2021-03-10: What Burns Beneath

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===========================<* Celesti Wastelands *>===========================

Decades ago, the nation of Celesti ripped itself apart in a vicious civil war. Outside of a handful of settlements, its former territories are lifeless. The remains of trenches, bunkers, and barbed wire lines serve as lingering reminders of the conflict--scars that have yet to heal. The earth is dry and barren, and much of the groundwater has been contaminated by biological or chemical weapons.

Travel through the Wastelands is treacherous. The roads are pockmarked with shell craters, and Reapers have been known to haunt its blasted plains. A handful of functional rail lines cross the wastes, but these travel directly to their final destinations. The shattered remains of ghost towns dot the landscape. Some may yet hold things of value, but experienced travelers know better than to go treasure-hunting on a whim. The war-dead of Celesti do not rest.

Ghosts aren't even the strangest things one can find here. As the war dragged on, both the Congressional Knights and Aquvy Union dug up ancient weapons to aid their efforts--including, it's rumored, ARMs from Zeboim. These rumors draw both the daring and desperate into the wastes, and more often than not, to their end.

DC: Magilou switches forms to Lil Miss Witch Who Smiles Around You But Stabs You In The Back When You Are Not Looking!
DC: The Drake switches forms to The Dragon of Celesti!
<Pose Tracker> The Drake has posed.

The sky is cloudy, thunder rumbling in the distance. The wastelands of Celesti don't exactly promise a bounty of customers... but there are a few, and there are things out here worth investigating. One in particular that has appeared, the scourge of farmers and homesteads that can't even see it--the Fell Drake, a red draconic being covered in hard scales, bony ridges, and sharp spikes. For those who can see him, the drake is red--terrible red.

But going into an area knowingly haunted by a monster might naturally trigger some nerves for those who know about it. Maybe they're looking for him; maybe they don't know. But he will find them soon enough...

The wind picks up in the distance, howling over craters and ruined battle lines.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The Carakin, for those not in the know, is the large, wheeled, metal vehicle that serves as a mobile base of operations for the Caravan Kinship, emblazoned with its brightly-colored logo on both sides and currently pulling along a second car(this being the menagerie car where the Caravan Kinship's pets are housed when not in the main car proper, and as such afforded the highest protections available).

The Celesti Wastelands are not a place one typically goes if they can avoid it - especially not of late, when rumor held that homesteads were vanished in a blaze of fire, with no trace of why or how.

But it is that rumor that draws Jacqueline and the Caravan Kinship to the Wastelands today. She has no intention of abandoning the few people left behind in the Wastelands - now is when it's most important to check on them, to offer whatever goods she can to help them out in their time of need.

At present, the Carakin can be found driving across the wastelands. They only have a general idea where each settlement is - they have a map, but the wartorn wasteland does not provide much in the way of landmarks to guide oneself.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Amaranth has posed.

        Katherine Weaver really shouldn't be here.

        She's not a Drifter; she's not a combatant! She's just a seamstress who happily brings people's hopes and dreams to life. But sometimes, fate has a way of toying with her--

        No, it's not fate. That's just an excuse she's using. She's here today out in the dangerous wilderness of Celesti because she feels it.

        She senses herself.

        No, to be exact -- she senses someone just like herself. And in turn... that means only one thing -- a Fell Drake.

        She's just in her blue and white gown, with the red sash; there's not a single article of protection or weapon on her, which is incredibly foolhardy.

        As the Carakin pulls up to the homestead she's standing on, she looks; she's holding a broken piece of fence which looks torn apart by some great force. Perhaps she's investigating, too....?

        There's a bit of a listless look on her face.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius is along, as... he tends to be, with the Caravan Kinship for how little he offers in any sort of mercantile capacity. ('Staring at people until they become uncomfortable' and then 'continuing to stare at people well after they become uncomfortable' are not marketable skills! There was some promising market research in Guadosalam a while back... but that didn't pan out.)
        Recently he has kept to himself (even more than usual), fussing over the best map a five finger discount can backspace-backspace-backspace-backspace-backspace available on the market, marking off all the places on Filgaia he has been able to look.
        He's running out of places to find 'it.' That Jay is scouring a veritable No One's Land is... useful, but so far, fruitless. Whatever it is, it's something more pressing to him than 'wildfires.'

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
A lone figure wanders the wastelands.
 
"This sucks!"
 
Two lone figures wander the wastelands of Celesti.
 
"Gwen tell Hiro this sucks!"
 
Three lone figures wander the wastelands of Celesti.
 
Certainly they have heard the rumors of the monster, but their mission is far more grave, far too pressing...
 
... and so as the Carakin heads down the ol' dusty trail, thunder rumbling in the distance. "Is that...!?" "Could it be? Gwen! Hurry lift your arm! It's shiny and will flag them down!"
 
They may encounter the trio waving, Ruby waggling her precious pink pawsies to try and get them to stop, or at least slow down enough for him to run and jump on board.
 
"Heyyy! Carakin! Any chance we can tag along for a business transaction!" "Please-! I'll do anything for this ordeal to be over with!"
 
-=-=-
 
Hiro is braced on the side of the Carakin vehicle on the move, Ruby perched on his head. "Let's see... Buns, Beef, Toppings..."
 
Hiro hands over the coin as he goes over the ingredients, "... You're life-savers. Really. Whenever Lucia goes a few days without a burger, she just gets this sad look in her eyes."
 
"Hiro I still don't think that's the reason."
 
"It can't hurt."
 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

        After encountering the so-called Dragon of Celesti in the countryside with Ida, Azoth, Boudicca, and Nimue (and Ruth, but she wasn't in the car so she doesn't count), Ragnell has been tracking the drake. She'd informed Liath of the situation, and Liath is of course keenly interested in getting involved if need be, but she has her own duties to attend to. Ragnell is much freer, so she can keep on following trails and sightings.
        
        And drag certain witches along with her, too.
        
        "...so we're thinkin' that this drake must've transformed recently, right here on Filgaia," she's telling Magilou as they spy on the Carakin through a pair of binoculars from behind a dusty hill. "He's been attackin' farms, goin' after big ol' cows an' such, so I figure he probably has a ravenous appetite. But there's not a lot around these parts, which means if he's gonna target anything, he's gonna target..."
        
        The way she trails off might be assumed to be for dramatic effect, as they're both looking at a big fat caravan with tons of goodies for a hungry drake to tear into. But Ragnell isn't pausing over that. She's pausing because she just caught sight of a certain Katherine Weaver. Who isn't armed, and who has more or less officially given up on fighting anyway.
        
        "Ammy?! The hell's she doing out here!!" Ragnell hisses, snatching away her own binoculars. She has a gut feeling she knows the answer to her own question, though. And the wind is howling in a way she doesn't like... After shooting a grimace at Magilou, she starts approaching at a jog, which could break into a sprint at any second if need be.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Naaaah, it'll be fiiiine. Totally fine. The sky rumbling like an ominous cauldron of soupy storm-stuff is absolutely normal weather this time of year, don't you know? Surely it's not going to yawn open a wide, gaping mouth of despair and disgorge a beast whose every breath chokes the air with the foul stench of spiritual corruption.

Cyre, at least, is seemingly taking it easy. He's laying atop the Carakin itself, snoozing peacefully in a custom-made sunning perch/sniper's nest with a couple of tiny (not so tiny, almost dog-sized in fact) wyvernlets curled up next to him... Or, as it happens, sprawled spread-eagle right over his chest.

It's actually kind of adorable.

The sound of the approaching storm is actually quite soothing to his ears. The scent of rain on the horizon, the angry wind... These are pleasant to the shaman from Wehaca. Though it makes sense in a way, doesn't it? He is, after all, attuned to the storms of the world in a deeply intimate way.

"Mmmmmmmn," Cyre yawns, pulls over a tarp and snores, "...S' gonna be a nice rain soon, mmyep."

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

FOUR LONE FIGURES??!?!?!!?!?

Yes. Marivel Armitage has come along today but is also in bat form and is sort of hanging out on Hiro's shoulder. The bat is wearing a headband around her forehead. Maybe she actually thinks this is some sort of work out monster but don't let appearances fool you, she's definitely not going to do any working out.

"Ah Celesti...." Marivel says. "Proof that the end of civilization is best exemplified not when people look outward for their foes, but within...! Tearing each other's countrymen apart... And the crimes that encourage such discontent... Tis difficult to imagine recovery from this--oh okay. Sure."

-=-=-

Marivel is still in bat form, drinking out of a large Gulp-sized cup with a straw in it, the sort you might find at a fast food restaurant. Slurrrrrrrp.

Marivel drinks too fast and--

"Hic...!"

Marivel is afflicted with the HICCUPS condition!

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

        So it starts like some weird blond going, "Fru yna oui?!"

        And Magilou retorting, "Hey, fru YOU, buddy!"

        Then it goes on to, why are you on my ship, what's your deal, who do you think you are, and eventually someone realises she was at the liberation of Luca and is more or less a friendly entity. (Hopefully.)

        Anyway, all that to say Magilou has some cool ancient tech now, because that was the quickest way Cid could think of to get her to leave them alone, probably.

        ... no one can quite figure out how she sneaked onto the Fahrenheit in the first place, given her jester's appearance.

        ~*~*~

                                       /\

        "Bienfu, go fetch a shovel! We're going digging for treasure!"

        "But Miss Magilou, the ruin's already built. We just have to climb down."

        "You can't go DIGGING without a SHOVEL, Bienfu! Now put your back into it!!"

        "Why do I have to do the digging?!"

        "Because I'm a delicate lady, that's why!"

        "There's nothing delicate about you!!"

        ~*~*~

        Magilou has obstinately greeted every person on Filgaia thus far with fingerguns and a hearty "howdy". It's difficult to tell when she'll get tired of the joke. Perhaps tomorrow, or never. Who knows?

        Somehow with those negotiating skills, she's managed to hire a magnificent contraption. The single circular wheel-cage isn't contained; inside is the steering and the seating. Magilou has obtained for herself... A DYNASPHERE.

        And why, one might ask, has she done this terrible thing?

        "You've GOT to be kidding me. There's a dragon out here?!"

        She did her due diligence sleuthing out whether dragons in Filgaia mean something entirely different, but, no, the descriptions all match. "You know," she remarked, cheerfully, to Bienfu, "we could just not go to the scary ghost city. I mean, this has 'someone else's problem' written all over it, right?"

        But that dismissal just happened to reach the ears of someone who actually gave a shi-- who cared, and Ragnell filled her in. It's Ragnell who convinces her to actually expend any effort, of course. Ragnell has no respect for SEP fields at all, according to Magilou.

        Hence: locomotion.

        These tasty gams aren't for you, buckaroo!!

        ~*~*~

        OST: Michael Jackson - Thriller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEHsIcsjtdI

        Magilou holds her hands up in front of her eyes in big circles, like they're binoculars. Are her magical powers thus that she can see distant objects without magnification?! ... probably not.

        "Of course the kid's hungry," she points out, lowering her scepticles to grin at Ragnell. "He's a growing boy. Before you know it, he'll be going off to college and making us all proud! And dead! Proud and dead!" Magilou claps her hands together, brightly.

        Note, at this point, that there is a really impressive giant wheel behind Magilou. This is just a fact you will have to accept about life.

        This is about the moment Ragnell sees something. "-- eh?" Magilou doubletakes, looking back to Ragnell. "Hey, wait a second! You can't just leave me here in the forgotten end of nowhere!! TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY, RAGNELLINA DUPREE!"

        Magilou does not sprint after Ragnell, which would absolutely ruin her complexion in this sort of weather.

        Magilou has better solutions.

        Magilou

        gets in the wheel.

        which is a vehicle.

        FUN FACT: the Wastelands are TERRIBLE for potholes.

        "Bienfu, can't you drive this thing properly?!"
        "Biennnn! I don't remember how to stop!!"
        "It's that pedal, right there!"
        "All the way down there?!"
        "That sounds like a personal problem!!"

        Bounce goes the Dynasphere as it overtakes Ragnell, and somehow it lands on its giant wheel instead of falling to one side, like a coin cursed to always land on its edge. (There's always a new take.) It zooms out ahead and bounces over an old piece of metal plating, a --

        BOOM, goes a landmine undisturbed for long years, and luckily Bienfu can't reach the brake, so it propels them forward from behind instead of blowing them off skyward to twinkle into the distance. He's wailing, but it's having to compete with the sharp hyena cackle coming from Magilou, right now.

