[EV-F26] Defying Destiny

[Freyd 0]

A flurry of frost, darkness and cherry blossoms.  A patrol ambushed and decimated.  Not a noise to be heard, and all evidence of passage subsumed.  Freyd wiped his hands on his jacket to help get the sparkly bits of bad guy off.  Combat had to be selective and isolated.  They couldn't risk giving away their position or they'd have the entire crew bearing down on them.  More players would need to arrive first, and help spread the chaos.  When it came to combat tactics, a gaggle of players was more often akin to unleashing a horde of raging barbarians or gladiators than it was any semblance of organized ranks and battle orders.  They succeeded by sheer force of mayhem, at least most of the time.

Firm Anima would function more like the latter.  A quick message sent and confirmation given.  Communication was key, even while separated.  Especially while separated.

To: @Raidou@Eruda@Simmone@Gaius@Freya@Shiina cc: Setsuna, Kasumi From: Freyd On board.  Attempting to commandeer fire controls.  Ships will start falling from the sky.  Don't be underneath.

Their position in the docking station offered an effective vantage for the chaos raging outside.  Their only hope rested in providing anyone crazy enough to still be flying through that hailstorm of cannon balls some manner of shelter.  If they could get close enough, the rest of the fleet would hopefully cease fire to avoid damaging the Ifrit, or drawing its ire.  That gave him an idea.

Deciphering the controls as best he could, Freyd disarmed and overrode the lockouts and provided clear access to the cargo bay from the ship's exterior.  It was doubtful that anyone had actually managed to obtain enough firepower to take down a battleship of this size.  He just meant to provide them with an easier way to get aboard.  Three firefights in particular drew his attention, each distinct in style and approach.  The first was the same ship he'd witnessed @Celesteflopping around on earlier, in full pirate regalia.  The other two were some sort of air taxis, one filled with an excess of blue and the other marked at a distance by streaks of ginger hair. 

"Good enough for me," he said, shrugging aside any hesitation, then taking a guess and a gamble.

To: Celeste, @Baldur, @Jomei From: Freyd Door is open.  Starboard side.  Gonna light up the sky to give you some cover, but you might want to hurry.  Signal anyone else left out there to follow you.  Looks messy out there.

Several swift and precise blows disabled the controls, ensuring that their port of entry remained open.  

"Come on," he said to no in on particular, yet certain that he still had his audience.  Making his way back through the cargo bay, Freyd stuck to the shadows once more, heading towards the nearest gun emplacements along the outer hull.  A figure emerges from behind nearby crates.  Still in disguise, Freyd turned and recognized his would-be twin. 

"@Koga?"  Head tilting, a hand waving over his face to reveal his true features.  "What on earth are you doing wandering alone up here?"  Wary eyes scan the shadows in search of duplicity or backup.  "Doesn't matter.  Come on.  We're going to take out some gunners and shoot turkeys dressed up as Ladonian airships.  We need to clear a path for the others to land safely, plus also confuse the heck out of the enemy.  I'd give cash money to see Razwell's face when his own troops start to return fire on his precious command ship."

[Nobody 1]

"Get them ready to board. We take as many of these damn ships and turncoat them. Then, off with the king's head!"

Wait.  What?  Wasn't that blue dude down below the King?  The one who's had his face blown off by that Death Star laser blast.  Players seemed to be rallying all around him, dragging the NPC back to his feet and applying some serious defibrillation in the process.  Dangling from the side of his own ship, finally ceasing his pointless flailing, Nobody just waved at them as the Black Raven went by.

Rough tugs pulled him back to the deck.  Several barely recognizable crew members having decided that he was more useful as an engineer on the ship, rather than dangling externally, albeit barely.

Grumbling as he went, Nobody slid Something Pointy through a belt loop and started scouring the deck for anything that might serve his purpose.  A few stray bits of cloth.  Something in a bottle labeled 'XXX' that probably wasn't.  Was the next thing supposed to be grease?  Didn't matter.  Wandering back down to the engine compartment, he pulled loose the clamps on the thing he considered to be equivalent to the central boiler, swung open the door marked 'Never, EVER, open while in flight' and shoved everything he'd gathered inside before slamming and sealing the door shut again.

Moments later, the Black Raven hit warp 1, kinda.  And only for about 2.3 seconds before lurching back to its regular cruising speed, launching every unsecured thing on board forward with a sudden momentum differential.  This included the crew.  Fortunately, there was now a nice, shiny battleship waiting right in front of them, its cargo doors open and ready to receive them from their unexpected departure.

