|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:10 pm
Leon for now observed Jyoti, still looking for an opening to cleave her and Victory with his Regal Poleaxe. He had to admit again that going by tactics wasn't his style at all, he hated it, but this was for the sake of survival. He had to do this.
Looking back at Anri now, he stroked the steed's mane. "Yer okay now, ain't ya?" he whispered.
Anri couldn't speak to reply, but if he could have, he would have smiled. There was nothing that made him happier than to know that his rider was safe thanks to his own bravery.
The watchman was glad to see his horse calm. It meant that Anri wasn't in pain anymore.. and he'd be ready to battle once again, thanks to that last drink of elixir. "We'll make it through this battle, m'friend. Just ya wait 'n see. Yer gonna be chewin' Leena's sugar cubes, an' we'll both be seein' the Cap'n agin so 'e can help us both get stronger. Just ya wait 'n see..."
He knew more than anyone that horses, like all animals understood humans, as... humans too were animals. They read emotions and could even comprehend words. Since Anri was with him as a colt when he was just a boy, their bond was even stronger, so their understanding was far deeper than most cavaliers and their steeds. Anri knew those words of encouragement, Leena's name, all of it. It motivated him so much... to stand again.
"Yer ready, pal?" Leon asked him cheerfully before awkwardly mounting Anri's now bare back. "Let's wait just a lil' while longer. We'll be strikin' soon... and deliverin' payback like yer never gonna know."
Sue could have slapped Rhys if she didn't respect him so much. What was he thinking, running out and taunting Misura? What foolishness! Just because I gave a prayer to Father Sky and Mother Earth don't make you immortal, M'Lord! Didn't she warn the fool before? Misura couldn't be damaged, not by their weapons.
But then she saw that he was just using his staff again. No danger, phew.
And here the nomad thought she'd have to pull the foolish Host Club lord out of trouble again...
If only she could use a staff though, it seemed like at the moment, she could only offer her prayers, words to deities that she didn't even know if they existed in Learania's world. Her arrows, not even sacred ones amounted to nothing at all.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:35 pm
A small, delicate flower, fluttering in the breeze...... A petal, claimed by a gentle wind, floats away... ☼ JYOTI ☼
¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤Glowing tome still at hand, Jyoti shook her head side to side, blonde hair whipping around slightly. Leon had survived and dragged himself and his steed into some trees to hide. A light sigh escaped her lips. "I know you're there somewhere, boy." The valkyrie said loud and clear, her words directed straight at Leon. He was close and she knew it, but she couldn't pinpoint his exact location. Irritating. "Why don't you just come on out? You're just prolonging the inevitable. Unless..." The valkyrie chuckled coldly, a sickeningly sweet smile coming to her face once more. "You would rather me attack your friends first? Let them go through the same pain that you did? Is that what you want? Because I would be more than happy to do so... It wouldn't be too hard..."
She was provoking him. She knew that he would attack her. She wanted him to charge at her so that she could take him down slowly and painfully, knocking him to the ground and bringing him to the brink of death. How else was she going to rise up?
"Thousand petals, blowing... Swirling, eternally..."¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤... Detached from its home, destined to wither and die alone in an unknown land.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:58 pm
Leon, as much as he wanted to, didn't let the words get to him. He knew this tactic, for his anger had been used against him far too much over the past few days. In the arena. Against the morphs. Everywhere.
But as she was casting her spell, there it was! An opening! A perfect opportunity to strike while she was distracted, casting. "Anri, let's go!" shouted the horseman.
The horse neighed proudly, and charged forward as he was trained to do... as he was born to do. To be a war horse was to be in the never-ending charge of battle. Leon had his poleaxe out, aimed, ready to strike, certain that he wouldn't miss. He took a swing that even if it didn't slice Jyoti, it would make her fall from her steed.
Get the enemy on the ground. That's the first way a member of cavalry fights another.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:03 pm
A small, delicate flower, fluttering in the breeze...... A petal, claimed by a gentle wind, floats away... ☼ JYOTI ☼
¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤... It didn't work?! Jyoti's eyes widened as Leon got closer and closer. There was no time to cast Antaram; it was too late to stop the attack. So she brought the Heal staff up, blocking the poleaxe with the shaft of it. No damage taken, thankfully.
