Scene #1839: Battle Over Illusions

Owner	Pose
Rynn	Rynn has come to this strange place in hopes to capture for the Union once more, given as she has read in the archives of its great importance in showing not only events of the past, but possibly things to be. If this place holds such a power, maybe she and Arokh could use it to aid in locating down where some of the other Elder Dragons had gone-- and if any can be saved. She is wearing studded leather and plate mail armor, a sword is at her hip with a dagger on her opposite thigh. A bow is in hand, with three arrows at ready in her grasp. The arrow tips glowing gently with a blue like aura of light. As the red head moves in, she attempts to take careful steps, moving about the rising crags to head for the steps. Then with a quick step around, she launches one of the arrows impacting a Confederate soldier in the pack and freezing him in place as ice surrounds his form. With another quick step she launches two more, though while one arrow hits the mark, the other misses and freezes a rock. With a tsk, she quickly changes arrows as she goes to move for a bit of higher ground and the alert goes out. A Union Elite is in the area.
Miko Fujimoto	This is the third time Miko has been to the Caverns of Prophecy, and the second time she has been here while it was being attacked by the Union. Unlike the time before this, a twisted alternate personality with her own body and indepdent action is not in control. Instead, it is Miko herself. She came here hoping to find answers. Answers to the distant past, and the true nature of the Sacred Scepter she wields. But her investigation has been halted as alarms go off, and she becomes aware of an intruder. She doesn't order the soldiers to leave or not to get involved. She has the authority to, but she doesn't. Instead, the teenager - dressed warmly for the chill of the mountain - identifies where the enemy is coming from, and then draws forth a Shinto prayer rod. The wooden wand with two strips of paper in diamond-shaped streamers is an Artifact of Holiness and Law. But lately, Miko has been using only the Law aspect of her magic. And she thinks that may be what's been imbalancing her and restricting her so much. She needs to believe in what she's doing. Holiness is based upon what one reveres. If she holds her duty to be sacred, her role to be holy, then the restrictions upon her free well and free action... They will BECOME her free will and free action, because she CHOSE them. Pink light shines from high above Rynn, and a flare of holy energy radiates outwards strongly. Then the black-haired, brown-eyed, 18-years old Miko Fujimoto is replaced by the pink-haired, pink-eyed, twenty-something magical girl, Princess Paladin. The streak of pink descends from high above, bounding acrobatically from rock to cliff face, to mountain trail, and eventually landing about thirty feet away from Rynn. The gohei has been replaced with a long pink shaft with a gleaming, crystalline, pink sphere on the end. The Sacred Scepter thrums with magic energy, and Paladin twirls it in one hand, then the other, before switching back, in a rapid maneuver, before rising to her feet from the crouch she landed in. "Soldiers of the Confederacy," she announces. "I am Princess Paladin, an officer of the Confederacy. You have bravely defended this place, endured freezing cold, and howling wind, and being removed from friends, family, and comrades in this remote place. Though I fight for you, I also ask to fight beside you." The words Paladin speaks seem very sincere somehow. Almost magically so. What she is saying sounds like she truly believes it and means it. "Stand WITH me in this fight. Support me. Call down praise and encouragement, just as I will offer the same to you. Believe in me! Your belief is my strength! OUR strength!" She raises the Sacred Scepter up above her head, and calls out, "The strength of the Confederacy!" The various soldiers around the area seem... Inspired by this. Whether actually so, or due to some suggestion magic. And they do as they are asked to. They call down encouragment, offer support, and seem ready to fight alongside Princess Paladin. And that intense holy aura of hers, the way that the magical girl seems to carry herself with grace, mature, and a decidedly heroic air, become even more pronounced as a visible glow of white and pink energy radiates from her. Paladin is being filled with the strength of her faction's soldiers. She can feel it. And as she taps into this enhancement for the first time, she seems ready to face this (presumed) Union Elite and -win-.