[Koga 0]

Koga rolled his eyes and stole a glance over at NIGHT, feigning annoyance at her joke. "You blame me for everything," he replied with thick sarcasm before readying his blade. "You take the left, I'll take the - NIGHT?" Koga looked at the spot where she had just been only to find it completely devoid of player. The man span a small circle in bewilderment, trying to figure out where she'd gone. "Fucking stealth players."

"RRRAAAAGH!"

The battle cry was the only warning Koga had, just enough to move his body out of the way of a downward strike, before quickly slashing at the attacker's side, one bright red mark appearing on his torso before he exploded into nonexistence.

Koga had no clue how many were encroaching upon him, nor how far he had to go to make some sort of escape, but he certainly couldn't stay where he was. The man pushed forward as he fought into the wave of soldiers. They were weak, easily eliminated, but the sheer number of them could overwhelm the Wolf if wasn't careful. Dodging, parrying, lashing back out, Koga eliminated his foes as quickly as he could, some swiftly cut down, others subjected to the prolonged pain of burn and blight, left to scream in agony as they fell.

Two more. That's all that was left. A sword swung at the crook of his neck that Koga blocks before striking the man in face with the pommel of his katana, the man staggering back from the unexpected blow. Enough room to deal with the other. An easily parried strike, a clang of steel, and then the squelching sound of Koga's katana splitting open the man's stomach. The first had recovered, and blindly charged at Koga, weapon raised high above his head. A powerful kick to the torso sent the man backwards, colliding with others. And then a massive force hit Koga from the side, sending him flying into some cargo.

Briefly stunned and dazed, Koga shook the swimming figures from his vision, coalescing them into one as he looked at whoever had struck for almost a fifth of his health. A massive beast of a man, wielding a warhammer, a devilish smile on his face as he approached. Oh that did not look fun.

The hull shook with an echoing bang as the man brought his hammer down, only narrowing avoiding crushing Koga's head as he leapt to the side, rolling out of the way. The man swung again and Koga stepped forward, off to the right, away from the devastating head of the hammer, and swung at the man's leg. A brief cry of pain before the beast of a man swung his arm at sending him colliding into a tall tower of heavy boxes and machinery.

Koga practically saw stars as his head slammed into the machinery, but he was able to keep his feet. The man tried to focus his vision, the warhammer wielding brute charging at him, swinging his weapon like a baseball bat at Koga's head. The Wolf's eyes went wide for a second before he ducked beneath the blow and rolled back behind the soldier. The man turned and looked at Koga, the same grin plastered across his face as he stepped forward.

Creeeeeaaaak

Both Koga and the giant looked up at the towering pile of boxes as it swayed back and forth, back and forth.

Crash!

The crates all came tumbling down, the sound of cracking wood, metal slamming into metal, the explosion of cargo echoing throughout the whole, drowning out even the sound of the ship's alarms as it crushed the beast beneath the weight of countless weapons of war.

Koga grimaced and sucked air through his teeth as he stared at the spot where the giant was just standing, blue fragments now seeping out of the cracks of the pile of rubble and floating into the air before disappearing. "Ouch..." Yeah, that didn't seem like a fun way to go.

The alarms suddenly cut out and Koga looked around, readying his blade again. Was that...a good thing? It had to be right? The man began to tread carefully through the aisles of crates and boxes. Was he going the right way still? That last fight had completely thrown off his sense of direction. A few more moments of eerie silence passed before a voice called out to him from the shadows.

"Freyd?" Koga looked at the older man, almost as if looking into a mirror with a face of equal confusion. "I was with NIGHT," he answered before looking around him again, still not seeing the stealth-enabled woman. "I-...think she's still around here somewhere?" He really needed to invest in Detection at this point...

A quick explanation of the plan, and Koga nodded. "Sounds good." he said with a nod, tightening his grip on his weapon again and giving it an experimental twirl. No broken bones. "Let's go."

[Celeste 1]

Ripping up next to the first available vessel, and screaming out orders to crew and passengers alike: "Man the cannons, I need at least 20 armed units." The Raven's Queen bellows holding tight a section of chain, swinging across and giving a form of 'show and tell' to these fresh Galtean farmers turned soldiers. Nervous, one after another, those same linkages of metal rattle. And the clattering of footfalls as they land upon the hostile deck.

Her attention catches spinning cursors, ones of green and not yellow or red. Players were on this boat already, coined by the still smoking wreckage somewhere beneath it. Celeste catches a glimpse of blonde hair, immediately recognizing @Krysta and @Oji from their trip earlier. It would seem they'd been equally busy, while she was commandeering her own ship they had found whatever 'treasure' was awaiting them at the top of that tower.

She sure hoped it was worth it.