        "ahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

        Of course, there's just one problem: Bienfu can't reach the brake.

        So the Dynasphere doesn't so much stop at the homestead as it just kind of

        circles around it

        and around it

        JUST like the only copy of a really important key falling down a drain to be lost forever.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"It's too bad she's in a committed relationship with that cat." Marivel says to Hiro, in the background, as Magilou blows herself up. "She's magnificent."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        "Hey Hiro, Ruby..."

        Two figures, plus a very capable and intelligent baby dragon and bat, wander the wastelands of Celesti.

        "... Did I ever tell you that I've never actually been through the Celesti Wastelands?"

        This is a Gwen, looking a lot more like her usual self, save for the stylish woven hat on her head, courtesy of Lan's crafty hands.

        "Which makes sense, because we're completely lost! So yeah, that *does* suck." She winces as her right ARM makes a tiny jerk, smoothing it with her right hand. "And I think rain's on the way. Probbbaaabbbly should think about shelter, as this one could be a doozy." She holds up a finger cheerfullyf lightning generating from the tip. "Lightning."

        As if this was the only explanation needed, other than the rumble of thunder in the distance.

        Or is it the rumble of the Carakin?

        "OH thank the Guardians." Pulling back her right sleeve, she waves eagerly, even firing a few laser shots into the air, just for emphasis.

        -------

        ".... I was kinda hopin' I could get that deer we saw, but it looked really cute, y'know?" Gwen sighs wistfully at the thought of burgers, resting her head against the side of the wagon as she closes her eyes. "No, Hiro is right. It's such a waste, to go a few days without a burger."

        BOOOM goes the distant magilou

        ".... Man that storm's comin' faster than I thought it would..."

<Pose Tracker> The Drake has posed.

Thunder booms across the landscape, a flash of lightning slamming down into a dead tree and felling it in a brief burst of flame that has nowhere to go but the ground, burning ruined earth and unable to spread.

About three seconds later, the roar of the Dynasphere's engine brp brp brps its way into view, a few people start running, and someone starts hoping to acquire food. Marivel has kind of a point about Celesti. But there is no time to discuss philosophical points, as abrubtly this chaos is added to by a sudden rushing of a red blur that crashes into the ground next to the Carakin, shaking the entire structure and making a new crater just before it, close enough that the paint might scratch. The shockwave of impact stretches out towards most of those on foot, quite probably knocking Cyre from his perch. There, a Drake stands on the ground then, roaring defiantly in the direction of the ruined farmstead... and then lopping off on its feet, charging to come to a stop not far from the woman in white and blue and red.

The Dragon of Celesti stares at Katherine Weaver, sharp teeth glinting in the light as Malevolence pours in all directions from its terrible, car-sized form.

He does not for the moment appear to notice Magilou's... vehicle. But he's advancing step by step towards the unarmed woman.

GS: The Drake has attacked The Drake with Wyrm Rush!
GS: The Drake accepts The Drake's Wyrm Rush for 0 hit points!
GS: Quick applied to The Drake!
GS: The Drake has attacked Cyre H. Lorentz with Have A Nice Fall!
GS: The Drake has attacked Hiro with Alas Burg!
GS: The Drake has attacked Magilou with Physics!
GS: The Drake has attacked Marivel Armitage with Flyby!
GS: The Drake has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Flyby!
GS: The Drake has gained 1 Combo!
GS: The Drake has attacked Jacqueline Barber with Flyby!
GS: The Drake has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Flyby!
GS: The Drake has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Flyby!
GS: The Drake has completed his action.
GS: Gamble: Low! Jacqueline Barber takes a solid hit from The Drake's Flyby for 66 hit points!
GS: Gamble: Moderate! Ethius Hesiod guards a hit from The Drake's Flyby for 55 hit points!
GS: Gamble: High! Marivel Armitage takes a solid hit from The Drake's Flyby for 147 hit points!
GS: CRITICAL! Gamble: Low! Seraph Ragnell takes a solid hit from The Drake's Flyby for 95 hit points!
GS: Hiro takes a solid hit from The Drake's Alas Burg for 70 hit points!
GS: Mighty applied to The Drake!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz takes a solid hit from The Drake's Have A Nice Fall for 89 hit points!
GS: Riposte applied to The Drake!
GS: Gamble: Moderate! Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from The Drake's Flyby for 83 hit points!
GS: Magilou fully evades The Drake's Physics for 0 hit points!
GS: Cover applied to The Drake!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Amaranth has posed.

        There's a lot of people all of a sudden. The Caravan Kinship, some further friends who've come with them... Katherine's eyes widen a little as she sees her sister, in the distance--

        Then Magilou and her amazing Dynasphere, exploding on a landmine and circling around the stead.

        An enormous red blur crashes against the ground and sends her off her feet; there's a wince and a groan as she rubs her backside, and--

        Looks up just to see the Drake staring back towards her, Malevolence pouring from all directions.

        She grimaces deeply, stammering, "I... I can feel it. You..."

        Even if she can feel it, what? She's not capable of Purifying a Hellion, let alone a Fell Drake. What exactly was her grand and glorious plan here?

        Unlike a certain someone with a habit of trancing her way into scenes, she's also not an empath either, but...

        It's unmistakable. That sensation...

        "It's not too late for you," Katherine murmurs, sounding ill just from the presence of Malevolencea lone. "Just like it was not too late for me... but who..."

        She looks more than a little puzzled, looking squarely towards the Drake.

        "Who are you...?"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

        Ragnell *can* respect SEP fields! It's just that she can also actively choose not to, and right now is one of those times. Magilou is not exactly her top choice for drake-hunting either, mind, since it's not like she can do anything meaningful about it either, but Ragnell wanted to catch up with her anyway.
        
        Of course, things will happen rapidly before any actual non-Hellion-related catching-up can take place, but that's neither here nor there.
        
        "Ain't that the dream," Ragnell comments dryly, half-smiling, at Magilou's crack about college and being proud and dead. There is a wheel behind Magilou; Ragnell took a long look at it earlier and then decided she was fine with whatever that was. But now she's spotted something and is jogging towards it, leaving Magilou behind. "GET OVER YOURSELF AN' GET MOVIN', MAGGIE LOU WHO!" she shouts back over her shoulder.
        
        A moment later, the dynasphere ZOOMS past her, EXPLODES off a mine, and flips in the air only to land near the ruined homestead and circle and circle and circle in a pathetic spiral.
        
        "Well... she did do what I said," Ragnell mutters. "Gotta give her that."
        
        A moment after *that*, it becomes the least of Ragnell's concerns as the Drake suddenly makes its appearance, zooming across the countryside at dangerous speeds. Ragnell braces herself against the windy force that breaks against her, but she's still rendered motionless as she has to lower herself to keep from being blown away. Or her hat from being blown away. Very important. And by the time she gets up...
        
        "AMARANTH!!" she bellows, eyes widening as she sees the drake land near her sister and approach like she's the tastiest morsel he's ever seen. Cursing under her breath, Ragnell casts a weak but fast Seraphic arte, which forms a tiny stormcloud over the drake's head and sends down a small but potentially very attention-catching lightning bolt down upon him.
        
        "YOU WANNA GO?! YOU CAN TAKE *ME* ON, YOU PIECE O' SHIT!!" Ragnell roars, already breaking into a sprint to catch up and make *sure* the Hellion's attention goes away from Katherine.
        
        Who this drake is is a question Ragnell's also asked, but right now, she couldn't care less.

GS: Seraph Ragnell has attacked The Drake with Blitzstrahl!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Rumor is whispered among the Drifter community that, at the time of greatest need, if one calls out to the Caravan Kinship, they shall appear...

...This isn't always true, but at least today, when Ruby, Hiro, Gwen, and Marivel have need of their services, indeed do they appear. Within the vehicle a lever is pulled...

...and a panel on the side of the Carakin opens up into a fully-functioning food stall!

"Always glad to help." Jacqueline replies, beaming at Hiro's praise as she accepts the coin. "Where are you four headed? Celesti isn't safe even on the best of days - you're welcome to tag along with us for now, if you'd like."

Maybe they accept the offer, or maybe they go their seperate ways for a time... but soon enough, they all arrive at a certain farmstead... but so, too, does something else.

"Wha-" Jacqueline starts, startled. She takes the wheel and jerks it to the side, moving to try avoid as a streak of red crashes into the ground nearby. The Carakin swerves, avoiding falling into the crater - though not without taking a volley of debris to the side of the vehicle.

Yeah, that's definitely going to need to be touched up once this is all over. But right now, there's something else that worries her.

"Is that... Katherine??" Jacqueline remarks, surprised. "What's she doing all the way out here...!?"

Well, one thing's for sure - Talia would probably be pretty upset with her if she just left her girlfriend with a dragon! And besides that, there's still the possibility there's people left in the homestead. She has to try... but, that means leaving the vehicle. She leaves the driving to someone else, quickly hurrying out of the vehicle. This is probably no surprise to any member of the Kinship currently around.

"Cyre, are you okay?" Jacqueline calls out, not entirely sure where he ended up. She then draws out a bottle of lavender-colored liquid.

"Get away from her!" Jacqueline calls out, hurling the bottle in front of the Drake. It erupts in a plume of lavender-colored smoke on contact with the ground - a smoke that drains one's stamina and causes drowsiness if inhaled for too long.

...But, will it work like it's supposed to on the Drake...?

It's about this time that she realises she isn't the only one trying to get the Drake's attention. She glances, briefly, in Ragnell's direction.

GS: Jacqueline Barber has attacked The Drake with Apothecary's Fire!
GS: Jacqueline Barber has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! The Drake guards a hit from Seraph Ragnell's Blitzstrahl for 84 hit points!
GS: Break applied to The Drake!
GS: The Drake critically guards Jacqueline Barber's Apothecary's Fire for 8 hit points!
GS: The Drake activates Power Burst!
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Cyre also respects SEP fields! In fact, in some ways, Cyre is even more vulnerable to SEP fields in his current state than the average person! He is, after all, having a bit of a cat nap, and that means he's not really paying attention to all the insanity unfolding around him, even before a damn dragon falls out of the sky like it were dropping a sky-high plancha straight from the top rope.

Though not too long before. As it turns out, the confluence of Marivel and Magilou is sufficient to conjure straight up apocalyptic threats into existence. Cyre's ears twitch and his expression scrunches uncomfortably as the Drake approaches...

And slams into the ground right next to the Carakin!? The vehicle rocks badly, pitching to one side, then the next. Cyre... Is sent hurtling off the roof!!

His eyes drift open about halfway through this process. The first thing that comes to mind is 'Huh, that's a dragon.'

The second thing is that said dragon is a spiritual black hole that burns his brain just a little bit to even look at.

The third thing is that a couple of wyverns have gone flying, too! They're not old enough to be doing that yet! Cyre's eyes snap open, he whispers a curse under his breath and twists like a cat righting itself in mid-air, snatching the two drakes up into his arms before deploying a sudden blast of pressure underfoot to arrest his fall...!

"What the fuck!?" Cyre demands of the drake, heedless of the fact that he's technically cursing in front of a couple of very confused, clearly distressed dragon-children. "What the fuck is that? The fuck is this?" He has no staff. He has no gun. Both were sent flying in the dragon's wake. He does have a certain something dangling around his neck, and a couple of dog-sized wyrmlings to protect and-- ideally-- to get back into the Caravan before this gets even worse.

But first thing's first.

An emerald wind howls around his heels. Cyre darts forth, surging with incredible speed toward the Carakin's menagerie car. A salmon pink drakeling attaches herself to the shaman's back as a pale blue one wriggles into his robes and up onto his chest. Each step sends a blast of supersonic wind tearing up at the vile Drake, and carries him just a little closer to... relative safety, at least!

GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked The Drake with Stepping Wind!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has completed his action.
GS: The Drake fully evades Cyre H. Lorentz's Stepping Wind for 0 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Riposte applied to Cyre H. Lorentz!
GS: The Drake activates Evade bonus!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
"Well we're very lost - so somewhere that isn't here." Ruby answers Jay, as Hiro looks sheepishly at her, "She's... not wrong."
 
Hiro files away to ask Marivel for a history lesson on Celesti later, he doesn't really know basic Filgaian history as well as he wants to.
 
