[Log] Escort Mission: The Tatlins, pt. 1
WHO: Asch, Anise Tatlin, Lucas, Aerith Gainsborough, Brigit Kelly, Luke fon Fabre, Maria Tegawa, Soma Cruz
WHEN: Saturday, March 7
WHERE: Near Daath, Auldrant 2
WHAT: Here by popular demand (if by "popular" one means "one person requested it")! An IPA troupe lead by Asch escort the Tatlins along with a mysterious package from Daath to the Hub. Some familiar undead faces take exception to this.
WATCH FOR: Scene cameo from an extremely minor character from Tales of Fandom vol. 2, Maria rides in on her GIANT SNAKE, the Tatlins embarrass their daughter
The city of Daath is an impressive one, with the massive Church of Lorelei at the center with its beautiful domes and arches. Oliver and Pamela Tatlin, who were many years ago scammed out of a lot of their money because they are incredibly gullible, have always been devout believers in the teachings of Yulia. As such, when Fon Master Ion approached them to speak with them about the possibilities of taking a trip in the Hub and, if it agreed with them, doing some work on his behalf in the IPA to help support their daughter, they were quite thrilled for the opportunity. And because they're gullible, it has never once crossed either of their minds to ask why they're getting an armed escort.
"My, Oliver, this is so exciting!" Pamela says warmly to her husband, before smiling over at her daughter. "It's a pity that the Fon Master wasn't able to join us as well, but I understand that he must be very busy. We'll have to thank him for letting you join us, Anise."
"It's quite an honor to be able to do work for Fon Master Ion regardless," Oliver says, nodding as the group of them leave the Fourth Monument Hill, where one can just see Daath at their backs, and head down towards the roadway that will take them to the bridge. From the bridge, the road will take them forward until they take a right and head towards Daath Bay. "And an honor to be accompanied by one of the God-Generals! Thank you very much, Locrial Colonel Asch."
Asch, for his part, will be saddled with a box. It is a large, heavy box, thankfully getting carted around by a low-level Oracle Knight grunt under his command, but it is a box, and inside is a fonstone that Ion has agreed to send Maria to let the IPA study, to better understand the Score. Asch will know this. The IPA members present probably will not, since this arrangement was rather last-minute.
"He sends his regards, papa, mama." Sitting alongside the pair is a young pigtailed girl in a pink dress, smiling brightly. "Ion really wanted to come along, but his duties have him in meetings today... He's safe though, so don't worry!" It took some time to convince Anise of this, but she did finally agree to go along with her parents instead of hanging around the Fon Master.
"I'll make sure to pass along your thanks though!" Even though she had initially wanted to stay with Ion, this may wind up being better. After all, now she can keep an eye on them while they travel and make sure they don't find some way to spend more money.
Aerith feels vaguely seasick riding this so-called 'horse'. She is having to cling to the saddle with her knees, which is bunching her dress up a little (she is certainly not riding such an animal side saddle), but she is bearing up, more or less. More or less.
Still, it beats sitting at home. And she isn't falling behind - well, beyond being slightly to the rear of the 'escort'. "Oof!" she says aloud, calling towards Anise, "It gets easier as you get used to it -- right?"
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From all appearances, Lucas is just being quiet during the ride, rather than nonverbally communicating with his 'horse' psychically. The city is bigger than anything he's used to, which may also account for why he's being so quiet. It's not intimidating, exactly, but it puts him slightly ill at ease. Still, he's in no position to judge how people live, right?
Luke isn't supposed to be here. He had no place being here, on another world, where the situation might be extremely hazardous if something went wrong. He is not a skilled combatant. He's here anyway, wearing one of the IPA uniforms often reserved for the guards that stood at doorways, plus sunglasses, hat and brown hairdye. Having assigned himself as something of a scout given he did know how to ride a horse and had a good reason to avoid straying too close to the group, Luke's never been too far, but he's not gotten terribly close either, not once Asch arrived.
It's just an idle escort. Except he knows it isn't. He'd warned Ion that it might seem too much, sending an armed escort with just the Tatlins, and he can guess what they've put in the box as something more 'official'. That's enough of an excuse to claim he has a job here, a purpose besides being nosy. He wants to be certain everything's okay.
Besides, what's one more standoffish guard taking the time to look around a world he's never seen before?
Brigit was doing what she did best; working. At least, she was making some deliveries. Her popularity was growing as hungry travellers came across her cart in the Hub and so, every once in a while, someone pays a little extra for her to deliver some special orders.
She didn't find these requests to be a hassle, in fact, they allowed her the opportunity to visit places she wouldn't have time to wander across anyway! Cooking was her passion! Her true joy! And nothing made this more satisfying than sharing this with others.
Usually, Brigit would take advantage of the long, relatively empty roads to run. It kept her fit, plus she could keep at a good clip for a LONG time. It was fun too -- except she sometimes got sweaty and that was bad for business. So, she swallowed her pride and rode one of those... 'horses'. Which really were nothing like a horse from her world. She didn't really know WHAT to think about them, actually.
Then a rather large escort approaches. Wow, looks like they're important people, plus some of them appeared to be IPA, so that meant they were 'safe' right? So, she tried to keep up to them, but wasn't very good at it -- she rode a horse a few times as a child, but did this even CLASSIFY as a horse?
Though well aware of the importance of what he's escorting to the hub, Asch is not dressed the part of the God General today. His hair is carefully swept back from his face the way it always is, and his clothing is as neat and tidy as ever, but the clothing places him as a mere civilian -- albeit one with a sword and stiff, straight, perfect posture. Other members of the caravan may be all smiles idle chatter, but Asch is silent and his expression is flat and almost grim as he rides at the front of their little group, saying little to nothing as he scans the surrounding area.
The thanks from Oliver Tatlin gets little more than a placid nod from Asch, the God General in question simply turning his head slightly to glance over his shoulder at the man. "You're welcome," he says. "But please address me as 'Asch' until we reach the Hub." His tone firm but still polite and calm. He and the other guard have taken the time to dress down, so there's no reason to make Asch's rank known through pesky things like titles.
If Luke is noticed Asch doesn't overtly react to him, and remains remarkably calm regardless. No need to get bent out of shape and kick up a fuss yet.
It's supposed to be a quiet ride. After all, who would want the parents of a little girl dead? Who indeed...
But it seems like some people have made a deal with the devil and the ride to the Hub will not be as peaceful as they all hope it would be. From a burrow in the hill they passed, a man watches and then holds up a small mirror. The mirror catches some light and reflects it, shining and dimming in modern morse code.
Then nothing as the entourage continues onward. It is not long before they begin to pass through a clearing with the edges of a forest to their left. A gust blows by, rustling leave and carrying with it a cloying smell. For those who have experienced it on the battlefield before, it is the scent of death.
A twig breaks and suddenly, yelling as a tattered group of soldiers wearing Malkuthian blues and silvers rush out from the woods waving spears and swords. They move oddly, far more quickly than any human should have any -right- to be and their skin pale as a bloodless corpse. "DEATH!" They shout, "Death and revenge for our fallen!" Get on your guard 'cause here comes the enemy!
They don't look *that* important, though Brigit might still have that impression because there's a fairly large group of them. All the same, if there's a lot of people, *some* of them must be hungry, right? Right? Sure, why not.
"Oh, thank you, Anise," Pamela says fondly to her daughter. "I'm so glad we haven't inconvenienced him by having you come with us. Of course, we're happy to have you here, but we know how important your duties are!"
"I'm flattered that he wanted to join us, but it may be for the best," Oliver adds, nodding. "We wouldn't want to put him out of his way when he's already done so much for us." To Asch, he hesitates, then does the customary Order bow. "As you wish, Asch. I don't want to be disrespectful."
Pamela smiles to Asch as well, and then looks over at some of the other IPA agents. She smiles particularly fondly towards Lucas, who looks like such a sweet little boy. "Hello there. Aren't you quite the young man, riding with the IPA at your age! Are you one of Anise's little friends?"
Because there's no way Anise could have a mission with her parents and *not* have them unintentionally try to embarrass her.
And then the 'Malkuthians' start pouring out of the forest, and any such conversation will have to be delayed. "Asch!!" the Oracle Knight says sharply, though to his credit, no note of panic. He's a Locrian Sergeant, well aware of the kind of duty he's shouldered, and already thinking to the load in the box strapped to his horse's backside as well as the civilians in their group. "Are those--!?"
"Well..." Anise glances back toward Aerith and lifts a hand to waggle in the air. "Sort of. Maybe? If you go a little faster, it gets smoother! They're bumpy trotters." She tilts her head slightly in thought. "Just don't let it get out of control. They can run really fast!" Just like mammalian horses on other worlds. Or chocobos, though Anise hasn't really seen either.
