Izurich

SPIRITUM

--Rassvet - Tanker Crash Site--

"..." When Kalina fished out what was inside the box Gerard gave her, the motivation behind Ivan's actions was no longer a matter of speculation. Amongst the Barghests and even the WARDEN corps as a whole, it could be said that Valerie was one of the more empathetic ones; her vow to not let her mutations define her certainly played a major part in her personal mission to not end up like... well, Morden, and WARDENs like him.

However, even the Nephilim had her limits, while she'd rather die than turning into an unfeeling weapon of mass destruction, she wouldn't call herself a compassionate pacifist either. In the end, she was a soldier and her job would inevitably involve deaths, both suffering and causing them. This... Ivan, this two-faced conman was attempting to pilfer essential war assets for his own gain. Even disregarding Mylo's gift for his daughter, the man was a parasitic vermin; he was an enemy of the state and the people, and while he technically wasn't a combatant, Valerie couldn't shake off the thought that a leech like him would be better off dead.

...and it seemed Kalina had the exact same idea.

"Good riddance."

Should she feel bad? ...no, no she shouldn't, parasites like Ivan were like gut worms, the world could only be better off without them in it.

With Kalina handling the "evidence", Valerie decided to assist Gerard and the others with recovering the stolen supplies. Meanwhile, she heard something about Collette producing her own mist? Now that was unheard of; nature produced mist and people manipulated what was already there, that's how it usually goes, but Rassvet was but a small country in a big, big world, a world full of wondrous and terrible things both, her... self being a good example. In other words, Valerie was intrigued, yet unsurprised.

"Maybe the little spatial anomaly you endured in that ship did something to your genes, who knows, but I won't be surprised if it's the case. Mist storms don't exactly obey the "rules" of nature." The white-haired WARDEN gave her two-cents with a shrug before turning at Gerard, "I mean... don't get me wrong, I'm not being pessimistic for the hell of it, but I do expect we'll encounter more problems later, when that time comes, we do as we usually do: adapt, improvise, and overcome. We're WARDENs, squad, not politicians."

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

--Artimis - High Seas--

Alike yet unique, each of the Pseudolons had their own share of abilities in addition to mastery over the element their patron was associated with; Grayscale, as the scion of the Dragon-King, first amongst the Primals, reigned over all the elements on top of her distinct non-elemental destruction composed of raw mana, meanwhile, Siren, just like her namesake, could beguile all but the most cold-hearted individuals. The former presented harm in the most literal manner, while the latter hid her malice behind sweet temptations and deceitful affection.

...and twas' a most depraved power indeed.

"Mnngh..." Though absolutely nothing in Eve's current circumstances would suggest she was in the mood for a kiss, her asexual orientation notwithstanding, the Pseudolon found herself melting under Siren's embrace. At point-blank range, the full potency of Siren's supernatural allure was overwhelming her body and mind, more like a puppet on strings being forced to act against its will. Her consciousness was drifting away, in but a moment, she wouldn't even be cognizant enough to care-

"?!!-..."

-and then Siren suddenly stopped, just within inches of pacifying her sister for good. A silent gasp left through her breathless lips, her body jerking as jolts of stinging pain rushed up her spine. It only took a single glance at her ribcage to find the tip of a dagger poking through, liquid ether coating the metal before it mixed with seawater. "...!" Swiftly, her lengthy tail instinctively wrapped around Esben's torso and arms, squeezing at him like an anaconda as she released Eve and turned to face him, staring at the Skaelan dead in his eyes.

"...~" Though the Leviathan Pseudolon muttered not a word in response, the grin she bore on her face spoke of rage and desire in equal measure. Whatever response she had for the SEED's meddling in her mission, he could rest assured that it wouldn't be conducive for his health, physical and mental.

However, before any of them could do anything else, a bolt of lightning struck from above, traveling through the one remaining hydra-esque aquatic limb as it swiftly homed into the blue-haired Pseudolon... and due to the physical contact, Esben as well. To make matters worse, it came from the Red Mage who had her prowess elevated by the Faye Diva's song, resulting in a not insignificant amount of pain.

"Aaaaagh!!-..."

As he was literally electrocuted while fully submerged in the sea, Esben would find it extremely difficult to control his breaths, perhaps even impossible, and to pour saltwater on the wound, Siren's deafening wail of agony rattled his skull like a battering ram. Even as the Faux Leviathan herself was on the verge of losing consciousness from her injuries, the fact remained that her tail was still wrapped fast around him.

Esben might ask himself, was this all worth it, trading his life to save a weapon of the enemy? Surely pragmatism would dictate that in a conflict between powers of asymmetrical strength, a strategist would be far more valuable than a war dog, and SEEDs should be nothing but pragmatic.

