Psyker Landshark

Falling Skies

CMDR SAGAN "VULTURE" KODOS

Finally, some amount of relative safety. As much as there could be during a planetary invasion, at least. Sagan sighed in relief as the squad reached the FOB at last, finally able to relax. He let the rest of his people head out first, reaching inside of his cockpit to pull out his last Rip-Gel. The caffeinated energy gel for at least long enough to get out of his cockpit and start coordinating logistics with the support staff.

An hour later and throroughly exhausted from pulling double duty after a battle to sort out the 7th's noncombat-related organization moving forward, Sagan stepped out of the command tent and made for the quickly set up barracks, intent on catching as much shut-eye as possible before they were slated to deploy again. Unfortunately, his dream of adequate, healthy sleep would be completely derailed by the soldier in his way that he was obligated to check up on, if only for propriety's sake, if nothing else.

"Rook." He grunted towards Braide, nodding. "First real engagement, huh? How're we holding up?" He fished in his pockets, offering the rookie another caffeinated gel. "Considering it's too late to pull out now, I'd give you the same advice I'd say regarding the Rip-Gel: save it for when you need it. Without a chaplain, I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Need your shit squared away as much as possible before combat again, kid. Don't be afraid to use the resources available to you, myself especially. So I'll ask again: how're we feeling?"

@TaintedMushroom

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

Fishmen died in droves, an even dozen torn to pieces within the opening seconds of the engagement. Izayoi ripped through a pair of sahuagin in a single charge, the edge of her blade resembling a fishmonger's more and more by the moment. She grit her teeth, decapitating the next to rush her and snatching its head out of the air to lift up with a show of intimidation.

They weren't here to kill them all, just drive them off long enough to make it down to the crystal chambers. Every moment they wasted here was one less to prepare for the true enemy approaching Brightlam in mere hours. Less, now.

Having taken grievous casualties in the span of barely twenty seconds, the fishmen began to break, most outright leaping back into the water while a few turned tail and fled on land. The latter ran straight into the dungeon's traps, an inadvertent step on a pressure plate causing gouts of flame to shoot out from the walls and cook alive what sahuagin remained. Izayoi wrinkled her nose as the smell of burnt fish began to permeate through the chambers, carelessly tossing aside the head she'd been holding.

"Traps for the unwary, the foolhardy, and the greedy. But of course." Izayoi sighed, flicking fish guts off her blade before she sheathed it. "One wonders how the Grovemasters were supposed to descend to these chambers to check up on the crystal."

Any who scouted ahead would find a veritable gauntlet awaiting them: pressure plates, magical mines, swinging blades, and what appeared to be a sliding block puzzle of all things at the end. Izayoi's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly upon hearing of the last one.

Iris Ascendis

Iraleth Kyrios

"I know." Was all Iraleth said in response to Rio's mutterings, nodding in agreement. She let him go off, moving back towards Professor Alto and Chunji.

At least it seemed they were all in agreement that continuing to move forward was untenable. As poorly as the idea of retreat sat with her, it was undeniable that moving forward on the road was suicide should they be assailed again.

She waved Kann off before any healing could be cast, wanting him to save his efforts for those more injured. With that in mind, Iraleth made her way back over towards the one carriage left, her gaze passing over Chloe without much in the way of emotion. After all, she wasn't going to condemn someone that couldn't fight without Ethos for not fighting. Perhaps this incident might galvanize Chloe and the others like her to learn in the future, but there was no use crying over spilled milk.

"We're fine, outside of the Professor." Iraleth responded to her kinswoman, finally sheathing her blade now that it seemed the danger was past. "Next time, we shall see how they fare when the lot of us aren't forcibly crippled." She stepped up to open the carriage door, waiting for Otis and Fiancetto to return before determining whether there would be enough room or if she would have to walk.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Renar Hagen

And good goddesses-damned riddance to that waste of armor. Renar watched with no small amount of vindictive satisfaction as the trapper burned away, leaving behind the vestments it bore. And his eyes glinted with mercenary avarice.

"So as you've cost me, so shall I take what's due from you in turn." Renar exhaled, kneeling down as he started to rifle through the trapper's armor. The cloak was immediately taken and clasped onto his armor, of course. He needed one. If Renar couldn't keep the symbol of his first great victory, he'd replace it with this one. It had been a momentous duel, of course. Defeating a lieutenant of the Wild Hunt in single combat? Ignoring all of the ignoble tactics both fighters used, it would be a tale to tell should he have someone willing to back up every word he said.

He proceeded on with inspecting the armor. Best to bring it back to Candaeln for their resident smith to inspect and refit. At the very least, he'd like to take the helmet simply for the imposing visage it gave. Now, how to carry all this...ah. Of course.

"Gerard! Fionn!" Renar called out to his two closest friends. "Help me bring this armor back, would you? I want to see if it's still fit to wear."

@HereComesTheSnow @The Otter

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Upon hearing the news that he was the only living Grovemaster left, Zacharias looked as if he'd aged another decade. He slumped over, supported on his staff.

