Nanaya

Iris Ascendis

@ERode@AThousandCurses@Sifr

ASCENDIA, ROOM 103 FOUNTAIN, OUTSIDE THE DOME

The land itself began to wither with the serpent's rampage, very similar to the way the Umbralists' Seedspawn during the Five Year Apocalypse were said to rot and decay the world with their presence as they absorbed essence. Whether the connection held any true meaning was unknown, but to one not versed in the study of such creatures, it may even appear identical in these abilities. The various humans that approached from beyond visibility would fall without issue, becoming more victims of the beast as they crumpled. Yet even as it moved and killed all in its way, the sound of movement could still be heard - it seemed as if anywhere Chunji looked, yet more of these people would begin moving ever closer.

Davil, still numb and heal-drunk - if that were even a thing - staggered about as he bore witness to the serpent's moves with confusion, unable to fully process the situation at hand. Rio and Chloe each looked on with almost matching scowls, the frill-elf in particular clutching herself as if unnerved. They were safe, however, thanks to Otis' levitation, and nodded in acknowledgement as the owl went over his plan. "I can't vouch for her, but I can do my part," Rio replied mentally. This earned a slap on the shoulder from Chloe, flustered with her scowl now directed towards the object of her annoyance. "We'll both do our parts," she would conclude, staring down towards the dome.

And so they would.

---

@Estylwen@Psyker Landshark

ASCENDIA, ROOM 103 FOUNTAIN, INSIDE THE DOME

A hurricane of darkness spun around Alto, the instructor unable to match the sheer speed of each slash as Ciara darted about. Small barriers of vines and thorns would begin to sprout up from his blind spots, though they were constructed so hastily that they were only able to mitigate the very smallest of damage before being cut through all the same to continue assaulting the teacher's barrier. Slowly but surely, as the assault progressed, the wind that rose to guard each strike seemed to lessen, as if flickering as opposed to the solid and definitive shields of essence from before. A bead of sweat dripped down the good instructor's forehead as he endured the onslaught, slowly but surely becoming more reactive to it and anticipating Ciara's next location. He'd finally smirk once more, muttering, "Now...!"

However, as he turned and brought his sword down upon Ciara as she appeared, he was staggered into a near miss when Iraleth's strike further smashed against his defenses. He opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately pulled into a choke as he stared directly at the paladin. Heat continued to build as he was dragged to the point that, by the time he was in position to execute Otis' plan, embers danced through the air within the makeshift prison. His barrier further crackled against her grip, showing less resistance than the last attempt - it was clear that the dozens of blows were beginning to take their toll on his PB, and it wouldn't take much longer for a gap to form at this rate.

All attention towards Iraleth left, however, when near blinding light overtook the dome. Its ceiling had been shattered, the walls of vines and thorns falling as shattered shards of ice. Through the rain of ice and the blinding of light - Alto's eyes unable to adapt quickly enough to the sunlight after adjusting to the dark - a duo descended. Rio shot down like a bullet of his own, Chloe quickly behind, as the two set their sights on the professor like he was the only thing their eyes were made for. Chloe, a bundle of adrenaline at that moment, would shout out triumphantly, "We finally get to do our paaaaaart!"

Alto's eyes grew wide once his brain had put together, in a flash, what was about to happen. With strength and speed unlike any before, seemingly out of nowhere, he would rip away Iraleth's hand from his throat and kick her backwards with force as if he were closer to an ogre in musculature than a human. However, it would prove to be a moment too late, as Rio immediately dove in. He would shout through grit teeth, "Wake Svalinn!"

The golden giant appeared, materializing directly behind Alto, two of its shields disappearing from its lower arms as its free hands reached towards the instructor's sword arm, grasping tight. As he landed, Rio would contribute further by grasping as well, digging his heels into the dirt as he wrestled with Alto's wrist for further control of his sword. At that same point, Chloe followed, dashing forward with her hand extended towards the weakened area of his PB around his throat.

