[EV-F26] Defying Destiny

[Freya 0]

The winds causing the enemy soldiers to unravel, the duo using it for even a slight moment of distraction to get there attacks to connect. Holding Gaius hand with the scythe in the other, spinning in a rapid speed like non other. They decided to try something new. Letting the wind guide that momentum, evaporating anyone who dared to come near with her curved edge. Freyja and Gaius link eyes. "When you're ready," he says over the winds, but only she could hear him. At first she was confused, but then her weapon started to glow in flashing increments, like it was charging. Freya takes a deep breath, one that she could manage in this breathtaking environment. A light golden yellow glimpsed in her iris with a simple nod. In that very second Freyja closes her eyes and let her weapon guide the way.

Being thrown into the air, Gaius grins and stays on the ground floor waiting for the inevitable drop he knew was coming. Like slow mo for Freyja, but it happens so fast. A stop within the winds around her, Freyja kept her eyes shut. Feeling that weapon of hers rumble in her grasp. Then it stops, Freyja in now spiraling mock speed to the ground with a mix of her charge skill, seconds later crash lands into a group of enemies that are sent in every direct. Freyja was on her back, staring up, blinking, trying to understand what just happened. Those winds had stopped for a moment as Gaius rushes to her with a chuckle, stabbing down his pointy tip as one of those guys would burst. Freyja takes a deep breath as she feels like she got the wind knocked out of her chest. Knowing how amazing it would be if she could just stick that landing. They would have to work on it. Getting to her feet, it was not over yet...

[NIGHT 0]

Sheesh. Edgy much. NIGHT really had to start asking where these players were getting their 'cool particle effects' from, because it seemed like such a worthwhile investment.

(To it's makers. There was absolutely no reason why she'd needed to make herself stand out in that way on a regular basis.)

As Koga leapt from the ruins of their crashed vehicle, so too did NIGHT follow in turn. And no, she hadn't expected the ground to burn, nor for the heat to rise uncomfortably -- and the woman was adamant on keeping her tracksuit on just the same. Incidentally, her fall was as silent as a cat's, landing on two feet and moving just as quickly as she had a directive afterwards.

Not that she knew where she was going.

There were an awful lot of boxes in the room they found themselves trapped in.

For a moment, the thought of looking back towards the other player crossed her mind. And almost as though to ask Koga, she stopped and turned to face him.

[Nian 0]

Direction -- they needed it. And Nian would provide it to them, with or without a map of the ship that they found themselves on.

And yet, the reckless imbeciles were the ones to move first. Just as the king released herself from her turtle-shell grip, claws none the worse for wear from her protection, did they fling themselves off into the murky abyss of stacked cubes.

The monarch was not one to take risks like that just yet. She stretched, knowing the physical effort, the toll that would be on her figure in the future. Rolled her shoulders. Ensured her equipment was in gear. Then, and only then, did she follow suit.

She landed on all fours, like a beast on the prowl. Tall, but not enough -- almost taking the shape of a lion right behind the man's view. A flowing mane. Eyes that glowed red in the dark.

The other player that was with him pointed her way.

When the tyrant righted herself, she trudged past the first player, and then the next. A wave of her claws as she paced through the labyrinth. "It's obviously this way," she spat, her gesture lazy. "Of course, if you want to die fending for yourself, you're free to do so."

[Jomei 0]

Before long, the small transport they rode on was crashing into the hull of the large warship. The other two players claimed Jomei's idea of holding one front while they tackled a second was a bad idea, and it was quickly scrapped. Just like the two ideas he had suggested. His hood masked most of his features, so the sheepish defeat he wore on his face was unlikely to be seen. Perhaps the fallacy of his plan to take on the Leviathan had become more widely known than he thought. 

Either way, there was no turning back now. Failed leader or not, he said he would help. So leaping from the ship, the ginger hit the ground with a tumble, his rapier already ripping forth from the scabbard on his hip the moment he sprung up from the ground. As he had expected, due to their less that silent approach, the guards were alerted to their presence and began to pour out onto the deck of the ship to greet the intruding players. The first guard drew back a spear in front of the ginger, who popped up off of his feet and drove the tip of his rapier down into the crook of their neck.

