Fantasy The Last Light

[marshmarrow]

THE LAST LIGHT: ROLEPLAY THREAD​

Our heroes are members of the Council Vanguard, one of the more newly-formed groups in Lumen's army. It has been a month since the first strange monsters have appeared. As an inexperienced branch, the Council Vanguard has been stationed to regularly patrol an unlikely point of attack - a small chapel surrounded by greenery on the city's outskirts. The Grand Council, once impassive towards the natural disasters and suspicious when questioned for a solution, enlisted this select group of warriors to cut more of the Solaris to power Aubade and neutralize the wrath of Tenebris. They must then travel to the sunlight cities and restoring the Solis to its true power. Scientists predict the Council Vanguard will have 30 days to complete their task before Aubade is plunged into darkness.

♢♢♢

​

It was just another ordinary summer day in the city of Lumen. The sun beamed down harshly on the golden brick buildings as people of diverse backgrounds milled about the streets. The Hall of the Grand Council and Solis Temple at the center of the city practically glowed in the sunlight.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, a group of mismatched soldiers lazily lounged around the outside of the Leseli Chapel, a small yellow brick structure with a shed at the side, the perimeter of the lot enclosed with a brown wooden fence. It was clear that the building was not in regular use for many years - some of the bricks had begun to wear away, and ivy grew uncontrollably along one of the walls. An expanse of dried grass sparsely decorated with trees surrounded the immediate area, and the bright buildings of the inner city gleamed from a distance. A variety of birds' chirps filled the air with music.

A few yards outside the chapel's fence, eight thin, translucent white legs poked out of the ground. After seemingly struggling, a head popped up at the legs' center. It was a spider that stood about two feet tall. And then another one emerged similarly, followed by two more. They crawled towards the chapel almost mindlessly as more and more sickly white spiders appeared to follow them. It would only be a matter of time before the Council Vanguard noticed that they weren't alone anymore...

THREADS​

ROLEPLAY THREAD: YOU ARE HERE
OOC THREAD: CLICK HERE.
CHARACTER THREAD: CLICK HERE.
INTEREST CHECK: CLICK HERE.

 

[marshmarrow]

MORGAN ST. CLAIR
leseli chapel | Euclid Leaf Ellie the Knight Kirito Kei

I hate summer, thought Morgan for what seemed to be the thousandth time as she scanned the streets of Lumen from the chapel's rooftop balcony. She listened to the happy chirps of the birds in the branches above her as she cooled off. Today's sun was merciless - not a single cloud had graced Lumen with its presence. Even the inside of the abandoned Leseli Chapel wasn't a good place to take shelter - the air conditioning had stopped functioning years ago. The humidity made the temperature even more unbearable, especially since Morgan was required to wear her constricting vest and thick gloves for protection. It wasn't like anything ever happened at her post either, but she still needed to follow protocol. The material of her sweater chafed against the fresh burns around her sternum and the sensitive skin surrounding it - where hot shell casings from her Glock had fallen under her shirt during target practice. The pain was slight, but just harrowing enough to cause her to lose focus multiple times as she scanned the streets below. At least I'm not Riyus. She considered the lithe, fair man clad in heavily ornate armor, not an inch of skin below his neck exposed to the slightest breeze. Morgan bet that he probably wanted to dump a water tank on the Pyralis right now.

Today had been terribly normal. Considering the monster attacks that were reported every few days, it was important for even Morgan's unit, a small segment of the lowly Council Vanguard, to take their jobs seriously.

Morgan straightened up in her spot and checked the time on her phone. Three o'clock. It was time for her to give the hourly update to their lieutenant. "This is Morgan St. Clair checking in, sir," she spoke into her earpiece after activating it. She took one last glance around, identifying the other soldiers' locations as being within her line of sight. "Nothing to report at the chapel," she finished.

However, just as she had given her report, she noticed that the birds had stopped singing. It was eerily silent aside from whatever the other soldiers were doing. And then she saw the swarm.

About a thousand - or was that two thousand? - gigantic white spiders were making their way past the fence, headed straight for the chapel building 100 yards away. "Holy crap," said Morgan under her breath as her mind began to reel with adrenaline. The color of those spiders was undeniable - they were some variety of the Solis Eaters mentioned at drills - needed to be killed on sight. Still, the pictures she had seen over the past month had all showed fantastical beasts and chimeras of many sorts, none of which were animals as mundane as spiders. However, though normal spiders were supposed to never be bigger than a dish plate, these ones easily surpassed that limit. I really hope that no one is afraid of spiders, she thought uneasily.

Morgan jumped to her feet and drew her rifle, peering through the scope, to reveal the beasts were each adorned with dozens of red eyes. "Solis-eating spiders at the north gate!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "This is not a drill! Everyone come here and get into position now!"

Walk. | "Talk." | Think.

 

[Kirito Kei]

Kaiden massaged his knuckles as he casually kicked a nearby rock on the ground, causing it to clatter against the brown wooden fence that surrounded the dull building. To think, the great and mighty Kaiden, the one once known throughout all of Lumen as the infamous Crow was now relegated to guarding a decrepit chapel on the outskirts of the city.

"Really, of all the backwater places they could've sent me, it had to be this place? Honestly, I would've stayed in confinement if I knew things were gonna be like this. At least Little Kal constantly propositioning the other inmates would've made the monotony a little more entertaining."

As if to emphasize his point, Kaiden kicked another rock, this time causing dirt to kick up into the air.

"If they were going to assign me somewhere, they could've at least chosen somewhere on the front lines where I would spent plenty of time in the field. Maybe then I could've used all the confusion those freaky monsters seem to always create to slip away, become missing in action, as the old war dogs call it. Where would I go after that, though? Maybe Escura has room behind that eerie veil of theirs. Dark magic though... there definitely are better places to go in Aubade, I suppose..."

Just when Kaiden was about to radio someone in the squad to ask what they were wearing on this wonderful day, he heard screams coming from the balcony of the chapel.

"Solis-eating spiders at the north gate! This is not a drill! Everyone come here and get into position now!"

In an instant, Kaiden's head darted to the north gate, confirming that there was indeed an army of pale spiders converging on his position.

Not having time to berate himself for not noticing the threat sooner, his limbs sprang into action. At the same moment that his legs began to propel him towards the chapel at an impressive speed, his hands quickly dug themselves into the pockets of his trench coat and pulled them back out, displaying a set of menacing looking claws on each hand. Normally when out on assignments like these, Kaiden liked to keep his claws disguised as to make himself look less threatening, but now he had a feeling he was gonna need to pull out all the tricks in his repertoire to survive the horde of nightmare fuel that was coming his way.

