The Will to Fight: Start

[voidtreckermods]

"Good Morning Passengers, today is day six of the month of Kazoo." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparation

They have an hour or two to prepare. Enough time to read their briefs, make decisions, meet in their teams and gather anything they may need. The dressing carriage is open with tents and other basic camping equipment.

"Shortly arriving in system #86525656412355. Drop order is Orange and Blue followed by Red and Purple. Orange and Blue to doors, arriving in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train lurches as it exits through the void, before descending smoothly to the world below.

Blue and Orange

Arrival

If anyone peeks through the windows as the train lands they will see a glimpse of cracked and crumbling walls, a city on its last legs. As they exit the train, however, any passengers who aren't immune to magics influencing the mind will find themselves looking at grand, sturdy walls, flags with a blue field and golden tower fluttering from the ramparts.

They aren't too far from a gate, depending on where on the train they exited, and the gates are opened and unmanned. Inside, people are going about their business, selling their wares, while children run around playing among dogs and chickens.

The newcomers don't get too much attention, even though their hoodies and combat trousers seem very out of place in this city.

The Towers

The towers stand in each corner of the city. They are solid stone, no windows all the way up. The ground floor is the largest, grand doors leading into a functional yet beautiful foyer, and from there into smaller chambers. Wide, curving stairs lead up into the tower proper.

As they climb the towers they will come to the different levels which are all trapped, to dissuade intruders and train their disciples. They will be able to descend the towers and exit and enter again as many times as they like as they work their way up to the top.

The City

It will soon become apparent that persuading these people to fight isn't going to happen. The war has already been won, the demons were defeated. The world is safe once more. Welcome, travellers, to the Shining City.

Their SCA's show them the locations of the entrances to the catacombs. There are a handful, scattered around the city, clearly designed for quick evacuation should the city defences ever be breached.

Persuading people that the city needs to be evacuated might take a good while.

The Catacombs

The catacombs are cold and dark, lamps having gone unlit for months. Those that are sensitive or can sense magic in any way will be able to tell that at least here the wards hold: no demons will be able to enter.

The tunnels are narrow, able to fit two people side by side at their widest points, but more often than not they must move single file to avoid collapsed walls or leaning pillars. Or, sometimes, piles of bones spilled from the tombs set into the walls. Side tunnels extend out into the darkness, signposts or symbols marking old, unused storerooms, bunkers for temporary shelter, or private tombs and crypts.

At points the tunnels widen out into large chambers, rooms or galleries that have been used as cemeteries for centuries. At other points the tunnels have collapsed or become almost impassable. People will need to wriggle through the gaps or find ways to stabilise the tunnels in order to pass through.

Purple and Red

Arrival

"Red and Purple to doors." The train flies back into the air after dropping Orange and Blue at the city gates. It doesn't go very far; it's less than a minute later that they're landing again. The doors open and they can step out into the destroyed countryside.

They don't get much time to get their bearings as the train flies off again, because coming over a nearby hill is a band of demons, a gate crackling behind them. The band is mostly footsoldiers, with several of the larger breed interspersed.

It's hard to say which side is more taken by surprise, but the Voidtreckers will only have moments to ready themselves before the demons rush in.

Defending the City

It's a wide area to cover, surrounding the city, and there is plenty of work to be done. Bands of demons roam around, most headed towards the city. They run, claws digging into the ground, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. Sometimes they will have a larger demon or even two with them, armed with toxic whips that they use with dangerous accuracy.

Other times there will be smaller demons, carrying ornate daggers, whispering foul spells to drain and bind their enemies. These demons become more regular as the days progress as it becomes obvious that taking the city will not be as easy as they first thought.

Closing the Demon Gates

The gates nearer the city are smaller, and easy enough to find, but the SCA's of the red team pinpoint more and more gates as they open in the areas further out. Triangular markings on their SCA maps indicate distance and direction.

The gates must be closed from the other side, so the first thing is to enter them. Entering the gates feels strange, uncomfortable, as if something were tugging and clawing at their very being, trying to pull them out of their own skin.

