Fantasy That Time the Demon Lord Killed our Party Leader: Ic

[Nessi]

A sudden appearance!

“Oh. looks like your friends aren’t gonna last much longer, King Ragnir~” Morgana giggled.
King Ragnir twisted his body to avoid an attack from behind, and brought his mighty spear down upon yet another one of Morgana’s summons.
“How many more of your puppets must I kill, devil!” Ragnir yelled out.
“Not sure…guess you’ll have to keep going until you die!” Morgana cackled. Suddenly, yet another summon would rush forward, its form resembling that of a knight, but mixed together with a demon.
Quickly, Ragnir blocked, and counterattacked, but was only rewarded with a shield bash to the face. He quickly recovered, and leapt back to create some distance, and to get a better read on the situation.
Hofn was burning, fires being lit by the Olrodian soldiers who only wished to kill as many people as possible. Many of the soldiers who had come with Ragnir now laid on the ground dead, and those who lived tried their best to maintain a semblance of a formation around their king.
“I have to do something…” Ragnir muttered, but it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to lift his spear in defense once more.

~~~
​

Meanwhile, within Wanga’s garden, the legendary healer paced around nervously biting his nail.
“Mr. Wanga, what’s wrong?” Hargred asked, popping his head out of a patch of tall grass.
“Some hand is attacking Hofn…I’m just a little nervous is all.” Wanga sighed, falling to the ground dramatically.
“A hand? I’m a hand too! Maybe I can talk them into leaving?!” Hargred exclaimed.
“Sounds like a good plan for you to betray us.” Wanga remarked, causing Hargred to pout.
“I’m not gonna betray you! Enthy, Aaxir, Tiberius…I’ve been thinking about what they’ve been telling me…and I decided that I wanna…I wan-“
“You wanna live for yourself?” Wanga guessed.
“Yeah that! I wanna fight to protect people…to protect those who can’t defend themselves!” the young dragon cried out.
Wanga stared at the dragon, but couldn’t say no to the puppy eyes he was receiving. “Alright…alright! I’ll let you out, but if you betray us, I’ll kill you myself!” Wanga exclaimed. He retrieved the key to the garden, and slid it into the ground, opening a gateway to the battle nearby.
“Thank you, Mr. Wanga!” Hargred exclaimed, before plunging through the portal.

~~~​

King Ragnir’s heart soared when he felt the effects of Enthy’s incantation spread throughout his body. “It would seem as if your plan hasn’t been successful, witch!” Ragnir taunted.
Morgana’s grin didn’t falter, as she revealed a new weapon from under her cloak, a black and red shortsword. “A disgrace of a mother, a broken fae, and the failure of Rhoda, what a group! ” she called out.
Ragnir lifted his spear towards the hand, and her horrid puppets. “Silence, witch! Your end is now!” He roared.

“STOP!” a voice yelled from the sky. Suddenly, lightning would strike the ground in between Morgana, and Ragnir. When the smoke cleared everyone would be shocked to see that it was Hargred.
“Hargred, you’re alive!?” Morgana exclaimed in genuine surprise.
“Nope, I’m alive!” Hargred chirped.
“Did she say Hargred!?” Ragnir said, stunned at the hand's sudden appearance. Before he could strike down the young dragon, Yi Nuo quickly grabbed the king's shoulder.
“I know this sounds crazy, but he’s with us now!” Yi Nuo clarified.
Ragnir’s eyes widened, but he ultimately stood down.

“Honestly kid…I don’t know what you did to keep yourself alive, but you did a good job. Get over here.” Morgana chuckled, her hand extended for Hargred to take.
The young dragon began to take a step forward, but hesitated, ultimately choosing to stay in place. “Actually, I don’t think I’ll come over there, or back to the Empire.” Hargred announced, looking away from the hand. “I’ve been talking to the heroes, and they’ve helped me realize that…we’ve been killing innocent people, a lot of them. We’ve been the bad guys this whole time and I just think-”
“That’s the problem, you’re thinking.” Morgana interrupted. Her friendly smile was now gone, and her eyes stared at Hargred as if he was a disobedient dog. “Your job isn’t to think, it isn’t to have your own opinions, you are meant to kill whoever you are told to. You think that changes just because you received a little speech about doing the right thing?” Morgana spat, each word more venomous than the last.
Hargred eyes widened in surprise, and a whirlwind of emotions ran through his body.
“You killed thousands for Tiryan, you killed your own brother and sister for Tiryan, and if it came down to it, you’d do it all again, because that’s what you are, an obedient dog. We killed your mother, so that we could use you as a weapon! Tiryan doesn't care about you, the hands do not care about you, I do not care about you. You are unloved, and will die the pathetic dog you always were.” Morgana finished.

Tears ran down Hargred’s face. Tears of anger, sadness, regret, and a plethora of other emotions he couldn’t put his finger on. Trauma that had long been buried resurfaced, and the young dragon could feel himself breaking down. His sight drifted to Morgana, and an intense feeling of hatred surfaced. Hargred wanted to rush in, to rip her heart out with his bare hands, and hold it high for the world to see, he wished to do-
“That’s quite enough, Witch.” Ragnir’s voice boomed. “Have you no shame, speaking to a child in such a vile manner? Your Empire murdered a dragon, and manipulated her kin to become your personal weapon, and you would dare to accuse him of crimes he had no choice in committing?” Ragnir declared, placing his hand on Hargred’s head to comfort him. “The youth hold an endless amount of potential, and I will create a world in which they will thrive!” Ragnir yelled.
“I’m tired of hearing all of this morally correct mish mash!” Morgana complained, pointing her blade towards Ragnir. The hand's demonic knight rushed towards Ragnir, who blocked the attack handily, and pushed the summon out of the way.
“Do not underestimate Morgana or her summon. She herself is good with a blade, and slippery to catch, and that knight will protect her with his life!” Ragnir quickly said, before charging into the fray.

 

[Nessi]

The Knight

The knight dodged both Ryushi, and Chrome’s attacks with a kind of elegance some dreamed of having. With the vampire having launched himself a considerable distance away from him, the knight focused on Ryushi, kicking the poor summon’s knee inward, before skewering one of his blades through his mouth.
“Perhaps, that will teach you to hold your tongue.” The knight remarked.
Suddenly, golden swords surrounded the knight, and all went to attack him. But as before, the moment these swords of light impacted him, a transformation was triggered, and after a flash of light, the knight was now in his new form, with silver armor, and a ring of light behind him. In a blink of an eye, the knight avoided Khaity’s attack, and with a single strike, knocked her away from the group.

“The pack leader is gone…now…” The knight muttered to himself. He dashed again, this time appearing behind Kaida. But before he could land an attack, Eleanor would swing her golden sword at him, forcing him to retreat.
“I’ve got yer back Kaida, just focus on whatever your doin!” She affirmed.
As Eleanor spoke, the knight was already back on the move, charging towards Tiberius in an attempt to strike him while he’s still down.

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Huang San

As the Knight charges towards Tiberius, he senses a sudden blow coming for him in the rushing of the wind from a blind spot- But he is an experienced, veteran warrior. He responds to it of course. But as he does, he will realize it is but a copy of the Ruyi, thrown at him like a javelin- He could bat it aside and continue his attack upon Tiberius without too much trouble.

But the split-second he took to respond to the thrown weapon was one too many.

Between the Knight's legs, the Ruyi has extended- Huang San guiding the power of the divine weapon to stretch out across the battlefield. There's a shift in its power, as it turns from an iron staff to a hoe. The Knight realizes Huang San's plan perhaps a little too late, as Huang San speaks a single word, and pulls to hook the Knight's leg.

"RETRACT."

And so Huang San tries to break the Knight's footing in a single swoop.

 

[LazyDaze]

AAXIR THE RED

Interactions:
Mentions: The people fighting with me LOL

Aaxir landed after he and Polux landed what appeared to be effective hits. He looked upon is blade, it's own black luster staring back at him, as if they were both questioning if the other was defective. While it was good to know that he could break through his defenses, Aaxir found it concerning that he couldn't cleave through his limbs at even that speed. Given that the knight was completely off guard, the minimal damage of the successful hit gave Aaxir an idea of the strength of the opponent. He was strong...."Of course this won't be easy."

The knight fended off the remaining party while Khatiy gave a warning in regards to the enemy, but a blue Narwal sized middle finger to it all came crashing down on the summoned knight before they could make good on her history lesson.

"Rohen!" Aaxir growled as he ran his fingers through his hair. Aaxir took a step forward, worried about the allies who were still in the air, but thanks to Rohen's terraforming ability he was able to continually target the elemental knight without harming anyone else. That was when it happened once more, the knight transformed. The spear was replaced by dual blades, his burning armor cooled to a calming blue as his eyes mimicked the ocean. Given that the last attack was water based, it was official...the knight was adapting to their magic. Khatiy then engaged the enemy head on, dissecting the mechanics of the enemy and offering a sound strategy with ease...it was a decent plan but...

"Sorry, Khatiy there was only one person that could boss me around," Aaxir said with a smile as he began building up mana for his next attack. Ironicially, Rohen might have had the right idea. After his quick tandem attack with Polux, Aaxir was sure of it...there was no way in hell they could overwhelm him physically not in time anyway. Their enemy was Morgana and her army. If they took too long here then Jorvik would be overwhelmed. All Aaxir needed was an opening, if he could-

"I'm bored..."

"...Pele......are you a child?"

"Ahem....I couldn't help but notice.....you're not incinerating this iron doll...do you hate me?"

The knight in this calmer state sidestepped Chrome and punished Kaida's summon ruthlessly. The way he handled their attacks would give anyone pause when it came to close combat with him in this form. He was as fluid as water, moving and countering the hero's party. It wasn't just an elemental change after all; it appeared to change fighting styles as well. Perhaps it coincided with the elemental change, or maybe he could combine different styles and elements altogether.

"Really?...You're doing this now?"

"....Kill the white faced bucket....use the power I granted you. How else will the people of Jorvik thank me for my benevolence?"

As if the knight himself wanted to retort as to why this would be a horrible idea the knight transformed upon receiving Khatiy's latest attack. For a moment Aaxir hesitated, wondering what element it would be this time, or if it would be a combination. It was hard to completely tell at first, but it appeared to be light based as it began to wreak havoc on the party, knocking Khatiy back and moving at a speed befitting someone who took on the properties of light.

"...It adapts...," Aaxir said flatly with the slightest tone of annoyance trying not to break his concentration.

"Hmph, and what does that have to do with me? I am the great Tutu Pele! None stand before my might and all corners of the world will shout my-"

"No."

"HMPH"

"You're being ridic-"

"*clears throat*.........H-M-P-H"

Aaxir mumbled several curses as he took off to the skies, fully transforming once more. He had enough problems to deal with outside of Tutu Pele's mood swings. Seriously, she was truly a troublesome goddess. Thankfully, the knight seemed to be preoccupied with the other heroes, so Aaxir would have to capitalize on the opportunity mood swing or not.

".......Let's see.....the other heroes wouldn't be able to match your power? Only I, your chosen warrior, would survive?"

".....Why did you phrase it like a question?" Tutu Pele said while squinting her eyes in order to stare through Aaxir's soul. She eventually sighed, giving in to her ego once more while waving Aaxir off. "I will give it a one time pass darling. You're correct...save my abilities until you actually need them. I'm still certain there is a way I can still be useful, but by all means do not cheapen my great power by allowing this imitator to use them...yes that's it, I would not stand for a cheap imitation. Just use your head darling no matter how hard that might be."

"....Did you just call me stupid?"

".....defeat this minion and move on to bigger better things."

