[IC] TotMV:G^2: Clash of Fate: What Comes Next

[Chevaleresse]

A massive wave of fire struck Tiamat, called down by the Primus Councilor. The form of the draconic beast was obliterated in dust and rainbows; it seemed the heroes had won this round. But, as a cold wind rose, and the cloud blew away. . . their hopes seemed to be for naught. Another singsong note, loud enough to seemingly shake the earth, emanated from the beast that still remained; she was charred, blackened, and seemed to be leaking less mud and more of an inky black substance that seemed to be what passed for her blood, but she was still alive, and turning ponderously toward the thing that had wounded her so grievously.

 

Just as the monster seemingly began to draw back, however, reality itself started to quake once more. The air around Tiamat distorted once again, but this time didn't spread out across the world nearby; instead, it rapidly intensified around Tiamat herself. Further and further reality warped, Tiamat distorting and compressing before the party's eyes, before, with a silent yet still thunderous boom, she vanished. A golden cup fell from the sky, around where her head had been, before that too folded in on itself and vanished with a rather-less-menacing pop.

 

All was silent for a moment, as the landscape around them burned. What plant life in the area had remained was reduced to blackened scraps or twisted (but thankfully dead) mockeries of what it had been previously, where the earth had not simply been stripped bare, complementing the warped corpses of the lahmu. There was only a moment to consider the devastation, though, before the sound of hoofbeats echoed from behind the group. Soon enough, an entourage of vaguely-familiar looking faces, lead by Lord Silef herself, appeared over the hills. She looked over the area for a moment from horseback, face unreadable, then drew closer to the party. She spoke a single word, a bit less imperious and more uncertain than she perhaps intended:

 

"Well?"

[Powder Miner]

Perlita stood still, still largely in a state of shock, eyes darting around as she tried to process just what in the world had just happened, and as she tried to take in the raw scale and wonder of the destruction that had been wrought upon the area around them.

 

Navin mostly just stood crouched with his hands on knees, breathing heavily -- no wonder, after he'd exerted the best of his strength and his powers to throw a colossal dragon skull hard enough into the rest of its skeleton to shatter both.

 

Isobel found herself suddenly rather tongue-tied. After all, she was standing in the cataclysmic aftermath of a reality-warping battle of grand scale, and was now being approached by... nobility, royalty, one of the two. No amount of experience with strangeness was going to quite prepare her for that. "Buh-- umm-- uh--"

 

LOTUS, by contrast to these three, didn't have any such problems. Sure, he had a developed emotional core, but speaking to people in positions was his power, and he was most certainly capable of staying cool enough to perform that role. "Even I find it a little difficult to actually summarize what went on here, but so far as I can tell the situation is thus: We battled Caster and were separated into several groups during the battle, fighting through a swarm of the twisted creatures we've seen the forces here previously employ -- and then reality began warping to an extreme degree, resulting in the warping of our enemies, both the creatures and Caster, who was replaced totally. I also saw one obstacle I'd previously worried about fly overhead as it joined the battle. Everything but what took the place of Caster appears to have been slain by us, and then whatever replaced appears to have fallen victim to its own reality warping and disappeared from existence. I'd keep an eye out for further appearances of this thing, but unless you do find one I suspect that our work here may finally be done."

[StormLord]

Spicy HG stood in shock and awe as the massive rainbow blew their enemy into nothing more than ash and mist.

More surprising to her perhaps though was the pulse of trace Share energy that followed in the shockwave of the blast.  An attack like that didn't seem like it would've been Mitsurugi's purview, and she wasn't aware of any other Goddesses in the group, she had to make a point of seeking them out later.

 

 

As the orbital strike started Friedhold dove to cover the Little Sister and try to protect them both from the flash of it, not entirely necessary given her ability to bounce back, but he did it anyway.

He didn't actually stand up again until the dust had mostly settled and he could hear others moving around.  He saw and heard the nobles from the castle approach though he didn't address them, he wasn't exactly of a disposition to talk at the moment as he was recovering from combat and shock much more slowly than the younger and/or more durable people around him.  Instead he found himself a rock to sit on and started offering a soothing green glow to anyone in need of healing.

