Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 27: War

[Phoenix]

Arrival

As the light came up over everyone and vanished, a great city stood before them ... under siege and partially on fire, with well over a hundred demons winning control of the skies.

"Ohhhhh dammit. I can't even count all of the smoke trails. There's probably even more of them here than we thought." Viveka said as she looked at the city. Stephanie had warped them close enough to be inside within a few minutes, but that was about as close as the warp was going to be without putting several people inside a wall. And sure enough, as Viveka turned to see if Stephanie was alright, the priestess lost consciousness and fell forward onto Lev's shoulder.

He sighed and said "Right ... I'll keep an eye on her, then."

"The flying demons are sticking to the city itself, so fliers in our group should be clear to take off for the moment. Once we get inside, don't fly too high or you'll just draw unwanted attention to yourselves. Morgan, I'm going to go scout ahead and see if I can discern the triangle situation. The others shouldn't be too far behind us. Anyone who wants to help, come on."

We Want War

A few minutes later, a second and much larger group appeared a great distance from the crimson brigade and began advancing toward the Ilyphina. The cavaliers pulled ahead while several wyvern riders scouted the area ahead of them.

[Snike]

Sagesse 1

Gone was the relative tranquillity of Larian. No blue skies, either. Instead there was Illyphina, the magic capital, ravaged by fire and by hellspawn. Smoke was billowing up from the great city, greying the heavens and blotting out the sun. Screams could be heard coming from inside the mighty walls of the castle town, It was horrifying how wretched it appeared, especially compared to the last time Eric had been here. That time, he was coming from the fire, not heading into it, ironically enough.

The co-leader of Septimus instinctively moved his right hand to Dyrnwyn's sheath, ready to draw the sword with his left hand.

"Ready, milady?" he asked, turning to Charlotte.

Sagesse 0

Oh boy, they had warped into a besieged city. Lovely. Alex drew her lance and waited for the others to get assembled. It was time to reclaim Illyphina.

[-Cynthia-]

Be Prepared

"I can help scout, guard your flank or something," Tristan volunteered to Viveka before asking Lev. "Is your passenger going to be all right? She doesn't look so good....in the health sense, not in the physical attractiveness sense," he decided to clarify quickly.

"This looks terrible...even Burgosas wasn't this bad. Let's hurry. We have to save everyone that we can," Charlotte said loudly, trying to drown out the sound of the screams with her own voice.

Edited October 26, 2012 by -Cynthia-

[Inactive Account]

Ready

The warp put everyone outside the city walls, but the destruction was apparent even from there. Storm clouds lay on the horizon, a mercy in comparison to the view of the city itself: smoke rose high above, and tongues of flame dotted the area. Kelas pulled a scrap of cloth from her packs and tied it over her mouth and nose; it would not be easy to breath within the walls. Even without the fires, the smell from the bloodshed would be intolerable. It was a matter of willpower just to keep looking, really.

The animals were even worse affected, with the concentration of demonic presence nearby. Amari shook, but held her ground; Kelas needed her. Francis and Shadow, however, were not so stalwart. Francis reared, throwing Arrin easily, and took off bolting away from the city; Shadow easily matched his pace. Tobe clung to her saddle. He wasn't about to argue with the horse right now. "You better be there after the fight, lady!" he called shakily to Viveka. "Else I won't have anywheres to go back to!"

"Francis!" Arrin called, scrambling to his feet, but Kelas held up a hand to stop him.

"He'll be safer if he stays out of the fight," she told him grimly. "He'll find our way back to us afterward, don't worry. You hurt?" While it was possible, she thought it unlikely that Francis would return, but she didn't want Arrin to run off now of all times.

Arrin tried to think of an argument, then nodded. "I'm fine. I guess I fight better on the ground anyway... I hope he'll be all right. The cat, too..." he added, realizing that it had hidden itself in Francis' saddlebags.

The two turned towards the city. It was going to be a hard fight.

Waiting

The party's arrival was not unnoticed; a thin, light demon perched atop the walls nearby looked up as she sensed a large magical transfer. "Oh," she said simply, and jumped away, hopping across a few rooftops and dropping down into an alleyway where another handful of her kind had just swept the street of civilians. "Father, the Crimson group just landed nearby," she reported to the one who had done most of the work. "Are we going to engage?"

