Izurich

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

Valor Teardrop
Savant Fullmoon
Melisande Tearmoon

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

--Neon-York - Mid-Air--

Though she couldn't exactly verify with a 100% certainty that the sniper had been neutralized, judging from the lack of any further hi-powered ballistics sent her way, the marksman must have either been clipped or intimidated into retreating, either way, it was a welcomed reprieve as she now could fully focus on her descent.

As she freefell, data streams from her systems and modules were fed into and analyzed by her CPU-assisted organic brain; various options were sorted through the process of elimination until the two most viable were left, either travel high along the roofs and platforms or disappear within the labyrinthian architecture of the industrial sector. The latter was calculated to provide higher odds of a successful exfiltration, they were comparable really, but since she had the luxury of making a choice...

Snapping her gaze toward one of the many utility drones buzzing through the air, the Bionic Maid uploaded a hostile override program as it brute-forced through the drone's third-rate cybersecurity system. Lenneth was no netrunner, far from it, all she did was using the prepackaged hacking algorithm provided to her, much like how an NYSF personnel would use a standard-issue flashbang. A dedicated hacker would be able to accomplish far more miraculous things in the cyberspace, however, as far as taking over a simple work drone goes, something this simple would be enough.

With the drone hacked, she sent a remote command for it to reposition itself, just close enough for her to grab onto it after holstering her weapon. "Tch..." The blonde cyborg gritted her teeth as her systems informed that her artificial limbs were suffering minor damages, no doubt from the overclocking she did earlier. Speaking of warnings, all these blaring were becoming quite... irksome.

As the overridden drone transported her down toward the Industrial Sector, Lenneth internally activated her self-repairing module as streams of stem-nanobots were deployed to her mechanical cranium, undoing the damage done by the sniper and most importantly, shutting off the infuriating critical alerts for good.

Eventually, the drone descended to a safe enough altitude for its cybernetic passenger to simply let go before it was then released from servitude and returned to its previous automated duties. For her part, Lenneth landed on one knee with a hard thud against the gray, drab concrete of an alleyway nestled in-between two manufacturing plants. "..." Her glowing blue eyes scanned her surroundings before she stood up then decided to head for the Lower City, the best place to lay low in this neon-drenched metropolis.

---

Actions:
❖ Invoke Stunt (Self-Repair): Remove Severe Consequence: Cerebral Container compromised | FP Cost: -1

FP: 1 - 1 = 0 | Stress: Tick 0 | Consequences: Minor (Nanofibre muscles overexertion)
Tag: @MrSkimobile

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

--Hathforth Castle - Gardens--

When the masked stranger's veiled gaze lingered on 'Melisande', Kronos just barely managed to suppress an inhuman grin as the Dremora's mind entertained the idea of Valor already knowing of its host's unique circumstances, that the silver-haired girl standing before her was no Lilim at all. Though Kronos preferred to remain unknown to all, it wasn't naive enough to not discern that some denizens of the material plane had discovered its existence, otherwise, he wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place. Regardless, the stranger was willing to proceed, good, she wasn't here just to waste their time.

Valor Teardrop... where have I heard that name before?

I can't recall her myself. One of the Feyling Abductor's many acquaintances perhaps?

It is possible, Mother is nothing but well-connected after all, and considering she's willing to supplant Duke Rhinecliff for any benefactor most capable of realizing her ambitions...

Oho, so you're willing to conspire against the Human-Elven Tyrant, Feyling? I have no qualms, in fact, it pleases me, however... how sure are you that this whole farce isn't the Tyrant's way of 'testing' your loyalty? I certainly won't put it past her to resort to such paranoid measures.

That's fair, Kronos, then let us at least hear what she has to say.

Thus, the Lilim-skinned Dremora humored Valor's proposal. This person sought information about the Wizard Queen, a spy working for Duke Rhinecliff and his loyalists perhaps? Or a simple broker trading information to make a profit? From the way she carried herself, the former was more likely; lofty goals such as ushering a new world order were usually pursued by rebels and usurpers rather than coin-chasing brokers.

...or as Kronos cautioned, she could be on the side of the Wizard Queen all along and this was all a ruse, a test of loyalty for the new court apprentice.

Let us claim inexperience and return the ball into their court.

