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Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Tch---

Being slowed down and locked in place is death. I can't allow that to happen. Even without the crushing pressure that would easily shatter my limbs, it would be enough to keep me in place so Famfrit could kill me swiftly and without further incident.

The kunai slide from their spot in my pouch, clutched between my fingers as I direct heat and light through them, setting each of them ablaze before the pressure can begin collapsing inwards on me. I only have a moment. Throwing them is already likely to be futile, I can feel the weight pressing on my shoulders and limbs. There's not much of a chance that I'll be able to make them penetrate the gravity sphere like I need to with that in mind. I'm running out of time to act with every passing moment.

It's like I'm being enwrapped by an enormous hand.

Cutting off escape routes and squeezing down on me, crushing me, cornering me---

I won't let this happen. For the sake of my duty, I can't let this happen. I won't be cornered or crushed or kept down...!

But I don't have many options. Simply swinging my sword may not be enough. I can't use my bombs at this close range.

However, I can use a different way of accessing explosive force.

My own attack won't impair me too much to fight. I know that for certain, and it's far better than the alternative.

That doesn't mean it won't be painless, however. I suck in a deep breath, drawing the burning kunai clutched between my fingers back in a fist, and then---

I thrust them forward.

My fist strikes the sphere. The kunai explode, shattering, sending heat surging over my arm, burning the straps of my gauntlet and sending it uselessly to the ground, searing away my glove and the sleeve of my kimono. For a single instant, every nerve ending in my left arm cries out---

And then they're silent.

Just as I thought. Not enough harm to impair me in this fight.

I'll have to fix the gauntlet, though.

The spheres of water are certainly a problem, but a lesser one that Graviga had been. With the orb shattered, I can move freely once more. The kunai are burning white hot between my fingers, the residual energy streaming off of them.

The world streams by as I hurl myself to the right, a crushing, whirling sphere of water whipping past me as I send the kunai hurtling for Famfrit. The sheer heat, on contact with the water-soaked figure's head, should at least do some damage---!

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

"If only we had soy sauce..."

I let out a sigh.

Traps.

It's not so surprising, in some respects, but how exactly was anyone supposed to descend when it's so well-defended?

At least, well-defended in the eyes of most observers. I'm not an engineer, but I can comprehend how the mechanism of the swinging blades must work. Presumably, there is some form of gears that turn, and thus cause the blades to swing across the path at an irregular pace. The slots in the ceiling must also be wide enough to allow them to swing unimpeded.

And thus, the path to disabling the trap becomes obvious.

I clean the blood from my sword and smoothly sheath it, as I approach the first of the blades. They swing endlessly, back and forth, vanishing into a slot in the wall before re-emerging. The pace is too fast for most intruders to adequately evade. The gaps between them, too narrow.

Indeed, most would be cut apart and become little more then gore and stains on the stone floor.

---I am not such a person, but as long as my aim is true then that won't matter very much.

I am no engineer, but sabotaging mechanical things is hardly out of the range of my skills. And this is a very simple mechanism in the end, each blade is linked to all the others in order to keep the timing consistent and virtually inescapable.

First, a test.

I can see the slot through which the lengthy neck the first blade is attached to emerges from.

The mechanism must be there.

So, I draw one of my kunai, and carefully take aim---

It leaves my hand and hurtles upwards, vanishing through the gap.

A dull, metallic thunk.

The blade stops. So do the others, a sound of metal straining filling my ears for a few moments---

And then with an unpleasant grinding noise, they swing again.

My hypothesis on their functions was correct. While the kunai jamming the gears wasn't enough to stop them, it has demonstrated the rough expected strength of the metal used to fashion them as well as their location.

So I know that this should work.

The kunai on its own isn't enough, so I'll add a little something extra.

This time, a surge of heat flows into the edge of the kunai.

Then more.

Then more.

Even more.

I pour magical energy into the kunai, along its edges, more and more and more, searing heat radiating from the blade and starting to distort the air around it.

Then---

I take aim, drawing my hand back---

And throw.

It becomes a bolt of light as it rockets from my hand, burning the air as it hurtles upwards and disappears into the darkness.

The sudden injection of heat to the cold gears---

The sound that fills the air is quite different from the dull metal thunk from before, a screech filling the hall.

