Unexpected Guests

Unexpected Guests
Date of Scene:	07 July 2014
Location:	Overworld
Synopsis:	Kirika's introduction comes complete with some shadowy 'zombies' and a pretty nasty anthropomorphic boss.
Thanks to:	To Kirika, for being an extremely effectual GM in spite of her 'inexperience'.
Cast of Characters:	183, 242, 255, 307, 323, 346, 401, 481

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Kirika (481) has posed:
WELCOME TO KASUN

Specifcally, welcome to Tsujikyo, the central hub of Kasun's unified government and a place of gathering for the headquarters of many privately owned, government contracted businesses all across the city.

http://fav.me/d1v9y2j

The portal will land those who arrive here just outside city limits, with hovering 'carts' of some sort that move without the use of horses, more akin to hovercars judging by the engines underneath them. They're designed similar to that of 1930's cars as well, save for the glowing devices underneath hovering them aloft. The immigrations system into the city is circumnavigated easily through a hole in the the northern wall, leading into what seems to be a shopping district. The trail consists of scattered belongings and the corpses of those unfortunate to get in the way of the beasts attacking.

There are creatures ahead, but they seem more akin to zombies with glowing eyes and growths all over them than anything strong enough to rend through steel and stone with ease. Their clothing varries, giving the impression these people were civilians before, some local toughs, others well-dressed men of a less than scrupulous nature. Despite their monstrous appearance, some sporting blades of bone from their arms or razor sharp talons, they seem intelligent enough to converge upon a single target for the time being. One of the suited men clutches a shotgun-esque weapon with glowing panels and a lever-action issuing orders. The rest carry revolver-esque pistols or whatever farm implements and knives they can find.

Up ahead, Kirika's seen already having come to do what she can with the situation, sword drawn as she remains the one thing standing between a terrified family of three and a small group of the thralls. Sword drawn and raised, she stands resolute and determined.

The Thralls grow in number however, and she's going to need backup quick.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
The demigod hurtling through the portal has her own methods of circumnavigating customs, mostly in that she doesn't so much 'land' as come barreling through on a high-end Union-issue hoverbike. She banks immediately and then climbs straight up into the air, doing a wing-over (despite the lack of wings) to finally bring herself horizontal, much higher in the air.

From there, it's far simpler for her to take in the scene. Superhuman senses do the job well enough even without her supernatural sense for conflict, and in the space of a breath she banks and goes right over the city at full speed. Eyes dart here and there, spotting this and that situation - until the moment she spots one that calls her to leap right off the hoverbike.

A six-foot swordswoman wrapped in a corona of billowing blue divine light slams into the ground behind Kirika's attackers, and a katana that can cleave steel begins lashing out at them with inhuman speed and strength.

Saber (346) has posed:
Saber wasted no time once she heard the makeshift distress call, summoning her armour and Excalibur to her hand as she made the necessary warpgate jumps to arrive in Kasun, hitting the proverbial ground running. Likewise, she wasted no time swinging the holy sword in deceptively elegant arcs at the strange, malignant creatures in her path to Kirika.

She noted their clothes, observing that these creatures had once been human, reminding her of Caster's methods of attack. With a soft 'tche' of anger at whatever dark sorcerer had done such a thing to innocent people, Saber continued cutting her way though, and with luck finally laying them to rest.

"I am here," she announced, pivoting around into a defencive stance. "What need be done?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
When Mizuki comes through the warp gate, she looks even more disinterested and moody than usual. And... this lasts for a whopping 10 seconds before her eyes go wide and she's immediately taken in by the environment. The architecture! The clothing~!! Ah, what is this heaven that she's suddenly stumbled into? Immediately she begins to dash from place to place, mumbling some words of appreciation. A comment about the tasteful roofing designs here, an expression of appreciation for the involvement of Taoist symbolism in the doors there... but in the end, all she can say in conclusion is: 'Marvelous~!'

Her hands are clasped and her eyes are sparkling when she spots a few... zombies? shambling around outside. Instantly, her look turns sour. /More/ rotting lurkers? Really? How many worlds have those things anyway? With a sigh, she promptly summons her sword, walking up behind Kirika. If anyone should look her way, they would probably note that... she looks pretty pissed. For some reason or another, it looks like she's taking it personally.

"I care not about your origins, you disgusting beasts," Mizuki used: monologue. "but that you would defile my first excursion through such an artistic metropolis, that you would tarnish those fine garments with your hideous appearances, that you would do all of these things whilst in the presence of a qualified Curator of Creation's Beauty...!" Mizuki raises her own sword beside Kirika's, and her eyes are practically ablaze with 'righteous fury'. "This is -unforgivable-! I will END you for your indiscretions, horrors! Have at you!"

And with that, radiant black wings appear in a dance of feathers and light, and Mizuki rises in the air. With the force of a something like a human jet, Mizuki charges for one of them, her sword held out to strike.

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
Just about 20 minutes ago everything was fine. It was a festival. People were having fun, even if awkwardly. The small girl was definitely a foriegner, and aside from the small red puppy bounding around her ankles, she seemed to be alone. Scarlet eyes, blonde hair done up, she's at least dressed for the festivities, wearing a black yukata with floral designs.
"This is... Like how it is on Nanoha's home right?" Fate Testarossa murmurs, seemingly talking to herself as she wanders the streets from stall to stall.
Well now, things aren't fine at ALL. The sounds of chaos and confusion draw a small, grim, sigh from the tiny girl as she rummages in her purse for the a golden, triangular, medallion.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
Rather than the hole, it's atop the wall itself that a tall stripe-born figure stands where most certainly no one stood mere seconds ago. Being able to travel long distances quickly along the lines of nature of a world and thus always appearing to have stepped out of thin air (which wasn't entirely inaccurate) was one of Cheyanne's trademark arrivals. Not that she was trying to stay out of sight in so much as it gave her a vantage point over the chaos breaking out below.

The end of her staff rested against the top of the structure as she crouched down a bit, eyes narrowing with a faint glow... and a grimace as just looking at the creatures magically was making her supernatural senses irrate. Despite her tie to all Elements the essense of Life was still her first and strongest bond, and seeing this 'plague' stride the undead around was aggrivating it to no end.

In a passing of what seemed to be just seconds she was gone from the wall.... and now standing not far from the horde of corrupt bodies at all. One of the assorted flaskes is pulled free from her belt, shaken lightly to stir its contents together. "Corruption of form, rank of undead; return to the darkness from which you were shed."

The chant is punctuated by throwing the flask of herbal essense and spiritual waters into the horde, releasing its energies of natural purity when it shatters.

