middleofsomewhere | The Will to Fight: Finale: All teams

The Will to Fight: Finale: All teams

The Far Gate

Given that people have scouted ahead, it will be no surprise when those who arrive at the Red objective find an army of demons there. Unlike the other packs they have encountered, these ones are not roaming, and don't appear to be heading towards the city. Instead, they are guarding something.

A gate. It is larger than the others they have seen so far by an order of magnitude, and if there are this many demons outside, the keystone must be guarded just as well.

For those who are actually on the red team their SCA will flash up a message: This gate has multiple keystones. It is the focal point for other gates closer to the city. Close it.

Around the City

In the Caverns

Once the rockfall was cleared, those that wished to could make their way back towards the city. They might come across demons on the way, small packs scouting the land and hunting survivors, but for the most part their way will be clear until they get to the city and to the Voidtrecker camp.

For everyone else, there are plenty of non-combatants that need protecting. The cavern itself remains warded against demons, but patrols still pass and keeping everyone safe and hidden is important.

Almost all the citizens have thrown off the mind control now. Some of the younger children have started having nightmares, and keeping everyone positive and calm is harder than it was before with a goal in sight.

In the City

The sigils hum and glow. For those feeding them power it's a very long couple of days; though once the monks are free they join in, brusquely waving off any questions or concern about their wellbeing to focus on the task at hand: protecting the city. They will of course accept any extra energy. The wards are not meant to go out completely, it will take a lot of energy to restart them.

By the eleventh day it is clear something else is wrong. Some of the focus stones on the city walls are out of place, either knocked awry in the battles before the false peace, or sabotaged by demons. Either way, for the wards to fully activate they will need those not giving energy to go out onto the walls, to find the stones and align them. It's not too technical but might be dangerous, because outside the walls, a fight is about to begin…

The Battle for the City

The attacks have gotten more frequent but on the evening of day ten they stop. Silence. No gates open, no demons attack. The whole night is spent in a tense, almost eerie silence.

It is broken at dawn the next day, two massive gates open, one to the north of the city and one to the south. Demons march out, heading towards the city.

Not just demons, they each have two large structures, siege machines. It seems they wish to knock this city down completely, securing their victory over the humans.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tiredness tugs at her very bones, but it is no time for a nap. She jumps, ducks and fights off demons that try and get in her way. Slashing at them as she moves past, hoping her bouncing speed will cover the lack of strength in her attacks.

But then finally, a shot at the jewels again, the foot is coming towards her but surely she can shoot and move. She enters the emptiness as she takes aim...

Even the emptiness can't compensate for a draining effect like this, she's too slow. The foot kicks out, her shot goes wide and she can only hope it hits a demon and not a fellow voidtrecker as she is sent spinning through the air.

She's still in the emptiness, so there's no panic but there's also no control, she tries to activate the grav con but her arms are everywhere and flying is not so great when you are likely to land with a splat!

Choke on that collateral damage! It's your own fault for being in his way!

Zetta had one goal and one goal only: to slam his hammer of mana power into the demon realm and shatter it for the taking.

"Since the Overlord is a coward -- I, Zetta, hereby claim this Netherworld as mine!"

This sort of thing wasn't just idle talk, mind. With such a declaration came an assault on the very underpinnings of existence. A proper Overlord is a fisher king to his domain, bound to it by the cosmic principle of 'power': mana. Zetta's declaration, then, was nothing less that his effort to literally bind the demon realm to him. It might not look like much on the outside, of course -- but this was a conquest on the very foundations of reality itself, one he did not intend to lose.

With his charge gone, Odin pauses for just a moment, before his helmed head swings around to look at Zagreus. His orders are simple - help them, save his l'Cie's comrades - but his time will soon be over. So he does what he usually does, and folds in on himself, shield slotting against his back, limbs and spine twisting like a child's toy - and becomes Gestalt Odin. His whinny is mechanical, whistling slightly around the twinblade greatsword in his new mouth, but his multitude of glowing eyes watch Zagreus with intelligence, as if to say, what are you waiting for? His back, saddle built in and covered in twisting, divine script, is right there. The swords are offered.

