference drew energy from the worm with one blade, while the other one discharged it as a burst of damaging energy right back out into the beast, making cumulatively stronger and stronger slashes as the Drowess began to pour her own energy into it. A flurry of raging blades inside of the worm's mouth, attempting to make it unable to ever eat anything again. This ends with one final pair of stabs, attempting to drain as much energy from the beast.      This is channeled into a spell as Nasa curls up in the beast's mouth, holy energy ringing around Nasa and then turning into a porcupine-like ball of holy spears spiking out from Nasa, with simple intent to destroy the worm and deal as much damage to the behemoth above her(And consequently its tank) as she possibly could.      Of course, unfortunately for Nasa, being devoured by the worm was likely not pleasant, and had taken very little measures to protect herself, so success or not, after that sudden burst of holy energy, Nasa would be left weakened and tired, especially since holy was not one of her specialties. "...Appreciates the meal~." Also, being inside of a worm, well. Nasa was largely unaware of the angels, until the radio began to speak of much. 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     The gold covering Ryu remains shining and warm enough to send awful aches and jolts through his burned scales. But it's not enough to cripple his movements... the supernaturally tough creature judges his leap targets more carefully when he crouches and launches himself, up and up... First a tilted lamp post, and then the cracked side of a building, and then he leaps to find a place he judges to be a good spot. There, he begins to build up mana and his dragon fire in his mouth, preparing for a spell that is heavily inspired from what he's seen of Bahamut.     He aims for the crack in the vat holding those poor souls within its gut, and lets loose a torret of fire surrounding a solid beam of light, trying to cut a huge hole in Behemoth's belly, in the vague hopes of freeing the poor souls trapped within. If not helping those people, at the very least he's trying to make it very hard for Behemoth to hold any more of them! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     As if to punctuate the point, Setsuko's voice cuts across Mammon's in the instant her feet touch the ground.     "/Shut up/."     Coming out of her spin, the swordswoman stands straight, titanic sword held low and to one side. "And heed my words. My name is Setsuko... Setsuko Kaminagi! Sword of the Forgotten War God!" The demigod whips her blade into a vertical stance, towering high above her as she speaks. Her eyes lock with Mammon's, unflinching condemnation for the demon in them, and her words come as if delivering a formal judgement. "And if she is an abomination, then let my sword cut as your shame, for there is more justice in her rule than in yours /or/ that of your foes!"     Her titanic weapon whips around her once, and then Setsuko is off at a full-speed run, crossing Behemoth's back as surefooted as a cat the very instant Beli's attack ceases. "HaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA...!" No skyward leap, no flare of divine light to carry her aloft; the demigod simply pours every ounce of her strength into a hard, inhumanly fast charge. And at the very last second, she plants a foot, turns herself, spins in a full 360-degree turn to add one last burst of strength to her sword, and-     "ZANJINTOU: ICHIMONJI GIRI!"     -lunges straight through in a single, fierce horizontal cut that leaves her spinning twice more on the other side before her feet plant and she stops, back to her foe. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' Gaius starts to open fire from his knelt position. The older man then quickly shoves off and to get some distance, and goes to fire again. Only to hear the empty 'click'. He furrows his brows, "..bad.. timing.." he rumbles to himself. Though perhaps good timing as about then the heavens open and suddenly-- angels. Though the Legatus himself has never seen such creatures of light, so has to stare at them in somewhat amazement. Yet his attention is snapped back as the angels start to reign terror upon the demons and he watches one get blasted with brilliant light before his eyes. This causing Gaius to wince in pain from the bright light suddenly and almost stagger over. Once his vision comes too again, he quickly slaps another clip into his revolver-looking hand gun and watches what the angels now do. Fascinated by them really. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Uhoh the Angels have shown up but she's not sure what their plans are today but she's clined to not well pick a fight and turnt his into a three way brawl however. She won't be firing the first shot, she's forced back a bit as she starts to banish her existing gear and summons a new weapon a massive sword that's two meters long and it's entire blade is like a chainsaw. The weapon known as a chainsawed roars to life not as the teeth start whirling about andf she runs for the Bahemonth she's intending to try to crack the thing open with ehr blade and put an end to it's madness there's not a woird said as she leaves the fallen minions behind she's striking vicously and without mercy. All the while hte teeth of her weapon almost seem to hunger for something to cut through. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Behemoth regrets devouring Nasa almost as soon as the worm manages to do so. Nasa cleaves in every direction, slicing through barbed wire and flesh alike, casting out thick, black blood from every wound that fills the worm's mouth more and more with each slash. Nasa's likely going to come out of this coated in black, tar-like demon blood, especially when the worm is finally reduced to little more than useless strips of flesh and ruined pieces of wire, at which point it finally falls away to drape uselessly over the ground, still spewing that vile blood onto the streets.     Ryu's powerful blast continues what Nasa started, while she's occupied with eviscerating the worm from inside. The sheer power behind that torrent of light takes a bit to effectively burn through the transparent, solid tank, but what passes through that hole alone is enough to blast through the softer hide on Behemoth's back in a narrow stream. That only gets wider and wider the longer Ryu maintains it, gradually melting away both the metal on one side and the flesh and bone on the other. Behemoth trumpets and blasts its foghorn of a voice; molten gold flows from its tank of a belly like a waterfall, taking with it the horribly burned but healing humans inside. The molten gold isn't becoming any less hot as it pours into the street, but at least the humans that were caught in it are in a position to be retrieved. Behemoth stumbles; its strength is waning. Still Gabriel shoves his spear deeper into the creature's skull, and his weapon starts to glow with an even brighter holy light. Crys leaps into the offensive, too: with the screech of teeth against metal, she cleaves into its legs, cutting through the rusted iron beneath its flesh, forcing it to buckle further to its knees. Black blood spews from the wound like oil from a well.     Beli falls back only slightly when Mammon falls, but Setsuko is immediately on the offensive. The demigod's words surprise her, in fact, a feeling that briefly crosses over her hardened expression moments before Setsuko blasts forward. Mammon takes too long to recover, and in those moments, he is helpless. "No-!" His hand thrusts out, but that's all he manages before Setsuko's gigantic blade cleaves through him and the reinforced, rotting neck of Behemoth itself. At the same time, Gabriel's spear blasts forth a gout of holy light, and just as Behemoth's head begins to fall to the ground, it shatters from within with a brilliant flash of pure white that lasts for only a second in its resplendent glory.     Mammon's body, cut clean in half, melts into liquid gold that steams out of existence. Behemoth's body is steadily consumed in shadow, too, before it also dissolves into nothing, leaving behind hundreds and hundreds of the soft, white souls that were used to make it. Each one rushes into Beli, seemingly absorbed into her; she winces as she uses her wings to steady her descent, but she keeps composed enough to avoid simply plummeting to the street. Only once she's safely landed does she allow herself to fall to one knee, breathing heavily from the pain still caused by the burns along her form. Molten gold still pools on the street, but fortunately there are a few piles of rubble that serve as safe footing. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     (http://goo.gl/Ee53nQ)     Gabriel hovers above the ground, glaive in hand and four wings beating with the gentle chime of crystal. The Powers descend to float beside him, too, but they don't dismiss their weapons. They're not willing to give a truce just yet.     Indeed, Gabriel points his blade straight at Beli. When his voice comes through, the beautiful harp song that contrasts with the harsh words he speaks. "This is all your doing. /None/ of this would have happened if you and your /outsiders/ had not destroyed our ability to control this city. We care not what your intentions were, for the results of them are clear." His menacing point shifts to Setsuko next. "And no matter what you say, you could not possibly fathom how wrong you are. /Nothing/ good has come from this...this manifestation of /chaos/, and nothing ever will. And all of you," he continues, turning to the others, "would be wise to leave this place. We will give you the benefit of a safe retreat, but if you show your faces here again, the judgement of Paradiso will not be so merciful again. We will ensure that those who survived that vicious attack will recover."     Beli just glares at Gabriel from where she kneels. It's clearly difficult enough for her to stand right now, but she manages to push herself into an uncertain footing. Her swords vanish in flashes of white light. "...let us go," she mutters, as weary as she is still angry. "I do not want to deal with him anymore. At least Mammon is dispelled." 

:'''{{#var:578|Freya (578)}} has posed:''' "..and your welcome too!", Freya says before shrinking down to human size. Oh well, they saved lives and that what matters. She going to head home have a nice hot bath and drink some sake.. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      The worm was torn to shreds, and Nasa was freed from it. That's good, because slowly Nasa began to talk, her eyes slowly opening, which causes a wince from the difference in light between the worm's innards and the light outside, not to mention the various bright shiny attacks going on and the /angels/. On the up side, in her blurred and sore vision, she could see that the people were freed from the tank, and she unceremoniously began to hover around, extracting people from the gold without a word, pulling them out of the gold and into a less scalding area.      As her vision slowly clears and it becomes less painful to be able to see, her eyes trail around some, slowly looking up towards Gabriel as he points the blade at Beli. She paused in the middle of her efforts to remove people, just in time to be a sudden streak of black, the muck-covered Nasa placing herself squarely between Beli and Gabriel with a protective gaze, her lips spread wide in a threatening and protective growl, revealing her mouthful of sharp teeth. "Yes. Results were to being clear, we did to tear apart giant monster and to saving as much of the people both captured and uncaptured from being tortured for who knows how long in that /thing's/ stomach." Nasa says, her eyes flaring brighter as she looks up at Gabriel, her voice coming out almost as much a hiss as it was words.      She ALMOST looked about ready to fly towards Gabriel as well. But then Beli said that we should go, and she didn't want to deal with him anymore. She tilts her gaze towards Beli, the glow of her eyes dimming. "...Understands." She murmurs, fluttering down towards Beli to attempt to help stabilize her and help make sure she was standing, barely paying attention to her own wounds. They were fairly deep, ignoring barbed wire lashes does that to you, and her wings looked slightly more tattered than usual, but she was ridiculously self-sacrificing that way at times. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     At last, Setsuko's feet hit the ground, Behemoth and Mammon disintegrating and leaving their power to Beli behind her. There is a snap as her blade returns to its katana form, and her blue eyes turn straight up to meet Gabriel's gaze steadily. "No. I don't think it's me that doesn't understand the depths of their mistake. If you cannot comprehend just how much freedom and choice mean to these people, then you truly have no right to preside over them."     Setsuko's sword goes back to its sheath, her eyes still on the angel above. "I have a challenge for you, Gabriel. Live as a human. Disguise yourself. Set aside your powers for a while, or restrict yourself from using them. I don't care how. But I challenge you to live in this city as a human. See what they see. Feel as they feel. See their triumphs and hardships. See how they are, without a yoke of darkness or light steering their very souls. Become familiar with them not as subjects, but individuals. Share in their struggle."     The swordswoman turns her back and begins to simply walk, towards the nearest warpgate, but she does stop to add, "If you truly care for them, make me belive it. For I once was one of them, in another world." 

:'''{{#var:636|Ryu (636)}} has posed:'''     Ryu had cleaved through the demon with his dragonbreath, doing a great deal more for this fight than any he had done before. He felt awful and aching and agonized, and other negative words that possibly start with A. When the fight dies down soon after, he is picking gold off of himself, and growling at how difficult it is and how it only makes it feel WORSE. Not wanting to risk ripping his own scales off, he turns his one open eye up toward Gabriel, expecting some sort of gratitude or greeting. Nope. Ryu gets exposed to the attitude of a very hostile holy being that seems to think the party here is at fault.     "The /results/ were that we came here and dealt with someone who came here to take people like it was a soul buffet," he growls, probably not loud enough to hear. He leers up at Gabriel in a way all too appropriate for dragons from his world, immediately seeing Gabriel as an enemy after the reaction he had to their valor and their effort.     He moves to make his retreat, not wanting to continue a fight with another faction. He does it at a brisk jog, which still gets him to the nearest warp gate at a decent speed. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz watches as thing settle now and she's busy uysing barta castings to cool the gold, it's horrible stuff but it can be sold on the extraversal market to help fun repairs and care for the victems of the attack, maybe even a way to help the local police department get some counter measure to help them evne with smaller fry demons. Either way she's now busy and can't help but grin at the challenge issued to the leader of the angels. 

:'''{{#var:367|Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367)}} has posed:'''      Nasa also totally quickly flits over to Ryu's side and simply gives him a small vial of carefully-cleaned-off liquid. It tasted like drinking a /really/ strong tea and would rather quickly numb his pain, and also aid his healing in the long term. 

:'''{{#var:522|Gaius Van Baelsar (522)}} has posed:''' Gaius watches as things unfold and slowly the nightmare ends. He slowly lowers his weapon and inhales deeply. Hearing the call over global and then to the local frequency. He closes his eyes for that moment just to listen to the sounds on the wind. The hidden Legatus then holsters his weapon once more, before he goes to turn away and head for the portal once more. His job was done here and he probably should head back to the Dreadnought before something else happens that snags his attention. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Gabriel, as expected, is confronted with people who aren't too pleased with his assessment of the situation. Nasa's spite, Setsuko's challenge, Ryu's anger: all are met with his faceless gaze, and he retorts to each one in turn. "And would Mammon have chosen to seige the city if our control over it had not been broken? If we were still able to cast legions of our holy number to cast him out? No, we think not, outsiders," he chimes to Nasa and Ryu.     He doesn't respond to Setsuko immediately, however. His glaive lowers, though, and for a few lingering moments, he keeps his faceless stare on the demigod. His voice isn't quite so sharp when he speaks again. "Perhaps we understand what they need better than they do," he retorts, though that's all he says. Is he contemplating the suggestion, maybe?     Beli manages a soft smile for Nasa, but she holds out a hand to stop the fey from pushing herself any further. "Thank you, Nasa, but please see to yourself first. I can manage."     Once she's sure everyone else is safely able to leave, Beli turns and starts moving away herself. Her right hand is lifted, and from it she washes over herself with a flame of cool, flowing blue, steadily healing her own violent burns and injuries. She'll be able to fly off soon enough.     The angels disperse the weapons from their hands, and Gabriel's staff settles into an orbiting pattern again. The humans are immediately tended to, healed with their own seraphic flames and spared from the worst of the damage. Others move to ensure that those who fled are safe and able to return to wherever they came.     And Gabriel thinks, pondering over the events of the evening. 

}}

975/Battle Unfinished

2014-12-17T18:27:39Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/11/14 |Location=Hydaelyn <HD> |Synopsis=Ysabel seeks out Odin to finish the battle they started. |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=576, 581 |Tinypl..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/11/14
|Location=Hydaelyn <HD>
|Synopsis=Ysabel seeks out Odin to finish the battle they started.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=576, 581
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin had challenged the hunter some time ago. It was starting to see to the dark rider that the woman had ignored the challenge, which means he need to be ready to carry out his own judgment for her lack of respect for such a battle. For the location would be clear enough, for only one place would match the woman's description as Odin had given to her and many locals would warn her as well-- to stay clear. For not only does the Black Shroud not care for those from outside, but the living forest has its many dark monsters. Little do they realize they speak to one who deals with many creatures like, and unlike, what walks here in the very forest. But the greatest fear for her life was the place she goes-- was the home of not only the water elements, but also the resting place of Odin himself. As Ysabel would arrive, she would be greeted by the beautiful place with its crystal flowers and enchanted glow. Yet the dark presence that lingers here calls out to her over the raging waterfall from up high, "So you have at last come. For I thought I shalt had to come to find you and thus cut you down for the disrespect of the challenge given." His very voice causes the crystals to chime ever so gently, but his voice lingers in the air still. "Come. Child of the outside world. I long waited for this battle." And for a moment she may catch a glimpse of him. That dark armored figure as he goes to walk away from the waterfall's edge. That black cape of his swinging over the water just high enough to not touch the cascading falls. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     It may have taken some time, but Ysabel didn't spend it in vain. It was, mostly, spent preparing; preparing for an enemy Ysabel is well aware she doesn't really know how to combat, at least not as well as her usual opponents. And, to top it all off, Odin expected that she wasn't fighting at her full strength. How exactly was she supposed to just make up for that?     The answer is apparent in what she decides to bring along in her travels. For once, the huntress doesn't journey alone, but instead finds herself followed by a large, sauropod-like Aptonoth, its back weighed down by what appears to be every single weapon in Ysabel's current collection. Giant swords, smaller swords, a hammer, a couple of gunlances, one or two switch axes...it's a wide variety, and fortunately, she's experienced in using all of them. Normally, though, it's only one weapon per quest; what could she plan to do this time?     Eventually, Ysabel finds herself among the beautiful space of crystals and light, where she comes to a steady halt. It's a nice compliment to her own armor, forged from the pieces of the electric Zinogre, several parts of its structure glowing alongside the space's mystical lights. Her eyes narrow as she looks around the area, trying to figure out exactly where Odin was supposed to be waiting...but, soon enough, he makes himself known.     Her head cranes back to see him, even if just for a moment. Her frown only hardens, but she doesn't back down. Not now, after taking this long. "Yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm sure you have a lot of more important people to beat up. Just hold up for another minute, okay?"     Rather than draw a single weapon, however, Ysabel undoes the ropes on the Aptonoth's back to loosen her entire arsenal. A few more moments are taken as she begins carrying the various pieces across the arena, placing them down not too far from one another, but not too close, either. It's all at an even distance, and once the only weapon that remains is the Azure Rosebloom, that switch axe of deep blue and vibrant pink, she stops. That weapon in particular is held in her grasp, the axe blade shifting up to lock into place at the end of the hilt with a metallic clank.     Ysabel takes a breath, then lets it out slowly, carefully. One last moment to prepare herself before she looks up toward Odin again, eyes sharp and bright. "Home team gets the first move. Unless you really want me to come beat your ass in first." 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' The Dark Primal watches as Ysabel lays out her weapons and then makes herself ready for battle. Once she does, he leaps down from where he had moved himself and the pools of water rush upward for a moment. Those glowing white eyes against the dark armor stare directly at her, he raises up his hand as he sword appears in thin air. Constructing itself from the very aether energies in a dark spool of energy. Once it is materialized, his hand grips around the hilt, his leg steps back and he places himself in a defensive stance. "Home advantage doesth not interest me. Show me your strength and I shalt judge if you be worthy." With those words, the sudden sky darkens, the very crystals seem to take an almost dark light to them as a ripple of dark energy blasts outward and the area seeming to be engulfed by his very energy-- or the simple fact he altered it around him. "Now come! Strike me down warrior!" 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     A slight wince comes over Ysabel's expression when Odin prepares for the battle. It's intimidating, definitely. She probably shouldn't be surprised that he knows how to make an appearance, particularly after his visit to Dondruma, but...it feels like more than that now. Her grip on Azure Rosebloom tightens. This...doesn't seem like just some show.     "...fine, if you're so sure," she mutters. Another quick glance is given to her surroundings, one more check to make sure her weapons are in place...and then she runs.     It's a straight rush to Odin, no more waiting or holding back. Once she comes close enough with her huge weapon, she pulls it back and then gives it a solid thrust straight for his gut. Unlike the Brisant Demolisher, however, there's no burst of slime; instead, the Azure Rosebloom's blades are coated in a potent poison, one that puffs off as a small purple cloud to become briefly airborne if the cut doesn't take hold. Considering the man's armor, and his fighting ability in the first place, Ysabel is doubting it will. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin stands ready, not even moving when Ysabel comes to strike in. Yet when the blade moves in, Odin's stance quickly changes. The blade swings around to counter blow the other weapon. The two steels impacting, with sparks flying off. Though if the gas cloud should come from the other weapon, the Dark Knight slides his blade along the axe and then goes to break, moving his cape around to actually move through the gas and shove it away. As Odin comes back around, he then steps in quickly, almost getting on top of her, trying to make her larger weapon harder for her to swing, as taking advantage of this difference in weapon length by closing in with his own sword. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Switch axes aren't made for blocking and parries. Too many moving parts make it difficult to hold up against sturdy assaults, and while she can make do, it's not the best situation by far.     Ysabel braces as much as she can, though she's not at the best angle to make use of her position. Teeth clenched, muscles tensed, the most she can do now is just try to hold him off so /he/ doesn't take advantage of the position. Soon enough, though, his superior strength takes that over; she finds herself shoved back, the unweildy switch axe is tossed aside, leaving her wide open for the moment.     It's a split-second moment of intuitive action that saves her. As her weapon is thrown open and Odin moves in to attack, she takes just a second to pull the switch axe's trigger. The axe blade clanks down toward the hilt, and just before Odin's blade comes crashing down, Azure Rosebloom's sword blade flips up and locks into place with a burst of sparks. The more agile form allows Ysabel to quickly yank the weapon back into a guard in front of her, just barely in time to meet Odin's blade and catch it against her own.     Fortunately for him, there's no poison bursting off the wyvern-made weapon. Ysabel just braces herself for the moment, holding him off from getting any closer.     "...gotta get used to swordplay," the huntress mutters through gritted teeth, before she suddenly moves again. The large switch axe is twisted in her grasp, and rather than try to best Odin's strength, she instead attempts to make use of her leverage to redirect his sword slightly while swinging the tip of her own weapon against his torso. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Swordplay was something the Elder Primal was remarkably good at, for whatever his dark secret he held behind all the aetheric armor and power he wielded. Odin did not back off his advance, which though played into Ysabel's court nicely. For when he came to strike, she parried his own blade and before the Dark Knight could recover, the woman's blade slashed against the dark armor. Sparks released as the two physical forms impacted. Dark aetheric smoke release from the gash, only to slowly repair itself it would seem. Yet such a strike, only slightly knocked the taller foe back, for he move with the kinetic force and then came to strike right back in with a flare of his cape being a distraction to the very sword stab that was coming from behind the cape. The other hand though free, had a dark tendril of energy running along his gauntlet and across his hand. Ready for who knows what plan Odin may have in mind. Be it a dark chain or his lance. It was all but uncertain. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Another distraction. Ysabel doesn't seem to do so well with those, particularly when they come from a human opponent. She sees the thrust of the sword, but by the time she does, there isn't much she can do to avoid it. It's coming at her fast, and she's not exactly an agile fighter.     Her sword is cast to the side again in an attempt to deflect the strike, but all she succeeds in is getting it off-center, striking along a wyvern plate at her side with a flare of sparks and barely digging in to the flesh beneath. Ysabel winces, but in the position she has right now, she finds an opening.     With a shout, she thrusts Azure Rosebloom forward in a stab, the blade glowing with a yellow aura, but that's not the extent of the attack. Even if it's parried, Ysabel keeps it held forward, and the axe blade clanks into a slight pivot as if it were about to transform again. It doesn't, though; the whole weapon shudders and shivers as it seems to build up energy, until, once Ysabel can barely hold it anymore, it all finds release at the end of the poisoned blade in a grand explosion.     The blast is enough to knock Ysabel back, skidding along the ground several feet as the switch axe's sword blade flips toward the back and the axe clanks up to the top once more. The question now is whether that poisonous kinetic blast was enough against Odin in that moment. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin manages to parry the blade, unaware of what is to come. "Is this truly thy best? Where is your heart in the battle!" However when the weapon suddenly shifts and the glow forms, this catches Odin's attention. "..Hm?" Like a predator caught in the deception of the moment, he tries to break away, but to late when the Elder Primal does so. The sheer force knocks the armored figure back. He form rolls into one of the waters, till he is able to roll back up onto his feet, which slide back ever bit more. The very poison though, he can feel its effects trying to pierce his body and his own aetheric energy fighting to keep it away. "Honor does not find you it seems.." Odin rumbles gently. It is then with the distance now between him, does the lance form in his other hand. With a force twirl, he swings out the lance, then with another, he sends it outward. The very lance swing around, almost acting like a bludgeon weapon to knock her off her feet once more. If successful, he would swing it around more time before moving it to strike down at her with tip down like a scorpion's own tail. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Seeing Odin go flying is more than a little satisfying for Ysabel. The huntress cocks a brief smirk before tossing Azure Rosebloom aside and running to pick up another weapon to mix things up some more. She's already shown the strangest trick the switch axe has; best not to rely on that too much more.     By the time Odin gets up again, Ysabel is grasping another weapon in her hand: the Oppressor's Skyfall, a gunlance made from Zinogre materials with a strange double-barreled shotgun style of cannon. This means she has an actual method of blocking now, too, considering the large shield in her right hand.     "Sorry, when you make a job out of fighting for your life against things that don't even know honor exists, you kinda don't bother with that shit," Ysabel remarks with a tinge of sarcasm. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to see me at my best."     And, it seems, Odin is returning /his/ best. The lance is a surprise, and while Ysabel is able to properly defend herself with her current weapon, mobility is a greater issue. It's difficult to move hefting two such heavy things, and so she instead resorts to blocking. Her shield is lifted just in time, but not exactly braced properly; the strike of the lance against her shield sends Ysabel skidding back several feet, just barely managing to actually /stay/ on her feet in the process. By the time she's recovered, the agile lance is coming down on her again, this time in a downward thrust. With a hiss of effort, Ysabel leaps with just enough space to keep the lance from running her through...though it instead jabs right into the strange 'skirt' of plates that hangs from her waist.     Ysabel curses even before she lands on her back with a hard crash, her momentum suddenly stopped in that moment. Quick thinking is all that saves her as she swiftly undoes that skirt's hold on her waist, rolls to the side to leave it on the ground, and, as soon as she finds her footing, she immediately moves in a charge toward Odin to attempt to strike with the gunlance's electricity-imbued tip. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' "That I did.." Odin says calmly as he voice reverbs in the air. Her quick thinking does save her from being pinned down, but Odin does not pull the lance back to his side. Instead he leaves it in the very ground itself. As Ysabel comes in with her electric tipped lance, Odin step back, sword to the side and as she goes to strike, he suddenly whisks away into dark aethic mist, allowing her blade to strike at the rock surface behind him. Odin then appears behind her, those glowing eyes staring down at her, the tip of the blade pointed to her backside. "And you impress me, even with the lack of honor-- for even I am fully aware," If she was to turn and attack, he would simply appear at her side as he continues, "that sometimes-- Honor has no place on the battlefield." Once more he vanishes, though where too is unseen, at least until his reflection may be seen in the pool of water near her feet, for the elder primal is dropping in from above, striking down his sword in a cleaving motion to claim her below. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The sudden burst of mist is certainly a surprise for Ysabel, even more so when her gunlance abruptly crashes against stone. Surprise and frustration flit over her expression as she glances around to where he could have gone, until she suddenly hears his voice right behind her. As expected, she whirls around with a violent shout to try and swing the side of the heavy gunlance against him and knock him away, but his next disappearance leaves her once more swinging into empty air. Again she spins, swinging the weapon up in a slash, but he evades that, too. And now where is he?     Ysabel has faced enough things that leap and fly to know that the first place to look when something is nowhere to be found is up. When she does so to see Odin falling down onto her from above, her eyes nonetheless grow wide in reflexive shock before her shield is brought up again.     Ysabel buckles under the cleaving strike of his sword, but her shield holds. Wincing under the effort of holding Odin back and also keeping her own weapons in check, she nonetheless manages to make use of the brief close quarters. Her gunlance is swung up again at a slightly awkward angle, but not close enough to stab into the great knight. No, instead it stops just in front of his chest, where she pulls the trigger to release a powerful cannon blast whose recoil hurls the weapon off-target in the process. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' The Gunlance swings around and the sheer cannon blast knocks Odin back, at least he skids back and nearly falls over due to being off balance. He stares at the lance-like weapon, staring at it for a long time. "...urth.." slowly escapes from him, be he shakes his head and the thought away. Ysabel at least ha a moment there to breath, though not for long, for soon Odin comes at her again. His blade this time dragging across the water's edge, parting it unnaturally as it starts to take a glow around the edge. Then with an upward swing he goes to strike. As soon as he brings the blade, up, he steps around, using the cape to seemingly get in the way. Though as he does this, the cape blasts into aetheric fog as it vanishes in front of Ysabel. Once this happens, Odin comes around still to bring the blade right back down. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Once Ysabel has a minute to push to her feet, she finds herself staring at Odin with a vaguely confused look. His stare toward the gunlance doesn't go unnoticed, nor does his slow muttering. "...the hell is urth," she finally asks, only a moment before he's rushing at her once more.     Well, she probably shouldn't expect exposition tonight.     The speeding rush gives Ysabel a moment to prepare this time, bringing up her shield as is no doubt expected of her by now. The upward swing is blocked, barely causing Ysabel to flinch against the crash and burst of sparks, but just as she's about to retaliate, his swirling cape gets in her way again. She thinks, of course, that she's wise to his trickery by now, and she fires another explosive shot from the gunlance...and, as she learns a second later, into open air.     "What the-?!" She doesn't manage to get much more out before Odin's blade slices down against her back, drawing out a pained shout and forcing the huntress to stumble forward. There's a clear gash along her back, cutting through the glowing lightning bolt tattoos formed on her skin, but after gritting her teeth, Ysabel pushes through it to offer another retaliation.     With a cry, the huntress whirls around and /slams/ her gunlance down where Odin is, crashing against the ground if he chooses to move. That, however, isn't the extent of her attack: the moment the gunlance comes down, she discharges every single one of the remaining four shells simultaneously in a shotgun blast that sends her stumbling back once more with the force of the blow. A technique the blacksmiths continue to frown on hunters for using, telling them 'that's not how they're supposed to work', but it's not like they've /fixed/ it or anything. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin does not answer's Ysabel's question right away. As he is to busy dealing with her weapon that fires off explosive cannon shot rounds and easily shoving herself back while doing so! When the actual strike comes, Odin uses his bracer to allow the lance to slam upon his arm. The sheer force knocks his arm down a bit and cracks the very armor plating it hits. When the shells are fired, Odin swings his blade around and actually /cuts/ the bullets in half as they blast around his form. The Elder Primal then points his blade at her, answering perhaps her original question, "Urth is the one whom imprisoned me for thousands of years. Only to be awoken by one of you outsiders by the name if Marrik." "Urth still lingers, I can sense her very stench upon the soil. She whom stood along side the warrior and she whom betrayed me!" Odin then suddenly vanishes once more, only to appear next to his lance. He yanks it from the very ground. He then twirls the lance in one hand taking a slightly defensive stance with the lance behind him. "You are simply a choosing of my own testing. As my own world has merged into something far greater, but the flow is weak beyond the sea." "Your world called to me by the battles it fights. Your warriors blood rings into my own vague humanity." Odin's eyes can almost be seen narrowing as he lowers his head slightly. "I giveth a choice, hunter of beasts. Take the chance to summon me for one moment of your needing.. or battle me still upon the land which those my betrayers call home." "But make the choice wisely." 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel is very uncertain of what to make of all this. First he cuts right through the bullets, then he's expositing toward her rather than trying to attack her...     The huntress stands there, the barrel of her gunlance smoking slightly as she stares wary and uncertain at Odin. Every swift movement he does makes her reflexively flinch, uncertain whether he's going to attack her or just keep talking. She stares, tightly gripping her weapons in her hands...     ...and he gives her a choice. That makes her pause, confusion visibly showing on her face. "...a...summon? Really?" She stares for a moment more, blinking her befuddlement. "I...well, shit, okay. Sure, I'll take that. I mean...it'll be helpful to have someone with your strength when I need it, even if it's only once. Kind of out of nowhere, though, man."     She lowers her weapons, then, shaking her head for a moment as she looks around the arena. "Well...I haven't heard of Urth or Marrik, so I can't say I'm familiar, but...hey. You're not that bad of a guy, after you get past the fighting spirit." A slight frown shows on her face. "...you're looking to get revenge on them, aren't you?" 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin stands there, tall and unconcerned, but both weapons are held at his side. Ready at any time to be moved into an offensive or defensive stance. He remains silent for a moment, even as the air starts to clear up around them, showing the slow rising of the night sky above. Just how long have they been fighting? Or was it really that late when they started? "Marrik freed me and has a favor which he may use.. Urth.. Urth I desire vengeance on and all her kin." The Elder Primal explains as he goes to take a step back. "For the wrong that was committed, shalt be corrected. For I shall not be simply forgotten again. For my name is Odin and my blade will cut down all whom get in my way." Odin says with a cold calmness in his voice, before he turns around and then seems to vanish into a smoke of black aetheric energy. Vanishing away to not be seen or even heard further of. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel finds herself, for once, at a loss for words. Odin's statement is a grave one, but not one she doesn't sympathize with. Isn't that something not unlike her own motivations, after all?     The huntress' expression hardens somewhat. No, that's not something to consider for now. She'll just have to accept her victory, be grateful she can still walk, and be on her way. Maybe, if she's strangely lucky, Odin will be a little talkative next time.     Just as she starts to pack up her weapons, she realizes that she forgot to ask exactly /how/ she's going to summon him when she needs to. That's troublesome.     Ysabel just sighs quietly and shakes her head, continuing to set her weapons on the Aptonoth's back once more and preparing to head out. She'll just have to consider that later. Consider it like everything else on her mind on the long walk back home. 

}}

762/A Scream in the Dark

2014-12-17T18:25:56Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/10/07 |Location=Wyveria |Synopsis=After a lengthy absence, Ysabel decides to invite people outside of her world to join in a hunt against the ..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/10/07
|Location=Wyveria
|Synopsis=After a lengthy absence, Ysabel decides to invite people outside of her world to join in a hunt against the powerful Meraginas.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=66, 181, 236, 307, 330, 357, 560, 577, 581
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Tide Island, a tropical island off the northwestern coast of Wyveria, marked by a single active volcano and covered in dense mangrove forests. Night has fallen, leaving the sky a dark blanket decorated by stars. The moon shines full, blue, and bright, ensuring that the island is not cast into darkness. Even the mangrove forests are given light beneath their thick canopies, as purple twinkling lights come from large fireflies that weave lazily between the trees.     The air, heavy with warmth and moisture, is filled with the scents of salt and fruit. The chittering and buzzing of insects form a distant symphony in the night, punctuated now and then by the cry of some bird or ape. Waves lap at the shore, and the island's lone volcano sleepily breathes smoke into the air. The region is one of tropical serenity and drowzy, exotic comfort, no doubt hiding all manner of dangers to unwary travelers.     The base camp lies on the beach away from the forest, just in front of the entrance to a cave that dips deep underground. The camp itself sits on the dark stone just before it gives way to sand; the tent is formed from curving tusks supporting a good-sized dome of stretched leather, inside of which is a very simple matress for hunters to rest if needed. Two chests sit just outside the tent, one red and one blue, and a large wooden canoe sits on the beach safely pushed away from the tide and tethered to a stake in the ground. It's not the most comfortable place, but it does the job for anyone lingering here for the purposes of monster hunting.     Ysabel is one such person. The huntress, having called for interested parties outside of Wyveria to join her, is sitting on the edge of the canoe in her Zinogre armor, resting with her elbows on her knees and her hair falling down her shoulder. The glowing points on her armor are even more obvious in the night: claws, ears, arm blades, certain gaps between plates, and the lightning tattoos along her back all shine with an electric blue light. By contrast, the weapon on her back is strangely dull: the Brisant Demolisher seems like little more than a very large hunk of dark indigo, with the vibrant slime inactive and both the axe and sword blades folded up like a gigantic switchblade.     The huntress drums her gauntlet-covered fingers against the armor of her calf, a vaguely impatient expression narrowing her eyes as she glances between the cave in front of her and the forest to the side. Waiting, waiting... 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     There is a cat here, or something like a cat.     Standing about three feet tall, and very upright, she certainly resembles a cream-colored feline, if one who's much too large for any housecat. Point coloration has marked her nose, ears, tail, and feet in striking brown patches, though most notable of all is the pawprint-looking mark that's right on her belly. She's hanging around Ysabel, gripping a long-hafted clubbing weapon that's got an overstuffed cat's paw for its smashy part, and appearing very curious about the newcomers either arriving, or soon to arrive.     There's a bag slung over her shoulder. It's got a pawprint of its own, but this one's red, giving it...sort of a First Aid appearance. The mouthpiece of a flute or horn-like instrument is poking up through the bag's flap. 

:'''{{#var:181|Psalm (181)}} has posed:'''     There's a yawwwwwwwwn from vaguely behind Ysabel, as the Psalm of Denieth walks out of the warp near the basecamp and in the direction of the Hunter. A slightly tired look in the Bard's eyes as she ties her long hair into something roughy approximating a ponytail, chainmail clinking as she goes.     "Ahoy there, Miss Thibault. I'm here about a Quest." 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     On another alt, this would be the part where a dropship swooped in, opened its door, and a woman in dragonbone armor just jumped the last ten feet without any real harm. This is, however, not that alt.     This alt is a much more low-key, cautious sort of person, even when going out on a job which is essentially 'relaxation and unwinding' for her. So she comes over the water, riding a jetski using Multiversal tech to keep it nice and quiet on the water. It's enough to get her to the shore, and from there she goes into the forest, heading for the coordinates of the base camp.     It's been a long time since Hana's taken something simple like 'kill dangerous beast, get money'. So many contracts involving the war, so much Abstractum work. It's nice to get back to basics and just be a hunter-for-hire once in a while.     When Hana comes out of the forest, it's with a calm, even stride, seemingly unarmed. "Good evening. This would be the camp for the hunt, right? Hana Umikazeno. I'm a mercenary, but I'll do jobs like this gladly if they pay well." 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' For once, Lucatiel of Mirrah finds herself thankful for the fine silk shirt she wears under her leather armour, because it's probably the best kind of garment for this kind of humidity. Humid climates mean that the temperature tends not to drop very much between day and night. That means that the heat is just as hellish after the sun's gone down. Her homeland, on the other hand, is almost a desert climate. It's hellishly hot in the daytime, and it's hellishly cold in the night. It's almost peaceful, though, as she picks her way down to the base camp, from wherever the tropical isle's warpgate happens to be. It has its charm, the knight of Mirrah decides. There's something to be said for the verdant greenery and-- Lucatiel's estoc whips out of its scabbard, to impale an entirely too large insect. A disgusted flick of the blade casts the corpse back from the morass from whence it came, and another neat flick of the wrist casts away the ichor that stains it. "Disgusting," the woman proclaims to herself, under her breath. "The more I see of this multiverse, the more I am convinced of its madness." She wears the same armour that Ysabel may remember her having worn, complete with that magnificent hat and that formidable steel mask, which lends a slight echo to her words. As before, she wears a shield over one shoulder, and two swords -- a cavalry greatsword, and an estoc. Lucatiel arrives on time, or at least as close to that as can be made. She looks like she's coping with the humidity and weather well enough, although her blonde hair looks a lot more frizzy than it normally does. That glowing armour makes for a fine waypoint, and the knight of Mirrah makes her way in that general direction. "Ysabel." No small talk, from her, just a simple greeting. She folds her arms as she shifts her weight in the sand, fingers drumming restlessly against the estoc's elabourate basket hilt. Her eyes turn to the cave, too, or at least her hat and mask do. "In there, I take it?" 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Before too much longer, a big yellow bird comes into view. It's a Spiran chocobo, with Auron on its back. Typical attire from him -- red coat, leather breastplate, sword on his back. Ysabel might recognize the Ice Crest on his back, though. He'll pull the bird close to the camp, and to Ysabel, and then dismount. "Hello," he offers in greeting, with a nod. "It's good to hear from you again, Ysabel."     However, he's quickly onto task again. Looking to the others, he offers a nod of greeting to each in turn. He does seem in a pleasant mood, though, his silent greetings including a small smile that's characteristic of him. Then a look back to Ysabel, and he inquires, "What's the target?" 

:'''{{#var:330|Lance Benson (330)}} has posed:'''     Lance arrives to meet with Ysabel, riding a kind of hoverbike that makes no noise. He is dressed head to toe in an ivory-white heavy coat and light armor set, emblazoned with the Sirius symbol -- two dogs made of fire chasing each other in a circle -- that he's taken to using. His tail sways behind him as he dismounts the futuristic vehicle, his helmet sliding into the collar of his armor, and the cover for the tail blade sliding away as well. He pulls a futuristic firearm from the bike, and looks over at Ysabel with a silent smile.     "Long time, no see," he tells her, sounding warm. But that's about it. He pulls a sliding lever on the firearm, kickstarting the energy rifle with a loud WHIRRRRR noise. The sound makes his own ears flicker.     He looks over the gathered party with mild, feline interest. "Hrm," he sounds out, seemingly approving of the gathering, though it's unclear why. 

:'''{{#var:307|Allyn (307)}} has posed:''' A large sabertooth cat stalks out of the forest and prowls into the base camp. Well, the call over the radio sounded interesting so he decided that he'd come along. He glances around at a few people as he makes his way in, tail twitching back and forth. He wonders for a few moments what Ysabel will think when she sees him, his last run in with her seemed to have shaken her a little. He spots Auron ride in on the chocobo and once he dismounts he prowls over and rubs his head under Auron's hand. "Hello Auron, been a while." he greets the man and then ponders a few moments, "This should be entertaining." He then looks to Chika and tilts his head and twitches his tail again then crouches down a moment before stalking over towards Ysabel just to walk past her, "Boo!" then gives a chuckle like purr, before heading back over towards Auron, since he knows him. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Emiya SHirou is no hunter. He's not even much of a Union operative (or so he'd say.) Why, then is he here? Well, he's arriving a minute or so after Auron from a full sprint, only to stop and rest when he arrives with hands on his knees, sucking in breaths. That doesn't last though. He's only winded because he was trying to keep up with a CHOCOBO, not becuse he's out of shape.     "I'm here!" Whoever the redhead is, anyways. He's only barely dressed for the occasion, having adopted some kind of black fiber-weave armor over his normal clothing to protect his vitals.     "geeze, Auron. That bird sure can run." he remarks, as if lightly othered by eing left behind. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ah, there are people. Ysabel lifts her head as she sees the people she invited beginning to approach the camp, and that's enough motivation for her to slip out of her seat and stand on the beach instead. Her right hand comes to rest on her hip as her left is raised in a brief wave, first to Psalm. "Yeah, that's me. Just...go with Ysabel, alright? Miss Thibault's my mother, and I'm not that old yet."     Hana gets her attention next, first due to the bizarre contraption known as a jetski making her expression twist into a brief look of confusion. After a moment, though, she just sighs through her teeth and shakes her head, saluting to Hana as the oni approaches. "Hana. Yeah, this is the camp. Probably won't need to much tonight, but you never know. Don't worry about the pay, anyway. I've been doing this long enough that I don't particularly care, so I'm fine with splitting it."     Then Lucatiel arrives, drawing a respectful nod from the hunter. "Lucatiel, hey. Coping with the weather alright?" A glance is given to the cave, the sight of which seems to make Ysabel's already hard expression grow slightly more sour. "Yeah, it's in there, whatever it is. Probably shouldn't be too long of a walk."     Auron is another familiar face, and after Ysabel gives a bit of a leer to the chocobo he rides, he gets a nod of greeting. "Good to hear from you, too, Auron. Still got your bow with you, huh?" And there's Lance, whose hoverbike earns a similarly baffled look. Geez, what's with these people and their transportation? The feline mutant doesn't get a smile from her, but pretty much nobody does, as is to be expected. She does spare another nod, though. "Hey, Lance. Nice seeing you here, too - GAH!"     The hunter's brief distraction is the perfect opening for Allyn to strike. Ysabel jumps and shouts in surprise, stumbling aside as her left hand flies to the handle of her switch axe...only for her to glower at Allyn when she recognizes him. "...dammit. I should've expected you to come here, too," she grumbles, straightening up and crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't try anything stupid tonight, okay? I might hit you harder this time."     Ysabel gives a tense sigh, then, shaking her head and turning to Shirou once he arrives. The boy gets a vaguely confused look, but...well, she decides to hope that he's sure of himself. Shirou's given a nod before Ysabel turns to the group as a whole and speaks. "Alright. So the thing we have to fight today is a Meraginas. I...don't really know much about it, honestly, aside from that it's a wyvern and it lives in caves. Should probably expect poor eyesight, if any, and probably some flight. It'll most likely be big enough to eat any of us whole. Other than that...just don't die, and everything should be great. Follow me, let's get this over with." Without another word, the huntress starts off down into the cave, leaving behind the sandy beach and lush trees. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The cave seems to extend for quite some distance almost straight underground, growing darker and darker as the surface becomes farther and farther away. It's eerily quiet, too, save for the dripping of water magnified to an echo that only makes the cave feel even more empty. It's cooler than outside, too, but the air is no less damp, sending a faintly chilly breeze through the dark cave.     Finally, as the tunnel opens up toward a giant cavern that seems to be dimly lit by minerals along the water-slicked floor and dripping walls, another sound can be heard by sharp ears. A soft, high-pitched purr of sorts, perhaps comparable to the song of a frog. The source becomes obvious after stepping just a bit further into the opening of the cavern.     It's a giant black wyvern, a little over eighty feet from end to end. Plates line its back in layers, each one bristling with large, dull orange thorns all the way to the spiraling cone of its tail, where a faint yellow glow can be seen between those plates and at the opening at the very end of the tail. A similar glow shows between the large, sharp outer plates of its membraneous wings, and between the plates of the layered, drill-like horn rising from the end of its nose. That horn is flanked by two curving orange spikes that rise from the creature's brow, and just behind each of those is a giant ear like that of a scaled bat, but lined with more orange thorns. Its eyes are little more than white pinpricks, and just below them is the broad mouth filled with sharp teeth. (http://tinyurl.com/nrcxmas http://tinyurl.com/nm5g3lw)     The Meraginas stands at the opposite end of the cavern, near a larger entrance that descends deeper into the darkness. The wyvern's head is raised, its ears perked as it continues to make that strange churring sound, head turning this way and that on a sturdy neck. It seems to look toward the hunting group more than once, but hardly for a moment before its head moves aside again.     Ysabel makes a vague, low sound before grabbing the Brisant Demolisher from her back. "Looks like it's blind," she mutters. "Probably hunts through sound. If you're ready, then let's go at it." 

:'''{{#var:181|Psalm (181)}} has posed:'''     What a motly crew they've assembled. Psalm knows most of them save Allyn and Chika, and she gives the cat and the wolf a grin as she steps up into the cave with the rest. "Sound, hmm. I can do sound." A little subtle motion as she limber out her arms and her magic. There's a prickle of mana in the air as she smiles and plants the tip of that big greatsword into the rocks at the mouth of the cave. "Ah, just... just keep it off of me while I do this. It will take a bit to set up."     And then she starts to humm, gagueing the resonant frequencies of the cave. Gotta make this sound just right. A clearing of her throat, and... The Bard's Contralto voice rings out in a deep droning lilting song that starts to fill the chamber, attempting to echo it from all of the sides at once. It's a bit like throwing her voice, but she's trying to mask the origin of her music and give everyone else a baseline noise level to work with.     THough if the monster can sniff out magic she's screwed. 

:'''{{#var:330|Lance Benson (330)}} has posed:'''     Lance follows along at a slow gait. Those who are paying attention can tell that he is incredibly heavy. He leaves deep foot prints -- paw-shaped, thanks to his odd leg and foot structure -- but doesn't seem slow or unwieldy. It may be most of his physical threat is in his density. His eyes focus forward into the cave, wide as he's expecting it to be unnaturally dark. Once inside, he activates a light on his armor, shining from the chest plate and his tail. If it's blind like he's been told, then light won't be an issue.     The party stops a bit away from the Meraginas. He frowns at the tremendous beast, the sound it makes getting on his nerves. His ears are very sensitive, after all. "Hmm," he rumbles, considering the party. He looks at each person in turn, trying to judge how durable they are. And then, finally, he lurches forward, and runs toward the wyvern, not terribly concerned with his own wellbeing. Psalm needs a distraction, right?     And he tries to punch it in the nose before it can react, which may be accompanied by a loud metallic THUMP from his own bones if he gets a good hit in. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron chuckles as Allyn rubs his head underneath a hand, and scritches carefully. But no petting, that's for pets, and Allyn is not a pet. Shirou's arrival gets a blink from Auron... whoops! He didn't realize Shirou was trying to keep up. "I apologize. If I'd known you were back there I'd have offered you a ride." It might not look like it, but a chocobo can carry more than one person.     Ysabel tells a little more about the target and Auron follows the others down to the cave system. And when he gets a look at the wyvern in question he draws his sword. Ysabel's mention of it being blind gets a nod. "With ears like that, I'd expect it. Looks like a bat." Pause. "A much larger, much angrier bat."     It also looks like this thing has very thick armored hide. Which means that he needs to try to make it /less/ armored. His approach to the Meraginas is surprisingly quick, darting towards the creature with sudden directional changes. As he draws back, a yellow gleam slides down the blade, and if he manages to make contact with the thing, a small explosion of yellow qi should happen where his blade hits. 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     Chika makes her introductions with an abundant wave for each new face she meets, be it human, human-like, cat-shaped, or bird-shaped, or...orrr whatever Lance's face currently resembles. Without missing a beat, she goes from person to person, making sure it's known both who she is, and that she is definitely, one hundred percent a guild-sanctioned Felyne Comrade. Maybe someday she'll settle down, but today's not that day. Today's hunt marks her first /real/ hunt, after all! Perhaps her excitement is understandable, given that?     Regardless, once everyone's down to business, she's right there beside 'em, sharpening up both her attention and her attitude. Chika falls into line a short distance behind Ysabel, following the huntress deep into the cave. As she goes, her bright blue eyes occasionally turn into brilliant green discs as whatever light source is caught and refracted.     Once the churring is heard, she hunkers down and tightens her grip on her weapon. Though a simple Punch Cat Paw, she certainly makes it look fearsome. She proceeds along on soft paws, creep creep creeping into the chamber behind the rest.     From her safe vantage, she produces one of her magic flutes, and plays a cheerful melody to invigorate all her allies. Anyone who hears the tune and considers Chika at least /tolerable/ will enjoy the benefits of a speed boost. The melody goes on for awhile. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     So there will be pay. Good.     Some of the other people present are people she knows, or at least knows of. Others, she doesn't recognize. However, at the very least she can be cordial and give them polite nods, before falling into pace with Ysabel. "Well, I can certainly promise I won't die. I'm very good at that," she remarks with a dry tone. "100% success rate so far." Some flight. The ability to eat them whole. Interesting mark to be hunting.     She's quiet for most of the walk, but the cavern finally prompts a remark of, "The decor's not too bad, I must admit." Then her eyes find the source of that strange noise, and her twin revolvers drop into her hands out of her sleeves. "Can't say much for the wildlife, though." She's immediately on a run off to the left, nice and fast thanks to Chika's speed boost. "Let's see if I can't disrupt that hearing a little at the source."     The cylinders on her revolvers all clack into place, four nearly-instantaneous clicks that herald her switching of elemental effects. She brings the revolvers up, skids to a brief stop, and starts pulling the triggers, left-right-left-right. Her aim is impeccable, the bullets flying with inhuman accuracy straight towards the Meraginas' ear; and when they hit, they explode into a burst of concussive force, the mixture of an 'air-elemental burst' effect combined with a 'high-impact' boost. 

:'''{{#var:307|Allyn (307)}} has posed:''' Allyn prowls into the cave along with the others, once they have moved out and stops once they reach where the target is. He blinks and tilts his head, never having seen anything like it before. He watches the others go off and attack the wyrvern. Well, so folks are just going to jump right in, ah well it's what he'd usually do. So well, he does the same, charges at the wyvern and leaps at it, claws flashing as he tries to scratch it with them. Sharp claws are good for something it seems. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "The air is thick, here, but I have seen worse." She doesn't say it, but the dismissive statement still seems to imply a certain, non-sarcastic 'thanks for caring.' Lucatiel continues drumming her fingers on the hilt of her estoc, head tilted just slightly to regard the cave mouth, although it's hard to say what she might be thinking. The mask hides her face completely. In fact, the only part of her head showing that isn't clothing is her long, blonde braid. Meraginas. Right. Basically, some kind of wyvern thing. Drangleic has creatures like that, and other, more distant lands; so did Mirrah. She's not inclined to rush in to her doom, though, and so she trails along behind Ysabel. A roll of her shoulder lets her solid metal shield fall, only to be caught deftly and her gauntlets flexed through its straps, holding it tightly. It may not be much use, but then again, it may. The masked knight seems to consider for a moment as she walks, debating which sword to try... and settles on the big one. If this thing's big enough to eat them all, there's no point in messing around, is there? It looks like something that should probably be carried with both hands, but Lucatiel seems to have no especial problems wielding it with /one/. In spite of the dark cave, she doesn't bother taking off her mask or that elabourate hat. Apparently the low light doesn't bother her in the least. ...Oh. Yeah. Hello. That's a big frigging wyvern. Kind of ridiculous-looking, too, with those giant thorned ears. For now she seems content to hang back, and let the others poke at the big angry dragon with sticks. She makes her way near Chika, who is adorable if slightly unsettling in her enthusiasm, and the knight simply waits, sinking into a kneel, sword tip trailing lightly in the dirt, shield arm slung loosely over her thigh as she watches the mayhem that's sure to come. 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     Chika nods at Lucatiel, then furrows her kitty brow and attempts to match her melody to whatever song Psalm's playing. It's the flute that matters more than her music, she thinks, so it doesn't matter too much if she experiments, at least a little. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' And the mask dips slightly in a nod to Chika. Well hello there to you too, adorable kitty girl. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The Meraginas suddenly perks up as it hears Psalm's singing. Strangely, though, it can't seem to tell precisely where it's coming from. It's head turns this way and that, ears lifting and swiveling to try and pinpoint the source of the sound. Before it can manage to do that, though, it suddenly has a remarkably powerful fist driving right into the base of its nose horn.     BGM: http://tinyurl.com/ljdfhne     The Meraginas staggers back with a high-pitched squeal, shaking its head from side to side in confusion and brief surprise. It's enough of an opening for Auron to charge in and strike at its thigh, sending up a burst of yellow on the impact that makes the wyvern cry out again. The plated armor in that area seems a little softer after that strike; probably a good point to aim for, which Allyn does. Sharp claws rake into the creature's black hide as it staggers, leaving deep yellow claw marks in the monster's shell.     Just as the Meraginas finds its footing again, Hana sends bullets right into the monster's ear, each one exploding again and again with concussive force that sends the thorny wyvern's head jerking to the side. The creature gives another snarl before turning to look in the vague direction of its direct attackers, apparently trying to line them up. Or does it think they're all the same person? Difficult to tell, though it seems to be looking toward Lance the most.     With a growl, the Meraginas pulls back its head, just as its drill-like horn begins to gather...swirling wind. That's the only warning that's given before the creature scoops its head forward, digging its central horn into the ground and ripping up some stone in front of it. That's not the main issue, though: the pressure that was gathering around its horn is suddenly discharged, sending a wave tearing through the floor that threatens to send Lance, Auron, and Allyn flying along with the huge chunks of stone that are torn free. Chika and Lucatiel might want to move as well; the wave isn't coming for them, but it's passing awfully close, and those huge chunks of stone could crush the unwary!     Ysabel, for her part, doesn't rush in just yet. The huntress stays back to pull her weapon free from her back, letting the axe blade slide up along the weapon's length just as vibrant slime in red, orange, and yellow hisses into activity along its blade. This isn't something she's faced before, so she's going to take a minute to gauge its abilities before she takes the risk of close-quarters combat. Good thing Chika has that speed boost active, at least, for when she does jump in. 

:'''{{#var:181|Psalm (181)}} has posed:'''     Maggie snorts in panic as the rocks come flying around but manages to catch her song again. Luckily there's enough other noise going on that she can hesitate for a moment. She does hear the buffing music coming from Chika though and smiles WIDE in her singing. There's a shift in the air as that song in fact shifts to an air.     Light and quick and echoing again, but it's got a pep to the step and a urgencey to it. Go Go Go Dance Dance! Take it down my friends and share the bounty! 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     "Is it a bat or a wyvern?" Shirou seems to be agreeing with Auron's opinion regarding the creature, and has also moved to the group's back for a good reason. If that thing gets anywhere near him, he's toast. The best he can do is attack from afar. he's not an inhumanly powerful warrior like the Servants, or even like the warrior-monk Auron here. He's a squishy, if athletic mortal with only a little, highly specialized magic.     But his eyes snap sharply to the beast's great size and thick armor-like hide. "If that can be made into armor, it'd solve Bedivere's problem... alright. Trace, on...!"     Golden light flashes in his hands. In them form two things. IN one, a modern composite bow. In the other... an ancient-styled black longsword. He raises the sword up to the bow like an arrow, and on the way... Kusanagi no Tsurugi thins and stretches into a more arrow-like shape, including growing a notch! So he manages to mount the projected-and-reinforced bow with one of the craziest kinds of arrows there can ever be.     Winds gather around the blade's tip... "Kusanagi...!"     The Noble Phantasm shines and gathers yet more wind... and the moment Shirou unleashes it?     The sword-arrow propels itself with tremendous speed and power. The wind propels it, and a small tornado twists about its business end!     It's aimed right for the creature's chest, too. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' It finally looks like the Meraginas notices that it has company, but that doesn't seem to be enough to pull Lucatiel to her feet. Some people might be meditating or something, but it looks like all she's doing is watching the creature through that ornate mask. Her sword is gripped loosely as though in ready posture, and she crouches with her weight forward on the balls of her feet, but she doesn't move so much as a muscle. Slowly, she climbs to her feet while the Meraginas busies itself with gathering its power and ripping up the stone ground before it. Oh, and a shockwave that manages to tear it up even worse. Which means giant chunks of stone headed hers and Chika's way. Isn't that quaint? And then suddenly Lucatiel is /moving/, faster than it looks like she should be capable of doing, dropping into a crouch in front of Chika with that bronze shield upraised. There's a little too much debris to dance out of range, but this ought to deflect the worst of it. "Stay down!" Stones crash into the shield with the sound of a tin can being stepped on -- it holds up a little better than that, but by the sound of it, the bronze is taking quite a beating. And so is Lucatiel's arm, by the low hiss of breath she gives, prolonged and harsh. Ow-ow-ow. Well, better a bunch of bruising up and down her arm than a crater for her head, anyway. Yet still she doesn't seem inclined to jump into the beast's personal range just yet. The way she's watching the beast and the other hunters suggests that she's biding her time; forming a strategy, perhaps. Rushing in blindly is only going to get her killed, here, and... well, while that's not precisely as much a problem for her as it is for anybody /else/, it's still incredibly /unpleasant/. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron has to plant his blade into the ground at the wave of force that ripples through the ground. He ducks as much of himself behind the wide blade as he can, but it won't save him from all the damage. That's why he used his right arm in front, so it could block. Even with that, the force drags the sword through the rocky ground, sending him back about fifty feet anyway. Between the force and the flying debris hitting him, he's now cut up and scratched. Ow. And that poor sword.     Once he can move again, Auron pulls his sword from the ground. He doesn't immediately leap to attack again, though. Instead he raises the sword up in the air, and concentrates his qi into the blade. Calling out to the spirit of the legendary sword through the spirit of his own sword, he mentally designates the wyvern as a target. Still some distance away, he makes a single slash at the wyvern... and a flurry of slashes will appear in the air, aimed at the beast. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     Hana settles into a steady stance while she waits, arms crossed over and revolvers both pointed at the Meraginas. She's still for a moment, waiting and watching... but while the shots did seem to hurt it, they didn't blow out its hearing in that ear, as she'd hoped. And then it unleashes a pressure wave from its horn, which puts the oni into a dodge which proves unnecessary when the wave doesn't reach her. Instead, she whips up one of her revolvers, switching to a combination of 'high explosive' and 'high-impact' to give her the sheer destructive force she'll need to shoot a few hunks of rock out of the air. Boom.     Then her revolvers switch effects again, and she brings them back to the monster without changing her stance. Her target is the thing's ear once again, but this time she has different effects entirely. The rounds will burst on impact, as before, but this time instead of air, they deliver a burst of /water/ - water which immediately freezes into ice, thanks to the freezing effect on them. She is, in essence, trying to plug its ears with ice, perhaps even damaging its hearing that way. 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     Nothing silences a Felyne's flute!     Except, maybe, you know, very large rocks and extreme sudden peril.     The speed-enhancing melody dies on a squawk, though the effects carry on even without an active tune to power it. Chika's ears prick up and her pupils reduce to tiny alert slits as she realizes the danger bouncing her way. Stones even that size could cream a kitty without difficulty!     ENTER LUCATIEL! Chika ducks behind the offered shield before the worst debris can strike. A few fist-sized stones manage to bounce past Lucatiel's barrier, delivering hard smacks to the Felyne's exposed shin and shoulder, but aside from a displeased RREOWR that escapes her, Chika seems to be mostly okay.     Her tail all a-bristle, she swaps out her current flute for a lower-pitched flute conferring strength boosts to her allies. The next attacks to land on that beastly wyvern will hit harder than before, and perhaps with greater accuracy, too. Chika once again tries to back up Psalm's melody.     She looks pawsitively annoyed. 

:'''{{#var:307|Allyn (307)}} has posed:''' Allyn growls when he is sent flying with the rocks and such that are cause by the creature's attack. He roars in pain as the rocks hit him and smaller sharper pieces get through his fur to cut into his skin. Well, that's not a good thing. Cats don't fly very well, now do they? Well, that's fine, the wyvern wants to play things that way does it? He's not in the air for too long and in true cat fashion he manages to land on his feet, though it is a rather rough and hard landing. He yowls at the impact. It's not a good idea to get close to this thing it seems. He shifts forms, becoming a rather strange looking creature, much like a cobra with four legs. He hisses at the wyvern and then breathes a stream of sand at it. 

:'''{{#var:330|Lance Benson (330)}} has posed:'''     Lance laughs triumphantly after striking the beast, and leaps back in preparation for attacking it again, but this time with the rifle. He is soon met with a retaliation, though, as the creature gains its bearing before he can line up his shot. He frowns and tries to leap back again -- he's got a big jump arc! -- but he gets hammered by stones which... don't shatter his bones. Metal blood spatters to the ground, but his wounds seem shallow and nothing is broken.     He twists in the air, and stops when a pair of wings manifest behind his shoulders. He aims his weapon, and takes a few pot shots with the laser rifle at that spot that Auron weakened before! Each blast is a showy beam of bluish-white light that gives a suitably sci-fi noise out and a crackling like surging electricity on impact. He keeps shooting at the creature like this for as long as he can maintain that point in the air. BOOM BOOM BOOM!!     "Nice one, kid!" Lance shouts over in Shirou's direction, approving of his creativity. The strange mutant man sounds like he's enjoying this whole fight! Despite getting beaned by rocks for his trouble. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Just as the Meraginas recovers from its earth-shattering attack, the strange, whirlwinding sword-arrow goes flying for the creature's chest, striking it dead-on with remarkable force. It doesn't seem to be enough to strike through to the creature's heart, but the way the beast staggers back with the sword's tip lodged in its breast, squealing angrily, it no doubt left an impact.     Just as the creature is recovering, Auron channels a power to /also/ attack from afar. A flurry of slashes dig into its side and wing, cutting into its solid hide again and again to make it stagger aside. Yellow lines appear across its body, a sign that those slashes are at least breaching the black outer hide. This seems like a good enough opening for Ysabel to strike, and so the hunter does, rushing in with her large axe gripped tight in her hands, her speed enhanced thanks to Chika's song. It seems like the wyvern is about to move, but Hana's next assault ensures that it's distracted for a moment more: ice congeals around the creature's right ear, drawing a surprised yelp as the bat-like monster finds its hearing temporarily blocked. Ysabel's axe swings in against its head, striking once, twice, three times, each hit kicking up a spray of green slime that steadily changes to yellow with each successive strike. Chika's next song no doubt helps with that endeavor, judging by the way the Meraginas recoils from the strikes against its head, and Lance's shots blast in surging jolts that strike through its body and create an even louder shriek of pain.     Again, before it can properly react, more ice is sent against it! The frigid stream from Allyn blasts against the creature's shoulder, congealing ice over its shoulder...but the monster doesn't seem particularly bothered by the cold strike. It churrs almost curiously, its good ear lifted up, then turns not to Ysabel, or Allyn, or Hana, or Lance...but to Auron. It must think he's the one doing all this.     Whatever it's considering, it rears back its head before suddenly lurching forward, mouth snapping open to launch an orb of black and yellow energy. The ball smashes down into the ground near Auron, freezing the floor into ice in a large area around the point of impact. More dangerous, however, is the explosion of energy that blasts out from that point: lancing bolts of black and yellow shoot out in an explosion of energy, at once putting Auron, Allyn, Lance, and Ysabel in danger by the sheer size of the blast. The bolts seem to be made from a strange energy, at once cold as ice and rippling with a strange power. Those with a draconic nature are particularly affected, struck through with raw draconic power. It's not aimed perfectly, but clearly the blast makes up for that.     Ysabel herself doesn't manage to get away in time. The huntress attempts to leap, but a bolt strikes her dead in the chest, sending her hurtling back several yards in a painful tumble. It's a good distance before she stops and immediately pushes herself to her feet, wincing slightly with a hand over the faintly burned and frostbitten point just on her chest. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     As soon as it turned its eyes on him, Auron knew he was in for a lot of pain. He is, thankfully, not a dragon. However, he still gets hit by that energy, and flung back against a wall with a loud thud that knocks the wind out of him. He slides down to the floor, coughs. "Ghn..." He shakes his head. Answers the status report on the radio, and then gets to his feet again.     Following Ysabel's advice on the radio, he aims an attack from a direction apart from one the others are attacking in. 

:'''{{#var:330|Lance Benson (330)}} has posed:'''     Lance has to stop firing to eject the clip from the energy rifle he's using, the clip flying through the air and shattering in a spray of blue sparks. He reaches to pull another off his thigh, slapping it into the rifle. He keeps up with the Meraginas' movements easily enough, but he soon has to land again, not wanting to overuse his flight in a combat situation. He doesn't have a lot of magic strength these days.     And then he gets caught in a blast of dragon and ice energy that sends him flying across the battlefield. Because his blood is liquid metal, it solidifies inside of him for a second and the party is treated to the bizarre sight of a petrified Lance tumbling across the cavern floor leaving harsh grooves in the ground. He flexes his muscles afterward, steam rising off of him and his eyes aglow with a buildup of heat in his body.     The mutant grunts, realizing the spill he just had shattered his weapon. He decides to switch up his tactics, and manifests a black energy around one of his hands. He flicks this aura of darkness at the bat-dragon, and a loud BOOM occurs near the dragon's head where a buffeting explosion of force expands outward, sending an acidic spray of black energy into the creature's face for it to deal with. "This fight is making me HUNGRY!" he calls out, excitedly grinning around the words. 

:'''{{#var:181|Psalm (181)}} has posed:'''     Woops and now we're pretty much out of any sort of confusion that Psalm could manage to offer. The Bard smiles, pats Chika on the back as she keeps playing. "Good work, kitty..."     And then she's running in, that great sword glistening dangerously. Magic energy seeps from the blade as the Bard's tone changes, turns hazardous and deadly as she charges in behind the rest. This time the song is a keening Elven Call to Arms, urging, goading and compelling.     And Maggie throws herself in at a flank of the beast, the sword lashing out to slash at it.     And anyone who does the same, charges in, will find they carry the strength of the Cavalry behind them. 

:'''{{#var:307|Allyn (307)}} has posed:''' Allyn hisses as he's caught in the blast of ice, which slows him down a little. Its cold afterall and he's currently a reptile type creature. He shakes his head and winces a little. Over the radio he hears the command to attack it from different directions instead of all being bunched together. he wanders away from the others and looks for a good place to attack from. He tilts his head, eyeing the creature for a few moments and then breathes sand at it again. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     This time, Hana's choice in methods bears fruit. There's a brief flicker of satisfaction in her eyes as she watches the beat flail angrily, and then she's on the move again. Not firing her weapons at all, not bringing attention to herself, letting the others keep its aggression directed elsewhere. Right around the outer edges of the cavern, at the full speed she can manage.     As soon as she comes around far enough to have a decent shot, rather than stopping her momentum she simply takes a short hop, turns in mid-air, and lands on one knee and one foot, skidding along the ground while facing the Meraginas. Her guns are both whipped up into another perfect firing posture, and for the second time, the oni opens fire with those ice-spreader rounds of hers, trying to freeze the second ear over much as she did the first. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Icy blasts come flying Shirou's way! Thankfully he's at the group's rear, and most of them take the worst of it before it reaches him. he gets a nasty blast of freezing power at him though, and it makes his whole body shivers and shudder, fingers now freezing cold. To counter this, he channels prana through to heat them up. It works, but he still staggers, struggling to breathe despite the icy cold. Wow, that's one heck of a creature!     But he saw what worked. He saw how deep his strike got. Now if he could just hit something vital, since nothing less really counts...     Inspired by success, he produces YET ANOTHEr copy of Kusanagi and performs the same alterations to it - the legendary sword becomes an arrow, is drawn across the bow, and launched. WIND SWORD ARROWS!     In a display of ruthless pragmatism, he uses every second he's got to keep firing them. One after another. Trace, alter, draw, fire. Again, and again.     he can easily manage a half-dozen Kusanagis like that. The air is full of howling tornado-swords of legendary power, all headed where the first one went! 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     It's time.     Bolstered by Psalm's magic, and a bit of her own, Chika twirls her flute in her grasp before thrusting it away into her pack. The way she snaps her pack closed is decisive and seems to carry great significance, as if by putting away her flute, Chika's come to some kind of life-affirming decision. The way she swings her weapon around to the fore only enhances the dramatic effect. Somewhere behind the clawed cat's paw, she nods her determination. "Striking Ysabel is unacceptable! You big brute -- now it's time you learned your lesson!"     Mrrowr!     Chika races forward, swings her weapon up over her head, and brings it smashing down on the wyvern's flank in a series of battering blows that kick up some dust.     After she attacks, she tries to bounce up its spiked shoulders, to deliver one more punishing THWACK to its head, before she tumbles back down to the cave floor in an overbalanced heap.     Hrrowr! Mrah! 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' Lurching back to her feet, Lucatiel shakes out her shield-arm for a few seconds, trying to banish the numbness that threatens. That was a pretty terrific wallop. Her mask is tilted up, though, watching the angry Meraginas with a calculating eye, and keeping close watch over what the others are doing to it. (Or having done to it, in Auron's case.) Then Chika is the next to launch into the fray, swearing vengeance on Ysabel, although the monster hunter looks like she's pretty well able to take care of herself. Lucatiel herself straightens a little, considering the monstrous wyvern in front of her. Hmm. To solve this puzzle, all she has to do is think -- what would Aslatiel do in this situation? Something stupid, probably. The fencer kicks off from the ground, following in Chika's immediate footsteps. In mid-stride, she slings her shield back up over her shoulder, gripping the hilt of that big, claymore-like sword in one hand as though it were made of wood. Her other hand rips the estoc free from its sheath, and as she nears the creature, she whips the estoc around to try and plunge it into the wyvern's flank. From there she uses it like a handhold, throwing herself higher onto the beast's back and retrieving the estoc with a neat flourish of the wrist, sheathing it and bringing her greatsword around -- mostly, with the intent of swinging it around and attempting to hack deep into the joint of one formidable wing. The less that thing can flail around to smack its hunters around, the better. Of course, this is all hoping that the creature decides everybody else is a more interesting target than the second thing running up its back. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The Meraginas growls in apparent satisfaction where it stands, claws scratching against the ground and kicking up sparks of glaring yellow. Its head lifts once more, its one good ear swiveling...and it falls under attack from many angles at once.     BGM: http://tinyurl.com/n497s9a     Hana freezes over its good ear, drawing an angry screech as the creature stumbles aside in surprise. Allyn's blast of sand smashes against its wing just as Psalm's blade cleaves into its opposite leg and Auron's sword carves against its tail, all attacks enhanced in their raw power by Psalm's song on top of the support offered by Chika. Lance's explosive assault blasts against the wyvern's head; it stumbles back squealing, one orange horn chipped and some of the ice on its ears cracked, but not shattered. Whirling Kusanagis strike at the wyvern again and again, and while its staggering makes it hard to aim for the chest, those swords find purchase in the softer scales of the bat-dragon nonetheless. Lucatiel's estoc digs into its flank, and the larger greatsword cleaves into the joint of one wing after some determined hacking. Even Chika attacks, smacking against the wyvern's rough scales with more strength than someone her size should be able to muster, cracking into the creature's black hide again and again.     Ysabel is still in the process of recovering, but she's far enough away that she doesn't have to worry much about the Meraginas' reaction. Blind, deafened, and assaulted from all angles, the strange wyvern seems pushed to desperation, and in a fit of rage, it rears up and /screams/. The effect is dazzling.     The force of the creature's cry splinters the stone around it in a wide area, and every single orange spike and horn and the gaps where armored plates meet suddenly flare with brilliant yellow light. The Meraginas leaps, and its wings beat as best as they can, sending it up into the air and casting down a powerful gust of wind. It's not in the air for long, though, before it flips...and /slams/ into the ground on its back. The impact shatters the stone floor even further, knocking up debris against those closest to it, but that's only part of the attack. More of that crackling yellow-black energy is discharged from the impact, sending bolts lashing out at the party where they stand with a single grand explosion!     Ysabel, at least, is far enough to be spared. The Meraginas is lodged in the ground on its back for a moment, too; the perfect opportunity for her to run in. And so she does, clenching her teeth and sprinting, closing the distance to the creature's head. The switch axe slams into the Meraginas again, kicking up an orange spray of slime. As Ysabel brings it around again, the axe blade slides down the weapon's length as the sword blade flips up and locks into place, changing the weapon's formation to its sword form. More slime hisses to life on the sword's blade, and the weapon is coated in a red glow as Ysabel swings it down to cleave into the wyvern once, twice...and with the second strike, the slime becomes unstable, creating a powerful explosion against the wyvern's head. The creature screams once more, rolling over onto its feet.     Once Ysabel leaps away and the smoke from the explosion clears, it can be seen that the creature's horns are gone, even the thick drill horn, whose core is a glaring yellow. 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     Chika is not half so lucky as Ysabel!     It's not so surprising that a Felyne can't take a hit the way an armed and armored hunter can. As Meraginas looses its terrible roar, Chika's sent bouncing across the ground in a dizzying tumble. As Meraginas comes crashing down, back-spikes first, Chika's right in the line of fire. It takes a desperate scramble to avoid being crushed -- but the near-collision is still a frightful event, made worse by the shockwaves and splitting ground. Chika bounces across the ground, gets pelted by rocks, and picks up her fair share of bruises and scrapes in her attempt to duck for cover wherever she can find it.     Disarmed in the hullabaloo, and more than a little disoriented, Chika's left reeling in the back of the chamber. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     The sudden scream is enough to stagger Hana, who crosses her arms over herself protectively. She lowers them about the time the Meraginas reaches the peak of its jump, at which point it's too late for her to do anything to hit it in the air. She grimaces, taking a cautious step back... and that's when it comes down.     The bolt coming her way isn't something the oni is prepared for. Her spinning dodge comes a moment too late, and it clips her as a result, drawing out a pained hiss. But as ever, she's an oni, and hardy enough to not let the pain faze her. The spin brings her up in another stable firing stance, and this time her weapons have changed to a tried-and-true damage combo.     Each pull of the trigger dispenses a round endowed with armor-piercing properties - and once a round pierces the creature's hide, it will explode, in an utterly vicious combination. 

:'''{{#var:181|Psalm (181)}} has posed:'''     Maggie's body goes sprawling after the puts some blood on her sword, the Gleamsong Edge sputtering merrily away as more magic broils away the fluids.     But she's got ot catch her breath before she can get her own music running again, the blade holding the tune for a few moments while that happens. But so much is happening so quickly, and she's not sure how much longer for this world the massive beast is destined.     The Song Shifts again, to a Droning Dwarven Dirge. A song of Ending. Of Passing, of the Hunt. An Honor to Prey.     End it. 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     The shaking of the ground rocks Auron's stance, making it impossible to get out of range of that energy. The explosion sends him skidding across the ground, and when he comes to a stop, his hair and clothes are smoking. That /really/ hurts! But Auron is nothing if not tenacious... so even though it takes him a few moments, and his arms wobble as they push him back up, he gets back to his feet. He can't take much more of that; hopefully he won't have to.     Seeing Chika, he heads over in her direction, hoping to cover her against any more attacks coming her way. And he watches the thing flailing. He doesn't want it to get up before the others can finish it off. So he gets an idea. This usually doesn't work on 'boss' monsters, and he's not sure if this one qualifies as that. But he decides to give it a shot anyway. At least it doesn't have to hear for this to work.     Concentrating qi into his throat, he points at the creature with his left hand, and then sweeps that hand from right to left in a quick, almost dismissive gesture. When he speaks, his voice seems to echo abnormally in the cave around him, as if the sound didn't want to fade normally, but rather wanted to layer on itself in the air.     "DO NOT MOVE!"     Hopefully this will hold it in place, hopefully still in that vulnerable position, for the others to strike it. 

:'''{{#var:307|Allyn (307)}} has posed:''' Allyn hisses in pain as the crackling energy along the ground hits him. Well, that's not good at all. He stands there for a few moments stunned from the odd sight of the wyvern leaping on its back and the energy. After a few long moments he shakes his head and hisses again. He ponders what to do this time. Sand seems to work, but does he want to try that again. Well, lets try something a bit more wreckless, he begins running towards the creature and leaps into the air in an attempt to body slam the creature. 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     Chika's going to stay right where she is! As Auron guards her, she occasionally gives her head a shake, but she remains pretty wobbly even after the initial shock wears off. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' Baring her teeth behind her mask, Lucatiel goes with the flow, trying to keep her balance as the creature rises up. Mostly, she does this by returning her greatsword to its scabbard, whipping the estoc out of its scabbard, and attempting to shove it between armoured plates, because it makes for a convenient handhold. Bracing her boots against the Meraginas' craggy hide, she does the only thing she can think of, and that's hold on for dear life, because being thrown off and trampled would be painful. Also, she probably wouldn't survive it. This thing looks ridiculously heavy. Wrenching her estoc deeper into the hide, Lucatiel looks up to watch the thing try to rage its way into victory, and also because there are people lobbing explosive things at the beastie while she's trying to 'ride' it like a bucking bronco. This was, in retrospect, a really dumb idea. Thanks, Aslatiel. While she can't do a lot of damage until it stops trying to shake her off, she can at least maintain her perch here. Shifting her grip and stomping a boot against its hide, Lucatiel holds on for dear life, occasionally shifting her grip on the hilt to shove the blade even deeper. It may not be terribly damaging, but it's got to be annoying! And distracting. And therefore possibly helpful to the others. 

:'''{{#var:330|Lance Benson (330)}} has posed:'''     The wyvern screams with such strength that Lance finds himself in a bad way. He is slammed into by the sound, his ears flicking backward-- and he's open to the pain of the dark bolts of energy as they rain down on everyone. He shouts in pain as he's sent flying into one of the walls of the cave with a loud impacting noise like a wrecking ball. He pulls himself off the wall after that, and hisses from the pain throbbing in his head.     He doesn't let it deter him long. He barrels toward the bat dragon and leaps up into the air. He tries to land on the spiky creature with violent force, and begins just clawing at it with both hands, his tail stabbing and poking like an extremely angry scorpion. But he doesn't look angry. He looks like he's having a blast, even now. He happens to be aiming for the weak points created by Lucatiel's stabbing motions, and tries to keep an eye on what she's doing so he's not hogging any real estate on top of the thrashing creature.     Unlike the others, he doesn't seem very concerned with the actual spikes. Regeneration is quite a blessing for him. It also makes him insane and reckless. Whee~ 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     "Whwagh--" Shirou's knocked clean off his feet by all the rumbling, and thrown backwards. This good, since being on the ground means more debris lands on him than slams INTO him. Mostly pebbles. a few lareger rocks... but hey, much better than getting clobbered in the side by a boulder.     Grunting and bruised, also a little bloodied, Shirou pulls himself to his feet and tries something a litle different. A different blade forms in his hand. A weapon of obsidian, though it's carved blade glows a hot white. The jagged, primitive design is fierce and bears the favor of a war god.     Yet even this weapon he alters, transforming it into an arrow. It's much LONGER than Kusanagi... "This obsidian arrow will pierce even reason itself..."     It's mounted, drawn back... and released. There is no special elemental show when this thing flies for the thrashing beast, but its passage is ominous. The blade that cuts down all that stand in its way now cleaves a path right for the Meraginas! 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     People go flying, though Ysabel seems mostly focused on the tumbling Felyne. Her frown grows more pronounced as she lets the others take care of the Meraginas; she, instead, rushes over to stand between Chika and the wyvern, poised just beside Auron with her switch axe held in front of her in its sword configuration. Just in case the thing gets up enough to strike again.     Just as the Meraginas begins to get to its feet, however, Auron's words strike through it in a powerful command. As much as it wishes to rise, that power-infused order keeps the wyvern where it is on its side, hissing and squealing in pained rage. It's perfectly open, and everyone takes the opportunity presented.     Allyn's bodyslam crashes into the wyvern's weakened chest with a sharp /crack/. Armor-piercing bullets strike through the bat-like monster's solid hide, exploding and sending plated shells flying from the assaults again and again. Lucatiel's sword digs deeper into the injured joint, and Lance's vicious, bestial assaults dig into the wounds already formed to make them worse and worse. And finally, a great, curved blade is formed by Shirou, and its jagged length flies true: the chest that was already weakened is pierced deeply by the sword, far deeper than the Kusanagi had dug in before. The Meraginas struggles and howls, but after a time, it simply can't hold up any further. The wyvern's yellow glow dissipates in a cloud of sparkling gold that poofs off its body, and with a last, churring growl, it finally collapses against the cave floor.     Victory! http://tinyurl.com/mx3rjh2     Ysabel takes a breath once the Meraginas falls, then lets it out in slow relief. The Brisant Demolisher's slime mold fades away, and the sword blade flips back into its resting position before she tucks it on her back again. "...finally. For a blind and deafened monster, that thing was a pain in the ass. Are you all holding up alright?"     A glance is given back to Chika. The hunter pauses for a moment, then reaches into the small satchel at her waist. After a moment of rummaging, she pulls free a small yellow vine with tiny flowers along it, and after crouching down beside Chika, she hands the faintly aromatic vine to the Felyne. A sprig of Felvine! "Nice work." 

:'''{{#var:577|Chika (577)}} has posed:'''     Felvine?!     Chika's right ear perks up; then, her left. Her nose quivers. Her eyes widen, and her pupils follow, spreading out into two matched discs of gleaming black /interest/. With a purring chirrup of a mew, she pounces onto the vine, and instantly forgets all her pains and worries because /this smells so good/. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' Lucatiel hangs on as the creature collapses, because that's about all she has the wherewithal (or the balance) to do. She waits a few moments after the creature sags, if only to make sure that she won't be trampled by its death throes. It stops twitching, though, and she finally wrenches her estoc free-- Or tries. It sticks in the stiff hide. Frowning behind her mask, she braces a boot against the Meraginas, heaving with all her weight and back, and the estoc finally comes free with a faint /pop/ and a spatter of the wyvern's blood, sending Lucatiel tumbling gracelessly backward to land flat on her rump. The masked swordswoman picks herself up, flicks the gore from her blade, and replaces it at her hip with a quiet snort. "Tenacious," she comments, stepping back to let the others discuss tallying up the loot and the remains. She'll be happy with some kind of monetary compensation. And maybe a hot meal. Hot meals are nice. 

:'''{{#var:330|Lance Benson (330)}} has posed:'''     Lance is sitting atop the dead wyvern. He looks down at it for a while, covered in its blood. He licks some of the blood off his nose, seriously considering the corpse. Ysabel talks to him, and his head raises to look at her, but when he looks at her, he looks through her like she's barely even there, to him. He holds up one hand, with his index finger raise. 'Hold on.'     And then he SLAMS his hand into one of the wounds, and pulls out a chunk of wyvern meat, which he crams into his mouth. He contentedly chews and sits there, and he begins to purr, too. He's just...significantly less adorable about it. 

:'''{{#var:357|Hana Umikazeno (357)}} has posed:'''     Finally the monster dies, and for a few seconds, Hana holds her crouched stance, unmoving.     Then she stands up, still aiming her revolvers at it, and holds /that/ stance for a few more seconds.     Finally, apparently satisfied that it's not going to get back up and attack them, she lowers her arms, and then just releases her grip on the Girls. Rather than falling to the ground, they dart back up her sleeves, safely stored.     "I took a hit from one of those bolts of energy, but it doesn't feel serious," Hana replies to Ysabel, twisting her body a bit to test her right side. "So now what? Do we have to bring part of it in to collect our payment, or...?"     Lance's snacktime doesn't seem to faze her in the least. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Emiya SHirou seems okay enough.     Until he sees Lance tear out a chunk and gulp it down raw. That makes him turn VERY QUEASY, and very much in a different direction. "...I'm okay." He squeezes out. Bwegh.     Though he also approaches Ysabel a few moments later. "Uh... I'm not interested in the reward so much as I am some of the hide. It looks like it'd be great armor for a friend..." Or maybe himself...? Maybe. "If that's not spoken for." He'd hate for it to BE spoken for. 

:'''{{#var:181|Psalm (181)}} has posed:'''     Maggie, for her part, slumps to the floor of the cavern, and sighs. Her chainmail clinks a bit as she pulls out a bottle of water from her haversack, taking swigs to try and rest her vocal chords. She 'watching people eat and start to squabble over the kill, and she's perfectly alright with that. This was more practice for Bigger Things. Always bigger. 

:'''{{#var:307|Allyn (307)}} has posed:''' Well, the creature is dead it seems, so not much else to do. He shifts back into his wolf form since things are done and shakes out his fur, eyeing the dead creature for a few moments. He pads over towards Auron though afterwards, "That was kind of interesting." he wags his tail a little. "I think I am going to wander here a while and see if there's anything else interesting like this thing." 

:'''{{#var:236|Auron (236)}} has posed:'''     Auron's not sure who Ysabel's comment is aimed at, so he answers, though it's a short response. "Nothing too serious." He pauses at Lance's chowdown, but doesn't say anything about it. He just hopes Lance doesn't eat anything they're supposed to turn in. He doesn't give it a second glance after that first rather confused one.     Allyn's words get Auron's attention, and he nods. "Be careful," he cautions. "From what I've seen, this isn't the only huge monster in this world. If you get caught in there, come back to the camp. It should be safe." 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Once Ysabel is pretty confident that everyone isn't about to keel over, she turns to Hana with a brief nod. "We'll have someone from the Guild come out and check out the body for proof. It'll take a bit to work out, but I can just send your payment over when the paperwork's finished if you don't want to wait around for a while. Technically..." She frowns a little, rubbing the back of her head. "...I took this one on solo, so you didn't officially come with me. I'll have to transfer the reward over, but I don't really care about it anyway."     Allyn gets her attention next, drawing another light frown. "...alright, fine, go out and do whatever you want," she grumbles, waving a hand at him. "There'll be a lot out there, but don't blame me if it eats you." Shirou gets her attention next. "Well, you helped take care of it, so you deserve to have some of it. I can just have a blacksmith make an armor set for your friend, though, if you give me their proportions. They take care of shit like that all the time, and they'll be able to imbue it with the monster's properties more effectively." Her head lifts to the others. "That goes for the rest of you, too. If you want some kind of equipment from this thing, I'll have it commissioned and sent over." A glance to Lance, who gets a vaguely scrunched look. "...or you can just do it your way, that works too."     A glance is given to Psalm. The huntress rummages in her satchel for a moment before producing a vial of very cold blue liquid with a strange, ice-like crystal floating in it. "Hey. Psalm. This might help with your throat." She tosses it to the bard, trusting her to catch it, then crosses her arms and turns back to the Meraginas.     "Well...I guess that's it for tonight. Thanks for helping out, all of you. You were better suited for this than I thought." 

:'''{{#var:181|Psalm (181)}} has posed:'''     Maggie smiles up at Ysa, and happily takes the bottle of... whatever that is, swigging merrily. 

}}

1000/The Legend of the Black Fox

2014-11-24T18:48:41Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/11/19 |Location=Azuma |Synopsis=After receiving a message from Oinari, the Union travels to Azuma to investigate the former palace of Kagenash..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/11/19
|Location=Azuma
|Synopsis=After receiving a message from Oinari, the Union travels to Azuma to investigate the former palace of Kagenashi and learn some of her past.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=85, 232, 346, 369, 481, 482, 520, 548, 560, 575
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     To reiterate: a letter from Oinari, goddess of the kitsune of Azuma, was sent to the Union requesting aid. The kitsune have been occupied as of late with particularly bold youkai all around the island, and so there were really not enough that could be spared to investigate word of activity in an ancient, abandoned palace deep within the region of Byakko. A palace, Oinari was certain to note, which was last active approximately a century ago, serving as the base of operations for a powerful nogitsune who attempted to conquer all of Azuma. If the source of the activity /is/ Kagenashi, better to send in those who have shown to at least be able to more reliably overwhelm her.     The mountains of Byakko are filled with the colors of autumn at all points in the year, though it seems particularly fitting now, as people journey to the point where the palace is located. The thin forests are a canvas of red, yellow, orange, and brown, marked through with winding dirt roads that lead from one mountainside village to another. Where the Union is going on this cloudy evening, however, is not where any road will lead.     BGM: (http://goo.gl/CiFVE7)     Clearly no one was meant to get to this palace easily. Anyone attempting to get there by land would have to pass through untamed forests and rocky crags to reach a particular peak devoid of all but a few scattered, vibrantly red trees. Closer inspection reveals that they may not be normal trees, either; scattered in the earth around their roots are a variety of bleached bones, and their leaves are a much deeper red than the natural color that autumn would provide. At least avoiding them on the path to the palace will be very easy, if they do prove to be a danger.     The faded, black palace itself was clearly a grand structure some time ago, but a century of neglect has left it a ragged and broken shell of its former grace. It still stands tall, the central layered structure reaching high into the air with a good seven levels, all done in a clearly Japanese design of sloping roofs along each floor, though shingles have long since fallen and shattered in droves, and large holes formed from either age or violence have torn through roofs and walls. Paper windows have been turned to useless shreds and frames by weather and insects alike. Two smaller structures serving as flanking wings on either side of the main building look no better than their companion as they stand in silent, lonely vigil, overlooking their isolated mountain peak.     While the peak seems devoid of any real wildlife, that's not to say it's entirely silent. The wind blows in whistling, mournful streams, but it only serves as a backdrop to the musical sounds coming from the palace that can be heard from a great distance away. While clearly coming from instruments native to this world, they sound less like they're being played by musicians and more like they're birds in the wild, singing unmatched and lonely songs to one another, filling in the silence with their own sound just to make sure it isn't so quiet anymore.     The large double doors that mark the entrance are barely hanging on their hinges anymore. It seems as if something powerful broke in at some point. Whatever it was, it's left the way open to enter the palace. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     Dressed in black from head to toe like a man in permanent mourning, the youthful dhampir known simply as 'D' strides onto the scene in his customary silence. His gait is calm, and his pale countenance one of utter serenity; furthermore, there is an air of ease about him which could only come from great experience. How often had he faced strangeness and decay for its sight not to perturb him, or at least leave him tense and on guard? Could it be he does feel these things, but is so adept at disguising his emotion that not one shiver of dismay ripples his icy surface?     The truth will go undivined and unrealized except by someone who knows him inside and out, and no one fitting that description is likely to be here. One shadow among many, D slips through the broken doors, and comes to a tall, silent standstill in the courtyard, where he waits for others to appear. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     A prowler of the night leaps across the tree branches, moving from perch to perch with nimble and inhuman grace. Kirika is here, and she's content to get out of the cities and urban areas for once in a while. Here things are slightly more familiar for her, the forests great in size and the air fresh to the lungs.     She only slows upon noticing the black clad dhampir, then she begins to warp from branch to branch until she makes a final leap for the ground. "D." She bows her head to the vampire hunter, gladdened he's back to work again after...things.     Her feet are bare, she prefers it that way from years of living in the mountain regions her mother had raised her in. They won't be in much pain from the rough terrain as she begins the ascent up the mountain path.     Through the door she goes, Kinugiri close at hand, and she awaits the others alongside D for the time being. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako of course saw the letter and decided to go immediately! She happens to like kitsunes after all. And so she flies towards the mountains of Byakko on her broomstick, riding side-saddle on it. Once in a while, a burst of mist is expelled from the broomstick's brush, maintaining Ayako's air speed. As she flies, she glances downwards at the ground, appreciating the view and especially the colors of autumn from the trees below.     As she approaches the peak, she shields her eyes with her right hand, pressing her pointer finger horizontally against her forehead to look at the destination. "Eh? Those leaves are really red..." Ayako flies closer to the ground to get a better look and then spots the black palace. "Whoa... that's a nice palace... well... was, but still..." She brings her broom down by the entrance doors and hops off once close to the ground, picking up her broomstick afterwards. Her eyes dart around quickly and her spiritual senses are on as well. Old places like this tend to have a lot of things that are unseen to normal sight, after all! She quietly walks through the doors and enters the courtyard as well.     "Ah. Hello Kirika!" Ayako smiles cheerfully at her. And then curtseys towards D and everyone else that should arrive that she doesn't know. After that... she glances around slowly, yet alertly. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     An opportunity like this doesn't come twice. There's no way Shizune would be missing it.     After their last clash, the young martial artist had made a vow, both to herself and to Kagenashi. Her handling of the nogitsune has been foolish. Childish. She has only fought on blindly, letting her righteous indignation and adolescent anger turn her into nothing more than a fist swinging back at the fox woman. She should have known better than that. Her finest weapon has always been her words; her fist should be no more than the steel waiting behind the silk. The promise that rarely needs to be kept.     This is an opportunity for Shizune Nakamura to learn more about Kagenashi, even if it's only by learning more about the world the youkai hails from. Thus, as she dances and vaults her way through the trees, she moves with a calm purpose and a laser focus. So it is that when she lands beside D and Kirika, she is adjusting her glasses and looking up calmly at the castle. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     The possibility of learning more of Kagenashi has Shirou interested. He doesn't really care too much about her - or didn't, until he looked up her deeds... but with those combined with her often dropping by at Dun Realtai? It's worth a trip! And an organized trip has far less chance of going wrong...     He's keeping away from those trees. He just needs to see the bones to understand the deep red, and he has to wonder if the trees haven't gotten a taste for blood...     He's dressed warmly enough! A jacket over his normal clothes is just fine for now. he's unarmed and has only a small pack of food, water, and a first aid kit with him... 

:'''{{#var:548|Xau'ra Tayuun (548)}} has posed:''' Xau'ra has come here either because he heard the notice from the Union side or perhaps the ears to the ground lead him to this grand adventure in the making! Besides, he really needs to get away from Eorzea and all the mess there. They were starting to cramp his style! The Miqo'te Keeper of the Moon moves easily through the forest, for the forest was native to him-- at least living in one. He knew of the elements and he knew how to hunt, track, survive. Yet as he continued his way, moving over bushes with ease and barely disturbing the ground as he jogged. The trees of red leaves and bleached bones caught his attention as he looks over at it with reflective gold eyes for a moment, covered over by the red lens goggles he wears. Though given how dark it is starting to get, he wont need them for much longer. He comes to a momentary halt to examine this. His black feline tail moves ever so slightly as his ears train on what he looks at. Though as the wind may blow or anything may rustle, his left ear moves ever so slightly toward the noise, though no where near the rotation that an actual cat has. He pulls down the brim of his Fedora slightly and then keeps on moving. There was no time to maybe hang around here and let whatever may be up with these trees make him their next meal. At least that is what he figures-- these trees are probably like treants. Forest guardians to what lies ahead. When it comes to climb the mountain face, he does so with simple ease. Scaling the cliff side, staying away from the path encase of traps really. His acrobatics and skilled dexterity move him up, until he arrives at what should be the entrance which he flips himself over and his hand already going down for one his scabbard swords. To realize several things. One-- this place is kinda creepy. Two-- there may be some really awesome stuff to steal... what? Who is going to miss it! Three-- he isn't alone. Which causes him to wave at others who may be standing around. "Hey there!" ..ok.. so maybe two /wont/ happen. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      There had been whisperings of trouble in the world from which one of the guests of Dun Realtai hailed, which had demanded the attention of the lady of that castle and its lord, her trusted Left Hand.      Today, to particularly put her marshal at ease, the Servant Saber rode in mounted on horseback, taking a large grey mare out on their excursion from Dun Realtai's modest stables. In the more modern times, she preferred the restored Yamaha V-Max, especially in situations when she anticipated violence. Her class skill of Riding made handling the mechanical beast a simple matter, not to mention that as a machine, it did not feel pain and thus the flaxen-haired knight had little need to go out of her way to protect it other than simple convenience.      Dressed in the armour she typically wore for official functions as well as for battle with her ermine-lined cloak settled over her shpoulders, Saber allowed her gaze to drift out over the autumnal forests of Byakko. The brilliant colours were vaguely reminiscent of those of the season in Britain, where the oaks and other trees would turn all manner of red, orange, brown, and gold. Yet, the colours here were too vibrant even for the fall, something hinting at the supernatural that the Servant was keenly attuned to. The twilight did nothing to assuage that ethereal sense, as if there were all manner of spirits beginning to awaken in spite of signs of the expected wildlife.      Jade eyes flicked to the blue-grey of her lieutenant. It would definitely set him on edge, given his own sensitivity to such things. Especially now.      Those jade eyes flicked back to the ruined structure as the party approached, critically examining the centuries of neglect. /What could have caused it to be abandoned?/ she wondered, and her marshal would be able to 'hear' that thought as is she had spoken it. /This place feels somehow...wrong./      As they neared, Arturia spotted those already gathered; the familiar forms of the other Unionites discernible. Not far from the group, she dismounted easily, nodding her greeting to them. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' There is a plaintive quality to the silence and the instruments that lend sound to this lonely reach, or the way the black palace stands over itself, hunched as though cowering under the weihgt of its hundred years of solitude. Sir Bedivere is also here, having travelled with Arturia; he rides his own steed beside Arturia's, a big bay mule that looks better suited to hauling plows than carrying riders. He wears his own armour, though it's badly battered, and his mantled white cloak bears its fair share of mended stitches. All told, the knight's equipment is somewhat battered and timeworn, much like the knight himself. Although the autumn scenery is beautiful, there is a sinister edge to it that has the marshal tense in his saddle. There is a brightness to the colour that almost makes his eyes hurt to behold them, and while he lacks the honed senses of his king, he's still obviously on edge. His faded violet eyes are everywhere, flicking to overhanging boughs, studying the shadows in the abandoned palace. /I do not know./ He 'answers' with a sidelong look to Arturia. It isn't telepathy; rather, the two are of such a similar mind and personality that they need not speak in words. /But this place feels wrong. There are bones beneath the trees and the wind sings a song I am not certain I want to hear./ He wears his sword, too, just in the event that something might happen here. There's a careworn quality to it, though, and a careworn quality to him. Truth be told, he's still a little ill, but he wouldn't let that stop him from responding to that call. Kagenashi is a person of interest to him. He's privately convinced that she has some compelling reason to remain in Dun Realtai beyond amusement, and he's determined to find out what it is... before it's too late. When Arturia pulls her horse to a halt, he does the same, patting the mule's neck and easing himself over the animal's right side, tying the reins to a broken piece of debris that is, hopefully, too heavy for the animal to wander away from. He nods his own greeting to their allies, but he doesn't speak, absently rubbing the leather-padded fingers of his right gauntlet over the steel plating of the back of his left hand. It is, as some of them might know, where his command seals are -- perhaps an unconscious tell that this place makes him extremely uneasy. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     The courtyard isn't a very expansive place, not much more than a square of land ringed by canopied walkways. It seems there was a pool, but whatever order it had is long since lost, making it a pond coated in algae and filled with life that no one would want in such a decorative space. The yellowed grass grew out of control some time ago, spreading across the courtyard haphazardly.     While the space certainly appears dead and abandoned save for that strange music, Ayako's spiritual senses would sense a great deal of activity in the palace. It's certainly spiritual in nature, whatever it is, and it even seems just a little similar to her own nature.     Something suddenly crashes and tumbles inside the palace, perhaps some sort of metal bowl judging by the clatter. The sound is accompanied by two things: first, what sounds like an intense rustling of paper mixed with a person's annoyed shout, and second, a trio of shapes rushing from the cracked open front door.     Two of them are...sandals. A pair of ragged straw sandals that have grown gangly legs and arms, as well as a single eye and a grinning, ragged mouth from the sandal's sole. Straw tongues dangle from their mouths, flapping along as they giggle and rasp in mischievous glee, "Kararin, kororin, kankororin!" The strange living sandals scurry into hiding among the tall grass, vanishing in the ragged brown stalks. The third appears to be the remnants of a paper umbrella, though it's also grown a single eye and a ragged mouth from which dangles a very real tongue. The umbrella hops on one chicken-like leg, cackling and hopping along in the opposite direction of the sandals.     "Quiet down, you mischievous fools," a voice like paper rustling and crinkling shouts from inside the palace. The voice is soon followed by a fourth creature even stranger than the others: a serpentine Asian dragon about the size of a normal person that slips through the crack in the door, permanently hovering over the ground as if it were swimming through the water. What's most striking, however, is that this dragon is entirely made of aged, yellowed paper; sheets and scrolls covered in writing, all folded or flowing to create its elegantly draconic form. And, as much as paper can shift to allow it, the creature looks very annoyed. "I swear, if you interrupt my work one more time with your foolish noisemaking, I will-"     The dragon suddenly pauses when it notices the group standing in the courtyard. It stares for a moment or two, looking between each person in turn before it gives a crinkly huff. "Strange, I wasn't expecting that anyone would bother to come up here. If you're here to pillage the place, you're about a hundred years too late to find anything of worth. Time has not been kind here, as the library certainly shows." It lifts a scroll-arm, then, moving it in a gesture that might suggest shooing. "Now run along. I'm sure you can find something much more interesting elsewhere." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     A goodly number of people appear to have come alongside Shizune. Some of them she recognizes, some she doesn't; all of them she's grateful to have along, for the help they can offer and for the company. The ki here is... strange. But sounds from within the palace cut her attention off from that, and her head whips around just in time to see a trio of tsukumogami create a commotion and come scampering out, followed by a cranky paper dragon.     After only the briefest pause, the young martial artist lowers herself into a deep, respectful bow, and speaks in a polite voice, "Ah, my apologies for the intrusion. We aren't here to pillage at all, but rather to investigate and learn. My name is Shizune Nakamura, and we would appreciate it if you would allow us our curiosity. We're outsiders, but we have an interest in this world and its goings-on." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     "I am truly sorry for this intrusion, old one. I am Kirika, daughter of matron Shukutou Nine-Tail of Kasun." Kirika bows as well with politeness and grace befitting a noble, letting Shizune handle the talking for now. She isn't all that perturbed at the idea of talking sandals and scroll-dragons. Somehow this isn't much of a surprise, as she simply remains quiet further.     It's definitely certain that Kirika can sense how off this place feels with her own little quirks as a half-yokai herself, and she observes calmly those that come to address their guests to this abandoned castle. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The Hunter watches Kirika and Shizune offer respectful greetings to the paper dragon before he cuts in and offers an overlooked detail which may or may not put the dragon at ease.     "We came here at Oinari's request." 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako walks over to the pool and gazes down into it. She crouches down and touches it gently with her pointer finger. Her head inclines to the side gently and then walks back to the group. "There's a lot of spirits in this place... and-"     Then the sound of a metal bowl comes from inside the palace. "Hmm?" Ayako quickly looks towards the front door and spots the sandals and the paper umbrella. "A-ahh... yokai." And then looks up at the paper dragon when it arrives. She curtsies gracefully to the paper dragon. "Good evening. Ah. Oh, we're not here to pillage. I'm Ayako Hasekawa, a water spirit." She smiles softly. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Living sandals, an umbrella, and a dragon made out of paper scrolls.     Shirou cannot help but doubt what he's seeing here. Oh certainly, he can explain this phenomenon. If these objects are very old, then of course they might come to life.     Oh yes. It makes sense.     But it's still a one-legged umbrella with an eye that just went hopping past, and that's enough to weird him out briefly. He dismounts from Bedivere's mule but even then he just stammers for a few seconds at the strange, BIZARRE sights that meet them all.     "E-Emiya Shirou! Sorry for the intrusion. We're not here to pillage or ruin anything."     The amber-eyed magus puts a hand to his chin and looks up over and around the palace, thinking to himself: if anything, he'd rather fix the place up. That's a mess... 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      After tethering her steed to a post which seemed sturdy enough, Saber made her way inside with the others, still appraising the ruined palace. It would appear that her new Master's resumed training in the magic arts was none too soon; she would need his input on more than even tactical advantages if things went unexpectedly sour.      Hopefully, whatever spirits dwelt within the place weren't the violent sort. As a spirit herself, Saber knew how ugly things could get.      She wasn't long for her wondering. The surprise reflected on the King of Knight's face was mild, obviously more surprised that the spirits had taken the trouble to make themselves known rather than their particular nature. That much she was more than familiar with, even if the spirits were of the Japanese variety rather than British Isles ones.      With a respectful bow, the flaxen-haired knight addressed the paper dragon. "Greetings. I am the Servant Saber. As others have said, we are not here for the purpose of pillaging. Rather, we seek information." 

