Chaos of a Different Story

#46

The Guard Station

"On anything?!" Abi said, her eyes going bright and wide as she took hold of both crayon and box happily, grinning before running over to start a masterpiece of wall - doodling. She had said anything after all.

The Temple

Raphael had it the easiest for the moment, with his drink, blanket and Hylotl that he snuggled into.

The Encampment

The massive beast watched as Grog sailed over it after yelling before entirely missing the attack - though it worked to distract it enough for Toms rifle shots to find their mark and hit it in the right eye, causing the beast to rear onto four legs, with one of the four forelimbs holding it's injured eye as it bellowed in pain and the other one to flail wildly in front of it while the impossibly long tail thrashed powerfully from side to side.

Something else had happened too - a small beam of grey shot seemingly harmlessly from the injury to hover in the middle of the settlement destruction like a small twister. Who knows what that means...

#47

Tom didn't get to see the light-show. As soon as he could see the shot was on it's wait to it's mark, he turned and started booking it. It was then he noticed the Flame Guard surrounding him. While trying to figure out where he could get his next shot at without becoming a pancake, he yelled at the guard "Tell Solveig to expect refugees soon. We need to get as many people safe as possible. I"m going to either try to blind it or lead it out of town - both if I can."

Mage of Mist · #48

H&H Ruins

Stunned from the blast, Thorn remained curled up around Nero... Before then slowly opening her eyes and noticing the barrier... At first she wasn't sure if she could move or not, but then shakily reached out and saw her arm went through the yellow barrier easily. After the ringing in her ears from the sheer noise from the blast died down, she could hear voices and looked in their direction... She was stunned by the sheer destruction caused, but had managed to gather herself.

"... T-Tom?" She says, though her voice was small and meek. She then got up off the likely only thing remaining of the H&H, a seat, and slowly stepping out of the barrier while carrying Nero, holding him tight... She then noticed something, a strange light of some kind hovering over the area, which she imminently went to avoid. She doubted that the light was friendly, whatever it was.

The Temple:

Sakuya cuddled Raphael, doing her best to keep him calm despite how stressed out she felt herself, she looked up to Solveig with concern when she saw her cringe lightly, but kept quiet to allow her to focus.

Jent · #49

The Encampment

"Alright, Tom!" *the three voices spoke in unison, not even diverting their attention at what they saw in their stance. Time couldn't be wasted carelessly in front of a beast the obliterated the H&H in a single blast, though between all the glowing eyes they managed to catch some important details. The strengthened link of the Flame Guard relayed the noticeably weak barrier of Nero's energy and the strange twister with one of themselves, whilst the other two ran closer to the determined human to screen damage for him.

The Temple

~... Sakuya... It doesn't look good in the Encampment...~

The huldra breathed slowly to stay calm for Raphael, though her worry radiating through the mental link. Images of the carnage of the Encampment displayed to Solveig via her doppelgangers, she simplified it into words to not overwhelm her friend. ~... The H&H is gone by some monster... And Tom said to expect refuges coming in~

#50

Nero held on tightly to Thorn as she got up and carried him, in fact that seemed to be all he could do for now. The twister she was trying to avoid also seemed to be watching... before darting in front of her.

"... Where are you going with my little brother, tiny one?" an impossible voice asked.

Meanwhile, the six legged Dragon had stopped it's bellowing, and, with blood dripping from it's eyes, bounded after it's assailant. Angrily roaring it's displeasure at Tom and the new beings that had come forwards to run interference, it started gathering the energy in it's maw again.

Meanwhile, Tala had gone to search for Grog after having seen his attempt at throwing a rock at the Dragon, wanting his assistance. "Grog" she said when she found him "I need your help. I need you to get me as close to that Dragon as possible before it gets too near the refugees. It... It was a friend of mine"

#51

Grog's landing zone

Grog had gotten up and made it a short way back when Tala found him.

"Wolf-sister want Grog throw? Grog throw real good!" He said, then started leading her back to where he could get a good throw.

The Encampment

Tom saw the barracks up ahead - and beyond that, clear forest. If he could get there he could spare the town extra damage. He chanced a look back, and saw the beast charge up for another breath. There was no way he could outrun that - but he couldn't stop for even a second right now or he'd be a pancake before he could get off a shot. With a grim determination, he addressed the flame guard.

"Guards, save as many in the area as you can. This is an order, leave me and save the civilians."

With that he stopped just past the clearing, and readied his rifle for what he was sure was a futile last-ditch effort.

Mage of Mist · #52

The Encampment:

Thorn squeaks and backs away when the light suddenly darted infront of her. "U-um... Away from big ssscary light and big ssscary dragon..." She says nervously, holding Nero protectively. "Floran rather not have Floran or little Nero become pancakesss... Or end up like Inn did... Um, ssso can big ssscary light that sssay isss Nero'sss brother let Floran passst pleassse?" She asks with a nervous smile.

The Temple

Sakuya listened and watched the mental message, hugging Raphael a little tighter in response... ~T-That... Is horrible... I...~ She responded, before gathering her thoughts the best she could from the shock. ~I... Should... P-probably make more tea for when they arrive...~ She sends to Solveig, trying her best to act strong though it was very clear by her mental voice just how fearful and worried she was, hoping that there was not too many casualties.

#53

Rae sighed and watched the little girl work on her crayon drawing, using the whole wall as she saw fit. Honestly, the Guard Captain was too overwhelmed to do anything about it... and just sighed to watch the colors and designs flow.

"... What is it?" *She cocked her head, after most of it had taken shape.