At the god-general's short answer, Anise... pokes out her tongue. "Don't be so uptight, Asch! Really, what could happen between here and the port anyway?" She just had to say something like that, didn't she?
Turning back, she -looks- at Pamela. "Moooom! I don't have 'little friends'! I'm thirteen!" Hmph! Really, now. They're acting like she's not already more mature than both of them put together! Well, in some ways.
Letting out a soft huff, the pigtailed girl turns forward again.. and lets out a surprised yelp as she sees the soldiers. "Wh.. what are those?!"
Aerith smiles slightly at the description of Lucas as 'little'. On the one hand, he seems brave - braver than some people (Cloud) she's known. At least that's the impression she's gotten. On the other hand - he's pretty undeniably tiny.
Aerith then coaxes the horse to move slightly faster, and the smoother ride /is/ pretty clear as she draws up now to be closer to Anise, Lucas, and the others. She then, of course, observes Anise /doom them all/. "-- They seem pretty mad!" she answers Anise, guilelessly. She crooks her feet, ready to pull and stop if they end up doing that.
Of course, they might, she reasons, just speed /up/ and go past them. Gosh! Tactics are hard.
Lucas is pretty damn tiny.
"Oh, I, uh...s-sorta," Lucas mumbles in response to the attention. "I'm from the IPA, an'..." Well, this is the first time he's met Anise! He resists the urge to bury his face in his shirt again. His fear of social interaction is saved, however, by the appearance of...
ATTACKERS. "Oh, ma-maurauders!" He reaches behind him, pulling out the long stick he carries and holding it up. He draws his horse closer to the others, standing up carefully on it as he watches the approaching 'soldiers.' "Maybe bandits or somethin'? They're awfully fast, though. Be careful, everyone...!"
Of course, Brigit always made sure to make her trips worthwhile, bringing a few boxed meals with her in case she could make a few sales, as well as a few meager supplies to whip up a fast dish. You'd be surprised what kind of gourmet feast she would make with even foraged stuff.
Let's see... There was a young woman, a few kids, a couple... there was even a few guys, but only one she was able to get a good look at; Asch. Brigit turned red. Oh, no... not again. Now isn't the time to be ogling guys. So... let's focus on the adorable scene of Pamela, Anise, Aerith and Lucas. Luke is covered up just enough so she doesn't really get a good look at him. Watching them was pretty amusing, it seemed as though one was a mother to one of the kids... hmmm, I wonder if the older girl was related...? Ohh, and the little boy was being all bashful! <3
As a chef, there are certain things you need to be able to do your job well. Training, good sense of taste and smell, good ingredients... but to be a Worlds-Class chef, it helps if you have that particular quality that almost feels like cheating; a refined palate. Unfortunately, this small knack of Brigit's can be more of a curse than a blessing at times, particularly in awkward moments being stuck in an elevator, where you can sometimes smell the components of each ingredient used to make their horrible cheap cologne.
Or when you smell something decomposing. Ugh, yuck. Something go bad? Brigit's nose wrinkled and she waved a hand before her face. Then, there was a sound of incoming attackers. Brigit yelped and ducked over her mount, unsure of how to react to the sudden and unexpected change from a boring road trip to being waylaid by a group of marauders.
"What's happening?!" Well, silly question, really. They're being attacked. For revenge. Wait, revenge? Sheesh! Maybe she picked a bad group to ride with? Brigit was expecting her adventures to start in a few days, not this early!
Luke's trying to not be recognized, and the lack of obvious annoyance radiating off Asch suggests he's managed to slip under his Original's radar for once. Besides, there's something ... nice about anonymity. Nobody knows who he is, so there's no special treatment, no expectations, nothing at all except keeping an eye out for trouble and doing what he can to make sure Pamela and Oliver get where they need to be.
Brigit had been noticed a minute or two ago, but she'd been dismissed as a /threat/ - that didn't mean it wasn't interesting, just that he was certain she wouldn't suddenly sprout fangs and fur and charge in their direction screaming for blood. It's right about when he decides to circle back and investigate Brigit, certain that someone else will spot danger from the front if it comes, that there's .. tattered people howling for death and violence.
They're not bandits. He figures that out real fast. Bandits didn't /stink/ like that, not in that 'dead' way. The shaggy beast is kicked from a trot into a run, circling behind the caravan only long enough to pull up beside Brigit. She didn't stink like the bandit--things, she can't be one of them! Logic: flawless! "Stay with the rest of the group, don't stay back here. Go!" He keeps his voice low, so the rest of the escort doesn't hear him, but chances are good she's gonna recognize his voice anyway. Fast moving dead-smelling things are bad news as far as he's concerned but he's not leading this expedition. Part of keeping the disguise up is waiting for orders, aside from taking a defensive station with the escort, the Tatlins, and the fonstone.
"Don't invite disaster, Anise," Asch quips in bland response to Anise's chiding comment, though it seems such an encouragement to not tempt fate is lost. Just a beat later there's a sudden and far too familiar cloying scent rolling across the group, and Asch's expression changes from flat into a scowl as the attackers suddenly burst from the woods, prompting the God General to reach for and draw his sword, though he has no intention of countering their reckless charge with one of his own. The Oracle Knight's half-shouted question gets a sharp shake of the head of Asch. "There's no way to tell yet. After the fight!" Trying to make observations and conversation in the middle of battle could be deadly (not that it stopped Asch from doing it anyway, at times) and so figuring out exactly where these creatures are from will have to wait.
He doubts they're actually Malkuthian. Normal, living people don't /reek/ like that. A short handful of orders are quickly snapped out to the group -- non-combatants to the center, fighters make a ring around them, and one of them ordered to to keep watch for flankers from behind -- and then Asch promptly turns his attention to the approaching monsters. His is right arm already drawn across his chest and Fonons are being gathered for an attack. They're not close enough to engage in a melee yet, but by they time they are Asch will have an Arte ready for them.
Escort? It had at first seemed pretty standard, though Soma had been a little troubled at the amount of escorts involved. IPAwise, there were a lot of people on the train. He'd begun to wonder just what it was about the people they've been asked to escort. The native soldiers could be fobbed off as guards to the caravan itself, but having spied Asch in the gathering as well...
Soma had brought gear; sword and a few items that seem to prove useful in most tight situations, but once he'd been assigned a place on the train, he'd set about making absolutely sure he'd known where everything is.
The scent of death is on the wind moments before the initial ambush and because of this, Soma has his sword drawn even before the orders are shouted to the combatants. The pale young man is quick to join the nearest group of defenders as he turns to confront the enemy. Eyes widen slightly, more in recognition than shock or alarm.
"Cut off their heads or take out their hearts. Holy and healing spells are effective." His voice carries a little, though it's meant to address those nearest to him that may not be familiar with this enemy... which is most certainly /not/ the colors they bear.
Anise's prediction comes true and Asch has the right idea. Form a tight circle and protect the cargo and the family because HERE THEY COME.
The soldiers charge, moving nearly as quickly as they would be if they were on horses. The distances closes quickly and then the front row of soldiers leaps up into the air. They somersault over those in the second row. As they take to the air, the second row brings short spears to the forefront. They move rapidly and clash into Asch's command, spears thrusting forward repeatedly to hurt and impale.
It is a good thing the God General setup a circle though as another group of soldiers, dressed much like the ragged soldiers already engaged in the fight descend from the mountains. They bring with them the stench of Death and those present during the Theon forest will find these beings familiar. Undead survivors of the attack then perhaps? But no matter who or -what- they are, they too are crashing in upon the little party.
The Major gets a glancing blow on Venetia Martens with his This is for the NPCs! attack.
The Major hits Soma Cruz with his We know better now! attack.
The Major hits Luke fon Fabre with his We want caaaaaandy attack.
The Major hits Asch with his We just want your soul. attack.
The Major gets a glancing blow on Anise Tatlin with his Because we assume you're up front too. attack.
The Major hits Brigit Kelly with his It's a buffet *.* attack.
Any remaining birds in the forest suddenly scatter overhead, fleeing from the trees and out into the sky, shrieking.
Some trees rattle and shake violently for a second or two before falling still once more. A grinding sound faintly follows, growing louder and louder, sounding a lot like something being dragged across a rock. Then without any further warning, it strikes, winding out from between the trees, massive jaws stretching open as it tilts its head sideways, ready to simply consume whatever undead come close to its gaping maw. It strikes quickly, almost too fast to identify. Not fast enough-it's obviously a snake. A very, very large snake with a viper-like head. Upon this fearsome beast, someone crouches, riding it as if it were a surfboard.
That someone is Maria Tegawa and, unsurprisingly, she looks /very/ unhappy.
