[Cal] A Moment of Daylight, Part II

Characters: Cal, Airednas, Mahlovian, Ryu
The fight continues against the Heartless. Some nice poses in this log :3 (and the previous).



"Stay away!" Suddenly a thing that seems to be burning drops out of a portal with a distorted appearance, and as the fire dies it reveals the remains of a Big Body which suddenly explodes into a few green balls. The location of the voice that had sounded was only then revealed as the mutated appearance of Ryu slowly dragged himself out of the portal with a few small heartless Soldiers on his shoulders. With loud feral sceaming that sounds like a monster's warcry the thing grabs the two Soldiers with his two claws and throws them off of him and quickly releases two shots of a Fira spell after them. The pure yellow eyes made this show of power look quite violent. "Get away!" Once again the odd voice that sounded like many people saying the same thing at the same time alerted something behind the portal not to come... yet the Heartless were not going to obey someone just like that, and soon there were four Big Bodies and a couple of Gargoyles finding their way out of the rift.

"Let go of the sword!" The young woman calls out, grasping against one of the more sturdy sign posts. Snapping her head to the SOLDIER, "Help h--" Her demand cut off, at the scream nearby. And with morbid fascination, she watches as the air distorts, snapping wide into a portal, following with the appearance of one oddity, and even /more/ Heartless.

Curving swiftly through the air, a blade hisses from Caliah's outstretched hand, slicing cleanly through the writhing limbs that hold the Geomancer in their spiteful grip; he snaps his wrist once, twice, and the chain whipping in its wake settles two loops securely over one of the boy's reaching arms. Hauling back on the chain with his inhuman strength, implacable and undaunted, he manages to pull Mahlovian from the beast's grasp.

Not wholly; for the dying Heartless is reluctant to relinquish its prey, and latches on to it's victim's ankle in one last show of tenacity, a dribbling groan rising from its open mouth as it's dragged inexorably into its grave.


"No!" Mahlovian shouts out in protest, flailing as he loses his grip on both shield and sword. And even in his near escape the beast wished for more, tearing off his sandals and scratching his legs, leaving them bare with trickles of blood.

Eyes squinting he shakes his head, holding back tears. "Father..." he says in a weak voice as he stares at the disappearing hulk of a shadow, quickly consumed as the maw closes, sealing it beneath ground.


"Who?" Ryu jumped back for a moment, using his wings to propel himself as he looked at the odd scene happening, something that he was unable to describe as of yet but whatever it was: it was bad. "Need help?!" He shouted out at the people standing so close to him, however it ended up sounding more like a 'roar'. "He~" He was going to add something, but as soon as the first words left his mouth he felt his body being pushed against. He quickly pushed his claws into the ground: digging deep, and as he looked up and saw what he was resisting... there was a Big Body who had just tried to push him out of the way, yet had failed miserably. "Darn it..."


Instinctively ducking as the young man went flying from the force of Caliah's pull, a hastily brush of her face due to the flood of cold sweat as she silently counts out the new arrivals. Turning to seek out the lithe form of the SOLDIER, she brings up her wrist, murmuring out a faint chant as a flare of green surges forward, enfolding him in the gentle bath of mako, before firming into a translucent barrier.

"Sir?" Comes the hesitant inquiry with the spell, her expression rather bewildered.


"Never..."

The SOLDIER doesn't hesitate even as the spell flares up around him, turning swiftly to the Portal from which Ryu is stepping, the gun in his hand already different from the pistol he'd pulled earlier --

"Turn your back..."

The PDW jerks with the force of recoil as it spits death at the monsters emerging into the daylight, the gunman's cold, lightning-hued eyes sharp with concentration --

"On an enemy."

The dull roar of the gun's report echoes off the surrounding hills, Caliah's hands already releasing the empty magazine and replacing it with fresh, the creature grasping at Ryu stumbling back from the impact of his fire.


Panting, the young man remains a bit disoriented but quickly shakes off the feeling and rage quickly fills his eyes, causing them to darken while his hands curl up into fists, blood trickling from where nail bites flesh.

The earth shudders as hairline cracks weave out from beneath Mahlovian. Now, he raises a hand up and a rock, carved from magic, tears free from the ground and by will alone is flung into some of the Heartless, dispersing them into black smoke.


