[Intro] Battle 1: vs Castle Scrios Lv 5

As the bay doors opened, the troops of Castle High leaped out, landing on the heavy moss below. It had been a good while since the soldiers of Regiment 1-31 had touched terra firma, but they knew now was not the time to touch the lush green ground or smell the fresh, crisp air.

Behind you, Castle High slowly lowered itself towards the ground, its cannon incinerating a crater into the earth where it promptly settled, like a wooden peg falling into its hole. Russel had made a soft landing alongside you, and was chuckling a bit, partly to himself. "Sure is something, isn't it?," he remarked. "That's how we always make an entrance - always catches our opponent off guard. Hope you get used to it, haha!"

He then turned around and drew his long blade, the gem in its hilt twinkling as he pointed it at the fortress. Large slabs of stone, maybe two or three stories high, arranged it would could probably pass as a roof and four walls at a glance; everything placed a little precariously, with attention only to the present long gone. You hear grunting from outside as freakish lime-green figures slouched over and dressed in black crawled from the shambling castle, some carrying an assortment of hastily-crafted spears. Several of the spear-wielding gremlins began to run at Regiment 1-31, while the numerous other squads prepared to face their own assortment of enemy troops. Meanwhile, you could see two gremlins at the entrance of the castle wheel out what appeared to be short-barreled cannons of some sort.

Russel nodded. "Right, it's your first fight as a squad, so we decided to target something easy first. Should be no problem for the likes of you, right?" He held his sword at the ready and gave a bit of a cocky smile to the gremlins, brushing his cape aside so that it slightly billowed in the cold wind. "I hope you don't mind if I join you. Been meaning to get some exercise in!"

Everyone around you is advancing fast. Better get moving.

Welcome to Attack on Castle High (README):

---

Castle High Forces:

CASTLE HIGH Lv. 10
HP 10000 / 10000

---

"Ah... it's been a while since I've gone on a raid." Arthur flashed a charming grin towards the vast green ahead, a gloved left hand ready on the hilt of his blade. "I suppose it's natural to warm up on this small fry. Hoho... don't any of you try to stand too close to me, now."

He narrowed his gaze... There, from across the battlefield, he focused on his opponent-- he counted eight running freely, and two farther ahead. In times like these, it was best to begin by clearing the way forward. With just a jacket with light leather armor secured over it for protection, his unremarkable blade vague enough to not be of any note, he surged boldly forward-- a powerful glint in his eyes challenging whatever lay ahead.

>Arthur: Surge forward and meet [Spear Gremlin A] with a heavy swing poised to cleave through its defenses! Prepare to guard and counter against incoming attacks.

Candice felt a wave of relief as she found a handgun in her hands. She'd spent the last few days in the Castle training her body as best she could, but she'd been quietly dreading the moment she'd be expected to swing around a sword. She'd received some basic training on how to aim and fire a gun back in her country, which she now tried her best to recall.

Hmm... those two cannon-wielding monsters were the only ranged support the enemy side had. If they could be picked off, Castle High's troops would only need to worry about a melee assault. They weren't too far...

"I'm taking a shot at those cannons, if that's alright with everyone!" she called out. Hearing no objections, she dropped onto a knee and leveled her firearm. What was the trick to aiming again? Take a breath, hold it, then fire? Or were you supposed to do it on the exhale? Wait, was it breathing that mattered, or proper wrist placement? Hmm... on second thought, she had a better method.

Candice: Drop into a crouch and fire a volley of rounds at [Scrios Cannoneer A] and [Scrios Cannoneer B]. Focus on volume over accuracy,  and try to make it tough for them to get a clean shot on anyone.

"Deary me...this is, normal?"

The question was directed at Russel.

"I'm not sure my old bones can take this...but I'll do what I can."

With that, Wander concentrated, struggling to remember the few details he could pull together about his holy training. Feeling his core begin to shift, the old man made several gestures with his offhand, leaning heavily on his staff, before unleashing it outwards, towards the swordwielder who had charged ahead.

