Ashes of Nohr - Severance
I do have access to telekinesis. What would you have me do? Omeluum asks Cardboard. Depending on what Cardboard's idea is, it'll try its best to applicate it. But if not, Omeluum will pick up the scale anyway. And should it learn about what it does, a slight flash of brillance appear in its eyes. I see. Allow me to enter this orb first then! I'll tend to the other prisoners! Omeluum enters the orb, seemingly abandoning the fight. Shadowheart scoffs at that, giving Link a resentful glance, but then...
If Omeluum has not been told of a plan or anything like that, it appears in the Castle, causing a somewhat surprised Lilith to gasp in shock. Omeluum, for its part, briefly contemplate the serene appearance of the place before going back unto the breach. Using the Dragon Scale for easy navigation, it goes back to the surface via the water directly submerging Law and Kidd by the waist, with the Mind Flayer grabbing them before using its spell to teleport itself (and whoever he's holding) to the Castle.
He then goes back in to retrieve the second, leaving Lilith to awkwardly greet two strangers, left sprawled on the entrance of the castle. The first to get up is the red-haired one, who angrily shake his head right-to-left. The other take a bit more time to stir, but Lilith is glad to see him getting back up. H-hello and greetings! Please, don't try to get up too quickly. Your wounds are deep!
Can it! The pirate get up on his feet and look around the Castle, doing a double take when he sees Lilith and Omeluum. He rubs his eyes together using the thumb and index of his remaining hand, then lower that hand and blink. Just tell me where the f*ck Ketheric Thorm is! Or you'll have to worry about deep wounds of your own!
''He is nowhere to be seen in the Prison area we've extracted you from - our rescuers are currently under assault from an army of... nurses and- Kidd spins around and hop out of the gate leading to the Castle, meaning he'll pop right outside the orb. Omeluum can't show much emotion, so he just tilt his head to the left in curiosity.
The other captive get up, albeit slowly, wincing at his wounds. ... sh*t. He says, glancing at Lilith. I can't be dead, right? Place looks too nice for that.
N-no, thankfully not! You're in.. the Astral Sea. It's a safe place. And one where you'll be able to recover from your wounds easily. Lilith sighs in relief when Law nods, appearing more relaxed than the other guy. I should warn you - there is a fight occurring outside of this orb. Your friend has jumped to rejoin it, but you should-
No way! He got up before me?! I'm not going to hear the end of this! Unless... Law get up and run out of the castle gate, likewise winding up on the Orb team outside. Lilith and Omeluum are too late to stop him, and Omeluum is left to lean its head on the right this time.
I consider myself above malicious thoughts - but the circ*mstances behind their imprisonment are now far clearer to me.
I ag-LORD CORRIN! Lilith yells, looking up to see the bloodied Beruka and Corrin desperately going after her. She takes off flying, leaving Omeluum itself to scramble to get some aid for the group.
Moonrise Crypt - Prison
Salazar nods at Vi and open the gate with the key, with it unsurprisingly falling to pieces.... sh*t, the squid guy went into that orb. And there's no way these guys will forgive me if I bail. Thanks, kid. He says, grateful.
Ah, but I am in my twenties!
Huh-uh. Kusakabe tune it out as he grab Joseph's thrown katana, noding gratefully. It wasn't quite his own but it didn't matter at the moment : beggars can't be chosers and all. He imbues it with his Cursed Energy and stand point. Meanwhile, Gortash grab the crossbow and the bombs (if possible), while Joseph stares at the gun that Red Hood gave him. sh*t. He should probably have been a little bit more careful.
They all notice the comments and worry on everyone's faces. Is something wrong? Zuko says, confused at their comments. He wasn't in on the link.
He glances at Rumia as she orders one of the ways destroyed. Alone, her power can't destroy the mighty stone. But with the help of Jason's grenade and Pucci's Whitesnake, the stone start taking noticeable damage.. And with the help of Choso, her ploy works, the man slapping his hands together in front of him, fingers pointed forward, before he shoot a thin beam of blood, piercing a hole clean through the crumbling stone and making it crumble), blocking one way in.
Piercing Blood. He mutters.
Good work, Choso! Good to know you can still fight it out! Kusakabe take his hand off the handle of his katana to give Choso a thumbs-up, but the Death Painting gives him a cold, slightly quizzical glare.
You would be wise to be quiet, Sorcerer, that I may forget you exist before this is all over. He looks away, glancing at Rumia and closing his eyes, nodding slightly. That was one way blocked.
