Whoami

The Aesteria Chronicles

Scratch that, post tomorrow, promise. Have company over for the night. >.>

The Aesteria Chronicles

Will have a post up today after work.

A Yellow Life [A Command and Conquer Survival RP]

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A Yellow Life [A Command and Conquer Survival RP]

A YELLOW LIFE When tiberium first came to Earth, humanity had thought that they could control its toxic spread. When it surpassed expectations and spread like wildfire across the world, governments tried to help what uprooted civilians they could by relocating them to a newly established community where the taint of tiberium hadn't reached. People from all over the world found themselves in this safe city, and began to once again live comfortable lives, far away from the green crystal. It was aptly named Haven City. When tiberium spread and infrastructure collapsed, Haven city was forsaken. The Global Defense Initiative preferred to hide behind massive walls in the pristine Blue Zones. The Brotherhood of Nod waged many terrible wars on the GDI. Time and time again, Haven city was the scene of many battles between the two superpowers. And as the city was torn apart by explosives and war machines, Haven City quickly lost its strategic value and was forgotten. Those left alive in Haven City, found themselves as victims to vicious Mutant Marauders, who settled into Haven City. The mutants took control of Haven city, oppressing the human population and conducting horrible tiberium based experiments on some. The human population of Haven City eventually looked to both the GDI and Nod as heroes whenever they'd pass through Haven City, set on some far away mission. The mutants always opened fire on the passing factions, and it always resulted in a bloody battle, where both sides and the innocent in between, lay dead by the hundreds. You are one of the humans living in Haven City, constantly fearing for your life and fighting for scraps in the Yellow Zone. You hate your mutant overlords and have mixed feelings of both GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod. You and your tightly knit ring of friends survive day by day, hoping for a better life. While Haven city is already infested with tiberium crystals, the status of Red Zone constantly drawing closer. You can't leave without being killed by the mutant outriders. You can stay without being subject to experiments or killed by lawless gangsters. Every day you hear Nod and GDI propaganda on the radio. This is your life, a yellow life.

The Factions

The Global Defense Initiative

The Global Defense Initiative The United Nations Global Defense Initiative (UNGDI), or Global Defense Initiative (GDI), is the global government of Earth. It was founded in accordance with the United Nations Global Defense Act (UNGDA), on the date of October 12, 1995, as a formalized military branch of the United Nations and evolved into a supra-national state in its own right. GDI's initial goal was to preserve world order by combating global terrorism, epitomized by its nemesis the Brotherhood of Nod, but eventually outgrew its original mandate to become a world government. GDI has the combined military strength of individual member nations around the world, though most of its assets come from the United States military during the First Tiberium War. GDI military doctrine centers on superior firepower and armor. GDI developed and expanded the ion cannon network as a better alternative to nuclear missiles to ensure dominance in space and developed the ORCA family of aircraft. The faction has also introduced mechanized walkers and railguns to their arsenal. GDI technological development has been brought about by the financial support of the G8 nations, the wealthiest economies of the world during the First Tiberium War. Developments in recent years include sonic weaponry and quickly specialized hovercraft. GDI has countered Nod's increasing arsenal of lasers with railguns, fielded by everything from Mammoth Tanks to Commandos, and has also researched into powered armour technologies. The pinnacle of GDI military technology, the Ion cannon, is a space-based energy weapon of mass destruction is capable of obliterating just about anything with pinpoint accuracy. GDI also pioneered the use of mechanized walkers and developed the ORCA aircraft series of VTOL aircraft, a unique design which incorporates VTOL technology into fast ground attack aircraft. Following the First Tiberium War, military research and development rapidly increased, with the development of a wide number of technologies. Space exploration, mechanized walkers, and HoverTech were some of the technological achievements of GDI by the Second Tiberium War. However, due to cuts in budget and new GDI policies after 2036, GDI has phased out its more expensive and exotic technologies, such as most of its Mechanized walkers and HoverTech, replacing them with cheaper, more reliable technologies. GDI hasn't forgone all of its more exotic technologies however. GDI still has some walkers, though they are mainly used by the Steel Talons experimental division. The Juggernaut is the only mainstream walker left in use while the Steel Talons used the Titan Mk. II, Wolverine Mk. II, and Behemoth in their forces. GDI also hasn't completely abandoned hover technology either. In the interbellum between the Firestorm Crisis and the Third Tiberium War, GDI developed a dedicated anti-aircraft vehicle, the Slingshot. GDI also retooled the Shatterer, another hovercraft which was originally developed for civilian use, but GDI realised their potential and confiscated them for military use in the opening stages of the Third Tiberium War. Plus, in the Ascension Conflict many units had hover technology; such as the Shockwave and Sandstorm, even engineers. GDI lags behind Nod in other areas, however. While GDI has a greater presence in outer space, and can afford larger, more expensive tanks, Nod has outpaced them in terms of optic camouflage and laser technology. Nod's disregard towards ethical guidelines means that Nod is the world's leader in Cybernetics and the military applications of Tiberium, two areas where GDI is reluctant to begin research. However, GDI is unrivalled in terms of Tiberium reclamation technology. Their global headquarters is the space station GDSS Philadelphia, and they also have orbital facilities to house, store and maintain military forces in preparation for a rapid deployment anywhere on Earth via dropships and drop pods. Of particular importance is their network of orbital Ion cannons which act as both tactical and strategic array of superweapons. All were used to their maximum potential throughout the wars. Their efforts to reverse the environmentally catastrophic effects of Tiberium has led to the development of several technologies against Tiberium infestation, a technological area in which Nod have traditionally shown little interest in. Most of these center around the breakthrough discovery of Tiberium's harmonic resonance frequency which, at least for a period of time, allowed GDI to contain and even push back Tiberium growth. Examples include the Sonic Emitters, which was also deployed as extremely effective base defense, the Sonic Repulsor Field and the Shatterer. Prior to the Third Tiberium War their efforts have had some success in converting some areas into Blue zones, such as New Eden. However, in the years following the next evolution of Tiberium rendered GDI's Harmonic Resonance technology became nearly useless and all of GDI's reclamation efforts were quickly negated. GDI research is carried out in a variety of specialized institutions worldwide. Futuretech Labs is a prominent example, and the research staff is located in New Eden. Australia hosts a prominent Tiberium research facility. Rumors are abound that the site is researching Liquid Tiberium and that a major detonation of Liquid Tiberium at the facility could cause the destruction and acceleration of growth for Tiberium throughout Australia, speeding up its transformation into a Red Zone.

