GodofGamingRWBY

Ako "I... Suppose so. Yes, that might work, but we'd have to wait until the Moon Festival to see if it really is him, and even then as long as the barrier is up only the sacrifice chosen could enter. So... Actually, I don't think it would work. But I've managed to figure out something. The slip I used to absorb some of the seal's energy was a form of travelling slip. It was meant to help guide those that possessed it to their destination. So I gathered it would be capable of tracking the sources of the seal, since I'm fairly certain other demons are supplying their power to it" Ako replied, lifting up the arm that she had hid the slip in question into, "And furthermore, it seems like only four demons are supplying the seal. I think if about three are taken out, I'll be able to break the rest of the seal on my own. I am experienced with exorcisms."

Proditor "I doubt you would find a good fight with an Avatar" Proditor suddenly stated, after staring into an empty abyss for quite a while, turning to Harry and Aquila, "I must congratulate you all on the destruction of the Cannon, however. For what it's worth, your capability to create a workable plan on the fly is remarkable."

Walmond & Lambda Generally speaking, aside from the waves of projectiles crashing into her shields, Lambda was having a great time. This was where she shined, protecting others with her shields. It made her useful, and feel good. At least, until her own fairy ally came up and spouted some weird nonesense at her. Out of the norm for her, Lambda couldn't help but give Empi a confused glance, before another bullet splattered on her shield, forcing her to focus on the fight again. And through all this, Walmond didn't even spare a glance, merely focusing on the new Great Fairy, firing another pattern of electrical bullets at her. Walmond uses Tazer once more, hitting the Great Fairy, dealing 1d4+4 damage, and forces a Con check vs Walmond's Int. If Walmond wins the check, the Great Fairy Paralyzed for three turns, and has a 50% chance of being stunned for each of those turns. In addition, the first attack to target Walmond will be instead taken by Lambda. Lambda, however, uses Defensive Procedures, taunting the Great Fairy for two turns and gaining 25% extra damage reduction from the Great Fairy's attacks.

Azgrurk "WELL, I WASN’T TRYIN’ TO GET YA TO LOOK AT IT. THOUGH HONESTLY DIS THING ‘ERE IS RATHER WEIRD” Azgrurk replied, before planting Satomi on the ground, “IF YA WON’T TO RUN AND IGNORE IT LIKE DAT ‘UMIE YOU WERE FIGHTIN’ DID, I WON’T STOP YA. BUT I THINK IT’Z BETTAH IF YOU FACE YOUR PROBLEMZ ‘EAD ON. YOU ‘UMIES TEND TO DO DAT, FROM MY EXPERIENCE. AND IF YA THINK ABOUT IT, FACING YOUR PROBLEMZ RIGHT NOW MEANZ YOU'RE STRONGAH THEN DAT 'UMIE, SINCE HE RAN!” he added, before lifting the burning humie a bit higher, so he could look it in the eye despite holding it upside down, “NEVAH SEEN A BURNIN’ HUMIE BEFORE, HONESTLY. I SHOULD GET SOME BURNIN' ORKZ.”

Mira As soon as the Half-Track stopped, Mira had stepped out, scanning the treelines, specifically in the direction of the shouting. They had arrived, and their target was likely here still, judging from the shouting. And from the sound of it, it seemed that the local militia was fighting as well. Good, they had the advantage of numbers and stamina. Presumably. "Are you all done bickering in there?" Mira suddenly called out to the rest of the party, turning her head ever so slightly, "If you want to stick together, figure out what to do, or whatnot, you can do that. However, we're wasting valuable time sitting here" she added, before turning and marching towards the trees, following the sounds of war. She honestly didn't care what their plans were. If it was important, they could stop her and explain it, but she wasn't going to wait for them to deal with their own problems, when there was another problem right in front of them.

