Mercenary on the Winds

Even as victory had come swiftly, the Tigers did not cheer. Kika and Istavion said the same thing to the Tigers, before they limped back to the boat, "The men upstairs are different. These are the vanguard; upstairs are Kazran's elite--don't make the same mistakes we did." Those words hung heavy in the air, the stench of blood and death a reminder that this was only the first battle, and not even the most difficult to come. Kazran sat above, an Islexian Warlord supported by some of Islexia's finest, men and women who may have fought in the Islexian Collapse, experience that none of the Tigers could hope to claim. Perhaps it was starting to sink in now as they scaled the caves towards Beacon Castle, that for the first time, the Tigers were not acting in self-defense, but assault an enemy's stronghold with all intent to kill. This fight would go beyond that of their normal mercenary work, but even as the stakes rose higher than ever before, one thing never changes, the determination to see the mission through. Only one thing mattered, and remained: Kill Kazran Serdio. "The fuck do you mean that Micheal hasn't come back? You sent him to get Vermeil and the others not too long ago, Dustin." A lightly armored man with gauntlet shrugged, "You know he ain't back, otherwise, you'd be hearing all about how close he came with Krystal. Damn beast lover... Don't blame him too much, but you really telling us that you can't find anyone else?" "Can't really find anyone when we're supposed to have been getting ready to march on the Gaffneys, and then suddenly we get attacked by more of the diseased, and now we're on guard duty--Krystal's about the best you've got, the rest are taken or don't have any interest." A loud roar came from down the hallway, as a tall, armored man sat atop his mount, "Would you all shut the fuck up? I don't give a shit about your relationship problems, we're supposed to be on alert. Where's Micheal, and Vermeil--Lord Kazran wants a report from the caves, and the damned prisoners." "He ain't back, neither is Vermeil." The man let his head roll, "Useless, the lot of you... Fine, I'll go and--" He stopped, as footsteps from the caves started approaching, "Ah, that's probably them, that's--" He stopped again, the footsteps were... loud. Louder than they should have been for two men, even Micheal couldn't have made that much more noise. "What the hell...?" Suddenly, more footsteps, a lot of footsteps, almost as if it were a stampede, and as it came closer, the clanging of steel. Then, the first one burst through the opening, more of them, more of the diseased, but this time, there were a lot more of them, and humans amongst them. "You've got to be kidding me! Sally up! We're under attack! Someone get to Kazran! Tell the garrison, we're under attack! All of you with me, hold them back!" MAP START! Objective: Defeat Kazran and Cereza! Mastery: Have Lati engage either Cereza, or Kazran, recover M's picture, and investigate Kazran's study!

Rivane clicked his tongue as the men moved around him instead of facing him down; while his men weren't trained, Marcos had been at this for years--he knew how best to maneuver in situations like this. The two mages unleashed flimsy spells in his direction, swatting the first away with his sword, and letting the other careen by, "I know full well that this is your territory, but I wonder if you realize that the knights are approaching? You are right on something at least, I do want more for our lives--freedom from this accursed war." Rivane Iron Swords into Bandit 10, and then cantos to 6, 14! "That's why I'm here tonight, and if there were another option, I wouldn't be. But we have to cut our way through, Marcos, sorry."

Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me... First you warn me about this... whoever the fuck this is, and now they're associated with the HEAD OF AHI SECURITY?!?! Those jitters were back in force; for a moment, she had figured out of the group, she was the most likely to just, flit away and disappear without more thought. But now that the person was AHI aligned, and with the head of security at that, her position was a lot more precarious. She'd been... involved in a lot of AHI's issues, a lot of their... equipment disappearing without a trace, and then inevitably showing up with some rebel faction. Unfortunately, Senri was the closest thing she had to contact that this moment, and he was unfortunately in the grubby paws of one of AHI's many lapdops. The feminine being dropped some droll line about Leon wanting to be friends--if a smirk was a sound, it was all over her words--and Leon wasn't having it. Good... I can work with that... maybe. Marianne threw on a surprised look, "AHI? She's with AHI?" Marianne frowned, and then shook her head, "That... changes things. Sorry, if you're taking her along them I've gotta politely decline. You're with CEN, right? You know about AHI and their issues with the rebels on the moon, right? Well, AHI's been in the business of trying to stamp out the rebellions--as they rightfully should--but a lot of their... tactics, involve terrorizing people out in the less terraformed areas of the moon." It took all of Marianne's mental focus to not gag as she lauded AHI for trying to deal with the rebels, and not rolling over and setting themselves on fire. "I'm from one of those areas, and I've seen a lot of my friends roughed up just for seeming as if they had something they wanted to know... Can't stand it. I wouldn't mind a chance to see the ship, but if we're being AHI security along, it's probably best that I'm not present. Don't wanna say something that gets me thrown in one of the many holding cells I'm sure they've got around..." Marianne walked around, and had intended to place herself right next to Senri, before noticing that the beast had wrapped her tail around him. Of course... I'm basically playing... the fuck is it called... the one with the gun, and the bullets... Ruski Roulette? Is there even a way to get him out of here without miss AHI basically letting us walk?! Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh... why can't I just pick the easy jobs?!

Practice, and experience... works like a charm~ Both Leon, and Azame had their eyes on now, which would make it easier to get out of here, "Depends on what you're asking for~" Marianne gave him a wink, "I've been known to be quite helpful." Marianne turned to look at their major threat, and suddenly her heart dropped. They were gone. Rather, they weren't gone, they had started wandering over to Senri. The thing about gambits was that even if they worked properly, there was a lack of information that always made things risky--something Marianne missed, or the target being brazen enough themselves to employ a gambit of their own. Getting Senri up and out wouldn't be too difficult, so there wasn't anything to worry--oh god, Azame. There was the other issue with such laid plans, maybe she'd shorted Azame's reasoning centers with the performance as she marched right up to the threat, and tried to pull an arm around them, failed, and then asked if they wanted on to the ship. Senri's eyes flicked over several times, the 'please help me' so loud in his eyes that almost felt like he was shouting it. Maybe trying to get on this ship was a mistake, maybe I should have just left Leon, and Azame, and taken Senri with me... Fuck, what do I do?! Marianne internally panicked for a moment, before hitting upon a possible avenue, turning to Leon. They needed to get control of the situation, and at this moment, only Red was going to be able to. Even if it made her seem a bit more... suspicious in the end, she was entangled now, so she had to play the field. "Hey, you..." Marianne leaned in close, "You need to stop Azame from bringing helmet along. I don't know who, or what they are, but they're not anyone's friend, and I don't think anyone will be happy to see them on the ship. Pull rank, call the captain, slap her ass hard enough that she forgets, I don't care. Do that, and I'll part ways with some information you, and your buddies on the ship might like." Marianne started slowly making her way over to the table, perhaps at least if she wandered back over, Senri would look like like he was going to die. Truth be told, he's probably not even wrong... Why does today have to be the day that Alouette's ill? Where the hell is my contact?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Talulah engages Miria! [47, 47] First swing connects for 15 damage! Miria counters! [46, 85] Miria's attack strikes the new shroud user, but Talulah is not finished! Talulah finishes! [56, 6] I'm going to let Mel handle this one. Koba finishes off Merc 10! [57, 100] The blade of wind was more than enough to take the air out of Merc 10's lung for the final time! Koba gains 38 EXP, and +2 Anima EXP! Ullr rushes in to Merc 11! [12, 66] (17), [55, 85] (12) First the right, and the worse left. Two swings, and a downed Merc! Ullr gains 30 EXP, and +3 Brawling EXP! Alvira engages Fighter 5! [42, 72] Alvira connects for 18 damage! Fighter 5 counters with hand axe! [56, 69] His axe sails wide leaving him open! Miss! Alvira finishes! [47, 1] Alvira decides that she's going to end this map on a bang! Critical! Alvira gains 30 EXP, and +3 Light EXP! Sari engages Fighter 6! [30, 7] With almost callous disregard for the man in front of him, Sari swings the Levin Sword without even looking at the man, but the bolt more than enough to fell anyone at all. Critical! Sari gains 22 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Aegean throws an Axe at Thief 3! [38, 97] The axe took the Thief with it, landing with a hefty thud. Aegean gains 26 EXP, and +2 Axe EXP! Aly and Sari call Pattern ATS and engage Vermeil with Aly leading! Guess what happened. Go on. Guess. [94, 23] Have fun Ursa and Mel! Vermeil is fucking dead! Aly gains 100 EXP, and +2 Hidden EXP! MAP CLEAR! Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the field of combat fell silence, aside from the heavy breaths of the victors. Nyx could hear angry, pained shouting from elsewhere in the compound that sounded like Roxanne. They couldn't be sure of the circumstances that led to everything, but if the two that were with the beaten... moth? What exactly was the woman from before anyway? That hadn't quite crossed Nyx's mind in the moment, not when she wasn't pointing a weapon in her direction with intent to kill. Maybe equally as important was the chest that Gean had defended from the grubby hands of one of Kazran's men; better to be in her grubby hands than in one of theirs. "Good toss, Gean. Really stuck it t'em." Nyx sauntered over, and picked the lock of the chest, before whistling, "Damn, ain't this just th' pretties--" She went to go an pick up the spoils, and grunted as it didn't quite move. "...Huh. That's heavier than I figured it'd be... Hell, how's ya supposed to bash a man wit' this?! Someone go git Lani, or something..." Nyx gained a Steel Greatsword!

