Slowly. Steadily. After what seemed like an agonizing eternity, Ashley made her way out of the cramped, dark garbage chute, and into the light and openness of a corridor. Slowly, cautiously, she made her way towards the sound of combat. He team was nearby, and she had to assist them however possible. Her body ached, but she dared not risk expending mana to heal herself. That could come later, after Justin had been dealt with. For now, every last ounce of mana would be devoted to attaining that goal.
The corridor opened ahead, into the foyer, or rather, above it… Her grueling ascent had actually allowed her to reach the second floor, with its abominable blood fountains and its disgustingly ostentatious portrait of von Carnage himself. But what could be found above mattered far less than what could be found below… There, her team struggled against three monstrous assailants. Portions of the floor were ablaze, while thick clouds of noxious fumes obscured much of the rest. Even so, a quick glance over the situation after running to the balcony railing told her what was most important, told her who was most in need of her unique abilities. Two members of her team were in desperate need of healing. The first, Wukong, had been set ablaze, and was now pinned to the floor by the nightmarish skeletal centaur-thing that had popped up beneath Ashley herself only a short time ago. It looked far more injured than when she’d seen it last, but still seemed more than capable of ending her simian ally’s life. And then there was Leroux, mangled body splayed on the ground near the broken remnants of the organ, her blood and entrails spilling out. Ashley wanted to help them both, but she knew that she was only capable of so much. She had to prioritize, and she had to do it fast…
One of the basic concepts of math is the order of operations. Unless things were done in the proper order, and unless you knew what that order was, you wouldn’t solve the equation. However, failing to solve the equation here wouldn’t mean failing a test, but failing her teammates, something Ashley Avenir refused to do. Always one to study all the relevant material for a test, she had been sure to thoroughly familiarize herself with all the aspects of this mission, and most importantly, the aspects of her fellow agents… Ashley knew that, through some unique attribute of their esper form, Wukong was capable of surviving a fatal situation for a brief amount of time. Leroux was not so fortunate. Therefore, she would be the first ally to receive healing. However, that did not mean Wukong would be left to fend entirely for herself…
Even as Arzendale unleashed a tsunami of blood upon Breacher and Valkyrie, the Knight of Tomorrow sprung into action. Glowing particles coalescing between the prongs of her instrument, she fired a neon green lance at the prone Leroux, bathing her in restorative energies. Immediately after the beam had dissipated, the young esper took careful aim and snapped off an energy bolt at Centrocious’s sole remaining head. Even if it was too soon for her to heal Wukong as well, the Knight of Tomorrow could still ensure the simian esper would have a tomorrow by killing the monster that was preventing her ally’s escape.
The order of operations had been chosen.
Time would tell if it was the correct one…
18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)
DAMAGE: C | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: D | 750
[Bronze Beam][Heal] = -72 mana
PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: C | 382
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2)
DAMAGE: C | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: D | 750
[Bronze Beam][Heal] = -72 mana
PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: C | 382