Ako For the most part, the reactions Ako got were… Well, mixed. From Mitsurugi, it was somewhat expected, questions on Orochi. She wasn’t surprised there, the gods, including Amaterasu, tended to not actually be omnipotent, unlike what most people thought. What she didn’t expect was the foreigner’s response. The 6’2”, rather intimidating foreigner, who merely wondered how much energy Orochi would need to use to keep his curse up. Which, to be fair, was an interesting question… If not for the fact that she wanted to use other people to test it. She had to step in. “Well, I’ve been working for weeks and haven’t been able to get much sleep recently, so I think just being back here relaxed me enough to let me… Er… Nevermind” Ako began, only to shake her head as she focused on the important topics, “More importantly, the Prophet of Sei-an told me that the barrier was simply meant to bar entry to those not allowed in. Sort of like a gate with only a few individuals having a key. Though, with the Demon’s history, I wouldn’t be surprised if women were allowed inside… And either way, I wouldn’t just go chanting his name around. The shrine is guarded by Amaterasu’s power, but out there, even names can hold power. Or in his case, great curses” she explained, mostly looking at Lexiel as she did so. And then, she looked back at Mitsu, “But yes, I do believe Nagi’s descendant it still alive and still living in Kamiki. He goes by the name Susano. Though, last time I visited Kamiki he wasn’t in… The best of shape.”

Azgrurk For the most part, Azgrurk watched everything unfold with a rather impassive expression... Or at least, as impassive as an Ork could possibly do. From the small fire Humie running after the suspicious Humie, and the original small Humie curling up after the fighting was over, it was all things that he never really experienced first hand, since Humies were... Weird creatures compared to his Orks. But he was a leader, and he was expected to lead the little Humies. "OI, NO SLEEPIN' RIGHT NOW LITTLE HUMIE. FIGHT'Z ALREADY OVER" Azgrurk stated as he crouched down next to the little Humie in question, before roughly scooping her into his non-metal hand, “I AIN’T SURE WHAT’Z GOT INTO YA, BUT WE’VE STILL GOT WORK TO DO, ALRIGHT?” he continued, stompin’ his way over to the suspicious Humie, before using his clawed hand to pry the fire Humie off of him.

-- Trespassers Group -- The appearance of the Avatar caused Proditor to pause, mostly in shock. It was clear now that Angelis wanted the Commander brought in no matter what, but to bring an Avatar to the fight? Reckless, even for her. Or perhaps not, if their capabilities were near completion. Regardless, Proditor lifted up one of his hands, psionic energy radiating around it, and in the area around the Avatar, growing dense around the Codexes that surrounded it. And then, it burst, creating a large explosion of blue energy, evaporating each of them for 37 damage each. The explosion does little to bother the Avatar, however, who simply locks its gaze with the other Ethereal. Aquila moves to C5. “Yeah yeah, this isn’t my first time” was all Harry got out of Ao as he finished patching her up, before he ran off to B6. Frigus yoinks up Ao and flies off ahead of Harry, dropping both off at C6. Rachel goes into Overwatch once more. Nader retreats to C6. Instead of staying outside, Alan retreats to the natural sunlight. -- All -- “Tygan, status report” “The Reactor is working again Commander. We should be fine despite that hole” “Good” The Commander replied, leaning back into her seat, staring at the cameras overlooking the battle. So far, almost every single operative was getting to the platform at the base of the Avenger. Finally, they’d be leaving this hell hole. “Begin take off procedures. Retract the platform as soon as everyone is on board” She continued, getting a quick nod from Bradford as he turned to the rest of the control room, who were already getting to work. Not long afterwards, everyone outside could hear the large aircraft beginning to roar loudly, the platform XCOM had been fighting on beginning to flash at the sides, “Come on! Get in, all of you!” Database shouted as she ran onto the platform, mostly at the few operatives who were still further out, firing at ADVENT’s troops, and at the Avatar as it slowly approached. Thankfully, they were able to hear her over the sound of gunfire, as they pulled back from their position and to the Avenger. Otherwise, they were simply noticing that their gunfire wasn’t even hitting the Avatar. Lazarus himself, once Aquila ran past his position, let out a few more bursts at the approaching Lost, before turning tail and sprinting towards the Avenger. Either way, as soon as the last boot hit the metal floor, it began to rise back into the Avenger, just as the rotors of the ship began to light up and activate. And then, not long after that, the ship rocked roughly, before steadying itself. After a few rather tense moments, the intercom blared to life, the Commander’s voice filling the hanger with four simple words, “All Operatives, we’re out.” All around the party, it was clear that all the operatives were glad that they were out, as plenty had almost collapsed onto the ground. As it stood, Database was tending to the wounded, Ao was busy finding a new place to sit, Lazarus was checking his ammo, and Sandman was… Nowhere to be found. Overall, a rather successful defense. Congrats, you all survived. You all get 10 Merit for the victory. Frigus, Harry, and Alan all get 3 extra merit for destroying the Railgun, while Nader and Aquila get 1 Merit for their dirty work.

