Psyker Landshark

Iris Ascendis

Post within the next day or two, tired as shit this week

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

"This reward of Ramuh's had best be worth it!" Izayoi snarled as she leapt between Thundagas, any residual sparks harmlessly dissipating across the NulShock that Miina had so helpfully given the group. "Why would a trial be necessary when we are Cid's only choice?!" She groused, making sure to yell loudly enough above the din of battle that Ramuh could hear her.

Nevertheless, she followed Esben's command, moving to support Rudolf. Izayoi had to admit it: Esben was her superior in battlefield tactics. While she had a head for grand strategy and troop movements, most of her own movements in the field had been to maneuver herself into as large of a concentration of enemies as possible before slaughtering them, leaving the remainder of the front to her subordinates. So she'd didn't mind listening to the Skaelan, considering he'd proven competent at matters thus far.

As Adrammelech roared in frustration watching the gnat before him not fall even as it roasted him, Galahad's halberd crashed down into his wing joint before Chisato's heat blade slammed into its side. One shot from Eliane's barrage caught the Wroth straight in the eye, causing the lesser Eidolon to howl and writhe even as it conjured up another Thundaga to bring down around himself with Rudolf in the epicenter, hoping to catch several of the Kirins with him.

Just then, Izayoi leapt up into the air, catching the falling thunderbolt on her blade and redirecting it downwards into a falling slash right back towards the levin's original caster.

"Raijingeki!" She bellowed, dropping down and carving a gash straight through Adrammelech's metallic chest, leaving a clear opening to exploit. Ramuh's attendant howled further, but seemed to finally focus his rage, reaching up to grab Galahad off of his shoulder and hurl him straight into Izayoi, the halberd ripping out of the Eidolon's wing in the process. As both of them tumbled back, Adrammelech disappeared in a flash of lightning, reappearing directly above Miina with a baleful glare in his eyes. Unable to sustain flight thanks to the wound Galahad dealt, the summoned spirit proceeded to drop down from the air directly towards Miina, aiming to pin the Mystrel beneath its clawed feet.

Even as the beast hurtled down from the sky, he raised both index fingers, one aimed for Selene, the other for Eos. Individual bolts of lightning shot out from the tips of his claws, clearly trying to take the fairies out of the fight before they could cause yet more annoyances for himself.

As the battle raged on, Ramuh observed from the skies, stroking his beard in contemplation.

"Yes...good. But thou needth more. Show us that thine hast yet the strength to persevere, warriors!"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar Hagen

There went the rope knife. Irritating, but expected. While it was Renar's only one, the trapper's ability to simply burn anything in contact with itself meant it wouldn't have been of much use anyway. And now Renar had one more insight into his foe's tricks.

Clearly, the fire wasn't an autonomous defense. That was good. It meant he could still take the trapper by surprise. But it remained to be seen just how often and how much the lasso-wielder could push that ability. Either way, prolonged melee was inadvisable until he could find an opening to exploit. Probing attacks, then. See what could get through the armor and how much of its anatomy was like a man's.

As Renar settled on his plan of attack, the trapper chose to make its move, pulling a branch out of literally nowhere with its lasso. Renar grunted with exertion as he brought his poleaxe down to counter, smashing through the branch with his weapon's axe head before it could make impact with his knee. He didn't stop there, whirling the poleaxe around vertically so that the counterweight on the other end of the weapon was facing the trapper, and slammed it towards the flaming fae's helm. A twist of his wrist around the haft released the mechanism in the counterweight, and suddenly what hurtled towards the Wild Hunter's visor was not just a metal end, but also a full brace of blinding powder.

Falling Skies

CMDR SAGAN "VULTURE" KODOS

The good news was that they had backup. The Helldogs weren't special ops, but they were as damn good as one could get for an ordinary unit of soldiers. Even better, they were familiar with how the 7th operated. Wouldn't need as much babysitting as most regular units, although it'd be an idiotic idea to just leave them to their own devices.

Sagan touched the Watchdog down on a nearby building, crouching the MAS down into a sniper position as he provided overwatch for the disembarking marines and Sentries, taking potshots at anything stupid enough to approach.

<< Helldogs, Vulture. Got your back! Soon as you're ready, let's form ranks and- >>

Annnnd there was the kicker. Sagan cut comms, cursing sulfurously under his breath as he watched the Sparrowhawk down, its systems temporarily fried by ECM. Even worse was that radar was showing four Fenrirs and half a dozen IFVs closing in on his location, on top of the full battlegroup advancing towards their main line. Artillery and snipers in the back, and one of the 7th's best methods of dealing with them neutralized for the time being by whatever supermech the Coalies had cooked up, fucking somewhere in the field.

At least Sabine was alive, and if the readout was any indication, the Sparrowhawk was rebooting.

