This is a sci-fi/fantasy RP. The Players are young Mages who have been brought to the Academy in order to develop their magical talent and protect their city. They will fight monsters that roam in the wilderness, investigate nefarious plots against King and Country, and so on. But that is all in their future. For now, after a bit of general plot setup, let us have the characters meet up, get to know one another, etc. We can feed them to monsters later.
The plot so far:
The students meet their teacher, Professor Yuki Okamoto, and have their first few days of instruction.
About a week into their Academy life, they are unexpectedly sent out on a mission to investigate the town of Normaden. They learn that a Witch, a powerful monster that sometimes grows from humans with magical potential, has developed in the region. Their Professor takes on the role of exterminating the Witch itself, leaving the students to handle some of its Familiars. During the students' fight, though, they are unexpectedly brought face to face with an Angel. After a fierce fight, the students are victorious and return to their homes safely.
Back in Uruk, the plots grow thicker. A massive force of Angels has gathered near Babylon, and the head honchos discuss plans of how to deal with the threat. The Academy's Headmaster learns that the Angel that the students encountered was sent by the Chief of the Galileians. What could Chief Herschel be plotting, and why involve these young Mages?
Completely unaware of these plots, the students are assigned another mission: to resolve an incident over who should possess a valuable research subject. They will be escorted and monitored by Essence Parker, one of the academy's Student Council members...
To chat, give feedback, watch us fool around OOC, etc, please join the Discord
For a brief bit of worldbuilding or to create a character, please refer to the OOC thread
This club prides itself on having a very detailed combat and character system. For more information on said system, please refer to the System Info/Extra Lore thread.
To see a list of some detailed NPC sheets, please view this thread.
Setting: The Academy Library, July 30th, 199 NWC, ~9:00 AM
Intro: Hibiscus seeks a job at the Academy Library.
After realizing last night that Hibiscus had not had any money to her name, she decided that the best thing to do would be to get a job. Unfortunately, she had no way of getting a job at the age of 13. However, Lyka did mention something while Hibiscus was getting dressed that morning.
While sitting on the pillow that was basically Lyka's bed, she spoke up to the Hibiscus who was currently trying to stuff her head into a t-shirt hole, "So uh. A job?... Why not just steal-"
"T-That's wrong!" A muffled Hibiscus voice replied, before her head popped out through the t-shirt hole, "People can't just go around stealing stuff!"
Lyka rolled her eyes and groaned, "Uuuuuugh, jobs are for losers anyways… But if you really want a job, why not do something you really like doing?"
Hibiscus sat on her bed, thinking, "B-But I don't really have anything I like that would work…"
Lyka stared at hibiscus before glancing at the books that were on her nightstand, "Uh, I dunno, maybe something with books? You always read stuff at your house, and you said you were running dry. Honestly, it's astounding you didn't think to go to the library at all lately."
Hibiscus then stood up from the bed, "A librarian! Lyka you're a genius!" She shouted to her companion, before grabbing her bag, as well as shoving some of her favourite books in, putting the bag on over her shoulders. Lyka only gave a grunt of confirmation, before flying over to Hibiscus and settling in her shirt's pocket, "Now, to the library!" Hibiscus said, a world of adventure and make-believe ahead of her.
It took a few minutes, but after checking a map of the academy, Hibiscus easily made her way to the library. It was a stark contrast to her first day here, when she had no idea what to make of the map, and almost ended up being late for her first day.
Upon entering the grand room that was the library, Hibiscus gazed up at it in awe and wonder. There were a ton of books here! There had to have been over a million! Maybe. It was definitely impressive. As Hibiscus gazed in wonder, Lyka poked Hibiscus's chest, and Hibiscus was reminded that she was here for a reason, "O-Oh, right, sorry!" Hibiscus said, walking to the front desk, where a tired-looking woman sat, "H-Hello! M-My name is Hibiscus O-Oswald. I was w-wondering if I could work here… I-In the library… As an a-assistant…" Hibiscus said, extremely nervous at the prospect of trying to get a job as a library assistant.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Chiseko looked up as footsteps approached. Footsteps were never a good sign. Especially not after last night. Kids these days, they have no respect for knowledge. To make matters worse, she was on morning duty again. Watch, this kid was going to try to destroy her sanctuary too. Chiseko could feel it.
Thus, when Hibiscus arrived at the desk, Chiseko just glared for a moment while the newcomer spoke. And continued to glare even afterwards. What in the name of Gilgamesh was this kid planning? A direct assault hadn't worked, so she must be trying to attack from the inside. Yes, Chiseko was definitely onto this girl's plot. "No. Go away." That'd tell her. Chiseko's head dropped back down to the book she was reading.
---
Hibiscus was expecting a sweet reply from the girl at the desk, but instead received a curt, mean-hearted thing. As if she had done something to insult her, "B-B-But why?!" Hibiscus replied, shocked, as Lyka glared at the woman from her pocket, "She's probably some old crone who doesn't wan-" She said, before hibiscus covered the pocket hastily and tried to talk to the woman, "W-Why?! I-Is it because I'm t-too young?!" Hibiscus asked nervously.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Strange. That usually worked. People were supposed to just leave when she told them to. So why wasn't this girl?
Chiseko sighed and looked up. "Kids are annoying. Like that fairy. And they cause trouble." There, that ought to do it.
---
Oh, so it was a thing against kids, and apparently Lyka. Lyka glared at the library person, but Hibiscus was hopeful. If it was just because she didn't like kids, maybe she could actually work in the library! She didn't say anything about kids not being allowed to work there, at the very least.
Hibiscus gave a small thought, wondering if there was another library attendant she could speak to who was hopefully in a better mood, but realized this might be the only one, or at least one of the only ones, meaning she had to deal with her before anything else. Hibiscus whispered to Lyka, and Lyka groaned, but got the message, flying out of Hibiscus's pocket and towards the entrance of the library. Hibiscus swallowed and gave the librarian a hopeful look, "I-I really want to work in here! P-Please! I love books! I-I've been reading all my life! I-I promise I'll be a huge help!"
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
This had to be a dream. Chiseko had to have ticked off Tsukihime somehow. That was the only possibility for this nightmare. Why else would some girl be begging for a job? She needed a way to discourage the girl. How to do it? Aha, of course.
"Someone like you would never be able to handle the grimoires." Yeah, Chiseko had her this time for sure.
---
Hibiscus's faith wavered, the librarian was right. Hibiscus was a scrawny girl who had a weak constitution. She probably couldn't lift the grimoires without a heavy workout. However-
"M-Maybe, but I still w-want to work here! I-I've been training as a mage, I've been getting stronger! Even if I can b-barely lift grimoires now, I still want to at least try! C-Can you give me a chance at least?"
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Lift? This poor fool. Well, at least it'd be entertaining. "Fine. If you can handle the grimoires, then you can work here."
---
A chance! Hibiscus relished at this! She was very happy that she at least got a chance to do this. However… Hibiscus did not know where the grimoires were at all, and with the size of this library she'd probably spend all day looking and not find them.
Hibiscus wanted to ask the librarian, but she also wondered if this was a test. Hibiscus had two options, ask and possibly fail, or go looking and possibly fail. Hibiscus decided with the first option. She had to know where this stuff was to begin with.
But just as hibiscus opened her mouth, she closed it, turning away and looking at the great, grand library. If she wanted a job here, she would need to know where everything was, right? What better way than hands-on experience searching for herself. Lyka was already gone, so Hibiscus had to do this alone.
First, Hibiscus decided to search the shelves closest to her, to see how they were organized, and if any possible grimoires were here. Depending on how they were organized, by book-type or book-genre, she would start her search in a different place.
---
On a quick look at the books around her, there were no grimoires to be found. However, there was a sign that pointed towards an area farther back, labeled "Magical Books". (Presumably) figuring that it was probably promising, Hibiscus would head in that direction. The books over there seemed to cover just about everything, from Simple Cantrips for the Smart Homeowner to Flight Magic for Dummies. But nothing seemed to be of "grimoire" material nearby. Until Hibiscus saw a wall with a sealed door. Two signs above the door were respectively labeled "Grimoires" and "Authorized Personnel Only". If Hibiscus would move closer, the door would unlock itself and swing open to greet her.
---
After Hibiscus saw the sign, she went in the direction that it pointed to. There were very interesting books here, but nothing that she was looking for. However, she did find exactly what she was looking for, a door! Supposedly, it had grimoires, but was only for authorized personnel. As she got closer, the door automatically swung open. Hibiscus suddenly realized what the Librarian probably meant by "handling" the grimoires, and a shiver ran up her spine. Wishing that Lyka was at least here to comfort her right now, Hibiscus gulped.
Presumably, she was allowed in, as the librarian told her to, and the door had opened for her. It took a moment to gather her courage, but Hibiscus gingerly took a step inside…
---
The lights flicked on as Hibiscus entered, revealing shelves extending back into the darkness beyond the currently active lights. The door would swing shut behind her after she entered. And from one of the shelves on her right, she heard a voice.
"Hey guys, check out the fresh meat!"
Voices began to rise up from the other shelves, and it became clear that the books themselves were talking.
"Oh yeah, Mike! This is great! I was just hoping for a snack."
"Wonder how long she'll last. Who's down for a bet?"
"Put me down for five minutes Luke!"
The voices continued to chatter and laugh at the girl who had entered their domain, while the first one continued. "Yo, new girl! How's 'bout you 'n' me go a few rounds, eh? It'll only hurt a little bit."
---
As Hibiscus wandered into the room, feeling a bit more scared as the lights flickered, the door swung shut behind her, and she shivered in fear. That fear was justified as voices started speaking to her.
At first Hibiscus thought it was all in her head and that she suddenly went crazy, but then she realized it was just the books talking…
As if that made it better.
REALLY wishing Lyka were here with her, Hibiscus shivered slightly, finally realizing what the librarian meant. Hibiscus was frozen in place as the books made passes at her, some of them, very inappropriate.
Steeling herself, and reminding herself that books can't hurt her, or at least she hoped so, she continued to walk forward, looking at the books as she passed, and checking their titles as she did so. If she wanted to prove she could handle the grimoires, she had to at least get to the end, right?
And so, Hibiscus continued walking, trying her best to ignore the voices, and hoping none of them actually jumped out at her.
---
"Hey kid! I'm talkin to yah! What, you think you can just walk away? This is an offer you can't refuse! We'll celebrate Tim's daughter getting married! And in the same way as Tim's daughter, if you catch my drift."
Raucous laughter filled the shelves as Hibiscus walked further in. She tried reading some of the titles, but quite a number were either unnamed, illegible, or at least partially covered up by chains or something similar. And the titles she could read weren't always the most helpful. One of the grimoires seemed to actually be entitled Tim, and a book directly next to Tim was covered in something probably supposed to be resembling a wedding dress.
As she was looking at one Forty Ways to Raise or Raze a Village, she felt… something. A presence. That was the only way to describe it. One of the grimoires was calling to her, not verbally, but with some form of power. A shadow was spreading from it despite the lights overhead, creeping closer to Hibiscus gradually, but steadily…
---
Hibiscus ignored the laughs and provocations of the books as she headed deeper in. She didn't really know what they meant by some of what they were saying, but she thought it probably wasn't good. At least Tim's daughter wasn't lonely? Hopefully.
Hibiscus glanced at a nearby title, Some of these books actually seem interesting. How would one raise a village? Hibiscus thought, before realizing it probably had to do with necromancy, and she quickly shied away from it. However, she also felt something… Something that was drawing her in. Hibiscus looked around, swearing to herself that she could see a shadow creeping towards her.
And that shadow was coming from the book that she could swear was beckoning her towards it. Hibiscus looked around, then crept closer to the book, slowly, but surely. If this really was a dangerous book that was only beckoning her in to doom her, it'd be a bad thing, but Hibiscus still had to prove she could handle it.
And, although Hibiscus was reluctant to do it, she knew of a way to steel her nerves. Although it might not really count as her doing this, it could help her at least get through this, transforming.
However, Hibiscus wanted to save that until AFTER she was too scared to move, and she still had a bit of courage left in her, so she crept closer, and closer to the book…
---
The shadow emanating from the book crept closer and closer. As it did, the grimoires from farther back muttered amongst themselves. "Hey, she's going over to that one!"
"Damn, she dumber than she looks!"
The shadow spreading from the book connected with Hibiscus's own shadow. After a moment's delay, black smoke rose up from Hibiscus's shadow growing taller and shifting into a three-dimensional form. Once the smoke had cleared, a perfect double of Hibiscus was standing there with a small smile on its face as it looked at her.
---
Alright, Hibiscus thought, enough was enough. She didn't think letting this thing be was a good idea now, "T-Transform!" She shouted, backing up and transforming into a magical girl.
With her book and knife now out, Hibiscus held the former out in front of her, using it as a shield of sorts, backing up and readying her knife for whatever the clone of her would do.
---
Hibiscus stared at the doppelganger, who stared back. The clone seemed to be perfectly mimicking Hibiscus, as it raised its own book and knife in the same fashion. Everything seemed to be identical: her hair, her clothes, her knife, even the moisture content of her skin. The only differences seemed to be the book itself. While Hibiscus held her normal book, the one in the doppel's hands was the very same grimoire that had been spreading the shadows before. And speaking of shadows, neither the doppel nor Hibiscus herself seemed to have a shadow anymore.
---
The doppelganger mimicked the same movements Hibiscus did, so she frowned at the doppel, knowing it wouldn't do any good, but she did it anyways. At least she was less scared now. Hibiscus no longer had a shadow, and she felt like that was extremely bad, and she'd need to deal with it quickly. Slowly backing away, Hibiscus called out to one of the books that was making fun of her earlier, "Hey, How the hell do I get rid of this thing?"
While she asked, Hibiscus poked her knife into her arm, both to see what the doppelganger would do, and to draw her own blood. Hibiscus then smeared the blood onto the tip of her left index finger, and drew a Mark of Hibiscus onto Tim, as a backup, while still backing up herself.
---
"Hauh?" One of the books called back to Hibiscus as she asked her question. "How the hell should we know? All grimoires are unique in what they can do. Well, unless someone copied a grimoire, but you'd have to be a real dumbass to do that. Hell, you have to be pretty damn stupid to make one in the first place!" This last comment provoked several chuckles from other books nearby.
Hibiscus took a few steps back as she spoke, causing the doppelganger to also take the same steps back itself. And as Hibiscus felt the steel of her knife penetrate her flesh, the doppelganger mimicked this action too, setting its own knife against its own flesh. But as it did, Hibiscus felt more pain than she normally did from such a simple (for her) act. In addition to the blood produced, black smoke, like tendrils of shadow, began to leak out of her own arm as well.
Hibiscus took some of the blood she let out and began to draw on the spine of the grimoire labeled Tim, which immediately set said grimoire off. "Hey, what the hell? You come to my shelf on the day my daughter is to be married and you mark me with your blood? That's disgusting! Do you know how hard it is to get blood out of a book?"
---
Hibiscus grimaced in pain as the knife trailed blake smoke from her body. That couldn't be good. Tim also took offense to Hibiscus drawing on him, so she shot him an angry glance and said, "Shut the hell up. I'll make it worth your while." While looking back at the grimoire that the doppel Hibiscus came from. The doppel itself had backed away at the same rate Hibiscus had.
Hibiscus frowned again, she could try to go for the grimoire that had spawned it, but she had no idea what it would do if she tried. She briefly thought about using light to make it go away, but the lights in this room were still on, and it was still there.
So Hibiscus made a slow advance back towards the grimoire, watching the Doppel do the same. Hibiscus would try to get around the Doppel if possible, staying on the other side of the walkway, and get near the book if she could.
---
"What on earth could you possibly give me to make it worth my while? Unless you're willing to well, show this old book a good time…"
"Dad, what the hell?" The grimoire wearing what seemed to be a wedding dress seemed less than pleased about that comment from Tim.
Hibiscus took a slow step forward towards the doppelganger, expecting it to follow suit. But instead of taking that same step, the doppelganger just gave a sly smile. And if the teeth in that mouth were mirrors of Hibiscus's, then she would certainly need to expedite a visit to the dentist, since those clearly did not belong to a human.
And after smiling its fanged grin at Hibiscus for a moment, the doppel turned and took off, sprinting away down the hallway towards the exit.
---
Hibiscus once read about how fanged girls were apparently adorable, but she honestly couldn't see how with the clearly-not-human teeth spouting from her doppel's image.
And when it took off running, Hibiscus panicked, "Shit!" And starting running after it. Since the grimoire was in its hands, she needed to capture it and fast, before the librarian decided to fail her.
Hibiscus started chasing the Doppelganger out of the room.
---
The doppelganger raced down the hall towards the door, with Hibiscus in hot pursuit. Given that they seemed to be of identical fitness, the distance didn't seem to change while both were moving at their top speeds. But Hibiscus herself would be forced to slow down after a moment, as the doppelganger slammed the door shut after exiting, holding the door closed to prevent Hibiscus from opening it. As it leaned its body against the door to hold it shut, it began to pull nearby books from the shelves and brace them against the door as a small barricade. It was clearly intent on keeping Hibiscus trapped within the Grimoire section.
Speaking of which, the grimoire that had first spoken to Hibiscus chimed in again. "Ooooh damn, girl. You've done it now. One of us got out. Tsk tsk tsk. Better hope that dumb kid up front doesn't notice, otherwise she'll have your guts for garters."
---
Hibiscus slammed against the door with all her might, but the doppelganger seemed just as strong as her, and the combined weight of it and the door was impossible to open without further assistance. It also seemed to be stacking books to block the door even further.
Upon provocation from the grimoire, Hibiscus slammed her knife into the material next to it, "Shut the fuck up, or I'll rip you apart piece by piece."
Hibiscus looked back at the door. Maybe she didn't need to open it all the way, just enough for a book to get through, or a grimoire. Hibiscus made her way back to Tim, picking him up and telling him, "Not a word, or you won't live through to see the wedding." Before picking up speed and running at the door full blast, slamming into it with all her might, while simultaneously trying to shove Tim through any gap that opened up in the door, and, if she was successful, Hibiscus would teleport to Tim through that small gap onto the other side of the door.
---
"Hey, don'tcha know its bad luck to hurt a grimoire? Almost as bad luck as meeting one in the first place, hahahaha."
Hibiscus ran back to grab Tim, and the doppelganger felt the pressure ease up on the door it was restraining. Taking that as its cue, it took off running again, sprinting for the exit of the Library itself. By said exit, Chiseko still sat, reading one of her books. She paused only long enough to look up and comment, "Guess she couldn't handle it," before continuing to read.
Meanwhile, Tim was pulled off his shelf, forcibly taken from his home and family. "Wait, what are you doing? Put me down at once! I'm warnin- oof!" This oof came as he was slammed against the door and shoved through the crack produced. Hibiscus then used her magic to teleport to Tim outside of the room.
---
Out of the room, Hibiscus wiped her hands, but her doppel was nowhere to be seen. Great. If this thing left the library and was out in the real world. Hibiscus gritted her teeth, then slotted Tim back through the door, "I'll come back later. If the librarian asks, say you had a party with the normal books." Before running towards the exit of the library itself.
Only one thing to do, capture that Doppel. She figured the uninterested Librarian wouldn't know where it went, but maybe she knew how to stop it, "Hey. I made a mistake. One of the grimoires got out of the room. I'm trying to stop it, tell me how."
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Chiseko looked up as she heard more running footsteps. This was a library. People weren't supposed to be running anyway. But she was more than a little surprised to see Hibiscus standing before her again.
"Cadwgan's mane! You let one escape?" The cursing continued, though it became unintelligible as Chiseko dropped down beneath her desk and began rummaging around before surfacing a moment later with an iron chain. "Wrap the book in this, and it should be sealed. I'll call the Academy Police and have them out looking too. I take it the other you I saw was just some sort of clone then?"
