Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Mercenary on the Winds]

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

Nyx moves to 10, 25!

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Vermeil came down the stairs, and saw one of the frontline priest running towards him, "Speak man, speak quickl--" Vermeil looked up, and heard very disconcerting whistling noise. "What in the blasted...?" The priest turned, and looked up, and only screamed before two massive flaming arrows impaled the man, leaving his message unsaid. "Serdio, save us..." Vermeil turned, and saw a elf man with a crackling sword at his side.

"It looks like our quarry is already here. Push forward! Back up Tyson, and crush these fools... but if you see the Gaffneys, leave them to me!" He turned his eyes on Versaris, "I suppose we'll have to start here..."

ENEMY PHASE TURN 10!

Merc 10 engages Owen!

[40, 65] The silver sword stings for 19 damage!

"Haha, so the famous Gaffney still bleed the color of man, I thought you might bleed the same as the beasts..."

Owen counters!

[40, 39] (75), [44. 49] (41) Two quick strikes from Owen bring the swordfighter down to his last legs!

Owen gains +2 Sword EXP, and +4 EXP!

Merc 9 attacks Aegean!

[67, 47] The unusual sword hooks at Aegean dealing 15 damage!

Aegean counters!

[24,57] (51), [24, 58] (12)

Adept activates!...but there was no target left as her two strikes were enough to bring the man down!

Aegean gains +3 Axe EXP, and +34 EXP!

Aegean reaches B Rank Axe!

Warrior 1 yeets a Tomahawk at Lani!

[55, 57] Why are all of my throwing axe people so fucking bad?

Lani counters!

[64, 6] While the man's axe was in flight, Lani used her dodge, to build the momentum for her swing, the chain reaching as she threw the sword, for once, not in an arc, but in a straight toss straight for the man's undefended body, and the large bulky man was sent flying, falling to the floor where the impact finished the job landing with a sickening sound as Lani's sword stuck itself into the ground.

Critical!

Lani gains 66 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP!

Cav 8 screams in rage as he tries to get revenge for his fallen comrade!

[6, 64] (Yes really) The man's spear was driven into Lani's shoulder with all the force that he could muster, but Lani simply continued to move. 9 damage!

Lani counters!

[6, 80], [71, 64] Lani hit the man with the sword on it's way back from Tyson's lifeless body, drawing the man closer to her, and then finishing the job with an uppercutting strike, finishing the job.

Lani gains 30 EXP, and +3 Sword EXP!

Lani reaches level 13!

26    21    33    28    32    85    25    60

+HP, Str, Skl, Speed, Def!

The Enemies move in...

PLAYER PHASE TURN 11!

[scorri]

Koba winds merc 10

[Xinnidy]

Üllr to 25,24, punch merc 11.

[Nanami Touko]

"Quarry this you useless scum suckers!" Alvira charged up another light spell and dashed around the corner, blasting it into one of the axe men hiding their bow toting leader! "You hid back here this whole time, huh!? Some fucking boss you are! Can see why Kazran stuck you down here in the dungeons, but I bet his bitch ass is gonna hide behind his men too!!"

Alvira to 11,34, Light Fighter #5

"Now, now, Alvira." Versaris stepped forward, casually, flicking his blade towards the other axe man, a jolt of lightning sending him to the floor. "It's not polite to yell at the dead. Alriana!? I'm ready for you!"

Versaris to 12,33, Levin Fighter #6

---

Talulah draws Yscavelne, activates shroud fully!

"Kakugo!" Between the sword's demands to fight this person, and Talulah's own drive to become stronger no matter what, she resisted the call of combat no longer. But be warned, blade, I am NOT killing this individual... And if you take issue with that, you know what you must do.

HRRRAHHHH!? Foolish wielder! Foolish! I will feast upon your mana instead!

Talulah could already feel the draw of the blade sinking into her own skin, wincing, but it mattered not. To battle!

Talulah to 15,16, attack Miria with Yscavelna!

"H-Hey! Talulah!? What the fuck!?" Lati had been confused since the other individual showed up... They hadn't barked at them, threatened them, made it seem like they were a part of Kazran's forces, so why was she jumping them!? "Hey! Hey, stop!"

Lati to 14,16, panic!?

[Ether]

It seemed that the voice was gone... at least for now. How peculiar... but there wasn't time to dwell on it for now, lest she risk not surviving to find out what it meant down the line. Shaking her head a moment, it seemed they were almost wrapped up with the foes on this level, with Alvira and Versaris moving in to take out the guards flanking the supposed leader, leaving just the sniper on his own, Alriana poised to pounce.

"Let's try this again, Alriana. I've got you covered too!" Roxanne announced, her funnels detaching and beginning to circle the lizard. Perhaps it would be unneeded once again, but better safe than sorry.

Roxanne tether Funnels to Alriana

 

Kyoufu no Miria Tokusentai?!

 

Okay… finally a free moment. Ever since the endlessly eventful training exercise with Jeremiah, things had been moving at a fevered pitch, between the various revelations of the day as well as preparations for the upcoming raid. It was certainly more fervor than Roxanne was used to in the day to day, which was why a smile came to her when she spotted Miria the little hero towards the edge of the courtyard, looking like she was about to head into town. Roxanne hadn’t gotten a chance to take a proper look at the woman’s armour yet, not talk with her properly after the training, so this was a perfect opportunity… provided she wasn’t previously occupied of course. 

“Miria, Miria! Are you busy?” The sheep asked, hopping in place and waving erratically to try and catch Miria’s attention, bounding towards her once she appeared to have done so.

Miria gave a big stretch and a deep breath. Her morning training was all done with, and now she had a chill extra day or so until the big fight with Kazran would happen. She was ready to go explore and look at the town, seeing if there was either anything fun to do or something to occupy her for a while on her current budget.

She was almost on her way out, before hearing a voice call her name. She turned over and her smile was already beaming with energy, even before noticing the sheep making her way to her. “Oh, hey Roxanne!” She was asking if the cub was busy, in which Miria shook her head.

“Nah, I was just gonna hang around town for a bit. What’s up, would you like to join me?”

“Sure, I’d love to join you Miria.” Roxanne answered as she finished catching up to the cub, stopping in front of her with a final hop and bounce on the spot. Returning Miria’s radiantly beaming smile with one of her own, the sheep began to speak past her greeting.

“I didn’t really have anything specific in mind, just saw you and remembered I never did get a chance to take a look at your armour. We don’t need to do that if you don’t want to though.” Roxanne offered, unsure how secretive Miria wanted to be about the magical implement. While she hadn’t any issues flaunting it during training, that was an exercise between allies, a far cry from a public event out on the town.

“Oh right, we did talk about that. Sure, if you wanna, we’ve got all day.” Miria smiled, and removed her necklace from her neck. She looked at it for a moment, giving a small sigh. “Alrighty, here~” she said, handing over the necklace. “Just… be careful with it.”

After having Roxi take it, Miria's gaze was constantly on her necklace. “I’m from a old trade town. A man met me and told me… the necklace should work with me. And well, it worked. Considering a few things I learned since I joined the Tigers, I think it was purposely for me.” She gave a small nod. “And yeah, I just… believed really hard, then boom. Cool golden armor.”