A horizontal cut to Jomei's rear was blocked as he pulled his sword back and moved it around his back. Using the same momentum he continued his spin and slashed downwards, across and through the soldier's chest. A third guard rose a heavy shield out in front of them to block any and all attacks with his rapier, but stood conveniently too close to the guard rail behind them. A couple of feinting thrusts bounced off of the metal surface of the shield, until they were positioned perfectly for Jomei to plant his boot on the face of the shield and push off with all of his weight. The front kick was enough to send the soldier tumbling back into and over the guard rail. Their screams quickly trailing off as they plummeted towards the ground at an ever increasing velocity. 

The older gentleman who got them this far had made his own grand entrance... dropping from a rope above their heads and crashing to the ground. Walking over to him, Jomei would offer a hand downwards to help them up. "That was some fancy flying, I'm sorry I doubted you." Turning his shoulder over to where the other two players had began their push into the confides of the airship, Jomei would let out a heavy sigh before picking up the pace to join them. 

Blade clashed with the sword of another soldier as he spoke to the two fighting nearby, "So.. I take it the plan is to just wipe the ship clear of Imperial soldiers, and then take the ship?" 

@Vigilon @Krysta @Oji

[Oji 0]

Oji laid on his back for a few moments, a bit dazed from the sudden impact of the ship. All he could hear out of his vision was the clatter of swords, shields and the grunts of people being taken down. No pixilation sounds could be heard as far as he had noticed. Eventually, he regained the ability to breathe, and he looked up to see a hand outstretched towards him. It was the gentlemen from earlier that was dragged along for this adventure. He took it and clattered onto his feet, fixing his hat back atop his head correctly.

"Don't mention it. It was either fly the ship or crash and die, so I chose my options." He chuckled, and a small grin formed "Also, it was fun as hell." He looked to the other two, whom had defeated the men aboard easily. He suddenly felt real useless in this department, as all he knew how to do was fly. But, his role was important, that he knew. He turned to the three of them. "The only help I can be is behind the controls of one of these things. You'll have to get me there. I'll be able to dodge any attacks that come my way, but when it comes to fighting... I'm useless." He spoke, looking around to make sure none of the bodies decided to spring up and try a sneak attack on the backs of his new friends.

@Jomei @Vigilon @Krysta

[Koga 0]

There was a surprising amount of shouting and clambering over boxes and crates as the three player's landed on the dreadnaught Ifrit and took stock of their situation. Imperial soldiers, apparently not as stalwart as their regent would have them believe practically ran over each other to escape impending death-by-player. Koga watched them go, with a disappointed look on his face as the dark flames around his sputtered, flickered and died. "Man, I was really hoping for a good fight..." the man muttered forlornly as the taller woman landed behind him with a heavy thud.

"It's obviously this way," the woman said, gesturing off to the distance, although, to be honest Koga couldn't tell which way was which from inside the ship. The man looked behind them at their somehow still intact vessel. They'd crashed into the port side of the ship, Koga had made sure to pay attention to that much on their chaotic entrance. Which meant...

"Hate to break it to you, but the helm is that wait," Koga said, pointing in the exact opposite direction of the tall woman. "We hit the rear of the ship, portside. The bridge looked to be near the top front of the ship. We go that way."

[Nian 0]

Oh. Sure it was. Nian's sharp eyes bore into the outline of the other player's figure, once the vagrant stopped to turn around, form taut but unflinching. The gauntlets on her arm posed an imposing threat.

Because they were. And because the royal had just stopped in front of a pillar. In the dim light that poured through from their crack into the cargo, their ruler was not to be outdone. Hence the raise of her oblivion, and a lowered tilt of her head.

"No," the king demanded. "You're going that way." The slam of the back of her index against a glass panel covering an alarm set the world askew, a blaring noise too many decibels loud pounding away at their ears after a heartbeat. Her withdrawal from the contraption was impatient at best. As becoming of a monarch was, Nian didn't need a party who wouldn't follow through on her orders. "We part ways here. Bye."

She didn't turn around to watch the hold swarm with soldiers en route the way Koga had mentioned to head towards. Neither did she falter in her step, striding into the inky darkness, anger festering in the nails of her claws gripped into a fist.

