Fantasy As the World Burns

[jmann]

GAMMARIAH| Astellian Flank
Juju

A cruel grin crossed Gammariah's face. The white mage's fear was close to tangible. That was his purpose as Leading Light and he fulfilled it with conviction and honour. The Astellian Dynasty had spread nothing but fear and lies and he would make them see that, one way or another.

A healed mage had deflected his spear from the safety of the masses. Oh how he hated when magi grouped together. A magi shield wall was near unbreakable and leagues beyond his ability to counter. He would come for them later. He turned back to the white mage who, as if he were born yesterday, had asked his name. Gammariah had no desire to give the mage information about him, her doubt was a tool perhaps as potent as fear.
The white mage's insistence on announcing her spells was the same arrogance as any Astellian mage. With the second and a half of warning, he threw out his right hand and put all his concentration into the Mark of Containment, releasing the captured barrier directly in front of himself just in time as the mage's barrier exploded outwards. Gammariah's own barrier was weaker by far and shattered under the pressure, knocking Gammariah back and off-balance, but he fared better than he would have with no barrier at all.
It was then the wolf spoke. Not the man alongside it, no, the wolf itself had asked of his allegiances. He allowed himself a moment as he regained his posture to give a short bow to the wolf. For most of his life he had heard whispers of talking beasts, but this was his first time seeing one with his own eyes. Gammariah would always fight for the wilds. They were the enemy of the Astellians just as much as he was.

Gammariah spun back onto his feet and darted forward at the chains quickly wrapping around the wolf and grasped onto it. The chain shook in his grip. The movement made it hard to absorb, and after a moment of nothing he was forced to resign, rather vaulting over the chain and leaping towards the white mage. With one hand he grabbed for the staff, with his left he grabbed the mage's offhand holding the chain, attempting to pry open their fingers.
When Gammariah spoke, it came out hoarse and soft, as he had not spoken in a long time.
"I think you already know. And you also know how this will end for you."

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

The Astellian Flank
Juju jmann November Witch​

'The Goddess...' It made sense. He could take on any form of His choosing. And in this world, it seemed He took on the form of a Goddess. As Doi meditated, her mind cleared of the chaos and bloodshed. The surroundings became but a blur. She focused and focused. Doi called and hailed Her. And, in a moment of passing clarity, she heard Her voice. Doi smiled. "She has spoken with me." Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at the dirt around her. She picked one flower up, taking in its simple beauty. Aaron noticed her, utter disbelief washing over him. "This is Her way of telling me there is life to be saved."

And as Her voice willed, another arrived. It was a woman with beastly ears and a tail—not an unusual sight in her original world. But she had a feeling this one was different from the ones she knew of. Doi rose at Autumn's voiced intent, smiling gently at her. She stepped out of the circle of flowers, away from the incoming fight, intent to join her.

"Where are you going?" Aaron called out. His gaze followed her steps, then landing on the Beastfolk ahead. His gaze shifted into one of disdain. "Get away from that thing!" Aaron rushed forward, grabbing Doi by her arm and yanking her back. He stepped forth, sword raised at Autumn.

Doi slowly turned to him. He couldn't help but notice the sudden frown on her. "What are you doing...?"

"I should be asking you that! The Beastfolk are with our enemies!"

Doi shook her head disappointedly. "Would your enemies claim neutrality and wish to heal the wounded?"

"She's lying! I bet she wants our dead comrades to—"

"Aaron." Doi ran a hand over his sword-wielding arm, moving in front of him as if she were floating. "These people have never done wrong to you. Why are you fighting?"

"T-To..."

"Why are you here?"

He bit his lip.

"Because the people at the top forced you to." Doi tapped his arm. Aaron lowered his blade. "They don't care about you or your friends. They don't care if you make it back to your parents." Aaron's head sunk from a cold sweat. His folks' jolly faces came to mind. "They brainwashed you and so many others into being their slaves."

Anger flashed over him, glancing up at Doi to defend himself.

She beat him to it, though. "But you are smarter and better than anyone else I have ever met." Just like that, his icy stance melted. "I know you don't want to have this fight. You want what everybody else wants: to return home happily. That's why I saved you. And that is what will get you home."

Hands shaking, Aaron put away his sword. He ran a hand through his red hair, turning away so she wouldn't see his face.

"Don't feel bad, Aaron. Everybody wants to defend what they think is right, and it's never their fault." Her tone lost its gentle touch for one singular moment. "Our real enemies are the people in powerful forcing this war on us... they're the ones that must be ridden."

Doi walked ahead of the mage. "Excuse me!" she called out. "I wish to help!" She hurried (or tried to) after Autumn, inwardly cursing her sickly body.

The anemia was enough to allow Aaron to catch up, grabbing her arm yet again. When they met eyes this time, however, his were full of determination. "I'll keep you safe while you work," he said flatly.

Doi tilted her head. "Do your duties not lie with her?" She looked at the mage with Gammariah.

He let out a breath. "Ensuring the safety of my comrades is my duty. And I have a feeling you'd need it more than her."

Doi smiled. "Thank you, Aaron." With that, the two continued on, although with a faster pace thanks to the fitter mage joining them.

Autumn would find the white-haired girl and the mage surrounding her. "She foretold your arrival. Let us save the lives of these innocent souls, forced to partake in warefare they do not truly want." Doi grabbed the wounded person by his legs, allowing them to move faster. Aaron stood beside them, keeping a close eye on the nearby battling.

 

[Juju]

A cyclone of water can be seen rising up from the center of the lake, stretching up to the heavens. Thick, puffy clouds begin to form from the spout, spreading slowly outwards across the sky. Without the moon or stars, the darkness of night deepens. A heavy rain begins to fall around [TEMPLE GATES] and [LAKE]. A light drizzle begins in [RUINS]. The clouds expand slowly out towards the other areas but have not affected them yet.

• Ruins
• Frontlines
• Flank
• Lake
• gates

• 
  
  
  seasonedcat​
  Flub and Zareth’s arcane blasts had caused the three-headed wolf to stumble momentarily. The ice had wounded one of its heads, but instead of whining or shrinking, the beast bristled and snarled. Arcane energy flared across its back and seethed out of its fangs. All three of its mouths opened, unleashing a beam of violet energy towards the defenders. Some of the wolves in the way were also evaporated, but this didn't seem to give the brutish leader any pause.
  
  Black flames rushed towards it, the wyvern unleashing a torrent of flames of its own. The clash of the two powers created an explosion, shattering the nearby walls of the ruins. A pillar crumbled and fell, crashing near Zareth and VVitch.
  
  Unfortunately, the explosion had also shifted the debris on the wyvern’s wing. It screeched in pain, cutting its breath-attack short. In the end the Three-headed monster’s magic overpowered the black flame, blasting the dragon.
  
  Ser Taenirah had managed to avoid the blast by conjuring a shield of flame, but her wyvern took the brunt of it. Its head and wing had been damaged from the magic, and one of its horns had broken. It rose its head, roaring at the Three-Headed beast that pounced upon it, tearing at its neck.
  
  The wyvernknight sprung to the aid of her companion, slashing at the beast’s side. One of the heads whipped around to face the new attacker and snapped. She avoided the fangs, the teeth clacking together on air, but when the creature opened its maw again, it was to unleash a smaller blast of arcane. The knight held it at bay with her sword, its blade splitting the beam in two, but the force of it sent her flying into a nearby wall. With a clatter of steel, the knight fell to the ground, her sword on the ground near her. Winded, the knight struggled to get up.
  
  Meanwhile the wyvern desperately tried to free itself from its attacker who was tearing into it with three sets of teeth. Two had pinned its neck down, while the other struggled to hold its wings away. Due to the rubble that pinned it down, the wyvern was at too odd of an angle to do much. Still, it lashed out with its hind claws, ripping into the beast’s underside. Still, despite this wound it continued to grip the wyvern’s neck and refused to let go.
  
  One of its heads had been damaged by Zareth's previous attack, while an open wound bled on the side facing the fallen knight. Her sword had managed to cut into the beast's thick hide and magical essence seeped out from its wound like blood. The explosion had also displaced some of the rocks holding the wyvern down, as well as cracking the base of a few pillars nearby. Another good strike could probably cause them to fall down, though a bit of precision would be needed to ensure they didn't fall on allies.
  
  While the wyvern was attacked by their leader, the smaller wolves continued to swarm Flub. Bit by bit, they tore away chunks of the slime's body, reducing his size. In retaliation, Flub was able to unleash another blast of arcane energy, but it was smaller than the previous one. Whatever power he had absorbed had run out, and the unusual crystals that had appeared over his body soon vanished back to the smooth purple of his basic form.
  
• 
  
  
  YsFanatic Solirus​
  The calvary charge seemed to have made a dent in the Astellian forces, but for the time being they held on. This was largely thanks to the charge leader, the Bull, being held up. Despite the immense size difference between she and the Bull, the swordswoman held her ground firmly against the charging beast. She had singlehandedly managed to keep it from charging into the Astellian forces behind her, but at the cost of staying immobile. This was to the advantage of Sarah, who made an attack from behind.
  
  Sarah’s strike was dampened by the thick grey cloak that flowed around the commander’s back and legs, but thanks to Sarah’s experience, it managed to cut through the fabric. The fabric’s movements had slightly obscured Sarah’s aim, but she successfully cut into the woman’s lower leg. It hadn't severed the tendon she had aimed for, but would serve to slow her movements nonetheless.
  
  The commander flinched, but kept her composure steady. Instead of falling to the charred earth, the blood from the wound defied gravity itself to float in globules towards the sword in her left hand. The ruby gemstone inlaid into the hilt flashed brightly, the blood dissipating into its core.
  
  “Greedy bastard…” the commander snarled, though it did not seem to be directed towards either Sarah or the Bull.
  
  The sword that had absorbed the blood was now wreathed in red magic, similar to what Sarah had negated earlier. With an enormous crack, two of the bull’s horns (the two on its right side) were cleaved in half by the blade. The other blade positioned on the bull's opposite side made a wide swipe for its neck, but the Bull managed to shove itself to the side and keep out of range. The blade then left the commander's hand, carried by an invisible force to continue the assault on the Bull.
  
  “Hmph, one has the gall to call us demons, and yet one’s soul lies betwixt dark chains.” The Bull snorted, parrying a strike from the possessed sword with its remaining horns.
  
  "Keep your nose out of family business, cow." retorted the commander.
  
  The commander took the blood-absorbing sword and swung it backwards, twisting in a vicious swipe to face Sarah. The sword she held was larger than the others, and yet she swung it quicker than she should have any right to. Red, semi-transparent magic had crept up the commander's arm, giving it a silhouette that was different from her own. The magical outline was larger than hers and had fingers tipped in sharp nails.
  
  Prepared for a counter attack, Sarah managed to dodge out of the way of the commander’s greatsword. Despite the clear activation of some sort of magic upon her weapons, Sarah's magic did not detect any buff within the opposing woman. She didn't seem to have mana of her own, though mana clearly flowed through her, split neatly into four separate streams.
  
  "I can't say I'd wear a chemise into battle," the commander said to Sarah with a small and surprisingly playful smirk, "But its best not to underestimate an old girl, eh?"
  
  With the sound of a crisp bell, the sword that Sarah had attacked with her mana negation had appeared in the woman’s empty hand. She flung it towards the warrior, the blade gathering up energy for yet another blast.
  

  ---

  
  While Sarah attacked the commander, Rodal resumed his assault. He had managed to avoid the unsavory consequence of one of his weapons and had found himself a cavalry mount. The beast galloped towards the commander, its hooves swift. He would be upon the commander within seconds, yet something barred his way.
  
  “Worthless? WORTHLESS? You’re just a thrall! A stupid sack of blood!” Rodal heard the voice return in his mind, screeching like nails on glass. “You think that pathetic weapon is enough to kill ME? I’ll bleed you and let the worms eat the clotted mess!”
  
  The red silhouette returned in his vision, this time beside the sword stuck in the ground. It grasped the hilt and the sword changed. It split in several horizontal slices along the blade, held together by a thread of twisting red within its core.
  
  Rodal felt something tighten in his veins, sending pain across his body that grew ever stronger as he approached the sword and the ghostly figure wielding it. The figure lashed out with the whip blade in a flurry of strikes aimed at Rodal and his steed both. While the figure seemed to be just as intangible as it was in his previous struggle, the weapon was not. The whip-blade was lined in wicked edges, serrated with the cruel intent of avoiding a clean kill. It was designed to do as much damage as possible, drawing blood and mangling flesh.
  
