• 120 HP
  

  MAX 120 HP

• 155 EN
  

  MAX 165 EN

It looked like most of their attacks had been pretty ineffectual against the guy with the Impossibly-Large Sword; until Luna stepped up, that is. The arcanamancer's laser beam absolutely fried the black-haired man, charring his flesh until he was nothing but a blackened husk of meat and Final Fantasy 7 fanfiction. It undid some of the dark druid's fine work to establish some connection to living earth, but it was worth watching the normally shy girl go absolutely fucking wild on their would-be murderer.

She was so incredibly proud of Luna.

But when Zack's body split open and a malevolent spirit burst forth and disappeared, Madison felt a pang of apprehension.

She exchanged worried glances with Luna and Ezra. Madison was already kicking herself for dragging the pair of them along with her. Not because they might die--gods above and below knew that all six assembled here were "immortals" to the people of Terra and the girls would simply respawn after the battle; but more out of fear that they'd be mad at her for getting them killed in the first place.

Shana screaming about it being too late and how they all had to hurry quickly got the plagueslinger's attention. Madison rounded on the redheaded woman, stomping across the ruined field until she was inches away from her.

"Right. Okay. You've been pretty bad at communicating ever since we hopped in that carriage with you," Maddy snapped, her left hand cutting her deck of cards over and over, preparing it for the next spell she'd have to cast. "You brought us here for a job, and in order to do that job we need all the information you have in that little head of yours."

Her sapphire eyes burned with an intensity she hadn't felt in a long time. "None of us are going to be walking out of here alive if you're keeping secrets from us. So, start spilling them, sister. We can talk while we move."

Madison's gaze narrowed, staring deep into the woman's soul. "Please."

Bulli Shana
Tracker

 

• 160 HP
  

  MAX 160 HP

• 137 EN
  

  MAX 152 EN

Aalam waited as his body finished setting into its new shape; at least he had a stroke of luck there. It was close to his basic physical dimensions that it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to well in the words of Cain to perform. However, they look only half the battle he would have to act like him damn she is going to be pissed at him later. He had turned his voice to make what Zack had sounded like when he was possessed by the spirit or demon. It was a level of madness and angry with the undercurrent of desperation and insanity. Taking some of the blood of Zack body and adding to his clothing making sure to get enough on his arms so that he would look like he killed them in a wonderful, brutal way. As with work like this is all in the performance. Grabbing the man’s sword and tossing it to the side the weapon was mostly broken and wouldn’t be of any real use. However, there was a topic that needed to be addressed. “Let me go in first with Ezra as my hostage I should be able to fool them, and then we can get the drop on them. I’ll let out a whistle to let you know when to break down the doors to get some payback.”

Grabbing her arms and turning them inwards before he bound her wrist, making sure she was holding on to the end of the rope. This was tricky he had to make the cord look like is more secure than it was and he has to do this even as they were making their way to the location. “I need you to keep holding that end if you need to get free give it a hard pull and the bounds will release so you can fight.” Stopping her for a second and taking out a makeup cut and getting to work on her face. He needs to add a few bruises here and some cut there enough to make sure it seemed that she hurt he even added some of the blood from Zack’s body she was going to need the proper sleep after as well.

It should hold up under an inspection, turning his attention away from Ezra for a second and on towards Madison. “We get the job to get done or else some mess enters our world, so we stop it from happening. That being said this demon played people before so information." As he turned back to look at Ezra, he hesitated for a second because of what he was going to have to do. “Forgive me, please.” As they got closer the where they demon had headed, he pivoted and aimed a kick right at Ezra's stomach. Pain could not be faked.

Disguise, Disguise, pain
Tracker

 

• 167 HP
  

  MAX 172 HP

• 116 EN
  

  MAX 121 EN

Ezra had taken a step back, her silver eyes glaring at whatever that shadow thing was that lifted up and out of Zack’s obviously dead body. The scent of burning flesh was pungent in her nose and she barely restrained her gag reflex. The bitter taste there on the back of her tongue, lingering against her molars and confusing her taste buds? Yeah, she didn’t like that taste. She turned her head, spit on the ground, and just like that, the whisper black shadow thing had vanished.