Maria Tegawa misses The Major with her om nom nom attack.
He's not terribly fond of taking orders from /Asch/ of all people, but he's just here as a pretend-guard, so doing what he's told is vital to keeping up the disguise. It's unsettling that people can move that fast, but he's not going to think about it too long. He's trying not to think about the fact that he's going to have to fight real live people, pulling the sword strapped to his right side - he'd at least known not to wear it across his back like he preferred.
It's when they get closer that he realizes he's not facing real /live/ people.
About a moment later he's nearly skewered by flying, shrieking, spear-wielding dead-thing, and he's forced to abandon his mount, who is not quite so lucky; a blade that merely rips through fabric and shallowly through flesh drives deep into the poor thing's side, and the horse screams in pain and surprise.
It's not the first one Luke's gotten killed. It won't be the last. He retaliates as quickly as he can with a vicious slash with his own weapon at the nearest neck that isn't someone he knows, reaching to grab the spear and see if he can wrench it away from his opponent. The distant cries of /more/ of these things are not welcome - - and neither is the arrival of a HUGE FREAKING SNAKE. Dead moving people were bad enough, now they had to deal with monster snakes?! Nevermind that it's ... helping them, not trying to eat the Tatlins, Luke's not noticed that yet.
Luke fon Fabre hits The Major with his Decapitational Entertainment jab.
SAVED BY THE BLOODTHIRSTY MARAUDERS. It's a shame, too, because Pamela would have just *doted* all over Lucas for being such a sweet, shy young man. As it stands, Pamela and Oliver will just look utterly bewildered at the sudden attack of what appear to be Malkuthians, but smell like something far more foul.
"What in the world is going on?" Oliver asks to no one and anyone in particular, sounding more baffled than alarmed, though there is both of that in his voice. "Why is Malkuth attacking Daath?"
Apparently he doesn't realize that *they* are the recipients of this attack, though really it would make little difference, seeing as they're right in the way. Pamela makes similarly baffled, alarmed noises. Thankfully, Asch and the others are competent enough to realize a threat when they see it--and more specifically, Sync's requests for the Major outweigh Mohs'--and so it should hopefully not be too awful.
"Sir!" the Locrian Sergeant says sharply at Asch's orders, drawing his own sword and heading to the front lines, though like the God-General, he doesn't charge into the battle headlong. This young man, whom we will call Larry Hughes, is better at the blade than at fonic artes, but with that gap there, it's better to focus on ranged artes, especially considering the load that he's carrying. He can't afford to turn back or show weakness. He's shocked to see a woman fly out of the sky riding a /giant snake/, but Larry at least does a good job of getting over it, and turns his body to absorb the impact and trap the incoming spears between his armor and his blade by accepting a bit of hurt.
With a yell, Sergeant Hughes will then begin his counterattack. His bladework isn't shabby, and he knows a few decent artes, too. He'll open up with the oldie-but-goodie, Demon Fang.
You hit The Major with your DEMON FANG DEMON FANG DEMON FANG DEMON FANG DEMON FANG jab.
Attack from two sides!?
Aerith pulls her 'horse' up even as it starts to whuffle and make lizardy noises, biting her lip again as she pulls the jacket tighter around her. She is near the center of the group, thankfully. These things stink, flail, savage...
She closes her eyes as if to hide from it. Then a bracer under her jacket gleams slightly.
The linked materia trigger, and with a sudden warm flowing-outwards of Green Sparkle Light (tm, c Aerith's Dyes LLC), the invoked Cure materia's effect ripples out into the undead forces nearest to where Aerith can see them. Hopefully someone's got the other side of the wagon!
Aerith Gainsborough gets a glancing blow on The Major with her *boldly seizes the damage graph* attack.
No, those definitely can't be real Malkuthian soldiers. Not looking and smelling like that, at least. Jade would have whipped them into better shape. "I'm not sure what's going on!" Anise leaps down from her lizardhorse and waves a hand to her parents. "You two stay safe, okay? Don't let any of those things near you, and call if you need help." She touches her shoulder, grabbing Tokunaga's arm, and smiles. "It's time for Anise to get to work!"
When one of the creepy soldiers rushes in, Anise swats him hard with her plush. He manages to score a hit on her.. but nothing too serious. She's a small target! "Don't you underestimate me!" Her free hand comes up, and a glowing circle appears beneath her feet. As Anise swings Tokunaga again....
...the doll is suddenly ten feet tall, and much much heavier. Anise uses the momentum to sling herself up onto its back, and the plush, with both arms free, slams them both at the silly zombie who really should have known better than to attack a seemingly defenseless little girl.
Anise Tatlin switches armor modes to Tokunaga.
Anise Tatlin hits The Major with her Cuteness Crush attack.
Maria Tegawa says, "This is Python. Don't attack her."
Anise Tatlin says, "What is py--whoah!"
"...Stay back!" Ushering his horse towards the center of the caravan, Lucas swallows his fear as the vampires advance. The smell is nearly unbearable, reminding him of the zombies that haunt the local graveyard back home. "Ugh...don't worry, Mister and Missus Tatlin! We'll make sure you get through okay!" He raises his stick, bravely-AAAAAAAAH GIANT SNAKE.
He pauses for a second when he realizes that the giant snake is Maria's friend. "Oh...oh, okay. Hello Miz Tegawa!" He calls that out before leaping towards one of the assailants, raising his big stick and bringing it down on the head and shoulders of a vile vampire!
Lucas critically strikes The Major with his THWACK attack.
Soma Cruz belatedly repeating what he said, just now over the radio, "Beheading or taking out the heart will kill them. Holy attacks are effective too. I saw healing spells do damage once, too."
Aerith Gainsborough heal sparkle noise
These guys smelled of reeking death! Were they sick? Or... Grey eyes scan over the soldiers and blink in disbelief -- they moved far too quickly for normal people...
Then, the man in the IPA uniform draws close and gives her some extremely helpful advice, she looks up, then nods, "O-okay!" She kicks her heels into the beast, hoping that it'll do the trick in speeding up, which works, she just as to focus on keeping /on/ and out of the way of the stinking marauders. With all the commotion and the change in Luke's voice, she fails to recognize him. Getting away from the undead takes priority!
As she makes her way into the protective circle of the escort, she recognizes one of the voices to be Soma's. One of those 'painfully beautiful' types that made conversations difficult if not impossible. It was kind of a relief to see a familiar face, that aside. She was about to say something to him, when another familiar face appeared; Miss Tegawa, customer and Shannon's boss. With a giant snake.
"...Miss Tegawa?!" Brigit begins, unsure of what /else/ to do now that an already bad situation seems to have worsened as more enemies approach from behind. And that's when a spear comes out from the fray and slices clean through her sleeve, cutting her. A dark stain begins to grow beneath the lavender cloth and she gasps, "Ow!" They /cut/ her! Brigit was feeling scared now, not just simply shocked. Her eyes tear up from the pain and fear, but she uses this opportunity to dismount and take a defensive stance she learned from class and shifts the strap of her messenger bag. It should be easier to defend if she's not trying to ride a lizard-mount-thing.
Anise Tatlin says, "Holy attacks?"
Lucas says, "What about light or fire?"
With order given and being followed Asch settles in to do what he does best: kill things. He growls as the creatures score a hit on him with their spears and his horse, trained and broken for battle and intelligent enough to know how to handle himself, skitters backwards and to the side. Asch is better on his feet than on a mount of any sort and for now he's letting the creature's training run that half of the show for now.
The Arte is completed and unleashed on the attacking ghouls, and then Asch is ready to heed the distantly heard advice of 'take off their heads' and put the Maestro Sword to its intended use. Hopefully, he won't have to worry about the /giant snake/.
Asch hits The Major with his yey icicle rain! attack.
Soma Cruz says, "Er... I can't remember if there's an equivalent in Auldrant's Fonons. See if Asch knows. Fire will probably work well. These guys are affected by sunlight, so if you have anything that'll cause that effect, it'll help."
Anise Tatlin says, "Oh, Light! That's the Sixth Fonon... I can do something with that!"
The break of the initial onslaught against the wall of defenders scores a hit on the pale youth as he's trying to get suggestions through to the main group.
Maria's snake doesn't help, giving a fleeting rise to the concern that it'll strike at the caravan after it's made a pass through the undead until the IPA leader's voice rises over the radio frequency.
Well that's one less thing to worry about.
Focusing on his attackers, Soma seeks to put his advice to good use. The young man is a... decent rider and manages to get the creature he's mounted kicked into action, lauching forward for a brief charge and seeking to sever the offending undead's head clean from its body.
