[EV-26] The Ladonian Rebellion

[Nian 0]

And they were getting close! Her new residence, right in the midst of what looked like the border along heaven and hell. Cut off from the rest of the world, it earned a right moniker, her definition of what she'd consider an ivory tower.

If there were any signs of disgust on the emperor's face, her presence would've been long gone before a second look were up to confirm it. Because--

"Argh, blast it! This control is stuck, and the Airship is on a crash course!"

--Honestly, she couldn't stand the helpless, sometimes.

Perched on one of the sides of the Hand of Heaven, her eyes were trained on the patrolling of guards down below. Slow maneuvering, and she would've had the patience to wait for their routes complete too, had they not been hurtling through space at rocket speed, or if they had under the discerning control of the people's king, permission unto her without objection.

C'est la vie.

There was a statue in the middle of the courtyards. Once Nian had caught notice of the sheet of marble against the flat lawns, the player rose from her squat, feeling her footing give way off the edge of the vessel, and--

she

plummeted

down

into

 

the

 

abyss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claws out. Only a resolve crafted of vanta steel and eyes of burning red were all the specks of detail that one might make from on high down to the ether below. And the royal was non-hesitant, turning around from her look back towards the ship facing down towards her landing point. She was going to make it to the spot of white.

And she wasn't going to land without a yell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

One swift sword art, the woman's trick to disobey Cardinal's laws. The type of movement to reset her velocity, stop her momentum mid-air and have her drop onto the shoulders of the Imperator's image, feet spread wide apart, ear-to-ear, as Nian readjusted herself so not to lose balance upon disgracing His Majesty. Another howl -- as though the first hadn't been enough to capture the attention of her fellow subjects from the gate to the doors of the castle -- before she stopped entirely, taking a deep breath from the gust of wind that blew straight towards her, fresh, the scent of flames and fortunes on that breeze.

She swallowed. Exhaled. Kept her cool, the flutter of her shawl thrown upwards as a promise of something better, as someone important. Talons, edged and sharpened, clinging onto metal from a world unbeknownst to reality rested upon her hips. They gleamed in dark prismatic hues, Heaven's Right in her presence.

"Listen up you ingrates!"

(A pause for dramatic effect.)

"Your new ruler is here now! To lead you all into a new age of glory! Of power! Of everything you could ever want and more! Where is your god now, that you demand for what you deserve, and The King stands missing, hiding away from his people, when he owes you what you are due!"

The true sovereign threw a fist to a side, fury of a thousand suns seething through from an unlocking of her jaw.

"You do not deserve that! And hence, I am here to take charge!"

---

ID201898 | LD3 | --> i should stick to rolling normally next time.

PROGRESS | LD 3/150

[Krysta 0]

It was all one thing after another.

Nian's lackey didn't take the collision very well, but that was his problem, for Krysta wasn't aiming to do that, she only wanted to take back the controls that held the balance of life and death away from that blasted Tyrant!

While Krysta struggled to prevent a crash, one player started to panic, handing umbrellas out to everyone as he acted like some sort of flight announcer. Then the redheaded barbarian proceeded to mess around with- wait, an airship had an anchor??? Was that even possible? Thankfully, the barbarian also managed to dislodge the shift, then a sudden stowaway came out of hiding to suggest the usage of the brake, while the redhead addressed the other players around, admitting that no one knew what they were doing. Krysta took the pink haired player's advice, attempting to use the brake...but it would seem that Krysta was a few seconds too late, for there was enough sudden force to fling the players regardless.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

Krysta found herself falling off the ship, plummeting down. This couldn't possibly be how it ended...

But it wasn't.

Krysta fell onto Nian, who was on a statue, and it was likely that the impact, though still non damaging to either, was enough to send them both tumbling off of the statue and onto the ground.

@Nian

 

"Urgh..." Krysta got up, with some difficulty, and shook herself off, and she took a look at her surroundings. There, an entrance was in sight! No more than three soldiers were stationed, and within the surrounding lawn, there were only a handful of guards, all spread out. Krysta would need to move quickly if she was to enter the tower without being swarmed by resistance.

Unfortunately for the soldiers, Krysta was no good at stealth, and was aware of it too.

She drew her blade, expecting resistance, and rushed for the guarded entrance.

