❪ event ❫ hour of ruin

[natha]

HOUR OF RUIN     Sometime after midnight, after preparations have been put aside in favor of drinks and rest, a thunderous beating of wings shatters the air — the High Dragon Ysverai, once again risen. The sound echoes high off Namarak Mountain, but travels easily to both Wyver and Olympia: scream after scream rends the still night, as though a creature were dying rather than being born again. Having only had days to plan their defense against the creature, Olympia and Wyver snatch up their arms. The Royal Guard and the Knightryders can be seen on their steeds hurrying through the cities, because Ysverai doesn't remain isolated at the mountain's peak for long. There are pictures of Ysverai in abundance throughout both cities, but the creature that circles in the sky looks nothing like the majestic creature spoken of in history books. Even from far below, wounds and lacerations can be seen marring what should be smooth scales, and blood falls with every beat of the dragon's wings. The damage becomes more clear when moonlight illuminates Ysverai, revealing the rotting dragon for all to see. The sight of flesh peeling away and thick blood where it oozes from his cracked, greyish hide is as frightening as the power he possesses. REASON'S TRANSCENDENCE     Mad from the anguish of his forced revival, Ysverai will show none of his renowned wisdom or compassion, mindless and seeking to inflict his pain onto whatever emerges in his path. His very presence creates chaos: animals (Olympia | Wyver) domesticated and wild, flee from the merest hint of his approach, panicked and stampeding in wild droves. The reason is obvious: organic matter exposed too long to his presence begins to rot and decay. A field he lands in rots and lies fallow. Buildings crack and crumble, their supports pitted and corroded as though they've been left in disrepair for years. Even the ground that Ysverai walks upon is tainted; a corrosive sludge bubbles up in his massive, clawed footsteps, the ground beneath him putrefied and toxic, oozing corruption. This sludge can be tar-like, poisonous and sucking people in like quicksand; panic, and you'll only sink faster. Prolonged exposure to Ysverai takes a mental toll on anyone in his proximity as well. Effects similar to those from being near his heart — selfish desires and lowered inhibitions — will begin to fester in those around him. Every time Ysverai roars, pain will run through all those that hear him — a pain not just physical, but of true, anguished heartbreak. Those who hear Ysverai will feel (to a degree of your choosing) a sharing of his pain, the agony of flesh rotting from their bodies, blood oozing from under their skin, and a terrible, incandescent fury — and beneath that, a gut-wrenching sadness. This effect is further enhanced by any exposure to Ysverai's blood, and being drenched in greater quantities will cause one to become more in sync with the dragon. Finally, Ysverai is aggressive, attacking anyone and anything that approaches. He starts by breathing out a smog, acidic and putrefying — characters caught directly by this attack will find that medicine and healing magic of any kind hurts them for hours after exposure. The dragon will ignite the smog to breathe fire, if sparingly. IN WYVER     Ysverai's shadow falls over the near reaches of Wyver first. Upon hearing Ysverai's cry, the dragons in Wyver become completely frenzied, turning against their partners among the Knightryders without the slightest resistance. Those familiar with dragons might deduce that they're in pain, though they don't show any sign of injury. The dragons knock their riders off their backs in midair and dive at citizens, jaws wide. Any attempts to soothe them will be long fought, achieved with great difficulty, and will see them retreat into a cowering state. It's not just the airborne Knightryders taking to the defense of the city however, and people on the ground are mobilizing as well. On rooftops across the city are cannons set to fire harpoons. And if the spearheads alone aren't enough to injure the beast, they're coated with a paralyzing poison as well. Unfortunately, the soldiers stationed on the rooftops are prime targets to the frenzied dragons populating Wyver's skies, leaving the cannons open for ordinary citizens to use should they choose. Left alone too long, and cannons may fall under the control of the few remaining radicals that had opted not to flee the cities to join up with their leader Raysc, choosing instead to wait for an opportune moment to unleash their anger on the people of Wyver. These radicals will need to be dealt with before they can turn the cannons upon Wyver's