Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Apr 6, 2014 19:03:10 GMT -5
As Luka charged up for her next attack, she took note of the door and how the seal was beginning to fade slowly. The gargoyles didn't seem to be able to take much more of a beating either. Perhaps she could finish those off with her next attack? That was her hope anyway. They had three people making steady blows on the door now. Surely it wouldn't be able to handle much more.
Just like a few times prior, the door released a large amount of energy blasting everyone for some more damage. Luckily, it wasn't all that bad. But then the gargoyles released a few more attacks. Luka was hit by another ray of frost and fire. The ice didn't really do much like last time, however the fire was a bit of a nuisance. Luckily, with the constant healing and the armor that she had, such attacks wouldn't be enough to even threaten her. Just a little more, guys. With a passing comment, the girl's persona floated overhead and released a cluster of energy that began to home on each targeted enemy.
The wave of energy that washed over him felt like getting rammed by a truck. Of course, had he really been rammed with a truck he'd be dead. Either way, the damn thing hurt and Vice had to stop moving in order to brace himself for it. Having lost the buffs for quite some time now, and everyone now focusing on just screwing their enemies over, Vice didn't have enough agility in him to dodge the incoming stab from the Gargoyle. He felt his other arm get pierced this time yet the biker bit back the shout bubbling from his throat.
It wasn't enough to put him down, not by a long shot. After having experienced that, the User was just about to send out his own attack against the door that had been weakening when another wave of fire and ice impacted against him and the rest. Annoying as it were, they definitely didn't pack the same amount of power the previous attack had and despite his amounting injuries, the human still stood tall.
Focusing on his mental energies, the amplified and concentrated energy swirling within his hands, Vice then once more launched a Black Viper over at the door. That thing better die down already so they could focus on these two damn shadows.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 7, 2014 6:25:40 GMT -5
Once again, the persistent demonic flappy dragon bird thing refused to stop picking on me, slashing at me with its claws and making me flinch a little, though I had grown used to its attack by now and it definitely didn't hurt as much as the other attacks, like the piercing spears from the armoured wargod and the gargoyle. Whirling about I ignored it and soon focused my attentions once again at the door, which was being battered by the area of effect spells and attacks of my allies. Ran had taken up to joining the fight as well since Holly seemed to rather support with her own healing spells; her debilitating hexes being rendered moot due to the armoured Shadow using the same spell I did to negate it.
I struck at the door once again with my knife, focusing and giving it my all and hopefully helping in busting it down.
Post by Holly Mason on Apr 7, 2014 14:29:30 GMT -5
The seal on the door was getting weak and the statues guarding it were starting to crumble. Their desperation attacks starting coming, so all things considered it probably wasn't that bad that she stopped that shadow from attacking last round. Most of the attacks she could shrug off herself, but that didn't mean her allies were faring as well. Well, that was nothing she couldn't fix. Ran decided to attack as requested, which meant it was her job to make everyone stop bleeding to death. She summoned Anaisa Pye, and rather than her enemies being weakened, a soothing light surrounded her allies and closed their wounds. All of their wounds.
It looked like the door was going to go down soon. When that happened...what were they going to do after...?
Post by Soren Jensen on Apr 7, 2014 20:02:08 GMT -5
The fight continued. Flames from the first healer crashed down upon him. Darkness batted at him uselessly, once more. The other two attackers focused on the door. It seemed he would likely have failed again. He needed to utilize what time he had to gather as much information as possible on his enemies' vulnerabilities. The man from the previous encounter, as well as the knife-using attacker, was weak to his Pierce-based attack. The first healer resisted. This other one, though? The hex-user that doubled as a secondary healer? He hadn't tested his Dream Needle on her yet, though. Would it be another lucky shot? Or would he maybe even put her to sleep? Whatever the case, finding out how to neutralize her would be the major priority for the time being. Once his allies fell, he'd take a time to test out his larger-scale attacks. After that, though, he'd likely have to retreat.