The Brotherhood of Nod

The Brotherhood of Nod The Brotherhood of Nod (often shortened to "Nod" or the "Brotherhood") was a popular, global, religiously developed movement devoted to the guidance of the elusive and charismatic figure of Kane, and the extraterrestrial Tiberium substance that arrived on Earth in 1995. Although Nod surfaced in 1995 at the time of the substance's arrival, before this date, the Brotherhood was an ancient and secret society claiming to have originated prior to 1800 BC. Reported beliefs include that Kane is an immortal prophet whose guidance dates back through their alleged millennia of secrecy, and that Tiberium is the catalyst for the next stage of human evolution. Nod is linked to the three Abrahamic traditions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but its followers do not belong to any of these three traditions. While almost all Nod activity is concerned with complex economic, military and scientific foci, its religiously articulated ideology drives this. Sometime after the arrival of Tiberium, Nod was targeted as a terrorist group by the Global Defense Initiative, for actively using the dangerous tiberium substance to fund a military-industrial complex in impoverished regions, primarily Africa, and pursue total domination over the world's peoples and resources. Thereafter, Nod faced off against GDI in two Tiberium Wars and is now fighting a third, restoring itself after two successive defeats but is finally achieving their goals in the current war. During the First Tiberium War the Brotherhood of Nod was widely regarded by its detractors and opponents to be a quasi-state, quasi-terrorist organisation seeking to unite the third-world nations under a religious political platform with imperialist tendencies. According to the group's own claim they were a religious Brotherhood of ancient origin which strived for a world of 'peace', 'unity' and 'eternal brotherhood' in which all the peoples of the world could 'face the struggles of life as one', and that human society's full embracement of the alien substance of Tiberium was the key to this revolution. In official statements, Nod specifically stated that it wished to unify the developing countries of the world that have been ignored, abused and neglected by the industrialised nations. Nod's modi operandi during the First Tiberium War however revealed it to be a highly-aggressive and popular, anti-West movement vying for total domination of the world's peoples and resources. During the Second Tiberium War, Nod's religious viewpoints began to place a much larger emphasis on the concept of 'Divination', a process through which all followers of Kane were promised the means to embrace the 'Tiberian future of Humanity' and subsequently flourish in every imaginable aspect. At the end of the Second Tiberium War the true nature of the Brotherhood of Nod's 'Great Plan' would eventually reveal itself as the complete transformation of all carbon-based life on Earth to Tiberium-based life, through the launch and detonation of a world-altering Tiberium warhead within the planet's upper atmosphere. Their defeat at the end of the war and Kane's disappearance have brought a change in doctrine, further emphasizing Nod as a religion. The Ascension was defined as the final goal of the Great Plan, while religious dogmas began putting even greater emphasis on venerating Tiberium as divine. The Brotherhood releases numerous guidance files to help brothers learn the philosophy and Ways of Nod. They are part of the Nod religion and existed as far back as the First Tiberium War. Indeed, the quasi-religion of Nod was well developed back in 2002, as rituals and peculiar masses were all regular parts of a daily life of a Brother of Nod. At least part of Nod philosophy includes the idea of "Peace through Power," which is somewhat ironic considering this is precisely the mandate of their sworn enemy, GDI, at least in its original form, as the organization was founded essentially for the purpose of maintaining world peace through the use of force. The Brotherhood's military is centered around the concepts of stealth and speed, preferring outmaneuvering their enemies, hit-and-run attacks, guerrilla tactics and subterfuge. The armoury of the Brotherhood consists primarily of lightly armoured, fast vehicles with average firepower, which can outmaneuver and flank the opponent. Long-range weaponry is also prevalent, including the