"(She avoided the question) I was going to do that anyway," Aaxir said with a grin just before transforming back into his dragon form. It was ready and he couldn't afford to miss. The knight darted toward Kaida, but Eleanor was even quicker, forcing the knight to retreat and change it's target to Tiberius. "Tiberius, attack" Aaxir thought to himself. If Tiberius, or the others noticed the nature of Aaxir's attack then they might be able to gain the upper hand on the knight. His emerald flames burned through his mouth as Aaxir braced himself to release the attack. Given the speed of the knight, Aaxir would be sure to cover a wider area that even included his comrades, but they would be safe. Normally, this attack would incinerate his enemies, but for this particular opponent Aaxir, thanks to Khatiy's diagnosis, would heal the undead soldier as well. With any luck, the knight would have wished he didn't target Tiberius who would be able to move freely within Aaxir's flame. Finally, with a great burst of energy, Aaxir opened his mouth and unleashed his dragonic magic on the battlefield as a torrent of emerald colored flames descended upon allies and enemy alike yet burning nothing, but finding its target hoping the dead would find peace.

 

[CasualTea]

Rohen Xiong

CS Link

TIME:

[REDACTED]

LOCATION:

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Notable Mentions:

Aaxir, Khatiy

Burning Light

She was tired now. She can barely hold her form by herself and she was already feeling fatigued due to an regurgitated stomach. For this fight, Khatiy was leading the party as she shared her observations and plans with the rest. Some followed along, others seemed to have plans of her own. It didn't help that she was also ordering Rohen around, even while she was seeing stars. "Give me a fuckin' break... That mass redirection is not something I can walk off in this state. Fucking teleportation..." She complained before she yet witnessed another magic being used in the fight.

Light.

God. Fucking. Dammit. She has to watch this guy change again?! It took another form, that's for sure. But now it's taken on its properties and its speed just increased, dodging Khatiy's attack and swatting her away. A challenge for sure, but an annoying one at that. She pondered her options before she recounted all that's happened in this fight. When it was first exposed to fire, it adapted to that element. When it was exposed to water, it adapted as well. Khatiy offered the idea to use multiple elements to try and counter this annoying gimmick. Now that it was in its Light form, surely she can put her own theory to use. "Alright then... Zhè huì---"

She cut herself once more as a wave of emerald flames covered the whole battlefield. She thought she would get burned but... Now she feels better? She doesn't feel her fatigue anymore and no sensation to throw up. This feels... Invigorated. She ought to thank Aaxir later but now that she thinks about it, her options are once more limited again. She can use her water, sure. It will deal damage against the knight but it will put out the healing flames that Aaxir is using. Since it covers the whole battlefield too, the knight must being taking some negative effects by it or else Aaxir would never have covered the whole field. She soon lets out a sigh before dissipating her water and letting it evaporate into the air. There's literally only one thing she can do as she looked down almost fed up with everything. "Fine. I'll test it myself."

She popped open a mana potion with an odd color to it. Bottoms up, closing her eyes as she drunk it. The bottle is now emptied. Her eyes shot open as an angered expression came onto her person in a mere moment. Throwing the empty glass bottle to the side and letting it shatter, she breathed heavily almost getting used to the effects. What she took was a modified mana potion which shot up her adrenaline to make her very aggressive. Raising her left metal arm, she swung it down while incanting. "Míngliàng de ránshāo!!" She then shot out a flame from the side of her arm which shaped itself into an axe-blade form. She put her sword against the fire near the sword's hilt and quickly ran it through, coating her sword with the same fire her arm-blade has. A dark crimson flame emitted from her weapons before she took step forward and charged towards the knight, letting out a battle-cry that would take Olrodian soldiers by surprise as it rung out throughout the battlefield.

"Hurgh.. HAAaaa..!! RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!"

No words were spoken from the young mercenary. Just the unfiltered, unadulterated rage she kept bottled up inside somewhere finally forced opened to unleash upon her target. As she ran, her sword would graze the ground but the flames would cut into it leaving behind a deep fiery trail behind before leaping and preparing the strike at the knight's neck directly with her arm-blade. Whether it'll be effective or not, experience will tell. If it wasn't she'll make it effective via multiple strikes into his neck. Nothing hurts more than getting repeatedly punched in the neck while also getting stabbed. She hears the nape is a great place to cause some crippling damage.

 

[Nano]

Enthyskana Rhoda

Interactions: Nessi (Hargred) | Everyone present

Mentions: --

Rhoda. How many people still recognized that name? Stories from her childhood and the name she carried deeply engraved the ancient dragon’s legacy into her memories, but she couldn’t help but wish for that accursed name to die out and never return. In far simpler times, she recalls looking upon her heritage with a sparkle in her eyes. The young hatchling had even burst into unplacatable sobs when her older brother had teasingly stated she’d never be like Rhoda due to failing to inherit her magic. However, the Enthyskana of the present could only see that name as a curse. She forgave the humans, but she neither forgot the greed and enmity that executed her kin nor the foolish beliefs that had led to their downfall. The dragons who left Arden had seen the legend for what it was: a dangerous story that romanticized a bond in an era where that friendship shouldn’t be blindly given. It just so happened that her family had been naive enough to pay the price for assuming nothing had changed. What had once been her favorite tale only amounted to making the taste of Arden’s betrayal all the more bitter.

Failure of Rhoda? She didn’t disagree, not after she’d failed to protect the city that her ancestor had held so dear. That didn’t mean she couldn’t scoff at the irony of someone as depraved as Morgana being the one to say it. Even more so when she heard the rest of the drivel from the hand’s mouth.

Was it due to past grievances, or was the witch simply spiteful enough to say whatever was on her mind? Though it didn’t make sense for Morgana to berate Hargred the way she did considering it was more advantageous for the dragon to return back to her side, Enthy’s focus remained on the contents of her words. The more she heard, the tighter her grip on her sword became. Nothing would change Hargred’s past actions, but her feelings of tolerating him out of a sense of duty gradually made way for a smattering of sympathy that grew the more she witnessed his distress. Were all dragons who dared venture out of Faunus’s sanctuary simply doomed to such horrible fates?

“Morally correct mish mash or not, I’m tired of hearing about my kind being treated like objects,”

Enthy said, her voice laced with ice. In the same breath, she muttered an incantation and swung her hand forward. Rays of light coalesced into golden chains which grabbed at the weapon and limbs of the summon that Ragnir had pushed aside. Her sword remained ready by her side in case the summon broke through and she needed to cast another incantation to set up a barrier.

Her attention never left the summon as she pulled at the chains, and she didn’t move to offer Hargred the physical comfort that Ragnir had provided him. However, she made sure that her voice carried itself to the ears of the distressed child.

“You said you desire peace and that you want to change, but attacking Morgana in a blind rage won’t change anything. Are you unloved or a pathetic dog because someone says you are? The best way to get back at her is by proving her wrong. So keep thinking. Think until you know who to trust, who not to trust, what kind of future you want, and why you want to change. Tell me. Are you a weapon or a person, Hargred?”

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Tiberius Helvian, Longinus

The spatha went low and hard from right to left, its blade slicing, but the steel edge only bit Jorvik's war-torn cold air. The knight, showing reflexes as every bit as keen as the gladiator's, threw his head forward to avoid the decapitating strike. Tiberius had just enough time, measured in seconds, to appreciate the commitment before the enemy tossed him away. It was almost like being launched by a ballista. Tiberius twisted, spurred by his arms and torso, bringing his shield up in time to impact the ground with a mighty thud then bouncing once more with a crooked trail of snow behind him. There was a scrape of metal as Tiberius was driven into the ground, shield grating against the rocky surface underneath, piling a mound to cushion his head. For all his woeful moaning, the knight's movements were well-considered and honed. He found himself respecting the display, it reminded him of all the mock-battles he conducted with another entertainer in the arena. The gladiator rolled to his belly, plunging the spatha into the dirt for stability.

He shook the striated lines of snow off his helm, shooting up to glimpse outré battle before him with his dull, blue eyes, all the while his muscles screamed at him in abject agony. He had braced his entire body to absorb the impact. The leather-clad warrior breathed through the links of his chainmail, frost coating his hot breath as it shoots out, regaining his feet and battle stance at once. Again, the wrath in him boiled beneath the thin veneer of his obsidian mind. Bubbling molten fury. Again, he was made aware of this fact, by himself, but drew another breath instead. Longer. Deeper. Letting the gelid air in his lungs. Cooling and slowing down his racing pulse, the warm blood accelerated by the frantic heat and speed of battle, forced upon his living soul by everything. The madness brought to them, the people of Jorvik, and Ragnir's family by that mad Hand, Morgana. The desecration of their former allies' bodies — snapping their bones, resculpting their flesh to be obedient, mindless meat puppets. His throat caught with the last breath, but he felt his heart still with patience at last.

He raised his shield, knowing that the knight would soon turn his sights on him, staring at him over the top of his shield. He clenched the handle of his spatha, the heavy brown leather and grey helm's depth, obscuring his scarred features, giving him a spectral air. For a moment, Tiberius' feet shuffled to move on instinct as the knight barreled towards the fox sage. Kaida had been his target, and Tiberius felt a wont to intervene, but he trusted Eleanor. Trusting his peers. The warrior of light frustrated the ghoulish knight's attempt, forcing him to redirect his attention to Tiberius after a brief retreat. The gladiator rolled the spatha with his wrist. The foe came storming through the snow, splitting it in his path like wings of melting feathers. Not yet. Not yet, Tiberius cautioned. Closer, closer. He bade the knight's charging form. In his peripheries, he spotted Huang and Aaxir formulating and executing their own plans. He gave a single nod.

No pause, no hesitation. As the slaved soul's attack lanced forwards Tiberius spun away, feet quickened by the darkness within. If Tiberius had mistimed, he would not have escaped the knight's path or would find himself dead on his spear. Then a tidal wave of emerald flame rolled over the snow-tipped battlefield, the gladiator had reflexively braced his shield to deflect the flames, however, he found himself rejuvented — the fire in his muscles quieted by the fire without. He had realized that this was Aaxir, The Red's work. The wind howled sharply, fanning the flames higher, bathing Tiberius in the soft jade glow. Seizing the opportunity, he charged through the blazing fires. Pulling his right side behind him, Tiberius pointed the spatha point backwards and channeled the dark energies of his God. Darkness flitted about, impossibly immune to the light, his blade, congealing into a mass then lancing out like an umbral tendril, coiling and twisting. It shot Tiberius to the knight, shield facing him as he pulled his spatha back. Tiberius' breathing rasped through his helm as he leapt onto the knight's armoured thigh, one foot pinning onto the cuisse then he lunged up, spatha outstretched, and aimed at the knight's neck. He did so with a roar of his own, shaking the moaning wind around them, driving all the strength he could muster into the movement, ruining the silence that he so enjoys.

Behind them, the thumping of armoured footfalls grew louder and louder. Crunching snow in his wake, dragging the head of his wicked mace through the snow, Polux had been sprinting for the knight. Then he jumped. The dreadful heft soared with frightening speed through the air, raising his maul to deliver an overhand blow. Tiberius from the front, Polux from above and behind, crashing to meet in the middle of the knight's head like a rock between twin waves.

Interactions: Nessi
Mentions: LazyDaze Kibaa (Khatiy, although only implied with the battle) and the rest of the peeps jumping this massive unit.

 

[Kibaa]

Khatiy

Khatiy had wisely anticipated that the Knight may adapt to her specialized magic, but had made no mention of that possibility to the party, for in her own thoughts, it wouldn't matter, if all went according to plan. If the party was able to quickly follow up with ensuing elemental attacks, then all would have gone perfectly, and Khatiy would have fulfilled her role of distracting the enemy either which way. Instead, however, the Knight was quicker, faster than the party was able to coordinate and execute their plan of attack, he threw himself like a wrench into a gear, disrupting their coordination with surgical individual attacks. It was not that Khatiy had underestimated the enemy, no, for she had been the one to warn the party not to do such a thing-- rather, perhaps she expected too much of her allies too quickly, an irrealistic plan that perhaps could have been executed better with just a little more time and a little more preparation.

