Scene #7904: Terror on the High Seas

Owner	Pose
Midway	The sky cracks with flashes of lightning periodically, highlighting the silhouette of a black warship identified as the 'Lost Light'. The daylight is dim beneath these angry clouds, tempered further by heavy rain. With no lights on the ship, it stands out only when lightning strikes and illuminates the oily metal the vessel is made from. It is under cover of this nasty weather that approaching the Lost Light unnoticed is possible; whether one is somehow making it onto the main deck for a boarding action, attacking from the air, or engaging in a more traditional naval battle. Those who board find the ship is just...vaguely unpleasant to be on. Like walking through a particularly haunted graveyard or being inside a crypt. The ship feels excessively haunted. This is not helped by the metal it is made out of, which groans softly in pained human voices when struck with any real amount of force. Lamps, the glass smudged or cracked, ignite, casting the ship's decks in yellowed light. Unfriendly noises scrape and groan from inside the vessel, making their way to the various hatches that currently cordon off the vessel's interior. The crew might not have been expecting trouble, but they're clearly responding to it now. The White Dragon is nearby, standing on the roiling waves as if it were instead some violently heaving ground. Her graceful kimono has been exchanged out; now clad as a warrior and flanked with steel armatures, themselves sporting the telltale markings of an aircraft carrier's flight deck. Most concerning for her foes; the enormous no-dachi resting across her shoulders. The 'Shikigami' she spoke of are nearly impossible to make out in the storm, buzzing through the storm-torn sky. The Princess of Progress, who might have been recruited in some fashion, is nowhere to be seen.
Chains Knight	Chains Knight makes sure he's on board the friendly ship, and then does not board the unfriendly ship when they find it. "I can fight quite effectively from range," he says, blandly, when strategy is discussed. He does, however, present a prompt: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-SYSTEM MESSAGE=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= \| CHAINS KNIGHT invites you to join his party \| \| ACCEPT INVITE? \| \| > YES NO \| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ...the text box hovering, unobtrusively, just somewhere in everyone's consciousness. Nothing happens immediately if you think-select 'yes', but the popup disappears afterwards either way. Chains himself takes a position at the side of the hired ship, shuffling his deck of cards, and just... waiting.
Arcadia	Flying into the middle of a roaring storm to fight some oceanic monstrousity that was once a sailing ship. There's a lot of things eerie and weird with just thinking that sentance. A saner person would maybe consider steering clear of that confrontation and the many things that could go wrong. Fortunately for everyone else involved Arcadia has more in the way of courage and dedication than she does such common sense. There's a monster to beat, people to protect, and doing it during a storm is just another thrill to add to the pile. So as soon as word was out it was time to put the operation into action the sphinx was on the move to join in. Magitech visor sliding into place to protect her face but for the most part winds and lightning aren't going to do a lot to detain her. She can move faster than any stupid storm could hope to blow! The message briefly pops up in the HUD of her visor, YES is promptly selected, and Arcadia takes a brief moment to flash a thumbs up in Chains' direction before engaging her arcane thrusters and boosting off to get into position.
Kukuru	Getting onto the Lost Light is a fairly simple affair for Kukuru. Prior to actually seeing the thing or knowing where it even is, she just follows the directions given to reach the rendezvous point in the most direct way possible, terrible weather and mildly terrifying peals of lightning be damned. Her journey is a short one, thankfully, as it ends the moment she gets a visual of the familiar White Dragon. There's a brief, but sudden churning in the water besides White Dragon as a murky cloud of vaguely ominous dark stuff appears from below. Hopefully, it's considerably less ominous once Kukuru comes out of it headfirst and just floats on the surface of the water with half her body still submerged. Unlike White Dragon, she's still dressed more like a civilian or office worker or something in her usual blouse and dress combo, and the only thing indicating that she's here as a combatant are the giant steel claws covering her hands. "So...! Um. Do we need to keep the ship intact, or can we just hit it really hard?" She pauses to accept Chains' invite. "... Or would that do something weird with the ghosts? Unless the ghosts need to come out, so smacking it would be good for them...?"