Hiro though pats Gwen on the shoulder, "Hey it's fine. Noone blames you for that." Ruby gives Gwen a loonnnngggg look, "What'd you name it in your head Gwen?"
 
When Marivel gets the hiccups, Hiro just... "Hey here, let me help you with..." As he tries to grip the side of the gulp cup and take the straw out. "... I heard you drink from the opposite side to deal with that."
 
He's in the middle of adjusting it, when suddenly there's a commotion in the distance... which gets closer, and closer. Explosions from landmines, the din from Witch and Seraph driving their vehicle. The wailing, the cackling.
 
"Uh... they're coming in mighty fast... and..."
 
Ruby just turns her neck round and round.
 
"They're just going round in circles..."
 
Hiro then slowly looks at Marivel when she says that, "Wait what... do you mean too bad..." Pause, "...really? Are you saying you'd ask her out?"
 
"I mean I don't think that's a cat. Like - I'm pretty sure it's no more a cat than I am."
 
As Ruby comes weirdly in defense of the 'maybe' cat... seeming a little defensive of her non-cathood perhaps???
 
And then the Thunder Booms, and Hiro pauses as he looks towards the lightning. And then a blur of motion, in the shockwave of the impact knocks Hiro clean off the Carakin and right onto his butt.
 
With a groan he sits up.
 
Within Hiro's hands... a sack shaped dotted line.
 
A flashing Utena hand suddenly is pointing at a sack hanging from one of the Drake's claws.
 
"MY... BURGERS!"
 
Ruby shouts, a pawsie at each cheek. Surprisingly animated for someone who seemed grumpily uninvested in the endeavour...
 
"Lucia's... burgers." Hiro isn't correcting Ruby, if anything he seems a bit in shocked, before he shakes it off and... actually decides to use the senses that he's developed... "Wait... is that... A FELDRAGON!?"
 
Hiro realizes perhaps as he says it that he's a bit off? It doesn't feel quite the same thing as the Feldragon he encountered, but there's enough malevolence surrounding it that he doesn't take it back.
 
"A red... Feldragon?" Now it's Ruby's turn to sound... horrified.
 
A lot is going on, and he has questions, but... for now Hiro gets up, plucks up a dizzy Marivel in bat form and plants her on his head. "Come on Marivel." He gives Gwen a look as they charge, "No rest for the wicked."
 
Pulling out his boomerang, he turns about mid-run as if adding extra spin on it, releasing it as it hooks around in the air towards the creature. Before then moving to pull his sword out of its sheath, charging further to close the gap.
 
"Ragnell! We're here! We've got your back!" Hiro... remembers, how badly Ragnell took it when the last Feldragon showed up, and hearing how angry she sounds as it confronts Katherine Weaver... he wonders, and decides to lend his best effort towards backing her up.
 
His boomerang splits in mid-air, before whirling out to different arcs, then descending in an attempt to one-two impact the Feldrake at each wing joint separately - hoping to stagger its flight just long enough for them all to catch up.
 

GS: Hiro has attacked The Drake with Cross Boomerang !
GS: Hiro has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        The entire structure shakes violently, and Ethius is brought out of his enigmatic inrospective mapping with the benefit of having his hands able to hold onto something to stay upright. (Followed, momentarily, by him realizing there are any number of heavy objects on a shelf above him and how he is simply not in the mood for the expected slapstick as he withdraws from any number of things toppling over.)
        From there... this is a man who has obsessively planned any number of edge-case escape routes outside of the CaraKin and decides one of the windows is going to be the order of the day as the air fills with spiritual discord in venomous black-purple roiling out from a bright red...
        It does answer what he's heard about the region, in a way that it satisfies a curiosity but nonetheless there remains that level of detachment. A level of detachment that grows increasingly shallower because that is a bellowing, flame-spewing car-sized dragon-like creature that sort of reminds him of what was at Lastonbell (if... much smaller) and given its proximity to the CaraKin it is very unlikely anyone there is going to disengage.
        Jay is already moving into action - as is her nature. His own involvement becomes a matter of pragmatism because if anything happens to her, the CaraKin can't really go anywhere and... now he can account for Cyre's whereabouts at least.
        A satchel from his belt is loosed, a Symbological spell is cast, and the thing is thrown towards the Drake that'll explode into a powdery cloud on impact - just like it would be in an expedition.
        "Miss Jay. Mister Cyre--" He tries to call to them. The two of them are likely already know what he has to say and are already familiar with him to the point they can disagree just from the names being called. He can see their passengers have also taken off the CaraKin - that everyone's chipping in to try and deal with them, in some form.
        He is, once again, along for the ride as it were.

GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked The Drake with Powder Grenade!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

        Did you know that invincibility frames are actual magic?

        NYOOM goes the Dynasphere across another pothole, just as the Drake lands, crash-BANG into the ground to send it shuddering out in a wave of destabilising force. And lo does the Dynasphere sail through the air and land, harmlessly, an impressive length later.

        "Biennnn!" Bienfu wails, in his desperate attempts to steer. "This situation is bad-bad-BAD! If she doesn't get gobbled up, it'll just be 'cause it's Ragnell getting eaten instead...!!" He took his eyes off the road to look at Ragnell screaming, though, which means they go bounce-bounce-bounce again.

        "And what do you want me to do, ram the giant wall of death which wants to eat us all? That's a GREAT idea." Magilou doesn't sound like she thinks it's a great idea at all.

        "H-hey can't you just cast a spell from over here we don't have to --"

        "This is what you get!!"

        "Noooo....!!!"

        The Dynasphere makes another long loop, and it is, indeed, going at full speed as it changes its trajectory and starts speeding right towards the Drake. Part of this may be the fact that it's Magilou at the controls, now, looking strangely dour about her life despite her volume, and her foot might be able to reach the brake but it would never deign to brush such a sensible idea.

        It's going to crash right into it--!!!

GS: Magilou has attacked The Drake with PEDAL TO THE METAL!!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou has completed her action.
GS: The Drake guards a hit from Hiro's Cross Boomerang  for 82 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: The Drake activates Power Burst!
GS: The Drake takes a solid hit from Ethius Hesiod's Powder Grenade for 86 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Gamble: Moderate! The Drake takes a solid hit from Magilou's PEDAL TO THE METAL! for 66 hit points!
GS: The Drake activates Power Burst!
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel says, "Well," to Hiro. "I try not to be a cradlerobber so I only shoot for people who have at least a century or two in them otherwise I feel like I'm gunning for a baby? Usually after a couple centuries, people are at least adults you kno--WOAAAHh---"

She gets clobbered by the flyby and pingpongballs for a bit before Hiro is able to catch the dizzified bat and place her back on his own head. The bat lays there, swirly-eyes spinning around where normal bat eyes used to be! "What...was the number...of that jerk..."

Marivel says. Her big gulp is now being worn as a hat which means that she's just doused in blo--TOMATO JUICE BUT FOR GROWNUPS and kinda rolls back to sit on hiro's head and recombobulate.

"A FEL DRAGON? WHERE?"

Marivel BAMPFS back into her humanoid form, balancing with one foot on Hiro's head. She gestures with Guillotine in staff form and says, "Prepare to meet your maker!! You ruined my lunch!!"

"FRIGID!"
"APORT!"
"ARMAGEDDON!!"

She unleashes several spells back to back, each of them flying off in the completely wrong direction. Eventually, still kind of discombobulated, she points the staff towards what's actually MAGILOU rather than THE DRAKE.

"MAGIC SEAL!" Marivel shouts. "I'll show you... Fel Dragon! You messed with the wrong bat lady!"

A crackling magical seal is about to slam into Magilou but--lets face it--it might just wrap around Bienfu's mouth and make him suffer instead. That's probably pretty likely. but perhaps fate has something different in store.

"Ahahahahahah! KYA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! SUFFER AND DIE FOR MY LUNCH!"

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked Magilou with Magic Seal!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! Magilou guards a hit from Marivel Armitage's Magic Seal for 0 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Mute applied to Magilou!
GS: Magilou activates Arcane Font!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        "It's a matter of pride!" Gwen proclaims, sighing morosely as Hiro pats her on the shoulder. "But man, thinkin' about it... you think there'd be some customers here." She rubs her chin. "I could use the Halcyon to deliver goods to the settlements 'round these parts. Bet I could get some niicceee business that way! With appropriate rates, of course. I mean, I may be runnin' a business, but I ain't in it just for money, so I'd have t'calculate a good price range...."

        Which brings up the matter of why she didn't bring the Halcyon, but you can't hunt with a gear!

        Also, as she calculates these possible rates, she idly watches the speeding Magilou, idly saying, "I could never name a deer. It ain't like I can ask em'. Speaking of food! Y'think you could spare a burger or two for the road...?"

        BOOOM, goes the universe. Or that's what it feels like, to Gwen.

        "What the hell..." Gwen groans as she gets up from the rough aftermath of the Drake's friendly passing wave of destruction. Rubbing her head (or the hat, as it were), she pokes her head out and squints, peering about. "Did we hit a landmine or somethin'?" Wait. "Hiro.... the burger bag..." This just got *really* serious.

        Then Gwen notices the dragon.

        "This ain't... holy crap, it's that dragon..." Or drake, but Gwen's not entirely up to speed on the distinction, or that it has something specifically to do with Malevolence, outside of the purple clouds of Malevolence coming from it. "It don't look as big as the one I saw way back when, though... you think it's a Feldragon?" Gwen nods to Hiro as he takes up Marivel, offering a hand to Ruby. "Might need a hand, Ruby! Or do you wanna stick with Hiro on this?"

        Her easy-going approach disappears as she notices Katherine, standing impossibly close to the beast, as well as Ragnell's reaction. "Amaranth...?"

        If Ragnell is this invested in that woman's survival, it's double the reason to rescue her. "I'm going to circle around and snag that woman, Hiro." She stretches out her right ARM, willing a small portion of its power to flow into her body's nerves, glowing faint yellow against the grey sky's light. "Keep it busy!"

        A small bit of the ARM isn't enough to make the courier run at superhuman speeds, or even perceptively fast, but it is enough to keep her going at a steady rate, aiming straight to grab Katherine from out of harm's way. Which... may mean she'll have to run for a lot longer, if she even manages to grab the seemingly defenseless woman.

GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Bounding Flight!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action.
GS: Gwen Whitlock accepts Gwen Whitlock's Bounding Flight for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Quick applied to Gwen Whitlock!
<Pose Tracker> The Drake has posed.

Puzzlement. Who are you, Amaranth asks? Almost, she might imagine she sees a question, or something familiar in the drake's eyes. Is it hunger? Is it something different? It's hard to say... and the reverie breaks in moments as Ragnell releases her Arte and shouts. The lightning bolt crashes right into bony ridges of the drake's hide, causing him to turn and snarl in her direction even as others, too, begin to surge in. Jay calls out, and throws the bottle to the drake--

The drake catches the bottle in its jaws and clamps them shut with a burst of purple flame, obliterating the contents with only a little damage instead of the smoke that it should bring. Cyre's left alone to get to the menagerie car, but the drake steps back back back to avoid each blast of wind in turn. The boomerang, on the other hand, that Hiro throws hits home, and while it bounces against the joints they flex painfully as if hit in just the wrong spot.

The satchel and the spell come next, and the Drake moves to chomp down on the satchel just like he did Jay's potion--but the trick doesn't work a second time, the powder instead exploding and irritating his eyes and skin as he roars, turning to face--

Ah. Yes. The vehicle.

The Drake turns, rears back, and catches the Dynasphere in its claws, roaring defiance as Malevolence spills all over. He's driven back, of course--the sheer impact not only sends up sparks and crunches metal but sends him in the other direction with it as he arrests its momentum, claws digging into the ground and tail lashing violently.

The bag of burgs hasn't gone anywhere. It's still attached to one of the drake's claws, though it's hard to tell if he's noticed it as he extricates himself from the bent vehicle. Marivel's spells do not hit him, of course, though that last one is pretty close. This has however... put him right back near the Carakin again.

Gwen's pride will offer her the opportunity to interact with Katherine, though it's yet to be seen whether she'll get away with her. In the meantime, though, the drake shoves the whole Dynasphere off to the side, and Magilou with it, roaring again. he throws his head back and spoutss columns of putrid flame at Cyre, Jacqueline, and Ethius first, those nearest it now, and those who had been firing at it before. The Carakin itself is only incidentally targeted, hit with debris from his landing; it seems not to register as a target. While Hiro gets a roar that becomes a magical circle that shimmers down around him, sapping life and energy.