So... why?

"ESBEN!!"

That was also the question that Eve had running in her mind, even as she clumsily reached out her hand to grab Esben's arm...

...before the very sea was split apart around them.

She didn't know why, nor how, but whoever forced Bahamut's domain into Leviathan's territory would have her gratitude, but before that, she had to capitalize on this chance and fly off toward the sky, storm-wracked as it might be currently, twas’ still a better place to be than this thalassic abyss.

First, she wrapped all ten of fingers and both palms around the agent's lower arm, then booted the limp Siren off his body as she sank into the yawning abyss, and finally-

"H-...heavy!"

-struggled to compensate for his weight with her meager strength, desperately flapping wings barely able to maintain their altitude, let alone gaining some; meanwhile, the parted ocean was already closing in on them. By Bahamut, of all the things she had that was accurate to the young girl she appeared as, why must it be brawn?!

One could say it was the price she had to pay for her sheer talent at wielding all manner of elemental powers or perhaps it was the consequence of being prematurely released from the facility, whatever the case, she could really appreciate some help right now!

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

--Artimis - High Seas--

After the Kirins' very own Faye Bard neutralized the Siren's song, it became painfully clear that the traitor Valon needed her melodies as a crutch to compensate for the sorry excuse of "dragoons" he brought. When faced against the unadulterated might of King Leonhart's task force, they couldn't compare. One by one with little gaps in-between, their numbers fell to around half he started with.

"Tch...!" Freed from the mind-dulling malady, Eve managed to conjure a mighty gust of wind in time to clash against the faux dragoon's volley, throwing the projectiles off course. If it wasn't for Ciradyl, she might very well have her wings clipped.

As the hostile airship began to descend upon them, the Pseudolon quirked an eyebrow, then for a moment, the fellow traitors of their respective homeland gazed upon one another; the Edrenian dragoon and the Valheimr dragoness, both serving the enemy, both treacherous turncoats, "..." and yet, through her silent gaze, the latter sent a clear message to the former...

Only one of them would live to see tomorrow's sunrise.

After the unforeseen dismantling of Proudclad, these Valheimr scum must have known that airships wouldn't spare them from Bahamut's wrath. Last time, the Revenant kept them busy enough to save the desert-bound vessel, but this time, what was stopping her? Him and those pathetic excuses of dragoons-...

Thunders raged and rain poured as a mysterious vortex rocked the pirate vessel.

Ah, right. They had another.

"Leviathan...!!" Eve growled as the hydrophilic hydra reared its heads, all four of them, as a cascade of events all occurred in one fell swoop.

Nearby, the pair of former foes were about to be swallowed into the naga's throat and drowned in her abyssal belly, only for the exiled swordsman to come plunging down upon its aquatic scalp with such force, the ether-fueled construct lost its cohesion and spilled out like a shattered water bucket. Though wet, cold, and uncomfortable, it was a much better fate than being pulled into the abyss.

However, Bahamut's Pseudolon wasn't so fortunate, in fact, as Siren's two other heads spewed water jets out of their maws, washing over the deck and throwing men overboard, it quickly became clear what her true intentions were. Including the one that Rudolf had just slain, they were nothing more than distractions...

...while she reserved a single limb to snap its jaws shut around her 'sibling' and dragged her off the ship, away from the skies where the Dragon King reigned, and into her thalassic domain.

"...?!!!!" Now suddenly and utterly abducted into Leviathan's empire, Eve flailed her limbs and flapped her wings to no avail. Though she needed not to breathe as a true Sollan would, it didn't particularly mean she was a capable swimmer, quite the opposite, she was terrible at it. After all, there really wasn't much incentive to learn swimming when one could fly, yet at this very moment, Eve wished she had.

The roaring hurricane and cacophony of battle became a distant muffle as she was completely submerged, helplessly pulled, tossed, and turned... until she came face-to-face with the smirking visage of none other than Siren herself, her 'kin', a fellow abomination of the natural order.

Now that they had laid upon one another with their very own eyes, Eve couldn't help but notice how she looked more like a person than what her other 'heads' implied. Swiftly, Ciradyl's inquiries and Galahad's counsel came to her mind. Floating before her might not be the mindless monster she had assumed the Pseudo-Leviathan to be, but... there was no proof yet, so....

Please be a mindless creature, please be a mindless creature...

"Ah...~ so you're Grayscale, you're so much more adorable than I thought, ...sister, fufu~"

By the Dragon King, why?!