Kusakabe stands in place with his grin and thumb-up, sweat pouring down his body in drove. Wait... what the hell?! Why's he so stand-offish? Is that because Itadori isn't around? Or is it..... is he from another time period? Prior to the Shibuya Incident? That make no sense. He blinks and glance at the spectacle of a Mind Flayer teleporting off a one-armed man, as a pink-haired woman with giant steel gauntlets walk around and a guy with a silly mask, a priest, a Death Painting and a little girl all team up to stop evil nurses from going in and slaughtering some more children, burn victims and a... priest??? Seriously? Just smile and nod, Atsuya. Smile and nod. I've got this. Kusakabe take a stand near the closest entrance, taking the one that Karzon had trapped.
For her part, seeing that Kusakabe and Karzon have this covered, Shadowheart turn to the third entrance leading down. Ira et Dolor! she claps her hands together and create a wall of fire covering the entrance. This leaves only the first floor's entrance barricaded by the cages...
Joseph gulps upon seeing Shadowheart use fire, but he can't help but laugh at seeing Kusakabe take up a drawing stance, and Karzon laying down a pretty common set of spikes. Heeehhh?! What the hell are you doing? That broad- Excuse me?! -Is out there creating a wall of flames by sheer magic and you're going to try to keep up with some flimsy blades?!
Ah, yes! What great inspiring words! Gortash intervenes, putting an hand on Joseph's shoulder, swinging his other fist upwards, he's retrieved the crossbow and gunpowder grenades. This must mean that your own methods must surely be infinitely more refined and lethal than our dear Kusakabe's swordsmanship!
Ya got that right, buddy. I've got a gun. Joseph raise the handgun, though he realizes now that Kusakabe might have magic on his own, and that Karzon's traps might be special. Heh... I have a magic of my own, but I'm too wounded to access it. Pyre's healing goes through, healing just about everyone, with Zuko's hand popping out to give Joseph a potion. He stares at it awkwardly and downs it, likewise retrieving his health.
Zuko, Gortash and Joseph all drink the potions, further restoring their healths. And as it happens, Salazar also pull out the 'Smokepowder Barrels he had in his mallet. We should roll these down if we ever get overwhelmed! His interjection give Joseph time to notice that Rumia has his clackers, and he reach towards her.
W-wait! That's my stuff! I can't use Hamon with a gun! Gimme those clackers back you gremlin!
... Say, I happen to be a bit of an inventor. Wouldn't you happen to be carrying some of my metal on you? Gortash asks Cardboard. 'It has a faint golden color - if you put it down, I'll be able to put it together quickly.
But as he does that, and as everyone finally get ready, Kidd and Law emerges. And right as they do, with Law delayed by a few seconds, the Nurses break in. Feral, screeching like animals, some running on all fours in a rapid, disarticulated manner.
They fail to break through the collapsed entrance but are scratching, biting, crawling through it nonetheless. Still, it'll take at least two turns of digging before they can make an awkward and small exit for them.
They get caught in Karzon's traps. And while they are undead, having metal bits sticking in you is a problem. And as they make their way to Kusakabe... Simple Domain. An orange area spread out from Kusakabe's feet as he take a particular stance. And then, his arm start moving at superhuman speed along with his sword, his sword becoming a silver trail as nurses get chopped to bits, entire limbs flying off in a bloody shower.
But that's only really due to them getting "chewed up" by Karzon's traps. The assault is briefly stopped this round, but will start again at the Next DM post. Phew. Kusakabe take a breather, and flick the Katana aside to dispose of some of the black blood on the blade.
Shadowheart's wall of flames are enough on their own : the flames quickly chew through the Nurse's undead resilience, though their screeching as they die off is horrific enough. Their charred bodies accumulate at the entrance, crumbling to ashes immediately after. The Wall of Fire is dependent on Shadowheart's focus to exist meaning that unless she's injured or need to focus on another spell, it'll hold out until her mana reserves drop.
Your firebending form is sloppy but those are some strong flames! Where'd you learn that? Zuko compliments Shadowheart.
It's really just Elemental Magic. And what is it about my "sloppy form"? Shadowheart huffs. At least, we're in a position where we can indulge in some-
Sadly, the Nurses easily break through the barricade Vi put through, threatening to flow into the second room from there. Luckily, there's barely enough time for the group to react before being overwhelmed. Nevermind. Shadowheart grumbles. Salazar laughs a little and start blasting, aiming for the head each time and letting the nurses stumble unto each other's corpses.
They come in drove. In drove. There's an awful lot of them.
