EVENT ★ SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

[futurologists]

Following the sudden entrapment of a group of ALASTAIR diplomats, it's clear the true threat to Chantes is still afoot. The sun's disappearance may have been what was on the mission tin, but the man behind the plot is still alive and kicking. On the day the people inside the castle go incommunicado, King Christophe's head is unceremoniously tossed out from one of the towers. The word travels like wildfire from there: the Order of the Chimera's leader, Michel, has taken roost on the throne. But he doesn't seem keen on leaving much to rule — he's been busy littering the city with symbols from his grimoire. And with the king's death, they begin to stir. If ALASTAIR sent the recruits here to save Chantes, Michel and his rituals are why. THE DEMONS All around the city’s landmarks (and a few within the castle), runes have shimmered into existence. Remember those? Bothersome little things that nullify powers. But they’re not nullifying powers this time. These runes shimmer a low, sinister red, even by the bright light of midday. They wait, complacent, not really doing much of anything… that is, unless you try to destroy one of them. The moment a rune is tampered with in any way it flares brightly, and a thin red mist seeps out into the air. Each entity from the rune is a little bit different and fights in a different way, but all of them are unquestionably demonic. Some of them manifest physical forms and attack with claws and bolts of energy, but many of them are not so blunt. In fact, most of these demons are much more insidious, as recruits will quickly discover. POSSESSION Most of these creatures use possession as their main tactic, although their methods vary. Some demons keep themselves invisibly after that initial red leak of mist, choose a target, and begin to whisper in their ear. They’ll promise anything — power, riches, fame. Their words alter what might otherwise be sound judgment, making their target believe that not only are these demons perfectly capable of delivering, but they will impart their gifts just as soon as the recruit takes care of this one little task. Attacking your friend isn’t really so much to ask, right? Just think of the reward, just around the corner! Some demons spark a frenzy in their target. An unquellable rage rises within them, urging them to lash out at anyone around them. Maybe they see a nemesis from their past transposed over a friend, maybe they’re trapped in an unpleasant memory and trying desperately to fight free of it — whatever it takes, these demons relish provoking an uncontrollable need to fight. And finally, some of them will outright inhabit the body of their target and control all of their actions and words. The recruit will be fully aware of their actions, but unable to prevent any of it. They can only watch as the entity within them does whatever it takes to disable the friends around them — treachery, outright attack, whatever is needed. In each case the demons can be exorcised if you happen to be with someone with a knack for it, but otherwise impossible to drive out. The demon will remain in its host until someone else successfully destroys the rune it came from, which will finally kill it. The demons know this, of course, and will focus all effort on stopping any damage to their rune if it seems under threat. The destruction of runes inside the castle will open a thin breach in the barrier spell over it, allowing those inside to slip out (or those outside to slip in). They’d better move fast, though, as the breach will heal itself again in about 30 seconds. Miss your chance and you’ll have to hunt down and destroy another rune. (NOTE: Characters trapped within the castle may escape with enough time to take part in the possession aspect of the event with the rest of the game.) Anyone with a sense for magic can easily tell that the longer these runes go without being destroyed, the stronger their energy pulses. Eventually even ordinary folk will feel it. Townsfolk in the area become uneasy and restless, and proximity to intact runes will begin to fill you with a sense of dread and unnamed anxiety. Something is coming. Something that must be stopped before it can be let into the world. THE SUMMONS No matter how quickly the recruits move, there always seems to be one more rune to find, one more demon to defeat. And still that energy is building. When the town clock strikes 12 noon, the runes are at full strength, and they begin to launch into a coordinated ritual. A summoning spell, to be exact. The demons disappear, their energy sacrificed to bring forth something even worse. All over the city portals begin to open and beasts begin to claw out of them. These are chimeras, straight from myth, each one half the size of a building. They have vast wings and three heads a piece, a lion, a goat, and a dragon — plus a live snake for a tail. The tail’s what you should really look out for. A bite from the snake turns the bitten limb into solid stone, which will take either three days or a splash of blood from one of the chimeras to return to flesh and blood. It can be discovered that these monsters have an odd vulnerability to pure iron. If struck or stabbed by something made of iron their skin blisters and burns — enough of this could prove lethal to it. Or you can murder them the old fashioned way, if you’re good at killing giant monsters. Attacking them isn’t the only thing to be worried about, though. They’re smashing down buildings and attacking indiscriminately, so some characters might find their time well-spent evacuating citizens rather than partaking in the fight directly. The structural damage might be inevitable, but it’s at least possible to mitigate loss of life. THE AFTERWORD A few hours after the final chimera is killed, un-summoned, exploded, whatever its fate might be, recruits will find their ALASTAIR-given jewelry coming to life. It looks like they’re finally breaking their silence. Words scrawl across whatever surface you see them on, written in ornate purple script: On behalf of this land, thank you for your diligence and hard work. You have ten days to settle your affairs in this world before your return to Oska. Just that, then the jewelry dies out again. It’s a bit of an underwhelming show of gratitude, but it gets the point across. Say goodbye to any non-recruit friends you’ve made here, get the last word in on any arguments with the locals, settle your bar tabs — or rack them up, as per inclination. In ten days every ALASTAIR recruit will simply fade away into a white mist from the perspective of the locals. But until then the city is yours, and most importantly, safe. OOC INFO Welcome to the concluding log of Chantes! There's been quite a few pieces to it, so here's an overall list of the week's noteworthy plot posts: Peaceseeking player plot Loki and Ahad addressing Michel's disappearance A request from Arthur Event follow-up with the fate of Michel. Please note that regardless of Michel's end, we will be reading player suggestions and taking them into account for the overall fate of Chantes.

Comments

CLOSED TO ARCHER & MICHEL.

[futurologists]

[By the time the castle doors are unlocked, it's filled with death. Servants driven to attack each other by demons. Guards who tried to defend their king. Archer will have to step over corpses to search for Michel. He's in the highest room in the castle, far away from the desperate commotion downstairs. The door is closed, Michel still unaware that his runes have been undone and his doors unlocked. He feels safe, powerful with his magic protecting him.

He towers over King's Christophe's body, crumpled on the floor. The king's body is bruised and bloody -- however Michel killed him, he made sure he suffered first. But he is dead. Of that much you can be sure. He leans over and plucks the bloody crown off of the floor, red seeping onto his fingers. Smiling with almost childlike joy, he puts it atop his curls. If he had felt powerful before, now he feels invincible. Unbeatable. Godlike. He has no idea that his hubris may be his downfall.]

[anti_altruisms]

[ Archer bides his time.

The moment he lost all sense of his connection with Rin, he rushed to the castle. When all attempts to breach the magic failed, he waited. News of the King's death spreads, and when the defenses waver, he is there to take advantage of it.

Slipping inside in spirit form, Archer bypasses all of the mess. He's seen death countless times, sights just as bad if not worse than these, so it affects him less than it might someone else. He can sense Rin again, she is safe and well, and she doesn't need him now, hovering at her side. This nonsense has gone on long enough, and it's high time it came to an end.

Archer searches for the scent of magic, the power that permeates and filters down from above. Having found the source, Michel will hear the sound of the door creaking briefly open. Then, in a blur of red, a blade in each hand, Archer appears and hurtles towards Michel.

He is here for the man's life, and there should be no question as to the nature of his intentions. ]

QUESTIONS

[futurologists]

Please direct questions here.

[defenceless]

Would Rin be able to set up magical/spell-based barriers in certain areas of the city, possibly relying partially on the magic of other citizens if she showed them what to do?

ana ramir | open

[heavyhitter]

[ possession: A ]

[ Ramir has seen the runes at work before she’d gotten a chance to approach any of them, and she’s suddenly a little glad about it. She knows that they make people act… weird. Weird is enough for her, honestly, she’s more than sure that she doesn’t want anything to do with it.

Fortunately there are a lot of people around, and hopefully some of them haven’t had the chance to see them in action yet.

She’ll grab the nearest person she recognizes as an ALASTAIR recruit, bright smile looking a little too innocent. ]

Hey! Let’s do a team up. [ She points back toward the nearest rune, shimmering not-so-innocently under a statue of some round guy in robes. ] You go warm that thing up for me, then I’ll swoop in and take it out. Good?

[ It better be good, she does not want to see firsthand what makes people act so weird after contact with one of them. ]

[ possession: B ]

[ No matter how careful Ramir is about these runes and the weird misty red things that seep out of them, she couldn’t avoid it entirely.

She’s currently standing just a few steps away from a rune at the base of a wide tree, uncharacteristically quiet as she stares at it. She’s unarmed, and doesn’t look too dangerous. She doesn’t look much of anything.

It’s almost definitely safe to approach. ]

[ summons ]

[ So much for her cautious approach with the demons; Ramir was sure at first sight that the chimeras were definitely something she could take on. Big monsters, right? What more does she need to know, time to start punching!

So she’d done that, and there’s a chimera somewhere out there with a few broken ribs and a sagging left head, but she hadn’t noticed the tail. It had swung in from behind and caught her right arm, which sucks, because how is she supposed to write with a fist made out of stone?

She’d backed off immediately and now she stands in the shadow of a building, panting a little (nervousness more than exhaustion), clutching a non-functional, apparently solid stone arm against her side. If anyone she catches sight of looks like they’re headed toward one of them she’ll dart forward, reaching to snag an arm with the hand that still works. ]

Hold up a sec, I got some advice — keep your eyes on the tail, alright? [ Take it from a pro who really wishes she weren’t. ]

[ afterword ]

[ She hardly remembers the glimpse of Oska she’d gotten, so no lie, she’s pretty excited to hear that they’re headed back there again. This city is nice, but… god, so old. She misses technology. Maybe they’ve got that in Oska.

Ramir can be found mostly in bars, because of course it’s occurred to her that she can now open a tab and never be back to pay it, so she’s more than happy to live it up. Being drunk doesn’t last very long for her, but dammit, she’ll make the best out of that ten minute period that she can.