"Wha~" Ryu quickly steps back as the Big Body before him started being forced back, yet not taking any damage as Caliah was clearly attacking it's front as it stumbled backwards. "My turn?" A large Fira spell started flaring up, as he focussed on the Big Body before him. Though he did notice the Gargoyles being confused as to who to attack and flinging themselves at everyone nearby, he kept his focus on the Big Body, as well as the three other ones that were starting to get close. Another Fira spell was generated in his other hand, and he started to look a little evil with the light of these destructive spells laying in the palm of his claws. "Hnn!" Ryu lets out a small sound as he jumps upwards and lands on the Big Body's head. "One." He jumped again and fired the fira spell at the thing, and stretched out his wings. "Two." And there went the other Fira spell, flying straight at the nearest other one. Both had the exact same effect... blowing up into green balls.


Uttering a soft curse under her breath, and wincing at herself for speaking so, Airednas shifts back, pulling the pistol from her jacket, gaze shifting from the SOLDIER to the swarm of Heartless, and the winged creature of uncertain origin.

A snap of her wrist, and the pistol buckles in her grasp, releasing a burst of bullets into a howling gargoyle as its pounds away the barrier she formed before, shattering the already much abused construct into a burst of misty crystals.


The wind swirls swiftly, tightening together by Mahlovian's will as it wraps about him like a cocoon. Quickly he spins once, striking at the air with his hand, sending a blade of wind at one gargoyle, again and again he continues this dance, slicing apart Heartless with blades of wind.

Weariness begins to show on his face, yet the rage remains, ever fueling his stamina, power and determination.


Click. Click.

Airednas frowns down at the empty pistol, and then the dissipating gargoyle, with an irritated frown, she moves back, snapping open one belt pouch as the green materia flares again on her wrist, re-establishing the shattered barrier. Her attention wavering from the attackers to her hands, intent as she reloads the small pistol with quick, jabbing motion of her fingers.


"Thaa!" With a large leap Ryu gets himself to stand near Airednas and seems to smile at the person. "Do not mind me." The creature that looks more like a monster than human whispers and raises his hand, summoning a beautiful sword in it... if one of these people had ever seen a Shadow Lord at work, they might have suspected him of being on in the style he did so. It seemed that Ryu wanted to help out Airednas though, maybe thinking that she was the weakest of the people around and indeed took a attack-stance to protect the girl. And with a clean cut he jumps upwards, shoving his fiery sword straight through a nearby Gargoyle that came to close.


Releasing the empty cartridge and letting it fall, his features still set in the same cool, unmoved mask as they had been before opening fire, Caliah narrowly dodges a haphazardly thrown punch, the wind of it brushing his face in passing. He flips forward over the creature's outstretched arm, leaping up it to kick off the back of his opponent's head. As he somersaults, hanging suspended in mid-air in a whirl of leather coat and metal, he sends two bullets straight into the back of the creature's skull, landing with catlike grace.

Not pausing to draw breath, he coils his whip and sends it curling about the neck of a gargoyle leaping to attack Airednas, choking it off mid-leap, the winged beast crashing heavily to the ground.


A yelp issues from Airednas' throat as the oddity dropped down, the harsh whisper barely understandable in the intensity of battle.

"As. If." She mutters under her breath, snapping the chamber close with an loud click, and brings the pistol to the gargoyle, only to have the creature thrown bodily on the ground by the SOLDIER's attack; quick to adapt, she slams down on the trigger, releasing a hail of bullets into the gargoyle's skull.


Wavering, Mahlovian falters in his movements, no longer sending blades of wind at the heartless now he catches his foot, bends his knees and closes his eyes in concentration. Dust around him begins to swirl around his lower legs into a vortex of brown.

With a grunt, Mahlovian hops into the air, lands and slams both fists into the ground, sending rising pillars of stone outward at odd angles, crushing through hordes of Heartless and leaving dust and black smoke in their wake.


"What in th~..." Ryu looks at the odd behaviour of one of the nearby guys and feels the ground shaking. "This is not good." He quickly makes a round-about slash to clear out any nearby Gargoyles and then quickly grabs Airednas to run out of the way together with her as pillars started ripping out of the ground, not caring about allies or foes. Ryu was just able to put the girl on his back as he started moving like a fourlegged beast to jump from one place to the other, evading the pillars of stone with great efficiency as he felt where they would rise up because of the shaking of the ground.

