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[El Phantom]

 

 

 

 

Frinian Royal Palace

Nightfall

 

 

"You're crazy, we have nary the troops to spare for war and you want to have us continue?!", dimly lit was the long table, scattered with war plans, with more ripped documents and giant crosses than properly laid out plans. Scattered war pieces used for over-map simulation of tactics, and paper weights littered the surface of the table. Sitting at the very end was Lazare Frinia, the current reigning monarch of Frinia.

 

"With us at the mercy of Kouryang's demands, we must continue... Only on paper we are at war, and our Eidolon ensures we can hold any attack that comes our way. The Kouryang forces with us hope to intercept any force that may come from Raelin",

 

"Using us as bait, I understand, but no one but our most loyal knights here have any morale left within them. If any attack is failed to be stopped by General Song, then we will surely crumble", the officer was young, but he was only one of five men who stood here. Most of them did not have an opinion, it was a desperate time, and they too agreed with the young officer's words. This table was not accommodating for simply five people, it was far too spacious.

 

"No it will not... Not while I still stand",

 

"Armand Guillory. You are old and weak, your days of glory as the greatest general of Frinia are not-",

 

"Are not what?", the old man definitely showed age. He looked as old as time, but didn't look anywhere near death. He still stood strong, tall, recruits could not recall a time he had hair that was not coloured the silver he now wore. His armour was heavy, his weapon was a gargantuan blade. It was very clear that he was still fit for battle, and given his age, he was not afraid of seeing this one as his last.

 

"You may be a talented officer Aran, but you were promoted to this table by necessity, not that talent. Our jobs here gentlemen is to support our king, can you not see he too suffers under Kouryang's unreasonable demand. What we must do is not fight amongst ourselves, but persevere. Surely an opportunity will present itself", he reassured.

 

"I only hope you are right Armand... Aran I am sorry for not seeming like a strong leader to you...",

 

"It... It is alright your grace... I... I was not myself either", the man named Aran stepped down, the words Armand had said were correct. With what little they have, hold onto what little they had.

 

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Prologue

Frinia

 

 

The castle city guards were beginning to turn to more shady methods of getting by. With their economy so far down as a result of the war, the poor became poorer, and so did the rich become poorer. Still, people managed to scrounge up what little food they had, there was not much trade going on, considering the war. Only arms and armour were being traded as far as dealers were concerned. The earliest breaks of dawn did not entail any special treatment for these conditions either as a young street urchin sprinted down the street away from pursuing guards. The street urchin would turn the corner, and collide heavily into a hooded individual, the child would crash to the ground and look up to the hooded man stunned.

 

"Corvus, don't kill the guards", the child was visibly confused as to what he had said. The guards? Kill? Or in this case, not kill? From the shadows behind him, was another man, in a similar hood and cloak, and in a flash the guards both fell to the ground without a sound.

 

"Sometimes I don't know if you actually killed them or not...",

 

"Don't worry, they aren't dead", said the other, "besides, you don't operate like that at all huh Yoshirou?",

 

"Of course not. We're not here to kill, we're here to end a war... And how's the projection for damage?",

 

"We can cause minimal near the palace gates, as most of the wealthier folk live there. Bigger houses, much, much smaller population density",

 

"Then it'll be easy to get them out of there. I'll leave that to you, after that, sneak into the castle and meet up with our tech team in the sewers",

 

"Gotcha", and like a shadow the man was gone. Yoshirou noticed the boy was still sitting there... He looked towards him, almost horrified the boy sat still.

 

"You should find a place to hide, well away from the palace, okay?", the boy nodded, and slowly he got up, before sprinting away.

 

"Now... I wonder how everyone else is going...", he said to himself, turning around back into the alleyway. Stepping out of the darkness of the alley were a few magidroids, Hildegarde, Dolce, Caspian, and Archae.

"The tech crew has not experienced any unforeseen difficulties, they are moving smoothly and are ready to breach into the castle's system. Sir Tristan has reported that he and Riichi is ready whenever you are", Yoshirou nodded in affirmative and turned to everyone else with him.

 

"Frinia is currently at it's weakest, so I expect the battle not take long, however their strongest generals are still here. The main objective is to destroy the Eidolon. Hildegarde, you will climb the clock tower and snipe off guards on the castle walls, as well as any priority targets you see. Archae and me will storm the gates and fight their defensive troops. Dolce and Caspian, you two will make your way to the Eastern Palace gate, and break through it. Corvus was kind enough to sabotage it last night, so it should break pretty easily. Once you two are in, meet up with the tech team and assist them", he ordered.

 

"Once the tech team makes contact with the security system and opens the gates, we will all storm in. The key here is to not stop to fight. If any of us manage to reach the Eidolon, we can destroy it. Further orders will be relayed through these Magidroids under control of King. We made our peace with doubts last night, this is the first step in our cause, now we move out", and with that, everyone moved into their positions.

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

 

Frinia Royal Palace, South Entrance Square

 

 

"What's that?",

 

"Two men?... Halt! State your business... Wait is that... Sofis... General Archae! Have you returned to us? Who is thi-", the man named Sofis would strike his former fellow countryman down, uttering a short sorry. He made the announcement.

 

"This is an attack on Frinian soil. Bring out all of your remaining troops, and fight!", it was an indignant order, and the soldier on guard ran back, while the ones in the wall already scuttled off to hit the alarm, and pretty soon, troops were pouring into the Square. The troops didn't stand a chance, in fact, they began to become afraid. They were glowing, definitely, with the power of their Eidolon... But for some reason, that extra defense of theirs that would brush off arrows with ease, stood no chance against their simple blades. This was the power of an Iconoclast, the power to break through Dogma energy with ease. They were nothing but normal men before them.

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

Frinia Royal Palace, Dungeon

 

 

"General Aran, sir, are you sure we should-",

 

"Do it... Those knights don't stand a chance to Sofis. Only Supreme General Armand could possibly defeat him... And I don't know about the other, we need all the power we can get", he explained. Reluctantly, the soldiers began to undo the various seals and locks, and mages were prepared to cast a mind control spell on her again. He muttered to himself the long process was taking place,

 

"These people... I lose contact with the sewer team, the front gates need more reinforcements... What's next? An attack from the sky?... Ugh... This is not how I imagined my military duty... "Iconoclasts"... That means 'destroyer of holy image'... Could they be after our Eidolon?", moments after he finished speaking, the girl Serin was finally 'unsealed' as it were. She can speak, she can hear, but not move.

 

"Now then, little dragon, little black dragon. You can earn your freedom today, and fight for Frinia, or would you prefer to rot here in this special cage? I only know you from my superiors, and I only know to hate you, and so do my soldiers... What say you?", the small girl looked up, her eyes full of hatred for 'Frinia', but this was freedom, the freedom she sought, out of these chambers. With little hesitation, she agreed. Whether it was from the spells, or not. Though... She was waiting for this moment. She cared not for the war, nor for Frinia, nor for these men and women who bound her. Only for freedom. If the Spirit Avatar was truly the representation of one's spirit, then her's would be one of the strongest here. Large black wings spread and dragon claws and tail turned the mages in the back into fumbling bleeding ragdolls as Aran evacuated the dungeon, summoning his own Avatar trying to stop Serin, but the power of a dragon was not one you could match with mere blade and shield. While his was also strong, the nature of Serin's Spirit Avatar, meant she could power through defenses... And in the first time for a long time she was free.

 

 

"Curses... I thought...", Aran was recovering from being knocked to the ground, and his Avatar forced to retreat, as he got up, he heard a voice behind him.

 

"You thought Aran?", it was Armand. He seemed to have a similar idea, but as he spoke, the idea was only similar. In the end, both were going to free her for one reason or another.

 

"Ar-Armand? General, sir...",

 

"It's okay, I am not mad... She earned her freedom, what she does with it is not for us to decide, for Frinia, or for not. It was never my idea to lock her up, it was the most popular decision... Who do you think kept her spirit strong all these years?",

 

"S-sir?"

 

"I have grandchildren about her age Aran, it pains me to see someone like that bound so cruelly... So I sometimes visit to see how she is doing".

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

 

Frinia Royal Palace, South Entrance Square

 

The battling was fierce, but soon the soldiers deployed against them would become thinner, and thinner, and thinner... The bodies around them still writhed, some still. They still lived, some may have lost a limb instead, while others had some other damage, but all the same they were still alive, and to Yoshirou that was what mattered. Were they to die, ending this war while sacrificing others was meaningless. Pretty soon the sky above them was briefly blanketed by large, black dragon wings. It wasn't Tristan... No, it was something else, and Sofis seemed to know who it was. He kept silent, he was unsure of what to make of the black dragon girl, the one he was taught to hate all his training... But Yoshirou had other ideas. To him, she seemed curious, two men? Took down all these knights and soldiers...? How?

 

"What is a black canary like you doing in this place?", he asked.

