Eagleheart meditates on top of Altale's burning tower

[17:32] Mei Xiang says, "Oh, Eagleheart."
[17:33] Eagleheart simply puts a few torches spread through the insides of the tower. After all, there is nothing else that he could do for now-- Destroying it by hand would take the same time, but a lot more effort.

"Hello there." He spoke. "I fought Enmerkar right there, did you know?"
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:34] Epsilon tilts his head, holding out a hand towards the torches as they're thrown. Behind his blindfold, an eyebrow raises, and the corners of his mouth pull into a grin. "...I was not aware. Are... we destroying this town, then?"
(Epsilon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:35] Eagleheart says, "Yes. All of it."
[17:35] Epsilon says, "Oh my."
[17:35] Eagleheart says, "Or, at least... Only this tower. I've already pushed out the Valmasian magi."
[17:35] The woman shakes her head.

"Did not know that, but I know ya did fight 'em at some point... I think. Anyway, Dawn's claimed this town for themselves, 'n I don't like that one bit. This place is a bit far away from Huangzhou, too, so I'd rather burn it all so they can't get the resources if they do decide to march back here."
(Mei Xiang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:36] Tiff floated into the small town behind Mei. She smirked a little when she saw the torches placed down near the tower and would usher any civilians who got close away from the area.

"I'll help get the people out... and everything else, whatever you guys need."
(Tiff)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:37] Eagleheart says, "I'll be up there, meditating. Tear down the houses. We don't want this place being used by them again."
[17:37] Mei Xiang says, "Right."
[17:38] The young man shrugs, smiling, and lifts into the air. His hand grips his staff, and, pointing towards one of the nearby buildings. Runic diagrams sprawl out around the base, and, as they burst into flame, the building alights, seemingly pulled into itself by some unseen force.
Doing it by hand does take a lot more effort, true- but it just seems so much more fun.
(Epsilon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:43] Once Tiff ushered the family out of this house and pointed them in the direction of either Dawn or Huangzhou itself, she focused her vines to coil into the structures it. They found beams and particular locations of vital integrity that kept the home up and began twisting and cracking them. Overall it would seem as if nature itself was eating the wooden house, reclaiming the used resources on its own. Once it was finished, there would be nothing left but a small mound of dirt, grass, and wood.
(Tiff)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:43] Eagleheart continues, before he starts climbing up through the tower. Cosmic leylines glimmer with renewed light, the flames slowly taking the lower floors of the watchtower.

And then, upon reaching the top of it, Eagleheart sits down. He takes a few deep breaths, and soon enough, like if he was a flare himself... Cosmic energy leaks from him. "Tell me if there's someone else approaching. I'll be... Here."
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:47] As the flames begin to grow around the various buildings in the settlement, Mei Xiang too, decides to participate in the razing of the small town. It was unfortunate that such a place had to go, but it was necessary; the military might of Huangzhou would be strong, but just like Dawn, they would have difficulty defending a settlement this far away from their man capital, especially one of such a small size.

What better way would there be to ensure there wouldn't be another attack if they just burned it all down; who in their right mind would want to take over ash, let alone use it?

Grabbing a torch, Mei Xiang walks over to another nearby building and proceeds to chuck through the glass windows. Naturally, they would have escorted any and all civilians out before burning the whole building.

"Right, keep an eye out, everyone."
(Mei Xiang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:50] Epsilon says, "So-"
[17:50] Mei Xiang asks, "Yes?"
[17:50] Epsilon asks, "Dawn has claimed this town, then?"
[17:50] Mei Xiang says, "Yeah."
[17:50] Epsilon says, "I cannot imagine they will be terribly happy to learn of this."
[17:50] Mei Xiang says, "Good."
[17:54] Epsilon smiles, focusing as he forces the building inwards further. Every once and a while, he corrects his stance, sensing a better way to grip the supports with force and flame.