surface-to-surface missile launchers or large caliber artillery designed to deliver immense amounts of punishment to the opponent without exposing themselves. Because of a general lack of direct firepower compared to GDI, and GDI's ability to observe much of Earth's surface due to having space superiority, Nod recognizes that if it becomes necessary to defend their bases in a direct engagement their units will be generally outgunned; to counter this Nod makes extensive use of underground facilities, tunnel networks, and stealth technology to avoid detection. If a base is found, Nod can bring to bear strong base defenses, particularly their feared Obelisks of Light. The Brotherhood tends to avoid direct engagements, as their main battle units are significantly less powerful than their counterparts (the light tanks can challenge GDI medium tanks only with numerical superiority, this trend has continued throughout the Tiberium Wars), preferring fast, surprise attacks with packs of Recon bikes or Stealth tanks striking vulnerable, unprotected parts of enemy infrastructure or long range bombardment with artillery and ballistic missiles. Their Avatar Warmechs, however, have proven that they can fight direct confrontations if the need arises. Another way in which Nod engages the enemy is through the media. For example, the Brotherhood was able to fight GDI indirectly by triggering a massive scandal concerning the massacre of civilians in Białystok, Poland; supposedly done by GDI soldiers. This scandal resulted in UN cutting off funding for the GDI. Another example of Nod misinformation warfare was when Nod operatives attacked the central base of the Forgotten posing as GDI, rallying thousands of Mutants to Nod's cause by manipulating media reports. Nod is also bringing help to the people in the Yellow Zones. They bring water, food and medical supplies, along with providing education and job training to all the harmless people in the Yellow Zones, with soldiers for their army in trade. This tactic has formed the millions of willing yet poorly trained and equipped soldiers known as Militants. In various ways, the Brotherhood of Nod has always been technologically superior to GDI, an organization backed by and effectively operated on behalf of the United Nations, and, more specifically, economically and technologically developed nations. It is not fully known how Nod achieved such a state of unique technological superiority, though it is often linked to their access to and study of allegedly alien technology, and their monopoly on Tiberium, which provided them with vast amounts of wealth, both financially and scientifically. The Brotherhood has constructed, owned, and operated many state-of-the-art research institutes, and hired out research teams globally. Oftentimes, these institutes and related facilities were kept highly secret, and hidden from academia and especially from national and international bio-ethics committees. A contributing factor for Nod's lead in Tiberium research is that, in general contrast to GDI, whose research tends to focus on removing Tiberium from Earth or safely using it as a resource, Nod puts an emphasis on using Tiberium to improve humans biologically and technologically as much as possible, whether it is for military or industrial use. The general prevailing belief in Nod is that Tiberium exists as an extraordinary tool, not GDI's view that it is a biohazard and plague to Earth's ecosystem that threatens natural life. This is evidenced by technologies Nod developed such as a program to forcibly evolve humans using Tiberium. Routinely speculative and occasionally unsafe human experimentation, generally performed upon Nod scientists and "volunteers", is commonplace at Nod research facilities. Some technologies Nod has devoted particular attention to include: - weaponisation of lasers - directed energy weaponry, bioweapons, chemical weapons - nuclear weapons - subterranean vehicles and technologies - advanced robotics - artificial intelligence - various theoretical possibilities for antigravity - stealth technologies such as light-bending electromagnetic fields - advanced and sustainable power generation - reprogenetics - cybernetics and its offshoot, brain-machine interfaces. This is in addition to a great deal of research of Tiberium and alleged extraterrestrial technology, which was often, though not necessarily, crossed-over with the aforementioned fields for various purposes.

