Scene #3688: Disaster Day

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Kyra Hyral	Today seems quite normal, as any regular day of classes at the prestigious Alexander Academy may go. The sprawling campus is bustling with activity more than normal at this particular hour since it happens to be the designated lunch time for a good third of the students here. Although time itself is independent of the movements of the sun on Galianda, due to the erratic paths Phoenix often takes, the great bird of fire passes slowly high overhead, bathing the campus in his warmth. Teenagers of all ages gather around in groups in the courtyard, merrily chatting away or roughhousing with each other without a care in the world. Unfortunately, that was not to last. The first sign that something was wrong was the light-it begins to dim despite the distant presence of Phoenix. As they look skywards, stormclouds begin to roll in, unnaturally fast and clearly of a magical nature since the moon city does not actually have natural weather. They blanket the sky, crackle with purple lightning, and exude copious amounts of Magical Particles. Anyone who dares Scan them will see that it is powerful magic at work. Then, all over campus, splits in reality start to appear, torn open like the same portals the staff uses to banish unruly students to the Detention Zone. Only the portals reveal nothing but darkness beyond-darkness and many, many little yellow eyes. The darkness teems, the portals remaining steady as creatures start to pour forth from them, all with a black motif of some kind, all with yellow eyes. Some can be picked out as painted or dressed versions of monsters common to Galianda-such as a robe-less, black-painted tonberri. These monsters, these "Heartless" immediately aggress on the students of Alexander Academy. <================================> - <X3 - <=================================> - A FORCE OF DARKNESS HAS ARRIVED - - HEARTESS: DISASTER DAY EDITION - - - - PREPARE FOR BATTLE - <================================> - <X3 - <=================================> All throughout, the teachers of Alexander Academy give the signal to those here to play the part of the more intelligent "Heartless Commanders" they have imagined for this exercise. And it is an exercise, of course. The school isn't actually under invasion but the students are faced with an equally fierce threat: being graded for their participation.
Kamon Lionward	DISASTER DAY spreads to all corners of Alexander Academy! Across the courtyard, the Practical Education buildings have come under siege! The 'Heartless' that floods out of the holes in space get inside before a couple of hapless students can properly seal it up, rushing into the interior. It looks like the fighting has started up around the gymnasium, with skirmishes between the younger Warriors and Knights and the pitch-skinned Heartless gaining heat as every moment passes! The roof of the gym is open, like it is whenever aerial combat practice has to happen. Above it, an especially large rend in space starts to peel open, a vortex spinning into sight. Dark lightning and terrible thunder cracks and rumbles! That can't be good. Do something about it, heroes!
Nagato	The openings of this space drop four women down into the area close to the dorms, dust kicking up as black, shrine maiden garbed figures, twisted looking steel upon their backs and sides and large, yellow glowing guns make their way just a tiny bit closer to the building. Gunfire erupts and soot black 'shells' are launched... splattering some sort of goop on the walls. THe dorms are under attack by these strange people!
Souji Murasame	From one of those horrible tears, palatable Darkness washes out, beginning to blanket Alexander Academy. No sunlight can reach the ground, lights flaring all over the cmapus as one as they face this imposition upon the light of Phoenix. Waves of oppressive evil begin to press down upon the campus as, amidst the swarming, teeming lesser Heartless rushing out in waves... But then there is a burning flash as a massive meteor descends, plummetting from the gaping wound in reality to crash into the center of the Courtyard. The statue that stands there is crushed under the titanic force, cratering a wide swath of the area... And yet, it is not over. Like a massive egg, the seething, magmatic stone shudders and warps, moments before a massive black claw erupts from it, sending chunks of flaming rock spraying over the area. A dull, /hungry/ roar begins to rise, as a colossal fiend begins to rise up from within, towering in its infernal majesty. Black, leathery skin like pitch, eyes that gleam, searing with hellfire, a hulking muscular body, wrapped up in great wings that could blot the sky on their own merits. Suddenly, with a gale force, the wings sweep out, sending a wash of crushing wind throughout the area as it rears back and howls, exposing its upper body while the lower seems to be confined within the earth of Chocobo. This... This could be a problem. <================================> - <X3 - <=================================> - A FORCE OF DARKNESS HAS ARRIVED - - CHERNOBOG-DIABOLOS - - TONIGHT YOU DINE IN HELL - - PREPARE FOR BATTLE - <================================> - <X3 - <=================================> THEME: HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING (APOCALYPTICA COVER) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEmsUiQELU
Gawain	Inside the Kramer Memorial Library, the sounds of screams and crashing furniture emanate through the hall. Employees of the library lie 'slain' across the halls, what looks to be blood (actually ketchup) covering their wounds. A helpless employee backs into a bookshelf, trying to escape his pursuer, but fails to save himself, as a blade strikes down on him and he's tossed across the hall into a conveniently placed pile of pillows. The roars of laughter come from his attacker, a large man clad in floral armor that seems to have been painted black and gold, in the pattern of an eclipse. His face has gold veins popping out of it, and his large and incredibly magical sword is black and gold (also painted), as it scrapes across the floor. The knight begins tearing through books, tossing several of them carefully to the ground where they only get a few dings, as he roars and shouts. "These books are MINE! All the knowledge in the world will be MINE! Muhahahahahahaha! Nothing can stop me!" Eclipse Knight will continue his destruction of the library for several minutes, looking over his shoulder every few seconds to see if someone's coming. Meanwhile, in a corner of the room, there is a Heartless in a dress wielding a sword, dancing and spinning without a care. Several other Heartless, which suspiciously look like library employees, dance with her. It would seem there are two Heartless here! <================================> - <X3 - <=================================> - A FORCE OF DARKNESS HAS ARRIVED - - ECLIPSE KNIGHT & IMP MASTER - - THE SUNBURNT SHIELD & THE SHARP SHOWMAN - - PREPARE FOR BATTLE - <================================> - <X3 - <=================================>
Archer	Among the many forms moving as a 'commanding force' among the dark entities, one of them emerges from the seething mass of black amid the portals, deftly perching himself atop the shoulder of the hulking form that has rooted itself into the center of the courtyards. Cloaked in a black shroud and dark armor, the form of a tall warrior stands evenly on the immense form, an opaque helmet glancing at his surroundings methodically from beneath a dark hood. A set of dark gauntlets and gloves are fixed to his forearms and a tattered grey-fur hem lines his collar, making him seem close to a black knight... yet lacking any of the nobility. <================================> - <X3 - <=================================> - A FORCE OF DARKNESS HAS ARRIVED - - THE HUNTSMAN - - Nameless Anti-Hero - - PREPARE FOR BATTLE - <================================> - <X3 - <=================================> (THEME - Night of Fate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsIXDJ3t1uo ) Then, with a simple wave of his hand, a dozen projectiles materialize around him and fly out across the open space of the parkways, impacting in small explosions of energy and shrapnel. The attacks are not meant to be grossly destructive - they are meant to scatter and disorient the defending students, breaking guard formations and inciting panic. A logical, methodical plan of attack. A clear voice of reason - one that doesn't hesitate to select and target any grouping of students that seems to be close to rallying together. Like a hunter scattering the herd before he starts picking off the stragglers, letting his beasts of burden tire and chase them while he waits to finish the job from his blind. It goes without saying that something must be done before he begins targeting individuals, as there will be little doubt that his attacks will be both precise... and lethal.
