Mercenary on the Winds

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!

Marianne's eyes bounced between Azame, and Leon, "Sounds like the Captain's a stunner, if he's ignoring you for her..." It didn't take much to grasp the full scope of Azame's charms, bubbly, sharp enough to have become a CEN ensign, and if she leaned any further, her chest was going to overflow--her cropped top doing everything in its limited power to hold her back. She has to redo that knot constantly, jeez. Marianne hadn't seen Azame walk in, but she was fairly sure that she'd sport her lower body to match. Certainly an attractive woman, and to say nothing of her confidence, "Well, if it were a different time, I don't think I'd mind, but there's so much going on nowadays that I've barely got the time to get out and do this. I really do appreciate the interest, but Callisto really drives a girl ragged, and it's only getting worse with all that's happening." Marianne watched Senri from the corner of her eye, and he'd turned over to where Red had been standing. She couldn't turn to look, but something had caught his eye over there. "So you're a part of that ship now? Weird... What's it up here for anyway? I've never seen one so large, and well, I guess you'd have to have a captain in order to command one of those things, but I don't think I've ever heard of someone that high up coming all the way out here to Callisto. Did AHI request some assistance with something?"

Marianne frowned at the news, "Hmm... that might explain why the message was a bit more detailed then... Wish she would have just come out and had said that it was probably wasn't going to be her... But then, who, because it doesn't sound like it's yo--" The door had swung open, but it was the loud call of Senri's name that got Marianne to finally turn towards the door. Approaching with a hefty bounce, in both step and body, was an augmented woman whose dress matched the tone of her voice and seeming personality. The man with her was a tall, red haired man in a jacket, not quite as loudly dressed, but definitely still stood out especially amongst the engineers that frequented Elegy. The woman plopped down right next to her, and was already batting eyelashes at her; not exactly offputting, the woman was attractive, and, at least at the moment, she wasn't acting the same way as the man towards the front, or any number of other folks who 'tried' to shoot their shot. Marianne nodded, "Aha... Yes, we're work colleagues, I'm sort of the secretary to the higher ups, delivering messages, performing my own tasks, that sort of thing. I perform on the side." Then Azame gave Marianne her name, and Marianne gave Senri the faintest glare for a moment, the kind of glare that might have said, 'I swear to god, if you were lying to me, you better not sleep anywhere in Remensburg, or you might be six feet under...' The glance was so faint that she wasn't even sure that Senri would have picked up on it, before turning to Azame with a bright smile, "Well, it's not every day that I meet a CEN ensign. Anne, my name is Anne Saoirse, appreciate the compliment. And don't be too hard on Senri, work is cutthroat up here on Callisto, it might not be the best paying job, but working in rentals is way cushier than you think it is. Don't have to deal with all of the politics, and the higher ups... Senri could probably have any other job he wanted, but honestly, it's not worth it." Marianne then looked over at Leon, still camped by the bar while Reisa worked, "Speaking of guys, did you come alone, or is red over there with you? Am I correct in guessing that you're both CEN?" Suddenly this routine meeting was turning into something else; CEN had a very small presence up on the moon, a consequence of their 'agreement' with AHI. For what could be two CEN members to just show up in Elegy after that massive ship had landed... What are the odds that these two are with that ship? Hmm... Maybe there's something here, certainly they aren't going to need everything they've got on that ship, right? Especially if they're potentially working with Ayvndor... Sia smiled as they walked in, Louise handling the introductions, "Yes, Selensia Silverwind, Captain of the Imminent Dawn. We'll just be a moment with your commander, we have a few questions that we need to ask him about recent happenings on the moon." There hadn't been any need to explain as the receptionist rather quickly pointed them to the man's office, but it was a force of habit still from when she had been XO. Just more things to get used to, or perhaps she could just leave them as they were--there wasn't any harm in it anyway. Sia lead the way to the Commander's office turning back over her shoulder, "I sure do hope that they can tell us more than nothing... to say that he's the foremost expert when it comes to tensions on this moon would be an understatement, and for him to be missing right at this very moment is a coincidence that I can't rule out as foul play." Hopefully it was just a case of the man having returned home to see his family or something, Sia did remember that Virion Altair had family both on the moon, and back on Earth. Sia peered through the door on the right, looking into a large office, with a man sitting at a desk staring at the computer screen. Sia knocked on the open door, "Pardon the intrusion, Commander." Sia walked inside, and then gave the man a salute, "My name is Selensia Silverwind of the CEN Celestial Navy, currently serving as the Captain of the Imminent Dawn. I know my attire doesn't make that statement, but that is neither here nor there. If you have the time, I was hoping that you could inform us of some events here on the moon. I am aware that one of our ambassadors was here earlier, but I would like to confirm some information directly." Amy watched with a cocked eyebrow as whoever was in the machine was arguing with the pilot, and as the pilot tried to drag the unknown out, the pilot found himself pulled in instead. He did just say that it was nothing he couldn't handle, but these machines were their responsibility, fortunately, Cia called over to her, "Uh, yeah, I, maybe?" Amy pointed up at Daeran's machine, "One of the pilots is arguing with someone in the pilot seat up there; he said he could handle it, but..." Amy gave an exaggerated shrug, unsure what exactly to do in this situation. "Should we just leave it to him, or...?"

