Mahou ♥ Mission - IC

[Astoria]

Ah, so she was right in guessing that the rider was friendly. At worst, it seemed, he was neutral to their cause, and without much celebration, the rider and his beast flew away into the fog after reciting what appeared to be a rehearsed warning. With the disappearance of the rider and the sound of the voice of their commander, Nephenee too spoke up in favor of crossing the bridge. While the opinion was not unanimous, it was the majority, and it took only a few minutes for the carriage to be on its way again. This time around, her spyglass saw no action, on account of the thick fog that permeated the air around their carriage. Instead of an optical adventure, Neph used the time to mull over the bridge and the wyvern rider. But after an hour or so, she grew tired of the subject and began to stare at her watch. For some time afterwards, their voyage in the wooden carriage was an exercise in the mundane.

The sudden stop of the carriage cut short Nephenee's boredom as she yet again popped her head out of the carriage, curious as to why they had stopped yet again. This time, the cheery mahout was a bit more taken aback. Ahead of them, the most obvious sign of trouble were the cottage-sized boulders laid out in the middle of their path. But stepping out of their transport, Neph could see the remains of a wooden car with a design strikingly similar to their own. It was burnt to a crisp and taken to pieces; although there was no evidence to support it, it reeked of foul play. Surprisingly, there was nobody or around it, and upon further inspection, there not even a horse or a corpse. She could hear, however, by straining her ears, the faint sounds of voices in the distance, and ahead, there seemed to be silhouettes of figures in the fog. It was not a stretch to assume there was an accident inside the carriage and the earlier expedition had to jump ship with all their supplies. But there was also a real possibility that it may have been pillaged by bandits of some sort and those were the figures in the distance.

The answer could go either way, so Neph tried not jump to conclusions like Arina had. "There's also the possibility that's just the earlier expedition and they had an accident," she suggested. "But yeah. Don't be stupid and keep your guard up."

Seeing Minte start off towards the voices, Nephenee set off after her, shield arm held out, and sword arm at her waist. She hadn't had the time to fully catch up with her fellow mahou before Minte was attacked by a flying boulder, which landed slightly too close for comfort to the masked girl. That was her cue to kick herself into gear, and with a flick of a hand, a translucent blue shield appeared over her right hand. She caught up to Minte as she dispatched one of the figures in the distance. The figures flitted away, granting them a momentary reprieve.

"Woah. Wow, nice shot, but what was that?"

 

[R-9 Pilot]

"Whatever happened here, it would be best to investigate," Homura said as she climbed down from the carriage. "I'm going to go see about the other carriage," she announced to the others still nearby. It may be best if we stay in small groups, if I could have a volunteer to accompany me." Her cool gaze directed toward her own Master suggested who she'd like to have along. She still couldn't make out what had the others on edge, but better to be careful than dead. The carriage might be empty, but a more thorough investigation felt right to her. There might be signs of what had happened which couldn't bee seen at a glance, particularly in this fog. At the moment, they didn't even have a clue what had actually happened. She carefully made her own way toward the other carriage, intending to find out for herself.

When Minte called out for backup, she did at least draw attention to herself. "I'm over here, by the wrecked carriage," she shouted back. "I'd like to check it out, but I'll move to support." She got her sword at the ready, and began to make her way toward Minte's voice, keeping her eyes and ears open in the fog. The other girl must have found something, to be worth speaking up. And the carriage wasn't going anywhere.

She eventually found the other girl. Or girls, as it turned out. "What's the situation?"

 

[Justin]

[fieldbox=", cyan, solid"]

Gabbi was still a little shook up about the whole interaction. At least the mysterious man with the dragon didn't attack the girls. Gabbi went back to her naturally bubbly self. Gabbi watched in horror as Minte went to investigate further into the fog. She wanted to say something to stop her, but she didn't know what.
After awhile, Gabbi heard Minte yell for the girls to come and help her. Being the helpful and optimistic girl she was, Gabbi ran to where Minte's voice came from. Gabbi saw that some of the other girls had came to Minte's side too. Gabbi walked over to her. "Are you okay Minte? What is that thing?"
[/fieldbox]

 

[Noctis the Devious]

Selene Rin

The dark arcane user's mind was still realing from the encounter with the dragon when they stopped once more, and the sight that greeted them was... suspicious to say the least. By the make and model alone she could tell the carriage was most likely from the first expedition. The girls? None to be seen. Did they perhaps pull off a tactical retreat and regroup else where? Or did a much crueler fate befall them? No, that couldn't be right... could it? Whatever got to them was still around. On the other hand, they could easily be scavengers waiting to pick at the remains only to find a more succulent meal.