"It's quite dangerous to just rush in, you know - you really should wait for assistance!"

Wander: Gather energy and attempt to cast a physical-attack-resistant barrier on Arthur.

...It's been a long day... The scholar thought to himself as he surveyed the battlefield. Battlefield. Now that's new. Read about them in books, but I've never exactly been in one myself... He sighed. The circumstances were almost overwhelming.

He tried to recall some of the magic he knew-relatively little, it seemed, but his teacher always said he had a gift for it. If he could only tap into some of that knowledge...

"My name is Bran." The scholar said, and he slowly began muttering words in an ancient language he doubted anyone there understood.

Bran: Begin casting a destructive spell, aiming to engulf Spear Gremlins B, C, and D in flames.

War. Fighting. It never stops. Kjell thought to himself. People always want more. There's always more conflict to be had. Kjell sighed and looked around. Weaponry of all kinds had been picked up. He intended to leave barehanded, but Russell wouldn't let him. He felt more comfortable with his fists than with a weapon. He had a job to perform, and the sword wouldn't cut it.

"I will do what I can to protect those on my side" Kjell said silently, as he began to focus. With people at all distance, he knew he'd need help with that. Many of these people were likely somewhat new to conflict. A violent storm of energy gathered around him, as he began to mould it.

Kjell: Stow the sword, then gather energy to create a shadow duplicate of himself.

"Hnnnh. Guess 'is 's what'm here fer. Whulp." Adjusting her hat, Yam grimaced at the sorry lot gathered before her; those spears didn't look to be in the best condition, and those cannons... well, she couldn't get a good look at the from here, but they were probably somewhat antiquated, if she had her bearings right about this place. So, this was either a peaceful kingdom who rarely used or maintained their weaponry - unlikely, given their present disposition, although Castle High had just obliterated a fortress-sized section of land only a few span away, which was bound to make anyone feel a little defensive - or this place and its stocks had been overtaken by the little green folks quite a while ago, and they hadn't had the resources - or intellectual capability? - to do anything to improve upon the weaponry they had stolen. Hrmm. A third possibility existed, of course - that the enemies they were currently faced with were not representative of the full forces at the opponent's disposal. This might only be a bare contingent of conscripts, or worse, slaves, meant more to test their foe's forces and stall us than to wage serious battle. Whatever the case, she almost felt sorry for them.

Mmm. Not almost. She did. Oh well.

A tired expression on her face, she raised her scythe to point its blade so that, from the perspective of the gremlins furthest back, it made a line which divided the upper half of her body from the lower; and then she spat to her side. She hadn't fully synced with the earth spirits here, yet - the primary disadvantage, to her, in living in a flying castle - so even though she'd kicked around creatures thrice as tough as these without breaking much in the way of sweat, it'd be unwise to be incautious. Still. Still, still, still, still. She had to do something, after all, didn't she? If she was here to help Castle High, and she didn't see why she wouldn't be, since they'd been gracious enough to take care of her and all. So.

"Resistance's futile, 'n all'at," she declared, in a surprisingly clear, loud voice. She waved her scythe a bit, but that was more for drama than for magic; the real spell being cast came from the soles of her feet, shifting methodically, soft and harsh all at once, in a language nobody and nothing knew, but which everything understood. In her narrowed eyes, a perceptive person might see the spark of prayer - or, if not prayer, then at least the faux-confidence of a person getting around to asking for the number of someone they're attracted to.

>Yam: Call on the Earth to ensnare the spears of Spear Gremlins F through H in roots in an attempt to disarm them. Affix the full, assembled host of enemies with a contemptuous glare.

Arthur swung his Blank Broadsword directly at Scrios Spear Gremlin A, but his swing went wide, and the gremlin didn't need to do much to get out of the blade's way! Afterwards, Arthur stepped back and prepared to block incoming attacks...