Currently that involves a fistfight, mainly. No stools have been smashed yet, but she’s really hoping someone goes for it with one of them, that would be great. The big, bald human with the tattooed forearm hasn’t really been taking very well to her stream of shouted taunts, so she’s banking on him be the one to do it.

Whether you’re just coming into the bar, have been here for a while, or are possibly trying to slip out, Ramir will go for an arm-in-arm lock anyway, looking basically delighted to be alive. ]

Can you believe what that guy said about you? The bald one? Tell me you heard that, it was fucking awful! Don’t you just wanna punch him out?

[perma_banned]

[Ban felt something grab hold of his shoulder as he went rushing down the street to put himself in the way of another chimera. He stopped in his tracks, looking aside to Ramir with a puzzled expression. In truth, he had his leg get turned to stone earlier--the price he paid for trying to manage the crowd a little too closely.

Ban's solution was to simply lop off his leg and let it regrow, but Ramir didn't seem to have the same luxury. He gave her a frown, arms drooping to his sides.]

...Thanks. [Though, he didn't realize it was just the tail.]

You alright? [He gestured to Ramir's obvious issue.]

gilgamesh | open

[babbylon]

escape. [CLOSED TO CASTLEMATES]

[Gilgamesh has had just about enough of this stupid castle.

After wandering aimlessly down corridors with varying degrees of company for the better half of a day—mostly awful, often insufferable—Gilgamesh had finally managed to locate the source of trouble in the form of a glowing rune. The only problem?

There's a giant demon standing in front of it, ready to charge, and he's armed only with a rusty sword and a really bad sense of fashion. Still, he's Gilgamesh! The King of Heroes, the great tyrant that would smash anything standing in his way! No monster could ever hope to challenge the likes of him and survive!

...except he's actually backing off from this, glancing to the unfortunate person next to him for assistance.]

You've slain this sort of beast before, haven't you? Do something! I resent the burden of responsibility being placed on my shoulders!

[Look alive, both of you. The demon's preparing an energy bolt for a two-for-one obliteration special.]

chimeras.

[Demons? No problem. Runes? Piece of cake. Chimeras, on the other hand...

Chimeras were a challenge worthy of a true King. Gilgamesh, now free of the castle's binding spell, lets loose on the creatures with a hail of firepower, with lances, with spears, with axes and everything else in his arsenal. He's doing quite well for himself to the point where he quickly becomes bored and goes off in search of worthier prey.

The sort of prey that's hunting down something smaller and weaker than itself. Namely you, at least by Gilgamesh's estimate.]

On your right!

[Gilgamesh calls out and slices off the chimera's leg, then settles on a smooth landing in full armored regalia. What a handsome knight! You're saved!]

Well? Show a bit of initiative, mongrel! You're profiting off my glorious labor, after all!

[...or maybe you never needed saving to begin with. Regardless, a veritable swarm of chimera are on their way. Time for some teamwork, whether you wanted it or not.]

possession.

[Gilgamesh's willpower was far too strong to overcome through ordinary means. Nonetheless, one of the runes manages to weaken his defenses and hypnotize him up close. Whoever's nearby, he raises his weapons against them and his eyes narrow as if he intends to kill, and maybe he does. It's hard to tell, at least until he speaks...]

Die.

[...and then it becomes pretty clear just what he's after. Cackling can be heard from behind the rune's barrier, likely that of the demon responsible for the curse, and it echoes in Gilgamesh's own voice. He leaps forward in a great rush and brings his twin blades down, seeking to demolish any unfortunate bystanders in one bloody blow.

Die, die, die leaves his mouth in a terrifying mantra, words that drip with violence and offer no absolution. Take up arms, flee, or try to reason with him... but do something, and do it decisively. Even when of sane mind, Gilgamesh was never one to listen to the weak-willed, and thus only a strong heart could ever hope to sway him.]

chimeras!

[heavyhitter]

[ Okay, well, Ramir was pretty sure she'd had that handled. As much as a single, unarmed person can really have a chimera handled, anyway. But she'd had some sort of scheme involving a narrow alley and luring it toward the too-narrow mouth of it, and now how is she supposed to do that now that it's down a leg? ]

Hey! [ She scowls darkly at Gilgamesh, ignoring the suddenly flailing, shrieking chimera. ] What the hell, man! I had that. Now look at it, you broke it!

[perma_banned]

[Possession]

[Having ruined his armor trying to break down the gate, Ban was left in his greaves and undershirt, twiddling his thumbs while waiting for a sign for something to change. Their attempt to negotiate came to little fruition with the king's severed head landing in the courtyard, it seemed. The surrounding soldiers who had been left in the outer edges of the castle began to speak up, talking about the town. They spotted something strange going on, drawing his attention.

Ban left at that, hearing the tones of their voices becoming grim. There was nothing to be done with an unbreakable wall--it would be more his talent if he went towards whatever put them at unease.

Though he began walking at a slow pace to head that way--the sudden sensation of dark magic woke him up more so. Ban left in a hurry, vanishing from the castle walls in a flash. He returned, jaw hung wide open as the first thing he saw was a young woman grappling with a man, driving a cleaver in her hands through the meat of his neck--or, she would have, had Ban not stepped in front of her to let it cut through his shoulder. He knocked her out with a sharp chop to her neck and shooed off the man who had been attacked. Just down the street, red mist rose as similar scene played out over and over. He went through the process of stopping what he could, not bothering to look for any additional signs. He would save everyone he could see. It only seemed like the right way to do things.

People didn't just try to murder each other in the streets at a moment's notice. He had no idea what was going on, but as Ban ran into town, he was getting a closer and closer impression of it.]

[Summons]

[Ban would find chimeras were easier to deal with than the possessed, by a wide margin. There was a flush of relief that came over him when the chimeras began to pour out of their portals. Worrying about disarming and not completely harming someone was difficult. It was easier to hurt than it was to subdue. Even so, the situation was grim and terrible--not at all something he suspected would be averted too easily.

The tear of wind came next as a gigantic chimera rose from its own portal, threatening to crush a host of people still fleeing from the previous chaos. It lunged forward to swing one gigantic limb down, but gave pause. It swung, but nothing happened. Ban held one hand firmly in the air, his fingers curling inwards as if he were tugging invisible strings.]

Sorry~. [Those fingers closed--the beast's limb torn from its body the same way a child pulled apart a doll as Ban drew his hand aside. The mess of blood that came next stopped as the next thing Ban 'stole' from it was its heart--the beating organ resting, massive in its own right, atop Ban's outstretched palm. Tucked under his free arm was his four-sectioned staff, radiating with power.]

This kind of thing is juuuust the opportunity to keep me from being so lazy. [More chimeras tore through their portals, smashing cobblestones as they landed on houses--in the streets. Hell had come to the kingdom. Ban's smile wasn't one of amusement or bloodlust--it was one that showed his comfort in the station he was placed. It was time to act like a heroic knight. It was time to show why he was chosen as a Seven Deadly Sin.]

[Afterword: A] Closed to Papyrus
[Ban was drained, from head to toe. It was a battle he could have taken part in without using up all his strength, but it would have been won, on their part, with more casualties than necessary. By the end of things, he used a technique that drained dozens of chimera of their power in an instant, giving him a chance to dispatch them all in a flash. Ban, landing along the outskirts of the town, held two children in his arm--a goblin and a human. It was power poorly spent in fighting chimeras, but it worked to save people who had been hairs' breadths from being smeared into the pavement. Being able to bound from one part of town to the other in a flash was a price that seemed appropriate.

He let the two run from him. Dragging his feet, Ban felt sweat pour down from himself. He had been successful, in his own eyes. Every innocent person he saw, Ban pulled out of danger. He didn't know much for the rest of town, but he had that much to be pleased with. The young girl he saved, with shoulder-length blond hair, thanked him.]

Elaine...? [He hadn't noticed initially, but she looked so much like her that--]

Huh? [She turned to face him, face showing a struggle as she wondered if he was calling to her. Ban caught that expression, smiling through his fatigue.]

Sorry. [His chest heaved and Ban fell into the grass, caked in fresh sweat as his body felt too heavy for him to move.]

Couldn't be her...

[Afterword: B]
[It hadn't taken Ban too long to recover, though he was stiff in all his joints as he sat outside with a number of the townsfolk. Everyone was huddled, building fires after they had spent a few hours trying to sort through the rubble, putting out fires and saving belongings. With each passing moment, his fatigue dripped off of him, bringing Ban back to good health in the space of four to five hours. He looked over people as they drank, cooked and bickered. There was tension and happiness all around, the mixture of uncertainty from battered homes being replaced by relief that loved ones were alive and well. It could have gone considerably worse and the understood as much.

Ban didn't touch a drop of ale, a glass of wine or a sip of hard liquor in that time. He didn't even think twice about it, for a long while. His head was sound and clear, his even expression painting the picture of someone who had found the ideal time and place to sit down and relax.]

Afterword A

[boneafide]

[ This was horrible. It isn't at all what he thought fighting would be like- it's just chaos and innocent people getting hurt. He only saw people he knew every once in a while, since he spent most of the time during this "fight" trying to help people to safety. That's when he sees dozens of chimera fall out of the sky, and while he couldn't see too well... It looked like it was Ban who was fighting them off? But then the other was off again, out into the outskirts of the town. After reassuring the family he was helping they would be alright, he ran after where he thought he saw Ban head towards, and sure enough, two children were running away while Ban was collapsed on the grass. ]

Aww, jeez!!

[ Papyrus runs up to his collapsed "human" friend, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder and jostling him slightly. ]

Ban, this isn't a good place to sleep!! Hey, come on...

ranmaru | open

[unoradinary]

[Runestomping]



[She isn't especially knowledgeable on this whole magic thing, so unless the person she's ended up with happens to know better and maybe wants to advise caution, Ranmaru approaches a rune haphazardly and gives it a curious look.]

Is it doing anything...? Maybe we oughta break it just to be safe.