Sometimes Selene wandered if she should be allowed the right to think.

While the girls decided on a course of action, more specifically to help Minte who had ventured off and presumably captured or killed one of the creatures surrounding them, Selene unlatched her cloak from around her neck and lowered herself to the ground, relying on the surrounding fog to muffle any noise. The whole situation was weird. Rather provide yet more back up for Minte, she decided to follow through with Homaru's original plan and scope out the carriage. After all, the more ground they could covered, the more they discovered, the better, right?

 

[Skyswimsky]

Well, the result regarding the wyvern rider was way more lame than Lyriel had hoped for. Making her point by giving off a big yawn she positioned herself back ontop of the carriage and, not having a single care in the world, actually decided for a nap, as most of her travel companions looked like of a more silent nature, not to mention being asleep was also equal to not being hungry, double profit!

...

"Huh?" The girl didn't know how much time passed, and considering the situation they were apparently in, which she was a bit unsure of as she woke up thanks to some annoying yelling from one of her companions or similar, the young delusional girl decided to follow her loyal summoned jack-of-all-trades maid, ultimately leading her to a few others of the group, as well as dead body...halves. "Loot!" Was the first thing coming out of her mouth though, and loot was obviously meant to be taken!

Cutting between whoever was standing in her way Lyriel pointed the palm of her hand towards the general direction of the dead goblin like creature, which lightened up for a bit in response, ultimately leading to the materialization of something akin to a red gemstone-like shard. "That thing must have been a weakling! Don't even know if I can use that at all." Putting the shard away in annoyance, she started to check if anything else of worth was on the death being.

 

[Asuras]

Health: 4/4| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%
Health: 5/5| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%	Health: 5/5| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%	Health: 4/4| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%	Health: 3/3| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%
		Arina Samala
Health: 3/3| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%	Health: 5/5| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%	Health: 4/4| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%	Health: 5/5| Sanity: 100% | Anger: 0%

---

Site of the carriage wreck​

Minte's forward pressure had seemingly warded the unseen entities completely away from their presence, leaving only the half-there corpse of a small goblin creature. From shoulder to chest its body was cut apart by her wind slash, and its life has long since slipped away. The goblin was dressed in a simple loincloth, and at its side, barely held in its limp hands, was a crude stone weapon of some sort.

Sochi walked slowly up to Minte's side, eyes glued to the dead creature. "Good shot," she said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder briefly. Sochi approached the body and leaned over it, mulling over the alien creature. Goblins were employed in Banot, but seeing one so deprived of more modest clothing was something she'd never encountered. Its weapon too elicited feelings of ancientness. Standing up, she looked to the girls who had followed behind or were already gathered.

"We know the carriage was sacked, I'm sure, but I do not think these things did it. They're far too weak to have pulled off an attack on trained Mahou," Sochi said, looking about as if to try and resolve the mystery. "Still, it's clear we're not welcome or safe by any means. I think it's best we get out of this fog as fast as poss-"

Whoosh. The sound of some arcane pulse cut her off, and her eyes widened in horror as she witnessed doom. A boulder. An immense boulder not unlike the ones blocking the carriage, hovered briefly over Arihita's body before loosing its hover and plummeting mercilessly down. Nary a second was afforded before the young girl was entombed into the dirt by the huge piece of earth.

Only a pitiful cry could escape Sochi's mouth before she rushed to the boulder, as if lifting it would save her junior. Still, she struck the boulder fiercely and retrieved her weapon, looking about frantically. The chattering of goblin voices that had disappeared came back in full force once more, though their forms kept concealed in the distance.

