Pursuit of the Crystals - A Final Fantasy RP [Game Thread]

[UnusualStranger]

With a quick few jumps, Roderic had pulled himself onto the deck of the airship, knowing exactly where to go this time around. They needed to take off, and to do that they needed to get to the main deck of the ship. Steering, taking off, and everything would be there, and no poorly armed fools thinking that their escape was a chance for retribution would stop him.

Regarding what he assumed to be a dragoon having jumped up on the ship, he laughed and drew out his knives to confront the closest of problems between him and the room he wanted to get into.

"Nice of you to join us! Not sure about you, but we are getting out of here. Mind lending a hand?" Roderic asked, and obviously not waiting for an answer as a knife left his hands slamming into his nearest problem, a human who felt a large club was going to be a threat to him. Perhaps he would get lucky and they would start them flying themselves, and then he could just take over.

"Course, if you are just going to be lazy that works too! Just don't expect any gratitude when we get out of here!" Roderic shouted to those now behind him as he advanced on another fellow in the silly blue suit. What a waste of time which he didn't have the time for, which as he walked by the new corpse ripped his dagger out of in preparation to use on his next target.

Just a little bit further, and we are out of here. Get out of my way, or up in the air. I didn't climb the damn ship just to run into everything belowdecks.

 

[SirDerpy]

Today was not the greatest day in her life, but the taste of hatred and blood in her mouth put it rather close. If this was a mere scout force, Serena couldn't wait to meet the brunt of the Grandallese army. She wiped the blood out of her eyes as she left a ranger bleeding out on the ground, and took in the scenery, looking for another group of Blues to kill.

"Blizzard!" A voice from behind her. Serena spun around, stave and knife at the ready, smiling violently. "I thank you for saving me the trouble."

Her peridot already thrumming a deeper blue, she leveled it at the wall of knights shielding the Yuke mage. "Now, do yourself a favor and die."

Veins of ice began seeping through the ground around the Yuke, surging toward Serena, poking out a razor-sharp crystal every few inches as it crawled in a circle around her, readying themselves to run her through. She paid them no heed. They were worthless if their mage was dead, and in this deadly duel of magick, Serena would always shoot first. "Wat-"

In the span of what seemed like less than an instant. Gojo's head poked out from the behind the wall, followed by a gigantic hammerhead ready to crush the Yuke into a bloody pulp. He toppled backwards just as quickly as he appeared with a surprised look on his face, slipping on one of the icy roots. The hammer dropped to the side, barely missing the Yuke, knocking one of the knights out with a pained-sounding "Aagh!"

"Ah-Ah'm here tae help!"

In another instant, the two knights nearest him turned, swords at the ready and already swinging down towards Gojo's prone body. A wooden staff flew in from left field, closely followed by the preacher holding it as he jumped to Gojo's rescue, knocking the two swords from their rather lethal arc with its iron tip. The two knights startled backwards a few steps at the sudden entrance of another combatant, but quickly regained composure and advanced in fighting stance with shields and swords raised, calling out another one of their friends to aid them.

All the while, the Yuke stared at the ground below and around Serena, focusing intently. The distraction couldn't have been for more than a second, but she realized from the moment she had halted her incantation that she lost the duel. The shards of ice sprouting from the ground glimmered beautifully in the half-light of the obscured sun.

Serena leapt backwards immediately, just as the spearheads of ice poking out from the earth became spears, plunging into the air where she had just been. If she were a hume or a moogle, she wouldn't have been able to jump with enough force and speed to escape the icy death waiting below. As things were, though...

Her back hit the ground painfully, driving the spear sticking through her right leg even further in. Serena gritted her teeth in pain, suppressing a scream. Pushing herself back onto her feet, she pulled the icicle from her leg, wincing as it came out. Blood-she did indeed bleed crimson-spilled out onto the ground. She would need to Cure that and soon, but for now, the mage was the more pressing issue.

The two knights left defending the Yuke stayed put, shields raised. Clearly a practiced formation, and rather effective, given the destructive potential of magi. Serena stood up on both legs then frowned as her right leg folded. She wouldn't be using that one for the rest of this battle. Then she lifted her stave, beginning the channeling of another spell. She watched the black mage's mana likewise condense around his iron rod, barely perceptible, shimmering in the air.

It was time for the second round. Serena noted in the corner of her eye Gojo and Tuck standing with their weapons held tightly as the other three knights advanced on them. No distractions this time.

"FI-" "Water."

Ice may have been sharp, but water was sharper still. Serena's mind wandered back several years ago, in her third year at the academy. The professors had then presented a choice between Blizzard and Water; obviously, it would seem superfluous to have a spell for both ice and water. Most everyone went with ice, naturally, but Serena chose water. Ice and water may be two sides of the same coin (with steam acting as the third), but they were fundamentally different.

Ice was a bringer of death. It froze and it shattered. When winter came and ice fell from the sky, all the life in the world ceased, the animals frozen in their holes and the people, their homes. Ice was cruel and unforgiving, biting and sharp. It was not a friend to the living. Water, though...water was synonymous with life. It ran in the blood of every being, and it alone could nurture the lives of plants and animals alike. It quenched the hunger of fire, and without it...well, one could simply observe the desert to see.

Ironic, then, that such a person as Serena had chosen it as her spell. Ironic indeed.

A whip-like crack rang out from between Serena and the Yuke. The two knights flew backwards, thrown by an invisible force, their shields nearly cleaved in two along a single, perfectly straight, thin line. The other three knights stopped their advance and covered the two as they got to their feet, merely disoriented, albeit without their shields.

The Yuke was not so lucky. Without a shield enchanted against magic, the line of razor water, as it hit the three, sliced cleanly through his armor, gliding through his stomach, then out the back of the iron armor, tinted red with blood. The top half of his body slid down with almost comical slowness, landing with a squelch next to the top half of his rod. The bottom halves followed soon afterward.

Serena limped over to the preacher and Gojo, stave glowing green as she healed her leg. The threads of flesh and muscle crawled across the hole, meeting in the center and rejoining, like a colony of bloody worms.

"While your help was neither appreciated nor asked for, it is touching regardless that you would come to my aid." Hiding behind their shields a short distance away, the group of five knights oriented themselves, looking a bit distressed as if they hadn't made a plan about what to do if their charge should be cut in half. Serena would doubt her ability to go one against five with both her legs on a good day. Perhaps these two were a gift from God. To her, of all people. It was laughable.

The Red Mage took a short bow to the monk and knight, clearly favouring her left leg. "So now, allow me to formally request your assistance. Will you two lend me your aid in slaying these vermin?"

In the background, the knights sorted themselves out and began their charge.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Their entire kingdom destroyed? What a convenient truth to reveal when recruiting! Gerhard had to stifle a laugh when Kennedy laid out their options. Still, being on land again was a nice change from being shuttled around in flying coffins and he found his sword and satchel in one of the chests they were directed to. It felt good to have the runes of his enchanted sword flare up in his hands once again. A brief check revealed his only treasure was still in the pouch. He stowed both safely within his robes.

They were ushered as a group into a battle line. Clearly they had only been saved as a matter of war expediency.

"Lambs to the slaughter..." mumbled Gerhard as he found himself alongside a red mage he had bumped into on the Alexander.

"This stinks..." he told Yuria, attempting the lighten the mood when she managed to recoil from his odor, even with death at their door. The mages advanced steadily as the warriors and rangers did their work from the front line.

A black mage uniformed in a royal blue robe terrorized a cohort of their 'allies'.

Gerhard gestured, the spell being mouthed wordlessly underneath the black veil of his face. The black mage's Blizzard stopped abruptly as he clutched at his head, trying to dispel the Silence spell. Gerhard didn't wait to let the knights deal with him. He climbed a rock and shouted "Thunder!", extending his arms forward. Two bolts shot towards his quarry, causing him to stagger and fall. Then the knights were upon the position, finally regaining their cohesion.

"I didn't think I'd ever be a mage at war." he muttered. The battle was of a larger scale than any boarding action he had faced off the coast of Byron and pirates rarely had mages with them. Even worse, the mana headache was starting to whistle in his mind again.

"Blizzard!" he shouted as a group of mounted archers rushed past the vanguard. He intended to freeze their mounts.