It was too optimistic of her to think that that was the end. Still, the thought crept unbidden into the grey matter of her mind.

And then there were hands on her, spinning her around, shoving the end of a piece of rope into her hands. Her first instinct was to lash out, but the battle haze cleared, and her attention focused on Aalam. Wait, no, not Aalam. She blinked, looking from the crumbled body that was obviously dead, right there, in front of her, to the Zack that was now tying her up, telling her that if she needed to fight, she only had to pull on the rope he was shoving into her palm.

He was moving quickly, speaking even faster than she could rightly understand, and her eyebrow quirked upwards toward her hairline. Just what in the actual fuck was going on?!

Listen, Zack—Aalam—whatever! Little red head said there might be time for us to—

But her words had obviously fallen on deaf ears. He was applying some kind of kit to her face, smudges here and there that looked like bruises, a disguised cut to her lip for effect. She held still, yes, but she tried to talk to him, to reason with him.

Maybe listening to the red head is the way to go here—

Again, it didn’t matter. Aalam was set on his course and there seemed no steering him off it. A hesitant glance shot in Maddy and Luna’s direction before snapping back to him, his last words clouding her ears and making her furrow her brow in confusion before the blow to her midsection connected.

Ezra immediately doubled over in pain, the surprise of it all enough to send her to her knees.​

Being Taken Prisoner?
No Roll
Tracker . No Roll

Guardian regains 10 HP. Guardian protects @Luna Avalbane

 

• 128 HP
  

  MAX 128 HP

• 158 EN
  

  MAX 188 EN

Dark eyes lingered over the smoldering remains of the guardian of a slain child. It wasn’t a cremation, but it was closure, and Cain let out a breath, the wind whistling through his lips. Malevolence or arrogance, it mattered not. Titania was the same thing until they tore her beautiful vessel apart and expunged her horrid self into the inexorable light of the stars. Divine confidence was nothing new. Tearing down the mighty from their ivory towers was nothing new as well. They were immortal god slayers with a reputation of not being mentally scarred no matter what horrors they faced.

Some mostly-sealed demon god and his band of gothic groupies had nothing on them.

But preparation was always nice, and though Cain disregarded whatever Aalam was doing with Ezra, trusting the two of them to be able to figure things out themselves, he WAS interested in learning more about their upcoming enemy as well. Madison had gone on ahead to terrorize the poor child with her edged ‘please’, and the midnight haired muse jogged up to add questions into the mix, guidelines for Shana (@Skyswimsky ) to latch onto despite her derision of him.

“I don’t care about the specifics of your religion myself, but tell us all you know about the enemy’s combat strength,” the Flagbearer spoke, his footsteps following an irregular pattern akin to tapdancing, “What do they specialize, what Baal’s dominion is, whether or not we can expect any direct aid from El, and whether or not we can destroy the ritual simply by destroying physical objects. Also, Shana, as the third seal, why are you even here? Stay in the backline and out of the way, cause revives don’t work on your kind. Unless you have a better explanation, of course. Babysitting’s going to get us killed faster than tentacle monsters, that’s for sure.”

Slowing down his steps, the midnight haired muse then turned to speak to Luna, their white haired artillery cannon. It was clear that she was a magic user before, but now that it was revealed that her specialty laid in Arcanamancy, there were other ideas spawning. Primarily…

“@Luna Avalbane , was it? I’m Cain Darlite, former Arcanamancer. Considering the range of your beams, what say you simply fire off your own shots from a good mile away, and not enter the main battlefield to begin with? Sounds like a reliable way to stay safe, especially if the core of combat is happening far away from where you’re shooting. Thoughts?”

Magic WAS better than mere Ranged attacks, after all.