However, the momentum of the strike caused the valkyrie to fall off her horse! How embarrassing. She hissed as her back hit the ground, the air getting knocked out of her lungs. Luckily, there were no roots or rocks behind her head, but it still ached slightly from slamming against the ground. Antaram, still glowing slightly due to the fact that the spell hadn't been fully cast, was clutched close to her chest, while the heal staff had been released from her grip, barely out of her reach.
Victory, luckily, was a smart horse. She moved herself in between Leon and Jyoti, allowing the valkyrie a moment to get back up on her feet. She held Antaram with her right hand, pointing at Leon again with the other. She wasn't going to give up because of a little fall. If anything, it gave her more motivation to continue. "Antaram!"
And the spell began again.¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤... Detached from its home, destined to wither and die alone in an unknown land.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:17 pm
"Run!" Leon commanded Anri swiftly, and the horse, now not weighed down by all his armor was able to move much more swiftly away from the magic blast that injured him earlier. The Lieutenant gripped tightly onto his horse's reigns, with no saddle to settle him in.... and Anri's speed rapidly increased.
Sue noticed something when she looked past Misura and FD. It was the knight that lead the charge, Leon of the Eyris Watch! He was alive somehow, but his war horse was now minus armor. She knew that Great Knights as they were called weren't much without it, it was like a nomad without their bow. A sword they could manage, but a bow was what they were born to use.
The trooper saw that FD, Hikaru had Misura well distracted enough for her to slip into the trees. The Kutolah tribeswoman was surprised to just slip by without being noticed at all.
In the trees, she hid, but had almost dead-on aim. Firing another shot of Myulgre, Sue at least tried to stop Jyoti from casting another spell. She did so quickly and the green-haired young woman had a feeling that Leon couldn't dodge forever.
"Th'arrow is..." Leon looked towards Sue's location, and although he smirked, he didn't call out to her. It would give away her position. He did nod in her seeing distance to let her know he was glad for the help though. And how surprised he was to see Victory also protecting her rider as Anri protected him. Maybe after being ridden a while, all horses were like that with their riders?
No more time to contemplate. Instead, Leon again gripped his poleaxe firmly, awaiting yet another opening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 3:20 am
All around him, people were starting to stand up against these 'heroes' from the past. Whether it was duty, honor or a way to prove themselves, they decided to fight against these things even if their powers were on completely different levels. People more stupid than him or with even less abilities than him.
Lance placed his face in the palm of his head. This is no time for self-pity. It is true you could definitely be stronger, but you just have to make do with what you have right now.
He'd need more training to recover the control he had lost over the years, but he could still fight with his coins.
Lance had scaled a tree close to him where he'd have a vantage pont from which he could throw his coins from. The plan was to then jump from tree to tree, chucking coins so the heroes would never know where they were coming from.
That was the plan. At least, until that Fire Dragon decided to scorch the trees.
Lance's eyes widened as the tree he was hiding in suddenly erupted in flames. Hot! Hot! he thought inwardly. He was still too high up to jump down directly onto the ground. Instead, he quickly leapt to another tree, who simultanously erupted in flames as well. Just my bloody luck isn't it?!
There were no longer any trees in the vicinity he could jump to, and while he had descended a bit, he still wanted to get out of this with his legs completely intact. Damaged legs tended to make stuff difficult when running away, after all.
Down below, that mounted axe person, Leon, was squaring off against on of the heroes. Both were on horseback, but Lance wasn't sure he could leap to Leon, as that was too far. Which left him with...
Sweet Tymora, I'm gonna regret this.
Lance took aim then sprung off the tree using only his legs. He shifted his weight around as he landed perfectly onto the valkyrie's horse, legs on each side of the horse's side, and seated neatly behind the woman herself.
If it's not part of the plan, at least make it look like the plan...