Gwen and Marivel, at the moment, are his least concerns, since they aren't attacking him and he's too busy to rampage aimlessly. But who knows how long it will be before he refocuses on Katherine? Instead for now, the Drake charges Ragnell as demanded, either understanding her or just really not liking her lightning... or maybe drawn to the other Seraph. It's hard to say which, but he rushes forward to snap at her with terrible jaws.

GS: The Drake has attacked Magilou with Descend!
GS: The Drake has gained 1 Combo!
GS: The Drake has attacked Cyre H. Lorentz with Wyrm Shot!
GS: The Drake assumes the Avenger stance!
GS: The Drake has attacked Jacqueline Barber with Wyrm Shot!
GS: The Drake has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Wyrm Shot!
GS: The Drake has attacked Hiro with Indifference!
GS: The Drake has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Spared... For Now!
GS: The Drake has attacked Marivel Armitage with Spared... For Now!
GS: The Drake spends 1 Combo on Poison!
GS: The Drake has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Rending Fang!
GS: The Drake has completed his action.
GS: Magilou guards a hit from The Drake's Descend for 87 hit points!
GS: Drowsy applied to Magilou!
GS: Magilou activates Guard bonus!
GS: Jacqueline Barber guards a hit from The Drake's Wyrm Shot for 88 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Jacqueline Barber gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: CRITICAL! Hiro guards a hit from The Drake's Indifference for 0 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Hiro gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Disrupt and Weaken applied to Hiro!
GS: Gwen Whitlock takes a solid hit from The Drake's Spared... For Now for 0 hit points!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz takes a glancing hit from The Drake's Wyrm Shot for 80 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Cyre H. Lorentz gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz activates Evade bonus!
GS: Marivel Armitage guards a hit from The Drake's Spared... For Now for 0 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Marivel Armitage gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Cripple and Poison applied to Marivel Armitage!
GS: Marivel Armitage activates Guard bonus!
GS: Ethius Hesiod takes a glancing hit from The Drake's Wyrm Shot for 76 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Ethius Hesiod gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Ethius Hesiod activates Evade bonus!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Amaranth has posed.

        Amaranth's reverie is summarily snapped when her sister shouts her name, and a *blitz* of lightning erupts over the drake's head and she ducks her head over her arms to avoid the brunt of the flash and force.

        "S-sis--"

        This isn't like her, she thinks. She doesn't usually recklessly wade into a battlefield on her own, without preparation. What's compelled her today? That look in its eyes... something familiar? She can't tell--

        A storm of other attacks come; Jacqueline calls her out, and she flusteredly shakes her head again and steps back. Bienfu is lamenting her end, and she's honestly not terribly wrong about that!

        Fortunately, Gwen comes to do the actual reasonable thing -- snatching her away from maw's-reach of the Fel Drake.

        Something agitates her about it, though, and she starts struggling as the courier picks her up. "N-no, wait! Wait, please--"

        Why?? What's come over her today?

        "You have to save them," Amaranth begs to Gwen. "It's not too late! If you don't..."

        Oh.

        The seamstress' hand sags.

        Oh... that's what it is.

        She sees herself, standing where the Fell Drake is standing, on that very day.

        She was saved on that day. But she never... she never did forgive herself for it. Maybe...

        "Nng-- sis--"

        Amaranth grimaces as Ragnell gets what she demands, and turns towards her. She extends her hands and--

        *FUWA*

        The first shape that takes hold in her mind comes out, and a very fluffy-fluffy translucent barrier of her signature pink doves shields the Lightning Seraph.

GS: Seraph Amaranth has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Fuwa-Fuwa Barrier!
GS: Seraph Amaranth has completed her action.
GS: Seraph Amaranth heals Seraph Ragnell! She gains 100 temporary hit points!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes a glancing hit from The Drake's Rending Fang for 77 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Seraph Ragnell gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Poison applied to Seraph Ragnell!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

        Hiro runs up to join Ragnell, saying he and Ruby have her back against the Fell Dragon. Now, it's *not* a Fell Dragon, merely a drake--a velociraptor rather than a T-rex, one might say--but a drake is still plenty dangerous. It's really not an opponent one should solo lightly. And while Ragnell does love her a good fight, she's also sensible enough to know when not to bite off more than she can chew.
        
        Ragnell glares at him over her shoulder. "Don't worry about me! Get *her* out of here instead!" she shouts, gesturing a pistol towards Katherine.
        
        Of course, Gwen's already on that, and seeing the courier rush towards her brings a brief but distinctly relieved smile to Ragnell's lips. Drifters might be soft, as she once told Azoth, but sometimes that's a good thing. Then, eyes narrowing, she focuses back on the drake, her pistols in hand.
        
        "Magilou!! Bienfu!! You idiots, you gotta bail outta that trash heap!" she shouts at the dynasphere, having missed the part where Marivel helpfully sealed her artes. She cringes with grit teeth as the drake hurls it away. No time to see if they're okay; probably one of these other soft-hearted fools will take care of it. She can have that much faith in humans, at least.
        
        But now the drake's attention is on her. *Good*. A fluffy barrier of pink doves *bounces* out around her just as the drake charges, toothy mouth open, and Ragnell silently appreciates her sister as she waves both arms over her head.
        
        "That's right, right over here!!" she shouts--before diving to one side like an acrobatic bullfighter just as the drake would have crashed into her. It's not the best-timed leap, though, or more accurately Ragnell didn't properly take into account his wingspan, because one of them clips her as she goes, knocking her away as she snarls in pain. The dove-shield at least covers the worst of it.
        
        Ragnell rolls up to one knee as she charges a shot in one pistol; an instant later, she fires into the air. An instant later, it comes back down in the form of a brief but torrential rain of water and needle-like lightning over the drake--assuming he hasn't charged out of the way already.

GS: Seraph Ragnell has attacked The Drake with Squall Shot!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes 24 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius is moving the very moment he even thinks the roaring dragon (he's not on the up and up about the exact terminology in play) is going to be opening their maw and breathing at the CaraKin - he doesn't want Jay hurt, he also doesn't want the CaraKin totaled - unfortunately the only viable direction he has, has him running and diving somewhere in the direction of where Katherine is begging to Gwen to come save them, but he can't address that until he processes the wash of hate-heat that clips him. Anger, manifest into hot, flesh-boiling flame.
        He is the sort of man who has largely brushed off antipathy towards his presence in the name of some other greater truth or cause his convictions have not wavered from, so it is the burning sensation alone he deals with. (Even 'alone,' it stings against the open air.)
        "Who is it that we are saving?" Ethius remarks as he takes off on a jog alongside the seamstress and the cyborg. (He doesn't even give a quick 'hello' or 'hi' to Gwen beyond the momentary acknowledgement that she's there - she's a familiar quantity.)
        Ragnell over there is shouting and calling attention towards themselves. "Is it her, then?" Ethius asks as he starts to wave his fingers and chant another Symbological spell to take a whole lot of the free-floating soot and dust - at least the stuff that has yet to ignite - and slam it back down upon the Fell Drake as if he were in the process of forming a new geological layer atop their body.
        He's making sure he's not standing in the direction of the CaraKin but that's the only 'good' thing he finds about his current positioning, and looking over the corner of his eye - those scorch marks are consistent with a land mine, way over younder.
        "There's buried explosives," he adds unwittingly to the tension and the stress.

GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked The Drake with Dust Compress!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

        Bienfu might not look like the other Seraphim in residence, but he is a Seraph; getting closer to Malevolence is the exact opposite of his idea of a good time. As Magilou speeds towards the Drake, his first response is to look around, and on seeing a much better type of dragon, call out "Heeelp!!" to the surely powerful Ruby --

        -- but when Magilou doesn't change course, his next response to to leap inside her, which is, apparently, just something he can do. Bienfu just straight disappears into his ill-advised friend.

        And Magilou slams into the Drake. This is exactly where she wants to be. (That was sarcasm. Meta-sarcasm.) Especially considering how the Drake catches her Dynasphere, and makes a TERRIBLE mess of the outer wheel, ensuring Magilou can never again visit that vehicle renting service, because she's sure as hell not paying for this.

        Except maybe with her life. Ugh.

        Being this close to Malevolence is something which should make any Lunarian sweat; but somehow, Magilou's hollow glare doesn't seem any more rimed with horror or strain than it was on the approach. "Of course it's not that easy," she grumbles, and between the screeching metal and the Drake it might be difficult to hear her. "... you're just gonna keep riling them up like this, you know. They're real sensitive. You can't just tell 'em the future sucks."

        It wouldn't be difficult for the Drake to hear her, though, which might raise some questions as to who Magilou was really talking to there.

        But that's when--!!

        "Mphhh mffphhh mphhh!" Magilou's mouth is all a sudden BOUND BY A MYSTIC SEAL, and she looks around as if to say WHO DID THAT which is the precise moment the Drake decides to toss her like a hula hoop.

        The Dynasphere sails through the air, and lands--!!

        ... on its edge, again. Maybe it really is cursed. Or whatever the opposite of being cursed is. This thing really looks like it ought to fall over at the drop of a hat. Maybe there are no 'Dynasphere on its side' sprites.

        It IS less a wheel in a few key places, though. The gnarled damage on its outer wheel means that even as she revs up, it makes a lot of noise and makes very little actual headway.

        "Mmi fem MOT ffs ffns krrl," Magilou protests to Ragnell, shaking a fist. "Mmey LIF hhh nh. Mrrraaarrgg!!"

        She stomps her foot and gets out of the Dynasphere, finally, kicking it in frustration. Her hands on her hips, she turns to look at their poor beleagured damsel in distress, only to find: doves.

        Magilou waves her arms frantically at Amaranth to get her attention, only to transition to a vigerous thumbs up.

        This is the precise moment the Dynasphere finally reacts to Magilou kicking it and keels over in a big, attention-grabbing THUD. There is a cloud of dust behind her. She ignores it entirely.

GS: Magilou spends 1 Combo on Inspire!
GS: Magilou enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Magilou has attacked Seraph Amaranth with LIKE A DOVE!!
GS: Magilou has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
Ruby momentarily veers off to try to save Bienfu as he calls for help. "Whoa! Hold on I'm coming!" But before she can get there... Bienfu vanishes inside of Magilou. "...I wish I could do that."
 
Hiro nodded at Marivel like he completely understands what she's saying.
 
He does not, having not reached his twenties, he can hardly comprehend being so long lived as to having to wait a century or two. Even so, mid-run, as Marivel BAMPFS back, Hiro momentarily stagger steps, trying to keep his balance against the added burden of her weight on her head. She's fortunately very light, so his teeth do not meet dirt.
 
Hiro eagerly watches her onslaught of Magic, only to see that her aim is way off. "Marivel ah..." Hiro was always taught to respect his elders, so he's not exactly in a rush to tell her that her spells are going EVERYWHERE.
 
"Marivel! My bad! Aha- look I was running the wrong way-!" As he tries to swivel his head to point her at the Feldrake... and still keep running. "You should be good now!" From that angle he mouths Magilou a sympathetic 'I'm sorry' for her state.
 
Ruby meanwhile... flies after Gwen, though she's veering REALLY wide on her path over to Amaranth, "Absolutely! I've got your back Gwen!"
 
Effect of Ruby having your back: For the remainder of the fight, Gwen after her turns, gets 1d4 damage added to all attacks from Ruby assisting.
 
Unfortunately with a Feldragon on the field, there's a 92% chance she won't act due to them being mega-terrifying.
 
Back to Hiro... Ragnell shouts at him, understandably so... given that he completley misunderstood the source of her distress... as it being a Feldrake, rather than Katherine Weaver being in danger. "Right! I'm-" A sidelong glance Gwen's way as she calls out for him to... "-distracting it! She's got her!"
 
Suddenly he has to shift directions as the Drake abruptly changes its attack pattern... however... a magic circle envelops him, and Hiro suddenly feels himself, stumbling as some of that youthful vigor gets leeched right out of him.
 
"Hyahhhh-" It's a half cry of alarm, half shout as he tries to barrel through it, but mid-run he finds himself so lethargic that instead of trying to complete his run immediately, he suddenly plants his sword, and kneels. Magic runes enveloping the ground around him as black slivers melt out of the shadows and form blade points. "Oh lightless blades - SEVER!"
 