He realizes, though, that mounted combat? It's a different kettle of fish altogether, one he's not used to and more importantly, it's slowing him down. That's why he's soon kicking himself free of the saddle and landing with a thump on both feet to continue. With any luck, the beast will get itself out of the way.
Soma Cruz gets a glancing blow on The Major with his Mounted combat lessons are currently tenth on the list of things to learn. attack.
No. They are most definitely not -living- people. They used to be at one point, but the bloodless skin and then stench of decay that they carry with them are clear evidence that these soldiers are no longer part of the living. Python crashes down upon the rear guard of the vampires, scattering them like ninepins. They are downed but manage to avoid the snake's ferocious bite. A whole group of them turn round to confront the snake and its rider. Sharp swords gleam and they rush forward, hacking with blades.
Luke's ride is skewered a ghoul leaps on it, fangs out in attempts to chomp down to eat and suck at the still warm flesh and blood before it. But the soldier that did the actual stabbing? Just as he wrests his weapon free of the beast, the noble fop has pushed the spear away and neatly decapitated him. But he better watch his side as another one presses in with a spear to stab at him.
Larry's demon fang tears into another group, most of them scattering but leaving one poor guy impaled by the art. They hiss and snarl, one particularly large and brutish looking 'soldier' rushes in, fangs sharp and sword gleaming to engage. "Join us soldier or die here!" It shouts as he slashes at Larry.
Of course, the zombies end up making a couple very fatal mistakes. The two kids? They are apparently the most dangerous out of the entire group. Tokunaga -slams- into one vampire on the floor, knocking him back and easily snapping the neck while he does so while Aerith's healing spell finishes him off before he can even pretend to stagger to his feet. At the same time, Lucas's stick quite literally -caves in- a skull, neatly destroying the brain and prevent the owner of said skull from ever rising to his feet again. "What.." Others look upon the children in confusion. "Take them! Take them! Drain them of their blood and make them like us!" One shouts. "And get the one in the dress!"
Vampires surge forward, one of them swiping at Lucas with hands curled up into claws, two more leap at Tokunaga with mouths open to bite into the plushie while another attempts to sneak past the defenses to attack and bite Aerith.
The spear that cut into Brigit though.. the smell of her ichor is nearly overwhelming for the guy that managed to break through. His mouth opens, licking his lips in anticipation as he stalks forward. "You.. you would be -delicious- I think..." Grinning, the vampire stabs his weapon forward again. "Yes... I will enjoy devouring you little girl."
While vampires may dislike fire, getting impaled by icicles is a -horrible- way for anyone, alive or dead, to go. The jagged pieces of ice rain down from the sky, impaling one to the ground and injuring others but they keep coming. Two close in upon Asch, the God General clearly being marked as a Major Threat. Two swords dance in the air, swishing silver with impressive speed to cut him down where he stands.
Another ghoul finds itself on the receiving end of a sword, Soma's to be exact. The silver blade does not fully decapitate the vampire though, merely sinks deep into the neck and not even enough to actually cause it to stop moving. Instead, hands reach up to clench at the blade and he gets wrested off his feet as Soma moves to dismount. "You..." He hisses, "I saw you in the forest. Saw what you did.. I will make you -pay- for killing my brothers!" And at such close range, the partially decapitated vampire attempts to jam his foot as hard as he can into Soma's gut.
The Major hits Maria Tegawa with his It's -snake- for dinnr attack.
The Major critically strikes Venetia Martens with his NPCs with -names-?! attack.
The Major hits Soma Cruz with his Revenge! attack.
The Major misses Luke fon Fabre with his So the kid -can- fight. attack.
The Major hits Asch with his Sync never said anything about sparing -you-. attack.
The Major misses Anise Tatlin with his Delicious plushie stuffing. attack.
The Major gets a glancing blow on Brigit Kelly with his omnomnomnom attack.
The Major critically strikes Aerith Gainsborough with his Healers always go first attack.
The Major hits Lucas with his Hey little kid. Want some eternal life? attack.
Asch says, "--damn you, sync"
Venetia Martens hahaha
Venetia Martens says, "Well."
Venetia Martens says, "Sync figured a) it would be suspicious if he asked for too many people specifically to get spared, and b) Asch is strong enough not to get killed or turned."
Venetia Martens says, "He can make excuses for Anise and the Tatlins. For anyone else, not so much."
Brigit frowns in determination, deciding to not MOVE FROM THIS SPOT to protect the kids, who were apparently kicking righteous ass (unlike her). Then, her eyes widen when she hears the threat directed to /her/. Wh-HEY I haven't even done anything yet! Why me?!
Then enters the dialogue with Creepy Vampire Guy. Brigit recoils in disgust as he tries and success in drawing more blood.
"Augh, that's it!" The redhead reaches into her bag and pulls out... a cleaver. The largest of the set of knives she owns, the exquisite Caladbolg Line of kitchen knives is all that remains of the legendary sword of King Arthur, Excalibur. It's had a rough existance, but she likes to think it's enjoying it's retirement so far.
And yes, she always brings her cooking supplies with her. You never know when the urge to cook will hit you!
She brandishes it awkwardly for a moment, trying to judge the best time to attack, then slices it toward the neck of the greedy ghoul, hoping to have it (and it's creepiness) depart from the world forever.
Somewhere on the MUSH, Mercade Alexander has connected.
Brigit Kelly gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Ew, go awaaaaay T_T attack.
The 'fop' hasn't been much of a popinjay since getting out of the Hollow. Many habits still lingered, but the spoiled brat part of his behavior patterns haven't surfaced in a while now. Which means unfortunately for the ghouls they're not dealing with a shrieking delicate nobleman out of his mind with terror and hiding behind the safety of others! No sir, he's only /half/ out of his mind with fear, and not hiding behind anyone at all and there's a field of fonons right there for him to abuse, thanks to Asch and Icicle Rain.
If they thought getting impaled /once/ by icicles was bad, they're about to have to deal with it again. Being stabbed at again doesn't necessarily mean being able to hit him, and Luke /looks/ like he manages to dodge the incoming spear-jab, but it's nothing more than an *incredibly* timely stumble that puts him right on the edge of agitated fonons left in Asch's wake. Shortly later, Luke jams his blade into the ground, ice exploding upwards in sudden jagged pillars in every direction around him. There /is/ warning, in a very brief spiral of glowing white lines inscribed on the ground, that something unpleasant was about to happen.
Luke fon Fabre hits The Major with his Guardian Frost attack.
On her perch, Maria rises to stand, balancing impossibly upon the moving beast (...in heels no less, she appears to still be in her "work" clothing). Why yes, she IS showboating and she's not ashamed about it at all. It looks especially impressive when Python rears her head back and /looms/ over the gathered group, mouth lolling open. Those trying to carve into the hide of the creature will not find themselve getting very far. The scales of the earth dragon feel like hacking at stone and those that get far enough will find its flesh oddly sandlike.
Maria slips a hand to her thigh where her fingers wrap around several small silver throwing knives held there by a custom garter. While this happens, Python whips her tail around, encircling a group of soldiers attacking it and suddenly squeezing them in tightened coils.
"Filthy little mongrels." Maria hisses, whipping a silver knife at one of their heads-right between the eyes. "I would give you a message, but I guarantee that none of you will survive to deliver one."
Maria Tegawa gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Python used wrap! It's not very effective... attack.
The one in the dress? Aerith thinks. Uh -
Hard, flat teeth bite with brutal force into her shoulder through her jacket as she feels her entire body stiffen. The crushing and shearing of the teeth makes her almost scream, the main thing stopping her being simply not enough time to scream /in/. The pinched nerve radiates pain up her shoulder, her jaw tightening almost on impulse.
Then the animal Aerith is riding stomps forwards and bleats as it twists to the side. Aerith's thighs of steel are holding onto the thing's back. If that zombie isn't careful, he might just end up /torn in half by torsional force/!
Which could have a prettier name, but today is rather gruesome in any case.
Aerith Gainsborough gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Mount DPS jab.
When the two vampires leap in, Tokunaga swings an arm out to swat one out of the air. The second manages to sink his teeth into soft plushy fabric. But.. really now. Just biting down on a plush? Anise leans to the side of Tokunaga's head and stares at the vampire. "You're not very smart, are you?" Tokunaga reaches down and lifts the vampire by the scruff of his neck. "What did you -think- would happen when you bit a doll? I mean, really! Are all you things that stupid?"
That one did manage to get past, though... "Aerith! Hold on!" The lifted vampire is spin and tossed aside, before Tokunaga takes several lumbering steps toward the woman on her mount. "Dragon Surge!"
Tokunaga suddenly picks up speed, lowering one arm as it runs, then swings at the undead monstrocity with a massive uppercut as soon as it's close enough.