Rynn	When the flash of light happens above, Rynn quickly snaps her bow aim around and three more arrows are at ready. She follows the quick moving form of Princess Paladin with her eyes and listens to how she inspires the soldiers about her. The red head woman huffs some of her loose bangs from in front of her face as those green eyes study the Confederate Elite before her. "Well, I feel slightly ashamed that I have to actually fight someone who be better served standing with the Union really. Are you sure you picked the right side to stand with?" Rynn asks as she draws back one of her arrows, her stance wide as if ready to move at a given notice. "Because last I saw, all of the Confederacy, at least most, were a bunch of warmonger, power hungry, iron fist jerks." The woman suddenly swaps out arrows in her hand with ease, firing it down at the ground, which explodes sending up a bloom of smoke and rocks everywhere. Rynn uses this distraction to quickly move herself to another location, as she traces a rune in her free hand and activates the spell to shield over her own body with some extra resistance.
Miko Fujimoto	Paladin lowers her volume so that only those immediately nearby, like Rynn, can hear. "We all have roles to play, and places where we belong in our lives," she replies solemnly. "I am where I am and who I am today, because of the Confederacy. I do not always agree with all that the Faction does, but the Union is the same. Not all people share the same values. And though we may be grouped into two factions now, someday, the factions will tear themselves apart from the inside." The magical girl raises her Scepter and holds it in both hands in front of herself as she slowly edges herself around her shielded opponent. "For wherever ideals that are diametrically opposed are forced to co-exist, there will be a clash. And as the clashes cause animosity and desperation, eventually war is the result." "In a Multiverse where war did not exist, neither would people!" With those final words, Paladin surges forward, trying to strike Rynn with her increased strength. Given that they're on a mountain slope, any fall - even a short one - is likely to be a painful one, even putting aside superhuman might.
Rynn	Rynn furrows her eye brows as she listens to the other woman's words, "So you stay with them due to honor. I can actually respect that, though I think you are foolish for remaining." As Princess Paladin comes in, Rynn readies herself and attempts to counter attack with a swift draw of her bow. Yet the Princess is faster and her strike comes true, knocking Rynn's aim aside. The impacts causes Rynn to slip step and fall off, as for the arrow it impacts right into the mountain, deep into it, far more effectively then a normal arrow should. As for Rynn, she lands roughly, but rolls across a crag's flat surface, before placing away her bow and drawing out her sword. The blade shimmers with a red light as soon flames ignite around the metal. With a swing of her body and the sword, a the fire dances off the blade in embers before blasting directly for the Paladin in a form of a fiery blast.
Miko Fujimoto	The powerful arrow is noted, but as it missed, Paladin pays it no further mind beyond making sure not to get hit with one of those in the future. The flames pour over Paladin, however, painful in the first place because they're flames, but even more so in contrast to the chill temperatures all around. She does not flinch. Can not. Is not allowed to. And for once, despite the girl inside of the magical girl feeling the pain fully and not being able to show even a hint of it, she does not regret. She is devoted to this task, believes in it. She is glad for the strength to keep going, even in the face of pain that she would have a hard time dealing with as mere Miko. The pink-haired warrior pushes through the flame blast, and chases right after Rynn, attempting to leap and kick the enemy towards the mountain face with the metal heel of one of her boots. Some soldiers nearby take advantage of the situation to take shots with rifles and force Rynn to deal with danger from multiple sides. Maybe she can take out non-Elite soldiers under normal circumstances, but if she's busy with an Elite, those soldiers might gain a bit of threat as a result. It seems even the 'bad guys' are capable of team work.
Rynn	Rynn readies herself for Miko, but not the sudden rifle shots. She could call in Arokh and allow her dragon companion deal with the extra manpower, but that isn't needed. It be overkill and she is not so desperate enough to ask for his aid. One of the shots nails her in the arm and she cringes, but raises up her gauntlet to take the full force of the metal heel against her metal bracer. There is a loud clang as the two pieces of metal meet and the woman is nearly knocked aside from the force. Rynn though does not stand by idly, as she shoves off with her foot, even as another bullet clips the ends of her ponytail. Her sword is at ready as she makes a slashing swing with it the blade glowing red from the magic heat that resonates inside of it. Those green eyes locked onto Princess Paladin, seeming to ignore, at least in part, that trained soldiers are attempting to take advantage of all this.