 

".... I don't know...", she said. She truly didn't. With this freedom, she was finally able to do as she pleased... But what to do with it?

 

"Then come with me", he offered, extending a hand to her. Sofis by instinct would be surprised... But his time riding alongside the Iconoclasts, he knew better.

 

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

 

Frinia Sewer System - Royal Network

 

"A royal network, for a royal excrement, yes?",

 

"King, please refrain from jokes. Master Gerard feels they stink", the imitated robotic voice echoed slightly in the dark tunnel.

"And there you go Eve, joking again as a robot. Great",

 

"Ehe~. I'm sorry, sometimes I just forget I'm mechanical too, you know?",

 

"Sometimes I forget too...", the way Gerard responded, shaking his head as he worked on the wall, setting up a few charges to resonate with Eve's fists when she strikes it.

 

"I do not forget. That protocol does not exist in my archives",

 

"Bloody robots", Han breathed. This was going on for the whole two hours they were down here.

 

"Hey, you're half one yourself", pouted Eve, she made the face and everything.

 

"Don't do that, it doesn't suit you", he retorted.

 

"Right... Eve, do it", it was time.

 

"Oh what? Oh right... HYAH!", with an almighty strike, she smashed right through the wall.

 

The soldiers on the other side of the wall were shocked, and awed, by the Magidroids that would swarm out and the really pretty magidroid with big firsts, literally. They were all armed with shock weaponry, along with some shots fired from Hans using the wreckage of the wall as crude cover. Gerard and King's main body walked out from behind the big hole in the wall as the combat came to a close. The soldiers were dispatched quickly, King provided the shock equipment materials, and Gerard designed them quickly. Crude lightning rifles. Something like what Loraine already has, but much cheaper, and unsafe for human usage. A magidroid ran on magic to move, so electricity didn't affect their movements at all.

 

"Doctor Gerard, the control room will be in the central wing, third floor. It appears an emergency elevator shaft exists not far from our current position. This data was not displayed in any official records, but was provided by Sir Corvus himself. It would not hurt to take a look, as this shaft according to data, leads directly to that control room",

 

"I see, that can save us a lot of time. Let's move".

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

Frinia Royal Palace, East Entrance

 

 

"East Entrance, okay... Eeeaaaaaassssttt Ennntrrraannnccceee. Not the front", Caspian was obviously a little upset with the arrangement, but then he realized something....

 

"Hey wait, if I can get inside first, I can get dibs on their best generals... Alright, now I'm getting into this",

 

"Simpleton...", she muttered. This wasn't the most preferred setup for her, but considering her supportive capabilities, alongside Caspian's incredibly powerful combat prowess, just the two of them were going to be formidable for any foe. The gate as expected crumbled quickly, burning to ash as Caspian sped into battle. Soldiers poured in around them, but most of them were taking a more defensive position... So this is where all their gunmen went. In any case, bullets had little to no effect on Caspian, so using him as cover was the best option for Dolce, if she wished to advance as well. Volleys of bullets flew at them, but neither were a stranger to this.

 

This wasn't their first battle as Iconoclasts. They raided outposts, it was the reason their name was known on Frinian soil.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

Frinian Sky Space

 

"Kouryang airships...?", the armoured man atop the wyvern observed through his eyes, three Kouryang War Airships in the backside area of the castle, hidden from normal view... This was unusual. Being carried by the wyvern was the War Suit, with Riichi inside of it. He was visibly nervous, being forced to pretty much look down for the whole ride, but the idea was to get him behind the enemy's gates for him to cause some havoc.

 

"Reporting in, does anyone else know about those airships? Maybe we can take one for ourselves", the Magidroid behind him was being tapped into for communications as he referred to it. Pretty soon he got an answer.

 

"Hello? Hello? Yes, okay. This is Corvus. I scouted them out earlier, but Yoshirou had said they were secondary... But, I think he does want one for ourselves. It would be wholly convenient wouldn't you say?",

 

"As long as someone can drive that thing I guess...",

 

"I'm a fast learner", remarked Corvus.

 

"Snide bastard... Right, we'll go as planned. We'll need to wait to see what to do about the War Airships. I'm sensing some foul play in their politics around here...", he responded. The Magidroid on his back as the communications, saluted, and then immediately relayed the information back to King, who would relay it to the everyone else.

 

"Alright, Riichi, ready?",

 

"Wait",

"Too late",

 

"What- Oh no", and just like that, he was dropped. For a good second or two, it was awkward, but his instincts kicked in, and immediately he entered a more controlled drop. With a thunderous roar, he landed right behind the front gates, where their strongest Spirit Avatar user knights were waiting.

 

At the same time though, he spotted soldiers mobilizing to the Eastern Gate... It looks like Dolce and Caspian did their thing and entered the sabotaged lot, if the rising smoke likely from Caspian mostly burning the gate down didn't say anything about it. It looks like everyone was in position.

 

 

 

 

 OVERVIEW

Spoiler

 

South Gate 

• Yoshirou in dialogue with Serin
• Sofis Archae accompanying Yoshirou
• Hildegarde providing sniper support for Yoshirou and Sofis.
• Behind those gates is Riichi, whose job is to cause havoc and open the gates. Currently in combat with 5 Spirit Avatar Knights.

 

East Gate

• Dolce and Caspian have broken through.
• Wreak havoc. Soldiers are pouring in after you guys.

 

Sewers

• King, Hans, Gerard and Eve must head to the elevator shaft. Just take a few turns. There are very few soldiers. Gerard and Eve have permission to zipline up to the third floor where the control room is, once they reach the elevator shaft. The actual elevator is currently nowhere to be seen. It is likely at the very bottom at the moment.

 

Sky

• Tristan will provide air support, and rain magic on wherever he sees fit. Currently he cannot support the Sewers group.

 

Also I don't know what colour you guys are going to use for your characters, so no text colouring except for some yet.

 

Edited by El Phantom, 25 December 2015 - 06:46 AM.

[Geo]

Frinia

 

“...Frinia, the country that I once called my own home. The country I served in and with their orders I killed thousands for their name. This is the country that my family, the Archae family, has spilled their blood for and died because of it. Now here I stand looking at Frinia not as a fellow Frinian soldier, but as an enemy alongside other Iconoclasts. Forgive me, family, for I have gone astray and undoing the efforts that we have made under Frinia...”

 

Sofis thought to himself as he quietly observed the surroundings that he once knew. The war has taken its toll on Frinia and it showed. Alongside Yoshirou and the other Iconoclasts, they arrived at Sofis’ home country of Frinia to destroy the Eidolon. Sofis knew that the Eidolon spelt destruction to the world, many people will fall because of its destructive power that it possessed. It is better to destroy the technology than preventing it from falling to evil.

 

He stepped out of the darkness of the alleyway alongside a few magidroids and other Iconoclasts, Hildegarde, Dolce, and Caspian.

 

One of the Magidroid spoke, "The tech crew has not experienced any unforeseen difficulties, they are moving smoothly and are ready to breach into the castle's system. Sir Tristan has reported that he and Riichi is ready whenever you are"

 

Magidroid technology always struck wonder and thought when Sofis sees them. He wondered how they operated and if they were a “person” like any other. To see how far technology went when it came to Magidroids were simply outstanding. He saw and sparred with many, but the magic of wonder they inspire in him still didn't lose any effect.

 

Yoshirou nodded when he heard the report from the Magidroid and faced Sofis and the others.

 

"Frinia is currently at it's weakest, so I expect the battle not take long, however their strongest generals are still here. The main objective is to destroy the Eidolon. Hildegarde, you will climb the clock tower and snipe off guards on the castle walls, as well as any priority targets you see. Archae and me will storm the gates and fight their defensive troops.”  Sofis gave a simple nod of affirmation towards Yoshirou. “Dolce and Caspian, you two will make your way to the Eastern Palace gate, and break through it. Corvus was kind enough to sabotage it last night, so it should break pretty easily. Once you two are in, meet up with the tech team and assist them", Yoshirou said as he ordered the others.

 

"Once the tech team makes contact with the security system and opens the gates, we will all storm in. The key here is to not stop to fight. If any of us manage to reach the Eidolon, we can destroy it. Further orders will be relayed through these Magidroids under control of King. We made our peace with doubts last night, this is the first step in our cause, now we move out"

 

Alongside Yoshirou, Sofis headed towards the main gates.

 

 

 

 

Frinia Royal Palace | South Square Entrance

 

 

Sofis and Yoshirou entered the south entrance of the royal palace. When he entered, there was a small sense of nostalgia as he looked at the familiar scenery, but there was no time to think about the old times as they were immediately spotted by the guards.

 

"What's that?"

 

A guardsman spotted the two and in return notices the return of the missing General.

 

"Two men?... Halt! State your business... Wait is that... Sofis... General Archae! Have you returned to us?”

 

Sofis silently walked slowly towards his fellow countryman.