What happened then Gerhard could only piece together after he had managed to get himself up. The spell had been cast as he always had done it but something had caused the mana within him to rebound or... Had he spoken it wrong? Impossible.

Whatever the case, he had been knocked back a considerable distance from his perch, crashing into a wooden desk and sending an old white mage off his feet. When he had finally picked himself up, he searched his mind for that center. That element...

There was only the mana headache, screaming back at him.

He turned to the white mage he had unseated, who was staring at him incredulously. He had been one of those on the airship who had been taken off the Alexander but Gerhard had never associated with him. Still, with the exception of Vaila, he had to be the only white mage in the area who had at least sensed what the tower had done to all of them...

"Uurm... You. You were with the sailors when we were taken, right? You must have felt what happened... I think.."

Gerhard, felt his arm explode with pain. When he had landed, he had broken it.

"I could use some help and I need to know if something has gotten inside of here." he said, pointing at his head.

I can't find it? I can't... The training... How?

Losing a spell was no small thing for a mage but it wasn't uncommon with old age. Gerhard though wasn't yet infirm.

How could it happen?

"Please." he muttered, ignoring his arm. The body was always frail but the mind... He needed the mind.

 

[SirDerpy]

"Och, hauld yer hindquarters." Gojo rubbed his back tiredly, a small bloody rivulet running down his snout. "Ah'm not a lad like some o'ye snot-nosed cubs." The Bangaa tried standing up, his bones audibly popping in some places, and retrieved his war hammer.

"Look's like we got a mite bit o'company," he added, training the head of the weapon on the enemy knights regrouping for an assault. "Ah may not have th'agility tae bounce to'n'fro with fireballs and fists, but Ah kin sure hauld these striplings back awhile."

'I used to be a young man', Tuck answered Gojo, eyeing the approaching knights carefully, 'You train what you want to keep'. Tuck raised his staff over his head and rested it on his shoulderblade. His left leg stepped forward, and his signaled with his hand to the knights. 'Come and get me,' he yelled over the sound of the battle, 'before I die of old age!'

One of the knights charged with his sword raised, aiming to slice Tuck in half. The monk charged forward, the staff dropping down, sliding on his back to his left as he turned and jumped out of his way. The staff hit him between his legs and his stumbled with his two feet, crashing to the floor with a loud thud of metal plates.

'My name is Tuck. I am a man of God, and today he deems them worthy of death. Help me serve his judgement'.

Serena stepped to the side as the bearded preacher named Tuck toppled the knight into the ground, the impact sending pebbles flying into the air. Then she resumed her fighting stance, careful to avoid putting too much weight on her right foot. "Glad to make your acquaintance, Preacher Tuck. And to encounter you again on the field on battle, Gojo. So, shall we commence?"

"Aye," Gojo smiled warmly. He was liking this Viera more and more.

With a flip of the hammer he sent the head crashing into the back of the man Tuck had knocked to the ground, snuffing out his life. The other knights seemed a bit hesitant at the trio's expert display of choreography, and Gojo dragged the head of the hammer through the grass in a lazy attempt to clean the steel of blood. "Audience partic'pation is mandatory, Ah'm afraid, mah bonny pinkskins."

Serena limped behind Gojo, raising her stave. Even Cured, her leg wasn't going to be doing her chances of winning any favors. Better to stay behind and finely slice and dice them with her spells. It was suboptimal, but her own life was far more important than getting blood on her hands. She prepared a Thunder spell...

And stopped. Her magic was also running dangerously low. Serena cursed, giving a moment to wonder exactly how this was to be done. That was a moment she didn't exactly have, though, as the remaining four knights bunched up into formation and rushed the trio all at once.

'I need a drink', Tuck spat on the ground next to the dead knight, four of his friends already running to meet the head on. Tuck turned around and faced Serena, a wicked smile on his face. He caressed her shoulder gently and opened his mouth to speak, 'prepare a little fire', he showed her a thin piece of wood, probably a part of a tent. Tuck retrieved his flask yet again, eyeing it greedily, took a deep breath and felt the liquor burn his tongue. The wood caught fire, he turned around to face the approaching knights, flaming stick in hand, and breathed his fire, creating a ball which enveloped them. Tuck walked behind Gojo and motioned at the burning men, 'all yours'.

The Bangaa pinched out a burning tuft of hair on one of his ears. "Don' mind if Ah do..." The war hammer flashed upwards. Finally, Gojo was beginning to feel that familiar energy that had always rushed through his veins in the midst of a heavy battle. Granted, that had been when they fought Malboros and other intimidating monsters rather than soldiers.

'You mages have a tendency to run dry when you need it the most...', Tuck showed Serena his flask, 'I take special care I never run dry'. Tuck came closer, his hand slipping down on her back, gently stroking her. He looked at her injured leg in surprise. 'You've cut yourself', he toyed with her, bending his knees and examining the wound himself while gently fondling her thigh. 'I can fix that', he smiled his mischievous leer, 'just find a place where you could lie down'.

In the meantime, one of the knights flailed about helplessly in his smoldering armor, screams intermingling with the hissing flames. Gojo mercifully ended his struggling with a swift swing, caving in the soldier's helmet. Another knight hefted his spear in a desperate attempt to strike the friar while he was healing Serena. "Sit doon," Gojo admonished, slamming the butt of his hammer into the man's stomach. The Bangaa bared his teeth when the opponent's spear swivelled erratically and plunged into his upper arm.

Still two knights remaining, albeit flaming. Gojo decided he needed to make this quick and get some sort of patch before the blood loss began to take its toll. One of the knights had tried rolling on the ground to extinguish the flames, and the second screamed in agony as he batted ineffectively at his limbs. Gojo missed once or twice before successfully stomping on the neck of the prone man and, though his swing was weaker for using one hand, planted the head of his hammer in side of the last knight.

When there was no sound left around the trio but the crackle of flames and the clamor of more distant fighting, the Bangaa sighed and took in his arm. "Cure," he murmured, placing a hand against the wound. He grinned toothily at his newfound compatriots. "Sorry, Ah'm not much of a healer, so would ye do me th'honors?"

"Lie down?" Serena pushed off from the lecherous monk, scowling. "I may not have magic, but I still have Tonberrion. As long as they stand, I-" Serena stopped and abruptly fell backwards onto the ground. She gritted her teeth again, the broken flesh on her leg reopening and resuming the spilling of blood. This was a just reward for completely failing to practice her Cure spell for about five years.

The dull throb that accompanied a darkness on the edge of her vision made her reconsider. "So be it. If you're going to fix it, then do so." Serena dragged herself back a bit. "My blade still thirsts for blood, though, so I may stab you should you desire to test your luck, Lecher Tuck."

Out of the steadily darkening corner of her eye, she saw Gojo come back, having thoroughly stomped the four burning knights.

'Calm yourself', Tuck whispered gently as Serena grew weaker and her wound opened again. She tried to threaten the monk, lest he preform something inappropriate, and he was insulted by the suggestion. He wouldn't dare make anything against her will, but why did God create such a beautiful creature and bless her passionately if he did not intend her to be loved and admired, and Tuck was doing just that.

Serena laid there on the ground, struggling to stay conscious as she fought the blood loss, glaring at Tuck with her crimson-and-grey eyes all the while. She was breathing heavy, slow breaths. Tuck put his hand over her chest to feel the rhythm of her breathing and concluded she was not doing well. She tried to resist, but she had lost too much blood already.

'Sh...', Tuck whispered yet again. He looked down to see her injured thigh, the wound had been reopened, blood gushing from it. Tuck slipped his hand down his robes and produced a wooden handle, pressed it and a blade popped open. He traced his hand over her shoulder, cutting at the fabric around her neck and producing a wide piece of cloth. He brushed his arm against her as he did that, taking care to linger at certain spots.

Serena, for her part, continued pinning Tuck with a death glare, doing quite well against the unconsciousness threatening to overtake her.

Tuck slid his knife back and held the piece of cloth in his hands. He gently held the inside of her thigh and raised her leg in the air, stopping it with his knee. Tuck wrapped the make-shift bandage around her thigh strongly, and tied it in place. His hand slid underneath her leg and fondled her muscular behind while he was examining his handiwork. He gave off a wide smile and nodded, 'That will do'.