Allyn (307) has posed:
Answering the call for help a large wolf enters through the warpgate and then makes his way through the hole in the wall and into the city. He growls as he notices the corpses and then the creatures. Well, this might be a bit of fun, he throws back his head and lets out howl and then he charging through the streets, only to come across one of the creatures which he leaps at its back and starts biting, snarling and shaking his head back and forth.

Vanessa Selby (323) has posed:
A clear blur suddenly appears through the portal with a figure in leather on-top of it. It nearly hits a hovercart before skidding to a stop. It's Vanessa on top of her ice sled. The young woman climbs off the vehicle. Normally she wouldn't bother with something like this, but Kirika had mentioned fox and tofu before over the radio before which got her curiousity. Maybe she could find what she's looking for her.

Of course she would have to deal with the undead first. Well, she's pretty sure she can't become a zombie, which was one upside to her condition. She jumps a bit as she sees the wolf come through the warpgate.

Kirika (481) has posed:
The undead certainly move like the living, even a bit /too/ much for one's tastes. They however are as demonic as they look, barking out at each other in perversions of their native tongues with a twinge of unholy growls coating their words. "She can't take us all, crush her!" one calls, just before he suddenly finds himself split in half by Setsuko's sword, falling to pieces just before many of his brethren share a similar fate from the war-goddess. Strikes are attempted from some of them, but nothing will stop Setsuko long enough to cease her rampage.

The poor bastards that Saber mows apart don't do much better, the few that try to fight back finding their weapons cut apart before they do. Excalibur and Setsuko's blades have the bonus effect of leaving horrific, lingering burns on the wounds they inflict, due to their holy properties.

Cheyanne is lucky too, as her flask strikes true in a trio of the thralls before they can even touch her. They are practically set alight with a heatless flame before their remains dissolve to ashes, shrieking their last unbreaths before finally their souls are laid to rest.

Both Vanessa and Fate will wind up attracting groups of their own, about four in number each. They brandish magitec rifles of some sort, firing bolts of energy-coated projectiles towards her.

Allyn will find the creature having been in the middle of attacking a lone woman, who cowers at her protector before taking the chance to run like hell for safety, unsure if the wolf is another beast bent on a snack to eat, or a protector sent by the gods.

Mizuki's rapier strikes true, as the skewers a tough wielding a chain with weights on the end like a piece of sausage. Its properties don't have the effect Setsuko's blade and Excalibur do, but it does its job as the creature weakly flails to try and strike at Mizuki.

He is decapitated by Kirika's own sword, Kinugiri flourshing as the half-kitsune blinks at all the backup. "Lady Mizuki..." She murmurs, before she notices Saber's arrival, and that of Setsuko again. "You are the voices from that device, yes?"

The family, a wife and husband, and their son of four years, are huddled in the remains of what must be their car. The boy stares wide-eyed at all the warriors, dumbstruck like the heroes of his bedtime stories come to life.

Kirika parries and evades another of the thralls before cutting it and another of the creatures down, then driving part of the mob back with a spell of holy flames. "We need to make sure these people are brought to safety, including that family. Their vehicle was sealed shut and needs to be cut open. I'd do it myself, but not without someone covering me." She explains, before she splits the back and front doors on one side open. Reaching in, the boy is helped out first before Kirika gets the other two out.

During all this, the thralls begin to redouble their efforts, as more begin to move in close to avenge their fallen.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
The nameless blade in Setsuko's hands darts and strikes as if seeing those counterattacks from the thralls coming. They may as well have sent her their entire list of planned moves ahead of time, because her blade is always in just the right place to parry one, flat-out block another, and even cleave through bony talons or blades outright here and there. The nimbus of blue around her dies out a little as the last of the nearby foes fall, and she shifts her stance over near to Kirika, giving Saber a brief nod of recognition.

"Kaminagi," she introduces herself to Kirika, adopting a protective stance. "Do what you need to. We'll keep you covered." Without further delay, the demigod whips her blade around and brings it across in a horizontal slash - one which unleashes a flat, blue-white arc of divine light. This crescent lashes straight out towards the oncoming thralls, and when it hits them? It cuts almost as easily as her sword itself.

Vanessa Selby (323) has posed:
Vanessa forms an ice barricade to block the magitech shots. She was expecting them to try and bite her, not shoot at her. Well, she guesses zombies can't be stupid everywhere. She shatters chunks of ice off the block before mentally hurling them at the thralls. "There isn't any way to get to these guys back to normal is there?" She figures it doesn't hurt to ask before doing anything drastic. Plus, it means they would haven't to fight them which was always a plus.

Saber (346) has posed:
"Understood," is Saber's simple, businesslike reply. She shifted in her stance, switching to a more offence-based one, the invisible Excalibur held in front of her as she readied to release the winds surrounding it. After a nod to her compatriots, Saber cast her sea-green eyes glanced left and then right, studying the moments of the undead hordes.

"I shall clear a path," was her warning before she released Wind King, the force of hundreds of compacted torrential winds in a path, managing to bypass friendly targets, magical as it was in nature and under Saber's complete command.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Once the flailing creature stops moving, Mizuki desummons her sword, likely dropping the poor carcass on the ground below. She sighs to herself and straightens a bow at her chest before looking to Kirika. "Yes, indeed we are 'the voices you heard on that device'. Or their sources, rather, but that's a boring technicality." Her eyes suddenly reflect much of the same disinterest and detachment that they did when she first arrived, but she nods. "I suppose it is more important to see to their safety before exacting punishment on these unholy abominations." She glances as more begin to show up, narrowing her eyes. "Besides, if they're like other arbitrary villains of their ilk, they'll just keep coming. No use wasting our time on such nonsense, hmm?"

The moment she has breathed her last word, she rockets back into the sky, landing in front of the new group. This time, though, she has something in mind. She smirks, poising to strike before any magically or spiritually attuned beings in the area would feel... a shift. Mizuki stops time to move between enemy after enemy after enemy, coming back into the normal flow of time just enough for it to look like she's teleporting from place to place. For every shadow-zombie she encounters along her little traipse through time, she gives a powerful jab of her sword. If these strikes are not immediately fatal, it's likely that they would make them fairly easy prey for any of the other fighters present. Eventually, though, she stops, reappearing near Kirika.

"Somehow I doubt that my skills are going to be necessary with so many other Elites present," She folds her arms neatly behind her back. "so I shall remain here in case you need any other forms of help. Ah, and in case any of those ghastly things actually manage to make their way over here, the burden of civilian protection won't rest solely on your shoulders." She smirks lightly, looking on as carnage happens.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
"Then it is cover you shall have," Cheyanne replies in her typical stoicness as Kirika darts off for the vehicle. Better her, Cheyanne and technology, even magical ones, do not always get along very well.