 

Who is thi-",

 

Sofis quickly grabbed his sword, Tenebrae,  by the blade and struck down the guard with the pommel. He returned to Frinia not to kill his own people, but to destroy the Eidolon that threatened the world. The men here are good men, and they do not deserve to die. No one deserves to die in the fight to end the war. The guard quickly fell down unconscious and Sofis uttered a quiet “sorry” to the fallen guard. Holding his sword back to normal, he made a loud announcement with his armour gleaming slightly.

 

"This is an attack on Frinian soil. Bring out all of your remaining troops, and fight!"

 

Sofis, ex-general of Frinia has made his return. Troops poured into the square, surrounding Yoshirou and Sofis. They glowed from the power of the Eidolon, but with the power of an Iconoclast they stood no chance against the two as the troops became normal men. The two men weren't alone as well, as Hildegarde is already providing support with her arrows from the clock tower.

 

“Shall we commence, Yoshirou?” Sofis asked as he jumped into battle.

 

The troops were easy to deal with and there was no reason to even consider using his avatar to defeat them. One by one, Sofis defeated them with a single strike. With the flat end of his sword he pushed a couple of troops backwards with great strength and made them fall instantaneously with a followup slash. The enemy looked panicked a bit as the power of the Eidolon was useless towards their ex-general and Yoshirou. It didn't help either that it was raining arrows everywhere on the square landing the unfortunate souls.

 

The numbers continued to dwindle thanks to the efforts of the three, but plenty of soldiers managed to surround Sofis.

 

“Sofis… you… you traitor!” One guard yelled out as they circled around him. Sofis looked around and saw that they were still afraid.

 

“I'm no fool at least.” Sofis scoffed as his armor that his brother once wore proudly shined brightly.

 

The bright light stunned the troops that surrounded him. With the opportunity, he once again struck every soldier - who did not fall victim to Hildegarde's arrows - with the pommel of his sword, knocking all of them stone cold. With that the number of soldiers grew thinner and thinner until all of them were all on the ground. Some of the soldiers lost some limbs and they were as good as dead because of it. But they were all alive, and that is all that matters.

 

Suddenly, the sky was covered by large black dragon wings. It was unlike Tristan's wyvern, which was significantly smaller. With a terrible omen, Sofis knew what was to come.

 

“It cannot be…” Sofis thought to himself in slight terror as he continued to look above. “They let her free?”

 

He saw the girl, the girl named Serin, whose spirit avatar was a dragon that had scales that of the night sky. The girl that was locked up because of that same spirit avatar. As a general, he only knew so much about her, but he was terrified seeing her face to face. Yet there was a small sense of curiosity when it came towards her, especially towards her dragon of the night.

 

"What is a black canary like you doing in this place?" Yoshirou asked as he approached her.

 

".... I don't know...", she said.

 

"Then come with me", he offered, extending a hand to her.

 

Sofis looked at the two, he had no doubts with the Yoshirou's  judgement and wasn’t surprised by his actions. Considering the other Iconoclasts, Serin wouldn’t be any different than anyone else in the group. So Sofis stood there observing as he always did. If she were to accept the offering and take his hand, well the Iconoclasts got another force that their enemies shouldn’t mess with. He also looked around, just in case any of the fallen troops that were previously knocked out managed to wake up again but it didn't matter as Hildegarde had a watchful eye.

Edited by Geo, 27 December 2015 - 06:28 PM.

[Faye]

Serin Noir

 

It is a sight I have seen countless times before: soldiers falling to the ground left and right, some of which laid still as corpses, some other writhing in pain of losing limbs like earthworms on a burning soil. It is a scenery that is supposed to be familiar, yet somehow they all feel very alien to me. Perhaps it is akin to the difference between watching things happen through a seeing glass and seeing the same things unfold before your very eyes. It was.. Strange, to say the least.

 

"... Free at last," I thought to myself. "This sensation, this feeling.. This is.. Freedom?" I continued to wonder as I tried to move my arms and fingers, oblivious to my surrounding. And before I know it, the fighting ended. The only ones standing are the two assailants: one lightly armored, the other covered in thick silvery steel from neck to toe. One having a face that seemed to originate from the far eastern continent of Yamato, while the other is most definitely a pure-bred Frinian. A very stark contrast, the two. Yet they seemed to be working as one.

 

"What is a black canary like you doing in this place?", the one with light armor and Eastern face asked.

 

"... I don't know...", I answered. I truly didn't. With this freedom, I am finally able to do as I please... But what to do with it? I have no family to protect, and no home to return to. I have only known destruction, and death is all I ever brought in my wake. Yet neither of those are of my choice. I have nothing to achieve. Nothing live for.

 

"Then come with me", the man offered, extending his hand to me.

 

In that moment, the dragon in me told me to attack him. He has shown me an opening, a lapse of weakness. Were I to attack him, it'll take him a split-second too late to draw his sword and fight properly. The fight would only last for an instant. Yet I, for some reason, do not feel the inclination to do so. I do not wish to attack the man. Did he put a mind control spell on me? I do not know. But for now, I think following this man would be a good start for me to explore my freedom.

 

"... Very well," I replied, shaking the hand he offered to me.

[Jod]

It isn’t a good idea to walk up to the gates of a castle and then blow it down, of course it isn’t unless you’re Dolce. In that case blowing down a gate is a very plausible strategy, after all when she walked into a room, Dolce wanted all eyes on her. The more filled with fear and awe plebeians inside were the better.

 

It was for this reason, she didn’t bother to reason with Caspian on their method of attack. A rampaging fire man thing provided an excellent distraction. Distraction enough for her to add the awe to Caspian’s shock.

 

“Aah, the Gunnery battalions, this will do nicely” she said, as the soldiers poured in. The had reduced themselves to taking cover, a defensive position right at the start. This much precaution against only two people. Men these days had no spine, not that the soldiers fear was unwarranted. Dolce leisurely made her way towards the gate, ignoring the hail of flak that rained around her. The bullet merely ricocheted off the golden orb of Sunlight Steel, intricate embroidery making it seem like an amber colored jewel.

 

All though she couldn’t really control Caspian, he was predictable enough for her to design a modus operandi for the particular battle. All she really needed to do was fill in the gaps in his approach, doing any more would be inefficient on her part.

 

The battlements would have to go she decided, it would not do to have the soldiers scattered and hiding. So with a flick of her wrist show sent a few weavings of a dark cloud like substance. The thorn and floral patterns that made up their substance, moving delicately as the moved towards their targets, as if blown by some ethereal winds.

 

On impact the weavings, expanded into a matter eating cloud, its vapors snaking its way past any defenses, eating through where it couldn't. As the nebulous cloud's evoprated, the remanants looked like some demon had just eaten away an entire chunk of the stone walls. She could hear the terrified screams of the soldiers as they rushed out of the battlements, their eyes dilated by fear. She chuckled, the fools didn’t understand that nothing could help them.

 

Now she needed the men in the are more pliable, easier to manipulate for her to unfold the next part of her plan. All of a sudden silver light began to writhe above her head, strands of sliver starlight began to collect and weave into intricate and esoteric patterns, the light bend in directions that were difficult to comprehend, and turned in ways that seemed to tear through space itself. Then with a final shudder the loose orb of silver light collapsed in on itself, into a point bright enough to blind the gunmen temporarily.

 

The point then exploded outward in the breath of a moment, glittering motes of starlight silver shooting out and into the area like the last remnants of a star. Soon the terrified screams of the soldiers littered the area, as the small particles began to interfere with their nervous systems, the energy stored in their cells, even their key. All of a sudden their bodies began to move at irregularly, their eyes began calling up dreadful visions, and their minds grew muddled and disoriented.

 

She continued to walk forward, almost disinterested in all that was going on around her. She closed her hands into fists as she collected energy into them, multihued light leaked from the gaps between her fingers as she wove her magic once again. A small swarm of variegated butterflies burst out and spread into the chaos.

 

“ And now for the finale” she said, almost serenely. Explosions littered the battlefield as individual butterflies detonated in a floral fashion, followed by the frightened yells of the soldiers as they ran away from the point of explosion. Maybe if their minds were clearer, they would have reacted better, but not in their current state. The explosions quickly herded the soldiers into a nice compact group, the perfect kind of target for Caspian.

Edited by Jod, 27 December 2015 - 07:21 AM.

[I-Am-X]

Hildegarde "Hilda" Breisgauer

 

"Such a beautiful night it is tonight, seems almost a pity to dye it red with blood." She said it as if in mourning but is clearly not fooling anyone with that grin on her face. Noticing the looks, "Hey, I did say Almost now didn't I?" she laughed as she and the others walked out of the alley as Yoshirou gave his speech. As he gave out her orders, "Oh Yoshi... still on a first name basis are we? Here I thought we were closer and be calling each other by nicknames." she said innocently, while placing her hand on her cheek for effect. Not exactly getting the reaction she expected from her Joke, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "You guys are no fun."