---
Hibiscus crossed her arms, trying to think of a good excuse, but did not think of one good enough, so she just took the chain, "Yea, it's a clone. I got careless. I'm still going to take care of it though, so leave this to me." Hibiscus said, holding the chain in her right hand with the book and running out of the library, going to look for the doppel.
On the way, Hibiscus saw several other students, she stopped by one and asked, "Hey, did you happen to see me come by here earlier? A clone escaped and I'm chasing it."
Meanwhile, Lyka, who had been on the way to do god knows what, felt Hibiscus transform, and she felt way more lethargic as a result, "Uuuuuh?... What happened…. Is Hibby in trouble?..." She lazily asked out loud, and decided to make her way back to the library.
And Lyka finally arrived at the library, but she felt Hibby's presence no longer here. Lyka pouted, and flew over to the desk, "Miss lady? Why did Hibby leave?..."
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
When Lyka returned to the Library, she found Chiseko stepping out and locking the door behind her. "That girl? She accidentally released a grimoire, so now she's off trying to catch it. I'm going to look for it myself as well." With that said, Chiseko split off from the Library she spent most of her time in and set off through the Academy in search of a runaway grimoire.
???
The girl Hibiscus stopped was more than a little puzzled by being approached by a random stranger, though she didn't really voice any objections. "I don't know if it was a clone of you, but I did notice someone running quite quickly not long ago. I think they were headed for the second floor? I wasn't really paying much attention though, so I might be wrong."
---
Hibiscus nodded to the girl, then took off, running towards the second floor, looking around for another student or any sign of the clone and asking the same thing of a student if she couldn't find the clone.
Lyka lazily floated up towards the Librarian, "I'll go with you…" lyka lazily said, then sat upon the librarian's head to search with her.
Honestly, sitting on her head was just an excuse to be lazy and not fly anymore.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
As Chiseko felt a small weight appear on her head, she quickly brushed it off. "I'm not your mount." She had no interest in carrying around Lyka. Although, she might have a bit of fun with the fairy if she tried something again.
Up on the second floor, Hibiscus couldn't find any sign of the doppelganger, so she proceeded to ask around. The process led her up to the third floor, and then the fourth. Upon the fourth floor, she found not the doppel running away from her, but a slightly older girl running towards her.
Mao Fujimori
"Hey, you!" She slid to a stop next to Hibiscus. "Academy Police. You the original or the clone?"
---
Hibiscus quickly showed her AMB, which had her info on it, "Real thing." Hibiscus quickly replied, before taking off at a run again to look for the clone.
Lyka, meanwhile, felt sad about being brushed off, literally, as opted instead to fly next to the girl, "Why did Hibby release a grimoire?..."
---
Mao Fujimori
"Cool. It's not on this floor, and I assume you checked the lower ones. I'll take the fourth floor, you take the roof." The girl ran towards the stairs, getting off on the fourth floor to check around there while Hibiscus (presumably) continued up to the roof.
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"How the hell should I know?" The librarian grumbled her reply while starting to breathe a bit heavier. Clearly, exercise wasn't her strong suit. "One of the teachers left a textbook way in the back of the Grimoire Room, and she was supposed to get that one."
Chiseko's steps stopped all of a sudden. "Come to think of it, did she ever even ask what she was supposed to do? Maybe she thought she was supposed to let one out? No, but she said it was an accident. Tsk, this is why I hate people. They're so much trouble to deal with."
---
Hibiscus started her run up to the roof, still breathing heavily from the sprints she had been doing. Sure, her stamina was better now than it had been when she was not a mage, but she still got tired easily. Breathing heavily to calm herself down, Hibiscus slowly opened the door to the roof, trying to look for her doppel and not get ambushed either.
Lyka still lazily drifted along with the librarian, trying to continue the conversation, "Uhhh… Maybe Hibby thought if she asked you wouldn't let her become a librarian? Maybe she thought she had to do it alone… Uuuuuu, poor Hibby… You should not be so mean." Lyka said, her flight patterns getting more sloppy.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"Tsk. She wants to be a librarian, she has to be fine with meanness. Not like anyone else respects libraries or librarians these days. They're all off watching movies or playing games with their friends. No respect for knowledge these days. And besides, don't they teach people to ask for help if they don't know what to do?"
Now noticeably tired, Chiseko stopped. "Suppose its worth a shot." A purple crystal manifested in the air beside her as she closed her eyes. The crystal spun around for a moment, before stopping and drifting aimlessly. "Figures, there's too much magic in the area for a clear reading." Suddenly, the crystal pointed straight up, and Chiseko looked up. "What the hell is it doing up there?"
Meanwhile, up on the roof, Hibiscus opened the door. The doppelganger was standing at the far end of the roof, facing off into the sky beyond. The grimoire was open in her left hand, while her right hand was outstretched, as if reaching out to someone. The pages of the grimoire would turn themselves periodically, while misty black shadows circled around her and rose up into the air. Whatever language was being spoken wasn't one Hibiscus could understand, but whatever was being spoken clearly was not anything Hibiscus wanted being said.
---
Lyka looked up at the ceiling, not sure what was wrong, "What's wrong?... Is it bad to be high up?" Lyka asked innocently.
Hibiscus saw the clone ahead of her, wondering what the hell it was doing. She then briefly wondered what the hell a grimoire like that was doing in the library for Hibiscus to find, and why the librarian didn't say anything about it. That probably didn't matter, for now at least, because right now she had to find a way to stop it. Slowly closing the door behind her, Hibiscus started to sneak up on the clone. She didn't know how exactly to stop it, so brute forcing was her only option.
Quietly sneaking up on the clone if it hadn't noticed yet, Hibiscus waited until she was in range, then went to grab her around the waist, pulling her back onto the roof while wrestling with it to make sure it didn't get up. Hibiscus also made sure to grab the chain she had and try to force it onto the book and attempt to wrap it up if possible.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"All being high up means is that they're somewhere above us. The real question is 'What is that grimoire doing with such magical readings?'" Well, there wasn't much Chiseko could do from here, and she knew the Academy Police had started on a higher floor, so hopefully they or Hibiscus were close enough to have caught up with the runaway grimoire.
The clone either didn't notice or didn't care about Hibiscus' presence on the rooftop. Its gaze remained transfixed on the southwestern horizon, muttering its incantation as the magical energy around it increased steadily. And as Hibiscus slowly crept forward, the shadows formed themselves into a ball in front of the doppelganger's outstretched right hand. From there, they shot out like a ray of darkness across the morning sky, and the surrounding energy began to quiet down.
Seizing the opportunity, Hibiscus snaked her arm around the doppelganger's waist and yanked, knocking it backwards onto the roof. As it landed, the impact forced it to drop the grimoire from its hand, which bounced a bit on the surface of the roof as it fell. The doppel twisted around to scramble after the grimoire, but Hibiscus had the advantage, diving in on top of the grimoire to keep it away while she hastily wrapped the chain around it.
The doppel clawed at her arm and pulled at her hair, but alas, it could not stop Hibiscus from looping the chain around and locking it into place. As soon as the lock's "ka-chink" into place was heard, the doppel's presence at Hibiscus's back disappeared into black smoke. Some of said smoke circled around Hibiscus's feet before reattaching itself to her and forming her shadow once again.
---
Hibiscus sighed, and hugged the sealed grimoire to her chest. She shakily stood back up. Luckily, her shadow was now where it should have been. There was something that bothered her immensely, however, and that was the ball of energy it shot out into the sky. Hibiscus frowned and just watched the sky for a moment, but if nothing had happened and it really was nothing at all, she would leave the rooftop. She would just ask the librarian what she thought had happened if it came down to it.
Lyka lazily looked up at the rooftop. She tried to think of an explanation for the magical energy, but could not think of anything. Instead, she lazily drifted over to the librarian and sat on her shoulder again, "Maybe it's Hibby and the clone fighting. Although Hibby doesn't know any attack spells so maybe it's something else." Lyka said, now laying down on the librarian's shoulder.
---
The view from the roof wasn't that interesting. The ray of shadow shot across the sky, disappearing beyond the horizon after a couple moments. Hibiscus watched it disappear from view, then turned away and left the rooftop.
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Chiseko had been intending to head on back to the Library. After all, there wasn't much she could do here, and Mao was up on the higher floors too. That girl's whole schtick was about resolving incidents anyway. However, a small weight appearing on her shoulder made her freeze.
"Right. You asked for this."
Five crystals abruptly manifested in the air around Chiseko and began to swirl around her as she backhanded the fairy off of her shoulder. The light shining forth from the crystals was reflected in her eyes, and in that reflection was the steely glint of someone well and truly pissed off. The five crystals shifted into a cross formation in front of Chiseko as she faced Lyka, with the brown crystal taking the center position and shifted ahead of the others.
"You're too lazy to fly by yourself? Well, don't worry. You won't need to fly after this!"
Beams of multicolored light connected the crystals for a moment before shooting forth from the central brown crystal. The light engulfed the slow-moving fairy before she even had time to escape. Lyka felt her body growing heavier as her conscious slipped away and her body fell to the ground. To anyone else in the area, it was clear what had happened: the fairy had just been turned into stone.
The crystals blinked out of existence as Chiseko sighed and turned away. Finally, some peace and quiet." She swept her hair back as she began walking back to the Library…
---
Hibiscus watched the sky, but nothing had happened, so she turned around and left the rooftop. If something did happen, she'd deal with it, but for now, she left, heading back to the library with the grimoire in hand.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Footsteps. Chiseko looked up from her book and saw Hibiscus returning, book in hand. "Success then. How did it go?"
---
Hibiscus sighed when walking back into the library. She was still transformed, but hadn't transformed back yet for fear of herself breaking down if she did. Hibiscus held up the book, and set it on the table in front of her, "Yea. It was making some sort of energy, and shot it into the horizon before I managed to surprise it and seal the book. Dunno what kind of thing it shot, but it probably can't be that good. I couldn't tell where it landed though." Hibiscus thought a moment before speaking more, "Weird question, but do you have anything to clean grimoires with? I promised Tim I'd make it up to him for helping me."
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
The grimoire shot some sort of energy beyond the horizon? "Pass it here; I'll try to figure out what it was doing."
Chiseko pushed some stuff aside on her desk to reveal a fairly large pentagram carved into the wood. While she was cleaning, she answered Hibiscus's question: "That one's hardcover, right? A tiny bit of rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball, gently rub, clean with a dry ball. Should be a supply closet near the grimoires. Don't let any more out; the door has a lock for a reason."
Having taken the previous runaway grimoire, Chiseko set it in the center of the pentagram, and white light began to shine from the carving. When she undid the chain and opened the book, it showed no sign of reacting.
---
Hibiscus nodded, walking away from the librarian after she had told her about the cleaning supplies. Next to the grimoire room, which still should have had books in front of it, was the supply closet, which Hibiscus took out the rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls. Next she walked in front of the Grimoire room, sighing, "I'm not fucking cleaning this up like this…" Then untransformed back into her normal self. Hibiscus then began getting to work, replacing the books her doppelganger had knocked over until everything was back to where it was before.
Then Hibiscus walked through the Grimoire Door, assuming it opened for her, and walked inside, searching for Tim and ignoring the other books' comments. She then said, "H-Hello Tim… Sorry for earlier." And began to clean him the way the librarian told her to, starting with the blood that she had wiped onto him before.
---
Hibiscus cleaned up the books as best she could. Some books probably weren't in the exact same places as before, but she certainly did a fine job for the most part.
As she stepped inside the Grimoire Room, which seemed happy enough to open for her again, she found Tim lying on the ground where she had left him.
"Oh, you're back? And all submissive now, eh? If that's how you are, I bet we can have quite some fun with S&M."
Other books chimed in too, but Hibiscus tuned them out.
---
Hibiscus frowned, continuing her cleaning, "Q-Quiet or I'll stop." Once she was finished, Hibiscus went to go put the grimoire back next to his daughter. Hibiscus curtsied to Tim's daughter, "I-I hope your marriage goes ok!" She said, before going to leave the Grimoire room.
Once out of the Grimoire room, Hibiscus went back to the librarian, "H-Hello… I-I'm sorry for everything that's happened… I talked to some of the Grimoires… I-I still don't know what you meant by handling them… If it was about that one, I-I did poorly…"
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Chiseko was fully absorbed in studying the grimoire on her desk while Hibiscus was off in the Grimoire Room. She looked up halfway through Hibiscus's apology, blinking in confusion until she realized what was happening. "Oh. There was a misplaced book way in the back. You were supposed to get it back without overreacting to the grimoires."
"Anyway, look at this!" Chiseko pointed down to the grimoire's pages, tapping on a couple lines. "It looks like this grimoire was created as a way to open a prison of some sort. It was set to wake up after 80 years and fulfil its duty as best it could. That ray you saw must've been it trying to unseal the prison. Hmm, but this next part is still baffling. Something about blood and shadows, but it's written in quite a strange way."
---
Hibiscus blinked back at the librarian, also in confusion, all she wanted, was a book out of the Grimoire section?... As the librarian explained the next part, Hibiscus's face grew a bit more pale, "B-Blood and shadows?! D-Does that have anything to do with its activation?! M-My spirit's power lets me use my b-blood as a catalyst, and when that book took over my shadow, when I tried using my power, blood and s-shadow came out of the wound."
Hibiscus was quite afraid about everything else as well, "D-Did I accidentally help something unseal a prison?!" She blurted out fanatically, "H-How long has that grimoire been in there?! D-Did it accomplish anything?!"
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"Hmm…" Chiseko flipped back through some of the pages, skimming over them. "No, it looks like it was just designed to wake up and use whatever means it can to open the prison. It probably realized it was locked in the room, so it copied your body to escape."
Chiseko was quite excited about reading the text within this grimoire, but Hibiscus's excitement was getting a bit aggravating. "I don't know whether it did something. Without any real info on the prison itself, I can't tell. If there was only one seal, it probably was successful in opening, but if there's multiple seals then its impossible to tell if that one ray took care of all seals or only one."
---
Hibiscus sighed in relief, but then shook in fear. She was still at fault for helping it escape. She hung her head low, but it seemed like nothing was happening so far, so that was a good sign, but someone still needed to be told, "S-Should we tell someone about this? I don't want this prison to open if it already hadn't. I-I'd feel horrible if, if something happened…" epic foreshadowing
Regardless, to take her mind off of things, Hibiscus said, "I-I'll go and get that book you wanted me to get. What's it called?..."
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"Eh, you could tell a teacher or the Headmaster or whatever if you want." Chiseko didn't seem particularly interested in doing so herself. Maybe she just figured that they'd deal with it when it became anyway. Likewise, when Hibiscus asked about the book she was supposed to get: "I forgot."
---
Hibiscus laughed nervously, then walked away from the librarian's desk. She had a feeling this librarian didn't like work much, and Hibiscus would be forced to do most of it. She had a bad feeling about what was talked about earlier, but nothing could be done. She should probably warn the headmaster later though…
Walking back to the Grimoire room, Hibiscus went through it again, considerably less afraid than she was the past hour. Nothing could probably top that. Hibiscus went to the very back to search for the book that was apparently out of place, and if she found it, she would head back to the librarian's desk, assuming none of the grimoires legitimately wanted to talk, instead of harass her.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
The non-grimoire book that Hibiscus was searching for was quite obvious, unless someone had turned Linear Algebra and its Applications, Seventh Edition into a grimoire. She returned with textbook in hand to Chiseko's desk, where the librarian girl continued to mull over one of the passages.
"Hmm. 'The shadows shall be slaves to the mistress's will. Day will become night as time stands still, and all the world shall be dyed in scarlet.' Shadows become slaves, sure, but what does the world becoming dyed in scarlet have to do with day becoming night? A blood moon, maybe? Hmm."
As it was debatable on whether Chiseko even realized she was thinking out loud, she probably was too absorbed to notice Hibiscus. Or she was ignoring Hibiscus. Either was a valid possibility for this girl.
---
Hibiscus listened to the librarian speak, then tried coming up with a solution based on everything else so far, "Y-Yea. It might be a blood moon… I-It did say blood and shadows earlier, right? I-Is there anything else in there that you found out?" Hibiscus asked, as she set the book she found in the grimoire section down near the librarian but not obstructing her view.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"Not much. Only that the grimoire was only supposed to fire one shot, and that the 'mistress's release' isn't immediate… Of course! The prison must have multiple layers, and the grimoire only needed to do enough to let out the servants sealed in the upper layers!"
---
Hibiscus didn't really understand at first, or rather she didn't want to, but she shook with the possibility that something worse was going to happen, "D-D-Do you mean, i-it's only going to get worse?! W-We have to tell the headmaster!" Hibiscus said, running out of the library towards wherever the main office was, using the map along the way to help guide her.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
Chiseko blinked in confusion as she suddenly heard footsteps running away. The girl from before was departing in quite a hurry for some reason. "Oh, that's why my thoughts sounded so weird." She then returned her focus to the grimoire, entranced by the chance to try and unravel its secrets.
Meanwhile, Hibiscus was running down the hallway outside the library, when something caught her eye on the floor nearby. On a quick glance, it seemed to be some sort of oddly shaped rock, or perhaps a very small statue.
---
As Hibiscus made her way to the headmaster's office, she spotted a small stone on the floor. Normally, Hibiscus would take the time to pick it up so noone would step on it and get hurt, but this was probably a bigger matter at the moment.
So Hibiscus gave it a quick glance and kept running.
However, that quick glance reminded Hibiscus of something, and Hibiscus stopped in her tracks, and shuffled back towards the rock. It reminded Hibiscus of something familiar… Or someone…
"Oh my god! Lyka!" Hibiscus shouted, bending down to pick the poor fairy off the ground, who was now turned to stone. Was this a result of the grimoire's magic? Or was chaos starting to set around the city already?
Hibiscus was panicking, but carefully put Lyka into her pocket before running back towards the Headmaster's Office. If this was happening to Lyka, it could happen to anyone now!
---
Having picked up the petrified Lyka, Hibiscus continued on her run towards the Headmaster's Office. It wasn't that hard to locate, what with the signs strategically placed at intersections to help guide her first to the Administrative section and then up the stairs to the Headmaster's Office on the second floor. A wooden door with the title of the room stamped into a brass plate told her that this was her destination. If she chose to knock, she'd be graced with an "Enter!" and the sight of the Headmaster seated behind his desk. In addition to the owner of the room, the girl in red from earlier was leaned back in one of the chairs, with her arms crossed behind her head and the chair tipped back slightly.
"Ah, Headmaster, this is the girl from before!" The girl in red straightened up a bit upon seeing Hibiscus.
"I see. What brings you here, Miss?"
---
Hibiscus panted heavily upon reaching the office, making sure Lyka was still safe before knocking, then entering. Hibiscus saw that the girl she saw from earlier was there. Hibiscus took a breath before speaking, "W-We're in danger!" She shouted to them, explaining what had happened, starting from the grimoire shooting dark energy into the horizon, moving to what the librarian had read in the grimoire, to Hibiscus pulling out Lyka and saying, "I-It's turned my spirit Lyka to stone! I-If this turns everyone to stone we're all in danger!" Hibiscus panicky shouted.
---
Headmaster Miyamoto
Mao Fujimori
From the first moment Hibiscus began speaking of Lyka, Mao had a strange expression on her face, as if she was trying with minimal success to not react. But by the time Hibiscus delivered her final comment, Mao's willpower had reached its limit. "Bahahahaahaha! Man, that wasn't the grimoire! It was probably just Chi in a bad mood!"
"Mao," the Headmaster replied calmly. Something in the tone of his voice caused Mao to straighten up and stop laughing quickly as she murmured a "Sorry, sorry."
"Chiseko has an unfortunate habit of turning people to stone when she gets too angry with them," the Headmaster explained to Hibiscus as he stretched out his hand for Lyka to be deposited in. "Your spirit will be fine, don't worry." Power flowed forth from his hand, engulfing the petrified spirit. As it did, the stone on her body lost its rocky nature and returned to flesh and clothes.