Ha, sometimes I wonder why you inherit your mother's visage, yet not her personality.

"You flatter me, Lady Teardrop," Kronos giggled as it curled a small, humble smile, "Alas, I am but a mere apprentice, barely made official only hours ago in fact, so even if I suffer from delusions of grandeur, the fact remains that I am a complete stranger as far as Her Majesty is concerned, unlike..." The simulacrum turned its indigo gaze toward the dark-haired half-elven magus beside it, deliberately letting its words hang in the air for Lord Blackthorne to seize.

@LunarParadox @Estylwen

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

--Osprey - Desert--

Bolstered by the Faye Bard's mystical soliloquy, those still able-bodied amongst the Kirins had their spirits lifted to new heights, pushing them to break their limits. Even if the Revenant managed to plow through the binding stone hand and pushed Galahad, Robin, and Eliane back, Rudolf's light-devouring barrier remained, sheltering their wounded so Miina could save their lives. Yes, Eve could feel it through Cyradil's ether-laced lyrics, the Revenant was hurting and they simply needed to keep this up, just a bit longer, and it'd perish like an abomination should!

"Rrrgh...!" However, the dragoness growled as that blightdamned airship returned to defend the empire's precious wardog, and here she was hoping they'd simply leave it to fend for itself, but she supposed after pouring a fortune to develop her kind, it'd be such a wasteful decision that even they would think twice. Unfortunately, it was a tactically sound move as the cannonfire gave the false Odin a chance to regroup, though she wasn't sure if collapsing the ground was also part of the plan.

Regardless, the Kirins were now plummeting fast into the newly-formed gaping hole in the desert. Eve frowned deeply, concerned, not about herself, no, she could spread her draconic wings via her trance or cast elemental magic to soften her fall, she had failsafes against gravity's lethal embrace. However, the same couldn't be said for all of her comrades, save for Galahad and perhaps Miina as well. Nevertheless, she must try something as Eve began casting some kind of wind-aligned magic to counter their fall with a burst of gale...

...only for something or someone else to beat her to the punch, and in a far more effective and reliable method too as each and every member of Team Kirin were softly cradled down onto the ground, alive and well, ...except for Izayoi and Esben, but they weren't made worse at least.

A Sollan well into his senior years soon revealed himself, and conventional logic told Eve that he was the one responsible for saving their lives. "..." Hearing his nonchalant attitude prompted the Pseudolon to look up, toward the gaping hole so far above them, the harsh desert sunlight was more like a twinkling star than anything else. Right, they had fallen so deep underground, the bearded hermit here likely didn't notice the battle raging above, or he's such a powerful and enlightened sage that he couldn't care less about such trivial concerns, or both.

Still, assuming he was indeed the one who saved her comrades, the least he deserved was a show of gratitude, "Thank you, stranger, for saving us." Eve nodded with a small, subtle smile, displaying a more cordial demeanor than Izayoi's interrogating tone, then in yet another display of sagely detachment, the High Caretaker simply introduced himself.

Why do I have the feeling that even if Odin's Pseudolon followed us here... Cid would simply vaporize it out of existence with a wave of his hand?

Deep in her heart, she hoped the High Caretaker of the gods wouldn't notice the baleful entity hosted within Rudolf and go hostile, and the only silver lining Eve could rely on was Cid not already provoked by her abominable existence.

"We're Team Kirin, those who aim to stop Valheim's tyranny and end the Blight or die trying, High Caretaker Cid." Eve took it upon herself to... socialize, driven by her concern for the party and the myriad of ways they could provoke the sage, from Izayoi's harsh tone to Rudolf's... wrongness.

"Then, we shall oblige, Caretaker..." Thus, Eve began explaining concisely and succinctly what she knew about the Blight, the disasters they had wrought upon the continents, how it was manufactured by Valheim (accidentally or otherwise), and citing theories of the connection by referencing their disgusting experiments with the very sanctity of life, creating abominations that shouldn't exist and how the world itself was possibly affected. "...thus we believe if we stop Valheim, then the Blight too shall end."

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

Its k, that's just another changeling pretending to be him.

@ERode

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

Oh hey, Est, do the twins have any resistance to poisons/drugs?

@ERode

> Their Luck Ring activated and Rhinecliff accidentally drank from the spiked chalice.