---

Lightning, across the field, is coming to greatly appreciate both Alleyana's stalwart defence and Kairi's quick thinking, but as much as the Voidtreckers are pushing the demons back, they're taking blows. She can't heal everyone-- Odin whinnies, and she blinks.

Ah, she can. It takes a long moment, forcing the same level of power out of her crystal that manifested an eidolon, rather than the smaller, almost paltry amounts needed for spellcasting. It leaves her without breath in her lungs, her chest desperately expanding against the sensation of magic overflowing from the space over her heart, but after that moment, she's cradling a mass of light, pink and warm, throws it up - and it shoots upwards in a spray of arcing light. Every ally is targeted by the energy, healing power strong enough to restore them from the brink of death.

"Finish them!"

There's a streak of gold across the battlefield before it slammed into the side of the handless demon's face after it grabbed Piccolo, Vegeta landing feet first against its head and shoulders. He raised a hand, energy charging within it, before letting loose a close range attack of ki right into the demon's face

That mix of energy he had used in his attack against the other giant, as well as that energy draining effect, had knocked him back to Super Saiyan form, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Mostly because he was running on all that built up anger from earlier in their mission. He was still angry about the energy draining, that he didn't have a chance to practice in his Blue form, and now also from the mess of this battle. He's is not used to fighting with so many on his side, either before during his planet conquering days, or even with the Z Fighters, it often dwindling down to him and Goku facing off against their opponent. Unlike certain other's... he's aware that he really can't go all out on the field, not without getting others caught in his attacks, so while it would be smart to try and keep some distance between him and their enemies, going on the aggressive offensive at close range was better. And more satisfying too right now, able to get right up in their faces and deal some damage.

Zagreus has managed to break free of the whips, managed to get a few to safety - and now that this amazing mechanical horse is beckoning him on, well, there's only one option.

Zagreus responds with a knowing nod.

He hops onto Gestalt Odin, putting Stygius away for now and taking up the new twinblade greatswords. "Don't know your name, but thank you," he says politely to the majestic creature, before pointing Odin forward. His main goal is to extract allies in severe danger, and continue to keep a path clear for those still aiming for the keystones, like Emporio, especially keeping a path clear back out of the fray so he doesn't get stuck.

And when he sees Little One go flying, well - of course he's going to try and catch her, take her on a ride.

For the handless giant, it is first as punch and a blast to the face from Vegeta that it receives, the second of which gets the demon to let go of Piccolo, skin scorching and instead, it seeks to grab at the saiyan instead, a new distraction--just what Prompto and Noctis need to be able to initially get behind the demon, for Prompto to climb its back. What unfortunate luck for Prompto, that...

No, the bad luck is with the giant, thanks to Caster. The drillbreaker meets the armour and somehow, thick and with the back untouched and the miasma that still comes off, he will manage to break through and crack it, running down through to the bottom. It does pierce scale and into flesh, the demon thrash around, but Prompto will be able to cling on, while Noctis's sword will leave indents into the armour...but would have need a better place of attack.

But their luck will not keep for their second move, when the jewels on the back of its armour have not been touched, and it takes little for the demon - annoyed on all three sides of these attackers - causes the iridescent jewels to spark, and a burst of miasma will push back all three, soaking into sword and drill and throw off the pair from its back, if only temporarily. No cool guy mid-weapon switch dudebroing for you two.

Still, there is no throwing off the hole caused by the drillbreaker, the armour torn halfway down the centre. And as Lightning casts her curaga, everyone will feel a new lease on life. Still the exhaustion will hang in the air, but now they have a new breath.

Caster may have trouble quipping to a demon that has her head shoved to the ground, but she will have better luck doing so once Death Incarnate puts a scythe through its back. There are not many demons around them, and unfortunately for the ones that have stuck around, ordered to take Caster's life, her bad curses have the most random of effects on those he - or they - have to deal with. Two will come at Death, one sluggish, more like a zombie scrambling over to grab for him, and another is more relentless, crazed and swift - as its scales are peeling over its body. It may be rather senseless, just searching to pounce at whatever target it can.