Not to sound overwhelmingly flippant in the face of death - but this is a training opportunity. To defeat the dangers of Moonrise Crypt, we will ALL need to pull our weight and use our abilities together Gortash chimes in, raising his crossbow. Don't worry about being giving out precise instructions - we can make our own decisions. We will just need to know where our expertise is most needed! I myself am a bit of a sharpshooter, and can call upon my God's assistance. Beware - I cannot simply smite my foes! There are limits to His intervention!
I can handle myself up-close and can manipulate fire for combat at a distance!
Long short story, anything that enters my Simple Domain get cut up. But using it carelessly tires me out. Otherwise, I'm limited to my sword's range.
I can use Hamon! It's a life energy that these undead broads should be weak to! And... give me a piece of string or two, and I'll be able to trap 'em in place!
I can use my blood to attack with piercing blasts or wide-reaching detonations. I can also handle myself up-close.
I can use healing spells and Radiant attacks! It take me some concentration for some, but I can call upon Guardian Angels, sling out bolts of light and throw fireballs!
I have myself some good weapons to put the hurt from afar! And my Vallite weapon is effective against the undead!
SHADOWHEART - HEALER/ATTACK - AVAILABLE
CHOSO - SNIPER/ATTACK - AVAILABLE
JOSEPH JOESTAR - ROGUE/SNIPER - AVAILABLE
ZUKO - ATTACK - AVAILABLE
KUSAKABE - ROGUE/TANK - AVAILABLE
SALAZAR - SNIPER/ATTACK - AVAILABLE
Heh?! f*ck that! From behind the group, the SCRAP METAL on the floor (that Gortash left alone) fly out towards Kidd, forming a large metal arm for him to wield. I'm only gonna help your losers until I have a straight shot at Ketheric!
As for Law, he raise his hand and create a spinning blue orb underneath it. ROOM. He chants, the orb spreading to engulf the room, and a fair bit of the ways leading below and above. Sadly, he can't really make it that much bigger, and the effort cause him to wince in pain. Still, he's able to just teleport one of the two Katanas to his hand.
I can control things within my room. Cut 'em up with my sword, move them however I want, swap my or someone else's place with something else, even a rock. Law doesn't introduce himself. As far as they need to know, he's an ally.
LAW - ATTACK/ROGUE - AVAILABLE
KIDD - TANK/ATTACK - AVAILABLE
Moonrise Crypt - Battlefield
Vs Ketheric Thorm
Ketheric's hammer is stopped by Milin, but he doesn't let her finish her sentence before he try to punch her in the stomach with great force, meaning to hurl her into the wall behind her, with the strength to crack that wall badly enough for the light to filter out into the room. And he add some more damage to it when he hurls his hammer at her, his simple flick having the strength to crush the magical rock some more, though it bounce off it, "coincidentally" moving to hit Ecclesia.
The rooms shake with his blows, shockwaves coming off his every hits. The magical rock crumbles with every strike.
Ecclesia's attack hit Ketheric but doesn't slow him down at all as he charge as Milin, with his wounds closing up from the experience in no time. Should the hammer fail to hit her, it'll bounce on the wall behind her instead and return to Ketheric's hand. But first, he try to grab Milin's head to drive her into the wall. He doesn't move as fast as Azura, but he still has some odd agility to him, attempting to reach out to grab Milin's head and slam her into the wall behind her, before trying to box her in the middle section, his fists akin to meteors, punching holes into the wall behind her if they miss.
He does so even if the Shadow Soldiers try to attack him - anything they do will pierce through his armor like it's not even there, marking deep wounds into his flesh, but they close up quicker than they appear, and ultimately, Ketheric ignores them outright, instead leaving his returning hammer with the business of cleaving through them.
He then try uppercutting her before moving to grab her head, holding his hand out to receive his hammer back into his hand. He swing his arm back, both to wind up and also to try and kill Shadow Soldiers near him, and then clench forward slightly as he try impacting her stomach with his hammer, pulverizing the wall as a massive shockwave fly out of the impact point.
Gunter floats over the crater on the room, observing the situation with Azura.
Vs Morgan
The branch isn't gone. Luckily, Leonidas grabs Dragonslayer on his own and cut it up in one swing, allowing Bucky to be freed. Don't get pissed off like that! You're gonna be useles! He chides Charlian. Grabbing his shield, he waits for Bucky to make his move, with him shooting a grenade at the ceiling above Morgan. Sadly, it withstands the blast pretty well. That it's being torn apart by Ketheric, Morgan and Azura is really more testament to their prowess.