Instead the shamanic zebra takes a few steps back, making sure she is close enough to the rescuers without craping the room they have to work, and settles her gaze on the regrouping thralls. While her solemn demeanor remains, there is a dour crease in her striped brow. This was too frighteningly similar to some of the unholy forces they dealt with in her world as well.

Both hands take grip of her staff and raise it above her, the glow within the horned skull's eyes taking a mix of fiery red-orange and deep dirt brown swirling together.

"Might of the Earth, Fire's strong hand."

In a swift stroke she strikes the butt of her staff to the ground hard enough to be heard vibrate.

"Come forth now to cleanse this land!"

From the point of the staff's impact heat surges forth, streams fanning out in several directions to rise up into waves of smoldering stones as Fire and Earth are combined to cascade upon the undead and push them back like a blazing landslide.

Allyn (307) has posed:
The large dire wolf makes sure not to swallow any of the bits that he's torn off the one he took down and watches the woman run off. He gives a deep sigh, not smart to just run off. He follows after the woman, just to make sure that she doesn't find herself in trouble again. He's not trying to chase her of course, because he doesn't want to scare her any more than she already is. Though while hes's shadowing the woman he's also keeping an eye out for others to save as well, stalking through streets and sniffing when he gets to chance. He'll follow his nose if he can, ears standing straight up on his head as he keeps alert.

That is at least until he gets an idea, maybe it'd be better from a higher vantage point, he leaps into the air, his body shimmering as he shifts forms, the once leaping wolf now a large eagle and flapping his way into the air and then soaring once he is able. He peers down at the battlefield, looking for people in trouble.

Upon finding one he dives for the next thrall, talons stretched out in front as he swoops down and attempts to pull a head off. It's his style when in battle, shifting forms so the enmy doesn't know where he's coming from or what they should be looking for. "Foul unnatural creatures, think you can stand a force of nature? Think again." the eagle gives a piercing cry as he attacks.

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
Just an ordinary, little girl with an ordinary puppy. ... So why doesn't she look scared at all? One would thikn when faced with walking, growling, aggressive dead, a child would be cowering and trying to hide.

[GET SET.]

That's the low ping of a smooth and mechanical male voice, emanating from the medallion in the girl's hand, and her free hand outstretches, spreading the bright golden light of a circular runig sigil. The spell circle acts like a shield, withstanding the pepper of fire before she reels back her arm. That glimmering medallion crackles with life, a sword-like blade of electric light erupts from her hand and with it Fate takes a vicious, smooth, and practiced slash to cleave through the closest of the thralls before the rest of her is enveloped in gold.

In an instant the girl's yukata vanishes, replaced instantaneously with the dark black form of her Barrier Jacket, black cloak unfurling from the high collar. And the gem takes on a new shape, a black battle-axe, yellow eye-like gem set in the center, a quick wave and dismissive whisper of "Fire..." unloads projectiles of pure lightning upon the others approaching her.

"Ahhhhh Faaaate-o, we were having so much fun, too." The puppy at her side whines before a bolt of lightning strikes it. Where puppy Arf was a moment ago, a gigantic red wolf with monstrous claws and fangs replaces it. "Well fine, fine. But only if I get to take home a thigh bone."

Sigh.

"We can help." She offers quietly.

Kirika (481) has posed:
Kirika nods back to both Saber and Kaminagi as they continue to cleave through the thralls' ranks immediately attacking. "Thank you all for the assistance." She says, looking to the zebramorph shamaan as she roasts and buries the thralls alternatively that aren't sworded to bloody chunks. Mizuki recieves a brief glance of confusing, both from Kirika herself but also from the family as they watch her saunter along merrily, dropping thrall after thrall with ease for someone lacking holy weapons. Kirika moues her lips a little, as the girl does have a point here. "There's something bigger at work here, aye. We're going to be very busy soon enough."

She then helps the boy's parents out of their vehicle, before urging them along. "Go, go, go!" Kirika runs pretty well for a girn in a yukata, it seems, as she manages to run along with the family towards a shelter's entrance, kicking on it with a sandaled foot. "There are civilians here that need entrance, open up!"

A peephole opens, and someone speaks. "Not on your life, lady." The man on the other end of that door is heard saying. "I ain't risking everyone in here just for three people with those freaks running about."

Kirika looks flatly at the door before she glances at the family again. "...bastard." She growls, before backing up and delivering another kick, this time the blow echoes with a resounding clang. It definitely gets the other end's attention. That gets the door open, and the three civilians are ushered in before shutting just as quickly as it was opened up.

MEANWHILE, Saber's strikes do in fact seem to do their job, not harming an innocent soul as thralls out of blade-range are hit with holy force from the King's mighty sword of legend. Setsuko finds similar success, cutting a tight grouping of them apart as the lone survivor limps to swing its hatchet at the war goddess.

Vanessa's ice shield is successful, hard enough to withstand the bullets easily while remaining solid as stone. The chunks removed are flung towards the thralls, crushing them like insects in their weight and the force put behind them.

Allyn provides death from above as he shifts from wolf to eagle, his talons rending corrupted flesh and bone as easily as any blade could. The thralls clutching guns don't even have time to aim properly, their revolver and shotgun-esque weapons missing just before they are attacked by the shapeshifter.

Bardiche's strikes cleaves through the monsters with ease, before being coated in lightning hell. Should Arf go to town on these chumps, they'll be slim pickings for the young lady's familiar and companion.

Back to our heroine, Kirika's blade flourishes as she parries bone and blade alike, cutting down several of the thralls in her path before she sets alight a survivor, lightning and ice both nailing an approaching group before Kirika disappears in a shower of light and petals, before she reforms right above them, coming down with a downward slash to split one in half, then a rising strike leading into several swift blows.

The kitsune's sword is sheathed, once blood is swiped from its blade. Then Kirika calls out to the others, already making a run for it down the road. "Come! THe shrine is but a short walk ahead, we need to get there now before this gets to the rest of the city!"

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
It is only bare moments after Kirika takes off at a run that she is joined by the silver-haired demigod, that blade back in its sheath for now. "What exactly is going on?" Setsuko asks as she runs, keeping pace easily with the half-youkai. "What are these things, and what is their aim?" While they have the time en route to the shrine, she may as well ask.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
The staff actually made a small hold in the ground where it struck due to the sudden intense heat the spell caused, so Cheyanne has to jiggle it a bit before it comes loose. Returning it to ready at her shoulder she turns and takes stride with the others. "Then let us make haste. To deface such a spiritual site shall not be tolerated in any manner."

