Free the Town! [Closed]

[Confused Objectives]

It was crystal clear that he had made a mistake when he released so much energy that the enemy detected it. Kou was not used to working under the team format, so them knowing he was there was really none of his concern before, but now he had to think of everyone else when he acted out like that. Maybe the big flashy spells wasn't the greatest idea in the world after all. It was a mistake he would not make again, although now he needed to make up for it now and adjust to things accordingly.

Shit....

For some reason, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his mind. Someone was obviously bothered by his influence over the surrounding area and wanted him to cool his jets. This did cause him to let go of the surrounded airs around the town and merely store the energy he had gathered back into his body in a more condensed matter. With a mere shake of his head, he fought off the pain and sighed at the idea that these were not normal bandits. It was pretty obvious either they or someone leading them knew what they were doing. Someone among the group needed to be pretty good to detect Kou so fast and even cause him to retreat his own attack even faster. Before he could make a mental thought on what to do, he heard another speak to him about the new plan.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

When Ker unleashed her blinding spell on the town, it seemed like the best way to get into the town unnoticed. Assuming their physical means of seeing was destroyed by the spell and whatever energy detection should be focused on Ker, Kou figured it was time to be more subtle about his actions. Using some of the energy he had gathered, Kou would literally disappear from the area as if he was never there to begin with. He was no abandoning his team or the mission, but he was using his secondary magic to merge with the very earth they stood up to make a quick entrance into the town. He would leave the hill they stood on and appear directly outside the trees that the plant user made made to seemingly protect the villagers.

Now.

In the mist of the confusion, Kou would use the remaining energy he had gathered to perform a much smaller scale attack than the one he was going to use before. Instead of creating a series of massive tornadoes, which was more than likely a bad idea in the first place, Kou used the energy to send a stream of gale along the base of the ground and attempted to slam it into the bandits who were left standing outside of the tree like fortress that the girl had made. It was pretty easy to cause the stream to split into enough pieces to hopefully knock most of the bandits back towards the his own team.

He only hoped that they would have what it took to handle things because this move was only meant to remove the bandits from the area, but it would do no real harm to them at all. If anything, it might have pissed them off even more than they already were. Plus it kinda put Kou in the middle of the town and thus at the highest level of danger. Almost out of habit, the man attempted to perform a mini energy scan to see if he had to deal with any unseen forces at work.

Kou just hoped he wouldn't have to deal with another headache like before. He would merely have to overcome it if it happens.

Summary: Kou withdrew his previous attack and used the actions of Ker to slip behind the bandit forces. He used a stream of air in an attempt to blow them towards the group so they could finish them off. Kou used a small energy scan to make sure there was no hidden traps in the town.

[The Dark Knight]

The pitch black shroud of night around the town morphed. Like a thousand threads rapidly unraveling and spinning anew, the mantle of protection became a means of offense. The tidal waves of mana that came crashing upon it engulfed the village in light, and it was so bright that seeing proved impossible. Then the town became blisteringly hot. So hot that the crumpled walls of the buildings began to burn and sink. So hot that the soil began to melt and incinerate. So hot that the villagers, who were huddled together in fear, felt the fiery tongues of the flames on their flesh.

There was a method to this madness. Someone had lit the mana that Ker released on fire, as though it was nothing but gasoline. Someone with a mind for strategic maneuvers and a heart deaf to the cries of human suffering.

The roofs were burning, and whole buildings came crashing down. Some of the bandits stationed along the edge of town screamed at the nightmarish sight before them, and threw down their weapons to flee. In an instant, the town became a scene of chaos. Those that remained, upon seeing the zombies and the walls of flames behind them, was diminished to the most primal of instincts: survival. They shot at everything around them. Buildings tumbled, civilians slaughtered, comrades murdered. Occasionally, a stream of heat blasted forth at the zombies, with enough firepower behind it to blow them to pieces and scatter their remains to the wind. When urged by the sudden gale upon their backs, they threw themselves headfirst into the fray, like desperate, cornered animals.

The pipes that had been stacked and stuck into the earth began to rupture, and the earth, once silent and still, began to rumble. Cracks shot across the ground, carving large, gaping trenches while trees were split down the middle and fell like toothpicks. All around them, people were dying and a sea of tortured cries drowned out the sound of roaring flames.

Still, the leader was nowhere to be seen, perhaps lost in the crowd of men herded out like sheep by the fire, wind, and earth. The town was crumbling, the bandits were fleeing, and the flames threatened to destroy them all.