He wrapped his arms around the valkyrie's waist, and carefully tucked one of his coins into her clothing, as he spoke up. "Hey! This is a pretty nice ride you got! Mind if I tag along? I'd love to feel the wind in my hair!" he said while grinning sheepishly at her. He had no idea what her reaction would be, but he hoped it didn't spell too much pain for him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:27 am
He's the one unconscious from earlier! Not only is he taking a huge risk... he made an opening! Sue thought, and she aimed another arrow. Her last one missed, and she couldn't afford to miss anymore. Everything had a limit now: be it time, energy, arrow shots, everything. No more games. It was time to get serious and truly aim.
And aim, she did. Knowing a disarmed opponent was defenseless, she aimed not for Jyoti, but for her tome, and let the arrow soar towards it.
Lance! Leon recognized the theif from the Ring Quest, and although he was sure confused about his profession, he wasn't confused about the man's allegiance. He was here to help.
Again, he hated it though. He had to think, calculate where he could hit without harming Lance. And what was it he slipped in Jyoti's clothing earlier? Leon would probably not know, and never want to know.
And although he did hate thinking on the battlefield, as he saw it as distracting and troublesome, it did give the Lieutenant a way of striking, finally! Using one of his favorite moves once again, he turned the poleaxe the reverse way, now charging forward like a jouster. As soon as he impacted her stomach, she'd be knocked out cold.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:49 am
Victoria had kept herself well hidden, thank the Goddess. If she got caught up in all that attacking, she had no armor to block herself! And that high level light spell from Jyoti... it would have tore her own resistance, despite it being nothing to laugh at to shattered little pieces.
Along the way, a morph Sage had fallen dead though. Right beside him was a fallen Psychic staff, in almost perfect condition! She sneaked into the forest again where it was safe, prepared to use it if anyone at all needed its assistance: Fortify wasn't as great of a range spell as Psychic was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:54 am
A small, delicate flower, fluttering in the breeze...... A petal, claimed by a gentle wind, floats away... ☼ JYOTI ☼
¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤Leon was able to dodge Antaram, which disappeared before Jyoti could even move it. Her eyes narrowed in irritation as she quickly pulled herself back up on the horse, keeping Antaram open. Finger on the page, she began reading the spell once more, keeping alert for an attack from Leon...
Whoosh.
An arrow from Myulgre flew right past, embedding itself in a tree behind her. Victory had moved slightly to make sure the arrow didn't stick in the valkyrie's shoulder, instead leaving a nice gash on her arm. Jyoti winced slightly, staring at the arrow blankly before tracing it back to where she predicted it had come from. Once more, she began to read off the spell, the tome starting to glow...
"Hey! This is a pretty nice ride you got! Mind if I tag along? I'd love to feel the wind in my hair!"
Jyoti nearly squeaked in shock at the new voice and the pair of unfamiliar arms now around her waist. She swore she felt something get tucked in between her top and dress underneath. When she checked, there was a coin. Holding her finding in between her thumb and pointer finger, she turned and stared incredulously at the man now sitting behind her. "How... How did you...?" She shook her head slightly, flicking the coin at Lance's forehead and hoping he'd get the hint to let go and get off. If she wasn't so focused on those surrounding her, she would have tugged her hair angrily and with frustration. Was it that hard to try and cast a spell?!
And, well, it only got harder as Antaram was nearly knocked out of her grasp by another arrow from Sue. The valkyrie scrambled to keep a hold on the tome, nearly falling over in the process. There wasn't any time to do anything but hold the tome, now with an arrow stuck in the front cover and at least the first ten pages, luckily already blank, in between her stomach and the end of the poleaxe, still getting knocked backwards, straight into Lance. The tome bent slightly due to the pressure from the poleaxe.
But it was still glowing. And, luckily for her, she was a few words away.
