2018-06-02: Scourge of the Seas
- Log: Scourge of the Seas
- Cast: Layna Manydays, Sephilia Lampbright, Havel Bladewall, Seraph Lanval, Ida Everstead-Rey, Talise Gianfair, Lydia Seren, Agatha Pyrelight, Cyre H. Lorentz
- Where: Plains of the Goddess
- Date: June 2nd, 2018
- Summary: The Ruby Empress appears, to pillage a peaceful harbor town...but not without meeting resistance. The former Captain of the Ruby Empress encounters the new one, and all the while the Pyre Witch watches from afar...
=========================<* Plains of the Goddess *>========================== The Plains of the Goddess consist of an enormous prairie that occupies the heart of the Meribus continent. It is the breadbasket of the world of Lunar; Althena's blessing lives strong in the soil, and the crops grown here are healthy, hearty, and free of disease. As a result of this bounty, the vast majority of the Plains are uncultivated; farmers have little reason to expand into the untamed wildlands when their larders and storehouses are filled to bursting. Only a few roads cross the Plains of the Goddess, linking the major cities to each other, with the ruins of Vane at the hub of a wagon wheel. Althena's Guard patrols the highways regularly, making travel (relatively) safe. Anyone heading deeper into the fields does so at their own risk, however. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi_p5wdBrXw
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
A rumor had been spreading - on the seas of Lunar, the Ruby Empress had begun to sail once more. The ship and its crew were causing violence and chaos throughout the seas. The blame was placed on its last known captain - Layna Manydays.
...But...Layna had been on Filgaia. So, too, was the Ruby Empress. Why then, was it here? Why were the crew acting without her orders? And if she wasn't leading it...who was?
These questions and more ran through Layna's mind. This was something she had to deal with. Together with her friends of Fox Company, she hunted down the answers...and those answers have lead to one time, and one place.
Today.
A small harbor town on the coast of Meribus.
It was a peaceful place, usually. The fishing was nice, and it made a convenient place for the import and export of goods - nothing special, but it helped make things go by.
Today, however...the city has received a visitor. A ship with a gleaming red hull, and a flag bearing the emblem of a grinning skull with armblades crossed below it -it must be the Ruby Empress, to all but those who are familiar with every scratch and dent on the ship's surface.
Evacuation was only half-way complete by the time the ship arrived and the crew emerged - something of them with fear and regret in their eyes, and some all too excited to be here.
Soon, the town was covered in flames as red as the ship in their harbor.
And, watching from a distance...
Layna frowns. She stares out at the scenes unfolding before her through her telescope. Accompanying her would be her friends of Fox Company(plus whatever allies she had managed to grab on the way here).
"...Damn. Looks like they beat us here. Well, let's get going, aye? We might still...be able to..."
Layna's voice trails off, and an expression mixed of fear, anger, and uncertainty crosses over her face. To those who know Layna this is...unusual. She is typically headstrong, determined, and very rarely second-guesses herself, no matter what faced her. But here, there is a rare look.
"...This...this can't be right..." She says, stuttering slightly. She shoves the telescope back into its holster and leaps forward, without even waiting for the others, and rushes into town.
For present there...
...Was someone who should not be here.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia Lampbright has joined Layna, her friend and colleague of Fox Company. "What is it?" she asks Layna, tension in her voice.
<Pose Tracker> Havel Bladewall has posed.
Once more, the Ruby Empress took sail, and brought blood and despair to the shores of Lunar.
The fires rise and crackle, as a single figure steps through the burning tower. With dark brown hair, temples greying, and a short beard that is slightly spiked at the chin, he cuts a fiercesome figure. All the more, given that he walks in a blood red coat -- left open, showing his bare chest, save for bandages wrapped around his waist. His arms, however, are covered in massive steel gauntlets to the forearm; each is plated, with a large shield on them, and his grey eyes are wide with delight.
"Good! Good, my mates! See the town burn--let them know of our fury. Let them know of our coming!" he bellows, towards some of his crew, before he turns. His head swivels -- and he looks off to the distance. To a green hill, to a single telescope that he can't possibly see, and finally to a lone figure, running.
He grins wider than before, and slightly too-pronounced canines stand out in sharp contrast. "Aye... aye," he says. "There she is! THERE SHE IS!"
DC: Havel Bladewall switches forms to Dread Captain Bladewall!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
The water-aspected Seraph Lanval, up to this point, appears to be treating this as just another fun outing with those handful of friends he's made. Just a carefree Seraphim, enjoying the attention and company, treating anything and everything like it's just one ongoing leisurely adventure. Like he'd be savoring every drop of the metaphorical drink, just coming along with them.
Layna's devil-may-care, headstrong, unfettered personality is always a fun thing to follow in the wake of. Even with the talks beforehand about there being a second supposed Ruby Empress, he seemed ready to treat it as just another bit of an entertaining jaunt...
...Then he hears the shaking in Layna's voice. He stops drinking up (more than) his share of the Quartermaster's Stash, laid out on top of a barrel near where Layna's watching from the telescope. His eyes open, half-lidded. This is a marginal improvement over his penchant for being sprawled out atop a puddle of his own making.
"Layna...? Hey, Layna. Are ya okaaaay?" His voice trails off. He does not notice that she's already leapt away before he even speaks, further into action. (Or that maybe most other people with her already are doing just that.) He holds out the bottle of the Quartermaster's Stash out towards the thin air that used to be near Layna, as though having had the presence of mind to save some for her. When he doesn't see her or feel her take it, his aquamarine eyes open up a little more in acknowledgement. "...Ooooohhhhh."
Pirates are no silly, jaunty thing to laugh off. The vast majority threaten lives and livelihoods alike out on the ocean frontiers like little else. The town ahead is already on fire. It's no time to lay around and do whatever he's doing...!
"...Never sheen her like that," he comments as his eyes shut back closed, stroking his voluminous beard from where he lies sprawled out. "That'sh... alsho a lotta shmoke... mmph." AND NOW HE NOTICES THAT?!
The layabout of an elemental spirit flops off the barrel he's resting on, and starts rolling like a ragdoll down the hill to pick up speed in which to follow the rest, both parts a graceful raindrop slinking down a decline and an oafish, overweight wastrel just taking a painful-looking tumble after her towards the blazing chaos.
(He'll be fine.)
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The side door of a dockside 'teahouse' bursts open, and dazed, frightened patrons scramble out into the alley outside. "Run, you idiots!" roars someone at the very rear--a woman who is too thin to be healthy, anonymous aside from those details. Unnatural shadow falls across the alley as the patrons run for the hills, fleeing the rampaging, looting pirates. Once they're clear, the young woman wipes soot off her face and tries not to think about how she has lost count of how many times she's ended up in a city under siege. This is literally the second time in a week. All she wanted to do was meet up with a contact and arrange to have some key items shipped off to Glenwood in preparation for a plan of hers.
'Good! Good, my mates!'
The small, thin woman starts stalking after the voice, striding out into the street as though her nerves weren't on fire, demanding she fight or flee--as though terror weren't chewing holes in her gut. She catches sight of a red coat, and then... a pair of very familiar shields. She'd already seen the 'Ruby Empress' though the 'tea house' windows, assumed it was a copycat. Now?
"You!" Ida cries, directly addressing the pirate captain even as he catches sight of something in the distance. As though he weren't surrounded by his crew, all more than willing to run her through and rifle through her pockets for loot. As though she weren't a tiny slip of a thing with nothing supernatural about her whatsoever. "You've ruined my evening!" What is he so focused on? Realization hits Ida a moment later.
--Layna?
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"...But that's stupid," Talise murmurs as she peers in from the distance, her face lit by the flickering shadows of the burning town. "You don't go out of your way to commit atrocities, you sack ships on the open water or take the cargo if it's a seaport. What're they thinking?"
As Layna lunges forward, Talise starts after her with a jingle of mail and a crackle of her heavy coat. "Layna, wait!" she calls out, sword in hand as she begins to move after her friend.
Towards a man in a huge red coat who seems to know exactly where Layna's telescope is. Talise frowns deeply, scratching at her cheek with her free hand.
Until Ida comes into things. Talise brings her hand from her cheek upwards to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Oh boy, now my evening is ruined too," she sighs. Ida's towering contempt for her has been screamingly obvious every time Talise has encountered her since her trip down Malevolence Lane and she's expecting more of the same from her wayward friend, at this point. It's not a nice thought.
Doing her best to force down a surge of frustration, Talise pushes back a fold of her coat and breaks into a jog forward. The jingle of mail and the gleam of her big shiny weapon probably precede her.
"HEY!" she shouts across the distance at Bladewall. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing? Call off your goons before I start throwing them to the kraken!"
(Yes, Lunar has a kraken, shut up.)
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia isn't going back to Glenwood anytime soon for mysterious reasons. She is feeling better enough to take a break from working on the Fereshte to go to a harbor town and maybe get snacks. Snacks are great. Maybe a souvenir would be nice!
She is near the dockside teahouse when the town is attacked, and covered in fire, red fire! That's honestly a pretty common fire, but it's still terrible! And hot!
"Oh great," Lydia mutters. "More nightmares. Yaaay."
She watches as Ida busts out and complains about her ruined evening. Hear hear sister, Lydia thinks.
"So uh." Lydia says awkwardly. "Yo Ida. Does this happen as frequently to you as it does to me because, y'know..."
Should she try to fight off the pirates? she isn't feeling a strong impetus for it but she probably should right? "You haven't seen Ethius following you like a creep have you?"
<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.
There was something to be said about a good amount of chaos. Of course, the question was what was a good amount of chaos? Agatha had often debated this in the past, and she probably continue to do so into the future. But during her ponderings, she had decided that as long as you have a good amount of fire and violence, that things would probably work out in the end.
Again, at least as far as she was concerned.
As was often the case, Agatha and discovered this little shindig drew one of her crow minions. The beast had been sitting on an awning of the tree house, its red eyes taking in the tumult and chaos, the flames, panic, and people screaming... and that was good. But the presence of some people that she had seen back on Filagaia made all of this far more interesting than it might have been otherwise.
