[ Last time, on Age of Chibi, Our Heroes fought a long hard battle against impossible odds and an incredibly powerful enemy leader. Today's episode; more of the same! ] [ They're in sight of Faydra's command post, which basically consists of her, an advisor or two, a half-dozen wizards, and twice that many elite soldiers there as guards for everyone else. It's sitting on top of a hill, which gives it a nice view of the carnage. ] [ The carnage, as it is, consists of several thousand footmen and cavalry troops all bent on slaughtering each other, more or less. One side is led, more or less from the front, by Xivilai herself, who rides a very big and mean-looking grey horse, and who is laying about her with what must be Blackwind, since you can feel it all the way from where you are if you're paying attention. ] [ Preventing this touching reunion of mother and daughter, however, is several thousand assorted soldiers who want to kill 'mother' and those serving her. And what makes things worse is that daughter's troops seem to be winning. ] [ Session start! ] ... and this is where I'd like to have a few dozen trebuchets. Or several large herds of cattle. (Or a ball of 20000 spleens to roll at them?) ...see any cattle? My point exactly, Sei. * Nebrinel is certaintly paying attention to feel Blackwind's touch. She's just staring at the groups with a half-grin on her face. * Ada just looks around. Her expression is carefully blank. * Ethan frowns. "The two sides are just throwing human waves at each other. If our side just used a little strategy, a little creativity... helluva lot fewer dead elves on our side." * Sei looks at the groups, considering. * Nebrinel mutters, "A little strategy? Like what? Fall back and be killed? It's too late now, and if you think those wizards aren't prepared for some stupid cows, you are truly fooling yourself." Well it's too late now, Nebrinel. And no, I don't think they'd be prepared for a stampede. And catapaults. And trebuchets. And... archers. And a few dozen others tricks I could probably think up if you gave me some time. * Nebrinel shrugs. "If things were that easy, I could end it with an arrow." [ For the record, there's plenty of strategy being used, as far as troop movements and bringing what against what else is concerned, but the closeness of the two commanding generals makes numbers an important item in this battle. Also, the magical warfare corps are throwing enough sorcery around to make the hair on the back of your necks stand up, too. ] War's an art as much as it's a science. This is just chucking paint at a canvas. Always the critic, Ethan. [ Yeah. Give 'em a break, man, they're elves. ] ("Hey, I might not know much about battle, but I know what I like!" "Spleens?" "Yup.") (Except he does. <_<) * Ethan shrugs, grinning. "I suppose I am. Just seems like an awful waste of lives. And our side's outnumbered." [ The Captain is barking orders again, getting everyone lined up to move across the river and advance. This means you, too. ] * Ethan hefts his glaive. "I'll give your Lady credit for leading from the front, though. Always the mark of a great general." * Ada mmms. She looks up in Faydra's direction. * Nebrinel smirks, and lines up, drawing Plaguebringer. "I could use another Morganti blade, but I think we're all out, are we not?" [ Soon, the remnants of your company begins moving across the river on the little collapsible flotation bridges. One of the sergeants starts shouting at you to do the same. ] * Ethan marches, staying close to the others. "I don't have one, that's for sure." * Sei heads with the group, keeping to the rear. * Ada starts moving. She glances back at Nebrinel, scowls, and reaches back into her pack, withdrawing Hunger. "Take it. I expect it back if we live." [ On the other side of the river, your company joins three more companies of light infantry, all of whom will apparently be headed for Faydra soon. You see no opposition in sight. Yet. ] * Ethan chuckles. "Figures. Headed straight for the heart of it." * Nebrinel grins. "I wouldn't dream of taking it. Honest." She grabs the sword, and holds it in her left hand. She murmurs softly, "Fyril..." ... hey, how old it Faydra, anyway? [ And then you all start a quick-march in the direction of the command post. You now notice that every soldier whose pike is still in useable condition has kept it, apparently just in cast. ] About as old as Nebrinel. Mmm... * Ethan goes silent for a bit, brow furrowed. * Sei peers over at Ethan. [ You're all about half a mile towards the command post when several companies of heavy cavalry come around a hill about a mile to your east. They look fresh, which is bad because this means that Faydra still has troops in reserve. One of the companies breaks off from the others and heads in your general direction, which is also bad, for obvious reasons. ] * Nebrinel shakes her head, and grips her weapons tightly. ... if you guys don't have your pikes, then get behind me. * Sei casts his usual defense spell. [ The bunch of you are near the head of the line when the juice-drum starts playing and the Captain starts lining you all up again. ] * Ada gets lined up. Whoo. [ Roll init! ] * Nebrinel lines up too! And rolls init! d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (d6+7) and gets 12. d6+9 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (d6+9) and gets 11. d6+5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (d6+5) and gets 11. d6+8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (d6+8) and gets 10. [ Order: Them, Ada, Nebby, Sei, Ethan. ] [ The cavalry comes charging your way! Many of the horses meet with pikes, but not all of them. Ethan needs two defense rolls, Nebby and Ada each need one. ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-3) and gets 2. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 5. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 1. [ Everyone manages to avoid getting halved or trampled! And now Ada acts in a surprising show of alacrity. Go, Ada! ] (Ada be fast, yo!) * Ada glances around for an appropriate victim and finds one in an elf who was spilled off his horse. She smiles humorlessly down at him, her eyes meeting his. "Spirit's Gaze." 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets -1. [ The guy twitches spastically and then passes out. Afterwards, Ada seems... refreshed? ] [ Go, Nebby! ] * Nebrinel doesn't seem interested in refreshment, unless it's blood. Instead, she raises both her swords, and stabs them towards a pair of people. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 2. 2d6-3 ( Nebby's a vampire? Eeeeeeew. ) * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 4. (:9) (That explains a lot, I'm sure.) (You think? Hey, Yu. Can I be a Vampiric Dragoon? :P) (*eyes Kevin*) (I'll vampire you through the head. c.c;) ( No. No you can't. ) (What? :P) [ Two people die screaming as their souls are destroyed, making this a bad end to a bad week, for them. ] [ Go, Sei! ] * Sei raises an arm, aims at the nearest enemies and - for once - attacks! "Dam Brass!" 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6-3) and gets 0. (XD) (Sei can aim now! I'm so proud.) [ Sei actually hits someone with his attack! He knocks a soldier off his horse with a leg missing. ] [ Go, Ethan! ] (The horse has a leg missing?) (Pegleg Pony.) ( No, the soldier does. *whap* ) (Well that's what it *sounded* like.) * Ethan takes a couple of quick steps foward and jumps at one mounted soldier with a downward diagonal slash. Upon landing, he plants his feet, slides his right foot, and stabs at another horseman to his right. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 4. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 0. [ Ethan claims two kills! Only one of them dies screaming, tho, complaining of a ruptured spleen, so it's not as cool as Nebby's. ] ... you really gotta cut down on the soul sucking, Nebrinel! It's getting downright creepy! (I am the biggest badass.) ("Fukui-san?") [ The attacks keep coming, and Sei and Ethan need defense rolls! ] 2d6-3 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 4. * Nebrinel snorts derisively. "If they'd stop coming, I'd stop killing them." She smirks at the foes before her. * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6) and gets 8. * Ethan ducks out of the way of a horseman's slash. "I'm not saying not to kill 'em! But all that 'eating of souls' stuff is gonna give you a stomach ache!" [ Sei's shield absorbs the damage aimed at him, and the horse's rider manages not to get knocked off as his sword slams into the shield. Ethan avoids his attack altogether. ] [ Go, Ada! ] * Ada stretches her arms, still smiling, and makes a gesture at the rider who attacked Sei. "Lightning Strike!" 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 1. [ The rider who attacked Sei, along with his horse, becomes Elnohfey Fried Human. Go, Nebby! ] * Sei smiles slightly. "Thanks, Ada!" * Ada nods. * Nebrinel smirks in a even nastier manner, and spins herself forward, slashing at two more people. "But I'm just going to have to kill all of you, aren't I?" 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 3. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 2. (Nebbie is evil. o/~) ( "Kills confirmed. You got sooooooooul, sista." ) (They're in her way, and the sooner they're not in her way, the sooner she can get back to doing what needs to be done.) (Elf booty got soul!) [ Nebby kills another enemy soldier; the other manages to interpose his horse between Hunger and himself, and so it dies instead of him. ] (Elf girls like to rock'n'roll! o/~) [ o/` ] [ Go, Sei! ] * Sei just heals some friendly soldiers, this time. (Yanno, I find it odd. Nebrinel's the vampire, but Ada's the one who crushed a guy's soul to gain power. What gives?) [ Sei does much goodness to those unto who badness has been done. Go, Ethan! ] (I crushed someone's soul? News to me. ^^) * Ethan takes another few steps, uses a downed horse as a launching pad to jump, slashes at one soldier as he flies by, then tries to leap right into the lap of another and impale him. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets -1, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "I'm a child of extremes. Have a crit, and a nice day to go with it." 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 6. (Well, there goes your luck for Faydra. Goodbye, old chum.) ( Yup. ) [ Ethan succeeds, cutting one soldier(and horse) in half so cleanly they don't fall apart for several seconds, and landing on another and skewering him, too. ] (The dice. They giveth, they taketh away.) See, Nebrinel! Nice and dead, but no stomach cramps from too much soul food! * Ethan grins. [ This, curiously enough, leaves your end of the battlefield pretty much taken care of. To the south, your side is fighting the rest of the cavalry that was sent against it, and to the north, Faydra sits there commanding the battle. And I bet if you could see her, she'd look smug. ] * Nebrinel mutters, "Does it look like I'm cramping?" * Sei drops his shield spell, and starts just staring ahead. * Ada loses the smile about now and looks around. She focuses on Faydra. ... so what now? Help out other units, or do we make a beeline for Miss Stuck-In-A-Staff? * Sei says, as if he's talking through a few layers of wool, "I can't do much more." * Nebrinel smirks, and flicks her blades clean. "Could always just