[EV-F26] Defying Destiny

[Vigilon 0]

Another party of players joined the fray. It wouldn't be long before the garrison was eliminated at this point.

More shielded soldiers arrived, and formed an actual blockade. "Damn it," Vigilon thought. This would be difficult if something didn't happen soon.

Then two things happened.

First, the Ginger player jumped down from above, landing behind the blockade, and attacking the enemies' flank.

Second, the airship that the player-pilot had apparently chosen to abandon proceeded to enter the docking bay entirely. It seemed that some of the NPCs might have also wanted a piece of the action...as a small squadron of them came running to try and join in the efforts.

Vigilon turned around and kept his attention on the battle. Some of the blockade soldiers turned their attention to Jomei, and this would be Vigilon's chance to start poking holes in the enemy's formation. He unleashed his sword arts against the enemy forces, damaging some, and killing those who had turned their attention to Jomei. The enemy forces closed any gaps Vigilon had opened, but as a result, the amount of area they could cover had began to lessen. As long as the ginger player kept distracting the enemy from behind, the players would be able to get through the blockade in less time than first expected.

"Let's keep this up, everyone!" He called out to his allies in the party.

@Jomei @Oji

[Raidou 1]

Receiving a notification from Freyd, he looks to Simmone. "Find us a way up, I can get us there. Eruda, Griswold." he lifts a hand with a sharp tear toward his face and clutches onto that inky blackness, sheathing his sword and begins to tear it off like adhesive. "We aren't avoiding a falling ship, everyone won't get out of the blast radius in time." His tanned skin revealed as it's sheered off, and he flings it forward. "Block it." A sword only offered so much surface area, and the weight of the ship would exceed even his weight limits. But between three full-bodied tanks? They'd fought massive dragons, forgotten kings and titans. This was all in isolation, not as one cohesive phalanx. "I will support you as best as I can. Hold your ground."

The black splines begin to echo out across the plates of steel, a familiar that had hardened itself time and time again to defend him from attacks that the game had little greater. Cast upon the front of the shields, he lunges behind the two and places his hand to the shoulder of both. The height difference was staggering to say the least.

Raidou activates Justified Riposte in tandem.

[Eruda 0]

Turning to Raidou as he spoke, a simple nod calling out. "Gaius, Freya help Simmonè. Shiina a little help," Eruda knew that Shiina had remarkable abilities, she wanted to know how far the young one could go. As Raidou extends a helping hand from behind, you could feel the ground shakes as Griswold comes to join her. Looking to her father, "FTK," is all she had to say and the man understood. Eruda carves that sword against her shield as Griswold smashes that hammer lighting his large fortress. Slamming that metal together with sparks of blue and orange flames wrap around the 3 of them like wildfire. In unison Eruda and Griswold get to a knee while the other holds them in position. A hand on both their shoulders as Jubilex encase their shields for extra support. They were focused on one thing only, keeping every on the ground floor safe. The tanks glow orange and blue as they activate Rampart together. Those flames begin to stir, blend together into a purple color as it dances around the 3 of them. You could swear that you saw tiny streaks of lightning within it.

Eruda and Griswold activates Rampart in tandem

[Shiina 0]

Rocking back and forth a bit, bored, as the last of these refuges found themselves into the chamber below. As she'd look up, a big flaming ball of wood and metal was tearing ass down center field. "That, is pretty cool." Nudging @Gabrandr with an elbow. "Whacha think?" Hearing quite some distance away Eruda screech out the call for some help. "Oh, right. Yep thats probably pretty bad. Cool, but bad." She turns and taps her foot on the bubble she'd made. "Probably fine, I can spare some juice, right?" She reaches into the hole at the front of her chest, right through the neck. Out pops a hand with a nice little crystal in her palm. "Enduring Melody: Unyielding Barricade!" The girl speaks with a chipper tone, and the prism cracks and explodes in white light. Like a handheld flash bang, a giant ring of blue emanates out from her feet. A glossy blue film forms around the three tanks, energy values climbing slightly as their durability starts to increase just that much more.

"Wait for it, this is going to be pretty lit. Seriously, wish I had some sunglasses."

