Xaltwind
Cookie
The Otter
Noctis
Ladypug
sovlereign
TokyoPewPew
High Moon
mickilennial
Estylwen
Mirie Agustria of the Grand Bank,
Duchess of CaelinGrand Bank, Agustria House\\
@Estylwen, @Donut Look Now
The window stood no chance. Even without the aid of the ring, it was just regular frosted plate glass against a heavy porcelain pot. With a resounding crash, the glass completely shattered as the pot flew out the window, crashing onto the ground below, although jagged shards remained in the frame. The bathroom, conveniently enough was on the first floor so escape was possible, but Mene’s egress by self-defenestration was hindered by the tall hedges and shrubs just outside. The perimeter fence remained beyond. For a moment, there were no guards, but they would come soon from the obvious chaos.
Outside, the maids immediately reacted on hearing the noise, their muffled noises yelling through the door as one tried the lock.
“Hey!! What are you doing in there!?”
“Nothing good. Move!”
There were sounds of a brief scuffle as one shoved the other out of the way.
Then an axe crashed through the door.
--
At the same time, Mirie was still greeting ‘Asteria.’ With a wave at her staff, the two maids left the room, remaining outside as guards. With a smile, she nodded at the girl, although it was slightly strained as she mentioned her household staff. They had been instructed to remain polite but firm, but given the intrigue she had involved them in, the situation could still change at any time. It was strange that Mene did not accompany Asteria—suspicious, even, but it gave her time alone with Laurent’s pet shapeshifter.
“Yes, I did receive a message,” she confirmed, before dropping a bomb. “More than one, in fact…” The duchess picked up the note from the queen, sliding it across the desk for the disguised Nyx to briefly read before taking it back. It was the one that indicated the queen wanted the twins dead.
“Your position is compromised, and you can see my own options to protect you and Mene are limited. For the time being, I may have to keep you two here, but I have a plan.”
Then, of course, all hell broke loose.
Swiftsure, At Sea, Several Days Later, Afternoon\\
@Estylwen, @Irradiant
For a moment, it looked like Mirie and the countess’s coordination and effort, combined with Sir Hayworth’s sudden intervention had dispatched the ghost king’s right-hand woman. It quickly became obvious that it wouldn’t so simple to defeat the inhuman ghost as she suddenly responded in a flurry of activity. Acting on instinct, Minuette immediately opened the distance between her and Valor, though it quickly became obvious that it wasn’t that kind of attack as she was snared by cube-like magical prison. For a moment, she was caught, but acting independently, she mimicked Sir Hayworth in simply smashing through the construct with raw power.
Her eyes flicked across to Mirie, expecting but nonetheless relieved that the duchess was unharmed. Her shields had remained in place around her, the two forces clashing against each other before Mirie concentrated and expanded her defenses until the golden cube shattered. Seeing Hayworth rocket up to greet them, she nodded at him. The method of her magic made it difficult to directly communicate as he did, but her intentions were clear anyway.
This time, she readied her own sword as Minuette brought her own weapon up at the ready, fusing magical energy into her own weapon before they rushed Valor as a trio.
This particular Ravenfell threat would end here.
--
Above the surface, things had gotten better for Admiral Hamilton. He was pleased with the coordination of the fleet, forming up in the pseudo air-defense formation that he had ordered. Crisscrossing lines of fire into the air, all laced with canister shot buffeted the sky with metal shrapnel. Now that the mages had recovered, some of it was directed by magic and complimented by spellfire of their own, and it didn’t take long for the large hulking target that was Jikoryss to finally take a crippling hit.
Aboard the Swiftsure, the crew erupted into a sheer as they observed the smoldering lightning dragon plummet towards the sea.
The Admiral’s eyes were not on the falling dragon, though, but the other threat that remained in the air. His eyes tracked Faith, wondering what the man was doing, before he too plunged into the ocean. Had he been hit?
No, that descent had been too controlled, too coordinated. An escape? Rescuing the dragon? Joining the fight below? The scenarios ran through his head, but he had a bad feeling. The air battle was well in hand—the fleet, and Swiftsure was now far more vulnerable from below than anything.
“Shields!” He swiftly ordered to the commander of the mage corps. “Shields, now!”
The mages just barely had the time to reinforce the ship before a massive impact came from below, rocking the ship with a shockwave that threw everyone off their feet once more. With a massive spray of water from below, the lance had hit, the explosion throwing the ship upwards as if it had just crested a wave before the ship came smashing down again. Thrown about, the ship continued to rock, its mast tops swaying about as if it were a small sailboat in a storm.
“Damage report! I want crews below, now!” He bellowed, even as men picked themselves up and began to grab spars and canvas on instinct. Below, the hold began to flood, but Hamilton’s timely action had prevented the damage from being critical. Faith’s attack had caved in a part of the hull, but between the copper sheathing and the half-formed protective spells, it was not a truly gaping hole. Men immediately began to move in, pressing canvas against the leaks and bracing the hull with wooden spars.
Hamilton knew the ship couldn’t take too many more of those hits, but now they were more prepared. His mages would be kept busy trying to protect the ship, but the fleet was still there with their own men.
He gave the order to send another flag signal.