Accepting the necklace from Miria, a few things were immediately obvious. For one it was beautifully crafted, the star-shaped… diamond? Roxanne wasn’t immediately sure, set within the silver pendant shone wondrously under the sunlight. Roxanne nodded as Miria explained how she had acquired the thing, almost seeming like the beginning to a fairy tale. A strange old man stumbling upon her and gifting her a mysterious artifact that only bestowed it’s power to her… well, at times truth was stranger than fiction. Roxanne couldn’t help but follow Miria’s explanation to it’s logical conclusion, focusing on the pendant and believing really hard, her face crinkling for a moment in concentration.

“And nothing. Hehe… I expected that, but worth a try, right? It almost sounds like one of the stories my mom would tell me as a kid… are you sure you aren’t destined to save the world or something, Miria?” Roxanne stuck her tongue out playfully for a moment, before continuing to examine the piece. More than just high quality, Roxanne could feel that this was no ordinary gemstone. Her dark affinity assured her of that, the gem was an impressive piece of work. Examining it visually, Roxanne also attempted to discern any particular quirks of it’s structure or magical signature, careful not to dive too deep and risk damaging the pendant.

Miria nodded, and gave a small laugh at Roxanne’s inability to find anything, “Yeah, everyone I’ve asked has kind of had the same answer, unfortunately. I’m just… being patient, and hoping someone I run into at some point will know something about it. And I know, me, patient, haha~” The cub joked about her energy, “So instead I just practice as much as I can, until I can find some way to fix it, or get it stronger.” She held up her left hand, with its ‘golden’ gauntlet. A look can tell it was painted, and it’s seen its fair share of action with the paint chipping.

“It is funny that you made that joke about saving the world, cause like… I guess that’s what I’ve always wanted to do? I read a lot, and I really like stories about heroes and adventures, especially if they’re real. When they’re real, it means, y’know, I could be one too. Then I got my Shroud, that someone we met called it before. I fought bandits and stuff until… things got weird, and I left home to get stronger, help more people, all that. And now I’m here with the Tigers. And… y’know, I’m helping with the Kazran stuff. If someone told me like… five years ago I’d be here, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.” She laughed again, a small tear coming off her eye, which she quickly wiped off. “B-but, yeah. It’s been a real eye-opening journey, this past year and some change.”

“You’re a kind soul, Miria. I think it’s great… that you can pursue this. With great power comes great responsibility, as they say… but I can’t think of too many folk better suited to being entrusted with this.” Roxanne complimented, taking note of the battle-worn gauntlet. She had tried to match the aesthetic, but the standard metal was clearing taking wear from battle. If Miria could find out more about her shroud, then she could move closer to her noble goal. That was something worth striving for. If Roxanne could just figure something, anything out, just dig a little deeper… but she had to be careful, do it properly. Concentrate, concentrate… concentrate too hard. As Roxanne opened her eyes mid-stride, she renowned backwards, flailing her arms at her side for balance as she nearly bowled into a fixture off the side of the path. Flushing red, Roxanne rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

“Ah… I want to help if I can, but I can’t concentrate like that while walking. You went out to eat with Tanya after training, right? Anywhere you found good in town? Maybe if we sit down for a bit with a meal and I can avoid faceplanting into the stonework, hehe…”

The sheep was quick to compliment Miria’s goals, and that left Miria with a nod and smile. She never really looked for the acknowledgement that she had done good, but it did feel good when someone said so, even if she hadn’t known Roxanne for very long. The fact she was trying to help find out some of the amulet’s secrets proved enough to the cub that she was a friend, and she could trust her word.

Miria was soon quick to catch Roxanne as she tumbled, helping her straighten out. She was trying her hardest to help figure out something about Miria’s amulet, but clearly, either she wasn’t going to get anything, or she was gonna get hurt trying. Then, it was suggested the one word that never needed to be explained why it should be done.

“You had me at ‘meal’. We went around but I saw this place in town and we ended up passing it. Have you ever had a pot pie?”

“A pot pie? A few times, yeah. If you wanted to check it out, that sounds fine by me, Miria.” Roxanne replied, pausing her examination of Miria’s pendant for the time being. She could get deeper into things when they were properly sat down and free from the myriad dangers of buildings, flagpoles, and oncoming pedestrian traffic. 

“Well, if I had you at meal, then I won’t hold you up by dawdling. Lead the way, Miria. I can try to figure this thing out while we’re waiting for them to prepare the food.”

“Heck yeah! Then let’s get our foodies on!” Miria made a happy bounce, as she took the sheep’s hand. “We can look at my necklace all we want, pot pie is temporary~” She gave a laugh, as she started making her way into town. A day of glorious food with a fun friend was on the way.

---

Miria was able to make her way through the town with Roxanne to a little mom and pop shop. The aroma of meat and pie made Miria’s hunger go near buckwild. She could spend an eternity eating at a place like this. She sat Roxanne down at a table, and went to order their food. After a few minutes, she returned with a large pot in hand. Once it was sat down, the pie of the pot pie, was clear, golden-brown in view. There was stars in Miria’s eyes, and she was ready. But of course, she waited, and started with a small joke. “My parents always thought it was funny, I would tell them my favorite pie is meat pie.” And she giggled.

Miria had been excited all the way to their destination, the prospect of food having clearly sparked something in the cub. While she had noted how she needed to eat after using her armour, it was evident that the little knight had a healthy relationship with eating even when she wasn’t recovering from her magic. As Miria had gone to place and wait for their shared order, Roxanne had returned to examining the pendant with no imminent risk of colliding with objects in motion. Running her magic through it, attempting to attune to the conduit in the same way that she operated her funnels. Probing and prodding at the strange necklace with her magic now that she had room to concentrate. Taking her eyes off of the amulet as Miria returned with their food, Roxanne flashed her a bright smile as she opened with a cute joke.

“Hehe… I’ve always been partial to a pie from back home myself… it had a really sweet filling and tender but crunchy pecans on top. More of a dessert though… what kind of meat filling did you decide on, Miria? Like I said, I trust your judgment.”

“Oh it’s just a regular beef and veggie pie. I didn’t want to do something like… I like spicy food, and then get something hot without thinking about my fellow fooder.” She smiled. “Filled with all sorts of good stuff, nice and warm.” And she got a scoop, and scooped out part of the pie, making a nice pile of creamy meat and veggies with a topping of crust. Passing the plate over to Roxanne, she made herself a similar plate, if with a bit more of the pie to start.

“I’m actually not a huge fan of sweets. Candy, cake, pie, all that stuff, it just… Imagine a sugar rush, you know how you crash after? I just crash. So, I just eat a lot of, not, sweet food. This, shepherd's pie, those are my favorite ‘desserts’.” She snickered again, before digging into her plate.

“Don’t do well with sweets, huh… I quite like them in smaller amounts myself, but I understand. But just because it’s a pie doesn’t make it dessert, Miria. Spice huh… spice is alright, but I wouldn’t usually think about getting something like this spicy…” Roxanne teased, accepting the plate of beef and vegetable pie from the cub, setting it down in front of herself. She would give it a few moments to cool before digging in. 

“You weren’t kidding about this armour seemingly only working for you. I can feel it’s affinity, but my usual attunement method isn’t doing anything, and I’m usually pretty good with gems. Maybe it’s just out of my league.” Roxanne noted, lifting the pendant for emphasis. Things like this were rough to work with… there was always potential to brute force a connection, but attempting to do so could damage the piece itself if you weren’t certain what you were doing.