Candice fired a volley of shots at Scrios Cannoneer A and Scrios Cannoneer B! A few bullets managed to graze the Cannoneers as they duck behind their cannons in a panic, dealing 101 damage to each and suppressing the Cannoneers! They can't attack without risking taking more damage from the gunfire this turn! (+1 Adv)

Wander asks Russel about whether this is normal, to which he laughs heartily. "Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet!" Wander then casts a barrier around Arthur that protects him from physical force! Damage from all physical attacks is halved!

Bran channeled his magic and surrounded Scrios Spear Gremlins B, C and D in a fiery blaze! But the spell is spread thinly, and each of them only took 94 damage from the flames. (+1 Adv)

Kjell sheathed his Blank Shortsword before gathering energy, eventually summoning a shadowy duplicate of himself! It doesn't have any of Kjell's abilities or items, and will scatter back into nothing at even the slightest of attacks, but will otherwise do what Kjell wishes.

Yam channeled her power through the Earth, causing roots to shoot up from the ground! Scrios Spear Gremlin F was able to bat away the roots in a frenzy, but Scrios Spear Gremlins G and H aren't so lucky and are disarmed! They can't use their weapons! (+1 Adv)
Yam then gave a hard glare to all of Castle Scrios's forces! While most aren't disturbed by this at all, Scrios Spear Gremlin C and H seem especially angry at Yam's attitude! They have been taunted into attacking Yam this turn!

Russel leapt forwards and swung Sunsetter with all of his might, attempting to cleave Scrios Spear Gremlin E in two! The attack hits true, dealing 696 damage and instantly defeating the gremlin! "That's what I'm talking about!" (+2 Adv)

Scrios Cannoneers A and B opened fire directly onto Castle High, the cannonballs from their Small Cannons landing in the side of the castle's walls and dealing 816 damage in total! But due to Candice's suppressing fire, the Cannoneers each took additional damage, with Cannoneer A taking 263 damage and Cannoneer B taking 285 damage! (Cannoneer A, Cannoneer B: +1 Adv)

Scrios Spear Gremlins A and F ganged up on Arthur, both lunging with their Rusted Spears! But Arthur was easily able to deflect both attacks with his Blank Broadsword.
Arthur feels strain from exerting himself... (-1 Adv)

Scrios Spear Gremlins B and D attacked Bran together! Spear Gremlin B strikes with the tip of its Rusted Spear, inflicting 96 damage, while Spear Gremlin D's attack goes wide. (Spear Gremlin B: +1 Adv)

Scrios Spear Gremlins C, G and H surged forward to both attack Yam, with Spear Gremlin C's spear connecting for 135 damage while Spear Gremlin G and H's feeble punching attacks go completely wide of their intended targets. (Spear Gremlin C: +1 Adv)

About Advantage:

---

Castle High Forces:

CASTLE HIGH Lv. 10
HP 9184 / 10000

---

As the gremlin stabs Bran, he braces himself. The enemy's attack seems to have caught him off guard.

Come on, think, Bran think... What did they say?... He sighed. Spreading out magic like that reduces the individual potency, although the aggregate damage does not suffer.. Bran begins reciting in his head what his mentor taught him. So by focusing your spells on one or two targets, you deal greater damage to each... He thought. The gremlins couldn't hear him, but he was cycling through these things at a mad pace in his head. A fight or flight response kicked in, and he acted almost reflexively.

A few moments later, he reached out with his hand...

Bran: Fire a bolt of lightning at Spear Gremlin B, which should chain and hit Spear Gremlin D. Then, move back and take defensive action.

Yam grimaced as the spear-gremlin came after her; it was a little faster than she'd expected, or maybe carrying this scythe was just slowing her down more than her sickle usually would. In either case, though she managed to twist her body to prevent the spearhead from penetrating anything important, it still made a painful cut across her side. I'll have t'patch up m'cloak later, she thought, 'n maybe get m'self a tet'nus shot.

The good news was, though, she didn't feel particularly bad for these folks anymore.

In one smooth motion, she shifted her footing just so, spacing her body so she could swing her scythe with as much force as she could muster without worrying about missing with the blade or anything stupid like that. It'd been a while since she'd used a scythe, of course, so she hoped her muscle memory held up.