defenders. IN OLYMPIA     In Olympia, the gryphon partners of the Royal Guard react with immediate hostility to anyone showing signs of Ysverai's influence. Their keen senses allow them to pick up the smell of Ysverai's blood and they attack anyone with so much as a drop of tainted blood on them. Those who bear lingering effects of Ysverai's mental attack and who remain in sync with the dragon after hearing Ysverai's cry are also targeted and must face the gryphons' wrath without mercy or restraint. The gryphons must be disabled, for Olympia will not look upon any injury to their prized steeds lightly. However, the gryphons also show some resistance to Ysverai's cry, which is a great boon in battle against the dragon — gryphons that have lost their riders will be available for use, able to carry two passengers at a time. The people of Olympia aren't planning to restrict their offense to pure brute force, and the mages of the city can be seen across Olympia wielding enchanted chains, using telekinesis in the hopes of restraining Ysverai and assisting in the airborne troops. But like the decaying buildings and wildlife, Ysverai is warping the magic around him, the chains faltering as they approach him, whipping back toward the city instead to cage whoever happens to be closest. It's not just the enchanted chains either, but other magic might behave erratically in his presence, as if the very essence of the spells have been corrupted. VIRTUOUS VERSE     Both cities realize they need to seek survival rather than victory against Ysverai, switching gears to carry out diversion efforts and evacuation plans. It falls to refugees to continue the offensive while the Royal Guard and the Knightryders devote their attention to ensuring the safety of the citizens as they flee. With official forces stretched thin, civilians and refugees alike will also need to step up to help herd citizens toward safety among a maze of collapsing buildings. Others will need to see to gathering resources for the evacuation, and while gathering non perishables is easy enough, it's considerably harder to wrangle livestock into cooperating amidst such chaos. Those fighting may be asked to act as bait for Ysverai. Chatter through official troops speaks of a switch in strategy: the objective now is capture the dragon's attention and draw him away from the populous cities and towards the South Outpost. Whether or not it's possible to defeat the dragon remains uncertain, but there's no question that it will be easier to battle him without worrying about civilians. THE RAGE     Luckily, the dragon is indiscriminate in his rage, and easily lured so long as a suitably infuriating target is before him. It doesn't take long to draw him to the South Outpost, but the trail of destruction he leaves in his wake is vast. Once there, the combined forces are greeted not just by Ysverai, but also by the appearance of Ysverai's master. How bravely you've all come to meet your doom! Great heroes, one and all, ha! I welcome you, bring your best. Show me the power that's protected Olympia and Wyver, all that you have to offer me, whatever pitiful excuse for valor you seek to cling to when the fear has you cowering in your beds. All will be for naught in the face of Ysverai's might! Let history witness the day the glory of war is reignited — the day that Wyver remembers its fangs once more! Come, Ysverai, last and greatest of the High Dragons! Come, and restore Wyver to its rightful place! Come, fulfill the promise as our protector that you could not in life! Raysc lifts a gleaming device as he issues his command. Red lights blink and blood, the same oozing liquid that drips from Ysverai's many wounds, runs in clear tubes through the device. Ysverai rears back as Raysc makes adjustments to a control panel — and then lunges forward, mouth agape. With a single swallow, Raysc meets his end. Raysc's attempt to control the dragon has only enraged him further, spurring Ysverai on to new heights of fury. It's become more vital than ever to face the dragon and take him down here and now. A few effective strategies are learned from research efforts and observed while defending Olympia and Wyver: goading the dragon into breathing fire will hurt him, burning him from the inside out, and attacks to his joints, eyes, wings, and exposed bone are effective. Ice is a natural repellent to dragons and can be used defensively or to weaken the dragon's hide. Healing spells will also react unnaturally to Ysverai's flesh, hastening his decay. However, while concentrated efforts will lock him down, Ysverai cannot be permanently killed in this state — his flesh constantly rots and spawns anew. Attacking him here is to