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

--Hathforth Castle - Apprentice's Quarters--

Now with the tour concluded, the Lilim assumed they'd return to the workshop so she and Master could take care of all the necessary preparations to integrate her participation in his research as soon as possible, it'd certainly be in the best interest of everyone involved, including Her Majesty. However, before she could even propose the idea, an inexplicable phenomenon occurred as a gale burst forth from behind them then immediately followed by the appearance of a wisp, heralded by an eruption of blinding light.

"...how curious." Though magical phenomenons were to be expected in the aptly-named Arcane Wing, her instincts told her that this particular event was... unsanctioned by the Court Mage. Regardless, the Lilim observed with healthy caution as the spirit orb seemed intent to lead them somewhere, to a particular window. As a magus proficient in the art of manipulating space-time, Melisande could reliably recognize a portal when she saw it, and someone or something had cast one at this specific window.

"A portal, Master, and I presume whoever was responsible is the same entity currently puppeteering this wisp." The apprentice informed matter-of-factly, "Whoever they are, they sure seem quite keen to have an audience with us."

Then, even as the thought of entertaining the anonymous invitation was formulating in her mind, a certain other entity interjected.

If you so unwisely wish to trust every summons sent to you, then at the very least exercise enough caution and allow me to go in your stead through Gemini.

Why, Kronos, I didn't know you care, fufu~

Don't flatter yourself, Feyling, as we are now, our lives are tied, I shall not allow you to bring our collective demise through reckless wanderlust.

Fair, though are you certain of your ability to convincingly emulate my mien, Kronos?

You insult me, Melisande, I've been forced to remain with you since you were but a tiny Feyling, I know you more than even the abductor that you call mother.

I see, very well then.

The gemmed brooch attached at Melisande's left breast pocket briefly shone with arcane power as a perfectly-identical copy of the Lilim manifested nearby, currently inert and unmoving like a lifelike doll, "Master, for the sake of my safety, I shall send my simulacrum into the portal instead of myself," She elaborated, "Though I'm in no position to stop you from venturing forth, if you do, I must implore you to stay safe, Milord."

With a nod toward Lord Blackthorne, the 'simulacrum' came to life as the clone - Kronos - stepped into the portal, with or without the Court Mage by its side.

As the Dremora passed through the illusory window, it realized that it hosted the simplest form of a portal, one that merely provided access to the space right behind it. Such pointless theatrics... It scoffed as it descended down the magical stairs to the castle's gardens.

Eventually, the Shadeborne entity came mask-to-mask with the stranger. It curled a small smile, flawlessly mimicking Melisande's mannerisms as it approached the blade-wielding figure, "I'd introduce myself, but I presume you're already aware of our identities," Kronos chuckled in the Lilim's voice, "Under such circumstances, to whom do we owe this pleasure?"

@LunarParadox @Estylwen

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

--Osprey - Desert--

The combined assault all came in lightning-quick succession, after being assailed by Eliane's explosive shells and scorch-shocked by Eve's flaming lightning, the Revenant received a solid falling thrust from Galahad's dragonslaying halberd, then any attempts of counterattack were disrupted by Rudolf and Robin occupying its immediate attention, however, the Revenant only had so many limbs to work with, when Miina lunged with her electrified rapier, it had none to left to respond against.

The presumed Pseudolon of Odin was clearly hurting, even if its face was covered, its howls and staggers meant whatever the Kirins were doing was working. Good, this simply meant they had to keep this up. However, even after all that, being wounded just seemed to make it angrier, like a cornered tiger, this has turned from a casual hunt into a desperate fight for its life, guess which situation would command more ferocity?

"...?!" Eve's red eyes widened as in a split-second, the Revenant split itself manifold, conjuring three illusory copies, but presumably just as deadly. This wasn't good, Grayscale was - for all intents and purposes - a purely offensive living weapon, an artillery super-battery capable of shelling even a mighty air-battleship into rubble, but she couldn't handle the same thing if she was on the receiving end. If this creature's legendary blade struck then-...

"...?" Only for the strike to never come, no, it did, but it was parried by Izayoi's identical technique, the lethal dance equalized. That was close, far too close, and the brush with death had only solidified Eve's mission, that her "kind" shouldn't and couldn't continue to exist. She'd slay every single one of them, and then... herself. But right here, right now, it'd be this False Odin's turn!