"I...see." His words came out with an extended sigh, the old man looking exceedingly weary. "Then I am all that is left to shepherd Drana Asaneu through this time of crisis." An intake of breath. He forced himself to stand up straight, projecting as best an image of strength as he could. "Very well. Let none say I shirked my duties. First things first."

The old sage turned to face the Kirins as a whole, his expression stony.

"I will not apologize for my beliefs. However, your actions since our last meeting have earned no small amount of trust. As such, I am willing to bury all previous conflicts in order to secure your aid in defending my home and the home of hundreds of thousands in this nation. As of this moment, any decree Isolde made against you is invalid. You have the fullest confidence of the nation, and go with mine blessing. Every effort will be made to inform all local forces of this change. Now, to business." He nodded briefly to Esben.

"I had been meaning to get on that point. Indeed, the crystal is of the utmost concern now. If your warnings prove true, then that is Valheim's ultimate goal. As such, I will grant you what you seek: the location of the Crystal of Water. It lies beneath the Cathedral itself, the chambers guarding it buried deep beneath the earth where the waters of the nation's rivers converge. Be warned: the dungeon beneath has defenses built within that cannot be circumvented. You will face a gauntlet of monsters and traps intended to both test the worthy and slay those who prove otherwise. I would aid you in this task, but I must rally every force available in order to meet Valheim's assault."

"Then I will station myself within the Cathedral itself and channel as much aether as possible in support of you and your warriors." Cid stepped forward, his expression grave. "I find myself unable to warp into the crystal's chambers. Either the guardian is deliberately suppressing my entry, or the darkness around it has grown. Nevertheless, should the latter have occurred, here is what you must do." A wave of Cid's staff sent glowing lights into the hands of all seven Kirins. When it dimmed, the objects were revealed to be glowing crystals of purest white.

"These are shards of the Mothercrystal's light itself, safeguarded from all who would seek to bring Her harm until the right moment. Now, the time comes for their power to be unleashed. If the guardian is corrupted...fell it. Then bring the shards to bear upon the Crystal of Water. Now, go. Brave Kirins. Brave Warriors of Light. Time is of the essence."

___

Guided by Zacharias's instructions, the Kirins moved swiftly through Brightlam Cathedral, brushing past frantic guardsmen, clergy, and temple knights alike all preparing for war. Their route took them through the prison, where Miina would notice an empty cell bearing the placard "Zeke Malina", as well as an open door.

Eventually, the sculpted walls gave way to winding stone, the atmosphere around them growing ever more dark, dreary, and humid as they descended into the depths. Running water grew ever louder in sound as rivers flowed through the reservoir below, the Kirins cautiously making their way downward. It was only a matter of time before they were assailed, fish-like lizardmen leaping out from the waters with snarls, spears and nets brandished.

"Sahuagin!" Izayoi hissed in alarm, hunching down as she prepared to unsheath. "Have care, their intelligence and tactics are akin to those of men!"

Moonlight and Witch's Work: An anime and JRPG-inspired Witch RP

Aurelia Hargrave

For someone whose star had once rose on the heights of infamy and theatricality, chasing after fae traffickers was undignified, low-grade grunt work meant for lesser witches. Too bad that it was exactly what those holding Aurelia's leash thought she deserved. And frankly? She'd take it. At least it meant she was out of prison. Truly, the true talent afforded to the Hargrave name was covering up its shame. That was the only reason she even had any of her opportunities, after all.

Still, it would have been appreciated if Aurelia had been stuck with witches that understood the value of discretion, as opposed to the heavily-robed foreign mess and the one in full plate. Really, it would have been one thing if this was a raid and they knew where their targets were hiding. But this was an investigation requiring at least some small measure of discretion, despite the idiosyncracies of witches.

Aurelia's steps were silent: a relic of her time as a phantom thief. Of course, the lightness of her gait meant little when accompanied by the landsknecht with the nice hat. She took a moment to check her pistols, confirming that they were loaded with the proper bullets: ordinary ones for now. They could be enhanced by her magic, and if anything particularly arduous came up, she still had her spell bullets ready to go. Her arms readied, she looked out to the other as they trod through the streets.

"Let's at least attempt to be stealthy. There's no need to let every cutthroat and rogue in this part of town know we're coming. I can scout ahead, if we need it."

They needed it. The collective group needed it very much.

The Envenomed: Military Science Fiction Deniable Operations

Salvator Rasch

CQC with unseen horrors? An absolute dogwater scenario Salvator had been hoping to avoid this early in the mission. He took in the situation at a glance, quickly marking out targets on his HUD as they were revealed. Damn. Big bastard about to jump on Echo.

Salvator raised his sawed-off, but King beat him to the punch, and he quickly shifted his vision to the side to avoid the worst of the flash, looking straight back right after. The voidhanger weighed his options as his kinswoman fired on the abomination. Intercepting with CQC was a last resort: he'd already be putting himself in the line of fire of the others. Ethereal countermeasures were likely a Very Bad Idea, considering how it would light their position up like a beacon to void horrors. Weight of fire it was.

