2019-07-03: You Will Know Our Names

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<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.

    Luca is under siege. Screams, the roar of flames. The din of a weapon of war once again directed for the cities walls. Althena's Guard has laid claim upon Luca -- as they have seemingly laid claim upon all of Spira in their quest for the destruction of Sin. With the mighty Golems at their command, it seems that little can stand against the Guard -- the citizens of Luca, with the assistance of Drifters and the Warrior Monks, make to flee the city. Those that can, that is. Between the inferno and the soldiers, not everyone is able to escape easily...

    But where did those Golems come from? How did weapons of such massive destruction come to be under the Guard's control?

    A partial suggestion towards an answer -- of a sort -- might be found in the oddly-armored figure who stands atop one of the houses not yet claimed by the flames sweeping the city. The heat-driven wind catches her long, blonde hair.
    Rips marr her outfit. Blood stains part of a sleeve, part of her now-visible leggings. The armor at her back is deeply dented, nearly broken in half.

    "Engage any suspicious individuals. That is the order," she says to those who have joined her at her command this day.

    "Leaving them be will only permit unneeded interference. We cannot have any further delays," says Amaterasu to her compatriots.

    Already, she has tasted what an 'unusual' human can accomplish. Another misstep might cause an unforgivable and improper delay to their plans.
    No more.

    Valkyrja, blade currently quelled, is held loosely in her right hand. Her green eyes scan the streets below, in search of potential trouble.

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

    "... I really would like some water ... food too ..."

    Yue, or CR-S01 -- the aptly named first prisoner of the Veruni on solitary confinement -- looks like she's had much better days. Already a fairly haggard sort with her deeply baggy eyes, she's quietly pacing along to the source of disaster. As it turns out, running into Ambrosius and nearly getting into a scrap with some Drifters outside the Sphere Theatre, running away with Shalune on Big Shal, and still wandering around a burning city...

    Leaves your throat really parched. And your stomach hungry. Especially when you haven't had water or food in... well. More than 24 hours and counting now.

    At least her hair hasn't caught on fire. That's a minor miracle in and out of itself. The convict shuffles along with her battered ulster coat having gained an extra layer of soot, her chains jangling along her shackles.

    There's a short young figure next to her in... err, what looks like an environmental suit with a baggy blue robe and a straw hat ontop of her matte-black helmet. It's pitch black and covers her face save...

    "No complaining, CR-S01!" the Minder looks intensely proud of herself as she puts her hands to her waist with a =D expression on her helmet. "I haven't eaten or drunk anything since we were teleported here and you don't see me complaining!"

    Yue has a sordid pause as she squints and points out:

    "Dear Minder... does your suit not regulate your blood sugar, nutrient, energy, hydration and other bodily levels for you?"

    There's a long pause as the Minder's expression goes =S and straight to >_<. Then she explodes with a: "No complaining, CR-S01!! You heard Commander Amaterasu's order! Now go engage some suspicious individuals!"

    "Pray tell..." Yue closes her eyes, lips pursed. "Would it be uncivilised if I advertised with a sign reading 'Would engage suspicious individuals for food'?"

    "... ... you're still an idiot, CR-S01... ..."

<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

Amaterasu is not alone on that rooftop. Behind her and to the side stands a man in red armor, marked with burns here and there from a previous fight. A helmet conceals his face. He stands with his arms clasped behind his back, carefully scanning the ground below for signs of potential trouble.

"Understood." Ambrosius replies, with a brief incline of his head. He was following her lead in this endeavor - when it came to the art of war, she was far more experienced.

He had recently come from an engagement of his own - a mission to make a copy of the Sphere Theater's library for preservation and to go through it for any potentially useful information.

He had left Minerva, the mechanical soldier who had acted as his assistant, behind to look after it and to finish the copying process. He had promised that he would ensure that it remained standing, and he had every intention of doing so.

And, for that reason, he joined Amaterasu's movement unaccompanied...

...but that does not mean he is not ready to do what must be done. If there are any such suspicious individuals present, then they will witness the might of the Veruni this day.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

If anything, the invasion by Althena's Guard has rendered Luca far more familiar to Lily Keil than it was before, familiar in a way that she knows deep beneath the skin, into bone and marrow. ...Which is all the more reason that it's better she brave these streets than most. She hasn't made it out of the city yet, merely given time enough to see to friends and see to her own wounds. Now is a good time to go to ground, but...

It seems their foes have new ideas.

'Suspicious' is definitely the word for the woman walking the street below, only briefly visible before she makes herself close to a wall, shielded then by a railing. Dressed largely in black, she is bloody but not slowed, what should be wounds instead simply placed with flaking red. There's an ARM in her hands, a sword at her hip, and some bandages about her head--

And she absolutely moves like a soldier. A wind through the streets catches her black hair, as she looks across the way--and moves in the direction of what the Veruni might know as a prisoner's holding zone.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Suspicious individuals is it?

A shrouded woman (Marivel) wearing a black mage cap (Marivel) and a long red coat (Marivel) and gloves (Marivel) and boots (Marivel) approaches the battle, holding a platter in her hand with a tin covering on top.

"My my, Amaterasu." Marivel says. "You've gotten your impeccable uniform dirty. You should go home right away and wash it out or it may stain."

She tilts her head to the side faintly and adds, "Tis enough to make one wonder if the truths we saw that day were one and the same."

Her gaze flicks towards Yue's sign and then says, "I am a suspicious individual am I not?"

She shifts her plate to the other hand. "As enjoyable as it is to see history repeat, I suppose fate is sending my hand elsewhere."

She smells Lily nearby but elects to not look in her direction. If she's heading towards the prisoners, the last thing she needs is giving tells to the Veruni here.

Instead she keeps her gaze focused on Yue and Minder. She approaches, the wind rustling her braids behind her as she moves forward with determination towards Yue.

And then past Yue.

And then stops in front of Minder. She lifts the covering tin off the platter and reveals...

...A large tray covered in various flavors of eclairs ranging from custard to chocolate to strawberry and even a s'mores flavored one inthere.

"Please. Take one."

Once Minder does (or does not) she straightens up and then looks towards Yue.

"Now then." She says, lips twisting into a sharp fanged grin. "T'would seem our promised battle has come sooner rather than later. She shifts the platter of eclairs to one hand and holds it to her side, tilting it away from Yue.

"hm hm hm.... How many of these eclairs will I eat today? I suppose that depends on how well you do!"

And with that she snaps a finger with her hand, unleashing a crackling seal around Yue that saps at her might.

"If you go easy on me, Yue, not only will I take it as a grave insult, but you will not be having ANY of your favorite food!"

She laughs villainously.

"Come at me if thou darest!"

Yeah she's going full over the top here.

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Yue Rohay with Power Seal!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

    The city under siege, not something Chime wishes to dwell on as the cheerful elf dashes through the streets assisting people where she can. Mostly with just words, directing them to the north side of the city where the evacuation is underway down the highroad. Also snatching up the occansional small piece of golem circuitry when she spots and tucking them away into her vest.

    The sounds of fighting, flames, and explosions drown out the clinking, tinkling noise of metal her vest and belt pouches make as she goes. As she enters a slightly quieter part of the city, she bounds up a piece of rubble despite her short height and then flips off it onto a wall and then up onto a roof where she herself begins to a quick survey of the streets and buildings around her looking for where she'll need to go next, when she spots a strange group only a few roofs over seemingly unmoved by the chaos around them.

GS: Chime Isa has attacked Chime Isa with Survey!
GS: Chime Isa has completed her action.
GS: Yue Rohay completely evades a hit from Marivel Armitage's Power Seal!
GS: Chime Isa takes a solid hit from Chime Isa's Survey for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

    Having to be where the news is is one of those occupational hazards that Acacia can't really ignore, as much as she'd like to. She's not exactly a coward, but she's learnt first-hand that it can sometimes get you into more hot water than you'd like, the sort of hot water that forces you to move a continent away in a panic and cut a bunch of ties and scale back your newspaper into something more like a zine for months until you finally dare to put out a proper issue again.

    You know, one of those very general, everyman fears.

    She can't ignore what's going on in Luca, though, not after everything in Kilika and the obvious signs that the Guard weren't exactly going to play fair or stop there. Whatever way it's going down - whether Odessa are inciting them, or the Guard are just that militaristic - it seems only right that she try to find out in order to let people know. Spira hasn't had much luck with mass anything, let alone mass media, but this is exactly the kind of situation that could use a little of it.

    Leaving Kamui behind is a bit of a new sensation, though. She's so used to the Reploid having her back that it feels wrong to not have her there. On the other hand, she'd be prepared to confidently state she's better at stealth than the little robot, if only because Kamui's idea of stealth is rather... unorthodox. The thought of leaving Kamui's detached head to roll through a city of combatants isn't one she relishes.

    From her hiding place behind a cart, she lifts her camera, flickering the shutter button as she sweeps it sideways in her best facsimile of a panoramic shot that includes in as many of the Golems as possible. For a moment, she focuses in on the figures she's dimly spotted atop an intact building - but she huffs to herself, well aware she's not getting anything at this distance but black blobs silhouetted against the horizon.

    Slipping out of her hiding place, she prepares to... divert to the left instead, hearing voices coming from down a sidestreet. One indignant, one calmer, but both of them seem to know what's going on, and it's a hell of a better prospect than racing right into the centre of the battlefield. The reporter takes a deep breath, counts to five--

    --and steps out from around the corner with a speed and confidence she doesn't feel but can easily fake. "Who is 'Commander Amaterasu'?" she questions sharply, and raises her camera to take a quick picture of the Minder. "Acacia Saitani, Meria Bouletin. You're not with the Guard, are you? Who is behind this attack? What do you intend for Luca? Why are you using prisoners for labour?" she presses with a glance at Yue, knowing from experience to try to keep interviewees off-balance.

    ... and ending up off-balance herself, as she starts at the sight of Marivel's overacting. "Geh--"

<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Another stage of the crusade is unfolding. Kilika was a taste of things to come. After the fallout of the Operation... it would seem Althena's Guard and Yevon would come to blows. It'd seem that so many of the Drifters of Filgaia would find themselves caught up in it, either by choice or by circumstance.
     A historic day - a turning point in Spira's history, to be written in battle. One could continue to wax poetic, but this is enough to get to--
     "Hyahaha--!"
     --that.
     A suspicious silhouette can be seen atop one (currently) intact building, of a horned squirrel-like Hyadean whose solid yellow eyes cut through the fog of dust, the biggest grin on their face as their tail swishes and twitches in anticipation. They're already somewhat bloodied, silvery blood having dried a few places about his crimson armor.
     Ratatoskr - one of the few living Hyadean survivors, and enthusiast in human war heroes and the history they make and leave in their wake. At this point him being here just goes without saying.
     "This won't be like the Operation... this time... I'll get to see it all..."
     He grins a little wider.
     "I'll get to fight it all!!"
     He plunges down towards the Veruni operatives, a liquid metal patagium fanning out between his limbs to slow his descent, coming in fast on the next of his gluttonous thirst for one of the many faces of the many forces at play. If Ratatoskr is just going to agitate the enabling Veruni just for the hell of it - hey - that's as good an opening as any to make a change for the better, isn't it?
     Of course... his presence means that Odessa is operating here.
     Landing in a three-point stance, he rises up in a fighting stance as the patagium retracts. Two arms raised, one leg slightly raised and bent - something vaguely resembling Muay Thai.
     "Come on...! I want to keep all of it. The history... the fighting...!" He says this to Ambrosius, presumably, because Ambrosius is closest, as his quicksilver blood courses a bit faster, burns a bit hotter, an excitable twitching threatening to undo the tightness of his fighting stance.

GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Ratatoskr with Boiling Quicksilver!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
GS: Ratatoskr takes a solid hit from Ratatoskr's Boiling Quicksilver for 0 hit points!
GS: Burst! applied to Ratatoskr!
GS: Ratatoskr assumes the Avenger stance!
<Pose Tracker> Ashton Anchors has posed.

Ashton stumbles. He wobbles. Covered in small wounds, dust and soot, he makes his way through the ruined city. He's torn through most of his stock of curatives already, and the day's looking long.

Maybe trying to go toe to toe with the great golem wasn't the smartest idea.

There's no room for second guessing the choice now, however. It's long past done. All there is for the moment is moving to try and catch up with the wave of retreating allies and innocents - Ashton isn't one for war, but he understands that being caught here would be at best inconvenient and painful.

There's no doubting he qualifies as suspicious, however. Not only is he armed, covered in Symbologic tattoos and visibly wounded? He also has a literal pair of dragons snaking out from his shoulders. Creepy and Weepy are quite attentive right now, looking to and fro as extra eyes. The trio have their disagreements, true. But they all understand the danger around.

Suddenly, both dragon heads rotate. Ashton himself takes a moment longer to realize that his partners have spotted danger. And when he does?

He groans in irritation.

It just had to be him, didn't it?

There's a static blur for a moment - and then Ashton's in a new place. Blades drawn. Stance wide. Pointing a blade at....

"Ratatoskr. I should have known you'd be here. Chaos draws scavangers like you."

Whups. Somebody's misreading the situation, isn't he just?

GS: Ashton Anchors has attacked Ashton Anchors with Crescendo Stance!
GS: Ashton Anchors has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ashton Anchors has completed his action.
GS: Ashton Anchors takes a solid hit from Ashton Anchors's Crescendo Stance for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

    Well. It certainly is a pleasure to see Ambrosius again, though Yue isn't quite sure how his mission went after she went fleeing on Prometheus-- Big Shal. But it rather didn't seem like she can shirk responsibility again now, not with more Drifters in greater quantities... hmm.

    But just as she's noticing the rather warlike woman with sword and ARM and thinks 'I should probably leave that one to the mega-powerful Commando and not mui' before--

    "... ah."

    She hears Marivel's voice and her shoulders get heavier. Her lips thin as she tilts her head one way... Then her eyes light up a little as she moves past her and reveals, much to the sudden shock of her eyes, her nose and especially her sense of taste... so much that she lets out a truly uncharacteristic and defeated noise--

    "E-eclairs...?! Marivel, this is poor comedy indeed! You villain!"

    Minder No. 7 shows her true colours as a cheeky flush erupts on her helmet. "Why, I would love one, thank you!" she takes one and-- takes something that looks like powder from her satchel and basically covers the eclair in it. Then a true scientific miracle occurs as... as...

    *whirrr*

    A little square panel opens up on her helmet and the eclair disappears into it. Is that how K.K. does it???

    "Mmm! CR-S01! It's shoo tasty!!"

    "Do not taunt me, dear Minder!" Yue looks dejected. She's literally salivating right now when she hears a camera click and turns to where-- uh-- a redhead has suddenly emerged and is now in her face.

    *CLICK*

    The Minder looks aghast to have been caught with food in her helmet! "CR-S01! It's the media! Take her down!! Help!"

    "A... Acacia, is it? Somehow... there is a vaguely nostalgic twinge within me..." Yue stammers a whisper out as she reclines off-balance for a moment, still gazing towards the plate of eclairs. She steps back. There is a hungee fire in her eyes.

    "Well. You have the advantage over me, Lady Acacia. I shall have to redirect your inquiries to mine Commander over there. I must rescue those eclairs."

    Wait? Is Marivel taunting her to go fight? Still with her arms and elbows shackled like that?? What's she going to do but--

    "<Speed Fang>"

    Speak in a weird dead language, apparently. The ulster coated woman's left leg bends into a low stance -- and in a whirling blur, she's flipped her right heel in a roundhouse kick striking the ground, creating two bright-white shockwaves that travel in the approximate direction of Marivel and Acacia.

GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Marivel Armitage with Fast Draw - Speed Fang!
GS: Yue Rohay has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Acacia Saitani with Fast Draw - Speed Fang!
GS: Yue Rohay has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Yue Rohay has completed its action.
GS: Marivel Armitage takes a solid hit from Yue Rohay's Fast Draw - Speed Fang for 116 hit points!
GS: Acacia Saitani takes a solid hit from Yue Rohay's Fast Draw - Speed Fang for 107 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.

    Taking anyone suspicious into custody is a simple enough matter. And if they resist, so is eliminating them.

    Amaterasu glances sidelong, as if to take in Ambrosius and Yue both. One, a tried and true soldier and known asset to their cause. The other...
    A known convict, and far from home at that. Something has gone awry in Elru, though there is little sense worrying about it, in Amaterasu's estimation. Not when there is nothing at all that can be done about it.

    "CR-S01. You will follow commands as given," she states. "Minder no. 7. See that she heeds orders. Her failure will become your responsibility." A cold statement, perhaps, but should they engage, she cannot waste time considering what the wayward prisoner may do -- or spare a moment to watch her.

    Green eyes settle on a few figures as they advance, one after another. "Ambrosius. It would appear we have subjects for pacification." A few of them are even familiar at that -- Ratatoskr, for instance. She shifts her weight where she stands, as if she were about to speak--

    --when a certain figure speaks, highlighting perhaps the trio of them atop the roof for anyone close enough to hear her.

    "Hmm. Marivel, was it?" Amaterasu states. With its blade missing, her weapon looks for all the world like a strange metal pole. "I thank you for your concern. However, the state of my attire is of least concern right now."

    With a flourish, she brandishes the polearm; Valkyrja's blade of light comes alive with a snap and a hiss. This, she bears before herself. Her faceplate slams down into place; three rows of eyes blaze with a sickly green light. "This is a war zone," she declares, "and all of you now are our enemy. I cannot permit a single one of you to remain. Now. Prepare yourselves!"

    BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7yNyhLOIa4

    This, she shouts before she catapults herself from this roof to the next one over, arcing out with her blade for the one she spots there, namely Chime, before falling in a crashing dive for the paving stones below.
    She knows a soldier when she sees one, and she also can, apparently, know trouble when she sees one.

    Her attack upon Lily's person is followed by her dropping back into a readied stance, the pole held as if to catch any return attacks.

GS: Amaterasu has attacked Lily Keil with Casus Belli!
GS: Amaterasu has attacked Chime Isa with Casus Belli!
GS: Amaterasu has attacked Amaterasu with De Lege Ferenda!
GS: Amaterasu has completed her action.
GS: Amaterasu takes a solid hit from Amaterasu's De Lege Ferenda for 0 hit points!
GS: Shield! applied to Amaterasu!
GS: Amaterasu assumes the Stoic stance!
GS: Lily Keil takes a solid hit from Amaterasu's Casus Belli for 119 hit points!
GS: Chime Isa completely evades a hit from Amaterasu's Casus Belli!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

Ambrosius frowns. There are indeed a number of 'suspicious individuals' closing in on their position - those who find their way towards the danger, rather than fleeing.

"Indeed." Ambrosius replies with a nod toward Amaterasu. And, not only that...

"...From above!" Ambrosius warns, leaping back as a certain squirrely Hyadean leaps down in a fighting stance, crashing onto the building he and Amaterasu are surveying the area from.

"...This area is under our jurisdiction now. You are in the way." Ambrosius states, a frown crossing his face underneath his helmet as the Hyadean states his intent to fight. And then, another - a man with a pair of dragons on his back.

Ambrosius recognizes him. He, too, is indeed suspicious.

He raises a hand, and from beneath Ratatoskr a geyser rushes upward with great force.

And then, in a quick motion, Ambrosius draws out a revolver and fires off a warning shot toward Ashton, aiming in between all three heads.

"You are, both of you, in the way. You can surrender quietly, or be judged." Ambrosius states, then looks toward Amaterasu.

"...I will deal with these two." He says, offering her a brief nod of acknowledgment before she leaps off to the next roof over.

And that leaves him...with these two.

GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ratatoskr with Geyser!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
GS: Ambrosius has canceled their attack on Ratatoskr.
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ratatoskr with Geyser!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ashton Anchors with Warning Shot!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
GS: Ashton Anchors takes a solid hit from Ambrosius's Warning Shot for 0 hit points!
GS: Slow! applied to Ashton Anchors!
GS: CRITICAL! Ratatoskr takes a glancing hit from Ambrosius's Geyser for 85 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

    From her position, Chime overhears most of Marivel's comments, and the words of the other three. When the attack suddenly comes swung her way through, the elf gives a look of surprise, through her eyes twinkle playfully giving away the act as she twirls neatly to the side and back letting the blade crash into the roof crumbling parts of it as the warrior continues on into the street below.

    Chime back flips off the roof before the crumbled stone and plaster give her poor footing while drawing both of the crossbows from their boot holsters. She lands neatly on the street, saying "Now now, how rude~ Through I guess that also elmiminates any chance of just talking this out. A shame, but I guess an indomitable spirit should only be met in kind racing across the sky adrift the wings of their power.".

    Her voice is bright and cheerful, a power in of itself as she seems to draw strength from her own words and conviction as a Drifter. And then it rolls off her around the area as if to sweep up and empower others too so they may fight and fly higher and harder.

GS: Chime Isa has attacked Chime Isa with Indomitable!
GS: Chime Isa has attacked Lily Keil with Indomitable!
GS: Chime Isa has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Chime Isa has completed her action.
GS: Chime Isa takes a solid hit from Chime Isa's Indomitable for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper! applied to Chime Isa!
GS: Lily Keil takes a solid hit from Chime Isa's Indomitable for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper! applied to Lily Keil!
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

    Acacia can't help but feel a little lacking in presence when compared to the Crimson Noble, especially with the way the Minder sort of dodges her first barrage of questions by shoving an eclair into her mouth; she grimaces a little to herself, but in a flash she's firmed her expression back up, holding her ground resolutely. "What, you're eating sweets while an innocent city burns?" she challenges the Minder, though it's seriously dented by the way, you know, Marivel was the one who brought them.

    She really has to ask about that later. Surely she'll get the chance, right?

    But there's bigger things to think about. Like the fact that Marivel seems to know this prisoner, and that this prisoner feels a nostalgic sensation coming from her. It doesn't take much to put together how old Yue must be, at least roughly speaking, and to establish another thread amongst the little web of them in her head, all pointing back to 'Dr. Lumen'. It doesn't take much to huff, and mutter: "Yeah, well. I get that a lot."

    And it doesn't take that much to realize that perhaps she's badly misjudged the situation. "Wait-- 'your' Commander? Not hers?--" she starts to say with a glance towards the Minder.

    Before she can get any further, Yue's kick is a genuine surprise. The wave of force it generates scoops Acacia off her feet, propelling her backwards into a wall. It's her reporter's instinct that makes her curl up around her camera, protecting it from any impact as she bounces off the ruined wood and into a roll back up to her feet.

    Part of her considers breaking and running, but before she can even complete the thought her hand has stolen from her holster, and she comes up out of the roll firing a brace of warning shots from a perfectly average gunsmoke ARM.

    Still, there's always space to play dirty. Perhaps really dirty. Like... wasting sweets.