The Forgotten

The Forgotten The Forgotten is a loose confederation of humans who possess a rare genetic mutation that renders them able to survive Tiberium Toxemia, ending up as human/Tiberium hybrids. They are shunned by normal society due to their mutations and often horrifying appearance. With the arrival and proliferation of Tiberium, civilian population without access to shielding equipment of any sort were subject to contamination and irradiation by the element. Those who weren't killed developed physical and mental changes, becoming mutants. Those unaffected distrusted the mutants, making them outsiders and, as often happens in this situation, the outcasts banded together, and so, the Forgotten movement was born. A human who survives Tiberium contamination shouldn't be considered lucky - Tiberium crystals merge with their flesh, growing over time. Concentrations of crystallized tissue can develop to the point where they burst and excrete a thick, viscous liquid, which quickly hardens on the victim's skin, creating an exoskeleton of sorts. While it devours the mutant's exterior, Tiberium toxins continue to ravage the inside, changing large amounts of bone marrow and muscle tissue into crystal formations. Eventually, the victim turns into a distorted mass of crystal and flesh. Of course, the process is not instantaneous and can often take months or even years to complete. Before crippling disabilities (as seen above) set in, a Tiberian human will only become stronger with each passing day. They tend to be faster, stronger and more agile than pure humans, and the presence of Tiberium is not harmful to them, on the contrary, it actually accelerates their healing. The Forgotten use equipment which consists almost entirely of scavenged, hijacked or otherwise stolen weaponry and vehicles, which has been known to include anything from modified civilian vehicles outfitted with armor plating and weapons to equipment hijacked from both GDI and Nod depots, to disposed and former Mammoth Tanks to stolen experimental high-tech weaponry such as a portable railgun. The bases they operate from tend to be composed of old and abandoned military buildings and/or converted civilian ones (for instance, observation towers converted into sentry turrets), and are typically set either in deserted Tiberium-infested wastelands or former ghost towns (and cities) which The Forgotten settled in. Following the Exodus, they built organized camps with defenses. Interestingly, the Forgotten have managed to tame Tiberium Fiends and use them for combat.

Character Sheet

Name: Gender: Appearance: Pic or description or even both. Age: Support: This doesn't make your character a member of GDI, Nod, or the Forgotten. Your character prefers the ideals of the supported faction, and is more likely to side with a member of the faction should the situation arise. Perhaps your character still holds faith in GDI, or believes that Nod is the true salvation for humanity. Maybe your character has loyalties or connections to the Forgotten mutants controlling Haven City, despite not being a mutant. Does your character even support any faction? Personality: Other:

The Aesteria Chronicles

Indeed, and I was thinking about the Japanese characters. I mean, I had assumed off the get-go that the Kusagi was exactly that anyways, but I wasn't sure so I tried keeping the majority of it out of my posts. I simply forgot to include the responses in my posts. So er... Sorry about that... *scratches the back of her head*

The Aesteria Chronicles

Posted. I think it's quite obvious by now that the Kusagi Empire is just steampunk Japan-landia. So I'm not gonna be modest about it and just use Japanese as their language. It makes things easier that way. xD

