[EV-F26] Defying Destiny

[Oji 0]

As quickly as he had offered to drive, everyone had agreed to him driving the small aircraft. He looked to the gentlemen that questioned him about it, and he just gave a small smile. "I just helped fly one of those things" He pointed to the giant airships. "With a ragtag crew. This is a lot easier to fly so we should be fine." Emphasis on "should be," since he wasn't sure how different these controls would be. But, he felt confident, and as the young man that was in the way of the controls moved to the side, he recognized the panel and how it worked.

"Perfect." He spoke, and came over. He flipped a switch and turned a knob, and the engine roared to life. A small smile fell on his face. With how this was ending up, he was almost feeling like a pirate. And he wasn't entirely against that. As he pulled a lever that acted as a brake, the machine started to rise. He went slow at first, to make sure he cleared all of the smaller crafts around him, but when the time was right, he spun the wheel of the helm and turned the third knob to the right, and the machine soon took haste, lifting into the skies

(Song play here)

Oji felt a grin on his face as their aircraft soon rose into the clouds above, the larger airships surrounding them. He felt like a captain going against the seven seas, swerving in and out of multiple pieces of debris flying around them. "Fasten your seatbelts!" he roared. He was in perfect sync with his vessel, moving around them with ease and easily counteracting the attacks of the enemy with swift movements of the tinier craft. "Alright, I'll try to get in close now! Just hold on and don't jump until I say!" He roared over the winds and engine. Oji felt the older years of wear and tear wash away as for a moment, he was a captain of a crew, Captain Oji Sparrow!

He smiled and brought the small craft closer, edging onto the left side of an aircraft. He waved widely at the enemy crew. "Gentlemen, I'm afraid you're on my ship!" He laughed, and rammed into the side of the ship. "Now! Go! I'll be back in a moment!" He screamed. And waited until they all went aboard, then pulled back, as to not destroy the larger vessel by ramming into it. After a few moments he moved above the ship, soaring above it and putting it on auto pilot, aiming for another large ship, and saluted his small vessel. "Drive swift, Pegasus." He muttered to himself, and lowered himself to his comrades from a rope hanging on the side of the small craft.

But, the rope was a tad short, and Oji still had to drop twenty feet to the floor of the ship, in which he tumbled and fell, his body landing against a barrel. With a cough, he was barely able to speak "...Made it..."

How Oji Views Himself in this moment:

Spoiler

@Jomei @Vigilon

Edited February 19, 2022 by Oji

[Freya 0]

Hearing all those airships docking and rise just as swiftly, it was clear that people were either leaving or rising to that King. She wouldn't let that distract her from what was going on right in front of her. Breathing heavy as she blocks another sword, curves that scythe and slices clean through. A blade sends data pouring out of Freya as she screams out in rebuke that was paid with that mans life. Another sharp metal pierces Freyja's side, a glare was given before data is sprayed in every direction. Seeing her health depleting and slowly filling at the same time. Freyja didn't know how much more she could handle of this. Eventually, it would end, but something was telling her that there was not enough of them to keep the ground floor at bay.

Suddenly, a thin weapon to her back causes Freyja to fall forward to her knees, the scythe scrapes across the dirt away from her. "Shit," saying as she glances up at the soldiers running in her direction. Freya quickly starts to crawl on the ground trying to avoid being stepped on, right then she could feel the wind around her start to get stronger. Grabbing her weapon, as it gleams upon her grip, she can't help but smirk as she shields her face from consuming any gravel that was rising above those men that she sat beneath. 

Only seconds passed before people started to lose their balance from a huge typhoon that formed in the middle of the battle field, sucking people in for anyone who dared stand too close. What came with it was a large crash against the ground, causing a crater to form as those monsters were sent flying in every direction. Freyja could hear explosions of barrels and impacting concrete being smash inward. Walking out of that hole that was created was Gaius, with a hand held out toward her. "Miss me my love," Freyja just grins as her chest started to pound with excitement. Grabbing his hand as she gets pulled up, "Let's dance," was all Freyja says, as soldiers that stood against them were starting to erase from sight from the duo. 

[Nian 0]

"Hey! Oi!"