 

ID# 201899 LD: 12

PROGRESS | LD 15/150

Edited November 20, 2021 by Krysta

[Celeste 1]

Some fell, as this thing barreled and twisted into the center of the base of the tower. The courtyard matched with a slew of hedges and pleasantries rushing up to greet them, with lethal intent. A handful of chain, still wrapped around the center mass. "Guess it's time to bail." She grinds it tight and reaches out for any motherfucker she could grab. The collar @Nobody as he'd gag as a result, @Blueberry like a sack of potatoes under her left arm after shoving her hand through the barrels lid and hunkering down for @Lium to ride piggyback.

Off the side, the chain winding aggressively with slack around that mast. Before it becomes taut. Straight up superhero landing as it virtually strangles her shoulders like a parachute. The stone cracks beneath her feet, and players can visibly see Celeste's HP depletes from the drop before it starts to tick back up slowly. Dropping @Blueberry with an oof, and a very already limp noodle that looked like a homeless man. Scanning the place with a quick sideways glance, her teeth still drawing red against her lip as she cut it, biting down.

She was a mess, and she was furious.

Guards, near a pair of gates that lead inward. A statue, behind her. She grins and her eyes become crimson oozing in a trail with a turn. Her hands knock back and a massive slab of steel connects with that giant marble ego at the heels. Celeste releases her sword which proceeds to grind away in a spray of sparks, @Alkor cutting the opposed heel, and pushing it with his foot toward her.

Raising her arms, she didn't have time for this shit. What comes next is a smattering smear of data across the floor, parts of a gate and a shrapnel of marble.

The door was open.

ID:201908 | Battle:1, Craft:7, Loot:13

Round 4 PROGRESS | LD 28/150

Edited November 21, 2021 by Celeste

[Alkor 0]

The impact jarred him.

Before they ever had time to cool their heads and have a constructive conversation, the destruction robbed them of all clarity. Some fell away while others embraced the momentum. All of them found themselves with footing, somehow. He could no longer see the strange, loud woman or the blonde who entreated with him to stop the horrific scene from unfolding. Aincrad never seemed to consider the hopes and dreams of its captives. This quest seemed no different, no less apathetic.

What it lacked in compassion, the game made up for in allowing the Players mutability. It replaced intense longing with dread and hopelessness, the embers that stoked rebellion. What else could he do but arm himself with the few weapons it offered him but defy fate?

His landing was rough. Heels hit first, then toes, and then knees to displace the shock as he rolled through to his feet. He started to run immediately, barreling through a group of guards who shuffled to block his path forward. Not so far away, he saw the gate and another set of armed responders staged perfectly to bar him entrance. That was when he spied the others- the belligerent woman with red hair, namely. He immediately surmised her intention as she began to turn her aggression on a statue nearby.

There was no time to think. No time to rehash whether or not the idea was a good one, or if it would work. It would work. They would make it work.

With the gilded energies of a Sword Art coalescing around it, Alkor hefted his blade and cast his lot to the system. His body hurtled forward free from inhibitors, spinning and slamming the blade into the leg of the stature and tearing through with scant little resistance. In perfect time with the attack from his compatriot, the foundations of the artistic rendition gave, and the Blonde youth followed through his spinning slash with a well timed side kick. It belted out and made contact, forcing the behemoth object to fall toward @Celeste. She wasted no time in utilizing the momentum to lob it into the wall.

It smashed through in an ear-shattering collision and dust plumed outward. He covered his face and coughed loudly, expelling the particulates that made their way into his throat. 

Nothing would get in their way.

This was their response to the world that had stolen everything from them.

Ready, Aim, Fire.

[201909] LD: 10

Round 4 Progress: 38/150

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Alkor

[Blueberry 0]

Munching silently within the crate, light would suddenly pour into the crate as a dark-haired boy would open it. Peering into his eyes through his specs, she would nervously take a bite as he stared at her with a fierce determination. 

"you!"

Blue stood up, crumbs falling down into the crate as she did. Smiling brightly at the boy, her voice would ring out with its normal trill. "Me!♥~" She replied. As he mentioned he was looking for her shop, she would cock her head sideways. "Its in Taft though with a big sign that says 'Sweet Teart'. How could you miss it?" 