'Are you with us?', he asked Serena who was by this point going in and out of consciousness and heard a confused reply. Tuck leaned forward, retrieved a glass flask in his robes, popped open the top and poured one cup of the red elixir inside. He stroked her hair gently and held her head, lifting it up as he let her swallow his elixir. A feeling of warmth spread through her body as it began repairing her injuries, and she slowly returned to the realm of the waking.

'We are all God's children, and we were all blessed with life. Saving a life is a great honor in his name. Especially a life as blessed as yours'.

The treatment only took a mere minute, or so it felt. Serena surged up from the ground as soon as her eyes opened, injuries having faded, still holding in her grip her weapons. The bitter alcoholic taste of the potion in her mouth lingered, but it seemed to be doing its job. As much of a goddamned lecher as he was, Tuck had some skill in brewing. She pointed Tonberrion down at the monk seated on the ground. "It seems that I had fallen unconscious during your treatment, for I remember little of it. I do recall enough, however, that I should eviscerate you on the spot.?

Then she sat down heavily by Gojo as he leaned against a rock, waiting on his injury. "However, your treatment was far better than my own could ever have been. I owe you for my life. Thus, I shall call it a debt repaid."

The bloodlust having since faded, her desire to kill sated for the moment, she treated Tuck to her most sweetly threatening smile. "Should you do that again, make sure you have an excuse for me to spare you. Now, I believe that Gojo here is also in need of treatment. As you are our only accomplished medic as of current, it is your responsibility to treat him, is it not??

Tuck smiled at the torrent of threats Serena hurled at him, but he knew in her heart she was grateful for the attention he gave her. He saw Gojo stand nearby, having been injured in the arm. His arm dangled from his shoulder, and streams of blood ran down his skin.

Tuck retrieved his shiv yet again, popped open the blade and gave off the most suggestive of smiles. He pointed at Serena as he spoke.

'I need a bandage for your wound...', he muttered to Gojo, then turned and waved his shiv vaguely at Serena's ripped shirt, the collar going down and showing some cleavage. Tuck raised an eyebrow and chuckled, 'Do you mind?'

 

[Drummodino]

"Nice of you to join us! Not sure about you, but we are getting out of here. Mind lending a hand?"

D'khen span away from the edge as soldiers ran out onto the deck, deflecting the two throwing knives sent his way. Readying his spear he grinned.

"Aye, I can help you out friend!" he called to the Elezen who was throwing knives of his own.

Two women with swords charged him, murderous intent in their eyes. Waiting until they were right on top of him he jumped, narrowly clearing their swinging blades and flipping over their heads. With a slash he hamstrung the first before pirouetting and stabbing the second through the neck joint in her armour. Pulling the spear clear with a spray of blood he spun and kicked the still breathing soldier off her knees and over the side.

"Course, if you are just going to be lazy that works too! Just don't expect any gratitude when we get out of here!"

"I count us even on the body count so far pointy ears, don't you worry about me!" he replied with a grin, flicking blood off his spear and prowling towards the rest of the soldiers emerging from below deck. "Please tell me you know how to fly this thing though!" he continued, knocking a mage unconscious with a spear butt to the head before he had the chance to cast a spell.

 

[Doc Gnosis]

The blue host was losing as their morale was dropping with every second that passed. Their formations were breaking in favor of stabbing a hole through the cordon Kennedy's group had created. Five minutes in this new change, a screeching alarm rang out and magic began to pour from the blue warriors into their enemy; they began to move and strike faster, must faster than usual.

It seemed some of their mages know Time Magic...

[hr]

The two knights just stood there staring at the Lilty through their eyeholes. Neither dared to make a move, expecting Kennedy or one of the new combatants to strike. Yet that scrape never came; both sides just stared the other down for a moment of weakness. The alarm went out, and the blue knights startled realizing some sort of order from their captain.

There Kennedy found a weakness and made his move.

He lunged forward and impaled one of the knights through the stomach. The other made panicked sword slashes at the Lilty but all missed their mark as Kennedy ducked and jumped over them. One badly placed forward stab spelled the knight's fate as he grabbed his foe by the forearm, and broke it over his armored thigh. The Lilty then took his spear out of the corpse and proceeded to cut the knight's neck to make certain. He then stopped without any hint, and began moving sluggishly.

He looked over to the guards then to the new combatants. His eyes stopped at the weapon the knight carried on his back, but ultimately gave them both nod and a look, as if he understood why they came to him. Whatever question he had in mind was pushed back in favor of something else.

"What are they doing?..." he had asked himself, his cherry eyes squinting at the soldiers a distance from where they were. A haze was forming in his head. A second later he turned to his Lilty guards.

"Contact the other troops, except for those in the south; tell them to tighten their lines and not let anyone through." The guards nodded and prepared some device and started speaking.

"We've still got more ahead of us." Kennedy continued. "The side we're on has plenty of their mages exposed. Let's press that weakness."

He motioned for his guards and the red mage and knight to follow.

[hr]

The old mage looked at Gerhard with bewilderment. "I... I don?t know. Since that tower blew up, it seems to be messing with a lot of the magic we?re using. First, what happened to that ship, then that... thing..." The white mage trailed off and stared at the horizon trying to find an answer but the dissatisfied face revealed he had none.

"I?ll see what I can do anyway..." He placed his staff on the black mage's head and worked what magic he knew? Vox, Cure, the elixir he had found off of one of the mages, but he still looked unsure. He had said that that particular vial had nothing like the potionwork they had back at Halvor.

"... We gotta keep close to these guys. They might be our only protection at this point." the white mage said, running off to find their allies to give whatever healing he can.

From out of nowhere, a single Dragoon draped in a royal blue tabard leapt from the horizon and landed ten feet away from Gerhard, spear raised with an armored face that screamed of foul intent.

Spoiler: note

You could keep the elixir for yourself and feign taking it, or just use it and accept a new spell.

[hr]

Two of the Dragoons that were slain in battle began to rise up, one of their hands clutching at wounds for only a second before clutching their weapons harder and charging at the group for more battle...

"We'll show you why we're called 'Dragonheart!'

Spoiler: note

These Dragoons have Dragonheart; basically it resurrects them after being fatally wounded.

[hr]

The captives in the Imperial ship converged on where the party of three - soon to be four - were. With how cramped the corridors were the captives couldn?t quite use their advantage of numbers the way they had hoped, but they were steadily gaining a slight advantage.

"We're not gonna die in this death-trap!" One of the captive conscripts yelled, as he pushed and pushed.

"Yall can jus' lie down an' tinkuv yer luvly homes now!! Dis hunk'll be yer graves!!" A garbled voice rang out and the sudden sparks of lightning were heard along with loud THUNKS against the metal walls and floor.

In the fray, a certain Seeq was duking it out with whatever captives he can find. "If yah had wanted ta take dat ship, yah shoulda said so! Dat ship wus rigged ta blow! Ah wud've dun sumfin' mor discreet dan jus' 'splosiv's ta kill dat Esper we've found."

 

[CharrHearted]

Checking the field of battle once more, Veltis quickly charge out and took aim with his Greatbow once more, making the necessary procedures, he calculated the range of his attacks and quickly made an effort to fire three arrows consecutively after another, using the deviation caused by each shot to aim to another target before eventually all three large arrows made their mark, allowing each of them to twirl and zoom in the air and fire down upon his opponents, one arrow shooting straight through their neck and impaling a knight, one arrow shooting right in between the eyes of the white Mage of the group and taking off half the poor Mages head, causing a shriek of panic to settle with the last knight only to have his shrieks cut short as the final arrow Veltis shot rips through the mouth guard of the knight and impales through his mouth and out the back of his head, executing all the enemies close to Veltis in a quick flurry of shots.

Veltis frowned and checked the scene once more, using his keen senses to gaze at the battlefield, noticing that the enemy line were showing signs of increased speed, Veltis didn't need time to piece it together.

"Time Magicks...!"

