(7:16:32 PM) Eric: The crusade comany has gathered to hunt down the corrupted Heroic Spirit, but they have the problem of they have no idea where she is
(7:17:27 PM) Bill: Loken is shaking with rage, barely keeping control of himself as he sends scouts out towards the Rift to try to find any sign of that damned Fae.
(7:17:47 PM) Eric: A day of fruitless searching has left everyone tired.
(7:18:12 PM) Eric: The sun is starting to set.
(7:18:51 PM) Eric: Just as a normal army would be starting to set camp for the night, the attack began, with basically no warning
(7:19:30 PM) Eric: just shrieking coming from the gathering shadows before a swarm of rift beasts leaped into the camp
(7:20:26 PM) Eric: But let's roll back the clock a bit. What was everyone doing in the camp just before the attack started?
(7:21:34 PM) shini: Ky Kiske had entered the camp during his own search for the source of the recent corruption, and intended to speak with the Servants as to their plans.
(7:23:48 PM) shini: He had the Holy Order scour the rest of the region for errant spawn.
(7:24:17 PM) Inc: Strangely, a small, redheaded girl - who shone out to Ky and any Servants as most definitely being Caster - showed up as the Crusade Company traveled. "You're after whatever killed the people in those villages, right?", she asked. "Then I'm coming with you," she continued from there. She obviously didn't know whose actions had caused this... but she seemed resolute in wanting to face it.
(7:24:30 PM) Bill: Garviel was sitting in his tent, prepping his borrowed roman weapons since his bolter and chainsword are out of comission and medea is missing.
(7:34:51 PM) Eric: While everyone is going about their business, a horde of shrieking demons in the form of semi-ethereal women in black tattered dresses dual wielding scimitars suddenly leapt out of the shadows. Some of them in the middle of the camp
(7:35:28 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(7:35:39 PM) Eric: Everyone: Defend yourself!
(7:37:45 PM) shini: Ky springs into action, drawing the Fuuraiken into action, lightning crackling down the length of the blade before releasing it as arrow-shaped bolts towards the attackers.
(7:38:03 PM) Bill: "Crusade company, to me!"   Loken strides from the tent, his helm clamped down on his head, a gladius in one hand, a javelin in the other which he hurls towards the first semi-ethereal woman he sees.
(7:38:35 PM) Inc: As the creatures come into motion, Caster immediately shouts "Wind Barrier!" - An orb forming around her and any allies who came close enough, shoving the targets back as she was lifted into the air. She wasn't going to start throwing fireballs willy-nilly in the middle of an army fight, so she starts seeking targets, preparing a large casting of Flare Arrow - more precise.
(7:39:42 PM) Eric: Ky: The bolt shatters the woman into some kind of blackish mist, and the others give him some space after this first show of force
(7:40:49 PM) Eric: Loken: Soldiers form, if not ordered ranks, then at least a semi-organized mob around him, holding the attackers at bay. He finds himself to be just a single island of order in a sea of chaos, though
(7:41:41 PM) Eric: Caster: The wind orb holds off this first wave of attackers neatly, protecting her and several soldiers next to her
(7:42:45 PM) Eric: You've weathered the first skirmish relatively easily
(7:42:50 PM) Bill: Garviel growls, and says, "Use the respite to dress ranks!  They're deadly close in, shield to shield, and get your javelin's out!"  He will move down the line, doing his best to keep them in good order, being the first to physically engage any of the twin-bladed Hellions that look like they're breaking through.
(7:42:51 PM) Eric: but now the rest of the enemy forces come out
(7:43:04 PM) Bill: javelins rather
(7:43:35 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(7:44:46 PM) Eric: The Rift horde proper appears, rushing from the opposite direction of the rift proper. Large, gorilla-ish creatures form the front line, backed up by tall spindly creatures that carry bundles of spines
(7:45:00 PM) Eric: and waaaay in the back stands a figure in a black robe
(7:45:14 PM) Eric: INITIATIVE: Ky, Loken, Caster
(7:45:57 PM) Eric: ENEMY COUNT: brute x30, spine throwers x20, Farseer x1, numerous other generic beasts xA whole lot
(7:46:03 PM) Eric: ALLIES: Crusade Company x1
(7:46:06 PM) Eric: Ky, Go!
(7:46:24 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(7:46:43 PM) shini: Ky gets into a battle stance. "So she plans to wear us down first." He murmurs as he weaves, mindful of the position of both Garviel's company and Caster as he holds charge- the light around his blade is brighter and wider before he unlessed a much more powerful version of his stun edge. "Caster, can you drop the spinethrowers?" He shouts to her, knowing a mage could get away the brute wall+
(7:48:05 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(7:49:14 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(7:49:26 PM) Eric: The blast of light bowled over two of the brutes and destroyed one of them outright, but this also got the riftspawns attention. Three of the spinethrowers targetted him with their signature weapons, thrown like javelins [Ky, React!]