Miko Fujimoto	The heated blade scores a hit, carving a jagged, smoking line across Paladin's breastplate, and leaving blackened gouges on the places where she has exposed skin from both blade and hot metal. The soldiers can't keep shooting for fear of hitting Paladin, and the two Elites are moving too quickly to get accurate hits now. But Paladin responds to the painful blade of Rynn by charging forward yet again, seemingly willing to take the pain in exchange for dealing out the same to the enemy. She attempts to ram her foe with her shoulder this time, continuing to use martial arts and fighting maneuvers that most people wouldn't imagine a magical girl using. But Paladin is clearly not an ordinary magical girl, or the magical girls from her world are not like typical ones. But Rynn is also a skilled opponent, who has given has good as she has gotten thus far, even outnumbered. Regardless of normality for their 'types', they seem to be well matched.
Rynn	Rynn goes to side step the magical girl, however such is vain, as the young woman slams her shoulder into the other woman who yelps out in some surprise and is rammed right into the backside of one of the mountain sides. The metal armor clangs and some of the studded leather rips a bit from the sheer force and the jagged edges of the rock cutting across. The red head grits her teeth from the impact, but it does not sway her to stop fighting, instead she only pushes herself harder, this time while they are in close to ram the butt of the hilt into the abdomen of the other woman with a great deal of force, before using the bracer of her arm guard to then slam the woman aside. If Princess Paladin should lose her footing and go down to another floor of this rocky terrain, Rynn would follow seeming to want to keep this magical girl in her sights at all time and in combat range. "You fight with a great deal of spirit! I am really ashamed that we are on different sides. We could learn a great deal from one another."
Miko Fujimoto	Being struck in the abdomen makes Paladin bend forward from the impact despite her magically-imbued grace, and being struck aside with the bracer causes her to stagger aside. The power of those two blows have made pink eyes narrow, as she realizes she has to take this a bit more seriously. "Yes." she replies. "But we can also learn from this battle." The magical girl then smashes the ground beneath them with her Artifact, the Sacred Scepter sending up rock shards and snow in a cloud that obscures vision. She then charges forward, spinning the Scepter before her at high speed, hopefully to both catch any attacks aimed her way in the temporary cloud of debris and to score a hit if she reaches Rynn before the other woman can dodge.
Rynn	Rynn can only smirk at what the magical girl has to say, but when she observes the power now being shown, her green eyes can only go wide. That is-- not something can she can, not without some proper equipment anyways. In the eyes of the Dragon Rider, she was actually out matched on so many levels. This woman before her was far more skilled, at least that she didn't need the equipment to make herself powerful and it quickly places you in the fact that your a normal warrior compared to so many others out there, but yet Rynn's mind quickly focuses on the battle at hand. She had defeated sorcerers, flesh mages, and far darker things. She can do this as well! As Princess Paladin lets herself be seen at the last moment, the red head attempts yet again to get out of the way, only to be caught by the scepter. The impact strikes hard and sends Rynn head over heels, including right off the edge of the platform they stand on. Her body impacts part of the rock, before slamming down slightly below. The red head coughs as she goes to pick herself up and then looks upward, then over to her sword laying on the ground. With a sharp tsk, she goes to draw a mystical rune in the air, before taking hold of it and with a quick leap and twirl of her body, she blasts the magic bolt upward for where Princess Paladin may still be. The bolt of magic slams into the mountain and explodes with great energy, all while Rynn impacts the ground, slides a bit reaching for the hilt of her sword.
Miko Fujimoto	The soldiers cheer at the success of Paladin's attack, even as they take aim on where Rynn fell and begins to fire upon her. There aren't many in a position to actually do that, so she only has one laser rifle or some other kind of energy weapon ticking away at her, and she might be able to avoid the shots entirely. But as Paladin is caught in the explosion, even those shots from the soldiers peter off as they lose track of the target. As Rynn goes for her sword, a pink blur comes down from above, trailing smoke, bleeding in places, but still looking as fierce and determined as ever. That attack did significant damage, it seems. But perhaps not as much as Paladin's if the attack she is peforming now succeeds, for she is attempting to land with one steel boot directly on Rynn's extended arm after falling from like a dozen feet above - their previous perch. This attack is followed up by Paladin, glaring down at her foe, drawing back her other leg and trying to kick the enemy warrior down from their new perch, along jagged rocks, and to some ledge or outcropping below. The plus side is that there's no soldiers who can aid Princess Paladin if Rynn falls down there. The down side is that Paladin is gradually trying to force her opponent down and off the mountain, one painful fall at a time.