The first blade swings down and comes to a halt.

Then the next.

And the next.

And the next---

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

The battlefield had finally fallen largely quiet. The Midnight Hunt's stragglers were either slain by the knights or the nithyr, or driven from the clearing.

They're well and truly claimed victory. Despite the monstrous foe they faced, they had won.

The knights faced a somewhat uneasy situation regardless, as the shade-skinnned, blue-eyed, unseelie fae that had unexpected come to their aid began questioning them excitedly over how much blood they'd spilt, competing over who's spear was more soaked in gore, or asking seemingly innocent questions about their weapons and armor.

And yet, despite their nature, the nithyr did not make any moves to prolong the attack.

"That ugly red one is dead!"

The leader of the nithyr, or at least that's what Fanilly guessed given the sole article of clothing on her body was a wide, furred cape, seemed happy enough with that outcome. She couldn't guess exactly why the nithyr took such issue with Rozenalt, but whatever the case may have been it meant that they'd been pleased to assist with defeating the Midnight Hunt.

"I hope we can have fun again soon~!"

And with that somewhat concerning declaration, the nithyr began to depart into the forest once more. Some far more swiftly than others, as a few seemed reluctant to part from the knights they had fought alongside at first.

But eventually, thankfully, they departed.

The knights had fared decently. No-one appeared to have sustained immediately life-threatening injury, though some had not escaped harm. Sir Urgoven, in particular, had taken an arrow to the upper portion of his shield-arm and been forced to abandon his defense. However, he had quiet viciously paid the Hunt back for the injury, even though he could only use a single limb.

Dame Alisaie, notably, had not even a spot of blood on her armor, though her sword was utterly coated in it.

Lord Arken seemed somewhat fatigued, but the strip of glass and smoldering grass near his location indicated he had likely unleashed a rather powerful spell.

They'd done it. They'd well and truly done it.

Fanilly, for a few moments, almost felt faint, as if she would collapse. This odd sense of euphoria and almost lightheadedness had overtaken her after the battle, a completely and utterly foreign sensation when it came to combat for the knight-captain.

Their bet had paid off.

They'd claimed victory in Moonlit Queen's game.

The light that filtered through the trees now almost looked like a lantern. But instead, it was the feinyar that had guided them there in the first place, now returning to take them back to the Moonlit Queen's court.

It was time to claim their reward.

---

"We have returned victorious, Moonlit Queen. Now, you must uphold your end of our bargain."

Despite all that had occurred that night, the warm snow and the black trees of the Moonlit Queen's fae realm still appeared to be a surreal and unnatural sight.

But it was one that did not grasp her attention any longer, now that she had already made her peace with it.

No, Fanilly's attention was firmly on the Moonlit Queen herself. The diminutive fae lady leaned forward, black eyes wide, her raven-headed attendant standing beside her.

"Rozenalt is dead? He's dead for sure, right? Did he scream? Did he cry? Did he curse?!"

The glee in her voice, the smile on her lips, would have been wholly endearing if not for the words and understanding of her nature. As she spoke, the black trees seemed to shimmer as crystalline blossoms began to open along their branches, their creator's happiness causing flowers to bloom.

"The mere fact we've returned should be proof enough of our victory."

The Moonlit Queen paused for a moment, then leaned back, growing only slightly more reserved.

"... Fiiiine. I'll give that big idiot his wits back, and give you one of my treasures. You should be extra thankful I'm doing both, you know!"

A gray-skinned young lady in a translucent dress seemed to materialize beside the Moonlit Queen, leaning in to say something unintelligible to her.

"... Fetch... that one, that one, and that one. I'll pick which one of those to give them!"

It seemed she was going to pick out a prize herself.

The gray lady faded away as swiftly as she'd appeared.

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

The locals were hesitant to approach the Witches. It stood to reason, places like this were most likely to harbor a wariness of those who practiced magic then some of the wealthier areas of the city. At least, more outwardly so.

The air was dense, feeling considerably humid in the aftermath of the storm, this close to the river as well. If one were to examine the Lantern's expression, they would perhaps notice the absolute barest hints of some sort of discomfort in her expression, but it was unlikely anyone would actually be able to pick up on such things, and she did not care to show those feelings.