It takes a few minutes for Agatha to actually arrive, and she appears atop the teahouse, stepping out of the shadows as she takes in the chaos in town. She smiles, takes in a deep breath... "Really, will there be anything better than the smell of a town burning?" she muses, leaning back against the wall and pulling her pipe out of one sleeve. She shakes it for a moment, before snapping her fingers and lightning the long, slender pipe with a snap of her fingers. As people start bursting out onto the street and shouting, the Pyre Witch chuckles quietly to herself and leans over the edge, looking down from where she is floating as people begin to shout about their evenings being ruined.
"I don't know what they're all talking about," she states to her crow, which hops from the awning and onto her shoulder. "Dinner and a show? This just gets better and better."
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Layna Manydays is many things on many days, but Cyre has never known her to be a killer. Not on this magnitude. She might be greedy, reckless and maybe a bit rude, but to go coast-to-coast, raping and pillaging everything in her path is far beyond what she seems capable of.
Besides, as far as Cyre knew, that big boat of hers was still marooned somewhere on Filgaia. He's pretty sure she couldn't haul it into the desert close enough to November for it to get warped to the moon with the rest of them.
And so Cyre has come in pursuit of those rumors. What he found, though, is that unique blend of simultaneously relieving and distressing that he has been feeling far too often lately.
A howling gale preceeds the cloaked man's descent. Wind swirls and spirals around his fist moments before it slams into the ground. A catastrophic blast of wind smashes into the street below and races outwards, slamming into a gaggle of pirates and slowing Cyre's descent to a crawl.
"Layna!" Cyre roars, "I figured you could use a hand! What the hell is going on!? Who are these people!?"
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Layna doesn't even stop to address her allies as they question her, as they try to make sure she's alright, as they try to prevent her from making what might be a foolish mistake.
'There she is.'
Layna slides to a stop in front of that man, flexing her fingers into fists. Her expression has resolved into something of a glare at this moment - the man in front of her was the last person she wanted to show weakness.
She shoves down the fear she's feeling deep inside and takes a deep breath, trying to assess the situation.
...It sounds like her friends have caught up to her, and to the side...Ida? Lydia? She was surprised to see them here, but a part of her is glad for it.
Behind her, Talise shouts at the man before her, asking what he's doing...and nearby, the arrival of a certain shaman is heralded by a howling gale. She glances in his direction, but does not take her eyes off the man in front of her for long.
"...Havel Bladewall." It's both a reply to Cyre, and addressing that man - the other Captain.
"...You're looking awfully spry for a dead man. Why are you here?" She hisses, staring directly into those eyes of his. Gone unsaid, but implied, is a more important question - how?
How was this possible?
<Pose Tracker> Havel Bladewall has posed.
Havel Bladewall turns his head back towards Ida, and he stares at her for a moment. His steel grey eyes narrow -- and then he barks out a laugh. "Girl, I've been ruining lives for longer than you've been alive," he spits. This may be generous; he looks to be in his late thirties or early forties at best. "Crawl along now, little pup. The wolves aren't here to play! Unless you want to become one of us, in which case--"
He turns his head, back towards Talise, and the grin stays. He keeps talking to Ida. "--show me what you've got, mate." The pirate captain tilts his head, then, and the big grin spits his lips. "Rampaging. Plundering. Pillage. Aye, I call it the good life! Layna, here, can tell you all manner of things about that good life."
He looks back at Layna, finally. She asked her question -- and he doesn't, yet, give her an answer. His eyes dart between them -- to Cyre, too -- but his attention is focused on the one person here that he knows. He looks back at Layna, and his grin is utterly unfailing. "Aye, not as drowned as you once thought. I'm here for what's mine--for my good name, for my good ship. To make it the ship that it should be."
His eyes flash, dangerously. That, it seems, is his answer... for now.
"To remind people of what it means to be a sea dog, Layna," he says. "To remind them of the only thing we should ever leave them, in the ashes of their miserable lives. Now, you can either accept your destiny... or you can try to stop me."
His grin widens. His canines gleam, in the fire light. "And I hope you will, sea dog."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
Lanval rolls across the blazing seaside settlement from the momentum built from tumbling down that hill, coming to a stop laying on his side. He props up his head with his arm, looking upon an emotional reunion of the horrified kind like a spectator might a television show they're channel surfing through, as if unsure as to whether to keep watching.
That almost seems callous to read, doesn't it.
Lanval scratches at his long gray beard as challenges and invitations are made. He may be out of Haval's ability to perceive him. As he has himself another drink of the Qua--
No, he puts that away. He drinks out of his own gourd this time, watching as he sits at, virtually, the epicenter of crisis itself. People are fleeing and panicking. There is screaming about the day being ruined by a small, thin woman who just stomps right past him like she's on a mission.
Places like this, in these environs... Lanval's eyes go half-lidded as he takes a look through the streets, the houses, the... he doesn't see one of those. (What's those? That's for another time.)
"Mmmph. Well, guessh no one'sh here ta mind if I do thish time, huh." He murmurs as he rolls back and forth clumsily to stand back up on his bare feet. "Shomeone better do it."
What's this 'do it,' and what does Lanval mean by 'someone'? He saw how Layna got at what she saw. He's not sure she'd hear him if he called out to let her know it'll be fine, to relax, take it easy. (At least two of these three items are either untrue or not the correct stance to take versus present issues and environs.) She's being joined by several of her finest friends. Talise is the strongest and most faithful woman he's ever known. Sephilia keeps that ray of sunshien going even on the darkest day. There's also that cat guy he maybe kinda remembers seeing earlier or something or another-- ahh point is, he's sure Layna's got it.
He's got something else.
"Yep." Lanval stretches out his fingers, grabs his gourd by the rope, and goes about the incantation for a potent Seraphic Arte of the element of water as he faces the burning dockside 'teahouse.' He flicks the gourd up...
And a far greater torrent of water - pure and sparkling - splashes against that particular blaze as he works up a satisfied chuckle that threatens to build into something more joyful.
Might as well perform a few divine miracles on the side while the mortals do their thing, as they generally do.
(Three guesses as to why he's picking the 'teahouse' first, and the first two don't count.)
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
"Wait," Talise says with a start, blinking at something Layna says. "Havel Bladewall? Aren't you dead?" she asks the man in the red coat.
Not that she expects much of an answer, given that Bladewall just kind of glanced at her and brushed her off. With a sigh, she slows down, briefly pushing her hand through her hair to rake back a few bleached locks. "Fuck me," she says with a dip of her lashes. "Count your blessings that Captain Goldhand's not alive or he'd carve out your stones for that kind of babble. You're supposed to treat merchants and ports like renewable resources, not just clear-cut them. Goddess, it's like you care more about the butchery than the profit."
Talise isn't smiling. Setting her heel, she sweeps Rastaban into a ready position, bunching her shoulders and narrowing her eyes. "But so long as he's not here," she says flatly, "and, y'know, so long as you're picking a fight with the real captain of the Ruby Empress - my friend Layna - consider yourself pencilled in for an ass-beating, from this ex-sea dog to you."
Talise managed to kill a few seconds with that little soliloquy! Hopefully she keeps him occupied for a couple of seconds.
Hopefully she can buy a few more as she starts forward and closes ranks. It's less of a brazen charge; Talise is trying to do that less.
She darts to one side, sweeping around to try and flank Bladewall. Rastaban flickers in a couple of swift slashes as she attempts to try and slice into his hip. Her eyes narrow with both focus and a flat contempt for the man she's trying to cut right about now.
GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked Havel Bladewall with From Me to You! My Sweet Big Knife!! GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's From Me to You! My Sweet Big Knife! for 90 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida's nerves keep screaming. The smell of smoke is omnipresent; despite her outward bravado, there is a part of her that doesn't want to be anywhere near here. It wants to run and scream and hide and sob. And yet, where will she be if she indulges it?, she reminds herself. Helpless. Still helpless. Still at the mercy of this cruel, horrible world.
The little slip of a woman doesn't move, nor does she take her eyes off the much larger, more imposing Captain Bladewall. Her lips pull tight, and she grimaces, as if a sudden wave of sickness had just struck her. She follows Bladewall's gaze to Talise, and her hands clench into fists. Malevolence surges against the spiritual knots keeping it locked away, invisible. She remembers the faces of the bandits who would've killed her and Gwen and Morgan.
"No," is Ida's response. She glances over to Layna--and thankfully, the question of 'Layna, who the hell is this man' is more or less resolved in short order. "In fact, I think I agree with Miss Gianfair." She rolls her shoulders. Bone stretches and bends with a horrible crack, and flesh cords and swells around it. Scars tear themselves open in bloodless, Malevolence-ridden rents. "At minimum, scum like you deserves a beating." She wants to fight. She wants to run. The warring impulses grip her heart, igniting the sun of Malevolent flame that dwells in it.
Talise suddenly has someone every bit as big and imposing at her back, crowned with an aura of violet flame. Unless, of course, one cannot see Malevolence, in which case one merely sees the half-starved woman posturing as though she'd somehow become intimidating. Ida's hand flickers, darting into the sleeveless black longcoat billowing behind her. It comes up with a blur of shadow that forms itself into a short-barreled shotgun, which Ida grips one-handed. It's the color of dragonbone, oddly organic--and in a flash, that shotgun is aimed past Talise, at Haval Bladewall's center of mass. "Draw," Ida says, lips splitting in a too-wide grin. She pulls the trigger, and a hail of flaming buckshot sprays at Bladewall.
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has attacked Havel Bladewall with ALL RIGHT YOU PRIMITIVE SCREWHEADS! GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Ida Everstead-Rey's ALL RIGHT YOU PRIMITIVE SCREWHEADS for 105 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia doesn't really know what the drama is here that clearly exists between Layna and the captain of the erstwhile Ruby Empress. Beyond the obvious, at least. But Sephilia knows the most important thing: any enemy of Layna is an enemy of Sephy's. She's surprised to see Ida joining them, but doesn't say anything--she just doesn't have any idea *what* to say to Ida at this point.
Poor kid thinks every time she talks to Ida she just makes things worse.
BUT.
Chauncey is embiggened, and he's definitely a couple feet taller than he was when Sephy first started hanging out with Fox Company. The big fox surges forward, Sephy in his backpack, rushing at the big bad pirate to deliver a resounding...Whap?
"FOXINGTON WHAP!" Sephy cries!
...Whap.
GS: Sephilia Lampbright has attacked Havel Bladewall with Foxington Whap! GS: Sephilia Lampbright has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
She does know. Layna and this man are connected. This person-- this living force of slaughter and rampage on crimson sails. He is the man, the legend, the reventant. Havel Bladewall.