In the aftermath of that attack, he looks at the remains of this place, the pillars seemingly started lowering again and the most Heartless were dead, or dying by the hands of someone that was not him. "Gomen..." He says, excusing himself, and quickly putting the woman that he had been trying to 'defend' on the ground and taking a few steps back.


A lurch on the ground, the young woman's footing lost, and as sudden, steel around her waist, the wind screaming in her face as she was pulled from the ground, and deposited against a heated body before following through with dizzying aerobatics for one of the norm before finding herself on steady ground once more.

Steadying herself against the ground, she manages a half-coughed mutter under her breath, blinking rapidly to clear her vision, too intent on breathing than anything else.


Keeping his balance atop one of the pillars of stone, the SOLDIER surveys the field without expression, bringing a heavy booted foot down on the neck of a gargoyle groaning at his feet, dispatching it. As the last throes of the earth spell die away, clouds of dust settling in its wake, he sets about mopping up what remained of the Heartless with brutal efficiency, sparing none that were still moving within the vicinity.

Stepping forward into the guard of one of the remaining Heartless, the SOLDIER twists, bringing his elbow forcefully up into the creature's chin, his other hand thrusting the blade of his kusarigama up through his opponent's jaw and straight through the roof of its mouth. As he lets the broken body spiral away into dust, he glances over his shoulder at the rest, flicking a seemingly diffident eye at each of them. "Still alive?" he murmurs, acidly.


Coughing, Mahlovian swipes at the dust, clearing a pathway of fresh air for his sorely needing body. He breathes deeply, on the verge on panting but he remains calms, inhaling and exhaling with deep breaths. "Barely" He answers the SOLDIER, as he turns, faces them and nods slowly. He quickly gives a look to the others and nods, they seem a live. "We won.." He continues. But at a price, the blood on his hands has dried and they remain bare no longer with familiar sword and shield.


"Hmm... that kid has a horrible problem with power-control." Ryu says, his voice still quite impossible to understand without listening carefully. His wings slowly move down whilst he puts his hands over each other and looks up at the sky. "I never thought I would come back to this awful place." His voice slowly started changing into something more understandable, and for those who would have knowledge of it would recognize an Alexandrian accent. The colours of his eyes turn back to their default condition, and he finally lowers his shoulders as he comes to rest.


"Quite." The young woman quips to the SOLDIER's acidic inquiry, pushing herself up with a slight fumble, and adds on belatedly. "Sir."

Blood-streaked hands moves again to her bracer, and hesitates, dropping from the round of materia to her belt pouches, tapping over the various contents before pulling out a slim vial of pale blue liquid, pausing in her consumption with an inquisitive gaze at the winged humanoid.


"Such a waste." That from the disheveled and disgruntled Caliah as he flicks his wrist, gathering his bladed chain into slender, manageable coils; it's not clear whether he meant the time and effort they'd spent in battle, or loss of his old, dilapidated motorcycle. More likely the latter, from the wry twist of his mouth and the light, startling gleam of humour in his heretofore icy gaze; he resheaths the blade of his weapon, and makes his leisurely way to a relatively peaceful spot close to Ryu and Airednas, clear of the empty armour and debris of the fallen. Ryu's comment occasions for a shrewd glance from him, and a dry, "The town itself takes some getting used to, I admit. It has its perks. But compared with the cons of actually living here, I'd have to agree."

Once there he runs his fingers over the cuts in his coat, frowning in mild surprise as his fingers come away stained with blood. "Must have been scratched a little," he soliloquises, exhaling quietly. "I can't really tell most times."


"Hmm..." Ryu lowered his head, and looked at Caliah with a bit of an empty gaze. "I do not see any pros of living here really." He sighed really carefully and then turned back to Airednas. "I hope I did not damage your pride when I picked you up ma'am." With a quick, yet graceful movement he turned and bowed before the woman. This movement quickly was continued by comming up again and placing his gaze towards Caliah again just like when he had started talking... his wings were fluttering a bit annoyed it seemed. Ryu's hands suddnely went to the back of his head and started feeling the hair that was all loose. "Darn, it lost it's model." And with that said he was totally unfocused and started doing his hair to put it back into a braid.