protect civilians, keeping him busy to avoid mass destruction elsewhere. Therefore, the battle is one of attrition, a matter of a race against time. You must destroy his flesh faster than it is able to regenerate to have any hope of victory. Finally, when Ysverai is weakening, little more than bones with a few last vestiges of rotten meat hanging from a skeleton, the pathetic remnants of the last High Dragon takes to the skies. His wings are barely intact enough to carry him, yet desperation lifts him, higher and higher, until he lets out one great, earth-shaking roar. A roar that carries across the battlefield, sending all who hear it to their knees. A roar that shatters the swords in soldiers' hands, that rends apart the very air itself — Ysverai's last act, a great curse upon El Nysa, to bring down the sky. AND THE WORLD STOOD STILL     The terror of Ysverai's destruction hangs overhead — a tear in the sky, darkness pouring through, tendrils reaching down towards El Nysa to swallow up the planet in the dragon's final act of revenge. And yet nothing moves. A halo of brilliant light surrounds the rift in the sky, holding the grasping, hungry tendrils in check. And on the planet, not a creature moves. Not a blade of grass stirs. You're not able to even draw a breath. No matter where you are, not even the heart in your chest is beating. Everything has stopped — time has come to a standstill. In a wash of light, an aurora of transport, you find yourself delivered to Thesa Station. Darma stands before you, her expression solemn, perhaps even grim, though that may just be a trick of the station's harsh lighting. She explains what has happened in short order: planetside, time has been completely frozen. We have seen the birth and end of worlds. The rise and fall of civilizations infinite times over. We have seen all threads of possibilities that could have lead to this very moment... Or should have. Perhaps you might doubt our sincerity when we say this comes as a surprise to us, as well... Special technology has been used to blind us. To this day, we only know of one region capable of creating and utilizing such technology... you will find this technology in a city known as Nadril. We understand that you have created a life down in Wyver and Olympia, but now we must ask that you put that life on pause. We ask you to travel to Nadril and find the original Refugee, and with him, answers. As you will discover, he does not wish to speak to us. It is no matter. By now it is too late to keep the Nysan public unaware of our existence. We commend the efforts of those who wish to protect their comrades on the battlefield below, but a creature like poor Ysverai, twisted and warped, given unnatural life with terrible magic and technology, does not simply go down with manpower. Please, leave Ysverai to us. Time on the planet will remain stopped while we determine how to deal with the dragon. For now, rest and recover your strength. We have returned, and soon, there will be new refugees awakening. Perhaps you might like to prepare yourselves to greet them? I'm sorry that I can't answer more questions, but for now, all our attention must turn to finding a way to stop what Ysverai has wrought. A bank of monitors behind Darma displays the battlefield below: Ysverai's frozen, looming figure and the breach in the sky, and the Natha's halo, holding the destruction back. Though time passes normally on Thesa Station, El Nysa remains frozen, and all Refugees are unable to return to the planet until Ysverai's menace is dealt with. Luckily, with the Natha's return, full functionality has also returned to the station. The lights and environmentals are back to full power, access to all areas has been restored, the cafeteria is serving its normal offerings, and there's no evidence of any glitching or malfunctions. Doubtless, the period of rest is much needed after the hard-fought battle. For now, with time on El Nysa at a standstill, there's little else to be done but enjoy the reprieve aboard Thesa Station. FINAL OOC NOTE     Characters that reach an AC length action thread in this event will receive 2 rep for all factions, including Natha. Note that while these are split up for ease of processing, players may submit for all three. OLYMPIA | WYVER | NATHA Players can expect this event to run three days ICly before everyone is teleported to Thesa Station! From thereon, all characters will be grounded at the Station until the Test Drive Meme later this month. QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs ● bestiary taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp ● quest bulletin calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[sparsity]