Midway	"Destroy it," the White Dragon intones to Kukuru, "This affront of a vessel, this vile crew, and this murderous captain must all be purged to render the sea safe once again." She braces as a wave breaks against her, taking a step forward. Though she dismisses Chains' invitation, unsure what to amke of it, her enormous sword is swung up and forward to point, "Forward!" The dark hull of Lost Light, illuminated by freshly ignited lights, now ignites spotlights amidships, sweeping across the roiling waves and through the rain-choked sky. The friendly ship occupied by Chains Knight is soon lit up, followed swiftly by small-caliber artillery fire from the warship's secondary battery. The three main turrets traverse, but are not yet on-target. Another lamp illuminates the White Dragon, and she is similarly peppered with mid-calibur guns. Her left armature swings down in front of her, using the armored flight deck as a shield, though it's not quite enough to spare Kukuru from the imprecise bombardment. Smaller spotlights sweeping the air lock on to the Dragon's airplane-shaped shikigami but also on Arcadia, tracking their movements while anti-air batteries add their own thunder to the storm. While the ship's guns rumble to life, hatches on deck finally swing open. Inhuman creatures in varying states of decay, lurch out into the rain. Most of them might have, at one point, been human. Twisted now nearly beyond recognition, blackened and in ragged uniforms, either wielding weapons of that same oily black steel or having entire limbs replaced with blades and hooks and firearms. The nightmarish crew of the Lost Light spilling into view like a ruptured sore.
Arcadia	Better against faster aircraft, but has he dealt with anything quite like Arcadia before? We'll have to find out how well they can adapt. The AA batteries open fire as the sphinx is boosting through the surrounding storm, and quickly spiraling her movement to whirl away from most of the barrage. There's a few flashes where shots manage to ding her armor and the protective aura it projects but nothing as seriously damaging as the inhuman gunners were hoping for. As she closes in on the Lost Light's position properly Arcadia brings both her arms together. Magitek rings spin around them, then combine into a single set of rings that extend forward, giving the impression of a long gun barrel. The targeting sensors of her visor flicker as they sweep across the battleship's form to lock onto one of those weapon batteries. The assistance from her allies is appreciated but there's not really a moment in such an escalating battle to mention such things. "Astral Laser!" A glow flickers from her hands, followed by a large beam of energy erupting forth, the 'barrel' of rings focusing it towards the ship's armaments as it lights across the dark stormy sky!
Kukuru	"That's easier." Kukuru replies to White Dragon with a satisfied nod, visibly pleased that someone else has made the probably easy decision for her. She closes her eyes briefly as the wave hits her head on, and she takes a moment to wipe her glasses off before putting them back on. "Breaking stuff can be pretty relaxing, especially if it's causing problems for other people. It's so much more convenient when the solution is straightforward like this..." The battle begins, and Kukuru's position becomes covered in explosions before long. Although she's able to swerve around in the water well enough to avoid getting hit directly, the force of those explosions still send her careening around in the sea a few times before she starts to find her footing. Figuratively, of course. Kukuru's still swimming, but she's swimming with more confidence and focus than before as she darts towards the Lost Light. Spotting it in the distance with its spotlights making it all too obvious where it is, she reaches one claw forward in an overly telegraphed motion as another dark cloud appears just above the water's surface. She leaps out of the sea to go right through it, and a similar portal appears significantly closer to the Lost Light itself as Kukuru comes launching through the ominous cloud. <<"Oh. Um. If you wanna get close, be careful on the way out.">> That's the best warning she can muster as Kukuru goes on the offensive, claws whirling about with more strength than finesse to start cleaving through the crew. She's not moving particularly quickly so much as she's reaching as far as she can with each movement, trying to clear through their numbers with powerful slashes or hurling those she can get a hold of into the Lost Light like meat javelins.
Chains Knight	"Destroy it indeed," says Chains, shuffling his deck again - and once things properly start up, he balances the stack of cards on the railing of the ship and starts drawing. "Drawing seven, no mulligan, let's get started..." The Lost Light opens fire. Chains brings his free hand up to shield his face (reflexively, since it's already shielded by the helmet) but he manages to not get hit by the worst fo it, regardless. "Very lively, for a ship fo the dead," he remarks. "It is my turn, though." "I discard Machinations of Daedalus as part of paying the cost of Upsized Uplink Upgrade," he says, discarding one card and tossing another vaguely in Arcadia's direction. Her magitek visor gets some new data - Chains' tactical targeting insights, suggesting attack routes and high-value targets. "And then... hmm. I cycle Library of the Invaders to draw a new card... yes, this one will work. I play Dark Suited Bodyguards, he says, throwing the new card out towards Kururu. "Ma'am," says one of the pair of burly, shade-wearing bouncers who are suddenly flanking her, ready to absorb any hits that come her way. "And I end my turn and draw back up to seven," he says, busying himself with pulling one card at a time.
