Fantasy Hunter's Moon: The Sin & Sentence [IC] [CLOSED]

[Emperor Sagan]

Anya had the right idea - she charged ahead with a ferocious cry. The time for chatting was mercifully over. Inari drew her sword in a wide flourish, the blade leaving its curious black after-image once again as it is released from its scabbard.

"Shōri ka shikei! Ganbatte!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, grinning as she followed after Anya, letting her take the charge and moving in to support her, prepared to attack the priest or fend of any attacking guards.

 

[Infab]

Anya and Inari quickly darted up the stairs, rushing the priest as he stood in the pulpit. But as they got within five feet of him, they felt themselves be knocked back by an unknown force of some sort. It was as if they had run into a solid wall, yet nothing was there. The Priest gazed down at them, easily towering over them as well as the others at twelve feet tall, and simply scoffed. "Heretics. I've dealt with your kind before." he stated, his voice filled with malice. He then pointed the staff in his hand at them, and the emblem began to glow a red color. They then felt themselves being pushed backwards, sliding back down the steps quite swiftly before being tossed off onto the nave's floor. They rolled a few feet, before stopping near where they had started.

The Priest returned his staff to its former position, the staff's bottom clacking as it touched the floor. He then looked to Hudson. "My devotion to my lord is in vain? Useless? Not so. I give those here in the Abyss that have not lost their mind something to believe in. Someone to pray to. And in exchange, they are taken good care of by Lord Taranoch and His Icons. Many of them become demons themselves! A far better fate than being tortured for an eternity, losing their minds, or being sent to the...cursed wastes to the north." he stated. He then looked to the guards scattered around the room, and clacked his staff on the floor twice. The guards began to move, readying their weapons as they moved in towards the group. "Heretics have no place in this sacred cathedral. For desecrating it with your presence, you will suffer greatly." he finally said, looking back towards the main cluster of the group.

Vincent quickly looked to the others. "He's using one or several enchanted objects here in this room to provide him with a barrier. Find the objects, break them, then we can kill him." he said quickly, before leveling his weapon on a demon that was closing in on their flank. "Look for things like statues or orbs or something!"

 

[K0mori]

Being little more than a wild beast, Anya only became more enraged by the push of the Priest's sorcery, and immediately set about searching for another target to maul.

---

Meanwhile, in Sazak's Palace

Mariette had to be pulled along as Cassandra moved to the doorway, eavesdropping on the Icons' conversation within. Having been reduced to an ordinary vampire before her death, she was nowhere near Cassandra's strength to begin with, but now that she had lost almost all willpower to do anything, Cassandra was beginning to feel as if she were leading a child around by the wrist. It wasn't hard to make out the conversation within the room. Sazak was apparently closing in on further items of great power, just as he had done with the ring and the sword. Mariette didn't care much at all, knowing that it was beyond her power to influence events in the mortal realm.

For a while, she simply stood and listened to the music with her eyes closed. It was easy to place herself in a memory far away and long ago with such a pleasant melody weaving through. "It sounds like they're winning," she remarked blandly. "...and in such short time," she added, joylessly. There was no point in wondering aloud what the Gods or the Church were preparing, as time was passing so slowly in the mortal realm that their discussion would probably be identical to the last time this subject was brought up.

 

[joshuadim]

"Merde. He's a crafty one." Venextos muttered as he looked around for suitable decors nearby to destroy. A statue nearby would be suitable as he formed an orange disk in his hands before launching it at high speed towards the statue.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson was unmoved as the priest spoke of his achievements and good graces, straightening up some. "Aren't you just a fucking saint..." he spat back before Anya and Inari charged him. The hunter knew to refrain from charging with him, as whatever hex he cast as a barrier was not unfamiliar to him. Breaking down cults like this was one of his prime responsibilities, after all. Vincent's orders were correct, the man's own experience in this sort of task showing.