...'Havel Bladewall?'
"Uh," Cyre says at Layna, "Who?"
Clearly there are some people here who are woefully uninformed about the various legendary vagabonds and ne'er-do-wells of Lunar.
Cyre doesn't waste time finding out. Cyre growls, his fingers curled as if grabbing hold of the very air itself. The wind answers, swirling into a half-solid, spear-like geometry. He roars, launching the bolt of wind-- the supersonic javelin-- downrange.
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked Havel Bladewall with Wind Lance! GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has completed his action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Sephilia Lampbright's Foxington Whap for 60 hit points! GS: Havel Bladewall critically Guards a hit from Cyre H. Lorentz's Wind Lance for 18 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia doesn't get an answer from Ida. She narrows her eyes faintly, curling her fingers inward. Is Ida responsible for him being missing after all or is she just ignoring her? She doesn't really think about that the reason might be because there's an evil pirate here causing trouble until the violence starts and that jars her out of her negative spiral of thinking. She thinks instead of Cyre, who is now throwing out wind blasts like what happened had never happened.
"Ida... " She says, but doesn't finish that thought right away as she gestures forward with her hand and unleashes a wave of white laser blasts towards Havel Bladewall. She isn't closing in close with someone named Bladewall. He probably is very sharp in some way.
"Y'all nearly got Cyre killed, you know that right?" She tells the Hellion.
GS: Lydia Seren has attacked Havel Bladewall with Solar Slicer! GS: Lydia Seren has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Lydia Seren's Solar Slicer for 52 hit points! GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall!
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Layna doesn't take her eyes off Havel. Doesn't move. Just watches him carefully. As he talks, as he gestures...as he grins.
Layna isn't grinning.
So, he survived...somehow. That's the part that concerns her - and it sounds like Talise is curious about that, too.
"He stopped caring about the 'plundering' part a long time ago. He's nothin' more than a butcher." Layna comments to Talise, shaking her head before glancing back to Havel.
"So, to that I say...what good name? You don't have the right." She replies, shaking her head. She seems to relax a little bit...though he would recognize the sign of her lowering into her combat stance. "I've accepted my destiny, aye? And it has nothing to do with you! Not anymore!"
And then, she lunges forward with Talise, lashing out with a punch to the front as her friend goes behind to flank him.
She's somewhat surprised to see Ida move in, as well, firing at Havel with that revolver of hers.
...It was somewhat reassuring.
And, of course, Sephilia is there up front with her too astride Chauncey, while Lydia and Cyre support from afar.
GS: Layna Manydays has attacked Havel Bladewall with Pillager! GS: Layna Manydays has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Layna Manydays's Pillager for 65 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.
Sigh. "Is this really why you wanted power, Ida?" Agatha asks quietly, although there is a good chance that the woman will hear her speaking none the less. "So you can engage in petty little feuds between seagoing bandits about who is the right and proper captain or whatever this is? So you can go out and protect the little people from their little problems?"
The Pyre Witch leans back, even as others begin scurrying around trying to contain the fire that Hanval has stoked in the town. Hmmm, to allow them to go about their work, or to sabotage things and see how they reacted to seeing their efforts in vain. The latter promised to be more fun, but seeing people in distress was always worth the while... it told her about who was might make an interesting subject in the future. And truth be told, this wasn't exactly an earthshaking battle.
But sometimes you found diamonds out there in the rough. It was worth sifting the sand from time to time to see if something interesting turned up.
Still... sigh. She was always hoping for Hellions of exceptional caliber, and yet her best prospect was still far out of reach. She tried and tried again with others, but disappointment abounded. Even those who became something special and different still fell short of the Pyre Witch's standards. "Still, this pirate might have some potential..." Agatha takes a long drag on her pipe and smiles slightly. "Make him dance for me, Ida. I want to see if there's something here to work with."
<Pose Tracker> Havel Bladewall has posed.
Havel spins as Talise rushes in, and his lips curl into a grin from a briefly distracted look -- he seems to know the name 'Captain Goldhand' -- and then he brings up his armored gauntlet. Rastaban's great might meets the armored gauntlet, the shield on it holding back each of the slashes. Sparks explode and fly, and he grins down at her. "Aye, you've got strength... but an ex-sea dog is a broken hound, girl!"
He swings down a fist, right for Talise's chin. His haymaker is powerful; the armored gauntlet carries an enormous amount of force behind it. Just as the punch comes in, though, Ida comes at him -- and fiery buckshot slams into his side.
"Nngh! Oh--oh, what are YOU?" he roars, as he leaps. He swings back his other gauntleted fist -- and this time, a blade explodes out, spring-loaded. He slashes it across the front of Ida's midsection, and lands with enough force to shake the ground. He turns, then, and his armored gauntlet swings up -- and Chauncey's fist slams into his right gauntlet. His left gauntlet comes up -- and the wind blade from Cyre splits around it, leaving gashes in sand and ash. He grins.
"A name I'll cut into your life, lad!" he bellows back at Cyre. Then, he slashes the blade down across Chauncey -- and kicks off the ground, to land at Cyre. His forearm blade cleaves down. He lands, sniffs the air, and smells...
...steam?
"Oi! You!" Havel screams in Lanval's direction, even as immense amounts of steam roil up into the air. "Don't put out my fire! I worked hard to do that!"
Havel twists, then. His big, muscled body is enormous -- the sort of thing that shouldn't be so quick. He turns to aim a hand at Lanval. It's balled into a fist; there is a loud th-twang as a crossbow, hidden inside the armored gauntlet, fires. The bolt explodes through the air, hurtling at Lanval's back.
Lydia's white laser blasts pepper him. Energy shots are an utter surprise. "What sort of malarkey is this!?" Havel bellows, before he spins -- takes aim -- and fires a crossbow bolt from inside his gauntlet for Lydia, too. It seems his gauntlets have auto-loaders.
"A butcher!? A BUTCHER!?" Havel roars, but the grin remains on his face. "Aye, Layna! I am a butcher! Do you what a pirate is? Someone who hacks into meat! Someone who carves out what he wants! A true pirate... is a butcher! And as soon as you learn that... then you'll be more than a dog--you'll be a sea wolf, just like me!"
He rushes her -- charging across the battlefield, and then he swings his fist up for Layna's chin in a brutal, armored uppercut. There is another gleam to his eyes -- and looks at Agatha. He smirks.
But he says no more. There is a faint gleam of purple in his eye, though.
GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Talise Gianfair with Heightening Bash! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Seraph Lanval with Slaughter the Prey! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Boarding Action! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Cyre H. Lorentz with Jettison the Knave! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Sephilia Lampbright with Jettison the Knave! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Lydia Seren with Jettison the Knave! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Layna Manydays with Bash and Buckle! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Havel Bladewall with Bladewall's Legacy! GS: Havel Bladewall has entered a Reflect stance! GS: Havel Bladewall has completed his action. GS: Havel Bladewall takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Bladewall's Legacy for 0 hit points! GS: Hyper! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall!
DC: 1 turn has elapsed in the battle against Havel Bladewall! 4 turns remain!
GS: Talise Gianfair critically Guards a hit from Havel Bladewall's Heightening Bash for 28 hit points! GS: Mighty! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall! GS: Sephilia Lampbright critically Guards a hit from Havel Bladewall's Jettison the Knave for 23 hit points! GS: Layna Manydays takes a glancing hit from Havel Bladewall's Bash and Buckle for 139 hit points! GS: Cover! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall! GS: CRITICAL! Seraph Lanval takes a glancing hit from Havel Bladewall's Slaughter the Prey for 76 hit points! GS: Hyper, Quick, and Shield! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall! GS: CRITICAL! Lydia Seren guards a hit from Havel Bladewall's Jettison the Knave for 70 hit points! GS: Hyper, Quick, and Shield! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall!
DC: MISS! Cyre H. Lorentz completely evades Jettison the Knave from Havel Bladewall!
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey takes a glancing hit from Havel Bladewall's Boarding Action for 60 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Talise dares a glance back and raises her eyebrows.
"Y'know, creeping purple madness aside, it's nice to have someone else at eye level for once," she tosses out pleasantly enough.
Rastaban lands, but can't quite cut through steel. Not before Havel starts swinging at her, anyway. Talise shifts her weight - and she takes her left hand off her sword. Beneath her tunic, her left arm bunches, not with her gauntlets' magic power - for she's not wearing them - but with her natural strength.
Bladewall's punch lands squarely in Talise's palm; it hits with enough impact that her arm goes numb with a heart-wrenching jolt for a second, followed by a sharp spike of pain. The tall woman grunts and slides back a couple of metres before shoving the fist aside - then moving aside to clear the road for Ida, giving her Hellion friend ample room to unleash that blast of buckshot.
And the sad thing is, he's right, she realizes with a certain bitterness as Bladewall's insults hit entirely too close to the bone - even harder than that punch. I really am just a broken hound. My ship's gone, my family's dead, my goddess outlawed everything I love.... It's a miracle I'm not right where Ida is right now.
With a whirl of her sword, Talise moves off to the side to open up Havel to others' strikes. She glances at Layna, nodding grimly, then purses her lips into a thin line when Bladewall responds. So he's gone off the deep end... I wonder.
She'll think about it later. For now, she weaves around Layna, swooping behind her friend and darting out to Bladewall's left as he charge at the Ruby Empress's rightful captain. "Then I'm glad I'm not a pirate anymore," she says flatly. "But even when I was, that's not what it was all about! What the hell's gotten into you, huh? And why're you dragging my friend's name through the mud, you damn swine?!"
Talise finishes circling and letting Layna get her jabs in. Spotting an opening, she snaps forward.
Gripping Rastaban in both hands, Talise swings a couple of hard, arcing strokes. She lets out a hard shout as she slashes at Bladewall's left arm, hoping to cut a deep gouge into his shoulder - then following with a blistering series of rapid, arcing slashes that descend from all angles, like an infinite waterfall of swords.
Ex-pirate or no, Talise is pretty furious, as much for the butchery in the name of "piracy" as for what Bladewall has done to Layna's good name.
GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked Havel Bladewall with Infinitely Rippling Waters! GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The shotgun's recoil travels up Ida's arm. It's satisfying, and moreso is the way Captain Bladewall staggers, a moment, under the unexpected onslaught. The spent brass hops off the ground, obediently landing in Ida's pocket. "Weren't expecting that, were you, old man?" she says, trying to shove down the cold, sinking feeling in her stomach. He's still up. Startled, but still up. And a wounded animal is a dangerous one.
Bladewall leaps. Ida tucks and rolls to the side, but the Captain is lightning-quick; his blade clips the big Hellion's side, spraying him and the cobblestones with blood. Ida's eyes narrow to slits as she scrambles to her feet. The sun in her heart blazes brilliantly, and the bleeding in her side slows, stops. In the space of a few moments, there's nothing more than a bloodstain on her coat and a painful, ugly bruise on her flesh.
'Is this really why you wanted power, Ida?'
That's not her. That's not her brain turning on itself in the throes of a mysterious, poorly-understood illness. That's Agatha. Ida's eyes flare as she turns to face the Pyre Witch. Malevolence seeps from the rifts in her body. Are you going to answer her? You're just a disappointment to everyone.
GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's Infinitely Rippling Waters for 75 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia Lampbright is lucky. She's so focused on the mean nasty pirate who tried to cut Chauncey up that she hasn't even noticed the Pyre Witch--otherwise she might not be so quick with the bravado. And quick she is: "Ha! Chauncey, did you even feel that little scratch? We've faced bigger foes than you before breakfast! Why, my friends and I have even stared down the Pyre Witch! You don't scare me even a little bit!"
Chauncey doesn't respond. There's a gash, for sure, with some stuffing peeking out, but it seems the girl's taken to using somewhat tougher material to repair him lately...
"Chauncey! Give him a big ol' FOX HUG this time!"
GS: Sephilia Lampbright has attacked Havel Bladewall with Chauncey Fox-Hug!! GS: Sephilia Lampbright has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Sephilia Lampbright's Chauncey Fox-Hug! for 64 hit points! GS: Entangle! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
Lanval contends himself with putting out the fire of the 'teahouse.' His chuckling starts to build towards laughter. The sense of relief, the feeling of joy in just living life as it is, muscling on in on the fires of dread, ruin, and hatred that mortals seem so keen to spread..
"Ha ha! Shorrry~" The words are mocking from the fat, long-bearded drunkard, as the apology is slurred... then his eyes open up half-way. Wait. That one was talking to him? That means--
TH-TWANG
The same fat, long-bearded drunkard arches and leans back much more acrobatically than his build lets on, but not enough to avoid the bolt going across his upper torso. (Incidentally, he dodges it by leaning in its direction which is ballsy and kind of dumb - any moment later and it would've gone through his head!)
There should be blood, tearing by what should be the tender flesh of that fat, long-bearded drunkard the Captain just shot.
For a mortal, this kind of shot would be just shy of a killing blow, so close to piercing the heart. It should take them out by shock alone.
Lanval sways himself back up to his feet as he turns his head back over to the great brawl, where he sees that big ol' malevolent aura he felt spike up-- it's that Hellion again. That same one who went and decided to go raise a ruckus back in Meribia. He idly brushes at where the crossbow bolt has glanced through him as he grunts out a contemplative 'mmmmmph.'
...It seems like the others are accepting of the Hellion Ida's presence. There's a young woman with horns joining in on that fray too... Layna and the rest sure must have made a lot of friends. Even then...
There's a glint in Havel's eye he doesn't like.
"Ahh, don't mind li'l ol' me," Lanval waves a hand in the direction of the massive Captain Bladewall, a bit too full of cheer for being in the presence of a bloodthirsty marauder who may not be easily held back by some of the finest warriors on this side of Lunar, from that side of Filgaia, whirling about the gourd as he staggers towards another fire as he looks like he's ready to trip over his feet at any time, "jusht makin' shure thoshe firesh don't shtay thirsthy... ha ha haaa...aaa!" The laughter is somewhat pained. That bolt, that stung...
"Drinksh on meeeee~!" He calls, as he calls forth geyser of water that erupts to the nearest flaming structure, sparkling clean and pure, to quench more of the flames.
Anything to dampen the fire.
Anything to lessen the panic.
Anything to put a damper on one's destructive ambitions, it would seem.
GS: Seraph Lanval has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The shotgun's recoil travels up Ida's arm. It's satisfying, and moreso is the way Captain Bladewall staggers, a moment, under the unexpected onslaught. The spent brass hops off the ground, obediently landing in Ida's pocket. "Weren't expecting that, were you, old man?" she says, trying to shove down the cold, sinking feeling in her stomach. He's still up. Startled, but still up. And a wounded animal is a dangerous one. Ida flashes Talise a confident grin she does not feel.
Bladewall leaps. Ida tucks and rolls to the side, but the Captain is lightning-quick; his blade clips the big Hellion's side, spraying him and the cobblestones with blood. Ida's eyes narrow to slits as she scrambles to her feet. The sun in her heart blazes brilliantly, and the bleeding in her side slows, stops. In the space of a few moments, there's nothing more than a bloodstain on her coat and a painful, ugly bruise on her flesh.
'Is this really why you wanted power, Ida?'
That's not her. That's not her brain turning on itself in the throes of a mysterious, poorly-understood illness. That's Agatha. Ida's eyes flare as she turns to face the Pyre Witch. Malevolence seeps from the rifts in her body. Are you going to answer her? You're just a disappointment to everyone.
"You'll see," Ida says. Her voice tightens, as does her throat.
'Y'all nearly got Cyre killed, you know that right?'
"Now is not the time," Ida says, tiny flames of Malevolence trickling from her eyes, and from the corners of her mouth. She switches up her grip on the shotgun, swinging it back and into the darkness beneath her coat, where it comes apart into so much shadow-stuff. Both of her hands twist, ever-so-slightly, and come up with revolvers with the same unsettling design. Ida levels both on Bladewall and opens fire, emptying four chambers at the pirate captain. It's not her usual firing style--she's not bothering to minimize her profile, or stay as mobile. She's making a target of herself.
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has attacked Havel Bladewall with Devil Bullet! GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has completed her action. GS: CRITICAL! Havel Bladewall takes a solid hit from Ida Everstead-Rey's Devil Bullet for 138 hit points! GS: Hyper! Statuses applied to Ida Everstead-Rey!
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Havel almost casually bisects his wind lance. That about settles it, then. Definitely not a normal man.
The flash of violet in his eye only confirms it.
"I'd really rather you not!" Cyre hisses back at the self-professed butcher. He fades back as the sea wolf charges in, whispering a curse in some unfathomable language. The man is huge, colossal even. Is this a matter of Malevolence, or is this his natural build? The shaman presses his hands together, gathering a whirling sphere of wind between his palms. Jetstream currents shriek as he orb meets blade, sending Cyre skidding then somersaulting backwards and out of the path of the butcher's cleaver.
"I've got enough wounds carved into me. I don't need a monster like you cluttering up my gallery of scars," Cyre reaches back mid-roll, slinging a long, tapered shape up and over his shoulder. He snarls, grabbing hold of the thick cloth wrapped around the package and tears it away into the still-howling winds.
Ida would recognize it instantly.
The shaman terminates his leap in a low crouch, pressing the stock of an oversized rifle to his shoulder. The dispersing air gahters again, swirling and spiralling around its barrel. He pulls the trigger between breaths. Once, twice, thrice. Each shot takes its share of that whirling wind, delivering raw pressure as powerful concussive airbursts aimed right at the pirate's gut.
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked Havel Bladewall with Tempest Barrage! GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has completed his action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Cyre H. Lorentz's Tempest Barrage for 80 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.
Well, when part of your rason de infernal was the destruction of the Metal Demons who betrayed and hurt you... Agatha couldn't help but be disappointed when there was considerably little Metal Demon murder and slaying and tormenting. She put good effort into this show, and yet it was somewhat boring. Although...
Agatha does catch the glint from inside of Havel's eye, and purses her lips for a moment. "Well well, that is interesting." She gives him a coy smile, although inwardly she takes on a bit of an 'ugh' expression. Now she was going to have to figure out if she was horning in on someone else's project, or if this was the beginning of a wild case that she could fold into her own projects. It might just be a passing thing, or it could be something interesting.
Still, it meant that the fight was worth watching.
"I do like his style though," she muses aloud, tossing her raven into the air and allowing it to circle the fighting for a moment. A birds eye view, as it were. She's more than willing to see how this plays out. The question is if she was going to cut in and help the delightful butcher out, or allow him to continue doing his performance in 'peace'.
Free from interference, at least.
Still...
"That's downright noble of you Ida, distracting him so your friends don't get hurt.
"...that is... if they *are* your friends. Bleeding that much malevolence, how long until you contaminate them as well? But isn't it better that way. If you turn them into creatures like you, they'll actually understand for once, won't they? And isn't that worth the trouble?"
Agatha smiles, although it is hardly an expression anyone could consider to be friendly.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
It really isn't the time. She glances towards Agatha as she talks to Ida. She looks at this master manipulator and dark soul with a keen squint and tells her, after much thought, "Fuck off." And then after a bit more thought. "Your superpower is saying mean words, you can be defeated by ignoring you, it's like the dumbest evil power ever."
To be fair, Lydia totally knows Agatha has actual superpowers that are actually really terrifying but she also figures Agatha won't do anything with them unless someone tries to hurt her physically so she can brag about how she taunted someone into violence. She's onto your game, Agatha!!!
She exhales as Ida says it's not the time but she doesn't argue because well ... she's not...wrong. In the meantime, she answers Havel, "Are you making fish puns just because you're a pirate?! It's the power of the Guardians and----URRK!"
She gets an arrow to the throat which is one way to shutup a Lydia. She hits the ground, leaking silver-red ooze from her wound.
She lays there for a moment, shuddering in place before she rips it out, placing her hand to her throat to slow the 'bleeding' as she holds out her hand. It's time to use her ultimate power.
She holds out her hand. A cat appears in her hand. It's a black cat. It licks its paw.
Then Lydia throws the cat like a baseball at the pirate lord!!
Schrodinger (that's the name of the cat folks!) splits into like ten different cats and extends claws as it tumbles for Bladewall's body. "---!! ---!!! --!!!!!!" Lydia shouts because talking is hard when you just had an arrow to the neck.