"...And how do we intend to deal with possible repercussion?" He intones, voice calm but clearly excited at the possible prospects. "I heard they are already attacking the Gehennans."
(Epsilon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:58] The Shogun remained quiet for a second, either lost in thought or just taking in her surroundings; she certainly wouldn't want their operation to come to a halt.

"Simple: if they attack, we will fight back. I have faith that Gehenna's attack with the demons will 'hurt' Dawn, maybe even completely obliterate the place. If not, we can always follow up with an attack if they fail."
(Mei Xiang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[17:59] Eagleheart remains on top of the tower, removing the mask slowly. There is already the rising of smoke from the lower rooms of the watchtower, but nevertheless, he seems to be glimmering slowly with cosmic energy. And then, he raises a single hand, rising the rusty sword up.

"Mei, come here." He speaks out, allowing the sword to shine against the stars. Its blue glimmer reflects that of the stars, but it is, after all, invisible for Eagleheart. "I might need your help doing this. I need to connect this to my mana circuitry somehow."
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:01] Epsilon turns his head to one side, clearly listening as Eagle talks, but remains focused on his task. "Yes, yes. Go on, friend."
(Epsilon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:07] Her attention is grabbed by Eagleheart when she hears him call her name. She was admittedly taken aback from the sight; Eagleheart was genuinely meditating on top of a burning building. Not just that, but she was called up there.

Well, if he could do it, she could do it, too.

She situated herself near the wall of the tower and began to ascend, causing various bricks to jut out to help her with her climb via earth magic. When she's near the top, she boosts herself up with the aid of a telekinetic force. Soon enough, she's standing near her former teacher. "What do I need to do? Should we do this here?"
(Mei Xiang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:17] Eagleheart rises his hand, holding the same rusty sword that they got many hunts ago. It seems to glimmer stronger as he conducts magic energies through it, but in a way... There is a faint sighting of a connection, formed between a star in the sky, visibly outshining others, and the blade.

He isn't pushing energy into the sword-- He's using it as an antenna. And then, a small packet, filled with the yellow stardust they obtained from Cypher's storage room, is risen to stay in front of her.

"Do you think you could help me a bit? I might need this stardust later, but... I was thinking of using it to allow me to conduct cosmic energy better. Do you think we can do it now?"

He seemed calm-- Oddly so. His own aura was more soothing than before, all the way more strong. He was, in fact, meditating while in the middle of the smoke and flames, even as he spoke. "Or, at least... We'll use a bit of it to help make this sword into a better conduit."

A small smirk upon the man's exposed face -- After all, he was maskless. Blind irises faced upwards, towards the star. "Or both."
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:35] Mei Xiang just sort of stares at the sword and the packet of stardust, unsure of how exactly she was going to go about helping him do whatever he needed.

"Maybe we could do this, but honestly, it's a lil' hard to focus here, especially 'cause we're on top of a burnin' tower. However ya need help, just tell me, 'n maybe I could help? Is it just a matter of writin' some runes on the stuff?"
(Mei Xiang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:42] "Being on top of a burning tower is the most important part of it, Mei. Any person would be scared to their bones and refuse to do this, because... Well, it is rather imprudent. I could get hurt-- A single flame could shoot up and kill me."

He continues on, putting the rusty sword to his side. He takes a deep breath-- Followed by a cough, which force his eyelids shut, but they simply don't open again afterwards. "It is in adversity that we thrive. It is through this that I will connect with my star again..."

He finishes off, before pointing towards one of the many dots, shining in a brighter yellow than the others. It conducted a single ray of cosmic energy towards the tip of the rusty sword. "Can you think of a name for it?"
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:44] With a final push, Epsilon tilts his head to the side, and the building before him collapses into smoking ruins. He grins, looking up to the top of the tower, vaguely listening to the words from the pair at the top- but far more interested in the power they conduct. The arcane, and the cosmic.

Fascinating.