Anise Tatlin gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Bowling for Undead - Seven-Ten Split? attack.
WHEN: Saturday, March 7
WHERE: Near Daath, Auldrant 2
WHAT: Here by popular demand (if by "popular" one means "one person requested it")! An IPA troupe lead by Asch escort the Tatlins along with a mysterious package from Daath to the Hub. Some familiar undead faces take exception to this.
WATCH FOR: Scene cameo from an extremely minor character from Tales of Fandom vol. 2, Maria rides in on her GIANT SNAKE, the Tatlins embarrass their daughter
The city of Daath is an impressive one, with the massive Church of Lorelei at the center with its beautiful domes and arches. Oliver and Pamela Tatlin, who were many years ago scammed out of a lot of their money because they are incredibly gullible, have always been devout believers in the teachings of Yulia. As such, when Fon Master Ion approached them to speak with them about the possibilities of taking a trip in the Hub and, if it agreed with them, doing some work on his behalf in the IPA to help support their daughter, they were quite thrilled for the opportunity. And because they're gullible, it has never once crossed either of their minds to ask why they're getting an armed escort.
"My, Oliver, this is so exciting!" Pamela says warmly to her husband, before smiling over at her daughter. "It's a pity that the Fon Master wasn't able to join us as well, but I understand that he must be very busy. We'll have to thank him for letting you join us, Anise."
"It's quite an honor to be able to do work for Fon Master Ion regardless," Oliver says, nodding as the group of them leave the Fourth Monument Hill, where one can just see Daath at their backs, and head down towards the roadway that will take them to the bridge. From the bridge, the road will take them forward until they take a right and head towards Daath Bay. "And an honor to be accompanied by one of the God-Generals! Thank you very much, Locrial Colonel Asch."
Asch, for his part, will be saddled with a box. It is a large, heavy box, thankfully getting carted around by a low-level Oracle Knight grunt under his command, but it is a box, and inside is a fonstone that Ion has agreed to send Maria to let the IPA study, to better understand the Score. Asch will know this. The IPA members present probably will not, since this arrangement was rather last-minute.
"He sends his regards, papa, mama." Sitting alongside the pair is a young pigtailed girl in a pink dress, smiling brightly. "Ion really wanted to come along, but his duties have him in meetings today... He's safe though, so don't worry!" It took some time to convince Anise of this, but she did finally agree to go along with her parents instead of hanging around the Fon Master.
"I'll make sure to pass along your thanks though!" Even though she had initially wanted to stay with Ion, this may wind up being better. After all, now she can keep an eye on them while they travel and make sure they don't find some way to spend more money.
Aerith feels vaguely seasick riding this so-called 'horse'. She is having to cling to the saddle with her knees, which is bunching her dress up a little (she is certainly not riding such an animal side saddle), but she is bearing up, more or less. More or less.
Still, it beats sitting at home. And she isn't falling behind - well, beyond being slightly to the rear of the 'escort'. "Oof!" she says aloud, calling towards Anise, "It gets easier as you get used to it -- right?"
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From all appearances, Lucas is just being quiet during the ride, rather than nonverbally communicating with his 'horse' psychically. The city is bigger than anything he's used to, which may also account for why he's being so quiet. It's not intimidating, exactly, but it puts him slightly ill at ease. Still, he's in no position to judge how people live, right?
Luke isn't supposed to be here. He had no place being here, on another world, where the situation might be extremely hazardous if something went wrong. He is not a skilled combatant. He's here anyway, wearing one of the IPA uniforms often reserved for the guards that stood at doorways, plus sunglasses, hat and brown hairdye. Having assigned himself as something of a scout given he did know how to ride a horse and had a good reason to avoid straying too close to the group, Luke's never been too far, but he's not gotten terribly close either, not once Asch arrived.
It's just an idle escort. Except he knows it isn't. He'd warned Ion that it might seem too much, sending an armed escort with just the Tatlins, and he can guess what they've put in the box as something more 'official'. That's enough of an excuse to claim he has a job here, a purpose besides being nosy. He wants to be certain everything's okay.
Besides, what's one more standoffish guard taking the time to look around a world he's never seen before?
Brigit was doing what she did best; working. At least, she was making some deliveries. Her popularity was growing as hungry travellers came across her cart in the Hub and so, every once in a while, someone pays a little extra for her to deliver some special orders.
She didn't find these requests to be a hassle, in fact, they allowed her the opportunity to visit places she wouldn't have time to wander across anyway! Cooking was her passion! Her true joy! And nothing made this more satisfying than sharing this with others.
Usually, Brigit would take advantage of the long, relatively empty roads to run. It kept her fit, plus she could keep at a good clip for a LONG time. It was fun too -- except she sometimes got sweaty and that was bad for business. So, she swallowed her pride and rode one of those... 'horses'. Which really were nothing like a horse from her world. She didn't really know WHAT to think about them, actually.
Then a rather large escort approaches. Wow, looks like they're important people, plus some of them appeared to be IPA, so that meant they were 'safe' right? So, she tried to keep up to them, but wasn't very good at it -- she rode a horse a few times as a child, but did this even CLASSIFY as a horse?
Though well aware of the importance of what he's escorting to the hub, Asch is not dressed the part of the God General today. His hair is carefully swept back from his face the way it always is, and his clothing is as neat and tidy as ever, but the clothing places him as a mere civilian -- albeit one with a sword and stiff, straight, perfect posture. Other members of the caravan may be all smiles idle chatter, but Asch is silent and his expression is flat and almost grim as he rides at the front of their little group, saying little to nothing as he scans the surrounding area.
The thanks from Oliver Tatlin gets little more than a placid nod from Asch, the God General in question simply turning his head slightly to glance over his shoulder at the man. "You're welcome," he says. "But please address me as 'Asch' until we reach the Hub." His tone firm but still polite and calm. He and the other guard have taken the time to dress down, so there's no reason to make Asch's rank known through pesky things like titles.
If Luke is noticed Asch doesn't overtly react to him, and remains remarkably calm regardless. No need to get bent out of shape and kick up a fuss yet.
It's supposed to be a quiet ride. After all, who would want the parents of a little girl dead? Who indeed...
But it seems like some people have made a deal with the devil and the ride to the Hub will not be as peaceful as they all hope it would be. From a burrow in the hill they passed, a man watches and then holds up a small mirror. The mirror catches some light and reflects it, shining and dimming in modern morse code.
Then nothing as the entourage continues onward. It is not long before they begin to pass through a clearing with the edges of a forest to their left. A gust blows by, rustling leave and carrying with it a cloying smell. For those who have experienced it on the battlefield before, it is the scent of death.
A twig breaks and suddenly, yelling as a tattered group of soldiers wearing Malkuthian blues and silvers rush out from the woods waving spears and swords. They move oddly, far more quickly than any human should have any -right- to be and their skin pale as a bloodless corpse. "DEATH!" They shout, "Death and revenge for our fallen!" Get on your guard 'cause here comes the enemy!
They don't look *that* important, though Brigit might still have that impression because there's a fairly large group of them. All the same, if there's a lot of people, *some* of them must be hungry, right? Right? Sure, why not.
"Oh, thank you, Anise," Pamela says fondly to her daughter. "I'm so glad we haven't inconvenienced him by having you come with us. Of course, we're happy to have you here, but we know how important your duties are!"
"I'm flattered that he wanted to join us, but it may be for the best," Oliver adds, nodding. "We wouldn't want to put him out of his way when he's already done so much for us." To Asch, he hesitates, then does the customary Order bow. "As you wish, Asch. I don't want to be disrespectful."
Pamela smiles to Asch as well, and then looks over at some of the other IPA agents. She smiles particularly fondly towards Lucas, who looks like such a sweet little boy. "Hello there. Aren't you quite the young man, riding with the IPA at your age! Are you one of Anise's little friends?"
Because there's no way Anise could have a mission with her parents and *not* have them unintentionally try to embarrass her.
And then the 'Malkuthians' start pouring out of the forest, and any such conversation will have to be delayed. "Asch!!" the Oracle Knight says sharply, though to his credit, no note of panic. He's a Locrian Sergeant, well aware of the kind of duty he's shouldered, and already thinking to the load in the box strapped to his horse's backside as well as the civilians in their group. "Are those--!?"
"Well..." Anise glances back toward Aerith and lifts a hand to waggle in the air. "Sort of. Maybe? If you go a little faster, it gets smoother! They're bumpy trotters." She tilts her head slightly in thought. "Just don't let it get out of control. They can run really fast!" Just like mammalian horses on other worlds. Or chocobos, though Anise hasn't really seen either.