GS: Lydia Seren has attacked Havel Bladewall with Schrodinger Swarm! GS: Lydia Seren has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Lydia Seren's Schrodinger Swarm for 62 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Seeing Havel Bladewall on the battlefield again...it was like a nightmare long from the past, appearing unbidden in the future. It's terrifying and brutal...but Layna holds her ground.
She takes note of the fact that he seems surprised by the shot from Ida's revolver and stows that bit of information away for later. She could use that.
And then Havel roars for her, with that same unnerving grin still on his face before he charges straight at her, swinging his fist upward. It connects brutally, with enough force to send her flying backward.
...It's a familiar sting, yet it feels more painful than ever before. ...Or maybe she'd just forgotten how it felt.
She hits the ground, sliding back aways, and sits up, rubbing her jaw.
He's not entirely wrong. After all, Layna's been known to be a proponent of taking what she wants, when she wants it. But him...he took it too far.
"It's that last part that bothers me, aye? ...'Just like you'. I'm not like you. There's more to a pirate, a captain, than that, aye? Like having a crew that respects you. What've you threatened this lot with?" She retaliates, forcing herself to her feet.
As she does so she recites a quick incantation, launching out a blade of wind that sweeps toward Havel like a pirate's cutlass. It was primarily a way to buy her some time to get back on her feet - and, hopefully, distract him long enough for Talise and Sephilia to get their hits in.
Nearby, she can see the fires diminishing somewhat...it looks like Lanval's contributing in his own way, though she's somewhat concerned about him being in the line of fire.
Also concerning is the fact that Lydia just took an arrow to throat...Layna is surprised for a moment, but fortunately she manages to get up afterwards...
...Somehow?? (Layna isn't aware of Lydia's nature.)
GS: Layna Manydays has attacked Havel Bladewall with Cutlass Gale! GS: Layna Manydays has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Layna Manydays's Cutlass Gale for 88 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Havel Bladewall has posed.
Talise comes rushing in.
Havel barks out a surprised shout, because he didn't think she could move that quickly. Her sword strikes down, and just barely slams into the shield on his gauntlet again and again. The blows push him back, and his lips curl into a grin. "Why? Because it's my ship--because I was her captain, until she decided to mutiny! Because... she was just like me! AND SHE WILL BE AGAIN!"
The forearm blade on his left gauntlet pops out. Just as it does, he slams the weapon down, hard, and slashes it for Talise's midsection. Then, he whirls and Chauncey's two claws slash into him. He snarls, and then he rushes forward, and stabs the blade for Chauncey's stomach -- and twists, trying to yank it free.
He spins back, to look at Lanval; he expects to see the corpse there. Instead, he doesn't. That prompts a bellow -- and there is a crackle, a twist of purple light about his form, but nothing else. "You're a damn tricksy one!" he shouts at Lanval. The rounds fire from Ida's ARMs, which slam into his red coat. It ripples; blood comes forth. "And so are you... HYAH!"
Cyre's rifle shots of whirling wind fly in -- the first slashes into his shoulder, the second along his side, and the final slashes his cheek. He turns his head, then he grins at Cyre. "If you think you have enough scars, boy... then you don't!"
He looks back at Lydia, and he seems genuinely surprised that she can do anything. He assumed that he killed her; he is shocked, instead, to have a cat bean him in the head. Bladewall stumbles, spitting, and then he takes aim. He fires a second crossbow bolt for Lydia, because it seems like two may work where one did not.
Then, he rushes -- and he charges to meet Layna. "Respect comes after fear! Or did you forget that!? Aye, you convinced my crew that they were better off without me--but that's weakness, Layna!" he snarls. The blade of wind slams into him, leaving a bloodied gash on his stomach -- and cutting the bandages off. But, he closes in, and stabs his forearm blade at her, hard.
GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Talise Gianfair with Slaughter the Prey! GS: Havel Bladewall enters a Counter stance! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Sephilia Lampbright with Bladewall's Wrath! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Seraph Lanval with Avast Ye Swabs!! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Avast Ye Swabs!! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Cyre H. Lorentz with Avast Ye Swabs!! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Lydia Seren with Commence the Raid! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Layna Manydays with Slaughter the Prey! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Havel Bladewall with Careening! GS: Havel Bladewall has completed his action.
DC: 2 turns have elapsed in the battle against Havel Bladewall! 3 turns remain!
GS: CRITICAL! Talise Gianfair critically Guards a hit from Havel Bladewall's Slaughter the Prey for 29 hit points! GS: Hyper, Quick, and Shield! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall! GS: Lydia Seren guards a hit from Havel Bladewall's Commence the Raid for 64 hit points! GS: Sephilia Lampbright takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Bladewall's Wrath for 127 hit points! GS: RUIN! All positive status effects and temporary hit points purged from Sephilia Lampbright! GS: Ida Everstead-Rey takes a glancing hit from Havel Bladewall's Avast Ye Swabs! for 0 hit points! GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Ida Everstead-Rey! GS: Ida Everstead-Rey loses a Combo from Interrupt! GS: Seraph Lanval takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Avast Ye Swabs! for 0 hit points! GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Seraph Lanval! GS: Seraph Lanval loses a Combo from Interrupt! GS: Cyre H. Lorentz takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Avast Ye Swabs! for 0 hit points! GS: Disrupt! Statuses applied to Cyre H. Lorentz! GS: Cyre H. Lorentz loses a Combo from Interrupt! GS: CRITICAL! Layna Manydays takes a glancing hit from Havel Bladewall's Slaughter the Prey for 76 hit points! GS: Hyper, Quick, and Shield! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall!
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
Sending a glance back towards Ida, Talise catches that grin - she can sort of see through it, but not entirely. She sends back a smile of her own, a touch of ferocity behind it. Purple haze all in her brain or no, frustration or no, Ida's still Talise's friend.
The smile breaks a little as a shiver runs down Talise's spine, and for the life of her she's not sure why. For a moment, her focus on Bladewall breaks as her eyes dart away--
And she nearly pays for it. Only the fact that Havel is shouting at her saves her. Talise gasps and snaps her gaze back, eyes wide and cheeks flushing with surprise and self-reproof. How could she get distracted like that?! Havel's forearm blade lashes out -
It collides with Rastaban's blade, barely. Talise whips her weapon off to her left with a shout, throwing herself to the right and whipping Havel's blade away from her. But the distraction prevents her from launching the counterattack she desperately wants to launch. All she can do is wheel away and drop to a knee, clenching her teeth.
"I'd have mutinied right along with her! Layna's not weak - she's a hell of a lot better a pirate than I was, and I'd have gladly followed her into the mouth of Calamity!"
She doesn't rush back into the fight right away - not just yet. Fading backwards a couple of paces, Talise sweeps Rastaban out to her side, crouching and coiling up as if to wait for an opening. Following Bladewall with her eyes, she forces herself to ignore that chill racing down her back. Bladewall is more important and focusing on paranoia won't help.
He's also more focused than she was, she realizes. He's probably just waiting for her to attack.
Then let's not keep him waiting, she decides with a dip of her lashes - and with a grunt, she darts forward.
Only once Bladewall is clear of Layna does Talise bear down. She looms up over him, taking Rastaban in both hands. "HOOOOOOAHT!" she shouts as she raises it high - and with a brutal slash, brings it down diagonally. The air itself screeches with steely protest as the blade slices through it, the swordswoman seeking to rip a scar of her own into Bladewall's body.
GS: Talise Gianfair has activated a Force Action! GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked Havel Bladewall with Cascading Steel Dragon! GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
This time Chauncey's ripped open. The big guy's tough, but there's some nasty hurt going on...or would be if Chauncey weren't a plush doll. As it is, the stuffing is loose and the giant stuffed fox certainly can't take any more like that.
Sephy, however, winces in sympathy, crying out for her companion as if he did have nerves to feel the injury. "Chauncey! You're hurt--You hurt Chauncey! We're gonna make you PAY now!" She scowls, furious. "Chauncey, it's time for some CRUSHING!"
GS: Sephilia Lampbright has attacked Havel Bladewall with Chauncey Crush!! GS: Sephilia Lampbright has completed her action. GS: COUNTER! Havel Bladewall strikes at Sephilia Lampbright with a counter attack! GS: Havel Bladewall takes a solid hit from Sephilia Lampbright's Chauncey Crush! for 180 hit points! GS: Havel Bladewall takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Careening for 0 hit points! GS: Shield! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall! GS: CRITICAL! Havel Bladewall critically Guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's Cascading Steel Dragon for 33 hit points! GS: Sephilia Lampbright takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Counter Attack for 202 hit points! GS: RUIN! All positive status effects and temporary hit points purged from Sephilia Lampbright!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
Lanval's laughter comes to a stop as the infamous Captain bellows and shouts at him. There's a weight to those words, mild as they are in so far as jeers go, that seems to carry the weight of a bloody history. The words of a man mortals will remember as a champion of chaos and blood, transcending his limited time upon Lunar. (Incidental words already traded have clued in, in so much as he's been listening, that he is already transcending an assumed death.)
The gushing gourd stops. It is now limply pouring a thin stream of water out its neck, as Lanval seems ignorant to the idea that he's spilling its contents as he finds himself standing about as straight as he can - all 5'9" of himself - one eye half-open as if stunned.
"...Huh," is all he can manage. Dumbstruck, or on the verge of a revelation? There's no coy comeback as he finds himself falling to his seat, as though in the moment finding himself converted to being a spectator. The gourd's contents continue to pour.
They go down a railing to a smaller fire. A big plume of steam flares up, incidentally puffing up underneath where a certain raven is taking flight. (Even if this is an accident, it is very rude.)
Words having left him, Lanval's free hand goes back to rubbing at his beard as the one half-open eye tracks between the Hellion Ida, and the dread captain himself.
GS: Seraph Lanval has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The star flares again, glowing brightly through Ida's shirt and coat. She's goading you. You don't seriously expect-- "I wouldn't say no to the company," Ida says. The sound of her own voice puts the horrible inner thoughts at a remove. "Especially since so many of them have misconceptions." She's in control, Ida reminds herself. This can be just like the time before everything fell apart. She doesn't have to tip her hand, this can be--
Then Lydia's banter is rudely interrupted by an arrow. Silvery-tinted blood splatters Ida's face; her eyes widen, and flick over to stare at Lydia, half-expecting to see her fall to the ground, dead. Miraculously(?), she still seems to be alive. "Get her out of here!" Ida all but bellows, at Cyre. Violet light crackles in the corner of her eye, and she whirls to face Bladewall again. She sucks in a breath, as if tasting the air. Spent brass obediently hops off the ground and into her pockets. She twirls the revolver in her right hand, a showy but familiar gesture meant to try and remind Bladewall she has alien weapons.