Not wanting to be on the same level of those generally terrifying spiders, Kaiden determined he would take a more... direct path to the rooftop balcony of the chapel. With a huff, the Rogue lept into the air and sunk his titanium alloy claws into the brick. As small bits of concrete and dust dispersed into the air, Kaiden hoisted himself higher and higher, quickly scaling the wall like a black cat in the dead of the night. In his head he could hear his instructors berate him for ascending a building in such a manner, but he didn't care. After all, he enjoyed the way it felt to climb a wall using nothing but your own strength and the help of a few small 'implements'. It took him back to the good ol' days, where he did things for his own benefit, and for his brother's...

Kaiden's thoughts were interrupted by a surge of adrenaline as he reached the rooftop balcony, jumping over the railing with ease. Taking cover nearby, he drew his Beretta 93R and flicked the safety off in one fluid motion. "Morgan, was it? Let's hope they didn't choose you over me to oversee this squad for nothing. What's our next move?"

What's our next move? Really? Kaiden kept forgetting that he had to address his supposed superiors with at least some modicum of respect. Oh well, he thought. Kaiden was more interested in how he was going to keep those godforsaken spiders from getting into the city.

Tags marshmarrow Ellie the Knight Euclid Leaf

 

[Ellie the Knight]

Sheela Brizowski
marshmarrow Kirito Kei Euclid Leaf​

A displeased moan slipped from Sheela's lips as she held her water bottle upside down. Slowly, water dripped from the empty bottle's mouth piece onto the scolding hot yellow bricks that made up the pathway she stood on. Hitting the ground, the water quickly evaporated under the sun's rays. With one hand occupied, she raised her free hand to her forehead, and looked up at the sky. Not a single cloud was in sight, only crystal blue skies. Normally, it would be the type of day she would enjoy with a glass of lemonade and her notepad. But today, all she felt was the sweaty embrace of her hoodie that was zipped down as far as the kevlar vest over it allowed. After a moment she returned her gaze back down to the front gate ahead of her. Just like every other time she checked, nothing. It seemed the only enemy they had to fear, was heat stroke.

Sheela let out a small sigh, and kneeled down as she placed the empty bottle back into the backpack that rested on the ground beside her. Against it, a long oak staff pointed high into the sky. Before she rose she grabbed her staff, and used her other hand to sling her backpack over her shoulder. As she rose she turned, facing her back toward the gate she was watching. A overgrown chapel welcomed her gaze. It was quite spectacular. How the golden bricks reflected the the sun in the spots where vines and other vegetation didn't grow on the walls. As she scanned her way up the chapel, her eyes came to lay on Morgan on the balcony above. The sun leaked through the tree above her, coming to rest mostly on her shoulders and hair. The leaves danced slowly in what little wind that blew, resulting in the light on Morgan dancing as well. A soft smile graced Sheela's lips as she looked around the courtyard. Next to her stood an old birch tree, tall and full of life it created a blanket of shade underneath it. Sheela made her way over to it, and carefully set her backpack and staff down, and allowed them to lean against the tree. Then allowed herself to lean against it as well, slowly falling onto the soft overgrown grass. Having the pressure removed from her feet was a welcomed feeling, and the shade lessened the intensity of the sun's rays. With and extended arm, Sheela searched around in a front pocket of her backpack, and retrieved a small composition notebook with a mechanical pencil that rested in the wire spool that held it together. As she placed her hand on the front cover, she took the pencil out and opened to an empty page. Pencil on paper, she returned her gaze back up to where Morgan stood, and began to study the details that surrounded the short, muscular girl. Soon after, her pencil began to dance on the page, marking lines that stood out most in her subject. Not having been part of the Council Vanguard long, Sheela was not very accustomed to any of her squad-mates. Some seemed more genuine in their interest to better the world than others. But most of them seemed to agree that their post was less than what was desired however.

A few minutes passed as Sheela glanced up and down between the building and her paper. Or was it a few hours? Time seemed to pass by quicker as she worked on the finer details in front of her. It was short lived however. As she filled the gap's between the leaves in the tree that stood above Morgan, a shout startled Sheela. "Solis-eating spiders at the north gate!" Her head shoot back up to where Morgan was standing. The posture she had been observing had changed, and was now more serious. "This is not a drill! Everyone come here and get into position now!" Slowly, Sheela turned her head to the main gate, only to be greeted by what seemed like a sea of white charging right at them. Her eyes widened, and her heart started to race. This. Was happening. Hands now trembling from both fear and adrenaline, she struggled to put her notebook back into her bag. 'Ok, ok. Calm down. You need to calm down, and breath.' she thought to herself. Sheela took a deep breath, then grabbed her backpack and staff, and bolted for the stairs that lead up to Morgan's position. As she did, so did another. Kaiden however, had a different means of assent in mind. While Sheela made her way to the stairway, bits of debris fell onto her, covering her in dust and other bits of building materials. While she made way up the stairs, she stammered as a coughing fit almost made her lose balance. Once she regained her balance she slung her backpack into position, and readied her staff as she joined her two other comrades. "Oooohhh.. that's a lot of them!" She worriedly exclaimed.

 

[Vranea]

Despite the consensus the rest of the squad had reached about how much their post sucked, Lizbeth actually found herself enjoying the aging chapel. The yellow bricks and wooden fence brought back fond memories of a similar chapel back in the slums where she grew up. A feeling of nostalgia had taken root inside of her and aided her in taking her mind off the boredom and scorching heat. While the climate controlling gel in her skinsuit helped for awhile, the heat soon over powered it leaving Lizbeth just as uncomfortable as the rest of her squad.

Lizbeth had been posted behind the small shed lost in thought about the lessons and stories she had been taught in her own chapel. She thought her younger self naïve for believing in any of those stories. "Solis-eating spiders at the north gate!" The sound of Morgan on the radio ripped the knight from her memories. It took for her words to sink in, but once they finally did Lizbeth began to move. Her mace that was previously affixed to her side was now firmly in hand. Her shield never left her left forearm while she was on duty, while she didn't put much stock in being able to strike at a moments notice being able to block an incoming attack quickly was very important.