With masterful grace, the Usaaman commanded her heavy, heavenly swords through the wintery air, clashing against metal. But, she had left herself vulnerable in the meantime, needing to use both hands to wield her magic, unable to defend herself. Normally, she had the party's frontliners to protect her, Chrome, Huang San, Eleanor and Tiberius-- but in the party's current state, there was a lot of disarray, and perhaps Khatiy had not expected herself to be targetted. She was usually one who was expert at staying out of trouble, relying on her inhuman speed and battlefield awareness to avoid the enemy. Today, it seemed, was not her day however, as the Knight used the very light she had summoned against her, by absoring it and utilizing his newfound light abilities to blink right into the party's backline, knocking Khatiy away with a savage blow that sent her shooting through the air like a baseball, away into the distant piles of snow with a concerning trail of blood left in her wake. Darkness and the frigid cold was all she felt as her body crashed into the hill, buried now by ice and snow. Deep inside of her, the voice of a monster spoke lowly, manifesting in the darkness...

...

"Alone again, young Sultan... When will you realize it? You will never be able to rely on others... It brings only weakness."
"Lady Bastet says that the Heroes are my friends."
"Trust not the lies of that Witch! Trust none of them! When have you ever been able to rely on them? What has that ever gained you? And what of the brat, Arlux? How she brought only ruin! No! I am the only one you can trust. You.. And I.. We.. are.. Power... We.. are.. Everything."
"You, and I.. It has always been us."
"Yeeesss... The Heroes.. Lady Bastet.. They only hold you back, young Sultan... You have allowed your attachments to them make you weak. Stagnant. They have sealed me away from you.. But am I not your source of power? Unleash me!"
"No. You forget your place, demon. Perhaps it is true that you and I are both monsters. But there is a difference between you and I. I do not need you. YOU need me. And the heroes... Need me too. So I will do it myself! As I always have!"
...

A powerful eruption of mana sprouts loudly from the distant snow hill, melted away by a wave of hot, uncontrolled fire that revealed the sight of a mangled-looking Khatiy. Her crown had come undone, bent and dangling from one side of her head, letting loose her ridiculously long, dark hair as it flowed gently upon the wind.
"You disgusting, decrepit old MUMMY! How dare you lay your unworthy hand upon me?!"
Khatiy roared, her voice emitting nothing short of raw fury, her breath letting out short, cloudy bursts of orange fire that were manifestation of her red rage. Around her body, bits of fire flowed in unnatural patterns, and it was immediately evident to the more experienced mages of the party that Khatiy was not in full control of herself right now. She was seeing red, her very fury causing mana to ooze out of her unwantingly, a very dangerous phenomenon that could result in either herself or someone else getting hurt. Her body was casting fire without her event channeling the mana to do so, and so it was clear that Khatiy was not completely lucid right now.

Khatiy had always been a hot-head, that much had always been known to the party, but she seemed especially irrate at this point, and it was probably easy to tell why. In all of their years working together, had any of the Heroes actually ever seen Khatiy get hit? By anything? The answer was probably no. As a support archetype Hero, Khatiy was not one who was used to taking hits. Perhaps, it had been more than a decade since an enemy had last landed a blow on her. Not because she was immune to damage or anything like that, rather, it's just she was quite good at staying out of danger Her positioning in battles tends to be impeccable, always wary of her surroundings, of where her sturdier teammates are and what they are doing, and what dangers lay ahead. She specialized in supporting her allies from safe distances, only ever relying on her weapons when needed, in a pinch. That is why she always seems angry whenever she must use the legendary Khopesh of Amanirenas on lesser enemies, as was the case a few days ago when Hargred and the nightmare horde had descended upon the Heroes in the snowy woods outside of Hofn. This was not to say that Khatiy was inept at combat, not at all. She was as lethal of a swordswoman as they come, and she alone was capable of laying waste to entire armies if need be. She had done so in the past, in Alkebu-lan earning her the fabled moniker; Demon of Usaama. But, whether out of laziness, or wisdom, she was someone who avoided direct combat at all costs if possible, and so it had caught her terribly off guard that the knight had landed such a critical blow on her.

Blood dripped concerningly from her busted lip, painting the white snow beneath with drops of crimson. But the image of her was hard to catch, because she moved with swiftness, with wind-like speed. Bursting with wanton fury, Khatiy exploded forwards, zooming towards the Knight and the party like a rocket out of control, with two small jets of raw fire propelling her at breakneck speed back towards the battlefield.
...
From afar, upon the palisades of Hofn, a black cat and a winged Sphinx Guardian watched the ensuing battle with much curiosity.
"You were a fool, Ter Cit. Look at what you have done to her. Actions have consequences. You should never have allowed the sprite Nelumba to tamper with Lady Khatiy's circuits. You acted selfishly!"
The sphinx remained quiet for a moment, before retorting...
"Perhaps it was you and Deemeetheresu who were the selfish ones... When you planted that monstrous spirit mutant inside of her. You of all people should know the dangers of what can happen when spiritual energies are split into smaller parts, mother."
The Black Cat exploded with anger.
"I will not be compared to the likes of an unwise mortal by my own son! You know that he acted upon his own accord, so kindly leave me out of his machinations of the past. I have done everything I can to right his wrongs-- but you have set all of that back by 10 years!"
...

A fury-fueled rocket zoomed towards the knight with dangerous speed, scorching through the snow as it entered Aaxir's field of healing fire.
"I will have BOTH of your hands for that, you zombified tin can! How dare you?! I am the Blood of Sarpanitum! And I will feed your entrails to the Man-Eaters of the Great River!" Khatiy roared as she zipped through the snow, shaking the Sistrum of Bastet loudly. It just so happens that the Knight may have been able to recognize the name that Khatiy spoke. He was a Knight from ancient times, and Sarpanitum was once a noblewoman of old, too, who lived somewhere between Alkebu-lan, Aztlan, and Kalmar. She had once been rumored to be a descendant of Queen Amanirenas of Pyla. Not that any of this information was important to anyone who doesn't actually care about noble lineages. Nevertheless, Khatiy's words were extremely uncharacteristic of her, it was clear that she was not completely herself right now. Normally, she was extremely respecftul and understanding towards Spirits and Summons, and her approach to battling them was extremely calculated. No summon has ever been a match for her, she has bested them all and captured some of the strongest ones herself-- up until now, at least. Would she make it out of this battle alive?

"Savanna Art: Sacred Beast Charge!" As Khatiy zoomed foward, her mana began to pool in front of her in beastly fashion, molding and manifesting into what looked like a massive rhinocerous horn that was clearly meant to pummel right into the Knight in a savage head-butt.
"Now, Ter Fuzen!
Azuzema Secret Technique: Beast Trap Floor!"
As she finished ringing her sistrum, it became Ter Fuzen's turn to act, who had seemingly disappeared from the battle-field ever since Khatiy had started to cast her light swords. Suddenly, his fate had been revealed, as he sprung up from the snow right at the Knight's feet! And, he was not alone. For his distant relatives had now joined the fray upon Khatiy's signal. It was Salbjorg, the Tundra Fang, erupting out from the snowy floor and springing their trap, her massive saber-tusks gleaming in the sunlight. She was accompanied by her two sons, Hrein and Skard, and together, alongside Ter Fuzen, the four Children of Bastet sprang their trap and dogpiled one of the Knight's legs, targetting one leg while Huang San sought to hook the other with his hoe. In one fell motion, all four of the feline champions now attempt to chomp their powerful teeth into the Knight's leg, ankle, and foot, hoping to lock him down, if even for a second, to allow the party to land more attacks. Ter Fuzen's own small teeth were lined with silver from Khatiy's Silver Armory, but the silver itself had been dispelled of magical property so that it would not trigger another transformation from the knight, while the Hofn tigers' teeth were already large and powerful enough to puncture armor.

With her target in sight, Khatiy continued her forward burst, aiming to crash her Beast Charge art right into the Knight's square chest, having the wisdom to also dispell all of the fire that had been surrounding her up until this point so that the knight would not transform when touched by it.

But.. The Beast Charge had only been a secondary distraction. Alas, at the very last second, Khatiy would halt, removing herself from the mana jetstream that was shooting forward in the shape of a Rhinocerous horn, unworried about whether it would hit or not. As her real attack would be revealed now, leaping into the air with an incredibly powerful jump, sommersaulting gracefully through the wind as she clasped both of her fists together, charging her mana again. "Sage Art: Gorilla Super-Ngoma!" Mana radiated from the Alkebu warrior as her sage tattoos shone brightly upon the skin of her cheeks and neck, drawing immense power from Carmen Brio's mana orchestra.. And two colossal gorilla fists manifest from Khatiy's hands, which she clasps together aggressively as she sommersaults through the air towards the knight, aiming to clobber those fists down onto the knight with animalistic might. Even so, Khatiy still kept in mind the party's ultimate goal. The Knight must be defeated at all costs, as quickly as possible, and even if her attack would not be the one to finish the Knight, she was still buying valuable time for Kaida to finish calling upon a ranged champion, and buying time for the rest of the party to move in for a killing blow if they could, perhaps even opening up an opportunity for Rohen to strike at the Knight's neck, or for Tiberius and Pollux to sieze its head.




Mentions: Eleanor Nessi Nelumba Dawnsx Huang San ThatWhichShouldBe Kaida Beann Tiberius & Pollux Worthlessplebian Rohen CasualTea

 

[Bloody_Death]

KAI NAKAYAMA

The ride back into the city was a quick one thanks to Granny! Thankfully, when they arrived the king was still standing. He couldn't say much for the village and the soldiers. What a terrible battle. And it has barely begun. The peak of the battle was just beginning. He quickly moved off of Yi Nuo and tried his best to salvage the situation and the lives around him. Healing up the soldiers closest to the king. Making sure they were well enough to keep fighting their best to protect the king. And the few wounds that the king himself had. Which was, thankfully, not as bad as he had imagined. However, what he wasn't expecting was to see Hargred coming out here of all places.

"What!? Wanga! Did you let him out? Why is he here?"

"The young pup said he wanted to help. He's earnest enough to probably not betray you all. Those other dragons and the strong man seemed to have gotten through to him." Wanga didn't seem as confident as usual, but it did seem like he had faith. Kai...personally didn't agree with letting the young dragon back out. Not when another one of his hands was here. Sure there was the chance that he would betray them. But he was more afraid for Hargred himself! Was he just going to announce that he was leaving the empire? They're going to headhunt this kid if they learn he's alive and willingly leaving the empire! Something told him Tiryan wouldn't take too kindly to traitors.

And soon his fears would be turned true. The way Morgana tore into the young dragon's life. Spoke to him like he was of less value than cattle. Reduced him to tears? It's terrible. That this elite team of people is just able to treat each other like this. Yet he can't even say he's surprised. "You still think this was a good idea?" Kai spoke with a frown.

But he was thankful that Ragnir seemed to not only trust in Hargred but also try to encourage and comfort him. But in a way, if anything was really going to inspire Hargred to leave his old existence and start trying to live a real life of his own, it was going to be this wake-up call. "What a terrible woman..." Kai mumbled to himself. Even the most vile of fairy tale villains had more humanity than this.

He listened to Wanga as he told him about what Hargred had hoped to do and change by coming here. It only reassured him more that this was someone who deserved another chance to fix his mistakes and be given a chance to live an actual life. He watched as the king pushed forward towards the enemy before coming from behind to where Hargred stood. He nodded in agreement with Enthy's words. And while he knew that just charging at Morgana wouldn't do anything good...he would have really liked to see her get pounded into a bloody pulp. But we'll shove those dark thoughts away.