(7:49:30 PM) Eric: Loken: Go!
(7:49:37 PM) Bill: Loken spares a brief look at the red-haired girl.  Caster is here?  That does complicate things.  He turns to his men, hefting another javelin,  "Bring down the big ones first. We'vegot shields, lock them against the spines!  We need to kill the ones that can break our formation!"  For his part, he takes hold of a second javelin, launching it with rock-shattering force
(7:50:37 PM) Inc: "Shields!", Caster calls to the troops immediately around her, keeping her Wind Barrier up and allowing the soldiers around her to provide immediate cover, starts launching the prepared Flame Arrows - targeting on a wide berth as many of the Spine Throwers as she can. "Already my plan!", she calls to Ky, after she's tossed the first set. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to use her first Noble Phantasm... Yet.+
(7:50:39 PM) Bill: Towards one of the brutes' guts.
(7:50:57 PM) Eric: (Not Caster's turn yet
(7:50:58 PM) Eric: )
(7:51:05 PM) shini: Ky jumps, flipping back as the spines went flying - he can feel drag as one of the weapons tore a hole through his cape, and he lands on his hands and knees some feet back, slowly getting up.+
(7:51:17 PM) Eric: Ky dodges successfully
(7:52:19 PM) Eric: Loken's spear impales the brute through the gut and nails it to the ground behind it, immobilizing it. It's still alive though
(7:53:16 PM) Eric: Caster's array of Flare Arrows burns holes straight through three of the spine throwers, killing two of them and badly injuring one of them
(7:53:45 PM) Eric: The Crusade Company has just barely gotten itself into something resembling order when the remaining Brutes crash into the font line
(7:54:26 PM) Eric: They're holding for the moment, but the lack of order means that they won't be able to hold for very long under this assault.
(7:55:42 PM) Eric: Remaining enemies: 27 brutes, 17 spinethrowers, farseer
(7:55:44 PM) Eric: Ky!
(7:58:09 PM) shini: Ky starts running, feeling the tension in his system as he baits one of the brutes to break away from formation, blade swing vertically to slice it open and to try to send it off the ground+
(7:59:10 PM) Eric: Ky dispatches the beast handily, but draws the attention of two more that were nearby.
(7:59:51 PM) Eric: However, the crusade company, inspired by his great blow, move in to back him up with javelins and interlocked shields, cheering!
(8:00:21 PM) Eric: They impale one of the brutes half a dozen times. That leaves one which is trying to pound Ky into Jelly
(8:00:28 PM) Eric: Ky React! Loken Go!
(8:02:17 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(8:02:37 PM) shini: Ky focused, sword held aloft - blue sparks starting to flicker around him, timing the Brute's blow so he slides under the hit, hitting the legs with his own momentum and electricity, intending to knock it down and scrambles to get up to stab it before it could recover+
(8:02:42 PM) Bill: Loken bodily leaps OVER the front frank of his Crusade company, into the midst of the brutes, driving his left fist towards the skull of the one he impaled, while sweeping his gladius in his hamstringing strike at another, snarling in nearly psychotic manner, his armor shrieking with the effort of keeping up with his transhuman strength.
(8:03:00 PM) Bill: "Hold the line, I'll break these filth!"
(8:03:43 PM) Eric: Ky does just this. That's three more down!
(8:04:38 PM) Eric: Loken finishes off both his targets, and the lines behind him form up with greater discipline, inspired by their commander's insane acts of valor!
(8:04:55 PM) Eric: However Loken finds himself the target of 5 javelins
(8:05:01 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(8:05:06 PM) Eric: Loken, react, Caster go!
(8:05:37 PM) Inc: Caster focuses on keeping the enemies from organizing their line... But she's still not willing to reveal her true power. Not yet, especially as morale was starting to rise. Instead? "FIREBALL!", she shouts, throwing a shot into the Spinethrowers - though the explosion would be wide enough that it might scorch a couple of Brutes, too. Start breaking their battle line, and it'd open up more space to reconstruct the one covering her... And, ideally, helping her find out just who was behind this.+
(8:07:09 PM) Eric: Under Caster's arcane assault, a huge hole is blown into the front ranks of the enemy, it seems like this battle is going well!