At the god-general's short answer, Anise... pokes out her tongue. "Don't be so uptight, Asch! Really, what could happen between here and the port anyway?" She just had to say something like that, didn't she?
Turning back, she -looks- at Pamela. "Moooom! I don't have 'little friends'! I'm thirteen!" Hmph! Really, now. They're acting like she's not already more mature than both of them put together! Well, in some ways.
Letting out a soft huff, the pigtailed girl turns forward again.. and lets out a surprised yelp as she sees the soldiers. "Wh.. what are those?!"
Aerith smiles slightly at the description of Lucas as 'little'. On the one hand, he seems brave - braver than some people (Cloud) she's known. At least that's the impression she's gotten. On the other hand - he's pretty undeniably tiny.
Aerith then coaxes the horse to move slightly faster, and the smoother ride /is/ pretty clear as she draws up now to be closer to Anise, Lucas, and the others. She then, of course, observes Anise /doom them all/. "-- They seem pretty mad!" she answers Anise, guilelessly. She crooks her feet, ready to pull and stop if they end up doing that.
Of course, they might, she reasons, just speed /up/ and go past them. Gosh! Tactics are hard.
Lucas is pretty damn tiny.
"Oh, I, uh...s-sorta," Lucas mumbles in response to the attention. "I'm from the IPA, an'..." Well, this is the first time he's met Anise! He resists the urge to bury his face in his shirt again. His fear of social interaction is saved, however, by the appearance of...
ATTACKERS. "Oh, ma-maurauders!" He reaches behind him, pulling out the long stick he carries and holding it up. He draws his horse closer to the others, standing up carefully on it as he watches the approaching 'soldiers.' "Maybe bandits or somethin'? They're awfully fast, though. Be careful, everyone...!"
Of course, Brigit always made sure to make her trips worthwhile, bringing a few boxed meals with her in case she could make a few sales, as well as a few meager supplies to whip up a fast dish. You'd be surprised what kind of gourmet feast she would make with even foraged stuff.
Let's see... There was a young woman, a few kids, a couple... there was even a few guys, but only one she was able to get a good look at; Asch. Brigit turned red. Oh, no... not again. Now isn't the time to be ogling guys. So... let's focus on the adorable scene of Pamela, Anise, Aerith and Lucas. Luke is covered up just enough so she doesn't really get a good look at him. Watching them was pretty amusing, it seemed as though one was a mother to one of the kids... hmmm, I wonder if the older girl was related...? Ohh, and the little boy was being all bashful! <3
As a chef, there are certain things you need to be able to do your job well. Training, good sense of taste and smell, good ingredients... but to be a Worlds-Class chef, it helps if you have that particular quality that almost feels like cheating; a refined palate. Unfortunately, this small knack of Brigit's can be more of a curse than a blessing at times, particularly in awkward moments being stuck in an elevator, where you can sometimes smell the components of each ingredient used to make their horrible cheap cologne.
Or when you smell something decomposing. Ugh, yuck. Something go bad? Brigit's nose wrinkled and she waved a hand before her face. Then, there was a sound of incoming attackers. Brigit yelped and ducked over her mount, unsure of how to react to the sudden and unexpected change from a boring road trip to being waylaid by a group of marauders.
"What's happening?!" Well, silly question, really. They're being attacked. For revenge. Wait, revenge? Sheesh! Maybe she picked a bad group to ride with? Brigit was expecting her adventures to start in a few days, not this early!
Luke's trying to not be recognized, and the lack of obvious annoyance radiating off Asch suggests he's managed to slip under his Original's radar for once. Besides, there's something ... nice about anonymity. Nobody knows who he is, so there's no special treatment, no expectations, nothing at all except keeping an eye out for trouble and doing what he can to make sure Pamela and Oliver get where they need to be.
Brigit had been noticed a minute or two ago, but she'd been dismissed as a /threat/ - that didn't mean it wasn't interesting, just that he was certain she wouldn't suddenly sprout fangs and fur and charge in their direction screaming for blood. It's right about when he decides to circle back and investigate Brigit, certain that someone else will spot danger from the front if it comes, that there's .. tattered people howling for death and violence.
They're not bandits. He figures that out real fast. Bandits didn't /stink/ like that, not in that 'dead' way. The shaggy beast is kicked from a trot into a run, circling behind the caravan only long enough to pull up beside Brigit. She didn't stink like the bandit--things, she can't be one of them! Logic: flawless! "Stay with the rest of the group, don't stay back here. Go!" He keeps his voice low, so the rest of the escort doesn't hear him, but chances are good she's gonna recognize his voice anyway. Fast moving dead-smelling things are bad news as far as he's concerned but he's not leading this expedition. Part of keeping the disguise up is waiting for orders, aside from taking a defensive station with the escort, the Tatlins, and the fonstone.
"Don't invite disaster, Anise," Asch quips in bland response to Anise's chiding comment, though it seems such an encouragement to not tempt fate is lost. Just a beat later there's a sudden and far too familiar cloying scent rolling across the group, and Asch's expression changes from flat into a scowl as the attackers suddenly burst from the woods, prompting the God General to reach for and draw his sword, though he has no intention of countering their reckless charge with one of his own. The Oracle Knight's half-shouted question gets a sharp shake of the head of Asch. "There's no way to tell yet. After the fight!" Trying to make observations and conversation in the middle of battle could be deadly (not that it stopped Asch from doing it anyway, at times) and so figuring out exactly where these creatures are from will have to wait.
He doubts they're actually Malkuthian. Normal, living people don't /reek/ like that. A short handful of orders are quickly snapped out to the group -- non-combatants to the center, fighters make a ring around them, and one of them ordered to to keep watch for flankers from behind -- and then Asch promptly turns his attention to the approaching monsters. His is right arm already drawn across his chest and Fonons are being gathered for an attack. They're not close enough to engage in a melee yet, but by they time they are Asch will have an Arte ready for them.
Escort? It had at first seemed pretty standard, though Soma had been a little troubled at the amount of escorts involved. IPAwise, there were a lot of people on the train. He'd begun to wonder just what it was about the people they've been asked to escort. The native soldiers could be fobbed off as guards to the caravan itself, but having spied Asch in the gathering as well...
Soma had brought gear; sword and a few items that seem to prove useful in most tight situations, but once he'd been assigned a place on the train, he'd set about making absolutely sure he'd known where everything is.
The scent of death is on the wind moments before the initial ambush and because of this, Soma has his sword drawn even before the orders are shouted to the combatants. The pale young man is quick to join the nearest group of defenders as he turns to confront the enemy. Eyes widen slightly, more in recognition than shock or alarm.
"Cut off their heads or take out their hearts. Holy and healing spells are effective." His voice carries a little, though it's meant to address those nearest to him that may not be familiar with this enemy... which is most certainly /not/ the colors they bear.
Anise's prediction comes true and Asch has the right idea. Form a tight circle and protect the cargo and the family because HERE THEY COME.
The soldiers charge, moving nearly as quickly as they would be if they were on horses. The distances closes quickly and then the front row of soldiers leaps up into the air. They somersault over those in the second row. As they take to the air, the second row brings short spears to the forefront. They move rapidly and clash into Asch's command, spears thrusting forward repeatedly to hurt and impale.
It is a good thing the God General setup a circle though as another group of soldiers, dressed much like the ragged soldiers already engaged in the fight descend from the mountains. They bring with them the stench of Death and those present during the Theon forest will find these beings familiar. Undead survivors of the attack then perhaps? But no matter who or -what- they are, they too are crashing in upon the little party.
The Major gets a glancing blow on Venetia Martens with his This is for the NPCs! attack.
The Major hits Soma Cruz with his We know better now! attack.
The Major hits Luke fon Fabre with his We want caaaaaandy attack.
The Major hits Asch with his We just want your soul. attack.
The Major gets a glancing blow on Anise Tatlin with his Because we assume you're up front too. attack.
The Major hits Brigit Kelly with his It's a buffet *.* attack.
Any remaining birds in the forest suddenly scatter overhead, fleeing from the trees and out into the sky, shrieking.
Some trees rattle and shake violently for a second or two before falling still once more. A grinding sound faintly follows, growing louder and louder, sounding a lot like something being dragged across a rock. Then without any further warning, it strikes, winding out from between the trees, massive jaws stretching open as it tilts its head sideways, ready to simply consume whatever undead come close to its gaping maw. It strikes quickly, almost too fast to identify. Not fast enough-it's obviously a snake. A very, very large snake with a viper-like head. Upon this fearsome beast, someone crouches, riding it as if it were a surfboard.
That someone is Maria Tegawa and, unsurprisingly, she looks /very/ unhappy.
Maria Tegawa misses The Major with her om nom nom attack.