Lizbeth rushed into the chapel and up the stairs as fast as she could. Her armor was designed to be as light as possible while still providing a good amount of protection, but it was still heavy and draining to run in especially up stairs. When she reached the rest of her team it was just in time to hear Sheela's comment about the number of spiders. She positioned herself between the approaching horde and her allies. Her shield was raised ready for when they fighting would start. Her breathing was uneven from her sprint up onto the roof. She looked back at Sheela. "You're right. There is a lot of them. That just means it will be a fair fight." She chuckled looking to bolster the confidence of the group. They had no room for the possibility of someone freezing up, especially if that person was the one in charge healing the wounded and keeping the group alive.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Ellie the Knight marshmarrow Kirito Kei Vranea ...

"Achoo!"

Riyus sniffed as he scratched nose. A strange sneeze had suddenly overcame him, and his face twisted in annoyance. "Bugger... someone must be cursing me again." Well, that was one way to be woken up. The young knight yawned, blinking once. The summer light took no qualms to filling his vulnerable golden eyes, clearing away the murkiness that had swallowed them both with stunning efficiency. Shielding himself, he gazed up in wonder at the clear skies. He felt free. But he also never felt so...

How long has it been? From where the sun lies... seems like mid day. Whoops.

The young knight had been up here since the day before, having been assigned night watch after causing some trouble. He wasn't doing a good job, he'd have to admit. And to account for that, he had promptly snuck off once he figured no one was the wiser and found a snug little tree to hide in. But if anything, he'd have to blame it on boredom as the culprit for his misdeeds. Though, in his opinion, it was more to reserve his own mental health. Normally, he would be able to force himself to do something he completely despised. He does so every day, after all. But spend a few hours staring out at the listless horizon creeping beyond and even the most hardened soul can fall lulling to the harrowing sway of the night. And would seek to find shelter from they sickly feeling inside. Since the days have gotten shorter these past few months, he too had begun starting to feel strange. Time physically ticking down on him and his personal goals, like a clock losing its numbers. And as such, Riyus was restless as ever. It felt like he was losing weight, but he found no physical change. Like he was starving no matter how he tried to sate his own wicked soul. Maybe that is what caused him to mouth off at the commander. Again. A pitiful attempt to fill his growing anxiety? To stop himself from being swallowed by his internal abyss of emotions. Well, this time, it was all his fault, he'd have to admit. How many does it make he's already gotten on the wrong side of?

Ah. But Morgan is so difficult, is she not? Why should I take extra responsibility for others short-comings? Is that not unfair to me as well?

He looked down at his hands, then his armor. Sweat was building up now that he was aware of the heat, even there, nestled in the shade. He jumped out of his little wooden nook and down into the bright green grass below, swinging the greatsword down as an anchor before him. The silvered and gold-trimmed blade sunk deep into the dirt and he stepped off the flat edge with surprising nimbleness.

If he had been able to rise earlier, maybe he would be able to fake faithfulness on duty. But it is much too late now. Riyus knew he was going to be washing dishes and folding laundry for the rest of his days here for this blatant insubordination. He might as well enjoy this momentary freedom and mess around some more. Prying the priceless weapon free as if it were nothing more than a toy and letting out a grateful stretch, he pondered the possibilities. Maybe he should visit the market today? There was some fresh new fish from Rialto that came in yesterday. He can imagine the face the commander would have if he walked in later with a cut of fresh filet and satisfied expression.

He knew this type well. In many ways, Morgan shared a background akin to his. But her spite manifested vastly different.

To nobles, their achievements always come second to those in higher regard. It can be seen in her drive to distinguish herself. To achieve the ranking of officer at such a young age, in a world that is much too scared of change. As such, she is much too prideful to allow such a bad apple to ruin her hard-earned crop. She wants control, and so she wishes to handle things all on her own. Without the help of others. To tame such a wicked man, all by her lonesome, wouldn't she earn so much prestige and praise? But that was perfect. He needed her to berate him to the higher-ups. More and more, he needed to make splashes in the puddle. Riyus almost felt bad, a faint prick tickling his heart. He knew what it is like to bear immense burdens upon their shoulders. And to make her lose face because of his own selfishness struck him somewhere long-buried. But he couldn't falter now. He quickly reminded himself how much he sacrificed in order to get to this place. Soon, things will come to fruition. They would be forced to recognize him now. Seeing their 'prized son' being forced to such an unsightly position, knowing them, they would not be able to bear the shame. And they will decorate it with false concern and love. Because of this, they will soon act. And when they do, those haughty hypocrites will face the wrongs they have dealt. They must.

Riyus smiled at the thought of it all. The carnage that he vowed to sew into their hearts. But at the same time, he felt strangely awful. Riyus was almost too busy fighting with his own twisted feelings that he barely caught the last bit of radio chatter coming from his own pocket. It sounded urgent. And for a moment he considered answering instead of ignoring it like he planned. But another sound caught his attention now. He looked once back towards the horizon point where the sun danced before leaning back with a confounded look.

"Odd. Never expected to be greeted this way after waking up from a pleasant sleep." he said, pointing at the dozen or so warped insects rapidly advancing towards him.

The chapel was in visible sight, but from how fast the red-eyed spiders were moving, he wouldn't be able to outrun them in his full armament. Riyus leaned back and gave the upper window a nice wave, knowing that the radio chatter must be related to what he saw before him. And to whom it surely belonged to. Then with a steady sigh, he slowly brought the wide sword down before him in a defensive neutral position. He had dealt with things similar before, so he felt no need to panic. Their strength often lied in numbers. He was prepared to swing wide once they drew close enough, catching as many as he could before they would begin to swarm him. Then he would begin to take his share of hits back. He was already counting the amount of days he'll be spending in the infirmary for doing something so reckless.

But all the while, his smile returned. Another battle, another chance to achieve 'glory'. And to spit it back into the faces of those who cherish it so. "Lucky me. And here I was complaining about it being a bit too boring around here..."

...

 

[marshmarrow]

MORGAN ST. CLAIR
leseli chapel | Euclid Leaf Ellie the Knight Kirito Kei Vranea

As the rest of her unit came alive, Morgan slung the semi-auto back around her shoulder and gave a Kaiden a withering look as she took out her noise-muffling headset from a pocket of her vest, clipping her earpiece to it. She quickly checked everyone's current positions and devised a plan of attack in her head, her mind feeling more and more stimulated at the idea of actually fighting something significant.

"We will choke the gateway to keep them from coming in," she ordered into the radio. "Riyus, take place front and center by the chapel entrance. Lizbeth, stand on Riyus's left, but leave plenty of room for both of your weapons. Sheela, stay behind them and defend. Crow-"

Morgan paused as she wondered what he could do during this fight. There was nothing to steal from mere spiders, and Kaiden's claws were useless on masses of enemies. Although Kaiden was a crafty and flexible figther, she was almost tempted to take away his gun before he hurt himself. Why the lieutenant gave her an ex-convict instead of the second marksman she applied for was beyond her - two ground fighters, two ranged fighters, and a mage was standard procedure - every other class came second. Unless they never planned to cover our asses to begin with. Too late now.