Rynn	Rynn almost has he sword, that is until Princess Paladin lands down onto of her arm, the armor crunches under it and one can even hear the painful 'snap' of bones. The red head has to do everything in her power to not scream in pain, which the Magical Girl aids in when she suddenly kicks Rynn away and down another ledge. The female warrior body is cut by the jagged ridges and at last impacts into the ground. She takes hold of her arm, as she bits her bottom lip for a moment. She doesn't have the focus to really conjure up a spell to heal it, not correctly anyways. She is also aware that Arokh now knows she is in danger, so at least if this goes completely south, she has a means of escape--- if he gets here in time. The fiery warrior quickly ducks behind some cover and uses some of her own armor to act as a splint for the moment before she takes one of the arrows out from her quiver. She may not be able to use her bow, but maybe she can use it like a throwing dagger, because soon as Princess Paladin steps down, the female warrior steps out from her hiding spot and throws the arrow, which will explode on impact with whatever it may hit.
Miko Fujimoto	There is a delay in Paladin choosing to follow her opponent. Maybe she suspects an ambush. Maybe she is just taking the time to make sure no soldiers got caught in that painful explosion of magical force. But eventually, there is a light sound of metal on stone as Paladin lands nimbly on the same ledge that Rynn has landed on. The thrown arrow, when it comes, seems to have been prepared for, because Paladin turns and lets it go right past her. She remembers seeing what that first arrow did before. She's not going to take a direct hit from one of those. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for it to explode on contact, and though Paladin is already charging towards her foe, the eruption of flame and force that goes off behind her catches her in the back. She doesn't turn to face the explosion, because that might her target - who has exposed her position - a chance to escape while Paladin is distracted. But she is nonetheless quite startled. She just doesn't show it on her face. In her head, she's thinking she needs to be even more cautious. Clearly her enemy has abilities Paladin doesn't know the full extent of. But then... The same could be said for the Unionite's ignorance of Paladin's abilities. There is a blur of pink that resolves into the form of Princess Paladin as she soars over Rynn in a leap through the air, the Sacred Scepter held vertically in front of her face. There are three small gems set in the shaft of the Artifact, below the crystal globe on the end. Blue, orange, and green. The orange one glows with magic energy, and - while Paladin is still in mid-air - she yells, "GOD-BLIND!" A blast of potent light is released from the Staff that - against non-Elites - causes total sensory deprivation. All senses get shut down. Against Elites, it tends to just temporarily blind them (or at least impair vision) and confuse their hearing with the sound of loud chanting. It seems that, unlike Paladin, Rynn is very visually-oriented in her fighting style. Rynn might not have the enhanced senses that Paladin does, or the skill to fight with hearing alone. But even if Rynn can do that, the confusion to hearing as well acts as an impairment that way. Covering her bases is important when dealing with an unknown for with unknown capabilities. Of course, Paladin is now landing in a tumble and trying not to go careening over the ledge after that attack, and if Rynn can pierce through the lights sparking and flashing before her eyes, she may be able to strike at the magical girl while she is still recovering her balance.
Rynn	The brilliant light blinds Rynn and the woman staggers back a few steps at the unexpected display. She grits her teeth as her senses start to fail her and she ends up stumbling about a bit. She can hear Princess Paladin land and quickly goes to strike, as she speed draws out her dagger to slash at the air. She does this a few times effortlessly and heedless of direction, at least until her foot nearly slips and with a surprised yelp, she quickly staggers back. "Well," She says with a mild laugh, even as her vision fuzzes in and out. "That is quiet the nasty spell you have there." Rynn sheathes the dagger once more, "But I don't need sight for everything!" She extends out her hand and traces another room, before throwing her hand out along side her. A Gale-force wind the irrupts around her, blasting rocks into the air and outward, and possibly threatening to not only throw these chunks of material into Princess Paladin, but shove her off for once!