Sceleratis In response to the girl's statement, Sceleratis sighed, "I... Had no idea. For reference, this isn't just something I can casually... Well, do. I need focus to use it, energy to keep it up, and I was in a hurry, I didn't expect to get snagged on the vi- Jukai, and-" "What she means to say is: 'I'm an idiot'" Folkvangr chimed in. Wither or not the girl heard him was up for debate, but Sceleratis still stopped herself midsentence, before bringing her hand back down, "My point is, I'm sorry. Had I known what these were, I wouldn't have even tried to harm them, and even if they were just normal vines, I still shouldn't have."

Ako “Oh… I see” Ako replied, seemingly taken aback by how casually Mitsurugi announced that she was a goddess. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat, scanning the group before speaking again, “Well, if that’s the case… Then I must thank you for coming. I’m not sure who sent you to assist, great Kami, but given the circumstances…” Ako began to explain, before sighing and turning to look at the statue of Amaterasu. “Over a hundred years ago, Amaterasu descended upon Nippon, taking the form of a great white wolf that watched over all who exited the small village of Kamiki. The wolf, dubbed Shiranui at the time, was believed to be a servant of the great Demon that lurked in the nearby Moon Cave…” Ako explained, taking a deep breath to prepare herself before continuing, “Yamata no Orochi” With those three simple words, the room seemed to darken, a chilling breezing coming from seemingly nowhere, threatening to extinguish the few flames that lit the room, the individual talismans shining briefly in response. Soon enough though, it all seemed to end as Ako continued, “The Demon was only put to a stop by Nagi, who with the help of Shiranui, defeated and sealed the beast away. However, Shiranui was fatally injured, and died shortly after the battle. Fast forward twenty years ago, and the Demon was reawakened when someone released the seal keeping him there, putting a curse over all of Nippon, snuffing out the light with a simple roar. Amaterasu descended this time once more, and worked to defeat him again… Which she did, with the help of Nagi’s descendant “Originally it was believed that he was slain in his second battle with Amaterasu, but now, demons have began returning to Nippon, becoming far more active than they have been before. Not only that, but I’ve investigated the Moon Cave, and-” suddenly, Ako whipped out a prayer slip… And almost immediately, a wave of negative energy washed over the party, all emanating from the prayer slip in her hand, which was pitch black, containing red ink strokes, and having a near visible aura of darkness around it, “This is a small sample of a seal I found placed in front of the Moon Cave’s entrance. Not designed to keep something in, but to keep people out” she stated, before returning the slip under her sleeve, “Due to the place it was kept, I can only assume that the Demon is reawakening, and other demons have placed up the seal to make sure he is undisturbed.” And with that, Ako clapped both of her hands in front of her, “Which is why I’m so glad that my prayers have been answered. A Goddess is just what we need to defeat the great Demon.”

Sceleratis With her business done, Sceleratis burst into another flash of light, leaving her "angelic" form to walk away... At least, before she jumped into the air, her wings propelling her away from the battlefield and back towards her Cathedral. Hopefully those two could settle their problems, because she wouldn't be around to deal with any fall out... Unless it specifically dealt with her. And with how close she was, it probably would. Nonetheless, she had something she had to take care of. Specifically, the land of vines that she had intruded on when she was going to Francine and the helicopter girl's... "Assistance". Thankfully, this time, she didn't walk through the vines and burn some of them away. Instead, she merely searched for the caretaker that she had left earlier, before lowering herself to be, at the very least, on a talking level with, though still in her transformed state and levitating above the vines, "Well, I'm back" was all she could really say as she looked down at the caretaker, her voice creating an echo effect on it's own as she brought a hand to the back of her head.