Allyn (307) has posed:
So speed is needed? Well, he can do speed too, the eagle ponders as he lands on the ground after his behading a thrall or two, letting the heads drops off his talons before landing of course. He ponders a moment, speed, but which speed? land or air, that's the question. He picks land, his form shifting once again, the eagle on the ground being replaced by a sleep cheetah. He races alongside the others, "Does it matter what they are? They aren't natural, they don't feel right to be. They should be rent limb from limb and shredded like a scratching post." he purrs a little, obviously the shapeshifter is having fun it seems.

Vanessa Selby (323) has posed:
"Aren't shrines suppose to protect places from zombies?" Vanessa may not be fully up to date on her mythology, but she thinks thats about the last place they would want to go. "And what she said." She nods at Setsuko's comment. She does her best to keep up with the others not known for her speed on foot.

Saber (346) has posed:
With the path cleared, Saber darted back -- still facing the cleared path -- to help defend the innocents Kirika was already in the process of rescuing and guiding. "Fear not...tainted creatures shall not touch you."

As if to prove her point, with Wind King released, Excalibur's naked blade was visible for all to see...a blade which glowed golden with holy light, refined magical energy.

Keeping an effortless pace, she asked a question of her own, falling back on past experience with netherworld creatures. "If these are summoned creatures, would their summoner be nearby?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki smiles and lays out her palms in a shrug gesture. She doesn't say it out loud, but she's probably thinking something like 'Of course I'm right'. Only, in this case, that thought is probably accompanied by 'And you have no idea how much I wish that I wasn't'. It's true, though - while she has no idea of the details of what's going on here, her Authorial Sense is telling her that these dark entities are but one piece of a much larger puzzle. And she has every intention of solving that riddle... once their lives and the lives of others aren't teetering on the precipice. So, returning her hands to a more neutral position, Mizuki follows the kitsune.

Ah, but she said something that piqued Mimi's curiosity, didn't she? On their way, Mizuki pipes up in response. "A shrine, you say~?" She glances over to her. "Am I to assume there is something there that can push these blasphemous rouges back into the proverbial sewers from whence they came? And if so, does that mean they are weak to holy magic? If so..." In her run, Mizuki cleaves a hole in... well... the sky. From the hole appear two girls in monochromatic formal wear, both of whom fly along on either side of the girl who had called them here.

"You called, boss~?" The one with pink hair is the first to speak, and she's a bit disconcertingly cheery herself. Mizuki replies to her with a simple nod. "Yes, and I would request that you both summon your scythes with 'holy' charges." Each of them grin and bow their heads in response, and mere moments later they've both called forth their weapons... and they're glowing slightly.

"It is done, mistress." The one with silver hair sounds a lot more tame. "Would you like us to be on the lookout for hostile beings?" Mizuki gives another, vertical shake of her head. "Mmhmm. Do your best to keep the road clear as we advance, would you~?" And with that, they both soar higher to watch the road for enemies...

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
"Arf."

"Riiiiight~."

Fate sends her Familiar off to 'have fun'. This involves running around and chewing on anything that strikes her fancy. And picking a thighbone. But the blonde is more focused at the task at hand. When the shelter refuses to open to take more people in, a dark look crosses Fate's face. "Bardiche."

[YES SIR.]

A snack-HISH of erupting energy and the axe-head swivels back, a scythe of pure electric energy forming at the head. She looks ready to cleave the door down herself before Kirika 'convinces' the people inside to open up. So then it's on to the shrine. Anything in her way is going to meet that razor-hot scythe, and she keeps pace with the group pretty easily. "If the summoner is nearby..." She echoes Saber before her Device speaks.

[CUT HIM DOWN.]

Kirika (481) has posed:
"These are thralls, they are the foot soldiers of sorcerers of a more dark nature in magic. Necromancers and such. This can only mean one is seeking whatever lies ahead, at the shrine." Kirika explains quickly the situation over radio, the kitsune finds more ahead.

Stopped along the way by more of the undead, she draws her sword quickly, sliding into range as she severs the legs off one thrall before chopping it apart without breaking stride. A wave of her hand sets several of the thralls around her aflame before they are reduced to ashes.

Fate has similar success, her magic device ripping apart any she attacks.

Callia and Palora are fired at by thralls toting crossbows of an advanced, magitec-crossed-with-steampunk design, their bolts flaming as more come the group's way. They're close to the shrine, given a gate up ahead where many of the thralls are posted.

"I need you all to manage the crowds here, I have to go ahead in order to purify the shrine!" After saying this, Kirika teleports her way to the middle of the bunch, falling from above right onto them while launching bolts of lightning from her hands. Landing, she weaves and cuts her way through, making her way up the stairway towards the temple itself.

She didn't kill all of them however, as the thralls posted stare towards the group, charging with whatever sharp implements or firearms and crossbows they have on them.

Of course, by now it seems most of the civilians are in shelters, or they've holed up in makeshift hiding places of their own for the time being. The lucky ones that is, anyway.

Allyn (307) has posed:
Cheetahs are all well and good for speed, but not so much for combat. True he's already showed the power of his wolf self, so the cheetah decides this time it's time for a little fun. As they are fired at his shifts his form again, the form of a fox replacing the cheetah. He yips! at the thralls and then darts forward to bite at their hamstrings to try and cripple them so they can't get to the others as easily. Hey fox teeth are sharp after all! he does his best to dodge attacks to, nimble little fox.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
"Of course," Setsuko replies. Crowd control? She can do that.

She turns into an aggressive ready stance as the thralls come, and the first crossbow bolt to fire her way is cleanly cut out of the air as the swordswoman launches into the crowd. "HAAA!" With a loud war cry, she dives into battle, weaving a tapestry of divine blue death as she cuts and parries, deflects and attacks. A blade catches her shoulder. A crossbow bolt grazes her cheek. A bullet scores a line across her side. None of it even seems to register on the demigod, wreathed in the divine blue cloud of War.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
"This may be more than one guardian can cleanse." It's a simple statement of possiblity, rather than any sort of objection. As they make their way towards the temple Cheyanne reaches into her pouch, pulls out a handful of seemingly ordinary seeds, and throws them at the feet of one cluster of thralls without breaking her stride in the least.

As soon as the seeds hit the ground they sprout with magical speed, digging roots through the pavement and erupting into tangles of thorny vines and stalks that wrap a crushing grip around anything caught in them. Some of the vines purposely lash at limbs and weapons to bind them and break their direction away from the passing heroes.