[Possession]



[Regardless, it's probably not surprising someone as punch-first-ask-questions-later ended up like this. She actively pursues anyone she comes across, and if you're not the one being chased, you may just find her pursuing townsfolk with reckless abandon, showing an uncharacteristic lack of concern.]

Power...I need more power! ...to be...more powerful than everyone else, I'll...I'll just...

[Either move to stop her now or get ready to dodge for your life, because she is picking up a nearby market stall and is tossing it at the nearest target of her aggression.]

I'll kill everyone!

(I'm interested in doing things post the chaos, but I'll need to know what happens with her possession stuff first...if you're interested just let me know and I can write up closed starters for people! The cr meme might be most convenient but I'm at obscureinternetreference too if anyone wants anything.)

Possession

[jamminshield]

[Steven narrowly dives out of the way of the flying market stall and looks up at his hero with tears in his eyes.]

Ran... No! Stop! This... this isn't you!

[satsujinki]

[Summons]

[Shiki had scarcely any time to react as the entirety of his room was torn open. He couldn't very well tell that it was a monster that had done it, initially. At one time, his messy room had been there and suddenly it wasn't--Shiki waking and seeing the open street by his bed a bit too clearly. He startled, jumping from bed as consciousness forced itself upon him in a hurry. It was funny to him how he struggled to get out of bed, some days. A wake-up call like that would have him up early for work every morning.

The monster hadn't even been rushing towards him--it was just moving past the building, looking for prey. He gaped, glasses left still on his nightstand. Fortunately, he had fallen asleep in his pants, at the very least. Pulling his sneakers on, Shiki threw himself against the wall of his collapsing room--opening the window which had yet to break. With some hesitation, Shiki lingered by the window, too startled to speak a word even in the depths of his very startled mind. His knife was already in his pocket. He was out the window, jumping to the ground below just as the rest of his room collapsed.

He hissed as he felt fire on his back. Rolling was enough to keep him from breaking his legs, but he was still lacking a shirt. Standing up straight, Shiki felt relief distance itself from him even further as he looked forward to the chimera--which turned around to face him. It was twenty times his size, looking every part like a beast from Nrvnqsr's horde.

He froze. It readied itself on four limbs, finally noticing him. Alone in the street, Shiki seemed to feel the whole world slow down. He was going to die.]

[Afterword]

[By the end of it, Shiki was scratched up and bruised all over, the discomfort of sitting forcing him to lean forward and wince with each shift he made. He winced a bit more as a local physician tended to him in the remains of one of the inns, stitching him up and applying bandages as he saw fit. Shiki, taking it all without anesthetics as there were plenty of other people who needed it, shut his eyes and focused on other things as he was tended to. Behind his glasses, one of his eyes was a dark red, blood having welled from under his eyelid at one point. It was a red shadow that hugged his right eye, looking more and more like a browning bruise as time passed.

He looked to the physician irritably, complaining in the midst of things.]

Ow! Don't yank it so much! I'm not a handbag, you know! [The physician gave him an arch look, pointedly tugging on one of the stitches a bit harder than before. Shiki winced, earning the much older man a sneer which was returned in favor of a grin on his part.]

How many of those are you putting in me, anyway?

summons

[digophelia]

[ There were only a few moments left, she could feel it. Hysteria didn't feel the same as it did in Wonderland. Her mind. Everything is so different compared to how she pictured in her mind, naturally. She phased in and out of a solid form, pushing her body and mind to the limit, swinging the nightmare hard enough to actually send them flying, even if it meant several feet. She did it to buy time for anyone escaping, thankful that the kightmare was able to install fear in them, even if it was for a few moments.

It was a shame that none of that lasted longer in the span of few moments, but at least, people were able to flee. She was wordless, easily gliding along, blood red eyes staring vacantly as anger pulsated through her. It was still never enough for Alice, who wanted more. In the seconds Alice kept moving, she saw him. Alice only had a few moments left, so she used those few moments left of hysteria, phasing out and landing before the chimera, using herself as a shield.

A moment left. Bloody tears down her cheeks and rage surging through her, Alice found no hesitation to heave back the knightmare, and slam, hard against the it. The bonus of hysteria had increased her strength and stamina, even if it meant weakening herself mentally and physically. But it bought distance, she was able to push it back, just a little, enough for her swoop back in. and turn back to Shiki with a vacant gaze.

Seconds later, hysteria had lost its grip on Alice, and Alice returned to same flesh toned girl, standing there in her armor and the knightmare still in her grip, catching her breath. She tried to center herself quickly, drained by her ability -- which was odd, she never felt that out of her body and nor did she expect the ramifications of the Queen of Hearts tendrils in her eyes. Shiki almost didn't seem real, she overlooks his injuries, not at all realizing fully what had happened to him. She breathes, one hand out to him- ]

Shiki. Can you move?

Steven Quartz Universe | Open

[jamminshield]

[As the chaos breaks out, Steven mostly runs back and forth trying to do damage control. He'll be working on evacuating humans and goblins alike from their respective homes, especially after the summons begin attacking. You can also specifically catch him in the act of holding up a larger version of his shield like an umbrella, shielding some humans or goblins around him from falling debris.

He'll also check on and attempt to destroy the runes... and he is open to encounters with any of the enemies present that evening, carrying his shield on him at virtually all times.]

[runningjoke]

[ Somewhere Peridot really doesn't want to be: a battlezone. Not meant for fighting, not meant to even be defending, etc, etc. She's pretty annoyed she's been dragged into this at all, but there's not much she can do about it now except defend herself, and maybe hide. She's sure the other members of ALASTAIR have this handled, right?

But then she sees Steven. And that shield...

She never knew Rose Quartz, obviously. But Jasper did. And Jasper's the one who wanted to take him in, after seeing that. It was a powerful shield, capable of deflecting heavy debris without Steven even falling back. He was strong, suitably a Quartz type. Just small, which was his only obvious defect, aside from the fact he was a hybrid. And then there was Peridot- much taller, but only falsely so, and with a weapon she can hardly manage to use.

Tsking to herself and hating her choices, Peridot runs now in the opposite direction she had been before- towards Steven. There's a particular nasty looking summoned monster coming at Steven from behind while he's distracted, and she blasts at it, somewhat pitifully, because a fully charged attack would require her to not be running at all. ]

Steven!!

Alice Liddell | OTA

[digophelia]

THE SUMMONS

[ Once the barrier is broken, Alice isn't seen from the party again. It's a race to get back and finally adorn herself in the sliver and blue armor given to her. Alice wouldn't have considered it before until a few days ago. In order to help those out who are evacuating, Alice slides in front of anyone who needs the extra time to evacuate citizens.

This time, Alice doesn't rely that much on her knife, but calls out the knightmare in her hands. A blunt object will only work so much, but it's better than a knife, Alice concludes. ]

Go. I'm giving you extra time! You don't want to stay for this.

[ Shielding herself in front fleeing citizens, Alice bites her lip, surveying the pure size of the beast. It's never enough, it's not good enough, and for the second time, Alice is willing to throw herself into harm's way for the sake of others. Racing thoughts in her head, Alice takes one warning swing against a chimera, watching the three-headed beast scream in fear. It buys her enough time, at least, to phase backwards in the swarm of blue butterflies, holding out the knightmare in a guard position.

It's not good enough. It's never good enough!

Gritting her teeth and with a hitched breathe, her green eyes dart back and forth, watching them descend and wreck havoc on the town around her. How could anyone be happy with this? What did these people do? Anger mounting, Alice comes to the conclusion, even in her armor, it wasn't going to be enough to hold against them. Her vision is blurring, going a blood red, holding her ground as the ongoing chaos finally pushes her to her limit.

It's never enough.

She screams, her anger enveloping her, in a burst of blood. In a matter of minutes, the world is muted, in greys and black. Where the blue and silver Alice stood, a pale specter stands.

For once, the self doubts and anger in Alice's head die out and she is numb. It's easier to fight numb and in an absolute rage. Hurling the knightmare back, Alice swings at several creatures that would have struck her if they weren't dazed, hard enough to where she sends them skidding a few feet. Her strength had increased, swinging at the chimeras around her to buy enough time. The effects of her hysteria would only last for a handful of minutes and couldn't be used until she rested.

She would use this time to violently attack as many she could. ]


AFTERWARDS

[ When it's all said and done, Alice, for once, isn't as injured as she was before, not as she was after previous fights. Hysteria mode has taken a toll on her mind and body, Alice resting herself against a wall, holding her bloodied vorpal blade in her hand. Her dark hair fallen in her face that's littered with scrapes and bruises. She's calm after the events, finding the onslaught oddly cathartic, but wouldn't dare admit to it.

After frantically checking for her small group of children, Alice can at least breath a sigh of relief, knowing that they're safe and sound. For once, it's good to not have that many serious injures; her body is already plenty sore and bruised from this week. Once the message goes out on her communicator, as grim as pitiful of a thanks it is, she's grateful for it. Sort of. ]

WILDCARD

[ In the castle? Elsewhere? Go wild! ]

[ ooc; won't be doing any in-castle logs, unless you wanted to! Alice will not verbally respond to anyone in hysteria mode, but she will understand you. Hysteria mode will only last for 10 minutes, so Alice will return to her normal state afterwards. ]

afterwards

[keeper]

[ After making rounds through the city (whatever remains of it anyhow), she finds a familiar figure huddled against one of the abandoned buildings, looking worse for wear... (Though, Aqua can't speak much for herself, seeing as she's in a similar, tattered state.)

It's been a trying day, to say the least. After hours of magical imprisonment in the castle, escaping to find hell actually broken loose... Fighting demons, figurative or literal... She's tired. Alive and grateful for it, but so very tired.

And truly, it's no small relief to have found one from her previous group again—a glimmer of good news in the aftermath of the bad. She kneels down beside the other girl, voice quiet. ]

Alice...? [ (In case she deigns not to lift her chin in response,) ] It's Aqua.