Jyoti gritted her teeth. No... No!! She couldn't fall. She couldn't! There was only one thing she could do. "Thousand petals, blowing... Swirling, eternally... ANTARAM!!" Once more the white petals appeared, swirling quicker than before, around herself, Leon, and Lance, stretching out to almost (but not quite) reach Sue. The spell was going to be used once more, this time with three targets. Her hand wrapped around the end of the poleaxe, holding tightly and hoping that Leon would not be able to pull it back. There was no other option for the valkyrie.
The petals closed in quickly on the trio, the second stage of Antaram rapidly approaching.¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤... Detached from its home, destined to wither and die alone in an unknown land.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:50 pm
But before the petals could reach any of the targets, there was a flash of light and wind slicing apart the petals and blowing them away. But how? one would wonder.
And then the young lord emerged from the thickets, holding a Light Brand in one hand and a Wind Blade in the other. There were small scratches on him, mostly from the branches as he slowly worked his way around, picking off archers and snipers from behind the trees one by one.
"Whew...barely made it. Can't let you guys have all the fun." he said with a laugh, looking over at Sue, Leon and Lance.
He then turned his attention to Jyoti. He spun the Light Brand in his hand before sheathing it.
"Now then...how should we deal with her..." he asked his allies.
(( sweatdrop Hope I didn't mess anything up.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:48 pm
Lance was hit in the forehead by his own charged coin. It wasn't about to go off in his own face, but he was still amazed the valkyrie spotted it, as he tried to be careful about it. Well, she's hero after all. He wasn't about to let his attack go to waste though, so he chucked out several coins to lie on the ground, making it look like he dropped them. None of them got charged though, only the one he initially charged. Also, since she wasn't about to give up with just that hit, Lance reached into his belt's pocket, taking something else out.
Leon rushed in at them, and the poleaxe smashed the valkyrie into Lance. Lance lost the air in his lungs as she flew into him, and he almost dropped what he had taken out from his pocket.
That's when the valkyrie finished her spell.
The petals swirled around them once again, upon which Lance took the initiative and swung his arms around her body again, restraining her arms as well, as he slapped handcuffs around his both hands, and they slammed shut, locking them.
"I know what that spell does, honey..." he whispered into her ear "...and are you sure you want to be trapped in one with me, all up close and personal?"
Lance made his voice sound as creepy as possibly, as he smiled wryly.
Eliwood's son, however, tried blowing the petals away. While it looked like it worked, this was a hero. Lance doubted that a stunt like that would have much effect. No, only the hero herself could end that spell. Lance gripped on more tightly, and he and the valkyrie (and Leon, in tow) stopped moving momentarily. That's when Lance realized something.
Wait...why would hit herself with her magic? Isn't that like suicide? There was something more to this...
Lance would let go and run away, but...
He had just locked himself around the valkyrie. Crap. "Wait...I've just done something incredibly stupid haven't I?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:09 pm
Soren had retreated momentarily. His body and mind had been shaken so much that he had determined to stop and recover, for the idea of enemy reinforcements in the form of more Heroes had posed a serious threat, giving them much more to fight with. Soren held his blessed fabric wrap about him as he stood near Pitch, swaying uneasily, attempting to bring his mind back to utter clarity and focus. His heart was racing and sweat ran down his skin. His head throbbed dully, his fingers shook. But after a course of deep breathing and reaffirmation, everything was back in order, and Soren was clear to resume battling.
The situation had escalated to such an intensity that he returned to the battle without Pitch. Soren checked the inside of his robe for a moment before approaching an area surrounded by blindingly white petals, a barrier that simply reeked of light magick. He turned his chin up, undaunted. This would be easier to deal with than the accursed Chizakura.
"The spirits of Wind heed their companion. By the law of Reason, tether the incorporeal passion of Light. Let this vessel serve to channel thy strength."
His body again took on the resonating light of the Wind element, perceived more by the mind than the eye. There was no tome in his hands, yet it was unmistakably magick. A weak glow of green hummed from his skin and eyes as he spoke. Then he closed his eyes, repeating the incantation in the Old Tongue, focusing his mind and the energies in his body to aid the spirits in their manifestation. The glow intensified as before until his aura was as formidable as the phenomenon before him.
"Ezakoo."