And no sooner did she leave her captain's quarters did her helm get taken away from her. The nerve of lowly stowaways! A glimmer of light that faded to black forged steel upon steel on the king's arms, that void oblivion, and with racing steps she'd nearly taken to fight for her right at the (vessel's) throne.

Yet, whatever the man seemed to be doing at the controls, it looked like he knew more -- and better -- than whatever stuck up fake-princess she'd seen on that other ship. And so, her figure only seemed to barricade the doorway as the monarch watched on, through the viewport, how they'd pulled themselves around the skies. Every close call, every stray shot missed was only a testament to the driver's (unwieldy) skill of flying the vehicle, and despite the shoddy work, Nian had to agree-- whoever this player was, he showed promise.

(At crashing the ship.)

When they parted the clouds in way of obscuring their vision of the Mothership, that was when she'd point it out to the man, striding to his side. Though it didn't seem as though the player needed instruction, for that was where their vehicle was being directed towards, anyway.

Efficient. Then he spoke.

"Uh, NIGHT? I suppose now would be a good time to point out that I have no idea how to stop this thing, and I dunno where the brakes are."

Sure, she didn't know where the other player he boarded with was on the ship. But knowing that they were about to--

"Brace for impact!"

--she supposed it was time for their shining champion to show her true might.

With one swipe of her arms, she slammed the driver away from the helm from his front. The impact would be powerful enough to knock him backwards -- a pittance, as compared to the pressure of being crushed into the outer hull of the Mothership. And a lunge, the ruler pouncing on the crumpled form of the other player.

"Stay still, wreck."

A weight that could kill lesser men crashed into the statue of god's will, as the ship tunneled its way into reinforced metal. And, through some miracle, not only did the vehicle not remain generally in tact, but once the two were able to peer from their ruin-prepared shelter, they'd been granted access to the interior of their destination.

Leagues and leagues above the sea of clouds.

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT wasn't a fan of airship battles, watching the skies. Wasn't sure which vessels had artillery and which ones didn't. Wasn't a fan of the way the wind pulsed in her ear, and made her heart race, a loud drum. Didn't want to be miles away from land. She just might kiss it when she hit the ground again.

But what caught her attention more was the sight of that large target they were supposed to pursue -- and somehow land upon. No docking stations -- this had to be a crash mission of some sort -- and Koga's words howled through noise was barely audible. She assumed he'd made the same conclusion.

So bracing for impact? At the front of the deck? NIGHT was entirely vulnerable. Her last minute decision was to remain entirely immobile, and watch the world wash over her.

She was just lucky all she felt was a force pushing her backwards, into a post on the vessel, and Cardinal folding around her as her instincts knocked her into stealth.

She had to admit: out of all the possible uses for Vanish, she didn't expect this to be one of them.

[Krysta 0]

Vigilon would explain what the plan was, and Oji volunteered to navigate. The ginger would decide to follow the other players' lead. Krysta was suppressing a minor smile, but she also scoffed, at the mention of piracy. "Piracy...surely you jest." Krysta remarked. War was one thing, piracy was another.

The ginger would then suggest that he serve as a distraction while the others make for the ship's navigation to cause an immediate takeover. "Are you certain you can handle yourself alone?" Krysta asked. "It is likely that we will have to clear out everyone on the ship unless they surrender, so what good would splitting up do?" She noted, trying to reason and explain why the ginger's plan was probably a bad idea. The Ginger noted that if Razwell III was to see his military airships be overtaken, they might be the next target of the scather if it was to fire again. As Krysta grabbed hold of a secure part of the transport, an idea struck her mind. "Forgive me if I seem to be grasping at straws," She began. "But perhaps once we have control of the Military Airship, our focus should be to strike immediately. Even if we still have to eventually board the enemy Flagship, the firepower of a Military Airship may be enough to at least damage the scather." She explained. "If we cripple their prime weapon, we should stand a better chance."

 

 

Krysta would wait for Oji to signal, and once she heard "now go!" She jumped off and boarded the vessel. Enemy troops immediately arrived to confront the players and the NPC who was originally supposed to have been driving(before navigation was handed to Oji, thanks to Vigilon). Krysta would strike down three of the vessel's vanguard with her sword art, Celestial Sweep. Holy Energy arced and shone from her blade as she cut the corrupted soldiers down.

The battle to capture the Military Airship had begun.

