FujiwaraPhoenix

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

Elise Kim

The Horizon

It had taken Elise a moment to realize what Xuan-Yu was actually planning after he had spoken, but the Pilot had barely managed to restrain the expression that would've crossed her face otherwise. Internally, though, she was kicking herself over thinking that the Chinese man in front of her could have actually managed to down that many beers on his own and wasn't actually doing something more altruistic for the people holding out on the ground. With their own fights settled, it would ultimately be up to them to continue to hold what had been taken back, though. Though she felt bad about assuming something more self-centered at first, the young woman didn't feel it was right to longer on something so petty as that.

There were other plans afoot anyways, it seemed.

"Well, then I'll go pick up some edamame from the kitchens. Seems only right to pair with that," she said, waving to the other Pilot as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Of course, by the time she had emerged with what she had set out to retrieve—a few containers of boiled and salted edamame—Xuan-Yu was gone from the mess hall, no doubt already making his way to the hangar. Not wanting to be left behind, the half-Korean woman quickened her pace, plastic containers somewhat precariously held in the bags she was carrying in her hands.

Whether it was by good fortune or speed that she managed to catch up with the other Pilot in time before he left didn't matter so much as the fact that he was still present in the hangar. Though only slightly out of breath, Elise made her way over to where Xuan-Yu was and gently placed the bags in hand next to the beer...

Only for Xuan-Yu to comment on her appearance. At that, Elise glanced down at what it was she was wearing and considered where it was that they were supposed to be headed before a blush of embarrassment crossed her face.

"Ah... Right. I'll go change, if you don't mind waiting," she said, rubbing the back of her head as she stepped off of the aircraft. As she turned to go leave, though, the young woman ended up face-to-face with Louisa... Who, given her words, was possibly misunderstanding the situation.

Or not. Given how she had already been off the mark with one assumption for the day, doing so twice would likely be little more than folly.

"I... Don't believe you'd be interrupting anything?" Elise said before promptly slipping past her co-worker and heading towards the door, "I'm just going to be right back. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes, I think?"

At the very least, swapping her shorts out for a set of jeans and getting a jacket to wear over her shirt wouldn't take too long, right?

@VitaVitaAR@ERode@Laduguer

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

Elise Kim

The Horizon — Mess Hall

With the battle in Saitama complete, Elise gave herself some time to breathe as the helicopter ferried her and her allies back up to the airship above. This was the first "real" mission that they had been put towards, and their success was more than just a boon towards their egos.

A victory, of course, meant a celebration was in order, and the congratulations of the staff as the triumphant Frame Pilots returned showed that they likely thought much the same.

First on her to-do list, however, was to wash up; though the others had fought major Warped threats on their own, it was likely that the one that they had fought would have done more mental damage in the long run. There were people flying down all the same to try and carve up their corpses (or what remained of them), and Elise pitied whoever was going to be sent to deal with the centipede and its foul bile-like liquid, but hopefully it wouldn't suddenly spring back to life and murder everyone.

That would be... Less than ideal.

After spending the time washing herself off in a hot shower and scrubbing anything that had managed to stick to her in spite of how long she had spent flying around, Elise dried herself off and changed into something a bit more casual—a T-shirt and shorts. The day had worn on her (as it likely had everyone, to some extent), but that didn't mean she was thinking of simply passing out and eating later.

After making her way to the mess hall to pick something up for herself, Elise found that most of her fellow Pilots had similar ideas in mind; a few were off to the side in a manner reminiscent of her halcyon days in high school gushing over food, but what caught her eye was Xuan-Yu carrying a few boxes of beer on his shoulders. It was no question as to what he was planning on doing, but after the insanity that was today, the half-Korean girl had half a mind to join him. Never mind that he likely wasn't going to drink all of it on his own, of course, but compared to gorging herself on sweets, food and alcohol seemed a lot more appealing.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" she asked, casually strolling towards him as she looked at the boxes again, "I can go get some food and snacks, too, if you wouldn't mind."

@ERode

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

Elise Kim

Saitama Prefecture

With her shot finding its mark upon the insectoid Warped, Elise let out a sigh of relief and let her shoulders relax ever so slightly. The most pressing problem in their path had been dealt with—as had most the others', given the current visuals on her HUD—which meant that they could return to their job of sweeping the area clear of enemies.