He sets off, ready to find another building to demolish.
(Epsilon)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[18:51] Her eyes drift down to the very tower they were standing on. Indeed, a flame could just shoot up and kill them both.

...

That wasn't a pleasant thought, either; it unnerved her, but if her former teacher was calm, she too would try to remain as calm as she could. Besides, they were mages; what could a little fire do to them anyway?

"That makes sense, I guess, but it's still just a lil' bit scary. Either way, a name for the sword?" She focused on the rusty little blade that serving as an 'antennae' in some sense. It was a bit difficult to think of a fitting name for the blade in such times, even if she did try to shove away the mild discomfort of standing on a burning tower.

"...I can't think of a name- I'm not so good at namin' stuff, really."
(Mei Xiang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:09] "Something being scary is only more reason to do it. It is our duty to stand in the face of darkness and be the light, yes?" He finished off, a small smile spreading through his face. The smoke seemed to already be accumulating over the tower, but the cosmic glimmer upon himself appeared even through the thickening smoke.

If anything, he was turning that tower into a lighthouse, with him acting as the flare. Pretty bad if what they were doing was supposed to be stealthy, honestly. "Hmm... The ones I thought and were suggested to me were mostly more relatable to me. Stargazer, farseer..." He trailed off.

Memories. He never got to name the star, even if he did get to learn himself how to wield the arcane with the aide of his star, the one that was supposed to help him was always so busy, and then... Died before they could ever do it.

He did not frown, however. The smile kept upon his face. And then, likely not directed towards Mei, he spoke out, opening eyelids to reveal silvery blue eyes, for once focusing on something. "You saw it all, didn't you?"

And then, he shook his head slowly. "Well, name doesn't matter. I'll just... Continue to meditate, I guess."


(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:19] "That's right, Eagleheart. I know I've taken action, even if it was frightenin'."

Her mind briefly flashes back to their hunt and all the horrors they saw; it had been a few years since then, but she still remembered every detail so vividly.

...

She snaps back into reality and focuses on Eagleheart once more, the rising smoke obscuring her vision a bit. "Stargazer, farseer- twinkle- no, that's... not that good soundin'. I think ya can think of a name, eventually, or I can-" Saw it all? The Shogun knits her brow in response to the question.

"Saw what- if you're gonna meditate again, I'm gettin' off this tower. Don't stay on it for too long, Eagleheart."
(Mei Xiang)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:24] Eagleheart turns towards Mei, facing her. A wide smile spreads across his face, hands moving to grab at his knees. He tilts his torso slightly backwards, still sitting. "Of course! I am sorry for the bothering, Mei."

"I'll be safe up here, do not worry." He spoke, a cheery tone to his voice, before turning around and going back to meditation. The rusty sword, still focusing the power from his star, glimmered upon his lap slowly-- And without much knowledge to himself, so did the stardust he had put to the side.

"I've got a friend that's always with me up there, after all." He finished off, barely audible -- It was mostly a thought spoken out.

And then, he continued to shine-- Like a beacon, in the middle of the rising flames that now seemed to start escaping to the upper floor. Amidst a crown of fire, he shone.

Like a star.
(Eagleheart)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[19:36] The woman smiles and shakes her head.

"It's fine, really, sorry I couldn't think of a name. There's ah... a lot of things goin' through my head right now, with Dawn 'n the vampires- I wonder if Gehenna managed to hit Dawn good..." She turns and begins to walk towards the edge of the tower.

"...hope they did, 'cause that leaves the vampires as the threat I wanna focus our efforts on.

Anyway, good talk, sorta." Assuming she wasn't stopped, the Shogun would hop right off of the tower, slowing her descent by slightly with her telekinesis.

On the ground, she walked over to another building and grabbed a torch. By now, the small force she had brought to demolish the barren town had pretty much escorted any civilian from the place. Any soldier, magi or not, was either slain or captured previously.

While the sight and idea of burning down a town was saddening, this was all in an effort to combat an evil, at the end of the day.
(Mei Xiang)