[Tiger Lily]

The situation had gone from slightly crazy to complete insanity. The mana that was intended to blind the bandits was now being used to make fire. Cursing loudly, Ker concentrated on the energy she had let lose, drawing it back within her body. The flames would start to go out, turning into less of a threat, until they only had the life of a simple candle flame. Ker was furious now. However, she wouldn't let this show and she wouldn't let the level of her rage get the better of her, but it was difficult for she did hate when the mana was used by anyone other than her.

"This would be a great time for those zombies, Dio..."

The words "shit" and "fuck" didn't even cover what was running through her mind. The team would have to figure out who the hell was behind that "power manipulation" if there were going to get anywhere. Now, how they team was going to communicate with one another in order to actually work with one another was something that would need to be figured out within a matter of seconds...otherwise...they would all be pretty much screwed. So, with her mana back under control, Ker moved into whatever shadow that would allow her to rethink how to use her power.

"Guys....even if this is obvious....we need a fucking good plan right about now...."

[Diogenese Du'Caiuss]

Diogenes' left hand would raise, runes would pour forth form his hands flowing with the ancient powers of hell. A barrier in the form of a wedge would form in front of the zombies, the surface was covered in the forgotten language of hell. Due to the wedge like shape, the concussive force of the blast would be divided by half. The barrier would shake from the force, but would remain fairly intact save for the few cracks that it revived. What had saved the barrier from total destruction was the barrier's own destructive capabilities, its own concussive forces had minimized the overall effects of the explosion leaving a wedge like trench in the ground near the front of the barrier. It was a good thing Ker had withdrew her mana from with in the village, dampening the raging flames.

The runes that made the surface would slow withdraw back into Diogenes' left hand, leaving only small flames writhing on the ground, until they too would fade away. Having saved his small force from total destruction the chance had come, the sounds of armored feet marching would be renewed. Their spears would lean forwards, their shields would protect each zombie next to them this was the phalanx. Diogenes' had barely saved his own force but he could not wait, those bandits caught with in the range of the spears would not be spared. Spears would be drawn back and would be thrust with deadly accuracy, the tips would be stained with blood from those who could not escape.

The length of the palanx would make it very hard to get around, and any stragglers behind would be dealt with by Diogenes. The black soulsteel sword would cleave through flesh, each wound caused by the sword would not heal nor clot instead those with mortal too crippling damage would die. The wet sounds of the spears piercing though flesh would hunt the ears of those who survived. The flames gave the black armored soldiers an ominous look, the fought with cold and machine like ferocity, each would was aimed in center mass or the lungs sometimes even the heart. The second row would thrust the spears over the shoulders of those in front, making sure that those the had missed in the frond would take care of those who managed to dodge the initial strike.

Those that lay dead or dying would be trampled on by the formation, and those that managed to hold on the what little life they had left would be slain by Diogenes who stabbed them as they lay upon the ground. Diogenes, knew that the only way to defeat these bandits was through force, magic used inside the village had been altered and made to work against the caster. Diogenes' realized he had been lucky to cast the barrier outside the village, but this did not sit well with him. The info given too Diogenes' and the team was lacking, everything about it stunk with treachery and lacking needed information. The bandits though armed with weapons from Renovatio, but still they seems far to well prepared from bandits. "This mission stinks, everything the bandits have done shows excellent preparation and strategy, we will have to talk to be careful, right now we will have to kill the bandits, and do not use any attack magic it seems to work against us. Also if any of you find the leader try to take him alive, we need information. I do have an inkling of a thought about why they are so prepared though." Though he was communicating with the other members, his voice was distant as he slaughtered the bandits.

[Confused Objectives]

The enemy was prepared for everything they threw at them. It was pretty obvious that if this mission was going to be a success, the team would need to get their act together and work together. Kou didn't really understand how the other side had someone who could control magic to that extreme, but he knew that if they didn't find that person, this mission would never work. The leader, the leader, the leader, Kou was getting tired of people always assuming the leader was the one to find when the going gets tough. Where was the leader that they needed to seek? He was no where to be found, unless he happened to be the very person ruining their plans, but Kou had a feeling that was not the case.

Luckily he didn't instantly jump into the blinding attack, so he wasn't going to pop up and get wtfpwned by the flames. No no, Kou actually ended up being pretty cautious when it came to fighting and his earlier eagerness almost got them fucked before, so he needed to rely on his own fighting abilities to turn the tide of battle. When he saw the girl's magic be used against her, Kou did the only thing that one could do. He went straight to the source of the problem. Now Kou was no 'epic master' when it came to dealing with the use of energies, but he was pretty damn good at the subject, so when he realized Ker was able to handle herself, he chose to take the next step in his own personal plans.

Energy trace.