    "--Marivel! Throw 'em all in the air!"

GS: Acacia Saitani has attacked Yue Rohay with Snapshot!
GS: Acacia Saitani has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    "Ashton Anchors...! Twin Symbological Swordsman..." Ratatoskr and Ashton have had run-ins in the past. Violent ones. The sort of relationship that should, by all accounts, have those words drip with vile, anger-filled venom.
     They're instead spoken with reverence and excitement. "Scavenge? Scavenge!" He cackles. "Chronicle."
     Before he can get into any (annoying) small talk, Ambrosius makes it clear that he will not suffer their disruption today. The building moisture beneath Ratatoskr is noticed and... well, the closest he has to a meaningful defense to that is that he gets flung up where he catches himself against a building that is still intact, but only for so much longer as his claws clench into that wall. He is sopping wet.
     Further re-introductions (if any) will have to wait, as Ratatoskr dives right back down there, leading knee-first towards Ambrosius' position with the biggest damn grin.
     "Surrender?! Hyahaha--! No, no, no... you don't get it...! Who wins... who loses... I want to feel all their weapons, their tactics... I want to keep those faces, those names...!"
     That's a whole lot to say for the presumably short amount of time it'd take to do a diving knee attack on Ambrosius, but...

GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Ambrosius with Fly Into Fray!
GS: Ratatoskr has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
GS: Yue Rohay takes a glancing hit from Acacia Saitani's Snapshot for 62 hit points!
GS: Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Ratatoskr's Fly Into Fray for 125 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

The sudden conversation in the area isn't thrilling for Lily Keil--who intended to just sneak past... But, of course, they have one of their better sets of eyes here. ...Apparently multiple sets in one helmet.

Except--

Lily hears Acacia speak and already that's a comjplication--until Amaterasu addresses her abrubtly. One could wonder how Lily sees Amaterasu coming without looking, but the fact remains that she whirls in place, shfiting such that the slash scythes through weathered armor instead of much through flesh, though she makes no move to really defend against it. Green light...

"It is a war zone," Lily agrees, golden eyes on the taller woman, "But you'll forgive me if I don't come along quietly." Lily keeps a good grip on her shotgun--even as she hears...

'<Speed Fang>'

"...Interesting weapon."

Lily shifts, making herself a smaller target as she pops off a few shots one-handed from the pistol in her hand as blue light begins to cascade across her skin in the pattern of circuits--

And the gunfire is revealed for a feint, Lily's other hand sliding forward to let loose a cone of supercooling air that becomes bladed shards of ice as wide as she is tall.

"Save the poetry for later!" Lily can feel the light; it means there's someone else to consider here. "None of us are racing anywhere if we don't take this battle seriously!"

...She recognizes some of the others, anyway. Like Marivel, or--...Ratatoskr...

"Marivel, do you have an opening to get her out?"

...Sorry, Lily totally assumes Acacia is a noncombatant as she keeps eyes straight on Amaterasu.

GS: Lily Keil has attacked Amaterasu with Polar Burst!
GS: Lily Keil has completed her action.
GS: Amaterasu guards a hit from Lily Keil's Polar Burst for 77 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! applied to Amaterasu!
<Pose Tracker> Ashton Anchors has posed.

Well, this isn't the situation Ashton thought he was getting himself into.

Chasing down Ratatoskr before he causes more problems is one thing. Chasing him into a group of hostile combatants in the middle of a confrontation is entirely another.

However, like fighting a giant war golem, there is a point where it's too late to rethink actions and that was about fifteen seconds ago.

The incoming shot from the revolver whizzes too close for comfort. The sellsword's face goes blank for a moment as a memory hits him.

TEN MONTHS AGO, SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF KROSSE

Deep inside the Mountain Palace, the team of Drifters confronts what seems to be their final challenge: inside a store room stands an abomination against nature itself. Part man, part dragon. Obviously the work of the foul Dragon Cult. Likely their leader.

Ambrosius stares for a moment at the monstrosity amongst the barrels before hurling a cannister at it. The grenade begins spouting mist - and then the Veruni's revolver opens fire.

Ashton yelps, caught off-guard by the sudden surge of hostile Drifters. Taking cover, he can only yell in a panic. "Wait! I don't know these guys! I just came here to look at some barrels!"

NOW

A snarl breaks across Ashton's face. His eyes lock on Ratatoskr angrily. "For the moment, -creature-, there are greater issues at hand. But there will be words."

Then that angry glare shifts to Ambrosius. "That's the second time you've tried to shoot me!" He brings his blades up, green ink along his arms glowing. "I'll not let you off as easily as I did at the Mountain Palace!"

A small leap forward, and Ashton executes a spinning uppercut of blades. It's nowhere near his opponent - but then, the tornado that flies off his weapons doesn't require close quarters.

GS: Ashton Anchors has attacked Ambrosius with Hurricane Slash!
GS: Ashton Anchors has completed his action.
GS: Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Ashton Anchors's Hurricane Slash for 108 hit points!
GS: Disrupt! applied to Ambrosius!
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Well I am a villain, aren't I?" Marivel says, gesturing to one side with her free hand. "How else am I supposed to act? Besides." Her jovial grin vanishes briefly. "You hardly need a hero. All the lessons I can teach you have been taught to you by crueler educators than myself, I imagine."

But then it's back. "Still, that allows us some opportunity to mess around..."

"Like a bunch of jokers." She adds.

Amaterasu thanks Marivel for her concern and then declares all of them enemies and she's not going to allow them to remain. Marivel simply responds to this with a long suffering sigh as usual.

She tilts her head. "Ohh? Are you interested in Acacia's secret backstory? Hm hm hm... T'would be interesting to see how a journalist feels about being reported on... but I am afraid I must allow you wonder. She has become a dear friend after all, so gossip will have to be purely of the uninformative kind."

She smiles happily over to Acacia and gives her a thumbsup as if she's doing Acacia a favor.

And then suddenly there's a SPEED FANG and before Marivel can properly react, Yue clobbers her with a shockwave. Somehow all but one of the eclairs stay on the platter, of which one goes flying...

...towards Acacia's mouth and/or hands.

Marivel exhales faintly and says, "I suppose the time as a gladiator has not dulled your athleticism."

She straightens up and adds, "I apologize to your well mannered superior, I will have to..."

She snaps her fingers again and this time her wounds and Acacia's might dissipitate somewhat thanks to the power...

OF REWINDING THEIR PERSONSAL TIME!

Also this does not steal away the eclair that Acacia got though it does mean the platter now has a mysterious extra eclair that wasn't there before.

"Hm hm hm.... you can hit us harder than that I'm sure!"

She pauses for a moment before adding, "What? The eclairs in the air? Oh alright."

She tosses the platter of eclairs into the aid. Again, they all seem to emaculately stay on the plate because Marivel is not wasting eclairs just to win this fight.

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Acacia Saitani with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Marivel Armitage with Canceller!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
GS: Marivel Armitage heals Marivel Armitage! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Marivel Armitage heals Acacia Saitani! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

The geyser flings Ratatoskr upward and Ambrosius frowns as Ratatoskr laughs at his offer of surrender.

The squirrely Hyadean pushes off a building, diving at him knee-first. It strikes with squarely in the gut, forcing him back with a grunt.

So, too, does Ashton reject his offer, citing the incident in the Mountain palace and conjuring a tornado with a spinning uppercut of his blades.

Knocked off-balance briefly by Ratatoskr, Ambrosius can only attempt to weather the storm.

"...Then I best not miss this time." Ambrosius replies, directing his gaze toward Ashton. This time, however, he does not go for his ARM. He moves toward him with surprising speed, one arm lashing out in a vicious swinging strike. His reach is great, perhaps surprisingly so.

Ratatoskr is not left alone, however - Ambrosius moves toward him next with a quick pair of punches that leaves the Veruni retreating into a defensive stance.

GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ashton Anchors with Scything Swing!
GS: Ambrosius has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ratatoskr with Guarded Strike!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

    It's more evident, as the woman lands from her attack, what she seems to be using as weapons: a pair of steel-shrouded high heels, gleaming with faint blade-like edges upon her toes.

    Yue's countenance shifts ever so slightly at Amaterasu's imperative -- especially as the Commando mentions that her failure will be the Minder's. There's a quiet smile with her eyes under her fringe for a moment. "... if that is your desire, Commander."

    Minder No. 7 grumps to say, "I--I know that! You don't have to remind me twice, Commander!" Acacia calls her out. "What? Marivel offered! Call -her- out on feeding me sweets!"

    There is an arced brow at Acacia as she spits out that she gets that a lot. "'Our' commander, perhaps. Hmm. Somehow it feels different. 'Tis not my intention to gloss you over for an other, Lady Acacia. But ah--"

    Marivel! Throw 'em all in the air!

    And then that cool facade completely explodes for a moment.

    "N-noooo! My eclairs!"

    That moment is enough for her to just go get shot by Acacia's sidearm, and she winds up bracing as some blood spills out of her coat. She impacts against a nearby lamp with a low groan. Not only does Marivel taunt how many eclairs she's devoured, she even possesses a mastery of time itself. What a vampire!

    She hears Lily call for Marivel to get her out. Is she not a combatant? Well, she's armed, and ARMed at that, so...

    "... you always were the type to gambol about, Mari," Yue muses to Marivel in return. She might not be able to help but have a wry little smile on her face. "Though there is truth in that. Very well. Make this a wonderful article, will you not, Lady Acacia?"

    And this time she's stooped on her right leg, and instead twisted to the left as she instead cuts low with her heel and kicks upwards.

    "<Demon Fang!>"

    Several purplish-blue eruptions of energy race along the ground this time, serving as a distraction as Yue attempts to leap for the eclairs!! She's open to attack!

    The Minder sags.

    "CR-S01, are you just going to spam the same move...?"

GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Marivel Armitage with Majinken - Demon Fang!
GS: Healthy! For entering Condition Green, Yue Rohay receives 50 temporary hit points.
GS: Yue Rohay enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Acacia Saitani with Majinken - Demon Fang!
GS: Yue Rohay has completed her action.
GS: Ratatoskr takes a solid hit from Ambrosius's Guarded Strike for 86 hit points!
GS: Cover! applied to Ambrosius!
GS: Ambrosius assumes the Stoic stance!
GS: Ratatoskr used Mystic on Ratatoskr! Status effect durations increased by 2! Temporary HP duration increased by 2!
GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.

    "Indeed, CR-S01. These are your orders," she says to Yue.
    "Heh," she utters, as if somewhat amused at the Minder's behavior. "Indeed. For the glory of the Veruni, no. 7."

    Ambrosius gives warning. From above.

    Amaterasu moves before she can process, fully, what she has dodged. She clears the roof just as Ratatoskr comes dropping in.
    Catapulting to the next one over, she calls back to Ambrosius, "I'll leave them both in your hands!" before zeroing in on Chime, a possible source of trouble considering her vantage point a few buildings over. She trades but one flashing strike for the young elf before dropping down to engage the one who appears to have discipline baked into her being.

    Mark her well: the both of them are trouble, they're simply trouble in different directions. One for positioning and apparent abilities, the other for the stories her movements alone suggest. Soldiers know the mark of soldiers.

    "Would you surrender, then?" she asks of Chime, tilting her masked face up for the eaves. "Come quietly and you may yet go unharmed. Hmm, hmm. Your kind rarely choose 'quietly'."