“But spice is so good. It’s like the phrase, ‘a little spice of life’.” Miria giggled at her small joke again. “No, I get it. Something this rich, it doesn’t need spice to be wonderful.” Miria dug her fork through the crust, making the whole bit of pie crumble in itself, but she didn’t care. She scooped around until she got a full forkful of food. Taking a couple breaths to cool down the food, she plunged the mix into her mouth. It was almost an explosion of flavor, from the rich cream, to the beef nearly melting in her mouth, to the chewy, healthy veggies.

“Mmmmmmmmmhm!” Miria made an excited little squeak as she ate, swallowing her bite. “Ahh, wow, that was great. This was a good idea!” She took a couple more bites, listening to Roxi talk about her amulet. She stopped for a moment to answer,

“Yeah, it’s fine to take a break. I’d rather you didn’t break it by accident. Haha…” Her smile waned a bit at the idea of if her amulet was damaged more. If she couldn’t– She shook it off. She was with a friend, with good food. “Maybe it’s not out of your league, and it’s just… how it works. Tio and Elisa couldn’t figure it out either, and they’re like, the strongest magic people in the world.”

“Not that I think spice in a pie like this would be bad, just… like you said, I don’t think it needs it. Maybe something on the not too overpowering side.” Roxanne nodded in agreement, finally setting Miria’s pendant down on the table as she lifted her fork in it’s stead. Digging out a sizeable, but still smaller than Miria’s bite, the sheep tasted her impromptu meal.

“It really is quite good. Well balanced… I’m used to beef pies being more savoury than creamy, it’s nice. Honestly, seeing how much you enjoy it is more spice of life than any actual spice, I think.” Roxanne couldn’t help but smile at Miria’s bounding happiness at the food, giving her an acknowledging wink. She was ecstatic as she was eating, lifting Roxanne’s mood despite her failure to find anything about the pendant, even as Miria’s own disposition waned for a moment at the thought of it.

“I’m being careful with it Miria, I promise. There would be no point in learning anything if I had to damage it to do so. I’m not going to break something precious to a friend… at least, not intentionally. But I’m not going to do anything reckless, really.” The sheep emphasized, not wanting to bring down Miria’s mood with her experimenting. It seemed the pendant would remain a mystery unless she managed to find a simple breakthrough.

“Well, if even they couldn’t figure it out, I suppose that makes me feel a little better.”

Miria giggled at the spice of life comment. “I really do love food, huh? Well, I mean, it’s one of the most important things of living. So, if you gotta eat to live, then… you gotta make sure you make it count, whether it be it’s delicious, or you get enough.” She smiled. “There was this place back in Morano; where I’m from, where you’d pay a bit of money, and they let you eat as much as you want. I uh, still don’t know if they love or eat me, cause, y’know.” And then the cub laughed, giving a few light pounds to her chest. “It was a good place. If we ever end up back in Kansei I’ll have to take you there.”

She was back in her food, listening to Roxanne talk more about her pendant. Really, the girl shouldn’t have been so worried. Miria didn’t believe that her new friend would either break or run away with it. It created a smidge of doubt. Am I helpful without it? She shook her head. This was food time! One of the best times of every day.

“I believe you, Roxi, don’t worry. I’m just… thinking stuff. I’ve been thinking… a lot more, recently. Don’t worry about it. You don’t want your pie to get cold, y’know.” And soon enough, she was back to eating, soon making a nearly clean plate.

“Hehe… well, that’s certainly true. I suppose I just never gave it too much thought, but you’re right. We eat every day, so may as well make the most of it.” Roxanne nodded along with a smile, listening to Miria describe the restaurant from her home town in Kansei. It was an interesting idea… charge a flat rate for an indeterminate amount of food. It relied on most people eating less than what they paid for, but if a balance could be struck…

“It’s an interesting idea. They’d probably need a lot of people to undereat to make up for it, if you’re as voracious as you claim to be.” The sheep gave Miria a playful smirk, before the cub went back to her thoughts on the pendant for a few moments. There seemed to be some hesitation in her, which felt a little odd. 

“Hey, Miria… I mean, thinking is good, but you shouldn’t let it get you down. I’ve not been around too long, but I’m willing to listen if you need to get it off your chest. Or maybe someone new is just what you need… you just seem a little down, hesitant. It doesn’t suit you.” The sheep offered, digging another bite out of her pie and eating it as she awaited Miria’s response.

“Oh, oh yeah. They’ve had to ask me to ‘kindly leave’ once or twice, so I think I found a limit to the ‘all you can eat’ part.” Miria let out a big laugh, as she dug into the full pot again, getting herself some more to eat. She’d take back some if they didn’t eat it all, but with her, that’ll probably not be the case. Digging back in, she listened to Roxi offer to hear her out if there was an issue. Miria swallowed a bite, and made sure to answer before getting lost in the food.

“Thank you Roxi, that’s sweet of you. Thankfully, I should be fine. We just met, I don’t want to air out some dirty laundry, or something on you. I was just caught thinking about if I did lose my amulet. It happens every once in a while.” She reassured her statement with a smile. “But I don’t plan on losing it, so, that’s a future thing. I’m a frontliner for the Tigers so I gotta remain strong,” And Miria gave a small flex.

Returning her arm, she took a quick bite, and followed after, “I do appreciate it, Roxi. I’ll definitely think about it, should… something come up.” She gave a thumbs-up. “How’s that sound?”

“Well, at least they let you back in after, haha.” Roxanne chuckled, listening as Miria aired her worries, at least to an extent. She wasn’t going much deeper than a surface level, but that was understandable given how recent their acquaintance was.

“Your amulet is obviously precious, and quite an interesting and powerful artifact Miria, but… even if you lost it, I think you would be okay. Maybe it was what got you started on your journey, but your sword arm is all you. Your armour isn’t really good at protecting you from magic, but we still went even in rounds. When you got it, in wasn’t your armour that overwhelmed me.” Roxanne offered, taking a small bite of her pie in between as she gathered her thoughts.

“You all seemed impressed enough with my magic, so if you didn’t need your armour to take that round off of me, then I think you’ll be fine. Err… I don’t want to pressure you though, obviously you don’t need to tell me anything if you don’t want to. I just thought… it was really obvious you had something weighing you down, so maybe I could help, just a little.” The sheep concluded, withering just a bit at the tail end. The last thing she wanted was to come off as prying and pushy…

Miria listened intently at the sheep explaining herself and her reasoning for her thoughts on Miria’s feelings. The cub nodded, “I appreciate it, Roxi. God, I keep saying it,” She snickered. “I know I’m tough, and I’ve got a lot of people to reassure me in case I start doubting me. Thankfully, there’s been no issues yet.”

There was a pause as Miria ate a little more, giving a satisfied sound. Once she finished that plate, she waited before going at the pie again. “As well, if you ever have any problems, well, I don’t know how well I can help, but I’m a good listener. I’m here if you ever need something, Roxi. I promise, as a friend.” The golden cub’s little smile was big and earnest.

“You won’t hear me complaining. Better to be appreciated than something else.” Roxanne flashed Miria a smile back, glad to see she was coming out of her funk without any issue. The sheep finished her first plate of food around the same time that Miria finished her second, neither of them seeming to go for more just yet.