All the while, as the dome crumbled, Alto's eyes darted about as if to process everything to catch up mentally, clearly surprised by this coordination. In another blink, his gaze focused. A pulse emanated from his sword arm, sending out a ripple that pushed the golden giant backwards towards a crumbling wall of the dome, and simultaneously pushing Rio's grasp away as well. The boy was kicked away all the same, sent tumbling into the dirt a few meters away; his barrier shattered like glass as he tried his best to stumble to his feet. Through all this, Chloe persisted, her hand making contact with Alto's throat just as this transpired. The wind itself seemed to crumble in that moment, forming a fist-sized hole in the professor's barrier where she had touched.

The instructor's eyes widened in surprise at this, staring directly at Chloe who kept pushing further against his Personal Barrier, seemingly aiming to go beyond the original plan. She didn't just want to break his defense, she wanted to make skin contact. Both individuals seemed to be caught in this interaction, solely focused on this clash.

As this happened, perhaps not of his own intent, Alto's sword began to gather the stray embers floating about the area, the metal slowly catching ablaze. Just being near him at that point, the presence of the heat radiating at its strongest off of the instructor, Chloe's own dress appeared to ignite as well, burning at her barrier such that it couldn't fully mitigate the heat even when pushed to its fullest.

Iris Ascendis

Got it! Next round coming tomorrow morning.

Iris Ascendis

@ERode@AThousandCurses@Sifr

ASCENDIA, ROOM 103 FOUNTAIN, OUTSIDE THE DOME

Davil took in his surroundings as Chunji spoke, then met the boy's gaze with his own. The wounded Wund shuffled a bit closer, arms swaying like al dente pasta. He held no semblance of panic in him at the moment - perhaps a result of the numbing setting in and affecting more than his body, but his mind as well. "The world's a weird place. We live somewhere where, provided the conditions are right, we can not only experience the joy of suffering in a world running dry of its own lifeblood, but by sucking out that lifeblood faster like greedily slurping the last droplets of a milkshake, we can also suffer in an entire other world too."

The winged warrior's pupils were dilated, and as he looked around, his posture took up almost that of a stumbling drunk. He'd continue, saying, "Everything's imperfect, so just do the best you can, man, and use those healing spells on me. You're a good guy, you know that? You've been a good friend to me, and that really speaks to my soul, whatever that thing's actual name is. Did you know we have those? They just have... fuckin'... names, man, and you can do stuff with them. Crazy."

His eyes were locked on the dome, but he continued to address Chunji as he inquired further. "I think my Personal Barrier's trapped somewhere. Now and again, when the anxiety goes away, what remains is the feeling like there's more. I don't think I was meant for this, but I'll try."

While continuing to stare at the dome, faint wind began to gather around his feet, coating them slowly - or rather, that wasn't it at all. It was most likely that his legs were coated the entire time, in a Personal Barrier so faint and paper-thin as to be near invisible to the naked eye until the moment it flowed and defended. It pulled and pulled, desperately struggling to reach above his waist as he stood there, expression vacant as he observed the battlefield in front of him.

As the battle inside raged on, the faintest sounds could be heard from further out in the forest - the cracking of dry branches, the clanking of armor, and the nondescript chirps of various voices speaking what sounded like gibberish. The woods would be too dense to see for most, but were Chunji to look around, he would see what looked like various humans dressed in laborers' clothes wielding pitchforks and pickaxes. They shambled like the dead, though they appeared alive. Further behind them were what looked to be guardsmen, dressed in minimal armor and wielding various spears, pikes or swords. They were around the entire perimeter, all shuffling their feet towards the area that the class found themselves in.

Rio tapped his feet with his phantom summoned next to him, keeping an eye out for the origins of the sounds, but with his primary attention on the dome. He'd tap in mentally to chime in, saying, "A distraction? Regardless, I'm gonna keep my focus on this dome shit. But I ain't seeing anyone emergin'."