The airship lurched as it groaned with the amount of damage the players had done to it. "That doesn't sound good. I don't have any food for fall damage..." Turning back to @Plini she asked, "Could you put the lid back on? I don't think we're gonna land very well..." She crouched back into the crate, a bit worried for how they were going to land. 

Her eyes widened as the Red-haired girl suddenly appeared in the opening of Blue's box and picked her up and threw her over her shoulder. "EEP!" The girl cried in protest. "At least buy me dinner first!" She told the girl. Eyes widening in fear as the floor below them was no longer the ship. No, it was the ground several yards away. A scream would pierce the air as they descent and landed with a hard thud that fell to the ground. Dropped onto the ground, Blue would take a moment to regain composure. Out of breath, Blue would struggle to say, "Maybe that was a little fun, but warning next time, okay?~" Blue's eyes traced to where @Celestewas looking. A hand covered her mouth and she seen the statue that had crashed into the building before them. 

Rushing in, Blue would look around and found that one of the guards had managed to avoid being crushed under the statue. Instead, his leg was crushed and shards of glass had left him cut to pieces. He was barely holding onto life. Sitting on her knees in front of him, Blue would whisper, "It's gonna be okay. I won't let you die." A small blue light was produced as she cupped her hands together. 

Suddenly, a small blueberry was formed in the girl's hands. "Eat this, it'll help." She plopped the small berry into his mouth, his health beginning to restore as she did. "I think we're gonna keep going forward, but you stay here and I think they will leave you alone." Blue stood, her work done. 

"Okay let's go! Or whatever we're supposed to be doing!~" 

---

Roleplay Action: Blueberry used R5 First Aid on <<Imperial Guard>> | 15 EN used. 

Event Roll: ID: 201921 | LD: 20

Round 4 Progress: 58/150

 

[Nobody 1]

*Hack* *Sputter* *Cough*

"What the heck is wrong with you people?!"

Nobody gasped and pulled his collar free from the woman who may just have saved his life after endangering it in the first place.  Weary eyes surveyed their surroundings, seeing the mad monarch in red and the blonde proselytizer dangling on various bits of the giant idol of Razwell, both off their rockers in a way that could see them fly over a cuckoo's nest.  Madness hadn't just gripped the state of Ladonia, but also the players within it.  With rasp for voice, he cried out in anger and frustration, suddenly preferring to throw his lot in with the mob of mobs.

"Look at you!  You're all bickering over who's gonna get to call the shots, but you're acting as badly as the tyrant these people mean to take down.  Especially you!"  His fingers pointed accusingly through their digit-less gloves at the crimson empress above.  "We should be helping these people," he shouted hoarsely, "not arguing over who has the biggest..."  Wait.  Are they are women? Nobody stood stunned at the realization that the worst offenders in the lot all fell on the same side of that particular line.  The momentum of his would-be tirade was lost at the turning of stereotypical tables.

"Doesn't matter!  I'm done getting dragged around by the nose, kicked in the ass or otherwise tossed about by a bunch of would-be usurpers behaving as badly as the one they would claim to be trying to stop!" 

"Take your fate into your own hands," he told the nearby throng pressing against the lattice of metal straps that barred their entry to the grounds.  "I'm done being a prisoner to yet another brand of petty martinets."  Taking a torn, mustard-coloured sheet that was thrust towards him by a young boy being crushed against the gates, he was struck by the pain and desperation in the kids eyes.  Nobody knew what he was going to do.  Swaddling the cloth around a nearby pole, he ran to the ramparts above and waved his improvised flag back and forth in the air, rallying the rebels to their opening.  Pressing a foot against the unattended counterweight release, he pushed.  A clank.  Then a heavy thud.  Metal rattling against metal as the chain fell freely, drawing the gates up and open, allowing the rebellion to spread into the palace grounds.

"This is for the little people, tired of getting pushed around by all the giant fucking egos around here!"

***

Nobody defiantly refuses to roll.  

Edited November 21, 2021 by Nobody

[Krysta 0]

Krysta stopped suddenly as the statue that she and the Tyrant tumbled off of was somehow lifted and thrown onto the door. Killing two, and severely injuring one of the soldiers guarding the door, which was now opened by the force of the impact.

"...Well, that works too, I suppose." Krysta remarked.