"I suppose we clean up after whatever Hoshiko leaves behind," Elise responded, switching back to her live ammunition before promptly raising her weapon back up to her shoulder. "Mission's not over until we get the all clear, so let's hurry up and kill the rest of these things so we can head back and wash off."

@JDubs

---

As the komainu rushed headlong towards the one target it could still see, its gait began to visibly falter. The poison Xuan-Yu had left to fester in its body was leaving its mark, now more than ever, and the heat washing off of the Warped was no longer strong enough to blacken the ground beneath. The single-minded determination it held seemed to matter less and less as it approached Louisa, and when it finally had reached her, the beast was all but spent.

One last attempt at a swing was all it could muster before the creature collapsed in front of the Frame Pilot, unable to bear the weight of it's own body any longer. Though not yet deceased, the Warped no longer had the strength to fight any longer.

A swift stab would be enough to put it out of it's misery.

@Laduguer

---

---

With the death of the larger Warped in the region and the continued support of the Frame Pilots with them, the Japanese offensive to retake western Saitama continued with little further issue. It seemed that the monsters were left with little else after the four that had attempted to stymie the effort were slain, what with the remaining enemies only barely able to offer any further resistance beyond pure numbers being thrown at the infantry on the ground.

Luckily, cleaning even those up would be child's play to the group compared to what they had just slaughtered.

As night began to fall and a defensive perimeter began to be established, though, a helicopter would descend from above to pick up the Frame Pilots and return them to The Horizon. With the operation in northern Saitama seeing similar success and Japanese Frame Pilots arriving onto the scene for their intended night operations and defense, their job was done for the moment. The necessity of their presence to continue pushing west remained to be seen, of course, but given the information being relayed to them, retaking the forests and mountains was of far less importance than the formal residential areas next to Tokyo.

In other words, the mission was likely all but complete, which would leave the Frame Pilots free to wind down in the skies above. As to what they would do after night fell remained to be seen, but success would likely see spirits high—not just among them, but the staff as well.

@VitaVitaAR@Izurich@Medili@ERode@Laduguer@Mole@JDubs

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

Elise Kim

Saitama Prefecture

The sight of actual blood being spilled by the Warped meant that their efforts were at least showing some meaningful sign of progress, which was honestly the best they could have hoped for. The virtual HUD in her peripherals showed that the others were dealing with similarly problematic Warped, and the call-in from Pyralis showed that at least one group amongst them was better off than they for the moment.

"I—"

Elise attempted to respond to the offer of aid, but Norika seemed to have no part in it. Given how well she was faring, such an offer would likely have been unnecessary, but if it helped resolve the situation faster, then all the better.

With that said, the call for help from the Seraphima left Elise without any worries about whether or not they could handle the beast (they clearly could), but rather to distribute people where they were needed instead of focusing solely on their positions as the vanguard.

"...We should be able to handle this one on our own," Elise said, her words directed at herself as much as they were at Norika and Pyralis as she swapped out the bullets she had been loading into her rifle for something a fair deal more powerful. "Replacing live ammunition with light rounds. Aiming for the hea—!"

Before she could finish her sentence, another wave of whatever vile liquid the Warped had in store was launched at the two, and Elise barely managed to slip out of the way to dodge it. A bit had barely managed to clip one of her wings, but inorganic as it was, it seemed to roll off harmlessly.

With that said, cleaning up afterwards was probably in her best interests.

After taking a few moments to recenter herself, the Frame Pilot brought her weapon up to her shoulder and took aim at the Warped's head from above.

"As I was saying..." she said, eyebrows furrowed as a small sphere of light seemed to be forming from within the barrel of her weapon, "Aiming for the head—or whatever might pass for one on this thing. Don't get caught in the crossfire."

And with that, Elise pulled the trigger and fired.

What had formed as a small ball of light instantly turned into a thin, momentary laser that pierced through the Warped, well beyond where most of her other bullets would have stopped. Whether or not it mattered in the long run remained to be seen, but hopefully Norika would be able to carve up the rest of the monster as it recovered from the attack if it wasn't already dead.

@JDubs

---

With the birdlike Warped most certainly dead after having its head pulverized into the ground below, the smaller Warped around it seemed to hesitate for a moment before the group seemed to split up. Some continued to charge at Hoshiko, apparently ignoring the beast she had just felled without so much as a scratch; others, however, seemed to be retreating—a wise decision, in many respects, but an odd one in the face of what the Warped tended to do.