With a rumble, the boulder that had fallen upon Arihita began to stir, and from its smooth surface two pairs of legs took shape, stretching out and lifting the rest of its body up slowly. The spherical rock, once inanimate, had become a walking beast of stone, a gravely roar escaping its headless body. Slow and cumbersome, the expedition had the chance to strike long before it.

---

Event Results:

Sanity Reductions:
Selene: -20%
Minte: -5%
Gabriela: -10%
Arina: -5%
Homura: -20%
Lyriel: No change
Nephenee: -5%

Arihita Usami was killed instantly by a falling boulder-turned-golem.

 

[Zombehs]

Minte
Haste + Unaimed Kamaitachi. Hopefully wrecking goblins and not the other way around w/ Nephenee. @Click This

---

"Dunno, figure we should go che-" Before Minte could finish though, it seemed that most of the others had also come following at Nephenee's heels. While the urge to sigh was strong, she refrained from doing so and instead just glanced at everyone that'd gathered. Lyriel had already rushed past them to loot the corpse, so with a slow shake of her head she turned towards Homura and said, "I guess you should keep her safe. The res-"

Again, before she could finish though, Minte noticed Sochi's approach and fell silent to let their superior speak. Taking the compliment with a small nod, she focused her attention on the older Mahou before Sochi was also abruptly interrupted. 'Looks like I'm no-' The thought came to a quick halt as she spun about to assess the situation and the realization hit her. Even as her magic surged, Minte saw the boulder begin to fall and knew that she wouldn't make it. Her eyes widened behind the mask at the spray of red as the ground shook from the impact.

While Sochi rushed towards the boulder, Minte bit back a curse and instead focused on the renewed chatterings. 'Taking advantage or responsible?' She couldn't be sure, but damned if she was going to let the opportunistic bastards have their way. Any anger she felt at the situation was forced down with a deep breath even as rumblings had her glance at the forming golem. "Yeah..." she muttered quietly as she glanced down at her weapon. It was finely forged, but she had no wishes to test it against solid stone if possible. The other Mahous should be able to handle it, there were a few magical heavy hitters amongst their group from what she remembered. She would deal with the numerous small fry that seemed to be intent on taking advantage of the chaos.

As she cycled through what she remembered of each Mahou in their group, Minte quickly made her decision. "Nephenee, with me!" A blue aura flared to life around her before it settled like a second skin, and then she rushed forward. The shapes were still impossible to see through the thick fog, but a quick draw sent a slash flying towards the noisiest area.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

Homura
Activating aegis field and designating the golem for spacefold interception.

The sudden boulder and loss of one of their number, needless to say, left Homura shaken. She didn't have time to be overly concerned at the moment, with the obvious fight imminent. "I get the feeling that whatever that thing is from, it's our real threat." She gritted her teeth and moved over to stay between the golem and Lyriel. "We need to deal with this fast. If any more are on their way, it will only get worse." She got her sword between herself and the golem, clearly focusing on the biggest threat for now.

The air shimmered around her in a brief distortion as she activated her aegis field, preparing for the fight ahead. "I'll see if I can't keep this thing's attention for a while." She tried not to concentrate too much on the blood slicking parts of the golem. She briefly made sure to single the golem out for her interception system, as it appeared to be the biggest single threat present, and she should do what she can to keep the heat off of her allies. "Alright, you giant hunk of rock. You and me. Let's go." She was glad the thing wasn't surprisingly fast as well, so she at least had ample time to prepare.

 

[Noctis the Devious]

Selene Rin

Selene was stunned. There was no other way to put into words how she felt. One minute the young girl was there, the next a golem stood in her place. If not for the obvious gore and the others' reactions, she might have thought her mind was playing tricks on her. Arihita could have jumped out of sight and the golem simply took her place. There was so much blood.

She was snapped from her thoughts as the mahous jumped into action and and Selene focused her sights on the golem and Homura, it's blatant challenger. Her fellow Mahou did something to it, but she wasn't sure what. Pressing her lips together, she ignored it and focused solely on the golem. It had to move somehow, meaning it's most likely weak points would be its joints.