Of course, she couldn't very well just ignore those cannons. If they were on a resource-gathering mission, it'd suck to have to use all that just to repair the castle. But she wasn't sure what the best direction to take was; blinding them wouldn't help much, since the cannons were already positioned to hit Castle High, and... it was kind of a hard target to miss. She could use roots, again, maybe. Hmm. The cannons were almost certainly heavier than the spears, but they had to have some mechanism that they fired them with. Or mechanisms, more likely. Would they have to reload? Or maybe she could prepare a nasty trick for the next time they fire. Hm.

>Yam: Attempt to decapitate Spear Goblin C. Call upon the power of the roots in the earth to gather beneath Scrios Cannoneer A and B's cannons, preparing to flip them around once their fuses were lit.

Wander was slightly distracted by his success at first, smiling happily - the look seemed to take a solid 10 years off his face. Not that that made him look young, by any means...However, he didn't allow himself much time to bask in his own success - he was not a prideful man, and after all, people needed his help. Spotting the two who had been injured, he once again focused, this time feeling energy welling up at his core, and pointed his staff swiftly at each fighter.

"You've got to be careful, now!"

Wander: Attempt to heal both Yam and Bran of their wounds.

An unknown pyromancer carrying a Blank Rod suddenly shot out from the top of Castle High, eventually landing next to Castle High's forces as a burst of energy emerged from the point of impact! It seems like the energy will shield the newcomer from all harm for this turn.

"Looks like somebody didn't set their alarm, huh?" Russel joked. "Well, you're here now. Let's give 'em a good introduction to how we do things around here!"

---

Castle High Forces:

CASTLE HIGH Lv. 10
HP 9184 / 10000

---

"Call it jet lag," he smirked for a moment as he pushed black locks of hair out of his face and adjusted his collar. "I'm all for giving it a good show." He tossed the rod around in his hand, Huh, this is solid enough. I feel like I could do more with my bare hands as far as physical damage goes, but I have to say, this makes a good conductor." He thought.

"Better make a good shield count," he said with a grin, and bolted straight into battle.

>Vince: Run right up in Scrios Spear Gremlin F's face and unleash a blast of purple fire at point blank.

"Let's even these odds for a hot second!"

"Nice! Well done!" Candice heartily congratulated Arthur, as he deflected the blows of the gremlins. They may still be a bit wet behind the ears as a group, but their Regiment seemed to be holding up well!

Suddenly, the sound of Castle High's outer wall being breached crashed against the Relayer's ears -- she turned to see its mortar and brick collapsing, falling inward from the force of the cannon shots. Argh, no, that wasn't good! The whole point of this mission was to leave with more then they came with! Her mind turned to disabling the cannoneers, but even if they stopped them now, it would take some time to repair the castle's damage. If only...

A sudden heat pulsed against her chest. Reaching for it, Candice found the source to be her most precious treasure: the Timestep Stone. The pendant was coated in the ancient signs and bindings of the magic of her home, power concentrated to bend time to her will... the will of her people. But it had lost its power when she had lost her people, hadn't it? A just reward for her disastrous mistakes. Yet she could feel its yearning, as if some new will pushed her forward, and that old potential lay at her fingertips, if only a fraction of its former self.

She may not know its source, but she could be this power's guide. Concentrating, she focused on the only people she could now fight for: the people of Castle High. Silently praying for their will and wishes to join her own, in seeing their castle returned to its original grace, she relayed that will through the stone...

Candice: Tap into your Relayer abilities to reverse Castle High's state to a few seconds prior, before the cannons had damaged it.

((Too many things keep happening to prevent me from having the will to rp))

Play a melody to call lightning down on Spear Gremlin A

"Hrrmph... Landon, you've made me soft," the swordsman muttered, backing away a few steps from his attackers before taking a knee. A deep breath forced his chest to rise much higher than he anticipated-- and his body to slack, a movement he quickly fought by mentally steeling his form from the ground up. He never let his guard down, however-- he balanced  his blade horizontally, in a position such that he could quickly intercept incoming attacks.

