melodiesoflife | Event || Melodies Of Life

[And in the back, Jade is taking all this in while calmly chugging down ~~popcorn~~ an Ether to replenish his MP.

Say what you want about the Heroes' competence, they never let things get boring.]

Looks like we're still okay~ [Nevermind that a dozen Heroes are dead and another dozen are critically injured. Jade cheerfully tosses the empty Ether bottle over his shoulder and gets to work. Pyrrha and Ace are the first to get revived.]

Just as quickly as she hit the ground after that enormous explosion of light and sound, Pyrrha feels life flooding back into her body as she wakes up with a gasp. No time to question it, though - their enemy is still up. Kicking up to her feet, the young huntress sheathes her weapon and raises her hands instead, glowing with red light as she channels her semblance. After Mary's last attack there's plenty of metal lying around, after all, and it quickly lifts up and off the ground in a great tornado of razor sharp jagged blades. Concentrating as hard as she can, she directs the storm of metal with pinpoint accuracy toward the WEAPON's core, hoping to drive a victory home at last.

When Ultima went off Mary dove to cover Saori, but it clearly wasn't enough. She knew how all of this worked. She knew what the Jobs and the Crystals and everything else in this world did in their favor. She also knew it was something that couldn't be counted on, and that is where the seed of worry bloomed in her gut.

She cradled Saori's limp body as the two of them smoldered from the WEAPON's attack. She glowered up at the beast, knowing what she had to do. Gently setting Saori down, she then turned and stood to face the WEAPON. One hand went up to draw her hood from her pirate garb. The other flexed its wrist, the hidden blade springing out and back again.

"I'm takin' you out of this. Once and for all." She murmured to herself before taking three strides and seemingly vanished from the field.

[Tsubomi couldn't understand why her Onion Knoght job had Desperation as one of its choices, but she now understood why as she suddenly found herself boosted massively by the deaths of so many Heroes as she found her power increasing tremendously. She let out a pained roar as she pulled out her Gunblade.]

Palitutu! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! CLIMHAZZARD!

[And with her increased strength, she let the Core have it!]

Gods, she is practically is in so much pain right now that she cannot focus on attacking the exposed core right now. Getting hit with the Ultima spell freaking hurt and Minfilia felt like she would collapse at any moment, her sword being slammed into the muddy dirt is the one thing keeping her from falling. She is still conscious therefore can do something at least. With shaky legs, the young Crystal Knight slowly stands up and stares at the WEAPON, feeling an intense emotion that she can recall after someone dear was taken from her as a child. She's furious without a doubt but unlike her twelve year old self, there is no urge to kill. She just wants this to stop.

Breathing deeply, Minfilia holds out her arms...and flings them to each of her sides, mimicking Y'shtola's movements when she would activate her shield. But that isn't the case now as her own Limit Break activates. With Seventh Dawn activated, the entire party gets a TEN SECOND INVINCIBILITY BUFF thanks to her hitting the target low health.

But she may need a healing spell because she may go down in one hit after this despite Desperation kicking in.

[She's still in shock at the impact with the ground and just who had grabbed her from the rope when everything goes blue and then white. Yet as it fades, she doesn't notice the agony she's in. She notices the limp arm beneath her, and that she no longer senses someone else's breath on the back of her neck. She tries to roll out from under the corpse of her ex boyfriend, but he's so heavy that she is currently trapped. Instead, she maneuvers to pull out a few bottles from her satchel, pulling out the computer first. Quickly from her position, she types one-handed and summons a Healing Program on Minfilia, before struggling once again to reach for something in her pack.]

No... Not again...

[She is no soldier, no Turk. This was not the field she ever studied or prepared for. Even the months fighting alongside others did not fully prepare her for this. In her grief, she activates her Limit Break: Calamitous Stagnation. The wave of energy from the attack hopefully inflicts Calamitous Ruin upon the Ultima Weapon, reducing action speed and acting as a poison. If it works, it will slow it down to grant the others time to recover and revive. If not, well... She tried.