It's feeling more and more like that's the only advantage she has right now.
Ida's hands vanish into her coat again. She comes up with a heavy-barreled pistol this time--its design is eerily familiar to anyone who's ever seen Devil's Due. Her lips part in a snarl as she pulls the trigger, sending a plume of white-hot Dragonfire downrange at Bladewall. She rakes the gun after him like a flamethrower, holding the trigger until the Dragon Filament stops firing.
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has attacked Havel Bladewall with Desecration Flame! GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.
The raven squawks for a moment as the steam erupts towards it, its form shimmering for a moment as it plummets to the ground. Unlike a normal bird, however, it does not crash, nor is there any blood or other sign that it has struck.
Instead it... splashes, as if its entire body were made if liquid. It spreads out into a pool of shadow for a moment, swirling about before it races off into a nearby building. Which happens to be on fire.
A few moments later, a jet black rat with faintly glowing red eyes creeps out of the building, skulking across the ground towards the Seraph. It edges closer, closer, doing it's best to avoid attention until it can get close enough, and then...
CHOMP
It skitters off into the burning town again, after attempting to give Lanval a painful nip in 'thanks' for his inconsiderate firefighting efforts.
Of course, Lydia immediately throws back something nasty and just plain hurtful. Really, saying that she only used words? That was just uncalled for, really. "Well, sticks and stones make break bones, but let it never be said that curses cannot hurt you o/~" the Pyre Witch states, holding up one claw tipped, gloved finger. Her lips move, except there is no sound that comes forth from those words. Instead, a symbol twists itself into the air just above her fingertip - pulsing between blue and white like an extremely hot flame for a moment. And with her free finger, she flicks the symbol into the air, sending it spinning down towards Lydia.
Curses can be terrible things. In this case, unless Lydia dodges or manages to dispel the hex, she'll find herself being wracked by incredible pain for a time.
Let no one say that Agatha isn't willing to contribute to things going terribly.
GS: Agatha Pyrelight has attacked Lydia Seren with Curse Sign - Lamentation! GS: Agatha Pyrelight has completed her action. GS: CRITICAL! Lydia Seren takes a solid hit from Agatha Pyrelight's Curse Sign - Lamentation for 75 hit points! GS: Cripple, Disease, Poison, and Poison! Statuses applied to Lydia Seren! GS: Lydia Seren has been weakened by Disease! They take 0 damage, and burn off their temporary hit points! GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Ida Everstead-Rey's Desecration Flame for 84 hit points! GS: Poison! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall!
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"That's behind me now. And so are you." Layna replies, as Havel responds to Talise. True, she was like him, once...but she had turned away from that. She had made her mistakes, and had learned from them.
...And, she hears Talise vouce for her, hears the respect in her voice. She can't help but smile slightly at that, but she can't enjoy it for long. That's when he comes rushing at her, towering over her like a titan.
"That's not respect, that's terror, aye? If they truly respected you, they wouldn't have-" He's upon her immediately, stabbing a blade for her. She tries to avoid it, but doesn't quite escape in time - she finds herself impaled on the weapon, though she at least managed to escape a fatal wound.
...And yet, only now does she grin. Just slightly. She has him right where she wants him. With one hand she makes to grab for his arm, and the other hauls back. The bracer on her other wrist ignites, coating her arm in flame, and then she punches forward with all her strength, in the hopes of knocking him backward - and, hopefully, to the next waiting assault from her friends.
After that she staggers back, a hand going to the wound. And yet, even despite herself, there's that grin.
...She couldn't help it. She lived for this - a fight against someone who was truly strong. A part of her had forgotten how exhilarating it was.
But also...
"...You alright?" Layna asks, glancing over to Sephilia.
GS: Layna Manydays has attacked Havel Bladewall with Swab the Decks! GS: Layna Manydays has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"-----!" Lydia says. Part of her gets a thrill out of seeing the pirate lord shocked by her standing up again. That face, she thinks as another arrow slams into her cheek. and through her mouth out the other side. She stares at Havel, wondering all the while--why would she get a thrill out of something like that? Isn't it just a sign of what she is rather than who she is? An expression from a horrible person that can tell at a glance that she's something else?
Lydia hits the floor, bleeding those strange fluids. Was it her own thought?
Was it her own thought that led her to support Kaguya, thinking about the numbers of lives lost if the stalemate continued versus the lives lost if the invasion was successful? Or was it something else's? Or maybe those two thoughtlines aren't so seperate anymore.
She pulls her hand away from her throat to pull out the arrow out from her body. Her throat has healed, albeit it has a faint grey-ish tint to it. "Where's Ethius...?" She says quietly, starting to stand up again. It's not all that much slower than the first time. "He didn't say anything so he must be..."
The curse strikes the right side of Lydia's head, setting it partially aflame and burning hair and skin as it does so. It smells horrible and looks worse. Lydia writhes in agony. She closes her eyes and goes into her happy place.
???
Lydia is in a lab. She has long since stopped writhing against the table. There was no way she could break free. What would they do to her today? She has been memorizing words but she couldn't figure out what they meant. They might as well be alien creatures, but they looked as human as anybody else. A man with light hair and robes takes a syringe. He turns towards Lydia and extends the needle. He positions it over the eye. It's too scary, having it that close. She writhes in place but he holds her head still. The needle draws closer.
Your eyes are our eyes.
HERE
It hurts about that much, Lydia thinks, as she stands up again. It's slower this time. The fire is still burning and melting away at the skin. Through the flame and smoke, an unblinking eye focuses on Agatha. There's a faint whirring noise. But this time, Lydia understands why she liked that look on the pirate lord's face. She recognizes the difference and she manages a pained smile.
This time, she can move.
She draws out her medium and shouts, "MATERIAL - RIGDOBRITE!" as she summons her God.
And the Guardian bursts free from the medium, hovering in the air before it turns to look down towards Agatha and the pirate with its one, larger eye--
--and it fires a death ray from the heavens right at them erupting out from that single eye.
"Get me outta here?" Lydia pants for breath. "I'm just...startin' to have fun, haha..."
She must be delirious because she's not really moving in a straight line or anything, she's more wobbling around in a circle. "I need t'find Ethius."
At the termination of our time together, as it were, however the circumstances, it will be as though you never existed.
GS: Lydia Seren has attacked Agatha Pyrelight with Meteor Crash! GS: Lydia Seren has attacked Havel Bladewall with Meteor Crash! GS: Lydia Seren takes 9 damage from Poison! GS: Lydia Seren has completed her action. GS: CRITICAL! Agatha Pyrelight guards a hit from Lydia Seren's Meteor Crash for 100 hit points! GS: Cripple, Jam, Mute, and Poison! Statuses applied to Agatha Pyrelight! GS: Havel Bladewall critically Guards a hit from Lydia Seren's Meteor Crash for 33 hit points! GS: Havel Bladewall critically Guards a hit from Layna Manydays's Swab the Decks for 38 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"I think you have a bit of a fixation on scars!" Cyre retorts, racking his weapon's slide and sending a spent shell clattering across the cobblestone. He'd just need a single shot to put a neat hole through that infuriating grin at the end of his scope. Cyre feels the bile burn deep in his gut, every instinct demanding that he turn that smile into a gaping hole of broken enamel and shredded flesh.
But somehow, he finds that he cannot.
Is it fear? Is it a validation of that monster's words, that terror breeds respect? Or is it just... That his attention is needed somewhere else?
Like at the fact that a certain beastgirl just took a bolt to the throat. But that's only what grabs Cyre's attention. It's what comes next that makes his stomach churn. The foulness imbued into that magic is plain to his eyes-- Malevolent? Maybe. Evil? Almost certainly.
"Lydia!" Cyre yells, dropping his aim and leaving his rifle dangling from a strap across his shoulder. He ducks back, racing over on rapid blasts of wind, cutting Ida a glare as he somersaults up and over to his friend, "You don't need to tell me," he grunts, moving to throw up a wall of wind between the two beastmen and the pirate.
"Lydia, come on," Cyre urges, squeezing her shoulder as the town suddenly becomes ground zero to Rigdobrite's wrath. Of course the Guardian of the Stars would hardly be limited by distance from Filgaia. Cyre winces as he reaches for that foul corruption crackling across her face, arm recoiling as the curse bites into his fingertips. "Damnit, it's in there good. I can't--"
No.
Cyre clenches his fist.
He can.
The wind howls. That wall of wind suddenly surges and rises, twisting into a towering vortex that just barely touches the lower lip of the clouds. A vast pillar of emerald light shatters the forming funnel cloud, and where there was once just a shaman, there is now a shining behemoth of wind, light and feral might. With a roar, the Nahual of Fengalon reaches its massive claws around Lydia's head-- and gently draws from it a glyph pulsing with evil light. Cyre roars as he closes his hand into a fist, scattering the dark magic in a pulse of pure, elemental wind.
The massive were-tiger turns its gaze over the town-turned-battlefield... And proceeds to hoist Lydia up into its arms and take off into the surrounding woods.
He has his priorities.
DC: Cyre H. Lorentz switches forms to Nahual - Fengalon!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked Lydia Seren with Invincible Wind! GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has completed his action. GS: Lydia Seren takes a solid hit from Cyre H. Lorentz's Invincible Wind for 0 hit points! GS: Lock and State! Statuses applied to Lydia Seren!
<Pose Tracker> Havel Bladewall has posed.
"I think it's time for some ripping!" Havel roars, back, at Chauncey. The huge stuffed fox slams a fist down, causing him to nearly crumple -- but he stands against it, and then both of the blades pop free from the forearm gauntlets. Havel rushes forward, a line of dark red light tinged black left in his wake. He does an X-shaped slash with the forearm blades, trying to cleave through Chauncey.
He jumps, after that, and slashes his sword down hard across the center line of the stuffed fox.
Rastaban's diagonal slash comes and Havel spins. He catches the blades, his own forearm blades crossed, and parries with a clang of sparks. Then, he rushes in -- and slams the left forearm blade for Talise's midsection, and slams his forehead hard for her head, in a brutal headbutt.
