here we go again...

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Who: Everyone
Where: Aimintas
When: Day 56
Open/Closed: OTA

[ Feel free to use this entry as a mingle for whatever your characters will be up to during the bigger Uvi attack! You can find details about it in this weekly update post.

(This post is forward dated by a few hours as I temporarily forgot how timezones work... please forgive me.) ]

Comments

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[ Feel free to wildcard it up with me! Julius will be calling up people he knows via telepathy as soon as he receives news of the attack via Kosuzu's dreams and her telling it to the barrier crew. Being a field leader back home, he'll try to organize small teams to be posted around Aimintas and have their weapons ready for an emergency. I can be reached via PMs for plotting, if you'd like to discuss anything!

Basically I'm playing this by ear so let me know if I can help. ]

➛ ota

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preparations;

[ It helps being in a team. Even if they were all from different worlds - everyone's efforts helped to increase the odds of this impending bloodbath becoming less of a bloodbath. And as long as Julius can still move, he'll help to further said odds. They'd have to pry his sword from his cold dead body... if he could even be killed in this state. It's not a thought he'd want to think too much about. ]

Are you ready?

[ It's a vague sort of question, designed to fish out whatever details that he could possibly help with. His sword was never far from reach nowadays, so he considers himself primed for battle.

Old habits are hard to kick. ]

in the storm;

[ The Uvi have landed. It's much more chaotic than the last attack, which was logical given how they had planned for this ambush. It also means the coven members must band together for this threat - and as much as Julius advocates for others to go out in groups, the advice is ill applied to himself.

As soon as he can be sure the others will hold, he'll strike out on his own. Maybe you're the one running after him, or have encountered him in the streets after a while. Those who have seen him in the previous battle wouldn't find it too strange, the sight of him wielding his two-metre long greatsword as a counter-balance in a blade dance of death - but if one looks closer, they would see that black spider marks have appeared all over what's visible of his skin.

There's even one on his face. Yet he continues fighting in spite of it... almost like a possessed man. If you're still standing there gawping, he'll have a message for you: ]

Take this side, we need to clear this road!

prep

[yancat]

I'm not a warrior by any means. I'm not a mage either.

[There's little sense in asking Jumin such a question, because the answer is a clear no. He's a corporate heir far too underqualified to fulfill a duty thrust upon him by the coven and the Palai. He fiddles with his cuffs — a habit Julius might have seen more often these days.]

But I'm not about to shirk responsibility.

[He has a set of magically charged throwing knives strapped to his person. For someone whose never seen war, it's a strange choice of weapon.]

in the storm (also v late)

[secrowtary]

[ Last time they have seen each other, Hibiki sure asked about Julius' greatsword and its length.

Who would have thought that he's going to get the answer to his question right in the middle of a battlefield? Not that it doesn't make sense, but it's definitely not what Hibiki expected back when he posed that question. ]

Understood, but...Julius-san, are you positive that you can fight in this state?

[ The noticeable black spider marks aren't affecting his performance from what Hibiki can see, but he's still a bit concerned. ]

IN THE STORM late and i changed my mind oops

[lohengrins]

[ percival's eyes narrow -- sword in hand, his eyes dart from the enemy and then towards julius.

it's a difficult decision to make: julius is entirely correct, the road must be cleared, and yet those marks rouse something within him.

so without further ado, percival hastily makes his way to julius. ]

Back down. You'll die if you continue to fight in this state.

➛ closed to established CR (warning for mild-ish body horror)

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part one;

[ There's simply too many of them. A swarm, and as much as they try to push them back, it's evident that the Uvi outside wouldn't be mopped up so easily. They need a better solution. A solution that had been staring at him in the face since he came here. He had came out of it alive once, with others' help. The blond man looks down at his hands, now covered in the scrawls of the Black Plague. His body remembers, even as he tries to forget. If the people here would not abandon him to fight alone, then perhaps... ]

Do me a favour, would you? Take these civilians to the barrier. I need to try something alone.