Midway	The Lost Light's secondary and anti-air batteries go silent for a moment as Arcadia's laser sweeps across amidships. She can see shapes writhing around between the gun emplacements, contending with fire and damage and severed or seared carcasses. Not to worry; if the defense against the boarding party is any indication, these people died a long time ago. As things are quickly brought back under control, machine cannons open back up, filling the storm-darkened sky with tracers. This time, aimed more to hem the sphinx in rather than strike her directly. An effort to make her easier prey for the slower, heavier flak guns that have now traversed into position. These artillery shells burst after a second or two, filling the sky with shock and shrapnel. On-deck, Kukuru initially meets little resistance. The leading wave of crewthings are low-tier things. Creeping undead, zombies with basic weapons and sluggish reflexes, easily torn apart by an experienced fighter. While these simple goons continue to spill out of the hatches, they are soon joined by more specialized foes. Chief among them, a rotund undead with no jaw and a huge hook for a forearm comes swinging at Kukuru from the left. Seconds later, bursting out of a heap of bodies cast aside by her attacks, a wolfman whose hands have both been replaced by arrays of hooked metal claws leaps right at her. He's waylaid by one of the bodyguards summoned forth by Chains Knight, at least for the moment. The Lost Light's main guns have finished their traversal and elevation. Louder than any thunder, the guns open up, loosing a volley at the White Dragon as well as the ship carrying Chains Knight. While the Dragon leans into a heavy turn, shielding herself with her equipment, the thunder and shockwave of the guns wreaks havoc on-deck.
Chains Knight	Return gunfire continues being launched at the ship. Chains is ready, though. "I play Swarthy Seahands, he says, as two burly sailors appear in front of him - and get promptly shredded by the artillery fire that would have hit him. "... Ah. I had hoped those would last a bit longer..." "... It matters not." He pulls out another card. "I play Volcano Mage Quartet on my front line, and empower them with Sea Salt Mana Well." Four mages, wearing hats that look like science fair project volcanoes, appear nearby at the railing, and immediately start casting a rapid-fire barrage of fireballs across the water at the other ship!@
Arcadia	The storm is starting to make standard visuals less effective. A shimmer passes over her visor as Arcadia switchs modes, the ultraviolet sensors picking up the movement between the damaged cannons more readily, and the numerous bodies left dead. Or more likely made dead once more. But it makes it clear to her that damaging the weapons are only going to deter the enemy's offenses in a limited capacity. Not to mention the sheer number of guns a battleship has. The Lost Light and it's unholy crew have the right idea, strategically. But there is one problem with it, in that as soon as those tracer rounds fire, Arcadia -moves-. The sphinx moves so fast that her motion doesn't just blurr, she almost seems to flash in and out of being visible, while still having more than enough control over her agility to weave around the attempts to pin her down. "Close but not quite!" she calls back tauntingly. But maneuvering through dense enemy fire and attackers at phenominal speed is exactly what she's made for. The flak guns open fire, but fail to do more than briefly buffet their extremely agile target with their fragmentation. Then Arcadia can be picked up again, coming from the starboard side as she blazes down at what would be a bombing run angle. As she does so several glowing orbs form around her, and then are sent hurtling towards the Lost Light's deck as they conflagorate into shearing balls of flame. But rather than just strike and explode like fireballs, these bounce off surfaces, instead careening and rolling about the ship threatening to set even more of it on fire with their fiery touch.