"I brought some extra sets of hands." Celeste barks, grabbing an enemy crew member by the throat and lifting him from his feet. A sword clattering at his side as she starts to squeeze, cutting off his resistance along with his windpipe. Galtean Refuges start to fan out, tugging ropes and unfurling sails. "Sure hope one of you can play captain, they ain't going to know how to navigate by themselves."

With her opponent, she wraps a chain around his neck and boots him off the side. The chain becomes limp then tight, leaving that tether she'd road in on to 'take care of him' and reaching for another.

"Ta ta, don't get yourselves killed. These puppies have a lot more 'girth'. You slam this into something, and you're likely to end up a packed sardine." Spoken loudly as the newfound crew starts to look to these players for orders.

@Jomei @Vigilon

*Tap* *Tap*

Her feet pick up speed, and like Tarzan, she lunges over the side. Riding that wench back to the Black Raven. That same cocky grin as she waves, and is startled as the ship makes an unexpected leap. Within an instant, that merchant made pirate ship finds itself mere feet from the Ifrit. "What in the fuck, which one of you idiots..." The woman scolds, looking to @Sam and @Lium as if accusing them.

Over their shoulder, she spots the bent and folded port hole made by the whisper. A message pops into view. A sudden ignition of red in her eyes, one of malice and murderous intent. Matched with a smile, as she gestures. "In to the belly of the beast!" Hands shuffle, the thing pivots aggressively. Grinding at the sides, caution to the wind as she breaks into the opening with crew and players at her behest. "Lock us down, lets be impossible to remove like a hemorrhoid!" The Queen commands, as barbed harpoons ring out of ballista and implant themselves inside the Ifrit's cargo hold. Unless something boarded her ship, it wasn't going anywhere.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Celeste

[Sam 0]

Glancing around quickly her weapon was out. Her eyes meet Celeste's, shaking her head in disagreement. Sam had yet to board the ship, was to busy putting soldiers on board. Passing one up to Lium as the ship starts to veer backwards from shore. Catching herself from falling of the ledge, as Celeste barks out to secure the ship. Taking a deep breath in a weird panic state like falling could have ended her life just like that. A hand to her chest, facing the battle scene again, chest racing. Disappearing into the crowd now to make sure she wasn't missing anyone. 

A scream and call out from a few soldiers around the corner. One was down for the count holding his stomach and the other was hunched over the man seeming worried. God Raidou was right... Even though they are NPC's they still act as though they have feelings. It was weird to see but she knew how the healing worked in the game. "Let me help you. He will be fine in a few minutes, we just have to get him out of harms way. Help me get him up." Sam and the dude lift the man up, Sam on one side and the NPC on the other as Sam tries her best to get to that ship. 

Sam manages to get half way before hears Lium scream out her name in almost a panic. Sam glances up, then turns her head long enough to see one of the enemy troops heading in this direction. "This is not good... We need to hurry," as she tried to walk fast with these dudes. Sam's chest was pounding so fast right now and she found it hard to breath. Hearing her name again, then hearing right after swords against a shield. Sam takes a deep breath a turns her head to find Griswold and Eruda. Eruda meets her eyes as flames were sporadic around them. "GO, NOW." Holding, pushing the metal points off her metallic guard. Sam simple nods and rushes with the two to Celeste ship. 

Lium hops off with a chain in his hand, landing of the ground right next to Sam with a puff of dirt beneath his feet. "Time to go little lady," Lium puts the injured guys on his back and holds his arms around his neck with the only available hand. "Sam, grab on to me and don't let go till we land." Lium could see the hesitation in her eyes. "Now is not the time to be self serving. Get your ass over here now, there is no time for this..." You could see Liums nose flare up in almost a demanding notion. "Fine," Sam says, looking back at the guard who was already gone. Sam takes a few quick steps forward before grabbing Lium into a hug as tight as she could. Lium pulls the chain for retraction as they are lifted into the air. Moments later they were on the ship. Releasing Lium, she gently grabs the man from his back. "I get him to a safe place for self heal." Having not a clue where she was going, this place was so huge and noisy. 

Edited February 27, 2022 by Sam

[Vigilon 0]

One slash after another, this was starting to get tiring. If anything, at least Krysta had taken notice that the number of enemies had dropped by a significant amount by this point...but was it really going to be that simple to finish them?

Vigilon looked to his Energy. He needed more, and fast.

Then came the unexpected second wind. A red haired pirate proceeded to show up out of the blue, along with about twenty makeshift soldiers, who caught pretty much everyone's attention. The enemy forces looked over to the pirate as well, their blades currently in lock with Vigilon's weapon. If anything, this was a chance to recover some energy. Breathe in, breathe out...breathe in....breathe out... His focus was soon stabilized, and his energy would recover due to the use of the Meditation skill.