[ Should his partner agree, and return later, they will find Julius literally rooted to the ground. White branches have sprouted from his back and pierced through his clothes, planting themselves into the ground below. A few of them grow into something resembling long, slender wings, wrapping themselves around him in a half-formed cocoon. Only his upper body is visible at this point. ]

You're here? [ there's the slightest feeling of oh shit even if the man would never be caught using these words ] Stay where you are! Don't come closer. Please.

part two;

[ Or maybe you've taken a bit more time to escort the Palai away from danger, and had skipped the tree formation process entirely. Instead of finding Julius where you've left him, you will see his blade left lying on the ground, at the (hovering) feet of someone else.

Who's that? ]

P1 sidles in fashionably lateish

[probablynoteren]

[Lenka's reluctant to go. To be more precise, he doesn't want to go at all; he doesn't really recognize the strange scrawling marks on Julius' skin, but given what they both now know they chill him all the same, ice creeping down his spine each time he looks over in the midst of the fighting and sees that they've spread farther.

But they're on the front lines, and losing ground, and they're not going to be able to guarantee the safety of these Palai or the remaining barriers if they don't fall back and reinforce the modules -- they can't afford to lose any of the Eltos, and Lenka knows that having civilians exposed while he's fighting does neither him nor anyone else any favors. Still--

Whatever Julius wants to gallivant off by himself to do, it can't be anything good. But there's no one else within easy distance to herd the panicking Palai out of the line of fire, so Lenka finally grits his teeth and does it as quickly and cleanly as he knows how; at the very least he's experienced in commanding, cajoling, dragging people bodily to safety if he must. But it takes time, no matter what, with groups of this number -- seconds ticking by where Julius is out of sight and he has no idea what's happening, or whether their line of defense is holding.

By the time he finally manages to extract himself from the uneasy crowd and the module, he's running, knife in hand and magic ready -- however much help that would be in the middle of this mess.]

What-- [Julius' warning falls on deaf ears, but is unneeded for the moment once Lenka finally rejoins him, because he stumbles to his knees a fair distance from the rooted cocoon; there's a long moment of silence where nothing moves except the Uvi forces nearby] Julius. It's stronger. What did you do...?

[Even his mental voice is shaky, shot through with noise and confusion. They don't have the time for this song and dance when Lenka can see perfectly well with his eyes what's happening once he gets his head back up, and there are more Uvi coming. But it's hard to comprehend even if he's staring right at it: Julius certainly has some strange connection with plants, and he'd thought at first that he'd gotten tangled in shrubbery again.

But that's definitely not shrubbery, and the strange reaction that had knocked him right to the ground is much too familiar in the worst way.]

➛ the pruning (closed)

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[ It's been a long day.

Somehow, controlling his Aragami form hadn't been as difficult as he had thought it would be. His sword was no longer needed; thus it was given to Lenka with the explicit specification that it would be used against him in case he turned berserk. So far, staying himself had not been cripplingly hard. The additional firepower was welcome against their opponents and their tactics, being able to simply blast through barriers with sheer force. The question now is, how long will he be able to keep it up?

It's impossible to speak without actual vocal cords, so he's been keeping communication with his allies by means of telepathy. Screening the discordant noise from his words is easy given his willpower, so it wouldn't be too incapacitating for them. He'd made sure of that.

But he's been quiet for some time now. ]

[rebells]

i. before the battle

[Everyone who was a part of the ground team last time the Uvi attacked will be getting the following message:]

Anyone who is willing to fight should head to one of the following locations. We don't have a lot of time.

[There's a mental image of a few different places in succession: mostly residential and business neighborhoods that have had barrier shields set up around dwellings and entryways. Jay can be found in front of one particularly large home, pacing rapidly back and forth with his dagger out. He'll wave a hand to greet anyone familiar, but it's clear his mind is on something else.]


ii. in the fray

[He's on his feet facing down three Uvi, dagger whirling, slashing-dodging-kicking in mad succession as he tries to fend them off without falling prey to one of their blades. He drops to the ground as one of them swings its spear, only to . . . grab for its tail?