"Excellent!" grinned the senior demon. "If we can get credit for taking them out, our rewards will be great. Well spotted, Mistral. Sleet, Hail!" Two nearly identical small demons nearby looked up in unison. "Come on, we've got a great opportunity here."

"Do we get to play with the dogs?"

"Will it be more fun than playing with these humans?"

"Yes, yes. Come now, children, let's greet our guests!"

With that, the four headed to the nearest open square, ready to ambush the group.

Running Like Hell

Mercurius and Trisha had made it nearly to the friendly lines surrounding TISME, but were having a hard time making further progress. "Nearly there, nearly there," Eoin encouraged, dodging yet another demon.

"Why don't you just fight?" Trisha demanded, panting. "They're gaining on us!"

Eoin gave up. "Right, fine, whatever you want! But DUCK!" He wheeled around and threw a fireball over their heads, right into the pavement between them and the nearest group of demons. The resultant explosion threw the demons back, gaining the pair a bit of time. "Right! Did that! Running again!" he declared, and continued to do so.

[eclipse]

What the HELL? Midori thought to herself, as she surveyed the scene before her. Part of her wanted to run away from the destruction. Another, stronger part urged her on, into the heart of the fray. The first semblance of a memory tickled her consciousness.

"It matters not if you die," the male voice said coolly. "I am a man of my word; she will be taken care of."

Try as she might, she couldn't tease any more of the memory out. Is this why I feel like I'm supposed to charge in, with no regard to my own life?

[Mercakete]

A light encompassed Tas and Namid. This wasn't the first time it'd happened, but it was still a little startling. When it cleared, though, they were outside of Illyphina: a place Tas hadn't yet seen. His first impression wasn't encouraging a return visit thus far either, not that he expected it to always be covered in smoke, fire, demons and blood-chilling screams. Neither he nor Namid moved for a short while. Namid was stunned and fearful; his instincts were telling him to fly away and/or hide and the change in his surroundings had been so sudden. Perhaps that light was evil... Every time it surrounded them, death appeared soon after. At least that seemed to be the trend. Some of the horses had already had the idea to run away... Maybe that was the best thing to do. The other wyverns hadn't, though and it wasn't as though they were being attacked yet.

Tas likewise froze for a spell as he heard the distant screams and smelled that terrible stench in the air coming from the burning city. The sight of it was dreadful enough! Demons did all this... This... This is terrible! He shivered, swallowing against the urge to flee the clear danger so close by. I...I have to do my best here. Everyone fighting... They need as much help as they can get. I'm scared...but how can I turn away now? Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Tas hardened his resolve to the best of his abilities. I just have to go into it and handle myself from there. I can do this. I...I think I can, anyway... Just remember what Irina said. I can do this...

"I-I'll go with you!" Tas half-stuttered, half-blurted at Viveka's call for the scouting mission. He couldn't fight so well but scouting was something he could do. Perhaps going into the city earlier would make things easier somehow, too.

Esphyr took in the sight the other members of the group were beholding and felt something sort of like annoyance rise up in her. A more intense form, though. Possibly anger? Or maybe somewhere in between "Huh. They really went all out," she mumbled. This was a little beyond inconvenient. It was unfair. She rather disapproved of the demons getting the citizenry involved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The healing light flowed from the orb built into the top of the heal staff as the magic worked to close the soldier's wound. This one would live, too. In fact, he was well enough to return to the intense fray on the other side of the barricade. Beau would not deny the man a reprieve from battle for a few moments longer, however. The fighting had been intense. Just as predicted, no one really knew what they were doing and no one could blame them. These demons were monstrous. The young duke could hear their battle cries and the clashing of weapons against claws. The wings of some of the demons above sounded like someone flipping through stacks of paper sometimes, sometimes they had a buzz sound to them and sometimes their wing beats would boom in the sky. Arrows whistled through the air from time to time. The cries of soldiers in fervor or pain were common as well. It was all very noisy, but after having been out here for a while with the sounds, they did not hold the same presence they once did.

No, now they all were only being registered in the back of Duke Bellmire's tired mind. He'd been healing all he could at the start of it: a mistake, perhaps. For now, he leaned his head back against the barricade as he rested, attempting to restore his energy before the next victim could come to him. After some moments, the soldier got back up, lance in hand and thanked the young duke before grimly advancing back beyond the relative safety of the barricade. Beau only watched him go. They were keeping the demons back, at least. The castle was being defended. He didn't bother wondering how long they could keep it that way -- he'd already given up on pushing past the demons since they seemed endless. Instead, for now, he decided his short rest had reached its end and so, staff in hand, Beau shifted from sitting to his knees then to his weight resting on one knee and one foot and carefully peeked around the barricade to see if there were any more who needed his assistance.