He approached the young dragon. Standing beside him he watched his allies, surroundings, and the soldiers carefully as they began engaging in combat once again. "I personally wouldn't have wanted things to play out like this. But the truth being laid out right in front of you by your former comrade makes it a lot clearer, huh? There was no life back there. And there is no life waiting for you if you choose to go back. Simply being alive does not count as living. The things that you want to do and achieve can't ever be done there." He spoke like it was a matter of fact. Glancing over and giving a small poke at his shoulder. "You want to protect people, right? That's what Wanga told me. So, do it. You can't change what you did or what happened, but you can choose what you want to do now and try and make amends with your past. Who you want to help and what you think is the right way to achieve those goals are within your hands. Those around you now, only wish to help guide you not control you. You are not a dog. Not a tool or a slave. You are Hargred. A proud dragon. A person with great morals. And someone who can and will be loved." He flashed him a bright smile.

"Wanga might not trust you fully, but he does like you. I enjoyed our time in the garden as well. Not to mention that Enthy and Aaxir treat you better than some of the people they've been fighting with for years." That last part came out more like a teasing jab. But it was definitely true. But if he had to guess, it probably was because they could relate or understand him in a way.

---

Interactions: Nessi (Yi Nuo, Ragnir, Hargred, & Morgana) || Nano (Enthy)

Mentions: Dawnsx (Nel)

 

[Nessi]

The Knight

The knight felt his balance break as he suddenly fell to the ground. Huang San’s attack proved effective, and before the knight could punish the farmer, his other leg would fall under fire from multiple big cats.
“The pack has taken me down…” the knight remarked. Before he could say anything further however, green flames would wash over him. Instantly, the knight realized that the flames were meant to heal, rather than burn, but could do nothing but brace himself as best as possible. The force of Aaxir’s attack pushed the knight backwards, and the pain was comparable to that of being doused in regular flames. Yet the knight did not make a sound, rather, analyzing the situation he was currently in. He was being attacked from mostly all directions, these wolves intended to end him right here, and right now.

“Come forth,” the knight started, taking a low stance with his blade. “From the heavens; Swords of Revealing Light.” he announced. To everyone's surprise, Khaity’s spell would activate, now being turned against the heroes. Blades of light would surround Aaxir specifically, focusing his weak points just as it had done to him a few moments ago. Then, in the blink of an eye, the knight was now directly in front of the red dragon, and with a powerful uppercut, shut the dragon's maw up, and ending Aaxir’s verdant assault.
“Rejoice, young wolf. You hold great strength, but even the strongest sword in the hands of a novice, will be useless.” the knight said softly. The knight quickly brought his blade down upon the side of Aaxir’s head. The red dragon's scales protected him from the cut, however Aaxir could still feel his head rattle from the impact.

With Aaxir slightly discombobulated, the knight raised his sword skyward, causing light to shoot from his sword. While the specifics were unknown, it was clear that he was charging up an attack, one that would wipe the heroes if they didn’t act quickly.

 

[Dawnsx]

Nelumba

Interactions: Nano

Mentions: Bloody_Death

“Broken… fae?” Nel repeated as her wings lifted her off of Granny’s back. She was pretty sure that Morgana was referring to her with that comment, but that couldn’t be right! She looked down at her legs, twirled her wrists, and patted her cheeks. “No, ma’am! I can assure you that no bones are broken here!”

If anything was getting broken around here, it was gonna be Morgana’s army! That, and Hargred’s spirit! Poor boo looked like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to cry or bite someone’s throat out, and it looked kinda like how Nel felt after she burned up Lycoris’s body! She’d been sooo mad at the whole entire world and herself, and so sad too!

Thankfully, Shiva taught her that she could do good things, like making sure other people didn’t have to feel the same way she did!

By the look of things, Hargred wanted to be able to do the same thing, but that mean old cow of a woman was trying to talk him out of it! Phooey!

Nel cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, ”Heya, Hargred! Enthy and Kai are right! You’re plenty cute and strong, so I betcha you’d make a great Champion! We can do lotsa good things together!”

Now she just had to make sure Morgana couldn’t try and talk Hargred out of joining the Heroes, which meant shutting her up for good!

“Enthy, our allies are gonna need a barrier! To protect them! From me!”

All of her training with Fel had paid off. Her ice bubble was formed almost as quickly as she could summon her water blades. She would cup it carefully until Enthy was ready with the barrier, before pitching it toward the bound knight like a baseball.

 

[OldTurtle]

Fel Petri

Interactions: Nessi (The Knight)

Mentions:

Fel's calm drained away as he felt his flames escape his control, growing larger and brighter. The bright blues burned away, replaced with a brilliant, garish gold that had the elven mage almost frothing at the mouth in anger.

How dare -- How dare this base, brainless minion lay its grubby little paws on his magic? If there was anything Fel hated more than idiots, Tiryan, bookworms, the overgrown bramble patch below his window back home, bluejays, Ayao's lectures, illegible penmanship, hangnails, watercress, and getting snow in his boots, it was thieves. He bristled with indignation. Yes, this was an offense of the greatest degee.

The knight emerged from the fire not just unscatched, but completely transformed. The golden flames adorned its armor and weapons as if flaunting the ease with which it had stolen his magic away. It was apparent at once what had ocurred, but the mage failed to grasp how. As Huang San stepped in to redirect the knight before it could close in on him, Fel took the opportunity to temporarily set aside his seething rage and observe its behavior. The more physically-inclined heroes -- chiefly Aaxir and Tiberius -- joined in the assault, their blades glinting in the light of the knight's flames.

"Stay your magic, Fel!" A sharp voice cried from the side. "Do not be deceived by its knightly appearance, the enemy is well-versed in elemental combat. It may turn our magic against us -- proceed with physical attacks! His armor is not impenetrable!"

"Yes, yes," he grumbled under his breath, half to himself. "It isn't as if I possess a functioning sense of sight and reason or anything. No, I need to have the obvious explained to me with nice, little painted illustrations to the side for assisstance." He shot Khatiy a cross look as she joined the engagement but nonetheless complied. Despite the litany of complaints about her he could recite at any given moment, the sultaness was the heroes' foremost expert on summoning. Her experience carried some weight, and she was the most likely of them all to quickly perceive the knight's functions.

Somewhere in the back, the sound of instruments filled the air, violins, cellos, flutes, horns, trumpets, and many more blending seamlessly into a piece of epic proportions. As the music flowed, the hairs on the back of Fel's arms rose. A deep, thrumming energy filled his veins, washing away any lingering fatigue from the prior battle. Carmen's handiwork, of course. The younger man's magic was always an extraordinary experience and the sudden excess of mana demanded he spend it, protesting when the mage clamped down firmly.

Another magical attack -- already leveled prior to Khatiy's warning -- crashed down on the knight. It emerged much like the previous time, but now clad in a new set of armor and wielding pair of matching blades. It seemed most likely that it did indeed absorb its opponents' magic (upon physical contact? a certain radius?) to turn against them . Fel supposed there was a slim chance this only applied to a subset of all attacks -- whether that set be defined by form or element -- but knowing Morgana's caliber as a summoner, he doubted she'd settle for such a limited weapon. That being said, he was similarly confident there was some sort of imperfection to abuse.

All magic was, by nature, deficient. Had there ever been a flawless magic, some spell with no weakness or counter, then its user would have long since surpassed the bounds of mortality, of spirithood, even of divinity itself. They certainly wouldn't be a dead husk puppetted by a puppet herself, a sadistic, worthless, half-baked embarrassment of a mage who compensated for her lack of friends by finding summons physically incapable of leaving her and -- oh, he was getting off track again.

...She also looked thirty years older than she was and should've considered dyeing her hair so it didn't seem like she was prematurely greying already.

"--Fel!" Rohen's voice cut through the mage's mental tirade. He glanced to the cloaked woman, who already seemed a bit woozy. "Get another fire cast going, light his ass on fire! As brain dead as it sounds, no shot he'll be ready to adapt to fire again. Let's put it to the test!"

Fel looked her up and down and sighed. "I don't see how you could've possibly come to that conclusion already, but fine. In any case, I doubt it could make anything worse."

The heady rush of flowing mana filled his body again and Fel summoned forth a palmful of flickering flames. As he steadily fed them in preparation, the othe heroes continued their assault with little result. Khatiy took on the role as their makeshift leader, her background with summoning no doubt well-informing her decisions. Her directions were quick and precise, easily picking apart the knight's features to determine vulnerabilities in its new set of armor and style. It was good to see her apply herself with great vigor after these past few days, even if the circumstances were less than ideal. Her magic, too, was largely a new development. Nel's treatments had gone swimmingly, if what Fel saw now was any indication.

That being said, was this really the best plan? Yes, immobilizing the knight to allow their physical fighters to get close was a great idea, and light magic was usually incredibly effective against the undead, but Fel did not relish the thought of introducing more magic into the mix now. Metal magic doubly so, though by engaging her conjured blades against the knight's, Khatiy wasn't technically bringing it too close to it.

And then she decided to fuse them together.

"Wait, you--"

It was too late by then. Khatiy had launched her assault and the knight hadn't avoided them at all. A burst of light heralded another transformation and before Fel had even managed to register its new form, it knocked Khatiy across the clearing in only a single blow. As the woman ragdolled through the air, he found himself wishing it had happened before she'd given it a new form.

The magic in Fel's hands shifted and changed. Wielding light magic, the knight was swifter than most flames he could cast. It was, perhaps, among the worst options for him under these circumstances. A new plan would need to be drafted, one that did not rely so heavily on instruction from the woman that was now charging across the frozen earth like a maddened boar. As he searched for options, the heroes rallied again, dogpiling the knight once more. Aaxir's verdant flames washed across the battlefield, filling his allies with strength again and Huang San and Khatiy's pincer maneuver brought the towering behemoth down to his knees. Most notably, contact with the red dragon's magic did not induce another transformation in the knight. Was it an active choice? Certainly this form appeared more effective than the first, but dragon magic lay outside of the typical system of elemental magic. Was the knight even capable of adapting to it? Neither option presented Fel any immediate options, but they implied something entirely different.

"From the heavens; Swords of Revealing Light."

Fel jerked back, a blast of wind propelling away from his previous position as brilliant sabers speared toward his sides. The fires winked out and he lifted his staff. "Sever," he barked, slashing out with a pair of invisible blades of his own. The wind magic cut into the length of the light magic, shattering them and dispersing their remains into motes of light in the air. Fel gritted his teeth and swore under his breath. That the knight could adapt to their attacks was bad enough -- but now that he knew it could wield their incantations against them, he found himself increasingly low on options.

It stood in the center of the clearing now, sword raised to the sky and emanating too much mana to be preparing anything less than some sort of apex attack. Aaxir was temporarily out of commission, Kaida still hadn't finished summoning whatever she was searching for, and any typical magic could and would be turned against them. Considering the scale of the attack the knight was about to level, no small-scale magic would be able to stop it, especially consideing the immense speed conferred upon it though the light magic.

Fel stopped, thought for one and one-third seconds, wondered if it was too late to turn around and leave, then decided a problem for future him was better than a problem for present him, as present him was resoundly against dying. Perhaps future him would've changed his mind. "Apologies in advance." He managed to give the nearby heroes an almost-sheepish look. "Do your best to not die from now on."

"Cast down from the firmament, a bolt from the blue," he chanted, staff raised to the clear skies above. "The spear that pierces any shield -- Thunderous Strike." Fel sensed his mana reserves dip sharply as his focus sapped away at his energy, greatly outpacing his natural regeneration and Carmen's magic combined. The taste of ozone filled his mouth for a moment before a brilliant shock of light descended in the blink of an eye, crashing down on the knight's stationary position with a booming peal of thunder.

 

[Beann]

Suzuki Kaida

The kitsune’s incantation fell short as she caught a glimpse of the knight retaliating against Ryushi. A pained gasp escaped her lips as she watched the blade pierce through her beloved summon. His blade dropped to the snow as his body faded into specks of purple, the weapon disintegrating shortly after its wielder as the spirit returned to its gem.