---
Hibiscus had a blank look on her face as she was laughed at and explained to that it wasn't a cataclysmic event that turned Lyka to stone, but rather someone named Chi. Hibiscus, having not heard the librarian's name yet, tilted her head, confused and worried, as Lyka struggled in her hands to get the rest of the stone off, "That fucking librarian BITCH!" Lyka said rubbing her legs and wings to remove the stiffness from them, and then dropping herself into Hibiscus's pocket to mumble to herself about how librarians couldn't be trusted.
Hibiscus sighed with relief, but there was still the other problem, "A-Alright, but what about everything else? W-Will something be done to stop it?..."
---
Headmaster Miyamoto
Mao Fujimori
"Naturally, an investigative team will be dispatched to the site the ray traveled to. Such a threat cannot go unmonitored."
---
Hibiscus smiled and nodded, "T-Thank you! I-Is there anything you want me to do about it? I-I can try and ask the librarian if she has any more info-"
"Yo fuck that." Lyka said, hopping out of Hibiscus's pocket, "If you're going back there, I'm out. I'm heading back to our room, come there if you need anything." Lyka said, hovering towards the door and waiting for Hibiscus to let her out, since she could not open the door herself.
---
"Thank you for your offer. If your assistance is needed in the future, I shall be sure to ask."
---
Hibiscus bowed to the headmaster, then left, opening the door for Lyka to angrily fly off towards their room. Hibiscus turned around one last time and said to the two of them, "T-Thank you for everything, miss! And thank you too, Mr. Headmaster!" Before leaving to head back to the library.
Along the way, Hibiscus thought about the possibility that what she had done today could have been prevented. Maybe she could have put a mark on a grimoire as soon as she got in to stop the clone. Maybe she could have done other things. It was all said and done now, but Hibiscus was still worried. Hopefully that girl and the headmaster could solve things.
Back in the library, Hibiscus walked up to the desk where the librarian sat. She patted down her skirt to make herself look presentable, then spoke to the librarian, "I told the headmaster!" She said cheerily, "D-Do I get the job as librarian now?..."
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"Hmmmm?" Chiseko looked up, surprised to hear another voice speaking. "Oh, its you." She thought for a moment before replying. "Eh, sure, whatever. You start next week."
---
Hibiscus's face lit up as she was confirmed to now have a job working in the library, as a librarian! "T-Thank you! Thank you so much! I just realized I don't know your name, though. I hope to get to know you well!" Hibiscus said, sticking out her hand.
---
Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin
"Chiseko Aedelmaer Guérin." She accepted the handshake, but she did so while looking down at the book before her.
---
Hibiscus took the handshake, staring blankly at the librarian. Chiseko? That was the name that was said turned Lyka to stone. Hibiscus laughed nervously, then turned around and quickly walked out of the library, "I-I'll see you next week. Haha…." Hibiscus needed to ask Lyka a few questions….
Walking from the library, Hibiscus made her way to her dorm room. If Lyka was there, she'd either be outside waiting for someone else to open it for her, or inside after someone already did. Sure enough, when Hibiscus got there and opened the door, Lyka was sitting there on the bed, laying back and doing nothing, "Lyka! What did you do to the librarian?" Hibiscus asked, knowing Lyka had been the one to antagonize.
Lyka shot up from her spot, "Me?! I- uh…" Lyka started off angry, but trailed off, and that gave Hibiscus all the info she needed, "Well. Don't do it again, ok? I just got the job! I'm gonna be a librarian starting next week!"
Lyka's face simultaneously lit up and looked bored, if that was even possible, "Oh? Does that mean we can afford the good shit like candy and beer and-" "No! No beer! And if you want money to buy candy, you have to help me out at the library too!"
Lyka looked at Hibiscus incongruously, then seemed to struggle with an inner turmoil for a moment, before sighing and saying, "Ah Geez. Fine… Gives me something to do anyways."
"Then it's settled!" Hibiscus happily finished, and sat on the bed, picking up another book from her bag, one of Nick Fjordan's books, on the Gods of the Old World. It was time for Hibiscus to brush up more on her knowledge~!
Setting: An Chead Toshu: Uruk, Richmond Avenue, August 3rd, 199 NWC, ~3:15 AM
Yune
Ramen Guy
Though the effect wasn't as pronounced as Londo might have hoped for due to the streetlights up above, the light from the moon above clearly changed, fading from its silvery glow to a deep reddish color. In the space between the white light of the streetlights though, the world was decidedly tinted with the crimson glow from the moon.
"Embers!" A number of still warm coals began to fall from the sky, like little burning hailstones. In between bites of rice from the heaping bowl, Yune also replied to Londo's other question. "Don't worry, the old hag is busy right now. She doesn't have time to get angry at me."
"Ramen! Eel! Ramen and eel! Come and get some great food!" The man with the cart continued to call out his various wares, ever hopeful for more customers.
Goblins 1-2
Goblins 3-4
Goblins 5-6
Goblin 7
Reaction Phase:
Londo began to sprint towards the goblins, intent on delivering a brofist or two to #5's chest. #5 wasn't about to just let him close the distance, so Londo immediately found an arrow flying his way. Having preemptively prepared himself to block incoming arrows, Londo would find himself Parrying the projectile, deflecting it away from his body with his right gauntlet.
(Londo's Right Gauntlet: -10 Durability)
Goblin #1 let Londo pass by without incident; it had other things to do than protect its comrade. Besides, the reinforcements could always help too, once they arrived. Instead, Goblin #1 slipped out of the formation to begin advancing on the noodle cart.
As Londo closed in for a punch, Goblin #5 ducked down to avoid the first punch. Unable to fire its bow at this range, it settled for simply taking one of its arrows and thrusting it upwards into Londo's stomach as he continued to strike with another punch and a kick. Letting the kick to its side propel it a bit out of the way, Goblin #5 straightened up again. It was still trying to recover when Londo's next punch connected, but it was successfully able to sidestep his final punch.
Meanwhile, Goblin #2 found itself busy with Almeida's attempts to aerate it. It tried to step backwards to escape, but it wasn't used to fighting humans with their larger reach, and found itself still impaled somewhat.
(Goblin #2: -30 Aura)
Now extremely acutely aware of Almeida's range, Goblin #2 took a large leap backwards to escape her second swing. Sure, it was excessive, but #2 wasn't about to take chances.
(Goblin #2: Evasion Dodge: -25 Stamina)
Kashmir, crouched behind the railgun, took aim at Goblin #7's skull and pulled the trigger. The railgun's hum intensified for a moment before its round launched out at high speeds. #7 hoisted its shield, bracing itself to receive the blow, which came soon after. Such an attack couldn't have exactly been beneficial for the shield, but neither shield nor goblin showed much signs of being bothered by the strike.
(Goblin #7's Shield: -14 Durability)
(Goblin #7: -1 Aura)
(Goblin #7: Guard: -0 Stamina)
Goblin #6, not seeing any enemies near it, proceeded to take aim at Kashmir, who was crouched near some sort of cannon. Two arrows flew forth in quick succession, arcing up just enough that they would clear the railgun and strike Kashmir's head. Any further arrows were prevented, though. From up on high, a wave of energy descended towards Goblin #6's body, biting into its left side as it prepared to draw another arrow.
(Goblin #6: -40 Aura)
(Goblin #6: Attack x2: -10 Stamina)
Ryan closed in on Goblin #3, armored feet clanking on the pavement as he ran in. He swung his foot upward just short of Goblin #3's body, causing the Goblin to instinctively retreat while raising its sword. As the foot swung back down again, #3 took the blow by raising up its sword and bracing the blade with both hands. As the momentum from Ryan's kick slowed thanks to the Goblin's resistance, it pushed upward forcefully, knocking Ryan a bit off balance and allowing #3 to slip out of the way of the next attack. #3 then turned its blade vertical to block the following attacks, again with the flat of the blade. Knee, shin, and thrust all collided with the steel, mitigating the force #3 received itself.
(Goblin #3's Sword: -5, -5, -5, -5 Durability)
(Goblin #3: -5, -5, -5, -5 Aura)
Goblin #4 had no attacks to deal with at this moment. Left to its own devices, it heard the yelp of pain from #6 and began to search for the one who had struck at #6. It couldn't have been the person at the weird cannon thing; it wasn't aimed the right way. The people farther back didn't seem to be moving either. Was someone hiding in the shops? #6 trotted over to the shops and began to look at and through the windows.
Action Phase:
Goblin #7, confident in its strength, moved closer to Goblin #6, who had been wounded somehow. #7 stood ready to try and intercept any incoming strikes against #6.
#6, on the other hand, was more than a little annoyed by having just been struck. With #4 searching the shops below, #6 turned its eyes skyward, an arrow nocked as it scanned the rooftops. Mislyte had already retreated beyond the edge though, so nothing was visible to #6 right now.
#5 still found itself engaged with Londo. It backpedalled away from Londo as it drew and nocked an arrow. In one fluid motion, the bowstring was drawn back and the arrow sent streaking towards Londo's head. Another arrow flew straight and true towards his stomach as well.
#4 continued to search the shops for a foe. Well, that was the original plan. There were a lot of shinies inside that shop. Glass shattered as the goblin broke in the window and climbed inside the shop to begin the looting.
#3, having endured Ryan's strikes, was ready to begin its counterattack. Stepping in closer, the blade slashed horizontally from the goblin's left to right. It then twisted over its right shoulder, turning so that when it pivoted back in for a stab, it would have some extra momentum to drive the sword in.
Between Almeida both having a much larger weapon and being a human, she had a much larger range. Maybe if #2 could slip up close, it would be too close for Almeida to strike it well. But how, exactly, to do that? #2 decided to just hang back for a bit to see if an opportunity presented itself.
And finally, #1. Axe in hand, it closed in on the noodle cart, its proprietor, and the young girl still chowing down. Closer, closer, until finally…
"S-shiooh… Rahmehn."
"Comin' right up!"
#1 set down its axe on the ground beside it as it hopped up on one of the boxes set up for those of diminutive stature. Hey, even goblins liked a good meal.
Gate and Area Updates
As warm embers continued to fall from the sky and the battle began to pick up, the Gate's rippling continued. More goblins emerged: three axe wielders, two more armored goblins, and a goblin that appeared to be wearing a bizarre outfit, possibly magical or ritualistic in nature. The three lesser goblins began to spread out, in order to join the fray. The two armored goblins took up defensive positions around the final goblin, who began to dance around the Gate's area, waving its bone wand around as it chanted (read: screeched) something energetically up at the sky. Perhaps it was the unexpected lunar eclipse overhead, or perhaps it was just the Mages' eyes playing tricks on them, but were the lights getting a little bit dimmer?
Beginners Tournament Round 1
Londo Sperry @LondotheGreat & Ryan Gamaris @Valkan vs Caoimhe Mallon & Emberly Arkwright
The Academy, July 30th, 199 NWC. ~6:30 AM
Intro: A 2v2 battle in the Academy Tournament
---
Londo woke up on the day of the tournament, feeling nice and ready. Of course, he woke up early, earlier than even Alice woke up at, jumping out of bed from excitement and making a bunch of noise. Alice angrily sat up, the sleep still present in her eyes, "Would you fucking be quiet, I'm trying to sleep."
To which Londo wagged his finger, "Tsk Tsk, no can do Alice. In fact, I need your help! You are no longer an observer, so you gotta help me!" Londo said, explaining his plan to her.
A moment of silence, then Alice spoke, "Are you telling me you wanted me to not observe, just so you could bribe Roland?..."
Londo shrugged, looking away, "Ehhhhhh… Will you do it?" He asked, dodging the question.
Alice flipped him off, "Fine. Go do whatever you need to do. I'm gonna get dressed."
And after kicking Londo from the room, Londo made his way to Ryan's room, where he started to knock on the door loudly to get his attention!
----
Ryan sharply arose from his sleep, quickly dismissing his alarm upon hearing it. Tidrog was sitting on his bed, reading a book. He turned his head to Ryan, "Excited, are we?" Ryan chuckled before admitting "This tournament has me very excited, yes… Maybe it's my blood. Mom and Dad's jobs did keep them ready for a fight… anyway, I'll go to take a shower" satisfied with Ryan's answer, he nodded with a smile.
Tidrog's silent reading went on for a while, until someone gave a beating to the poor door of the room. "Coming..." said the spirit, leaving his book on the nightstand, and heading for the door. Once opened, Tidrog came across Londo. "Hello, Londo. If you're looking for Ryan, he went to sho-" Tidrog stopped, upon noticing Ryan out of the corner of his eye "Oh! There he is."
Ryan took a cold shower to delete any trace of sleepiness. Now, fully dressed, Ryan made his way to his room to get back to Tidrog, then maybe check up on Londo. That, however, was not needed. Londo was already in front of his room with Tidrog. "Hey there, Londo. What's up?"
---
Londo gave a wave to the spirit who opened the door, "Yo, Tidrog." And was just about to confirm that he was looking for Ryan when Tidrog pointed out Ryan, "Yo Ryan! Come inside! We need to talk strategery!" Londo said, ushering Ryan inside his own room before closing the door behind them. Londo then walked to the middle of the room, and suddenly realized it as the first time he actually visited Ryan at his room.
Not one to celebrate the small things, even though Londo always celebrated the small things, Londo turned back to Ryan, "Now! Our plan for the tournament! I know you're excited, because I'm excited! We are going to show those opponents what for! I already have Alice on the case investigating them. Now, I just need YOU to tell me what you think a good strategy for us is during the fight!" Londo said, giving him a thumbs up.
Meanwhile, where Alice was… Alice was currently looking for Roland. Whether he'd be in his room, or in the faculty office, Alice was going to find him, even if she had to look all over the school. Since she was no longer an observer of this world, it would have been best to just listen to Londo's instructions for now, and just go with whatever he wanted, even if she despised it. If she ever did find Roland, searching the entire school to do so, and asking random people if they saw him, she would ask to speak to him alone.
---
Professor Roland Steele
As Alice scoured the Academy for a certain fabulous professor and future author, she'd find herself in the Academy's Faculty Offices soon enough. Much as he had been when she first met him, Roland was seated at his desk, scratching away at his papers. The scene differed slightly though; Professor Okamoto was seated at her desk as well. Upon hearing Alice's request for some time alone with Roland, Professor Okamoto nodded and stood up to step out for a bit, but not before advising Alice that she was more than willing to beat the crap out of Roland if he did anything inappropriate to her. Roland laughed nervously as Professor Okamoto stepped outside before turning his attention to Alice. "Well now, dear lady, I am all yours! What is it you wished of me?"
---
Ryan nodded in approval as they all got into his room to talk strategy. As they went inside Ryan quickly stored his self-cleaning materials. Londo would notice that the room was surprisingly clean and organized, the only blatant exception was Ryan's bed.
Regardless, Londo was quick to get to business. Ryan didn't mind, after all, Londo's strange logic came with an accurate deduction. He wanted to have Ryan come up with a strategy. Ryan did have a couple ideas already, so he was quick to reply "I have some ideas, not a full strategy, though… First, as it is, we have no ranged methods of attack. So we should rush at our opponents, get to them before they get to keep us at bay… My second idea is… well, we haven't practiced fighting together much, so knowing each others' next move is something hard… So, what about we use codes for our conjoined attacks? For example, 'claw' for me to attack their legs and you attacking their face… or something like that"
---
Londo nodded and gave Ryan a thumbs up, "Perfect! We can think of stuff later, but I think it's best to go over what techniques and skills we have learned." Londo glanced over at Tidrog, waving at him and beckoning him over, "Yo, do you think you could make sure any eavesdroppers don't listen in on us? Some of my techniques are only known to a few people and I want to keep it our ace in the hole!" And whether or not Tidrog did, Londo continued, "Anyways, you know about my Fist of Fury, which is a super punch, and my Touch of Death, a touch that hurts someone over time. Of course, you also know about my Blessing." Londo said in a whisper, glancing towards the door, "Which allows me to revitalize my aura and become even tougher afterwards."
Afterwards, Londo coughed into his hand a bunch to hide the fact that he was whispering, "Alright, and what about you?"
While Londo was discussing strategy, Alice was doing strategy. After Okamoto left, Alice sat on Roland's desk, "Listen. I need a favour. You've gotten inspiration from me this whole time and I got nothing in return. So." Alice said, leaning in, " About the tournament being held in the gym. I want to know everything there is to know about 3 students: Artemisios Isidorus Rasseck, Emberly Arkwright, & Caoimhe Mallon. I want to know when they came to the academy, what their spirits can do, and what their own powers are. Think you can do that? I can even make it worth your while." Alice said, leaning back and crossing her arms, letting her figure do the talking.
---
Professor Roland Steele
"Hmm," Roland sighed as he set down his pen and stroked his chin. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with these particular students. I can provide what info is in their files, but for specifics you'd be much better off asking a classmate or their teacher."
Roland turned toward his computer and powered it on. "These things are surprisingly old. It'll take a bit for it to power on." As the computer was booting up and loading, Roland continued to scratch away at the papers on his desk, occasionally sending his gaze towards Alice.
---
Ryan's face brightened up. Londo didn't want him to create a full strategy, just to share abilities. Before they did though, Londo called Tidrog, just as he was about to sit down and resume his reading. He was asked to check on eavesdroppers. Tidrog chuckled, they were surely going all out, which he thought was nice. "Hehe, sure thing!" Tidrog said enthusiastically. He headed for the door, closing it behind him, leaning on it, and surveying the surroundings, not following a pattern as he looked around.
Back with Ryan, he attentively listened to Londo as he explained what he had available. While at it, Kashmir materialized from Ryan, and headed to the window, keeping a watch there. Once it was his turn, he'd say "There's Kashmir, the fellow watching the window, we're pretty similar all around, in a battle point of view… Then there's the two tricks of Tidrog I've managed to get consistently. First, I can accelerate time a little and get more attacks done in a row… And I can teleport small distances" all of this was said very quietly, just in case.
---
Nodding twice in quick succession, Londo listened to Ryan. He had already forgotten that Ryan had a name for his projection. Or maybe Ryan never mentioned it. Either way, Londo now knew about its name, "Perfect!" Londo said in response to Ryan's explanations, "Everything seems to be in perfect order! That being said, now we discuss strategy. I had Alice go and get info on our opponents, so we might be able to figure out how they fight or what their powers are. But be warned, the info could also be outdated. We just gotta stick with our guts and see what's right. That being said!-" Londo said, walking up to a wall with his arms behind his back like a general would.
"For now we can discuss basic strategy! You share pain with Kashmir right? It might be best, going off the info we have right now, to have you and Kashmir double team one of the opponents, while I hold off the other. In the case of a physical fighter guarding a mage, he might have a trick up his sleeve to stop two people, but he might not have one to stop THREE people! That's when one of us will attack the mage! Assuming there is one. For now it's a basic strategy, but once Alice comes back, we can know more!" Londo said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
---
Ryan felt happy when Londo seemed to approve his summary. It was certainly better than when he had to explain a crime scene. Ryan nodded as Londo gave him the status of Alice and a heads up that it might not work. This was fine by Ryan, as he was prepared to go in with no info regardless. "I hoped for less, so that's great!" he voiced his thoughts.
Now, it was time for strategy… at least until Alice returned. Londo put the basics of a plan into words. Ryan gave it some thought, before answering "I do share pain with Kashmir… As for your plan, yeah that sounds like a good approach, ranged opponents are something we need to look out for..."
---
Professor Roland Steele
His computer having finally loaded, Roland began to search the Academy's database for the students Alice had enquired about. One by one, the files were pulled up, and the information provided.
"Let's start off with Artemisios, shall we? He's been here for about three months now. He's Bonded to a tree spirit named Utan. According to the report, his magic is specialized in enhancements, specifically defensive. He doesn't seem to have much talent for offensive magic. That said, he spent his childhood beyond the Bastion, growing up as a woodcutter on the edge of a forest, so he's fairly athletic."