That feeling lasts for a moment, albeit one that feels stretched, and then they are in the demon realm: a monochrome world devoid of life, where every step taken tires the body, where even existing is exhausting.

The gates are guarded, so adjusting will need to be done in combat. Smaller gates have fewer guards than the larger, but all will fight savagely to protect the keystone.

The keystones are smooth black obelisks about a foot high, usually stood on a plinth or set above the gate location as a centrepiece. Each can be destroyed by blunt force or any other ability able to shatter stone, and once it is they will have a short amount of time to leave before the gate closes. Their SCA will helpfully start a timer indicating this.

Comments

Q'uila Sunrise | Purple | OTA

[dragoonrouge]

Arrival

For a moment the scorched and burnt countryside is overlaid in Q'uila's mind with a burning, ruined city before she blinks and is greeted with the sight of the charging band of demons. Snarling she summons her lance to hand before flexing and channelling her aether in a manner that is as easy as breathing.

"Those who are fast may want to join me." Blue spectral dragons erupt and twine around her as she rockets forwards in a blur of speed.

City Defense

Q'uila's Dragoon ability allows her to swiftly navigate the city perimeter, the height of her Jumps providing a good view of any skirmishes breaking out. Spotting a much larger congregation of demons than anyone would be comfortable with nearing a teammate had her arching her trajectory and calling up dragon fire to swirl about her body and lance as she collides with the band of demons like an explosive meteor.

"Are you alright? Do you require any emergency healing?!"

Camp

Q'uila stumbles towards wherever in camp the scent of food, she has been dashing from place to place for hours fighting demons and even her outrageous stamina is finally running out. Taking her food she just goes and flops down and starts shovelling food into her mouth, it isn't until she is most of the way through the food that she realises that she has gone and sat right next to someone and given them treat of seeing her post-battle food manners.

"My apologies." Her cheeks flush red and her ears flatten back in embarrassment

Camp

[enthunder]

Lightning had gotten back to camp just early enough that she's half-done with her meal, hoping to give herself enough time for one last run before she turns in for the night. She's still in uniform, her Saber propped up against her leg and a small bag of supplies at her feet. Just in case.

"It's fine." Admittedly, she has stopped her own eating to watch the woman inhale her food, but she knows the feeling. Still, she raises her eyebrows and can't resist a comment before she goes back to eating, "... Try not to choke."

Re: Camp

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila snorts, "Aye, 'tis a fair warning. The ridicule I would get from home would be unending if I got done in by a stew."

Q'uila makes a concious effort to slow her eating as she lets her gaze drift across the fellow warrior, pausing, spoon halfway to her mouth as she notices the Saber.

"Is that a gunblade?!"

[enthunder]

Light's gone back to eating rather than answer, but huffs her own acknowledgement of the joke. They should unwind when they can, after all. Two more mouthfuls before Q'uila speaks again, and she blinks at her for only a moment before she nudges her leg so the weapon tips from her side to the miqo'te's.

"You know 'em?"

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila looks down at the gunblade as Lightning tips it towards the and stretches out her hand to jestures at the weapon, "May I?"

Even without holding it the gunblade is unlike any she's ever seen both from the Bozjans or the Garleans, it looked more like something the Ironworks or Nero would make.

"I have a fair amount of training as a Gunbreaker, 'tis a style from oversees that utilises the gunblade although none that I have seen look like that."

Defense

[bakegarasu]

An armored figure that looks very similar to a dark knight stands among the demons, long katana raised - and then there’s an explosion. The armor chuckles, the sound echoing a bit, before shaking its head.

“Nothing to heal.” It sounds a little bit like Otoha, but echoing and metallic. He lets go of the katana and it hangs in the air before spinning rapidly, carving a smaller demon that’s trying to approach them clean in half.

Re: Defense

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila cocks her head to the side, she doesn't quite have a good grasp on the aether yet but it's tinged with familiarity. The voice does it though.

"Full sure are you of that, Otoha?" She takes a moment to appreciate the trick with the katana, "Has your armour been breeched?"