 

Walking ahead of them and stopping, she turned. "Pick off a few nobodies and provide support? Sounds a little too easy but consider it done." After stretching a little, she head towards her target location and began climbing the clock tower. Getting into an ideal position, she searched out for Yoshirou and Sofis with her 'scope', which was essentially a magic crystal with a zoom enchantment attached to the bow. Before they arrived at their position, she started picking off the guards along the wall, starting with the ones closest to their position. "All clear" she reported to Yoshirou. After Sofis's bold announcement, more started flooding in. "Looks like I won't be bored for awhile." she beamed as she pulled back another arrow, this time casting her 'Rain' enchantment.

 

"Let it Rain, Let it Rain!" she laughed as countless arrows splintered off and rained down heavily onto the soldiers that swarmed the square. The good thing about the 'rain' enchantment was that it had no stopping power, so while it can cause widespread destruction, it significantly cut down on the number of 'sacrifices' needed to end this deadly war. Just as she was about to pull back another arrow, the sky, albeit briefly was blanketed by the sight of large black dragon wings. "That definitely isn't Tristian...." she stared on, completely mesmerized by the sight. His Wyvern wasn't that big, after all. Dropping her guard for a second, she snapped back to reality, once the wings went away, and noticed that a pair of rabble managed to slip by and close in on the others. "Whoops, I'm surely going to hear about this one afterwords." she laughed as she pulled back an arrow, accompanied by a 2nd, magically made arrow, and shot them down.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

Tristan Meridus Caelius

 

Tristan lay atop a small hilltop, Isolde sprawled calmly at his side, chewing on a perfectly roasted whole cattle. Little sparks would dance in his hands from time to time as he looked at the night sky and mused. His orders were different, with his ride being the only one capable of moving the big war suit at their disposal. He was tied with Riichi in an assault from above. It had been too long that he had been in an actual battlefield, the scars of the past had healed from his person but not his spirit.

 

"What am I going to find, Isa?" he mused aloud. To her credit, the wyvern stopped chomping on the meat and looked at him with her big serpentine eyes. It had always been a mystery, their communication that is. Everybody knew that Wyverns couldn't speak with humans, even myths regarding mind talk and other bullshit propagated by magi being dispelled long back and yet what Tristan and Isolde shared was something inexplicable. 

 

It couldn't be diffrentiated whether he had honed his instinct like a predator or if Isolde's was a soul trapped in the wrong body but their bond was very strong. Stronger than a sibling's by some estimates. The way he interacted with her always projected his insanity or genius, they behaved as if one and yet they had distinct personalities. It hadn't been long since they had joined Youshirou and his band of misfits. Out to change the world and destory the gods.

 

Tristan had joined him just because of the audacity of his ambition, he had nothing to lose and frankly he never cared for the gods and their power anyway. As the bulk of the party infiltrated under the cover of the night, Tristan was on standby.

 

--

 

Youshirou's orders were relayed through the Magidroid, nifty little things. Once they had been the bane of his men. With their large numbers and seemingly everlasting cores, they were a threat on the battlefield becasue they provided the perfect cover for the Lorainian snipers to fire home. Tristan always mused about the doctor and the super droid. To be in  possession of such talent, he had a little hope that Youshirou's ambition wasn't one made on sand.

 

A sharp whistle got Isolde in motion and before Riichi had time to settle in his swanky suit, the wyvern had already grabbed the suit by its shoulders. A few swipes of its massive wings brought her atop the clouds and so their short ride began.

 

As they approached the castle, the height afforded Tristan a good overview of the battlefield. Seems like Frinian royalty was having a good run with Kouryang, for he could see three gigantic war ships parked conspicously in the backyard. A tap on the head signified the command to release Riichi onto the field as the action had already started.

 

Tristan swooshed across the highest tower and settled on its top, hoping to get a better view of his field. Soon a roar announced the arrival of another contender, Isolde replied with a roar of her own. But the black mass of talons and teeth looked bigger than his sister.

 

Tristan leaned towards her ear to whisper "You don't like your thunder stolen, eh Sis!"

 

Isolde just growled again in response. 

 

"Let's Party then" he announced as he raised both his hands in the air, the very air seem to crackle atop his open palms, soon a malevolent lava like orb seemed to form in the space as hot wisps of air seem to spiral towards the form of the wyvern. The orb soon grew in size till it gave of an illusion that the wyvern was summoning as massive firball in its maw. With a swing of his mighty arms Tristan hurled the orb towards the ground, the orb making a massive Blazing Tornado where it struck. He aimed for the two warships, hoping to put them out of commission before they became a threat.

 

Before they leaped of the tower and dived towards Youshirou. Tristan casting a massive Mana drain spell on the defeated as the pair flew near the ground sucking energy out of the ones downed by Sofis and Youshirou. Almost headbutting the massive black dragon.

 

Next stop would be helping Riichi make some inroads into the palace.

[Shmuser Name]

"East Entrance, okay..."

 

Caspian nodded his head in a steady rhythm, his helmet concealing any hint of the unsatisfied expression etched onto his face. His eyes were glowing amber now from his slight frustration.

 

"Eeeaaaaaassssttt Ennntrrraannnccceee." Caspian lamented bitterly, his voice starting off with an exaggerated, high pitch that dipped and then returned with a healthy dollop of salt mixed in with his tone.

 

His armor scraped against itself as he threw his arms out to his sides, raising his chin up as his anger finally tipped over the brink of his tolerance threshold. He was right angry, he was.

 

"Not. The front!" Caspian snarled in a disgusted and wrathful voice, almost as if he posed this as a question rather than an angered cry.

 

The man had turned on a dime towards the sweet and spicy madame accompanying him, as she was the only audience at his disposal with his verbal outburst. His foot planted itself heavily onto the floor, producing a small and wispy cloud of white smoke that rose up from his boot. Caspian had also waved his hands together in front of his bosom and then sprang them back out to his sides, respectively, letting loose a small flare of fire from his palms and the eye-holes of his helmet simultaneously.

 

"Hey, wait. Heh. If I can get inside first, I-I can get dibs on their best generals...alright." Caspian thought aloud with a low, sinister, husky tone of voice. He narrowed his eyes and smirked, lowering his head like a villain who had concocted a devious new scheme.

 

Caspian turned his attention away from Dolce to ponder his epiphany with his gaze towards the Eastern Entrance. He nodded his head again, this time with a wicked sense of glee. 

 

"Now...I'm getting into this."

 

...

 

"What a fine gate!" Caspian exclaimed, drawing Torment from his gauntlet as he peered the massive doors of the Eastern Entrance from top to bottom, scanning the spectacular gateway and admiring all the fine craftsmanship and sheer might of such a giant passage of security. He was beaming as his sword flashed and out from the hilt came the great blade of supreme fire and absolutely dreadful heat.

 

Knocking things down was always an exhilarating task for Caspian, a man who had no shame in flaunting the ultra-powerful magnitude of his powers about in order to wreak havoc upon things that no mortal man could ever succeed in. Even as a child he enjoyed slaying snowmen, toppling small trees, picking at the weaknesses in the foundation of a crumbling and abandoned architecture till it gave way to the majesty of gravity. Caspian glanced to Dolce in order to ensure she was out of range from what he was about to do, not that the sorceress couldn't just shield herself from his terror with that beautiful magic of hers.

 

Caspian manifested a Volcanic Surge, creating a pillar of lava that broke the earth in front of the gate and blasted it apart with the sheer fury of its blazing magnificence. Globs of lava rained down in front of the now mangled gate, which was blown open and utterly smashed. The stench of charred wood and hot metal wafted within the air as poisonous fumes dissipated while the lava super-cooled. Splinters of wood and fragments of debris also rained down from the skies after having been blasted apart by the fierce geyser of lava that Caspian had summoned by slamming Torment into the earth and spewing forth demonic magic to corrupt reality.

 

"Scorch the earth!" Caspian screamed, running through the gate at a modest speed. He was steaming now after having buffed himself with heat. The minor boost in speed this granted him would only grow as he continued to use his powers, but that also meant using more of the energy his faith in Di-Irit provided for him.

 

Slaying these soldiers was...well...a bit of an issue to Caspian. They were fighting for their leaders, who were fighting a war with misguided motivation behind it. Killing pawns was just slaying sheep that blindly followed the shepard. Yet, Caspian was not someone who could be gentle with his powers, as all revolved around completely vanquishing his foes. His flames were not those that absolved. The poisonous fumes he created through his lava-magic were not those that cleansed sins. If he was going to use even a shred of his power, he knew someone was bound to die...plain and simple. He needed life-force to satisfy Di-Ifrit, but these were just simple men...any meal is a good meal when it came to his lord, yet killing these sheep was not something to revel in. Caspian stood atop the mound of rubble and cooling, black and apricot veined lava created from his destruction of the gates. Smoke billowed behind him, and with Dolce's mental manipulation over the guards, they perceived Caspian as the embodiment of Hell itself...suffice to say he was not dissimilar to a pure Demon in their eyes.