• 
  
  
  jmann AriAriAbabwa November Witch Astrylan​
  Autumn's words fell deaf on so many ears. In the rage of battle there were few who spared so much as a glance her way. Bolts of arcane magic flew over her head even as she spoke, responding in kind with arrows from the other direction. The screams continued, pain and suffering unstemmed.
  
  The closest battle was between a man with a dagger and staff fighting a silver unicorn. The latter of which perked up its ears and said, "Good gracious, yet another whimsy-sick maiden? If mere-"
  
  As the unicorn was distracted for little more than a moment, the man managed to land a hit on the beast's hind leg. Blood like mercury stained the creature's pale fur.
  
  "The audacity!" Scoffed the unicorn, its horn shrouded once again in light. It blasted the man's face in a powerful burst of light that sent him reeling backwards into a few of his wolves.
  
  The unicorn lashed out with its horn, shanking the man in his side. With a snort, the unicorn prepared to finish off the kill, but had its attention drawn away. Its friend was in a fatal struggle, and so it galloped away, leaving the wounded man and his wolves to their fate. Hearing the unicorn retreat, the wolf man cursed and clutched at his bleeding side.
  
  

  ---

  
  The Great Wolf's golden eyes studied Gammariah, gaze sharp enough to see through him and whatever words he spoke. Perhaps wisely, he chose not to say anything and instead acted.
  
  Gammariah grabbed the chain with ease, the difference in strength quite obvious between them. Her hands were unscathed and soft, the sort belonging to scholars and magi. He could feel them tremble.
  
  "Impossible!" The mage muttered, her eyes wide and frightful. "Astell have mercy."
  
  She let go of the chain, instead using both her hands to tug onto her staff. Her teeth clenched together in effort, her strength unable to do anything against Gammariah's own. The staff seemed to resist being stolen from its master, glowing hot with enough light to sear Gammariah’s flesh for as long as he held onto it. Even after its master had let go, it burned fiercely with powerful magic. If he could resist the harmful magic for long enough, he would be capable of overpowering her entirely.
  
  With the chains slackened, the Great Wolf shook them from itself and rushed forward aside Gammariah. It slashed at her, tearing a grievous wound into her arm. She cried in pain, releasing her staff to cling onto her mauled arm. The wolf’s great maw lunged for the mage’s head, but a desperate barrier managed to deflect the fangs just enough for the elf to dodge away.
  
  “Protect the lady!” a mage cried out, releasing a bolt of arcane fire at the wolf. A few more followed suit, some aimed at Gammariah. The white wolf growled, buffeted by the blast, but it only seemed to anger it with light burns.
  
  The magi that the woman had healed were now well enough to fight anew, launching a refreshed assault on Gammariah and the wolves. Even still, their attacks seemed to be more reserved. Perhaps what had healed their bodies did little to restock their mana reserves.
  
  "Rip these sheep to bits…" the wolf snarled. It stood beside Gammariah, looming over the mage with hungry eyes. Spectral wolves rushed on either side of them, pouncing on the freshly healed mages.
  
  “Brothers and sisters, fall back!” the white mage shouted, motioning with her one good arm. White arcane sigils stretched out behind her, summoning an unnatural gust laced in ghostly feathers. The magi closest to the wolves were born backwards on a warm wind, their steps blessed with magical grace.
  
  All who retreated backwards were granted usual speed, including Autumn, Doi, Aaron and any of the wounded they tried to assist in moving. With their combined efforts, the three of them managed to bring a few soldiers behind Astellian lines and out of the spectral wolves’ reach, though those who could not be carried away were mercilessly mauled and mangled by the lupine foes.
  
  Despite being a healer, the white magi ignored her own wounds in favour of maintaining her spell on her nearby troops. To cover their retreat, her magi troops continued to fling offensive spells towards the wolves and their allies.
  
  By trampling over a few of the wolves, the unicorn caught up with the white mage, its flank stained in silver blood while red dripped from its horn. It glanced at Gammariah and the staff.
  
  “My lady, you must away.” It said, pausing long enough for the mage to hop on its back. Grimacing in pain, she hauled herself up. Red blood fell down the unicorn's side. If reunited with her steed, the magi would likely be capable of outpacing Gammariah, and perhaps the wolves. Wind traced around the unicorn, summoned forth by its glowing horn.
  
• 
  
  
  ThatWhichShouldBe​
  Dark silence stretched on forever below Han. Even so, he swam deeper to grab ahold of the orb, the light beaming out from the spaces between his fingers. He felt its warmth as he pressed it into the cold hands of Toko, the features of her expressionless face lit by the orb’s soft radiance. The strange intentions he felt from the orb had quieted, satiated, though he could sense that somehow it was still there, considering his request.
  
  It was not often that one of divine origin gathered themself into a prayer, and even rarer still that such an individual truly had need of otherworldly aid. He called to the vestiges of his power earnestly, begging its embers to ignite one last flame.
  
  Only silence answered. The light from the orb faded.
  
  Han’s scream turned into bubbles of air, the sound warped and stifled by the heartless cold of the lake. Water rushed in to replace his breath. At sunset, even the sun could be consumed by the watery tides below the horizon.
  
  His mind began to flicker and fail him, yet he heard a sound ring from in the depths below. It was the same melody he had heard from the orb, only this time clear. There were no words, and yet he could hear a voice singing in an unusual timbre.
  
  The orb flashed, wreathed in blinding light.
  
  The water around Han and Toko shifted and swirled, tugged by powerful currents that raged around in a circular motion. Blissfully, the water they floated in was untouched and calm, the eye of the storm. Something enormous had stirred in the depths of the lake, body unseen and yet felt in the motion of the entire lake. It was as if the water itself had been given life, and that Han and Toko were within its beating heart.
  
  The haunting melody grew louder as something drifted upwards from below the whirlpool. They lightly placed a hand upon Han’s chest and he felt himself able to breathe again, the dredges of suffocation cleared away in but an instant. When his vision returned he could see that in front of him was a stranger’s face framed in watery hair. She had large, pupilless eyes and tips of fangs teased the edges of her lips. A long, serpentine tail flowed in the water around them, gently coiled around Han and his unconscious friend.
  
  In her arms she cradled Toko, the light of the orb seeming to reflect through her as if she were as transparent as water. The bloody cloud around Toko had vanished, and Han could see her wounds seal up, leaving only torn cloth from where the Knight had attempted to take her life. Miraculously, Toko’s chest began to rise and fall. Just like Han, she seemed capable of breathing the water. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet, but it seemed she was alive once more.
  
  The serpentine creature reached down tautoo place a claw-tipped hand over the orb and Han’s hand. He felt himself unable to move as energy surged through his flesh and bones.
  
  Visions swam in Han’s mind.
  
  《 Red clouds at sunset. Blood dripping from pale feathers. Ash falling like rain. A dying’s wolf’s last breath. Darkness stretching on forever. White-hot pain shot through every inch of his being, tugging and biting, chipping him away piece by piece. Cold steel around his neck and speared through his chest. A wild madness that was not his own. Then sorrow and tears.》
  
  He could feel an immense struggle place upon his soul, one that did not belong to him. He stood vigil. He was a prisoner. Twin sides of the same coin, both torture.
  
  Just as quickly as the visions came to him, they faded. He was back in the water, the strange figure regarding him curiously with their inhuman eyes. If he had any questions, now would be his chance. Judging by how the creature's tail released both Han and Toko, it was apparent that the creature might not linger here for much longer.
  
  Above them all, the waters of the lake swirled upwards in a vortex. Below, large shadows shifted from the bed of the lake, rising up in the dark distance.
  
• 
  
  blankcanvas​
  "Move not a muscle, elfborn, or else I shall smite thee down where thee stands."
  
  Rena heard the voice nearby, but if she swiveled her head around to look she could not see anyone nearby. Looking down, she would notice that the source was a small creature with some sort of painted mask for a face.
  
  The thing stood just in front of her feet, feet wide in what was assumed to be a threatening stance. It was no bigger than a small dog and had a lucious mane of fluffy fur around its collar. It looked incredibly soft.
  
  A heavy rain began to fall, yet non of the raindrops seemed to bother the creature's luxurious fur. It was as if they were repelled mere millimeters from contact.
  
  "Little elfkin, answer mine questions and thy mercy may yet be granted..." the creature continued, puffing up its tail in a curl upon its back. "Praytell, art thou a child of stars? Or art thou springith of root and stem?"
  
  
  
  
  

 

[Juju]

VVitch & Flub

seasonedcat​

VVitch glanced at Zareth, her eyes sparkling with slight amusement.

“Ohh, I see now…” VVitch said seriously, “Sorry, I must have been mistaken! You’re right, that spell needs serious experience to create. Wow, I’m so glad to have a powerful mage to protect me! Oh, do you mind if I act as your side-kick for just a little? Please? It'll be fun~!”

VVitch dropped the ball of slime she had been bouncing on her palm and kicked it into an approaching wolf. The wolf exploded but instead of dissipating, the energy that composed its body was absorbed into the slime, causing it to change color much like Flub had. VVitch rushed up to the slime and grabbed it, the rubbery sludge expanding around her hands like two large boxing gloves.

She slammed a fist against another wolf, consuming it too. Raw arcane energy surged through the transparent slime, something that drew VVitch’s attention in the middle of combat.

“Huh… this is some weird stuff.” VVitch said, examining her slime-hands with curiosity. “It’s a bit different from what I'm used to back home. It kinda looks like your magic, doesn’t it? Come on, watch this!”

The arcane energy stored in her hand was unleashed in a blast, decimating a group of shadow-wolves that had approached she and Zareth. “Not bad, huh? Hehe, nothing like that cool spell you made though. Hey, do you think you could teach me that trick later? Pretty please?”

Her hands were bare now, clasped together in an exaggerated begging gesture. The slime gloves must have been used up in her previous attack.

In the middle of her pleading and explosion buffeted her, drawing her back into a serious expression. Her eyes sharpened as she watched the wyvern and chimeric monster blast each other with their respective breath attacks. As dazzling of a display it was, VVitch was quick to notice the destruction it unleashed in the area around them. Of note was a pillar that fell in her direction.

“Look out!” she cried, pointing to the falling pillar.

Without asking for permission, or really caring about Zareth’s pride, she scooped him up bridal-style and hopped forward, sending them both narrowly out of harm’s way. The pillar crumbled behind them, shaking the ground. She completely ignored the mage's flailing, holding him tightly so that he wouldn't fall.

When they were both relatively safe, VVitch placed Zareth down, her eyes focused on the wyvern and beast. “Oh, no… this isn’t good. We've got to get that doggy off of the dragon! Let's do it together! I'll follow your lead, ok? I'll get Flubby for our combo attack! Ready, set, GO!”

VVitch sprinted off towards Flub, hopping jovially over debris and threading between wolves. Just as she had promised, she kept a keen eye on Zareth and the Three-Headed Wolf, waiting for her moment to join in.

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

HAN LIUYANG - THE KING OF THE RISING SUN - TEMPLE LAKE

Light fades. His embers dim - And through it all, Han Liuyang smiles. Ah, well. His second run had been brief. But he didn't regret a thing. Not a single- The water shifts, swirls, churning around the pair. The orb flashes. Ha. Han grins, a fresh light entering his eyes. Took long enough. The melody winds through the water, and the lake moves like a living thing. It's an ethereal wonder that rises from the lake, placing a hand on Han's chest so that breath could enter his lungs. White hair framing a fanged mouth, a lady of the deep waters having answered Han's call. Han looks into her eyes as Toko's wounds close, her chest beginning to rise and fall. And the King, the King really just couldn't help himself.

The King of the Rising Sun winks flirtatiously with his trademark audacity at the Lady of the Lake, a rakish grin across his face. Then the visions begin to hit.

His soul struggles in its chains, bindings of memories that were not his raking through his mind. But Han eventually breaks free, roused to clarity, and he realizes that his savior would not be here for long. The reason why was fairly evident, as Han flicks his eyes down, seeing the dark shadows rising from the lakebed.

... That wasn't anything good, was it. Fire above, darkness below. Han's grin grows a bit, as he turns that thought over in his mind like a shining coin.

Eh, he'd had worse odds.

He looks to the Lady of the Lake, taking Toko and her orb into his arms, a grin on his face.

"Thank you for saving us. I am Han Liuyang, King of the Rising Sun, and I am in your debt. What is your name, and why did you show me that vision? For now, I have to escape with this girl- But in another time, I'll come looking for you, to repay you for what you've done today.