Another runs to come straight for Caster herself, when its legs abruptly atrophy, and it tumbles before getting close. It make take a moment, but it will pitifully start crawling...

Ken will have fortunate luck in a healer, and with his attacking, the few demons that had been around them have dwindled. Many are heading around close to the giants. All around him may want to move in close to the giants, leave the corpses around them as they are.

For Raven's efforts, between the bad luck and curses being thrown around now, the already exhausted state of the demon she holds, there is little a struggle, though shoulders do heave and shift. But it cannot see where its assaulter is, slow is it to raise its head. While none attack to finish it off and still it breathes, her pinning stops it from any punching and kicking, though it has the strength somehow to start slowly raising up a leg against her restriction. How much longer can it last with that wound pouring from its side?

As for the demon realm, the last great keystone...
The keystone floats, more beautiful, more magical and iridescent than any keystone before it. Shimmering darkly, much like the grand jewels encrusted about on the giants. There is a strong wall of magic demons here, a protective barrier around the keystone.

Emporio, charging into this, may see the reflective barrier that hovers around his destination. Anti-life withers at him and his collected force of nature, but it is keeping for as much strength as he and his Stand can make it. Zagreus with Little One are storming in themselves, and there is small force waiting for them on the ground, circling the platform where the keystone hovers. Is the answer to fight, or to charge through? The magic demons cast their magic beyond them.

Zetta's attempt to form a contract... is met with nothing in response, but perhaps a particularly flashy display with this hammer of his. Unfortunately, he could have the wrong paperwork.

As curaga settles over the team and injuries heal, someone squeaks in surprise, and a "What was that?!" quickly follows. Thanatos doesn't have time to ponder the completely foreign sensation of life magic on Death Incarnate. Not when there are two demons heading towards him and a third towards Caster.

The sluggish demon is dealt with first by Thanatos as he can take advantage of its slower movement to try and slice cleanly through its neck with his sword. If he's able to do that, then he can turn his attention fully to the other demon. If he can't, then his fight is going to be rough.

The relentless demon will give Thanatos more trouble. Even as he gives up the attempts to mercifully end its life, the way the demon moves and its speed forces Thanatos to parry and dodge more than attack. (Even more so if he can't kill the sluggish demon.) "Tsch! No one else is dying today. You're coming with me one way or another." He keeps the relentless demon busy, though, and he'll do everything to keep himself the target, not Caster or anyone else.

~~What kind of a battle doesn’t have proper dudebroing? These demons have no appreciation for style!~~

Their attack interrupted, Prompto couldn’t help but feel frustrated considering his limit break had also failed, but it wasn’t that - he was thrown from the back of the giant that was a problem - nor was it that his Drillbreaker got soaked through, man that was a mess wasn’t it?

His clothes also got splattered with the miasma, he’d had no cover at all in the position he’d been in. “Six damn it.” Prompto grumbled. He looked at his Drillbreaker and made a face, it probably needed a proper cleaning before he could use it again. Back into the Armiger it went and his handgun came back out.

He felt energized for but a moment with Lightning’s spell, before he started feeling that heat, that draining from the miasma as though it was trying to sap the life out of him. He was in the process of getting up, using his hand to get back on his feet but then he swayed.

“...I don’t feel so good…”

The healing spell is welcome, even if Alley isn't particularly wounded. It's still a good second wind, and the Inquisitor rips more aggro off others every time whatever is hitting her goes down to someone else's attacks.

Reliably ripped off, too. Once something's hitting her, it tends to tunnel-vision onto the scarred elf and her crackling mace.

He feels that healing spell run through him and takes a breath, sticking a hand into his bag as he grabs a Snuff Soul, throwing the thing in his mouth so he can restore some magic. As he chews he summons Nemesis, shocking the demon closest to him and diving into the fray again.

He's trying to use his low height as an advantage here, stabbing where he can see breaks in the natural armor of the demons. As much as he wants to be more useful, all he can do is stab more demons and feel useless.

Emporio, surprising probably no one, is still flying. And that region of demons-barrier-keystone is getting much closer.

He'll have a backup plan if it looks like the barrier is still up before he gets there- but for now he's really, really hoping someone gets rid of it.