Not like it was any reason to be worried at the moment—fleeing enemies meant less bodies to have to clean up, after all—but the day was still not yet won as the young Frame Pilot chose to stall the remnants of the horde as her partner flew off to provide aide to their allies.

@VitaVitaAR

---

Seeing its prey disappear before its eyes left the komainu-esque Warped disoriented for a moment, the heat around its body still leaving the ground alight. It's eyes flicked about restlessly as it searched for the two that had escaped, but as the monster finally figured out where the two had gone, it paused.

The poison that Xuan-Yu had managed to infect it with had been easy enough to ignore before, but with the injuries it had now, the weakness that seemed to grip its entire body left it feeling heavy and sluggish. The heat began to subside, little by little, as it began to move back towards the sole Pilot that was left in its sights.

It had burnt far too much energy attempting to kill the faster one among the two, but without that one in sight and the heat in its heart beginning to fizzle out, the Warped continued ahead, fully willing (it seemed) to throw its life away to at least take out one of the beings it had aimed to kill.

@ERode@Laduguer

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

Elise Kim

Saitama Prefecture

The effects of whatever the Warped that they were currently engaging was spitting out were clear as day to see, and much to Elise's chagrin, the monster was aiming it at her. The stench of whatever was rotting on the ground did not linger ere long in the air, thankfully enough, but that wouldn't change the fact that taking even a single hit would likely mean an amputated limb at absolute best.

"Understood," she barely managed to say as she curved around the stream of caustic liquid aimed at her before moving further into the air. "The anti-air assault seems to have weakened enough in the interim, so I'll be changing focus towards your target. The sooner it's gone, the better."

Of course, it would fall to Norika to close the fight out, but the least she could do was attempt to disable its movement. Taking out those uncannily humanlike limbs, then, would be of the utmost importance. Granted, it was a bit more difficult to aim for where the limbs met the body as she flew about, but even when she missed it still meant another bullet into its body.

@JDubs

---

As the massive beam that the avian Warped had fired left a gash across the earth in its wake, the monster noticed that there was only one target in its sight. With what unnaturally keen eyesight and intuition it seemed to have, though, the Warped seemed to begin to quickly look around in attempt to relocate what it had lost.

Too little, too late.

As the monster's gaze panned above itself, it managed to find what it was seeking—and with next to no time to fully respond. With a screech, the Warped attempted to twist its body out of the way of the incoming assault, only for it's right wing—undamaged until this very moment—to be punched clean through. Of course, this sudden shift in weight caused the bird to spin momentarily in the air as it began to fall—straight towards an incoming beam of flame.

Once the flames had ceased, the bird's body was left charred and scorched. The once-damaged wing was nowhere to be seen, scattered as ash to the wind, and the black smoke coming off of it as it continued to plummet to the ground obscured whatever else there was to be seen of it.

Confirming if it was dead or not as it crashed into the ruins, though... That was a different matter altogether.

@VitaVitaAR@Izurich

---

Though the poison coursing through its system was slowly beginning to take root, the unbridled rage that the beast seemed to be using as fuel seemed to only be growing with every attack that Xuan-Yu dodged. Regardless of how much or how fiercely it lashed out, though, the komainu seemed unable to reach it. As the heat around its body grew stronger and stronger still, though, a single unexpected strike seemed to leave the creature off-balance for a few moments. The pain, it seemed, had forced it to remember that it was not facing one single enemy, and that it had more than one target.

Though Louisa's javelin had indeed found its mark within the Warped's body, a slight deviation had steered it towards where the monster's injured leg met the rest of its torso. The flesh torn from its body as the weapon was pulled back was hot enough to see steam rising from it, but the damage had been done.

With one leg now thoroughly maimed, the komainu finally turned its attention back to Louisa and threw itself towards her, the scorching heat unrelenting as the monster seemed to be burning its very life away in order to try and kill at least one of the Frame Pilots engaging it.

@ERode@Laduguer

Emerald Odyssey — An MMO Isekai RP (Now Accepting!)