The hunter would not search however, instead he chose to slowly step forward while he spun one of Velin's Tears rapidly. Hudson stood in front of where Anya and Inari had flown back, covering them as they gor up. Those flames entrapped in the weapon burned brighter, as he remained unperturbed as the guards began to encircle the group. The flail was cast at the nearest guard, and he already prepared to retrieve it after the impact or if his aim went wide.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

While this cathedral too was a remnant of better times in the Abyss, it'd been defiled by this so-called priest, so Loque has no compulsions against rather destructively 'purifying' it as she primes her rifle. Though instead of pointing it at one of the decorative statues, she aims at one of the guards in there with them. They needed to be taken care of first if they were to quickly find whatever trinket is protecting him.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato nodded as he heard Vincent's order - he decided to follow in Venextos' direction, of using magic. He pulled out his box containing his cards, and pulled out a set of five - the Talisman Set, the most basic of them all, should suffice.

He pulled out the first of the five, 'Talisman ~ Scattering Shot`, which would manifest in several qi orbs forming around him, intensifying as he amplified them to be further damaging, before scattering at objects that could contain enchantments, such as statues, orbs, or whatever, some of the orbs exploding into smaller orbs as they made their way.

"Talisman ~ Scattering Shot," he said in a serious manner, under his breath, activating the card and beginning the process. As the qi orbs formed, one could notice a slight opening form in Takato's bandaged arm, though it was hard to see what was through said opening.

 

[Infab]

The Cathedral of Sheol - The Nave (Main Hall) - Boss Battle - TURN 1
The Priest of the Damned (Demon, 100 HP), Church Guards (10 Armored Stone-Fleshed Demons - Type 1, 15 HP each.)

The Priest of the Damned
Trait 1: Unholy Blessings - Can heal all allies three HP every other turn.
Trait 2: Demon Spawner - Can summon demons to assist in battle.
---
Vincent = 10. CH Roll = 9. Does 4 DMG to Church Guard 1. Church Guard 1 HP = 11.
Anya = 7 + 1 (8, Rabid Shifter.) Does 4 DMG to Church Guard 2. Church Guard 2 HP = 11.
Venextos attempts to destroy a statue. Roll = 6. Chance Successful. Rolling for Enchanted Statue Chance. D6 used. Chance Roll = 5. Chance Successful. One of Five Enchanted Objects destroyed.
Inari = 6. Dos 1 DMG to Church Guard 3. Church Guard 3 HP = 14.
Hudson = 3 + 1 (4, Velin's Tears.) Misses Church Guard 4.
Loque = 1. Misfire. Not enough powder in cartridge.
Jakob = 9 + 1 (10, With Badge & Gun.) CH Roll = 7. Does 6 DMG (With Badge & Gun) to Church Guard 5. Church Guard 5 HP = 9.
Senya = 2. Misses Church Guard 6.
Takato charges an attack. Does not attack this turn.
Gödrun = 7. Does 1 DMG to Church Guard 7. Church Guard 7 HP = 14.
Wesley = 5 Does 1 DMG to Church Guard 8. Church Guard 8 HP = 14.
Henderson = 8. Does 1 DMG to Church Guard 9. Church Guard 9 HP = 14.

The Cathedral of Sheol - The Main Hall - Boss Battle - TURN 1 (ENEMY)
The Priest = 10. CH Roll = 10. Does 4 DMG to Venextos. Venextos HP = 6.
Church Guard 1 = 5. Does 1 DMG to Vincent. Vincent HP = 9.
Church Guard 2 = 6. Does 1 DMG to Anya. Anya HP = 12 (Rabid Shifter.)
Church Guard 3 = 3. Misses Inari. Chance to Counter-Attack (Hangeki Sword School.) Chance Roll = 1. Chance Failed.
Church Guard 4 = 8. Does 1 DMG to Hudson. Hudson HP = 9.
Church Guard 5 = 1. Misses Jakob.
Church Guard 6 = 10. CH Roll = 5. Does 3 DMG to Senya. Senya HP = 7.
Church Guard 7 = 9. Does 1 DMG to Gödrun. Gödrun HP = 9.
Church Guard 8 = 8. Does 1 DMG to Wesley. Wesley HP = 9.
Church Guard 9 = 1. Misses Henderson.
Church Guard 10 = 6. Does 1 DMG to Takato. Takato HP = 9.