As if I could.

[ His answer is quick and relatively painless, lacking pomp or fanfare. Where else is there for him to be but here? They're among the few that tower on the same level as the dragon — Mikazuki intends to make it count.

In the space of the moment that the dragon lunges at the other mobile suit, Mikazuki has Barbatos's leg and back verniers swiveled, drastically altering his path in the blink of an eye. That same animal grace propels the machine towards Ysverai now, bladed tail harpooning the creature in the back to wrench it upwards. He kicks the thrust and sends his Gundam roaring up at the dragon, swinging its mace into the underside of its head.

Bone cracks and flesh splatters, terrible noises to hear on this scale. ]

[jesus_is_gundam]

Hm.

[While Setsuna's present unit is expendable, the Gundam may end up being their last line of defense. But Mika his made his decision, and Setsuna isn't going to argue the point. Not when Mika's created an opening that he can take advantage of.

Mika's blow with the mace causes the dragon to raise up on his haunches, exposing its whole chest and body. Halting his retreat, Setsuna dives forward his suit forward, slamming shield first into the neck and chest of the dragon. The blow doesn't topple the beast, but staggers it further and creates enough room for Setsuna to aim the blaster and hits Ysverai in its somewhat softer belly at point blank range.]

[sparsity]

[ Mikazuki fights with the full intent of being both the refugees' vanguard and the last line of defense — despite this threat being different from any others he's faced, going up against it is one of the few things he knows he can do. With instinct fueling him more than altruism, he can't even measure the adrenaline in his body now that he can fight like this again. It's been too long without the familiarity of Barbatos's violence.

Seeing the dragon rise up through the thick of the haze it's created, Mikazuki notices the smaller mobile suit dart in beneath it, followed by gunfire. Leveling his Gundam's arm, he also opens fire with the 200mm rounds he still has chambered.

It's a horrible image, muzzle flash and steam and frayed wings in all the smoke, ground and machines coated in blood. ]

[jesus_is_gundam]

[Ysverai roars out in pain, and something reverberates in Setsuna's bones.]

This feeling...

[It's a feeling he can't quite identify, but its something that's been lingering in the back of his mind each time he's clashed with the dragon. While its painfully obvious that the dragon is corroding the suit, its been less obvious that something has been slowly eating away inside of him. But whatever this feeling is, he doesn't have time to dwell on it. Not as he watches as all the damage they've done to the dragon is get undone before their very eyes.

It's not enough.]

Let's move.

[If they can lure it near enough to the South Outpost, where there wouldn't be any civilians underfoot or too many buildings to get in the way, they might have a chance. Maybe.]

[sparsity]

[ Anything gnawing away at him simply joins the indefinite roar of sensation coursing through him. Determination, violence, the heat of the machine pulsing through his blood and nerves. That there's something else in it, something that would almost be familiar in all its drive towards futility, isn't something he's actively thinking about when he has control of Barbatos's weight. When the dragon still faces him.

Not enough is something he never wants a taste of again.

At the call, he's shifting the Gundam backwards, taking clean shots at whatever might incense the dragon into following — chest, eyes, jaw. Every so often, that bladed tail takes a flick too, like a taunt.

Smoke rises from his suit from where the blood and muck sits atop the paint, not quite strong enough to melt through to the frame below. ]

[jesus_is_gundam]

[Not enough is a feeling that Setsuna is all too familiar with. No matter how much damage they do, it all comes back to nothing, and he can't help but be reminded of that time before. He can't help but be reminded of those last days in Krigus, taking on giant mobile suits with nothing but an ancient Kalashnikov to aid him. It shot 10 rounds per second, most of which would hit their target, and barely do any damage to the towering monstrosities.

The mobile suits is capable of much more than that, and Mika's Gundam is capable of far more, but the end result is still the same. No matter how many times they hit the dragon, all their damage amounts to nothing. Its frustrating, a bitter feeling that burns within him every time Ysverai roars.

For the moment, he sets it aside. He has a mission to accomplish. (Though... what then?)]

We're almost there. What's your status?

[Because his is several minutes away from being completely fucked, not that he'll mention that.]

[sparsity]

Well... not bad.