[Plini 0]

"This is something" Plini muttered as he heard Crozeph talk to someone. "I followed boss straight to his guild's ship, maybe a few of them who aren't members but..." hearing Crozeph say they were in good hands wasn't reassuring. The collision of both forces continued, Plini is reluctant to join and he needed Crozeph's confirmation on joining them. 

It was the deal, I need to get stronger so we can go expedition somewhere with a treasure trove of knowledge and with that I must not put myself in a death wish kind of situation.

He thought hard, the airship was being driven as if it was trying to look like a car in a Michael Bay film "b-boss, is this normal?" he asked Crozeph. A few moments ago, Nian hoisted him up as they both tried to board a ship and it felt so surreal, much surreal that his one night stand with Orca. 

It was the heights.

He wasn't doing well, and the thing he thought to be a cannon was simply a decoration that looked like one "whoever added designs on this ship should be strangle to death... twice"  he muttered.

[Crozeph 0]

"Are you ok Panini?" Crozeph asked "if you're gonna throw up just do what Donkey did, swallow it back up" he added. Crozeph realized it too, the cannon was simply an ornament, something to hype up passengers if they were to use the airship "well fuck me, these cannons are horseshit" he told them. He stuck his head out at the side of the ship, the battle rages and they don't have weapons. 

"All right @Baldur shishou, how do we fight back? do we throw Calrex at them?" he asked the Gaijin Samurai "this is normal Plini, we need to think out of the box and out of the yard where the box is" 

Crozeph then had a bright idea.

"We're gonna use intimidating tactics, grab anything you can hit which will make a booming sound and hit it as hard as you can, make a rhythm like what they do on taiko drums! put all your strength into it, don't mind the wobbly ride because it's part of the intimidation."

[Vigilon 0]

Krysta would fight the last one into fleeing. Looks like there were some imperial soldiers who had sense after all....either that or they were to selfish to think of anything but their payrolls' worth.

Then the main force of Ladonian troops came to meet the players as the party member who drove the transport landed with a tumble. The ginger player helped him up and the two came to the side of Vigilon and Krysta. The ginger asked if simply taking out the soldiers was the plan, and the pilot claimed he could only be of use at the Airship's controls, that he could be of no help in combat. This was likely true for the NPC driver as well, meaning the best option was to escort the two to the ship's navigation. "....We'll escort the pilots to the ship's navigation, cutting down anyone who gets in the way. When we get them to the control room, we'll hold the line and prevent the navigation from being breached by enemy forces, they're likely to try anything to stop us from changing the ship's course." He suggested.

Had he been thinking with a clear mind and not one focused solely on his target's destruction, he'd have noticed that backup may be necessary. But for the time being, his gaze returned to the many enemies that came to stop the party.

Vigilon would unleash a flurry of sword arts against the mass of troops, some of them wounded, many of them slain, by the relentless assault. Blade after blade would attempt to strike him, and he would dodge and deflect most of the blows. The only real threat was if the scratches were to slowly compile into greater damage, which he was certain Krysta could heal as long as enemies did not keep her too occupied.

Maybe now the enemies were realizing what kinds of people they were dealing with.

@Jomei @Oji

[Baldur 0]

Baldur was trying his best not to toss his team around too much as he wove through the city, avoiding clothes lines, chimneys, and balconies. So far he had been... mostly successful. The airship they were in was a little beat up, definitely needed some new paint, but it still flew at full throttle. He had not let up on it since they left. They were leaving the fighting behind somehow, even though they were flying towards it. The cannon attacks were all hypotenuse and parabolas. No one was firing a canon straight down because it would mean tipping the ship sideways, and they did not have artificial gravity machines.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, WE'RE ALMOST THERE. BUCKLE IN...IF THERE ARE ANY."

He had understood that Cro had tried to talk to him, but he couldn't hear them over the wind. This ship didn't have a cockpit, so it was just the wind rushing through their hair.

@Shield @Calrex @Hirru @Crozeph @Plini

"I'M ABOUT TO TAKE US ALMOST STRAIGHT UP. IT'LL BE A BIT OF A CORKSCREW SO WE DON'T LOSE ANYONE, BUT IT'LL STILL BE TOUGH!"