Maintaining Music and Chatting
Tracker

 

• 166 HP
  

  MAX 166 HP

• 142 EN
  

  MAX 142 EN

Though Comet hadn't contributed to Zack's demise, she still felt herself capable of helping out the rest of the group. He'd perished anyways. Listening to Shana sent shivers down her spine. Why wouldn't she tell them any thing other than it would be a Devil of sorts they were up against? The little girl helped them thus far, but wasn't contributing elsewhere. The most important parts. Madison asked all the right questions, despite the previous suspicion seeming odd considering the woman willingly hopped into a carriage with the rest of the team to fight a mysterious being. At least she said please.

Comet moved beside Madison for a second or two to listen in on the conversation, but turned upon hearing Ezra's words laced with a panic she felt inclined to investigate. The pink-haired woman turned just in time to see Aalam harm Ezra. Which both confused and infuriated her at once. After all, she'd broken through her shell and wouldn't hold her emotions back like before. Sympathy and a desire to defend surged through her as if a form of adrenaline.

With balled up fists she moved towards the shape-shifted man. And, without considering what her actions may lead, forcibly shoved herself between the two in attempts to prevent any further action. "What the hell? No one agreed with your plan yet. We haven't even got something out of Shana yet! Ever heard of consent, asshole? Or are you too busy drinking to try and care?" with a raised voice and flared nostrils, she contained what fury may come in order to remain the more mature person in the situation. She remembered Aalam's ability to both drink and seem agreeable enough during the Vigil meeting... but now he was outright foolish enough to drive any formerly held respect away from Comet's heart.

"Let's be adults and listen to what Shana has to say. If you can manage to focus." the Archer held her position tightly, staring right into Aalam's eyes, all the while listening for what reply would come from the little girl because they desperately needed a better plan. Not discord or hurting one another or messy strategies.

@Ezra @Aalam Abungu

Trying to contest Aalam's plan & Listen to Shana
Tracker

 

• 142 HP
  

  MAX 142 HP

• 136 EN
  

  MAX 151 EN

In all honesty, Luna didn't really listen to Cain as he said...whatever unimportant crap that he was saying. Instead, she saw only red when @Aalam Abungu grabbed @Ezra against her will, applying makeup on her to make her look beaten up, before he actually started to beat her up, kicking her.

Absolutely not. It was time for that man to die.

She brushed past @Cain Darlite without even acknowledging him, noticing idly in the back of her mind that Comet had already marched up and gotten in between the male archer and the knight. That didn't matter though, just shouting at the stupid man wasn't going to be enough for her.

She stepped forward, swinging a fist into Aalam's cheek, before grabbing Ezra and tugging her away from him. "Are you crazy you stupid idiot!? What makes you think you know what's best when we should just listen to Shana!?"

She growled, a purple flicker of power escaping her eyes as she glared angrily at him. "I'm warning you now. Keep your hands off of my Ezra, don't you fucking touch her. Or I'll kill you."

Stopping Aalam and helping Comet
Tracker

 

• 120 HP
  

  MAX 120 HP

• 150 EN
  

  MAX 165 EN

Location: H2 - Zone 3

Moving from I2 to H2
-5 EN for Grow

When the bratty loli demon made her grand entrance, a wave of paralyzing fear struck all those present. But while the others in the party might have been bowled over by the oppressive aura of power that bled out from her, Madison was terrified for other reasons.

Who the fuck let someone so young dress up like... like that?!

It was like some try-hard horror anime fan designed their own body pillow cover and spawned it in the game. The witch quickly averted her eyes, feeling a tingle of utter disgust creep up her spine at the crass display of flesh and two pieces of thin fabric.

She wanted to say, "Young lady, if I were the abyssal hole that spawned you, I would order you back to your hellish dimension and put on some real clothes this instant!" ...But, she bit her tongue. Didn't want to draw aggro this early in the fight, especially with how squishy she was.

A quick ping in her UI showed that she was now suffering from a negative status effect titled Certain Destiny. While the demoness continued on her stupid little rant about how they were all worms writhing around in the dirt and we should bask in the glory of Bale or whatever, Madison did a quick bit of investigating.

Didn't take her longer than three seconds to realize they were absolutely fucked.

