2018-05-20: Hope Fatigue

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==============================<* Taben's Peak *>==============================

Located a short distance from the city of Vane, Taben's Peak is a towering mountain jutting up from the otherwise featureless Plains of the Goddess. 

The Peak itself is populated by monsters, but it is the interior that is truly remarkable - the interior is honeycombed with strange passageways formed of a stone so hard it seems almost metallic in nature. Few who enter the depths return, but those who do speak of strange artefacts and other monstrosities.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4AbCmnF758
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
Taben's Peak is not often explored given it's nature. The interior being honeycombed by passages filled with strange monsters from a bygone era. And yet - upon learning from Saint Lunn - the Blue Dragon Hero that it's in fact settled by orphans clandestinely hiding from the Shadow Dragon Cult. This comes along with the added incentive that Riese just got a call indicating that the Fereshte just might be up there too - which makes it additionally urgent that they explore it. Which meant this operation just became one that needed 'All Hands on Deck.'
 
The forested path between Meribia and Vane is well travelled - but the trails that break off leading to the Peak itself are not so much. They've been hiking for hours under the tree cover - conversing -"They've gotta be hiding close to the base - don't you think Jean? I mean... it'd be rough for kids to be living up top."
 
Before asking Riesenlied, "Say - don't suppose that when Hammer called - he dropped any hints on where they're hiding out at?" "You sure this guy is a reliable source? I mean I trust Muni Muni but this guy always sounded a little sketchy to me... then again Fei seems to trust him - and if he's really being held by a bunch of rugrats then I guess he must be pretty harmless." -when suddenly!
 
A white shape flutters on by with a fish in it's mouth. Blink and you might miss it. But it looks a lot like a certain someone in the party.
 
https://img00.deviantart.net/7c15/i/2016/148/b/5/ff__nall_by_draggincat-da44x6h.png
 
Lucia is the first to actually catch sight of it. Her gaze following it long before it even appears. The second is who flies a little ahead- "Heyyyy!"
 
And the third - "Hey uh Ruby - correct me if I'm wrong but - didn't that thing look a lot like you? I thought you were one of a kind!" Ruby seems a little hesitant now - "Well... I thought I was..."
 
But then as if making an impulsive decision just to go forward - she darts into the brush with hastily flapping wings after it as she vanishes into the bushes. "Hey! You over there! Wait up! Are you deaf or something!? I said wait! Where'd that little runt go!? I know you're around here somewhere! Ollie Ollie oxen f-"
 
Ruby cuts herself off with a strangled gasp that sounds something like a whimper. "Ruby? RUBY!"
 
And then he's off after her. Whereas Lucia... Lucia just stares at that spot - without even seeing it remarks. "Something... terrible is upon us."
 

<Pose Tracker> Id has posed.

Fei caught a cold and couldn't come. What horrible timing! He's staying back in Vane for the moment, resting up. Surely he will not mysteriously vanish from his bed for a while after everybody leaves.

You don't have to go far to find Ruby because shortly after her dissappearance, a man with long red hair and pale skin lands on an outcrop and looks down at the party. He wears a Death Waitress baseball cap on his head and is wearing a strange black, red, and gold flightsuit. Some of you know him as--

...actually some of you have never really met him but some of the party will recognize him as the man who calls himself Id. He is holding Ruby by the ribbon in a not-exactly gentle manner, but he hasn't done any harm to her.

"Looking for the Shadow Dragon Cult?" Id says. "You and me are pretty similar." He aims his gaze to Jean. "We both were trained to be assassins by masked men who desired power. We both broke free from our chains. But we're not the same."

He looks to Ruby for a long moment and then simply...lets go of her.

"But enough about me." His gaze slants back down towards Hiro, then to Lucia. "What are you? You know things that no mortal on Filgaia should know." His eyes narrow. "...And you aren't the only one. Why did you bring us here? Tell me how to get back to Filgaia. You don't want me on this world."

It seems Id doesn't have a small number of questions for Lucia here but rather an entire SALVO of questions for Lucia. He barely manages to keep from bombarding the woman with MORE of them.

<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Jean answers Hiro with a look his way. "...It's going to be rough for these kids on their own anyway."

It's urgent to explore this place, all right--Jean remains fairly unassuming--well, as much as she ever is--in ordinary clothes, fans at her hips. ...But her expression is intent, and she hasn't said much. She still looks around at their surroundings, waiting for a sign of anything she's seen.

"Ruby--"

Ruby runs off, to Jean's account, and Jean frowns. "Hold on..." Something--Lucia says it. Lucia is right.

So immediately, when Id steps out with his cap and all, Jean steps forward, placing herself between Id and Lucia without approaching too close. Knowing things--

"Similar, is it?" Jean replies to Id, eyes narrowed. "...Who are you?" She adopts a loose stance. "...No, that matters less than the fact that you aren't going to get too close to her."

She had a reason for being here. ...But sometimes, things come up...

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        Riesenlied has been in a frenzy of activity when she, Noeline and Leon all received that call ontop of the Wolfsbane Tavern from their makeshift radio tower; that the Fereshte was there was good news, but Hammer's urgent and frantic cut-off just made her fear all the more that the Shadow Dragon Cult had already gotten their hands on them...

        ... and the children onboard the Fereshte.

        Riesenlied has her capelet and looks ready for a journey as she follows the Fiends, huddling a little and trying to keep up with the group. Odjn is with her as well, bobbling next to Ruby. She's definitely not got the stamina for hours of trekking, but a fervour is with her as she responds, "No... but--"

        She glances around. "The further up we go, the more possible it will be for us to detect the shape of the skyship--"

        The white shape blurs past them, starting her. "Ah!?" Odjn glances around and-- looks towards Ruby, jumping and exclaiming, "H-hey, Ruby, don't go off on your own--" as the rotund little Dragon floats along after the pink Dragonet-- and similarly lets out a yelp of fright!

        "Odjn!" Riese exclaims.

        She hurries along with Hiro and-- her jaw drops, and her face instantly pales.

        "Id..."

        She swallows-- and holds her hands to her chest as she expresses, "We have no quarrel with you today! And if-- Lucia knew how to bring us back, she'd tell us already..."

        She lowers her head. "I must see to the Fereshte's safety. Please, let us go forward."

DC: Riesenlied switches forms to Hope in the Rising Heart!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        Noeline's been doing some preparation for this trip ever since their rushed and incomplete call with Hammer, because this is one thing she absolutely does not want to get wrong; she's even wearing a pack for once rather than just relying on her dual pods, the better to have some useful supplies like climbing gear on her person. Not that she's likely to use it herself, but... just in case.

        She's also tried to reconnaisance the area a little, but given the nature of Hammer's warning, she hasn't wanted to draw too much attention to her presence - she can pinpoint the best paths to use to approach the peak, but readily admits she hasn't gone much further than that until they have the numbers to deal with whatever comes their way.

        "All we were able to get from him was 'Taben's Peak', but that part was extremely clear," Noeline admits with a quietly amused sigh towads Ruby's griping. "And while he may seem unreliable, he did at least manage to find the Fereshte before all of us, even with it sitting right in our figurative backyard."

        She's spent the walk at Riesenlied's side, of course, carefully fussy whenever she's called upon to help the other Hyadean over obstacles and up climbs - but when Ruby's shouts cut off to strangled yelps, she darts ahead in chase, guided by Odjn's matching gasp.

        Which means she's one of the first to dig in her heels and skid to a stop at the sight of the red-haired man, muttering a quiet curse under her breath. She doesn't summon her spear to her - she's got more sense than that, knowing full well that it would force an immediate fight - but she also can't bring herself to interrupt, instead sliding to the side just enough to be able to cover her partner.

<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
And who else is here?

ELLY, THE TRUSTWORTHY. After fussing briefly over Fei, including explaining the importance of washing his hands and staying hydrated, she had headed out, leaving her crash bag - or most of it - in the little half-covered space where she has been bivouacing in Vane.

Elly has kept her peace. She feels guilty, and she's in a strange realm, and for some reason it feels a little rougher to be out here with the others without Fei; she feels her difference more clearly, yet has intuited enough to know not to talk about it a ton. Or, perhaps, she simply doesn't have a lot of lines written for this stretch.

The sight of the entity that is not so dissimilar from their adorable little gaelikitten friend makes Elly smile, even so - and dare to speak. "... Perhaps this is where Ruby's people are from," she remarks to Riesenlied. And that's as far as she'll go.

Odjn rushes. Elly hustles. And then

Wearing that ballcap -

THAT MAN.

He speaks and removes all doubt. "All of you, be careful!" Elly cries out towards the so-called Vile Fiends, raising a hand towards them imploringly. "He's--"

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Elly, Noeline, and Riesenlied aren't the only Black Wolves who came.

Leon Albus walks near the rear of the rest of the group. He could almost pass as a native of Lunar -- with a tunic, shoulder armor, and the rest -- but Argent Divider gives it away. The weapon gleams silver in the sunlight, as he stalks up the path a little after the rest. He frowns, slightly, and looks ahead -- peering off towards the white shape. And then, he frowns.

He tenses when Lucia speaks, and with good reason. He knows of Id, though he has encountered him fewer times than Lily has. He still tenses, though, hand coming down towards his sword hilt. He doesn't draw for a moment. He looks to Jean, instead, and his frown is severe.

"This is Id," he says. "The Demon of Elru. He... has laid waste to no small number of villages and towns. And, if the rumors are be to believed, an entire continent. Back on Filgaia."

He looks up at Id. "...I'm surprised to find you here," he says. "I didn't know you were at Lost July, too. But, of course, it was a rather messy incident."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        All Hands on Deck definitely means Gwen is here, contributing to the odd number of human to ARM-type hands. The scout, the ranger. The person you want on your team when you need to find a place.

        But that's only a thing on Filgaia.

        "Wish I could have a better idea of what to try, but I'm still gettin' used to the layout of the land here." Gwen itches the back of her head as she studies a particularly impressive looking tree, easily dwarfing even the most majestic live trees she's seen in Filgaia.

        It's impressive enough to distract her from the fact that there's another flying dragon that flashed by, one similar to Ruby. "Hm? There's another dragon like Ruby?" Gwen looks up from studying the tree's bark, her reaction delayed enough to see a concerned Hiro disappearing into the bushes.

        Which leads them all to Here.

        It's That Guy. The Guy With the Red Hair. The Guy Gwen knows not to mess with. The Guy Named Id. Very dangerous man.

        Gwen, seeing that Ruby is released... cautiously raises a hand in a casual wave. A casual wave that comes off as far too stiff, and far too brief, like someone experimentally sticking their hand out to feel the temperature of water, then withdrawing at the sting of heat against skin. "Those are... some veeery good questions. Hey, we're here on a mission, so, uh, maybe we can, uh."

        The Demon of Elru. The man who destroyed an entire continent, on top of villages. Gwen winces at the reminder. "We're... lookin' for somethin' too. Questions, n' the like. Maybe we can, uh, work somethin' out?" She laughs, a bit too suddenly to read as casual. "So, uh, yeah. You got stuff to do someplace else, we got stuff to do someplace else, y'get what I mean."

        Not even she gets what she means. But her rambling might allow some people to gain their wits in the meantime.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Belatedly, Gwen swivels her gaze towards Jean, sparing her a quick glance of surprise before looking back towards Id. "Remind me to, uh, never piss you off, Jean. Also, to take your requests to spar a lot more seriously. Not that I wasn't before, but y'get what I mean."

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
Ruby doesn't struggle. Normally in this scenario of someone holding her like this she'd be a spitfire. Literally - but she knows who this is. Or at least she thinks she knows who this is.
 
"Hirooooo." She calls out a little plaintively. "I think I goofed bad."
 
That's putting it mildly given that she's in the grip of the Demon of Elru. Hiro had caught up to them after his initial rush. And right now he's making no threatening gestures. He's certainly heard what this guy is capable of. Especially after Old Petra.
 
Hiro nods gravely as Leon identifies him in agreement, "Didn't expect that ... guess you kinda got... caught in the same thing that brought us here..." And that sudden thought makes him seem even more tense as if he's realizing who he might blame for that - before nodding to Riese, "We're not looking for any trouble..." Which Ruby affirms - while dangling, "And neither am I! Definitely nottttt looking for trouble here! Just... I thought I saw something that looked just like me and ahahaha... just... thought I might find answers... instead of... you know... trouble."
 