Saber (346) has posed:
"Acknowledged," came Saber's ever-serious reply as she followed closely, coming between deft sweeps of the glowing holy sword. So suddenly the Servant became a mere blur, Saber dove into another part of the crowd of thralls with her characteristic battle yells as she swept the celestial sword in wide but measured arcs. Not a trace of movement was wasted; she still had to be careful to maintain her prana. However, she could keep the undead creatures at bay long enough for Kirika to accomplish her duty.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
"Man, this is gonna be a piece a --" Palora's mocking is interrupted as she narrowly avoids letting a crossbow shot tear a hole in her wing. Immediately, her face twists in rage. "How -DARE- you?! I'm gonna kick your ass, you inky piece of crap!" Palora rockets off in the direction of whatever monstrosities were firing on her and her sister follows, albeit with much less fire. "Now now, Palora. There's no use getting so worked up over something so trivial. Take a deep breath, and..." But she's interrupted by another shout as the pink-haired loudmouth attempts to cleave one of the shadowy fiends in two with her scythe.

"Like HELL I'll calm down! I'm gonna cut each and everyone one of them in half and then DANCE on their FREAKIN' CORPSES!" Finished with one, she dashes to the next object of her aggression, tossing her scythe around like mad. Callia daintily puts a hand to her mouth and mimes an 'Oh, my~' before spinning around and attempting to take out a small group of her own. Meanwhile, Mizuki sighs.

"It's really a wonder they accomplish anything at all, isn't it...?" She tries to sound chagrined, but a smile makes that seem a little ingenuine. Soon, though, Kirika teleports away, and Mizuki's expression droops. "... hmph." She does as the girl says and turns to keep whatever other shadows that come at bay, but every so often she lets herself get pushed back closer to the shrine. In earnest, she's much more interested in finding out what Kirika intends to do there than she is in fighting off these cockroaches, but since she was polite...

Mizuki sighs, summoning her sword and scanning for any dangers. 'It can't be helped', she thinks to herself.

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
Though they managed to get those straggling people to safety there will undoubetedly be more who were unable to get somewhere fortified- people who have little more than their wits and legs to carry them to safety from the undead nightmares, and that might not be enough.

"Bardiche..."

[A BARRIER WILL BE SET.]

With that announcement a larger runic circle spreads from beneath her feet, gold light dancing with the crackle of electricity... And the sudden pressure of a dome spreading outwards erupts from the spell. To elites it will feel like little more than a twinge. A tingle along nerves that says the laws of reality and physics have just been bent over a rail and kicked out the window as time seems to stop for just an instant. The skies darken, washed out and dull purple and grey tones overtaking the natural skies overhead and everything loses color save for active combatants. Just like that the Barrier shifts away any civilians, trapping them in a pocket space and trapping the undead INSIDE the dome for as long as need be.

Vanessa Selby (323) has posed:
"Or trying to destroy the shrine." Vanessa figures that might be more likely but now wasn't the time to argue. There were more undead to deal with. She forms an ice wall around the shrine to make it hard for them to break through and rests on the top of it as she observes the fighting. Between that and Fate's barrier not much should be able to get through. This was taking more effort than she would like. Oh well, with everyone here she shouldn't have to do much more.

Kirika (481) has posed:
Bound in vines sprouting from the ground itself, the thralls caught in thorny clutches are either broken in half like twigs from the vines' grip or held in place for the others to eliminate with sword, fang, and anything else on hand.

Saber and Setsuko accomplish their task handily in tanking for the gang, their swords felling thralls like wheat before the farmer's scythe. There's only so much these undead can do in the face of such powerful warriors.

Speaking of scythes, Palora's enraged rampage manages to earn her a good number of notches to her belt in kills counted, her fury guiding her strikes even as Callia joins the fray with more measured strikes. Mizuki will find herself cornered by a trio of thralls of her own to contend with, one of them charging with a machete-esque blade swinging towards her with aggressive-yet-clumsy movements. There's no finesse to these guys, that's for sure.

Allyn's shift to fox mode winds up slowing a few of the thralls down, as they don't quite feel it, but they certainly do begin stumbling all over the place like traditional zombies on some late-night b-movie are oft to do.

The barrier Fate sets up with Bardiche's help will keep civies safe as the whole area is covered in magical protection. This will make the clearing efforts much more neatly handled, without worrying about as much collateral damage.

Vanessa's ice forms a blockade for the thralls, and she finds herself with a hell of a show as the numbers dwindle until only parts of thralls remain moving before finally they expire.

A massive, violet and red flash of magic up at the shrine signifies something, but it doesn't take away the thralls. No, this is black magic of some sort. It's nothing good either.

Leading up the staircase, not wanting to abandon Kirika to whatever lies ahead, the group finds another massive spell used. This time, Kirika is seen flying out of the temple's front door onto the fountain outside, the structure losing one fancy statue as the half-kitsune smashes through it and lands on the stony ground.

Out comes a man in robes, looking every part the classical sorcerer of a mythical persuasion with a pointed beard with matching mustache, thin lips, long and extravagant robes with many colors and glowing in gold, as well as a headdress that practically burns with magic power. His hands are glowing with magic as well, his pointed fingernails adorned with jewelry as he gives a wicked cackle. "Your mother was a fool to send you among all her daughters, you who was unprepared and inexperienced in this sort of thing. Figures she would waste her own kin just to prove some sort of foolish point." He grins, showing pointed teeth as he levitates above the ground and flings another blast of magic energy at Kirika.

The kitsune growls, her yukata torn and wounds stitching together as she picks herself up and pops her neck. "They say experience is the best teacher, what better way than to fell foolish old men such as yourself?" She raises her sword, and in a flash she bats the projectile aside harmlessly as it dissipates in thin air.

The sorcerer laughs once more, you can just /smell/ the smugness on this guy as he radiates magic still. "You think you can stand up to Uco-Lu-Zhan, grandmaster of beasts and darkness itself? Do your worst, Half-Blood." His voice turns deeper and more demonic as the sorcerer's features alter before Kirika and the Elites' very eyes, his body tearing out of those robes before growing and morphing.

Within a minute, the sorcerer becomes a beast of nightmares; the creature Kirika faces sports the features of a tiger, snake, monkey, and even a dragon. It sports teeth, horns, and claws sharp as swords and it has several edged bonelike structures emerging with the shape of knives. Yellow eyes with reptilian slits reflect a predatory hunger for blood. This monster measures out at ten to twenty feet all in all, pacing the massive courtyard as it growls as though continuing to laugh at the kitsune.