Fighting back tears, she reaches into her satchel for a Phoenix Down and uses it on her savior before using another Healing Program on herself.]

[Sonic was blown away by the Ultima attack, however, he quickly righted himself, landed on his feet and charged at the core, unleashing another Excalibur Sonic attack on the core.]

I know you can hear us, but you're trying to block us out, but I'm going to talk anyway! I've figured you out - your plan, your reasons, why today! You learned about what we're all for and what we're supposed to do and it sent you on a spiral. You couldn't think but feel helpless at the idea that your world was feeding on other worlds. So, you decided to keep going! What's one or two worlds when yours is needed more? So, you started to bring us in, one by one, and hoped we would be stupid enough not to question things, that the more calmer people like Zelda would rein us in.

You wanted to kill us in the aftermath of the invasion - tired and not even mastered a few jobs. But, Kalki's time travel shenanigans messed that up. You panicked and threw a hissy fit - so you took the Weapon and ran off. And while you were hiding, you opted to drive us with fear, worry and belittlement! Threatening that town, threatening Aqures Ixen, having your Moogle lackey yell at us for having the Diamond Weapon - you wanted more advantages for this day!

And why today? Today's the last day of the Festival of Light. What better why to shatter the entire world's idea of the Heroes of Light than to do it at the end of their celebration!

Guess what, you little creep - today's not that day! We're going to win and we're going to make you a laughingstock! When they have their play next year, they're going to tell the story of how the Heroes of Light triumphed over the Ultima Weapon and while I might look like an alligator, you're going to be nothing but a footnote in our history!

Edited 2016-08-08 16:54 (UTC)

[Though Rukia's wounds are minor compared to the others, she might not be so lucky with the next attack, so she's grateful for Selphie's healing. She moves to shield her housemate, sword drawn, stance defensive, so she won't be interrupted in her work. She glances back at Selphie only briefly, keeping her eye on the Ultima Weapon.]

Oi! Are you all right?

[Next round she'll heal Selphie in return if the wash of cure magic hasn't wiped away Selphie's wounds. For now, she places her palm against the blunt edge of her blade, summoning Kashikoiko. And Yuki. And Kokuyo, the black chocobo. And Chappopo. And friggin' Hades. All set their eyes on the target.]

Now, while it's exposed! Bestial Assault!

[Warks and kupos and skrees and '...'s ring out on the battlefield as all of Rukia's summoned creatures rush at the weapon for one massive attack.]

[ Sheena had expected to hit the ground when she had reappeared--not a body--so imagine her surprise when she sees Albel hovering over her. He should have been fighting... That's the last thing she remembers before a blue light coming from behind him engulfs them, and she closes her eyes against the glare while reflexively gripping his arm.

When she opens them, she gets a couple more surprises. One, she's alive, but not hurt seriously, and two...

Albel...alive but not as lucky. ]

Albel? [ She looks around for a healer, but can only feel her anger rising at the sight before her--friends and allies seriously hurt or worse. And while she's angry that again someone else she cares about has been struck down instead of her, it's the "or worse" that really sets her off. ] Stay here.

[ The command is terse and calm, but anyone who knows Sheena knows that she's beyond her regular level of anger. Rising, she approaches the rest of the debris of the airship lying about. She had been trained to use whatever she could as a weapon, and by Martel, she's going to do just that.

Picking up those things that she can, she casts Shunshin before using the longer debris as spears as she uses Throw with them. ]

The attack had been about the level that Kaji had been expecting. The number of Heroes that didn't make it through that, on the other hand? Not what he'd been counting on. That is- about a third of their forces.

"Ib!" Among those dead bodies isn't one of a very little girl, so Kaji has to believe that his daughter is safe.

Keep up the assault. Kaji can keep this up all day. Another arrow, another Heavy Shot, fired towards the Core now, since that's where everyone else is concentrating their fire.