Veltis settled his greatbow onto his back and charged ahead, taking out a large arrow for self defense if it had to come to it, he had to try and find out if he would be able to find the time mages who were casting the spells, if he would be able to defeat them, then he would save his allies a ton of trouble. Noticing some of his allies were grouped together at once, Tuck, Gojo and Serena, noticing that Tuck was going to be attempting some sort of procedure, though he couldn't tell what it was, the least that Veltis could do was buy them time to do whatever it is they needed to do. Taking his greatbow off his back and setting it down again, Veltis scanned the area around them where enemies would be coming to assault the three from their weakpoints and on instinct, Veltis fired another arrow ahead, executing a black mage with a well timed shot just a little bit south of their position. Veltis ran over towards the three of them and stood in front, rearing back his string for another shot, he let loose yet again another arrow, which was focused on a knight coming towards them, the large arrow impaling through the weak tissue of the knights neck and eliminating the knight for the three of them.

"Whatever you're doing, i'l cover you! Enemy is using Time Magicks, Be careful!"

Veltis said hastily, not saying anything else, he pulled the string back on Ebilis once more, arcing the shot, he let loose a third arrow, letting it race across the field of desert flames and pierce a enemy mage, nodding to the three of them.

 

[Neuromancer]

Zack avoided the battle, choosing to try and circle around the battlefield instead. There was no bloodlust to sate. No desire for revenge to satisfy. Though the thought of losing his loved ones made his blood boil, his mind was cold and calm. Zack was trained to control it. As his father would say, "Anger makes you slow. Anger makes you heavy. It clouds judgment. It makes mistakes. But anger controlled is strength." And control it he did. Unlike that Viera, who had rushed out into the battle. Hopefully she would find a quick death and Zack would never have to see her ever again. Unlike her, he had a purpose. He would find the Litly and get to the bottom of this.

Still, it seemed that battle would end up being unavoidable. Enemy soldiers cut off from the main host, seemingly in a hurry appeared in his way and, upon taking notice of Zack, rushed at him. They were disorganised, attacking alone rather as a group. Zack was delighted to see that he was dealing with amateurs, for dispaching them would take very little of his time.


Zack charged the closest soldier, using the force of his charge and the weight his body to empower a bash from his shield, throwing the soldier off balance. He finished his opponent with a slash through the neck and moved on to the next.

This time, it was Zack that was on the receiving end of a charging attack. A soldier wielding a greatsword rushed at him with a heavy swing ready. Unfortunately for the soldier, he telegraphed his move, making it easy for Zack to block it with his shield, creating space enough for Zack to move in and pierce his opponent's chest.

The next one came as Zack removed his sword from the now dead soldier's chest. Raising his greathammer high, he readied himself to bring it crushing down Zack's body. He was slow, however, which gave Zack time enough to remove the sword and, with a quick thurst, drove his blade through the neck and into the head.

There were only three left, and, unlike the rest, coordinated as a group. A moment of stillness commenced as the two sides eyed each other. In the middle of the enemy group was a heavily armored man wielding sword and shield. The ornate armor and helm betrayed his station. It was clear that Zack was dealing with a ranking officer. To his left stood a youthful female Elezen wearing robes and wielding a staff. Black mage. Lastly, behind the officer was another soldier, though from the look of him he wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Rather, he looked to be worse than what Zack had faced until now.

The moment came to an end as the officer tilted his head, signaling the attack to commence. The mage vanished behind a cloud of dust as the other two advanced slowly towards Zack.

Zack played the battle out in his head. The mage was probably waiting for her allies to occupy his attention, then flank him and get him with a spell. He would have to keep an eye out for her. From his two immediate opponents, the officer was the clear threat, and while he wasn't about to ignore the soldier, Zack concluded that his attacks would be easier to evade.

Then, something happened that Zack couldn't have predicted. A greatarrow flied past him and hit the soldier, fling his now lifeless body on the ground. Collecting himself from a brief moment of surprise, Zack stepped forward and started slashing at his opponent, hoping he hadn't had the time to collect himself. Unfortunately, Zack has judged his opponent well, and, though at first having some difficulty repelling his blows, the officer recovered quickly.

They started trading blows, neither getting through either's defences. The officer's attacks were well balanced, and he left little to no opening for Zack to exploit. The battle between them would likely continue like this until one outlasted the other...

...Except, Zack saw a slim figure moving to his rear. With a quick glance behind him, he saw the mage preparing a spell. Now. Putting all his power in a shield bash to knock back his adversary, Zack jumped sideways, narrowly avoiding a fireball, which instead hit the enemy officer who didn't have enough time to collect himself and move out of the way.

Getting up, Zack dropped his shield and launched himself towards the mage, using the thick dust cloud generated by the fireball as cover. Channeling his power in a two handed swing of his longsword, Zack cut right through the mage's neck, decapitating her. Her last expression was one of bewilderment and horror.

Picking his shield back up, Zack was eager to get moving again to make up for lost time. However, he heard the sound of heavy breathing coming from somewhere near him, and he quickly found the source. The officer had barely survived his fellow mages' spell and was concentrating all his effort to breathing in a desperate attempt to survive. Grabbing a potion out of his pack of medical supplies, Zack wondered if the officer was worth the trouble.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Roderic had resorted to a bit more stabbing and slicing with the many captives trying to pile on. The group of fools still wasn't much trouble, as being lightly armored, armed, and very used to it meant a quick deflection of a blade, then leaping past them with a slice at the throat, or the leg if he had to roll. It all had a familiar feel to it as he made his way to the helm of the ship, and to what they needed in order to get skyward. As he snaked past what he figured to be a warrior, who only had a club and thus was more useless than usual, he heard the dragoon who he had spoken with before shout to him.

"I count us even on the body count so far pointy ears, don't you worry about me! Please tell me you know how to fly this thing though!

"Ya just push the damn button and get into the air!" Roderic replied, sinking a knife into the back of the warrior, giving it a quick twist to ensure he was taken care of, then ripping it free. He had made it to the door that he wanted, and with a quick check of the handle wasn't locked. When he heard their previous jailer shouting over the disaster, he made a quick plan of what to do with the explosives that were now apparently an issue.

"I have the perfect spot for those explosives, so if you'll excuse me, I think its time we go introduce them to our guests!" Roderic continued, tossing the door open to find nothing inside. So now it sounded like he had a pleasant payload to drop where he wanted to, and he knew of just the spot, and it happened to be sitting right outside the gates. How convenient.

 

[Doc Gnosis]

Through well-placed arrow shots, the host of blue enemies were acting more cautious and more of an effort was made on flight rather than fight. More erratic sweeping strikes were made by knights and Dragoons, only to force others to back away while they retreated. In the distance, a couple of knights riding a chocobo were seen breaking the lines, obviously trying to flee in the same way as the rest of their group. However their movements were in the opposite direction the rest of the blue soldiers were going.

"Shit! Somebody stop those chocobo, before they get away!! We don?t want reinforcements on the way!!" One of Kennedy?s men - a Lilty youth - shouted.

[hr]

Chopp cleared a path through the combatants to get through to Roderic, shouting more the whole while, "Nah! Belay Dat! Deze 'splosiv's 'r ment fer da Esper in da ship! And Ah dunno bout yu, but da best way ta kill dem is jus'enuff bang ta no longah be a problem!"

The Seeq paused a bit to create a barrier between himself and where he thought the party was situated. A forward lunge of his maul to keel some stragglers over before a right swing to knock over more captives. He had expected more enemies to hit by the time he pulled the hammer out of the wall, but found the hall to be deserted.

"BAH!!" Chopp smashed the wall to his left in frustration before giving chase.

[hr]

The potions effects were crude, but effective; what burns the officer had received were replaced with a discoloration that marked where he was burned. Yet that blue knight was well and truly spent, stuck only staring through the eyeholes in his helm, in particular on the greatsword Zack was carrying. A flimsy attempt to raise his arm to clutch the sword was made, but failed miserably as the arm snaked back down from gravity. The rest of him fell to the ground with a thud from the armor he wore.

A distance ahead, a trio of Yukes in royal blue armor and robes were casting spells with a great speed; they may be the time mages. The Lilty, Kennedy was there as well, engaging in combat with a quartet of knights that were presumably guarding the Yukes. Two of them were human knights decked in chainmail with swords and shields; the others were Lilties just like Kennedy, draped in splintmail and consequently were having an easier time holding their opponent off while the humans could choose their battle more easily. The sudden speed that the time mages were weaving we?re not helping matters.