Shiina casts Misperception on the falling boat, and Rally on Raidou/Griswold/Eruda

Edited March 8, 2022 by Shiina

[Simmone 0]

Her eyes rocket up to the Ifrit, as she reaches into her leather armor. A glance to Hidden and using a gesture toward the airship that was about to collide with them all. "We need to leave. Quickly." Watching the guards freak the hell out and start to scatter like mice after a gunshot. Removing a vial of some purplish and thick liquid, she uncorks the top. Taking a swig until it's empty, but it starts to refill on its own. " @Koga was it? That will have to do." The woman's iris start to charge in a vibrant gold hue, as a myriad of perception based skills fire off from an overdrived potion. "I have it." She shouts over the hubbub toward the rest of her guild.

The woman's feet start to gain pace as she slides behind the bulwark being formed by the vanguard. "This better work, because If I am flat afterward I'll kill you all." A coy smile in jest, as her eyes locked on the Ifrit and lifted the globe out for Raidou to touch and see what she did. Reaching up and pulling on Ruri's arm to get her to keep her head down. This was her time looking at a damn meteorite rushing down at her. This had to be Simmone's second? Third? She lost count a while ago.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Simmone

[Raidou 1]

As lightning rockets between his fingers and scatters down the length of Griswold and Eruda, a film of red oozing from his shoulders as Juiblex expands and reinforces itself using the shields as a brace. It creates a semblance of overcast, making the three tanks glow with sword art charged eyes and two pair of shields forming a wall. The impact slams against that produced barrier as time seems to come to a crawl, sending large stones blaring past in an instant that seem in slow motion. Through that blackened bubble, the screams of Ladonian troops being caught in the blast, as other ships began to fall upon the kingdom. "HOLD." Raidou barks through grit teeth, as his familiar starts to recoil and struggle to remain attached to the tank's shield wall.

His attention shifts as Simmone finally comes to pace, and he pushes his shoulder in to Griswold and uses his now free hand to clasp the sphere. It was jarring, and he catches the image of some kid screaming excitedly. "I HAVE IT." He shouts over the deafening blast as his ears rang. To his neck he clasps a necklace and a sudden tear in reality opens within that bubble. "JUIBLEX, RETRACT." The Firm Anima Vanguard Captain yells as he shoves Gaius and Simmone through the corridor. @Hidden "GET IN, NOW ISN'T THE TIME TO BE DIFFICULT." Once the players were through, The vanguards stand and Raidou rips his weapon out, dropping the blade through the part between them. The impact alone works to completely blot out any chance to hear, the harsh grinding of metal on metal.

It was slow enough that it redirects toward the floor. The nomad turns and rips Griswold through before latching onto Eruda and like a black umbrella it instantly folds in.

On the other side, a butt hole opens up in the Ifrit and a crap ton of players are shot out the other side alongside debris and smoke. Raidou being the last with an arm full of Ruri and Eruda. Dude was stronger than he thought, all up until he falls ass over teakettle toting two girls with one sporting plate armor.

2000-300=1700*.75=1275*.75=956*.9=860*.5=430. Raidou sustains 430 damage.

[Krysta 0]

The NPCs that were onboard the airship would disembark as to assist in the assault. Seeing that all the players had also chosen to infiltrate the enemy's capital ship, this was to be expected.

As the enemy Blockade completed formation, the Ginger player from earlier would land from above and begin fighting the soldiers from behind. This surprise back attack would catch several enemies off guard, and Vigilon took the opportunity to strike where they were weak on his end.

Krysta rushed in to strike down four of the shielded soldiers. Two were slain, and two were knocked to the walls. The enemy forces would hastily reposition themselves to close the gap. Then a voice came from behind them. "Let me handle this one."

Krysta stepped back, and the soldiers stepped aside long enough for a tall, heavily armored figure to walk up to her. "What is someone like you doing, fighting against the Empire of Ladonia? Tell me, girl, where did you come from?" The metal clad soldier demanded. "The land I come from is far away. You'd never be able to reach it if you tried." Krysta answered. The soldier scoffed. "I see...unusual answer...no matter.... Why would someone such as yourself have any concern for these Galtean filth?" He questioned. Krysta's eyes narrowed as they started to come ablaze. "They are not filth." Krysta began. "They are people. People whom your lot had mistreated, and proceeded to attempt genocide upon." Krysta readied her Sword Art. "I shall not stand idly by while innocent people suffer, under monsters in human form like yourselves!"