listen to the commander." * Ada looks at Sei. "What's wrong?" Used my shield too much...I think. Got any healing spells left? Don't think it's safe to try. * Ada walks over to Sei and around, peering at him. "You tired yourself out from casting." She sighs and takes his hand. "I shouldn't need to do this." * Nebrinel eyes Ada, and shrugs. "Well, it's your funeral." She turns back to the field. * Ada closes her eyes and makes a short gesture. She seems to pale slightly. * Sei looks much better now, and sighs sheepishly. "Sorry, Ada. I appreciate it." * Ada lets go. "I'm sure." She blinks a few times, then shakes her head. You going to be okay for battle? [ You still have that choice, y'know. Might wanna make it before things get hectic again. ] I wouldn't do it if that weren't the case. * Sei nods. ... if you need to steal some energy for magic, take some from me. Not like I'm gonna be casting any magic in the near future. You don't need the effects, Ethan. * Nebrinel says half with disinterest, "I'm fresh too," then eyes off into the distance. "Slip off, or wait?" * Ethan blinks. "... stay close, then." So what's the plan? Do we stand any chance against Faydra, or is it pretty much that only Xivilai can take her? * Ada smirks at Ethan. "Trust me. Someone not used to handling magic wouldn't be able to stand that during a fight." She looks up at Faydra. "Well. We can put an end to it now." * Nebrinel laughs faintly. "We could try. Hunger and Plague agree with you." I mean, will she bleed if I poke her repeatedly? Or is she gonna be growing back limbs? * Ethan mutters. "Growing back limbs in the middle of a fight... how cheap can ya get?" ( You could grow extra limbs. ) * Ada looks at Ethan and grins suddenly, despite being tired as all hell. "We won't know until we try." ... excellent answer. Let's go ask her, ne? *biggrin* * Nebrinel rolls her eyes. "And you're the one who said we weren't using enough strategy." * Ethan drops his pack, rolls his shoulders, and hefts his glaive. "There's a time for strategy, and a time to just walk up to your opponent, spit in their face, accuse them of sleeping with the livestock, and let the chips fall where they may." I shall let you handle that part. ( Ethan's philosophising. He is now officially a career soldier. ) (As though he wasn't before.) Right now, it's time to ask Faydra if Xivilai put her in that stick for being a baaaaaaaaaaad girl. * Ethan smirks. The only good girls are bad ones. Sei? Ada? ("I agree. Wait, what?") You're asking my opinion on girls? I already decided. * Ada points up at Faydra. "I'm going." In that case, so will I. ... no, no. That was supposed to be a pun implying she has sex with shee- ah, nevermind. And if you all are going, I'm damn well going. ...well said. [ So go already! ] * Nebrinel nods, and starts loping up the hill slowly. "Enough, then." * Ada rolls her eyes and goes. * Ethan winks. "Somebody's gotta stand there and soak up the damage for you fragile mage types." *twirls his glaive, follows Nebby* * Sei follows. * Nebrinel says in a low voice, "Remind me to break you in half after this for that, Ethan." [ And so, Our Heroes head towards Certain Doo--, er... Valiant Battle! Yeah, that's it. ] (Mmm. Doom.) (Doom doom doom doom doom doom o/~) [ Oddly enough, you make it within thirty or so meters of the guards before they notice you. They must've been paying more attention to the battle. Or they could just not think very highly of you four. ] * Ethan grins at Nebrinel. "I'll remind you to try." [ The soldiers glare levelly at you all. One of the advisors squirms out from between them and blinks confusedly at the lot of you as you approach. You're now about forty feet away. ] * Ada smiles pleasantly, which is fairly creepy on her. "Good afternoon." * Sei waves politely. ( Avon calling! ) [ One of the soldiers quirks a smile. The advisor looks up at the cloudy sky. "No, it isn't." ] [ "I rather fear it might rain, actually, which would make all this an unpleasant buisness," he says, as if it'd been nice up to now. He then spots Xivilai's livery on Ada and blinks. "Er, are you here to offer terms?" ] * Ada laughs. "Really. You think she would send a human to offer terms?" ( Yeah! She sent us humans to take down your commander! ... oh, wait. That makes even less sense. ) (Woo hoo!) (Hellz yeah!) (We're not all humans here, boyo.) * Ethan decides to let Ada do the talking, and shuts up. For once. For now. [ "No," says the man. "I don't think she'd surrender, either. So, if you don't mind me asking, what *does* bring you here?" ] ( Yeah, you foo's goin' down! Foo'!) Well. * Ada looks thoughtful for a moment. "I'm a bit tired, actually." She glances at Ethan and Nebrinel, then looks back to the advisor. * Ethan glances over at Ada from the corners of his eyes, trying to transfer some of his prodigious wit and humor to her. ["I'm afraid you'd be better off seeking a nap elsewhere. So, go on."] [ You're now only about ten feet from the honor guard. ] * Ada rolls her eyes. "You just don't get it. Ethan, talk to the nice elf." * Nebrinel is standing there fairly impassively for someone who's holding morganti blades. * Ethan blinks. "Huh? Me? Okay." *clears throat; steps foward* [ The man blinks even more confusedly at Ethan. "Er..." ] Well, you see, we're actually here out of curiousity more than anything else. You know how armies are. Rumors everywhere. And the biggest thing everyone's wondering... why did Xivilai shove Faydra into a stick? I mean, it's a pretty spiffy punishment and all, but kinda harsh if it's just "You didn't clean your room!" * Ada grins. [ The man, as well as all of the soldiers in earshot, stare at Ethan like a horse had just jumped out of his mouth. ] [ ...which is kind of what happened, come to think of it. ] Well, most popular rumor going around was that Faydra got... well, a little too friendly with some of her human servants. Embarassed the family and all. Now me personally, I've met Faydra, and I am SHOCKED! SHOCKED, I say! At such freakish accusations. I mean, it's obvious she's a lady of the highest class and dignity. So, really, we're just here to straighten this all out. So if you don't mind stepping aside, we'd like to talk to your commander briefly, and see if we can't put this horrid tale about her boinking humans to rest. Then we can all return to our war, minds free of such drivel. [ The advisor rubs his face and turns away. "Kill them," he says, and the honor guard draws their swords. And then they notice something behind you. ] * Nebrinel smirks. * Ada glances back. * Sei looks over his shoulder. ... so defensive! You're not implying that she really did... how ghastly! *GRINS* * Nebrinel isn't looking back. She's looking forward, swords drawn. "Ethan, you truly have a sick mind." I'm impressed. [ Those of you who look see Napper sauntering up to the rest of you, just as casual as you please. He's got his sword slung over his shoulder and is almost covered in blood. "Hey. What's the plan?" ] * Ethan glances back. "Coming from you, Nebrinel dear, I'll take that as a high compliment." * Nebrinel laughs haughtily, and then glares at the front line. "Death for everyone. Think you're up to it?" [ "Sure," says Napper with grin and a shrug. ] Hey Napper! We're gonna blow by these guys to go ask Faydra why she chews with her mouth open. Sound good? [ "Heh," heh's Napper. ] [ The honor guard, meanwhile, collectively shrugs and attacks! This is where you roll init. ] d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (d6+7) and gets 12. d6+9 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (d6+9) and gets 11. d6+5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (d6+5) and gets 7. d6+8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (d6+8) and gets 10. (I HATE YOU DICE.) (I love you too!) [ Order: Napper, Ada, Nebby, Them, Ethan, Sei. ] [ Napper, true to style, runs forward shouting obscenities and tears into an enemy troop, killing him on the spot. Go, Ada! ] * Ada walks closer to one of the soldiers and stops, looking up at him. "I told you I was tired," she smiles. "Spirit's Gaze." 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 2. [ Ada sucks the poor fellow dry, and he collapses. Go, Nebby! ] (I'll drain your spirit!) ( You people are evil. Evil. ) * Nebrinel hums faintly and dances past a pair of people, slashing her swords across them. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 7. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 5. [ Nebby kills one, but the other parries Hunger expertly, disarming Nebby of it in the process. It flies dangerously through the air and embeds itself in the ground about fifty feet to the southwest of you. ] [ The other soldiers finally start paying attention to you all, possibly because of the pained scream of the one nebby destroyed. They come rushing around and attack, and each of you needs a melee defense roll, two for Ethan and Nebby. ] 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6-2) and gets 3. * Sei parries with his sword. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 2. 2d6-1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-1) and gets 7. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 1. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. [ Nebby keeps herself from being killed, as does Sei. Ethan covers Ada's undefending lil' self, as well as deftly fending off an attack aimed at himself, but ends up too short on time to do anything about the other, which goes into his side. ] [ Go, Ethan! ] * Ethan winces as he gets slashed on his side AGAIN, but ignores the pain, slashing horizontally across the torso of the guy who hit him, then spinning (a bit more gingerly than usual) and stabbing at the guy who attacked Ada. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 4. [ Ethan chawps down two guards! ] It's not too late to retreat now, guys! I promise to spare your spleens! * Ethan cackles madly. [ Go, Sei! ] * Sei gives Ethan a tap with the friendly, shiny, non-spleeny side of his sword! [ Ethan is healed! Which is better than dying with his soul sucked out to feed the sentience of a piece of metal. ] [ Napper tears into another one, who fails to die, so he hacks him again and is pleased with the results. Go, Ada! ] * Ada frowns and focuses on one of the elves advancing on her. She makes a sweeping gesture towards him along with, "Chill Needles." 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets -2, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "A WINNER IS YOU!" (There goes my luck against Faydra!) [ Two elves die! The one Ada aimed at, and the one behind him. Go, Nebby! ] (The can of whupass has been sprung. Are you bad enough to cover it up?) * Nebrinel hrmphs, and reaches down into her cleavage. Meanwhile, she hacks at the person who deflected Hunger's attack. 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-4) and gets 6. ( One guard dies. Four more fall over from massive nosebleeds. ) (Nebrinel is-su se-ku-shi) [ The guy defends himself against Nebby's attack *again*! And then he attacks her back, even as more guards try to get the rest of you! ] [ You each need one, one defense! Ah-ah-ah! ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 4. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6-2) and gets 9. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-3) and gets 3. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. (Sucku-shi to be Sei.) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 5. [ Ada and Nebby defend themselves adequately, but Sei doesn't, and just when it looks like certain doom at the end of an oversized sword for him, he's saved by Ethan! Who also manages to save his own hide, this time. ] [ Napper takes down two more elf soldiers with an absolutely feral glee, and so now it's Ethan's turn! ] ( How many left? ) (You're just lucky I'm feeling nice.) (/me rolls for you. You both get triple-crits, makign you each fall on your weapon and die. The end.) (Boo!) ( Ten soldiers. ) * Ethan winks at Sei, tosses off an upwards diagonal slash at the guy who just tried to bisect their healer, then slides away and stabs at the back of the guy who attacked Ada. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 0. [ The guy who attacked Ada is killed by Ethan's attack, but the who who attacked Sei isn't. Go, Sei! ] ( Was he not hit, or just not killed? ) ( Just not killed. ) * Sei takes an experimental slash at the one who attacked him. "Thanks, Ethan!" 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6) and gets 5. [ The guy seems so unaware of Sei's presence as a factor in the fight that he never considers the possibility of being attacked by him. Which is the last mistake he'll ever make. ] (Don't mess with the healer, foo!) [ *Now* Napper does some more killing, and now it's Ada's turn! ] ... nice shot, Sei! *grins rakishly at the bad guys* Even our healer is kicking your asses! I'd run if I were you... o/~ * Sei grins. [ The soldiers do not run. ] (The heala' gonna put you on holy ice!) Okay then. Face the power of... THE GOATEE! *juts chin foward proudly* Really, Ethan. The goatee? * Ada actually jabs at the soldier coming at her. With her rapier. She has one! [ The soldiers would try to cut the goatee off, but it's not their turn. Sad. ] ... the Greenbeans of Goateeness! 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-3) and gets 3. [ Alas, the soldiers are a bit more skilled at swordplay than poor Ada- chan, and her jab is deflected. Go, Nebby! ] * Nebrinel finishes drawing her sword from her breasts in, sadly, a very non- Utena-esque display of cleavagespace, and attacks the soldier who refuses to die, again, twice. "I can't believe I am fighting with a moron like you, Ethan." 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 7. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 6. What kind of moron did you think you were fighting with, then? [ The guard manages to deflect both of Nebby's shots! What's with him, anyway? And he even attacks back! The gall! ] [ Nebby, Ethan, and Ada all need defense rolls. ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 8. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 4. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 6. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 5. [ Nebrinel tries to deflect a swordstrike aimed at her side, and succeeds... sort of. It goes into her right leg, instead. "First blood to me!" shouts her opponent. Ada fails to parry her opponent's much heavier blade with her rapier, but Ethan comes to her rescue after defending himself first. ] [ Go, Ethan! ] * Ethan pushes the guy who's strike at Ada he just blocked away, slashes at his torsoish area, then takes a few steps and jabs straight at the heart of the guy who's been giving Nebby so much trouble. (Called shot for the second one) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 2. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-2) and gets 3. [ Two more soldiers die; the one who was fighting Nebby doesn't even see Ethan coming until the blade of Pantryfiller is through his lung and into his heart. ] (I love you too!) Second blood to me! And that's "highly skilled moron", for future reference, Nebrinel. *winks* * Nebrinel hisses at the... well, mangling cut to her leg. "I'll keep it in mind for the future." [ Sei, go! And there's a lady in need of serious help with her leg. ] * Sei taps Nebby with the unstabby side of his sword. [ Nebby is healed! Mostly. ] [ Napper cuts up another two soldiers, and then it's Ada's turn! Only two more of the Honor Guard remain, and Faydra and her four battlemages are still too busy with the war to notice the skirmish right next to them. ] (Kick their collective asses!) * Ada sweeps her hand towards one of the two. "Chill Needles," she says as the temperature drops. 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 6. [ Ada makes another Elfsickle! Go, Nebby! ] * Nebrinel, finding herself actually able to walk again, closes with the last one, twirls, and strikes. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 8. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 4. [ The soldier avoids the first shot, but the second one, struck by Plaguebringer, makes him die screaming! No, really. ] [ And then, there were ten. ] (Ten?) [ The mages still haven't noticed you. Aside from Faydra, they're all starting to look pretty haggard by now, tho. ] ( Five of you, five of them. :P ) [ The sky above begins to churn, slowly at first and then violently. And since you're not being attacked and I presume you'll ponder your next action, combat is on hiatus. ] * Ada walks over to Hunger and pulls it from the ground. She heads back to Nebrinel and hands it to her. * Ethan takes a deep breath, and walks over next to Ada once she returns. "Everyone in one piece, more or less?" * Nebrinel eyes Ada, quickly shoves her sword back between her breasts, and grabs Hunger with a slight nod to Ada. "Light-dammned soldier." * Sei looks over to Nebrinel. "Is your leg doing all right?" * Ada nods, twice. She looks at Faydra. [ Faydra is just as absorbed in the war as the rest. She doesn't seem to be tiring appreciably from any of it, tho. ] * Nebrinel looks down at it, still quite a gash, still bleeding a bit, although at least it looks like a leg again. "It's functional, I suppose." * Sei tries tapping her with the friendly side of the sword once again. ... if everyone's okay, I say Nebrinel, Napper and I charge those mages around Faydra, try to clear them out so we can concentrate on Stick Girl. Ada, Sei, stay back a bit... if they don't notice you immediately, they might be too busy not getting stabbed to notice you guys doing your thing. * Ada frowns thoughtfully. "Well..." Nebrinel, if I try to take down the shield we know must be surrounding them, do you think you can take out the mages in one spell without tiring yourself too much? * Ada glances at Napper, then looks over to Nebrinel. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6) and gets 7. [ Napper shrugs. ] I'm assuming Faydra's got enough magic skill to hold her own against you guys... no offense... so I say we just rush her, try to pound the crap out her, keep her disoriented, too close to her to use any of her big spells... or we could go with Ada's plan. * Nebrinel holds up Plaguebringer with a faint grin. "No big one. Should not be an issue." [ The sky begins churning even more violently, almost forming itself into a funnel. ] Right. THEN Napper and I rush Faydra and poke her repeatedly with sharp pieces of metal, right? * Sei looks up. "...yow." * Ada blinks, then focuses somewhere on the field. "Wait. My Lady is acting." She looks up to the sky. ... third revision. All of the previous, but first we wait for the big evil-looking cloud funnel thingee to do whatever it's doing. (Wow, Ethan, your planning skills are excellent!) ( ^_^_v ) [ Something behind the now-bulging funnel of clouds begins do glow. Deep blue at first, then brighter. ] * Sei puts up his shield spell, and extends it so that the entire party is covered. * Nebrinel stands there, now with a fully healed leg, and whistles appreciatively. "I do hope Xivilai's aim is good." ... it's a good thing that I'm completely secure in my masculinity, because otherwise I'd be feeling very inadequate right now. I'm just in awe. * Nebrinel looks down at Plaguebringer, back up at the sky, and grins, not even saying a thing. * Ada narrows her eyes. "Be in awe somewhere else. Move!" She starts running, away from the funnel. * Sei starts running, making sure the shield stays with the group. "Agreed!" ... aww shit. *RUNS* * Nebrinel turns and runs too, muttering, "I appreciate her tactics, but really." Remember what I said about her not using catapaults? All is forgiven. *runruns* [ By the time you're about fifty feet from Faydra, the sky yawns open, clouds irising open around a pillar of light, blue-white and bright as the first light of creation. There is an indescribable noise as the energy slams into the collective shield of what may be five of the most powerful wizards you'll ever meet, and then the shield collapses and there's a phenomenal explosion that shakes your bones and rattles your teeth. ] [ When the smoke starts to clear, the hill Faydra was standing on has become a pit. The battle has stopped, everyone gazing in the direction of that THING that just HAPPENED. ] * Ada gazes, too. After a long moment, she snaps out of it and shakes her head. * Sei just stares. "..." ... okay, that settles it. I'm now pretty sure I can't take Xivilai. You *think*? * Sei drops the shield. "...d...damn." [ And then, Faydra comes vaulting out of that pit, bleeding and haggard but ALIVE, damn her. And the first thing she looks at... is Ada. ] (Lucky you!) * Nebrinel shifts through amazement, then smirks faintly, for a brief second, and then looks at Faydra a little impressed. At the moment? Not really. My brain's pretty much stuck on "Ooh, shiny..."... aw come on! She's still alive?! * Ada smiles, looking right back at the elf. "Well, look who's alive." * Ada tilts her head briefly. "Your mother says hello." ... okay, screw this. All in favor of a massively stupid but nonetheless satisfying on some primitive level full frontal charge say "Aye." (Aye!) (NAY. Dice agrees, so I disagree.) (:P) ("...Out of my way. I'm going to see my mother.") The longer we wait, the worse off we'll be. [ Faydra sneers at Ada for about a half a second before all the pent-up hatred of a thousand years erupts. ] [ Roll init, folks. ^_~ ] Okay then. Everyone feeling stupi- d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (d6+7) and gets 11. d6+9 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (d6+9) and gets 12. d6+5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (d6+5) and gets 7. d6+8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (d6+8) and gets 12. [ Order: Faydra, Nebby, Ethan, Ada, Napper, Sei. ] [ Fight go! ] ( And PsyAmp gives me FFT- Anxiety. =P ) (My playlist is not helping. Aurora followed by Ai Sincere Heart.) (I just got DW4: My Bad Fellow.) (The air conditioner just kicked in. Wheee! ^_^) (You don't count, though.) [ Faydra pulls out a weapon that you know instantly know is a Great Weapon. This is bad in itself, but she then slashes it through a great arc of air, gathering immense amounts of magical energy to it and sending it all hurtling towards you without even bothering to shape it into even the vaguest shape of a spell. You all need ranged defense rolls at -1. ] 2d6-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-5) and gets 1. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-3) and gets 2. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sei (2d6) and gets 4. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 7. [ A note for those of you with GWs; you can sub melee defense for ranged defense against attacks with a GW as a focus. Like this one. ] ( In that case, I make it. Because I get an extra -1. =P ) (That makes me happy. That makes it -2.) (I smashed mine, no prob.) [ BOOM. You all manage to duck under the wave, save for ethan and Sei, whose Great Weapons come to life and split the tide of energy around them! And it's now Nebby's turn! ] * Nebrinel runs forward towards Faydra, bringing her palm up and causing a bolt of lighting to fly from her hand. 2d6-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-5) and gets -3, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "A WINNER IS YOU!" ( Hee. ) (Impressive, Dice. You're as drama-killing as they say. *cough*) (Never happy, eh? ;P) (I'm just a bitter old woman. Who hopefully got a hit. ^_^;) [ Nebby's bolt shines bright, and despite the fact that a lot of it is diffused by a shimmering field, it nonetheless leaves an impressive burn on Faydra's right shoulder. Faydra, for her part, is too caught up in her anger to notice a piffling little thing like intense pain and bodily harm. ] (Who's your daddy?) [ Go, Ethan! ] (Not you, twistoid.) * Ethan eschews the trash talk, figuring it would be best to kill the massively angry magess of incredible power FAST. To that end, he charges straight at her and spins so fast he's almost a blur, launching three horizontal slashes at her torso, topped off by a jumping downward slash. (Bum Rush) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. [ Ethan hits her, delivering damage even through her shield! Not enough, tho. [ Go, Ada! ] (Shield goin' down!) * Ada snarls. "Let's see how good you really are." She presses her hands together and seperates them, black energy crackling between. With a cry of "Void Spike!" she hurls it at Faydra. 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 0. [ Ada's attack burns against the shield surrounding Faydra for a moment, and then the shield bursts! ] [ Napper blinks, shrugs, and charges for Faydra, but he doesn't quite get there by the end of the round. Sei, go! ] * Sei brings up his shield spell around the party once again, on the assumption that it will be needed. (Yes, I am keeping track this time. ^_^) [ Sei's probably right. At any rate, Faydra first tries to make that annoying human next to her dead. Ethan needs melee defense badly! ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 2. [ Ethan deflects the attack with the shaft of his glaive! He needs a body roll, now, SS doesn't factor in. ] 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6) and gets 8. [ The force of Faydra's strike knocks Ethan back, which translates to 'into the air' since he's on a slope. He lands on his feet, however, and doesn't get hurt. ] * Ethan grins. "Got some kick to ya, hmm?" [ The pest out of her way, Faydra focuses on raising new defenses; the air around her begins to burn a deep crimson. ] [ Nebby's turn! ] ( Pest? You wound me, Fa- wait. Better not give her ideas. x_x ) (Don't give the badass elf with massive magics ideas.) * Nebrinel closes to Faydra, but rather than strike her, waves her left hand across her body in the air. 2d6-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-5) and gets 2. [ Faydra lunges over the blade of air Nebrinel sends towards her, clearing it entirely. Go, Ethan! ] * Ethan charges Faydra, rolling past her as she lands, planting his feet, pivoting, and launching a flurry of stabs at her back. (Bum Rush) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 4. [ Faydra deflects Ethan's attack, and then responds with one of her own! ] ( Melee def, E. ) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 5. [ Ethan defends himself! But only barely. ] [ Ada, go! ] * Ada knows better than to approach Faydra and keeps her distance. She makes a series of gestures, looking to the sky. "Lightning Strike!" 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets -2, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "That was close. One cycle later and you'd have fit nicely into a sandwich." (... Ouch?) *grits his teeth*... not bad, not bad. (No sense of drama, Dicesuke. Bad dicesuke! No cookie for you!) (Oh, that must sting.) (Something about lightning.) (I think so.) [ Ada's bolt from the blue may not be as nifty as her Lady's, but it'll do! Faydra is knocked to her feet by the bolt, but gets up quickly, despite the fact that her left shoulder is nicely charred and giving off smoke. ] (Something about shoulders too.) (Yeah. What's up with that?) [ Napper considers his options... and decides not to approach. He does spot something else, tho, and it seems to give that messed-up brain of his an idea. ] (Oh dear.) [ Go, Sei! ] (It's a catapult and a cow.) ( Is not. ) (Moooo!) (Is so.) (* watches the cow fly *over* the moon.) * Sei opts to just stay back, as attacking would probably get him made into convenient, bite-sized Healer Bits. ( It's a stampeding herd of cows! ... not a word, Ethan. NOT A WORD. ^_^_V ) [ Faydra draws energy to her hand and lobs it at Ada, who needs a ranged defense roll +1 ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-3) and gets 4. [ There's a mighty explosion that sends Ada sailing, although she manages to avoid the worst of it. ] * Ethan growls. * Ada lands and struggles to her feet with a grimace. [ Faydra then whirls, bringing her sword around to strike at Ethan! ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 5. [ Ethan manages to deflect the blow! ] [ Go, Nebby! ] * Nebrinel starts circling side-ways around her and gestures with her right hand, then thrusts her hand forward, a beam of light shining forth. 