[ It's about the least official sounding answer he can probably give in the moment, but Mikazuki's absolutes are casual at best. Barbatos still stands, one sharp section of its v-fin snapped off, dents and nicks and scorch marks marring its armor. But even when the armor suffers erosion damage, the deep metallic frame below is still operable — in fact, it doesn't look compromised at all.

Even as they speed backwards though, rending ground with pulses from the engines, Mikazuki can see that Setsuna's suit is nearing the end. It's not surprising, with the make of it, but he still keeps the line open to utter a low hum, strangely... watchful. ]

That's the limit for you, right?

[jesus_is_gundam]

[Engine #3 is out, he's fairly certain that he's leaking both coolant and oil, the suit's joints have rusted about ten years in the span of a few minutes, and half his console got shut offline. The suit's limits were passed ages ago. His own, though?]

Not yet.

[An alert on the console notified him that they were rapidly nearing the point indicated. Zooming in the the scene behind them, he could see the united force of Wyver and Olympia preparing for assault.

In times like this, everyone comes together as one.

Now that;s what I call irony. But, it isn't bad.

He thought the world was going end that day, with the collapse of the orbital elevator. Even the Trans Am Raiser hadn't been enough to avert disaster. But the world didn't end then, because he didn't stop fighting, no one stopped fighting. The world wasn't going to end now, not as long as he could keep on fighting.]

Initiating phase 2.

[He doesn't bother explaining what phase 2 is, but he figures that Mika will be quick enough on the uptake to figure it out. Particularly since all that follows is the sound of a thunderous roar as all of the rear thrusters ignite, and his retreat becomes an advance, even as every remaining inch of his suits whines against the sudden change in direction. He fires several more rounds at Ysverai with the rifle, before discarding it completely as he keeps advancing.

He draws his beam saber as he gets in close enough, ducking under a swipe from claws that were more bone and leathery skin than flesh, and slashing the dragon along the length of its body as Setsuna makes his first pass, then ducks under the tail as he come about for a second pass.]

[sparsity]

[ Clued in to the fact that they're approaching something at the South Outpost, he lets Barbatos' sensors highlight the area and magnify the force that's gathered there. A low hum moves through his mouth, seemingly unconcerned. ]

So that's it.

[ Not a bad idea, even if the irony of luring the dragon to the refugee's newly allotted neutral zone isn't lost on him. Mikazuki isn't one to minimize damage anyway, to think of the ramifications — there were others to fight that battle. As it is, Barbatos comes coasting to a stop in a defensive position, watching the suit in front of him switch gears to launch its own offense in what he can only guess is "phase 2". Mikazuki is aware that the suit doesn't have long, that Setsuna could die. He's not interfering, even so, leaving his choice to conclude however it will. It's not his place to do anything but what he can to win against Ysverai.

Instead, Barbatos anchors and lifts its mace, shouldering it as if it's a projectile, watching the motions of the dragon. It just needs to rear for him to take a shot... ]

[jesus_is_gundam]

[Ysverai roars in pain. Surprisingly enough, Setsuna roars right back at the monster, undeterred by how the dragon's screams echo inside his soul. But despite how wild he sounds, little more than screams and growls as he goes all out, he's in absolutely perfect control of his machine. There's no wasted motion in his movements; each saber strike has a purpose, splitting open his scales at the seam, severing rotted tendon from bone, rendering huge chunks of flesh from the living corpse.

Even his dodges have an uncanny level of precision to them. He's taken the dragon's measure over the course of these encounters, he better understands its movements and reactions, his Innovator instincts better able to anticipate responses despite how wild the dragon has become.

All the while, he knows the minutes he has left to be effective are quickly dwindling down into seconds, but he's still caught off guard when the countdown hits zero. There's an explosion in the left leg of the suit, the dragon's blood having eaten away are valuable wires and hoses, and the spell of death having corroded valuable parts led to their logical conclusion. But as Ysverai bears down on, about to finish him off, he only has one last message for Mika.]