Lucia is bringing up the rear - but she's not hesitating in her approach. However she does stop just a little behind Jean, "You're right. Whatever similarities you might share - Jean is not the same as you." Lucia clarifies in her own matter of fact way that always feels a little abstracted.
 
However... the demon of Elru looks back upon Lucia. And Lucia stares back. Right now there's just a hint of anxiety - but also that resolve that he expects from all those cycles of women that he's known.
 
"What I am and how I know these things are not for you to know - only what I must do."
 
Lucia says it with her usual calm - but her anxiety is still plain. "That you were brought here was an accident - I needed to come back to this world to speak to Althena so that the true Destroyer might be stopped- and that creature - needed to be banished from the Blue Star. As for how to get back..."
 
Lucia's eye do not even seem like they blink as she answers again. "...the path that I know of is not open to such as you."
 
Ruby laughs a little nervously, "L-Lucia this isn't the kind of guy that... you want to... hold back things when he asks questions. Or you know he might just... I don't know... She squeaks, "...decide to kill everyone!" Ruby gives Odjn a nervous glare as she mouths 'Stay back.'
 
"Don't worry Ruby... that's not going to happen."
 
Still doing nothing threatening, however he has inched his footsteps a little to place himself between Lucia and Id, "I'm sure he can be as reasonable as he was back at Wayside... I can tell you where Lucia arrived..." Though he sounds hesitant, given who would be on the way. Usually he wouldn't even give this much out of loyalty to Lucia and his Grandpa... ... but right now Id is holding Ruby like that - and in this situation he feels like he must. "...but I don't know how much luck you'll have trying it."
 
Lucia responds immediately and with absolute certainty in a way that might make everyone wince, "None."
 
Well that certainly seemed pretty final - huh?
 

<Pose Tracker> Id has posed.

Id is asked who he is. He exhales out a small sigh. "Names..." He mutters to himself. "Id is fine."

Riesenlied speaks up on Lucia's behalf. Id shakes his head at her. "And I am not here for you today Riesenlied. I know you haven't fully accepted Nasrin yet." He smirks because he's an asshole. "But if you want to go ahead, kid. Feel free! I'm not here to stop you today. You can go on ahead if you'd like." Of course that would mean abandoning Hiro and the others so Id assumes Riesenlied won't be doing that.

Id gestures forward to Leon as if to say 'That's the gist of it!'. "Of course, Lucia's not the only one who knows things they shouldn't." He looks square at Leon. "All these truths secreted away, in some cases even from yourselves. You convince yourselves your fire-forged bonds are strong, but beneath the surface they are brittle."

He looks towards Elly. He stares at her rather than Lucia as the enemy of Zophar speaks. Riesenlied can feel a quick sharp burst of negative emotions emanating from Id that dissipitates quickly. Id doesn't speak to Elly, but it takes some willpower on his part. He finally turns his head back to Lucia. Surprisingly, Lucia DOES answer some of those questions. Surprisingly, he doesn't start firing chi blasts. Not just yet.

"I sense contradictions in you, Lucia." Id says. "You exhude malevolence but you do not become a Hellion. It's painful to look at you." He shakes his head. "The Goddess Althena made her feelings regarding you painstakingly clear. Perhaps the 'True Destroyer' is you after all. Perhaps the curse was not a curse at all, but the natural reaction to a being such as yourself being polluted by the Malevolence that enthuses the very air here. Perhaps the prophecy of you destroying this world..." He crosses his arms. "...Isn't entirely false. There are many ways such things can be interpreted, can't it, Lucia? It hardly has to be so literal, so intentional. I thought you were out to martyr yourself but perhaps the sacrifice you intend to make...is different than what even I expected."

He shakes his head once, thinking back to another time. "There is no such thing as 'accident'. Even if you didn't mean it, you have to take responsibility."

He looks towards the trio of Lucia, Hiro, and Ruby. It's hard to tell who exactly he's gazing at. "Maybe it's time for you to learn what it's like to be 'the last'."

His aura flares around him, crackling with pink and purple energies.

He moves. He aims to drop down on Hiro first, sending a kick for his skull. "You are a fool for trusting Althena!" and then twists around off it to throw a roundhouse for Jean. "You are a fool for trusting Lunn!"

Then he hops to the floor and throws a red chi blast lashing out for Leon. "And you--" He says, "--Should leave."

He blurs forward, suddenly in front of Riesenlied and Noeline whose heads he tries to slam together. "You're so close to the Fereshte. All you have to do is leave."

He doesn't attack Elly just yet, but maybe he's hesitant after she managed to chase him off in the Vierge not so long ago. Gwen, who tried to reason with him as well also ends up getting a red chi blast for the face. "The fastest path to answers is through broken bones and blood." He tells her, almost offhandedly.

GS: Id has attacked Hiro with Rude Kick!
GS: Id has attacked Jean with Rude Kick!
GS: Id has attacked Leon Albus with Crimson Shot!
GS: Id has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Crimson Shot!
GS: Id has canceled their attack on Leon Albus.
GS: Id has canceled their attack on Gwen Whitlock.
GS: Id has canceled their attack on Hiro.
GS: Id has attacked Hiro with Rude Kick!
GS: Id has attacked Jean with Rude Kick!
GS: Id has attacked Riesenlied with Rude Headslam!
GS: Id has attacked Noeline with Rude Headslam!
GS: Riesenlied guards a hit from Id's Rude Headslam for 168 hit points!
GS: Id has attacked Leon Albus with Crimson Shot!
GS: Id has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Crimson Shot!
GS: Noeline takes a solid hit from Id's Rude Headslam for 180 hit points!
GS: Id has attacked Id with Withstanding Fury!
GS: Id has entered a Reflect stance!
GS: Id has completed his action.
GS: Hiro guards a hit from Id's Rude Kick for 100 hit points!
GS: Jean takes a glancing hit from Id's Rude Kick for 86 hit points!
GS: CRITICAL! Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from Id's Crimson Shot for 102 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Gwen Whitlock!
GS: CRITICAL! Leon Albus takes a solid hit from Id's Crimson Shot for 182 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Leon Albus!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        Odjn is bristling like she can't just stay still when Ruby's being held, but... she's let go, prompting the little dragon to wilt as she goes, "Geez, I'm gonna lecture you like I do Riese when she does something totally life-threatening later!"

        "Jean has friends who believe in her, more than what she was trained to be..." Riesenlied speaks in tandem with Lucia, placing her hand to the Dragon's Tear. "I believe in Jean. She is my friend... everyone here is. I'm not about to abandon them today, not even if it means having to stand against you."

        Lucia's response does inspire nervousness in her -- she doesn't think a confrontation is inevitable, but... there is nothing gained from bucking to the wishes of the red-haired man either. Id.

        "That's right... Hammer did all of that work for us, because he believes in us too. And we won't let him down. We'll reunite with our friends and family..."

        She steps close towards Noeline, looking towards her hand holding her hand firmly-- and when Id teleports them to smash their heads together, it's with a quiet and meek yelp that she draws in against her partner, trying her hardest to brush her head to a side that's less sharp.

        "R-Riese!" Odjn cries.

        "Together..." Riesenlied stammers where she's collapsed, "There's nothing you can do to us. You can beat us, but you can't break our bonds. Because... with her around..."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        Noeline continues not to speak throughout Id's venting; she's learnt by now that the man in front of them prefers to be left alone to say his peace, and trying to force an argument in the midst of that can only make the situation worse. Of course, when Id suggests that they simply walk onwards, she keeps a level stare in his direction, and doesn't move an inch - only huffs to herself with a quiet note of amusement, trying to tamp down the sinking feeling in her chest.

        Of course, that caution vanishes the instant Id's aura flares; holding out her hand, the air shimmers before a slim black spear appears in her grip. It doesn't quite appear there magically, but it didn't quite visibly grow out of her own living metal either, obscured by a spark of Duras Drum's sorcery; she's not particularly fond of calling attention to what she can do with her powers, so the motion is thankfully reflexive. It means she can pour her attention on Id, holding her ground as he darts forward.

        "Do you think for even a moment that we'd abandon--kh?!" she yelps, expecting a different attack than the one that comes; one of the spikes of Riesenlied's mutations drags across her skin, causing her to wince as it opens a thin line marked by whitish blood; more than that she stumbles from the impact, but somehow manages to keep her feet, her hand kept in Riesenlied's as she prevents the Hyadean from dropping completely to the ground.

        "... the Fereshte is just in front of us," she says softly as she helps Riesenlied back up to her feet; she doesn't even move to counter the Demon of Elru just yet, knowing that a show of will can be just as effective. "And for all that you've called our bonds brittle before, we're still here. With Riese around..." She pauses when Riesenlied speaks, and then breaks into a determined smile. "... we are not afraid."

GS: Noeline has attacked Riesenlied with When I'm With You...!
GS: Noeline has completed her action.
GS: Riesenlied guards a hit from Noeline's When I'm With You... for 0 hit points!
GS: Reload! Riesenlied gains 15 extra FP from Noeline!
GS: Riesenlied has attacked Noeline with ...I am not Afraid...!
GS: Riesenlied has entered a Reflect stance!
GS: Riesenlied has completed her action.
GS: Riesenlied heals Noeline! She gains 100 temporary hit points!
GS: Reload! Noeline gains 15 extra FP from Riesenlied!
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Lucia gives Id her answer... and that, really, puts a cold feeling in Leon's stomach. It isn't the wisest answer, he thinks. He has little faith in Id's willingness to show mercy. He looks sideways at Hrio, as he states his defiance, and then he looks back at Id. He tenses for a moment; then, he considers Hammer, somewhere up on this mountain, and the rest of the people here. He likes them well enough.

And, maybe, in the face of Id's accusation... there is something left of the angrier, fierier sixteen year-old he once was. Something that recoils at the accusation, and wants to act against it.

"Our secrets are our own," Leon says. "To share -- and discover -- when we want. We don't owe them to others. I don't know what Lucia's intentions are, really... and I won't say that I don't care. But we don't owe you, or even the entire world, a justification for holding them."

Id rushes into their midst, and so Leon rushes at Id. He is rewarded for his trouble with that powerful blast of red ki. The energy slams into him, hurls him to the side, and then he gets thrown backward. He hits the rocky ground, rolling a few times, and looks up. He grits his teeth, then snaps Argent Divider out in front of him. The weapon unfolds; the blade snaps back inward, and two barrels snap down, into place. He fires a bright, blue-white beam of light.

"I rather disagree!" he shouts back at Id. "I'm precisely where I mean to be!"

GS: Leon Albus has attacked Id with Code.17 ZULFIQAR!
GS: Leon Albus has completed his action.
GS: Id takes a solid hit from Id's Withstanding Fury for 0 hit points!
GS: Cover and Mighty! Statuses applied to Id!
GS: Please react targeting the attack number in +queue.
GS: Id takes a solid hit from Leon Albus's Code.17 ZULFIQAR for 0 hit points!
GS: Mighty and Riposte! Statuses applied to Leon Albus!
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Gwen speaks of peace and reconciliation and Elly feels the small of her back tighten up. Is that really going to work? She has doubts, sad though they are. Her eyes cut to the side as Gwen turns in turn to address Jean, but only briefly, because... demon of Elru!

Right there.

Elly shifts nearer to Leon. (Her own outfit is a green sundress bought not so long ago, touched oddly by those characteristic nylons and boots. If you saw otherwise, it was a spriting error.) Her lips thin. The others speak; Lucia condemns 'Destroyers' but other than a passing thought, Elly does not drink that in too deeply.

Her eyes momentarily meet Id's and Elly blanches in that pressure. Her face isn't exactly red at the best of times, but now it really does look corpselike. She is almost sagged out with relief when he turns away, but where Id ACTUALLY looks isn't much better. Then with a cascading inevitability everything erupts, he strikes out -

Elly is spared, but only for a moment. She stares ahead, eyes twitching, as his words echo inside of her head. She breathes in deeply, one hand curling into a loose fist.

The gathering Ether is not ready in time to spare Noeline and Riesenlied from harm. Elly's head tilts forwards. They're speaking so eloquently, she thinks. I don't know if what they're saying is true.

                                ... but... I have responsibility here.
                                Maybe I can make it come true.

I can't hesitate, Elly thinks as her hand comes up. I can't hold back, not here, not now. She breathes out as the air temperature dives faster than a penny stock, the air drying out palpably as the water is sucked into a jagged wave that smashes across the wide open space towards the Demon of Elru. (the demon of elru, she thinks, dizzily.)