...Are you all right?

Sakura Kinomoto l Cardcaptor Sakura l Open

[keystaff]

Demons and runes, oh my!:

[Well, at least this was familiar? Familiar in the sense of that foreboding magic, the runes that need to be destroyed once again. Only this time, it seems much more dangerous, more serious than simply eliminating a barrier with freeing their allies from prison.

She's trying to focus on the runes, to keep slashing at them with the Sword card, the ones she can sense and more easily get to anyway, between her height and making up for that with the Jump or Fly card.

At the very least, she is protected from the claws after the initial attack from the demons with quick and reflexive use of the Shield card. But that doesn't stop the initial attack, Sakura wincing as it gets her upper arm, ripping her sleeve.]

What now?

[Whatever these things are, they clearly need to be stopped somehow. It's just a matter of how. Which card might help.]

Summons:

Ah, no!

[Sakura is up a little higher, using a combination of the Jump and Fly cards at various points as she tries to get around quickly and help where she can. She's quick to use the staff to activate the wind or wood card to help try to bind the chimera and halt them even temporarily to their destruction of the buildings, to let the civilians have a change to evacuate before they might get hurt with the chaos around them.]

Get them out of here! Hurry!

Afterword:

[Sakura takes the time to try and relax, to recover from this. Make the most of this period prior to their needing to leave and take on another mission elsewhere.

So she can be seen running some last few deliveries, contemplating some souvenirs from the market areas, walking through the woods, or simply sitting or lying in one of the clearings or gardens nearby, admiring the sky. The light of the sun, or the moons and stars after so long again.

Or have her do some last helping of some meals or favors she offered, such as some more training in using the sword or various other activities, or a ride of her staff, demonstrations of the Clow Cards for any that might have asked or been interested.]

[humerous]

[The moon and the stars really were a sight to behold, especially for someone who hadn't seen them prior to his arrival to Chantes, either. When Sakura is out admiring the sky, she might come across someone with the same idea, but he's got a telescope set up - visually distinct from the ones they'd used to monitor the sky, if she was familiar with them. This one's fairly standard, with no extra technology added to it.]

Nice night, huh kid?

[She's got about a full foot of height over him, but despite that his voice is that of an adult. Deep, hoarse and even gravelly, like that of someone you'd expect to be some kind of heavy chain smoker.]

Sieglinde Sullivan | OTA x2, Locked x2

[grunehexe]

a ⚝ gefangen ⚝ closed to castle trapees

[Over the course of the hours they're trapped inside, Sieglinde becomes quite closely acquainted with most all of their number- mainly because no one wants to carry an eleven year old girl more than an hour or two. She may be light for her age, but still.

In the kitchens, she's quite ready to stuff her face, stomach rumbling, urging whoever is holding her to set her down on the counter and wasting no time in sticking her hand straight in the nearest dish left abandoned by the servants and sticking that straight into her mouth, chewing sullenly. She'll get to gathering herbs for exorcisms, but, first...

Coming across a rune in the halls, Sieglinde immediately stiffens up, throwing a hand across the chest of whoever has her with a "wait" whispered quickly. That sort of thing needs to be approached cautiously...

It's time to destroy those runes, though, and this one has already released... something into the air, there's not much time. If this was her on a normal day she'd have a potion on her that would eat away at this sort of thing, but she doesn't have the strength to destroy it physically herself... so she looks towards her companion for guidance.]

b ⚝ besessenheit ⚝ possession ota

[Sieglinde didn't know what she was doing here. How she'd gotten here. One moment she'd been tumbling, scrambling, dodging rocks and trying to get clear when she'd seen the rune across the street-

And now she was here, sitting beside it. She wanted to leave, to go, and yet her body wouldn't respond as she wished, instead just sitting there. Just sitting there... until the sound of someone approaching, when she felt her head turn, her lungs breathe in, voice come out-]

I've got this rune handled here.

[No, she didnt't? She wasn't doing anything to destroy it. Though what showed on her face was only confidence, reassuring whoever had come that they could leave, it would be fine... inwardly, Sieglinde was forced to realize that she might be protecting it.]

c ⚝ brausen ⚝ closed to masamune

[Chimera. It was huge, and she- she couldn't run. Oh, she tried. Tried, and failed, tripping in a painful tumble into the rubble caused by the path of the beast's destruction. Wings and tail whipped about, and she heard the cracks, looked up to see the stones flying towards her-

She got the shield spell up in time, and the rocks glanced off, the shield cracking under pressure from but holding. Barely. It wouldn't survive much more, and she... was right in the chimera's path.]

d ⚝ heilen ⚝ healing ota

[There is one thing she can do in the aftermath of all this madness, and that is heal. The call goes out on the network;

If you are injured, or have someone injured with you, come as fast as possible to the apothecary in the western market. If you can heal, your help will be appreciated.

There, you'll find Sieglinde in a bloody mess of a field hospital set up in front of the store, ready to command where a patient be sat down or where you should sit, pausing to push sweat and some hair out of her face before struggling to her feet, swaying off balance over to said new patient.]

Let me see-

[Wounded by demon possession? Chimera? Falling rubble? Get over here.]

a. gefangen (destroy dem runes)

[keeper]

[ It's a little awkward navigating the castle in a dress, also with a small child (and accompanying bundle of extra fabric and frills) attached to one's back, but Aqua doesn't seem to be deterred by their current arrangement as they scour the empty halls for signs of black magic. (She's served as a pack mule for much heavier boys—carried an unconscious Ventus between different worlds, for one.)

Aqua's careful to keep her weight forward lest Sieglinde accidentally topple off the other way, and relies on her innate senses to track whatever evil that's been implanted in the stone blocks imprisoning them.

She pauses as they pull up to one of the runes, keeping a safe distance (or so she hopes) between them and the vile smoke emitted from the symbol. ]

...This can't be any good. [ Best they dispose of it quickly, and seeing as their options have been limited to brute force, ] Do you remember which way the armory is?

[ She's certain it isn't so far behind them, though she's hardly committed the layout of the place to memory; just hunting down the runes has absorbed virtually all of her focus, no doubt due to the dampening spell imprisoning them in the first place. ]

Closed Prompts

[beyourrock]

Closed to Papyrus

[Pearl rushes into the battle. She tries her best to knock out what demons she could, but she focuses on the runes for the most part. The Gem rushes past Chimeras and the like, narrowly missing gnashing teeth and deadly claws. With long strides, she weaves through the chaos.

She sees a particular rune being tampered with, but the demon was appearing behind the person trying to deactivate the rune. And it was someone she knew.]

The Great Papyrus!

[That's right, she's still using his full title, but it sounds most urgent as she tries to get his attention.]

Behind you!!


Closed to Riza

[The aftermath of everything had left the Gem relatively shaken. With the last chimera gone, and the 'battlefield' eerily quiet, she lets her bloody spear disappear from her hand, in a flurry of sparkles. Cuts, and scratches decorated her white skin across her arms and legs. Slash marks across the abdomen of her shirt. Blood splatters speckled across her entire being, even on her gem.

She swallows thickly her ballet flats side step some of debris of the battle. Most likely a mangled body of a chimera. Or was it a demon? Pearl cringes at the thought of not recognizing it. The Gem's gaze seems vacant as she walks back towards the general direction of the inn she was located at. Time to clean up and head out right? If only it were that easy.

She doesn't see exactly where she's going and bumps into something. Or in this case, some one. She quickly, and quietly, utters an apology.]

A-Ah, sorry--!

aw pearl :c

[strictdiscipline]

[Exhaustion is a weighty thing, blurring vision and stiffening muscles as it settles deep into a person. In healthy doses, Riza doesn't mind it - welcomes it, actually, as she crawls into bed for the evening - but nothing about this day has been remotely healthy or welcoming. Her coat will have to remain in Chantes after they leave, ruined beyond redemption by cuts, burns, and other battle scars. Her own body isn't doing much better, even after Sieglinde's treatment, and her hair sits in tangled snarls around her shoulders.

Even after a good half hour's rest, walking still proves to be a struggle. The people around her blur into a distant shapes, threaten to fade out of existence entirely as her eyelids flutter. A few seconds' rest won't hurt, she thinks, pausing in her journey across the cobblestone street—

—except they do, when another figure collides with her. Her eyes snap open, arms reaching towards her gun automatically until she finally registers the familiarity of the Gem before her. Relieved, she sighs, brushes away the apology.]

No, I should have been paying more attention. [Emphasized by the weary smile on her face.] I'm glad to see you, Pearl.

[The words 'alive and whole' go unsaid, implicated by the relief in her voice.]

[adoube]

A. SUMMONS + roque;

[ The trouble with 'chimeras' is — vicious, unpredictable, strange — not the speed or the venom or the proportion. It's the blasted tail that keeps snapping over the creature's shoulders, biting at the two fleas that have (un)steadily mounted its wings.

Now and then, Dio and Luciola flip out of the snake's way, slide down the beast's back, then hike back up with knives-turned-makeshift-hooks — but the acrobatics eat at their balance, waste seconds and stamina and effort better spent on sawing through the thick membrane of the chimera's wings.

Reinforcement time is: now. And, lo, this ends up the conscription: there you are, peacefully enjoying your five minutes of apocalyptic heaven. And then there's a large piece of... goat horn scrapping your back to drag your attention to the thrower: Dio, who in between jumping off one of the chimera's heads and dashing for its left wing, remembers to wave. ]

Hi, hi... ♬ Can you keep its — [ The tail again, swatting in a clean sweep across the beast's shoulders and sending both Dio and Luciola in a last-breath defensive plunge. ] — eyes on you for a... moment?

[ That's right, play ground-bound bait for the angry & angrier creature, while its wings're stripped and slaughtered. All in a day's unpaid supernatural work. ]


B. AFTERMATH + roque;

[ The good news: the day is saved, the creatures have all fallen.

The bad: ...so has everything else.

(Chantes' tourism committee will want a moment to brainstorm the new summer ad campaign.)