"Then you're short sighted, too!" he bellows back. He has no words to spare for Lanval, now -- nor any blows. Steam rises, and it fills Havel with the fire that has been lost. He gets shot, a moment later, with white flame. It roils over him and he snarls, spinning to face Ida. "Good tricks, dog! But I want a CLOSER LOOK!"
He leaps into the air, swinging back his fist -- and the forearm blade snaps back in. Then, he slams it down, hard, for Ida. A shockwave erupts when he strikes. Which is when he looks up, and peers up at the image of the Guardian. "What in the briny hells is--"
A purifying, terrible beam of light cascades down. Havel does the only thing he can think of. "BREAK THE WAVE!" he screams. Red light ignites along his fist; then, black and purple as sheer malevolent light explodes with a controlled force. He punches the beam of light from Rigdobrite -- and it explodes around him, even as it drives him backward, hard, into the ground. A crater is left...
...but he stands, breathing hard. Much of his coat has burnt away -- and he leaps into the air. He lands, punching down into the ground. A shockwave explodes outward; a ring of force, which threatens to bowl both Cyre and Lydia over. As he rises, he swings his other arm up -- and Layna slams into that armored gauntlet, which dents slightly. His head snaps to look at her, wolfish and deranged grin back on his face.
Then, he swings in his fist. The gauntleted hand flashes red as he punches; he follows by carving down, then up with a brutal twist, leaving black streaks in the air.
GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Sephilia Lampbright with Shatter the Decks! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Talise Gianfair with Captain's Sentence! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Ida Everstead-Rey with Shatter the Decks! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Cyre H. Lorentz with Jettison the Knave! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Lydia Seren with Jettison the Knave! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Layna Manydays with Dead Men Tell No Tales! GS: Havel Bladewall has attacked Havel Bladewall with Bladewall's Legacy! GS: Havel Bladewall has entered a Reflect stance! GS: Havel Bladewall takes 7 damage from Poison! GS: Havel Bladewall has completed his action. GS: CRITICAL! Talise Gianfair critically Guards a hit from Havel Bladewall's Captain's Sentence for 40 hit points! GS: Hyper, Mighty, Quick, and Shield! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall! GS: Havel Bladewall takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Bladewall's Legacy for 0 hit points! GS: Hyper! Statuses applied to Havel Bladewall! GS: Cyre H. Lorentz takes a glancing hit from Havel Bladewall's Jettison the Knave for 61 hit points!
DC: 3 turns have elapsed in the battle against Havel Bladewall! 2 turns remain!
GS: Talise Gianfair has activated a Force Action! GS: Layna Manydays takes a glancing hit from Havel Bladewall's Dead Men Tell No Tales for 139 hit points! GS: Layna Manydays enters CONDITION GREEN!! GS: Lydia Seren takes a solid hit from Havel Bladewall's Jettison the Knave for 130 hit points! GS: Lydia Seren enters CONDITION GREEN!! GS: Sephilia Lampbright critically Guards a hit from Havel Bladewall's Shatter the Decks for 48 hit points!
DC: MISS! Ida Everstead-Rey completely evades Shatter the Decks from Havel Bladewall! DC: 4 turns have elapsed in the battle against Havel Bladewall! 1 turns remain!
<Pose Tracker> Agatha Pyrelight has posed.
The massive beam from above slams down onto Agatha, the blast punching down into the teahouse for a moment and leaving a smoking hole in its wake.
Down inside of the teahouse, the Pyre Witch looks up from the smoking crater that she has ended up in, steam rising from her body, her dress somewhat disheveled and her hat laying on the ground nearby. The large gem set into the top of her hat rolls around for a moment until the large cat slit eye in the jewel looks at her. It glimmers, and then the brim ripples as if a mouth were set into it.
"That one certainly has some issues. I enjoy potential."
Agatha gives her hat an annoyed look. "I prefer for my 'potentials' to not start smacking me around until I've had a chance to get to know them better, you know." She gazes at her pipe for a moment, which is buried halfway into the floor with a steady stream of smoke rising from the stem. The Pyre Witch picks it up, shaking it out for a moment and then tucking it into her sleeve. "Part of me wouldn't mind a good rampage, but stepping on someone else's enrichment activities is quite rude..."
"Going to go see if Lily will let you cry into her shoulder then? We do have some good brandy, that usually gives us an hour until she kicks us out."
"It's a thought, it's a thought," Agatha admits, rising back to her feet in a manner that really has little to do with physical effort. If there is anyone left in the 'teahouse' then they'll probably be quite unnerved to see the witch floating in the air.
A single gestures causes her hat to float back to her, and the Pyre Witch settles it onto her head with a practiced motion.
And then goes to the window to watch the remainder of the festivities.
GS: Talise Gianfair has activated a Force Action!
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
Sephilia's triumphant cry turns to one of horror as Chauncey is nearly disemboweled by Havel Bladewall's counterattack, then further battered by the follow-through.
"No! I'm not okay!" Tears stream down the girl's face as she directs her buddy to withdraw. "I--hold together, Chauncey, buddy, hold together...I'll fix you good as new if you just hold together...this guy's gonna go down without us..."
She pulls back, still crying, but focuses on what she can do with her big buddy out of the fight--a bright healing light suffuses Layna, the worst injured of her friends still fighting the pirate...though she's going to need to pay attention to Lydia, too...
GS: Sephilia Lampbright has attacked Layna Manydays with Healing Light!! GS: Sephilia Lampbright has completed her action. GS: Sephilia Lampbright heals Layna Manydays! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
That went a lot less well than Talise had hoped. She doesn't try to power through Havel's guard; she backs off right away.
In comes the forearm blade. Talise grunts and sweeps her left arm off her sword. Her forearm slams into the inside of Havel's with a thud of flesh and muscle; she slams herself into his guard and attempts to lock him up.
The headbutt's a surprise, though. Talise gasps, then staggers as the big pirate slams into her, opening up a wound roughly between her eyes. Her vision momentarily flickers white as she recoils several feet, but manages to catch herself in an instinctive defensive posture even as she shakes her head to clear stars from her vision.
It doesn't do much for the trickle of blood running down from her forehead, though. She can feel the heat of it diverging to either side of her nose.
The Guardians begin to come forth. Clicking her teeth together, Talise drops into a crouch, sweeping Rastaban out to her right. Both hands knit around the hilt.
"Hey Layna!" she shouts over the din of battle. "I'm sorry your old captain's such a prick! If it helps, you're definitely my favourite pirate!"
Talise launches herself forward. She takes a few strides before darting to one side, then hurtles at Havel to cover the last bit of distance. Light glints off of Rastaban as Talise winds up, bunching her shoulders.
"Here's your breaking wave, you sick puppy," she hisses through her teeth.
With a metallic shriek of finely-honed metal torturing air particles and dividing them before her blade, Rastaban rips out, driven in a hard, ascending swing. Talise doesn't let out a shout. She attempts to simply power through Havel like a crashing tidal wave. She probably won't cut him in half, but she's aiming to - the kind of violent cut which could leave behind a deep wound. Maybe even a scar.
GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked Havel Bladewall with Tidal Blow! GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall critically Guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's Tidal Blow for 36 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
See? Lydia is rude. Even Agatha thinks so. Unfortunately in this case, Lydia got to know Agatha rather indirectly. Or maybe directly, considering the curse that burned half her face off. Rigdobrite looks down at Lydia as if to say 'Sorry girl i only got one laser in me today' and it vanishes as quickly as it appeared. Lydia is thrown back by the powerful shockwave from Havel as well. It will hardly kill her if the arrows didn't, but Lydia can't stay on her feet for more than ten seconds it's not going to matter. He has plenty of time to experiment.
By the time she getes back up, there's now a wall of wind between herself and the pirate. Lydia throws herself against it with sickening thuds, more like a horror movie creature than a Lydia right now. Cyre squeeezes at Lydia's shoulder, "Yer a narcissist of pain." Lydia hisses as she slams against the wall. "Iffen you think only you get t'bleed for everyone."
But even Lydia in her current state has to pause when Cyre transforms into something else.
You...you're just like me.
Lydia starts crying from one eye as she sinks into his arms even as Cyre readily rips the curse from her body. "Where's Ethius? Where's Ethius?? Where's Ethius, Cyre??? He left 'cause of me didn't he???"
She devolves into blubbering as Cyre absconds with her.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
When Lanval sits to watch, as if cowed by being shouted at by Have--
CHOMP
There is a sting in his rear end. His teeth clench tightly, eyes squeezed shut in maybe the most cartoonish grimace imaginable as he leaps up at least one-point-five-times the height of, say, Ida or Talise, with a silly yelp.
When the sidelined Seraph touches back down, he's on his feet and looking about for the jet black rat that has already taken its leave back into the burning depths of the town. His gaze levels on that town. He supposes that's a matter he needs to return to--
Many things happen that turn his gaze back. A cursory glance at how everyone's doing reveals several are in trouble. The one with the horns who is... bleeding... gray? (She is also on horrible curse fire.) He clutches his gourd tighter as he thinks to move in, to assist.
A strange name is called. He cranes his neck upward to a divine creature he has never seen bef-- wait. He saw something like it in that puddle of water, a glimpse into whatever strong feelings plagued the Hellion Ida.
The Nahual of Fengalon appears. One of the tiger-man Helli-- wait. That's not even a Hellion. There's no Malevolence radiating from the massive creature who commands the winds, moving to take the horned girl away--
Purple is one of the colors that explode from the screaming anger of the feared captain. Punching through that beam of a power he does not quite comprehend the origins of. That color, though...
Lanval straightens himself out. He doesn't stagger as much as he takes slow, measured steps along towards the crying young girl clutching her damaged, beloved Chauncey. Seeing what he's seeing, knowing what's already there...
"Shephy." Speaks Lanval, coming up behind her. "Chauncey'll be jusht fine!" He works up a hearty little chuckle. Also, he still smells like booze. This may not be reassuring for her, but there's just something... more celebratory, about the air. Something that begs to seek happiness, a cause for celebration rather than lament. Chauncey's not in the best of shape after being in the thick of all that. That might be a tall order to allow such a feeling.