Then like lightning, it came to her. These spiders are here for a reason, she realized. Solis Eaters don't show up unless there is a piece of the Solis nearby. Perhaps a rogue could be useful after all, if he would only learn some manners.

She whipped her head around to face Kaiden, the ever-casual thief. "Crow, go into the chapel and find the Solis piece," ordered Morgan. "It's why they're attacking in the first place. I don't know how big or small it is, but you'll know when you find it. Bring it to me before the spiders reach the chapel." She sincerely hoped that Kaiden wouldn't take her directions lightly, especially since this was such an important task. But now was not the time to worry. The spiders were about to cross the gate.

Morgan readied her rifle on the balcony, facing the erratic white demons, her lips curled into a snarling grin. "FOR LUMEN!" she shouted as she squeezed the trigger. Her bullets slashed through the first two spiders to cross her path. Soon enough, she eased herself into a pattern of shooting left and right as the spiders neared her position. They were easy to kill, but there were many of them.

The Council Vanguard's first true battle had begun.

Walk. | "Talk." | Think.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

marshmarrow ...

The courtyard looked like a scene out of an arachnophobe's worst nightmare. There were spiders swarming down like a tide towards his position. His eyes narrowed as he remembered just how much he disliked insects. Filthy things.

Luckily their attack seemed diverted, part of the wave focusing on the chapel behind while a smaller number had split off to deal with him. Riyus ruthlessly smashed his sword down into the first pale spider coming into his range, crushing it whole and tearing off an a few legs of those nearby in the collateral. The wave parted only slightly and with a low hiss through his teeth, "Kshh...!" he immediately pivoted his body to take advantage of the dent. Using the huge sword seemed ridiculous to most people, but he was trained his whole life to handle the weapon. While its offensive nature is apparent, it was a great defensive tool if the user was nimble and positioned well enough. Grabbing the hilt with both hands, the knight spun with the sword acting as a dial, pushing the flat end of the blade and swiping the entire flank as he maneuvered behind it. For a split moment, the wide blade acted as a shield as the golden magic within flared out and hardened into a half-shield. He felt scattered impacts as the heaving blade caught a few more ravenous beasts in the way, all the while protecting himself of their sharp legs. But it was clear there were too many. The hole he created in their ranks was rapidly being filled out by more as the spiders crawled over their sputtering and withering comrades. Already, he could feel one latching itself onto his leg, kicking the creature off only to have another jump on his shoulder. It hissed into his ear, fangs rearing as it dug its many hardened spikes underneath the plating to reach his skin. He pried it off before it managed to bite down, stomping on it with a vicious scowl. Though his efforts yielded impressive results, no doubt soon he would be overwhelmed by the white sea.

Quite the wake-up call this has been. Maybe he should've listened to orders in the first place.

"Riyus, take place front and center by the chapel entrance...!"

Hearing directions over the blaring radio, he had the immediate instinct to call back sarcastically. But then he remembered his situation. He glanced back towards the chapel to see that the doors were at least 80 yards away, to properly gauge his chances. But that was a mistake.

He felt blood trickle down his thigh as a bleached spine impaled him through the squishier mesh of his plates. It barely missed his bones, scrapping them as it dug deep into his flesh. With a growl, he snapping the leg with his arm and seized the spider's head in his hands. He could feeling it scramble wildly in his hands as the metal gauntlets crushed into its carapace. A foul liquid splashed from between his hands and onto his face, as though he was popping an overgrown pimple. He felt absolutely sick. But he didn't stop until it ceased movement. Casting the lifeless thing aside, he had to hold back the urge to gag as he moved to deal with the others.

His body screamed in pain as he tried another difficult maneuver, pushing through with a scream of his own. "I'll be damned if I fall to the likes of you!" Swinging again with the same sweeping maneuver, he sent spiders flying away. However, instead of following the attack, he used the momentary shield created by the sword and hole in the attacking force to fall back.

Riyus made it only about half the way before the spiders were on him again, the faded carvings on the chapel entrance clearly visible now. It wasn't quite what Morgan wanted, but he got as far as he could get. One had pounced on the limping runner, climbing up his back. As he wrestled to grab with the thing, to prevent it from getting at his head, others were beginning to crawl up his legs. One even got onto his chest. It seemed almost hopeless for him, but hearing gunshots restored his inner flame. The one grappled to his front then fell off in a smoking pile as the last bullet rang. He could tell the sound of that outdated gun anywhere. The one thing the commander might have done better than bossing them all around, that he could say with sincerity, was shooting a gun. Maybe it was by her covering fire that he made it this far in the first place? Did she perhaps care about his well-being? No. It can't be. She had been itching to fire at him the moment they met. This was just a great excuse. But by Solis, he'll take it though.

The young man was panting heavily, the magic-draining sword and his own feats having paid their toll. But he seemed filled with new momentum. He pushed on through the weighing pain, yelling again as he threw the spider off his back and smashed it underfoot, swinging his sword to clear those following him away.

"Perhaps we've found something we both can respect about one another! Keep up the fire! I shall dance to your tempo!" he called out to the balcony, uncaring if anyone actually heard him or not.

...

 

[Ellie the Knight]

Sheela Brizowski
marshmarrow Euclid Leaf Vranea Kirito Kei​

Shock. As Sheela stood there, watching the hoard of white race toward her, and the Vanguard. Shock had been the only word that filled her mind. The once peaceful, overgrown courtyard began to look more and more like an omen of loss, and abandonment. The building she thought so beautiful, now the fronts for all out war. Leaves that once danced gracefully in the wind, stood still. No more did the light kiss Morgan, but rather seemed to highlight her worried complexion. Time seemed to slow, as Sheela's eyes darted back and forth observing her enemy. She could feel her heart pound, sweat drip, and hear every breath she took as the hoard or eight legged beasts swarmed toward them. It was just the enemy, the Vanguard, and herself.

Then, it all changed. Lisbeth darted past the group as she stood scanning the battlefield. The tall girl carried herself with a sense of confidence, and excitement that took Sheela by surprise. As Lisbeth turned to Sheela, her shield raised, smile gracing her face, words of encouragement filled the empty void that was silence. Sheela's grip tightened on her staff as Lizbeth's words graced her ears. As she closed her eyes, she took a deep breath, and nodded. Returned to reality, Sheela listened carefully to Morgan's instructions. 'Sheela, stay behind them and defend.' Worry still polluted her mind, but Lizbeth's words, and Morgan's guidance also gave Sheela certainty, and bravery. "I'll do my best." Sheela said, as she placed her earpiece in her ear.