 

[SirDerpy]

The shouting of the dragoons, mingled with the throbbing ache of Gojo's wound, were beginning to wear on his patience. The friar's patch-job was suitable, though the Bangaa had the sneaking suspicion that Tuck hadn't been giving him the fullest attention...

"Mah guid Tuck, et looks like yeh have more wounded soldiers askin' for attention."

'Let them ask God for help, for I have run out of my good intentions. Only rage remains.'

Tuck stood up and walked away from Serena, a hint of a grin on his face. He twisted the staff in his hands and watched as the Dragoons approached them.

'I've sent them to heaven before', Tuck exclaimed in surprise, 'How are they still alive?'.

"Mayhaps they bribed th'gateman," Gojo quipped. "Or they've trained theirselfs to take e'en flames and a hammer to the head." The Bangaa's weapon hung limply in his uninjured arm as he continued, "Time tae see if'n they ken take two."

Serena clicked her tongue in annoyance as she saw the two apparently resurrected dragoons approaching the group. "Precisely the reason why I kill them until they are dead. They cannot resurrect without a pair of functioning lungs."

She tried to get up, knife in hand, but a dull ache in her leg warned against it. Not to mention, she was without magic. Scowling, she called out to Tuck. "Preacher, for how long must your potion act? It is most galling to be unable to move freely, especially when you're involved."

'Patience, my angel', Tuck spoke with Serena while keeping an eye on the approaching zombified dragoons, 'I will be at your side'.

One of the dragoons brandished his spear menacingly, its glinting blade pointed at the red mage's neck. "Potions can't save you when you're all outta mana, little rabbit. Maybe we oughta chop out yer tongue so you'll think of us when you try to use yer magic!"

Angel... Serena grimaced in annoyance. Tuck was quite the piece of work. She bared her teeth at the incoming Dragoons. "I agree wholeheartedly. But you must be mistaken. I am not the one who needs saving." Then she turned to Tuck and Gojo. "At my side is where you are least needed. I regret to say my wound is too deep for this round." She smiled at both. "You may have these two."

Gojo allowed himself a half-smile in spite of the aching shoulder wound. What a kind-hearted lass, knowin' she can't fight but wishin' us well... The war hammer clattered to the ground. His hand clenched in a small fist as he turned his ire to the weaksauce dragoons. "Ah normally doan't take joy in bludgeonin' mah enemies," Gojo growled, raising his hand to grab the spear, "but mehbe Ah'll make an exception for yoo."

The dragoon's weapon flashed forward, impaling itself in Gojo's palm. The man looked astonished, and then laughed triumphantly. "How'll you swing your hammer if I snap your arm in half?" he grinned. His arms flexed, but to his dismay the spear held steady. "Wh-" The dragoon grunted with exertion, but Gojo's claws were already encircling the haft, splintering the wood.

He snarled, bloodlust clouding his eyes. "Th' hammer's for decoration."

'I prayed for you', Tuck spoke softly over the sound of a battle raging outside, 'I sent you to heaven'. He seemed startled and upset, his movements slowing down as a result. 'How could you...', he muttered with difficulty, clutching his staff in his hands harder.

'You imbecile-', the dragoon taunted the monk, 'I will be the one sending you to hell, you self righteous pig!' The dragoon charged forward, his spear at the ready, preparing to gut Tuck who was not responding. He stared at the sky while the dragoon closed the ground between them with great speed.

Have you brought him back here to tell me something?

The spear came forward and so did Tuck, although he came underneath it - it cut through the air while Tuck fell back to the ground on all fours, holding himself up with his hands. He lifted his legs to meet the approaching dragoon, taking his feet off the ground, turning back and throwing him over. The dragoon crashed on the ground with a loud thud next to Serena, calling out obscenities. Tuck walked over to the injured soldier.

'Did you meet him?', he asked him in a fit of rage, 'Why did he send you for me?'. Tuck kicked his head and his helmet snapped and flew away by the force of the impact. 'What is he trying to tell me?', he screamed at him, his staff raised up to meet the resurrected dragoon's head.

'Go fuck yourse-'.

The staff came down hard, and his skull cracked like a walnut.

Serena took a few steps backwards as one of the Dragoons crashed into the ground, followed by a slightly mad preacher. Why a man of the cloth was so well-versed in combat was a question for another time. The Dragoon's skull was crushed mid-sentence, and his arms dropped limply to the ground. Serena limped over to the cooling corpse of the fallen Dragoon. The heavily condensed mana around the body quickly dissipated. She frowned. Dragonheart was hardly a common spell, even for the elite Dragoons. At least, that was how it was in Halvor. Just what had the Empire been doing?

She glanced over at a heavily panting, rather disturbed-looking Tuck. "Preacher. The Dragoon is dead, permanently this time. It will do no good to rage and froth over such a cheap parlor trick." She kicked the body with her good leg.

"Tch. Dragonheart," she muttered under her breath, before turning back to the slightly shaking Friar. "Tuck, it would be good to calm yourself." Serena gestured at the old but seemingly invincible Gojo, facing off against the second Dragoon with only his fists and sharp tongue a short distance away. It was a bit scary how a geezer like him could take a spear to the palm and remain stoic. "It seems Gojo has begun to show off his impressive vitality. You may find your services in demand when he returns."

Blood streamed down the spear. With a sudden wrenching, Gojo snapped the weapon clean in half and drove his knuckles into the soldier's face. The dragoon yelped, flying backwards, and landed hard on the ground with a dulled grunt.

The Bangaa smirked and began stretching the fatigue from his limbs. Guess I'm not as old as- There was a loud popping sound. He flinched, rubbing at his lower lumbar and hoping the Viera hadn't heard it. "Ah'm done here," he called as he gingerly lifted his war hammer. "Mah hand could use a stitch or two, though mah foe is worse off for certes."

Serena nodded, eyes shifting briefly to his bloodied hand. "Yes, that doesn't look very good. You two are turning out to be quite the surprises. But enough; Gojo, you may want Tuck to take another look at that."

With a sigh, she fell back onto the ground, leaning against the rock. "And no, I steadfastly refuse to allow you to cut away any more of my jacket. I rather liked that jacket, too." She cut a strip from the torn leg of her pants, handing it to Gojo.

"Mah thanks, lass," Gojo muttered. "Ah'll return et good as new."

As the trio found themselves resting once more in the middle of a quiet battlefield, a terrible screeching sound rang out over the rocky desert. Serena took a look around the rock. The Blues began regrouping, moving with remarkable agility, compared to mere minutes ago. Serena gritted her teeth. "Time Magick. This is most irritating."

Just then, the Burmecian-Veltis, his name was-came running out of left field, holding a massive, rather unwieldy-looking bow.

"Whatever you're doing, I'll cover you! Enemy is using Time Magicks, Be careful!"

How a ranger of all things managed to recognize magic at all was beyond her, but it confirmed Serena's suspicions. "Tuck, Gojo. It would be most...unwise to remain here. I don't suspect that the lines will hold for very long." Against these swine, it was simple, but I doubt we could stand against Time Magick.

The Bangaa snorted, scrutinizing the reinforcements. "Ah hate mages. Present comp'ny excluded, o'course."

She rose, leaning on her stave. Her leg still ached, and she wasn't taking any chances this time. Otherwise she'd have to delay her killing even further. She faced the two elders in her presence, flashing a quick smile. "We should return to camp. I believe I saw some coffee in one of the tents, and I am rather in the mood for coffee. As to you two?"

'It goes well with a glass of lemon-sprite', Tuck seemed to slowly return to normal after his episode, 'I could use some lemon-sprite'.

Gojo stuck a pinky claw in his ear and scratched. "Well, whate'er Ah'm drinkin', that Lilty sure's hell's buyin' a lot of et."

The trio all turned their backs on the field of war and set off in search of drink.

 

[CharrHearted]

Veltis frowned at the act of the three people, not even giving a small thanks for protecting them, Veltis internally felt incredibly disgusted at the asinine behavior of the three "people" if you could even call them that. The fact that all three of them acted like emotionless, thoughtless and empathy lacking husks sickened Veltis to his core. He wasn't going to let their lack of humanity bother him however, the most important thing right now was to conquer the battlefield from the monsters assaulting it, the empire needed to be punished for their murderous acts that were unjust and so. Veltis gripped onto his large greatbow with both hands, and walked further into the field of battle, leaving behind the husks who foolishly turned their back on the enemy, allowing any archers within a mile radius to snipe the back of their skulls if they wished.