The pink haired player rushed over to the injured soldier and- healed him? How was that...? Krysta didn't think it was possible to heal a hostile entity, and yet here this player was.

To add to the confusion, the player who had used Krysta's battledress as a rag, and panicked prior to the fall, began to rant about the current situation.

He dared to consider Krysta as one of those who she was trying to stop. "My intention is not to conquer." Krysta responded.

The player moved on to form a makeshift flag and open a path for the NPCs who were trying to get past the gates. The player was foolish, but perhaps his heart was in the right place. Krysta then continued moving forward. With her sword drawn, she approached the entrance.

"Forward!" She called out before she rushed into the tower. It may have not been a statistical call to arms, but hopefully with the door opened, the players will be encouraged with the goal being in sight.

ID# 201926 LD: 5

PROGRESS | LD 63/150

Edited November 21, 2021 by Krysta

[Lium 1]

After jump off Celeste's back, everything was happening so damn fast. Lium couldn't keep up. He decides that he wasn't going to get involved in the huge pissing contest that was going on right. He wanted that treasure, yes, but he also had his limits. He knew he was weak and he was not going to involve himself with shit he couldn't handle himself. Walking to this Nobody guy with a sigh, "I couldn't agree more. They are only wanted one thing and will do anything and I mean ANYTHING to get it. Regardless of what you see from Celeste, she is not a bad person."

Suddenly something catches his attention. Someone crying... Following the voice it leads him to a small group of children around the bend. They couldn't be more than 5-10 years old. A deep sign, he also had a soft spot for kids. Kneeling to a knee toward the young people, "I know you're scared, but you will be safe through those doors. More places to hide until things calm down." One of these boys stand and walks to him. Holding out a hand to the others, they all quickly stand running to Lium as they latch to him one by one. Lium turn and began to walk through the gates now, he turns to Nobody, "It doesn't all have to be bad, there are some good people here too, you just need to know who they are and stick with them." A smile toward him as he walks through those gates with a handful of children latched to every side of him. Turning the corner and settling in the dark, getting to one knee. "Go hide and do not come out until it's safe, okay." A simple nod from all of them before they scurry off behind buildings in the dark. Getting to his feet, Lium looks out to see what he was working with now.

@Nobody

ID:201933 | Battle:10, Craft:3, Loot:18

PROGRESS | LD 81/150 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Lium

[Nian 0]

Gross.

It was decent time that the stupid, ugly infidel got off of her before she even had a chance to swipe the devilskin and rip an orange cursor into her. The king snarled, whipping up from her furled lump on the floor, letting out another war cry before her choir was matched with the destruction of property. On terrible grounds such as these? They might as well.

And then watching that damned shitty woman rush forward only to turn back and -- what? Let people in? As though the guards wouldn't be on her ass within seconds flat -- "Seriously, it's like nobody knows how the fuck to handle chaos around here," she snarled, almost pausing her rushed movement to scan the grounds for Plini. Nian found nothing. It was as though he was captivated by that random other blue cyst that appeared out of nowhere and left them for dead.

Ugh. She couldn't trust Nobody, here. Fine.

Without hesitation she launched herself into the building, clutches of her tempered claws pulling her lanky form forwards. Almost on all fours she darted into the hallways -- if the color of red and the size of her weapons weren't enough to signal to the confused security of the danger of the player, then perhaps the snarl of heaven's chosen would've been enough to tell them to make way. Or else.

One rounded corner, claw marks indenting the marbled flooring. She understood not why some locations featured checkered tiles and others a more regal swirl of neutral tones, from grey to black. Ahead seemed to be a staircase, spiraling upwards in the main hall -- and sure, the infantry were making their way downwards, spears in hand and at the ready to seize the incoming civilians.

Read: Civilians. The monster within was much more of a threat than most mild-mannered strongarms were expecting to manage on this fine, downside-up sort of day.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

She must've barreled into them, slamming three of the line up into the tower's walls, knocking over a pedestal in all of its finely-crafted stone glory, alongside the ornaments that had decorated the auxiliary aesthetic. With a fling, she'd sent their stunned bodies into the next room, crashing through a hollow doorway and denting infrastructure -- a pillar, most likely. Nian hadn't the mindset to check. And what more patrol teams lagging behind their comrades flooded the circular room, making a beeline towards the emperor's position.