Not one to call out during the heat of battle, Selene had no choice but show the others her thoughts and hoped it worked. Her magic gathered in the palm of her hands as she lurched to side. It'd be ideal to keep the carriage in tact and if she could provide a diversion for Homura as well than she would take it. When she felt she had a good shot, she took aim and let fly a steady shower of needle-shaped dark manifestations. She thanked her lucky stars she didn't have worry about the sun weakening her attack.

 

[daird]

The golem's roar of challenge caused Arina to spin in the air. Oh, crap. This has all the makings of a disaster. She came down and landed far gently than the golem had, paying little attention to the body of her comrade. There would be time for mourning later; right now, Arina had to try to survive long enough to get to that point.

Cupping her hands in front of her, Arina cried out, "Blast of Light!" Instantly, a ball of white energy surged forward towards the golem, hopefully striking it in the chest.

 

[Justin]

[fieldbox=, cyan, solid]

Gabriela Caroline Love

[/fieldbox]​

[fieldbox=, cyan, solid]

[fieldbox=, cyan, dashed]Gabriela was shocked and mortified at how the young girl was killed. Just splat! Blood everywhere, she never even had a chance to move. Gabriela had tears forming in her eyes. She wiped them away, knowing that this wasn't the time for tears. Her face turned mean and determined. She would kill the golem for Ari-chan. "Strings Of Light!" Gabriela lanterns glowed hot white and then colorful strings flew out of them, tangling the golem up. "Now girls let's kill this bastard!"[/fieldbox]​

​

[/fieldbox]

​

 

[Skyswimsky]

Flying into the air and throwing two Exploding Fireballs at the Golem
Lyriel

"Oh snap! Who died? I hope no one important?!" Was Lyriel's response in a half serious tone, she was more disturbed by the fact that the creature she just looted had pretty much nothing of worth on it...didn't it loot the carriage before them or something? Whatever, the pink hair didn't see who exactly got killed, but as long as Homura was fine everything was alright, then again she could probably rebuild summon her again... and well, if Homura managed to get herself actually killed in such a lame way she wouldn't deserve a second chance in her eyes anyways.

Whatever the case, this thing had to be taken down, and a big target was easy to hit no? If only she had her Orbital Laser... . Getting on her Broomstick and safe into the air the girl pulled out, and threw, one, no, two of her Exploding Fireballs. "Death from Above!"

[stabs]{slide=Stuff|center}
∞ Not-so-awesome lame standard Cartridge
3x Scrub-da-Ground Cartridge
2x Lame Health Potion
2x Cool Health Potion
3x Exploding Fireball
1x small Serelenstein
Foodstuff
Crayons
{/slide}[/stabs]

 

[Astoria]

The next few moments came as a blur. The rush of the corpse-looter Lyriel, the approach of Sochi, and the sinking feeling as a large shadow appeared overhead. The defensive mahout watched as the massive rock sailed overhead and out of her own defensive range. She could only helplessly watch as the boulder landed on their flank, squarely on Arihita with a sickening crack and thud. Putting her free hand up to her mouth in surprise and alarm, she stood her ground and bit her lip. There was simply nothing that could be done, and they were still surrounded.

With the return of the whispering noises, Nephenee made ready to counterstrike or even strike first with a saturated attack, but the sound of low rumbling behind her drew her attention first. Turning around, she drew a long curse as she watched the boulder transform into what appeared to be a golem of some sort.

"On it!"

Taking this be the biggest threat now, Neph rushed back to the flank at Minte's cue, her blue shield pulsing as she strengthened her guard and sent a bolt from her free hand towards Minte's target. It seemed Homura would have the golem's attention at the moment; it seemed like it would up to Neph to tank any of the smaller enemies that would dare approach them.