Still, it cracks and take some damage, which Morgan apparently is unaware of.
Ohhh, what great aiming! Shall I stand still for a bit longer, that you may eventually hit me with the next one? Morgan smirks, clicking his tongue and giving Bucky a wink as he thumb-points at himself. Luckily, the smoke of it almost blind him, meaning he's unable to see Leonias coming as the Spartan try punching him. His fist bounce off Morgan's sneering face, with Morgan not even moving as the impact of the hit send Leonidas spinning, in a manner that makes Morgan laugh with how comical the scene as a whole look.
Only for him to remember that Leonidas still has Dragonslayer, the dark shape of the blade coming down horizontally as Leonidas use the momentum of his spin to add some extra omph to his blow with the legendary sword. Morgan looks briefly worried for a moment, and as he raise his right arm, the weapon end up burying itself into the flesh of it, with the Demented Spirit giving out a pained yikes!
Morgan end up sliding backwards, with a gash on the arm where he was struck. One that's not particularly big, frighteningly enough given what he was struck it, but he looks a little annoyed as he looks down at it, purple blood trailing from the injury. Meanwhile, almost carelessly given the thing's weight and size, Leonidas toss Dragonslayer back at Bucky. My shield's jealous. Good thing you've upgraded this sword - I'll hold the f*cker down while you bring it out on his neck.
... Is it really that smart, strategizing in front of me? Morgan take a step back and touch the ground with the tips of his index and middle finger. He then pull that arm back as he stand up, creating a branch in front of him. Despite looking confident, some sweat roll of Morgan's face, the youth looking unsure.
Nah. You're going to spend the rest of your short life knowing exactly how you're gonna die, you sh*tsqu- The tree branch in front of Morgan explode out, in an attempt to make sharp shards rain on Bucky and Leonidas. Not in a bid to shred them to bits, but to punch them full of little holes and desorient them. Leonidas raise his shield, preparing to intercept the attack.
LEONIDAS - TANK/ATTACK - AVAILABLE
Vs AZURA
Azura sees a lot of hostiles coming her way. Sawdust, Charlian, Arbiter, Loinball, D'Vorah, Mark, Kaa. Recovering quickly from the shock, she take a blank face again as she cracks her neck, closing her eyes.
♩
While Arbiter leaps, Azura's naginata fly at him twice, meaning to spear him through the stomach in the likely short window he spends in the air. The first hit is Vallite-empowered, the second isn't. Luckily, he'll notice a quirk in that Azura's jabs lack piercing power and strength. They're still supernaturally strong and the heavy speed behind them make them dangerous, but his resiliance will make the second part much easier to endure than the first, even if he'll have to worry.
calm down
♩
Sawdust is greeted the same way, but aiming for the shoulder this time. A Vallite Blow, and a regular one, aiming for the space between her crossing slashes. Regardless of what happen, Azura is able to stay out of the way of their attacks, giving out a sidestep that's fast, yet also utterly insulting in how she pulls it off. As usual, she alternates between an insane grin when attacking, an utterly placid look when she isn't.
D'Vorah's turn. Azura stares at her with a forlorn expression, though there's the slightest hint of a mocking grin on her lips as she simply ducks beneath Azura.
♩
Two stabs - one Vallite-empowered, the other normal. Aimed at the stomach. She monotones through, tilting her head to the side and glancing off, as if annoyed. Why are you attacking me?
i'm on your side, i want to help you
When Loinball try smashing her skull, Azura just lean to the left again, making her deceptively fast escape look like an easy dodge again. But after he's done, she then try stepping unto his mace's handle with... less speed than usual, but ground-cracking strength to pin it down and prevent him from immediately moving back, with full intent to stomp his fingers holding it.
Azura bends over slightly, pulling her free arm back as she try to smack him in the face. The strength behind that attack is brutal, with Azura trying to send Loinball flying off at the other side of the room, into the "pit" where Ketheric is trying to smack Milin into the next event (EMBERS OF NOHR - COMING OUT NEXT YEAR)).
it will all be okay you just need to trust me Kaa comes right afterwards, deciding to team up with Mark. And it's not that everyone is being slow coming off one after the other, Azura is just unnervingly fast. And as she and Mark go at it, swinging their blades together, Azura keeps dodging, a bored look unto her face, that sometimes morph into a twisted glare at Kaa.
why are you mad?
i did not stab beruka through the chest and cast her off in the astral sea to die
i did not dash that child's face into the wall
i never landed hits on you mark
why are you mad at your friend?
