Graveyard
Ni Rensa, Eliza, Edith Riggs, Kilo, Joakim Fortinbras, Heisty Beardo, Kumbha Yatta, Bytan Brass, Mercury Marowit
Argus Leandros, Ike Riven, Riona Ymir, Damian Gerard, Gabriel, Sengoku Enma
@raijinslayer@zarkun@oblivion666@caits@hatakekuro@lunarlors34Like a surfer shooting the curls of a stormy seashore, the Blade of Phoenix wing weaved around the Flesh Giant atop his enchanted sword, rising all the while. When Ni Rensa flew from her purchase into the yawning emptiness of a terror-filled night, he nobly swooped down to catch her, if allowing her to slam into a forged metal plate at near terminal velocity could be counted as catching. At any other time the soldier would have joked about cats always landing on her feet, but the monstrosity's atmosphere of despair crushed that possibility without mercy. After giving an affirmation to his plan, she pounced from the floating weapon at the apex of its ascent, landing solidly on the abomination's shoulder. Instantly Ni realized that the flesh here was profuse with bones, many broken jaggedly and sticking straight up from repugnant thing's outer layer like spines. Only by sheer luck, and her instincts, had Ni not speared herself on arrival. Her hair on end from equals parts revulsion and fear, the War Sphinx made her way closer to the Flesh Giant's head, wary for a second round of squishing noises and vibrations beneath the skin that signaled more visceral spears headed her way.
While she did this, Damian had set his sights elsewhere. He soared upon his sword into position, zeroing in on the 'target' opened for him earlier in the abhorrent thing's middle. In a remarkable feat of magical and martial prowess, even for an S-rank wizard, the man tore straight through the Flesh Giant just below where the pectoral might be on a human. The act of drilling through not butter but solid meat demanded an overwhelming amount of force, and even once free of the hulking horror, the fun didn't stop there. Damian's trick bathed him in foulness, both physical and magical, and like acid the foulness seeped into his clothes, his armor, and his very skin. By fully committing to this course of action, the Blade of Phoenix Wing dealt a staggering blow to his nightmarish adversary, but for that very act he would pay the price. The chance of even coming close to landing the same attack twice was negligible.
The wound did not really debilitate the Flesh Giant, however. As Gabriel circled it on dragonback, his life saved from a gruesome end by his spirit's speed and awareness alone, the abomination lashed out at the glowing shape with an arm again and again. As many times, the dragon spirit darted in to attack, but for all its viciousness the strikes had seemingly little effect. Of course, the reason would be obvious to a trained celestial mage: a spirit's celestial form, inescapably magical in nature, could not deal definitive damage to this wretched thing.
Meanwhile, the other soldiers defended themselves as best they could—some far better than others. Each Frenzy Plant soldier concentrated on defense; Kumbha erected a gelatinous barrier around himself, Kilo, Eliza, and Edith in a splash of sticky green fluid, halting the visceral spears in their tracks. Heisty Beardo's Equivalent Exchange transformed his ultra greatsword into a massive shield that protected his whole body. A whirlwind of steel from Mercury intercepted the spears before they could pierce him, but some of their foulness sprayed him still, hissing nastily as it spattered against his skin. Joakim summoned a block of ice, Bytan called forth a light screen that deflected the spears around him, and Eliza, standing between them, combined both magical arts to freeze the incoming projectiles in ice and bounce them back, returning them to sender as physical attacks. Their other allies did not do as well. Failing to respond in time, Argus, Ike, Riona, and Enma all took the spears head-on. Though probably not lethal, the vile aura surrounding the spears ensured that those struck would not be forgetting them any time soon. Poison surged through their bodies, making their veins feel as though they were burning, and depriving them of their stamina.
At this moment, without a direct challenge, the Flesh Giant could have gone berserk and extinguished a dozen lives in the blink of an eye, but somehow it did not do so. Instead, a lull in the battle emerged where none should have been, completely contrary to what anyone might expect from the situation. That said, a few veteran soldiers quickly grasped onto the cause.
Against all odds, defined one person better than anyone. These select few warriors, such as Bytan, Eliza, Kilo, Ni Rensa, and Joakim, knew that someone had taken the field who could make the impossible possible. At that moment, the lightning illuminated a shiny object flying, massive and surreal, though the night sky. The giant noticed it too, but it was too late. A metal boulder the size of a small house collided with the abomination at high speed, blowing away three fourths of its head, the upper-right third of its body, and its entire right arm. Chunks of squirming flesh rained down onto the graveyard soil as all eyes flew to the boulder's source: a gleaming trebuchet standing stoically above the squalid houses of Belka. In the town's fitful light, more than a dozen Frenzy Plant soldiers, from Virgil Marowit to Jane Putcher, joined the battle. In their midst strode the two responsible: the C-rank Metal Make siege master Jillian Suede, and the venerable general of Fiore's finest war guild, Cormorant Sanders.
The Flesh Giant rumbled in protest and began to reform, bit by bit. The deep, commanding voice of the General rose above the storm's tumult to demand of his soldiers,
”Frenzy Plant! I'm lowering its magic resistance. Putcher, light 'em up!”Laughing madly, the former piratess unloaded every chamber of her Privateer, sending brilliant bolts careening into the Flesh Giant. Rather than glancing off its flesh, the metal rods stuck in, their built-in chemical lamps illuminating the misshapen horror for all to clearly see.
”Now, all ranks! It's time to send this thing back to Hell!” Sanders bellowed. In that moment, he did not look at all like a harmless old sage, but rather seemed every inch the conqueror.
”ATTACK!”
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