Like many of the others fighting the demons, Raemond was exhausted. He'd taken his turn resting behind a barricade a couple minutes ago as Elyisimian forces continued to do their utmost to hold the line. Now, he was again assisting in that, blasting demons who were converging on smaller groups of humans with light at every opportunity and attacking some of the demons the soldiers were having trouble with at other times. Presently, there was a tiny lull in the fighting -- just enough for a moment of rest. This is too much work for us... These soldiers aren't trained to slay demons. I'm the only demonslayer in the area. We need more...

A particularly nasty, particularly nearby roar gained the Templar's immediate attention. It was another of the demons, not surprisingly. Certainly not one of the stronger demons in the city but it was somewhat large...and swine-like, with hollow eyes. It also seemed fond of smashing, as it raised its fists above Raemond. If he hadn't rolled away, he certainly would have been crushed by the demon, based on the resounding impact the thing made when its fists hit the ground. Hastily, the monk summoned his magical energy and blasted the ball of light at the demon, who squealed in pain, though even as it turned to attack again, Raemond's worries were less on the immediate threat and more on what it meant. It got this far back?! Is there a break in the line further up?! Again, he cast a spell at the creature, though his back was to the majority of the horde. Even as that second, finishing attack was cast -- the one that caused the demon to sputter and snort as it fell, lifeless, there was one other, far more lithe demon who managed to hurry by the front line before it was repaired to a line further back and was presently nearly upon the monk.

Edited October 26, 2012 by Mercakete

[Ether]

Damian didn't have time to respond proper before the light of the warp engulfed them, opting merely to wait until they had reappeared to speak. As they appeared in Ilyphina, which was very much on fire, Damian couldn't help but give a slight quip, if only for old times sake.

"Isotov, we've been here naught five seconds and the city is already on fire!" He called out, giving his fellow wielder a playful smirk as he did so, before turning to Irina.

"Very well then. I certainly wouldn't want to have her angry at me after but a single fight... help me up, would you? It'll be far easier to keep track of eachother if we ride together, and I'm no stranger to riding second."

[Dark Sage]

War is the H-Word

Within an instant, there was a brief flash of light and suddenly everyone was in Illyphina. The city was on fire and chaos reigned, with the screams of the dying and the laughter of the demons piercing the air.

"Hell of a raid..." Reika said quietly, clearly struck by the chaos by what was going on.

"Yeah...I've been in some pretty bad scuffles before but this goes way beyond that..." Alf whispered, trying to keep the tightening feeling in his chest under control. If he didn't, he knew was going to burst out and scream.

Nearby Sadie was shaking, tears welling in her eyes and her breath coming up in short gasps. Unlike the other two, Sadie was not used to conflict, let alone on this scale. As she heard a scream, she closed her eyes tight, opening when it passed.

"Hey," said Alf "Try to calm down and get your breath together. It'll be harder to stay alive in your current state than if you're calmer."

Sadie nodded and with a bit of effort managed to stop hyperventilating.

[Phoenix]

Zaftrans

Iso couldn't dignify Damian's joke with a real response and simply muttered quietly to himself for a second or two. He quickly noticed that he didn't feel a build up of rage just yet, which probably meant his eyes were still normal, and that meant that the demons were beyond his detection range even though they were in plain sight. That wasn't too startling given the wide view of the city, but it was something to take note of. He would still need his eyes, for sure. He was also thankful that he didn't have to find out just how bad this was going to be for a few more minutes.

Irina meanwhile helped Damian up onto Nikita, who was barely tolerant. "Should we go scouting with Viveka and the others or just stick low? With you here I only have to keep an eye on Iso so ..."

Stephanie was out cold, but at least she was alright. Lev planned to point that out after he finished chuckling at Tristan's quick clarification. "She'll be alright. I just need to make sure the demons don't get to her, so I'll be at the rear ... dammit our supposed rear guard better get here soon, or my job's going to be that much harder ..."