Kyra Hyral	Normally the white mage and chemist KYRA HYRAL would be right up there alongside her fellow Light Warriors, especially for the likes of Disaster Day. She had spent plenty of time envisioning how it would go, their well-coordinated team blowing through the threats presented by the staff. Only the precise means of which Disaster Day has unfolded in Alexander Academy has left her cut off from the others. It's very upsetting. The initial reaction to the students in the Courtyard was one of chaos. Fleeing, yelling, all kinds of panic reactions until the sense of understanding spread throughout the former lunch-eaters. This happens just a little bit after when the Hunter has managed to stun a number of students into being overrun by the fake Heartless. Kyra is with them, not being stunned, but as one of the nearby white mages trying to get them back up on their feet. She's quick with the Cure and Esuna, her magic miraculously working just fine today. Then, the egg of Diabolos hatches in the very center of the courtyard, the sudden gust of wind sending teenagers sailing outwards, smacking into each other, trees, benches, and stone fixtures. Kyra takes momentary refuge behind a Knight, who remains steadfast against the gale, and peeks towards the Summon. "Wow." she lets out a low whistle as she continues using the knight as a shield, quietly sliding around so he is between her and the stalking Hunter. "They went all out this year, didn't they. Alright then-" Kyra reaches under her hoodie, producing the Luna's Resolve, a specially-crafted pistol from Lloyd Irving that fires holy rounds. "Let's do this! Someone get that guy with the fur before he assassinates everyone!" The white mage shouts, dragging the now party-recruited knight with her as cover. From over his shoulder, she empties the entire six-bullet chamber at Diabolos.
Staren	It's Disaster Day! Which doesn't really mean anything special to Staren, seeing as it's not his school and he's not going to be graded on it. But, it's nice to take part in people's holidays and seeing how an invasion might occur on the campus -- and how it might be repelled -- is a useful drill. Thus, Staren plans to come. But when he hears that a /giant demon/ is attacking the courtyard, well, What else can you do but bring a giant robot? The Star Hawk flies over the school from the direction of the world bridge, then circles around, transforming and landing at one end of the courtyard. "NEFARIOUS FIENDS!" It dramatically points at Chernobog-Diabolos. "I know not how you escaped your imprisonment, but we shall drive you from this plane of existance for another THOUSAND YEARS! And /then/, the prophecied heroes of light shall put an end to you ONCE and FOR ALL! HAVE AT YOU!" The giant machine charges... And tries to grab and crush THE HUNTSMAN. Because squishing your smaller foes is the logical thing to do and never goes wrong! "FOUL SERVANT OF EVIL! THIS DAY SHALL BE YOUR LAST!" How long will it be before Staren runs out of cheesy lines?
Souji Murasame	Heartless swarm around the great demon lord, Shadows and Air Soldiers diving and crashing in towards the defending students. Paladins, Knights, Vikings, and Berserkers give and take mighty blows as Large Bodies bounce and swing their spherical bodies around, trying to break defensive lines. Kyra decides to take matters into her own hands, striking directly at the great demon, having decided that cutting this problem off at the head is more efficent than dealing with an apparently limitless number of foes. Her gun is leveled at the great beast, and the first bullet fires, crashing into its body. Aiming isn't a problem. The thing is huge, bigger than the broad side of a barn. The problem is hitting it with a big enough strike for it to matter. Despite this, the holy bullet detonates on impact with a flash of yellow-white light, leaving a smoking crater in that leathery flesh. It roars, sweeping a wing in reflexively to interpose against the rest of the salvo, three more bullets blasting a hole in the wing, tearing it open.. With a shriek of rage and indignation, it leans into the final two, taking them also to his chest as the massive beast raises an arm... Only for the Star Hawk to come sweeping in, grabbing at the man on the demon's shoulder. It cannot allow such a thing to go unpunished, as it leans into the assault, slamming its fists forward to try to grab at and struggle with the Star Hawk! At the heroic speech, the hellfiend begins to... smile, showing rows of hideously sharp teeth as it laughs... And its maw opens, revealing a terrible inferno within as it breaths, spewing terrible hellfire at both the Star Hawk and the assembled heroes, pooling around him and burning like napalm.