Wrenching his blade back out of the ground, he tries to shake off the languor as he cuts it towards the Drake, "DARK SWORD!" The shadowy magic suddenly sends a volley of coruscating violet shaped blades towards the Drake. As each magical blade crashes into it, each of them trying to disrupt whatever magic is surrounding it outright.
 
Amaranth's words were distant, and not directed at him, but still he hears enough that he wonders... after what he was told... can a Seraph in this state be saved? It contradicts everything he thinks he knows about these beings...
 
... but, could it be done?
 

GS: Hiro has attacked The Drake with Dark Sword!
GS: Hiro has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
GS: Seraph Amaranth accepts Magilou's LIKE A DOVE! for 0 hit points!
GS: Seraph Amaranth gains a Combo from Inspire!
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"That's a dragon," Cyre hisses, grogginess rapidly replaced by disbelief and raw focus. "Not just any dragon. That's... That used to be a Seraphim, wasn't it...?" He's asking himself as much as literally anyone else around him. With a grunt of exertion, he closes the rest of the distance to the menagerie car and presses the two clingy drakelings in through a window and into the waiting (and terrified) paws of the rest of the Carakin's sundry animal friends. "You two wait here," he shushes, even as the two wyvernlings squeak and chirp their distress and defiance. "No arguments. I've got to punch a dragon."

Foulest fire washes towards him-- and the car behind him. Cyre turns with a furious glare, wind whipping around him in a hemispherical barrier. Tainted flame licks at his face and singes his robes. It's almost as though he has become a one-man wall, standing against the tide of consumptive fire. In the cycle of Lunar's elements, it should be eating straight through that wall, but it... is not. The emerald light surges, flaring even within the dark pits of the shaman's eyes. His hand goes to the talisman at his chest and presses in. "Whatever the hell you're doing here, you're not welcome. Fallen Seraphim or not, this taint has no place on Filgaia."

There is a pressure. A feeling like being in the presence of a great predator. Or rather, another great predator. Green sparks flood into a swelling nimbus and press outward, shattering the merciless inferno. A vortex of emerald wind spirals skyward, twisting at the storm high above...

As a deafening roar suddenly pulverizes the earth. Mines throughout the badland trigger and detonate from the inexplicable pressure. The wave of force swells and blasts towards the Drake, slamming into it with power both physical and spiritual.

The viridian tornado breaks into a thousand slivers of shredding wind as, where Cyre once stood, the Nahual of Fengalon emerges into the world to perform its sworn duty. Come on then," he growls, throwing himself bodily at the Fallen Seraphim with claws that could grind stone to dust. "If you want to brawl, then come pick on someone your own size!"

DC: Cyre H. Lorentz switches forms to Nahual - Fengalon!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz spends 3 Combo on Gatling, loading 3 into Gatling!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked The Drake with Storm Shattering Shout!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has completed his action.
GS: The Drake critically guards Seraph Ragnell's Squall Shot for 24 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Cover applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: The Drake activates Guard bonus!
GS: The Drake guards a hit from Ethius Hesiod's Dust Compress for 90 hit points!
GS: The Drake activates Guard bonus!
GS: CRITICAL! The Drake critically guards Hiro's Dark Sword for 40 hit points!
GS: The Drake guards a hit from Cyre H. Lorentz's Storm Shattering Shout for 102 hit points!
GS: The Drake activates Guard bonus!
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel stabilizes after a moment as Hiro swings her to face The Drake. She slides off Hiro's head and instead wraps her arms around Hiro, now piggyback riding him which might be worse than what it was before but is apparently not inclined to just...let go?

"Did I get him?" Marivel asks. "I got him right?"

She doesn't actually see who she hit with her spell for real and just assumes she missed with it. Is there a DOVE in Magilou's mouth, she wonders. She's seen a magic trick like that once where you just sort of open your mouth and the dove flies out and it's probably a lot of effort and training but--

She gives Magilou a thumbsup. You can do it buddy.

And then she raises up her staff once more time and APORTS A DUMBBELL falling out of the sky---

--threatening to land on The Drake! Aport doesn't HAVE to be a Bucket. It just usually is because that's the best option. Marivel frowns and looks at her staff, wiggling it a bit to see if something's wrong with it.

Can the Drake FLEX his way out of this one?!

"I'm being more helpful than usual today," Marivel says to Hiro.

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked The Drake with APORT WORK IT YOU CAN DO IT!
GS: Marivel Armitage has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Marivel Armitage takes 21 damage from Poison!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
GS: The Drake takes a solid hit from Marivel Armitage's APORT WORK IT YOU CAN DO IT for 130 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline glances toward Ethius briefly as he says her name, but it doesn't look like she's about to budge. No, it looks like she's in it for the long haul.

 Columns of flame rush down for Jacqueline and she gestures with her left hand, raising a pillar of stone to meet them. It takes most of the flame, but some still flows past it. She winces at the heat, retreating back and readying herself again.

The Drake... Jacqueline can't tell if he's targeting them specifically or just instinctually. She's glad, at least, that the Drake doesn't seem to be targeting the Carakin directly. Debris it can handle - the full weight of a dragon, even one that isn't yet fully grown... she'd prefer not to test that.

"We have two objectives!" Jacqueline says, as Ethius ask who they're saving. "We need to get Miss Weaver out of here safely, and we need to investigate the homestead to see if anyone made it out."

But before they do either, they need to do something about their new friend... Who, as Cyre points out, is a former Seraph. Jacqueline frowns consideringly. It's leading her to some potentially uncomfortable realisations, but she can worry about that later. She gestures with her right hand to invoke a Crest Graph and the rubble strewn about the area begins to stir before flying at the Drake at high speeds!

GS: Jacqueline Barber has attacked The Drake with Rubble-Rouser!
GS: Jacqueline Barber has completed her action.
GS: The Drake takes a solid hit from Jacqueline Barber's Rubble-Rouser for 122 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Shield applied to Jacqueline Barber!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        As Gwen sprints towards Katherine, the courier comes to fully grasp just how strange the unarmed woman's reaction actually is. This is not the face of a woman coming face to face with death, even in an environment like this.

        'Sis--'

        Of course. This woman is a Seraph! A familiar one. They must have met at some point! ... Wait, sisters? Do Seraphs have parents?

        Questions will have to wait, as Gwen is now carrying a most precious package for Ragnell's sake.

        "Hey, hey." Gwen's expression softens, as she readjusts her grip on the Seraph. "Ragnell's your sis?" She chances a glance backwards towards Ragnell's last position, tracing a line with her eyes from there to... where the drake is just about to snap at, as well as Hiro, struggling through some strange magic. "Oh guardians, Hiro, be careful!" Didn't she just tell him to distract the drake?

        The ARM enables Gwen to run at a consistent speed, for much longer than her lungs would normally allow, but already she's beginning to wonder how this will register in her body tomorrow. For now, just breathe, and hold.

        It's not too late.

        "Is this about the dragon?" Didn't Ragnell tell her about the connection such dragons have to the Seraphs?

        Pause.

        "Do you know who the dragon is? Or was? Before they were a dragon, I mean. Or are you just wanting to reach that person regardless?"

        She looks up to see Ethius jogging alongside them. "Yeah, she's worried for Ragnell," Gwen affirms, between breaths.

        'There's buried explosives,' Ethius remarks, drawing a nervous glance from Gwen. ".... Y'don't happen t'have some sorta... spell.... or somethin'?"

GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> The Drake has posed.

Whether it is like Amaranth or not, it is what it is; the drake continues to fight, and if it is familiar in that way, it may not be the only way. ...Though he notices the healing that shields Ragnell from his blows. "RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAR!" he roars at Ragnell, and the storm crashes down onto his bony faceplates. The rain flash boils as it touches him, and the reason why is a torrent of flame that abrubtly crashes from his mouth towards Ragnell as she fires, all in horrifying negative-image colors.

This brings him back to the Dynasphere, which keels over with a giant thud and gets his attention quickly. He charges it, teeth sinking into its metal and crunching through, though luckily for the group the vehicle is not alive and this harms nothing but Magilou's wallet and a poor business-owner's livelihood. It also distracts the drake for a moment.

The moment should be the one Hiro can use to strike and dispel the power around him, but... that isn't quite how it happens here. Lightless blades crash into the Hellion's form, but perhaps it is Hiro's doubt that is why the Drake shrugs it off, snapping his jaws at Hiro.

...Perhaps, instead, it is simply that the dark sword cannot defeat true evil...

Ethius's quick action may well have dissuaded the drake's attentions on the Carakin itself. Maybe not--but the spell that he chants brings earth crashing down onto the drake, forcing it downward with the sheer weight of the compressed dust for an instead before it can recover, and painfully grinding into his scales. The drake roars again at this... which is when another kind of roar comes.

Oh, the drake would like to charge Magilou at that space, but Cyre sees to the fact that he doesn't for now. Instead, the Drake feels that pressure and hisses Cyre's way. In the realm where the once-Seraph operates, wind feeds flame. Will it be the case here?

They clash outright, the Drake rearing onto hind legs and grappling with the Nahual for long moments, snapping jaws at Cyre and eventually just igniting in Malevolence and shoving, breaking the grapple one way or another.

But if anyone looks, those stone-carving claws have left rents in the Drake's scaled arms.

This is the point at which Marivel's aport comes in. The Drake instinctively moves to dodge the falling object, but cannot; it crashes down and breaks against his hide with a roar of pain. At the same time, the rubble strewn about is significant, and Jay's Crest weaponizes it--the earth crashes towards him, and he does not dodge so much as start walking through blows big enough to knock him partway back each time.

Maybe the mines might be key to driving the Drake off, in the end--he's not far from where they must be.

But he can use rubble, too, and he swings a claw down into the dirt and sends a shockwave crashing towards Jay, the other claw doing the same for Marivel, the clawmarks spinning through the air like Lunarian techniques. A fireball rushes for Gwen and Amaranth next, and both Magilou and Ethius are given a moment to act as he can't get to them yet--in part because the Nahual is there to potentially stop him reaching them if he's quick. But that may give them an opportunity to do something that will help a great deal...

GS: The Drake spends 2 Combo on Headshot!
GS: The Drake has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Putrefying Flame!
GS: The Drake has attacked Cyre H. Lorentz with Burning Impact!
GS: The Drake spends 1 Combo on Poison!
GS: The Drake has attacked Hiro with Rending Fang!
GS: The Drake has attacked Jacqueline Barber with Spinning Claw!
GS: The Drake has gained 1 Combo!
GS: The Drake has attacked Marivel Armitage with Spinning Claw!
GS: The Drake has gained 1 Combo!
GS: The Drake has attacked Magilou with Spared... For Now!
GS: The Drake has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Wyrm Shot!
GS: The Drake assumes the Avenger stance!
GS: The Drake has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Spared... For Now!
GS: Cover, Mighty, Quick, and Riposte expired!
GS: The Drake has completed his action.
GS: Hiro takes a solid hit from The Drake's Rending Fang for 146 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Hiro gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Poison applied to Hiro!
GS: Ethius Hesiod takes a glancing hit from The Drake's Spared... For Now for 0 hit points!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: Cripple and Poison applied to Ethius Hesiod!
GS: Ethius Hesiod activates Evade bonus and Sufferer!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes a glancing hit from The Drake's Putrefying Flame for 79 hit points!
GS: Dispel! Cover removed!
GS: Cripple, Disease, and Poison applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: Seraph Ragnell activates Evade bonus!
GS: Seraph Ragnell enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Jacqueline Barber fully evades The Drake's Spinning Claw for 0 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Jacqueline Barber gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Magilou takes a glancing hit from The Drake's Spared... For Now for 0 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Magilou gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Infect! Debuff durations extended!!
GS: CRITICAL! Marivel Armitage takes a glancing hit from The Drake's Spinning Claw for 102 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Marivel Armitage gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Cripple applied to Marivel Armitage!
GS: Marivel Armitage activates Evade bonus!
GS: Marivel Armitage enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: CRITICAL! Cyre H. Lorentz fully evades The Drake's Burning Impact for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Amaranth has posed.

        Amaranth expects Ragnell to be upset at her later, and she can't fault her -- she's done a very stupid thing, after all! At least she can protect her a little in this impromptu battle she's gotten her sister into.