The Aesteria Chronicles

Ryza held the knife in place, only inches above her heart. The thug put his weight into it, but the strength from Oni was enough for Ryza to keep it steady, albeit quite difficult. It turned out that her cry for help didn't go unanswered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the robot thing fire a fist toward them. It caused a short lapse in her concentration, she could feel the blade poking and prodding at her chest, cutting fabric and drawing a tiny amount of blood. When the fist had veered off course, Alan came in and made the save. She heard the thud of the kick and felt a great relief as the weight of the big man was thrown from her. She looked at the thug and watched as he was shot in the knee. The loud bang inside the building made her ears ring shortly. With Alan's order to get up and an offering of his hand, Ryza took it and got on her two feet. She bowed her head respectively, despite the chaos, "Arigato gozaimasu." she thanked in her native tongue, her breath ragged. Oni floated behind her right shoulder and the air distorted, the spiritual shield forming a bubble around her and partially around Alan. She picked her sword up from the floor and flicked it, any blood that didn't stick to the blade was lashed out in a thin, curved line around her. Ryza noted the blood, and as her adrenaline began to subside, she noted the body of the pistolier. Her amethyst purple eyes followed along the lengthy slash from collar bone to waist. The sight of an excess amount of blood and the permanent expression of fear on the body, the last look he gave before Ryza's katana struck true, hit her like a brick. While the rest of pub was trying to figure out if the inquisitor was dead, Ryza was feeling her gut twist. With the combat high wearing off, realizations of taking a man's life started gripping her. She felt like she needed to throw up, placing a hand at her mouth. Her knees were quivering underneath the kimono. Ryza was prepared to take a life, knowing she would have to eventually with the guild; but she was never prepared for the feeling of dread right after. Then the doors kicked open and her father's business partner walked in from two different entrances. Just as quick as it had faded, the adrenaline returned. It took a moment for it to register that they were caught in a deadly pincer attack, with firearms on both ends. Just as it clicked, Alan pushed her to the ground, she immediately covered her head and ears, protecting from the bullets and the deafening sound of indoor gunfire. With clenched teeth, she opened her eyes, and saw that Seru had kicked over an oak table to block the shots. While the majority of the bullets were stopped, a few cracks here and there in the wood managed to allow passage of a couple rounds. Thankfully, Oni had never dropped its shield after returning to Ryza, any bullet that made it through the wood found itself stopped and dropped with a 'thwump'. Ryza witnessed one bullet stop only a mere four inches from the side of Alan's neck. She dared to look elsewhere and saw the ice spirit on the roof, forming to strike at the deathmarked children. She nudged Alan with a foot and pointed at the spirit just as Kuro started to unload bullet after bullet from several revolvers. She grabbed her katana, this time ready to handle the consequences of taking another life; at least.. She thought. Her eyes glanced over to Oni, and without words, the air in front of Alan's revolver started to distort, Oni's spiritual energy standing by to add itself to a single shot. Ryza stood, katana firm in hand, and neared the edge of the oak table. With Oni's energy supporting Alan, there was no shield for her; that much was made evident went a bullet found a crack in the wood and neatly grazed across her stomach, eliciting a wince of pain but nothing more. Her ears were listening for the end of the barrage, hoping that the inquisitor was going to need to reload soon. It'd take perfect timing, without her shield, charging an armed and armored man with nothing but a sword, there was no room for error. Ryza only hoped that the Walkins with the pistol was being covered by some other guildsman. The last thing she wanted was a shot in the back. But still Ryza listened, waiting for the end of the spray-and-pray. When it came, Ryza rounded the table and charged. Once Ryza was in sword distance, she swung.

The Aesteria Chronicles

Well the main entrance isn't exactly covered. Ryza is currently on her back fending off a knife. The inquisitor could very well just waltz on out. And it hasn't been clarified if Walkins is alone with his thugs. There's no telling if there's more waiting outside, he might even have back up.

The Aesteria Chronicles

Alright! Posted! Seems I found a good pace for it too. I read up on everybody's posts, but in case I missed some details, just let me know. Hopefully I didn't ruffle too many feathers. Also, I found another picture (from a book series I'm currently reading actually) of a character that suits Ryza's appearance much better than the current one. So I'm gonna change it to the new and improved one(s).

"New Appearance" [+]

Without the tattoos (yet) and with purple eyes instead of brown.