She had to dispel the Certain Destiny. Of that, she was absolutely sure. But when the demon teleported to them, he landing knocked everyone away. Typing on her UI's keypad, she sent a ping to Cain before gritting her teeth, rolling up her sleeves, and kneeling down.

Thin tendrils of green mana flowed into the charred earth while the dark druidess concentrated. She was not ashamed about studying and ruminating on the natural cycle of life and death. And while she was a disciple of death and rot, she knew that both only occurred so the next generation could grow.

Her magic breathed life into the cracked, dead earth at her feet. As Madison fed the world, it gave back to her gifts of green that spread all around her.

Grow
No roll
+5 Nature Stacks
CD Stacks Remaining: 6
Tracker

 

• 128 HP
  

  MAX 128 HP

• 143 EN
  

  MAX 188 EN

Location: F7 - Zone X

Moving from G7 to F7
-15 EN for Valkyrie Dance
-0 EN for Heartbeat, Heartbreak

He gathers strength from bloodshed, slaughter, war, hatred, rage, destruction.

My my. That sounded like the perfect God for adventurers to follow, considering how their attempts at peacemaking have always gone. If Baal had marketed himself as someone fighting morally gray monsters or whatever, setting himself as an individual that espoused conquest and glorious combat, Cain had no difficulty at all imagining a world where the cult of Baal became a real big thing amongst adventurers.

But Anath stank like a bitch, found pride in her submission to her God, and sounded like another godling on her way to an early grave. Once upon a time, her words would have inspired grandstanding from Cain as well, but now…now, the Flagbearer simply cast a steely gaze upon the Envoy of Chaos, one gloved hand reaching up to adjust the brim of his hat.

Quick and clean.

He reached out into the ether and pulled out a flagpole crafted of phantasmal memories, shining in the dreary darkness with the brilliance of moonlight. From the top, an amethyst banner unfurled itself, the nightscape of evening unveiling itself as the symphonic chorus bloomed, spirits rushing towards Ezra to remove the lingering agony upon the axe warrior’s body.

Take it in.

Nothing to note except for ruins. Party split in half by Ananth’s arrival. On one side, himself, Luna, and Aalam. On the other side, Madison, Comet, Shana. Right at front, Ezra. Every one of them was ranged, except for the last member. Shana was both liability and VIP. Luna can fire from anywhere on the map, while the rest had to stay at a reasonable range. If one were to imagine the ideal set up…

Ezra as the center, supports at midrange, ranged fighters farther off, at the very border of the range of the supports. Her Guardian Spirit protects herself, while the two supports focused on keeping everyone nice and topped off. Certain Death was frightening, but it was also a far off concern, mechanics wise. Madison noticed that as well, and it was nice to see at least one other individual in the party who had a good head on their shoulders.

“Luna, Aalam, back off and get distance from the monster. Move in my direction and then backstep from there! Comet, Shana, get behind Madison as well! Leverage your ability to fight at a range and keep as far away from that psychobitch as possible! A hidden HP bar means nothing, and us supports got you covered when it comes to the Certain Death mechanic. Ezra, you’re the star here! Engage in melee and keep Anath busy. Toss in a taunt or two if you’re feeling confident. I’ve got your back in terms of freebie heals!”

Scarlet petals bloomed where Ezra’s feet stepped, beauty and levity found within the hellscape.

“First time meeting you, so show me something wild!”

Single Buff @Ezra
2*11 + 21 + 10 = 53
Single Heal @Ezra
2*15 = 30
Tracker / Roll
+5 Rhythm
+5 Notes

 

• 172 HP
  

  MAX 172 HP

• 091 EN
  

  MAX 121 EN

Location: F5 - Zone VI

Moving from H5 to F5
-25 EN from Sundering Strike
+30 HP from Cain Heal

Wait.