 

With a heavy sigh, Caspian waved his sword around his head in a circle, and from around the congregation of survivors Dolce had somehow managed to create through the tactical detonations of her butterflies, a ring of floating fire was formed. It surrounded the men, forcing them to perspire as the enormous circle closed in on them, until they were all huddled together, trapped and at the mercy of the demon.

 

Caspian was quiet as he stared down to these men. He silently judged them, his blade pointed towards the hysterical group of mad-men who were sobbing and screaming, furious and panicked, bewildered and broken. Yoshirou and Caspian were both men who believed that only the evil should be punished, and that this war would not be won with mindless massacres and bloodshed.

 

"Let's hope more worthy men deserving of punishment arrive." Caspian thought to himself, agitated yet understanding.

[Imnostrong]

Frinia Sewer System - Royal Network

 

In the olden days, it was never crossed Gerard’s mind that one day he’s going to be venturing inside the Frinian Sewer System – The Royal Network. It was not because of the dirt and filth that he had problem with, it’s the foul-stinking-god-forsaken-stench that made it so unbearable.

But now these foul stench didn’t bother him at all, it feels much MUCH more bearable than the stench of blood that flow like a river that day.

He clenched the cape in his shoulder, the blood drenched cape that used to be a white lab coat.

 

It's no use in lamenting over what has been happened in the past. Right now, right here, he with his new comrade in arms is on a mission.

"A royal network, for a royal excrement, yes?"

"King, please refrain from jokes. Master Gerard feels they stink", Eve replied him in a robotic voice with a cheerful manner 

 

"And there you go Eve, joking again as a robot. Great". A small laugh was slipped out of Gerard smile

 

"Ehe~. I'm sorry, sometimes I just forget I'm mechanical too, you know?"  she smiled back at him

"Sometimes I forget too...", Gerard shake his head,

 

She really resembles Avery in so many ways, he thought

 

"I do not forget. That protocol does not exist in my archives", King responded as Gerard planting some charges on the wall

"Bloody robots", Han breathed.

 

The conversation has been going on and on for about two hours, so Gerard can understand why Han said that.

"Hey, you're half one yourself", pouted Eve, she made the face and everything.

"Don't do that, it doesn't suit you", Han retorted.

"Right... Eve, do it", as Gerard finished setting up the charges.

 

"Oh what? Oh right... HYAH!", still hung up after being said ‘it didn't suit her’, Eve almost forgot why they were here in the first place.

 

Right after she punches the wall with her Rex Punch the impact resonated with the charges that Gerard was set up and create a loud BOOM.

 

King's Magidroid was the first to swarm in the hole that just being made followed up by Han and Eve All equipped with Gerard Crude lightning rifles. It was not much of a resistance since the soldiers were taken out by surprise.

 

After the combat ended Gerard and King's main body followed suit.

 

Frinia Royal Palace ~ Underground

 

The distraction seems to have been going smoothly, it can be seen by how few the soldier that were apprehended by Hans, Eve and King’s Magidroid. Although if one can focus and concentrate, they can hear screams and other chaotic sound from afar

 

Good, the others seem to be wreaking havoc upstairs as scheduled, Gerard thought while analyzing the current situations.

 

"Doctor Gerard, the control room will be in the central wing, third floor. It appears an emergency elevator shaft exists not far from our current position. This data was not displayed in any official records, but was provided by Sir Corvus himself. It would not hurt to take a look, as this shaft according to data, leads directly to that control room",

 

King reported.

 

"I see, that can save us a lot of time. Let's move".

 

There's no need to doubt if it was an intel coming from Corvus. Gerard move according to King's instructions and not long after, they arrived at the locations of the elevator shaft.

 

They meet some soldier along the way, but with this team match up there's no fuss at all. If there's any problem it was to make sure every single one of them left alive per Yoshiru instructions, or just 'barely' is enough according to Corvus, so Gerard ended patching up some of the enemy soldier after every battle ended.

 

"Eve, could you please~"

 

"Right away, doc!" As if she already asked for, Eve quickly put her hand in between the elevator door and opened it.

 

"Thank you" Gerard takes a peek up inside the elevator shaft.

 

The actual elevator was nowhere to be seen, it would be a hassle if the elevator was blocking the way to 3rd floor.

 

"Great, I guess we can go from here."

[Inumori]

Castle Bellideaux

 

King was capable of scent. Since the first time spark met gas, Magidroid engineers decided there was value in providing an olfactory sense to their war machines. One benefit of being a machine, however, is the complete lack of effect from these scents other than to know what they are. So from the entirely objective point of an entity wholly unperturbed by such things, King understood that this place smelled absolutely horrid. Eve, also free from the whims of biological response, decided that humor would function as a pleasant distraction for the mostly-biological members of the tech-team. And so commenced a two-hour drudge through sewage and the odd guard post with most conversation being back-and-forth 'comedic' banter between a pair of robotic infants. It rather failed to achieve the desired effect. Mr. Klopfer in particular seemed upset, though it was unclear if this was because the jokes were of inadequate caliber or because Magidroids were the ones making them.

 

Regardless, King kept busy all along this trip. While its main body traipsed through the sewers, several others followed alongside the other Iconoclasts relaying messages for their leader. With the main body there and the complementary abilities of the rest of the squad, the tech group had brought six additional frames. The Eastern Gate team had only a pair of drones to communicate and provide logistical support, as the skills of the members there would find combat frames more of a hindrance than a help. Tristan was aided by two drones that Hilda had kindly enchanted with shield projection. Riichi was assisted by a team of four frames that had latched themselves onto his War Suit for the trip and clamored off upon landing. Miss Hildegarde was accompanied by four frames herself, and they served as spotters and close to mid-range support for the mystic sniper. Ten of the remaining frames awaited further orders from Yoshirou while the last three watched over their current exit strategy (King's stolen technicians van). The information that Kouryang craft were docked nearby piqued its curiosity, but the primary objective remained top priority.

 

Being in many places at once is natural for King, but its main job right now was the palace. The tech team had arrived at their infiltration point. Certainly it would have been possible to climb through the disposal systems into the palace, but far easier was the method of making a door. In this case it was more of a ramp, as Doctor Gerard set charges that Eve would detonate in time with her punch. In an instant fully half of a basement barrack fell out from beneath itself, and King's main body and six frames stormed up the rubble and into the breach. The main body and the other six frames were equipped with special weapons Gerard had prepared for this mission. Lacking the facilities to build things properly, he had produced rifles that fired electric shocks through what was effectively a controlled malfunction. Safe enough for a Magidroid to use at least, and certainly effective. Before the dust from the explosion had even cleared, all remaining soldiers in the room were unconscious. The six frames proceeded ahead to pacify soldiers coming to investigate the explosion.

 

Finally within the palace itself King pointed the way to their target, the control center. Doctor Gerard had Eve take point on the way there. Lacking a stun weapon, she dealt with the oncoming forces by simply slamming them into the nearest hard surface with just enough restraint to spare their lives as the doctor followed behind checking her work. King followed as a squad of frames clearing room to room and making note of noncombatants. It took just under two minutes to reach their destination, and the number of battered palace guards between there and their entry point did a splendid job of demonstrating how utterly helpless they were to stop this advance. Having arrived at the ascent and affter a brief inspection of the elevator shaft, the six frames climbed up to specific positions along the rise and held out a hand. The main body was much too heavy for them and Eve lacked hands of reasonable size, but Gerard and Hans could be quickly passed up the levels to the door while the Magidroids climbed on their own. "I would suggest a combatant enter first" spoke the hulking main body. It was speaking to Gerard and implying that either Hans go before him or both humans wait until the Magidroids had entered. The decision was theirs to make. The longer this took however, the more violent it would inevitably become. Avoiding fatality was a secondary objective. The Eidolon must fall.

Edited by Inumori, 01 January 2016 - 01:10 AM.

[Orcraniil]

Frinia Royal Palace ~Inside The Front Gates~

Riichi Sawa

 

So, let me just say one thing real quick. This whole plan about dropping the large hunk of metal that is a War Suit with the pilot in it behind a gate? Yeah, that was totally not my idea. Clever, yes. A bit sketchy? More than a bit.

 

Before I could even get ready, I found my War Suit (and myself) dropping in altitude VERY rapidly. Somewhere between getting released and hitting the ground I found my composure and landed solidly behind the gate, face to face with five mean looking knights and their spirit avatars. Though I landed and even let loose a battle cry, the knights looked very nonplussed about the whole ordeal. I mean come on guys! A WAR SUIT just FELL FROM THE SKY. Well, let it never be said that Frinian nights aren't a disciplined bunch I suppose. I drew my Ultrasteel Katana and advanced on the nearest knight and lashing out with a hard kick followed by a heavy swing with the Katana. If possible I'll try not to kill them, but the looks on their faces don't exactly say "We'll stop if we get banged up a bit". Regardless, I've gotta take care of them and then crack this gate for the rest of the Iconoclasts. They're relying on me for at least this much, I can't let them down.