One of the priests winced as a shrill voice shouted out Kazran's name, before launching her target into the wall, with a sickening thud. But then, he stopped as the gears began to turn... "...You! You're Kazran's...!" The priest pointed at her, "It's the demon witch! She's here! She's turned on us!" Then his eyes turned to the south, and where there had been anger before, there was confusion. "Rose hair... The Gaffneys! No, Owen yet lives! It's the damned Gaffneys!" "Idiot!" One of the swordsmen ran past him, "Stop wasting time here! Go, tell the others, warn the commander! Lord Kazran needs to be warned that the damned beast lovers are here!" The swordsman pointed his sword at Sylmaria and then Owen and Cass, "You think you're all so clever getting this far, huh? Well, you've come to the right place to find your graves!" Myrm 6 swiftly engages Cass after shooing the Priest away! [1, 90] Myrm 6 feinted in, but cleverly got around Cass's axe, cutting her down for 22 damage! Cass strikes back! [95, 34] Not to be outdone, Cass's axe went through the man's guard, and crushed bone, steel, and the man's ambitions in one fell strike. Cass gains +2 Axe EXP, and 18 EXP! Priest 2 heals Merc 4 back to full HP! Merc 4 then engages Roxanne! [4, 20] The hooked blade cleaved right through Roxanne's crystalline armor, dealing 34 damage! Roxanne counters! [50, 26], [7, 88] Roxanne deals 28 damage! Roxanne gains 12 EXP, and +2 Light EXP! Just then, hurried footsteps appeared from where the Tigers had entered. "Th' fuck is happening in here?! Wasn't we just attac'd?" Another man ran in, "Oi, oi, oi, this is bad, it's more of those beastly types... They look crazy armed." A third man ran in, and bonked the previous two, "You idiots, WE'RE ALL ARMED! And if they're attacking us, then we gotta get in there! The Drakes should be on their way back too, so let's take all the fun! Sharpen the Axes boys, let's roll!" An eerie howl echoed through the halls... PLAYER PHASE TURN 4! Priest 1 is now considered a Messenger Type Enemy! Priest 1 will not heal enemies, but will try to reach Vermeil to relay information. If Priest 1 makes it to his location, circumstances on Part 2 will alter! His Movement stats have changed in regards to this! Enemy Reinforcements have arrived, and will start arriving more often now!