In the midst of the ruined landscape, one or two ALASTAIR members might find their worn-hero promenade down the nobles' district suddenly stalled, as they're dragged by the wrist behind a half-bludgeoned wall. Dio – wink, hiiiii - keeps his back plastered tightly against the house's remains, the finger crossing his lips signalling silence, as he nods to the front of the garden. ]

…shhhhhhhhh. We're hiding.

[ From, a peek past the wall will show, a diligently searching Luciola, who may or may not be aware that he's now playing hide-and-seek. Don't you just wish you had his day job. ]


C. AFTERMATH II: COLLECTORS' EDITION;

[ The dead, their dignity, the idle hands that trespass both. It's any man's say whether this slab of charred meat that's sunk down a trade district stall was once a severed part or an anonymous whole — what's plainer to the eye is the slip of white nothing huffing, puffing and making the appropriately futile motions to tip the thing over.

They're evenly matched, chimera part and Guild, though one's got scale to its advantage. It isn't Dio, who's dropped to his knees in the mud, battered and breathless and braced to give the flesh another push — ]

Mmmm... aren't your hands bored?

[ Oh, you thought you could pass by and not get dragged into disgusting manual labour, that's adorable. ]


D. WIILD CARD;

( ooc: ooooor, if none of the existing options quite tickle your fancy, leave a blank comment and I'll figure out a custom scenario for you o/ )

lancer, ota

[riastraid]

I. DEMONS

[ Even without the ominous red glow, there's something off about the runes. An odd, sour-tasting magic's in the air. He can feel it, but it's hard to place that it should translate to housing horrible spirit demons, so instead he watches carefully. Squints for a second, then flips his spear from off his shoulder, more ready for combat. ] Shall we—?

[ Caution's all well and good, but they're not going get anywhere if they're frozen by it. ]

II. POSSESSION

[ Or maybe it's already activated, a demon rising in a swirling shroud and shooting off like a misty bullet. Ordinarily, he'd be equipped to shake this off. Strength of will and a natural repulsion of other magic that's his class' right, but he's had one too many surprise encounters lately. There are cracks in his constitution, which the rune demon is happy to fill in, like oil.

It promises him another chance at mortality, which doesn't work. (Seriously, who cares, he never asked to begin with.) But after twisting his conscience and the prospect of sustaining and fueling him enough for a good and proper fight— ]

Yo. [ Hi there. Whether it's leaping to try to pin someone, or just turning to the closest, unluckiest dunderhead around... he raises his spear, the shaft of it twisting as he tightens his grip. His tone's still got the upwards, almost cheerful lilt to it, but it runs cold. ] Nothing personal, but I'm gonna kill you now.

{ ooc: unless we've discussed it beforehand, I'd prefer that Lancer escapes! Feel free to land as many hits as you'd like, though. }

III. CHIMERAS

[ (A) Moral quandaries of trying to beat up your friends without actually killing them are a terrible way to spend the morning, and the nice thing about monsters is there's no such hemming and hawwing necessary. The townsfolk scream as they thrash about and send cinderblocks and brick hurtling, a mess of roars and teeth.

Perfectly good targets to go all-out on, together. By now he's recovered, all grins. ]

That one. [ One of the chimeras is flying, its massive paws tucked in towards its chest and three pairs of eyes scanning around for prey. It looks way too pleased with itself, that asshole. ] Bet we could ground it between the two of us. [ He's giving an expectant stare, impatient despite waiting on confirmation (or, even better, initiative). ]

[ (B) Alternatively, when one particularly load-bearing column crumbles over under a chimera's assault, Lancer zips over to let it crash onto his back instead of bringing the roof down. It's very Atlas chic. And also... heavy. While most of the city denizens use the opportunity to scramble clear, one or two are limping and bruised (and slow), and a furious chimera to deal with, so an extra pair of hands would be great. ]

*. WILDCARD

[ Adjust what I've got (wanna have your dude possessed? go for it), leave a blank comment, or gimme something totally new!! PP (scythed) or PM for any questions, but I'm seriously a-okay with anything. ]

closed.

[riastraid]

[ Contrary to how young he'd been when he first kicked the bucket, Lancer's good at surviving—he knows when to ditch a fight, how to slip away, which direction to swivel to avoid a sword through his gullet or an arrow to the face. And he's been cautious here. Resting too much and acting too little.

But possession demolishes that, blasting aside good sense and having him burn through his already dwindling prana like no one's business. He's got a timer on him. Dead by noon if he doesn't do something about it. The demon doesn't care about longevity, virus that it is, heedless of whether the feverish rage kills its host as long as he takes someone out with him. It's ghost rabies. Ridiculous.

Just as his prana starts to bottom out though, he feels a snap. Like a string pulled taut until it breaks. ...Aqua's charm. Despite the demon's urgings (hunt, find, slay), the fresh rush of magic grants him the sense of mind to reach up and thumb at one of his earrings, eyes downcast with a hum. It takes way too much effort to stay still and wait, but his focus holds long enough. It helps that he doesn't have to sit put forever—he's not too far from the castle, and soon enough his expression splits into a grin when Aqua appears.

Reliable, or predictable. He's feeling generous enough to go with the former. There's nothing that overtly screams possessed about him yet, though his gaze narrows. ]

I was hoping you'd show up.

[twinpeak]

RUNES
[ Dipper remembers the runes, all right, and they're not any more good news today than they were nearly two months ago.

After sneakily nabbing a small hammer from a worker who had set it aside for only a moment (a small cost for the sake of saving the day; he'll return it later... probably), Dipper slips away as quietly as he came in and ventures out. Why did they use runes so much? Too easy to find, too easy to break...

Such as one etched onto the side of a statue built in the middle of a road. The faint red it emits is easy to catch, and Dipper doesn't hesitate to hurry up to it. ]

One out of... thousands, probably. Well, it's a start.

[ With that, he takes the hammer and slams it into the stone surface; it only needs to be messed with a little, and this—

... starts to seep a deep, red mist, as if he's released something instead of breaking it. ]

... Uh—

[ Growing wide-eyed, Dipper takes slow steps back, watching in alarm as the mist collects more and more together—up until a large, monstrous hand reaches out, inky and blurred around the edges like smoke. Despite its appearance it's considerably more solid, and it doesn't hesitate to swipe at him with every claw it has. Dipper lets out a loud yelp, barely stumbling back in time, yet as he fumbles over his feet and turns to bolt it, it only means the hunt is on for the demonic being that emerges. ]

—That's not what a rune is supposed to do!!

[ help ]

CHIMERAS
[ In place of the demons something else appears, and who could say if they're better or worse. At the very least, eventually a tip begins spreading around to use against the chimeras wreaking havoc: use iron.

Good. That's something Dipper can work with, and he remembers there just so happens to be a blacksmith's shop around in town. (With any luck everyone around the trade district evacuated enough that no one will notice some iron gone missing, and if not, well... look, the fate of their world was in danger!) No time to waste—he runs as fast as he can down the streets, careful to avoid the paths of any rampaging monsters, and it seems as if he just might make it.

One more street to go down, and then—

Dipper turns the corner, and right on cue, a chimera bursts out from the inside of an abandoned shop, sending brick and wood flying with a loud crack. As it roars with one head and screeches with another, Dipper slides back behind the wall, but peeks out just enough to watch the creature violently paw at the remains of the building. ]

... Seriously?! [ He hisses under his breath in irritation. ] Hurry up, go away! I need to get past there!!

WILDCARD
[ If any of the prompts just ain't for you or you feel like taking a different angle with them, slap me down something of your own! I can work with whatever, including prompts I didn't use. ]

CHIMERAS

[keeper]

[ Aqua's got a similar idea; it'll be impossible to evacuate every last civilian while the fighting's going on, best give whoever's left a means to defend themselves from the lesser demons littering the streets.

...Like the familiar kid she spies as she circles her Glider closer to the blacksmith's. (Seems he's got his hat on his head this time, and much larger troubles at hand.)

Chimera aside, she can see the movement of nearby imps turning in the boy's direction, undoubtedly locked onto his scent. (Maybe if he'd showered this morning...)

—Better get hero-ing. Grabbing the 'helm', Aqua lifts the prow of her craft upright and sends off a few shots at the chimera, sending it stumbling away from the building in an angry cacophany. Her Glider snaps back into place and she dives after it, driving it as far away as she can manage...

(Go Dipper, go!!!!) ]

Ruby Rose | OTA

[craterface]

( Evacuation - they see you as small and helpless ):
[Much as it’d be nice to jump right into the heat of battle, there are more pressing matters at hand. Ruby tries to herd out some stragglers that have been left behind, even if a couple of them prove to be stubborn.]

Go, come on! [She tugs at an elder man’s wrist with as much luck as a baby kitten trying to move a boulder.] Who cares if your house gets dusty, you have to leave right now!! Ugh-

[Not having much luck, she turns towards someone nearby.]

So...how are things going on your end?

( Chimera-slaying [A] - we are lightning | [B] - a world of bloody evolution )
[Not wanting to stay away any longer, Ruby leaps right in, unleashing a round of bullets at an onslaught of chimeras- though it does little to irritate them, so she switches her rifle into scythe mode and slices away at any limbs coming right for her. It’s not much, but it helps in slowing them down, at least.]

Hey, mind if I cover you? Doesn’t seem like it’s going to be easy putting that tail down!

or

[For all her hacking and slashing, she’s found herself backed up into a corner and grips hard onto her scythe as a couple of chimeras looming over her]

Oh, shoot- !!

( Afterword - sunbeam spot )
[When all’s said and done, she takes to either sitting on the roof of an undestroyed house or on one of the branches of a tree, and just merely content to swinging her legs while she sighs.]

Man, that sure was something...

( Wildcard - crank dat soulja bee )
[Hit me up if there’s something else you wanna do!]