@Vigilon @Jomei @Oji

[Koga 0]

Somehow, they lived. What was more, their ship was intact, wedged in the hull of the troop transport, a good number of enemy staring up at the ship with shock.

Koga had been thrown to the ground by the impact, hitting his head on the floor hard enough that when he tried to get himself to his feet, his vision span. "Ow...fuck..." Were concussions even possible in the game? Koga didn't need another one. One was enough.

The blinked, and tried to stand, and found himself with enough balance the he didn't fall flat on his face again. Progress. The man stumbled over to the edge of the vessel and peered over the railing. "Oh this just gets better and better."

Well better get to work.

The man drew his katana and threw himself over the railing, his bits striking the floor with an echoing clang. Tsuki no Hikari's tip suddenly sparked into flames, slowly climbing the blade and as they reached tsuba, the ground beneath Koga too burst into black flame. The heat within the vessel began to rise, but to Koga, even beneath the coat he wore, it felt cool.

A single self-assured sadistic smile. Let the screaming commence.

[Baldur 0]

"Alright team, let's join the fray." Baldur gestured to the lollygaggers around him, seeing as how Hirru had already run forward to deal with the action that was going.

They followed behind the others, while Hirru had run ahead and was speaking with some kid and then with Freyd.

He would look back to Freyd, Baldur, Shield, and Calrex.

"We should hurry!  What do you think we should do?  I don't know anything about these things."

Baldur looked around at what was going on, and started to make the big problem smaller. They were a target here, so the peasantry and combatants alike were boarding airships in order to try and get anywhere else. Gabby had prevented whatever had destroyed his kingdom from happening here, but it had taken him out of the fight. The capital ship was their primary objective. They had to prevent the Death Star from getting another shot.

Everyone else was making for a fine distraction, crashing their ships into others and forming boarding parties.

"Alright everyone, you're gonna have to trust me on this, but I was an accomplished hot drop galaxy pilot in another MMO. I'll take the pilot seat, you guys get in and hang on for dear life. I'm going to fly us through the city under cover, and get underneath that capital ship Death Star thing. Once we're directly under it, we'll go straight up. Most people have a hard time looking straight down, especially if we can make it over there without being noticed."

With that, Baldur gestured towards one of the transport vehicles and broke into a run, heading for it. He had no idea what the pilot seat would look like, but he did fancy himself a driver, mostly because he tended to enjoy the transport roles in the games he played.

He looked back over his shoulder and counted all the people loading in behind him. @Hirru @Shield @Calrex

"It looks like we've got seats for 2 more, but we're not waiting. If anyone jumps in, help them strap down."

Baldur began playing with the controls, pushing buttons and testing them as the vehicle lurched around the loading area. He didn't really hit the gas until he felt like he at least knew the basic controls.

"Alright, here we gooooo!" Baldur punched the throttle and they shot off into the city sprawl. He kept the transport high enough that he wouldn't need to worry about pedestrians or carts, but low enough that the shop was hidden among the rooftops of the building. It meant he had to zig and zag through the streets instead of going straight there, but they needed to get there quietly.

"SOMEONE KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKIES FOR ANY INCOMING, AND HELP ME MAKE SURE WE'RE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!" He called out over the roar of the wind.

[Calrex 0]

Time slipped by as things really hit the fan. Gabrandr seemingly utilized most of his remaining power to protect the refugees, immediately followed by everyone piling into the ships to try and launch a counterattack. Calrex found his body moving alongside his fellow raid team members before his mind even caught up. By the time he had the chance to take a moment, he was holding on to one of the handholds inside of the vehicle @Baldur had taken command of, "Wait...so what's the actual-WHOAH!"

As the Western samurai slammed on the throttle, hurling the ship into a full speed advance, the Ultramarine Knight barely was able to wrap his arms fully around the handhold, lest he be thrown into one of the surrounding interior walls or out of the transport entirely. Adjusting his positioning so that he was on a more stable stance, he glanced outside at their surroundings as the buildings flew dangerously close by. Going from the directional blur, he was situated on the right side.

"Got it! I'll watch right!"

 Carefully the deep blue armored player moved his head closer and closer towards the opening so that he could adjust his viewing angle to see what was coming ahead.

"So far so go-WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT TOO FAR RIGHT!"