"...but those peaceful days left with your spirit... and this blade must fly again."

>Arthur takes a knee to rest, but keeps his mind focused on staying out of the way of incoming attacks.

The battle had started. All these sounds were familiar, even if the location and people had changed. It was like clockwork to Kjell, how quickly he slipped back into the rhythm of the olden days. A survey of the area noted several enemies had all aggroed onto one target. The decision was instant - Kjell lept over to Yam, attempting to protect her from her aggressors - by blocking their path and taking the damage himself if need be.

Second point. The shadow. Kjell thought to himself. The cannoneers - they needed to be dealt with before they shot through the castle. So Kjell commanded his shadow to disarm Cannonner B

Bran fired a lightning bolt, which sizzled in the air as it struck Scrios Spear Gremlin B, then jumped to Scrios Spear Gremlin D, dealing 284 damage to each! (+1 Adv)
Bran then retreated and prepared to defend himself...

Yam swung her Blank Scythe at Scrios Spear Gremlin C, attempting to swipe its head right off its body! She didn't score the clean cut she wanted, but did leave a fatal blow across the gremlin's chest starting from its shoulder, dealing 364 damage to defeat it! (+2 Adv)
Yam recovered to full HP thanks to her Harvester ability.
Yam then attempted to call upon roots in the ground to reverse the weapons of the Scrios Cannoneers, but she suddenly felt her energy failing, as her channeling failed.
Yam feels strain from exerting herself... (-1 Adv)

Wander expended his energy into healing Bran's wounds, restoring him to full HP! Yam was already at full HP and didn't need to be healed. (+1 Adv)

Vince ran at Scrios Spear Gremlin F before blasting it point-blank with purple flames, dealing 305 damage as it recoils from the heat! (+1 Adv)

Candice attempted to use her Relayer ability to reset the state of Castle High... but that ability only work on allies, not on castles!

Erika played a tune that called lightning onto the battlefield, but the electricity missed Spear Gremlin A by a hair.

Arthur attempted to rest, but he kept his defenses up, just in case...

Kjell jumped in front of Yam, ready to take any attacks aimed at her!

The Shadow of Kjell rushed towards Scrios Cannoneer B and wrenched its Small Cannon from its hands, disarming it! It can't fire or otherwise use the weapon! (+1 Adv)

Russel swept the blade of the Sunsetter in a wide circle around him, a trail of orange seemingly flashing around him as he carved into Scrios Spear Gremlins A, G and H, dealing 181 damage to each! (+1 Adv)
He then swiveled around and drove the tip of his sword directly into Cannoneer A, dealing a massive 771 damage and defeating it in one stroke! "That's what I'm talking about! Let's finish the rest of them in one go!" (+2 Adv)

Scrios Cannoneer B doesn't have anything it can do! It's in a state of panic!

Scrios Spear Gremlins A, G and H teamed up to attack Russel! Although Russel does take a weak punch from Gremlin H, taking 15 damage as a result, he dodges the attacks of the other two with ease. (Spear Gremlin H: +1 Adv)

Scrios Spear Gremlins B and D grouped up and lunged at Bran! Bran tried to block both attacks, managing to block Spear Gremlin B's swing with the cover of his Blank Tome, but as much as he tried, he couldn't avoid taking a hit for Gremlin D, who stabbed him in the side for 91 damage. (Spear Gremlin D: +1 Adv)
Bran is feeling strain from exerting himself... (Bran: -1 Adv)

Scrios Spear Gremlin F attempted to attack Vince with its Rusted Spear, but the burst of energy left around Vince from his sudden deployment blocked the attack like it was nothing!

Arthur successfully recovered some of his stamina by resting! (+1 Adv)
Arthur's physical barrier wore off.

Scrios Spear Gremlins G and H managed to re-arm themselves.

Castle High Forces:

CASTLE HIGH Lv. 10
HP 9184 / 10000

---

"Too bad, huh?" he gave an exaggerated shrug.