With a sharp snarl, the king fled through the doorway, a grip on the frame, tear lines indicating where there might've been danger, guards following through on that promise.

---

ID201937 | LD9 | --> storming the castle

PROGRESS | 90/150

[Krysta 0]

To say that storming the tower was simple would be a lie.

Once again, the Tyrant would become a disruption in it all. Nian's actions revealed her true colors as a monster within human form as she rushed past Krysta, moving swiftly, almost on all fours, like some kind of creature. The snarling coming from the individual did not help her case at all.

Krysta's eyes came ablaze, and she picked up her speed, now determined to reach the destination with all due haste.

Nian was now a monster in Krysta's eyes, and she had to reach the top before Nian did. Krysta was not foolish enough to dare overlook cursor colors, so her only interest for the time being was to reach the goal before her newfound enemy.

For the sake of those who sought freedom, for the players who hadn't seen what Krysta had seen, and to prevent selfish conquest... This was now a race to the top of the tower.

And Krysta did not intend to lose.

ID# 201938 LD: 7

PROGRESS | 97/150

Edited November 22, 2021 by Krysta

[Plini 0]

While the others have already raced inside, Plini took a different path but in a way that Nian was not out of his sight. He was supposed to stick with her but with how many people are in there joining her, with one blonde acting like she can take on Nian (according to him) and hoping that Blueberry could keep up with them.

He wasn't able to talk to her more, as soon as he opened the crate where she hid, Blueberry told him to close it and their ship landed and now he's in a slightly narrow path "there might be other passages" he thought. Plini ran and ran, trying to find what may seem like a door or a vent. He was also pushing any wall that looked suspicious "I guess it's not on this side" he looked around him then turned his eyes to Nian

Who now fell down....

ID: 201950 | LD: 8 [105/150]

[Lilik 0]

Somewhere, Lilik had heard that jumping the moment a falling elevator hit the ground would save you from dying. Whether that actually held any truth or not, the woman thought of it as she stared down at the rapidly approaching lawn. Her hand tightened around the rope she held, the rough fibers slick in her sweaty palm. So if she jumped the moment the vessel crashed down, or maybe swung out on the rope, she should avoid any impact. Yeah, she could do that. Swing a little arch through the air, like the pirates did in the movies. Suddenly feeling far more sure of herself, Lilik gave the rope a hard tug. The opposite end, which had been lazily draped over a pole, slid like a snake through the air to coil at her feet. The curse word that exploded from her lips was absorbed by the sound of screeching metal and snapping wood.

The force threw Lilik from her spot at the rail, and like a toy thrown by a mid-tantrum toddler, she was tossed into the air. She fell hard, bouncing across the grass, limbs and purple hair flailing wildly. When she finally came to rest, a limp, jumbled mess, Lilik just assumed she was dead. No one could have survived that, right? But a glance at her health bar confirmed she had taken no damage whatsoever.

It took her a moment to find her feet, and though she groaned the entire time, her body quickly forgot the shock of the fall. Just as the long woman straightened to her full height, a sea of NPCs washed over her. Apparently, they had finally broken through the barrier, and were joining the Players in their storming of the castle. Fine by me, she mused, slipping into the crowd. A distraction's a distraction, no matter how ridiculous.

The thought proved true, as Lilik managed to slip by the guards who appeared preoccupied with wrangling the protestors. By the time she gained access, all hell had broken loose. A gaggle of kids were scurrying by like frightened little insects, guards flinging through the air, an animalistic shrieking from somewhere down the hall.

"What the flying fuck-?" she stammered, flinching as a stone pedestal crashed to the ground. 

---

ID# 201954 LD: 10

PROGRESS | 115/150

[Celeste 1]

Still in an overextended tossing posture as she catches the ass end of what was being said by @Nobody causing one brow to perk up, the woman watches as one of their little cohorts that was lining the inside of a barrel rushes over and tries to start healing the enemy. "What, are you dense?!" Celeste quips toward @Blueberry, before a sea of peasants begins to wash the courtyard with pitchforks drawn. Nian noping the fuck out, in a way that made her look sane. Stuck within a writhing mass of sweaty and dirty people. She manages to eye @Lium through the crowd playing 'daddy' to a bunch of kids that were wailing. "Fuck really @Lium, why are their kids in here?" There was something to her words, she had a soft spot for children.