Shokatsu Yu

Sunswept Plains — Riverside

With there being general agreement that they could move to deliver the sword the next day (after assurances that the sword, damaged as it was now, would likely not be something that they had any reason to steal), the young boy who had come all this way to retrieve it was soon back on his way home. Of course, Yu was aware that a detour like this would delay their ability to reach the floating city by a day at minimum, but the curiosity of seeing what 'new' things had popped up after the world had changed was enough of a reason to explore in the interim. Of course, it was up to the others if they wanted to follow, but if it was somewhere close enough that even a boy like that could get home before too long, was it really all that problematic?

Or so he told himself, at least. Once the two girls had returned—one in a slightly more 'modern' outfit than when she had left—he had been promptly handed the now-dirty set of clothes to be washed. If it meant anything, washing what had gotten stuck to it wouldn't take too long; it was the drying that was the problem.

Once all of the mud and gunk was removed (or at least removed to the best of his ability), the group promptly made their way back to camp, where Eunice and Kokoma's arachne had all but finished the preparations for their meal. As far as everyone could see, there were a bunch of fish on skewers around a fire, and the massive bird that the arachne had retrieved was being carved up..

"Ah, I see you've..." Eunice trailed off as she stared at Sefira, the pastel colors of her outfit a far cry from what she had been wearing before. "...Returned. What sort of outfit... Actually, let us save that question for later. The fish should be done cooking soon, at least."

Of course, whether or not anyone had remembered to give the pair any sort of seasoning was a question still left unanswered...

@Sho Minazuki@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

---

Sen Rynta — Sanctuary

The older man seemed a bit taken aback at Magnificus' introduction, and the oddity of the man's appearance and mannerisms seemed to throw him off, if only slightly. However, that passing surprised seemed to wane after a few seconds, and he gave a simple nod in return.

"My name is Liu Zhen; I'm a traveling monk from Wufeng," he said, giving a bow towards the odd man—and the woman who soon strode up to his side. "It is an honor to meet you. With regards to my worries... I suppose that if you're willing to listen to an old man's sudden outburst, I have no reason to hide what I'm looking into, hm?"

Of course, that name was not one so easily forgotten—not when the last expansion of the game was still so fresh upon players' minds. Though he was somewhat disguised now, the older man's voice and appearance would match up near-perfectly with what had been shown in the game—and now he was here in the flesh, though notably not aware of who those in front of him were.

"Over the past few months, I've been travelling around this continent here—Usira, was it?—because I wanted to... See the world for what it was," he began, his voice somewhat heavy for a moment as he lingered on those last few words. "And while I have been surprised at what I have seen, a few days ago a friend of mine asked me to investigate some place to the west of here. Something about an odd confluence of mana and a resurgence of undead, or something of the sort."

There was a bitter smile on the old monk's face as he finished his explanation, and for good reason. His daughter had been taken from him by the vengeful spirit of a hero betrayed and a demon sealed, and she had given her life in front of him to see them put to rest. It was only natural that he would have strong feeling about those bound of the past bound to the present, even if he was hiding it from these passing strangers.

"But, well, that's neither here nor there," he said, settling back down against the tree he had been resting against. "I'm sure you adventurers have more interesting things to worry about than an old man's worries, hm?"

@A Lowly Wretch@Operator Luna

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

Elise Kim

Saitama Prefecture

With Norika's focus placed solely upon the centipede-like Warped, Elise began to swerve about, shifting her position in the air to drag the attention of the lesser monsters on the ground towards her. Anything that looked like it was about to attack or was aiming at Norika would be at the top of her priority list, and with each shot fired the Frame Pilot removed another enemy from the fray. Any time that the barrage seemed to stall for a moment, though, the young woman would take the chance to fire upon the massive Warped that her partner was engaging. She expected to land no major hits, of course, but even chipping away at or pulling the enemy's attention for just a moment could provide an opening to abuse...

@JDubs

---

The raging winds within the avian Warped's beak grew to a fever pitch, howling and screaming as the monster's maw opened wider and wider still. Despite its target—the young woman now cloaked in flames—putting up a defensive barrier, however, it showed no signs of stopping. Nor did it have any reason to, as whatever it was charging up was let loose.

A massive beam, half-comprised of bladelike gales slicing and whirling through the air. The first thing that it met was a stray piece of debris, which soon became no more than bits of metal and concrete ground up and dragged along as incidental shrapnel alongside the already-threatening attack. Though the initial beam hit had been fired straight towards Pyralis, a timely punch from Hoshiko had forced the Warped (and its supernatural assault) upwards. Diverted as it was now, the Warped (who seemed only slightly worse for the wear) stopped firing the beam and flew in a U-shape, turning in the air as it rose into the sky.