He had a split second to pull his head back into the interior of the ship before sparks flew from the opening as the transport barely missed scraping along one of the buildings which was sticking out a decent amount from the others.

"I swear I'm more concerned about us surviving this trip than any floor raid..."

[Plini 0]

No one has noticed yet, and that's good. Plini followed everyone as soon as he caught sight of that person. A few moments ago they were trying to find something or someone, a rebellion brewing outside. clambering up, trying to see if they can make something out of the situation. 

Now things are different, that blonde spouted nonsense only Disney movie writers can think of "words of courage, bullshit" he thought. Plini walked alongside them, hoping to catch up with him. 

Many minutes later

An airship, feels like deja vu. Plini eased himself, as chaos brews. Nian and her usual attitude when seeing people, at least he wasn't a commoner in her eyes anymore or maybe someone a few levels higher in the hierarchy. 

"Hey boss, wanna see something cool?" he told Crozeph finally he was close to him, things will be much fun with people he knows beside Nian. "This is a cannon, we can fire it at the enemies. Say why don't we adjust the angle and fire off a cannonball, Gunbound style?" 

A level got stuck though which hinders the angle he wants to happen and that was the cue to begin smacking it to shows competency

[Crozeph 0]

"Tch, more people who talk too much"  Crozeph scowled under his breath. He wasn't good at talking to at least more than two people and with how chaotic everyone is now, he felt relief at the sight of his guildmates with him. Crozeph moved to the side, it's as if he was in some kind of roller coaster ride minus the rails and the momentum needed to make it look really adrenaline inducing

"Who needs railings and momentum when these people are more than enough to-" as he continued to look and see airship from afar, a familiar voice called to him as if presenting something "oh, it's you Panini" he replied to Plini. As he listened to Plini explain the basics of a cannon, Crozeph nodded. He knew angles and shit back in college but Plini sounded like he read it on books "interesting, can we aim it at ourselves? oh wait can we load a player on it in replacement of a cannonball? hmm is this thing even uses cannonball?"

Crozeph had another idea as Calrex uttered how it was too far to the right "relax @Calrex were in good hands. Panini and I will use this cannon to fight back, I think he read the manuals about it but it would be more fun if he didn't, I think we should use a player as cannonball. Impact damage plus player base damage means more damage right?"

After those words, Crozeph laughed as if he was enjoying the show while waiting for his appearance.

[Nobody 1]

Worst.  Nap.  EVER.

IT was so thoughtful of whoever was piloting this rickety, rockety, tin-can ship-of-a-thing to sway back and forth the way they did.  The...erm... 'gentle' motion must have been meant to help him fall asleep, right?  Or so Nobody had assumed, until he swung and burned his ass on the super-heated... was it a boiler?  Suddenly, knobs were popping and lights were flashing all around him.  And, for goodness' sake, all the noise, noise, NOISE!

Grumbling in growing annoyance, he'd tossed and turned for a whole five minutes, but couldn't find a comfortable spot with the ever-increasing cacophony all around him.  And who the hell was that person who kept calling for more juice!?  He was no miracle worker.  If they needed more power, they could go get their own damned energy drinks.  No part of him had signed up to tend bar, though it would make a fine addition to this engine room, provided it was entirely self-serve.

"Uhhhhhhh...knock it off already!"

Reaching over, he grabbed his confiscated bicorn and pressed it over his head to drown out the world.  When that didn't work, he took his Binky, the massive purple sloth stuffy with the one missing eye and threadbare everything - his true sole treasure - and went to raise it over his head.  And then the world canted sideways and turned red.  Every object in the room suddenly floated into the air, hovering momentarily as gravity lost all purchase.  Something viciously hard and bright shot through the compartment passing from one end to the other, vaporizing most of the bulkheads, the unfinished platter of mangos he'd scrounged up for his lunch, and all of Binky from his belly button up.

Nobody froze, staring as the tattered remains of his only care in the world evaporate in his hands and all the sparkly stuffing spilled out.  And then Binky was gone.

Rage boiled over at a pressure that made the adjacent engine blush with inadequacy.  Had they no decency?!  In what cruel universe was it acceptable to crush a man-child's sole remaining specks of human comfort and joy?  Falling stylishly out of his hammock, Nobody grabbed Something Pointy in one hand, and the deflated remains of his hopes and dreams in the other.  Kicking open the door, he came soaring out from below decks and promptly launched himself overboard with a crazed, sleep-deprived look in his eyes, completely unaware of what he was doing or where he was going.

