melodiesoflife | Event || The Enemy Within

Entry tags:

Event || The Enemy Within

Characters: All characters who signed-up for the event.
Where: In their heads.
When: January 15th.
Summary: The Heroes of Light have a vision-- They are living through a hypothetical future where the Sage share his knowledge with them, and things went horribly wrong as some Heroes of Light became the villains in this timeline. Maybe they'll revise their thoughts on getting all of that knowledge.
Warning: The apocalypse, deaths, tragedies, overall a lot of very bad things.

Mingle Threads: The Antagonists || The Protagonists || The Others || General
Free Open Threads: The Two Years || Other Events

#01 Attempts at Negotiations || Trano Golsaucia
#02 Tactical Espionage Action || Aqures Ixen
#03 Judgmental Glares || Aerilon
#04 The Fight for the Crystallized Bodies || Aqures Tosf
#05 The Dusk of the Heroes || Mysidia
#06 The Fight for the Moon || Lunar Gate
#07 Conflict Above the Stars || Moon Base
#08 The Birth of a God || Crystal Life Tree
#09 The Death of a World || Moon Base
#10 Where Everything Ends || Pandaemonium

Conclusion || The Sage in Mysidia

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This scene starts at the Antagonist army reaches Mysidia and launches the attack, the Protagonists doing their best to defend the place.

[Pyrrha waits outside the gates of Mysidia, ever the image of a strong and noble warrior - clad in golden armor, sword and shield at the ready, and with her long red hair flowing behind her on the breeze. If she's worried at all, the expression on her face does not betray such emotion.

This is what she's trained to do for half her life, after all. Whether against grimm, the monsters of this world, or even former friends, a huntress' job is to fight, and to defend the people who can't. It's never easy, but she knew it wouldn't be from the very first time she picked up a weapon.]

...Get ready. They're coming.

[She glances to her left and right, briefly regarding the others that have been sent out to defend this place. They're in a bind, to be sure, but if this is where she is destined to fall, at least she'll do so among friends who are fighting for the hope of a brighter future. She could ask for no more.]

[Bloom had always kept her mind in the same thoughts for the past two years. She kept to her ideals and she knew this was just the start of finding out which was the better ideal. She gripped the staff that she kept on her for use of her White Mage ability to use when it needed to be used, waiting for the incoming antagonists.

They were coming and Bloom looked over to the other who was fighting. Just like she she was determined to try her best and fight for what she believed to be right.]

Ready. Even though the odds might be against us we will keep fighting, no matter what.

Though Elsa had wished to be on the front line of defense when the airships finally arrived, she knew it was unwise to group all of their main forces in one location, especially if the rumors were true and the Diamond Weapon was going to be employed against them. At the first glimpse of those ships, vague pepper flakes on the gray skyline, she'd given the evacuation signal to begin ushering civilians away from the main city.

There was a distinct route they were ordered to follow. For the past week she'd been busy laying out traps as a means of greeting any unwelcome infiltrators that arrived on foot. There were pitfalls with cruel spikes of crystal (THANKS CALAMITYBAMA) waiting to impale those who stepped on the wrong patch of ground, homes that could be sealed and filled with poison gas, pressure plates that would release a hail of poison-tipped darts...

And of course, Elsa herself, who moved secretly through the city with her bow. She'd picked out several vantage points she could use to snipe any incoming soldiers with her arrows. And if she found herself in a pinch, well... She had her dragon, and her behemoth ready to be unleashed with her Beastmaster class. No one was going to have a good time if it came to that.

She held to a grim hope that the people she'd contacted would manage to come through, whether it be to fight or to escort the citizens to a place of safety. This could be the day Mysidia fell at long last, and if that was the case, Elsa was prepared to fall with it.

[A hum comes from the dark blot on the horizon, which gets louder and louder as the outlines of giant airships become clearer. These aren't the simple, smooth boat-like airships that Cid designed many years ago. Ales had much respect for the old inventor, but there was much more he could do with flying ships--no, theses are more like fortresses. Giant fortresses spewing slight trails of mist with thick pipes lining the outside of the metal monstrosities.