2d6-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-5) and gets 3. [ Faydra deflects the beam with her sword! It actually looks kind of scary. Go, Ethan! ] (What, the beam or the sword?) ( The sword deflecting the beam. ) (Faydra be badass.) (Duh.) * Ethan glances over at Ada, making sure she's still in one piece, then charges Faydra, eschewing the precision of the previous attacks for a wild flurry of slashes and baseball-esque swings with the blunt end of Pantryfiller. (Bum Rush) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 2. ( Right. I'm gonna built boss encounter for a whole book and then have it be easy? Heck no. ;) ) (Heh heh.) (If only we had a thief! +5d6 sneak attack when flanking!) [ Faydra parries Ethan's strike and counterattacks! ] (That's Fyril's job!) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 0. (Aren't you trying to roll low though?) (Damage high! Accuracy low!) [ Ethan dodges the retaliatory strike! ] [ Go, Ada! ] ... c'mon, Faydra. You've been alive, what, 600 years? More? And you can't smite one measly 18 year-old human? You're disappointing me... (ZING!) * Ada glares at Faydra, but isn't so far gone that she doesn't have the sense to put up a defense. She makes a quick gesture, and light around her just seems to be absorbed as she says, "Black Barrier." [ Napper, who's quite a bit away, has gotten whatever he spotted and is bringing it back. Go, Sei! ] (PH33R!) * Sei taps Ada with the friendly end of his sword, just in case - that is, if the barrier doesn't block it. ( Rocket Launcher! Take that, Judge! Ph33r the Buffy reference! ) (No thanks. c.c;) [ The barrier does not block it. Such a clever barrier. ] * Sei has dropped his shield, also. [ Faydra attacks Ethan again! ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 2. [ Faydra tries to force Ethan's glaive out of his hands, but fails. As she does so, however, she waves her free hand in Nebrinel's direction, sending a wave of force at her! Guess who needs ranged def? ] 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Nebrinel (2d6-2) and gets 2. ( You cannot separate Ethan from Pantryfiller! HAHA! ) (The pantry is strong with this one.) [ Nebrinel is hit full-on by the black icky wave of magical energy, which does all kinds of badness to her. She doesn't look so hot, just now. ] ... I mean, I just don't get it. You've been alive at least 30 times as long as I have. Thirty times! Thirty times the time to train... and even with a great weapon, I'm still standing here making fun of you. What's goi- ah crap! (SPLEEEN!) Yow... (That's Ethan's schtick.) [ Nebrinel seems unable to get back up. Sei, you might wanna look in on this. ] (Sounds like a plan.) [ But for now, it's Ethan's turn! ] * Nebrinel is... well, unable to get back up! Thud. Bleed. Twitch. [ Good girl. ] ... ah, I gotcha now. You're doin' the whole berserker thing. No plannin', no strategy, just lashin' out... no wonder you ended up stuck in a walking stick. *tries his first attack again, only this time doing the jumping vertical slash in between the second and third horizontal slashes* (Bum Rush) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. [ Faydra deflects Ethan's strike, and makes one of her own! Ethan, dodge! ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 3. *ducks* On the other hand, your dodging is still very good... [ Go, Ada! ] * Ada studies the fight for a moment, then yells, "Sei, fly Nebrinel out of here!" She grabs her pendant with one hand and starts chanting. Got it! [ Napper continues returning! Go, Sei! ] * Sei picks up Nebrinel, making sure not to aggravate any internal injuries, and casts Ray Wing. Gone! * Nebrinel bleeds with joy. (*snerks* Bleeds with joy! Oh man.) (I thought it was funny. ^^;) (Ha!) ( Heh ) [ Faydra attacks Ethan! Twice. ] 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-3) and gets 6. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6-2) and gets 6. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ethan (2d6) and gets 11. ( And my luck finally runs out. Ah well. ) [ Ethan's sent sailing by the force of the second shot he blocked. Faydra turns to Ada and ...well, it LOOKS like she starts chanting. ] (She might just have saved your ass, you know.) [ Ethan lands. And it's his turn! ] * Ethan briefly moves to charge back at Faydra to disrupt her chanting, but realizes that might distract Ada too. Instead, he retreats out of Inferno range, shouting at Faydra in the hopes that maybe that'll distract her a bit. "HEY, FAYDRA! YOUR MOM SAID TO TELL YOU THAT SHE FORGIVES YOU FOR SLEEPING WITH ALL THOSE HUMAN SERVANTS!" (...) * Ada nearly trips one of her words, but doesn't. A wicked smile appears on her face, though. (Gutsiest human alive.) [ Ethan's taunting, sadly, does not faze Faydra, who likely doesn't hear it. In other words, she succeeds her Concentration check. ] ( "Ballsy. Stupid, but ballsy." ) [ Go, Ada! ] * Ada nears the end, the heat around her gathering into a white-hot speck in her other hand, which is pointed directly at Faydra. This done, she closes her eyes and screams, "Inferno!" 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ada (2d6-4) and gets 4. (Thanks for not crit-failing me, Dicey.) (That...would suck.) (It might still suck! But hopefully not.) [ The speck sails towards Faydra, and explodes on contact with her! And what an explosion it is, although it's stock footage this time since we already used up our special effects budget. ] (Stupid stock footage.) [ When the flames and the flames and the other flames clear... Faydra is still standing, there at the center of a lot of scorched earth. She takes a step towards Ada, hate burning deep in her eyes and the air around her still aglow... and she falters, stumbles, and falls face-first into the ash. ] [ End Combat. Hell, End Session. ]