Amy couldn't remember the time that she had been this happy over anything, except that was a lie, the last time that she had been so happy had been receiving her acceptance to Boston. She had been bouncing off the walls when it finally arrived, but this, if not equal in measure was just about the same. Tears rolled down her face, but she almost couldn't care less if they messed with her light makeup, because Tristan didn't believe the Boston fiasco, and he was just so... "Huh?" Tristan finally squirmed his way out her vicegrip, rather, so that he could breathe as she realized that Tristan's face was dead center of her chest. "O-oh, uh, s-sorry! I was just, uh, s-so ecstappy and," Amy brought a hand to her mouth as she caught the portmanteau, and then Avery wandered over, the smirk on her face making clear that she knew exactly what was happening. "Ohuhyeah, sorryAvery! We were just..." Tristan returned her hug in the middle of her answer, and once again complimented her, "Mmm..." If it had been possible, Amy was sure that more than several puffs of smoke would have left her body in the moment. "...Y-yeah, just, hold on... there's... still stuff... yeah." Amy had no idea how red her face was, but she was sure that it could probably be seen from the other side of the hanger. "L-let's run the diagnostics... Yeah... that'll do for now." I'm going to ruin him... I can't believe it... How can someone be this... warm and cute, and smart and ugggggggh... Marianne remained quiet, thinking hard about what to do next. If Senri was right, then they were in danger here, and they needed to not be. The tail really was something far more organic than any augment should have been. Azame was going to take a bit getting their drinks, and she hadn't noticed anything at all, walking straight into the jaws of the beast. "...Hey, Senri, hold this." Marianne stood up, and tossed her jacket at the man, "I'm gonna go make a bet." Marianne flipped her hair, and strode her way over to the counter. If this person was a threat, then there was a reason that they weren't going off of them right now. If that held true, then the quickest way out of there was walking straight up to the front door, and not tripping the traps inside. The best treasures always come in an element of risk~ Marianne slid over to the group, coming up behind Azame, and gently leaning on the ensign's back, making sure that she was right in Red's line of sight. She looked at the bartender, "Reisa... could you have whatever my friend here asked for to go, please? Something's come up, and it would be best for us not to miss it~" Marianne then turned to look at Leon, "Are you the friend that Azame keeps mentioning? I can see that she wasn't just tooting your horn~" Marianne nodded, "Oh, right, Azame, turns out that I have an engagement fairly soon, so if we're going to go see the ship, we'll have to go now, unless you'd rather wait?" Marianne stood up, stretched, and slowly turned, giving Leon the faintest of glances, turning her back to Azame, and landing a hand on her hip, "If so, then I'll have to go to get ready for that."

Amy shrank as she finished her words, expecting realization to flash across Tristan's face. It tended to happen, once people put two and two together, they understood that she was the student from Boston that got disgraced after being one of the top candidates. 'That was you?' Amelia braced herself for what followed, that was always how it started, in another moment the hundred questions about whether it was true, or if she'd really done it. Then the smile, nodding, and then the wave goodbye, and then-- Suddenly, Amy found her head being raised, her cheeks cupped in Tristan's firm hands. She'd missed most of what he said as she began to panic, but she couldn't miss what he was saying now. It really was very simple, and very direct--but Tristan, unlike a lot of the other engineers, seemed to care very little about the Boston incident, even going so far as to say that he didn't believe it at all. No questions, just an affirmation. Just the simple words, you deserve it as much as anyone else, Amy. Amelia just stared at Tristan, but she could feel herself flushing harder than she ever had. She was sure that Tristan could feel the heat from her face as he held it, all the while, Amy remained frozen in place. She almost couldn't believe it. The first indication that Amy was still present on this place of existence was a sniffle, and then a tear rolling down her cheek into Tristan's hand... and then Amy reached out with shocking speed, grabbed Tristan, and pulled him in tight, clutching him to her chest. She wasn't stronger than Tristan, but the surprise maneuver left him with little time to do much else but to be drawn in, and she squeezed him against her chest, not quite processing that she was much too large to be squeezing him that tightly against herself. "I, wh, y-y-ou, ahhh, you, T-t-thankyouthatmeans... ahhh...!" Amelia's mind was moving so quickly that even her sentences were floundering, leaving just a teary-eyed, overexcited mess.

Vermeil came down the stairs, and saw one of the frontline priest running towards him, "Speak man, speak quickl--" Vermeil looked up, and heard very disconcerting whistling noise. "What in the blasted...?" The priest turned, and looked up, and only screamed before two massive flaming arrows impaled the man, leaving his message unsaid. "Serdio, save us..." Vermeil turned, and saw a elf man with a crackling sword at his side. "It looks like our quarry is already here. Push forward! Back up Tyson, and crush these fools... but if you see the Gaffneys, leave them to me!" He turned his eyes on Versaris, "I suppose we'll have to start here..." ENEMY PHASE TURN 10! Merc 10 engages Owen! [40, 65] The silver sword stings for 19 damage! "Haha, so the famous Gaffney still bleed the color of man, I thought you might bleed the same as the beasts..." Owen counters! [40, 39] (75), [44. 49] (41) Two quick strikes from Owen bring the swordfighter down to his last legs! Owen gains +2 Sword EXP, and +4 EXP! Merc 9 attacks Aegean! [67, 47] The unusual sword hooks at Aegean dealing 15 damage! Aegean counters! [24,57] (51), [24, 58] (12) Adept activates!...but there was no target left as her two strikes were enough to bring the man down! Aegean gains +3 Axe EXP, and +34 EXP! Aegean reaches B Rank Axe! Warrior 1 yeets a Tomahawk at Lani! [55, 57] Why are all of my throwing axe people so fucking bad? Lani counters! [64, 6] While the man's axe was in flight, Lani used her dodge, to build the momentum for her swing, the chain reaching as she threw the sword, for once, not in an arc, but in a straight toss straight for the man's undefended body, and the large bulky man was sent flying, falling to the floor where the impact finished the job landing with a sickening sound as Lani's sword stuck itself into the ground. Critical! Lani gains 66 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Cav 8 screams in rage as he tries to get revenge for his fallen comrade! [6, 64] (Yes really) The man's spear was driven into Lani's shoulder with all the force that he could muster, but Lani simply continued to move. 9 damage! Lani counters! [6, 80], [71, 64] Lani hit the man with the sword on it's way back from Tyson's lifeless body, drawing the man closer to her, and then finishing the job with an uppercutting strike, finishing the job. Lani gains 30 EXP, and +3 Sword EXP! Lani reaches level 13! 26 21 33 28 32 85 25 60 +HP, Str, Skl, Speed, Def! The Enemies move in... PLAYER PHASE TURN 11!