Instead, she stepped forward, closely examining each alleyway as they passed. For her, a twisting, coiling string of lights almost like stars appeared within her mind's eye, standing out against an increasingly dull surrounding as she began to determine where it was emerging from.

The eyes of the few people nearby on the streets occasionally fell on the witches, but especially on the Lantern. Witches were one thing, but Lanterns were a far rarer sight out in the open in the Powder District.

For this reason, the blonde waif's movements, seemingly uncaring of everyone watching her, were being closely tracked. Given the reputation of some of those in the Powder District, it was possible there were some unsavory motives among those observing such a rare sight, but it was unlikely anyone would approach when there were so many witches nearby.

---Regardless of her surroundings, the Lantern suddenly stopped, and pointed towards a rather isolated alleyway.

On close examination, it wasn't entirely empty.

There was a figure near the end, a tall figure in heavy clothing that appeared somewhat motionless. Its proportions were human at first glance, but perhaps somewhat odd. Slightly too short legs, the hat seeming directly perched on its neck with little room for a head, arms slightly too long...

It was likely some variety of fighting homunculus, purchased by the smuggling operation.

With the likely location of the possible operation discovered, it was now on the Witches to decide how approach.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

---In the end, the mission comes above everything else. That's why I'm here.

Staying and attempting to defend this nation from Valheim's assault isn't part of my current objective.

So there's no reason to pause. No reason to stay.

I'll accompany the others to mend the crystal. That's the objective I've been assigned.

Doing anything else would be a dereliction of my duty.

...

Sahuagin.

Their eyes are well-suited to low-light conditions. The darkness of the cave, deep water, these are the kind of environments that such creatures thrive within.

That which allows them to see in such dark locations, however, is also a critical weakness.

"Shield your eyes for a moment!" I call to the others as I reach into my bag, fingertips brushing over the smooth spheres and the thick wicks of each of my explosives. The smoke bombs wouldn't be ineffective, but the lasting impression on our opponents would be lessened. No, I know exactly what the best option for handling these creatures is.

I draw one of my flash bombs from my bag in my right hand, flicking the wick with my thumb as magical energy rushes towards it. A shower of sparks fills the air as it ignites, an I take aim to the rear of the oncoming fish-beasts. As I do, I swiftly take each of their positions and armaments into account, taking advantage of the Haste effect to do so in the short span of time I have before I must release the explosive.

I don't want to wait to advance until the bomb has exploded, after all.

I raise my hand high into the air and release the flash bomb, sending it hurtling towards the sahuagin formation, trailing sparks and flames---

Before it hits the ground, I draw my sword and immediately begin sprinting forward.

Now to shield my eyes---

A crack much like Malina-san's Thundaga fills the cavern, a bright flash through the fabric of my sleeve passing in the span of an instant.

But that one instant will be enough.

Stunned or not, the first of sahuagin I meet is not heavily defended.

My sword opens its neck and releases the dark red torrent from within it in a single flash of movement, painting the stone cavern with its life.

Its corpse is still falling when I reach its fellow. The blast of light and sound was quite sufficient to stun the creatures, leaving them stumbling, clutching their heads and covering their eyes, some dropping weaponry.

I raise my hand and bring it sharply down, cutting cleanly through flesh and bone and splitting the head of the next of the sahuagin in half, killing it instantly.

Another, pierced through the neck. Another, its right arm removed and killed with a thrust through the eye. Yet another with its throat cut.

I move from enemy to as swiftly as I can, before any have a chance to recover. Efficiency. Lethality. That is the mark of an Asakura kunoichi. Even against inhuman foes, clean and efficient kills are the best way to conclude a fight.

The creatures would recover eventually, but I'll kill as many of them as I can before that point.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

---A mess.

That's what this was meant to be. Utter chaos and collapse, ahead of an invasion force.

A strategy that would have been more effective without our presence. But now, one Grovemaster still lives, and the traitor woman and her forces are dead or defeated.

They crumpled quickly, but that was the intend of the surprise attack from behind. To crush them as swiftly as possible with an assault there was simply no way for them to be prepared for, directly after the crushing blow to their morale that the visible death of their leader must have dealt. Perhaps some genuinely regret their actions, or perhaps they simply fear death.