[Rialynn's head is ringing. That spell ripped right over the lot of them, tearing up the earth and sending them flying in the sheer force of the magic blast. She picks herself up slowly, carefully, trying not to yelp at the numerous cuts and bruises she'd sustained. Immediately her eyes track for the people that matter most to her. Barkeep. Duster. Ramza. Vincent. Barkeep is on his feet, she sees. But there's an egregious lack of stone-flinging freelancers.]

[Maybe it's not tactically sound, but she owes him. She owes him everything. Gritting her teeth, Rialynn pulls herself upright, hugging her wounded arm as a new power flares up inside of her. She doesn't know what she's doing, but she needs to do it. Her Limit Break, Happily Ever After, kicks right in.]

...Nngh...the spell went off. There was no time to prepare. Ramza raised his arms, bracing himself, thinking that there was nothing else to do. But just when it all seemed...hahhh...hopeless...something happened. Something wondrous. The full might of the spell was turned away by the purity of his heart, instead slamming into the pilot of the Ultima Weapon. The gods...th-the gods smiled in his favor...for they would never allow someone so good to suffer such a cruel fate.

[Rialynn sags to one knee as the power leaks out of her, using her power as best she could to alter the events to affect their enemy and spare Ramza.]

[It's a strange thing, to see one's end directly in front of one's self, and know it cannot be stopped. It brings an odd peace instead of panic, and a calmness of the mind once fate has been accepted. Chrom knows he's not going to survive this, he's just too close. Even if he does, his injuries will be too severe for him to keep up the fight.]

[He braces himself, gripping Falchion with both hands as he closes his eyes and bows his head.]

Sacrifice.

[He isn't sure if evoking the power through word is enough, but the willpower to exchange his life in exchange for a grievous blow against the Ultima Weapon is definitely there.]

[Whether it works, or if the Ultima spell claims him too swiftly, the ending is the same. Chrom lies in a still heap upon the ground, the tattered white cloak a funeral shroud as crystal starts to collect around his lifeless body.]

[The spell tears through them violently, and Bartz only just barely hangs on. The cacophony of other heroes acting and reacting to the carnage echoes around him is deafening. He's more focused on pulling himself back up though. Just a little more. They can still win this.

Just a little more.]

It's not... over yet.

[Once he gets to his feet, he faces the weapon and activates his ~~EX burst~~ limit break, Master Mime. It is a succession of strikes with different weapons, each one connected to a memory of a precious friend.

He also may have said something about a shining world... or a shiny squirrel. It's hard to tell.]

[ Tear's first instinct was to try and use her own body as a shield to protect Ace, just as she had so often used it to protect others from danger. But when the blue light fades and her eyes open again, it became all too clear that it hadn't been enough.

Pale white and silent, she could only stare at her partner as memories of a future neither had lived flooded her mind, the same feelings of then twisting her stomach painfully and forcing her throat to go dry. It's only when she recognises the light of Life surrounding his body that she fully snaps out of it, holding back a sharp gasp.

Still hovering over him protectively, fierce determination pushed past terror and reflected in her eyes, fists clenching before she reached to take his hand in hers and began to try singing again. Her voice was choked, but she kept trying until Boss Theme came forth with the same vigour as before, no matter how much it was straining her.

Unfortunately she would have to abandon Soul Voice for the time being, replacing it with The Final Fantasy. No matter what her heart demanded her to do, she had to keep focus and ensure that no one else died. ]

[The last thing he clearly remembers was pain and a semi-controlled fall, holding Lucrecia tightly and trying to turn so he'd take more of the impact that she would. Then everything went blindingly blue and white and agonizing and then nothing more.

Red-and-golden sparkles from the Phoenix Down rain down around him, and Vincent awakes to pain. This is nothing new--nor is the feeling of mounting rage and anger from the back of his mind signifying Chaos is awake. What IS new, is the awareness they're on the ground, and he still has Lucrecia held against him protectively.