Miko Fujimoto	The dagger slashes don't aid Rynn much except to keep Paladin at a distance, waiting in a crouch for a chance to attack. When the chance comes, her superhuman speed allowing her to surge towards her target while another rune spell is being prepared, her counter-attack is interrupted by a powerful blast of wind that blows Paladin back, and pins her down. She almost DOES go flying, but she drops to her hands and knees and digs boots and gauntlets into the mountain side. Digging into the rocks even as she is gradually blown backwards more and more. Rock shards pelt her stingingly, forcing her to squint her eyes to avoid being blinded. One fragment even scores along her cheek, drawing blood. But whenever the magic ceases, Paladin is still on the same level as Rynn - even if she has dug quite a trench in her efforts not to be thrown off the mountain. She follows this up by aiming the Sacred Scepter from her position, and chanting, "Penance Beam!" A pink beam of energy fires from the Artifact, able to drill through most things it hits. Rynn's shield spell from earlier, combined with skill and armor, might leave her in a better position than 'having a hole through her'. But if it hits directly, it is still likely to do significant damage.
Rynn	Rynn shakes her head as her sight starts to return and perhaps in good order as she can hear Princess Palaadin chant, then seems the glow of the beam, "You have to be kidding me!" The woman protests as she then goes to leap out of the way just as the beam goes rushing by. The red head can feel the heat from the beam and it singes some of her hair tips as it goes by, because even as she turns her body she can see the devastating wake of the beam, her green eyes stare in great disbelief, before she looks back at the magic girl with that same look. "That was impressive." Rynn though doesn't stay impressed long and charged right in, she pulls out her dagger and goes to leap right at the woman, her dagger slashes with great speed, attempting to cut up the magical girl a bit, before leaping into the air and then going to slam both of her heels into Princess Paladin to try and kick her off the ledge with full force. Downside of this is Rynn will try to back flip off if she is successful, this will be very embarrassing though if she misses and lands flat on her bum.
Miko Fujimoto	It seems the vision impairment is less effective against Elites after all. Paladin has only really used God-Blind on mundane enemies or low-level monsters before. So it seems the blindness fades in and out of functionality or is not full-blindness. Paladin tries to evade Rynn's attack, but pinned as she is, she has nowhere to dodge either. Leaping to avoid the attacks is possible, but would risk getting slashed in the process. The Sacred Scepter clashes several times with the dagger, producing sparks, and leaving Paladin to wonder just how much vision has returned already, before she is double-flip-kicked in the jaw unexpectedly and sent hurtling from the ledge, slamming a few times into the side of the mountain before coming to a stop when she impacts a boulder with her ribcage. Her armor helps to keep anything from breaking, but her chest and sides are going to be bruised as hell when this is all over. It hurts too much to breathe. Miko, within Paladin, definitely would normally want to retreat in this situation. It's the normal response to pain. It's survival's 'something is wrong. do not do this' button. But her belief... Her dedication... The strength flowing into her from the soldiers... For once, it isn't just her magic that forces her to get up despite the agony she's in. It's also her own will. For several seconds, nothing seems to happen, up where Rynn is. Not unless she's looking down. But whether she sees it coming or not, that boulder that Paladin landed on is coming flying up towards Rynn. It's just about seven tons, and makes an audible WHOOSHing noise as it displaces air. And whether it hits Rynn directly or not, it's going to hit the ledge Rynn is on hard enough to shatter the precarious platform and possibly send Rynn falling down once more, and closer to Paladin's level. It hurt to throw that. But pain at this point is just motivation to end this.
Rynn	The red head takes a moment to breath when she knocks Princess Paladin off. "Damn it all... she is tough." She winces a little as she tries to flex her fingers on her injured arm, but something catches her attention and it isn't long till she finds out she /really/ shouldn't have taken her eyes off the magical girl. The bolder smashes through where Rynn is standing sending the red head off her feet, when it comes back down, she tries to get out of the way. Rock, rubble, everything goes flying! Once the dust settles and clears, the female warrior is down on the ground, laying there trying to get back up. Her body is cut up, armor smashed up, and battered by the heavy impact of the bolder. "Just.. who are you..?" Rynn asks at last, as she looks up at the other woman. Her green eyes not showing fear, but wonderment, yet defiance as well. Rynn then pulls out an arrow from her storage along her side, before forcing herself up to her knees, she holds the arrow at ready, "And to let you know the same... My name is Rynn nnd I aid to uphold the Order Of The Flame!" As she says this with defiant strength in her voice she throws the arrow down toward Princess Paladin's feet. Soon as it impacts it explodes and even Rynn has to roll out of the way of the explosive force.
