Log:Lathe2 3.21

<Carreau> The Sharkskull outpost rises on craggy cliffs, beaten blunt by constant wind and rain. The docks are on the other side of the small island, and the group of the Raging Maiden moves along the eastern side of the island to approach it.
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira will still take off on Copper, announcing her intent: "I'm gonna look ahead from the air, see if I can spot anyone!  Back in a flash!"
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu salutes her as he takes off- then chuckles as he starts to walk with the others- looking back. "Everyone with us? Radiant- are you going to be alright?" He inquires, as he strides on calmly- crouched and ready to move.
<Carreau> Alira notices that there are multiple lintha indoors, but they haven't really noticed you yet. They seem to be resting for the most part, and could likely be ambushed.
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira will flutter right back to the boat and mention this to her partners in crime!
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<Carreau> Alira returns from her scouting to inform that there are probably fifty or so lintha indoor and they haven't seen them yet.
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu nods- and speaks softly. "ALright. I'm.. rather good at ambushing things, one by one- is anyone else among our group?" He says softly- even as he notices the cloud fall down- and blinks a few times. "Hrm..? Your a Sorceress to, Alvuea? Interesting. I was recently initiated in that art myself- though I've yet to puzzle out any spells.. perhaps we could talk sometime, after this."
<Carreau> Little Spume climbs up, wielding an exquisite but rather mundane cavalry saber at her side.
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<Alvuea> Radiant calls her little cloud down, and she turns over towards Nyumetsu, "Don't you have things you need to be doing?" she asks him, with a bit of annoyance, at his seeming attempt to chat her up, "We just dove all this way underwater to get here.  Go!  There is a battle at hand!"
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira readies her bow, nocking one of the fancy white-feathered arrows, and nods to Nyumetsu.  "She's right.  I'll cover you, let's show these guy's who's boss!"  And with that, she takes off into the air, ready to follow Nyumetsu's lead and provide covering fire from afar!
<Nyumetsu> He sighs, as he sets of towards the village. "Alright, alright. Relax... it's just killing sleeping Lintha, not a big deal." He grumbles- as he slinks of into the shadows with an unnerving ease, as if it was a completely natural action for him to hide and creep- as he makes his advance towards the Village that was indicated- hands on his Katana's hilts.
<Nyumetsu> Eventually- he slinks out of the shadows towards one of the houses. He teases the door open as quietly as he can- trying to simply slide in through a crack to sneak up on the residents- his intent to simply slay them each, one by one.
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<Crane> The Lintha in the outpost are wary and battle-ready, various weapons at their sides, but none notice as Nyumetsu creeps inside. Unfortunately every room he can see contains at least half a dozen of the pirates, making it all but impossible to pick them off silently.
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<Nyumetsu> He grimaces silently, as he notes this. He crouches, as he continues to slink through the darkness- looking for one of the spellweavers that makes his mark- letting the emotions in the air around him guide the Faeblooded assassin. He feels the wary tension in the air- and grins faintly. A battle will indeed come soon- but taking them all on is not his style. He searches for his intended prey- a predatory eye flickering aroun
<Crane> The Lintha are varied in appearance, with no apparent uniforms or other signs of rank. As far as Nuymetsu can tell, any one of them could be a sorcerer. He does discover two Lintha ordering around their fellows, one demanding more drink and another delivering scathing remarks about the state of one pirate's weapons, who could be leaders. One is a thin, heavily scarred man with a javelin slung across his back and wild red hair across his
<Crane> face, the other a cleaner-looking woman wearing spiked lamellar armour and casually hefting a tetsubo as she makes demands of the other Lintha.
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu takes a moment to think- as the Ninja slides through the shadows- utterly still and silent. He positions himself behind the cleaner woman- and waits for the battle to begin. He waits for the fighters to make their move- for the firepiece wielding men to charge in with guns to the others- for the battle to begin, so he can make his move. His grin is wide, as he prowls and waits.
<Carreau> Roderick and his men sneak up to surround the outpost, Little Spume glancing over to Radiant with a little worry.