Unsurprisingly however the Little Sister was already eager to get out and scour bodies for their blood.  A disturbing sight indeed to see a little girl gleefully harvesting the blood of giant twisted monsters.

[Chevaleresse]

"I see." Silef's expression remained guarded. "I'll be sure to have diviners watching for signs of. . . whatever it was that we saw on the way here. Well, you've all done a great service to House Asterlux, and your names will be remembered." She grimaced. "If we survive," she added quietly.  "I suppose it's too much to ask for you to help push Shienar back to their lands?" Before anyone could reply, however, another set of hoofbeats sounded from over the ridge. Silef's hand darted to her sword, and just as quickly fell back to her side when the rider that crested it was decked out in her own colors.

 

"Lord Silef!" A wiry and quite exhausted-looking young man, not over 21, sped toward the Asterlux head, skidding to a halt on an equally exhausted-looking mount. "I, haah, sorry, hooh, I came as fast as I could." 

"Well? What is it?" The noblewoman seemed to have snapped back to her typical haughty attitude, prompting a flinch from the messenger.

"Aah, sorry, it's House Shienar! A messenger came and delivered a statement. All of their top generals are dead or comatose, and the rest barely remember invading us! The officers that remain are pulling back the soldiers."
"That's. . . excellent news, thank you for delivering it." Her tone was equal parts relieved and confused. "I suppose I won't be needing your help any more." A strange expression crossed her face; it seemed like she had more to say, but she shook her head and turned about, ordering her soldiers to prepare for the ride back to the fortress. The noblewoman seemed to linger in her preparations, though.

[Strider]

The orbital bombardment had been quite spectacular, really, but it hadn't done the job fully. Now that it was over, Edmond shivered slightly at the idea that they might have won purely by luck, a fluke. Nothing had caused the creature to simply be consumed by reality, as far as he knew, so it was either some immense strength of one member of the group that he knew nothing about, or a fluke. Even if their attacks had caused it, the response was still not intentional, an accident really. Concerning no matter what.

 

Edmond stretched, and glanced at the arms of the power armor suit, inspecting some of the gouges that he'd need to fix later. When he looked up, he noticed that Lord Silef was still lingering, despite the indication that she was leaving.

 

So he called out. "Lord Silef, did you need anything else before we go?" Simple enough, couldn't hurt to ask.

[Chevaleresse]

Silef turned at the call, expression looking rather softer and more uncertain than usual. "Well, with this campaign concluded, and your group leaving. . ." She thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose I can do that." She assumed a veneer of command once again, and gestured to Edmond to follow her. She walked toward the mine's entrance, far enough that none of her men would be within easy earshot, especially over the din of a group of soldiers preparing to move once again. Once Edmond had, in fact, followed her down, she spoke again. "I have to admit something. I. . . don't think I am suited to lead this house through reconstruction. I'm only a passable war leader at best, and I've no patience for the political maneuvering of peace. Furthermore, I'm not ready to, without putting too fine a point on it, do my duty as the sole remaining pureblooded heir." She shook her head as if dispelling the thought.

[Strider]

Edmond followed, remaining silent till she'd spoken. This was a bit of a situation, as far as he could tell, Silef was imperious, and somewhat. . . prickly. The fact that, even with the extra height that the power armor suit granted him, she stood almost half a head taller didn't make things more comfortable.

 

When he spoke, it was quietly and with caution. "Generally those most responsible to the burden or rulership think themselves least suited for it. There are exceptions, of course. What do you want though? To abdicate and go live in the countryside of something? How exactly would that work given. . .the whole pureblooded heir thing?" Blood line problems, that sounded like a nuisance. Weren't all the medieval wars about that stuff and the church? Maybe they could do something with clones? . . .He almost laughed aloud at the number of problems that came to mind from that avenue of thinking.

[Hal Henderics]

Dackly, meanwhile, is throwing a veritable tantrum.

"This entire trip has been an absolute slog!  Hardly any Statues, my poor Dragon skeleton baby is gone forever, and that darn horrific monster disappeared..."  She whines.

"We still have our lives, and you obtained that weapon." Gozer rebuffs.