The redhead pirate gripped an enemy by his neck as she addressed the party, saying that she'd brought them some extra pairs of hands, and hoped that one of the players in the party "knew how to play captain", as the NPCs "ain't going to know how to navigate by themselves."

...someone was gonna have to be left behind, it seemed...for Vigilon had other plans than becoming the captain of a ship. This was temporary, a means to an end...a very specific end, one that involved Vigilon taking his blade to the enemy mastermind's neck.

The area that had been cleared was already being manned my the NPCs the pirate had brought over, and they all began looking towards the players...Vigilon, however, could not divide his focus like this. He needed to concentrate on his task, so he simply continued cutting down the enemies, in which they were growing much smaller in number now...maybe there was a chance to get the players into the navigation before any reinforcements arrived from belowdecks.

[Krysta 0]

Things were beginning to look rather bleak, although none of the players around were willing to allow that to show. However, reinforcements came when the redhead from earlier arrived to the scene with a group of NPCs in tow. The red haired player appeared to have the apparel resembling a pirate of sorts.

Why? Why was something so awful as Piracy so popularized and loved by certain individuals? Krysta had always failed to wonder why such actions were popularized, and there was hardly anything good about it!

The red haired player proceeded to tell the players that she was leaving the NPCs she'd brought over to the party that was present, and that they needed a captain. She also gave some advice as to keeping the airship from facing destruction that would threaten the players as well.

The NPCs might not have needed a "captain", so to speak, but they did indeed need someone to guide them. For the time being, Krysta would rally then as the tide was now turned in the party's favor. A small portion of the NPCs the red haired player had left behind looked to the party for orders while he rest were already preparing the ship itself for being turned against the fleet.

Krysta raised her weapon. "Forward!" She called out. "The controls of the ship lie ahead, and shall soon be within our grasp!"

With the NPCs rallied, the enemy forces would find themselves being pushed back much more than before, to the point where their defenses had been breached. Krysta then looked to the rest of the party. "Now, while you have a chance! Seize the control room with all due haste!" She said to them.

@Vigilon @Jomei

She then looked to Oji and the NPC driver specifically, for her next words were for them specifically. "Head for the controls, turn the ship around as soon as you can. The rest of us will guard you from any enemy reinforcements, should they arrive from above or below."

@Oji

[Blueberry 0]

To her pleasant surprise, there was no one to heed the pink-haired player's way forward. It seems that her partner in crime had already infiltrated and wiped the enemy's ranks. What kind of beast had she paired up with? With the Galteans securing the Elites in bindings, it was only her and Alkor pressing forward. It wasn't too much of an issue, the Galteans were not on par with players whatsoever. 

After a couple of minutes of cautiously walking forward, the sound of voices led her to the ship's control room. It seemed that Alkor had managed to threaten the Ladonian pilots into steering them towards the big ship that hung them in the air. Stepping forward to watch, the pilot would stretch her fingers across several different buttons. The ship would begin to turn before slowly pushing towards the Ifrit. 

"Fly faster," the voice of Alkor growled. "Sir, if we crash into the Ifrit, none of us will escape the ship alive," the pilot's voice would warn. A finger would find and reach and flick a small red switch at the right end of the console. "Red is never a good color, what did you press?" the pink-haired player would ask. "It's just to transmit to the Ifrit to open its loading dock for our ship," the pilot would hastily reply. "Oh? Alright then~" Blue would respond. It was obvious to the girl that the pilot was lying but doing something now wouldn't actually help them board the Ifrit and the damage had already been done. Whatever it was. 

@Alkor

[Lium 1]

"Don't look at me, I didn't do shit," shouting to @Celeste as he grabs the man from Sam as she wanders off again. Watching her for a moment, Sam runs out of view. Lium started asking around the ship for anyone who knew how to drive this thing. So far all the answers were no. Glancing to Sam as she brings another soldier that looked like he need to sit down. Samantha was on a roll tonight. Helping her and the guy get on the ship, hearing Celeste call out. It was almost time to go. "Damn, damn, damn," glancing around frantically of the edge on the ai ship. Everyone had pretty much left. Looking to the steering wheel with a huge deep breath, "I can do this, I've done it before... Easy Peazy..." saying as he hops a few barrels. "Tell me when to lift off, while I figure this damn thing out." A ship sure, he's driven them before in a game or two, but a flying ship... How hard could it be? Starting to mess with the controls a bit, there was a lot of them... "I can do this," glancing to each button, lever, key placement. Another deep breath, "I can do this, god please let me be able to do this..." Lium says as he starts to prepare for launching off, the moment he gets that okay, they would be off.