He's not terribly fond of taking orders from /Asch/ of all people, but he's just here as a pretend-guard, so doing what he's told is vital to keeping up the disguise. It's unsettling that people can move that fast, but he's not going to think about it too long. He's trying not to think about the fact that he's going to have to fight real live people, pulling the sword strapped to his right side - he'd at least known not to wear it across his back like he preferred.
It's when they get closer that he realizes he's not facing real /live/ people.
About a moment later he's nearly skewered by flying, shrieking, spear-wielding dead-thing, and he's forced to abandon his mount, who is not quite so lucky; a blade that merely rips through fabric and shallowly through flesh drives deep into the poor thing's side, and the horse screams in pain and surprise.
It's not the first one Luke's gotten killed. It won't be the last. He retaliates as quickly as he can with a vicious slash with his own weapon at the nearest neck that isn't someone he knows, reaching to grab the spear and see if he can wrench it away from his opponent. The distant cries of /more/ of these things are not welcome - - and neither is the arrival of a HUGE FREAKING SNAKE. Dead moving people were bad enough, now they had to deal with monster snakes?! Nevermind that it's ... helping them, not trying to eat the Tatlins, Luke's not noticed that yet.
Luke fon Fabre hits The Major with his Decapitational Entertainment jab.
SAVED BY THE BLOODTHIRSTY MARAUDERS. It's a shame, too, because Pamela would have just *doted* all over Lucas for being such a sweet, shy young man. As it stands, Pamela and Oliver will just look utterly bewildered at the sudden attack of what appear to be Malkuthians, but smell like something far more foul.
"What in the world is going on?" Oliver asks to no one and anyone in particular, sounding more baffled than alarmed, though there is both of that in his voice. "Why is Malkuth attacking Daath?"
Apparently he doesn't realize that *they* are the recipients of this attack, though really it would make little difference, seeing as they're right in the way. Pamela makes similarly baffled, alarmed noises. Thankfully, Asch and the others are competent enough to realize a threat when they see it--and more specifically, Sync's requests for the Major outweigh Mohs'--and so it should hopefully not be too awful.
"Sir!" the Locrian Sergeant says sharply at Asch's orders, drawing his own sword and heading to the front lines, though like the God-General, he doesn't charge into the battle headlong. This young man, whom we will call Larry Hughes, is better at the blade than at fonic artes, but with that gap there, it's better to focus on ranged artes, especially considering the load that he's carrying. He can't afford to turn back or show weakness. He's shocked to see a woman fly out of the sky riding a /giant snake/, but Larry at least does a good job of getting over it, and turns his body to absorb the impact and trap the incoming spears between his armor and his blade by accepting a bit of hurt.
With a yell, Sergeant Hughes will then begin his counterattack. His bladework isn't shabby, and he knows a few decent artes, too. He'll open up with the oldie-but-goodie, Demon Fang.
You hit The Major with your DEMON FANG DEMON FANG DEMON FANG DEMON FANG DEMON FANG jab.
Attack from two sides!?
Aerith pulls her 'horse' up even as it starts to whuffle and make lizardy noises, biting her lip again as she pulls the jacket tighter around her. She is near the center of the group, thankfully. These things stink, flail, savage...
She closes her eyes as if to hide from it. Then a bracer under her jacket gleams slightly.
The linked materia trigger, and with a sudden warm flowing-outwards of Green Sparkle Light (tm, c Aerith's Dyes LLC), the invoked Cure materia's effect ripples out into the undead forces nearest to where Aerith can see them. Hopefully someone's got the other side of the wagon!
Aerith Gainsborough gets a glancing blow on The Major with her *boldly seizes the damage graph* attack.
No, those definitely can't be real Malkuthian soldiers. Not looking and smelling like that, at least. Jade would have whipped them into better shape. "I'm not sure what's going on!" Anise leaps down from her lizardhorse and waves a hand to her parents. "You two stay safe, okay? Don't let any of those things near you, and call if you need help." She touches her shoulder, grabbing Tokunaga's arm, and smiles. "It's time for Anise to get to work!"
When one of the creepy soldiers rushes in, Anise swats him hard with her plush. He manages to score a hit on her.. but nothing too serious. She's a small target! "Don't you underestimate me!" Her free hand comes up, and a glowing circle appears beneath her feet. As Anise swings Tokunaga again....
...the doll is suddenly ten feet tall, and much much heavier. Anise uses the momentum to sling herself up onto its back, and the plush, with both arms free, slams them both at the silly zombie who really should have known better than to attack a seemingly defenseless little girl.
Anise Tatlin switches armor modes to Tokunaga.
Anise Tatlin hits The Major with her Cuteness Crush attack.
Maria Tegawa says, "This is Python. Don't attack her."
Anise Tatlin says, "What is py--whoah!"
"...Stay back!" Ushering his horse towards the center of the caravan, Lucas swallows his fear as the vampires advance. The smell is nearly unbearable, reminding him of the zombies that haunt the local graveyard back home. "Ugh...don't worry, Mister and Missus Tatlin! We'll make sure you get through okay!" He raises his stick, bravely-AAAAAAAAH GIANT SNAKE.
He pauses for a second when he realizes that the giant snake is Maria's friend. "Oh...oh, okay. Hello Miz Tegawa!" He calls that out before leaping towards one of the assailants, raising his big stick and bringing it down on the head and shoulders of a vile vampire!
Lucas critically strikes The Major with his THWACK attack.
Soma Cruz belatedly repeating what he said, just now over the radio, "Beheading or taking out the heart will kill them. Holy attacks are effective too. I saw healing spells do damage once, too."
Aerith Gainsborough heal sparkle noise
These guys smelled of reeking death! Were they sick? Or... Grey eyes scan over the soldiers and blink in disbelief -- they moved far too quickly for normal people...
Then, the man in the IPA uniform draws close and gives her some extremely helpful advice, she looks up, then nods, "O-okay!" She kicks her heels into the beast, hoping that it'll do the trick in speeding up, which works, she just as to focus on keeping /on/ and out of the way of the stinking marauders. With all the commotion and the change in Luke's voice, she fails to recognize him. Getting away from the undead takes priority!
As she makes her way into the protective circle of the escort, she recognizes one of the voices to be Soma's. One of those 'painfully beautiful' types that made conversations difficult if not impossible. It was kind of a relief to see a familiar face, that aside. She was about to say something to him, when another familiar face appeared; Miss Tegawa, customer and Shannon's boss. With a giant snake.
"...Miss Tegawa?!" Brigit begins, unsure of what /else/ to do now that an already bad situation seems to have worsened as more enemies approach from behind. And that's when a spear comes out from the fray and slices clean through her sleeve, cutting her. A dark stain begins to grow beneath the lavender cloth and she gasps, "Ow!" They /cut/ her! Brigit was feeling scared now, not just simply shocked. Her eyes tear up from the pain and fear, but she uses this opportunity to dismount and take a defensive stance she learned from class and shifts the strap of her messenger bag. It should be easier to defend if she's not trying to ride a lizard-mount-thing.
Anise Tatlin says, "Holy attacks?"
Lucas says, "What about light or fire?"
With order given and being followed Asch settles in to do what he does best: kill things. He growls as the creatures score a hit on him with their spears and his horse, trained and broken for battle and intelligent enough to know how to handle himself, skitters backwards and to the side. Asch is better on his feet than on a mount of any sort and for now he's letting the creature's training run that half of the show for now.
The Arte is completed and unleashed on the attacking ghouls, and then Asch is ready to heed the distantly heard advice of 'take off their heads' and put the Maestro Sword to its intended use. Hopefully, he won't have to worry about the /giant snake/.
Asch hits The Major with his yey icicle rain! attack.
Soma Cruz says, "Er... I can't remember if there's an equivalent in Auldrant's Fonons. See if Asch knows. Fire will probably work well. These guys are affected by sunlight, so if you have anything that'll cause that effect, it'll help."
Anise Tatlin says, "Oh, Light! That's the Sixth Fonon... I can do something with that!"
The break of the initial onslaught against the wall of defenders scores a hit on the pale youth as he's trying to get suggestions through to the main group.
Maria's snake doesn't help, giving a fleeting rise to the concern that it'll strike at the caravan after it's made a pass through the undead until the IPA leader's voice rises over the radio frequency.
Well that's one less thing to worry about.
Focusing on his attackers, Soma seeks to put his advice to good use. The young man is a... decent rider and manages to get the creature he's mounted kicked into action, lauching forward for a brief charge and seeking to sever the offending undead's head clean from its body.
He realizes, though, that mounted combat? It's a different kettle of fish altogether, one he's not used to and more importantly, it's slowing him down. That's why he's soon kicking himself free of the saddle and landing with a thump on both feet to continue. With any luck, the beast will get itself out of the way.