Behind the swarm is a giant flagship, about ten times the size of a typical airship the defender's side has. Ales sits on a large room with windows overseeing the city, radio transmitter at hand. His black cloak flutters behind him when he gives an unemotional order:]

Fire.

[As the first line of airships approach Mysidia, they aim their canons at the fortifications: any walls, high towers, and if the Heroes are visible, at them. With Ales' designs to fit twice as many canons on a ship as usual, the residents of Mysidia are faced with a rain of cannonballs heading towards them.]

Edited 2016-01-25 00:10 (UTC)

Everyone, watch out!

[Not even a chance to allow them to surrender?! Is this how far they've fallen?! Ruby's quick to get out of the way of the debris - she would be no use if she were injured now.]

[Also within the flagship is Aya, her own receiver connected to the soldiers that are under her command.

[She isn't as cold or without emotion as Ales seems to be, but she's steeled herself for this. Desperate times calls for making hard choices, and this one is hers to make.]

Now! Don't let them return fire!

[The goal is to make this quick. There are more of them in numbers and strength. Once their enemies realize that, hopefully there will be time for a surrender, a negotiation... something.

[Until then, the swarm of soldiers descend on the city to give their all on Mysidia.]

[Lumbering its way on the ground between the airship fleet is the Diamond WEAPON itself. Maybe Ales and Aya able to give orders and openly fire on their former allies and the innocents of Mysidia, but for now, the WEAPON only continues on its path, with not so much as a peep from its pilot.

Still, even the WEAPON just being there is a sign of how serious thing are on their end.]

[Mary scowls from the cockpit of Vaan's airship. Their airship. The two years have made a good pilot of her, not bad for someone who came from an era where Nature still played the main role in allowing humanity to span the world. Now she's an admirable sky pirate, and the ship is crewed by the three Heroes and the sailors and assassins who still remained loyal to them.

Their ship hovers far from the line, observing the engagement for the moment. The fleet in the air is certainly more than their one ship can handle, no matter how skilled their crew. But Mary's focus is on the WEAPON that has been deployed. She had a hand in its discovery, and as much as she argued that it should be destroyed or buried somewhere else it seems that her advice was ignored.]

Pieces of Eden...This is why these sorts of things should never be left for future generations to find.

[She flexes her wrist, feeling her hidden blade in her sleeve. She'd given Edward's to Vaan for this mission, and the one that seemed to belong to Grand Master Auditore to Saori. The other men with them have blades of their own, but these models are special and will not let their wielders down. She may be a sky pirate now, but today she's here as an Assassin. The WEAPON would not remain in the invading Heroes hands.]

[ Ever since leaving the Aqures Ixen police force, the airship became her and her animals' new home. She took on the Assassin role like a duck to water. There were her custom jobs but she preferred not to use them just yet. Though with the rift between Heroes was trying even her patience.

At first, she balked in protest when Mary had given her a Grand Master's hidden blades. Mary should've been the one to keep them given their significance to the Assassins and their history. Despite being designed for a taller male, Saori made it work for her size. She had to give credit where it was due for this lovely weapon. The only times she ever took them off was while she cooked or behind locked doors. Saori knocked on the doorway leading to the cockpit. ]

We should've destroyed it when we had a chance. This was something no one should posses. This time, we'll make sure of that. Are you ready?

Edited 2016-01-25 17:30 (UTC)

Hold your positions, everyone!

[Pyrrha sweeps her hand out to the side as a signal to her comrades. She's trusting Elsa, Bloom, and Ruby to take on the soldiers while she protects the city itself from the cannon fire. Concentrating deeply even amid the chaos of the encroaching cannon fire, her body begins to glow with a soft red light as she channels her aura into her semblance.]

We won't let you beat us that easily!

[Bringing both of her hands forward in a pushing gesture, she expands a large magnetic field, bouncing the cannonballs back toward Ales' ship. They're too big for her to exert fine control over their trajectories, but at least for the time being she's able to field the ones that are headed for major structures or civilian centers.]

