<div></div><br> <br>Fire and smoke are very where this afternoon on the farmlands outside. The farmers attempt to fight back or flee to safety as farmhouse, crops, and livestock are set to the flame or butchered. Teams of mercenaries fighting against guards and citizen alike, killing any who gets in their way and they manage to best. A few carry torches to continue the work already started. One, a large bull, yells out, "Good work men! Keep at it now, and we'll have this place razed to the ground in no time!" He raises his musket, clad in heavy plate, and fires, piercing a guard and dropping the shepherd. Everywhere the eye can see there is carnage and flame.<br> <br>Bite slithers towards the smoking farmlands as quickly as possible, already preparing her to use her math. Something is wrong if the fire hasn't been put out over the time it took her to get here. As she passes fleeing farmers and questions them about what's going on.<br> <br>Arimia makes her way to the smoking farmlands, not bothering to stop the way the serpent is, instead heading directly to the area the flames are coming from. A large metal golem stomps along after her, when she arrives and sees the mercenaries attacking she doesn't hesitate to send her golem to intercept one group, while preparing some dark math to strike another. <br> <br>Angus curses as he gets ever closer to the farmlands, elbowing a few fleeing farmers out of the way he gets his first glimpse of the mercenaries and the few others who came to help. As Arimia's golem charges forward to encounter the mercenaries he draws his Rapier, while his free hand slips into his cloak to read a few throwing knives to send their way.<br> <br>Kilsa spotted the fires some distance off before she realize that something was wrong, leaving the Jarls that she just collected from the north on the dirt she begins to run to the farmland. Out of the corner of her eyes she notices Arimia joining the fray and decides to offer her own solution with her war hammer. "Arimia!" She says looking for the nearest citizen that may be in danger, "What is this madness?" She growls looking to assist in keeping the civilians safe.<br> <br>As Bite slithers along and questions the farmers, one stops to explain, "Bandits! Mercenaries! They are destroying the farms! The guards that were sent can't fight them back, are you reinforcements?!" The Persian feline who'd stopped looks back a moment before continuing to flee. The mercenaries are stopped by the golem's advance, and begin to hack or shoot away at it. Meanwhile two archers fire at Arimia, and Kilsa. The shot aimed for Arimia goes wide, and the flaming arrow strikes the ground, lighting the grass and renewing the blaze. Kilsa is not so luck, the flaming projectile striking against the badger's clavicle burning and piercing her. Angus gets a similar treatment, a musketeer raising his blunderbuss and firing on the fox. The shot however, pulls wide, and flies just to the left of his head. Another small team of swordsmen advance toward the road leading to Firmament. The bull laughs as he sees more beings run to the farms, "More of the Good King's guard I take it!? Good! This was getting boring, tell him to send more!" And he raises a banner... which bares the flag of Cliffside upon it! "For Cliffside, burn any farm that would do business with Sweetwater to the ground!"<br> <br>Bite slithers up as the battle begins to start, having gotten enough out of the farmer to know she should get her tail in gear. In her multiple layers of armor, the serpent joins the fray, using her prepared magics to give her allies protection. Indeed, her very presence seems to restore and re-enforce the body.<br> <br>Arimia gives an almost evil grin as she lets loose with her dark magic, and the attackers begin to cower in fear from the terrifying visions created by the 'coon. Though she doesn't remain a raccoon for much longer, being replaced by an eight foot long, pink, tentacled, serpentine dragon. She lets loose with another burst of dark magic and four of the attackers collapse to the ground, bodies slick with excreted blood and bile. As the fifth charges to attack she grabs him and with another dark magic equation drains his vitality from his body, dropping him to the ground once he's dead. <br> <br>Angus nearly has a heart attack as the shot goes wide and zips right past his head. The Musketeer who had missed was almost instantly rewarded for his shot with a few knives soaring towards his throat. Turning back to the rest of the group Angus draws his Song Bird and leaps into the Fray as well. Even as Arimia's magic causes their foes to cower in fear his blade strikes like lighting, cutting into an exposed party of his foes as he readies Song bird to deflect anything they throw back in retaliation.<br> <br>Kilsa began to fight on the defenses, her training pushed to it limit as she place herself between any attack she could to rebuff the attacks against both her friends, her employees and the civilians. She was not prepared for this kind of combat but she wouldn't let her folk down, "The wounded to firament walls! I will cover your backs." She allows citizens and wounded guard alike to pass her. She takes a moment grab the arrow in her and snap it in half leaving just enough to be pulled out later when she has time. "Making an armor that deflect arrows one day....and sets them on fire for the return trip. Mark my words....." She grumbled.