Archer	A dozen projectiles, each black as night, form one after the other around the form of the Huntsman, arranging themselves perpendicular to dark form before firing with a wave of his hand at the students down below. They fly like arrows, fired from invisible bowstrings to reign down on approaching formations of students. But as these weapons take flight, it becomes apparent they are just to distract the enemy as the Huntsman himself is finally readying his own hands for battle; In one hand, the form of a dark bow materializes... while a long length of steel, closer to a spear then an arrow, appears in the other. The arrival of the Star Hawk is regarded with a seeming calm by the Huntsman, who leaps over the oncoming metal hand. Though forced off his perch, he is still high enough in the air to take aim for the defenders in his free-fall, knocking the ebony projectile against his bow - and aiming for the Knight serving to protect Kyra. For without anyone to heal the injured... the Heartless will overrun them. And it seems more then willing to engage the wielder of the holy weapon and direct it's attacks away from Chernobog-Diablos. The spear-turned-arrow warps and twists, crackling as energy pours into and fills it, a dull glow marking the Huntsman's descent... and then it is released, shooting across the Court like a comet through the skies as it speeds toward the armored warrior and the white mage. Any retaliation will likely have to wait until after the hellfire dies down, the dark bowman vanishing amid the chaos - pulling back until the next chance presents itself.
Staren	Grappling! Staren never expects the /grappling/! "Rrrgh! Not this!" The hellfire washes over the machine. An attack like that won't take it down right away, but Staren winces at being dealt a blow like this so early in the battle! He'll just have to make the best of it! "You fiend! Heroes will not be undone so easily!" The right wrist projects a beam blade, which Staren tries to stab into the beast's arm, while the left reaches up just as the left back-pack opens to reveal the handle of a giant revolver, which Staren grabs and starts shooting Diabolos with point-blank! It's not HOLY-elemental, but it /was/ crafted expressly for fighting the monsters that prey on humanity, by someone who /became/ a god, so maybe that counts? Since at this range Staren doesn't have to aim, he just fires from the hip, emptying the cylinder. Will this be enough to make Diabolos let go...?
Kyra Hyral	The shots that hit Diabolos turn out to be pleasingly effective. It's not all that surprising, though, given the elemental nature of Diabolos. Part of her feels a little bad for attacking the Divine that she used to loo up to so much. The other part of her remembers the awful Diabolos from Erozea that tried to kill her and thus she doesn't feel so bad. "HOLY MAGIC, HIT IT WITH HOLY MAGIC!" Kyra screams to the crowd of students that has now gathered and organized themselves, if loosely, to combat the Heartless and their bosses. Generally, the more melee-focused Jobs can be found in melee while the various stripes of mages stand back and provide ranged support or damaged. There are a few other hybrids-mystic knights, and the like, that move to spots as their skills need. A Ranger, Hunter, or Archer isn't going to be up front, of course. At mid range there seem to be a handful of shield types meant to directly protect mages-they are mostly templars and Paladins. It does seem to help slightly against the projectiles of the Hunter, mages becoming adequately sheilded from the strikes, but it slows down those trying to get into melee against Diabolos and the other 'Heartless' here. And the formation doesn't really prevent the reach of Diabolos's magic, which blasts fire all throughout the courtyard, roasting those too close and harming those in the back row. White mages and other healer-types immediately respond, focusing on those in the front. Kyra, having weathered the inferno with her meat shield-er, Knight, is one such of those white mages, throwing out heals with reckless abandon, no longer focusing fighting Diabolos. Suddenly, the Knight in front of her falls backwards on top of Kyra, taking the full force of the Huntsman's shadow projectile. The Knight seems completely knocked out-to the point where it'd take a Life spell from Kyra to get the unconscious teenager back up again. "W..what the-! Hey, what happened to you!" the white mage struggles to pull her hands free from beneath the kid.
Archer	As the white mage is pinned beneath her own guardian, another muted flash of light ripples out from the depths of the Courts from within a tree. From that tree, it's base surrounded by lesser Formless, the Huntsman reveals his new position in the branches, a new arrow already formed and drawn back against the black bow. And then it takes flight... aimed straight for Kyra's head as it arcs toward her prone form.
Twilight Sparkle	As the Star Hawk is grappled, there is a twinkle from it. Then, just as that arrow-spear is about to hit the pinned Kyra and her fallen meatshield there is a burst of light in front of her, then a shell of purple light appears around Kyra and several of her nearby comrades. The gigantic arrow hits the shield and a veritable explosion of energy is forced outward as the shield fights to deflect the shot. At the center of that shield is Twilight Sparkle in her full Harmony Knight regalia, her mane and tail fluttering in the wind generated by the clashing of the two forces. Teeth clenched, horn glowing brightly, she pours her magic into the shield to keep as many as she can from being harmed by that arrow and the flames. The shield flickers as Twilight pours more magic forth, and the gigantic arrow starts to glow with purple light. Then, it slowly turns around, and with another burst of magic the arrow flies back toward the Huntsman and the army of Heartless. Twilight Sparkle is left panting by the effort it took to deflect that arrow, but she smiles confidently to Kyra. "Don't worry. We can win this!"
Souji Murasame	The mighty battle between Star Hawk and the Chernobog-Diabolos continues, the mecha using its ability to mount weapons to his advantage! The sizzling beam blade cleaves into the demon's flesh, laying open a seething, molten slash in the arm. Despite this, it begins crushing down... Until that mighty revolver begins belching conceptually-attuned ammo into him. The blasts begin laying down powerful intendations, impacting into the beast like he was made of steel, before the final shot from the cylinder shatters part of his pectorals like wood, forcing him to reel back and release the Star Hawk. Kyra drops some important orders, and the assemvled students do their best, trying to bombard the demon with Holy, but that's not a low-level spell. Not a lot of them can use it, and fewer still can use it /often/. But it's better than nothing, as a shower of divine power crashes into the beast like brilliant white bombs. Local healers go immediately into triage mode, trying to prevent people from going down. This is a raid fight in every sense of the word, a battle that no one even knows how to fight. There aren't classes on handling something like this, which is the entire point of Disaster Day: Learning how to adapt to catastrophic circumstances. The beast does not attack immediately, but the Heartless continue to press their attack, swarming to try to take advantage of the situation. Several Air Soldiers swarm the Star Hawk, trying to divebomb it and push Staren back under their kamikaze onslaught.