    Case in point: Lily, who opens fire with an apology (of sorts). Amaterasu snaps Valkyrja out, catching the flurry of shots with the laser-like blade--

    --when the attack reveals itself to be a feint--

    --and brings around the butt-end of the polearm in a whirling spin to attempt to disrupt the cone of ice.
    She partially, though not entirely, succeeds, ice riming her exposed plate. Amaterasu drops back a step, a necessity to fully weather the shredding storm.

    Glowing green eyelets stare down Lily for the moment.

    "I see. I was right. You--"

    She lunges at Lily blade first; this is itself a feint. She makes to slam the pole of her weapon into the woman's shins, to ram the butt into her stomach.

    "--are a soldier!"

    Whatever comes of Lily, she leaves the woman behind, instead running for the building atop where Chime is perched.
    She runs straight up the wall, leaping over the lip for the roof.

    "And you-- a sniper, I suppose--"

    As below so above: she attempts to sweep Chime off her feet in a quite literal fashion, driving another jousting thrust with the unbladed end as in an attempt to knock her from the roof. "--I will not have you shooting me in the back."

    Her armor can ill afford it.

GS: Ashton Anchors critically Guards a hit from Ambrosius's Scything Swing for 26 hit points!
GS: Mighty! applied to Ambrosius!
GS: You do not have enough actions remaining to use that attack.
GS: Amaterasu has attacked Lily Keil with De Minimus!
GS: Amaterasu has attacked Chime Isa with De Minimus!
GS: Amaterasu has completed her action.
GS: Chime Isa takes a glancing hit from Amaterasu's De Minimus for 62 hit points!
GS: Hyper! applied to Amaterasu!
GS: Lily Keil guards a hit from Amaterasu's De Minimus for 80 hit points!
GS: Marivel Armitage takes a glancing hit from Yue Rohay's Majinken - Demon Fang for 56 hit points!
GS: Acacia Saitani critically Guards a hit from Yue Rohay's Majinken - Demon Fang for 20 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    "Words?" Ratatoskr's solid yellow eyes gleam ever brighter. "Swords! Say it with swords...!" That is a painful rhyme. It is such a painful rhyme that Hyadean regeneration may not be able to cover that. The knee dive on his part is rough enough that even the hyperactive, battle-crazed Ratatoskr has to take himself a moment to stand back up, at which point Ambrosius appears to disengage to deal with Ashton.
     Ratatoskr is momentarily conflicted. He wants to fight Ambrosius, he wants to fight Ashton, but it also is really cool to watch both of them fight and this could be one of the only times he'll ever get to see Ashton and Ambrosius fight one another. (Thinking very hard about which past andor present war hero would win in a fight with another past andor present war hero is a hobby!)
     ...He could fight them all at the same time. Great idea!! Ratatoskr does mistake Ambrosius' changed priorities for an opening as he rushes forward, finding himself met with a pair of punches. One right in the chest to arrest his momentum. One taps him in the chin, and there is quicksilver as Ratatoskr tumbles back across the building, behind a contest of eclairs. Not even that far off from Amaterasu as she's moving in to sweep the short elf Chime from under her feet. It buys Ambrosius precious seconds to assert his defensive posture - at least from Ratatoskr's angle.
     "...Who did you fight so far...? I can tell... I can tell! You've been fighting." He grins as he comes back up, his tail swishing as he lunges forward again. (Wait, who's he asking? Ambrosius or Ashton? Who knows.)
     He leads in on Ambrosius with a horizontal elbow strike from his (Ratatoskr's) left, with a surprise - moments later it discharges, point-blank, a shotgun-like blast of compressed air.

GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Ambrosius with One Armed Dual Wield!
GS: Ratatoskr has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
GS: Ambrosius critically Guards a hit from Ratatoskr's One Armed Dual Wield for 29 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ashton Anchors has posed.

Ambrosius lashes out with devastating speed. His strike meets steel - Ashton's off-hand blade comes up in the deft parry of a seasoned warrior. The force of the impact slides him back a step... but only a step.

And just as quickly, Ashton takes that step back and advances on the Veruni. "If that is your idea of not missing, I have little to fear."

Blades slice through the air - though not intending to connect with Ambrosius. Instead they leave pale white-blue traces in the air behind them. Geometric shapes form - a cross, a diamond, a hexagon and more. Each form fills in afterwards and then shatters. As each breaks, the shards are projected forward with shredding speed.

"Also," he feels compelled to point out as ice fills the air, "I just want to make sure you're aware that I am NOT with this lunatic. And he's correct that we will have both words AND swords after this is done!"

GS: Ashton Anchors has attacked Ambrosius with Northern Cross!
GS: Ashton Anchors has completed his action.
GS: Ambrosius critically Guards a hit from Ashton Anchors's Northern Cross for 24 hit points!
GS:  Dispel reduces positive status durations by 3 rounds each!
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"I did offer the sweets," Marivel admits shamelessly. "But to be honest I made them before the city was on fire, I am not a monster."

She pauses.

"Well I am a monster, but my heart beats for the common man." Pause. "Well maybe not beats, exactly."

Yue points out, then, that she was always the type to gambol about. Marivel raises an eyebrow. "I was?" That was not HER perception of how she behave in the old days but she can't entirely just flat out reject what Yue is saying because compared to Yue's life? Compared to that, you can gambol about by sitting still.

"Well, I suppose I am my mother's daughter in the end, fu fu fu...."

She is winged by Yue's demon fang but vanishes shortly thereafter into the air with the plate of eclairs. Yue is open! Marivel doesn't take much advantage of this because she simply says, "Aport!" and teleports once more to where that pole with Yue's blood on it.

And then a pail falls from the sky towards Yue's head. It has a small hole on the end for Yue's ahoge to poke through with enough room to maneuver and a >:D face drawn on it in marker.

"And you were always Ravineous for delicious pastries...!" Marivel says, chomping down on a strawberry eclair that gets eclair goo everywhere.

She looks over to Lily for a moment and adds, "Oh it's alright. She's covered wars, you know, and Yue isn't a violent person." You know for an assassin gladiator eternal prisoner.

"I brought you a gift too." Marivel says, of the pail. "Very cute together."

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Yue Rohay with Ultimate Red Skill Aport!
GS: Marivel Armitage has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Incredibly advanced ARMs, a dead language on the lips of their prisoner, and even the more familiar operative is one known for being dangerous. This is not Lily's ideal situation, given the injuries she's already taken. And yet...

'I was right. You--are a soldier!'

"As charged," Lily agrees, though it turns into half a grunt as she moves to shove at the metal part of the polearm to block, except that a feint applies for her, too--a nasty noise as metal hits shin, though Lily has time to brace herself before the hit to her stomach and let herself flow backwards with it. Gritting her teeth, she looks up after where Amaterasu has gone. The sheer ability of the woman's athleticism...

"But it takes one to know one, doesn't it?"

She cannot make such a leap unaided, so she stows her ARM and sets her hands pointing downward. Bending at the knee, she gleams with orange light--and then explodes upward, flames carrying her into the air abrubtly with all the heat of the inferno blazing elsewhere in the city. She pulls the ordinary broadsword from her side, and when her boots hit roof, she advances in a series of powerful strikes, strikes that would batter through the defenses of ordinary soldiers easily.

"First lieutenant, Kislevi special forces unit 'Black Wolves'... retired," she quips.

"<Speed Fang> and <Demon Fang> both sound violent," Lily answers, pronouncing the names in the ancient language perfectly without apparent effort. "As long as we get intel out of here--"

Hack--

GS: Lily Keil has attacked Amaterasu with Avalanche Stance!
GS: Lily Keil has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

    At Lily's words, Chime responds "Mmm, I like the assumption of there is a later." as she lifts her right crossbow focusing on it for a moment. The bolt inside begins to glow with an orange light. To Amaterasu she says "That wouldn't be at all fun, nor true to myself to surrender. My wings are my freedom, not the shackles of others." smiling brightly, and keeping that smile as she watches her movements and already braces to dodge way.

    "While I apperciate the concern of being shot in the back, I fear I can't help it when given an inviting target." she says brightly, jumping not sideways but up with the motion of the swung blade. The move only partially works, the very end of the jousting thrust still landing home against her side forcing her to twirl away mid-air.

    "Ugh, always the ones with reach." she comments as she still mid-air brings her right crossbow to bear and fires the brillant orange bolt at Amaterasu that'll shatter on impact with anything. It's the only action she has time for before coming to a tumbling landing on the paving stones turning a hard landing into a hard roll and coming up on her feet with a slight grimace over a bruise under her shit but still smiling for the time.

GS: Chime Isa has attacked Amaterasu with Breaker Bolt!
GS: Chime Isa has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Chime Isa has completed her action.
GS: Yue Rohay completely evades a hit from Marivel Armitage's Ultimate Red Skill Aport!
GS: Amaterasu guards a hit from Lily Keil's Avalanche Stance for 59 hit points!
GS: Mighty! applied to Lily Keil!
GS: Amaterasu takes a solid hit from Chime Isa's Breaker Bolt for 16 hit points!
GS: Break! applied to Amaterasu!
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

    "That doesn't count when the journalist herself doesn't know the whole story," Acacia grumbles back to Marivel, rather no-selling that thumbs up as she plants one hand on her hip. "I could almost say you were hiding things yourself--"

    The next moment she's yelped in surprise; she honestly wasn't expecting Marivel to actually get hit by the attack, since she's built up kind of a mental image of the Crimson Noble being bulletproof. At least the vampire doesn't seem terribly hurt, but of all things Acacia finds herself suddenly juggling a baked good in her hands, grimacing at a Snacking Reporter's worst weakness: the thought of cream on the lens.

    She almost sets it down, or tosses it aside - but a rebellious thought tells her to say screw it, and cram the thing into her mouth. There's a lull, after all, especially with the way the Commander talks to her opponent, leaving Yue visibly... visibly something. Acacia can't pick out if it's concern for the Minder or a self-indulgent acceptance or a regret, but there's something recognizable, and she makes a note of that for later.

    "... no, that's okay," she puffs when she's addressed by Yue's apology. "I think I know who you're talking about, and it's not exactly your fault. I wouldn't mind knowing more, but it's not exactly the right time, huh?" she finds herself smirking a little to herself, glancing at Marivel's appraisal of her. "And, don't worry. As Spira's only damn reporter right now--"

    She jukes forwards, expecting an attempt to distract her given the way Yue's so focused on her prize; the redhead practically slides around the wave of force this time, using the momentum of the spinning dodge to meet the Veruni's fall back to the ground with a rolling punch. "--I've got my professional pride to think of!"

GS: Acacia Saitani has attacked Yue Rohay with First Printing!
GS: Acacia Saitani has completed her action.
GS: Yue Rohay completely evades a hit from Acacia Saitani's First Printing!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

Ambrosius glances toward Ashton at his quip. He does not respond, and his face, concealed as it is by a helmet, does not betray any outward emotion. That might make it even worse.

Ratatoskr lunges forward toward him again as Ashton swings his blades through the air.

Ambrosius meets Ratatoskr's shoulder-lunge with his forearm. The force of the two impacts causes the ceiling tile beneath his feet to shatter. Anticipating what comes next, Ambrosius turns, shifts his arm to force Ratatoskr to slide, causing the blast of compressed air to fire off instead at Ashton's hail of shards, eliminating quite a few of them.

Some of them still manage to get through, shattering against his armor.

"You may surrender at any time. I am not after your lives, merely your compliance." Ambrosius replies to Ashton. He does not respond to Ratatoskr's question - he has seen too many fights to recount them all, and what's more he does not wish to encourage the Hyadean.