The respite afforded the pair was short-lived, though, as it soon began to turn back towards the duo. Flapping its wings to remain suspended where it was, the Warped opened its mouth and began to charge once more before firing another beam—this time, sweeping across the ground in an attempt to catch both of the Frame Pilots in its wake.

@VitaVitaAR@Izurich

---

The komainu seemed to have expected little resistance from Louisa as it clashed with her head-on, and taken aback as it was when the comparatively smaller opponent did not only manage to resist its charge, but launch a counterattack on top of that.

And though that moment of pause was enough for Xuan-Yu to land a decisive initial blow upon the Warped, the followup would not be so simple. The komainu howled in pain as the weapon met its mark, and almost as if by instinct the beast shifted its body enough to force the blade that had pierced its flesh to barely avoid cleaving through its bones. Injured though it was now, the beast withdrew from its attack upon Louisa before letting out a roar.

With that roar came a surge of heat, and it seemed almost as if the monster's mane, jaws, and forelimbs were alight with fire. Glowing white-hot as it was, the monster stood out against the bloodied and broken bodies of the fallen beneath it.

Uneven as its gait was now with one leg partially crippled, though, the Warped seemed to have changed its target from the Chi-Mechframe at the vanguard towards the one that had been brazen enough to attack it while unaware. A bite, a slash, a slam—the enraged beast seemed to be turning the very earth around it into charcoal as it lashed out furiously at its new target.

@Laduguer@ERode

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

@Sanity43217: Mmm... With a cast of 8 right now and actual stuff underway, I think that I'm actually set in terms of players for the moment. Sorry, but I think we're full up for the moment.

Emerald Odyssey — An MMO Isekai RP (Now Accepting!)

Shokatsu Yu

Sunswept Plains — Riverside

"I... You know, fair's fair," Yu said, shrugging and shaking his head as he stared at the riverside. "Big fish are just more of a nuisance than anything; it's the sword I'm worried about..."

Walking closer to the deeper end of the water, the swordsman stared downwards for a few moment and, after seeing that the fish wasn't rising to the surface to chase him off, drew his own sword before simply releasing it into the river. The younger boy stared at Yu in baffled confusion as the Blademaster took a step away, but after a few moments, the sight of that very same fish that had chased him away from the weapon earlier leaping out of the river and away from his sword left him even more confused.

"Hm. I guess my angle was a bit off...? No, if I had a bit more speed there..." Yu mused to himself before turning back towards the boy still staring at him in shock. "One half of the problem's done; hurry up before that thing comes back, okay? As much as I can chase that thing around, moving that sword underwater's surprisingly difficult..."

His words seemed to shock the boy out of his apparent trance, and with a nod he dove back into the water. However, when he returned without the weapon and with an irritated look on his face, Yu couldn't help but be curious about what the issue was now.

"...It's stuck," the boy spoke before diving back down to try again. This time, however, he returned with the weapon in hand, bare steel slightly warped, chipped, and rusted but otherwise intact.

"The sheath's still down there, but this is still fine," the boy said, placing the weapon off to the side as he dragged himself out of the water fully. "Thank you, mister..."

"Shokatsu is fine," Yu said, looking at the sword and the boy intending to carry it back. "Uh... You sure you want to be carrying that sword back like that the whole way, though? I don't know where your home is, but..."

To this, the boy seemed to realize the issue present in actually bringing the weapon back home, and crossed his arms in a mix of irritation and contemplation.

"...We could bring it back to your place come tomorrow?" the swordsman suggested, glancing at the sun in the sky as it continued to set. "Don't know where you live, but if you're able to make it all the way here and feasibly make it home, then it can't be too far, right?"

Of course, it was up to the others to decide if they wanted to detour in the first place, but... Well, hopefully the two girls would be done with their bath soon enough to be able to make a call on that matter.

@Sho Minazuki@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

---

Sen Rynta — Sanctuary

With entry into the village not being an option, the group of travelers would be left with little recourse but to set up camp outside of its walls. There were a few other groups of travelers there, it seemed, who had fallen victim to the same problem that they had, but at least their presence meant that they wren't alone in their exclusion.