It was wonderful to make a lovely lady's acquaintance- May we meet again in a less perilous time."

 

[YsFanatic]

There is no response from Sarah to the woman's comments, the older woman's attention focused solely on the battle at hand. Especially since there was yet another sword flying her way and at this range her options were rather limited and the earlier comments between the commander and bull-creature hinted at intelligence in at least some of the blades. Only Sarah's excellent economy of motion let her move her head and upper body out of the way, and only decades of experience let her time it so that she could bring her energy covered sword up so that it scraped against the flying blade, trying to shove it just a bit to disrupt its flight. After all she didn't want it deciding to spin mid-flight and catch her that way as it flew by.

The ploy worked, but Sarah knew that she had maybe a moment to deal with the energy wave it would release when it hit the ground. Spinning in place and dropping to a crouch, the swordswoman raised her left arm, reflexively trying to summon her shield, the shield she had long ago passed along to her daughter. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized her mistake, but the elderly woman felt her mana in response to her will, gathering in her forearm, and with a little push a somewhat translucent, blue mass of mana sprung into being and took the shape of a heater shield attached to her arm. When the energy wave hit, it demolished the shield and its impact against Sarah flung the gray-haired woman back past the enemy commander until she landed not far from the bull-like creature.

There was no noise of pain, nor did her body language betray anything, as she stood up, but every bit of Sarah's body was protesting what had just happened and there were scrapes and lacerations all over the place. The spellsword was becoming all too aware that while she could have tanked hits like that without any problems when she was younger and had all of her gear, getting hit again like that in her current state could very well put her out of commission. But that wasn't going to stop her from fighting, it just meant that a change in tactics was in order. Instead of going after the commander directly Sarah instead dashed towards the sword harrying the Bull and attempted to hit it out of the air with her short sword, hopefully giving the beast a chance to attack.

Juju Solirus

 

[Solirus]

Rodal
Location: Frontlines
Nearby: YsFanatic Juju
With help from: Juju ​

Problems never faded away easily and this one held on like a desperate leech. His words had struck a nerve at the thing as it began materializing itself back into the blade. Should have kept his mouth shut or not? Pondering this, Rodal felt a great spike of pain course his body, has if his blood had been replaced by vile acid and soon after the figure grabbed the blade and extended it into a whip swinging it and threatening to strike him and his steed alike.

The pain was awful, his body protested against functioning, his wound felt like it was opening up further and his grip on the reins began to loosen. He felt heavy as his breath started quickening and yet in that singular moment he was smiling, hells he was bloody smiling behind that mask charging towards the enemy like a madman. A sick joy started overshadowing the pain, this wasn't adrenaline but he couldn't care less as Rodal giggled to himself.

Rodal? Leva asked concerned, falling silent soon after.

Extending both hands outwards, small vortexes of ice and fire materialized on his hands extending upwards and revealing Brimstone and Blizzard the two large cleavers. Rodal swung Brimstone with his right arm, catching the whip blade and entangling it around the burning blade. With the thrill propelling him, Rodal pushed himself off the steed, guiding the steed to safety while launching himself towards the demon who responded by pulling on his blade. Rodal didn't resist the pull and let himself fall, now close to the demon, the pain was almost unbearable. Pulling himself back up, laughing louder as he got on his feet, dual cleavers still on hand.

"Hey dont enjoy this! Im supposed to be the one enjoying this!?" the demon spoke, Rodal couldn't tell what expression they made but it hardly mattered.

"Do you feel pain?" Rodal questioned looking at the blade still wrapped around Brimstone then back at the demon. "It's an awful thing and yet... I am feeling some twisted joy in all of this." Rodal giggled to himself, his body shivering from the pain hex of the demon, his grip of Blizzard faultering.

The demon seemed to take his words as a challenge and amplified the pain to a greater extent. Rodal finally dropped Blizzard to the ground, freezing it's surroundings. "I believe I know why now" Rodal struggled to get the words out, "You've lost and you can't understand that." Brimstone is a blade of unquenchable fire and whether magical or not anything it made contact with would eventually melt and having stalled for long enough, the whip blade had begun to melt. With a clean swing, Rodal tore off half of the whip blade, leaving molten metal on the ground near him.

"Is that it?" Rodal questioned raising Brimstone and pointing it directly at the demon, "Show me more damn it!" Rodal demanded, eyes glimmering of thrill and anticipation.

 

[November Witch]

Autumn Ichor

Status: Weary, scared, determined, uninjured.

It was only for a mere second that Autumn stood by and waited for an answer. Before Doi could convince her comrade and before the Unicorn finished speaking, she began to move. Autumn was by no means strong. She wouldn’t be able to pick anyone up, but she could start dragging people away. She marched over to a soldier who seemed to be robbed instead of armored. Likely a mage. She put her arms under his shoulders, and began to drag him in the direction of what seemed to be his allies.

Iron and smoke was all that Autumn could smell. Her ears twitched, and flattened slightly in an attempt to block out noise. Fireballs, magic blasts, the roars of animals and screams of the dying. It was all a little too much for her sensitive ears. She grit her teeth in an attempt to stay calm and move faster. But thankfully the girl from before joined her, picking up the soldiers feet so they could retreat faster. Even in all the chaos, she had never experienced anything quite like this before. It was horrible. She hated it. She wanted to curl up and hide. Autumn closed her eyes.

A breath in.

A breath out.

She focused on the quick pace of her heart and the darkness she saw behind her eyelids. She steadied and grounded herself. She was calm. Collected. Focused. Autumn opened her eyes again. The smells, sounds and vision of war came rushing back in. Her eyes were only closed for a moment, but it felt like minutes of peace to the fox. Enough to settle her soul.

"She foretold your arrival. Let us save the lives of these innocent souls, forced to partake in warfare they do not truly want."

Autumn looked at the person talking, just across the body from her. She would give a determined nod in agreement. The fox had no idea who foretold her arrival, but she didn’t dwell on it too long. She opened her mouth to respond before one particular shriek filled the air. The mage in white had her staff rapped from her grasp and was torn at by the beastly wolf. This gave her pause, and stopped mid-step. Though, only for a fraction of a second. That staff, while it could be used to harm, was the reason so many were alive. This mage had been protecting people. So as much as she hated picking sides, just this once, she had to get directly involved.

“Forgive me, but you two will need to take him on your own.”

Autumn told them, referring to the soldier they had been transporting. She needed to help the mage somehow. But by the time she set the soldier down and stepped away, she seemed to be safely galloping away on her unicorn. Her eyes flickered to the staff, held by a very scary and powerful looking man. Autumn knew she wouldn’t be able to wrestle the staff away from him, let alone approach him with the intent to fight. That just made her blood run cold thinking about how that would go.

Thankfully, the staff was simply chucked some distance away by the man as it seemed to hurt him. Her eyes set on the staff, Autumn ran to it. Towards the wolves and the enemies. However, just like before, her speed and agility proved to be too much for any biped to keep up with her. The wolves were so ravenous, and fixated on her, that they often ran into one another or tripped over items on the ground as they chased her.

This quick brown fox may not have been jumping over any lazy dogs, but ravenous wolves still fit the quota in her opinion. However, when she made it to the staff, she was going to have to turn around and face the few wolves running after her. This set in and her feet dug into the ground and she put a hand down to grab the staff. Like a batter slowing himself down at 1st base. She slid some, grabbed the staff, and locked eyes with the man who had originally thrown it to the wayside.

She felt her blood run cold. With wolves closing in on her, and this man at least acknowledging her presence, Autumn felt trapped. The fox focused on her heart, which was now pounding in her ears. She used that rhythmic beat to anchor her once more.

A breath in.

A breath out…

She stopped and waited. Her eyes on the men and the giant wolf in case they made any attempts at her. Her ears swiveled to the incoming wolves. Three of them. Once close enough, Autumn used the staff to swipe their legs out from under them, causing them to stumble and slide past her. At this point she started her sprint back towards the retreating forces. She was certainly catching up. Her speed was something to behold. This fox was acutely aware of her speed and how much faster she was compared to most others. Especially without lugging armor or equipment around. But she was also aware she couldn't outrun everything. Autumn just hoped nothing was catching up to her. She held the staff out in front of her, using the blue gem within as a mirror to make sure nothing was gaining on her, and to adjust accordingly if someone, or something was…

___
Juju AriAriAbabwa jmann

 

[Astrylan]

Aryia
​

"I've got plenty of arrows left but..." Aryia was still being hesitant with her shots, afraid to hit the wolves. While she was beginning to finally understand a certain pattern to their attacks, one mistimed shot could injure one of the spectral wolves, easily causing them to turn on her. She had yet to realize these wolves were more intelligent than normal wolves, and wouldn't immediately turn on her for one or two stray arrows.

"Damn these demons are tenacious." Suddenly an arrow slammed into the neck of the soldier that just talked. Aryia was indeed slowly catching on to the wolves attack patterns. The leader of the small group of soldiers was realizing this as well. However, as much as he wanted to dispatch a few men to circle around to her, he knew better than to break their current formation; as arrogant as he acted, he was still able to rise in ranks and lead his own small unit.
In fact, he was thinking of retreating, they were at a disadvantage. If he didn't have to pay attention to the arrows flying their way with increasing accuracy and amounts, he'd have gone with a completely different strategy and easily wiped these wolves out... Well, he'd have plenty of casualties, so he'd probably be scolded later for taking that risk, but he wasn't one to care about that. "Retreat! We can't afford to fight here any longer than this."

"They're retreating?" Aryia had slowly been shooting more often, and with greater accuracy as she learned more and more of the wolves patterns. "They're leader must be more competent than he seems. Guess there is a reason he was chosen to sneak around the flanks." Aryia lowered her bow as the wolves chased after the soldiers. Aryia sat down in the grass to take a breather and take things in again. She wasn't worried about the wolves attacking her, or even being wary of her anymore, as she'd essentially made her choice in that fight. Wolves were intelligent animals even on her own world, and she was beginning to suspect these spectral ones were even more so. Maybe not at the level of being able to understand time, or vague concepts, but certainly smart enough to already realize Aryia wasn't an immediate threat. They still weren't completely trusting her though, as was evident in the fact that two of them had stayed behind to watch her.

Aryia, after getting her thoughts together and letting her arms rest for a few seconds, decided to move. The wolves glanced at her when she stood up, and got up themselves. After a brief stop to survey the battlefield, Aryia relaxed herself and started moving towards it. The wolves followed her, apparently wanting to keep an eye on a still unknown variable.

 

[blankcanvas]

Temple Gate​

Rena perched herself back against the giant rubble and let out an exasperated sigh. She had barely managed to move a few paces from her original spot when an overwhelming sense of tiredness overcame her body. There were so many uncertainties and questions that she wanted answers for, however, her mind was currently a jumbled mess.

Rather than linger on the unknown, perhaps the best course of action would be to assess her current situation. The girl took a deep breath and slowly moved both of her arms, then clenched-and-unclenched her hands into a fist. Afterward, she gave the rest of her body a quick examination, making a mental note of the difference from their previous one.

The sky became more somber and gloomy. Who would have ever thought that something as colorless and formless as water could make clouds become so dark?

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Rena closed her eyes and crossed her arms around her chest. Judging from the sudden shift of the overhead skies, and the damp scent that waffled the atmosphere, it was certainly going to rain. A small frown tugged at the corner of her lips as she had nothing to help her clothes from getting wet.

Suddenly feeling lethargic and discombobulated, the blue-haired female plopped herself down onto the ground and numbly stared off into the dull horizon. This was probably her brain trying to compartmentalize the final stages of death. Now that she thought about it, there was no way that she had somehow magically been transported away from the execution and onto an alternative area along with a different body.

Still, it was nice while it lasted…or at least they were initially resigned to think when they felt the unmistakable cold splatter of the heavy torrential rain.

Letting out a small sigh, Rena opened her lips and allowed the droplets of water to slip down into her throat. The taste of water wasn’t something that could just be conjured up by the mind - absolutely impossible. Her thoughts were further muddled as confusion piled up inside her mind once again. At this point, she had no idea what to think of this bizarre situation.

"Move not a muscle, elfborn, or else I shall smite thee down where thee stands."

Initially, she ignored the voice as she thought it was born from that of her delusions, along with the fact that she still had too much on her plate. However, when her head drooped down towards the floor, her eyes landed on a white-furred, multi-faceted creature. With everything that had transpired thus far, her mind was anything but normal at that particular moment.