:'''{{#var:548|Xau'ra Tayuun (548)}} has posed:''' Strange creatures, a paper dragon-- apparently nothing to steal. Xau'ra tilts his head ever to the side at the strange creatures, then looks at the dragon as he goes to take his goggles off, given its only getting darker by this point. "What they said." The male miqo'te expresses with a mild shrug and a hand at ready on the hilt of his sword. "Xau'ra Tayuun, A hunter from another land entirely." He the miqo'te flashes a fanged smile. He does peer around, "Though uh," he motions with his hand a bit. "no offense when I ask this, because I'm kind of new to the area bit.." a beat pause, "..are all of you living objects?" 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Bedivere stares blankly at the procession of household objects. He's pretty sure they're not supposed to do that in most worlds, and he's pretty sure that's abnormal even for the realm of Azuma. So it is that his overly blank-looking expression is what he's wearing when the paper dragon comes to investigate its visitors. Rather than try to intercede on behalf of his allies, he remains silent, bowing his head in respectful gesture to the -- creature? spirit? -- and standing at Saber's left. It's a familiar old pattern that he falls into, one she'll recognise; that of the dutiful and silent bodyguard, the Left Hand of the King. His gauntlets clatter quietly as he lets his hands down at his sides, hands relaxing through conscious effort. "Please accept our apologies for disturbing you." Bedivere's statement is so soft that it might be missed in the commotion of everyone else addressing the paper dragon; his voice is exceptionally gentle and soft for a man of his height, and it carries a hoarse, ragged edge suggestive of an extremely raw throat. Talking must be painful. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     The paper dragon seems a little surprised by the responses he gets. He slips out from the palace as the group responds, clarifying and explaining who they are and what their purpose is here. With his entire form freed from the doorway, it becomes clear that he's not just made of paper, but actually clothed in scrolls, wearing them as one might wear a kimono, letting the faded tassels dangle in even more ornate decoration. Probably to be expected of a dragon.     The mention of Oinari seems to get the most positive reaction from him, second only to the note that they're here for /learning/. His scroll arms fold as he looks around at the group and makes a rustly sound of understanding. "I see. So they crowned a new Oinari? Good, good. I was wondering if they'd get around to that. If she's sent you, though, then there must be something significant happening..." A sigh is given as he shakes his head, though it sounds more like papers being tossed in the wind. "Even /I/ haven't heard of where you hail from. You certainly don't look like you belong here. Oinari drawing aid from off the island is something I never thought I'd hear, but...well. Desperate times, I suppose? In any case, you may call me Kyorinrin. I'm certainly your best chance at learning anything in this decrepit place right now, and it would be a treat to have someone eager to /listen/ instead of refusing to even sit still. I can put off my transcription for a little longer."     A glance is given to Xau'ra, marked with a rustling of Kyorinrin's paper brow. "What? Of course we are. Haven't you ever heard of the tsukumogami? That which is abandoned for a hundred years grows a life and will of its own. Of course such a large place would have a lot of us, so I hope you don't mind the ruckus."     As Kyorinrin speaks, the umbrella takes the chance to hop over to Shirou and make a concerted effort to lick him with its long, dry tongue. Assuming it succeeds, it cackles and hops away, though Kyorinrin doesn't seem to care. "Follow me. We'll speak in my study," he says, gesturing with a scroll before he floats back into the palace.     The interior isn't very surprising, considering the outside. It's just as ragged, just as faded, though as the group proceeds deeper inside, things become a little more lively. Almost every one of the paper sliding doors has grown eyes in its frames that blink and stare in innocent, if unnerving, curiosity. Paper lanterns swing through the rafters, casting erratic shadows from the light still burning in their jagged, grinning mouths, their tongues flopping around as they squeal in simplistic glee. More of those little sandals scurry between legs, chasing each other and giggling cheerfully. A steady /bong, bong, bong/ echoes through the structure, caused by a small priest's gong that has begun shuffling along the floor like a strange turtle on four legs, its hammer attached by a red cord like a tail and hitting its body like a musical scorpion. As run down as it is, the place holds an almost carefree air from all the animated objects running around in it.     Now and then, the clouds part to let the moon shine through paper windows that are passed by, and on their surface forms the shadow of a woman in simple robes, her hair done up in a bun bound by two pins. Though only an outline, she looks strikingly like Kagenashi without her mask...but it certainly isn't her; whenever the shadow passes by a hole in the ragged windows, nothing can be seen on the other end but the autumn landscape outside. She fades in and out, as well, never remaining in the windows for very long before moving to another part of the palace. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Finally, Kyorinrin pushes an eye-covered sliding door aside to enter a well-lit study, decorated with shelves for scrolls, low writing desks, and red cushions to kneel on the floor. It seems a little better kept than the rest of the palace, or at least preserved more from the ravages of time. The grinning lantern dangling from the wall in the corner seems a little calmer than the others in the palace, too, but he still lets his tongue dangle from his mouth as he sways gently from side to side. Here, Kyorinrin turns back to the group, gesturing to the cushions on the floor. "Go ahead and take a seat if you like. Now, then, what exactly would you like to ask me? I suppose you must have many questions, if you aren't even from here." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     "Well, it's as I said," Shizune replies, giving Kyorinrin a warm smile. "We have an interest in the goings-on here. More specifically, the cause of them, and her allies, have also come to be something of a problem for other worlds as well." She folds her arms in front of herself and begins to walk smoothly, following the paper dragon through the castle in what is mostly silence. She does at least murmur to herself, however. "...Her presence has really strongly touched this place, hasn't it."     Once they step into the study, she immediately proceeds to a cushion, sitting seiza-style with her hands folded in her lap. "We have quite a few, yes. It isn't very Japanese of me, but I have a habit of not mincing words, so I'll simply say it up front: We're interested in Kagenashi. I'd personally like to know as much about her and her background as you can tell me. Not just weaknesses, but her story. How she came to be so cruel and spiteful." 

:'''{{#var:548|Xau'ra Tayuun (548)}} has posed:''' Xau'ra tags along with the rest of the group. Taking notice as things move along and the answer the paper dragon gave was-- well-- good enough. Though seeing the almost image of the woman causes him to stop and stare for a second. His tail twitches and he moves on with everyone else. Though where others may seat, he decides to stand with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning up against the wall. The whole question deal was in other people's books. Not his. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Filing in through the ruined doorway, Bedivere keeps wary watch over the tsukumogami. Isn't that the way of spirit-touched things, to suddenly turn mean when you're not expecting them to? Is that the explanation for the bones under the trees outside? Curious travellers lured to their death, and dispatched by this motley crew of household objects? He listens to Kyorinrin and seems to accept his explanations, though he's distracted from it by the steady metallic ringing of the priest's gong. The thing marches past his foot, prompting Bedivere to tilt his head curiously; in a moment's curiosity, he stoops, hefting the thing carefully -- though if it shows the slightest inclination of attacking him, he'll drop it. No, he's just never seen something like that before, and examines the turtle-like gong curiously. "Fascinating," he murmurs. His eyes flick to Kyorinrin again. "Ah, forgive me. You said a 'new' Oinari? I was not aware the position was held by more than one. What happened to the last, if I may ask...?" 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako nods her head slowly. "We're from... lots and lots of places. Nice to meet you, Kyorinrin." She smiles brightly, "And I'd be glad to listen!"     Ayako nods her head quickly when he explains to Xau'ra about tsukumogami. "It's true. It's true, Xau. So please be nice to your inanimate objects. I'm sort of like that too, after all." She giggles softly.     She follows after Kyorinrin as he leads them inside. Ayako doesn't seem to be uncomfortable or anything around all of the yokai, in fact she seems rather comfortable around them; waving and smiling to them as she walks by.     Ayako sits down on the offered cushions on the floor in a traditional seiza position. Sitting on her calves in that leg numbing to those that aren't used to it position. She prefers to let others ask the questions, so she simply listens. If anything... she seems to like this place, the yokai, and the atmosphere more than anything. "...I sort of feel dressed wrong for this place." She says very softly, followed by an equally soft giggle. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Shirou's so relieved that things have worked out this well that he almost isn't paying attention. Certainly isn't paying enough. The umbrella-creature startles him and-- R    LIIIIIICK. Right along the arm and part of the face. "......."     He's been licked by an umbrella.     The resultant face he's making is beyond description.     But somewhat like a drowned kitten, for just a moment...     With a half-snort, half-sigh noise, he reaches out to try and.. well, he's not sure! Pat? Pet it? Or maybe hold it at bay? Depends on what the tsukumogami does next! He's not sure if that's more a person or an animal he's dealing with! "That's a bit much, take it easy on visitors!" He tells the Umbrella while the others speak.     They'll definitely get to the important stuff in a hurry without his bumbling input, that's for sure. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     D follows the rest without comment. Preferring to observe rather than to lead, he will permit others to do the talking, and only interject if he feels it is needed.     The racket within the building is almost unbearable to his keen senses; every rattle and sussuration is a distraction, and the priestly gong is the worst offender of all. At least the colors are muted. If this place was a riot of color and sound, he might think to excuse himself. Instead, he pulls the brim of his hat a touch lower, and keeps his attention fixed on Kyorinrin, whom he follows down the spirit-crowded hall.     The sight of a beautiful, moonlit woman unravels his intended focus, however. Visibly startled by the image, he stops in his tracks and remains looking through the window until the image is long gone. Once he realizes she is appearing in other gaps, he follows her with his eyes, and murmurs something to himself of the woman's resemblance. "She looks like..."     "Keep your wits about you," a sour voice grumbles, audible only to those standing closest to D. The Hunter -- his serenity disrupted by the slight tension narrowing his eyes -- looks back to the dragon, and the others. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika blinks, glancing at the shadow for a moment before she glances to D. "I know..." The resemblance isn't lost on her either, and she takes a seat when bid to do so, leaving her sword before her feet as she kneels onto the floor and her hand hung over her back.     There is very little said by the kitsune, her tail swishing side to side and her ears flickering a bit as she listens quietly. There's no real need to bother speaking up when better speakers are present anyhow. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      Given her nature and why the knights were there in the first place, Saber certainly noticed the fleeting images of their castle's guest...or, at least, images of a woman who appeared strikingly similar to the nogitsune. A spiritual after-image, perhaps....or even someone else entirely.      Her head turned slightly to regard Bedivere; she doubted very much that such a thing would have escaped his keen eye. And it seemed that they were not the only ones to have noticed the resemblance, her eyes flicking to D and Kirika as the two made a similar observation.      After Kyorinrin led the group back to his study and offered them seats, Saber bowed again. "I thank you," she replied, managing to sit in proper fashion, which might have been surprising to anyone familiar with how difficult many others found it. Likewise, she did not seem to take much notice of the other yokai milling about, treating them to a casual glance at most.      Perhaps it was not 'proper' that Shizune had cut straight to the point, but the Servant was in agreement. Kagenashi was, after all, their priority. Even if, like Bedivere, she was rather curious about the Oinari, of which she was familiar with a singular.      The knight remained silent, glancing at Shizune before turning back to the paper-clad dragon and nodding slightly. "Mm. Indeed. We would be most grateful for any information you see fit to offer," she added politely. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kyorinrin looks curiously at Shizune when she asks her first question. His scroll arms fold over his chest, one scroll swinging slightly as if in a moment of thought. "Story? Well...I certainly cannot say I know exactly where she came from. My time with her...well, the first written work she collected, I should say, was when she was a three-tail. Rather young, really, all things considered."     As Kyorinrin talks, the ink from the ink stone on the desk begins to move of its own accord, slithering out and onto a sheet of paper nearby. The ink begins to sketch what Kyorinrin says, beginning with a small black fox with three tails holding a scroll in its mouth. "She was always a reclusive one, however, never staying in one place too long, never going into human settlements if she didn't need to. She almost always stayed in her human form-" The ink shifts into a relatively simple portrait of Kagenashi herself, looking off to the side. "-unless the shape of a fox suited travel better. She never spoke much, in any case, and never associated with the kitsune. I don't think it was for lack of wanting, but whatever the case, she refused any companionship that lasted longer than a day."     Kyorinrin shrugs slightly, sheets and scrolls rustling with the motion. The drawing shifts to an image of the palace steadily being constructed from the ground up. "Eventually, when she grew the ability to produce illusions, she began building this palace with the aid of people she had charmed into assisting her, hidden so that no one would be able to find it if they didn't know it was there and hidden by an illusion. It was a lengthy task; every so often she would find someone and act as some royal lady wishing for assistance with constructing her home, adding further illusions to make it seem as if there were more workers. The humans were helplessly charmed and did their best to assist, but when they slept in the palace, she spirited them away to deposit them back in their villages, where they would wake up as if in a dream. Eventually, it was completed, and I'm sure you know the rest. The gathering of youkai, the uprising across Azuma, Oinari's defeat of her..." The dragon waves his hand as if to say 'and so on, and so on'. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     The little gong's legs continue shuffling for a few moments when Bedivere picks it up, but after another soft /bong/, it lets its hammer-ended tail dangle freely beneath it.     Kyorinrin's attention turns to Bedivere next, as the drawing the ink pot creates shifts to the image of an unfamiliar but very beautiful woman with loosely braided and ornamented hair. "Oh, you didn't know? The Oinari is a position as much as it is a name. When an Oinari is no longer in the position of leading the kitsune, for whatever reason, a new nine-tailed kitsune takes her place and name. The last one led an assault against this very palace, weilding the sword Nageki." The drawing shifts to an image of the longsword, its cutting edge replaced by a series of nine curving hooks with a fox's tail dangling from the hilt. "She succeeded in stealing Kagenashi's power away from her, but Kagenashi dealt her a mortal blow in the process. She died on these grounds, in fact, not long after Kagenashi fled." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     D's remarks draw Shizune's gaze for a moment. The council prez nods to the dhampir quietly, but speaks no words in response, keeping her ears open to Kyorinrin's tale and watching the drawing as he speaks. There is quiet interest in her eyes the entire way, and it becomes tinged with faint surprise when he declares the story to be more or less over.     At this point, she reaches up and adjusts her glasses, speaking again. "Ah, we actually don't have that story, either. When we first encountered Kagenashi, she was already much diminished and seeking to recover her lost powers. We knew there /was/ an uprising, and that her powers and followers were sealed away. And we've been trying to stop her recovery, but it's proven... difficult, to say the least. So I'd like to hear about her rise to power, and how she was stopped-" Her words die in her throat when she realizes what else is being said. "...Nageki was the sword that /stopped/ her?! She's wielding it as her /own/ now." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The shadow cast across D's regal countenance seems to darken until it is almost impenetrable. A dim gleam of his watchful gaze shines out from beneath his hat's wide brim, but it is outshone by the light refracting inside his pendant's blue heart, and not even half as warm.     "Kagenashi has always claimed Nageki as her own weapon, but I will not go so far as to believe she wields all its powers. The blade casts an influence over Kagenashi's will, to the point, I think, she is at times blinded to her own true desires, and must instead act to satisfy Nageki. She has gained power in taking the weapon, but I have often wondered at what cost." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika remembers the bite of Nageki well, during her own duel with Kagenashi in Phase Rock. Narrowing her eyes, she frowns as she looks to the scroll dragon. "She has been amassing both power and allies, as we all have seen for ourselves." She comments lightly. But enough of that.     She's more interested about the blade, "What can you tell us about this sword? Who forged it, and how did she come to acquire it for herself?" 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' The knight shifts his awkward load. Even though he's not quite at full strength, he's easily strong enough to heft a bronze gong like this turtle-shaped article, arms braced around it as though he were giving the thing a bear-hug. Indeed, he seems to have forgotten he's even carrying it once it gives that soft, plaintive little /bong/ and goes quiet; listening to the explanation of Kagenashi, and the Oinari. Well, at least it means that the gong can stop driving everybody else insane. It was easily the noisiest of the bunch. His eyes linger on the ink drawings, frowning at the portrait suggestive of Kagenashi herself. It's hard to say whether it's the same woman reflected in these paper screens, or whether that might be the previous Oinari. After all, he had never met that creature, although they received summons to come here and investigate. Now, though, it seems that title belongs to another. That's an interesting detail to file away. "Thank you," he says to Kyorinrin, in the meantime. "I did not know that." He tilts his head, thoughtfully. "Why did she turn from the path of the kitsune? Why did she become nogitsune, and give cause for her fellows to turn on her? What had she done...?" His eyes regard the panel thoughtfully, before his eyes slide over to Shizune. "It is. She has shown me the sword personally, and I can avow that it is a cursed thing. How she wields it without losing her mind, I do not know, but even I must respect her strength of will, for all that I do not trust her." He glances back to Saber, though he probably cuts a ridiculous figure, clutching that turtle-gong to his armoured chest. /What do you think?/ 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako peeks up and over at the ink stone as it moves on it's own. "Ohh... cute!" She listens quietly to Kyorinrin as he continues to speak. "Hmm... so she built this place that way..." Her head inclines to the side gently. "I don't really see why one would want a palace. Although I'm hardly one to talk about houses!" She giggles softly.     Ayako continues to listen quietly... and then inclines her head to the side gently. "Umm... when you say 'stealing power', that means... it went somewhere didn't it? I don't suppose you know where it went?" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kyorinrin seems to echo Shizune's surprise with the look he gives her. "What? You don't even know /that/? Well...I suppose there's a lot to talk about, then."     The dragon sighs, shaking his head for a moment before responding. "Well, around the time Kagenashi gained her eighth tail, she began making further outings to visit certain youkai that had been restricted by the kitsune. She offered them a chance for freedom, and they never really questioned it; youkai are selfish creatures, and so they never asked what she would gain from it or why she was doing so. Perhaps her ability to influence other youkai at that age also contributed to it..." Hm. Shrug. "Whatever the case, she only asked for secrecy until the time was right, at which point her amassed army spread throughout Azuma. It didn't last very long, though, as, of course, that sparked a war with Kagenashi and the general population of youkai on one side and Oinari, the tengu, and the celestial races of youkai on the other. It was a desperate time, and so Oinari immediately began the task of creating a weapon that would not /kill/ Kagenashi, but would rob her of any ability to continue her campaign."     Kyorinrin pauses, then gives a helpless sigh as the drawing shifts into a portrait of a beautiful fox. "...of course, you probably don't know the reason for that. Kitsune are extremely devoted to one another, to the point where they will only kill one another if driven to madness or forced into no other course of action. Even harming one another is painful to them, even if the target is a nogitsune. Of course, then, Oinari would first be driven to the less lethal option available to her."     The dragon seems to recover from his brief disdain, lifting his head again to nod to Shizune. "In any case, I'm not certain whose help Oinari gained to forge the weapon, but it was obviously someone with the knowledge of darker arts. I know the kijo would be a good source of that; the females of the oni, more inclined to intelligence and magical arts than brute strength. Whatever the case, its selfish and consuming nature instilled in it a will worse than the most malevolent of youkai, and before her death, Oinari ordered it locked away where no one could find it. Though, from the sound of things, someone did."     Kyorinrin's expression turns to a slight frown. "...come to think of it, Kagenashi never really told anyone why she began that uprising. Even when the only ones to hear her were her possessions, she never said a thing. Though...she easily could have ravaged several towns in her efforts, but I do know that not a single human village was destroyed during that war, and the resulting casualties were strangely small." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kyorinrin nods to D next. "Yes, that would be a result of Oinari failing to carry out methods that would prevent the sword from gaining its own will. Naturally, as a weapon intended to steal power, it would develop a lust for blood on its own; I suppose she was in too much of a rush to instill those precautions, and she was able to endure its wishes long enough to see to Kagenashi's downfall. Such is why she ordered it to be hidden, as well, rather than kept somewhere easily accessible. Only the strongest of minds could endure a sword with that sort of will, so it is inevitable that she would find herself manipulated by it eventually, no matter how stubborn she is." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     Shizune sits and listens once again in silence, mulling over what she's hearing as she hears it. "...no, it sounds as if Nageki was a hateful blade right from the start," she replies to Saber. "And for that matter, I think I might want to speak to these kijo at some point. Knowledge of the blade itself would be helpful."     She seems to think for a few moments more. "...not one human village destroyed during the war. And now, with Nageki in hand, she... well, she doesn't actively seek human death, but if it happens, she doesn't show remorse. She came to my home city at once. I had to take... drastic measures to drive her off."     Sure, most of the people here might already know about her trump card. But that doesn't mean she'll casually discuss it around a stranger.     Shizune takes a breath, thoughtful. "...I may have to come do some exploring, asking around. I think her reasons for the uprising are important." She tilts her head and looks to Kyorinrin again. "You may not have that information, but is there anywhere you could recommend we start looking?" 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      Saber was just as surprised as the others were at the revelation of the previous Oinari's possession of Nageki. "I had been under the impression that the sword had been her possession, as well," she admitted quietly.      Glancing back at Bedivere, she shook her head. /I do not know what to make of it,/ she admitted before turning back to study the ink drawings. /If it was wielded by the fallen Oinari, that would suggest that it became cursed after she was killed and Kagenashi took possession of it./      Only, as Kyorinrin explained, it would seem the blade was /always/ a thing of darkness. For a kitsune to willingly wield such a weapon and risk becoming cursed seemed to defy reason. Even the reasons the dragon gave to D for being able to wield it without becoming consumed seemed too great a risk, a line of thought she conveyed to her marshal silently. /It seems a reckless move for the previous Oinari,/ she implied.      "I would not pretend to understand her reasoning," the knight confessed. "Perhaps she carries it out of a sense of obligation, but it would appear to be much more dangerous than whatever power it could restore to her." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     As the inkstone shifts its drawing into a picture of a black fox, its form seeping with darkness that comes off it like steam, Kyorinrin turns back to Bedivere. "The boundary between a nogitsune and a kitsune is little more than social perception and input, no different from branding a human as a criminal. Kagenashi did not serve as a guardian to protect humans against the youkai that would seek to harm them, and so she was a nogitsune. Inspiring the youkai to break from their restraints in unison was more than enough for her to be labeled as a nogitsune."     The paper dragon sighs, then, shaking his head. "Though now you ask me for further information I never saw. Obviously it must have been something in the first three hundred years of her life to make her incapable of trusting others and forcing herself into seclusion, but what those events were, I do not know. Perhaps she knew she would be outcast and chose not to associate herself with others for that reason, but then that simply returns to the issue of /why/ she would know that. I suppose it is her origins that you need, and that is precisely what I never experienced."     He turns his head to Ayako, then. "Nageki serves as a conduit for power. It mostly subsists on it itself, empowering it into something greater than a mere sword, but Oinari - and, I suppose, Kagenashi - used it to siphon the power of other kitsune into themselves. A theft of power from another to become stronger, though in Oinari's case, I don't think that was her intention." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "If the blade was her undoing, perhaps wielding now it has given her a greater sense of confidence than she had prior to her initial downfall." D's voice remains as cold and hard as steel. "It is no coincidence she is less cautious and remorseful these days, either. Nageki hungers, and she seeks to sate the sword as much as her own ambitions. And yet -- "     An obvious hesitation interrupts his line of thought; his lips freeze around whatever words he'd started to form, then press together into a hard, emotionless line. 

:'''{{#var:548|Xau'ra Tayuun (548)}} has posed:''' Xau'ra has been keeping to himself this whole time. Listening to the story that has been told. In truth, he doesn't exactly know much about what is going on-- yet from what he is hearing, it is a most interesting of tales. Perhaps one-- he'll need to pay closer attention too. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     "So would destroying Nageki help our cause or just clear her head up so she can plan better?" Shirou muses aloud, glancing around at the meeting. He has been listening! Just not speaking much.     Hasn't been much to say. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Bedivere shifts his weight slightly, though he's still clutching the turtle-gong. Whether because the thing is aggravatingly loud or because he's forgotten he's still carrying it, it's hard to say. Whatever the case is he listens in polite silence. Knowledge of Kagenashi's past would have been more useful to him, but that seems to be an elusive thing. He sighs, shaking his head. "No. You are right. Well, I will continue to search for some clue, but I thank you all the same, Master Kyorinrin." If nothing else, he's learned a little more about the culture of these kitsune and nogitsune, and sometimes that speaks more about someone than a tale straight from their mouth. "I am glad to learn more of this place, and its people. It is a fascinating realm." That information about Nageki is good to know, too, of how the blade works. So it robs power to transfer that power to another. And it is cursed, by its making or by its nature, ever hungry for more of that power, that life energy. That's good to know... and a very compelling reason to choose battles with her very, very carefully. He finds himself taking a half-step closer to Saber, frowning. /Or it was always a cursed blade, and the Oinari was merely skilled in mitigating such an influence. It is cursed now, though. She has shown it to me personally. I have spoken with her at length, and I do not think it influences her as heavily as she may perhaps let on. Her strength of will is commendable, even if her methods are not./ He dips his head, sighing quietly through his nose. /There is no easy solution./ 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako thinks to herself for a while. "Hmm... so she's becoming more powerful by using that sword to drain the power from other kitsunes." She then glances over to Shirou. "Shirou, I hope you aren't thinking to trace Nageki yourself to get the power back from her. I mean... one, it's a cursed sword and you aren't a kitsune. I'd have no idea what the sword nor a nogitsune's power would do to you."     She then turns her glance to Bedivere and the turtle-gong. "You aren't going to keep it, are you?" Ayako shakes her head and smiles softly, "If you are, make sure you treat it nicely." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kyorinrin shakes his head slightly to Shizune. "If I knew where she came from, that would be a start, but she never even mentioned her region of origin. A secret she has kept closely guarded, it seems. Your options for learning more of her would be best with those closest to her, but none of them are particularly amicable. The great centipede Omukade, the twin spirits Gin and Kin, the sun crow Yatagarasu, the black oni Kurokabe...there are others, but you probably get the idea. Not really individuals you would wish to speak with."     One scroll lifts, idly tapping against the side of his head as if in thought. "...if you wanted to learn who the kijo were who assisted in making Nageki, you would likely have to go to Oinari herself. Whoever created it should still be alive; youkai are long-lived, after all. They mostly stayed out of the war, unlike the oni, so they may be more willing to offer information."     Kyorinrin shrugs a little, then, letting his scroll arms fall to his sides. "I could tell you the entire history of Azuma and the names of every significant creature that exists on this island and every private moment in Kagenashi's time here, but this particular detail continues to escape me. If you ever learn anything, I hope you will inform me. Such information would be wonderful for completing my catalogues."     The dragon turns to Shirou next. "If she is using it to circumvent the wait kitsune must go through to gain more power, then I believe she would be forced to stop her growth of power if it were destroyed. Perhaps she could attempt to make another, but the chances of that seem unlikely; no such force has existed in Azuma's history before, that I know of. Whether she would make use of other methods, however, I do not know." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     "You've been a great help already," Shizune replies, bowing her head respectfully. "We have places to start looking, and we know what information we're looking for now. That's leaps and bounds ahead of where we were. If I learn anything of interest, I'll be certain to bring it back to you." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     D seems to come to grips with something. The words he'd tripped over before, perhaps? Or perhaps, given his next words, he had needed to settle a conflict inside himself.     "I know of her origins, Miss Nakamura." 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     SHiro blinks, glances Ayako's way, and makes a face. "A cursed blade that warps the wielder's mind isn't high on my list of things to wield. And I wouldn't benefit from any power... there's no reason to trace that sword. Except maybe to study it for a structural flaw." He answers. "Don't be stupid, why would I start wielding that thing?" 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      A frown marred Saber's forehead as she glanced back at Bedivere. /Regardless, it would seem that she is running on borrowed time, as such a thing would wear down even the strongest of wills. Perhaps she races to regain her power before it consumes her./ But, the knight knew, this was wild guessing at best. She really had little way of knowing, even if they were one step closer to understanding and perhaps stopping the nogitsune.      /No, there is not./      The Servant listened again as Kyorinrin suggested asking Oinari about the kijo who had helped to forge the demonic sword. t was probably the best place to start of they wanted to deal with it. "That would be best, I should think," Saber mused. "Thank you."      The Servant shook her head at Ayako. The boy was a lot smarter than he might seem, and tracing itself could be dangerous. Attempting a sword like that would surely be suicide.      Turning back to Shizune, the little blonde nodded. "Yes, quite. We are that much better-prepared to protect the people of this realm and our own. We are in your debt, and whatever knowledge we shall gain is yours."      But then her head snapped around a fraction, pale eyebrows raised at D's very unexpected revelation. On the other hand, he seemed somewhat reluctant, as if it was some sort of burden. So she waited patiently, not pushing the point but more than willing to hear the vampire hunter out. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     It's a rare, rare moment in which Shizune allows open surprise onto her face. It lasts only a moment or two. By the time she turns to face D directly, it's gone, but there was still that moment. "I see," is her reply, calm and reserved. It's not hard to guess exactly how and where he learned that information, or that if he were comfortable in revealing it, he would have done so long ago. Social perception is something that comes naturally to her, the instant comprehension that leads her to a surprisingly restrained, "I'll have to ask you about that later, then." 'When all these people aren't around to make it so uncomfortable', she doesn't add, but D can probably spot the unspoken addition in her eyes. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako closes her eyes halfway and glances to the side at Shirou. She doesn't say anything, but her amber gaze says everything. In one word. 'Reckless'. Although it's quickly replaced with a gaze filled with worry more than anything else. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kyorinrin gives a brief nod to Shizune and Saber. Is that a smile on his draconic face? "Really, it was a pleasure to have someone willing to /listen/ for once. Do you know how maddening it is trying to get through to the rabble here? I'm amazed I've managed to get /any/ work done re-transcribing all these texts. In any case, the palace is open if you require more information or clarification on anything. Such sweeping information is to be shared, after all; I only remain here because she /did/ do a wonderful job collecting and preserving these texts."     The paper tsukumogami turns to the rest of the group, then, as the living ink nearby slinks back to the inkstone. Seems Kyorinrin missed D's comment, too, because he simply continues as if nothing was said. "A pleasure to have you all here. I hope for the best in your search, and please don't hesitate to stop by again in the future. So long as she doesn't decide to reconstruct her old home, you have nothing to fear here. Now, if you will excuse me, I should get back to this transcription."     With another determined nod, the dragon flies over to the desk, where, assuming no one continues to bother him, he makes use of the living inkstone to jot down line after line of calligraphy in pleased silence. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "Thank you. Your tact is appreciated, but not necessary. Now that the information has become important, it is no longer worth withholding. As you know, I remain indebted to the Union, and I will take whatever tolerable actions I can in order to repay what is owed. I am a mercenary at heart."     The scrutiny aimed at him from Saber's direction does not seem to make the Hunter at all uncomfortable, but Shizune's clear and knowing gaze causes him to lift his head so he seems tall and stiff, like his strings have been pulled tight. Now that he has made the decision to be forthcoming, his serene rime returns, as unsettling as it always is. He could be mistaken for an automaton, at times: lifeless, and without the ability to experience or relate to human emotion.     "I would like some time to gather my thoughts, and to confer with someone who can help me piece together anything which may have been lost when my memory was altered." Notably, any details about how he's come by the information have been left out. "I will make a report, if that is to your liking."     "Or if you prefer, we may speak in person." 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     It's now that Shizune's expression releases that polite neutrality; a hint of warmth seeps in, a hint of kindness. Understanding. It's not hard to guess at the issues behind this information. Though he may hide behind his accustomed mask, she sets hers aside just this once. "Whichever would be easier for you. I can't speak for anyone else in the Union, but my plan is to use it as a means to understand her, rather than as a source of information on how to defeat her. I've promised myself to do what I do best - to try and understand my opponent, to see if I can win without fighting, so to speak." 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Bedivere stares blankly at the water girl for a moment, before he seems to understand that she's talking about the turtle-gong. Truth be told, he'd almost forgotten he was holding the bronze gong. He hefts it in his arms for a moment, regarding it thoughtfully. It's an old object, that much is sure. Surely there must be some use for something like that. He looks nonplussed for a moment as he tries to figure out what that purpose might be. Perhaps someone else in the Union might be able to read what this thing might have seen? It's an old object, and it's seen some of Kagenashi's elusive history. "Ah, I had only picked it up to quiet it. I had not intended to take it with me." Bedivere tilts his head thoughtfully. "It belongs to Lady Kagenashi, but as she has abandoned this place and made no effort to return... I suppose it would do no harm. Perhaps it might serve as a useful alarm." He holds the thing at arm's length, studying it dubiously. "Or perhaps amuse Kepas. I doubt one can harm the other." ...It's going into the bottom of the lake if it marches around gonging enthusiastically at three o'clock in the morning, though. "Well, I suppose we have nothing more to learn, here, for the time being. Thank you, Master Kyorinrin. Your insight has been invaluable to us. If anything of import should transpire, we will be certain to inform you." Mindful of his load, Bedivere inclines forward in an awkward bow. "I believe it best we take our leave, for now." He casts a glance back at Saber, lingering for a moment. /We should go. I do not believe there is anything more to be learned, here, and I should like to put this place behind me. There is a heaviness to the air here that I do not like. And I am weary. I should rest./ His eyes flick then to Shirou. "Master Shirou. We are returning to Dun Realtai, unless you should like to linger and ask questions. You may ride with me, if you like, or if you have other arrangements, that is acceptable as well." With that, he'll turn to make his way outside to Saber's horse and his mule, turtle-gong clutched securely around its middle. Maybe he can tie that thing behind the saddle, and hopefully it won't be cheerfully gonging its way all the way up the hill. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     Pinching his hat's brim between his thumb and forefinger in the gesture of a tip -- as well as the faintest smile -- is D's response to Shizune. He approves. 

:'''{{#var:548|Xau'ra Tayuun (548)}} has posed:''' "Reconstruct her old home huh?" Xau'ra says softly as his ears go back a touch. "That doesn't sound to comforting." Yet the male Miqo'te doesn't stick around. While others talk, he takes his leave with quiet steps across the floor. There was things to think on and maybe, just maybe, he'll do his own private looking into things. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     "Alright. Then I'll head back with you two. Thank you for explaining so much!" He bows at Kyonrinrin, if only a little - honestly quite grateful! 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      With other matters settled for the moment, Saber was free to study a little more about their surroundings...      ...And, as if she had finally noticed it, found herself staring blankly at a turtle-gong that Bedivere was clutching to his chest for some odd reason. She felt herself inwardly sighing. Their new home was starting to become a repository for all manner of odd spirit-creatures, wasn't it?      Her eye then turned critically to the knight himself. He had been holding up well enough, but Arturia was loathe to take any chances regarding the matter. /Indeed. I have no desire to tax your health further, regardless of the nature of this place./      With a final proper bow to the dragon scribe, Saber made her farewell. "Again, we are in your debt. As my marshal has said, however, it is best that we take our leave."      Following a respectful nod of farewell to the others, the Servant turned and made her way back to their mounts, keeping a careful eye on Bedivere all the merry way. But as long as he didn't push himself too hard, she had no reason to scold him. As it was, they would have much to discuss following a meal and proper rest. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako slowly gets up from her proper way of sitting and bows politely towards Kyorinrin. She doesn't immediately leave the palace, though. She stays around a bit to cheerfully talk to the yokai that live in the palace, seeming to like them quite a bit. And watch the shadowy Kagenashi a little. Once she's satisfied, though, she exits the palace and hops back onto her broomstick and flies off, seeming satisfied. 

}}

958/Assault on Heaven's Gates

2014-11-12T15:06:20Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/11/11 |Location=Earth-1111 |Synopsis=In an attempt to figure out how the war in her world works and solidify her role in it, Beli turns her at..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/11/11
|Location=Earth-1111
|Synopsis=In an attempt to figure out how the war in her world works and solidify her role in it, Beli turns her attention toward the Paradiso-controlled city of Shanghai, home to the largest population on Earth. Somehow, she will deny Paradiso a chunk of its soul resources...the only question is how.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=10, 42, 238, 255, 481, 570, 575
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Shanghai, China: with a population of over 24 million, the bustling city proves to hold the single largest concentration of people on Earth. In a war that makes use of souls as resources to form troops, then, such a location would no doubt be a choice target for anyone.     Right now, it's under the possession of Paradiso. This is obvious enough just by looking at it; the entire city seems graced by a resplendent light. The sky, even at this dimming hour, is a soft light blue, and though night approaches, what shadows are cast by the city's towering buildings seem less dark than they should be. Everything gleams gently, as if suffused in pure white light. If a place could be called 'blessed', this city would certainly seem to fit the word.     Even the people seem strangely pleasant. Nobody travelling through the busy streets would hear the blare of a siren or voices lifted in anger. People simply aren't interested in aggression, it seems, and if one weren't aware of the cause of this, it would no doubt seem like an unexpectedly wonderful place to live.     The source of all this beauty, of course, is the towering gate that sits in the center of the city, larger than the tallest skyscrapers. The frame is formed from what appears to be marble, shaped like angels and spirits whirling and dancing together in their ascension to the top, with a billowing light blue smoke serving as the portal in the center of the gate. This, unsurprisingly, must be the gate that leads to Paradiso, serving as a symbol of Heaven's conquest and a transit point for reinforcements to pass into the city should it fall under attack.     And Beli, flying on six black wings, is gliding between the towering buildings, heading straight toward the gate. A few people look up at her from the sidewalks and streets, some pointing and making remarks, but while none of them seem particularly fond of her (judging by their looks of distaste and annoyance), they also don't seem interested in stopping her. Better to ignore the thing they dislike; maybe she'll go away then.     Beli herself isn't concerned with the looks she gets. She ignores them, continuing straight ahead until she reaches the gate at the heart of the city. There she swoops down, banking up at the last moment to flap her wings and gently alight on the ground several feet in front of the heavenly gate. Her wings fold onto her back, her eyes narrow as she looks up at the gate's swirling fog...and she waits, hoping her allies arrive soon. Before the angels do, at least. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz fighting angels? That was something she was used to and she hat to admit at least the air didn't require a full hazard suit to deal with. Still the price was likely too high. Crys was here she kinda felt out of place. While not off the darkness she's been touched by it rather forcefully long go and who knows what the lingering traces of that would get from the angels not that she's thinking much about that. She's walking along the street at a sadate pace her one good eye looking about. She's seen very peaceful soceities like the Federation of Planets, but even they still had problems criminals the odd malconent and the like. The entire place while wonderful to look at made her wonder as she looked about she had only some of the details about this world and would likely have to ask Beli more later. Though her style of dress and her eatrs get a mix of looks from people, some with intrest and some with dislikel because she's clearly not human, yet disturbingly close to being one. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako flies behind Beli, riding side-saddle on her broomstick. She's not particularly fast in the air, so she falls behind Beli quite quickly. Nonetheless, she looks downwards at the city gently glowing white light. "Ooh... It's quite pretty. But..." Her gaze turns back outside the city as she notes night starting to fall. "Not right at the same time... night needs to fall too!" She nods her head once as she notes the gate.     When Beli suddenly swoops down, Ayako hops off her broomstick while grabbing it with her right hand. And of course, floats down to gently land on her feet next to Beli. She begins to absentmindedly sweep the ground with her broom as she glances around curiously... 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     If the heavenly forces that stand watch over Shanghai didn't have an inkling of impending attack before, they do now. Setsuko Kaminagi's divine presence is stronger than ever, a clear beacon 'visible' for dozens of miles to anyone with the senses to pick it up. There is no disguising her approach, a pure divinity that speaks of neither holiness nor profanity, but simply lies in the colorless domain of 'the oncoming storm'. The demigod knows that she cannot conceal herself, and so she moves as fast as she can to reach the city before she can be intercepted.     There are those who might ask the swordswoman why she would bother coming astride her usual Union-issue hoverbike when she herself is now capable of flight. To those people she would respond with a simple rhetorical question: 'Why ride into battle astride a charger when your own legs serve just as well?' The hoverbike is capable of more speed than she herself can manage by a fair margin, and while she doesn't dare risk it in the actual fighting, it's at least worthwhile for getting her there swiftly. As soon as she's over the city, however, she taps a button on the yoke, and then simply turns and leans out of the seat.     Months ago, this would be the precursor to a demigod aerial drop, a plummet from above that dropped her right into the thick of the action. Today, she simply hangs in the air, aloft on her own power and overlooking the city. Both announcing her presence simply by being present, and taking a look over the city's layout, considering lines of attack, likely choke points, places where her blade might be needed. They're going to have to figure out how they actually take this city; having a rough idea of the layout in her head will be incredibly useful. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko is not here, or at least, she's not here in any form most would immediately recognize as her. Instead, there's an armored, humanoid form which could almost be one of Paradiso's angels. The armor makes a complete covering from crown to toe, with overlapping plates covering the joints, and the face entirely obscured by a blank, opaque visor. The armor's surface is a pure white with elegant, flowery engravings that glow with a soft, silver light, in the same color as the transparent wings extending a short distance from her back, and the halo over her head. The feet are the least 'humanoid' portion, coming to points that should cause some difficulty in walking, though the wearer seems to have an excellent sense of balance as she moves through the city in long, loping bounds.     Around the figure's waist is a knight's belt and scabbard, the sword sheathed there showing less of the angelic influence in its silvered metal, and more of the Puella Magi that summoned it.     She comes to a stop near the portal, coming smoothly, if slowly, to a stop, then standing with legs apart, looking up at the cloud-like transference point--if that can be inferred from the motion of her helmet--and then taking a few, careful steps back, before coming again to a rest near Beli. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     War.     This is war for people's very souls. And it's a war where even a single battle can make a difference.     At the front is the Star Hawk, a 40-foot-tall mechanical man of metal, which stomps up to and through the city, the ground shaking with each step. And behind it... A platoon or two of mechanical spiders larger than a man, supported by the mass-produced, animated metal unicorn statue guardians, and several larger spider constructs shaped of crude clumps of stone and earth held together by magic, and several more humanoid shapes, maybe ten feet tall, made of stone or dirt or whatever was handy.     This is a war, so Staren brought an army. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Welcome to Shanghai. Kirika arrives atop a purring motorcycle, wheeling onto the scene with a pair of goggles protecting her eyes as she joins up with the others when she figures out where they're gathering. She switches the bike off, then hops off with sword in hand.     Offering a bow and a stoic nod to Beli, Kaminagi, and company, she then rests a hand on the pommel of her sword as she eyes the arrival of Staren's constructs. "Curious." her world has those, and they are plentiful. So it's not like she's surprised when Staren arrives with them, but the fact they all bow to his will is something notable in of itself.     Her crimson eyes glance up at the gate with a grim look, steeling herself for a battle with for the ages. The civilians are barely acknowledged, beyond a single token glance. "Lady forgive your servant for what we are about to do, our sins are great." She says at last in a soft tone, closing her eyes momentarily.     Fighting the Holy Host definitely is one of those 'I'm so going to hell for this' things. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     The arrival of others alongside Beli certainly doesn't go unnoticed by the populace of Shanghai. This is, after all a relatively normal, modern Earth; cybernetics, witches, hoverbikes, and hulking robots are completely out of the ordinary, at least when not in connection to Paradiso or Inferno. And, considering how news has spread about the last time small groups of strange people arrived in various cities around the world, most seem to be assuming that this is not a good sign.     At least Kimiko's arrival seems to still the people's concerns somewhat. Surprised as they are by the armored girl's rush through the streets, she looks remarkably like the very angels that have claimed the city, though not like any they recognize. Perhaps she's some kind of new angel, sent to ensure that the hybrid aberration doesn't cause any more trouble. Whatever the case, they begin quickly clearing away from where the group is headed, certain that nothing good will come of what is about to transpire.     As each person settles into place, Beli offers them a brief nod and smile of greeting. She's still not certain about how to go about this whole thing, and it shows in the nervousness on her expression, but, still, she tries to keep firm in her resolve. This was her choice, and she will have to see it through to its end.     Her wings spread again, and as she ascends higher above the ground, her feathers take on a crimson sheen to match the blood-red flames that form in the centers of her halos. Anyone sensitive to such energies would be able to feel that she has shifted to purely demonic powers, no doubt to be far more effective against their next enemies than anything else she has may be.     "I am not sure who will come to meet us," she calls, her voice echoing with its strange angelic and demonic reverberations, "but I will try to help however I can. If one of the archangels comes to meet us personally, it will be a projection that will not be as strong as their full power. Keep an eye out for anyone who looks...well, more significant than the rest."     Not even a moment after Beli finishes, the air fills with a sound of music. Harps, specifically, plucking and strumming a beautiful harmony that grows louder and louder with every passing moment. It seems to be coming from the gate, whatever it is. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     BGM: http://goo.gl/9AL6S5     And soon, the source of the music makes itself known. Dozens of angels emerge from the fog, their forms constructed from many hovering, opalescent crystals arranged into a vaguely humanoid shape, but without any piece completely attaching to another. The only piece that remains completely static is a single radiant orb in their heart that sends a constant glimmer through their crystalline bodies. Two 'wings' spread from their backs, stretching out with crystals hovering along their lengths like feathers. The halos that hover above their featureless heads are decorated by dangling crystals like an assortment of wind chimes, and in place of legs they have similar arrangements of crystals that trail down beneath them. Their hands, however, are the most abstract, for they are simply assortments of crystals hovering around a central orb in no discernable shape, constantly orbiting and whirling.     Beli's frown deepens. One of the angels speaks in a voice that thrums like a gorgeous harp, though nonetheless booms out as if in command. "Whatever your business is here, aberration, you and your allies have no place. Our lawgiver may have fallen, but that does not change that you have committed the greatest of crimes in the premature deaths of the archangels and demon lords!"     The angels' 'hands' shift, then, changing to what appear to be weapons: swords, mostly, though some arrange into halberds, spears, and bladed whips instead. "In the name of our Lord, Gabriel, the Powers will hereby condemn you all for your sins against our world!"     The Powers don't seem interested in talking the matter out. Without any further hesitation, they spread out, rushing at each person who stands in front of the gate. Angelic weapons are swung to cut down each offender, with Staren's large suit drawing several in particular due to its size and the reinforcements behind it. Those weapons are remarkably sharp, too, and more durable than one might expect from crystals. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     "Yeah, yeah, whatever. In the name of humanity, I hereby condemn /you/ all for stealing its future and sealing its potential!" When they move to attack, he opens fire -- The gatling railgun on the right arm, and homing beams of light shoot from the leg packs -- but he can't catch all of them and he seems to be saving his missiles for reinforcements. Though his constructs surge foreward and his mecha's left arm manifests an energy shield of some sort, he can't really protect the whole mecha from hits. He hopes it's tough enough to tank some of this...     The clockwork spiders, meanwhile, spew acid at the angels, and the humanoid golems charge forward, smashing with feet, fists, and crude metal clubs, while the spider-golems try to crush with their great stone legs. The metal unicorns, lastly, try to interpose themselves in the way of the angels' attacks, soaking hits for the other constructs to some extent.     When Beli says to use engulfing attacks, Staren stops firing the railgun and readies his missile launcher -- great balls of plasma fire soon explode near any angels that aren't too close to his allies or constructs! 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako nods her head once when everyone has gathered. "Better do this now!" She quickly spins in place, brushing the ground in a wide circle around her. Her broom's brush is then waved towards everyone! "Water Bubble!" Spheres of water form around everyone for a moment and then fade away. Yes, even Staren's army gets Ayako's basic barrier that really doesn't do anything but be a foundation for her other barriers.     Ayako sits on her floating broom sidesaddle again once Beli ascends a bit and looks up at her. She nods her head slowly. "Umm... alright..." And then the harp music suddenly appears from the gate. Her eyes go straight to the angels and her head inclines to the side gently. And then they suddenly attack everyone! "H-hey! Geez! Don't just attack people all of a sudden!"     Ayako floats back quickly with a small burst of mist and then quickly gestures around herself with her hands. "Abyssal Water of Coctyus!" A water barrier forms around Ayako that greatly slows the weapons suddenly brandished in her direction by the angels to give Ayako chance to dodge or get behind someone else! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Floating above the city as she is, Setsuko has a high-angle view of the Powers' arrival, watching in simple silence and listening. The arrival of the powers brings no more response from her than an arched eyebrow at first. Her expression is nothing but calm resolve, and their condemnation does not move the demigod in the least. Even when they form weapons and launch themselves to attack, she is utterly still in the air-     Until the moment a sword-wielding opponent drives a stab straight at her. Her hand moves with superhuman speed-     And the blade meets what seems to be a wall of metal. The full-sized blade of Zanjintou takes shape in less than a second, and the first couple of feet are all she needs to stop the Power's stab outright, turning herself into a blade lock with the massive bulk of her sword fully horizontal. Only then does she speak. "You're the first opponent against whom I'll be testing this blade's full power. Don't disappoint me."     And then the demigod turns and /shoves/, pushing herself out of the clash to give a couple meters' distance. "I suspect that you have none - but all the same, I ask your name, if any. I am Setsuko Kaminagi, Major in the Union Armed Forces Elite Division. And this sword-"     She sweeps her massive weapon around, holding it out behind herself in a ready stance. "-is called Zanjintou."     And then she lunges forward, bringing the colossal blade in a sweeping horizontal slash of sheer, simple brutality. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     "You have come to dominate this land and its people, seeking to disrupt the harmony your God has created! You would impose order on those you could be-" And Kirika's train of thought is derailed the moment Staren throws diplomacy to the wind in favor of badass one-liners and explosions.     Kirika herself is less than comfortable facing off against the Holy Host, but judging by what Beli has said before, this is a regretably necessary course of action to be made.     The minute Staren launches off five-rounds rapid at the powers, Kinugiri is removed from its sheath, and Kirika coils up before making a massive leap, running off into the fray with sword drawn.     Her blade raises up just as Kirika sees an attack her way.     "It is time for a devil's blade to slay an angel, regretable as it may be to do so! It-"     A heavenly sword meets steel forged by a masterful smith, infused with the magics of a demigoddess of Kasun. The blade glows with red inscriptions, and Kirika grunts in effort as she fights to stay standing. "-'s name is Kinugiri." 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko--as that angelic figure certainly is--looks up, first, to see Setsuko arrive. Seeing Setsuko fly on her own is still a new thing. The arriving army catches her attention next; those are something she's never actually seen before. Those arriving after her each get a nod, somewhat more pronounced with a glowing, white halo above her head to make that slight bob with her head. Once done, she stands straight once more, and moves her right hand to rest against the pommel of her sword.     It's a subtly aggressive stance, one that knows of conflict soon to occur. It will likely do little to ease the minds of the citizenry, whatever they thought of the "angel's" arrival. Their peace was somewhat distant in her mind, though she hopes fervently that they will not suffer greatly for what must be done here.     The town's guardians appear, in a form as alien as she could have hoped for. She would be confused longer were it not for Beli's explanations. As it is, she'll take heed of that prior experience, as well as Setsuko's stratagem, should an opportunity for that well-present itself.     "We do not bow," comes the calm voice from behind the blanked visor, as one leg moves back and she lowers into a poised crouch, "to your Law." Her sword is brandished high. "Tyrants are unneeded."     Her blade strikes. She slashes, thrusts, twists and carves arcs through the air that seem to defy laws of motion. The soft glow over her armor is bright, now, shining a silver-white visible even through a distance in daylight. Still, for all her magic, it is as she said--difficult. She's not striking for the cores of her nearest opponents, but forcing motion to avoid, and avoiding in turn. Those blades that come at her strike into a swiftly summoned kite shield sharply enough to embed, but she allows nothing to reach through to her with more than a glancing blow, forcefully turning her shield to present unmarred surface to each strike and make it that much harder to withdraw any crystal that strikes into it.     She dances this way and that on pointed feet, the difficulties of balance simply another facet handled by her battle trance as she attracts as much attention as possible. As many foes as she can manage to pull toward her and frustrate at once, between her shield and her sword, before she'll unleash her true weapon for this round.     Her sword strikes, but in the moment it changes direction, it also changes form. A massive hammer, its haft some eight feet long and head large enough to take out a man's torso, swings in a complete circuit to crash into the core of every angel within her reach. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz sees the angels they are not how the humans, CASTs and newmans see suicvh things on her world. No they seem alien almost somewhat rmeind her of the falz she looks at them for a moment. She folds her arms. "Your war should have ended with ... the fall of your leaders and tell me?! What of your sins against the world and it's people?!" She summons a weapon it's a huge hulking blade it's entirely made of metal and one might see faint letters near the hilt but it's too hard to make out. Her one good eyes narrow she gets ready to enter the fight. The blade it old very old it's origins are unknown yet ths blade has found it's way into Crys hands almost like it had wanted to fight the Falz with her so long ago. She bring up the 3weapon attemping to use it to defend herself. She breaks into a run with her large blade and tries to get in close enough to one of the angels to strike out with all the force she can muster. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     The Powers assaulting Staren meet with mixed results. On the one hand, the gatling railgun is too fast for them to avoid completely; its shots pierce through their crystal bodies in more than one spot before the angels shift out of the way, forcing Staren to adjust his aim if he wants to hit them. The homing beams are slightly more effective, for while the Powers suddenly disperse their forms into storms of crystals to let the beams pass through them now and then, a few simply try to shift out of the way, suffering chunks of crystal being blasted away once the curving beams adjust to strike them.     Fortunately, his shield seems durable enough to prevent their assaults from doing too much to him directly. Whips lash at it from a distance, slashing and crashing against its surface from afar as the Powers are held at bay by Staren's constructs. Their thrusting fists and crushing clubs are avoided by further dispersing of the Powers' bodies, but it's not perfect; one club outright crushes the heart of a Power whose dodge was misguided, shattering it with the crack of glass and causing its crystals to tumble to the ground. Its whole form soon vanishes in a mote of light, and a white, ethereal orb rushes from where it was over to Beli. The others prove more skilled: razor-sharp swords seem more than enough to puncture and slice the armor of the constructs in front of them, and while some of the horde of Powers find themselves drenched in acid and plasma that consumes their crystalline bodies, they are relentless, pushing themselves into the constructs with little care for their own safety.     Ayako's water barrier proves to be a surprise to the two Powers that rush toward her. They find themselves abruptly slowed to a crawl, their descending swords falling much slower than before and giving plenty of time for her to evade and find somewhere safe to run to. She won't have too much time, though, at least after that barrier is gone: the Powers have no interest in letting her go that easily, and the moment they find themselves free of the barrier's slowing effects, they rush at her again with musical battle cries to try and stab her through wherever she runs.     The Powers that have been drawn to Setsuko are similarly and abruptly hindered. The one that rushed ahead of the trio finds its thrusting sword suddenly halted against Setsuko's much larger blade, and while they lack faces to express with, the angel's gestures of abrupt frustration and confusion clearly mark its surprise before it begins pushing against the demigod's sword.     It is, of course, a futile effort. The Power is soon hurled back toward its companions, though a beat of its wings stops it before it crashes right into them. Its voice echoes contempt through the elegance of harps as it snaps back to Setsuko. "We are the Powers; we need no name, not under our Lord's grace!"     The sword swings around, but it doesn't find a clear purchase. Instead, the three Powers disperse into a storm of crystals as the massive weapon passes between them, the blade cracking against a few crystals in passing. Rather than arrange into their separate forms, however, the trio shifts and expands into something much larger: a single giant Power formed from three, with all three hearts orbiting in its chest and swords large enough to match Setsuko's forming from each hand. The giant angel lifts its swords before bringing them crashing down on Setsuko. "Now fall, and see the folly of your alliance!" 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     A Power has found itself locked with Kirika, too, its joined hands formed into a crystal halberd of elegant beauty. The weapon's blade is locked just at Kirika's sword, but the angel can push it no further down, not against Kirika's strength. Its voice of harps rings out again. "Our God is the one who leads us to our victory! The Lord Michael shall see to it that darkness is cast from this world, and in our unity, we shall find peace in virtue, not the storms of chaos that aberration embodies!" Abruptly, the angel shifts; its halberd is hoisted up and out of its brief lock, then swung in a horizontal slash to cleave right through Kirika.     The angels, meanwhile, are briefly confused in the face of Kimiko's presence. Her form is angelic, but if she stands with Beli, then she must be an imposter of some sort; her words claim as much. That realization only seems to draw their ire further, as several of the angels rush toward her with weapons at the ready. As planned, six come flying after her, prepared to assault with crystal blades. Strikes come from one angle after another, the angels pursuing her relentlessly as she retreats, blocks, thrusts to force their brief splitting and reforming in a constant delay.     And then she strikes, her hammer swinging around to shatter three of the angels who are too caught by surprise to adjust in time. Three more souls rush toward Beli as their crystal forms disperse in light, while the other three split in time to avoid the crushing hammer striking at their hearts. The resulting storm rushes immediately toward Kimiko again, reforming just in time to thrust at her from three different angles as she's recovering from her last swing.     More shouts are directed from Crys to the angels, and as they rush toward her, they respond in angered harp songs. "Not all of our leaders have fallen, for the grace of Paradiso is not so easily blotted out! Our Lord Gabriel still stands, and by this night's end, he will see you eliminated for your trespasses!" Bladed whips crash against Crys's weapon, but find no purchase on her, and she proceeds to strike against the four that have chosen her as a target. Her huge weapon strikes at them, but one Power's sacrifice helps to dampen the strike, as it forms a shield from its whole body to protect its companions. The strike shatters its form and sends it tumbling away in dozens of pieces, but it grants just enough time for the others to fall back before their lashing whips fall on Crys again from afar.     And what of Beli? The rephaite is currently dealing with a few herself, lashing at them with bursts of scarlet hellfire and swirls of darkness to confuse and disperse their forms. A few strikes hit her, drawing black blood from fresh wounds, but she doesn't allow them to slow her down. She flies, ducks, weaves to try and avoid the brunts of their attacks, all while retaliating where she can against her assailants. The souls that fly toward her from the successes of her allies simply vanish. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren hasn't seen these allies in a fight in a long time, if ever. Kimiko is like a flying angel now, and Setsuko has a giant sword? Okay. He chalks it up to the Multiverse being the Multiverse. He doesn't know it's supposed to be surprising!     "You can't help it, can you? You're bound by your programming." Staren observes somberly. "Well, then we have no choice but to come to blows, until the hazard you present to humanity's freedom is no more!"     Staren's shield is like the projected-energy version of a physical shield, as in the sort of thing a fighter or knight might carry on their arm, rather than a fully-encompassing energy field. Staren tries to block attacks with it, but those that make it past scratch and tear at his armor. Nothing severe... for now.     Staren's retaliation is to fire out another salvo of missiles, seeking out angels that are clumped together or too far from the front lines and then exploding in great plasma fireballs!     New commands are radioed out to the constructs -- The clockwork spiders stay back and spit acid, while the rest focus more on being a defensive line than going on the offensive, though they try to push the angels back when they can (they can't fly? That makes this easier...). Crystal weapons that are sharp enough may slice off parts of the golems -- hacking off a limb or two maims them, while successfully cleaving the torso of one causes it to collapse lifelessly. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz weapon clashe with the angel's weapon, and moves quickly twisting her body and moving to keep her self from being able to get one good hit in it's not enough to gt the one she was after. "Go a head, my fuse is short anyway." Crys twists again as the whips come in but this time she's not quite quick enough and the hit her some of them are dampened by the photon field others of them are not as she's hit pretty hard and she's also bleeding a bit given they managd to bypass the field that protects her. She still standing and she raises one hand off the blde and mutters somethingl. "RA Foie!" There;'s an explosion of flame about her homing in on those angels that have got too close but it's clear they got her good. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     "Disappointing," Setsuko replies simply. "I would have expected warriors championing a force of goodness and light to hold more respect for their opponents." She allows the mass of Zanjintou to carry her through a half turn, and then shifts the momentum to dance through the air back away, all in one fluid movement that leaves only the smallest of gaps for attack. By the time she's retaken her 'stance' in the air, her trio of opponents have taken a much larger, singular shape, one swinging weapons each a match in size for her own blade. Size, to be certain... but not power.     The demigod whips Zanjintou up in a lightning-fast block, planting one hand on the flat of the blade and letting its sheer surface area serve as a shield against the two-handed overhead strike. Despite her utterly inferior size, she has the strength to stop the attack cold, arms quaking briefly with the effort of holding it steady. But only briefly. For after just a moment of that block, she allows Zanjintou's full-sized blade to disperse entirely hurling herself right up through the gap between swords, close enough for the crystals to scrape shallow cuts all along her shoulders as she passes. But it allows her to lunge up above the Power's guard, and in the next heartbeat, Zanjintou has retaken its massive shape, and the swordswoman hauls her sword around in a diagonal power slash aimed straight for her opponent's 'head'. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     "They AREN'T championing a force of goodness and light, that's why we're fighting them!" Staren observes, to Setsuko. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Another blast of mist flies from the brush of Ayako's broom as she takes the opportunity to fly off on her broom in the direction of Staren's constructs. Her sphereical barrier goes with her to help her evade any pursuers. She moves towards the constructs, trying to lead any tunnel-visioned Powers into the defensive strikes of the constructs. It seems she's trying to get behind the defensive line!     As she flies over the wall of constructs, her right hand goes over her head and grabs her witch hat. She flings it down towards them-and the barrier goes with it! Upon hitting the ground, the sphereical barrier quickly turns into a single concave dark bluish shield to help fortify the line.     Once behind the constructs, she pulls another witch hat out of her muffler and plops it onto her head. She then cups her hands in front of her body and starts focusing. It's going to take a moment to make enough gray Healing Water for these defenders! 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     "Your god is mistaken." Kirika growls simply. She is having none of this dogmatic shit, regardless of what she was taught about rights to religion. Right now, what matters is taking that Power out.     She mutters something unladylike under her breath as the Power slashes its halberd at her, moving to evade by leaping back. Its weapon gives it a hell of a lot better range against her blade, and she knows for a fact fighting someone with a polearm when all you have is three feet of steel is suicidal, magic sword or no.     So she plays it smart, backing far as she can afford to before launching a firebolt the Power's say, then another for good measure. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko is good at little if not at knowing how to roll with a blow. Sadly, the lack of feet make this particularly difficult. Ankles are useful things, and she rather lacks them at the moment, as hindered as they would be by any armor. The storm of crystals is confusing to look at, and yet more confusing to determine how to counter, even with reflexes as sharp as hers. When her strike fails to bring down more than half her intended targets, her best effort is to strike the ground, using her weapon as a lever throw herself back and out of the way.     The hammer is large, and her speed is slowed. Rolling with the strike as she is, her opponents' weapons still reach her, if at reduced force. She's about to find out just how well angelic armor stands to angelic weapons--though in this case, she's little expectation. Those crystals look too physical to be worried over mystical alignments.     Yet, it holds, magic reinforcing what material may lack. She feels the sharp impacts, but is spared the more agonizing (and distressingly familiar) feeling of sharp implements being thrust through her chest. She's knocked yet further back, to be sure, but she lets herself fly, knowing this will make it that much harder to penetrate her defenses in a single blow. Her hammer is lost from her grip, and her "wings" are sadly useless for actually stabilizing her imminent crash.     On the other hand, her grip is strong and dextrous. She thrusts her fist into the ground hard enough to break concrete, and certainly hard enough to slow, then halt her fall, turning her momentum into a spinning kick aimed with lethal intent at her nearest pursuer. She spares only one more strike with the opposite leg before leaping back to her feet, such as they are, and then taking off at a full run. Not toward her remaining opponents, no. Her run seems to ignore them entirely as she fairly flies across the battlefield, taking a circuitous, dodging route that finally takes her to Kirika's opponent, against whom she aims a blow of her first--which has suddenly sprouted a decidedly wicked set of spikes, as if grafted over the gauntlet's angelic base. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Unfortunately, the angels do, in fact, fly. Lacking legs as they do, that seems to be about all they /can/ do. Nonetheless, Staren's forward push is effective; the salvo of missiles manage to get clumps of the angels, shattering crystals and cores alike to send more souls Beli's way, and those that were already weakened by acid and plasma are only eaten away further until they find themselves force to fall back. Directly pushing through Staren's forces isn't working, apparently. Time to shift tactics.     As if on cue, several more Powers emerge from the gate to replace the forces that have fallen in battle, joined by those that have given chase to the fleeing Ayako. Those fighting Staren fly up, rising above the scientist and his own army, and, once joined by the new forces, they disperse. The storm of sharp crystals, however, isn't mean to defend, but attack. They fall from above in a spreading rain of blades, each crystal relatively small but falling with such density and speed that they prove to be a great risk nonetheless as they try to fall over Staren's entire army, including Staren himself and Ayako. The cores, meanwhile, remain floating higher above the army, hopefully in safety.     Crys's explosion of flame is another effective assault. The roiling flames blast into the grouping of Powers, rushing through their assembled forms to engulf their cores in roiling fire. It's clearly effective in the way they give pained harp songs, their cores cracking and soon shattering under the intense heat. Three more souls are sent toward Beli, but Crys is given only a moment to breathe: two more Powers emerge from the gate and immediately disperse, hurling their crystals at her in a concentrated storm like razor-sharp bullets.     The giant Power assaulting Setsuko finds its strike blocked, but only for a moment; in that brief recovery, Setsuko suddenly rushes between the twin swords as they continue their cleaving descent. Before the Power can adjust, Setsuko is right in its face, and a quick cleave of her sword slashes right through its head, cutting through many crystals in its assault. The angel gives a disjointed thrum of harps as it staggers backward, though its head doesn't seem to fall apart. Rather, its whole /body/ shifts, dispersing into another storm of color that swirls around Setsuko before settling into the form of a gigantic serpent with is cores serving as three 'eyes' on its head. The angel attempts to constrict Setsuko in its coils, but those are not only crushing; the mass is bladed as well, slicing and grinding with every squeeze it offers.     The first bolt fired by Kirika is avoided, of course, by the dispersing Power, but it's the second that finds its mark. Dispersing as it does exposes the Power's core, and while it tries to shift out of the way, that blast shatters through a good half of it mass, leaking light and mist from the wound. Just before the angel can reform, however, Kimiko comes in with a blow that shatters the rest of the core, sending the Power's crystals tumbling to the ground before its whole form disperses in light. Another soul is sent to Beli...and several more Powers emerge from the gate, too. With whips as their weapons, they send crossed lashes at Kirika, while Kimiko's pursuers catch up to her. One had found itself shattered and briefly stunned by her thrusting kicks, but the other two have formed halberds of their own to try and stab through her from behind, pinning her to the ground if they can manage it. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli, meanwhile, has continued leading her pursuers in a careful dance through the air, but it soon comes to a halt as she whirls around to face them. With a shout, her left arm is thrust toward the grouping of angels, and all at once, she consumes them in a swirling blast of hellfire. The angels are consumed, shouting their pain before falling silent again. Those, too, vanish in motes of light, their souls sent toward Beli as she pants and gasps for a moment's breath.     It's a moment she isn't spared, however; a brilliant light forms from the gate, and soon the archangel of charity shows himself, slipping free from the smokey portal in all his shimmering glory.     BGM: http://goo.gl/YZaCPY     Like the Powers, Gabriel appears to be made entirely of radiant and separate crystals, but these resolve into a more human shape, albeit one that is extremely tall and slender. Even more significant is his heart, which holds such radiance that it makes his entire form glimmer with many brilliant colors. His feet taper into points, and from his back extend four of those same abstract, floating wings like crystalline windchimes with light trailing off each 'feather' in radiant bands. His halo is formed similarly to those of the Powers, but what is very different is his weapon: a long spear whose head is a similar collection of those orbiting crystals hovers where his right hand would be, and as he floats free from the gate, he casts it to the side in a defiant, regal gesture.     Without a moment more to spare, the archangel rushes toward Beli with a resplendant harp's song. The crystals at the end of his staff suddenly arrange into a long scythe's blade that he sweeps to impale Beli right through. The rephaite, however, is quick to protect herself: while not the best move available to her, she casts up a wall of darkness beside her, the pitch-black shadow hardening into a barrier that catches Gabriel's blade. Beli is knocked aside in the process, wincing along the way, but she manages to stay in the air as Gabriel twirls his weapon and braces it for another attack. "You should have kept your head low, abomination," Gabriel remarks, his voice full of contempt. "Now that you threaten our peace directly, we have no choice but to cast your stain from this world, as should have been done long ago."     Beli just gives a hateful snarl to the archangel. She says nothing; her response comes in the rush of dark spears that fly at Gabriel, each one quickly parried aside by an expert twirl of his weapon. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika can fight and evade as much as she can, but she's not good enough to dodge that many whips at once. The half-kitsune is snared in the Powers' lashing whips, three of them wrapping around her leg, her wrist, and her neck as the fourth strikes her across the back. Flesh is flayed from Kirika's back, and she lets out a howl of pain as she struggles to keep conscious and fighting.     Gritting her teeth, she tries to slash at one of the whips holding her down while she has a chance to cut herself free before another whip strikes her.     This isn't going well. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz is not giving much time to breath but she takes what she can she does see Beli sucking up the souls, it's a good thing she's got an idea of what's actually going on with them and not that she's just going to devour souls, right? Anyhow Crys comes under attack and the huge blade is banished a smaller one appearing in hand the SB saber humms to live as Deelel move to intercept and parry many of the incomming crystals at her, cutting them apart or defelcting them away from her self. "So ... you keep coming?" Those who'd know crys would find it odd she normlly barely talks during fights, she's being a postive chatter box today, it's kinda odd. "SAVARIT!" Her mag appears hovering at her shoulder and then she summons something a creature of light that looks like a stag forms up bside her and raises it's head high raining light beams which are like lasers down upon the Power's attacking her. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako's gaze turns upwards at the large amount of crystals threatening to rain on Staren's forces and herself! With the cores far above them in the air. She stops cupping her hands in front of her body and wrings them in front of herself.     "Hey! That's cheating!" Ayako puffs her cheeks out and pouts. "Fine, I'll cheat too!" She grabs the broomstick she's sitting on with both hands and slams the brush into the ground. It doesn't appear to have done anything-and Ayako quickly darts close to a construct to shield her from the raining crystals! Even so, she still gets scratched and slashed up quite a bit by them. Said wounds bleed a little bit of water, but her appearance rapidly begins to reform to seemingly 'heal'.     And then the ground starts to rattle. Every single water main in a thirty meter radius suddenly bursts and water geysers up from the streets! Ayako's gaze goes straight up to Staren! "Staren! It's up to you now!" The broom's brush is moved to point straight up at the giant robot Staren is piloting. "Here's one for guns! Bullet Maelstrom!" The water geysering up from the streets suddenly swirls up and around in front of Staren's giant robot, the whirlpool's wide maw extending out from in front of the robot and pointing towards the gate.     Any bullet that goes through that is going to be far, far more powerful than normal! 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko doesn't normally give off much of an indication as to when she's pulling out her strength, until the form of her efforts materializes. The Paradiso armor changes that, to what little good the warning will do those attacking her. Rather than turn to face her attackers, she uses her mobility to its best. The blows to her back are too shallow, falling too short to bring her down, hard though their impacts may be felt as they dent the heavenly material inward. Her next leap comes up with a new hammer, though shorter than the previous. With this she spins end over accelerating end, and strikes forward, against the ground.     The ground craters more than it cracks, a resounding crash that sends fissures in every direction, a network of cracks criss-crossing as the city's grounds are wrecked in a terraforming blow.     The angels can fly, of course. To disrupt their footing is not her arm. It's the storm of knives that erupt from those cracks that are her true attack. Like an eruption under pressure, the cutting stream surrounds and intersects the positions of both her pursuers and the whip-wielding opponents Kirika faces, stopping barely short of the latter's position.     From the center of that brief maelstrom, Kimiko rockets upward. She's still not flying, as it's only her legs that propel her--along with the quickly disappearing spell circle at the center of her crater. Before she can noticeably slow, she's leaping again, leaving another circle mid-air. Another, and another, and she's carried high enough to reach the position of Setsuko and her airborne opponents. There's not the barest moment to rest, now--her magic won't let her stand. She can only move without ceasing, a shield in one hand and a lance in the other, charging into and /through/ any opponent that comes Setsuko's way, not heeding the impacts, seeking only to disrupt and crash against, again and again. If she can hold their attention, that's enough. She's prepared to be wounded in turn. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     The form of a massive snake is one Setsuko can't quite defend against with so little warning, not when she's fighting conservatively. It has too easy of a time getting around her, the crystals crushing and gouging at the same time; while her previous wounds were shallow enough that they've already stopped bleeding, these bite deeper, drawing a hiss of pain and annoyance from the demigod. But the reinforcements have proved enough of an issue that Beli has called for something drastic, and that call sets the swordswoman's face into a mask of resolve.     "I'm sorry. I don't have any more time to waste here."     As she is now, Setsuko no longer shows her aura by nature. All the power that once boiled off her is now bound up in every fiber of her being and every inch of her sword. But that doesn't mean that she cannot still apply it as she once did. With no warning, there is an explosive rush of divinity in every direction, Setsuko whirling herself around with her blade and blasting a concussive burst of blue divine power at every single shard squeezing in around her. The Zanjinto lashes out, left and right, but it's a clearing strategy more than an actual attack. She's giving herself just enough room to hurl herself skyward, trusting Kimiko to deter the giant Power from pursuing.     And so she does, launching straight for the clouds, putting every ounce of her power into rising high and fast. Fast enough that twin jets of blue erupt from her shoulder blades, downward fountans that almost seem like wings in a way, carrying her to the heavens as if that were where she belonged. "And with the speed of a shining cloud...!" There is a moment at the very height of her arc, a moment wherein the divine thrust ceases and she is left high above all as if floating. "ZANJINTOU..."     Her voice rings out in the moment she finally turns herself over and descends. And if her rise was as a god's, her fall is as a meteor, the power of flight interweaving with the pull of gravity, the swordswoman pushing her fall to terminal velocity in a heartbeat - and then far beyond. Down she descends, a falling bullet, the massive blade of her sword held high above her as she goes, every second of her fall adding more and more speed, more and more power to the inevitable moment when her impossible plummet takes her straight to the top of the heavenly arch. And in that very last instant, at precisely the perfect moment to transfer every last newton of force into a single overwhelming strike with a divine sword strong enough to carve steel like tissue- "ITTOU RYOUDAN!!"     -Setsuko Kaminagi swings her blade. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Some part of Staren is elated that he's pushing them back, but it's subsumed by his focus on analyzing and directing the battle. When the angels fly up, Staren sends up yet another salvo of missiles to greet them, but that's probably not enough to take care of them. When he sees them spread into a cloud of crystals, he realizes what's up, raising the Star Hawk's shield over its head and commanding the larger spider-constructs to move back and the smaller ones to dive under them for cover!     The shield saves his mecha, and the larger spiders save the clockworks, but most of Staren's army is destroyed in one fell swoop -- sliced-and-diced unicorn statues fall in pieces to the ground, while a couple of the stone constructs crack and fall to pieces.     Curiously, when a stone spider cracks apart, it reveals an inactive clockwork spider as its core.     Staren stares at the devastation of his army, the mecha's shield arm drawing a beam saber and slashing at the crystals on the ground -- but when Staren realizes he doesn't see any cores down there, more missiles and a spray of railgun fire are sent up to the sky to deal with them.     And then a new threat emerges: An archangel that attacks Beli. Staren's ready to charge in against Gabriel, but there's a change in plans as their objective is     chw">DESTROY THE GATE! 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     The spider-constructs and remaining humanoids run for it, skittering back down the road, spitting acid at any pursuers.     As for Staren's mecha, it deactivates its shield and puts its missile pod back on the holder clips on its arm, to free up use of its hands. The right shoulder pack opens up and unfolds, expanding out into a long-barreled rifle-looking weapon. A track on the Star Hawk's shoulder allows it to rotate into a horizontal position, the mecha's hands steadying and aiming it at the gate while shifting its feet into a steady stan     cGx">ANTI-WIRELESS RAILGUN 20%      Panels with stabilization thrusters open along the barrel, and laser drills in the Star Hawk's feet burn holes in the ground so that stabilization pylons may be deployed.     ANTI-WIRELESS RAILGUN 40%     Normally, Staren has to aim with precision. This time, his target is a stationary object! Staren shifts the rifle slightly, moving the targeting reticle on his HUD over the side of the gate.     ANTI-WIRELESS RAILGUN 60%     "C'mon..." Staren mutters impatiently as he waits for the capacitor banks to charge. "Thanks, Ayako!"     ANTI-WIRELESS RAILGUN 80%     Those who can sense such things might sense magic on the massive railrifle -- the entire weapon has been enchanted, magic joining science to pack as much power as possible and to exploit the weakness of the weapon's original target. Inside the chamber sits a warhead containing a bomb, not of chemical or nuclear power but of magic -- crystals charged with opposing elemental energies, that will explode with great force when combined. Not to mention the kinetic force of impact, nanoseconds before the explosion. On the front of the round is a laser drill, to vaporise a tunnel into the target so the bomb can blow it apart from inside.     ANTI-WIRELESS RAILGUN 100%     Staren exhales, and holds out his breath, as he holds the reticle still and begins to squeeze the trigger. At the Star Hawk's feet, attachments to the feet laser drill into the ground and deploy pylons deep within as stabilizers.     Now.     The Star Hawk's thrusters fire to hold it stable and counteract the force of the railcannon. All that electricity is dumped in a tiny fraction of a second to produce incredible current and incredible force. The enchanted railgun transfers not only kinetic energy, but magically-enhanced power and accuracy to the warhead that's launched straight up into the air at several times the speed of sound. And of course, now it's enhanced by Ayako's magic too! The round moves through the air so quickly that there is nothing to see but a streak of fire and smoke, like one long explosion, and a great boom. And, of course, if the warhead operates as planned, there should be some impressive fireworks at that arch. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Kirika's slash helps disperse the whips lashing at her, but they aren't exactly severed. It gives her some space to recover, at least, and perhaps some more time to retreat...particularly when Kimiko comes to help. That erupting storm of knives rockets up into the air, consuming the Powers around them in a strange reversal of the tactics they've been using themselves. Separating their bodies isn't so useful here; the knives blast upward, blocking off a couple of the Powers and consuming those that are placed poorly to have their cores shot through. More souls move over to Beli, and for now, Kirika is spared.     The Powers assaulting Crys seem to gain a moment or two of the upper hand as they fire their constant barrage at her, but once their shards are all spent and they try to reassemble themselves, the advantage is completely lost. The stag's barrage of beams rain down on the cores trying to rebuild their bodies, crashing through them and obliterating them in the process. The Powers raining down on Staren and Ayako face a similar fate, their cores being shattered and exploded in the salvo Staren sends up at them.     The giant Power Setsuko has been dealing with suddenly finds itself greatly damaged by that sudden swirling explosion of power. Most of the serpent's lower body is shattered, crystal shards raining harmlessly down on the streets below, freeing her at least for the moment to rush upward. The serpent's lingering head gives a tinkling bird's song of anger, but as it rushes after Setsuko again, mouth agape, it finds itself faced with Kimiko. The Puella's lance crashes through its head, shattering and dispersing its form again. The storm of crystals attempts to re-orient itself to face her, but as it solidifies again, she charges once more to disrupt it. A few more Powers have slipped through the gate again to join the fray, but in their efforts to subdue Kimiko, they face an all too similar fate amid their attepts to cut her down again and again.     Fortunately, Gabriel is too occupied with Beli to turn his attention to the people trying to destroy the gate. As he rushes toward her once more, his scythe rearranges itself into a glaive, and before Beli can move aside completely, she finds herself run through the stomach with it. The rephaite gasps in pain, black blood like tar slipping down the archangel's blade...but she isn't down yet. She's taken worse than this and stayed standing, after all. This close, she manages to look up at Gabriel and offer a bloody snarl before another rush of darkness comes in, shattering the hilt of his weapon in a powerful blunt strike.     ...but as Gabriel falls back slightly, the broken end he holds actually regrows itself. It extends up into another crystal glaive, and as shock and surprise flit over Beli's expression, he thrusts this new one in to join the first, grabbing both to rush forward and pin her against a building's wall with both polearms. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     However, as successful as that may be, it's not a complete victory.     In the next moment, Setsuko cleaves down through the gate's center, slicing it clean in half. At the same time, its power accentuated by the swirling whirlpool formed by Ayako, Staren's cannon fires a single shot of incredible force that speeds through the air, crashing right into the side of the arch. The resulting explosion consumes a good portion of the gigantic structure...and, after a moment more, the portal dissolves and the gate begins to collapse. First the half that was weakened by Staren's shot, its structure tumbling down in a cascade of gigantic chunks and shards, and then the other half, imbalanced and forced to crumble without anything to support it. Debris and clouds roll up, sending a wave of rushing wind through the city streets and tumbling white debris.     Gabriel's attention is swiftly drawn back to the destroyed gate. His shock is clear in his silence, and then the resulting rage that echoes in his voice. "Wh...NO! What have you done?! That was-!"     Whatever he was next about to say is quickly silenced, as a spear of darkness thrusts through his chest and pierces the glimmering orb at his heart. The archangel freezes, silent for a brief moment, before his form steadily falls apart, pieces cascading down to the earth. Soon enough, those pieces and the remains of his weapon dissolve in flashes of light, though he leaves no soul behind. At least it frees Beli from being pinned; the rephaite catches herself in her fall, wings spreading to steadily descend to the ground despite the pain lingering in her expression.     There are only a few angels left, now, easy enough to clear up. And the sky's strange light is steadily fading, giving way to a more natural night, letting evening's shadows linger as they should instead of the overwhelming radiance of Paradiso's influence. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Setsuko's momentum carries her through, straight down to the ground, in a crash-landing hard enough to crater whatever asphalt or concrete her feet may slam into. The tremendous force of her descent can have no other conclusion; but even so she lands boots-first, and sweeps her massive sword up into a perfect vertical, declaring with the tone of ritual, "There is nothing my Zanjintou cannot cut!"     And then the blade disperses, the weapon returning itself to its katana form as the silver-haired woman turns and launches into the sky once again, headed straight for Kimiko to fall in step on clearing out the remaining angels. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     After the shot, vents at the back of the rifle expel a cloud of vaporized coolant.     Staren's focus was on the gate, so he didn't see Beli get stabbed. Indeed, he lets out a sigh of relief when the portal dissolves, finally looking between his allies... "Beli!" He turns to aid her, then has to steady the machine against the sudden winds. By the time he recovers and has put the sniper railgun away, she has slain Gabriel. "Are you alright?" The mecha huries over.     He's content to let the remaining angels run. If they make a nuisance of themselves, though, they will be swiftly destroyed.     When she transmits that she's fine, he nods, the machine echoing the gesture. "So... how many more of these gates do we need to destroy?" 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika manages to slip out of her bonds, before she sees Setsuko carry out a seriously epic feat of swording things. "...impressive." She comments, wincing from her wound as skin knits itself together. When she's good to go, Kirika notices the remaining angels, and then she takes off towards them with sword in hand.     Blade slashing at the divine warriors, Kirika leaves behind burning slashes as she goes to work on these things, her technique impeccable despite her wounds. The half-kitsune's suit jacket practically flies off, followed by her shirt. Thankfully her tank top seems to have stayed on, but it's clear her tailor is going to be PISSED when he sees this. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako glances up into the air as she watches the aerial battle taking place as she holds the maelstrom in place. It's all she can do until Staren fires! And winces visibly when Beli is run through the stomach with Gabriel's glaive. She hops back onto her broomstick, but can't do anything else... And then Setsuko cleaves the gate cleanly in half, followed by Staren firing! The swirlling whirlpool in front of the giant robot Staren is piloting disipates quickly after boosting that one shot.     The very moment that her boosting barrier falls, Ayako emits a burst of mist from her broomstick's brush flies quickly through one of the now quieting geysers of water. She sighs softly in relief as the moves through the water and then glances up quickly at Beli up in the sky. To witness her finish off the archangel. Her broomstick is pulled up quickly and yet another burst of mist accelerates her towards the slowly decenting Beli. "Beli!"     Ayako's hands cup together in front of herself and purple healing water quickly fills her hands. "Healing Water!" She quickly flings the water at Beli's nasty-looking wound to heal it! 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz is able to take zome of them down and she notices others are falling but she wonders how many are coming and well Gabriel is very busy with Beli so there's not much she can do about this save she can seem to turn her head at the commenbt of what they'd done. "They are no longer fuel for your war." She says before readying her weapon to look at things as they seem to be getting back to normal. "We got to boot both sides off the world and lets be honest both places are going to make a play for here..." She pauses to see that Beli got pretty mauled in that fight and she baihses her wepaons to go to see if they are all right. "Beli?!" However it seems Ayako and possibly others are the job. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko is using a power-intensive technique rather unlike her usual, for the sake of buying time--which means she has to keep using it. She seems fine from her motions, but it will cost her some extensive downtime later, especially so soon after a certain business involving a Dead Apostle and a darkness-amplifying field magic.     But for now, she charges and strikes, again and again, even as the crystals strike and batter her, seeking to impale, or run furrows against her plates. They've yet to succeed, her armor holding, but some force is always transferred through. She can't avoid feeling it and still fight with all her senses intact, as much as adrenaline dulls the pain.     With Setsuko to help, it's just a mop-up operation, to bring down the last few that came through the gate before it could be shut down, cutting off the city from Paradiso. Little enough chance they can't readily deal with it--until one of the last Powers lands a luckier blow than most, striking the spread protective plates over Kimiko's knee, denting a point just hard enough to lock the joint into position. Despite the wings that appear at her back, she isn't flying, but repeatedly jumping, her magic making momentary surfaces. With just one working leg and her hands full, that plan falls through, as does she, as an armored mass likely to leave another crater in the ground below. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     She never hits the ground. In the blink of an eye, Zanjintou is in its sheath, and a pair of bare, scarred arms have caught Kimiko neatly and effortlessly.     "It feels strange being able to catch you in mid-air like this," she remarks idly, looking skyward to the angel. "Can you fix the joint quickly?" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     *FOOM*     Staren grabs his missile pod and fires another missile at the angel responsible. Since they /didn't/ run, he starts spraying railgun fire at the others. 

:'''{{#var:570|Kimiko Shinobu (570)}} has posed:'''     Kimiko is caught. "A-ah, just... give me a second, I'll be fine." It's all she needs, really. A little uninterrupted time to concentrate on figuring out how to smooth over the dented material with her magic. It's resistant, given how tough the stuff is, and even without impending collision with the Earth distracting her, it takes her longer to fix than it would have for her to hit the ground. Though, she is still a little distracted. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako wheels her broom back around and another burst of mist sends her flying towards Setsuko and Kimiko. "Oh very nice catch! Here you go! Healing Water!" She flings the purple water at the injured Kimiko's knee so that once the dented armor is fixed, so will her knee. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     The remaining Powers are easily swept up with a few more focused efforts. More souls are carried along to Beli, pulling some more people from their enforced roles as angels...save for one. But that will be addressed shortly.     Beli's descent is slow, but she fortunately stays out of the way of the gusts of wind before they vanish. Staren's concerns are answered with the brief lift of her hand and reassurances over the radio, and, soon enough, she finds a stumbling landing on the ground. Again she winces, but before she can do too much more, Ayako rushes in to toss healing water into the deep wounds in her stomach. The angelic demon yelps softly in surprise, but not pain; she only looks down at the wounds as they steadily seal up, blinking in brief confusion. "...wow. Thank you, Ayako, that is...very helpful." Her head lifts, and she smiles a little to the watery girl as the flames in her halos and the sheen on her wings fade away. "I do have my seraphic flames to heal, but...I am very grateful not to have to expend more energy myself."     Beli's head turns just in time to see Kimiko falling at a very uncontrolled rate. Beli's eyes widen, and she looks ready to bolt over and try to help, but it seems Setsuko has taken care of it. Another well-aimed missile shatters the remaining angel as it rushes down in a last desperate attempt to finish its work, briefly raining down opalescent sparkles around Setsuko and Kimiko. It's enough to let Beli breathe a sigh of relief, at least, before turning back toward the ruins of the gate.     All things considered, the hybrid can't help but smile to herself a little more when she looks up at the sky. "...it is...normal," she remarks, almost in awe. "Perhaps...that is another key, rather than trying to kill their leaders..."     The rephaite gives a soft sigh, then, when Staren asks about the gates. She looks up toward him, her smile fading a little. "...well. There is...one for every large, concentrated population on Earth, mostly cities and town. So..." A frown. "...a few hundred, I guess?"     The rephaite straightens up a little more. She's still a little sore, it seems, but Ayako's healing has certainly taken care of the worst of it. "Gabriel has not died, either. That was only a projection of his power, so that his true body would not be at risk. I doubt he will be very happy about this whole thing next time we see him. In the meantime, though, I guess neither Paradiso nor Inferno should be able to actually hold this city without a gate sitting in it. Not that I know if they can simply rebuild it or not...or what they will choose to do if they cannot..."     Another sigh. Beli's hand lifts to rub the back of her head as she turns back to her allies. "Well. I am very grateful to have had your assistance, all of you. I suppose...we will have to see what comes from here, then. For now, I think this is a victory, all things considered." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika finishes the last of the angels, and by the time everything is done, she's already sheathed her blade in appropriately dramatic fashion, flipping her blade in reverse and sliding it in the sheath in a crouched position.     She links up with the others, observing Ayako as she heals the wounded with a nod to Beli. "She's quite useful in that regard, aye." She manages a smile, her own wounds not needing quite a much attention, but her back could use some patching up from a dedicated healer despite Kirika's powers.     However her mood darkens, a frown creeping across Kirika's face as Beli explains. "A war between Hell and Heaven, with mankind in the middle...as it will inevitably be." She shakes her head, sighing in regret. "We'll be here to assist you, the next time battle comes to this world, Beli Klum." promises Kirika, gripping the hilt of her blade tight. 

:'''{{#var:10|Crys Gattz (10)}} has posed:''' Crys Gattz listens at the number of gates she thinks for a moment they should hit the largest ones first and work theere way down she mused for a moment. She wonders for a moment about GAbirel but it looks like things are going to get messy with him. "They may attempt to deny the enemy resources." A cold way of putting it, Crys didn't mean it as such but she's tyring to not think too hard of them purging things. She takes a deep breath. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako smiles cheerfully back at Beli. "You're always welcome, Beli!" She nods her head quickly, and quickly begins checking everyone else for injuries. Several balls of healing water of various colors materialize around her, most of them purple however, as she checks up on Kimiko's knee. She quietly douses Setsuko's wounds with a ball or two while she's nearby and then floats over to Kirika. After a careful look at Kirika... she startles at her back and swiftly heals Kirika's wounds.     Ayako then winces as she listens. "Several hundred gates... this..." She nods her head once quickly. "Un! If I can be of help, please let me know, Beli!" Followed by a bright smile. 

:'''{{#var:575|Ayako Hasekawa (575)}} has posed:'''     Ayako sheepishly floats over to the water pipes she broke, and fixes the flow of water and starts fixing the pipes and street with gray healing water. "Sorry, city..." She hops off her broomstick and bows politely downards towards the ground as she curtsies. "But!" She perks up. "You have to admit. They were cheaaaaaating." Ayako nods her head quickly as she gets to work. "Cheaters." Her tongue sticks out playfully. Why yes, she is talking to the city. 