Staren	"I summon... Ixion! Sort of! Close enough!" Staren shouts as Twilight deploys via teleport. "Ha HA!" he laughs triumphantly as part of the demon's body is shattered, the Star Hawk suddenly leaping into the sky, deactivating its beam blade and half-transforming to hybrid mode and back in a weird sort of backflip, firing short quick bursts from its railgun at the massive beast before and after. Not major attacks, but you take every opportunity, right? The robot is still on fire, its front black and scorched. The air soldiers are a problem. They may just be divebombing now, but small flying enemies that might grab onto your mech are never a good sign. Staren swats at them once, reflexively, before twisting its arm to firing several missiles from the missile pod, which is in its rear-facing stowed position attached to the arm -- Staren manages to point it up to fire the volley. The mini-missiles detonate in an arc of 30' wide fireballs, hopefully taking a bunch of the heartless with it! "Your troops sacrifice their lives, and for what? What purpose do you have here, foul fiend?" Staren's trying to stay dramatic in the spirit of the thing, at least!
Archer	As the black arrow is returned to where it came... the Huntsman faces it head-on, seeming unconcerned by the approaching weapon. And right as it closes the last of the distance... the arrow vanishes, dissolving as if it were naught but an illusion dismissed by it's caster. Deflecting his shots is possible, then... but it would seem turning the Huntsman's weapons back on him is a useless gesture. However... in her time grappling with the weapon, Twilight might make an uncomfortable connection in the back of her mind - the feeling that at some point in time... she has interacted with this exact kind of power before. Or perhaps the form of the black-clad bowman will occupy her attention too much for that thought to occur. Staring at the assembled forces - a white mage and a unicorn in knight's regalia - the Huntsman raises his hand, as if to still the shambling of the packs of Shadows congregating around him. Then the silence is broken by the muted whisper of his voice rendered unintelligible by his helmet... And at his flanks, thirty black projectiles materialize, forming one after the other like the layers of a vanguard. But worse still is that many of them are alight with different flares of magic - some crackle with electricity, others emit heat, more still radiate cold. "Compose yourselves." The low voice, flanged with a metallic echo by the helmet, marks the first time the Huntsman has spoken openly to those before him, seeming to be speaking to not just his direct opponents but the students who struggle with the Heartless, as if observing a pupil in the first battle. "You must hold your stance. Extend your consciousness. Do not lower your guard. Fail in any of these respects... and you will die." That is the only word of warning before all thirty projectiles take flight, flying as one for the impromptu 'front line' of Kyra and Twilight and any students who may have tried to rally behind them - a storm of black steel and elements that explode in a multitude of differing energies. ... However... there is a discrepancy that is visible to those of keen eye; for while these many projectiles are powerful... each only seems half, or even a third as potent as the arrow that Twilight deflected from Kyra. Meaning that the shots not fired directly from the Huntsman's bow are comparatively weaker then the ones that are. And the fact he has not mounted an arrow when releasing this volleys would indicate he cannot do both tasks at once - he must consciously shift between quantity or quality. Of course, the packs of Shadows in front of the Huntsman will have to be dealt with before anyone can get close enough to stop him from mounting an arrow on that bow... provided they could reach him in time.
Kyra Hyral	Holy was definitely a spell a bit more rare amongst the student body of Alexander Academy. It took a very high level white mage or mystic knight to learn it, the magic inaccessable even for the most experienced of red mages. Even items, such as the occasional Holy scroll from ninja, are very rare and hard to come by making any contribution from that class limited. Given Kyra's larger amount of MP, she can cast holy multiple times and would no doubt be semi-threatening to Diabolos. That is if she wasn't busy healing people and being targeted by the Huntsman. It's this that alerts her to the fact that the Heartless (which she HAS fought before!) have something smart behind them this time. In particular, she does see the Huntsman-hearing him only cements her belief of the greater intelligence at work here. Not that she doesn't know it's Disaster Day right now. Overall, the students have their advances against Diabolos halted further as the regular Heartless jump in to keep them busy. The confusion does not seem to help them very much either, wide-scale battle like this being something they've only seen on TV in the war on Shiva. Students are 'cut down' in droves until they manages to self-assemble compact clusters, fighting back to back, cirled around the squishier mages. "Twilight!" Kyra gasps as she finally rolls the unconscious Knight off of her just as that second bolt comes at her. It never lands, of course, thanks to the Unicorn's interference. It gives her a much needed moment to stand up and compose herself, not unlike the Huntsman suggests. She sees his projectiles forming in the air, her eyes squinting, a scan spell muttered. Magic-plenty of it, it seems. "BRACE WITH SHELL!" Kyra calls out, knowing that there were some barrier-capable mages still on their feet. They respond in kind, applying magical shielding to their groups. Kyra herself, however, lifts a hand and summons a more potent barrier that crystalizes all around her and Twilight. "And HOLD! REFLECT!" The magical shield, not only offering just protection, but is very capable of reflecting cast magic right back at the user. Once the projectiles hit the barrier, some are reflected, some are weakened but still pass through, and in the end the barrier is chewed up by the Huntsman's work. Kyra drops a hand, "GO!" Signaling those who had taken refuge behind her and Twilight to charge and deal with the Shadows now barring their way. "We have to do something before he reloads." she tells Twilight Sparkle, doing some reloading herself as she plugs a new six bullets into the chamber of the Luna's Resolve.