------
​

As the group began their assault against the incoming guards, Venextos and Takato focused more on locating and destroying the objects that powered the barrier surrounding the demonic priest. Venextos' magic missile collided with the statue, blowing it apart in spectacular fashion. And it appeared to be one of the enchanted statues that was powering the barrier, as the priest looked rather upset at the destruction of the statue. "You maggot! Stop destroying the sacred artifacts!" he barked, pointing his staff at Venextos and firing off some sort of dark magic pulse. The beam hit Venextos, sending him sailing into one of the pews and shattering it upon impact. Meanwhile, Takato continued to pour qi into orbs to use on other artifacts. There were several dozen statues scattered around the cathedral, as well as other types of objects ranging from small trinkets to large demonic sigils and markers. They would have to break several in order to locate the proper enchanted objects. As Takato continued to concentrate, he would feel a demon's fist collide with his back. One of the guards had flanked him, and was using Takato's moment of concentration to strike him.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group focused on eliminating the other guards. Vincent's shots connected, tearing through the armored plating that the stone-fleshed demon was wearing and hitting them hard. He would counter-attack, delivering a blow to Vincent's chest with his club that sent him stumbling. Anya pounced on a nearby demon, clawing at it and shredding most of its armor off its chest. She wouldn't reach the creature's bare chest in time, however, to kill it before it punched her square in the jaw. It knocked her off, forcing her back onto the floor in a crouched position. Inari, as with the other demons before, came in low and carved a gash through a demon's thigh. It wasn't enough to do any major damage, however, and the demon swung around with its mace to try and hit Inari back. It failed, but managed to avoid being struck again by the kitsune's blade as she retaliated.

Hudson's flail was sent on its way, but as Inari had done before, the demon was able to see it coming and avoid it altogether. He used the opening to grab the chain itself, avoiding the head of the weapon, and jerked Hudson towards him. Hudson stumbled, right into the creature's fist. The impact knocked Hudson on the floor, stunning him for a brief moment. Jakob fired off a shotgun blast at a demon, blowing massive holes in the creature's armor with iron buckshot. The creature stumbled, letting out a yelp before attempting to charge back in. Sword in hand. Loque also attempted to shoot the creature, but her rifle made a click noise as she fired. Thankfully it didn't explode. Just a bad bullet.

Senya moved in, attempting to put her sword and shield to use against the guard she targeted. As she attempted to thrust her flaming sword into the demon's torso, he swatted her blade aside and struck her across the arm with his longsword. The cut was deep, blood pouring from the wound and onto the stone floor. The creature moved back quickly, as nearby Gödrun struck another guard with her own weapons before being struck herself. Wesley jumped into the fray, striking one of the other remaining guards with his ninjato, but found himself being hit as well with a mace. Henderson got a shot in on one of the two remaining guards, knocking the demon's helmet off. He managed to avoid a retaliatory strike from the demon, side stepping a vertical warhammer swing.

------
​

Cassandra glanced back to Mariette, raising an eyebrow. "They're not going to win. Haven't you read anything from the Age of Darkness?" she whispered. Suddenly, a voice called out from inside the Study. "Cassandra, Mariette, I know you're there. You can come out now." Cassandra sighed. Shit, Sazak had heard them. Cassandra stood, helping Mariette up, before walking the pair into the study. As soon as Sazak saw them, he smiled. "My two favorite servants!" he said, before lifting his glass to his lips once more and gulping down the alcohol it contained. Afterwards, he set the glass aside and stood. Kellea continued to play the piano nearby, never taking her attention away from it. Ralvas simply glanced up at them, and grinned.

As they walked up to where Sazak stood, Sazak's eyes drifted directly to Mariette. His favorite of the two, really. Cassandra was rebellious, and had continued to be a bit of a thorn in his side for her entire stay here. Meanwhile, Mariette seemed to have adjusted quite well...or had simply given up. He moved over to her, reaching up and gently caressing her cheek. "...You've seen better days, haven't you?" he said. A genuine look of pity appeared on his face. He always hated when his servants started to succumb to Hollowfication. Especially his favored ones.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Click, click, click. How Loque despised that sound. A few yet too many times during hunting trips did whatever animal she had in her sights manage to escape because of the embarrassing malfunction of faulty bullets, but at least it didn’t explode as it did with Anya. She pulls the bolt back to release the bullet and chambers a new one. Once again, she takes aim and fires, silently hoping the next bullet wouldn’t be as poorly made.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson got into a bit of an impromptu tug of war with the demon before he was shown to be the loser. Jerked forward and punched in the face, he stumbled backward and buckled one knee slightly as he regained his balance. It gave him just enough time to wince from Jakob and Vincent's firing, his breathing hastening once more as he shakily stood himself up again.