"You've been a naughty girl, haven't you? Poor Grayscale, misguided and deceived, but worry not, dear sister, I'm here to bring you back~"

Gritting her teeth, numerous thoughts ran in Eve's mind, but one reigned above all; she had to convince her brainwashed kin to see the error of her ways, recognize that Valheim was simply using her as a weapon, to be used and disposed whenever they saw fit, and - Bahamut willing - sway her allegiance to the Kirins. It might be a pointless endeavor, but after the promise she made to the azure dragoon, she'd be damned if she wouldn't at least try.

Thus, "Sire-" Eve opened her lips-... "Mmmph?!!" Only to find them being locked shut by Siren's own!

"Hmmgh?!!" Utterly confused and bewildered by the very much unsanctioned kiss, Eve's instincts took over as she saw the gesture as a threat. Ether swiftly built up throughout her body as Grayscale aimed to make like an electric eel and gave Siren a good shock, just to get her off if nothing else.

But then, "N-... nngh..." the flow stopped, despite her intentions, her body refused to cooperate as she twitched limply in Siren's embrace.

Soon after, her mind followed as everything became a blur...

And nothing ceased to matter except to just close her eyes...

So the ocean can put her to sleep...

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ciradyl's benevolent aria flowed from her instrument and vocal cords, pushing back against the Siren's lure. As the white-haired Bard's melodies soothed her comrades' ears, they'd find their auditory afflictions swiftly washed away, their instincts no longer dulled. Indeed, as long as the Ospreyan Diva could continue her performance uninterrupted, her audience needed not fear the temptress of the sea.

However, below the surface, it was a different matter altogether.

Down here, Ciradyl's song faltered against the Siren's, resulting in the full force of her melodious malady to still affect the only Kirin unfortunate enough to invade her domain.

But, no, he must not falter, he had a mission to accomplish, to silence her beautifully discordant notes! And yet, for all of the umbral powers his 'patron' granted him, Rudolf was still very much a creature of the land, possessing neither gills, nor fins. He might be - despite what his father thought of him - a talented and experienced swordsman, but here in the depths, with the clumsiness of his land-suited limbs, how could he even hope to chase down the elusive chimeric siren?

As the scaled humanoid glided gracefully through the water as if it's naught but air, the creature would eventually pass the monster hunter, and perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but Rudolf could swear that for an iota of a moment, it-... she opened her left eye in a reverse-wink at the young man while her lips curled a smirk. The sight was breathtaking, just like the turbulent water he's submerged in.

Perhaps there was a reason why sirens had such infamy amongst men of the sea, with but a smile and a song, they could lure others into embracing their own deaths, drowning in the depths with naught but a mesmerized smile.

Though stout enough to deflect even The Revenant's mythical blade, Svalinn could only afford to buy time, time that his comrades could use to take care of the threat, but right here, right now, he was by his lonesome, facing against a foe who didn't even seem interested to engage him. Like a particularly malicious orca, she could simply swim circles around the land dweller until the ocean itself would take him. After all, unlike him, she had all the time in the world...

...or at least until a certain traitor dragoon's voice pierced through the sea from above.

Nigh-instantly, she proceeded to stop singing and moving, was this his chance?

"Aah~ fufu~" Although the wide smile and sultry giggle that followed didn't exactly instill much confidence...

Up above, as if on cue, after Valon's enunciation, rain began to fall as thunders raged, quickly rising in intensity until a veritable downpour had blanketed the area, dousing Kirins, pirates, and Valheimrs alike as if they were harbingers of oceanic calamity.

Down below, before Rudolf's very eyes, the water began to ebb and flow unnaturally, in fact, he could even feel it as raging currents pulled against his form. Here, the years he spent practicing footwork and martial stances meant absolutely nothing as he was helplessly dragged along. Like debris caught by a tornado, he spent the next few moments being tossed and turned round-and-round the blue-haired Pseudolon, so close yet so far.

As for the rest of the Kirins, the source of the aquatic rumblings finally revealed herself with an ear-shattering roar as four gigantic water constructs in the shape of a naga's head rose from the depths, one at each cardinal direction.

...and Rudolf too, the young Sollan - drenched, out of breath, and dazed - was tossed way up into the air in the wake of Siren's transformation.

The False Empress of the Sea wasted no time as each of her heads began assaulting the Kirins and pirates. Two swooped in with their maw open to devour and swallow her enemies into her thalassic belly, while the other two belched a deluge to sweep them overboard!

Monster Hunter 1x1 or Small Group

I've played the original Monster Hunter on the PS2, then World: Iceborne until completion.

I played a bit of Rise too.