}}

815/A Challenge in Dondruma

2014-10-17T17:09:42Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/10/16 |Location=Wyveria |Synopsis=An invader from a far-off land comes to Dondruma Town seeking powerful warriors, and Ysabel gets in over her..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/10/16
|Location=Wyveria
|Synopsis=An invader from a far-off land comes to Dondruma Town seeking powerful warriors, and Ysabel gets in over her head.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=576, 581
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Dondruma Town is one of the most active hubs of activity in all of Wyveria, second only to the desert settlement of Loc Lac City. Sandwiched between the Swamp and Jungle regions, the weather is often warm and humid, even in the dimming hours of the day. Today is no different: as the sun hangs low over the horizon and torches are lit along the town's paved streets, the air still holds a comfortable, almost tropical warmth.     While smaller structures of wood and cloth line the streets, large stone buildings old enough that many of their structures are lined with moss form the most dominating structures in Dondruma. These are mostly more significant structures, the largest of which is the Guild Hall located right in the town square. This hub for hunters of Wyveria is a towering building flanked by two curving staircases leading from the open central square to the upper levels, where hunters can find postings for quests or rest between their hunts.     Even at this hour, it's a bustling location: men and women in armors of a wide variety make their way to and fro, pausing at the blacksmith and equipment shops that ring the fountain-crowned central square or hanging around to chat to one another and reunite with other hunters. Some hold weapons larger than they are on their backs, while others keep arms of a more reasonable size, but as this is a peaceful place, no weapons are drawn unless they are to be repaired, bought, or shown off. Now and then some citizens make their way through, mostly on the way to other parts of the town or to gawk at the men and women who risk their lives daily for the safety of the commonfolk, but anyone who could be called 'normal' is rarely seen in this crowd. Music rings out from somewhere, too: drums and more exotic instruments lend an amicable nature to the square, occasionally assisted by the song of a woman whose voice seems to rival the most beautiful of birds.     Soon, however, the peaceful air is likely to be disturbed, for such a vast collection of skilled warriors would no doubt attract interest. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' The air was indeed changing as the area soon became darker and a heavy fog rolled into the town of hunters. The fog itself was nearly blinding at first, making even the light of the torches hard to see. Soon from this fog came the sound of hooves clomping along the street, two red eyes of the nightmare steed glowing in the fog before the creature became visible and along with the mighty steed was the heavy armored rider on its back. His own eyes glowing like wisps of light, as all facial features were hidden by the helm itself. A sword was held already in his hand, even as the fog started to roll back, but the darkness still remained to hide the very sun. He pulled on the reigns before he pointed his sword at one of the local hunters here, "Heed me, I come here in search of one and any whom dare to get in my way shall find their blood upon my blade." The armored figured then slashes his sword outward and down to the side, which though should be out of the way of his dark sword, cuts one of the torches clean in half. "Unless any here dare to stand before me, then I shall accept the challenge of battle.." 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The abrupt onset of a deep fog is enough for everyone to suddenly fall silent and turn their attention to the direction that fog is coming from. Hands immediately fly to weapons and murmurs pass through the encroaching cloud, questioning whether there may be some dragon that has found its way into the town somehow. After all, more than a few are known to summon storms or consume the areas around them in obscuring shadow...but, then again, how could one have come in so quietly without being taken down by the guards on the outer walls?     When the armored horseman strides into view, murmurs of confusion and wonder pass through the crowd of hunters. More than a few step back, uncertain what to make of this imposing man on his strange steed, particularly the heavily armored man who suddenly finds himself with a sword pointing directly at him. Never before has a human (or, at least, what seems close enough to one) come with such clearly imposing presence to cast a threat toward the hunters of the Guild. How exactly is anyone to respond?     That display of power only makes the collected hunters even more wary. A few draw their weapons, but none step forward...until someone shouts angrily from the back of the crowd.     "What the /hell/ is going on?!"     The woman who shoves her way through the crowd of hunters doesn't seem especially imposing at first glance, at least compared to the horseman. Ysabel is not especially tall, but the Zinogre armor she wears lends a wolf-like appearance to her form, accentuated by the ears, claws, and blades that glow an electric blue. That same feral ferocity gleams in her sea green eyes as her gaze fixes on the horseman, glaring at him as if he were threatening territory that was very much /hers/.     Ysabel stops just in front of the crowd of hunters who glance between her and the invading horseman. Her glare remains sharp, but her hands don't go to the indigo switch axe folded up on her back. Not yet, at least. First she has to snap at the armored man. "Who are you and what are you doing in my town? Do you seriously think you can just walk in here on your..." She pauses, glancing at the steed. ".../whatever/ that is and start threatening people? Who does that?!" 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin stares down at the woman who approaches him with no fear. The horse looks at her in equally and actually huffs in her direction when she perhaps insults the might steed. Odin only giving a gentle tug on the reigns. "I am Odin, the Dark Divinity. I travel these worlds seeking one whom was responsible for my imprisonment and none shall dare stand in my way." Odin then stares at her more directly, seeming to gaze right into her very being. "You are not of her descendants, but if you so desire to challenge me, then perhaps you can show these cowards around you the true power of your words.." The elder Primal then tilts his head, "Or is that all you simply are? All the bark, but none of the bite-- as so many who dawn themselves in armor of that they kill which equally is the mind of beasts, instead of the minds of greater men." 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     "What? Hey!" A man in black armor almost similar to Odin's shouts in protest from the crowd. "You don't even know what we go through to get all this-"     "SHUT UP!" Ysabel's angry yell over her shoulder cuts over the man's objections. Her glare is cast back to Odin, though something in her rage seems vaguely subdued. For all her bluster, the initial protective rush she felt upon Odin's arrival has started to fade, and the weight of the situation is beginning to settle in. Blind though she is to the supernatural, even she can feel the foreboding presence of the mounted figure in front of her. This isn't just any knight; even if she doubted his words, the power she can feel in him would speak clearly enough to confirm that.     Well, she may be in over her head, but she's also never really been one to back down.     Her left hand moves to the Brisant Demolisher folded on her back, fingers curling around the handle. While her voice is more subdued, it still comes with a sharp edge. "I guess you must not be from here. Whatever, that's not my problem. My problem now is that you're threatening a place I /care/ about, a place I've had to take down dragons that could eat all of us in one bite to protect. If it's a fight you want, then fine, I'll fight you."     The switch axe is drawn, lifted from her back to move in front of her. The axe head slides up to lock in place at the end of the weapon just as the slime covering its blade hisses to life, adding a rainbow of green, orange, and red to the indigo weapon. "And I'll do it myself, too. I don't care if you beat me, but I'm damn well going to make sure you get that what you're doing was a bad idea either way!"     While their motions are uncertain (for these hunters, while experienced against the beasts of Wyveria, have never once had to face the challenges of the Multiverse), a few people start to step forward from the crowd. Ysabel, however, turns back to level her hard gaze at them. "Hey, back off. I'm getting first dibs with this guy. He's not from here, and I've had more experience dealing with the shit that goes on outside of Wyveria."     Someone tries to get a word in, "But-" "So," Ysabel interrupts, raising her voice again, "if I screw up, go ahead and have at him if you want. But until then, since this guy isn't from around here, /I'm/ your best chance at dealing with him. Now move out of the way!"     While some of the hunters remain reluctant to step back, more than a few are quite willing to clear the square and form a ring around the open space. Once she's sure that everyone else is safely out of the way, Ysabel turns back to Odin, takes a deep breath, and stares up at him. "There. You've got me. Happy now?" 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin hms as he listens to the woman hunter's words. As she speaks, he then swings his leg off his steed and then steps down on the ground, which darkness under his foot step for a moment. He can sense the aetheric flow here is exceedingly weak and once he is fully on the ground, he motions for the nightmare horse he rode upon to return back into the aether. Which it does as it turns away and vanishing into a fog mist. "That is a question you should ask yourself, huntress." Odin says calmly as he raises up his sword toward her. His cape barely moving behind him. Those eyes of his staring directly a her. "..and do not concern yourself with the others-- for my interest is now solely upon you and you alone. Tell me thy name huntress-- so if you defeat me, the favor you can bare correctly." 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     "You obviously haven't heard of me before," Ysabel remarks, eyes narrowing as she watches Odin dismount. The way his horse simply vanishes is regarded warily for a moment, but her attention soon flits back to the armored swordsman. "I'm not happy very often."     Confusion flits over her expression when a favor is mentioned, though. Her brow furrows as she stares up at him, at once wary and uncertain. "...Ysabel. Ysabel Thibault. And what 'favor' is that, exactly? Are you going to bind me to some kind of contract or something?" Her grip on her switch axe tightens slightly, but she doesn't move forward. She's already done enough to get herself in this position; now that she's stuck here, she's going to be as cautious as she reasonably can be. "And am I going to have to give you some 'favor' if I lose for some reason? I'm not a fan of owing people anything." 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin stands comfortably there, his hand doesn't even seem tired as he holds the blade still aimed in her direction. The edge of the blade glowing white for a moment before the glowing seem to vanish lightly. The light of the torches don't even play against the black armor, giving the armor a void look compared to the surroundings with only the slight edges and gold-chrome trim giving it some life. "The favor is given to any whom defeats me to have me do as they will." Odin explains calmly. "..and though I can conqueror the minds of the weak, I dare not do such a thing, for makes me no better then the one whom imprisoned me." Odin then takes an easy step forward, showing with such a calm, slow movement that the weight of his armor matters little to him. "But if you do anything with that favor, lady Thibault is your choice alone. For once the favor is used-- one must defeat me again to gain a new." Just as he finishes that line, the Dark Divinity suddenly steps forward, his form seems to shift around in black tendril of fog, before seeming to disappear only in less then a second reappearing in nearly the same manner as he had vanished to bring his onyx blade around to bare. The swift swing of the sword moving in slight downward motion, with the edge of it glowing to cast a light in the air even as the blade itself already passed by. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Tension fills Ysabel's frame as Odin begins to start toward her. Of course she wouldn't admit it, but the hunter can't help the nervousness settling into her. She hasn't had to face an opponent from outside Wyveria on her own before; who's to say how well she can hold up now, against such an unfamiliar adversary?     The huntress scowls faintly as she pushes that concern aside. Now's not the time for doubts. Just take it easy, watch, and be ready to-     Suddenly, Odin vanishes, and just as suddenly, he's in front of her again. Ysabel's eyes widen in surprise, and as a reflex, she hefts the Brisant Demolisher up to try and block his cleaving assault. It's only partially effective: sparks fly from the impact, and while the blow doesn't slice through her or her weapon, she's sent stumbling back several feet. Thankfully, she has enough practice with getting tossed around that she doesn't fall over, and after some brief skidding, she digs her feet into the stones below to come to a halt again.     Teeth clenched in a wolf-like snarl, she braces herself again and grips her weapon tightly, holding it horizontally in front of her. "...good thing I'm not fond of using things that like recklessly, then," she remarks.     Ysabel is quick to retaliate. Hardly a moment after her retort, she rushes forward to deliver a horizontal slash with her weapon, swinging the heavy blade with more than enough of the strength needed to weild such a large weapon. Should it hit, not only would the blade dig in, but the slime coating it would burst off in a splash of green. Not that it actually seems to do anything at that moment, though. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin goes to bring the blade up to parry the heavy strike, his blade moves with the momentum of the two weapons impacting. Once his blade goes low, he curves his sword away, using his cape at the same time to block whatever the slime may be. Then as his blade comes right back around, his foot slides back, as he then flourishes his blade around, before coming back with another strike of his sword, not once but twice. For with each swing, he steps in. His foot work easily moving across the stone ground, almost like a dance. While he goes to ready himself to block another attack that may come. "..Impressive strength.." He says with some interest in his voice. Perhaps expecting that she would not cause him to give some ground early on in the fight. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Switch axes aren't really made for blocking. It's something that could be done with a greatsword, but the mechanisms inside the switch axe make it less of a solid mass than the greatsword. Even worse, Ysabel isn't exactly used to fighting human opponents and reacting to swifter, direct assaults.     With that in mind, facing someone of Odin's ability might not be the best idea she's ever had. As he comes in with two slashes that close the distance and increase the pressure on Ysabel, she's forced to adapt to a very unfamiliar strategy. Again her weapon comes up to block the first strike, sending her reeling back slightly, but she's well aware that she can't manage the second. Instead, she ducks and swiftly tumbles aside in a practiced roll toward the side opposide Odin's sword arm, coming up with a powerful upward swing that very briefly takes her off her feet with the momentum. Again that slime splashes slightly when it hits, though this time it's a yellow color. Even then, it doesn't seem to be doing anything otherwise.     "Kind of have to have it if I'm going to use a thing like this every day," Ysabel quips back, tension clear in her tone. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' As the woman raises off her feet with a powerful strike of her axe, the elder primal has no choice but to step away swiftly from the blow. The blade however claims a piece of his chest armor, cutting into it, though the armor seems to slowly start to reform after the weapon is clear from him. The force causes him to step back and he has to move away for a moment until he can sweep back around to the side of her. He uses his own cape as a form of distraction as he moves, bring the blade around hidden by the flourishing of the cape, in an upward swing, before stepping around and sweeping down low with his body to trace his other hand around the ground as black chain then seems to form from dark mist. As he goes to stand back up, the dark chain follows up like a whip and then he goes to strike it back down with a heavy force just as one would with a whip. Lashing the dark chain out at her. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The distraction proves to be an effective one. As Odin whirls in front of her, Ysabel finds herself uncertain of where the attack will next come. In a moment of panic, she attempts to block again, but it ends up in the wrong direction; Odin's blade slashes up against her side, drawing a shout of surprise and pain as she's knocked back from the strength of the blow. Even as she tumbles, though, she's quick to right herself, landing in a crouch that sends her skidding along the stone pavement for a few more feet before she comes to a halt. A gash shows along the wyvern plates on her right side where his blade struck, but at least it didn't dig into her flesh. She might not have survived that.     Even then, she only has a moment to recover before she's under attack again. This one, at least, she's more prepared to avoid: as she sees the chain descending, she quickly leaps to the side, barely clearing the space where the chain then crashes into the ground. It's not an opening she lets go to waste, either, as she rushes in toward Odin right after landing. As she brings the Brisant Demolisher back to deliver another swing, however, it suddenly shifts. The axe blade slides down to the base of the weapon, while the sword blade flips up from the back and locks into place just above it as the weapon changes formation, vibrant slime hissing to life along the sword's edge. As she brings it into another upward slash, the whole weapon glows with a red aura, and somehow, it seems to strike with even more force than before. It seems faster, too, for just as it reaches the peak of its swing, Ysabel quickly brings it down in another cleaving strike with a shout of effort, the splashes of slime emerging in orange, then an ominous red. 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' As the chain rotates back around, Odin watches as the woman takes advantage of the opening given. The Elder Primal is also caught off guard by the sudden shift in the weapon. His only thoughts on it is as he voices softly, "...curious.." The first strike hits true, cutting across his chest and a part of his collar bone armor. The impact actually knocking him back a bit, but as she goes to bring the blade back down with its ominous glow, Odin goes to strike high in order to parry the blade as it comes back down. The two weapons then coming into lock and the sheer power actually causes Odin to grunt gently as he holds the blade against blade for a moment. The edge of his own sword glowing gentle, but only with a faint light. "I give you an offer," He says calmly to her, before moving to knock her back. "Only because your strength interests me and I am curious to see your true potential." Then he goes to step back in before she has a chance to recover in attempt to swing the blade to wrap it around her ankle, if it should grab and knock her on her back. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     The sword comes down...and locks with Odin's own. Ysabel gives a tense grunt both of surprise and effort, but nonetheless tries to push further down on the blocking weapon. Her own strain is visible in the frown that forms on her features; still she pushes, trying to overcome the divinity's strength.     That remark catches her off guard, though. He pushes against her blade, and the weapon's unwieldy size makes it easier to knock aside. "Woah-!" Ysabel stumbles, trying to regain her footing, and in that moment Odin catches her while she's off balance, sending her falling onto her back with a pained grunt.     The huntress finds herself stunned for only a few moments, though, before she manages to sit up again. A wary leer is leveled at Odin as she starts pushing herself back to her feet, still clutching her weapon in her hand. "An offer? And just what kind of offer do you have in mind?" 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' Odin walks over to her and points his blade down at her, though she has enough room to get away if she so desires too-- or continue the aggression as well. "The offer is that I take my leave, if you shall battle me in the place where the Elements reside." Odin cants his head a bit. "There you can show me your true strength without the lack of concern for your village. For I believe you are not showing me what you are truly capable of and I rather have for once a true battle-- then one dealing with blades of burden." 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel is not fond of having weapons pointed at her. The moment she realizes she has some space to move, she does, scrabbling to her feet and backing away from Odin and his pointing sword. The Brisant Demolisher isn't held upright when she stands, though; instead, she allows it to lower at her side as she considers the offer.     It's not one she really wants to face. On the one hand, agreeing means that Dondruma won't be threatened any further, at least by him. But, on the other hand...she could likely end up proving him /wrong/ in his belief. What 'true strength' can she show? Despite her weapons and armor, she's just a human, after all. It's not like she has any inherent special powers.     The huntress chews her lip, looking aside at the crowd of other hunters watching the fight with bated breath. Her frown deepens, and after a moment, she looks back at Odin again.     Finally, she lets out a slow, tense sigh. The Brisant Demolisher folds up again, the slime along its blades fading away before Ysabel places it on her back. Arms folded, she looks up at Odin again with a hard, even expression. "Fine. I'll come to...that place, wherever it is, and fight you there instead. Just give me directions or something so I don't get lost finding wherever the hell it is." 

:'''{{#var:576|Odin (576)}} has posed:''' The elder primal stands his ground then as he moves his sword slowly to the side as it vanishes into a dark fog before being completely gone. He then goes to turn away from her, his cape barely moving as he does, before he lifts his hand over to the side to show a place with a water-mill and tall, massive trees with a dark fog image of it. "You will find it in my world, the world they call Hydaelyn." "Seeker deeper into the forest beyond the city where Urth's kin resides. There you will find my resting place.. and there we shall fight." Odin then waves his hand and the image simply fades, before he walks away from her and the fog rolls around him, before he seems to vanish entirely, along the the darkness he brought. 

:'''{{#var:581|Ysabel Thibault (581)}} has posed:'''     Ysabel stands in silence as Odin describes their eventual meeting. There isn't much more for her to say, is there? Besides, her mind is too caught up in the thoughts that her choice has summoned. Thoughts of her own foolishness, wondering why she keeps getting herself into these situations...and, of course, answering that for herself. She knows why.     Once Odin vanishes, a silence lingers over the square for several more moments. The now-starry sky gleams above Dondruma, and soon enough, excited murmurs start among the hunters. Murmurs of awe, anticipation, doubt, and encouragement, all various opinions of what just happened and what awaits Ysabel.     The huntress, meanwhile, only casts a brief glance at the crowd before she turns away. Quietly brooding with her own thoughts, Ysabel strides away from the square toward the residential areas of the town, letting the many hunters ponder and gossip over the events the Multiverse has brought about. It's nothing she's really in the mood to hear at this point. 

}}

628/Samar Strikes!

2014-09-21T21:02:05Z

Squidtentacle:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/09/20
|Location=Brockton Bay
|Synopsis=Brockton Bay falls under attack by three of Samar's Capital Ships, who find unexpectedly strong opposition.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=95, 494, 554, 560
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      BROCKTON BAY      AFTERNOON      Brockton Bay is a good sized city in the north eastern United States. Home to one of the largest parahuman populations in the United States, the men and women of the city are quite used to the strange and terrifying. While superpowered gangs hold wide sections of the city as their territory, it is the men and women of the Protectorate who stand up and keep the city running as it should. Foremost among the members of the local Protectorate team is Armsmaster, known for his midnight blue and silver powered armor and his distinctive trademark Halberd weapon.      For now, however, Armsmaster is in his workshop, working on a new computer program. The Protectorate is unaware of the dangers of the Confederacy, and have never encountered a hostile Multiversal Elite before. Will Brockton Bay's best be up to the task? 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Large costal city? One of the largest popoulations in the U.S.? This sounds like the perfect target for sweeping destruction.     That's exactly what the Abyssals think upon seeing it in their multiversal surveys. And today, just for fun, one of them has decided to come along with a couple of allies.     Of course, they arrive out at sea. The waters off the coast churn and bubble with heat from below the surface, and that serves as the only warning before three female figures breach the waves: Savo, Anchorage, and Leyte, all three of them at their normal humanoid sizes for the moment, but no less imposing for it. Savo's and Anchorage's mechanical parts are nearly the size of cars, after all, and Leyte is simply bristling with weaponry.     As the trio approach the coast, Savo and Anchorage both hovering over the water while Leyte 'skates' along it, Savo grins and points off toward the city. "Alright! Might as well start opening fire on them. Let's see if anyone here feels up to trying to defend this place. A few good explosions should do the trick~!"     Leyte gains a menacing grin, but Anchorage's irritable expression hardly changes. Despite that, Leyte is the one to start firing first: resounding peals of cannon fire crash through the air as shells begin flying toward the coast, and while they may not be at the size of a ship's munitions, those shells certainly explode with more than enough force when they strike. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' For some people - actually, probably for a LOT of people - the idea of criminal street gangs with superpowers is probably fairly terrifying. For Sagat, the Emperor of Muay Thai? It means 'a decent workout' ... as the E88 are discovering, greatly to their chagrin. They may be down to the E66 or so at this rate, if the name works that way - but honestly, picking a fight with somebody Sagat's size just because you don't like the color of his skin? Not gonna go into the Guiness Book of World Records for 'brightest bulb in the chandelier'. "TIGER UPPERCUT!!!" ... and that's BEFORE you factor in the tidbit that his Muay Thai prowess is pretty much a superpower in its own right. Still, not even the best Tiger Uppercut that Sagat's ever thrown results in something exploding well out of his line of sight - and the naval bombardment starting in the distance actually draws Sagat's attention away from the bigots he was bashing around. Most of them do the smart thing; one grabs a bottle and tries to smash it over Sagat's head. Which 'works' to the extent that the bottle breaks. Sagat just picks the guy up by his collar and asks for directions. Shortly thereafter, Sagat's burden is lighter by one bigot and his schedule is heavier by one or more ships that need to be scuttled. Of *course* they're well out at sea, though ... that makes things more interesting. If he can avoid being blown away out of hand, this should be an even better workout than the racists. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Several of the shots slip through, blasting apart sections of the docks in fiery detonations, some finding their way into the centre of the city. One shell detonates in the top of a skyscraper, sending glass raining through the air. The people of Brockton Bay are initially bewildered, scared, but quickly begin finding the disaster shelters. It might not be an Endbringer attack, but everyone in the city knows what to do when disaster strikes. They've trained for this, they've had drills - get safe and let the Protectorate handle it.      The next barrage of shells slams into an invisible wall, glowing with rainbow ripples as the shells detonate. With the Protectorate HQ forcefield operational, nothing will be getting through - at least not without prolonged powerful bombardment. The forcefield will hopefully hold until these attackers - this Savo - decide that there is little point in continuing their barrage, or that reinforcements from elsewhere arrive. Without any flying capes at his disposal, with Dragon up in Canada, Armsmaster is going to be forced to engage them on land. Whoever they are.      Halberd in one hand, midnight-blue armor glinting in the afternoon sunset, further reflecting the sunbursts of small explosions in the near distance, Armsmaster waits. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Unlike a certain martial artist, Emiya Shirou's not the kind of guy to seek out conflict for self-betterment, but if his last few forays into heroics are any indication, MAYBE doing so might be 'smart.'     Because when he was helping out Eorzea, at least he had more prana available. There is no forewarning and no local resources to tap into this time around. Emiya Shirou has less than half what he had to work with last time available, but now THREE of these horrible women are t work from what he can see.     Yes, he's in the harbor, behind a building, just glancing out to get an idea for what's happening! With his eyes Reinforced properly, even seeing out to sea is no big deal. "... That girl again...!"     Chills are running up the spine that nearly broke last time. His arm throbs, remembering the pain of being crushed. He'll die if he goes out there. He's lucky that he SURVIVED the last brawl, and that miracle won't happen again. Even if it did, he can't count on being spared by the enemy.     "Damn it, this is my fault for being so weak..."     How can he fight monsters, when he's just a human? If the Abyssal Fleet women used melee weapons, he might be able to keep them busy, but they use guns.     BIG guns.     "Trace, on."     He has to try. If they're left alone, and he does NOTHING to stop them, people will die.     In a panic, he charges his body full of prana, Magic Circuits thrumming to life within him. Strength, speed, durability, all improve drastically. But not enough to compete directly.     He can't possibly beat her in a direct fight. But what about keeping her busy, drawing her into disadvantageous territory...?     Shirou eyes his surroundings. The hazards of any city are gonna be a better weapon than anything he can Project, in this fight. But still, he's gonna need a weapon.     "My body is made of swords!" For some reason, acknowledging this fact as a chant has proved beneficial in the past, and he calls up the feeling that such a realization brought and forces it through his mind while he projects.     Words are meaningless to modern magi. They serve only to guide the mind. Self-hypnosis. A mnemonic aid.     But this is a very effective aid. In a few flashes of golden light, KUSANAGI appears in Shirou's grasp. It's of superior quality to previous versions, if only slightly... 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Once defenders of the city start filtering in, Savo holds her arm to the side to stop Leyte's bombardment. Leyte does so after a moment, the barrels of her cannons still smoking after that continued assault. Savo's arm comes to rest on the 'arm' of her seat, just above a smaller pair of cannons. "Well, this seems like a good turnout! Let's see...Anchorage, you go take care of the armored guy. Leyte, you-"     "Oh, come /on/!" Leyte's sudden, frustrated snap interrupts Savo when she sees Shirou's arrival. Teeth clenching, armored claws balling into fists, Leyte abruptly activates the thrusters on her boots and /rockets/ across the water toward Shirou. She'll probably reach land shortly, but before she does, the triple turrets at her sides open fire with crashing peals, sending a barrage of explosive shells out toward Shirou.     Leyte's sudden beeline makes Savo stare in surprise for a moment, but the Airfield Princess just shrugs afterward. "Well, that's taken care of! Off you go, Anchorage." The Anchorage Demon beside her just gives a brief nod before turning her attention toward Armsmaster. A quick burst of her own thrusters sends her rushing over the water as well, and the strange, shark-like maw that she rides on opens up to reveal a single cannon. Armsmaster only receives a single explosive shell...but it's still no doubt going to be a painful one to tank.     And finally, Sagat. Savo turns her grinning attention to the Muay Thai Emperor, but she seems to be the only one who chooses to stay a good distance from the shore. "Alright, big guy, you said that this won't save me, so come on! Prove it!" The four smaller cannons beside her all fire in unison, more an attack to test Sagat's reactions when he finds explosive shells directly raining down on him than anything. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' Well, simply standing there and taking them won't do much good; Sagat knows he's fairly tough, but he also knows he's not tough enough to shrug off heavy artllery fire, particularly the sort of shells that explode on impact. So he gauges the shells' path as well as he can ... And realizes a little too late that his opponent was canny enough to launch a bracketing salvo, spread wide enough apart that dodging away from one will take him that much closer to another. When the explosions subside, the Emperor of Muay Thai actually looks rather battered and scorched, even bleeding a bit from shrapnel or something "chy">TIGER!!!" But he's got plenty of fight left in him, and a Tiger Shot erupts, flying towards Savo - and in spite of the distance between them, Sagat put enough focus into the chi projectile to make sure it retains cohesion all the way across. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Unfortunately for Armsmaster, much of his prowess comes from the predictive combat software in his helmet. He is no slouch, certainly - but information is power and that is quite literal in his case. So, with nothing to base his movements off, and the fact that very few parahumans - hero or villain - use firearms, Armsmaster dodges a moment too late. He's fast, the peak of human physical conditioning, but the shell still clips his torso. The blow spins him around, causing the PRT Commander to vanish in a fireball, and he throws up sparks from the metal sections of his armor as he collides with the asphalt and goes sprawling.      Armsmaster picks himself up. His Halberd had landed a few meters away, and he calls it back to his hand with a crackling display of light with a brief movement of his hand. Not wasting a moment, Armsmaster breaks into a sudden sprint - and he leaps.      Halberd held behind him, ready to swing, the incredible technology in Armsmaster's armor allows him to leap further than any normal person might be able to. His Halberd is practically as long as he is tall, if not longer, and he swings the large axe-head blade down towards Anchorage. His lips, the only part of him that can be seen, are pressed in an incredibly disapproving frown! 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     OWWWWWWW.     Shirou's not really so superhuman, physically. He can only bleed and die if a barrage like that hits him.     Yes. If he hadn't reinforced himself, that's what would've happened. But he reinforced everything. His body, first and foremost. But also the clothes he's wearing on top of it. And... the vest over that which protects his vitals. The bulletproof fiber-weave, Reinforced with prana, is ten times its normal durability. It absorbs the impacts on his vitals and keeps the explosive shells from bursting open within him, so Shirou's mostly just hit with a lot of physical force.     He goes tumbling backwards with a crunchy thud, and chunks of his protective wear mingle with spilled blood from shrapnel wounds all over his body. But he survived. He didn't suffer any critical injuries, and such minor ones are already healing.     He'll just have to ignore the burning HEAT that stings his lungs every time he takes a breath, after that calamitous impact.     Good, Leyte's angry with him. Now if he can just lure her in to somewhere he'd have an advantage.     For that to fool her, he'll have to keep her attention and not let on that he has any plan at all.     He grips the legendary sword, greatest in all of Japanese mythology to the best of his knowledge, and raises it high. "HOWL, KUSANAGI NO TSURUGI!"     A TREMENDOUS surge of Prana follows. The blade speaks with the wind and dominates it. Only a portion of Shirou's prana is actually needed - some of it comes from the world itself, thankfully.     But the amount needed for what he's doing is easily half his current supply, even with the amount donated by Ainsley still flowing in him.     The winds spiral like a typhoon to encircle the blade and become a drill-like cyclone. The 'sword of heaven's gathering clouds' is not to be taken lightly!     Proving this fact, Shirou swings the blade. All the power is unleashed at once. A rippling gale cuts across the bay Leyte's way! It sunders a trench into the water and kicks up a massive wave, then pierces through the wave while dragging it along behind it. The force of a great storm, compressed into a tiny horizontal slash, is coming straight at her. This is far, FAR more threatening than those piddly wind slashes Shirou attempted last time. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Oh, so that wasn't a bluff. Savo realizes this just as she sees Sagat charging a ranged attack and sending it right for her, her eyes widening in brief surprise. Thankfully for her, she's not /too/ slow, and a boost to the side coupled with a sudden duck spares her more than a graze along her left shoulder. She can still feel the energy from there, though; clearly she shouldn't be letting that one hit her.     Still, the Princess is cocky, and her grin comes right back when she straightens up again. "Ha! Missed me! C'mon, you gotta aim better than that!" Yes, that is probably a grin that needs to be wiped off with a fist. Still, heedless of what is no doubt an impending beatdown, Savo sends off a small swarm of bizarre planes about the size of housecats (http://tinyurl.com/nt4ctx9) that run along the airways to either side of her before zipping up into the air, flying in a triangular formation toward Sagat. Once they come close, they dip down as if preparing to open fire...but instead of doing that, they suddenly bank upward again, dropping off small bombs that explode with much more force than they seem like they should!     Before Anchorage even comes near the shore, Armsmaster's incredible leap sends him flying toward her. She attempts to stop her forward progress, but too late: his halberd slams into the 'forehead' of the strange machine she rides, splitting into the black armor and sending up hissing red steam. The creature growls mechanically, reeling back, but Anchorage only glares down at Armsmaster from her perch. Seems he's not the only one prone to frowning.     Wordlessly, her mount reaches up one pale, muscular arm and aims to snatch Armsmaster by the waist. A quick thrust of that same arm is send out to hurl him away, tearing him off and tossing him back to a painful landing on land.     Leyte is suddenly faced with a devastating wave of wind rushing toward her, and she's not really moving slowly enough to get out of the way. She flinches, clenching her teeth and raising her gauntleted arms to try and block...which sort of works. Her torso isn't cloven through, at least, but the wave slices deep trenches into the structures on her forearms and sends her flying back along the water. It's only through fortunate balance that she lands on her feet again, kicking up a spray behind her before she shakes her head clear of the disorientation.     "...the hell? What, did nearly killing you just make you stronger or something?!" Leyte gives an irritated growl, then pushes toward the shore again. This time, she doesn't use up any more artillery; she simply leaps near the coast, pulling back one clawed fist, and with an enraged shout, she drives that powerful arm of metal straight for Shirou as she lands! 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Armsmaster pulls his Halberd free, reeling back for another blow. This time, however, the blade of his weapon is noticeably humming. Whatever his plan is, however, he doesn't get to put it into action. Anchorage's mount grabs him, armor buckling around his middle at the strength of its (her?) grip, and hurls him into the air.      As red lights blink into view on his HUD, Armsmaster reacts quickly. Just as he reaches the apex of the throw, he reverses his grip on his Halberd and aims it towards Anchorage. The axe-head shifts, splits and reforms into a spearhead, like it is folding around itself in an obvious bit of defiance to the conventional laws of physics. The spearhead launches out of the haft of the weapon, trailing a considerable length of steel chain, more than should obviously fit in such a weapon. Hoping to find purchase on Anchorage or her mount, Armsmaster goes to reel himself in at high speed - and hammer both of his power-armored boots squarely upon the Abyssal ship! 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' The feint is enough to catch Sagat by surprise; he's jumping up to try and punch a miniature airplane out of the sky when they drop their bombs and pull up - and catch Sagat squarely in the midst of the explosions, with enough force that he actually goes down. Pretty hard, too. But not hard enough to STAY down, as evidenced by his rolling back up to a crouch, then leaping - "TIGER KNEE!!!" - more forward than vertical, and with a controlled internal surge of chi boosting the leap enough to cover the distance between them. He doesn't fully expect the Tiger Knee to carry enough momentum to count for a serious hit, though ... and he's right to expect it, apparently, but he makes up for it by trying to plant an elbow squarely on Savo's head. At the same time as his feet seek footing on one of her launch decks. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Wow. She can really jump! And Shirou can't possibly avoid that. Even if he dodges, he'll be vulnerable. He can only try and meet that!     So he brings Kusanagi up. The winds roar again and gather, creating a buffer-like barrier with only one purpose. It should be to enhance a slash, but in this case...     Leyte's fist impacts Kusanagi's flat. Or rather, the 'storm' that's built up around it. The fist is slowed, partially deflected... but still strikes. Shirou's knees buckle and, like a spring bent sideways...     Leyte's fist hits the ground where he stood. The actual fist doesn't more than graze him, but the wave of sand it kicks up almost buries him, and the force his parry attempt absorbed sends him tumbling across the ground. Smash, whap, whonk, clang. He's onto the pavement now, and hitting the streets. AMAZINGLY, Kusanagi is still intact, though his arm now stings something fiercely. "Yeah, I wish it was just that simple, but nothing about my body's improved at all since then." He states bitterly.     He's going to have to kite her. Stay within range of that leap, rather than prompting her to use her guns. If he lets her gain too much momentum and control, this ain't gonna work.     "You're too much trouble! If you want to be appreciated, this isn't the way to do it." With another swing of Kusanagi, he sends a smaller blade of wind at her. And another. And another! He glances over his shoulder just once to get a view of some local power lines... 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Anchorage's earlier assessment about Armsmaster seems like it's steadily being proven true. The armored hero goes flying, but he just as quickly transforms his weapon and hooks into the strange ring of 'teeth' where Anchorage's legs sink into her mount. The Demon glances down at the spear tip, then back up at Armsmaster, her glare hardening as she puts two and two together.     Well, dodging is out of the question, so there's only on real option for her. One of her mount's hands curls into a fist and pulls back, and as Armsmaster is hurtling toward her, that massive fist suddenly comes driving toward /him/, using his own momentum to make the punch strike that much harder!     Assuming he doesn't have something /else/ up his sleeve.     Savo grins with glee as her bomber planes send Sagat sprawling across the ground...but that grin quickly fades into a look of absolute horror as he goes /flying/ across the gap toward her.     Savo screams. It's not very dignified.     Her left arm comes up to try and shield herself, but it's not quite enough. Sagat's elbow strikes a clean hit right between her horns, sending the girl into a brief daze that gives him more than enough time to find purchase on the landing strips on either side of her. The mechanical base wobbles a little in its hover, but it's enough to keep both of them above the water for now.     When finally Savo shakes her head and clears the buzzing from it, she looks up...and up...and up...until she finally sees Sagat's head looming above her. The Princess only manages a brief squeak in her panic before suddenly balling up in her seat, trying to protect her beautiful, beautiful face. It's the cannons on either side of her that retaliate, aiming up and firing at Sagat to get him /off/, or at least /away/!     Leyte, meanwhile, glares at the imprint her fist made in the ground, and the /lack/ of an imprint it made in Shirou. She snarls, then yanks her arm out of the sand, claws curling and flexing. "Oh, come on, I don't /care/ about being appreciated for all that now! What, do you think I want everyone to just start holding hands and singing songs about how great all the ships were? THAT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE!"     Kusanagi swings, and Leyte is a little better at dodging this time. Boosts of her thrusters send her skating from side to side, and while the first strike cleaves along her right bicep, the others are much more effectively avoided. Her gaze remains fixed on Shirou, every jolt bringing her closer...     Suddenly, she's close enough that she can use her thrusters for another purpose: powering a sweep of her armored leg to smash his legs out from under him, striking with more force than a standard kick would on its own. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' Sagat disappears briefly in a point-blank cannonade, roaring with pain and fury ... And then he starts hitting Savo back. Exactly how he STAYED on her flight deck in the midst of the munitions is a mystery that will last through the ages - although it might have something to do with getting bombarded from two sides at once. Plus, y'know, being a huge dude who's built to take pretty much everything in the face. But can Savo take it as well as she dishes it out? Sagat's fists, feet, knees, and elbows are going to find the answer to that - or so he hopes; the smoke hasn't even fully dispersed around him when he starts hitting her, and hitting her some more, and hitting her still more than THAT. He doesn't even turn any of his attention to the cannons themselves - just the feminine form at the ship's 'core'. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Whether it's simply the speed that Armsmaster is hurtling in at or the strength of his armor, the blow doesn't kill him. However, the kinetic force of the blow still wrenches Armsmaster around, almost looking like he risks dislocating his shoulder entirely as he grips onto his Halberd weapon for dear life, the metal of his gauntlets squealing as they shift against the metal haft of the spear. He's going to feel that one tomorrow, certainly.      Armsmaster grunts, finding his footing on Anchorage's mount, tossing his Halberd into his good hand. The spear snaps back towards his Halberd proper, dangling by a chain, and then it shifts again and-      Oh, it's a flail now.      With a powerful spin of his arm, Armsmaster sets the head and chain of his flail whirling around his helmet, and the heavy weighted sphere begins to glow as some sort of super-hot plasma is injected into the metal. With a shout, Armsmaster sends the flail crashing down - directly at Anchorage herself! 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Once again Shirou brings Kusanagi around, this time using both hands to control the blade. A KICK is a little easier to manage since it comes from the side, though he has to stab the weapon into the ground to gain any leverage. The concrete easily gives beneath the legendary weapon, needing very little force, but the weak link in this chain is undeniably Shirou's arms holding onto the top - and the opening this creates otherwise.     All he can do is weaken and blunt Leyte's blows, not outright parry them. It's a miracle he can even do that as an amateur magus though, really.     There's a tremendous CLANG as Kusanagi absorbs the blow. It doesnt' hold though. Shirou's arm is wrenched awkwardly and painfully, ALMOST dislocating it, and the weapon shatters into a hundred piece with the sound of breaking glass. "ghhhgh!"     He's hit, though the foot hits his side instead, and sends him sprawling along the ground again.     With a few grunts, and groans, he scampers to his feet. Golden light streams out again, this time into a VERY lengthy and thin form--- KSSSSH-CLANG!     What he holds now is an UNUSUALLY long spear. The ornate, golden weapon is almost twice as tall as he is long, and has a strange cross-guard two thirds of the way towards the business end - which happens to be a thick blade just as suited for slashes as thrusts.     Leyte has no way of knowing that this is the spear of Dragonslayer Ornstein, one of the guardians of Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight, who fought countless battles in Anor Londo before recently falling. It's a mighty weapon in a different sense than Kusanagi.     "Don't be ridiculous. But you know where this path's leading. You've chosen to become monsters. No matter how much you destroy, it won't make you happy..." He's leaning on the spear for a few breaths, but he regains his balance and takes aim.     It looks like he's going to thrust. From very far away.     And that's EXACTLY what he does. A bolt of sizzling, golden lightning flies from the spear tip, straight at Leyte!     "You're really bad at hiding it. You act all angry, but aren't you really just crying? You're not going to be remembered by destroying everything. There won't be anyone to remember you then! Is that really waht you want?!" 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Kick! Kick! Elbow! Kick! Punch! Savo falls under a painful assault, and she quite simply isn't built to tank attacks like that like some of her fellow Abyssals. Nor can she really dodge; even if Sagat weren't standing right over her, her lower back and right arm are plugged into the mechanical 'throne' she sits in, and that's not exactly a thing she can quickly extract herself from.     "Ow! Ow, hey, that - OW! STOP IT!"     Rather than directly attacking, however...Savo begins to grow. The entire being of the Airfield Princess grows larger and larger, and while that means Sagat ends up standing on what's scaled to be a proper airfield, albeit one hovering above the water, that /also/ means that the woman he was just punching has reached kaiju proportions.     Savo finally uncurls herself, then glares down at Sagat with an angry frown. Her free fist comes up, then just as swiftly /slams/ down on the Muay Thai Emperor. She may not be exceptionally strong, but now her size will more than make up for that.     Anchorage's blow neither kills Armsmaster nor sends him off her hull. Sure, it hurt him, but his stubbornness ensures that Anchorage's main attempt didn't work. That's enough to make the irritable Demon snarl in annoyance, but it's not an irritation she has much time to dwell on. Armsmaster has switched to /another/ formation for his weapon, and that glowing head is bearing down on her right now!     Her body twists, and her left arm lifts. It's her bicep that the flail's head hits, and while it sends up sparks with its strike and makes the female spirit buckle from the impact, it at least doesn't smash right through to the flesh. The strange mouth on her bicep is what catches it, its teeth and jaw mangled from the strike but holding fast to the weapon's head!     "...you are such a nuisance," she growls. The long cannon over her other shoulder lowers, and while she hopefully still has Armsmaster at point-blank range, she fires a single shell crackling with crimson energy from that sniper-like cannon! It's not a shell made purely for exploding: the energy it erupts into does make use of kinetic force, but the red energy also eats away at the matter it strikes, gnawing at it like a remarkably potent acid.     Leyte's kick shatters the weapon, a result she was expecting to have happen much sooner. Something about Shirou has improved since the last time, she can tell. It brings a snarl of anger to her as she plants her foot in the ground again, watching as he creates...a spear? That's a new one.     Unfortunately, the weapon's significance is lost on her, but she knows better than to underestimate such a thing. He thrusts, and she moves away just in time that the crackling bolt of lightning rushes inches past her, sending a wave of static through her body but thankfully /just/ sparing her from harm. Yes, that's definitely not something to get hit by.     But whether she's thinking clearly enough to be worried about that is another question. Shirou's words are a spark for her anger, and she lets out a tremendous roar as she rushes in after him again. "I'm not /crying/! I don't /care/ how many end up dying in all this! If that's what it takes for them to realize how /powerful/ I am, THEN THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO!" Her fist swings low into a punch aimed at his gut, but that's not the only thing she strikes him with. The strong impact is matched with a sudden blast of the cannons on her forearms, sending two explosive shells at point-blank range to add to the force! 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      The blank silver visor of Armsmaster's helmet stares back at Anchorage, frowning as she growls at him, frowning as he pits his strength and his weapon against the strength of Anchorage's arm and monsterous jaw. Beads of sweat roll out from under his helmet, his arms shaking, as he goes to try and jam the rest of his flail down that mouth on her arm.      And then he gets shot and, where he was hit, Armsmaster's midnight-blue armor plating disintegreates in a red haze. Beneath it is nothing more than muscular flesh, burned to a sore looking red by the impact. For all his bravado, Armsmaster is just a man, albeit a man with one hell of a weapon and some impressive skills.      But just a man all the same. He can't let himself get shot again.      Armsmaster twists something on his Halberd-flail, and arcs of electricity crackle down the chain and into the flail - and, from there, into Anchorage herself. "Fall!" Armsmaster roars.      On the shore, members of the PRT watch the battle. While Armsmaster right be so focused on Anchorage he misses what's happening with Savo, they don't. Unable to assist, the other members of the Protectorate can only watch and wait and hope that Armsmaster and his two Union allies can manage to stop these newest villains. With Savo's sudden size, some might pray for Scion - but one can never count on the arrival of the golden man. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' ***WHAM!!!!!!*** And that would seem to be it for Sagat; there's no way he can still be standing in the gap between the deck and Savo's fist - not even if he were crouching as tightly as he could. Did he get driven straight through the deck? Probably not - if the ship is part of Savo, she would know whether there was a hole in it, presumably; there is no hole. The answer is simple enough, should she lift her fist up to take a look: Sagat is flat on his back, sporting a LOT more bruises - but he's still breathing, and as soon as he gets a chance to move he's back on his feet - rolling quickly to the side in order to dodge the next anticipated hammerblow and coming back up off the deck. "There's only one way I'll stop hitting you ... and that's when our fight is *over*!!" He actually charges towards Savo's main body before dipping into a crouch - "TIGER UPPERCUT!!!!" - and leaps upwards and into Savo, leading with his fist rocketing from just above the deck as far into the sky as his body can drive it; in point of fact, the physics work out more like it's Sagat's fist that rises forcefully enough to pull the rest of him behind it ... of course, he's driving it into Savo as hard as he can along the way. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     "I'm not buying that! Trace, on!" Shirou has not improved, bodily, it's true. But after panicking so much against Leyte, and fumbling around in Sen's Fortress, almost dying several times...     He is gaining a decisive 'battle sense.' What actions to take, what not to do, and how to estimate the outcome and gauge his opponent's temperament. Sure, his Projections have gotten -slightly- better, but not much.     Even a little helps though.     The TOWER SHIELD appears out before him. Again, it's like a blob of energy in the rough shape of a shield and not ENTIRELY solid. But it's sufficient to absorb that punch. Most of it, anyways. The fist slams hard into it, and goes no further - although the energy does 'crack.' It's the second volley that gets through. The guns pierce straight through the shoddy shield and disperse it. Still, only half the force of those shots gets through to slam into Shirou's reinforced torso and blow him backwards. He yells whilst sailing through the air, then slams hard into the base of a power pole at the street side, where things start to connect to the harbor. Some of the explosive shells struck his flesh and tore chunks out. He's bleeding badly, but like before the wounds don't bleed a lot for long. They dwindle... is that a metallic gleam filling the 'holes', slowly...?     "Moron! As if roaring and beating your chest solves anything... I think I've got a better idea of what kind of spirit you are. Hurting a girl isn't really my style at all, I'd rather you calm down and give up on this crazy mission, but you're making this really hard!"     he sucks in a breath. It's go time. Almost. He gestures broadly-- scrunches his eyes shut for just a second in enormous concentration, and dumps most of his remaining prana into something big.     Four weapons appear around him, and one tiny one higher above him. The four that hover around him are Auron's Katana, Kusanagi, a HUGE and rusty chunk of metal that can barely be called a sword, and.... a dazzling white-silver longsword with red designs. It exudes a pristine, regal aura - yes, it's a holy sword of some serious legend. Clarent, the Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword that was stolen by Mordred.     He clenches his fist and gestures, and those four weapons hurl themselves like missiles at Leyte...     Up above, the Estoc waits, angled down towards the power pole and lined up with Leyte. A sliver of somewhat insulated cabling is the only thing between it and the Abyssal ship.     The Estoc's launch is slightly delayed, and for good reason. Shirou expects Leyte to try and dodge, destroy, or even just smash the offending weapons and busy herself.     The Estoc spears down, piercing the power line and ripping it from the mounting on the pole. The sword digs through, becoming a spike on the end of a nasty, electrical whip through which more power courses than the Magus, Shirou, could ever hope to generate.     RAW ELECTRIC POWER.     If that Estoc connects, it will turn Leyte into the grounding point for a conduit of awful agony. Enormous piles of raw energy will sizzle, fry, and wrack everything in a nasty lightshow. it's Shirou's hopes that this will wreak HAVOC on her guns and senses. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Anchorage allows a small smirk to form over her lips when she sees flesh beneath the armor. "...pathetic." Yes, she's being beaten, but the man who faces her is just that. He can be beaten. It's just a matter of time and focus...     The electricity, however, is a clear problem. It rushes through the metal in her arm to the rest of her body, filling her with powerful jolts and agonizing pain. Her teeth clench as she tries to push through it, focusing on how to retaliate against this armored opponent...     Suddenly, her mount's nose flips up to toss Armsmaster into the air. Like some giant shark, the metal creature snaps out to bite down on his waist with crushing strength, grinding him between its teeth and the smoldering heat in its maw!     Savo does indeed wonder at the distinct lack of blood spread over the runway and the lack of a hole punched through the deck. Sagat has to have gone somewhere, of course, but...he can't relaly have just /tanked/ that. Can he?     Her fist lifts, and she sees him...still there. In one piece, for all intents and purposes. Her expression grows an annoyed frown as he rises, her fist coming down again - but no, he rolls out of the way too quickly, and it simply slams against the runway! Even at this size, she's having some trouble.     Again his fist rockets toward her, and Savo clenches her teeth in anticipation of a great deal of pain. There's inhuman force behind those fists, she realizes; even at this size, getting struck would not be something she wants to deal with.     Her arm lifts...but that's not what saves her. It's one of her planes, now the size of an /actual/ jet, rocketing in from the side to slam into Sagat and knock him away in a kamikaze maneuver!     Leyte successfully sends Shirou flying, but it doesn't bring her much satisfaction. She's burning, seething with hatred toward Shirou more and more with every word he speaks. Her heavy footsteps carry her toward Shirou, her mind filled with all the things she's no doubt going to do to him once she catches up to him.     The swords appear and fly at her, but rather than wait for them to reach her, she simply aims her guns up toward each one in turn and blasts at them one after the other to knock them out of the air. Her aim turns to Shirou next-     And she's suddenly stabbed through the stomach with what is essentially a grounding pole for coursing lightning. No blood flows from the wound, but it doesn't need to: that electricity creates more than enough of a sign of agony in the Southern Demon as she screams out in pain, electricity coursing through her body and the metal attached to it. It's an overwhelming effort for her just to grab the estoc and yank it out of her, tossing it aside; afterward, she falls to her hands and knees, steaming and gasping as her head still buzzes from the assault. She's not out completely, but...boy, did that hurt. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' Sagat lets out a yell as the plane sideswipes him, explodes, and slams him back into the deck. He hasn't had the coolest of tempers, but he looks distinctly and decidedly more pissed off now as he drops into a crouch ... "TIIIIGEEEEEERRRR *GENOCIDE*!!!!" And rockets across the distance between him and Savo, leading with a Tiger Knee - not merely crossing the distance but actually *connecting* with the knee, and then unwinding into a Tiger Uppercut when he's basically already in contact with her, dragging his fist up along the Abyssal's torso. If he sails high enough to plant the uppercut under her chin, that would just be the icing on the cake ... he'll settle for brutalizing the undead ship-wight however he can, though. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Armsmaster goes flying before he can fire off a retort to Anchorage, and comes back down to land in a maw of teeth and heat. Armor plates split, paint is scorched, and some of that bite finds purchase in his flesh. Armsmaster does reply, but only with an anguished shout. He extends his right hand, calling his Halberd back to his grip in a bright flash. He's running out of options. With his armor sundered, he might not last long - he isn't a cape with an invulnerability power.      He makes up for that with sheer force of will and 'never back down' aggression. He has one final trick up his sleeve, however.      On his world, there exists a parahuman known only as Leviathan, a member of the mysterious Endbringers. A powerful macro-hydrokinetic, Leviathan can sink islands beneath the waves by summoning colossal tsunamis with a thought and shatter the land by pulling water from the aquifer beneath the ground.      And this trick exists to stop him.      Armsmaster swings his Halberd with one final ounce of strength, aiming to hit anywhere on Anchorage. And, where the Halberd touches...      ...everything flash-freezes, suddenly dropping to well below zero degrees celcius. Who knows whether the ship-woman-thing can resist it, but it extends down into the water and freezes several meters in every direction. And then, Armsmaster draws his Halberd back, shifting it into nothing more than a giant sledgehammer, and swings right for Anchorage, like he's intending to shatter her - or most of her - into pieces! 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Awwwww, geeze. Even THAT isn't enough to down Leyte? Her resilience is incredible. Shirou would be dead if that kind of current hit him. Almost certainly dead.     But it's a problem if that doesn't kill her, and instead leaves her gasping and painting. The scream was enough to rattle his resolve, but only slightly. He has to keep reminding himself.     Leyte is more a monster than a girl. More a vengeful spirit than a human. He can't expect reasonable thoughts out of her.     And his prana is practically empty. Only a few shreds of energy still course through his body.     He honestly should be collapsing. Most magi would, with their od drained this dangerously low. They'd fall unconscious and sleep for up to a day, even.     But Shirou has endured the harshest of Magical trainings in his own way. Sheer stubborn willpower keeps him on his feet, and lets him summon up these last shreds of available energy.     He has no words for Leyte. He can't waste any effort on speech. But agony mars his face. Agony and focus. Grunting and straining with everything he's got, he traces one more weapon. Kusanagi appears in his grasp and Shirou raises it in the exact same motion as before. The weapon gleams, then shines, apparently turning unstable just as happened last time.     Broken Phantasm.     That surefire method of destroying everything. If that sword explodes again, a great portion of the street will be scoured away, and everything on it scorched and shredded into dust...!     The weapon glows ominously. Yet Shirou does not throw it. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Savo's arm falls again, and she looks aside to see where Sagat landed. Well, he's still on the deck, but seeing him crashing down is enough to bring that smirk of satisfaction back to her.     Aaaand there it goes again, as he bellows that name. /Genocide/?!     She's simply too large to avoid that right now. His knee crashes into her waist, drawing a pained 'grk' as she lurches to the side, but it's the fist that causes the most damage. It rakes along her body, dugging a burning furrow across her form, until at last-     POW. Right against the Abyssal Princess' jaw. The strike sends her reeling - her entire form, in fact - and whirling over the ocean's surface for a few yards, her free hand lifting to her jaw where that final hit landed. She looks absolutely shocked; rightly so, given her relative size right now. A punch simply shouldn't hit that hard!     Anchorage isn't doing much better, either. Her base gnaws and grinds Armsmaster's torso, but then that Halberd strikes her...and freezes her. Her entire body is frequently coated in water, after all, and that ice impacts everything. A look of confusion comes over her face before the ice crests over her head, making her into a rather grotesque ice sculpture in the middle of the water. And then comes the sledgehammer.     Not all of Anchorage shatters...but a good deal of her does as she's sent reeling and tumbling over the water. Armor is made brittle and shatters in several places; her female form's left arm is broken into chunks, but no blood emerges from the wound in her shoulder; chunks of her torso are smashed away as well, and the muscular arms of her mount are similarly broken away. It takes her a good deal of time just to straighten up again in a straight hover after that powerful strike.     And Leyte...well, Leyte already wasn't doing so well. She gasps and pants, trying to force through the lingering pain running through her body, trying to will her body to /move/ into combat again. It's a struggle, and one she doesn't seem to be winning.     When he summons that sword again, her head lifts...and she /glares/. It's a look that almost dares him to hurl it, here, where it's not just ruins, but a whole city that could be put at risk from using that weapon. Would he really use it there? Would he take that risk just to see her defeated...?     "Anchorage! Leyte!" The shout comes from Savo, wincing as she holds her waist. "This is...gh. That's enough. We're leaving!" The Airfield Princess doesn't look too happy about that, but at this point, it's either leave or stay and be smashed into further submission. She's quick to sink below the waves with one last glare at Sagat, and Anchorage, though silent, casts her own enraged leer toward Armsmaster, as if challenging him to be so successful the next time they meet. Soon they're both consumed by the waves again, moving off into the ocean.     Leyte growls her annoyance, but pushes herself unsteadily to her feet. "...this isn't over," she growls threateningly to Shirou, but aside from a look that could kill small animals instantly, she doesn't continue her attack. Her uncertain gait carries her back to the ocean, where she sinks down to follow her superiors in retreat. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Indeed. Leyte's on the right track. Shirou defeintiely wouldn't use that thing here. It was an overight on his part, since it was a bluff to begin with he didn't think about the consequences of actually sing it for him.     Slight oversight.     But it seems to be working somewhat, in any case. "nhhhgh.... that was intense..."     With another shattering sound, Kusanagi breaks into pieces. Shirou's legs lose all their strength, and he collapses onto the pavement. Hard. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Armsmaster takes one final leap, landing on his feet in the shallows of the bay. He watches the Confederates leave, Halberd propped against the sediment in a heroic posture - one that is also supporting a fair amount of his weight. He's wounded, bloodied - perhaps more than any Brockton Bay villian might be able to do to him - but he has prevailed.      But, as always, that is only ever 'for now'. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' It's a good time not to stay on board Savo, especially when Sagat hits her so hard that she skips not unlike a flung stone. Fortunately for *her*, the very flipping that Sagat incurred flipped him 'overboard'. Unfortunately, Sagat also knows enough about swimming not to drown ... although rather than pressing the battle, he heads for the shoreline and looks for a place to pull himself up onto relatively dry land. The ships' departure is greeted by an upraised fist. No fingers, just the fist. It's not the kind of gesture Sagat usually offers, but it seems adequate. Besides. Savo is probably deathly afraid of THAT FIST by now, given how hard Sagat socked her. Never mind that he looks more black-and-blue than brown, and there are still streaks of blood, mostly dry, some not, over a lot of his body. He is not sorry to see the Abyssals' backs. 

}}

628/Samar Strikes!

2014-09-21T20:56:55Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/09/20 |Location=Brockton Bay |Synopsis=Brockton Bay falls under attack by three of Samar's Capital Ships, who find unexpectedly strong opposit..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/09/20
|Location=Brockton Bay
|Synopsis=Brockton Bay falls under attack by three of Samar's Capital Ships, who find unexpectedly strong opposition.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=95, 494, 554, 560
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      BROCKTON BAY      AFTERNOON      Brockton Bay is a good sized city in the north eastern United States. Home to one of the largest parahuman populations in the United States, the men and women of the city are quite used to the strange and terrifying. While superpowered gangs hold wide sections of the city as their territory, it is the men and women of the Protectorate who stand up and keep the city running as it should. Foremost among the members of the local Protectorate team is Armsmaster, known for his midnight blue and silver powered armor and his distinctive trademark Halberd weapon.      For now, however, Armsmaster is in his workshop, working on a new computer program. The Protectorate is unaware of the dangers of the Confederacy, and have never encountered a hostile Multiversal Elite before. Will Brockton Bay's best be up to the task? 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Large costal city? One of the largest popoulations in the U.S.? This sounds like the perfect target for sweeping destruction.     That's exactly what the Abyssals think upon seeing it in their multiversal surveys. And today, just for fun, one of them has decided to come along with a couple of allies.     Of course, they arrive out at sea. The waters off the coast churn and bubble with heat from below the surface, and that serves as the only warning before three female figures breach the waves: Savo, Anchorage, and Leyte, all three of them at their normal humanoid sizes for the moment, but no less imposing for it. Savo's and Anchorage's mechanical parts are nearly the size of cars, after all, and Leyte is simply bristling with weaponry.     As the trio approach the coast, Savo and Anchorage both hovering over the water while Leyte 'skates' along it, Savo grins and points off toward the city. "Alright! Might as well start opening fire on them. Let's see if anyone here feels up to trying to defend this place. A few good explosions should do the trick~!"     Leyte gains a menacing grin, but Anchorage's irritable expression hardly changes. Despite that, Leyte is the one to start firing first: resounding peals of cannon fire crash through the air as shells begin flying toward the coast, and while they may not be at the size of a ship's munitions, those shells certainly explode with more than enough force when they strike. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' For some people - actually, probably for a LOT of people - the idea of criminal street gangs with superpowers is probably fairly terrifying. For Sagat, the Emperor of Muay Thai? It means 'a decent workout' ... as the E88 are discovering, greatly to their chagrin. They may be down to the E66 or so at this rate, if the name works that way - but honestly, picking a fight with somebody Sagat's size just because you don't like the color of his skin? Not gonna go into the Guiness Book of World Records for 'brightest bulb in the "chy">TIGER UPPERCUT!!!" ... and that's BEFORE you factor in the tidbit that his Muay Thai prowess is pretty much a superpower in its own right. Still, not even the best Tiger Uppercut that Sagat's ever thrown results in something exploding well out of his line of sight - and the naval bombardment starting in the distance actually draws Sagat's attention away from the bigots he was bashing around. Most of them do the smart thing; one grabs a bottle and tries to smash it over Sagat's head. Which 'works' to the extent that the bottle breaks. Sagat just picks the guy up by his collar and asks for directions. Shortly thereafter, Sagat's burden is lighter by one bigot and his schedule is heavier by one or more ships that need to be scuttled. Of *course* they're well out at sea, though ... that makes things more interesting. If he can avoid being blown away out of hand, this should be an even better workout than the racists. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Several of the shots slip through, blasting apart sections of the docks in fiery detonations, some finding their way into the centre of the city. One shell detonates in the top of a skyscraper, sending glass raining through the air. The people of Brockton Bay are initially bewildered, scared, but quickly begin finding the disaster shelters. It might not be an Endbringer attack, but everyone in the city knows what to do when disaster strikes. They've trained for this, they've had drills - get safe and let the Protectorate handle it.      The next barrage of shells slams into an invisible wall, glowing with rainbow ripples as the shells detonate. With the Protectorate HQ forcefield operational, nothing will be getting through - at least not without prolonged powerful bombardment. The forcefield will hopefully hold until these attackers - this Savo - decide that there is little point in continuing their barrage, or that reinforcements from elsewhere arrive. Without any flying capes at his disposal, with Dragon up in Canada, Armsmaster is going to be forced to engage them on land. Whoever they are.      Halberd in one hand, midnight-blue armor glinting in the afternoon sunset, further reflecting the sunbursts of small explosions in the near distance, Armsmaster waits. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Unlike a certain martial artist, Emiya Shirou's not the kind of guy to seek out conflict for self-betterment, but if his last few forays into heroics are any indication, MAYBE doing so might be 'smart.'     Because when he was helping out Eorzea, at least he had more prana available. There is no forewarning and no local resources to tap into this time around. Emiya Shirou has less than half what he had to work with last time available, but now THREE of these horrible women are t work from what he can see.     Yes, he's in the harbor, behind a building, just glancing out to get an idea for what's happening! With his eyes Reinforced properly, even seeing out to sea is no big deal. "... That girl again...!"     Chills are running up the spine that nearly broke last time. His arm throbs, remembering the pain of being crushed. He'll die if he goes out there. He's lucky that he SURVIVED the last brawl, and that miracle won't happen again. Even if it did, he can't count on being spared by the enemy.     "Damn it, this is my fault for being so weak..."     How can he fight monsters, when he's just a human? If the Abyssal Fleet women used melee weapons, he might be able to keep them busy, but they use guns.     BIG guns.     "Trace, on."     He has to try. If they're left alone, and he does NOTHING to stop them, people will die.     In a panic, he charges his body full of prana, Magic Circuits thrumming to life within him. Strength, speed, durability, all improve drastically. But not enough to compete directly.     He can't possibly beat her in a direct fight. But what about keeping her busy, drawing her into disadvantageous territory...?     Shirou eyes his surroundings. The hazards of any city are gonna be a better weapon than anything he can Project, in this fight. But still, he's gonna need a weapon.     "My body is made of swords!" For some reason, acknowledging this fact as a chant has proved beneficial in the past, and he calls up the feeling that such a realization brought and forces it through his mind while he projects.     Words are meaningless to modern magi. They serve only to guide the mind. Self-hypnosis. A mnemonic aid.     But this is a very effective aid. In a few flashes of golden light, KUSANAGI appears in Shirou's grasp. It's of superior quality to previous versions, if only slightly... 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Once defenders of the city start filtering in, Savo holds her arm to the side to stop Leyte's bombardment. Leyte does so after a moment, the barrels of her cannons still smoking after that continued assault. Savo's arm comes to rest on the 'arm' of her seat, just above a smaller pair of cannons. "Well, this seems like a good turnout! Let's see...Anchorage, you go take care of the armored guy. Leyte, you-"     "Oh, come /on/!" Leyte's sudden, frustrated snap interrupts Savo when she sees Shirou's arrival. Teeth clenching, armored claws balling into fists, Leyte abruptly activates the thrusters on her boots and /rockets/ across the water toward Shirou. She'll probably reach land shortly, but before she does, the triple turrets at her sides open fire with crashing peals, sending a barrage of explosive shells out toward Shirou.     Leyte's sudden beeline makes Savo stare in surprise for a moment, but the Airfield Princess just shrugs afterward. "Well, that's taken care of! Off you go, Anchorage." The Anchorage Demon beside her just gives a brief nod before turning her attention toward Armsmaster. A quick burst of her own thrusters sends her rushing over the water as well, and the strange, shark-like maw that she rides on opens up to reveal a single cannon. Armsmaster only receives a single explosive shell...but it's still no doubt going to be a painful one to tank.     And finally, Sagat. Savo turns her grinning attention to the Muay Thai Emperor, but she seems to be the only one who chooses to stay a good distance from the shore. "Alright, big guy, you said that this won't save me, so come on! Prove it!" The four smaller cannons beside her all fire in unison, more an attack to test Sagat's reactions when he finds explosive shells directly raining down on him than anything. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' Well, simply standing there and taking them won't do much good; Sagat knows he's fairly tough, but he also knows he's not tough enough to shrug off heavy artllery fire, particularly the sort of shells that explode on impact. So he gauges the shells' path as well as he can ... And realizes a little too late that his opponent was canny enough to launch a bracketing salvo, spread wide enough apart that dodging away from one will take him that much closer to another. When the explosions subside, the Emperor of Muay Thai actually looks rather battered and scorched, even bleeding a bit from shrapnel or something "chy">TIGER!!!" But he's got plenty of fight left in him, and a Tiger Shot erupts, flying towards Savo - and in spite of the distance between them, Sagat put enough focus into the chi projectile to make sure it retains cohesion all the way across. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Unfortunately for Armsmaster, much of his prowess comes from the predictive combat software in his helmet. He is no slouch, certainly - but information is power and that is quite literal in his case. So, with nothing to base his movements off, and the fact that very few parahumans - hero or villain - use firearms, Armsmaster dodges a moment too late. He's fast, the peak of human physical conditioning, but the shell still clips his torso. The blow spins him around, causing the PRT Commander to vanish in a fireball, and he throws up sparks from the metal sections of his armor as he collides with the asphalt and goes sprawling.      Armsmaster picks himself up. His Halberd had landed a few meters away, and he calls it back to his hand with a crackling display of light with a brief movement of his hand. Not wasting a moment, Armsmaster breaks into a sudden sprint - and he leaps.      Halberd held behind him, ready to swing, the incredible technology in Armsmaster's armor allows him to leap further than any normal person might be able to. His Halberd is practically as long as he is tall, if not longer, and he swings the large axe-head blade down towards Anchorage. His lips, the only part of him that can be seen, are pressed in an incredibly disapproving frown! 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     OWWWWWWW.     Shirou's not really so superhuman, physically. He can only bleed and die if a barrage like that hits him.     Yes. If he hadn't reinforced himself, that's what would've happened. But he reinforced everything. His body, first and foremost. But also the clothes he's wearing on top of it. And... the vest over that which protects his vitals. The bulletproof fiber-weave, Reinforced with prana, is ten times its normal durability. It absorbs the impacts on his vitals and keeps the explosive shells from bursting open within him, so Shirou's mostly just hit with a lot of physical force.     He goes tumbling backwards with a crunchy thud, and chunks of his protective wear mingle with spilled blood from shrapnel wounds all over his body. But he survived. He didn't suffer any critical injuries, and such minor ones are already healing.     He'll just have to ignore the burning HEAT that stings his lungs every time he takes a breath, after that calamitous impact.     Good, Leyte's angry with him. Now if he can just lure her in to somewhere he'd have an advantage.     For that to fool her, he'll have to keep her attention and not let on that he has any plan at all.     He grips the legendary sword, greatest in all of Japanese mythology to the best of his knowledge, and raises it high. "HOWL, KUSANAGI NO TSURUGI!"     A TREMENDOUS surge of Prana follows. The blade speaks with the wind and dominates it. Only a portion of Shirou's prana is actually needed - some of it comes from the world itself, thankfully.     But the amount needed for what he's doing is easily half his current supply, even with the amount donated by Ainsley still flowing in him.     The winds spiral like a typhoon to encircle the blade and become a drill-like cyclone. The 'sword of heaven's gathering clouds' is not to be taken lightly!     Proving this fact, Shirou swings the blade. All the power is unleashed at once. A rippling gale cuts across the bay Leyte's way! It sunders a trench into the water and kicks up a massive wave, then pierces through the wave while dragging it along behind it. The force of a great storm, compressed into a tiny horizontal slash, is coming straight at her. This is far, FAR more threatening than those piddly wind slashes Shirou attempted last time. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Oh, so that wasn't a bluff. Savo realizes this just as she sees Sagat charging a ranged attack and sending it right for her, her eyes widening in brief surprise. Thankfully for her, she's not /too/ slow, and a boost to the side coupled with a sudden duck spares her more than a graze along her left shoulder. She can still feel the energy from there, though; clearly she shouldn't be letting that one hit her.     Still, the Princess is cocky, and her grin comes right back when she straightens up again. "Ha! Missed me! C'mon, you gotta aim better than that!" Yes, that is probably a grin that needs to be wiped off with a fist. Still, heedless of what is no doubt an impending beatdown, Savo sends off a small swarm of bizarre planes about the size of housecats (http://tinyurl.com/nt4ctx9) that run along the airways to either side of her before zipping up into the air, flying in a triangular formation toward Sagat. Once they come close, they dip down as if preparing to open fire...but instead of doing that, they suddenly bank upward again, dropping off small bombs that explode with much more force than they seem like they should!     Before Anchorage even comes near the shore, Armsmaster's incredible leap sends him flying toward her. She attempts to stop her forward progress, but too late: his halberd slams into the 'forehead' of the strange machine she rides, splitting into the black armor and sending up hissing red steam. The creature growls mechanically, reeling back, but Anchorage only glares down at Armsmaster from her perch. Seems he's not the only one prone to frowning.     Wordlessly, her mount reaches up one pale, muscular arm and aims to snatch Armsmaster by the waist. A quick thrust of that same arm is send out to hurl him away, tearing him off and tossing him back to a painful landing on land.     Leyte is suddenly faced with a devastating wave of wind rushing toward her, and she's not really moving slowly enough to get out of the way. She flinches, clenching her teeth and raising her gauntleted arms to try and block...which sort of works. Her torso isn't cloven through, at least, but the wave slices deep trenches into the structures on her forearms and sends her flying back along the water. It's only through fortunate balance that she lands on her feet again, kicking up a spray behind her before she shakes her head clear of the disorientation.     "...the hell? What, did nearly killing you just make you stronger or something?!" Leyte gives an irritated growl, then pushes toward the shore again. This time, she doesn't use up any more artillery; she simply leaps near the coast, pulling back one clawed fist, and with an enraged shout, she drives that powerful arm of metal straight for Shirou as she lands! 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Armsmaster pulls his Halberd free, reeling back for another blow. This time, however, the blade of his weapon is noticeably humming. Whatever his plan is, however, he doesn't get to put it into action. Anchorage's mount grabs him, armor buckling around his middle at the strength of its (her?) grip, and hurls him into the air.      As red lights blink into view on his HUD, Armsmaster reacts quickly. Just as he reaches the apex of the throw, he reverses his grip on his Halberd and aims it towards Anchorage. The axe-head shifts, splits and reforms into a spearhead, like it is folding around itself in an obvious bit of defiance to the conventional laws of physics. The spearhead launches out of the haft of the weapon, trailing a considerable length of steel chain, more than should obviously fit in such a weapon. Hoping to find purchase on Anchorage or her mount, Armsmaster goes to reel himself in at high speed - and hammer both of his power-armored boots squarely upon the Abyssal ship! 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' The feint is enough to catch Sagat by surprise; he's jumping up to try and punch a miniature airplane out of the sky when they drop their bombs and pull up - and catch Sagat squarely in the midst of the explosions, with enough force that he actually goes down. Pretty hard, too. But not hard enough to STAY down, as evidenced by his rolling back up to a crouch, then leaping - "TIGER KNEE!!!" - more forward than vertical, and with a controlled internal surge of chi boosting the leap enough to cover the distance between them. He doesn't fully expect the Tiger Knee to carry enough momentum to count for a serious hit, though ... and he's right to expect it, apparently, but he makes up for it by trying to plant an elbow squarely on Savo's head. At the same time as his feet seek footing on one of her launch decks. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Wow. She can really jump! And Shirou can't possibly avoid that. Even if he dodges, he'll be vulnerable. He can only try and meet that!     So he brings Kusanagi up. The winds roar again and gather, creating a buffer-like barrier with only one purpose. It should be to enhance a slash, but in this case...     Leyte's fist impacts Kusanagi's flat. Or rather, the 'storm' that's built up around it. The fist is slowed, partially deflected... but still strikes. Shirou's knees buckle and, like a spring bent sideways...     Leyte's fist hits the ground where he stood. The actual fist doesn't more than graze him, but the wave of sand it kicks up almost buries him, and the force his parry attempt absorbed sends him tumbling across the ground. Smash, whap, whonk, clang. He's onto the pavement now, and hitting the streets. AMAZINGLY, Kusanagi is still intact, though his arm now stings something fiercely. "Yeah, I wish it was just that simple, but nothing about my body's improved at all since then." He states bitterly.     He's going to have to kite her. Stay within range of that leap, rather than prompting her to use her guns. If he lets her gain too much momentum and control, this ain't gonna work.     "You're too much trouble! If you want to be appreciated, this isn't the way to do it." With another swing of Kusanagi, he sends a smaller blade of wind at her. And another. And another! He glances over his shoulder just once to get a view of some local power lines... 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Anchorage's earlier assessment about Armsmaster seems like it's steadily being proven true. The armored hero goes flying, but he just as quickly transforms his weapon and hooks into the strange ring of 'teeth' where Anchorage's legs sink into her mount. The Demon glances down at the spear tip, then back up at Armsmaster, her glare hardening as she puts two and two together.     Well, dodging is out of the question, so there's only on real option for her. One of her mount's hands curls into a fist and pulls back, and as Armsmaster is hurtling toward her, that massive fist suddenly comes driving toward /him/, using his own momentum to make the punch strike that much harder!     Assuming he doesn't have something /else/ up his sleeve.     Savo grins with glee as her bomber planes send Sagat sprawling across the ground...but that grin quickly fades into a look of absolute horror as he goes /flying/ across the gap toward her.     Savo screams. It's not very dignified.     Her left arm comes up to try and shield herself, but it's not quite enough. Sagat's elbow strikes a clean hit right between her horns, sending the girl into a brief daze that gives him more than enough time to find purchase on the landing strips on either side of her. The mechanical base wobbles a little in its hover, but it's enough to keep both of them above the water for now.     When finally Savo shakes her head and clears the buzzing from it, she looks up...and up...and up...until she finally sees Sagat's head looming above her. The Princess only manages a brief squeak in her panic before suddenly balling up in her seat, trying to protect her beautiful, beautiful face. It's the cannons on either side of her that retaliate, aiming up and firing at Sagat to get him /off/, or at least /away/!     Leyte, meanwhile, glares at the imprint her fist made in the ground, and the /lack/ of an imprint it made in Shirou. She snarls, then yanks her arm out of the sand, claws curling and flexing. "Oh, come on, I don't /care/ about being appreciated for all that now! What, do you think I want everyone to just start holding hands and singing songs about how great all the ships were? THAT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE!"     Kusanagi swings, and Leyte is a little better at dodging this time. Boosts of her thrusters send her skating from side to side, and while the first strike cleaves along her right bicep, the others are much more effectively avoided. Her gaze remains fixed on Shirou, every jolt bringing her closer...     Suddenly, she's close enough that she can use her thrusters for another purpose: powering a sweep of her armored leg to smash his legs out from under him, striking with more force than a standard kick would on its own. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' Sagat disappears briefly in a point-blank cannonade, roaring with pain and fury ... And then he starts hitting Savo back. Exactly how he STAYED on her flight deck in the midst of the munitions is a mystery that will last through the ages - although it might have something to do with getting bombarded from two sides at once. Plus, y'know, being a huge dude who's built to take pretty much everything in the face. But can Savo take it as well as she dishes it out? Sagat's fists, feet, knees, and elbows are going to find the answer to that - or so he hopes; the smoke hasn't even fully dispersed around him when he starts hitting her, and hitting her some more, and hitting her still more than THAT. He doesn't even turn any of his attention to the cannons themselves - just the feminine form at the ship's 'core'. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Whether it's simply the speed that Armsmaster is hurtling in at or the strength of his armor, the blow doesn't kill him. However, the kinetic force of the blow still wrenches Armsmaster around, almost looking like he risks dislocating his shoulder entirely as he grips onto his Halberd weapon for dear life, the metal of his gauntlets squealing as they shift against the metal haft of the spear. He's going to feel that one tomorrow, certainly.      Armsmaster grunts, finding his footing on Anchorage's mount, tossing his Halberd into his good hand. The spear snaps back towards his Halberd proper, dangling by a chain, and then it shifts again and-      Oh, it's a flail now.      With a powerful spin of his arm, Armsmaster sets the head and chain of his flail whirling around his helmet, and the heavy weighted sphere begins to glow as some sort of super-hot plasma is injected into the metal. With a shout, Armsmaster sends the flail crashing down - directly at Anchorage herself! 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Once again Shirou brings Kusanagi around, this time using both hands to control the blade. A KICK is a little easier to manage since it comes from the side, though he has to stab the weapon into the ground to gain any leverage. The concrete easily gives beneath the legendary weapon, needing very little force, but the weak link in this chain is undeniably Shirou's arms holding onto the top - and the opening this creates otherwise.     All he can do is weaken and blunt Leyte's blows, not outright parry them. It's a miracle he can even do that as an amateur magus though, really.     There's a tremendous CLANG as Kusanagi absorbs the blow. It doesnt' hold though. Shirou's arm is wrenched awkwardly and painfully, ALMOST dislocating it, and the weapon shatters into a hundred piece with the sound of breaking glass. "ghhhgh!"     He's hit, though the foot hits his side instead, and sends him sprawling along the ground again.     With a few grunts, and groans, he scampers to his feet. Golden light streams out again, this time into a VERY lengthy and thin form--- KSSSSH-CLANG!     What he holds now is an UNUSUALLY long spear. The ornate, golden weapon is almost twice as tall as he is long, and has a strange cross-guard two thirds of the way towards the business end - which happens to be a thick blade just as suited for slashes as thrusts.     Leyte has no way of knowing that this is the spear of Dragonslayer Ornstein, one of the guardians of Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight, who fought countless battles in Anor Londo before recently falling. It's a mighty weapon in a different sense than Kusanagi.     "Don't be ridiculous. But you know where this path's leading. You've chosen to become monsters. No matter how much you destroy, it won't make you happy..." He's leaning on the spear for a few breaths, but he regains his balance and takes aim.     It looks like he's going to thrust. From very far away.     And that's EXACTLY what he does. A bolt of sizzling, golden lightning flies from the spear tip, straight at Leyte!     "You're really bad at hiding it. You act all angry, but aren't you really just crying? You're not going to be remembered by destroying everything. There won't be anyone to remember you then! Is that really waht you want?!" 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Kick! Kick! Elbow! Kick! Punch! Savo falls under a painful assault, and she quite simply isn't built to tank attacks like that like some of her fellow Abyssals. Nor can she really dodge; even if Sagat weren't standing right over her, her lower back and right arm are plugged into the mechanical 'throne' she sits in, and that's not exactly a thing she can quickly extract herself from.     "Ow! Ow, hey, that - OW! STOP IT!"     Rather than directly attacking, however...Savo begins to grow. The entire being of the Airfield Princess grows larger and larger, and while that means Sagat ends up standing on what's scaled to be a proper airfield, albeit one hovering above the water, that /also/ means that the woman he was just punching has reached kaiju proportions.     Savo finally uncurls herself, then glares down at Sagat with an angry frown. Her free fist comes up, then just as swiftly /slams/ down on the Muay Thai Emperor. She may not be exceptionally strong, but now her size will more than make up for that.     Anchorage's blow neither kills Armsmaster nor sends him off her hull. Sure, it hurt him, but his stubbornness ensures that Anchorage's main attempt didn't work. That's enough to make the irritable Demon snarl in annoyance, but it's not an irritation she has much time to dwell on. Armsmaster has switched to /another/ formation for his weapon, and that glowing head is bearing down on her right now!     Her body twists, and her left arm lifts. It's her bicep that the flail's head hits, and while it sends up sparks with its strike and makes the female spirit buckle from the impact, it at least doesn't smash right through to the flesh. The strange mouth on her bicep is what catches it, its teeth and jaw mangled from the strike but holding fast to the weapon's head!     "...you are such a nuisance," she growls. The long cannon over her other shoulder lowers, and while she hopefully still has Armsmaster at point-blank range, she fires a single shell crackling with crimson energy from that sniper-like cannon! It's not a shell made purely for exploding: the energy it erupts into does make use of kinetic force, but the red energy also eats away at the matter it strikes, gnawing at it like a remarkably potent acid.     Leyte's kick shatters the weapon, a result she was expecting to have happen much sooner. Something about Shirou has improved since the last time, she can tell. It brings a snarl of anger to her as she plants her foot in the ground again, watching as he creates...a spear? That's a new one.     Unfortunately, the weapon's significance is lost on her, but she knows better than to underestimate such a thing. He thrusts, and she moves away just in time that the crackling bolt of lightning rushes inches past her, sending a wave of static through her body but thankfully /just/ sparing her from harm. Yes, that's definitely not something to get hit by.     But whether she's thinking clearly enough to be worried about that is another question. Shirou's words are a spark for her anger, and she lets out a tremendous roar as she rushes in after him again. "I'm not /crying/! I don't /care/ how many end up dying in all this! If that's what it takes for them to realize how /powerful/ I am, THEN THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO!" Her fist swings low into a punch aimed at his gut, but that's not the only thing she strikes him with. The strong impact is matched with a sudden blast of the cannons on her forearms, sending two explosive shells at point-blank range to add to the force! 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      The blank silver visor of Armsmaster's helmet stares back at Anchorage, frowning as she growls at him, frowning as he pits his strength and his weapon against the strength of Anchorage's arm and monsterous jaw. Beads of sweat roll out from under his helmet, his arms shaking, as he goes to try and jam the rest of his flail down that mouth on her arm.      And then he gets shot and, where he was hit, Armsmaster's midnight-blue armor plating disintegreates in a red haze. Beneath it is nothing more than muscular flesh, burned to a sore looking red by the impact. For all his bravado, Armsmaster is just a man, albeit a man with one hell of a weapon and some impressive skills.      But just a man all the same. He can't let himself get shot again.      Armsmaster twists something on his Halberd-flail, and arcs of electricity crackle down the chain and into the flail - and, from there, into Anchorage herself. "Fall!" Armsmaster roars.      On the shore, members of the PRT watch the battle. While Armsmaster right be so focused on Anchorage he misses what's happening with Savo, they don't. Unable to assist, the other members of the Protectorate can only watch and wait and hope that Armsmaster and his two Union allies can manage to stop these newest villains. With Savo's sudden size, some might pray for Scion - but one can never count on the arrival of the golden man. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' ***WHAM!!!!!!*** And that would seem to be it for Sagat; there's no way he can still be standing in the gap between the deck and Savo's fist - not even if he were crouching as tightly as he could. Did he get driven straight through the deck? Probably not - if the ship is part of Savo, she would know whether there was a hole in it, presumably; there is no hole. The answer is simple enough, should she lift her fist up to take a look: Sagat is flat on his back, sporting a LOT more bruises - but he's still breathing, and as soon as he gets a chance to move he's back on his feet - rolling quickly to the side in order to dodge the next anticipated hammerblow and coming back up off the deck. "There's only one way I'll stop hitting you ... and that's when our fight is *over*!!" He actually charges towards Savo's main body before dipping into a crouch - "TIGER UPPERCUT!!!!" - and leaps upwards and into Savo, leading with his fist rocketing from just above the deck as far into the sky as his body can drive it; in point of fact, the physics work out more like it's Sagat's fist that rises forcefully enough to pull the rest of him behind it ... of course, he's driving it into Savo as hard as he can along the way. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     "I'm not buying that! Trace, on!" Shirou has not improved, bodily, it's true. But after panicking so much against Leyte, and fumbling around in Sen's Fortress, almost dying several times...     He is gaining a decisive 'battle sense.' What actions to take, what not to do, and how to estimate the outcome and gauge his opponent's temperament. Sure, his Projections have gotten -slightly- better, but not much.     Even a little helps though.     The TOWER SHIELD appears out before him. Again, it's like a blob of energy in the rough shape of a shield and not ENTIRELY solid. But it's sufficient to absorb that punch. Most of it, anyways. The fist slams hard into it, and goes no further - although the energy does 'crack.' It's the second volley that gets through. The guns pierce straight through the shoddy shield and disperse it. Still, only half the force of those shots gets through to slam into Shirou's reinforced torso and blow him backwards. He yells whilst sailing through the air, then slams hard into the base of a power pole at the street side, where things start to connect to the harbor. Some of the explosive shells struck his flesh and tore chunks out. He's bleeding badly, but like before the wounds don't bleed a lot for long. They dwindle... is that a metallic gleam filling the 'holes', slowly...?     "Moron! As if roaring and beating your chest solves anything... I think I've got a better idea of what kind of spirit you are. Hurting a girl isn't really my style at all, I'd rather you calm down and give up on this crazy mission, but you're making this really hard!"     he sucks in a breath. It's go time. Almost. He gestures broadly-- scrunches his eyes shut for just a second in enormous concentration, and dumps most of his remaining prana into something big.     Four weapons appear around him, and one tiny one higher above him. The four that hover around him are Auron's Katana, Kusanagi, a HUGE and rusty chunk of metal that can barely be called a sword, and.... a dazzling white-silver longsword with red designs. It exudes a pristine, regal aura - yes, it's a holy sword of some serious legend. Clarent, the Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword that was stolen by Mordred.     He clenches his fist and gestures, and those four weapons hurl themselves like missiles at Leyte...     Up above, the Estoc waits, angled down towards the power pole and lined up with Leyte. A sliver of somewhat insulated cabling is the only thing between it and the Abyssal ship.     The Estoc's launch is slightly delayed, and for good reason. Shirou expects Leyte to try and dodge, destroy, or even just smash the offending weapons and busy herself.     The Estoc spears down, piercing the power line and ripping it from the mounting on the pole. The sword digs through, becoming a spike on the end of a nasty, electrical whip through which more power courses than the Magus, Shirou, could ever hope to generate.     RAW ELECTRIC POWER.     If that Estoc connects, it will turn Leyte into the grounding point for a conduit of awful agony. Enormous piles of raw energy will sizzle, fry, and wrack everything in a nasty lightshow. it's Shirou's hopes that this will wreak HAVOC on her guns and senses. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Anchorage allows a small smirk to form over her lips when she sees flesh beneath the armor. "...pathetic." Yes, she's being beaten, but the man who faces her is just that. He can be beaten. It's just a matter of time and focus...     The electricity, however, is a clear problem. It rushes through the metal in her arm to the rest of her body, filling her with powerful jolts and agonizing pain. Her teeth clench as she tries to push through it, focusing on how to retaliate against this armored opponent...     Suddenly, her mount's nose flips up to toss Armsmaster into the air. Like some giant shark, the metal creature snaps out to bite down on his waist with crushing strength, grinding him between its teeth and the smoldering heat in its maw!     Savo does indeed wonder at the distinct lack of blood spread over the runway and the lack of a hole punched through the deck. Sagat has to have gone somewhere, of course, but...he can't relaly have just /tanked/ that. Can he?     Her fist lifts, and she sees him...still there. In one piece, for all intents and purposes. Her expression grows an annoyed frown as he rises, her fist coming down again - but no, he rolls out of the way too quickly, and it simply slams against the runway! Even at this size, she's having some trouble.     Again his fist rockets toward her, and Savo clenches her teeth in anticipation of a great deal of pain. There's inhuman force behind those fists, she realizes; even at this size, getting struck would not be something she wants to deal with.     Her arm lifts...but that's not what saves her. It's one of her planes, now the size of an /actual/ jet, rocketing in from the side to slam into Sagat and knock him away in a kamikaze maneuver!     Leyte successfully sends Shirou flying, but it doesn't bring her much satisfaction. She's burning, seething with hatred toward Shirou more and more with every word he speaks. Her heavy footsteps carry her toward Shirou, her mind filled with all the things she's no doubt going to do to him once she catches up to him.     The swords appear and fly at her, but rather than wait for them to reach her, she simply aims her guns up toward each one in turn and blasts at them one after the other to knock them out of the air. Her aim turns to Shirou next-     And she's suddenly stabbed through the stomach with what is essentially a grounding pole for coursing lightning. No blood flows from the wound, but it doesn't need to: that electricity creates more than enough of a sign of agony in the Southern Demon as she screams out in pain, electricity coursing through her body and the metal attached to it. It's an overwhelming effort for her just to grab the estoc and yank it out of her, tossing it aside; afterward, she falls to her hands and knees, steaming and gasping as her head still buzzes from the assault. She's not out completely, but...boy, did that hurt. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' Sagat lets out a yell as the plane sideswipes him, explodes, and slams him back into the deck. He hasn't had the coolest of tempers, but he looks distinctly and decidedly more pissed off now as he drops into a crouch ... "TIIIIGEEEEEERRRR *GENOCIDE*!!!!" And rockets across the distance between him and Savo, leading with a Tiger Knee - not merely crossing the distance but actually *connecting* with the knee, and then unwinding into a Tiger Uppercut when he's basically already in contact with her, dragging his fist up along the Abyssal's torso. If he sails high enough to plant the uppercut under her chin, that would just be the icing on the cake ... he'll settle for brutalizing the undead ship-wight however he can, though. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Armsmaster goes flying before he can fire off a retort to Anchorage, and comes back down to land in a maw of teeth and heat. Armor plates split, paint is scorched, and some of that bite finds purchase in his flesh. Armsmaster does reply, but only with an anguished shout. He extends his right hand, calling his Halberd back to his grip in a bright flash. He's running out of options. With his armor sundered, he might not last long - he isn't a cape with an invulnerability power.      He makes up for that with sheer force of will and 'never back down' aggression. He has one final trick up his sleeve, however.      On his world, there exists a parahuman known only as Leviathan, a member of the mysterious Endbringers. A powerful macro-hydrokinetic, Leviathan can sink islands beneath the waves by summoning colossal tsunamis with a thought and shatter the land by pulling water from the aquifer beneath the ground.      And this trick exists to stop him.      Armsmaster swings his Halberd with one final ounce of strength, aiming to hit anywhere on Anchorage. And, where the Halberd touches...      ...everything flash-freezes, suddenly dropping to well below zero degrees celcius. Who knows whether the ship-woman-thing can resist it, but it extends down into the water and freezes several meters in every direction. And then, Armsmaster draws his Halberd back, shifting it into nothing more than a giant sledgehammer, and swings right for Anchorage, like he's intending to shatter her - or most of her - into pieces! 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Awwwww, geeze. Even THAT isn't enough to down Leyte? Her resilience is incredible. Shirou would be dead if that kind of current hit him. Almost certainly dead.     But it's a problem if that doesn't kill her, and instead leaves her gasping and painting. The scream was enough to rattle his resolve, but only slightly. He has to keep reminding himself.     Leyte is more a monster than a girl. More a vengeful spirit than a human. He can't expect reasonable thoughts out of her.     And his prana is practically empty. Only a few shreds of energy still course through his body.     He honestly should be collapsing. Most magi would, with their od drained this dangerously low. They'd fall unconscious and sleep for up to a day, even.     But Shirou has endured the harshest of Magical trainings in his own way. Sheer stubborn willpower keeps him on his feet, and lets him summon up these last shreds of available energy.     He has no words for Leyte. He can't waste any effort on speech. But agony mars his face. Agony and focus. Grunting and straining with everything he's got, he traces one more weapon. Kusanagi appears in his grasp and Shirou raises it in the exact same motion as before. The weapon gleams, then shines, apparently turning unstable just as happened last time.     Broken Phantasm.     That surefire method of destroying everything. If that sword explodes again, a great portion of the street will be scoured away, and everything on it scorched and shredded into dust...!     The weapon glows ominously. Yet Shirou does not throw it. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Savo's arm falls again, and she looks aside to see where Sagat landed. Well, he's still on the deck, but seeing him crashing down is enough to bring that smirk of satisfaction back to her.     Aaaand there it goes again, as he bellows that name. /Genocide/?!     She's simply too large to avoid that right now. His knee crashes into her waist, drawing a pained 'grk' as she lurches to the side, but it's the fist that causes the most damage. It rakes along her body, dugging a burning furrow across her form, until at last-     POW. Right against the Abyssal Princess' jaw. The strike sends her reeling - her entire form, in fact - and whirling over the ocean's surface for a few yards, her free hand lifting to her jaw where that final hit landed. She looks absolutely shocked; rightly so, given her relative size right now. A punch simply shouldn't hit that hard!     Anchorage isn't doing much better, either. Her base gnaws and grinds Armsmaster's torso, but then that Halberd strikes her...and freezes her. Her entire body is frequently coated in water, after all, and that ice impacts everything. A look of confusion comes over her face before the ice crests over her head, making her into a rather grotesque ice sculpture in the middle of the water. And then comes the sledgehammer.     Not all of Anchorage shatters...but a good deal of her does as she's sent reeling and tumbling over the water. Armor is made brittle and shatters in several places; her female form's left arm is broken into chunks, but no blood emerges from the wound in her shoulder; chunks of her torso are smashed away as well, and the muscular arms of her mount are similarly broken away. It takes her a good deal of time just to straighten up again in a straight hover after that powerful strike.     And Leyte...well, Leyte already wasn't doing so well. She gasps and pants, trying to force through the lingering pain running through her body, trying to will her body to /move/ into combat again. It's a struggle, and one she doesn't seem to be winning.     When he summons that sword again, her head lifts...and she /glares/. It's a look that almost dares him to hurl it, here, where it's not just ruins, but a whole city that could be put at risk from using that weapon. Would he really use it there? Would he take that risk just to see her defeated...?     "Anchorage! Leyte!" The shout comes from Savo, wincing as she holds her waist. "This is...gh. That's enough. We're leaving!" The Airfield Princess doesn't look too happy about that, but at this point, it's either leave or stay and be smashed into further submission. She's quick to sink below the waves with one last glare at Sagat, and Anchorage, though silent, casts her own enraged leer toward Armsmaster, as if challenging him to be so successful the next time they meet. Soon they're both consumed by the waves again, moving off into the ocean.     Leyte growls her annoyance, but pushes herself unsteadily to her feet. "...this isn't over," she growls threateningly to Shirou, but aside from a look that could kill small animals instantly, she doesn't continue her attack. Her uncertain gait carries her back to the ocean, where she sinks down to follow her superiors in retreat. 

:'''{{#var:560|Emiya Shirou (560)}} has posed:'''     Indeed. Leyte's on the right track. Shirou defeintiely wouldn't use that thing here. It was an overight on his part, since it was a bluff to begin with he didn't think about the consequences of actually sing it for him.     Slight oversight.     But it seems to be working somewhat, in any case. "nhhhgh.... that was intense..."     With another shattering sound, Kusanagi breaks into pieces. Shirou's legs lose all their strength, and he collapses onto the pavement. Hard. 

:'''{{#var:554|Armsmaster (554)}} has posed:'''      Armsmaster takes one final leap, landing on his feet in the shallows of the bay. He watches the Confederates leave, Halberd propped against the sediment in a heroic posture - one that is also supporting a fair amount of his weight. He's wounded, bloodied - perhaps more than any Brockton Bay villian might be able to do to him - but he has prevailed.      But, as always, that is only ever 'for now'. 

:'''{{#var:95|Sagat (95)}} has posed:''' It's a good time not to stay on board Savo, especially when Sagat hits her so hard that she skips not unlike a flung stone. Fortunately for *her*, the very flipping that Sagat incurred flipped him 'overboard'. Unfortunately, Sagat also knows enough about swimming not to drown ... although rather than pressing the battle, he heads for the shoreline and looks for a place to pull himself up onto relatively dry land. The ships' departure is greeted by an upraised fist. No fingers, just the fist. It's not the kind of gesture Sagat usually offers, but it seems adequate. Besides. Savo is probably deathly afraid of THAT FIST by now, given how hard Sagat socked her. Never mind that he looks more black-and-blue than brown, and there are still streaks of blood, mostly dry, some not, over a lot of his body. He is not sorry to see the Abyssals' backs. 

}}

459/The Rising Black Sun

2014-08-21T13:47:22Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/08/20 |Location=Azuma |Synopsis=Kagenashi sets out to steal enough power for her fifth tail, but things don't go exactly as planned. |Thanks= ..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/08/20
|Location=Azuma
|Synopsis=Kagenashi sets out to steal enough power for her fifth tail, but things don't go exactly as planned.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=22, 56, 85, 232, 346, 347, 369, 481, 482, 518, 527, 533
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     The region of Suzaku is locked in an eternal summer. The bamboo forests that spread across the lowlands are always warm during the day, as the sun beats down its ever-present heat and the hot springs fueled by the nearby volcano send bubbling steam up into the air. The volcano itself, a dark peak looming over the land, has thankfully been dormant for as long as people can remember; the forests have stretched up along its slopes, and villages and towns have sprouted and grown beneath its shadow, clearly unafraid of any threat the mountain could pose.     Today, however, the volcano is threatened, and its defender is already in action.     BGM: http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=tzY8OkU6vpE     The setting sun casts a red glow over the forest. Between the shadows cast by the bamboo stalks flits a shape of billowing crimson, lacking any shadow of her own. Kagenashi leaps, darts, ducks, whirls; if it weren't for the occasional flash of steel or the whistle and thud of arrow after arrow, it would almost seem like a dance.     Instead, it is an agile rush to escape her dogged pursuer. The source of the blue-feathered shafts hurtling through the air and burying themselves in green trunks is a kitsune, though she does not seem like one at first sight. No vulpine features are evident, save for the star orb that gleams in the center of her tongue when she opens her mouth. Dark hair tinted with azure flows behind her, and purple eyes fix on Kagenashi with a hunter's gleam. Her torso is covered by a short, violet Chinese dress that falls from a leather and metal armored chestpiece and brace around her neck. Similar plated armor bound by red ropes covers her arms, but leaves her shoulders and legs mostly bare. Another rope of red drapes around her waist, supporting a violet quiver decorated at the base with a snarling dragon's head holding a ring between its fangs. Her hands hold a large, curving longbow of dark wood, as elegantly formed and powerful as its wielder. This must be Konohana, the guardian of Suzaku and protector of its volcano. (http://tinyurl.com/mkqf85a)     Kagenashi is agile and focused, but so too is her opponent; perhaps even more so. As she flees through the forests up the volcano's side, Konohana follows without missing a step. When Kagenashi leaps, Konohana follows. When Kagenashi vanishes into her spiritual form, Konahana's keen sight ensures she doesn't stay hidden for very long. Every swift arrow loosed by Konohana is one Kagenashi barely avoids or parries, and they come in an almost relentless flurry, notched only a moment before being loosed with incredible precision. One slight misstep could mean a crippling wound for the nogitsune. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     These days there is one word - one name - that can draw Shizune out no matter where she is and what she's doing. In this case, it's quite literally in the middle of dinner where her radio alerts her to a certain nogitsune being brought up on the public band. She immediately brings it up to her ear, listens, and confirms for herself that that one name has been spoken - that that one person is on the move.     Kagenashi.     With deep, profuse apologies, Shizune excuses herself, taking what remains of her dinner with her. In minutes she's on a shuttle. Minutes more, she's flying over Suzaku, ordering the pilot to bring her around, to get ahead of the chase. To put Shizune on the goal line.     She hops out near the summit of the dormant volcano, and without hesitating, begins to leap and hop her way down in graceful, gliding movements. Already she's adjusting her glasses as she goes, trying to spot the incoming nogitsune as best she can. She'll put herself right in Kagenashi's path if that's what it takes. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' While a short period of peace had been good, it is inevitable that a knight's duty is to protect the people. As a soldier of the Union and a soldier of time-lost Britain, Sir Bedivere is bound by honour to provide that protection, to be the sword and shield of the defenseless. As much as he inherently dislikes fighting, he is the Left Hand of the King, and he did not earn that position through favour. Today, the knight crouches low in the saddle of a big grey draft horse, likely borrowed from one of Dun Realtai's farmers -- but the animal is big and heavy, and while not particularly fast, it can get him there all the same. He rides with his sword free of its scabbard, his left hand clutching the reins. He rides with his violet eyes cold as flint, as ice. A longbow rests over his back; a quiver of long, barbed arrows at his hip. Kagenashi may be a guest within Dun Realtai's walls, but they are no longer within the castle. He is not bound by Brehon Law here; he need not suffer any real or imagined retribution for taking the fight to Suzaku Province. Any other time, Bedivere might admire the bamboo forests and the beautiful scenery, but right now, he is utterly focused. The grey horse plunges and snorts, charging through the bamboo forest with the subtlety of a freight train. He bears down on where the kitsune and the nogitsune do battle, raising his sword aloft. Yet he goes right /past/ them, by quite a ways -- turning his steed about in a circle hard enough for the horse to rear, screaming, broad hooves thudding back down in the middle of the path. He will hold, here -- and he will, hopefully, ensure that Kagenashi goes no further. Shifting his grip on his sword, he then waits. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika sprints through the bamboo thicket, managing to outpace a racehorse by a good few miles per minute as she takes to the trees themselves. She leaps and runs across the branches, moving on as her new toy is brought out to play for the first time proper. The spear in her hand is no encumberence to the half-kitsune as she tracks for Kagenashi's aura.     This world is very much familiar to the lands of Yokai in the north of Kasun, where spirits and men live in harmony and myth is more or less fact. Feels justl ike home. If only Mother and the rest of her family could see this land now, were things more peaceful.     She'll probably remember to take them on a tour at a later time when things die down, at the least they could use a look out at what their half-breed has been off to these days.     "Ready, Manatto?" she asks her spear, the Abstractum Manattobuki, before she takes another leap to go where the arrows are flying. She's fast enough to evade their fire even as Lady Konohana launches volley after volley, as her eyes look for Kagenashi's hiding spot. 

:'''{{#var:22|Medusa Gorgon (22)}} has posed:'''     Well, with nothing better to do... why not have some fun?     After the radio message went out the snake witch was not slow to react, getting ready for combat. And thanks to the warp gates and a speedy broom, it doesn't take long before a dark figure arrives overhead in the brightly coloured sky. Medusa Gorgon isn't exactly slow, and she turns her broom downwards as she swoops down into the forest, doing a roll to avoid hitting any branches or getting caught on one of them. For now her soul is not shielded by magic, there is no Soul Protect in place. So anybody with a supernatural sense might notice that there is something chaotic nearby, an aura basically screaming destruction and evil.     There is somebody on the broom with her however, somebody who might not appreciate the high speeds and airborne acrobatics... then again, that is what Ariah gets for working under Medusa and wanting a ride on the broom.     Though Medusa's keen eyes do spot something, and she calls back to the other Confederate at her back. "Prepare to get off, Unionites ahead!"     And so it might come as a surprise to Bedivere or not when the destructive and chaotic presence is suddenly there on his side, a witch on a broom zooming in, though she quickly hangs onto the broom as she swings herself off and forward, intending to kick Bedivere off of his mount if he's not fast enough. With the speed she's coming in at a kick like this ought to hurt. 