Not Zaftrans

At first Viveka was horrified to see Tobe being carried off by his horse at random, but she realized within a second or two that despite the risk, it was just the solution she was looking for. Until that moment, she wasn't sure how she was going to keep Tobe safe until they reached the triangle points, but with Shadow running off with him, he would be away from the battle altogether. She quickly called back yelling "Try to find a shady spot! I'll be back for you, Tobe!" It still wasn't easy letting the kid run off by himself in a situation like this, but they were headed into a war zone, so she couldn't justify doing anything else now. Tristan and Tas offered to help her scout, the latter she wasn't expecting. "Alright then, stick close, you two. If we get attacked and are outnumbered, fall back. If there's only one or two, gang up on them." she instructed before taking off.

[Mercakete]

Oh dear, I hope she doesn't honestly expect me to fight anything... Tas thought nervously. Oh, I wish Namid wasn't weighed down by all these extra things I had to take with me... Maybe I can find someplace to drop them off. After all, the heaviest things here are the sacks of gold. There is a lot of it...

With the unspoken command, Namid launched into the air, resulting in Tas panicking a little since the scary pegasus knight had instructed them to fly relatively low, which was quickly amended. That limited the maneuvers Namid could perform, but they would manage. For now, they just followed Viveka and her pegasus.

[-Cynthia-]

Scouting Mission

As soon as Tristan mounted Bellerophon and took off, the pegasus immediately surged in front of Susann. "Oh come on!" Tristan complained, trying to pull Bellerophon back to no avail. "Uh, guess I'm going in front," Tristan said, somewhat apologetically.

"If they do not return within half an hour we will move forward without them," Morgan informed the non-scouting members of the group.

We Will Rock You

Petros had been spending most of his time attempting to hold the demons back as their straight assaults against the outer wall had been largely unsuccessful due to the barrages from above. Need to bring more fliers and ranged units next time. he reminded himself as he continued burrowing, with the help of other demons, through the tunnel he had been creating for the past hour or so, starting far away from the walls and going deep into the ground.

Eventually he reached what must have been the outer wall of TISME, fairly deep underground. He began with one smash, then another, then another, cracking the foundations. The ground beneath the walls began to shake with tremors, large fissures appearing in the ground below the walls.

Edited October 27, 2012 by -Cynthia-

[Inactive Account]

The walls

The fight had been going on for quite some time, but a new threat presented itself: below Draper's feet, the walls bucked and shuddered. "Everybody down from the walls!" he shouted. "They've hit the foundations!" Sending up flares to spread the orders to those further down the walls out of earshot, he turned and bounded down the stairwell, leading those nearby out a safe distance from the walls and throwing up a shield around as many as he could.

ooc: more on this front when the wall actually falls

[Phoenix]

Finding the Right Shape

"This isn't the best view," Viveka said to herself in frustration. She needed to get higher, but how high was too high, the height that would get them all attacked by flying demons? "Hey listen, you two watch my back. I need to get high enough to figure out what the situation is at the palace, the barracks, and TISME, but I can't guarantee I won't be drawing attention to myself!" she warned.

Once that was out of the way, she led Susann to climb higher and higher until they could see all of Ilyphina ... or what they could through the smoke plumes. "Dammit! The palace looks to be holding up, but I can't tell with the Barracks or TISME, the view is completely blocked! Great, first official recon mission in months and the whole thing is a bust. I guess the Grand Marshall will want the palace anyway so we should probably try to help out the barracks or TISME ... but which?"

Once she flew back into the formation, she shook her head to Tristan and Tas. "Okay I can only confirm that the palace is holding up. The other two points are blocked out by the smoke at our current vantage point. We won't know how things are there until we get closer. As far as I can tell, one triangle point is taking care of itself and we're about a third of the way to securing the whole thing at least."

Group Assembly

Ixion arrived not too long after the first group, but was understandably left behind. He planned on handling the battle in his own way, venturing off on his own rather than joining the others. Now that Miranda's job was finished, she approached Ixion, still in a good mood, but more humble. "Hey,"

"Miranda." Ixion greeted back.

"Shanice is here, and I'm going to get the little bastard. Just wanted to let you know where I'll be and what I'll be doing for the rest of the day."

"I still think it's too soon for this, Miranda. I need more time to understand how the whole process works. As of right now, you are going into this almost completely blind to the consequences. Even I don't know what will happen to you when you take the other half of that core from Shanice. Ideally you will remain as you are, but ... that's highly unlikely unless you take certain steps."