Finally, it seemed like everything was over and done with her, and the sweet sounds of Syndra's voice were calling to her, " 'm on my way, I--" Nyx turned to hear Tasha yelling about Miria, and the sound of the girl's armor was moving back towards where the drakes had come from. Were there more of them? "...Bah, Miria's got it--I'm movin' up, Synnie, on th' way!" Hope I don't regret it... Nyx moves to 10, 25!

Sia shook her head, "You're the first person to say it so direct… but not the first that's given me the sense that our arrival was the first thing that tipped an already unsteady set of scales." Things really were spiraling, maybe they should have started with the shopping– it was going to be difficult to keep out of her own thoughts at this point. Mick quickly threw cold water on their AHI ideas, pointing out that there hadn't been a fight at all at the ambassador's convoy. Unfortunately for Sia, that was not the end of the problems or the questions, as the man showed them an image of the damage, and then… footage of the engagement. Sia's mouth slowly opened as she looked at the pinpoint beam damage. She was not the most knowledgeable on the specifics of HEX weaponry, but she got by with her tangential knowledge, and knew that beam weaponry was usually the domain of battleships. It was far too difficult to devise a weapon at this point in time that was both powerful enough to create the beam, and compact enough that HEXs could readily use it. The closest they had was Louise's rifle, and even that didn't match the pinpoint nature of the damage. Nor the fact that the machine using it was flying. Sia gawked at the machine, far too blurry to make out anything beyond the rifle in its hand, and the large boosters. The beam rifle was already ahead of their technology, but HEX flight was currently beyond them. It simply wasn't feasible to allow a HEX to sustain flight, the power plants simply weren't able to supply the kind of power necessary without sacrificing other important functions. And even then, fighters were still superior options for aerial combat. Or at least, they were with traditional weaponry in mind– this was something entirely different. Sia shook her head, "There are… way too many things to consider right now. Let's say that AHI is not the one at fault here," Sia pointed at the wreckage, and then at the machine, "Who could even have working beam rifle technology? We're dealing with technology now that outstrips even that on the Dawn… so that leaves very few avenues. Either AHI or CEN is lying about their current capabilities, and had reason to target the ambassador, or, and this is arguably more concerning, there is a third entity on this moon with technology beyond both AHI and CEN." Not entirely impossible, either. We still don't know the capabilities of Toki and her subordinates… and I can't rule out that they wouldn't have anything to gain from the turmoil that might arise from the ambassador's disappearance… Sia was glad for the ire that she heard in Louise's voice as it gave her time to temper herself. "Surely the ensign wasn't the only one on the search with something like that out there? I'm aware of the shorthanded nature of the embassy out here, but…" Sia looked over at Louise, "You're exactly right… I'd be hard pressed to say that this isn't related to things happening on this moon, and everyone needs to be aware of what we could possibly have to deal with." Sia looked back at the commander, doing her best to stow her frustrations both at the commander for effectively throwing Ensign Nishimiya to the wolves, and at the rapidly ballooning situation, "Commander, thank you for your time. If you could transfer that video, and image to me, the Lieutenant and I will return it to the Dawn and see if our engineers can give us a better idea of what we're dealing with. Please continue with your efforts here; leave direct matters over the ambassador to us– that machine is not to be trifled with, and I expect if we continue to search for him, we'll find that machine as well." Huh. No, it really is this easy. She's lucky that I'm not interested in hurting someone. Azame seemed to get it for a moment before immediately bouncing back to herself, and teasing Senri over his drink. The flinch from the man proved her point, and Marianne could only giggle, "Well, it seems like it works quite well for him." It was smart, especially now knowing his allegiance; didn't want someone like her sauntering up and pulling the truth out of his mouth with some batting of the eyelashes. "Oh, you don't--" Marianne's words fell on ears that were no longer present as Azame bounced her way to the bar to get them both drinks. Marianne sighed, and looked back at Senri, "You know, she reminds me of Alouette. They're both shaped almost exactly the same way… but they couldn't be more opposites if they tried…" Both Azame and Alouette were the kind of woman who didn't grow up, they grew out, and both women were extremely impressive. Alouette was just leader of the best ran rebel group on the moon, and Azame… appeared to be a little too into a woman she hadn't known for longer than ten minutes. "Anyway, I'll be fine, I've dealt worse, and if I'm being honest, she seems like she'd be a lot of fun to be around. Confidence with a body like that is always a recipe for something interesting~" Senri changed the topic and Marianne gave it a faint glance, "You're making it real difficult to remain calm when you talk like that. What about Red over there? He came with Azame, so we'll have to get him too… I guess I could expedite things, give Azame a little something to hurry her along, might pull him as well." Why the fuck is it always me with the weird ones… Wait what the hell am I going to do about the meetup?! Her obfuscation seemed to work, she… was not ready to talk about those plans yet. They meant so much to her, in both good and bad ways, but it was the bad that stuck out to her. It was hard to forget everything she went through over her designs; it would have been almost complete ostracization if not for some of her teachers standing by her. The industry was so incredibly cutthroat, that being labeled as a plagiarist and a thief was a death knell for most– even if it wasn't proven. "Oh yeah, that would make sense. With the kind of engines you need to make this thing fly, the noise would be rather ridiculous for anyone below. Haven't quite gotten to the point where we can make those silent~" Amy flinched as Tristan came in for the kiss on her forehead, not even realizing that he'd gone for it until she felt his lips. He then confirmed that he wasn't going to press on it, but he did mean her actual plans, not the ones that she was paid to work on. As he finished with compliments, belief in her work, and talent, Amelia fell uncharacteristically silent, eyes down at the table, and her face uncomfortably warm. "...y-yeah. It's… hard to talk about. Just…" Amy melted onto the table, and just laid there for a moment. "I… Tristan. I… I want to show you, I, I really do… it's just… really bad memories. I… don't suppose if I say Boston, that it would ring any bells, would it? You worked… with HEXes before becoming a navigator…"

Alouette saw Nathan's hesitation, but Ichika took her attention again, confirming that she did have something that she wanted to say to her. Alouette shook her head, "If I'm being honest, I can already feel myself giving out again, so I believe it would be best if I waited until morning for that. Apologies, but I... want to give what you have to say all the attention that it deserves." It didn't feel forced to say the words, as it might have been with people back in Phantasma, other researchers, and people simply interested in her bewitching figure. Ichika wasn't like that at all, and so far, she'd done nothing but been in her corner, ever since their rocky start in the carriage. Alouette slowly got her feet, and turned to look at the group, "I think I shall turn in myself... won't do to be exhausted for our first endeavor." For a moment, Alouette considering telling Eve about her faulty circuits--unless she'd spoken with Lyria, it's not something that had come up before, but that was always something that she could do in the morning. It wouldn't affect them as long as she got some rest. Alouette gave the group a lazy bow, "I hope all of you enjoy your evening." Alouette turned, and started making her way to the stairs. Morning arrived, and while it wasn't on her usual time, Alouette was up and about, feeling a lot better than she had when she'd gone to sleep. A few basic exercises just to see where her magic was at; still a little frazzled, but if she needed to, she'd have no problems. So she gathered herself, and got all of her things together, corset, and harness--lamenting again that the harness was starting to fray a little--and made her way to Ichika's door. How ironic that yesterday started with her at my door, and today starts with me at her door? Well, my day anyway... Alouette walked up, and knocked on the door, "Ichika? It's Alouette, sorry about waiting until now... but you had something you wanted to explain to me?"