Kukuru	The hook-wielding undead finds that it's actually rather easy to get its hook into Kukuru's arm, especially when she's swinging her own arm forward to try and catch it in mid-swing. Her reflexes aren't quite as good as she'd hope, though, and she bites back a strained noise while fighting the instinct to pull her arm back (and potentially make it worse). Instead, she keeps advancing on the hook-wielder while leaving the wolfman to Chains' bodyguards for the time being (and sending some healing energy their way to try and keep her mysterious helpers healthy as long as she can). "Thank you~ Just be careful back there, okay?" She warns them even while pushing through the pain, using her non-stabbed arm to swing her free claw at/through the hook-wielding undead's entire body in a roundabout way of getting her arm freed. With the Lost Light's guns opening, up however, she senses a shift in the battle. They need to pick up the pace. Rather than continuing to focus her efforts on clearing the chaff, she turns her attention to the ship instead. With her monstrous strength, Kukuru starts slamming her claws (with or without the hook still in one of her arms) into the deck of the ship itself, working her way backwards towards one end of the ship. There's enough force behind each of those strikes to punch through a lesser ship, and she's aiming to work on capsizing this one through the sheer volume of those repeated impacts.
Midway	As the Lost Light continues taking fire from Chains Knight's vessel, the fiery impacts produce a sound that is somewhat of a mix between cries of pain and the ringing of steel. The ship certainly seems to live up to the claims that it was built out of damned souls, worked into the very metal of its construction. The barrage has yet to find anything especially vital amidst the armor and guns of the warship's broadside, though, and that protected secondary battery returns in kind with a cacophony of cannonfire. When Arcadia swings out directly over the ship, tracked with continued fire from autocannons, the introduction of bouncy flame orbs initially causes a bit of a panic. Initially assumed to be some for of magical bombs, crew quickly bolt out from under them...only to find the orbs start rolling around, setting fire to any flammable surface as they go. Undead crew lurch back in, one tackling a flaming sphere and hurling himself overboard with it. Another attempts the same, only to be incinerated. His burning corpse hauls up and back, falling backwards into one of the flak turrets-- which explodes quite violently. The blazing gunhouse, blasted off its mount, tumbles overboard and into the sea while leaving a smoldering wound of crimson embers where it once stood. Crook, the hook-wielding monstrosity, lurches back in a spray of blackened, ichorous blood when impaled. He wrenches on his hook-arm, dislodging in the process as he falls on his back in a heap of viscera, quickly crawled over by the weaker sailor-undead trying to get at Kukuru more directly. The distressing steel hull of the Lost Light does not give when Kukuru slams her strength into it, further betraying its nature as something distinctly unnatural. It does ring with an intensely satisfying metallic sound though, shot through with a far less satisfying scream of tormented souls trapped within the metal. With how sturdy it is, her strikes do have a different effect: The bow of the ship dips noticeably each time she hits, hammering the vessel down into the waves. Through this horrific noise, the wolfman tears himself away from the bodyguards and hurls himself at Kukuru, metallic claws outstretched, with an animalistic snarl of bared teeth.
Chains Knight	Firepower goes back and forth between the two vessels. Chains reinforces his mage squadron with several more cards - but they're starting to get pushed back. "... Another bad draw," he says, looking down at his hand of cards. "I need a new paradigm..." His attention is drawn up to Arcadia, and he watches her for a moment - and then he jolts suddenly, as if a phone is unexpectedly vibrating in his pocket. "I see... That sort of game might well work out better here." The cards are put away, and he snaps his fingers. "Form up, and lockstep," he orders his mages, and without being told further they arrange themselves in formation, two on either side. With another gesture, the mages resume firing, continuing their barrage of fireballs - staggering their firing so that there's a constant stream, about one every half second. "Incoming fire - we move," says Chains, moving along the deck - and the mages seamlessly moving with him, dodging out of the way of incoming artillery shots. One of the fireballs hits something inconsequential on the ship - an unused radio antenna, or a bit of decoration - and a large glowing S appears, floating intangibly in the air in the direction of the ship Chains is on. "There, a Spread Shot" he says, veering off his mage squadron formation towards it, and grabbing it - and as soon as he does, each of the mages pulls out a second wand of fireballs, and starts casting even faster - in a wider, less concentrated spread, but with more fireballs overall, as they continue to dodge up and down the ship's railing...