Why soon becomes clear, as the Uvi shudders as though it's been shocked and lets its weapon clatter to the ground. It looks as though a blanket of calm has been settled over it, its eyes half-lidded, its hands at its sides, seemingly without any continued interest in attacking.

The same, however, cannot be said for the other two . . . . ]

ii

[probablynoteren]

Jay! Behind you!

[Lenka still doesn't have the hang of telepathic communication -- his first instinct will always be to call out verbally, even if that alerts the Uvi to his presence once he comes charging in, knife flashing. It's less to warn Jay of impending attack and more to at least give him a heads-up... literally.

One of the Uvi trying to take advantage of his concentration on his spell is immediately and summarily crushed under a fridge that just spontaneously appeared not far above its head; it may crash down a bit too close to Jay for comfort, but at least there was warning. Sort of. There are also sparks and a sudden deluge of ramen packets once all is said and done.

Lenka, now that he's managed to fire off a bit of magic, is locked in a struggle with the other Uvi -- his knife's range is a bit too short to contend with its spear, so he's doing his best to dance around it, slipping under its guard here and there to try and damage its hide. It's really thick hide, though.]

[lunala]

A; I'm eleven years old and what is this
[Of course Moon had rushed out to help. She hadn't had as much of an opportunity last time, being concerned with following the Uvi back, and there are so many more now, but she wants to do what she can. But this isn't a Pokemon battle, and she's greeted with the reality as, quicker than her eyes can follow, an Uvi tears one of the Palai in half not six feet away from her.

Moon shrieks and falls over, scrambling away in an uncoordinated panic. That's more than enough to draw the Uvi's attention to her, and while Ariri coils her tail around Moon protectively and stands in the way, they could probably use a hand while Moon collects herself.]

B; use the power that's in my hand
[This isn't a Pokemon battle--and Moon has to remember that means she doesn't have to play fair. She's got all six of her Pokemon out, creating a tornado of activity with her in the middle of the vortex, but she seems to have a much better handle on things right now. Nebby cuts through the air in a new sort of form, blasting through Uvi with a beam of some sort of white energy. Moon calls out to Lyro, pulling out a Pokeball.]

Thunder Fang as soon as you're out again!

[And with that she recalls Lyro into his Pokeball and pitches him at top speed into the air, giving him the distance needed to get at the Uvi and water above them and set it crackling and sparking with electricity.

There's a lot going on here--help is always appreciated. Or maybe you need help? Moon is here to provide!]

a

[actus]

[ that's... not a pleasant sight. but what's more alarming is moon's reaction. quickly, he hurries towards her side, giving ariri a hesitant, but firm, nod. he means you no harm, friend. he isn't sure if she's been hit or not, so he's going to check regardless. ]

-- You okay?

[ he's summoned byakko to stave off attacks on them for now, and he's going to cautiously flick his gaze between his persona and moon and her companion. this second attack is far, far too inconvenient for all those involved. ]

B

[yancat]

[One moment he's inches away from certain desth by a shark encased in a bubble of ocean water, and he's barely caught his breath in the next. Rich businessmen just don't do fighting. Needless to say, Jumin was less than prepared for the ambush. It's a miracle Moon and her team arrived when they did.

He eyes the shark, now on the floor.]

I never thought I'd be happy for the death of an endangered species.

[soulcomet]

a. triage

[ everything is total chaos. jude has never seen anything quite like it. no matter what offensive magic he uses, it's just not enough, and that means he has to go on the total defense. he's healing any and every palai he can, but he can't keep his magic strength up forever. that doesn't mean he isn't going to try.