“Well, for now my biggest problem is getting rid of that churlish brute Kazran… and you’re already helping with that. Really though, I appreciate the offer. If I ever need to just vent or something, I’ll keep you in mind. Miss Tio has been a big help in regards to my magic, but she’s not going to be able to magic away everything.”

“Absolutely. You’re just… so cool. Nice, strong, cool magic stuff.” Miria gave a sigh of relief. She really did think that. And it made her feel better. They were so chill even though the cub was weary of her at first. “And yeah, we’re gonna beat his ass, and…” She got a bit quieter and closer just in case, “Hopefully we can help make Islexia a better place after.” And she laughed a little.

Sitting herself back up, she got ready to attack the pie once again, but she waited, “Actually, before I go back in, would you like some more of the pot pie? I don’t want to eat all of it before you get a chance for seconds.”

“Oh, stop it you.” Roxanne playfully swatted her hand in Miria’s direction, blushing just a bit at the sudden heaping of praise. She couldn’t help but laugh along as Miria suddenly felt secretive over perhaps improving Islexia with Kazran’s removal… really aside from personal vengeance that was the motive, was it not?

“Oh sure, I’ll take a bit more, but-” Roxanne had been about to say she had little fear of such a sizeable pie disappearing so quickly, but Miria really had taken a hefty chunk out of it while they had been absentmindedly chatting. 

“-Haha, apparently there wasn’t as much left as I thought. You really were quite hungry, weren’t you Miria?”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Miria laughed a bit, blushing herself. “Didn’t mean to shower you, just… You were already being so nice, the least I could do was get you back.” She joked a bit, tenting her hands a bit together. “Sometimes it just is good to let people know, haha~”

The cub waited for Roxanne to grab her food, and listened as she talked about Miria’s hunger. This got her to giggle a bit, “Yeah, I guess so. I’m just… naturally hungry. I work out and fight a lot, and sometimes I will go into my armor to work out. So, I gotta make sure I eat. My body gets incredibly weak if I exert a lot of power, so, I gotta~ Though, I guess I already ate that much anyway.”

“It’s fine, just came a bit suddenly, hehe.” Roxanne noted, worried for a moment as Miria appeared sheepish, before the little hero bounced back. When Miria described how her body burned through food, Roxanne nodded along, her head bobbing as she placed her hand to her chin.

“I suppose it must cost a lot to maintain that kind of diet, huh? If you need it to keep going then I suppose there’s nothing for it. On the other hand, it must be nice to never need to worry about gaining weight. You’d burn it all off before anything could stick.”

“Yeah, a bit. I take time usually to hunt my own food on occasion because of that. We ration our food for all the Tigers, so it wouldn’t be fair if I just grabbed and ate everything. I have learned how to perfect fish. I’m hoping to find a boar soon. Put that on some ice, and I’m eating good for awhile.” She laughed, thinking about it. With some time she easily could take down and make some boar. Especially if she was hungry enough.

“And yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever worried about it. Even before my amulet I worked out all the time. Mama and Papa thought it was funny, but even without super cool armor powers you gotta be able to protect your store, right?”

“Oh? You’ll have to show me what perfect fish tastes like sometime, then.” Roxanne teased with a smile, watching Miria continue to gush over the prospect of hunting boar. Her enthusiasm really was infectious.

“Don’t take it for granted… a lot of people would kill for that kind of metabolism. Still, it sounds like you’ve always had that hero streak to you, huh? Even if it’s just protecting your home, not everyone can strive for those things from such a young age.”

“Oh, absolutely. And we could go fishing too! There’s always a place to hunt for food when we travel~” Miria replied regarding fish. Talking food really was one of her few prides. To get to show it off, it made the cub happy.

“Yeah, I’ve always sorta… wanted to be a hero, I guess. I’ve grown up on so many stories, fiction and history, and I’ve just wanted to be one too. Mama and Papa would’ve never let me join the military, so I had to ‘get creative’.” She stuck her tongue out, holding in laughter. “Just, the circumstances regarding me, being here was, not the greatest. But I know they’re cheering me on.” Her smile was beaming with pride.

“Hehe… sounds like a fun time. Hopefully we get the chance.” Roxanne replied with a slight nod. Aside from perhaps casting a line from the pier at Eslcas itself, the sheep wasn’t sure they’d really get much opportunity before they would assault Beacon Keep, her own departure from the Tiger’s company soon thereafter. Still, it was enough to spend time with someone friendly and think of what the future could potentially hold, even if it never came to pass. Maybe they would meet again, someday.

“It sounds like they were quite protective of you, Miria. Still, it’s a good thing, that they have your back when it counts. It sounds like they raised you well.”

“Yeah, I think so. They homeschooled me, and trained me to run our store, but a lot of my fighting stuff is self-taught. Mama was a knight, but she retired. Papa’s a clouded treasure hunter. And now me, a mercenary, haha~ Funny how stuff ends up, I guess.” She smiled happily, continuing to eat.

She looked back over, swallowing a bite of food. “I’m glad we met, Roxi, this was so much fun. I needed this a lot, we’ve had… a rough few days. It feels good to just, cut loose and relax a bit after a long while. Thank you. You’re awesome.” She gave a big thumbs-up.

“For being self-taught, you’re quite the swordfighter… you must have a lot of talent to get this far without a proper instructor. Quite the family legacy.” Roxanne acknowledged, taking a bite of pie as Miria continued… a rough few days, was it? The Tigers had been freshly arriving to Eslcas when she had run into them, and just from what she knew of their retrieval of Jane, the sheep could imagine they had been faced with a harrowing trial not too long before.

“I’m glad to have met you too, Miria. You really are… all of the Tigers infact… quite an interesting bunch. I’ve seen mercenary companies before but never such an eclectic selection. Commander Natalya must either be wise beyond her years or incredibly lucky to have found the lot of you. I really should be the one thanking you all, not the other way around.”

“Haha, maybe legacy.” Miria did ponder that for a moment. Were her blood parents, or any of that family warriors at all? It would help explain a little of her Shroud. Maybe. There was too much she didn’t know, and wish she had leads. She remembered Jeremiah said something like he knew about her Shroud, but… he seemed hard to get the chance to talk to. Especially when she probably should’ve asked during training.

Miria took a final bite from her plate, and gave a wonderfully serene sigh, patting her belly just a little bit. “Yeah, Miss Natalya is great. When I had to leave home, she found me a little after, and took me in. Really, I didn’t think about how long I’d stay, but, I’m glad I haven’t considered leaving. They’re all great people.” Miria cuffed her hands together and held them on her chin, thinking a little more. But then stopped when looking at the rest of the pie. There was still a little left.

“Oh, you wanna take some to-go? I’m stuffed~” She giggled, it wasn’t often she really did have so much she didn’t want to eat anymore. It’d have been rude not to at least offer the rest to her eating companion. 

“It’s not easy, finding a group like that away from home, that really feels like family. Make sure to treasure them, Miria. I can tell that what you guys have is special, really.” Roxanne began, leaning back and closing her eyes for a few moments, her thoughts wandering listfully to her own found family. She would be back together with them soon enough…

“Not that you should have too much to be worried about, with defenders as strong as you and backup from guys like Jeremiah, I’m sure the Tigers will manage just fine.” Roxanne flashed a smile as she looked back towards Miria, who appeared to be about finished eating. On that note, the sheep finished the last bite of her current plate, before eyeing the remainder of the pie after Miria did so.