“...cute,” Rena managed to mumble under her breath as she swiveled her head from side-to-side, looking for the individual that had just spoken. When she didn’t see a single entity around, she blinked a few times before returning her attention to the beast. It stood majestically in the rain, with its snow-white fur untouched by the glistening rain, with it appearing as though it was intently peering into her soul. Tilting her head to the side, she bit the corner of her lower right lip and took a few shallow breaths.

"Little elfkin, answer mine questions and thy mercy may yet be granted...Praytell, art thou a child of stars? Or art thou springith of root and stem?""

Rena felt her breath hitch as she knew that the voice came from the same outlandish beast that was proudly standing before her. Seeing as nobody else was around the vicinity, she was able to deduce two things from that dialogue. The first was that this beast was a sentient being with a degree of intellect. The other was that she was an elf.

The confused elf shook her head in response as she had no idea how to answer the posed question. Looking up at the grey skies, she let out a small sigh of relief before attempting to get back on her feet. What was she doing? Where was she going? Nothing mattered to her at the moment except taking a step forward.

With shaky legs, Rena propped herself back up, before she felt herself crashing down onto the ground. Letting out a small groan, she tried to lift herself back up, but everything in her body screamed at her to stay down and allow darkness to consume her once again.

Juju

 

[jmann]

GAMMARIAH | Astellian Flank
Juju November Witch

Time slowed for Gammariah. His attention pinged between many points. He afforded only a single heartbeat’s focus to the searing pain as he pulled on the staff, the moment she released the staff he did the same, launching it a few meters from their position, but that was enough. His hand began to blister immediately, any longer and he would have seared the flesh. That was a fear for another time. His second heartbeat was a glance at the forming thunderclouds expanding rapidly across the sky. If he could push them into the rain and muck their magi training would not be equipped for rough weather. A thought for another time.
By the third heartbeat he was back on the mage, slashed by the wolf who had joined Gammariah in the fray.

A volley of spells came from his side, one bounced harmlessly off his Mark of Deflection, it was enough to alert him to turn his center of mass to the impact. He was not quick enough for the second one, which hit his leg, burning away part of his trousers above the knee and ripping white fire across his skin. He wanted to yell. He wouldn’t afford them the satisfaction.
“Better to hunt the shepherd,” Gammariah replied to the wolf with a grin, locking eyes with the white mage again.
With that the unicorn had caught up and was beginning to carry the white mage away. Gammariah made to follow, but checked back in time to see a vulpine woman take up the staff and stare at him. He hesitated, eyes locked. The wolves chased her, it was clear she was no friend.
“Pray I do not find you again.”

With that he spun back to face the mage climbing aboard the unicorn. Gammariah ducked down to grab the dropped spear from earlier. Through the pain of the blisters on his hands he launched the spear, aiming for the white mage. Another step and he had leapt up to grab onto the wolf’s adornments.
“Grant me your speed, Elder, we will catch them yet.”

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

NATALIE WELLES
​

They tore through the facility like demons, letting nothing stand in their way. Each new hallway, each ruined doorway, Natalie let a blast down every one of them. The bigger beasts couldn't fit down here, so there was nothing before them that could stand against a round or two from the Cannibal. Naturally she led the charge, the bulk of her armor nearly taking up the width of the hallway, her weapon pointed forward. The other squad members cleared each room they passed, took what they needed, checked their routes. All the while, Natalie pressed on. A single blinking light sat at the heart of the holographic map in her HUD, and with all the momentum of a freight train, she made her way towards it. Unstoppable.

The enemies between here and there were barely worth considering, a single blast able to make mincemeat of their bodies. Mutants, beasts, former cultists; all put down by a blast of the shotgun. The real defenses had been outside, with titanic beasts and eldritch fortifications, bristling with laser fire. But down here - little at all. It was almost strange, in its own way. Even as they barged into the antechamber, a single slug from the Cannibal all-but-vaporizing the psychic mutant assigned to guard the doors.

Then, the Captain pressed her comms and sent out a call for further information from Command. Natalie barely listened, as she ever did, just keeping her eyes on the door. The thinking, the big work, that was for the others. The Scientist or the Gifted One. They were the ones handling objectives. Natalie just crushed the enemies in their way. So, far as she was concerned, her role was already done.

Footsteps down the hall they had just came from caught Natalie's attention, and as they reached the point where they were about ready to turn the corner, Natalie pulled out her Growler and lobbed a Fragmentation grenade right into them. The explosion mulched whatever squad of cultists had been about to give them trouble, just in time for Natalie to start paying attention again to the dialogue.

Captain was stressed out, saying 'we can't do it.' That caught Natalie's attention. The Captain didn't turn down from anything. Or from sending Natalie to do anything. They were arguing, over who should pursue the objective, the tear, the chasm, the whatever. The big fuck-up that startled this whole apocalypse. They'd brought a device with them, something in a large, gleaming titanium sphere. They'd been told to treat it with caution, but weren't informed to its nature until now. Natalie wasn't surprised though. Of course it was a bomb.

A bomb meant to fix the world. The exacts of the conversation didn't matter. Who felt they could sacrifice themselves didn't matter. The Medic was in tears, arguing with the Scientist, the Sniper was arguing with Command through the Captain's comms. It was a suicide mission. They hadn't been told until now - when they couldn't turn around. It wasn't surprising. It made sense that it could only ever end this way.

So, as the others argued, Natalie got up. In there, with the bomb and the split and all that - it was the end. With heavy, thudding feet she made her way over, and grabbed the orb. It was lighter than she expected, even with her strength. She tucked it between her arm and her torso, clutching the bomb against herself. The Device, Command kept calling it, which only earned them more yelling from the Sniper. Natalie smiled, slightly, beneath the helmet. They weren't bad people, her squadmates. She just wished she had known them better.

They only noticed Natalie leaving the room with the Device by the time she had reached those big double doors. A call for Natalie to stop was met with nothing, as she opened them up, and shut them behind her. "You're a hero, Natalie! Remember that, in there! Think about all the lives you've saved!" Command called, fading out of ear shot as the doors closed one final time. Screaming, banging on the door, all manner of noise over comms. Natalie just turned them off. It wasn't a noble sacrifice. If she was honest with herself, it was the most selfish thing she had ever done. She wondered on into the laboratory where the end of the world had begun.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A voice asked. A man stood there in the center of the room, his white lab coat reflecting a rainbow of colors. Natalie approached him, each foot step heavy on the floor, making the equipment on the tables rattle. The stranger beheld a tear in the open air, a gash torn through reality itself. And through that gaping wound, color. Light, sound, smell. All her senses assaulted at once, by what she could only describe as everything. Through the gash, the wound in space, she felt everything. Everything there ever was, and everything that ever would be. Pain, wonder, joy, sorrow. She tensed in her suit, teeth grit so tight together she felt she was about to bite through her own jaw.

"Everything. Eternity, in a moment. Everything my colleagues and I have worked on, achieved," he said, gesturing to the tear. "I could look at it forever, I think." Natalie thought she recognized the voice for a moment. The kind of voice that sometimes appeared before missions, though different. Perhaps she'd heard it in a file somewhere, from some briefing before a mission. It didn't matter to her.

"I think - whatever this causes, whatever this does, this is worth it," the Scientist continued. "My colleagues may have fled - but I understand this moment. What his means. For - for everything. Science, religion, philosophy, arts, music - everything! This changes it all. What could humanity do with access to eternity?" The man continued to ramble, as Natalie returned to her senses, powering through the sensational overload. She raised her left arm, every muscle in her body alight with agony.

The scientist turned around, a smile on his face. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, finding himself face to face with Natalie's Mauler. She squeezed her finger back, and a singular twelve gauge slug punched a hole through the man's skull, splattering his brains across the wall behind him.

Natalie didn't say anything. There were no words to say. She stepped forward, over the corpse of the man responsible for ending the world - someone she didn't even know, the Device in hand. She held it out, pressed the buttons Command said to press, and set it down on the table, right next to the tear. Like an offering before some fel God, Natalie set the bomb down. She eyed it, watched the numbers count down on its little black screen. The soldier moved over to a wall and sat down, her back slumped against it. She felt so tired. And so Natalie closed her eye, sat there against the wall. She could hear the Device whirring ahead, whatever science-magic bullshit that made it work coming to life, some great growling, screaming beast inside the titanium shell she had carried. The temperature in the room spiked.

Extreme Heat Warning!

High Gravity Warning!

Low Pressure Warning!

Extreme Cold Warning!

High Pressure Warning!

The computers in her helm screamed, dozens of warnings, one after another. The machine voice kept screeching in her ears, the hull of her armor beginning to groan under the pressure in the room. She shut it all out, easing herself where she sat. It was over. She'd done her part. At last, Natalie could rest.

The timer on the Device hit zero, and in an instant, it was all gone. Natalie didn't think of anything at all.



A Moment Later

Freefall.

Natalie opened her eye again. She was still alive. Still alive, and plummeting from thousands of feet up in the air, wreathed in blinding light. Her HUD was impossible to read in the light, so any answers as to where she was would be useless. Instead, the soldier only tilted her head downward. Plummeting towards the ground like a mortar shell, a clearing in the forest, ruins, two oceans of moving shapes. Something large, something winged. The beast spread its wings, and mid-flap, she tore through them. It was as if she was the round fired from some great cannon, and in but a fraction of a second her massive, armored frame had punched a hole through the beast's wing. There was no time to see what became of it - or any time for her to process what it was or what had happened before she slammed, feet, first, into the ground.

Impact. For a moment, everything flashed white, a shot of pain arcing through her entire body. The halo of strange light that had clung to her burst out, a powerful blast that left a crater twenty-feet wide that threw up the soil and tore a hole in the earth. Yet, it left her unharmed.

The impact had forced her to her knees, and with a grunt, Natalie stood, the servos in her armor whirring as the goliath suit of steel and titanium rose to its feet. She cast her eye downward, to the Cannibal where her arms gripped it, to the Mauler on her wrist. The Visor-Mounted HUD old her that the Growler hung at its holster, her boosters still juiced up and ready. Natalie was alive, and armed. With a flick of the eyes, her navigational software was pulled up. Yet, instead of a digital map, Natalie was presented with simple text.

[ERROR LOADING GEOLOCATIONAL DATA]

She was alive.

It didn't matter where she was. It was a battle. Natalie rose from the crater, each heavy footfall crushing a small crater of its own into the ground, over a ton of reinforced steel stomping into the earth. Only a few strides took her to the rim of the crater, standing level now with the field. The battlefield. All about her, struggling over various landmarks across the field, two armies clashed. Both of them fantastical in different ways. An army of men under a blue banner, marching in even ranks and carrying medieval weaponry. And on the other, men and beasts, charging out of the forests. Blood and fire, the war-cries of the living and the shrieks of the dying. The reek of the dead. What she could only imagine to be magic soared across the field, and up above she could see one more winged beast, a dragon she realized now, come to land near some large structure in the distance. She had found herself another war. Natalie thudded an armored fist to her chest, the thud resonating through her armor. Her HUD lit up with her vitals. All good. She had died, and now was alive again, in a battle she didn't recognize.

She was alive. Perhaps, this was hell.

Natalie took inventory, calling up her internal computers to display her current status and supplies.

BI-Y02 COMPUTATIONAL SYSTEMS
Diagnostics and Inventory

Computer Systems: Functional
Servos: Functional
Motors: Functional
Hull: Secure
Internal Life Support: Functional
Stabilizer Arms: Functional

Reactor Fuel Status: 100%
Estimated Remaining Operational Time: 7 Days, 12 Hours
Backup Battery One
Status: 100%
Estimated Operational Time: 24 Hours
Backup Battery Two
Status: 100%
Estimated Operational Time: 24 Hours

Mobility Jets: Functional
Fuel Tanks: 100%
10 Uses Remaining

BNR Industries PVSW C-6 "Cannibal" Heavy Shotgun: Functional
Ammunition Remaining
Scatter Shot: 8
Slugs: 4
High Explosive Anti-Tank Shells: 2
Incendiary Scatter: 0
Tactical Nuclear: 0

Argelaux PDW W-2 "Mauler" Wrist-Wrapped Defense Shotgun: Functional
Ammunition Remaining
Scatter Shot: 16
Slugs: 16
Incendiary Scatter: 0
Explosive Slug: 0

Argelaux CCW GR-7 "Growler" Grenade Launcher: Functional
Ammunition Remaining
High-Explosive Grenades: 1 Drum (6 Shells)
Smoke Grenades: 1 Drum (6 Shells)
Fragmentation Grenades: 0
Toxin Grenades: 0
Tear Gas Grenades: 0
LEMPB Grenades: 0
Net-Rounds: 0

BNR Industries PAPD-9 Combat Knife: Functional



Natalie turned her attention back to the outside then, the readout vanishing from her vision. Before her, a beast of some kind, a creature that looked to be made of glass, standing on all fours. A glowing orb stood in place of its head, framed by antlers that looked almost to be made of starlight. It was surrounded by humans, all cheering, weapons thrust in the air. Something about slaying dragons. She doubted the beast she'd struck was dead. But this thing was about to be. Natalie raised her left arm, the Mauler on her wrist levelled immediately at the beast. Wherever she was now, there were still beasts, and they still needed killing. The humans stopped cheering, and the beast lowered its head, antlers aimed towards her.