With that, she unleashed her attack. Due to it being Celestial Sweep, an Area of Effect Sword Art, two of the blockade soldiers were caught in the crossfire. The tall, heavily armored foe took less damage than expected, however. Krysta raised her weapon to block his sword, which was an impractically thick and large one at that. This was one of many reasons why Krysta switched from Rapiers to Swords some time ago. while the weapon had an air of elegance to it, and was finely crafted, the blades were slender, and thus would not last long if raised to block against monstrous weapons like the one her foe was using in this moment. The armor clad soldier blocked Krysta's next attack and proceeded to strike back at her, sending her flying several meters. Krysta attacked with Radiant strike, and jumped out of the way from the enemy's next attack. "How foolish of you, to think you could win against me. No man has been able to best me!" The heavily armored soldier boasted. "Then it is a good thing I am a woman, isn't it?" Krysta remarked. She then readied her more powerful Single Target Sword Art, Divine Smite. Holy Energy arced across the blade as she struck her opponent. A burst of bright light shone intensely, and the force of the impact sent a shockwave of air in a spherical pattern, a shockwave which disoriented several of the blockade's soldiers. The heavily armored soldier was no more, and the disoriented soldiers were no match for another execution of Celestial Sweep.

 

With a gap properly opened, and this time there was not enough garrison to fill said gap, it was time to push forward. Krysta raised her weapon into the air, the blade gleaming in the light that shone in from outside. "Onward, to the control room!" She called out to all that were present, before moving into the rest of the ship as she began making her way to the control room. Any soldiers who remained within the hangar bay were likely to fall to the players' blades.

@Vigilon @Jomei @Oji

@Baldur @Calrex @Hirru

[Gabrandr 0]

It seemed that he had yet to gain the red-coated man's trust. Instead of speaking to him first, the man would turn to his companion and accept her words. Trust was something that it would be long before he could accrue. That was fine with him. "A king is nothing without his word. I will uphold my end of things." Turning direction, he would attend to the Galteans that hadn't taken up the fight and now sought refuge from the battle. Their own homes were no longer able to keep them safe, not that they had even been safe in Ladonia. 

"Galtea has not fallen my people! It lives on here with you and me! Come, we will preserve and rebuild what is ours! Follow me and we will bring you to safety!" It was sudden, the people of the fallen kingdom would surge forward after he and Shiina. He would turn to the girl beside him, "Let's bring them to Low Ladonia. That should keep them safe from any cannon fire and with few entrances should be easy to protect." 

* * *

With his people out of harm's way, it finally gave them a chance to begin aiding the effort to push back Ladonia. A hand would shield his eyes from the sun as he looked to the skies. From the looks of it, his allies were pushing their way to board the Ifrit. What drove these people forward? In such a short time they managed to begin overwhelming an entire half of Ladonia's military? Their numbers had grown much since their fight with him, but Ladonia was a whole different story than he. 

The duo would push back into the fight, finding several people fighting to prevent the troops of Ladonia from condensing back at the Ifrit. Shouts were heard as they communicated along with each other. "What's going on?" he would question. Loud explosions fired off in the sky as someone took control  Ignored. Instead, his partner was called to assist with the situation. The area grew dark as the sunlight was suddenly blocked from view. 

Looking upward, Gabrandr was suddenly reminded how small he truly was as an airship was hurtling down towards them. His eyes quickly adjusted to the others. It was far too large to prevent debris from crushing them all. To completely incinerate the whole thing wouldn't be feasible. Luckily, it seemed they already had some sort of plan that was mind-boggling to watch. If they could take care of themselves he would do it for himself as well. 

The Galtean King would suddenly shoot up from the ground, using intense heat and his blade to cut through the ship himself until he had managed to make his way through. His eyes cast to the openings of the Ifrit. It was time for him to join the fight. Lifting further into the air, he would stop near the center of the ship. A blast of intense heat would melt him an opening through to the interior of the ship. Dropping down, he would begin to make his way through the ship and meet up with the people who were currently fighting through it. They were making good progress but the Imperial Guards seemed almost limitless in numbers. Raising a hand, a yellow spear would formulate next to him before being sent out and fighting home in several guards' chests. 

"Come, you guys are getting close to the Main Control Room. That's where the Scather and Razwell are." 