So she isn't thinking as she speaks. "Stop it!" she cries out: "Leave them alone!!" There is no elaboration behind it, not right now.

GS: Elhaym van Houten has attacked Id with Anemo Bolt!
GS: Elhaym van Houten has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.

Jean coincidentally keeps herself ahead of more than just Lucia--Riesenlied, too. Others. But Elly calls to them to be careful, Leon starts to explain. Jean does not turn to look at Leon. She just keeps her eyes on Id, instead. The explanation of what he is comes, and the dancer doesn't show much reaction; she doesn't show much of anything, just the same wariness, a little harder a set to her jaw.

Jean doesn't join talk of working something out. But Lucia--Lucia speaks up, and Jean is quiet, nodding once. "...Thank you," she says to Riesenlied and Lucia both, as she keeps watching Id. Lucia's reaction to him certainly gives her a good base to go with here--and it seems a good one to her. Especially the way he talks in turn. Jean frowns. "You..."

But Id's aura flares, and as he rushes forward, Jean reacts before she speaks--she puts her hands up, shifting into a defensive stance that leaves her whirling back from Id's roundhouse, moving with it as it hits to minimize the damage done to her side. He calls her a fool--

"I don't make a habit of listening to cryptic nothings!" Jean shouts back, and spins again, falling back to spin and then handspring forward towards Fei.

Draw them out, Lunn had said. Draw them out...

Jean lands silently, "You don't know anything about Lucia. And you can't just attack when you aren't given what you want!"

Blood and broken bones...

Jean's knees bend and she freezes in place for an instant--before purple energy crackles around her in turn, her ki igniting as she rushes forward, hands held in claws and glowing black and red as she starts to slash at Id, one-two-three hack.

...She didn't seem thrilled with what Gwen said to her. She doesn't answer more now. Instead--"Haah--!"

GS: Jean has attacked Id with Inverse Claw!
GS: Jean has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! Id critically Guards a hit from Elhaym van Houten's Anemo Bolt for 10 hit points!
GS: Hyper! Statuses applied to Elhaym van Houten!
GS: Please react targeting the attack number in +queue.
GS: Please react targeting the attack number in +queue.
GS: Id takes a glancing hit from Jean's Inverse Claw for 35 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        "I think you'd be surprised by what's followed us here, eheh," Gwen says to Hiro, with a vaguely apologetic laugh.

        If words from the likes of the guileless courier and similarly-minded companions were managing to get anywhere with Id, Lucia's words cut through any progress like sharp steel through silk, as well as puncture holes in Gwen's own resolve. Id's flaring aura is alarming enough, but something in Lucia's words bring Gwen to look back at the resolute, if anxious, Lucia. What creature? Who was banished from the Blue Star? Banished to where?

        Is there something Lucia isn't...

        .... No, no, Gwen can't afford to think about that, seeing as how it's Id, Destroyer of Elru, who's saying these things. In a bid to manipulate them, no less.

        "Aw, c'mon. If she has secrets, then she ain't the only one. We all got secrets." Leon speaks to the same sentiment, and Gwen nods readily. "What he said. I mean, you got secrets too, right? I appreciate your concern over our little team, but as you can see, we're just gonna try to do this all ourselves, so-"

        Red chi crashes against Gwen's right ARM, held in front of her like a lackluster shield, as the cloth of her sleeve is singed away. "H-hey, hey! That was completely uncalled for! Don't let your hands dish out checks it can't cash!"

        ..... Pot, meet kettle. Specifically, Gwen's charred gloved right fist, aimed at Id's face.

        She already knows she's going to regret this.

GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Id with Special Delivery!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has entered a Reflect stance!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action.
GS: You do not have any attacks from that person in queue.
GS: Id guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Special Delivery for 46 hit points!

Jean's last pose:

Jean coincidentally keeps herself ahead of more than just Lucia--Riesenlied, too. Others. But Elly calls to them to be careful,
Leon starts to explain. Jean does not turn to look at Leon. She just keeps her eyes on Id, instead. The explanation of what he is
comes, and the dancer doesn't show much reaction; she doesn't show much of anything, just the same wariness, a little harder a set
to her jaw.

Jean doesn't join talk of working something out. But Lucia--Lucia speaks up, and Jean is quiet, nodding once. "...Thank you," she
says to Riesenlied and Lucia both, as she keeps watching Id. Lucia's reaction to him certainly gives her a good base to go with
here--and it seems a good one to her. Especially the way he talks in turn. Jean frowns. "You..."

But Id's aura flares, and as he rushes forward, Jean reacts before she speaks--she puts her hands up, shifting into a defensive
stance that leaves her whirling back from Id's roundhouse, moving with it as it hits to minimize the damage done to her side. He
calls her a fool--

"I don't make a habit of listening to cryptic nothings!" Jean shouts back, and spins again, falling back to spin and then
/handspring/ forward towards Fei.

Draw them out, Lunn had said. Draw them out... 

Jean lands silently, "You don't know anything about Lucia. And you can't just attack when you aren't given what you want!" 

Blood and broken bones... 

Jean's knees bend and she freezes in place for an instant--before purple energy crackles around her in turn, her ki igniting as
she rushes forward, hands held in claws and glowing black and red as she starts to slash at Id, one-two-three /hack/.

...She didn't seem thrilled with what Gwen said to her. She doesn't answer more now. Instead--"Haah--!"
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
"... Aha... well I'm certainly pretty surprised right now Gwen."
 
"There is... no contradiction." Lucia replies - but unlike before - this time she sounds a little shaken - before reaffirming herself gravely. "And they are mistaken - those cannot be Althena's feelings - I believe in Althena!" But as for the rest - Lucia says nothing - her eyes just a little wide. Her bearing just a little shaken - like before.
 
What happened to you... is unfortunate. And I take full responsibility. Some things... are just too important."
 
Ruby only starts to flail for the first time as Id says 'the Last'. Perhaps she doesn't know if it's directed at her in particular - but it affects her all the same, "No! Please! Don't! Hiro - JEAN - EVERYONE - RUN AWAY!"
 
To whatever small credit Hiro has - as Id's aura flares to life, he is reaching for his sword - drawing it half-way out of his sheath.
 
But it's only half-way when the kick comes for his skull. His shield arm whips up and his head rolls backwards - but the impact of the kick from the Demon of Elru causes splinters to form upon his shield as it rebounds against the head, and sends the youth sprawling into a nearby tree.
 
The trunk splits open - and everyone witnesses this tree falling in the woods.
 
Despite the brutal impact against both his skull and his spine - he staggers back up to his feet. "Call me a f-fool all you want... just don't... badmouth... Lucia!"
 
"Hiro! Jean!" Her eyes are wide with surprise at first - before finally fixing upon Id. Then says with absolute certainty - "... Whatever you may think - I cannot die here. If I do - both our worlds will suffer more than you can know."
 
Normally that means that Lucia would run - this is an unwinnable fight. And she knows it - but she's assessed Id now and knows that trying to run would be just as suicidal. Plus... Ruby is in his hands. And for what's to come... "... I must fight."
 
"I think you forgot... the we. Because we must fight." Hiro says weakly as he limps back up to her, his sword finally held in hand as Lucia looks at him in mild shock. - "Maybe it doesn't matter whether I did the right thing back at Mount Zulan... because I still made a mistake. And that was forgetting that we're supposed to be in this together - Lucia. So I'll fight with you now... always..."
 
And with that he turns upon Id in a limping rush - as he tries to shake off the blow and recover - not quite managing in his stumble step towards him as he thrashes their ranks. Before he puts both feet together - vaulting in the air on a hastily conjured column of air. His sword held high overhead with both hands as he tries to take the plunge back into him. "...even if it means TO THE DEATH!"
 
And given who he's diving towards - he may have to prove he means what he says right now.
 

GS: Hiro has attacked Id with Poe Sword!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
GS: You do not have any attacks from that person in queue.
GS: Id critically Guards a hit from Hiro's Poe Sword for 13 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Id has posed.

"When you die, she'll become just like me." Id tells Leon simply. "I guess I'm okay with that. Even if it means being enemies." He lowers his head. "...You seem to have thought it through a bit more than most... But that kind of hope. It's exhausting." He looks towards Noeline and Riesenlied. "I'm not going to be the one breaking your bonds. You'll do it on your own. We didn't think it'd ever happen either, but time..." Id curls his fingers inward. "Time makes one fatigued of 'Hope'."

BGM Interrupt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd4KMK8c3x0

The light hits Id in the back, it does not hurt, so Id doesn't pay it much mind just yet. Instead he darts forward for Riesenlied and Noeline, throwing a flurry of punches in a vicious combo. His arms are too fast to read and culminates with Id trying to kick Riesenlied into the air and backflip kick Noeline right into her.

"Hmph. I am not talking of discretion." Id says to Gwen before he gets clobbered in the face by a metal fist. He slides back from the blow and wipes some blood free from his lip. He says, "Decent."

He unleashes dark patterned ether, sending a slew of black globs slamming into Gwen as a miniature black hole-like energy mass forms behind her, pulling debris and more of that strange energy slamming for her body.

He weaves around Jean's claw swipes. At first it seems like she cut all the way through him but it becomes rapidly apparent that was just an afterimage, that version of Id dies and the true Id bounds back through it, leaving several more afterimages in his wake as he launches into a quick series of palm strikes for Jean's body.

"I am not like the old man. I will be clear. You try to make good with the people behind you being outcasts, trust their word blindly."

He points towards Lucia, leaving himself open for Elly's attack. He isn't expecting it. The ice rips through his arm and crackles all the way up to his shoulder, freezing it solid. Id looks at Elly. "You..." Id says. "It's because of you...I..."

He flashes forward and throws a knee for Elly's gut in just a moment. He doesn't follow up, just hopping back shortly thereafter. "Ngh...." He shakes his head quickly. "Just...stay away---"

He backs off and starts walking towards Lucia. "Blind belief! Just like the Guard itself!" He says. "You're birds of a feather." He likely intends to 'help' Lucia take responsibility.

"I remember," Id tells Lucia. "When this world was a silver rock. Maybe I know more about suffering worlds than you think."

But before he darts forward, Hiro is there. He dramatically leaps into the air and shouts he'll fight to the death for Lucia. Id smiles faintly. He catches the sword in his bare hand and then throws a quick jab for Hiro's gut.

"To the death huh? Been there, done that. You really oughta listen to Ruby more."

GS: Id has attacked Riesenlied with Hateful Flurry!
GS: Id has attacked Noeline with Hateful Flurry!
GS: Riesenlied guards a hit from Id's Hateful Flurry for 132 hit points!
GS: Riesenlied enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Id has attacked Jean with Demon Fist!
GS: Noeline takes a glancing hit from Id's Hateful Flurry for 112 hit points!
GS: Id has attacked Elhaym van Houten with Rude Kick!
GS: Id has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Radiance!
GS: Id enters a Counter stance!
GS: Id has attacked Hiro with Cross Counter!
GS: Id has attacked Id with Yin and Yang!
GS: Id has canceled their attack on Id.
GS: Id has completed his action.
GS: Hiro guards a hit from Id's Cross Counter for 129 hit points!
GS: Elhaym van Houten takes a glancing hit from Id's Rude Kick for 89 hit points!
DC: MISS! Jean completely evades Demon Fist from Id!
GS: Gwen Whitlock takes a solid hit from Id's Radiance for 223 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        The battle is joined faster than Riesenlied can see it; she's dizzy, her head swimming from where it's been slammed into Noeline's own. She looks towards Leon as he fires his sword-ARM, nodding as she looks towards Elly...

        Her eyes widen softly as she expresses, "Miss Elly..." as she fires a blast of jagged ice. Was there a reason Id didn't attack her before...? She's somewhat afraid it'll trigger something else within him...

        Nasrin laughs very softly inside, even as her icy prison rocks gently. "She saw something she didn't before. But... will it be enough? I'm eager to see her response, Id..."

        Lucia speaks her resolve as well, and Riesenlied believes her. They're in this together... and he limps forward and takes his sword arm up still.

        "... the spirit of Wayside has survived two destroyed towns now, Id..." Riesenlied whispers, her voice firm and full of verve and resolve. "Like I said before... you can beat us... but you can't break us. Violence can only take you so far..."