"Alright..." he growled, pulling his flail back toward him and looping it about his waist. "Let's have a go if you think you're fucking hard enough." Both hands now clung to his bastard sword, though he was still quivering from the gunfire. It's not me behind the barrel.

The hunter charged forward, performing a lateral slash of his blade directed at his assailant.

 

[Damian0358]

The need for continued concentration due to the Abyss' different qi resulted in Takato being being flanked - he planted his feet and turned towards the guard that had flanked him, letting go of the charged card and allowing it to float. Needless was him to even look at the objects, for he had already seen them and his qi orbs would fly true, randomly. The card would active, the orbs would scatter and strike, and the card would return into his coat. Takato hoped that the several orbs sent out, large and small, would strike true too, hitting those enchanted objects proper, and not just those not enchanted.

His hands free, Takato switched to a taigekkun fighting position, preparing to guard against the guard, ready on the defensive. Noting what had happened to Venextos, he would have to try and passively build up a shield of qi, though having charged the card just now, it would take a bit to do so passively.

 

[Viper Actual]

Seriphine yawned loudly as the party entered combat with the priest and his minions. Had they used a small force of battlethralls everyone could've focused their efforts at the priest directly.

Crossing her arms and sighing as shattered statue fragments came soaring through the air the elven warlord watched the demonic minions fight her allies with a bit too much determination.

Rolling her eyes Seriphine suddenly launched herself into the air with a long and graceful leap to deliver a special strike in the midst of the enemy forces.

With any luck her signature move- the Ironwind Fury- would show some effect on the enemies.

 

[Breadman]

The hammer came down and nearly hit Henderson's foot. Would have been painful if it landed. He gave the demon a stern look as he grabbed the handle.

"You don't know how to use this thing." He said as he punched the demon's now exposed head so it would loosen its grip. "Let go so I can show you."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

The magical barrier was a stark reminder as to why she hated sorcerers. They were fun for parlor tricks, but when they did something absurd, it got under her skin. Such arrogance for being able to manipulate the air and things around them. There was little she could do but tumble around momentarily before being attacked, and launching herself back into the fray against the demons.

Vincent had yelled something about objects having power in them, and one had already been shattered, enraging the priest. Her instincts were telling her to simply give in to the sudden chaos. It was the first proper battle they had come across. A real one, with plenty of foes and allies. Not a little skirmish. But, she wanted the big fish. She knew her feelings in these situations well enough. Why waste time with the peasant levy when you could behead the commander and his retinue? In this case it was going to take a little extra property damage.

Inari sped across the room, defending herself from any demonic attacks as she began to crash into suspected objects, hitting, kicking, or body slamming them to the ground to break them to weaken the magical barrier. It was a little primitive on the enjoyment scale. After all, she hadn't done this kind of pillaging personally since she was a foot soldier when she was young. A life of command had gradually drawn her away from such things. It was a real shame that this was no thatched or wooden village. They could use some fire in here to lighten the place up. Add a little flair and therapeutic smells.

 

[Doomevil]

Senya gritted her teeth from the open wound one of the church guards made. But that wasn't going to stop her this time. She got her shield up and circled the church guard slowly. Senya raised Dark Shard and enhanced her flame more intense. She made a horizontal swipe, hoping this would make a mark.

 

[KRIY]

Wesley pulled back after his strike and held the are where the Demon's mace hit him, It didn't knock him out but it sure hurt like the ever living abyss out of him, He surveyed the battlefield, looking for any one to assist. He noticed Takato charging up for an attack but then was promptly attacked. He then vanished and materialized near the man, who was now in a fighting stance. The click of his sheath is heard and his blade became free once more.

"Let's take him on together, we might have a better chance of taking the demon down."