"FUCKING BASTARDS!!!"

By fortune or fate, most of the enemy fleet were on the other side of the ship, so he wasn't vaporized instantly.  Instead, his cape snagged on the taffrail and left him dangling over the open sky, cursing at empty air while he ineffectively sought to deliver McStabbies to anything around.  Thankfully, that meant nothing.

***

Nobody | HP: 400/400 | EN: 58/58 | DMG: 8 | ACC: 2

Full Stats:

Spoiler

Nobody,
Level: 20
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 400/400
EN: 58/58

Stats:
Damage: 8
Accuracy: 2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Something Pointy (T1 Dagger | ACC 2)
Armor: Ladonian Admiral's Outfit (Vanity)
Misc: Blinky the Sloth (Vanity)

Skills:
Dagger R5

Active Extra Skills:
Hiding R3

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nobody

[Freyd 0]

Shadow fell out of shadows on the upper hull of the Ifrit, a blazing bolt of lightning held in hand for future, pending need, and promptly concealed within inventory.  Infiltrating a battle cruiser in the middle of combat would be tricky enough without carrying a giant glowing beacon that screamed: here I am!  

This honking metal monstrosity didn't seem to belong in Aincrad.  Massive in scale and enclosed on all sides, Razwell must have bought it at a Final Fantasy surplus sale and then smuggled it back to Ladonia in his forty-seven thousand piece matching luggage set.  Some assembly required.  Freyd looked forward to pulling apart like a cheap Lego set, but first he needed to get inside.  A hatch nearby seemed the obvious choice.  Too obvious.  Too choice.  It would be locked down tighter than the hull itself and possibly guarded against direct intrusion.  Though how anyone could effectively board such a beast was beyond him.  Maybe there was some conveniently accessibly landing bay somewhere, but with the capital-scale firefight going on all around them, he really didn't want to linger around the ship's exterior any longer than was necessary.  His insurance likely wouldn't cover the consequences.

Flexing a hand, he pressed the open palm against the metallic plating and pushed, focusing as if to trigger the ribbon's inherent enhancements.  A pulse of white light burst outward and nearly knocked him loose of his handhold.  It was quite a drop from this height, and there were plenty of things waiting to shoot or run into him on the way down.

"Not Holy!  I need a Fallen proc, goddamn it!"

Trying again, he let the surrounding sounds of battle fade all around him and reached inward to find that hollow core that always given him so much grief.  It was time it made itself useful, for a change.  A keening screech erupted as the seals repealed from around his hand, exposing the utter nothingness within.  Even the mighty dreadnaught's skin could not withstand exposure to the all consuming hunger of oblivion, and fractal fragments soon peeled away to create an opening.

A wry grin spread across the Whisper's face once the breach was made.  Sparing a moment for a few more gestures before the screeching stopped and shadows fell into new shadows with murderous intent.  From above, any ship approaching would see a dark blemish in the form of a hole on its immaculately gleaming shell, with crudely carved lettering beside that read:  'IN HERE'.

[Alkor 0]

There was no end to them. 

Alkor had neutralized or thrown over more than a score of peons and gained nearly no ground at all. He felt his energy stores waning and his body screaming at him. This was a team effort, and he rushed headlong into it alone- and the system was forcing him to pay for that. There was no turning back now- only forward, ever forward. His blade screamed out again as he parried a wild blade for the nth time, every motion fluid, lost in the last. His body spun, his arm reached out, and he lifted the offender over his shoulders in a quick motion. They did not seem to learn from watching him, because the same movement had spelled the end of more than three soldiers now. They did not care to learn. They  did not need to learn. They just had to wait until he broke down. He realized that at some point during the exchange.

But in a war of attrition, they had chosen the worst possible foe.

His eyes burned like those of a demon, the flames inside him fanned with each swing of his sword. He would not lose. He would not back down. He would hold the line. Until some ray of hope dawned on the horizon- until then, he would carry the small flickering flame and keep it alive. Another thrust, another swipe, two of them at once... his gaze watched, his body responded. His form was flawless. The system would carry him through, for as long as he had the resources. That was when he saw the others. Other small ships careening toward their larger, weaponized counterparts. Finally, the tide of battle was changing.