:'''{{#var:56|Ariah (56)}} has posed:'''      For someone who survived multiple harrowing Allied air drops into enemy territory in World War II, clinging to a broomstick during high speed maneuvers feels somewhat old hat for Ariah. Maybe even something bringing back old memories. But she has no time to lapse into a reverie of the past, Medusa's warning coming as swift as the descending broomstick. "Then this is my stop. Thank you for the ride, Nurse Gorgon."      Her white cloak fluttering behind her, the witch removes herself from her direct superior's conveyance, clutching her staff in both hands. She has yet to use her Hyperion coupon for a replacement sidearm, and goes without, not that she needs it. The tuck-and-roll landing has her crashing soundly through the bamboo thicket, but she's quickly back on her feet and running the opposite way of the actual fighting. She gives a glance over her shoulder, eyes narrowing, and then pushes herself forward, up the mountain, to the belly of the volcano to meet a bird. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Who needs horses..when you got /motorcycles/? Heeding the call to battle, as an Union Ally and an honourable protector of the people, Sir Gawain rides upon his motorized steed, Gringalot II. He's already armored up, Excalibur Galatine one handed in his right hand, and his recently acquired Shield Abstractum, Radiant Guardia, in his left, as he ramps up the speed. Sir Gawain doesn't seem to actually care if he's harming the bamboo or not (what, it's a battlefield!), as he shouts loudly and enthusiastically, beginning to quickly halt his bike in order to leap off it. "You will not succeed here, Lady Kagenashi! Radiant Guardia, I entrust you to my aid!". Leaping high off his bike, Sir Gawain takes a quick glance to find the blipping Nogitsune, before aiming forward towards her, attempting to strike her in mid-air, if possible. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      In contrast to the steed of her marshal, the King of Knights rides her favoured Yamaha V-Max, dressed in the three-piece suit for riding a thing of modernity. As a Saber-class, riding such a thing even in the environment before them was a simple task with her Riding skill, easily steering around -- or even over -- what obstacles necessary.      Even as she gave chase, however, Excalibur remained immaterial; the Servant could summon it at a moment's notice when necessary, along with her armour. It would hardly be the first time she had leapt from her mechanical steed and landed in full armour.      Their reluctantly-hosted guest by way of the Laws of Hospitality of ancient Britain was not protected here. And today, she was very much an enemy.      Already ahead of Bedivere, the knight spun the motobike to an abrupt yet strangely elegant spin, leaping off and landing on her feet...in full armour, with Excalibur -- rendered invisible by the Bounded Field of the Wind King -- already grasped in her gauntleted hands. Dropping into the en garde stance of an armored combatant, Saber -- in contrast to her nephew -- silently awaited the approach and readied a command. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     You know what is just fantastic about bamboo forests? The ambience. They're cinematic, they're beautiful, and if you're a fantastical ninja guy-thing or a stunning kitsune guardian...     When you are a super powered dorky teenager, Bamboo Forests are HARD.     After the third time she ran her face into a swinging bamboo branch from all the rustling, Yuuki Kuran does an entirely un-princesslike thing. Which is fine! Because she's... TOTALLY not a princess. She's totally normal.     "This is the worst! Why did the gate-thing have to be back /there/?!" She complains, a bamboo-shaped welt across her face disappearing as she complains, picking herself up off the ground and straightening her long tan coat. She is forced to move more carefully, and thus, TAKES FOREVER to get through the Bamboo Forest without help.     Finally, she awkwadly breaks through the tall scenic misty foliage at the base of the volcano, as like two people roll past her on motorcycles.     Yuuki just can't even.     "Next time, Zero, we're using those." She huffs, pointing at the awesome bikes. She can't even ride a motorcycle, she's just annoyed. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The volcano's slopes are uneven and treacherous, but for one charging steed, the uncertain terrain is no challenge at all.     It might as well be half a demon. The stallion's eyes blaze red like fiery coals. Clouds of searing steam snort from its flaring nostrils. A strange, distorted whinnying rises up from its heaving chest, haunting and furious in equal parts. Sharp horns sweep down from its black head in place of bent-back ears, and sparks fly from its hooves wherever their thunderous cadence should fall. From a distance, it looks very well like something infernal, not at all meant for mundane world.     It is a fitting mount for the man astride it.     Draped in black from head to toe, a curving sword worn across his back, his cape flaring behind him like leathery wings, the man hurries to join the battle.     He pursues Kagenashi, or so it would seem; his serene gaze is always forward, fixed on the distant nogitsune, his horse racing along in her wake. Incredibly, the horse keeps pace, its stride far exceeding the capability of any normal creature, and as the Hunter draws closer, it'll be clear, at least to some eyes -- his horse is augmented by cyborg components.     Black uniform, cyborg horse, curving sword, preternaturally perfected appearance -- this can only be D, the dhampir Hunter.     Lunging into position not far from Gawain, the Hunter carries on his chase. As Gawain leaps joyfully from his saddle, the cyborg horse plants its forward hooves, bucks it haunches, and thrusts D skyward, too. Gawain comes crashing down at Kagenashi, but D's trajectory puts him there before the knight, and sword in hand he turns -- but not to attack the fox woman.     His sword meets Gawain's. 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     Bamboo forests are hard for Yuuki, but they aren't hard for Zero. He's been navigating just fine, thank you very much. On the other hand his entire assignment is to make sure that Yuuki doesn't get her dumb ass murdered someplace out in the multiverse, so he's keeping pace with her out of necessity. His expression is predictably cranky, but that's really nothing new. He says to her, "That's just how it is. Quit complaining about it." This is probably the least rude way he could express those opinions just now. As it is, he's been tense for basically the entire time.     There's something around here that's nagging at the edges of his senses. It's not the spirits wreathed in flesh, though they show up on his supernatural radar too. Faint, but present. They roar past on motorcycles, a much more practical choice of entrance than he was forced to endure. Yuuki remarks on it, and that just makes Zero look at her with an even more irate expression.     "You're the one with infinite money. If something like that is more convenient for you, then you could've had it by now." He jerks his head in the direction of the bamboo forest. "That should pose no problem to you, either. Next time just do to it what you did to my door. It'll grow back quick enough anyway."     Zero's senses come alive with alarm. He reaches into his jacket and draws Bloody Rose, but eases up slightly when he recognizes D. But why's he going after one of the strange people who rode in on motorcycles? His grumpy expression gives way to dull confusion. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''     Konoe, presumably active, is busy being bitterly hostile about people daring to mar its User's presence with arrows. It might not actually be here right now, though. That's all offscreen.     Fraus, meanwhile, is probably disappointed about not getting to get a bit of blood, but keeps restrained with cold brooding.     Arymes Prydein has, presumably, said something offensive during a bout of particularly severe tricksterism and is, apparently, not be in Saber's loadout today.     But for the newbies here to debut their Abstractums for the first time, matters are entirely different. "I'm always prepared." Manattobuki, Kirika's spear, says firmly. There's a gruff tone to it. "A soldier has to be ready at all times. Enemy's got a sabotage objective. We can't let them reach it. You're gonna need mobility reduction, area denial, bottlenecking." A firm grumbling noise. "You make sure, if it comes to it, you get to whatever entry she's gonna use into the volcano too."     "Aaaaaa, wooo!" Radiant Guardia is having a good time. "Not gonna let you down, boss! POWERING STRIFE DRIVES!" There's a brilliant flare of bright red light, and abruptly the bamboo that's devastated by Gawain's approach isn't smacking him so hard. And when he launches, it's as a streak of red fire! "Hooooooyyyeeeaaah! STRIKE DRIVER!" There's a flare of red light as he crashes down... At D! "GAH! Who's this guy!? Ghhh-- Going anyway!" The wide triangular shield's eye, hidden on the inside of the thing, takes an eagerly aggressive stance, bringing Gawain's sword a sudden rocket-like boost in force even after the clash! It's... Relatively minor, actually, since the Abstractum is rookie level, but it's sudden and unexpected! 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Reinforcements for both sides continue to arrive, but neither Kagenashi nor Konohana halt their agile confrontation. Kagenashi's twin katanas rush through the air, blocking arrows again and again; Konohana nocks another arrow as soon as the next is loosed. And then there are more than a few Unionites standing in the way, right where Kagenashi is headed.     This makes things difficult.     Thankfully, Kagenashi's mind is sharp and quick. Normally these bamboo trees would be difficult to cut with such a thin blade as her katanas, but one of those twin weapons is a high-frequency blade. Therefore, when she comes close to the Union opposition blocking her path to the volcano's peak, she makes use of it, ducking and swirling in a quick flash that cleaves through several trunks at once. Immediately after, darkness consumes her, shifting and shrinking her form into that of a small black fox with four weaving tails. The trees fall, crashing down to make the arrival of those trying to move through the forest a little more difficult. Enough to buy her time to leap, bouncing off trees that are still standing...and moving away from the volcano's peak, rather than trying to push through to the top.     Konohana is one of the people who ends up being hindered by that distraction, her attention on Kagenashi taken away as she shifts to avoid a crashing tree. The kitsune glares toward Kagenashi's escape, then turns to the assembling Union members. "There she is. She is fleeing the volcano, it seems. This is still our chance to stop her."     After a few agile bounds, Kagenashi shifts once more mid-leap, returning to her human form before she lands in a crouch on the ground. Immediately she rises and turns, braced for anyone to follow her. The attack, however, doesn't come from the direction she expects, and is heralded only by the roar of a motorcycle swiftly approaching her. The nogitsune whirls around, just in time to see Gawain leaping for her-     Suddenly, D is there, in a flash of steel and darkness. Kagenashi is stunned for the briefest moment, but quickly offers a nod of gratitude before she turns back to the rest of the Union opposition, swords grasped and held ready. "...it will take some time to get used to this..." 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Ariah's approach is remarkably unhindered; it seems everyone is busy with Kagenashi at the moment, and so she should make it to the volcano in good time. Looking over the rim of the volcano's mouth produces a sight few would expect. The magma deep within the volcano appears to be mostly solidified into a black floor, but heat still wafts from the depths of the mountain. It seems to come specifically from the gigantic crow bound and elevated by chains near the bottom of the volcano. The chains themselves are large enough to handle such a great bird, formed from dark metal and extending from the walls of the volcano to wrap around the creature and lock again into the opposite wall. There appear to be nine of these chains, creating eighteen mounting points in the walls, where the chains are held in place by giant fox heads of carved stone grasping the links between their teeth.     The bird, clearly the legendary Yatagarasu, is an enormous thing easily large enough to have a wingspan of a couple hundred feet, if its wings weren't bound to its sides by the taut chains surrounding it. Even more interesting is the burning, circular glow where its heart should be, roiling like a miniature sun just below its feathers and giving off an incredible heat to the surroundings, even more so than a volcano of this activity should have. Three legs are bound against its body, its talons gleaming faintly almost like obsidian shards.     For the moment, it seems strangely docile. Its eyes are closed; three of them, with two on the sides of its head and one in its forehead. Its breaths come evenly and calmly, its serrated beak opening now and then to release a gout of blistering heat in a slow sigh. Perhaps it might even be asleep. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi's course changes, and Shizune skids to a stop before adjusting likewise. It's a long slide, long enough to cancel the considerable momentum she's built by coming down the slope, but she's able to pull it off in time to veer off, this time running parallel along the slope in an attempt to continue interspersing herself between the nogitsune and her supposed target up the slope. For that matter, if her target isn't really up the slope, she wants to be in position to dive in quickly.     And of course, she feels compelled to call out to Konohana. "Don't get too aggressive! If you're her real target, following her is exactly what she wants you to do!" 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     "Of course." Kirika says, heeding her spear's counsel. It speaks as if it were a soldier, and an experienced one at that. 'Sarge' probably knows what he's talking about, and really Kirika's not in a mood to talk back either. It ain't her nature, after all.     She bounds through the thicket until she spots Kagenashi, and her eyes go from c.c to +_+ in an instant. Target spotted, time to move in. Once she leaps to the fray, Kirika raises her spear up high, about to lash out with it to the Nogitsune to skewer her.     Of course, then she sees /D/.     She's only met him once before, but his skills as a swordsman are never to be underestimated. The dhampir is also not...attacking Kagenashi?     Part of Kirika's soul sinks to a low pit as it settles in, before she strikes out at the nogitsune in a fit of rage. She'll deal with the traitor later.     At the least she's got Shizune backing her up for distracting Kage. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Bedivere spares a brief glance to Saber and Gawain as they pass by, violet eyes hard. /I will remain here. Do not let Kagenashi pass./ Yet, perhaps Arturia might note the way his eyes linger on her, however briefly. /Be careful, you and Gawian both./ Before he has the opportunity to react, there are a pair of boots flying for his chest. His horse rears in alarm, which puts him right in the path of Medusa's vicious kick with exactly the expected results. The knight is flung from the saddle, into a stand of bamboo, and slumps like a stirng-cut puppet, momentarily dazed. He hasn't lost his sword, though, and he recovers quickly. Oddly, he makes a grab for a rock while he's down on ground level. Pulling himself to his feet, he whirls, hurling the stone straight for the back of Medusa's head. She's too far away for a sweep of the sword, by now, travelling that fast... but maybe that rock can get her attention. She's got his, for sure. His head is ringing like a cathedral bell; he pauses long enough to shake it to clear it as he squints after the Witch. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Sir Gawain was expecting a block, if anything, from Kagenashi. Who the hell is this dude? Boosting forward with Radiant Guardia, the blades meet! The collision sends Gawain back, down to the forest, landing on one knee on a fallen tree, gritting his teeth, as he stares to wherever D currently is. "Demonic swordsman, presumably of the Confederacy! I will not allow you to continue on..", Gawain shouts in that direction, before speaking to RG. "Radiant Guardia, keep up the excellent work. We will hold against him!". The blonde /grins/, aiming Abstractum high and sword to his side, not striking just yet. "Now, let us battle!" 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      Saber's jade eyes met Bedivere's as she passed, catching the meaning easily. /And you as well./ It compromised their famed -- and feared -- method of battling silently beside each other and relaying unspoken commands, but the V-Max was far faster. And though she was his Servant, she was more than accustomed to acting independently. Only now, she trusted her Master absolutely.      It wouldn't be the first time the Knights of the Round Table were ambushed as they had been without a initial order from their king. They were trained warriors, perhaps the best of their generation -- disciplined and skilled -- and understood their roles. Even Gawain, as loud and boisterous as his demeanour projected him to be. She entrusted him to deal with the arrival of the hunter mounted on a strange sort of steed.      Even as she approached the nogitsune acted quickly, slicing through several tall bamboo and causing the timbers to fall. Saber nimbly dodged, leaping to the side, but they achieved their intended effect of delaying her. She frowned, channelling more magical energy into her legs to catch up with the nogitsune. She was going to need a very large dinner after this, she suspected. 

:'''{{#var:56|Ariah (56)}} has posed:'''      Thankfully, even if temporarily, Ariah is left to her own devices, the sounds of battle so far away at the rim of the volcano. Her sharp ears still catch the ring of steel on steel, however. She's given a moment, heartbeats to a breath, to consider her position and her task. Moments taken in awe of the great creature before her and the chains binding it. Then she's off.      Down the rim, towards the nearest wall mount of the chains. The chance of falling worries her less than the chance of falling into a pool of magma, but she's as quick and agile as her allies, steadying her footing on the great links beneath her as she stands beneath one of the large heads holding it in place. And then she sits. She settles, eyes scanning the surface of the metal before her.      Her staff is secured, her hands removing tools from a fold in her uniform, and she sets to work. Her movements are hurried, her eyes glowing bright as she takes hammer and chisel to the chain. One must imagine her mad, taking such small tools to such a huge monument, but she's not seeking to cut through the metal. No, she's etching shapes, marks, runes. Each one glows faintly as she hammers the symbols in, no time for care, just a quick and dirty demolition rune to unmake the area where the metal is stressed the most. And so she hammers, the sound of her own tools ringing out in the volcano with each strike. TUNK! TUNK! TUNK! 

:'''{{#var:22|Medusa Gorgon (22)}} has posed:'''     As her feet connect with the knight's chest Medusa can't help but grin, her snakelike eyes following Bedivere's fall from his horse. She herself twists, the kick breaking her speed and making it rather impossible to get back on the broom at this very moment. Instead she focuses on getting away from him, throwing the broom aside and into the bamboo forest somewhere. It's not like she's fleeing anytime soon after all. But just as she lands in a three point landing, Bedivere's stone does hit her in the back of the head, and she winces, even though the leer remains on her face as she does her best to steady herself and ignore the stabbing pain she feels. Oh dear. "... such cowardly methods, sir Knight~!" she coughs a bit, turning to glance over her shoulder... and then she throws out her right arm. "Vector Plate!"     A black arrow appears underneath Bedivere, pointing to the side towards a tree. If she's lucky he won't be able to evade, and she might buy herself a few seconds for her nect attack! 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki frowns, looking back at Zero. "Hey, just because my /family/ has 'infinite money' doesn't mean I do." She shoots, cross. The sour banter between them was comforting, in its own way. It reminded her that she was still here, that Zero was still here, that things were... Normal.     Then she sees D come out of bloody nowhere, leaping in to intercept an attack from some knight against some ninja. Yuuki becomes confused.     D is a friend! She doesn't know the Knight or the Ninja-guy... And since she's not really paying attention to the radio, she twirls a small rod out from her coat, which extends electrically into a huge, organic-looking metal scythe. "Come on, Zero, let's help him out!" She calls, before leaping into battle, bearing her scythe down on...     Gawain.     Before she even comes close though, she pulls out of her dive, tumbling on the ground. Gawain - she at least recognized that boisterous tone from her radio. What was going on?!     Tumbled onto her bottom, holding her scythe loosely, she looks up at Gawain, and D on his mecha-horse.     "W-what's going on? D? Why are you fighting him?" 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''     "/Focus/, Kirika." Manattobuki says, firmly. "Battlefield's no place for stressing about why people are on the side they're on. Just know what side they're on and fight. Powering Strife Drives." The spear's holy inscriptions flare with a sudden bright red light, its head burning as it's thrusted at its target: Kirika will be keenly aware that it's now a valid amplifying conduit for her magic! "Strike Driver." 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     "There's no difference. If you ask for something, you know you're going to get it, so don't act like you can't." Zero retorts to Yuuki, with a faint snort. In fact, he's pretty sure if he called up Aido and handed him a laundry list of 'stuff Yuuki requested', he'd have it before the next day. Even if it was something incredibly ludicrous and unreasonable. Stupid vampires and their stupid obscene wealth. For once, it isn't Zero who acts first in this little skirmish. Yuuki jumps to a conclusion and enters combat before the situation has been clarified.     This is inconvenient, but Yuuki recognizes that something is amiss as soon as she gets in close. Zero isn't far behind her, and though he's wary, he isn't shooting at anybody yet. He reaches down with his spare hand and pulls Yuuki to her feet with as much ease as a cat lifts a kitten.     "Don't jump into a fight where you don't know what's going on yet." He warns her, though Bloody Rose remains lifted and ready. It isn't aimed at D or Gawain, but it's fairly clear from his speed in closing to range and getting Yuuki back up that he could start firing on either of them (or both of them) without much warning. As it is, HE doesn't understand the situation well enough to be as aggressive as he'd prefer, but...     It's D that he's the most cautious of, because Zero is a dirty racist. Gawain doesn't feel like a vampire or anything like that. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The deflecting strike is only D's first move; he does not stay in one place for very long. Kagenashi requires protection, and the opposition she faces is extreme, to say the least. For the Hunter to be at his most useful, he must be at his most mobile, and that means denying anyone the opportunity to pin him down. Even when issued a direct challenge.     D bounces back from the clash into a three-point crouch, his curving blade held up across his face in a defensive posture. Above the blade's steely arc, his eyes narrow, their gleam not unlike the keen edge sported by his weapon. It is an elegant weapon, his blade, and not meant for brute force struggles, though the Hunter will demand more of it as needed.     His steed wheels around. D grips the saddle horn as it passes by, and pulls himself into his seat. It would seem his response to Gawain's call to battle is to ride away -- but before he can get very far, his horse rears, its path intercepted by the slight and clumsy figure of one Yuuki Kuran.     D looks down from his saddle, down the length of his sword, his frigid serenity cracked apart by recognition...and something else. Something dark stirs inside him. There is no mistaking it, the way he looks at Yuuki, not at all like he had at his last visit. The closeness of her washes over his senses, and enflames the hunger he has fought to keep contained all his years.     Zero will no doubt recognize that /look/.     For the moment, D is pinned where he is, inactive. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''     "Yeah! That's probably Confederate." Radiant Guardia says, with much of its traditional enthusiasm! The shield flares bright red, and Sir Gawain's blade gets a sudden rush of crimson lightning-like energy to accentuate his posing! His shield's building up extra force and power for his next strike with the blade.     That shield has yet to block. Hmmm. In any case, Gawain's blade will be humming a fair bit with softly crackling red light that's slowly building up... "You're not going any farther, guy!" RG calls out to D. "The pain train's stopping here!" And then he's... Leaving? "Hey! He said he's not gonna let you continue!" The shield seems indignant about that. When D's intercepted, Gawain gets a brief urging. "C'mon! Let's go get him before he tries to leave again!"     A call out to Yuuki Kuran and, presumably, Zero with her. "Thanks, guys! I think we can take it from here!" Possibly not really. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Konohana looks to Shizune with a light smirk on her sharp features. "That is exactly why I will not have to come in closer," she replies, nocking three arrows and taking aim further down as she stays where she is.     Of course, they shift to face her. Kagenashi expected as much, which is why she moved down the mountain in the first place. That gives her a second or two to breathe, especially since D has held up Gawain.     Shizune is approaching less aggressively, so the girl is filed in to the back of Kagenashi's mind for now. Saber is also still giving chase, and - Kagenashi groans inwardly as she sees her - Yuuki is now heading toward D to confront him. Of all the people to be here now...     The more immediate threat is Kirika, as the half-kitsune comes rushing in with a spear to run her through. That's new, considering their last battle. Still, no time to ponder it for long, as she has to deal with the spear itself. Thankfully, while she doesn't have Kirika's strength, she does have leverage. She swings her arm, pushing the spear aside with a parry from the bladed sheath on her forearm. Steel sparks, and the spear glances across her shoulder to draw a bleeding cut, but at least it's not as bad as it could be. The momentum of the twist is led into a sudden kick to Kirika's head as she tries to return an earlier favor.     At the same time, a dark purple force swirls around her opposite blade, pure malevolence manifested into a physical form. When she kicks, Kagenashi also lashes that blade out toward Shizune and Saber, sending bullets of malevolent will at both. It doesn't cause a physical wound, but instead, on impact, rakes at the victim's spirit like agonizing claws. A willingness to harm, to make others suffer for her own cause, given a state where it can affect one's very spirit.     Konohana's three arrows are suddenly loosed, and Kagenashi is not in a position to avoid them very well. A twist spares her from two, but one digs into her side, drawing out a tense, pained hiss from her. Thankfully D and Medusa are evening the odds somewhat, but there are still too many of them. This must be what she gets for pissing off so many people.     Ariah, meanwhile, seems to be having some success. Metal clanging into metal echoes through the volcano, clanging again and again as runes are carved into the surface of one great link. It seems to be enough to draw Yatagarasu's attention; slowly, the giant sun crow's three eyes open, two on either side of its head and one on its forehead, all three smoldering red and orange like embers with black slits along the centers. It cocks its head slowly toward Ariah, but makes no motion against her. Seems like it's just curious at the moment. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''     "Watch the face!" Manattobuki calls out harshly and with urgence in the warning. No defense can be summoned up fast enough for that strike from Kagenashi! Oh shit. All the sickle-spear can manage to do is redirect its harsh red glow to one of the reversed-tips! It's a prompting for Kirika to try to reverse the riposte and draw the blade back when she suffers that kick! The concentrated magical amplification's all gathered there for now. 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     When Zero had advised Yuuki to not jump into a fight where what's going on isn't clear, he hadn't known what was going on yet either. It takes him approximately ten seconds to figure out what is going on to react. The last quarter of a second takes place in the middle of a stand-off with D, Gawain, and Yuuki -- though Yuuki had cancelled out of her attack at the last moment. Having sensed no great danger coming from Gawain, D had become his default target simply for the fact of what he IS. Last time they'd met, Zero was under the impression that they are fairly similar kinds of people... and now is no different. The fact that D has succumbed to his nature just now is enough justification to attack.     The gun that Zero already drew has the appearance of a colt .45. When he levels it at D and starts firing though, the projectiles that come out are... different. Pink light flares out from the muzzle of Bloody Rose, no actual physical projectile leaving its barrel. Instead vaguely cross-shaped bursts of energy charge out from the barrel. They're a lot larger than a bullet, but no slower.     Ironically, Zero fails to explain the clarified situation to anybody before he does this.     While he fires, Bloody Rose begins to undergo a transformation. Slithering metal vines inch their way out along Zero's wrist, winding its way up towards his shoulder and latching on powerfully enough to draw blood. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     The sudden spiritual attack surprises Shizune enough that all she can do is bring her arm up to defend herself. There is a hiss of pain on impact, but her spirit is strong, and the hiss becomes an exhalation, a push of her ki; she slings her arm to one side and disperses the malevolent power, her resolve growing stern. It's not hard to sense the ill will behind that attack, and it only galvanizes her.     So, finally, she stops her sidelong run and darts inward. Low to the ground, almost 'pushing herself along' horizontally rather than running, Shizune charges in straight at the nogitsune, and spins herself into a rising straight kick aimed at Kagenashi's side. 

:'''{{#var:56|Ariah (56)}} has posed:'''      CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The shapes are made, the words are sealed. Ariah double-checks her handiwork, lips moving as she reads the inscription. It's messy. It's a task she'd rather have hours for instead of minutes. But it's just enough. The markings begin to glow as she infuses them with her energy, taking a slow breath of the hot air and exhaling. Then again she's off.      She notices the bird's eyes on her as she rushes down the chain towards it, making to use the bindings around the creature to make her way far up enough the next one for the weakened links to be of any actual use with tension, and with a little luck, the bird pulling itself free. But right now, it's just one chain. "We are here to aid you," the vampiress breathes out as she passes over it, and as if to punctuate that statement with truth, there's an explosion behind her. The runes burst in blue-white light, the blast echoing through the caldera and down the hillside. If the clanging didn't draw attention, that might've done it.      With her augmented speed aiding her, Ariah focuses only on ascending the next chain, staff on her back and her tools in her hands. She reaches a 'good enough' destination down the line and halts, planting herself firmly and starting, once again, to hack runic symbols into the taut, looped curve of the next link. Even as she focuses on hammering the next series of symbols in, she pulls energy from the stifling heat around her, light drawing into her skin through her clothes as tiny threads, framing her in a blue-white aura. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Sir Gawain almost turns to respond to the attack above him..until it halts itself. He seems confused himself, but the person who almost attacked him seems most definitely an ally, so he keeps his stance. The Hunter's silence makes Sir Gawain frown briefly, before he shouts at him as he proceeds to escape. "Yes, let us do such! CONFEDERATE HUNTER, you dishonourable coward! Do not make me repeat my words! Let us battle!". Sir Gawain totally loves to battle. Crimson-engulfed sword raised up high, he charges at D with Excalibur Galatine, yelling a battle cry as he makes a horizontal slash at the Vampire Hunter. "Assist the others, we can handle ourselves!", Sir Gawain shouts to the vampires. Yeaaaaah, don't get ahead of yourself, Gawain. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Bedivere draws himself up, lifting his right arm at the elbow, and taking hold of his sword's hilt with both hands. In spite of his formidable stance, it's a defensive posture, meant to be able to manoeuvre the hilt and block incoming strikes. "To be cowardly would have been to flee." In spite of the noise, the knight's voice is surprisingly quiet, so gentle it could almost be mistaken for a woman's. The same could be said of his appearance; in spite of his broad shoulders and height, there's a softness to his facial features, and that long hair doesn't hurt that image. Oh look, there's a black arrow. He doesn't notice the arrow under his feet at first. This is probably bad. "I am Sir Bedivere of Dun Realtai, and I will die before I flee from the defense of the people." The sword dips incrementally, indicating Medusa. "To whom do I owe the honour this da--" Bedivere manages a sound very much like 'HURK' as he is suddenly, forcibly jerked off his feet and hurled into a bamboo trunk. Never mind that the bamboo trunks here dwarf most trees. He slams into it with the subtlety of a freight train, slumping to the ground, stunned. Slowly, the double images of the bamboo forest pieces itself together into one. The knight rises to his feet very slowly; prodding gingerly at the ribs of his right side with his left hand. No? Nothing broken? Not yet? Good. The knight then lunges forward with speed that may be impressive, considering his plate armour and his apparent lack of supernatural tricks, heavy white cloak flaring behind him. He takes a two-handed grip on his sword, attempting to swing it straight at Medusa's side much as one might swing a baseball bat -- a stroke that relies primarily on momentum. He looks on Medusa even as he follows through with the stroke, and something in his expression seems... disappointed? "As a knight of the Union, I am bound by duty and honour to stop you. I do not expect that you will listen, but please, put aside your weapons. Let us cease this fighting." 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     "I knew what was going on!" Yuuki calls back to Zero, as she gets up with the other INTENSELY BISHIE GUY's help, dusting off her coat back as she does. And, as she does, she catches that look in her eyes. "N-no..." She breathes, as Zero goes and becomes what he is always wanting to be.     The GUNisher. Also, freaky vine man. But mostly guns.     Yuuki, glancing at Gawain, sets her face into an impassive mask, her mouth a thin line. And her GIANT EYES are filled with sadness. Such incredible soul-rending sadness, darkness and gloom like she had seen the saddest sad that had sadded a sad.     Just imagine the above but more purple prose-y.     At Gawain's BOISTEROUS 'hey go help other people, I totes mcgrotes got this', Yuuki shakes her head, bringing up her obscenely obtuse scythe in a two-handed grip. "No. I told him, when we first met, that if he was a danger to others, if he wished for death, then I would give it to him. I won't break that promise!" She announces, before... Well, leaping again. This time the ground kicks up in a shower as her own powers start to key in to the fact that she's fighting.     Dropping down from above with a flashing sheen of the curved blade, Yuuki tries to sweep D off of his horse. Or, you know, his head from his shoulders.     She may or may not be crying. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika seems to heed Manattobuki's words, but she has little time to think further before she strikes a glancing cut on Kagenashi. She tries to stick the landing, before she's smacked right in the head. That said, she seems in synch with the spear enough to take the hint as she reverses the spear. Sticking the landing, Kirika does stumble as she channels her fire magic through the spear and rights herself into a proper stance.     Once she's on her feet again, Kirika draws the spear back as she charges towards Kagenashi, giving a running leap as she thrusts the spear at her once more with a flaming edge to the spearhead.     D can wait, given Kagenashi's more pressing objectives needing to be foiled. As she attacks, there is nothing more than killing instinct on Kagenashi. This nogitsune is too dangerous to leave alive, that much is certain. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      During the Holy Grail War, Arturia would not have need to do much of anything for an incoming magical attack other than charge through it; magic-based attacks generally had no effect on a Saber-class Servant whatsoever. Even great magicians of the past were forced to rely on other tactics; she'd had so much difficulty with Gilles de Rais from the creatures he could endlessly summon and wear her down. But Saber had learned years ago that how things worked in other worlds might not be the same as in hers. She knew better than to assume her famed Magic Resistance would be any good, and would attempt to dodge.      Unfortunately, such a thing was not always possible. green eyes flashed as she tried to leap and somersault out of the way, but the attack nevertheless scored her side, scorching her armour. Though her spirit is strong -- strong enough to even resist command seals up to a point -- the despair and self-depreciation keep her frozen for a moment as she struggled internally. She does fight it off, but the attack nevertheless slowed down her advance.      This time, she swept Excalibur behind her with both hands and released part of the Bounded Field, propelling her like a rocket with a speed too fast for the human eye to follow, lashing out with an overhead strike from Excalibur. 

:'''{{#var:22|Medusa Gorgon (22)}} has posed:'''     "At least then you would you have had a chance~" Medusa chuckles sinisterly, waiting... and it seems like Bedivere is quite unused to fighting witches by the looks of it. How nice for her!     There are other people to stop here, after all. There is the matter of D, after all.     The snake witch rises to her feet as the knight crashes into the bamboo, blinking her eyes as her head stops swimming. Her arms move infront of her, and she begins muttering a mantra over and over under her breath, watching Bedivere as he advances on her. Black snakes, several of them, begin twisting and coiling around themselves as they seemingly appear out of her back, all while she twists and moves her arms in a strange way with seemingly no set pattern. "Nake snake, cobra cobubura..."     So much armor. That means that he... or she, is not likely to move all that quickly. Which is a point in her favour. Even as Bediverse grips his sword and swings it towards her, the snake witch is already ducking low, kicking off towards him, all while she brings her own right arm back before throwing it out towards the knight.     "Vector Arrow!"     Up close, it might be difficult to avoid all the snakes as they are launched forward, attempting to strike Bedivere back and strike at armor as well as unprotected spots. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     Zero's bullets split the air. D pulls back hard on his reins, urging his steed to rise up on its hind legs and form a living barrier. The horse is augmented by cyborg components, and could perhaps take more than one bullet to put down, but all the same, it's a cruel gesture on his part. As the horse beneath him shudders and screams, a bloody froth overtaking its open mouth, D gazes down dispassionately at his assailants, made less caring by their attacks. Until one of the bullets grazes an agonizing gash across his left calf, and another streaks through the meat of his left shoulder.     The product of a union between vampire and human, a dhampir is recognizable for what he is no matter where he goes. His perfection of form, his supernatural strength, and the otherworldy aura at times surrounding him gives him away as something far more than human. For D, a dhampir whose existence spans four thousand years, his inhuman traits have been exaggerated and multiplied not only by his great age, but by the virtue of his pedigree, too. Though he denies his vampiric instinct as a matter of principle, he is still a figure empowered by dark forces, his beauty a mask for the beast within.     He falls from his saddle as his horse collapses into its death throes, but the horse's shrieking cannot match his own terrible howl of pain.     The beast inside him stirs.     It rises up like a dragon from slumber, unfurling its wings and fangs to howl at world. The icy mantle of apathetic calm surrounding and protecting D is stripped by the frigid gale brought into sudden existence from nowhere and nothing. His aura chills to match the inimitable cold of the grave, and his skin somehow loses all trace of human life. A lurid, red light takes over the uncaring black of his eyes, all trace of compassion and confusion burned out.     D is on his feet, his sword an extension of his arm and his will. A right-handed swordsman, the injury to his left shoulder has no bearing on his ability. Two strides take him toward Yuuki, whose scythe he deflects above with the kind of screeching clash that sends sparks to the ground in a shower. Turning on his heel, he carries on toward Gawain, attempting a long horizontal feint before twisting his body and trajectory to make it a vertical slash delivered with terrifying speed. At the same moment he presses Gawain, he brings up his left hand, and though his arm is stiffer than he'd like, he flicks a half-dozen wooden needles at Zero in an attempt to keep the gunman off his game.     Yuuki's tears mean nothing. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi is surprisingly good at dealing with multiple targets at once, but there comes a point where even she is too overwhelmed. Kirika thrusts at her just as Shizune flies into a kick to her side (thankfully the side Konohana didn't pierce a moment ago), and she can't manage to evade both at once. She tries to twist, but Kirika's flaming spear cleaves through her kimono just under her arm and digs a burning cut into her flesh just as Shizune's kick sends her tumbling away, forcing her to flip and right herself in a crouch. A pained hiss rises from her, but she refuses to slow down. Slowing down now means death.     Even then, she doesn't have a moment to breathe. Saber comes in behind her with a downward slash, and Kagenashi only has a second to evade before the strike hits. She rolls to the side as quickly as she can, but the blade cleaves along her calf in the process, drawing another score of blood. Her next landing is not so graceful, but she bounces to her feet again, trying to push away the pain lingering in her leg and sides.     She only has the briefest moment to consider her options. Konohana is nocking another set of arrows; Saber is nearby, as are Kirika and Shizune. Medusa seems to be handling Bedivere, but D is dealing with three at once.     Four orbs of greenish-blue fox fire seep from her mask's mouth, weaving around her as she slips closer to Konohana. In the next moment, each one fires off as a bolt of lightning, filling the air with resounding CRACKs: one to Konohana, striking the kitsune in the chest and forcing her to stumble back in pain; one to Shizune; another to Kirika, aimed for her primary weapon hand; and the last to Saber, also focusing on her weapon hand. More bolts of bruise-colored malevolence rush out with another flick, too, but those two are loosed toward Gawain to rake into the Servant's spirit and slow him down.     Meanwhile, back at the volcano, Ariah successfully breaks one of the links open enough for the chain to be rendered useless. The first of nine plummets down to the bottom of the volcano, rattling as it loosens its hold around Yatagarasu. The severed end smashes into the cooled lava at the bottom, breaking right through and sending up a gout of magma at the point of impact as the chain steadily sinks lower.     Yatagarasu peers down to the severed chain, then slowly cocks its head toward Ariah. Its eyes begin to burn brighter, glowing almost as bright as beams of the sun itself. Its voice comes in a resplendant rumble, imposing, deep, and powerful. "...so I can see. You are unfamiliar to me, little one, but you must be against the kitsune."     The great bird shifts. Chains rattle and shake, but only barely. It's a start, but it still doesn't have enough room to move on its own, not yet. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''     "Barrier Driver!" Manattobuki calls out urgently, summoning up a quick red spellcircle-like construct of holy inscription in the air. The bolt strikes against it, crackling against its surface for half a second. "Can't hold--!" The spear starts, before the barrier shatters! Manatto grunts with exertion as the protection is blasted away by the bolt, but it gave a fraction of a second of delay! 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     Zero casts a sharp, disdainful look towards Gawain. Talk of dishonor and cowardice on the battlefield rankles him, especially among allies. There is little purpose on focusing on such things with an enemy like this. If he were strictly human, it is only by playing dirty that he would be able to match the mightiest of vampires... of which D is certainly one. The notion of standing against him in a fair fight is absurd. But that man seems different. That weapon of his had a foul odor to it. It is likely a natural enemy to creatures such as themselves.     "I am a vampire hunter. That man is my prey. Help if you want. Don't if you don't. I don't care about your honorable fight." He answers Gawain, coldly. This, in the middle of a fight. Speaking of which, D's attack succeeds at getting Zero off his back for a little bit, though perhaps not in the manner expected. He steps into the needles and raises his arms to cover his chest and head as he does so. They sink deep into the flesh of his offhand and arm, bringing forth spurts of blood, but he leaves them in so they don't have the opportunity to do TRUE damage.     His weapon hand goes largely unscathed by the needles that would have struck it. They CLANG against the metal vines of Bloody Rose. Still, they aren't trivial injuries, and fall away after. Even Yuuki can guess that Zero would need to drink blood to actually heal them in the aftermath of this. The blood pills aren't nearly enough sustenance to deal with such a thing.     On the other hand, while Zero just sort of tanked those needles with his face, he also isn't exactly deterred. But he chooses to take a defensive action rather than unload on D again. Zero shifts his positioning so that he's right next to Yuuki, and fans the growing thorns of Bloody Rose out to surround them both in them. It would make it terribly risky to approach Yuuki at close range.     The nature of Bloody Rose also comes more apparent here, to those with the power to sense it or merely hear what it is doing. It is draining Zero's blood. Doubtless, it could drain the blood of another if it got ahold of them. Those thorns are not for show. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     Shizune can be fast for a human, and given the chance to react, can do some impressive things with redirecting magic. But she is only human, and 'lightning' is something she's nowhere near fast enough to handle without extensive prior warning. She has no prior warning, and so she takes the bolt on the arm she's raised to protect herself, the jolt hurling her right off her feet.     She hits with a shuddering cringe, gritting her teeth and trying to gather herself. A jolt like that is enough to scramble even her, and she can only stumble to her feet long enough to back off several paces in hopes that Kagenashi will be too distracted by the other three laying into her to capitalize. Once she's a few steps clear, the girl takes a deep breath, followed by a second, then a third. She forces her ki flow to smooth out, to dull the pain, to put her body back in working order. This isn't a good time to be disabled. 

:'''{{#var:56|Ariah (56)}} has posed:'''      "I will do what I can to weaken the links, but you may have to break and unravel them yourself. Time is short, my allies are fighting superior numbers as well as the kitsune," Ariah says quickly, her voice cold, distracted but respectful. "I am..." CLANG "...Ariah..." CLANG "...soldier of the Confederacy." CLANG "...and we are here on Kagenashi's behalf." CLANG. Another runic phrase done, another link imbued with magic. She breathes in, then out, using the energy she'd gathered to infuse the symbols with more glowing light. To her feet she rises, giving a brief bow to Yatagarasu before down and towards him she runs.      Again, behind her, another explosion. Smaller, this time, before a second one follows a moment after. The volatile nature of hurried runewords showing itself but when it comes to blowing things up, it's effective enough for a rush job. Down another length of chain she travels, the voices on the radio giving her even more reason to hurry. The third awaits, another link further up the length of the binding coil, her tools striking metal even before she seats herself fully. The gout of magma rising below makes her wince, able to feel the rising heat even at such a distance.      Two down... 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika steels herself as she sees the lightning strike coming. Digging in her heels with her wooden shoes, Kirika aims to tank the attack with the delay provided giving her some prep time. It's not much, but it will do. Sadly, it isn't much, as Kirika is sent stumbling back before she makes a backflip to right herself, landing in a crouch.     She snarls, twirling her spear in hand as she tightens her grip on the spear to right it's holding.     She's still scrambled, however, as she begins to feel her movements get more sluggish as she begins to charge up a firebolt to fling towards Kagenashi. Her aim suffers, and she tosses it regardless of aim at the nogitsune.     Best case scenario, it just happens to hit SOMEWHERE near Kagenashi, if not non-fatally hit her. That said, with the wounds taxing her, she's not that good a shot right now which says something. 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' Sir Gawain just grins and nods at Zero and Yuuki. "Very well! Let us stop him in his tracks!". Sir Gawain prepares a block for his horizontal strike..before D turns out to be a contortionist, forcing Gawain to quickly change up his blocking. He's hit in the arm, skidding back fast, gritting his teeth, as he moves backwards more to get some space. And then is clocked several times with EEEEVIL. Growling as his spirit is assaulted, Gawain more or less realizes he doesn't have much for this battle. But he's not one to retreat. "Vampire Hunter D..if you are a traitor of the Union..then I will show you no mercy!" Already partially weakened by the spirit assault and the first hit from D, Sir Gawain charges forward, blade prepared in an attempt to thrust into D with quite a bit of might, his grin gone and replaced by fierce determination. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Bedivere's sword swings wide, missing his victim as the witch ducks low. Rather than let his momentum go to waste, he simply wrenches the blade around on the follow-through, baring his teeth in evident pain as he bends his whole body to the stroke. It seems that crash into the bamboo trunk must have cost him, somehow; he moves as though his right side pains him. He narrows his eyes as she does her witchy dance, but he can't seem to make any sense out of the movements. Before he has a chance to react, the serpents strike. The knight gives a pained yelp as they clatter against his armour, and more of them find their way past the plate, chain, and leather that protects him. Sir Bedivere claws at his face to rip them away with his left hand, but there are a lot of them. This is kind of miserable. The ones he manages to tear away leave bloody slashes where their fangs are torn out of his skin, all about his face and neck. In the few seconds of breathing time he buys himself, his eyes flick sideways as he staggers, checking to make sure that Gawain and Arturia are still holding their own. Thus far, they seem to. That's good, at least. Oh God this is not what Bedivere had in mind for the day when he got out of bed this morning. DO NOT WANT. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Yuuki's drop-attack is deflected by that blade which she can feel is seething anathema to her. Or, at least, she can feel the seething DESIRE within D. It reminds her of someone, though the precise character of that someone is not quite matched. She has a hard time placing it, as she had tried to forget That Man's quest for her.     Rido Kuran. The man who had a three thousand year murder-eat-boner for her mom that had transferred to her.     She's getting a similar vibe. As she falls back into the strange, warding vines semi-surrounding her. She is quite careful not to touch them. She knows what they do to vampres... And Zero.     "We need to stop him..." She breathes, but her hands tremble still with the impact, her starvation making her regeneration way lamer than usual. "He... looks at me like Uncle Rido did." She notes, before just sort of staring at D.     Rushing out of Zero's protection would just ruin her, so she just Readies An Action to strike at him when he draws close.     This is probably retarded. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      Though her strike doesn't land where she had been aiming, Saber wasn't surprised that the nogitsune was agile enough to dodge a strike that would have killed a human being in an instant. She did, however, catch her on her calf, hopefully slowing her down temporarily.      Even as the blow landed, Saber sidestepped to ready for another strike, only to be interrupted by a blast of lightning. It was vaguely an element she handled, but it nevertheless stung, making her right hand go numb. But she could ill -afford even the seconds it would take for the numbness to subside.      Loosening the grip of her right hand, she relied on her left, advancing with a few quick, sliding steps to close the distance again...      ...Into a barrage of quick, light strikes more expected of a rapier attack than a broadsword as Saber channelled magic energy into her arms to boost her speed rather than strength. It seemed she fully expected the nogitsune -- skilled with blades as well as magic -- to block at least a few, hoping to land at least enough to slow her further. 

:'''{{#var:22|Medusa Gorgon (22)}} has posed:'''     The snakes wrap themselves around Bedivere, arrow points digging into whatever they can grab onto, and the witch chuckles in sadistic amusement. "I am afraid you wil have to unleash your justice upon me another time, Sir Knight," she purrs, golden eyes studying Bedivere. "All the duty and honour you could ever hope to possess still won't be enough to stop me. VECTOR PLATE!"     This time more black arrows appear, one of them underneath Medusa as she is thrown forward and around. However she is far more used to these things after several centuries of practice, and she effortlessly twists her body as she is thrown between the bamboo, from arrow to arrow, towards and away from Bedivere. Where is she going? Where will she strike from? Before he can tell, it's too late. Medusa rushes in past him, then from his side as she unleashes yet another attack with her snakes. "VECTOR ARROW!"     Her goal is simple. Unleash a world of hurt on the one who stands between her and her preferred target. The snake arrows crash into Bedivere, launching him through the bamboo as magic crackles, and Medusa herself skids to a halt. Peering up from underneath her hood, she can't help but leer.     "Let us dance again another time, Sir Knight~"     With that she takes a deep breath and turns, rushing through the bamboo forest towards D and his opponents, as swift as her feet and magic can carry her. And once she gets there she makes no secret of her arrival as she crashes through the bamboo, focusing her attention on Yuuki and Zero as she rushes to D's side. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     A traitor to the Union...?     The accusation stops D in his tracks. Rising from his low stance to his full imposing height, he turns his head slowly to look past his armored shoulder and to consider the righteous Gawain. The hem of his heavy cloak snaps and ripples as the garment settles into place. His blazing red eyes narrow to keen slits, the only aspect of his ghastly countenance not lost to shadow.     He answers the charge laid at his feet without emotion. His sonorous voice is low, and conveys neither the warmth of friendship nor the heat of anger nor the sourness of open disdain. The only oddity in his voice is a peculiar kind of straining, smothered anguish, either brought about because he has realized his injuries are not closing, or because Yuuki's proximity has affected him to a degree he thought unattainable. "I have no interest in you or your mercy."     The sword in his hand turns, the edge facing Gawain, an upright gleam the same thirsty red as what shines in his eyes. As Gawain prepares to launch himself, D sweeps the weapon diagonally downward, two-handed now, positioning it near his right calf as if he is some samurai preparing for war.     Gawain moves. D meets him. Deep in his throat, he snarls like the very beast gnashing inside him.     D's elegant sword crashes into Gawain's Excalibur with the ferocity of dragonfire. The Hunter's monstrous strength flows through his entire body, from the bend of his knee, hip, and arm, to the flexing of his shoulders, the straightening of his arms. He shouts, and he becomes an unconquerable barrier, his brutality unchecked, his power loosed. If Gawain had any hope of defeating D, it would not be kindled this day -- the vampire is too far in his element to be stopped by one knight alone.     At least, one without the tricks Zero has up his sleeves.     Though his left arm buckles and his left leg staggers, he swings back around, his strike against Gawain transforming fluidly into a blow meant for Zero's thorny walls. His eyes find Yuuki again. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi's course is taking her toward Konohana. The kitsune is still taking a moment to recover from that bolt of lightning, but still she's setting up another arrow and pulling it back. Her aim is off, though, from the disorientation brought on by that lightning strike; she's not certain how well she can strike at this distance, if Kagenashi is still as agile as ever. The nogitsune charges...     And Konohana is spared, at least for the moment, as Saber and Kirika strike at Kagenashi. The fire blast crashes down just in front of her, causing her to stumble briefly in her charge to avoid the flames now spreading slowly along the grass. Her injured calf makes that attempt more ungainly than she might be at any other time, and gives Saber plenty of opening to attack.     Kagenashi whirls around as she hears Saber's approach, and her blades quickly lift to try and parry the attack. Steel flashes and sparks as Kagenashi barely deflects the first blow, but then more come, Saber's speed and strength clearly showing in those attacks. Kagenashi only has speed on her side, and her twin swords are not quite as sturdy as Excalibur's blade must be. She attempts to parry again and again, and she is successful...but only somewhat. It keeps each strike a slice that cuts through her clothes and into her skin, cleaving deeply but not quite lethally. Without such attempts, she would surely be suffering much deeper injuries, but she is well aware that this is not something she should endure for long.     When Saber strikes again, Kagenashi ducks and spins to sweep Saber's legs out from under her with a kick from her uninjured leg. Another orb of fox fire flies out from her when she rises, hurtling toward Kirika, and at the same time Kagenashi uses the momentum to try and strike Saber in a strong downward kick to the Servant's chest.     It is, unfortunately, enough time for Konohana to get her bearings. The kitsune looses her arrow, and it strikes Kagenashi in the back of her left shoulder. She cries out in pain, lurching forward from the strike.     The volcano is certainly heating up. Another chain explodes and tumbles to the bottom, crashing through another segment of cooled magma to send another column of flame up into the air. It licks at the lowest chains as the depths of the volcano begin to rumble and shudder.     The great crow of the sun shifts, attempting to spread its wings as a second chain of the nine is loosened. The remaining chains rattle, the foundations tugged in their seats; his wings can be spread a little more, but it seems it's still not quite enough. "I am Yatagarasu, the last remaining crow of the sun. If this Kagenashi wishes for my freedom, then I will assist her as she wishes." Three blazing eyes shift to the vampiress, blinking briefly. "Hurry, little one. These chains resist even my flames, but the fewer there are, the easier it will be for me to break free."     The rumbling of the volcano draws Konohana's attention. She turns toward the peak, frowning in confusion at the smoke beginning to rise from its mouth. Her attention turns back to her companions, a warning shouted out to them with urgency. "...the volcano! Someone must be in there. It should not be erupting!" 

:'''{{#var:533|Sir Gawain (533)}} has posed:''' PING! Sir Gawain's already weak, and D's playing with all his cards. The strike against him knocks him flying into the air, quite a distance back. He's out of the fight for sure. 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     When Konohana calls out to her and her allies, the bottom falls out of Shizune's stomach.     Her realization is instant and total. Kagenashi was the distraction.     Immediately, adrenaline surging anew, she turns and begins a mad dash up the slope. But whoever's up there has had plenty of time. Even as she runs and leaps, she's already worried they may be too late. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika seems to run to the same conclusion as Shizune runs off, but she does not take off with the girl. Instead, she holds her ground even as she sees Kagenashi charging up an attack. With a flourish of her spear, Kirika stands to engage the nogitsune, beginning to swing her spear at her feet before she's hit in the chest by that fireball.     It hits her like a truck, and her soul leaves her howling in pain as she doubles over, using her spear to prop herself up as she tries to shake off the crushing feeling.     This is getting annoying, REALLY annoying.     Kirika rushes Kagenashi again, thrusting with her spear to catch the nogitsune with the hook on her spear, pulling it back on her heel like a shepherd's crook to knock her off-balance.     Then she stabs again with the pointy end after withdrawing her spear. 

:'''{{#var:482|Sir Bedivere (482)}} has posed:''' Unable to fend off so many of the creatures, Bedivere staggers back, still clawing at his face and his neck where the serpents are most focused. Taken as he is with trying to clear the creatures away from his eyes and mouth, the knight's only response to Medusa's taunting is a strangled sound of pain. He staggers, armour clanking, dropping his sword to try and rake at the things with both hands. He doesn't even try to track Medusa when she uses her arrows to leap back, occupied as he is with trying to rid himself of the serpents. "Hghh--!" He makes another strangled sound as the next spell sends him crashing into the bamboo trunks one more time, with crushing force. The air is knocked out of him, and the impact comes with several sickening /cracks/. For a moment all Bedivere can do is gasp for breath, curling in on himself and clutching his side and sword-arm. Bedivere does not move to get up when he sees Medusa take her leave; the only answer he can manage for her is a shuddering breath and a wheezing cough. From his vantage point, he can see Gawain swatted away from the battle, and dimly, he can see Arturia carrying on her fight. He struggles to rise to his feet, but he can only slump against the bamboo trunk as he bares his teeth in pain, one sabaton digging into the soft earth as he braces himself against the trunk. For the love of God and wee fishes, movement is /agony/. For now, all he can do is watch Arturia's fight, giving another wheezing cough as he struggles to track the multiple opponents involved. Carefully, he flexes his right hand, wincing. No, no good. Even if he could get to his sword, he couldn't fight... 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     "There is no help that I can offer such a beast." Zero says to Yuuki, coldly. It is a sentiment that echoes from deep within his heart. She saw it directed at himself, long ago now, when he pressed Bloody Rose to his own temple. It is a feeling that he directs towards vampires as a default attitude, and though D once demonstrated himself to be restrained and rational... more so even than Zero, as a matter of fact... it seems no longer to be the case here. There is mercy left in the Vampire Hunter, but it's so dim and distant that even he can't see it anymore.     The fact that Gawain meets D as powerfully as he does works to Zero's advantage. D attacks and moves on, but the momentum of his strike has been dulled by the might he put into putting down Gawain. Zero is weaker than D, he can see that plainly, but the difference isn't catastrophic, and the simple numerical advantage of having to deal with more than one person is enough to make up the difference.     And Bloody Rose is not as flimsy as it appears. It is perfectly capable of a fully parry even with just a few of its vines, and Zero has had the opportunity to produce several throughout this defensive action. A few of the thorny appendages are cut through with a shriek of metal and the blade makes contact with Zero's flesh beneath-- but that is all. It is a gash sunk deep into his shoulder, and the vines winding their way around his body act as an armor that prevent it from cutting deeper. It may have reached bone, but the wound won't kill Zero any more than it would kill D.     Moreover, it is a move that is taken advantage of. The vines burst to life and snake their way around the blade, rushing up towards the arm with which D holds the weapon. If he's not quick, he'll likely end up wreathed in vines the same as Zero is.     "Bloody Rose... drain him dry."     Zero murmurs something to Yuuki. He hasn't failed to notice Medusa's approach, but she's not his priority so he doesn't even look her way just now. He is aware however, and prepared to get 'ambushed' if there is a need to react to such. Nevertheless, D gave him an attack of opportunity, and he views it as more valuable than reacting to an additional combatant. If he drains D of his power before she can make her contribution, then the scales are balanced. 

:'''{{#var:56|Ariah (56)}} has posed:'''      Ariah feels the heat rising further, but she doesn't stop her work. She looks over her shoulder at Yatagarasu, giving the crow a deep bow of her head for but a moment. Even should the chains begin to heat up from the volcano, she works diligently. "I will endeavor to give you more freedom of movement, so you may pull on them more freely. Our time is growing short, yes." CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. Then she frowns as she hears something, "...and I am discovered," she rasps icily.      Her strikes of hammer on chisel become more hurried, the runewords becoming simpler, more unstable, but more of them as well. She pulls herself to her feet and focuses, pumping mana into the icons, the symbols glowing, the power filling them. And as she's filling them, one bursts far earlier than it should. She winces as small framents of metal pepper her face, but she keeps working on her appointed task. A moment later and she's turning, and rushing. More pops, more bursts, the series of hastily-scrawled runes exploding before she can even reach the crow again.      A glance up to the rim of the volcano, and then back around as she looks for the next best chain to work on, to give the great bird a chance to thrash and rip the others from their anchors. Another nod of respect and she's moving, dashing to the most optimal coil in her mind. She doesn't even sit and steady, she takes a knee and starts hammering. More reliable runic symbols are pounded into the load-bearing curve, smaller and more hastily drawn ones gouged into the periphery as sweat begins to run down her face. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      Saber pressed her advantage, scoring a few successive strikes, though the intention was to wear the nogitsune down. When she ducked and her leg swept out, however, that onslaught was halted as Saber was forced back again with a single handspring back.      Konohana's yell caught her attention; the Servant cursed under her breath; fortunately Shizune was already on her way up. That left her and the kitsune and half-kitsune to deal with Kagenashi. And unfortunately, that momentary distraction gave Kagenashi a necessary opening.      Generally, Saber's compact stature served her to great advantage, giving her a litheness and boosting her natural speed. She could easily avoid many blows that taller and stronger opponents would be unable to evade. Yet at that moment, it was something of a disadvantage when a said taller opponent struck her in the chest with a deft axe kick. While not strong enough to harm her through her armour, it was enough to stun her temporarily, forcing her back again.      On the other hand, that gave her enough room to disengage and follow Shizune, leaping forward with a boost from Wind King. As much as she disliked leaving business unfinished, stopping the volcano was their first priority. 

:'''{{#var:22|Medusa Gorgon (22)}} has posed:'''     Perhaps D used to aid the Union. But as they have seen today, that is no longer the case. Instead it seems like the witch is acting like a backup to the fierce dhampir. And after some low words are exchanged with him, Medusa turns her attention to the young man, her amber eyes focused on him as she brings her arms up. "I'm afraid you will have to leave, boy," she announces. "Vector Plate!" Four black arrows appear, one of them underneath Zero and pointing away from D and towards another of the black arrows, this one aimed into the bamboo. How will you want to move, willingly or not? Either way, it's clear that Medusa's goal is to get him away from D. For now it's too risky to attack, as she's uncertain of what Yuuki is able to do. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     Had Zero anticipated D's actions? His response is immediate enough and swift enough to suggest he had done so without err. Zero's vines twist into place around D's sword arm and prevent an immediate attempted retreat. D, stepping back on his right heel to put his weight and strength into a reflexive backwards /pull/, succeeds only in dragging the edge of his sword along Zero's bone for another fraction of an inch before it and he both become stuck. If he released the sword, he would stand a better chance at escaping, but the thought doesn't even cross his mind.     D could never stand to lose his weapon. A weakness of sentimentality, some would call it, or a consequence of his craft, though here and now, the desire to keep it by his side runs much stronger than sentimentality and trained discipline alone. If one could peer into his mind, they would find in him a consuming obsession -- the kind capable of driving a man to extremes for its sake.     Without freedom an easy option, D has no choice but to submit to the vines. Assuming their control and their hunger is the result of Zero's command, he steps forward, toward the other Vampire Hunter, letting yet more of those gnarled vines creep up his arm to his shoulder. Long, hungry thorns pierce his flesh like the fangs of a hundred starved vampires, and though he immediately suffers an exhaustive wave of torment, he reaches his free hand for the front of Zero's chest. D's fingernails are long, almost like claws; his grip is like ice, and powerful. He seeks to rake past the vines to expose the neck, shoulder, and chest of his quarry beneath. He tears at them even as Medusa's arrows carry them away from Yuuki.     If D gets close enough, and he might, given the ferocity of strength and willpower inside him, it's his own fangs he'll bring to bear on Zero. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     It seems Yuuki's Readied Action goees unused against D, as his attacks are deflected by Zero's use of Bloody Rose. And, as Medusa enters stage right, she draws her scythe up, Zero's viny metal bits tasked with defending her from Zero don't really ward her from Medusa, and furthermore, he seems rather /occupied/ dealing with D.     And so, as she lays down her vector plate, she leaps into action. "We're trying to stop D! Don't interfere!" She cries, her eyes all soulful-sad and filled with ANGST.     The bad news is that she is intensely emotional, and thus telegraphing her superhumanly fast scythe swings.     The good news is that Yuuki Kuran is somehwhat Powered By Angst, and she is so angsty right now.     "If Zero can't stop him, we'll..." She begins, but she turns to see D try to bite Zero.     Her attack kind of sucks after that, her attention too much on D and Zero's tussel.     "Zero!" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kirika has a good opportunity to strike, as Kagenashi is still trying to push past the agony of Konohana's arrow through her shoulder. It seems those arrows have a holy property to them, as well, for those wounds steam painfully. Kirika's strike is not much better: the hook digs into the heel of her already-injured leg, drawing out another pained shout as she falls onto her back and snaps the arrows still lodged in her. She coughs, gasping for air against the agony blinding her; thankfully, she has her wits about her enough that she can twist aside from Kirika's thrust, sparing herself as the spear digs into the earth where she was a moment before. Her uninjured leg kicks out to strike Kirika dead in the kneecap, but whether she stuns the half-kitsune or not, she's immediately trying to scramble to her feet again. Konohana is nocking another arrow, aimed for the fallen Kagenashi...     Another chain bursts, the length rattling and crashing to the bottom of the volcano. More of the floor is opened, trailing smoke into the air as the lake of magma begins to open itself, roiling and bubbling with activity. Searing heat rushes up as Yatagarasu begins to increase his struggles, talons tugging at the chains and wings stretching to strain the lengths even further. Rocks cascade from the walls as the foundations are loosened, steadily tearing themselves free. Just a little more...     Shizune and Saber reach the peak just as Ariah's last rune is engraved. The fifth chain explodes, and that seems to be enough. The great crow of the sun lets out a resounding cry that echoes from the volcano as if it were an eruption itself, wings stretching free from their bindings and spreading large enough to encompass the entire volcano. "Climb onto my back, little one," Yatagarasu rumbles to Ariah. "At last, I am free from this accursed prison!"     BGM: http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=JcEqG2oG-8k     As the sun sets over the horizon, another rises from the earth. Gigantic black wings flap and send heat and smoke rushing from the volcano. Yatagarasu's three legs tear the remaining chains, pulling itself free from them and sending the many giant lengths hurtling down into the magma below. Molten rock spews upward, but the heat and light are little compared to the sun's radiance glowing from Yatagarasu's chest, mouth, and eyes. It lifts itself free from the volcano with wingbeat after wingbeat, casting down gusts of searing hot air over the forest below as black smoke pouring from the volcano is tossed and hurled. Its serrated beak opens in another cry that carries throughout the region. "KONOHANA! For striking down my kin from the sky, for eternally setting the suns that once shone upon Azuma, I shall see vengeance cast upon you!"     Konohana's violet eyes immediately shift to the gigantic black bird rising out of the volcano. Her eyes widen, and her aim shifts, directed for the blazing heart of Yatagarasu, but the arrow doesn't fly. Kagenashi's swift, desperate leap knocks her into Konohana's side with her bladed sheath held in front of her, cutting into her waist with a gush of blood as both are sent to the ground. Scrambling, desperate, Kagenashi tries to pin Konohana and dig her fingers into the kitsune's mouth. Almost... 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika feels something strike her kneecap, and a POP is heard. It's not quite a broken knee, but Kirika definitely has a limp as she forces herself to continue onwards. She spies the sunbird arising from the volcano, and curses under her breath before she sprints towards the nogitsune as she and Konohana struggle against each other.     Whatever Kage is reaching for, it can't be good, and Kirika isn'tgoing to let that happen. She uses the focus kagenashi has solely on the other kitsune, before she imbues her spear with ice. With that, she lunges into spearing range before she strikes at Kagenashi's side, aiming to avoid harming Konohana as well in the process with the spearing angle while the half-breed lets out a howl of fury.     "I will not LET YOU WIN!" She roars, driving the spear in deep should it hit home. 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     By the time Medusa puts a vector underneath Zero, he's already got D in his grasp. So the ejection meant to separate them actually just flings them way the hell over there together, in a tangle of vines, claws, and blood. This is disorienting, but it doesn't actually do a whole hell of a lot to stop them from fighting. The sword digs deeper into Zero's shoulder and finally grinds painfully against bone as D attempts to pull it free. If he wasn't already so used to immense pain, then he would most likely have cried out. As it is, he is as silent as D is.     By the time they land, D has dug his claws into Zero's chest.     The landing itself isn't actually a problem. Between the two of them, they are sure to land on their feet, even absorbed as they are in their struggle. The ground craters underneath them and the shock causes some internal damage within Zero's legs. He's not exactly certain what broke, except that something DID break. That's fine.     As long as he's keeping this guy away from Yuuki, that's acceptable.     Ripping through the vines is harder than it seems, though D is capable of it. As long as he lets any of them remain on him though, he's getting drained. In the meantime however, Zero is simply not as regenerative as D. Those claws in his chest are a serious danger, so when they land he makes a split second decision.     The gun portion of Bloody Rose rises in his offhand, distinct in the crowd of thorns. Zero presses it against D's chin as his claws sink dangerously deep into his chest. He does not pull the trigger yet.     "My life was over a long time ago. If it keeps you from turning around and reaching that girl back there, I'm fine with dying here with you." He looks up towards D, red eyes gleaming bright. His injuries are too severe, and he needs blood desperately now himself.     "Beasts like us don't keep on living for ourselves. My reason is right back there, but..."     "I don't see yours here." Zero remarks. It is not quite a question, but the questioning tone of it is clear. 

:'''{{#var:22|Medusa Gorgon (22)}} has posed:'''     "How amusing," Medusa states, her snake like eyes moving to Yuuki as they narrow and a leer spreads on her face, seeming to break the confines of human anatomy. Why, a black snake even twists from inside her mouth, and her voice lingers with chilling amusement. "I'm trying to stop you~"     It's too bad that the young girl is too easily distracted. "Steam Vector!" Medusa cries out as she throws her arms up, crossed at her wrists, and in response several vector snakes shoot out of the ground from around her. It's a defensive move as the snakes surround the immediate area around the snake witch, but it's bound to hurt some as well as they tear and slice into anything that comes close. But it will hurt even more when Medusa reaches out, her hand pointed towards Yuuki. There is glee in her eyes, yet no warmth. And there's an underlying chill to her voice as she speaks a single world. "Compress!"     The snakes around Medusa leap towards Yuuki, seeking to wrap themselves around the vampire and tear more into her and keep her briefly in place. After all, there is something to look at. The Confederate witch raises her gaze to the volcano, and she actually smiles when she sees what's going on. "Oh, how nice~! Seems she was successful after all..." Is it time to retreat for now? 

:'''{{#var:369|Shizune Nakamura (369)}} has posed:'''     Just in time to be too late.     Shizune hops and stumbles to a halt, looking upwards as the Yatagarasu rises up over the rim of the caldera. Looking upwards at a bright point of vulnerability that is completely out of her reach. Again, Kagenashi unseals an ally. Again, she's powerless to stop it.     Quietly, Shizune clenches her fists at her sides. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      The King of Knights became but a blue-silver blur as she raced up the side of the volcano. That run falters as she caught Bedivere's weakened voice over her radio, trying to convey his disabled status and imploring her to get to the volcano. As badly as she wanted to turn and assist her marshal and Master, he was right. She could only trust in him as she continued on to finish their objective: stop Yatagarasu. With a soft 'tch' of frustration and worry, Saber pressed on.      But upon reaching the peak and poised at the rim, she was just in time to see the great sun-crow begin rise from his prison. The brilliance banished the night as the creature shrieked its condemnation at the kitsune guardian. "It would appear that we have but one option," she observed. They were going to have to bring it down.      Jade eyes quickly observed the lack of obstacles or allies within her path...but she was not about to use Excalibur with Bedivere as weakened as she was. Saber was going to have to do this manually. Fortunately, her Instinct revealed a weak point in the chest. That would do nicely, if she could hit it.      Smiling tightly, she channelled as much prana as she could into her arms and legs. The sudden complete release of Wind King -- along with a mana-fuelled leap -- was enough to propel her towards the gigantic black bird. With a battle yell, she brought the now-visible Excalibur to bear at the apparent weak point on Yatagarasu's chest. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     Zero's gun thrusts into place beneath D's chin. Even if the barrel's cold kiss was not enough to stop D's assault, Zero's words would have struck him to silent stillness.     Why does D fight?     To keep his sword?     To aid Kagenashi?     Why is he here...?     Dizzying shock strikes the dhampir. The lurid light fades from his eyes, and the strength drains from his ravaged body. The thorns have left him torn and bleeding, but it is not these which have sapped him -- it is his own sudden conflict, brought on by the realization he has forgotten his /purpose/. His vision doubles, like he sees through two sets of eyes -- the hateful and hungry stare of a malevolent monster, and the dark and quiet gaze of a man at peace with himself, his identity, his reason. Retracting his clenching grasp from Zero's chest, D brings his hand back to look at it as the claws he bears shrink back to human fingernails.     "My reason..." D murmurs.     His eyes return to Zero's; his confusion is apparent, and it runs deep.     Only the weight of the sword clenched in his hand gives him comfort. D tightens his grip, and, using his left hand to brace his right forearm, attempts to tear his sword free, from vine and flesh and bone alike. The pain is almost welcome.     When he's free -- and he won't stop pulling or fighting until he is -- he is on his knees gasping for a long moment before he finds the resiliency in himself to stand up.     His next words come in a flat murmur. "I am a Hunter. That is my purpose. Our next meeting will not go favorably for you."     At that, D slips away into the bamboo, attempting his retreat. 

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''     Let's all be honest here. Yuuki sucks a lot at fighting. Her version of fighting is, largely, 'charge at a thing and swing Artemis around a bunch and hope she hits, yay her!     This doesn't happen. In fact, she's just torn apart. The compression of the vector snakes tears at her from every direction, and it is a blessing that she is not 'grabbed', and simply 'ravaged'. And ravaged she is, a spray of blood escaping from her with every strike she sustains. Most of the smaller wounds close as they open, and she swings her scythe wildly to escape, before, finally...     A crashing, overpowering wave of force ripples out from her, unaimed and unbridled power sort of tearing forth from her, as she turns away from Medusa. "I can't... I can't stay! Take what you want, I don't care!" She calls to Medusa, her eyes a lambent crimson and she turns, and leaps away. "Zero! ZERO!"     Her need calls for her to fly. And so she does, bloody butterfly wings (specifically, HER blood) forms behind her, beating powerfully (and somehow keeping her aloft, freaking vampire magic what do) as she simply flees from Medusa without even trying to stop her. She has Bigger Problems.     "Stop!" She cries, but... It's over.     As she touches down, she falls to her knees, panting, as a shower of her own blood falls all around her. She is Really Bad At Being A Weird SuperVampire.     D retreats, then. Leaving Yuuki crying in a pile of her own blood, in no shape or place to stop the Confederacy. "Z-zero, you're okay, right? I heard... You say words that you shouldn't say." 

:'''{{#var:56|Ariah (56)}} has posed:'''      Ariah hammers away, a mess of runes, but still ordered just right. Even if they're not built perfectly. They're uniform just enough. Just enough to hold a charge... and just enough to explode, weakening the strained link of metal. It's premature, again, the smaller bursts eating small chunks out of the metal. The bigger one comes moments after, the witch going wide-eyed as she hadn't expected it to go so soon. It's not enough of a lapse to leave her to the pit of lava below.      As Yatagarasu thrashes and frees itself, the witch takes the offer without question, scaling the length of chain as the structural integrity flags and the link shatters. Onto the great crow's back she holds, securing her tools and pulling her staff free from her back. As the announcement comes and the bird rises, she pulls herself to her feet, standing -on- the ascending avian, feeling her body heating up in a most unpleasant manner. "We must hasten away, our allies are still engaged and this is the signal for them to withdraw," she urges the crow. Then sees the shine of steel on the rim of the volcano.      Ariah narrows her eyes as she sees Saber's approach, hastened by the power flowing through her. "The fading sun calls forth a new dawn, and you will not halt this rise," she calls out. She draws as much of her remaining power as she can, pulling energy from the heated air around her, filling the runes on her staff and those etched under her skin. Smoke rises from her as she reaches her limit and then it all bursts forth. But it's not a strike. The outpouring of mana flows around Yatagarasu, forming a protective shell around the great bird. The strike of Excalibur is true and strong, and the shell of energy cracks and shudders, fractures racing along the surface of it.      Ariah herself clutches her staff and drops to her knees, clinging to the bird as the shield breaks, shattering from the force of the blow and everything behind it. Her power is not nearly enough to halt it entirely, but hopefully just enough to spare whom they all came to free. The shards of raw mana scatter into the sky, sparkling and dissolving like a burst of stardust. The witch's flagging strength and the fatigue from the heat is enough to make her consciousness waver. 

:'''{{#var:22|Medusa Gorgon (22)}} has posed:'''     "Oh...?" Medusa arches an eyebrow as she turns her attention back on Yuuki, chuckling. "I don't want anything from you." Not now, anyway. Yet somehow, she can't help but be fascinated as the girl unleashes what appears to be blood magic. How interesting!     Let her flee.     She's moving quickly, and Kagenashi succeeded in her plan. So with that Medusa turns as well, heading to where she threw away her broom. It's time to head back, and there's aftermath to handle too, just to ensure that things are going according to plan...! 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kirika's spear buries itself in Kagenashi's side, digging through deep enough to nearly come through her stomach. A powerful agony shoots through Kagenashi, stiffening her body and making her scream out her pain. Konohana is spared from the stabbing, but Kagenashi's arm yanks back. A shimmering rainbow of colors shines from between her fingers.     Her instinct, now, is to get away. Her free hand goes back, grabbing the shaft of the spear and doing her best to pull and twist free. It's not a clean exit, not with Kirika shoving the weapon down into her body; there's tearing, and certainly more blood. It's enough to just get her free, however, and let the nogitsune scramble to her feet.     Behind her, Konohana is consumed in a whirl of black tinted by dark blue. Her form shrinks, not unlike Kagenashi's did earlier. Soon, instead of the female archer, there is only a black fox with bright violet eyes and dark blue fur, lying on her side and panting from her wounds. Kagenashi turns briefly to Kirika, gasping for breath but still able to give one last remark. "...you do not have to let me."     The nogitsune vanishes as she flees; those with a spiritual sight can make her out as she stumbles her escape through the forest, but normal vision can make out nothing more than a brief, faint ghost that swiftly disappears in the growing night.     Yatagarasu's rise is suddenly interrupted by the strike of the King of Knights. The blade crashes down toward the blazing sun kept just beneath its chest, but, thankfully, Ariah's shield blunts the impact. The barrier shatters under Excalibur's strength, and the blade strikes toward Yatagarasu's heart. The great crow shrieks as the sword digs into flesh, but not deep enough to be a lethal blow. No blood leaves the wound; instead, what seems to be a miniature solar flare lashes out from where Excalibur cleaved, exploding toward Saber as sunlight begins to seep from the cut. Yatagarasu falters in midair, but still its wings flap, keeping it aloft and sending it higher and higher.     Three blazing eyes peer down at the scene of the battle before. Yatagarasu sees Konohana fallen and stripped of her power; still alive, yes, but for a kitsune of such age, having her power stolen from her is punishment enough in the sun crow's opinion. The great bird casts its head back to regard Ariah, offering a grateful murmur before it flies off, gliding away from the island and off to safety. 

:'''{{#var:527|Zero (527)}} has posed:'''     It's no good to commit murder-suicide when you have a better way out, so when D retracts his own potentially lethal attack, Zero slowly eases away with Bloody Rose. The vines retract as well, though they do not return the power that they stole. He raises the arm over which D's blade is embedded and horrifyingly actually helps push it out of the bone. The sight and sound of it is absolutely repulsive, and to an ordinary person it could only be unbearable. It's amazing that he's even able to do that. Blood trickles down from his hand where the blade cut him.     Somehow he finds the strength to stand, but looking dignified is nearly all he has in him. If he took a single step he's sure that his legs would give out and he'd fall. If it came to more of a fight now, it would be very unfortunate. Probably for both of them, but definitely for Zero himself. He's not certain how their healing factors match up, though he suspects that Bloody Rose probably evened the playing field there. A little.     "... Hmph. You say you are a Hunter, but you've lost sight of your prey. When first you swung your blade, it came to a reap a human soul. It only found me when you turned your hunger on that useless idiot over there. You're stronger than I am, but..."     "You don't have a right to call yourself a hunter right now." Zero states to D's retreating back, holstering Bloody Rose. His vision swims, but he manages to remain upright. There's blood all over him, everywhere. His left arm has wooden needles buried in it all up and down its length, his chest has been ripped open and stabbed, and the wound that D left on his shoulder has left a great valley in his flesh where it landed.     By the time Yuuki comes, Zero is fumbling feebly at his pockets for his pills. He has them out once she's next to him, but... he's shaking too bad to actually do anything with them. They spill out over the ground around him, and the packet lands half-empty on the ground.     He sighs, and looks at the teary girl who followed him all the way over here.     "I'm fine." Zero says.     He's lying. 

:'''{{#var:346|Saber (346)}} has posed:'''      Excalibur struck true, and yet...      Saber ground her teeth as she encountered an unexpected barrier of mana. It was not enough to completely stop the holy sword, but it was just enough to blunt what would have otherwise been a killing blow, even a creature such as Yatagarasu.      The sunlight pouring out was blinding, not entirely unlike Excalibur's sister sword, wielded by the (now absent) Gawain. It was almost beautiful but still not something the Servant should probably be anywhere near. Acting quickly, the knight gripped the hilt of Excalibur in her left hand and a handful of feathers above the wound with her right. Thus stabilised, she raised her right foot and kicked off the great crow and away from the volcano rim, somersaulting in midair before deftly landing on the ground. The creature still lived, the guardian stripped of her power...but yet, the land was spared for the moment. But she hardly had the time to mull over the losses and successes.      There was a particular knight and Master to go rescue, haul to the medical centre, and constantly fuss over once more. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika's spear struck true as well, impaling Kagenashi right then and there and yet...     It did no good at all. Konohana is depowered, her gem stolen and her powers gone with it, and the thing imprisoned in the volcano is free to do whatever Kagenashi wishes.     The half-kitsune kneels over, staring in horror at Konohana's vulpine form as she reaches down to do something, ANYTHING that will ease the depowered kitsune's suffering.     "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...I...this is my fault..." She says, eyes welling up in tears and throat lumped up. Kirika just repeats apologies to the kitsune, kneeling over as she drops her spear to the ground. Sorrow isn't enough of a word to describe what she's going through right now. If it weren't for her causing Kagenashi to jerk like that, perhaps KOnohana could have escaped on her own or something...or perhaps someone with more finesse could have stopped the Nogitsune, or something.     Anything as far as KIrika is concerned would be better than her own contributions. She pretty much helped give Kagenashi her victory today, played like a fiddle.     She continues to weep in anger and sorrow, angry at herself most of all for pretty much being an acessory to this scheme, and she doesn't seem to go anywhere for now. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:'''     The spear, Manattobuki, refuses to fall on its side, instead landing spearhead-down, at least partially, when Kirika drops it. With its eye at the pommel, this gives it an authoritative look as it "stands" over Kirika. "Sorrow will bring you /nothing/, as will wallowing in it. If you wish to kill your enemy and stop the evil they commit, take the fires of the trials you undergo, harden your heart with them, learn, and deal with it."     Somehow the shaft of the Abstractum spear has managed to look like a straight-backed military posture. "You are not some pitiful animal. Show your regrets, stand, and move on. Take the energy you would put into self-pity and burn it like fuel. But do not sit there crying while I know you can do much better. There will be more targets. Will you be strong enough to meet the duty of protecting them and killing her? You won't if you react to your failures like this."     It almost leans down, with an aggressive look. "Stand up, Kirika. We will go to heal as soon as we can, so that we spend as little time as possible incapacitated. Then you will study, train, and have a better chance at killing her the next time. And if you fail, we will /do it again/, until it works. But first you stand up. You will have enough time to cry while you recover. Take it then, not now." 

}}

444/OPERATION: SHUTDOWN

2014-08-19T16:32:24Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/08/18 |Location=Namamura |Synopsis=The Fight for the Valley of Namamura -- Yunomi Stadler comes to take back her home, fighting against the Pl..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/08/18
|Location=Namamura
|Synopsis=The Fight for the Valley of Namamura -- Yunomi Stadler comes to take back her home, fighting against the Planet Trade Organization headed by Gohan!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=15, 25, 37, 43, 172, 177, 211, 238, 272, 334, 359, 530
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:''' http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=4B2tKkg_2q8     "This is Ensign Yunomi Stadler... I've spent the last seven years of my life living and serving in the Union, with my allies and my adoptive families. We've come so far together, so much farther than I could have imagined when I washed up in New Washington.Some of those who are listening have been at my side for as long, and have seen me grow into someone who Namamura can be proud of, someone whom you all can be proud of, and who I can be proud of being. You have been with me all this time, and for all your support I thank you.     "To those who are about to fight at my side, thank you for your aid, and your loyalty. You were all chosen because I kn ow I could trust you to give your all in this venture. We will be deploying in a matter of minutes. I don't know what we'll be facing down there, or who we will be facing. I don't know what the valley will look like. We are dropping into the unknown in order to save the future of my people, and the refugees who call Namamura home. Our goal is to keep the village and caldera as intact as we can. The local Union-band frequency for this mission is 90.1 for tactical use. Be advised: Once I cancel the spell, you will all grow to your natural size within four seconds. There will be water and air displacement. You may feel vertigo as the world around changes..." and without more to add, she shakes her head, and adds a quiet 'Thank you' before handing the headset back to Estano, who switches frequencies and begins to talk to the pilot and copilot.     "Are you ready, kid?" he asks, turning to Yunomi.     The guardian gives a nod, and unclipping herself from the seat, she stands, brushes off her armor, and gently lifts O-Togi, keeping the huge sake jug to her shoulder as she walks to the back of the aircraft, reaching up and clipping a tether to the overhead line. The doubt in her chest made her breathe hard as the gate lowered, and wind swept into the craft, and the dying sun of a Namamura evening burned red. The bowl of the sky overhead was darkening, and below the thunderstorm that the Weather Ponies had whipped up was sweeping down the coast -- the ponies retreated safely away, a few waving in departure as they escape to safety.     She steped out. She felt the wind catching against the long trailing cloth of the tabard. She felt the chill of high altitude against her skin, and Yunomi Stadler looked up to the heavens, above the storm.     And above, there is a red star shining amongst the whites rising out of the blue-black of the night. Her eyes close.     "Please," she whispers "... don't let me fail them."     Yunomi lowers her goggles, and Pidge activates her feed from the little pack at her side. O-Togi, holding her friends inside,     And the tanuki releases the tether, free-falling into the space between Heaven and Earth, and disappears into a stormcloud as thunder rolls across Namamura, heralding the darkness of night as rain falls in sheets.     The valley is blanketed in darkness and rain. Yunomi's hair clings to her forehead as she emerges from the stormclouds, falling nearly to the surface of the waves, and as she encroaches to the shoreline, she pops the top of the bottle off, letting out those who were carried within. She can't hear the splashes for the thunder, nor see those she's leaving in the water, but she feels when the bottle is empty, and she dismisses O-Togi back to his home, rising up into the air.     And she focuses her mana. The gems on her armor light up in brilliant sapphire blues and scarlet reds, illuminating part of the night with the Izzet colors as she roars:     "GOHAN! I'M HERE TO TAKE BACK WHAT IS MINE!" 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     Gohan stands on the deck of his flagship, hair golden, eyes green, brilliant aura surrounding his body. Dressed in his Royal Armor, the 'King' of the Saiyans stands watching, noting the incoming storm with distaste. It's not natural, that much is clear. Not only can he see figures flitting about within it, but the land had not stormed here during his entire occupation. He knows that Yunomi and her forces are approaching. He knows that he will put an end to the Namamura conflict one way or another today. He taps his radio, gives his instructions, then prepares. He allows his aura to flare higher, a beacon in the approaching storm. He wanted to make his presense known. Even hovering high above the earth as he is, his power can be felt shaking the ground far below. There will be no doubt, to anyone, who is producing that energy.     He leaps off the ship, falling slowly to the ground with his arms crossed across his chest. As he spies Yunomi's arrival, senses her mana and spies the colors of Izzet, he smiles. It is the smile of a warrior.     "You want it?" he calls, his voice cutting through the storm almost mystically, "Then come and get it. When I send you out of here like a beaten dog once again, you had better never show your face in this world again!"     He powers up further, his glow growing even brighter. The earth reacts, rocks beginning to rise around him, the earth quaking intensely. "Send your armies! It doesn't matter how many of you there are. This world is Confederate and PTO property, and I will not lose!" 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     Yunomi is briefly illuminated by some /awesomely/ placed lightning striking the sea around her. Blue mana traces its way over her hands, coloring her palms and lighting up her face.     "I don't need an army. I get by with a little help from my friends!" she cries out -- and she cancels the spell that kept her friends so small.     And then she rushes for Gohan, her ears pinning back, tail standing out at full length and bellows with rage. The tanuki summons her weapon with a brilliant white light illuminating her movements. Her goggles read the output from Gohan in staggering energy spikes.     She can't lose. She can't lose her valley. Not again!     Those waiting on the spell to be canceled now grow to their full size and power! 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     "Well, you're not the only one with allies. ATTACK!"     Gohan lowers further, drawing his blade from his back as Yunomi charges at him. The defender against the invader. A battle long repeated in struggles such as these. He places his sword in a defensive position, and then he waits. "Come, Yunomi!" he roars, "You face a Super Saiyan! You face the new ruler of this world!" 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid was waiting for that. The sudden surge of growth. She staggers, gritting her teeth as vertigo tries to wrest control from her, but a sudden surge of blue-white light signals her transformation. "Ventis Secundis. The Hood sails forth on Favorable Winds."     Her voice carries, and as she steps out of the aircraft, and plummets to the water below, her eyes are locked on Gohan. All guncrews reporting ready stations Captain.> Fire Control here. Scanning for targets.> Loading HE Airburst shells. Main Battery ready to fire.>     "Lets do this then. Guns up, all crew, prepare bracketing fire, interval of three. Pick your targets, suppression pattern Alpha One Four Nine." 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura is falling through the air.     She's not particularly worried by this predicament. She's incredibly light, at the moment, and she's wearing rather billowy clothes. A mage robe, in fact, light pink with red trim, and for some reason a pair of cat ears sewn into the hood.     Tomoyo made it.     Falling beside her are the silver-haired Yukito Tsukishiro, and the yellow-furred Keroberos. As the shrink spell is dismissed, they each leap into action. Sakura begins to incant: "O Key that hides the power of the Stars..."     Meanwhile, both Keroberos and Yukito summon up twin magic circles below them - gold for Kero, silver for Yukito. Wings erupt from their backs, wrapping them up in feathery cocoons. "Show your true form before me!" Sakura continues. "I, Sakura Kinomoto, command you under our contract: RELEASE!"     As her wand grows to full size, the two feathery cocoons erupt, revealing the large, winged lion that is Keroberos' true form, and the robed, silver-haired 'angel' that is Yue. Sakura rights herself in mid air, then lands on Kero's back. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:''' The fog was thick. Pea soup didn't even describe it. It was a billowing, misty mass that settled over the entire harbor. Like a large whale made of thick cloud that just decided to sit there, resisting all attempts for the sun to burn it away. And inside of it, obscured by the mist, a group of weather ponies did what they did best: They made a storm. 5rIt wasn't the first time that Rainbow Dash had asked the daytime weather squad to pull a couple of extra hours with a 'special project'. Okay, more like begged a little. She was the day weather manager, but it wasn't like she was the captain of the whole weather team. So of course, she'll have to pull a couple favors. This time it cost her an extra shift, morning muffins for the rest of the week for the whole day team, and one of those dancing flower things from off-world. Under the cover of the fog, the storm rose up and billowed to life. It was a large black mass of clouds, large enough to spread past the harbor. Lightning crackled within it, clouds bristling with electrical potential. Rain began to fall, thick globs of water pattering across the sea. When it was finished, the storms makers disappeared under its cover, flying back to wherever they came from. All but one. Once all the others had left, a single pegasus stood on the black clouds. She was clad in gold colored armor. A red crystal in the shape of a lightning bolt sat against her chest, glowing brightly. The rest of her seemed blurred somehow, as if by magic. The Knight of Loyalty grinned, wings flared as the clouds crackled under her. "Aww yeah, show time!" 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     One of those people suddenly ejected to the proper size is Beli, who abruptly appears hovering in the air high above the group, six wings beating to keep her aloft. It's not a pleasant transition; the angel-demon lurches a little, hand flying to her mouth and wings beating erratically. Thankfully, she gets over it quickly, blinking and shaking her head as she regains control. "...right. I hope I do not have to do that again anytime soon."     In the darkness and rain, a flare of dark red comes from Beli as her demonic powers are focused. It covers her black feathers in a bloody sheen and fills her halos with crimson flames. Shadows swirl around her arms, and as she thrusts her hands to her sides, her segment of this whole plan comes through.     Chains. The chains of Fraud, emerging from one portal after another in the sky, rushing out and digging their hooks into each others' links to form an elaborate, tangled forest of rusty metal. It spreads out in all directions, filling the air several meters above the water with an erratic 'webbing' that something the size of a human could manage passing through, but anything larger would probably end up crashing and getting caught in the tangled mass.     Sure, Gohan seems more interested in direct combat, but who's to say some ships might not try to come through and even the odds in his favor? Plus, with that thunderstorm going, that giant web of metal could possibly turn lethal if needed. At least those fighting below shouldn't be impeded.     Once that intricate display is spread over an area almost as large as the storm itself, Beli takes a moment to breathe, gasping quietly and lifting a hand to her chest. That's not an extent she's ever gone to before, but at least now she doesn't have to pay any more attention to it. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     Yunomi comes up quick upon the Saiyan, brilliantly lit up in the night by her gauntlets and Nikkou-You as the holy blade swings, heat waves and sizzling rain left in its wake. She didn't have the appreciation for the Chains, for the Storm, for the presense of others around her. Her eyes, her rage and her pain wer focused to the width of a knive, and she's going for blood immediately. Put the fight out quick.     Drop Gohan, get him out of here... everyone goes home.     The blade swings over her shoulders as she for Gohan's legs, to slash across his knees! 

:'''{{#var:15|Material-L (15)}} has posed:'''     ONBOARD GOHAN'S FLAGSHIP, MOMENTS AGO.     "What does this one do?" inquires a short blue-haired girl, rapidly darting between the bridge crew and their consoles. She occasionally hits a button, too. "What about this one?! Ooh! It lights up!"     The flagship now has its turn signals blinking.     Even as it hovers there doing nothing.     Eventually Levi is kicked off the bridge for pushing one too many buttons and causing someone's seat to eject them against the ceiling with a loud BANG and angry groans.     NOW, PLANET-SIDE.     Material-L has transformed into her Barrier Jacket already, flying out the side of the flagship. Vulnificus idles in its default halberd form, the Device currently silent. The dark magical girl however is anything but.     "YAAAAY, IT'S STORMING~! I love storms! Nyahaha, storm, storm, let's play!" She twirls Vulnificus a bit, and then points it up.     Blue lightning crashes onto her and her Device, and the storm starts changing! Not so much Rainbow Dash will lose control-- Levi is not a specialist at weather control, it's kind of a side-skill, and so she'd be hard-pressed to wrestle control of a storm entirely from a specialist, especially with so much backing present.     The air does grow cold though, rain turns to hail, and the winds are not so friendly to the Union anymore. So it's less that she hijacked the storm and more than she turned a chunk of it against it makers, while the rest continues to be a nuisance to the Confederate forces present.     "Awww, this storm won't listen! I want it to listen! YIELD YIELD YIELD YIELD, DUMB STORM!" Not that it stops her from trying. More and more electricity is being produced by the little girl, making her a bright, obvious target, as she tries to forcefully overcharge the storm so its discharges are random and violent. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     Seikou was waiting for the go signal, as Gohan had warned her of what was to come. She'd offered her help before, and now here she was! Surprisingly, she isn't coming in with anything flashy, at all, it's jsut that one moment she wasn't there, and the next the dark-clad Material is hovering in midair, hair whipping about in the wind. Luciferion is already in Blast Head mode, and her orange ankle-wings hovering her high in the air.     Sigh. "Of all the battles I am in, I do hate the territory ones the most." 'Hate' is a strong word, because she's looking forward to some kind of fight that's a challenge.     Meanwhile, Levi is handling the flashiness for her.     "Try not to get too distracted. If you win we'll go out for creampuffs." 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     CLANG!     The impact rings out as Gohan moves swiftly, twisting his sword to cleanly block Yunomi's strike. "Haha. I see the fire in your movements, Yunomi. But is fire enough?" He parries the strike, pushing the sword away from him, before he steps in and draws his own weapon back. He narrows his eyes as he channels energy into the blade, then he steps in with all of his force and aims to stab the tanuki straight in the gut.     "Can you even compete with my strength now? You have allies, a net to prevent my ships from backing me up directly, but do YOU have the strength to wrest this land from me? DO YOU?!" He roars the last line as he stabs. As his allies begin to arrive, he smirks. "I have allies, too. And mine are some of the best I have at my command." 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen, the Imperial Agent known as Cipher Nine, somehow managed to slip onto the planet earlier then the assault force. Most likely thanks to his ship and it's stealth technology. Having taken the time to find a nice, secluded and prime perch for a sniper, he waited for sighting data. Of course, that storm wasn't going to be any help. But the agent was prepared for such. "Fog...Clever." He says. A quick adjustment to his rifle's scope and he had thermal going.     Today, he was fully equipped for battle. His full kit was with him, from poison darts to an anti-armor rifle. "Let's see what you've got, union." 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     Diving from the flagship, Fuki's armor flashes into view. The black ninja armor makes minimal sound and the Shinki's wings flare out, spinning downwards in a black spiral while another shimmer of light produces her acid dripping scythe. Fuki puts the fox mask in front of her face and nods, "This is the Fubuki Model Shinki Fuki heading in." she mentions over the radio, giving a quick scan over the area.     "Garen, visual sensors opening, please don't get too sick from it. Our target is coming up soon." the Shinki's body aiming towards Elasaid's being "Let's keep any aerial attacks away from the field commander. Our target's this woman. Capabilities unknown, armament unknown, looks ancient from the view. Codename, Rustbucket." 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     Actually, Yunomi didn't like fire very much. But she felt its burning inside of her. Desperation as he parries the blow with his weapon, and when he raises his own to strike at her, there's a softer CLANG sound, muffled by leathery overlay. IT's struck against the metal braces of the corset-like waist armor she was wearing, exposing gleaming Mizzium beneath it, beneath the dragon's wing on her chest. She bends to the side, but her gauntlet lights up as she brings her own magic to bare.     And her palm errupts in a gout of flame!     "Do /YOU/ have the strength to /stop me/? THIS IS MY HOME!" she cries out, and tears form at the corner of her eyes.     Please, strength, fail me not. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:''' Elasaid stands on the waters surface, arms folded over her chest. Her eyes scan around the fogbank, looking for targets. "Where are they... Lookouts, report." <Radar picking up a tiny signal approaching rapidly. Could be hostile scout plane.> <AA battery calibrating. Unable to attain a solution through the fogbank at this range.> Hostile anti-ship batteries possible on shore. Keep watch for muzzle flash from bearing 0-5-2.> 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura scans the skies, perched atop her Familiar, stood up straight and not even faltering as the wind blows around her. She doesn't have time to act spacey and oblivious, right now - Yunomi is counting on her.     "Sakura," comes yue's voice. She turns her head, to see where her second Familiar is pointing, then nods her head. "Fly!" she calls, tossing a card into the air. The card seems impervious to the wind as well, as it spins through the air, then comes to rest at the tip of Sakura's outstretched wand. Pink wings erupt from Sakura's back, as she leaps into the air and flies towards the familiar brown-haired Seikou.     She doesn't make any aggressive moves, however. Instead, she just stops in the air, within speaking distance, and summons her magic circle beneath her feet. "...Seikou-chan. It's been a while." She's actually smiling. 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     Gohan places his sword on his back after his strike, taking a more natural defensive stance as Yunomi's gauntlet begins to glow. He can feel the heat before it is brought to bear, but in such close proximity he knows he can't avoid the next attack. He can only cross his arms as the flames wash over him. He growls in pain, the cloth of his bodysuit burning away and blistering the skin underneath. His armor is mildly scorched, but it deflects the heat quite well. He lowers his smoking arms, narrowing his eyes.     "Ha. I have strength to spare. Meanwhile, you're on the verge of tears. Will that turn into power for you, like it did for me all those years ago? Show me!" He flings one hand forward, aiming for Yunomi's chest. A golden sphere flares up, swelling up in the space between the half-Saiyan and the tanuki. It swells even faster, closing the gap between them. Should it connect with Yunomi at all, the energy will destabilize and become a raging storm, directed solely at Namamura's defender.     "Let's see what you've got!" 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     ...oh boy. The cavalry has arrived, and it's not looking like the pleasant type. Beli sees the Confederates and prepares for one of them to attack her, shaking herself out of her dizziness and entering a more combat-ready stance. The rain falls, but thankfully it steams off the burning heat of her wings, making sure those feathers aren't hindered by the rainstorm.     ...or is it a hailstorm now? Beli yelps in surprise as hail starts landing on her, pelting her from above and forcing her to raise her hands to at least protect her head. And /boy/ does it hurt her wings. If she weren't tasked with keeping this net up, she'd summon Compassion to protect her, but if she switched to her angelic powers, that web of chains would simply vanish. And /then/ she'd have to do it all over again.     Thankfully, what seems to be the source of the problem makes herself obvious, and while Beli doesn't know weather very well, she can guess that Levi shooting lightning into the storm probably has something to do with it. The angelic demon frowns in vague annoyance, then lifts her left arm to her side.     It's a quick attack. Her arm is thrust forward, and from it fly three shards of physical darkness that fly at Levi like throwing knives. They're remarkably sharp, and pretty durable too, though who knows if they'll do much damage?     According to the shout she sends Levi over the storm, it seems like her intention is less damage and more distraction anyway. "Hey! I will listen to you! Why not try shooting lightning this way?" 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     Sigh. Seikou just hovers there, staring at Sakura. "You came to this battle as well? You should go home. It's very dangerous, and you could get hurt," the Material states quietly. Well, relatively quietly, because the wind means she has to speak up. "But I expect you are too loyal to your friend to do that, so..."     <RUBELLITE,> Luciferion pings loudly... kind of eagerly, really. Fiery binds whip out and wrap around Sakura, attempting to contain her. The actual binds are, despite Seikou's normal magic color, a bright red with an aura of flame, though in this case they don't actually burn.     "Stay put and keep out of trouble," she orders the girl. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Taking Fuki's scouting data and adjusting his scope to the proper sight, he zones in on their shared target. "Sighting target..." He says into his radio. He lifts the scope higher and higher, until it was resting directly on Elasaid's head. After all, Garen was trained in the 'one shot, one kill' school. He takes in a breath, and squeezes the trigger as he looses the shot. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     It's only the rain. It's only the rain. She's not tearing up, not yet.     Yunomi can't avoid the attack. It's too close. She lets the Saiyan's words wash over her, but the pain doesn't wash nearly as well as he handles it.     There's an ugly crackling screech from her. Her body shakes, trembling, ever nerve jerked around in pain before she teleports, upwards and behind Gohan. HEr tail is terribly frizzled now, but she's not through yet. She plants herself squarely behind him, and with one hand holding to her weapon, digging its blade into the hull of the ship, she levels her hand behind him and lets off an explosive surge of magic, trying to knock him out to sea! 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:''' A storm made by pegasi is a little different from natural storms. They lack the sheer chaos of a natural storm, brewed out of nothing to disappear into nothing. They're a sort of balance between the chaos and a strange sort of order. They also tend to be a little bit stubborn, and don't really seem to like doing anything without a good kick. This one doesn't feel like listening to Levi a whole lot. It's big enough that it's already pretty well set in its way; while part of the storm shifts, the rest resists. The shift in the winds, a different feel to the air around her, draws Rainbow Dash's attention. Ears flick up, and she peers around, eyes narrowed behind the goggles of her armor. "Come on! We just finished you guys!" Her wings come down, and she lifts off in a puff of cloud stuff. Speeding along, her hooves just barely graze along the top of the clouds as, like a shepard, she searches for that errant sheep. There it is. A few clouds that aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing. She shoves her forehooves into them, shoving and shaping the cloud. The magic in them shifts, trying to shift back to Dash's control as she directly adjusts the big black clouds. But it resists her. "So that's how it is, huh?" Dash lifts her hooves from the cloud, and rears back. "Fat chance! No miss nice pony today!" Then she drops back to all fours, slamming both forehooves on the cloud. In an instant, it is charged with her weather magic. Electricity builds up within the cloud quickly, then CRACK! A bolt of bright white lightning splits the sky, coming down straight for Levi! 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     Fuki hears the shot ring out and a smile comes to her masked face, the Shinki diving in further to confirm a hit. Scythe at ready, the green liquid dripping from its tip sizzles as it hits the ground, the Fubuki lowers herself more, "TOugh stuff, isn't she..." she mutters. "No matter, this should help."     Thrusters burn upon her back, the black wings flare out once more and the Shinki moves in, running in to the Fleet Maiden's range and moving in to a close range, swinging her scythe to throw out an arc of acid towards one of those arms carrying a turret and with wingbeat and thruster flare, she tries moving past the turrets. 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     Gohan smirks as Yunomi is blasted by his attack. He crosses his arms, smug in his attack. However, he senses and hears far too late that she is behind him, channeling an attack that rivals his own. He feels it slam into his back. His cape stands no chance. His shoulder pauldrons are rent apart, but his armor still survives. He's blasted away, and for a moment it seems as though he might juust hurtle into the sea and be lost. However, the smoking figure of Gohan vanishes in a puff of smoke. Yunomi would no doubt see him flickering along the sky. Though he does not possess Instant Transmission, he does possess a great deal of speed. However, seeing him and stopping him are two separate things. He flickers in and out of sight, before appearing just in front of Yunomi. His right foot is raised, and he kicks it out with all of his might. Straight for the tanuki's face.     If there was any mercy to be found in Gohan, it wasn't visible in that moment. Just hard, Saiyan ferocity. 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura reacts as though the whole world has slowed down apart from her. Her left hand crosses over her body, reaching into a pocket in her robe on the right side of her waist. A card within seems to jump out to meet her hand halfway, and gets tossed forward for its trouble.     "ERASE!" she calls out, bringing her wand up in an upward cross-slash while striking the card. A wave of pale blue emanates from the card, causing the magic holding the fiery bonds together to simply vanish. The spell doesn't even reach Sakura.     "I've become stronger since last time, Seikou-chan," Sakura practically whispers. Even as the Erase card is fluttering back down, she calls forth her magic circle again. "Guardians of the Sun and Moon!" Magic circles appear under her Familiars. Their forms begin to get fuzzy. "Grant your powers to this Key!" Anyone who's seen her do this before will note this isn't the same incantation as last time. Apparently the words don't need to be that precise. "Grant me your strength! RELEASE!" Her two Familiars 'melt' and flow into the wand, which grows once more, to around six feet in length. Actually longer than Sakura is tall, now, and large enough she has to hold it with both hands.     "I appreciate your concern, though! CLOUD!" Another card! This one releases a small, toddler-sized humanoid dressed like some sort of clown... although it's coloured a pale blue all over. There's a brief pause, before it suddenly soars up into the sky, gathering clouds and thickening the fog cover around Seikou and Sakura. Sakura can see just fine - it's her magic. Seikou might have some trouble. Not to mention, it's hard to actually move through... 