"God damn it." She shoves a dude out of the way, and grabs her sword from the floor. The chick wasn't here to play revolution, she just wanted the treasure she was promised. One of the guards @Blueberry so carelessly healed starts to stand and immediately starts to draw his weapon. "Stab her first, she was the idiot that healed you." But nope, she was the one with hatred, given she smashed them with a damn statue.

Those same villagers begin to rush in from all sides, taking swings and swipes at the guard as they poured into the castle. The cut on her lip still slowly closing back up, her eyes immediately dart toward Lium. "Just get them in a bunch, and follow behind me." There was a hint of irritation in her voice, as her gaze swaps right to @Alkor "You think you can get these..." Gesturing toward the growth of unwashed masses that was making the place a fire hazard. "motivated, might as well use them then having them just spread out and get themselves killed."

*clap, clap, clap*

Her heels on marble, increasing in tempo, as she leaps above and clutches the first enemy by the face and drives him into the floor by his skull. This time he was completely dead, unless Blueberry had a dust pan.

ID:201987 | Battle:1, Craft:7, Loot:2

PROGRESS | 117/150

 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Celeste

[Alkor 0]

What do you expect me to do about it? 

That was what he wanted to ask, but the situation made discourse the least optimal expenditure of their time. If they had more room for planning and a greater margin for error--- no. They didn't have that. They wouldn't have had that even in the most ideal version of this timeline, because the quest was randomly generated, their advance notice nonexistent. Alkor had no time to get hung up on the minutia surrounding the responsibility he neither asked for nor wanted. Instead, he had to grunt disapprovingly and continue to move completely fueled by adrenaline.

 They breached the wall first. The most vocal opponents were the ones that the crowd rallied behind. Instead of their voices however, these Players chose to sing the song of angry men with their swords. Inevitably, the crowd would surge inward in their wake. Whether the NPCs did that in an effective way or not now fell to the Players to dictate. Such was the nature of the beast, Aincrad.

He grimaced, because the only "effective" way to spur them forward would inevitably lead to their deaths regardless. This fight was one they chose, he reminded himself. Like so many others before them who lashed out against tyranny, they knew the price they might pay. War is a cruel mistress, but she doesn't lie to your face about her intentions. It didn't excuse him from accountability were he to use them like expendable pawns in a game. Or did the very nature of the game excuse that?

No.

"I'm not leading anyone," he said quietly as the frantic streets of Ladonia were replaced by the opulence of the tower's innards. Stone and woodwork, carpets, more statues depicting the vanity of the Imperator. It was the microcosm wherein the dictator had remade a small fraction of a world in his own image, a vision of what he had hoped to impose. "This is what men who lead inevitably aspire to, after all."

The peasants and middle class of Ladonia flooded in without need for a prompt from anyone. Looters who sought their fortune in the worldly possessions of their conqueror, the disparaged who sought to burn those who wronged them- it was a force that would not be controlled, and he had doubts that there was a limit to how much direction they would take to begin with. If not Razwell, there would be someone else. One of these many, inconsequential faces would climb the broken backs of his peers to stand on their necks. 

Conflict had truly jaded him, hadn't it?

The tower was a labyrinth in its own right. A melee broke out around him and Alkor found himself gripping the wrist of a guard who brought a weapon to bear on him as he looked around. "I'm not going to lead them," he reiterated, though it was unlikely anyone would still be around to hear him, "but I'm not just going to let them get slaughtered, either."

He stepped back and hefted the guard over his shoulders. The man rolled quickly and violently over his back and slammed to the floor, and the blonde held the tip of his weapon toward the man menacingly. "The Imperator isn't going to yield to the people," he spoke in a low voice to the man, pressing the blade to his throat to prompt an honest response. "Those airships raining fire on the city tell me he doesn't care if he's ruling nothing but ashes. So tell me,"

Alkor leaned forward and spoke in a lower voice now, barely above a whisper.

"What's his game?"