“It seems like a personal favorite of yours, Miria, so I don’t mind if you take the leftovers for later. I suppose we could split them if you really don’t want it all.”

“I will, don’t worry.” Miria smiled with her reply. She did see the Tigers as her family, which meant much like with her parents, she had to be strong enough to keep them safe. “They’re just as capable, so like, we got each other covered, y’know?” She gave a flex. “As long as we’re together going up to fight Kazran I’ll do what I can to keep you safe, too.” Her flex quickly turned to a thumbs-up.

When Roxanne considered splitting what was left, the cub looked over and saw the pie. There was a good amount of the food left. She nodded, and bounced off without warning, coming back with some wrap and containers. “Okay then! We can split it~” She sat down, and started to dig through the remainder of the pie, splitting it perfectly in half. As she put everything together, she thought, “Funnily, as much as I like pot pie, it’s not that high up there, hah~ I’m much more of a shepherd’s pie gal. But(!) this was awesome. Thank you again, Roxi.” She smiled again, beaming almost like the sun.

“I hope we can do this again. Food with a friend is great~”

“Good. Keep them close and safe, and never let go. That’s the best way to make sure you don’t end up with regrets.” Roxanne nodded as Miria continued. The Tigers were all strong, even if Miria herself was the only one Roxanne had directly sparred with. If they were all on her level, then they should have little to worry about going forward. Mirroring Miria’s flex with one of her own despite her far less pronounced musculature, Roxanne gave the little knight a wide grin.

“Hey now, I thought I proved I’m no slouch myself. Whose to say I won’t end up being the one protecting you, Miria?” Roxanne teased, leaning back as Miria went to get some containers for the remainder of their meal and swiftly returned. It seemed they really were about wrapping up, then.

“Really? I’d hate to see what sort of carnage you would inflict on something at the top of your list, you already tore that pie apart.” Roxanne giggled as the cub noted that this wasn’t even approaching her favourite dishes. 

“It was nice, yes. Really I should be thanking you… you could have spent your day with anyone from the Tigers, but you kept me company instead. I do appreciate it.”

“Right, right, sorry. But, I still gotta make sure you’re safe. That’s my job~!” Miria stood up, and went over to Roxanne, giving her a soft pat on the shoulder. “But I know my back is safe cause you’ll be there.” She gave an infectious little laugh. “Sorry. You did beat me senseless in that first fight.” She returned to her boxes she made and handed one over. “One to-go, lil chunk of pot pie.”

She held the other box in her hands and pondered. “My favorite is steak. A good steak, maybe a second one. No, that’s a lie. Chicken! Chicken is great for when I gotta do something, and need a good lunch to keep me energized. Then steak. A good steak is like a bite of heaven~” She was almost immediately in a drooling daze from the thought before she caught herself and got back into focus. “But yeah, I make a whole lotta food I gotta show you some time~”

And then suddenly, she was being thanked? Just for hanging out with her? “I mean, of course, Roxi~ We sparred, and had a good time, so of course food would be great too. And y’know, mama always told me sometimes a stranger is just a friend I haven’t made yet~ And I think you’re a friend. If you ever wanna do something like this again, or just hang on, never hesitate to ask.” Miria did her best to explain and ended with her trademark smile once again.

“Well, I don’t think Kazran will have many mages working for him, so you’ll probably be okay. But I’ll do my best to keep it that way.” Roxanne stuck out her tongue for a brief moment. She had caught Miria off guard to be certain, but it was clear that the golden knight was better against a physical opponent than a magical one with that armour. Leaning forward as Miria tried to decipher her own favourite food, Roxanne couldn’t help but chuckle as she flip-flopped between her two standout options, eventually settling on one.

“More meat huh? Not that I can really blame you, heehee. Those are both good options at any rate… I think a steak stands out a bit more on it’s own, but chicken you can do more things with. You seem pretty confident in your cooking between these and the fish, so I’ll admit you have me curious.” Roxanne added, unable to help smiling back at Miria as she wore her trademark grin, it really was infectious.

“Yeah… that’s a nice thought. Obviously not all strangers will turn out, but I’d like to consider you a friend too, Miria. Hopefully we get another chance like this.””

“Me too, Roxi. I gotta like, show you some sick food skills, or just take you around and stuff, it’ll be great~” Miria said with excitement in her voice. “But don’t say hopefully, we will. We’re gonna beat Ka–” She toned herself down a bit, “We’re gonna beat Kazran, and we’re gonna make it held high~” The cub threw out a thumbs-up.

Despite holding her food in her hands, she stood up straight again, and thought of a perfect idea, “You know, we don’t have to just end our day after food. I don’t have a whole lot of money on hand right now, but the day’s still young~ Wanna go find something to do, even if it’s just to walk around town? Or even just go sit by the ocean? It’s real pretty out there~”

“Haha… yeah, we’ll get rid of that blight of a man, definitely. I just meant… peaceful moments like this, they don’t always come around so often. Just being able to eat and chat in pleasant company.” Roxanne clarified, her ears giving a twitch as Miria asked if she had any further plans for the day.

“Well, I didn’t really have anything planned… mostly just magic drills. Keep the mind sharp, keep the looming anxiety about, well… all of what’s coming, at bay. But that’s most of what I’ve been doing since I landed in Eslcas, so it’s not like I’ll get anything more out of it. That sounds lovely.”

“Yyyyes! Awesome! You gotta drill but sometimes you gotta kick back and relax a bit, too~” Miria took her food in one hand, and Roxanne’s in another. She was practically already going out the door, “Let’s go! Let’s make the rest of today fun, yeah~?”

 

Edited April 23 by Ether

[Bluemask 96]

Gean's unfamiliarity will the mercenary's odd sword proved enough of a difference for a solid hit to land, but not to down her. "So you’re not a coward huh? Still a dead man." Gean gave the man no opportunity to rebuttal, bringing her axe right into the swordsman's torso, before feeling the pivot timing from before and slaming her axe into their shoulder, watching the man hit the ground with a thud. "Hah... Hah." 

Amera joined behind Renais, raring to join in. "Thanks, if this misses this straggler's all yours!" Gean switched over to her other axe, choosing to keep her distance this time.

Gean to 5-24 and chucks a Hand Axe at Thief 3!

[Nanami Touko]

Without any hesitation, powered solely by her selfish goals and the magic of the sword, Talulah brought it down hard on Miria's shoulder, dragging the weapon back for another blow, red eyes glowing and watching for Miria's maneuver...!

"Huh? Fight now?! W-Wait--!" Miria was still trying to process what was going on. Why was she being targeted right now? Was this a Shroud too?

No time for that now...! Miria took a defensive stance but this new individual was quick. Her sword came down hard and despite blocking it from dangerous damage, the cub's shoulder was easily sliced into. She grit her teeth and pushed back her assailant.

Miria felt the wind in her blade, and made a slash to center-mass. "If you want a fight I'll give you one!"

The blow connected, solidly, Miria's sword tearing into Talulah's coat and spilling blood... but it was like she didn't feel it, not flinching, recoiling, pausing, as a flurry of blows rained down on Miria: shoulder, leg, arm, and as the final swing spun around aimed at her neck--!

"Khhh...!" The blade was held at Miria's neck, trembling in Talulah's grasp. "I... s-said, you... Would not, kill... her...!" With a straining in her voice and a clear struggle on her body, Talulah forced the sword away, ramming it back into its sheath! The shroud swiftly began to fade away, the elf coughing as she fell to her knees, veins pulsing red, edges of her hair fading to white.