>Vince: Kick Scrios Spear Gremlin F on his rear, give him a basic flame shot. Stand alert and wait for incoming enemies

Over his shoulder to Arthur, "Hey, I'm about to set that on fire," he points at Castle Scrios, "wanna help me knock it down?"

"Ah - you are quite capable of caring for yourself, I see!"

This was directed at Yam. Stepping forward, Wander began gathering a large amount of energy, before calling out to the forces he was working with.
"I'm going to try something...it's been a long time since I've done this! If it works, hit the glowing points! If it fails...I don't know! I'm just an old man...!"
He turned back to Castle Scrios.
"Now...let's see what you're hiding!"

Wander: Gather as much energy as he can & attempt to cast a revealing spell on Castle Scrios, seeking to highlight weakpoints.

Bran wipes some sweat off of his brow. He seems to be getting tired, although he's not quite exhausted.

"Thanks," Bran says to Wander. "We're allies now. It's nice to see people helping each other out. Mind teaching me a few tricks later?"

"For now, though..." He sighed. "We need to focus on the fight." And then his tone of voice-and even the language he used-shifted as he began gesticulating, as if he were a conductor leading an orchestra.

Bran: Start stirring up wind in order to create a small, localized tornado, which should finish off Scrios Gremlins B and D.

Candice frowned, feeling the energy of the medallion wane, unfocused. Perhaps she had imagined the feeling? Or perhaps the will of the castle's defenders was different then the will of her own people...

Shaking her head, she returned her mind to the present, catching the words of Wander nearby. Ah, striking the enemy castle's weakpoints, of course! The structure seemed dilapidated already, so with some precise damage, perhaps the whole structure would collapse! Following the plans of her comrade would no doubt turn out better then her own useless pursuits.

"Excuse me, Sir Wander," she called, stepping up to the old man's position and crouching down, narrowing her slanted eyes. "I'm not confident my handgun can deal any substantial damage to the enemy's fortress, but I shall follow your lead."

Candice: Aim for the weakpoints of Castle Scrios Wander reveals and fire! If none are revealed, fire upon the region connecting the stone wall slabs to the roof.

Arthur continued to face the gremlins, but regarded Vince from the corner of his eye. "Knock it down? I suppose it's about time we finished up here, but I don't believe that's my primary role... Why don't we thin this crowd out a little first?"

>Arthur: Draw the attention of Gremlin A and H with a whistle, and prepare to counter incoming attacks.

"That's what I'm here to do, after all." The swordsman flashed a subtle smile. "Arthur Cheng Long, by the way. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

No time to waste. Kjell thought to himself. I'm not needed here - where next? The battlefield was in chaos still, but one side was winning. Sparks of black began to appear again, flowing across the ground, towards one of the Gremlins, his own shadow working away at the walls.[/b]

Kjell: Gather power to gain control of Spear Gremlin G's shadow, commanding it to grapple Spear Gremlin G
Kjell's Shadow: Take the cannon (if not already controlled), and use it to shoot at the walls. Aim for collateral damage to gremlins.

"...I do my best," Yam said, looking at Wander with curious eyes. The world did not have many kind people; or, alternatively, the world did not allow many people to be kind. In any case, such a person was a strange sight, at least to her. She hoped he didn't die.

The words she'd spoken tasted strange in her mouth, though, after she'd just failed to connect with the roots beneath the cannons... well. Worse things had happened, and she had noted, herself, that she hadn't had enough time to connect with the land properly. Glancing about the battlefield, her team seemed to have this particular stage of the conflict well in hand; the castle would need to come down, but she had yet to see anything to indicate that this would be particularly difficult to achieve. Hmm. She got the feeling there was more to come; something lurking behind those gates, figuratively if not literally. Stories tended to work out that way. Best prepare for that, then.

She knelt down and swept her hand across the grass, almost as if she were petting it, and murmured sweet things under her breath - compliments, mostly, but with an edge to them, not threatening as much as.... spicy.

>Yam: Attempt to raise a small crop - two or three or maybe just one, if truly necessary - of literally explosively hot peppers, to use in case of emergency.