Souji Murasame	The Star Hawk is super dramatic and very stylish. You can almost hear the heart-pounding J-Rock in the background as he transforms in midair, SHOWING HIS MOVES. The Air Soldiers menacing the Star Hawk eat fireballs, exploding back into the Darkness whence they came at the powerful salvo. But this might distract him from the demon's answer, as it roars in anger and hurls a lambent sphere of deadly flame at the Star Hawk itself! The lesser students fall back. They have done what they can, but the remainder are tough, trained, and experienced. The drills of Alexander Academy and fires of Dungeon exploration have hardened many of them into tightly coordinated battle groups, instinct and experience making up for their lack of numbers. Kyra's input helps, the massive magical defenses flaring to life all over the remaining clusters. Many of the spellcasting Heartless promptly get their spells bounced back into their face, destroying themselves in puffs of Darkness. The Star Hawk continues to distract the great beast, giving them valuable time to exploit elemental weaknesses and create some kind of leverage that will move this mountain-sized threat.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight's shield is already looking weak after that last hit, so she looks a bit relieved as the students around her shield her and themselves, and Kyra's crystaline shield forms. She lets out a breath, then smiles confidently. The shield spell is really one of Twilight's few defensive spells, albeit a good one. So, while the other mages fortify their position and the fighters head into the fray, she calls her magical book! The Libri Harmonia Arcanum, or Book of Harmony Magic, spirals into place in front of Twilight. Then, it opens so that the pages are facing toward the Shadow swarm. It starts to glow before it flies up in the air, still facing them. The book starts to rotate rapidly and glow more and more brightly, almost like a hovering star, before with a powerful 'FWOOM!' it fires a heavy beam of sustained purple-white energy aimed at cutting into the Heartless ranks and attempting to cut a path toward the menacing Huntsman. A being that Twilight has a sneaking suspicion she has met before, though she can't quite put her hoof on it.
Archer	Once again, the reflected projectiles evaporate before they can reach the Huntsman... but this time, something new is visible in how the Huntsman goes still when focusing on the returning weapons. It seems he must re-assert focus on the weapons he is erasing - and that stopping to dismiss reflected attacks forces him to take a pause in his actions. This in turn robs many Shadows of his protection as their front waves are cut into by the charging students, scattering the small creatures as their formations start to break. The firing of the Twilight Cannon serves as a deathblow to much of the defense, wiping out half of it as the Huntsman himself bounds to the side - which in turn distracts him from dismissing some of his reflected projectiles, cutting further into his ranks and driving him back step by step. One of the bursts even sears him, smoke trailing off his right sleeve. The number of Shadows has been reduced by two thirds at least. But by now... the Huntsman has recovered. And this time, the black blow itself is raised, a simple arrow forming in one hand before being quickly pulled taunt against the drawstring. Then a sharp whistle echoes out from beneath the helmet... and the darkness seems to come alight as multiple shots cross the gap between the Huntsman and the students. Only one arrow was visibly drawn - yet over two dozen of them have taken flight in the past few seconds, the rate of fire comparable to an automatic weapon. Even firing them two or three at a time would not account for the speed with which the dark bowman attacks his targets. And each one impacts with the force of a cannonball. And for each student sent off-balance, a squad of Shadows attack - following the command of the Huntsman's whistles, they strike at any group or individual who has been stunned or knocked off-guard by the pinpoint attacks. The arrows are meant to stun and wound - and Shadows themselves naught but the hunting dogs with which to finish off the Huntsman's prey. ... And yet the shots are different from what was fired before. For physically... they are weaker - they lack any form of enchantments. Simple steel weapons - a glasswork attack compared to what the Huntsman was utilizing before, powerful only in terms of physical contact-force - they lack any actual magical power. Another weakness revealed - he must devote time and energy to preparing weapons with any form of mystical power to them. Another trait established - he has considerable physical strength as he can fire arrows fast enough to crater the earth with the impact. The way the Huntsman switches tactics... is almost like a predator that is toying with the defenses of it's prey. Or like a teacher employing new traps and tests to see how the students react to each new situation.
Staren	"Ha!" Staren shouts triumphantly as heartless explode. He /barely/ has time to react to the giant freaking fireball -- The mecha twists out of the way and stumbles a bit, off balance. "Woah!" Staren shouts without thinking as it passes within /feet/ of the machine. A bit less heroic-looking for a moment there. Also, he's still on fire. Time to do something about that! He will BLOW THE FIRE OUT! The mecha reaches up to put its now-empty revolver back in its case, then takes to the air and flies away! He's... not abandoning the fight, though. Once he's blown out the fire, his return is announced by a trio of missiles. These are full-sized, and more powerful than the ones Staren usually uses, but being filled with regular explosives instead of fancy plasma warheads, they aren't proportionally more damaging. Staren follows that up with a stream of railgun fire, as he approaches the battlefield in fighter mode! He doesn't shout anything at the moment -- he's too far away.
Kyra Hyral	The remaining students are far more dynamic when fighting around the Heartless and the "bosses." They break rank and reform it as needed, proving themselvves to have at least paid attention in the lessons about party placement and gone beyond the usual 'front row back row' stereotypes. They can adapt and they can react quickly. Even if the Huntsman dismisses his projectiles before they strike him, they have noticed they can still use them to eliminate more Heartless. Small reflect shields are brought up by the remaining white mages to do just this. But at the same time, the reflected attacks at the Huntsman make him focus on dismissing them. Kyra, and several other students, start to catch on to the time it takes for the Huntsman to switch tasks. "...no magic, get Protect!" Kyra shouts suddenly, the Scan spell turning up nothing from what she had expected to be another huge energy spear in the making. The attacks, however, are way too fast for most students to dodge, save for the swifter ninja and thief types. There is no time to get a Protect up before the strikes-so students are felled and swarmed. However, with those that remain, a stunned student is just as soon grabbed and hauled away by the other still-standing ones rather than allowing them to be mobbed by the remaining Heartless. Kyra herself seems desperately still trying to drop Protection spells on everyone to make the hunting dog-like Heartless mauling hurt just a little less. From her spot away from the front lines, she takes aim with the Luna's Resolve, this time not at Diabolos, but at the Huntsman. "Hit him if you've got ranged stuff!" she calls out by way of suggestion as she fires, "Keep him too busy to shoot us!"