The spirits of Wind swelled into existence and visibility around the white petals that threatened those within Antaram's walls. They immediately wove a current that defied Antaram's, attempting to suppress its power from harming Sue, Leon, Roy, and a...stranger who was locked onto the Hero. Soren continued rapidly whispering with pale lips and a monotone voice, urging his companion spirits to press through Antaram, his own mind groaning against the weight of Antaram's strength as it pressed upon him. The glow about his body flickered as his magick weakened and strengthened versus the Hero's spell.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:36 pm
A small, delicate flower, fluttering in the breeze...... A petal, claimed by a gentle wind, floats away... ☼ JYOTI ☼
¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤Click.
... What? Jyoti looked down and her eyes widened with surprise. The arms returned, now with handcuffs. She tried to move her arms around but failed. Lance had successfully pinned her arms down. "... ... What the heck?"
"I know what that spell does, honey... and are you sure you want to be trapped in one with me, all up close and personal?"
The valkyrie cringed. What the hell was wrong with this guy?! He first jumps on her horse and tries to start a casual conversation, then he puts a coin in her shirt, and now he pinned her arms down by handcuffing himself?! It was... so strange. Too strange.
Jyoti's eyebrow twitched with irritation, watching out of the corner of her eyes as the petals surrounding them began to slowly but surely diminish, some being blown and sliced by the red-haired lord and others just... disappeared, due to Soren's efforts. A sigh escaped her lips. This was just way too irritating. Just work with it, Jyoti...
Her eyes drifted upwards. The ball of light was there, yes, hanging above those trapped in the petal prison, but it wasn't good enough yet. Then again... she couldn't have it too strong. It'd be rather bad if she got hurt in the spell as well.
The valkyrie wasn't going to stop. Just a few more moments...
A smirk came to her face as Lance spoke again. She let out a small and sweet chuckle, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Mm... Probably."¤▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬¤... Detached from its home, destined to wither and die alone in an unknown land.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:55 pm
Lance widened his eyes. The valkyrie's head turned upwards, so Lance followed suite and did the same. I'm not an expert on fancy flashy magic, but I'm quite sure that's a bad thing...
He wasn't about to let that stop him.
While his hands were cuffed, he could still move his fingers around as much as possible, so he started tickling the valkyrie to throw her off balance. "TAKE THAT! AND THAT! NOT SO TOUGH NOW, ARE WE?!"
He realized quickly it looked like something else completely, as his fingers moved up and down her abdomen and torso, so he stopped. It's not like it was gonna do that much, anyway.
Instead, he moved his fingers around until they pointed in front of him. His charged coin was still there, and if possible, he'd be able to attack the valkyrie from there. Sure, he'd get hit by it as well, but at least he was ready for it, and she'd take the brunt of the attack, as she was in front of him. He snapped his fingers, and sizzling and crackling was heard. "Time for a shocker, instead then!"
The tricky thing was, he had completely forgotten which coin was charged. And as such, he made a grave miscalculation. The scenery lit up in a blue light, and then a bolt of lightning erupted from the charged coin, electryfying anything in its path.
Too bad that the coin was directly below Leon.
The lightning itself was strong enough, but Leon wore armor that amplified the lightning's power to levels that would be quite hurtful. There was no way he'd be able to stay concious after that.
There was an uncomfortable silence as the lightning died down, and Lance was still behind the valkyrie, staring in disbelief at the mess he had just made.
"...I'M SORRY! I KNOW WE GOT OFF A ROUGH START, BUT I'M A FUN GUY! DON'T DO ANYTHING STUUUPIIIIID!" he yelled as he squeezed his 'captive' more tightly, rubbing his head affectionately at her cheek. "Come on! Let's be friends! I know some great places to dine here!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 3:11 pm
The wyvern and his mount circled around, trying to make sense of what was happening. They hadn't been well informed before they came, and the only person they had talked to since they went to help was that strange warrior. So the two simply circled, waiting for a clue.
(Short post. I was up north for yesterday and the day before for my cousin's wedding, and I'm not feeling too good...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