        She lifts her head up. Her wings have spread now. Tattered and frayed... they begin to shimmer still... as she holds her hands up against Id's flurry of strikes. He batters her down easily -- she's not a fighter anymore... but when she's struck into the air--

        "'One' does not need to tire of hope... when there is the 'many' that they can consider...!"

        Nasrin drops her head gently and expresses, "Everything I've been working towards... even if this place must crumble..."

        The flow of photons has gathered to such a point where Riesenlied nigh-- disappears within it; she's little more than a vague silhouette, a being that exists as both a wave and a particle as her thoughts reach everyone's for one moment. And within those fundamental particles of light...

        There is a song. A wordless song... a song that soothes even Giants.

        I believe in our mission. And I believe in each other. Secrets do not tear us apart -- they only serve to help us sympathise and grow in our bonds to one another...

        The light starts to glide in a soft flow around the group, inspiring them with a fullness of confidence. A melody that soothes pain, a rhythm that evokes the power of their emotions.

        Everyone's spirits are gathered here...!

        The light intensifies -- and as the song reaches its crescendo, its warmth reaches out in banding strands, flowing all throughout the base of Taben's Peak.

GS: Riesenlied has attacked Leon Albus with Empathic Prayer - Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Empathic Prayer - Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has attacked Noeline with Empathic Prayer - Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has attacked Hiro with Empathic Prayer - Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has attacked Jean with Empathic Prayer - Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has attacked Elhaym van Houten with Empathic Prayer - Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has completed her action.
GS: Riesenlied heals Elhaym van Houten! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Reload! Elhaym van Houten gains 15 extra FP from Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied heals Hiro! He gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Reload! Hiro gains 15 extra FP from Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied heals Noeline! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Reload! Noeline gains 15 extra FP from Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied heals Jean! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Reload! Jean gains 15 extra FP from Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied heals Gwen Whitlock! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Reload! Gwen Whitlock gains 15 extra FP from Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied heals Leon Albus! He gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Reload! Leon Albus gains 15 extra FP from Riesenlied!
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"That's--" Leon's eyes narrow, and he shakes his head. "...That's not true. Lily will find her way. I'm important to her, but... she is strong enough to..." But, he hesitates. It isn't, really, strength that Id means -- and he finds his words ringing false. It was never strength that Lily lacked.

"Try to not stay in his reach, if you can!" Leon shouts, as he feels the rush of photons that Riesenlied sends forth. A burst of light, washing over him, infusing him, and granting him strength. He starts forward, running as he does; Leon snaps his weapon out, and Argent Divider's barrels snap and fold up. He glances for Jean, then for Hiro -- for the melee fighters he expects to enter the fray.

Argent Divider's blade extends, telescoping out, and Leon leaps.

Ki floods up the length of the sword. It gives it a faint, earthy-colored shimmer -- and Leon leaps. The soldier goes airborne, sword gripped in two hands, and he does a diagonal slash down across Id's chest. An after image, grey turned dark brown, is left in his wake as he strikes.

GS: Leon Albus has attacked Id with Raze Slash!
GS: Leon Albus has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.

"That's right," Jean says when Hiro speaks, speaking to Lucia, who has all the necessary gravity to her--more, even, than often. Jean has no illusions that this is not important. That this is not dire. But she said it was right, and she adds, "We fight together, Lucia! I'mnot going anywhere without you!"

Jean, too, believes in Althena--and she notices Lucia's bearing... But there are questions they haven't answered. Jean knows that. She can't stop and consider all of them though because--

Id weaves around her, and Jean feels before she sees that her strike didn't catch flesh or blood at all, looks up sharply--and Id is moving so quickly that she cannot rely on vision to act. The first palm strike slams right where her chest was as she sidesteps, the next right there as she moves again, the third at her neck as she bends back practically horizontal in order to avoid it, letting herself fall and roll to the side to spring up and recover herself.

"You--" Id is clearer. Jean finds herself surprised, looking surprised. "...But Lunn is known as an honorable man, far and wide. He could've captured me on the spot--"

Uncertainty chinks at her, and she blinks as Id mentions his memory. That long...?

"Hiro, don't--" Regardless of her own concerns, of her own questions, the dancer can't leave Hiro to it-her green hair whips behind her as she rushes forward and abrubtly fades, the color draining from her as she turns to shadow and launches a kick at Id, then turns to shadow and spins for another, turns to shadow and swings her fist forward--

Id is fast enough to catch even shadows, though. ...But it's another technique different to talk about, different from the ones she prefers to use. ...And as she returns from her fade, the light starts to waver into her, Riesenlied's light...

"Don't let him get to you!" Jean calls to Leon. ...Little hypocritical.

GS: Jean has attacked Id with Shadow Dance!
GS: Jean has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Elly stares at Id in silence.

this is so frightening, she thinks: he's too strong; but, i -

Id closes the distance with blurring speed and knees her in the gut. Elly folds with a vigor and vim normally seen in heroic stands. Saliva flies out of her mouth, and she makes a gurgling noise as if she were dying when she lands, although anyone making that much noise while clutching at their abdomen is at least not in immediate peril of death.

The pain runs through her, first hot then cold. Light glows, people shout. Elly's ears ring. Sound itself fades into a dull metallic roar, like the synthetic tides of the vacation section of that great city - and a song warms her. She swallows with difficulty, gasps - and speaks, even as she rises.

"Even if we're... hypocrites, and weak, and don't know what we're doing... we're trying. All of us came here, to try to find lost innocents. Even if we did it for some impure reason... does it matter to people trapped in wreckage if the fireman took the job for the pay...?"

"It's easy for someone - as strong as you to focus on that," Elly says as she finally reaches her full height again. Her fingers tremble and then clench. "Someone who doesn't need to worry about that..."

Elly then catches up.

"... Leave Lily alone!" she suddenly cries out, before her foot sweeps out on the ground as if to kick up dust. HOW AGGRESSIVE! Who's the real villain here?

It's Id. Who is also the one who is greeted by cylindrical jagged eruptions from the ground, rising up across this small depression as pieces of strange bedrock squeeze up like cat's claws from the bowels of the Moon! Elly herself stays still, but at least Id will not be able to just sort of zip back into her area -- unless he busts through the stone itself.

One piece of stone also pivots a little, giving Leon an opportunity to re-kick off the ground and extend the combo - if he dares.

GS: Elhaym van Houten has attacked Id with Etrenank Elegy!
GS: Elhaym van Houten has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        In better shape than her partner, Noeline has her spear at the ready when Id abruptly rushes into close combat; her spear blurs for a moment, trying to push the assault back, but their opponent is much too powerful for anyone to take one-on-one. Noeline knows that much, gritting her teeth as she spins in an attempt to shake off some of the power of his strikes, refusing to give Id the satisfaction of a cry of pain.

        "You keep bleating that!" she calls even as she's knocked backwards, the quiver in her voice giving her away; she rubs at her forehead for an instant, hissing in pain as she wipes away the line of metallic blood before it can get into her eyes. "You and the Trial Knight both! Test after test, and every time you say 'this will be the one', and yet we are still here!"

        She finds her feet, having it in her to let her eyes spark with anger. "At what point will either of you manage to decide that enough is enough, and we have passed your tests? Or will you simply try over and over to force it until you get your way, like a child in a tantrum?"

        The chatter isn't just to give her a moment to find her strength; it's an attempt to redirect their opponent's attention towards her, to give Riesenlied the time she needs to prepare - and Noeline's expression firms up as she feels the coalescing power of her companion's song swirling around her, blanketing the area in its warmth. She hisses softly, thankfully at the sensation, then grips the shaft of her spear hard enough her knuckles whiten.

        She tenses, and then rushes forwards on her own attack; a lunging stab with the spear, backed with far more power than a shaft that slim should be able to handle. Immediately on impact the haft of the weapon bulges unnaturally, twisting in on itself and thickening - until it resembles the gigantic sword Noeline has used before, if rather more rough and ready in appearance. It's still enough in the way of sudden bulk to allow her to wrench it around in a swing, aiming to rather unsubtly batter Id away.

GS: Noeline has attacked Id with Black Velvet!
GS: Noeline has entered a Reflect stance!
GS: Noeline has completed her action.
GS: Noeline has canceled their attack on Id.
GS: Noeline has activated a Force Action!
GS: Noeline has attacked Id with Black Velvet!
GS: Noeline has entered a Reflect stance!
GS: Noeline has completed her action.
GS: Please react using the attack number in +queue.
GS: COUNTER! Id strikes at Leon Albus with a counter attack!
GS: Id guards a hit from Leon Albus's Raze Slash for 43 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
"My belief - is not blind. If what you say is true..." Which part though? What exactly is she referring to? "...then you would know that better than anyone."
 
Lucia then begins the words of a spell - "POWER!"
 
And- shields herself with phantasmal barriers. That's not ultra-helpful to everyone else but she's concerned about what happens if she dies here.
 
Ruby having been let go is now flying low - but not too low. She doesn't want to get caught again - "Heyyy soooo... how about we just all - scatter in so many directions that he can't possibly follow us! And Hiro this is the part where you say - Hey Ruby that's a great idea! And Jean and Leon and Riese all back you up. And then we do that! That's way better than the 'TO THE DEATH' thing you just said."
 
Hiro lands - and amazed that the guy caught his sword with his bare hands - "What!? You-" Hiro can't hear Ruby though right now mostly because Id just jabbed him in the gut. And while he clenched his abdominal muscles and has a layer of chainmail that Id impacted...
 
Well it still felt like the fist of a giant to his solar plexus.
 
The boy hits the ground - and bounces several times before rolling to a stop.
 
As he brings himself up to a kneel he's wheezing - "What a time for R-Ronfar to not be here..."
 
Thankfully someone proves that they can heal with the best of them. Riese's Photon's gather into light - and in wordless song spread over to them. And some of the throbbing pain to his concussed head and bruised stomach is taken away. "Riese... thanks... knew we could count on you..."
 
But he knew when they started this was a hopeless battle. And the Demon of Elru keeps on reaffirming that over - and over again. His head swimming he still remembers how Jean told him not to earlier. And he chuckles... "... guess I should have been a better student Jean..." Before he chuckles weakly at Leon, "Given how fast he is... that's a little bit of a problem."
 
"Just - just-" She whimpers, You've proved your point... just..."
 
And then Ruby does something unexpected. Against her own advice. Her own type. She dives down and tries to breathe some flames into his mane of crimson hair - before she starts yelling. She's at least smart enough to start pulling up as she yells.
 
"-WE GET IT! WE GET HOW STRONG YOU ARE - AND THAT YOU KNOW MORE THAN US! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVE?!"
 
"Ruby!" Hiro was about to cry out a warning for her not to get in reach - but in that moment he saw a glimpse from her in his direction. And like before - like how they've practiced a thousand thousand times over.
 
He uses that moment to get in front of Lucia again at just the right distance from Id - holding his sword at a high guard - pointed down and at an angle. "The way I see it - someone who knows suffering like you claim to... should be using their strength to do something other than cause more." Does Lucia look vaguely guilty when he says that? Nah. Just your imagination.
 
But he doesn't move at him himself - for whatever reason. Maybe he's following Leon's advice there on trying to keep his distance - or maybe there's a reason he's trying to right now.
 

GS: Hiro has attacked Id with Rubyvention!
GS: Hiro has entered a Reflect stance!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
[OOC] Hiro says, "*blu-ray WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVE NOW?"
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        Try to not stay in his reach, says Leon. Gwen winces. "Shootin' him might be risky, he's movin' reaaal quick," she says below her breath, mostly to herself.

        Decent, says the Id, as he readies his counterattack. Oh man, Gwen is really, *really* going to regret this.

        Ether blowing past Gwen's ARM and slamming against her body, a black hole adding to the damage from the back. With a cry, the redhead slumps to the ground, knocked momentarily senseless from the barrage.

        ....

        Her ARM twitches.

        .....

        Everyone's spirits...

        Something gleams dimly from the singed fabric of Gwen's shirt as she urges herself onto her unsteady feet, breathing softly with the beating pulse of her heart.

        She can see Hiro there. Standing against Id.

        "Hiro!"

        If Gwen's heart wasn't ready to leap out of her chest at just how likely Hiro's words might come true, she would've found his dedication touching. He would never abandon her, nor his friends.

        Such dedication, even in the face of the Destroyer of Elru.
        