"Eat wh-what you, must... you damn, greedy sword... We, kill on m-my, orders. Not yours..." The woman in gold was likely going to be confused. Talulah would explain later... Hopefully Lati stops anyone from killing me after I pass out... Only a matter of time, now.

She stuffed two fingers into her wound from Miria's blade, slathering her blood across the weapon's sheath. It slowly began to disappear. "That, will buy me a f-few minutes. Healer. We, need one."

I can't keep up-- Miria was simply outperformed and outplayed. Despite her attack connecting, Talulah was too much. Multiple hits were against her. She was already down. She hadn't felt so afraid, so beaten...

The blade of her opponent stopped at her neck, and she said something regarding not killing her. Miria, confused, only backed up a smidge, trying to keep herself up. "W-What?" Miria took the opportunity and poured the vulnerary around her body. Her breathing was heavy, and she could only come up with more questions.

"I-- huh?! Who, what, why--" Miria held her blade at the ready again. She didn't know what to think now. "Who the hell are you? W-Why did you attack me?! What are you talking about?"

"Hey! Hey, hey there, uh..." Lati wasn't sure what to do now, walking up on the scene, trying to fix the mess that Talulah had suddenly created... "I'm, my name is Lati. I came here to deal with Kazran... She's, Talulah, I found her along the coast, collapsed, helped her back onto her feet, have been traveling with her... I don't know what this is all about, but... She's not, bad? I think? I, I don't know why she attacked you, just... She didn't kill you. Held back. So let's... Let's just... I don't know. T-Talk about it...?"

Talulah coughed and staggered herself to her feet. "Talk once, sword's... satisfied. Gonna... Pass out, few minutes. Need a healer."

Miria listened as the other woman approached, and explained their situation. "You're here for Kazran too?" She shook her head, and pressed her fingers to her nose. "Well, okay... If that's the case then, I would've appreciated the heads-up first." She sighed, and thought about Talulah's strange words again. "L-Look."

She poured some of the vulnerary onto Talulah's wound. There was some frustration she felt but... If this person needed help...

"Look, that should hold for a little bit. We have some healers just, don't try to dig your sword into the next person to turn the corner, okay?"

Talulah pushed Miria's hand away, shaking her head. "No! That won't... Help, anything. You don't, get it. Healer. Need a healer..." Her steps were dragging, but she did her best to begin moving, eyes ahead. "Any, h-healer will, do..."

Lati ran a hand through her hair, raking a deep breath. "Yeah... I would've appreciated some heads-up too..."

"A-Alright, jeeze. Come here then, you're dragging your feet." Miria took one of Talulah's arms and wrapped it around herself. She gave an exasperated sigh.

"We should be just about finished up there, and we gotta hurry. The fight's not over yet." She started moving with the other Shroud-user in tow. She could only hope Lati was right and Talulah wasn't too bad.

Edited April 24 by Nanami Touko

[Ursali]

As soon as the deadman's attention shifted to Versaris Alriana was ready to pounce. Alvira and Versaris charged forward to clear the way as Roxanne directed her funnels onto her again. Versaris was in position now, ready for her to charge in!

Aly to 13,33 Pattern AtS Silver Dagger Vermeil.

It was over in an instant. Vermeil had pulled back the bowstring, magical energy pooling as he prepared to take his shot. Versaris stood ready to knock the magical arrow out of the air, however one did that anyway, and Roxanne's funnels fired as soon as the Creation's dagger was loosed from her hand. None of it, save her dagger, was needed in the end. Her dagger pierced the man's throat as he was in the middle of saying some inane taunt, quickly silencing him as his hands went from preparing to shoot her to clutching at his throat.

"Hmph. Supposed to be leader? Died just as easily as rest."

Edited April 25 by Ursali

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria couldn't hold it anymore, and her armor dissipated. This had been a tough one. She hadn't scrapped like that, and it was clear in her body. Even with the vulnerary, she could still feel that hit in her shoulder, and despite the pain from the whole dealing with Talulah, she had to keep herself up. They hadn't even gotten to Kazran, and Miria felt at her limit. I shouldn't be! I should be stronger! Right...? 

Miria exercised the thought of her strength. She should've been able to fight off Talulah at this fight, at least, that's what she believed. This shouldn't be the limit of what she's capable. If only I just knew more! Ahhhh! She did her best to maintain her composure physically, but all she was doing was rolling in mental circles of frustration. But...

I have to keep going. She got herself and Talulah in her arms around the corner, and it looked as if, the fighting at least for now, had come to a stop. "H-Hey! Can we get a... a staff or two, please?" She called out as soon as the Tigers were in her sights. This is going to be so stupid to explain. If only this weirdo didn't pass out on me... She sighed, but she still pushed on to meet the rest of the group.

[Nanami Touko]

"You said you needed a healer!?" With the threats removed, Krystal squirmed herself out of Tasha's grasp, almost stumbling over as she landed, huffing. "Goodness... You gotta be more gentle with a flower like me, y'know? Honestly... What am I gonna do, cast a spell at one of you and get turned into ground beef? Pah! I know when to switch sides, so don't get my allegiances twisted, okay?" Krystal rolled her eyes a bit and sauntered over towards Miria and the... elf? She looked, ghastly... Eyes red, veins popping, pale, halfway passing out... "Whoakay... Rough. Let's fix that." She set the Physic aside and pulled out a Heal, getting to work. "There, isn't that better already~? And, hey, where'd that gold armor go? I didn't even get a thanks for all the work I did... They don't have aaaaany idea how EXHAUSTING healing work is, Gawd." Despite her whining, Krystal was looking more radiant than before, almost enjoying doing the healing work. Exhausting, hah~ Whatever I put in flows right back into me... Some sorta circuit business, I guess, but it doesn't bother me any. This is great~ Perfect for the nerves after all that nonsense...

Talulah was halfway to passing out when the healing began, coughing and finding her strength as the blade began to eat away at the incoming mana rather than her own. "Thank you... mmhhn..." She was still exhausted, but she forced herself to stand up straight, pulling herself off of Miria's shoulder and holding herself up. "Thank you. Both of you... I'm not going to apologize for attacking you, because I feel the encounter was fruitful for the both of us... But I would like to speak with you more on what your armor is. It was similar to mine, but... Different. Yours... Isn't coming from within a weapon, is it?" Talulah ran a hand through her hair as it slowly regained its black sheen, the white fading with more and more of Krystal's healing.

"Ah, gratitude... You're plenty welcome, hun~ Anything to help you feel better and get the bags out from under those eyes... Rough night?" She winked, but Talulah wasn't flustered, smiling softly.

"Yes... Many. The relief is... Welcome. Please provide her some, as well... I will be fine, now."

"Uh huhhhh... Elves sure are stoic, huh... Alright little lady, some for you too. Eat up~"

Since it seemed like Talulah wasn't about to go ballistic on the girl again, Lati moved past the small group and headed towards... "Princess Cassandra, yes?"

Cass turned around, heaving her axe onto her shoulder, her mouth still splattered with blood. "That's me... Who's asking? Look, we gotta regroup and keep moving, we can't let the shit head upstairs prepare any more than he likely has for what's about to hit him." Cass was about to turn to speak with Natalya, but Lati grabbed her arm.