<< 7th, Vulture. New marching orders, coming through: Hex, Rhino, Rook, hold the line, I'm rerouting the Helldogs to assist. Y'all play nice with them kids, y'hear? Rabbit, holler slightly less if you're combat-capable. Yell louder if ya need someone to evac your sorry ass off the field. Commie, we need that artillery and sniper team in the Coalie rear guard deader than that Boeing stooge's soul. Full burn, do what you have to without killing yourself. Get your asses moving, we don't got all day! >> He swapped channels, returning to general Imperial comms next.

<< Helldogs, Vulture. Sending tac data, requesting reinforcements up front. I'll let you have this one as bailing us out, so enjoy it while it lasts. >>

Orders given, Sagan shot the Watchdog's afterburners to maximum and sprinted it straight off the roof, taking off from a jump in a very Commie-esque move. Suicidal hotshot was rubbing off on him. The Watchdog boosted full speed towards the interceptors trying to flank the 7th, already locking on to the quartet of Fenrirs playing escort. It'd knock out a full quarter of his special munitions, but there wasn't time to save ammo right now. Every second he was tied up here was one not spent backing up the others.

<< Got tone, Fox 3, Fox 3! >> The SPAMRAAMs took flight, crashing into the medium MAS squad and coreing them near instantly, their countermeasures and evasive manuvers defeated by the missiles' vertical flight path. With that done, Sagan swapped the Watchdog's HPK out for the beam saber and landed straight into the pack of IFVs, crushing one beneath his mech's feet as he proceeded to rip through them at melee range. Without an escort, disrupting their formation and making sure they couldn't break into evasive manuevers versus gunfire would be far faster, to say nothing of ensuring he was well through minimum arming range of any heavy weapons they were packing.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

Izayoi was a blur across the battlefield, her blade scything through Blightbeasts. Razor wind and battojutsu strikes littered the field before she grit her teeth, stopping in place as she was forced to raise her blade to block a massive canid Blightbeast's fangs. An errant bolt of light magic from Cid eliminated the great beast she was straining against, the samurai giving the sage a brief nod of thanks before diving back into the fray.

Soon enough, the efforts of the Kirins cleared the field of Blightbeasts, leaving sage and Eidolon in the middle of the sacred grove. At its center was a single stone, a lightning bolt engraved on the rock.

"My thanks." Cid exhaled, looking less winded from battle and more simply stressed in general. "Full glad am I to see you still live-"

"Isolde deceived us out of the belief you are some sort of heretic." Blightbeast blood was scarcely flicked off of Izayoi's blade as its owner stared Cid down, out of patience. "Explain."

"Ah." Cid winced. "Her observations are true. Her conclusion is not. My life is extended far beyond its natural limit, yes. This, however, does not make me an imposter or a demon. The grace of the Mother sustains me." A rueful smile. "Why else do you believe that I cannot leave holy ground? Honestly, I expected better of that child."

Izayoi simply nodded at this, accepting the explanation. Above everyone, however, Ramuh chose this moment to speak.

"The Dominant speaks truly."

The Eidolon of Thunder's voice rumbled.

"No unholy mischief is involved with extending his life past its limit. Only Etro's blessing."

His gaze swept over the Kirins for several moments before turning back to Cid.

"I should like to test their worth."

"Do try not to overdo it." Cid sighed, walking off to the edge of the clearing where he proceeded to sit. "Warriors, fear not. Ramuh will not kill you. And I will heal your ills once the battle ends. Who knows? Impress him enough, and he may just reward you." A significant glance was sent Esben's way.

"Indeed."

Ramuh remained where he was in the air as lightning crashed into the clearing. When the flash cleared, a different figure could be seen on the ground: a mighty, draconic being clad in steel roared, two stories tall, lightning crackling across its figure.

"You face mine attendant: Adrammelech, the Wroth."

At Adrammelech's cry, Thundagas began to litter the field, bolts of judgment crashing down without rhyme or reason.

"Show us whether you have the strength to save this land, Warriors of Light!"

Iris Ascendis

Iraleth Kyrios

Slavers. Iraleth's blood boiled as she stepped out of the carriage, seetheing at the depraved degenerates surrounding them. Just their luck, to be ambushed without access to Ethos or Essence.

Judging by his performance against the class, it wasn't out of the question for Alto to be able to handle this alone, but Iraleth wasn't about to sit back and let someone else fight her battles for her. Even without the Inheritor, she was still an anointed knight, fully armed and armored.

Gunshots rang in her ears even as she rushed forward, sword brandished. She literally crashed into the wave of bandits on the same side Otis fired on, trusting that Alto would see sense and work on the other group. The plate-clad paladin shoulder-checked the man in front before turning to assail his fellow with a series of cleaves and slashes, all the while making sure to keep a foe between herself and the archers as much as possible.