        It shines brightly, so much that she could see exactly why it would attract those who would snuff out its light. Was this the spark that the blue-eyed man tried to take from her?

        She won't-

        "I won't let you take it from any of them!"

        A crackling energy bursts from Gwen's ARM as she aims towards the Demon of Elru, pulsing with the same pattern as whatever glows, however faintly, on her chest. She exhales, and fires.

        Maybe Leon had a point.

GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Id with Corona Discharge!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action.
GS: Please react using the attack number in +queue.
GS: Id takes a solid hit from Hiro's Rubyvention for 81 hit points!
GS: Id guards a hit from Elhaym van Houten's Etrenank Elegy for 45 hit points!
GS: You do not have any attacks from that person in queue.
GS: You do not have any attacks from that person in queue.
GS: CRITICAL! Id guards a hit from Noeline's Black Velvet for 57 hit points!
GS: Quick! Statuses applied to Noeline!

Noeline's last pose:
        In better shape than her partner, Noeline has her spear at the ready when Id abruptly rushes into close combat; her spear
blurs for a moment, trying to push the assault back, but their opponent is much too powerful for anyone to take one-on-one.
Noeline knows that much, gritting her teeth as she spins in an attempt to shake off some of the power of his strikes, refusing to
give Id the satisfaction of a cry of pain.

        "You keep bleating that!" she calls even as she's knocked backwards, the quiver in her voice giving her away; she rubs at
her forehead for an instant, hissing in pain as she wipes away the line of metallic blood before it can get into her eyes. "You
and the Trial Knight both! Test after test, and every time you say 'this will be the one', and yet we are still here!"

        She finds her feet, having it in her to let her eyes spark with anger. "At what point will either of you manage to decide
that enough is enough, and we have passed your tests? Or will you simply try over and over to force it until you get your way,
like a child in a tantrum?"

        The chatter isn't just to give her a moment to find her strength; it's an attempt to redirect their opponent's attention
towards her, to give Riesenlied the time she needs to prepare - and Noeline's expression firms up as she feels the coalescing
power of her companion's song swirling around her, blanketing the area in its warmth. She hisses softly, thankfully at the
sensation, then grips the shaft of her spear hard enough her knuckles whiten.

        She tenses, and then rushes forwards on her own attack; a lunging stab with the spear, backed with far more power than a
shaft that slim should be able to handle. Immediately on impact the haft of the weapon bulges unnaturally, twisting in on itself
and thickening - until it resembles the gigantic sword Noeline has used before, if rather more rough and ready in appearance. It's
still enough in the way of sudden bulk to allow her to wrench it around in a swing, aiming to rather unsubtly batter Id away.
GS: You do not have any attacks from that person in queue.
GS: Id guards a hit from Jean's Shadow Dance for 36 hit points!
GS: Id critically Guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Corona Discharge for 27 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Id has posed.

"Y'even know your own girlfriend Leon?" Id isn't actually taunting here. He seems genuinely surprised that Leon thinks differently. He even sounds concerned when he adds, "Doesn't matter how true your love is if y'just assume--"

He can't finish his thought there. Leon is a professional soldier and he gets to interrupt monologues with efficiency. He slices through Id's chest but it soon becomes apparent that it wasn't a full on hit as Id reforms into Leon's guard and throws a high kick for his chin and chest in a single blurring motion. The kick is so hard that if Leon doesn't swerve quickly enough he is going to slam into that very outcropping that Id started on.

"You're right," Id admits to Riesenlied. "Violence only goes so far." Riesenlied can feel the flare of pure unadultered rage flash through Id as he's compared to the Trial Knight. For whatever reason, he doesn't argue, but he clearly disagrees. For a man who seems to act on the slightest of whims, he can rein himself in when he desires to. He swerves to the side from Noeline's stabbing motion but the strangeness of the weapon when it shifts catches him off guard and clobbers him away from Riesenlied and, by extension, herself. He throws a quick pair of crimson shots their way to try and keep them busy. Noeline can fight but Riesenlied left alone can turn the tide of many battles.

Elly's words seem to hit Id harder than her attack which dislodgies his footing and sends him crashing to the ground. He recovers through a hand spring. He punches the stone and sends bursting pillars of earth right back at Elly instead. He avoids looking at Elly directly. "Don't...get any closer!!" He demands. It's like he's afraid of her. Perhaps he can't think of a proper counterargument to Elly here. Her presence is putting him off his game so there's that, at least, if nothing else.

This doesn't stop him from hurting people though.

Jean is uncertain. That is what Id was aiming for. He doesn't press the point too much but he does say, "Doubt can be healthy. Perhaps he wants something else besides your capture."

Jean seems to be the one most capable of handling Id's martial style here. Id grins with genuine joy as he sees Jean avoid it. Perhaps she's seen such joy in the fight amongst her fellow students in the Shadow Dragon. Perhaps however he learned to harm others as well as he has lingers within him. Just as it does with you.

The kicks crash into Id's arms. They hit solidly though and the punch barely gets past his guard, sending him stumbling back and spitting out some more red fluid. He throws a kick at her but shifts to the defensive, backing off.

He starts advancing after Lucia again. Gwen tries to interrupt him at first with an impressive crackling burst. In fact, Id even pauses to look towards Gwen's chest, noticing the connection between whatever is happening there and her ARM. "I was going to say an impressive toy," Id admits. "You a cyborg? Gotta be careful with that stuff. 100 percent human here."

He smacks the crackling energy away from his body with his hand and then jabs a pair of fingers for Gwen's chakra points. He's trying to disrupt the energy to her ARM by striking at the pressure points.

And that just leaves Hiro, Lucia, and Ruby. He keeps moving forward.

But Ruby does something dangerous. She flies forward towards Id and breathes fire on him. Id manages to turn to avoid his hair getting set aflame, but she gets a good burst right into his face. He stumbles backwards, covering his eyes with a hand. "Ruby..." He murmurs, slowly straightening.

"I came here for two reasons. One was to learn what I could from Lucia. And the other..."

He exhales slowly, straightening up. "I read about the dragons." Id says. "I asked about them. Learned what I could. According to Althena's own doctrine, she created four dragons to carry her fragment of power. I know a little bit about that sort of thing."

Id shakes his head. "I told you, Ruby. I told you that you had to learn what it's like to be the last. What are you going to do, Ruby? When they're all gone? And it's only you?"

He doesn't strike at Ruby. He seems unwilling. "I know what it's like to see all your friends die."

He's here for you Ruby.

GS: You cannot attack a target more than once in a round.
GS: Leon Albus takes a glancing hit from Id's Counter Attack for 129 hit points!
GS: Id has attacked Leon Albus with Mountain Crusher!
GS: Leon Albus takes a glancing hit from Id's Mountain Crusher for 162 hit points!
GS: Id has attacked Riesenlied with Crimson Shot!
GS: Id has attacked Noeline with Crimson Shot!
GS: CRITICAL! Riesenlied takes a solid hit from Id's Crimson Shot for 178 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Riesenlied!
GS: Id has attacked Elhaym van Houten with Raging Wave!
GS: Elhaym van Houten takes a solid hit from Id's Raging Wave for 222 hit points!
GS: Id has attacked Jean with Ultimate Pressure Point!
GS: Id has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Crippling Fang!
GS: CRITICAL! Noeline takes a solid hit from Id's Crimson Shot for 185 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Noeline!
GS: Id has attacked Id with Yin and Yang!
GS: Id has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        Riesenlied's control over herself isn't, by any means, perfect; spreading herself so wide and so far means that she's hurting herself even more than she should -- and by the time she coalesces back into anything approaching a physical form, the crimson shot is there to nearly demolish her off her feet and strike her against a tree where she bleeds red.

        Elly's words -- and Id's reaction to her -- makes her confused.

        Odjn-- Odjn finally drifts forward, hovering in front of Ruby. She looks scared -- well, okay, more than scared. Mortified. She holds her tiny little hands out as she tries to cover the pink dragonet.

        "I know a thing or two about seein everyone you ever know die, but it doesn't justify you bein' an ASSHOLE about it!"

        She gets puffed up, even if she's trembling. Riesenlied whispers, "Odjn, no-- don't--"

        "Down there... in that dark, horrible mineshaft in Elru... sittin' all on my own for what feels like years 'n years next to my momma's bones..."

        Odjn scowls harder. She's got tears in her face.

        "Y'don't see me goin', 'Oh woe is me, wake me up inside, call m'name and save me from the dark'! Even if yes, I can totes sing that song!!"

        She looks towards Ruby and exclaims, "So don't let him get to yer head, Ruby! We're either all makin' it out of this one alive, or--"

        She stares at the panoply of Lucia's barriers.

        "Well, Lucia will on her own, I guess!"

        Despite Odjn capsizing her dramatic speech a little, it buys Riesenlied a bit of time for her to limp up with a sharp gasp; she can't feel herself anymore, but she can sense... something.

        Something that may buy them enough time.

        That link that they have...

        "Noeline, I'll... need you to catch me--" as she reaches towards the Tear and concentrates once more. This time, she doesn't quite coalesce the blade that comes from within her chest, but it does manifest as a thin, long blade of solid light...

        "The light that can open the doors to the future... please, Laevateinn... come forth...!"

        She thrusts it forward -- tethering a light that aims to connect them, so that she can distract the red-haired Destroyer of Elru...

        Even if she's not certain what will become of her from this, given how it ended for her the last time.

GS: Riesenlied has attacked Id with Empathic Prayer - Laevateinn!
GS: Riesenlied has completed her action.
GS: Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from Id's Crippling Fang for 0 hit points!
DC: MISS! Jean completely evades Ultimate Pressure Point from Id!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        The look on Noeline's face is one of defiance, even as she faces down one of the crimson projectiles to let it buffer and batter at her defences. Were she anything like most Metal Demons, she'd be railing right now, wondering why she can't harm the red-haired man in front of her - but Noeline has never particularly been out to try to win fights like this. She understands that it's more a matter of buying time, keeping Id at bay and trying to ward off the majority of his attacks to give others time to work more esoteric solutions.

        --is what she'd like to say, but Riese is blown back and impacts against a tree, and that means her attention is more turned in her partner's direction. "Riese!" she calls as she lets herself be carried backwards by the impact of Id's attack, if only to be closer to her charge. The dragon's angry speech gives her a chance that she chooses to take, helping again to lift Riese back to her feet. "Be careful. I'm with you," she nods back with a wan smile, the quiet statement just as much of an answer to Riesenlied's request as it is a promise in its own right.

        Her hand curls around Riesenlied's once more, this time more secure; without a scrap of hesitation she's placed herself in the path of their opponent, blocking the way as Riesenlied attempts to establish a connection. The thought of trying to block Id one-handed is not a particularly comforting one, but leaving Riesenlied without an anchor is worse still.

        She doesn't need to be empathic to sense Id's fury at her comparison, and that fact makes her grin wide enough that her fangs show, another glint in her eye. "Well?" she presses the point. "If you're so sure that eternity will ravage us, why not just leave us to that eternity? Yet here you are, trying again and again to force your point, watching us rise time and time again. But I made a promise - and this time, I will not be swanning off on my own. Not for you, nor anyone else."

GS: Noeline has attacked Noeline with If The World Turns Against Us!
GS: Noeline has completed her action.
GS: Noeline heals Noeline! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.

No, it's not blind. ...But as Lucia shields herself with barriers, it does help Jean--it gives Jean a sense of relief, a moment where she can worry a little less about Lucia and a little more about the rest of them... and who's in front of them. "Sorry, Ruby," Jean says in response, and worries for a moment for Hiro instead. Hiro, who is...

"Hiro, don't talk like that!" she calls back, almost snapping. "You're not done yet!"

But Jean is uncertain--Id mentions doubt after he fears Elly, and Jean blinks at him for a moment. "But what--"

Id's joy registers for her all right, and Jean tries to dispel it from her mind; she's seen that joy before, yes. ...She's felt it before, feels it now, to be dodging away, weaving with this opponent in particular.

Jean whirls out of the way of the kick, practically pirouetting to the side on the point of one foot, landing in a crouch with one hand raised, one hand lowered, a ready stance for great movement. "You--"

Jean's eyes set. "Leave Ruby alone," she demands of Id, and tries to hold back the way her heart is beating. She shouldn't--and yet... Id is trying to convince her not to do what she's doing. Id, someone who' destroyed so much, hurt so many, claimed that they're similar, but not the same. And she's looking for--

...Jean looks to Lucia, to all of them, as she knows that retreat is not an option, and she lowers her arms, breathing in as she stands up at a relaxed, mobile stance. "You...." Riesenlied is trying her best. Jean has to, too.