:'''{{#var:15|Material-L (15)}} has posed:'''     "Uh? OH! YAAAAY, SOMEONE WHO'LL LISTEN!"     Beli has Levi's UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.     Right up until the black, throwing knife-like projectiles suddenly all pierce right through her chest. Well, not all the way through; the Barrier Jacket, for all it looks like magical girl clothes, is pretty durable! It does draw blood, though, or at least some sort of simulated fascimile. It's never really clear with the Materials. Sometimes they feel like bleeding, sometimes not. It must depend on the occasion and their mood.     "That was mean! But I like mean~! It means you can play rough and take it! I don't like it when my toys break too fast, it's--" Whatever it is is lost.     Levi is struck by lightning. It actually scorches her clothes pretty badly, but the electricity dances about her in an odd way, before Vulnificus intones:     <LIGHTNING LOOP.>     "Nyahaha! WAIT! WAIT! OHMYGOD PONY!"     Squee. Levi just squees a lot.     "It's so cool! And colorful! Aww I almost feel bad for shooting lightning now. Vulnificus, cancel the speeeell!"     <NO.>     "Aww, fine. PEW PEW!"     <UNRECOGNIZED COMMAND PHRASE. REPLACE 'SHOOT' BY 'PEW PEW'?>     "YES! PEW PEW!"     <LIGHTNING LOOP. PEW PEW.>     White and blue lightning gushes out of Vulnificus, arcing in two different directions; one bolt flies towards Beli, another towards Rainbow Dash, and then from them, they try to close the loop by striking the other target again. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     Yunomi was prepared as Gohan came down, and she's just a split second too late. She retains her face, thankfully -- the Siayan's bood lays his boot to her chest. HEr breath is knocked out of her violently -- and she chokes a moment, though she raises her hands, and a new trick errupts. Her arms swirl with green magic, and the green arhes, wrapps, and then the teeth come out.     Two large blossoms open wide, maws full of sharp tooth-like thorns glistening maliciously as Dragonsnaps try to latch onto the Saiyan, trying to break through the armor of his boot withone bloom.     The other looking to bite higher up on his thigh and hold him in place! 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid jerks her head to the side as the flash of Garen's shot shows in the storm. The bolt or bullet, or whatever, slams into her Barrier Armour, causing the blue field to flare brightly, and cracks to show in a spider-web from the point of impa chx"><Shore battery has opened fire. Glancing blow to conning tower. Minor damage.> <Main Battery rotating to position. Elevation set. FIRE!> Eight shells lash out in a tumult of blasts, echoing out across the ocean as plumes of black smoke fill the air. <Hostile aircraft incoming. Dive pattern!> <AA battery firing! Direct hit on X. Rotation bearings damaged, turret is locked!> The smaller guns lining Hood's armour swivel to track Fuki as she dives in, and even though that acid slash punches through the weaker top-facing barrier, the smaller weapons return fire with a cloud of flak and streams of pulse laser fire. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen grimmaces and took off once he heard the thunder of the main battery echo out. The explosions push him back, but he rolls and is back on his feet. "Right..." He says. He quickly pulls the scope off his main rifle and holsters it to his back. He then swaps over to his anti-armor rifle, borrowed from a confederate armoury, and sighs his target again. "Down you go." He says, squeezing off another shot. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     Seikou frowns. "I see. You have grown stronger... but you realize this makes you a target, right?" She shakes her head. "Fine. I suppose I can't hold back, except... Luciferion?"     The fog that rolls around and obscures the two combatants flashes orange for a moment, and the Device announces, <STUN MODE ENGAGED. PYRO BULLET.>     It's not like the Divine Bullet. That spell is something unique to the new Nanoha, unfortunately, and Seikou hasn't tapped her Linker Core. It is a fascimile though... a high-density burst of flame that shoots out and darts to one side, then the other. A homing projectile, seeking the fog for Sakura, a projectile that will, if it hits, explode into a hot burning yet stunning attack. 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     Gohan roars as Yunomi sends her magic Dragonsnaps at him, his aura becoming as a flame. He feels the cloth at his thigh tear, and can feel a sharp scratch, but otherwise keeps the attack at bay and falls back. He brings both of his hands out, spreading his arms wide as his aura begins to hum menacingly. It grows louder as energy pools in both of his palms. Then he begins flickering around Yunomi rapidly, several after-images lingering in the same pose as he attempts to mask his true location. When he feels he has enough energy, he stops just in front of Yunomi again, bringing his hands forward toward her chest.     And then the world is golden as Gohan launches a point blank beam straight at the the tanuki. There's a sound like a bomb as he launches the attack, drowning out the rest of the world. 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     Aircraft she is not, but that flak ammunition and laser battery shreds up her armors and punctures her body, sending the Shinki barreling like a downed aircraft, smoke trailing her thrusters and armor falling off her body. Her foot is missing too. "Nnngh. If that's how you wish to be, let's take out your anti-air capabilities..." Fuki's thrusters pop... and pop again before firing once more, barreling into a recovery dive, shooting back up into the air.     Fuki's scythe flashes and a pair of shuriken come into view. Tiny disks of metal materialize into her palms and are soon loosed from them, replaced with another flash and another pair of those disks. She jets out and throws out each set of shuriken from different angles, hoping the mass amount of metal flying from her can confuse that woman's anti air guns. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:''' For a second, Rainbow Dash grins cockily. Then there's a buzzing sound, and the pegasus looks confused until- K-ZZOOOOOTT! Lightning pours right back up through the cloud, and right up her hooves. She clenches her jaws as lightning arcs across her entire body for a few seconds, before discharging. Armor is blackened on her hooves, while her mane and tail smoke slightly. She blinks blearily a few times, but the glass of her goggles slightly singed. "Maaybe that wasn't the cloud," She says giving her head a shake to clear it. Wings spread out and she dives down straight through it. She poofs out the other side, a bright spot against the dark clouds. Rain patters against her back, but it doesn't seem to touch her wings. "HEY, these are MY clouds!" With a flap of her wings, Dash soars back up. She dips her hooves in one of the clouds Levi turned to hail clouds, and pulls out a few baseball sized hail stones. Then one after the other, she shows off her pitching arm (leg?) by flinging them at Levi. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     The problem with grabbing the attention of someone much stronger than you is that...it hurts. A lot.     There's not much she can do before Levi shoots her. She tries to put her arms up to block, but without Compassion to aid her, that's pretty much not happening. Lightning strikes her, drawing out an extremely pained cry before it arcs up to Dash. The rephaite falls from the sky, steaming from the attack, but manages to right herself again with a few determined beats of her wings.     Her right hand is lifted to press against her temple, pushing away the throbbing of her head. She's really going to need a break after this. "...okay. Let us try that again."     With Dash currently pelting Levi with hail, the name of the game seems to have shifted to harrassment. Beli's not going to complain, of course, since she could use a minute to stop the buzzing in her head. So, instead, she creates another sort of buzzing, lifting her left hand toward Levi and creating a dark portal around her arm.     Voracity. A dense swarm of black, hellish flies rushes from her arm, swirling through the air at Levi. A few are taken out by hail, and some find it hard to fly due to the rain, but there are just so many that they end up powering through. And when they reach Levi, they immediately begin swarming her, biting with sharp mandibles and spewing little bursts of acidic mucus and stabbing with stingers wherever they can find purchase. 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     "...A homing spell? Good choice!" Sakura calls out, good-naturedly - even if there is a yelp as the pyrotechnic bullet explodes in her face, sending her flinching backwards from the heat as much as it throws her back from the force of detonation. She grits her teeth, pulling out a card and throwing it into the air before her. "I'll meet your fire with ice! FREEZE!" she calls, striking the card with the head of her staff-length wand.     The moisture in the air around Seikou grows colder, very quickly. Ice crystals begin to form around her. Sharp ice crystals. "WINDY!" comes Sakura's second spell - and the wind suddenly whips into a frenzy around Seikou, pelting her with frozen shards of cloud.     "...My magic doesn't really have a 'stun' setting! But Barrier Jackets are tough, right?" 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid grunts softly. Her Barrier coalesces into a bright, shining wall of force as that second shot from Garen rings out. The Active Barrier absorbs much of the impact, but as the shield returns to Passive, it remains visible, blue-white lines like spider webs pulsing across the entire dome. <Shore Battery has swapped to HVAP shells. Main battery reloading/, HE Impact shells. X is unable to refactor target. A/, B and Y/, resetting bearing, elevation set. FIRE!> the satisfying CLU-CHANK of the large guns reloading resounds, followed by six blasts as the remaining functional weapons open up again on the sniper, raining explosive blasts all around his lo chx"><Hostile Aircraft is going down!> Negative/, incoming fire. AA batteries, fire for effect.> It seems the scattered fire only causes the secondary and AA batteries to begin filling the area with more fire, suppressing the area. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     The beam strikes true. This wasn't at all as she had imagined. She had thought they were taking them unwares. She had thought they wouldn't have such backup.     Yunomi is deafened by the roar of the beam. Her ears pin back, and she flies backwards from the attack. HEr armor smoulders. Part of the shoulder crumbles away, falling to the ground behind Yunomi as she strikes the side of the Daimyo's residence, with just barely enough time to bring up a Prismatic Shield. HEr eyes go wide from the pain. The walls break, cracking from impact of the shield and the plaster on the outside falls to the ground.     Yunomi coughs up something pink and phlegmy.     BUt she goes back to the fight. Her eyes are narrowed, her hair still blastered to her forehead and her neck as she brings herself to a stand, and resummons her naginata.     Her body rights itself, and she brings the magical weapon to bare. There's a short whisper -- something of a prayer before she unleashes a volley of brilliantly shining energy at the Saiyan King! The night is lit up by the sound of bells and superheated air as it heads for GOhan! 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen grits his teeth and takes off again as the shells rain down around him, kicking shrapnel into his face and cutting up his coat, and his skin. He turns and drops to a knee, sighting his target once more. But this time he changes target. Instead of going for Elasaid herself, he makes a point to spot, and fire for the anti-air batteries. "Your not shooting her down. Just like your not escaping my sight." He says. 

:'''{{#var:15|Material-L (15)}} has posed:'''     "Yours? NYEEEEEH! I DON'T SEE YOUR NAMES IN THE CLOUDS!" Levi insists, gesturing wildly towards the aforementioned stormclouds, which being clouds, do not have names on them! She is thus totally right, and wins this argument.     Until a baseball-sized chunk of hail slams into her stomach and knocks the air out of her lungs momentarily. She screams with all the wrath and anger of a scorned nine year old girl. "RUDE! RUUUUDE! AAH, BEES! WHY BEES!"     BEES happen. It is a very unfortunate event.     Repeatedly stung and inconveniently, Material-L is suddenly enveloped in bright blue lightning, attempting to fry the bees before they cause any more harm. Whether or not that's successful, she then points Vulnificus forward.     "VULNIFICUS, LET'S TAG THE CLOUDS!"     <SLICER FORM. LIGHT WING SLASH.>     The tip of the halberd rotates ninety degrees, and suddenly splits open, producing a large, wicked blue scythe blade of mana. Levi swings the scythe over her shoulder, and then through the air in front of herself, launching the blade towards Beli Klum like a big, concussive, cutting boomerang of mana! The spinning crescent will even guide its way towards Rainbow Dash with the limited juice it'll have left after Beli, and then-- into the clouds!     It cuts, and tears.     It spells 'LIVI' in one of the clouds.     "CLOSE ENOOUUUUUGH!" 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     The flak goes back to firing after she recovers, the shuriken just bouncing off that energy barrier.. "Nnngh, some kind of mage with that barrier?" The flak hits and her wings and more armor are torn up into shreds from the sharp shrapnel, one of the flak peices embeds itself into her chest just under where her CMS is. "Maybe this was a bad idea.. going against something unknown.     Fuki's thrusters fire up once more, the flash of her slipway emits her scythe once more and up close she attempts to get. The black streak dives down and into some brush until suddenly, she doesn't appear on radars. "Stealth systems activated. This should work well for me... let's see." Fuki's eyes spew out lines of code and flight paths before the Shinki bursts out of the small bush and right towards Elasaid's legs, bringing scythe to bear, she makes two quick slashes, one to send an arc of acid at one leg and another to dig into the other! 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     No sign of a barrier appears when the ice storm hits... nothing to give away Seikou's position. Of course Sakura can see through the fog, but it is also night... so that might make it harder to see Seikou coming when she tries to home in on the voi     corange"><AIR DASH,> Luciferion pings, and Seikou blurs. An instant later, she's where she thinks Sakura is, giving a brief view of the Barrier Jacket torn and shredded, several shallow cuts all across the Material's body seeping through. Looks like she can bleed, tonight. She didn't in the WMAT, though.     "Yes," is all she says in her typical stoic fashion.     <BLAST IMPACT.> Luciferion pings gleefully, as the explosive burst of mana comes with the thrust of the staff's butt end toward Sakura. 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     Gohan crosses his arms again as Yunomi is sent flying by his attack. He notes her position, keeps his eyes locked in the area just in case. It's a good thing he does, because when the brilliant light show flies up at him, he has plenty of time to move.     But he doesn't. He stares into the attack. The purification energy shouldn't affect him, right? But as he stares at the attack, the bells change to a voice. The light transforms into a figure, charging at him with fury in his eyes.     It's Goku. His voice calls out, berating Gohan for his choices. Telling him not to lose his true self. Gohan grips his head, feels the impact, and scream with all of his rage. He isn't displaced at all, but his armor is vaporized. He can feel his torso blistering, but it's a long moment before his screaming subsides.     When it does, he narrows his eyes, locks on Yunomi's position, and raises his hands to his forehead. "I don't know what that was..." he starts, his voice ringing out true. "BUT NEVER USE IT AGAINST ME AGAIN! MASENKO HA!" He throws his hands above his head, then forward as a MASSIVE golden beam rushes down for the tanuki, seeming to pulse with the erratic heartbeat of its owner. 'Why... Dad?' he thinks, tears streaming down his face as he pours more energy into the attack. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid takes one step back as her Barrier is struck again. This time, the bolt slams straight through, leaving a hole in the magic field. It then smashes one of her Secondary High Angles clean off its mooring, and tears out the surrounding MG nests. <Port side battery offline! Fire in the number two magazine. Control teams on station.> <Firing Solution acquired on shore battery.> Once more, the staggered fire of six large cannons roars across the bay, this time, the shells are more focussed on Garen's lo chx"><Hostile Aircraft has dropped off radar. Attempting to reacquire.> <There! Incoming at the waterline! TORPEDO RUN!> Elasaid attempts to move out of the way, dancing to one side... but the acid burns through her barrier, melting the magic and leaving a hole large enough for the Shinki to get through and slash down her other leg.     <Direct hit to main drive shaft! Starboard engine is offline!> Blood seeps from the wound, staining the blue water a sickly brownish chx"><Target locked! Flak curtain firing!> The remaining AA guns track Fuki now she's visible again, and fill the area around her, and her flight path with more exploding death. 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura loses track of Seikou, just as Seikou manages to track her down. Sakura is left looking in exactly the wrong direction as Seikou blurs into visibility behind her, and explodes her in the back. Sakura is flung through the air, wings crooked for a moment before straightening themselves.     "Tch," Sakura exhales, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. Her robe has a hole in the back of it, now, causing the t-shirt she's wearing underneath to get soaked. Not to mention scorched. "Power!" she calls out, as she activates another card. Pink mana gathers around Sakura's form! THen... "DASH!"     It's Sakura's time to blur out of sight and reappear right in front of Seikou. She doesn't say anything to her - instead, she lets her meet her open palm, which aims to slam right into Seikou's stomach with enough force to crush an elephant. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     Yunomi was oncoming in the wake of the attack, and she draws herself upwards. THe beam grazes along her arm, brushing her leg. LEathery bits fall away, but she's still coming.     She heard the screaming. SHe felt it echo inside of her chest. She still forces herself to breathe deeply, psuhing aside the broken feeling i nside of her.     ANd as she comes in, low and face, she brings both her feet upwards, 'bracing herself in the air as she brings her naginata around again. The holy energy lights up around her, brilliant even in the pulse of lightning as she goes to swipe upwards along the saiyan's chest, trying to disengage some of that armor and cut into his belly! There's no call backs, no jibes. He wanted to make fun of her, yell at her -- call her coward. That's fine.     She won't do the same. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction! 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     The sight of the energized blade suddenly whipping toward her makes Beli's eyes widen. She is, unfortunately, not very good at dodging, either. Sure, she can make a few quick movements, but with how big of a target she is, it's doubtful she can avoid /anything/ that large and fast.     But she tries. She really does. She flaps her wings powerfully to avoid it, but the blade still rips across her torso, cleaving through the fabric of her jacket and jolting her with the concussive agony of Levi's mana. The rephaite shouts in pain, cutting off the sound with clenched teeth as her right hand presses to the place where a troublesomely deep wound probably should be. She wants to use her seraphic fire to at least numb the pain, but...no, that really isn't a good idea right now.     Besides, with Levi's choice in powers, maybe that net could be put to good use soon.     Gritting her teeth against the pain, Beli lifts her head again to look toward Levi. She holds an almost uncharacteristic grimace of anger, clear even through the rain plastering her hair to her face. She /is/ a demon of wrath, though. And what better weapon to use now than the soul of the demon lord of wrath?     Beli lets her arms fall, and over them form a pair of long claws of muscle and bone, curling viciously where her hands were a moment ago. Her left fingers spread wide, joints fusing into place as webbing stretches between them and solidifies, forming a broad shield that extends all the way to her elbow. The right fingers twist, shrink, and stretch in turn, curling into something like a scimitar with the webbing between them growing to a sharp blade between each claw.     A powerful beat of her wings sends her rushing toward Levi, and the nearly enraged shout that follows leads into a slash of her sword arm across the mage's chest. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen's location is shelled once more, this time with him in it. It definately hurt alot, reminding him of one of the life fire exersizes from his academy days. "One gun down, two to go." He says. He sights up once again, aiming for the big guns this time. "Time to shut down that big gun of yours." He mutters, letting fly a trio of shots, each one aimed to where he imagined the shells to be. 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     Gohan silences himself. As Yunomi storms in, he stands his ground (air... whatever) and waits. When she shows her hand, he still does not move. As the naginata closes in, no movement. She would feel her blade hit him, gash through his flesh and opening a sizable wound in his torso. However, he doesn't so much as utter a cry. He stares at her, his eyes blank, before his raises his hands above his head, blood pouring from his wound freely as he clasps his hands together.     Still no sound. Still just an empty gaze. He brings his arms down hard, energy pulsing through his hands as they rocket toward the tanuki's skull. It's only when he does this that his eyes seem to return to life. He grits his teeth, bites back a scream, but channels all of his strength into his attack. 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:''' "Oh yeah!?" Rainbow Dash shouts back at Levi, "Who's got a cloud on their flanks!?" Well, okay, the magic of the armor is obscuring even her QT-mark, but the point still stands! ... No one's going to win this argument. Dash's eyes widen as the spinning scythe arcs up towards her. Wings twist, and she tries to turn in mid air to dodge. But the scythe grazes across the armor on her belly, leaving a long gouge in the metal. Only Dash's attention is on the cloud. "Ugh, seriously? That's like the lamest argument in the book! It's still not yours!" But it looks like her fight partner is in trouble. Dash dives, speeding straight at the two fighters. And then straight over her heads. Once past them, she spins around. She flares her wings out, and wind gathered from her rapid descent ripples around them, almost appearing somewhat visible. Wings pull back, then flap down several times in several strong beats. An intense pulse of wind ripples out from them, soaring right at Levi's back. It might be wind, but if it hits, it'd hit like an anvil. 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     The pain Fuki's in is fortunately silenced by muting her voice from radios. The flak continues to rip into her, legs blasted from her robot body and arms riddled with the flak shrapnel. Fuki makes another dive bomb into the hole she made in that barrier, shooting up to land on one of the anti aircraft batteries. "You know, you can't fire on me close range now!" she takes her scythe to the battery and tries to bury some of herself into it to try and at least fire the flak at the other anti-air batteries on the ship lady.     At least until the request comes into her radio. She darts around, hoping that she did take one of those out and tries to run her scythe around the main body of Elasaid, letting the acid dripping scythe try and cut deeper in as she searches for the main gun. "Try firing on me now!" 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     It's not a /bad/ tactic, really. Against Seikou, though... maybe not such a good one. Luciferion chimes, <ROUND SHIELD.> But no huge barrier of orange appears... just a tiny flare of orange, right in the palm of Seikou's hand, meeting Sakura's dead on... and stopping it.     The impact with Power does cause the barrier to shatter, and cracks crawl up Seikou's armored gauntlet. But the actual impact seems to have been nulled enough that she doesn't budge, and instead she starts giving pointers. "In straight hand to hand, you lack the experience needed to defeat me, and in mid-range combat I also have the advantage. You lack sufficient long-range capability and speed to be a threat."     She levels a stare at Sakura. "The fog was a good idea, though. You should think creatively if you want to defeat me. Now try again."     A whip of Luciferion's staff form, along with a burst of mana, seeks to smack Sakura aside and away. "Now, I know you can do better than this. I felt your power earlier. Show me." 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     Yunomi brings her hand up, and a brilliang swath of color errupts from her hands. The blow is -- somewhat -- blocked, though the energy from the blow reberates around her body, the shockwave traveling from her arms downwards in a shuddering motion.     She exhales, and a half heartbeat passes before she brings the naginata back up and fires off another round of holy energy at close range!     "YOU stole my home! I will use /ANY/ attack, fight as /hard as I can/ to get it back!" 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid unfolds her arms, eyes narrowing as her Barrier coalesces again, absorbing the bolt entirely, though some of the barrier sheds away in blue-white motes as the shield returns to normal. Her left arm raises, and something happens... two ports open up, but nothing visible can be seen coming out. <Fire one. Fire two!> Garen might think he's safe... but there's a pair of very high explosive Torpedoes are silently making their way to him. <Enemy aircraft inside AA deadzone. Number seven Flak has gone dark!> Elasaid grimaces, as she's torn into. Like a giant being harrassed by an ant. She doesn't shoot, no, her eyes track the little shinki, even as smoke and pain rise from that acid-laced slash across her midsection... her Right arm whips out, trying to bring that heavy gauntlet into the damaged Shinki. 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura is flung away. Her serious demeanor pretty much evaporates as she flails in the air, spinning and tumbling through three full revolutions before she manages to stop. She takes a deep breath, then fixes Seikou with her gaze. "...Fight," she intones, activating yet another spell. Her body is surrounded by a bright blue aura, which promptly mingles with the pink that's already there. 

:'''{{#var:15|Material-L (15)}} has posed:'''     Beli has a sword! And is coming in hot.     She's also not talking anymore, which is very boring and sad for Levi. Epic pout and frown incoming, and then another fit of rage most likely.     Rather than allow herself to be slashed open, Levi uses Vulnificus to block the blade, the scythe's shaft rather sturdy; it cracks, a tiny bit, under the pressure of the blow, though it's not hard for Beli to let the sword continue sliding and cut Levi's forearm or shoulder depending on direction. This time there won't be blood, just a sort of holographic disruption in Levi's appearance where the blade cuts.     The Material is then forced to concede a point. "I don't wanna cloud tattoo on my butt! Tattoos are gross! And needly! I hate needles! HAAAATE NEEDLES!" And doctors.     Except herself. She is a Doktor. And it's fine.     The wind is pretty annoying through; her cape catches in it, and it takes the dark magical girl some effort to fly against it, trying not to lose ground to the weather pegasus. A few cuts and bruises from the wind and hail, too, add to her cheeks and face.     "Fine! If you won't recognize my ownership of the cloud, LET'S HAVE A SNOWBALL FIGHT! WINNER CLAIMS THE STORM AND GETS TO NAME IT! I CALL DIBS ON LORD FLUFFYKINS THE ELECTRIC, THAT'S GONNA BE ITS NAME!"     <FROZEN LANCER.>     "PEW PEW~!"     Half a dozen balls of bright blue mana appear, suddenly freezing solid. The majority of them are launched towards Beli, in a merciless hail of fist-sized ice balls. Rainbow Dash gets a few too, but her speed is going to make it much easier not to get nailed by more than one. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen's struck and sent flying back, crashing into a wall or other solid structure nearby. He shakes it off and grabs that rifle again. "Guess I'll take that offline as well!" He roars back, starting to lose his cool. But when he got mad, he got deadly. He lines up, and lets fly yet another round. 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     Goku's voice again as the attack hits him, sending him sprawling through the air. As he rights himself, his hands are cupped at his side. Anyone familiar with Gohan's father would immediately recognize the technique beginning to form. Even before his intonations, it is quite clear. "You will lose!" he states, his voice a growl. Then it is suddenly clear.     "KAAAAA.... MEEEE.... HAAAAA..... MMMMEEEEEEE!"     The energy is palpable, a massive sphere of blue growing between his cupped hands. He grips it, forcing it to condense and allow for more energy. His forehead begins to sweat under the effort, but he does not release for a long moment.     Then...     "HAAAAAAAAAA!"     The energy roars out, sounding like a nuclear blast unleashed upon the world. It bears down on Yunomi with all the force and mercy of a fully-loaded freight train. 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     Fuki grins under that mask, feeling purchase of scythe into flesh until gauntlet into Shinki is felt, sending the Shinki flying outside her scythe's capabilities and back into the dreaded anti-air zone of Elasaid. The scythe flashes and dissapears only for another flash to replace it, her laser rifle coming into view. The tiny thing is hefted as she wobbles in mid air, her thrusters failing. What wing structure she has left attempts to keep her aloft.     Fuki levels the rifle, taking aim at the arms leading from Elasaid's back. Her finger rests on the side of the trigger guard, the thrusters firing up once more, moving her slowly around in the air, losing altitude. "Let's see... if I can fire right... there.. Lock on..." trigger is pulled three times, sending three laser bursts each towards the joints of the flak cannons. "Stop... firing... flak at me! I'm not an aircraft! 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Ice. So much ice. The first ball cracks right into Beli's head at that range, and that one is no doubt the worst, for she's both knocked back and briefly stunned as the world is consumed in ringing and fuzziness. She certainly /feels/ the next ones that strike her, though, cracking against her chest and wings, all working together to knock her out of her flight and send her tumbling down through the air.     It takes her a dangerously long time to snap out of that. Just before she hits the storm-tossed ocean, she feels her senses coming back to her enough to gauge her situation. Wings are beaten powerfully, fighting through the ache in the wing that was struck and the pounding in her head. She comes dangerously close to the water, but manages to right herself, flapping to remain aloft. That alone is a struggle, but she's managing. The thick, black blood trickling down from her forehead is a sign of how difficult that is at the moment.     The situation is only getting worse. Even if she wins here, Yunomi is struggling. They were clearly far stronger than anticipated.     If anything, that thought only bolsters Beli to push harder. The anger that thought inspires pushes aside any lingering pain and fuels her to fly higher, back to Levi. Both hands of Hatred twist and warp again, their fingers extending and tapering into a pair of lances. Her speed builds and builds, and she holds up both lances as she comes closer to Levi.     Hopefully, she will end up skewering the mage with both. If she has to, she'll take all the attention she can away from her allies. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     So Sakura is using the Fight, huh? Seikou sighs, shaking her head. "Or you can attempt that," she murmurs, lowering Luciferion. "I doubt that this will give you the edge you think... raw power, you have, but your inexperience is in tactical thinking. But perhaps you know what you are doing this once. I will humor you."     A shimmer flows over the injured Material, and though her cuts don't heal and her bracers still show cracks, the tears are gone. Her outfit is subtly lighter, the skirt a little shorter and with long slits in the sides.     <MELEE MODE.> 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:''' Rainbow Dash stares at Levi. Wings beat slower, more steadily. "Uh, hello!" She points a forehoof up at the clouds, "I MADE those clouds! They're already-" WHOMF! Freezing snow smacks her in the face! "OW!" Wings flick back, and Dash dips to one side. A couple more hail balls smack right into her armor, leaving large dents in the magic metal. It winds her, and her wings briefly stop beating. Dash topples out of the sky, wheezing as she tries to catch her breath. But she's quickly back on her hooves, and her wings come down powerful strokes. She soars quickly upwards, and grabs one of the low hanging clouds from underneath the storm. "You want a snowball fight!?" The lightning crystal on Dash's chest glows, and the cloud's consistancy changes, turning more gray-ish than black. It starts to look a bit less like the violent summer rain storm, and more like a sleet gray winter snow cloud. The temperature nearby drops, Dash's breath coming out in clouds of frost. "YOU GOT ONE!" Dash gives the now winter cloud a hearty kick. It shatters, breaking apart into large chunks of what look to be hardened snow instead of just disipating into cloud stuff. She then beats her wings hard, and another wind picks up. But this one? It brings down a hail storm of hardened snowballs towards Levi. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid spins in place, that bolt slamming into her leg bracer. The metal warps, some of it spalling off and melting into motes of light. "Hostile force is stronger than anticipa---" That's when the previously disabled X turret simply explodes, sending the large turret spinning off and into the water with a large splash. Fuki's peppering causes her Barrier Armour to shatter like glass, and raising smoke from her armour. <Heavy damage to armour belt. Hull breach below the waterline. Main battery at half strength. Port torpedo rack destroyed.> The damage report echos in her mind, and the chatter over the radio steels her resolve.     "All hands. Prepare for glory. This shall be our finest hour." The two remaining main cannons focus on Garen's location, and her right arm lifts, opening ports and unleashing two more torpedoes, while the remaining four cannons roar in defiance. Fuki doesn't escape. Elasaid sweeps what's left of her left bracer around, as a large anchor appears, firing off with a gunshot at the Shinki. 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura produces a card, while dodging to the side. "SILENT!"     The battlefield suddenly goes silent. Seikou can't hear anything - as if she were suddenly plunged into a soundproof, perfectly clear sphere. She can see Sakura producing more cards, but unless she can read lips from this distance, she won't hear Sakura calling any of their names. "MIRROR!" Sakura calls out, just as she ducks into a thick patch of that concealing fog. Then, "ARROW!", as a hail of arrows suddenly shoots forth, accompanied by Sakura! The girl is aiming a punch right for Seikou - but the Mage will have to deal with the shower of arrows first.     "CREATE!" 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen looks up just in time to see the shells and torpedo's put him through said structure from before, and leave him fairly messed up. He somehow manages to get back to his feet though. Those agents are built of stern stuff. He pulls up the rifle once more, and takes aim. He was patient, calm, focused on his breathing. He was searching for something, like a hawk searches for prey.     Moments pass, and he finally thinks he's got a vital spot. "Time to send you back to the dry dock, rustbucket." He says, letting fly a charged shot, meant to bore through armor. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     This wasn't right. She was going to lose everything. She was going to lose Namamura. She was going to lose her guadianship.     She might lose everything.     The pain hit her. She couldn't see anything. She was engulfed by energy, her prismatic shield up as much as she can muster. Her body curls behind the rapidly depleting colors before the Kamehameha fades away, leaving her deafened for a brief moment.     Please, Niv, don't let me fail them. Give me strength.     Yunomi takes a deep breath. Pidge beeps to her side.     "Pidge... go to the grotto. Warn Kaeru-hime. Warn them all. Get them out of the valley through the hills and the caves. Alert the Izzet." she breathes.     And the little orb goes dark -- and flies off into the stormy night. Yunomi feels the rain pelting her body as she drops her shield.     She lowers her hands. She feels the power of this place, her home. She remembers running through the grass, barefoot as a child. Her father Sakiaro waving goodbye. The fire at the Shrine which took Oya's life     And she summons up everything she has.     "This river has been my cradle, my nursery, my classroom; Nama echoes the flow of my life and the ebbs and tide of my heart. The valley is my home, guided by Kaeru-Hime. I am the Guardian of this land, and I shall preserve this place against the evils that would threaten all who call this place home... or I shall perish in the attempt." she whispers to herself. The leather leaves her hands as she slides off her gauntlets. She feels the rain over her wounded, burnt hands, kissing at every bruise and singe from the past week, soothing the heat within and cooling her forehead. The rain joins in little rivulets down her back, snaking down her back.     Gripping her hands together, Yunomi focuses herself, centering. The feeling of grass between her toes.     Mana rises from her, curling around her like a coiled snake, and Yunomi exhales. She opens her eyes, a ring of sunlight gold around the dark brown of her iris, and when she releases the energy, the whole of the burst screams.     Echoing Yunomi's own voice as she cries out, feeling the power leaving her body, making the space around her fingernails sizzle in burning. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     In the silence, the chiming voice of Luciferion can't be heard either. Thus, there's no warning when the barrier springs up, an orange shield that splinters the created arrows against it easily. Still, Seikou looks surprised, so perhaps Sakura made a good impression with the attempt.     Speaking of impressions, Sakura's FIST goes right through the barrier, smacking Seikou - er, silently - and sending her hurtling away. That's going to leave a mark.     The trio of orange globes that burst out and streak toward Sakura are silenced too, but it's a pretty good bet that they burn like fire as well. 

:'''{{#var:15|Material-L (15)}} has posed:'''     "That's not snowballs! That's weapons! CHEATER! YOU'RE A CHEATER LADY!" Levi exclaims as Beli comes rushing in, with her twisted and dark weapons. No, let's not let that put holes in me, she thinks. That would be awful and painful and so much hurt, owie owie.     "IDDQD!"     <DEFENSER PLUS.>     Massive, bright cyan circles of runes and magic appear all around Levi, and that's what Beli ends up slamming into. As they crack and start flickering, the barriers obviously unable to hold her back for very long, the girl inside suddenly twirls her cape dramati     "KABOOM!"     cxterm45"><REACTOR PURGE.>     The cape EXPLODES, shattering the shields. The explosion is powerful and large enough to catch Beli into it, given she was pretty much hugging Levi's protective spells.     With her cape gone, though, she's at Rainbow Dash's mercy when a bigger, badder hailstorm rolls into town. The pegasus is winning the snowball fight so far! Repeated impacts ragdoll the blue-haired girl pretty hard in the sky, although she manages not to crash down towards the ground too hard. With a few more bruises, and sections of her clothes torn and shredded off by the hail, she seems to no longer be having fun.     "MUUUUUUH! My turn! RAIJIN!"     She swings the scythe back-- and then cleaves the air in front of herself. There's a bright blue flash, and electricity cuts forward in a straight line, headed straight for Rainbow Dash!     "ISSEN!"     <THUNDER GOD FLASH.> 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     Escape? What's this escape? The anchor and gunshot ring out through the Shinki's body sending her flying out and into the water. Water, the last place the Shinki wanted to be. At least... the water shimmers lightly, another flash from it. That acidic scythe again. Green trails appear on top of the water as the Shinki 'swims' under the water's surface, going torpedo like towards Elasaid. Her face breaches the water, the fox like mask parting the water, the mask flying off from the speed.     Fuki's face scowls, eyes glowing and one more shimmer comes to bear, a second scythe, not dripping acid, comes into view. Blades and arms out, the Shinki's thrusters pull her over the water into a whirling top of spinning scything. "I'm going to take you down rustbucket, and make you sleep where those turrets rust and are no more! This is Gohan's world now and you're tresspassing!" the Shinki screams loudly as she's continually lifted out of the water, trying to bury scythes and self into the Fleet Maiden's stomach. 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura's yelp is silenced, as she brings her arms up to cover her face. Her costume has seen better days - it's got holes right through it in several places, and Sakura is pretty beat up as well. But she's still moving!     She waves her left hand, and sound suddenly returns to the battlefield. Sakura shouts "WINDY!", wind swirling around the two mages, clearing the fog banks... and revealing...     Sakura. Standing on a rock floating in the air. Writing in a book. What? This Sakura doesn't have wings, or any of the magical auras surroundnig the Sakura in front of Seikou.     "I don't really have as much of a problem with long ranged attacks as you think I do. Not at night, anyway," Sakura says.     Off in the middle distance, a humanoid figure appears. Wearing robes similar to the ones Sakura is wearing, holding a wand with a little star at the tip. Then another appears. And another. Dozens of them materialise, in a delta formation, wands pointed in Seikou's direction.     Every one of them has swirling spirals where they should have eyes. And every one of them promptly launches a bolt of magic at Seikou.     The bolts... aren't very strong. But there's a LOT of golem-mages all of a sudden. And they don't stop attacking, as Sakura shouts out "SHOT!" and fires her own magical lazor. 

:'''{{#var:334|Gohan (334)}} has posed:'''     As Gohan feels the energy leave, he can feel a new strength flowing through his body. Greater than adrenaline, but a similar effect. He staunches his bleeding wound with his hand for a moment, then shakes his head. Yunomi is waiting, possibly channeling for a final stand sort of attack. He braces himself in the air, staring down at her with interest. No doubt she would want to order an evacuation of non-com personnel. He knows they are both wounded, but he barely feels the burning wounds he has acquired. He knew he would have to pay for his actions later. Many hours in a meditank for sure. He pants, waiting for the attack while pondering why he had seen and heard Goku in Yunomi's attacks. He closes his eyes. He can't let that break him now. Later, when he was finished with the fight, he would dwell on the meaning.     The air is ablaze, and Gohan screams out in pain and rage. The heat blisters and blackens his skin, and when the attack clears, it's clear he's not in good shape. But he's still up. And his hands are cupping next to his side again. Golden energy, however, is the light of this attack.     "KAAAAAA.... MAAAAAAAAA.... SEEEEEEEEN.... KOOOOOOO!"     Kamasenko? What was that? As the name implies, a combination of two grand techniques. The sphere roars and engulfs Gohan's hands, growing massive in a heartbeat. High above her, Yunomi might see that it seems like he is controlling a miniature sun. "HAAAAA!"     He flings the attack down, and the beam defies any laws of size he had previously fired. It would no doubt engulf the entire area around Yunomi, but it also seems slightly slower. Strange. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Complete miss. Beli still grits her teeth and pushes, trying to get her lances to pierce through the barriers if she can manage it. She shouts with the effort, pushing and pushing...but it just doesn't work. The shield explode and send Beli hurtling back, tumbling through the air as she is again forced to right herself before she crashes into the ocean. Her wings flap, though their beat is erratic; she slumps slightly where she hovers, gasping for breath as the rain beats down on her. She looks exhausted by this point, but she knows she has to fight /past/ that point. She has to push herself harder.     And so she does. Again she rushes at Levi, wings beating as hard as she can make them. Darkness and agonizing hellfire swirl around her lances, increasing their magical power as she hurtles at her opponent. One last good shot. That's all she needs.     She tries, once again, to impale Levi, practically roaring at the top of her lungs with determination and no small amount of rage. This time, however, she tries pushing the mage into the web of nets she made in the air when all this started. If she /can/, she attempts to slam Levi into one of the chains, and at that same moment, she pulls out one lance and hurls a stream of Lethargy's sap at the mage to form a stone covering to glue her onto the chain.     Even if she manages that, however, she's probably not going to get away before she calls for Dash's help. Making sure Levi takes the full brunt of their attacks is the most important thing right now. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid pants, legs weak and her stance unstable. She stumbles back as that armour piercing shot slams into one of ther remaining turrets, causing it to detonate and nearly sending her toppling over. The acid dripping scythe slashing up along her already weakened armour. "This. Is. YUNOMI'S. HOME!" she spits back at Fuki, reaching to grab what's left of the Shinki and crush her with her bare hands. Garen doesn't get off though, the remaining gun fires two shells, before it simply falls from the anchor arm... acid eaten through the mooring. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen takes the impacts, getting even further messed up by the many guns of Elasaid. He makes it seem like he was done and gone, but in reality was sneaking up to get the ultimate shot. He managed to get fairly close, and lined up his rifle again, aiming at Elasaid's head again, and squeezing off a shot. Wether he hit or not, he was going in to get Fuki and extract with her. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     The little orb makes it to an ancient grotto in record time. Inside, hundreds of frightened people -- and terrifying yokai -- were hiding, warned by an oncoming storm, hiding from the PTO and the ravages of battle. An old man, huge from his career in wrestling accepts the orb into his palm, just as it begins to light up with red and blue warning lights. Sakiaro Odanuki, father to Yunomi Stadler, knows what it means.     "... everyone. The caves go deep and come out to the warpgate. We don't have much time." he mutters, and he lets the orb flit back to the air as it bolts outwards. He himself lifts a lantern, who lights itself, a very concerned face showing.     "But what about--"     "We can't do anything for her now. Move, Chiisai, Takai. /We/ have to pick up where she left off and get the others out of here as quickly as we can. The infirm and feble to horses, everyone who can walk, walks."     Yunomi had made it her last ditch effort to try and kill Gohan. She was exhausted, bleeding from her fingertips, but when she saw him still standing... the power ebbing like a wave around him, she knew she had lost.     She held her side, and tried to move out of the way, flying out to sea. Flying out to where Striker had waited to cover a retreat... but even then, she couldn't muster enough speed. Her strength was failing. The thunder wasn't making any sound -- all she could hear was the sound of the ocean beneath her.     And when the energy hit her, she went down, dropping into the water, skidding along the surface like a skipped stone before an angry wave overtook her. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     <PANZERHINDERNIS KOMPLETT,> Luciferion pings, the silence at last fallen. That's the first reaction to the storm, and the bolts thunder against the sudden prism of polygonal orange barriers that Seikou has surrounded herself with, causing her to vanish into a cloud of magical light.     When it fades, parts of the barrier are still up... but parts are crumbling, the magic disintegrating, and the small Material's Barrier Jacket is showing numerous burns and holes from the impacts. Still, she is still there... and peering down.     "That was a better idea," she admits, breathing in a little heavier.     <HUNDRED NEEDLES,> Luciferion pings, sending out a MASSIVE wave of orange beams all around. They're mostly for the golems, though, so minimal damage to Sakura herself. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid grunts, as that bolt skims past her head. She grits her teeth, lifting a hand to her hat, and tossing it away. The hat vanishes in motes of blue-white light, while her other hand whips around, hurling Fuki's remains at Garen. Copper hair flies in the wind, whipping about her dramatically.     "Ye want 'er? HAVE 'ER!" 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen catches Fuki, albeit after she's made a missile. He holstered his rifle and had his pistol levelled right at Elasaid's head. He knew he could risk another shot, but figured that he had done enough in the battle. So he carefully made his way back towards his ship. 

:'''{{#var:211|Fuki (211)}} has posed:'''     Fuki didn't quite plan out this enough. She expected that her ramming and scythes would finish off her target, however that wasn't the case. When she's grabbed, she listens to the words said, a smile upon her face. "Even so..." she comments, "We..." the squeezing pressure snaps the Shinki's body and soon she powers down and tossed like a projectile. Kourin's going to be mad that another Fubuki model body will need to be ordered, but she did her job, she did her job well... 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid glares at Garen, then when he starts backing away, she turns herself, moving to where Yunomi landed. "Hang on Yunomi. I'm comin'!" 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura is struck by Seikou's Cactaur Attack, taking 100 damag- oh, wait, no.     Still. She's blasted with laser fire! As are her golems, all of which pop from a single hit. Durable they ain't. Sakura is starting to flag now, panting a bit. "Ghh... You know, I'm starting to think I might not be able to win this," she admits. Who is she talking to?     She grimaces at the news over the radio. "...I guess we might need to cut this short, though." 

:'''{{#var:43|Rainbow Dash (43)}} has posed:''' "That's what you get for picking a snowball fight with a weather pony!" Rainbow Dash raises a forehoof to her nose, and pushes up on it in a mocking face. "You're gonna get burried!" At least Dash played fair! Well, sort of. She still won. But while the pegasus is mocking, Levi is winding up another attack. "Whoops!" Dash's wings flare, and she swoops upwards. But lightning arcs straight towards her, like she were a lightning rod. It breaks across her back, and arcs across her frame. "Yeeeoww!" Sparks flicker across her wings, threatening to make them seize up. But she doesn't let them! Dash keeps flying upwards, disappearing, briefly, amongst the clouds. For a moment, everything is chaos. Lightning crackles around her, dark clouds mill about, churning and rolling. Then it breaks into sheer silence, and Rainbow Dash is soaring straight up, away from the clouds and the fight below. Higher and higher still, she rises up above them, a golden speck in the sky. Then for a moment, Dash stops. She hovers, looking down at the rolling clouds below. She takes a quiet breath, one hoof readjusting her goggles. Then, she drops. Dash dives like a rock, both forehooves outstretched in front of her. She's a speeding bolt of blue and rainbow, flying straight at the storm clouds. When her hooves strike, the clouds seem to explode. The entire storm flares with bright electricity. The entire cloud seems to defy physics by streeetching downwards where Dash hits. Then, as it seems like she might break through it, the lightning pours out from the clouds all at once in one massive bolt of lightning, aimed right at Beli's cage. KRACK-THOOOOM! ... But instead of Dash flying right through with it, there is a TWWAAANNGG-like sound, and then the whole cloud bank snaps back like a rubber band. And Rainbow Dash goes flying, backwards, in the other direction out of the city. "WAAAAAAHHHH!!" The clouds, however, have all turned white and puffy, and already beginning to fade into nothing. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     "I would welcome a rematch, once you have refined your tactics," Seikou offers. "You have plentiful power and have improved greatly. There is no shame in retreating now." She actually smiles for a moment. "You could defeat me, with proper care. But not today, I think." 

:'''{{#var:25|Striker Eureka (25)}} has posed:'''      Striker has been standing in the water just off the coast for much of the fight. The impatience and simmering fury radiates off the Jaeger, coming straight from the minds of its pilots - Herc and Chuck Hansen. Fists clenched, hunched slightly, Striker Eureka looks like its about to break into a run and charge the Confederate lines.      Maybe it'd work.      Of course, then the retreat order is given. The Jaeger stomps around, securing its footing, and thrusts its elbows back in a powerful shove. The chest of the Jaeger opens up, plating folding out of the way of a sextet of six huge barrels. Missile launchers, packed with warheads that are designed to kill Kaiju. Sure, their explosive firepower isn't as great as it might appear, but the sheer shock of their concussive detonations should be enough to let the Union fighters get away.      With a terrific shout, Chuck and Herc fire off their missiles, the launches staggered ever so slightly, blanketting as much of the Confederate lines as they can to buy some time for the Union withdrawal. 

:'''{{#var:272|Yunomi Stadler (272)}} has posed:'''     Yunomi sunk below the waves. It's surprisingly calm, between the deep and the storm above. The river's waters muddy and fan out nearby, and Yunomi feels her lungs fill with saltwater, tasting it on her tongue... before she's fished out of the water. Ocean and blood drip from her nose, and she's retrieved by the formerly shrinking Hood. 

:'''{{#var:15|Material-L (15)}} has posed:'''     In comes Beli with a plan.     Slamming Levi into the web of nets isn't particularily hard. It's painful, it hurts-- the raw impact would break bones, if she were human. Then she's stuck in place by the hardening sap, and struggles a bit to get free.     No go.     "HEY! HEY DON'T JUST LEAVE ME HEEEERE! MEAN LADY!"     Struggle struggle struggle. Whine.     The stone cracks a bit, but it's not letting go of her yet.     The storm growls.     And Rainbow Dash gives Levi a taste of lightning, as the weather discharges most of its energy into the chain net, and thus into the Material too. She screams in pain, and her forms distorts, like a damaged hologram. The pain is sufficient that she manages to breaks free of her bonds. She clutches Vulnificus tightly; she looks absolutely pissed.     And missing half of her Barrier Ja     "VULNIFICUS!!!!"     cxterm45"><LOAD CARTRIDGE. PIERCER FORM.>     The scythe head rises and slams back down, twice. A hiss of steam and a surge of magic indicates cartridges have been loaded. Then the scythe blade vanishes, and the head points upward on the weapon. It turns into a spear, and bright wings of blue light deploy along the length of the weapon from the tip to the base.     The incoming artillery in the distance just makes her angrier. Especially as she sees Seikou caught into one of the blasts. That is a berserk button right there.     "CHEATERS! DUMB CHEATERS! DUMB CHEATERS ALWAYS LOSE! LOSE LOSE LOSE LOSE!" The Device is pointed at Beli-- Rainbow Dash already gone, she'll be the sole one at the receiving end of the little girl's tantrum.     "LOSE!"     <PHOTON LANCER: GENOCIDE SHIFT.>     Dozens and dozens, probably more a hundred and counting, orbs of bright blue light and electricity form in the air around Levi and Beli, covering most of the area the storm used to when it was still active.     "FIRE!"     From every possible angle they lance at Beli.     They burn, they cut, they pierce, they crush. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:'''     Elasaid finds where Yunomi went, and fires an Anchor Chain down to fish the Tanuki out of the water. Cradling the Tanuki, she strides rapidly away from the battlefield. "This isnae over yet, Yunomi." she says, holding her friend close. "SK-119. SK-119. This is MH-51. Requesting emergency retrieval and medevac." 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:'''     Seikou is just standing there. Or floating. When... <PROTECTION!>     The spherical barrier surrounds her, but it isn't very strong. the missile SHE didn't see coming, but her Device did, still manages to shatter the orange field and blast her from the sky, sending her tumbling with a smoking barrier jacket...     But she stops in midfall, glaring toward the ocean before rocketing upward, streaking toward Levi instead. "LEVI! Enough! This is a waste of mana." 

:'''{{#var:172|Sakura Kinomoto (172)}} has posed:'''     Sakura is forced to retreat so -she- doesn't get exploded at too. She grabs Oka's hand as she goes, and just kinda flees at high speed. 

:'''{{#var:37|Serori (37)}} has posed:'''     Someone had to have the inglorious job of pushing around the rank and file, right? Serori drew the short straw, this time. Any personal contributions she's made to the battle have gone virtually unnoticed; instead, she's been the one conveying Gohan's orders to the troops beneath her station. As part of her role, she now organizes these troops into a hasty recovery effort. Sure, most of these guys would rather just blast the civilians away into nothing, but this time, they're made to assist anyone attempting to evacuate. Serori's glare is enough to keep them convinced that obeying Gohan is a Very Good Idea. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli manages to pull away just when that explosion of lightning and thunder strikes down, filling her net with wave after wave of coursing electricity. Mercifully, she gets out just before that manages to consume her, letting her take a moment to breathe and help organize evacuation of Union forces as she turns to regard the rest of the battle.     ...unfortunately, turning away was probably a mistake. The rephaite whirls around just in time to hear Levi shouting in anger, just in time to see Vulnificus pointed at her. Her eyes go wide and she opens her mouth as if to say something, but all that follows is a scream of overwhelming pain as every single bolt of magic and lightning cascades on her in a tremendous storm.     It's remarkable that she isn't completely knocked out from that.     The rephaite still can't keep herself airborn very well after such a painful tantrum. Her body steams and hisses, trailing a stream down as she falls. The crimson sheen on her wings and the flame in her halos fade away. Hatred and the giant net of chains fade away, and it's only through a last-minute extension and flapping of her wings that she doesn't strike the water. She flaps erratically, barely conscious but just strong enough to push herself through the air to evacuate.     Whatever friendly vehicle she finds first will be the one she collapses on, gasping for breath and struggling for consciousness. 

:'''{{#var:15|Material-L (15)}} has posed:'''     Huff.     Levi lowers Vulnificus, breathing heavily a few times and then just kind of... wobbling in the air, from all the injuries and bruises. Seikou calls out, and she hovers towards her instead, whining. "B-But Seikou! They shot artillery at you! That's not faaaaaair!"     Whine whine.     She looks too beat and injured to really carry on any further threats towards the source of unfairness though. Instead she just looks at Material-S with pleading eyes. "... creampuffs?" 

}}

421/Fox vs Fox

2014-08-16T22:40:52Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/08/15 |Location=TARGET: Phase Rock (PR) |Synopsis=Kirika and Kagenashi's TORRID relationship begins with this clash of blades. A target zone i..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/08/15
|Location=TARGET: Phase Rock (PR)
|Synopsis=Kirika and Kagenashi's TORRID relationship begins with this clash of blades. A target zone is taken, and a half-breed and a nogitsune go to town on each other in the process.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=85, 481
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Sprinting towards the territory, Kirika moves through security checkpoints like a ghost to the soldiers on-site. They barely notice a thing, just a cloaked spectre with a tail trailing behind her as she makes her way through the territory. Her blade is not drawn yet. As Kirika understands it, she has but one enemy in these duels.     That enemy is not here yet, as far as she can see or hear. Her crimson eyes narrow from under her hood, and the kitsune half-blood draws her katana, the blade glowing with fiery runes as she calls out, "Forces of the Confederacy!" She announces, sword aloft as soldiers trail assault rifles on the kitsune warily. "I come on behalf of the Union, to claim this land for its uses. Send your champion and evacuate the territory, I would not wish for unnecessary bloodshed..."     They do begin to pull out, the security present not taking their eyes off Kirika for a second as they get non-combat personnel as far away from the fighting as possible.     Deep down, Kirika is sweating bullets. She's not used to being on the spot like this...nor does he have much experience fighting other Elites evenly like this. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     There is a rocky crag not far in front of Kirika that seems not to have anything on it. Once the soldiers have all pulled away, however, a figure abruptly phases into existence perched on that spire.     Kagenashi stands perfectly balanced atop the stone, one hand on her hip while the other hangs at her side. Nageki is sheathed on her back, the cursed sword slumbering for the moment as its wielder stands eyeing her opponent. The smirking white fox mask stares down at Kirika, silver eyes barely visible beneath it, gleaming with predatory curiosity. Crimson fabric billows in the wind like a war banner. While she should be leaving a shadow across the barren, rocky terrain, none stretches from her, and Munashi is nowhere in sight at the moment. The nogitsune almost seems like a ghost.     "Well. I have not seen you out in the field yet." Kagenashi's voice is ever serene, her tone no different than if she were meeting Kirika in the middle of a party. "If you truly want to take this area, then I will be your opponent. It will be a good chance to see your abilities first-hand."     Her arms lift, and the katanas sheathed against her arms are steadily drawn, one after the other. First the right, its blade gleaming in the setting sun; then the left, crackling with energy as the high-frequency blade begins to activate. Both are given a brief twirl in her hands before she lowers them to her sides. "Come, then. You are the attacker; strike your first blow." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     The two foxlike ears on Kirika's head twitch as they sense Kagenashi's arrival to the field, the nogitsune recieving a very calm gaze considering what she knows of the Confederate. Bedivere's awkwardness around her and Kagenashi's actions in her own world have reached Kirika's notice, that much is certain, but as a formal duel, there is nothing personal to be had here between the two...so far.     Kirika narrows her eyes, looking up at Kagenashi as she tightens her grip on Kinugiri. "The feeling is mutal, I am afraid to say. It seems we'll have a chance to rectify that here and now." She tenses up just enough to assume a stance, her sword raised as she coils up like a cobra about to strike, a tiger ready to pounce.     No, this is but a fox on the hunt and it shall be such. Kirika raises an eyebrow at the display of nobility, before she shrugs, noting the more technological blade gifted to Kagenashi from one Samuel Rodrigues...     Kirika takes off like a rocket, sprinting towards Kagenashi before she disappears in a flash of light with petals blowing all around where she once stood. A similar effect is spotted just above the nogitsune, and Kirika descends upon her enemy with a fierce howl as she slashes down upon Kagenashi with an overhead strike, flames coating her sword.     "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi seems remarkably relaxed, all things considered. The nogitsune offers to let Kirika to strike first and she hasn't even entered a stance to be ready to retaliate. One might consider that to be a sign of an opponent who is either foolish, lazy, or lacking proper combat knowledge.     In Kagenashi's case, it's all little more than an act.     Kirika rushes toward her in a flash, teleporting up into the air just above the nogitsune to cleave down onto her. Anyone else would probably fall victim to such a surprising attack, but Kagenashi is nothing if not swift of mind and foot. The moment she hears Kirika's howl, she twists and crouches, leaping aside just as the flaming blade comes down on her. The fires barely flick at her feet as she leaps away, curling up into a rolling flip before she lands on the ground several feet away in a crouch. Flames and steel strike stone, but the nogitsune is spared by split seconds.     Before Kagenashi even stands again, a tendril of purple-black energy like a bruise on the very world around her emerges from her shoulder. The power of pure malevolence suddenly lashes out at Kirika, and while the whip causes no injuries that can be seen, the sheer will to cause harm and destruction is enough to strike at the half-kitsune's very spirit, raking over it like unseen claws.     Only once the whip strikes and dissolves does Kagenashi rise again, once more holding her blades to her sides. "You are swift. An excellent trait in combat." 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Not swift enough evidently, as Kirika hisses as her attack hits naught but air, her head whipping upwards to stare at Kagenashi. She has been so used to fighting slower opponents that this may actually be a problem, even Lockdown could be outmanuevered time to time with enough luck, but with the nogitsune things may be a lot more complicated.     Some part of her relishes the challenge, even as she lets out a growl and lunges toward Kagenashi with her sword raised. It's not enough, though, as she is hit with a horrific strike of personified malevolence, striking not flesh but spirit. KIrika lets out a howl of pain and anger, clutching her chest as she stumbles and drops to a knee. Gritting her teeth, she breathes ragged and heavy as she tigthens her grip on her sword once more.     "As are you, it seems...th-this might be more of a fight than I expected." She says at last, and her warrior's spirit returns as she grips her blade two-handed and slashes at Kagenashi, leaping to cover the gap as she aims her strike midlong now. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     There are some times when having her swords lowered might be advantageous for Kagenashi. This...is not one of those times.     Whether she underestimated Kirika's speed or the half-kitsune's ability to recover from that sort of magical strike, she pays for it immediately after. She lifts her swords in a cross to block and attempts to shift aside to evade, but neither is as effective as she would like. Steel rings out as Kirika's swords strike hers, pushing through a guard that is not secure enough to resist. The blade cuts into Kagenashi's side, cleaving deep into flesh and staining the purple cloth around her waist with blood. The only sound she releases is a tense gasp of pained surprise, however, faintly muffled behind her mask.     With both the force of the blow and her own attempted leap, the nogitsune is cast aside, landing awkwardly and only still on her feet due to her incredible sense of balance. She clutches her swords in her hands, quickly forcing herself upright despite the aching pain in her side. That was a mistake she won't be repeating.     "...good. So you can hit me," Kagenashi remarks, her calm tone slightly broken under the effect of lingering pain. She doesn't wait to recover, however, and immediately rushes forward again to keep the pressure on Kirika. A horizontal slash of one sword flows into a twirl, striking diagonally upward once, then twice as Kagenashi briefly turns into a swirl of flowing crimson and flashing steel. It might count as a beautiful dance, if it weren't clearly aimed to draw blood from her opponent. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika's sword will probably leave more than just a burning cut on Kagenashi, the blade's holy properties affecting her malevolence directly.     She does however feel several slashes hit her, one from the contemporary blade and the other from the one that seems to vibrate enough that it seems to be doubly effective over any regular blade. A gasp escapes Kirika as she feels both cuts on her side, slicing up her shirt with blood leaking through the torn fabric. Grunting, she evades to minimize damage from the third strike, only giving her a shallow cut as she rolls to the left.     Knelt down with her sword down, Kirika moves to lunge forwards at the nogitsune, her blade turning colder than the coldest mountain peaks with frosted edges. Letting out a shout, Kirika slices upwards at Kagenashi, then lets off two swifter strikes to follow it up. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     It seems Kagenashi isn't the only one to recover quickly. Kirika suddenly lunges at her while she's recovering from her last attack, more quickly than even she can react to in time. Two strikes cleave through the fabric of her kimono, slicing into flesh and sprouting ice crystals along the bleeding cuts that form. Another tense, pained hiss comes from Kagenashi, and she just barely lifts her blades in time to deflect the third hit enough to buy her the time to shift aside and spare herself little more than a graze across the arm.     The holy energy of the sword does indeed have a significant effect on Kagenashi. She is exactly the type of creature such powers naturally counteract, and while the frigid ice leaves painful crystals in her wounds, the holy energy impacts her very nature. It is, all told, not pleasant in the slightest.     Still, as much as it clearly hurts, Kagenashi doesn't allow such pain to slow her down too much. Rather than make use of her blades, the nogitsune spins to deliver a swift, strong kick of her heel at Kirika's chest, a strike intended to wind the half-kitsune and buy her some space at the same time. Even then, Kagenashi leaps back a few more feet immediately after, increasing the distance whether or not her attack has the intended effect.     Strangely, mid-leap, she sheathes both of her swords again. Rather than the twin swords, Kagenashi switches to a single blade: Nageki is brought from behind her and pulled from its sheath, the nodachi's nine curved hooks in place of the cutting edge gleaming viciously, the cursed blade itself giving off an aura of bloodthirsty malice as if it were a starving demon.     The fox woman is already starting to breathe a little more heavily than usual, but she maintains her poise against the pain, tucking Nageki's sheath on her back and taking the life-stealing weapon in a two-handed grip. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     The evil blade sets Kirika's neck-hairs on end, her body all a shiver as she senses a demonic presence from the blade that's beyond that of anything she's seen of Kasun. Kagenashi's threat level gets more and more evident as the fight drags on, and Kirika steels herself for what comes next.     Her own sword flares upward as Kirika sees the kick coming, evading the strike entirely as she leaps towards Kagenashi with blade ready.     "HYAH!!"     Her blade flourishes, and Kirika pushes harder to knock Kagenashi back as she lunges to slash at her sidelong with her blade, lightning coating the edge as she strikes harder than before. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Lightning. This is slightly more familiar to Kagenashi, but at the same time, she finds herself faltering more under Kirika's attacks than she expected to. Despite only being a half-kitsune, Kirika's strength seems to rival that of a full one, at least to a point. Where does she /get/ that sort of power?     Nageki is lifted to block, but Kirika uses the opportunity to push Kagenashi back, steel clashing against steel as she's knocked off-balance by Kirika's superior physical strength. That strike opens Kagenashi up for the horizontal strike against her torso, cleaving along her abdomen and jolting her with a burst of lightning. Only then does the nogitsune finally let out a louder sound of pain, stumbling back before she braces herself once more.     She doesn't give Kirika another opening to respond. Rather than take the risk of powering Nageki by attacking her opponent, Kagenashi instead holds the cursed weapon against the deep, still-bleeding wound in her side. As the sword drinks, the trenches along its blade filling with a deep red and steadily beginning to glow as its power grows, Kagenashi lets four orbs of greenish-blue flame seep from the mouth of her mask. While she's busy powering Nageki with her own blood, those four orbs of fox fire rush at Kirika all at once, aimed to strike her dead in the chest. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Fox fire, definitely a nasty thing to get hit by. Kirika shrieks as she is hit by the torrent of orbs in quick succession. One knocks her off-balance, another hits her hard enough to disorient her, another strikes her in the gut, and the last knocks her on her back. Burns are left all over her body and clothes, each one painful enough when not factoring in the spirital damage to Kirika.     Groaning, the kitsune forces herself to stand after her body slowly knits itself to heal the wounds enough for her to get back into the fight. "...I will not fall so soon!" She says, before she takes off in a run among the mountains, using her agility to carry her across the jagged points with nimble leaps.     Her hand glows with flames, and Kirika leaps to teleport in striking range as she reforms just in time to fire off a ball of her own magic flames at Kagenashi. Her aim may not be the best, but hopefully at this range it'll strike true... 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi keeps watch on Kirika as the half-kitsune rises and sprints back into action. The healing of her wounds is noted; some ability that differs between them, it seems. Kagenashi can't heal herself mid-battle like that, at least not without an ability that still lies outside of her reach at the moment. That could make this battle much more difficult.     Nageki drinks and drinks, Kagenashi sacrificing her own blood to the sword for the sake of the continuing battle. Soon the blade has consumed enough that a thick mist of bloody energy hangs over it, seeping off like a steamy sheath. It's at that moment that Kirika suddenly teleports in, and where Kagenashi swiftly retaliates.     A blade of that size is not a quick weapon, but something in its power seems to make it move fast enough to match a much smaller blade. Kagenashi lifts it just as Kirika's orb of flame is launched at her, and the serrated blade moves into place just in time for the orb to hit it first. The strange sheath of energy actually manages to slice through the orb, and while it doesn't stop the fire from hitting Kagenashi, it at least weakens it slightly so that it's not completely devastating. Flames smash into Kagenashi's shoulder, burning away her sleeve and scorching the skin beneath, but it could have been a much worse attack.     The nogitsune resists the urge to stumble and falter under the building pain from Kirika's attacks. This is the perfect opportunity to retaliate, and it's one she won't miss. Nageki almost seems to direct itself as she strikes back at Kirika, slicing, twirling, and cleaving through the air with quick arcs that leave trails of red in its path. Each slash is quickly followed up with another, and the aura around Nageki seems to act similarly to a high-frequency blade, cutting far more effectively than any weapon like that should be able to. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kagenashi's blade does not escape Kirika's notice. The blood it drinks seems to power it, especially given the originator being so powerful a nogitsune indeed. It's enough to give Kirika reason to be wary, and she's about to brace herself from the retaliation Kagenashi is about to deliver to her.     It comes with a barrage of attacks cutting onto her abdomen and upper torso with deep strikes before she begins to get nasty in return. "NO." Her blade parries the next two strikes, good fighting back against evil as Kinugiri's blade trails sparks of ice and magic against Nageki's own malevolent edge.     Kirika locks blades with Kagenashi, and she suddenly whirls to deliver a swift knee to the nogitsune's stomach to disorient her before letting off a fierce flurry of strikes in return. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     When the cursed and holy blades lock, Kagenashi focuses as much of her strength as she can manage on making sure Kirika doesn't break through her guard. It's a feat that she isn't exactly built for. Kagenashi's focus is on swiftness, cleverness, agility. She isn't made for contests of direct strength, because she'll undoubtedly be outclassed in them. Kirika may be a few inches shorter than her, but the half-kitsune has clearly demonstrated her superiority in terms of physical strength.     Even if she could endure that initial struggle, however, as bloody energy sparks and flickers against frigid ice and holy power, Kirika's abrupt knee to the nogitsune's already-injured stomach is more than she can handle. Kagenashi lurches with a sharp cry, and it's all she can manage to lift her blade and parry that first strike that follows before the next come over her. While Nageki's swift movement allows her to slightly lessen the impacts of those strikes, Kagenashi still suffers frigid slash after frigid slash, cutting into her skin and forming ice crystals around each wound.     "...stronger than I expected," she murmurs, parrying another slash. This one, however, isn't simply a block. She does so at an angle to catch the end of Kirika's blade between two of Nageki's hooks, and using that as leverage rather than relying on brute strength, she twists the sword aside to open up the half-kitsune's guard and perhaps even disarm her. Whatever the case, she quickly thrusts Nageki forward immediately after, trying to simply run through Kirika with the enhanced blade. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika's strength does make her a natural counterpart to Kagenashi's more nimble graces, but she also has another advantage. The cursed blade does rip through her, but Kirika's evasive skills make it so that it only manages to strike her side. Ripping it free, Kirika rubs where her wound has already tasted the blade's cursed bite, and she's definitely given the sword enough of a taste tonight to want more.     It's only natural that now she would want to finish things here and now, and she will do just that as she pulls her sword out of Nageki's grasp and flips it, so that she grasps it with a reversed grip. The pommel pointing up, Kirika uses that to clock Kagenashi across the face, before she envelops her left hand's fist in lightning.     She lets off a fierce left hook, augmented by holy lightning as her fist hits home. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     If only Kagenashi had picked this fight when she were stronger, the odds might have become slightly less.     As it stands, Kirika's swift escape and resulting strikes hit her fully. The impact of the pommel is bad enough on its own, its solidness coupled with Kirika's own strength; on top of that, Kagenashi's mask is more decorative than protective, formed from porcelain rather than anything more solid. The pommel strike sends Kagenashi stumbling back a few steps and creates a spiderweb of cracks along the mask's surface, and it has the added effect of stunning her enough that she can't bring herself to react in time to the follow-up. She sees the lightning-coated fist hurtling for her, but she can't adjust her stumbling to move-     Kirika's fist slams into her face, shattering the rest of the mask and sending Kagenashi tumbling back over herself along the ground. The nogitsune rolls to a halt, propped up on one elbow on her side as she tries to regain her senses. Silver eyes like the full moon blink away the jarring impacts. A surprised and pained expression lingers on slender, graceful features. Soft lips are parted around coughs and gasps for breath, allowing the shimmering glow of the star orb in her tongue to shine clearly. Injured and weakened she may be, but even then, the fox woman is almost unnaturally beautiful.     Kagenashi groans in discomfort as she pushes herself to her feet, struggling to remain upright and in a combat-ready stance. Her expression is hardened, but even then the exhaustion and pain she feels come through now and then in small winces and a too-firm clenching of her jaw. Her silver eyes are narrowed in a glare of wounded pride as she grasps Nageki in both hands.     "...a half-breed. Of all the things to be bested by..." Her normally serene tone falters somewhat under an annoyed snarl. No more words are spoken before she suddenly swings Nageki horizontally...but too far away from Kirika to actually hit.     What hits instead is the abrupt storm of slicing, crimson energy that whirls around Kirika the instant after that slash is made, cutting at her from several different angles in a matter of seconds as if by several blades at once. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Half-breed. HALF-BREED.     Kirika's eyes narrow as she stops just enough to give Kagenashi an opening to unleash a flurry of slashes at her. Several deep cuts are left on her, shredding a good portion of her clothes. Those leggings are pretty much ruined for one thing.     She seems to be welling up that slurr, as she just stands and takes it for a good while even as the blade's very evil just burns inside of her from the inside.     She staggers, wobbling side to side as she squeezes her sword's grip.     Taking in a deep breath, Kirika glares at Kagenashi as she sucks in breath, bloodied all over even as her wounds struggle to knit back together.     "Enough." She rasps at last, before she charges, teleporting only to reform from behind, and /skewer/ Kagenashi with her sword. Kinugiri rips through the nogitsune's abdomen, before the half-kitsune pulls it free with a boot to Kagenashi's back. 

:'''{{#var:85|Kagenashi (85)}} has posed:'''     Even as Kagenashi holds her blade to the side, prepared to strike, retaliate, or block whatever comes next, she's certainly not looking like she can take much more. Deep gashes, burns, and ice crystals score clothing and skin alike, lending her a ragged appearance. She can't even manage to remain upright, as much as she struggles to do so. Just holding Nageki is enough of an effort. Still, defiance gleams in her eyes, and her grasp on the cursed, bloodthirsty sword remains firm.     Kirika charges, then vanishes. By now, Kagenashi knows what to expect from that. Her mind works quickly in that split second. Where would she be most vulnerable?     Mercifully for Kagenashi, she's quick enough to make sure the blade doesn't skewer her completely. A twist of Nageki and a shift of her own body redirects Kinugiri to graze along her waist just above a previous wound, and rather than risk staying in those close quarters and being attacked again, Kagenashi takes the opening to leap back and land in a graceless stumble. The moment she lands, she vanishes, flickering out of existence...     ...and doesn't reappear, no matter how long Kirika waits. 

}}

384/Attack on Alexandria

2014-08-11T15:03:27Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/08/10 |Location=Great Ocean - Eastern Loop |Synopsis=The Seaport Princess Darwin spearheads an attack on the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt, with..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/08/10
|Location=Great Ocean - Eastern Loop
|Synopsis=The Seaport Princess Darwin spearheads an attack on the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt, with the sole goal of absolute destruction.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=27, 112, 132, 438, 490, 494, 513, 524
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Alexandria, Egypt, Earth-1984.     The second-largest city in Egypt is fascinating enough already, stretching for miles along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Even more significant is the fact that it's the largest city on that coast, and it serves as the largest seaport for Egypt as a whole, controlling almost all of its imports and exports.     In this iteration of Earth, where Egypt has preserved much of its old culture up into the Information Age, Alexandria also thrives on tourism: ancient Egyptian architecture mixes with modern structures and building requirements, forming a unique cityscape that would be reason enough to visit and appreciate. Even then, the city's main attraction is the offered viewing of the tombs of past monarchs, for here, Alexandria is still led by that ancient monarchy. Former rulers are preserved, respected, and offered the most elaborate tombs for their final rest, and these are a sight many would wish to see.     Yes, truly Alexandria is the pinnacle of civilization in Earth-1984. A prime target for wanton destruction.     On this sunny, peaceful day, the water a couple of miles out from the city's shipyard begins to churn and roil. Waves begin to crash against the shore from the activity out at sea, rocking ships in port and bashing them against the harbor. Soon enough, the source makes itself known, as a giant black horn begins to rise out of the ocean. What follows is a strange, titanic combination of flesh and metal; a dock of sorts in the middle of the sea, formed of sleek black metal with a strange, deathly pale woman kneeling in the middle of it, her eyes glowing red and her huge, gleaming claws perched on the dock on either side of her. As the Seaport Princess Darwin comes to a halt floating on the ocean's surface, the waves grow in intensity for several moments, crashing against the shore and banging ships together as they lie in port.     Darwin releases a slow, almost weary sigh, matching the faintly concerned look lingering in her eyes. Is she reluctant, perhaps? It doesn't seem to be stopping her if she is; soft though her voice may be, at her current gigantic size she doesn't need to try very hard to be heard throughout the city. "...Alexandria. Under the orders of Samar, the Battleship Princess and admiral of the Abyssal Fleet, I, Darwin, sentence you to rest at the bottom of the ocean."     Then it begins. The few main cannons on Darwin's harbor begin opening fire, launching shells through the air to impact and explode wherever they may. The shipyard, the surrounding shore, the city further inland; it really doesn't matter, it seems. Each report of cannon fire heralds another explosion of death and destruction, sinking a couple of smaller ships, blasting through a few buildings, and no doubt causing dozens of casualties already. As if that weren't enough, strange "airplanes" (http://tinyurl.com/nt4ctx9) begin forming on Darwin's structure, rushing down the runway and flying toward the shore. A good dozen or so of them are out within moments, fighters raining bullets on the soldiers scrambling to find their places, bombers dropping their explosives over the harbor, and torpedo planes letting their charges slip under the waves to detonate beneath docked ships.     Naturally, air raid sirens and evacuation procedures go out immediately, though it's starting to look very questionable whether they'll be of any use.     There are several more dark shapes rushing to shore underwater, too. Most of them aren't much bigger than a person, but if the destructive force of the Abyssal Fleet has shown anything so far, they probably don't /need/ to be much bigger to be a threat. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      Where there is tourism, there is greasy fast food joints designed to shovel out low quality food slathered in various toppings to mask their actual taste.      So what better place for the Demon Lord of Gluttony to feed his growling stomach?      Stepping out of the fast food joint with a pair of double bacon cheeseburgers in hand, Beelzebumon emerges, already stuffing his face with one of the patties, "Mmmm, god bless whoever thought up the idea of fast food. For he is truly a saint." He takes another big bite of his food.      Then off in the distance, explosions and air raid warnings start to sound, prompting Beelzebumon (with his mouth still full) to turn his head. After a moment to chew, he swallows, "Huh, looks like someone is having some fun. Might as well go see what the fireworks are about." He takes another bite of his burger as he calmly starts walking towards the port even as people come screaming and fleeing in the opposite direction. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     "So maybe a little bit of fish after all, eheheheheheh!" Crows a victorious Finna from on shore, where she, like the Demon Lord, has discovered fast food. A certain joint will find that its cash register contains some odd scraps of paper and pebbles instead of bills and coins of any kind, but oh well.     She's munching on some fried fish when.... BOOOM. Shells start raining in, explosions everywhere! The young woman's jaw just plain drops... and then, in a rush, she tufs a whole fried fish into her mouth!     "Groo mofoo hwam vooin w'ma ood!" She howls angrily, waving an arm out at the harbor. Whatever the hell THAT was supposed to mean.     But she downs the fish in a hurry - what a glutton!     ".... It's those damned ghosts AGAIN!" 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     It seems Nam-Ek ate far too many tacos and is... indisposed. So the General himself has come to help Samar add to her dark fleet. His black cape flutters as he hits the shore like an artillery shell, leaving a crater and plume of dust in the wake of his landing. General Zod rises and casts his gaze about, helmet up to protect him from the results of his own entry onto the scene. For him, as the person who suggested this target to Samar, the agenda today is to support the Confederate ally in her goal of destruction. Which means he is likely going to draw as much fire as possible and take out the shore batteries if possible. 

:'''{{#var:27|Jonothon Starsmore (27)}} has posed:''' One of those casualties is almost Jono! Having been taking a walk in the city, he'd been in a building when the stray cannonball crashed into it. That seems to be about his luck most of the time. Regardless, that means people need help. The building's going to collapse, and he doesn't exactly have super-strength to stop it. Getting people out of there is a priority. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:'''     Further out to sea, past the harbor's breakwaters, is a large warp gate that's used for multiversal shipping. What emerges from this gate is not a ship, though. It's a helicopter. Specifically it's a Seaking marked with the seal of the First World Defense Fleet, Midway Island. Once the vehicle has fully emerged, it banks sharply towards the combat zone. Inside, one of the passengers slides the side door open and leans out.     Adorned by a navy blue windbreaker with a distinctive shoulder patch, 'IJN BB YAMATO -- 1st FLEET', Mikase Yamato shields her eyes as she glowers down at the exposed shape of the Seaport Princess, a tense frown on her face. Glancing back inside, she shouts over the sound of the engine, "Bring it in low but don't stop, get out once I've dropped!"     And once the Seaking has descended, Mikase leaps out. In midair, wreathed in light, she transforms before she hits the water. The girl only sinks up to her knees before she halts, stooping down from the impact and the weight of her forming armor and equipment. Rising, she takes a step, quickly accellerating to her top speed of 28 knots.     Even while forming, the girl's main guns are swiveling forward. It's the smaller secondary battery that fires, however, flinging rounds across the Seaport Princess' bow. A warning shot. She raises her voice over the sound of combat, aided by her Deployment's megaphone: "That's enough! Surrender or be sunk!" 

:'''{{#var:490|Terek Kinslayer (490)}} has posed:'''     Up above the city, there is a shimmering effect as the black ship known as the Predator emerges from it's optical cloak. The large ship's weapons systems are trained down upon the city as a whole. The goal, it seems, is the destruction of the shipyard. However since wonton destruction has not been discouraged, the Predator begins to fire randomly into the city, plasma blasts scorching buildings and exploding cars in the streets.     As the ship does it's thing and fires into the city, it's commander leaves the vsessel, the back hatch opening to allow him to leap from it, and take the fight to the streets. He knows his ship won't fire on him while he's down here. 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:'''     Rosamarie is, like Yamato, aboard the Seaking helicopter. She doesn't quite respond the same way however. She'd heard the alert, had calculated the route through warpgates quickly and carefully, had determined they could respond. She lacks Yamato's passion for defense, but there's more to battle than passion. Her will to fight is every bit as strong, if for different reasons.     Also unlike Yamato, she doesn't transform as she drops. Rosa dives instead, hitting the water cleanly still in her guise as a perfectly normal, apparently human girl. She just ... doesn't come back up in quite the same way. Calling upon Albacore while still underwater, Rosa surfaces and races on in Yamato's wake. More or less matching the Yamato's speed while she's surfaced, she's nonetheless not invisible. Not yet. She's just a smaller, less threatening target. Lacking the big guns of her sister warship, she's only bearing a rifle and machinegun along her back.     When Yamato gives her orders, Albacore takes the opportunity to turn aside. Her form shimmers, fades into translucence, and the long rifle barrel comes forward. The guns will speak, eventually, but for now she's taking the opportunity to get into position and establish her defenses. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     At least Darwin's attacks aren't very frequent. She doesn't have much in the way of standard weaponry, after all, so she has to rely on those hideous planes to do most of the work. And work they do: swooping, diving, rising once more, they rain death on the shore, bombing buildings, skyscrapers, streets, and whoever happens to be in them with reckless abandon. That shipyard isn't going to last very long at this rate, and neither is the surrounding city.     It seems Darwin is going to need to shift her direct attention, anyway. Yamato's warning shot bursts, making the strangely gigantic woman flinch in surprise and turn her attention to the much smaller Fleet Maiden. Ah, and there's Rosa, too, at least for a brief moment. Surely she should be showing some kind of contempt for the girls, but...no, Darwin's expression remains strangely tired and fretful. Indeed, she only seems more worn out by this development, as if she's thinking 'do we really have to do this?' "...you again. Samar ordered me to come here, so I won't retreat until we're done."     The water churns around her once more, bubbling as if something incredibly hot were just under the surface. A red glow approaches the ocean's surface before three giant shapes burst out of the water: three giant chrome orbs split down the middle into gnashing mouths, red steam pouring from their mouths and various exhaust ports around them. They're all smaller than Darwin, but still huge in their own right: the Escort Fortress, built to assist any Capital Ship in need. Darwin's voice becomes slightly firmer before the Escort Fortress opens fire from the cannons in their mouths, launching shells in the direction of the Fleet Maidens. "...now go away, and do not come any closer to me."     Those shapes beneath the water aren't going to be hindered by annoying ice formations this time. Soon enough, the fleet makes landfall: a group of seven I-Class Destroyers (http://tinyurl.com/p55pn2l) about the size of cars burst from the waves and hover just above the ground, rushing in to bite down on machines and civilians alike with crushing jaws or firing their own cannons to cause destruction from afar. Just behind them is a monstrous Elite To-Class Light Cruiser (http://tinyurl.com/mtabt5w) that lumbers along the ground like a great beast, snarling mechanically and glowing an ominous red. A few motley soldiers begin rushing out of the harbor to open fire on the To-Class, but their bullets mostly seem to bounce off the abomination's metal hide before it turns its rapid-fire cannons to face them.     There isn't much left of them after the next couple of seconds other than red splattered across the blasted port. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      No sooner than Terek lands upon the earth than he would find someone already waiting for him.      Amidst all the panicing and screaming people fleeing away from the attack, Beelzebumon comes calmly strolling strolling down, as through he were on a walk through the park and not through the middle of a battlefield. With one last bite, he finishes off his second burger and uses a napking to clean off his mouth and fingers before addressing Kinslayer.      "Oh hey, if it isn't everyone's favorite vampiric dragon," Beelzebumon crumbles up the napking and deliberately flicks it at Terek's chest, "Fancy meeting you here. I believe we have unfinished business, don't we?"      Beelzebumon crackles his knuckles and twists his head to one side with a series of loud pops, "So why don't we skip over the pleasentries and get right to the action?" He beckons Terek with two fingers as he drops into a fighting pose, "Bring it." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     "Great food here, but this makes two places caught witht heir pants down by these ghosts... does nobody in this world patrol their waters? Idiots... well, this is what you get for leaving yourselves open..." Finna grumbles. Such is the viewpoint of barbarians, indeed. It's your own fault if you're caught slacking....     But there's screams all around her. She can only clench her teeth. The cries of children are really what does it.     The Lunar Exalted, after all, are protectors by nature.     And so, Finna rushes towards the shoreline at great speeds, then takes a flying leap off the docks and towards the waves.     And then... she hits the water, not unlike Rosamarie's own plunge. Down she goes, into the depths.... and the water churns.     In mere moments, enormous jaws pierce the water line and snap down on air, sending seawater spraying everywhere. Then an enormous creature breaks the surface. The head is not unlike a crocodile's, save that those jaws are big enough to gulp down a great white shark, and for its long spear-like tongue. The creature's body is sleek for its size, like a very stretched-out seal's, with two flippers and tapering into a long, sinuous tail.     All in all, the creature is about 60 feet long and must weigh many tons. The only comparable thing in Earth's geological record is the prehistoric shark, MEGALODON, but this is no shark.     This is a Sea Dragon! 

:'''{{#var:27|Jonothon Starsmore (27)}} has posed:''' When those horrible ships make landfall, getting civilians to safe areas becomes a major priority. There must be some kind of safe area or something... a bunker, whether underground or aboveground? There has to be something, some place they can go. Jono may have to blast some people out of a collapsed building here, now that these /things/ are dropping crap! Not only that, but escorting people to safe zones is going to be a problem with those 'beissenburgs' up there. So between all this, Jono's going to end up with his fire on full display, since he'll need to discourage these beastly things from biting people. With psychikinetic not-fire. He does wince when he notices the luck the military is /not/ having against that thing. There are still civilians to assist, though, and he can't be drawing a big bad beastie's attention over to where those civilians are. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:'''     Turning on her approach, Yamato pushes out one hand. There's a glow when her Barrier Armor manifests, the incoming shells smashing into that barrier with a concussive, metallic noise that resonates across the waves. Smoke and flame pour back around the edges, which crack slightly from the impact. Behind it, Yamato bares her teeth in a tense frown, "Samar, huh... So that's your leader's name."     Her main battery's turrets have finished rotating, barrels elevated by the time Yamato's Barrier disappears. Raising her voice, she barks, "I'll honor your request by keeping my distance. Unfortunately for you..."     < Main battery loaded, high explosive fragmentation. Elevations 20, 20, 25, 25, 30, 30. Ready to fire. >     "...I don't HAVE to be close to you!"     < Primary battery, open fire. Secondary battery, stagger fire. Tertiary battery, on guard for air targets. >     Instantly, the six glimmering muzzles of Yamato's main battery roar to life in rapid succession, filling the air around her with flame and gunsmoke and hurling her heaviest artillery in upward arcs. The elevation is due to Darwin's incredible size, but Yamato's actual target is the left sided launch ramp for the enormous abyssal ship's airstrip. 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     Zod notices something large and big going into the water from the harbor line. This will not do. The man leaps into the air with a long jump, sailing through the air with ease and going for one hell of an elbow drop on the sea serpent. Hit or miss, Zod's going to hit the water like one of those shells the naval support is flinging about like t-shirts at a sports stadium. KABLOOSH! 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:'''     Albacore continues to stream, flanking Yamato rather than hiding behind her. Rosa knows Yamato wants to shield the other ships, but the ghost of the submarine has other ideas. Better to not make a close grouping for shells to simply rain down at random. Better to not be an easy target.     <Incoming fire. Escort craft Yamato is struck. Shells striking the water.> Albacore herself isn't struck. Shells land near, but the submarine maiden isn't wholly phased in with this world. Nothing strikes cleanly. Within the cold shell of Albacore, Rosamarie doesn't even feel the jarring impact of nearby cannon fire that manages to get through.     <Enemy targets. Designate the carrier Sierra One. Cruiser is Sierra Two. Designate the destroyers Sierra Three through Nine, from port to starboard.> Rosa knows that, of those targets, only Darwin is a reasonable target. With that armor though, she figures her tactical weaponry would be all but useless. <Make a bearing for Sierra One. Close to effective torpedo range.> Bearing down on Darwin will have to be Rosa's answer to the demand to go away, since she's not about to waste actual breath refuting it. Torpedos will be her eventual reply, and they'll be far from useless even against Darwin. They're made for sinking ships, even ghost ships. She just has to make sure there's little chance of Darwin evading the attacks. Even big and slow as the nightmare creature is sure to be, some attacks are best reserved. For now, Rosa has other targets in mind.     <Ready the Bofors cannon and engage air targets of opportunity.> Switching out weapons, Rosa sets the rifle back. She's not quite ready to strike the warship itself, but she can't quite let things go entirely unanswered. The aircraft that are torpedo-bombing. Those, she can target. Besides, she needs to see if the cannon is as effective as she intended. Pulling the machinegun forward, she sights along the barrel and unleashes a stream of magical tracer fire, pulling the trigger in measured bursts, sending glowing red bolts of power up into the horde of assault bombers. 

:'''{{#var:490|Terek Kinslayer (490)}} has posed:'''     "You again? Some part of me had hoped that you would have learned your lesson in our last fight." Terek replies to Beelzebumon, as he glares at the Digimon, "But clearly not. I suppose it will be up to me to try to put you in your place and teach you the folly of interfering in Confedrate operations." The dragon opts to start the fight.     He sucks in a deep breath, and fires it at the ground in front of the Digimon, aiming to kick a cloud of debis up between himself and his opponent, and mask his next maneuver, as he moves in and slams his balled up right fist towards his opponent's face. It's simple, but it's to the point. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     The great beastly Sea Dragon is, out of nowhere, ELBOW DROPPED with enough force to send it DOWn into the water by several times its own body length. General Zod is gonna get splashed. Epically. And the beast's bellow is heard even through the water. THAT HURT.     Surprising it even survived the impact. But oh, oh it did.     Those jaws erupt from the water and SLAM down around Zod. The beast is ANGRY and it does the first thing that comes to mind: get rid of this snack-sized pest!     Because Finna has better things to do, for now. L ike distract Darwin and convince them to leave... but... apparently not happening! 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Darwin does not seem like the combat type. She flinches again when Yamato opens fire once more, closing her eyes and pulling back as those shells fly toward her...and hit the airstrip at her side, exploding against the gnashing head that the airstrip is mounted on and drawing out a snarl of pain from the machine. It's a start, at least: the shells blast off a good chunk of the airstrip's side, though it's not quite unusable yet. Darwin opens her glowing red eyes again to assess the damage, then turns back to Yamato, frowning slightly in her gaze. "...you are still too close." One of the three orbs of the Escort Fortress suddenly roars into action, clenching its teeth and rushing in at Yamato. It seems like it's trying to just ram into her; an effective tactic when that one orb is about the size of a house.     Rosa's shots seem quite effective as well. As big as they are right now, the Abyssal planes aren't particularly durable, especially against Elite opposition. Planes are shot down again and again, stopping their bombing as they plummet to the sea and ground with a trail of smoke. That, strangely, seems to anger Darwin, drawing a frown from the Seaport Princess as she looks to Rosa. "Stop shooting them! /Stop it/!" A couple of torpedo bombers that remain veer around toward the Albacore, dropping their charges and sending those submerged explosives up under Rosa in a counterattack!     Back on land, the I-Class Destroyers are more than a little surprised by the burning display put on by Jonothon. Bestial and single-minded as they are, they begin backing away from him in fear, snarling and chomping in a threatening display. A few even break off to float to different areas inland, where they can blast their cannons through buildings that /aren't/ being guarded by such a strange individual.     The To-Class, however, isn't so easily dissuaded. In fact, Jono's display only seems to draw its attention, as its three mouths open to bellow at him in a manner not unlike a ship's foghorn. The creature immediately begins lumbering toward him on two arms like a predator, and those cannons on its shoulders fire a pair of volleys. They aren't aimed right at him, though; instead, the shots explode against the building closest to him, a skyscraper that shudders dangerously as debris begins to fall from it. Looks like that one's going to fall any second, and if it does...well, it just might take a few others with it. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      Beelzebumon smirks widely as he snubs his nose at Terek, "And what lesson would that be? Not to fight on an unstable ship prone to breaking apart at any second?" He snorts, "Don't think that's really relevant here..."      As the dust gets kicked up, Beelzebumon stands his ground, his eyes sweeping through the dust for signs of movement... and moment he sees as the dust swipes in the wake of Terek's passing, barreling right towards him.      At the last second, Beelzebumon leans to a side like a championship boxer weaving his torso to avoid a blow, and the punch grazes by his cheek. Not one to waste an opportunity, the Demon Lord's counter is swift and immediate as he lets loose with a body blow in the approximate area of Terek's kidneys before dancing away, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!" 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:'''     < Reload armor-piercing, all hands brace for impact-- >     Thrusting one leg forward, Yamato brakes herself and turns, pushing both hands outward. Her Barrier Armor rematerializes, presenting the incoming Escort Fortress with a shimmering wall of white to strike against. Its weight pushes the battleship maiden back in the water. When she feels herself leaning away from the force, to compensate, Yamato lifts one foot and braces it behind herself.     With her barrier cracking beneath the force of the Fortress' impact, Yamato's cannons de-elevate and focus inward. When they speak, the entire area around battleship and fortress is suddenly obscured with smoke from a point-blank report of all six guns, focused as close to the same point of impact as possible given the range.     Regardless of damage to the Fortress, however, the close range explosion of her own ammunition and the pressing force of the Fortress combined overwhelm Yamato's balance. The girl tips backward into the water with a collosal splash on the edge of the smoke obscuring herself and her close-range enemy. One hand reaches upward, swiftly disappearing, followed by her legs and finally, the smoking muzzles of her main battery. 

:'''{{#var:27|Jonothon Starsmore (27)}} has posed:''' Jono cringes as the guns point at him... except the shots hit another building. The buildings around here should be at least mostly evac'ed by now; if anybody had half a brain, they'd have started as soon as the attack started. And that's all Jono was trying to do, really-- buy time. Lacking super-strength or flight abilities, there's not really much Jono can do about the falling building. But he can do something about the thing that's knocking the buildings down! In this case, with a massive blast! It's not full strength, but it's close. And he's aiming that blast right at the ugly thing's even uglier, toothy maw! 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     Zod himself is plunged into the depths of the Alexandrian harbor with the sheer force he put into that drop, swimming furiously towards the surface (since aquatic environmnents aren't exactly his forte). Before he reaches the surface, however, the serpent surges upward and manages to chomp down on Zod, catching his helmet with the jaws and breaking the atmospheric seal. Zod struggles and pushes against the teeth to force his way out even as the two of them surge towards the surface.     A splume of ocean sprays into the air, tossing the kryptonian into the air as all the sea serpent really gets for her trouble is a shred of tough black cape caught in her teeth. He takes a deep breath reflexively, and wishes he hadn't as the world turns into a jumble of technicolor and x-rays before his eyes. Zod starts tumbling downwards, a bit too consumed with getting the world to start making sense again to avoid any attacks coming his way. 

:'''{{#var:490|Terek Kinslayer (490)}} has posed:'''     Well this plan wasn't quite as good as it seemed when he started. He misses his punch, only to wind up getting a fist slamming into his head with remarkable power. The blow knocks him down to the ground, at least down to one knee, and makes him realize that he is really outclassed, really quickly. Still, he can't just run away. That wouldn't look very good. He'll have to at least endure a bit until he can fall back.     So he opts to do something else. Cheat. The dragon grabs a blade off of his belt, twists it in his hand, and tries to slam it down into Beelzebumon's foot, to pin the big Digimon to the ground with the blade. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     The creature rumbles in midair again, but even as it eyes the falling zod. The creature has also gone skyward from all that tumbling, and while it is by no means a graceful critter by its sheer size, it SOMEHOW manages to swing around in midair much like a cat... and SWINGS that tail like a cracking whip at the dazed Kryptonian! A silvery power gathers and gleams around that tail as it nears... and should it strike? That power's transferred to Zod. He might serve as a RICOCHET SYMPHONY projectile aimed at tons of Darwin's planes! 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:'''     Rosamarie might have some sympathy for a fleet-ghost who doesn't really glory in battle, but Rosa's not in charge at the moment. Albacore is, and Albacore is a spirit of vengeance and terror. One with a particular hunger for carriers.     The torpedos aimed at Rosa have difficulty, and the fleet maiden moves out of the way with relative ease. She's much smaller and nimbler than an ordinary warship after all. Lucky for her though. Those torpedos, should any manage to strike her cleanly, could mess her up badly. Albacore has a pathological dislike of explosions directed at herself, and such a clean hit would mess with her ability to defend herself. The torpedos detonate well past her though. <Torpedos in the water. Proximity detonation. No hull damage> Again, Rosa's rocked by the blasts but not really hurt.     "It's not your day, Invader." comes Rosa's voice, cold and dead, carrying across the waves. "I'm inclined to do you this favor, just this once." she says, her voice dripping with malevolence. Up and back goes the cannon. Instead, the girl reaches down to her belt, pushing her wetsuit-gloved hands into tube-shaped gauntlets. She indeed stops firing at the planes. Instead she brings her right hand into line. <Bearings steady on Sierra One. Ready and launch tube one!>     It might be too far away for her to be effective against Darwin. She's kind of at the limit of her effective range, and has no idea just how effective her magical torpedos will be. She's only firing the one, then. Just as a test. The gauntlet flashes black, sending out a pulse of translucent magic straight for the aircraft platform. What comes next... well, likely everyone currently in the sea has at least some idea what to expect from Rosa's weaponry. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     The Fortress emerges from the explosion caused by Yamato, but it's not unscathed in the slightest. In fact, that armor-piercing impact punched right through the Fortress' hull, detonating in the mechanical creature with devastating force. Smoke seeps from the hole in the monster's "forehead" as it reels in the air, spewing steam from its maw and ports and struggling just to stay elevated. The other two portions of the Escort Fortress hiss and bellow angrily, but they haven't moved in just yet.     Darwin, meanwhile, is...not very good at evasion. Unsurprising, really, considering her form: a harbor isn't supposed to dodge. While she notices Rosa's torpedo approaching her, there isn't much she can do about it, especially not at this range. The charge detonates beneath her, blasting up an explosion of seawater and sheer force that engulfs Darwin herself for a moment. The Seaport Princess makes a pained sound, flinching and closing her eyes at the pain of the direct impact. Yes, it looks like torpedoes are going to be quite effective against her.     Still, Darwin isn't out yet. When her eyes open again, they level toward the sinking Yamato. Rosa is glanced over in turn, and Darwin decides that a direct attack is probably in order at this point.     The Seaport's whole mass turns to face the two Fleet Maidens, and the head that supports her airstrip lowers. A red glow begins to form in that mouth as it opens, steam pouring from it and ichor seeping between its teeth as heat and energy gather. It's a pretty noticable tell, especially at Darwin's size, but the attack to follow will likely more than make up for that.     "...sink."     A large beam of scarlet energy suddenly blasts from that maw, a spiritual energy assault of rage, sorrow, and sheer destructive will. It turns the very water into steam when it hits...so what is it going to do to Rosa and Yamato, since it's aimed directly for them?     Meanwhile, Jono responds much more bravely than most probably would under the circumstances, and in a way the To-Class probably wasn't expecting. That blast smashes into its face, sending it stumbling back with a howl as its metal head steams and burns from the impact. A good chunk of it has been blown away, in fact; a few more hits like that would probably take the thing out, if he aims well.     The burning red creature doesn't seem inclined to let him, however. Another foghorn-like howl rings out through the streets, and the I-Class Destroyers move into action. Only a couple of them are close by at the moment, but that should be enough as they come to the aid of their leader, swerving in and opening fire with single-shot cannons as the To-Class wildly fires on Jono. Powerful though those shots are, they aren't exactly aimed; several of them strike nearby buildings with explosive force...and send that last flimsy one toppling down with a screech of metal and shattering of glass, tumbling toward Jono and his opponents.     Thankfully many of the civilians are evacuated at this point, save for those caught in debris or trapped from the congestion of travel. Now the only real risk is property damage, which the Abyssals seem more than eager to cause. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      Fun fact: Beelzebumon has a trio of three inch long blades sticking out of the steel toe of his boots.      When Terek tries to stab the demon lord in the foot, Beelzebumon catches the dagger between those three inch spikes and twists, snapping the blade off at the hilt. Then he smirks and waggles his finger.      "Bad Kinslayer, pulling a knife in a fist fight."      Then his leg snaps up and swings back down towards Terek, aiming to slam the heel of his foot into the crowd of Terek's head. 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:'''     Rosa is, no doubt to her own dismay, rather familiar with being attacked by red lasers of doom. This is the first time she's been attacked by raw emotion however. Elvari use fire magic, concentrated into laser form. Neuroi also use the massive beams. Different, but still the same. The beam sweeps across Albacore, searing her defenses and also the girl within.     Rosa was already turning, heading back to assist Yamato. Maneuverability is the best defense against persistent laser attacks, and she's only under the direct effect of the beam for a few moments. Her magic and her armor insulate her somewhat from the energy. Mostly it's her reality shift that keeps most of the harm from striking. The beam passes through her, for the most part, leaving her only affected by the spiritual aspects and the heat itself.     Rosa still shrieks however. Wracked by the pain and also by the emotions, the girl can't just ignore the effect like the earlier near-misses. She definitely feels pain this time, and rage and sorrow of the attack besides. She dives under the water, trying to get a little physical cover as well to boost her own magical defense as she heads desperately for Yamato. Desperately, yes, because at the moment it's Rosa herself in complete command of the Fleet Maiden hybrid. The mental voices of the ship's crew are eerily silent in the face of the brutal emotional attack, and Rosa's fear for her friend overwhelms the ship ghost's antipathy.     She'll have to surface of course, both to get to Yamato and also because she needs to breathe. She might embody a submarine, but not in every possible way. The surface is still her only effective domain. When she reaches Yamato she'll dive if necessary, catching the larger girl in a lifeguard carry and supporting her, hopefully allowing her to regain her footing and resume. 

:'''{{#var:27|Jonothon Starsmore (27)}} has posed:''' Oh crap! Jono dodges the wild firing, but he's forgotten for a moment that there are BUILDINGS FALLING in the area too. He's reminded rather painfully when... one falls on him. Well, part of one, but it totally still counts. Mainly because he's almost completely buried by the debris. When the dust settles, that might be his arm that can be seen sticking out from under some of the debris. It's not moving, either. It might be long enough to have the things' attention go elsewhere. After a blast like he did a moment ago, he needs to recharge. And he can't really free himself by hand now, not with all this debris. He's definitely gonna feel this in the morning. But anyway, once he's recharged, Jono gathers what energy he can and blasts enough of the debris off of him that he can pull himself out of the pile. He's cut and bruised in numerous places now. And somehow, despite not having a heart, those cuts are bleeding. Wince. Ow. Yeah, definitely gonna feel that in the morning. Where'd those demon ships go anyway? 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     Wham! Zod is hit by an angry magically empowered tail, sending little bits of broken armor flying everywhere. Jax-Ur would surely complain about having to replace it again, perhaps Zod would be better off not wearing the armor in battles, since they just get wrecked? Going to leave a bruise as well...     Tumbling through the air and buffeted by the winds, Zod manages to get his senses under control, and then his vision clears and he slows down in mid-air, the wild dead-spin stopping as he rights himself, floating in mid-air. Somebody apparently knows how to tell gravity to sod off. Zod stretches in his undersuit, taking a really deep breath and practically relishing the pain in his ribs where he got whacked.     "Well, you've forced me to show my hand!" He shouts at the sea serpent, before swooping down with the crack of a sonic boom and incredible speed to grab ahold of the serpent and throw the monster onto the shoreline through a combination of momentum and super-strength. 