As the chosen hero to Inari Okami, Kaida knew that there wasn't any need to worry about the spirit; that he only needed a few days rest to recover before being summoned again. Even so, watching the spirit who answered her call while she was in that wretched prison be defeated sparked a surge of anger from within. Her eyebrows knitted into a deep frown and her tails fanned out in a display of hostility. “Spirits –!” Her mana surged forth — a sudden pause in the flow as the knight targeted her without hesitation. However, she quickly continued her efforts after Eleanor intervened, warding off the enemy.

“Spirits, answer my call! Bring forth a marksman to take down this giant!”

Camouflaged by Fel's devastating spell against the knight, another spirit was summoned, one with an extravagant bow at the ready. Based on the battlefield before the archer, an explanation wasn't necessary to determine between friend and foe. Reaching a hand out, the spirit summoned forth a glowing blue arrow, charged with her summoner's mana. With one quick drawback, the archer steadied the bow, her sights aimed at the knight. Only a brief moment passed before her fingers released the mana-fused arrow, seeking out the chink in the knight’s armor.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Tiberius Helvian, Longinus

For an experienced warrior such as Tiberius, his honed reflexes and combat skills enabled him to see the world differently. The seconds, before blade met flesh, stretched into long, agonizing minutes as Tiberius' azure optics locked with the Knight. He saw the foe's helm, wicked, hard as steel, cold, even as he beheld the gladiator's streaking form. The pointed tip of his spatha, outstretched, hungered for the knight's throat, arm as steady as an Olrodian column. His hand clenched the spatha's leather-ribbed handle with unyielding fervour, sweat bleeding down the heft and pommel. Beneath the helmet's mail and the leather gaiter around Tiberius' neck, a ghost of a smile played over the man's scarred, tanned features. He felt the surge of lethal satisfaction, letting the relish of battle colour his mind freely. Then in the span of two heartbeats, nothing.

The sullen sky, still infected with the crimson stain from earlier, had its dark clouds parted by rolling pillars of weak sunlight, gracing the snow-laden landscape of Jorvik. A mourning wind, gelid to the skin, was gusting hard through the outskirts of the city's graven walls. The snow was scudding underfoot, whisked away in thin, ghostly rolls. Tiberius breath was caught in his throat, felt his heart kicking in his chest, flooding his body with adrenaline further. Eyes shot around to find the knight, yet only spotting Polux's growing bulk. The patch of skin around his eyes grew taut with surprise. The dire giant from the void loosened his armoured arms, letting his cruel maul slip from the gauntlets, lowering them to his sides. Tiberius twisted his body in the air, raising his shield before him. The two were on a collision course. Tiberius pursued his lips in a sharp exhale before Polux hit him. It was like being struck by a boulder shot. Almost. The moment of collision saw Polux close his thick, hard metal arms around the gladiator's form and turning his chest, snatching Tiberius as softly as possible for an animate bulk of void steel. Still, there was an ear-shattering crack of metal striking metal, Tiberius pitching his shield to his companion's black chestplate. The two struck the ivory-covered ground fast. The impact threw up a great pall of wispy, white snow. A normal man's chest cavity would've been pulverised, crushed inwards on the wet organs, his spine shattered. Instead Tiberius' last breath was slammed out of him, spittle cleared from his mouth across the flattened snow beside them. His muscles ached from exhaustion, while his mouth tasted acidic bile sharply.

The gladiator's limbs shook against the flat, rough surface. Then the pain hit. He growled through grit teeth, managing to drag himself away from Polux's body, stammering to his feet. A misstep stumbled him forward, Polux's hand arresting his fall at the last moment. He shifted his helm. The purple slits met Tiberius' dim, blue eyes. "You're a hard man to kill." Polux said, his voice deep as the bottomless depths of space and grim with knowledge. Tiberius scowled, pushing himself off Polux's palm. One hand going up to the temple of his helmet. His skull was throbbing — despite the behemoth's best efforts and helm's protection, he struck it during the crash, and blood was seeping from his scalp. The warm, svelte runnel streaked through his blond locks, down his cheek.

His fists trembled, muscles bulging beneath his flesh. He spun, shuffling the snow underfoot aside. His own fury cracked through the obsidian sheet in his soul, billowing a blizzard of razor-sharp, black shards. Spilling forth molten spouts of ugly, orange magma. His breathing grew tersely, shooting out hot steam against the frigid air. Then the anger seemed to drained from his body, and a detached part of his mind recognised the divine influence of Qin's gentle caress upon, through, and around his mind. He swallowed and took a long, shuddering breath, willing the disquiet, red rage and the shaking of his limbs to relent.

"It appears so," Tiberius mused grimly.

He inclined his head slightly. Staring at the Knight in the centre of the clearing. He did not need to be magic-gifted like Fel to ascertain the building concentration of mana energies in his sword pointing skywards. It seemed the Knight hoped to wipe them all out with a devastating attack. Tiberius went down on one knee to pick his spatha off the ground, shaking off the thick snow which clustered like parasites gripping a beast's back.

Far off opposite to Tiberius, Fel's lips were mouthing an incantation. The gladiator questioned the soundness of the strategy, but gave assent either way, seeing no immediate alternative. He was vaguely aware of Kaida and Eleanor to his right; the cunning vixen had been channeling a spiritual summoning and the swordsman of Paimon guarded her figure at the same time. Tiberius breathed, letting the cold air inside, chilling the fire and ache from his lungs and bruised rib-cage. He trusted Fel to halt the attack, but now he needed to prepare. With Aaxir momentarily stunned, it'll fall to him after Fel's burst.

He bowed his head and screwed his eyes shut. "Qin." He called, her name heavy and colder on the wind. The raw power began coalescing.

Interactions: Someone better stop his channeling.
Mentions: Nessi (Knight & Eleanor), Beann (Kaida), OldTurtle (Fel), LazyDaze (Axe Ear)

 

[Nessi]

A sudden appearance! (Again)

“Such cruel words, do you seriously have no love for your comrades?” Yi Nuo inquired, who was suddenly behind the hand. In a swift movement, the moon elf launched a kick directed towards Morgana’s head. The hand leaned back, and narrowly dodged the kick, swinging her dagger wildly to force Yi Nuo back.
“I don’t give love to tools, I simply use them as they are intended to be used!” Morgana hollered, before rushing Yi Nuo.
The old elf drew her dao, and immediately defended herself from Morgana’s onslaught. This wasn’t the first time she had locked blades with the summoner, but something that always surprised her was the summoner's combat effectiveness. Traditionally, summoners avoid physical altercations at all costs, opting to command their summons from a distance. Morgana was different, she wasn’t afraid of physical conflict, in fact, she rushed directly into the fray, working in tandem with her summons to dominate her foes.

“nístandi högg! (Crushing Blow!)” Ragnir roared, slamming his spear into Morgana’s side. With her summon occupied, the King of Jorvik was able to land a solid blow on the hand.
Morgana was sent flying into a nearby building, but Yi Nuo wouldn’t let her off the hook just yet. She charged into the same building Morgana was sent into, and quickly drove her dao right through Morgana’s heart.
Instead of crying out in pain, or mocking Yi Nuo, Morgana simply laughed, wrapping her hands around the blade. The hand's features began to melt into a gray sludge, which shot out towards Yi Nuo’s legs like porcupine spines.
“A mimic!?” Yi Nuo exclaimed. She quickly whipped around, and realized that she couldn’t visually make out where Morgana was. But it wouldn’t take her long to piece together who would be the most likely target for Morgana.
“Kai! Prepare yourself !” Yi Nuo screamed, but it was too late.

Morgana appeared behind Kai, a slug-like creature wrapped around her upper body. She swiftly plunged her dagger into Kai’s back thrice, before shoving him into Nel to topple her. Morgana then turned to Enthy, using her knife to sever the chains, and then quickly punching the young dragon in the throat to prevent her from casting spells.
The demonic knight, now free from Enthy’s chains, charged straight for Ragnir, bashing the king with his shield, and forcing him to retreat back to the now heavily injured group of heroes.
“What a fool I am!” Yi Nuo hissed under her breath, moving as fast as she could to try and protect her grandchildren. But by the time she had arrived at the group, Morgana had already pulled back some, laughing harder than normal.
“You, girl. You said that you're tired of seeing your kind be treated like objects? If that’s the case, then you really won’t like this!” Morgana shouted towards Enthy specifically. The mad hand raised her hand towards the sky, “Come, Golroth! Time to say hello!” Morgana exclaimed.

After a few moments of silence, Enthy, Hargred, even Aaxir, would feel a sinking sensation form in their stomachs. Dread would fill their bodies, as their instincts would scream at them to run far away from the being that was coming.
Jet black scales descended from the clouds,and the closer it got to Hofn, the larger it became. This was no ordinary dragon, this was a legendary creature whose tales were so outlandish, their often written off as mere bedtime stories told to children to keep them entertained. But as the legendary black dragon landed behind Morgana, it was clear that Golroth was not just a story, and the scars that riddled his body suggested that those old stories may have held some truth to them.

Without warning, Hargred transformed into his dragon form, and coiled his long body around the heroes.
“You all focus on recovering! I’ll keep them at bay!” The young dragon shouted.
While the heroes couldn’t directly see what was happening outside, the sound of thunder and roaring flames encouraged them to work faster on getting back on their feet.

 

[CasualTea]

Rohen Xiong

CS Link

Soundtrack:

Possessed by a Disease

"Golroth."

Just as she was about to gouge out the knight's neck, the bastard blinked out her way and she fell right into the snow. As she was still in an enraged state, she took no time in getting up to relocate her target. However she was met with Khaity's spell turned on her and her allies. "Ugh..!! Why did it HAVE to adapt to light?!! WHY?!!" She angrily complained as she rolled out of the way of any of the sword coming at her, deflecting the rest with her fire blades if she could.

In doing so, she noticed something bizarre. It wasn't that the knight got to Aaxir in a flash and struck him down, he was charging up an attack it seems, one that would wipe the heroes out if nobody staggered him. She contemplated what she can do to stagger it before it can finish, but her Narwhal and Dragon take time to conjure. Her fire wasn't strong enough to distract him and any water attacks she had left would probably do miniscule damage with the short time she was given.

It wasn't until she noticed Fel chanting something and thunder struck. A lightning attack that was able to stagger the knight from charging his attack further. But then something dawned on her. This was a different magic form yet again. She cursed under her breath. "He's going to adapt to lightning too, huh?" She muttered. "Just when will this end---"

A dreaded feeling sprung up from within her. It wasn't related to this fight. It was elsewhere. Just something deep down something dreadful and terrifying had come. But just what? "Tiamat...?" "Yes, Rohen?" "What.. What was that?" She asked internally which Tiamat would return with a blunt response. "That's Golroth." Rohen paused, and it was physically telegraphed through her body language and facial expression that she's speaking to her patron. "...What?" "That's Golroth." Tiamat repeated. "...You created fucking Golroth. Long ago?" There was a long pause between the two before she replied. "Yeah that seems about right."

Rohen pounded the ground with her metal arm hard enough that it caused the snow to bounce off from their resting place into the air around her. It generated a shockwave from the impact's wake. "Shìfàng shùfù, dì yī jí." Rohen said deeply in the language hailing from Zheng Fa within the cover of the snow. From the obscured image slowly revealed Rohen, her skin littered with jet black scales which seemed to fail to blend with her skin tone in that moment. She had now entered her partial synchronization and she looked furious. They wasted too much time with this knight. They have to end this now so that they can get to the others as they will need more support.

She noticed Tiberius started charging his own attack so her objective now was simple: To pull the knight's attention so Tiberius can safely gather and deliver his attack. "You know what you're doing could be considered suicide, right?" Tiamat asked as Rohen simply used the water from the melted snow her fire arm-blade caused and terraformed it into a long spear. "I know." She spoke. "But I've done worse." She then lunged and stabbed the spear into the ground, propelling herself forth only to spin which she brought the spear around as well to delivery more velocity when she threw into the knight's neck to grab his attention. Straight into it as well with surprisingly great precision.