Vermeil notched an arrow as the familiar sounds of combat began echoing through out the caves. They were too spread out; there were people tending to the wounded, and figuring out who the blasted half-breeds had killed in their mad dash for Kazran's throat. It didn't take long, a soldier sprinted towards him, almost out of breath, "Sir, disaster, it's another attack. It's another force of monsters, but..." Vermeil's eyes narrowed, "But, what? Speak up! We don't have time for your melodrama!" Vermeil began pointing at people, and telling gesturing forward. "There are humans mixed in with these ones from the sounds of it, and... One of the men report that they heard the name, 'Cassandra'." Vermeil's face blanched, before quickly reddening as he grabbed the man in front of him by the scruff of his neck, "Boy... I don't know what that bitch, Giovanna lets you think you're allowed to get away with but I do not tolerate jokes. So I need you to be as serious as you can possibly be... are you telling that one of the one of the damned Gaffney are in this keep, through the sea caves that are supposed to be secret!?" The younger soldier squirmed in the man's hand, but nodded vigorously, "That's what they heard sir! They're moving too quickly for anyone to have confirmed by the time it, urk, got to me! I was just told to relay the message!" Vermeil dropped him to the floor, "Then relay this message! Rouse everyone! Injured, exhausted, dead, alive, I care not, just have them snuff out the attackers, and bring me the Gaffney. The other is supposed to be dead, so this is almost definitely a revenge attack. Have some of the riders on standby. I don't believe we'll need their assistance, but I want to have someone who could go and warn Lord Kazran if they prove to be too much for us here..." "That's the spirit, boss." Kika looked straight ahead as the two bow wielding guard finally started to stir with everything going on. The two of them have been rather lackadaisical for a garrison that just been attacked, but from their brief fighting down here, and above, these were naught but constricts--the real meat of Kazran's forces were above, and marshalled for what seemed like was going to be their own attack. "The fuck is going on out there...? Rodrick, what the fuck?" "I don't know, Rickrod... Fuck, this was just supposed to be a good pay day..." "We're on the job, Rodrick, just call me Rick. It's not hard..." Rick drew his bow, and turned it on the captives, "Alright, all of you get back in there, and wait for someone to come tell you what happens to you, if you know what's good for you." That probably sounded intimidating enough. Krystal continued her march through the halls, until she came to the central areas were there was a group of men, and women forming. "Ah, there you are." A tall armored man turned as Krystal appeared from one of the hallways. "I was wondering if Vermeil was keeping you or not... damned idiot says that we don't have time, but then takes as much time as possible. There's a new force within the caves, and we have reason to suspect that they might be here for the prisoners... You're going to get them out and we're taking them to Kazran. We'll be accompanying you, so don't dawdle. More of your kind are outside, but I suspect if they see you with us, they won't hesitate to cut you down too, so keep that in mind." "Ah!" Krystal let her anxiety get the better of her, squeaking in shock as she was suddenly addressed, but she calmed down quickly enough. "Oh thank goodness, protection... Of course, of course~ And geez, more of my kind? Did you see me turn sides when those pirates attacked?" She sighed, smiled all sly, and ran a finger across the armored man's chest plate. "I know who I work for... And let's not kid ourselves, 'ser knight'. You can look at my horns and call me disgusting... But when you've got your hands on them, using them to shove your di--" her words were cut off by the crackle of thunder from down the hall, making her jump and jiggle. "Mmmm, save the sexy thoughts for later-- but I know you boys have them. I'm more human than they come! The tits feel the same either way, so keep me safe and you'll get your feel~!" (edited) The man looked aside for a moment, before the thunder gave him the pretense to not respond to the woman's... provoctions. He couldn't lie, were it not here, in front of others, he'd have no qualms of calling the woman as she was; a bewitchingly beautiful woman. But in this moment, "We'll see how human any of us remain if we don't do our job, let's move!" ENEMY PHASE TURN 2! Merc 2 engages Cass! [72, 52] His sword was unprepared for the unusual axe in Cass's hand! "Wait..." The man's eyes fell on the rose haired man behind Cass, "Aren't you--" Cass doesn't wait for his words! [40, 72] (6) Astra Activates! First hit does 15! [53, 8] Cass's first strike disarmed the man, and then Cass's strike took both the man's arm, and his torso. Critical! Merc 2 is felled! Cass gains +3 Axe EXP, and 14 EXP! Merc 3 did not roll well on his wisdom check, and charges into Cass as well! [21, 97] His sword also gets caught by Cass's axe, knocking it sideways! Cass follows through! [51, 37] (18), [18, 15] (96) Two more well placed attacks, and Merc 3 is downed as well! Cass gains +3 Axe EXP, and +14 EXP! Merc 1 engages Versaris! Merc 1 swings... but there was never any chance for him to connect, Versaris simply sidesteping the swing! Versaris counters! [85, 59], [73, 11] With a flourish almost too fast to see, Versaris dispatched the first mercenary with ease! Versaris gains +3 Sword EXP, and +22 EXP! Merc 4 looks at Versaris, and then turns tail back the other way to wait for reinforcements! PLAYER PHASE TURN 3! Shouting and footsteps begin to echo in the caves around the Tigers...