Kukuru	"That's a weird noise... Hu-uh. This ship doesn't move like a regular ship. It's really... Face up?" Kukuru comments as she notices the lack of ship-flipping and deck-wrecking, grunting in disapproval when she hears the trapped noises beneath the surface. She'll have to leave experimenting for later, though, when she's not in the middle of a fight and also all of that fire. She steers clear of the flames being kicked up by Arcadia's beams and Chains' mages, notably wary about all of that fire and staying far enough away that they shouldn't be an issue unless she hurls herself headlong at them. Instead, she'll hurl those sailor-undead at the flames to help thin their ranks and buy herself some extra time to heal over those mounting wounds. Despite having potent healing abilities, Kukuru's actual sturdiness to individual attacks isn't all that remarkable. She has to focus a bit on that earlier hook-stab just to close up that wound, and that gives the wolfman time to approach her at a far faster speed than Kukuru herself is capable of moving at. The wolfman, too, manages to dig those claws firmly into Kukuru, punching claws right into her torso in what should be reaching vital staying-alive parts. She's certainly bleeding a lot like someone that's just been stabbed through, but she still remains upright. Kukuru bares her own teeth at the wolfman while reaching her claws around to hold him close. Razor-sharp teeth and massive claws alike start ripping at the wolfman from the front and back respectively, aimed at tearing him to shreds with pure bite and grip strength.
Arcadia	As she clears the Lost Light with her five Arcadia pulls back up, briefly cruising over the surface of the water and sending a few swells of water roostertailing in her wake before fully rising and speeding back into the air above the battle. But now she's flying into the winds of the storm instead of against them, and while it doesn't slow her down that much it does require her to hold to a less elaborate maneuvering to keep herself from being thrown off-balance. It is the perfect oppritunity for the autocannons to swing around upon her and open fire, riddling shots in the space of sky the sphix is occupying. Several bright bursts can be seen as the shots strike against her back and the energy feathers of her wings. A few of the pylong thrusters flicker and smoke from the damage, but she has more than enough thrusters to make up for it. As she rises Arcadia engages her attack bits, the magitek options taking up formation around her as she reachs the apex of her rising maneuver and banks to redirect herself towards the Lost Light below. Flashes of lightning from the storm play across her technorganic form as she swoops and pulls herself up into position, micro-jets in her warskirt activating to help hold a hovering position, allowing her wings to be folded forward at her sides as the ports at the end of their pylons alight, the options arranged around her as the magitek weapons in her arms also activate as she thrusts them forward. The HUD of her visor flickers over the Lost Light to pinpoint a multiple of target points. Arcadia smirks. "This has been fun, but let me show you how an assault barrage is properly done... BULLET HELLSTORM!" Her arm blasters, the options, the projectors in her wings -- Everything fires. EVERYTHING. A nearly undescribable torrent of energy beams, bullets, and those annoying projectiles that explode into swarms of smaller faster ones midair are all sent hurtling down upon the battleship!
Midway	Chains Knight's change in tactics makes his fire unit a tougher target, though the Lost Light's secondary battery seems just as focused on him as it is on the ship he's standing on. The increased firepower from his subservient magi at last starts to wear on the ship's defenses, searing through some of the more exposed cannon mounts and anti-air weaponry harassing Arcadia. As his mage unit continues to tear into the secondary battery, the main battery opens fire again. This time, aimed at the ship Chains Knight occupies. The larger and more enticing target, although being made of wood with only a little metal in certain places, it may make the armor-penetrating fuzes of the shells not work as expected. Zombie sailors are cast to and fro by Kukuru's monstrous strength, several more burning, though in the process some of them do manage to get Arcadia's flame orbs off the ship at the cost of whatever counts as their own lives. When the wolfman Fang gets in her face, he leans in on the impaling claws, teeth bared in a wicked smile. When Kukuru doesn't die like he expects, that sinister expression turns to one of surprise when he's swiftly overpowered. With one hand pinned, he thrashes with the other, ultimately uselessly as he's torn into several pieces and scattered across the deck. That's about when the main battery opens up on Chains Knight, rattling the undead sailors still on the deck with Kukuru and blasting her with the shockwaves once again. Arcadia's alpha strike bombards the midsection of the Lost Light, hammering the guns and emplacements forming the bulk of the ship's secondary battery. Something else explodes, some of the smaller turrets burn in place. A single high-angle 88mm cannon gets a shot off directly at her before it's knocked off its mounting by a neighboring gun's ammunition exploding. With so much damage on the damned ship, an alarm starts ringing. The deck lamps all turn from yellow-white to red. Undead on deck don't abandon ship nor do they pile inside. What happens is, instead, they crowd around the hatches and dog them closed while remaining outside.