Just before she could fire however, a projectile glanced off the back of her armor. Natalie turned, slamming her left foot down to the side, turning around, repositioning her feet as she raised the Mauler. A young elven soldier, though she didn't know what an elf even was. He held a bow in his hands, and even now was reaching for another arrow. Just as his fingertips brushed against the fletching, Natalie squeezed her pointer finger back against the trigger built into her gauntlet. A blast of scattershot took him and the soldier behind him off their feet as if they'd been struck, their torsos mangled by the burst of depleted uranium pellets.

15 Scatter Shot, she corrected.

Another charged her, lightly armored, spear. She was back in combat, and back in the mind of it. Nothing else mattered. Natalie advanced towards her new foe, making no effort to avoid him. The spear was thrust forward, and its steel tip collided with the front of her armor and stopped dead. It didn't penetrate, of course. With a massive titanium hand, Natalie reached out, and grabbed the man's head. Heavy fingers took places about his skull, gripped tight into flesh, crushing the nose beneath her palm. The spear dropped and the foe raised their hands as if to stop her. Natalie closed her hand into a fist, and blood sprayed out from between her fingers, the skull collapsing, pulverized with a loud crack. The foe went limp and Natalie dropped the corpse, stepping over it.

Natalie lowered her left arm, trudging towards her first two kills. Their uniforms were illegible to her, but they clearly belonged to the side of the blue banner. She glanced into the miniature digital screens in her helm, checking the cameras on the back of her armor. The beast, and its human allies, had retreated. She moved forward, over the corpses of her foes. Ahead, lie the center of the battle. The core of each army fought there, and even from a distance, she could see a large beast in close combat with a woman, an officer of some kind, flanked by flying blades. The blue-bannered men had forced her hand by loosing that arrow. As long as the beasts didn't make the same mistake, she had found her place in this battle.

So, there was only one thing to do. Move towards the enemy center, and break through it. The Officer was a priority target, and once she was dead, the others would not stand.


A Few More Moments Later

It didn't take her long to arrive. The forces of the beasts and the men beside them parted, allowing them through. Whether by respect for downing the winged beast, or by fear for what she was, it didn't matter. She kept her eye forward, set on the clash in front of her. Although they stood at the center of battle, the beast and the officer were alone, the battle-lines forming a sort of circle around them. Within this circle fought two others, an older woman in little more than bathrobes, and a male struggling with red light.

The woman was skimmed by the blast of some magical attack, and the male seemed to overcome whatever thing stood against him, cleaving its weapon in two, screaming taunts at it. Allies, of a sort. Natalie continued forward, heavy footfalls announcing her arrival as she raised the Mauler. The double-barreled shotgun still had one shell in, another buckshot - but she figured a slug would do better. A few slight motions in her fingers - and the mechanisms in her arm worked, slotting a slug into the freshly-fired barrel. Two arrows bounced harmlessly off her armor and Natalie didn't bother to pay their senders any mind, instead continuing her slow, oppressive advance. Without a doubt, the Officer would see her coming, but distracted by the beast she wrestled with and her two other foes, she'd be stretched thin to make a move against Natalie. Regardless, Natalie was ready, eye following the blades in the air.


Solirus Juju YsFanatic

 

[seasonedcat]

Zareth | The Ruins
Zareth let out a 'hmph' of satisfaction at the acceptance of his skill, crossing his arms as he did, "A sidekick? Not like under any normal circumstances I'd allow someone as unskilled in the arcane as you be associated with me, but just this once I will allow you to follow me." he said, ignoring the slight rush of heat to his face at the comment. The idea of someone not seeing him as a failure was still extremely new to him.

of course, the basking in his glory was interrupted by Vvitch scooping him up like a damsel in distress. Zareth's face turned beat red as he began to flail and try and get himself out. His lack of mana made him feel too weak to beat the other's strength, so he ended up not doing more than a pest would, "Unhand me, you- you- wench!" he screeched out, hoping to be released. Thankfully, she put him down once he was out of harm's way, to which Zareth began to dust off his clothing, an angry red flush bright on the tips of his long ears. "Don't touch me like that ever again, you hear me! I can not be seen being touched by a lesser creature such as yourself! My whole outfit will have to be cleaned from your filth now! Do you have any idea who I am? You have committed a great sin by soiling me in such a way with your grimy little grippers!" he began to hiss out aggressively at the other, his appearance matching that of an angry cat.

the commotion brought his attention back to the task, with one last glare at the other before returning to the fight. Thankfully, despite the commotion, Zareth barely managed to keep hold of the spell, the two ice balls still floating gently near his head, frosting his hair gently. Zareth fired another sharp icicle with an annoyed huff at the beast, aiming for one of the knees he could now see better with his new position.

the icicle would be aimed at the back leg that he could see; it would impale through the knee if it hit, and before it would recover, Zareth would cause it to explode. Hopefully, it will aid in knocking the thing down so the knight can finish it or at least make more progress. During the flinch from that blast, he would send the last icicle out to hit another leg and explode it to knock down any last bit of balance. The familiar feeling of migraine began to form behind Zareth's eyes, paired with a light feeling in his brain that started to slur things together. He only had one simple spell before being done for the day. He just hoped he could stay useful.
mentions | Juju
interactions | Juju

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

The Astellian Flank
Juju November Witch​

"Be safe," she said to Autumn as she left. Aaron said something in disbelief, but the fox girl had already gone. It was up to Doi and Aaron to help the injured mage away now. Mostly Aaron, since it became abundantly clear she couldn't lift for the life of her. Frustrating as it was, he couldn't help but smirk at her sincere effort to help.

They noticed the white mage call for a retreat, and a gust of wind subsequently came over them. Doi lit up like a child, finding herself able to lift the man much easier. Aaron found himself sparing glances at the mage. He was adamant in helping Doi earlier, no doubt, but he wondered if they could have held off the attack with his aid... The wounded man's agonized groans pulled him back to reality. It occurred to Aaron how quickly his mind went to fighting instead of saving his comrades... Maybe she does have a point.

The retreat was so much easier, that it took Aaron a few seconds to realized Doi had stopped following them. She stopped earlier, facing the approaching enemies with an unmoving stance. Eyes widening, he passed the injured man to an already burdened soldier and ran back to her.

"By Astell, have you gone mad?!" he cried, coming in front of her.

Her gaze fluttered to him with a soft smile. "Astell? Is that the form God has taken in this world?"

"What?"

"No matter. You may head off to safety, Aaron, for I will preach to these foes of their sin. And they will realize the pain and suffering they cause."

Aaron's first question was rhetorical, but now it wasn't so far-fetched. "Absolutely not!" He took her wrist, and electricity surged around his body. "Hold on, ma'am!" She said something in protest, though he was already charged up. A trio of wolves came upon them. Aaron swung his blade wide, sending balls of lightning at each of them. The animals rolled away with electricity still lingering in their fur, a light tint of smoke hovering out of them. He yanked Doi along, feeling his muscles lighten in the wind.

Their destination was to where the rest of the Astellian force retreated, but thanks to Doi's stunt, that was still some ways away...

 

[Juju]

Thick, broody clouds stretch across the battlefield, darkening the night. Rain begins to fall across [FRONTLINES] and [FLANK]. The lake churns as huge fragments of stone, like islands, rise up from its depths to float in the sky. A horn resounds across the Astellian troops. The forces begin to retreat.

• Ruins
• Frontlines
• Flank
• Lake
• temple gates

• 
  
  seasonedcat​
  The ball of ice sunk into the three-headed beast’s leg and exploded in a blast of white frost, the rainwater soaking the beast’s hide frozen in an instant. A roar of pain rose up from the beast, which echoed as yet another blast of ice tore into it. One of its legs had been blasted off from the ice blast, while the other was stuck in an icy prison. This was quickly taken advantage of by VVitch, who charged into the fray with Flub in her hands.
  
  “Come on Flub, let’s break the ice shall we?” she giggled, as if the situation was little more than fun and games to her.
  
  She spun the slime around like a hammer throw, unleashing it at the beast’s frozen leg. The limb shattered and the beast stumbled to the ground, two of its legs crippled. It was enough to dislodge the creature’s fangs from the wyvern’s throat, giving the draconic beast enough room to move once more.
  
  Black flames and fangs lashed out, clamping down on one of the three heads. With a crack, the wyvern’s jaws severed one of the beast’s three heads and tossed the creature to the side.
  
  Charred, frozen and broken, the beast slammed into the wet grass. Whimpering, it dragged itself away, retreating back into the darkness. All the ghostly wolves followed its lead, sprinting off into the rainy field.
  
  Finally recovered from her fall, Ser Taenirah rose to her feet. Using her sword to steady her, she limped towards her wyvern, inspecting the wound on its neck. Black blood pooled beneath the creature, mixing with the puddles of rain. The beast’s fangs had ripped through the creature’s scales, leaving a jagged tear into the muscle of its neck.
  
  The knight placed her hands on the creature’s wound, unusual fear in her voice, “We need to stop the bleeding.”
  
  She turned her head to the tired elvish mage, “Zareth, do you know any healing spells? Anything that might stabilize him?”
  
  The wyvern laid on its side, the rise and fall of its chest shaking the ground with every ragged breath. With a broken wing and two large wounds on its neck and shoulder respectively, its condition was far from good. Growls of pain rumbled in the wyvern’s chest as it shifted its head in anguish, jaws snapping on air.
  
  “Be still!” The knight barked, her composure strained with the not-so-subtle hints of panic.
  
  The wyvern stopped struggling with a hiss. Large ruby eyes closed and nostrils flared with effort.
  
• 
  
  YsFanatic​
  Rain began to fall across the battlefield, stifling the ongoing fires and turning the turf slowly into muck. The Astellian line had been damaged by the calvary’s charge and forced to scramble in repairing the gaping hole in their defenses. For the most part, the elite spearmen draped in red, whom their leader had called Wardens, had softened the blow, but were forced backwards from their losses.
  
  In the middle of the conflict, the commander stood her ground. Blood from her crippled leg was leeching into the soil below her, puddling with the rain. Even so, her brutal strike at Sarah had managed to fling her opponent back towards the Bull. Strangely, her attention turned not to Sarah, but the sword she had deflected.
  
  The commander’s grey eyes narrowed as she spoke to her sword, “Deal with it or shatter.”
  
  The commander did not pursue Sarah, instead remaining content to stay at a distance to command her swords, one of which Sarah struck with an attack. The blade glanced off her own, falling from the air to stab into the dirt. The gemstone hilt flickered.
  
  “Damned trickery…” The bull tossed its head, preparing to use Sarah’s help as the opening for another charge.
  
  The commander raised her sword, as if to prepare a strike, only for the blade to disappear. A disembodied bell chimed, and the sword that Sarah had deflected from the Bull was now in the commander's hand. As for the longsword she had held before, it had swapped places with the sword Sarah had just deflected.
  
  It swung on its own accord, slashing the Bull’s hind leg and smashing the earth and bone-white stone that made up its inner flesh. The creature stumbled, one of its legs crippled yet again.
  
  A bell rung, and the longsword once again returned to the commander’s hand. This time it did not swap with the weapon, but merely teleported to the commander’s side.
  
  “Cowardly fiend!” the bull bellowed.
  

  ---

  Solirus​
  Beyond Sarah and the commander, Rodal and the silhouette were still locked in a struggle. At a first glance it would seem that the shadow was winning, at least until something tipped the balance.
  
  The shade paused, realizing just what Rodal’s words had meant. Slag fell from Brimstone’s edge, cleaving the thinned whip-blade in two.
  