<Alvuea> Radiant has a cloud following along with her, as she follows along with Little Spume, "Don't worry too much about me.  Mmm?  Keep yourself alive.  I can take care of myself."  she touches a hand to the slashing sword she hardly ever carries around most of the time now.
<Carreau> Little Spume nods a little, before starting to creep toward the entrance to the base.
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu smiles, as he counts internally- waiting for the right moment. Waiting for the right moment- as he lets his mind empty. He makes his mind a fire- feeding everything into that mote of flame, letting it all fade into a void of nothing- a void.
<Alvuea> Radiant stays as far back as she can, she knows that if there's one thing she's not good at, it's staying hidden.  No, she likes to be seen.  She's \*tremendously\* good at it.  However, now is not the moment to be visible.  No, she must let everyone get into position.
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira circles overhead, waiting for the signal, arrow ready!  Copper starts to get uneasy, but the young northwoman keeps him on target.
<Nyumetsu> And as the void descends over his mind- he imagines his blade. A Shining point within that darkness- cleaving out for a single perfect moment. One hand on the blade at his right hip- the other on the blade to his left. He's badly outnumbered- in the hive of them, even. He can only hope that his allies are coming- and that the battle to ensue can be drawn outside.
<Nyumetsu> He breathes in- and the blade leaves his sheathe. He breathes out- and it returns, regardless of if it's target is slain or not.
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<Crane> The blade finds its mark in the Lintha's chest, and she staggers for a moment, coughing up almost as much blood as spills from the wound itself. But she quickly whips around to confront Nyumetsu.
<Nyumetsu> And he is grinning- already moving with the momentum of his slash. He regrets for only a split second that he failed to cut her down in a single blow- as his other hand draws his other blade in the breath that the first returns to it's home- this one meant to defend him from their retribution by cutting into the side of the weapons coming for him, as he dances away.
<Crane> She swings her tetsubo at him in a great arc, using brute force rather than any attempt at finesse. As it passes through the air Nyumetsu feels a rush of cold emanate from it, and a thin coat of ice begins to form over it.
<Crane> A faint aura of blue energy begins to coalesce around her.
<Nyumetsu> He smiles as he notices that- idly wondering if it's sorcery.
<Alvuea> The battle has begun, the crash of swords is its own sort of percussion, providing a strange beat that Radiant can use to produce a music of battle, as she takes a place on her cloud, staying low for the moment as she begins her song, though she will slowly drift upwards as she does so, singing for the soldiers that are charging the Lintha, of their glorious
<Alvuea> victory, to inspire, to grant endless bravery and strength in the assault.
<Crane> The other Lintha jolt into action. They descend upon Nyumetsu, crying out in fury and to alert their brethren scattered throughout the compound.
<Nyumetsu> And he arcs. His twin blades begin to blur- as he swings them out of his twined sheathes. Every strike, a blade is drawn- and every strikes end- it is resheathed. The man is a whirlwind of steel, as he begins to push towards the enemy- dancing through the horde, and manuvearing himself towards the exit.
<Crane> Try as they may, the Lintha cannot get past the whirling blades of Nyumetsu to land a blow on him.
<Alvuea> Radiant's song fill the air as the charge takes place, and they attempt to defeat him.  However, she sings loudly, moving higher into the air, of the glorious hero, who could slice a thousand Lintha at once with his blades that seem to move faster than can even be seen, of the still more powerful Massive Water Aspect who will crush all those pirates who dare
<Alvuea> to stand against her, stomping them beneath her heel and their massive army of men, who come in wave after wave... who will crush all those Lintha who dare stand against them.
<Crane> Spurred on by Radiant's song, Roderick's sailors begin their charge towards the outpost.
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira allows Copper to swoop through the air -- he knows what to do, for the most part, and he gets her to an angle where she can take good aim, drawing an arrow and making the pull.  She wasn't the strongest of archers, but her aim was pretty decent, and as she unleashes an arrow, several more follow, shafts tipped with white feathers sprouting from the chests of the Lintha soldiers.
<Crane> A pair of Lintha fall with Alira's arrows in their backs.
<Crane> The glowing Lintha places one hand over the wound in her chest. "You will suffer for that," she pants. She swings again with her tetsubo, covered with frost once more, and the aura of energy around her intensifies. A fierce wind blows through the building, and the walls grow slick with a thin layer of ice.