<br> <br>Seeing the impressive display the bull gives pause, "Fall back toward the sea men! Archers, Musketeers, give us cover! Let's move!" And along with the rest of his forces, the bull starts back toward the ocean, still holding the banner of Cliffside high above him. Teams of archers and a few with musketeers firing back at everyone as they flee. "You mages and scholars better be worth what we're paying you!" he shouts as he goes along. The blaze however, continues, threatening to engulf everything in sight. A farmer runs up to the group of adventures who just managed to stave off the attacks where the guards were failing. "Please! You have to help me!" the parrot woman pleads, "My son! He's trapped!" and she franticly points to a burning farm house as a section of roof caves in. The distraught woman sways momentarily, then faints dead cold.<br> <br>Bite hisses and begins to work out something before Kilsa, Angus, and Arimia begin to shimmer slightly, her math providing their bodies a resilience to the heat, as well as a renewed vigor. "Sssweeties what do we do? We can't let the farm burn down but we can't let them escape either."<br> <br>Arimia looks about for an answer then sighs, shaking her head. She looks to the Taipan and says, "You an' Miss Ironsoul go after them. Bite, set fire to their ships, stopping them from leaving." She turns to the fox then and says, "Brat, go organize what remains of the guard an' farmers here, try an' get them to put out fires. I'm goin' to go get this woman's son. I've a golem to help clear the way, an' while the fire will burn, the heat won' take it out of me, an' I can hold my breath against the smoke better than any of you." That said she starts to shed her cloak and any other flammable items, before her and her golem make her way toward the indicated house.<br> <br>Angus ignores the brat comment from Arimia and just nods. "Good thinking, press them while they are retreating and don't give them time to regroup." Turning around he shoves both his blade back into their scabbards and heads out to gather up those remaining that hadn't run in the chaos and starts forming a bucket line.<br> <br>The Badger begins to reach into a tunic and produces a small pink colored candy. "Alright Bite. I think she's got the right of things but I cast any sort of math to demolish a ship but you can. Take this it’s one of  my newer projects, I call it focus for a reason. Also tastes like honey and grass." She chuckled and tossed on to Bite before leading the charge with "FOR PROMISE!" She boldly yells to inspire her allies.<br> <br>As she enters the building, with her golem clearing a path, Arimia would find debris, smoke and fire everywhere. Near the collapsed back door lays a small body, not moving, but faint coughing can be heard from time to time coming from the boy. Angus manages to get a few gathered up, though likely not near what he would have hoped, some of the guards choosing instead to make for the fleeing enemies. As Kilsa makes to charge, the archers and musketeers double their efforts to persuade her not to continue, however, with her armor and war hammer, she is more than able deflect what would have hit her. Running over the hill, she is encountered by three beings standing in robes. One is quick to use some earth magic to bind the Badger. Despite any efforts made by Kilsa, the rocks holding her feet and legs stay fast.<br> <br>Bite giggles and nods, taking the pill and the time it would take her to get to Kilsa to swap her soul gems.<br> <br>Arimia quickly moves to scoop up the small form, holding it against her larger form and, rather than making her way back to the door she came in she simply has her golem try to bust down the back door and leave that way. <br> <br>Angus frowns as he watches most of the guards charge in the direction of the fleeing foes and gets to work on controlling the fires. Taking what few beings that decided to stay and help him, he starts to coordinate a bucket line using the nearest source of water. <br> <br>"Alight Earth math..." She focuses and the rocks...do nothing, "Screw it!!" The badger growls angry as a rabid animal as she swings her hammer at the dirt covering her feet. "GET OF ME." She smashes the rocks hard and feels it give way so she swings again with a little too much force and manages to  dislocate two toes and break her pinky toe. "Creator cursed bandits!" Her rage is almost boiling but the worst part is that she takes a deep breath and smiles before look at them. "Anger is not becoming of a crusader. I shall discipline you all.." She smiles calmly before charging.<br> <br>The back wall is taken down easily enough, but as the Golem and Arimia leave with the boy the house collapses entirely. The boy coughs a few more times and flitters his eyes open and squawks a weak "Thank you..." before slumping over. He is still breathing, but it is slow and shallow. Angus' fire line gets to work hauling the buckets from a nearby irrigation ditch. A lot of the farmers still around take notice of what the fox is doing and start organizing themselves, seeing that the immediate danger is no longer the mercenaries that were trying to kill them, but rather the fires that were consuming their homes. Bite slithers quickly up the hill and finds Kilsa standing there, feet and legs surrounded in what was once  solid rock, but is now mostly gravel and rock chunks. The three math users look to the advancing serpent, and, all together, raise a wall of stone behind them, blocking off the way to the sea and make ready for a fight. Before the wall is up however, in the distance, three ships could be seen, and lots of smaller row boats loading up to make their way back to safety.