ENEMY PHASE TURN 9! Archer 4 rushes in and targets Alvira! [15, 24] His shot connects dealing 13 damage! Alvira counters! [67, 95], [73, 66] The retaliatory blasts were effective, and finished the archer off for his aggressions! Alvira gains 26 EXP, and +3 Light EXP! Archer 3, with an unusually large bow steps up, and then takes aim! [72, 57] Attacking from a greater distance than Alvira could combat, the man took aim with a massive arrow, but his aim was wide, and Alvira too quick as the large arrow fell with a harmless, but concerning thud. Priest 4 rushes forward, and heals Priest 1 all the way back to full! Enemy Reinforcements have arrived! PLAYER PHASE TURN 10!

Nyx heard the commander's call and grinned as their new ally was already well into following her command, "Aye, aye! That means you, ya hear?!" Nyx turned her bow on the remaining Wvyern, and moved in for a better shot. Nyx moves to 12, 22 to take a shot at Wyvern 1! Alvira engages Bow Armor 2! [65, 3] My ratio of crits to anything else is insane. Critical! Alvira gains 34 EXP, and +2 Light EXP! Aly engages Bow Armor 1! [47, 21] What else is there left to say honestly? Critical! Aly gains 26 EXP, +2 Hidden EXP! Lani attacks Pirate 6! [59, 85] The crushing blow opens up Pirate 6 to Ullr's approaching fist! Lani gains 12 EXP, and +1 Sword EXP! Seila then calls down the thunder on Pirate 2! [42, 19] If Miria wasn't on Seila's side, this would have turned her into a lightning rod. Critical! Seila gains 38 EXP, and +2 Anima EXP! M holsters the regular revolver, and draws her personal one to fire at Wyvern 2! [62, 53] (Yes a 53 crits here) I really do just need to be stopped tbh Critical! M gains 34 EXP, and +2 Gun EXP! Cass finishes off Wvyern 5! [12, 21] The man barely hanging onto lucidity was finally extinguished by Cass's attack! Cass gains 14 EXP! Lati uses her Shortbow on Wyvern 7! (For future reference the Shortbow is exclusively 1 range so her move would not work, but we roll with it) [84, 75] Lati put another arrow into the opposite side of the man's mount, sure to notch another, and fire it into the man's body at his steed passed on, sure to not leave him alone in his final hours. Lati gains 10 EXP, and +2 Bow EXP! Miria engages Pirate 3 with her Iron Sword! [91, 81] With her sword still blazing, Miria pays back Pirate 3 for the earlier axe with a slash of flame! Miria gains 34 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Sylmaria B L A S T S Wyvern 6! [73, 49] Sylmaria strolls up to Wyvern 6 without a care in the world, neither for her own safety, and for the life of the man who her blast of energy sent careening off of his mount! Sylmaria gains 26 EXP! Owen engages Thief 2! [69, 10] (57) With a delicate flourish, Owen's rapier, pierced, slashed, and felled the thief in seemingly one motion! Critical! Owen gains 18 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Thief 2 also dropped the Killer Sickle! Ullr engages Pirate 6! [24, 45] Ullr rocketed his fist into Pirate 6's stomach, and probably rearranged several things! Ullr gains 38 EXP, and +2 Brawling EXP! Christopher targets the fleeing priest with the Flamespate! Chris can not miss nor crit, so numbers will not be rolled! Chris deals 22 damage! Chris gains 4 EXP, and +1 Siege EXP! Cin ignites his soul, and uses it to punch Wyvern 4! [35, 18] (50), [52, 44] (23) With two quick flurries, Cin first incapaciated the man's mount, before jumping, and letting his momentum, and the flames do the rest as he lariated the rider, knocking him completely unconciscous! Cin gains 26 EXP, and +3 Brawling EXP! Tasha opens fire on Wvyern 3! [33, 46] (80), [43, 96] (74) Tasha's rifle rang out twice in quick succession, piercing the wing of the wyvern, and then once more through the wing, and the body of her rider! Tasha gains 26 EXP, and +3 Gun EXP! Nyx engages Wyvern 1! [42, 74], [64, 66] Almost perfectly in sync with the shots on the other side of the wall, Nyx fired two arrows, the first seemingly missing the rider, but the second placed perfectly that as the man moved to dodge the first one, his momentum helped the arrow carry him off his mount! Nyx gains 34 EXP, and +3 Bow EXP! Roxanne physic Syndra for 12 HP! Roxanne gains 16 EXP, and +3 Staff EXP! Krystal does the same to Miria but for 13 HP! Krystal gains 17 EXP, and +3 Staff EXP! Alvira reaches level 12! 37 3 43 55 45 89 53 37 +HP, Str, Mag, Spd Cass reaches level 16! 24 30 72 11 31 64 6 1 +HP, Str, Skl, Speed, Lck, Def, Res Seila reached Level 11! 5 41 44 19 53 35 2 82 +HP, Mag, Skl, Def! Miria reaches Level 12! 53 89 78 94 100 33 16 11 +HP, Lck, Def, Res! Ullr reaches Level 12! 16 9 76 23 1 33 1 13 +HP, Str, Skl, Spd, Def, Res!

[I will flavor the Enemy Phase after work] ENEMY PHASE TURN 8! Miria will take attacks from Wyvern 5 and 6, as well as Pirate 3! Wyvern 5 first strikes! [90, 25] But to no avail! Miss! Miria counters! [37, 19] Miria counters well, nearly finishing off the Wyvern with 12 damage! Miria gains 10 EXP, and +1 Sword EXP! Wyvern 6 next! [17, 76] The man learned from his compatriot, and was able to get his hit, but his spear did not work as intended! 12 damage! Miria counters! [29, 81], [77, 63] Miria strikes back with two slashes dealing 24 damage! Miria gains 10 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Then Pirate 3 lobs an axe! [75, 74] Miria has had enough of those. Miss! Sari then is attacked by Pirate 5! Except Pirate 5 could not even see the man that he thought to fight. Sari does not counter, because this is not a fight. [62, 34] Pirate 5 simply ceased to exist, a threat had once been there, perhaps, but no one could ever be sure. It was all too quick, all too sudden, all too expected. Critical! Sari gains 26 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Wyvern 7 engages Lati! "Who the hell are you two?! Are you with these damned Mercs?!" [38, 7] Wvyern 7 gets in close with his silver lance, and thrusts with all of his might, but it seems to just bounce off for 5! Lati counters! [66, 76] Wyvern 7 had not correctly gauged Lati's weapon, and left himself open for her counter, dealing 22 damage! Lati gains 1 EXP, and +1 Bow EXP! Wyvern 8 charges Talulah! "Damned cowards were tailing us huh?! Well, see how well that serves you!" [60, 41] His spear struck true dealing 13 damage! Talulah counters! Bracing Flourish activates! [20, 13] Foolish as the man had been to sacrifice his ranged advantage in favor of a close quarters engagement, Talulah unsheathed her blade, and cleaved through the dragon's wing, and then the man's arm in a single swing. Critical! Talulah gains 18 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Thief 2 opens the chest... and steals the Killer Sickle! PLAYER PHASE TURN 9!