Her gaze returned to the front lines, she could see something that stood out in the distance. Against the blur of white, there was a glimmer. It appeared to be waving. Riyus stood alone on the front line. How he came to be in such a predicament was beyond her. He appeared to be struggling, as he ripped a spider from his thigh, and crushed it in his hands. As she witnessed this, a spark flickered inside her heart. Sheela moved back slowly, and paused for a moment, as if in thought, then turned and quickly descended the staircase she had come up from. "Hold on Riyus! We're coming!" She shouted into the mic. Lizbeth, sure to be right behind her. This is what she had signed up for.

 

[Vranea]

"Yes Ma'am." Lizbeth responded as she received her instructions form Morgan. She watched for a moment as Riyus standing alone against the horde of spiders, there was no way she was going to leave her comrade for longer than she had to even if it meant she had to do something stupid. She took a few steps backward before sprinting forward toward the edge of the church. She leapt from the roof. She knew that this would probably hurt like hell, but it'd get her comrade back-up faster. When she hit the ground she went straight for a roll to displace some of the momentum, and sprung up quickly shield raised toward the spiders once again. While her armor's inner layer and the roll absorbed most of the impact she knew that she'd have a hell of a bruise in the place that first made contact with the ground.

Lizbeth took her place beside Riyus making sure to give him plenty of room so that he was able to freely swing his weapon. She found her footing quickly and swung her mace down hard at a spider that lunged at her. "Riyus, you think we will get promoted for this?" She asked once the spider had been dealt with. That spider had been a lucky one to get past Riyus' strike, but now she had to ready herself for the approaching horde. She was eager to see how well her squad handled the spider threat. It'd be nice to get a feel for what they were capable of, instead of just lazing about all day until their patrol ended.

marshmarrow Euclid Leaf Kirito Kei Ellie the Knight

 

[Ellie the Knight]

Sheela Brizowski
marshmarrow Euclid Leaf Kirito Kei Vranea​

Dirt loosened under Sheela's foot as she reared to a stop the base of the stairs. Her eyes fixed on the path below her, the yellow brick shined bright as the sun beat down on it. Drops of sweat fell from her head onto the yellow mason work. Much like before, they quickly disappeared under the sun's rays. As her gaze followed up the path below her, so did her feet. Griped between her hands, her staff rested near her waistline. The long, worn oak staff was brought close to her chest as what had started as a gaunt, was now a full on sprint toward her allies. The ruck on her back, bounced with her stride, causing supplies inside to rattle, and rustle. Steadily, she advanced, and scanned the space ahead of her. Her next move would be paramount, though she knew what she needed to do, the pressure undoubtedly still lingered in the air around her. It would be a hinderance if she got in the way of her comrades as they fought. However, the closer she got, the faster she would be able to cast spells. Rubber to mason, her pace grinded to a halt roughly 20 yards behind the front line. It was a start, and gave her room to both advance, and retreat if needed. Riyus stood in front of the mob as he slashed at wave after wave of arachnid. His armor glimmered in the sun, which made it easy to see where he had been wounded. From above, Morgan's rifle rained down lead on the white creatures in a steady cadence. Rounds snapped past her head, finding their targets down range. Lizbeth appeared to find a expedited path to Riyus's position, and stood by his side smashing spiders under her mace. They all fought with all their hearts. Now it was Sheela's turn. Exhausted from her sprint down, slowly turning into a sauna, and shaking, her back straightened. Feet spread into a familiar stance, chest puffed out, and she took a deep breath as she readied her staff.

"Ok, here we go.." she spoke softly to herself.

Eyes closed, the sounds of the battle that filled her ears seemed to become muffled as she began to concentrate. A moment past as she attempted to clear her mind. Clear her mind from all the fear, and uncertainty that welled up in it. She instead replaced them with thoughts of her allies fighting. The reasons that had brought her here in the first place. The inspiration that had given her the drive to become a white mage. All these thoughts sparked a fire in her heart. Oak turned skyward, and danced back and forth in a tranquil rhythm. Slowly, a clear, water like substance materialized, and joined the oak in its dance as it orbited around it. Glistening in the sun, the substance grew as the oak's dance hastened. Her eye's opened, and the oak's dance was interrupted as she lowered back down to her waist. As her eyes focused on Riyus, so did the substance as it began to dance off the oak in her hands. Slowly, it drifted toward the young knight as he fought. Gently, it made contact with the knights back and began to dance around his armor creating a bubble like barrier around him. Through pursed lips, Sheela lets out a exerted sigh.

"T..that should help keep them off you. But it's not that strong, it can only take a few hits so still be careful." Sheela informed Riyus through the earpiece. Soon after, her staff is raised in the air once again, and the process was repeated for Lizbeth. A headache began to sneak into the back of Sheela's head. Conjuring, while her specialty, still took a heavy toll on her when used in rapid succession. Her staff dug into the ground as she leaned on it for support. Through a few deep breaths, she managed to push the pain away momentarily. Again, she readied her staff, preparing for her next spell. She just hoped that Riyus and Lizbeth could keep the menace at bay. "Please keep those things away from me. A..and try not to get hurt!" Her worried voice carried through her earpiece. There were bound to be wounds against a force of this size. However, what she could do to combat death, was very limited.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Vranea Ellie the Knight marshmarrow ...

The pale knight snarled at the comment, both from revulsion at very notion and at the wound he received just then. One of the spiders managed to nick him on the cheek as he turned to see his companion join him. Great. With a growl, he snapped a leg and swung it back into the horde. "Promotion? Is that all on your mind? At this rate, I'd be happy just to keep my sodding head!"

Lisbeth was always speaking like this. As though there was no care in the world, she can crack a joke and act as if things were alright in the bleakest of circumstance. Though Riyus can't stand such optimism and lack of tact, he can't critique her over such a nature. Even if it does get on his nerves. She was a hardy warrior and good soldier otherwise. Nothing much to complain about there.