 

[Plot Master 0]

Tensions were quickly increasing from inside of the main control room as the rodents that infested his ship had made their way forward. Fear did not fill the Grand Imperator's eyes, instead, anger. Who did these pests think they were to filthy his kingdom? To threaten his throne? The sounds of cannons firing would become audible and earn a glare from the Ladonian ruler. "What was that? I certainly hope that it wasn't my own cannons being fired." The passive aggression would cause his pilots to become pale. "I will shut off power to all cannons immediately your Grace." Pacing through the control room, his fingers would clench tightly to a warm stone in his pocket. "I want eyes, where have they made it to on the ship?" His eyes would cast to the pilot in charge of managing the security system. Only half of the controls were his to play with, the other half on the other end of the ship. Of course, by now power had been taken from the Sub-Control Room.  "At this rate, it seems they've almost arrived. They are getting dangerously close." 

"Why are my highly trained soldiers being felled by rats that crawled from the sewers? Are we simply sending untrained men out into the field?" A flick of a few switches before another higher-ranked guard would reply. "Most of our men have yet to see battle, your excellency. Your overwhelming dominance of the skies has left little to contend on the ground." The Grand Imperator would groan. "Useless, all of you. You, close these doors. I don't need enemy blood on this coat. Would be far too much of a pain to clean up. I'd assume my own personal guard of the most highly skilled individuals in Ladonia should suffice to exterminate some pests?" 

"Sir!" His bodyguards would reply. 

"Your Grace, Gabrandr has been spotted aboard the ship! He nears our doorstep!" 

Almost as if on cue, an explosion blasted the control room doors from their closed position. Surely enough, the king of Galtea would stand there. "What's this? Finally, come to take revenge for your pathetic excuse of a Kingdom? The Kingdom that I managed to ruin in a single night?" 

Gabrandr's face was furious. "That I have. I'm afraid that I can't allow myself the pleasure of being the one to tear you limb from limb. I don't deserve any pleasant experiences for as long as I may live. I do have some others with some choice words for you though. They don't look too pleased." Gabrandr would motion for the surrounding players to enter. 

Grand Imperator Razwell III would smirk at the arrival of the rats that snuck in. "What's this Gabrandr? Running like a dog with your tail in between your legs again? This is truly your calling eh? Sending people to their deaths instead of facing death yourself?" A loud laugh would emanate from Razwell as his elite guard began to surround him. "And what brings the rest of you here? Don't even answer! I already know. You seek POWER!" The Imperator would raise an orange glowing stone into the air. "The Lords of Fates granted this power unto me for felling Galtea! They chose me to be their scribe that would write the whims of Destiny itself! Fate itself in my hands! Here! Have a taste of its power and make a choice! Die quickly or serve me!" 

The stone would glow furiously before a heavy wind would threaten to knock the players from their feet. 

 

♫

Defeat Razwell. 

This Round will end Saturday, March 19th at 11:69 P.M CST

Note: Any player may be the one to fell Razwell but do understand that he is protected by guards and holds a decent amount of power in his hands. Killing him immediately would ruin the fun for the other players and make the remainder of the week dull. 

[Celeste 1]

Heaving the remnants of a door frame, she looks left to spot @Freyd overlooking, @Koga who up until this point hadn't been hindered by the reinforcing guard presence. "What? Worked didn't it?" Spoken right to the whisper, who was halfway through a facepalm. Again, that cocky tone causes the woman's face to distort into a look of disgust. "That motherfucker just doesn't know when to quit. I cannot wait to shove my boot up his ass and twist. You think, if I turn it hard enough, that I can get him to sing?" Celeste smiles, waving that heated blade and spreading flames in the air in attempts to cause them to simmer. A portal opens up and pours a whole smattering of bodies on the poor cannoneers head, "Well, that's my cue. I got a king to axe. Later Freyd." The girl pivots and breaks off in a sudden and rapid sprint. 

Clattering heels down the halls, a parade of footsteps down the most narrow walks. Sliding around a corner, the girl spins and overhand tosses that big cleaver through a crowd sending them scattering and without a moment to lose she takes advantage. "Keep up the pace @Lium or I am leaving your ass!" The woman screams over her shoulder before she collides into something solid.

"What in the fuck? You, I remember you...Blondie." Untangling her limbs from the girl that just formed a sandwich in platinum hallways. "Uh, Lot of you. Glad ya'll lived. Uh...Bye." Celeste wasn't one for pleasantries and sure as hell didn't have time for introductions. If they came from that way, that meant that probably that the other in this three-way junction...