As veltis travelled through the battlefield, he gradually picked up speed, rushing as fast as he could into the field of battle and taking the neccessary precautions by getting behind cover when needed to advance him along without worry of much injury. He kept a strong arrow at his side for protection as he rushed and got a preemptive strike on an empire soldier who was too focused fighting one of Veltis' allies by striking the soldier in the neck with the sharp arrow, ripping it out after the arrow easily tore through skin and flesh, puncturing a wound from either side of the empire soldiers neck. After eliminating this soldier he ran on, knowing he would most likely be needed again, any second...

"Shit! Somebody stop those chocobo, before they get away!! We don't want reinforcements on the way!!" One of Kennedy's men - a Lilty youth - shouted.

Now!

Veltis wasn't going to dissapoint them and make a bad impression, he understood exactly what he needed to do and quickly got to the top of a high dune rock with a large jump, to give him a greater view over the field of battle, allowing him to spot the couple of chocobo knights trying to make their escape, and since their was only a couple, he could see the two foes making their escape. Like before, he took aim with his greatbow and calculated the range of distance, arc, wind, weight and speed of both himself and his opponent, able to make the calculations even in such a heat of battle, Veltis unleashed a great arrow directly from his dragonscale decorated greatbow and predicted his shot correctly, as his arrow pierced through the skull of the furthest chocobo. The chocobo let out a light shriek before head as it suddenly fell to its left and knocked into the second chocobo upon its death, sending both chocobos down to the ground and therfore sending their riders off their backs, both of them immediately becoming prey for Veltis' allies as soldiers from Kennedy's forces got atop their opponents and slaughtered them, decapitating them with ease and securing their kill.

"The messengers going to alert for reinforcements having been successfully eliminated. Keep an eye out for more." Veltis replied to the soldier in kennedy's unit after observing the far distance head of him to see their corpses along with their chocobo's, saving kennedy's unit a ton of trouble, Veltis leaped down from the dune rock and continued on, ready to continue fighting, aiming his greatbow out to continue firing upon the enemy and viewing the field of battle for any more irregularities.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

The white mage was helpful at least. The cure returned Gerhard's broken limbs and granted him a slight spring in his step. However, Gerhard stopped at the elixir. When the older mage had given him an opportunity, he quickly placed it in his satchel and pulled out an empty vial instead, offering it to the older mage who accepted it.

Not about to ingest your potions just yet.

"My thanks... From Halvor then you are?" Gerhard studied the aged face. "What is your name then?"

"Perseverance will do." he said plainly, clearly thinking about something else. "Excuse me but I do believe I'm going to leave this to you. -COUGH-" The mage had turned away from him and started to stride away with remarkable speed.

Gerhard didn't catch his meaning until he noticed that some of the archers near them had been eliminated and a blue armored figure descended mightily a short distance away. Gerhard sighed as Perseverance made his retreat.

There are bold white mages and old white mages...

"White mages... And you, why the hell do you want to skewer me?" said Gerhard to the Dragoon with the bloody blade.

The lack of a reply outside of a death glare was answer enough.

The Dragoon rushed him fiercely, seeming to ignore the bolts of electricity Gerhard had begun to shower him with. A few paces before his target he leapt up, ascending into the sky with astounding speed before Gerhard lost site of him in a cloud.

"Well, if he wants to do things that way..."

Gerhard clasped his hands, stretching to the sky before belting out a soft incantation. Three Sylph faeries appeared and one was about to angrily remand him when he cut her off.

"Very sober, there's a Dragoon above me."

They nodded and flew up, moving even faster than the cloud walker. Gerhard walked over to the demolished table and drew his sword, surveying the sky. A body fell down a few feet from where he had been standing, the armor crashing and rattling as the dead Dragoon rolled a few times after the impact.

Gerhard made his way over to the body, prodding the exposed neck where the Slyphs had bitten him. They returned to him then, hovering over the corpse and watching him with expectant expressions.

"Go help the Halvorians. Heal them, watch their backs. Make good use of this time, summoning you needs to be worth it."

He received a crude gesture from the youngest Sylph but they obeyed wordlessly, flying deep into the battle to offer aid. Gerhard sighed and went to follow Perseverance although he was quite a way behind.

No wonder he wasn't brought into the tower... Running at the first sight of blood?

Spoiler: EDIT: OOC

I'm a Director for a school project so I've been unable to give the thread the attention it deserves as of late. Will make the effort to put a post up this weekend however.

-Redlin, October 2nd

 

[Neuromancer]

Zack couldn't hide his surprise and bewilderment at the way his downed opponent eyed Mediator. He wondered why an Imperial of all people would get so focused on the greatsword in particular at a time and place like this.

Focus on the here and now!

The Imperial looked utterly spent. It was clear that he was in no condition to walk, let alone fight back. Good. Maybe I'll get some info out of this one.

"Your life is in my hands." he uttered threateningly, his voice almost turning into a growl, "Give me one good reason and I will cut your head off like I did with your mage friend. Now stay put!"

Zack surveyed his surroundings. No one was near or heading his way, and so he turned to the soldier that was shot down. The greatarrow had pierced through his thorax with relative ease, despite the armor he was wearing, leaving a rather gruesome wound. At the very least, the soldier seemed to had died a quick death. Looking at the greatarrow, Zack noticed that he had seen the same kind in the chest he took his gear from. Only one person from the... "group" he was with could probably use a greatbow with enough expertise to make a shot like that. Heh, he thought, guess he isn't just talk after all.

In the distance, he saw battle. Among the figures fighting, Zack was pretty certain he saw the Litly commander he pursued. Still, he felt pretty reluctant to leave the Imperial alone, for it was possible that, while Zack was fighting his way to the Litly Imperials could come across him and get him away to safety.

The Litly seems to be holding his ground well enough. Guess I'll just observe for now while I interrogate the Imperial. Should it look like that the fight goes badly, though, I'll have to rush in and assist. I've come too far just to watch him die.

"So," he said as he stepped on the officer's chest "I think it's high time you answered a few questions of mine. For your own safety I would advise you answer truthfully. I'm pretty good at detecting lies."

Zack pointed at his prisoner's face with his sword to make sure that the message made it across.

"Now, let's start with the basics. Is this the entirety of the Imperial host for this battle? If so, are there any ploys in your strategy that could tip the scales? What is the purpose of this skirmish? Answer truthfully!"

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Nah! Belay Dat! Deze 'splosiv's 'r ment fer da Esper in da ship! And Ah dunno bout yu, but da best way ta kill dem is jus'enuff bang ta no longah be a problem!"

Roderic glanced over at the Seeq obviously annoyed at the plan. Blow up a damned Esper? did they even know if that would do the trick? And why in blazes do it on the damned airship? Roderic wasn't going to have any of it, and was going to get this bucket in the air if he had to push the damned propellers to work.

"Blow up a damned esper? Next you'll tell me that this ship isn't worth the metal it is made from! Damned madness, and we are taking to the skies, and dropping these bombs on something that is worth it, not a single Esper!" Roderic shouted as the Seeq gave chase to some opponents. With the ability to fly the ship now firmly in his grasp, he flung the lever to get the propellers spinning, and get them into the air. He was going to do what he wanted, and didn't have time to listen to some half baked plan about blowing this damned thing up.

"Lets fly! Don't hold on to anything unless I give a damn about ya, cause someone is gonna get tossed off this damn ship!" Roderic said with a laugh, pushing the lever to get them in the air faster, and to get them moving. Time to get out of this damn spot.

 

[Drummodino]

"Ya just push the damn button and get into the air!"

'Oh great, now that sounds convincing!' D'khen thought with a grimace, twirling away from a charging axeman before opening his throat with a quick slash. "Just get us off the ground quickly!" he called back as his new comrade disappeared into the ship. He didn't move to follow, tight quarters didn't favour his fighting style at all. Surveying his surroundings his eyes narrowed as another dragoon leapt up onto the deck, garbed in similar armour to his own. The human strode cautiously towards him, walking with the lightness and confidence of a skilled professional.

"20 gil I land the first blow," D'khen called, lowering his spear and stalking forwards. Visible beneath his helmet the Imperial dragoon grinned.