I would kill all of the traitor woman's forces if it were my decision. They are, all of them, fanatical liabilities with no care for the people of their country, they people they are meant to be in service of. Even if they did regret it, they would still have been the kind of people who were willing to throw everything away for a traitor in the first place. But it is not my decision, so I will simply abide by the choices made by those in command.

My blade gleams with crimson, so I flick it sharply to scatter the blood onto the earth before sheathing it on my lower back once again.

The paladins among that one's forces were the only ones I witnessed marching as a parade of idiocy, and thus I am perfectly capable of answering Mathiassen-san's question.

"Any paladin without the traitor woman's iconography is unlikely to be among her supporters. All those I witnessed were shocked when they witnessed the fanatics' march."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

The blades struck. The fireballs struck. The bolts struck.

The Houndmaster's limbs were shredded, his body carved open. With no more hounds to sustain the transformed monstrosity, he could no longer mend his form. Inside there was nothing but muscular tissue and blood, no organs appeared to be visible within his distorted form as crimson poured onto the earth beneath him.

Fanilly lowered her blade.

It was finished. No only the houndmaster, but across the entire clearing---

The hunt had ended. Its leader destroyed, the knights and the nithyr had eliminated or driven away the remaining hunters. With the end of the hunt, the knights and other creatures whose existence only appeared in its duration could no longer manifest.

The enemy force utterly collapsed with the death of its leader.

They'd done it.

They'd defeated the Midnight Hunt.

A strange feeling filled Fanilly's chest. A lightness to her heart. Was it some sort of euphoria? She'd lead her knights to victory against something that appeared utterly unstoppable. Even those who survived the Midnight Hunt had never managed to defeat it utterly.

Did the end of this battle actually make her feel some sort of glee?

Was that appropriate? Was she supposed to feel this way?

Fanilly shook her head and sucked in a deep breath. She needed to announce victory, thrust her blade skywards, and---

A grim, guttral laughter interrupted her thoughts.

The Houndmaster's limp corpse rose, head lolling to the side, jaws hanging open. The laughter was coming from its gaping maw, even though its eyes were glassy and dead.

Its hands rose, destroyed limbs coming together.

It was laughing.

It was clapping.

Was this... did it approve?

...

The corpse fell limply. Its flesh began to run, turning red, breaking down and oozing onto the grass.

Its flesh was melting into nothing but blood, leaving behind a distorted skeleton coated in nothing but gore.

"..."

It was ended.

Fanilly felt the tenseness dissipate once again.

She thrust her blade skywards.

"The Midnight Hunt has been ended! Victory! We have victory!"

@Crimson Paladin@Octo@Eisenhorn

---

The trapper crumpled as it was struck, the armour offering only minimal resistance before the entire fae creature simply… collapsed into a heap of abandoned armour and cloak, flames licking away at the broken joints. Just an empty shell, without any real body—

And then the flickering embers surged out, gathering into a single form that spiralled up, forming into some shape half torn between a pillar of flame and a vaguely humanoid torso, long, gangly arms stretching out into three-clawed hands. Wherever the light from its ruddy flames touched grew cold and dark as it stood, patterns amidst the flame regarding Renar with some alien emotion.

Then it was gone, the flames scattering as streams in all directions, leaving no trace of whatever that had been, and just the empty shell of the Trapper behind.

@Psyker Landshark

---

"..."

Behind the veil, the waifish girl's eyes could just barely be seen, widening.

She hadn't expected the blow to never come.

Despite this, she'd still administered her final attack as a test.

Did she make peace with the idea of death, or was it something else?

Regardless, with a strange, grinding noise, her blades disappeared into her hands, leaving no trace of their emergence in the first place.

Her slender, dainty hands raised to her veil, taking the thin white fabric gently and lifting it from her face.

Beneath, her features were slight and gentle, her eyes a gleaming solid blue blue, an extremely faint pinkness in her lips and cheeks marking here as what a human would consider alive rather then some form of shade or walking corpse.

She tilted her head towards her opponent, and offered nothing more than a silent, gentle smile.

And then she was gone.

@HereComesTheSnow

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

Night fell on the City of Lights.