Tuning out the roaring in the back of his mind, both arms curl more around his ex (so complicated, but he wasn't letting her die yet). A Smoke bomb moves them away and back towards the farther reaches of the field. Then Vincent is shoving away from her, curling in on himself as his Limit Break fully activates. Painful even more, and his form is shimmering in hints of white, fading as wings uncurl from his back and his whole body shifts.

Uncurling from the stance, great bat wings unfurl as red eyes narrow. It is not the Chaos Lucrecia recognizes as the being takes to the air and heads to attack the Core of the Weapon.]

Edited 2016-08-08 21:53 (UTC)

[Levy isn't sure how she survived that, but she's not about to waste the opportunity. Though her body is weak, she can feel the power of her Limit Break surging through her, making her magic stronger than ever. Taking a breath, she gestures toward the Ultima WEAPON, once again channeling her script magic.]

Solid Script: Lava!

[Bolstered by the Limit Break's energy, the word 'LAVA' appears above the WEAPON before melting and flowing down over it, burning red hot.]

[Thanks to her own Limit Break, Chiaki is completely unharmed by Ultima. Unfortunately, many of her allies can't say the same thing. But so far it's been a blessing in disguise, since so many of them have been able to activate their strongest attacks. She's been watching the WEAPON this whole time to get a sense for its timing, so after the injured Heroes are all finished using their Limit Breaks, Chiaki uses her robot's Healing Force to bring as many Heroes as she can back to their feet.]

[This. This is what Mordecai was worried about. He had stayed far away from the WEAPON during the fight and only received minor wounds, but he is lucid enough to see Ramza collapsed from fatal damage. For this moment in time, his universe centers on the body of his roommate, the young man he thinks of as his son. Without considering any other options, he pushes through the crowd, dead set on reaching Ramza. Mordecai has drunk the sole elixir he has on him, and with each second passing, he can feel the Regen working and giving him the energy to trudge through the muddy terrain. Before he can heal anyone, he has to check on Ramza!

A song emerges from the background noise. Rialynn's voice. The lyrics do not reach his ears, but they do reach Ramza's. Or the gods, whatever this magic is supposed to do. He stops in his tracks to better listen. Is she trying to change the outcome of the spell? Either way, it distracts him from rushing over and wasting the rest of the battle looking after Ramza, and finally he notices that...there are other people he should probably take care of.

Hey, if anyone else is going to revive Ramza, let it be the girl Mordecai ships him with.

Eyeing the remaining dead, his eyes are drawn to a girl wearing the armor distinctive to the Crystal Knight: Alice. Palitutu might shut down their Jobs, and Alice will be protected. As a safeguard, he casts Revive on her, bringing her to a manageable health level.]

Albel was in bad shape. But like hell was he going to stop now and let someone else tell him what to do -- even if it was Sheena. He recalled his dragon, suffering from its own wounds, and pushed himself up despite the pain. Fight it. Push through it. Pain meant he was still alive, and he wanted to keep himself that way.

Slowly, he walked toward Ultima Weapon, laying a hand on Sheena's shoulder as he passed her. "Stay back." He wouldn't hurt her -- and he'd try not to hurt Ales, now that he noticed the small hacker. But he couldn't guarantee the safety of anyone else who got in his way.

If he stood just right... he could catch the Weapon in range without hitting Ales. Or Sheena, as long as she didn't get any closer to him. "Vampire Flash!" His Limit Break activated and the ground around him beginning to swirl a dark red, almost black. Anyone -- or anything -- within a 10 foot radius will have both HP and MP sapped as Albel drained it to heal himself.

[…can she keep Runic forever because that was incredible.

Less so what Ultima's done to everyone else, and K'pandolu scans the field to evaluate the people who were downed, one hand going to her satchel. Some of them are already being revived, so that's something off her mind- even if spotting Minfilia's limit break brings some of it right back. She spots Saori and pulls out a tuft of phoenix down to use of the other woman. She's ready to grab potions as needed, attention flicking to the rest of the battlefield still.]