[bakegarasu]

"Don't think anything here can." As far as he knows, only another Karas' blade can cut through Karas armor, failing injury done to his physical body or disruption of his contract somehow.

The sword comes back to him and he catches it easily. Runes and lines on the sword light up and it splits out, doubling and tripling in width. The large demon lumbering towards them looks up, and for an instant even though it's still day there's a deep shadow behind him that flies upwards, shaping into an avian shape in front of a moon that appears only for a brief moment. Then Otoha dives down, bringing the sword through the shape and into the demon, slashing more times than should be possible with a sword that size. There's a brief moment when he lands that's still, and then chunks of demon collapse behind him.

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila is happy to take a second or two to appreciate Otoha's battle form, the move he uses is clearly flashy but effective. Not that she's one to talk as she leaps up, a burning red circle containing glyphs blooming around a group of demons. Red rings apart in the air the Q'uila descends through, each providing a burst of speed before she connects with the ground and all the enemies explode in a plume of red fire and aether.

"I think we may have another group incoming soon. we should make our way towards them before they can advance any further."

Camp

[averyusefultray]

"I have teenagers at home." She's managing a bit more control, but the best description is probably just... efficient. "We all need our strength."

Proper rest isn't on the table with these odds, but they can at least make sure they all eat properly.

Re: Camp

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila snorts, "Teenagers certainly seem to inhale anything given to them, I would almost call it a magical ability for how much they can consume. Still, my lack of grace means that I must more carefully watch my aether use with my healing."

She wrinkles her nose, "Nald's Balls, what I wouldn't give to have my proper armour back."

Re: Camp

[averyusefultray]

"I seriously considered taking Ezra to a medic to make sure he wasn't a black hole in disguise." It would have explained a lot. "The healing draws on your own reserves?"

"If we're wishing for things we'd normally have in a fight, I'd like air support." She's holding her own on the ground, but it's not her specialty.

Re: Camp

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila nods as she eats another mouthful, "Aye, casting spells requires aether and the only healing spell I can currently use draws that energy from my own aether, the environmental aether here...'tis like a void."

Her ears perk up, "Air support? What would that consist of?"

Camp

[nutkrusher]

Cassie shrugs. "I'm in the Army. I've seen worse."

She pauses, digging into her own food.

"Shit, you should see Tarkatan table manners."

Re: Camp

[dragoonrouge]

"Tar...katan?" Q'uila sounds out the unusual word, "I am afraid I am unfamiliar. Dare I ask what that is like?"

[nutkrusher]

"Sure, but if you ever gotta eat next to one, it's best not to ask what the bones they're picking out of their teeth used to belong to."

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila leans forward with a grin that is one hundred percent morbid delight, "They consume people?! Others must be terrified of fighting them if that is a potential consequence of loosing."

She eats some more of the grub, "I am used to creatures that consume people but dragons are the only sentient beings where I hail from that might have a penchant for human flesh."

arrival

[blitzcheer]

Well, that's fast.

Can Tidus keep up? Debatable, even with magic and the training he's taken to increase his speed. But Tidus isn't aiming to use up his energy reaching an enemy already coming for them (likely, a bigger concern for him than Q'uila). His aim is the gate, but Tidus isn't against entering that initial fray, to help make some work on that wave that Q'uila reaches first.

And where her presence isn't what you would call subtle, with how she moves.

"You wanna leave some for us?" he calls out jokingly when they happen to be in the same proximity; him coming off from downing a demon, his blade in hand bubbling and wet, searching out for another not already pre-occupied by a fight.

[dragoonrouge]

Laughing at Tidus' remark one of the spectral dragons twirling about Q'uila shoots up and darts down to impact one of the demons nearest Tidus as she gets closer to him.

"'Twould be unfair of me to take all the fun of the fight." She turns towards him fully, looking at him with slitted eyes which are now a burning red instead of the rich amber they were before. "Let us see how quich we can get rid of them. This will help."

Q'uila claps Tidus on the shoulder and as she does so another of the spectral dragons turns the same red as her eyes. Or eye. Her left eye having returned to its normal colour as the spectral dragon wraps around Tidus, tethering then together that results in a burst of energy for Tidus and his left eye shifting to match Q'uila's remaining red eye.