Normally, such nights would pass by like any other. The City of Lumiere would shine brightly even in darkness, a bustle of activity at all times.

---However, recently the atmosphere had grown far more tense. The rumors spreading throughout the common folk of sightings of a certain legendary killer had made the streets a little more empty. While there was no real proof of the return of the legendary Spring-heeled Jack, the mere idea of the killer who had soaked the streets of Refne's capital in blood was making the populace frightened.

The Moonlight Society had already insisted they would look into it, despite the evidence being scarce. Despite the insistence of its current head, that she had burned the murderous warlock to ashes fifty years ago.

The truth was that no matter how unlikely, the society that governed impossibilities could not dismiss something as merely being impossible.

---But that was not what these witches were here for. That was a duty for more experienced, higher-ranking magic practitioners.

No, this particular crew, who had been assembled fairly swiftly to be deployed on a relatively low-level task, were investigating something entirely different.

The Powder District was known for the production of gunpowder, particularly for the creation of fireworks, a process that had been imported from the distant East. Yet, somehow, it seemed like dark dealings occasionally took place here.

It was hardly the first time the Moonlight Society had dispatched witches to investigate some hint of illicit dealings with illegal supernatural items in the Powder District. It would certainly not be the last.

The low, dark buildings stood in the fading sunlight, cobblestones shiny from a recent rainstorm when the witches arrived. The streets were fairly empty, but thankfully that didn't mean they'd be without any leads.

It had been reported by a policeman who had been on patrol. The sighting of a man carrying something caged, disappearing into an alleyway.

Something glittering like a miniscule star, fluttering about and trying to escape its bounds.

The description brought to mind something rather specific---

A fae.

A fae smuggling operation, in order to harvest the dust from the wings of the most diminutive of their kind, would be a violation of not just Refne's law, but also the treaties between the humans of the nation and those who dwelt in the forest.

To put it simply, it had to be stopped.

That was the reason for their presence in the Powder District.

Thankfully, they would not be stumbling in the dark and attempting to locate a specific alleyway without any direction.

The waifish girl who had been sent alongside them, currently regarding their surroundings expressionlessly, was a Lantern.

With her assistance, they'd be able to pinpoint a location more effectively, and from there---

Defeat the criminals, and rescue any captured fae.

It may have seemed like a tall order to some, but for the Moonlight Society, it was part of their duty.

Hopefully, they would pull it off without issue.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Sabotage from the rear. I suppose that this Edreni man isn't completely hopeless at command, even if it is the most obvious route of attack. He did make his rank and position somehow, after all.

The backline of the paladins is completely undefended. They're so utterly fixated on their goal that they can't possibly comprehend this sort of attack.

It suits this approach perfectly.

The most disruptive course of action to utilize in conjunction with my allies is fairly clear. The armor will make a swift kill somewhat more difficult, but as long as they're not directly paying attention to me then that isn't as much of a concern.

As long as my blade can slip into a gap in their armor, I can deal with it.

But first---

I pull the black shape of one of my bombs from my satchel, swiftly passing magical energy through to the fuse in order to ignite it nearly instantly.

I take aim, carefully, for the rear of their formation, away from Caradoc-san's approach.

I toss it right for their feet.

There's little opportunity to respond, especially with the ongoing attack. The pillar of flame and light erupts moments later, scorching the earth and tearing through the paladin whose feet it hand landed beneath. The others will surely be disoriented and injured, therefore---

Before the smoke has cleared, I advance, ducking low and throwing my whole body forward to reach their rear line, launching myself into the smoke left behind by my explosive. A stumbling paladin, trying to recover from the blast, is my first target.

Fools. Complete and utter fools.

They'd throw the lives of everyone in this nation away for this. They'd make innocent people suffer, for this.

They're precisely the sort of people that I would be sent against in my homeland.

The gap between chestplate and helmet is rather like a slot for a key. My blade slips in easily before he can recover, the paladin collapsing with a gurgle. I move on just as quickly. The smoke will clear soon, so I need to remain aware of my surroundings and keep moving. I have no armor, so speed is my best defense.

We'll end this here.

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

Unfortunately the slowdown over the weekend made it hard to get the OP up.

However, I'll most likely get it done tomorrow!