"Heh, agreed fuzzball! he replied, launching skywards. D'khen stopped and waited, counting softly before dodging to the side, the lance plunging downwards just barely skimming his arm. He replied with a savage thrust, which was batted away with blinding speed as the dragoon recovered. D'khen jumped backwards to avoid the counter thrust, before blocking the second. Sweat trickled down his brow as he was pushed back by a flurry of blows.

'Damn it, this guy's quick!' he thought, barely managing to hold him off. His back thudded against the ship's railing as he ran out of room to retreat. Surprisingly the dragoon pulled back slightly, pointing his palm at D'khen.

"AERO!"

The gust of wind slammed into D'khen, flipping him over the side. Falling he twisted and grabbed a rope trailing down the ship's hull, which thankfully held his weight. Running horizontally above the crowd of soldiers below he flipped upwards and landed back on the deck, facing the dragoon.

"You can't beat me that easily matey, even with your filthy magic. All bets are off!" he yelled, charging forward. Now he was on the offensive, battering the dragoon with a flurry of swipes and stabs. Jumping up high he pulled out and threw a fire gem at the dragoon's face. It exploded with a flash, disorientating the dragoon enough to prevent him from stopping D'khhen's spear. Piercing the scale armour with incredible force, the blade plunged through the man's heart. Gurgling and coughing up blood, he feebly clawed at the wooden pole before his movements slowed and eyes glazed over.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, D'khen pulled his spear free of the man's shattered breastplate, taking a moment to catch his breath. Cleaning the spearhead on his fallen foe's cape, he stumbled as the ship shifted and stirred to life.

'I bloody well hope you know what you're doing up there buddy,' he thought, grabbing onto the railing and holding it tight.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Percy trotted limber to a nice quiet area between the fighting. He swayed as he came to a stop and leaned over, breathing ragged and deep. He was a little old for dodging blows, perhaps a little old for a battlefield. But he had seen enough in his time he doubted the stain could be cleaned off anyway. He would always be a man of war.

And like a soldier Perseverance straightened himself morosely feeling the pop of every vertebrae as they ground unnaturally together. His eyes darted across the battlefield and blearily made out the form of a person who was probably Kennedy at a distance. He seemed to be fairing fine and that was a source of great relief for Perseverance who had developed an inexplicable fondness for the captain. He seemed to run a fine ship, or to want to run a fine ship perhaps. Perseverance knew from experience there was an absence of fine ships in the world; the sky had always been uncivilized.

A breeze caught Percy's worn linen robe and billowed the thick vestment against him, a chill shook his form. He wondered about the black mage he had cured earlier. He was complaining of a malady of the mind but he did not carry himself with the loon gait of the confused. And beyond confusion maladies of the mind would not be cured by Esuna; they required more ancient rituals. Perseverance knew of no mage who could cast a spell of befuddlement stronger than confusion and yet, must not the black mage's ailment be the weavings of a spell smith? The chill wind blew ignored past Perseverance who had better reasons to be cold that moment. He gazed once more across the battlefield and wondered, who might be out there?

Perseverance's eye crossed back across the trail he had taken here and he noticed that it had another traveler making great stride to catch up. Percy's heart skipped exactly one beat; had a soldier followed him? Was he being pursued? White mages are nearly defenseless, by choice as the protocol of their order, and the viciousness with which Percy had seen axemen and archer chase and murder white mages was both appalling and unforgettable. They were often the first raiding parties would hunt. Percy knew the game well and didn't plan to be caught by one of those barbarians, but something about the silhouette of the man drawing ever nearer didn't speak to Percy of an enemy soldier, it was vaguely familiar. And as it finally crossed into the horizon of clarity for Percy's aged eyes, he was glad he had not run from it. The silhouette was the black mage from earlier attempting to form ranks with Percy. The old white mage gripped his staff tightly running his thumb over a long-ago smoothed length of bark, a nervous habit he would never shake.

It seemed something more than coincidence that the black mage was returning. Percy had questions for him, and it seemed he would have time to voice them. The universe provides. But it can equally be cruel. Percy liked to think the refutation of cruelty was the soul of his arte; as he noticed an enemy black mage freshly eyeing the friendly black mage and preparing an incantation he knew he would once again be practicing his arte.

Percy raised his staff of dark wood only a couple inches above the ground before slamming the butt of the branch against the soft soil with a noise like a single great ocean wave hitting the shore. He breathed the word "Shell" and saw the aura begin to encompass the friendly black mage. There was a moment's pause in his gaze as though of confusion. He was close enough now to be made out and Percy knew he had his attention, so he pointed to the enemy black mage on the pair's right flank and held his arm there, humble but forceful. He could only hope the fellow would see in time. Not that it mattered. Percy's arte was surrounding him, the black mage would be safe from cruelties.

 

[Doc Gnosis]

The Imperial host's retreat was mired with spells and twitch attacks, but they were only getting pushed further and further away from where they came from. Some others have been nursing wounds the enemy dealt them in their haste, but the casualties appeared small for them. Matching their depleted morale, the blue soldiers were focusing less on killing and more on inconvenience and pushing their opponents back.

Then all of a sudden a tremor and a gust of wind shook the battlefield. A few of the combatants were knocked over by the force while everyone else was dumbstruck by this change. They all looked to the sky and found an Imperial scout ship climbing in altitude; the party and a few astute men and women - like Kennedy - recognized it as the ship the party was found in.

As if that realization chimed in the remaining host began to fight with total abandon. Dragoons and knights broke their cordons to kill as many people as possible, whatever rallying cries were replaced with declarations of spite. "You won't be leaving this alive!" "You've doomed us all, but so are you!"

The mages that were hanging so closely to the warriors were now utterly defenseless and flinging spells at as frantic a pace as the rest of the host, the ones who still don't want to die here. White mages in blue were diverting their spells to heal their own as combatants gradually got into close range to them.

Kennedy had half a mind to take a third of the people with him to give chase to the fleeing ship, but four knights eager for blood put a stop to give chase. Unlike the previous fighters they were not letting up, ganging on the Lilty all at once. This frantic and scattered pace left Kennedy on the defensive, barely holding them back while taking some cuts and bruises. His guards were too busy picking off stragglers who were getting too close to the skirmish to give aid.


"Get people back to the Gallione!" He shouted into a mechanism. "We're not letting these Imperials get away!!"

A small contingent of people in brown started to quit the field, trying not to draw attention to the Imperials. Some couldn?t escape cleanly and had to fight their way through, and that in turn led to straggling blues giving chase.

And then to punctuate the chaos - or protest it - the battlefield echoed with a demonic shriek...

Spoiler: Notes

If anybody wants to give chase feel free to do so. Things look like they're wrapping up, but there may be a chance to get some loot if you choose to stick around. Good armor and accessories will be found if you choose to stay, but you may miss another opportunity that's coming.

[hr]

In a rare moment of calm, the officer was barely talking though there was no real rhyme or structure.

"Traitors... Thieves and brigands... Informant told us... She will answer... " The officer rambled, his eyes squeezed shut from a phantom of the wounds he had been inflicted not too long ago. His face creased with effort as he opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of his interrogator. Only a few more words came out before his head tilted back, truly unconscious:

"Judicator... not yours..."

And as if the words he said were a signal, one Dragoon with two spears in hand werre charging right at the warrior, a sword sticking from his left side between plates of armor.

[hr]

As Chopp entered the fray the ship echoed with every CLANG! his maul made against either foe or missed mark. The rout became a slaughter as the Seeq was chasing down enemy after enemy. Not even the turbulence of take-off shook him. He did notice the bombs being moved from places where they should be and tried to move them back. Those attempts were short lived as he found foe after foe who thought he would be easy prey. They only just pissed him off.

"Damya cowurdly li'l shits!" Chopp bellowed as he charged forward with the intent to ram a few blue stragglers bunched together. He left a small but obvious mark on the wall along with a couple of critically wounded foes, struggling to breathe let alone move.

From the corner of his eye, the Seeq spotted a few more foes running down the corridor, and he immediately gave chase like a Behemoth to an upstart fiend. For extra measure, he took the unlit 'torch' and fitted it into place; the head of the maul began to glow with a neon green color, and small sparks were snaking around in intervals.