 

[joshuadim]

Initially, Venextos was pleased as he got a reaction from the Priest for destroying the statue. Seems as though that he had destroyed one of the artifacts holding the barrier up. However this was short lived as soon enough he took a full force blast and was knocked back into a nearby pew. Now prone on the ground and in pain, the wizard groaned as he slowly got back up and patted his chest. His robe was a bit singed after that, but his chest hurt like hell as well which was all the more concerning. Venextos gathered himself and picked up his staff before looking at the battle unfolding around him. Takato seemed focused on finding the other artifacts, so Venextos opted to aid his allies in their fight. He muttered an incantation before harshly tapping his staff onto the ground, causing the ground near the demons to take a life of their own and it rippled and swelled. Hopefully, it would stun some of them and make the fight easier for the group.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato looked over at the usually silent lad, who manifested himself next to him. He gave Wesley a quick thumbs up, before resuming being in his taigekkun fighting position.

 

[Infab]

The Cathedral of Sheol - The Nave (Main Hall) - Boss Battle - TURN 2
Vincent = 7 + 3 (10, The Huntsman.) CH Roll = 6. Does 3 DMG to Church Guard 1. Church Guard 1 HP = 8.
Anya = 4 + 1 (5, Rabid Shifter.) Does 4 DMG to Church Guard 2. Church Guard 2 HP = 7.
Jakob = 1. Shotgun jammed.
Loque = 8. Does 1 DMG to Church Guard 5. Church Guard 5 HP = 8.
Hudson = 4 + 1 (5, Velin's Tears.) Does 2 DMG to Church Guard 4. Church Guard 4 HP = 13.
Takato attempts to destroy a statue. Chance Roll = 6. Chance Successful. Rolling for Enchanted Object Chance. D6 used. Chance Roll = 4. Chance Successful. Two of Five Enchanted Objects destroyed.
Seriphine = 10, 7, 5, 6 (Ironwind Fury.) CH Roll = 6. Does 3 DMG to Church Guard 1, 1 DMG to Church Guard 2, 1 DMG to Church Guard 3, 1 DMG to Church Guard 4. Church Guard 1 HP = 7, Church Guard 2 HP = 6, Church Guard 3 HP = 13, Church Guard 4 HP = 12.
Henderson = 8. Does 1 DMG to Church Guard 9. Church Guard 9 HP = 13.
Inari attempts to destroy a statue. Chance Roll = 9. Chance Roll Successful. Rolling for Enchanted Object Chance. D6 used. Chance Roll = 3. Chance Failed. Standard statue destroyed.
Senya = 5. Does 2 DMG (Dragon Knight) to Church Guard 6. Church Guard 6 HP = 13.
Wesley = 10. CH Roll = 9. Does 4 DMG to Church Guard 8. Church Guard 8 HP = 10.
Venextos attempts to stun some of the guards. D6 used. Chance Roll = 6. Chance Successful. Church Guard 6, 7, 8 stunned for a turn.
Gödrun = 3. Misses Church Guard 7.

The Cathedral of Sheol - The Nave (Main Hall) - Boss Battle - TURN 2 (ENEMY)
The Priest attempts to summon an ally (Demon Spawner.) D6 used. Chance Roll = 6. Chance Successful. Summons Fire Elemental.
Fire Elemental = 10. CH Roll = 7. Does 7 DMG (Fire Mastery) to Takato. Takato HP = 2 HP. Chance for 'Execution.' Roll = 10, 2. Chance Successful. Takato has been KO'd.
Church Guard 1 = 3. Misses Vincent.
Church Guard 2 = 7. Does 1 DMG to Anya. Anya HP = 11 (Rabid Shifter.)
Church Guard 3 = 9. Does 1 DMG to Inari. Inari HP = 9.
Church Guard 4 = 9. Does 1 DMG to Hudson. Hudson HP = 8.
Church Guard 5 = 6. Does 1 DMG to Jakob. Jakob HP = 9.
Church Guard 6 cannot attack. Stunned.
Church Guard 7 cannot attack. Stunned.
Church Guard 8 cannot attack. Stunned.
Church Guard 9 = 5. Does 1 DMG to Henderson. Henderson HP = 9.
Church Guard 10 = 5. Does 1 DMG to Loque. Loque HP = 9.

Fire Elemental (Demon Mage - Fire Type, Miniboss, 25 HP)
Trait: Fire Mastery - Does +3 DMG when using fire magic.