Marianne blinked, once, twice, and then a third time. If there was anything she'd learn about Alouette in their short partnership, it was that the woman was very meticulous about who she sent out. It was easy to see why; most of the rebels were hopped up on righteousness and justice, and weren't exactly knowledgeable about what it would really take to be able to stand against AHI. She looked at Senri, and then, let out a sigh of relief, "This is the first I've heard of a right hand... Last I'd heard, Alouette was really a one-woman show for her group." From his reaction, and him relaxing, it was clear to her that Senri was not lying to her. Marianne melted a bit onto the table, "I guess if we're doing introductions again... Marianne Linan, I'm... both an informant, and thief of sorts. Not formally a part of her group, but if there was any group I was going to be associated with, it would be hers." It felt weird to say that she was aligned with the work of one of the Callistan aristocracy, but even such a morally bankrupt group of people was bound to have a handful that bucked the trend. Which made the mention of a niece intriguing. "Lucille? Who's that? Kind of odd that this is only the first time that I'm hearing about her, and you... I guess she's been doing some recruiting or something..." Marianne then sighed, "If you're so close to her, then it probably wouldn't be any trouble to call her, right? She's the one who usually handles this with me. In fact, she was the one who sought me out originally. She's normally around by now, but... Nothing's happened to her, right?" "I plan on holding you both to that... Mon dieu..." Sia sighed, it was nice being able to speak in her native tongue--it made it easier to channel her frustrations in a neater way. French wasn't the most common language amongst CEN, so she often got away with saying things in French that would have caused her problems. Fortunately, nothing about this was truly upsetting, more annoying if anything. While it really was nothing new for people to be after her hand, it got exhausting, and annoying to have been arguing over her. The last time it had happened, ended with a whole tirade from her, in French, to the point that she'd almost caused herself to collapse. She'd been so out of breath, but the words kept coming and coming. 'If the both of you are so incapable of going about this like normal people, then there was no chance for either of you to stand by my side anyway. Compete for someone else's hand; I'll choose who I see fit, and not because someone wooed me better than the other!' Sia shoved the memory from her mind; she didn't want it to sour her time away. Louise and Leon were already lightyears better than those two from before, at least able to come to an amiable standing after their argument. "We'll have to speak with either Iskra or Esther, but given Iskra's disposition, and the way she seemed after our fight... I think it was best to leave that for another time, or defer to Esther..." The embassy wasn't far away, and with the sparsely populated streets, it was a simple drive. The building was rather unremarkable compared to the almost gaudy AHI headquarters, but that seemed to be a theme with the buildings. It was easy to tell when the buildings were AHI, or some rich oligarch's business, and when they were the buildings of just the common people. As if thing couldn't be more stark here... Almost like something out of a history book... Sia pulled the car into one of the parking spots, "Alright, let's go see if we can find anything about our missing ambassador. I am getting more and more of a feeling that it's not unrelated to our other growing problem."

Rivane clicked his tongue as his spear wasn't enough to bring the man down, and he was just fast enough to make it to his allies. A wall of men appeared on the other side of the trees; they didn't look trained, so it might have been possible for Rivane to hold his own, but that wasn't the issue--the issue was now that there was a wall between them and their goal, and he was sure that Evelyn couldn't be too far away. Willow had noticed the danger as well. "If they think to become a wave to wash over us, then we'll have to break the wave. Handle the stragglers behind us, and then join me as we break this wall." Rivane drew his sword, and pointed it at the wave of approaching men, "Come if you dare. There is more at stake than your lives, and I'm more than willing to trade all of them to see it done." Rivane equips the Iron Sword, and moves to 7, 13!