Riyus quickly whipped to the side to join the lady knight, the greatsword wielder now timing his own strikes with her attacks so each of them would be able to keep up a constant offense. They weren't exactly in a choke point, so they were forced to fight off larger numbers than they would like. But his weapon was long and his swings wide, trying his best to keep them from fully surrounding the two. His blade sliced through spindly body and body, his eyes gleaming towards his frontline partner. For a moment it he looked to relieved. Their training together was beginning to kick in, however short it may be. Though his style was a bit more fast and flamboyant compared to her more defensive and conventional posture, he made sure to not leave too many openings. Then again, she as good at covering for his own blind-spots. With a flurry of metal and bullets raining down, he could see the great white horde being stemmed. But how long would that exactly last?

Just then, his vision blurred. His large blade faltering as he felt a dominating falling sensation that momentarily gripped him. It was like he was slipping away, the sounds of the world falling through a narrow tunnel. Riyus had stumbled forward, but he quickly wheeled himself in with a stomp.

Gah... Bloodloss...

As his focus returned to the battle, one of the spiders managed to hop over the delayed sword strike in his second of waned strength. It landed on the wide blade, crawling down the wide surface as though a tiny bridge. With a low hiss it leapt right for his unprotected face. Riyus could practically feel the fangs dig deep into his flesh when a bubble of light wrapped itself around him and the creature bounced off the barrier with a flash. He was shocked at the miracle, staring wide-eyed. Was this the work of the Gods?

Surely they abandoned me long ago...

But the magic wasn't exactly strong. Though it was a life-saving miracle, this was no work of a 'God'. Then, another watery bubble began to materialize itself around Lisbeth from behind. Realizing no one else possessed such an ability, he smashed his blade forward with a roar. As he did this, his mind was racing about what to do. This was not good. His strength was beginning to fail. If he were to fall, their defense would quite literally be halved. And Sheela was no fighter. Knowing the extent of her capabilities from their formation training together, rapidly casted spells drained her rather quickly. If they stayed there in the open, where the assault was relentless, they would be overwhelmed by rule of attrition in no time. The weapon resonated with his scream a moment later and pushed the nearby spiders back, sapping a great portion of his magical strength. Which was not a lot to begin with.

Already, from these few uses alone, Riyus could feel his mind ache and his body seize from within. As thought his flesh being dragged by a thinly cut net. This was about the last of it he can use without seriously harming himself. Even at the threshold, his vision had turned red from sheer stress. But at least it would buy a single moment.

"Curse my weakness... We won't last much longer like this... " Riyus was panting, looking down at the blood trickling down his leg. In the slight lull, Riyus turned to his partner, grabbing Lisbeth's shoulder as he moved backwards. "We should fall back towards the chapel doors as Morgan planned. We'll have a better chance there. I'll hold the front while we retreat." motioning to her shield, "You protect Sheela in the meantime."

Not waiting for an answer, he swung back as the horde began to recover, impaling his sword into a spider that was knocked over and sprawling on the ground. He swung his sword very defensively from that point on, only when they dared move close enough. He didn't intend to engage too close, simply dancing at the edge of the spidery wave. He was slower than before, but his daily practice and discipline shone now in the moments of peril. And the magical shield will grant him some degree of levity.

But how much?

-Bang! There goes another hit on the barrier already.

...

 

[marshmarrow]

MORGAN ST. CLAIR
leseli chapel | Euclid Leaf Ellie the Knight Kirito Kei Vranea

Morgan's mind tuned out from the rest of the world as she pulled the trigger again and again. With each shot from her rifle, about two spiders met their doom - one from the initial penetration and the other from the exploding shrapnel. She had lost count of how many she had killed, but it barely mattered now. All that she cared about at the moment was that the spiders must be eliminated. They seemed to be just empty husks filled with visceral fluid and protected by an exoskeleton - shriveling up and tucking in their legs upon death. Morgan couldn't stand to ruin her boots in arachnid innards.

She groaned in agitation as a hollow click was heard after she pulled the trigger. She she crouched behind the balcony's short fence, fumbling with a clip of ammunition. No matter how much lead she pumped into the approaching horde, the ghostly spiders never strayed from their goal: the chapel. Still, the flow of the erratic bodies seed to have slowed, she was facing a half-dozen less than she was a few minutes ago. It would seem they were dwindling to a more manageable number.

She had been half-listening to the rest of her unit's chatter on the radio and glancing around in the microseconds after each shot, but only when she saw Riyus stagger forward and lower his sword did she react. "Shit," Morgan muttered, her concentration broken. She flicked on her radio, glaring at Sheela from above as she addressed her. "Sheela, you need to heal Riyus now. He can barely stand on his own two feet," she commanded briskly, her words punctuated by gunfire. "I'm coming over there to take his place. Back the hell up, and keep the chapel entrance cle-"

Morgan gasped as she felt the clawed leg of a Solis Eater rip clean through her vest and dig into the flesh of her collar, inches from her jugular vein. While she was giving her flurry of orders, she had lowered her weapon, and a lone spider crawled up the chapel wall in her blind spot and attacked. She crushed the offending appendage with the heavy stock of her rifle, feeling dizzy upon realizing how close the lowly creature had come to cutting her throat.

Firing at the last few spiders to approach her, Morgan slung the rifle over her shoulder, the action nearly burning from spinning lead and absorbing sunlight. She climbed over the fencing and slid down the ivy tresses growing from the rear chapel wall, at the same time drawing her handgun from its holster at her hip. She kept the Glock at the ready as she jogged to her knights and mage.

Morgan nodded to Lisbeth, swapping her Glock for her AR-15. "Swat spiders over to me with your shield, and don't let any get through!"

Getting into position beside Lisbeth, Morgan noticed for the first time how much of a presence the girl had in her full armor. A foot taller than herself, and with a sturdier frame, Morgan seemed delicate in comparison. To Morgan's bemusement, Lisbeth never seemed to be as imposing as she could be. With a smile on her face and her youthful taste in street clothes, Lisbeth's height seems to be an afterthought compared to a smile at full wattage. Still, it would be nice not to have to tip one's head back in order to see it.

Where the hell is Kaiden? Morgan allowed herself to wonder as she unloaded and reloaded from muscle memory. She gritted her teeth through the pain that gripped her left shoulder, causing her biceps to weaken with every second she held her gun raised. He should be back with the Solis shard by now.

Walk. | "Talk." | Think.

 

[Vranea]

Fighting a swarm of opponents was not Lizbeth's strong suit. While Riyus had his greatweapon that was excellent for large arcs and Morgan had her guns which could take targets with a simple aim and squeeze of the trigger, Lizbeth's shield and mace could only do so much. Despite her constant smile she couldn't help but feel like someone taking a pair of safety scissors to a forest. When Riyus was forced to back up Lizbeth took a step forward smashing a spider with every swing of her mace, and knocking back several at a time with her shield to stave off being overwhelmed as long as possible. Once she was joined by Morgan she positioned herself in a way so the spiders would likely focus on her first.