[El Phantom]

Frinia Royal Palace

South Gate

 

Yoshirou took Serin's hand and helped her take a step forward. The look in her eyes was something he could not imagine in anyone, as in, they were nearly empty, but also shone with a hopeful gleam. It appears though that Sofis knew of her origins based on his reactions, he would turn to him shortly after affirming Serin into the Iconoclasts. Though as he let go of her hand, she felt herself float slightly into the air, with a strange glow enveloping her for a short moment, before she floated back to the ground. As Sofis would recognize, this meant she was now an Iconoclast too. Sofis was still coming to grips what this power was, but while they felt no different, they cut through the powers of Dogma like a hot knife to butter. It was incredible, and unheard of. Though Yoshirou had more pressing concerns, with Riichi having landed behind the gate, it appears he was taking a little longer than expected to open it.

 

"Serin, we have friends who are also fighting Frinia right now, could you please open the gate for us so we can go in and assist them?", he requested of her.

 

Though, as he would ask her, they heard a large explosion in the distance, they looked beyond the castle walls, seeing a flaming tornado envelop the area behind the castle. They could see it, Kouryang War Airships, two were easily destroyed, but two was all they saw. Within their line of sight was Tristan, coming down from the tower, and soon landing by the group.

 

"Kouryang Airships? I smell something sinister about their presence here...", he muttered to himself.

 

"Tristan, good to see you. Could you assist Serin here in opening the gates? I think Riichi may be a little occupied, but if he manages to deal with it, it's a few less things we have to deal with once the gates open... Oh right, Serin is new to our team", he requested, referring to the girl standing beside him now. As always, he was quite optimistic. It was a good time too, to go over the gates. Hildegarde definitely did her job, the ramparts on the South Entrance were completely clean, each soldier manning the weapons up there and positions were down. It's likely that some were going to be moving to the south gate fortifications soon, so now was best, before they can mount some resistance.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

The Other Side of the South Gate

 

The knights Riichi were fighting were a little more cautious than usual... He was curious why, all he heard of the Frinian Knights were gallant warriors, and up until he actually fights the ones here, they were different. The ones he fought on the battlefields in years past were more aggressive, and confident. But these ones, they were simply determined, yet cautious. Their faces showed the willingness to be tenacious, but their actions betrayed them. They seem to be very new knights. The one he advanced upon managed to ward off the kick, but was caught off-guard by how rapid the katana followed, forcing him to sacrifice his Avatar's presence to defend against the attack. Yes, they were definitely inexperienced. As he remembered, Frinian Knights dealt with War Suits by being the aggressor, not the defender, because no normal human could possibly resist the mechanical strength of a War Suit. This might be a lot easier than he thought.

 

Though as he thought this, one of the knights decided to be braver, and charged him from the side. It was about time one of them did too. The shining knight's avatar lunged from the air, while the knight himself charged along the ground. Almost at that moment however, the knight halted his advance from the shockwave of an explosion, turning to see a large flaming tornado raze the backside of the palace, just outside the walls. The knight knew what it was, it was the Kouryang War Airships, it confused him why they were under attack, although this distraction may prove fatal to the knight.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

East Entrance

 

The waves of soldiers Caspian cleared were retreating, or knocked out cold. They were overcome with fear clearly, though Caspian was the image of an ancient horror anyways, so it was not surprising. His demonic powers proved overwhelming, and Dolce's supportive skills almost ensured he would be allowed to rampage as he pleased. Although as Caspian took another step forward, he first, saw, then felt, then heard a bolt of lightning strike his armor. He staggered backwards, to see an ornate spear bounce off him, spinning violently in the air before landing and disappearing into a magical mist.

 

"Normally people just die when that happens... But it seems I'm going to need to try something else for that armour", they heard a voice from the far end of the path to the palace. It was a man, or rather, a knight. He was young, appeared strong too. Behind him stood a spirit avatar, that looked like a suit of armor with a body of pure electricity.

 

"I am General Aran of Frinia, may I ask your name strangers?", he asked. It was a battlefield courtesy was he was calling upon, usually right before a duel. His spear pointed towards Caspian and Dolce, as the remaining soldiers ran behind their newly appeared General.

 

_________________________________________________________________

Frinia Sewer System, Royal Network

 

Unsurprising, the elevator shaft was not attended. It was in a very inconspicuous location, in fact it was a little hard to find, and they would definitely have missed it without King's data. There were a few ideas to go up it, they can set up equipment to climb, they could have King interface with the magical railing and bring the actual elevator up to use, or Eve could grappling hook punch her way up while holding onto some of the crew for their team. King interfacing with the magic railing was probably best, but if there was someone of note in the control room, it could alert them of their presence. So it was up to them... Should they take the cruder option and take the control room by storm? Or should King enable the whole lot of them up? They had more than just the team here too, King had around several Magidroids under his command here, and if King interfaced with the elevator rail, they could use the elevator for multiple trips unless something stopped it hard.

 

 

 

 

[Orcraniil]

Frinia Royal Palace ~Inside The Front Gates~

Riichi Sawa

 

You know, I almost feel bad for this.

 

The distracted knight may have made a life ending mistake were this a normal battle, but luckily for him Yoshirou had said that he wanted as few casualties as possible. Well, I can only hope you have strong bones, kid. I took the opportunity against the distracted knight and threw a heavy right punch his direction. To be honest, I kind of wanted to drop kick him, if only because drop kicking someone in a War Suit sounds kinda badass. The unfortunate side of that is that a drop kick would likely crush multiple bones, more so than the punch at least. The reason I'm not going to use my Katana on him is fairly obvious. Also it'd be a hell of a mess to clean up. The inexperience of the knights showed through by how easily distracted they were as well as their poor choice in defensive tactics against a War Suit. Whether I hit this punch or not, he'll either be incapacitated or out of position.

[Faye]

Serin Noir

 

As I took Yoshirou's hand, I could feel myself levitating to the air slightly before the grasp of gravity planted my feet back on the ground. He said something about it being the mark that I am now a part of the Iconoclasts. And right after that, a Wyvern Rider, whom Yoshirou mentioned as Tristan, descended from the sky above and landed next to him. He, too, bears a strong presence, indicating his great power in combat. It seemed that these so-called Iconoclasts are made of nothing but elites from all parts of the world.

 

To tell you the truth, I am still not used to all these conversations. Being constantly under mind-controlling spell apparently has taken its toll on my mind. All I could discern from the conversation is the order to open the gate. Thus, with a short "affirmative" as a response, I materialized Penumbra's wings and vaulted over the castle walls. Apparently yet another friend of Yoshirou has thinned the guards on the wall earlier, which makes it really easy for me to get past the supposedly most well-guarded gates of the Frinian Kingdom.

 

At the other side of the gate, it seemed that another fight is taking place. A lone War Suit user versus a company of young Knights. Some of the knights do look quite.. Familiar. Memories serve me right, I think I have attended my earlier knight training sessions with them. Ironically, however, that is exactly how I recognized them as the enemies. Yes, I am a part of the Iconoclasts now. My ties with Frinia are no more that a fleeting memory. A past that will soon be forgotten.

 

Having recognized my enemies, I dived right into the fray. My target is the group of knights standing in formation quite a few feet away from the war suit and its rather brave opponent. Using the momentum of the dive, I manifested Penumbra's fist and went straight for my first victim. The poor soul quickly summoned his Spirit Avatar, yet the element of surprise was too overwhelming for him to overcome. In an instant, I managed to crush his avatar. Using the mental backlash to my advantage, I moved into position and lifted the helpless knight into the sky before slamming him back to the ground.

 

Having realized that they are under attack, another other knight decided to retaliate. He summoned his Spirit Avatar and launched a coordinated attack with it. The taller Spirit Avatar launched a horizontal slash aimed at my neck, while the knight himself complimented the attack by launching an upward vertical slash, forming a cross. A standard combination move taught to all Frinian Knights during their training, this. It restricts the opponent's maneuverability considerably, which made it simple yet effective, and the cross shape seemed to also act as a symbol to Roland, whose icon is decorated with a holy cross.

 

In response, I ducked to evade the horizontal slash, and dashed forward towards the knight. His blade did struck my midsection, but thanks to the fact that I was already too close to his body, his attack did not manage to cut me down properly. In fact, the cut was barely deep enough to get the blade stuck on my flesh. Apparently shocked at my death charge, the knight did little to guard or evade my upward palm thrust, which landed square on his chin. He flew a few inches above ground before tumbling back to the earth, unconscious. Pulling the stuck sword out of my midsection, I sauntered over to the remaining standing knights.

 

"... I am bad at controlling my power," I said in a somewhat broken speech pattern. I am still not used to speaking on my own, it seems. "Leave if you want to keep your life."

Edited by Faye, 12 January 2016 - 06:12 PM.