"I hope you're right," Jean says, "...About at least one thing. But whether you want to learn or not..." Jean's hands curl into fists slowly, and she takes half a step back. For a moment there is no energy near her at all--and then there's a pulse, with a heartbeat, a shadow that extends and fades in that same instant. "She doesn't have to learn it today--"

Jean rushes forward again, hair bursting free of her bandana to run loose around her, long and dark. She rears back with her fist and her hand starts to glow black, violet ki flowing inwards, not outward--and she strikes out, hands in a claw, to rend Id's shadow as much as she aims for his body.

It's a complicated feeling.

GS: Jean has activated a Force Action!
GS: Jean has attacked Id with Shadow Dragon Palm!
GS: Jean has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
"Heh... I'll try not to Jean... things are looking pretty grim though..." And yet he doesn't seem too grim about it.
 
Ruby starts as Id actually talks back at her like she isn't some insignificant pest. Most people did that when she flitted down - she knew she's the furthest thing from a threat and always has been.
 
And yet - hovering on fluttering wings she stares at Id. "What - what are you..." And then her eyes grow wide and she shakes her head in denial. "That's... not going to happen! It's not! It's not! You're mistaken! YOU GOT IT WRONG!"
 
Her small body just shakes and then she blurts out in a sudden moment of raw vulnerability- "Why can't you just let me MAKE BELIEVE for a little while longer!?"
 
Ruby's heard that voice from deep within herself for so long - and she played make believe - to pretend it wasn't there. To pretend she couldn't hear it - to be in denial of future responsibility while seeming to accept it at the same time. Instead she was Hiro's future wife. She was the Dragonmaster's future companion. She was off on adventures with the rest of them. She was something just as mortal as all of her friends. She could let herself be a girl and a red dragon all at once - both ordinary and extraordinary.
 
Whimpering - she stares at Id again with tears in her eyes and double takes - looking at him long and hard - like she's seeing something - and unwilling to let herself believe it. As Riese tells her not to let him get into her head - she tries to restrain herself - "I... I don't have to tell you that! I won't! I... wait..." And then she finds herself staring Even caught within her own tragedy - she still manages to pick something out of this moment - as her eyes which are still welling with tears grow wide.
 
"... You've got a pretty twisted way of showing you care about what's going to happen to her." Hiro says with a slight edge on his voice. Ruby has been like a sister to him - the two were found together. Grew up together. Ruby can't even remember much of life before the two came into contact. Before Hiro seemed ready to die for Lucia. But now he's definitely angry. The winds start to gather around his blade - swirling in their own air currents as he starts to rotate it. "I mean where do you get off hurting her like this-"
 
And then he steps in - in a driving charge. He can feel the coldness in Jean's technique - that sinister feeling as before.
 
He doesn't like it - he never has. He doesn't like the idea of her using it to draw out the cult.
 
But as he's her student - he follows up upon it.
 
Just after Jean goes after the Demon of Elru, he strikes not long after in his blind spot - slicing his blade out in a piercing vacuum wave of air pressure.
 
"-AND ACTING LIKE IT'S FOR HER OWN GOOD!"
 
Lucia however does not voice any of her thoughts on this entire exchange. Her eyes though rest upon Id as he fixates upon Ruby - and then upon Ruby herself. Whatever she feels as she sees Ruby suffering - there's at least a certain amount of solidarity though in reverse. Ruby who acts human and does not want to outlive her friends.
 
Lucia who is immortal and has only began to learn how precious the idea of friendship can truly be. As Ruby cries - sparkles of water well up in Lucia's eyes - but do not fall as she shuts her eyelids for a moment.
 
Some things can be simple.
 
When her eyelids open her eyes are dry - and she's totally wasted her turn contemplating these matters in her own very Lucia way.
 

GS: Hiro has attacked Id with Sybillium Sword!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
GS: Id takes a solid hit from Id's Yin and Yang for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Shield! Statuses applied to Id!
GS: Id critically Guards a hit from Riesenlied's Empathic Prayer - Laevateinn for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Elly can see the barriers of Lucia form, she can even hear Ruby yell. At least Ruby's alright, she thinks. Exhaling she raises a hand to her forehead and presses, even as she tells Gwen quietly, "If you're worried, I'll try to..."

Elly trails off because she doesn't really have a plan here. I wish Kelvena were here, she thinks miserably. Or Seraphita. They'd have a plan. Or the Major, or -

He's shy of me, Elly thinks. Are we both 'destroyers'? Am I like him somehow? The thought crosses her mind and then glides away. Not least because of the stone that is betraying her. Punched by Id's shuddering fist-force, the stone goes flying. The rock has many names, but here, today - it is Nemesis!

Elly is almost crushed beneath it. Almost; the stone has a certain friability now, the complex matrix of geology and interchemical bonds having been weakened by shock and the dynamic force of Ether. The stone is no lighter but it does break beneath her, aided perhaps by a reflexive shock wave. Dust rises, and Elly is buried momentarily beneath the rubble.

... several-momentarily.

... almost alarmingly so until it bursts upwards, a flaming arc rising into the air like a sinuous dragon just as Id turns his attention towards poor, forlorn, eventually-orphaned Ruby. It is like a living thing, shrieking and trailing flecks of magma; it rises up and dives straight towards Id.

Elly herself, sagging, pulls herself out of the new rock pile, staggering and turning her gaze towards first the two Hyadaens and then back towards Leon. Please, she prays, be alright. If he's going to hurt anyone here, let it be --

GS: Elhaym van Houten has attacked Id with Thermo Dragon!
GS: Elhaym van Houten has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

The high kick slams into Leon's chest. The full force of the Demon of Elru is a frightful thing to behold. It is inhhuman. It sends Leon hurtling backward from Id, with the feeling of a terrible crack in his ribs. And then more, as he slams hard into a rocky outcropping. Dust and debris fly out, and he stumbles away from it.

Leon grunts, and looks up -- and glances to Riesenlied, then to Noeline. Then, he looks back ahead. He nods, for a moment, to Jean. Then, he rushes in for Id. His sword snaps out to the side; a blade of light shoots up the length of it. It crackles, then shimmers.

Leon leaps, as the blade of silvery light forms and solidifies. He comes down for Id, and his blade slashes down hard.

He tries to cut into the Demon of Elru's midsection, as he does. His teeth are gritted -- but his eyes are clouded with hesitation.

GS: Leon Albus has attacked Id with Code.26 CLARENT!
GS: Leon Albus has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        Cyborg? Didn't Morgan say something about ceram- no, cybernetic. That was the word.

        Gwen mouths the word, but doesn't give voice to it, her expression that of a confused dog, giving Id some clues to just how strange the situation may be.

        Especially the anger and faint element of fear that darkens Gwen's expression at his next comment.

        Id's mane of red hair isn't the only source of red Gwen's seeing right now; when he aims two fingers towards specific points of Gwen's body, the courier, ignorant of their true intention, reacts with anger, butting forward with her head to push through what she assumed was going to be yet another fancy ether attack. It's a good thing she didn't realize its real intention, or she'd likely be gasping on the ground right about now.
        
        But now, Gwen's trying to get in Id's face- that Id, the very same that destroyed Wayside, an entire continent, and left his mark on those left behind.

        ... And she'll try to jab a thumb at his chest with her *left* hand. "I'm as human as human can be, you pasty-faced blowhard! I dunno where you get off on makin' people doubt themselves n' destroyin' their confidence, but y'know what I think when I see somethin' like that? A childish bully, tryin' to act all big n' mighty so he can feel a whole lot better about himself! Well, y'know what? It ain't gonna work on me, I grew up in a place just swarmin' with little versions of you. N' lemme tell *you*, they went down *hard* when someone was desperate enough t'fight back!""

        The light issuing from Riesenlied's chest briefly stuns Gwen, as does the even more impressive sight of Elly, clawing from the rubble, a red-haired phoenix rising from the ashes. Well, not ashes, they're rocks. And beyond that, Ruby is-

        Screw it.

        Gwen ducks down, her right fist pulled back.

        She then forces her fist up, attempting to aim it at that proud chin of Id's, anger still blinding her to the fact that she is very, very injured, and the man could very well kill her in the blink of an eye.

        There's only one thing on her mind.

        "N' THIS IS FOR MAKIN' RUBY CRY!"

GS: Gwen Whitlock has activated a Force Action!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Id with Rocket Punch!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action.
GS: Id guards a hit from Hiro's Sybillium Sword for 97 hit points!

Jean's last pose:

No, it's not blind. ...But as Lucia shields herself with barriers, it /does/ help Jean--it gives Jean a sense of relief, a moment
where she can worry a little less about Lucia and a little more about the rest of them... and who's in front of them. "Sorry,
Ruby," Jean says in response, and worries for a moment for Hiro instead. Hiro, who is...

"Hiro, don't talk like that!" she calls back, almost snapping. "You're not done yet!" 

But Jean is uncertain--Id mentions doubt after he fears Elly, and Jean blinks at him for a moment. "But what--" 

Id's /joy/ registers for her all right, and Jean tries to dispel it from her mind; she's seen that joy before, yes. ...She's
/felt/ it before, feels it now, to be dodging away, weaving with this opponent in particular.

Jean whirls out of the way of the kick, practically pirouetting to the side on the point of one foot, landing in a crouch with one
hand raised, one hand lowered, a ready stance for great movement. "You--"

Jean's eyes set. "Leave Ruby alone," she demands of Id, and tries to hold back the way her heart is beating. She shouldn't--and
yet... Id is trying to convince her not to do what she's doing. Id, someone who' destroyed so much, hurt so many, claimed that
they're similar, but not the same. And she's looking for--

...Jean looks to Lucia, to all of them, as she knows that retreat is not an option, and she lowers her arms, breathing in as she
stands up at a relaxed, mobile stance. "You...." Riesenlied is trying her best. Jean has to, too.

"I hope you're right," Jean says, "...About at least one thing. But whether you want to learn or not..." Jean's hands curl into
fists slowly, and she takes half a step back. For a moment there is no energy near her at all--and then there's a pulse, with a
heartbeat, a shadow that extends and fades in that same instant. "She doesn't have to learn it today--"

Jean rushes forward again, hair bursting free of her bandana to run loose around her, long and dark. She rears back with her fist
and her hand starts to glow black, violet ki flowing inwards, not outward--and she strikes out, hands in a claw, to rend Id's
shadow as much as she aims for his body.

It's a complicated feeling.
GS: Please react using the attack number in +queue.
GS: CRITICAL! Id guards a hit from Jean's Shadow Dragon Palm for 128 hit points!
GS: Cripple! Statuses applied to Id!
GS: Hyper! Statuses applied to Jean!
GS: Id guards a hit from Elhaym van Houten's Thermo Dragon for 94 hit points!
GS: CRITICAL! Id guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Rocket Punch for 18 hit points!
GS: Break and Jam! Statuses applied to Id!
GS: Id enters CONDITION GREEN!!
<Pose Tracker> Id has posed.

Id curls his fingers inward, placing his hand on his chest. "...It hurts more if you pretend." Despite his twisted logic, despite his madness--Riese can feel it. He does genuinely think he's helping Ruby here. "It can happen so quickly... ESPECIALLY if they are fighting some 'True Destroyer'. Perhaps there is another way," Id admits. "But for a lower level destroyer like me...such methods are beyond me." He's turning Lucia's words around.

He aims a hand for Hiro, looking less exultant than when he was focused on Jean. Perhaps to him this part of the battlefield has a different context. He opens his eyes, having recovered from Ruby's intervention.

"Then don't tell me." Id tells Ruby. "Tell yourself."

Odjn starts lecturing Id. Id looks towards her. There's a moment of confusion. Hesitation. Vulnerability. "Wait...You said Elru...how..."

Several people start to move for Id. But Riesenlied doesn't have to move. She strikes at the mind.

???

BGM INTERRUPT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miOizLxOD4E

Riesenlied finds herself in that room again. There's a wooden chair in the center. Above, a Nisan cross swings from side to side. Id, in his adult form, turns to look at her.

"You told me," He says. "You would take it. That you would understand."

Id shakes his head.

"People who link with me die. Your empath weapon is keeping you safe, but you will die if you stay here. And if you die, Nasrin dies too."