Evacuation

[boneafide]

[ Did she expect to turn to a talking skeleton? Because that's who she's talking to now. Whoops!! ]

Well, I'm trying to get people out of here, but they just start going, "ah, a skeleton!!" and run away, so I guess that works?? But you know how it is! Now, I'm not a professional, but I think I can get him to move if you just give me a second!

[ Papyrus clears his throat, and heads over to the elder that refused to move earlier, and holds out his hand to him. ]

Hello there! Now, if you don't let this nice lady help you, I'm going to be the one taking you away instead!

[ The elder man, now with the fear that he may be talking to Death Itself in his eyes, picks himself up and starts moving a lot faster than one might think he was capable of. ]

OTA

[capital_asset]

Runes

[Raidou is so very glad he'd thought to have Victor give Barong a spell to protect against mental assaults. It's not a foolproof defense, but it's something, and Raidou will take every advantage he can get. In the meantime, he and Scathach do what they can to target the runes, with Barong providing additional assistance when he's not shielding them from mental attacks.]

Chimeras

[Time to break out the big guns. So to speak.

Chimeras are large. Dragons are larger. Great Kohryu is the size of a freight train and a great deal more powerful besides, so it's fortunate indeed that he's airborne. And very, very precise with his spells, managing to alternately fry or freeze solid chimera after chimera with each well-placed blast of lightning or ice. Surprisingly, not one building suffers for it.

Not that Raidou's staying idle, either; he and Scathach have alternated between rescuing civilians and taking on additional chimeras themselves. He's not sure Kohryu's presence is helping anyone's peace of mind, but as the dragon is diligently working to keep them alive, no one seems to be complaining. Not within his earshot, anyway.]

Aftermath

[Well, at least it's over. Raidou wonders what the inevitable unpleasant twist will be. After their last mission, it's hard not to wonder.]

Wildcard

[Anything else? Let me know!]

saber | semi-open

[invisiblade]

I. Stir Crazy. (closed to the group locked inside the castle.)

[it's been hours since the King ordered them to take their leave from the castle grounds, an order they've proved unable to comply with for reasons unbeknownst to the group.

with her magic negated, there's not much Saber can do to alter the situation at large. prodding a stray servant or two within the castle is only met with a distinct sense of confusion and panic. something sinister is in the works here, and they best be on their guard. luckily shes managed to find herself a usable sword for protection since she cannot magically summon her own. unfortunately there's only a sparse collection of armor available to choose from and all of it much too large for her petite frame so she's left in only the fancy suit she's donned for their audience with the king (that was cut short thanks to Gilgamesh. she'll stifle the urge to say "I told you so").

given they're left with no choice but to wander the halls aimlessly, it's decidedly best for them to pair off and set out to scour for answers- or at the very least an exit. Saber insists on taking the lead, peeking around corners and keeping an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious.]

Stay close to me, such conditions do not bode well.

II. Altered. ( CW: disturbing imagery/ references to death/ violence and all around terrible stuff you're gonna have a bad time. )

[once she's finally able to break free of the castle, the next hurtle she's to cross are destroying the various runes around town. the red mist alone is ominous enough, but the deep sinking feeling in her gut tells her something far more menacing is at play. now that her magic is no longer suppressed she summons both her armor and Excalibur as a precaution. Nevertheless, a sword, even a holy one, proves an inadequate defense against an opponent you can't physically see- or worse, an entity that makes an enemy out of yourself.

an abrupt strangled cry breaches her lips as the demon sinks it's poisonous fangs into her, flooding her mind with horrible visions of her past. all around her she sees bodies, piled lifelessly at her feet as she stands atop a bloody hill. the stench of burning flesh fills her nostrils and in the distance she sees a castle set ablaze- her home. her Camelot. suddenly an unbearable screeching fills her ears and she drops to her knees gripping her head in pain as she is forced to watch twisted images of everything she'd ever worked for in life going up in smoke. a bizarre otherworldly voice cuts through the screaming choir, it speaks in a tongue unlike any she's ever heard yet she's still able to understand it.

"They betrayed you, they turned their backs on you, they left you here to die. It's their fault Camelot fell to ruin. They are all to blame. M a k e. T h e m. P a y."

Saber grows very still for a moment and then slowly lowers her hands from her ears, a slight trickle of blood seeping out of them both. she stands, and for a moment everything seems fine, until she opens her eyes. gone are irises of bright green reminiscent of spring time. in their place are empty pools of gold, cold and emotionless. a black cloud engulfs her form, dark energy radiating off her in powerful waves as she strides forward with murderous intent. in her hands, a once golden sword is equally blackened. the demon within urges her forward to hunt down innocent lives for slaughter, she raises her weapon at any who happen to cross her path on this bloodthirsty rampage.]

Perish from my sight, pious filth!

( ooc: Saber will have no control over herself for this part of the event as the demon has taken over her body and launched her into a furious frenzy of blinding rage! in this state she won't be pulling her punches at all, her attacks will be extremely powerful and especially lethal towards those without special powers of their own. please make a note of the extent of damage you're willing to subject your character to, ranging from minor scrapes and bruises to anything short of fatality as I'm not looking to have her actually kill anyone. if you have any questions or if you'd like to plot things out in more detail feel free to PM this account or hit me up on plurk at cheshirechu /o/.)

III. Aftermath.

[when the demon finally relinquishes it's hold on her there's no time to recover from the near exhausted expenditure of her mana, nor is she given the chance to seek out forgiveness from those she'd wronged while under it's violent influence. the appearance of the chimeras keeps her occupied as she's forced instead to battle against the beasts with what little strength she has left until they've all been slaughtered, pushing her far beyond her physical limits.

finally ALASTAIR notifies her of their victory and she's granted the opportunity to seek refuge-- or well, she could, if she weren't already so weakened that her legs finally give out from underneath her. her sword (now untainted and returned to it's former glory) slips from her fingers and clatters against the ground at her side. she collapses face down in the middle of the street, bloody and bruised and entirely down for the count.]

( ooc: for this prompt, those who are magically inclined and wouldn't be opposed to sparing a bit of their blood for Saber to drink in order to help heal herself are especially welcome!! )

3

[humerous]

[It'd take a person of particularly poor character to come across Saber and simply leave her where she is, abandoning her to die; well, the likelihood of someone else coming along wasn't exactly low considering the general recruit population being as heroic as it was. But he'd have this sinking feeling in his chest, despite the lack of a chest, that someone might not the entire time. It wouldn't sit right with him. Even if he was characterized by a distinct indifference by those who knew him, he became concerned for others fairly easy. Even someone he'd spoken to for all of five minutes, once before.

So unless she has the strength in her to look to the approaching skeleton, she'll just hear a fairly light, weary sigh before he gets onto one knee beside her, hand moving to her shoulder.]

Hey, c'mon Sabes; don't die on me. Can you hear me, kid?

[Depending on whether or not she's conscious enough to respond will help him decide what to do here.]

Archer | OTA

[anti_altruisms]

[ His business in the castle concluded, Archer takes to the city streets to deal with the rest of the mess wrought by Michel. The magic of the runes isn't so difficult to find, and he takes his time combing through the streets of Chantes from the rooftops, eliminating one at a time with his bow. The power they radiate is potent and dangerous, and seeing the chaos that the creatures spawned from them have wrought, he isn't inclined to allow them to get close.

Even making progress, however, this isn't the end. His eyes narrow when the ritual begins in earnest, and the demons are sacrificed to summon far greater beasts.

Bow still in hand, Archer makes his way to the highest point in the city, a hail of red arrows marking his entrance in the true battle as he snipes at the monstrosities.

He may be found later in the streets, doing battle with one of them -- or perhaps, it's you that he comes to aid. Instead of his typical pair of swords, he wields only one blade. Anyone who gets close may notice that each strike causes the flesh of the creature to blister and burn. ]

Keats | OTA

[headlining]

A: POSSESSION

[Someone's glasses are lying, abandoned, on the ground. The man they belong to is only a few feet away, facing a wall.]

[Keats is usually a calm person. He may have an aggressive streak he really doesn't want to show if he can help it, but usually he's mild-mannered and proper. He's a man who doesn't allow his own emotions to get the better of him. But here, and now, it's quite a different story. He's hunched, every muscle tense, and again and again his hands beat against the stone wall. He's saying things to himself in a low snarl:]

It's not true, don't tell me it's true...! Idiots! Morons! Nobody can understand!

[He finally turns his head to look at whoever approached, and his face is filled with a wild fury that is wholly unbecoming of the calm reporter most would know. His eyes, usually dark, are blazing furiously with unnatural light.]

And you agree with them, don't you? You think I'm a fraud.

[He'll stand and stare until he gets his answer. And if he doesn't like it, one may find quite a terrible opponent on their hands...]

(ooc: Keats WILL be attacking almost everyone who approaches, and he boasts a large amount of magical power including the ability to create fire, ice, and small localized earthquakes, so be warned! I'm open for him to get saved by whoever can exorcise him/destroy the rune!)


B: CHIMERAS

[People may have no experience with fighting giant monsters intent on destroying the city, but fortunately for Keats, this is...rather normal. He's beaten up giant conglomerations of monstrous souls, so this really isn't that different, even though he'll still bite his tongue before he admits what he's fighting is real.]

[But these beasts are rather hard to deal with, and Keats is finding he can't get too close without that damn tail getting in the way. So, he finds some poor person on the street, grabbing them by the collar or sleeve:]

You. Are you up for doing me a favor and acting as a distraction? I'll try not to get you killed.


C: AFTERWORD

[The evil is defeated. Peace is restored. Keats could care less. This all could make for a good story, however, so one can find him at one of the local bars, sitting at one of the tables outside. There's a glass of something alcoholic at his side, though that can be overlooked by the golden typewriter he's typing away on. What an odd thing!]

[Occasionally, he'll pause and pull out some papers from his coat pocket, looking over his scrawled notes, before continuing to type. A writer's work is never done, even if he's kidnapped to alternate universes where suns are blocks and demons and chimeras are natural adversaries.]