"And I'll take those steps if I have the time, but barring that, I'm sticking to plan A: tear the damn thing out and walk off like a badass. Wish me luck." she said with a shrug before standing up on her toes so she could reach Ixion and planting a kiss on his cheek. She didn't wait for a reply and simply ran off with Fenrir close behind.

"It could all unravel in an instant if this goes wrong. And I find that she and I are both anxious ... fearful even ... she of leaving her fate in the hands of Shanice and me of losing her to this nonsense after coming so far. Well, I know what I have to do now, regardless."

Not terribly far away, Harold and Percival stood by with a good number of men, the former trying to spot the crimson group so they would know where to go. They were still tasked with guarding the group's rear after all. "Harold, look, there they are ... and a few of their fliers are flying off ahead."

"Scouting already? Probably for the best. We shouldn't linger here too long either. We've got a city to save ... Goddess only knows how many of my liaisons I've lost already."

"Liaisons?" a soldier spoke up."

"Those naive girls he likes to spend time with." Percival clarified for the man. "Well then, I'll be heading off as well. If that scouting party encounters any trouble, they'll need my assistance to be sure."

"Yes indeed. Safe travels, Percy." Harold waved goodbye as he too prepared to head over to back up the crimson group. The man quickly took off and headed toward the group.

[scorri]

Tiria

Just as the demon was about to reach Raemond, Tiria stepped in between them. She quickly brought up her sword and managed to stab the demon through the throat. Dragging the blade sideways, she pulled it free and let the demon drop to the ground, lifeless. Turning to Raemond, she offered him her hand. "Next time make sure you have someone watching your back. We can't afford to lose you. You're our most effective fighter right now. Be careful."

Adena

Adena calmed Snips down after the warp and then looked around. Seeing the fire she gasped. So much damage already. How are we supposed to fix that? But we need to. We can't fail. Riding up to Alex, she gripped her fire tome tightly and waited for the orders to move out.

Edited October 30, 2012 by scorri

[Mercakete]

Raemond was surprised to hear the activity just behind him. When he turned, Tiria was right there and head already killed the demon that had been there previously. "Thank you," he replied, only slightly shaken at the realization of how close he'd just come to possibly being killed, "I watch my back as I can, but there were two." He shook Tiria's offered hand -- that was clearly the purpose behind it given he was standing already -- then decided he had time to give a brief reply, "I know better than to think I am the most important combatant here, however. You be careful, too." Glancing up, beyond their front lines, he added, "It's a little troubling a couple broke through the line this far... We need to fix that."

He conjured up another light spell, then cast it at a forming knot of demons. It severely damaged one, scattered a couple smaller ones and gave their allies a much-needed opening, as has been Raemond's chosen tactic thus far for spreading his assistance across at least this segment of the line. He didn't want to expel all his energy on a few demons, so it was better to give the soldiers a better chance.

[Phoenix]

Reporting: Should We Stay Or Should We Go

Viveka and her ... squadron(?) didn't get back before Harold and his men arrived. "Morgan, right? Doesn't matter. We're ready to move out. What are you people waiting for, those pegasus knights and the wyvern rider? We should be moving forward while we wait for their report. It'll save time." Harold suggested.

"We'll get ambushed if we just rush in, now." Lev noted angrily.

"How much longer do you suggest waiting? Their report is not going to tell us anything we don't already know. The city is burning and under siege, the hierarchy is in jeopardy, and the only reinforcements for miles are just standing around doing nothing. There's your scouting report." Harold shot back.

"Your call, Morgan, but I don't think-" Lev stopped short when he noticed the fliers had returned. "Anything new?"

"The palace is holding on but I have no idea what's happening at the barracks or TISME, the smoke is starting to block out everything. We won't know until we get there, but for now we need to cut a path to either the barracks or TISME. The Grand Marshall and General Jackson will be on their way to the palace to reinforce them there." Viveka reported as she landed.

"As I said, nothing we didn't already know. There was no way the castle would fall so swiftly."

"This attack started hours ago! We have no idea how much longer they can keep that up, Harold! The demons could have easily overwhelmed the palace if they converged on it but they're disorganized just like Morgan said! We got lucky." Viveka countered.

"Hmph. So you say ..."