ID: 202021 LD: 12

Progress: 129/150

Edited November 25, 2021 by Alkor

[Lilik 0]

"Why though?" Lilik muttered to herself as she jogged along the hallway, sneakers squeaking comically on the marble. Why in the world were Players bothering with the NPCs? Rallying the rebels, interrogating the guards - what was the point even? None of it made any difference, unless one of them somehow held a fast-pass to the top of the tower. And she wasn't about to waste her time trying to see if that was true.

Instead, the purple-haired woman opted for the old-fashioned way up - the stairs. Dodging the handful of guards proved quite easy, as they appeared preoccupied with the peasants that swarmed their castle. Whenever Lilik heard one approaching, and they were none too stealthy, she simply peeled off and hid behind a decorative vase or suit of armor. Then, after a few breaths of relative quiet (save for the chaos below), she continued her trek.

When she reached the tenth floor, Lilik expected just another flight of stairs. Truth be told, she had fully expected to waltz her way straight to the top. Instead, she found a landing, a painting of some deer, and a door. Without missing a beat or breaking her stride, Lilik grabbed the handle and turned it. It stuttered in her palm, and the door did not budge, even as she gracelessly plowed into it.

With a frustrated growl, she tried again.

---

ID: 202022 LD: 3

Progress: 132/150

[Nobody 1]

Eyes bulging at whatever notion had possessed him to do such a recklessly rebellious action, Nobody wondered at how he could possibly follow up.  He had no experience with leadership, and actively avoided it, and responsibility of any kind, whenever and wherever he could.  The romantic Bohemian lifestyle of old suited him best, wrapped in artistic frivolity and lost to his whims without care.  Maybe that was what drove him to open the gates in the first place - swept up in the moment.  Yeah.  That made sense.

"Here," he said, to some nameless NPC wheelwright, or cobbler, or baker, handing them his improvised flag.  It really didn't matter.  They were the faceless downtrodden of the game, and he contented himself to be one of them.  "Go do something noble with it.  The colour suits you."  A lies of convenience.  The flag was hideous, and not especially visible from a distance.  He didn't care. 

The red-headed chick in the courtyard was still flipping out on people.  Lady Scissor-Hands had broken into the tower.  

'Hey,' he thought to himself, 'there might be some really comfy beds in there.'

Wandering into the castle proper, Nobody did up the buttons on his borrowed captain's outfit, now ripped and tattered in sufficiently Thénardiers style to satisfy his own sodden appearance.  The guards would think him one of their own, having suffered misfortune at the hands of the mob, while the mob would see someone who'd picked up a few mementos along the way.  He could just vanish into the background.

***

ID: 202023 LD: 2

Progress: 134/150

[Plini 0]

Plini mowed through the guards one floor above Nian, a path that leads to a few doors which he had already flung open.

"milord!"  he yelled.
"Oh she's ok and back to conquering" he quickly uttered. 

It was his time now to actually help with the storming, assuming the people were the storm that is approaching. he strapped his scimitar on his back and pulled his sling bag in front of him, the handy carapace's masterfully attached to its sides. "You there rebel! how dare you-" Plini ducked, planted one foot forward and swung his bag upward hitting the chin of the guard's helm. The guard fell straight on his back as the impact rung inside his helmet.

Two more rushed towards him, he also saw Nian enter a place "now I gotta keep up" he thought. A guard thrust his spear forward but Plini dodged it and wrapped the strap of his bag on the spear "ingrates!" the guard yelp as Plini kicked the spear upward and struck the guard by the helm again knocking him down. The remaining one threw his spear but missed as he saw how Plini deal with it quickly. 

"I'm gonna need your help" he said as he dashed and chased after the fleeing guard. "Stay away from me filthy rebel!" he uttered but his mobility wasn't gonna be a good match against Plini is wearing no heavy armor. Plini caught upand smacked the guard at the side of his head and before the guard could fall down on the floor Plini grabbed him, arms wrapped around the guard's waist "yeah this is stupid."

He pulled out a rope from his bag and tied it on the guards waist and the other end on a statue...

Then they fell off the corridor.

The rope tightened on the statue while Plini and the unconscious guard swung towards a large door. They both slammed at the ceiling as they entered and Plini pulled one end of the knot, now they are crashing down towards a line of guards trying to surround @Nian. Four guards raised their hands as they cowered upon seeing a fellow guard fall on them, Plini on top. It was a loud crash as armors clang with the impact. Plini groaned, there wasn't much pain, his groan was from how he knocked out a few but still Nian was gonna be surrounded and now with him. Add to that the blonde who was trying to race the emperor.