Id reaches forward and touches Riesenlied's cheek.

"You really are so much like her."

He then reaches forward and presses his hand against Riesenlied's forehead instead. What is it like for a psyche to unravel? Id knows what it's like. That's why he's here. If Riesenlied doesn't get out soon, the distortions in her own mind are going to get that much worse.

It's barely Id's doing, Riesenlied will recognize in these moments. It's more like radiation. It's a side effect, the mere presence of being in this realm with Id when you are a foreigner creates problems. There's a psychic wound and it's infectious and it would so very much like to spread into Riesenlied and shatter her like a broken mirror.

HERE

Last time, before Fei was twenty five percent awake, that little delving of Riesenlied stalled Id for the rest of the battle. This time, Id is not so much as stalled for a second.

But nevertheless...his opponents persist. Hiro is out to defend his friend in his own way. Their determination pays dividends. Hiro slices into Id's arms with that vaccuum slash, finally drawing blood with his blade across Id's arms. Gwen too fights for Ruby, and her rocket fist slams into his shoulder, shoving him backwards and away from the pink dragon. Id looks at her. "We're all children here." He says this despite saying he is older than the Lunar civilization. Gwen isn't the first person to say that he is a child.

Noeline taunts Id, but Id doesn't buy into that taunt. Perhaps he expects she'll be busy with what's about to happen to Riesenlied. He's plenty busy as is. Elly's power is also incalculable even if it is one that Id is particularly familiar with. He tries to leap away from Elly's own considerably less adorable dragon but it cathes him in midair and slams him back to the ground, allowing Leon and Jean to get in at a perfect moment.

"El..." He begins, starting to push magma off him by standing up. Leon swipes into Id's midsection, causing him to bowl over in pain, gripping at his chest. If Leon hadn't hesitated, perhaps it would have been fatal. Or at least powerful enough to have ended the fight.

And finally Jean uses the Shadow Dragon Palm. It's certainly a deadly technique. Most any other opponent would have died in an instant. Jean eradicates Id's afterimages in a single blow. The Shadow Dragon Palm can rend such illusions readily. The claw rends right into Id's chest. Perhaps if it wasn't for that hesitation, Id would have fallen not to power, but from the excellent coordination between the warriors present.

Id pants for a moment, "You shouldn't..." He looks towards Leon. "You shouldn't have hesitated."

Id draws out something strange. Something...made out of stone.

It's a medium. A medium for the Guardian of Fire.

"I am the Knight of Fire." Id murmurs. "I am the Sixth Extinction. Moor Gault, you have made a contract with me... and now... it's your time to shine!!"
        he Guardian of Fire flashes into view, soaring into the sky and fanning out their wings before they dive towards Leon, heading right for him. In the moment of distraction, Id breaks free and jumps into the air, landing right on top of the Guardian of Flame in a crouch. He tanks the flames surging around him.

"My gear isn't here." He says. "This was your best chance!"

The Guardian crashes into Leon even as an eruption of energy and debris erupts from Id. It isn't quite as bad as what he did in Wayside. It isn't a city destroying energy beam bursting around him, but it is certainly bad enough and close enough that one might wonder why he uses a Gear in the first place, he's going to destroy Taben Peak, he's going to destroy the children, he's going to destroy the Fereshte and perhaps even the Shadow Dragon, if they are here.

He's going to destroy you and the survivors will learn the dark side of hope.

But then...

GS: Id guards a hit from Leon Albus's Code.26 CLARENT for 114 hit points!
GS: Id has attacked Riesenlied with Entropic Corruption!
GS: Id has launched an attack Link!
GS: You have set up an attack Link! You must complete the Link using an attack with the Follow flag before any other actions!
GS: Id has attacked Riesenlied with Continent Crash!
GS: Id has attacked Leon Albus with Fire Chain!
GS: CRITICAL! Riesenlied takes a solid hit from Id's Entropic Corruption for 170 hit points!
GS: Toxin! Statuses applied to Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!
GS: Riesenlied takes a solid hit from Id's Continent Crash for 269 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Riesenlied!
GS: Riesenlied has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!
GS: A targeted player wasn't found. [#725|#660|#542|#546|#-1|#731|#519]
GS: You cannot attack a target more than once in a round.
GS: You cannot attack a target more than once in a round.
GS: Id has canceled their attack on Leon Albus.
GS: Id has attacked Leon Albus with Continent Crash!
GS: Id has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Continent Crash!
GS: Id has attacked Hiro with Continent Crash!
GS: Id has attacked Jean with Continent Crash!
GS: Id has attacked Noeline with Continent Crash!
GS: Id has attacked Elhaym van Houten with Continent Crash!
GS: Hiro has activated a Force Action!
GS: Noeline takes a solid hit from Id's Continent Crash for 255 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Noeline!
GS: Hiro guards a hit from Id's Continent Crash for 150 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Hiro!
GS: Gwen Whitlock takes a solid hit from Id's Continent Crash for 261 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Gwen Whitlock!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!
GS: Jean takes a solid hit from Id's Continent Crash for 258 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Jean!
GS: Elhaym van Houten critically Guards a hit from Id's Continent Crash for 51 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        "Just a child," Noeline mutters through her teeth; she does what she can to summon the dregs of Duras Drum's power around her in hopes of defending against the incoming onslaught of Moor Gault, but she's more than aware it won't begin to be enough. A sealed Guardian can't contend against one out in the open like this.

        "You don't like our answers, our reasoning, so you simply destroy us for it in a tantrum, yet again. You're no better than those in the Photosphere. You just hide behind more words in the process," she spits, her patience worn too thin in the moment by the same old arguments, the same old objections to their very presence even here on Lunar. "But you've lost. We still have our bonds, to the very end."

        That's all she offers before she twists on one heel, biting back the cry of pain as the first of the destructive flames wash over her, biting back the rest of her anger as she gathers Riesenlied's form into her arms.

        She's the shorter of the pair, but can still do her best to bundle the other woman into her arms as she's buffeted to her knees, trying to cover her from the conflagration as best she can - and, voice strained, keep up a running whisper. "I'm here. Stay with us. Don't let him beat you," she mutters, trying to ignore the way her voice shakes and her back boils. If nothing else, sheer spite and adrenaline keep her in the moment.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        There's... darkness.

        Riesenlied is slumped within Noeline's arms as she has been, as her irises gain an almost white glow as the light surrounds her. She is in a different place, as she often goes to; when she distracted him in Old Petra. When she disappeared into Hellerune, when Lily needed her Gear to work most. When she drew the Fallen Sword, and absconded it all to a different facade...

        IN THE FACADE OF THE MIND

        Riesenlied is in that room once more, peering as she lowers her head. "... if I die, you cannot fulfill your promise. Your promise of showing me... sharing with me all that death--"

        His hand is on her forehead, as her mind begins to unravel. And within that chaos, of an already chaotic and untethered mind...

        flash

        An arm covered in a blue gauntlet extends outwards. That horned helmet, that huge, dark spear. The mentor that taught her most everything she knew of war...

        The man he wishes would call her...

        flash

        Bells ring as she hears the town crier yell of Arctica's latest ceremony to honour a new Fenrir Knight. She puffs out a breath that mists in front of her voice, looking up, huddled in her tattered Fereshte cloak...

        flash

        Inbetween the broken remnants of Fossils scattered around them, a young dragonling looks up with wide eyes, whimpering as she places a hand down towards her cheek.

        "... do you know what happened..."

        A Dragon skull so large it dwarfs them looms in the background, as the dragonling looks towards it.

        "... what happened to mommy ...?"

        flash

        The young Hyadean huddles with that same Fereshte cloak as she looks over a Garlylean parapet. She cups her mouth as she looks towards the oncoming march of several Solarian Gears. She hurries, breath nearly abated, feeling as if her legs would tear apart underneath her--

        Grasp.

        Riesenlied jolts out from her deathly reverie, as the shattering effects suddenly come to an abrupt halt. She slumps...

        ... and behind her is a cold, death-like hand, coming from a young girl who shouldn't have the physical strength she does... but this is the realm of the mind, after all.

        She looks at Id. Her hair is fractured and caked with frost, and she looks easily days-old dead in decay, with frozen blood smeared across her skin.

        Only one eye peeks out from under her bangs, but it is a clear one.

        "... hey, Id. I kinda wish we got better circumstances to come play with each other, but... sorry. I need to take her back for the time being."

        She picks up the unconscious Riesenlied and--

        BACK TO REALITY

        Riesenlied is down, though she isn't convulsing as Noeline may have feared when she last did this in Old Petra. But where she lies in her lover's arms, not even responding... there is still hope.

        Because a flapping of wings echoes in the skies, with a very, very distinctive battlecry that can't be mistaken even in the seas of the stars between Filgaia and Lunar, nor anywhere else in Federation-known space:

        "MUNIIIIIIIIIIiii---!!"

DC: Riesenlied switches forms to A Certain Magical -- no! -- Munitekal Armour!!
GS: Leon Albus takes a solid hit from Id's Continent Crash for 259 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Leon Albus!
GS: Leon Albus has Fallen! He is no longer able to fight!
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

 
Elly hears 'hell' in Id's voice.

And yet, she thinks.

That was the best that I can do, Elly thinks, swaying as she tastes copper in her mouth. She is less wounded than the others but that will do little good, will it? At least the others - Elly doesn't think much more because out is drawn a stone tablet.

Elly's eyes slowly widen. "You have to be kidding," she breathes. But he is not. He is gazing on Leon and Id is already so tremendously forceful and the power is forming and

The vision comes to Elly with glittering purity. It is brief, but the memory surges inside of her. Even with Id's atrocious Ether response rating (implicit) - he still has to form this. There is time there. Time NOW. But it's so fine-webbed, Elly thinks. How can I bring it forth?

This dithering may have killed Leon; but perhaps it won't go further. The act comes to Elly by intuition. Muni will get a good view of Elly pressing her hands together by the fingertips, briefly outlined by a corona of pastel light that resembles little more than the plasmic outlines of magnetic and particle flux around a good wholesome star. The wisps of this galvanized force brush out -

Touch SOMETHING in the air around them, which in turn makes SOMETHING appear briefly, terrible and knotted and mountainous, like a horrid glimpse of some kind of titanic hamstring -

Elly throws her hands apart then, arching her back. A wave of crystalline icicles form and shear jaggedly out into the writhing white-gray outline of something decent people shouldn't want to see. The icicles don't vanish but the gray outline does, although Muni or an outside observer might have an unpleasant sense that it was not so much that it was "destroyed" as "concealed once more."

Elly wants to vomit. She holds off on that to shriek raggedly, "Leave them alone!!" at Id.

Who is 'them'? Elly is construing it broadly.


<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"He has a Medium!" Leon shouts, the words that Id says echoing in his ears -- filling him with dread, as he talks -- and then the Guardian comes screaming out for him. It slams into him, flame and power striking Leon. He is thrown backward, and sent hurtling away. He hits the ground and rolls. There is a thump; a loud, wet noise where the Captain of the Black Wolves struck. A small trail of blood is left in his wake. He shouldn't have hesitated.

He turns his head, to see Id wreathed in flame. He understands, then; the destruction of Elru is no distant thing. It faces him: the destruction of those on Taban's Peak, the destruction of the children here, and then quite possibly Vane too. Filgaia has brought its demons to this world, and they are not merely the ones made of steel.

His one good eye -- the other is bloodied, swollen shut -- fixes on him. He tries to rise, but a pulse of light and power strikes him down. He crumples, then, and both eyes close.

He doesn't force himself back up.

Flames rage and burn about Id, and they threaten to consume all there is. A wave of sheer destruction shoots forward, a storm of raging winds and churning stone -- a massive conflagration, that has and will unmake settlements. Elly's voice is so small, and barely carries over it. Noeline pleads with Riesenlied. Nothing, it seems, will hold that wave of terror backward.

Until something does. An enormous wall of ice rises upward, several feet thick, and towering as high as a Gear into the sky. Pristine white ice meets raging destruction, and it holds against all odds. The sheer power of Id meets a wall of sorcerous might, and that power is held at bay. When the ice cracks, and seracs tumble and fall free, the sheer power of Id's onslaught has been held at bay. Nothing but ice dust is caught in the stiff breeze that remains, blowing ill-placed flurries to and fro.

Then, the sound can be heard: a rhythmic, sardonic clap that slowly punctuates the events.