  “No!” the creature shrieked, its silhouette twisted in anger
  
  The coiled blade collapsed and the sword retracted back into its inert form. Only half of the blade remained, revealing an odd device nestled in the core of the sword. It appeared to be a hollow stake crafted from some sort of clear gemstone or glass. The vessel was transparent enough to see that a red fluid was contained inside the hollow. Its contents pulsated with light, just like the gemstone inlaid onto the hilt. Perhaps it wasn’t a gemstone at all.
  
  The break in the sword had cracked the glass of the vessel, from which its crimson contents slowly bled out. The first to notice this was the creature, who howled lividly. “No, no, no! Not like this! Not again! Not by the likes of you!”
  
  In such an enraged state, Rodal’s request for ‘more’ resulted in a greater reaction than it might have otherwise.
  
  “More? You wish for more?” the voice screeched, bordering on hysterical. The silhouette was losing its shape, the outline blurred and uneven, as if a reflection in a pool of water had been scattered.
  
  “I. Will. Show. You.” The silhouette’s limbs stretched out impossibly thin, ending in sharp points. The vessel shattered, the crimson liquid falling out in a sudden burst. It was absorbed into the shadow, which now towered over Rodal in a skeleton-thin monstrosity. Hollow holes had formed into the head of the silhouette's creating the illusion of baleful eyes.
  
  It reached down with fingers as long as Rodal’s arms. “Ravens be damned. You, wretched thing, will know my penance. By my heartsblood shall it be, woe to you and your lineage who would deny me my rightful resurrection.”
  
  The spindly hand touched Rodal and in a heartbeat the apparition was gone. The broken sword fell to the ground, its red glow completely gone once the contents of the hidden vessel had been drained.
  
  Rodal no longer felt the oppressive pain, nor the unnatural sluggishness that he had once been subject to. It faded in an instant, though he could feel something was not quite right. Whatever it was, as far as Rodal could tell it had not caused any negative effects. If anything, the loss of the hex and one of the commander’s swords had been more of a blessing.
  
  

  Solirus Rodal has been afflicted by an unknown Curse (feel free to mark this on your CS). This is permanent until dispelled. There appears to be no negative effects at this moment, but he can feel that something malicious was done to him. It lurks within his very flesh.

  
  

  ---

  SirDerpingtonIV​
  The commander’s attention had been on Sarah and the Bull, but the appearance of a hulking monstrosity gave her cause to reconsider. She had heard the loud blasts of thunder, something she could have assumed to be lightning-based magic had it not been for the elvish forces who fell from it. The flash of a shotgun’s muzzle had also been a key factor, not to mention the clanking steps of the heavy machinery.
  
  Grey eyes flicked to the towering humanoid made of metal. In all her long years, she had never seen such a thing and it showed in her confused look. Down to only three blades and fighting on three fronts, her options were running out.
  
  Large swathes of her men had been slaughtered at the hands of these intruders and the cavalry charge. Whatever this large construct was, it would be a thorn in the Astellian side.
  
  The commander glanced to the lake, then back to the ever approaching form of Nat’s mech. She raised a hand and shouted above the carnage of battle, “Everyone, fall back! Wardens, defend the vanguard!”
  
  A horn bellowed within the patter of rain, echoing across the battlefield.
  
  Despite her order, the commander did not move back. She stood where she was, all three of her swords suspended in the air, poised and ready. The red light of their gemstones bounced off the droplets of rain.
  
  While her men retreated, her intent appeared to be set on keeping the four threats contained. It was clear that she would not allow them to pass her.
  
• 
  
  jmann​
  The white mage had reunited with her steed and heaved herself onto its bloody back. It whinnied, alerting her to the approach of the thrown spear, which she had just enough time to hold out a hand and blast with a gust of wind. It did not stop the spear, but knocked it off course enough that it grazed it against her side rather than in her gut. New blood flashed against her white garb, but she did not fall.
  
  Gammariah understood the danger of letting the mage reunite with her steed, but perhaps did not understand his would-be ally. The simple gesture of reaching for the white wolf’s adornments caused some nearby spectral wolves to halt in their chases to look back at Gamma and their leader, ears perked up and stance tense.
  
  An unspoken line had been crossed.
  
  Fangs flashed and fur rippled. As quick as an adder, the great wolf’s maw was parted over Gamma’s arm. A deep cold seeped out from the beast’s jaws, as if Gamma had plunged his hand into an ice-incrusted lake. A single golden eye glared at him, wild and malicious.
  
  “For your aid to me you may keep this arm, outlander,” the wolf growled, its hackles raised “but consider the debt repaid.”
  
  The beast’s fangs withdrew and it turned its attention to the prey it sought. With a moment’s delay, the elvish mage was able to seat herself upon her steed and now galloped to the retreating elvish lines. A precious head start had been granted.
  
  The wolf snarled, impatient at the delay. Perhaps it would not allow Gamma to touch its golden adornments, but it could still help the two-legged creature. Perhaps out of spite, or perhaps out of beastly nature, the wolf yanked Gamma up by the tunic tied around his waist and carried him like a wolf pup.
  
  The ground blurred beneath him as the wolf gave chase after the unicorn and rider, Gamma dangling by his waist. Puddles of rain froze into ice with each of the wolf’s pawsteps, leaving a trail of frost and snow in its wake.
  
  “You are a spelleater, are you not, Outlander?” the wolf spoke between its clenched teeth. “Might you then have use of my blessing to strike them down?"
  
  Shards of ice formed along the beast's neck, creating a crest of spear-like icicles. Gammariah would be able to recognize them as the same sort that the wolf-man had used when riding on the wolf's back and fighting against the electricity mage.
  
  

  ---

  November Witch​
  Unlike Gammariah, whose hands were seared by merely touching the staff, Autumn only felt the polished smoothness of the pale wood that made up the shaft. While she did not know what it was to wield magic of her own, she could feel a subtle ebb and flow from within the staff. There was great power within. She had been wise to return it to its master.
  
  While she was swift on her own, blessed wind guided each of her steps. It was warm and fragrant with the scent of blossoms as it rustled around her, gently pushing her along. Still, the wolves were tenacious in their pursuit, their sharp teeth waiting for the slightest of missteps.
  
  The white mage rode her unicorn in the quickest direction of the Astellian lines, but upon seeing Autumn’s dash, turned her steed off course. Hooves tore at the sodden soil, the unicorn’s horn casting a shimmering glow upon the watery reflections.
  
  With a blast of light, the unicorn crashed into a spectral wolf that had chased Autumn, dispelling it into a puff of spectral smoke. It then slowed to match pace with Autumn, cantering at her side.
  
  “Grab on!” The rider called down, holding out her good arm for Autumn to take. Once taken, she would pull Autumn up onto the unicorn’s back behind her.
  
  Some more wolves had joined the chase, collecting in a pack to hunt down the mage and her steed.
  
  “Hmph, these flea-bitten dogs think they can match pace with me?” the unicorn snorted, “such rabble could never compare to my grace!”
  
  Thick tangles of vines sprouted from the mud behind the unicorn, tripping some of the wolves and slowing down the rest. It did well to break up the pack, but did nothing to slow down the Giant Wolf that was their leader.
  
  It leapt over the newborn thicket, the frost causing the plants to wilt. The giant wolf was in hot pursuit, with Gamma dangling from its jaws like a kitten. Rain that fell around it had turned to snow, creating the illusion of a moving blizzard wherever it went.
  
  Autumn felt a tingle in her hands, tickling up her arms. The elvish mage shouted above the rain, “I’ve granted you temporary access to my staff’s reserves. Simply aim it with intent and it shall yield to your request. We must slow them down!”
  
  

  ---

  AriAriAbabwa​
  Beyond the combat, Doi and her newly found companion Aaron had moved the wounded safely behind Astellian lines. There they found elves who took the injured warriors from their hands and began to chant incantations of healing upon them. Many of them looked at her with suspicious and disgust, but did not voice any objections.
  
  With newly placed walls of protective magic, the two of them might have been safe from the onslaught of wolves, at least until Doi ventured out. She spoke of Astell and sins, something that was heard by someone nearby.
  
  He was surrounded by wolves, his stance uneven from a bleeding stab wound in his side. The lantern staff he held bore most of his weight, and yet his eyes were black with deep malice. “Sins? The only pain and suffering was inflicted to OUR people. Innocents slaughtered in their homes, holy sites destroyed!”
  
  Spectral wolves rushed towards Doi, their fangs open and ravenous. One of them pounced at her leg, jaws aimed to drag her down for the rest to maul.
  
  "You will suffer for what you have done!" he said, lifting his staff with bloodlust in his eyes.
  
  Rain collected into icicles above Doi and Aaron as they fled towards the Astellian lines. After a moment they would crash down upon them, threatening to skewer them like icy spears.
  
• 
  
  ThatWhichShouldBe​
  Han’s so-called “Lady of the Lake” gazed at the drowned sun-king with a serene, unchanging expression. She did not seem to understand his flirtatious gestures, or perhaps merely ignored it. Only the orb had held her attention, and the once-dead girl who clutched it.
  
  Her milky eyes observed Han as he was blinded by the visions, carefully studying even the smallest of movements in response. Only when his eyes finally fell to the depths did she seem content. The pale coils of the serpentine tail withdrew from around them, the water carrying Toko to Han.
  
  The waters sung with a voice that was halfway between music and the babbling of a stream, a melodious white noise that should not form words and yet Han understood their meaning perfectly.
  
  “I know what you are…”
  
  Han could feel the eyes of the spirit cut through him, piercing his very soul as if he too were as transparent as water.
  
  “To speak is to wake the sleeper, and names have no meaning,” the Lady of the Lake’s eyes were ambiguous as she stared at Han, “you must first see to understand.”
  
  She withdrew at Han’s words of gratitude and promises of future meetings.
  
  “Think nothing of this, and seek me not. Should we meet once more, it shall be of less fortune than our first.” The waters shifted, moved by the twisting motion of the spirit’s tail. Serpentine scales shimmered like pearls and then vanished from sight as the creature dove back into the depths.
  
  Once she was gone the eerie music of the lake seemed more like an underwater avalanche as large, dark shapes moved up from the bottom of the lake.
  
  One such shadow rushed up beneath Han and Toko, its form becoming clear as it grew close. It was a flat stone platform, its surface etched with curious symbols. It rose up beneath them and pressed them against its surface, pulling them upwards. Water rushed around them as they were propelled to the lake’s surface, back to the realm of air and sky. There the platform lingered, floating on the surface of the lake as a new island.
  
  The water of the lake still raged in a cyclone around them, leaving them in a swirling bubble at its center. More fragments of stone, large enough to be islands, burst up from the lake on either side of them, rising up into the sky for as far as Han could see. Some had chains connecting them while others seemed to be carved with similar runes to the islet that he stood upon now.
  
  Now that there was air to breathe, Toko’s stirred from her rest. She woke up in a fit of coughs, sputtering out the lake water that had filled her lungs. She gasps for breath, her eyes wild and afraid.
  
  “What…” she gulped out between wheezing fits. “What happened?”
  
  She looked to Han, eyes full of confusion, “Where’s Shem… the winged monster? The…”
  
  It would seem that she answered the last of her questions by staring down at the orb held firmly in her fingers. The bright glow it once held had now faded, the humming now silent.
  
  As for her question of the wyvern, Han could hardly see anything beyond the swirling walls of the whirlpool. The night had darkened with the rain, and it was unlikely that he would be capable of seeing Toko at all had it not been for the light shed from his halo. For now, it seemed they had a moment of peace.
  
• 
  
  blankcanvas​
  "Thou believes one is 'cute'? Cute!?" The creature hissed, its fur puffed up like a frightened cat... or a very angry bird.
  
  It hopped up onto the edge of the crater so that it might look down upon Ren, "First thou dares deny mine answer and next thou preposes to compare one to the abundant species of small, defenseless animals! No, this is unforgiveable! Thou wastes one's mercy!"
  
  Rena, weak as she was, was unable to resist as she was lifted up into the air by an invisible force. A bright light had engulfed her, blinding her and making her skin singe with pain. There was an incredible pressure in her head, one that was not very different from her last memories of her previous life.
  
  It seems that she had made a grave error.
  
  Rena's consciousness faded in the searing light. The rain faded away, as did the pain. It was an all too familiar feeling. To think that she had been resurrected only to die within minutes.
  