        She looks towards Gwen, when she asks. "Yes," she answers meekly. "I--" There's a wince as Hiro struggles through the Drake's magic.

        Ethius has come to chase them up, and asks who they're saving, exactly.

        "It takes time... it takes time, for a Seraph to become fully consumed by Malevolence. Right now, that is no Fell Dragon--"

        Ruby is helping too! Amaranth looks up at the Dragonet for a moment, before looking to magilou when she suddenly lands with her poor doomed Dynasphere broken beside her.

        And gives her a thumbs up.

        There's a sudden pause as Amaranth's gaze is fixed on her, because, uh, you don't ever really forget having ever met Magilou. It's just impossible.

        "M-Magilou?" Katherine finds herself stammering. "But how did you--"

        ... now's not really the time, though.

        Gwen asks if she knew who the dragon is, and Amaranth hesitates. "I--I'm not sure. I feel like something about that Drake is familiar... but I don't know if that's wishful thinking, or..."

        A pause, as she shakes her head. "Regardless of who they are... the way they are right now, they can still be saved. I know that for a fact. But I... I can't do it. I don't have the power of Purification..."

        Their conversation is cut woefully short, however, when the Drake launches a fireball their way -- and Amaranth grimaces as she once-more conjures another fluffy barrier with both hands, the better to protect her guardian.

        "H-hold strong, please...!"

GS: Seraph Amaranth has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Fluffy and Puffy and Stuffy!
GS: Seraph Amaranth has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

        While Ragnell has her own protections from Malevolence, that's largely from normal, ambient, everyday Malevolence. Actual Malevolent fire belched out at her from a drake's throat? That's a horse of a different color. It might be only Amaranth's dove-shield that saves her; it bursts upon impact with the putrefying flames, which rush down towards Ragnell in negative-image agony. She leaps backwards, narrowly evading it--but she can *feel* its putrid heat, which feels like it might burn her up from the inside out. She lands in a backwards roll and comes up coughing desperately for a moment. It doesn't matter that she doesn't need to breathe. Her body *needs* to expel this.
        
        At least Magilou manages to make it through that rough landing in one piece. At least, if she's in a condition to muffle-yell at Ragnell, she'll probably make it out alive. Ragnell breathes out a brief puff of relief (it's the gesture that counts) and nods curtly at Hiro as he announces he's helping distract the drake. Between that and Gwen watching out for Amaranth, that's good enough for now.
        
        "We jus' need to run it off. We don't have the right manpower to put a proper end to 'im," she shouts. "Got it? Don't kill 'im--just encourage him to fly away!"
        
        That, however, is just when Cyre summons up colossal winds to transform into the Nahual of Fengalon. She shoots a glare his way. "Cyre..." Ragnell growls--before a lightbulb clicks on. "That's right, Cyre! HEY! CYRE!! Can you use your Guardian's purification powers in that form?! If you can, hit 'im with it! He's not a full-on Fell Dragon yet! Cleanse the Malevolence an' he can still go back to bein' a normal Seraph!!"
        
        Whether Cyre, who is willing to kill Ragnell dead to protect Filgaia, might be willing to listen to her in this circumstance is... foggy at best. But if Cyre tries to go for the kill on the drake, well, Ragnell will just have to play chicken with the wind tiger instead.
        
        For now, though, she keeps her distance, golden motes of light flickering up around her as she casts a Seraphic arte. "Pierce through! Shock Lancer!" she calls as a lance of electricity materializes; then it darts forward, aiming to strike the drake on his flank.

GS: Seraph Ragnell spends 2 Combo on Headshot!
GS: Seraph Ragnell enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has attacked The Drake with Shock Lancer!
GS: Seraph Ragnell takes 18 damage from Poison!
GS: Seraph Ragnell has completed her action.

GS: Gwen Whitlock critically guards The Drake's Wyrm Shot for 34 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! Gwen Whitlock gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Gwen Whitlock activates Guard bonus!
GS: Seraph Amaranth heals Gwen Whitlock! She gains 100 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        The stinging of hatred lingers in the air where Ethius tries to get on the up and up as to what's going on - he understands 'Hellions' just fine, but it is now clarified that they are not trying to save the seamstress, or Ragnell, or whatever that strangely colored woman over there is doing.
        They're here for this Seraph - who is now currently draconic and spewing fire and Malevolence everywhere.
        "...I see." Gwen asks if Ethius has a spell for the issue he's pointed out. He gets out the Spectral Lens - that weird eyeglass thing - and gives it a look as he goes to casting the low-yield electrical spell to turn it on. It's... trivial now, for him.
        He distinctly remembers it used to be more difficult, to some context that eludes. He found this on the same day he remembers fleeing down the mountain ranges near Lacour, away from who he would later know as the forces of Gebler.
        As a small zap of electricity dances from one hand and into the Spectral Lens to cast it in a faint blue glow, he finally replies to Gwen.
        "Yes." He brings it to one eye to sweep the landscape for the tell-tale signs. It is much, much easier than... it used to be.
        But he would never allow himself to grow complacent. He remembers...
        This used to be a far greater deal to him.
 
        ...SOME TIME IN THE PAST
 
        A forest of blue leaves, under an orange sweltering sky. Ash swirled in his wake, in no small quantity.
        He wasn't done yet.
        He couldn't be done yet. They were all still there.
        He should have been 'done' three days ago, but he could not walk away from it. The moment he first heard it, he knew what they did. He had to do this the hard way.
        He knew the model and make from the sound and the color of the flame and the smoke. He knew what to look for - he just did not know how far out he would have to go. Arduous. Painstaking. Every last hour, every last minute. He has not slept the last two days.
        The level of precision, care, and practice was not diminished by the malady of insomnia. The edge was to his benefit. Complacency kills.
        "What are you doing?" Came words not spoken this way, but understood as such as a strange silhouette stood before him as he dug up a mound.
        "New trees." He himself said. He was lying.
        "It is not the time...?" Said the strange silhouette.
        "New trees." He himself repeated, with greater urgency, as he moved to shield the faintly green metal disc from view. "New trees."
        "...So it must be the time?"
        "New trees." They were the only words he could think of. They'd have to suffice.
        There were many holes. There were no more fires.
        He did not stop until he was sure there would be no more of them - by hand.
        He was always thorough with what he did. He couldn't afford not to be - and neither could he for that silhouette that struggled with the idea anyone would put in 'new trees.'
        He did find the insistence he was 'wrong' ultimately welcome, for he wouldn't have to answer why he never 'planted' any of these 'new trees.'
 
        NOW
 
        "...I see they are arranged in a specific pattern," he says to Gwen and anyone else who's worried about the buried explosives. He can safely direct them away from where they're buried, but... they may serve another purpose, tonight.
        "Mister Cyre!" Ethius tries to call to the Nahual, who is currently embodying the Guardian of the Wind. "Bring them this way!" He's calling as loud as he can, gesturing with a free hand towards this minefield. (Amaranth may not approve of this idea!!)

GS: Ethius Hesiod spends 1 Combo on Reload!
GS: Ethius Hesiod enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked Cyre H. Lorentz with Invitation To Lure!
GS: Ethius Hesiod takes 21 damage from Poison!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz accepts Ethius Hesiod's Invitation To Lure for 0 hit points!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz activates Ethius Hesiod's Reload!!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz enters CONDITION GREEN!!
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

The battle between fell drake and divine tiger is something that you could probably make a religion about. Or at least, some scholarly monk would be desperately scribbling it out in eloquent font in the middle of a great big tome, before eventually getting tired and scrawling out a few dickbutts in the margins to blow off some steam.

Cyre meets the Drake's otherworldly might with his own. When the beast snaps its jaws at him, he dodges expertly out of the way. When it shoves, he darts in to try and close the distance. When it ignites in a veritable inferno of malevolent force...

Cyre roars. A deafening, reverberating note hangs in the air as if having suffused every molecule of the surrounding atmosphere with defiant will. The Malevolence crashes into it, but the blaze is contained-- at least for long enough that Cyre is able to hurl himself out of the way.

"I said away with you," The Nahual demands, as the sky seems to twist and undulate in truly unnatural shapes. "But then... I suppose you can't understand me anyway, huh? Then let's speak in the one language you do know--!"

He snaps his arm to one side. Five fingertips hinge out as emerald energy spirals around each of those terrible claws. A keening note splits the air. His gaze slides towards Ethius, then, who seems to have come to a uniquely devastating answer to their Dragon problem. Whenever he gets like that, Cyre can trust that something is going to explode catastrophically and usually in their favor. On the other hand...

"Ragnell," He growls, eyes narrowing at the Lightning Seraph. "Is this your doing!?"

No.

Well-- Maybe?!

But the things she's saying-- Cyre looks at her like she's gone extra crazy. Why should he believe her? The fact is that this is a monster on his world, threatening his world. For all he knows, this is just a feint on her end, a way to try and... What, corrupt him? What the heck is this dragon even doing out here specifically anyway!?

Purify it.

Purify it, huh?

"How much are you going to owe me? Cyre asks, squinting hard at the electrical Seraph.

CHOOSE THE FORM OF YOUR DESTROYER, SERAPH RAGNELL.

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

        "Mmeh ghda rhd!" Magilou calls back to Amaranth, before she sighs, dramatically, a hand to her forehead. The whole of her wilts, back extended a little too far for comfort. From... somewhere... she pulls out a Reflector Key and flourishes towards it. Ta-daa!

        THAT'S how she's here.

        And then she turns around and -- hey wow ENTER FENGALON.

        Magilou takes out a paper doll and points at them before pointing at Fengalon. "Mmri kehn HYU gehdlik ffeh?" You're LETTING THE TEAM DOWN, shikigami. Filgaia's Guardians can turn into giant cat wrestlers.

        Ragnell yells about how she only wants them to scare the drake off, and Magilou sighs. "Mmeh, meh..." At least she's trying to save a Drake and not a Dragon, like SOME people Magilou could Zaveid i mean mention.

        Malevolence washes past Fengalon over her, and Magilou puffs out a breath, straightening up and lacing her hands behind her head. The hairs on her pale skin are standing on end. "Hhhhhh bh," she sighs, with a beleagured grimace.

        Those two cannot be enjoying this right now, she thinks. Bienfu's fine, at least. Magilou can acknowledge that these feelings would be unpleasant if she were actually able to feel them, but the Normin may as well have hidden himself away in a Malevolence-proofed panic room.

        ... which is a little weird, given she's mortal. The ambient Malevolence here should be hurting her much more than it seems like it is, right?

        At this point one might ask why Magilou hasn't dispelled her magic seal to unleash her awesome magical powers yet. Two reasons:

        1) She can't be bothered, and
        2) It's funny.

        Here she sighs again, the most put-upon witch in the history of humanity (elfenity?), and turns to the man beside her as if to say 'can you believe this s--'

        And then Ethius proposes using the minefield.

        And Magilou gets a grin which she probably stole from a shark.

        She waits around, without helping even a little bit, until that Drake comes within range of one of those mines...

        "Mrk! Ah shhbing sthr!"

        Holding up her shikigami, Magilou helpfully points to where the shooting star ought to be, and thankfully her Hidden Artes still work just fine -- because an icy meteor hurtles down, RIGHT ONTO THE TRIGGER PLATE.

GS: Magilou has attacked The Drake with Spirit Drop!
GS: Magilou has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Magilou has completed her action.
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
"You're always helpful." Hiro answers Marivel with a certain naive sincerity, groaning as the weakening spell just persistently keeps a hold on his body. "What about distracting that thing can be done carefully..." He tries to give Gwen this small grin, as if to tell her he's okay before his expression lapses into a more serious one.
 
As his blades are shrugged off, Hiro looks somewhat unnerved, though perhaps it's unclear why. As it swivels and tries to bite at him, he tries to hit the ground running, but the Drake simply picks him up by his shield arm, bites down and casts him aside easy as he pleases.
 
Momentarily blinded by searing pain, Hiro hits the ground like a rag doll, and looks up to see how the drake's powerful jaws have literally crushed his shield on two sides, leaving only a thin tract in the middle. And there's blood where several fangs penetrated into that arm...
 
Biting down, he reaches over with one hand, and twists up his sleeve, tying it around it. "Right so - run him off-"
 
Ruby meanwhile looks shocked by Amaranth's statement, So you mean it's not fully one yet? Then..." Amaranth though spells out what she's thinking before it's saying... then...
 