"Well my plan was mediocre, any back up plans milord?"

ID: 202041 | LD: 6 [140/150]

[Krysta 0]

The many twists and turns would normally have made it all difficult, but a trail of destruction and claw marks...would be surprisingly easy to follow...as long as her foe was ahead of her. Eventually, it would seem that the Tyrant and her lackey were being stalled by soldiers, and Krysta had just caught up. She continued picking up speed as the guards were surrounding the two players. She leaped into the air, and activated her Area of Effect Sword art, Celestial Sweep, on her way down, knocking back a few soldiers, which was just enough for Krysta to barely leak past all enemy forces and take the lead...now she just had to keep it.

A maze of hallways awaited her as she took the lead, for there was no longer a trail to follow. She was left to guess which way was right, but she wouldn't let that discourage her. She had at least two motivations to keep her going. She stopped for a few seconds when a grand staircase came into view. This had to be the way up. She began her way up the staircase, but traveling up said staircase seemed to take longer than expected. How many stories up was she traveling? She did what she could to pick up speed, though it was generally more difficult to move up a set of stairs.

She soon reached the landing, though it was likely that the Tyrant wasn't too far behind at this point, and might have been following Krysta's path as Krysta had followed Nian's trail prior to taking the lead. There didn't seem to be much in her view aside from a grand portrait of a stag, and a locked door.

Perhaps another challenge awaited the players, of whom the rest were probably about to gather at this very moment.

ID# 202042 LD: 14

Progress: 154/150

Edited November 26, 2021 by Krysta

[Celeste 1]

Glancing back into the faceless masses, as Lium beckons a smattering of children into a secured away chamber. Riled and directionless, @Alkor refused to lead them. They had no method, no correct course of action. It was akin to a bunch of cattle banging their faces against a fence post. The entire lot of them were going to find blades and die if someone didn't do something. The girl stirs, back and forth, looking for someone to take the reins. She was no leader, she was a solitary, isolated wolf at best.

A glance toward Nobody, and the shit he spewed started to puncture her skin. A glance as she locks eyes with Lium. It was as if the girl was deep in thought, as she stood there silently with chaos unfurling around her. Behind her eyes, there had been one sound mind that would have known what to do. She joined an army at his behest, his efficiency. She wasn't one to oblige such a request, and yet the taste of the possibility of truth in what he was saying was far too sweet. Was their strength far greater in comrades, did that explain why she couldn't keep pace? Or was it because of that, that reason, that give him focus that she could never match?

"What would @Freyd do?" The woman murmurs beneath her breath. A scream so loud that it threatens to tear her vocal cords "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The room falls silent, as a flag of Ladona drops from one of the walls like a pin. Eyes on her, she raises that heavy weapon up, and it impacts, causing her shoulder to sink it a bit. "You wanna kill this guy so fucking bad?" Words ring off the walls, echoing in that vacuum. "You want to have his head?" A couple clattering heels, shouting their presence in a mirror of her tone. "Let's go fucking get it, but if you do anything stupid, I'll kill you myself. Stay in line, follow my lead. I'll give you his head." Eyes light in outrage and a mix of a smile.

Viva Revolution, That's what Freyd would do.

ID:202043 | Battle:8, Craft:11, Loot:20

Progress: 174/150

Edited November 26, 2021 by Celeste

[Blueberry 0]

Blue watched as the guard began to stand and reach for his sword. "No! What are you doing!" She watched as the man in metal drew his weapon, turning on the mass that was barging through the doors. It would take mere moments before the red-head of destruction smashed the man into the ground, crumpling him like a tin can. Watching in horror as the blue shards filled the air, tears filled her eyes. "I just wanted to save him!"  It was obvious that the girl had become hurt when her efforts were made fruitless. 

She looked to the woman as she continued the riot, eyes burning with destruction as she spoke of continuing her slaughter. She wasn't going to let that happen. Blue would do everything to save the people inside. All these people wanted to do was destroy? When was that part of the mission? Standing from where she was, Blue would begin to tail Celeste. That was where destruction would be.