:'''{{#var:490|Terek Kinslayer (490)}} has posed:'''     He's starting to think that maybe he really should have picked a better fight. When the blade gets broken off, and the foot swings back around and kicks him in the head. This knocks the dragon to the ground again. He takes a moment to lay there, snorting out a breath as he tries to compose himself.     He picks himself back up to his feet, instead of attacking again, and looks up at his opponent, "Clearly I have mis-estimated your ability levels. A mistake I will not make in the future." The dragon takes a moment to look over his opponent, trying to figure out what on earth he can hit him with. The breath he took in is released again, but this time aimed right at Beelzebumon's chest. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:'''     Oh, diving is necessary. The weight of Yamato's armor and guns dragged her under in just a few seconds the moment she lost her balance.     With the light of the surface swiftly disappearing, Mikase reaches for it, unable to think of anything other than how helpless she suddenly feels. The weight pulling her down, the rapidly building pressure, the burn of the breath she only half-took before she went under. But.. The weight, she can do something about THAT--! The surface of the water glows suddenly in the searing aftermath of Darwin's hateful beam cannon as the girl's Deployment disappears. Now frantic, she claws at the water to try and return to the surface. Unable to move, panic builds, and then hands--     When Rosa hauls her to the surface, Yamato gasps for air. Barely able to keep herself afloat, she clings to the more stable submarine maiden when the pair break the surface. Reaching, she climbs up the guns and armor up Rosa's back until she's more out of the water herself, then glows once again.     Before the weight can harm the smaller submarine, Yamato lets go, landing in the water at knee-depth like before with her armor--now visible and scorched by the laser's damage--materializing over the hakama and haori normally seen under her battleship armor.     "...Too close..." she mutters. A glance towards Rosamarie, and then Yamato turns and accellerates away from her so that concentrated fire won't endanger both of them. Her guns, rematerialized, swivel towards Darwin even as the girl speeds aside, all six of the main battery's guns raised along with the numerous secondary and tertiary guns.     < Loaded high explosive fragmentation, secondary and primary battery. Tertiary battery, airburst. All guns, fire for effect. >     The main guns speak first, hurling their high velocity, high explosive rounds while surrounding Yamato herself with gunsmoke. Immediately after, the secondary 20cm guns roar, smaller munitions following their larger brothers. On the heels of that battery, the 12.7cm guns open up with more generalized fire. She's directing her fire not at Darwin's equipment, this time, but the woman herself. All over. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     The Sea Dragon sails through the air... and hits the beach like a freight train. The creature rolls, tumbles, roars. One of its fins bends at a very wrong angle.     Finna's not happy. Her atempt at heroism, reluctant or not, has been waylaid by some random asshole warrior from the sky, far as she can tell.     The Sea Dragon groans.... and then? Shrinks. Like a deflating balloon. All that mass just seemingly evaporates. Instead, a humanoid form's emerging from the mass of shifting flesh. Humanoid... but not quite human. White fur sprouts from the creature's body as it rises up on hind legs. The creature is utterly naked, decisively female, and thankfully covered enough by the thick fur that she may as well be wearing clothing. A crescent moon burns upon the woman's forehead in glittering silver... But before any more details show up or can be really discerned...     A bonfire of silvery-blue light flickers, then flares up around her, completely engulfing her. The light thickens, congeals, brightens, and shifts, weaving shadows within itself like a whirlwind... and all the while, it grows larger, and larger. With a final ferocious explosion, flickering and warping silver flames erupt in a pillar around Finna, forming a phantasmal fox-like image that overlays her otherwise COMPLETELY amorphous visage.     In other words, looking at her, one can only see a bright figure of an indistinct height, girth, gender, and certainly no facial features... a terrific beast has awoken though, and its eyes are set on Zod. It flexes both arms, taking a stance, and bares claws that shine with silvery light, leaving contrails with each motion.     At the very least, Finna's gonna make Zod regret picking that fight, whether or not she can overcome him. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Darwin's beam only lasts for a few seconds, thankfully, not like the massive discharge that Savo released back at Midway. Still, it's certainly a damaging assault when it hits; too many more like that could be devastating, assuming Darwin can put out that kind of energy regularly.     This gives a good opening for Yamato to attack. And Darwin is a large, large target. Yamato would have to be blind not to hit her.     Darwin's eyes widen. Her left arm lifts as if to shield herself...but there's not much shielding she can do. She's soon obscured in the cloud created by Yamato's explosions, blasting again and again as she feels every hit strike her directly. A shout of pain rises from her through the cacophony of munitions, but it takes some time for the cloud to clear before the results of Yamato's attack can be seen.     Darwin...doesn't look good. Scorches mark her body, holes are blasted into her form, her horn is broken, her metallic hand is blasted through, and while not a drop of blood comes from any of her wounds, the damage is clear. She really shouldn't take too many of those direct shots.     Her arm lowers again as her glowing red gaze is leveled on Yamato. Still, the woman doesn't seem particularly wrathful. Hurt, perhaps, and maybe even regretful, but it seems difficult to get any aggression from the Seaport Princess.     Not to say she's backing down. The still-steaming maw beside her begins to glow again, but that's not where her next attack comes from. Instead, it comes from the cannons by her side, turning and lowering to direct their aim on Yamato. As the ghostly laser charges again, those cannons return fire, blasting explosive shells on the small Fleet Maiden again and again to try and harass her and keep her away while energy builds. Thankfully, Yamato's presence is sparing Rosa: seems Darwin isn't going to go after a downed opponent, at least not yet.     The building crashes, piling rubble in the streets, smashing into another building to break the last of its flimsy support. Indeed, the city closest to the shore is looking pretty terrible as a whole by now, between Darwin's earlier assault and the bombing runs assaulting it earlier. The shipyard is a wreck, ships are sunken or burning in port, buildings have holes blown in them if they aren't outright destroyed.     Thankfully, that last collapse seems to have helped Jono somewhat. The To-Class and I-Classes were unfortunately a little too close to the building themselves, and, single-minded as they are, weren't able to avoid the cascade in time. Rubble crushes them, burying them deep under metal, concrete, and glass. It seems like it might have even taken out those I-Class ships, but there's a blazing red glow under the rubble as it shifts and shudders; no doubt from the To-Class trying to free itself once more.     The wreckage draws the attention of a couple more I-Class ships that hover around the corner on their leader's end. They bark and hiss as the To-Class tries to free itself, but with Jono's position, it looks like he might have a moment to breathe, since they can't reach him over the rubble right now.     Whatever he plans to do with that freedom, he'd better do it quickly. There are several planes still in the air, searching the streets for any survivors and occasionally dropping a bomb or two to add to the destruction. No doubt one is going to find him soon. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      "People tend to underestimate me a lot. You'd think after all this time they'd wise up." Beelzebumon replies with, smirking widely as he drops back into a fighting stance.      Then sudden oh god fire ouch hot!      His right arm ends up completely bathed in flames as he uses it to guard against the ball of plasma, but Digimon tend to be ridiculously durable to damage, and even as he burns, Beelzebumon charges in and unleashes a powerful right hook.      Which is on fire. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:'''     While her guns reload, Yamato pushes out her hands to recreate her Barrier Armor, focused in Darwin's direction. Shells slam into the shield with the sound of metal on metal, exploding in bursts of shrapnel and flame and flakes of her cracking shield. Soaked from her earlier dip, Yamato sets her teeth, guns elevating.     "You'd rather we just gave up..." she mutters, "Let you win. Let you destroy everything in some kind of petty revenge, right? Punishing people? What did they even do to you?!"     The superstructure-like armor up her back extends a pair of crane rails and the girl is surrounded by the additional noise of aircraft engines. Skidding down those rails, one at a time, is a pair of fairy-like girls with the wings and engines of an aircraft, their wings marked with the Rising Sun. One is red, the other is black, both ascending in separate loops while Yamato weathers the assault from Darwin's guns.     Right about when the bombardment ends, Red Zero banks sharply, descending on Darwin, rapidly accellerating. On her wing, Black Zero follows. The two aircraft fairies dive sharply and then pull out of it, disconnecting small objects from the undersides of their wings as they climb away. Any person familiar with naval weaponry should be able to recognize exactly what this is: four Type 87 naval bombs aimed for the monstrous head that forms part of Darwin's airstrip. 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:'''     In the dark churning waters, Rosa can't easily see Yamato to reach her. Sonar, however, works well. The magical energy given off by Yamato is enough to give Rosamarie a beacon to follow. The energy burned off when Yamato releases her deployment however, that resembles an explosion to the magical sense. It's enough to make Rosa absolutely sure where her friend is. Her friend indeed... thanks to Darwin's emotion attack, it's the Maiden fully in charge. The one who both likes Yamato and admires her protective nature and her strength. Using as much speed as she can pull from her magic, Rosa powers downwards, grabbing Yamato about the waist and helping to draw her to the surface. Once there she stabilizes Yamato as best she can. The magic helps, as Rosa is stable enough atop the waves to run along them if she wishes... or to dive under them, unlike the purely surface vessels.     Albacore isn't gone for good however. As Rosa comes to the aid of Yamato, the submarine's spirit begins to speak within her mind. comes the cold words. Speech, coming from behind her, in Albacore's own whispery voice. A voice filled with anger, not just at the other fleet maiden. "I'm not a warship." Rosa replies, whispering the words for only Albacore to hear. "Yamato's always been willing to shield us. Even now, as hurt as she is she's drawing fire so we're not attacked." she observes.     "I'd rather be more like her than like you." Rosa adds, after a moment. "But we agree on one thing. It's time to drive this invader away. Or sink her, if we can." she says, narrowing her eyes. <Aye, girl. Time to teach them to fear.>     Rosamarie turns, magical 'engines' propelling her back towards Darwin. At this point, being ignored, she figures she might as well fire from outside her normal effective range. The first attack worked well, why not try another? The harbor-vessel might be able to dodge, but it might not realize it's under torpedo attack again until too late. It's a gamble, but it seems a good one. <Torpedo status?> <All tubes loaded and flooded. Ten lit green.> <Match bearings. Narrow spread. Fire tubes One through Four in staggered succession.> <Firing One. Firing Two. Firing Three. Firing Four.>     Rosa's fist pulses with black light, sending out four ripples in rapid succession. The torpedos streak off towards Darwin, filled with Albacore's cold hate and Rosa's fierce determination. 

:'''{{#var:490|Terek Kinslayer (490)}} has posed:'''     Oh god fire punch. This guy is completely insane, and clearly is enjoying his insanity. The dragon takes the blow hard on the head, and stumbles backwards, spinning around as he does so. As he spins around, his right hand grabs something on his back, and when he finishes his spin, has the Ahniallator Rifle in his hand. He levels it upon the digimon.     "It must be because of your lack of faction affiliation. But don't worry, I will not underestimate your power any longer!" He pulls the trigger on his weapon, and sends a powerful laser beam lancing from the barrel towards his opponent. 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     General Zod sits in the air and watches the sea serpent change and morph. Surprising. The general is catching his breath a bit. These fights at full-tilt take a lot out of him. Zod rationalizes it as like exercising a muscle. Eventually he'll get better at using these powers and he'll be less tired when using them a lot.     The General comes swooping down at the glowing figure, a thunderous roar of air and wind coming with him. He cruises in over the beach and shoulder-blocks Finna, shoving all that energy into the Lunar Exalt to send her flying. At least that's the theory. If she dodges, Zod will at least cause collateral damage in the form of wrecking some buildings. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     WHAT SPEED. Finna's bestial howl of pain echoes only shortly after impact - because she goes tumbling right through some windows and through a fast food joint's walls. Thankfully, these places are only barely built to code. So she doesn't squish on impact, and instead plows through the other end and goes tumbling down a street--     No, wait, no, she doesn't.     But to Zod, it sure LOOKS like she does!     He might be VERY surprised indeed when, instead, there's a ROAR from his side and the Beast comes in swinging with a savage, glowing claw!     .... no. no, wait. Regardless of what Zod does, that image fades out.     That's when the real Finna comes charging out on all fours with a REAL snarl and jaws clamping down for Zod's throat, both hands aiming to savage him with those gleaming claws! 

:'''{{#var:27|Jonothon Starsmore (27)}} has posed:''' What's Jono going to do with his few moments of freedom? Charge up. As much as he can. Because there are a grouping of the I-Class ships close to the ground. There's no better chance he's going to get to attack them and disable a bunch of them. The wrappings are pretty much wrecked at this point, so the fire's on display. Hopefully the demon ships won't see him for a few more seconds, give him the chance... Ships attacking him or not, once Jono's got all the charge he can get, he pulls at what wrappings are still in the way. He looks like a demon down there, staticky red-orange flames licking around him from that place where his chest is missing. And in the next instant.... BOOM It's a massive blast/explosion, and the fire strikes whatever it happens to hit with the force of several tens of tons. It's probably highly visible all around. It also has another effect. Once it subsides? Jono collapses, facedown. He still appears to be on fire, though. But he's not moving. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     It's rare for Darwin herself to take much action in combat, unlike some of her fellow Abyssals. Something in her opponents' assaults inspires her to do so, however. When Black Zero and Red Zero swoop in to make a bombing run on Darwin's base, she suddenly lashes out with one clawed hand. The bombs are quite simply swiped out of the air, and while they still explode against her hand, the strong armor on those claws is enough to take the impact without too much trouble. Better than the head or the airstrip on top of it, at least. The Escort Fortress seems to stabilize again, though one of the three spheres is still heavily damaged from Yamato's earlier attack.     Darwin's gaze narrows at Yamato. "...they suffer," she murmurs, still quite audible at her size. "Don't you feel it? Their grief, their sadness...their anger, their confusion. They should be helped."     The monstrous mouth continues to gather energy, but the resulting burst of power isn't sent at either of the Fleet Maidens. Those torpedoes don't go unnoticed, after all. The head twists and looks downward before firing off a brief blast of that earlier beam, a flash of red searing into the ocean to blast away two of those torpedoes. A third is caught, its explosion coming close to Darwin but not quite hitting, though the last one escapes. It bursts underneath the Seaport Princess, making the woman wince once more as the dock has a hole blown into it that quickly seeps smoke and flames into the air.     Still Darwin doesn't retreat. Skittish though the Abyssal seems to be, she is remarkably determined. Her narrowed eyes return to Yamato and Rosa as that charging head lifts again to gather more energy. Ichor drips into the ocean, steam spews from the maw like a smokestack, and the whole thing seems to be gathering enough that it's literally shaking on its foundation. The Escort Fortresses seem to be gathering their own energy, too; if all four of them were to hit... "If this will help their pain, then I will do it. If Samar asks me to destroy a hundred cities, I'll do it. And if you stand in the way...I'll make sure you sink with everything else, too."     All at once, both Darwin's vessel and the Escort Fortress erupt. Searing beams of that scarlet empathic energy blast out at Yamato and Rosa, three smaller rays surrounding a single gigantic one. A blinding flash of red fills the ocean, accompanied by a deafening roar from the attack's force. Even after the attack is kept on Rosa and Yamato for several moments, however, it doesn't stop; both Darwin and the Escort Fortress angle their attacks up, sweeping to cleave through the ocean, then the shipyard, then the shore, then the buildings that are still standing further inland. Explosions consume the harbor and the ships around it, continuing into the city. When the beams at last shoot up into the air and dissolve, there's nothing but a burning line of rubble and destruction along the path the attack took.     It's an impact that Jono's attack seems almost to match, on a smaller scale. As that blinding flash of red consumes the shore, the I-Class ships and their submerged To-Class leader are similarly consumed in the massive explosion of power released by Jono. They howl and bellow in pain, their armor burned away and their 'flesh' melted, and when the attack at last subsides, there's little left of those Abyssals aside from smoldering, blackened shells. Their eyes are dim, the To-Class's aura faded; with Jono's last attack, he's at least taken out those Abyssals too.     And a good chunk of whatever's left of the surrounding street, most likely. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      The annihilator rifle comes levelled with Beelzebumon's head, but a twisted smirk comes to the Demon Lord's face as he twists. The blast of focused light comes out, grazing across his face, "Then let me...!"      He surges in under Terek's defenses, his flaming fist pulled back, "Justify...!"      Then he leaps into the air and unleashes a rising uppercut to Terek's jaw as he launches himself, "THAT ASSESSMENT!"      SHORYUKEN! 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:'''     "If that's your goal," Yamato braces herself, leaning forward slightly, guns elevating and fully reloaded, "...You'll find the Yamato much harder to sink than you might expect. You'll find me there to stop you. At every one of those hundred cities, every single military base--" Her hands thrust outward, projecting her cracked white shield, "--EVERY SINGLE INNOCENT LIFE..!"     Hatred slams into the Maiden's barrier armor like a crashing wave, smashing into the field and billowing around to either side, above, digging into the sea below. The edges fray, the cracks deepening. Yamato bares her teeth, leaning into it with a growl that becomes a defiant roar.     The Barrier Armor of the mighty Yamato shatters like glass and the girl is enveloped in raw hate, sadness, confusion and rage. The beam sweeps upward through the harbor and into the city, revealing the Maiden still standing on the water's surface, armor sizzling, both main turrets damaged. One of her secondary guns, in the seconds after the beam has left her, explodes when its ammunition magazine erupts in flames. One of the main guns on the left battery is bent, the barrel split open. Crimson leaks from beneath the brass chrysanthemum headpiece she wears, serving only to highlight the girl's severe expression.     "I am the vassal of the Spirit of Yamato," she repeats, her main guns swinging forward, elevating with a thin whirring sound, "I made a promise to protect all of Japan." From behind her, two more aircraft launch, the fairy-like girls sweeping forward--Green and Yellow--to meet up with Red and Black in formation overhead, "...To protect Japan, I must protect /EVERYONE/!"     < Hull damage severe, flooding in starboard compartments, counterflooding auxiliary port for list correction. Number 2 20cm turret lost, magazine damage control underway. >     The girl's head bows, her voice booming and defiant, "I /WILL NOT/ SUBMIT TO YOU OR /ANY/ OF YOUR KIND! ALL GUNS, FIRE!"     The remaining five 46cm guns open fire in a rapid staccato of explosive reports, surrounding Yamato herself with a billowing black cloud of gunsmoke. From within that cloud, the remaining 20cm turret fires, followed by the rapid bursts of fire from the 12.7cm high angle guns and even the airburst flak ammunition from the enormous anti-air battery she sports. Before the high angles are even dun rolling through their full sequence, the massive main guns fire again.     Not to be outdone, the four Zeros flitting about above Darwin all bank, one after the other, to make another bombing and strafing run on the massive abyssal ship. This time, Green and Yellow drop their bombs at the woman herself, then join Red and Black--who lack any bombs, having already dropped them--in strafing the airstrip with their heavy machine guns. 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:'''     Rosa doesn't get involved in the radio chatter, in part because it's Albacore in command once more. Neither maiden nor ghost however have much interest in the radio, especially while the battle is ongoing. Rosa spares a bit of effort to keep allies updated, but not to respond to trivial things like taunts.     Nor is Rosa particularly interested in Darwin's excuse. A part of her might sympathise, but she's a good Catholic girl. When things get bad, turn the other cheek and all that. She's not THAT good of a Catholic girl however. She HAS chosen to fight rather than to accept whatever God might have in mind. To fight on the side, hopefully, of the angels. Not to destroy, but to preserve the innocent.     The initial grudge cannon attack catches Albacore flush, and the beam sears into her armor and clear through her. The flash of steam goes up, and the rest is lost in superheated spray. She cries out, her radio surges and fails. Without the Barrier of a Fleet Maiden, is there any possible way Rosa can survive a hit like that? A hit that destroys ships and buildings alike?     Albacore is, however, still a Fleet Maiden. The attack is a thing of this world. Albacore is a thing of a different reality. Rosa isn't entirely within reality when that beam strikes. She's partly in a different level, submerged within a different medium. In large part the attack hits around and through her, but only a small portion of the massive lethal energy hits the girl herself.     There's no sign of Albacore when the beam sweeps away to carve a lethal path through the port city. No dark form upon the waves; no distortion showing where she might lie concealed. It's as if she were vaporized. And with the power of that beam, that fate is entirely plausible. She didn't remain within the beam however, and didn't vaporize. Instead, she dove. There's no sign of her simply because she's moved from sight, diving deep to get under the attack. Only that first moment truly struck her. It was bad enough, even so. She'll have burns for sure. Her radio's been destroyed from the sudden heat and then the shock of water. But Rosa herself, Albacore... she's still very much in the fight.     Feeling out the ghost adversary's presence using passive sonar, Albacore takes her bearings. <Fire tubes five and six. Come about hard right rudder. Fire all aft tubes, full spread.> There's likely to be little warning. There's a ripple, a shimmer in the water, then another larger ripple. The streaks merge, six tiny trails of dark magical energy twisting together into a fused spiral and lancing out at Darwin, combining into a single bolt of penetrating explosive magic very nearly as large as a true torpedo, with far more destructive power than any such torpedo would ever be likely to have. 

:'''{{#var:490|Terek Kinslayer (490)}} has posed:'''     This guy isn't even pulling out any of his guns. It's something Terek would adhere to, normally, but fighting fair and honorable is not something that gets you very far. The speed of the Digimon is fast, faster than the last time they faced off, and the laser misses it's target. Then that huge fist comes in and strikes him clean in the underside of his muzzle, sending him flying off into the air, where he crashes down onto his back. He lies there, pain surging through his body and particularly his face.     He knows he can't beat this guy, that much is sure, but he can't back off, until the rest of the Confederacy does. He doesn't want to appear weak in front of his allies. He taps something on his left wrist, since he's still laying on the ground, and then rolls into a defensive position. The ship which has still been raining down destruction onto the city now focuses it's destruction on Beelzebumon, and fires it's main plasma cannon at him. 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     The illusion startles the Confederate lieutenant for a brief moment before his enhanced senses and tactical acumen tell him it might be a diversion! And then, before Zod can really act on that information, the real Finna turns up to maul the beejeezus out of the kryptonian.     Zod's reflexes and training kick in as he bobs, weaves, and blocks the assault with the expertise of a seasoned martial artist. But it only mitigates how much damage is truly dealt to the kryptonian, as Zod isn't really able to fend off the supernaturally sharp claws very well. Sure, most martial arts account for weapons, but claws are slightly different, and Zod's arms and torso take a mauling from the claws. Zod's face contorts with rage as he takes one last rake of the claws across the face. Zod does try to get a few good hits in while fighting the Lunar in hand-to-hand; a shot at the head, another to the solar plexus, another at a kidney. It's almost half-hearted since he's trying to avoid those damn claws. At the end though, when he's clawed across the face, his eyes start to glow red... 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     The silvery beast - heaven help any attempt to figure out just WHAT kind of beast it is - growls, whines, and snarls from every impact. But the Beast of the Moon is not cowed that easily. Even as its body protests, bones crack, and muscles tear, the very same damage that's being done heals very visibly. Wounds torn open through sheer strength knit together... just what is this creature made of?     Still, its burning purplish-black eyes (for a moment, anyways - give it a moment, then they're blue and silver?!?!) show worry...     With lightning speed, the creature's left leg whips up with tremendous speed and force, aiming to plant a ferocious and dirty blow in Zod's sensitives. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:'''     Even once those beams stop firing at last, the mouths of Darwin's dock and the Escort Fortress still leak ichor and steam. They don't seem to be gathering energy anymore, at least; whether they could really release an attack of that magnitude twice in a row is doubtful anyway.     Besides, it's time for Yamato and Rosa to return the assault. And return it they do. If those attacks were aimed at the shore, they just might have the same destructive impact as Darwin's own attack; however, they aren't. They're aimed at the Seaport Princess...and she takes the full brunt of both attacks.     Darwin screams in pain, but the sound is only heard for a moment before she's consumed in explosions from above and below.     When the sprays of water and the smoke from the explosions at last fade, Darwin is a wreck. The dock is ruptured in several places, flames and smoke billowing from many holes. The crane at her left is twisted and broken, barely hanging on by a beam. The airstrip and the head below it are shot through with burning holes. And Darwin herself isn't much better: hunched over, barely remaining upright as she holds on to the dock at either side, her clothes and body scorched from multiple explosions and holes cutting into her form with a bizarre lack of blood. Behind her, one of the oil towers abruptly explodes, sending another geyser of fire and smoke into the air. The Escort Fortress is experiencing trouble, too: one of the spheres is downed, floating in the ocean as a burning wreck, while the other two are shot through with multiple blasts, struggling just to remain floating in the air.     Exhausted red eyes lift to look at Yamato, then search for Rosa briefly. The submarine seems to be nowhere to be found, however; strange. Still...Darwin is far too damaged at this point to continue. Samar would want her to retreat at this point.     And so she does. The dock steadily sinks below the waves, vanishing under the ocean's surface, and the two remaining parts of the Escort Fortress follow. The water practically boils from all the heat, but Darwin seems to have no intention of continuing the fight once the water rushes over her head.     Strangely, any radar would see a gigantic shape gradually shrinking to something much smaller, closer to Yamato's size, before moving off into the ocean. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      Beelzebumon smirks as his punch sends Terek flying, then gives his still smoldering arm a good patting out to put out the wisps of flame still clinging to him, "Oo, hot! I was so into it there for a moment that I didn't even feel that until now!"      As he finishes patting himself out though, he gets distracted by a GIANT explosion off in the distance as the two Ship Maidens unleash their ordinance on the Abyssmal vessel, then throws up his arms and cheers, "Wooo! Would ya look at that explosion!"      Then Terek ruins the moment by bombarding his ship's main cannon on top of Beelzebumon's head and throwing the Digimon across the street in the blast.      As Beelzebumon picks himself up off of the ground, he says to himself, "Oh, right. In the middle of a fight." With a quick dusting off, Beelzebumon then, and only then after being bombed by a starship, draws his Berenjena Shotguns.      "Nice popcap you got there Terek, but didn't they ever tell you?" Heextends his arms and takes aim with both of his precious boomguns, "It's not how big your cannon is, it's how you use it!"      And then with a thunderous bang, he opens up. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:'''     It's mid-reload when Yamato notices--via radar, because her vision is still blocked by smoke from her barrage--that the enemy is retreating. When the smoke actually clears, blown back across her battered form by the sea breeze, those massive guns on her shoulders are revealed first, trailing smoke, while the rest of her figure is gradually revealed. Blue eyes scan the surface of the water, noting the retreat of the Seaport Princess.     Very slowly, she straightens her posture, turrets rotating to either side and guns de-elevating to their regular position. Yamato turns in place, looking over her shoulder with a frown, "...She got away..."     Beat     The girl suddenly turns back around, worry across her face. She didn't /see/ someone very particular. Somewhat fearful, she calls out, "Rosamarie!?" 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     Well, that was like kicking a pair of rocks. Seriously, they might have broken Finna's foot if she wasn't a Lunar. Damn kryptonians. But hey, Zod's still male and the low blow makes him drop to his knees like any other guy who gets kicked in the junk. There's a moment's pause as Zod masters this new pain. The eyes glow more and black veins surround the man's eye sockets.     "ggRRRRRAAAAH!!!" And the man's eyes flare with bright flashes of light as incandescent beams of heat lance out, raking across the port and shipyards as they try to incinerate the glowing Lunar. Explosions, thunderous cracks of things giving way, molten metal spraying where the heat vision hits. The twin arcs of energy are visible even out at sea. Afterwards, Zod looks more tired, and seems to spend a few moments recuperating from that outburst. One might even hear him mutter "That was unexpected." 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:'''     Rosa is probably visible to magical senses right now, and surely any magical senses worth the name would've detected the surge of her last attack. She's just not where she's expected. Which, as a sub, is probably a good thing.     Using her sonar, she senses Darwin retreating. Not surprising really. She may lack Yamato's firepower but only by a narrow margin. Her torpedos are true ship killers, and her attack hit clean. Besides, Yamato also delivered a stunningly powerful broadside. Sadly Rosa can only appreciate it so much, as she was underwater at the time and her radio was too damaged to pick up the stirring speech. Enough... they can trade stories of the final rounds later, over pizza.     It's about when Yamato makes her panicked search for Rosa that Rosa finally surfaces. Serendipitous timing of course. She can't hear Yamato's words, has no way of knowing the timing to be particularly dramatic. Still she surfaces, and then surfaces a second time, releasing her phase-altered cloaking magic. After a moment she climbs to her feet atop the waves, making herself even more likely to stand out. She taps her throat, signing what happened, then shrugs and raises a hand high into the air, her fingers spread and seemingly ready to draw attention with a wave.     Instead, Rosa blinks, then closes that hand into a fist, extending her thumb instead and raising it to the sky. Then she points inland, to the smoking ruins of the coastal city... and the release of magical energies therein. Frowning, she begins to walk along the water's surface. Then, almost without seeming to move her legs beyond that striding walk, she speeds up. Magic, of course. The supernatural speed of a Maiden on the water. Not quite to flank speed. She'd need to sprint for that. Still, it's obvious what her intent is. She seems to only be giving enough time for Yamato to also respond, and perhaps for their enemy to see them coming and decide to flee. 

:'''{{#var:27|Jonothon Starsmore (27)}} has posed:''' It's a long few moments that pass with Jono. ... Five minutes? Ten? He's not sure. '...Ugh. Ow.' For a moment, Jono wonders what it was that could have possibly collided with his head at high speed, to cause the pounding headache that's stabbing into the back of his eyes. Then he remembers it was a building. He stirs, emitting a telepathic groan-- yes he can do that, somehow-- and begins to get to his feet. Though he wobbles a LOT, and reaches out to steady himself against a large piece of debris. Okay brain. Let's work right now, 'ey? Jono gets his bearings, and then sees to the situation. Those things... are they down? Looks like it. But for how long? Do they regenerate? And what's going on out there on the ocean? Plus, what about the flying bloke and the shapechanging thing? Or that weird bloke on the motorcycle and the dragon guy? 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     Wackily glowing eyes is a sure sign something bad's up, but who'd expect EYE BEAMS?! That's just crazy. Finna's caught unawares by the sudden beams! They rake into her body, briefly burning her... but then something REALLY STRANGE happens.     Her whole body turns semi-solid. Zod's flailing and heat beams just pass right through her, making her flesh ripple like a lake's surface after a rock strikes it. It's brief, but in the same motion she zips sideways over the sand and kicks some of it up into those killer eyes.%R    "Between the two of us, I'd wonder just who's more beastly." A warbling, feminine voice comes from the glowing figure. It's not Finna's, for anyone who's heard it. Or well, it is, but she's hiding it!     But then, rather than continue to confront him... the beast takes off towards the water on all fours. Its paws hit the water and -- ... and it just keeps running. Straight toward the Fleet Maidens... 

:'''{{#var:524|General Zod (524)}} has posed:'''     Zod doesn't pursue. That took a lot out of him. "Who knew." He mutters, rubbing his eyes and splashing water in them to wash the sand out. Well, more like shards of glass from the residual heat of the eye beams. That's one thing he thought he would never be able to do checked off the list. He flat out refuses to try that utterly ridiculous super breath though. That crap is just too stupid sounding.     Since both his allies are retreating, and Zod himself feels that to continue fighting in the face of extreme fatigue would be fruitless, the kryptonian simply takes off into the sky at supersonic speeds. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     Finna goes skimming across the water, looking over a shoulder to see if she's being chased. But when Zod takes off and seemingly ignores her... despite all of the provocations, and even throwing and in his eyes, she blinks.     Thankfully, she's still wreathed in an aura that masks her features. She is still the strange quadrupedal beast that stood on two legs and spoke once, nothing more. Finna goes skidding across the water, splash-bouncing several times...and once she stops, she sinks right in and starts treading water, watching him fly off.     "... HOW does he do that... with no wings..." 

:'''{{#var:490|Terek Kinslayer (490)}} has posed:'''     It seems that the Confederate mission has been accomplished, and that's good enough for Terek. He's done a lot of damage to the city and the infrastructure, and he's distracted the Digimon long enough for the objective to be finished without his interference. However now comes the hard part. Getting out alive.     As those guns come up, the dragon swaps the rifle for his axe, bringing the weapon to bare in front of him and using the flat side of it to block as much of the weapon's firepower as he can. Not all of it, but enough. He pulls the axe away and slots it back where it belongs, "It seems my job here is done. Until we meet again, Beelzebumon, and I have no doubt we shall."     The Predator swoops lower, as the dragon spreads his wings and beats them in order to get into the sky, heading for the back of his ship, to make his escape. 

:'''{{#var:132|Beelzebumon (132)}} has posed:'''      Beelzebumon reholsters his guns as Terek takes off into the night, then takes a moment to crack his neck one final time before turning around and calmly walking down the street.      "I wonder if that burger joint is still open..." 

:'''{{#var:27|Jonothon Starsmore (27)}} has posed:''' Things seem to have calmed down, Jono notes from the place he sits down to rest. It's safe now. So he picks up his radio, dials in a frequency. "...'Ey. ... Yeah. Got inter a little bit 'o a fight, s'all." He looks around... 'little bit of a fight' is kind of an understatement, but... "Eh? Nah. Buildin' fell on me." Wince, the volume of the female voice on his radio gets loud for a moment. "Yeah, yeah, don' worry, 'm fine. Just need ter get a ride outta here. Forgot how ter use me legs, I think...." 

}}

309/Hunting for Scraps

2014-08-02T23:59:49Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/07/30 |Location=Desert Mountains |Synopsis=Zien runs into the Red Union, who decide that her force is the perfect opportunity to get some scra..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/30
|Location=Desert Mountains
|Synopsis=Zien runs into the Red Union, who decide that her force is the perfect opportunity to get some scrap metal - straight from the source.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=123, 351
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     The Desert Mountains probably aren't a frequent location for aircraft to pass through. That likely makes the arrival of a certain Ozimovian vessel all the more significant.     The craft is a somewhat boxy transport ship of shiny black metal, equipped with a few guns on the underside and four VOTL engines along the top, currently angled back and spewing blue energy. There aren't any clear windows on the ship, mostly because the vessel is a robot in itself and sees with the use of several red optics along its form.     Zien is in the ship, along with several marines and a single giant black box near the back of the transport bay, but aside from the ship itself she is the only currently active crewmember. The box, a bipedal walker, sits dormant while loaded on the ship, and the squad of marines are suspended in stasis all along the loading bay's ceiling. Zien, meanwhile, is near the front of the ship, observing the input and examining the landscape.     She's really only here on an exploration mission. The Ozimovian Empire has been rather contained to her own world, so why not spend some time analyzing the Multiverse's various regions to gain some sort of tactical awareness of the landscape outside of their world?     They even seem to be approaching a settlement of some kind, if it could even be called that. How fortunate! 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     Zein might have noticed slightly unusual as she searched the area: People. there's a suprising number of people spread throughout the area. not just the settlements, there's what looks like small groups of people, with makeshift vehicles belching out black smoke. They mostly seem to be hinting through the metal scraps that are abundant in this region.     Actually, there seems to be a lot of black smoke from the settlement up ahead...     If Zein has a radio, it might pick up a message at this point. "You're not local, Who is this?" No name or anything, just questions, and they sound a bit annoyed. Weird. 

:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     It's standard for input on any unit of the Empire to be recorded, and that's exactly what Zien is doing as she flies through. Everything the ship sees and hears is logged to its internal database, which now involves those people bustling around down below. It's a curious sight for Zien, who comes from a location where most energy comes from electricity. This black smoke is something completely different.     What's also standard for Ozimovian units is a built-in radio, which easily picks up that message when it's transfered over. Her voice comes through immediately after, clearly female but also clearly robotic. "ZN-MALPRG of the Ozimov Empire. We are performing a survey of the surrounding landscape and intend no harm. Is this your settlement?" 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     "ZN... oh, from the tournament? You're not one of ours... Union?" The voice sounds a bit more annoyed. "Allan Bodily, leader of the Red Union. The salvage teams have been calling in UFO sighting for awhile now." A pause, then. "This area is ours. Whatever you're surveying for, you won't find it here." 

:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     "Yes, from the Union. Allan Bodily is a registered member of the Confederacy, according to my database." Zien's ship shifts its engines around as it comes near the area, angling the blue discharge downward so that the ship remains in a hover not far from the settlement. Her voice doesn't shift from it's robotic tone as she continues speaking. Not too surprising; it's doubtful anything like "emotions" would be programmed into someone coming from an entire planet of machines. "I am cataloguing topographical information for future reference in tactical excursions. Such information would, therefore, be found no matter where my survey takes me."     A glance is given back to the loading bay. "I am transporting several units in case of attack, but I have no intention of initiating aggressive action against a Confederate at this time. If my departure is required, I will leave your airspace and will not return in any immediate capacity." 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     "You brought troops? Actually." and suddenly, Allan's voice shifts from annoyed to cheerful. "We could use the scrap. you're in enemy turf. Armor? Weapons? Drop your units gear and we consider it fee for safe passage."     Meanwhile, down below the ship something shows up, Looks like a handfull of various slapped together bikes and buggies, with what seem to be various missile racks bolted, wielded... some might of even been DUCT TAPED onto them. "Fail to comply and we can and WILL start pulling that ship apart ourselves." 

:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     Oh. How convenient. A ship full of robots passing over hostile territory looking for scrap metal. This is exactly what Zien wasn't looking for. Shetill, the general's expression and tone don't change as she replies to Allan. "Several issues are present in your proposal. The initial difficulty present is that the armaments of Ozimovian units are built into their chassis and cannot simply be extracted. Dropping armor and weaponry is therefore impossible without dropping the units themselves. Secondly..."     She pauses as the marines begin to activate. The soldiers are the same sleek black as the ship, around seven feet tall and modeled after human skeletons. Red optics glare in their eye sockets, and their lower faces more closely resemble gas masks than jaws. As they activate, they begin to drop from their holds, thudding against the ship's floor.     "...standard protocol in my world is that the victorious force in a conflict recycles all deactivated units after a battle, no matter which side the deactivated units are on. With this knowledge, are you certain that you wish for me to send these units to ground level for an inevitable confrontation?" 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     "You wanna dance? That's fine" Allan then starts shouting off radio. "You heard her boys! You smash it you keep it, OPEN FIRE! Scavenger teams prepare for immeidat deployment!"     Almost immeidatly, the bikes and buggies down below unload ther racks at the ship up above. Further away from the battle, smoke can be seen on the horizan as some of the scavenger crews from nearby get the news: Allan found something big. 

:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     She was probably asking for that. No turning back now, then. A private radio signal is sent to her own troops, and Zien braces for a conflict.     The ship, thankfully, has plenty of energy shielding to brace against impacts. That doesn't mean the vessel is entirely spared, but it manages to dampen the payloads enough for the ship to veer back and try to get out of the way of the rockets. At the same time, the back bay door slides open, and the Ozimovian troops begin to fall from it. The giant black box is first, hurtling down to land with a resounding /crash/ on the ground and kicking up sand. Immediately the box begins unfolding, steadily rising into a bipedal "chicken" walker with a pair of double-barreled guns on the sides of the main body and a sort of artillery cannon on the top.     While that's unfolding, the two dozen marines are landing on the sands as well, already prepped for battle. Curving blades of red energy emerge from one forearm, while the other is equipped with a tall shield of similar energy. That must be what Zien meant when she said that their weaponry wasn't something you could simply drop. The instant the marines land, they bring their shields around in front to form a barrier and begin assaulting Allan's forces from afar, blasting red lasers from their eyes peering just above the rims of their shields. 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     Allan's forces are not very heavily defended, the lasers cut right through some of the bikes, one of the riders losing one of his legs in the process.     Allan meanwhile. Keeps rallying the troops. "You're Mechanics! Engineers! miners! You build the machines, you dig for the Ore. Are you going to let some god dann BOT be what does you in?"     "HELL NO!"     "Keep firing! I'll personally take over the next shift of whoever brings that walker down!"     Several of the vehicles suddely switch targets, a few sending vollies at the walkers while others fire into the marines. Though there's still a few missles headed up towards the shift.     Those who lost their vehices also join the fight, using the wrecks of their ride as cover as they open fire with personal weapons. The weapons on Red union troops seem to be pretty random, from simple rifles to laser weaponry to bits of sharpend metal fired from custom jobs that defy description. apparnetly given a chance, they're try to arm themselves with ANYTHING! 

:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     That didn't take long to turn into a giant firefight. For the moment, Zien stays in the ship, observing the feed from the ship's cameras as it keeps watch over her soldiers. No sense in the general herself jumping out right away just yet, after all, when this is most likely going to be a brief skirmish. If she /doesn't/ end up victorious, she's definitely not going to waste two dozen marines and a walker.     The Red Union's choice of weaponry is remarkably effective. Anything that gets around the marines' shields is enough to cause significant damage, but the marines in turn are capable of taking plenty of punishment. Limbs and heads are severed, bodies shot through, but many of the soldiers remain standing. It's a testament to the Empire's strength that they can take so much damage.     The walker is similarly durable. While the marines are in front, soaking up impacts with their shields, the now-unfolded walker is already opening fire. Twin cannons from the sides shoot rapid pulses of energy into the Red Union's forces, while that artillery on the head launches larger, heavier spheres of blue energy that arc into the air before detonating on the ground, aiming primarily for the vehicles. The walker doesn't seem to have shielding of its own: the rockets of Allan's forces detonate against its hull, and while it seems to be made of pretty durable armor, it probably won't handle too many of those shots.     The marines are beginning to advance, pushing their line forward with their shields held in front. Soon those blades are going to be put into play, it looks like. 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     Ther'es more explosions as the Red union loses a few more vehciles. Suriviving crew once again takingto personal weapons once they've lost their vehciles.     Actually, the Red union might seem weirdly resilient at this point. they're losing men, but not NEARLY the numbers one would expect for a bunch of laborers going up against a militay force.     Then again, there's always been that rumor that everyone in the Red Union can regenerate. But there's no way there could be any truth to that, right?     As the marines get closer, some of the Red Union start to pull out melee weapons, they're even more random than the guns. Gauntlets, hammers, many of them seem like they we're simply pieced together from whatever seemed useful at the time. Some people are using what seems to be their work tools, there's a few pick axes in there. Several of of them have even gone so far as hooking batteries up to the business end to create makeshift electrical and energy weapons. 

:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     Well, this is troubling. Zien expected such a cobbled-together force of people who appeared to be little more than normal humans to fall more dramatically in the face of her force's weaponry. To go so soundly up against Ozimovian forces is remarkable in itself, but to do so with little more than laboring tools and cobbled scrap is all the more baffling. Clearly Zien has underestimated her opponent here.     She's starting to consider that negotiation a little more seriously.     A few marines begin to fall as the Red Union's assault wears them down too much. These machines seem like they need to be almost totally dismantled to finish them off, and some of the Red Union's attacks seem to be just the thing for that. The shields are mitigating most of the damage, but what's going to happen when those have to move?     The marines come close and suddenly drop their shields, sprinting in with remarkable speed to close the rest of the distance between them and the Red Union. Here is where their energy blades come in, slashing and stabbing with strength and precision wherever they can find a target. The walker begins to move forward, too, heavy footsteps shaking the ground and kicking up dust with each footfall. Its fire remains constant, even once one gun is shot off by a stray rocket and its hull begins to be breached by another missile's impact. 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     Getting closer gives a better view of what exactly is going on with these guys.     Several of the Red union are sporting various wounds, a lot of burns, a few missing limbs, but they're not as bad as they should be. Wounds have scabbed up and closed up, Stumps have stopped bleeding. It's ugly as hell and some of these people are going to need a trip to medical ASAP but for now? There's a lot of men still standing that likely shouldn't be. There might have been some truth to those rumors after all.     This is also useful because the Red union is definatly NOT military, they're at least better trained then you're typical bunch of ragtag msifits, but it's pretty obvious most of thier strength comes less from actual training and more for whatever's letting them take hits like that.     Speaking of, there's still a few vehciles left with a few missiles to spare as they fire off severla more volleys, those iwthout vehines either trying ot intercept marines to keep them away from the remaining vehicles, or taking pot shots from cover behind the wreckage left by some of the other vehickes. 

:'''{{#var:351|ZN-MALPRG (351)}} has posed:'''     There's one thing to be said for mechanical precision. In the face of untrained chaos, it becomes harder for programmed inputs to respond properly, especially when they don't have brute force and durability on their side. As advanced and strong as the Ozimovian marines are, the Red Union is managing to match them, if not surpass them. The marines are finding it difficult to predict where the laborers' attacks are coming from and responding to them in time. Limbs are severed, bodies are crushed, metal is torn, but the two sides seem far more durable than they have much right to be.     Zien's units are falling. The walker finds its legs blasted away, sending it crashing to the ground. Marines are cut down and blasted, cutting their numbers down to half when they're not fully on the defensive. Machines or not, Zien isn't the kind of person to waste her soldiers by simply tossing them at a problem, particularly with something relatively minor like this.     "Allan Bodily." Her voice comes through the radio again, her tone still the same as it was before. "Both of us are wasting forces over an illogical purpose. I have a proposition. Take the units that have fallen for recycling and allow me to retrieve those that are still standing. If you require resources, then you have plenty in what you have earned today." 

:'''{{#var:123|Allan Bodily (123)}} has posed:'''     The raido is silent for a few moments, then. "Nothing wrong in roughing up an enemy... you've got a point though. consider it a deal then." Then, just off radio. "HOLD FIRE! We got what we wanted, let 'em leave!"     Assuming the marines will let them, the Red Union would stop fighting, troops pulling back to give the marines some room. Thouh they're not lowering weapons, jsut in case. 

}}

303/A Visit to the Mountain

2014-07-30T20:26:44Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/07/29 |Location=Earth-1111 |Synopsis=D comes to Purgatorio to catch up and visit an old friend, and perhaps find some peace. |Thanks= |Cast of..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/29
|Location=Earth-1111
|Synopsis=D comes to Purgatorio to catch up and visit an old friend, and perhaps find some peace.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=232, 238
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Unlike Inferno and Paradiso, there's currently only one way to Purgatorio. D is given directions to an isolated lake in Beli's iteration of Earth, where neither the blue clouds of Paradiso nor the red clouds of Inferno hang over the sky. A forest surrounds it, the air clear and fresh, if remarkably silent. No animals choose to linger anywhere near the lake, perhaps warded off by the strange energies that come off it. Feeling both blessed and cursed at once, the lake is obviously not normal to anyone with a sense for the supernatural.     Then he must go into the lake, moving down until the water slips over him completely. At that moment, everything shifts; a feeling of displacement hangs in the air, and in the next moment, he is standing on the beach at the base of Purgatorio's towering mountain, where the endless ocean laps at the shore and the thousands of faint, ghostly forms of humans who have not yet ascended linger on the sand. Conveniently, he arrives right in front of one of the staircases carved into the gigantic mountain's cliffside that rises up to the next level, though he may not need it today.     Beli is already there waiting by the staircase, her wings and halo hidden for the moment and a weighty plastic bag hanging by her side from her pale fingers. The rephaite simply looks out at the ocean as she waits, her long hair flowing in the gentle breeze and a small smile of contentment lingering on her expression. 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The lake consumes the Hunter, and deposits him in another world. It is not the strangest thing he has experienced, but it is odd all the same, and he emerges with eyes widened and head turning side to side so he can take in his new surroundings. The souls of the lost, the sands of a foreign shore, and the eternal mountains of Purgatorio greet him. Compared to all that, the sight of Beli -- Purgatorio's half-angel, half-demon caretaker -- is almost mundane.     D steps forward to offer the girl a slight bow of respect. "Greetings, Beli. Thank you for inviting me to your home. You look well; I see your duties suit you." There is no other cause for her to appear so content. To find fulfillment in one's work is a rare fortune; Beli is among uncommon ranks for more than her lineage alone. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli's attention immediately turns to D when he arrives, her warm, honest smile as radiant as the black sun and white moon that flank the mountain. Fitting that this seems to be the one land where she doesn't look completely out of place. "Ah, D! It is wonderful to see you again. Here, I made sure to bring your favorite." She lifts the bag to him: it is, perhaps unsurprisingly, filled with chocolate cookies. They're still warm, clearly baked not too long ago. "...or...well, at least what you seemed to like the last time I brought them to you. Though that was a while ago. Have your tastes changed much?"     Her smile turns faintly embarrassed as she lifts her free hand, combing pale fingers through her dark hair. Eyes of blue and green shift aside to glance at the faint souls lingering along the beach. "I suppose they do. It is good to have something I belong to after so long. Something that is...purely my own. It was worth the wait and effort, I think."     The rephaite breathes a contented sigh before looking back at D suddenly, as if pulling herself free from a distraction. Her laughter is soft and bright. "Ah, right, but I do not think you came here for me to ramble. Would you like to walk along the beach, or try climbing up to the garden? I would really like to hear how you have been lately." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     The smile the Hunter gifts to Beli couldn't rightly be called a smile on any other face, but for a man as stoic as he is, even the most subtle change can bring life and warmth to his facade. He takes the bag, gracious even in accepting a frivolity. "Thank you for thinking of me, Beli. My tastes have not changed. Please thank your wife for me, too -- I have no doubt she contributed to the gift."     It has been some time since Cecily had been seen at all; he assumes she has found the domestic life to her liking, and does not pry into her whereabouts or status.     "You are not rambling. I would like to see the garden, if you think it is a climb we can make. I do not wish for my presence to disturb anyone here on the beach below." Tucking the package beneath his arm, he uses the other to gesture Beli into the lead. He will follow wherever she takes him, his strides slow and silent. The backdrop lends him an eerie quality he does not often possess in the true world. He moves like an apparition, like someone who is apart from all things.     "To address your curiosity, I...am as well I can be, given the challenges of the Multiverse." He continues to turn his head from one admirable view to the next, keenly observant of all which surrounds him. "I suppose you saw the exhibition match." 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     "Ah, of course I will. She is still a much better cook than I. Maybe someday I will have to learn to do these things myself." Beli nods, her smile growing slightly when the package is accepted. She's known D long enough to notice the tiny signs of pleasantness that occasionally shift his rigid countenance, and even those small shifts are enough to bring her happiness in turn.     Another nod is given before she glances up at the mountain's peak. It's a long, long walk; unsurprising, perhaps, that so few of the souls there have made it to the top, and less surprising still that so many have remained at the bottom. It's a daunting climb for anyone. "...well. I suppose we may as well try. I have not actually done it myself yet. Flying comes more naturally."     The angel-demon starts forward, then, moving up the spiral staircase carved into the cliffside. It's wide enough for three people to move side-by-side; surely there will be plenty of space, if D decides to walk beside her. Whether or not he does, however, Beli's attention remains turned to him as they ascend, keeping her curious gaze fixed on her guest and friend. The mention of the exhibition match is enough to make her smile waver slightly, but she nods all the same. "I did. I am sorry I did not make it out there in person, but I made sure to watch it all the same." She pauses in thought for a moment as they pass a soul standing on the stair's edge and gazing out at the ocean. "...she seems to enjoy provoking you. She...reminds me of Dantalion, in a way."     A soft sigh falls from her lips, and her smile returns just as gently as they walk. "I think it was for the best that you ended the match rather than pushing yourself further, though. I know those situations are...difficult to deal with." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "Miss Gorgon is indeed a skilled antagonist. Patience is her greatest weapon...and perhaps her ability to understand her enemies. I have been unable to keep my secrets secure in her company, either because she is a more able manipulator than I believe, or because she understands how to press me for truths." D's smile is long gone, in recounting all this; in its place appears a very faint frown. All at once, a weariness is revealed in him which runs deeper than the kind brought on by great age. He is taxed, body, mind, and soul.     "I have had some help in recovering from the exhibition match, but the match itself appears not to be the end of Miss Gorgon's harassment, and 'help' is no longer sufficient. My only choice is to keep my distance, and to leave the matter of Crona to others who have become less...vulnerable."     Judging by his sour tone, he mislikes admitting his weaknesses, but he is a pragmatic man, and lying to Beli would gain him nothing. "We all have our troubles. It is no matter. I have greater challenges ahead of me."     He steps up beside Beli now, continuing the climb without difficulty. As long as it is, his endurance may eventually be tested, but for now he is graceful, each step conquered with ease. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli, though she may go on now and then when allowed to speak, is perfectly content to be a silent listener. She was once even more quiet than she is now, after all; listening was far more natural to her than speaking, at least when dealing with others. Now is no different, and though a small frown starts to form on her expression and her hand lifts to comfortingly rest on D's shoulder when he walks beside her, she is still silent as he speaks.     "I have met...many people like that," she finally sighs, arms crossing over her chest as she walks. "They poke and prod to gain a response and then revel in it and use it as further ammunition. They find weaknesses for their own amusement. The most you can really do is...stop giving them any sort of reaction, really." The rephaite shakes her head in resentment, bristling faintly. She hasn't liked Medusa ever since the woman's true demeanor was revealed, and this clearly isn't making the woman any more appealing in her mind. At least now she is better at controlling her dual nature: the spiteful growling of the wrathful demon is tucked aside and silenced, pushed into a more quiet irritation that only leaves her faintly bristling.     Beli's gaze lifts ahead as they start to approach the second level of the mountain. The walk is not terribly taxing so far, at least. It appears to be the same for the souls living here, for a good number of them appear to linger on the second level, slightly more solid than their kin on the beach. "I am glad you are not pushing yourself anymore. You are a strong and capable person, and many people have need for someone like you. To be broken by one person's hounding would be..." She trails off faintly, uncertain of exactly the word to use to describe how bad the situation would be. Oh, well; she shakes it off and continues, giving D another one of her warm smiles. "If you need a refuge for a while, you can always come to Purgatorio. Nobody in the Confederacy knows where it is, and I am not sure how many people in the Union know either. And if there is anything else I can do to help, you only need to let me know. My own work is not so taxing that I cannot do something for a dear friend." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     'A dear friend.' There was a time when D would find the claim to be specious at best, an outright lie at worst. He has had no more than two dozen or so in his long life express any significant care for him, his very nature repellent to the majority of those he's met. Of the select few who have referred to him as 'friend,' the sentiment seldom lingered past their deaths, their children and grandchildren inheriting none of the compassion once given freely to D.     You don't hunt so you can make friends.     The Hunter does not smile.     "Thank you, Miss Klum. Your kindness is a comfort. I will not take your offer yet, but I will keep it in mind should it become necessary. I find it curious Lord Dracula is not aware of where your domain lies. I thought he would have some awareness of his offspring -- the girls you took in. I don't suppose there has been any change in their affliction? Do they remain turned?"     The fate of the village girls fails to stir his heart beyond a dim sense of regret. There had never been anything he could have done for them. If he had been given an opportunity to save their lives and had failed, he might suffer some guilt, but there was never a chance. Guilt over those events outside his control is something he learned a long time ago to shrug away.     Mostly. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli is abruptly given pause at that question just as they reach the second level. She blinks in silence, glancing over to D as if he abruptly reminded her of something she completely forgot about. If the sudden, light smack of her palm hitting her face that follows is an indication of anything, that may have just been exactly what happened.     "...oh, I forgot to tell you," she groans, her voice muffled before she lets her hand fall to her side again. The rephaite sighs in exaspiration. Even now, she seems to take personal failings heavily on herself, no matter how small. "How stupid of me. Ah...Purgatorio had no influence on them, as I expected, but...I did start trying to treat them with my seraphic flames. They are cleansing, after all, and I guess you could call Dracula's turning of them a sort of disease or curse. I thought that if they were naturally human rather than being a vampire by nature, then it would have the effect of reversing it."     That frown settles on Beli's face again as she lifts a hand to her hair, combing her fingers through black strands. "I only use a little on one of them. It clearly hurt, since I suppose the turning is pretty deeply seated, but...I think it may have been starting to have some effect. I stopped since I did not want to risk hurting her any more, at least not before talking with you, but I guess things must have kept coming up and I forgot to bring it up."     Again her arms cross over her chest as that brief moment of anxiety fades. "In any case...I am sorry I did not mention it to you before. There is a chance, however, that my flames may be able to cleanse that sort of transformation if the host is not naturally a vampire. At least those from Dracula's world." She shrugs a little helplessly, then. "...if he knows about their location, he clearly has not cared at all about it. These things /are/ different between worlds, though. Maybe...in his world, it is more like transferring a disease from one host to the next, rather than creating some sort of...child. Or maybe he only turned them to get at you, and he does not actually care about what happens to them. I would not put it past him, especially considering the kinds of people under his command." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "I see. It was good of you to risk the treatment to this point. Without understanding the full nature of their disease, I...could not advise you on exactly how to continue caring for the girls. Your instinct and understanding of your own gifts may be your best guide. If you think the girls can exchange a short term of suffering for a return to healthy humanity, then I say the pain is worthwhile."     D's hand briefly surrounds Beli's shoulder in a comforting squeeze, gesture returned for gesture. His palm as always is cool rather than warm, but the desire to see Beli's anxiety eased makes up for the lack of human familiarity.     "Perhaps Lord Dracula has not come for his spawn because he wishes to see how we react to their affliction. It would be like him to be curious, I think." Of course, he may be basing that on his knowledge of his own progenitor. Sometimes, Dracula Vlad Tepes and the Sacred Ancestor have a great deal in common; this is possibly one such time. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     The touch to her shoulder is something of a surprise. Beli knows that D is not exactly an outgoing person, more content to keeping to himself rather than reaching out to others. Even that small gesture, though brief and physically cold, is noted as a sign of his caring. Though she stares at him in surprise for a moment, a small smile soon creeps back into her expression, its arrival removing any lingering tension in her form.     She gives a brief sigh, then, nodding in assent. "If you think that is what is best, then...I will try soon. The next question would be what to do with them after that. I could keep them here, I guess, but there is not a lot for them to do aside from trying to help encourage souls to continue their climb. Or interacting with the ones who have made it to the garden. It is not like anywhere else in my world is safe, after all..."     The rephaite falls silent for a moment, staring out into the ocean in thought. Soon enough, she simply shakes her head, clearing her mind of wandering thoughts before she looks back up at D. "...right, anyway...I guess this would be the safest location to keep them afterward. I am not sure how many people would think to submerge themselves in one particular lake to find this place, even if he did know where they were. These afterlives seem to be a little...detached from the rest of the world." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "Perhaps the girls will be glad to be caretakers here. If your burden can be shared, it should be -- you cannot be the only one to oversee so many, after all. Perhaps taking them on as your apprentices will be good for you. The people of my world possess an incredible gift for resilience and kindness in the face of adversity. Such traits may be welcome here."     D continues onward and upward, resuming the climb in his slow, patient manner. He has only had haste about him in times of urgency; otherwise, he has taken his journeys at an easy pace. With thousands of years yet to be lived, how could he do otherwise? It's not as if /rushing/ would change anything. Purgatorio is to be as eternal a place as the heavens above and infernal realms below. D could take a thousand years to climb the peaks, and little around him will have altered.     There is peace to be found in the journey.     "You could also attempt to persuade the villagers to take back their lost daughters. You may succeed; I would certainly fail. Beratement will only cow the people for a short time. If you can remind them of their compassion..."     He shrugs. The motion ripples through his cloak. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Ah, the climb. She had almost forgotten about that. When D continues, so does Beli, keeping to his side as they ascend the curving stone steps. A few spirits turn to watch them, but save for one adventurous soul slowly climbing the stairs, none follow.     It is not an easy climb, though that appears to be the point of this world. Inferno is endless punishment, and Paradiso is endless relief, but Purgatorio appears to be something in the middle. It is hardship, but it is also choice. The choice to experience struggle for the sake of freedom and peace. The choice to push oneself further and further for one's own betterment. That same personal choice that Beli has held so dearly in the last several years, now embodied in the afterlife she watches over.     Beli considers this at D's suggestion, her gaze lifting to the plateau formed by Purgatorio's peak. "...yes, I think they would be. I denied any assistance in creating followers to share my task, like the demon lords and archangels of the other afterlives. I did not want to force anyone to share my burden. But...if they decide to, then I will let them, and I will try to guide them too. I want them to decide for themselves what would be best, rather than telling them how the rest of their lives will be lived."     Her arms fold behind her back as she looks back at D again, smiling gently still. "If they want to go back to their families, then I will do what I can to see that wish fulfilled, instead. It has been so long now, though. I only hope that my own compassion can be enough, if it comes to that." 

:'''{{#var:232|D (232)}} has posed:'''     "Your compassion altered the destiny of an entire world and its millions of lives; surely, it is enough to move the hearts of a few Frontiersmen." D's faint 'smile' returns as he looks down to Beli. Yes, he /has/ changed. He has become more trusting of his allies, and more open. Although still given to intense stoicism and self-made isolation, he has become more willing to reveal the heart beneath his icy armor. Beli has had much to do with nurturing D's trust.     So has Kagenashi.     D tips back his head to squint up at the nigh-endless steps. "I see we yet have quite the climb before us. The mountain did not look so high, from its base...but isn't that how it always is."     He lapses back into silence, and continues to walk, step by step. 

:'''{{#var:238|Beli Klum (238)}} has posed:'''     Beli's smile turns faintly shy at that praise. Her head lowers slightly as they walk, turning her gaze down to the steps under their feet. "...I suppose you have a point."     Her head lifts at that comment, her gaze following his up the stairs, to the next level, and to the peak above. It makes her pause her walk for a moment as thoughts settle into her mind. D's comment is a rather apt one; surely her own mountain did not seem so large to surmount when she started, but the climb was no less of a struggle. Doubtless D has felt the same way as well, in the many trials that have been set before him. Surely many other such mountains will appear in the future, but looking back on it all, to see where they are now...     Her smile warms again. "Yes. Life has its ways of doing that, I suppose."     She turns back to follow D again, walking beside her friend in contented, peaceful silence. 

}}

The Battle of Midway

2014-07-22T03:10:29Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/07/21 |Location=Midway Fleet Base <MFB> |Synopsis=The Midway Fleet Base finds itself under attack from a new and dangerous enemy. |Thanks= |Ca..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/21
|Location=Midway Fleet Base <MFB>
|Synopsis=The Midway Fleet Base finds itself under attack from a new and dangerous enemy.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=112, 225, 281, 316, 359, 385, 432, 438, 494, 513
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:''' ��The Midway Fleet Base might have noticed some submerged vessels passing a good distance out now and then during the last few days. What they were, however, would be extremely difficult to determine, particularly since most of them would be no larger than a person if discovered. None of them went near for very long, however, and nothing ever approached the base afterward. ��Until today. ��Several vessels have begun to approach the shore, but every single one of them is very deep underwater. Surely not submarines; what use would they be in attacking a base like this right now? On top of that, five of them are truly enormous, easily the size of aircraft carriers and battleships, with several much smaller forms approaching without any real formation around them. It's not until they come within a mile of the base that they surface, breaching the water and letting their massive forms be seen. ��They aren't like anything that's been seen before. Parts of them resemble female humans, though they're ghostly pale and obviously gigantic. Savo, the Airfield Princess, emerges from the water's surface with a pleased, excited smile, taking up the rear and hovering just above the ocean (http://tinyurl.com/mxemm7j); in front of her emerge Rossel, the Armored Carrier Demon (http://tinyurl.com/l543bcz), and Anchorage, the Anchorage Demon (http://tinyurl.com/lemhlnk), their mechanical bases snarling; and flanking the two of them emerge a pair of Flagships, a Ru-Class Battleship (http://tinyurl.com/oj9mlhq) who bursts out of the water with her arms raised and /slams/ the heavy walls of guns down as if the water were solid ground, and a Ta-Class Battleship (http://tinyurl.com/qdvyeot) who leaps up and twirls before landing on the water's surface in a braced crouch. Even more dark shapes are approaching from the ocean, but these, while numerous, seem smaller; closer to a human's size, compared to the ship-sized giantesses already standing or hovering on the ocean's surface. ��Savo grins as she looks out at the base before calling out to her allies. "Alright! Remember Samar's orders; we raze this place to the ground and see if we can get any info on whoever it belongs to. That's secondary, though. Mostly we just want to make sure /everything/ dies. Preferably with as many explosions as we can manage." ��Rossel, Anchorage, the Ta-Class, and the Ru-Class all reply in booming assent, "Understood!" 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:''' ��With the old raid sirens winding up to their distinctive howl, Mikase Yamato dropped the books she was carrying and ran straight for the docks. It's pretty easy to see what the source of the alarm is, after all-the enormous ... MONSTERS on the horizon. Mikase comes to a halt, skidding to a stop on the dock and just staring at the creatures as they emerge, her jaw slack. ��Not Elvari. But /what/? With a 'tch', Mikase sets her jaw, teeth bared. She breaks into a run right to the end of the pier and then leaps the railing. In midair, she's surrounded by light, her clothing changing, metal materializing on her hips, arms, and shoulders. When she hits the water, the girl sinks in to her knees but then stops just as suddenly as if she had hit concrete, the force putting her in a hunch for just a moment. Hauling herself upright, the Maiden of the Yamato advances, her main battery turrets sweeping upward, water pouring out from the ones that had briefly submerged when she landed. ��< Surface vessels form line ahead. Prepare to show your broadside. General attack. General attack. > 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Even coming from a few worlds away, Yuna emerges from the warpgate as quickly as she can get there, already in the mermaid-style armor of her Marine Form ... Then doubles back to the surface to gawk at the size of the approaching forms. Also how monstrous they are, but it's mostly the size she's reacting to - And then Yuna disappears underwater again. It might look like she's fleeing in terror - and truth be told, she really kind of WANTS to - but more than that, she wants it to look like she really is running away. Hopefully the approaching titans aren't paying any more attention below the surface than the Elvari have tended to ... 

:'''{{#var:316|Sarah (316)}} has posed:''' Reserve Captain Sarah is here. She probably looks extremely out of place wearing her layered Harmonian dress in the midst of a military base. For once, she didn't teleport today, because this isn't somewhere she's visited previously. Fittingly, she looks pretty winded, having jogged here through warpgates and other means. She's still on the shore, because while she could use cheating water magic to go meet the enemy over the deeps, there are people here who probably need to be evacuated. Or at least stirred into shoring up their defenses. That explains why she's striding urgently through the base; stopping here to dismiss non-essential personnel, or advising soldiers there on what best they can do to work with the particular defenses she has in mind. For now, though, she remains where she is, looking out to the water where those hideous things approach. Those pale, almost colourless eyes narrow very slightly. Through the water, she can feel how strange and foreign those things are; how wrong and foul they are. It leaves her with the equivalent of a bad taste in her mouth. Although the Rune is quiet, for the moment, even she can sense it recoil from such /wrongness/. Negotiation is probably not going to accomplish very much, here. Those things have come with a single purpose in mind, and that is to destroy. Calmly, Sarah strides out until she stands at the edge of the water, clutching her staff in both hands, and she takes a deep breath as her eyes flutter closed. And then she silently invokes the True Water Rune. Like a dragon uncoiling, the power awakens within her, and she finds herself murmuring softly -- lost words, forgotten words; the language of the Sindar. It helps her to focus, because what she's about to try would be taxing even in the best circumstances. And what is that? Attempt to freeze the water that surrounds the giant ship abominations -- as solidly as she can manage. She doesn't make any attempt to damage the creatures, though. Her only intent right now is to slow them. She does raise a hand to Yamato as the girl flings herself seaward, though. And Yamato might find that the water, while trying to thicken and congeal around the Abyssal Fleet, does not slow /her/. Or any of her Union allies, actually. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:''' ��Air raid sirens? What happened to the more smooth Stream Alert Klaxon? Elasaid grouses softly as she drags herself out of bed, opening her door before coming up short. "What in th'name o'all that's holy?" she asks noone, then sets off to the dock at a run. She doesn't even slow down as she approaches the railing, hurdling it as she slams her fists together in front of her. "Ventis Secundis!" She's enveloped in blue-white light, and splashes hard into the water, sending a gout of water into the air. As it recedes the Hood is standing there in her full regalia. ��<Hostile fleet on radar. Sound Battlestations. This is not a drill. Show our broadside and prepare bracketing fire. Interval of three, five, seven. Load torpedo racks and watch for hostile air power.> 

:'''{{#var:432|Arizona (432)}} has posed:''' ��You what's awful? Wasted food. The very thought of that piping hot plate of pasta sitting in her room was making Arizona's blood boil. It was the first time in months that she had gotten everything together to have a really nice meal, and not something from Mess Hall, that was going to be delicious, and she only got one bite. ONE! It'd be COLD by the time she got back! You know how awful it will be after its microwaved? DO YOU?! NO YOU DON'T DO YOU!? RAAAAAH All thoughts within the Fleet Maiden's head as she lunges from the docks toward the water. A flash of light, a splash of water, and the maiden of the same name would be following in Yamato's wake. Its only once she hits the water that she gets a look at what decided to come selling Avon products or -- wait. ".. What the hell?!" Nope. Forget this. "Screw talking to these bastards! FIRE EVERYTHING!" And then she does just that. Its pretty loud, you know? 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��With little warning, a black and white torpedo breaks free of the surface of the water. Oh, wait, no, it's not a torpedo, but the shape is similarly sleek. Just... far girthier. It's a Killer Whale! And it's clearly fleeing the zone of ice by SLIDING ITS BELLY OVER IT and into unfrozen waters, moving further and further from the Abyssal Ships. ��Once the creature's back into clear waters again, it slips just beneath the waves and rushes towards shore, dorsal fin and upper body occasionally breaking the water's surface! 

:'''{{#var:225|Alexander Grey (225)}} has posed:''' ��Alexander, as luck would have it, as just been standing by the water, smoking a cigarette. While he's not exactly -trusted- by the base personnel, they know he's got -some- sort of relationship with Alba, so they've been letting him stick around as long as he doesn't do anything too creepy. ��Of course, with the navy coming into view off in the distance, he's definitely going swiftly down the list of the Creepiest Things In Midway Fleet Base. "...Huh. Would you look at that. Looks like we've got work, Bride." ��He pauses for a moment to flick his cigarette into the water - and then promptly dives down after it. 

:'''{{#var:281|Rider (281)}} has posed:''' An invading fleet of ships who are also gigantic girls, and none of it is her fault. What she is doing in the seas here is anyone's guess, but there is a small magenta-haired figure just standing on a floating platform of wood out in the ocean. "Well, well! They're too tall to be the Fleet Maidens. Some new kind of ship, maybe..." Rider collapses her spyglass and tucks it into a pocket of her coat. "This should be fun." She glances to the side as the water's temperature seems to fall, but the wooden platform she's standing on just raises about half an inch, enough to keep her feet out of the water. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��The Killer Whale's been making progress towards shore. As luck would have it, the creature's managed to almost get there when its eyes lock onto the nearby Alexander's figure. ��Swooping about underwater and doubling around, pulling up alongside Alexander, the whale emits a questioning squeak noise and a shriller cry of alarm that echoe-burbles hauntingly underwater. ��Alexander won't be able to really explain it, but he gets a distinct sense from the way the whale wobbles in the water that it's saying 'Danger is that way! What are you doing?' 

:'''{{#var:225|Alexander Grey (225)}} has posed:''' ��Alexander just gives the orca a grin. He does... not seem too surprised that it suddenly swum up next to him. Maybe he saw it before? "Oh, danger like that is my line of work," he answers Finna. ... By speaking underwater. It kinda comes out gurgly but FInna can probably hear just fine. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��As if it UNDERSTOOD that, the killer whale now click-whistles and brings its body around and comes up UNDER Alexander, giving him a perfect opportunity to grab on. ��He'd get the sense that's exactly what it's just told him to do too. ��Assuming he does so... with a great whip-crack of its sleek yet thick body, WHOOOOOSH. Off they go, towards the Abyssal Ships, just below the surface! 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:''' ��"Raid...?" says Rosamarie, puzzled. Why didn't she hear a warning of a stream detected? Automatically she checks her phone, then quickly accesses the schedule. No announced drill, nothing. So it's an unannounced drill, a screw-up, or something really unexpected and dangerous. ��She gets enough from naval crews over slacking off already, she's not about to invite more. Rosa breaks from her room, pulling a windbreaker over her tank top for modesty rather than for any need for warmth. She sprints out towards the water, skidding to a halt as she sees what's coming. Not Elvari... something else. Something new. Shaking her head, she raises a hand into the air, then lowers it a few inches as she clenches a fist. "Albacore." she murmurs, magic cloaking her in a shimmering black shadow. Windbreaker, tank top, jeans, all gone now. Replaced by a form-fitting wetsuit with dulled black plate armor around her fists, her head, her feet, her chest. ��Albacore jumps, following only slightly behind Yamato. Unlike the dreadnought, she doesn't land on the water. She dives instead, breaking the surface, then returning up to the surface once again, powering at speed towards the oncoming fleet. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:''' ��It's Ru and Ta who notice the arrivals first, blazing yellow eyes suddenly turning down to fix on the (relatively tiny) oppositon. Their expressions suddenly turn sour, shifting out of the violent anticipation they held before as they turn back to their Capital Ships. Ta is the first to speak. "Savo! We have Fleet Daughters approaching from the base!" Then Ru: "It looks like they're here with unknown allies, probably /not/ Fleet Daughters." ��Savo frowns where she sits, her form hovering above the ocean. "What, seriously? We're not even /on/ their world - oh, look, sounds like they're hailing us." The Airfield Princess sighs, drumming her left hand along the edge of her 'throne' as she talks to Yamato over the radio. A few moments later, she smiles again. "Okay! Everything's sorted out. They're...Fleet Maidens, apparently. Same basic thing, so let's get to it, alright? Ta, Ru! Lead and start whittling them down! Rossel, Anchorage! We're going to send them a few presents from over here." ��Those vicious grins return to the twin battleships as they turn back toward the base, but before anyone can open fire, it seems Arizona has already started. Cannons blast, and Ru has to shift to bring her twin walls of metal in front of her as a shield. Most of the shots crash against her 'hull', but at least spare her more fragile body. Ta is not so lucky; the Ta-Class Battleship, more agile than the Ru-Class, tries to 'skate' to the side to avoid Arizona's fire, but Sarah has already begun freezing the ocean's surface. Not much of a problem for the floating Capital Ships, but Ta and Ru have to walk. Ta is frozen, and before she can free herself, Arizona's shots blast into her torso, drawing a shout of pain...but without any blood. Her body is visibly pierced, but there's nothing from it! How strange. ��"This is ridiculous," Ta hisses, raising her gun-filled arms and beginning to fire her own shots in retaliation, raining down battleship-scaled ordinance on the Union and allied defenders. Ru just smirks aside to Ta as her own guns open fire with loud reports. "What's wrong, Ta, can't deal with a little ice? I thought you were the mobile one!" ��As shells rain down over the opposition, Rossel and Anchorage continue to hang back, Rossel smirking and Anchorage continuing to simply glower. "Let's go, Anchorage," Rossel asides to the Anchorage Demon, wiggling slightly where she sits in her mechanical base. "Time to give them some more to worry about!" Anchorage is silent, save for a low grumble. The two carrier ships open the glowing maws of their lower halves, then, and from them fly about a dozen bizarre aircraft (http://tinyurl.com/nt4ctx9) that sweep up and then dive down toward the defending forces. Their front-mounted guns open fire, showering the Union and allies with bullets to match the artillery of the larger ships. ��Thankfully, Sarah's interference is making it difficult for the other ships down below to approach. She's bought some time, but it looks like torpedos are being fired underwater to break the ice. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:''' ��Across the island, various naval vessels are already pulling out of their berths. The USS Missouri, re-activated in light of the Elvari attacks, pulls free first, followed by a pair of destroyers who quickly overtake her in the formation. An anti-air frigate and cruiser follow, cruising to either side of the Mighty Mo. While the support ships prepare for air defense, the battleship's turrets swing around, elevate, and open fire with great plumes of smoke. ��Closer to the engagement itself, Yamato sights carefully with her own guns. When one of the huge shells descends her way, she pushes her hands out with a flare of white light. That shell impacts the glow, flashes, and then explodes violently. Shards of glittering white fly behind the battleship maiden, but when the smoke dissipates the core of her barrier is still intact. ��< Range 4000 yards, match Arizona's target. Spread fire, elevations 32, 35, 38. All guns, fire! > ��Following the girl's own mental commands and the actions of her guns, the Yamato's cannons speak in plumes of smoke and flame. While comparatively a lot smaller, those shells explode with force that's nearly the same as their full sized contemporaries. ��< Reload, fire again-- > ��And then a sound causes Yamato's brain to lock up. Pupils shrinking, she shoots a look to the sky, spotting incoming aircraft. The girl instantly shrieks in terror. The numerous gun batteries on her shoulders and hips all swing around, filling the air above her with bursts of shrapnel. During this sudden chaos, her main battery reloads, the barrels elevated as high as they can go. One at a time, the main guns fire, adding fans of shrapnel and blazing magnesium rods to the storm of shredding steel already surrounding her. ��"--STAY AWAY!" 

:'''{{#var:225|Alexander Grey (225)}} has posed:''' ��And suddenly Alexander is lifted out of the water by a killer whale. He looks down in surprise for a moment, then whoops, laughing. "Alright! This is better than Sea World!" she shouts out, as Finna swims towards the melee. Alexander tries to direct Finna more towards Ru - entirely arbitrarily - as he closes his eyes for a moment. ��Then... ��"The Industrial Marionette!" ��A voice speaks out of the air around him. It hisses, and has a very odd reverb. It sounds... vaguely female. "DANCE, PUPPET!" ��To the eyes of the ghost ships, tendrils of ice-white ectoplasm shoot out from his fingers, clearing the distance from his body to one of Ru's gun emplacements in a fraction of a second. ��Then the gun starts to turn to face towards Ta... and fire. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Yuna was in such a hurry to get out to Midway that she didn't even wait for Elner, just for Marina - and the little robo-faerie triggered her Light Suit as Yuna needed to transform, so she didn't think too much of it at the time. On the other hand, right now, she really wishes Elner were here with its sensors and analysis capabilities. No point in dwelling on it, though. Particularly not when she has shells sinking into the water - the first couple of impacts on the surface prompt a curious glance upwards, followed closely by alarm as she realizes what's HAPPENING up there ... and she dives deeper still, skimming along the bottom as her armor's tail flicks to propel her through the water. She's aware that her friends really need help, but the weaponry she currently has at her disposal isn't going to make much of an impact on the Abyssal Fleet's apparent commanders ... What she CAN do, though, is try to protect the ice barrier that Sarah created, and keep the smaller Abyssals from breaking through it too easily. Or at least, that's her plan until she hears Yamato freaking out. Yuna's first attacks of the fight are a spread of microtorpedoes, skimming the ocean floor even more closely than Yuna herself is until they're past the ice floes - and then they rise towards the mini-Abyssals who are chipping away at the ice, ten miniature warheads ready to blast the opposition ... 

:'''{{#var:432|Arizona (432)}} has posed:''' ��Return Fire! When the Abyssal ships start to unload, Arizona throws up her own barrier, deflecting the firepower sent her way. The barrier manages to withstand an impact, the shell sending Arizona 'skidding' backward along the water, but it's as she's about to fire again that she hears something. "GET THOSE AA GUNS GOING!" While a broadside rings out, a moment later the sound of a ton of AA guns can he heard firing at the 'planes' sent out. Its as they're firing that Ari actually moves toward Yamato. Cover? Probably. Hopefully she won't get shelled by her ally. 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:''' ��Albacore begins by following Yamato and Arizona. She's not bristling with weapons like them, instead being limited to seemingly just a pair. A long gun scaled like a sniper rifle and an autocannon scaled like a machinegun. It's the former which she pulls forward first, sighting and beginning to open fire. ��She lacks the devastating firepower of a battleship, but her weapon is far more effective than its small size appears. Rosamarie's power isn't like theirs; a flash of magic and a large explosion. Her attack is more subtle and much more concentrated. Power channeled into a series of single bullets rather than an array of explosive shells. ��The attack from Albacore is, however, little more than a feint. As return fire streaks in, the submarine maiden takes action. <Ten degrees down-bubble. Go to periscope depth.> <Periscope depth, aye!> <Rudder hard left. Now five degrees down-bubble. Come about to 270 and increase speed gradually to flank.> ��Albacore shimmers, fades almost entirely from sight, then turns away from her fellow Maidens. She begins to head on a course bearing almost straight for the enemy fleet, falling behind as Yamato, Hood and Arizona continue on to their own optimum firing solution. She breaks away slowly at first, trying to make sure the movement of her shadowy form is less obvious until she's far enough away from the others to allow her motion to go more unnoticed. ��Unfortunately for Rosa, the slow departure means she's in range as shells begin to fall on the Maiden battlegroup. Shrouded by her magic, Rosa's not entirely within the same reality. Shells find no solid contact to explode against. Penetrating rounds pass by rather than tear through. She's still hit, still hurt, but the pain and the damage is a distant thing, unreal. She lacks the powerful barrier just as she lacks the raw firepower of a battleship... but her magic serves well in its difference. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:''' ��Hood folds her arms, falling into formation with Yamato and Arizona. She's watching the hostiles moving, mentally reeling off trajectories and firing solutions... and that's when the huge car-sized shells start raining down. Hoods eyes go wide as she suddenly starts to backpedal. <All hands, brace for impact!> ��The shell slams into a previously invisible barrier, and smashes straight through, exploding against the girls underlaying armour. She skids back in the water, then topples backwards, yelping as she's sent over. 

:'''{{#var:281|Rider (281)}} has posed:''' Despite the otherwise nice weather, a storm begins to brew. Off in the distance, thunder rumbles. "Mmm?" At the sound of a scream, Rider turns to look toward the fleet. "Oh. Huh." She rubs at her chin a moment, then taps her foot twice against the wooden platform she's standing on. "Guess it's time." All around her, the waves begin to get rougher and wilder, the Servant remains steady, arms folded calmly as she bobs up and down atop the water. Rider begins to hum softly as the wind picks up and the sea spray spatters against her coat. The weather starts getting rough. And then, in a surge of water, a small ship explodes up out of the waves, with Rider standing atop the deck. "Right, then. Can't have you terrorizing everyone like that." Despite the waves around her, Rider stands firm on the tiny ship as it's tossed on the waves. A buzzing sound echoes briefly as the small motor powers up, sending the ship directly toward the incoming undead fleet. There doesn't appear to even be a crew on the ship, but it seems to fearlessly battle against the rough seas as it approaches. Rider lifts her hands to her mouth and calls out loudly, "Hey, you carriers! INCOMING!" The ship suddenly accelerates to high speeds, faster than it probably should be able to go, and Rider leaps off the deck, performing a neat flip in the air. As the ship careens toward the Anchorage, those with good eyesight may see the name printed on the side of the prow: S.S. Minnow. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��And then, things get weird. ��If Alexander's paying attention to his strange mount, he'll see symmetrical strips of flesh down its back, just forward of the Dorsal Fin, ripple like liquid... then EXTEND OUTWARD. These thin, long extensions grow a joint in the middle, and then... ��THEN, a wave of black feathers sprout from the top, white on their bottom, spreading like a wave up onto the beach. ��The winged(?!??!?!) Killer whale picks up some speed in the proper direction - right towards Ru, picking up on the cues - and then spreads those wings, flapping madly. ��In a matter of moments, despite its considerable weight and the physical impossibility of such a creature flying on wings, IT TAKES OFF, with Alexander on its back! ��"Even here, the dead have to plague the living? Yuck... why can't they just stay in whatever underworld they swum out of?!" ��The whale SPEAKS. In a female voice, no less. A sharper, lighter-toned voice than one should ever hear from a beast that big! 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:''' ��The barricade provided by the Ru-Class can only be so effective, especially considering the two Capital Ships are so large. Yamato's counterattack strikes against Ru's barrier, blasting into the armored hull and beginning to wear it down, but a few shots fly past to hit Anchorage right in the chest. The shells explode against her, finally drawing a wince instead of a glower as the Capital Ship is sent back slightly from the impact. "...annoying," Anchorage hisses, directing her attention to Yamato and lowering the single long, giant cannon over her shoulder. Only a moment is taken to aim before it fires with a resounding report, forcing Anchorage herself to lurch back slightly from the shot. Yamato's attacks are shooting down the aircraft very effectively, soon whittling them into almost nothing, but will she be able to deal with that direct shell? ��Regardless, Anchorage might have to deal with a few opponents at once. Her focus on Yamato means that she doesn't see the ship charging toward her until it's too late; Rider's vessel SMASHES against the lower jaw of Anchorage's mechanical base, striking up a metallic howl from the creature as Anchorage's whole mass shifts aside. Her hateful glare is sent across to Rider - but Rossel raises a hand as two of her side cannons turn toward Rider, firing a twin burst of shells at the small target. "Ah, you're already occupied, Anchorage. Allow me." ��Ru and Ta aren't faring too well, themselves. Ru is an excellent barricade, but she's also an excellent weapon, and Alexander quickly makes use of that. Before she can react, one gun is turned aside and fires on Ta, blasting a hole in the battleship's arm. Ta cries out in pain, stumbling to the side and at least managing to free herself from the ice. "-Ru, what the /hell/?!" Ru looks completely baffled. "That wasn't me, I swear-" ��Savo interrupts with a frustrated shout, bouncing anxiously in her seat. "Shut up and go in there! Ru, smash them! Ta, blast them away!" ��The two battleships comply, and only then do they move. Ru, the slower of the two, focuses her attention on Arizona; in rush, she crouches, then /leaps/ forward, raising one wall of guns and metal to bring it crashing down on top of the Fleet Maiden! Ta, meanwhile, focuses on the...strange flying thing that Finna has become, opening fire with anti-air guns as she starts to strafe along the ocean's surface with remarkable speed for her size. ��Meanwhile, under the water, the dim light is pierced by several cyclopean blue lights. It's a fleet of half a dozen Ka-Class Submarines (http://tinyurl.com/kd4en8o) trying to break down the ice, though several other lights can be made out in the murky distance. When Rosa dives down and Yuna opens fire, however, their attention diverts. Three rush toward Rosa, the mouths tucked under their arms opening to launch black torpedos at the submarine Fleet Maiden, while the other three dive lower to meet Yuna, assailing her with the same force to match. 

:'''{{#var:225|Alexander Grey (225)}} has posed:''' ��Alexander's concentration is pretty much broken immediately as his mount suddenly takes to the air. "JESUS! What the hell -are- you, anyway?" he says, in a voice halfway between surprise and laughter. Ru swiftly finds she can control that gun aagin, the ectoplasmic tendrils fading away... ��They're being fired on! Alexander pats the orca's flank. "You gonna be okay on your own? ... What am I saying, of course you will." And then... he jumps! "Really should've packed a parachute!" he calls as he sails down towards Ru. ��He does actually get hit. AA rounds pierce his body and come flying out the other side... but he doesn't bleed. Instead, the holes in his body fill with a misty white substance... ��He aims to land atop one of Ru's 'shoulders'. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Problem number one: The submarine ghosts have noticed Yuna. Problem number two: They're shooting back with torpedoes of their own. Problem number three: Now that Yuna can actually see them, they are *SCARY* and it's all Yuna can do not to freak out - particularly with the torpedoes headed her way. Fortunately, Yuna has the presence of mind to 'summon' the Matrix Divider, the rifle/sword hybrid-ish weapon materializing in her hands, and bolts of focused, concussive light start ripping through the water - initially in an effort to blast the torpedoes before they can get close enough for the detonations to hurt her. If the Ka-class sub-ghosts are trying to maintain a steady barrage, Yuna will go so far as to try and shoot into the 'torpedo tube' mouths ... maybe she can detonate something inside? And the ghosts are freaky enough that she kinda doesn't care if she hurts them, she's FAR more worried about herself and her friends ... and despite Yamato's request, she doesn't have a whole lot of attention or focus left to offer up prayers, except for a silent plea to a couple of the kami whom Yuna personally venerates and prays to. 

:'''{{#var:432|Arizona (432)}} has posed:''' ��What do you do when a wall full of guns starts to fall toward you? You get out of the way. While the thought crossed Arizona's mind to just shoot it until it was deflected, for once she decided that firepower wasn't going to be the answer. She breaks into a run to her right, lunges, but ends up geting tossed by the massive wave created when the arm comes down! Thankfully, she doesn't end up on her back or under the surface. "Ugh.." Radio noises. "Wait, you're going to do -that-?!" How did that even work anyway! Pause, climb, once she's on her feet she tries to focus on enabling Yamato to do what she wants to do... 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:''' ��It takes a few minutes, but Elasaid drags herself, soaked and coughing, onto the shore. She kneels there for a few moments, before turning her attention back out towards the combatants. ��The maiden doesn't do anything, or so it seems, but her willpower stretches out towards Yamato, and she lets her power flow out to her. "All me power's yers lass. Take it." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��When the whale sees the barrels turned her way... erp. The anti-air fire tears into her flesh, which is much easier to do than tearing through metal. But that whale blubber and thick skin isn't like human skin. It's much tougher than it looks. ALL of the bullets penetrate, drawing blood, some blowing clear through. The creature exhales through its blowhole then... well, that high-pitched noise is very likely a scream. ��Unfortuantely, Alexander, MAYBE it won't be so okay. Blood pours from dozens of little wounds, and the creature's wings have taken the worst of it. The newly-formed limbs have lost plenty of feathers, and are drenched in blood. It can only sort of lopsidedly and inelegantly dive back towards the water. But as it does so the beast reorients itself. Silver fire BURNS from within those wounds, sealing them from within and... pushing the bullets that lodged in its guts clear out in a matter of seconds. Then the creature hits the water again, the great wings shriveling back inside its body as if they never existed. ��The whale now has a new mission... find the submerged Elasaid Hood, and bring her to the surface! 

:'''{{#var:281|Rider (281)}} has posed:''' As Anchorage glares at her, Rider just lifts a hand and waves it with a broad grin on her face. "Never seen one of you before... You're actually ships, are ya?" Not like... hmm. As she hears Yamato's words, Rider concentrates for a moment. "Not sure how much this is gonna help, but... give 'em all you've got, Yamato." Fortunately, that ice covering the water provides her with enough of a foothold to land and run. The first shell from Rossel strikes just a few feet to her left, and the force of the impact is enough to send her flying away from it as the ice shatters. "Whoof!" At least the blast knocks her away from the second shel, but the Servant lands in the cold water with a splash. When she resurfaces, she looks a little singed, but that grin is still on her face. "Fine then! Be that way! If I bring up something big, you'll probably have it sunk in no time! So..." So she takes a breath and dives. Just a few seconds later, Rider launches up from the water a short distance away, propelled by some mass of wood and metal just below the surface... that quickly crumbles right away. The propulsion is enough to send her high into the air, and she clings onto the Ta before she plummets back down again. "Gotcha!" It takes a bit of climbing up the ghostly clothing and a few jumps to get her to the top of the battleship, but she soon takes perch on Ta's shoulder. "Now then!" Rider reaches over, placing one hand against Ta's neck... and focuses. There's a force of will, then, strong as a battering ram, pressing against Ta's mind. "I'm your captain now, girl! Why don't you show me what you've got?" These ships have to be at -least- as powerful as a legendary beast... and Rider's face visibly shows the effort of even attempting this takeover. The Servant's free hand points toward Savo. "All guns, open fire." 

:'''{{#var:225|Alexander Grey (225)}} has posed:''' ��Alexander is never alone. ��He may be focused on the physical world around him... but the one who shares his soul, the Weeping Bride, Death God of Remorseful Suicide? Her senses stretch out into the metaphysical world. ��The one called Yamato. She wants power? Alexander trusts her. So the Weeping Bride will lend her power. ��Tendrils of ectoplasm, invisible to everyone except possibly Alexander - possibly - seek out the Fleet Maiden, as the Weeping Bride, for the first time since joining with Alexander, turns her attention to someone -else-. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:''' ��On the water, Yamato pushes her hands out to call up her barrier again. Still panting, she overcomes her initial terrified reaction once the cloud of aircraft is significantly reduced by the freakout she'd just experienced. Something that, even now, she's embarassed about. With smoke pouring from her guns and support batteries, she braces herself against Anchorage's counterattack, the heavy shell slamming into the Barrier and exploding violently. As before, a spray of glass-like white shards scatters behind her, and as the smoke clears, the Yamato's famously strong barrier shows many cracks through it. ��She can't fight them like this... But the alternative, how would she even go about it? ��Slowly, Yamato draws herself to her full height, lifting her hands. Taking a deep breath, the girl bows her head. It's a classic prayer pose, specifically in the form associated with Shinto practice. She claps her hands twice and then keeps them together. The armor and guns covering her body suddenly disappear, though she starts to move forward even though she's not actually walking. She can feel it, somehow. The gathering energy donated by her companions. She doesn't notice, at first, the solid feel of steel under her feet, though the girl does look down when she feels herself lifting up. ��With a great explosion of seawater, an enormous behemoth of steel and guns erupts from the ocean, breaking the surface at an angle and leveling itself as soon as it's broken the surface. Water runs off the deck, pours from the doors and portholes of the unmistakable pagoda superstructure, drains from the upraised guns on the iconic three-gun turrets already swinging out over the side in conjunction with the smaller batteries already elevating into position. The entire shape shimmers like a hologram, but is very real and very, very heavily armed. ��Standing on top of the bridge, Mikase keeps her hands clasped together, though her eyes open. Muttering quickly, she recites only a single order: "All batteries, fire for effect." ��Small guns fire first, the 12 and 14 centimeter guns targeting the closer Ru Class, followed by the 20cm two gun turrets amidships. On top of the bridge, Mikase twists her posture and thrusts one hand out, fingers splayed, with a shouted kiai. In an instant response, the massive 46cm guns erupt, hurling shells weighing more than most cars not at the two frontline battleships but at the Airfield Princess herself, the one called Savo, who appears to be the leader of this formation. 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:''' ��An idle thought strikes that part of Albacore that's still Rosa. 'Oh wow. That must be what I look like to others sometime.' Of course she's not quite so much glowing evil nastiness, but there's something pretty terrifying about a submarine firing at you... or three of them. ��Albacore's in her element though, so to speak. With her rifle set back along her back for proper streaming speed, her only weapon is her fists. Well, that and the micro torpedo launchers in each. <Conn, sonar. Torpedos inbound> <Right full rudder! Flank speed evasion... cut engines. Left full rudder, engines back slow.> The incoming torpedos have a hard time with Albacore's evasive actions. Her magical shroud defends her by making her less real, less present for anything to impact. That includes sonar. If she's got time to get out of the way, unguided munitions have no chance of reaching her. ��As Rosa drifts backwards, her body remaining pointed at the onrushing subs, she lifts her fist out before her. <Fire tubes one and two.> <One and two fired and running hot.> A ripple of dark magic streams out before Rosa, silent and compact. Her attack's unguided but discreet. Something that her opponent might not even notice until the moment of impact. And those little torpedos are hell on anything, warship or flesh. A shaped blast of magic geared to penetrate armor and rend magical shielding, the torpedo is more metaphor than physical construct. Still, should it hit, either warhead could prove devastating. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:''' ��Elasaid slumps down onto her ass, panting softly as she watches the younger Maiden pull out the Greatest Battleship the world has ever knwon. "Give 'em hell, lass... It might be time this ole' girl retired." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��"Just my luck." Quips a playful voice from behind Hood. Wait, when the hell did ANYONE get back there? Hard to say, but a white-haired woman who looks far too young to have hair that color - some of it a greyish black in no discernible pattern - has crouched up on the beach and is watching the fight, her jaw gaping a little at this sudden display. "Some kind of sorcery I've never seen... fitting counter for those spectres. GET 'EM!" ��But after that shout, the young woman sprouts a little grin and asides Hood's way, "Aww, you're a few dozen years too young to even think of that? But those noisy weapons are nasty... surprised you even survived. How bad is it?" 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:''' ��Thankfully for Alexander, Ru does have an actual shoulder, and it's large enough for him to land on as she rises from her crushing strike upon Arizona. The battleship notices him, of course, but there's not a ton she can do from here besides glaring angrily at him. "What the...get off of me!" Thankfully for Ru, Ta is now no longer occupied with the bird...whale.../thing/ that was flying around, and turns her blazing yellow eyes aside to her companion. She steps over, raises one gun-covered arm, and /swings/ it down on Ru's shoulder to try and smash Alexander. Of course she strikes her companion in the process, forcing Ru to buckle to the side with a cry of pain. "OW! That /hurt!" Ta just smirks. "Yes, and now we're even." ��Though it seems Ta has her own boarding problems. She feels the light tug of Rider grabbing onto her clothing and turns to try and see where the Servant is, but she just can't reach around enough to do so. "Hey, what are you doing-!" The giant battleship flails, trying to shake Rider off, but the Servant endures and reaches her neck. Ta suddenly freezes, and after a moment, she turns to face Savo with both arms raised and her battery of guns aimed right at the Airfield Princess. Savo, Rossel, and Anchorage stare at Ta in confusion. "...hey. Hey, Ta, what do you think you're doing-" ��Savo's question is immediately interrupted as the report from Ta's guns fills the air, blasting shot after shot at the Airfield Princess and sending her falling back quite a distance with a pained scream. Anchorage is the first to react: her mechanical base raises one huge, muscular arm before /punching/ Ta right in the gut in a downward slam, smashing the battleship down into the water with a huge wave from the impact. The battleship isn't /defeated/, not quite yet, but it's going to take the now-flailing Ta a moment to surface after that strike. ��The splash and the shattering of ice happens to send a wave through the water where Yuna and Rosa are dealing with the Ka submarines. Already Yuna's slashes cleave through torpedoes and even blast away one submarine, the Ka's glowing eye fading as she sinks to the bottom, and Rosa's assault sinks another pair of them in silent defeat. The wave from Ta's impact only sends the rest rolling through the water before they can properly retaliate. On the plus side, this means that Rosa and Yuna don't have to deal with torpedoes for a few moments. Unfortunately...they now have the giant, swinging arms of Ta to deal with as she flails to try and get upright and resurface. ��There are more problems on the surface, though. Savo's looking pretty damaged from the assault she suffered, with holes in her body and a scorched blasts in the hull of her base. She waves away the smoke hanging around her as a result of those many explosions...just in time for Yamato to make her grand entry. ��Savo, Rossel, and Anchorage all just stare agape at the massive ship for several moments. Where did /that/ come from?! ��And then Savo suffers another assault, this one /far/ more powerful than anything a Ta-Class could pull off. The Airfield Princess' shouts of pain ring out as she's obscured in the explosive debris of Yamato's attack. When it finally abates, she's looking terrible; cannons twisted, hull blasted, body torn and burned. But Savo is still above the ocean's surface, and the glare she levels at Yamato's ship is one of absolute hatred. "Fire," she snaps at Rossel and Anchorage, who both take a moment to look back at her. "FIRE! FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE /FIRE/!" ��Hearing Savo so desperate, panicked, and /enraged/ is enough motivation for them. Rossel and Anchorage quickly turn about and fire their cannons at Yamato in rapid counterattack, while Savo braces her right arm with her left hand and angles the maw attached to it down at Yamato. It's not the gun on top she attacks with, though. ��The mechanical mouth fills with crackling red energy, whirring as some sort of force is built up...and then Savo fires it off. The red glare encompasses the entire combat zone as a s 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:''' ��The mechanical mouth fills with crackling red energy, whirring as some sort of force is built up...and then Savo fires it off. The red glare encompasses the entire combat zone as a single gigantic beam of death incarnate rushes for Yamato's vessel. 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:''' ��Elasaid is used to people sneaking up on her. Rosa's a culprit just from her nature, and she's been in the Multiverse long enough to meet ninjas and other stealthy types. Finna's arrival doesn't make her startle as it might others, she just shrugs a bit. "I'm still young, lass, but th'Hood's an old ship... maybe its time she let th'young'uns take over." she offers, glancing over at her new companion. ��The respite is short lived, as Savo starts charging that big beam cannon. Elasaid hauls herself up, plants her feet and /RIPS/ the air in front of her. "VENTIS SECUNDIS!" A flash announces her redeployment, and she crosses her arms before her, powering her barrier to full. The glowing blue-white of the shield protecting both herself, and her companion. 

:'''{{#var:225|Alexander Grey (225)}} has posed:''' ��Alexander is pretty quick to start berating Ru now he's on her shoulder. "What are you -doing- here?! You shouldn't be-" ��And then... gigantic shipgirl arm coming down for him. He yelps, raising both hands. "Stigmata Shroud!" ��"DEFEND!" ��The ship girls might get a brief glimpse of blood rushing up around his body, before he's flattened against Ru's shoulder. ��And then... after a few moments, he stands back up, dusting himself off - and leaking quite a lot of that white, misty substance now. "Aaaas I was saying. What are you doing here? You don't belong here!" His voice... has an odd tinge of Authority to it. As if he knows exactly what he's saying is True. ��There's no magic involved. Alex is kinda tapped out now. He's just trying to appeal to Ru's inner ghostness. 

:'''{{#var:432|Arizona (432)}} has posed:''' Desperation as set in. The amount of firepower that is being sent toward the Maiden's is enough to get Arizona to wince. Its Yamato's radio that snaps her out of it, "I can handle my-*EXPLOSION* Ohhellf@#$it!" For once, the hot-blooded woman slips behind someone else, readying herself for one last massive salvo. For once she actually considers firing solutions and trajectories. For once she wants to -anihilate- something rather than just rain destruction down upon it. For once, she's planning. ��The Abyssal fleet should just run now. When she rushes out from under the Yamato's shadow, the flurry of reports from her guns is coordinated. A trio of blasts is sent toward the Anchorage's critical areas! She's trying to take out her weapons, her systems, heck even her mobility could be in trouble. Arizona is -focused- right now. Report after report will sound, and while others may focus on the leader, Ari wants to bring down the biggest thing she can! 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Suffice to say, Yuna was *NOT* expecting one of the Abyssal 'leaders' to start thrashing about like that, particularly in any kind of proximity to her. Fortunately, the pressure wave from the first swipe pushes Yuna away - but the turbulence which follows it? Not REMOTELY so helpful. The best Yuna can do is dismiss the Matrix Divider and try to catch Ta's arm on the backswing, wincing in anticipation of the impact - and if she DOES manage to grab hold without simply being batted flying out of the water, her next move is to pivot her torpedo-launching 'ponytails' into attack position and send a full spread at the inside of Ta's elbow, for whatever good it'll do. It's not the most focused of barrages ... 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:''' ��As the primary target of Savo's rage, the mighty Yamato is far too slow to do anything silly like EVADE. Evasion's for destroyers. Battleships are made out of steel and armor and solidified stubborn attitude. Shells impact the vessel's armored hull, exploding, denting, but not piercing. One shell of note skips off the gunhouse mantlet of the #1 turret, flipping end over end several hundred yards past the ship to hit the sea harmlessly behind it. Shots that strike the superstructure have more success, but still only gouge small damage compared to the Yamato's immense size. ��That powerful beam follows, carving across the water and into the ghostly battleship's hull, sweeping upward and then aside. Something amidships explodes, one of the tertiary gun turrets, taking several of the secondary emplacements and anti-air emplacements with it. But the vessel still floats, stubborn in its denial of the Abyssal Fleet commander's wishes. ��Protected upon the bridge by her own Barrier Armor, Mikase raises her hands, "Reloading! Type 94, High Explosive Fragmentation! All guns--" Thrusting out her hand once again, "FIRE!" ��The forward turret opens up first, its cannons firing one by one in a staccato discharge of heavy smoke, flame, and visible concussive waves as they launch their two ton projectiles. Once the three guns of the #1 have fired, the #2 turret's guns fire, again one at a time. The secondary battery's turret picks up the slack once the #2 is done, and then all the surviving amidships batteries until it's ended by three more 46cm rounds from the aft #3 turret. And no sooner does the Yamato's aft gunhouse fire its final round that the #1 turret has finished reloading. The bombardment continues, sustained, for several long, thundrous moments. 

:'''{{#var:281|Rider (281)}} has posed:''' As Ta flails about, Rider just laughs merrily. This is -not- as easy as she tries to make it look, but appearances are important. She'd like these ships to think she's doing this effortlessly. "Good girl! Keep it up!" But then Rider very quickly finds her ship literally punched out from underneath her. She remains floating in the air for just a second before beginning to plummet again. "Why do you all have to be so -tall-!" A pause. "...nice legs, though." As she tumbles down, down toward the waters, Rider lifts one hand high overhead. "Culverin Cannons!" THUMP. Her descent is suddenly halted as she lands on the deck of a wooden ship. Well... part of a wooden ship. There's only a few dozen feet of the side of the ship, and about a yard of deck, but the Servant throws her arm over the railing to pull herself up. "Gotta take out the big gun there. Looks like that one salvo didn't do it." A flick of the wrist materializes a flintlock pistol in her hand, and she opens fire, sending several musket balls toward Savo. They might not do a great deal, but it's the four cannons on the side of the ship below her that back her up with their own firepower, each of them sending a round of cannonballs flying toward the gigantic cannon at Savo's side. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��"Walking out into the snow to die is not what a warrior does, if they can help it." Finna declares simply and matter-of-factly, clearly displeased with this line of thought. She stands up, stretches, but in the middle of the gesture freezes in place. ��And for those who can see it - that being, perhaps, anyone paying close, CLOSE attention, her tail wags about once or twice, then stops too. Her icy blue eyes are focused on the distant battle - and WHOOOOSH. Off goes Hood. "... heh." Grinning, Finna RUNS FORTH onto the water. Her feet splash with silvery light periodically when they touch the sea, but that's not the part best watched. No... instead, she reaches behind her body, pulls out a bow and single arrow and takes a flying leap, nocks the arrow, and... FWIP! ��The tiny projectile doesn't look like much, but it behaves quite strangely. The arrow SKIPS several times off the water like a well-chucked stone, then SLAMS into the Yamato's spiritual hull and BOUNCES OFF at an IMPOSSIBLE angle, flying straight for Savo's main weapon! 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:''' ��Perhaps unusual for an anthropomorphic submarine, Rosamarie can't breathe underwater. Submerging is more a metaphysical act than a literal one, and in terms of underwater ability she's more dolphin than shark. Sleek and deadly, sure, but the surface is her domain rather than the literal depths. ��Having downed two of the twisted little submarines, Albacore heads back to the surface. She ignores the remaining one, at least for now, though her sonar keeps track of the submarine as a background note in case it comes around for another torpedo run. No, Albacore has another target in mind. Maintaining her semblance of stealth, she breaches the surface amidst the flailing limbs of Ta. ��Taking advantage of the chaos, discretely from as close as possible to Ta, Albacore opens fire on Anchorage. It probably will fool no one, but perhaps Anchorage will mistake the source of the attack as yet another friendly fire incident. It's not friendly fire though, it's armor-piercing warship-killer torpedos. About as unfriendly as you can get. She's not firing two, either. This time it's four, fired at close range and in rapid succession at roughly the same point. Should any crack armor, the remainder should be able to strike into weakened or breached areas. ��As the shots fly, Rosamarie is smacked painfully by a massive limb of Ta. It's the risk she took, getting within the circle of ships for maximum surprise value. It's something Albacore's done in the distant past, more than once. Usually it means fleeing hard and fast after that one salvo, but that's always been the submarine's way. Of course it's not a real submarine dealing with the outcome, it's a small armored girl. Her out-of-phase existence minimizes the damage, her magic armor absorbing some of the remainder, but still it's a small girl being swatted by the equivalent of the hand of a giant. Ow... and Rosamarie goes spinning and twisting out of control. 