"My name is Lati... Serdio. Kazran is my father. I came here to kill him, but it seems like I'm late." Lati was ready to take an axe to the face, but all she got was Cassandra's shock, still pulling away from the woman.

"Hah!? What the fuck? Where've you been all these years!? Owen! Natalya! We've got a pretty important visitor!" She finally wiped her mouth on her sleeve, spitting some out onto the dungeon floor. "Lord, it's a whole Kazran killing buffet... Who else did this guy piss off?"

---

The fighting seemed to have stopped... Sylm clutched her casting arm, shuffling forward, trying to meet the head of the group. She had to make sure... make sure Giovanna hadn't been down here, hadn't been killed in the skirmish. Truly, the idea that her friend could've been down here hadn't dawned on her this whole time, making her movements panicked and rushed, racing forwards towards... "Vermeil." With a knife in his neck. "Got what you deserved..." If he was leading he never would've suffered Giovanna helping him... He was a decent commander and a powerful archer, but pride was always his biggest issue. Too prideful for monsters, too prideful for women, even in the midst of combat where those elements faded into the background... "Guess your pride wasn't strong enough today." That meant Giovanna was upstairs... Hopefully. "I'll just reach you first... I'll spearhead the group, I'll make it to you. Be safe. You have to be safe..."

Versaris walked up behind Aly and ran a hand onto her head, petting her a bit. "Good work... Didn't expect that guy to falter so easily. Was ready to snatch an arrow out of the sky... But I'm glad I didn't have to show off. You guys might not even need me, soon. You've caught up impressively... I'm really proud of you, and the Tigers, for how far you've all come. But," he looked ahead to the stairs leading up, "we're not done yet... not yet."

---

The sounds of combat had died down to nothing... Leaving M with what was left of her crew and... She took a deep breath and slipped around the corner after Roxanne, storming up to the woman and spinning her around. She didn't say anything, she just pointed a finger at her cheek and then turned it towards her. Roxanne deserved this and so much more, but it was a start.

Amera, meanwhile, was feeling great! Stretching, muscles loose, feeling all worked out... She turned around a few times, sniffing the air, ears twitching, before she turned and ran down several corridors on all fours, turning one final time into-- "Seilaaaaaaa~!" She didn't stop, or slow down, full on tackling the mage to the ground in a tight hug, arms around her, kissing her cheek, purring and nuzzling against her. "We did great, didn't we!? I'm sure they'll keep us around after a showing like that! Right? Right!? We've found a group again~!"

[Ether]

As soon as Alriana had leapt into action, Roxanne's conduits had followed after her, loosing their fury on the garrison commander in tandem with the lizard... but it swiftly became apparent that her assistance in that matter hadn't been necessary, Alriana's dagger burying itself far too deep into the bowman's throat for him to survive to do... anything really. The beams of light still followed through, desecrating the world's newest corpse as he fell to the floor with several accompanying burn marks, but as the conduits returned to her, Roxanne could only observe that things seemed to be over for now. 

For the Tigers, anyway. The footsteps storming up to her from behind had enough of a familiar cadence that before Roxanne was turned around, she knew who to expect. M didn't have any words for her, just an offering of her cheek. Roxanne looked down at M for only a moment, as she pulled her hand back. The sudden relative silence of the former warzone abruptly interrupted as Roxanne's balled fist smashed into the side of M's face with all of the might she could muster, the only courtesy afforded to her Captain the fact that she had dispelled the crystal that had been armouring her moments prior. Grabbing ahold of M's shoulders as she recoiled, Roxanne swiftly shoved the gunslinger against the cold stone wall, staring her down in anger for a few moments before she began to tremble and weep, sinking her face into M's chest.

"Why, M? Why... I wasn't late. Even if I hadn't come up with anything useful, for fuck's sake M... you could have at least let me die with the rest of you, not just forced to figure everything out alone or throw myself at the goddamn front gate." Roxanne croaked out, balling up the Moth's sweater in her hands as they clenched into fists again. She couldn't maintain her fury in the moment, not with everything rushing out.

"Jane's safe, M. The Tigers busted her out of another base, Kazran already sold her! How in the hell are you gonna explain to her why no one else is coming back? What would I have told her if you were dead?! All she wanted was to see you again!" Roxanne sniffled, ears laying flat as her sobbing calmed down, not pulling away from M just yet.

[Nanami Touko]

She'd expected a lot more than a single punch and getting thrown against a wall, body ready for a worse pummeling, especially after what Kazran had done to her... She wasn't ready for the emotions that poured out of the sheep, the truth that slipped off her lips, the emotional blank that M was drawing in response to it all. These complete strangers had not only saved her and those who remained, but her daughter, making this attempt pointless, fruitless, and nothing but a waste of good people against someone that would've been cut down days later. "... ... ..." She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She had no answer. No excuse. Nothing would cover what she'd lead... The two that remained, Istavion and Kika, what sort of grudges would they harbour? Despite what they'd said today, it had likely been said to pump her up, to get her into combat, to make her face what she could.

"I won't cry," she began, tears welling up, but none falling, quickly wiping her eyes on her sweater to rid herself of them. "I don't deserve to. This was my fault. My impatience, anxiety, distrust... I have no one else to blame and I have no excuses to make. All I can do is fight until Kazran is dead without giving up. When that is done, and when the crew has been avenged, that is when I will allow myself tears. I still won't deserve them... But for now... I must be strong. I must aim well. I must put a bullet in that man's heart... For all of us."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Talulah engages Miria!

[47, 47] First swing connects for 15 damage!

Miria counters!

[46, 85] Miria's attack strikes the new shroud user, but Talulah is not finished!

Talulah finishes!

[56, 6] I'm going to let Mel handle this one.

Koba finishes off Merc 10!

[57, 100] The blade of wind was more than enough to take the air out of Merc 10's lung for the final time!

Koba gains 38 EXP, and +2 Anima EXP!

Ullr rushes in to Merc 11!

[12, 66] (17), [55, 85] (12) First the right, and the worse left. Two swings, and a downed Merc!

Ullr gains 30 EXP, and +3 Brawling EXP!

Alvira engages Fighter 5!

[42, 72] Alvira connects for 18 damage!

Fighter 5 counters with hand axe!

[56, 69] His axe sails wide leaving him open! Miss!

Alvira finishes!

[47, 1] Alvira decides that she's going to end this map on a bang!

Critical!

Alvira gains 30 EXP, and +3 Light EXP!

Sari engages Fighter 6!

[30, 7] With almost callous disregard for the man in front of him, Sari swings the Levin Sword without even looking at the man, but the bolt more than enough to fell anyone at all.

Critical!

Sari gains 22 EXP, and +2 Sword EXP!

Aegean throws an Axe at Thief 3!

[38, 97] The axe took the Thief with it, landing with a hefty thud.

Aegean gains 26 EXP, and +2 Axe EXP!

Aly and Sari call Pattern ATS and engage Vermeil with Aly leading!

Guess what happened. Go on. Guess.

[94, 23] Have fun Ursa and Mel!

Vermeil is fucking dead!

Aly gains 100 EXP, and +2 Hidden EXP!

MAP CLEAR!