Leveling his spear, Soren shifted closer before thrusting the tip at the current healer!
Action: Dream Needle on Holly
nzLmHHLF”1-4”
If 1, Holly is inflicted with the sleep status. ”1-4”
There was no real tactic for him to follow, no invisible arrow that could point him in the right direction. The battle was doomed, but it wasn't a reason to flee yet. What to do next, what to do next. This was not the question. It was more like 'who should I hit next?' All of them would be able to take a hit, especially as they were all back at completely tip-top shape. Didn't they ever get tired? Ah, that was another good tactic: tire them out. However, at that point, they would be exhausted as well.
Attrition never went well.
Another fire spell swept over him like a crashing wave, but still not enough to down the bird. More darkness, which was once again ignored by the Shadow. It was time for a prediction: Hao predicted that the door and, subsequently, the gargoyles would fall with this barrage of attacks. This was the worst case scenario, and so far the most-likely to occur.
With nothing else to do, the Shadow followed his ally's attack with another talon-slash swoop to Holly. It should be apparent that Soren's target was his own until this seal upon his body was worn out.
With the next few attacks that flew at the door, the seal slowly began to crack. As this happened, the light emanating from it began to dim slowly until it was completely colorless. And then the seal burst outward and released itself from the door, which began to crumble like a pile of sand before dissolving away similar to how a shadow would.
The gargoyles that had been defending the door fell to the ground and began to struggle to stand before collapsing and dissolving as well. Their weapons fell to the ground, vanishing in a strange light a moment later. With that, the guardian to the next floor of the castle had been defeated, opening up a new floor to be explored.
Post by Holly Mason on Apr 8, 2014 15:56:29 GMT -5
Finally, the door went down and there were only two enemies left against the five of them, yet Holly was still uneasy. Not because she thought they'd lose (even if their attacks did hurt her quite a bit it was nothing that she couldn't heal away), but because she still had no understanding of what she was fighting. She should have never come here, not while she was feeling like this. But, she was here and she couldn't take that choice back. She summoned Anaisa Pye again to heal everyone's (mostly her) wounds, and confidently took a few steps towards the remaining shadows. She just had a smug grin on her face and tried her best to show no signs of doubt or insecurity.
"Tell you what, if the two of you get out of here in the next five seconds we won't smash your faces in. Deal?"
Holly was sure that her allies would be fine with that based on how they reacted to the shadow in the sinkhole. It was a long battle, a difficult battle, and everyone was probably tired. If she could avoid another fight breaking out that would probably be good for multiple reasons.
Action: Mediarahan
Roll 2 dodge Lv5aQPoS1-5 1-5
Last Edit: Apr 11, 2014 6:58:33 GMT -5 by Holly Mason
Post by Akira Nakajima on Apr 9, 2014 10:32:03 GMT -5
"I have to wonder if that'll actually dissuade them or not. Well, either way." The boy in drag shrugged slightly before taking a mental note of the time that had passed since his slash on the dragon-bird. He could potentially buff his allies now as a means of deterrent, then address the bird's regained magic capabilities with his scissors, if they chose to stay. Seemed like a good plan. Plus, it'd finally put them back on the edge that they deserved. Raising an arm, the boy gestured, and Alma Elma began to produce an empowering wave of heat over the Users, boosting their overall capabilities.
"Worse comes to worst, though, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it, one way or the other." The words had several intentions- boosting the morale of his allies, demoralizing his opponents, and just generally stating that he had zero issues with following up on the "cleanup" if it proved necessary. With the area guardian and its cronies down, he really wasn't too worried about the enemies they faced, strong or not.
Action: Heat Riser
Last Edit: Apr 9, 2014 10:32:23 GMT -5 by Akira Nakajima
And with barely any effort on his teammates' part, all the damage that he had sustained were suddenly lifted away. To top it all off even, Vice once more felt the empowering aura wash over him. It was, honestly, a feeling he had missed during this battle. Standing up tall once more, rolling his shoulders, Vice felt his lips tug into a smile when the whole taunting was finally starting up. With the morale being boosted up, the biker felt pretty confident again too.