<Crane> The swordsman's superior skill saves him once more, and the great tetsubo fails to land a blow.
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu breathes in- as he moves to twist the Tetsubo aside with one blade against it's side- and the other slides back into it's sheathe, as he breathes in- readying for another blow. "No, I don't think I will. But tell me... does a monster like yourself ever feel fear?" He inquires- his emotional vampirism hungering to find out, as his grin is wide- showing the fangs in his mouth as he moves to unsettle and distract her f
<Crane> "Get him you idiots!" shouts the leader, as Nyumetsu's blade makes its way past her guard again. The other lintha descend upon him again, stabbing at him with a dozen blades.
<Nyumetsu> And he smiles, as his blades dart back to return to that defensive wave- as he speaks in a playful voice. "Shall I take that as a Yes?"
<Crane> Her face contorts in fury as Nyumetsu continues to parry the blades of her troops.
<Nyumetsu> "Oh ho ho! Rage, is it? Mmm."
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira preps her bow once more -- these arrows she'd been given are a real treat, and even with her admittedly weak bowmanship, she could let these Lintha know that there was a guardian angel dragon norse warrior valkyrie up here in the skies, protecting Nyumetsu and especially Radiant.  She looses another barrage of white-feathered arrows at the charging Lintha, Copper giving her a heroic...
<Alira\_Whitefeather> ...swoop across the battlefield for multiple angles at the horde.
<Crane> Two dozen Lintha collapse, perforated with arrows. But they are trained warriors, and those who remain are accustomed to seeing their fellows slaughtered around them. The Lintha don't hesitate in their assault for a moment.
<Crane> The sailors continue to race towards the outpost.
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu smiles at the enraged woman- and speaks softly. "You're already dead- you where, the instant you lost your calm." He states placidly.. as he blurs. He breathes out- and a blade leaves it's sheathe, arcing through the gap opened in her defense by his volley of meaningless words and feints. His mind is the void- and his blade shines through the darkness- towards her neck.
<Crane> The leader's head lands on the floor with a dull thump, now eternally fixed in an expression of anger. Her body lands next to it a moment later, and the swirling vortex of energy that had surrounded her is snuffed out.
<Crane> To their credit, the remaining Lintha barely hesitate after the death of their leader. They continue to swarm over Nyumetsu, clearly desperate now.
<Nyumetsu> "Come on... are any of you braver than her? Are any of you stronger, than her..? Come- let's keep dancing.... your the only kind of lives I can take, without the guilt that wracks me every night. Come! COME!" he demands- as he catches her corpse between his blades- and shifts to use it as a shield against their attacks, letting them cut into their own- likely cared for- leader to try and hit him.
<Crane> The corpse of the Lintha leader is quickly carved into chunks of meat, but Nyumetsu remains untouched by the blades of her troops.
<Nyumetsu> "My, you mustn't have cared for her much. Tsk tsk."
<Crane> The sailors charge into the outpost, tearing into the rear of the Lintha group.
<Carreau> The Surf, now less burning, suddenly starts moving in an opposite direction - not fleeing but rather going straight for the main frigate. Captain Sugar, a little ash in her face, grins at the helm. "Alright, let's go out with a bang, then."
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira urges Copper in a downwardly direction, fully intent on joining the melee soon, although she still fires a few arrows into the Lintha as she descends!
<Crane> Alira's shots are accurate, but there are so few living Lintha remaining that she can't find them in the poor light.
<Nyumetsu> Meanwhile- Nyumetsu begins to dance through the horde of Lintha- blades swinging in a haze of steel to keep them at bay from him- and to make the occasional slash to clear weapons- preparing for a more dangerous barrage later on.
<Crane> Nyumetsu's blades hack down another five Lintha, leaving only two left. They launch themselves towards the man, desperate to at least scratch him before they die.
<Nyumetsu> "Your lives are already over. They where over the instant I entered this room without you noticing- they where over the instant I was behind your leader. Come- keep trying... Let me feed the empty place inside with your screams."
<Nyumetsu> He speaks calmy- as he weaves backwards, swinging his blades in a pair of whirling dervishes to protect himself once more- a shield of steel.