"IZAYOI!" Eve roared as the climactic clash between the two swordsmen ended in the Mystrel receiving a critical injury; the samurai wasn't outright killed, but judging from the Revenant's movements, it was something it intended to achieve sooner than later. No, this must not come to pass, the widowed warrior had saved her comrades' lives mere moments ago, for her to pay that heroic deed with her own would be a grave insult. She must do something, anything!

...Mega Flare? No, danger close, she'd glass the desert and the Revenant, true, but at the very probable cost of vaporizing her own allies. However, any other spell wouldn't cut it either. Was this it? Would this be the end of Ranbu no Izayoi, Limbtaker Demoness of the Emperor?

Then, before her very eyes, before everyone's eyes, the monster hunter stood defiantly between the samurai and her corrupted master. Brave or foolish? Surely he'd know that the creature would simply cleave through him as if he wasn't there to get to Izayoi, felling both in one stroke. Surely he-...

"... ... ..." -...possessed eldritch powers that darkened the light of the sun and chill the blistering desert heat. At that moment, as shadows made physical spread from the youth's palm to halt the Revenant's swing, Eve experienced an otherworldly chill that even she - a man-made abomination - felt... wrong. Her kind, the Pseudolons, might be artificial constructs born out of hubris, but they were still formed from the union of two natural beings, a mortal race and a Primal. However, whatever Rudolf just conjured, it felt as ancient as the Primals, and yet... tainted, it felt like... the Blight itself.

Rudolf... just who or what are you?

"Tch!" Once again, Galahad's commanding voice spurred her mind to focus. Right, she could worry about Rudolf's Blight-like powers later, for now, they had a Pseudolon to put down!

Titan, Earth's Guardian, lend me your hand, so that we may grasp victory! Eve concentrated upon her magic circuits as the sands around her began to swirl chaotically, then she slowly raised her right palm. At the same time, the sands themselves obeyed her command as they coalesced into a hand-shaped construct before hardening into solid, dune-colored large stone almost matching the bulk of the Revenant.

"This hand of mine is the earthen envoy that shall deliver your judgment, monster!" The black mage then thrust her arm forward, palm still open, in response, the gigantic stone hand rumbled forward like a charging golem, "Tremble before the wrath of Gaia!" Eve enunciated as she firmly closed her opened palm into a tight fist.

The earthen construct would crash into the Revenant's upper torso, then closed itself into a fist, aiming to crush it into a pulp, or more likely considering how sturdy it was, bludgeon and restrain it simultaneously, thus giving an opening for Rudolf to disengage and the rest of the team to unleash their own offensive maneuvers upon the armored monster.

SPIRITUM

--Near Sapple Springs - Rest Stop--

After having her Aegis repaired by their squad leader, Valerie replied in kind by... shirking her nightwatch duties, being the only member of the squad to do so; not by choice obviously, her mistburn-wracked body couldn't wake up prematurely even if she wished to, that and the fact Astral Reducers had a sedative side-effect on her certainly didn't help her case.

Though she woke up as soon as she was able and resumed to being a useful member of the squad, helping with whatever chores and preparations needed to get them going. After everything was said and done, she was amongst the Barghests currently being addressed by one Director Veld, the one in charge of the Internal Investigative Branch, Rassvet's secret police force. The dark-haired man looked quite perplexed and stressed out, and considering everything, Valerie could empathize.

"Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction, this is definitely one of those times, sir." The white-haired WARDEN glanced at the princess, then mentally shrugged, believing the blonde woman was indeed Princess Collette. Then, she listened attentively as Director Veld briefed them on their next assignment, something that she already expected they should do for the sake of everyone involved, including Her Highness. Guess we better keep an extra eye on Silje, huh? What? The princess clearly could be relied on to not comically blunder into trouble, their battlemage on the other hand...

With the briefing done, Gerard's rhetorical quip aside, Morden responded with concerns of his own. The mountain of a soldier believed the diplomatic airship was hosting those warbots as a trap to unleash at the peace conference. The green-eyed vanguard obviously lacked trust in the empire and its people, even without the telekinetic message, and though Valerie wouldn't put it past Vangar's higher-ups to condone something like this... her guts were telling her that Morden was mistaken.