That said, I'm interested to give this a shot.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

--Artimis - High Seas--

After five nights of (mostly) peaceful sailing, perhaps it was about time the ever-fickle hands of fate dealt them another hand, however, after Hien's escape, Proudclad's destruction, and the confrontation with the Revenant, only the utterly naive wouldn't believe the empire to not be a routine nuisance. Thus, sharing Galahad's sentiments, Eve was concerned, yet expectant when another one of those flying ships reared up its ugly hull. With a flex of her gloved fingers, the Pseudolon harnessed her enmity for the villainous empire to spur the ether flowing in her veins, like a swordsman brandishing his blade, she was ready.

Then the enemy came, like meteors, they struck from above.

"..." Apparently, the rogue sentient weapon wouldn't be only the traitor on board the Scurvy Fishman that day, for this... other dragoon, the one leading his cohort of machine-clad soldiers, had history with the Kirins' own dragonslayer. Ah, one of those then, a former ally who cast aside their honor, dignity, and integrity to side with the oppressors, just like a certain Faye crime lord. What did Valheim promise him? Money, power? The typical trappings of the greedy and the treacherous.

Galahad and Ciradyl might have advised her about reserving compassion and empathy even to those who stood against them... However, Valon's nonchalant tone, complete lack of remorse, and most importantly, that infuriating smug mug of his. There were no doubts about it, he willingly served Valheim; twas’ decided, there shall be no quarters reserved for him, nor his men.

"Capture me...?" The False-Dragon snarled under her breath, "I'll sooner burn you and your paymasters to ashes before you can even so much as touch a lock of my hair!" She raised her right hand, fingers poised to release a bolt of azure lightning at Valon-

-only to freeze in place.

As the entrancing voice flowed through the air, Eve felt a shiver running up her spine. This... presence, much more potent and clear than the vague impression she got from The Revenant. There was no mistaking it...

One of her kin was here.

Kin... Pseudolon... Ocean...

"LEVIATHAN!!" Eve roared like a bull seeing red. She promptly discarded her cloak then sprouted her wings, about to take off and search the sea surface for the accursed siren of the deep. "Tch!!" Unfortunately, mere moments after she took to the air, Valon's lackeys were competent enough to identify one of their main objectives and a group of them immediately began accosting her, soaring with jets of flame to try and incapacitate the Bahamut Pseudolon with their axe-rifle fire.

"Rrrrgh!!" Justifiably irked, Eve pivoted her target to take care of these buzzing insects first. What followed suit would be a veritable aerial dogfight as Eve weaved and swerved away from their projectiles as best as she could while returning fire via launching lightning bolts from her hands. As testament to the potency of her elemental magic, a single good hit was enough to put a False Dragoon out of commission, either lethally shocking the soldier themself or sabotaging their jetpacks, causing the volatile gadget to careen uncontrollably.

And yet, even if she did manage to dispatch two or three of the hostiles, Eve found herself missing more bolts than she should and simultaneously, having a harder time dodging than usual, even though she was supposed to be a scion of Bahamut, Dragon Emperor of the Sky!

This... Etrodamned melody-!!

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

After a month plus of inactivity, I think it'll not be nosy to poke Lunar and ask how they're doing.

So, @LunarParadox, how you doin'?

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

As if on cue, brieflly after the turncoat dragoon remarked about his cohort's plus one, what could only be described as a haunting melody fell upon the seas, the voice mesmerizing and yet... foreign. Though they could rival one another upon the proverbial stage, no one in the Kirin would mistake the tune as Ciradyl's; the tone, cadence, and style were distinct from that of the Faye Bard's.

Regardless, even if someone was tone-deaf enough to misidentify the unknown source as the white-haired Faye, they wouldn't be for long, especially after the fact that every non-Valheimr on the ship would feel a mysterious malady bearing down upon their minds. Akin to beautiful waves deceptively hiding deadly undertows beneath, the mesmerizing aria wormed itself into their ears, dulling their minds, not severe enough to affect conscious thoughts, but in a situation where a sharp instinct could spell the difference between life and death...

It was a cruel requiem indeed...

"Yaaarrrgh!" Bikke roared as he made another weighty swing with his massive axe, and yet again these fire-farting knaves jumped out of his reach, in fact, he felt himself just a tad bit clumsier than before, it must due to this... godsdamned singing! "By Danube's tits! Would someone shut that infernal shanty already?!!"

<Cancelled>

Feel free to make your own if you don't like what you see. :)

@Xaltwind

Aaaah, the ZUN method when he saw there was no danmaku games that he liked, so he made his own with shrine maidens and witches.

I'll consider it, once I figure out how this whole 'leadership' thing works, seems difficult.

Regardless of my issues with your particular take on the FE universe, I wish you and anyone who're interested the best of success.