[Balcerzak]

A horse is a horse of course, of course

Trevor was not particularly pleased with this change in environment. An irritated snort and an uncomfortable stamping of hooves as he shifted his weight about nervously were the extent of his protest however, as his little human stroked him gently and uttered a few of those funny human sounds. They weren't any of the ones he recognized specifically, but the tone was pleasant and reassuring. He caught sight of some of the other horses bolt, including that younger one who seemed exhausted beyond his years. The spirited mare had held her ground, however, and Trevor had no complaints when his human began to lead him in that general direction. Perhaps they could lament the folly of their humans always bringing them to such silly places together? He let out a few nickers to that effect when they had stopped nearby and his little human had let drop the strings attached to his face to handle her own affairs.

Nurse Tessa prescribing 10 ccs of hug

This... this situation was bad. It didn't take more than moments after the warp for that to set in. Tessa watched as Kelas began to rummage in her packs, and then created some sort of... facescreen?

That's when it hit her. Out of anyone... this had to be hitting the nomad woman the hardest. The young girl remembered the tragic story she'd been haltingly and grudgingly told after that accidental dip in the lake, back at Damian's. When she'd seen the scar, which really wasn't that bad, but which definitely had lingering effects on the archer.

Realizing that a situation like this might be akin to a waking nightmare for her, with the flames, smoke, heat, blood, and possibly even loved ones dying or being taken from her yet again, Tessa figured there had to be some way she could help.

The nearby demons' adverse effects on the animals delayed her, as not only did she need to fuss over Trevor a little, but she worried after Arrin when he couldn't keep in the saddle and was tossed to the ground. His sister managed to handle most of that situation nearly immediately, so all the valkyrie really had to do when she reached him was give him a critical look, checking to make sure there wasn't anything the thunder mage was hiding under an 'It's fine'. This group had a tendency to try that and you could never really be sure after all. Tessa also gave him a bit of a helpful pat on the shoulder, knocking off some of the dust, and said, "Hmm, well, it seems you're remembering the right way to take a fall at least," with a bit of a teasing twinkle.

All three of them turned to face the city then, while those with wings amidst the party were attempting to organize some sort of something. It was really sinking in. Letting the reins drop, Tessa sidled over right next to Kelas and gave her a reassuring hug from the side. No words this time. Last time she'd talked, asked questions, made things worse. She would learn from her mistakes.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"Well, we could easily be walking into an ambush if we have no idea about the situation at the barracks or TISME. Though I can detect demons from a fair distance away- so it makes more sense for the group with no sensing abilities to reinforce the palace," Morgan thought out loud.

"Let us move towards the barracks, quickly- but not too quickly. I doubt the demons would leave any part of the city unharmed," she said, beginning to walk towards the gates.

Walls

And the outer wall came crashing down within a few minutes, eventually being reduced entirely to rubble. Some of the demons were caught in the falling debris, despite Petros's orders to stay back. The casualties of war... he thought to himself, returning to above the ground and stepping over the rubble, beginning to hurl large chunks of it at the fleeing mages.

Edited October 30, 2012 by -Cynthia-

[Inactive Account]

The walls

Draper and those nearest to him had managed to clear away from the wall, and Draper's shield held as it fell, but too many more were still too close. Draper grimaced and tried to head for the rubble, hoping to save more of his colleagues, but the effort of shielding had been too much. He fainted.

On the other side of the wall, Eoin skidded to a stop and immediately started running away from the wall, then promptly turned back towards it once the dust was settling. He hurriedly sorted through the nearest patch of wreckage, helping people out of it when possible and putting small flares over the ones he couldn't move himself. "I am so, so sorry..." he told one particularly hopeless case, but he had to keep moving. "Trish, this is our stop! Do your thing, I've got to keep going!" He set about scrambling through the wreckage of the wall, intent on reaching the school building itself.

"Where do you think you're--" But Trish saw no real benefit in trying to bring the frantic sage back. She could help here, at least; she set about healing the nearby survivors, aided by the professor's hurried attempt at triage.

Just a second before we get there

Kelas was somewhat surprised by Tessa's attempt to hug her, especially since in order to lean all the way over, the girl was nearly out of her saddle. She awkwardly hugged her back with one arm, then patted her shoulder and straightened herself in the saddle. "We'll make it out of this," she said, utterly unconvincingly, but attempting to be reassuring.

IT BEGINS.

As the Crimson group moved into the square, followed by the so-called heroes, the senior demon looked up. "Mistral, why didn't you tell me about those two?" he asked, slightly vexed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think they were relevant."