Under duress from their attackers, ships began to change course suddenly, erratically. The chain reaction of two ships losing control and and smashing into one another jilted his assailants. The soldiers, panicked, broke. Alkor seized the opportunity to plow through them toward the bridge. Not so far behind now, @Blueberry appeared from below deck just in time to see the beautiful chaos blossom across the skyline. Smoke and fire married a vast sea of clouds as metal and murder churned in its azure depths. 

He grabbed hold of the frame and swung his body fast around the corner, catapulting himself into the control room. Alkor wasted no time and would not allow the precious confusion to pass him by. He ripped his blade through the pilot, who's body slumped to the floor. He held the weapon up, challenging, his gaze moving predatorially over the navigators and copilots. "One of you bastards take the helm," he commanded. "This ship is under new management."

There was a pause. They looked between each other, uncertain.

"Someone step up, or I'll make the decision easier. Another one of you will end up like him," he gestured with Witchfang toward the dejected corpse he made moments before. "Savvy?"

"What's the new course?" a woman, one of the copilots stepped forward and grabbed the wheel.

"The Dreadnaught," he said, and he pointed toward another crew member with his blade. "Fly us any other direction, and I start bodying your friends."

The ship lurched, slowly, then began to crawl from its original direction. It was a slow transition, almost hesitant. "Fly faster," he growled. Every moment that they weren't at their destination breathing down Razwell's neck, he had another opportunity to prime that death weapon again. Alkor refused to allow that.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Alkor

[Vigilon 0]

Vigilon listened to the various ideas that were thrown in. "We'd still have to fight our way through, and even then we'd have to play tower defense with the navigation entrances if we took it. Regardless of what we do, we'll still have to eliminate all enemies onboard." He remarked in response to the ginger player's suggestion. Krysta suggested that once the airship was taken over, that the players should target the flagship's scather immediately. "...So that's what it's called, then? Good to know. Under normal conditions, I'd agree with Krysta, but this is my first time to the floor, and thus I don't know enough to give a valid opinion on the matter." He noted. "If it is possible to destroy the scather, we should do so as soon as possible. The less casualties we have on the way to the enemy's flagship, the better." He added. "But we should keep in mind that we've all got one shot at doing this right, so safety first!"

With that discussion finished, the players were given the opportunity to jump off, in which Oji would regroup with them shortly after dropping them off.

Krysta would make the first attack, dispatching a few enemies. Vigilon drew his blade, and struck with Draco Rend. None of the four enemies he'd hit would see the light of day again.

@Jomei @Oji

[Plot Master 0]

Airships one after another took into the sky, taking advantage of the brief ceasefire that followed Gabrandr's display. Galteans and players alike banded together in ships and began to board Ladonia's fleet. It wouldn't take long for the Ladonians to recover from their confusion. They would begin to take fire on the approaching ships that remained airborne, knocking a few from the sky. The smaller transportation ships were unequipped for combat and upon taking a single shot they would fall in fall in flame, their crew lost.  Aboard the enemy ships, alarms would begin to blare to alert the Ladonians of their enemy's presence. The players would meet much resistance on their push to the main control rooms. 

 

Aboard the Dreadnought Ifrit, Grand Imperator Razwell's eyes were widened with shock. "Did... DID IT NOT WORK?" He had seen a bright blue flash of light, but the source was unknown. Why weren't the Galteans and the dirt the same? Peering down through the glass, he would watch as several ships began to take off. "They aren't trying to escape? Instead, they are going to push?" Laughter burst from his chest. "I understand now." Returning his gaze to those that worked the Ifrit's main controls, "Send out the message that there will be no prisoners. Galtea is a dead country, I see no reason why its citizens should still live." 

Raising his hand to peer at the stone that rested in it, a smile would spread to his face. A rainbowish mist excreted curiously from the stone. "The Fates have demanded the destruction of the Galtean line and appointed me as their sword." The Galteans were pushing against a predetermined destiny, what chance did they have?

"Your Grace, the Sub-Control room has reported damage to the hull, near the cargo bay." An eyebrow raised. Damage? Had a stray cannon struck the ship? "Dispatch a small unit to inspect the damages and ensure the cargo is secure. I want to keep the expenses of this battle to a minimum with all of the rebuilding we have for this city to do now." 

