Welcome to Gaia! ::

She'd heard that many times before: "You are strong." Only now did Stormy actually feel like she was, even if it was just a hollowed version of it, like her coat was a suit of armor and herself nothing but air.

"We are not lesser," she told Noemi with slow, deliberate words. "I'm scared too, but we have to overcome that, okay? What I want you to do is tend to the people who need help. Can you do that?" There were several trainees for sure who looked in dire need of attention.

It was only a little scratch, really. He just needed a minute to catch his breath, to blink down at his weapon, and then look up to Medea: hair curling just slightly from time spent in the heat, sleeves pushed up crookedly, and one of his boots, if not untied, was now dangerously close to untied. None of that mattered. Intellectually, Ever took a moment to think about it. He was clearly going to go down either way, and if he didn't at least make a stand of it, why would anyone at Deus bother to patch him up afterwards?

If there was patching up to be done.

There was always the pods.

And so, even tired as he was, with his shield battered all to hell and fairly sure that one more good blow from the crazy b***h would send him off toward oblivion, he drew in that breath and steeled his shoulders to toss himself back into the fray.

The battle was still raging around them and Rep made his way across the field of combat as if he owned it, shoulders back and dressed like he was in a club rather than facing down the forces of destruction. He was looking for the Boss, but he was in no major hurry, his people could handle themselves for a little while.

He used the opportunity to scope out his fellow combatants. A few of them had fallen on hard times and looked in dire need of a bit of help.

Of course, given his tastes, a certain light haired hunter caught his attention. He remembered the poor guy from the embarrassing debacle where the other him had tried to help him clean up his room. The other him simply had no ******** sense nor one ******** ounce of taste.

He sauntered up behind poor Ever and patted a runic bandage right on his a**. "There you go sugar, don't go ruining that pretty ******** face of yours out there." he purred far too close to the other man's ear.

"I'll try," Stormy said distractedly. Her eyes were re-scanning the field, horror digging its claws into her heart. It wasn't simply the horsemen returning: it was them.

No no no no no NO NO--

Their regalia of gold shimmered, painting them against the harsh landscape. Stormy backed away instinctively, mind racing for what to do next, who to attack, who to help. And then that choice was taken away from her the moment Mengyao called her name.

NO NO NO NONONONONO--

Her feet carried her forward, compelled by something stronger than even her willpower. Her clothes changed as she drew near into something far more familiar, gold with the rest, her hair tied back into something elaborate (a gift she had never thought someone of her previous stature would be allowed) with the gold pin form her mother keeping it in place. Stormy bowed first to her emperor and then the general.

"I am here to serve. What would you have me do?" There was a largescale fight breaking out around her, but she did not know who was friend or foe. There were Blue and White people here, yes, but her head was still fuzzy on the details as to how she had gotten there and what they were fighting about.

[ Bradley & Yzalin ]

She didn't expect the portals. She moreover didn't expect to be affected by the portals. Yet her a** hit the icey ground hard and the cold surged through her shadowy limbs. She'd forgotten what cold felt like. It hurt. A lot. The shadowy blood dragon snarled and forced her way back to the portal and the fight at hand. She snarled up at Medea - the b***h who'd started this whole thing, surely, with that arrogance like a dragon - and rolled her shoulders.

Yzalin, c'mon don't do something stupid. She growled and glanced down at the mirror. How she wanted to tell him to shut up but now wasn't the time.

She glanced at the hunter gathering and the fact she was one of the few not a hunter. She wondered how long it would take for them to attack her, realistically.

Hopefully it didn't come to that.

Sherry looked around, determined to find her friends. Things were chaotic, and a cursory glance did not bring them into view. Hunters, yes. Hunters she recognized, yes. Had she imagined Stormy's voice? And where was Jake?

Sherry shook her head as if to clear it, before trying to attack again.

Attacks in this case were dangerous, and she didn't want to linger in one spot. So she didn't. Time to look for her friends again. They might need her.

[[Summoned by Gold King]]

Bastion was still blindly swinging his scimitars into a mist that no longer existed, when he was summoned to Meng's side. At least, near his side - he managed not to cut through the royal garb with his wild swings. He slowed down and opened one eye, staring at the entirely different scenery in front of him. Looking up, he saw what had once been Medea. His priestess was now a giant, formless monster. She'd gone mad with power and rage.. but still, she was there. He could feel her there, inside.

Just lost.

"Ah," He breathed out in relief, putting his scimitars at his side and jogging over to drop to one knee in front of Mengyao. Even though he knew the world of the kingdom had not been real, his allegiences were just enough to keep him respectful of the man who would have been king. "My thanks, majesty! You've brought me here just in time, I was almost dispatched! I knew I should have been here to protect - "

The last few wisps of Mengyao's powerful attack still lingered in the air, striking out at the form that was once Medea. Bastion's eyes followed it, widening with surprise - and a little fear.

"My liege." His voice broke, sounding more like a young colt than the man he now was. "...but why??"