The Aesteria Chronicles

Ryza breathed easy after Kuro had left. But unfortunately, things weren't done there, they were never done when they needed to be. The nudge from Alan told her as such, and when she followed his gaze to spot the children, looking hurried and out of place, she sighed. Just as she suspected, more figures made their appearance. Ryza instinctively felt bad mojo from them. Her initial thought was that they were another less than adored band of adventurers; but upon spotting their supposed ringleader, she threw those thoughts out the window. "He looks... Familiar..." Ryza mumbled to Alan, "I swear I've seen him before, talking with my father." Ryza was curious, taking in his features rather than paying too much attention to the happenings around her. She knew she had seen him before. She knew her father was in the same memory. But who he was or what they were talking about was all too vague. No matter, she never liked him to begin with, just the general air about him was unlikable. Ryza's mother had always told her that she was an excellent judge of character. Ryza looked to Alan and whispered to him, "My father knows him. Maybe he's here for me?" Nope! The man announced he was searching for the children, and judging by the look on the kids' faces, it wasn't for anything good. She started thinking about her father, what was he talking to this man about? "Careful, Alan... I don't like this..." Ryza gripped her katana in one hand, her other at the mouth of her scabbard that the keen blade was sheathed in. And when Alan raised his pistol, so too did Ryza draw the full length of folded steel blade. As if on cue, Oni materialized and floated behind her right shoulder. The same expression she wore when confronting Kuro was back, that steely glare on the familiar stranger. Then she saw the young boy mantle the bar and take Eli's rifle with him. She saw the look of fear in his eyes as he pulled he trigger. That's when she noticed the mask, and the emblem on it. She remembered who he was, an inquisitor of the Varisie. And at that same moment, she remembered her father calling him a 'business partner' and telling her to go play in the garden. She didn't understand, but she wanted to. Once all hell broke loose, Ryza ran to intercept the two thugs that the rest of the patrons didn't seem to pay much mind. She got between them and the door, to cut off chances of escape and help her fellow guild members (liked or not), to deal with the evident enemy. She gripped her sword tight, "Stay where you are, it'll end better that way." But the thugs didn't seem concerned about what was better. One drew a pistol and the other drew western longsword. "Oni!" Ryza exclaimed despite not needing to, it was more instinctual than anything. But the mask responded like it didn't matter how she communicated, moving in front of her face like a mask should be used for. The air around Ryza began to ripple as Oni projected some sort of safety bubble, just in time for the shot of the pistol to leave the barrel. There was a 'thwump' sound as the projectile struck the strange spiritual field. Ryza's adrenaline peaked. That was it, the moment she knew that her first moment in real combat had come. Hundreds of lessons came to her at once as she saw the thug with the longsword come at her. With her natural grace, she stepped back once and parried the swing of the iron longsword. There was that clanging report of metal meeting metal. Ryza felt it in her hands as the two blades made brief contact. The reverberation traveled up her arms and caused a strong chill down her spine. She retaliated, swinging the Kusagi blade horizontally, but the thug was no amateur, and made parried in return. Another thwump, another shielded projectile from the pistolier. Ryza was grateful that she had a guardian spirit at her side. The seishin swordsman kept up her offense and defense, striking when she thought she had the advantage, blocking when she was back a foot. When she trained, she did quite well for herself, but real combat seemed different; when another swung for life and not for pride or respect. She could feel it whenever the two blade struck, the desperation in his assault. If she was facing off against somebody armed with a katana, who was trained in the same martial style, she probably would have won by then. But this man was no honor bound seishin swordsman. He was brutish in his strikes, with a weapon she never thought to face. So Ryza remained on the defense in the swordplay. Defense always stepping back and struggling with the opponent, she always seemed to be composed and graceful, such was the beauty of her art. And while she wasn't quite sure how to handle the other sword fighter, she wasn't without a plan. Every step she took back, was also partially to the side, making her circle until she was approaching the pistolier with his useless weapon. She had taken note that the gunner wasn't maneuvering, that he had faith in his ranged advantage to win. She noticed that the pistol needed a brief reload in between shots. As she neared with her back faced to the pistolier, she continued to defend until she heard it, the thwump of a deflected shot. And when she heard it, Ryza quickly span to face the reloading thug, both hands clutching the blade above her head. The air around Ryza returned to normal as the gleaming steal started to appear distorted. Oni used its force to sharpen the blade tenfold. It was slow motion, she had timed her strike perfectly so that opposing swordsman was reeling back from a parried heavy strike. And in that time, her katana came down on the pistolier. In that moment when she watched the unstoppable motion, she witnessed as the man reflexively raised him pistol arm to helplessly defend. There was no resistance as the blade sliced through the arm, down his chest and stomach and hip. Her blade was a hand wafting through smoke, effortlessly gliding through flesh and bone. Ryza had claimed her first life, but in the heat of the moment, didn't feel any remorse. It was him or her. In the slow motion, she watched as the blood fizzed away from the spiritual force around her blade. The red that didn't get caught in the energy baptized Ryza. As she turned to face the thug with the longsword, prepared to defend against another slash, she instead received a hard punch across the face. Ryza was sent sidelong, dropping her katana and detaching Oni from her face. The large man then pinned her to the floor and drew a knife. She gripped at his clutched hand to fend the blade off, to slow it from piercing at her heart. But she knew she wouldn't last long without help, he was simply larger and stronger. Oni had projected itself to lend strength to Ryza. It helped a bit, allowing for Ryza to level the playing field, keeping the knife in place between the two of them. She called out for help, not sure if anybody was able to with ice spirit and inquisitor causing the majority of the trouble.