"Echo, evasive manuevers! Focus on keeping that thing off of you! King, keep the chaff suppressed! All other units, designating primary target: focus fire on the big one!" He raised his shotgun and began pumping slug after slug, aiming for center mass to try to keep the creature off balance with the force of his shots. All the while, Salvator's data uplink to the rest of the squad finished, highlighting the lead abomination on their HUDs while marking outlines of what smaller ones remained.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Ranbu no Izayoi

Izayoi's sole response to Galahad throwing her with nary a word of consult was a roll of the eyes and an irritated grumble while in midair. It wasn't as if she objected to the plan, only being thrown without warning. Nevertheless, the samurai whirled around midair, one hand falling to the hilt of her sword. Her landing in the midst of the knights was predicated with a spinning battojutsu strike, her sword whirling around to cut arms, chests, and throats. With a snarl, she set in upon the knights even as they were assaulted both to the front and to the rear.

Between the Eidolons, traps, and sniper at the fore, and the three elites ambushing them from behind, Isolde's iconoclast paladins began to break. As it turned out, without Isolde's magic enhancing them beyond mortal limits, they were very much vulnerable to a sudden two-pronged attack, no matter their skill.

A third of their number fell, and the rout began. The knights began to flee in earnest, those directly facing the Eidolons laying their arms down and throwing themselves at Zacharias's mercy. For his part, the last true Grovemaster glowered, whipping a hand out as he shouted across the clearing.

"Detain who you can! Do not kill any who surrender! The nation can ill afford to lose yet more warriors on this night!"

Izayoi scowled as she knocked a fleeing knight down, perched atop his back and ready to sever his spine. Nonetheless, she acquiesced, starting to bind his hands behind his back as Zacharias's personal guard began to do the same.

Meanwhile, Zacharias turned to Cid.

"Gather your warriors. We must speak of how to proceed from here. That idiot girl Isolde has just crippled our elite force in one night, and Alambert still languishes doing gods-know-what." Cid nodded gravely, looking around and taking a headcount.

"...Where are Miina and Rudolf?"

___

Miina and Loki clashed knives against each other, the double agent grinning maliciously.

"Ooh, deciding to meet me on my own ground, are we? Stupid of you. I'd thought a mage would know better." Her eyes glinted. "Still, you're doing better than the real Alambert. A little snick-snick, and there went his throat! He thought I was Isolde, can you believe it?"

Rudolf's paired fangs met their mark, and the three assailing him fell. A clear measure of his progress since Atsu. Lanius watched onward, his expression tightening. It only drew further inward as a bird formed of aether flew through the warehouse window, perching onto an outstretched arm before dissipating. The component aether drew itself into Lanius, and he opened his eyes with a grimace.

"Isolde is dead. The rest of these insurgents from Balmung have slain her men. Tch." The spymaster grit his teeth, coming to a decision.

"Enough, Loki! We're falling back. Our primary objective couldn't be met, but Isolde's idiocy has caused enough havoc that we can begin the invasion on schedule. All units, fall in and retreat!" He, and the majority of his men, hurled smoke bombs at their feet, quickly falling back. Before long, it was only Miina, Rudolf, and Loki left in the burning warehouse. The latter gave a pouting frown.

"That's it? After all that, we do this the hard way anyway?" She sighed and easily disengaged from Miina, whirling and leaping backward to create distance. "Oh, well. Enjoy the sight of airships on the horizon, children! I daresay you have but hours before Valheim's full might descends upon you!" And with a last mocking wave, she teleported away.

In the distance, Ifrit and Ramuh's pillars of aether began to fade away, still noticeable for the moment.

After Era Mythos

ZEPHYR

Milk? Seriously? Sheena rolled her eyes beneath her visor, thankful that they weren't visible to the public or the cameras. Still, she let out a derisive chuckle in response, nonetheless. Because damn, was it easy to get under this bitch's skin. Two sentences in and Ladyice was already firing off the profanity.

"Not a chance." ZEPHYR replied easily to Ladyice's cursing, her arms folded as she just hovered there mockingly. "Easy and desperate isn't my type. See? I can do it, too. You're not special."

Surprisingly enough, still not a single comment from her handler yet. Ruiz had to be halfway to apoplexy at this point, really. Sheena could tell that woman hated the job. Hell, Sheena hated the job. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't going to do as good a job as possible at it. And if that meant starting a high school catfight in the middle of dozens of cameras and hundreds of people? Well, catfight it was.

"And this is a public event, princess. No one inside needs an invitation. Think you ought to be real familiar with the concept of letting anyone in."

Come on, come on: take a swing. Fire some icicles. If Ladyice lost it and started popping off, ZEPHYR's job here was done. She could beat a quick retreat under the guise of not letting civilians get caught in the crossfire, and probably steal a good few fans away too. After that, maybe dinner. Carne asada sounded good tonight.

After Era Mythos

Getting a post up tomorrow hopefully, sorry for the delay