Not to mention that the numbers were finally in their favour as per usual, and add on the fact that they've got a chance to keep these guys from making too much of a fuss with their abilities, well, yeah. Striding up to help form a line for the ones who've said their piece with a confident pose and a matching smirk on his face, the biker just hoped that his own one liner wouldn't be too shabby as compared to theirs.
"That said, the clock's already ticking. Four…three…"
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 9, 2014 21:44:50 GMT -5
I was panting slightly as the seal on the door finally broke and gave way to another part of the large castle. The gargoyles fell with the door too, leaving just the two incoming Shadows as the remaining enemies. They looked reasonably strong (and the armoured wargod's spear gave me many reasons not to engage with that one in particular... flappy demon bird in comparison was only just 'annoying') but nothing we couldn't handle, if we weren't already strapped for resources just trying to deal with everything else. Soon, I saw Holly work up some gusto and confront the Shadows, giving out an ultimatum. Was that really the best idea? Perhaps it was some sort of intimidating tactic, and there's a chance it would backfire. Ran shared my same sentiment it seemed, except she vocalized it. Though she too, was confident about her chances. Couldn't blame any of them.
Meanwhile, Holly had healed everyone's wounds with the same spell that Ran had been using for most of the fight up until now, while once again 'Heat Riser' was employed just in case things would get messy again. Well, it looks like I was already in this mess to begin with... Watching a line form, I sighed with complete and utter contempt (towards the Shadows) and stood alongside everyone else, casually shrugging, but smirking and coyly turning my head away. Words were not needed.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Apr 10, 2014 13:47:18 GMT -5
With those last few attacks, the door began to crumble and the gargoyles began to fade away. Beyond the door seemed to be the way to the next area in the citadel. Though, exploring it would have to wait until later. There was still an immediate threat.
The two sentient shadows that were a bit of a nuisance during the battle were still here. They needed to take these guys out before doing anything. Holly threw out some words to intimidate them since they had essentially won at this point. This however, seemed to be translated as "taunting and no fighting" to the rest of the group. With a dull look and a slight sigh, the girl called out Hel to her side. I think I'll skip the grace period, thanks. Targeting the two shadows that were still here, Luka released a powerful ice attack. She would take them down even if she was going to be the only one attacking. And that's how you do it. She made one last small remark under her breath before assuming an evasive stance for any incoming attacks.
Post by Soren Jensen on Apr 10, 2014 14:18:28 GMT -5
Again, he had failed. Again, an ally was dead. Again, he found himself filled with a mixture of anger and disappointment. Soren let out a sigh once the guardian and its cronies vanished. The sound was distorted, sounding almost like a growl, as it escaped his helmet, though. All the same, it might as well have been a growl- it matched the other half of his emotions, after all. The Users, filled with joy or pride over their victory, got ahead of themselves, spewing all manner of comments at him and his remaining ally. Two of them were so cocky that they wasted time that could have been used to prepare their own attacks. Truly, their ignorant conceit would be the end of them. One day, at least, as Soren knew he would not be able to defeat the whole of them under those circumstances.
"I'll have to decline." He plainly rejected the offer from the healer-hexer woman. His words were distorted and guttural, but they could be understood by those trying to listen. He then turned his gaze towards his fellow Shadow. "If you feel endangered, please run. I'll serve as a distraction for a time. If not, then act as you will." And that concluded the armored Shadow's words as he took in the events. Fighting to defeat them was foolish. He would die. Distracting them so an ally could escape, however, and getting new information on resistances would justify the efforts. He had taken a few magical bursts during the extent of the fight. Lightning, fire, and the ice just then. The darkness did not count, but that at least, almost definitely, excluded light from that caster's repertoire. Even if he took the full brunt of their offensive, he should have been able to last long enough to test a couple of attacks and flee.