(8:07:23 PM) Eric: Then you all heard it, like a whisper in your ear
(8:07:36 PM) Bill: Loken is hit by the javelins, depending on their construction they will shatter against his reinforced ceramite, or punch into him causing rich red blood to ooze.  Either way, he seems not to feel it very much.
(8:08:15 PM) Eric: Loken takes the blow like a boss and shrugs it off. He'll pay for this later, but in the mean time the lines behind him are saved from being impaled half a dozen times
(8:08:43 PM) Eric: "Such heroics. But your lives are not your own. You shall spend them as I see fit."
(8:09:29 PM) Eric: "Beyond the veil of tears, your valor and courage mean nothing."
(8:10:50 PM) Eric: And with that, the figure in the back suddenly let forth a red tinged shockwave that spread across the entire battlefield.
(8:11:02 PM) Eric: Nothing obvious changed
(8:11:15 PM) Eric: but suddenly you can see that which you could not before
(8:12:04 PM) Eric: The ones you called your allies are gone. Naught but shells. A horrible alien intellect looks out at you from them.
(8:13:10 PM) Eric: They are plotting your death. It's suddenly so obvious. Killing them would be more than just self-defense, you would be doing the world a favor removing such abominations
(8:14:04 PM) Bill: "All betray, I am the last loyal son in a galaxy of traitor stars... I... am....  CERBERUS!"
(8:14:07 PM) shini: "What the-?" Ky mutters low, immediately tensing, breathing heavily as his eyes widen.
(8:14:27 PM) Eric: As one, the Crusade Company acts, and starts tearing itself apart. It's only a matter of time before they'll turn on YOU
(8:14:48 PM) Eric: Everyone, defend yourselves, from the Rift and from the crusaders
(8:15:52 PM) Inc: Caster, moving defensively - for now - immediately jets up, abandoning the soldiers that had been within her barrier to get out of their immediate range. The barrier would easily hold against their petty weaponry for the moment... While she focused on the source of that red shockwave.
(8:16:05 PM) Eric: And from the traitor Ky, the madman Loken, and the untrustworthy Caster
(8:16:39 PM) shini: "Stop! It's a trick of the Riftspawn!" Ky shouted - it had to be, there's no way a rift could corrupt this fast... he darts away from the crusaders. He will not kill a human if he can help it!
(8:19:41 PM) Bill: Loken just lashes out physically, smashing through riftspawn in a rampage,   From the prana flare, it is now clear Mad Enhancement is upon him.  Which means bodies are going to start flying.  "I am the wolfhound at the gates of hell.  I am Death denied!"
(8:21:06 PM) Eric: Caster flies up and sees...farseers everywhere. Hundreds of them. All glaring at her with eyes that feel like they're boring into her soul.
(8:21:14 PM) Eric: It's very unnerving
(8:22:22 PM) Eric: Ky finds himself ignored. Even worse, a couple of crusaders actually go after him, spears held at the read. [Ky, React!]
(8:23:39 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(8:23:58 PM) Eric: The neat lines of batle from a moment earlier are gone. Loken is in the middle of a brutal melee, and he's sending almost as many bodies of crusaders flying as he is of riftspawn
(8:24:24 PM) shini: Ky curses low. "Crystal sake! Stand down!" He shouts, trying to tone down the magic coursing in his body, trying to disable them with a much weaker stun edge as he keeps sliding back+
(8:25:30 PM) Eric: Ky's strike knocks down without killing one of the crusaders. The one next to him shouts "TRAITOR!" and stabs the man who just got knocked down in the throat, killing him instantly.
(8:26:28 PM) Eric: And then the moment comes. The moment that this whole attack was made to create
(8:27:41 PM) Eric: A moment of opening in the lines of battle, through which sheers a streak of metallic light almost too fast for the eyes to follow.
(8:27:55 PM) Eric: And Loken found a massive spear stuck into his stomach
(8:28:07 PM) shini: "Cerberus!"
(8:30:50 PM) Bill: Cerberus falls to his knees, momentarily shocked, grasping at the spear.  "Nraaaargh."
(8:31:32 PM) Eric: The voice returns. "I was a fool to fear this power. Just as you were a fool to resist it!"
(8:31:39 PM) Eric: "In the end, all shall fall."
(8:31:57 PM) Eric: "The light shall fail, and you shall have died for nothing."
(8:35:39 PM) Bill: "No man died in the Emperor's service that died in vain."  Cerberus snarls, his muscles starting to tense for another attempted to Rise.
(8:36:16 PM) Inc: Caster's eyes glare in anger. "... Ah. That explains it. Someone who thought they could control the Rift, probably. Instead, they just become one of it's minions."
(8:36:23 PM) Eric: The spear vanishes, returning to Lancer's hand. "You still persist?"