"None at all." The young woman replies blandly, "The situation requires such, and between life and pride, of course I would chose the former." She pauses, amber gaze shifting to the SOLDIER wearily.

"If I may, sir." Airednas says, quaffing the healing potion, her tone clear in professionalism, slipping into familiar grounds. "My previous training consisted of the medicinal field, if you require this service..." She trails off, waving a vague hand in the direction of the town. "On less dangerous grounds, perhaps?"


Slanting a thoughtful, considering look at the young trooper, the pale-featured SOLDIER gives a light, nonchalant shrug, the slight motion setting his dust-covered coat to swaying. Now aware of his injuries, he nevertheless appears to move as if unaffected by them. "I'm not sure if they're serious," he answers in a level, matter-of-fact monotone, his gun-belt clinking faintly with each soft, heavy step as he draws up to the two others. "I'm certain that that boy...whoever he was, suffered worse in our earlier encounter."

He spares Ryu a subtle glance, his expression unchanging even as he notes the other's obviously inhuman features. "I suppose the town would be best."


"I guess you people will have no further need of me then." Ryu suddenly said, and turned around, wrapping his wings around himself... but did not walk away yet. He looked at the town nearby, and at the darkness surrounding it... he had no use to be here for long, this was just going to be in and out to grab some potions and elixirs before traveling on. He had lost the portal to his Gaia, and was trying to find it again.


A wry twist of her lips at the SOLDIER's casualness, following by her light retort. "If I may, sir, I've heard much of the same from /all/ my patients, and given the environment differentials between here, and... elsewhere..." She murmurs, slanting a look at Ryu as well, "Perhaps it would be best if I can be allowed to do my duties... sir."

Amber gaze flickering back to the soft glow of violet, and she smiles again, lessly strained than her first. "There is an inn in town..." Another pause at Ryu's words, and she presses her lips together, glancing again at the oddity of the being, taking a moment longer in her study of him.


Motioning with a black-gloved hand for Airednas to precede him, Caliah adjusts the clasps of his holsters, preparing himself for the short walk back into the town. He affords Ryu a polite nod as he passes him by, frigid eyes devoid of anything but that curiously electric glow, his clear-cut profile already turning to the open, beckoning gates of Traverse Town, to the shifting shadows and perpetual night shrouding its environs.


"Good evening ladies." And with that said, Ryu quickly expands his gigantic wings to full potential and waves them two times to speed forwards towards the town... his velocity being quite amazing. He had no more use for chit-chat, he had things to attend to, he was going to find out more about himself soon... he hoped.

With a departing bow to Ryu, the young woman turns to the SOLDIER, running slightly to catch up with the other, her steps slowing to a brisk walk to the gates of the town in front, but not with a lasting, and regretful glance at their 'battlefield'.

-----

<OOC> Airednas says, "Save him, Cali! Save him~~~ xDD;;"
<OOC> Airednas says, "sob xD"
<OOC> Caliah says, "huh?"
<OOC> Caliah says, "won't he like, jump back? XD *sobs*"
<OOC> Airednas says, "Manwhore's gonna die. >D"
<OOC> Airednas says, "No, he likes his sword and shield too much. xDD"

<OOC> Airednas says, "sob make a shmexy Vandre, Cali wants to do him. xDD"
<OOC> Mahlovian says, "sob ok..he will be slender and have..nice hip bones xD"
<OOC> Airednas says, "... ahahahahaha! XDXDXD"
<OOC> Caliah says, "...."
<OOC> Caliah says, "cruel T_T"

<OOC> Airednas says, "Cali, willing to part with your motorcycle? >D"
<OOC> Mahlovian says, "ahaha"
<OOC> Caliah says, "omfg"
<OOC> Caliah says, "SOB"
<OOC> Mahlovian watches Cal blow Air up.
<OOC> Caliah sulks :P
<OOC> Airednas says, ">D >D >D"
<OOC> Airednas says, "sob xDD"
<OOC> Caliah says, "go ahead. I need a new one anyway :P"
<OOC> Mahlovian says, "omg xD"
<OOC> Mahlovian says, "sob..use a fat chocobo T_T"