Louise rounded to the passenger seat, leaving her to drive, so Sia got things ready while Louise spoke, all but confirming her errant thought. There were only two things in which Leon and Louise crossed, their mission as pilots, which the two seemed to be on the same page with, and then... her. It was little secret to her that both of them were interested; both had all but said as much, not too long ago, but it sounded as if that rivalry had been bubbling for a little bit, and it must have boiled over at some point. Sia finished getting all of the miscellaneous car things out of the way, mirrors, her seat, and started the car before sighing, "Mon dieu... Ce que vous avez fait est ridicule..." Sia shook her head, "No amount of training would really prepare anything for something like this, huh? Honestly? An argument over me? I'd be flattered if it wasn't so... childish." Sia sighed, and then put the car in reverse, "At the very least, the both of you seemed to handle the aftermath of such as the adults that the both of you are. You're right, had something like this been private, and I only learned about it after the fact... Needless to say that I would not have been pleased about it. Far, far more than I am now." Sia's exasperation then turned into a soft smile, "But honesty is very important to me, both as myself, and as a captain, and if I remained upset for long over you being honest with me, I wouldn't be much of a captain, or as someone to be seen as a potential partner. Though... please keep in mind, the first reason we're here is for our task, failing that, there is little reason to look at me, or anyone else as a potential partner, and certainly not to the degree that you're having arguments with other pilots over it. Especially now that we have enemies who have stated their intent to kill us all if we get in their way. That needs to remain at both yours, and Leon's minds... Alright? I don't mind if the both of you try to pursue me, that's nothing new, but the both of you are better than most who have tried, I'm sure of that." Sia neatly whipped the car around, and started their way off of the Dawn, "But... enough of that. I think we have other things to focus on for the moment, and... I think it's best to start at the embassy." Marianne looked at Senri, almost impressed with his tact. It was clear at this moment that this man wasn't with CEN, or AHI, and that he was after something. As to what, he wasn't giving for free. He was asking for trust, perhaps the most important thing that Marianne had to offer. Trusting someone was knowing that you could turn away, and that you wouldn't have to fear the potential bullet in your back. It was both the most powerful thing in existence, and simultaneously the biggest weakness that anyone could have. It was why so few knew of her aliment; so many people would deign to use it against her if it so fit their needs. That was the way it always was up here, people that you could trust were in short supply, because money, and power were all that make this moon spin, and when given the chance, you took it. "...If you're not aligned with AHI, or CEN, and you're not one of those rebel fronts that just wants to burn this place to the ground, then... I don't see any reason why I'd stab you in the back. You don't live on this moon for 23 years, and not understand that to all of those people... we're just pawns in their game, AHI will grind us to dust to satisfy the bitch in the tower, and their shareholders, CEN will just use us an excuse to do whatever the hell they want, and when one of those fake rebel fronts finally does get power, they're just going to do the same thing that AHI did. There's only been one real force actually working for people on this moon... and if you're with them, then yeah, you can trust me." Marianne took a deep breath, "What does the name Alouette mean to you?" Marianne's voice never broke above a whisper, her eyes never leaving Senri's, searching for anything that would prove that he wasn't just one of the silvertongued bastards that could be found all over the moon.

ENEMY PHASE TURN 1! Vermeil froze, as the boom of thunder echoed through out the halls. For one, he knew that the clouds did not imply that there would be a storm this evening, and even if there had been, the ringing shouldn't have hit his ears. It shouldn't have felt like it was so very close to him. "...What in the Sands name, was that?" He could hear the men, and women around him taking hold of their arms, and then, shouting. It was too distant to make out, garbled by the echo, and then steel against steel. "...That's not possible. Another? Another--" "Attack! We're under attack! Sound the alar--" The man was crushed long before he could finish his words, Aegean's axe cracking the man's armor like a hammer against a chestnut. The cries from the vanguard didn't fare much better as they crumpled, the stun from the sudden bolt of lightning, and then the rush of mages far too much for them to handle. The lone remaining swordsman looked on in horror as a mass of beasts rushed into the area, just like the pirates from before had, except there were more of them, better equipped, and the sheep woman with the