"Some offensive magic would have been nice for this battle." She commented to Morgan as she followed orders and swatted a group of spiders into Morgan's line of sight. "What's the plan when we find the Solis? Retreat, or continue to hold the line?" She asked before bringing her mace down hard on a spider that attempted to leap at her. Despite her best efforts she knew if it wasn't for the shield provide by Sheela that she'd be littered with stab wounds and cuts from the razor appendages of the monsters before them.

Euclid Leaf Ellie the Knight Kirito Kei marshmarrow

 

[marshmarrow]

MORGAN ST. CLAIR
leseli chapel interior | Euclid Leaf Ellie the Knight Kirito Kei Vranea

Yes, it would be, Morgan thought bitterly, but she didn't dare say it out loud. The only person capable of casting true magic was Kaiden, but his particular brand was focused towards his skills as a rogue - not direct offense. She drilled through spider after spider on autopilot, her shoulder protesting against the recoil. It wasnt untol she realized she was aiming at nothing that she noticed she and Lisbeth had cleared the horde by the chapel entrance. There were only a few clusters of five-or-so Solis Eaters left by the north gate, seeming almost harmless in their minuscule numbers compared to forty minutes ago. Still, since the Tenebris had not programmed them to retreat, they would try to reach the chapel until every last one of them was destroyed.

"Keep it up," Morgan told Lisbeth reassuringly. "You can claim the last hits by the gate. I'll get everyone water and call for a debriefing."

My favorite part of the day is approaching, she thought. Morgan did not strive to be creative - freethinkers rarely fared well in the army - but she did enjoy coming up with new methods of emasculating her soldiers' collective egos. The end of this battle is the perfect opportunity to express her exact opinions of everyone's performance, having been their first battle in the field. Debriefing will certainly be interesting. She flicked safety on her rifle, walking towards the back entrance of the chapel to not disturb Sheela or Riyus. She kept a hand on her holstered Glock, just in case there were still spiders milling around, but the back pathways appeared to be clear.

With that, she briskly pushed through the chapel's simple back door, jumping the slightest bit as it shut with a resonant thud behind her. A small rush of air graced her back before the stuffy heat inside the building dominated the area once more. The interior of the chapel was creaking and cavern-like, with warped floorboards and once-canary yellow walls, turned the color of sandstone with age. A rusting but grand wrought-iron chandelier hung overhead from the arched ceiling, the puny chain suspending it looking like it could break any moment. The chapel was stripped of pews or candelabra, leaving an expanse of moldy floor from the main entrance to the barren altar.

Turning sharply to the right of the entrance, Morgan grabbed her black knapsack from the mountain of the soldiers' belongings and whipped out a metal water bottle, a notepad, and a pen. As she crossed the wide main room to the kitchenette, she realized the creaking sounds coming from the chapel halls were footsteps. I wonder how Kaiden's doing, she thought as she picked a small case of bottled water from the melting icebox. Do I need to add him to my hit list too? A peeling mural of the Solis existed on the southern wall, but the real thing would be hidden somewhere in the chapel, perhaps locked away or set in an object like a book or jewelry.

Walk. | "Talk." | Think.

 

[Ellie the Knight]

Sheela Brizowski
marshmarrow Euclid Leaf Vranea
​

A small smile graced Sheela's face as blob's of white bounced off the barrier's around her allies with flashes of white. Now that her allies were protected, she'd be better able to focus on healing without worrying about them being further wounded, and burning herself out trying to keep up. Her gaze turned to Riyus, who seemed to suffer the only wound. Though it appeared he appreciated the extra defence, it seemed a little late. He seemed to have trouble, and his attacks were more spaced out than before. "Oh no.." Concern filled Sheela's heart as she watched her comrades continue to fight. Her boots began to advance forward a few more steps, she knew she needed to do better. Defence was great, but it wouldn't make much of a difference if it was defending something that was unable to fight.

While she prepared another spell, a lone white arachnide managed to slip through the front lines. It's eyes burned red as the sun hit them while it made it's way to Sheela's boot. Having not noticed, a yelp of surprise escaped from her lips as she felt something grace her leg. Looking down, a slightly louder yelp of panic was propelled from her mouth as she shook her leg furiously trying to loosen the creature. As it attempted to dig it's fangs into her calf, it was thrown off by the sudden movement, and only managed to graze her. Though it burned, it wasn't deep. Thrown from her boot, the creature landed with a thud on it's back, and it's legs squirmed in the air as it attempted to roll itself over. Before it could, Sheela buried her staff's hilt deep into it's belly. Squirming intensified before the creature slowly turned still. However, it remained skewered to the bottom of her staff as she raised it. 'Eww eww eww!' Another dance ensued with her staff, though this one was in an attempt to remove the expired arachnid from it. Eventually, it was flung into the air, leaving a residue behind.

"Sheela, you need to heal Riyus now. He can barely stand on his own two feet," A voice rang through her earpiece. Morgan's words stung as they filled Sheela's head. She could practically feel Morgan's glare hit the back of her head. Guilt welled up in her belly, had she screwed up already? Perhaps, other spells should have been prioritized?

"I'm coming over there to take his place. Back the hell up, and keep the chapel entrance cle-" But the transmission was cut short by something. Thoughts were forced from Sheela's head as she shook it. Her eyes came to lay upon Morgan as she descended from the balcony and ran towards her to take Riyus's position. The usual smile on Sheela's face, was long replaced by a disheartened look as Morgan passed her. Blood appeared to run down her neck, but didn't look like it was serious. Still, another ally was wounded, and frustrated with her on top of it. Unsteadily, a sigh escaped from her lungs. There were more important matters at hand than worrying about Morgan's wrath. Her staff turned skyward, and found itself in between her back and her ruck, resting snugly so it would not move. Returning her gaze to Riyus, her boots hit the ground with hast as she made her way over to him. The tall knight seemed to tower over her as she reached him. Ahead, Lizbeth and Morgan took the front line, the fighting seemed to die down. There didn't seem to be many of those 'things' left now. Not being bothered to ask, Sheela took Riyus's arm and carefully placed it over her shoulders to help keep him steady. Even though he probably weighed twice her weight between him and his armor, and stood far taller than she. If he took a spill, he would most likely take the small mage with him.