[ is your character injured? doctor mathis and (nurse) madoka are here to help — once they've settled on a somewhat secure location, they'll both be working frantically, together, and doing their best to treat whoever comes in as quickly as possible. ]

[ for her part, madoka will be alternating between following jude's directions, venturing back out into the fray to find people to rescue, and offering jude and his patients much needed moral support. need a save from an incoming Uvi? need someone to hold your hand? madoka is your gal. just. ignore the fact that her whole body is a very interesting shade of ashen, and that she seems to be pausing, as if in pain, every once in a while — it's fine, and it doesn't seem to be stopping her from doing her work. ]

b. wild card

[ want to help out? have questions? hit one (or both) of them up! ]

[ooc: you may get a response from either Madoka or Jude, or both, depending!]

b.

[deem]

[9S couldn't really mistake that head of pink hair anywhere, after meeting Madoka at that weird event the Palai muscled them into. He takes note of her a few times, observing the way she shepherds people away from danger, and continues on his circuit of knocking around any Uvi that crowd anyone along the way.

But on one of these occasions, he sees that some of the Uvi have taken note of Madoka as she escorts an injured Eltos. He observes from a distance as one catches the attention of several others and they start loping after the girl and her charge, and following that trajectory...

That's where she's been taking the injured to, isn't it?

9S finishes the battle he's currently engaged in without ceremony, throwing an arm toward his foe and watching his sword cleave through the air in a vicious arc, lopping its head clear off. He doesn't have time to play around, turning to pursue the train of Uvi that have begun to follow Madoka]

a!

[mapsio]

[And No matter what Haru did it wasn't enough. She's used most of her SP and she's down to the last couple of times she can manage a barrier. She's sustained cuts that looked a little more than nasty, and what seemed to be places where a jellyfish stung her?

That was probably the least of her worries.

She's going to take another particularly blunt hit from the Uvi riiiight over where Madoka and Jude are set up.]

— Ugh! They just... don't know when to back off!

a

[alphonse]

[In a battle like this, it seems like there are almost as many injured to tend to as there are invaders to fight off. For the minor stuff, what to do is a simple decision--get them to the nearest barriered area and let basic first aid do the job until things are less hectic. For the seriously hurt, however, there's no choice but to add to the workload of the resident healers.

Al sends a quick telepathic message that he's on his way with two more in need of help, but when he arrives he's seemingly empty-handed. The only safe way to transport wounded through what's ostensibly a war zone is to put them where they can't be reached. Luckily, Al comes equipped with built in storage space.]

I might need some help getting them out.

[Apologetically, since that's all the warning he has time to give. This is abrupt, weird, and not at all how he would have chosen to reveal himself, but protecting people always comes before protecting secrets. Without further preamble he unfastens the chest plate of his armor, revealing two injured Palai curled up in the otherwise empty space inside. One's unconscious and the other's clutching a deep, nasty looking wound running downward from their shoulder.]

[deem]

Speci[A]l Delivery
[After warnings regarding Uvi activity are issued, 9S gets right to work. He helps craft as many shield modules as he can, building these units alongside the Palai and his fellow coven members. There isn't nearly enough time to cover every building, but they have to do as much as they can.

Once they've got the numbers, 9S sets about the real task: distribution. He can be spotted roving rooftops at unnatural speeds expected from a YoRHa android, a black and white blur rushing along only to drop in front of doorsteps and deposit modules near doorways, knocking on those doors to inform residents of the device's utility and how to activate and power it, advising an Eltos be present for this.

The only thing is...it's pretty inefficient. When he takes as many modules as he can carry, it's cumbersome, and sometimes they fall and roll away from him. When he's carrying less, well...then it's him running back and forth...

Give a guy a hand, put postal services to shame]

[B]locking Traffic
[When combat has broken out in earnest, 9S flits between buildings to run interference. Though tests have proven that impact won't damage barriers, that doesn't mean that a protracted battle is favorable. Wherever he sees a group of Uvi blindly attacking barriers (so reminiscent of machines...) or gathering around other people, he strikes.