Suddenly, he draws out an ARM of red and silver - his primary weapon, the Veritas Varia. A shot of green energy is fired off toward Ratatoskr - energy that causes a draining illness if it takes hold.

Around his other hand, water is beginning to swirl and converge. It takes the form of a spinning disc that is sent flying toward Ashton, slicing through everything in its path from the sheer pressure.

GS: Ambrosius has spent 1 Combo on Poison, including 3 on Gatling!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ratatoskr with VV-VENENO!
GS: Ambrosius has spent 3 Combo on Gatling, including 3 on Gatling!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ashton Anchors with Aqua Cutter!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
GS: Ashton Anchors critically Guards a hit from Ambrosius's Aqua Cutter for 29 hit points!
GS: Ashton Anchors enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Slow expired!
GS: Ratatoskr takes a solid hit from Ambrosius's VV-VENENO for 100 hit points!
GS: Ratatoskr has been weakened by Disease! Temporary hit points tick down 1 round!
GS: Ratatoskr suffers an additional 27 from Poison's Combo effect!
GS: Disease and Poison! applied to Ratatoskr!
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.

    "'Fun'. Hmm." The soldier seems to regard Chime for the moment, weapon held aloft in a ready stance. "I have typically thought 'living' to be of a higher priority for most," Amaterasu comments. "I suppose there are all sorts, even in a war."

    Chime declares, again, that it is her determination to stand her ground.

    "Then you have made your decision," Amaterasu declares, facing Chime down, her metal mask's eyes ablaze with that ill-omened light. "I cannot promise you will not regret this," she adds, pivoting toward the would-be sniper, particularly when she sights the smaller elf arcing that crossbow towards her. She leaps, suddenly--

    Just not quickly enough. The bolt slams into her chestplate with a resounding crack, dropping the Veruni commando down towards the roof with a crash of tilework.

    She does not stay there. Rising with the polearm set in a charge, blade at ready, she lunges for Chime like a bolt of lightning.
    She does not, should she hit, content herself with a single strike.

    And then she simply drops from the roof, lancing downwards to meet Lily -- and the rising blade, the rising flame -- in a singluar lancing stab.

    Her armor is singed. Her armor is cracked. Her clothing is charred. But she still stands, defiant, the polearm held low in her right hand alone.

    "I see. Face me, then, First Lieutenant Lily Keil, formerly of the Black Wolves. If you dare."

GS: Amaterasu has spent 3 Combo on Gatling, including 3 on Gatling!
GS: Amaterasu has attacked Chime Isa with Vis Major!
GS: Amaterasu has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Amaterasu enters a Counter stance!
GS: Amaterasu has attacked Lily Keil with Trial De Novo!
GS: Amaterasu has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Amaterasu has completed her action.
GS: Lily Keil takes a solid hit from Amaterasu's Trial De Novo for 178 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

    There's a look at Lily as she catches the commando speaking the names of her techniques flawlessly. Oh, how fascinating! "Hmm. Quite the historian, are you?" she quips idly towards the Black Wolf, though she can't pay too much attention because--

    "Only for eclairs, dear Mari. And ahh-- here comes Aport, on my Starboard..."

    Yue completely evades this attack but do not despair dear monster, because she doesn't duck the helmet out of the way. No, instead she just leaps up and lets the pail land on her head harmlessly.

    Her ahoge poits out after wiggling through, and she looks to the Minder for a moment. "Dear Minder, look. We are matched now."

    The Minder explodes again (!>_<!) with her arms over the brim of her hat as she whines, "We do not! My helmet is much prettier than your... your dummy buckethead, you nincompoop, CR-S01!!"

    There's a pout, which is well-timed coincidentally with Acacia's spinning dodge rolling straight into her bucketface which, the shock, the horror-- gets cleaved in two as her head breaks free. She gives Acacia a little wink.

    "Well. I would not mind getting to know you more myself, Milady," she remarks with a very quiet smirk. "Pray bear witness. I am a convict. Who knows what kind of horrible, unforgiveable things I have been charged guilty of?"

    Marivel's commented on how she can do more than that, so she does--

    "<Moon Glare!>"

    With another powerful pivot, Yue's engaged Acacia with her foot scooped forward for a rising crescent kick. As she sweeps forward, an eruption of bright golden ki arcs in the shape of a crescent, waning moon eponymous of the Arte's namesake--

    "<Moon Fall!>"

    --and with effort, she's extended the Arte as she rises to Marivel's space to reverse her kick as her ki similarly reverses to the presence of a waxing, gibbous moon.

GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Acacia Saitani with Gessenkou - Moon Glare!
GS: Yue Rohay has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Marivel Armitage with Gessenkohou - Moon Fall!
GS: Yue Rohay has completed her action.
GS: Chime Isa takes a solid hit from Amaterasu's Vis Major for 151 hit points!
GS: Acacia Saitani guards a hit from Yue Rohay's Gessenkou - Moon Glare for 85 hit points!
GS: CRITICAL! Marivel Armitage takes a solid hit from Yue Rohay's Gessenkohou - Moon Fall for 189 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ratatoskr's eyes flicker as Ambrosius skillfully turns one assault into a defense against another, the push as such forcing him to take some steps back to maintain balance even with the handy anatomical advantage of having a tail for this very purpose.
     "That was awesome..." Ratatoskr, a.k.a. 'the lunatic,' says in a hushed but reverent whisper as Ambrosius once again clarifies that he is asking for their surrender. "Why don't you want to fight?" He asks, somewhere around the time the Veritas Varia gets pointed in Ratatoskr's direction. He looks at it studiously, as green energy builds. He seems mesmerized by this. Then he lunges for it--
     --and the green energy washes around the crazed chronicler of human warriors (and their close cousins and/or confusable facsimilies thereof). It feels and appears as debilitating as it looks, coughing up a glob of darkened silvery gunk as Hyadean regeneration goes overtime trying to be rid of this invasive /thing/.
     The downside to having regenerative capabilities is that poison works its fell magic faster. More painfully. Maybe the Metal Demons would have been easier to overturn if they used specific pesticides against them.
     "If you're not hurt..." Ratatoskr coughs. That grin doesn't leave him. It never does, even as a clawed hand wavers in front of his face as dizziness takes hold. "Then you've got something? You've got something... a message?! An item...? I want to know it..."
     He throws himself at Ambrosius again, a frantic sequence of blows. Arms, legs, elbows, knees, even a tail sweep here and there. "Show it! Show it! Show it! Show it!! Hyahaha--! I want to keep it...! It's history...!!"

GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ratatoskr has spent 3 Combo on Gatling, including 3 on Gatling!
GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Ambrosius with Ceaseless Conflict!
GS: Ratatoskr takes 22 damage from Poison!
GS: Burst expired!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
GS: Ambrosius guards a hit from Ratatoskr's Ceaseless Conflict for 85 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ashton Anchors has posed.

"Afraid I can't surrender." That should surprise no one - who actually would give up?

A buzzsaw of water comes hurling at Ashton to try and convince him otherwise. It fails to do so in spectacular fashion: Ashton's arms glow red for a moment. And in turn, both short swords ignite. "Doubledemon Sword!" He leaps right into the path of danger like a protagonist.

Hot knife meets liquid saw, and Ashton quite literally cuts his way through the attack. The water quenches the fire of his blades, however, preventing the flaming swords from being brought to bear.

"If it makes you feel any better, it's mostly out of principle rather than anything personal." Rich golden brown tattoos light up along Ashton's arms. "You're being quite reasonable about this."

A flurry of leaves are swept in by an errant breeze, forming a whirling dance around the Symbological Swordsman. "Even if you keep trying to shoot me immediately every time you see me. That's sort of a jerk move."

Then, like lightning - he strikes. Out of the cloud of leaves, Ashton rockets towards and past Ambrosius. Blades slash scissor-like with a wake of foliage behind.

GS: Ashton Anchors enters a Counter stance!
GS: Ashton Anchors has attacked Ambrosius with Leaf Slash!
GS: Ashton Anchors has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ashton Anchors has completed his action.
GS: Ambrosius guards a hit from Ashton Anchors's Leaf Slash for 58 hit points!
GS: Ambrosius enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Disrupt expired!
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

    Chime's smile doesn't falter as Amaterasu charges her, enough to remark "Regret is for those that do not truly live." As she begins to dance backwards weaving. It's not enough by far, her purple shit, vest, and leather pants take on several new slicing cuts. Blood wells from several shallow wounds and while not a single one by itself is dangerous the lot together bodes ill.

    "Tsk." Chime makes a small noise, but as the warrior drops away she takes the moment to pull out a Filgaian Crest. Holding the card up, she focuses on it as it wells with a greenish-blue light that sweeps down around her and then across to Lily enveloping her too in a vitalizing light as the red-haired elf uses a Hi-Heal crest by overflooding it with power to extend it's effects.

GS: Chime Isa has activated a Force Action!
GS: Chime Isa has attacked Chime Isa with Hi-Heal!
GS: Chime Isa has attacked Lily Keil with Hi-Heal!
GS: Chime Isa has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Chime Isa has completed her action.
GS: Chime Isa heals Chime Isa! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
GS: Chime Isa heals Lily Keil! She gains 200 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

"So you'd think," Lily calls back to Yue, noting that Amaterasu does not response--which may mean something, may not. Since, after all, the two of them are both busy, all the moreso as the next moment comes. Lily moves up, swings her blade--

And that polearm slides through Lily's side, carving through what remains of armor and leather both and spraying blood through the flames and onto the ground. Lily hits the wall on her way up, momentum only partly arresting her stance, and kicks off of it to hit the ground at a roll, rising.

...Her sword, on the other hand, does not survive the process, and she finds herself holding half a weapon before she tosses it to the side.

"If the Avehans had sent more like you at us I might've been more interested in staying," Lily admits, wary, a little tense with obvious injury--but thoughtful rather than frightened. "You're a soldier yourself, but hardly ordinary. That weapon isn't standard issue for Althena's people, nor is your armor. ...And you move stronger than any human would."

Lily does not reply about assumptions, for the moment. "Not that I'm complaining." She says this despite the now freely-bleeding injury at her side, the obvious-treated head wound she must have suffered earlier, and generally implausible 'continuing to stand' despite everything. She breathes in, then, quickly--"<...Engaging accumulation procedure>," she murmurs, and then grits her teeth, "--No. No, I don't need... that."

Without explaining, she shakes her head, and puts out both hands. Even as she feels a light envelop her--she decides she can use it. The drips of blood that are falling from her abrubtly pause--and a little few globules float around her, as her hair rises, the hem of her shirt--as if gravity just slightly ceases to apply.

"On the contrary," Lily says. "...I think if you don't regret anything... You've lived a pretty dull life."

Purple light dances across Lily's face, down her chin, down her arms in circuit patterns, obvious this time as the light around her dims visibly. "I'm interested to see how this magic interacts with weapons made out of light..." Though it is not easy to continue just like this. "Mystery soldier."

It's between them, then--a speck of darkness that implodes abrubtly, pulls cobblestones towards it from the ground, broken wood, dust, even flaming debris--all collects at a point too dense to escape, and then bursts outward in sudden graying light; multiple strange white-gray explosions follow, each difficult to look upon with the eye, each a somehow profane rent in reality itself.

Lily shouts with her spell, but doesn't name it; her eyes just grow black, and will stay even with the magic fades.