"Well it sure doesn't feel like it." she huffs.

[Chevaleresse]

Silef shook her head. "I have relatives that are far more capable than I; you've met at least one during your stay here. Abdication is. . . not quite what I want. The simple country life is not one for me in any respect, for much the same reasons as I would make a poor peacetime leader. I can, however, place the next one in line to inherit in charge while I am absent, for an extended period of time. A part of me had hoped. . . Your group has ways of crossing through the Astral Sea, correct? Traveling between planes?" Her voice sounded hopeful, even if she continued to try to maintain her haughty tones.

[Hal Henderics]

Dackly suddenly freezes, and obtains a wonderful idea...

An AWFUL idea...

She obtained a wonderful... AWFUL... Idea.

"Hey!  Any of you maggots worked with the Crystal Balistae?" Dackly yells slithering through the throngs of soldiers, while Gozer follows, an unknown, terror-like sensation emerging in his heart.

[Powder Miner]

Isobel, already near Silef, caught on to what the Asterlux lord was saying very quickly, and even to the difference in her tone of voice, putting a hand to her chin for a few moments as she decided whether she could actually speak up and respond to Silef. Eventually, though, she lowered her hand, nodded to herself, and began to speak to Silef. "Apologies if I'm wrong, but is it that you would want to join our group and help us fight? If that's the case, I don't think that anyone would mind. I think that you'd be really helpful, actually! Or if it's just that you want to go somewhere, well, that's a bit more complicated. We don't really have any way of choosing where we go. But, uh, if it's a fight for a good cause that you're looking for, that's what we do."

 

LOTUS spoke up from Isobel's belt, his tone less soft and sympathetic than hers -- more a blunt and warning tone. "There is one thing that I am going to make clear, though: if you do join us, there is not going to be room for an aristocratic attitude to it. There isn't any title or station or rule by lineage that actually applies to a group like ours; we all come from different places, with wildly differing authority structures and wildly different values in regards to it. There isn't any room for a formal structure of leadership among our group, and if you want to join you will not be able to maintain or seize a place of leadership in it, and you will not be above everyone else. Would you be willing to accept this?"

[ElfCollaborator]

"Oh, so the aristocrat chick wants to go flying on the magic school bus to Fucktown with the rest of us, proooobably because she's the type who's been cooped up in the same war-ridden hellhole forever. I can't say I wasn't surprised. Least she might find a solution to that heir problem. Maybe find a nice guy to settle down with; maybe then I might earn my paycheck instead of doing pixie duty."

Empi muses under her breath, but she keeps her thoughts to herself for the moment (unlike Mitsu, Navin or the shortstack in the power armor, Silef wasn't likely to take Empi's ribbing or usually crass style lightly), instead busying herself with tending to what was left of the wounded. She didn't have much healing magic (she was a qualified first-aider, but if you wanted to have your head reattached, Empi Powderbelle's doctorate wasn't in medicine). 

 

This, in hindsight, really wasn't a job for her. She'd gotten caught up in something far bigger than herself or indeed matchmaking. She now wondered when her boss was going to call her back and ask her where she'd been. She'd have to, eventually.

 

Meanwhile, Gabriel ambles over to Perlita, a stunned expression on his face.

"......that was......a thing, wasn't it."

 

[Strider]

"Oh, hey LOTUS, Isobel."  So the noblewoman wanted to join the quest. He'd suspected, but not wanted to imply.

 

Edmond waited while Isobel and LOTUS said their pieces, then chimed in at the end. "Right, you should be aware, the same is probably true in the places we visit. Systems of government, cultural opinions, et cetera, they're all going to be different. It's not our job or responsibility to change that. Well. . . in some rare cases it might be, but don't expect it to be the norm. So, try to talk to those around you about issues you have with that sort of thing, rather than addressing them alone. No honor duels if you can help it, that sort of thing?" He thought about adding that in general she should be certain to talk to the group if she joined, but that was basic enough that it might be taken as insulting.

 

"But yeah, if you want to join, there's definitely plenty of room in the flying castle tank thing."