"Moving on to Miss Cowime. Caihme? Some of these names, I swear. Anyway, she comes from a line of Mages, and fairly powerful ones at that. Both her spirit Hurik and her wand are heirlooms, or perhaps hand-me-downs, from her grandmother, who passed away some time ago. She's one of the more veteran members of her class, having been here for almost six months. Her professor writes that she's incredibly gifted with magic, primarily offensive fire magic. To add to that, she's even a Disciple of Kagu-tsuchi, our local Goddess of Fire. She's not particularly fit, though, and her attacks eat away at her Aura too. Thankfully, she has some recovery capabilities to stay in the game, as it were. Well, I suppose that'd be 'unfortunately' rather than 'thankfully' for Londo."
"Finally, young Miss Emberly. She's been here for just over four months, and she's gotten pretty darn good with that Artificial of hers. She's also a Disciple of Kagu-tsuchi, though her magic is more about strengthening herself than just wreaking havoc directly. But that said, she can get pretty darn strong if she combines all her abilities. Things could get real messy if she's able to land hits at full power."
Having finished going through the files he had available, Roland turned back towards Alice. "Well, I hope that was enough info for you. Keep it on the down low though. Wouldn't want people hitting me up for tips all the time."
---
Alice took a glance at the monitors, confirming the information for herself, and then nodding, "Don't worry, I'm only going to use this to abuse information gathering before a fight." As if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Thanks for the info. I do owe you a favor now, so I guess I'm free all day tomorrow, barring any damn gods interfering with my day again." Alice said, still obviously mad about losing sleep with the Yune situation. She left the faculty office, heading back to the room. She gave Okamoto a small wave, saying, "Thanks for the privacy. He didn't do anything weird, for now at least." Before heading back to Ryan's room.
Londo had listened to anything Ryan would have told him, and the info he gave was something he pretty much knew, but it was still best to go over the basics. As it was, they had to wait for Alice for any more damning information to discuss more strategy.
Right in the hallway, Alice finally arrived at Ryan's room. She gave a nod up to Tidrog, and if he let her inside, she'd go inside the room. Once inside the room, Alice would go up and sit on Ryan's bed, while Londo beamed at her and waved, "Yoooo Alice! You got the info?"
Alice nodded, and repeated the information that Roland gave her concerning Emberly and Caoimhe, "I also got the information on Artemisios, but that can wait, he's not important right now."
Londo gave her a thumbs up, "Super! Now that we know for sure that Caihme is a mage, one of us can go on the offensive and attack her, while the other can hold down Emberly. They both are disciples though, that's a tough one. They could have a secret Blessing like me, one that's powerful and can change the tide of battle, or they could be a minor one. Either way, we'll have to be cautious. Hmmm. What Alice said about Emberly make me nervous though, if we take down the mage first, there is a chance Emberly could grow powerful enough to take us both on. What do you think Ryan?"
---
Londo confirmed his thoughts with his brief silence. There's not much else they could plan without the opponents info. Thankfully, Alice arrived just in time! Tidrog nodded back at Alice with a smile, and opened up the door for her to get in, then returned to his watching duty.
Ryan attentively listened to the details Alice had on their opponents, nodding along. Londo formulated some thoughts about said details, then asked Ryan for an opinion. "Hm, well… I think I'm faster than you, so maybe Kashmir and I can neutralize Emberly, before she goes all out. Like you suggested… Then again, I'm not sure how could you approach that offensive magic of Cayomie-Cat-Caoimhe..."
---
Londo thought to himself as he tried to solve this conundrum, "Hmmmm…" He thought, then shrugged, "Guess we'll wing it! Alright now that we got that figured out, now to wait for the fight itself…" Londo said, and if Ryan was fine with that, they'd wait until they could get a slot in for the tournament.
---
Unsurprisingly, Londo took his characteristic approach to the issue Ryan planted. "It works for him… Right?" he briefly thought. Seeing as Londo was done talking, Ryan dismissed Kashmir, while thinking a bit. "Hey Tidrog, come in" Ryan said, as he fiddled with his phone. The spirit stepped in, almost immediately "Done planning?" he asked. "Kind of… I… We need your help..." Ryan turned to Tidrog and handed him his phone. Go around the campus, ask and look around for our opponents… I'll do the same, if you find them, call me to my AMB. With his mission clear Tidrog set off after nodding enthusiastically.
Ryan put his attention back to Londo "Ok, now that we have a plan… sort of. Let's look for those two! Then it's just a matter of asking and we can start!" With the next phase clear, or so Ryan thought. He and Tidrog set off to find his first opponents, once everyone left Ryan's room, of course. Asking and walking all over the campus he could cover.
---
The Academy, July 30th, 199 NWC. ~8:00 AM
Tidrog split off from the two boys, heading off on his own search. His efforts did not directly locate either of the targets in question, but he did turn up information that Caoimhe was often seen in the mornings hanging out in the small forest at the northern edge of campus. It wasn't at all dangerous, as there were no monsters to be found there; its only purpose was to give students and spirits a taste of nature every now and then, especially for those from a more outdoorsy background.
Meanwhile, Londo and Ryan's search eventually took them to the cafeteria. There were still a fair number of people gathered there, since there were no classes to go to today. However, Alice's eye would catch on a girl she recognized from the screens Roland had shown her earlier. Said girl was sitting at a table with a small plate of scrambled eggs and toast. Said girl was also practically falling asleep at the table, her head bobbing up and down as she struggled in a fierce battle against drowsiness. From the looks of things, her victory in said battle was far from assured.
---
After agreeing to Ryan's suggestion, the three of them (including Alice) set off to find their would-be opponents. Their efforts bore no fruit, until Alice spotted a girl that looked familiar, which she then realized to be one of the people they were looking for, "That sleepy-looking girl is one of them. Sounds like an easy win.' She said, matter-of-factly.
Londo then strode up to the girl, "GREETINGS! I am Londo Sperry, the GREAT!, and this is my friend Ryan, also pretty great, and we are here to announce we wish to fight you today! That is today, not right now, as it looks like you need a bit more sleep. We are willing to wait if you want to catch some snoozes before the fight! I want my opponent to be at full-power!" Londo said, crossing his arms and looking smug as usual.
---
Tidrog had no luck actually finding the students, but did get a hint of where to find one of them. Not long after, he found himself at the entrance of the nearby forest. "I'm sure Ryan will love this place… I'll tell him about it later" Tidrog thought, as he made his way around the forest, looking for Caoimhe. Asking to any girl he managed to find if they were her.
Meanwhile, Ryan and company located Emberly, who seemed very sleepy. Londo went straight to the point with her. Ryan thought that it may have been too kind of Londo to allow her to nap... But shrugged off said thought, Tidrog would be mad if he were to fight so unfairly, anyway. Honor was a big deal for him, after all. At the moment, he just observed. Hoping Londo didn't come off with some weird move.
---
Emberly "Emmy" Arkwright
The girl trying not to sleep at her table didn't seem to notice Londo and Ryan's approach, but she bolted upright with a start when she heard Londo start speaking. "No, I wasn't asleep!" After blinking for a moment and looking around, she realized Londo was speaking to her. "Ahahaha, sorry sorry, what were you saying?"
Assuming Londo repeated the parts she missed, Emberly's eyes would light up. "Aha, so you're our opponents! Alright! I'm already fired up! Lemme call Caoimhe real quick!" Emberly popped open her AMB and called up her contact for Caoimhe.
Meanwhile, in the small forest, Tidrog would hear the sound of an AMB ringing for an incoming call. Attracted to the sound, he moved closer and saw a young girl sitting around among the trees.
Both ends of the call were easily heard by those nearby.
"Hey Emmy, what's up?"
"Hey Caoimhe! Listen listen! I found the boys we're supposed to be fighting! Let's fight!"
"Eh? H-hold on, Emmy, we should stra-"
"It's ok, we're suuuuper strong! We definitely got this! See you at the Gym in 10 minutes!"
"W-w-wait, Emmy! -"
Emberly ended the call and turned back to Londo and Ryan, a massive grin on her face. "So! You ready Freddie?" She quickly shoveled the rest of her food into her mouth and hopped up out of her seat. "Lesh gho!" Still chewing and barely not sending particles over her conversation partners, she ran off towards Gymnasium C.
Back in the forest, Caoimhe sighed in exasperation. "Guess we'd better get going, Hurik."
"Don' worry, kid," the puppet creature replied from next to her. "Girl might have too much energy, but she right about your power. Youse gots this."
"I sure hope you're right." Caoimhe turned to head back towards the Academy proper, but froze up when she spotted Tidrog. "Ah, u-um?" The question remained frozen on the tip of her tongue as she stood like a deer in Tidrog's pecs headlights.
----
Ryan was slightly less shocked by the actual personality of the girl before him, as the girl responded in a similar attitude to Londo's. She continued by immediately calling her partner and running to the gym. "Alright...Let's go then." Ryan said as they presumably left the cafeteria too. Londo seemed more suited to do the talking with Emberly, so he'd remain quiet unless spoken to… Again.
Meanwhile, Tidrog found Caoimhe in the forest. He stepped in a bit closer, and listened as he was beaten to the punch. Once the girl hung up, she headed his way. Once she saw Tidrog, she had the typical reaction he received from most upon first sight, intimidated and/or scared. "Hello there! I'm Tidrog. The spirit of one of your opponents. I was here to bring the challenge to you, but it seems your partner was reached first. I'll be heading to the gymnasium now, care to join me?" The last part was more of a sign of politeness, he didn't expect much from it. He'd then head for the gym, be it along Caoimhe, or on his own.
---
Londo did seem slightly confused when the girl asked him to repeat it, so he did, but in a more neutral and confused tone. Fortunately it worked! She seemed confident in her own abilities, and Londo was more than happy to test it out! He smirked and pointed the way, "To the GYM! For our glorious battle!" Londo said, going to the gym with the others.
One of the music themes playing before the start of a battle in 'Touhou: Scarlet Weather Rhapsody'.
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Upon arrival at Gymnasium C, all parties would find a fairly plain gym. After all, it was just one of the standard Academy gyms. The only thing of note was Professor Batori seated on the sidelines, a folding table setup with a computer and coffee in front of him.
He looked up as the door opened, admitting Londo, Ryan, and Emberly. Emberly danced her way across the floor, waving at the professor as she did. "Hiya teach! Emberly and Caoimhe here. Well, Caoimhe will be soon."
Professor Batori nodded in reply, pulling up the appropriate files on his computer. "You boys are Londo Sperry and Ryan Gamaris then." It was less question than statement. "Once Miss Mallon arrives, the battle can commence."
As if on cue, Caoimhe, Hurik, and Tidrog came into the Gymnasium. "Emmy, we really should've talked about this!"
"Nah, its fine, we got this!" Caoimhe and Emberly gathered on the far side of the Gymnasium from Londo and Ryan.
Pale blue light filled the area, forming a protective energy barrier to protect the area from any collateral damage. After confirming that systems were functioning properly, Professor Batori turned to the combatants. "Preparations are complete. You may begin when ready."
Light surrounded both girls as their new outfits materialized around them. And after confirming that the boys had also Transformed, the girls would make the first move.
Action Phase:
"I'm gonna go all out, kay?" Emberly called out as she stepped to the front. "IGNITE! Intense flames began to dance all along the surface of Miken, her weapon. The heat produced even seemed to be generating a bit of heat haze around the blade.
Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Knight of Fafnir OST Composer: Yuzo Koshiro Arranged by Masaru Yokoyama and Takeshi Yanagawa
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"Yeah, I'll do my best too." Caoimhe raised her broom up, channeling magic through it. In the space between Ryan and Londo, a glowing red rune appeared on the ground. The rune's glow intensified rapidly before erupting with fiery energy in a 10m radius, toasting everything in the effect range.
Strength - E Vitality - E Willpower - E Resistance - E Speed - C Dexterity - C Perception - E Recovery - E
Things went rather smoothly after finding the girls. Meaning Ryan had a chance to remain quiet, gearing up his mind into fight mode. Once at the Gym, Ryan walked to their starting position. As if reading each other's mind Tidrog neared Ryan and fitted himself in his core slot. Ryan took a deep breath, and looked at Londo, while keeping his head forward "Ready, Londo?" If his answer was yes, Ryan would smile and look ahead. "Transform!" Ryan exclaimed, as light enveloped his body with a silvery shine. What that shine left behind was the black and white warrior appearance of Ryan. "Let's rock!"
Reaction Phase
Their opponents made the first move, setting up a fire enchantment on their weapon, and more importantly, a spell being casted their way. Ryan noticed the glow beneath them, and not wanting to find out what did it do, Ryan dove sideways, and twisted his body midair to land rolling back to his feet. Dodge: -5 Stamina
Action Phase
Knowing there was no time to waste, he started approaching Emberly, though not in a full sprint. While he did, Kashmir manifested near Ryan and started to move in the same direction, at around 10 meters from him. Soul Projection: -30 Prana
Londo gave a small wave to the teacher as they all entered the gym, even though he didn't know who the teacher was, and nodded in confirmation to what he said, walking to the other side of the gym and psyching himself up with Ryan over there. Londo stretched out for a bit while preperations started, and when Ryan asked if he was ready, Londo nodded, "Let's go! へん かん する (Henkan Suru)!" He shouted in timing with Ryan, as he slammed his fists together and light gathered around his body, transforming him into his magical prowess that he used as a mage!
Reaction Phase:
He pointed at the pair on the other side and shouted, "I'd be disappointed if you didn't go all out!" As the enemy mage prepared a spell. Londo shrugged and smirked, knowing this would be the first move she played as a mage, so he simply jumped to the side the same way Ryan dodged, a coordinated dodge!, away from Ryan and out of the area of effect of the spell. The heat searing next to him confirmed exactly that they were both disciples of that Fire goddess Londo already forgot the name of!
Action Phase:
Londo then ran towards his opponent, the firey mage, and gave a small wink as he ran up to her, assuming Ryan was able to keep the other girl busy, "Yo!" He said, as he approached her and gave her the ol' one two, which was two consecutive punches followed by a third.
If Ryan was unable to keep the other girl busy, Londo would instead try to get around her and punch her in the chest with a Fist of Fury, to push her back towards Ryan to give him a way to gang up on her.
Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Knight of Fafnir OST Composer: Yuzo Koshiro Arranged by Masaru Yokoyama and Takeshi Yanagawa
youtu.be
Professor Batori looked on as the battle commenced. Both sides Transformed, with the girls making the first move after that. Perhaps "ladies first" still applied in duels.
The more energetic girl activated a power that lit her blade aflame. Judging from the energy readings the monitoring devices were picking up, it had to be the Blessing she had received from Lady Kagu-tsuchi.
Those are quite the intense flames. Getting struck by them will surely hurt. Then again, it can't be easy on her weapon either.
- Description: Indomitable child, let no obstacle stand in the way of your fiery soul.
At the word "Ignite", flames pour forth, coating Emberly's weapon in roaring fire. The fire strengthens all attacks with the weapon. Their sheer power consumes everything, even the Ignited weapon itself.
- Effect: Adds 10 damage to all attacks with the Ignited weapon. Upon activation, Emberly can choose whether to keep damage as Physical or change it to Magical.
- Attribute Modifier: None
- Cost: 5 Durability of the Ignited weapon per Phase
- Type: Active Continuous
- Duration: Permanent (until deactivated)
- Affinity: Buffing
- Prerequisites:
None
- Limitations:
None
In addition to the divine power flowing through her, there was also the more subtle touch of a long-term Bonded Magic spell augmenting Emberly's body.
[Rank E] Slow Burn (*SPELL*)
- Description:
- Effect: Provides a permanent Normal level boost to Strength.
- Attribute Modifier: None
- Cost: 5 Prana per Turn
- Type: Passive
- Duration: Permanent
- Affinity: Buffing
- Prerequisites:
Miken must be held
- Limitations:
None
While Emberly was activating her Blessing, Caoimhe cast a glowing rune on the ground between the two boys. Fearing what was to come, Ryan dove to the side and twisted to roll upright, and Londo leapt in the same direction, but both found themselves nearly knocked off balance as the flames erupted into existence. Merely diving or leaping to the side was far from sufficient to escape the ten meter radius blast that surged up from the rune.
- Description: Creates a glowing red rune 15 cm^2 on the ground within 50 meters in a spot Caoimhe can see. This rune glows brightly for a moment before detonating with great force, spewing fire throughout a 10 meter radius
Requires Granny's Broom or a similar casting assistance device.
- Limitations:
None
As the sensors were picking up the magical signatures of the Explosive Rune, they also noticed additional power flowing in Caoimhe. Ah, so her Blessing helps to counteract the self-destructive effects of her magic. Lady Kagu-tsuchi might not be as airheaded as the Headmaster thinks.
- Description: Flames are a natural part of the life cycle of nature. As the trees of a forest burn, they pave the way for life to spring anew. Thus does a fiery soul produce life force from their flames.
- Effect: When Caoimhe uses an Offensive Fire-based Spell, she regains Aura equal to 15% of the Average Value Output of the Spell's Grade.
- Type: Passive
- Duration: Permanent
- Affinity: Recovery
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent), Blade Ignition (Miken)
Reaction Phase:
Emberly was watching as Ryan began to move in closer. "Ohohoho? You have summon magic? That's pretty cool. But it doesn't matter; I'll cut through both of you! C'mon Miken!" Magic surged within Emberly, combining with Miken's power to further increase her destructive force.
(Miken: -5 Durability)
(Fierce Flame: -25 Prana)
[Rank E] Fierce Flame (*SPELL*)
- Description:
- Effect: Provides two Normal level buffs to Strength
- Attribute Modifier: None
- Cost: 25 Prana
- Type: Active Continuous
- Duration: 4 Phases
- Affinity: Buffing
- Prerequisites:
None
- Limitations:
None
Meanwhile, Caoimhe stood ready as Londo charged closer to her. She danced a couple steps backwards to avoid Londo's initial jab and following cross. As he stepped in again to follow with a left hook, she stepped back on her own left foot and pivoted clockwise (over her right shoulder) to twist her body out of the punch's path.
"Heh, shouldn'ta come so close boy," Hurik muttered from Caoimhe's shoulder. As he did so, Londo would notice fire gathering on the head of her broom, which would then rapidly streak straight towards his chest.
- Description: A simple spell that produces a small ball of fire and launches it at enemies. Not the flashiest thing around, but it absolutely gets the job done.
Requires Granny's Broom or a similar casting assistance device.
- Limitations:
None
Action Phase:
"Uuuuuuoooooooooooaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" A battle cry surged forth from Emberly's throat as she leapt into the air towards Ryan. Miken was raised high overhead, ready to cleave Ryan in two down the middle with all of Emberly's power and the acceleration of gravity brought to bear.
(Attack x1: -5 Stamina)
(Miken: -5 Durability)
Caoimhe wasn't exactly fond of fisticuffs, so she quickly began to retreat from Londo's fist range. As she did, fire gathered on her broom once again and shot towards Londo, this one aimed a bit towards Londo's right side this time.
(Fire Bolt: -7 Aura, -10 Prana, -9 Stamina)
(Destruction Begets Creation: +6 Aura)
Caoimhe Mallon Aura: 97/100 Prana: 150/150 Stamina: 100/100 Broom: 75/75
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
Emberly Arkwright Aura: 100/100 Prana: 75/100 Stamina: 95/100 Miken: 90/100
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent) Blade Ignition (Miken), Fierce Flame (Phase 1/4)
Ryan underestimated the might of the magic thrown at him. As he soon was enveloped in flames as he rolled. He grimaced in pain, but that didn't stop him from continuing. With who would face him confirmed, Ryan and Kashmir locked on and were ready to engage the flaming axe wielder.