Miko Fujimoto	Paladin coughs a bit into the back of one hand as she watches Rynn's fall, looking for a chance to attack again. Last thing she needs to do is charge into another wind blast or exploding rune or something. But when her opponent asks for her identity the magical girl provides it. "As I said before, I am Princess Paladin. I am the bearer of the Sacred Scepter, wielder of the magics of Holiness and Law. And I will defeat you, Rynn." Of course she makes this pronouncement right as she charges directly into a thrown explosive arrow. The detonation goes off, and Paladin leaps into the air, but she can't clear it, and is caught full in the legs by flames and shrapnel. Her skirt is heavily shredded, her armored boots dented, and her skin bloodied and burnt. She may even seem to have blown up completely when the fire and smoke clears, because she's not visible anymore. But then Paladin comes plunging down towards Rynn, having 'rode' the explosion to gain altitude. And even as her practically torn apart legs - only still intact thanks to the durability her transformation provides, and the armor on her limbs - come crashing down, aimed feet-first at Rynn's head or face, with both strength, the pull of gravity, and the momentum provided by an explosive arrow, Paladin yells, "Because these soldiers are giving me their strength..." "IN ORDER TO WIN!"
Rynn	Rynn quickly rolls out of the way of the first impact Princess Paladin makes, then ducks out of the next as well. Only to deflect a few more attacks and find herself at last being corned, knocked back, and then aside. Her body rolls along the ground, before she uses her knife to slow herself down before going right off the edge. Then her green eyes see it, her sword! Its right there, but so is Princess Paladin. Rynn grits her teeth, before she then flings her dagger right at the armored woman as a measure of a distraction, before leaping up off a bolder and then snatching her blade. Rynn then roars as she comes back down and slams the blade into the ground tip down. The blade enters into the rock and glows brightly before a powerful eruption of fire bursts out from the blade all around Rynn, trying to consume everything in fire.
Miko Fujimoto	Paladin's flying stomp attack is avoided, but the impact seems to have send rock blasting out from the point she struck. It's like when she smashed through a wall after leaping off Giratina the other day. Her magic-reinforced body lets her do things she never could have as a normal person. But the damage she takes still hurts, and she's not invulnerable. This is proven when, after barely ducking the thrown dagger thanks to her transformation allowing and forcing her to keep going at full strength and full speed no matter WHAT state her body is in, she is caught in a fiery explosion that envelops her and sears her flesh everywhere it's exposed. The heat transfer burns her under her armor as well. Her world is pain, and her will and determination are starting to flag a bit, but the magic keeps her going regardless. She reaffirms her goal in her mind, and in her heart. She can still feel the strength of the soldiers flowing through her, hear their voices echoing down the mountain side from high above. She can't fall here. Not after all this! Paladin raises the Sacred Scepter and leaps towards Rynn, totally covered in flames, and yells out, "CRUSADER'S CRESCENT!" Then she swings the Artifact, and unleashes a spinning, crescent-moon-shaped blade of magical energy. It spins towards Rynn like a buzzsaw of death, trailing innocent sparkles in the air, even as it carves through just about anything in its path.
Rynn	The super attack comes from the Magical Girl and Rynn readies her blade. Those green eyes look determined as Princess Paladin casts her spell and it comes races right for the female warrior, yet Rynn does not waver, she does not run. Instead when the attack gets in close enough, Rynn lets out a blood cry, forcing her other hand to work as she takes hold with both hands and slams her own magical sword into the attack. The sheer flames of the magic of the sword slam into the burning light of the crescent blade of magic. There is a ton of sparks, searing heat, and the general high winds starting to blow around Rynn. Yet she stands her ground, before suddenly parrying he sword around and sending the Cresent into the air. The fiery warrior then staggers a step before she centers herself. "I suggest you leave, Paladin. Take your men and go, for I promise I will not cut down you all as you flee!" Rynn then pushes off and charges right at Princess Paladin, the sword glows bright red as the flames wrap around it, as she swings the sword it will impact with explosive power, yet the gem--- the gem on he hilt shatters as it goes to explode. Flick of gem dust flying into the air, before the entire blade itself shatters into pieces with the magical force.