[Saori immediately sits up before the red and golden sparkles even faded away. She frantically looks around the battlefield. Where were Ira and Mary? Damn the fact she didn't have Eagle Vision to scan for the two. She barely had a chance to reply to her girlfriend when she landed by her side and the Ultima attack. When she spots K'pandolu, she stops.]

You just brought me back, didn't you? Thank you!

[Using her spear as support, she manages to get up and get out a bottle of hi-potion. She doesn't even stop to breathe as she downs the contents heavily. Her Dragoon armor is heavily cracked in some places but there's no time to worry about repairs. She cast a Clone and the two rush towards the Core. Even if she were to get hit, she'd have enough health to trigger her limit break once more.]

Chaos Thrust!

Needless to say, Palitutu doesn’t reply to any attempts made to speak with her. And for good reasons: in its current state, a second of inattention would spell the WEAPON’s doom. The onslaught of Limit Breaks directed at the core have had a clear effect and it looks as though the WEAPON is slumped over itself. No status ailments affect the WEAPON, but all attacks clearly hit the Core hard. For all of the casualties suffered by the Heroes of Light, their efforts and sacrifices are paying as the WEAPON seems to near its end. Even so, it doesn’t give up the fight and the Heroes shouldn’t rest just yet: should the arms regenerate before they can bring the core down, their efforts will have all been for naught.

Left Side
> Regeneration: 11%
[The left side is inactive. It will no longer attack.
The regeneration process is evident enough as the left arm visibly heals and gets better over time.
The regeneration process of this side is slowed down by the hacking.]

Right Side
> Regeneration: 0%
[The right side is inactive. It will no longer attack.
It regenerates 15% health per turn. It will return to normal once the regeneration process is complete if uninterrupted.]

Core
> Ultima Beam
[The core of the WEAPON attacks the Heroes of Light standing in the vicinity before them with a powerful beam aimed to the ground and exploding upon hitting it—The Heroes have a five seconds warning upon seeing the core glow to get out of there.]

Thankfully enough, thanks to the Limit Break granting temporary invincibility, most Heroes should be left unharmed by this attack.

[ Sheena's breathing hard from both exertion and anger when she feels Albel's hand on her shoulder and turns to him, eyes narrowed. ]

I thought I told you--

[ She stops when he gives her a warning. A warning. That alone is enough to set her alarm bells ringing, since he'd more than likely would have just carried her off, like he had moments ago--or even months ago--to get her out of danger. This has to be something else, and while a part of her wants to argue and stay, a sixth sense is telling her to heed him. So, she moves back.

And when she sees the beginning of his Limit Break, she uses Smoke Bomb to move even farther away--to the WEAPON's left side as a matter of fact. Just in time for the Beam to strike the ground and once again knock her off her feet while raining rocks and other debris on her.

Is she injured? Yes because her Seal hadn't been able to absorb all of that. Is she near Limit Break again? No. But that doesn't stop her from rising painfully to her feet and using her katana to keep herself upright. Wiping at some blood on her face, she finally drinks the ether she has before once more strengthening her Guardian Seal for protection.

Casting Shunshin and intending to halt the regeneration of the Left Arm, she uses the speed granted to repeatedly cast Thundara on it. ]

[Selphie nodded grimly at Rukia as the perky brunette eventually straightened herself out and stood upright once more. The arms were down from what she could see but there was another issue at hand.

Selphie was just about spent from the magic use and wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out.]

My magic is just about gone...

[Selphie felt like she might have a few more spells in her but not much more than that. Wounds wise, the burns she'd suffered from the lasers are nothing more than angry red lines and the worst of the damage from the spell unleased by the WEAPON was patched up thanks to her Limit Break. She briefly jerks a thumb in the direction of the city with a wry grin.]

Besides, we can't bite the dust here. There's a house full of unruly folks to keep in line and who's gonna do it if we're not there?

[The blowback from the Ultima Beam knocks Johnny back from the Core, but thankfully, he's unhurt due to the invincibility spell. This doesn't slow down his own limit break. After a few moments, he's back on his feet and barreling toward it, once apart ripping at it with his bare hands with all of his might.]

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