Twilight Sparkle	The battle seems to be balancing out! Twilight Sparkle is happy with her spell's performance, but there is still lots to do. And if these arrows weren't so fast, she would turn them back with her telekinetics! But, all she can do is put a shield up and keep herself and any students within a few meters of herself from being hit. It is after the Huntsman's salvo that Twilight goes to work. Althought it might be a bit painful to some students, Twilight plucks the many steel arrows from their marks as she gallops toward the Huntsman. The many projectiles glow brightly with her magic, then the tips start to sparkle like well-polished silver. Likely a piercing spell of some kind. The arrows then form an arc above Twilight. "On it!" Twilight calls to Kyra before those arrows start to fire back at the Huntsman again. She is hoping that non-magical shots will not be so easily dismissed, and if the Huntsman is having to dodge arrows he might not be able to fire on them. She tries to stagger the firing so that the Huntsman has to dodge again as soon as he has finished one maneuver, and with her magic guiding the arrows they should be fairly accurate. The arrows flow around her like a belt being fed into a gun.
Souji Murasame	The missed fireball explodes dramatically in the air behind the Star Hawk, framing it as he flies up and away to extinguish himself. Damage Over Time effects are a thing, yo. The return fire is intense, the rain of missiles exploding around the beast and causing eruptions of flame and lava around it. It roars in pain, the stream of railgun fire peppering into it and leaving a trail of spikes sticking out of its flesh like spines. This thing is /tough/. While Staren might not have something to say, Chernobog does. With a wave of his hand, dark purple streaks wash through the air, bracketing areas upon and around the Star Hawk in complex patterns moments before they detonate, waves of Darkness tearing at the craft in powerful strikes. But those streaks also telegraph his attack, allowing Staren to dodge if he's able to realize what's happening. Simultaneously, circular areas around the battlefield amongst the army warp, seething deadly red before erupting into magma geysers. Dodge the murder, kids!
Staren	DRAMATIC. The Star Hawk whooshes past the battlefield in fighter mode, coming around for another pass. A few of the darkness waves tear into his machine, stripping away armor in long streaks before Staren notices the pattern -- His flying grows increasingly unsteady from wing and ruddervator damage though, forcing him to transform and land to maintain some semblance of mobility. Okay, this is getting seriously hard now. Time to hit the demon with his other big weapon -- but that requires setting up and sniping from somewhere! What do? Staren overrides safeties, forcing the weapon to charge while undeployed. If he times this wrong, or something stops him from taking the shot, he could burn out a lot of expensive electronics, but, well, this exercise is about improvisation and adaptation, right? The Star Hawk runs across the campus, careful not to run into any buildings while Staren also does his best to avoid most of the darkness waves. This is one of those cool-looking full-screen-animated scenes, for sure! At last he makes his way back to the courtyard, where there are MAGMA CIRCLES! He charges around them, and suddenly, the pack behind the right shoulder opens and unfolds, extending into a huge 'rifle' longer than the mecha is tall! The Star Hawk stops, its right hand reaches up to grab a foregrip and pull it down to aim forward on its shoulder mount, pointing the barrel at Chernobog... At this range, with a target this big, he doesn't /have/ to aim carefully. Stabilizer struts with thrusters on the end unfold. Laser drills in the Star Hawk's feet dig into the ground and extend stabilizing pylons in a tiny fraction of a second. As thrusters fire to hold the great weapon (and the mecha carrying it!) steady, electricity and magic accelerate the projectile within to supersonic speed... something's wrong, it should be faster, but even a fraction of hypersonic velocity is still a /lot/ of kinetic energy. And it's not a slug, but a shell containing a magical bomb programmed to detonate just after impact and, ideally, penetration! Afterward, there's a smell of smoke and ozone as smoke rises from various places on the massive railgun. Oops, seems it needs some modifications to be used this way more than once. Letting himself get all serious like this, Staren's forgotten to deliver a line again. He was wondering if this would even /work/.
Archer	The Shadows surge forward, emboldened as their enemy's charge is stymied and pushed back as suddenly as it came - and then the balance of power shifts once more as the assaulting Heartless are punctured in droves by the arrows of their own Master that are sent back against them. And like before... the unicorn will likely become intuitively aware of the construction of the arrows she is interfacing with - namely... that they are constructed by magic. Brought into the world and maintained by the power of the dark bowman himself. This is not a new technique. She's seen this before - interfaced her magic with it before. It's only a matter of remembering where and when. And whether the force behind the weapons allows her the moment to think. Even with the Huntsman devoting attention to dismissing the reflected attacks, his remaining Shadows are being brought down at a steady pace - and his forces are already too few; barely over a quarter of what once was a massive pack. ... So the strategy changes yet again. This time, the Huntsman's priority switches entirely to a more defensive stance - instead of trying to pick between countering two different fields of attack, either fired or reflected, the black-clad warrior simply raises a hand toward the streams of projectiles. And the, the resultant flare condenses into a much broader form - a massive barrier of tinted light that is whittled down heavily as attacks of every breed are thrown against it. However, the remaining Heartless have taken refuge behind what is practically a fortress wall, it's protection somehow extending over them all even if fired at from differing angles. However, it does provide a critical /break/ in the flow of attacks from the Heartless - a split-second pause to try and reorganize what remains of the students before the battle resumes. But this time, the action will have a far more recognizable feel to it's enactment for Kyra. An undeniable twinge of nostalgia - the feeling that this barrier, formed of seven overlapping layers of protection, is something the white mage has seen before; even if it seems to have been altered in appearance and color... the functionality is unchanged. A crack in the grand masquerade. A show that is already nearing the curtain-fall as, the moment the wall finally shatters... a hooded form suddenly bounds through the glittering remnants, shooting through the air as though he were an arrow himself. And in each hand, there rests a glinting black blade, their shape vaguely reminiscent of a pair of falchions for any that have the knowledge to identify the weapons - right before they cut across the torsos or limbs of any students who had the ill fortune to be too close to the Huntsman's charge. His cloak is singed and torn in places, and his armor has noticeable dents across it - the forearm-guard is cratered deeply, implying he had been forced to bat away one of his own arrows before resorting to the barrier... but the Huntsman himself seems more then capable of continuing the fight, the last of his Shadows pushing ahead after him as the dark bowman finally decides to close for the kill - and try to end the battle here and now.