"At the risk of playing Devil's Advocate, I believe the Palatine was truly an unarmed vessel designed for diplomatic purposes," The shortest WARDEN spoke in response to the tallest among them, "The unknown airship that attacked us was capable of launching packed warbots as projectiles before they'd unpack themselves after landing. It's likely that they boarded the Palatine via this method. Related, if they were designed to survive a rough landing, then it shouldn't be too far-fetched to presume that they could withstand an airship crash and still be functional."

Was she correct? Was Morden? She couldn't say for certain, but as much as she abhorred Vangar, Valerie felt that Collette was being betrayed by her own nation for their nefarious ends and through that belief came sympathy.

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

--Neon-York - SatoCorp VIP Lounge--

The Bionic Maid promptly dispatched the largest threat in the room, but even in its mechanical death throes, the drone still managed to voice out a cheeky quip or two. Truly, whoever or whatever was controlling these machines was confident they had the advantage...

Thunk! Thunk!

...and they might just be correct as a pair of high caliber bullets blitzed through the neon-lit sky from the sniper's weapon, straight into the other skyscraper's window and struck Lenneth's temple, at virtually the same exact spot too. The combination of receiving two anti-materiel projectiles in such quick succession was almost enough to pierce through the layers of force-absorbent reactive skin, nanofibre muscles, plasteel bone plates, and protective casing sheltering Lenneth's brain from the rest of the world.

!!CRITICAL ALERT!! !!CEREBRAL CONTAINER COMPROMISED!! !!CRITICAL ALERT!!

The literal warning signs were as clear as a malfunctioning hover-semi careening straight into opposite traffic. The sniper had nearly struck a critical blow and as much as Lenneth hated to admit it, she should indeed consider ceasing hostilities... except not in the way they wanted.

With a minute shift in her expression that might be construed as a frown, Lenneth zipped back toward the buzzdrones, fully intending to finish what she started. Making full use of their disoriented systems, the golden-haired cyborg smashed her way through them, each blow specifically aimed to decommission them, this time permanently.

"Fuh..." With a tense yet tranquil sigh, the enforcer suddenly turned her body toward the only transparent window among the sea of opaqueness. She flexed her artificial legs... then dashed forward, gaining more and more momentum before it all climaxed via self-defenestration as Lenneth launched herself off the building.

Then, within the span of the next few long seconds, still surrounded by glinting, broken pieces of reinforced glass, the battlemaid drew her weapon and at the same time, Nibelung hummed and shifted, transitioning into its marksman rifle mode. She'd only get a literal one shot at this, better make it count. Lenneth pushed her H.A.Lo, optical, and mobility systems into overdrive to locate the troublesome sniper's most likely position, snapped her aim toward them, then pulled the trigger.

Time itself seemed to slow down as the weapon's electromagnetic barrel accelerated a single projectile out, hopefully with enough velocity and stability to give the sniper a taste of their own medicine.

As for the counter-shooter herself, she wouldn't really have time to confirm a hit (or miss), she could only hope for the best and focus on executing a safe-... survivable landing.

---

Actions:
❖ Quick Defend (vs Sniper Attack (4)): 0 + 2 = 2 | Receive Stress: 4 - 2 = 2
❖ Quick Defend (vs Sniper Attack (3)): -3 + 2 = -1 | Receive Stress: 3 - (-1) = 4
❖ Stress Accumulation into Consequence: 2 + 4 = 6 | Receive Severe Consequence: Cerebral Container compromised
❖ Forceful Defend (vs Buzzdrones Create Advantage (-2)): 0 + 3 = 3
❖ Forceful Attack (at Buzzdrones + Invoke Boost (Disoriented)): 2 + 3 + 2 = 7 | FP Cost: -1
❖ Quick Attack (at Sniper + Invoke Stunt (Bionic Body)): 0 + 2 + 3 = 5 | FP Cost: -1 | Receive Stress: 2
❖ Stress Accumulation into Consequence: 2 | Receive Minor Consequence: Nanofibre Muscles overexertion

FP: 2 - 2 = 0 | Stress: Tick 0 | Consequences: Severe (Cerebral Container compromised), Minor (Nanofibre Muscles overexertion)
Tag: @MrSkimobile