[Imnostrong]

_________________________________________________________________

Frinia Sewer System, Royal Network

 

"Okay we're gonna climb up from here" says Gerard, there are really no time to waste, not when the Iconoclaust still have the elements of surprise, and every single one of the Tech team are more than capable for climbing such a short distance.

 

"Alright, Doc... Hang on tight!"  Eve almost simultaneously grab Gerard and put him on his shoulder as she said that. 
 

"Wait Eve, what the..... Aaaaagghh" Gerard try to say his protest but his words are interrupted by Eve launching her grappling hook.

 

_________________________________________________________________

Frinia Control Room

 

 As soon as the elevator door was open, the control room on the third floor was quickly flooded with magidroids, and behind those magidroids were a couple of things... one of them is a female magidroid carrying a middle aged guy with a red cape on his shoulder.
 
"Evee~ PUT! ME! DOWN!! NOW!!!" a sinister bloodlust matching those of Adam01 ~ a genocidal magidroids~ could be sense directing from her shoulder. Even the soldiers in the control room were startled upon the sight of it.

 

"Eeeek~ B-b-but th-that was the fastest way, doc." she quickly jump to the corner after putting Gerard down and then twiddling her index fingers. her expressions is like those of a scolded puppy.
 
Gerard grunts as he scratch the back of his head with his prosthetic arm. Its hard to scold her when she wears that kind of expressions, and aside from his dignity there's hardly anything he can complain.

 

"Well let's leave your punishment when we get back safely from here." "B-but.."

 

"King, help me bypass these security system, we need to open all those security gates as Corvus said." ignoring eve's puppy eyes, Gerard quickly take one of the control console and start typing.

Edited by Imnostrong, 12 January 2016 - 08:35 PM.

[Inumori]

Castle Bellideaux Emergency Access Elevator

 

As the magidroids scrambled into positions along the elevator shaft King spotted an interface for the lift. It proved unnecessary to bother, however, as mere moments after being reminded that time was mission-critical, Eve scooped up her creator and literally jumped her way up the elevator shaft, slamming through the door on the control level as though it were no tougher than a pane of glass. King followed with his droids and flooded into the control room a moment later. With suitably mechanical precision the residents of the control room were either shocked or beaten unconscious. Gerard took a moment to scold Eve before calling upon King to do its job. The main body simply touched the nearest system and let itself in.

[Shmuser Name]

The Mail of Ifrit quivered an unnoticeable amount, so slight that only Caspian himself knew what effect that attack had upon his armor. The attack packed a whollop behind it, enough to halt Caspian in his seemingly unavoidable war-path. He had been marching when Aran struck him from out of his vision. 

 

So that cheap shot had a killing intent behind it?!

 

Then he was just going to ask for my name? What great manners you have there, General. Do you always ask the name of the person you just tried to kill?

 

...

 

Fuck you.

 

It's on.

 

There would be no negotiation here. Aran's avatar, an entity of armored lightning, looked over Aran from behind as the two of them stared towards Caspian and Dolce, obstructing them from advancing. Yes, casualties would have to be minimal, but Aran would need to be subjugated first. Would the two Iconoclausts exhaust him? Would they defeat him to within an inch of his life? Hmm...well, if he died, Caspian wanted to make sure he snatched the kill. Aran was a powerful man, his life-force was ample, and appetizing.

 

Without a word, Caspian decided to go on the defensive, for his energy needed to recover. It was almost done cooling off. Torment was raised so that the blade was angled in front of Caspian's upper-body, held by both hands now.

[Jod]

Thud Crack.... A silence fills the area as Caspian staggers backwards. From what Dolce could gather it seemed to be some kind of lighting that struck the man.

She was not sure who it was that had gall enough to get in her way. In any case she would educate the individual or individuals on why doing so was a very bad idea. She extended forward strands of sunlight silk about her like fine feelers, searching for the source of the disturbance.

It didn't take long for Dolce to find him, or rather for him to reveal his location. The lone warrior did so with a display of strength, forcefully dispelling the mist that she had conjured.

The individual was a young man, a knight with relatively moderate armor. Behind the spear man stood or rather hovered his avatar a knight like construct of lightning.

The man in his confidence chose to begin with conversation, as if to add insult to injury. Caspian was of the same mind, she could almost feel his hackles rise as she felt a wave of murderous intent flow out of him.

Still what surprised her was that he was wary enough to take up a more defensive position. Dolce tutted in mild disappointment defense was such a bad way to begin a dance. Men should be more daring she felt.

It seemed it would be up to her to set the tempo in this stage. She called to her, shimmering strands of starlight silk.

"I do hope can keep up with this dance " She teased as she began her attack. Flow into the state of motion from that of stillness in nothing but a breath. She moved sinuously through the court yard weaving together balls of starlight silk. Shooting them towards Aran, a sliver swarm of bees.

Strands of starlight sliver flowed in multiple directions as she continued float out in multiple directions discharged from the sliver bullets as they spend ever faster. Giving each bullet of nullifying a glittering star dust trail.

[I-Am-X]

Hildegarde "Hilda" Breisgauer

 

Having successfully completed her job, there wasn't much to do aside from continuing to keep watch to make sure Yoshirou, Sofis and their new recruit doesn't get blindsided from behind or overrun by enemies. Given the current flow of battle and communication, the new top priority would be opening those gates and getting out before reinforcements manage to arrive and stop them. Despite everyone's power, no one has limitless energy to spare. While the mission has been successful so far, Hilda can't help but become a little bored....and suspicious. "The mission as been easy so far, but it seems to have been too easy. Or is it just me?" she wondered outloud. Things going too well always makes me feel suspicious, especially during war.

 

With that thought, she kept her eyes peeled for potential enemies.

 

 

Spoiler

Equipment:

Artemis - A long and beautiful black and gold enchanted bow assorted with many attachments and enchantments.

• Magic Glass Scope - Basically, it's magic glass enchanted with the 'Zoom' enchantment that aids in her aim.
• Magic String - A second string for the bow made magic. Use of the string allows Hilda to quickly conjure magical arrows, allowing for very fast multi- arrow shots. Can be used in tandem with the 'normal arrows', 1st string, allowing for a destruction combination. Generally used for mid-range combat.
• Arrow Refiner - Specifically made for magical arrow shots and can be turned on and off. When turned on a short cylinder will sit in the main sight of the arrow (single shot only), and refine the actual fired shot. Gives the arrow more life over the distance it travels, and more stopping power.
• Barrier Generator - Laced through the entire bow, when channeled with magic in a certain way, it generates a magical shield.

 

Techniques:

Enchantments/spells:

• Homing - An enchantment that changes the behavior of the arrow. 'Homing' allows the arrow(s) to zero in on the target, allows for her to simply 'fire-and-forget' upon release of said arrows. However,  as it's not a guaranteed hit, it can still be interfered with. This enchantment is also possible as a last resort measure and can be cast on the users limbs albeit at a great risk to the users body.
• Guided - An enchantment that changes the behavior of the arrow. Unlike homing where you can simply fire at the enemy and forget, guiding is a behavior in which the user themselves take control of the arrow and 'guide it' to it's destination for when you 'must' hit the target and there's no straight shot to it and unable to reach.
• Cascade - An enchantment that changes the behavior of the arrow. While it divides the stopping power, 'cascade' allows the arrow to split off into several arrows allowing for more widespread destruction.
  • Rain - An enchantment that changes the behavior of the arrow. A weaker version of cascade but splits off into many more arrows. It has no stopping power but it allows for more widespread destruction. However, unlike cascade, when it splits, it fires down below it, effectively 'raining' down on its target.

 