Mitsurugi's shouting had the intended effect, as the Shrine Maiden practically jumped to her feet, instantly on alert as she spun around and nearly fell over, "HUH?! WHAT?! WHO-" she shouted in kind, before stopping mid sentence with a gasp of shock upon seeing Mitsurugi. New Theme Ako After a few seconds of that initial shock, the Shrine Maiden cleared her throat, placing both of her hands in front of her as she bowed to the group, "My deepest apologies, I seem to have dozed off a while ago. I certainly didn't expect any visitors at this time. Welcome to the Shrine of Amaterasu, travelers. I am the Shrine Maiden of this place, Yamashita Ako" she greeted, straightening herself as she finished doing so, "What brings you, great Kam- I mean, er, travelers?" she asked, freezing partway through as she looked at Mitsurugi, before changing what she was going to say.

Platinum And with that, Platinum nodded, standing up from the bunkbead and stretching, since she had been sitting down for quite a long time, "Alright then, I'll meet you down there" she replied as she picked up the book she was reading through, before heading towards the door, into the hall, and after making sure to shut said door, towards the library.

Walmond & Lambda With the first Fairy group now being slowed down by her electricity, and Lambda continuing to shield him, Walmond decides to continue the offensive, using Tazer once more on Fairy Swarm B (deals 1d4+4 damage, and forces a Con check vs Walmond's Int. If Walmond wins the check, the Fairies are Paralyzed for three turns, and has a 50% chance of being stunned for each of those turns. In addition, the first attack to target Walmond will be instead taken by Lambda. Lambda, on the other hand, continues to press forward, Threatening the two Fairy Swarms and aggro-ing both of them to attack her.

Platinum At Aker's question, Platinum merely shook her head, "Unfortunately, the closest I've gotten to figuring that out is speculation that her strength came from a genetic mutation. Though that could simply be a cover up" she replied. She'd have to keep looking at Kelsey to figure out if there was any actual sources of her strength, or if it was truly a mystery as to where she got it. Suddenly, Platinum snapped her fingers, "Ah, right. I've been planning on researching the goddesses in detail once I've gotten the time. Seems as good a place to search."

Platinum "Well, yes some" Platinum replied, tapping the book next to her, "I've been studying old Layo Mysticism and ancient figures. From what I've learned, Layo Tribes saw the Goddesses as not... Well, Goddesses, but humans. So, they worked to figure out how to unlock their power within themselves. I've been able to read multiple tales of those that walked with certain Tribes that were said to do impossible feats with just their minds, and furthermore, those with the capabilities to create weapons that could channel said power" Platinum explained, bringing a hand to her chin as she thought. Being able to talk about her findings was already proving beneficial, as there were things she had taken for granted until now, "Unfortunately, who those people were and how to create said weapons are unknown. Apparently only a dozen people knew how to do it at any given time" "As for ancient figures, I've looked at Kelsey of Taela, as she apparently had the reputation of performing incredible feats. However some of those feats are a... Stretch, to say the least, but she still was known for her immense and inhuman strength. More interestingly though is Tressa Hannit, because she wielded an enchanted spear that was said to freeze whatever it pierced, given to her by her mentor. Not only is there a connection with what I've learned from Layo Mysticism, but both Kelsey and Tressa were believed to have existed" Platinum finished, now bring her hand down, "It's hard to say that it has a relation with what happened at the camp, but there's a precedent, at the very least. I'll have to continue my research to find out more. Perhaps we'll need to talk to Lilith herself..."