 

No change was made to the Soundtrack this round

This Round will end on Sunday, February 27th at 11:59 P.M CST

"Finish securing the enemy ships and make way to the Dreadnought Ifrit"

[Gabrandr 0]

Lamont had just begun to make his way to Gabrandr when he pulled the stone from his pocket. Was he going to use the very limited amount of power he had to try and resurrect the leader of another kingdom? The man had served his purpose, perhaps it was better to let him go?

Approaching, he would find that much of the man's regalia had been singed. It appeared the Galtean King wasn't able to withstand the sheer amount of energy he had called forward. Crouching next to the man, he would bring the stone close to the King. Curiously, the stone would react to the king and begin to glow brighter the closer it came to the man. "You all and your dealings with Fate. Insane. Fate should be left to its wiles." 

"Ok, dude, it's time to let the big kids play. A tiny rock will only do so much."

Standing to attention immediately, his eyes would travel to the trio that had arrived. "This 'tiny rock' is a bit more important than it would appear. I thought I gave the command to- are you even listening?" The newcomer had taken Gabrandr's head into her lap and begin humming. Frightened with the shaking of the ground, he would step back and his eyes would seek answers in the others. 

Gabrandr's external injuries and burns would heal, and his eyes would flutter open shortly after. "Where?" he would begin to question. Sitting up immediately, wary eyes would turn to the blonde-haired girl. A sudden annoyed voice would speak before pulling him to his feet. Bewildered eyes would find Celeste. "Thank you," he would tell her dryly before brushing the dust off of his burnt regalia. "I will return and ensure that all of those not participating in the fight are kept safe. I'll assume that up there is your ship, Miss ...?" he would tell the red-haired girl. "Assist with pressing forward and I'll make sure you don't have to worry about what's behind you." 

Eyes fell on the group of Ladonian soldiers held back by a duo of women. They looked like they were handling it and wouldn't be needing his help. "Come, Messenger. I'd like you to stay close. Razwell shouldn't have enough energy to charge his toy again but I'd rather be safer than sorry. You too, Prince." A sword was unsheathed and Gabrandr began pushing towards the Galtean Refugee Zone. 

[Freyd 0]

"Double-skinned hull," Freyd muttered to himself while slowly carving a second hole to get at Ifrit's interior.  The monstrous ship was, indeed, space or depth-worthy.  It felt too sci-fi to think of it as a starship, so his brain was trying to kludge 'submarine' instead.  It still wasn't working, but kept his imagination occupied as his hand ate its way through the inner hull in a satisfying turnaround of the day's earlier events.

"Not how I expected to be celebrating after the boss fight," he told no one in particular.  As he nearly finished creating the new opening, the heavy plating broke apart and plummeted to the deck below.  The jarring recoil and constant artillery barrages effectively masked its impact, though Freyd considered himself fortunate that this particular compartment was unoccupied.  He also realized that all that firepower was being directed at all the players sitting out in the open.  Time was not being friendly.

Tumbling down like the shadows of a waterfall, a second figure split from the first and opened a pair of blazing blue eyes, with horizontal slots as irises.  The darkness posed no obstacle.  Freyd practically lived in these spaces and long ago learned the value of certain related mods.  This space looked like some sort of cargo storage compartment, likely located of a larger central docking bay.  Reaching the main hatch to the hold, it was obviously sized for the passage of bulk goods and roughly the size of a castle gate; too large, and too obvious.  Keen eyes beneath their cowl, spotted the smaller mandoor on the far side.

"Heh.  Locked from the outside. Naturally.  Why would anyone be in here, right?"  He rapped his knuckles on it twice.

"What the... did you just hear that?" 

Muffled voices and the impact of footfalls could be heard on the far side.

"I swear.  Gelbard better not have gotten locked in again, or I'll court-martial his ass."

Light breached the seal as the hatch opened and two men stepped in.  The first carried a lantern, raised high as his eyes squinted behind it to see beyond.  He carried a large wrench in his other hand, ready to punish the corporal, if he found him snoozing on the job again.  A second man, in the combat garb of a Ladonian Marine office followed immediately behind, shiny new lieutenant stripes freshly sown onto his arm.