(8:37:37 PM) Bill: "I always endure."  He rises, after the spear is gone, a huge trail of blood sliding down his pearl-white armor, slicking into the codpiece below, and across the thighplates.   "Until the end, I will be true to my oaths."
(8:38:14 PM) shini: "You will not win, you will stop this madness now." Ky snarl at Lancer, getting ready.
(8:39:07 PM) Eric: Lancer: "You cannot live. YOU OWE ME A DEATH!"
(8:39:30 PM) Eric: Her eyes mad, she holds out her hands and sends out sheets of lightning to electrocute Ky and Loken both
(8:40:11 PM) Bill: Berserker's entire body spasms as arcs run through his armor and his body, blood gouting from the grille of his helmet as he forces himself to step forward, step by step.
(8:40:34 PM) Bill: "Death has rejected me!  The death owed is yours."
(8:40:43 PM) Eric: Caster! You are beyond notice for the moment!
(8:41:03 PM) shini: Ky yelps, falling to the ground - using his own lighnting magic to try to counteract hers. "Damn. It..."
(8:41:04 PM) Eric: You have one chance to alter the course of this battle
(8:42:26 PM) Inc: The fool... The deepest fool of all, in fact. Focusing on her lightning, the girl was practically still. Meaning... "RUNE FLARE!" Around her barrier, a series of spears made of fire energy appeared - then launched at Lancer, striking her from several different directions. The most powerful spell she had for striking one target... If THIS wasn't enough, then...
(8:42:29 PM) Inc: +
(8:42:58 PM) Eric: In one critical moment, Lancer saw the spell coming and was forced to convert her energies to the defensive
(8:43:20 PM) Eric: Bolstered by three zodiac stone and the powers of the rift, she blocks the rune flare with little difficulty
(8:43:29 PM) Inc: "Idiot."
(8:43:31 PM) Eric: but not so little that she could maintain the lightning burning Berserker
(8:44:02 PM) Bill: Berserker roars, leaping forward, unarmed.   He reaches out throttling hands for lancer, snarling,  "NOW YOU DIE."
(8:44:59 PM) Eric: The spell on her lips went unvoiced as vice like hands denied her the air to speak
(8:45:07 PM) Nerdo entered the room.
(8:45:52 PM) Eric: Thinking quickly she turned the spear around to stab him again, but a spear is an awkward weapon at this close range, and she couldn't get much leverage in the blow
(8:46:22 PM) Bill: Berserker, covered in his own blood, will exert his hideous strength on the fae, snarling wordlessly as more blood runs down his armor, even the weak blow piercing the ceramite.  He shakes her like a wolf worrying prey.
(8:47:36 PM) Eric: The determined stabbing was reduced to punching when she lost her grip on her weapon. Then to desperate scrabbling. Then to nothing.
(8:47:57 PM) Inc: "Precisely the wrong move. You looked down the face of the greatest sorceress this world has ever known... And completely forgot about the giant psychotic Berserker right in front of you. Typical of a tainted, to forget the obvious thing."
(8:48:39 PM) Eric: She fell limp in Berserker's hands, and started dissolving into mist
(8:49:24 PM) Jeanette Wu left the room.
(8:49:29 PM) Eric: As she did, the sinister aura of menace covering everything
(8:49:33 PM) Eric: started to fade away.
(8:49:42 PM) shini: Ky breathes out slowly, letting out the charge he was using to negate some of Lancer's attack out in a blinding arc.
(8:50:05 PM) Eric: Men wailed in horror as they realize they had been murdering their comrades. The beasts of the rift, bereft of a driving force, scattered.
(8:51:14 PM) Bill: Loken turns, lacing into his own men, and those monsters which remain, howling "THE MARK OF THE THREE!  THE RED GOD IS UPON US!  THE PAIN... THE PAIN.  BROTHER WHERE ARE YOU?  I CANNOT HEAR YOUR VOICE!"
(8:51:19 PM) Eric: The zodiac stones that empowered her launched away from the battlefield as if fired by a cannon, to land who knows where
(8:51:51 PM) Eric: and the one other thing she carried that was not a construct of spirit, a blue-green crystal, fell to the ground.
(8:54:42 PM) shini: "Cerberus..." Ky starts, his voice still strained with pain.
(8:55:27 PM) Bill: Loken snarls, bringing his fist down on the head of a crusade company trooper, and steps towards Ky, shucking a gladius from the corpse of a brute on his way, raising it.