Chains Knight	"Alright - Smart Bomb powerup coming in-" calls Chains, as another floating icon drifts from a destroyed bit of the ship. It doesn't quite reach him. He's so focused on it, that he doesn't see an incoming shot... ... and a moment later, his mage squadron is blown apart, leaving him standing alone on the deck once again. "... No extra lives?" he says, looking around. "And I do not have any more firepower set up, and the Lost Light is about to submerge... It does not matter, though. I have yet to play my trump card." He holds both hands out, palms forward. He focuses. He sees the bigger picture. All of the incoming fire and attacks have been good for wearing the Last Light down. The chaos of the battle has been fine. But now - there needs to be order. Much like a game-ending combo in a card game, actions need to happen in specific ways, to specific targets, at specific times. Arcadia's fire needs to come in... right there, a bit to the left. Kukuru's attention needs to be drawn over... there, and her timing needs to be... a quarter of a second sooner. And the White Dragon needs to aim... there, a bit higher. Nobody's controlled. But things are nudged - like an extra hand steadying one's aim - to ensure everything hits, in the last moments before the dive, for maximum effectiveness. Which, in this context, means maximized destruction.
Arcadia	The thunder of the 88 echoes from admist the chaos erupting across the battleship deck from Arcadia's barrage, screaming into the sky towards her. Arcadia pulls a long baton from her hammerspace, bracing it against her arm as she points it forward. The end of the baton clicks and splits open, drawing back the panels to reveal a projector lense. The lens itself is carved from megadiamond, and when energy is applied through it the result is a beam that disrupts inertia and momentum. Which is what Arcadia fires at the incoming projectile. It takes a few seconds for the effect to be noticed, when the shell loses all it's forward motion and drops away to tumble inert into the sea below. Whew. That was a really big shot, it would of done some dastardly harm if it actually hit her! Unfortunately the battleship is a quite bit too big for her personal disruptor to stop from withdrawing into the water. So the best option is still doing as much damage to it as possible before it can slip away. Secondary emitter ports open up in her forearms, the gems inset to the elbow guards shimmering into a neonish green color as she engages the weapon system. Then draws her arms back to one side to hold them close together and channel that energy in cracks and sparks to gather between her palms. Until she swings and thrusts her arms forward and sends the glowing spheroid of unstable arcane energy hurtling down at the Lost Light as it prepares to submerge. "AETHER CRASH" Yes, this one is explosive. Violently so.
Kukuru	Kukuru finds a small reprieve when the wolfman goes down and left and right and around, but she doesn't have nearly as much time to recover from her injuries as she'd like. She only barely manages to close up the stab wounds before she's hit by the main battery's shockwave, nearly getting thrown overboard herself from the force alone. It takes her a little longer to remember that she'd actually be fine in the water. Once she does, she stops trying to withstand the shockwaves to stay on board, and she instead lets the next one carry her towards the edge of the ship to get some distance from the other shots and the undead that... Aren't trying to kill her? How curious. It's only then that she notices that they're actually crowding around the hatches instead, and the alarm that might be a sign of something to come. <J-IC-Scene> Kukuru says, "That alarm's kind of loud... What do you think that's all about?" <J-IC-Scene> The White Dragon speaks, "That is... a dive alarm. The Lost Light is going to submerge!" <J-IC-Scene> Arcadia says, "Pound it before it can slip down then!" Chains begins his gambit, and Kukuru obliges quite easily despite not specifically knowing what's going on or that he's nudging her at all. She simply follows her gut while teleporting herself above those undead around the hatches, dropping down at them as if preparing to slam her claws into their gathering. She teleports, and she's falling towards them once more. She teleports again, and she builds up more speed. Kukuru repeats this process several times, reappearing higher than the last and increasing her speed by just as much. It's actually rather terrifying after the first few loops, and Kukuru herself just disappears eventually, but her claws hurtle into the gathered undead as a pair of closed fists, slamming full force into the ship and obliterating themselves in the process. Kukuru, meanwhile, torpedoes herself into the water not far away from the Lost Light after relinquishing her grip on the claws. She might be good at regenerating, but she's not about to splatter herself on the deck needlessly.