The unknown energy source had already fucked with him before, so he knew the feeling a little bit, so it was pretty easy to locate the source of the energy hijacking after a second of looking at the different codes laid within the workings of the trace. Ker's energy was filled with blood lust, easily overtaken and turned against her. It was actually the reason Kou's own attack was so easily altered as well. It took a calm mind and body to deny someone access to one's energies. Kou had a feeling that hijacking the unknown energy was going to be a problem, so he did the easy thing. He attempted to trace it back to the user.

In the background, he heard the cries of both Ker and Dio. He wanted to tell them his plan, but he needed his full attention on the matter at hand. Would he be able to track down the location of the unknown energy user? Or was Kou stepping into a place that he shouldn't have gone? There was only one way to find out and he was just stupid enough to try.

Summary: Because he didn't instantly jump into the blinding light, Kou was able to see the energy being overturned by the unknown energy user and chose to stand his ground and attempt to trace the energy back to the user. His success is pending.

[The Dark Knight]

The flames were extinguished prematurely. Smoke snaked through the air like a thousand writhing serpents, before twining together into a thick, billowing smoke cloud. It hung over the village like a shadow, an omen for things to come. The remaining buildings were crumpled onto their sides, like men on the verge of defeat. Perhaps a day will come when the town will stand tall once again, but it will never be quite the same, for the ghostly face of tragedy and catastrophe will always lurk in its shadow.

The bandits stationed around the town surged forward, desperate and scared. They did not know who the attackers were, but the thought of them caused images of poverty and starvation to flash before their eyes. They felt the pangs of hunger ravaging their belly, saw the light fleeing from their child's eyes, and heard the wheezing breath of a dying wife. They vowed they would never return to those times, times when they didn't know what it was like to feel like a man. And anyone, be it women or children, who stood in their way was an enemy and must be exterminated.

They launched themselves upon the undead regiment, guns blazing and voices roaring. Suddenly, an invisible force shunted them apart, halving the group. But these were men with nothing to lose and everything to gain. In their own way, they were as indestructible as an undead army. They kept firing, and a wave of blistering heat came crashing upon the zombies. They would endure the blows, and the army of mortal flesh and bones will fall, but not without taking out a handful of the undead with them as well. They can rot in Hell together.

The heroic interlopers will find their trek delayed by the shaking ground. It was as though a bomb was planted deep within the earth, and with each passing second, the quaking became more and more tremulous. The earth split, then sank like quicksand. Buildings began toppling once again, and the sounds of shattering wood and cracking cement was enough to blast a man's ears into oblivion.

Someone in the intruder's ranks utilized an energy trace. It was a bigger success than expected. In a matter of seconds, Kou would find the genius behind the town's defense. But the genius had no mind, no heart, and no soul. It was a metallic pillar, standing resolute at the town's heart, while red and white crystals on it flashed intermittently. It had been activated the moment the invaders had been detected, and some hand, now gone, had programmed a defense and energy reversal. The metallic panes were still warm with the touch of a human hand, and tiny rivulets of steam puffed from its sides like a wheezing athlete.

But who had piloted it?

Now the machine was running low on fuel, the crystals on it cracking and the grass under it wilting. Bandits were fleeing in all directions, moving so fast that even the winds would have been shamed. Where was the man with the disfigured face and cunning eyes? Where was the man who summoned a defense within seconds then quickly made his escape? Where was the leader?

[sidewalkflowers]

As everything around me became UNbaribly hot and my poor trees cached a blaze i was unsure of what to do.two trees came crashing down heavy and fast luckily right before the smashed two civilians i made another tree grow in a split second to prop up the two that had been falling. The heat picked up more and i could barley stand it along with my trees that were on fire. Sadly enough they were all lost i tried to revert them back to the ground but no movement.I swear i heard them yelling in pain, but as i turned to face the screaming it was a small boy yelling at his mom for help as his leg was stuck in a tree that i had missed as it came down. it seemed to be he was the only one that had been attacked by my baby's.

As i turned two more loud cracking sounds and the trees that i had used for a prop gave out and two older men got crushed , blood spraying all over the place. How could i have been so mistaken this idea to protect the people was stupid. i had caused deaths when all i had wanted to do was protect them. " PLEASE STOP! OH PLEASE STOP!" i yelled to no one in particular. i had never seen anyone die before , and to be the one who caused it i had no clue what to do. my hart pounded and my brain stopped . i stood in one place as if a statue. not moving a inch from were i was.