When he finally cornered them into a dead end, he was ready to give them the punishment of a lifetime, until he noticed what was behind them...

There were a few corpses, but what caught the Seeq's eye was a large jade crystal with a glyph embedded inside it; mana was wafting off of it like steam. That held the Esper. But not for long.

All but one of the explosives Chopp placed remained in the room, and he tensed as one of the Imperials placed a rune to his face...

"My life for-" The Imperial couldn't even finish his words before the discharge of lightning kicked in followed by explosions...

The ship was in rough shape afterward, and alarms went off, but it still climbed in altitude. Not all of the explosives went off due to the new placement they all had. Other explosives just dropped to the ground on to the vanguard of the Grandall fighters who successfully snuck past the main host, only to find their death in the many blasts that came raining down.

At first it looked like a clean getaway, though Chopp was floored and badly bruised from being so close. He could only hope the precaution he carried would get him back up soon...

The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was of a fierce draconic beast scowling in utter contempt with the room being torn open from all sides but the floor.

Emperor of the Otherworld

Adrammelech, The Wroth

The last thing he heard was a loud ear-piercing shriek....

Spoiler: notes

You're not dead yet. Help is on the way, but you'll need to hold on till it comes. Or take on the Wroth if you think you can kill him before help comes. Also, you still have explosive to utilize against Adrammelech; you can use them to hurt him if you choose to take him on.

 

[CharrHearted]

Veltis gave off a grunt as the thick gust of wind coursed through the battlefield, stabbing his bow into the sand and dirt to maintain his grip on the ground until the gust ceased to be, confused at the sudden change in the weather pattern, was it a spell? Some sort of beast? He couldn't be sure however a simple gaze upwards and Veltis immediately knew what caused the gust, noticing the ship he was in when he had awoken was slowly climbing upwards in altitude he cursed out and aimed his bow upwards, knowing he wouldn't be able to cause any significant damage into it, he merely acted as a set of eyes to see the stability of the ship, a cold sweat rolling down his back.

"Whatever this feeling is in my stomach... I know it is not a feeling I would wish to welcome..."

Cut short from his speech, looking out into the battlefield, Veltis noticed that the enemy forces started to shoot out and recklessly assault his allied forces, confused and rather shocked as they acted like madmen thirsty for blood, he made sure to ready the greatbow in his hands and fire off a selection of large arrows to help combat against the reckless foes who were screaming bloody murder all over the place, his arrows as calculated as ever pierced his reckless foes as they advanced, even if they were to act with madness and with no precautions, Veltis knew that if he broke his own patience and acted the same, it would certainly spell his death, therefore making sure he kept his nerve and acted as calculated as he does in his previous encounters, allowing him to execute a larger number of his enemies as they break formation and are abandoned by their comrades.

"What in the name of all gods are they doing...? Have they no care for their mortal coil? Why would they suddenly start charging out of nowhere like this? Is this a final desperate attempt to claim the battlefield?!" He thought, until his thoughts were once again interupted by the huge explosion that had occurred within the ship he was carried in, gazing upwards again toward it, his heart froze for a mere moment once an ear piercing shriek had echoed through the battlefield, looking towards the only thing Veltis could see aside from the ship was the Eidolon that displayed itself in all its terrifying glory, just like anyone else who saw the terrifying creature, Veltis froze, his hands shaking tremendously while it displayed itself.

"No... I can't let myself be swallowed up by fear...! This monster came from the ship we were on...?! Can my arrows even hope to pierce such a-"

Veltis immediately caught his tongue with his teeth and growled, how dare he even finish that sentence, his childhood, his life so far contradicted his words, he was no man who would give up easily, this Eidolon might be incredibly powerful, but he could never look himself in the mirror again if he simply fled or ran away like some of the other cowards who were with him. He had to make sure to protect as many people as possible and that meant he had to stop this Eidolon from doing any damage to his allies, able to see the scorn laid upon its face, he already knew this fiendish Esper was going to make the first move if he didn't, there was no room for negotiations here, especially with an Esper. Veltis took aim towards it, knowing his arrows could definitely make the trip up to it, trying to find a weakness in the Espers defenses, hoping his keen eye and his calculative abilities could help him.

(( i'l leave that up to you, Doc if I do ))

 

[SirDerpy]

Serena stopped midstride as a tremor shook the earth, and a wind heavy with the scent of magic swept across the desert. A gigantic splotch marred the clouds above: the Imperial ship that the Browns had towed took to the skies again. It seemed that it had only shortly before taken off, and Serena espied a few very familiar faces onboard. She watched for a few short seconds, then she continued on her journey, internally shrugging.

The supply tent loomed in front of her as she turned the corner. Taking a furtive glance around to ensure that nobody else was nearby, Serena ducked inside and began rummaging through the rows of boxes. For such a small camp, there were certainly no shortage of supplies. This camp must have a rather important job. She stumbled upon the box of liquors first, deep within the recesses of the room.

Tuck would appreciate these for his brewing. Gojo also seemed the type for drink. Serena picked out two bottles of rum and a tall bottle of whiskey. She paused. Perhaps it would be wise to take more. She wouldn't be surprised if either of them were alcoholics, at any rate. She took a few more, one of Absinthe and two of gin.

What a selection. I can only wonder how much the Captain likes his drink. Serena set the glass bottles in a small wooden box scouted nearby. A glimmering in a box nearby caught her eye: a row of ethers. She grinned. These would be most helpful. Serena picked out the first one and downed it immediately, taking a deep breath as the mana-infused potion restored her energy. Then she pocketed three more vials. Yes, she would never be caught off guard again.

A brief howling startled her out of her reverie. The scent of magic in the wind grew stronger, even reaching her deep inside the tent.

A tin of ground coffee and two bottles of Lemon-Sprite came next. The tent was meticulously organized; it was no effort at all to find the items. She hefted up the box and began to walk back to the tent the three had hijacked in their impromptu break from war.

Just as she neared the mouth of the tent, Serena happened to catch sight of the spare uniform rack. She stared down at her own torn and ripped clothes, courtesy of the other two and a late bisected mage, then at a light brown, female officer's uniform, neatly folded on the rack. She stared at it for a long few seconds. It was...

Sufficient. I rather like the design on the buttons. The size is also quite fitting. Serena set down her crate of drinks and examined the clothes. There was as much mana threaded through the suit as there was fabric, the origin being a neatly drawn rune on the inside of the small of the back. They-whoever 'they' were-certainly gave the utmost attention to the longevity of their officers. And the quality of the fabric itself! That was particularly sufficient.

This would do. Serena undid the remaining buttons on her coat, and removed the belt as she let her slacks drop to the ground. She appraised herself. That, that would not do. She was utterly caked in dried blood, that had soaked through her clothing, splashed onto any exposed fur and skin. She would ruin her new clothes the moment she donned them. She walked a bit further inside, out of potentially prying eyes at the mouth of the tent. Then she tossed her bloodstained clothes to a dark corner, and made sure she was a fair distance from anything that wouldn't welcome a touch of red.

"Water." The water came away crimson, disappearing into the dry ground. It took three spells to get most of the blood off her body and gloves, a slight reddish tinge on certain patches of fur the only remnants of their brutal history. The water, though, that stuck around.

"Fire." Serena checked to ensure that nothing had been burnt; nothing had, except a few stray strands of formerly silver hair. Then she slipped into the uniform, relishing the feeling of new clothes on a clean body. She hadn't had the luxury of feeling that in a long time.

She retrieved Tonberrion from the pile of discarded clothes, sliding it into a hip sheath. Then, picking up the box of liquor, she set off back to the tent. A quick glance at the splotch in the air revealed a rather large draconic figure clinging to the underbelly of the ship, dripping with magic. An Esper. Serena felt her eyebrows raise in surprise.

The pot of water was finished boiling by the time she arrived. As she came in, Serena tossed a bottle each at Gojo and Tuck, of rum and lemon respectively.

"It appears that some of our cellmates have managed to hijack a ship and anger an obscenely powerful magical beast," Serena called over her shoulder as she began making her coffee. "So, thoughts?"

Spoiler: OOC

You said loot, Doc, so I took you up on your offer. Three ethers and an officer's uniform, enchanted rather strongly against physical attacks.