By flying down the city streets, they had evaded notice by the armada. They were fighting off the ships making a death run to the capital, and shooting easy targets of those trying to flee. However, once they started going up, they would be obvious to the ships.

"LET ME KNOW IF THEY START SHOOTING! HIRRU, GIVE US A BARRIER!"

And then Baldur took the ship almost vertical.

He didn't pitch everyone, but it was like standing on a ledge with your back to the wall.  He kept the ship going straight like an arrow to the hanger bay of the capital ship for as long as he could, but he knew pretty soon they'd be spotted and in the firing altitude of the armada, they just happened to be on the opposite side of the fighting now. With luck, the gunners would be facing opposite them.

[Krysta 0]

One cut, another slash, block, deflect, strike back, dodge, Celestial Sweep.

Enemies were coming out in droves, Krysta acting nonstop as to keep them all at bay. She also needed to keep her companions' HP up. So far, it was Vigilon who needed healing.

"Try not to get wounded, I must save energy for the assault as well!" She suggested as she placed a hand on Vigilon to cure his wounds and restore his HP. The Ginger and Oji would discuss with Vigilon as to what the plan was, now that they were aboard the aircraft. It was fairly obvious that all enemies must be dealt with swiftly, but if the players were to act as fast as possible, an escort did not seem like a bad idea...in theory. Enemies were all over the airship, it was very likely that the players would need some kind of backup to speed up the process. Perhaps if there were two more party members, this would have been much easier to do. An escort to the navigation room would be difficult to do without getting surrounded, so clearing out all enemy troops within sight would have to be the immediate action for the time being.

"Their numbers are starting to diminish, keep it going!" She called out as she struck down two more enemy soldiers.

@Jomei @Oji

[Hirru 0]

Following Baldur and the rest of Jacob's Ladder plus one, it seemed that Baldur had some kind of plan, and as he seemed to have a grasp of the vehicles usage; Hirru differed all thought processing to him.  With that though, Hirru was not understanding the thought process of the samurai.  Why were they not heading towards a more easily defendable position?  Why were they barreling through the higher streets of Ladonia?  Why was he not saying anything about Baldur's driving skills of a craft that he said may work the same as something he played with in another game?  Why wasn't any of this ringing warning bells to the hunter?

With the wind blasting them in the face, the hunter couldn't stand or else he would be whipped out of the transport vessel, which was already seeming like it was going to hurt if he fell.  He wouldn't be able to easily search the area for threats, without keeping his eyes open.  That was turning to be a rather difficult endeavor, so he equipped the helm of the Paladin's Oath to try to get some kind of shielding from the wind.  It seemed to help, but now he could barely hear anything from the wind blasting the inner metal, which reverbed through his head.  He instantly regret the decision and took it off.

"WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO MUCH AT ALL.  WE CAN'T EXACTLY PARRY A SCATHER BLAST, NOR A CANNONBALL."

Keeping things going from there, Baldur decided that after they had gotten below the monolith of a ship, that they were going to break through their fleet.  Bloody hell, did he ever get himself into a mess this time.  There was an order to slap on a little protection upon the lot of them, and the hunter didn't need to be told twice.  With the bokken still in his possession, the hunter knelt down so his shield wasn't being blasted away by sheer wind resistance.  Forcing the forward and upward, the bokken would draw an arc above them.  The shielding effect from before would enact, but more so, his shield armament seemed to stop moving around himself, and was now encircling the entire ship.

"THIS BARRIER ISN'T GOING TO SAVE US FROM A FULL BARRAGE OF THOSE THINGS, IF THEY'RE MEANT FOR SHIPS OF THEIR SIZE!!  TRY TO KEEP THIS THING GOING AS BEST WE CAN.  EVASIVE AS HELL, IF YOU CAN!"

@Baldur @Shield @Crozeph @Plini @Calrex

[Jomei 0]

Jomei caught the full brunt of two swords swinging at him in tandem, catching their attack with his rapier. The force of their combined attack pushed him backwards, but planting the balls of his feet into the hull, the ginger stood his ground. Quickly ducking, he pulled his blade down with him, letting the force that the two soldiers had put on him carry forward with a stumble. The duelist quickly retaliated with swift strikes into backs of each guard, their body's erupting into shards of data moments later. 