Aly engages Cav 1! [66, 1] (48) (Has Aly done anything but crit this map, I don't think so) Critical! Aly gains 22 EXP, and +2 Hidden EXP! Miria uses a Vuln to heal for 10 HP! Chris returns the favor against Fighter 3! [3, 71] Chris's magic swelled, and crushed Fighter 3, sending the axe spiraling away harmlessly! Chris gains 34 EXP, and +2 Dark EXP! Laniva engages Myrm 9 with her Greatsword! [38, 32] Laniva once again decides that a sword duel is beneath her, and simply squashes Myrm 9! Lani gains 26 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Sari sends Thief 1 to meet god. [81, 98] With but a single flourish, Thief 1 was dispatched immediately! Sari gains 22 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Seila heals Ullr for 17 HP, and gets him back to standing! Seila gains 14 EXP, and +2 staff EXP! Cass heals Christopher for 13 HP! -1 HP Cass gains 11 EXP! Renais uses Staff Technician to heal Amera at a distance for 13! Renais gains 11 EXP! Krystal heals Miria with her Physic staff, healing Miria to full! Krystal gains 23 EXP, and +3 Staff EXP! Roxanne heals Aegean back to full HP! Roxanne gains 13 EXP, and +2 Staff EXP! Christopher reaches level 11! 4 48 36 67 11 38 51 100 +HP, Mag, Skl, Speed!

Nyx started to make her move back towards the center of the room while everyone started to get setup for the attack, but one thing was obvious, Lil Cub needed some healing. Nyx's eyes scanned the area for Renais, or even the pointy hatted woman--she had a staff earlier too--but neither one of them appeared to be around. She clicked her tongue, and then turned, to see... a pink woman? Pink hair, rosy skin, and if the shaking was any indication, not in the greatest of moods either, tail swishing dangerously quickly. She had been with them before this moment, so either she was a stowaway, or she'd just fallen in, but the most important part was that there was a staff at her back. Nyx quickly hurried up, before realizing that the woman was also just, not wearing much, "Oi, were ya wit' th' pirates from befor'? Ya alright? Sorry t' bother, but we could really use th' healing," Nyx tilted her head back towards Miria, "Big ol' wave o' dragons a problem for any ol' knight..." Nyx looked the woman over again, and then sighed, shrugging her jacket off of her, "Mayb' I'm thinking too much, but it feels like ye' could use this. Ain't gonna protect ya' from weapons, but... anything helps, yeah?"

Nyx ran around the corner, and watched as Miria took a flurry of attacks, she remained standing, barring the tide's path, but it wasn't going to last for long if she didn't get assistance. "Oi, you best leave lil' cub alone, or I'll--" Nyx paused, taking stock of the moment, and then calming herself. They couldn't push forward, not against something like that. They had to back up, and whittle them down bit by bit. That was the plan, right? So why didn't Nyx see herself fitting into it neatly? "Miria, pull back, gotta spread em out so we can knock em all down!" Nyx moves to 14, 25!

Nyx looked back where they'd come, and honestly, there were way too many flapping wings coming their way. It genuinely sounded like they brought a whole unit, but then again, they brought a whole ass unit against them, and they were winning so maybe turn out was fair-- Nyx shook her head, "Think about th' dumb shit later!" Nyx looked over to their commander, "Hey, Boss, there be o'dragon pileup coming our way, I'm gon' go get a better shot." Miria looked like she was getting ready to plug the hole, and she had to be there to clip some of those wings... The scream was more than enough for Vermeil to make his mind up. The enemy was too close, they'd come too far, and it was going to fall to him now. He peered over the walls, and saw one of the priests fleeing from the attackers. "Perfect. Inform that man to go find Lord Kazran, and warn him of the impending threat. As for the rest of us..." Vermeil notched his bow, and looked towards his remaining force, "Let us begin the hunt. If the damned Gaffneys are present, then let them being the kindling for the start of the next great purge! Let us begin!" Vermeil's men cheered loudly as the fight began to pull into its final phase... one last push. ENEMY PHASE TURN 7! Thief 1 engages Versaris on their way to the treasure! [40, 9] The thief spied his target, weighed his options, and then with all of his training, he threw it as deftly as he could. The man hadn't even seen him coming, it was truly over for him. And then, a flash of steel, his sword up, and the clatter of steel. The man looked in his direction, and suddenly a chill ran up his spine. As if he shouldn't be here any longer... Critical miss! Fighter 3 engages Christopher! Stability Rune alpha activates [39, 92] The axe strikes true, dealing 27 damage! Chris strikes back! [66, 70] The weight of darkness crushes fighter 3 doing 20 damage! Christopher gains 12 EXP, and +1 Dark EXP Cavalier 1 engages Amera! [13, 38] The sword deals 15! Amera counters! [46, 29], [52, 63] Amera slugs back for 16! Amera gains 12 EXP, and +2 Brawling EXP Wvyern 5, and Pirates 1 and 2, all engage Miria! Wvyern 5 strikes first! [32, 40] The man's spear pierces armor and deals 13! Miria counters! [3, 51] Empowered by her flames, the attack deals 18! Miria gains 12 EXP, and +1 Sword EXP! Pirate 1 throws an axe! [2, 51] The Axe surprisingly connects dealing 9 damage! Miria counters! [99, 2] Furious at the surprise attack, Miria unleashed a tornado of flame blowing the offending pirate away! Critical! Miria gains 38 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Pirate 2 follows up! [10, 24] (Where the fuck were these rolls earlier?) Pirate 2 also connects combining for 32 damage overall! Miria counters! [26, 63] Miria connects for 14 damage! Miria gains 12 EXP, and +1 Sword EXP! Miria reaches level 11 37 100 8 11 65 42 57 9 +HP, Skl, Res! Pirate 3 rushes in to fill the void left by Pirate 1! [93, 29] This shouldn't be surprising, but the axe missed. Miria counters! [25, 68] Miria strikes back with 12 damage! Miria gains 12 EXP, and +1 Sword EXP! ENEMY PHASE TURN 8! "It's this way, c'mon... You know, if I'd known you were so strong, I might've been more apprehensive about helping you, Talulah." "I'm pleased you weren't, Miss Lati... It's good to know there are wonderful humans out there still, especially in Islexia." Talulah and Lati made their way across the secret path down the cliffside. After spotting fliers across the sea, the two had determined there had to be another entrance into the fort... A moment of searching revealed a path hidden by bushes and shrubbery, leading to a narrowly dug out staircase towards the caves. "Well, I might be Islexian by birth, but I'm Lufirian raised. I'd never turn down a Clouded in need of assistance." Lati unshouldered her bow, pulling out an arrow and preparing for any resistance as they approached the cave entrance... the sounds of combat, but deeper in. "Still, knowing who your father is, with all you've told me... It will be wonderful to oust him and place you where you deserve to be. I shall assist to the best of my abilities..." Ysca, wake up. Talulah spoke in her mind as she grasped the blade at her hip, a groaning voice responding. It is time to feed-- No. But soon... For now, grant me the armor, that I may lay low my foes and deliver you the sustenance you so crave... ... ... ... If I must. A purple shimmer slid across Talulah's arms, legs and jaw, covering them with armor that apparated from nothing. Lati paused, watching it happen in awe, then shook her head. "That's some crazy magic... There's combat further in. Let's go, Talulah." "Ready...!" Her voice was muffled by her half-mask, but her eyes were fierce, the faintest red glowing behind them. Reinforcements have arrived?