Charlian's attack is next - the young man's beam forcing Kaa to back off. Azura dodges, and just as Charlian come her way, he'll briefly see her smile before she gracefully touch the air, jumping in mid-air and warping out of the way of his strike. And for a brief second, she and Charlian's afterimages fill the room, Azura making sure to always be seen dodging him, a calm smile on her face.
♩
But through his brief burst of speed, Charlian will be able to see and feel two things.
♩
One : Azura is always looking away at the spot where Corrin and Beruka were.
♩
Second: He'll feel small stings of pain over his body. The right cheek, a part of his arm, a part of the leg, his right side, his left shoulder, his right armpit. Small red lines slowly being carved unto him as Azura strikes back with every attack he fail to land, looking to piece him up slowly, her naginata almost invisible it moves.
♩
The experience last a second for the others, more for Azura and Charlian. But they'll both hear that damn whistle she does every time; Sometimes distantly, sometimes right next to their ear.
♩
Astral Sea
When a green light engulfs Beruka, closing up her wounds, Corrin is quick to almost reopen that wound when he grabs Beruka and hold her tightly, burying his face on her left shoulder. M-master Corrin? Lady Beruka?! Lilith isn't one to interrupt her master, but she feel like not questioning things is a being a tad too much of a doormat.
As for Beruka, her eyes widen in shock and she take notes of her surroundings before wincing at Corrin's hug. He moves back, a bit too awkward to say anything. That was Azura.
No. Not Azura. Something shaped like her. But not Azura. Beruka puts an hand on her chest. It wasn't her first time being stabbed there, but the abruptness of it left her baffled. And as she watched her hand tremble, she couldn't repress a grunt. Azura could have easily isolated us in the Astral Sea if she had wanted to. Why didn't she do that?
She's up there killing those people. Corrin look up to see the pool leading back to the room. He feel bad for abandoning Mark and the others but... not as bad as he felt he should. I'll need your help if I want to sto... to kill Azura. Lilith? Thank you for your help. Could you mobilize the healers inside the Castle? I feel a lot of us are going to be in need of elixirs soon. He try to add with some wry humor, with neither Beruka nor Lilith being responsive.
Lilith herself has to suppress a protestation - Corrin and Beruka were heading off to fight and kill Az... something that looked like Azura. And she couldn't venture out to help them.
... I-I think the Prison group is doing fine. I'll have them help you out as soon as they are finished with it, Lord Corrin!
We'll be finished before that.
And as Beruka and Corrin head back, neither of them know if the former was being incredibly optimistic or pessimistic.
Vs Azura
so wise
♩
so calm
♩
so charismatic
♩
Azura appears behind Charlian and try to just push his back with her hand, giving him a strong shove meant to smack him into Arbiter. All fit for someone who steal abilities instead of having any of his own. Charlian. She says, her voice harsher, if still borderline melodic.
Graahh... Gunter's voice returns, twisted and distorted before it settles back to normalcy. I can create a shield that will detonate into psionic energy if destroyed. This should be able to stun her long enough for you to kill her if needed. But I will need time to focus on making that shield for one of you! Gunter immediately start focusing instead of deliberating, due to the urgency of the situation.
SHIELD OF THRALLS: 0/1
I lie. Very often. Azura says, looking down at the ground, having stopped attacking.
and i am so sorry for this
She disappears entirely, flash-stepping over to the Shadow Soldiers, appearing behind them entirely. She try cleaving them in half with her naginata, the blow slower than it should be, but still deadly due to her sudden transportation prior.
As you made your way to Moonrise Crypt-
Did you think that Ketheric
Was the only enemy to look out for?!
Azura briefly flick the Naginata into the air, then slams it into the ground and throw her upper body back, the water produced by Sawdust's bottle flying out of the ground and gathering around her weapon as a liquid drill. It spins, growing smaller and smaller with each spin, until Azura unleash it as a small blast of pressurized water, strong enough to pierce through the stone easily.
Azura at first move it slowly, then start swinging it horizontally and then laterally, carving up the room as she try to slice and dice the people in front of her, the force of her water blast causing her to slowly be pushed back until she digs her feet in harder.
Corrin and Beruka emerge from the pool at that moment.
ALLIES :
KAA - ATTACK/TANK - AVAILABLE
CORRIN - TANK/ATTACK - AVAILABLE
BERUKA - ATTACK - AVAILABLE
Edited by Bolded1 on May 25th 2024 at 8:36:57 PM
Fallout 2? More like Fallout 2 bad.