 

[Asuras]

Health: 4/4| Sanity: 95% | Anger: 0%
Health: 5/5| Sanity: 95% | Anger: 0%	Health: 5/5| Sanity: 80% | Anger: 0% Aegis (+1D,+1MD)	Health: 4/4| Sanity: 80% | Anger: 0%	Health: 3/3| Sanity: 95% | Anger: 0% Haste (+1AG,+1Dodge,-1AW)
		Arina Samala
Health: 3/3| Sanity: 70% | Anger: 0%	Health: 5/5| Sanity: 90% | Anger: 0%	Health: 4/4| Sanity: 95% | Anger: 0%

---

Site of the carriage wreck​

Amidst the laughter and chaos, Minte's wind-slash struck true as ever before, slicing into a small figure obscured by the fog and unleashing another gurgling cry as it fell to the earth. Firing into the same field of vision, Nephenee's spread bolt found its way into two other figures hidden in the fog, instantly striking them down. Though the sneers and snarls of the goblins beyond never ceased, both girls managed to pick out the subtle but curious chant of another voice in their midst. Unlike its rowdy and unintelligible counterparts, this particular voice seemed focused, and its words were clear and collected; it sounded like a magical spell being channeled.

As Homura vied for the attention of the golem, it grumbled and stomped upon the ground before taking a charge at her, moving forward at a slow but still surprisingly swift pace for such a creature. Though she attempted to move aside from its charge and failed, Homura's Aegis Shield held up quite well, stopping the golem just short of pushing her back a foot.

Selene's dark needles pelted the side of the golem, though the sheer mass of its rocky body managed to disperse the power behind it, leaving the golem unharmed. Arina's Blast of Light, on the other hand, miraculously penetrated the golem's thick hide with astounding power. The golem reeled backwards, grumbling with pain as the hole in its side seared with heat. Still, it remained alive and able to move.

In turn, Gabriela's magical beam struck true, the Strings of Light easily capturing the slow golem in their wide-ranging strike. The golem flinched as the beam hit its sides and burnt the rock slightly. While the effects, for the most part, of magical spells seemed to be working against the golem, its fortitude against the physical and mundane seemed far better as Lyriel would soon find out. Both of her grenades fell at the golem's feet and summarily exploded, but neither of their blasts wounded the golem, though pieces of its exterior armor seemed to chip in various places.

Following behind her juniors, Sochi began her own assault on the golem, drawing water from the air around her spear and charging the earth elemental with great speed. Plunging the weapon towards the enemy's sides, the blade sunk deep and struck the core of the golem before being drawn out. With a spin, Sochi swung the spear at one of its legs, once against penetrating its defenses and severing the limb.

With a roar, the golem caved in on itself, crumbling into a simple pile of boulders, rocks, and dust.

---

Event Results:

Minte - Kamaitachi successfully fells another goblin in the fog. Detected signs of a magical chant being carried out in the fog.
Nephenee - Killed two goblins with bolt. Detected signs of a magical chant being carried out in the fog.
Homura - Failed dodge, successfully defended against golem, gained one charge of Aegis.
Selene - To-hit succeeded, failed to penetrate magic defense of golem
Arina - Successfully hit and penetrated golem's magic defense with high values, dealt 2 damage.
Gabriela - Successfully hit and penetrated golem's magic defense, dealt 1 damage.
Lyriel - Grenades failed to harm golem target. Three small Seelensteine currently lay on the field.
Sochi - Successfully struck golem with basic attack, double strike proc led to second successful strike dealing 2 damage in all. +2 Attack from Pressure.

After taking 5 damage in one round, the golem was defeated.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

Homura was quite unphased by the golem's assault, standing her ground and welcoming the strike, meeting it with the flat of her blade braced with her free hand. Her shidled defense held, if only just, as she turned the blow away. With the golem's subsequent defeat, she was left without an obvious target. She quickly moved further outward into the fog, to bring the fight to the goblins lurking on the perimeter. Threat or not, thinning their numbers and keeping their attention away from the others would be for the best. She closed on the nearest ones and swung her sword in a long arc, aiming to catch one of them.

"Someone try to clear these guys out before we're overwhelmed," she shouted back toward the more magically-inclined members of the expedition. "Blast the whole area if you can!"

 

[Noctis the Devious]

Selene Rin

Selene frowned at the order and searched the fog for any more of the pesky goblin. Unfortuntately for her, she wasn't an offensive fighter, prefering medium to long rang combat over up front encounters, and more unfortunate, she did not think ahead enough to bring along any material to make traps. She would just have to hope what offensive spell she did have and the knives strapped to the gaurter over her jeans were enough to wound them. If they weren't, well, Selene always had a fall back plan.