Miko Fujimoto	Paladin has never seen anyone block that attack before. It has been a 'sure-kill' attack for her since she became a magical girl. People have avoided it, certainly, or managed to take reduced damage, but actually parrying it with a sword? Even a magical sword? Unheard of. Despite her magic making her graceful, mature, composed, and heroic-seeming, both Paladin and Miko are stunned by this development. Maybe the crescent wasn't ENTIRELY blocked, so much as turned aside, but when Paladin tries to parry when Rynn comes charging in, she doesn't have the same luck. The sword EXPLODES and the flames that were just starting to die down come back with a vengeance, smashing Paladin back into the side of the mountain and totally destroying the perch the two of them were on. A combination of rock slide and avalanche may send not only Princess Paladin but Rynn as well tumbling down towards a dark ravine, with only random ledges and boulders to act as brakes for the fall. Or perhaps Rynn will save herself and only Paladin will take the plunge towards the darkness. But either way, the pink-haired magical girl has quite a few charred-black hairs, and is covered in injuries, filled with indescribable pain, and Miko really... Really is starting to feel that she wants to stop now. She considers ways to manipulate the Rule she transformed with, to allow her to end the fight and save the soldiers. But that's what has been plaguing her lately. That's what's been robbing her of free will. Manipulating the rules, tricking the Laws of her magic... Not working with them, but trying to twist them for her own purposes. And as she lies there, struggling weakly to get to her feet, to even work her broken fingers, she can hear them even from high above - even though they should be out of audible range. The soldiers. The ones she swore to fight for, and alongside. They still believe in her. They've been watching this entire time, as Paladin has gotten up, again and again, for their sake. Soldiers and civilians in the Confederacy have wildly divergent life styles based on their individual circumstances, and their individual worlds. Some have been in totally awful living situations, complete poverty, enslavement, and similar terrible situations. Some may not have ever had someone willing to believe in them and ask to be believed in BY them in turn. For an Elite of the Confederacy to fight for their sake, to go to such lengths for them, is inspiration that they have rarely or never-before felt. And their strength flows through Paladin. Their strength of belief empowers Miko. And together, Princess Paladin and Miko Fujimoto, gather that strength in order to force their shared body to respond. Struggling to her feet, breathing with great difficulty, Princess Paladin intones, "Heavenly Glory." There is a massive wave of white light that blazes up from below, illuminating a significant part of that deep, dark ravine, and silhouetting the magical girl in a concentrate holy energy that heals many of her wounds, visibly restoring her outfit and armor, and refreshing her stamina. She isn't even close to a hundred percent. But her body is intact enough to fight again, and her strength has returned enough to not fall easily. When the light fades, except for the glow that clings to Princess Paladin, the magical girl looks up at Rynn, and calls out, "I can not. And I will not. I fight for those who believe in me. I can not let them down. I WILL NOT let them down. There is only one conclusion possible for this battle. And that is for me to live up to the expectations of those who give me their strength!"
Rynn	The area starts to fall apart and Rynn goes to run to leap between rocks as things start to fall apart, it wasn't long till a great deal of dust was kicked up to where they were and everything comes apart. Though while Princess Paladin rejuvenates herself, Rynn is not seen down there, but instead she is on the back of a red dragon. Arokh came in just at the right time and caught the female warrior before the falling of rocks could claim her life. There she stands on his backside as she listens to the magic girl declare herself and that they would stand strong. Both she and Arokh listen to her. Rynn lowers her eye brows, but not in anger, but in understanding. She can understand this fire coming from the woman, as she herself is no better, making the battle now one more of stamina and sheer grit. To injure her here also would make her a hero in the eyes of these men and Rynn, Rynn can not bare to further take down an equal soul. The red head shakes her head gently, "I think this is where I call it and bend to your valor, Paladin. You win this hour, but next time," Rynn smiles softly. "I'll be far more ready." Arokh roars, before he takes off into the skies with Rynn on his backside. It looks like Princess Paladin wins this battle.