 

 

 

[Yours Truly]

Solomon had reacted to the gigantic explosion the way any sane and reasonable person near Halley and the same general field of battle as Lexiel would, by forming a pyramid of metal books and floating the fuck away as quickly as humanly possible before something even worse happened. It took him a couple of moments before he decided that the place had a tolerable amount of fire once more and came back to earth with a slightly awkward sounding, "So...what did I miss?".

 

Meanwhile the inside of Atton's Armored personnel carrier was ablaze with bible quotes and prayer, as one couldn't really expect a religious man to not break out into fiery passioned prayer after battling against a dark army led by a ruffian and a gigantic dragon to end a brutal war against a demonic army and also witness a holy grail appear, especially since if the slowly healing wounds of the people surrounding him was any indication, God really was in the mood to answer prayers today...except maybe not the one Private Kaltenbrenner made for nubile women. 

[Chevaleresse]

Dackly's tone and strange look, combined with her already somewhat intimidating appearance, causes most of the soldiers to avoid her, despite many having worked with her previously. Eventually, though, she sees a hand go up through the crowd; tracing it back, it belonged to a rather scraggly and scrawny-looking fellow who failed to either notice, or be concerned about Dackly's intentions.

 

Silef nodded slowly, and did so again when LOTUS spoke. "I am aware that your group is organized in an. . . unconventional fashion. I expect to be respected as you might a visiting noble, but do not expect my words to be given any weight other than their own merits." A third nod, as if a decision had been made - and perhaps she had. "If that is agreeable to you, then yes, I would travel with your group. Though there are some arrangements that must be made first." 

[Hal Henderics]

"Ahh great!" She says, with closed eyes and cheer as she slithers

"I just wanted to reward the hard work of the people that helped us fight off those terrible, evil foes, and, with my grand and malevolent-"

"Benevolent."
 

"-Benevolent, right."

"With my benevolent powers, I believe I have the power to make one lucky man into a Supersoldier."

"Are you familiar with what that word means, my dear boy?" she asks.

"Because I assure you, it's a very delightful adjective to have appended to one's profession."
 

[Chevaleresse]

"Supersoldier? I've never really heard the term, but I can guess at what it means." He doesn't seem to have been offput by Dackly's mistake(?). "You mean turning someone into a powerful warrior, right? Like the Asterlux sorcerer-soldiers." He seems intrigued at the prospect already.

[Hal Henderics]

"You've got it in one.  I have a special tool, you see, able to distil and reform the very essence of objects."

"And it's rules are not those of arcane study, but rather, of literature, wordplay, and wit."

"Imagine a crucible which turns not only metals, but anything imaginable to fluid, a tool which follows the "should be"'s of the world, where anything put into a scabbard becomes the sword that belongs there, a man who, upon rubbing iron into his skin, gained skin which was like iron."

"This tool is so simple, that, in the land I obtained it from, even very young children were able to use it to perform incredible feats with whatever they can imagine ti put within it, setting it to liquid, and pouring it into places where other things belong, or onto things which absorbed them."

Dackly unfolds her Plasteel Crackpot, setting it on the ground.

"What traits do you admire in natural objects, and in the creations of man, that you would want for yourself?"

[Chevaleresse]

Dackly's victim volunteer didn't seem to quite understand the specifics of what Dackly meant, but he understood the gist. "Well, it's always impressive the kinds of things a simple chain shirt can protect you from. And I would kill for the ability to throw things as if I'd shot them from a bow."

[Hal Henderics]

"Perfectly workable!" she says.

"Let me just..." Dackly burns one of the Lahmu she petrified earlier as fuel, using it as an Earthen Emerald to power the Crackpot, while she does a few things.

Step one, she takes a chunk of wood, and using a combination of Soften and Petrify, turns it into a syringe of Stone, Wood and Softened Material.

This is dumped into the Crackpot alongside a clay mold of the Alchemical Rune powering it, with the intent of making a Syringe which can hold alchemical fluids.

If this works, she also makes a Phial which can hold alchemical fluids.

Assuming these work, she worms her way into the nearby Mine, grabbing just enough moonsilver to construct a Bow and Chainmail using soften to shape it more easily, before using the Moonsilver Bow to fill the Alchemical Syringe, and the Moonsilver Chainmail to fill the Phial.