------
​

The group continued their attacks against the guards, while some of the others began to search more for the hidden enchanted objects. Vincent continued to fire upon the demon he had been fighting, putting two more holes in the creature as it swiped at him yet again and missed. Meanwhile, Anya carved a gash in the demon she was engaging, ripping a chunk out of his side. In response, he cracked her across the spine with his weapon before moving back. Jakob attempted to fire once more at his demon, but as he pumped his shotgun to chamber a new shell, the shell became jammed. It looked as though he had forgot to clean his weapon. This would cost him, as the demon closed in and planted his foot in Jakob's chest, knocking him down. Loque fared better, planting a bullet into the demon she had tried to shoot. She was flanked by another demon, which punched her quite viciously.

Hudson and his demon clashed, Hudson slicing the demon across the chest before being punched once more in the face. This time, much harder and much more angrily. The blow was enough to crack his mask, busting the glass lens out on one side. In came Seriphine a few moments later, swinging her dual blades and slashing at any demons that came near. It looked almost like a dance, as her movements were quite elegant. Henderson, meanwhile, knocked the hell out of a demon and took his weapon from him. It didn't prevent the demon from delivering a retaliatory attack, punching Henderson back with his armored gauntlet.

Senya delivered a rather serious horizontal slash, slicing the demon's torso plate in half and nicking his chest with the flaming blade. The cut burst into flames, but it didn't seem to phase the demon all that much. Before the demon could strike back, however, a spell cast by Venextos forced the stone floor under a cluster of the demons to shift and shake. They stumbled a bit, one of them tripping and falling over on his face. The act forced Gödrun to miss her jab at the demon she had targeted, but Wesley didn't miss, as he struck the one that had fallen to the floor.

Inari, meanwhile, attempted to locate one of the hidden enchanted objects. She targeted one of the many statues, rushing quickly to it and throwing herself into it. The statue fell over and shattered, as she slammed into it rather hard, but it didn't seem to have any effect. She had found a dud, and soon found herself getting whacked by the demon that she had hit previously. Takato, however, struck true with his qi orbs. They sought out and hit one of the enchanted statues, blowing it apart quite violently. The priest yelled out, far more angry now than before. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP." he shouted, before clacking his staff against the floor once more. A moment later, a black portal appeared near him to his right. One couldn't see into it, only seeing total darkness. But that didn't last long, as something soon emerged from the portal.

​

A feminine demon appeared from the portal, casting flickering, wavering light all around her. Vincent glanced up, and his eyes went wide for a moment. Oh shit. The demon's head was ablaze, her hair a mass of flames. Her eyes were literal fireballs in their sockets, and parts of her outfit seemed to be charred or on fire themselves. Her skin was mostly tinted orange, but had various specks of red and black here and there, especially on her horns. On her forehead, a bright red gemstone sat affixed to some sort of jewelry. She apparently was barefoot, but she appeared to be floating as her toes hovered mere inches from the ground. Her fingertips were glowing, as if they themselves were about to burst into flames like her hair.

"FIRE ELEMENTAL, LOOK OUT!" shouted Vincent. The demon looked among the group slowly, before spotting Takato. Then, with the grace of a bird, she simply lifted up and sailed directly towards him. Before he could react to the incoming demon, she halted in mid-air just near him, and pressed her palms together. A few hand gestures later, her hands forming various shapes and figures as she seemed to mouth words, she pointed both palms towards him. Suddenly, a geyser of fire erupted from the center of her palms, bathing the oni in flames. The display reminded Jakob and Hudson of the war, where early flamethrowers were produced and used to clear trenches and supernatural threats. The difference was that these were concentrated flames, and they burst forth almost like a beam of energy instead of being forced from a nozzle.

When the flames ceased, Takato was lying on the floor. His robes were ablaze, burning brightly. His skin was charred, but he still seemed to be alive. Barely. Vincent shouted again a moment later. "AIM FOR THE GEM ON HER FOREHEAD, IT WILL WEAKEN HER! THEN CUT HER DOWN!"

 

[Damian0358]

Attempting to assist Wesley as best he could, Takato could sense his qi orbs striking, and one struck true, causing the priest to yell out in anger. Takato tried to prepare himself for what was to come, but the appearance of a new aura caused him pause - turning to face the priest, he could see something emerging from the ground next to the priest - a demon, it was, but one they hadn't yet encountered. Fiery, they appeared. Quickly, Vincent revealed what it was, and Takato attempted to brace himself.