@Krysta @Oji @Baldur @Calrex @Hirru

*Bang*
      *Bang*
              *Bang*
                    *Crash*

A bulwark door is sheered off its hinges, folded inward as the woman breaks into the main control with her shoulder. "Hey Razwell, did you fucking miss me! Think fast!" Twisting and heaving that weapon as hard as she could, before a sudden gust of wind from some gem in his hand makes it go wide. Instead, some poor asshole that was there to defend the Grand Imperator catches a face full of a huge hunk of flaming metal. "Shit." She grabs onto a nearby console, and looks over to see @Gabrandr and @Shiina getting pushed back as well. "You, the Galtean's better be safe if your ass is up here! YOU HAD ONE JOB."

Edited March 12, 2022 by Celeste

[Shiina 0]

Watching @Gabrandr rush for the boat and cleave it in two, eyes warbling a bit as she pops a sucker into her mouth. "Heh, King go brrr." Taking a look back at the barrier, it would hold, and she moves over to keep with the dude she'd been undoubtably matched with. Without warning, an arm just wraps around her waist and lifts her from her feet. "Oof." Shiina outcries audibly as the sudden force of being yeeted up and landing on the Ifrit with zero warning. "Hi guys, long time no see." Waving loosely to @Freyd before, her hair stands on end from the wind and fire she'd just endured, looking something like a blonde Pomeranian. "Ugh, anyone got a brush?" Keeping in toe with Gabrandr because swole dude was kind of her deal atm, keep the batteries rollin'. A bit of a conversation she doesn't quite catch as she is fiddling with her hair, trying to use her fingers like a comb to no prevail.

"Wait what I miss?" As Gabrandr starts to talk and they both start to slide. "Not again, what's with bad guys and air stuff." Shiina extends her arm and her iris flash yellow. "No, Stop it." Spoken like scolding a dog. A small circle forming over that stone, bits of electricity jumping out as it forms cracks around it like a snow globe. "Get him, before he blows me again!" Looking on to the sea of faces now slinking into the control room.

Shiina casts Barrier on Razwell's freaky deaky rock. 

Edited March 12, 2022 by Shiina

[Oji 0]

Oji's heart was racing inside his chest. They had found their way into the main group, and a lot of them looked battle worn, as if they had been fighting far longer than him and his group, and he realized that maybe they had, they all looked like Frontline material just from their equipment, that much he could tell. But they all were fighting for the same goal, defeating this old looking dude with a big rock thing.

He wasn't as old as him, but looking at the older gentleman's face made Oji realize that he had a lot of the same face wrinkles as he did, and he didn't like that. After mentally taking note of trying to find some sort of skin treatment in this game, he watched as a familiar face tried to leap towards him, but was knocked away by the winds and hit another guard. Then, a young lady spoke in a harsh tone, and made a small shield bubble around the stone. While a great idea, he saw that it was starting to crack apart. Oji acted fast and went to reach for the stone, but was knocked away from the strong winds and the guards guarding it.

"Damn it." Oji groaned, and he held his hands out. "Just... gotta give.... some support." he said through grit teeth. But the strangest thing to Oji occurred. His hands glowed a bright green, and the cracks faded from the small shield. The glow faded and Oji looked at his hands in confusion. Did he use a skill or something? Or did he unlock a hidden ability in this quest? He was entirely confused from the ordeal, but as he looked to the shield, it was starting to gain cracks once more. He held his hands out, and they glowed a soft hue of green and the cracks were kept at bay, forming and then repairing close behind. "Well, I guess I can be useful."

[Hirru 0]

The plan seemed to work fairly well.  Although much of the plan seemed to hinge on his friends and some others, it seemed that there were more there than what he figured for.  As Calrex was bashing through the line, Hirru tried to get in between the enemies and bring up his shield to keep the wedge from closing behind him.  The soldiers that attacked or push back would be struck by intense pain as the sharp feathers of the shield would act as thorns, cracking blades and armor alike.  He heard Vig and Krysta, and the old man come along with the plan.  What he didn't expect was a green blur to drop down from the catwalks above and raze several of the backline, one by one.  It the Jomei!

"How did he get there?"

He said before the line thinned out more for him to push in more.  Every time he would keep the line from enclosing more.  That was until an orange colored spear lanced through a few of the soldiers from behind.  Did Jomei learn something to use spears too?  As the bodies hit the floor, the healer could see that the one that threw the javelins was a very familiar face.  Hirru shook off one of the pieces of armor that stuck to his shield and raced back up to everyone that was gathering together.