"WE'VE FOUGHT LONG ENOUGH, YOU THIRSTY? I HAVE PLENTY OF WATER!!" Rohen taunted as she used her arm fire blade to melt more snow along the ground she walked and used her terraforming abilities to condense and shape her weapons of water.

 

[Nessi]

The end of a knight

Lightning crashed into the knight, and for the first time, the summon let out a horrible scream of pain and agony. Lightning would continue to rain down in the surrounding area, until the knight let out a final yell, ending the sudden storm. The knight was back in his original armor, but he quickly tore off his chestplate , and threw the helmet to the side, fully revealing his azure eyes and dark, messy hair. The calm, composed adversary the heroes were facing was no more, what stood before them could only be compared to a wild beast, foaming at the mouth as thunder burned his eyes.
With a mighty warcry, the knight ran into battle, his fists coated in lightning.

He should've been long inured to this, the sickly sweet flood of power. Eyes wide with shock, his arms trembled fiercely. Tiberius feels the grace of his God, dagger-nails snaking their way in the crevices of his mind. He clenched his jaw, hot breath hissing through gritted teeth. His eyes rolled forward, the filigreed of capillaries bare, swollen and red, burning with aetherial energies, they ruptured. Staining the sclera with a brilliant weave of the starry nightsky in its radiant glory. The very air quaked, its presence stolen by the flitting shadows which poured like a cracked dam from Tiberius' skin. The gladiator's arms fell to the sides, his head craned towards the blood-streaked sky. His spatha and shield clattered against the hard ground. A scrape and thump of metal against the rough stone, the metal bent, tore itself apart. A soft, inky blackness overflowed from his eyes, mouth enshrouding his head entirely, an elongated, angular shape condensed like before. A curved crest split upwards. A slit of azure witchfire winked in the darkness, blazing with lambent power. The fire blared, banishing the hard shadows, the helm of gleaming brass with a blue brazier billowed energy. Witch-lightning, birthed from balefire, weltered furiously. The gladiator was wreathed wholly in the lightning, conducting the energies down his arm-fist; dressing them in hard armour — pauldron to gauntlet. It was draped over his shoulders, a cloak, dark as the night and lit as the stars within, filmy and flowing unburdened by the wind, trimmed with dark power.

His weapon and shield, thumping the ground violently, smashed together before him. Bending into each other, their metallic frames snapping, roaring and snarling like primeval beasts. The floating sphere became a focal point, the gladiator began the chant. Arms outstretched, hands coiling over the object.

"Drink deep, and descend.... The well and the water." The space, between his fingers, judders and shudders and howls in abject pain and impotent rage.

The knight instantly locked on to Rohen, dodging the spear she had lobed at him with ease. He then slammed both of his fists into the ground, causing the ground to shake, and lighting to shoot into all directions, interrupting Rohen’s incantation and damaging her in the process.
With Rohen incapacitated, the knight turned his attention towards Khaity, swiftly closing the gap between them, and snatching her from the ground. He dragged the young warlord's face along the ground, before throwing Khaity towards Kaida and her archer.

"Be awash'd in the water, the black of the eyes and the light without."

Eleanor rushed the knight in her divine sync form, and clashed against the knight, hoping to push the knight back with a single blow. For a time, she was successful, forcing the massive knight back a few steps. But the knight would quickly change gears, shifting his body to the side, and delivering a deadly blow to the head, knocking Eleanor out cold.
"Cast down from the firmament, a golden bolt comes forth, the spear that shall pierce the very heavens itself – Lance of Annihilation!” the knight roared. Several magic circles formed above Fel, and before the young mage knew it, a lance made up of yellow lightning would crash into his location.

"Begone in the well. Drink deep, and descend fore'er - Black Hole."His voice rebounded with an unnatural tremor. A black sphere, twisting, killed the space betwixt. Poised with a terrible hunger, ravenous. Anathema to all, but itself. For a moment, the gladiator scowled at the haunting power. Then he unleashed it with sorrow cleaved to his soul.

So focused on the rest of the pack, the knight had forgotten about Tiberius. He whipped around to try and attack the gladiator, but it was too late, the incantation had already been casted. The blackhole formed, and chaos shortly ensued. Trees were uprooted, snow was thrown everywhere, and the threat of heroes being consumed by the blackhole grew.
“Spirits of the wind, grant these travelers a sanctuary amongst the raging typhoon: A port in a storm!” Carmen yelled out. Green barriers would surround all the heroes, granting them protection from the blackholes pull. Blood flowed from Carmen’s eyes and mouth, but he continued to hold the barrier, until the blackhole finally dissipated.

As the dust settled, everyone looked anxiously to see if the knight had been consumed.
“A fine attack, truly.” a voice spoke. The knight stood tall, but his entire left arm, and torso were now gone. Despite such a grievous wound, the summon had a soft smile on his face, and he lifted his remaining arm towards the heroes. Without warning, each and every hero would begin to feel a burning sensation form on their back for a few moments, but the pain subsided quickly.
“There's only so much a wolf can do alone. But as a pack, you are unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with.” The knight spoke.
The knight reached for something under his cloak, and pulled 4 gems, one red, dark blue, gold, and sky blue. He dropped them into the snow, and shortly after, the knight faded away, marking the end of the fight.

 

[Fluff]

Kannaka

Hurt and grieve but don't suffer alone

The wind screamed in Kannaka's ears as the raven's wings beat, carrying her swiftly into the midday mackerel sky, littered with stormy gray streaks of cloud and the dull blue empyrean peeking through the gaps. The winds were angry today. Eddied, swirled and ambient, she could feel it whip against her cheeks as though she were an unwelcome visitor in its turbulent embrace. The archer was fast; the fastest in the skies, dare she boast - and yet, not fast enough.

Even as she zipped along the wintry draught, she watched with growing horror as the new appearance pushed her comrades, the finest warriors she knew, into a desperate corner. Their felid summoner, incapacitated. Their healer, stabbed thrice in the blink of an eye. Their resident wielder of flames so hot that even the earth would be reduced to charcoal, batted aside as though he were no more than a fly. And their almighty winter wolf, the king of Jorvik, holding the line as best as he could, cleaving his way to the witch alongside his comrades, was battered, bruised, and bested in the test of strength against the spindly woman.

And just as she reached the overhead airspace of the battlefield- she felt it, before she saw it. Her pinions rankled and every cell in her animalistic body screamed of danger and death. She wasn't the only predator to rule the skies, and slowly, excrutiatingly, she turned around to watch what rived its way through the clouds. And then...

Absolute despair.

Feeling her throat close from the dread that stifled her, the Kinnari deftly dipped sideways into cloud cover, begging for the granite-dark swirls to cover her tracks; within her chest, her heart hammered away so loud that she feared that alone would give away her position. The stench of sulphur hung heavy in the air, and the dark veil of smoke that constantly leaked from the black dragon's mouth filled her lungs, threatening to choke her, or to cook her from within, whichever slow, painful death came to her first. Eyes streaming, limbs trembling, all the world forgotten except the invincible foe before her.

She suspected this was no longer a true battle; it was now a matter of survival.

Praying to the gods of the wind to protect her, to let her see another day, she flared out her wings, rising with the superheated drafts that emanated from the dragon's body. The grey sky swirl of stoic gravitas would be her only line of defence, and if the opportunity presented, of offence. She could feel the crackling in the air as their sun elf accumulated mana for a great thunderous strike, casting a great percussive blast across the false twilight, sweeping as an eternal question; to ask if any had gratitude for the calm? The heavens roared as the sonorous bolt sundered the Knight, brief moments before their ebon gladiator felled it in an attack so unlike the electric strike that preceded it.

But far be it from the overwhelming presence to allow itself to be forgotten; a fresh wave of heat slapped Kannaka across her face. Not the pleasant sort of heat, but the one that leaves you numb from the impact, and she could feel the tears streaming from her eyes evaporate in a flash, leaving her eyes and nose drier than a corpse of a week. Taking long, desperate breaths through her mouth, tasting the acrid flavour of ash and ruin, she shakily nocked an arrow even though the very thought of instigating the scorched dragon went against every instinct of survival.

Too bad being a hero came with far too much responsibility. She watched Hargred, the dragon she had felled from the sky mere days ago, swell to his true draconic form; one all too familiar, and strangely welcome in this situation. And yet this clash felt nothing like the ambush they had experienced back then, when they felled Parzival. The difference between the Hand of Tiryan then and now was mind-boggling, and all too soon Kannaka was reminded that this was far from the time to ruminate. Ashes to ashes...

Where was Hou Yi when you needed him? The archer nervously licked her lips, feeling only her dry tongue stick against her skin as sweat poured down her face in rivulets despite the freezing cold stratosphere. Around her, the storm twirled as ballet dancers in black, threatening to sweep her up in their mad frenzy, the swift vortices of the wind unaware of their own strength. Letting out a violent cough, feeling her heart pound away nestled in her ribcage, claws clenching and unclenching; all reminders, she was alive, she was alive, she was alive and fighting, and that life was a toil for the ones yet living. It was always the moment before the hunt that she loved the best, the heady rush of action, the sweet feeling of intoxication as the body moved like a well-oiled machine, meting punishment and defeat in swift measure. And as she calmed her thoughts, she could feel the vestiges of the sensation come crawling back, one at a time like unwilling children lined for a particularly unappetizing task.

Breathe. Ground the dragon. Control the airspace.

The quiet tautness of the bowstrings whispers stretched in her ear as she fought for control within her mind, eyes roving over the dragon's body like a starved beast. Unlike Hargred, she doubted her arrows could shatter past the black dragon's scales, so she was boxed into other wiles. Think, Kannaka, think. This is an aerial creature just like you. Wings, tail. Muscles on the shoulder. Eyes, ears, stabilizing horns. Weight, lift, drag, thrust. Control the airspace. The reptile was well armoured, she had to make every shot count. Weight, lift, drag, thrust. He far outscaled her in size, in weight, in strength; to even remotely contest him, all she had to rely upon were her agility and her speed.

Wings. Tear them apart. Increase air resistance.

Creaking from the tension, the heavy bow weighed reassuringly in her hand, unwavering despite the tension of the drawn arrow. Chiseltip arrows to shatter bone, heavy and firm. Conical tips to pierce flesh and puncture skin, sharpened to a razorfine point. Hazy words from her mentor flashed past in her mind with no true clarity, echoes of metals and drawstrengths and arrow weights. Mumbling long forgotten concepts to herself in the hopes that perhaps the information would miraculously grace her through the babble of thoughts, she paused, conjuring the vision of the next few seconds. A deep twang, glistening metal in the embers drifting in the Jorvik air, the missile scything it's way to its target, tearing its way through delicate skin membrance, snapping off wickedly curved horns at the base of the skull. A swift, sharp whistle as the arrow flew true to their target, ambuscade, fortituous, finding the slightest chink of flesh and bone between obsidian scale, burrowing deep into the offending keratin sheathing...

She could see it. She could see it. Are you watching, Hou Yi? The drawstring pressed deeply into her cheek as she paused, as the winds themselves seemed to hold their breath, and she released.

 

[Nano]

Enthyskana Rhoda

Interactions: Nessi (Hargred) | Bloody_Death (Kai) | Dawnsx (Nel)

Mentions: --

The old Champion of Báihǔ’s shrill voice cut through the chilled air like a hastily thrown dart, yet her warning fell upon Enthy’s ears a fraction of a second too late. As if molded from Kai’s shadow, Morgana’s form flickered behind the healer, blood wetting the fabric of his robes before Enthy could even blink.