She immediately realized the goblins were either dumb or desperate as one of them out right charged her from the front and she quickly drew two knives. Taking a few swift steps back, she parryed the goblin's flailing hand and brought the other knife down upon his skull with as much force as she could muster. She prompty kicked it away from her, freeing her knife in the process. She took a deep breath and made the decision to regroup with the others, or at least provide back up. Being on her own would only reap poor results.

 

[daird]

Arina raised her hands high above her head, conjuring a white rotating disk. This was a perfect time to launch her ultimate assault, one that sacrificed a concentrated strike for a wide swath of damage. The downside was, it took a long time to charge. A very long time.

Hearing someone call out to strike the whole area, Arina responded, "I can, but you'll need to keep them off me for a little while! It takes time to get something like this ready!" When she unleashed her full power, though, there would be little that could stand in her way. Hopefully not any goblins, at least.

[spoili]Two turns until attack[/spoili]

 

[Zombehs]

Minte
Charge in closer and whack them with thy sword.

---

"Nice shot." Compliment aside, Minte clicked her tongue in annoyance as the voice reached her ears and was almost instantly recognized. The chatterings made it near impossible to accurately pin down the magic user chanting the spell, and she was loathe to simply let it finish. The battle didn't seem to be going too badly though as the others had already managed to bring down the golem in but a few moments from their concentrated attacks. Given their numbers, it made sense that spells with a wide area of effect would be chosen, but that did limit her options.

Well it would have if she worried about the possibility of friendly fire, but tip toeing around danger had never been her style. "Give me a heads up before you guys light the place up okay?" And with that parting remark to Nephinee, Minte surged forward towards the goblins' front ranks. Her weapon was tilted forward and with a sharp crack the sword shot forward hilt first towards a silhouette. With another burst of speed she charged forward to grab the rebounding sword as the corpse fell amidst the goblins' alarmed cries. A quick flick splattered the surrounding creatures with grey matter and gore before before she gripped it properly and grinned at the creatures.

 

[Skyswimsky]

->Still flying and throwing more Dakka at chanting scrubs if possible
Hah! "Take that, fiend!" The mighty beast fell, obviously all thanks to the super duper effective super strong fireball magic Lyriel used.. Though with that thing down, the battle didn't seem to be over yet. There was still rubble that needed to be cleared, with no one paying the pink haired girl any mind, and feeling over-confident, she flew towards the fog as well.

Just as everyone else who moved into the fog, Lyriel heard the the mad chanting as well. Well well, if that wasn't some singing for those peons using some sort of powers they shouldn't meddle with?! Grabbing another one of her firebombs, Lyriel flew towards the voices and, if in sight, would drop hell on them.

[stabs]{slide=Stuff|center}
∞ Not-so-awesome lame standard Cartridge
3x Scrub-da-Ground Cartridge
2x Lame Health Potion
2x Cool Health Potion
3/2x Exploding Fireball
1x small Serelenstein
Foodstuff
Crayons
{/slide}[/stabs]

 

[Justin]

Gabriela Caroline Love
|Goddess Of Light|
Lighting The Way Through The Fog
[spoili]

[/spoili]​

Gabbi watched in glee, as the golem fell down. It's limpless body turned to rocks and dust in the wind. "We did it!" Her confidence boosted a little, she was ready to take out the putrid goblins that were still around. The fog was heavy and annoying. "We need some more light." She used the Reversal Spell of Light Of Warmth, now she glowed like a beacon. The girls would hopefully be able to see in the fog now.

Dodging a blow from one of the goblins, Gabbi jumped backwards, landing on her toes. "Your so evil and gross, you must be cleansed." Shooting a light orb out of her lantern, Gabbi struck the goblin. It screamed and hollered and died. Gabbi didn't like to kill any creature, but these things wouldn't listen to reason. She learned from a pass experience to never reason with a sick beast. While still glowing, Gabbi tried to find the other girls. "We need to finish and get out of here. Before more start to show up!"​