This...is a Nue.

http://i618.photobuc

Vanessa Selby (323) has posed:
"What is that?" Vanessa has a puzzled look on her face, it looks like someone stuck a bunch of animals in blender. Kirika answers that over the radio but that just leads to further questions. She thinks it would be rather difficult to fight like that. Still it looks like it's partly cold-blooded so it might work to her advantage as she tosses ice shards at the nue.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
As soon as the crowd seems to be safe, Setsuko turns to look briefly at Saber, and then whips around to run for the shrine. That's about when the flash of black magic fires off.

Setsuko begins to run faster.

She reaches the fountain only a second after Kirika hits, looking at the girl with a brief frown. "Are you all right?" But if she's getting back to her feet, then the swordswoman won't worry. Instead, she settles into a square, powerful stance, levelling her blade horizontally at eye level. "If we are to give names and titles, then I am Kaminagi Setsuko. Major in the Union Armed Forces. Neither woman nor god, but somewhere in between. Bearer of the blade of the Forgotten God of War."

Her divine aura begins to seep into her blade, and she brings her fingertips up to rest on it, index and middle, just above the hilt. "Have at you."

Her fingers rapidly graze along the flat of her blade, hilt to tip to hilt again, and all that divinity compresses, begins to spin, compacting down into a tight projectile. And then she thrusts her weapon forward all at once, with a roar of, "DENKOUSEKKA!"

The projectile that flies is a tightly-packed, dense burst of blue-white, an attack with both piercing and impact properties. And running right behind it, Setsuko charges in, aiming to close the distance under cover of her own attack.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
"An abomination to lead abominations," is Cheyanne's observation as the man changes into a monstrousity. The furrow of her striped brow increases a bit, as a woman who has seen many disgusting and disturbing things brought forth by corruption, that algamation of horror was making a new mark in the higher ranks of the list. Mangled together, twisted and perverted into such vile forms.

"Not a man to be forgiven, nor a beast to be spared." Etheral whisps swirl about the upper length of her staff, though she hands to the back of the group. Not out of cowardice, but of tactical sense. As she is most likely to be the one in the role as support and if need be healer for this, she is best at stance behind the aggressors. She taps her staff to the ground, sending a wave of mystic resisiliance and reassurance washing over her allies. "To strike down a horror, is all left to be bared."

Allyn (307) has posed:
Allyn glares at the strange mixture of creatures that the man has become, his hackles rising as he stares at it. He shifts his form again, growing until a full sized lion stands where the fox was, "Oh really, you're the grandmaster of beasts? Well, oh mighty grandmaster, meet the king of beasts!" he roars a challenge at the evil looking thing and circles around it and crocuehs, before springing to attack the snake-tail portion of the creature. "Face the force of a real beast."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki leaves herself wide open when the beastie comes at her with its sword. This isn't out of hubris for once, though - she's trying to take it by surprise. As it prepares itself to strike, Mizuki *swings* her sword in turn, hoping to toss its blade aside. Assuming this gives her the opening that she's looking for, she lunges forward quickly with her sword to end the poor soul's life. And then she looks to the other two.

... but Callia and Palora, it would seem, have got that covered. No sooner has Mimi finished up her business than have the Reaper Sisters dropped their blades like guillotines on the heads of the remaining two. Mizuki gives them both a smile and a nod, to which they both respond with small, two-finger salutes. Ah, but they don't have the time to waste on those gestures! Luckily, they all realize this quickly, wordlessly, and head as a group to the temple.

Yes, the temple... where a creepy old man in robes transforms into yet /another/ hideous malcontent. Mizuki emits a long sigh as Callia and Palora set themselves down beside her. "There really is no end to this madness, is there?" Both sisters know that this is rhetorical and make no reply. After a brief pause, Mizuki adds, "... you know what to do. Incapacitate this graceless demon by any means necessary." They both salute again, Palora chiming in to add a 'Aye aye, cappin'~' before... they're gone. Both of them dash parallel to one another with speed exceeding even Mizuki's earlier. Seriously, it's probably not too far off to suggest that those girls might be moving at Mach One. Eventually, though, they appear on either side of the Nue, their scythes raised and ready to strike. "Burn in hell, meat~!" Ever the pleasant greeter, isn't she? While her sister attempts to jab the anthropomorphic horror in the eye, Callia swivels down to try to chop off one of its legs. Thankfully, though, she doesn't seem to have anything clever to say.

While her steadfast servants are hard at work, Mizuki raises herself into the air, staring right into the dungeon end boss's eyes. A smile slowly creeps on to her face as she holds out her right hand... and a large, monochromatic sphere forms in the air in front of her. While remaining uncharacteristically silent, Mizuki dashes forward as she had before... but this time, something new happens. Something -fast-.

Once Mizuki passes through the sphere she had created, she nigh literally becomes a human(?) blur. Her sword held out as before, she aims straight for the Nue's chest. If she hits... it won't be pretty. Well, for the enemy. For the allied Elites here, it'll be more beautiful than Andy Warhol's art is to preppy people.

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
Now there's no need to worry about collateral damage. In the distorted space of the Barrier, any damage to the area will be returned to normal once the encounter is up, and without having to deal with civilians, there's no need to even spare a thought to holding back.

This is a good thing. Fate finishes the spell fast and catches up with the group in no time at all. Fate really has nothing to say here when the sorceror reveals himself and takes on that gigantic and monstrous form. She simply squeezes the haft of her scythe.

[ZANBER FORM.]

Bardiche's announcement is heralded by the cha-KUNK cha-KUNK of the revolver cylinder beneath the axe-head spinning twice, expending the explosive energy of two cartriges to feed him with the power necessary for the transformation to occur. Axe-head arcs back, splitting into two and rotating to form a stylized cross-guard, the polearm's long shaft shortening to half its size and into a hilt... For the sudden explosion of a massive blade formed from a blindingly gold electric light forming the Device into a two-handed sword both longer than the girl is tall, and wider than it has any right to be.

And she holds it like it weighs nothing.
No words. She just charges in, on Setsuko's side in fact, a silent stalking wingman of a little girl with inhuman speed, HEAVING her blade and taking an overhead chop of a swing that lances a brutal cutting arc of electric energy.

Kirika (481) has posed:
"Mm," Kirika seems to regard Setsuko with a noticeable amount of respect for the elder swordmaster, nodding to her as the woman comes to her side. She narrows her eyes at what was once the sorcerer, tightening her grip on her own katana as she sucks in breath. "You will not see the end of this night, perverter of life. I will see to it you /burn!/" She growls, her blade glowing red hot with flames as she charges forth as well.