Soma Cruz gets a glancing blow on The Major with his Mounted combat lessons are currently tenth on the list of things to learn. attack.
No. They are most definitely not -living- people. They used to be at one point, but the bloodless skin and then stench of decay that they carry with them are clear evidence that these soldiers are no longer part of the living. Python crashes down upon the rear guard of the vampires, scattering them like ninepins. They are downed but manage to avoid the snake's ferocious bite. A whole group of them turn round to confront the snake and its rider. Sharp swords gleam and they rush forward, hacking with blades.
Luke's ride is skewered a ghoul leaps on it, fangs out in attempts to chomp down to eat and suck at the still warm flesh and blood before it. But the soldier that did the actual stabbing? Just as he wrests his weapon free of the beast, the noble fop has pushed the spear away and neatly decapitated him. But he better watch his side as another one presses in with a spear to stab at him.
Larry's demon fang tears into another group, most of them scattering but leaving one poor guy impaled by the art. They hiss and snarl, one particularly large and brutish looking 'soldier' rushes in, fangs sharp and sword gleaming to engage. "Join us soldier or die here!" It shouts as he slashes at Larry.
Of course, the zombies end up making a couple very fatal mistakes. The two kids? They are apparently the most dangerous out of the entire group. Tokunaga -slams- into one vampire on the floor, knocking him back and easily snapping the neck while he does so while Aerith's healing spell finishes him off before he can even pretend to stagger to his feet. At the same time, Lucas's stick quite literally -caves in- a skull, neatly destroying the brain and prevent the owner of said skull from ever rising to his feet again. "What.." Others look upon the children in confusion. "Take them! Take them! Drain them of their blood and make them like us!" One shouts. "And get the one in the dress!"
Vampires surge forward, one of them swiping at Lucas with hands curled up into claws, two more leap at Tokunaga with mouths open to bite into the plushie while another attempts to sneak past the defenses to attack and bite Aerith.
The spear that cut into Brigit though.. the smell of her ichor is nearly overwhelming for the guy that managed to break through. His mouth opens, licking his lips in anticipation as he stalks forward. "You.. you would be -delicious- I think..." Grinning, the vampire stabs his weapon forward again. "Yes... I will enjoy devouring you little girl."
While vampires may dislike fire, getting impaled by icicles is a -horrible- way for anyone, alive or dead, to go. The jagged pieces of ice rain down from the sky, impaling one to the ground and injuring others but they keep coming. Two close in upon Asch, the God General clearly being marked as a Major Threat. Two swords dance in the air, swishing silver with impressive speed to cut him down where he stands.
Another ghoul finds itself on the receiving end of a sword, Soma's to be exact. The silver blade does not fully decapitate the vampire though, merely sinks deep into the neck and not even enough to actually cause it to stop moving. Instead, hands reach up to clench at the blade and he gets wrested off his feet as Soma moves to dismount. "You..." He hisses, "I saw you in the forest. Saw what you did.. I will make you -pay- for killing my brothers!" And at such close range, the partially decapitated vampire attempts to jam his foot as hard as he can into Soma's gut.
The Major hits Maria Tegawa with his It's -snake- for dinnr attack.
The Major critically strikes Venetia Martens with his NPCs with -names-?! attack.
The Major hits Soma Cruz with his Revenge! attack.
The Major misses Luke fon Fabre with his So the kid -can- fight. attack.
The Major hits Asch with his Sync never said anything about sparing -you-. attack.
The Major misses Anise Tatlin with his Delicious plushie stuffing. attack.
The Major gets a glancing blow on Brigit Kelly with his omnomnomnom attack.
The Major critically strikes Aerith Gainsborough with his Healers always go first attack.
The Major hits Lucas with his Hey little kid. Want some eternal life? attack.
Asch says, "--damn you, sync"
Venetia Martens hahaha
Venetia Martens says, "Well."
Venetia Martens says, "Sync figured a) it would be suspicious if he asked for too many people specifically to get spared, and b) Asch is strong enough not to get killed or turned."
Venetia Martens says, "He can make excuses for Anise and the Tatlins. For anyone else, not so much."
Brigit frowns in determination, deciding to not MOVE FROM THIS SPOT to protect the kids, who were apparently kicking righteous ass (unlike her). Then, her eyes widen when she hears the threat directed to /her/. Wh-HEY I haven't even done anything yet! Why me?!
Then enters the dialogue with Creepy Vampire Guy. Brigit recoils in disgust as he tries and success in drawing more blood.
"Augh, that's it!" The redhead reaches into her bag and pulls out... a cleaver. The largest of the set of knives she owns, the exquisite Caladbolg Line of kitchen knives is all that remains of the legendary sword of King Arthur, Excalibur. It's had a rough existance, but she likes to think it's enjoying it's retirement so far.
And yes, she always brings her cooking supplies with her. You never know when the urge to cook will hit you!
She brandishes it awkwardly for a moment, trying to judge the best time to attack, then slices it toward the neck of the greedy ghoul, hoping to have it (and it's creepiness) depart from the world forever.
Somewhere on the MUSH, Mercade Alexander has connected.
Brigit Kelly gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Ew, go awaaaaay T_T attack.
The 'fop' hasn't been much of a popinjay since getting out of the Hollow. Many habits still lingered, but the spoiled brat part of his behavior patterns haven't surfaced in a while now. Which means unfortunately for the ghouls they're not dealing with a shrieking delicate nobleman out of his mind with terror and hiding behind the safety of others! No sir, he's only /half/ out of his mind with fear, and not hiding behind anyone at all and there's a field of fonons right there for him to abuse, thanks to Asch and Icicle Rain.
If they thought getting impaled /once/ by icicles was bad, they're about to have to deal with it again. Being stabbed at again doesn't necessarily mean being able to hit him, and Luke /looks/ like he manages to dodge the incoming spear-jab, but it's nothing more than an *incredibly* timely stumble that puts him right on the edge of agitated fonons left in Asch's wake. Shortly later, Luke jams his blade into the ground, ice exploding upwards in sudden jagged pillars in every direction around him. There /is/ warning, in a very brief spiral of glowing white lines inscribed on the ground, that something unpleasant was about to happen.
Luke fon Fabre hits The Major with his Guardian Frost attack.
On her perch, Maria rises to stand, balancing impossibly upon the moving beast (...in heels no less, she appears to still be in her "work" clothing). Why yes, she IS showboating and she's not ashamed about it at all. It looks especially impressive when Python rears her head back and /looms/ over the gathered group, mouth lolling open. Those trying to carve into the hide of the creature will not find themselve getting very far. The scales of the earth dragon feel like hacking at stone and those that get far enough will find its flesh oddly sandlike.
Maria slips a hand to her thigh where her fingers wrap around several small silver throwing knives held there by a custom garter. While this happens, Python whips her tail around, encircling a group of soldiers attacking it and suddenly squeezing them in tightened coils.
"Filthy little mongrels." Maria hisses, whipping a silver knife at one of their heads-right between the eyes. "I would give you a message, but I guarantee that none of you will survive to deliver one."
Maria Tegawa gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Python used wrap! It's not very effective... attack.
The one in the dress? Aerith thinks. Uh -
Hard, flat teeth bite with brutal force into her shoulder through her jacket as she feels her entire body stiffen. The crushing and shearing of the teeth makes her almost scream, the main thing stopping her being simply not enough time to scream /in/. The pinched nerve radiates pain up her shoulder, her jaw tightening almost on impulse.
Then the animal Aerith is riding stomps forwards and bleats as it twists to the side. Aerith's thighs of steel are holding onto the thing's back. If that zombie isn't careful, he might just end up /torn in half by torsional force/!
Which could have a prettier name, but today is rather gruesome in any case.
Aerith Gainsborough gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Mount DPS jab.
When the two vampires leap in, Tokunaga swings an arm out to swat one out of the air. The second manages to sink his teeth into soft plushy fabric. But.. really now. Just biting down on a plush? Anise leans to the side of Tokunaga's head and stares at the vampire. "You're not very smart, are you?" Tokunaga reaches down and lifts the vampire by the scruff of his neck. "What did you -think- would happen when you bit a doll? I mean, really! Are all you things that stupid?"
That one did manage to get past, though... "Aerith! Hold on!" The lifted vampire is spin and tossed aside, before Tokunaga takes several lumbering steps toward the woman on her mount. "Dragon Surge!"
Tokunaga suddenly picks up speed, lowering one arm as it runs, then swings at the undead monstrocity with a massive uppercut as soon as it's close enough.
Anise Tatlin gets a glancing blow on The Major with her Bowling for Undead - Seven-Ten Split? attack.