Cin punches a dude with fist of flames! -1 HP! [45, 93] (81), [8, 64] (27) Cin's fist, empowered by anger, launched the fool for downing his companion! 34 EXP, and +3 Brawling! Koba engages Fighter 7 with Aircaliber! [49, 41], [46. 2] With a flick of the wrist, Koba's second spell struck with ferocity, destroying the man's weapon, and then rendering him unconscious! Critical! Koba gains 38 EXP, and +3 Anima EXP! Roxanne attacks Fighter 8 with Light! [3, 38], [54, 70] He died. Roxanne gains 26 EXP, and +3 Light EXP! Sylmaria draws her blade and engages Pirate 4! [3, 80] Sylmaria's blade strikes true for 13 damage! Pirate 4 counters! "You! Kazran's... Heh. I've been waiting for something like this, you beast!" [78, 21] "I'll kill you!" The man's axe fell, crushing the ground where Sylmaria stood, but Sylmaria was long gone. Aly gon kill a priest. [44, 14] I'm running out of critical quotes goddamn it. Critical! Aly agains 10 EXP, and +2 Hidden EXP! Amera lets her magic flow through her gauntlets! Electrify Activates! [25, 29] (48), [20, 7] (16), [37, 40] (91), [100, 59] (74), [70. 87] Amera swings a flurry of fists at the man, connecting, once, twice, a third in a blink of an eye, a fourth barely wizzes by his head, but the fifth strike crashes in for 28 damage! Amera gains 12 EXP, and +4 Brawling EXP! Alvira attacks Lance Armor 3! [37, 58], [83, 11] Alvira cast once, but on her second cast, Alvira had found her footing with the Light Magic, finally starting to make it her own as she brought it close, letting her magic swell, and mirroring the ease with which her Evoker teacher might have cast, unleashed a particularly powerful blast of light, enveloping the map in radiant energy, leaving a very melted, very dead man in her sights. Brightest Star activates, and Critical! 30 EXP, and +3 Light Magic! Seila heals Ullr for 21 HP! Seila gains 15 EXP, and +2 Staff EXP! Laniva has a swordfight with Myrm 7! [27, 68] Lani forgot that in order to have a swordfight, you actually have to fight someone who can swing back, or it's what we call a massacre. Lani gains 30 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Miria engages Pirate 4 with Afterburner empowered Wind Edge! Due to incompetence on the side of the GM, the Pirates did not have weapon ranks, and with proper weapon ranks, Miria would not double and kill this Pirate, but because the move was made without that knowledge, it will be honored as if he did not have his weapon rank [23, 3] WHAT THE FUCK I DIDN'T NEED TO DO ANYTHING I DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL ANYONE THAT I FUCKED UP AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Miria gains 38 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP. Syndra engages Myrm 8! [14, 93] (26, 77) Vengeance activates! Syndra felt spiteful so she froze him and his whole family. Syndra gains 34 EXP, and +2 Anima EXP! Aegean engages Cav 6! [55, 45] (28) Aegean does big damage with her first strike, dealing 27 damage! Cav 6 counters! [7, 16] Even through the minefield of Aegean's defensive posture, and Roxanne's funnels, Cav 6's lance found a way through dealing 15 damage! Aegean finishes up! [89, 74] (47) Aegean finishes the job with another swing of her axe! Aegean gains 38 EXP, and +3 Axe EXP! Renais Staff technicians Alvira some health! Heals Alvira fully! Renais gains 14 EXP, and +3 Staff Exp! Renais reaches A rank staves! Owen engages Cav 7! (7) Astra activates! [65, 29], [6, 57] With two lightning fast slashes of the blade, Owen dispatches the man and his horse! Owen gains 18 EXP, and +3 Sword EXP The man turned to look at Krystal, watching the ball of flame grow, and realizing that she hadn't changed targets. "Wait... Wait, wait...!" Krystal immolates a man! [59, 11] Krystal let all of her frustration, and anger leak into the fireball, as she threw it at the man. The heat from the blast was almost unbecoming of the fire spell, more akin to something much stronger, but it was flame all the same, over taking the man. His screams were loud, but fortunately for whoever may have been listening, they were brief. Critical! Krystal gains 26 EXP! Levels: Aegean reaches level 11! 75 10 48 1 35 41 100 61 +Str, Skl, Speed! Lani reaches level 12! 76 29 81 3 27 44 62 79 +Str, Skl, Spd, Def! Cinead reaches level 12! 77 6 41 18 33 95 75 1 +HP, Str, Mag, Skl, Spd, Res! Koba reaches level 10! 4 42 4 4 59 94 29 17 +HP, Mag, Skl, Spd! Koba learns Luna!

Sia smiled at the man, it was always best after establishing contact to return things to cordial as best one could, and this time, she could be mostly sure that they were on the same side here. "It's good to hear that embassy does keep their eyes and ears open." Unfortunately for Sia, that was the last time that she could smile, as the commander continued explaining when they'd last seen, and heard, from the ambassador. "You've got to be kidding me..." Perhaps was some annoyance from what Louise had informed her of on their way over bubbling over, but the veil of professionalism dropped from the Captain, quietly cursing under her breath. "We were supposed to meet with him to ascertain more of the particulars on the moon, but... I can't rule out the possibility that this was done in response to our dispatch." Sia put a hand to her lips, running through the series of possibilities... Louise was generally handling the questions--asking all that Sia would have, but one question stuck out to her. "I... don't believe it was AHI. Not from our encounter with Miss Avyndor. Unless she's pulled the wool over my eyes, she doesn't strike me as the type to authorize something like that. There's always the possibility that it was our other friend but even that seems... nonsensical. I'd place more stock in it being a terrorist group of some sort, the rebels of course are also plausible here... until we know how many of them fall, there's no telling what they would be willing to do to exert their will..." Sia hadn't been speaking to either Louise or the Commander, simply airing her words out as she usually did. She met Louise's troubled gaze, "Yes, anything we can learn about the scene now would help us start narrowing things down... because our net just keeps getting wider and wider, and I'm afraid that we don't have enough manpower to search the entire moon for answers..." Amy and Cia had both been standing around watching the argument? Lover's spat? unfold between one of the pilots, and what sounded like a woman. Amy shrugged and was about to get back to work when, she perked right up as she heard Tristan's voice, spinning around towards him, half way through venting her jumpsuit before getting back to work, "Tristan! Hi, no, you're not bothering in the slightest, actually; I'm well ahead of my repairs and stuff anyway~" If Amy hadn't been radiant before, she was now as she beamed up at the navigator, "Oh, uh..." Amy then suddenly turned sheepish as the man asked about what she was working on. That could have meant one of two things, the work she was doing right at this very moment, which was fine to show, or the work that she kept to herself for countless reasons. Amy then shook her head, and returned to beaming, "Well, I can show you what I'm doing right now! Come on." Amy strutted her way back over to her work area, and let her hand dance across the console to bring up a couple screens, "I'm on diagnostics duty, so I'm not working on actually putting anything back together; running all the tests, downloading important data into the database, making sure all of the systems are operating together properly, all of that sort of jazz~ Not really a whole lot of helping to do, I'm just kind of updating, and repairing some software that may have gotten a little scrambled during the fight." Amy finally took a breath through her rapid fire explanation before plopping her elbows down on her bench, and staring over at the navigator, "So! You're on break? Whatcha been doing in the interrim, huh?" Marianne stifled a laugh as Azame decided to go all the way in, "Wow, okay, I don't think I've heard that one before... points for trying. And you know? Just by looking at you, I can tell that you're not joking..." There was a method to doing something like that, a lot of the time, it was done by people who hadn't quite established a reason to be relaxed with them. More often than not men who had a very tangible vibe about them, the kind of feeling that if she ever let her guard down, or was alone, that there was much more than a non-zero chance that if she'd never turned then down, her life would be endangered. Azame threaded that needle, and Marianne could appreciate. Marianne then blinked, "Wait you got assigned to the ship, met with your captain and don't know her name, or even why the ship is up here?" Marianne couldn't tell if that was obfuscation, or something being a little too all over the place. Azame was a very bouncy woman, and in more ways than one. Quickly, it became apparent that it was the latter; Azame was already offering a tour of the ship. It appeared that Azame was definitely interested, and if all she had to do was to work her charms a little to get aboard and feel somethings out, then Marianne could certainly work her charms. Senri was the first to respond though, the correct response, finally pulled himself away from whatever had gotten him so focused, Marianne stifled another chuckle as the first thing the man mentioned was a pun at the obvious, "He is right, you know... couldn't that get you in trouble? I mean, I'm not adverse to seeing such a state of the art ship up close and personal; I've never quite been in the seat of a HEX either... I'm not quite sure we'd both fit in one anyway..." This cannot be this easy... there is no way that this is how I'm going to get on that ship. She didn't even see me dance, but maybe having some tricks left in reserve would be good... Hmhmhmhm... Today might be better than I hoped for~