The hand didn’t give the young dragon a moment to react to the swift onslaught. By the time her sword’s tip had moved by an inch, she felt her golden chains shudder and whip wildly from the recoil of the sudden, lost tension. Any semblance of the various incantations held upon her tongue were promptly silenced by the fist that viciously tore into her throat. Amidst the pain of having her breath being forcibly choked back down, Enthy attempted to stabilize her shaking vision enough to aim a wide swing at the hand to no avail. Like a palm weathering a storm, the summoner was skilled at slipping away, bending and never breaking.

It was clear that she held far more power than Parzival and a better sense for how to use her resources. However, what Enthy found most hateful was neither her strength nor her manner of treating her kind like tools. As the young dragon placed a careful hand upon her throat gingerly, she assessed the damage sustained. The witch had aimed precisely at her jugular, yet she’d managed to silence her without completely crushing her windpipe. Had it been any other instance, she might have passed it off as sheer luck, but the look in the hand’s eyes seemed to convey that she was merely playing with them in a show of dominance.

“Wretch,” Enthy mouthed spitefully. She nearly repeated herself when Morgana addressed her directly, but the hand’s next parlor trick froze every nerve in her body.

When it came to the myths and fables parents told children to keep them out of trouble or keep them entertained, the name Golroth largely shaped the image humans liked to paint of dragons in the tales they spun. The “Evil Dragon Golroth” was the star villain in many of the stories her adoptive parents read aloud during her younger years, and she distinctly recalls her younger self thinking that while the humans were unforgivable, so were the dragons who committed such heinous acts. But would a dragon who terrorized an entire continent bow his head to a mere mortal, much less a human?

Any doubts concerning the authenticity of Morgana’s summoned beast were promptly dispelled the moment its obsidian claws parted the cloud cover above. A gravity that seemed to affect none but her kind made the air feel painfully heavy as she struggled to pull oxygen into her lungs. Her instincts cowed under the pressure exerted by the ancient dragon’s authority, yet despite the shaking of her hands, her grip upon her sword remained firm. Her sense of self-preservation pricked at her insides to run far, far away, but the young dragon managed to will herself to stay put.

The oppression lifted ever so slightly in the presence of Hargred who coiled himself protectively around the heroes, and Enthy responded with a grateful and apologetic hand upon a scaled shoulder. Due to their incompetence, a dragon not much older than a toddler was forced to protect them. In comparison, here she was, a hero chosen by the God of Justice, quaking in her boots because a dragon well past his prime had decided to show his ugly mug.

As prompted by Hargred, Enthy quickly knelt by Kai and Nel, ensuring that Wanga’s chosen was well enough to heal himself and assisting where she could. She didn’t forget to gently squeeze the pink-haired fae’s wrist in lieu of a verbal warning to forget about doing anything foolish in regards to Kai’s “suffering”. Of course, if she gave the fae a concerned once-over to check that she hadn’t sustained any grave injuries, no she didn’t.

While waiting for Kai to get himself settled, Enthy attempted to scan what she could see of the building past Hargred’s body while preparing herself to transform and take to the skies at a moment’s notice.

 

[Bloody_Death]

KAI NAKAYAMA

Kai couldn't help but suppress a chuckle when Nel mentioned becoming a champion. Being cute and strong are the only criteria for joining her supposed ranks. "Maybe after this, we can undergo some training to become champions of kindness, love, and life too. Though...probably by different means than her." He would rather not be a grim reaper just to become a happiness champion.

With the dragon in a fairly better state, he kept his focus completely on his comrades. Eyes darting around to everyone around him. Everything seemed to be going decently. With Ragnir fighting Morgana. For a moment, he thought that he might have managed to injure her! The way he slammed her into one of the buildings and then Baba went right after her. He couldn't quite make out everything perfectly with them in the mess of rubble...but something didn't seem to be going right. It was too quiet.

The call for his name and the sudden terrifying presence behind told him what was about to happen. He cried out in pain when he felt a knife plunged into his back not once. But three times!? Why not just kill him if he's going to be stabbed so many times! He couldn't process what was happening for a moment. All he knew was that he fell on top of someone. Ugh! He needed to focus. Ignore the pain and it'll go away sooner. Weakly clutching onto the fan in his hand, he forced himself to stare at it to stabilize his focus as he began his enchantment. Despite it being a spell for healing, the angered mumbles came out like he was placing a curse on someone. The breezy water soon summoned and went right to attending the fresh stab wounds he received.

He didn't have much time to waste. Something was coming...or more it was already here. Baba and Hagred were shouting something he couldn't comprehend with his honed in focus. But the rumbling and loud noise was more than enough. What did that psychopath just summon to the field!? "You crazy bitch..." He muttered with an angry huff. He didn't like to waste mana. But time was not on his side. Exerting more mana to make the healing process faster.

The moment the pain from his wounds faded to a much more manageable degree, he quickly sat up. Ignoring the rush of dizziness and painful soreness before frantically looking around for who else was injured. Thankfully, everyone seemed to be right next to him. Enthy looked like she was struggling to breathe a bit and quickly sent his streams over to her to heal her potentially messed up throat. Nel was fine. Baba was fine. And Ragnir seemed a bit busted up but fine for the most part. Hargred was protecting them all for the moment. But he wasn't sure how long he would last. "I'll have everyone ready to go in one minute!" He announced aloud to everyone around him. With that totally realistic goal in mind, he was ready to go! Having a clear deadline in front of him makes the path forward so much easier!

He and Enthy were the most in need. Everyone else just seemed a bit banged up. He gave a small hiss as he began shooting out stream after stream to his comrades. Healing everyone as rapidly as possible. And within that one minute. Aside from himself, he made sure to heal every wound and bruise on every single person here with him. Just like he said! If it weren't for some exhaustion, it would seem like they had not been in a fight at all. "All done." He gave a big sigh before catching his breath. He only had himself and his minor back wounds. Which should be healed up shortly. He was saving himself for last! He was a bit tired but that was more from the recovery.

---

Interactions: Nessi (Yi Nuo, Ragnir, Hargred, & Morgana) || Nano (Enthy) || Dawnsx (Nel)

Mentions: None rlly.

 

[CasualTea]

Rohen Xiong

CS Link

STATUS:

Incapacitated (Heavy Lightning Damage)

LOCATION & TIME:

Knight Battlefield (Day?)

Soundtrack:

Wretched Weaponry (Quiet)

Merc Down

As the knight dodged her spear, she readied another but was caught by surprise when the knight slammed their force into the ground which exploded with lightning. This heavily damaged Rohen as she was knocked off her feet by the lightning bolts that came forth, disrupting her terraforming concentration which released the waters' form and she was down on the ground suffering major injuries. "D-Dammit...!" She winced as she was trying to bear the pain from the voltage attacks. She laid on the ground, twitching slightly as she coped with her injuries. "I told you it was suicidal." Tiamat insisted. "I-I get it I know..! But... Fuck!!" She squeezed her words through her clenched teeth, clawing the dirt.

She could feel something on her back, but that's just probably where most of the lightning damage was concentrated. Nonetheless, she rolled to lay on it to try and watch the rest of the fight. But really, she couldn't see much. She felt like blacking out and her prior nausea isn't helping shit. She recounted the battle that happened thus far. If anything, it all turned sideways with Khatiy. Sure, taking charge of the lead is going to be fine but what the living fuck is the reason to use Light magic?!!

To make matters worse, she's in this position because Fel blasted him with Lightning magic. This was Fel's doing. She asked to cast Fire. He casts Lightning. What part of her saying Fire meant Lightning?!!

"Todd, I'm getting tired of this." A young Rohen complained as she was struggling to keep jogging. "Well that's too damn bad." A tall military aged male said to her. "Suck it up, buttercup." He taunted as they continued their jog. "When... Can we be done with the jog? It's the longest we've been on thus far!!" Rohen complained further before she tripped and fell to the ground, unable to move. The man turned back and came to her. "To build endurance, stamina. You know it's all part of your training, right? Can't have you wheezing in the middle of a battle a couple minutes in." Then, he too sat down. "However, rest is inevitable. Even on the battlefield. There's only so much your body can do and once it hits its real limit, everything shuts down. Rest a little longer. We'll get back up and at 'em in five."

Fucking Todd... Why did she have to remember that crazed cross-country psychopath now. He could run from end to end of Veita for all she cared. Everything was just a straight blur. Right up until she saw that the knight was finally defeated and a wave of relief washed over her. Well, still sustaining her injuries. She just closed her eyes and laid her head back down and tried to cope. Is anyone in this group a healer?

 

[LazyDaze]

AAXIR THE RED

Interactions:
Mentions:

Aaxir couldn't help but find satisfaction in how helpless the knight appeared. Aaxir's attack was working, and most importantly, the knight was not changing. "Heh, looks like I'm your weakne-,"

Perhaps it was a beast like instinct, or an odd sense of familiarity, but Aaxir felt the next attack coming before he saw it. It was Khatiy's spell, summoned by the knight. These would simply serve as the first sign of the upcoming onslaught as the swords successfully struck all of Aaxir's weakpoints to momentarily place him in a vulnerable position, but a moment would be all that the hollow knight needed. Aaxir would suffer an onslaught of attacks from the knight from what seemed like every direction. It was enough to make Aaxir question if he had the ability to multiply. Even without suffering from Khatiy's poached spell moments prior, Aaxir wouldn't have been able to react to the fury of his opponent. With a final crushing blow to the head, Aaxir would be sent crashing down into the earth below, disoriented and unable to respond. Aaxir groaned, grateful of the decision of fully transforming into a dragon. In another universe he probably would have died there. The increasing mana output from what was likely the enemy quickened his struggle to recover. The voices of his comrades were drowned out by the ringing of his ears. The image of the knight blanketed in ominous light obscured by his blurred vision. The shaking of the earth from the powerful spells of his allies was exaggerated by his shattered equilibrium and even still Aaxir found a way to rise. The knight was desperate to kill them. Aaxir prepared to fire off another attack that would surely finish him, but then time stood still..at least for Aaxir. The only thing audible was his quickening heart beat. The Volcanic hero's blood ran cold and his entire world was enveloped in darkness. He couldn't think, let alone move until he felt it. Out of the darkness of his heart a truly terrifying roar and the flashing image of that Great Terror shook his soul until Aaxir the Red...kneeled.

Aaxir's eyes widened as he faded back to reality. Observing his own body as if it belonged to someone else as it took a will of its own. He couldn't recall the last time he truly felt that emotion he thought he had discarded long ago. Not even Arlux, or Tiryan gave him much pause even though he felt how insurmountable their power was. This was....different. That was when he remembered the tall tale of that terrifying beast his uncle told him long ago, but Aaxir never thought he would be afraid.
Why was he remembering it now? Aaxir finally drew the courage to look ahead to see that the knight had finally been vanquished; however, he could not revel in their victory...not while being consumed by this suffocating dread. "He's real..." Aaxir said to himself. It was as much a question as it was a statement. The others didn't seem to notice, hell Aaxir wondered if the knight's last attack did more damage than he originally thought. Every cell in his body was telling him to flee, and every step forward carried whispers of death. The burning sensation in his back was enough to break him out of his deteriorating mental state. The knight left words of advice for the group while leaving behind several stones of unknown purpose. He would have loved to take a moment to bask in the aura of victory, rest, and heal their wounds as Rohen and others seemed prepared to do; however, if the myth Aaxir had once known manifested itself in reality, then they had to leave now.

"We can rest along the way Rohen...The battle isn't over. We have to go now and you probably know what I mean," Aaxir said sternly as he addressed everyone, but emphasized Tiamat's hero.


"Regardless, I'm heading out. Feel free to hop on my back this one time," Aaxir said with a snort. He helped bring the unconscious Eleanor on his back. There was a strange and seemingly unatural urge to scold her for her reckless tendencies; however, that was a trait that all warriors shared more or less so he kept his words of hypocritical wisdom to himself. Besides, she wouldn't have been able to hear him. With all the preparations completed, Aaxir left with those who decided to tag along, and left the others to choose their next course of action.

 

[Nessi]

Mania

“You know that you cannot beat me.” Golroth growled.