He doesn't have anything to break it after all- just whatever chemically induced sunlight he's been able to pull together with Weather, along with a sharp bunch of ice. Worst comes to it?

He'll let the wind and jetstream slam that icicle into the barrier wholesale, while skipping out to veer off course a bit; the momentum will keep his speed to a point, but at least he won't crash into a barrier then! (And maybe he can use that time to dig out a potion while he's at it.)

But if it Does go down?

He's keeping his own force behind that ice.

The blast pushed him and Prompto back, disorienting him a little. At least the miasma, again, was more of the same. A constant batter to his psyche, trying to drain and exhaust him. Nothing new for Noctis, frankly. No, really the worst part -

"Oh, gross," Noctis complained. He's going to need to order a dozen more shirts somehow, if the missions - or rather, their enemies - were always this gooey. He dismissed his big-assed sword (serrated edge for optimal armor-slicing!) and pulled out a more reasonably-sized one again.

Right beside Prompto, he caught him as he swayed. "Woah there, buddy," Noctis felt a swell of worry, but - there's a giant friggen giant still around. What would Ignis say? Or Gladio? "You good? We're going to get stomped if we don't get moving."

And he tried to shuffle them off out of the way before they were, just in case.

What the hell?

What was with these incompetent demons?!

How the hell did they manage to inhabit a world that wasn't a Netherworld, and fail to turn it into one?

"These aren't demons at all!" Zetta said, fury manifesting in an aura around him as his mana power raged with him. "These are pretenders! Someone just slapped the name on them! This is an abomination! This is an outrage!"

This was...

Ideal, actually.

The 'demon world' wasn't a Netherworld at all, huh? Well, as it happened, Zetta's plans required a Netherworld, but only at the end. At the start, any world would do, because any competent demon that was insanely powerful and possessed of an incredible amount of mana power (by normal standards) could simply make a Netherworld out of a normal one! All it took was one powerful curse!

Settling down, and letting a smirk replace his anger, Zetta refocused his mana power -- not to wrestle control away, but to establish control, to chain the land itself to his will and his power. Suck on THAT, so-called demon world.

Zagreus has two options, and both look grim. But for the keystone to fall, the barrier needs to come down, and though he's fast he's not Emporio fast. But he can make damn sure Emporio gets to his destination, if he could just find a way there.

Then he gets an idea. Horses can leap, right? If he can just vault them over the group at the front, then maybe he can break the line of mages at the back, and remove the barrier. He briefly glances down at Little One in front of him on the saddle, telling her simply, "Hold on tight, if you can get a shot in, take it. I'll cover you, my friend."

Then Zagreus lines up Gestalt Odin for the maneuver. "Fast as you can, mate," he says to the mecha-horse with a friendly pat to his withers, before charging toward the mass of demons with swords drawn. But instead of attacking head on, he shouts, "Now!", hopefully misdirecting the demon fighters in a feint.

And he takes the leap, his blades directed instead toward the mages, ready to cut them down.

Raven is definitely under a strain, between her will and the one-eyed Giant's. But she is going to focus, and let her anger and frustration and annoyance fuel her powers further. "No...you... don't!" Redoubling her efforts to bind and hold the giant in place. A silhouette comes up around her of her astral self--a great dark-energy raven, with claws spread out and grasping. As if to help her hold the giant in place.

Getting off a quip is the most important part of being a smooth-talking annoyance in the side of everybody everywhere. Even when hurt and in pain, that's how you let your enemy know you're not beaten.

Well, death-lite over here was helping by killing the demons who stood against her. That works too.

"Keep 'em busy!" she tells him, gathering her mana for another big curse. The targets? Whatever giant demons still stand. Just enough to bring them down to earth, really.

This is her only real offensive option, since her Noble Phantasm could only weaken abilities and items used against her.

....well, that and physical strength. As a Caster, she's not strong compared to other classes of Servant. But compared to most people, she's superhuman, especially hopped up on this much mana. That won't be useful against those giants, but.

She punts the crawling demon once it's close enough. "Gross."

Kairi was a little relieved about how she was healing people and so her main focus was now going to be focusing on those who needed healing.