"Well, I can try to make them irrelevant..." He made a sweeping gesture, and an enormous, tigerlike beast formed out of the air in front of him. "You serve Anil, who serves the Lord," he told it, formally completing the summoning. "Those two and their followers are your enemies, you are summoned until they are no more!" The beast leapt clear over the group, headed for Harold and his contingent.

With that taken care of, Anil looked to the group. "This is where you breathe your last," he told them. "My Lord requires it and my family and I will carry out his will." He spread his arms wide, and a multitude of small monsters formed: small, laughing, dead-eyed dogs and skeletal winged snakes. "Mistral, Sleet, Hail! It's time!"

The three smaller demons joined the ranks, weapons at the ready. There was no running for the group now.

[spoiler=Demons]

Anil HP 21 STR 0 MAG 9 SKL 6 SPD 7 LCK 0 DEF 4 RES 6 Wind SKILL Nihil

Mistral HP 15 STR 6 MAG 0 SKL 6 SPD 6 LCK 0 DEF 5 RES 3 Lance

Hail HP 15 STR 6 MAG 0 SKL 8 SPD 7 LCK 0 DEF 3 RES 2 Bow

Sleet HP 15 STR 4 MAG 0 SKL 8 SPD 9 LCK 0 DEF 3 RES 2 Knives

Houndx15 HP 12 STR 4 MAG 0 SKL 6 SPD 3 LCK 0 DEF 0 RES 0 neutral physical

Harrierx15 HP 12 STR 0 MAG 4 SKL 6 SPD 3 LCK 0 DEF 0 RES 0 neutral magic

Time to fight

It didn't take long for the demons to find them. Kelas grimaced and raised her bow. This was an unfamiliar bunch, and three of them bore the appearance of children. She wasn't fooled, but she worried that others might. Arrin already looked slightly dismayed. This was certainly going to be interesting.

OOC: COMMENCE GLORIOUS BLOODSHED

Edited October 30, 2012 by kdanger

[Balcerzak]

Always grumpy

Helios wasn't entirely sure what to do. He didn't really like this waiting, and the people he cared and worried about were either already clustered together with people he couldn't stand, or completely absent. He kept to himself then mostly, scowling a little bit and itching for action. Wind magic might not be the best to use on fires, fanning the flames and all being a possibility, but it wasn't a terrible choice either as with enough force it could extinguish them outright. He... he could be useful this time, he was sure of it.

On a whim, he turned and spared a passing glance at that strange new lancer they'd picked up who-knows-where. She looked lost in thought, completely swept up and out of her element. Probably not going to last long that one, he thought, but no real gain or loss either way I guess. Just an unsuspecting nobody caught up in things much bigger than herself. It happens all the time.

He turned back to the front, and into a breeze of acrid smoke carried from beyond the city walls. It made his eyes water, his nose run, and his throat burn. Snorting a bit, he turned downwind and spat, trying to clear the foulness. Now annoyed, he conjured some minor wind magic to try and create a zone of safe air around himself. Until they actually got to fighting, no harm in trying to stay comfortable.

Morgan than called out some orders, and with an air of impatience he started to head off to the destination, the barracks. Walking to the gate briskly, but not too briskly he didn't want to actually have to deal with the female druid, he pondered again if this was really the best place to be.

This goes way beyond hazard pay

This was a little insane. Sure, the fighting at Kalten had been its own special brand of crazy, but that was just everyday humans waging war on each other with wyverns, magic, and weapons.

Oh... well, and Orteiga, Iris conceded to herself. I guess one could maybe put dragons and demons on the same scale of larger-than-life. But the old lizard had been an ally... well, mostly considering how things had ultimately panned out and the decisions Borodin had made. This current situation, though? Complete and utter nonsense was basically the sum total of the opposition. In place of an elite team, her allies were a rag-tag band of misfits with no camaraderie, and no common motives. Keeping the prince alive, and the princess, and on some toy pet of a mount... this was going to be a feat.