"No quarter for slavers! May the accursed burn!"

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

Three days spent on the road back to Brightlam. Progress was slow due to the fact that they'd had to avoid the major roads and towns now that the Kirins were wanted across the country. So they were stuck taking back roads and paths through the forest, hoping to avoid patrols. This led them into conflict with the local monsters, but it was nothing that the group couldn't handle at this point.

Of course, that also meant that there was a risk of becoming hopelessly lost when taking paths not recorded, much less ever actually trod. As they were right this moment. The rainforest was getting ever denser, the climate muggier. They knew that south was still the right direction, but that meant little without knowledge of when they would be able to get their bearings again.

As they trudged and hacked their way through the undergrowth, something drew their attention: warped roars and howls, interspersed with the sound of thunder crashing down close by. Very close by. When the Kirins did manage to cut their way through, they came across a clearing in which a giant of a sage with an equally large beard floated above, sending bolts of lightning down on a horde of snarling, slavering Blightbeasts. And on the ground below him was...

"Back, you mindless wretches!" Cid scowled, blasts of light magic flying from his staff before he saw the Kirins enter the clearing. "Thank the gods, you live! I beseech you, help me protect Ramuh's domain!"

Iris Ascendis

Posting by end of Wednesday. Would've done it tonight but I'm not feeling too hot

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar Hagen

The moment was here, at last. Renar hefted his poleaxe up as he surveyed the menagerie of fey horrors before the knights, his cloak billowing behind him. The only victory condition was ensuring Rozenalt died. Everything else was secondary. Whatever foe was before him, he didn't have to win. He simply had to not lose. But then again, Renar would be damned if he let himself be defeated by any of these upjumped children's tales. And speaking of...

Besides Rozenalt, there were four figures that stood out from the horde. Elites, if he would hazard a guess. And by the looks of it, each had their own little tricks and gimmicks. But that was fine. So did he.

"I'll deal with the one holding the bear trap." Renar declared, hefting his poleaxe up onto his shoulder with one hand as a brief flash of steel glinted in his left. "Remember, we only need to ensure they can't help Rozenalt. Ensuring their leader falls is our only priority. That means no fool risks to claim a victory that won't last." Gerard. Likely Fleuri too, if he lost his head. Not that Renar would care overmuch if that happened.

The Bastard of Brias stepped forward, giving a brief nod towards the Huntsman with the charred cloak and armor.

"I don't suppose you accept reserved slots, say, fifty, sixty years from now? One could have worse afterlives." He said lightly, as if having a casual conversation. What? Renar was destined for nothing but the long dark when he died, with all he had done and was planning to do. Why not explore his options somewhat?

The steel in his left hand shot forward, a knife hurled straight towards the burnt knight. Only this one was attached to a rope. A flick of Renar's wrist sent the rope dart jerking upward, aiming to wrap around and bind the arm holding the length of rope. Fortunate that he had a method to assail the wretch with its own plan of attack. If that didn't draw its attention, nothing would.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

Izayoi squinted at the new arrival, even as Galahad and Esben expressed their suspicion. Wasn't that...?

"Aren't you rather young for this sort of work?" General Izayoi peered suspiciously at the thirteen year-old viera within her tent before sighing. Who was she to judge? Her master had her facing armed men at that age as it was. "No matter. Here is your mission." A scroll was hurled to the ground before Chisato, the Mystrel turning away.

Indeed, it was. She didn't look like she'd aged a day. Even being a viera, that was...strange.

"Hold." Izayoi swept an arm out, glancing briefly at the Edrenian and Skaelan that had voiced their doubts. "This one is known to me. She was in my service during the war." She turned to nod at Chisato before stepping forward and inspecting her more closely. "Gods above, do they feed you at all? I don't think you've grown an inch since last we've met."

Nevertheless, she proceeded to give Chisato a concise overview of their current situation and what led up to it before concluding with a sigh.

"In any case, the dragoon is in command, and you will take orders from him. Is that understood?"

She turned back towards the remainder of the Kirins, back to business.

"In any case, as we were saying," Miina first. "Isolde's just death will have to wait until we can ascertain whether or not either of the other Grovemasters would turn completely against us should we kill her. Remember, we need at least one willing to tell us where the Water Crystal is. Regardless, we ought to have a more concrete plan in place before going forward."

As with the strategy session in Kugane, Izayoi unrolled a map, this time of Brightlam.

"Naturally, we will adjust for any changes we spy as we approach the city. But it would be of use to have a solid plan of attack as a base to work off of." She pointed to the council chambers that they had gathered in a week before. "Presume that this is out of the question. Their center of operations will likely be the most guarded. We will likely have to approach the city as we did with Kugane, but without the benefit of aid this time. Lest any of you made any worthwhile connections while we were in Brightlam previously?"