Start of turn: +10 stamina and +5 prana
Reaction Phase
Upon seeing Emberly jump towards him Ryan stopped running and instead prepared to dodge. Kashmir did a sharp turn towards Emberly's landing spot in a full sprint. As the axe came down on him, Ryan performed a short skip to his right using his right foot, while he reeled back his left one. Twisting his body to aim the chambered foot at Emberly, as well as furthering himself from the blade of the axe, slightly. As the axe were to violently crash near his left, Ryan received her by unloading not one, not two, but three kicks, in quick succession. The first one was aimed to the head, releasing his foot in an straight and upward angle. Knowing she might recoil, Ryan lowered the angle in which he thrusted, now aiming to her torso. Using his own recoil from the first kick to reel back his foot all the way, just to be released yet again, repeating the process for the final kick. As for Kashmir, he managed to attempt a single kick, due to the distance he had to cover. He placed back and to the left of Emberly, where he transferred the momentum of his sprint to his right leg, slamming his shin across her back in a semicircular, rising motion.
Action Phase
Having exerted himself quite a bit on his initial attack, Ryan stepped back and took a stance, in an attempt to gather some energy. While Kashmir repositioned himself behind Emberly, where he crouched and did a low sweeping kick. Attempting to take both legs down.
After Londo punched, his opponent's spirit mocked him, and Londo noticed fire gathering in her weapon. He raised both of his fists to block it, just as she unleashed the spell.
She started to retreat, and Londo merely chased after her, shouting, "You hit hard! I like that!" He said, as she prepared to fire another shot, which Londo noticed was pointing towards his right side.
Londo then shifted his weight to the right, balancing on his left foot as the flame would pass by his right side, his right leg in the air like a ballerina, as he oh so gracefully attempted to dodge the attack heading towards his right side.
Action Phase:
Then, while the momentum from his run carried him forwards, Londo spun to the right more, using the momentum from his dodge to attack his opponent with the heel of his right foot, resulting in a roundhouse kick. He then slammed his foot towards the ground in front of him, pushing with his left leg to launch himself towards the girl, and aiming to knee her in the stomach with his right knee.
Afterwards, Londo brought up his left fist to swipe at her from the left, using more of the momentum from the push off from the ground to aide in his attack.
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent), Blade Ignition (Miken), Fierce Flame (Phase 1/4)
Reaction Phase:
Miken slammed into the floor beside Ryan; the floor barrier distorting in color beneath it for a moment provided a testament to the sheer power behind the strike. From the sidelines, Professor Batori took note and adjusted the distribution of barrier power to amplify the floor barrier further. Wouldn't do to have a hole gouged in the gym surface.
Meanwhile, Ryan was retaliating with a kick towards Emberly's head. She gave an "Oof" of pain as armored foot connected, but she didn't mind the pain that much.
(Emberly: -10 Aura)
In fact, if he was going to try kicking at her, that provided a perfect chance for her to pull out her secret move! Well, one of them. Actually, it was more of a trick she had picked up when fighting bullies before becoming a Mage than a secret move, but it was so much cooler to call it a secret move!
As Ryan was pulling back his left leg again to prepare for his next kick, she set her plan into motion. Ryan's left leg flew out towards Emberly's chest (or lack thereof) this time, but as it did, Emberly released her grip on Miken and let him clatter to the floor. As Miken left her grip, the flames on his blade winked out of existence thanks to their connection to Emberly being severed.
Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Knight of Fafnir OST Composer: Yuzo Koshiro Arranged by Masaru Yokoyama and Takeshi Yanagawa
youtu.be
(Emberly: -10 Aura)
Her hands now empty, she grabbed just above Ryan's ankle, locking his leg in place against her. For someone of such small stature, the strength she could exhibit was vastly disproportionate. "Hi-yah!" With another shout, she twisted her body around, yanking Ryan off balance and swinging him around her to slam him into the floor behind where she had been facing.
(Ryan: -22 Aura)
Of course, Emberly wasn't so rude as to forget about Kashmir's presence. She quickly twisted around and dove to her left, rolling away from the kick. She didn't entirely escape unscathed, but she avoided the worst.
(Emberly: -7 Aura)
Emberly quickly reached out to grab Miken again before springing upright and away from Kashmir, narrowly escaping his follow-up sweep at her legs. And though winded, Ryan would be able to climb back to his feet and remain on Standby during his previous AP.
(Emberly: Counter + Attack x1: -30 Stamina
Londo stacked fist upon fist to prepare for the first Fire Bolt. With left gauntlet on top, it took the brunt of the impact, in turn sharply reducing the damage received by the right gauntlet and Londo himself.
(Londo's Left Gauntlet: -26 Durability)
(Londo's Right Gauntlet: -10 Durability)
(Londo: -4 Aura)
The second Fire Bolt whizzed passed Londo's right side as he executed the evasive part of his Evasion Guard. Caoimhe's mouth turned down into a slight frown as she saw her attack do naught but fly off to the side of the room, but there wasn't long for her to lament, as he was coming at her once again.
A roundhouse kick from her right led to her frantically raising her broom to intercept it. The strike forced her to stagger backwards as her far from perfect stance was broken by the impact. She barely had time to shift her broom back into position before the knee struck. And with that second strike, she had no hope of blocking his final punch, also coming from her right.
This range was absolutely not ideal. Under no circumstances. Caoimhe fired another Fire Bolt towards Londo's chest while frantically backpedaling away. This distance was not a happy place for her.
Miken in hand once more, Emberly positioned herself to face off against Kashmir. Two swings with Miken were sent forth. The first slash, a broad horizontal sweep from Emberly's right to left, was but a feint though, intended more to drive Kashmir into an evasive maneuver than to actually crush him. Not the second, though. Emberly twisted Miken around and raised him up to ready his blade side for a mostly vertical (about 20 degrees counterclockwise of vertical) slam downwards onto Kashmir, stepping in closer as she did to both augment the momentum and to make escape that much harder.
(Attack x2: -10 Stamina)
Some distance was nice. Room to breathe. Room to cast more Fire Bolts. The Fire Bolt streaked a bit to Caoimhe's left, once again targeting Londo's right side. But this time, she didn't stop there. A second Fire Bolt flew forth this time, carefully aimed slightly to Londo's left, so that if he repeated his previous maneuver, he would be sure to dodge right into the second one.
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
After delivering one kick, Ryan was caught, and slammed into the ground during the second one. "Guh..." was all that escaped his mouth as he landed on his back. However, this was not the time for complaining about pain. He did a kip-up and resumed his stance. Meanwhile, Kashmir's first strike managed to hit partially. But the second one completely missed.
Start of Turn: +10 stamina & +5 prana
Reaction Phase
With Emberly closing in on Kashmir, Ryan took advantage of being ignored. Already prepared to act, due to waiting for a moment, Ryan rushed in.
Wanting to keep Emberly off balance, Ryan started an Accel Blitz by suddenly stop running and direct his momentum to his right foot, going right to the side of her right knee with his heel. Following up with a shin kick to Emberly's other knee, as his leg bounced from the first strike. Then, Ryan pulled his leg back to use as support for his left straight punch aimed to hit below the ribs, and finalized his attack rush by lunging his right knee to the back of Emberly, ending a short distance behind from her.
Kashmir really couldn't bet on Ryan weakening the amazingly strong girl. So when she attempted to hit him from the side, Kashmir jumped backwards. But upon noticing it was a fake out, he followed up with a handspring. Splitting his legs a little while upside down, to keep them from being grazed by the axe.
Keeping up the pressure, Ryan continued striking Emberly from behind. While Kashmir just closed in slightly, to avoid being hit as he took a breather.
On a more centered and balanced position behind Emberly, Ryan went for another Accel Blitz. Which he started with a roundhouse kick to her left calf, from which then he reeled his leftt foot back and kicked her with a front thrust kick aimed at the back of her left knee. Ryan quickly set his left leg back on the floor, then balanced on it as he chambered his right leg and unleashed a side kick to her liver. Finally, he planted his leg firmly on the ground, and leveraging all the way from his feet, to his right fist, and into her head with a straight.
After Londo launched his punches, Caoihme fired another Fire bolt at him, and he raised his left guantlet to block. But because he did, his left gauntlet shattered and broke. This girl had a huge offensive at her advantage. Now Londo knew he wouldn't be able to block with the sheer amount of damage she did.
And then he ran at Caoihme, and while he did, she launched a fireball towards his right side again, and Londo dodged the same way he did last time, except this time she released a second fireball! Londo then purposefully tripped backwards, so the fireball would pass over him instead, choosing not to block this one because it wouldn't matter anyways and his left gauntlet was already destroyed.
Action Phase:
Then Londo caught himself with his hands and pushed himself back onto his feet, running back towards Caoihme, energy gathering in his right hand, "You might have a powerful spell to use, but so do I!" Londo said, running towards her, then quickly ducking into an uppercut towards her, lunging forwards in case she managed to dodge backwards, using his, "Fist of Fury!" Londo called out, if it had hit her.
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent), Fierce Flame (Phase 3/4)
Reaction Phase:
Kashmir leapt backwards to escape from the first slash of Miken. When he realized it was a feint though, he began to flip into a handspring. Unfortunately, Emberly had continued to step in closer as she struck again, catching him mid-handspring. The blade fell between the upside down summon's spread legs, and not even Professor Batori watching from the sidelines could resist wincing in sympathetic pain as the blade sliced down into Kashmir's perineum.
(Kashmir: -42 Aura)
Focusing on Kashmir came at a price though. Intent as she was on continuing to strike, Emberly left herself wide open for the hits that were about to come from Ryan. Metal connected with her right knee, threatening her stance as she swung, though not quite threatening enough. As Miken bit into Kashmir, Ryan pulled his right leg back for another strike, which landed as Emberly was beginning to pull Miken away. She partially turned towards Ryan on slightly wobbly legs (perhaps due to a combination of Ryan's strikes and holding Miken up), and received a punch to her lower left ribcage. Any higher could've been problematic (for both parties), but as it stood, the punch hurt noticeably less than Ryan's kicks, given that it was bare knuckles rather than armor. She took the opportunity presented by this weaker strike to back away, escaping from the final knee thrust.
(Emberly: -10, -10, -5 Aura)
Emberly didn't have any time to rest though, as Ryan struck once more. Using her fantastic strength, she leapt upward, folding her legs up to let Ryan's low roundhouse kick slip past underneath. Airborne as she was, though, she could do naught to dodge the thrust kick that followed, which knocked her backwards and away from the impact. As she landed, Ryan closed in and struck at her side before finishing with a punch. She twisted her body counterclockwise, spinning out of the sidekick's path, but didn't have time to escape from the following punch.
(Emberly: -10, -5 Aura)
As she was recovering and gaining a small bit of distance Emberly called out "Ignite!" again, and intense flames began to once again dance across Miken's edge.
Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Knight of Fafnir OST Composer: Yuzo Koshiro Arranged by Masaru Yokoyama and Takeshi Yanagawa
youtu.be
(Emberly: Counter + Blade Ignition: -25 Stamina
Caoimhe's first Fire Bolt was received by Londo's Left Gauntlet. The poor thing, it wasn't cut out for these sorts of temperatures. By the time the searing heat of the Fire Bolt had finished with the gauntlet, it was little more than slag metal. It also did nothing fantastic for the hand that was inside the deformed steel.
(Londo's Left Gauntlet: -14 Durability)
(Londo's Left Gauntlet has melted, becoming an unrecognizable lump of metal encasing his hand)
(Londo: -26 Aura)
His subsequent dodge let him escape the second Fire Bolt, as intended by both parties. He then bent over backwards (both literally and metaphorically) in his attempt to dodge the third Fire Bolt. Said attempt was mostly successful, though his forehead did get slightly singed.
(Londo: -2 Aura)
The boy was rushing in once again, focusing his power into his right fist. Hearing his declaration, Caoimhe wasn't in the mood to see what was about to happen, so she began to cast a Fire Bolt at him once again, to try and force him off course. Unfortunately for her, the casting was a bit too slow, as Londo was able to land his Fist of Fury before she could fire it off. As she was sent airborne, her spell launched, flying wide from its target only to impact on the far wall.
Emberly felt her previous enhancement magic wearing off, meaning it was time to power up once again. Merging her prana with Miken's, the two of them let their magic flow forth, strengthening Emberly's physical prowess once again.
(Fierce Flame: -25 Prana)
(Miken: -5 Durability)
The shock of landing on her posterior rattled Caoimhe a bit, but she quickly clambered back to her feet. She quickly scooped up Hurik, who had fallen beside her. As she did so, she focused her prana inward, casting a restorative cantrip on herself to counteract the damage she had sustained just then.
[Military Grade E] Self-Restoration (*SPELL*)
- Description: A common healing cantrip for those who expect to take damage.
- Effect: Restores 20 Aura to the caster.
- Attribute Modifier: Willpower
- Cost: 30 Prana
- Storage Location: Caoimhe's Mind
- Type: Active
- Duration: N/A
- Affinity: Recovery
- Prerequisites:
None
- Limitations:
None
Hurik restored to his perch on her shoulder, Caoimhe leveled her broom towards Londo once more. Spirit and Mage worked as one, concentrating fiery energy that started as a small spark at the broom's tip, but quickly grew larger and brighter until it streaked off toward Londo's stomach in another Fire Bolt.
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent), Blade Ignition (Miken), Fierce Flame (Phase 0/4)
While his enemy was healing, Londo saw his chance. He quickly set to work removing the gauntlet on his left hand that was now just a lump of metal.
Action Phase:
And with the Lump of Metal now off of his hand, Londo charged in, raising his left hand, which held the lump of gauntlet, over his head, then throwing it towards Caoimhe's chest.
With her either dodging or guarding against it with her staff, Londo took the chance to rush in with his fists, first throwing a right punch, then a left hook, then falling backwards onto his right hand, and sweeping with his legs from left to right. Then finally, Londo pushed up with his right hand, using the same hand to throw a hook into his enemy.
Londo smugly declared, whether his attacks worked or not, "You're a pretty feisty opponent. Very well, I shall use my secret technique on you that I had possibly been saving for Emberly! Prepare yourself!" Londo said, preparing himself as well.
Reaction Phase
As his barrage of strikes ended, Ryan felt pain. Probably the worst kind of pain he had experienced… But he had no time to give in to pain right now. He cringed, and his legs shook, but tried his best not to show signs of sharing the pain of Kashmir. Simply pretending to be out of breath instead. Kashmir got back to a ready stance, staying close to Emberly, slowly, and without being in immediate range to her.
Feeling a bit better, Ryan took a stance again. However, he was still visibly shaken and breathing heavily. Now, he mimicked Kashmir by getting close to Emberly, without being in direct range. Both keeping her between them.
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent), Blade Ignition (Miken), Fierce Flame (Phase 0/4)
Reaction Phase:
The boys seemed to be trying to keep their distance from her. "What's the matter, too scared to keep going? You might as well just give up then!"
Well, if they weren't willing to give up, she'd just have to persuade them a bit more. She remembered one of the lessons that had been taught a couple weeks ago, about how the best way to get rid of summons was to take out the summoner. It seemed like now was a good time to put that into action.
Emberly turned towards Kashmir. Miken was gripped tightly, with Emberly's right hand above her left as she brought him back behind her right side. She took off running towards Kashmir and began a powerful horizontal swing in his direction from her right to left.
(Attack: -5 Stamina)
(Miken: -5 Durability)
Londo set his right fist on his left arm, just where the former left gauntlet ended. Using his right hand as a brace, he began to pry off the ruined gauntlet from his left hand. As the metal gradually slid off of his hand though, he felt searing heat on his stomach. Evidently, he had been too focused on pulling off the gauntlet to notice Caoimhe had also sent a Fire Bolt his way.
(Londo: -40 Aura)
Evidently, Londo had decided to get his own DIY projectile, sending a lump of metal hurtling through the area. Caoimhe was no slacker in her studies though. She knew that the reason most Mages who used projectiles crafted theirs out of Prana was because Aura Extension didn't normally work for projectiles. It may have been a bit intimidating, but her brain was able to suppress her instincts and take it head-on.
(Caoimhe: -2 Aura)
As such, she had no issues with being ready for Londo closing in. A few quick steps backwards was all it took to escape the first of Londo's old one-two. Londo's second punch was able to connect with her fairly well though.
(Caoimhe: -14 Aura)
But while Caoimhe might not have been particularly fast, she also wasn't any slower than Londo. She wouldn't have any trouble cutting off Londo's ambitious follow-up attacks with a Fire Bolt.
But Emberly's attack was more than just a simple slash. Gambling on the possibility that Ryan would try to strike at her back while she was attacking Kashmir, she used the momentum of her swing to begin to spin counterclockwise. The rotation took Miken around in a circle, cleaving into anything that happened to be within reach at the time. With any luck, this would let her cut into Ryan as he was trying to sneak up behind her. If not, well, whatever.
(Attack: -5 Stamina
(Miken: -5 Durability)
As Caoimhe was debating her next move, she heard Londo's bold declaration. Caoimhe tensed up a bit as she backed away, grip tightening on her broom. Her Spirit, on the other hand, was happy to retort. "Oh yeh? Try us, kid. We'll take anything you got."
(Standby: +16 Stamina)
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent), Blade Ignition (Miken), Fierce Flame (Phase 2/4)
Ryan remained quiet, despite the provocative nature of Emberly's comment. Nearing his limit, Ryan had no time to talk, he needed to finish this as soon as possible.
Start of Turn: +10 Stamina & +5 Prana
Reaction Phase
Once Emberly went towards Kashmir, he braced himself, but not to take the incoming hit. Noticing the horizontal nature of the attack, Kashmir launched himself into the air, spinning parallel to the ground. Adjusting the distance from the ground by putting more oomph into his sideways leap if he saw Emberly attempting to hit higher by adjusting her strike, though he'd try his best to stay as far away from the huge flaming blade regardless. But Kashmir wasn't done yet. As while spinning midair, he unleashed an Accel Blitz, suddenly rotating at greater speeds. Delivering two successing elbow strikes from above to wherever he could reach, most likely the head. He followed up by extending his right fist and driving it down and into Emberly's head once again. To finish, and knowing by now she'd already would be trying to jump away, or busier with Ryan, Kashmir prepared to land gracefully with a hook kick to her core, while he neatly landed like a veteran ballerina.
As for Ryan, having an even bigger chance to prepare. Upon seeing Emberly going for Kashmir, Ryan used his superior speed to catch up to her. Seeing as her attack might also be turned towards him, Ryan opted to slide under, and chambered both of his legs. Unleashing an Accel Blitz along the momentum of his legs and slide into a double kick, aiming into her lower legs. Quickly reeling them back, and propelling them again towards her knees (or the back of them). Using the recoil one last time, he coiled back his legs and spun counterclockwise into a low crouching position from which he did a sweeping kick following the same orientation with his right leg, thinking it may be enough to have the blazing blade pass over him. Finally, Ryan shifted his weight to his right leg and swinged his left foot into her left leg (below the knee) with a low backside roundhouse kick. Keeping his body as low as possible all along.
Action Phase
Exhausted from the big maneuver he attempted with Kashmir. Ryan and Kashmir once again stepped back, trying to regain some air. Looking at Emberly, Ryan slowly got into a stance, later than Kashmir.
Caoimhe prepared to fire another fire bolt, instead of finishing his sweeping kick, Londo pushed with his right hand, rolling to the left and letting the fireball pass by him that way instead of continuing to attack. He felt as if he would drop from just one more of those fireballs. He really wish he had been paying attention while trying to get his gauntlet off.
Either way, if he hadn't dodged it, his aura would be revitalized with help from Cadwgan, if he did, then Londo would boast. As he stood back up he would pound his chest and boast, "You aren't the only one with help from a God!"