Bloom, Elsa, Ruby! Hold the troops back for as long as you can, and I'll see what I can do about their ship!

Be careful, Pyrrha!

[With that, Ruby's scythe snapped into place as she rushed out into the crowd of soldiers, swinging her scythe as she did.]

[Just like Saori, Vaan learned how to use the weapon fairly. But then, he'd always been a quick learner and, with all three of them now Assassins, it would hopefully make this job a little easier. The WEAPON was a force to be reckoned with, much like the Bahamut was and even Vayne Solidor. He just hoped they could destroy it. It was just the three of them.]

What's with people and being so drawn to Ancient Magicks anyway?

[He sighed.]

Whatever, let's just get to this thing before it gets to everyone else. I'm ready.

[Bloom just gave a small nod, she had to focus and she had to hold them back as much as possible so she goes on ahead, wings fluttering behind her and the staff in her hand ready for whenever it was needed, but right now, she put it away and started to unleash an attack, pretty basic but she hoped it would do something.]

[Ales had given orders to the front line to stay far away from the city in case a group of particularly powerful defenders could reach that far, but it seems the captain of one got too cocky and strayed close enough that one of the cannonballs Pyrrha redirected strikes its side, denting its metal outer hull.]

Airship fleet L095, avoid those cannonballs! Go to a higher altitude! [So the girl with magnetism powers is here. That's going to be an issue.]

Aya. [He swivels on his commander's chair to face the other commander.] I'll continue having the fleet fire on the city, but if we want to do this without significant loss to my ships, we'll have to take out the one tossing back those cannonballs.

Got it. [Aya nods, acknowledging Ales' words.

[She leans forward, further assessing the situation, as the troops prepare open fire in order to penetrate the magnetic field.] They're going to prioritize the WEAPON. If we focus all our troops on the city, it'll leave us vulnerable on that side.

[It's not that she doubts the capability of Diamond WEAPON, or Graham's skills at piloting it. But having someone who can turn their canons back at them does not bode well.]

[The WEAPON is now within range that is can open an attack. It's saving its big guns for the city itself, but in the meanwhile, there's too many people in the way. It lets out a rumbling growl, before it lets out a ball of blue flame hurtling towards the defending Heroes.]

[In a certain way, flying an airship into a battle still feels a bit wrong to Mary. She still wants to call out commands to work the sails and the rigging, even though the engines of the airship make it unnecessary. Of course, none of that matters at the moment. All they can do is watch the battle unfold.]

If the WEAPON gets past that barrier we may have a chance. We can get in close without having to worry about being fired upon by the fleet.

[She looks over her shoulder to Vaan and Saori.]

Tell the men to get ready. And if any wish to stay behind I won't blame them, but they'll be no longer welcome in the crew. We'll need all hands for this. I'll take us in as soon as soon as I see an opening.

Incoming fire! Get out of the way!

[Pyrrha's in a position to see it coming, since she has to keep a keen eye peeled in order to deflect attacks with her semblance. Some of the bullets from Aya's troops manages to penetrate her defenses as she shifts her aura into personal defense, the blue flame from the Diamond WEAPON washing over her. Her clothing and armor are singed, but Pyrrha herself remains mostly unharmed. Still, they need to do something about at least one of the sources of incoming fire if they're going to stand a chance at all.]

Cover me if you can. I'm going to see if I can do something about the WEAPON.

[Focusing her energy once again, Pyrrha bounds between two buildings to get up on the roof of one of them and away from the ground troops. Hunkering down as best she can to defend herself from cannon fire, she concentrates all of her remaining energy into her semblance, trying to focus it toward the flagship. If she can drag it into the WEAPON and blindside its pilot, she may be able to kill two birds with one stone.]

[Saori gave a nod to Mary and went down the crew's quarters. The room went dead silent when she stepped in. Without hesitation, she walked to the center of the room.]