You get healing, you get healing, you all will get healing. It was the least she could do, but was slowly finding out she was going to be running out of MP rather soon.

She doesn't go splat. That's a bit of a surprise but she quickly gets her bearings, this is Lightning's horse but it is not the priestess riding it, rather the man she met in the kitchen.

It seemed he was much more effective at fighting than cooking. Luckily. She nodded at him and held on tight with one hand, pistol in the other.

Taking a shot from on top of a flying horse was something she had never done before, but she wasn't about to give in, to not try. So as they leap and faint she aims for the mages, one, two, three shots in quick succession, using the emptiness for its best use, keeping her mind clear and helping her aim. Hopefully one of them hits!

Cool quips are denied. Dudebro moments are denied. Zetta will need to spend some time continuing to do what he is - the demon realm doesn't seem to be giving him any response, even with the outpour of mana. Will he also be denied, or will he not?

Thanato's blade goes through the demon successfully, but the frenzied demon is illogical, grabs at him with its claws and if isn't thrown off, will start to dig in with them with surprising strength. Desperation can go far. Claws can go even deeper. Caster's bop to the demon's head is sufficient, but as for her spells...

Blood spurts out more from the open wound on the handless giant's back, like a searing stabbing pain that has the giant thrash one at the shock of the pain. Anger courses through it, and it grabs the scythe it had set down, still with its rows of jewels set in the stone, never targeted. The giant doesn't raise it as it has before, but instead swings it with the jewels set to face the battlefield that everyone not behind the giants is on. With the great swing, out from these jewels...

Come an array of large spheres of anti-life, creating a bullet hell. They start spreading across the field, new rows being created with each new swing of the giant. They are neither fast nor slow, and they are hard to take down - but may burst with a strong enough hit, especially of light. But don't be close, when the act of bursting them causes a release of poison and drain into the atmosphere.

Prompto and Noctis are out of the way, safe from this. But not from complete danger, as a whip reaches out to try and slash Noctis across the face, another charging in with an attack coming, aimed at the Prince too!

Up in the air Raven is safe, but she is fighting hard to keep the one-eyed giant still. It is a battle of will and strength from both sides; the half-demon sorcerer making the demon struggle, even though it does slowly rise. Up on one foot, then the other...its head is bowed as if being pushed from above by gravity itself, but it lifts its arms, shaking. It is trying, if not yet near to, to reach out for where Raven is. She is in no threat right now, but...

Inside the demon realm.

It is a race to the keystone, where the demons have become alerted to the danger approaching from the skies and from ground. Who will reach first? With Emporio propelled by wind from Weather Control and from outside the realm, and Zagreus and Little One being thrusted forward at a fast gallop.

Fast sprinting demons are already running in to meet Zagreus, the whip wielders readying their weapons. Already the magicians are throwing out chains of anti-life out at both Emporio and the trio, that will whip and tangle around them if they connect.

But Zagreus's plan will go off, and it will be Odin who reaches troops first, knocking whip users and magicians back. The sprinters are scrambling, making a run back to where they should be.

It is a mess of demons around the trio, and they will need to act faster. A whip wielder slashes with its deadly weapon at Odin's legs from where it's been knocked to the ground, another standing, coming over to grab at those on the eidolon. One sorcerer throws out a chain of anti-life around Odin's neck, tugging it and causing an agonising drain on the summon in an attempt to end its existence quick. There is no holding back now, no time for games.

The barrier still stands. Will Emporio hit into it, or does he still have time?

There's not going to be much time here, so Caster has to prioritize. First priority is this pale, death-like twink that's been helping her out. "I know I said to keep their attention, but," she moves in, mana giving her speed to cover the short distance between them, "I think this one is growing too attached." A sickly green glow covers her hand, and she shoves it into the demon's face (with a little anime hop if it's taller than her), combining a curse and a blow not all too different from the one that a demon did to her not too long ago, hoping to literally shove it off and away.

That's.... about all she has time for before she has this bullet hell descends. Thankfully, this is definitely the kind of large, indiscriminate ability that her Noble Phantasm can weaken. The question is, even if lowered by magnitudes, how much power is going to be left in it?