The spot that they had chosen, amusingly enough, seemed to be one right next to what seemed to be an older man who was resting against a tree. With a rice straw kasa upon his head and a simple cotton shirt and pants, he seemed oddly out of place near what was otherwise a very Western-looking townscape, but for the most part the others seemed to pay him no mind as they spoke with their traveling partners. He seemed to remain silent for the most part, his hat tipped over his face to hide it from the remaining sunlight...

At least until he suddenly rose to his feet, startling those nearby. There was a brief pause as the older man turned to look towards the group, his face still somewhat hidden by his hat, before he let out a sigh.

"Aah... Sorry 'bout that. I thought I felt something off just now," he said, his deep and somewhat gravelly voice somewhat familiar to the players nearby for some reason. "Need to go check the source of that out tomorrow..."

As to what 'that' was referring to or who this person was... That would be left to those present to ask and find out if they so wished.

@Hammerman@Operator Luna@A Lowly Wretch

Advent of the Dawn —A Mecha Musume/Tokusatsu-Inspired RP

Elise Kim

Saitama Prefecture

Grimacing as she stared down the sights of her rifle, Elise continued to fire at the Warped on the ground as they continued to lob chunks of concrete and stone into the air. Dodging them was irritating enough, sure, but having to quickly take aim and fire before moving out of the way meant that not every one of her shots met their mark—or anything at all, really.

"Maybe I should try shooting from under cover one of these days..." she grumbled as a particularly grotesque centipede-like Warped seemed to burst out from underneath the ruins and barreled straight towards Norika. There was a momentary expression of disgust and horror that crossed her face, but the shock factor of seeing such a thing was quickly reined in by a cluster of concrete and rebar narrowly whizzing by her head.

Right. Combat.

"What sort of abomination even leads to that?!" she finally shouted, firing a few shots at the Warped in question before realizing that Norika was already diving in to clean up the less threatening enemies (at least, in comparison to whatever this was). "I can handle the small fry from here; try and engage that human centipede if possible. As long as I'm up here taking them out, they can't afford to focus on you alone!"

@JDubs

---

Despite Warped after oni-like Warped falling to the continued onslaught of a single girl, the monsters seemed unrelenting in their attacks upon the human in front of them. They seemed to not care how many of their number were felled, as more soon seemed to arrive to reinforce them from further out from their current position. A storm of punches in kicks met with enemy after enemy, leaving the battlefield broken and bloodied all the same. Supported by the vicious flames that left its targets annihilated, it seemed as if the advance team of Pilots would find little issue...

Were it not for the ear-piercing shriek that rang out from the distance. A strong gust of wind soon shot through the area, blades of wind soaring through the area indiscriminately as they left gaping holes in whatever they touched.

The source? A massive bird-like Warped, soaring through the air and straight towards Pyralis. The monster seemeed to be seamlessly weaving through the rubble and debris still being thrown into the air, and with speed uncanny for a creature of its size, seemed to be rapidly closing the distance as it opened its mouth, a torrent of wind forming from within its maw...

@VitaVitaAR@Izurich

---

Compared to how the soldiers had been faring prior, barely holding off wave after unrelenting wave of Warped, the arrival of the four Frame Pilots seemed to immediately shift the tides of battle to something less slanted in favor of the monsters. Monster after monster was felled in short order, and without having the beasts bearing down upon them relentlessly, the Japanese forces had at least some time to take some breaths to recover. Their job was nowhere near finished, but without death within arm's reach, they could at least regroup and reorganize in preparation for the next wave.

Such respite was not long-lived, though, as the sounds of something crashing through the nearby woods grew closer and closer still—and a massive Warped, almost the size of a truck, broke through the weaker among them and slammed one leg down to announce its presence. The monster seemed somewhere between a lion and a dog—ironic, given the origins of such creatures in mythology—and its gaze seemed trained upon the woman in armor standing between it and the solders firing away. With a howl, the Warped bound forward, leaping into the air as it attempted to slam down upon Louisa and break through the frontlines.

While the larger Warped had taken the attention of the soldiers and those it was bearing down upon, however, those with sharper senses would notice a momentary shimmer—a movement of something through the battlefield with singular purpose. Though it would soon disappear from sight soon enough, the faint traces of the creature as it moved around the concentrated firepower directed at the large creature barreling towards them and towards the occupied soldiers would be more than worthy of concern...

@Mole@Laduguer@Medili@ERode