:'''{{#var:494|Samar (494)}} has posed:''' ��Ru looks over to her shoulder to find Alexander.../still there/. There's not much she can say right at that moment, because she has to bring up her arms again to protect herself from the salvos flying everywhere, but when she's relatively safe she still tries to roll her shoulder to toss Alex off. Faintly uncertain though her words are, she still snaps at him. "You're right. We belong at the bottom of the ocean, where people like /you/ sent us. But Samar brought us back, and she's giving us the chance to share our fate with all of you!" Ru winces slightly as shots crash into her shields, making her waver where she stands. ��Ta isn't doing much better. While she's not susceptible to sinking like a normal ship, she's much more vulnerable underwater than on the surface. Yuna's attack actually manages to take off her weakened arm, sending a cry of pain rolling through the water as that arm tumbles to the ocean floor, though at least it doesn't give out any blood or gore. Rosa's gambit gets Anchorage's attention as well, and the annoyed and slightly terrified demon gives an enraged shout before her fist comes down on Ta /again/, sending the battleship deeper underwater. It's only Savo's furious snapping that makes Anchorage stop. "ANCHORAGE. STOP IT." ...but she-" "I. DON'T. CARE." ��Speaking of Savo, her beam isn't nearly as effective as she'd hoped. The discharge finally ebbs away, scarlet steam seeping from the mouth beside her as she glowers at Yamato. Before she can fire again or even speak, however, a remarkably tiny projectile suddenly /slams/ into her gun, making Savo veer off with a yelp of surprise. Rider's cannons follow, sending the Airfield Princess even further back, and as if that weren't enough, Yamato's cannons once again obscure Savo in a hail of explosions. ��Once it finally ends, the Airfield Princess looks like she's barely remaining afloat. Her main gun is twisted and blasted, the mouth leaking ichor and steam. Her human form isn't much better off, burned and blasted from the various impacts, and it even seems her landing strips have been ruined. Panting and gasping, Savo glares at Yamato and her allies...then looks back at the remaining Abyssals. "We're going back. Samar's orders. Come on." ��The ships look to Savo, then back at the Fleet Maidens and their allies. Then, finally, the group begins retreating, slipping under the waves and, surprisingly, shrinking to a human size before swimming off into the distance. Glares are leveled (though the Ru-Class gives Alexander a curious look before she goes), but no more shots are fired, at least for now. 

:'''{{#var:225|Alexander Grey (225)}} has posed:''' ��As explosions are happening all around, Alexander tries to reason with the Ru. "But it's -wrong-. Isn't it? I know you can feel it! You need to -let go-. Pass Over, to whatever comes next. You can't cling to life like this!" ��But, no matter what he says, the Abyssal Fleet is in retreat now. Alexander ends up in the water, giving a curious Ru a look of his own before she vanishes off. ��"...Damnit." 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:''' ��Mikase, standing upon the bridge of the ghostly Yamato, glowers through the gunsmoke as the Abyssal Fleet makes smoke west in retreat. It's only when they've submerged out of sight that the girl's shoulders slump and she lets out an unsteady, wavering sigh. Beneath her feet, the ghostly battleship shimmers and then begins to sink, though it takes up no mass underwater. It simply dissolves into the sea, disappearing back from whence it came. ��By the time the superstructure disappears, Mikase herself has been deposited in the water, floating on her back, exhausted, staring at the sky with half-lidded eyes. After a few moments, the fog of exhaustion lifts enough for her to realize two key facts: She's floating in the ocean and she can't swim. ��Instantly, the abnormally tall Japanese starts flailing, which disrupts her floating and causes her to sink. Somebody do something before she embarasses herself further. 

:'''{{#var:432|Arizona (432)}} has posed:''' Considering Arizona had just unleashed hell from not to far away, Arizona notices when that ship starts to fade. To sink, and then Yamato is put on the water. "..." Rush over, "Hey, c'mon," she starts, offering a hand, if not taken, she'd work on picking Yamato up. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:''' ��"How odd." Finna quips, from her point of having snuck up on Alexander. There's again no sign of the bow or any weapons at all, really. "Ghosts of ships, instead of people? Really?!" ... She frowns a litle. Lips twisting about in perplexion. "... Does the -- wha?!" With the big battleship demateriailizing and its sole occupant tumbling into the drink so inelegantly, Finna doubles over in laughter for a few brief seconds. "Such sorcery - yet she cannot SWIM!" ��This is apparently just HILARIOUS. "Hrnn..." Tail wagging - and starting to get a bit damp from all the ocean breeze and waves (for anyone who can actually see it!) she rushes over the waves and dips a hand down. ... Somehow, standing on the water. Very lightly. 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:''' ��Yamato flounders for a bit until she grabs on to Arizona's outstretched hand. Instantly, she climbs up on the shorter American girl. Completely. Having all that armor and those four turret guns means that even a two meter tall Japanese has enough room to hide from DEVIL WATER. ��Clinging to armor and superstructure and guns, Yamato smiles sheepishly, "...Th-thanks, Arizona. Shore, please?" 

:'''{{#var:432|Arizona (432)}} has posed:''' "Yeah sure, just hold on, ok?" Zona would reply before starting back toward the shore. Slowly. That is one massive battleship carrying another, heavier, battleship. Sue her for being slow. Go ahead. She'll pay the bill in shells. Rawr. 

:'''{{#var:281|Rider (281)}} has posed:''' The wooden ship segment Rider is standing on vanishes, and the Servant begins to fall again... but before she hits the water, she just vanishes. There's not even a splash. But then, by the time Arizona and Yamato are in the shallows, soft splashes can be heard beside them. "Now that was a fun battle!" Rider's voice comes out of nowhere just a few seconds before her body fades back into being. "Good showing out there." The Servant gives a thumbs-up to Arizona and Yamato as she walks. "Didn't know you girls were capable of things like that." 

:'''{{#var:438|Rosamarie Alba (438)}} has posed:''' ��Albacore, having delivered the good news to the invading fleet in the form of miniature bundles of explosive joy, does what any good submarine would do upon successful delivery of payload. <Right hard rudder, come about 170. Make turns for 2/3 speed, steady as she goes.> The little submarine girl comes about, heading back to rendezvous with the fleet. ��It should be little surprise to anyone, well, anyone in the Fleet at least, that Rosa appears from almost out of nowhere right in the midst of Yamato and Arizona, not to mention their Union allies. She characteristically makes no issue about her sudden appearance WAY too close. "We really need to teach you to swim, Yamato." she says, her tone cool. "Unless you want to take my role, that is. Surface ships shouldn't sink." 

:'''{{#var:112|Yamato (112)}} has posed:''' ��Once she's confident that the ocean floor is not 'swim, stupid' distance away, Yamato gingerly extricates herself from Arizona's equipment and hops off, then wades ashore on her own. This is not completed, at least, without an appreciative "Thanks, Arizona." Even though she'd said it before, too. ��She's too tired to jump when Rider just APPEARS like that. Instead, she raises a hand to dismiss it, "I didn't, either. Elasaid did it, but I had no idea how.. Thank you for giving me some of that power back so I could do it." The idea of using the Servant as a battery for her Fleet Mode flutters across her mind, but then flutters off just as quickly when Rosamarie teases her. ��"I float just fine when I'm deployed!" 

:'''{{#var:432|Arizona (432)}} has posed:''' "You're welcome," Arizona muses before flinching at Alba, "Stalker.." she grunts at the sub bbefore glancing up to Rider, "Ah well, we were also caught off guard a bit. Stick around, I half expect a Stream to show up now.." 

:'''{{#var:359|Elasaid Hood (359)}} has posed:''' ��Elasaid offers a wave, as she sits where she stood moments before, her Deployment long gone. 

}}

WMAT 2014

2014-07-13T16:46:08Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Rules Page==
Go to [[WMAT]] for the OOC rules and other full information! 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* [[Kirikou]] 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Fuki_vs._Zephyr_Windstar|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentator: None 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ciaran_vs._Shizune_Nakamura|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentator: Artorias 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Metal_Man_vs._Vanessa_Selby|LOG]]
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A2_Zephyr_Windstar_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentary: Pinkie 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Aurora|AURORA]]
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A2_Shizune_Nakamura_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentary: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]] vs. [[Vervi|VERVI]]
** [[WMAT_A2_Vervi_vs._Vanessa_Selby|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentary: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) vs. [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]]
** [[WMAT_A2_Ainsley_vs._Theo_Morrison|LOG]]
** Winner: The Chronicler
** Commentary: Staren 

* [[Ariel|ARIEL]]) vs. NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A2_Ariel_vs._Neal_Cables|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentary: Laer 

* BYE WINNER: ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Richard_Stadler_vs._Ms._Fortune|LOG]]
** Winner: Richard Stadler
** Commentary: Mel 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[KIRIKOU]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Corvo_Attano_vs._Kirikou|LOG]]
** Winner: Corvo Attano
** Commentator: Toph Beifong 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Genghis_Rex_vs._Tomoe|LOG]]
** Winner: Tomoe
** Commentator: Bramble Patch 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Li-Ming_vs._Prorth_Edhuwi|LOG]]
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Staren_vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Ariah|ARIAH]] vs. LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B2_Ariah_vs._Lunessa|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentary: Raditz 

* THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]]) vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Taylita|TAYLITA]] vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B2_Karian_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentary: 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]]
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B2_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentary: Mysterious Khajiit 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]]
** [[WMAT_B2_Tomoe_vs._Homura_Akemi|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentary: Mizuki 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B2_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Staren|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentary: Elasaid Hood 

* [[Asuna|ASUNA]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B2_Asuna_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentary: Mizuki 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Jeannette_Thompson_vs._No._9|LOG]]
** Winner: Jeannette Thompson
** Commentator: 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: Cameron Baum - by coin flip
** Commentator: None 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Arthur_Lowell_vs._Dark_Matter|LOG]]
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: The Black Reaper
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Testarossa_Fate_vs_A-ko_Magami!|LOG]]
** Winner: Testarossa Fate
** Commentator: Kiyoko Saito 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]]
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC) vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]] vs. [[D]]
** [[WMAT_C2_D_vs._Takamachi_Nanoha|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentary: Kagenashi 

* THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]]) vs. [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]]
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C2_Bowser_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentary: Sarracenia 

* [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C2_Summer_Powers_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentary: Hastur 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]]
** [[WMAT_C2_Artorias_vs._Material-L|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentary: Metta 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/9pAjy9J.png D vs. Takamachi Nanoha] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/RpENGiP.png ZN-MALPRG vs. Ryuko Matoi] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-d-v-medusa D vs. Medusa] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT in her first year, and competing again last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.
[[Category:TPs]][[Category:MinorTP]][[Category:CurrentTP]]

WMAT A2 Ainsley vs. Theo Morrison

2014-07-13T16:44:39Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/07/12 |Location=WMAT Arena - Spinach Wastes |Synopsis=Ainsley versus Theo Morrison in Round 2, Bracket A of the WMAT! |Thanks= |Cast of Charac..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/12
|Location=WMAT Arena - Spinach Wastes
|Synopsis=Ainsley versus Theo Morrison in Round 2, Bracket A of the WMAT!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=42, 151, 152, 317
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' Ainsley is fighting a friend. The good thing about this is that it's a tournament, so she should've expected she would run into someone she knows, but she wasn't prepared for her first opponent to be one of her actual friends. She found herself fretting and fidgeting where she stood in the grassy field she chose. She had no ability to enjoy the pleasant scenery, or appreciate the nice weather. She couldn't even spare some time to bask under the sunlight like a true reptile. No, she was here with her Thaumostatic Harness on her back, and a full-body cloak on her, guarding her from the sunlight. Her leather gloves creeeeak as she nervously flexes her fingers. Her face is mostly hidden under the hood, but this is not at all intentional. In the shadow of the hood, her red eyes glow, giving her an ominous 'dark creature' sort of aura. Ainsley stands and silently hopes that 'White' mana doesn't count as 'holy,' because if it does, she's gonna come away from this with some very nasty burns. Go figure that she would get into a fight with a huge monster the day before a tournament battle! 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' Theo vs Ainsley! This match actually fit into Staren's schedule, so the family's made an outing of it. Man, Staren is glad his existential hangover wore off. It would suck to be around all this excitement and cheering with a soul migraine. Aaaand there seems to be some sort of hold up. Where's the commentator? Staren's ears perk up. There... there IS no commentator! Oh no! Well... he knows the combatants, so... Staren flies over to the tournament staff. SOON AFTER: Staren holds the microphone. Okay. Okay. He can do this. He smiles and waves to his friends on the field. "Okay." Did he say that one out loud? Oops. He coughs and clears his throat. Ahem. Hem-hem. Ahehehehehehem! Deep breath. He picks up the microphone. "..ALLLLRIIIIGHT!" He turns toward the audience as he flies into the air. "Today, ladies and gentlemen, two friends of mine face off in the World Martial Arts Tournament! IIIiiin the one corner, we have the lizard wizard, the supreme scholar, the Chronicler, AINSLEEEEEEEEY!" he waves an arm in Ainsley's direction. "AAAAnd in the other corner," he looks thoughtful, "mean, it's not like we really have corners in these arenas, but you know what I mean," he shakes his head and looks certain again, "IN the other corner, we have the cardstock conjurer, the white-blue wizard, the Deckmaster, THEEEOOO MORRISON! Coming to you LIVE from the Spinach Wastes! Raaah! Raaah!" Yes he's actually making cheering noises. "Tune in to 900.2 and find out WHO WILL WIN and WHAT awesome stuff THEY and their OPPONENT are gonna do to GET there! Raaaah..." He flies down to one of the staff. "How was that? Good? Good!" He waves to the crowd and motions for cheering, before turning back to the fight! He pulls his trusty camera drone out of his bag, where the coconut-sized metal sphere with a lens on one side floats near him, eye on the contestants. 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' Theo honestly did not expect to run into a friend in this context in the WMAT. It's not that he's ignorant of the possibility or anything, but what are the odds? The miniscule chance that, of all the people in the Multiverse in this thing, he just /happened/ to get matched up against one of the few other people in the bracket that he actually likes? Fate is a really fickle lady sometimes. So, here he is. Theo marches onto the field, a little stiffly but gradually loosening up. Kickotron is with him, allowed into the battle because he's basically a piece of equipment, or a Pokemon: probably necessary and just as likely part of his combat style. As per usual, Kickotron is carrying that tray of a table that Theo has him saddled with, and with Theo's Abstractum, Aetherwright, affixed to the edge. They stop some distance across the field from Ainsley. Theo's already got a deck out, shuffled up and ready. He puts his hand on top of it. A little awkwardly, he raises his free hand to wave. "Uh... hey. You're looking... ominous." Theo suddenly regrets not wearing the stuff he got in Ravnica. Ainsley has him soundly beat in the cool-looking-competitor category. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' Ainsley spots Theo's approach, and her mouth pulls into a smile just upon seeing him. She carefully reaches up with one gloves hand to brush the hood off of her head. Her glowing red eyes shine even in broad daylight. She doesn't bother explaining the ominous thing. She doesn't want people at the Multiverse at large knowing that she's similar to a vampire or some sort of blood mage. It carries heavy, spooky implications that could take her down a dangerous road. Instead, she speaks up in a friendly voice, "Hello, Theo." She reaches into her cloak, and with a sloooow metallic hum, a longsword gets drawn out of its scabbard. "I have seen your magic, and you have seen how I fight. I joined this tournament as a way to test my mettle, and get a chance to practice against a wide variety of opponents in a friendly, but serious, context." She holds the longsword in one hand, and slowly steps forward. Her tail raises and wiggles, preparing to correct her balance for the fight at large. Her steps are light. She has the fighting posture of a dancer. "You first," she urges, gently. She knows he needs to summon creatures in order to fight, and she doesn't want to get up in his grill before he's even acted. 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' Theo doesn't ask. She'll say something if she wants to. That sword, though, is something worth noting. Theo has seen Ainsley fight, true, but he most vividly remembers a shorter blade than that. Maybe he was mistaken. Mostly he remembers the blood... Theo shakes his head sharply, as if to clear it. He suppresses a shudder. "Yeah, I'm kind of the same way," he admits. Theo picks up his seven off the top. He glances over the hand, then looks around the field. It'll do. "I always entered local tournaments for, y'know." He gestures at the deck. "I figured, what's this but a bigger one, right? Maybe I'll even with a fabulous prize." He puts a card down. "Plains. Tap." He turns it, putting another one down, off to the side. The nearby grass ripples in a picturesque wave as he draws on the land's mana. Above him, a portal opens, a glassy, cyan surface to the tear in the air. It shows a foreign sky. "Suspending Knight of Sursi." He glances back at that blade, starting to backpedal as she moves forward. "Um... your go." Now we see if she's going to wait until he actually has a /creature/, or... "I'll have something actually armed for you to face down in a sec, promise." 

:'''{{#var:152|Faruja (152)}} has posed:''' Up in the stands, Faruja sits cross legged as he watches. He may or may not be waving a very tiny blue flag with Ainsley's face on it. "Go my love! I believe in theee!" Shouts the rat very loudly. He might just be a little intoxicated. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' Staren floats over the battlefield on transparent orange energy fairy wings. He actually thinks it'd be pretty interesting to fight a friend. I mean, imagine if he fought, say, Kirito. That would be an intense and fun match! So, he's glad for Ainsley and Theo, getting this opportunity to match wits in a friendly context. "Ainsley's waiting for Theo to make the first move. What's it gonna be?" He turns to look at Theo, the little drone zooming in. "A land card! And... a Knight of Sursi! But it's suspended." He turns to look at Ainsley. "Will she wait for the Knight, or will she take the fight to Theo himself?" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' Ainsley smiles at him. He's a sweet kid, and not someone she wants to hurt overly much. But it begs the question: Will he hold it against her if she fights with everything she has? Only one way to find out. She's not going to try any lethal strikes, as she knows he's a squishy mortal behind all of his card magic. That is why she allowed him to go first. However, she clicks her tongue. Part of this is also entertaining the masses... and she never really got to see how Theo reacts when he's attacked during a moment where he's not fully prepared. "Alright," she says in a warning voice. Then she lunges forward. With a quick movement she swipes the blade horizontally, but she doesn't actually aim for him. Electricity whips from the blade and pulses along the ground! The charge travels and threatens to strike Theo in the feet and cook him a little. 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' Ainsley finally comes at him. Theo takes a quick step back, watching that sword. He doesn't want to get stabbed, especially not first thing in the match. The tactical liability alone -- Kickotron suddenly jumps, springing into the air. Theo looks at him, utterly puzzled, and misses the quick-time event cue. The electrical pulse hits him from below, causing him to yelp in equal parts pain and surprise. He staggers, tearing his feet from the ground one at a time and then wobbling while he tries to keep his footing. Kickotron lands as soon as the pulse has passed, positioning himself nearby. His cards haven't been even remotely affected by the jump or the pulse. "G-good one," he stammers. He's still, well, /shocked/ from the hit, at least for a moment. He draws one off the top and drops it onto the tray, clearing his throat lightly. He's concentrating intensely, focusing on where Ainsley stands when he declares, "Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx!" The field rumbles, and the sky spins. Grasses flatten and part, the terrain rearranging to make room for something else entirely. Stone columns start to shoot out of the ground, weathered and ancient. Some hold busts of what can only be foreign gods, rendered primarily in greenish stone. The gently-sloping grassy hill is quickly replaced with an outdoor, open-topped temple -- and the sky is filled with a brilliant, beautiful night sky, the innumerable constellations twinkling bright. Ainsley appears to be in the center of the shrine. While this is convenient for getting a look at it, it is /in/convenient when the brazier full of fire springs up underneath her and abruptly flares up, hot and bright. Theo has taken this opportunity to start running through the shrine, putting some distance between the two of them. He has not stopped playing. With a cry of, "Benalish Cavalry," a knight on horseback appears, with a gold-crested helm on his head and what looks like a glaive in his hand. He's just getting his bearings. Some kind of... summoning sickness?! 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' "Looks like she's not waiting, folks! Ooh, that looks like it stung! Some kind of electrice wave from her sword! I didn't know she could do that! Theo's summoned a temple that... comes with a pretty night sky? Huh... Ooh!" He dives down towards the Shrine for a better look. "Looks like this is now an indoor fight and ooh, Ainsley was standing in the wrong place! Theo summoned a large brazier there! Aaand he's also summoned a knight! And he's still got the Knight of Sursi suspended! Things are heating up fast, folks! *snrk* Heating up... Sorry Ainsley." 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' Ainsley flinches from the effectiveness of her attack. She hefts the longsword, her gaze dropping to meet the dull neutrality of Kickotron. "So we meet again," she tells the small birdrobot. She doesn't expect a reply. She looks up at Theo directly after that, and smiles brightly at the Deckmaster as he regains his composure following the electrical shock. She's not sure what to expect with him. He is, quite frankly, a wild card. While she is mentally kicking herself for the pun she ends up being attacked. The shrine manifests below her feet-- and she gets /lit on fire/. She squeals in pain from the awful sensation and leaps out of the fire, bolting up into the air! She uses a combination of fire and water magic to douse the fire, first by removing the actual /combustion/ from her and then dousing the embers. What results afterward is a tattered, scorched lizard woman leering at Theo for a second. He summons a creature, but she's not polite enough to wait for it to get its bearings. Instead of waiting, she points at it with her sword, and speaks a few soft words of an ancient germanic language. A bolt of lightning flashes from the sword down at the Benalish Cavalry, like she's some sort of angry thunder goddess! Which is wholly appropriate, because her Harness is suspending her up in the air at this point. An aura of lightning whirrs around her with unnatural arcs, suspending her with arcane electromagnetic forces. She refuses to allow Theo to gain momentum. She's going to push him back with every ounce of her strength. He can't possibly win if she destroys his key offense tools. 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' Kickotron regards Ainsley with the same silent stoicism that Kickotron regards everything in. In this, the Myr is at least consistent. When Ainsley leers at him, Theo can only glance back and give her a slightly apologetic smile. This is a fight, sure, but it's also a game. If she's going to electrocute him, he'll set her a little bit on fire. If she's going to fly... The knight can't do much about a storm-wielding goddess of lightning. The bolt slams into the knight, and his horse rears, screaming and toppling over with the armored figure on top of it. The two bodies disappear into wisps of misty Aether as they hit the dirt. Theo's offense is thusly stymied. He's going to have to get creative. He can't let her keep flying around and flinging lightning at him; knights are notoriously ground-bound. He glances at the time rift, the gradually-solidifying hole in the sky still not giving up his newest recruit. "Improvise," he mutters. "What can I..." He draws. Helpful for later, he thinks. Theo glances at his hand, then looks up at Ainsley. A grin spreads on his face. He puts down another Plains, and taps all three lands. He flips a card onto the tray, raising his voice. For the crowd, right. "Oblivion Ring!" He thrusts his free hand into the air, finger extended. A circle of blue light with a complex white sigil in the middle of it forms in the sky near Ainsley. "Get down here!!" The sigil finishes. A sudden pulse of banishing magic washes out from it, rushing at Ainsley -- and passing her by. It isn't targeting /her/, it's targeting her Harness. If it can't temporarily pull that out of reality for a little while due to Aura or otherwise, it instead focuses on whatever about it is letting her stay aloft. It is in fact potent enough to strip away a static enchantment or an integral piece of the whole. Theo expects that gravity will take over right about then. 

:'''{{#var:152|Faruja (152)}} has posed:''' "Oh that is /HARDLY/ bloody fair!" Slurp beer. Ahhh. Maybe the WMAT isn't so bad. Faruja leans back to watch, waving his Ainsley flag. 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' The lizard girl feels triumphant as she slays the magically summoned knight, but she doesn't let it go to her head. She holds the longsword in one hand and stares down at Theo from afar, waiting for an opening or thinking how she should approach the next attack. However, Theo has something creative in mind and so she doesn't have a lot of ways to react. The Banishment of the magic within the Harness is felt by her, and instead of wasting her own innate mana stores, she just lets herself drop. The sword clatters off to the side to avoid impaling herself, but she ends up landing heavily and getting several nasty bruises and bloodies her nose. She gets up to a stand, licking the blood off of her nose with her long tongue. She steps over to the sword and picks it up, and then slides the tip across the floor as she stalks through the shrine. The mana in the air from Theo's attacks is enough to power her. She feels it in her blood. There's a faint ache and burn from any White mana in the air, though. She's not enjoying any holy sensations bearing down upon her. "Now that was very rude," she remarks toward Theo. Then she reaches out with one hand to the fire that lit her up. Her eyes lid as a red energy courses up to her fingertips. Then she sucks up the fire toward her palm, accumulating it in a ball as she approaches. She swivels and then points it at Theo. Her outspread fingers curl all but one, pointing at him. The claw on the end glows for a second. Then she projects a blast of fire toward Theo. The fire scorches the floor and displays more power and damaging potential than the electrical shock from the start of the fight. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' Staren floats up to the temple ceiling to get out of the way. "Ooh, Theo's knight doesn't even get a chance -- in retribution for being set on fire, Ainsley sets it on LIGHTNING!" He looks back towards Theo. "Theo scored a good hit, but if Ainsley keeps this up, he may never get to build up his offense! Turn 3: Another land, and Theo plays... Oblivion ring! What's that do? Ohhh... OUCH! It disenchanted her magic jetpack... while she was high in the air! That looked like it hurt!" 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' Fun fact: Theo is using almost entirely White mana. The shrine seems like it reacts to what's around it, though. The White spells and creatures nearby, however, mean that there isn't a lot of variety... The Oblivion Ring hangs high in the air, swirling with contained magic. If Ainsley could do something about it, it might restore what it's taken from her. Otherwise, it just sort of hangs out up there. Theo, pretty proud of himself, is not above a wince when she hits the ground. Then she gets all creepy again, what with the blood-licking and the sword-dragging. He feels like he should make a quip about the dulling of a weapon, but it does not quite seem the time. Instead, he readies himself for whatever it is she's going to do this time. More electricity? It seems like it's kind of a favorite. He tenses -- That doesn't look like lightning at /all/. His eyes flick between the sword and the ball in her hand. "Yeah, well, all's fair in love and WOAH!" Fire lashes out at the Deckmaster. He starts to jump away, but being a mere mortal, all he does he gets mostly off his feet before it hits him in the chest. The blast carries him backwards, lifting him up and casting him down on his back. Theo slides across the paving stones, a scorch mark of a trail between where she's standing and just beyond where he got hit. Kickotron has, of course, quickly vacated the area. From his spot on his back, Theo coughs uncomfortably, managing a wheezing, "O-ow... I take it b-back." He rolls over, pushing himself back towards his feet. His coat is burned, but he doesn't seem to be actively on fire. His shirt is... mostly okay. As a result, he is not a mess of burns, but he sure /feels/ like it. Even minor burns hurt way more than they should. And he can't break out the salve until this is over... "Okay then... my turn." Theo licks his dry lips. Kickotron hops back over, letting him grab his next card. As he does, the hole in the air finally opens, the glassy surface breaking. An armored woman astride a pegasus flies out, a bare blade of gleaming steel in her hand. She starts circling, definitely not as disoriented as the other knight was. "Knight of Sursi plays for free. Then..." He drops a Plains, tapping most of his land. He puts down another card. With more feeling, he announces, "Knight Exemplar!" Another knight appears. This one rides in from around the other side of the temple, a helmetless woman with long, dark hair astride a powerful charger. She holds a lance in one hand, and a shield with an emblem in green and gold in the other. Her eyes are intense and fearless, and she's clearly ready for a fight. Her horse is raring to go. Unexpectedly, the Knight Exemplar speaks, her voice ringing out across the temple grounds. "If you think you are brave enough to walk the path of honor," she calls, scanning the pillars and the sky, as if aware of people hidden elsewhere, "follow me into the dragon's den!" Theo remarks, a second later, "That doesn't usually happen. Hey Ainsley, you're not a dragon, are you?" The Knight of Sursi suddenly dives down from the sky. The pegasus rider calls a battle cry, a faint golden glow surrounding her. She seems more steady and more sure -- and that sword of hers leaves a faint trail of holy light as she commences her fly-by attack on the occasionally-ominous Ainsley. She comes down -- and feints, circling again before /really/ striking in a swift flanking maneuver. She doesn't attack more than once, darting into sword-range and then out of it as she takes to the air again... but with that kind of momentum -- and with the sword bearing that kind of energy -- she might not need to. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' "Ainsley may be confined to the ground, but this is /far/ from over! Sparks fly from Ainsley's sword, and she mixes it up with some /fire/! Looks like she's getting warmed up now! Ooh..." he winces, "she blasted Theo clear across the room! Both contestants are taking quite a beating!" "The Knight of Sursi finally comes out! Aaaand another land, and a Knight Exemplar!" Staren stares. "Woah... Theo's creatures can /talk/?!" Staren looks from the Exemplar, back to Theo, to Ainsley, to the knight of Sursi as it moves. "Theo's surprised too... Knight of Sursi dives in and OW! Looks like he got her back good for getting blasted!" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' Ainsley just isn't aware of how good she is at freaking out people not used to fighting. Also, the sword-dulling comment would be relevant if her weapon didn't have this funny trait where it regenerates on its own. She lowers her hand following the spell, frowning at the results. More concussive force than normal. That's good. But she's not really wanting to break the guy's ribs with a spell. Actually... Squinting, she realizes that did less visible damage than a spell of that caliber probably should, even if he seems to be feeling it just fine. The Knight Exemplar is summoned. Ainsley lifts her weapon in preparation for fighting. The other Knight, the one on the Pegasus, is given a wary glance. She frowns at the pair of them, unsure how to handle a little bit of this. But then there are words spoken... and she's called a dragon. Not the kind of dragon that is heroic, but the kind that knights slay. Her knowledge of literature also makes her blood run cold. The word 'Dragon' is associated with a great deal of evil entities, things from Hell and similar. And then she's attacked. The Pegasus Rider flies down at her, and she tries to hop out of the way-- and fails. The blade strikes her, but the wound is shall. It's what follows that REALLY hurts. With a flash like thermite going off, her wound bursts into flames, and she SCREAMS from the pain that rips through her body. She staggers and has to prop herself up on the sword. She holds a hand on the wound, as dark mist rises up from it, dark mana leaking out of her body from the reaction. She wheezes for a second, then pulls the sword back up. Blood coats her fingertips. And she moves to attack the Knight Exemplar. This time, she doesn't bother with magic. She does a quick swing to try and kite the Knight, and then ducks under her and tries to take out the horse's ankles with a vicious spinning strike, caring very little about the brutality she's displaying. 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' There are reasons Theo didn't immediately burn to ashes. He's taken precautions, like hiding talismans with glyphs of protection and warding under his clothes. Ones that promptly crumpled to dust, when they were guaranteed to last more than one hit. Stupid lousy -- Ainsley then promptly bleeds what is best described as /aerosol evil/. Okay, thinks Theo. /That's/ new. "Holy /crap/! Ainsley, are --" Theo cuts himself off, staring at the mist. His magical senses are abuzz, at once seeking and recoiling from what's leaking out of her. He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, the dissonance starting to get to him. He takes a deep breath. When he opens his eyes, he's worried, but not /also/ dealing with untrained instincts going haywire. He starts to take a step forward to help her, but she clearly doesn't need it. He reverses direction as she attacks, the Knight Exemplar fending off her quick swing with a casual motion with her shield and then looking alarmed when her /horse/ gets cut out from under her. The horse topples, blood spraying gruesomely -- -- and the knight slides out of the saddle, jumping to the ground and landing on her feet next to the dissipating body. She tosses aside the lance, a sword much like Ainsley's coming free with a clear ring of steel. She's been seriously hampered, but she's not quite out of it yet. Without that mobility and the extra height, her combat ability is going to be greatly reduced at best. "Okay! I'll take that as an -- okay!" Theo snatches the next card off the pile. He nudges all his lands over, dropping two creature cards in rapid succession. "Benalish Cavalry! Knight of the Holy Nimbus!" Two more knights arrive, riding out of the magically-created night. They charge across the temple, another armored similarly to the one Ainsley bolted down, the second draped in a filmy, ragged shroud and wielding a white spear. As soon as they come into the light, that golden aura rises up around them as well, and that holy determination sets in... along with whatever divine toughness the light might afford them. The Knight of Sursi swoops down again. Her pegasus dances in and out of Ainsley's reach, the knight taking testing blows with her imbued weapon. The Knight Exemplar, de-horsed, steps up to flank her from the other side. They attack in tandem, trying to wear her down with quick strikes. The Exemplar is more skilled a swordswoman, but the pegasus-rider has the height and that blade. Oddly, the Exemplar's sword and armor don't seem to shine with the same light, making her a less devastating foe to face. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' "Wait..." Staren stares. "The knight's sword was EXPLOSIVE?! How does that even work?! Oh. OH. That was a weakness hit!" he winces. "That... oww. I'm glad I'm not weak to holy! Still gonna abuse the heck out of it against enemies that are, though.... and she retaliates with a brutal sweep to the Exemplar's horse! It's down! ...But... the Exemplar's still around? Huh. Theo summons two more creatures... one of them buffs his other troops somehow! Is this some kind of lady knight deck? And the Knight of Sursi comes around for another attack... and the Exemplar joins in too! Looks like Ainsley's getting better at fending them off though!" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' Ainsley is certainly injured but not out of the fight. She lurches about as the horse collapses, and looks at the knight as if not surprised in the slightest. Her comfort with her footing and the position of her targets is pretty much perfect. As the Knight Exemplar draws a blade, it's given a quick look. The next two creatures that appear -- more holy knights, naturally -- give her body an instinctual chill. These are creatures whose very deaths are starting to burn her lungs and eyes. The blood of the horse soaks into her wounds, the primal sensation filling her body. She processes the burst of mana quickly, giving her new vigor. She reacts much more quickly to the following attacks. She dodges and parries, getting nicks and scratches that burn with more white fire. But now she is prepared for the sensation. She lets out a bloody roar of effort as she knocks aside another attempt to hit her, a spray of black and red lightning accompanying the repelling pulse of electromagnetic power. She just used lightning magic to /reflect the swords/. She tries to take advantage of the sudden and hard-to-explain jerk in their stance, and brings the longsword over her head. She does one powerful slash of one knight, howling behind the power of her strike, and then swings about to try to decapitate the pegasus as it flies by, all in one smooth movement that betrays her ability to see in all directions at once. 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' She's doing something with all the mana, Theo thinks. He can't think of a way to cut her off from the sources he's tapping, though; he has to use it as much as he thinks she does. He's just going to have to keep laying on the damage, and maybe -- /maybe/... The swords go wide. The knights, surprised, are left open. Ainsley brings the blade of her sword down, cleaving through the Knight Exemplar's gorget, cutting deep. Ainsley spins as the Exemplar topples, striking at the pegasus -- and resistance suddenly becomes intense as the blade meets the golden field. The more force she puts into it, the harder it gets to move forward. Can it even /be/ broken?! Behind her, the Exemplar finally perishes, fading into Aether. With her goes the field. Ainsley's sword lurches back into motion with all the force she'd put behind it, slicing through the pegasus and clipping the rider on the strike's ascension. It tumbles, flickering away into the odd mist and vanishing as the second knight is felled. The golden light around the other two that have arrived disappears. Their charge doesn't stop, the glaive and spear raised and leveled. Theo hastily draws, and sets the knights on the attack with a quick shout. They gallop forward, splitting up to flank Ainsley again, clearly hoping to bring her down with lightning attacks from either side. Just when they're about to strike, Theo drops a card, slapping it onto the table. "Celestial Crusader!" Everything seems to freeze for an instant. In the span of a single split second, in the time it takes for a heart to beat just the once, something appears. A spirit composed of golden light flashes into sight high in the sky, a colossal figure wearing armor of gold and trailing a filmy, airy cloak. In that same instant, the head of the spear and the blade of the glaive burn with that same golden light, power coursing through the two knights. Everything suddenly snaps back into motion. The knights thunder forward, a sweeping slash and a deadly thrust already in motion. The Crusader hangs in the air, the golden-masked spirit watching from high above the sprawling shrine. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' Staren continues flying nearby, announcing: "Ainsley's getting better at fending them off! They're just nicking her now, it still burns, but ooh! She got the Exemplar... and down goes some sort of forcefield, and she beheads the Knight of Sursi's pegasus! She crashes and burns too! But there are still Theo's other summons to deal with... closing in on the Chronicler! ...! Despite him summoning another creature to buff them somehow, she's still holding them off! This could be a close match, Ladies and Gentlemen!" 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' The blood of the two beings she has struck down soaks across her form. The dramatic push she performed slammed through the flesh of the Pegasus. Ainsley's blade is soaked in blood as well. She looks absolutely like a dark and evil creature, the way she keeps striking these knights down in vicious blows that pay no mind to any dramatic effect. She is being vicious and effective. She knows for a fact they are meant for purposes like this, and she can feel that they are constructs of mana and not things given enough of a lifespan to register any remorse for. The two knights swing at her one attack after another, as she evades them as well. With so much mana, mostly of dark nature, soaking through her body, she emits bright flares of white and trails of black smoke. She is inundated with mana from both natures, one burning and the other maintaining her consciousness and strength. It's not direct strikes that get her. She's holding them off, put on the defensive, but they can never blindside her. It's very difficult to truly surprise her, and so it's largely kept up to her raw physical capability to respond to their attacks. They're simply faster and stronger than her. A flash of lightning, and her body is soon moving a little faster. The metallic weapon leaves a streak of white sparks as she uses magic to upgrade the force and power of her blows. The metal starts glowing a bright red as she meets each strike with a parry. Chips get knocked off the sword, but slowly seem to repair themselves. And then she lunges toward one of the beings and goes right for the chest, aiming to impale her enemy with red-hot metal filled with electrical power, then swing the blade, and try to deal with the holy power of the other knight. Her gaze, as if comfortable with this battle as a whole, shifts to the Celestial Crusader... and then over to Theo. Her eyes are so wide that one should be able to see the whites. Instead, it's all red with slitted pupils. She's going to stab Theo soon, if she can get an opening. She needs to incapacitate him, or this fight will never end. Not without her compassion, she tries to steel herself and remind herself that she has to aim non-lethally. Knock him out, perhaps, with a pulse of electricity. 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' They are constructs, yet they still bleed. Do they feel pain? Likely, yes. Are they creatures he's pulling from elsewhere in the Multiverse, or are they wholly constructed for this battle? More importantly, if they live when they're defeated and they /are/ the former, does it really matter? Philosophy and bloodshed. It's amazing how often the two go hand-in-hand, one after the other. Theo is on the sidelines, standing beneath a tiered archway with Kickotron and his deck. He can't do anything to help his knights, nothing but wait and see what happens. He should have had some other tricks, some way to keep them up so he can keep using them. He's not heartless, but the violence is visceral and all too real. Maybe he should stick with golems next time. Lightning flashes. Ainsley drives her sword through the chest of the shrouded knight, his shroud blossoming with a sudden stain of bright red. He staggers, slumping over in his saddle. The Benalish knight takes a swipe with his glaive, but her literally lightning-fast strike takes the head of the weapon clear off the haft. The glowing blade falls to the surface of the shrine, the gleaming light flickering out of the rest of it. The knight breaks off, backing away from the lizard-woman while he reaches for a new weapon. Ainsley turns to him, red-eyed. Theo takes a step backwards as the sudden chill of fear hits him again. He misses the step, falling to the slightly lower tier of the temple complex, landing on his ass with a wince. Kickotron placidly lowers the tray. Theo untaps his land. He draws his next card -- and puts it down with a slightly shaking hand. Land. He has one more trump card, something that he isn't sure will even work. She's been attacking him and his creatures directly, though, so maybe... Theo reaches out and taps a single one of his lands. "Three creatures... do I..." His muttered utterance trails off. The shrouded Knight of the Holy Nimbus abruptly sits up, rising back to his full height. The bloody stain seems to move in reverse. There's a strange magic at work here, something powerful keeping the knight from the brink of death. They each look to Ainsley, and then to Theo: the two knights, one wounded and one disarmed, and the spirit high above. Theo reaches out and taps the creatures on his battlefield. The knights and the Crusader, rather than strike, bow their heads. They murmur quietly, prayers in whatever language they favor coming quietly from their lips. They each intone different prayers -- the Benalian speaks of safe passage and the restoration of his nation, the shrouded knight murmurs of causes worth dying for, and the Crusader sings the praises of the honored dead -- but regardless of what else it's couched in, each truly asks for the same thing: Retribution. The Planeswalker places the card down, face-up. He meets the lizard warrior's blood red eyes, staring up at her from his impromptu seat. He speaks three words, matter-of-factly rather than loudly and dramatically. "Gaze of Justice." The heavens shine with the light of the celestial sphere. A point of light intensifies from above -- and then descends, a beam of pure white clouded in directed and misty White mana lancing downwards. The shadows of the knights that are cast upon the walls are left there, the rest of the stonework bleached white by the sheer intensity of the beam of energy. Theo has to shield his eyes. One might describe the descending light as something not unlike a spear cast from the hands of a god. In this place, with those words spoken... well, maybe it is. Whatever the case, Theo dearly hopes that, if this actually works, there are ample medics waiting in the wings. If the /swords/ did what they did... 

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:''' Ainsley is standing there, steaming like a creature of the night. She does not falter for a second. Her eyes remain fixed upon her target. She's already tensing in preparation of her charge toward him. But then the wounded knight and the disarmed knight back off. They begin to speak words the ring far too loudly in her head. She pauses, her eyes shutting her vision blurring just from the holy energy that courses through the arena. Her body trembles... And this is even before the card is used. Ainsley opens her eyes and meets Theo's as he lays down the next card. She knows how serious this is. The shining point of light above her distracts her. She stares up at it, her frown an epic challenge. She dares it to strike her down. She wells up all the powerful and hopeful fury in her heart, a power inherited from Amalthea and Faruja. She holds up the sword, and charges up mana in her body. She then responds to the blast of light by SWIPING her sword as hard as she can! She splits the very sky, casting her own body in shadow as white fire blasts out from around her. Electricity pours out from around her as she uses mana to fight mana, physically blocking the majority of the attack. She screeeeams, but it's a scream of determination, a powerful and hateful sound. She despises ideas of true justice, of unflinching righteousness, because they are so inherently flawed. And that is the raw feeling she pushes into her attack. As the attack clears, she feels her body ache in the worst way it possibly can, but so much mana courses through her. She lets the sword slip out of her hand, her body lurching as if it wants to collapse to the ground. But she doesn't. Her gaze stays locked on Theo the entire time. He didn't take her out. But he came very, very close. Her hand raises. The fires flicker and crackle around them. And her body glows. Her frown is ultimate, seen through the steam and darkness that pours off of her body. She fights through agony and aching, and she uses the last vestiges of her power for a desperate final attack. Hope that she can win wells up within the core of her body. She has to win, or she will lose a second after. This is the last moment. She has never created such a perfect bolt of lightning, something of such concussive force that it would pop ear drums and render steel to slag. It's so perfect that it would not burn Theo but instead course through his body like a real lightning bolt, if it were to hit him, finding a grounding wherever it can travel. It has such force that her tattered robes are blown back. Her body is a black silhouette behind it with disturbingly clear eyes of red. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' Wow. Ainsley is soaked in blood. Summoned monsters sure have a lot of blood, Staren thinks to himself. "Ainsley's a whirling dervish of steel, even without using magic! Snicker-snack, she beheads one knight's weapon and stabs another in the chest! But... something's keeping them alive! She looks /pissed/. Theo, uh... now remember Ainsley, no killing him..." Staren turns to Theo, just... surprised to see him stumble and fall. "Theo's turn. Another land. His creatures are doing something, they're... praying and singing? 'Gaze of Justice!' What--" Staren has to cover his eyes. "Holy shit!" When the light dies down, he looks again. "Oof... Ainsley's still up! That was some kind of holy orbital laser attack, and she's STILL UP! She doesn't look so good, though. Can I get an instant replay?" He's already pulling up and sending the feed from the drone as he says that. "She BLOCKed it! She blocked the orbital holy death beam with her own power! Look at that, ladies and gentlemen!" And now, for Ainsley's last chance: "She's calling the fire again, folks... she's glowing, there's steam and darkness and fire and magic and--" And then he has to cover his ears, his poor ears! "Ow! F*ck, my ears! Owowowowow..." 

:'''{{#var:317|Theo Morrison (317)}} has posed:''' The light show is enough that Theo can't look directly at it. Even shielding his eyes, he's flash-blinded by the brilliance of what he brings to bear -- and what Ainsley uses to counter it. He can't watch it, not from where he's sitting, but he can sense it. There's such a confluence of opposing energy that it makes his ears ring. Should they be /ringing/ from that kind of sense? It finally stops. He's still blinking his eyes when he realized Ainsley is still standing. Not only /standing/, mind you, but /staring/, unceasingly and unwaveringly. Theo is staggered by the prospect. He just looks back, blinking. It worked... almost. Horseshoes and hand grenades. Theo starts to get to his feet. He can't call his knights in to attack, or back to defend him; they're tapped, exhausted for this turn of his. He's out of cards in his hand, even if he has all the mana he needs to do whatever it is he could possibly draw. He has no draw mechanics, no tricks, no blockers, no useful artifacts, no field enchantments, no suspending cards... Theo reflexively grabs for Blue mana from the nearby streams and lakes when he feels her gathering power. He can't keep hold of it. There's no reason for him to have it, and no reason for it to do anything for him. Even if he could try to counter the spell -- he's not sure he has the expertise, but he'd try -- he can't hold enough of it to make the attempt. It slips through his metaphysical fingers like water. He is flat-out out of options. So, he starts to move. FACT: Normal human beings cannot dodge lightning. That one perfect bolt hits him dead-center. His arms flail outward as he spasms, losing his footing immediately and tumbling backwards through the temple. Nykthos dissolves into phantasmal silhouettes and Aetheric vapor, the sky opening up to the sunny day hidden behind the mystical starry night. The knights raise their weapons in salute to the black-and-red Ainsley, the last thing they can do before simply ceasing to be. As a result, Theo hits soft grass and gently rolling hills when he finally meets the ground instead of old, unyielding stone. He's not moving; it's like a switch was flicked. Kickotron wanders over to him, looking down, and unceremoniously roots through his pockets. The Myr holds up what looks like a white handkerchief, waving it like a flag. Yup; he's /definitely/ out. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:''' Staren needs a moment to recover -- he then floats down over the fallen Theo. He pulls what looks like an Abstractum flipphone out of his pocket and holds it out towards Theo's fallen form. Then he closes it and flashes Ainsley a thumbs-up before pocketing it. "Ladies and gentlemen, Ainsley calls forth a lightningbolt to end all lightningbolts and strikes Theo down! He is K O'd! Ainsley is the winner of the match!" He turns to face the crowd, now that they can see him without the temple in the way. "Let's have a big hand for our contestants for the A-MAZ-ING show they've given us tonight! And, uh, get some medics out here." 

}}

WMAT A2 Vervi vs. Vanessa Selby

2014-07-13T16:43:58Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/07/12 |Location=Papaya Island - Stadium |Synopsis=Vervi versus Vanessa Selby in Round 2, Bracket A of the WMAT! |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=1..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/12
|Location=Papaya Island - Stadium
|Synopsis=Vervi versus Vanessa Selby in Round 2, Bracket A of the WMAT!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=192, 323, 385
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' The weather is as pleasant over Papaya Island as usual - nice and sunny, just a couple of clouds drifting across the sky ... but who's looking *up*? Given that the whole point of being in the arena is centered on the stone-paved platform which serves as the actual field of battle for tournament competitors, pretty much nobody is admiring the weather - just being glad it won't interfere with the match by raining or anything. Yuna is standing in the middle of one edge of the 'ring,' microphone in hand; her attention, like those of the cameras, is on the middle of the arena where the two competitors will shortly be meeting to begin their match ... 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' The first fighter to glide in requires a Zoom from the cameras to actually see. Floating from one of the entry arches in her full armor, drawing a blue trail of engine exhaust, is the distinctive blue-colored Type VicViper shinki, Vervi. With her hands empty, she holds them forward and to either side, accentuating her flight with a bright smile. Once she's over the ring floor itself, Vervi banks and performs a slow circuit around the ring's edges, waving to the crowd with both arms--because it's still awfully hard to see without some form of help! Coming back to her initial entry point, Vervi's flight pack shifts and she swings her legs down, braking herself and then twirling in midair, bringing herself to a hover. One hand raises, while the other is lowered. There's a flash of white light from the Slipway when her laser rifle appears, nestled neatly in both hands. For dramatic effect, this is swung down to the side, the sides of the barrel trailing glowing blue vapor, "Type Vic Viper, Vervi, on scene and ready to go!" 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' Vanessa makes her way into the arena cringing a bit, why couldn't they be in one of the quieter arenas? Well, at least they didn't end up in the desert or something. She squints a bit as she tries to make out her opponent, this was going to be a bit difficult. Still she been doing target practice all week, so she's ready as she'll ever be. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "And the fighters have entered the arena!" Yuna calls out, glancing back to make sure the cameras are looking in the right direction. "Vervi's the first to step up - or fly in, rather, since she's airborne ... hey Vervi!" she calls out, grinning and waving to the little Shinki. They may not be close acquaintances, but they *are* allies ... not that this is going to affect Yuna's commentary. Theoretically, at least. "And here comes Vanessa Selby!" continues Yuna. "She doesn't look too happy with the setting ... can't tell why that might be, though. Anyway, here's looking forward to an entertaining match; good luck to both Vervi and Vanessa, and may the best fighter win!" 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' "Hi!" Vervi acknowledges Yuna with a flittering of fingers on her empty hand. Her attention quickly turns to the arriving ice fox and her posture immediately changes to one of a readied fighter. The cheer is much more controlled in her voice when she speaks up again, "I actually don't like to fight unless it's something like this. So let's just enjoy ourselves, okay? And please, do your best!" She'll give time for Vanessa's response here, though afterward pushes her arms out to either side. Ports on the armor covering her arms, as well as her flight pack, all slide open. There's a hissing sound accompanying numerous missiles fired in a large cluster, all launching away but arcing in midair towards the icefox girl, trailing smoke. Her payload launched, Vervi twists in midair and banks to the left, hurling herself into motion. Rhythmic thumps herald the launch of four tiny support units which surround themselves in orange light and start to pursue the shinki, mirroring her flight path. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' "Neither do I, I'm just in this for the money." Vanessa doesn't sound too enthusatic herself. She doesn't know how anyone could be so cheeful at a time like this. She notes the missiles and tosses a chunk of ice to try and stop them in mid-air. Her aim is off though and they make impact with her. They sting somewhat, but she's been hurt much worse before. Still the ice can make impact with Vervi herself if she isn't careful. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "And the fight starts with a bang, literally!" Yuna fights a brief impulse to jump back off of the arena platform as Vervil launches a barrage of missiles at Vanessa. "Vervi takes the first shot, sendfing a swarm of missiles in pursuit of Vanessa - plus she's got support drones of some kind out, probably for extra firepower. Looks like a bracketing salvo by the missiles ... Vanessa tosses some ice at them - trying to swat them down, it looks like, but the chunk of ice bounces against Vervi - not much, maybe, but it's something; mutual hits to start the match!" 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' "I just want to make Master proud of me!" Vervi chirps back, still cheery though it's carefully measured. She's doing her best to at least look like she's taking this seriously. After all, even if it's a tournament fight with strict rules, it's not a /game/ and treating it like one might make her opponents angry with her. And that WOULD make it un-fun. Missiles impact ice chunks and fill the air with explosions as well as quickly melting shrapnel. Vervi throws herself into a roll as she circles along the edge of the arena, jagged ice scraping across the top of her flight pack but not accomplishing any more than damaging the paint. With her laser rifle held back along her body, Vervi reaches back with her free hand, under her wing, so that the gunpod there can latch on to her wrist. Swinging this forward, Vervi banks sharply to circle around Vanessa at waist height, that gunpod spewing out a rapid-fire spray of high caliber (for a shinki) bullets while she's close. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' "Good for you." Vanessa doesn't sound too moved by Vervi's statement. They're both here to fight and she doesn't care aboout her reason for doing so. As the Shinki flies in closes she swats at her to try and keep the robot back. Close combat isn't her strong point, and it could be troublesome if Vervi gets onto her. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "It may not have been much, but Vervi definitely felt that hit," Yuna observes as she sees the Shinki recovering from contact with the ice. "She's pulling out another weapon now - and a shower of bullets for the ice-wielding foxwoman! But the bullets don't stop Vanessa, either - she stands her ground, and as Vervi flies in to circle around her, Vanessa swings - just lashing out with an arm, given the size difference that's gotta sting for the Shinki ... !" 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' It's a good thing Vervi wasn't actually trying to land on Vanessa! Swatting hands are a lot harder to get out of the way of when one isn't flying. And also there's that pesky hard surface to get smashed up against when swatted. While she does get smacked, her relative speed, size, and being airborne makes it a bit less damaging than it looks. Quickly recovering from being knocked down in altitude, Vervi throws herself into a spin as she ascends, trailing a spiral of blue light from her wingtips. The gunpod is quickly returned to its spot underneath her wing. At the peak of her ascent, a few feet above Vanessa's head, Vervi throws her arms out and terminates the spiral, shifting once more into a hover. Her legs swing out to balance and she swings her laser rifle forward, holding it with both hands. The barrel splits apart from magazine to muzzle, its interior glowing and seeping with glowing blue mist. "It's okay if you don't want to talk." As if punctuating that sentence, Vervi's rifle fires a concentrated beam of blue light directed at the level of the foxwoman's knees. Aimed at the left, she sweeps the beam aside to cross over the right leg as well. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' Vanessa's trying to focus on the fight here, and really isn't in the mood for conversation. She notices Vervi's still in-close and tries to get her away. The shinki manages to get above her head before she can grab her. She notices the laser being fired at her and covers her legs with ice try and reflect it off her. It doesn't seem to have the desired effect as the beam simply melts through it. Her legs are pressed together in pain and she tries to remain standing. Ice shards form above her head and fly at Vervi. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "Vervi recovers from the swat by Vanessa - and she's still trying to keep this an openly friendly match; points for being a good sport!" Yuna's grin is a little sheepish - and punctuated by a wince, "And then the Shinki cuts loose with her laser rifle, raking the beam over Vanessa ... who tries to whip up some ice armor -" Another wince. "- and then just starts launching icicles at Vervi! They're both getting serious now!" 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' Hovering as she is, Vervi sweeps her laser aside to free up her left hand, though she put too much into stabilizing her shot to evade incoming fire right away. Such as it is, when she twists to bank out of the line of Vanessa's icicles, one punches a neat hole right through her left wing with a shower of sparks. This throws the shinki off balance and she tumbles, though recovers before she hits the arena floor and quickly speeds away at about knee height. She's not without counterattack, though. As she gets distance, Vervi throws herself into a roll, shedding off another salvo of missiles. While these arc around and speed towards the icefox, Vervi herself pulls back and ascends again, turning in a sharp upward arc. A moment later, the four Options following behind her also launch salvos of missiles, adding their own payloads to that of the shinki herself. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' Vanessa's getting swarmed by missiles and gunfire. She's not known for her mobility and even if she were it's simply too much for her to dodge. Suddenly tiny of pellets of hail start falling from the seemingly clear sky. For a human-sized target they would be a mild annoyance but for someone the size of a Shinki, they could pose some trouble unless Vervi quickly manages to find cover. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' At least the fight is staying at a relatively polite distance from Yuna, for which she is silently grateful, focusing on her commentary. "It looks like Vanessa's icicle barrage hit something important," she reports, "Vervi is off-balance and losing altitude - okay, she's pulled out and stabilized. That looked like a close one - but Vervi isn't out of the fight by a long shot, launching another barrage of missiles ... a barrage that her support modules copied - that's a LOT of Shinki-scale missiles headed for Vanessa now! Will they make up in quantity what they lack for in size?" It doesn't take long to find out. "And while Vanessa gets pummeled by the explosions, she's not to be outgunned by Vervi ... is that hail? No clouds, but - yeah, it looks like she's dropping a hailstorm on Vervi! That's gonna make it hard for the Shinki to keep flying ... !" 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' As Vervi ascends back to a comfortable fighting altitude, she notes the descending hail. Weaving through the sudden change in weather, chunks of ice only slightly smaller than her own fists clunk and ricochet off her armor, headpiece, and flight pack. Dents appear in the thin metal that serves as armor on her equipment, causing the shinki to cringe slightly. Giving up on dodging while ascending, Vervi swings to one side and speeds along the edge of the arena once again, weaving through hailstones. Her rifle disappears in a flash of light, vanishing back into the Slipway, though it's replaced by a small cylander held comfortably in her grip. Banking sharply, Vervi dives right at Vanessa suddenly. Her armor clicks noisily and the shinki is suddenly ejected from the chest compartment, arms thrust out to cling to the foxwoman's clothes. Meanwhile, Vervi's ARMOR reorients itself into a vaguely humanoid shape and, fully unmanned, holds out its arms to pepper Vanessa with machinegun rounds while drifting in a circle around her, giving her two things to worry about. Only one of them is actually /attacking/ her. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' The hail comes to a sudden stop as the machine gun fire hits her. Her ears fold a bit in confusion as the unpiloted armor attacks her. Of course Vanessa has two problems to worry about as Vervi's grabbing onto her as well. She decides it's better to take care of the armor first since it'll be one less problem to deal with as she tries to disable it, by freezing it solid. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "Even as Vanessa tries to knock Vervi out of the air," observes Yuna, "the plucky little Shinki keeps getting up again, back into the air and into the fight! And Vervi's laser rifle vanishes ... wait, did Vervi just jettison from her flight unit? She's latched onto Vanessa -" Yuna's jaw drops. "- and Vervi's armor goes into autonomous mode, still shooting Vanessa as it circles her! That leaves the vixen with two targets to worry about, not just one - ooh, but she just tried to encase Vervi's mobile armor in a solid block of ice! Can it stay flying with that much weight around it?" 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' Without a shinki inside it, the armor can do a few things it wouldn't be able to otherwise. It can also take punishment that it wouldn't otherwise be able to protect its occupant from. Being frozen, for instance, can be dangerous for shinki if the jelly in their cooling system expands or the system itself ruptures. Without that cooling system to worry about, when the armor's left arm, leg, and part of its torso become encased in ice, it gives no fucks. Instead, while maneuvering and struggling to free its entrapped limbs, the right arm's gunpod flips back. A new weapon pod flips forward in its place. There's a cracking sound from the ice as the unit finally breaks its left arm free. The same switcharoo takes place and then, diving close to the foxwoman's face, Vervi's flight suit fires twin cones of energy in tightly packed clusters of shots. Meanwhile, Vervi scrambles around Vanessa's midsection, scurrying around the woman's side to her back and then climbing perilously up the middle where she'd be the most difficult to reach. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' Vanessa cringes as she gets shot in the face and stumbles a bit. She tries to grab the armor and toss it away even as Vervi climbs up her. She's not fully thinking clearly at the moment, of course having tiny pellets in her head makes it a bit difficult to do so. At this point she just wants the fight to be over with. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "And the answer seems to be 'no, it can't' - but only because it breaks loose before it can crash! Neat trick by Vervi, and she's going to need every advantage she can get right now ..." Yuna pauses, dashing along the edge of the ring (and ducking under the occasional camera's 'line of sight') so she can get a better look at what's happening. "Vervi's still hanging onto Vanessa, trying to climb up her back; what's she after? Is she going to plant a bomb or something where the vixen can't reach it? - Or is she just trying to be a tactile distraction while her armor tries to shoot Vanessa in the face? Either way, Vanessa's still more focused on the armor than the Shinki herself, trying to grab it and fling it somewhere else ..." 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' When snatched, the armor creaks. When tossed, it clatters across the arena floor. Ice still clinging to its surface breaks away, freeing up the leg and shoulder. Engines flare as it takes to the air once again, spiraling up to chest height but then backing away. Slipway flashes under its wings herald the appearance of new weapons, long-barrel guns with coils surrounding the barrels. Adjusting its flight path, the autonomous armor aims these new gauss cannons and opens fire, one at a time. Both shots, spaced about a second apart, are aimed at Vanessa's left knee. In the middle of Vanessa's back, Vervi stops climbing. She braces with both feet and hands, waiting for the opportune moment to enact her CRAZY SCHEME. For the moment, it seems like she's been forgotten about, the armor's more aggressive actions drawing all of her opponent's attention. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' How much damage could this armor take? Vanessa's finding out as she gets shot in her knee, unfortunately for Vervi her balance gives out for a moment and she falls back with the Shinki still on her back. She might want to quickly climb off or she might find herself getting crushed in the process. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "Sure enough," says Yuna, "Vervi's armor recovers from getting chucked away, takes to the air again - did it just swap - yeah, it even swapped weaponry while it was recovering! Some kind of railguns now - and Vanessa falls over on her back ... *that*'s gonna hurt Vervi if she doesn't get out from under the foxwoman in a hurry!" 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' NOT AS PLANNED Vervi finds her perch toppling. First, she lets out a surprised sound when the icefox begins to fall, particularly when she begins to fall backwards. With an impending meeting to the ground in her future, the shinki acts fast. She braces her feet and one hand, rearing back with her right. The device in her hand erupts into the blazing blue blade of her beam sword. And then Vanessa falls on her with a quiet crunch. The force, however, also drives the shinki's sword right into her larger opponent's body, like falling on a needle. THAT should get her up and moving before the smaller shinki can be TOO badly damaged by the weight and pressure squishing her. The VerVietta armor, meanwhile, dismisses its gauss weapons to the Slipway and closes in, though it doesn't attack. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' Vanessa leaps up as she's poked in the back, her leather clothing absorbs most of the blow, but it's still uncomfortable. She flails about a bit swatting at her back as she tries to get the shinki off her back. She blushes a bit as she does so, this was a bit embarassing as all these people could see what she's doing. 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' When Vanessa jumps back up, Vervi dangles from the hilt of her sword in something of a daze. Getting squashed under a giant woman isn't something you can just shrug off! Dizzied and hanging like that, she's smacked around a few times until her sword rips loose and Vervi's sent clattering across the arena floor, bouncing twice. Before she can bounce a third time, her armor swoops down to catch her, reinterfacing quite easily in a burst of light. Wobbling slightly, Vervi and her armor ascend once again in an arc, one of the engines trailing black smoke rather than the characteristic blue exhaust. Her laser rifle returns and Vervi quickly attaches her sword to it as a bayonet to free up a hand. Though, as she circles around, she keeps her distance by leveling the laser rifle. As before, the barrel splits open, glowing inside, and fires a concentrated beam of light. Unlike last time, however, the same beam is mimicked by the four Options trailing behind her. Each one sweeps in opposite directions, scissoring across each others' cutting paths as she rakes Vanessa's legs with them. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "Okay, so it wasn't a bomb or anything Vervi had, but some kind of miniature beam-sword ..." Yuna lets out a breath. "And Vanessa didn't manage to squash her when she toppled over, but she's still scrabbling around and trying to dislodge Vervi - *yeow*, nailed her with that one! It's definitely still anyone's fight, though; neither fighter has a solid advantage at this point! Vervi may have firepower but Vanessa's not backing off ... and Vervi's armor goes into full-on beamspam mode!" 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' Vanessa's legs are taking a lot of punishment, she's going to have problems walking afterwards for a few days at least. "Ah!" Some noise finally comes out of the quiet fox-girl, she falls to her knees, but ice is quickly gathering on her hands into the shape of spikes. AFter a moment they break free and go flying at Vervi, with the intent of impaling the shinki. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "Vanessa gets hammered by the beamspam from Vervi's armor, but she still refuses to give up despite the beatdown she's taken so far ... and - did she just form Shinki-seeking ice missiles or something? ... I think she did, or at least she's guiding their flight to home in on her!" Yuna lowers the microphone briefly, watching the two continue to battle ... 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' Moving swiftly, Vervi weaves through the spray of jagged shards, taking a close shave here and there. A particularly tough cluster spears through her right wing, making it almost symmetrical to the hole in the left. The gash trails smoke for a few moments while internal systems close off the damaged lines to her aileron, and Vervi's flight path stabilizes a moment later. Once upright from all her rolling and twisting in evasion, Vervi thrusts her arms out. Panels on her body erupt with another spray of missiles, mirrored by her Options. While the missiles arc toward the kneeling Vanessa, the shinki arrests her own motion and produces one of her under-win gunpods, supplimenting the missile fire with machinegun fire. This, too, is mirrored by her support drones, filling the air with bullets and artillery. 

:'''{{#var:323|Vanessa Selby (323)}} has posed:''' Vanessa's having trouble standing at this point, let alone avoiding anything. The barrage of missiles and gunfire send her onto the ground. She weakly moans, she's not getting up under own power at this point. She's in a lot of pain both physical and mental. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "Vervi manages to get away from the Shinki-seeking icicles, but not without taking some more damage along the way - but she dishes out what HAS to be everything she's loading ..." Yuna has to wince again at the amount of firepower Vervi's unloading. "And Vanessa goes down hard ... the referee is calling it - the fight is over, and Vervi advances to the next round of the World Martial Arts Tournament!!" The blonde idol can't applaud with a microphone in her hands, and it'd be bad form to cheer openly ... but the exuberance in her voice covers the gap pretty well, and Vervi and Vanessa *did* both put up a good fight, one that was a pleasure for Yuna to watch. Nerve-wracking at points, maybe, but fun. 

:'''{{#var:192|Vervi (192)}} has posed:''' When the foxwoman collapses, Vervi keeps her weapons armed for a few moments longer. Only when the referee calls it does she relax and drift downward to land on the arena floor. Her weapons wink out, vanishing into the Slipway, though her armor remains when she drops to her knees with a tired sound, "Phew~... She really did her best." Turning enough to flash her face to the nearest camera, the little shinki smiles and calls out, "Master, I won! I hope you're proud of me!" 

}}

WMAT C2 Bowser vs. Procyana

2014-07-13T16:40:42Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/07/10 |Location=WMAT Arena - Devil's Hand |Synopsis=Bowser versus Procyana in Round 2, Bracket C of the WMAT! |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=365..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/10
|Location=WMAT Arena - Devil's Hand
|Synopsis=Bowser versus Procyana in Round 2, Bracket C of the WMAT!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=365, 435, 446
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' The Devil's Hand! A place that is not nearly the same as the last battle Bowser was at, and so he chooses to be a bit more subtle about his presence this time. This time, he has set his throne in a massive foyer in Devil's Castle. The King of Koopas sits and (im)patiently waits for his opponent. His frown leers through the darkness, his silhouette vaguely alit by the various torches in the building. And is it me, or is it a lot darker than it should be in there? He rests his head against his fist, with his elbow against the armrest. It's a somewhat ominous lounging position of someone who doesn't have one ounce of care about his opponent. Cameras are being carried by Lakitus, one of which floats up in the darkness near the ceiling, the camera focusing on King Bowser. It occasionally turns toward the front door, waiting for Procyana's arrival. 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' Door. Bowser. Empty Door. Bored Bowser. Feel the anticipation in the air as Koopa King and audience alike wait for the intense fight to come. Zoom in a Bowser's disgruntled face. Then focus on the empty, waiting doorway.... "Waiting for someone?" A voice abruptly comes up from the side of Bowser's throne, where a camera quickly turns to pan on on the raccoon woman leaning against the royal lounger, Procyana filing her carbon-fiber claws like it was no big deal at all. "Let me know when they get here so we can get started." Holds up her hand to inspect her work, a bit of torchlight reflecting faintly off the augmented points from her fingers. "No rush." Accursed stealth technology! She waltzed right in and no one even saw her coming! Seriously, what sort of secret agent uses the front door anyways? 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' *tap tap tap* *fwoo fwoo* "Heeheehee! So exciting! Aaaaalright, everyone! This is the beautiful Princess Sarracenia Sundew coming to you LIVE from the Devil's Hand! Today, we have the King of Koopas himself, the big boss Booooowseeeeeer! Facing off against the sneaky raccoon known as Procyana! Looks like things are already getting started! You'd better tune in to frequency 900.2 if you want to catch all the action, and hear my lovely voice all afternoon! 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' Bowser waits. He gets more impatient. And then his opponent arrives without him realizing it. Instead of seeming startled, he turns his head with a deliberately slow effect. He looks down at her -- he is ten feet tall, so this may explain why he didn't spot her -- and stares down at her. A rumbly noise sounds, his eyes glowing an ominous red-gold color in the dark. He frooowns at her. "You..." he begins. One can almost feel the pressure on the air, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. He grabs his armrest, and the metal contorts under his wrathful grasp. He begins to stand. "-- RUINED THE ENTIRE DRAMATIC EFFECT!!" he bellows at her hatefully! And she doesn't have a lot of time to react before he's tearing the massive metal throne off the floor, and swinging it with both hands at her! The roar that accompanies it when the throne flies across the room and becomes embedded in a wall is enough to shake the whole castle! She probably made a bad first impression. Maybe. 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' Procyana's reaction to the outburst is to look up the most calm, utterly not-surprised manner possible, even a little bit of a smug smirk at one corner of her mouth. "Sorry," she replies in anything but an apologetic tone, "but you know how many times I've directly entered an overlord's chamber just for it to be a trap?" And then he rips the throne off the ground in his rage! Aggrivating tyrant tactic: SUCCESS. Procyana jerks away as the throne is tore from the ground, but isn't fast enough to react when he swings it right afterwards, staggering backwards from the blow. And then he throws it besides! That however she has a chance to see coming and twist to the side to avoid getting crushed between the throne and the wall it impales itself into. As she turns Procyana pulls one of her disruptors from its holster, so she comes out of the movement in a sideways stance to level the weapon at the huge turtle. "Not what they mean by take a seat, big guy." She's still smirking even as she fires off a thermal laser shot at Bowser. 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' The battle is taking place inside the Devil's Hand castle, where Bowser, in classic Bowser style, has set up his own throne! But, it seems Procyana has no taste for dramatic license. And the Koopa King doesn't like it /at all/! Eek! I think a lakitu almost got hit by that one! Bowser ripped the magnificent dark metal throne right off the floor! He's made it into a...thrown! Heehee! But, Procyana isn't pinned like a bug! Almost, but not quiet. She nimbly avoids the thrown throne, but only after getting clubbed by it! She's quick to get up, though, and to give a witty retort as she gives Bowser a little taste of his own medicine! But, come on, you can't really expect lasers to do much to a fire-breathing koopa king! 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' "WHY. WHY IS IT THAT TWO TIMES IN A ROW--" Bowser is about to go off on a rant when the raccoon decides to shoot him right in the face with a thermal laser. His head jerks from it, mostly from the sting, but it's not lava and not as strong as it could be. "TWO MATCHES IN A ROW!!" He huffs, "I get the 'witty' opponents," he says, fingerquoting. He obviously doesn't approve of smug or talky fighters! Or... anyone, really. And then he reaches up to pop his neck with both hands. *CRICK* "Hnn. Let's do this," he says, his anger honed to a fine battle edge, the smoke from the scorch on his face fading. A sparkle of black electricity climbs his body, and a great big smile appears on his face. His eyes glow an ominous gold! What is he doing!? A surge of Boos erupts from several walls, and he directs it with one of his claw-tipped fingers, the swarm aimed at trying to bowl Procyana off her feet and damage her with the necromantic energy these beings are made of. This is /his/ bag of tricks! He's going to show the audience he isn't all brute force! The giggling flood of ghosts continues until she manages to endure or avoid all of it, and disperses as quickly as it came! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' "Trust me," retorts the spycoon, "Your type tends to attract them." As he snaps into a battle stance she does the same, pulling the second blaster from its holster and bringing it up to hold parralel to the the other, save her arm cocked back a bit farther -- one of the classic starting gunkata poses. "Com'n get me, big guy. Let's see how well you dance." There's a faint but audible click as she mentally triggers the mode on her guns, causing their tron-line details to turn from bright red to pale blue. Except instead of attacks he sends a swarm of ghosts surging towards her from several directions at once. "Heh. Guess he wants to make this a rave." The first two ghosts only comically smack into each other as she whips back her arms and dashes out of the way. A combination of veering sidesteps and pivots nimbly darts her way from the surge of specters, her cybernetic reflexes moving faster than the Boos can keep aimed on her. At the end it looks like she's closing in on Bowser in the wake of the swarm, ducking under one last Boo by dropping to the stone floor and sliding under both it -and- between Bowser's legs! As she passes his tail she raises both arms to what would be over her head if she were standing up and fires off a pair of shots -- this time in a frigid cold instead of shearing heat! 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Aww. Poor wittle Bowsy Wowsy doesn't seem to like having intelligent opponents." in the voice one might use on a baby. "What's this? Boos?! Bowser really must not have liked that little verbal jab from Procyana! He's trying to Boo her right out of the castle!" Sarracenia giggles at her own joke. "But, it looks like Procyana isn't afraid of ghosts! She's showing off her mobility again by jumping, springing, dodging and sliding away from the spooky spectres! And, woo, Procyana's getting right up in Bowser's personal space! I bet even Princess Peach hasn't gone there! But she's not cuddling up. Procyana's giving Bowser a frigid reception!" 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' The ghosts completely fail to make their mark and quite a few of them do crash into each other, but that's because the vast majority of them are mindless or very dumb. Bowser can barely spot Procyana through the flurry, though, so it's very easy to get up close to him when being that nimble. However! He does spot her when she's in reach of his hands. But he can't do much, grasping at air when she slides between his legs. Cold slams into his back! His eyes go wide and his whole body shudders! His shell is /not/ equipped to deal with that, and he is most certainly not built to handle low temperatures in general! He groooowls, but his teeth chatter in response to the feeling. One foot rises up into the air, and then comes SLAMMING downward, the room rumbling and contorting in a comically strange way as a shockwave of kinetic force blasts out from around him. Just to pop Procyana off her feet, or at least that's the attempt. Then he'd pivot around and try to backhand her out of the air! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' Bet they could feel that rumble in the audience at home when Bowser decides to put his foot down, literally! Unfortunately it's not on top of Procyana as she backflips off the ground to avoid the shockwave, landing in a crouch to duck under the arm swing. Big and strong, but slow and easily provoked. Interesting combination, she's going to have to stay on her feet if she doesn't want to get suddenly clobbered. As she springs back to her feet Procyana twirls the left blaster in her hand and tucks it back into its holster, then twirls the one in her right to hold it sideways and look at it as her smartgun HUD reads it's charge cell as low from needing so much power just to get past Bowser's thick hide and shell. "Huh," is all she says as she flips around again to hold it barrel up, and eject the power cell out of the handle. And right at Bowser's big snout! She's knocked people out with that move, but on his face saurian face it's likely more aggrivating than it is anything else. Other hand grabs a pair of cartridges from her belt and flings them into the air and then redraws the second blaster, ejecting it's cell as well on the floor and spinning both around to grip the guns by the barrels so the fresh power cells fall right into the chambers and lock into place. Yes, she -is- showing off for the cameras. What else would you expect? 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Bowser just seems to be getting more and more angry! And that cold is something he's just not used to! Where he comes from, fire and brimstone are as common as sunshine, so a pair of freezing bullets just aren't his cup of tea. So...he unleashes a bit of something he -is- familiar with. Earthshaking power! He's really putting his foot down! But that doesn't seem to bother Procyana! She just backflips up into the air and avoids it all together! Then...ahaha! She ejected her cartridge right into Bowser's face! Is she -trying- to make him mad? She'd better be careful~ I did that once and got hit with my own hammer for my trouble!" 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' Bowser doesn't manage to do anything to her. She's as small and infuriating and NIMBLE as that blasted plumber! The very thought of it turns his vision red, especially as his brain connects the dots and realizes she's some sort of... raccoon? The fury mounts as he turns about, looking for where she went, trying to keep a fix on her when she's flipping around and avoiding his attacks the way she does. He's big and slow, and very easily provoked, but that doesn't make him easy to fight. He's not /that/ slow, and anyone with less speed than Procyana would have a helluva time avoiding him. He flexes his hands, and a loud crackling of his joints sounds out. His eyes glow with hatred now and not just raw magic. And then he gets hit in the face with an expended energy magazine, which, surprisingly, bloodies his nose quite effectively. He doesn't seem to even flinch more than closing one eye, though. As the bruise develops, he lurches toward her with a grasping hand. If there's any chance that he'll grab her at all, he's going to try to make her life a little more painful. Because if he gets her, he'd lift her up into the air, and do a cartoonish full arc swing of his opponent into the wall on the other side of the room! He has enough titanic strength that just rolling out of it would be unfeasibly difficult, and he's counting on that! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' Once she's locked and reloaded Procyana spins the guns one more time back into a proper grip, and that's when Bowser comes back even madder than before. As quick as her flexes are, she can only move so fast from a near dead stop; when she jukes to duck to the side Bowser misses grabbing her neck like he probably intended, but succeeds in grabbing her by the *tail* instead. Arguably more effect in the end as she's whipped off her feet and swung through the air with a yowl of surprise before being chucked across the far side of the room. Into the wall imbedded throne no less, the impact hard enough to smash it all the way through said wall with her in it. She didn't have a choice in the end but to take that one sitting down. Jarred loose foundation clinks down the hole left in the wake as the battered raccoon woman steps back out through it, huffing a bit and holstering the blasters again. "Guess it's time to stop playing around then." She steps back into the room, and in place of the dual blasters draws from her weapon inventory what looks like a futuristic, sawed off shotgun. She one-hand cocks it to load the energy chamber and flips it over into her hand, holding it out towards Bowser. The barrel is visibly glowing as kirby dots briefly cluster around the muzzles, and then it erupts with a thooming scatterblast. Except instead of buckshot it's a spray of pellets of superheated gas and energy. 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Wow! That turned around fast! While Procyana was showing off, I think, and Big Bowser just grabbed her in one hand and decided she needed a new friend! She and that wall are really close now~ Ooh! She hit right where the throne was thrown! She has to take a seat for a few moments to shake that one off! Hehe! Looks like that calls for a weapon change on Procyana's part. She holsters her pistols in favor of...oooooh. I want one! It's some kind of shotgun! It's pretty hard to avoid that! But then, hitting Bowser is like hitting the broad side of a barn." 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' The Koopa King huffed after he heard the smashing of her impact. He lumbers in that direction at what could be called a leisurely pace, his footsteps giving heavy THUD noises to fill the room. A torch flickers as he walks by it, the flame turning from yellow-orange to a ghostly blue and then back again. His tail slides on the floor some. He knows that wasn't enough to take her out completely, and so he doesn't rush at her. No smart fighter lets his opponent take them off-guard. She emerges from the hole in the wall, wielding a hand cannon of some description. Bowser frowns at the firearm. Immediately he brings up his arm to guard his head, and the shot slams into him! The gas and heat billow off of him, smoke filling the room. The smell of burnt shell permeates everything. "My turn." But his arm pulls away, and he is not exhausted. It did not deter him from the fight. Instead he breeeeathes in to prepare for an attack that will dwarf her energy blaster significantly! He shoots a torrent of flame that blasts out of the hole in the wall, and cooks several bricks to slag where it's hottest! Accompanying it is the loud roar of his own voice and the sound of expanding air! It echoes for miles! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' If there was any remaining doubt that Bowser was royally ticked off (he he he) it's gone when he cranks it up with a roar so fueled by anger it's producing flames! This turtle must be part dragon or something, Procyana briefly things as she pivots on her heels as Bowser opens fire and leaps at the wall behind her as the flames roar towards her. Feet hit the surface only for her to take off -running- across the length of the stone surface. Flames blast behind her, licking at her back as the stone melts away practically at her heels! It's collapsing behind her from the heat, one wrong move and she'd loose her footing and fall right back into those fierce flames. At the last moment as the portion of wall melts and crumbles away she leaps off split-seconds before there's no wall left. Procyana mid-air twists to bring her feet to land against one of the pillars of the would-be throne room, legs flexing just long enough for her kick off of it again, somersaulting high into the air and coming out of it feet first to... ...Well, she's fighting BOWSER for crying out loud. It wouldn't be proper if she didn't pay tribute to where homage was due. Thankfully the tech in her boots produces an energy flare around them to help, because that's got to be a pretty thick skull. 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Bowser stomps his way leisurely toward the Procyana shaped hole in the wall, giving her all the time she needs to recover and come back in swinging! The shotgun blast hits Bowser, but the big guy just shrugs it off despite the smoke coming off his shell! Then, he counters with some fire of his own! That famous gout of red-orange flame that the King of Koopa's is infamous for comes toward Procyana! ...Procyana just ran UP A WALL to get away from Bowser's fire breath! She just lost a little fur on her tail, and that's it! Then, she leaps off the wall and lands on Bowser's head! Hahahahaha! I don't think it killed him, but Bowser is going to be seething after a hit like that!" 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' Bowser is very displeased that he didn't hit his opponent! He looks around for where she went, turning his head-- THUNK. The most HUMILIATING way to get hit is to get stomped on like he's a common rabble Koopa. The Jumping Plumber had never been able to quite manage it with him but for rare occasions, thanks to his horns and his spikes making it too hazardous. There's a strange bone-like noise as she impacts his skull, and he's hunched forward from the impact, his head knocked into the shell from the energy flare. He hunches his shoulders, and looks severely startled by the koopa stomp she just performed on him! He pops into his shell, which already begins to rotate. And then with a flare of geometric shapes, it turns into a rock-grinding blender of spikes, and slides across the floor, trying to meet Procyana before she lands after the jump and slam into her! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' Let it be confirmed that Bowser does, indeed, have a very hard head. There was definately some reverbration from that impact as Procyana rebounds off the blow, which may of thrown off her recovery a bit. Because she doesn't get a chance to land from the recoil before Bowser turns getting his head stomped into a full out spin cycle of shell and spikes. Right now she is really, REALLY glad she doesn't run around digitgrade and barefoot like some animorphs she's seen in the Multiverse. She's lucky enough she landed boots first, sparks flying from the spikes tearing into them as the spinning motion rattles her up and then flings her off. That she at least can manage some recovering from, hitting the ground in a roll to take the fall and vaulting back up onto her feet. Then leans a little to the side and holds up one foot to look at her boots, gouged and unfortunately that very same tech that provided the energy pulses for her kicks and dash jets now mangled by the Koopa King. "This is why I prefer my drinks shaken instead of stirred!" With a huff into her bangs she pulls a capsule off her belt, twists the end of it to activate, and makes a low underhand toss to send it clattering across the floor towards Bowser before it finally explodes. It's big, its loud, and the shockwave might be enough to flip the shell clad tyrant off the floor. 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Huh. He didn't really roar or anything. Kinda disappointing. But, he is inside his shell now, and he's spinning like a top! It looks like a green and grey grinder ready to make mince meat out of the nimble Procyana! Just as she's coming down, Bowser spins his way toward her. I hope Procyana can air dodge! Hmm. No, but a dodge roll works pretty well! Looks like her boots got scraped up, but otherwise she's alright. Not ground meat or anything." There is a KABOOM! loud enough that it can be heard even on Sarra's microphone. "Woohoo! I have to get some of those, too! Heehee! Bowser had to have felt that one!" 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' Bowser pops out of his shell, and is already a little dizzy from the strike to the head and his retaliating shell spin. He frowns over at her -- he doesn't ever stop frowning unless he's grinning evilly -- when she makes a crack about... mixed drinks? He confusedly blinks once or twice, wondering if he was supposed to think that was clever. The bomb is pulled off her belt as he remains a little dumbfounded. He watches its path dumbly. He's a bit out of it from the head strike, and too dizzy to really get the 'get out of the way' part of avoiding a hit. Not that it would have helped much. The bomb knocks him off of his feet, and staggers him backwards!! He slams onto his back, and his spikes embed in the floor, crushing stone and kicking up dust!! He flails his limbs, and manages to un-turtle himself, severely embarrassed and very bruised and burnt now. "You're a lot faster than the blind girl, I'll give you that!" he shouts at her! Then he tenses up... and launches forward like a charging bull! He's not planning to headbutt her or bowl her over, but instead reach out with a huge hand toward her middle and try to pick her up off the floor and slam her into another wall! The entire way along he leaves huge footprints in the floor as the stone cracks and gives out under his incredible weight! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' You know that saying about taking the bull by the horns? Yeah, that's not happening right now. And with the boosters in her boots mangled by the abuse they've taken she can't just double-jump over his charge like she normally would. Which results in a lot of cursing as she's grabbed in one of his huge hands and slam the smaller raccoon into the wall hard enough to be audibly ringing through the castle. Sparks crackle from her back as more of the defensive hardware in her jacket is busted up by the heavy blow, though it does its job of sparing her from something like a broken back. Still hurt like bloody freakin' hell though. Not to mention he's got her pinned down against the wall, and by the way she's squirming its clear he's got her arms in his grip so she can't just pull her disruptors and start shooting. Forced to improvise on the moment Procyana does manage to wiggle one hand farther down and get it past his thick scaly fingers. Just enough to activate the energy projector for his grappler and shoot it at his midsection. Along with the several thousand volts of electrical current it is capable of producing like a taser cranked up to eleven. 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Bowser gets upended by that explosive device and lands right on his back! Turtles aren't supposed to be able to get up from that, but Bowser is so strong he just muscles his way back onto his feet! Then...he charges! And Procyana is caught up again in his giant claw and slammed into -another- wall! Bowser's bringing down the house! Looks like Procyana's suit is starting to short out, but that kind of works in her favor! I'm pretty sure I see sparks shooting along Bowser's shell from that attack! 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' Bowser laughs RIGHT IN HER FACE after he squashes her against a wall, not quite realizing that she's still quite a formidible fighter and not yet harmed enough for him to start gloating! He doesn't notice her pulling out some sort of grappling gun, and it slams into his shell without him noticing. And once it does, he's filled with a great deal of electricity and a lot of pain! He roooooars as his shell lights up and he's forced to release her thanks to the weakening of his muscles!! And then he reaches to grab the grappling line with his bare hand. Once he does so, he would swing it around like a bola over his head, assuming she's still attached to one end, and let it go, aiming toward the ceiling! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' Procyana drops to the floor when Bowser is forced to let go of her by the shock. The fight has been harder on her than the audience might realize, for as much as she's managed to evade the worst of Bowser's rage, when he's managed to hit her he's hit her -hard-. Her boot boosters are unsuable, her tech suit has been repeatedly damaged, and her augmentations are starting to push the red due to how hard they have to work to keep her going. For what her foe lacks in finess, he's got sheer raw power to make up for it. With a few quick pants she starts to push herself onto her feet. The HookShock line is still tether. Because normally this would be the point where she either yanks the stunned foe into a kick, or for a heavy guy like Bowser, reel herself into them for said kick. But before she can recover enough to do so, he grabs the line and pulls her in first! Spun around a few times with the momentum and then flug up into the ceiling with a resounding crash! Chunks of ceiling and masonary clunk to the floor around the impact, followed by Procyana herself dropping back to the floor. Only small bright side is the throw was hard enough to snap the cable loose. She's on her back and panting hard, Bowser still looming over her with his extensive height and bulk advantage. Instead of wasting the time to get back up Procyana just grabs both her guns and lays back, one barrel glowing red hot and the other frost cold as they charge together but in alternate modes. The result is when she fires the two charges combine together in a sort of mix of conflicting elements, causing a volatile explosive blast of antipode energy that hurtles up towards the hulking shellshocker. 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Bowser takes the hit like a king! He has to be tired, but I can't tell by the way he's fighting! One brutal attack after another! Now he's grabbed the line that lit him up, and he's swinging Procyana around his head like a helicopter! No way she can escape that one! Ooowwww! That had to hurt! She flew all the way up to the ceiling! And left another Procyana crater! Heehee. I bet Bowser enjoyed that. Procyana has a long way to fall, too. But, despite the long fall and landing hard on her face, Procyana manages to pull her pistols again and fire a pair of shots! I'm not sure what kind, but they exploded when they hit Bowser! I doubt either combatant can take much more!" 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' Bowser is really on his last legs already. He groooowls in pain from the wounds. It's much, much more difficult to move than when he was just getting hit by rocks over and over like with Toph. Now he has to force past the agony of fire and ice damage... which only gets worse when she doesn't even wait before unloading elemental blasts into his middle. The violent blast pushes him backward with a startled ROOOOAR from the pain and stone-grinding noise as his feet dig into the stone beneath him! Smoke and steam rise from the cracked shell! He rests a hand on his middle, wheezing a few times. He stares at his opponent, his teeth clenched from the feeling as it finally begins to dig through his ability to maintain his menace. He is feeling it! And it seems to hurt a lot! He charges his magic up into his hands, and raaaises them with a dramatic shower of geometric shapes. Dark energy sparks from his wounds, reacting to the concept of pain and damage. Yellow light billows from his eyes like a fog. And then he starts sparking with electricity over his whole body! He then SLAMS his fist into the floor, and a dancing array of light and electricity bursts from his whole body! Electricity slams into walls, shatters torches and turns metal parts of the room a bright, angry red! He's making up for his lack of accuracy by using a huge quantity of magic! 

:'''{{#var:365|Procyana (365)}} has posed:''' After she's fired, then Procyana bothers to roll over and get to her feet while Bowser is recoiling from the dual tech. He doesn't suffer a stagger as long as the sort of foes she's use to fighting though, and starts unleashing magical current before she's had a chance to entirely recoup. One surge flies by as she just barely manages to lean out of the way, then turns only to have to veer off-balance a second time from another jolt. Except when the spread of magic hits the walls it erupts into MAGIC LIGHTNING EVERYTWHERE! Superior mobility doesn't do much good when you've got nowhere left to move. And since electricity likes to complete a circuit, the already sparking damage to her tech is like spreading your arms wide open and asking for a hug from doom. Arcs of it slam into her from multiple directions as it floods the room in current, visible crackling up and down her form as more sparks erupt from her tech suit. The arcid smell of melted electronics fills the air as the voltage starts to subside and Procyana collapses down onto her hands and knees, smoke from the fried components rolling off her form with a few last crackles flashing through them. To say the devices that control access to her nanostorage inventory was fried by that attack is an understatement. But this is why she insists on keeping her disruptors in old fashioned holsters instead. Fingers curl around the guns and pick them off the floor as she lifts her head just enough for her half-open eyes to be visible beneath her crimson bangs. The end of her ponytail and the tip of her tail are still smoldering, but she manages to temporarily ignores it long enough to force herself part way up, and spread her arms out to the side, firing off a laser bolt from each gun. That upon hitting a wall or another surface, not only refract off of it but split in two beams at different angles. It only takes a matter of moments before there's laser bolts flying around the room, much as Bowser had filled it with electricity moments prior. It's a matter of any of them -hits- him though... 

:'''{{#var:435|Bowser (435)}} has posed:''' Bowser is not a hard target to hit. And when his tactic works, he doesn't have a lot of ability to evade, especially once he tuckered himself out with a magic expenditure like that. The raccoon girl is nearly fried, and he can see her nearly prone. But his vision blurs as he lurches toward her, his wounds impeding him. He tries to get a last shot in, but she is much faster than him, and it's that trait that decides this fight for good. Two solid beams of energy fly off to the side, and then, rather than scatter, they slam into his body from all sides, lighting him up with fire and an explosive burst. The pain shoots through his body as light fills his vision. And then he staggers toward her... falls to his knees, and onto his belly, right in front of her, his nose at her feet. His eyes are closed and he is completely still. Sprawled and thoroughly defeated. Smoke rises up from his whole body from all of the burns. Bowser gave into the pain. He lost! 

:'''{{#var:446|Sarracenia (446)}} has posed:''' Sarracenia says, "Bowser looks like he's barely standing after that last attack! I guess it was some kind of fire and ice attack, because he's both smoldering and freezing at the same time! The Koopa King is putting all he has into this attack. Magic and electricity are sparking all over the place! And...Bowser punches the ground beneath him, sending a surge of dark power through the castle! I'm not sure how much this old castle can take! The attack is shattering pieces of decor all over the place! And there's no way to avoid a room full of lightning! And Procyana is really feeling it! That lightning is sending sparks all through her armor! But, she isn't down! She pulls out her pistols again and fires...wow! The lasers just keep splitting and splitting! Bowser can't take the barrage of deadliness! He is hit on all sides by searing hot lasers, and finally falls forward! Bowser is defeated! ...aww..." 