This small child standing before them in a bikini swim-suit thing was the demon that was going to consume the world and kill everyone as soon as she rose from the ground. Ezra blinked and licked her lips, her mouth dry as her eyes glanced at the others in her party. None of them seemed surprised so Ezra tried to mask her own features, keep herself focused, but the fact that they’d be cleaving down a little child somehow felt wrong…

Granted, this was a little girl with a massive demon inside of her, but a little girl all the same!

She ground her molars and slowly stood up, her fingers tightening on the shaft of her ax. Maybe killing this body would free the soul? She shook her head, long raven black locks whipping back and forth with the movement. There was no time to think about these things. They had to act. Hadn’t the Red-Head said something about time being of the essence? And hadn’t they squandered enough time already with Aalam’s antics?

A soft growl emanated from her clenched jaw. The ropes fell to the ground around her feet. Another time, another place.

The healing that Cain’s phantoms granted her soothed her minor wounds and aches. The shouted order from the male spurred Ezra into action, enough so that she went charging forward and brought her ax down upon the child with a feral war cry.

Sundering Strike Against Anath
85 + 69 + 35 + 20 = 209
98 + 80 + 30 = 208
Tracker / Roll
Target: 209 HP // 208 CP

Guardian regains 15 HP. Guardian protects Ezra

Cain Buff +53 (1/3)

 

• 142 HP
  

  MAX 142 HP

• 131 EN
  

  MAX 151 EN

Location: IX - Zone B9

-5 EN for Grow

The arrival of the scantily clad, young looking demon heralded an undertone of fear, paralyzing and unwavering fear. It clawed at Luna's chest, even as she was thrown away from the group, stranded alone without much real chance of getting back to anybody anytime soon, especially with that demon so close to her. She gasped, a hand on her chest as she pushed herself into a standing position, looking around wildly.

The Pit Viper she'd tamed curled around her waist protectively, beneath her clothing, trying as hard as it could to reassure her and let her know that she still wasn't alone, even now. But she didn't really have much else.

She shifted, a hand pressing to the ground as lime green light shone around her, restoring life to her immediate surroundings. Grass and flowers bloomed and trees returned to their healthy states once more. With that counted ticking over her head, she had a feeling that she'd need it sooner or later.

Grow
No roll
Tracker / No Roll
Nature Counter +3

 

• 160 HP
  

  MAX 160 HP

• 117 EN
  

  MAX 152 EN

Location: XI - Zone G9

Moving from G8 to G9
-20 EN for action

Aalam raised an eyebrow at Comet as she moved in between him and Ezra well that wasn’t going to help, and as it stood a waste of time. But that’s what happens when you allowed emotion to drive you in the middle of a job. She was referring to his drinking, well that was new for the most part; everyone else just seemed to roll with it. A low blow in any regard, he got his job done no matter how drunk he was at the time. After all, it was the job that was important however he was paying too much attention to her to avoid the blow to his face that followed. It wasn’t enough to push him back, but it was enough to cause a split in his lip. Sucking on it as he looked down at the Luna and backed up at Comet his face an unmoving expression of detachment as he counted down in his head, paying attention to Shana's information. “Forty-eight second, that’s how much time you just waste with his show. Time that cannot be regained, emotions have no place at work. They muddle……” However, it was then it seemed the time that was wasted caught up to him. Damn, he was starting to hate demons, in the long run, they were annoying. The shockwave blew him clear rolling on the ground and to his feet. With that, he needed to find a better position to make a shoot.

As of right now, he wasn’t clear that he could put a proper arrow into the girl's chest so that would have to be changed, now. At least Cain was blown clear with him as well however he would have to worry about that for another time. Running towards one of the wrecked buildings and placing his bow in his mouth as he started to climb until he reached the top of the crumbling structure. Judging the distance with his eyes as he looked down at the monster in human skin. This was a shot that he could make. However the timing still wasn’t right, she was still on guard he needed to wait for the best possible second to put an arrow in her. After all, he would hate to miss putting on through her when she was standing in the open. No one did that for no reason the last time he had seen something like this it was when a person wasn't scared to be out of cover. They were strong enough to tank blow, and that was always troublesome.

Hide
10 + 40 = 50
Tracker / Roll