Action Phase:
Jumping off the ground, Londo smirked at Caoimhe, then glanced at her spirit, "You think you can take my secret technique? Well then. Here goes!" Londo said, running at his enemy with his right hand raised, looking at the spirit instead of Caoimhe directly, "Touch. Of!-: Londo said, feinting an attack at the spirit, by swiping at him but not actually hitting him, spinning with the momentum of his feint attempting to get around Caoimhe.
And with the spinning momentum, he released his Touch of Death spell-
Right onto Coimhe's behind, "Sexual Harrassment!" Then backing off quickly to avoid her wrath of fireballs.
Londo could feel a silent, yet menacing force coming from Alice's Spirit core, but ignored it for now, "Haha! Actually it's called Touch of Death, but I think you get the idea!"
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
• STR: B • VIT: E • WIL: E • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: D • PER: E • REC: D Current Effects: Slow Burn (Permanent), Blade Ignition (Miken), Fierce Flame (Phase 2/4)
Reaction Phase:
Considering that Emberly was delivering her first horizontal slash at a fairly standard middle height, Kashmir was forced to leap quite high if he wanted to completely clear the blade. In turn, realizing that he might try to strike at her head, Emberly decided to crouch as she continued to twist. After all, if Ryan did end up falling for her plan, the height of her continued swing probably wouldn't matter that much.
Thanks to both Kashmir having leapt up and Emberly having crouched, Kashmir's initial elbow strikes only struck through air. And while Ryan's attempts to slip under her swing might've worked at her previous height, the girl's crouch meant that he was once again within the path. Though his two kicks in quick succession connected with Emberly, so too did Miken with Ryan.
(Emberly: -10, -10 Aura)
(Ryan: -52 Aura)
The sound of shattering Aura echoed through the gymnasium as Ryan's Aura reached its limit. At the same time, the magic binding Kashmir's form began to break down, unable to sustain itself without any Aura available.
Londo rolled to his left, just barely avoiding the Fire Bolt that exploded against the ground right next to him.
Having heard Londo's warning, Caoimhe had braced herself. She was ready for whatever Londo was going to throw at her. Surely, given his previous efforts, he would come at her from the front and try to land a punch on her. Would he try to knock her back, like he had before? Or something else? Either way, she had her broom ready to take whatever attack he sent at her.
As expected, he was coming straight at her. Well, he seemed to be looking a bit off to her side. No way, was he going for Hurik? She shifted her broom to better defend the Spirit on her shoulder, trying to block the incoming attack. But instead, Londo feinted and spun around her. Before she could turn around, his hand went flying in and…
(Caoimhe: -10 Aura)
Eh?
...
EH?
...
EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The pure-hearted maiden's scream tore through the room, even louder than the sound of Ryan's Aura being cracked by a flaming blade. As it did, magic overflowed alongside Caoimhe's emotions, igniting a rune. The torrent of power burst free of what little control she had to begin with. The rune that had been red originally shot past just being "bright", transitioning straight through "white" and into a brilliant blue. Overwhelming blue flames surged forth, far stronger and larger than the rune earlier, and as they surged, they engulfed all four combatants without warning. The flame's roar was accompanied by two additional cracking sounds as Aura continued to shatter.
(Londo: -30 Aura)
(Londo's Aura has been destroyed)
(Lion's Heart has activated, filling Londo's body with strength)
(Emberly: -30 Aura)
(Emberly's Aura has been destroyed)
(Caoimhe: -30 Aura)
(The devastating heat and fire overwhelm Ryan, immediately knocking him unconscious)
""You'll be making this arrange for Yuukarin!" When I first heard that line, the idea for this arrange immediately came to my mind. Scaaaary! I noticed durin...
youtu.be
"Y-you… You're gonna pay for that!" If looks could kill, then Londo would be in more danger than if he was staring at Medusa herself.
"Oh no, this is not good." Emberly pulled herself back to her feet, having been knocked over by the fiery explosion. Seeing the now-somewhat-roasted Ryan next to her, she grabbed one of his arms and began tugging him towards the edge of the fighting area. "Hey Teach, I surrender! Open the barrier so I can get this guy out!" Professor Batori complied, opening up a section of the shield long enough to let Emberly out, with Ryan being pulled along behind.
Murder was in Caoimhe's eyes as she took aim at Londo. Two Fire Bolts roared forth, searing the air with white-hot intensity as they streaked through the air towards his stomach.
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
Feeling like a fly caught in a web, Londo felt as if he made a huge mistake, and that fact was only cemented with Alice chuckling madly. Welp, only one thing to do! Luckily, he had his Blessing activated, meaning he could take another direct hit and still come out with only his aura broken. He still smirked when he aura reactivated, standing headfirst at the front of the blaze, "You aren't the only ones with a God's Blessing at your side!"
His Touch of Death was also applied to his enemy. So this could even turn into a stall match if he so desired. However, that wouldn't be a glorious end. However, Londo's end was also near. His choices were very limited, as he felt the air drained from his lungs and breaths heavily coming out. She should be just as injured as Londo, however, judging from the various marks on her body versus his. He could stall and win a poor victory, or he could go out guns blazing with the chance to win!
So, with a huge gamble, Londo ran towards his enemy as she fired, twisting to his right to get out of the way of the first fireball, and hoping that she was angered enough to not think clearly enough to lead him. If not, he would take the attack head on, his aura breaking. He could have evaded and easily gotten out of the two attacks, but he wouldn't be able to follow up with an attack of his own, and if he messed up in evading, it would be all over, so this was his main plan. Not even his blessing could give him a reprieve from her powerful attacks.
Action Phase:
And after dodging one or both of the projectiles, Londo kept running up to her, yelling his final words of the battle, "This truly was a fun match, win or lose, I was grateful to fight you!" Despite the fact that she was totally pissed off at him.
Then Londo rushed into her, attacking once with his right fist, grabbing a hold of her staff if he could, and attacking again with the same fist, pushing her away from him if he had the stamina to do so. This was a final desperation attack from Londo, and whether he succeeded or failed, he wouldn't know until it worked.
(Ryan could also say take the last of my hamon, Londo! But he's dead or something, unlucky)
Strength - E Vitality - E Willpower - E Resistance - E Speed - C Dexterity - C Perception - E Recovery - E
Ryan's counter offensive move failed severely. Barely getting any of his many hits to land, and to top it off, Emberly's swing hit him dead on. Ryan felt the newfound stinging pain all over his body that comes with his aura shattering. His pain did not stop there, though. The literal burst of anger of Caoihme, caused him to get burns of varying degrees on multiple parts of his body. Feeling dazed from the intense heat, it took him a moment to realize that he was being dragged. Once he did, he said, among ragged breaths "I can stand… Here" Ryan then used Emberly's great strength to pull himself up… but one of his legs gave up on him, making Ryan almost plant his face onto the floor. But yet again, he held on to Emberly, and started limping along her, using her as support. But before leaving, he mustered all the strength his lungs could hold, and shouting "Come on, Londo! You can do it! I believe in you!" unaware of Londo's rather unorthodox move. Then, he coughed a lot, just as the barrier closed behind him. While still hanging on to Emberly, Ryan told her, still breathing heavily "Thank you... Emberly... That was... a great fight… You're really strong! Ryan paused to try and give some rest to his lungs "I seriously... need to improve… Damn" saying the last part along with a sigh.
""You'll be making this arrange for Yuukarin!" When I first heard that line, the idea for this arrange immediately came to my mind. Scaaaary! I noticed durin...
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By the time he came to, Ryan had already been dragged most of the way out of the arena, and Emberly didn't particularly feel the need to stop at this point. She dropped him unceremoniously after completing their retreat from the area. Likewise, when he tried to speak to her, she raised a finger to her lips and gave him a "SSHHHH!"
• STR: E • VIT: E • WIL: C • RES: E
• SPD: E • DEX: E • PER: E • REC: C Current Effects: Destruction Begets Creation Notes: Hurik is perched on her left shoulder
Reaction Phase:
(Touch of Death: Caoimhe: -5 Aura)
Fire blazed past Londo's side as he narrowly twisted to the side to avoid the first Fire Bolt. The second one blasted into him with all its fury, smashing apart his Aura with fiery power.
(Londo: -33 Aura)
(Londo's Aura has been destroyed)
Londo then proceeded to close in, saying something that Caoimhe completely tuned out. Desperation seemed to be affecting him even more than Caoimhe's anger affected her, as he couldn't even be bothered to aim his punch beyond striking in her general direction. The fist barely even grazed her side, even though all she did was shift her weight a bit.
(Caoimhe: -3 Aura)
Indeed, in his panic, he barely was able to process that she had been holding a wooden broom this whole time, not a staff. He was still able to grab at it all the same, but didn't really put much effort into trying to change its position. The presence of the hand still disrupted her aim, but not as much as he would've liked, seeing as his left ear was singed pretty well and all the hair on his left side was set ablaze. Amidst the sound of fire roaring past his now-damaged left ear, he thought he heard the sharp cracking sound of Aura, but he might've been mistaken.
(Fire Bolt: -7 Aura, -10 Prana, -9 Stamina)
His right fist swung in once again, aimed only slightly better this time due to being even closer. It would certainly leave a bruise, but wasn't nearly strong enough to knock her back, especially since she still had two hands gripping the broom that Londo himself was holding onto, effectively locking its position in place, and thus her as well.
Action Phase:
(Touch of Death: Caoimhe: -5 Aura)
Fighting back a rising wave of nausea, Caoimhe muttered "We'll see how Lady Ereshkigal likes your harassment." Fiery energy began to gather around the head of her broom once more. At this range, there was no way she could miss. That said…
"Yeh idjit, stop!" Hurik's voice shouted in a panic from Caoimhe's shoulder.
Caoimhe screamed, raw pain spilling out of her mouth in a flood of agony. The flame forming around her broom felt like it was mirrored within her own body, as if every drop of blood coursing through her veins had suddenly been traded out for pure fire. Her internal organs seemed like they were going to liquify themselves from the heat enveloping her body. The Fire Bolt being cast didn't streak off from the broom, but merely exploded as the pain wracking Caoimhe's body caused her to collapse to the ground and lose all control over the spell. Both Londo's and Caoimhe's front halves were now very clearly on fire from the small explosion that had detonated between them, and if Londo had not chosen to let go of the broom, he too would have been pulled down to the floor by Caoimhe's collapsing body weight.
(Fire Bolt: -7 Aura, -10 Prana, -9 Stamina)
Amid the scene, Professor Batori's voice sounded throughout the gymnasium. "The battle is over. The victors: Ryan Gamaris and Londo Sperry." As he spoke, the wall barriers of the arena disappeared, though the floor barrier remained intact a little longer. The professor stood up and raised his right hand, and as the outstretched palm pointed at the two burning students, a torrent of water flew forth from his palm, soaking both and extinguishing any flames on them.
Fire Emblem: Rekka No Ken Soundtrack: Into The Shadow Of Triumph (1080p)
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Emberly dropped Miken to the floor and dashed over to the side of her fallen friend. Kneeling beside the girl, Emberly began to shake her shoulders gently. "Caoimhe! Caoimhe! Are you ok! Please, talk to me!"
Caoimhe's eyes flickered open a bit as she stared up at the ceiling above. Slowly, she focused on the tear-streaked face of her partner. "Ah, Emberly. Did we?" Seeing the pink hair shaking from side to side, her eyes drooped closed again. "I see. Sorry."
"Mm, its ok! We did our best! You'll be ok, don't worry. The medics will be here soon."
"I'm fine… I just need to rest for a bit." Caoimhe's consciousness slipped away into the darkness, though her chest continued to rise and fall as a clear indication of continued life. Emberly cradled Caoimhe against her body, hugging her tightly as tears continued to fall.
The pink puppet, who had fallen away from Caoimhe at some point during the explosion or surge of water afterward, stood up and began to hop over towards Londo. "Ah, they'll be faeen. Yeh fought well, boy. Shouldn'ta done that, but yeh still did well. Congratulations."
Londo had been pretty confident in his victory, but when Caoimhe screamed, his smile fell, realizing something was very wrong. That something resulted in an explosion happening between the two of them, singing Londo's front and his hair. The shock from it caused him to let go of the staff, and before he could do anything, he saw Emberly next to his opponent. He could barely hear what they were saying due to his left ear ringing like mad, but he knelt down nonetheless, despite knowing it might pissed of Caoimhe, "W-What happened?! She's gonna be ok right?!" Londo panicked.
He might have just been having a brutal fight with her, but she was still another student. He had only wanted to have fun, not hurt his opponent. With how Emberly said the medics would be here soon, it was frightening to hear. Londo didn't want to be the cause of death in a tournament match. He had only been planning to knock her out at the very worst, not kill her!
Her spirit tried to reassure Londo, but his shoulders drooped in response, "I… I don't feel like I did well…" He said, then tried to talk to emberly, "I-I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt her like that, I just wanted to fight…" He said, mostly trying to convince himself he wasn't at fault.
If he hadn't pulled that move, then this wouldn't have happened….
---
Ryan wasn't able to do much, as while trying to get up, Emberly dropped him off. He grunted in pain, as the wooden floor wasn't pleasant to land on. He would've told Emberly to be a bit more careful, but she shut him up rather aggressively. Pain and concern for Londo were higher on his priority list than Emberly's attitude, so he just tried to get up on his own to his less injured leg. A painful but effective process. Once he was almost completely back to his somewhat good leg, Emberly rushed inside. "Are they done already?" was his thinking. He turned around, noting Londo kneeling and their opponents down on the floor too. He hobbled slowly towards Londo, who looked worryingly down, even without considering the injuries he had. "Londo!" he said once he finally reached him. Having heard a bit of what the other combatants said and looking at Caoihme, Ryan understood his concern. He tried to kneel next to Londo, but his legs buckled and Ryan fell once again to the ground face first. He grimaced and his body twisted in pain. After a few deep breaths to try and gather his bearings, he said "It's ok… Londo… It-gh" Ryan stopped due to an unexpected wave of pain, but soldiered on "It's not your fault… You did… Good"
---
Caoimhe Mallon
Emberly Arkwright
Caoimhe remained as she was despite Londo's proximity, presumably either pointedly ignoring him or just too exhausted to remain conscious. The most reaction she provided was a simple pair of coughs as the last of Londo's curse worked its way through her body. Emberly also didn't respond to his presence, leaving that job to the small puppet Spirit.
"Dinae worry boy. She's at fault too. Her magek birns at her own life. She shaulda stapped before that las' attack. That slap wa' still stupid thaugh."
Londo simply stared at his opponent, as she coughed and laid there, seemingly dying.
A small flash of light appeared from Londo's right, and only, gauntlet. It was Alice returning to physical form. She gave a small stretch, then walked over to where Londo threw the other gauntlet, picking it up, then walking back to Londo to grab the back of his shirt, "G- Alice! Let me go!"
Alice ignored him, "We're leaving, Ryan. Come to our room later after everything else is settled here." As she dragged Londo across the gym floor, who was having difficulty trying to resist it after the battle he just had, and instead resigned himself to sliding across the floor. Alice had full control over him now, and he couldn't stop the view of the other participants becoming smaller and smaller and then disappearing around the corner.
Londo breathed a sigh of frustration, "Why are you taking me back to the room?"
Alice kept walking, ignoring the gaze of any passerby, "Because you're just going to do something stupid. The best thing you can do is distance yourself from her after what you did."
Londo flusteringly tried to defend himself, "I-I-I didn't think that would happen!"
Alice stopped, turned and glared at him, "You didn't mean for Anohara to be destroyed, yet you did it anyways." She said, referring to the world Londo was first born in.
Londo only had vague memories of his past lives, but this was one of them that he did have. He remembered handing the orb of power to his old teacher, thinking it would redeem himself, but instead resulted in the world being destroyed. He didn't want for it to happen, but it was his fault it did, and he had to deal with the consequences. The biggest of which was having Alice watch over him all the time.
Alice kept walking, but this time was not holding onto Londo's collar. So Londo guessed she expected him to start walking.
Londo got up from the floor, stared at it a bit, then turned around and started following Alice, back to their room they went, until Ryan decided to show up or not.
---
Ryan sighed, as Londo was too concerned with the scene before him, not listening to him at all. Alice materialized and dragged Londo away, while telling Ryan to meet them later at Londo's room. Ryan rolled to lay on his back, grimacing yet again as other burns made their presence felt. "S-sure..." he answered as he nodded to Alice.
When they left, Ryan laid still on the floor, silently watching the tragic scene going on a few meters from him out of the corner of his eye. Knowing full well from Emberly's previous reaction, that he wasn't invited.
---
Nurse Marta Franklin
On their way out, Londo and Alice passed by a young woman in a white nurse outfit, followed by a rather rotund pink creature hustling along after her. Presumably, these were the medics that had been summoned to attend to the wounded girl. The woman slowed down as she passed next to Londo, pausing to call out: "Hey kid! Do you need medical assistance?"
Should he answer in the affirmative, the woman would pull out a syringe from some pocket of her outfit, deftly stab it into Londo's arm, and thus deliver the medicine. Certainly, the shot wasn't pleasant, but Londo would feel his body recovering almost immediately after. Even his missing hair would start to grow back. Should he answer in the negative, she'd simply reply: "I see, take care." In either case, she'd then speed off toward the gym again.
Speaking of the gym, when the Nurse rolled in, she paused next to Ryan while the pink creature toddled on over to where Emberly sat holding Caoimhe. "Here, try putting this on your burns," the Nurse said to Ryan as she pulled out a small round container of some sort of cream. Certainly, the boy looked a little toasted, but there was nothing obvious beyond a few singes.
She'd leave the boy to his lotion and move over to where her Spirit was ministering to the unconscious girl. Taking her Spirit's… hand(?) in her own left hand, the Nurse set her right hand upon Caoimhe's stomach. Vital energy poured forth, flowing through the girl's body. Within a matter of seconds, her breathing had gone from ragged and laboured to deep and steady. "She's asleep, but she'll be fine now. Take her to her room so she can rest comfortably." The Spirit patted each girl on the head a couple times before following its Mage, who had stepped over to talk with the Professor in a low whisper.
---
Before Ryan managed to get comfortable on the floor, which wasn't going to be anytime soon, a new voice ringed on his ears. The source of the voice was a nurse and her pokemon spirit. She handed over a lotion to Ryan, but before he could move to take it, Tidrog stepped in. "I'll take that, thank you" were his words as he smiled kindly at the nurse. When the nurse turned to tend to the girl on the floor, Tidrog started to work on Ryan's wounds. Which felt painful at first, but worked its magic rather fast. As he felt pain less and less on his body he worked up the energy to address the elephant on the room properly. "I was terrible, wasn't I?... If it weren't for Londo, we would've lost… Mom will be so disappointed… Probably you as well..." By now, Ryan's pain was more mental than physical. Tidrog chuckled cheerfully "Come on… Don't be so pessimistic. You did good! And even if you didn't win, I doubt Moira would be disappointed of you…" he said, confident in his words. And just to be sure the message got across, he added "And don't you dare to think I would!" Tidrog said in a very acted stern tone. It was successful. Ryan was smiling along with Tidrog, albeit faintly. The fact that Tidrog had gone over all the wounds on his body, while they talked, wasn't surprising. Time was Tidrog's thing after all. With that done, Ryan jumped to his feet. "Ok, you should go check on Alice and Londo now… It seemed kind of important" Tidrog quickly instructed Ryan. To which Ryan nodded and walked off the gym… right after seeing the couple of friends he opposed. Still aware of the hint to not approach, he just bowed in their direction to show respect. And then moved on
Minutes later, Ryan arrived at Londo's room, still wearing his burned clothing, along with Tidrog. He knocked while saying "It's Ryan" if they opened, Ryan would step in, with Tidrog in tow. Once inside, Ryan turned his eyes back and forth between Alice and Londo, and then asked "Sooo, what happened?"
---
Noone came to open the door, so Ryan would have to let himself in. Alice shrugged when Ryan and Tidrog came in, as if to say "Whatever".