<Crane> The sailors descend upon the pair, swarming them and bringing them down.
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu smiles at him- coated in blood from head to toe, blades sitting in their sheathes once more already- and not a single scratch on his body, as he walks past the man to head outside. "Is that really all of them?" he asks softly.
<Carreau> As the last of the lintha goes down, there is suddenly an explosion of light to the south, and the shape of an ornate, translucent gate of golden light appears into the sea, scintillant. And with it, comes the dawn; the horizon flashing dark orange, before starting to lighten up.
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu turns- his body soaked in so much blood that it drips from his leathery coat. He sighs wearily- and nods... a smile on his fanged lips despite it- as he speaks softly, almost a prayer. "Come on, you old bastard. Don't go out- show them all your strength. Destroy them all." He insists- a fervant wish for his Sensei's well being.
<Carreau> Little Spume moves over to stand next to Nyumetsu, her face stoic, brows a little furrowed. "... Anathema." She murmurs under her breath.
<Alira\_Whitefeather> Alira touches down near Nyumetsu, still looking over at where the light show had happened.  "Woooow.  Ain't that somethin', so close to Lathe?"
<Nyumetsu> He nods. "Aye. Anathema- and on our side, at least." He says wearily- before remembering she's a Dynast- then blinking. "Honestly, I'm a bit suprised to see a Dynast out here aiding us, all things considered..." He admits softly. "Anyway. Let's try to make it back to the ship- then sail out to aid them before they all die, eh?"
<Alvuea> "What do you mean, on our side?  Other than the light... I know not what is going on out there." Radiant looks over to Nyumetsu, "You... expected this, then?"
<Nyumetsu> He nods. "You could say that. He's done it once before- also fighting Lintha, in a previous battle against the fish-devils. I was alongside him then, to, and got a much closer look." He says calmly. "Regardless- we dont know how it's going there, but presumably our target was among the Lintha we killed, yes? Unless there are more here to kill- let's move to support our comrades."
<Carreau> Little Spume says nothing, staring at the anima flaring in the distance. Then, she visibly gasps. Next to the karamon gate appears a new shine; a flurry of silver tendrils and multiple maws reaching to the sky.
<Nyumetsu> "And it seems he fights somethign far worse than himself! COme on! Enough gaping- they need help, damnit!" he insists- as he begins to make his way back to the ships- still dripping with Lintha blood.
<Alvuea> Radiant pauses, he.  That rules out Leaf, her initial assumption.  She was terribly secretive.  She considers... it must be Platinum.  She considers that... odd.  But, she turns to them, "Shall we sail over to assist, or would you like a ride?  Things... cannot be going well out there." Radiant pats her cloud, as she hovers perhaps a foot off the ground at
<Alvuea> the moment.
<Nyumetsu> "We need to make it as fast as possible. Is your cloud faster than the ship?"
<Alvuea> "What... do you know of what's going on over there, Nyumetsu?" Radiant inquires, curiously, instead of answering the question she doesn't have any proper sort of answer to.  She'd been talking to Little Spume with her previous statement, anyway.
<Nyumetsu> He shakes his head. "No idea, but their still in battle- and he's being hard pressed if he's glowing like that. ANd if he's being hard pressed -chances are things are going poorly. Besides- wasn't it the plan to catch the enemy from behind if the fight was still going on when we finished their sorceress here?"
<Nyumetsu> Nyumetsu just starts heading for the Ship- gesturing for Roderick and the Sailors to follow.

Carreau> Little Spume moves to take Radiant's hand and than whispers very calmly. "I do not think I can protect you from Anathema. I wish I could, but they are demon-gods of war, far worse than lintha or even the wicked raksha." She swallows quietly, as if ashamed.

<Alvuea> Radiant squeezes Little Spume's hand, "Thank you.  Come, let's go see what there is over there.  I will keep back.  Perhaps we shall simply need to flee, but we cannot simply leave Pluck and her Whistlers to be consumed out there." she tries to pull Little Spume a bit up onto the cloud, though... it's really more of an encouragement than an actual pull,
<Alvuea> considering their relative sizes.