A dark thought crossed Frederikov's mind, and the lieutenant quickly fished her spirit doll out and delivered a quick report to her superior. "<Not much time. Somehow we're in a SNAFU with demons in Ilyphina. Confirming that I will complete mission or die trying. If no reports within 24 hours, send a replacement. Will inform Levski to provide you directions and assistance by Spirit Doll in such a circumstance. Over.>"

The fire mage then quickly strode over to where Lev and Viveka were quarreling with Harold. She didn't want to really interrupt, and she figured she could catch him when the pow-wow broke up. When Morgan barked out some instructions that just may have provided such an opportunity. Gently tapping the man on the shoulder she spoke up, "<Ah... if I could have a moment or two?>"

[Phoenix]

A Couple of Minutes Ago

They were on their way ... straight into hell whether they realized it yet or not. Before they would get there though, Lev got an unexpected request from Iris. "Hm? <Sure what is it?">

[eclipse]

The orders from the pushy woman snapped Midori back to reality. She noticed the person she'd been talking to before (right, his name is Helios) walk in that direction, so she followed.

Something about her opponents caused her to stop. She had no qualms about killing off the bigger ones, or even the non-human demons, but killing off enemies that looked like children bothered her.

They carry weapons pointed against us. They will kill us if we don't kill them. Why am I hesitating? Is this all I'm good for?

Perhaps the others would take care of the "children". She glared at the hounds. "You'll do," she growled, pointing her lance at the nearest one.

OOC: She's pointing towards Houndx.

[Balcerzak]

My timing is impeccable

"<Right... Thank you. Ahh, hmm,>" Iris started, and then struggled for exactly the right set of words. "<You remember Borodin is fond of communicating through Spirit Dolls, yes?>" It was a rhetorical question, and she didn't even pause for confirmation. It was just a way for the lieutenant to get herself warmed up to actually broaching the subject. "<Wait... during the battle... you were the one weren't you, hmm, the officer on the other side we were in contact with? Do you still have that linked doll? If so that would be even easier.>"

Frederikov's choice of introductory material had now actually veered off enough to distract her, but she soon brought herself back around to the point. "<I'm sorry. What I want is a favor. I don't know exactly how you feel about my... being here and guarding the prince and all. I know His Highness still isn't exactly fond of it. But! I need you to promise that if I fall in battle, either here or anywhere else actually, you'll get in contact with Borodin and let her know the details. She'll undoubtedly have to send a replacement in that case. If you still have your doll linked to her, that's probably the simplest. If not you'll have to... uh... find my... corpse I guess... and use mine. I keep it here, right pants pocket.>" She pulled it out to demonstrate, before slipping it back in.

"<Keep her updated on location, status, anything important. Please. I hope it's never necessary, but if I failed to have a backup plan I could never...>" She trailed off here a bit. "<I'm sorry it's a bit of a selfish request, and I hate to impose, but I don't really have anyone else I trust enough to ask here.>"

[Rothene]

When the group began walking, Hainam followed silently, staring at his feet all the way, not really checking who had he followed. Then suddenly, pretty girls(or guys?) appeared out of nowhere(to the nomad at least) and he saw someone he would have to respect as a senior point her lance at a rather untamed looking hound.

With trained steps, the nomad notched and arrow and let it loose before repeating another shot. Hainam paused to scratch his head as he wondered if he had shot the hunting arrows...or the lethal poison tipped ones. He then ducked into whatever cover he could find.

Hainam attacks Hound1 with a bow at Range!

http://invisiblecast...r/view/3758149/ 2,1,6

8+2-3 = Hit!

4+1-0 = 5 Damage!

http://invisiblecast...r/view/3758150/ 3, 5,6

8+3-3= Hit!

4+5-0= 9 Damage!

Hp:

Hainam 15/15

Hound1 0/12

Hound1 is POISONED! Oh well, doesn't matter.

Hainam used STEALTH!

Edited October 30, 2012 by Rothene

[Phoenix]

Challenge Ac- ... Duty Accepted

<"I gave it to the palace staff after the battle. If I'd known ... well at least you do have a plan, for that and for the ... death scenario."> Lev shook his head to come back from that image. <"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it if that's what you need. But do Iso a favor and try your damn hardest to avoid it. He's going to start thinking he's cursed at the rate we've been going."> He was trying to lighten the mood but immediately realized that that line would only ever work on him. <"Eh, you'll be alright. Our casualties are ... few and far between."> And that was the best he could do on such short notice.

Some Demons Rock, Others Roll

The barricade protecting the main entrance to the palace was still standing against the army of demons trying to breach it, but their tactics didn't remain juvenile for very long, and a massive demon rolled up into an armored shell came flying over the demons and soldiers. It came down hard and shattered the pavement before running down some unfortunate reinforcements and crashing into a wall. It then fell over and slowly began to unravel itself. It was time to begin tearing down the defenses on this place once and for all.