"Well, well, WELL." The voice that echoes out is bemused. There is a crackle of light in the air; a flash of white and blue, that then tinges a darker black, as a single form appears in the midst of the fallen defenders -- and then another, and another, and another. But at the head of Althena's Guard is another figure, entirely. Clad in black leather, with armored pauldrons, he steps forward. His white cape rustles out behind him.

His face is elfin and elven -- impossibly handsome, with sharp features that have a beauty that dares someone to define it. Grey eyes that could captivate, if they weren't so filled with a cynical amusement, dart about, before settling on Id. His face, though, is marred with a purple, leathery section. A price paid for resurrection, perhaps.

Ghaleon, the Dragonmaster, smiles at Id. It is not kind. "What have we here? I thought our uninvited guests were so rude... after all, they neglected to bring me a suitable gift." He cocks his head. His smile remains, perfect and empty, and then he arches one elegant eyebrow.

"But, it seems, they have better manners than I thought. Now, be a good puppy--" Ghaleon holds a mailed hand out in front of him, fingers splayed. Lightning and sparks crackle across his fingers. "--and stop making a mess of what is mine."

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

        A blue-white flash cooks off not ten feet away from where Elly stands, defying Id with everything she has. The localized surge of power fades with a snap-hiss, leaving behind the lingering scent of ozone and a tall, white-clad figure with a billowing red cape. White Knight Leo has completely recovered from the fracas in Rolance, and stands well back, hand on his blade, as Althena's own Dragonmaster deals with the enemy.

        That's not to say Leo isn't quick to take the lay of the land. Quite the opposite. His lip curls at the sight of... well, that's two of the Vile Fiends there, and several of their known conspirators. His ears twitch, but Ghaleon has the floor. Ghaleon can make that call.

        And honestly, what exactly happened? Ghaleon said something about needing to 'punish a bad dog', but looking around makes him thing a bomb went off.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        It's Id's response that really surprises Gwen. Violence, denial, and, at the very least, strong words were the things she was expecting. It was the order of things in Little Twister. Always expect escalating displays of dominance.

        'We're all children here.'

        Surprise colors Gwen's face, melting the clinched squint of anger from her lips. In four words...

        Gwen finds a minute element of respect for the red-haired man, despite knowing how little time she has before he returns her attack tenfold.

        And he doesn't disappoint there, either.

        'I am the Knight of Fire.'

        It's a medium.

        'I am the Sixth Extinction.'

        Ah.

        'Moor Gault, you have made a contract with me... and now...'

        Gwen's shoulders slump. As the air begins to heat up, she begins to softly exhale, a nervous, soft laugh escaping her lips. "Well, Rigdobrite? I guess this is your payback...."

        Fire blasts around her, and she falls.

        It's kind of nice that she doesn't have a chance to really even be scared.

<Pose Tracker> Jean has posed.


Jean applies the Technique again, but not to one it will destroy. ...And again, it cuts through illusions, cuts through to the heart of her real opponent, and Jean can feel Id's flesh under her fingers, feel blood welling up at her cold touch. She is carried with it, for a few moments, breath stopping as the wave of necrotic ki crashes through her.

"Leon--"

She is there, with her ally of the moment, and Id pulls a Guardian... to Jean's surprise. Her eyes widen. "No--"

Their best chance, Id says. And then... everything starts to turn to rubble. Jean makes herself relax in the face of the coming attack, knowing she can't get out of the way fully in time, knowing that all she can do is sweep behind a tree for what little cover there is and roll with the blow--

So she crashes on waves of power and rock, in the face of the Guardian, battered and hurtled away until she hits hard stone and grits her teeth to avoid calling out in pain, can't see any of the others--

But still the wave of energy builds on her own, and she knows what she used on him. She looks up, hears a voice...

Ice meets raging destruction, and Jean hits a knee, staring up at Ghaleon and the others. "What..."

She does not seem to notice her own blood as she stares.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        It's Id's response that really surprises Gwen. Violence, denial, and, at the very least, strong words were the things she was expecting. It was the order of things in Little Twister. Always expect escalating displays of dominance.

        'We're all children here.'

        Surprise colors Gwen's face, melting the clinched squint of anger from her lips. In four words...

        Gwen finds a minute element of respect for the red-haired man, despite knowing how little time she has before he returns her attack tenfold.

        And he doesn't disappoint there, either.

        'I am the Knight of Fire.'

        It's a medium.

        'I am the Sixth Extinction.'

        Ah.

        'Moor Gault, you have made a contract with me... and now...'

        Gwen's shoulders slump. As the air begins to heat up, she begins to softly exhale, a nervous, soft laugh escaping her lips. "Well, Rigdobrite? I guess this is your payback...."

        Fire blasts around her, and she falls.

        It's kind of nice that she doesn't have a chance to really even be scared.

         But, if she did, she would have been greeted by the soft, blessed breeze of ice, keeping the fire at bay, somehow holding up against the onslaught of Id and Moor Gault's combined power. When it all ends, Gwen is on the ground, senseless, singed, and wounded, but very much alive. But, it seems, there's more things to worry about, now...

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        "Wh-wh-what the heck was that?!"

        Such is the call from the blue-haired Hyadean mounted ontop of Muni-Muni, in Flight Mode at present (as has been seen before when delivering Kaiser Sigmund out into safety); the yellow Dragon is bobbing up and down as Dva stares towards the enormous ice wall and the emergence of the Guard. She gulps. "Geez! Talk about walking into the hornet's nest! Should we--"

        "Nobody."

        On the actual cockpit seat of Muni-Muni sits... a sleek, black dog-shaped Hyadean, who is currently draped with a headdress of feathers and several layers of paint marks from where Nall's children have done their time with her. One says 'TIMMY WUZ HERE' while the other goes 'ROBO MOM BEST MOM' underneath her chin.

        The blinkers that serve as her eyes flash ominously for a moment.

        "Nobody is taking my daughters from me!"

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
"I'm... I'm not like you...! I think if that happened... if the worst... came true..."
 
Ruby gives Id this look that seems intensely upset. But beneath it - something else. "I'd want it to hurt-! I'd want it to hurt and hurt and hurt and I wouldn't want it to stop! I would never - WANT to get used to it!"
 
Hiro manages to draw blood - and this should be a moment of triumph for him. Like the first time upon Adlehyde castle when he managed to harm Siegfried - who at the time seemed to be the worst challenge the world could offer him. Until he learned what this guy did to Siegfried. It was only in that moment that it really set in how much greater these Destroyers truly are - how above him. How far he has to go in order to be able to offer the slightest challenge.
 
Yet right now - he can't exult in even this momentary triumph.
 
He's too mad for Ruby's sake. There's something too sad about what his opponent is saying - and despite all this they're still fighting for their lives.
 
As Id proves again just a moment later. When he draws out a Medium. And Lucia's eyes grow wide. "How can this be? Stop this! Stop this now!"
 
Perhaps she's wondering how Moor Gault could possibly make a contract with this ravener - and if asking him to stop would simply make it so. But her mind rationally knows that the Guardian will not.
 
Ruby finds herself flying - she cannot take the time to think that of course the Demon of Elru has the Medium she wanted.
 
Hiro at least instinctually understands what's coming even if his mind can't understand the scale. In those few moments when the Guardian is bearing down on Leon - he runs towards Lucia. Ramming into her, his arms envelop her even as they hit the ground. Before vanishing into the eruption of fire and energy.
 
Or at least that's what might have happened. But a wall of ice forms into being - a pristine white sheet that meets that destruction. And glows white hot against it.
 
For half a moment Hiro and Ruby might wonder if - somehow Lemina managed a magic feat of such a scale.
 
The voice dispels all such illusions. "You... you must be..." Hiro knows the stories. Of the Four Heroes. Of Dyne's best friend who passed all the trials himself only to step aside. Who went searching for him when he vanished. Who was ressurected by the current Althena to be her new Dragonmaster. "...Ghaleon! Dragonmaster Ghaleon!" He says with a certain note of awe - despite what he's saying, which he takes to be the quirkiness of a true hero. At least he does right now in his relief over being saved. Right before Hiro notices that Leo is here too- "Oh... um... Hey Leo - so... wow... so... great timing. And thanks for bringing..." He points Ghaleon's way and mouths, 'The Dragonmaster.' Not realizing it was probably the other way around.
 
Untangling himself around Lucia, he helps her back up to her feet as she looks upon him in utter shock and disbelief - that somehow that feat of mighty destruction was abated by such powerful intervention. She understands that this isn't over - though she's not certain what form or shape this might take now that Althena's Guard is here. But she does know that she's not going to allow anyone to die like this. A hand shakily raises towards the amulet around her neck. "Everyone... I did not expect this outcome... and while I know not how this will end..."
 
In this moment she brings her own swell of power. Ghaleon created them a shield - and now she becomes an eye of her own within this storm. A place of succor and healing. A song - a call - a light that shines with blue eternal. It spreads unto them in a form that's not unlike one of Althena's litanies. Bringing healing - and strength. The strength to get back on their feet. To those that were with them upon Mount Zulan - it's not unlike what they felt back them. "...I know that this is not the end! Open your eyes - open your eyes and fight!"
 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        Doing her best to catch her breath, Noeline tries gamely to outright ignore the presence of the White Knight and his apparent superior. Perhaps it's a little uncharitable of her, but it's about all she can do to furrow her brow right now, her skin and her armor smoking as the last of the flames washes past her as she directs all of her attention down to the woman still cradled protectively in her arms.

        If they choose to join in the hostilities, she'll just have to get back up and face her end; until then, they're just two more names on the neverending list of people who would rather not have them atone for their pasts and live out their future peacefully. Maybe one day, she huffs to herself softly.

        "... it'll be okay," she mutters with conviction, stroking the fringe of hair out of Riesenlied's face - even if she's unresponsive, Noeline would rather ensure she's comatose rather than actually convulsing dangerously, and likes to hope that perhaps her words might reach the other woman on whatever plane she's on right now.

        Muni's cry from above is the first thing to make her lift her head, though the sweep of Lucia's magic as it washes over her is not unwelcome; she's a little busy to respond to it, though, her attention captured by the resolved voice from the dragon's pilot. For a long moment, she takes in the headdress and the graffiti.

        "... fearsome, huh," she mutters in a deadpan.

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

Lemina's running behind.

The original plan had been for her to catch up a little way up the mountain -- she's had some setbacks lately, mostly courtesy of Vane being attacked. There's a lot to attend to when you're Premier -- something that Lemina sort of... allowed herself to forget while on Filgaia.

If things had gone... well, normally, this wouldn't be so bad. Today is anything but a normal day, though -- the appearance of Id has thrown everything off. When that massive flare of power comes up, Lemina sees it -- off in the distance, but honestly, given the circumstances, that's enough.

She's not close enough to know what it is -- and that fact has her scared. What had been an amble turns into a dead sprint -- one which brings her to the mountain just in time to see Ghaleon. She stands gobsmacked, saying nothing as yet -- not even sure if she should advance into the fray proper, suddenly.

<Pose Tracker> Id has posed.

"...Don't end up like me, Nasrin."

Id's surefire win is stopped. Partly by Elly. He flinches when she shouts at him, bringing up a hand to his face as if to block her from seeing it. "Your own strength is growing..."

The other part comes from another source. He may have ultimate power but some individuals have held gods in their hands before. Id is as stunned by the arrival of the Guard as everyone else is. He slowly lands on the floor, blinking. He doesn't even fly off the handle immediately upon being called a puppy. He is processing.

Ruby snaps him out of it. Id stares at her. Are those tears in his eyes? He reaches for something near his chest but he just grabs air. "Are you...Are you sure? Ruby...it's not just these you'll lose. But even the ones you make after. And the ones after that..."

But it's actually Hiro who brings him up to speed. Ghaleon. The Dragonmaster. Id slides a foot backwards. Is it fear? It's at least caution.

"You have died and returned." Id murmurs. "The power of anti-causality will not..." His eyes widen as Lucia finally unleashes her own power. "No!!" He hisses at her.

He slides another foot back. "Lemina too!?" This is getting mega frustrating!! Id grits his teeth.

"Fine..." He murmurs. "You want me to be a good dog?" Again, he seems ok with the whole canine thing. "You're gonna get bit!!"

The screen crashes into several mirror shards and the BGM shifts once more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmovCdeSn6Q&t=235s

<--- TO BE CONTINUED