(8:57:02 PM) shini: Every hair stood up on end - this man intends to kill. "Cerberus! Snap out of it!" Ky slides back, sword raised to block
(8:57:34 PM) Nerdo: #
(8:58:06 PM) Nerdo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L136C5WFa-M
(8:58:13 PM) Nerdo: Suddenly some kind of comet falls from the sky and slams into Berserker!
Nerdo: Archer: "Garviel Loken!"
Bill: Cerberus shudders for a moment, on his knees.
Bill: "gnnngh."
Inc: Caster visibly looks... Scared. While she has ways to keep distance, she can't know how good Berserker's Magic Resistance is for certain... And then, it ceases to matter, as Berserker's true name is shouted - and another HEroic Spirit enters the fray. "W-what?!"
shini: Ky lower his sword, but did not relax his guard.
Nerdo: Archer: "Your fight is over, so stop throwing away your honor!"
Bill: "Why did you come for me?"  Loken hisses, seemingly blinded and crippled.
Bill: "I was dead..."
Nerdo: Archer: "We don't get that privilege, for better or worse."
Nerdo: Archer: "And I'm not going to let a real knight lose himself after that speech you gave me."
Bill: The pulse of prana is utterly gone.  The rampant death-machine is gone, leaving just a sorely wounded, broken man, bleeding out from a gut wound, his armor rent all over, blood dribbling down his breastplate from the mouth-grille of his helm.
Bill: "Tell me what happened, I... do not know."
shini: "I owe you my thanks, Archer." Ky nods as he feels like it's safe to approach. "I know Servants are made of sterner stuff, but we should get this wound looked at before we talk."
Nerdo: Archer: "...you defeated Lancer."
Inc: "With help." And then, Caster moved to the ground, letting her barrier fade, and approaching.
Bill: The armored Astartes is quiet for a long time.  "Then I have a duty, yet.  Where did she fall?"
Inc: "Pretty much a few steps to your side. Her body has faded, though. There's only a tiny crystal left."
Bill: Loken walks over picking up the crystal, recognizing it.  "I have only a few duties left."
Nerdo: Archer nods, taking note of the other warriors present as Loken attends to Lancer's remains.  "So...you'd be the 'real' Caster, then.  And you're the man from the Church?"
Inc: Caster looks towards Archer, her stare concentrated. "... Yep."
shini: "I am." Ky nods. "Ky Kiske, Commander of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights." He introduced himself, still looking at Garviel with some concern.
Bill: Loken is just silent, but moves to stand close to Archer.  His stance suggests sadness, though, his shoulders hunched, and his helm looking down.
Nerdo: Archer matches Caster's stare.  "Hm.  An ally of my ally is my ally, I suppose," she says, visibly relaxing.  She decides she really is going soft.
shini: "Cer... Loken?"
Inc: Caster pauses. "... I guess. For now at least. But..." Caster looks up. "... That's another down. Makes me wonder who's going to win this?"
Nerdo: Archer: "I will."
Bill: Cerberus stares at Ky.  "No dog of the church will call me anything but Cerberus."
Nerdo: She looks at Loken.  "So what will you do now?"
Bill: "Fight Rider, and likely die in so doing."
Bill: "I have no noble phantasm, and even my bolter and chainsword are broken now."
Nerdo: Archer: "Tch.  Men are always breaking things.  We'll fight together and give you a sporting chance, I guess."
Bill: He looks over the shattered remains of the Crusade Company.  "All I have worked for has come to ruin.  If I can save but one life, that will be enough."
Inc: The younger girl pauses... Then nods. "Rider's the creep that decided to take over a state, right?"
shini: Ky bristles. "This isn't war, it's sanctioned murder." He mutters mostly to himself. "Very well then, Cerberus. From dog to another, look beyond your preconceived notions." He can't believe he's saying that. "I'm returning to my men."
Bill: Cerberus just snarls at Ky.
Nerdo: Archer: "Relax, Berserker.  Save what you've got left for something useful."
Nerdo: Archer: "I'm returning home.  Caster, we might end up the last ones standing."
Bill: He nods his head to Archer.  "As you wish.  And yes, Luca Blight has taken much of the nameless states' territory to himself."
Nerdo: Archer: "...do me a favor and try not to make friends with my Master before that."
Inc: Caster stares at Archer for a few seconds. "... Lemme guess. Saber?"
Bill: Berserker looks to Caster,  "As for you, I thank you for what you did.  I do not like this war, and I will regret slaying you if the time comes."
Nerdo: Archer has no further comment.
Inc: Caster paused. "... I'm in this to live again... And as long as Saber stands, I'm... I can't win."
Bill: Loken looks once again to the sprawled corpses of his men.  He removes his helmet, and between the burns, the grime, an  the blood.
Bill: There are tear tracks.