[Sometimes, one will hear him murmur to himself as he works:]

Hmm, I'll really need to pull this story together sooner or later...too bad they didn't give me a deadline. I work much better under deadlines...

c

[humerous]

Who're you planning on having read it, anyway?

[With one "eye" closed, a skeleton seated nearby looks over through his open one. The small white dot that passes as an iris over is as far to the corner of his eye socket that it'll go, with a grin doesn't seem to leave his..........teeth, as opposed to lips. Which he doesn't have.]

rin tohsaka | closed prompts

[defenceless]

get in, arturia, we're going rune-breaking (for saber)

[it's an unusual scene, to say the least. here's two young women, rin in a beautiful scarlet gown with a skirt that bunches up around her and saber looking sharp in her suave, perfectly tailored dark suit (that she abandoned an exquisite gown for???). the magus stares at the servant with a furrowed brow, twisting her lips into a frown while she worries the bottom one; the expression her companion wears, whatever it is, definitely does not inspire much faith.]

C-Come on...! [as is only the ever proper tactic for a dignified young woman in a castle, rin whines.] Saber, stop giving me the cold shoulder! It's—It's not like I enjoyed doing that to him!

[they are armed with weapons from the armory—in rin's case—a metal club shaped like a bat—and they should probably be paying more attention to the sinister red rune dimly glowing on the wall between them.]

unlimited michel murder works (for archer)

[with several magically-inclined recruits barricaded inside the castle, including a magus of rin's expertise, it won't be long until runes are discovered and broken, perforating the barrier that swirls over the entire building.

his master is likely to be found right inside after the first crack of the powerful spell splits open, posed with her hand to her hip and wearing a serious face as she studies the breach. she does not rush out, but wait. it's the characteristic coolheadedness of a girl acquainted with the dangers—of magic, and of impending life and death situations.]

truly, truly, truly outrageous (for dipper)

[although the demons and their ilk eventually disappear, rin doesn't give up at that point. if humongous chimeras are the next hellish adversaries on the agenda, so be it.

she is careful to watch her own step around the multi-headed beast that charged into this section of the city, but that doesn't ensure, of course, everyone around her will be. the panicking townspeople, other recruits... rin hopes for the best while she leads the giant creature down a corridor between two sturdy buildings, raising her hand and waving it as the colorful gems she clutches capture the light and shimmer brilliantly.]

Hey, you! Yeah, you! Over here! I want to give you a piece of my mind!

[is that a dress she's wearing?!]

[anti_altruisms]

[ He's been waiting for this moment.

Since he first lost contact with Rin, Archer has been hovering around the castle walls, searching for breaches of any kind or the means to create one. Though he can sense, without a doubt, that the pact between them hasn't been lost, it's still frustrating to be on the outside, especially when the head of King Christophe comes sailing out at one point.

Still, he is patient. Despite his rising ire, he keeps a cool head until the first crack occurs in the defenses.

About twenty seconds after the first breach, Rin will see her Servant slip through in spirit form. Their eyes meet briefly, long enough for him to ascertain that she is well and unharmed.

He says nothing. He simply turns and moves down the hall.

Michel is here, and if Archer has his way, the man won't leave this place alive. ]

masamune date ; OTA & closed prompts.

[wardance]

---

PRECURSOR

---

Reasons not to let Michel roll a natural 20.

[ Masamune would be the first to admit he'd concluded this mission mostly done and washed his hands of involving himself in it. Some things were just better taken care of by others, such as peacetreaties. The Date lord is well familiar with negotiations, but it's for his own benefit and his country's, not playing mediator to sides he actually finds himself hating somewhat equally.

He hadn't even been concerned when Sieglinde spoke of going with the group to the castle and gone through great efforts to give him names and treating it as if it was a mission that could very likely not only fail but come to put them all in danger. While he'd not ignored her and properly kept her information. But, the names on the list, had admittedly made him even less concerned short of them all getting thrown out on their asses.

He's not wrong all the time, but when he is it always seems to turn into a far greater mess of shit than being better than he anticipated. The thing is, being wrong here concerns him on the matters of those trapped behind the castle walls. Without hesitation he had dropped what he was doing and headed to the castle, completely ignoring everything and anyone who had to push by. Of course, he doesn't expect to walk straight into the castle. It can't be that simple, but he does find himself halting sooner than expected over something quite different. No guards, not even some magical force barricade (that he is sure at the very least is in play)—but finding in the abandoned frontal courtyard what is left of the now late king. For several seconds he stands there once he stops, staring at the detached head lying in a rolled mess of blood and dirt and various gore, the tip of the spinal cord that had was broken from the rest of the body with the severing sticking out in a fractured state. It's unsightly for most, but Masamune has seen it quite often. Taking the head of an army leader was not only common but lusted after by every daimyo seeking to establish their might as the one who would eventually come to unite their country.

This... is a little different than that, however (because the head was considered a trophy, not something to toss like useless garbage). And for that reason alone, he's reminded of a certain man—no, an actual demon, was the conclusion in the end?—that had pushed past the desire to rule and only had interest to raze. The One-Eyed Dragon fixates on the head like in a trance, long enough that anyone who may have decided to follow him or had similar intentions to come to the castle despite it being most likely impenetrable would be able to catch up to him, before glancing up towards the many towers and the sky, as well.

. . .

[ He is rarely left speechless, but here we are. ]

---

DEMONS/POSSESSION

---

It clearly stated my tabletop experience doesn’t extend this far.

[ Getting rid of rune may be a good idea, he decides, maybe a little too late as he only has taken notice with the king's death and them coming to life as a result. Then again, they don't appear to be doing anything but glowing. So, either:
(a). Masamune finds your character having at a rune and the resulting situation about to unfold.

OR

(b). You're there when Masamune finally takes to one (and if you were trying to get him to stop, you're just a little too late even with your calling out) and the resulting demon situation is now officially your problem as well. Sharing is caring and all that. If you did happen to call out to him to wait or otherwise stop, he'll glance back towards you now, his expression a little bit confused before replying: ] Uhm, okay, I don't know how they do it where you're from but we usually ask people to not do these things before they do it.

[ SO THIS IS OBVIOUSLY YOUR FAULT, FOR THE RECORD... ]

(ooc: this is the open prompt for dealing with demon fights and possession potential. i'll spin a scenario, just let me know if you want to fight the demon with it only trying to influence Masamune, or yours as well!)

---

(RAIDOU)

---




[ It's becoming clear not all of these demons are on the same level of power and therefore some are more dangerous than others. It's unfortunate that Masamune is definitely not prepared for it as he takes a rather nasty hit that sends flying back until he's forcefully stopped by the first wall-like structure to catch him. A snort of aggravation escapes him, as he grabs at the shoulder of his sword arm that hit the wall first but he makes no other sounds as he quickly looks for his attacker. While he won't have time to notice it, it's possible another witness saw the demon relinquish its form into something untangible to continue taking care of the situation. ]





---

( KIDA&OLIVIA )

---




[ He's directly by the demon rune, although not doing much moving, either. Instead, he's one knee down and clutching at his chest, head bowed and its clear he's breathing hard but he doesn't seem to have any obvious injuries that would cause him to exert himself. Him being so close to the rune is perhaps warning enough to approach with caution, even if one has not yet dealt with any of the demons that lurk inside them across the city. ]





---

(GILGAMESH)

---




[ this sort of situation is probably what could have been considered inevitable if he wished to continue being a part of this effort. While the few previous instances that had been successful, most were not. This time—whether because smarter or more aware of its brethren or simply coincidence—the demon has not wasted time influencing and convincing and simply gone straight to being the puppet master. To those that know him, there is nothing particular that suggests something is wrong from afar. And while he is not at any one point directly guarding the particular rune that the demon calls its own, he's not all that far, either. Stepping into that area of territory is when it becomes obvious that crossing paths with him may be a little bit less than a friendly exchange.

Anyone who has come close enough within range of previously said rune, ill intent towards it or otherwise, has suffered a rather unfortunate end, judging from the display of corpses littering about it. It's not the bodies themselves, though, so much as the blood that has clearly been taken and used like white-wash against the structures surrounding the rune that suggest it wasn't a passing demon that managed to murder a group of individuals.

If the rune seems abandoned, rest assured the minute it's in danger, the dragon will show. Otherwise, he may simply be there conveniently, dropping the most recent person that wandered in, the back of his hand moving to wipe his face against from the blood splatter that hit him just seconds ago. ]

---

SUMMONS

---

It says a lot that, of all the groups in this dungeon, I think the Satan-worshipping orcs are the most trustworthy. And I'm the paladin.

[ uh. WOW, okay, he's not scares persay, but please do give him a minute to just stare now that the demons have gone and there are several angry chimera pulling themselves out of portals. For Masamune, the one that's got his particular interest would be the one hanging in the sky.

He's pretty sure he's never seen anything like this before.

There's a fucking hole in the sky, now? Chantes sure needs a refund on their celestial items, it obviously was a defective package they purchased.]

[babbylon]

[What a nuisance.

Gilgamesh senses his dragon—yes, he's bold enough to call the man his—and sighs at the stack of corpses left nearby, the blood smeared along the walls, and knows it to be his work. It was too specific, too targeted. He's lurking somewhere in the corner and Gilgamesh keeps an eye out even as he calls to him:]

Oi, dokuganryū. Enough of these games, I tire of chasing you. Come out.

[Which wasn't exactly true, he lived for the chase, but he was tiring quickly of these circumstances. Of demons and magical barriers and whatever else decided to get in his way. Eventually he does spy the rune in question but rather than destroy it, he aims at it with a few weapons from his Gate.

It's clear he's taunting Masamune to appear. Sure, he could just blow it up and be done with it... but the man hungered for a rematch, as did he. He was more than happy to give it to him as unlike the others he trusts that Masamune can endure the possession with minimal damage suffered.