Tanabe “And fair travels to you as well” Tanabe replied with a slight bow of his head, and a raise of his pipe, before moving past the group and down the road, continuing his journey to the capital of Nippon. Shrine Once the group got everything together, they would find the shrine itself, once past the small surrounding walls, to be… Well, rather simple. A small, stone pathway to the shrine itself, lit by four lamps, and a singular tree and well. The main noticeable trait about the outside itself was simply the single tombstone places near the well, well maintained despite its apparent age. However, there was a feeling of divinity surrounding the place, and a sense of safety that seemed to linger in the air. Inside the shrine itself was a rather spacey room, dimly lit with only a few lamps currently on. On the four pillars around the room itself was a collection of talismans and prayer slips carefully aligned, each baring a different marking on them, and seemed to shine despite the dark room. In the middle of the back wall, however, was a stone statue of a large wolf, sitting down and bearing strange markings along its body, and a large flaming disk on its back. At least, that was what it appeared to be. And in front of said statue was what appeared to be the Shrine Maiden, sitting on her knees… And fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Platinum "Neither did I, until now" Platinum responded, closing her book with a bit more force than she intended, "I'm sure there are other places I haven't looked for answers yet, so being able to share information might help... Us in that regard" she added with another sigh, "Unfortunately, all of my leads haven't been fully concrete. You always have to take mythology with a grain of salt. Or large grain of salt, in this case" Platinum finished as she placed the book besides her. Honestly, that wasn't entirely true on her end, but she lacked any real sources. Mythology was becoming her avenue because after what she had experienced, that was her only explanation. Of course, she couldn't tell Aker about that upside down girl she had encountered... She wasn't even sure if she was real. But, either way, it gave her more questions than answers. Like the question of if she was actually going insane.

--Trespassers Group-- After recovering from getting stabbed by Rachel, Proditor turns to the advancing ADVENT Soldiers, before sending out a lance made of pure psionic energy at them, dealing 24 damage and instantly killing the poor bastard. Aquila begins to retreat, moving to D5 (65) Harry opens fire on the Gatekeeper, dealing 18 damage to it, leaving a noticeable scorch on its outer hull, but besides that, not much. Frigus begins to retreat, moving both himself and Harry to B5. Sister Rachel goes into Overwatch, ready to blow the brains out of any alien that comes into range. Nader continues his murder spree of undead, proving why guns beat all by killing one with 22 damage. Alan sends out his request to the two XCOM Operatives, and then attempts to take control of the tank himself (Nat 1 vs ???)... Only to find most of the early access points he had found into the system to be gone. Strange. His other hacked tank begins to roll its way to the Avenger, casually moving past the advancing Sectopod. Alan’s OWN Sectopod, however, finds no other Sectopods in C5. However, it finds two Sectoids in front of it, opening fire with its Magnetic Cannon and dealing 22 damage to each, heavily wounding them but not killing either. --ADVENT-- Suddenly, a new pillar of purple energy appears in C4, far more intense than the one that summoned the ADVENT Mecs. As soon as it appeared though, it began to dissipate… Leaving a familiar figure. At least, to the likes of Harry and Frigus. An Avatar. In its wake, several more pillars of energy burst to life, leaving behind three Codexes, which instantly split up into cover. The Avatar, however, merely scanned the battlefield, pausing twice, when it saw Proditor, and then the two that destroyed the Railgun. Needless to say, its targets were obvious. After getting shot at by Harry, the Gatekeeper returns fire with a quick beam of plasma (94), nailing him for 8 damage. The Sectopod, upon seeing the tank casually approaching the Avenger instead of shooting at it, turns to face it, before opening fire with its magnetic cannon, dealing 20 damage to it. The two ADVENT Soldiers, on the other hand, continue to charge the Avenger, moving to A5. After watching Ao murder a poor ADVENT Soldier, the Andromedon shell pulls back its fist, then clocks her right in the face, dealing a hefty 19 damage to her. The Berserker, meanwhile, finally finishes off the disabled tank, roaring in victory as it’s already dead prey is now even more dead. The rest of ADVENT’s forces continue to charge the Avenger, or deal with the Lost attacking them. Shortly after Alan gave his request, the Commander cut herself into the comms, “Disregard that request. We don’t have time to get that tank on board the Avenger with that Avatar” she stated simply, causing the two Operatives in question to shrug, before turning and running towards the Avenger as well. After getting punched in the face by a gigantic, walking suit of armor, and watching Frigus and Harry easily retreat from the Gatekeeper, Ao growls to herself, before turning and sprinting back to the Avenger, moving to B5. Once there, Harry is a kind doctor and quickly patches her up, healing her by 17 HP, practically removing the Andromedon’s punch from her existence. As soon as one of the Codexes take cover, a sniper shot comes in from… Somewhere, nailing it in the head for 20 damage, knocking it to the ground… As well as causing another copy to be knocked back as well, before teleporting to another position, before the original scrambles to its feet. (64) The sniper remains hidden. Lazarus covers Aquila’s retreat, firing at the Lost that the crusader hesitated on sparing, dealing 21 damage and bringing it down. The two XCOM Operatives in C5, despite the appearance of an Avatar, open fire upon the Sectoids, dealing 13 and 7 damage, which is enough to kill one and further wound the other. Rachel joins in the fun and blasts the remaining Sectoid in the face, dealing 6 damage and finishing the xeno off for good. “The Lost are only threatening in numbers” Database commented as the two of the operatives next to her opened fire on the remaining Lost Runners, dealing 11 and 12 damage and bringing them down, before both she and the other Operative opened fire on the Lost Brutes, dealing 15 and 16 damage respectively, but not taking down either of them, "Regardless, we're not standing here to fight anymore. We're leaving, so let's get moving." The turrets in front of the Avenger open fire on the remaining ADVENT Soldier in C5, (53) (4) (31), each tearing into him and dealing 41 damage in total, easily bringing him down. --Lost-- The Lost continue to be spooky zombies and charge, or attack ADVENT’s forces, as those are the only ones in range. Turns until Avenger leaves: 5 Map Status