fantastical items that brutally eviscerated Vandrek, there was a horrific malice in her actions, and in her tone, eyes focused on him now. He drew his blade, resolve returning to his frame as he felt the steel in his hand--this is what they all trained for, prepared for. The monsters were to be culled one day, and one day, they would come. Today was that day, and today, he would fight, they would win just had they had hours before. "Sound the alarm! Get someone to the commander, and warn him that more of the half-breeds have come! Rouse everyone! For a better Islexia!" "Ho-ly shit." The lizard woman got up, and followed after M, only to watch her leader crumple to the ground, overcome with emotion. Not joy, not relief, but anguish, pain, knowing that had they waited, had they followed the plan... "Boss! Boss, come on!" The lizard knelt down next to M, "Hey! Look at me. Every single damn one of us walked in here not because you asked us to, but because we needed to get that rat-ass bastard back for what he did. If this is another chance... We can't just sit here and dwell on our fuck up! We could have stopped you, we all could have, but we all chose to follow you, because we couldn't wait to get another chance to ice that man-baby." Loud groans of pain came from the other side of the cell, as the man pulled himself up to sitting, "Ki-ka's... right." The pain was still real, it radiated all through out his body, and seemed to grow in intensities as the Islexian vanguard roused themselves. "We... fucked up... so... if we get... one more chance... let's... let's... take it..." "You ain't doing shit, Istavion, you can't even--" "You... said, if I'm gonna die... do it in peace while... the rest of you... think. Then... let me die... doing... the shit... I can." Myrm 2 attacks Alvira! [14, 91] The sword rakes along Alvira's scales dealing 17! Alvira counters! [11. 90] Alvira returns the favor with a chunk of ice to the head for 20! Alvira gains 12 EXP! Soldier 4 engages Miria! [62, 54] The man's steel lance pierces armor for 13! Miria counters! [86, 72] Miria's counter _barely_ connect, resetting the situation for 13 damage! Miria gains +1 Sword EXP, and +12 EXP! Soldier 5 engages Ullr! [36, 74] Despite the wicked looking spear in the man's hand, the hit was like any other for 15 damage! Ullr returns the favor! [67, 59] Ullr's fist breaks his guard and deals 15! Ullr gains +1 Brawling EXP, and +12 EXP! Reinforcements have appeared! PLAYER PHASE TURN 2!

Marianne felt her concern build as Senri seemed to know quite a bit about the ship that had just landed, and more importantly, quickly caught onto how she hadn't given him her name. He was a lot sharper than he looked, perhaps dangerously so, but that was the sort of game that she played daily, and she'd won every single time. "...I guess you're way sharper than your cute looks suggest." Marianne sat down across from Senri, "Marianne Linan, that's my name. As for who I really am... A civilian up on this cursed moon from one of the less terraformed regions. That's as much as I can say... Who exactly would you be to be able to call a search for my missing contact? You're not AHI, that much I can be sure of--there's an air that usually exists around those types, and no, it's not on you. So I have to find it hard to believe that you could do that... unless you're just trying to get on my good side?" Marianne stared at the man with her bright red eyes. No way... he's dead serious. But... who could you be that would have that kind of ability? AHI controls this area, and there are like... two rebel groups that actually have people who could operate here without bringing the hammer down on them. Is he with them? If he is... then shouldn't he know who I'm talking about? How strange... And how does he know so much about that ship? Amy paused as Leon called out to her, mentioning Avery, "Gotcha, gotcha, I'll make sure to tell her~" Amy swayed her way back over to her console, finding two more tasks on her plate. "Alright... Let's--Hmm?" Amy looked over at one of the machines, and saw a white haired man on his way up to one of the machines, and then suddenly stopped, hand slipping to his hip where the pilots typically had their weapons stashed. Amy raised an eyebrow, and wandered over--she knew that there wouldn't have been any stowaways, so if there was someone in the machine now, it was someone from the ship. "Hey, is everything okay over there?" The situation seemed resolved amiably--she didn't really expect different, but she hadn't expected anything needing an apology--but it was what Leon said that got Sia thinking. Something that they were both chasing after. They hadn't been together for too long, and she didn't recall that they two had crossed paths on too many occasions. Except... tangentially there was one thing were the two of them crossed. ...There's no way, right? Louise's call placed her back into the hangar, "Oh, uh, right. Hmm... we should probably start at the embassy, just so we aren't carrying so much for so long." Sia led Louise out of the main hangar and over to one of the cars. "Hmm... is there something I should know about Louise, or is that something that's best left to you and Leon?"