Ruby's tiny head gets whiplash looking Cyre's way as Ragnell shouts at him, "... Cyre can purify!? ... I wouldn't have thought..." As if that idea shocks her somewhat. "Well hey - alright! Go Cyre!" As she pumps a pawsie in the air.
 
Hiro's finished tying off as Ragnell instead says it Cyre's way, and Hiro gives him a shocked look between her and Ragnell, "Wait... really, we can save them now if Cyre gets the chance...?"
 
Ruby looks kinda frantically from one side, to another, scared... then just looks resolved. "Gwen... Hiro!" Ruby audibly gulps, then slaps both of her cheeks with her pawsie, ... I'm going in!"
 
It's hard to say what spurs her to act, given how scared she is, maybe it's just... having the opportunity to save someone, makes her brave. And so Ruby starts flying towards the Drake. "Ruby wait don't!" Just hit it hard from above when I tell you to Hiro! Hey BIG UGLY AND MALEVOLENT! SACRED CREATURE OF ALTHENA RIGHT HERE! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!"
 
Ruby doesn't think that'll be enough to get the Drake to come at her. What she does think might is the fact how she suddenly buzzes around its jaws like some annoying gnat, before taking RIGHT off like a shot... trying to get it to follow him. As she flies low to the ground, skirting it really... towards...
 
... well... she's trying to lead it so that it's near Cyre, but not looking AT Cyre. She is decisively trying to lead it away from the Landmines. The Drake however is real fast, and Ruby quickly finds herself being REAL close to being eaten multiple times as she weaves from side to side.
 
"Oh G-Goddess-Goddess-Goddess-NONONONO-" Ruby shrieks at a near miss, before calling out, "-NOW-NOW-NOW PLEASE NOW!"
 
Fortunately something does come shortly after... you see, Hiro under the current weakening effect would not be able to do this well at all. Not in the least, but with Ruby distracted he's had plenty of time. Having leapt on high, he now descends right at the Drake's back, a flaming sword at the ready as he tries to plunge right into the Drake's wing and ground it right near Cyre, "DODGE THIS!"
 
Unfortunately, this makes both of the pair miss entirely the little drama between Cyre and Ragnell... so the question is, will he do it?
 

GS: Hiro spends 3 Combo on Headshot and Link!
GS: Formation! Hiro has attacked The Drake with Rubyvention!
GS: Hiro has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Hiro has launched an attack Link!
GS: Hiro's  stance ends. He enters the Avenger stance!
GS: Hiro spends 2 Combo on Gatling, loading 2 into Gatling!
GS: Formation! Hiro has attacked The Drake with Battalion Sword!
GS: Hiro has gained 2 Combo!
GS: Hiro takes 27 damage from Poison!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
GS: Hiro takes 23 damage from Poison!
GS: Disrupt and Weaken expired!
GS: Hiro has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

        "If this were *my* doin', I sure wouldn't be askin' *you* to fix it," Ragnell shoots back to Cyre.
        
        How much will she owe him for this, though?
        
        For a second, Ragnell makes a face. Then she gives him a cool stare. "Make it happen first. We'll haggle the exact price later."
        
        Meaning there *will* be a price paid... assuming he's willing to believe her.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Amaranth has posed.

        Amaranth blinks a few times at Ethius and flails, exclaiming, "Nooo, don't use the mine field--"

        Magilou on the other hand, Magilou yes minefield!

        The seamstress sags. "You haven't changed one bit..."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The Drake sends a shockwave rushing toward her. Jacqueline waits for the right moment, waiting for it to get close enough... and then gestures with her right hand, casting an earth spell to counteract the attack. A pulse of earth meets the shockwave and both cancel each other out.

Jacqueline, then, looks between Amaranth and Ragnell as they speak. It sounds like... they're not too late.

"...He can be saved? Are you sure?" She asks for confirmation. She feels a little more hopeful, at that - the possibility that it isn't too late. But at the same time... it complicates things a little. It's a lot harder to fight an opponent like the Drake when you're holding back and they, by nature, are not.

"Alright... change of plans, then." She says, taking a deep breath. She doesn't have any powers of purification herself, but she can at least try to weaken the Drake's ability to fight against it. She brings out another bottle - similar to the last one, but deeper and duller in color. More potent - mixed with a powerful strength-draining potion to hopefully diminish some of the Drake's strength.

She does some quick math in her head... and then hurls the bottle, hoping her aim is true...!

She looks toward Ethius, then, as he calculates a plan. ...She certainly hopes he's careful. And all of them, really.

GS: Jacqueline Barber has attacked The Drake with Diminishing Draught!
GS: Jacqueline Barber has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! The Drake takes a solid hit from Seraph Ragnell's Shock Lancer for 169 hit points!
GS: CRITICAL! Gamble: Moderate! The Drake guards a hit from Magilou's Spirit Drop for 141 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: The Drake enters CONDITION GREEN!!
GS: Break expired!
GS: The Drake takes a solid hit from Hiro's Rubyvention for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Shield applied to Hiro!
GS: The Drake activates Power Burst!
GS: The Drake guards a hit from Hiro's Battalion Sword for 126 hit points!
GS: The Drake activates Guard bonus and Power Burst!
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel Armitage cackles, "Take that...!"

Oh it just sotr of ... took it. Like it hurt, but it hurt like the way the Hulk gets hurt.

"Ah," Marivel says. "Gosh."

She taps her cheek lightly with an index finger and hops free of Hiro when she sees that the Drake is winding up to take a swing at her. The claw makes slam into her, slicing up her limbs and dark smoke bursts out of the wounds, drifting into the air--almost gently.

She turns her gaze towards Magilou, then towards Cyre. "Hm--I suppose--I can't say for 100 percent sure it's Ragnell's doing, or not her doing. Ragnells are pretty tricksy in my experience." She taps her cheek lightly with an index finger.

She brings her hands behind her, gaze settling down on Magilou. How'd that magic seal get on there? It looks familiar...

But she does think a moment and adds, "Normally I wouldn't suggest haggling the price later, Cyre, but do it. You have a Crimson Noble's permission! Ga ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Still, she thinks. she should try to distract it, is it?

"I see. So we are trying to prevent it from escaping then. Ragnell! I do this for free because we're such good friends!"

And with that, she points her staff towards the Drake.

"ESCAPE DOWN!"

Dark tendrils rip out of the ground and aim to wrap themselves around the Drake, intending to pin him to his current position, the Drake's own shadow rebelling against him in this moment.

"C'mon, we certainly don't want a Fel Dragon busting up Filgaia!"

GS: Marivel Armitage has attacked The Drake with Escape Down!
GS: Marivel Armitage takes 29 damage from Poison!
GS: Poison expired!
GS: Marivel Armitage has completed her action.
GS: The Drake takes a glancing hit from Jacqueline Barber's Diminishing Draught for 68 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
GS: Delay and Weaken applied to The Drake!
GS: The Drake activates Power Burst!
GS: CRITICAL! The Drake fully evades Marivel Armitage's Escape Down for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Fair point, you'd probably be waiting for me to exhaust myself fighting it before driving another knife into my back." CAN SHE REFUTE IT IF IT'S TRUE!? But regardless, Seraph Ragnell has made her decision.

Cyre, the Nahual of Fengalon, nods slowly.

...And disappears!?

No. Wait. Not quite. His presence is still here, still obvious. The wind howls. Above, the storm...

...The storm.

Cyre alights under the roiling clouds, the golden mandala at his back unfolded into golden wings spread wide. Truth be told, he would have tried this anyway. It's a worthy experiment to perform, even if Ragnell wouldn't necessarily owe him one. To purify a Fell Dragon, even one that's only there halfway would be an incredible achievement.

So.

Why not try?

The Nahual spreads its arms. The wind churns, gathering around him in a loose vortex that seems to tug at the very clouds. It drags them in, pulling together a dark of stormclouds into a ball of writhing violet and grey and black. The Wind Tiger exhales, a breath of shining wind flowing into the tempestuous orb and suffusing it with the Guardians' power. "The Rising Wind. A gale to sweep away all sorrows. A gust to scatter the storm. I bring upon you the Breath of the World."

Cyre raises his hand high, the cyclonic sphere swallowing more and more of the tempest's strength. The clouds break, spears of sunlight lancing through the gloom as Cyre carves an eye into the very heart of the storm. With a sound like a thunderclap, the Nahual descends, arm drawn back and clasping a sphere that now shines like an emerald star. He falls like a downburst, a wave of pressure slamming into the earth like the hammer of a wrathful god. With a final thrust, he plunges the sphere directly into the Fell Dragon's skull.

...The sphere ruptures. And what pours out is not a killing storm, but a shining wind. A gale to sweep away all sorrows, indeed...!

GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked The Drake with Shining Wind!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked Hiro with Shining Wind!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Shining Wind!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked Seraph Ragnell with Shining Wind!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has attacked Seraph Amaranth with Shining Wind!
GS: Cyre H. Lorentz has completed his action.
GS: Hiro accepts Cyre H. Lorentz's Shining Wind for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Quick applied to Hiro!
GS: Seraph Amaranth accepts Cyre H. Lorentz's Shining Wind for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Quick applied to Seraph Amaranth!
GS: Seraph Ragnell accepts Cyre H. Lorentz's Shining Wind for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Quick applied to Seraph Ragnell!
GS: The Drake accepts Cyre H. Lorentz's Shining Wind for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Quick applied to The Drake!
GS: Gwen Whitlock accepts Cyre H. Lorentz's Shining Wind for 0 hit points!
GS: Hyper and Quick applied to Gwen Whitlock!
GS: Gwen Whitlock enters CONDITION GREEN!!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        "It ain't wishful thinking. That's hope!" Gwen exclaims, as drops of rain hammer down against them all. "That purifies fear! No wonder you looked at it the way you did! And hope--"

        Gwen's ability to escape the drake's notice is not for much longer, however, as a fireball slams towards them at that second.

        It crashes against the barrier that Amaranth constructs, giving Gwen the time to slide through the mud into a stop and brace herself, toward around towards the blast with her ARM in front. "Gh...!"

        The danger temporarily past, the courier pants, and thumbs up towards her and Ruby. "Takes more than that to get me!"

        Still breathing hard from her run, Gwen nods towards Ethius. "So leadin' it towards the minefield, huh... but would the not-Feldragon get too damaged by this? It's worth it t'try to save it, I think..." She glances back towards the Nahual, briefly amazed by his brilliance. "Maybe Cyre could..." And it's clear that Ruby is having the same idea.

        Gwen does the best thing she could in this situation. She slows again to a stop, whips around, and cups her hands over her mouth. "Yew-get-*COUGHcoughcoughWHEEZE*" Her lungs had a hefty bill they needed to pay at that exact moment. "Whookay, tryin'.... that one again." She again cups her mouth. "Cyre, you get *half off* any deliveries!"

        this is a very generous offer, Cyre, you should accept it

        "So I guess, the plan is... to keep it here until we make the thing happen? If it can happe--"

        BOOOM

        Gwen looks at the sharky shark grin of Magilou, and blinks. ".... I see why she was considerin' datin' you."

        Wait, where's Ruby? Ah, there she is, zipping towards the drake.

        "WAIT, RUBY!"

        Gwen aims her ARM and hurriedly loads her bullets, watching helplessly as she sees Ruby weave away from the drake's mouth. "C'monc'monc'mon, shit where'd-- crap, I'm just gonna laser it!" As Hiro leaps into the air, Gwen fires, aiming for the drake's leg, Cyre's wind power strengthening her beam. "Ruby, get back!"

GS: Gwen Whitlock has activated a Force Action!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has activated a Force Action!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked The Drake with Corona Discharge!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has gained 1 Combo!
GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! The Drake guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Corona Discharge for 144 hit points!
GS: Reaction switch bonus! The Drake gains 1 additional Combo!
<Pose Tracker> The Drake has posed.
<Pose Tracker> The Drake has posed.

Amaranth indeed can sense something familiar--but what is it? It's hard to say. Perhaps there will be some clue to come. For now, though, those fluffy barriers are her best means of communicating with it--communicating a protection of others.

Meanwhile, dark tendrils rise from the ground around the Drake, his own shadow rebelling--and indeed his shadow grips wildly at the monster before he roars that much more loudly and bursts into Malevolent flames, all shadows around him dispelled in blinding light. Someone might imagine this Seraph had an element, at this point. Just like one might imagine the kind of Malevolence that could've caused this to begin with...