"I'm sorry, I should have been more on top of things.." She said with a unsteady voice. While she continued to help the tall knight back to the chapel for debrief, her free hand found itself placed carefully on top of his thigh where his wound was. A light aura emitted from her hand, as she began to numb the wound, and close it to the best of her magical abilities. Again, a headache snuck up the back of her head as she concentrated. Though, was less severe this time. The wound seemed to close completely, but the amount of blood he had lost was of concern. "It's closed, but you should still take it easy for a while ok? When we get back we may have to give you some blood if you still feel woozy." She softly informed him. In the back of her mind, Sheela hoped he wasn't poisoned. Morgan too. After the briefing, she would have to tend to her as well.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

...

Even when Morgan came down from her loft and commanded him away, Riyus refused to budge from his position. To take his place in the last moments, was this her way of claiming all the glory for herself? Speaking of which, wasn't there something wrong with her neck? Riyus didn't have the time to look, as he bashed another arachnid into pulp on the ground. He would not allow to be seated second row to the main event. Especially one he worked so hard in. The magical shield protecting his body still held with his carefulness and joint attacks with his teammates. So his natural instinct was to continue to fight, regardless of his status. They would not stop, so why should he? And when Sheela came to help relieve him, Riyus breathed hard, resisting at first to her attempts to lure him away from the front lines. The man pulled himself from her grasp once or twice, running out of range and swiping left and right at the tapering horde as the party slowly fell back and held the choke point. But with each heavy swing of the greatsword, soon enough, he couldn't even muster the strength to fight back against the much smaller healer. He didn't even notice that the bubble shield was gone now too. When had it been since that happened? He couldn't remember. His mind was... drawing... blanks.

Riyus suffered more wounds in these last minutes desperately trying to continue to fight than in the rest of the long battle. He was barely able to hold himself together by the time he realized he as being ushered away, dragging his sword in the dirt as looked back to the two heading the battle in spite. To have a Marksman replace him. What a horrible circumstance this was. It was good for his plans to be shamed like this, but somehow it did not sit well with him. A warrior should not run while their comrades still fought. This was not a matter of pride either. Just a sentiment of any a dignified soldier and having seen people die.

Then again, this was all his own fault. Wasn't it?
But despite his own internal protests, he knew he was more harm than use in this muddled state.

"Damn things pack quite the bite, don't they?" he muttered in a half-grin, gazing down at Sheela's bloodied calf. This was probably the first time he addressed her casually since they met. "Sorry about that... I know how much you don't like fighting... should've done a better job holding them off... quite a pity... isn't it?"

He was rambling now, speaking unguarded in his state of blood-loss. He could barely keep his eyes rolling up into his head and knocking out.

By the time they were seated down, Riyus fell sprawling on his back across the bench with a heaving sigh. His whole body just felt like an aching sore. Wanting to doft his whole set of armor to get a breather, but knowing the danger they still faced, Riyus simply tore off his pauldrons to settle somewhere in between. He was agitated, clearly, by the way he cast the precious carved metal across the stone ground. Almost as if he was fed up with them. But it was mostly a feeling drawn from disappointed than any pain. He wished to be alone. To collect himself.

After Sheela healed the deep stab in his leg, Riyus spoke up in a dry, weak voice. "Go to the Captain... I noticed something wrong with her neck. I think she got hurt... I'll be fine. I can deal with these smaller injuries myself..."

He still breathed hard, but not as jagged and coarse as before. His pale shoulders, now exposed, revealed a striped gamberson shirt torn to shreds. Within the gashes and folds, his skin was covered in smaller cuts and bruises. But despite how bad it looked, there was nothing truly fatal. Before she could look any further, Riyus shooed Sheela away.

"Go now."

...

 

[Vranea]

Lizbeth didn't acknowledge her order verbally, but began moving more offensively toward the spiders. She crush one after another until what little remained of the once impressive force laid dead. She swung her mace hard flicking remnants of spider off before strapping it back to her hip. She'd definitely be spending a good amount of down time cleaning her weapon. Her officers in training did not look kindly upon poor weapon maintenance and she didn't want to risk finding out Morgan's thoughts on the subject. It's entirely likely that her commander had already found plenty to yell at her for, so not adding any more ammunition to that particular fire arm of Morgan's was in Lizbeth's best interest.

She turned back toward the chapel and made her way inside for her debriefing. She looked forward to the chance to learn at the hands of Morgan, but was less than thrilled about the kind of tone that she'd probably be taking. Even though Lizbeth thought that their squad did fairly well considering this was their first actual combat scenario.

 

[marshmarrow]

MORGAN ST. CLAIR
leseli chapel interior | Euclid Leaf Ellie the Knight Kirito Kei Vranea

Morgan raised her voice and shouted towards the back of the chapel, "Hey Kaiden, how's the search going?"

From the room on the back left, Morgan thought she could make out a protesting growl. "Yeah, it's...am I supposed to find...place hasn't been cleaned in decades..."

Morgan sighed. "I'm calling for debriefing, so hurry up!" she responded.

Morgan shook her head while she walked back to the main room. She flipped her logbook open and began documenting the battle, writing notes for every member in her neat script. Kaiden was indeed getting a roast as searing as the temperature outside. Morgan saw Lizbeth come through the front entrance, and she handed her a bottle of water.

"If the spiders are all gone, tell Sheela and Riyus to come inside. I'll get them water and we'll eat after the debriefing. Kaiden will join us shortly," she instructed Lizbeth, mentally checking those items off her list. The next thing was to call her supervisor. "Good work today," she add awkwardly, belatedly. Morgan didn't dole out compliments often, and it didn't change some key issues with Lizbeth's form during the fight. Still, Morgan thought the knight did her best, considering.

Morgan called the lieutenant once more. When he picked up, she quickly reported, "Good afternoon, sir. As of now, every Solis Eater has been eliminated. We are currently in the process of finding the Solis shard that attracted them."

Walk. | "Talk." | Think.

 

[Vranea]

Lisbeth nodded at her captain as she received her instructions. "Thank you ma'am. You did amazing." She smiled before turning away to go fetch the rest of her squad. She let her smile drop for a moment as she walked. She knew how serious the battle was and despite how she was acting she was terrified. She had always romanticized the idea of giving her body to protect others, but when faced with the possibility of actually dying she was scared as any sane person should be.

When she saw the look on Riyus' face she forced her smile back onto her face. "Morgan has requested to see both of you for our debrief. She has water for the both of you if either of you need it." She informed them. "I think it's bring your own snack though." She attempted to make lighten the mood a bit with a joke. "But anyway before we get torn a new one for sloppy performance, I think both of you did really well."


Euclid Leaf Ellie the Knight Kirito Kei marshmarrow