[Alkor 0]

He knew better. 

The moment that the pilot pressed the button, Alkor narrowed his eyes. He watched the Dreadnaught for any hint that they'd been acknowledged, any sign that they were clear to proceed. None came. "Do you know," he asked as he took a step backward and violently thrust his blade into the stomach of one of the two remaining midshipmen, "how many men it takes to fly a ship?" he asked the ship knowing full well he had no such knowledge. In fact, the answer itself was irrelevant. They were already on course. None of these pilots were necessary for what he intended. None of them seemed interested in abetting his plain, either.

"Why did you kill him?!" she screamed, horror injected into her eyes. He watched in calculating silence as she rounded on him and raised her sword. "I did what you said, I steered us toward the Ifrit, I even gave the signal-"

"I wonder," he said, his cold voice cutting out the heat and passion of hers. The second of two hostage pilots watched his friend, his comrade, slump to the floor as a corpse. His body doubled over, bereft of a soul to keep it anchored. His knees buckled beneath him. "What signal it was that you gave." His golden eyes had lost all light. The darkness that threatened to swallow him hole had turned them almost a deep amber.

"You can't just-"

Alkor pulled the sword downward from overhead and completed the coup de grace.

The head rolled to her feet, and the pilot clapped her hands over her mouth. "I'm sure you thought you were dealing with someone reasonable," Alkor crooned in a quieter voice. "I'm not sure what gave you that idea when I boarded your ship after sacrificing another ship to get here, then slaughtered my way to the controls and threatened your lives. But that aside, do you know the answer to my question?" he asked her.

"...just one man," she whispered through her hands.

He nodded. "Just one," he agreed, "and I see three of us here." She looked around, suddenly aware of @Blueberry, and realized his intention. She lifted her sword, but it was too late. Alkor's blade had ruptured her heart, and she was dead before she had time to give her protest a voice. "Sorry about this," Alkor said, though he did not look to the younger girl as he spoke. Instead, he took the controls in hand and kept them steady.

The ship was already on course. They were aimed at the hull of the Dreadnaught Ifrit, and the controls were locked in place. They were steadily increasing speed. 

"Get ready to jump."

[Freya 0]

Heavy breathing, hunching over against her knees. A message received, it was from Freyd. Seeing another soldier run in their direction, he gets close lined by Gaius. "Don't even think about it." Freya chuckle a bit as she watches the ships and taxi's start to leave. Putting her hands to her mouth like a cone, "Eruda we have to go, now." All she hears is "NO," "What do you mean no, it's our last chance to get on. We have to go," "No" again her sister was refusing to leave. Freya's chest pounding as she tried to catch her breath. Glancing to Gaius with sad eyes now. "I am not leaving my sister, or my father. I am not going to make you stay." Gaius spear goes out just to the left of them as another guy gets plunged in the chest by their own doing. "Freya, I am not going anywhere. I came here for one reason, I am not back down. You leave I leave, you stay, I stay. Got it memorized," he says this with a grin as he continues to jab his spear into anyone that it could.

Freya's heart sank, but she understood. A smile on her face, as she glances at her father, her sister, Gaius. They were all working so hard, she would too. 

Edited February 28, 2022 by Freya

[Eruda 0]

Receiving that message, a very quick glance as sweat rolls down her forehead. Shutting her HUD after a very quick message to @Freyd, -Take care of them-. 

Eruda watches Raidou a Ruri for only a moment. Eruda's mind was already made up. It was why she had told Freya no. "No one left behind," Eruda says as she bashes yet another enemy in the face as Griswold thwomps his hammer into the chest causing him to burst. "I cannot make any one of you stay, but I hope you do. Freyd will make sure that everyone else is safe, I trust him." A glance to her father, then to Freya and Gaius. A small glimpse of Simmone and Shiina in the distance. This is what she was meant to do. Protect, and there was no way in hell that she was going to leave Raidou and Ruri down here. The constant thought of anything could happen, flew through her mind. If Eruda could prevent the death of the ones that she loved, you damn well bet she would be staying. "All For One and One For All, for Firm Anima, and the frontlines. For everyone risking their life to be here, we stand together. We will get through this as One." A glance to all who remained on the ground floor that was able to hear, would. Eruda voice illuminated out over the battle, swords clashing with others, against shields. Eruda was not going anywhere. 

Griswold would give a hardy laughter. His shield up, standing back to back with his daughter. Raising his hammer up in the air with a call out, "ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL," as he strikes down at another soldier that was trying to sneak up on them, back day for them.