  Soon she found herself in a misty, perfectly flat landscape. The fog was so dense that she could not see anything beyond two arms length away from where she stood. Below her feet she stood in ankle deep water. It was completely still, moving only in ripples with each of her movements.
  
  All was quiet. Even her voice seemed small, suffocated by the oppressive fog that stretched on forever. Without a sound or any movement around her it seemed that she was completely alone.
  

 

[YsFanatic]

From the way the enemy commander had spoken to the one sword she had struck and how the hilt on the other one flickered, Sarah gathered that her strikes were doing something to the weapons when her own blade made contact. Any additional thought on the topic was interrupted when she noticed the same thing as the commander, but unlike the other woman, a pleased grin appeared on Sarah's face. A grin that turned predatory when the old woman turned her attention back to her foe. Based of the little she had seen of this world so far, it seemed pretty obvious that the power armor was an offworlder like herself, but that would have to confirmed later. For now it seemed like they were also intent on going after the commander, and Sarah sure as hell was going to give them an opening.

First though, a shouted warning, just in case. "Watch the swords, they have a bit of magic that may allow them to damage power armor!" With that done Sarah sprinted forward again towards the commander, mindful of the ground turning into mud from the rain as she ran. Paying careful attention to the floating swords for any signs of movement, the swordswoman prepared to strike out at one, maybe two of them once she got in range or if any where sent flying at her. Then regardless of how that worked out, she would quickly back away as she had no idea what the Armor's big gun was or what kind of ammo was in the other weapons and did not want to be in the splash radius if something explosive was used. With any luck though, the commander would be distracted enough by Sarah's actions to give the operator of the power armor a clear shot.

Juju SirDerpingtonIV Solirus

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

The Astellian Flank
Juju​

Aaron clicked his tongue, spotting the encroaching wolves. They should never have run off like this—and he should have kept a better eye on his savior. "Stay behind me!" he yelled, brandishing his sword. "I won't let these dogs hurt you."

"Aaron..."

One spectral wolf pounced at Doi, and it was the first one to go. Aaron ran his blade through its skull, piercing through its lower before thrusting the spirit away. He slid past Doi to where several wolves ran at them like starved beasts, which he answered with lightning coursing from his fingertips. They spread and bounced onto the ground, latching onto the wolves like hands and conducting through their whole bodies. Each of them dropped to the floor.

Aaron was so caught up in the wolves that he didn't notice the icicles forming overhead.

"Aaron!" Doi slammed into him, but she was so physically incapable that he only budged a few steps.

"What are you—?" He noticed the determination in her eyes, and he lost his firm stance against her. Finally, he realized what she was trying to do, as his gaze flickered above them. They came loose. Aaron grabbed Doi, spinning away and keeping himself above her.

The icicles crashed into bits and chunks. The two were on the floor. Aaron rolled off of the perfectly pristine Doi. In comparison, he was bruised and scratched; an icicle caught his thigh, making for an ugly sight. Try as he might, he couldn't stand. But the wolves' growling needed him to try. He couldn't let his second chance at life end like this...

"Aaron." He looked at Doi, trying but failing to muster an ounce of confidence. She, however, didn't appear afraid at all. "You can't fight all of them," she said softly. "Put a cage around us—like you did earlier."

"It'll only last for a couple of minutes..."

Doi shook her head. "That's all I need."

Aaron wasn't convinced. He learned very quickly how useless in combat she was. Even trying to carry the injured soldier made her sweat. But, as crazy as she acted just now with the whole 'talk to the enemy' plan, nothing could make their situation worse.

Taking a breath, Aaron's body surrounded itself with a ring of electricity. That ring grew and spun a web, building a dome-shaped cage that expanded rapidly. The spectral wolves barked and jumped back to avoid the lightning. "You have two minutes," Aaron said.

But instead of wandering off like he thought she would, Doi remained at his side. "He mentioned that your allegiance has committed horrible atrocities. Is this true, Aaron?"

He scrunched his face up. "What?" Was she seriously going to go on about ethics and whatnot now? The look in her eyes answered that. Even so, thinking about it... he never bothered to question it himself. Turning away, he answered, "They said the people they killed were plotting against us; threatened our homes and livelihood.

"And you?"

"Me?" He let out a wry chuckle. "I just wanted to make my family happy."

Doi took his hand. It was comforting. "That is what makes you better than the others. Don't you forget that." With that, she left his side, and Aaron felt just a bit colder.

She made it to the edge of the cage, in the direction of the wolves' leader: the mysterious man. Doi got on her knees, managing a natural smile. "At last, a chance to breathe, and a chance to talk." She tried to make eye contact with their enemy. "I apologize if my words sounded... cross. I only knew about one side of the conflict—my time here hasn't been long."

"What do you mean?" It was Aaron who asked.

She glanced back at him, but didn't answer. "My name is Murakami, Doi. I cannot fight—I never have. I entered this battle because I saw people in need of help."

A realization dawned on the young mage. "You... You weren't with the Astellians?"

"I learned from Aaron here what the true nature of this war is." Her finger pointed upward. "The top. It always starts from the top. Our Kings and Queens and the profiteers. They are the true enemies of our kinds. I showed Aaron the truth, and I plan to rescue as many as I can from their brainwashing. He was able to listen; hundreds more can as well. From the battlefields all the way to their homes."

Two minutes was almost up.

"Astell showed me a world where the old reigns of chaos shall crumble, and an everlasting peace shall replace them. Lands where no authority demanded the vanquishing of another, and equality is ensured. I beseech of you; Let us pass, and in time, you will see that world come to life." Doi retrieved a flower from her pocket; the same one from the unicorn's blessing from earlier. Closing her eyes, she hummed a gentle hum.

In only a few seconds, the cage would go down.

Doi remained seated. Aaron kept a spell on the tip of his tongue, ready in case the enemies attacked.

 

[November Witch]

Autumn Ichor

Status: Weary, scared, determined, uninjured.

As the rain started to near them as well, Autumn let out an annoyed click of her tongue.

“Tch.”

Now she would be hampered. Speed, the only thing she could count on, would be hindered in the muck that was slowly spreading across the battlefield. The wolves gained the upper hand on the imperfect terrain, and she could hear their snapping maws just behind her. One snapped at her tail, only to receive a mouthful of fur. Thankfully, the pain wasn’t bad, and it wasn’t really something that could be called a wound. This just spurred Autumn to push even harder, into a full blown sprint.

Thankfully, she saw the mage divert course to pick her up. While Autumn didn’t want to join her, it didn’t seem like she had a choice at the moment.

Autumn grabbed the other’s hand wordlessly, and climbed aboard the unicorn. She’d ridden a horse a handful of times back in her world, but nothing this fast or intense before. Autumn would grab anything she could to steady herself as they galloped.

“Thank you.”

She took a moment to catch her breath after that sprint. While she had a good amount of stamina, that still tore through about half of what she could do at the moment. She raised the staff to hand it back, but was interrupted as the other explained she could use it. Autumn was right, she could feel something within it. Something she hadn’t felt before.

In her previous life, she never took the time to learn magic. So the short explanation was of great help to Autumn.

She focused on her heartbeat. Autumn closed her eyes, and breathed in.

Then out…

“Autumn is a season of change. Plants sleep for the winter and the animals hide away to sleep. So too, shall you!”

She swung the staff with her left hand across the ranks of the advancing enemies. A wave of golden hued magic flew towards them. Transparent and fast, when it reached them, their movements would become more sluggish. Their eyes would feel heavy. As if a large amount of energy has been sapped from all those chasing them.

Again, Autumn didn’t want to directly hurt anyone. So she chose, what she thought was a non-lethal option that would allow them to escape. Autumn would watch for a few moments, making sure the spell actually seemed to have an effect on them before turning her attention forward, and handing the staff back over. The mage really didn’t look to be in good shape, so Autumn placed a hand on her shoulder and did what she could.

In her old life, while Autumn couldn’t really use any magic because she hadn’t learned to, she did have a special ability in her world. She could enhance others spells, or transfer her mana to refill another’s. A soft amber-brown light emitted from where Autumn touched the mage, and her mana would be refilled. Autumn would give almost her whole supply to the mage, if she didn’t cap her out. Roughly 70% was given over.

“I must go, but I leave you with this as thanks.”

She removed her hand and gave a nod to the mage. She threw her right leg over the side of the unicorn, so now all she had to do was push off.

“May we meet again in better circumstances.”

Autumn offered her a small smile in the midst of the chaos. She focused on the image before her. Autumn may never see this girl again. Or they may meet again in the matter of minutes. Such was the strange way of fate. The fox sincerely hoped this woman would live another day. Someone who healed and protected others was always held in highest regard by Autumn.

With that, she pushed herself off the unicorn. The small breather had let her rest and regain some of her stamina. Autumn had already seen where she was going to run next. The two from earlier needed help. So she headed in their direction as a mage shouted at them.

“Hey!”

Autumn shouted at him, attempting to get his attention.

“You’d better watch your flank!”

But it was a bluff. Autumn was simply trying to distract him. If he turned, he would see the fox approaching at a high rate of speed, straight towards him. Autumn had no weapon, and was ill prepared to fight. Not that she wanted to. So if he turned his attention towards her, she’d veer off, running away, never getting closer than 20 ft. If he didn’t turn to pay her any attention? Well, she would still do the same. She wasn’t here to fight after all. If Doi or Aaron saw her, they would see her give a wave and a nod as she ran off.

Where was she heading now? The lake of course. Something big was happening there. That, and it seemed to have the least amount of fighting.

Autumn would pace herself, running faster than pretty much any of the humans or other bipeds, but whenever a wolf set its sight on her, she would have to speed up and lose it amidst a fight or keep pace until something else dealt with it. Along the way, she would help those she could. Tripping someone out of the way of an arrow that would have hit them. Sure, they got a face full of mud, but the arrow missed. She also kicked the back of someone’s knee, causing them to fall backwards and dodge a sword swing from a foe. She didn’t discriminate between the sides either, helping both avoid harm or death, but never pausing or breaking stride to do so.

Juju AriAriAbabwa jmann

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

HAN LIUYANG - THE KING OF THE RISING SUN - TEMPLE LAKE

Han just hums for a moment, collecting his words, before he speaks and summarizes the events after the priestess had fallen asleep with a chipper expression on his face. He wasn't entirely sure himself what just happened- But he knew 'strange divine machinations' when he saw them. After all, he'd been pulling the 'vague mysterious act' on people too back in his own world whenever he dealt with some complicated nonsense.

"Well, Shem's in the lake.... somewhere. He got spooked and ran off after the Wyvern tried to dive on us in the water. I'm not entirely sure where the Wyvern went after that, but as for the Orb, it called... something. Someone who gave me a vision, and healed you, happily enough. Something about... Sunset, Bloody feathers, raining ash. A dying wolf and endless darkness. Chains and impalement and madness. Singularly vague, I tried to make my visions at least a little clearer in my younger days."

The demigod chuckles, as he takes a seat with Toko in his arms for a moment.

"If you've got any idea of what these islands and chains are about, I'd be happy to hear it. Otherwise, we'll just take a bit of a breather here before we head back to shore, eh? Even spent, I imagine this orb belongs somewhere other than this lake."

 

[Astrylan]

Aryia
Astellian Flank

​

Aryia was crouched down in some slightly tall grass as the battle waged on in front of her. "Neither side seems to truly be winning just yet, but the aggressors are slowly losing ground." Her thoughts would be proven correct soon enough, but nothing really changed for now.

Aryia had no thoughts of joining either side in the fight for now, but she figured sooner or later she might have to. Her having aided the wolves in the earlier fight would most likely force her choice later on, but that was for future Aryia to worry about. Right now, she felt out of her league in this battle: she was no weakling, but she was at best above average if one were to quantify her abilities, and below average when it came to mana. Her low mana was the biggest reason she never bothered using her unique magic back on her home world. She was starting to regret not practicing it more often; this world, or at least the continent she was reincarnated onto, was at war, and she could already tell that she would need more than just her physical capabilities if she wanted to survive.

Aryia, even while in thought, kept watch on the battlefield, noting that there were most definitely others like herself that were brought here from another world, or at least another life.
She noted one of what Aryia's world called Beast-kin, a Fox-kin at that, which were uncommon, but not unheard of. Nevertheless, she had only ever met one or two beast-kin her entire life, so she was a bit intrigued.
She also noted someone in armor of a kind she'd never seen before, and an elderly lady that seemed like a battle maniac. She made a mental note to not get involved with the latter, but was slightly interested in the former, as she'd heard rumors of a certain kingdom back on Traygoria that used similar armor, though what she was seeing here felt like it would be a version from at least a few centuries into the future, if not more.