Londo sighed when Ryan asked what happened, but didn't answer. Alice instead spoke for him, "Well, he'd thought it'd be hilarious to slap her butt with his attack."
Londo then spoke up, "I-I didn't think it would really hurt her! I was just trying to have fun!" He said, trying to excuse himself.
"Yea, maybe next time you should check what you know what your opponent will think of that before you do it."
"I… Didn't want to hurt her…" Londo said, repeating himself fruitlessly.
---
After entering the room, Ryan was quick to notice Londo's unusual state of mind. It was concerning for Ryan to see his reaction to such a simple question. Angry? Sad? Frustrated? Ryan was unsure. That's when Alice stepped in. He spanked Caoihme… As they continued to talk about it, Ryan went deep in thought. That most certainly explained Caoihme's outburst. On the other hand, though: What should he say here? He barely had any social skills, how was he supposed to deal with this? Due to this, he took some moments to talk "Um… To be honest, I agree with Alice. That was not a good thing to do, you should apologize, after all, us students should respect each other. And that was disrespectful… But! You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault she got badly hurt… I think even her spirit said something about it. She's the one that lost control over her power. You didn't cause her all those burns. It's a matter of the haze of battle, and she got lost in it too"
---
Londo raised his arms in an attempt to say something, but in the end just lowered them, "It's not gonna work… She doesn't want to talk to me. She made it clear after the battle… Her spirit seemed to think so too…"
Alice sighed heavily, "Holy shit stop moping. Just fucking go and apologize. Offer to be her servant for a month or some shit. Do something to make her accept it. Just stop moping and get the fuck out. You're ruining my mood." Alice said, grabbing Londo's arm and dragging him towards the door while he tried to persuade her to stop, "W-Wait Alice, maybe we should wait!" Before being thrown out of the room. Once Londo was out, Alice shrugged to Tidrog and Ryan, "Y'all wanna get something to eat? I'm pretty hungry to be honest."
Out in the hall, Londo sighed. Maybe Alice was right. He had to apologize to her. Or do something at the very least. He took a deep breath, walking through the hall towards the gym where he last saw her…
---
T'was a fierce battle indeed, eventually ending in Londo's and Ryan's victory. During the battle, Londo attempted to sexually harass Caoimhe, which caused her to lose it a bit. Multiple people nearly died, but all's well that ends well? Well, except for Londo's chances at love.
Start of the turn: +5 prana (100 > 100) +13 stamina (90 > 100)
Effects:
Mark of Hibiscus
Statistics: Aura: 100 Prana: 100 Stamina: 100
Attributes: STR: B VIT: E WIL: E RES: E SPD: D AGI: D PER: E REC: D
Equipment:Valerius Durability:100 Spirit Cores: N/A Additional Properties: It can draw upon Almeida's prana to replenish its durability (this is a lengthy process and thus can only be done outside of combat). As it was created in a mine, where tools must be harder than that which they collide with, it will take reduced damage when one of Almeida's attacks clashes with another attack or a "reflective" barrier.
Aptitude (Passive)
Stamina Cost for Dodge & Evade & EvasionDodge is reduced by 5.
Stamina Cost for EvasionGuard & Counter & ParryCounter is reduced by 10.
The goblin hopped back after the first strike, but at least that one had been a solid hit. She was starting to doubt her own morals when she realized how good it felt to hurt goblins, but realized that most of that was Valerius' influence. She'd have to try hard to keep her head clear, that much was a given. It's why the chaotic environment didn't help, with Londo calling in an eclipse and the chaos goddess summoning embers from the skies. The goblins getting back-up wasn't ideal either.
Reaction Phase:
Almeida figured that, were she to go after goblin #2, she'd end up having to deal with the rest of them as well. With how the goblin was hanging back, that seemed to be what it was hoping for. Sadly enough for that goblin, Almeida was too strongly under the influence of Valerius' hatred to abstain from chasing it. She lunged forwards and slashed at the goblin in a wide left-to-right horizontal movement, sharp side first, so that any goblin near #2 would likely have to think twice about joining in. [Attack -5 stamina]
Action Phase:
That said, she was still manging to keep her head clear enough to keep a possible counter-attack in mind, so she immediately hopped back a bit to swing Valerius vertically from top right to bottom left at any goblin brave enough to try to close in on her. If none of them were brave enough, she'd go after #2 (#10 if that one's down) again instead and hop back after the second attack. [Attack -5 stamina or Counter + Attack -30 stamina]
Londo deflected the first arrow, which was pretty badass if I do say so myself, but then found himself getting stabbed in the stoman from the goblin. Not to be outdone, Londo attacked it some more.
At least the word game would go on uninterupted, and the sky had a nice hue going on about it as well!
Londo would have liked to stop th goblin from heading towards the cart, not knowing it was just going for a bite to eat. Hopefully, Alice would be able to put a stop to it. At the moment, Londo had to deal with the new threats coming in, as well as the arrows the goblin was attack him with. Fortunately, they were easy to read, and Londo put up his left arm to deal with the one to the head, and his right arm to deal with the one to his stomach. While he did this, he moved towards the goblin, taking care not to get surrounded by the ones who emerged from the gate. Dang. What a bad time to have Ozy apparently go into Aurashock, and Elisa as well. Suilen had left the class for something else, and Lavi was nowhere to be seen. While Londo enjoyed a good fight, he did not enjoy a gank spank.
Meanwhile, Alice noticed the goblin heading towards the food cart, and stood up in case it tried attacking her, but the goblin just ended up eating some ramen. Alice sat down suspiciously, "You're not going to attack us or something?"Alice asked, noting it as weird that a goblin would decide to brave the enemy lines and go to a noodle cart past them.
Action Phase:
Londo was now possibly right on top of the archer goblin, so now he attacked it some more. He started with a feint, acting like he was going for the head, but stopped his fist short, and slammed it downwards onto the goblin's head with his left hand, should it have ducked to avoid it, like it did the first time. If it did not duck, or did not hit, Londo would close in more, and grab its bow with his right hand, raise his right foot, and launch his heel into the goblin's chest, hoping it would let go of the bow. If it did not, he would repeat again, and again, until it counterattacked or let go of the bow.
While this was going on, embers flew right next to Londo, and some even singed him, reminding him of the word game, "Oh right, 'Saber!'" He shouted, hoping a sword would appear in his left hand.
Great. Just great. Not only was Elisa aurashocked, but now apparently Ozy was as well. He did not give the order to fire or anything, and just stood there, non-menacingly...
But then the worst thing that Hibiscus could have asked for happened. The sky turned red, and Hibiscus froze in horror, looking up. The sky was red.
Hibiscus then hid behind the cart, as the goblin made its way onto it, asking for ramen, T-This can't be happening... Right? And although she wasn't her usually panicky self, she felt a panic rising in her body. This had to be something else. Right, the game, maybe Londo said something she wasn't listening to.
Standing up, Hibiscus looked at Alice, "Hey, did Londo say anything in the word game to cause all this?"
Alice lazily ate her soup, looking at the sky, "Embers? No. Eclipse? Yes." But left it at that.
Hibiscus sighed in relief. If she was untransformed, she'd probably be useless for the rest of battle, but her nerves were slightly steeled in transformation, fortunately.
Hibiscus messaged Mislyte on her AMB, telling him:
"Drop down to a lower level, I need you within 10 meters of the ground, I need to try something."
Hopefully he listened, as Hibiscus ran from the noodle cart, teleporting behind Ryan to get to her destination faster, saying, "Keep them busy." Hoping he could distract 5 of them at once. He could totally do it.
Then, Hibiscus picked up an ember coal that had hit the ground, took aim, and threw it at the Goblin going to ransack the store, trying to get its attention.
Mislyte lays low and is unable to comply with teammates at this time.
sneaky sneaky
(Start of Turn: +5 Prana, +10 Stamina)
Reaction Phase:
To avoid getting shot at by archers and bide his time for the right moment once again, Mislyte stays low while the goblins and team move in on each other. Although he got Hibiscus's message, he could nether move lower nor wished to risk climbing down at this time. He would remain quiet to further aid in not drawing any additional attention to himself. standby (+10 stamina)
Action Phase:
Mislyte would try to get a visual of the street to plan his next move while remaining in the shadows cast by the building's edge. He would remain on standby. (+10 stamina)
Upon seeing the projectlie being virtually useless, Kashmir decided to take it up a notch... or two. Upon seeing the portal rippling, he knew more enemies were to come. Their forces were dwindling. Ozymandius and his units froze, and Elisa was nowhere to be seen... Lavi didn't even bother to come. It's an awful situation. With that in mind, Kashmir first adjusted the tripod to use the gun while standing, putting it over the bench as extra support if needed. Based on what he had seen, it would require more effort to put down these monsters, especially their apparent leader... So he decided to make sure to wipe it off with Party at Ereshkigal's. He assumed this would kill for sure that goblin leader. A voice in his head perhaps a corgi made him think that it would be more of a blast... Regardless, it seemed like the best approach.
Start of Turn: +10 Stamina & +5 Prana
Reaction Phase
With his eyes away from the interface to adjust it, Kashmir was able to pick up on the goblin taking aim at him. Given the arrows had to cover some distance before reaching his head, Kashmir hopped slightly to his left, taking care of jumping enough to steer clear off the arrows, but not getting away too much from his situational weapon.
Ryan was surprised, as the goblin he was attacking, skillfully covered from his attack chain. But he remained focused, as the goblin retaliated. Seeing the incoming attack, Ryan did half of an outward crescent kick to block the strike with his armored left leg. Then brought his same leg further upwards for an instant, bringing it down on the incoming stab in an attempt to drive the goblin's weapon to the ground and pin it, or at least, away from him. Ryan would follow up with a roundhouse kick coming from his right, and into the goblin's head, adjusting the height or position accordingly in case it tried to dodge. Ryan's leg would stop right in the middle, right after supposedly hitting and was chambered in an instant, just to be brought straight towards the chest of the monster. Finally, Ryan jumped slightly, taking advantage of the position of his right leg and performed a jumping front kick, going for the chin, as he lowered his right leg down slightly before violently driving it upwards. Taking a few steps back to regain a proper stance after.
Things got aggravating, as more and more goblins arrived. Tough looking ones, and even a shaman of sorts... which started chanting something. It was then that Kashmir noticed the blood moon and the raining embers. Not good, not good at all. Finding itself in no immediate danger, Kashmir prepared to fire the 'party'. Taking proper aim on the shaman's chest, which was easy thanks to the height difference, while also giving the round a chance to act in case it missed, by hitting the ground behind. Although not before warning the group. "Everyone! Stand back!" He gave a chance for Almeida, Londo, and of course, Ryan to do so, before pulling the trigger.
Ryan took a couple more steps back before stopping, the street was flooded with goblins again. Tougher looking ones for that matter, embers falling from the sky and a reddish light decorating everything. It was then that Ryan noticed Hibiscus appear behind him, while she asked for cover. "I'll try my bes-" It was then that Kashmir's warning was heard by Ryan. He'd probably fire the strongest shot of the railgun. Not knowing how much power that entailed. "Look out!" He quickly turned around, and jumped onto Hibiscus lowering her with his arms, and embracing her. Effectively acting as cover for her.
Guard (Ryan), Attack (Kashmir): -5 Stamina & -%35 Ammo/-%40 Energy
At around three hours past midnight, Ryan was likely sleeping in his dorm room, like any other relatively normal Mage being would be doing. However, an almost inaudible scratching sound resounded throughout the room, originating from the door. Not long after, the door silently swept open. "This one looks good." A raspy voice whispered.
"Yes... too good." A lower, almost growling voice replied.
"No, not too much, that won't be good."
"Just for a bit."
"No!" If the previous events hadn't woken Ryan (and/or Tidrog) up by now, that would've done so.
Upon opening his eyes, he'd be greeted by the sight of a blade held very close to his throat.
Following the blade up to the creature it belonged to wouldn't be a pretty sight. In the rare case his vision wasn't entirely focused on that the monstrosity at the side of his bed, he'd soon spot a similar creature standing at the foot-end of his bed, leaning over him.
After his shenanigans from the previous day, Ryan pretty much passed out on his bed at the end of it. It was easy for the intruders to get close to him without notice. That was until one of them screamed, which was somewhat successful at waking Ryan up. His eyes slowly opened "...Wha…?" his hazy sight was welcomed by two strange creatures, and a blade on his neck to boot! Ryan froze briefly, until he came to a convincing conclusion "Oh! A nightmare!" Convinced of that, he shut his eyes tightly and started to repeat in his head "It's a dream, wake up! It's a dream, wake up! It's a dream, wake up!..." hoping to get out of this dream before things got uglier. However, it all felt more real by the second, or more accurately, his drowsiness was fading away.
Tidrog on the other hand, was fully awake from the moment the door opened. He wasn't looking in that direction, though, so he remained still. Once the conversation started though, he turned around. The very sound that woke Ryan, made Tidrog jump out of his bed and onto his feet. Looking very upset, "Care to explain yourselves?" he growled at the individuals.
"He's playing." The creature with the sword said. As the kid pretended to remain asleep, he slowly brought the sword closer to Ryan's neck. He then looked over to the spirit that disrupted their game. "No."
Nefertari
"Wait." The other one interfered. "It'll be trouble." She then turned towards Tidrog and looked at him with hollow eyes, until finally shaking her heard. "You're not there yet."
Ryan heard as the monsters talked some more, and Tidrog talking to them, not in the friendliest of tones. Ryan opened his eyes and looked around. Yes, the monsters were still there, so was the blade near his neck… and so was Tidrog. "This is not a dream..." The second Ryan realized that, his eyes looked away from the monster holding the blade and towards Tidrog, Time Skipping to be standing next to him immediately. Wasting no time, Ryan exclaimed "Transform!" and from the light that encased him, emerged both his transformed self, and Kashmir. "Who a-are you?" As if being invaded in his room and possibly killed afterwards, if he didn't react, was something that was worth courtesies.
"What do you want?" Tidrog bluntly asked, visibly and audibly angrier by the second. While also weighing the possibilities. Escape, alert others, fight these eyesores… He wasn't quite positive on how to act against someone from which he knew nothing about, other than them being remarkably unpleasant to see. Tidrog felt quite tempted to grab the monster that stared at him by what looked like its neck, and shake it for answers, but he'd rather not be the first to actually throw.
If the creature wielding the blade could show any emotions, he'd be showing disappointment at the sight of Ryan 'jumping' up and getting battle-ready. Considering he couldn't, he'd just take a step back. As for whom he was, he pointed his blade at Tidrog to answer Ryan's question. "Like him, but opposite."
Nefertari
Tidrog's question was 'answered' by the other one. "We want nothing, it's not allowed." It probably wasn't difficult to get in some guesses as to what sort of stuff they weren't allowed to be doing.
"A… spirit?" Ryan thought, unsure of the meaning of the somewhat cryptic answer. He wasn't quite convinced on what to do about this, so he remained quiet. Tidrog, on the other hand, "Enough with the vagueness already! Or else!" the spirit threatened, as his voice tone escalated once again. "I'll ask one last time: Who are you, and what the hell do you want from him!?" he barked, prepared to kick these two out, or have them kicked out, or whatever got Ryan away from them the fastest.
The spirit's comprehension of Tidrog's words seemed to be as hollow as her eyes. It was giving new dimensions to the concept of giving a 'blank' stare at someone.
Baethan
The other, on the other hand, seemed only to be getting excited, as the various arms seemed to start taking on some sort of battle-ready position, while the blades were raised towards Tirdog.
Before the situation could escalate even further, however, someone else stormed into the room.
Pythios Prochorus
"Ah, there you two are!" He pointed his finger at them as if berating a child. "I told you you're not allowed to wandering around fantasizing about killing the people in the academy. Apologize immediately!"
Both spirits seemed more annoyed than anything, but eventually settled on turning into their spirit cores. After a sigh, Pythios picked them up. "Sorry about that~ They've been a bit cranky after our target got away yesterday."
Tidrog was nearly out of patience with these two mad creatures. Tidrog's regular faint purple aura started to turn into something similar to purple translucent flames flowing across all of his body, sans the heat, and instead creating some form of pressure in the room. "Tidrog?..." Ryan said, just as ready to battle, but seeing Tidrog like that was a first. Just as things were about to go down. Another intruder barged into Ryan's room. This time, a normal person, most likely another student. He nagged the two spirits, and asked them to apologize. The weird spirits just turned into their core form, which the guy picked up. Seeing them no more, somewhat relaxed Tidrog, having the pressure he created fading away. Nevertheless, he was still angry. "So you're careless enough to let your spirits possibly kill people?" Ryan's curiosity sparked briefly. Which resulted in him asking "How... d-did you even get spirits... like those?... And more importantly, w-why did they want my head?" clearly calmer than Tidrog.
Pythios looked genuinely confused after Tidrog's question. "Kill? He's a mage though, so he's immortal now. Didn't you know that? The reviving thing is pretty neat, it means you can go wild whenever you want~" As for how he got his spirits, he tried to keep up a straight face as he proudly proclaimed; "I won them at the lottery!"
As for Ryan's other question, he looked a bit too excited. "Oh, that's a good one. They never tell me why they want certain people more dead than others, well, I think Nefertari just wants everything dead, regardless of whom or what, but Baethan can be pretty specific about whom he's going after. My current theory is that he prefers going after everyone that has something of a warrior in them."
Tidrog was not amused by this new kid's reckless behavior, death should not be taken so lightly. He was a kid, though, so probably he is new to this and thinks he's at the top of the world. In any other circumstance, Tidrog would've carried on calmly, but his mood was way past ruined, so he just glared angrily at him, arms crossed. Ryan just stared confused while the mage spoke, unsure of how was he so casual in the first place. And both missed the funny part on the lottery joke, so their expressions didn't change.
Ryan, despite being so in danger moments ago, still found place for curiosity, asking the boy "Who are you, a student?... I haven't checked the door, how did your spirits even enter? I locked the door..."
Someone that didn't know who he was~ That was quite rare. He had a reputation, after all. If the guy's spirit wasn't staring daggers at him, Pythios would've used his theatrical introduction. The current audience wouldn't do though, so he kept it relatively normal. "I'm Pythios Prochorus, a mage and a proud member of the Student Council!" He couldn't abstain from making a small theatrical bow after his introduction. "As for the door, one of my spirits seems to have learned how to open them, but they just keep blaming each-other~"
Ryan hadn't bothered in socializing much outside his own class, so popular figures flew right over his head, even… extravagant ones such as Pythios. Nevertheless, as bothered as Ryan was by his spirits, he didn't intend to be rude. So he answered out of habit "Ryan Gamaris" Although rather dryly. Murder was just attempted on him, and at extremely early hours, after all.
After their mutual introduction (Pythios could already see how they'd be great friends), it was time to say goodbye. "Well, I won't be taking up any more of your time, goodbye~" With a cheerful wave, Pythios left the room and headed towards the exit of the dorm building. What he was planning to do by going outside in the dark of night was probably better left unanswered.
An elegant heavy cavalry sabre clattered to the ground near Yune in response to Londo's statement, its blade and decorated hilt glinting in the streetlamp light. Having just finished off her bowl of rice, Yune called out "Refrigerator!", manifesting the large appliance right next to the noodle cart. "Oyaji, some eel~"
"Comin' right up!"
As the proprietor swiftly plopped some eel on the grill, Yune moved over to the refrigerator and pulled out a gallon of milk. She poured herself a glass (in a glass that she just manifested) as she returned to her seat, eagerly awaiting the grilled eel.
Goblins 1-2, 8-10
Goblins 3-4
Goblins 5-6
Goblin 7, 11-12
Goblin 13
Reaction Phase:
Two arrows flew towards Londo, only to be met with his two gauntlets being used as defenses. First the left and then the right stopped the deadly shafts from striking home, though his gauntlets were a bit worse for the wear as a result.