• Cupid's Arrow - An arrow made exclusively of magic. Mixed with her support magic, it gives the arrow the 'Healing' property. Useful for situations in which she cannot reach and directly heal someone.
• For I Am Steel - This enchantment places a 'piercing' property upon the arrows. Useful for penetrating objects/ long thought impossible to break through normal means, especially via arrow. Able to pierce through/or crack armor, machinery, etc
• For I Am A Unrelenting Blaze - This enchantment places an elemental property, 'fire' upon the arrow. Useful for putting things on fire stealthily, chain reaction destruction via flammable objects, etc.
  • For I Am Destruction - This enchantment, a branch off of the fire element, places an 'explosion' property upon the arrow. Unlike her fire enchantment, this one isn't designed for simply setting things on fire, fire damage and the like. This enchantment 'explodes' upon contact with it's target, kind of like the arrow is a match and the target is gunpowder. It's an enchantment that takes some time to 'prepare' before firing. It is advised to use caution upon use for it is a double-edged sword, a dangerous enchantment.
  • For I Am Lava - An enchantment branched off of the fire element, it gives the arrow an 'Melting' property. An advanced enchantment, it takes quite awhile to 'prepare' it is not advised to be used in battle but prepared before hand, thus limiting it's use. But it's limited use is worth it because this enables the user to 'Melt' it's target. In a way it's similar to 'pierce' but instead of 'piercing' through target, this instead starts to 'melt' its target. Useful for targets in which pierce may be rendered unusable and for creating 'entrances' along with many other uses. While intended to inanimate objects, when used against flesh and blood targets, the damage is immense. Good for assassination.
• For My Heart is Ice - This enchantment, a branch off the water element, places an 'Ice' property upon the arrow. Useful for slowing things down and freezing targets in place (when used enough), especially when used in cold climates like Loraine, it's effects are multiplied, especially useful for stealthy missions.
  • For I Am A Blizzard - An 'Ice' property arrow, a branch off the water element, it's an enchantment that places the spell 'Blizzard' onto the arrow. Like the 'Destruction' enchantment, it takes times to prepare before being able to use, not advised to be used multiple-times in battle. Unless the other ice enchantment, it's ability to 'freeze ones target' is amplified greatly (via Arrow refiner). Like the name suggests, it creates a swirling ice storm around the arrow. It's a spell suggested for multiple targets.
• For I Am The Wind - This enchantment places an elemental property 'Wind' onto the arrow. While it doesn't boast effects like the other elements, this enchantment gets its use through it's speed, which it gets by manipulating the wind. Useful for fast targets that wouldn't get hit otherwise. It can also be used to manipulate the growth of fire, giving it more life.
  • For I Am Thunder - A branch off the 'Wind' elemental property, this enchantment casts the spell 'Thunder (Electric)' upon the arrow. Like previous 2nd stage spells, it takes some time to prepare and is not advised to be used multiple times, especially in a big battlefield, caution (and common sense) is needed. This enchantment basically sends a massive thunderbolt right at the enemie(s).
• For I Am The Earth - This enchantment places an elemental property, 'Earth' onto the arrow. This enchantment hardens the arrow with the 'Earth' Element and slams into the target. It's quite useful when brute force is called for. It's strength increases if used through the Arrow refiner.

Close Quarter Combat:

 

• Razor's Edge - A simple roundhouse kick that's strengthened by a hidden blade in her shoes that she usually strengthens with an elemental enchantment, usually fire. Varies depending on the enchantment used. It's an attack she uses as a follow up after basic punches.
• Sweep Smash - It's really 2 attacks in one, though it depends on how the opponent reacts. It's pretty much a simple leg sweep thats intended to make the opponent step back, however, if they jump up instead, it's follow by an elbow smash that's enhanced via Hilda's support magic
• Charge Guard - A simple counter move that could also be used as a set-up maneuver for other moves. With the right timing, the user charges in when the opponent initiates an action and takes appropriate action by brushing aside an oncoming kick or punch with the arm-guard, taking the opportunity to get in close.
• Front Row & Center - The combo breaker of her Close Quarter moves. It's typically the follow-up to other moves but can be used when given the chance. It begins with a kick to the body, where she kicks off, using the opponents body as a spring-board, flying backwards in a back-flip, notching back an arrow mid-air and fires upon completion.

 

[El Phantom]

Frinia Royal Palace

South Gate, Inner Side

 

Knocked out on the impact of the punch, the knight was flung lifelessly back, skidding across the ground as he did, making not a sound. The armour of the knight prevented fatal injury, but the concussion alone knocked him out of the fight. Though on top of one of their own being taken out so quickly and from a mere punch from the War Suit, the knights fear began to rise beyond their courage as Serin graced them with her black dragon visage. Her warning against them worked, as they simply quietly retreated, realizing that in their inexperience, they did not stand a chance against two more powerful opponents. With this, the gate was but an easy objective, as Riichi stepped over to the levers and with the strength of his War Suit, opened the gate manually for Yoshirou and Sofis. Before them lay the full visage of the Frinian Royal Palace as they began their march inward.

 

"Frinia Royal Palace... I've not been here since the diplomatic visit with my father when I was a child... Tristan, about those airships, see if you can capture one. It can be useful if we have an airship for transport", he said, then turning to Tristan as they walked. He motioned for the Magidroid to come closer as well. He would also remember this diplomatic visit, at the time they were allies, though Frinia became enemies not long after that, it was unfortunate, he always thought it was a failure on his father's part, but seeing the Kouryang ships here told him something else.

 

"Agreed Hildegarde, but I know they have more than this. I've met one of their great generals before and he still lives, a brilliant man... For now, move through the castle ramparts and make your way into the castle as quickly as you can, then reach the castle towers and continue to support the courtyard from there", his orders were clear, but the reasoning was because of one general he knew. At the time he was but a mere Colonel, but now he hears he's reached the rank of Supreme General.

 

_________________________________________________________________

Frinia Royal Palace, East Entrance

 

Aran was clearly a seasoned fighter, many would be confused by the exotic magic that Dolce employed, but he simply responded to it appropriately, fanning the attack with a swirling spear, but the action was not a mere defensive action. As he spun the spear in a single hand, it began to gather an electric charge, as the strands of silver were deflected, Dolce would notice that they were conducting electricity too, and as the silver strands sped every outward, it became clear that this attack was going to become more and more difficult to evade. After he finished deflecting Dolce's attack, he slammed his spear and impaled the ground below him, causing dozens of lightning bolts to hit the area all around him in a wide area. Dolce would need to find some way to defend herself from this attack, while Caspian would be virtually unhurt, but stunned only for a split second.

 

"Very well, I guess there is no such thing as honour on the battlefield for some, in that case I will do my utmost to destroy you two", he announced. As he did, he took a stance, shield in front, the electric charge from the previous attack began to gather into his shield, and his spirit avatar began to transform, turning it's arms into twin blades of pure energy.

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

Frinia Control Room

 

The Frinian Palace control room was taken rather easily, none of them could have anticipated this at all, the elevator shaft that they privately used wasn't even known to some soldiers within that room, and was used only for higher ranking personnel. All of which were in shortage and out on the battlefield. As King effortlessly interfaced with the Frinian Palace network, he could see everything that was under the control of this room in an instant, and every defense. The magic artillery was now his to command, the security gates and even lockdown gates too, and something sneaky was his too, though using it to their end would be difficult, but a phantasmal trap set directly before the throne room, designed to debilitate anyone who approaches in event of an attack. Likely a relic defense from much darker days. There wasn't much else that the palace had to offer, according to information he gleamed, Frinia relied largely on manned defenses, but at the very least he could use the magic artillery and control the gates. The artillery would be useful, but according to the specs, the chances of friendly fire with the status of combat everyone was in was far too high to use right now. For now though, opening all the gates was priority. Likely however, the control room was going to come under attack, in fact the magic surveillance revealed this to him. The forces within the building would arrive to assault the room in 5... 4... No wait, they're already here. Riflemen stood the door from a distance while shieldsmen began to form a wall, it also looked like a mage was preparing to throw a large area of effect spell into the room. They would need to respond to this quickly, especially the mage.

[Diabolical Rhapsody]

Tristan Meridus Caelius

 

"Hello!" he had said with a slight bow to the little lady dressed in white. The malevolent form of the big black dragon receded inside her as she shook hands with Youshirou. Tristan alighted himself from Isolde and went to greet her only to be ignored as she quickly went to pummel the South Gates drawing out her malevolent aura as she took flight for a brief period.

 

Tristan just exchanged glances with Youshirou and shrugged. Ever since he had joined the group, it wasn't exactly a warm welcome he had received. Perhaps, that was warranted till an extent. For in his time as a Legate of the Wyvern squad, he had wronged many of countries and probably families of the members that formed Youshirou's group. He had grown accustomed to it a little. Though, it hurt his pride each time, he swallowed the snubs.

 

As he walked alongside Youshirou and Sofis, he kept on siphoning streams of mana from the fallen victims. Little swirls of bluish energy seemed to wrap his form as he carried on without a word. They calmly entered through the gates when Riichi had succeeded in his effort. All the knights seemed to have suddenly lost their will to fight, seeing the intimidating form of a Black Dragon, coupled with a War Suit.

 

Youshirou surveyed the field calmly before issuing directives. Tristan's job was to secure the warship he had seen in the palace backyard. Though his inferno may have destroyed the other two, destructive magic couldn't be fully trusted. As he turned around to depart, he could see Hilda joining them, getting her own set of orders. Tristan couldn't help but offer her a ride.

 

"Would you like a ride to reach your target quicker, Lady Breisgauer." he asked her in a low polite baritone, speaking into the magidroid that seemed to have been on his shoulder the entire time, he was still getting used to these communication props, before looking at the frail girl in white whose dragon had faded back again.

 

"That's also extends to you, young one." he said. "I am Tristan Meridus Caelius, by the way. Though nothing like what you can conjure I still command a lesser dragon." he said with a hint of mirth in his voice as his helm shrouded his expression. He didn't wait for their answer as he continued walking back to Isolde who patiently waited, this was combat and he didn't have time for proper etiquette for communication.

Edited by Diabolical Rhapsody, 29 January 2016 - 01:52 AM.