Vermeil could feel his hands starting to shake as combat seemed to stretch on, and on, and on, and instead of getting further away, it felt like it was getting closer, and closer still. "Blast it all, what the hell is going on out there!? It should just be a cursory force, it should just--" "Commander Vermeil! Disaster! The pirates are escaping, and our forces are having trouble with the attackers! What's more... they've confirmed that Cassandra Gaffney is among them... but... they also confirmed that Owen Gaffney, is here as well." Vermeil froze, and dropped his bow as he whirled to look at the messenger, "...What? What did you just say? That's not... The damned witch was supposed to...?" "...They report seeing her along the attackers as well. Sir." Vermeil took a long, deep--very deep--breath before he slowly gathered his bow, "Sylmaria. Is. Here? With. Her target?" The man started to chuckle, and then he burst out into laughter, echoing through out the halls. "Really can't leave any planning to any of the bitches within this house. First, Giovanna, and now fucking Cereza's plan goes up in our face... Agh, I knew it! I knew that damned dragon was best as--" Vermeil paused, slicked his hair back, and composed himself. "Tell everyone to move in. By now the riders should be back, and pinching the beasts. We wait no longer. Have one of the priest go to warn Lord Kazran, as for the rest of us... sally forth, spare no one, nothing, women, children, the pirates themselves, all the same at this point, however, if Owen or Sylmaria come into your sight, leave them for me. I will crush them, and then taken them to Kazran myself. Owen alive, Sylmaria, very, very dead." ENEMY PHASE TURN 6! One of the axemen watched as Krystal cowered in the face of their enemies, refusing to take on her own kind. "Krystal, you damned sow! Stand and fight! Stand, or I'll kill you my damned self!" Brawler 2 takes one glance at Lani, one glance at Owen, and then chooses to throw hands with Ullr! [23, 52], [44, 99] The man took a cue from Ullr, striking first with his right, and then rearing back as he put his all into his next strike, breaking Ullr's guard, and sending the wolf to the ground. Ullr is downed! Rolls a 7 -2 Defense for the remainder of this map(Both parts constitute one map, and next map) The rest of the enemy units move in... All around the Tigers, footsteps, hooves, shouts and calls, and more enemy units arrived from the east and west! "Make your names heard lads! Bring the cursed ones down!" "Charge, Charge! Help our boys pincher! It's time for a hunt!" PLAYER PHASE TURN 7!

M got a revolver from her companion, and almost immediately, the unusual clouded made sure to extinguish one of the offending armors. She was here, so she might as well try to show out too, right? "Them guns pretty swifty, ain't they...? But ain't nothin' I can't do with this! Your turn!" Nyx to 13, 24 and Iron Bow Sword Armor Knight 3!

Renais heals Roxanne for 33 HP! Renais gains 27 EXP, and +3 staff EXP! Roxanne then heals Alvira for 13 HP! Roxanne gains 11 EXP, and +2 Staff EXP! Seila heals Cass for 20 HP! Seila gains 15 EXP, and +2 Staff EXP! Lani throws a sword at Merc 6! [47, 9] Lani's greatsword connects, and the man is crushed! Lani gains 30 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! M was up, and away the moment hope came through the door, a tall, tanned woman with a not-unfamiliar accent--a good amount of the boys spoke in a similar dialect, so it was simple enough to pick up on. Nyx blinked as the captive was less appreciative, and more incensed demanding a gun, or something. "Uh, I ain't be th' one to ask. Boss won' let me near those, hell they barely--" Kika stepped up next to the pair, "I can handle that," And presented M with an old revolver, "Don't ask what possessed me. Just felt like we might have needed more bullets, you know? Was waiting for the right time, and it seems like it's right no--" Kika then gasped audibly, "Roxanne?!" The visible change in M was palpable, almost soul crushing to watch, and hear. They were supposed to wait for her, and from the sounds of it, she'd brought an entire force--a devastating force with how quickly they appeared to be cutting their way through Kazran's forces. Kika didn't make eye contact the entire time that they spoke, only looking up as Roxanne walked away. Kika forced the revolver into M's hand, "...I'll get Istavion to the rear, and we'll get out of your way, boss. Make them pay. Make them all pay." Kika then found her way to Roxanne, and placed a hand on the sheep's shoulder, "...I'm sorry. I... I should have stopped her, and trusted that you would make it. Don't... Don't take it all out on M when this is over. Please." Kika then rushed off to find Istavion. Nyx scratched her head, and then looked up as the rear doors clicked, "Hell, back up! Th' coming!" Istavion looked up as the feline clouded now shouting at him, armed with a rifle--that had to mean that they were either somehow Lufirian, or Glacian in nature. The man shook his head, "Three... me, the boss, and Kika... Just us... maybe some upstairs... don't know, don't know..." ENEMY PHASE TURN 5! The doors swung up, and armored men armed to the teeth peered inside, "Damn! The prisoners are escaping! The prisoners are-- What?" One of the men's eyes fell on Nyx, "A human?! Who are you wi--" The other knight put his sword out in front of his companion. "What does that question matter? A human is here amongst our attackers, and they are freeing the prisoners. We were sent to escort them to their deaths, and as men of Islexia, we do not falter on our mission." The man pointed his sword at the escaping prisoners, "Lord Kazran won't mind if they're all dead by the time we present them to him! Charge, forward!" "Ohhhhhhh, fuck, c-come on, hey! Heyyy! You're not supposed to escape!" The worst had come, the prisoners were being freed by these attackers... And they were getting away! It would be her ass on the line if they actually got out! "Geez, uhhhhhh... H-Heyyy~! Time to strut your stuff, big guy!" She slapped her hand onto the armored man's back and slipped past him. "You enjoy that, go stop them, yeah?" Armor 4 will have brave effect for their next attack! Brawler 1 tries their luck with Sari... to no avail as they can't even connect Sari counters! [19, 1] The moment was so swift, so decisive that it almost felt like it was Sari who had attacked, and not the man who was no longer. Critical! Sari gains 26 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! The group of men watch as Versaris completely evicerated one of their own... and decide that targeting Versaris is not worth the effort, instead focusing on Roxanne! Sword Armor 2 attacks Roxanne! [24, 85] The blade once again cleaved through Roxanne's crystalline armor, but the effect was different, a burning, searing pain, rather then the crushing blow shattering her armor! 25 damage! Roxanne counters! [2, 95], [71, 81] both spells connect for a combined 36 damage! 30 EXP, and +3 Light EXP! Due to a mistake in calculation, Brawler 4 and 5 are now also capable of attacking Roxanne and do so! Brawler 4 swings first! [12, 47], [19, 6] both punches land cleanly for a combined 6 damage! Roxanne counters! [51, 44], [43, 18] Two blasts of magic later, and Brawler 4 has been downed! Roxanne gains 30 EXP, and +3 Light EXP Brawler 5 then steps in! [20, 43], [100, 26] His first punch connect, but the 2nd is wild, and misses! Roxanne counters! [11, 60] She blasts once, ready to fire again... but conspicuously, the first blast was enough to finish the man off. On second glance the man was already injured! Roxanne gains 30 EXP and +3 Light EXP! Roxanne reaches level 12! 37 71 34 35 88 49 13 97 +HP, Mag, Skl, Def! Brawler 6 rushes up to Sari... to throw Chakrams at Alvira! [21, 40] The chakram bonks Alvira for 8 damage! Alvira counters! [15, 59] Alvira returns fire with a flash of light for 15 damage! [BSC: 2] Alvira gains 10 EXP, and +1 Light EXP Soldier 7 attacks! [61, 54] With Owen's support and leader ship, Ullr steps out of the way of the strike! Ullr counters! [90, 91] (90) Ullr thrusts his Chakram into Soldier 7's stomach for 20 damage! +1 Brawling, and +12 EXP Ullr reaches level 11! 67 11 7 100 76 16 28 63 +Str, Mag, Lck, Res! Soldier 8 follows up with his Javelin! [98, 74] Yeah he sure did follow up with his Javelin. Ullr counters! [61, 8] Ullr tosses the metal into his stomach too, but for 16 damage! +1 Brawling, and +10 EXP! Soldier 9 tries to do better! [34, 54] Finally a javelin connect for 17 damage! Ullr counters! [27, 99] (20) Ullr really doesn't like these guys' stomachs. 18 damage! +1 Brawling, and +10 EXP! As the axe men charged forth, the sound of heavy wings, and a loud roar echoed throughout the halls. Through the caves, came a group of Wvyern riding men and women. "Form up! Don't know how the stench of the world broke through the patrols so easily, but they'll not get away any longer. Advance men, advance!" PLAYER PHASE TURN 6! Enemy Reinforcements have arrived!