Psychological damage, at least. Odds are someone was going to lose a limb here the moment swords started swinging.]

a bunch of closed prompts + a wildcard

[strictdiscipline]

EREN
[With chaos erupting left and right and panicked screams filling the air, Riza's focus is split in two, with part of her hellbent on preventing as much destruction as possible and the other part of her dedicated to ensuring the safe escape of the local citizens - as well as a shortlist of her own personal interests.

She clambers over a pile of smoking debris, hands waving off enough of the smoke until she can make out, in better detail, the figure past the last row of houses. Familiar in its shape and size, enough to fill her with a brief swell of relief. Another one checked off her mental list.]

Eren!

[It's a shout meant to gain his attention, but she doesn't notice the red edging his form until too late.]


AQUA
[Even without a single magical bone in her body, the dread and ill intent wafting from the runes are palpable, settling around Riza like a cold wet coat. Her instincts scream at her to run the hell away, far far away but her judgment, still unclouded, keeps her fingers wrapped firm around her gun as she stares down the rune sitting innocuously at the edge of the abandoned house. Firing straightaway would be a mistake, the demonic presence to attuned to incoming danger to let such an obvious move succeed. But there are two of them, and only one of the demon. Surely there's some strength to be found in numbers...

Gun still pointed downwards, Riza glances at Aqua.]

We'll have to lure it out and distract it somehow before we can destroy the rune.

[It won't be an easy task, not by far, but Riza trusts Aqua enough to guard her back.]


JOHANNA
[Even as she leaves a path of runic destruction in her wake, the demons rise up faster than Riza can stop them, red mist sensing her presence and swirling up into compact material form in order to guard the sanctity of the runes scattered all across town. One in particular is determined to see her felled, claws swiping out in sharp, erratic movements. Her bullets find their target well enough, each round eliciting a shriek of pain as it sinks deep into scarred red flesh.

Onetwothreefourfivesixseven—

—and then she inhales sharply as her bullet lodges in place, failing to fire. Poor timing, too, as the demon slashes out once again, claws aimed directly at Riza's face. But before she can move, there's a glint of metal out of the corner of her eye. An axe, swung down hard with enough force to slice the demon's arm right off.]


JULIUS
[Despite all her talk of chimeras with Eren many weeks ago, nothing prepares her for the sight of the skies opening up, a satanic downpour falling from the heavens in the form of gruesome hybrids and monsters better left to the imagination, far worse than the demon she and Julius have just laid to rest. It's a sight ripped from a dark fairy tale and brought to life by only the darkest of minds, and for a few seconds all Riza can do is watch open-mouthed in horror, as they crash land on the ground.

She'd been told to believe in the impossible, yes, but never in anything as terrible as this.

Her surprise is broken by earth crumbling under her feet, ground cracking in two as one of the chimeras rolls to a stop less than ten feet away. It's tail rolls and curls—and then unfurls like a whip, lashing straight out towards Julius with remarkable speed.]

Captain, watch out—!


WILDCARD
[Hit me (especially if I forgot to write you a starter).]

[keeper]

[ To Aqua, the negative energy tainting every inch of the city is almost overwhelming, the constant onslaught of miasma quickly dulling her sixth sense like a garbage heap might one's nose. —But she's been trained to compartmentalize, to hone her focus elsewhere. (Her ally next to her, the demon up ahead.) ]

I'll engage it first...

[ She has the absurd shounen courage to straight up aggro a demon, but in this case there isn't much else to be done. These hellspawn have quickly proven themselves to be irritatingly resilient, and the best Aqua can do is to work with Riza to divert its attention enough so one of them can land a hit on the rune. ]

Can you approach from the other side?

[ (The demon will eventually have to chose one of them, hopefully giving an opening to the other...)

...Once in position, she opens with an easy number; a single ball of Fire that blazes at its target like a signal torch. She follows close behind, magic thundering around her. ]

riku | ota to both;

[darkbarrage]

possession I;

[ maybe you saw the demons coming--maybe you didn't. maybe they're just about to wind their claws around your heart, your neck, when there's a burst of inky blackness and the shattering of a rune. the demon shrieks, and seems to dissipate--riku launches forward quickly to catch them the victim before they just hit the ground, and he exhales slowly, pulling back his hood. there's a thin strip of black fabric around his eyes, but he acts like he can see even with it. or maybe it's not acting.

he lifts one edge of it so he can actually peer at who he's helped, with a little smile. ]

You alright? Careful--who knows what kind of side effects those things have.

[ he'd know better than some that there are side effects, sometimes. ]

possession II;

[ there's strength in numbers, but riku's lagging behind his partner. maybe he was hurt? maybe tired--breaking runes over and over is bound to get exhausting over time, but it's hard to see if he's tired when he's hiding his eyes behind his blindfold. but for a moment, he stops, looking dazed, almost like he's listening to something inaudible. he frowns at first before he gasps, and in under a second a rune glistens to life nearby. unlike others, riku stays stock still for a few seconds, and then groans--he clutches his chest and wrinkles his nose like he's in a large amount of pain, gritting his teeth in a snarl. the voice leaving him isn't his own, but darker; deeper, and seething. ]

This is my vessel, [ the voice hisses. ] and he will serve only me!

[ no matter who wins this little battle between the demon and the parasite already inhabiting his body, it's starting to take a toll on riku--he barely can stay upright anymore, falling to a knee as both forces struggle to command. ]

wildcard;

[ if there's anything you'd like to play, throw it at me and we can see what happens! ]

II

[promises_to_keep]

[Lea had figured he would run into Riku during all of this. Well, where else would a hero-type be during a crisis, after all? Riku might not have thought he was hero stock (yet), but Lea knew better, and Riku just kept rising to the occasion; he was starting to wonder how the kid even made the argument that he wasn't A Good Guy anymore.

[The first half-dozen runes or so hadn't been terribly difficult to destroy between the two of them--they really did make a good team--but they were both starting to flag a bit. Lea had always preferred to either finish his fights quickly or just get in a good hit and make a run for it; he wasn't really built for this sort of No Mercy playthrough.

[Rounding a corner, Lea hefts a sigh and plants his palms on his knees, leaning forward a bit to catch his breath. This is a lot more work than taking out those green runes had been. Certainly it had been a bit challenging to keep from killing the guards, whereas they could really just cut loose this time, but these demons packed a way meaner punch.]

Whaddaya say we take five, yah? [He swipes the back of one wrist across his forehead and rises to glance at Riku.] I know that ain't really your style, but you're lookin' a bit worn out, too, you kno-- ... Riku?

[He stares at him a moment, frozen in place. Riku looks like he's in excruciating pain (though let's be real, it's sometimes hard to tell, with that blindfold), and though Lea's first instinct is to go to him and see if he's all right, the sudden snarling voice that comes out of his mouth stops him dead in his tracks. That's not Riku's voice, it's Xehanort's, or at least that of his Heartless. He had known the Heartless was still there, buried in Riku's heart, but he wasn't expecting it to stand up and fight for its place there.

[Either way, Lea's not rooting for either demon to get the upper hand. He stares at Riku with a worried look on his face, but finds himself unsure of what he can do. If he destroys the rune, the demon that's trying to take over Riku's body will die, but if this has awakened Xehanort's Heartless within him, that's a whole other can of very unpleasant beans.]

Riku...? You... you got this?

Hellboy / open

[hellshaped]

RUNES and DEMONS.

[Despite appearances, Hellboy does not have much in the way of magic in his arsenal, so he's having to destroy the runes with basic, blunt force. He's snagged a sword from somewhere -- it's not extremely sturdy and bends easily, but the important part is that it's made of iron. Upon finding a rune, he simply scratches an X over it with the sword's tip, and that seems to do the trick.

i. The demons that come when the runes are broken vary. Hellboy prefers the kind that leap out of the mist and tear at him, speaking in guttural, hissing tones that Hellboy himself seems to understand, given by how he responds.] Well, at least I'm not ugly! [He doesn't use the sword against these beasts, instead hammering at them with his giant, stonelike right hand. Destruction follows as the demons (and, naturally, Hellboy) are thrown against buildings, bricks coming loose, or thrashed against trees, snapping the trunks in half. Hellboy seems capable of taking just as much punishment as he is dealing out, but he could probably use some help anyway, right?

ii. The subtle, quiet kind of demons are not Hellboy's favorite, owing to the fact that he is not a subtle, quiet kind of person. It's difficult to fight something that whispers to you, though at least Hellboy seems to have some kind of immunity to this sort of thing. He can still hear them, but the most it seems to affect him is making him annoyed as he walks around at a clipped pace, searching for another rune and digging around in his pockets. But that doesn't mean it doesn't affect anyone.]

[ ooc: hellboy cannot be possessed but he has experience in exorcism. if you would like your possessed character to be freed, this is the prompt for you! ]

BLOOD and IRON.

[By this point, Hellboy's coat is in tatters and streaked with blood. He's bleeding from bites and scratches and more, bright red against the slightly darker tone of his skin. This doesn't seem to bother him too much, though, because he is very focused on hunting chimeras.

The iron sword he'd been using to dispell runes is now chipped and bent, but he's not trying to stab the chimeras with it -- he's burning them.

They're enormous, but Hellboy has experience fighting enormous things. Hooves clacking rapidly on the cobblestones as he rushes his quarry, yelling unintelligibly, he strikes at the legs, dodging its bites until it stumbles from the iron. It's then that he'll start to clamber up on top of it, and then the real work can begin.]

AFTER ALL.

[Things are quiet and safe, but that doesn't mean it's over. Despite his wounds, Hellboy makes it a point to check on as many natives of Chantes as he can -- goblin and human alike. They only have a few days here, and he'll help them recover from this disaster in whatever way he can, with whatever time he has left.]

after all!!

[viscontree]

[Everything has calmed down up to a certain point. Julius still has his guard up because he finds it difficult to rest so soon. As soon as he chats with some of the locals he takes a minute to speak with Hellboy.]

Got a second?

[Just making sure you aren't busy with anything.]