If everyone decided to get on the ship, Eruda would too. That would lead Freya to do the same.

[Simmone 0]

A notification pops into view, and she twists her head to read it. Hidden didn't need to concern herself with running out of juice, Simmone on the other hand did. Acting as a conduit and peeling power from the ether was 'taxing' to say the least. "Freyd is on board and has secured an entry." A quick acknowledgement she pays to the white haired girl playing her double. "Question is, will they attempt to rush to the big ship's aid?" Noticing, the battalion was thinning out with the excessive slaughter, and yet the ground forces continued to gain mass.

Dust takes to a swirl with another heavy looking vessel of metal and magic, nearly slamming into the soil as feet begin to find purchase. Galtean's were slowly thinning, being led somewhere by the songstress. "It's up to us to keep them at bay, and keep them here." The black cat spoke, her estoc flaring in violet violence. Imbibing some small black sphere from her pocket sees some relief, before she lunges and implants that razors edge into the fold. It cuts clean through armor, into digital bone and causes a spray of data opposed. The man that received it falters, and she uses her heel to pluck it from the wound.

A twist of her wrist and a snap of her fingers, casts a sound like metallic cuffs being locked shut. Three others as they charge slow, their legs becoming heavy before they drop to their knees. "All for one." A coy smile, one of familiarity to her proximity.

Eyes lock with the rest of their troupe, as four bodies join the deceased.

@Hidden @Eruda @Griswold @Gaius @Freyd @Sam @Lium 

[Hidden 1]

Black hands painted their way through the crowd of soldiers, the sickening sound of rending flesh audible from an amethyst blade cutting through people. With the <<Vanish>> skill, Hidden was able to strike multiple targets twice in a row. With the time that had passed, only a small group of soldiers remained. Hidden stood in between the soldiers and Simmone now, not a breath out of place and a grin spread across her mouth. 

"Freyd is on board and has secured an entry. Question is, will they attempt to rush to the big ship's aid?" 

Hidden turned her gaze to the cat-like woman and would reply, "I don't think these soldiers will be. If only Gabrandr was still over here, he could shoot down the ships carrying soldiers, couldn't he?" 

The remaining three soldiers would charge suddenly forcing Hidden to assume a defensive stance as Vanish had yet to go off cooldown. To Hidden's surprise, the legs of the soldiers would buckle and give out before they even reached her. The swift strike of a dagger would see data shards fly into the air. That was the last of them. "Where to next? We're hunting the ground troops, right? You can find them can't you?" Hidden didn't doubt Simmone's ability to see. If she could point them out, the unlikely duo could be on their way. 

@Simmone

[Blueberry 0]

Blue would jump at the sudden movement that would pierce one of the remaining two pilots through the chest. Electric blue eyes filled with shock would look to Alkor as he began to ask questions to the remaining pilot. The damaged pilot collapsed to the floor, his heath having fallen considerably. All the baker could do was sit back and watch as he ruthlessly murdered the two remaining people they had to move the ship. 

"Sorry about this, Get ready to jump."

Panic and anger surged through her. What kind of person was Alkor? Would she ruin their chance at friendship if she shouted at him? From what she deduced based on his action, he would either respect her or strike her down. A gamble... it always was with new types of people. Was this even a person though, or was it a wolf in sheep's clothing?

"Do you really think it only takes one person?" Blue questioned under her breath. Her eyes floated to the different seats that lined different controls. Of course, multiple of them were probably not vital for their task but there were more vital positions than just steering. "JUMP? You're just as crazy as the redhead that was chucking statues. There is no way we can just jump and make it in that ship. You heard her, if we crash into the side at all that's it. What about the team we left behind? Forget about them or are you just trying to dispose of everyone left?" 

"Beg pardon, but I'd rather not die if we can help it." 

The Ladonian Taxi pilot and the Galtean rebels had finally joined them. Slowly approaching Alkor at the controls, he would attempt to speak some sense into the men. "I've been driving Ladonia ships for several years, I think I should be able to dock this vessel properly... without smashing it against the side of another ship and potentially falling to our deaths." 

Thank goodness. There was still someone alive that could pilot it. "Go ahead, if Mr. Crash-Every-Ship-Into-Another has a problem with it, I'll hit him with a pan," she would reply grumpily. "Probably not wise to damage the ship you intend to get on in the first place. A quick way to meet Fate." 