"There's only four of us here, one of which isn't combat focused." his eyes shifted to Oji from under his hood, "No offense." 

"We've been lucky so far, but its only a matter of time until we're overrun. This ship is huge, there's no telling how many soldiers are lurking within." 

A single moment without enemy blades pointed in his direction, the ginger pointed his rapier confidently towards the front of the airship where the cockpit and controls were located. "Lets make quick work to get to the controls, take out any soldiers that stand in our way.. but focus on pushing through. Once inside-" he looked to Oji again, "Get this bird turned around and moving towards that warship." He turned back towards Krysta and Vigilon again. "The three of us will stand guard at the entrance, let the soldiers funnel into the room. We will avoid being surrounded, and we can take on as many as we each can at a time." 

Jomei stepped towards the pathway leading to the controls of the airship, lowering his body and pulling his rapier hand back. "I can cut a whole through their defenses... back me up, and don't stop moving." His feet began to carry him forward, picking up the pace. The olive green hood that sit atop his head slipped off and began to whip in the wind behind him, allowing his ginger hair to bask in the sun that poked through the smoke and smog. The darkened blade of Nihilim's Wrath ignited in a golden light, just before activating his Charge skill. Jomei shot forward as if fired from a cannon, his rapier thrusting forth with a shockwave matching the color of his sword art. The squadrons of soldiers that began filing out towards the four players, any that stood in his way, were easily dealt with as Jomei plowed through them. 

His feet finally hit the floor once more, sliding to a stop "Come on!" he shouted back to the others.

@Vigilon @Krysta @Oji

[Gabrandr 0]

Leading @Shiina in the opposite direction of the Ifrit, the two would return to the Galtean Refugee zone. He needed to make sure that those that weren't participating in the fighting were moved to a safe location, out of harm's way. 

A flash of blue caught his attention first as a blue-haired woman cut down a Ladonian soldier. A tinge of red blotted the air, the red-robed man who held an unwavering gaze towards the Ifrit was suspect. What was he doing? Was he waiting to see if the Scather would strike again?

Stepping forward, the Galtean King would speak directly to the man. "It isn't coming again and you won't be able to do anything if it does again. If you wish to help them, assist me with transporting them underground. They will be safer there." The sound of an airship's engine caught his, causing him to turn. Were the soldiers targeting him? Or were they targeting the innocent people that had left their homes and were now onlooking the battle in fear?

Raising his arm until it was horizontal with the ground, a small blue spear of flame shot forward, ripping through the chest of several guards on its way through. Just as the spear came out on the other side of the group, it would reverse directions and shoot from guard to guard until they had all collapsed. Lowering his hand, he would return his attention to the civilians. 

[Koga 0]

The woman said nothing for a moment, simply strode over to one of the supporting columns with some device hidden behind glass attached to it. She didn't even bother looking at them. Were they to wait until they all came to an agreement of some sorts? Frankly it didn't matter too much Koga, they had to secure the vessel one way or another, but commandeering the bridge seemed like the fastest way to do that.

The woman flicked the glass, the casing immediately disintegrating into sparkling dust, and all hell broke loose.

The vessel's klaxons began to blare, some strange in the ship's construction eerily mimicking the same annoying shouting of an digital alarm clock, yet distinctly separate, more grating. Like the hull of a boat scraping against a reef, long, drawn out, earsplitting.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Koga practically shouted at the woman before the sound of boots drew his attention away. That couldn't possibly good. If the ship wasn't aware of the eight by twelve steel block that had crashed into it minutes before, they sure as hell were now.

Koga looked back to the tempestuous woman only to find her completely gone, vanished in the blink of an eye. "Damn it." The sounds of armed men was growing close. What were their options? Get pushed to the back of the ship, backs against the wall and just hope they ran out bodies to throw at them? Push through, try to take whatever sections of the ship they could and make for the bridge? Neither option seemed great, but only one bore the possibility of any kind of reward.

Well, he'd been looking for a good fight.

[Crozeph 0]

Something is flying towards them, and Crozeph just found out Hirru's barrier isn't that effective on defending for themselves. "I guess we just have to do this the shounen way" he uttered.