Chloe, on the other hand, was very much focused on the perimeter, her hands in front of her as if to dust the first thing to leap out at her from behind bushes. "I don't think we should be ignoring that," she'd stutter out within the mental link.

More trees would begin to uproot themselves and fall, once again aiming to crush the students under their weight - more repeatedly now, and with far more ease in their descent. The area also began to feel hot, as if ready to burst aflame at a moment's notice. All the while, those footsteps and voices grew ever closer with each passing second.

---

@Estylwen@Psyker Landshark

ASCENDIA, ROOM 103 FOUNTAIN, INSIDE THE DOME

As the barrage rained down on Alto, it could be said to appear almost one-sided. He was grabbed and yanked by tendrils once Iraleth had broken free, slashed and stabbed, and yet through it all, his defenses held strong, the strikes never seeming to quite break through. The average PB would have long since shattered, between Hildegunde's drilling bullet and the relentless assaults of the warriors of light and darkness. Whether it was the overcharge's immense battery, a large reserve of essence from the instructor, or perhaps a combination of those factors and others, not one strike among the many broke through. "The righteous indignation of a paladin, and the hunger of an Umbralist... though, that's not quite been confirmed yet, has it? Even so, it's apparent that you fight with a temper, with voracity - and in that respect, you would have many things in common with that death cult regardless."

The good instructor's expression was cold, his words biting, his demeanor one of an owner scolding his pet. While he held respect for Iraleth's approach and mannerisms, it was apparent that the polar opposite could be felt from Alto's attitude towards Ciara. In Ciara's head, as she grasped tighter to the instructor with her tendrils, the distant sounds of screams and flames could be heard in her ear. Alto's attention was split between her and Iraleth, but something had taken specific attention to Ciara upon the instructor's words reaching their end. What could only be described as the guttural howls of the damned in the pits of the ninth hell, rang out in the shadow caster's ears and in her mind, fighting against her own inner voices in volume. They wailed for the deliverance of an end, and screamed for redemption for their betrayal. As this happened, more thorny tendrils would lash out at Ciara and Iraleth from nearby walls, sturdier in construction than before, aiming for specific joints like the backs of the knees, ankles or elbows.

"I'll get to you in a moment, Ms. Kyrios," Alto would mutter, a small smile once more creeping onto his face as he stepped towards Ciara. He moved with the speed of a trained assassin despite the bindings of the tendrils, and pried his sword arm free from their grasp as he stepped. In a single instant, his sword slashed towards Ciara's midsection, dueling her one-handed while weighed down and shifted by her bindings. He would continue slashing and stabbing away at her like this, parrying and deflecting attacks coming his own way. Despite the crushing darkness, it appeared as if he could see and strike without issue. His eyes were catlike inside the shadows, as if he were a hunter of prey in a dark forest. "I have a remnant to attend to. Or, gods willing, you're welcome to join in from over there!"

The dome around them, notably, would begin to make cracking sounds - and upon looking, one would indeed see that the inner walls of vines and thorns were slowly crumbling. A pressure filled the dome, as if rising heat from an oven of gargantuan size. More thorny tendrils and spears would descend upon the two students inside, growing denser and sharper with each new batch. Yet as this happened, the heat increased, and the cracks began to show more, even on the outside.

Iris Ascendis

I straight up can't have a round for the forseeable future. I'm so sorry everyone, design week is murdering me and it turns out it'll be 3 weeks. AND my keyboard is fucked.

EDIT: To add to that, if you need to write Hildegunde out of the plot because 3 weeks is a longass time, I understand entirely. My program is exceedingly strict (you can fail an assignment you got a 69% on if they decide you weren't hitting bench marks quick enough despite your final mark) and I am struggling hard. I really hate to do this but I gotta do what I gotta do.

@Sifr

I think we'll see where things are in three weeks, or at some point during it. After this fight, there's not much that will require the whole group together for the rest of the in-game day, but it'll also probably go by faster than Alto's class (apart from Ciara vs Iraleth, which could be any length of time). But depending on where we are, Hildegunde may need to be dropped, yeah.