"From here, young man, you have a choice."

"This Syringe contains the Bow Essence you desire, and the Phial contains the Chainmail.  I can apply them, or you may have one of your own doctors apply it."

"Or, if you join me on our quest, there will be yet more to be obtained, in addition to what I give freely now, and a noble task for you to complete, of saving other worlds from the very things that sought to claim your own." 

"The choice is yours."

She holds up the stoppered bottle, and the sharp, stony syringe.


 

[Chevaleresse]

The man looks practically starry-eyed at the proposition. "Let me get this straight. You think there's a chance that I would turn down the chance to sail the stars? Of course I'm coming with, especially now that the war is over."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Mira

 

For the most part, Tiamat's implosion was met with a tired yet fierce glare from Mira as she attempted to force herself off the ground, only to be forced back to the ground by her final boom. Thankfully, she managed to catch herself on one knee, managing to catch a glimpse of a golden object where that creature had been, before it quickly folded in on itself as well.

 

... It was officially, this world was far stranger than she had first assumed, but at the very least, their job was done on this world... Presumably. Either way, it hardly mattered to Mira right now, who had finally fallen over onto her back. She had put far too much force into her explosion, and now she could barely stand. What the hell had driven her to go that length, just to kill one mere creature that could've been dispatched with a mere stab through its head? Sure, she needed to make sure there was nothing to regenerate from, but that could've been accomplished with far less effort than she put in.

 

Well, it didn't matter now. What was important was a nice... Relaxing...

 

Sleep.

 

 

Walmond

 

Thankfully for Walmond, Lambda had reacted to Tiamat's destruction faster than he could've, shielding him from the effects from the blast. However, it soon died out, long enough for Lambda to drop her guard float a few feet away from Walmond, letting the scientist scan the... Well, land was putting it nicely. More so a burned graveyard, scattered with the bodies of the creatures they had killed.

 

For a split second, that was enough for Walmond. They had won, the day was saved. But yet, while he scanned the remains of the battlefield... He felt like there was something he could study here.

 

"Lambda" Walmond commanded, immediately walking towards one of the deceased Lahmus. Disgusting and as repugnant as they were, these creatures had been brought back thanks to a wave of magic. At least, some of them. If Tiamat's destruction didn't bring all the magic with it, hopefully there would be some left for him to study.

[Hal Henderics]

"Fantastic!" Dackly shouts.

"Let's be friends... Shall we?" She says, sealing the deal with a grin.

[Chevaleresse]

"We shall." 

 

Soon enough, Silef strode back out of the depression, and after saddling up herself, gave the order to head back to the fortress. The group galloped off once more, leaving the party to collect themselves and prepare for their own departure. It was simple enough to navigate back to where the castle had landed.

 

Back at the Asterlux castle, a short time later. . . "Lady Silef, you can't just leave at a time like this! The house needs your leadership!" The court mage's protest was uncharacteristically energetic, robed arms gesticulating (and occasionally letting a loose sheet of parchment fly.

"I can, Belenus, and I will. You were even closer to my father than I; you knew his thoughts on me, and they are true." She took another bag from one of the servants, while another six or so were dragging an ornate chest out of the door and into the stables, where Silef stood speaking with the mage and Rand.

"That was before the entire family was killed off, Silef. You are needed here and now-" The noblewoman held up a hand, silencing him, but he continued. "What are we to do if you die? Or worse, we simply never hear from you again? If nothing else, you are a symbol of the house's endurance." The response he received was another stern shake of the head.

"I've considered all the factors, and I have already made my decision. You cannot stop me." She hefted herself up onto her riding horse, just as a draft animal beside it had the chest belted to it. "Besides, I will return, with knowledge and insights from Lumabella." 

Belenus frowned. "You can't expect me to believe this is some sort of holy vision quest.

"No, I don't. But I expect you to convince the others that it is." Her tone softened for a moment. "Both of you, I appreciate your concern for my safety. But I have to go." She walked her horse to the stable gate. "I'm trusting you with everything. I won't tell you what I expect, because I can't imagine coming back to anything but prosperity." And with that, she was off, horses trotting out through the gates and toward the castle.