(Londo's Right Gauntlet: -10 Durability)
(Londo's Left Gauntlet: -10 Durability)
Londo took advantage of Goblin #5's momentary hesitation between attacks to close in the rest of the distance. A punch went towards its head, and like before, #5 ducked down to avoid it. However, it found itself being bonked on the head all the same, as Londo slammed his fist downwards. Yet for some reason, Londo didn't choose to follow up with any further attacks.
(Goblin #5: -13 Aura)
Goblin #2 also found itself ducking down to avoid an attack, though this one was from Almeida's bloodthirsty Spirit. #2 tried to then scuttle in closer, as it had planned, but found itself reacting a little too late to Almeida's follow-up swing. The blade bit deep into goblin flesh, slicing through bone and sinew, and generally making a bit of a mess as it cleaved its way through the poor creature's body.
(Goblin #2: -30 Aura)
(Goblin #2 has perished)
Kashmir was evidently quite confident in his handling of the railgun; he didn't feel the need to look at the interface while adjusting settings on said interface. He also decided to try and hop to the side from a kneeling position, a difficult feat even at the best of times, even moreso when trying to keep your eyes away from an interface one is adjusting. In the end, Kashmir's awkward escape attempt was a bit too slow to escape the first arrow, though the second one flew past harmlessly. Given that there actually was some pain involved with receiving the arrow, it was a fair bet that these arrows had been enchanted at some point or other, else they wouldn't have even scratched his Aura.
(Kashmir: -10 Aura)
Goblin #6 continued to scan the rooftops, but could not seem to identify any targets up there. It wouldn't let down its guard, but if its target was hiding, there wasn't much to be done for the moment.
Goblin #3 closed in on Ryan, sword slashing across at his body. Ryan kicked upward and out with his leg, intending to intercept the slash. Except, there was one problem. Perhaps it was just due to the heat of the moment, but Ryan kicked outward with his left leg when he should have used his right. His foot connected with naught but air as the sword cut into his stomach. Because of that, his foot was also not properly positioned to defend as intended against the following stab, though he did land a solid roundhouse that sent the Goblin reeling away in pain. Another kick came forth as Ryan went airborne, but #3 nimbly dropped down and rolled to its right, escaping the potentially fatal foot.
Hibiscus popped herself over to Ryan with a teleportation spell, picked up an ember that had fallen, and lobbed it towards Goblin #4, who was busy looting a shop. The ember bounced off the goblin's back, causing it to turn around in surprise for a moment. Then, seeing that there was nobody nearby and nobody waving their arms around or otherwise trying to attract attention, Goblin #4 went right on back to looting. Beautiful jewelry was ripe for the pillaging, and no self-respecting goblin would pass such a treasure trove up. For good measure though, #4 moved farther into the shop.
Having returned to his weapon after his evasive maneuver, Kashmir called out a warning, shouting for all to stand back.
Upon hearing Kashmir shout out something, Goblins #11 and #12 turned their attention towards Kashmir. They saw him taking aim at #13, and #11 immediately barked some sort of order in its Goblin language. Hearing said order, all the Goblins that weren't otherwise occupied began to form up. #s 7, 11, and 12 (the shield-bearers) took positions in the front, quickly setting their shields in place with the grace of veteran warriors. Goblins 6, 8, 9, and 10 moved behind their sturdier brethren, adding another layer of protection for #13 in the form of meat shields. #13 took shelter (read: cowered) behind its comrades, pausing its dance for a bit.
The other remaining Goblins had other things to worry about than a potential threat to their leader: namely, the fact that they'd probably be pulverized if they tried to run from the enemy right before them.
Goblin #5 began to scoot backwards again to escape from Londo, seeing an opportunity in his hesitation. Another arrow was pulled forth, nocked, and aimed. This arrow flew straight and true towards Londo's heart.
Goblin #3 scrambled back to its feet after rolling away. It raised its blade up to ward off any attacks from Ryan, though it didn't try to attack just yet. Better to wait and let the foe make a mistake, especially when allies were otherwise occupied.
Goblin #1 was, quite frankly, having the best food of its gobby life, feasting as it was on the bowl of shio ramen set before it. The goblin made sure to reach into a pouch on its waist and pull out a few coins of assorted size and shininess. One of the humans tried speaking to it, but who in their right mind would pause eating fantastic ramen just to speak to a dumb human?
The sound of the railgun being fired resounded through the street as its projectile flew forth, streaking towards the goblins in their defensive formation. Steel met shield, and the world dissolved in an overwhelming burst of light, forcing all to avert their eyes for a moment as blinding brilliance combined with fiery wind surged outward. Almost as abruptly as it had appeared, the light suddenly switched to pure, pitch-black darkness, swallowing up all the light that dared brave its depths.
When the devastation subsided, Goblins #3 and #5 were not to be seen anywhere amidst the ravaged street. The shield-toting goblins had definitely taken the brunt of the blast, as both they and their shields were looking considerably worse for wear. The rest of the goblins had fared significantly better, having been protected by their comrades. Indeed, #13 scarcely seemed to have been inconvenienced at all.
(Goblins #3 & #5 have perished)
Action Phase:
Having endured the powerful strike, the goblin force began to consider its next plan of attack. Well, actually, there wasn't much to consider. #13 called upon its magical powers, producing a ripple of green energy that flowed through all the goblins nearby, replenishing their Aura. The rest of the goblins settled for remaining in their formation for now, in case there was another strike on the way. Besides, they had their own big guns on the way.
Gate and Area Updates
Embers continued to fall from the sky, adding to the chaos of the scene under the crimson moon. The Gate's rippling continued as it spewed out further goblins: two more archers, two more shield-bearers, and another shaman.
Goblins 14-15
Goblin 16-17
Goblin 18
But there was one more figure that came out of the Gate after the other goblins. One that looked very different.
???
"Ahh, my beloved Uruk. How long has it been since I breathed in the sweet city air? Well, its been ninety-seven years, ten months, five days, and about fifteen hours, to be precise. So good to be home." The young woman curtsied in the direction of the Mages. "How do you do, little children? I expect you might be wanting this back." One of the goblins handed her a small sphere, which she then lobbed over in Almeida's direction. "I'd teach him to refrain from suicide charges in the future. Now, kindly step aside so that you do not meet the same fate."
Londo had been planning a counterattack for the goblin, but his mind blanked out on what he was going to do...
(Actions (1 attack): -0 Prana, -5 Stamina)
(Aura: -0 Aura)
(Start of Turn: +3 Aura, +5 Prana, +13 Stamina)
Reaction & Action Phase:
The goblin backed up, and started to fire an arrow towards Londo. Londo himself backed up as well, and moved his body to the left in an attempt to dodge the arrow, using the space given to give himself time to dodge.
He was going to go in for another attempt to attack, but then the railgun fired, incinerating the goblin before him. Londo shrugged, and turned to attack other goblins, but more appeared through the portal, along with a girl, who seemed to be their leader, "'Raygun!'" Saying his word in advance.
Alice, who had finished her ramen long ago, got up from the stand and walked towards Londo and stood behind him, "I assume you're the leader?... What's your goal?" She asked.
Hibiscus was going to try and get the attention of the goblin more, but Ryan grappeled her, causing the goblin to apparently miss them. Just in time, the railgun fired, and a grand total of 2 goblins were destroyed.
Immediately after, Hibiscus shoved Ryan away, but sighed and said, "Thanks, but I didn't need to be protected. He could have just waited to fire." But that was probably on Hibiscus for not moving.
Unfortuanately, just as many goblins that they destroyed reappeared through the portal, and Londo's spirit asked what their leader was even doing here. Obviously trying to destroy the city.
But with all that, Hibiscus's breath quickened, a red moon, a mysterious figure. This was all starting to become very bad. She didn't get too freaked out, but the sheer amount of coincidences that were happening were just too much.
Start of the turn: +5 prana (100 > 100) +13 stamina (90 > 100)
Effects:
Mark of Hibiscus
Statistics: Aura: 100 Prana: 100 Stamina: 100
Attributes: STR: B VIT: E WIL: E RES: E SPD: D AGI: D PER: E REC: D
Equipment:Valerius Durability:100 Spirit Cores: N/A Additional Properties: It can draw upon Almeida's prana to replenish its durability (this is a lengthy process and thus can only be done outside of combat). As it was created in a mine, where tools must be harder than that which they collide with, it will take reduced damage when one of Almeida's attacks clashes with another attack or a "reflective" barrier.
Aptitude (Passive)
Stamina Cost for Dodge & Evade & EvasionDodge is reduced by 5.
Stamina Cost for EvasionGuard & Counter & ParryCounter is reduced by 10.
Slicing through the goblin really shouldn't have felt as good as it did. If she wasn't careful, she'd allow Valerius to turn her into some sort of goblin slayer at this rate. The warning shout from Kashmir alerted her, but the burst of light from the impact still made her blink her eyes a few times. The creature appearing after the goblins made her blink an extra time. With over a dozen goblins around, this new 'girl' wasn't a welcome addition to their foes roster.
Reaction Phase:
Considering Almeida had yet to notice that Rainer died after running through the portal, and that she hadn't seen Soul Cores often enough to recognize one from afar, she decided to stay out of the 'projectile's' trajectory. As for the threats of this creature, it could be the adrenaline coursing through her veins from dealing with goblins, or the non-threatening appearance, but Almeida wasn't quite bothered by them. Quite the opposite. "Right back at you. Explain your purpose here and lower your weapons, or kindly step back to wherever it is you came from." She hadn't even noticed she ended up effectively repeating Alice. [Standby +10 stamina]
Action Phase:
With the goblins being in the kind of formation they were, attacking them would be near-suicide. While something (Valerius) made her want to try to smash straight through their barrier-formation for all the force she could muster, something else (her own ability to reason) told her that'd not be the best plan for now. Instead, she retreated a bit (towards the bench top right), so that the goblin that had somehow managed to sneak past her to get to the food cart wouldn't be able to back-stab her later on. [Move]
Mislyte lays low while observing the situation and waiting to for an opportune moment.
suppose we can watch the talks go and buy some additional time to recuperate losses.
(Start of Turn: +5 Prana, +10 Stamina)
Reaction Phase:
Noting the situation on the ground, Miernu would continue laying low and biding his time. standby (+10 stamina)
Action Phase:
Mislyte would try to keep a visual of the street and listen in on the talks below to plan his next move while remaining in the shadows cast by the building's edge. He would remain on standby. (+10 stamina)
Though Almeida had been given a warning from Kashmir, she didn't actually make any attempt to back away or protect herself from the blast that ripped forth. Similarly, Londo backed up a bit, but not nearly far enough to escape from the massive burst of power. Hibiscus found herself being shielded by Ryan's body, and thus found herself far less hurt than any of Ryan, Almeida, or Londo. And though the victims had no way of telling how the experience had been for the others, judging by appearance, it seemed that those who were closer to the source had suffered more than those farther away.
Yune had to give some thought to Londo's next word. After a few seconds, a toy raygun from the popular series Stellar Journey appeared, complete with orange safety tip. Perhaps Yune had never seen a real raygun, or perhaps there was no suitable real raygun around for her to pick up. "Needle." There was the slightest glimmer of silver as a needle manifested on the cart beside her.
"One order of grilled lamprey eel, little miss."
"Thanks, Oyaji." Yune took her chopsticks and began to eat from the plate set before her, taking a swig of milk every now and then as well.
???
Upon seeing Almeida actively avoid the soul of her deceased classmate, the woman couldn't resist commenting: "Ouch. Poor kid must have a rough school life if his comrades won't even try collecting him."
Evidently, the average intelligence of humans had decreased since last this woman had interacted with them, as two of them asked essentially the same, stupid question. "By any chance, are you all idiots? I came here with a bunch of goblins in the middle of the night. What do you think we're here for? Its not like someone invited us over for tea and crumpets."
The woman swept her gaze over the area as she spoke and Almeida shifted her position, taking in the scene and the people involved. She lingered on Hibiscus for a few moments, attention caught by having seen Hibiscus push away her protector. Some sort of realization must've dawned upon the woman, as she called out "Aha! I knew I recognized you! I must thank you; without your help, I'd have found it quite difficult to escape from that prison. Your involvement in the release of myself and my mistress is greatly appreciated."
Goblins 1, 8-10
Goblins 4
Goblins 6, 14-15
Goblin 7, 11-12, 16-17
Goblin 13, 18
Reaction & Action Phases:
While the assorted goblins had no particular issues with dying in combat, the boss wanted to talk, so they decided to let her talk. The two shamans took the opportunity to continue casting spells on their comrades, though it was rather hard for the Mages to identify what sort of spells were being used (beyond presumably beneficial ones).
Goblin #6 made its way closer to the boss, quietly passing along a message to her. She nodded her head in response, and then proceeded to scan the nearby rooftops with a slight, sly smile on her face.
Gate and Area Updates
With embers falling from the sky like hail, it was only a matter of time before one found its way to the gunpowder that had spilt from the barrel earlier. Another explosion rocked the night, though this one was both smaller and less blatantly magical. Amidst the flames, the three riflemen and three submachinegunners Ozymandius had summoned disappeared; even non-magical explosions weren't good for summons with only 1 Aura. In addition, the proximity and force of the blast sent the fire truck skidding backwards across the ground, its front end slightly hoisted up by the powder that had fallen underneath its front.
As it turned out, seeing from Ryan's reaction of hurt, plus everyone else on her COMB getting show down quite a bit in their aura levels, Hibiscus DID need to be protected. Luckily Ryan was smart and knew the basic rule of combat: Protect the healer.
Hibiscus's attention was caught by the girl from the portal calling to her, thanking her. Hibiscus froze, "Wha?!-" Before attempting to regain her composure, "I-I see. The shadow set both of you free. The prophecy... It was refering to you... But-" Hibiscus said, glaring at Londo, "Did Londo saying Eclipse release you? I recall there saying something about a blood moon. Was it supposed to set you free? Or does it actually mean nothing? Tell me!" Hibiscus yelled at her, practically demanding answers.
It was very fortunate that her transformation prevented her from completely breaking down, other Hibiscus would have been useless for the rest of the battle. As it was, Hibiscus was panicking quite badly as it was. This whole invasion wasn't her fault, was it? People weren't dying because of her, right? But even as Hibiscus tried to remain calm, her breathing quickened, and she poked her knife into her arm to try and take her mind off of it.
Londo hadn't backed out in time it seemed. That railgun was a looot bigger than he thought it'd be. Fortunately, they had an awesome healer on the task to heal all their wounds!
Except... They didn't.... She seemed to be hesitating to heal all of their wounds, and instead opted to stand there, stabbing herself, but not healing....
Then she pointed out Londo's mistake with saying Eclipse. Londo didn't know what that had to do with anything. Unless Hibiscus gained power from the blood moon overhead. Although, Hibiscus didn't seem concerned with that, "Errrr. Wait, what did I do?..." While Alice asked, "What the hell does she have anything to do with this? Again, who are you, and what do you want? I know you're here to destroy the city, smartass, I meant why. And why the hell couldn't you have done it in the middle of the day, when we were awake? Actually, don't answer that, just tell us why the hell you're attacking the city."
Start of the turn: +5 prana (100 > 100) +13 stamina (100 > 100)
Effects:
Mark of Hibiscus
Statistics: Aura: 60 Prana: 100 Stamina: 100
Attributes: STR: B VIT: E WIL: E RES: E SPD: D AGI: D PER: E REC: D
Equipment:Valerius Durability:100 Spirit Cores: N/A Additional Properties: It can draw upon Almeida's prana to replenish its durability (this is a lengthy process and thus can only be done outside of combat). As it was created in a mine, where tools must be harder than that which they collide with, it will take reduced damage when one of Almeida's attacks clashes with another attack or a "reflective" barrier.
Aptitude (Passive)
Stamina Cost for Dodge & Evade & EvasionDodge is reduced by 5.
Stamina Cost for EvasionGuard & Counter & ParryCounter is reduced by 10.
Unable to realize that she was supposed to retroactively dodge or guard against the blast caused by the railgun, she instead took all of it in to its fullest. It was only after the odd creature spoke up that Almeida figured she had thrown a soul core earlier.
Reaction Phase:
The creature's words wore annoying, and being already on the verge of going berserk thanks to her spirit raging about the goblins being all-around, Almeida snapped. She didn't intend to let their opponent start a third sentence (the one where she blames Hibiscus), as Almeida sprinted at her to try and slash her the moment she confirmed that they weren't getting any information out of this enemy (around the words 'invited us for...'). Considering the large amount of goblins hanging around, she'd quickly move past Londo to move in on the girl from the north. She'd try a wide, horizontal slash with Valerius' sharp side from (her) right to left, to avoid #16 and #18 to quickly jump in the way. [Attack -5 stamina]
Action Phase: "Try to stop their shamans!" Getting in closer had allowed her to see that the shamans were doing all sorts of stuff that was likely to cause problems. Hopefully, whatever ranged support (Railgun and Mislyte) they had left would be able to at least distract them... If not, Almeida was soon going to be gobbled up by a load of enhanced goblins. On that note, she immediately swung Valerius back from left to right before backing up a bit. Any goblin trying to jump at her would hopefully be knocked away before getting to her. [Attack -5 stamina or Counter + Attack -30 stamina]
Mislyte supports the team by offering 2 ranged attacks to split the goblin attention.
kinda a bummer that such an offensively focused technique doesn't kill goblins outright. Is there a slime monster or somethign lower on the totem pole?
(Start of Turn: +5 Prana, +10 Stamina)
Reaction Phase:
An opportunity had come, what little of it there was. While explosions, blasts, and combat reignited the street below, Mislyte took the opportunity to backup his classmates. Their conversation lost him early, but he was more focused on charging his sword with the help of split anyway. "Void Cut!" "...VoI..dC...uT..."
(- 10 prana, -20stamina)
A sweep of the blade resulted in another wave of energy with the consistency and coloring of a black hole sweeping through the ember filled night. HIs attack would target 14 as the most visible and closest target. He already knew his void cuts did not quite have enough impact though.
Action Phase:
Hopefully before the goblins could regroup from getting attacked from multiple directions, Mislyte would charge his blade with his prana once again. Mixing with Split's contributions, the prana made the blade take on an ethereal quality as he swept it through the air for a 2nd time.
The last attack would track wherever target 14 moved to after the first attack before releasing so it might finish him off before he got too far or gained sufficient cover. Mislyte knew he had painted a target on his back and immediately squatted down to gain as much cover as possible from the goblins that would likely take note of his presence.
Ryan did good on covering Hibiscus. As the powerful light covered the street Ryan started to feel the scitching pain on his back, only to be replaced by a brutal cold that felt like he was going to be dragged to the underworld. The few seconds this lasted felt eternal, but thankfully, it disappeared eventually. As Hibiscus shoved him, he almost fell backwards. Too shocked to answer, Ryan just looked at her with a face that matched what his body had gone through.
Start of Turn: +10 Stamina & +5 Prana
Reaction and Action Phase
A discussion ensued with the unknown assailant, seeking purpose for all the chaos being caused or something. Ryan just took his time to recover from that, quite literally, near death experience. He slowly stood up and took a stance in front of Hibiscus, taking a few steps back to not get in range of whatever the hell Midori managed to do with that ammunition. Hoping to keep Hibiscus back too.
Kashmir changed his location slightly, now aiming from on top of the bench while standing without the tripod, not aiming yet. However, upon hearing Almeida's call, Kashmir yelled back "Not with you so close to them!" after noticing he hurt more his allies with his last shot. He considered taking them on individually, but there were too many of them, he would be overrun by them for sure. Killing them all in one fell swoop was the most sound strategy in his head... whenever that could be possible.
Ryan, and subsequently, Kashmir, weren't the talking type, especially in situations like this. So they left the talking to others... And of course, Tidrog liked to leave things to Ryan, so he also remained quiet in his core.
(Start of Turn: +5 