Before she could make note of any more people like her beyond the fact that they seemed out of place, a horn sounded and the aggressors began a retreat. Assuming that they would retreat in some kind of orderly fashion, Aryia guessed that the field wasn't going to be cleared anytime in the next couple of minutes. So instead of continuing to watch, Aryia turned to the two wolves that were keeping an eye on her. "So, should I go with you, or can I leave?"

 

[seasonedcat]

Zareth | Ruins
thankfully, the spell that Zareth sent out did its job in ending the beast. This means that, thankfully, Zareth wouldn't have to pass out this fight. Despite the victory, there wasn't exactly a celebration happening. Now that Zareth was closer to the wyvern and its rider, he could see the damage more clearly; there was a lot of blood. The whole sight made Zareth uneasy; he had never really seen that much blood. Sure, he had tended to his wounds, but never had he seen someone else's blood spilled like this. It made bile ride up in his mouth, though thankfully for his pride, he swallowed it down.

it was when the question was directed at him about healing magic that the bile rose again. He remembered his mother before she had given up on him when he was still beginning with the arcane. He had asked her to show him a healing spell; he could remember her scoffing. 'healing mages are for those who failed at everything else and chose to settle for less.' That was the last time Zareth looked at a healing spell; maybe it would have been a proper place for him.

"I-I don't... let me check..." he spoke with panic seeping in, his face paler as he shakily flipped through the pages of his book. Maybe he had written down a healing spell at some point. He had looked at many magics, but deep down, he knew he would not find much. The 'greatest' mage did not even know a simple healing spell; it almost made him sick. In the tower, where all he needed to do was study and practice magic, living by what his parents approved of was so simple. But now, here, where people were dying and shedding blood, only knowing fancy magic did fall flat. He wondered if they would die for his careless practice of the arcane.

having flipped through all the pages several times, Zareth was met with nothing; biting his lip painfully, he felt sluggish as he tried to devise an idea. Thankfully, through his panic, he came up with one. Bending down, he rested his hand over the wound on the wyvern's neck and let the airdrop in temperature. He began to coat the wound in ice, sealing off the skin. This would hopefully stop the bleeding. He then moved to the one on its shoulder and repeated it. He felt extremely weak at this point, his mouth full of cotton as he spoke, "Help me move the wing; I should be able to use some more ice as a split to try and keep it in place." he offered weakly as he shuffled over to the wing. He still had enough to produce more ice for a splint but struggled to stay balanced as he sat by the wing. He didn't even have the energy to have any bite to his words as he spoke, "I should be able to staunch your bleeding as well, knight." once the others helped the wing get in place, he would be able to freeze around the area to act as a splint. Hopefully, He could put some ice around the knight's wounds, providing she let him; though it was weaker than on the wyvern, it still would hold out. Though he remained sitting throughout it.

after his little 'healing' session, Zareth stayed sitting, his breathing sounding far away as he found the dark spots in his vision. Every part of him felt so heavy; maybe it would have been brighter for him to save his last spell and let the two bleed out. Maybe it would have been better to let the knight and the wyvern die, to let the weird girl help them. Zareth liked to let himself believe that it was because he needed them. Because he didn't have a clue where he was and how he got here, only ever being able to remember the procedure, and even that was hazy with pain. It was funny; with how light he felt, the throbbing from around his body seemed so distant. He can't believe he was already about to pass out from only these few spells. It seemed the producer didn't even work; after everything, he still was just as useless as he was before. A weak chuckle came from Zareth's limp form as he struggled to keep his eyes open; everything was so distant he could hardly hear anything. He wondered if his parents would be proud he slayed that rare beast. He chuckled again at the thought; they would be furious if he didn't study the thing when he had the chance. After all this time, Zareth was no different than that wide-eyed boy who passed out after producing light for the first time. No matter how hard he worked, he would always fall short.
mentions | Juju
interactions | Juju

 

[Solirus]

Rodal - The Vessel of War​

The urge hadn’t died down as the pain of the apparition held strong. His eyes pierced through his opponent as their demeanor seemed to break just as the weapon had. Their words of desperation only fed the anticipation, even after being shattered they had more to show, to give, to prove. Twisting into a more inhuman form, Rodal entered a false defensive stance, ready to lunge at his opponent to push through this all consuming pain.

As its thin skeletal finger was on the verge of touching Rodal, he swung his sword in an upwards motion viciously, yet the blade never made contact, the thing had vanished and the thing’s blade lost its glow. Rodal quickly scanned his environment, the pain had vanished just as abruptly. The urge slowly died and he finally took a deep breath moving his sights back at the now shattered blade of his opponent.

Rodal?

…

That wasn’t you right?

Rodal never thought Leva to be the concerned one, with all the years alongside her she never seemed too perturbed by most things, only ever annoyed.

I am… not sure.

Please don’t be that again.

There was silence for a second as Rodal finally noticed the rain pouring, evaporating on Brimstone’s edge and freezing on Blizzard. With newfound clarity, Rodal carefully placed Brimstone close to his wounded leg and shoulder cauterizing his wounds with the fires in clothes being put out by the rain. Rodal then walked back to where he dropped Blizzard, melting the ice then stuck Blizzard to the ground with Brimstone and finally pulling out the sibling blade.

Rodal please say something.

… I’ll avoid it

Thank you.

Next order of business in his mind was his recently felled opponent. He wasn’t sure if the thing was completely out of commission, 'Ravens be damned. You, wretched thing, will know my penance. By my heartsblood shall it be, woe to you and your lineage who would deny me my rightful resurrection.' Rodal recalled the words in his mind.

Sounds like you were cursed.

You were paying attention?

It’s hard to look away or hear away.

We’ll have to keep track of it, I don’t feel any slowness nor pain, so we’ll have to document its effects and see if someone can remove it.

I can remove it.

You can?

Yeah with one of my many forms!

But you’re currently limited.

I… well yes but I can still remove it, eventually.

What’s the effects of the curse?

Well, I frankly don’t feel anything, probably because I wasn’t the cursed one.

Rodal placed Brimstone into the ground and collected the remains of the thing’s blade, storing it into his bag. If anything, the source of the apparition would help in deciphering what this curse even was, yet as he finished doing so, he finally felt a malevolent presence resonate within him confirming further that he was cursed.

That wasn’t you was it?

I’m appalled you thought that was me.

Did you feel it too then?

No, but I can assume.

Very helpfu-

His thoughts cut out as he felt something from within, watching and just as it did, he felt his heart tighten as if a thin string tightened a knot around it, skipping a beat before letting go as the presence seemingly withdrew.

Hey umm, did you feel that?

That must be the curse, I thought it only applied to me.

…

We’ll talk about it later, if this curse allows it.

Rodal finally recovered Brimstone from the ground. He roughly had just over five minutes left before both cleavers were forcibly withdrawn. With the enemy retreating he could attempt to pick off squads, but now Rodal’s plan had been adjusted. He’d been cursed and the source of it seemed to have been wielded by the officer, if he could get information from her then that would be optimal, however if she died, he could simply attain that information from the other blades, if they didn’t also curse him, a possibility which he had to be wary of.

With a sigh of exasperation Rodal jogged towards the commander, splashing through the muddy ground and noting the elderly lady still holding strong and the new combatant who seemed more akin to a golem than a person wielding an odd weapon. Getting into the thick of it now would be risky considering the officer was essentially throwing her life away to allow for a form of retreat. It was commendable, but getting information out of a cornered animal would be difficult.

YsFanatic SirDerpingtonIV Juju

 

[blankcanvas]

Location: ??????????????????
​

Rena let out a soft groan as she felt the world finally stop exploding around her. Ever since she had opened her eyes, her life had been a non-stop train ride with unimaginable events getting thrown at her. If she didn't know any better, then she could've sworn that this was all just some wild hallucination brought on by her delusions. Heaving out a heavy breath, the half-elf tried her best to get back on her feet, but felt something weighing her down.

Great, was there going to be another execution?

She felt her breath hitch as her brain suddenly turned fuzzy. Wait...execution? What execution? Why would she ever think about something like that? Well, it wasn't as if the concept of death was foreign to her. In fact, in all of her travels across the world, she had witnessed this plenty of times. Wait, she did travel, right?

The half-elf quickly clenched her eyes and held her head as another jolt of searing pain ran through her mind. Confusion began to set in once again as bits of unfettered memories ran through her mind. Yes, she did manage to see the world, but...but...

When Rena's eyes finally snapped open she immediately saw that her vision was abnormally blurry. On top of that, she found it difficult to draw in a single breath while her movement felt incredibly stilted. Before she was able to further diagnose the situation, both her mind and body screamed at her in unison that it needed to draw in fresh oxygen. With any further prompting, she rolled on her back and stared up at familiar grey skies. The girl allowed the still waters to lightly float her body for a few minutes as she took the time to calm her body.

The blue-haired female slowly got up to her feet and took a look around her surroundings. Tilting her head to the side, she pondered for a brief moment but decided against it. Letting out a small sigh, she took a few tentative steps forward, making sure to cautiously treading the shallow waters. She noticed that every time she created a ripple, it would stretch far and beyond unto depths that her eyes were unable to reach. It also didn't help that the thick fog seemed to be proliferating the area, blocking her already limited view.

Not wanting to expend her energy any further, Rena decided to plop herself down onto the watery floor. Bringing her knees towards her chest, she placed her face down and closed her eyes.

It was very quiet.

This was the first time since she could ever recall where she was given some semblance of peace and quiet. She knew she wasn't dead, at least, not for the moment. But if this was going to be her grave, then it was a much better resting place than she could've ever wished for.

 

[jmann]

GAMMARIAH | Astellian Flank
Juju

Gammariah froze in the wolf’s jaws. He had unwittingly disrespected a spirit of the forest he had sworn to protect. For a moment, he hung limp as he was carried, reflecting on his insolence. That was, until the wolf gave him a way in which to earn forgiveness. Spears of ice formed its collar, much like the spears the older man had used. With them, he would stand a chance against the mage’s unicorn.
The fox girl had performed some sort of transferral, revitalising the mage. Gammariah was rarely made truly angry, but the knowledge that he had disrespected the elder and been sabotaged again by a life he spared boiled his bones. He would come back for that fox one day and put it down. For now, he had more immediate matters with the mage gaining distance.

Gammariah pulled free a spear of ice and gripped it tightly in his right hand. The ice burned but the Mark would absorb it quickly enough it wouldn’t do too much. His Mark of Containment would hold it for now, just in case.
When the spear was left a shallow husk, the rest absorbed into the Mark, he threw the spear off to the side, allowing it to clamber haphazardly into the battlefield.
He pulled another and threw it with his off-hand, aiming for the mage but his form was sloppy. Gammariah pulled himself around, stabilised himself with his feet against the lower spears and used the reverse of his right hand to hook himself in place. Again with his left he pulled a spear and threw it, this time much more accurate but still limited by positioning and by two moving variables.
But the ground didn’t move. That was his strategy. Gammariah threw another, this time aiming just in front of the unicorn’s legs and hitting the ground. He did so again and again, attempting to trip up the beast as it ran through the unstable terrain he created.

 

[Juju]

VVitch & Flub

seasonedcat​

While the others focussed on tending to the injured wyvern, VVitch’s sight was still locked on the retreating beast. She stared after its form as it limped away, eyes glinting, “Oh no you don’t! I’m not finished with you!”

Forgetting the wyvern and everyone else, VVitch dashed off after the retreating beast and grabbed Flub on her way into the dark meadow, running out of sight.

Once she had a clear aim of the creature she launched Flub up and then jumped to land an airborne kick at the jelly-creature, shooting the slime towards her target. Flub flew through the air, crashing into the back of the retreating monster. It buckled from under the weight and fell to the ground.

With a snap of her fingers, an explosion of arcane energy exploded outwards from Flub, using up the remaining magic he had absorbed. After the blast, Flub shrunk back into a small blob of goo and hopped off the wounded creature.

The three-headed beast was too crippled to move, its form quickly fading away. VVitch approached it, holding the brim of her hat smugly. When she was directly in front of the struggling beast she lowered her hand, placing it instead under her chin thoughtfully.

“Hmmm… you’re not THAT much different from the monsties back home. Plus, Flub was able to absorb your magic just the same. So– ” VVitch gave a shrug, “Eh, should work about the same. Besides, it would be a shame to let you go to waste!”