"If you've got any more tricks, now would be a good time." Otherwise, it's going to be all she can do to try and move around these giant balls of anti-life. Thankfully, she's back to full health thanks to all this healing magic, and with as much mana as she's absorbed she's full of energy as well. Let's hope it's all enough.

Zagreus does not hesitate. Anything attacking Odin will have dual greatswords swung at their limbs, their necks, any spot that he can slash at that will cause massive damage. He particularly focuses on the sorcerer with the chain, because if Odin falls, he has no way of extracting Little One or himself. Emporio, at least, is safe from the mages' ire.

He has to dismount, at least temporarily, if he's going to deal the most damage to the sorcerors, and hopefully the barrier. Zagreus fights like a God, his strikes true and quick, as Lightning's Haste still affects him. He will not let Little One be targeted, but he will try to leave her openings if he can.

But that barrier has to go. The keystone being destroyed is the thing that will turn the tide of this battle, and Zagreus knows that. Any shot he can take to destroy the barrier, or even weaken it, he has a Bloodstone and Lightning's greatswords ready. But until then he's got several demons to tango with.

Ken is fast. Ken is agile. Ken is also in the middle of this bullet hell, and has a weakness to dark attacks. He dodges and rolls around some of them, but there's too many. He gets hit by one, then another, and another...

He feels his skin blacken, vitality draining out of it. His vision grows fuzzy, and he drops to his knees, his spear falling to the ground beside him. He presses his Evoker to his head and lets out an anguished scream of rage and pain, pulling the trigger again and again and again to cast Hama on the spheres heading towards other people, the light-based spell wrapping seals around them before bursting into light.

Maybe he'll be hit again. Maybe he'll run out of magic first. He doesn't know. He's not sure he cares at the moment. All he can think of is punishing the ones doing this, causing this pain, draining the life out of everything.

Breathing is hard, but that's fine. Just keep firing.

Once, Thanatos darkly said to Zagreus that he was the opposite of the Prince. He wasn't very good at escaping things. He was good at being captured.

The frenzied demon lunges forward, knocking into him and forcing him to touch the ground. Claws grip his forearms. Golden ichor bleeds from those claws, but Thanatos doesn't feel the pain.

He doesn't scream aloud, but his body language speaks for him. His eyes are wide. His body goes rigid. His heart races. He can't catch his breath despite not needing to breathe. He feels shackles, hears a kind voice apologizing. (Liar!) His vision goes dark. Enclosed. Trapped. I failed everyone. No one's coming. Why isn't anyone coming? Don't they know where I am?! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I failed! I'msorryimsorryimsorryimsorry!

Mort squeaks rapidly. Not alone! Not alone! Let me go let me go Not alone! Let go let go letgoletgo Not alone! LET ME GO! NOT ALONE!

Caster's hit and curse to the demon's head spurs Thanatos out of being frozen in terror and into action. If Thanatos is able to shake off the demon thanks to her curse, he'll shift himself above it and drive his sword through its body using gravity and wings to add more force.

If Thanatos is unable to shake off the demon, then he and the demon go through a series of rapid shifts higher and higher, bell tolling each time, until Thanatos then dives down from the sky and smashes the demon on the ground/boulder/another demon/whatever he can find. He doesn't care what state he's in after. Not as long as it lets go!

Mort will continue to squeak at Thanatos the entire time.

Raven narrows her 4 red eyes, fists clenched, and her astral self's talons grasping. Holding on to the demon even as it's fighting her. She really hopes the others can take the Handless giant down, because she definitely needs help with the One-Eyed giant.

Impossibly, fantastically-

There is still time.

Not quite because Emporio had it, however. The chains are coming right toward him after all, and after all, they will whip and tangle if they connect.

It takes a hell of a swerve off course to avoid that.

It's not one he can't return from however. It's one that's dire enough that he can turn his head and see the ones fighting for the barrier mind, but it's one he can return from and that's key. Like a boomerang, he's veered off in a seemingly useless direction, only to use that energy to coast him back on track toward the keystone.

Hopefully that barrier goes down before he has to Really hit it though. (But at least he's probably drawn some heat perhaps?)

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