Hargred was covered in burns, and his once luscious blue hair was now burnt and black. But the young dragon still stood defiantly against the black dragon.
“I’m just…buying time.” Hargred said slowly, blood dripping out of his maw.

Plung.

An arrow bounced off Golroth's wing harmlessly, causing him to stare directly at kannaka. The two locked eyes, and the hero of Hou Yi no longer felt mere instincts telling her to flee, but powerful voices in her head, whaling and moaning for her to run as fast as she could.

“I’m still here!” Hargred cried out, slamming his body into the black dragon. With one swift movement, he wrapped his long body around Golroth, preventing him from blasting the heroes with fire, or stomping them like fleas.
With Golroth restricted, Hargred utilized his dragon magic, causing lightning to rain down endlessly upon the black dragon.

Golroth let out a loud roar as he trashed about, trying to free himself from the dragon's grasp.
“You will release me, this instant!” Golroth yelled. The temperature around him rapidly increased, and soon Hargred’s scales and skin would start burning, forcing the young dragon to shift into his human form, and back away from Golroth.

The black dragon rose to his full height, and turned his attention to Enthy, who had now taken to the sky.
“I can smell your royal lineage...you must be one of the Emperor's spawn!” Golroth roared, spreading his own wings, and quickly ascending into the sky, chasing Enthy with the intention of dragging her to the ground.

~~~

As Golroth and Enthy fought in the sky, Morgana clashed against Yi Nuo, while the demonic knight kept Ragnir at bay.
Morgana muttered something under her breath, but the moon elf couldn’t make out the words she was saying, nor did she have the luxury of inquiring.
“Say, Yi Nuo, do you have many friends?” the hand asked, deftly dodging a slash aimed at her throat. The moon elf didn’t respond, but this only made Morgana’s grin wider as she used her dagger to block yet another attack. “ I take it you don’t, but the friends you do have, you care about them plenty, right?” Morgana continued.
“What are you getting at, witch!” Yi Nuo roared.
Morgana smiled, and revealed a mask from under her cloak, Nomads mask, cracked and stained with blood. “Oh, it seems like you recognize the mask, huh?” Morgana inquired, barely able to contain her own insidious laughter. The old moon elf was silent, but Morgana didn’t think about stopping now. “You should have been there, they were begging for their own life, it was such a pathetic display!” She hollered.
Yi Nuo roared in anger, causing the surrounding area to shake. Glowing white fur covered her arms and legs. Foam dripped from her mouth, as she looked at morgana like a predator looks at prey.
“There it is, that’s the Yi Nuo I’m lookin’ for, a real monster!” Morgana cried out.


Yi Nuo felt little resistance when her dao cut right into Morgana's throat, blood wetting her pristine white fur. She then tackled her to the ground, and crunched down on her neck, the taste of metal filling her mouth. She was tired of losing those she cared about to the wickedness of this war. She was tired of having to be a pillar for her grandchildren. Yi Nuo had failed Arlux, her fellow heroes, her own children, her late husband, and now, she failed Nomad.

These intense feelings were manifested in her brutal onslaught. She didn’t care about being a noble hero anymore, Yi Nuo simply wanted to inflict as much pain as possible unto Morgana, to gain some sort of revenge for her fallen comrades, for Arlux.
“Wait, this isn’t right.” Yi Nuo thought to herself.
“You got played.” Baihu said, his voice faint, almost distant.

Yi Nuo’s surroundings began to melt, as she went from on top of Morgana’s bloodied corpse, to being surrounded by rubble, and her Dao broken. The hand was crouched in front of her, unscathed, and smiling, satisfied with her work.
“Man, I donno what you saw, but it sent you into a tizzy!” Morgana chuckled. “I’ll be back for you, in the meantime, you can get a front row seat to watch me murder the rest of your comrades!” she giggled gleefully, before returning to the battlefield, cackling as she asked who else would be next.

“It was delusion magic, combined with mania. A strong combination that neither of us could expect. You charged in the wrong direction, and she took advantage of that, breaking your blade, and your body.” Baihu explained softly.
Yi Nuo lifted the now broken blade, and tears swelled in her eyes. The blade was a gift from her husband, given to her on their wedding day.
“She’s right, I am a failure.” Yi Nuo uttered, before slipping into the realm of unconsciousness.

 

[Nano]

Enthyskana Rhoda

Interactions: Hargred, Golroth

Mentions: --

As a witness to Hargred’s struggle against Golroth, Enthy couldn’t help but grow concerned over the child’s state of mind. Powerful as he was, he was far too impressionable. Though she was grateful for his aid, he was fighting so hard for a group of people who were essentially strangers. He was extremely impressionable, and while that was beneficial for the heroes, she couldn’t say the same for Hargred himself. This was his resolve, but was it one born from his own thoughts as he claimed, or had they accidentally done the same to Hargred as Tiryan had once done?

When she spotted the injured body of Hargred’s human form retreat right as the last of her dragon scales fitted themselves into place upon her original form, she found herself transfixed by the determination burning in his eyes.

It wasn’t her place to question his motivation, was it?

Swallowing down the words apologizing for their ineptitude which led to Hargred’s current state, she carefully draped a wing over the child in hopes that the plush curtain of iridescent feathers would bring at least a touch of comfort. A soft “thank you” rumbled from her scaled throat, and the Hero of Veritas gently pushed Hargred behind her. Hopefully, King Brynjolf and Yi Nuo would be capable of holding Morgana off while the rest recovered. As for Enthy herself, simply gazing upon the obsidian scaled behemoth towering above them was enough to trigger another shudder to penetrate into the marrow of her bones. Even so, she spread her wings far above her, basking in the golden glow of her divine synchronization as it gradually painted the pearly luster of her feathers and scales with a vibrant, seafoam green.

Enthy let loose a deafening roar, calling upon the attention of both Golroth as well as warning any approaching heroes of the danger present. Then, with a powerful flap of her wings which displaced the rubble around her, the dragon took to the skies. She shot off from the ground, claws prepared to rip into the left wing of the far larger dragon. The moment she drew near, she aimed a cautious swipe at Golroth and immediately sailed past him regardless of whether or not she felt her claws connect with scaled flesh.

When Golroth roared and took to the skies, Enthy knew she had succeeded in drawing his attention away from the other heroes. However, when his nostrils flared and the dragon grew seemingly agitated over something he detected in her scent, it became evident that she wouldn’t have to try very hard to retain said attention. But who was this “Emperor” he was referring to? Though her paternal great-grandmother was well-known within the region she was born in, neither of Enthy’s parents had a particularly distinguished bloodline when taking the entirety of their race into account. She could discern that Golroth truly believed in his words, yet what was the likelihood of a complete stranger knowing more about her ancestry than herself? Was he mistaken? She heard that humans often suffered various forms of mental degradation as they aged. Maybe the same applied to dragons even after death.

Enthy considered submitting an inquiry to the God of Truth, but any notion of the thought would be forgotten the moment Golroth’s jaw threatened to snap shut alarmingly close to the base of her wing. Tucking all her appendages close to her body, the dragon spun into a quick dive before snapping her wings back open and hurtling past in the other direction. For one so large, Golroth was astoundingly fast, forcing Enthy to duck and weave like a weasel as best as she could. Compared to the smaller dragon who was too preoccupied with dodging to loose a counterattack, the behemoth effortlessly opened his mouth to release a blast of white-hot flames which badly singed the plumage and flesh of her left wing with just a graze. Though she gnashed her teeth in pain, she nonetheless remained grateful that her scales had protected her from any further damage. At the very least, she was still fit to fly.

But not for long at this rate,

she thought to herself grimly. Was there anything she could do to distract him?

“The Emperor!”

Enthy suddenly shouted, hoping that the roar of the turbulent gales their wings were stirring up didn’t drown out her voice.

“Who is this ‘Emperor’ you speak of?”

Though she had her doubts regarding any potential relation to this royal bloodline he spoke of, she was nonetheless curious about the identity of the dragon who was a target of interest to a dragon like Golroth who only seemed to chase the thrill of destruction in the various stories written about him.

 

[LazyDaze]

AAXIR THE RED

Interactions:
Mentions:

Aaxir cut through the skies effortlessly as the encroched upon the next battle. As with all battles there was a stillness despite the chaos around them. There was an uneasiness that he could not shake since he felt his arrival. No...there had been an uneasiness that no one had felt in a long time. These battles without Arlux no longer felt like a certainty, a formality to whatever ending they had hoped for. The current battle made that fact more evident than any of the others. Had they taken too long against the undead husk? No matter, once he got the heroes to Kai everything would work itself out. Yes...if there was one thing Aaxir had on his side, it was his unwavering belief in himself no matter the odds, and he desperately hung on to that belief as they inched closer and closer to the main battle. I just need to get there...then we will win. That thought echoed over and over to the point he couldn't tell if it was something he believed, or a question he was asking himself. A faint, but definitely violent roar severed him from his thoughts as he looked ahead. It was so ragged, boistrous, and fear bringing that he almost didn't reconginze it as Enthy's, but that was Enthy. It wasn't merely a battle cry, it was a message for them and in a sense her faith that they would be here when she needed them. Aaxir could feel the battle. The sounds came next, the chaotic clashes producing nothing but destruction for either side, and then he could see. Broken stone, bodies, and Enthy darting about while the appearance of Golroth validated Aaxir's fears. He was real. Aaxir snickered. There was no longer a guarantee that they could get to Kai without putting him, or themselves in danger, after all Golroth was not the only enemy present. That left Aaxir with only one option, something he would have rather avoided. With a resentful snort, emerald flames flickered about the party like lanterns in the night until eventually a gentle flame washed over them. The flames sifted through their mind, body, and souls to cleanse them of any ailments that had befell them during this ordeal and hopefully revive their will to press on through these crushing circumstances. Aaxir said nothing.

Aaxir found a safe zone and landed softly before allowing his "passengers" to leave. He made sure they were close enough to join the battle at anytime, but just far enough so that they could collect themselves without worrying about being bombarded immediately. He gave the party one final glance before preparing to depart. "Listen...I'm going to defeat that dragon. Don't get in my way, you can figure the rest out on your own." With that said Aaxir looked toward the sky and with a mighty flap of his wings he rocketed toward Enthy, Hargred, and Golroth to join the aerial battle. He continued to accelerate and the air around him seemed to become distorted . Glowing fissures in the earth formed beneath him as even his scales seemed to blacken under the heat.

"Divine Synch."

A great burst of energy accompanied his transformation as Aaxir the Red now boasted scales akin to the obsidian created by Pele's wrath. He continued to press on, never taking his eyes off of Golroth. He was giving chase to Enthy. A million things had ran through his mind prior to the confrotation, after all, if Aaxir could avoid facing off against another dragon, he would. Perhaps it would be hypocritical to ask why the mighty myth was not forging his own path apart from Tiriyan. Besides, Aaxir wasn't exactly leading his own cause. Nevertheless, more than anything Aaxir felt excited. A chance to test his place in the world against a mighty foe. It was no surprise that the path Aaxir had decided for himself would be littered with powerful obstacles, Golroth was a wall he would have to overcome. Aaxir opened his mouth has mana continued to flow into a single spot forming a large sphere that would eventually shrink as Aaxir would condense the energy as much as he could. The unstable sphere of energy could explode at any moment and that was when Aaxir knew it was ready. With an earth shaking roar, Aaxir released the sphere toward Golroth set to create a massive magma explosion upon impact should it connect. There was a fierceness in Aaxir's eyes, he would not back down..he couldn't. If he wanted to walk the path of the gods, he would have to cross a legend. It was only now that he noticed Hargred was here as well...with no time to ask questions, Aaxir officially joined the battle flying just ahead of Enthy and Hargred, after all, he couldn't help but feel like the older brother in this situation protecting them from a bully even if they were powerful in their own right.

"Enthy.......Stay alert."