Jent · #54

The Encampment
The Flame Guard nodded together as Tom addressed them. Each of their faces drained of any expression as two sprinted out to delegate assistance to the townsfolk in stabilizing injuries and redirecting a group towards the Temple of Insanity. The remainder though cloaked herself in a thick veil of solid energy in her determined charged towards Thorn and Nero. She felt unsure if her contribution would stop the twister alone; hopefully delay enough as more 'huldre' started converging to the Encampment.

The Temple
The all the channels patched into the young huldra's mind buzzed in greater volume as she directed other triads from their usual scouting rounds to the town instead. Solveig, unlike the remaining and ex-Knight she looked up to so, still had difficulty coordinates this many doppelgangers all at once. She had to sacrifice mental quality for quantity in the swarm maneuver to simple keep herself from driven unconscious.

Encampment's Edge

The sheer chaos rampage brought upon by the gigantic Dragon soon wouldn't be the only problem for the defenders above. Rumbling beneath the earth, stalks of obsidian tendrils haphazardly bloomed out to the wake of current frenzy. The seemingly mindless appendages grew out as they crawled, causing anyone unfortunate to get grabbed by the feeble limbs feel a shortness of breath...

#55

The werewolf followed the barbarian when he turned around to go find a better spot to throw-fretting. "I want you to throw me at it's snout real good Grog. So I can whack it before it fires off another shot"

Near the edge of the Encampment, the behemoth still followed Tom-however upon seeing the Flame Guard leaving or quite possibly because it's accuracy had been affected proceeded to fire a beam at one of them instead as it turned it's massive head.

The strange light twister that had darted in front of Thorn seemed to stare at her, as though contemplating what she had just said, before coming out with a surprisingly deliberate "No" before "Give my little brother to me mortal. I will take care of-" it was interrupted by the energy coated Flame Guard as she had dashed between them. "How annoying... "

The guardpost

"It's a biiiiiig Dragon I dream of sometimes when I dream. In it we are best friends!" She said, grinning at the picture of the Dragon that had been known as Red-if he were drawn by a child.

#56

Rae walked over, carrying her chair behind her, and plunking it down beside the little girl.

"He looks super cool. " She grins. "How did the two of you become friends? Did you color together?"

The Guard Captain picked up a bunch of crayons Abi wasn't using, and began to create a picture bedide the Dragon, but far enough away if Abi still wanted to add to it. Hers was a lot more realistic - It was a pretty lifelike reaction of herself arrrsting a purse thief.

With a grin, she pointed at the picture, then to the cells, were that same person was jailed.

"What do you think? Am I pretty close with what a drew?" She laughed. Rae was genuinely enjoying herself with the kid.

#57

((the town is being destroyed, things are going crazier than normal, and Rae is coloring.....))

The Encampment

Tom Swore. He had been prepared to take one last defiant stand - but the dragon instead went after one of the Flame Guards. He shouted "Hey, One eye!" as e fired a couple of shots towards the dragon's head - they would of course have no affect, but hopefully be enough to get his attention. He had to draw it out further still....

Fountain Square

Grog stopped when he reached the square - itself in shambles thanks to that beast. But Grog figured it'd be as good a place as any to throw Tala.

"Wolf-sister sure Grog Throw? Grog might throw too hard, hurt wolf-sister."

Murphy · #58

The Encampment

At the edge of the melee, a shimmer in the air became apparent. The distortions grew stronger until the view through the whorls became wholly warped. With a peal of thunder and a flash of brilliant light, a figure stood upon a starburst of fused quartz in the soil. The figure was dressed in black traveler's clothes with a robe of a shade so dark that it defied the eye to look upon it. He supported himself on a carved stave, covered in runes and swirling designs that seemed to shift as they were seen.

He looked toward the ravaging dragon, then to the shimmering vortex. A look a beatific joy came over him as he fell to his knees. His voice carried a dissonant music that seemed to harmonize itself with a single note. "Master! At long last you return to us!"

Jent · #59

The Encampment

The first off possibly many to bite the dust. The Flame Guard was utterly annihilated by the imposing beam of pure energy, with the remaining ashen cloud drifted spread itself out thin against the scorched earth. Whilst the radius of the air around it quivered light faintly from the lingering effect of Distortion.

It did free up some of the computation strain for the original huldra's mind, however. The guard assigned as surveyor of survivors cloaked herself and several townsfolk she gathered in a soothing veil of orange light as she directed them into the woods towards the Temple of Insanity. Fortunately, a couple triads nearest to her would help assist the frightened refugees with their collective seven-fold boost in protection over them.

As for the lone one delegating herself to the safety of two, she gained a spark of ferocity in her glare at the malevolent twister. "Back off," the Flame Guard stated harshly. Her veil strengthening into a visible chainmail armor rather than a mere cloak as she stood between the two opposite parties. "Thorn. Go. Now!"

Mage of Mist · #60

The Encampment:

Thorn continued to timidly smile. "Er, ssssorry. No give friendsss to big ssscary vortexesss of doom-" She says, then spots the Flameguard run between her and the 'big ssscary vortex of doom', then nods to the Flameguard and goes to dash off with the little Nero, aiming to head to the Temple... Though hesitated when she spotted the tendrils erupting from the ground.

"Are... You... Ssseriousss?" The Floran hissed under her breath, looking around in panic unsure on what to do or where to go... Though then took a deep breath, she knew the Temple was likely the safest place she could go...
She then made a dash for it, heading to run around the area the tendrils were sprouting, keeping her distance and hoping none decide to try and grab at her or sprout from under her, and also hoped the dragon would also ignore her existence also, oh, and that the 'big vortex of doom' as she dubbed it would remain distracted enough by the Flameguard so that she could flee. So many worries buzzing about in the little plant's head.