It could be a religion, this particular battle. Perhaps in another world it would be the start of one. As it stands though, the drake contents with a being closer to his size, and one apparently capable of dealing with Malevolence. The drake hits the ground and breaks it apart beneath him as the Nahual dives out of the way.

Ragnell's Seraphic arte does indeed pierce through, lightning charging into the Hellion's muscles and sends him sweeping backward with a growl, the light all around him angry and red and briefly, except where it's pure white from electric arcing. But Ethius knows the pattern--it may have been easier or harder before to do what he's doing, but here and now it's about the right time. Ethius directs with his free hand where the drake should go. And someone is around to help guide him there.

Marivel has a point though. She has the right idea, for what's going on.

"ROAAAAR!"

This is his response to Ruby, who gets his attention all right. He starts to lope after her, pushing past the others along the way. The drake is much faster than his size suggests, and there are many near misses...

Until he's near the mines, and his back is to Hiro. Indeed he doesn't dodge this--Ruby has him distracted enough that while his powerful hide does a lot to eat up the flames of Hiro's blade, he scores a telling blow on the dragon that roars again in rage or perhaps pain.

Then Magilou's magic sets off a bunch of mines, and sends the drake flying into Gwen's laser, both of which hit hard enough to knock him into more mines, which start going off in a cascade of ARMsfire. One might worry that this would destroy the Drake instead of letting him be purified...

But he is conscious, if injured, when he comes to a stop. Conscious, but impaired; the drake seems weaker with the impact of Jay's potion that almost could've been missed in the chaotic melee, but indeed worked. And here, the tempest howls....

The wind churns; the orb shines with gale force winds, spears off sunlight glancing through, and the sphere is thrust straight for the Fell Drake's head. They clash for another long moment, and the drake roars with force. Almost--almost it works.

And for a brief instant, there is a sense of purest flame before the drake breathes out his putrefying flames to oppose the shining wind. There's a flicker--and the drake howls, before abrubtly taking wing, leaping into the air and sailing through the sky, leaving the farmstead behind...

With a gentle wind that has replaced the storm.

The theory is sound. But this time, the Drake escapes once more, to continue its rampages after healing later. It will be back.

...But there is perhaps something to be done, if they and others can figure out how.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Amaranth has posed.

        They're so close... but it still has strength yet to resist, and it flees afterwards, rising into the air on darkened wings and leaving the farmstead behind, the shining storm that sways over her replaced by a gentle, almost refreshing breeze.

        Amaranth looks pretty reserved by the time all's said and done, one hand to her elbow as she looks towards Ragnell contritely. "Sis... sorry... I--" A pause. "No excuses. I wasn't... really myself. Something about that Drake called me to it. But... thank you for protecting me."

        It might be a little late for Jay's question -- are you sure? -- given what they've observed, but... she nods to the alchemist anyway. "Yes. At that stage of Hellionisation, it's still possible."

        She's further silent, before adding, "If it wasn't... I wouldn't be here right now either."

        The seamstress uncharacteristically and moodily stares up to the sky, still wondering what is it that feels so familiar to her.

        She's not sure if it is familiarity, or if she's just wishfully thinking there was familiarity.

        Right now, she's not sure.

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

        Magilou finally bothers dispelling the seal over her mouth so she can stroll past Amaranth, hands laced around the back of her head.

        "Beating yourself up helps, doesn't it?" She asides, to her, a look to the side as she passes. It's a direct question, but not one coated in any particular malice, aside from the tug of the corner of her lip to a grin.

        And... keeps walking, though at least she stretches her arms above her head and extends one out to a wave.

        "Bienfu says hi!"

        Magilou is not sticking around to explain all this. Or the destroyed Dynasphere. She doesn't have any responsibility at all!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

        Oh, no, Magilou. If this were a full-on dragon, Ragnell wouldn't be trying to save it; she'd be trying to destroy it. She'd be encouraging everyone here to unleash the utmost of their power to take it out. Alternately, she'd be grabbing Amaranth and running, because if it were a full-on Fell Dragon, it would be a) much bigger b) much, much stronger. Ragnell only tries to save what can be saved.
        
        Cyre accepts her logic with a healthy dose of snark. "Exactly," she shoots back. As for whether he can purify or not? "The Guardians *can* use purification powers--they tried on Lucia, remember?" she calls over to Ruby. "They didn't succeed, but it wasn't because they didn't have the power! Cyre channels Fengalon directly, so in theory, he should be able to use purification too!"
        
        Whether it'll be enough is another story, of course. But it's worth a shot.
        
        Marivel meanwhile talks about what great friends she and Ragnell are. "FUCK OFF, MARIVEL!"
        
        The Nahual meanwhile casts down a great and bright wind to burst on the drake's head. It breaks there, then bursts outwards in all directions, bringing with it a clean, refreshing sensation. It washes through and over Ragnell, and she sighs out a breath of relief. Some of the bits of Malevolence that had been clinging to her evaporate, like water under a hot wind...
        
        And perhaps some of that wind breaks through to the drake too, but not deep enough, not far enough. The creature roars, then leaps into the air and wings away. Ragnell doesn't try to shoot it down or chase it; she simply sighs and holsters her gun. "Back on the hunt--though if you wanna take five, that's fine by me," she remarks to Magilou. To Amaranth, her eyes soften. "It's fine. I get it," she says. "But next time, at least make sure you got some muscle along to protect you. I don't wanna think o' what might've happened if we hadn't been here by chance."
        
        To Cyre, she makes a slight face. He didn't succeed, but maybe it's just a matter of getting more people together. Then she turns towards where the drake flew off to. "If you're interested in gettin' more involved in this an' makin' me owe you somethin', I suggest you talk to Ida," she says. "'til then, I'm gonna keep trackin' that drake."
        
        Then she's off. Drakes move fast, so she has to, too.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel says, "She only says that because she knows I know that it's just her being Friend Tsundere." in an aside to Hiro.

Does that help you believe hiro??

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

                FROM AFAR
 
        An elven woman wearing far too much for this climate watches from afar. She scarce needs the looking glass she secured from another sniper rifle. She's been following the red drake for some time - she can't keep her mind off of what she felt that day.
        Unrelenting rage.
        It did not change that they were suffering, and... she felt so limited. Her own feelings never really came to any sort of agreeable, completable, satisfying thought beyond the overlying likeness that cropped up in most of them.
        She cared. She cares. She will continue to care that they are suffering, and yet, it is a heart that cares that feels so limited in how she can achieve this.
        If only she could reach out, tell them the dream she has been shown. A cause to believe in.
        She did see how the creature's head turned to a brave young woman out there. What did she do that she did not, she wonders - and will continue to wonder.
        "Elise," the woman says to herself, "I... I hope we can find a way to reach them."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Gwen Whitlock !!!

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

It's still possible... Jacqueline nods, at that.

"I see... Then, we'll have to keep trying." She says... and pauses, as Katherine says something she didn't know. Jacqueline pauses for a moment, her expression softening. "...That's why you were here, isn't it...? You were trying to reach out to him."

She can't imagine how it feels. It's not something she'd ever experienced.

"I... hope we'll be able to save him." She says then pauses again, frowning pensively. "In the meantime... We need to do something about the settlements around here. A Hellionized Seraph... that explains why none of the stories I heard were ever able to settle on what exactly happened. They had no idea what was going on. We need to limit the amount of damage he can do - for his sake, as well as that of the people who still remain here."

 She shakes her head, then, and shrugs.

"I don't have the power of Purification, so...I think I'll focus on helping the people. I'll try to get in touch with anyone I can - to at least keep them informed of the situation, if I can't get them to evacuate from here entirely until he's purified." Jacqueline decides.

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
Hiro, bleeding, somewhat empowered by Cyre's spells, and still watching the spot in the sky where the Fel Drake left...
 
Suddenly blinks his eyes and asks Marivel...
 
"What's... a Tsundere?"
 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel places a hand on Hiro's shoulder.

He looks straight into Hiro's eyes.

And slides him a copy of the first volume of YURI UNDER MOONLIGHT into his hands while staring into his eyes.

But she thinks--did the Drake leave because it doesn't want to be purified? Or because it is so corrupted it simply recognizes it as a threat to its final transformation?

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius stands aside for the most part in the wake of the pyrotechnics, the heartfelt discussions. None of the emotional taint clings, beyond the painful remnants of a burn that feels like it's been burning longer than he might have been alive, but that will pass - those wounds are physical, at least. His mind remains focused on other things. To the gathered - especially the Seraphim - this 'drake' means the world to them, to everything.
        He's running out of places to look for something he knows is of more import than a single life, offering no explanation, apologies, or even disagreeing looks with how some moved in disagreement with his own plans, removing himself from the emotion of the situation with the same distance he has always did these last four years among the lot of them.
        ...As it is, it seems everyone here is comfortable enough with the nature of what they're facing and what they can do about it. At that point, it's of no further or greater concern to him.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

...It isn't quite enough. The Fell Dragon beats a hasty retreat, perhaps sensing an existential threat to its twisted state. The Nahual of Fengalon watches as the creature takes to wing, and gives Ragnell a quick glance before she hurries off after it.

With a sound like a sigh, the Wind Tiger disappears into motes of light and Cyre returns to the world just as he left it. "Ugh, what a mess," he grumbles, rubbing at his eyes and forehead like a person who definitely just got dragon'd out of the middle of a pleasant nap. "Well. Maybe next time we'll have to try beating the crap out of it a little bit more before I try again. What is it they say? 'You have to weaken the monster before you capture it,' or something? Eh, whatever. Next time."

NEXT TIME, FELL DRAKE.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        Maybe, it'll all work! Gwen cheers as Cyre's holy wind brushes against thre drake's muzzle, and then...

        It uses its last amount of strength to retreat, leaving the wind to gently blow over the land.

        Watching the drake fly off, Gwen has to fight her body's wish to immediately collapse as the world, as well as her sense of her body's abilities, retract into their familiar restraints. "... Guardians, I guess I'm... still not at my best..." She closes her eyes and slumps. "Rain feels good, at least..."

        Opening her eyes, she sees Ragnell's back turned to them, the Seraph intent on following the Drake. "... Gimme a message if you can, Ragnell. I can't purify, but I'm delicious, at least." She clears her throat. "... Though I ain't up to sacrificing myself to a dragon. Barely got my body back from the last stunt I did--"

        Oh, she's going, like, now. "Hey Ragnell. Catch."

        Drawing out a pouch of spices, she tightens the knot and, thinking better of it, jogs up and presses the spice pouch into Ragnell's hand. "For luck. It's the newest blend! A little hotter this time 'round. N' if you don't use it, save it for the next time we chow down." Okay, now to--

        What is Marivel putting in Hiro's hand "No corrupting Hiro, bad Marivel!!"

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

 
Hiro looks Marivel in the eyes with this bovine sense of confusion. And then he looks at the copy of the first volume. And then he looks back at Marivel. Then back at the volume. Then Marivel. Then at the volume. Then at Gwen.
 
Then he flips through it with one hand.
 
Pinkens, and immediately shuts it.
 
"Marivel. Why."
 
It's not that Hiro is against anything in it. It's just he's embarrassed and...
 
... he had to sit through Lucia reading every volume of the ancient Metal Demon Classic: Fifty Shades of Chrome to him while keeping a straight face.
 
And as much as he loves Lucia reading to him, he's not sure he wants to go through another round of that.
 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

        Ragnell pauses just long enough for Gwen to pawn that bag of spices off on her. She holds it up, and just having it in the vicinity of her face brings the heat. She breathes it in, smirks, and nods.
        
        Then she's off again, content to let Gwen handle the crisis of Hiro's innocence.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

        Now, turning from the mess that is Hiro's pink face, Gwen walks to Amaranth, placing a hand on her shoulder. "... You understand a little of what they're going through. When one of us succeeds, and we get it purified, that Seraph will need your support." She hesitates. "..... You stared them in the worst part of their infestation and saw the being inside. There's nothing they'll have to hide from you."

        Then, if Amaranth allows for it, Gwen draws her into a hug. "I can't say I exactly know what it's like, but... kinda went through somethin' similar, real recent-like. So... it hits me a certain way, I guess. But anyway. Remember what we all said here."

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel is already bouncing around like daffy duck as she 'woo hoo woo hoo woo hoos' all the way home, leaving Hiro with the volume.