"Gabrandr, you sunovabi.. I mean.  Good to see you!"

Behind him, a very frizzly blonde would follow behind him.

"Shiina?"

He would ask before the other blonde in the room called them all forwards, towards the main control room.  Gabrandr seemed to be blazing the path through countless soldiers that would pass their way.  At some point, there were a few corridors that had no one, but there were quite a few scars around that seemed fairly familiar.  Someone with Fallen was nearby, which by the damage outside, he figured Koga was here somewhere around here, but some of the scars seemed to be more Freyd's MO.  They would probably meet them all later.

Even later, they would come across the red headed ship master from before.  She didn't really stay long, and raced forward before everyone.  It looked like everyone was in a hurry to get this done and over with.

***

Blasting through the main door, they were finally face to face with the haughty king himself, King Razwell.  Some health bars would erupt upon the king's visage, while a platoon of elite guardsmen surrounded the king.  Shields bare, and swords at the ready.  A weird stone was in his hand, which was pushing everyone back.  The crimson pirate went first, but only got one of the guardsmen instead of the king.  Shiina took to enveloping the crystal itself with a barrier.

"That's a good idea!  Keep it up, and I'll keep the energy flowing!"

Hirru said as he rubbed his hands together and placed a hand on her shoulder.  Yellow light would erupt from the point as he started sending some energy her way to keep the barrier up.  Though, the force of the stone was able to make cracks into the barrier.  Were they not able to control it?  It was then that the old man seemed to heal the barrier itself, by a small margin, but enough to keep things going.

"Good job!  Think you can keep that going?!"

The healer would call out before looking over to everyone else, but as he did, he saw one of the soldiers attacking Shiina.  His eyes flicked back as he would take a step forward to look towards the attack.  As it happened, Hirru's armament flew into action.  The shield flew into the path of the oncoming attack and pushed the soldier back into the group behind him.  Hirru was not expecting this, but it may have something to do with Gabrandr being there.  He had a bit more control over the shield.  In fact, wherever he looked, it seemed the shield would follow.  All the healer had to do, was keep still and feed energy to Shiina, while watching the surrounding fight to block with the shield.

"Take these guys out!  We'll hold the wind back for you!"

Hirru uses Energize on Shiina
Free action: Hirru uses Fates Armament (Shield)

Edited March 12, 2022 by Hirru

[Hidden 1]

Ladonian soldiers fell one by one at the Shadow's hands, amethyst cutting through steel like cheese. A voice would suddenly call out to her, "We need to leave. Quickly." An explosion would gather above her, a large airship falling directly towards them. Several events began to unfold as several of the Firm Anima members unknown to her would work together to hold the ship for as long as possible. Meanwhile, Simmone seemed to be working her usual voodoo which created a corridor of some sort for them to move through. 

"What the hell is that thing?" 

"GET IN, NOW ISN'T THE TIME TO BE DIFFICULT."

Raidou's voice would send her back into action and race into the opening after the others. For a moment, the assassin felt like she was falling. Then, she was falling. Their entire group managed to topple the area that @Koga had been occupying. Quickly recovering, the Shadow would quickly take note of her surroundings. Where were they? The big ship? The sound of fighting surrounded them as the players pushed into the Ladonian lines. "I think I've seen enough for one day..." Hidden would mumble. A boss fight and then a floor scale battle? Ridiculous. 

"What now?" Her question was answered as more soldiers began to pour into the area. Were these soldiers from the ships that had managed to regroup with the Ifrit? If so, the soldiers had managed to escape death only to run straight back into its clutches. 

[Blueberry 0]

It almost seemed too easy pushing through the Ifrit. With the amount of high-leveled players they had, the Ladonian forces were cut down with ease. Of course, the pink-haired player wouldn't do much to assist in the slaughter other than restoring energy and health to the payers who needed it. The only thing the girl seemed to be actively doing was avoiding areas that Freyd was. Of course, it might make more sense for her to be around those locations in case the man would try to send them to their deaths like he almost had her.

Following the main group forward, the commotion would begin to rise as they stood outside the gate to the Main Control Room. It seemed that they had been effectively locked out. "Does anyone have a really big battering ram?" she would question aloud. Almost as if in answer, a stranger would appear to blow open the door. Who was this dude? Instead of introducing himself, the man instead would converse with the bad guy the group had come for. 