Everyone else was getting into the thick of it, and the enemy's numbers seemed to be piling up, but things looked handled, so Nyx did what she did best, pick locks--there was a door in front of them, and from the looks of things, there were prisoners inside. The guards were toast, so it was time to swooce on in, and, "Th'Fuck?" Nyx slipped her tools in, and they didn't budge, no click, no jiggling, no nothing. Nyx tried harder, but her tools weren't working the way they normally did, "Ah, fuck it." Nyx pulled back, notched an arrow and fired it at the lock, and whether she'd planned for it to work or not, the lock came undone, and the door creaked open. "Always wit th' right touch~ Awright, hurry up! Yer lucky day fer a jail break!" Nyx looked inside, and first her eyes fell onto the large man missing a part of his arm, "Hell... Y'ain't wit' th' sheep's crew, issya?" He wasn't going to be moving too quickly that was for sure, but there was one person who's eyes snapped to hers as she walked in. There was malice in those eyes, anger, hatred, but despite her eyes being locked on hers, it wasn't pointed at her. "Oi, ye good te move? Ain't got time te' waste!" ENEMY PHASE TURN 4! The fighting only seemed to get louder and louder; even with the movement of his forces, the fighting only seemed to intensify. Vermeil had half a mind to head out himself, but Krystal was out there, and if nothing else, the cow was certainly tenacious. Somehow someone like her had survived in Kazran's employ, especially with Cereza breathing down her neck, so if there was any reason for him to be concerned, she would return to him. The attackers would kill her for betraying her kind, that much he was certain of, so there wasn't much to fear. He just needed to hold position. Perhaps it would be prudent of him to send someone to inform Kazran of the attack, "Bah... what am I so unsure of? Giovanna failed us, a woman, and one who seeks the touch of the damn beasts... I'm one of Kazran's handpicked. Failure is not something that I know, nor plan too..." Vermeil turned to one of his men, "Hurry up, and rouse everyone! We'll swarm them until they cornered like the damned beasts they are!" The fleet of armors advanced at pace, hurrying towards the clashing steel, and the booming thunder. "Truly ghastly... No matter, sally forth men! We are to collect the captives, and slay all who approach!" The Lizard woman looked at Nyx, and then hurried over to Istavion, "Ask the damned questions later! They're coming for us, and you!" All the cell doors have been opened! Fighter 2 engages Cass! [31, 66] The man's axe careens helplessly wide! Cass counters! [14, 39], [53, 18] Cass's axe proved to be far more dangerous, as she downed the man for attempting to strike at her! Cass gains 14 EXP, and +3 Axe Merc 6 charges for Owen! "Die you worthless fool!" [65, 89] The man's blade feel recklessly, and Owen was able to step out of the way! Owen counters! (90) [100, 32] Owen strikes back for 16 damage! Owen gains 2 EXP, and +1 Sword EXP! Enemy Reinforcements have arrived! PLAYER PHASE TURN 5!

Syndra Blizzards a Myrm [2, 43] (20, 24) 19 damage Syndra gains 12 EXP, and +1 Anima Sylmaria approaches, and uses the Shatter spell! Targets Merc 5, Cav 4, Cav 5 [82 to hit on Merc 5, 81 on Cav 4, 87 on Cav 5] [45, 64] Hit Merc 5 [65, 91] Hit Cav 4 [54, 22] Hit Cav 5, no crits Sylmaria gains 24 EXP! Alvira engages Cav 3! [73, 3] With a bright flash, Cavalier 3 was rocketed back down the hall whence he came! Critical for Nice damage Alvira gains 38 EXP, and +2 Light EXP! Amera punches Merc 4! [31, 46] Amera's first punch was enough to knock Merc 4 unconscious! Amera gains 34 EXP, and +2 Brawling! Alvira reaches level 11! 53 97 31 4 62 39 80 36 +HP, Mag, Skl, Spd, Res! Aly targets the frigid Myrm! [12, 34] Two knives, two crits, two kills. Critical! Aly gains 30 EXP, and +2 Hidden EXP! Aly reaches level 13! 1 61 16 13 2 19 27 13 +HP, Skl, Spd, Lck, Def, Res! Renais uses the rescue staff on Aegean! Renais gains 25 EXP, and +3 Staff exp! Aegean targets Priest 2! [34, 94] He prayed to a god that was never protecting him. Aegean gains 22 EXP, and +2 Axe EXP! Sari blows up Cav 2. No seriously. [78, 10] My mistake, Sari physically deleted Cav 2. Critical! Sari gains 26 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP! Roxanne valiantly charges Fighter 1! [60, 30], [15, 9] Roxanne's first spell opened him up, and the funnel found so much more. Critical! Roxanne gains 34 EXP, and +3 Light EXP! Roxanne reaches level 11! 2 28 43 47 29 32 30 12 +HP, Mag, Skl, Spd, Def, Res! Tasha steadies her rifle! (73) [55, 27] With a well place shot, Merc 5 goes down! Tasha gains +2 Gun EXP, and 30 EXP! Ullr throws hands (Literally?) [44, 71] Cav 4 looks up after taking the dome of lightning, and then takes a chakram to the dome. Ullr gains +2 Brawling EXP, and +38 EXP! Cass steps forward to light the way! -1 HP (89) [51, 21] This is what I get for not having Light Magic on this map, you guys get all the crits instead... Cass gains 18 EXP!