Taking a seat at the helm, the Ladonian Pilot would begin instructing the rebels at the various stations to begin steering the ship. "This thing is already difficult to drive, that hole we punctured through it isn't helping at all." The ship would begin to slow from the high-speed that Alkor had commanded it into as their airship began to approach the rear-end docks of the Mothership. Pressing an overhead green button would cause it to flash for several seconds before bay doors opened to let them through. The ship would slowly enter before becoming locked in by machines. 

"There we go, we have arrived. I don't think I will be charging you folk this time around."

@Alkor

[Plot Master 0]

 

Within time, the Galtean rebellion had pushed their way into the Dreadnought Ifrit. Through the hole created in the hull of the ship, Koga and his team's airship had pushed through, delivering them inside. Of course, the portions of their ship that hadn't been aligned with the hole were decimated at the hard exterior of the Ifrit. Only through sheer luck had the people inside managed to survive. Shrapnel and destroyed equipment would litter where they had crashed into. The hole crafted by a player was now filled as the ship that had crashed through it served as a cork to close it up. Through the Cargo Bay doors, a Merchant's boat crafted from wood would find itself perched, harpooned into a stead position. The only way in for the remaining ships was the docking bay located at the rear-end of the Mothership. Anyone who attempted to crash into the Ifrit's hard exterior would find themselves crushed like a sardine at impact. 

Inside of the Dreadnought, the alarms would become silent for a moment. The piercing noise of a microphone would be heard before a voice would make itself known to the onboard players. "It seems that rats have found their way onto my ship and are now just scampering around. Looks like I'll need to find some exterminators!" The voice would cut out, the alarm resuming. 

"Sir, the guards have been summoned en-masse to the lower decks." Nodding, the King would look to the monitors. It seemed a contusion had been made in the ship near the Sub-Control room. The patrol he had sent down there had yet to return. That was where they were located. "I want a transmission sent out to all of the Troop Transportations ships. It doesn't seem that any of them have been taken over. Tell them to return to the Ifrit. They will come from the rear and trap the filth that has trekked its way into my ship." Somehow, the airships had fallen to enemy command. A few of them managed to warn the Dreadnought of their predicament before falling into enemy hands. The Grand Imperator moved to the soldier at the helm. "What do they have access to with the Sub-Control room?" The pilot would grimace. "Nothing much sir. We have overridden any door-lock privileges and intend to seal off the Main-Control room should things go south. Other than that, they have control over docking bays and the Cargo Bay. It looks like they've already taken a liking to the ladder." 

♫

This Round will end on Tuesday March 8th at 11:59 P.M CST

"Fight your way through the Dreadnought Ifrit and make way to the Main Control Room"

Edited March 7, 2022 by Plot Master
Updated deadline per Morg

[Shiina 0]

Wobbling for but a brief moment, before skipping up in a rather jarring difference of the warzone playing out beside them. A strange constrast of the super serious Gabrandr and a girl sporting a chipper smile. At their backs a personal legion of damaged and weakened Galtean people, slowly being shuffled into the butthole that the Floor boss had carved up into the light. Back into the sewers where this all began. "Get your tushy down there." Shiina exhumes, clapping a butt cheek on a woman to hustle her down the ramp like a cave in.

A chirp toward @Raidou and @Ruri "Me and Gaby got dis, let us defend the city. You go do swole you things Book Boi." Her eyes swap up to Gabrandr who dwarfed her height quite considerably. Reaching out a slender hand that could vanish into his without issue. Hell, the girl could climb into his armor and just disappear. It makes contact with the guy, and those same signature blue flames of his seemed revived and just that much revitalized. A slide of her hand into a peace sign, as she raises a hand and pops a sphere over the entryway.

Shiina casts Barrier over the walkway to produce a shield.

"Just you and me, pony man, get those juices flowing. Think you got enough jam left for a whole sandwich, we got a lot of mouths to feed. As fate would have it, guess this was always meant to happen. Can you hear them singing?" An excited squeal, and with it rings start to draw themselves in expanding circles. Hair fluttering with a lack of gravity as power coursed through her and by extension, bestowing Scather man with a whole new realm of untapped potential.

@Gabrandr

[Raidou 1]

A wave of crimson miasma thickens, and through the color the occasional flash of deep blue light pops through it like lightning. Buried under the untamed and wild aggression, as legions of Ladonia continue to try and push through the fog of war. Trying for the walls of the refugee camp with bloodlust on their minds. All they find is an early demise as they disappear within.

The voices pierce that veil, as a message bleeds through on the wind. A fixated stare on the Ifrit, The whisper had breached it. "Success starts with the first move." Raidou hisses from that thickened coverage, as Gabrandr and Shiina pierce through it. Ruri appears on edge, ready to make another array of attacks to protect the wanderer. The nomad raises a hand to give her pause.