GS: Lily Keil has attacked Amaterasu with Witch's Hammer!
GS: Lily Keil has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Hyper expired!
GS: Lily Keil has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Acacia!" Marivel complains. "You broke my gift! Uggh, if only I had proper supplies, I could have made it so much cuter and durable...!" She pauses for a moment, frowning as she studies Acacia's and Yue's interactions with oen another. Is that battle flirting or just flirting? They are so similar it's tough to tell!

Yue then promptly kicks Marivel so hard that she is lifted off the ground and sent flying through the air. It turns out that fast moving + clobbers with their feet can be tough for someone with cast times but there's a distinct sense that despite everything, Marivel (and perhaps even Yue herself) aren't exactly going all out here. Marivel at least is treating it like some kind of game. The eclairs leap into the air for a moment before Marivel swings the platter to catch most of them, lashnig out with a hand to snag one which she--

--chucks towards Ashton Anchors without any warning.

"Fu fu fu time is running out!" She says even though that's clearly not true. There's still plenty of eclairs here Yue!

Marivel then jumps back up to her feet and exhales faintly.

"But it seems you have used your time well... Very well."

She smiles at Acacia briefly then a bigger grin once she realizes Acacia actually ate the eclair.

A grin that only widens at Acacia's self description. "Professor..." She murmurs to herself. "Your descendents are pretty cool." Acacia won't get to hear that though because this is Marivel we're talking about and she always says such things quietly.

She does, however look to Yue and says, "Mm.... Well how about.... I kick it up a notch myself." Her eyes flash red. "ESCAPE DOWN!"

More of those runic symbols start crackling into being around Yue, threatening to considerably weaken her defenses!

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Yue Rohay with Escape Down!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
GS: COUNTER! Amaterasu counterattacks Lily Keilwith Counter Attack!
GS: CRITICAL! Amaterasu takes a solid hit from Lily Keil's Witch's Hammer for 270 hit points!
GS: Amaterasu has been weakened by Disease! Temporary hit points tick down 1 round!
GS: Disease! applied to Amaterasu!
GS: Amaterasu enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Disrupt expired!
GS: Lily Keil takes a solid hit from Amaterasu's Counter Attack for 121 hit points!
GS: Yue Rohay takes a solid hit from Marivel Armitage's Escape Down for 0 hit points!
GS: Yue Rohay has been weakened by Disease! Temporary hit points tick down 1 round!
GS: Disease, Entangle, and Shieldbreak! applied to Yue Rohay!
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

    Acacia does at least manage to bring up her arms in time to block - but that doesn't mean a great deal against a Veruni's strength, the reporter feeling the bladed heel rip against the slight armor her gloves provide. The momentum of the kick lifts her up and buffets her back, the sting of a nasty cut along her forearms sharpening her senses.

    Her landing is not graceful - she staggers back a step, wincing as she clutches one arm - but she does at least manage to keep her footing, glaring from under her hair at the shackled woman. "Yeah, right," she huffs as she brings her arm up to wipe it against her mouth. "I'm not sure 'horrible, unforgivable things' get you wheeled out to participate in wars. Or even kept around all that long, usually" she adds, thoughts beginning to assemble in her mind.

    She doesn't say more than that, but her gaze does kind of betray her. The glance at Yue, sizing up her shackles - it's obvious she could probably run if she wanted, and she's collected enough that Acacia suspects her imprisonment isn't exactly harsh. Add in the 'Commander's veiled threat-- and the second flick of her eyes is towards the Minder, who isn't exactly the harsh prison mistress you'd normally associated with Yue's depiction of herself.

    She can smell a story, she thinks - or rather, she can smell a backstory, and for once it isn't hers or Marivel's or Kamui's. And no sooner has that thought arrived than every instinct she has screams at her not to bring it up. Not yet. Definitely not with the 'Commander' nearby. Don't press it.

    "Well, shit," she mutters to herself, knowing better than to ignore that impulse. Instead, she pushes herself forwards on the attack. Yue's combat style seems to involve a lot of jumping - and that means she has another chance to try to meet the woman on the way down. This time, rather than rush in, she's more cautious - but the first jab flares with a sudden gout of flame, and the knee she thrusts up is accompanied by a sudden plating of jagged ice spikes out of nowhere, gone in an instant.

GS: Acacia Saitani enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Acacia Saitani has attacked Yue Rohay with Special Edition!
GS: Acacia Saitani has completed her action.
GS: Yue Rohay takes a solid hit from Acacia Saitani's Special Edition for 105 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

"It is not a matter of 'wanting' or 'not wanting' to fight. It is simply unnecessary - or it can be. But you...you are not the sort who would ever back down, are you?" Ambrosius replies.

Meanwhile, Ashton cuts through his saw of water. Ambrosius takes note of this.

"I can respect that you hold to your principles." Ambrosius states, in response to Ashton's comment. Ratatoskr is upon him suddenly with a flurry both of blows and demands that he show something. Ambrosius cannot defend against all of them - particularly not when Ashton appears out of a cloud of leaves, striking him with a pair of slashes. Ambrosius takes a step back.

"I refuse." He says, plainly and succinctly, to Ratatoskr's request - well, more like demand. And to Ashton...

"However, I have my own principles I must hold to. And if you will not desist.." With that said, he levels at his ARM at Ashton and Ratatoskr both.

It happens in an instant.

A surge of water surrounds Ambrosius and then he's moving along with it - firing shot after shot at the two of them. With each shot the parts of Veritas Varia are swapped out, resulting in a barrage of many different effects.

GS: Ambrosius has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ambrosius has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ambrosius with Turbulent Tides!
GS: Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Ambrosius's Turbulent Tides for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Quick! applied to Ambrosius!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ratatoskr with Veritas Varia!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ashton Anchors with Veritas Varia!
GS: Ambrosius has launched an attack Link!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ratatoskr with Veritas Varia Veritus!
GS: Ambrosius has attacked Ashton Anchors with Veritas Varia Veritus!
GS: Ratatoskr takes a glancing hit from Ambrosius's Veritas Varia for 0 hit points!
GS:  Dispel reduces positive status durations by 3 rounds each!
GS: Ratatoskr has been weakened by Disease! Temporary hit points tick down 1 round!
GS: Disease! applied to Ratatoskr!
GS: Ratatoskr takes a glancing hit from Ambrosius's Veritas Varia Veritus for 77 hit points!
GS:  Infect extends negative status by 1 round!
GS: Poison! applied to Ratatoskr!
GS: Ashton Anchors guards a hit from Ambrosius's Veritas Varia for 0 hit points!
GS: Ashton Anchors has been weakened by Disease! Temporary hit points tick down 1 round!
GS: Disease! applied to Ashton Anchors!
GS: COUNTER! Ashton Anchors counterattacks Ambrosiuswith Counter Attack!
GS: Ashton Anchors takes a solid hit from Ambrosius's Veritas Varia Veritus for 175 hit points!
GS:  Infect extends negative status by 1 round!
GS: Poison! applied to Ashton Anchors!
GS: Ambrosius guards a hit from Ashton Anchors's Counter Attack for 78 hit points!
GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ratatoskr has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ambrosius has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

    There's a little arc of Yue's eyebrow at some of the words she hears escaping from Lily. A quiet, thin-lipped smile, perhaps, but nothing more than that. Even Lily herself says she doesn't quite need it right now.

    But she has bigger needs right now, because she actually manages to land a hit on Marivel that might be a wee bit harder than she expected it to be. The very momentary look of concern is quietly replaced with--

    "W... what does Escape Down mean. What does that even mmmmmeaaaaaannnnuuooohh--"

    Because runic symbols erupt around her and while the first one failed because of Hungeeness this one's too powerful, in part because

    Yue can't comprehend the true form of Marivel's attack!

    "Escape was not even in my mind!" Yue baldfacedly lies in time to just get successfully anti-aired by Acacia's literal, as those experienced in the business call it, DP. There's a grinnace (that's a grin comboed with a grimace) as she manages to catch it in time on her shackles of all things, which, being enormous things made of metal affords her some defence--

    But less so against a knice (which is a knee comboed with ice). Yue goes flying against another lamp post, and pings down onto the floor.

    "Pray create for me a most beautiful Aport next time we sport in combat," Yue begs of Marivel in the middle of wheezing from having her lungs' air kicked out of her. A smile is cracked again as she looks to Acacia.

    "A rudimentary combat style, not strictly adhering to any martial discipline. Self-taught, street-wise. Yet laced with elemental power familiar to me..." Yue doesn't quite finish. "Yours is a most fascinating style, Lady Acacia. I am most entranced."

    She doesn't comment on Marivel's fighting style because Aport.

    "Nngh.... I shall require more strength to continue... come to me, dear friend."

    Yue lets out a sharp whistle, and there is aflutter of wings as a dread and possibly cataclysmic fact that not even a certain dragonscaled Hyadean would ever dare cross between the worlds because she's not a villain:

    A cucco is here in Lunar.

    And it lands comfortably on Yue's shoulder as she reaches and gracefully plucks a feather from her fine-feathered friend, placing it in her mouth like it were a straw of wheat.

    "... you are always ever at my side, Coccoro. Thank you. Now, with your gift... I will present something a little more-- hm. What would your word be for it... rowdy?"

    The now cucco-shouldered woman leaps back and springs coiled upon the cobblestone and strikes at the tip of her heel, creating a large wellspring of ki to gather at its very point.

    "<Arcane Arte!>"

    She uncoils, springing forward with her hind leg as she lets her forward-facing foot race across with the power of a gale-forced wind reminiscent of the charge of a fine-feathered fiend:

GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Acacia Saitani with Kuukko Zesshougeki - Mega Cucco Thrust!
GS: Yue Rohay has attacked Marivel Armitage with Kuukko Zesshougeki - Mega Cucco Thrust!
GS: Yue Rohay has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Yue Rohay has completed her action.
GS: Marivel Armitage takes a glancing hit from Yue Rohay's Kuukko Zesshougeki - Mega Cucco Thrust for 80 hit points!
GS: Shieldbreak! applied to Marivel Armitage!
<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.

    "Once, I dealt with those who spoke such as you," Amaterasu says to Chime, her voice tinny from behind the mask. "One by one, they learned regret. Solitary confinement, I have found, is an excellent tutor in regret."

    Amaterasu does not, in fact, react to the words Lily echoes perfectly, that were so spoken by Yue. Does this mean such language is typical enough among her kind that she thinks nothing of it? Or could it mean she doesn't speak the language -- is not a scholar, herself?
    Or perhaps it's the chaos of the current battle that stays her from commenting. Amaterasu is of a single-minded bent, particularly when it comes to war, her domain.

    "Kislev, you said," Amaterasu comments, weapon still held at her side, as if to goad Lily into taking that opening. "Hmm. I have never fought a human from 'Kislev'. From the west, is it? Your style is new to me, though your spells are not." She tilts her head ever so slightly, as if she were an inquisitive bird. A stork, perhaps, given her height.
    Human women are not commonly so tall. Human women do not usually have pointed ears.
    Humans, period, are not so fast. So strong.

    "Understand this, Lily Keil, former Black Wolf. I am Amaterasu of the Veruni, and I have fought many of your kin if not of your country. I have slain many humans across Elru. I have fought against even the ones whispered of in hushed words, 'Solaris'. I am no stranger to your people's talents and limitations, Lily Keil, the once Black Wolf."

    "Will you still fight me, knowing this? Or will you surrender and lay down your blade?"

    Lily's response is, in and of itself, a simple one.
    She restores her wounds -- drawing on the energy Chime brings forth to empower her own talents -- with a speed that would put Amaterasu's own talents to shame.
    Lily intends to fight. And as for Chime...