The flames subsided and people were running around all over the place. quickly i got pushed aside by someone like i was a rag doll.i could not find footing it seemed and i feel forward my plastered smile was now a blank expression and i feel into a pool of blood and mud from the people who had be squished. Sitting up slowly i looked around and everyone seem to be moving in slow motion till finally i herd a filmier voice say something about a plan. I wiped off what little blood i had on my face and tried to stop my shacking. but my body moved on its own accord. suddenly i felt a falling sensation looking down i noticed the ground had given out below me. without even realizing it i made a tree grow, then another and jumped from the first to the next, the next three feel faster so i made another with longer branches and jumped to the next then two more which i ran across like a bridge, but the bridge was short 14 feet short from the edge to be exact. reaching my hand out and closed my eyes, i hoped for someone, and one to grab it , to grab onto my hand, there was no more sand around to grow a tree out of and i was out of most of my energy so it was impossible for me to grow a tree from 14 feet away . all i could do now was, hold out my hand fly though the air, and hope for one of my comrades to catch me...or ..i am unsure of what will happen.

[Diogenese Du'Caiuss]

Though the bandits had been able to fell some of the undead soldiers, the formation would continue to mark forward each undead soldier filling the place of those that fell. Before the bandits was a constantly moving force that knew no fear, their spears would pass through their bodies with no hesitation or pity. A chance would shift in the formation of the phalanx, the zombies would be set loos breaking from their monotonous, and break into a chaotic charge towards the remaining bandits. Spears would be thrust into soldiers and left behind for drawn swords, the swords where uses with ease and quick and powerful strikes would be laid into the flesh of the opposing bandits, their lives wouldn't be spared. Blood and gore would splatter against the black armor, though the armor had already had the look of being battered before the battle it gave them an even more ominous look.

Some bandits would have their heads loped off, others would be holding their stomachs trying to hold in the intestines as they slips through their fingers. Blood would pool on the ground the violent deaths of the bandits showed the ferocity and mercilessness of the Diogenes' force. Watching the carnage was Diogenes, his face had their blood splattered upon it, his lips still maintained that ever present smile as he brought the tip of his sword into the still dying bandits silencing them for eternity. Diogenes would notice tress growing up from the ground, he realized that it was one of his companions. He would begin to move in the direction of the growing trees leaving the rest of the bandits to his zombies.

The light sound of feet running across the the make shift bridge of branches, would reach the ears of their caster. A flash of red, and the sound of the cloth being moved in the wind would give the presence of the Sidhe away. The young half-elf would feel a gloved hand wrap around her wrist, the feeling of falling would be halted by the firm grip of the Sidhe. "Hey, your making the rest of us look bad. You should keep your cool, you shouldn't have wasted so much energy trying to protect everyone, people die all the time. You should get use to this site, if not you shouldn't have come on this mission with such weak resolve." He would say with that same smile on his face as he pulled her up. He would continue to hold her with one arm, just over the edge of the make shift bridge, the blood splattered on his face and the constant smile made him look insane rather than simply easygoing.

Her body would be dangling in the air, her only support would be the one hand that had lifted her up. He mad it seem like he was holding a rag-doll rather than a person. He would begin backing away, her feet could then touch the make shift bridge of her own creation. "If you weren't prepared so see people die, then you should have stayed home. Though I can't blame you, you do kind of seem like the weak willed type, well then I'll leave you to it I have something to do." He would place her down on the bridge leaving her to her own machinations. He would begin to climb down,and soon the sound of an object being pulled from the trunk of the tree, and then a sword being sheathed. If the girl bothered to look, she would find a wound in her tree created by the sword the Sidhe had stabbed, and used as a platform to get to the bridge.

[Confused Objectives]

What he felt was nothing but a deep empty feeling. It was as if he was looking into a machine rather than a living soul. Unknowning to the youth, Kou was tracing on the energy source of the local defense of the town. It was unknown if this was the doing of the bandits or just a local machine that was there before the bandits got there. Regardless, it needed to be shut down in order for them to restore the town back to it's former glory. With the spot of the energy source known to the youth, Kou found himself moving through the battle field as the zombies ran wild on the bandits. Every once and awhile, Kou needed to withdraw one of his own short swords to make quick work of a wandering bandit, but he didn't stay long enough to see if it was a killing blow or not. Now was not the time for death, it was the time to prevent death.

"What in the world."

The youth landed on the ground next to the machine as he saw the grass seemingly be killed off due to the heat of the pillar. It looked as if it was going to explode with the way the crystals started to crack. Kou could only hope the pillar didn't have some type of self destruction code within the programs for times like this. Obviously with no one being there to control it, Kou was free to do whatever he wanted with it. He chose not to act without thinking. With knowing the source of the energy, he knew he was good enough to stop the thing from trying to take his own energy from him. He just needed to let everyone else know.