Walmond & Lambda "Black and White girl, huh..?" Walmond muttered to herself as Lambda began to advance, her shields beginning to expand. Though, only one was truly effective, as her other shield arm was still cradling Walmond, practically blocking his sight of the advancing Fairies. With a slight frown, Walmond forced herself to peek above the shield's edge, lifting her hand over as well as electricity began to arc around her two fingers, before being launched at the Fairies with a simple snap. Walmond uses Tazer on Fairy Swarm B, dealing 1d4+4 damage, and forces a Con check vs Walmond's Int. If Walmond wins the check, the Fairies are Paralyzed for three turns, and has a 50% chance of being stunned for each of those turns. In addition, the first attack to target Walmond will be instead taken by Lambda. Lambda uses Defensive Modifications, giving her 30% Damage Reduction for 2 turns, but cannot attack during that time.

Tanabe For the most part, Enma's greeting was met by a mere glance upwards by the merchant, before focusing his gaze back on Kino, "Greetings to the both of you. I would ask the Miko about the bell. What I know about it is limited, but I know it is a form of prayer site. I see many travelers using it for prayers and the like" he said, before looking up at the sky, "Unfortunately, I'm beginning to be pressed for time. I'd love to continue talking with you fine folk, but I need to set up shop at the capital. If that's all, then I'd like to get moving."

Tanabe At Mitsu's question, Tanabe merely pointed at the shrine, "She's normally in there. Normally if she wasn't, I would say she'd be in Sei'-an City, but in these times, I would have no idea" he explained with a shrug, "At the least, I can say I haven't seen her on the road from here to the City Checkpoint."

Mira "Fine" Mira suddenly stated, walking past Punch, "The more time we spend here the more we waste on important matters" she stated, heading for Atton's 'half-track'. She assumed that was what they would be using to get around the place, at the very least. She was just annoyed by standing around doing nothing, and the carefree nature of their new 'asset'. But as long as Punch was traveling with them, she would just have to tolerate.

Azgrurk ... Of course, not too long after Azgrurk finally settled into the peace and quiet after the carnage, a new bit of carnage erupted from the defenses. This time, screaming from one of the humans, and without pause. He'd heard human screams before, and this was clearly telling him that whoever was screaming was in absolute pain now. Which meant more fighting for him, hopefully, if it wasn't a simple wound. Those weren't much of a problem. As soon as he processed said screams, Azgrurk lumbered over to the other side of the wall, where he had heard the screaming, noticing two of the humans, a small girl and suspicious man, along with a smaller, BURNING human. The sight instantly peaked his curiosity, making him jump off the wall and crash into the ground, before straightening and marching towards the commotion, "OI, WHAT'Z GOIN' ON 'ERE?!" Azgrurk shouted as he approached, seemingly unfazed by the new magma woman in front of him, that was also charging the man. In his time as Warboss, he had seen weirder.

Freya "Again, fair enough. I'll think of something that you could help me with, whenever I come across it" Freya replied, "That said, I think we might be coming back to the lookout site. Hopefully everyone else didn't leave without us."