Now!

[sparsity]

[ Tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth in concentration, Mikazuki's entire body coils in anticipation of the moment he hadn't really known he was consciously waiting for. Setsuna is in his awareness, though his fight is on the peripherals of what Mikazuki is actually focusing on: the dragon. When the suit finally crumbles beneath Ysverai's weight, Mikazuki almost feels the command more than he hears it, searing bright in his mind and sharpening throughout the rest of his body. ]

Got you.

[ All four pistons engage on the mace, steam bursting from the ports as they launch its pile bunker from its tip with terrifying force. Barbatos itself is knocked back by the recoil, showered in smoke and sparks. The projectile lances through the air, hitting Ysverai in the neck with enough power to puncture though flesh and bone, metal embedding itself in the creature and blowing rotten tissue and blood back though the wound.

It's a terrible noise that follows, the animosity and pain reverberating through the air, shrill and inescapable. Luckily, his ears were already bleeding.

With a wild throe, the dragon backs off of Setsuna's mobile suit while trying to dislodge the projectile from its neck, rolling through trees and leaving nothing but death in its wake. That'll hold it off for now as its wings beat and attempt to carry it and the weight of the pile bunker into the sky. ]

[jesus_is_gundam]

[Its loud. Between the damage to his suit, the attack by Mika, and the scream by Ysverai, its hard for him to separate exactly what's happening at any given moment between the tumbling of his suit and the cacophony of noise all around him.

When the chaos settles, as much as it ever settles in battle, he quickly tries to assess the situation. He's alive, for one. He go knocked around more than a little, but no serious injuries to him. As for the suit, well.. About the only thing he can figure out is that his suit's status is completely fucked. The suit's head is smashed in, on arm was torn off, and there's a nasty claw mark across the front of the suit, though he's aware of none of this at the moment. All visual sensors are down, communications are chock full static being blared into his ears, and any instruments that are still working are blaring red.

He tries pushing on the controls, at least to try to get the suit upright, but the only response he gets in return is the incessant whine of machinery that has been asked to do far too much already, and can't give him anymore. Letting out a sigh of frustration and resignation, he knows he'll have to abandon the machine.]

Mika. [He tries, hoping the other pilot can hear him through the static.] Mikazuki Augus, come in.

[sparsity]

[ A reply does wire through, half-garbled static for a moment. ]

Huh, you're alive.

[ From were Mikazuki's sitting, it could have easily been 50/50. But now that he knows, he's offloading the mace from the Gundam's shoulder, stowing it so he can move. With a quick pulse of the verniers, he skirts Barbatos over the ruined ground, avoiding the pools of rot and sludge that corrode the surroundings. Trees wither, dirt and grass morph into decaying swamps. Ysverai will be back, he knows, but they have a few minutes to regroup with the rest at the South Outpost.

Setting down near the wreckage of Setsuna's suit, he takes quick stock of the chest unit, where the cockpit is. ]

[jesus_is_gundam]

Yeah.

[The front of the suit is a mess from the outside, but, fortunately, it's only the surface that suffered the most damage. The cockpit unit is intact, though exposed by claw marks by the dragon. One more hit, however, and...

That's not something Setsuna bothers to focus on. He's effectively blind inside a unit that can't move, which is a terrible spot to be in. He opens the hatch, just to be greeted by the sift of Barbatos looming over him and his suit, a pang of something he can't quite identify as he looks up at the machine.]

Gundam.

[He doesn't linger on it, though, he can't afford to, and instead pulls himself out of his ruined machine. He'll check over the damage to it in a moment, but first...]

Where's Ysverai?

[sparsity]

In the sky, sort of.

[ Mikazuki offers his answer blandly, leveling one clawed digit out to Setsuna, 'palm' up. The dragon's screams still shake the skies, but they're more distant now. ]

It can't fly very well now.

[ At least until it gets that pile bunker out of its skull. In his cockpit, he clicks his tongue.

A shot like that should have done it. ]