"They are with us."

The blunette scoffs, sheathing a blade on her hip. Crossing her arms as the heebee geebies set in, The whole place looked like the inside of a microwave after a pen exploded. She'd yet to get fully used to it, but was the most familiar with the familiar. "Shiina you have this?" He asks the songstress and is rewarded with an brash and excited parade of nods. "I trust you. But not him." Raidou locks eyes with, @Gabrandr "I kept my word, keep yours. I hope I don't need to come to her aid. Your people are safe, and I will see Razwell buried."

A sour sting, before his parrying blade finds its sheathe, and in its absence the sharp yellow flare of what looks like sunlight echoes like a flashbang. "Ruri, let's go give the rest of Firm Anima a hand." Rustling her hair and getting punched rather harshly for the headpat. "Jerk." she comments with a red flush of her face, before it twists into a smile. Feet slide apart, and two players sporting charge and cloth armor rocket at a surprising amount of oomf across the field. Leaving in their wake a dust bunny. 

Catching the ass end of a battle cry, it appeared that more of the guild had graced this warzone. And just like Lun rael the odds were so uneven. His eyes lock with Hidden for a moment as a blackened fist clutches around a soldier and heaves it like a flat stone across a lake. Skipping before crashing into something solid. The thunder like discharge of electricity in a boom, crackling down the length of a lightning rod in gilded gold. The flutter of a red robe, and sliding into view with a burning cobalt steel was The Blue Bolt.

"Fate isn't as absolute as you believe it to be, and yet you do not believe in fate."

Reaching a thickened black amalgamation feigning an appendage, it adjusts a still present pair of glasses. A mind to the heart. Acting as but a single entity.

"Continue to believe in them, and let them have faith in you."

Static rings down the length of Auric Sunlight, as he walks shoulder to shoulder with Ruri. Two more into the fray, and from a pair of horrific lips with a voice harsh like sandpaper.

"I have faith in all of you, do not allow them to escape to the dreadnaught. One for all."

@Freyd @Hidden @Eruda @Freya @Griswold @Gaius @Ruri @Simmone @Shiina @Kasumi @Setsuna @Sam @Lium@Celeste @~corrupt~

[Eruda 0]

A smile as Raidou spoke. "You heard him, don't let them get on those transports. Freya, Gaius, Griswold, with me." Looking into the crowd of soldiers as they all started rushing to the exit points. Eruda watches them split into several groups now. Following them with her eyes, her gaze shifts to another crowd heading the opposite direct. They were everywhere and they just kept coming. Getting a layout of the surroundings, it seemed as though they were being cut down from behind. Good... 

" @Freya , @Griswold," calling out as they link eyes with Eruda. Eruda would simply point her sword toward one of those groups that were heading for the landing airships. With a nod they were on it. " @Gaius, straight ahead." As she bashes her shield against one of them, gives out a battle cry as her flames burst out in every direction, setting some of them on fire. A glare toward the last group. " @Raidou, @Ruri. Northwest bound, coming our way. We have this handled." That voice was of control. No hesitation, no risks. They would all fall and no one was getting past them. Right then she would see another stray group a the corner of her eye. They were not heading for those points that were now secured though. A shout out, a warning, " @Gabrandr @Shiina, you have company heading your way." Another bash of her shield as she carves her weapon clean through their stomach. Finding a spear come out of his chest from the backside before they burst into nothing. Eruda just grins with a nod and begins to focus on the group ahead of them.

[Oji 0]

Oji followed the group as they slowly mowed down the guards of the airship. A few of them would try to stand up once the main group had passed, and Oji would step on their head and smack it against the floor, knocking them out cold. As he passed he saw the different ranks, each were pretty low on the totem pole, but they were defending their homes, at least that's how he saw it. For the most part, they seemed to be the "Bad guys" but in reality he really wasn't sure how to feel. He just knew that this was meant to happen, else it wouldn't have been in the games code, right?

He looked as they cleared a way for him, and he nodded, sprinting past them. There was a single driver in front of the controls, and he charged into the room as he turned around in fright. "H-how did you-" his words were cut off as he tackled the man into the controls, hitting his head against the glass of the giant ship. Oji set him down to the side of the room, and went to the controls, rubbing his hands together.

"Okay Soda, you've done this before on a baby ship. This is just a bigger ship, same controls right?" He told himself, and started to press the corresponding buttons, pulled a lever and turned the wheel, slowly turning the ship to face the giant menace before them. "Alright, slow and steady," He told himself, trying his best to contain his excitement. he couldn't dodge with this ship as he had the one before.

@Krysta@Jomei@Vigilon