However, the fire elemental's swiftness and speed surprised him, and she stopped right before him, as she seemingly gestured and mouthed an incantation. Up close, he could feel the denseness of her aura, its might, incomparable to any oni he had ever faced. He tried to look out, but it was to no avail - her palms pointed towards him, she engulfed him in flames!

Takato yelled in shock, as the flame and its aura overcame him, insurmountable. His robes were set ablaze, burning brightly. His headwear - his hat and his skullcap - crisped, his shaven horns now clearly visible, shortened down to his skin. His skin, charring, though able to withhold such heat. But as he lost consciousness, the most glaring thing would be his right, bandaged arm - set ablaze, it unraveled, revealing a dark mist-like essence within, and within it, miniscule, almost unseeable bits of bone, taken from his formerly fully grown horns, used for mystic barrages as a physical projectile to allow opponents to graze qi attacks. The bandages burned black, the mist dissipated from the heat, and the miniscule projectiles, so numerous Takato could form half an arm with, fell to the ground, though seemingly covered with something dark. Takato had lost his artificial right arm.

 

[Dmaster]

He took a step back as he recoiled from the blow to his helmet, thankful that he wore it yet growing agitated that the demon wasn't aiming for anywhere else. Hudson brought his sword closer to his center, priming to strike again yet ceasing when the fire elemental arrived to the battle. The heat produced from the beam of flames centered on Takato got him to throw an arm up to shield himself from it, the sight drumming up some repressed feelings that he decided not to dwell on further. There was only so much he could shove down now, though - between the gunfire and the sheer number of demons things continued to grow more difficult.

The hunter couldn't help Takato, and he couldn't disengage this demon bastard to take down the fire elemental either. With a roll of his wrist and weapon he held it with both hands yet again, encroaching on the demon guard slowly. Seizing an opening, he lunged forward and tried to plunge his blade through the monster's chest.

 

[Breadman]

The punch from the demon left a mark on Henderson's face as his head turned to the side from the hit. He glanced at the demon before turning his attention towards it. Whatever was happening to Takato was a side-show to his current focus. Henderson lifted the hammer and brought it down on the demon. Intending to break whatever he could with it.

 

[joshuadim]

His spell worked to great effect, but any potential celebration from the sorcerer was cut short when Takato was taken out of the fight in such grueling fashion. Almost immediately, Venextos made his way over to the Oni to see if he was still alive. And indeed he was, but his life wa hanging on the edge of a knife. And so the wizard immediately set about to stabilize Takato as best as he could as he laid his staff next to the Oni and began to channel magic to begin the process. It was the same blue energy used before on Wesley, but only more intense now as he doubled his efforts.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Things were turning messy pretty fast, and not in a good way. There were still more statues, or objects, they had to take out to get rid of that barrier. Most of the guards were still standing and a new foe had joined them - a fiery demonic woman that toasted the Redonian Oni rather well. Under other circumstances, she might not have cared as much. Yet all things considered, he was still on her side, as was Venextos who was attempting to heal the man it seemed. They may have been small-minded and dull sorcerers, but they were useful small-minded and dull sorcerers.

The fire demon looked a little more fleshy than the stone guards, so she went after it. Leave the damn statues to someone else.

"Shine!" Inari took off at speed with her focus on the fire demon, and she tries to leap for it with a heavy strike to that jewel on their head. She was capable of beheading many foes in single strikes, but these demons were clearly a cut above the normal human. Hopefully all it took was one, well placed hit....

 

[Doomevil]

She landed a hit on the church guard and even though it was a hit, the guard refused to die. Her eyes switched towards a new enemy on the rise, a fire elemental. Just when the elemental made her first move, the enemy immediately set Takato aflame. Senya narrowed her eyes, her priority has switched to someone else now. They were getting outnumbered, fast. And they still haven't slayed any of the church guards yet. The others such as Hudson and Henderson were too occupied dealing with them.

Senya turned to see Inari take off, charging ahead at the fire demon aiming at that jewel. She had to assist destroying that gem, lest they all end up like the Oni. The Red Warden followed Inari, swinging her sword aimed at the gem after Inari made her move.