That said, he needed to justify the time spent with the largest results possible. He knew the man from last time took neutral damage from Strike. However, he did not know where the rest of the group stood. Retrospectively, for Slash, he had observed the User's neutrality to it, minus the man from before. Certainly, he could have tested his resistance to Slash, but it would have been better to keep his blade as a hidden trump card for the time being. He already knew the man's weakness to Pierce, after all. Therefore, the biggest pay-off he could afford currently would be Heat Wave. Weak, certainly, but he wasn't looking to defeat them, only gather information on them.
Having decided his course of action, the Shadow held out his spear before reversing his grips on it. With the spearhead facing the ground and the shaft pointing to the ceiling, the Shadow held the pole-arm as though it were a baseball bat. Then, without hesitation or warning, he swung it laterally with enough force that it produced a wave of destructive heat that swept over the area and towards the Users!
Dammit. Dammit! DAMMIT! These mere teenagers were mocking him now, standing still and offering him what they would call 'mercy'. There was no blow delivered by them that could be any more powerful than this. The humiliation carried on throughout the fight, so this must be the final chip in the bag; that one piece of chip seemingly in possession of the best flavor out of the rest. Yet, it turns out to be the last, leaving the consumer with this 'ugly' feeling that they would never be able to eat chips again after this final morsel of baked potato sliver. Mysterious as it was, that was how Hao felt.
Amplify the ugly feeling by a hundred times and replace 'chips' with 'people' to accurately describe this sensation that permeated through his mind and essence. His claws and talons gnashed together every half a second, and a black energy that probably wasn't darkness seethed through the gap of his metallic jaws. The seals were becoming undone, and his energies were gnashing and scratching at the chains that kept them at bay.
An ice spell from the only User who still took this whole 'battle' thing seriously knocked him down, forcing him to slam onto the ground. He landed with his all of his digits clenching the castle's floor, and the furious golden 'eyes' all around his body burned with utter hatred. Hao's wings were spread out as a preparatory measure for a counter-attack. But then, the armored Shadow offered to be a distraction. It was an offer that he must accept, else he'll die. Self-preservation above all else. That left his ally to be the target of their assault. Regret dug into him like a drill to the heart, though it was easily cast aside.
The unfurled black wings lifted the Shadow up in the air, above the Users. Before he made the final glide toward the exit, he memorized the form of the black knight. They would meet again, he hoped. He flew above the 'humans', sending himself off.
"Whatever you 'things' are, I'll see you again... if only to rip out your spines."
The Shadow disappeared, leaving them with the echoing, distorted voice of a mere child.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 11, 2014 5:19:34 GMT -5
The armored wargod predictably rose up to the challenge, but I figured he would not last very long before wagering a retreat. He seemed far calmer and more calculating than his compatriot the flappy demon bird, who seemed to flee in a rage. So, such Shadows had personalities as well. I need to investigate this further as well. Anyway, I kept my knife and bow on me as I knew physical attacks would do nothing against this great opponent. However, a destructive wave of heat energy was loosed upon us, but I grinned as I simply weathered the attack and literally... stood there, feeling absolutely nothing from the attack. Nullifying that kind of attack was really proving to be a great boon in and of itself.
Raising my arm back in response I charged it up with electricity and aimed it at the armoured Shadow, seeing as the other Shadow had flown away in a seething rage, resigned to the fact it was utterly useless for this engagement. In fact, I am pretty sure I heard the armored Shadow speak. Otherwordly in nature, as expected, though I could definitely make out clear speech in human tongue.
My arm still was crackling; I had not released the bolt of electricity yet. "Funny, funny," I said. "It appears advanced Shadows behave similarly to humans, too. It's such a shame I can't study this in further detail." I soon released my bolt of Ziodyne at the Shadow. "And it's too bad we have to repulse you for now!"