He offers a friendly shoulder pat to her. "You two are doin' great ta help out Layna, Talishe, and the resht." He speaks like he might not be in swinging range of Havel's gauntlets, which he totally is. He could probably take his head clean off if he were so inclined, from where he is right now. "Keep that shmile on yer face for 'em, okay? Don't let it get ta either of ya... ha ha ha...!"
An eye opens half-lidded again, belying the gentle smile of some hundreds old Seraph.
GS: Seraph Lanval has entered a Reflect stance! GS: Seraph Lanval has activated a Force Action! GS: Seraph Lanval has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida looks up at Haval as he leaps at her--and for a moment, he almost seems to blot out the sun. That blade comes down at her like a guillotine, backed by both gravity and the pirate captain's terrifying strength. Ida sets her feet, banishes her pistol in a blur of Malevolent shadow-magic, and thrusts both empty hands out. The first strikes Bladewall's right arm, gripping the shield and shoving in the direction Bladewall is already moving. The second goes for his hip, strikes, applies force to his torso to try and throw him off-balance. The force of Bladewall's strike hits a moment later, a sound like a thunderclap echoing down the street and stirring up great clouds of ash and dirt.
In the aftermath, Bladewall's weapon has just barely nicked the side of her neck, drawing a tin rivulet of blood. If she'd been a moment slower, or used anything less than her full strength, she would've suffered the same fate as Lydia.
"Fine," Ida growls, as Bladewall disengages to try and murder someone else. Ida's shoulders sag. Blood drips down her chin from where she bit the inside of her cheek. She spits, and flecks of blood and Malevolence decorate the cobblestones. "If that's how you're going to play..."
Ida reaches down, runs fingers along something belted across the inside of her jacket. It's a length of dark chain with a patina not typically seen on Lunar--part of a Metal Demon weapon. A trophy she took off Berserk as a symbol of victory. She touches it, and something cruel and confident ignites in her heart--the taste of blood sharpens it to a razor's edge.
Ida goes from stillness to furious frenzy in the space of heartbeats. She charges the other Hellion(?) like an onrushing freight train, slamming at him shoulder-first and trying to bowl him over with her momentum. She drives her right hand forwards, but this time it's not an open-palmed redirection of force--this time, Malevolence condenses around her fingertips, lengthening and sharpening them into red-violet claws. She drags them down across Bladewall's bare chest, surges forth, tries to drive a knee into his gut. A vicious headbutt follows, then a jab, then a lightning-fast drumroll of punches backed by cruel, furious rage.
The look on Ida's face is almost a mirror of the one on Bladewall's.
GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has activated a Force Action! GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has attacked Havel Bladewall with Gleeful Cessation Of Restraint! GS: Ida Everstead-Rey has completed her action. GS: Havel Bladewall critically Guards a hit from Ida Everstead-Rey's Gleeful Cessation Of Restraint for 35 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Layna nods. She can tell Sephilia's doing her best to keep it together.
"It'll be alright, lass. It'll be alright." She says, trying to reassure her even as Lanval does the same.
"Aye, I know, lass." She replies with a smirk toward Talise.
A moment later, Layna is surrounded by a healing light as Sephilia does her thing, which earns her a nod from Layna.
And she needs the healing now, as Havel begins to close in on her. She wasn't going to escape this without an injury.
He grins at her...and Layna grins back.
"I remember this one." She comments. One wrist goes up to meet his, blocking with the bracer. Unfortunately for her, she's lacking the shields that were part of the style - it does hamper her ability to defend against the attack, but she takes it direct. Even with another set of cuts across her front, it does nothing to diminish her grin.
It's a good thing that her earlier wound had already knitted back up, thanks to Sephilia.
"...Now here's my take on it!"
In but a moment, she vanishes, in a flash of green light and rushing wind. She lets Talise go in first and aims to take advantage of the opening immediately, appearing behind Havel and unleashing an attack very similar to his own.
The fact that Ida is also unleashing a rather horrific barrage of her own against him...doesn't bother her in the slightest.
GS: Layna Manydays has attacked Havel Bladewall with Dead Men Tell No Tales! GS: Layna Manydays has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
A shockwave carrying a distinctly purple flavor slams into the Nahual, breaking across its shoulders and dispersing into the ribbons of wind. If Cyre were still but a man, it would have done more than bruise him. But as he is now, he barely even glances at the pirate at its source.
He winces, certainly, but he has more important things to pay attention to right now.
Cyre pulls the battered girl to his chest, her tears soaking into his thick, white fur. "No, no no of course not," the tiger murmurs, gently cradling her shoulders with one massive hand. "Don't blame yourself for what he did. Ethius is... Ethius. You know how he just... Kind of comes and goes. It's not your fault. I don't think it's... Any of our faults."
"Something is wrong," Cyre rumbles, vaulting further towards the outskirts of the town. "He would have left no trace if he left by his own decision. He... Probably needs our help. Somewhere. For now, rest. You'll need your strength. We'll find him, I promise."
GS: Havel Bladewall guards a hit from Layna Manydays's Dead Men Tell No Tales for 152 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Havel Bladewall has posed.
Havel's forearm guards are, truly, formidable. When Rastaban comes in with a force that should rip him in twain, one of those armored shields catches it -- and holds it at bay, driving him back and sending his feet skidding over the ground. Then, he turns, and he looks without comprehension at a Metal Demon weapon. Ida rushes in, tries to slam at him -- and then swings it.
It slams into those forearm guards, and his lips split into a grin, and he moves with blinding speed. He parries each strike, one after the other, and barks out a laugh. "You're good... you're damn good. But you could be so much more, if you'd stop holding back--stop letting them hold you back!"
But, Layna has something to say about that. His head snaps back to her. His eyes widen -- as she vanishes in green light, and then slashes into his back. His red coat is cut, and he turns. He swings his blade around, his mouth open for an enraged cry; red light and black energy rolls off him. But, he catches a flare then. It shoots up high, bursting with green light against the darkening sky. "Gh... a Guard ship! You're lucky, you miserable lot. I'll handle you scurvy dogs later!"
Havel tips armored fingers to his brow -- and then leaps. He jumps over Layna's head, and bolts for the Ruby Empress -- as do a few others. Smoke and steam rise from the town in his wake, thanks to Lanval's work.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia turns her head to look at Cyre. Sharp metal spikes are jutting out around her eye and across her head where she had been burned by the cursed glyph. They writhe around as if alive, as if they're trying to help but don't know what to do.
"No," Lydia says. "I helped Kaguya bring the wall down. That's why he's gone." She grabs at Cyre's sleeves. Her pupil shifts shape. This close, Cyre can hear the clicking. "It wasn't Lunar tech. That's why he left. That's how he works...! It's his number one operating paradigm."
A splotch of silver fluid drops onto Cyre's own sleeve.
"I knew he'd leave..." Lydia mumbles. "But I had to make sure they were safe."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
Smoke and steam rise in the wake of the dread pirate captain. Lanval's little firefighting stints helped take care of that much. A gentle smile runs across his features. That might help stem some of that, he thinks.
The not at all sober Seraph is in the company of a lot of dramas among them. He visibly flinches as Ida lets her emotions really run wild. A great flare-up of unchecked emotion. He gestures out over to Layna and Talise alike as he leaves Sephilia's side.
"H-Hey. Layna. Talishe."
Beat. He retrieves the Quatermaster's Stash bottle he has kept... somewhere... and extends it to Layna. There's actually a sizeable portion of it left over for her to drink.
"It'sh time we left." As the bloodthirsty tyrant of the waves had said, that is a Guard ship coming. "Why don't we... why don't we all jusht... go resht." He can feel the frustrations, the conflicting emotions... and he'd really like to get them away from Ida as she is, post-haste.
Another presence appears a ways off, emerging from one of the smoking buildings. Lanval's right eye-half opens. He stops motionless. His soft, silly, cat-like smile evens out. "...Mmmmph."
"Leave." Comes the unmistakable voice of another Seraphim. One that seems to have taken the appearance of a young boy, dressed in a lighter, brighter hue of blue - one of ice.
Lanval doesn't respond. He continues on his way.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Bladewall flees. Ida takes two steps after him, looking for all the worlds like she's going to charge him--
And then it's like something cuts the strings. She sags, shoulders slumping. Her muscles all but ignite with the aftereffects of such furious exertion. The Malevolent core inside her has died down to a dull glow. It pulses, slowly and rhythmically--as if mirroring the slowing pace of her heart. Breathing heavily, she stumbles over to a building wall, bracing herself against it.
Through half-lidded eyes, she watches the drunkard of a Seraph wander off, and the brief, inexplicable encounter.
Huh.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
Layna sees Havel's reaction to her attack and she can't help but enjoy it. She moves to defend herself...but before things can proceed further, a flare is shot high into the sky. It gets Layna's attention as well and she curses, leaping back.
It was the same signal they used back when she was working under him, when Havel Bladewall really was the Captain of the Ruby Empress in her eyes.
So he was still using that system, huh...?
Layna relaxes and sighs, the adrenaline fleeing her rapidly. Her grin fades, and she's left staring out at that ship...at least until Lanval appears by her side, offering a bottle to her.
She reaches out, takes it, and drinks with a silent nod of thanks toward Lanval.
Lanval starts to move, but Layna doesn't follow him right away. Her attention turns to Ida.
"...Ida. Thanks." She says. She can't really manage a smile at the moment, but she does seem sincere at the moment.
In the distance, however, another Seraphim appears.
'Leave', he says. Layna glances toward Lanval, but she has a feeling neither of them are in any mood for talking about anything at the moment.
...So she just wordlessly walks up to join him and offers the bottle back to him.
She had a feeling they would all be doing a lot of drinking tonight - her especially.
Havel Bladewall...
She had never expected to see him again. A part of her had hoped she wouldn't.
...But she still can't help but feel conflicted on the matter.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Cyre stares at Lydia for a long moment. She can feel the massive tiger's blazing, emerald gaze one her back. He makes a noise of quiet acknowledgment before turning his eye back towards the horizon. "It is," Cyre says after a moment, "And that was a pretty bad life choice. A big mess, a lot of people suffering for it too. But Ethius... I don't know, Lydia. I think he'd bring it up with us, first. Not just... leave with all the stuff in his room in a heap like that. It's not like him."
The tiger rumbles briefly, then leaps into the nearby forest. "We can talk more about it when we get you back to the Caravan. We need to get you healed up, that's the most important thing right now."