Crozeph launched himself up, eyes on the bogey and in an quick glance, he unsheathed his katana, a long streak of amorphous liquid came out and latched on the cannonball and Crozeph sliced it in half followed by the black liquid to throw it off two different directions. 

The wind was the real villain, Crozeph got slammed down to the deck as soon as he managed to deflect one projectile. He got back up looked at everyone and dusted his shoulder "well that wasn't so bad, needs a little bit of tweaking so I don't fall off next time." 

[Calrex 0]

Back in the real world, roller coasters were a thing of enjoyment. Something to give a thrill to the patrons of such amusements. Baldur's control of the aircraft was something that made the Ultramarine Knight almost want to consider avoiding those should he eventually escape the prison of Aincrad. Were it not for the fitted helm of the Grand Chariot IV, his mouth would have likely been blown back, fully exposing his teeth from the sheer force of the wind.

As their trajectory shifted from maneuvering through the streets to a straight up ascent towards the capital ship, Calrex could see some actions being taken. Hirru had put up a barrier, seemingly to try and protect them from passing debris at best. Crozeph...somehow managed to temporarily defy physics and destroy a cannonball, although his landing was not as graceful as the defense itself. "I'm...not gonna bother with trying to figure out how the hell that just happe-WATCH IT BARRAGE COMING FROM THE RIGHT!"

The Grand Blade IV flew from its sheath as the blue armored player quickly drew it in a reverse grip. There was a swarm of cannonballs on the way. Upon his orders he felt the ship swerve to the side, the cannonballs flying clear, the sounds of them cutting through the air booming by. However, one more was on the way, just close enough for it to pose a threat. There was no way he was going to attempt slicing it like something out of a high fantasy video game. In fact, it wasn't necessary. All  he needed to do was deflect it enough to throw it off course.

With a quick breath he shot his arm forward, slamming into the approaching cannonball with a handguard-reinforced punch, gritting his teeth at the pressure from the impact. Sparks flew left and right as the cannonball continued to spin, trying to remain on course. However, with one last heave Calrex was able to drive his strike through, eough that the ball was redirected just enough to avoid sliding across the top of the ship.

The effort over the wind force quickly slammed him back into the deck, his free hand gripping on for dear life, "Please tell me we're almost there..."

[Oji 0]

Oji heard the three players in front of him plan out, both agreeing that he was useless, and he held up his two hands. "None taken." He spoke to the green-clad gentleman. They told him to turn the giant boat around, and he nodded in agreeance. Then what came after the conversation was some of the most intense yet precise fighting he had seen yet in this game. These people were definitely frontliners, that much he could tell. They knew exactly where to hit, how to combo their sword arts and to hit them in vital points that would not kill, only stun or knock unconscious.

"Woah..." Was all he could say as they pushed forward. The green-clad man had shot forward like a bullet and took a few out with ease while the others did flips and took out their opponents instantly. He suddenly saw one of the soldiers stand up behind one of the players, and he knew he needed to do something.

As they raised a sword to attack from behind, Oji leapt up and shoved their helmet over their eyes, and pulled them back, his leg tripping the man to fall flat on his back. The knights sword spun a few times in the air, then landed into his arm, pinning him to the floor of the deck. As the man started to scream in pain, he took a piece of cloth and shoved it into his mouth. "Shhhh." he told the man, then patted his head.

"Alright, get me to those controls."

@Vigilon @Krysta @Jomei

 

[NIGHT 0]

Man. A part of her wanted to wonder why Koga had to be right to incite ire into some stranger they were never going to cross paths with again. Ten thousand feet up in the air -- and more -- and they were just subjected to alert by a couple too-many soldiers that needed to defend it from intruders. NIGHT sighed as she looked onwards in the direction they were supposed to head out from.

"For the record," she complained, giving her friend a side eye out of jest, "I'm blaming you for this."

Before she could hear his objections, the woman was already off towards the gaps in between the crates. Height and darkness would've been of assistance to her here, and not wanting to get into conflict before her energy reserves would go out, stealth had always been her best option. NIGHT kept an eye on Koga's location as she moved, counting the number of targets he'd have to face as she passed the rows abundant by in her race.

Double digits, slowly climbing their way up towards the twenties. Not good.