But 9S isn't a typical melee fighter. Instead his weapon shoots through the air to crash into his foes, blade cutting a wide arc through the air to repel them. A short distance away, 9S waves his arm and the blade whips around again to cleave an Uvi's weapon in half before it flickers from sight and back to its place suspended behind him]

You okay?

[He wasn't made for melee, and it sure does show]

Old [C]omrades (for 2B)
[Anytime that 9S isn't occupied with attacking the enemy, he's off to find his partner unit. Reluctant as he is to leave 2B's side, he does understand that there are only the two of them and so many humans they're responsible for, and they necessarily part ways when enemies gather in different locations.

Even so, it's inevitable that 9S bounds back to her side whenever the opportunity presents itself. On one such occasion, several Uvi are rushing to join a pack 2B is already engaging, and 9S switches his primary weapon to a lance, hurling it toward these would-be attackers to stagger their progress.

It strikesthe first Uvi in this procession in the head with a sharp crack, its body buckling under the impact and forcing the others to stumble]

2B, behind you!

[Once, he'd failed to protect her. He refuses to let it happen ever again]

a

[imsorey]

[as soon as they get the warnings Sorey is out and about in the city looking for ways to help, so it doesn't take him long to spot 9S jumping around making shield module deliveries. he knows just enough to know that they're something that's going to help, and that they could probably use an extra pair of hands, so he flags 9S down when he isn't on a rooftop.]

Hey! Do you need help with those? How many do you have left?

c.

[apatheia]

[2B doesn't bother to respond as she immediately turns around to strike the Uvi behind her, then spinning her greatsword in an arc around her and keeping her perimeter guarded. It's only natural for 9S to come support her in battle after all, and a little time spent in peace rather than battle isn't enough to affect how in sync they are. When it comes to working together in battle, they don't need to speak to know that the other will be there to support them.

Never mind that the last time they fought together, that wasn't quite how things went. She has no intention of letting things go similarly, not with both humans and the Palai to protect.

(The fact that his safety is paramount to anything else won't be changing anytime soon though.)]

We can't let them past us. [Behind them stands one of the unguarded buildings, a number of Palai evacuating now to head for somewhere safer.] At least not until that building's clear.

b

[alphonse]

[Maybe it's not what 9S was made for, but it's still an impressive technique. Al would probably say as much, provided they had a moment to spare. As it is he takes advantage of the outrage and distraction of the remaining Uvi, clapping and transmuting the stone beneath them to twist up around their legs and hold them in place. He's not about to kill anyone, but he's not going to risk them recovering and doing more damage either.]

You've got good timing. Thanks.

[He's no stranger to fighting, but most of the Uvi are almost as big as he is and incredibly difficult to handle in groups. He's about to ask how 9S is holding up too, when he's cut off by the sounds of another Uvi hoard moving in to investigate. There's probably enough time to evade them, but if androids are as tireless as suits of armor Al can't think of two better targets to hold their attention.]

That thing you did with the sword--can you keep it up?

[apatheia]

a. in case you thought "battler" was just a title

[For better or worse, this is what 2B is used to. The chaos, the frenzy, the sheer destruction. To be overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies and know that you still have to do something. What it's like when neither side can quite gain the upper hand on each other, only prolong the battle. She can't exactly say that she's missed fighting, but this is what she knows. A combat model has no use in times of peace.

And there's no doubt that she was made for battle, not with how gracefully she attacks. It could almost look like a dance, the way she runs and jumps and spins, if not for her sword that looks like it could cleave someone in two. The Uvi learn that the hard way.

She makes sure to keep herself posted around one of the residential areas, but if it looks like someone could use a hand, she won't hesitate to help. That help might come in the form of her dropping down from a building or running in from seemingly nowhere to throw a greatsword like it's a boomerang, but don't be too startled, she's here to help!]

Stay behind me if you need to rest. [It's not like she'll get tired after all.]

b. wildcard

[Have something else in mind? Go wild, or we can also hash something out!]