Souji Murasame	Staren manages to surive the Corridor of Darkness attack, slamming into the ground. As the mecha hits, the great beast curls in on itself, wounded and hissing, charging up an increadible amount of power. Gleaming lines and Patterns spreading from the impact point of the seething meteor indicate that this attack is going to hit the entire battlefield if he is not stopped. It wants to end this battle. Staren gets into position, hurling himself past fountains of magma and death, sprays of molten rock washing past him in all directions and sizzling on what's left of is armor as he skids, finding his firing solution. The massive gun he carries is aimed by hand, finishing its charg cycle as the massive beast glows with a deep, terrible Power... And as his wings spread, preparing to unleash that terrible energy... And the air splits with terrible force, the hypersonic shell whipping out and crashing straight into where its heart would be... If it had one. But this doesn't stop the powerful magical bomb from punching straight into the chest, before a wave of overwhelming magical firepower explodes straight out the back, scattering the beast and sending bits of it crashing into the opposite buildings. It slumps forward, apparently dying... But it stops, eyes aglow with infernal, eternal hatred for these pitiful beings that have come together before it. And it will make an example. With a mighty hand, it raises a fist, preparing to come down in a colossal smash... When the night blanketing Alexander Academy is suddenly shorn by a beam of light, the beast's control over the Darkness unravelling with the incredible damage it has taken. The beam strikes the beast, and it recoils, the touch of Phoenix searing it as if it was acid. This only accelerates the event, as the Darkness shatters, ripping away as the new dawn arrives, banishing the terrible night. With a terrible, unearthly howl, the beast evaporates into wisps of darkness, floating away like a terrible, powerless phantom of hatred and evil. As he goes, so do much of the Heartless, vanishing in puffs of Darkness themselves, turning the tide for the defenders. Thank goodness this is all just special effects and everything will be repaired later...
Kyra Hyral	"Versatile." Kyra remarks from where she stands, which affords her a great chance to observe her opponent. The teamwork of those remaining is head and shoulders above their peers, which means Kyra is given the opportunity to observe as she should always be able to. Observation was a key skill for a healer-without it, party members would perish. As predicted, focusing fire on the Huntsman forces him to focus on his own protection. It gives time for stunned students to be restored and reorganized into much more effective groups. Once they have, which Kyra can see from her vantage point, they charge through, braving attacks that are reflected to get at and eliminate whatever remains of the Heartless. Kyra empties her entire chamber once more, each bullet striking against a new layer of barrier. This was very familiar to her and it brings a smile as she assumes she now knows who the Huntsman is. The sudden appearance of the twin blades seals it for her as she only knew a handful of people that could dual wield at all effectively. "Heh, oh Shirou-" she murmurs, "ENOUGH!" Kyra makes a clawed motion with a hand before directing a massive blast of white energy at the Huntsman, fellow students recognizing the spell for what it was as it is unleashed. THey do not even get a chance to cheer for the banishment of Diabolos as they scramble out of the way: "Let's finish this! Holy!"
Staren	Staren stares at his screens as a hole is blown through the giant demonic being. "Wow." He sighs with relief as it slumps forward, and the mecha's head looks at its smoking weapon, expressionlessly... before the demon surges back to life! The Star Hawk steps back as if surprised, and aims its left arm -- but the missile launcher there is empty, fired before that earlier fighter-mode approach. So instead, as the beast raises its fist, the Star Hawk takes a defensive posture and raises its left arm, some kind of energy shield projecting from the pack on the forearm (an energy version of 'shield' in the armor sense, not an all-around barrier)... It flinches at the sudden beam of light, and steps back as the creature is banished... Staren deactivates the shield, stares at where the demon was for a moment, and then turns towards the others... but stops when he sees the huntsman.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight blinks in surprise as the Huntsman suddenly switches tactics so completely. The shield goes up, but is steadily weakened. Twilight adds her own shots of magic against it to help bring it down. But really, they don't have to collapse it since the Huntsman suddenly surges toward them! Twilight skids to a stop. "Here he comes!" she calls out to the students around her as she avoids magma geysers. Twilight is not a close quarters fighter, so she doesn't try to close in on the Huntsman as he charges at them. Instead, her book comes down to hover in front of her, and she concentrates. Her horn glows brightly and the book starts to glow similarly. It would be easy to recognize what is coming if the Huntsman was paying attention before, but that does not mean it will be easy to avoid! The book's magic explodes outward again in a purple-white beam of pure energy, aimed right at the Huntsman. Twilight is certain he will dodge the initial attack, but she is sure she can maintain the beam and sweep it to score a solid hit. She has to be careful to avoid hitting any students. The Star Hawk and Pheonix's light finishing off the demon draws Twilight's attention, but she quickly refocuses, smiling at the competence of Staren and the ending of the Darkness.