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the field of combat fell silence, aside from the heavy breaths of the victors. Nyx could hear angry, pained shouting from elsewhere in the compound that sounded like Roxanne. They couldn't be sure of the circumstances that led to everything, but if the two that were with the beaten... moth? What exactly was the woman from before anyway? That hadn't quite crossed Nyx's mind in the moment, not when she wasn't pointing a weapon in her direction with intent to kill. Maybe equally as important was the chest that Gean had defended from the grubby hands of one of Kazran's men; better to be in her grubby hands than in one of theirs. "Good toss, Gean. Really stuck it t'em." Nyx sauntered over, and picked the lock of the chest, before whistling, "Damn, ain't this just th' pretties--" She went to go an pick up the spoils, and grunted as it didn't quite move. "...Huh. That's heavier than I figured it'd be... Hell, how's ya supposed to bash a man wit' this?! Someone go git Lani, or something..."

Nyx gained a Steel Greatsword!

[Ether]

A few faint sniffles escaped from M's sweater, muffled by the fabric as well as the bounty beneath it, Roxanne emerging after her Captain had said her piece, wiping the remnants of her tears away from her eyes as she stood up fully. If nothing else, M made no attempt to shirk her responsibility. This tragic, avoidable loss... it was a result of her own willful and reckless abandon. She would have to live with that fact, and explain it to her innocent daughter.

"That's right, M. We can't give up now... and I intend to drag you back to Jane alive, you're not getting out of this by dying in some blaze of glory. As for Kazran... take your shot at him when you get it. I have no intention to wait for you." Roxanne added, gritting her teeth as her thoughts returned to the butcher sitting at Beacon Keep's throne, balled fist smashing against the wall a few inches away from M's face.

"I am going to sear his skin and render the flesh from his bones, M. Reduce the lot to ash. Until there's nothing left... so aim true at your earliest opportunity. I have no such fantasy of a clean, surgical kill." The sheep shook her head, the magic welling up in her already surging to the point where Roxanne had taken on a visible glow, the sheep converting herself into a lamp accidentally. Conduits rattling in their holsters, Roxanne turned away from M as the crystals shot out of their place at her side, the glow from her body leeching away into the conduits.

"Close your eyes." Was the only warning M received before moments later, the conduits fired, dispelling the buildup of magic into the floor and boring several distinct holes into the stone, smoking as they burned for a few lingering seconds. If M hadn't closed her eyes in time, so be it. She would recover from the light show momentarily.

"How many... how many did the beast himself kill? That you saw, at least."

[Nanami Touko]

M closed her eyes as she was warned, shaking her head. "He didn't," she bit out, suffering a sigh. "It was all his honor guard... The people upstairs. We made a mess of the host that was here before, barely lost anyone, but... it was like running into a wall. A wall that stabbed back... He didn't step off his throne until it was just me, tossed me aside like a doll and then caged who was left to be sold... I wish... He'd done more. That we'd done enough to get him to step up, but we couldn't, even... They're strong, Roxanne. I'm to going to give up and I'm not going to martyr myself... But it won't be easy. No matter how angry you get." Her mandibles clacked as she pulled herself off of the wall, turning to head back to the people leading this force. "So watch yourself. You won't get the chance to fight him if you go in there guns blazing. Learned that well enough..."

[Ether]

"He didn't even bother, did he? I was expecting the list to hurt... somehow that's worse." Roxanne sighed, her conduits re-holstering themselves with their purpose fulfilled, excess magic purged. If no one specific, then... she'd just need to picture everyone when she faced him down. He would bear her fury and her rage for all of them, everything left at the end of all this.

"Make no mistake M... I'm not going to throw myself away. I... we, not just us, but the Tigers, are going to crash through them like the surging tide, drown the lot. Every man who dares step in front of us, M... is going to die. When we reach Kazran, and we will, I will make him stand, M. And after I sever his legs from the knee down, I will force him to kneel. We will not fail, we can. Not. Fail. M. The only thing that can stop me is if someone else takes his head first." Roxanne shook her head, taking in a slow, deep breath before releasing it, her hands finally unclenching.

"So don't think you'll be rid of me so easily."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Talulah removed herself as she was healed and her hair went from white to black. Was it black when I saw her first? Her fight-or-flight clicked in before she even had a chance to think on it. Not that is mattered now. She thanked Miria and the person who healed her as well. "Well, I'm sure we'll have pl-plenty of time," She gave a big stretch, "after we finish kicking in Kazran's teeth. I guess uh, it's a pleasure to meet you Talulah. My name's Miria." Despite circumstances, Miria decided to just bury her annoyance. If they were fighting together, it was better that she did. She was exhausted anyway. She turned to the woman who came to heal them.

"Oh! You were who helped me earlier during the fight? Thank you, I'm so sorry. I was... caught up in everything. I really appreciate your help." Miria pressed her hands together and gave a light bow. "I hope I can make it up to you." Despite her exhaustion, she kept her pep as much as she could. There was still more fighting to be had. "Oh, and uh," she stood back up, "It's, magic armor. I need to turn it off or I use up too much energy and wipe out." She laughed nervously.

Edited Monday at 04:36 AM by GoldsbroTSG

[Billy12510]

The fighting had come to an end, at least for the moment. Alriana had made sure of that. Syndra took the brief respite to take stock of what was going on. The Tigers marched through the area easily enough, but Syndra knew their work was just getting started. She headed back towards Aegean and Renais, and saw them with Nyxied who had opened up the chest they had found and warded off. "Are we all okay? We might have gotten through this point, but we need to keep focused. Anyone in this nation who claims the title of Warlord has to be able to back it up, so I doubt we're through the worst of it. Still, I'm sure we'll be fine, we've made it this far by working together as well as we have." Syndra cautioned to them. She had every confidence they would succeed, but she knew if they would; it was going to be incredibly hard-fought.

[Bluemask 96]

Gean picked up her axe and brushed her hair back. Things were quiet again, which meant this first was done. She returned to Renais' side, only to Nyx and Syndra instead of Amera. "I think we're mostly ok, not so hurt to keep going. We should move though, the faster we go the less time whoever is upstairs has to counter us." Gean was ready to be done with this place, and she had a feeling whoever was up with Karzan, she wouldn’t like them either.

[JakezuGD]

Tasha sighed, hearing what she more or less expected as the answer. She couldn't be too careful about the potential of Clouded being actively against them too, given what had happened with Sylmaria, but everything Krystal said made sense... even if she didn't really understand what the point of the flirting was, if all the scantily clad lady needed to do for her magic to work was the touch. Maybe that's just the kind of person she was.

The calls for a healer and Tasha's lapsed concentration on keeping Krystal in her grip allowed the girl an easy way out and back onto her feet, not that she cared to keep her restrained anymore anyway. What was going on behind them was of more interest, what with Miria coming back, not in her armor, and towing a woman with her who looked like she was dying? What the hell happened back there? First she says she's being pulled by something, and now she comes back without her gear on and with some random women? She didn't have all too long to scratch her ears over the strange occurrence, however, as the other stepped forward to introduce herself to Cassandra with quite the reaction. "I mean, if she's here to kill Kazran, then we team up, simple as that. We can't be spending too much time mulling this over now, or our opposition regroups before we do, just like you said, yeah? Natalya Liberia, I'm the commander of the mercs they've hired for the job," she reasoned, giving a nod to Lati. "Let's get moving as soon as your, uh, friend? Gets on her feet? You're gonna have to tell me about what went on there sometime, but not now."