Captain orders: all hands on deck and ready for battle! Our main target? The WEAPON. Anyone who is hesitating or doubting themselves right now, we won't hold it against you but you revoke your right to be part of this crew.

[As she glanced around the room, she could see a few of them waver but made no comment towards them. While Saori was no captain and knew the basics of piloting an airship, she made the crew's welfare her main assignment. No doubt some of them would confide and perhaps seek forgiveness for leaving later.]

We all knew what we were signing ourselves up into and now is the time to deliver on it. Sharpen your weapons, ready your wits, and today let's wreck ourselves a WEAPON!

[The front line of airships continued to barrage the city of Mysidia, spreading out its fire to make it more difficult for the magnetic girl to fling back all of them. Ships firing at the libraries. At the temple. At the centers of government. Anything to lower morale.

Ales gave them orders not to aim at the housing district unless necessary.]

We have to move quickly before any reinforcements come.

[As he walked on the console running along the length of the curving window, he felt the airship jerk.]

Deck hands, what's going on?! [He listened intently to the panicked reply on the other end of the intercom.] Great. [He turned to Aya.] Pyrrha must be using her powers on this very ship. She's more powerful than I thought!

All hands! [He turned on the ship-wide communication frequency.] Focus on getting out of range! Do not, and I repeat do not allow this ship to crash!

[Wringing his hands together, he looked out over the skyline of the city. This couldn't end in failure.]

[Elsa squints from her vantage point. She pulls back from the window, dropping down the ladder and moving into the next room where the radio manager is trying to coordinate their forces.]

Find out if Ales is on that ship. If he is, I want to speak to him.

[The operator stares at her, puzzled, but agrees with a nod. Satisfied, Elsa moves on. The foot soldiers are approaching. Loathe as she is to involve this world's populace, there's no helping it at this point. If a Hero dies, millions or even billions die with them, not to mention that the peaceful Mysidians are at risk as well. If they continue to press the attack, they will have only themselves to blame for what happens next.]

[One of those things is triggered by a wide pressure plate hidden under the cobblestones. There's a whir of gears, then a deep and ominous bubbling sound surging beneath the ground. Suddenly gallons upon gallons of a hot, dark liquid comes bubbling up through the windows on both sides of the street, pouring down on the unlucky brigade that happens to be passing through.]

[Running the other direction might be a good idea, but if any of them choose to go forward, they'll find a shallow, wide moat with more strange black fluids placid and thick. Testing the depths with a stick would reveal that it isn't all that deep, probably only a foot or so.]

[But if anyone tries to cross it on foot, bullshit will happen.]

[Bloom looked over toward Pyrrha, she wanted people to cover her and as she made her way over, she was sure as heck going to cover her as best as she could. Advantage was she used her White Mage abilities to be able to use protect and shield should it be necessary.]

I hope that helps. I'll make sure to protect you.

[Time to unleash another spell toward any incoming target. She was going to risk her life if she really had to.]

[Protection was going to be needed as the WEAPON let out more fireballs at the ground troops. As it lumbered ever closer, they'd have to look out for its legs as well, which were already laying out some devastating kicks on ground troops.

The WEAPON lets out another earth-rattling roar, but there's still no peep from its pilot. If anyone on his side checks, they'll notice Graham has turned off communication on his end.]

[Mary smiles as she watches her former allies going out to meet the WEAPON themselves, without the protection of any ships or vehicles. She recalls a conversation from years past with Sephiroth, right before he passed. She commented on how remarkable so many of the Heroes were compared to the people from her world.

Tugging gently on the controls of the airship she brings the craft lower, using the skyline as cover. Assuming everyone's attention is on the conflict happening in front of the WEAPON, perhaps she can bring her own crew up behind it.]

Everyone, I'm bringing us all in low and close. Everyone be ready to jump. Once we're on it...well we'll figure it out from there.

[What she's planning is dangerous and the ship may not survive it. She ponders whether it will be better to keep manual control or set the autopilot to close the gap when the time comes.]

#05 The Dusk of the Heroes || Mysidia

Re: #05 The Dusk of the Heroes || Mysidia

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