}}

WMAT C2 Summer Powers vs. Material-S

2014-07-13T16:36:28Z

Squidtentacle:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/10
|Location=WMAT Arena - Yunzabit Heights
|Synopsis=Material-S fights Summer Powers in the WMAT, with Material-S coming out victorious.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=176, 177, 441
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' The windy and rocky terrain of the Yunzabit Heights is as cold and windy as usual. Summer, of course, decides to dress absolutely and utterly appropriately for such a windy and cold climate. A maid outfit with a short skirt. Complete with the head dress and everything. Yeah, she isn't really a Maid of Life, but still, she figures that at /some point/ in this tournament she should fight in a maid outfit. Hell, fighting in a maid outfit has been one of her life long dreams. She has a kind of weird perspective on lifelong dreams. She remains rather casual, though a plain look with no smile is on her face. She stands atop a plateau, simply waiting for her opponent to show, and for the battle to begin. Honestly she is mostly hoping the battle is not repetitive. Seriously, she /just/ kicked Nanoha's ass, and now she needs to kick Nanoha's ass. Who the hell scheduled these fights. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' Seikou arrives with a flutter of dark clothing. She does have some differences from Nanoha... shorter hair, for one, and a more stoic expression. Not to mention the palette swap of white dress to darker one, and the blue gem and bow instead of red. She also looks just a couple years younger... and the little wings on her ankles are orange, not pink. As she lands, the tip of her staff transforms into a spear-like look, the sapphire core gleaming. 'GET SET,' it declares in a firm voice. "Hello," Seikou states quietly, giving a small curtsy. "I believe we are ready now. I expect you to not hold back, if you beat Takamachi." 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' Hastur sits up on the hovering commentator's stand, her tattered robes held close as she leans back in her seat with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. Hey, nobody said she had to suffer like the competitors to do this job. "The mountains are as chilly as ever, but at least this fight should promise to warm things up a little. It seems at least one of our combatants will be needing it, too: Summer has come into the arena wearing...a short-skirted maid outfit. Not the most fitting choice of attire for the environment, but she seems comfortable enough so far anyway." "Ah, and there is Material-S, who seems somewhat more prepared for this sort of weather. Already she has prepared her weapon, extending a spear tip from her staff before greeting Summer with soft courtesy. From what I know of these two girls, however, this fight likely will not continue with such politeness." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' Suddenly, the sound of a flare gun exploding in the sky. Yes, flare guns aren't meant to make an exploding sound, but /still/. This? This signals the start of the fight. And the moment it sounds off, Summer moves into action. She rushes forward, a hand moved forward. Suddenly, a plushed toy appears in her hand. A plushie version of Mr. Satan. Her primary weapon for this battle. She shouts out, as she comes in for the attack. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN FIGHTING ME? I already beat one of you last round, I've like pretty obviously confirmed that I'm stronger than you!" And then, the plushie is slammed in the direction of Material-S's face. It /could/ turn into a knife? But for some reason, she doesn't do that /yet/. And really? She knows that despite superficial similarities, the two are very different enemies. But hey, worth a /shot/ trying to get them to forfeit at the start of the match. Long shot, but. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' Seikou doesn't react at all to the question, or the assertion. Nope. Besides, she has her face full of plush, slammed into it enough to make the small girl stagger a little and skid one foot back. That probably is going to leave a nosebleed! Right in the face! Except it doesn't. Something happened there and Seikou's nose is scrunched up rather painfully, but it just deepens your frown. In a very even tone that says she's only going to say this once, she replies, "Do not compare me to Takamachi." Kind of a sore spot. Abruptly her staff swings up, butt-first, and moves with alarming speed to do a quick, brutal strike toward Summer, displaying skill with the weapon that is probably beyond what Nanoha did. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' Hastur winces a little. "And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. I, Hastur, am a soothsayer. After producing a plush toy of Mister Satan himself, Summer rushes in against Material-S crying out her assurance that she is the stronger one here. To demonstrate, she immediately...mushes Mister Satan into Seikou's face." Pause. Sip. "As questionable of a tactic as it is, it seems effective! Seikou is sent stumbling back, looking rather miffed about such an opening attack. Or...perhaps the comparison to Nanoha, according to her demand later, but I know I would be offended by such an assault. Either way, Seikou follows through! The butt of her staff is lifted in a swing to strike Summer!" 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' The strike hits Summer in the stomach, causing her to keel over slightly. But, one of the things Summer does fairly well in combat is simply rolling with the blows. Keep moving, and use them to her own advantage. And though she is keeling, bent due to the staff into her stomach? She's going to take advantage of that force. As she bends due to the pain, she tries to move her arms forward. With her left hand, she is trying to grab ahold of Seikou's shoulder. With her right? She is moving the plushie across Seikou's torso. Except it's not quite a plushie anymore. It's a rather gaudy looking dagger, with the symbol of the WMAT on its pommel, and in the center of the cross guard. And so, a slash across the body. "Fine, I'll stop comparing you. Though if you don't want to be compared, maybe dye your hair or something, that'd help." 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' The blade lashes out and... doesn't quite connect? Well, it does, but the graze is barely notable, slicing through the Barrier Jacket only enough to draw a thin line of red across Seikou's belly... which does not bleed, for some reason. "It is darker," she points out as she's twisting aside. That's when things get a little more serious. The banter is fine, but that first strike hurt, so Seikou isn't playing around. Besides, she doesn't want to be here all day. But she doesn't take off into the air and start blasting away yet, tempting though it may be. 'BLAST IMPACT,' her Device pings suddenly, right as she's throwing a short palm-thrust toward Summer. The palm glows bright orange, sending a sudden concussive wave of flaming heat out in a powerful blast! 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' "Ooh, that seems to have hurt. Summer is struck in the stomach with painful effectiveness, but that will not keep her down! Even where she is, she grabs Seikou's shoulder and - oh, that is not a plush toy anymore. A /knife/ is cast across Seikou's torso for a single slash! This certainly appears to be escalating quickly." Hastur peers up over the desk before taking another sip from her mug. "I'm not sure how effective that was, unfortunately. Perhaps Summer's placement was not quite right, but we will have to see how things progress. And progressing they are, for Seikou twists aside and sends a powerful blast of heat out at Summer from her palm! Indeed, this fight is starting to heat up already. I only hope our competitors can endure the change in temperature." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' "Well dye it pink or something, that'd be more different." Summer is then struck by the concussive blast. She is sent backwards, flying through the air. She can fly, at least, so she can /somewhat/ stabilize herself midair. But, as she is sent flying, she is sent towards one of the plateaus. She plants her feet into the ground, to slow down her path backwards. And suddenly, the plantlife around her? It all just abruptly /dies/. It turns yellow, then black, then fades to dust. A flow of Life Energy seems to be going from it, into Summer's hand. Yeah, she's borrowing some ammunition from the landscape, stealing its life a bit. She holds the ball of life in her hand, and suddenly it transforms. Into a thorned vine, stretching out to try and pierce into Material-S. Summer grins, slightly. Just barely lifting the sides of her mouth. "Perhaps I should think of attack names for my moves, someday..." 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' Seikou is taking to the air as well, but perhaps didn't expect her opponent to use a ranged attack like that! The thorn is fast enough that she's barely started to form a barrier before it's already hit her, piercing her jacket and tearing right through her shoulder with a spray of- Cloth and skin? There's no blood, though it's clear that Summer just took a chunk out of the girl's shoulder area. Even the stoic Seikou has to wince at that hit, her flight wobbling for an instant. "No." Oh, that was the answer to the earlier statement about hair dye. The little orange wings flare and flap, giving a little boost to have her moving up and away, jinking around suddenly to line up another shot. 'BLAST FIRE,' the Device states calmly, just before a line of blazing orange mana - literally on fire yet otherwise a 'stun' type - erupts to streak toward Summer. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' "Summer is sent flying, hurtling into a nearby plateau! Thankfully the girl can actually fly of her own volition, and she shifts herself so that she lands on her feet rather than somewhere much more painful. Like, say, her back." Sip. "Ah, and what vegetation we have up here has suddenly been stripped of life, at least those close to Summer. This must be part of her life-draining power! She uses it to create a thorned vine in her hand before thrusting it toward Seikou, aiming to pierce through her opponent from afar!" "The ranged attack catches Seikou off guard, piercing through her shoulder with, surprisingly, not a single fleck of blood. At least half of this match will not be bloody, ladies and gentlemen! Our ratings shall remain stable. Summer may not, however, for Seikou sends a stream of fire at her in exchange for that earlier vine!" 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' The flames tear at Summer. She has /heard/ that a lot of the magic these people use is specifically nonlethal. But, alas, she is reminded that you would be surprised what you can live through. The flames burn at her, causing her to wince a bit. She's just glad that despite her magic being vine-shaped, she isn't, say, grass elemental or something stupid like that. And then Summer suddenly breaks into Haiku. "Furu ike ya" "Kawazu Tobikomu" "Mizu no oto." Translation: Old Pond - Frogs jumped in - sound of water. And, from her sylladex, several frogs appear around her. It seems she stored all three frogs in the same slot, as if they were one item. Yeah, it's weird, but Summer has a storage system for items that functions via /haiku/. Though why would she bring /frogs/ of all things? Well, the answer is that she almost immediately proceeds to drain the frogs of their lives. And then, their life is immediately weaponized, as three vines move in. Each one, approaching from a different direction, tring to impale into Material-S. The last Vine attack seemed to work, so... May as well try again! 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' 'PROTECTION POWERED' It's a good guess, using the vines again, but Seikou does have defenses. An orange 'bubble' surrounds her to fend off the vines, the attack splintering and splitting against the shield. It still slams her hard though, and even with that bubble she has to deal with the impact. This means she's send careening into the side of one of the rocky plateaus, which is important for two reasons. For one, it proves that shield is far from impenetrable, as the combination of rocky impact and vine cause it to shatter. Two, it slams her into the rock, which hurts, yo. It does not appear to have done /too/ much to her though. Bruised and with some of her Jacket torn off, she looks a tad worse for wear but definitely still up, floating out of the small impact crater she made while contemplating the situation. One cartridge loads with a loud *ka-CHUNK* noise, and then the Device chimes again. 'PYRO SHOOTER,' comes the declaration, and a smaller but dense fireball blasts out toward Summer. "You have an unusual method of attack," she notes calmly mid-battle. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' "Thankfully, it seems Summer has not been set alight by Seikou's attack. Fortunate, as I'm not sure her outfit could endure something like that. The girl flinches, but is quick to retaliate with..." Hastur pauses, tilting her head slightly to one side. "...haiku. Unexpected, but I can certainly appreciate a flair for art in such a violent competition. Ah - apparently it was some sort of summoning, as several frogs are suddenly discharged from her sylladex to land around her! Immediately they are drained of life, and three vines are sent after Seikou from three different angles! Clever girl, Summer." "Ah, but this time Seikou's defenses come more promptly. A bubble comes around her, blocking the piercing strength of the vines but clearly not sparing her from the force of the impact. Even though she is sent flying into the side of a plateau and her shield is shattered from the impact, she continues to fight on! A fireball is sent blazing after Summer as Seikou seeks to scorch away the girl's budding literary talent!" 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' Summer sees the fireball coming. But, that Summer is shifting her plan of attack appropriately. The fireball is moving too fast for her to dodge it properly. So, instead? She simply flies forward through it. Her speed picks up, and she winces as she impacts it. It burns like /hell/. Nonfatal fire is such a bitch. But, she continues moving in, knife forward. It seems she is going for suprise factor. Unexpectedly fly into the attack, rush forward, and /then/ stab. Hit or not, once close, she does say /something/. "Thanks for using the fire. It's nice to be warmed up a bit." She is mostly just making light of the situation, despite the intense burning pain she is feeling. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' It is indeed unexpected, so Summer doesn't encounter a barrier. The knife doesn't strike true either, however, as Seikou is still good in melee. It scrapes along the haft of her Device, instead, scratching Luciferion deeply and slicing a cut into Seikou's arm, rather than a deeper stab. As always, she reacts with unnatural calm in her reply, stating quietly, "I can switch if you prefer." 'WIND SLASHER,' Luciferion pings happily, pulsing with orange mana and sending out a sudden flurry of barely-visible, concentrated wind blades, both to get some space and to, well, cut up Summer a bit. Just a bit, since this attack is a bit more lethal if it's done at full power than the last. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' "Rather than attempting to preserve herself, Summer simply rushes /through/ the fireball on her way to Seikou! She is straightforward, at least, I can give her that much. The advantage of surprise is hers, too, for Seikou doesn't even have time to lift a barrier. The knife strikes - ah, but Seikou is still quick enough to evade it, suffering little more than a cut along her arm. Rather than her flames, Seikou chooses to retaliate with /wind/ this time, casting painful gusts upon Summer as if a hurricane had begun to strike the mountain!" Hastur pauses, then shrugs and takes another sip from her mug. "Or perhaps not a /hurricane/, but certainly close enough from Summer's perspective." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' As the Wind Slasher comes in, it takes Summer by surprise. Blades of wind, striking from every direction. All she can really do to defend? Grit, and try to bear it. Her poor outfit, though. Scorched, wind slashed. At the least, it sems to be a solid fabric, but it still will not likely be usable in the future. Finalyl, though, Summer has had enough. Reinforcing herself with some Life Energy she explodes with a brief surge of power. Mostly, to force back the wind. She's a bit angry, though. So, time for an emergency strategy. "EMPTY SYLLADEX!" Her high tech storage system empties. She had planned to save this for a final, dramatic attack. But instead, she must use it now! ...Except she had mistocked her sylladex. She /thought/ she had put a lot of really cool weapons in, that would fly forward. Instead, it looks to be REALLY CRAPPY SWORDS. Or more specifically, sords. Poorly rendered Jpeg weapons. At the least, there are a /lot/ of them, and all fly in towards Material-S. "DAMNIT WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING." 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' And a flurry of SORDS is her answer! Seikou is like 'what' when they come rushing in, and NOT A SINGLE ONE penetrates her Barrier Jacket! They are INCAPABLE of harming someone as awesome as Seikou by cutting! Unfortunately for the Material, Sords are so tremendously shitty, and there are so many of them, that the very weight of them should drag her down. Instead they lift her /up/ for some reason, and when the burst of mana hurls them away she discovers that their absolute shittiness has repelled even her own magic. Seikou promptly slams headfirst into the ground, making a huge plume of dust and dirt. "Ow." Sords. So shitty that Seikou's own magic rebels under the onslaught. The Material, being /technically/ a digital creation herself, doesn't show any 'damage' per se from the impact. Instead she seems to have collected a few Jpeg artifacts on her very being. That has to hurt. About then, the loud *ka-CHUNK* of a cartridge load is heard, and as the dust settles, the small girl lowers her weapon and points it toward Summer, to have it announce, 'BLAST FIRE EXTENDED.' The plume of flame is larger now, a roaring inferno bearing down rapidly upon Summer. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' "Summer suffers the onslaught as much as her outfit does! The fabric, at least, is stronger than it looks, but I doubt she will be making use of it again after this battle is over. A shame; it fits her, strangely enough. Regardless, she suddenly casts the wind away with a burst of her own, and in a dramatic flourish, she empties the entirety of-" Hastur suddenly makes an absolutely disgusted sound, visibly recoiling in her seat. "...her...sylladex. Astoundingly, it appears she stocked it full of terribly-rendered swords, hundreds of them all hurtling toward Seikou. The storm of hideous weaponry assaults Seikou, aimed to cast her down under sheer aesthetic /horror/ as much as the edges of the blades themselves!" "Somehow, the blades actively refuse to penetrate her physical form and instead cast her up into the air to land head-first on the ground! And...oh, the horror, she has been marked with their terrible hideousness. A fate worse than death, but one she powers through stoically, loading a cartridge and sending a roaring inferno after Summer to share her personal hell!" 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' OH GREAT MORE FIRE. Summer is set aflame, once again. The pillar burning her apart. She swears under her breath. Very different than her last 'over her breath' swear about the SORD thing. She tries to get out of the flames rapidly. She /really/ wants to avoid her outfit being completely burnt. Next time, she is getting something more fire retardent. But, really, now she is kind of getting pissed off. Seikou is nowhere near as friendly as Nanoha. So she's feeling a bit more strongly about wanting to cause Seikou harm. And so she rushes towards Material-S. Her blade vanishes, though. Is she going to use... one of the SORDs as her weapon? no of course not that would be a terrible idea. Instead, something else appears in her hands. A staff. It seems to be made of plastic, though it is a bit... odd. White in color, and a cute little animal face at the end. A cute little animal known as 'Kyubey'. She brings the staff down at Material-S. Though, the impact of the Staff is not the main damage here. Instead, it'd be the fact she is using the Kyubey Staff to channel her own Life powers. Vines reach out from it, trying to ensnare the Material completely. And, trying to steal a /large/ chunk of her life from it. If stolen? It will form int oa massive ball of green life, above Summer's head. 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' Seikou kind of knows what a Kyubey is, but not the details. Not important, anyway. Her own staff clashes with the other, and she doesn't look concerned... until the life leeching starts, yanking out her energies and causing a confused look to pass over Seikou's face. Her life force has an odd feel to it, so maybe that's why. Maybe that's also why after the initial rush, the flow suddenly cuts off, as if it was detected and countered somehow. She definitely got something out of it, though! And in the meantime... 'PYRO BARRAGE.' That doesn't sound friendly. And indeed it isn't, as numerous orange balls spiral out form the tip of her staff and spin about, then start to pelt Summer, exploding into small bursts of flame as they strike. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' Hastur audibly winces. "Ooh, that pillar of flames certainly looks like it hurt. The girl endures, but I think she looks quite worse for it. She may not be able to take too many more of those hits. For now, however, Summer is focused on returning the favor to Seikou, and she switches out her knife for a staff with the face of Kyubey himself mounted on the end! She strikes...and casts out vines from the head of the staff to ensnare Seikou in their thorny embrace!" "The block of that staff's strike is unfortunately wasted. Seikou finds vines digging into her and leeching her life energy, forming a resplendent green orb over Summer's head! Even with her life drained, Seikou makes the most of these close quarters and pelts Summer from all angles with swirling orbs of flame! This truly seems to be a battle of the elements." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' As the balls of fire come in, Summer is doing her best to parry them. She swings the staff, like a bat, to knock some away. Others manage to hit or graze her, causing more burn damage to her. But, even as she deals with the various strikes, her own counterattack is forming. Namely, the ball of Life is turning into a vine of Life. A large, thorned one. It moves in, aiming to impale Material-S in the stomach. To add to it, Summer even flies forward, trying to bash Seikou with the staff much like one would with a baseball bat. "Bah, I'm not gonna let someone like you win! I'm gonna be the strongest under the heavens, so I'm not gonna fall /now/ of all times!" 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' 'AIR DASH,' Luciferion pings abruptly. That's what saves Seikou. Oh, the vine still lashes out and tears away a good chunk of her dress, but along the bottom hem, exposing leg and nothing more, fortunately. That's due to the sudden burst of speed that launches her up, twisting in midair to bring herself back around. She isn't breathing heavy, but it's pretty easy to see the slight wobble in flight that expresses the exhaustion she must be feeling at this point. Seikou doesn't show her wounds physically, much, it takes assessment of the magic she casts to see how drained she's become. Still, not so drained she can't poingt her weapon down toward her target! "Luciferion." 'SATELLITE RAIN!' Seikou blinks, then squints at her Device. Sulkily, 'IT CAN DREAM. FINE. TORNADO BUSTER.' THAT seems to work much better, causing a sudden surge of magic and a roar, a twisting column of air spiralling down to drill toward Summer. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' Hastur sits up more in her seat as the fight...heats up. "Flame after flame is knocked aside by Summer's staff, though many find their mark in one way or another. Even as she is attacking, however, it seems she's preparing some sort of counter. That orb is turning into a great, thorned vine, and it suddenly thrusts in to impale Seikou just as Summer rushes in to smash her opponent with her staff! Ah, but Seikou is too fast. The vine tears into her dress, but that is all she suffers thanks to a sudden dash. Now is the time for her to retaliate, and so she does! Her weapon is pointed down to Summer, and a tremendous roar shakes the peaks as a tornado is cast down on the young goddess from above! She will have to be quick, because I doubt /that/ will be easy to endure." 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' The massive column of air strikes Summer, and it strikes her /hard/. As it drills into her, she ends up pushed into one of the various plateaus. She is slammed into it so hard, in fact, that the plateau itself /explodes/, into a cloud of dust. The dust is taking some time to settle. It's hard to tell if Summer is still concious or not. Did she survive that? Could /anyone/ possibly survive that? A shadow can be seen within the cloud. It seems that, in fact, Summer has survived. Although the shadowy figure within does not seem to be her, but her attack. The shadow seems to be huge, and wriggling. A /massive/ amount of vines can be seen bursting out of the cloud of dust. Thousands upon thousands of them. All covered in wicked looking thorns. They try to slam at Material-S. They try to pierce her. They try to enwrap her. All concievable methods of a vine of pure Life attacking, they try to do. And, finally, all of the vines straighen out, forming a sphere around Material-S. This is it. This is Summer's last chance. If she is going to go out? She is going to go out with a bank. All of the vines converge one last time, trying to pierce into Material-S. Summer floats out of the cloud of dust. Beatened, battered, and barely able to stay afloat anymore. Can she do this? 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' Uh oh. Seikou starts to move, but too little and too late. Vines wrap around her, causing even her stoic self to 'hrk' in surprise as she's yanked back, and then tugged into the enwrapping vines. At the last moment, a shimmer can be seen, a shining field enveloping her in orange to form a barrier... but will it hold up? Then she vanishes in darkness. The vines compress and squeeze, and things are looking dour as the shattering noise of her barrier giving out is heard... but then the strange matter of small flecks of orange light rising up begins to occur. They swirl upward, funneling toward the compressed vines working to crush and impale the Material. Then comes the flash of a blazing saber of mana, the Blast Saber spell slicing through the coccoon so Seikou can burst out, clutching her side and wobbling in flight. Her Barrier Jacket is torn, and numerous deep gashes cover her body, deep enough that she'd be bleeding out if she bled at all. One eye is shut from the damage, held closed and apparently blinded in that eye. She also looks... annoyed. "Gather, star of morning..." she rasps softly. Everyone who has seen her finisher should know something bad is coming, and the fact that her Device is lowering, orange light pooling in the sapphire head, is another clue. It then shimmers and shifts shape to a more spearlike look, with wings of orange flame framing it. 'ACS ACTIVE. DISASTER HEAD.' Seikou finishes, "Become the flame that incinerates all." 'LUCIFERION BREAKER.' Before, the blasts had been eruptions of flame. This one, the thundering pillar heading downward, looks more like a volcanic eruption. At least her stun mode is still on, right? 

:'''{{#var:441|Summer Powers (441)}} has posed:''' Summer is exhausted. Tired. She spent almost everything she had left on that final attack. And so, as she looks up, seeing the massive volcanic seeming pillar? All she can bring herself to say is but one thing. "Oh /FUCK/." Summer is basically just left collapsed in a /massive crater/ on the ground, completely unconcious. A lot of rubble is on top of her. She's still alive, granted, just. Completely beaten. 

:'''{{#var:176|Hastur (176)}} has posed:''' Hastur's hot chocolate has probably gone cold by now, but she doesn't seem to care. This match is too exciting! "Summer is absolutely slammed into another plateau, shattering the stone into dust with her impact! The cloud obscures her, and I can't see any sign of her. Is she possibly...no! She can still be seen within the cloud - or no, not even her: that is her /attack/, a writhing mass of vines that suddenly bursts forth from the cloud to beat, pierce, and entangle Seikou before surrounding her in a sphere to strike her from all angles!" Hastur actually rises from her seat! "Again and again she is struck, her barrier shattering at last under the onslaught as Seikou is cast out from view - but she is not down yet! A blazing sword rips through the vines, giving Seikou an opening to burst forth to freedom! She looks like she is on her last legs, but she is not yet ready to concede the fight. Energy gathers, her weapon shifting into a spear with burning wings - and a thunderous pillar of obliterating flame blasts down onto Summer from above!" Hastur has to wait a minute for the tremendous roar to fade away before she continues, peering over the desk at the crater below. "...and that is it, ladies and gentlemen. Summer Powers has fought with remarkable determination, but Material-S has finished her off with a last explosion of power." 

:'''{{#var:177|Material-S (177)}} has posed:''' Whew. Seikou breathes in deeply, even though she normally doesn't need to breathe, and then she slowly lowers herself to land in the crater and lean over, checking to make sure Summer is all right. "Another difficult fight," she muses. "The competition is more stiff this year. Perhaps I will send her some cupcakes for when she wakes up." She steps back, bows to Summer even if she can't see it, and then staggers a little as she walks off the field to rest. 
}}

WMAT 2014

2014-07-08T22:26:05Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Rules Page==
Go to [[WMAT]] for the OOC rules and other full information! 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* [[Kirikou]] 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Fuki_vs._Zephyr_Windstar|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentator: None 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ciaran_vs._Shizune_Nakamura|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentator: Artorias 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Metal_Man_vs._Vanessa_Selby|LOG]]
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_Dragon_Vs_Mage|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentary: Pinkie 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Aurora|AURORA]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]] vs. [[Vervi|VERVI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) vs. [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Ariel|ARIEL]]) vs. NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* BYE WINNER: ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Richard_Stadler_vs._Ms._Fortune|LOG]]
** Winner: Richard Stadler
** Commentary: Mel 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[KIRIKOU]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Corvo_Attano_vs._Kirikou|LOG]]
** Winner: Corvo Attano
** Commentator: Toph Beifong 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Genghis_Rex_vs._Tomoe|LOG]]
** Winner: Tomoe
** Commentator: Bramble Patch 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Li-Ming_vs._Prorth_Edhuwi|LOG]]
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Staren_vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Ariah|ARIAH]] vs. LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]]) vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Taylita|TAYLITA]] vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Karian
** Commentary: 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Asuna|ASUNA]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Jeannette_Thompson_vs._No._9|LOG]]
** Winner: Jeannette Thompson
** Commentator: 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: Cameron Baum - by coin flip
** Commentator: None 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Arthur_Lowell_vs._Dark_Matter|LOG]]
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: The Black Reaper
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Testarossa_Fate_vs_A-ko_Magami!|LOG]]
** Winner: Testarossa Fate
** Commentator: Kiyoko Saito 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC) vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]] vs. [[D]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]]) vs. [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT in her first year, and competing again last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.
[[Category:TPs]][[Category:MinorTP]][[Category:CurrentTP]]

WMAT 2014

2014-07-08T22:21:49Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Rules Page==
Go to [[WMAT]] for the OOC rules and other full information! 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* [[Kirikou]] 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Fuki_vs._Zephyr_Windstar|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentator: None 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ciaran_vs._Shizune_Nakamura|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentator: Artorias 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Metal_Man_vs._Vanessa_Selby|LOG]]
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_Dragon_Vs_Mage|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentary: Pinkie 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Aurora|AURORA]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]] vs. [[Vervi|VERVI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) vs. [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Ariel|ARIEL]]) vs. NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* BYE WINNER: ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Richard_Stadler_vs._Ms._Fortune|LOG]]
** Winner: Richard Stadler
** Commentary: Mel 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[KIRIKOU]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Corvo_Attano_vs._Kirikou|LOG]]
** Winner: Corvo Attano
** Commentator: Toph Beifong 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Genghis_Rex_vs._Tomoe|LOG]]
** Winner: Tomoe
** Commentator: Bramble Patch 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Li-Ming_vs._Prorth_Edhuwi|LOG]]
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Staren_vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Ariah|ARIAH]] vs. LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]]) vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Taylita|TAYLITA]] vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Karian
** Commentary: 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Asuna|ASUNA]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Jeannette_Thompson_vs._No._9|LOG]]
** Winner: Jeannette Thompson
** Commentator: 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: Cameron Baum - by coin flip
** Commentator: None 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Arthur_Lowell_vs._Dark_Matter|LOG]]
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: The Black Reaper
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Testarossa_Fate_vs_A-ko_Magami!|LOG]]
** Winner: Testarossa Fate
** Commentator: Kiyoko Saito 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
NOTHING TO SEE YET 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT in her first year, and competing again last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.
[[Category:TPs]][[Category:MinorTP]][[Category:CurrentTP]]

WMAT 2014

2014-07-08T22:14:20Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Rules Page==
Go to [[WMAT]] for the OOC rules and other full information! 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* [[Kirikou]] 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Fuki_vs._Zephyr_Windstar|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentator: None 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ciaran_vs._Shizune_Nakamura|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentator: Artorias 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Metal_Man_vs._Vanessa_Selby|LOG]]
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_Dragon_Vs_Mage|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentary: Pinkie 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Aurora|AURORA]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]] vs. [[Vervi|VERVI]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) vs. [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]]
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* [[Ariel|ARIEL]]) vs. NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: TBA
** Commentary: 

* BYE WINNER: ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Richard_Stadler_vs._Ms._Fortune|LOG]]
** Winner: Richard Stadler
** Commentary: Mel 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[KIRIKOU]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Corvo_Attano_vs._Kirikou|LOG]]
** Winner: Corvo Attano
** Commentator: Toph Beifong 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Genghis_Rex_vs._Tomoe|LOG]]
** Winner: Tomoe
** Commentator: Bramble Patch 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Li-Ming_vs._Prorth_Edhuwi|LOG]]
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Staren_vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
NOTHING TO SEE YET 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Jeannette_Thompson_vs._No._9|LOG]]
** Winner: Jeannette Thompson
** Commentator: 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: Cameron Baum - by coin flip
** Commentator: None 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Arthur_Lowell_vs._Dark_Matter|LOG]]
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: The Black Reaper
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Testarossa_Fate_vs_A-ko_Magami!|LOG]]
** Winner: Testarossa Fate
** Commentator: Kiyoko Saito 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND TWO CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
NOTHING TO SEE YET 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT in her first year, and competing again last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.
[[Category:TPs]][[Category:MinorTP]][[Category:CurrentTP]]

WMAT 2014

2014-07-03T19:35:42Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Rules Page==
Go to [[WMAT]] for the OOC rules and other full information! 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* Kilik ([[Kirikou Rung|Kirikou]]) 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Fuki_vs._Zephyr_Windstar|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentator: None 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ciaran_vs._Shizune_Nakamura|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentator: Artorias 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Metal_Man_vs._Vanessa_Selby|LOG]]
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Richard_Stadler_vs._Ms._Fortune|LOG]]
** Winner: Richard Stadler
** Commentary: Mel 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[Kirikou Rung|KIRIKOU RUNG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Corvo_Attano_vs._Kirikou|LOG]]
** Winner: Corvo Attano
** Commentator: Toph Beifong 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Genghis_Rex_vs._Tomoe|LOG]]
** Winner: Tomoe
** Commentator: Bramble Patch 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Li-Ming_vs._Prorth_Edhuwi|LOG]]
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_-_Staren_Vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Jeannette_Thompson_vs._No._9|LOG]]
** Winner: Jeanneatte Thompson
** Commentator: 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: Cameron Baum - by coin flip
** Commentator: None 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Arthur_Lowell_vs._Dark_Matter|LOG]]
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: Hei
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Testarossa_Fate_vs_A-ko_Magami!|LOG]]
** Winner: Testarossa Fate
** Commentator: Kiyoko Saito 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT in her first year, and competing again last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.
[[Category:TPs]][[Category:MinorTP]][[Category:CurrentTP]]

WMAT C1 Jeannette Thompson vs. No. 9

2014-07-03T19:34:08Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/07/01 |Location=WMAT Arena - Devil's Hand |Synopsis=Jeannette Thompson and No. 9 battle it out for victory in the first round of the WMAT. Whi..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/01
|Location=WMAT Arena - Devil's Hand
|Synopsis=Jeannette Thompson and No. 9 battle it out for victory in the first round of the WMAT. Which will win? Beserker rage? Or overly tight control?
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=66, 269, 410
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' Up in the commentator's box of the Devil's Hand arena, a single figure is standing, leaning against the wall with arms folded, head turned just far enough to look down on the landscape below. The Masked Knight cuts an imposing figure, and it seems that she (for it is probably a woman, albeit one with quite a low voice) has no intention of revealing her face today, either. She has a glass of water sitting on the desk, with ice, and a microphone on a stand on the table in front of her. For right now, she's just waiting for the competitors to arrive. "Welcome to Devil's Hand, loyal viewers. Our combatants have not yet arrived, but I estimate that they shall be here soon." She pauses, and sighs a long, drawn-out sigh. "Eventually." 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' There's a crunch of gravel beneath heavy boots, and a figure strides out. An odd figure. An ugly, strange figure, head lifted, warped body held high this time, straight and tall. He steps to the middle, theme music an odd choice but oddly appropriate in it's own way swelling behind him.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuNTFGnVm4k The Golem King throws a fist in the air, no small thing given the length of his arms, the size of his fists, holding it up simply and staring over at where his opponent would be coming forth, his eyes blazing a soft whitish glow in the stained sockets as the music pumps and fades behind him... No words, not yet. He seems uncertain for a moment, just a moment, before standing up tall, cracking his neck and waiting. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette waits just a moment longer. She wasn't the type to simply rush out and make a fuss of a duel like this. There was a time to walk out to the crowd, in makeup, a good dress, and sash, with a warm smile and a wave to cheering admirers. This was not one of those times. She adjusted the uniform clock over her form, covering up her dress uniform and the well-polished 'leather' combat harness below. She remembered her last visit to this place. A battle with an unrefined style, barely holding her own. Sloppy. This was a chance to make up for it. Or. Well. Make a good show of it, at least. Her eyes looked to the entrance as the opponent's... theme music started playing, as if this was a publiced bloodsport worth millions of... All right. Maybe she really shouldn't judge. She'll let it go on for just a moment. Waiting for it to swell down, to die off, and still, a few seconds more. It's only then that her dress shoes start moving, softly clicking on the rock below her, as she immerges onto the Arena. No music accompanies her. Just her soft footfalls, and the rustling of the fabric around her. She calls out. "You there! We are agreed. We fight to incapicitation, or yielding, not death. I know what the rules of this competition say, it's safeguards. I want your own, personal word of honor." 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "It looks as though Number Nine has arrived, and approaches the arena proudly. He would appear to have offensive noise of some sort following him," the Masked Knight adds, somewhat disdainfully. "We will pay that no mind, fair listeners. Once he arrives in the arena, he throws a fist into the air, though to what end, I cannot say. He would seem as though a statue once that is done; motionless." The brazen mask turns toward the second competitor to arrive on the field, though she doesn't move from her position with folded arms, leaning against the wall. "And Jeannette Thompson has arrived, as well. Ah, and our naval captain is demanding a word of honour from Number Nine. Oh, dear," the Masked Knight adds in a mirthful tone, with another of those breathy laughs. 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' He stares at her, his eyes flat, dead looking for long moments. "Yes, alright, I got disqualified last year for going crazy and trying to kill the other guy, are you happy now? I aint like that this time around, I aint... it aint like that. Not this time. Not again." He nods once, sharply, and SLAMS a fist to his chest, bowing a tight little bow. "You have it on my word of honor ma'am. I will hit you hard, so hard it'll knock your shoes off, but I will not go for death, I will not try to kill you. I promise." This from the guy who once kept a promise made to santa claus for an entire year. He gave his word, he means it. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette cocks her head, slightly, at Nine's admission, as he stands in front of her, Her arms are hidden beneath the cloat itself, at this point, her body looking deceptively languid. "I don't care what happened last year. I wasn't a part of it, and I didn't know the person you were fighting. All I care about is this year." She says, before giving her own bow. "And that should be enough for me. I expect you to pull no punches, of course, but a mutual agreement that quarter will both be given and received is the first step toward any competitve match. "I would certainly dislike having to... escalate things. That would hardly be enjoyable." She notes, before extended a gloved hand to him. "I beleive you have the honor of beggining. At your liesure, sir." 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette Thompson pauses once more, before turning to one of the cameras watching them. "And it is /Commodore/. I did not sign up for a battle here to be demoted in front of the viewing public." She notes, in a raised voice. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "It would appear that Number Nine gives his word of honour. What sort of honour this may be, I can only imagine it must be powerful indeed if Jeanette requires it before beginning." The Masked Knight only shrugs in the commentator's box, reaching for the glass of water and taking a brief sip; tilting the mask up only far enough to admit the glass, rather than take it off (the walls have eyes, after all). "Oh?" Behind the mask, the Masked Knight raises her brows, perhaps amused by the indignance. "My apologies, then. It would appear there was an error in the literature I was given. /Commodore/ Thompson." "It would appear that both combatants are ready to go, and /Commodore/ Thompson is allowing Nine the first strike." 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' The Confederate thinks a moment... and then nods. "Fair enough." Nod. He taps his chin thoughtfully for a moment, before breaking out in a feral grin. "No punches pulled, on either side, full blood and combat, right! And we both walk away at the end of the day, as true warriors should! Fuck that dying for your cause thing, I wanna keep fighting!" And then he's nodding, once, twice, body gearing up... and charging forward, whipping his gunblade from it's sheathe with an arc of lurid orange, whipping it up and around with a soft swhsssh, whongg like a slightly stoned lightsaber, swish swish up- and then SLASH, trying to draw a red angry painful stripe right across most of her; not deep enough to maim, but deep enough to hurt like a bitch should it land! WHONGGSLSSH. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette gives a slight nod. Her own smile is small, constrianed... tightly controlled, to hide the feelings about having a fight, a proper fight. A painful one, if she could keep her hopes up. "There is something about dying well, you know. BUt I would agree-" She starts, before the golem zooms forward with a drawn gunbulade, pulling it out and cutting across her form with almost /finality, slicing through her cloak, uniform, and cutting through the armor hidding from underneath before she could even discard her outer layer of clothing. She winces in the sudden rush of fire and pain that erupts from her chest, parts of her arms, but, almost before the slash is done, her armanant is revealed. Her own sword is drawn out of it's sheath in a muted flash of darkened, matte pattened metal, catching the gunblade as it moves to the side, preventing it from a follow -up shalsh, as her other hand presses forward. The cybernetic blade attached ontop of the bones of her forearm slides out quickly, with the force of her arms motion, seeking to /jam/ it as deep as she can into his shoulder, before twisting it and attempting to press him toward the ground. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "It would appear that Nine has given his word of honour, and eagerly opens the battle with a slash of his curious-looking weapon. It would be a mortal blow, so I certainly hope he intends to pull his punches." The Masked Knight's low, feminine tone seems almost mocking; her low laugh breathy. On the bright side, that just seems to be how she is, and not any particular reflection against either combatant. "I expect that Devil's Hand will be seeing a fair amount of blood tonight." She glances over, watching the reaction of Jeannette Thompson. "Commodore Thompson takes the blow across her front, unfortunately; Nine moves with surprising speed. She retaliates in kind, drawing a blade of her own and catching nine's weapon in a parry, pressing forward with her other hand. To strike? Ah, no, she would appear to have a blade of her own, sliding smoothly from the flesh..." Again, that low, breathy laugh. "Ah, well played. The commodore attempts to run Nine through the shoulder, twisting and attempting to drive him to ground. Well played, indeed." 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' Nine's physiology is a little stubborn. Leathery muscle and heavy hide meet metallic meshwork and as the blade sinks in he tenses, trying to forcefully deny it's purchase on his flesh- before skipping back, wrenching the tip out of his flesh with a wet squlch and a dribble of blood, already bubbling mitochondrial orange as it dies (sanitation after all) before she can bear him down to the ground, and he circles, bleeding. "Oh no, I've kneeled before far too many, not anymore unless it's on MY terms." A growl, and he whips the gunblade around once more, trying for a quick whipping snick off of whatever looks relatively unarmored. His voice is low though, pitched so the crowd wouldn't catch it as he came in close. "Though, seriously, send me a bill for the clothing, didn't mean to fuck up your getup there, eesh." SLICE. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette knew how things were going, certainly. Contrary to thematic beleifs, sword fights and battles weren't epic dances that lasted for hours. Certainly there was a lot of art to fighting, but dances like these were maddingly brief. Because the first one to bleed in a knife fight was the one at an inherient disadantage. And she was bleeding quite a bit more than he was. "I would have been content with throwing you across rock." She says, the last slash leaving her leg limping slightly, light armor there causing more blood to drip down her leg, her sword defecting the blad as best she can. "I can afford it. I didn't expect to come in here and leave with perfect clothing." She notes, before her own sword comes into action, attempting a pinpoint slash up Nine's dominant sword arm, attempting to cut muscle, nerves, anything to give her something of an even playing field. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "The blade strikes Nine, but it would appear he is more resilient than previously thought." Things are getting interesting. The Masked Knight slides into the commentator's booth with fluid grace, eyes riveted on the spectacle below. "The commodore's strike appears to have affected him little; he wrenches the blade from his own flesh, and prevents her from bearing him to ground." "Although there is an exchange of words, I cannot say that I am privy to that. Nine is moving again, attemtping to flick his blade around to catch whatever is unprotected within his reach, while they remain in such close quarters." "The commodore is limping after that, and it would appear Nine scored a blow against her leg. Down she may be for the moment, but certainly not out; she aims a precise blow to Nine's sword arm, looking to win for herself an advantage." 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' She'd have to aim pretty high. His arm stops being flesh and blood about halfway down the forearm, courtesy of having all his limbs pulled off by Samael. Fun times. But as the blade hit, hitting that damnably leathery flesh, that damnably tough muscle, that interwoven mesh, high tensile fiber titanium alloys and all, her driving tip would still hit bone. And it would tink. You've got to be kidding, his bones are armored too? But she seemed to have hurt him, for his hand spasms all stupid-shocked, fingers flexing and spreading with little metallic zzhs and bzz's. His gunblade clanks to the ground, the lurid orange glow going out of it, leaving it an awkward as hell looking dumb clunky weird blade weapon thing, and the Golem staring at his suddenly stupid-spastic hand, still freaking out. Something in his arm sparks dully. "DAMMIT, how the hell am I supposed to- fucking BITCH." And his hand, his left hand is springing open, blunt metallic fingers curled- and tries to catch her around the throat. And oh what a fucking hard grip he has, those cybernatic fingers starting to hiss and whirr as they would try to clamp closed around her throat, crushing, only to try to lift her up high and SLAM her into the ground. "You don't want the blade? Fine... I have other means, little girl..." Hss! 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette hasn't fought too many biological war machines. That was a problem now, as the things she would do to knock someone down a peg, the anaotmy she was hoping to take advantage of reinforced, or simply not in the same position that it should have been. But her sword wasn't one smithed in the 19th century. It was form and function, and, perhaps the most important, /material/. High-strength alloys sharpened down to edges that were only a few monocules thick, meant to slice through materials that were more advanced than what Nine was /probably/ made of. And she at least had the satisfaction of seeing that blade dwoing to the ground. Her swordis up for a moment, as she looked at him. "Oh, that isn't sporting at all." She says, to his langauge, before she's gripped by that hand, squeezed, gasping, picking her up... and finding nothing to slam down as she, through some feet of reaction and a flecheete to the wrist, free. The pistol in her hand is briefly felt on his shoulders as she uses the golem to vault her self up, dancing over him, dress shoes gently on his back, before she's behind him, rolling, twisting... and sending a line of high-velocity, armor percing flechette rounds neatly up the Golem's probably armored spine. "And, what do you know. So do I." 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "Commodore Thompson's blade appears to strike true, meeting with bone, though she seems hard-pressed to find it; it would seem her opponent's hide is tougher than even appearances indicate. Nine appears to suffer for it, spasming, for he has lost his weapon." That breathy, low laugh again. "He does not appear to appreciate it, attempting to seize the commodore about the throat. I've no doubt that his grip is as iron." She leans forward, watching, one hand rising to rest the side of her head against it; voice shifting a little from the way her face leans against the mask. "And the commodore has, in a surprising twist, broken free. Not a moment too soon, either, for I'm certain he could have crushed her throat. An unpleasant way to go; and now, much as a dancer, the commodore vaults up and over Nine, and attempts to shoot him with a... firearm, of some kind." Silly futuristic weapons. The Masked Knight offers that creepy little laugh again. "We will see what kind of effect that has on Nine. Hopefully, a great one, for I do not expect him to react lightly." 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' REALLY armored. She would've fucked him the fuck up a few years ago, leaving him broken and shredded on the floor, before the Confederacy had rebuilt him almost from the ground up. One of the benefits of being the sort who gets themselves hurt hurt hurt, had a lot of friends and was rather modular; upgrades. His spine is a series of overlapping plates with armor underneath with armor over the spine itself, so the bullet- mind, it's a high velocity armor piercer DOES pierce armor, actually punching through even that array of high-grade alloys and would lodge somewhere in his torso, but without the sparks or buzzing she might not've hit anything that's a game-ender, and he howls, turning around. He's all snarls, his eyes blazing and his teeth bared, left only with his left arm- and he'd try to backhand her, left handed, heavy and punishing, snarling, and batter her, punching her as many times as he'd be able to, bear her to the ground if possible. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette didn't have a frame of reference between what Nine was before, and what he was now. She just knew that the attacks she were using were just on this side of effective versus not, and, despite what attacks she could make, this war of attrition would leave with her broken before he was. And it was not in her nature to concede an early defeat. Not in a fight like this. The only advantage he has was that /he/ was angry. Someone who had given into the rush of pain and aderenline and was tapping into all the advantages and disadvantages it had to offer. Jeannette had been like that a while back. The dripping blood her leg, the fresh, wincing pain at her chest and neck, all of it pressed her to give in to that delcious feeling in return. BUt no, no. Not now. Not here. Tight control was needed. It was all she had left, as her arms come up, reinforced bone absorbing the first hit, defecting it, before thaking the next two solidly, denting and taking punishment. She does come to a knee as she's pummelled down, before she tosses her sword into the ground in front of Nine. Just in front of him, before the free hand grabs his attacking wrist. And then the blade in her formarm comes out again. Slammed into the elbow joint, attempting to sever tendons at the source, and take his free arm away from him. "You weren't using that, were you? You can flail at me no matter if those muscles are attached to anything." 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "Being shot only seems to have enraged Nine. He turns to make every effort to backhand the commodore in a savage blow, surely enough to break the neck of a lesser opponent, I would imagine. I should not like to be in the commodore's position, given the choice." The Masked Knight folds her arms, leaning back in her chair and cocking her head to regard the fighting. With evident interest, it seems; her eyes hasn't left the battle. "And she's brought down to a knee, tossing her sword in front of her opponent. What? Is she yielding? Ah. No. She is in fact seizing the wrist of his sword hand, to slice at him with that curious weapon within her arm." Even the aloof Masked Knight has to wince a little. "Well played, indeed..." 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' Given in to anger? More like lost to it. He's not talking anymore. No smirks or smarmy commentary. He's howling, wrenching his arm back. It's metal there too. Seems he's lost both his arms two third of the way up, and the rest is all metal- it sinks in rather well, and then the arm is hanging loose and useless, the other semi-working but with a spastic, useless hand and the left hanging dead and unresponsive, sparking and zotting softly. One of the disadvantages of cybernetics. He lurches, his eyes narrowing, and ROARS at her, head down and body hunched, arms hanging stupidly... before he rears up, and SMASHES her with his head, forehead to forehead, his neck thick and just long enough to give it a bit of a swing, sending his metal-reinforced skull forward and down like a wrecking ball, trying to give her as much of a headache as she's being to him. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette Thompson can't begudge the mental arms that Nine had. She'd seen it happen to many other people. Good people, who wanted to make themselves stronger. Faster. Better. Like her. But this... was excessive. Almost too much, and of somewhat poor contruction. None the less effective, however, as those arms were still active, and one of them can still be dangerous. But not as dangerousd as the head that lunges forward, cracking aganist her skull and sending a white flash of pain and sensation into her. It's all she can do to grab her sword before she falls back. Dazed, disorrented, and head hurting. It was time to be less cautious. TO start vectoring some of that tightly controled adderenline out. Caution would get her no where if She lost. But she wouldn't let the feeling control her. She pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath. Clearing her head, before she moves to bring her sword up with one hand, and the still extended forearm blade with the other. And then, with an exhale, she rushes forward, slashing upward, attempting to delfect a counter with the forarm blade itself, before using what leverage she could force with the blades to spin nine behind her, leaving him out of position. Hopefully. 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' Okay stock of Nine. His right arm barely works. Elbow technically moves, hand is useless, arm is weak and prone to failing. Left arm is dead, something delicate in the elbow gone wrong. Taro's limbs are top-notch, but it still has to relay information from the upper arms to work, and something'd gone wrong. He's spun around, his hand trying to catch him, but as he tries to put weight on it it sort of goes into a hard clench, unbalancing him and sending him on his face. Now if his mind worked right right now, he'd carefully roll back, leaving his arms out of this and not worry about it, get to his feet and keep fighting. As it is angry Nine is more bestial Nine who's often as not seen on all fours as on two legs, and he keeps trying to get up. She might be a BIT too close to him because one of those flailings he'd shift and, in sheer frustration more than likely, try to kick her own legs out from under her with a rather ugly lurching spasm, boot snapping out. Let HER see what it's like! D:< 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "Perhaps Nine is a berserker," the Masked Knight observes, cocking her head the other way to regard the battlefield curiously. "Has he so completely lost his wits? It seems he's degenerated into howling brute force. Will this be enough to take down Commodore Thompson?" "Evidently not. The commodore rushes Nine, attempting to carve him up with the two blades she wields." Again, that airy, slightly creepy little laugh. "Let's hope she has some success. I believe it will take some effort to bring Nine down in his current berserker state." 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette was done here. She was bleeding too much, and she was fighting someone whose limbs could be cut off and he'd still keep coming. That was proven by the fact that he doesn't fight like a man, now, but a beast, on all four and snapping toward her boot. Her weakened leg does give a sickening snap, and she /cries/ out in pain as the bone breaks, sending her to the ground. She couldn't move. She was still active, but Nine seemed to have limitless reserves. If she could have used her adrenline before, she couldn't now. Now, more than ever. She needed control. And she would keep a hold of it to the end. If it wasn't victory, at least it was a personal one. She waits until Nine gets his two close, before reaching for the sword next to her. It wasn't a fancy attack. A bludgeon to opening up so much skin. Instead, she sinks the sword into Nine's chest, where she knows the stomach is, lancing forward, pressing through it... and, if the armor was weak enough, out the other end, her other blade looking to press into his flesh, pulling him close to her. "Finish this, beast. Finish this before I can." 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "Both combatants look as though they've nearly reached their limit. Nine appears to lose his balance briefly, and seems to be having some trouble getting back to his feet?" This is given in a tone of near puzzlement as she regards the battle, frowning a little behind her mask. "How odd. Perhaps Commodore Thompson did more significant damage than was realised... but he'll not pass up an opportunity to kick at his opponent, it seems." "Neither, however, is the commodore, despite initial appearances of a broken bone from the impact of Nine's kick. Instead, she reaches for her blade, and attempts to run Nine cleanly through the torso, and with her other blade as well." The Masked Knight winces. "That is not bound to be pleasant." 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' The blade goes down, into his stomach, pushing, punching through the leathery, mutated flesh. He howls, a wet, shuddering sound, the sound of blade on metal, muffled deep inside showing just how deep she was getting, and he was pinned, stapled to the ground... He'd flail, thrashing and foaming blood, his eyes glowing points of anger and pain and his teeth pink, stabbed and impaled both in turn... his useless hand, still sputtering and zotting, clenching and unclenching suddenly tightens into a fist, and he'd try to hook her neck with the working part of the arm, making his wound all the more grevous in the meantime. It's like a meaner version of his chokehold from earlier, trying to vice her neck to an aching, bruised unconsciousness, snarling a bloodied foam as he does so, growling into her face as he tries to end it, holding even now in his diseased and broken brain to the promise. He'd lost his ability to talk, but he wouldn't lose that. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' "Nine takes the blade in what sounds to be the worst way imaginable. There are in fact better ways to endure a sword, but it seems Nine did not stumble upon it today." The Masked Knight drums her fingers briefly on the table, watching the battle unfold below. Grateful, perhaps, that hers is over with. Battle can be such a messy thing. Glorious, perhaps, but messy. There are days she does not feel like enduring 'messy.' "Nine, it seems, appears to settle on throttling his opponent senseless." She lets out a very long, harsh sigh of what sounds like exasperation. "Very hopefully not to the /death/, because I do not particularly feel like interfering, though I shall do so if necessary." Because, well, from up here, he still looks like a blood-crazed animal. And it's not like she has anything else to go off of but appearances, so hey. She just drums her fingers on the table for now, though. No movement whatsoever unless a problem presents itself. The Masked Knight is skilled, but she doesn't really care for exerting that skill unless she has no other option. Lazy? Maybe a little bit. But she's earned that right. "Hmm. It seems that the commodore has not yet given up, and even now attempts to drive her blades further into Nine. Will it be enough to free herself, I wonder?" 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' She'd feel it; his body coils up. That's a neck breaking maneuver; he's going to snap her neck, or at least try... and then he stills, the tension going out of him. He clings to some things, even in this state, and his promise is one of them. The pressure is steady and constant, and almost gentler now, despite the choked howl that comes from him, his body shaking, shaking, shuddering, shaking, as the blades dig around inside him, scraping on metal and sliding through wet things, wet sliding things, and it's not pink at his mouth, it's red, and running... he was quivering, in real, genuine agonizing pain, bubbling softly as his eyes slide to a dim sage hue, the white dropping into a sickly green as he croaks... and tightens his arm, carefully, trying to ease her into unconsciousness without further pain. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Jeannette Thompson didn't know exactly how she was still up here. 

:'''{{#var:410|Jeannette Thompson (410)}} has posed:''' Maybe it was the fact that the arm had, mercifully, eased off to try to press her gently, instead of brutally, into senselessness. Maybe he underestimated her resileance. A distant part of Jeannette's mind realized she had underestimated herself, as well. But she knew mathmatics, and she knew she had but seconds left. She couldn't wait for him to go down from the pain. She only had chance, and that was what she tried. She pressed the sword into him fully, digging it in as much as she could, to cause the maximum amount of pain... before yelling with what was left of her air supply and /yanking the blades out/ of his body, tossing her sword out at an angle, ripping through nerves and internal systems to cut and bleed and cause the pain to cresendo afresh, along with the blade at her hand. HGambling on one, big, last strike. 

:'''{{#var:269|No. 9 (269)}} has posed:''' The Golem twists, howling a weak, thready little howl... and then there's a full-body liquid slump. His eyes are out, his face slack, blood just running, running, running, from his mouth, from his torso, running, puddling around him. And his arm drops from her, letting her struggle free if she can. He's out. He's done. There's nothing there. He's not dead, there's a soft steady little beep and a little light, just visible in the wet red ruined hole she'd left in him, so he's not /dead/ right? But he's stopped moving, finally. The tank is down, and done. Goodnight. 

:'''{{#var:66|Lucatiel of Mirrah (66)}} has posed:''' Behind the steel, the Masked Knight's eyes narrow as she watches the battle below. She actually rises out of her chair, and her rapier is halfway out of its scabbard before it seems he lessens the tension somewhat. Even from here she can see that it goes from a life-threatening chokehold to something considerably less lethal, and only reluctantly does she return the blade to its scabbard, easing back down into her chair with a faint dubious sound at the back of her throat. "It seems I do not yet need to intervene, for Nine appears to remember not to apply lethal force to his chokehold of the commodore. Whose endurance, I must add, is quite impressive. I would have expected her to lose consciousness by now, but she has not." "In answer to Nine's prolonged attempt to strangle her into unconsciousness, she digs her blade in and then wrenches them free, with aim to cause as much damage as possible... it would appear that does the trick, against all odds. Nine has surrendered his wits and fallen unconscious." "Hm. I am pleased to announce a winner. Jeannette Thompson has prevailed against Number Nine in a bloody and brutal battle to the bitter end. Nine fought viciously, however, and I would certainly not underestimate him in any circumstance." A low, airy, kind of creepy little laugh. "However, it will be Jeannette Thompson advancing to the next round. Congratulations." There's a short pause. "The medics may wish to retrieve Nine, now." 

}}

WMAT C1 Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter

2014-07-03T19:32:17Z

Squidtentacle: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/06/27 |Location=Papaya Island - Stadium |Synopsis=WMAT C-BRACKET'S COSMIC CLASH! |Thanks= |Cast of Characters=33, 39, 183, 251 |Tinyplot= |pre..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/06/27
|Location=Papaya Island - Stadium
|Synopsis=WMAT C-BRACKET'S COSMIC CLASH!
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=33, 39, 183, 251
|Tinyplot=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' "Hello again, dearest Multiverse~! This evening, I, Mizuki, will again have the pleasure of commentating a thrilling match of potentially cataclysmic proportions as a part of the WMAT! This time, we will watch as the Syndicate big shot, space God, and all-around cool kid Arthur Lowell meets his match against a gravity bending, levitating, superhuman super-villain with a /very/ appropriate name: Dark Matter~! Who will win~? Who will lose~~? Who will go on to the next round, and whose form will be crushed into a paper pyramid and sent spiraling into another dimension?? Tune into radio channel 900.8 or join us here at the Papaya Island Stadium to find out~!" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' A thickly stacked row of tiny fission magic constructs suddenly activate, carving a brilliant path of upward-facing lights from the square arena area, framed from above by the setting sun, to the direction facing opposite Dark Matter's entry area. And then, a brilliant, wide circular lightshow; vivid green lines are carved in a half-circle pattern like a rising sun from the ground, massive spirographic patterns shifting, churning, spinning around as they gleam brightly. ARTHUR LOWELL enters through this portal. Taking confident, swaggering steps, the young boy in his loose-fitting magely outfit approaches slowly, his hood trailing dramatically and flapping intensely in wind. As he passes by each magical construct, it begins ejecting a shower of stars - not just pyrotechnic sparks, iterally microscopic fission constructs of magic that burn out slowly into harmless helium - making a lengthy trail of fireworks-like effects trail behind him. A few feet from the fighter's square itself, Arthur stops, and leaps high into the air, spinning through his jump. As he does, streaks of white light - tiny rockets! - blast out of the portal, eight of them swirling around him, spiraling in into a brilliant, shining recreation of his Space-aspect swirl, before they catch him on his feet and rocket him forward with tiny, harmless explosions, sending him over the arena floor and skidding to a stop just short of the center of the ring. There are many CARAPACIANS and IGUANAS within the crowd today. Taking no time after he skids to a dramatic stop to pause, he's immediately setting about making broad, intense, wide gestures, trying to whip the crowd into a storm of cheers, already yelling. If the rest of the crowd is anything like the ones here to cheer on Arthur, they'll be pretty successfully whipped into screaming excitement. With one wide, intense, final-looking gesture, Arthur makes a challenging motion to Dark Matter with both arms, as the fireworks behind him reach a fever-pitch, burning themselves out with the intensity of their fountains of fire, some even set up on the edge of his side of the ring blasting a titanic wall of spark-like nuclear fire. Harmless to the crowd, of course, though the groundskeeper might not like the singes on the grass. This massive wall of fire, displayed on as if by some titanic movie projector, it a positively HUGE dramatic hyped-up display for the fight. http://i.imgur.com/sc5FFcX.gif Arthur Lowell then assumes a prepared but relaxed position waiting for Dark Matter's entry. 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' On the far side of the field, there appears... a figure. Over six feet tall and broad shouldered, the shape of the person underneath is concealed by a full length cloak. A deep cowl hangs over even the face, the entire ensamble held together by a single hand gloved in black leather. Drifting a couple of feet above the ground, it moves until it hovers at the designated spot for the supervillain Dark Matter. The shape hangs there for a moment longer before a deep voiced chuckle comes from within the hood. The hand flexes, gripping the cloth before tearing it away, dragging the cloak off of his form in a broad rippling swath of fabric and tossing it aside. Dressed in his uniform, Dark Matter has added a single item to his outfit - the promised Luchador mask. Made of black spandex, grey leather, and sparkling sequins - or are those diamonds? - stitched entirely in silver with the grey leather forming a vaguely bladed butterfly shape around the supervillain's eyes. Grinning widely, visible under the mask, he chuckles again as he hangs a foot in the air over the fighting platform. Behind him, the cloak flutters to the ground, only to catch fire before exploding in a shower of fountaining fireworks, pinwheels and sparklers. With that as a backdrop, he finally drops to the ground with an earthshaking crunch, suggesting he is far more massive than he appears - even the very stone cracks and shatters under his feet. Striking a combat pose, he raises one arm and gives the 'bring it' finger curl towards his opponent. "Let's do this." 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki pipes up again as the iguanas' mouths flip up and down and Dark Matter's myriad fans wave flags bearing the likeness of his luchador mask~! "My /goodness/! Up until this moment, I had been under the impression that -I- was the mistress of flamboyant entrances, but this may well one of the most impressive I have seen in many years! ARTHUR strides into the stadium with his God Pajamas frightfully flapping on the breeze! And what is -that-, viewers? A wall of -fire-?? Arthur seems to have confidence in abundance this evening... but ah! There, I see another figure! His cloak is whipping with the ebb and flow of the wind, and his face is obscured by a MASQUE of DARKNESS~! Who could this mysterious man -be-, my friends? Gasp!" Yes, she actually said gasp, "Could it BE? Is it Arthur's CHALLENGER~? Yes, I believe it is! There, with another quake of the Earth, appears the one, the only - unless some other iteration of him happens to be on a world that merges, of course - DARK MATTER~! I can -feel- the charge in the air~!" 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' His grin never faltering, Dark Matter advances slowly towards the middle of the arena, each of his steps leaving cracked earth and impressions of his bootsoles in the stone behind him. It's only a few steps before a faint distortion can be seen in the air around his hands, small bits of stone and dust from the stone drifting up towards them only to be annihilated by the building, conflicting gravitic forces. "We'll do hand to hand later. Let's see what you've got, awesome Godkid!" Snapping both of his hands forward, he unleashes that building force in a barely visible pulse of gravitic energy, aimed right at Arthur! 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki pounds any surface she can find with her hands for dramatic effect. "What is this, ladies and gentlemen? Certainly, my eyes must deceive me - I can see no other reason for the air... around... wait a moment. Are those rocks -flying-? Yes, my friends, I believe they are! Are Dark Matter's powers finally showing themselves~? Is some form of fascinating gravitic anomaly at work~~? I suppose we'll just have to wait an --..." A pause while she clears her throat. "Or rather, we will not have to wait a SINGLE MOMENT to see Dark Matter THRUST forward his palms to attack Arthur... with... wind? Air? Rocks?? What /is/ this attack, dear viewers~? I can't see a thing, but I do believe he just attacked the Godchild with -gravity itself-~!!" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' Arthur Lowell matches Dark Matter's grin intensely. "Hell yeah." He replies, simply, to DM's statement. And then here comes the gravitic energy! Arthur Lowell's hit head-on with space-warping force that would tear a normal man to shreds instantly. It's almost invisible, but when it strikes Arthur, the wall of sparks and light blasts away as if hit by the shockwave of the impact. Arthur's arms are both out in front of him, hands together as he stops the impact, a pair of small craters already forming under his feet. "ALRIGHT!" He's practically yelling as the impact trauma wracks his body, but doesn't drive him down yet. "I'll show you what I got... If you THINK you can TAKE IT!" And then... He falls back! The gravitational blast takes him off of his feet. And then, into a GATE that suddenly appears behind him! As he slips under the blast, skidding on his back over the ground, he emerges behind Dark Matter now, rolling over onto hands and feet, and with an intense, hot-blooded SCREAM, blasts gravity through the tiles, trying to bring the ones under Dark Matter together in a rising slam to smash him in-between shattering floor-stones as he pushes himself back to both feet! 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' "Take it? Hell yeah, I can take it! BRING IT ON!" Arthur vanishes - but is fighting using gravity as well. Still, it's far too fast for the supervillain to dodge - and he doesn't even try. The twin slabs smash into him.. and shatter as they impact his superdense body. The force of the impact does stagger him some even as he's surrounded by shards of rock and dust, and he's probably got a bit of bruising. "OOF. Damn, kid. You do hit hard! LET ME RETURN THE FAVOR!" Still grinning like a lunatic, Dark Matter flexes his knees, half dropping into a crouch before he launches himself into the air with a gravity assisted leap! Flipping around midair in a complex twist, the direction of that gravity switches as he hurtles towards Arthur like a self guided missile, fist first! 

:'''{{#var:39|Jinx (39)}} has posed:''' Up in the crowds, still bandaged and looking a little messed up is Miss Jinx, in her new favorite pasttime ,watching OTHER people beat the shit out of each other. It's a refreshing change of pace. She could get used to being in the audience for once. "YEAH! YEAH! DEATH AND PUNCHING! SHOOT SOME MAGIC! WOOOOOOO!" 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki's eyes go wide. "What in Creation...?" Another pause. "I-It would appear that Arthur has torn apart whatever force has been thrown at him! Not before it could do a good bit of damage, it looks like, but in enough time to eliminate most of the damage! Look at that, my viewers! Light, flying everyone! It is as if a small star has burst into oblivion right in front of us, but somewhere where we could not see it nonetheless! What /are/ their powers, my friends?? There is no far being tossed, no lightning being struck, no water being flung! Just the raw force of -physics-! But... what is this? Not only has Arthur deflected the attack successfully, but now he's going for one of his own! He... lays down some variety of portal, emerging BEHIND Dark Matter!! With a mighty ROAR, he -tears- two tiles from the ground and tosses them at his rival! A-Ah...! That sounds, looks, and... well, several other sensations like it will hurt, friends...!" Very few milliseconds pass before they make contact! "And it is a direct hit! Shards go FLYING! I could hear the crack of bones from here, viewers..." She pauses another moment. "... or so I thought! The man is, somehow, -still standing-! Is this man made of solid concrete? Solid -muscle?? Whatever the case, one could easily mistake him for a human statue! Not even his GRIN has been wiped away! And what's this...? He squats! He flexes! This might be a return strike of his own...!" Gasp! (She /didn't/ say it out loud that time!) "He HURLS himself forward as if he were some sort of demonic bullet short from purgatory's rifle! His fist HURTLES toward the Godchild...!" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' Arthur's already a fair bit bruised up - mostly along the arms and torso where he tanked that gravitational blast. "HAND to HAND, HUH?" Arthur calls out as Dark Matter rushes in fist-first. The kid can't dodge, not realistically speaking - DM can just adjust his trajectory faster than he can change it! - so he rolls with is as much as he can. Slammed down to one knee, one hand over his cheek to cushion the blow with his own titanic gravitational force, the fist impacts his jaw, and DM and Arthur go sliding over the arena's stone floor, kicking up a rush of chipped bits of stone. "Ghhhh... Not bad YOURSELF! Got a lot more FORCE behind the HAND TO HAND than I can get outta GRAVITY." One hand, that he was braced against the ground to hold himself up with, raises just slightly. "S'why I found a DIFFERENT way of gettin' FORCE!" There's a loud engine's roar, like a muscle car mixed with a rocket engine mixed with a blender set to its highest setting. Arthur Lowell's ROCKET BROOM is suddenly in his hand! Blipped into existence in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, the roaring white industrial-metal broomstick is already screaming its response out, the metal bristles splitting wide to bare a cluster of rockets that suddenly blast off at high acceleration. Arthur Lowell intends to drive the handle of the broom straight into Dark Matter's solar plexus in a powerful rocket-powered strike UP! If that'll hit right, he means to then blast UP using the rockets already lined up and then SLAM Dark Matter back down onto the ground in a two-handed overhand strike, bristles heading straight down for his enemy's head. "Sit down on EARTH, bro! Sky's MY fuckin' WORLD!" 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki says, "And it's another direct hit...! It would appear that Arthur is getting a number of wounds already, but true to his titles, he's keeping~his~cool~! And he's not going to let his opponent leave without some form of retaliation of his own, is he?" There's an 'Oooh!' from the crowd as Arthur's broom swoops in! "And what is -that-? Some form of epic SUPERWEAPON? Or is it the broom Thor uses to clean his kitchen?? Whatever the case, the GODKID has it now! And... my /goodness/!! It's headed straight for Dark Matter's ABDOMINAL REGION with a screech of its own...!" 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' "Yeah kid, it's all about the mass times acceler- is that a BROOM? AGHK!" Super dense he may be. Incredibly heavy and hard to move, check. But Arthur's right on target for the solar plexus, and anyone who breathes isn't going to completely tank a hit there. The supervillain gasps for air, briefly stunned, stunned just enough to fail to stop the followup. Still, he gets his hands over his head just in time to catch the downblow on crossed forarms, dropping to a single knee. "Sit down? SIT DOWN! Hahahaha! Who do you think I am, BRICK?!" There is a sudden flicker in the air about him, almost like an afterimage. And then the gravity all around Dark Matter triples for several seconds, slamming debris and airborn dust into the earth - and quite possibly his opponent. Even as Dark Matter climbs back to his feet. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki says, "Wh-What is /this/, fellow audience members?? Somehow, some way, this BROOM has managed to surprise even the unyielding Dark Matter! He gasps for air... and falls on one knee! But he does not~back~down~! With another quick retort that is almost as sharp and biting as his strikes, Dark Matter prepares another -- wah?" Pause. "... did you FEEL that, viewers?? I could feel that massive alteration to local physics from here! Gravity? Bent! Reality? Most certainly crumbling! But fortunately for us, Dark Matter's only target seems to be ARTHUR! Rocks and junk of all varieties fall down around him...!" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' Arthur is SLAMMED down from his position above! He impacts the earth with a wet crack, many bones strained to their fracture points simply by the sudden gravitational difference, like the effects of an atmospheric re-entry. Arthur himself screams out in pain briefly as he faceplants into the ground, his broom disappearing back into his inventory. Those spindly, noodly little nerd-arms under the floppy mage robes are full of superhuman strength due to his Echeladder and God Tiers, but even those can't overpower Dark Matter, master of gravity, even with Arthur bringing some of his own anti-gravity to bear. He's unable to push himself off the ground. There's enough time for Dark Matter to get to his feet. Maybe even enough for him to approach Arthur's prone form. He might even catch a glimpse of a grin and the soft noises of strained speaking. "Have it YOUR WAY then! You wanna go up?!" That's when Arthur does something truly, outrageously stupid. First, he applies his own gravity magic in parallel with Dark Matter. That is to say, he forces himself and everything around him down almost as much as DM himself already is. The most effect this'll have on DM himself is maybe lightly staggering him at best. Second, one hand down, he releases a huge gush of solar fire - the very inferno of the stars themselves - down to the ground, scorching a huge column of dirt and stone into vapors. Third, using this combined gravity, Arthur immediately accelerates to something like several hundred kilometers an hour, straight to the bottom of the hole. And the broom's back in his hands. And then, finally, he projects another GATE at the bottom of the hole, and one at the top, angled just so. The effects of gravity flow through his linked spaces, slamming him through it and then out the exit. The exit that he's presented just in front of Dark Matter, heading up. "LET'S GO UUUUUUUUP!!" Arthur emerges from the exit portal with a sweeping uppercut strike, intended to slam onto Dark Matter's jaw with a combined force of both Arthur's gravty and DM's own. Arthur Lowell is already doing a rising battlecry again. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki says, "But no sooner is the Boy Spacelark knocked to the ground than is he up again! He rises, broom in hand, he... h-he..." Yet another dramatic pause. "He THROWS FIRE to the ground to create a pillar! He dives into the -middle of it-, riding his broom! And...!" There are sounds hinting that Mizuki lightly slapped her cheek. "M-My dear, dear viewers, I'm frightfully sorry, but I'm not entirely sure I even know what's going on... ah!" Another, audible gasp! "Another portal opens DIRECTLY in front of Dark Matter! Riding his broom like one of my good friends from witch Tartarus, he ROCKETS out, screaming bloody murder, headed straight for his opponent's face...!" Audibly, Mizuki throws both of her hands on to her head. "... surely this attack would even make a superhuman need reconstructive facial surgery...!" 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' Master of Gravity, yes. A man who understands that people can teleport? Not so much. None of the superheros where Dark Matter is from have such a power. So he's standing there grinning, watching his oppenent commit suicide instead of facing him. And then there is nothing but broom and face, lifting him from his feet, hurling him up and out in a slow parabolic curve of slow motion pain, a trickle of blood leaking from his now split lip. And then time and gravity reclaim him, and he slams into the ground, shattering the stone beneath him, his superdense body still more than massive enough to leave a Dark Matter shaped impression in the ground. And then he starts to chuckle, "hehehehaHAHAHAHAAAHAAAHAAHAA!" A chuckle that blossoms into full on maniacal laughter! "YEEEEEEEESSSS! FINALLY! SOMEONE WORTH FIGHTING!" Hands slam down to either side of him as Dark Matter flexes and pops back to his feet with one of those sweet martial arts moves that pops a person off the ground. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, the afterimages pulsing and dancing about him as dust and bits of rock fall in unpredictable patterns as gravity itself twitches and pulses in unpredictable patterns. Dark Matter takes a step, then another and soon he's running in Arthur's direction, each footfall a booming impact mixed with the sound of shattering rock. The supervillain hurls himself at Arthur - but this isn't some mad charge. It's a carefully calulated because the instant he's in range, he unleashes a flurry of blows - each and every one of them is a LOW BLOW BEST NOT DETAILED! 

:'''{{#var:39|Jinx (39)}} has posed:''' Someone has sold Jinx a bottle of champagne and a massive plate of nachos and bean dip. She is eating all of them and now slightly drunk. "YEAH! THROW THAT FLASHY CRAP AROUND! MAKE IT HURT! BREAK THE SYSTEM! ANARCHY IN PILTOVER!" Okay maybe more than slightly. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' An audible SLAM! To those who can see it, a swish of her hair! "There he GOES! The travestous titan TOPPLES! But no sooner does he land than does he begin to laugh in a way that leaves ex-villains such as myself outright -jealous-! Truly, the only thing more horrific than a power to crush an entire group's bones with a flick of their wrist is the ability to laugh in such a prodigiously -evil- manner! Then he flips back up - ah, and would you look at those clone afterimages...! Simply marvelous!" A series of claps can be heard! "Bravo, sir, truly! As a genuine curator and lover of the arts, I commend you! But you fight fans might commend him more as he dashes for Arthur, a lion on the prowl, a wolf on the hunt... or perhaps less poetically, a celestial TRUCK falling from the HEAVENS! ... horizontally, of course. And when he comes in close, he shoots! He scores...! His fists rain in a shower of sheer -pain-...!" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' Arthur Lowell matches Dark Matter's laughs as he comes to an unsteady landing, clearly the more injured of the pair, already bleeding from capillary bursts from gravitational force, heavily bruised, dusty and cut up from rock chips, and even a bit burnt from his own solar flare. "You better fuckin' KNOW IT!" He calls out, walking on his own, starlight and warping space around him as he goes. Where Dark Matter leaves titanic craters, Arthur leaves sun-blasted stones and warped geometry. He breaks into a run just as Dark Matter does. "I fought MONSTERS, I fought ROBOTS, I fought WHOLE FUCKIN' REALITIES! But if there's ONE THING I been SCHOOLED for fightin', it's GRAVITY! COME ON!!" Arthur hurls himself at DM just as DM does. Arthur contends well for a moment, dodging some strikes, but as strikes best left undescribed find purchase, wet crunches and snapping sounds can be heard along the surface of the boy's body. Arthur is still yelling though, and it's still a rising, hot-blooded battle-scream! As Dark Matter strikes, Arthur Lowell does as well; his rocket-broom's thrusters BLAST at high intensity, matching each strike with one of Arthur's own, going for joints, the side of the head, sweeps to the feet, an INTENSE EXCHANGE OF BLOWS! The gravity force and the rocket thrusting mean each strike emit blasting shockwaves that rock the arena, ripping up chips of stone and blasting dirt off of the arena floor in huge waves. If Arthur can't outmatch DM's offensive power here he'll wind up being tossed away by DM's final strike though. But as is often the case with these situations, Arthur himself will attempt to make his final blow one that smashes DM to the edge of the arena floor. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki raises her arms theatrically! Hell, this can be audible too! "The boy makes his PROCLAMATION! He swears upon past GLORIES, past LAMENTS! He promises us and his opponent alike of his knowledge of his element, but also the STRENGTH of his RESOLVE~! As the blood leaks from their bodies, so, too, can I see it in their eyes! The thrill! The excitement! The -artistry-~!" Mizuki twirls several times in place before placing down a temporal field of her own so that she can have her own, personal, dramatic slowfall. "It has been MANY EONS since I have seen anything as ground -and- space breaking as this, viewers...!" Handkerchief. "Please, pardon me while I dry my eyes...!" Pause pause. Okay. "... and now the two engage in a good, old-fashioned SLAPFIGHT! Broom against fist! Rocket against the force of -nightmares-! But who shall be left standing...??" 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' Dark Matter gives as good as he gets, but impact after impact batters even his dense damage resistant body - resistant but not immune. In the end, the two oppenents SLAM apart from each other. Dark Matter soars towards the edge of the arena bouncing and tumbling with thunderous impacts before he ends up on one knee with a hand gripping the ground as he skids to a stop, tearing a furrow in the arena. He climbs slowly to his feet, still grinning like a lunatic. His luchador mask is intact with very little damage - the same cannot be said for his shirt. Tattered, ripped and burnt in places, he reaches up and grips the neck of it before tearing it off revealing sweat slickened grey flesh and rippling martial artist muscles! "I've fought LIGHTNING! I've fought ENGULFING CONSUMING FLAMES! I've even battled the SEA ITSELF! But if there's one thing I know, it's GRAVITY!" He glances from side to side, taking in the masses of debris and rock that scatter the arena. "And it's never the fall that kills you. It's the IMPACT!" His gaze locks on Arthur as he slams one foot forward into the ground, both hands snapping outwards. "SINGULARITY BOMB!" And Arthur becomes the enemy gate for every rock, shard, bit of dust and folding metal chair in the arena (because there's always at least one). That is to say: He becomes DOWN. At 5 G's. That's a lot of debris. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki says, "Myyyy audience. As an author, it simply would not do for me to only highlight this fantastic display of cosmic martial strength and not the /beautiful imagery/ spilling from the lips of the competitors! Did you /hear/ that man? LIGHTNING! ALL-CONSUMING FLAMES! Can you /see it/, viewers? We do not simply have two people fighting here today, but two souls! Allllll of their history is thrust and shoved into every punch! Every slam! Every jab from their proverbial and concrete celestial /repertoires/! You can feel ~ it ~ all as Dark Matter announces a name that stands out among grandiose names:" Deep breath. "SINGULARITY BOMB!" Mizuki pauses, giving the audience time to register what has just happened while appreciating it herself. (A little.) "The angry forces of the Earth -collide-, finding their point of focus on Arthur himself! Rocks, shards, and... ah, Creation's /majesty/! Is that a /chair/?? Yes, the entire arena has turned against Arthur now! How in Earth, space, heaven, hell, or some other fifth thing will he respond...??" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' The massive waves of dust and rock and dirt suddenly do entirely the opposite of what they were doing before. These ripped-up portions of the stadium come slamming back in towards the combatantas he gasps in brief and intense surprise! Arthur actually thought Dark Matter was going to throw a black hole at him, and had prepared instead for that, rather than this next bit. Broad bruises form over an already battered body, and the young boy is actually being somewhat suffocated now. As the materials of the ring slowly crush him, Arthur considers what to do here. What do you when you need to destroy trash? Crush it? No, that's already happening. Burn it? Not an option, Arthur can't burn himself. You... Well, if you're in the MULTIVERSE, anyway, there's one proven trash disposal method. You throw it into the sun. So, Arthur Lowell becomes the sun. Or, at least, he becomes part of his godly aspect; space is full of many things, and some of them are high-power fission reactions. The mass collapses in on itself, suddenly consumed by a burning light as an amorphous shape occupies the center now. Gravitational pressure is, after all, a critical part of solar processes. Arthur Lowell himself blasts out of the amorphous shape now, like he just dove through a window, screaming again, blasting forward with his broom in one hand, kicking up a fresh wave of dust from the picked-clean ground. He blasts towards his enemy. "SHIT YES!!" He's screaming now. "THAT'S what I'm looking for!! You SON OF A BITCH, I better not LEAVE this ARENA without a CONCUSSION, don't you STOP NOW! Give me MORE OF THAT! Let's GO!" And then his BROOM, with a churning, mechanical shift, suddenly bares a RIFLE! The magazine loaded is, of course, DANMAKU BOLTS; as he approaches, he comes with a veritable storm of brilliantly-colored kinetic impact constructs. They're all nonlethal, but it's like getting punched in the face a dozen times a second unless you dodge... Or force them away through spatial shifts, of course. The intent is to make it really hard for Dark Matter to be anywhere but one place and anything but stunned when Arthur Lowell skids to a stop, putting away his broom, just at DM's feet and goes in for, of all things, a grapple; whirling rushes of SOLAR FIRE and GRAVITATIONAL FORCE blast around him as he tries to lock his hands with DARK MATTER's and both burn and rip him apart with close-range power. Of course, this leaves Arthur open for exactly the same in response. 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' Dark Matter throws a hand up over his eyes as the SUN ITSELF erupts in the middle of the battlefield. "HaHaHa! FUCK YES! That's the ATTITUDE I WANT TO SEE! Come ON! KICK MY ASS!" His grin becomes a terrible, savage thing as bolts from the BroomGun blast at him, his arms coming up as he starts to block the bullets with his forearms, his bare, manly chest glistening and flexing with the effort. Some of the bullets do veer aside - and then Arthur reaches out to lock hands with him - and Dark Matter reaches out to take those hands, his own growing darker and even denser, but still searing and bruising under the unreleanting energy encasing Arthur. Locked hand in hand with Arthur, the taller man gazes down slightly at the kid and grins even wider. And then he slams his forehead into Arthurs nose as hard as he possibly can while slamming a foot down on his instep. Sometimes, it's the simple things that are best. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki says, "Wh-What in Creation just happened?? Was a nuclear BOMB drawn to Arthur by the gravity aphrodisiac? Or... no! No, Arthur /himself/ has... spontaneously combusted! N-No, not even that! He... he...!" Mizuki totally doesn't have the science knowledge to put word to what the f*** is happening, sorry. "He /became/ a nuclear blast!! He's /consuming/ all of the junk that's coming at him! If your cerebral cortices weren't already throbbing from the changes to gravity, my friends, they're probably throbbing from the mere concept now! I-I...!" Handkerchief again. "... in all my years of life, I don't know if I've ever seen something so absolutely beautiful...!" But as she sobs, Arthur prepares his counter attack. "... now a searing rainbow collides with its forever foe: pitch black! A-And Arthur rushes forth to lock hands with his enemy...! Ah, the drama! The suspense! The eternal show...! Please, someone help me! I'm feeling faint..." 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki breathlessly says, "Their hands are locked together...! The zeal of the combatants is at a fever pitch...!! Where will this lead...? Who will leave this deadly sky skirmish ali -- er, UNSCATHED? Dark Matter charges the boy with his head... but somehow, Arthur manages to mitigate the damage! But they go on, hand in hand... as if in some sort of nightmarish dance at the end of time...!" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' Locked hand in hand Dark Matter, Arthur's own burning, shining starlight gravity burn against Dark Matter's each coming to a head at, well, their heads. Dark Matter's indulgence of his high-energy tendencies is just multiplying Arthur's own enthusiasm tenfold. Arthur's scream rises. His hands grip Dark Matter with white knuckes, his arms shudder and strain with the power running down them, and his lungs delve deep into anatomical realms yet unknown to reach for more fuel for the powerful rising scream. CRACK! Arthur goes silent for a moment, his eyes screwed shut. It lands head-on; Arthur sinks into the ground, tiny craters under his feet again. He shakes, he shudders... Then he opens his eyes again, and grins. "That's what I'm LOOKIN' FOR! But if you're gonna send me outta here with a BUSTED HEAD, you better not only go for that. Because lemme TELL YOU," His burning starlight fire and his deep and intense rumbling gravity turn into a gush of outward, twisting, distorting force and fire, like Dark Matter just jumped facefirst onto a White Hole. "If there's ONE GODDAMN THING I got more than ANYONE ELSE in this GODDAMN MULTIVERSE..." His scream is back. It surges, errupting like a volcano, tremendous motivation and willpower blasting Arthur through intense bruising, bleeding, burning, and maybe even a little bit of a concussion, in spite of his denial. "IT'S A THICK GODDAMN SKUUUUUUUUUUULL!!!" He refuses to let go of Dark Matter; he'll have to either do something high-power to extricate himself, or just take advantage of the close range to really let Arthur have it with something at close range. 

:'''{{#var:39|Jinx (39)}} has posed:''' "STOP SCREAMING AT EACH OTHER AND FIGHT OR KISS OR SOMETHING DAMMIT!" Jinx pelts the man in front of her with bean dip. 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' The ground beneath the feet of the two grappling combatants explodes. Or at least that's what it seems like as Dark Matter, still gripping Arthur, launches them both into the sky. Even as the top layers of his skin crackle and burn and split, oozing greyish-black blood. Only when the two of them are the tiniest of specks does Dark Matter kick free of Arthur to hurl himself even higher up. Flipping himself around at the very apogee he grins, a stray ray of light making the diamonds on his mask sparkle for a moment. And then he accelerates. Body becoming so dense his movements become sluggish, his mass making him heavier and heavier. Moments before he impacts Arthur, still in the air, there is the sound of THUNDER. A SONIC BOOM. Driving his foe towards the earth, he screams out one last time, "ATOMIC. GRAVITY. ELBOW. DROOOOOOOOOP!" The impact is forceful enough to crack the arena in half and hurls dust and debris high into the air and out into the crowd. When that dust clears, who will be standing?! 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' takes a deeeeep breath! "B-But no matter how hard Dark Matter struggles, Arthur -hangs on-! The boy is relentless, but of all the things that have been said... I disagree with one thing." Mizuki lowers the microphone and throws a stasis field in front of her mouth to alter the transmission of the vibrations of her voice, hopefully making her much LOUDER! Then she practically shouts, "Your VOICE is even louder than your head is THICK! On this I will not BUDGE any more than you will from DARK MATTER'S BODY!" The field dissipates, and she clears her throat again. Wobble. "But it all comes down to THIS! What will they do NOW? They... they...!" She bats her eyelashes a few times. "They're literally neck and neck! Toe to toe! Is the curtain coming down in front of our very eyes...?" 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki's radio is shaken by a violent shock from the Earth and clatters to the ground. It could probably be assumed that Mimi, too, fell as backward just then. There are a few moments of agonizing static before she picks it back up with a trembling hand. "Th-This... D-Dark Matter..." Swallow. "D-Dark Matter just tore the field in half! It's... everything is destroyed! It looks like everything has been hit by an atomic blast, true to the maneuver's name...!" A pause so that she can stand and brush of her dress. Oh, and probably give her eye a rub. "Well, I suppose that's it. The victor of this exhausting, terrifying, and outright /INCREDIBLE/ match for the eons and all dimensions is DA --" She stops. Stares. Her eyes are bloodshot and wide... but then she sees Arthur's finger twitch. "What." Twitch twitch. "What..." Twwwiiiittch. "..." And then another explosion. "ARTHUR LOWELL IS STILL CONSCIOUS! THIS BATTLE ISN'T OVER! THIS ISN'T EVEN REMOTELY FEASIBLE, BUT...!" She grabs at her hair. "... it's happening! It. Keeps. Happening...!" 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' Arthur Lowell is lifted! Arthur Lowell is KICKED OFF OF! He makes an urgent attempt to create a Gate in the time between himself and DM's approach vector. It fails; the Gate that he attempts to make is torn apart by Dark Matter's mach-speed elbow-drop. It slams into Arthur's midsection, releasing a huge wave of black and white fire from both combatants. Arthur plummets to the earth with Dark Matter on him at sonic speeds, and when they impact the arena, Arthur Lowell's body snaps the stone floor of the arena and he cries out in agonized pain. The dust clears. Dark Matter will have the time to stand, bleeding, above the unconscious body of Arthur Lowell. The body seems limply unconscious, for a moment, long enough for Mizuki to almost pre-emptively call the fight in favor of Dark Matter. No doubt, during this spat of near-unconsciousness, through pain and dizzying injury, Arthur Lowell experiences a quick and intense flashback, or some epiphany or another. It's traditional in the WMAT, right? Thankfully, none of us have to see it. He'll remain laid out on the ground long enough for Dark Matter to stand, and then to maybe walk a short distance away. But not long enough to be considered knocked out. With panting, heavy breaths, strugging to move, much less stand. His body gushes with intense white fire by the time Arthur's on his feet, and it'll only be a second or so from "down on the ground" to "up on his feet", but lord it does seem like the longest and most agonizing second ever. Only when he's on his feet does Arthur open bloodshot eyes, heavy with capillaries burst from sheer G-force. And only then does he try to match DM once more; as Dark Matter did before, Arthur Lowell attempts to show him a real headbutt. Blasted forward by a gush of solar power, carried by his gravity, his body itself loose and limp due to broken and fractured bones all along it, brought to the BRINK OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS ITSELF by the master of gravity, Arthur Lowell, regardless, finds the energy to scream a deep, intense, enthusiastic, energetic, desperate, and above all else, HOT BLOODED scream of aggression, a powerful battlecry that lasts only a moment, because it's only half a second before he comes in for his strike. He attempts to headbutt Dark Matter with a ramming strike, as DM did before. This is incredibly irresponsible. 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' Dark Matter matches Arthur SCREAM FOR SCREAM. As Arthur slams his head into Dark Matter's, Dark Matter slams -his- forward against once again! There is a detonation of solar flame and conflicting gravitic forces! WHO WILL BE STANDING WHEN IT CLEARS?! 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' As Arthur falls, Dark Matter drops to one knee beside him, the cloud of dust suddenly clearing away so that he can kneel beside his battered and fallen foe, one hand pressed against his chest. "I am victorious, my foe! BUT YOU MUST SURVIVE!" His bowed head lifts, and one can see tears? Yes, TEARS, STREAMING DOWN HIS LUCHADOR MASK! "LIVE, SO THAT WE MAY FIGHT IN GLORIOUS COMBAT ONCE AGAIN!" Only then does he use his gravity powers to carefully and gently waft Arthur over to the medics. 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' Mizuki says, "Back from the brink of unconsciousness does he come! The little God-tier narrowly escapes the throes of death to land one, last, decisive blow on Dark Matter!" She lifts her hands shakily, a tear rolling down her face. "Through adversity have they both come, but now... this is it! The final blow! Oh, Arthur, let us see it...! Let us see what you still have stored away in those spindly arms, those little legs, and that..." Her eyes widen as he comes in for the headbutt. "That..." Coming... "... impossibly..." Cominnngggg... "... hard head!" Squish. Dark Matter doesn't budge. Mizuki's arm falls limp and there's another, sudden clattering sound. Eventually, though, she peels herself off of the ground in such a way that can certainly be heard of the radio. She hangs herself over the side of the stadium. After watching what is most certainly Arthur's final faceplant, she lifts the mic to her mouth. "A-And the winner... i-is..." Her voice is but a tiny tremble at this point. "... Dark Matter." Slump. 

:'''{{#var:33|Arthur Lowell (33)}} has posed:''' Arthur Lowell's limp body is thrown clear of the clash; by the time the dust and smoke and light clears, Arthur Lowell is limp and unconscious somewhere near the edge of the arena. In blatant spite of unconsciousness, he's got a light grin on his face. Alright, someone get this kid a medic, he's gonna have all kinds of g-force injuries and a lot of bruising and various broken and fractured bones. 

:'''{{#var:251|Dark Matter (251)}} has posed:''' Dark Matter is also badly in need of medical attention himself with 3rd degree burns, missing epidermis, and bruised organs. 

:'''{{#var:39|Jinx (39)}} has posed:''' "YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Jinx is now dancing in the stands, spraying champange bits all over! "THIS WAS AWESOME!! BREAK EVERYTHING!! BREAK HEADS!! MANLY LOVE!" WHo's she cheering for? Who knows? 

:'''{{#var:183|Mizuki (183)}} has posed:''' What members of the crowd haven't been horrified into leaving give a standing ovation. It's slow at first, but eventually it picks up... ... followed by a crap ton of glubs. 

}}

WMAT 2014

2014-07-03T15:45:44Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Rules Page==
Go to [[WMAT]] for the OOC rules and other full information! 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* Kilik ([[Kirikou Rung|Kirikou]]) 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Fuki_vs._Zephyr_Windstar|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentator: None 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ciaran_vs._Shizune_Nakamura|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentator: Artorias 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Metal_Man_vs._Vanessa_Selby|LOG]]
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Richard_Stadler_vs._Ms._Fortune|LOG]]
** Winner: Richard Stadler
** Commentary: Mel 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[Kirikou Rung|KIRIKOU RUNG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Corvo_Attano_vs._Kirikou|LOG]]
** Winner: Corvo Attano
** Commentator: Toph Beifong 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Genghis_Rex_vs._Tomoe|LOG]]
** Winner: Tomoe
** Commentator: Bramble Patch 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Li-Ming_vs._Prorth_Edhuwi|LOG]]
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_-_Staren_Vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Jeanneatte Thompson
** Commentator: 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: Cameron Baum - by coin flip
** Commentator: None 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: Hei
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Testarossa_Fate_vs_A-ko_Magami!|LOG]]
** Winner: Testarossa Fate
** Commentator: Kiyoko Saito 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT in her first year, and competing again last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.
[[Category:TPs]][[Category:MinorTP]][[Category:CurrentTP]]

WMAT 2014

2014-07-03T15:11:57Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Rules Page==
Go to [[WMAT]] for the OOC rules and other full information! 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* Kilik ([[Kirikou Rung|Kirikou]]) 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Fuki_vs._Zephyr_Windstar|LOG]]
** Winner: Zephyr Windstar
** Commentator: None 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ciaran_vs._Shizune_Nakamura|LOG]]
** Winner: Shizune Nakamura
** Commentator: Artorias 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Richard_Stadler_vs._Ms._Fortune|LOG]]
** Winner: Richard Stadler
** Commentary: Mel 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[Kirikou Rung|KIRIKOU RUNG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Corvo_Attano_vs._Kirikou|LOG]]
** Winner: Corvo Attano
** Commentator: Toph Beifong 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Genghis_Rex_vs._Tomoe|LOG]]
** Winner: Tomoe
** Commentator: Bramble Patch 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Li-Ming_vs._Prorth_Edhuwi|LOG]]
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_-_Staren_Vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Jeanneatte Thompson
** Commentator: 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** No Log
** Winner: Cameron Baum - by coin flip
** Commentator: None 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: Hei
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Testarossa_Fate_vs_A-ko_Magami!|LOG]]
** Winner: Testarossa Fate
** Commentator: Kiyoko Saito 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana|LOG]]
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT in her first year, and competing again last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.
[[Category:TPs]][[Category:MinorTP]][[Category:CurrentTP]]

WMAT 2014

2014-06-29T16:13:11Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* Kilik ([[Kirikou Rung|Kirikou]]) 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** Winner: TBA 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Minette 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** Winner: TBA 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** Log: [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[Kirikou Rung|KIRIKOU RUNG]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_-_Staren_Vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** [[WMAT_C1_D_vs._Samael|LOG]]
** Winner: D
** Commentator: Kagenashi 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: Hei
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** Log: WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.

WMAT 2014

2014-06-29T15:06:45Z

Squidtentacle:

=Introduction=
The World Martial Arts Tournament 2014 kicked off on June 19, 2014. Fights began on June 20th, 2014. The tournament will feature six rounds of action in the largest bracket, as well as four exhibition matches. [[Mister Satan]] once more presides as tournament organizer, with [[Yuri Stinson]] supporting as Master of Ceremonies. 

==Schedule==
The following is a loose schedule which may change if extensions are requested for any round. 

* Tournament Gala - June 18 - hosted by [[Mizuki]]
** [[The_Dance_to_Precede_Beatdowns|LOG]]
* Opening Ceremonies - June 19
** [[WMAT_Opening_Ceremonies_2014|LOG]]
* Round 1 - June 20 - July 1
* Round 2 - July 5 - July 14
** Exhibition Match - [[Tora]] vs. Victoria
* Round 3 - July 17 - July 26
** Exhibition Match - [[Fuki]] vs. [[Lizbet]] and [[Vervi]]
* Round 4 - July 29 - August 4
** Exhibition Match - [[D]] vs. [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* Round 5 - August 7 - August 13
** Exhibition Match - [[Sarah]] vs. [[Serori]]
* Round 6 - August 16 - August 20
* Closing Ceremonies - August 22 

=Non-Combat Volunteers=
The following players have volunteered to provide medical care and commentary, if either is needed. As always, non-combat volunteers do not have to be on this list in order to take part in the WMAT -- anyone can join in spontaneously at any time. If you're having trouble finding a medic or a commentator, try asking the people on these lists.

Neither commentators nor medics are required for your matches, but do come HIGHLY recommended! 

==Commentators==
* [[Kaede]]
* [[Elasaid Hood]]
* [[Toph Beifong]]
* [[Kotone Yamakawa]]
* [[Kotoha Isone]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Yuna Kagurazaka]]
* [[Hastur]]
* [[Isa Reichert]]
* [[Heinkel Wolfe]]
* [[Kathryn Janeway]]
* Gamagoori Ira (NPC; contact: [[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* [[Mojo Jojo]]
* [[Metta]]
* [[Rainbow Dash]]
* The Mane Six (some spoofed; contact: [[Rainbow Dash]])
* Kilik ([[Kirikou Rung|Kirikou]]) 

==Medics==
* [[Medusa Gorgon]]
* [[Rebecca Chambers]]
* [[Beli Klum]]
* [[Sarah]]
* The Doctor (NPC; contact: [[Kathryn Janeway]])
* [[Frederica]]
* [[Taro]]
* [[Ariah]] 

=Prizes=
TBA 

==Corporate Sponsors==
The following IC resources have contributed toward the WMAT's prize pool: 

* MMS ([[Vervi]] and [[Fuki]])
* Stark Industries ([[Tony Stark]])
* The New Vegas Board of Tourism ([[Courier Six]])
* The Izzet ([[Rhapsody]])
* The Youthanizer ([[Genghis Rex]])
* REVOCS ([[Satsuki Kiryuin]])
* Hyperion ([[Handsome_Jack_(Dropped)|Handsome Jack]])
* UniTech Corporation ([[Rebecca Kismarin]])
* The Beifong Family ([[Toph Beifong]])
* Black Dragon Shipping ([[Fayt Ravus]])
* Starfleet ([[Kathryn Janeway]]) 

=Bracket A=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Zephyr Windstar|ZEPHYR WINDSTAR]] vs. [[Fuki|FUKI]]
** Winner: TBA 

* EL GRAN GORDO (OOC: [[Eggman]]) vs. [[Rhapsody|RHAPSODY]]
** [[WMAT_A1_El_Gran_Gordo_vs._Rhapsody|LOG]]
** Winner: Rhapsody
** Commentary: Kari Wolf 

* BLACKOUT (OOC: [[Juno Eclipse]]) vs. [[Zeno|ZENO]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Zeno_vs._Blackout|LOG]]
** Winner: Blackout
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Aurora|AURORA]] vs. MINETTE (OOC: [[Ms. Fortune]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_A1_Aurora_vs._Minette|LOG]]
** Winner: Aurora
** Commentator: Minette 

* [[Shizune Nakamura|SHIZUNE NAKAMURA]] vs. [[Ciaran|CIARAN]]
** Winner: TBA 

* BLACK DEMON (OOC: [[Kagenashi]]) vs. [[Kasumi|KASUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Black_Demon_vs._Kasumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Kasumi
** Commentator: Serori 

* [[Metal Man|METAL MAN]] vs. [[Vanessa Selby|VANESSA SELBY]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Vanessa Selby
** Commentator: None 

* [[Vervi|VERVI]] vs. [[Rebecca Kismarin|REBECCA KISMARIN]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Vervi_vs._Rebecca_Kismarin|LOG]]
** Winner: Vervi
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* [[Raven DeVanos|RAVEN DEVANOS]] vs. ELZA LENGAR (OOC: [[Elise Leroy]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Raven_DeVanos_vs._Elza_Lengar|LOG]]
** Winner: Elza Lengar
** Commentator: Karian 

* [[Theo Morrison|THEO MORRISON]] vs. ALPHA PACKBEAST MOONFRAY (OOC: [[Lupita Auryon]])
** [[WMAT_A1_Theo_vs._Lupita|LOG]]
** Winner: Theo Morrison
** Commentator: Metta 

* [[Mel|MEL]] vs. [[Ariel|ARIEL]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Ariel_vs._Mel|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariel
** Commentator: Elasaid Hood 

* NEAL "PSYCHO" CABLES (OOC: [[Allan Bodily]] NPC) vs. [[Yumi Musumi|YUMI MUSUMI]]
** [[WMAT_A1_Neal_Cables_vs._Yumi_Musumi|LOG]]
** Winner: Neal "Psycho" Cables
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 

* BYE WINNER: THE CHRONICLER (OOC: [[Ainsley]]) 
</div></div>

=Bracket B=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Mister Satan]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Saber of Silver|SABER OF SILVER]] vs. [[Ariah|ARIAH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Saber_of_Silver_vs._Ariah|LOG]]
** Winner: Ariah
** Commentator: Medusa Gorgon 

* LUNESSA (OOC: [[Tesla Armadia]] NPC) vs. [[Noh|NOH]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Lunessa_vs._Noh|LOG]]
** Winner: Lunessa
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Onikaze Kenshin|ONIKAZE KENSHIN]] vs. THE MASKED KNIGHT (OOC: [[Lucatiel of Mirrah]])
** [[WMAT_B1_Onikaze_Kenshin_vs._Masked_Knight|LOG]]
** Winner: The Masked Knight
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Mako Mankanshoku|MAKO MANKANSHOKU]] vs. [[Jericho Hawke|JERICHO HAWKE]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mako_Mankanshoku_vs._Jericho_Hawke|LOG]]
** Winner: Jericho Hawke
** Commentator: Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four 

* [[Serori|SERORI]] vs. [[Taylita|TAYLITA]]
** Log: [[WMAT_B1_Serori_vs._Taylita|LOG]]
** Winner: Taylita
** Commentator: Sarah and Courier Six 

* MIGHTY HOOD (OOC: [[Elasaid Hood]]) vs. [[Karian|KARIAN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Mighty_Hood_vs._Karian|LOG]]
** Winner: Karian
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Richard Stadler|RICHARD STADLER]] vs. [[Ms. Fortune|MS. FORTUNE]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Alexandra Knox|ALEXANDRA KNOX]] vs. EVANGELINE (OOC: [[Chrysanthemum]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Alexandra_Knox_vs._Evangeline|LOG]]
** Winner: Evangeline
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[Jinx|JINX]] vs. [[Allan Bodily|ALLAN BODILY]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Jinx_vs._Allan_Bodily|LOG]]
** Winner: Jinx
** Commentator: Laer 

* [[Corvo Attano|CORVO ATTANO]] vs. [[Kirikou Rung|KIRIKOU RUNG]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Kiyoko Saito|KIYOKO SAITO]] vs. [[Ryuko Matoi|RYUKO MATOI]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Ryuko_Matoi_vs._Kiyoko_Saito|LOG]]
** Winner: Ryuko Matoi
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Cirno|CIRNO]] vs. [[ZN-MALPRG]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Cirno_vs._ZN-MALPRG|LOG]]
** Winner: ZN-MALPRG
** Commentator: Cecily 

* [[Tomoe|TOMOE]] vs. [[Genghis Rex|GENGHIS REX]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Homura Akemi|HOMURA AKEMI]] vs. KHARN (OOC: [[Horus]] NPC)
** [[WMAT_B1_Homura_Akemi_vs._Kharn|LOG]]
** Winner: Homura Akemi
** Commentator: Ruby Rhod (Laine) 

* [[Li-Ming|LI-MING]] vs. AGGRESSIVE COUNSELING, INC. (OOC: [[Prorth Edhuwi]])
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Li-Ming
** Commentator: Dimentio 

* THE COWBOY COURIER (OOC: [[Courier Six]]) vs. [[Satsuki Kiryuin|SATSUKI KIRYUIN]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Cowboy_Courier_vs._Satsuki_Kiryuin|LOG]]
** Winner: Satsuki Kiryuin
** Commentator: Yuri Stinson 

* [[Staren|STAREN]] vs. [[Vendetta|VENDETTA]]
** [[WMAT_-_Staren_Vs._Vendetta|LOG]]
** Winner: Staren
** Commentator: Yuna Kagurazaka 

* [[Reina Kinney|REINA KINNEY]] vs. [[Alicia T. Harlaown|ALICIA T. HARLAOWN]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Alicia_T._Harlaown_vs._Reina_Kinney|LOG]]
** Winner: Alicia T. Harlaown
** Commentator: Hastur 

* [[Gough|GOUGH]] vs. [[Asuna|ASUNA]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Gough_vs._Asuna|LOG]]
** Winner: Asuna
** Commentator: Artorias 

* [[Kirito|KIRITO]] vs. [[Sakura Kasugano|SAKURA KASUGANO]]
** [[WMAT_B1_Kirito_vs._Sakura_Kasugano|LOG]]
** Winner: Sakura Kasugano
** Commentator: Kirikou Rung 
</div></div>

=Bracket C=
All results should be sent to this year's Bracket Organizer, [[Beli Klum]]. Please provide a clean log if it is available. 

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:600px">
ROUND ONE CLICK TO EXPAND/COLLAPSE --->
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [[Marie Mjolnir|MARIE MJOLNIR]] vs. [[Beelzebumon|BEELZEBUMON]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Beelzebumon_vs._Marie_Mjolnir|LOG]]
** Winner: Marie Mjolnir
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Jeannette Thompson|JEANNETTE THOMPSON]] vs. [[No. 9|NO. 9]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Samus Aran|SAMUS ARAN]] vs. CAMERON BAUM (OOC: [[John Connor]] NPC)
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Arthur Lowell|ARTHUR LOWELL]] vs. [[Dark Matter|DARK MATTER]]
** Log Forthcoming
** Winner: Dark Matter
** Commentator: Mizuki 

* [[Neuroi Girl|NEUROI GIRL]] vs. [[Takamachi Nanoha|TAKAMACHI NANOHA]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Good_Nanoha_vs._Neuroi_Girl|LOG]]
** Winner: Takamachi Nanoha
** Commentator: Kotone Yamakawa 

* [[D]] vs. [[Samael|SAMAEL]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Fate T. Harlaown|FATE T. HARLAOWN]] vs. THE BLACK REAPER (OOC: [[Hei]])
** [[WMAT_C1_Fate_T._Harlaown_vs._Hei|LOG]]
** Winner: Hei
** Commentator: Alexandra Knox 

* [[Testarossa Fate|TESTAROSSA FATE]] vs. [[A-ko Magami|A-KO MAGAMI]]
** Winner: TBA 

* [[Bowser|BOWSER]] vs. [[Toph Beifong|TOPH BEIFONG]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Bowser_vs._Toph_Beifong|LOG]]
** Winner: Bowser
** Commentator: Mithos Yggdrasill, with NPCs Gnome and Efreet 

* [[Maya|MAYA]] vs. [[Procyana|PROCYANA]]
** Log: WMAT_C1_Maya_vs._Procyana
** Winner: Procyana
** Commentator: Rainbow Dash 

* [[Nanoha Takamachi|NANOHA TAKAMACHI]] vs. [[Summer Powers|SUMMER POWERS]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Evil_Nanoha_vs._Summer_Powers|LOG]]
** Winner: Summer Powers
** Commentator: Mel 

* [[Kaydon|KAYDON]] vs. [[Material-S|MATERIAL-S]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Kaydon_vs._Material-S|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-S
** Commentator: Juno Eclipse 

* [[Material-L|MATERIAL-L]] vs. [[Sarah|SARAH]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Material-L_vs._Sarah|LOG]]
** Winner: Material-L
** Commentator: None 

* [[Artorias|ARTORIAS]] vs. [[Sagat|SAGAT]]
** [[WMAT_C1_Artorias_vs._Sagat|LOG]]
** Winner: Artorias
** Commentator: Gough 
</div></div>

=Posters=
Announcement posters for your matches are available for commission from Arthur Lowell. Others have created their own posters! 

* [http://i.imgur.com/vaWEuHf.gif Arthur Lowell vs. Dark Matter] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/uj7LWie.png Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight] (by Arthur Lowell)
* [http://i.imgur.com/0KtgAZ8.png Bowser vs. Toph Beifong] (by Toph Beifong) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/TEV1iwB.png Ryuko Matoi vs. Kiyoko Saito] (by Arthur Lowell) 
* [http://i.imgur.com/FfIdHN9.png Samael vs. D] (by Arthur Lowell) 

=New Vegas Radio Spots=
The following radio spots have been created by Courier Six. 

* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-kenshin-v-lucatiel Onikaze Kenshin vs. The Masked Knight]
* [https://soundcloud.com/phuzzysa/wmat-aurora-v-minette Aurora vs. Minette] 

=Exhibition Matches=
The World Martial Arts Tournament is proud to present this year's schedule of exhibition matches! Join us for the thrilling action that unfolds whenever two combatants put it all on the line for more than just a championship title! Grudges will be answered, prizes won, and revenge satisfied in a series of matches you'll need to see to believe. 

WHO: Battle Rondo Champion TORA versus Former Champion VICTORIA 
WHEN: WMAT Round Two 
It's a World Martial Arts Tournament SPECIAL EVENT! After winning the WMAT last year, Shizune Nakamura went on to coach her rare model shinki, Tora, through another competitive tournament -- the Battle Rondo! And boy, did that coaching pay off -- Tora went on to win it all! Of course, her victory wasn't celebrated by everyone...former Battle Rondo champion, Victoria, wants her name in the lights again, and she's come to the WMAT to earn it. Join us in watching two top-of-the-line shinki models compete for special WMAT-themed weapons, including a mounted auto-cannon, double-ended battle axe, and cosmetic armor upgrades. You won't believe what these girls can do! Featuring Battle Rondo's Ia and Mary on commentary. 

WHO: FUKI versus LIZBET and VERVI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Three 
Vervi and Lizbet team up to take down their pint-sized competition across the factional border, Fuki! Two against one might seem unfair, until you realize Fuki's got a real edge in the fight: SILENT BLACK, her deadly scythe Abstractum! Who will prove superior, the Monitor-grade shinki and her skilled LirBiette partner, or the stealthy assassin armed with a special weapon? A history of mistrust and conflict will finally be settled in a brutal fight sure to keep you on the edge of your seats! Commentary provided by Nathan Hall and Serori. 

WHO: D versus MEDUSA GORGON 
WHEN: WMAT Round Four 
The mysterious Medusa Gorgon faces off against the equally enigmatic D for reasons we wish we could explain! A personal wager is on the line, but how high are the stakes, anyway?! Find out at the fight -- maybe! Commentator to be announced. 

WHO: SARAH versus SERORI 
WHEN: WMAT Round Five 
THE CAT FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! Serori has been holding onto quite a grudge where Sarah's concerned. Though their relationship has been professional and civil for some time, Serori's got a real kink in her tail after Sarah's retirement gift was one prank too far. Eager to prove she's still got what it takes to be a respected force in the Multiverse, Serori won't hold back! It's ice against fire in a battle you won't wanna miss! Commentary provided by Shalquoir and Alvina.