It all happened so fast, and the smaller stature girl would find herself being suddenly pushed back by a powerful gust. "What the-!" Hitting the ground, she would attempt to plant herself in the ground. With her lighter weight, it would seem that she would be blown completely out by this wind. That was until it would suddenly shut off like an off switch. A blonde-haired woman seemed to be keeping it in check, but not for long. Cracks were already beginning to form from the building pressure. This wouldn't last.

Repositioning herself, she would hold out her hands. 

"Barrier."

A second bubble would form around the enemy's stone. Hopefully, that would keep it sealed away for just a little longer.

[Morgenstern 1]

Now, I know that no one was questioning where Morgenstern and Tricolor_Mina were... but it is safe to say that he wasn't doing anything he was supposed to. One look at the situation after the Scather fired and he found himself purposely busying himself and @tricolor_mina with things that didn't put the pair in immediate danger. Hitching a ride on a metal can and hope not to get shot out of the sky? That was ridiculous.

Now, the pair stood guarding one of the entrances to Low-Ladonia and preventing anyone from entering. Only a few had come but he and Mina had swiftly cut them down. Large cracks split the sky as cannons fired from the Ifrit. 

"Are they shooting their own ships now?" he would ask Mina jokingly. It was obvious that the players has succeeded and were now manning the cannons, turning them against their allied ships. The falling airships threatened them not with being far enough from the battle site. Several minutes would pass, the air becomes still. "Looks like not much-left stands in the sky. I guess we should try to move to meet them. The Galteans should be fine from here on."

The Storm Samurai would lead his partner out into the ruins of the city. Wreckage from shot-down Airships littered the area, creating large obstructions. The blond-haired player wasn't sure where exactly he was going, but he was aimed for the Galtean Refugee zone. Perhaps one of the taxis had been left behind?

Before arriving; however, he would find one of the Ladonian army ships sitting on the ground, its crew nowhere to be seen. "It must've lost its crew. A miracle it didn't get crushed. Come on, help me drive it." 

[Koga 0]

"Thanks!" Koga called back to Freyd as he pulled the trigger again, the gun rumbling fiercely as the slug tore into the hull of another vessel. "You're not too bad yourself!" The plan was working. Koga could see the tides of battle begin to turn in their favor as the Landonian vessels fell from the skies, or flew about in the confusion wrought by friendly fire.

Hopping off the gun, Koga drew his weapon again, before opening his messenger again and notifying NIGHT that they were making a push to the bridge, before following behind Freyd.

--

The fight to the bridge was brief. In fact, it was easy, compared to the scuffle in the cargo bay. These soldier, they were a pittance stronger than some low-level floor as far as Koga was concerned. That fact, and the quickly gathering friendly reinforcements had made their final push towards the bridge simple.

What came after they'd all gathered on the remarkably large bridge (seriously, how were they all fitting in there, and still had room to fight? This place was as big as a throne room!) however, was far less simple. The red-haired woman from before tore a steal door from it's hinges and hurled it as the enemy commander. A gust of wind throws the projectile off it's intended flight path, striking someone else entirely. The wind grows in strength, pushing against the players, driving them back from the sheer force. Koga found his boots sliding along the smooth metal of the deck. Igniting his weapon with flames, Koga buried his blade into the floor, anchoring himself so as to not be sent flying until, finally, the wind stopped, a player having cast a barrier to around the Imperator's apparent source of power.

Koga quickly launched himself forward as soon as he was able, engaging the first bodyguard he came across. The clashing of steel began to echo through out the bridge as battle commenced. These were no cannon fodder like the soldier from before. These bodyguards were more than capable of putting up a fight. Ducking beneath a wide swing, Koga retaliated by lashing out at the guard's legs, succeeding in only creating a flash of sparks. Their armor was thick and strong. "Man, I really wish I'd brought a warhammer now."

[Krysta 0]

Having broken through the enemy's blockade, Krysta would make her way through the interior of the ship. An occasional soldier would meet his end at Krysta's blade, but so far, it seemed that most of the enemies had assembled themselves in the breaches, which made sense. As she pressed forward, however, she would soon collide with a familiar face.

The redheaded pirate from earlier. the two began to untangle their limbs from this...uncomfortable position, not only because they both had matters to attend to, but because the physical contact was quite unnerving. ...But perhaps Krysta should be thankful that it was merely the two colliding into each other, rather than into someone else simultaneously?