[oneandmikleonly]

a. for armatus (sorey and mikleo will both reply, sort of)

[if you're spiritually sensitive and defending the Palai in their residences, some fancy dude who looks suspiciously like Sorey may have just dropped down next to you from out of nowhere, carrying a huge, elaborate, impractical-looking bow. if you can sense spirits outright, there's two of them hanging out inside that dude right now, not one. if you are not spiritually sensitive...well, Sorey looks like usual, but he is still carrying the ridiculous weapon and it's perfectly visible. either way, he's got it nocked and aimed at one of the incoming masses of ocean water, and there's a bolt of blue-white light where an arrow should be, radiating cold.]

We should be able to freeze some of those bubbles, but we need someone to cover us while we do. D'you mind?

[...and if you have enough resonance to hear Mikleo, you can hear his voice eerily overlaid with Sorey's, the two of them speaking in perfect unison.]

b. solo yolo (mikleo only)

[when it's too dangerous for Sorey to hold the armatus longer, they split up and Mikleo shifts to dragonform. he can be seen normally now, a snarling blue-and-white bulk in the streets, wings half-flared to make himself look even larger. he particularly doesn't like using this form in a fight -- the anger and confusion of battle are emotions that lead easily to malevolence, after all -- but it gets him around the city faster than on foot; keeps him from getting overwhelmed by the Uvi's numbers as immediately as he works to keep freezing their deadly cargoes of fish and ocean water. he'll pay for this profligate use of magic later, but later is later is later, and there are lives to be saved right now.

still, he knows he can't fight all alone; he's tired, and the Uvi are scoring hits even through his armored hide. he's backing slowly down the street, his body directly between a group of Uvi and a handful of Palai stragglers who haven't yet made it to a shielded building, and if he catches another coven member out of the corner of his eye, he'll reach out, even telepathy sounding strained]

Can you get them the rest of the way, quickly? I can't watch both groups at the same time--

[sure enough, an Uvi's sneaking over to try and land a blow on him right now, while he's talking.]

wildcard

[OTHER STUFF! let us know who you want in your tag if you pick this]

b.

[deem]

[Maybe it's lucky that 9S' combat style is unique, owed to originally having no Near Field Combat System, as was standard for a Scanner. When he sees an Uvi trying to sneak its way up to a familiar dragon, he throws his hand in that direction.

His sword flickers from its place behind him and sails, seemingly of its own accord, in the enemy's direction. The force of this strike knocks the Uvi clean off its feet and divorces its hand, still holding a bone-wrought weapon, from the rest of its body]

Sure you don't want me to mop up these guys?

[He calls, already advancing on his wounded opponent. Kind 9S may be, but he can make for a brutal enemy. The only thing is, he can't attack in succession with that Uvi as close to Mikleo as it is...not without closing distance]

B!

[probablynoteren]

[There's no reply -- at first -- but a moment later a familiar white, boxy appliance materializes in midair and knocks the ambushing Uvi a solid blow across the back of the skull, dropping it like a sack of rocks. Lenka's still a good distance away, and that was a bit too close for comfort, but he'd been busy dodging stray frozen chunks of ocean on the way here and is considerably distracted even without the strange blizzard.

On the bright side, the extremely familiar dragon is at least visible, so he hadn't hesitated before flinging his magic to its side. His mobility just at the moment isn't the greatest; he's toting a ridiculous huge greatsword longer than he is tall, currently drooping from his hands and very close to dragging in the dirt.

There's a brief lull where he glances over his shoulder at something in the distance, and then he's finally moving towards the spot where Mikleo and his Palai are having their standoff. He makes no visible movements beyond the running, but a moment later two more refrigerators materialize and send the Uvi scattering a little ways, buying time. His casting has improved, maybe, a little bit despite everything.]

... Take them. I should stay out here.

[His mental voice is a calm, flat counterpoint to Mikleo's, even as aloud he finally comes within range with a roar, slamming his blade and himself at full momentum into the nearest Uvi.]