<br> <br>Bite sneers at the sad attempt to stop their progress, focusing and quickening the process of an explosive spell. She lets it loose on them, the poor fools have just pinned themselves between an explosion and a wall. <br> <br>Arimia carries the boy over to where his mother had fainted, setting him down next to her. She looks around, noticing that the folk have been organized to put out the remaining fires, and looks about to start to help, until she hears the sound of that wall being raised. She then gives a soft sound and takes off, running toward where it came from, her golem following after her. <br> <br>Angus continues to help with the fires where he can, his clothes and cloak starting to grow damp from the constant sloshing water from the buckets. The sound of the wall being raised causes him to pass, turning to the nearest village he hands them the bucket and shouts a few orders to keep working. Noticing the direction that Arimia was heading in, he curses and unshoulders his musket, checking to make sure its bayonet was secure just in case the powder was wet, and takes off in the same direction as he tries to catch up with Arimia.<br> <br>The crusader is trying to fight calmly as her foot aches and her  quick movements continue to irk her. An explosion catches her to the side spinning her around and allowing her to use her fist to catch her attack at the nearest mage to her which unfortunately happens to be Bite. "Sorry!" She shots before going after the enemies to find that last one being mopped up by a golem. "Well..." She scratches the back of her head.<br> <br>Bite winces and shakes off the hit from Kilsa with a smirk. She appears to have clipped Kilsa, her judgment is currently cloudy but she can't tell why, probably one of the mages. After the battle is over she examines her handiwork, burns and an exploded water elemental with a giggle, noting the weak mage that she downed with a bit of added dark energy. She shakes her head with intent to clear it and hisses "Sssweetie we need to go they're going to escape!" as she uses what earth magic she can muster with her clouded thoughts to weaken the wall.<br> <br>Arimia launches her draconic form over the wall with a burst of air magic, landing on the other side and hurrying down toward the ships and smaller row boats. As she goes she starts to prepare some complex dark math. Her golem, compelled to stay by its master's side starts moving, only to find a wall in the way. The large, spiked creation, finding the wall weakened by Bite's earth magic, starts smashing its way through, tireless and painless blows soon reducing a section of the wall to rubble, creating a clear path. <br> <br>Angus finishes reloading his musket, and turns his attention back to the wall. Sighing he takes a few steps back so he has a running start, and with a deep breath he rushes towards the Wall and launches himself into the air. As soon as he is airborne he calls up what little skill he has with Wind math, and starts to twirl his tails in a propeller motion, to lift himself into the air and safely deposits him on the other side of the wall. "Well....I didn't expect that to work." Turning back to the task at hand he heads to catch up with Arimia.<br> <br>On the other side of the wall it is clear to see that most of the boats have set off toward the ships. Only a few remain to be loaded up, the bull from before standing at the shore, "Move faster! Damn you all, move!" He looks over as the walk is taken down by the golem, "Worthless mages! Knew we should have paid more." He looks to the charging dragon and her friends, "Looks like I'm doing this myself!" He runs over to an exceptionally big row boat then pulls out a very large, very heavy battle axe, and what looks like a canon fit for a war ship! He yells up the hill, "Name's Terrence! And I'll be your executioner today! Thanks for killing those hired mages, now they won't need paying!" And he makes a few gestures, glowing with a fiendish black energy. "However, if you put down your arms, and let all of us go, then the little Lady over here won't have to die." And he points to a very familiar looking vixen, tied and bound, "Spy found her on her way to the high court, lucky us to have a noble for a hostage!" Mira looks up to the charging Arimia and mumbles something.<br> <br>Walking over the rubbles left by the golem, "Hmmmm." Kilsa doesn't say a word after seeing the vixen bound near him. "Terrance... let her go." Kilsa eyes are full of worry as she thinks about what to do that wouldn't end in a dead friend. "Don't you think a Noble hostage would bring more problems. Let her go and we might possible end without any more bloodshed." She looks at Arimia and Bite while speaking low enough for just them to hear her, "Do you think you could launch her towards us with some Air Math?"<br> <br>Bite hisses violently and employs air magic, perhaps a bit too much, to end Mirana flying towards the group. She also thinks to raise a protective shield to defend her from magical harm.<br> <br>Arimia unleashes the dark magic she'd been building up to, and the beings on the beach and in the boats, all save for Terrence, fly into disarray, crying out as they attack each other. Some fling themselves overboard, others struck down by their fellows, and some charging at Terrence in their paranoid state. She growls softly and says to Bite, "Bite! Fire! Ships!" She then directs her golem to go charging down toward Terrence. <br> <br>Angus stops in his tracks as he notices that Mira is a hostage. He says nothing, but the hard gaze he gave Terrence and the way his tails twitch easily show just how angry he was at this. Slowly he drops his musket and continues to give him that hard glare, but when Bite unleashes her air magic and flings Mira safely out of danger, with Arimia's Dark magic following shorty on its heels, he acts. Drawing his blade he lunges, following in after the golem, coming in low while forcing the blade high in a straight beeline for the bulls throat.