"The power boost will not last forever so let's go!"

[blitzcheer]

Whoa, what the even? It's not a magic, ability or gift Tidus has quite experienced before, though the sensation of power inside his body isn't unfamiliar, comforting in a fight. Eyes trying to follow the illusion of the dragon before it disappears, but while he might be left a little bewildered--

"Right!" --he's not so oblivious of their surroundings, the urgency of their fight, and doesn't delay any further. No time for a nod, as three demons set themselves on their path, one jumping to try and get them from above while the other two take the lower ground. Tidus takes the gamble, seeing already how well Q'uila controls her height, and he dashes forward with the Brotherhood glowing with a new energy, throwing himself forward to meet the foe. His own speed and the strength of his blade allows him to strike before the first demon, and dark clouds smoking out, paralysing the demon - but not for long.

But it allows Tidus to meet the second one, at least to have his blade ready to block the swipe that comes for him, allow him to jump himself back.

This is a fight that'll take some speed and smarts to get the upper hand.

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila pools aether in her legs as she hangs behind Tidus for a moment as she looks at the jumping demon's trajectory. Experience and skill makes the process nearly subconscious and the Q'uila shoots forward in a low but blindingly fast jump that brings her into contact with the demon with a crack of electricity and a boom of thunder that stuns the demon and sends it crashing into the ground.

Blue aether flashes as Q'uila appears to push herself off of thin air to change her momentum and follow the demon down to the ground, lance extended, and impales the creature. Not that that seems to have fully stopped the demon as it struggles against the lance and flails at her. With a feline hiss followed by a more draconic growl fire erupts from the lance that immolates the body beneath the Miqo'te yet leaves her without a scratch.

"Tidus!" Calling out, Q'uila wrenches her lance from the ground and swipes out at the other demon's legs to unbalance it and give Tidus an opening.

City Defense

[melodiouspacifist]

Okay. That had hurt.

Demyx had started out strong, really he had and he was wearing all of his protective equipment but really, he'd been at it awhile.

He was breathing heavily, blood trickling from his lip and probably from a few other wounds, his orange shirt is torn in a couple of places. When he defeated that demon with a decisive smack from his sitar he dropped to one knee. He raised a hand to cast cura, but the green light didn't come.

Good time Q'uila. He was beat up enough that there were whisps of darkness leeching from his body.

"Quickly, yeah, I'm totally drained!"

Re: City Defense

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila holsters her lance and dashes to Demyx's side to get a better look at his injuries. Seeing yet another person without proper armour has her hissing, even she wasn't fairing as well without her usual protection having picked up cuts and scrapes along her arms that would have normally been protected by her vambraces.

"One moment, I may need to cast Vercure a few times but we should be fine."

Shaping the aether into the Vercure was still possible, she still had her job stone, but without her rapier the spells seem to take a little longer to come together and the potency isn't quite as high as usual. Her arm still starts to glow a green that brightens and intensifies for a few seconds before, with two quick flourishes of her wrist, that magic is transfered to Demyx in two bright bursts of green.

"Can you still feel and soreness?"

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx wasn't entirely unprotected, he had what passed for armor in his world - a belt and a ribbon tied to his wrist, it just didn't seem to do that much for his skin.

"Phew! That was way too close!" Demyx chuckled. "Nah, not too bad." He rubbed his shoulder.

His sitar was still solid, so that was something too. Not that close but kinda scary, wasn't it? "Magic's a bit depleated, but shouldn't take long."

[dragoonrouge]

Q'uila grimaces, "I would normally have some sort of ether or elixer to hand but," She shrugs, "My usual equipment did not see fit to join us on this adventure."

She turns towards the remnants of that group of demons with a sharp grin, "Make sure to take a few, I shall be fine cleaning up this lot to give the time to rest."

Blue spectral dragons start to wrap around the Miqo'te before she dashes towards the remaining demons with a roar that sounds far more draconic than feline and begins tearing into them with her lance and magic.