Setsuko's attacks strike the nue in the face, leaving behind a nasty gash that dazes it enough for Kaminagi to swoop in close to slash up-close, and she does so with additional cuts landing with juicy impact. The beast swipes a clawed limb at the white-haired goddess, its other paw swinging towards Kirika.

The Kitsune swordswoman parries the strike, her blade emitting sparks and a sharp metallic clang as she slashes at the paw itself. Cutting along the side of its arm, Kinugiri leaves burning wounds behind that visibly affect the nue.

Vanessa's shards strike the tail, and they seem to have a particularly good effect on the snake, its scales wilting in color and the limp itself visibly shuddering with each impact biting deep with chill.

Allyn then attacks the tail with ferocity, even as the snake aims to wrap itself around the shapeshifter's neck to break it, squeezing like an anaconda as it strikes to bite at Allyn's flesh to apply its venom.

Cheyanne's magic however will help with whatever problems that causes, a well as the wounds that others may receive in the process in healing and resilience.

The nue's eye is cut deep by Palora aims for the eyeball, and its leg is chopped into by Callia's attack as well. The leg is hobbled now, not quite severed but it is close for the most part.

When Mizuki strikes it full on the side, the nue is knocked back a few paces, staggered enough from the shining impact that it doesn't see what comes next. Fate's Zanber strike coats the nue in electricity, leaving it roaring in pain before it suddenly opts to throw Allyn aside upon recovery, aiming him towards one of the Elites to kill two with one stroke. Kirika winds up the target, but she manages to withstand the impact by catching him.

"Oof...my apologies." She murmurs to the shapeshifter, her strength keeping him aloft for a moment longer before she sets him down on the ground, then leaps over him to engage the nue once more, ice blasts thrown towards the tail like Vanessa had done before.

Vanessa Selby (323) has posed:
Vanessa's a bit surprised by Kirika's ice, it seems like she's not the only fox-woman around here with that power. The two of them really would have to talk when they had a chance. For now she can consider this practice for her fight with Vervi. Even though she doubt's a nue and a shinki fight moch alike. She covers him with a layer of ice to keep him in place as the others attack him.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
With the passive effect in place Cheyanne turns her attention directly to the fight. Her expression finally lightens a bit at seeing the gathered put their different abilities together to make seperate, yet unified, strikes upon the monster. She releases her staff with one hand, instead partically clenching it in front of her. Miasma swirls around and then into it, congealing into a rippling form that looks almost like someone suspended a tiny lake in mid-air.

Then she clamps her hand upon it, the manifestation seeming to disperse as she flicks her hand in the monster's direction, and unlike her previous chants says by only one word in a haunting tone.

"..Drown.."

What should of been a splatter off her fingers turns into a torrent, a volumonous surge of water aimed at the fiend's face, aimed to aggrivate getting in the eyes and flood into his mouth and throat. While asphixiation alone likely wouldn't kill such a horrible being, it is certainly likely to be a very slow and agonizing experience while the others are also tearing into him.

Allyn (307) has posed:
Allyn shakes his head at Kirika catches and sets him down, he rolls back to his feet and just blinks. He's a bit roughed up from being squeezed and tossed, but he's been in worse shape before, like when he was shot with a gatling gun that was the tail of some other creature. "It's alright." he tells the retreating one and then he shifts to his peregine falcon form and flies up into the air, he's still got something left. Yes, it is going to hurt, but well, at least maybe there is a healer around?"

He gets as high up as he can get and then dives down with the full speed of a diving falcon after a pidgeon, only while he is diving he shifts once more, this time a giant tortoise about ten feet long now hurling down at the Nue, probably more like a small meteor. Yep pain is sure to be in store for Allyn.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
Setsuko's eyes dart to one side for just a moment, catching Fate's gaze. There's the faintest of nods. And then the battle is joined in earnest.

That sword of Setsuko's meets the nue's claws with showers of sparks, her divinity rippling around her. Again and again, she steps and strikes. At some point, those claws manage to rake across her shoulder, but as before, it doesn't slow her down. The older wounds have already slowly begun to heal.

And as the nue tosses Allyn aside, Setsuko takes advantage of the opening, drops low, darting right around Fate in perfect time to come around with her sword in a fierce diagonal cut aimed right at Zhan's head.

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
There's nary even a nod from the blonde, utterly focused in the moment, she follows Setsuko's lead. As the Nue sizzles from her initial electrical assault, now she takes to it up close, her collosal blade taking swift and hevay strikes at it when she can, using the massive flat to ward off blows.

It's like watching a dance; but Fate's speed is just on levels that aren't human, fast enough to leave nothing but tattered cape and cloth in her wake on the monster's claws when it makes for her. The girl is a literal blur of black and blitz of gold; going in high when Setsuko goes low, and whirling her body around to make full use of bone-jarringly immense momentum, cutting in a diagonal opposite Setsuko's, forming a perfect X of divine and electrical might brought down to bear on the beast.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki makes her sword dissipate once again after it attacks, calling it back into her hand moments after. Then, she looks to both of the girls a final time, giving them a nod. Some kind of a cue...? It looks like it. At once, the sisters jump behind Mizuki, tossing their scythes like boomerangs. They aim for the Nue's legs again, but this time, they try to be sure that he never walks again. Once the weapons glide past their enemy, they dash across the field to retrieve them, taking hold of them and going at once for the creature's back. Nothing like a good combo to show the boss who is... well. Uh. Boss.

Mizuki smiles. Seeing Callia and Palora now, she's ever so slightly proud. Such coordination they are capable of, even when their personalities are such contrasts with one another...! She rubs at her eye to prevent a tear from rolling down. But...! Now is not the time for sentimentality! Mizuki collects herself and brandishes her sword a final time. At once, she jets toward the monster's head, staring directly into its eyes. Her eyes narrow, and an almost vindictive grin spreads across her face.

"Never will you be able to blemish this world with the poison of your arrogance again." She whispers. She lifts her sword out besides her before attempting to -slice off his head- with one swift slash of finality.

Kirika (481) has posed:
The nue's left front and hint legs are severed from the knee down, leaving the creature hobbling on two pairs of legs uselessly as it slumps to the ground. Allyn's strike winds up breaking its back, and Cheyanne's torrential assault of water magic stuns it long enough for Kaminagi and Fate to strike.

Their coordinated x-cut cuts deep enough to blind the monster in both its eyes, and Kirika charges forth as Mizuki's blow is landed.