Everyone, listen up. There is a pillar at the heart of the town that is causing the energy problems. It seems to be damaged by something, but no one is controlling it now. Is there anyone who would be able to destroy it without the use of magic?

Kou provided the thought to all within his group through the use of telepathy. He needed someone to destroy the bloody thing before it did something stupid. It was a task he could do if none offered their assistance, but Kou was more interested in another task. Someone had turned this thing on. Someone who didn't have a ton of time to cover his tracks. Kou wanted to make sure there wasn't a trail to the person still luring around. He would do another energy scan around the area in order to attempt to find the different sources of energy. Everyone living being gave off a faint energy display even if they didn't actually use energy. Kou was looking to pinpoint that energy when did his scan.


Maybe the man was still around or maybe he was just looking for nothing but shadows. It couldn't hurt to try. If no one offered their help after he scanned, Kou would have to take matters into his own hands and destroy the pillar before it had a chance to do something crazy. The youth didn't like what was happening in the town. Something just felt off.

[The Dark Knight]

The bandits fell away, like flakes of crust from an earthen wall. A local stream, which branched from the side of town to pool into an adjacent lake, flowed bright red. Bodies littered the ground and sank into the mud with a sickening squelch, while the weapons that the bandits hoisted staved into the ground like tombstones. Each blade, which by now reached nearly three dozen, marked the death of a man. A man that once breathed the same defiled air they did. A man that once dared to hope. A man that, by betraying his fellows, murdered the most sacred part of himself and surrendered all hopes of salvation.

The machine located at the center of town beeped twice, then the crystals shattered. It began to melt, the legs supporting it buckling as a cobweb of cracks split across the surface. The tension that clutched the town in its vice grip loosened, then dissipated. The town was freed, but now it must be rebuilt. Buildings lay in shambles, shot to the ground by a beast whose voracious hunger for destruction knew no bounds.

Somewhere out there, a man was making his escape and seeking reinforcements. Kou may be able to trace energy in its various forms, but there would be nothing to track if the signal was blocked and drowned in a sea of static.

They may have won the battle, but the war is far from over.

[sidewalkflowers]

My hand shock wildly as i went to stand up, my comrade had just saved me but still my energy was low and i really had only managed to save a small handful of people compared to what was lost. If my mind was not so set on gathering it self i would of noticed that my beautiful tree was lingered from his sword jabbing it. instead i stared at the meatal monster that had came up from the ground and stood there in utter shock. he was right maybe the filed was a bad idea for me, maybe death and destruction were not in my league, maybe, that leap of faith i had token with the man, our leader days ago had been a bad idea...maybe, just maybe..i was not able to fit in a mold that fit into Dictum Veritas. Taking in a deep breath i had never worked my ability's so hard before, i wondered if pushing myself had been a good idea, but if i recalled my mother always said that one can build a city with effort..so maybe i could strengthen my ability's with effort...

I shock all my mind clear and almost gasped as i watched the metal monster start to melt away to water of blood made my skin cringe but i had nothing i could do about it at this point.Taking a deap breath plastered my smile on..more fake then normal, even though i knew it looked relatively real..and with a sigh and a small bit of reserved energy i lowered myself to the ground with the help of a tree branch. I of cores fell to my knees the moment my feet hit the ground. i had been so manice, i had used way to much..i had no idea over what might of happened if i had used it all. i wonder if i would of died.

[The Dark Knight]

Bodies littered the ground like toothpicks, and buildings lay in shambles. Smoke clogged the air and choked the lungs, and the remnants of a fire could be seen in the tiny, dying flames on the overgrown ferns encircling the town. The bandits were dead and the Renovatio war machines were shattered and crushed. Their leader, however, was nowhere to be found, but the air carried with it the sound of a man's laughter. An ominous omen of things to come. At the center of town, where once stood the chieftain's office, was a sign. It was a wooden board, weather-worn and clumped with dirt. The sign was stuck into the soil, like a tombstone for the dead; on its front, in official and formal print: Felix, the town of joy. On the back, in the unsteady scrawling of a man lost in the throes of anguish: Tristan, the town of sorrow.

It was time for the town to rebuild. New buildings would have to be erected to replace the older ones, and the people armed against another Renovatio assault. The children that remained would need to be educated, and a government system set up. Those that survived would be forever scarred by the experience, and their hearts drummed with a warlike cadence that spoke of their desire for vengeance. They vowed Renovatio will pay for the atrocities that they suffered, and Rosinder will rise once again.

[Close thread]