Iris Ascendis

Seems like a busy time anyway, all good!

Iris Ascendis

@ERode

It would be entirely obscured from the outside. It's thorns and vines, but woven so thickly as to prevent line of sight.

@AThousandCurses

It does, it appears to connect from the very top of the dome through layers of interwoven vines shielded by thicker layers of thorns.

Iris Ascendis

Through the power of cough syrup and painkillers, I live. Or just enough to write, at least!

Iris Ascendis

@Estylwen@Psyker Landshark@ERode@AThousandCurses@Sifr

ASCENDIA, ROOM 103 FOUNTAIN

As Ciara's sword met Alto's back, another clang of steel resounded through the woods. His Personal Barrier held firm, crackling like sparks against her strike and preventing injury. He'd stare at her for a moment, a smile on his face - and a glint of something in his eye, for the briefest blink. In the heat of all this, Chunji's further questions had unfortunately gone ignored. "Brave, truly. But it takes more than that to break my defenses, Ciara," he would whisper.

This contact was broken when he heard Iraleth, and turned just in time to see her rush him. Surprise overtook him for a brief moment as the wrist of his sword hand was gripped, followed by one against his throat. His barrier didn't budge even then, but slowly, it would begin to flicker in the places in which Iraleth made contact. As this happened, the bullet by his knee picked up momentum against his PB, seemingly finding purchase amidst the wall it fought against.

The instructor stared at Iraleth, a look of recognition plain as day as he gripped against her wrist with his free hand. "An Ethos that grants physical strength, speed, flight and presumably so much more. But it's in its infancy, Ms. Kyrios - and in its current state, the power of an overcharge can match it."

His nails dug against her Personal Barrier with physical strength matching or surpassing her own, the benefits of a leyline overcharge clearly being used to grab her. She would feel her own barrier begin to dilute as the grip was maintained, and due to the overwhelming reserves of essence granted by a leyline, it was clear that hers would crack open before his, if it were to continue this way. "And now you're both here with me."

Near instantaneously, a wall of vines and thorns would sprout from the ground all around them in a perfect circle before forming a dome containing Alto, Iraleth and Ciara. Immediately upon the formation of this dome, tendril-like thorns would emerge from the walls and hurtle towards both students with spear-like tips trained on them from all sides. In the meantime, Alto's sword hand would begin to resist as well, slowly but surely raising itself towards Iraleth with his sword pointed at her as his other hand continued to pry at her barrier. The instructor would speak, and even from inside the dome, those outside would be able to hear him as he responded to Otis' question, replying, "If you can break through my PB before the overcharge ends, there miiight be something in it for you guys. Remains to be seen. Give it your all, ahaha!"

In his mind, Otis would hear a reply from Rio, speaking in a low tone mentally, "All four of my guardian's shields contains a different unique property when struck, but you're not gonna hear from me what those are. As for me, I practice the Four Seasons Fist, though I've only got real experience with the Autumn Stance. I've also got some degree of experience with arcane casting, but not good enough to throw out reverse incantations in the heat of battle, I do know that."

Rio remained on guard as he looked towards the thorn dome, slowly regaining feeling in his hand as his barrier reformed around it. Chloe sprinted towards Rio, but upon seeing the state he was in, stopped herself from shouting any cusses at him. Mentally, she'd respond as well, saying, "Hmph. I'll be in this battle until it's over! If I can get but a single finger on the wretch, he'd be a prune in no time! When the brutes fail in their pursuits, you'll be begging me to finish things for you." A flick of her hair and a smirk on her face, all clearly doing the part of hiding the rattled nerves and battle jitters all about her.

Iris Ascendis

Hey guys, sorry, just another update. I came down with some kind of bug, so I'm just enduring that for now. I'll try to get something out tomorrow if I'm feeling up for it.

Iris Ascendis

Sorry, things have been stressful. I think I can get a post out later today.