The redhead's recognition of Krysta seemed rather derogatory. "The name is Krysta." The young noble would say, before the redhead would rather awkwardly claim she was glad the players made it this far in one piece, before swiftly saying her farewell and bolting in the direction of the control room. This wasn't exactly a competition, what was with the sudden rush and leaving potential allies in the dust?

@Celeste

 

The players would rendezvous with the Gabrandr entity by chance, and he would break open the door for the players. Krysta would at last see her enemy. Grand Imperiator Razwell III would claim that the players came for power. "Within my eyes, this 'Power' you speak of matters not. My concern is for all the innocent lives you and your lot have oppressed, leeched from, conquered and even slaughtered for nothing more than your greed and personal gain which fuels your tyranny!" Krysta declared.

Razwell would raise a suspicious stone into the air, claiming that the "Lords of Fate" gave it to him for Galtea's destruction, that Destiny was within his grasp. "Your arrogance has consumed you, for you know nothing of Destiny. It is not something one could ever hope to control." Krysta shot back. The NPC Tyrant would send winds to push back the players, and some of the players around attempted to disable his power source. The Elite Guardsmen that stood firm to protect their leader would surely make this battle difficult.

Thus, to start things off, Safety First.

Krysta placed her hands together as she closed her eyes, focusing one of her support abilities. "May Divine Light protect us all!" She spoke, and five players, along with her, were enveloped in a soft glowing blue aura.

 

Krysta casts Barrier on herself, @Vigilon, @Jomei, @Oji, @Calrex and @Baldur

[Vigilon 0]

Once Krysta had gone full on Smite on a heavily armored soldier that made the stupid ass decision to try fighting against her one on one, the rest was kind of a blur.

Vigilon found himself cutting through any enemy that got in his way, but thanks to Krysta leading the charge, there weren't many enemies getting past her, so at least it wasn't all for naught, he was probably going to need his energy.

Krysta bumped into the redheaded player from earlier, but said redhead didn't feel like joining up. Must have been one of those glory-seeking kinds of players, who didn't care what happened as long as they got the last hit and were proclaimed the big hero.

 

Once the Players were in the control room, the NPC that was with the Frontliners would basically hand over the honors of killing the mastermind over to the players. Vigilon attempted to strike, but a wind blew him back. When he was able to get a foothold, the winds were weakened by multiple layers' of several players' Barriers. Krysta would speak her mind, before using Barrier on her party and two others. This was the time to strike, if he didn't now, the number of enemies would overwhelm certain players. Figures, another wall to break through before reaching the target.

Vigilon would make sure that this fool who dared to try playing God would get what he freaking deserved, one way or another. He unleashed a flurry of Sword Arts against the Elite Guardsmen, there was no way they'd be able to last much longer after this assault.

[Baldur 0]

Once they had broken into the control room they came face to face with Emperor Razwell, perhaps the true floor boss. How this encounter played would set the stage for how future boss fights were handled. Would they consider the NPcs words, or would they take the more expedient path forward. How would this have been different had they executed Gabrandr and just proceeded to the next floor?

Here and now determined if they would ever do this again.

Without breaking a stride, Baldur unleashed his <<Iai>> attack, having locked onto Razwell and he zipped forward, faster than the human eye could see, but it was not teleportation, and one of the Kings Guard stepped between them blocking his way forward, and almost immediately he was tossed back towards the others by a powerful wind. Instead of being thrown against the wall, Baldur rotated, planting his feet on the wall and shifting his target to another of the kings guard. He launched forwards, his sword cutting through the shield and the knight entirely, leaving exposed the red wire mesh of its existence. He hovered in the air for a moment before the knight's shield crashed into the Samurai, releasing a grunt. The knight swung the blade down, but the blow would not stun the gaijin as it had hoped, lightning flared along Baldur's eyes as <<Forgotten King's Authority>> raged, burning away the stunned condition. Baldur raised his katana, taking the blade and stepping to the unshielded side, where another of the frontliners was keeping his opponent occupied. As Baldur maneuvered the blade and took a few careful footsteps, he was able to leave another slash in the King's Guard in front of him, this time returning the favor with a stun. Baldur lept up, sheathing the blade as he flew through the air and landed on top of the knight's shoulders. Once more Baldur tried to <<Iai>> the king, but just as his blade was about to be drawn and strike the king, the wind threw him back.

"Just a bit more and we'll have him!"