    Amaterasu lifts her head. "Ah. I see my sniper is also a healer. Well, then... I will have to be certain to bring you to heel."

    Like any soldier, she knows well the dictum: remove the support and sap the front lines. Chime is the support. Which makes Lily...

    "...Interesting," Amaterasu comments, perhaps noting the change in Lily's eyes.
    Before reality is torn in two.
    Before reality is defiled.

    She doesn't move to block or evade it -- she stands there, taking the attack upon herself. Letting it wash over her.

    In the silence that follows, Amaterasu's chest plate cracks to the stone road, rent in pieces and steaming with fell power. Amaterasu herself takes one staggering step.

    And then lunges for Lily, bladed spear aloft.

    Amaterasu rips Valkyrja back, pivoting on her heel and permits herself one ragged breath. "...No. I do not know your power," she states. "But enough. I have seen enough."

    Her hand reaches forward for the aperture at the base of the blade. With a twist, she releases it.

    Light streams from the weapon, an enormous photon beam saber.

    "Black Wolf. Sniper. The both of you..."

    She grips the polearm with both hands. She swings. For Lily. For the building upon which Chime stands.
    All is light.

    "...HAVE BEEN JUDGED!"

GS: Amaterasu has activated a Boss Action!
GS: You have activated the Boss Action Extend!
GS: Amaterasu has activated a Force Action!
GS: You have activated the Force Action Full Clip!
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ratatoskr is thrust a distance back as Ambrosius at least manages to deflect enough of his blows that he could push Ratatoskr back anyway, the Rapid Attacker of an army that no longer exists coming just shy of falling off where they presently battle.
     "Ashton Anchors, Twin Symbologist Swordsman," Ratatoskr says the name aloud as he crosses his arms - coming up to his full, intimidating height, "doesn't back down... it's great... when we fight, he comes after me with everything he has...!" He doesn't need Ratatoskr to defend his honor or confirm Ambrosius' praise, but, there he goes anyway. "Hyahaha--! He's one of my favorites of the modern day... but you know... I was hoping to see the legendary Besaid Aurochs take to battle today too..."
     Reality still hasn't caught up to him. Maybe it's given up trying, in the face of so many coincidental circumstances that have conspired to snatch the truth away from him there.
     "...So if I take it... the message, or whatever you're carrying... will you give me your all too?" Ratatoskr muses aloud as he gets shot at. Musing aloud tends to lower survival rates of being shot at, as more of that awful debilitating injury washes over him. He put a good front of being able to talk without being in excruciating pain. His systems reject and cough up more dark gray gunk. His limbs tingle. His posture leans forward, as if more bestial, raising his arms again as he tries to move further in as Ambrosius fires more shots. More venom. More numbing agents. So many colors, so many feelings, so many ways to put a body into shock as the various rounds glance or pierce through.
     "Why desist...? Why desist!" Ratatoskr says as he is down on all fours, shy of crawling as he comes up underneath Ambrosius. A calculated (...by Ratatoskr standards) attempt to thrust the horn on his head into Ambrosius' abdomen, as a great energy builds through that ARM.
     "Because if you got a piece of history..."
     The horn's energy explodes outwards from point blank, threatening to carry Ambrosius up in an explosive beam of energy.
     "...I want it... all of it!!!"

GS: Amaterasu has attacked Lily Keil with Res Judicata!
GS: Amaterasu has attacked Chime Isa with Res Judicata!
GS: Amaterasu has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Break expired!
GS: Amaterasu has completed her action.
GS: Ratatoskr has spent 2 Combo on Gatling, including 2 on Gatling!
GS: Ratatoskr has attacked Ambrosius with Yggdrasil Burst!
GS: Ratatoskr takes 27 damage from Poison!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
GS: Ambrosius takes a solid hit from Ratatoskr's Yggdrasil Burst for 139 hit points!
GS: Ambrosius has Fallen! He is no longer able to fight!
GS: Chime Isa takes a glancing hit from Amaterasu's Res Judicata for 108 hit points!
GS: Acacia Saitani takes a solid hit from Yue Rohay's Kuukko Zesshougeki - Mega Cucco Thrust for 167 hit points!
GS: Shieldbreak! applied to Acacia Saitani!
GS: Lily Keil takes a solid hit from Amaterasu's Res Judicata for 216 hit points!
GS: Lily Keil has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"It means there is no escape for you! Ga ha ha ha!" Marivel cackles. "Ga ha ha ha! You bet, only the best Aports for Yue Rohay! But enough joking around... Tis time I tell you, Yue Rohay... the truth...!"

She glances over to Lily Keil for a bit before saying these words in the Zeboim Language.
"<I am just saying this to mess with all the people who don't know the language...!>"

Marivel clenches her fist tightly, frowning deeply. "<There is no dark secret, but I bet this will tweak> Acacia just by doing this.>"

She raises a finger then into the air and adds emphatically.

"<This is the best use for the Zeboim language and I dare you to tell me differently.>"

And clearly whatever Marivel said enraged Yue so much that she summoned a dire cucco all the way over from Filgaia! Marivel's eyes widen faintly and says, "Oh no... you introduced a foreign species...! What about the natural balance??"

She hops to side, Yue's heel managing to pierce one of fthe eclairs and pull it free! It's okay. The ki cleaned off your heel you can eat off it.

"Hm...." Marivel drops into a crouch. "Impressive work, Yue.... To think you have grown so much."

She straightens up and adds, "Unfortunately I must save my strength. Our true final battle will have to wait! But, of course, since you fought so well..."

TALLYING SCORE

"You get two more eclairs!" Marivel shouts, tossing two Yue's way and adds, "Hm hm hm... next time... perhaps you will be able to obtain four eclairs total!"

And with that she starts hopping backwards as she falls back.

<Pose Tracker> Ashton Anchors has posed.

The surge of water overruns Ashton - as does the surge of ARM munitions. At least, it overruns the first Ashton.

Even as Ambrosius attacks, the leaves around him that Ashton has left in his wake suddenly change. As if flipping a page they turn from green leaves to light pink cherry blossoms - and a second phantasmal Ashton surges through them with blades striking like razors.

This is cold comfort for the first, real Ashton as he's slammed by a barrage of attacks. His guard is down - the echoing attack of the Leaf Slash requires a bit too much concentration on his part to respond. At least, not fast enough to prevent the punishing wave of firepower.

Still. The swordsman bends but does not break. And he turns back to Ambrosius with a determined grin.

"I will not desist. And as frustrating as Ratatoskr is, he shall not either." He looks for a moment to the Hyaedian. Ashton wants to frown - but in that moment? The crazed murdersquirrel compliments him. And a little part of the swordsman feels it wrong to spite the (current) (temporary) (grudging) ally (of circumstance).

So Ashton says nothing... right up until Ratatoskr unleashes the beast right into Ambrosius at point blank.

At which point Ashton instead decides to start gathering up power around himself - his body glowing with whirls of crimson and azure.

Because he's got a bad feeling that now that their mutual enemy is out of the way, Ratatoskr is coming for -him- next.

GS: Ashton Anchors enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Ashton Anchors has attacked Ashton Anchors with Draconic Might!
GS: Ashton Anchors takes 25 damage from Poison!
GS: Ashton Anchors has completed his action.
GS: Ashton Anchors takes a solid hit from Ashton Anchors's Draconic Might for  hit points!
GS:  Restore reduces negative status durations by 3 rounds each!
GS: Mighty! applied to Ashton Anchors!
<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

    Chime's crest is slide away into her vest, it's purpose done for now. "Crippled wings often lead to crippled minds. But even that can be healed." her voice light. "Lingering on something is often useless, so try to move forward in whatever it is you're doing yes?" as she redraws her crossbows. Then the attack comes that she knew would be. "And sometime, let me work on that lovely polearm~" she calls out as she leaps aside out of the mean path of the incoming photon beam. It's enough to avoid a finishing blow, but the size and scope mean she takes damage just being near it as a section of the building vanishes with it.

    "And also, 'Sniper' is a bad way to think of me. I much prefer 'Storyteller', or my actual title. ARMs Meister." she says cheerfully with a smile as she lifts both her crossbows up, the bolts gleaming a brillant white light that wells out of the unique crossbows she wields. "But if 'Sniper' I am, I suppose I should give a proper performance~" her voice cheerfully singsong as she aims not at Amaterasu but the sky. Chime pulls the triggers of both crossbows, and a stream of six white bolts fly into the sky from both crossbows, only to be returned by gravity as javalin sized beams of white light that strike the ground all around Amaterasu if not her too. More impressively, not a single one lands near Lily.

    A loud clang sounds out from Chime's location as the elf slams first one then the other crossbow hilt against the top of the other crossbow forcibly reloading both of them in a quick movement as she smiles. "Really, maybe a drink somewhere so you can show me how that polearm works would be lovely." she calls out again.

GS: Chime Isa has spent 3 Combo on Gatling, including 3 on Gatling!
GS: Chime Isa has attacked Amaterasu with Arrows of Light!
GS: Hyper expired!
GS: Chime Isa has completed her action.
Title set for channel <O-Veruni>.
GS: Amaterasu guards a hit from Chime Isa's Arrows of Light for 102 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.

"You will not." Ambrosius replies simply, as Ratatoskr asks his question. He would not allow Ratatoskr to take it - it was of vital importance, after all, and not just for his own sake.

But Ratatoskr and Ashton both manage to weather his barrage of fire, and right as Ambrosius starts to come to a stop...Ratatoskr is right there.

Ambrosius lets out a grunt of surprise as the Hyadean fires off an explosive beam of energy at point blank range, sending Ambrosius up, up, and far, far away, effectively removing him from the fight...

...and with him, whatever it was he had on him.

This might not be an ideal outcome for Ratatoskr.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

There's a lot here that Lily would follow up on, in a better situation--gather intelligence as to this strange prisoner, understand what Ambrosius's place is here... find the prisoners she was looking for. At least it's no surprise that a reporter can defend herself. But she does not have that opportunity at the moment. Or--

"<You are completely ridiculous>," Lily informs Marivel... in the same language. Not revealing the joke. But she only barely breathes it, instead finding...

"...Veruni," Lily repeats. "Yes, of course. That explains it." She gets a wry look though--when Amaterasu mentions Kislev. She knows that curious sort of look--she's given it many times. And scrutiny is a time when she has to breathe and plan, so she'll take it.

And yet.. 'Solaris.' Lily's eyes darken at that name.

But it is actions, not words, that Lily uses first to answer. The strangeness of her magic is knowable--but she didn't imagine it would be enough, even with that level of power, even before she knew what Amaterasu was. Still--armor broken. A step.

"No one does," Lily answers as Amaterasu charges, hands aglow with the chill of the void as she moves to defend--

Whatever defense she offers does nothing to stop the blade, though. It has no overt effect, save that instead of being bisected she is slammed backwards by the sheer force of the slash, visible pushed from her feet even before the rubble crashes down where she was before, filling in the spot and blocking the walkway in the span of seconds after which it is still rumbling.

"...Heh," she says, bringing a hand up to her chest. She's now badly burned on top of the rest, and blood starts to well up in a deep line down her front. "Judgement, mm...?"

Lily looks upward, towards the Blue Star past the smoky sky. "...Sorry. This is the best I can do, right now."

She looks down to the ground on which she's crouched--and place her burned palm against the cobblestones.

With a crack of stone, the ground itself breaks, and the sorceress disappears into the water.