<br> <br>Mirana lets out a long muffled yip as she is sent rocketing toward the group, Terrence moves quickly roaring, dropping the cannon and swinging his arm, cackles of black energy flying toward the bound and gagged vixen. She struggles against the energy, but slowly the eyes widen and muffled screams come from her. Though Arimia attempts a counter, it seems to be of limited effect. When she lands, she is completely still, eyes staring into nothing. No sound comes from her, or breath though her muzzle. Terrence bellows out again as Angus' sword grazes off the tall Heavy Folk's scale mail. He swings at Angus, then the rest of the group with that heavy axe, picking up the cannon and firing it when he has a bit more clearance.<br> <br>Huffs as her comrades finish dealing with the deadly threat, "Mirana!" She begins to press on her chest and try to resuscitate the downed fox, "Mirana!!" She continues to try and bring her back around, "Arimia!! Help! He used dark math do you know any sort of counter?" She is holding out hope as her wave over Arimia and tries keeping her composure. "Don't die on me.." She says worriedly.<br> <br>The taipan took off as soon as the fighting started, opting to destroy the attacking vessels instead of their leader. She focuses her fiery prowess upon them, giving each a nice starting flame before going back over them with loving care.<br> <br>Arimia takes a moment to recover her breath after the fight, performing the large dark magic just before it having taken the energy out of her. Once that's done she makes her way over to Mirana and kneels down to examine the fox. <br> <br>Angus lets out a cry of rage as he charges Terrrence for a second time, and narrowly misses that massive axe as it comes swinging his way. Dodging that Axe he lashes out with his foot aiming for the side of the knee, wanting to cripple him. The snap of bone can be heard before Terrence cries out and falls to his knees. As the bull falls Angus once again snarls as his sword plunges down heading for in-between the shoulder blades, not really caring if the sword broke or not. <br> <br>Still as a stone, the single tailed vixen lays completely lifeless. As Arimia examines and Kilsa franticly tries to revive Mirana, she seems however to burn, growing hotter and hotter. The flight had knocked her locket from her neck, and it lay a few feet from the fox. Eventually she catches flame, burning brightly where she lays. The fire extends out from her, consuming the area around, till eventually, the flames explode forth, hot, but causing no harm to the fox's friends. Laying there, Mirana seems to still be out for the count, but her chest rises and falls, breath once more moving though her lungs.<br> <br>Kilsa minds doesn't even care what just happen up picks up the comatose fox and smiles, "She's alright!" Kilsa smiles and holds her as a monster would a newly born child. Attention is caught by the locket, she picks it up and places it around her next, "I'm so happy you’re ok." She looks to the group, "Well, This is certainly a first for me." She regains her focus and holds Mirana down to Arimia. "Is she ok fully Arimia? I mean she might be alive but I don't know much on Dark Math." <br> <br>Bite stops giggling about the ships and the revenge she was enacting for Sweetwater and poor Mirana's kidnapping when she turns around and tilts her head, not entirely sure if in her mild confusion she'd set fire to the vixen. She slithers over to investigate the happenings. She's apparently never been aware of Mirana's death.<br> <br>Arimia covers her eyes and leans back slightly at the flames flaring up. Once they die down her body starts to shift and twist, until she's no longer a dragon, just her usual pink raccoon self. At Kilsa's question she gives a small shake of her head saying, "It's all gone." She starts to walk back toward the farm then, calling over her shoulder, "Search the leader's body for any information! Orders, a letter from who hired them, anythin'!"<br> <br>Angus grabs his sword and yanks it free, giving what's left of Terrence a good kick, before flicking the blade and cleaning it off on his cloak. Whatever amount of rage he still had departed as quickly as it arrived when he watches the flames flare up and Mira starts breathing again. His ears twitch and flick in Arimia's direction as she suggests searching the body, and he turns back to his handiwork and sighs. "Alright, now let’s see who caused all of this."<br> <br>As she is carried off Mira's eyes flicker slightly, and she mumbles, "Time for lessons... already mom.? Can't I sleep... till after breakfast..." And the slim fox rolls gently in Kilsa's arms. The ships burn for a long while before finally sinking, anything held within lost to the sea. Angus' search turns up very little , a few crown in a belt pouch, some basic supplies. However, in his coat pocket, there is a letter, that looks like it was once sealed with wax. No evident insignia on it. If opened the letter would read only, "To Terrence Lockheart, Begin on the 26th day, make sure no one suspects who hired you, and be sure everyone sees the banners we gave you." No signature.[[Category:RPLogs]]