Midway	With the exterior lamps shining crimson and the dive alarm ringing loud, the Lost Light's hull dips lower in the water. Arcadia, aided by Chains Knight's assistance, smashes the vessel amidships with explosive aether, rocking the vessel violently and blasting damaged weapons and wounded crew over the side. Kukuru slams into the door and the undead guarding it, scattering severed limbs and pulped undead. After a few impacts, the hatch itself starts to buckle, though someone inside holds it fast. The double-punch blasts the hatch off its hinges, grievously injuring anyone on the other side of it. As the Last Light dips lower into the water, burning and red-hot in places, it suddenly and violently...stops descending, with a violent enough lurch that it's obvious even for people not on board. When it attempts to go harder, there's a horrific grinding, groaning noise from below the water and the ship's depth does not increase at all. In the water, should Kukuru dip below the surface to look, she would spot the Midway Princess herself is the obstruction preventing the Lost Light from submerging. When it becomes clear to the crew that the ship is, in fact, not going to escape this way, the dive alarm ceases. Moments later, a gaunt man in a black uniform emerges from one of the bridge wing lookouts and drops silently to the main deck, accompanied by a sword of blackened metal floating beside him. Reaching up, he tugs the brim of his hat down to obstruct glowing blue eyes.
Midway	On the Lost Light's bridge, a figure in a ragged black uniform raises one white-gloved hand, "That's more than enough. Take us down and get us out of here." That same hand lifts, pinching the brim of his cap and pulling it down, "It was a miscalculation to engage this force so carelessly." The bridge's lighting turns to crimson alongside the exterior lamps, marked by the ringing of the familiar dive alarm of a far different vessel. When various bridge hands announce the hatches have been dogged on all exterior bulkheads as well as interior bulkheads around damaged sectors, he gestures again and the black-hulled warship takes a sudden dip in the waves. Not quite 'sinking', but submerging in the same controlled manner as a submarine. It suddenly halts with a lurch and a groaning sound from deep below. The captain lifts his gaze to the dive officer, who reacts by twisting the dive plane wheel even harder. The vessel lurches again, the groan of straining Soulsteel growing more pronounced. Eventually, she relents, glancing over her shoulder, "Captain, we can't dive! Something...is obstructing us! It's like we've run aground!" "You have not," a resonant voice echoes within the bridge. The comms officer responds, bringing up a figure on the monitor. Though visibility is poor and the outline is tough to make out in the figure's murky surroundings, the unmistakable glowing crimson eyes forming wide, perfect circles is unmistakable; an Abyssal Princess. "Your abuse of my territory has grown tiresome. I will no longer permit your utilization as a means of escape. You will win or you will die. There is no other outcome." The image ceases, cut from the other end. Standing from his chair, the captain bites his thumb in thought. Wisps of blue escape his eyes when he at last steps forward, weapons tearing away from their wall mountings to float beside him. TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Kukuru	Beneath the waves, Kukuru lets buoyancy and physics carry her back up to the surface while she lets her wounds stitch themselves back together. She's still shaky from the terror of hurtling through the air so rapidly and repeatedly, but she stops once she opens an eye to look towards the ship. More specifically, she sees a familiar face beneath the Lost Light. Almost immediately, she breaks into a cheerful smile and a full-armed wave, but she has enough sense not to call out to the bearer of that face. She knows how important timing is, and she's not about to mess that up for the princess. Instead, Kukuru's content to keep floating back up, and she's even stopped bleeding by the time she breaks the surface. Only then does she pull herself back up onto the ship proper, using nothing more than her freakish grip strength to fling herself upwards each time. All that's left, then, is tending to her allies' injuries (especially those bodyguards from Chains, if they're still around) and then finding the ringleader behind this shady operation.
Arcadia	The ship was going to dive.... and then it doesn't. Instead someone that looks very important is coming out onto the deck, and he's armed to boot. Guess they decided to make a last stand after all. The second phase of this battle must be with the captain or whoever else is in charge of this operation, Arcadia thinks as she engages secondary maneuvering boosters to glide down to the Lost Light's battered form to investigate.