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

    When she's pressed into hand-to-hand combat, Yue's evaluation of Acacia is more or less correct. There's some kind of boxing aspect to it with the way she guards her face, but the knee definitely wasn't all that fair, and she way she's keeping one hand close to her pistol holster suggests that her style is very much a utilitarian one rather than anything formal.

    "Thanks," she puffs, a little taken off-guard. It's hard to think of the woman in front of her as an 'enemy'. She's used to the Guard, or Odessa, or the Congressional Knights, or dirty politicians, or angry landlords. Not a nice chat as she faces off against a convict and her blustering Minder. "I get by, I guess." Her hand strays towards the inner pocket of her jacket when Yue mentions the elemental part of her power - but she leaves it at that.

    "I know you're only doing that to get a rise out of me!" she blurts over one shoulder as she hears snatches of an unfamiliar language, and her name embedded in the middle of them. Though it's a fair guess, it's also an obvious bluff, not least because Marivel definitely is getting a rise out of Acacia - or at least out of the reporter's sense of curiosity as it spikes off the charts.

    The presence of the cucco immediately puts her on edge, but only because it's a cucco. Acacia is not exactly up on world ecology and quarantine protocols, to say the least, but she can at least feel her spare hand lifting her camera to catch a shot of the tall woman with the tame cucco on her shoulder. It'll make a good cover image sometime.

    By the time the attack comes, though, she's already dodging backwards, taking the cue from Marivel to attempt to break off her attack. She's, uh, 'helped' in this by the power of Yue's sudden gale of wind; it picks her up and off her feet once again, sending her spiralling backwards with enough force to leave her skidding along soot-streaked cobblestones as she scrambles for purchase - and when she finds it, pushes away from the fight in a retreat.

    "Next time!" she calls - and surprises herself by meaning it.

GS: Acacia Saitani has attacked Acacia Saitani with Retraction!
GS: Acacia Saitani has completed her action.
GS: Acacia Saitani heals Acacia Saitani! She gains 100 temporary hit points!
GS:  Restore reduces negative status durations by 3 rounds each!
GS: Cover! applied to Acacia Saitani!
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Did it work??" Marivel asks Acacia.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Did it work??" Marivel asks Acacia.

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

    Yue comes to a stock-still position with her leg held out, in a position not really all that dissimilar to Ratatoskr's. Then she crooks her knee so she can bring the heel and slip the eclair off like it were a kebab.

    "Hmm? Cease your worry Mari. Coccoro is my steadfast and eternal companion, she arrived with me in my cell. In my <heart of hearts>* I know she would not threaten the wonderful biodiversity of Spira."

    *(tn note: kokoro of coccoros)

    Marivel begins speaking in Zeboim, which prompts a longer look at Lily. So the commando knows the language as well? It wasn't just a slip of the tongue or a coincidence. She shakes her head at Marivel's antics, however...

    "... 'tis not I who has the wealth of experience behind her. Though we frolick as if jesters, is there not a resplendence behind your actions?"

    A longer pause, as Marivel hops backwards and retreats.

    Acacia's blurting in turn, chuckling as she realises more the back and forth relationship between the two. How did Marivel have a relation to this particularly cheeky reporter now, hmm? She will have to find out.

    "Next time, Lady Acacia," she bows.

    And now, the eclair. There's a faint flush on her cheeks as she whispers, "Now, for the piece du resistance..." She takes a whiff.

    "..."

    "..."

    "... 'tis not a vanilla custard eclair."

    She looks down at where strawberry cream is oozing out of where her heel pierced it. Her face turns white as lightning may as well have struck her.

                                   YUE ROHAY
                                  ONLY ENJOYS
                                CUSTARD ECLAIR

    "... this ... is the true despair," Yue laments as Ambrosius flies off into the distance on his beam rifle.

    Then Marivel throws her two more eclairs, and her face suddenly lights up again. "Custard!!" she exclaims. It's time for another unfortunate character break for Yue Rohay as she pops one into her mouth.

    The world disappears momentarily around Yue Rohay as a sparkling field of pentagons and bubbles and hearts melt around her blissed-out self.

    Minder No. 7 sets down next to her and stares up at her.

    "... you're a real big, big, big, extra-big dummy, CR-S01 ..."

    Coccoro coos quietly.

<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ratatoskr cackles as he looks up, readying a combat stance even as his tail starts to droop from wear. The cackling grows breathier. Raspier. Looking up as Ambrosius comes back down--
     --pardon, does come back down but nowhere near here--
     --with his precious secrets kept with him.
     The horned squirrel Hyadean's grin abates just a little, the dimming of his yellow eyes about as communicative of disappointment as anything someone of his facial configuration can ever express.
     "...Come onnnn." That youthful pleading of circumstances, finding himself down in a three-point stance as it's tough for him to stand with the coursing poison. Eyes lock to Ashton, who looks well prepared for the inevitable. Refreshed, emboldened, prepared. To look into the eyes of the two dragons whose fates are now permanently joined to this unlucky swordsman. He would have all the luck to have to deal with this guy.
     "...You know what?" He says to the three of them. "This world is great... all the war heroes I never knew existed... all the styles... the weapons... the sorcery... everything..." The usual spiel, until...
     "...Did you know the Four Heroes... the greatest warriors of Althena's Guard, second through fifth only to the late Dragonmaster Ghaleon... are all here?" Ratatoskr grins a bit wider. "...Wait. Wait!"
     He rises up, throwing his arms outward as he bellows. His voice carries tremendously well - as though in some circumstances, this foot soldier is meant to be heard above the fog and thunder of war. Like a messenger.
     "The Four Heroes of Althena's Guard... the Blue Master Lunn, martial artist of no equal... the Black Wizard Borgan, sorcerer superior... the Red Priestess Mauri, of unwavering devotion... and White Knight Leo, Grandmaster of the entire Althenan Guard... they're all here in Luca! They're all here in Luca!! Coming from..." He speaks of the direction they're said to be mobilizing from. As one unit - yelling this loud enough for just about everyone to hear. Like a messenger.
     Like a messenger? He is one.
     "It's going to be great. I want to see how it all goes down...!" On one hand, this is vital information. This could help a bunch of people - Drifters and all - mobilize against the threat to Luca.
     ...But he is of Odessa, and they have a vested interest in stopping ARMs from returning to Filgaia. This could smack of a distraction.
     He doesn't make any aggressive move towards Ashton. (He might not be able to, after that shouting - the poison is still running rampant through Ratatoskr.)

GS: Ratatoskr takes 27 damage from Poison!
GS: Ratatoskr has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Ashton Anchors has posed.

Ashton... stays very still.

He's still expecting to be attacked at any moment by the loony squirrel. Any second now.

Aaaaaaaaany second.

Of course, he's also sort of staring as Ratatoskr spouts off a crazed rant about heroes and POWER and... wait, hold on. That sounded like actual important information.

Which makes Ashton frown even more, because the source is about as suspect as the butler in a dime store detective novel. And yet...

The sellsword doesn't strike. It seems rude, even if he considers Ratatoskr only slightly above a literal rabid dog.

He also has a look of worry and slight fear on his face - the big guns of the Guard being here is a grave threat. He respects that.

<Pose Tracker> Amaterasu has posed.

    More and more of that strange language passes between Lily, Marivel, and Yue.
    Perhaps, later, the commando may have questions. Or perhaps she will let it slide -- she is a warrior, not a scholar. Leave it to Ambrosius to worry over, if it is worth worry over.

    As for her--

    "'What will be, will be'," Amaterasu quotes to Chime. "Indeed. There is no sense concerning yourself with what cannot be changed or is outside your control. But it is a fool who looks back upon their past actions and sees nothing that can be afforded change towards a proper form," she declares, punctuating the statement with a slam of the polearm's butt against the stone path she stands upon.

    "Yes. Veruni," Amaterasu answers. "You will know our names, Lily Keil, the once-Wolf."

    Then there is the void.

    Then there is the blade.

    "Fascinating. Many would have been cleaved in two," Amaterasu observes, watching Lily recover, seemingly unpunctured by her weapon.

    And then there is the light. This light tears into the streets. This light ruins buildings. This light seeks to destroy all in its path.

    It dies down, fading to a mere echo of itself. Readjusting the apeture, Amaterasu again stands amidst the destruction. Stone cracks close at hand; she brandishes Valkyrja to batter back what she assumes to be an incoming strike. But there is nothing.
    There is no Lily, either.

    Her gaze lifts. "'Storyteller', is it? I have heard no tales. Perhaps confinement might loosen your tongue?" she wonders, before Chime lets fly.

    There is a second explosion of light.
    It meets a burst of violet.
    Ghostlike armor limns Amaterasu's body. With a roar, she holds her ground as the bolts detonate upon her magical shield.
    Hold her ground she might, but even her magic can't absorb all the impact of that attack. Cloth is burned. Armor is damaged. A patter of blood traces the road here. "Tch," Amaterasu hisses, lowering her spell at length.

    "I decline, Tale-telling Sniper. Would you let an enemy understand your weapon's workings? I am a soldier, not a fool. Now--"

    She assumes what is, fleetingly, a battle-ready stance.

    Fleeting, because her attention snaps away as Ambrosius is cast skyward, send sailing over the city. "Ambrosius! --Hm." Her attention returns to Chime. "Today, you are lucky, little tale-teller. I cannot abandon a comrade. No. 7! Tend to CR-S01!" she barks, before leaping upwards for the roof a nearby building and then away, taking apparently the straightest path to wherever it is that Ambrosius may have fallen.

<Pose Tracker> Chime Isa has posed.

    Chime lets her crossbows spin on her fingers as she lets go of the grips, the heavy weighted front ends pointed at her own feet in a decided non-hostile position as she smiles brightly at Amaterasu. "A battle itself is a small tale. Hardly the place to overlap another upon." and then she grimaces slightly, "And it's but one small tale in a number of such across this book." as she looks around the city with a sad smile.

    "Also, oh please. I just want to know how it works, why it works. Any ARMs Meister would. So much lost, and every bit recovered helps." she says smiling brightly. "I could care less for what you use it, through I'll stand my own ground against it if need be." and then she waves one of her crossbows jauntly at Amaterasu, "Fair~ Take care~ If you need someone to repair your stuff I'd be happy to another time! Discount if you let me take notes~" before sheathing both her crossbows. "I should get back to what I was doing helping the people get out of this city." she comments idly as she crosses her arms and looks around wondering where to go next.

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

    "The Four Heroes? That sounds like..." the Minder starts as she listens to Ratatoskr's cry as if he were a messenger. Were he some kind of ally to them? She doesn't know, but the Minder suddenly finds her hand held by Yue's.

    "... our cue to leave," Yue speaks much more tersely. The Minder is about to speak up, but takes one look at the convict, before lowering her head.

    "... fine," she speaks, despite being, uh, her Minder and therefore technically in charge of her, but she knows when CR-S01 speaks in Serious Tones. Then Amaterasu announces her own orders:

    No. 7! Tend to CR-S01!

    "You shall not come to punishment," Yue reminds her. The Minder nods as she proceeds to leave, too.

    She throws a glance over her shoulder for a moment.

    "... be ever cautious, Marivel."

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel hears Ratatoskr's words. Her eyes widen faintly. "The Four Heroes..." Marivel murmurs. "To think--" She cups her chin thoughtfully at that. "Well... I can't let them just claim such a prestigious title without comment or inquiry."

She gives one last look towards Yue and smiles back at her at her words.

"Worry not, I have no intention of falling to domesticated pups."

And then she's on her way. Yeah she'll be fine.