"Gelbard!  You lazy sod.  What the hell did you do n-OOF!"

Light flickered and turned to silent dark.  A flurry of shadows swallowed them both whole as the door closed silently behind them.  No one would see the shower of pixels that followed.  Moments later, the fresh-face officer emerged, adjusting his illusory helm as he cross the open deck.  A salute returned as a squad of heavily armed guards went racing past to address an alarm that was already too late.  The Whisper was already inside.

[Celeste 1]

Releasing @Gabrandr's collar and allowing him to dust off the singed bits of his attire. "That's more like it. Don't mention it. Seriously, I got an image to uphold. People can't think I am going soft." Lifting her arm up, sees a massive cleaver apparate and drop as she clutches the handle. It catches in flames that mirror the fires that still flickered on the edge of the peripheral.

"Makes my life much easier, you focus on defense. I saw that fishbowl you popped around the refugee zone. I do a bit better if I can go ham. Name's Celeste. Try to stay upright this time." A bit of a cocky grin draws across her face, eyeing the king with a sideways glance shoulder to shoulder.

"I'll kick Razwell's ass for you, and the Galtean's will be stronger for it. Wait for it." A shrill whistle from her lips sees a sudden jarring pulse. The Black Raven jumps overhead, and she grabs an arm full of still dangling chains. "Shiina. You got his back?" The girl barks toward the songstress, with a growing mass of NPC's at her back with supercharged weaponry.

The girl would nod, and Celeste offers that chain a sharp tug. It starts to retract with a rattle, a spinning crank on the top being triggered like a wench. Slamming heavy shoes against the deck of the ship, she lifts her blade and points for the Ifrit.

A bellow with a surprising amount of volume, to her crew and some new passengers aboard. "Get them ready to board. We take as many of these damn ships and turncoat them. Then..." The flames dance down her blade. "Off with the king's head!" The cacophony of cries of bloodlust from her crew, roars in the sky.

What follows is Celeste and the players on board jumping from ship to ship, stealing the damn things by overpowering numbers. Proceeding to rush them down with her own mates acting captains. Filling them to the brim with Galtean pirates, and by association the skies with the Galtean people. This war wasn't over, not by a long shot.

[Shiina 0]

Sucking on a sucker as she waddles with a growing army at her back, the strength of Ladonian resistance slowly being drained by the music as she walks. The stick of that piece of candy sticking out of her lips like a cigarette. "Yep. I got Gaby, you go do the crazy." The girl offers with a dismissive wave, like shooing a child. As the Ladonian elite would cut down the front line, Shiina jerks to attention and lifts her hand. An almost violent solar flare like discharge of light sees the health bars of those just defeated rush back to full.

They get a wild hair up their ass and attempt to rush her instead, cutting their way past the troops as best as they could. Slowly boxing themselves in, hoping to remove the source of this bountiful healing. Blades slam against her, but find purchase on some sort of sphere. "That's not very nice." Shiina snickers as if in rebuttal, the bubble discharges some serious damage, as some sort of aura knocks them on their respective asses.

A gesture in a point, and those Galtean farmers made soldiers make moves, cutting down the last remaining HP. Shiina turns to @Simmone and @Hidden, waving excitedly, and wasn't sure if they saw her at all. A pair of finger guns and a pop of her hip, the songstress draws attention to one of the buildings. As if operating an orchestra, that growing mass seeks out and starts to upheave rubble. Beneath, a few children and their parents. Shiina was on rescue duty.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Shiina

[Krysta 0]

Vigilon made his attack, striking down four members of the vanguard that had come to defend the airship. Krysta moved in to strike down the last member, who was already terrified by the two players' previous attacks that had slain his seven comrades. She barely missed him and he ran. The coward jumped off the airship just to land on a smaller transport. It was clear he didn't care what happened as long as he lived.

Krysta then turned to see the rest of the heavily armed crew of the military airship headed in the players' direction. "Forward!" Krysta called out. "We cannot allow them to push us back!"

The rest of the moment had become a blur. It was attack after attack, surely the other players were doing their part as well. Krysta saw herself striking down foe upon foe. Had she attempted this alone, she would not have enough energy to last her through the assault. Thankfully, there was a full party present on the airship.

@Jomei @Oji