Archer	As the battle nears it's climax, the remaining members of the shadowy pack swarming the students follows the charge of the Huntsman... and it is here that the remaining survivors face their most grueling test so far; a direct confrontation with a veteran of war. The Huntsman easily distinguishes himself as being vastly different from the majority of the Heartless - an actual individual with years of honed skill behind him. All his attacks are precise and swift, calculated and practiced - each one is made swiftly in response to every strike directed against him. He moves as though his mind is already ten steps ahead of the battle, the next action already conceived and waiting to be actualized into reality. In this, it seems the Huntsman is ironically far more experienced in the art of the blade then he is with the bow - not even his own arrows' paths were as precise and intricate as his strokes with the black falchions are. Furthermore, his guard and even his strikes are filled with feints and intentional gaps in his posture and stance. Like spinning a spider-web over the field of battle, the Huntsman seems to not only pick apart his opponents through the holes in their techniques, but purposefully leaves false ones in his own to draw adversaries in, only to be swiftly countered when they take the bait and are near-instantly disarmed or struck down. Once more, it's comparable to how a veteran warrior would test or toy with his neophyte learners, letting them try to see through his techniques even as he sees through theirs. To give them the ghost of a chance in order to gauge their skills. Still... it is apparent that for all his skill, the Huntsman is not invincible. For each time he adjusts to his enemies, they in turn may likely become a little bit faster - a little bit cleverer - a little bit luckier. Dents accumulate on the armor, rends and scuffs form across the black cloak - even feint trickles of blood are drawn the edges of his arms and legs as the Huntsman parries blows away from his torso, electing to be wounded across his limbs instead of his torso.
Archer	However... what truly compounds the Huntsman's threat is not even the battle... but how he choses to carry it out, displaying a cunning awareness as he takes every advantage he can from his environment - clever... and merciless. And all too intent to impart the lesson of just what true monsters would be willing to do, be it out of fanaticism or spite. With a sharp whistle, he unflinchingly directs some of his remaining Heartless Shadows to tackle any students they into the path of any environmental hazards that they can - be it the erupting lava-streams formed by Chernobog or the Magic Cannon fired by Twilight, choosing to sacrifice practically all of what remains of his pack to bring down as many opponents as possible. This in turn may add a confusing layer to the mystery of the dark bowman - even if aware of what this battle was... would the boy Kyra thought of have been so very callous? But it isn't entirely successful in blunting the student's teamwork - in fact, it may very well strengthen their resolve to bring down what has portrayed himself as an unequivocal monster, several of them fighting even harsher to force the Huntsman back - resulting in the Twilight Cannon's last vestiges impacting the dark bowman, burning away much of his cloak and scorching his right arm and leg, halving his mobility and fighting strength. But he still refuses to fall, the Huntsman shifting all his weight into a strong bound towards Kyra, banking everything on trying to pre-empt the attack he is no longer in a condition to avoid or deflect, left arm swinging out in a wide-arc for Kyra's neck- Only to be locked against the weapon of another student - one who has apparently decided to give up all for the sake of defending a comrade, holding the Huntsman back as the wave of holy light falls on both of them. And in that split second before the final attack falls... the dark bowman looks at Kyra... and in doing so may render it hollow with his last words. "Are you satisfied, then?" Then the blast of the spell permeates the area and blinds out everything around it for a painfully long moment... ... leaving behind the shattered vestiges of the Huntsman's garb before the fallen student's body, the warrior inside seeming to have vanished into thin air. As if he simply turned to dust. Whatever the explanation, and whether or not Kyra was caught in the attack as well during his final charge... the Huntsman has left the corporal world behind. At last, the battle is well and truly over.
Staren	Staren considers how to attack, but Kyra and Twilight and the rest of Kyra's team hit him ahrd, and then Phoenix's light ends it... The Star Hawk approaches Twilight and Kyra, careful not to step on any fallen students. The machine kneels, and the cockpit opens, monitors swinging out of Staren's way as he undoes the harness and rides down on a zipline, then retracts his visor as he runs over to them. "Twilight! Kyra! Are you okay? Um, the other students are gonna be okay, right? I mean..." He looks around in concern.
Kyra Hyral	Kyra did have to wonder, though. Shirou was never this vicious in a fight. Cunning, perhaps, but not this cunning. These patterns betrayed a large familarity with fighting and years of experience. Kyra has witnessed personally as Shirou has grown in his power and still does not remain comfortable with handling large amounts. But those twin swords...she had to wonder. Though there is no confirmation to her words, Hyra's not disappointed. Even as the Huntsman bares down on her as she prepares her attack, she holds her ground. The inteference of the other student was not anticipated but also not entirely unexpected. These experienced and smart ones remaining knew very, very well the mantra of 'protect the healer'. They weren't about to let Kyra be whacked at the last moment. The question is answerd. "Yes. Yes I am." White light fills the air between them and when it has cleared, only the Huntsman's clothes remain. Kyra is standing, unharmed by her own magic. Across the Academy, 'Heartless' are 'Slain' and disguised members of the staff from teachers to the Headmaster himself are vanquished one by one. The X-zones to the "dimension of darkness' that held the fake Heartless disappate, no longer maintained by the Time Mages responsible. The weather peels away, spell no longer active to keep it in place, allowing the light of Phoenix to shine through. Unconscious bodies of students unable to withstand the rigors of the exercise are strewn everywhere-a good eighty percent of the student body-'casualties' to a crisis they would not have overcome. But their deaths were not in vain. For this year's Disaster Day, the students have won.
Twilight Sparkle	Twilight looks barely on her hooves after using such a powerful spell twice in such quick succession, but she nods lightly to Staren when he asks. "I think so..." she says breathlessly, then looks around before raising a forehoof to her mouth in shock at the number of students that have been 'lost'. She shakes her head lightly, then looks toward the fallen clothing of the Huntsman. "...somehow...that being felt familiar...but I can't quite put my hoof on it." she says before she starts walking around, checking on students. Ironically, of the many spells that Twilight has practiced, healing has never been among them. "Are they going to be alright?" she asks Kyra worriedly.
Kyra Hyral	"Oh yeah, they'll be fine. People get hurt all the time during classes and tests here." Kyra says quickly, "But nobody has died. Not for a very long time. They're very careful about that." Even as she says this, she too is going around to check the fallen and administer shots filled with potion as needed.