For a non-holy sword, it is sharp enough to sever the beast's head and leave it falling to its shoulders, and she lands a slash of her own upon the beast before she leaps top its body while it falls apart completely. With Vanessa freezing the monster, it's wide open for what happens next.

Tenacious even in its deaht throes, the Nue's snake-tail strikes at Kirika before she evades and cuts the snake-tail off calmly. Then, she returns to the stump where a head once was, haggard but still standing.

Her fist drives into the stump, reaching down as Kirika roots about the Nue's innards before she rips something free.

It's a jeweled, glowing orb the size of a tangerine, somehow sporting valves similar to an organ feeding blood and magical energies through it.

Clenching her fist, Kirika crushes this orb in her hand with a flash of light showering through her fingers, absorbing the energies to give herself a little boost. "There's but one thing that must be done now." she announces, before sheathing her katana and calmly approaching the shrine.

There she kneels seiza style, closing her eyes and breathing in deep as she chants in some inhuman tongue as though in a trance.

THe flow of magic can be felt even by the other Elites, a cleansing feeling as the influence of the sorcerer and the thralls before is slowly burnt away. The nue's body dissolves into ashes, the body disposing of itself seemingly due to a lack of energy keeping it alive now. Far off, the fallen thralls dissipate, their souls returning to the ether where they belong upon attaining freedom at last from torment.

The battle is won, and the day is saved.

Cheyanne (242) has posed:
Cheyanne watchs all this with a passive gaze... and one that prehaps shows the shaman's true age for a few moments, of someone that's seen this an a lot of similar vile things in her lifetime. Things that wear a person down. But there was too much to do to make worlds a better, safer place for others for her to stop. Not for as long as she was still in the service of the forces that guide her.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
Only once the Nue has fallen, only once Kirika crushes that magical organ, does Setsuko relax her stance and return her blade to its sheath in a smooth and practiced motion.

She watches Kirika in silence, only stepping forward to speak with the young lady once the task of purification is complete.

Allyn (307) has posed:
After falling at full speed, even a tortoise ten feet long and with a thick shell wouldn't escape unscathed and Allyn wasn't expecting to, even though the fall broke the monster's back, well there is still the force of the impact itself. While his shelled form may not have suffered too much real damage, the collision was enough to knock the shapeshifter out, causing him to revert to his true form, a young human man. He's probably not too damaged though, maybe a broken rib. He'll have to remember not to do that again, but knowing him and how reckless he can be? he probably will should the need for it arise.

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
And thus... It's over. Fate touches down with a small tup-tup of metal boots before the Device in her hand reverts to its proir axe-like form. Twin prongs open up as Bardiche proceeds to vent steem furiously, bleeding off the accumulation of magical heat.

[CONDITION GREEN.]

Though Fate herself has picked up some gashes in the chaos of melee, she seems just about the samem tugging her cloak tighter over her shoulders. Does she even stop to join the others in post-battle celebration?

No.
The small blonde proceeds to turn right around and start walking away, Barrier Jacket dissipating to return her to the black and flowery yukata she was in before all hell broke loose.

"Faaaaate-o! Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaate-o!" The yip-yip of an orange puppy bounding to her side says Arf found something nice. She's holding a thigh bone in her teeth, but then stops. She looks at the fallen Nue. She looks at her bone. She drops the bone. She bites... She pulls...

Fate just... Tries to walk quicker as the little red puppy starts dragging a Nue thighbone with her.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki slowly lowers herself to Earth, her wings beating a few more times before they disappear. She promptly folds her hands behind her back and curtsies to her fallen opponent before making her sword disappear for a final time. Surprisingly, though, Mizuki is not the first to speak once all is finished.

Palora wraps an arm around her scythe, leaning on it a bit. "Wow, you really don't screw around, do ya?" She's looking to Kirika. "Guess ya can't, with guys like that runnin' around. Still, for all his big talk, he was kinda a pushover." She grins a toothy grin. "Buuut I guess it's kinda hard to stay alive with the massive concentration of awesome we got goin' on around here." Her sister just folds her hands at her waist, smiling pleasantly as her sister talks on.

But you didn't think Mimi was going to stay quiet forever, did you? Once she has had time to collect herself, she, too, goes to address Kirika. "You are not at all as inexperienced as that bestial ignoramus seemed to think." Mizuki gives her a curtsey as well. "'Twas a pleasure having the opportunity to meet and fight with you, Miss Kirika. Should you ever have need of aid in the future - as I'm painfully certain that you will - I urge you to come to me for it. It's always nice, being a 'heroine'." Her smiles are always so hard to read, but at the very least, it seems like this one is meant to be friendly. Still, one can never be sure with her, can they?

Mizuki promptly backs away and calls out her wings once more, and her little 'maids' are soon to follow. Raising her voice just slightly, she adds, "And the same to all of you as well! You were all magnificent this night! Celebrate your victory, and be proud of your strengths~!" Mizuki's wings beat a few times, lifting her into the air. "But ah, that's quite enough theatrics for one evening. I'll be pretentious no longer, lest I begin to sound like the monster we've just vanquished~!" She lets out a small, high giggle. "Fare thee well, my friends~! May we all meet again some day." And with that, she gives a rather impressive aerial bow... and swoops in the direction of the warpgate.

Yep. Ever cryptic, that one. Or is she really just -that- showy...?

Vanessa Selby (323) has posed:
Vanessa's glad that's over with, she's io the mood to get some sleep. She would like to talk to Kirika later but that can wait. Plus, sticking around with all this Union presence wouldn't likely be a good idea. She figures they were tolerating her presence for now since she was helping out.

Kirika (481) has posed:
Kirika returns from the shrine once everything is done, just in time to see Arf ripping a thighbone from something. She doesn't seem to settle for half-measures, and she upgrades to a Nue's thighbone that somehow manages to remain intact.

"...your familiar is quite unusual." She comments to Fate idly, before she clears her throat and bows her head reverently to all gathered.

Rising, she manages a tired, but genuine smile. Her tail swishes side to side, ears twitching as her wounds stitch together, but her yukata remains in tatters along the bottom and in back. "You have done a lot for me, a stranger only just unified to this 'multiverse'. I cannot express my gratitude enough to you all, for assisting me in this effort." She says, before suddenly a fox with golden eyes and black-white fur appears from behind Kirika with a soft fufufu~.

"My master, so modest as ever. That aside, your help was very much welcome." Hikage says, before the familiar nudges her master towards Kaminagi while Kirika stares blankly at Mizuki's two companions for a moment. Her gaze turns to the white-haired swordswoman, and she raises a brow. "Yes? Kaminagi, was it?"