Archons Strike

[modsoflight]

Early in the morning two towns found themselves under siege without warning by powerful magics from a new enemy. Muenier in Liciae found their vineyards and orchards catching fire, while the people of Tranmere in Dalvarus were forced to flee into the mines to avoid the blaze, though smoke followed them in.

They were however not without hope, as when the assault started - certain individuals who had strange dreams as of late would feel a sense of foreboding from those two towns and a sense that they should head over immediately. Thankfully the attacks had not destroyed the crystal networks, allowing for any would be heroes to teleport in from across the two nations. Will they arrive in time to beat back the attacks?

[OOC: This is the first major event for Refracted Light. Normally sign-ups will be held but in this case players are free to jump into a log for whichever town they choose, but choose wisely! Once made, a decision cannot be unmade. Depending on the amount of PCs who come to assist a town, the following results will occur:

0 PCs: The town is wiped off the map, and there are no survivors.
1-2 PCs: The town is demolished, but a few survivors manage to escape
3-4 PCs: A few buildings are left standing, and a moderate amount of survivors manage to escape.
5+ PCs: A moderate amount of buildings are left standing, and most of the town inhabitants escape alive, albeit some with injury.

The logs will be active until the 17th, although if more time is needed they may run a bit longer. All PCs who have at least 3 replies in the log will gain 3 EP immediately. Logs will be advanced every 24 hours at minimum.

Upon arriving at the scene and seeing the Archons, the PCs will be flooded with power and will begin to receive their Echoes. From your first tag, you may use any items and abilities you have requested for your Echoes. If you have not yet requested Echoes, you may do so here.

This log will remain open throughout the event and new players are free to jump in at any time. If enough players are present, we may split the players into groups for ease of management.]

Comments

[wasshi]

When Mercia came to Muenier, it was for a vacation, not to fight a war. But, well, war doesn't always wait for you to be ready for it, does it? She wasn't with the armed forces - not yet - but as a patriot and as a member of House Tabrea, she couldn't look away from this chance to prove her worth.

From a rooftop above the immediate chaos of the fight, Mercia took aim with her longbow. Whatever they were, they were shaped like people, which suggested certain weak points. Breathing out, she loosed an arrow with perfect accuracy, aimed at the forehead of one of the Archons. It had enough force behind it to pierce even plate armor.

She stared with disbelief as it bounced off, not so much as leaving a scratch. Were these things invincible?

[timidhomunculus]

A scream can be heard not too far as a young girl stands face to face with one of the monstrosities attacking the town, she stands over an unconscious body blocking it as best as she could from the creatures but still clearly scared out of her wits.

She tries making a fist but it quickly crumbles as she shivers and shakes fearing for her life and the life of the other she stands behind.

[greatcleavage]

"They have a shield!" Roy called up to the archer from the street. Though he lacked magic himself, quite by choice thank you, he nonetheless had ample familiarity with such effects.

[wasshi]

Out of stubbornness more than hope that it will actually help, Mercia looses arrow after arrow at the Archon closest to the girl on the streets below. Maybe she can distract it, make it focus on herself instead.

Are they all going to die here?

"Is there any way to get through it?!"

[greatcleavage]

"Call it crude, but I intend to use extreme force." Once he can get over there, of course. "Focusing on one point is usually effective. Listen, if you want to stay up there I understand, but I should be able to protect you."

[wasshi]

"No, you're right. I'll support you directly." Mercia jumped down, landing behind Roy. She readied another arrow but didn't fire, waiting for any reaction from his next attack.

This was going to work, right?

[greatcleavage]

"I'm hoping you have some experience in this sort of thing?" She looked a bit young to have been in the war, but appearances could be deceiving, and she clearly knew how to use her weapon.

[wasshi]

"I'm here, armed, and fighting to survive. We can worry about the rest afterwards." In other words, no. This was her first actual battle.

[zetahatsudo]

"Lord Greenhilt!" Running up to the two of them was a Miqo'te, of the Keepers of the Moon, with goggles over his eyes lugging a Chainsaw around. "To think I would find you here," Cameron said to his sponsor, eying the two of them as his tail stood on end, "The citizenry are doing their best to stay out of trouble, but there's been talk of something using grenades to cripple them."

[greatcleavage]

Roy nodded to Cameron distractedly as he moved to take point in front of both of them, now. "Grenades and worse. I don't suppose you have some sort of fog generator Magitek to block their line of sight?"

[zetahatsudo]

"Not as such, no," Cameron admits as he starts to dissassemble the chainsaw from the power block. "I brought the Bioblaster modules, but given the enemy it's largely useless. I can remove the virulent components to turn it into a fog dispenser, but I worry that the coverage won't even do anything."

[wasshi]

"No time for plans!"

As an Archon advances in front of them through a wall of flames, a second Archon bursts through a wall behind them, putting the trio in a pincer attack. Running out of options fast and not willing to just jump back up to the rooftops and leave these two behind, Mercia keeps her bow trained on the one in the front, waiting for Roy to make his move.

[greatcleavage]

"Damn it!" Roy cursed the immediate peril. "Iado!"

The lord's first signature technique was no sooner invoked than executed, blade coming to a rest in his hands at the end of the drawing cut before the last syllable left the air.

[zetahatsudo]

"How-!?" It occurred without his conscious notice. By the time he had turned to face the new threat, he had dropped his inactive chainsaw, and started to aim a strange new hand gun at the Archon and fired it twice.

Once was a glancing shot, but the other was a dead center hit, the bullet actually lodging itself inside the mechanism and pushing it back. Cameron had to blink. "What... what just happened?!"

[wasshi]

Mercia blinks in surprise as Cameron's new weapon manages to break through the Archon's defenses. So they aren't invincible after all...

For a moment, her focus blurs, a crystal-clear image echoing through her mind.

"We're the same age, so we'll go to the same middle school, right?"

...

"I'm Yuna Yuki. Nice to meet you."

...

"Oh, yeah. You don't know this area too well, do you? I'll show you around. Leave it to me."

No time to question what it meant. No time to even notice the change happening while she remembered it. Mercia's body was engulfed in a whirlwind of vibrant blue flower petals, and when they vanished, her academy uniform was replaced by a strange, form-fitting new outfit of blue and white, with trailing ribbons and her hair - twice as long as it was a second ago - flowing behind her.

Her aim didn't falter. She loosed an arrow to follow Cameron's attack, and this one lodged itself perfectly in the Archon's throat.

[greatcleavage]

"...What the heck?"

Seriously, suddenly he found himself fronting two comrades that were -- well, up to all sorts of nonsense. Though he kept his attention focused forward, he nonetheless spared them a baffled glance.