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Skaia

Dragon Sign [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

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The others seemed to think that it was simply that there were more of them that they were able to figure it out. Which made her worry that they realized she isn't very smart. Which made her want to prove them wrong but she couldn't even think of a way to prove something like that. Not unless they could get someone to give them a quiz right then.

Which sounded truly awful.

Sabrina felt her eyes glaze over as River gave them a history lesson. She had never been good at wrapping her head around lore, unless it involved cute girls, so she found it easier to tune it out than to try and understand.

On the other hand she found herself suddenly more interested as River spoke of the Threshold thing. That truly made it feel like some sort of boss door. Though she realized that it was probably more like an action RPG than the ones she's more able to handle. Maybe this could be closest to a Tales game then? There were chosen ones in those too after all. Maybe she should be shouting out her attack moves more then....Something she'd have to work on in this next fight.

Perhaps it was relief at having passed the puzzle part, or maybe their lack of defeats so far, but she was feeling none too concerned about this battle even though River warned them it would be difficult.

Which could easily be her undoing.

Regardless she was impressed by the armored warriors that appeared before them. "Oooh they look very guardian-y." She said. Then, coughing awkwardly, reworded it. "Ah, yes, guardians of the deep come to match blades with the chosen heroes of destiny, worthy opponents! A legendary battle awaits!"

Marshall's flat tone somewhat dimmed the moment to her, but she listened just enough to get the idea that she was supposed to attack the axe one. She wondered a moment if scythes counted as a lance weapon but couldn't come to a consensus before Marshall finished her instructions.

"Uh, got it. See what it can do...yeah, I can do that!"

She started forward, bringing out her weapon, and began to pick up speed before breaking into a full sprint towards the armored warrior. Turning shortly before reaching them in order to not rush headlong at them, moving for the side opposite its pair, and swinging her weapon toward them. "Uh, crescent...slash!" she shouted.

As the girl began her sprint towards it, the armored creature readied its axe. However, it continued to wait patiently and turned to face her as she tried to catch it at its side. As the girl swung her weapon, it brought down its weapon as well smashing it down into her scythe. The scythe was wrenched from her hand from the force of the weapon and loud crack of thunder could be heard as explosion of sound came from the impact, knocking the girl back a bit.

Sabrina was surprised as she stumbled back. The thing was a lot stronger than she could have expected. She hadn't even been able to attack it and now she was without a weapon. She almost panicked before remembering she could summon the weapon back to her hands.

She took a deep breath and...let go of the weapon again. This time she threw it off towards the right and curved it in an arc, much like a boomerang, to try and catch the armored opponent in the side. As if remembering after that she was trying to name her attacks she shouted a hasty, "Uh, Reaper...rang!" and proceeded to cringe at her own naming sense.

The armored foe rose its axe once again and, as the scythe came within range, brought it down on the weapon once more, spiking the weapon onto the ground.

"What the heck! That's not how this is supposed to go!" Sabrina said, slowly starting to wonder if she had made a mistake.

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Oddly enough, the first impression Gene had on the guardians wasn't a negative one...rather it was more akin to: "...the design of that armor, the color scheme...it looks amazing!!" Needless to say, he was excited to see such an amazing design on these guardians, like it was something ripped straight from his fantasy games and stories...hell, even his own dreams! But now wasn't the time to be gawking at these beings, it was time to fight them.

“...Gene or Abby-- One of you should probably come with me. Sabrina, I would suggest trying to use a combination of your weapon’s range and speed against the one with the axe, while whoever doesn’t come with me tries to cover you. Above all, try to see what they’re capable of before engaging directly; I suspect this is going to require us to use our heads as well as our strength,”

Honestly it sounded like a pretty sound plan in the grand scheme of things, Gene nodded in response only. He was originally planning to go with Marshall and assist her, but his attention was directed towards Sabrina. A sigh escaped his lips, as he honestly thought about. It was obvious he and her weren't meshing well with personalities and the like, but even still, she was a teammate. Summoning forth Aqua Star to his hand, he exhaled slowly. Alright Eric...the guardian is currently focused on her...and it's in movement now. he thought, the grip on his sword tightening slightly. That being the case...it's obvious that myself and her are a pair of the speedier ones...and if he's distracted by her, with my speed... Gene nodded, having the plan formulate.

BGM

"Abby, try and give Marshall the assistance as needed...I got Sabrina." Gene simply said before rushing forward. He accelerated quickly, just like he did against the Drengr, the wind becoming his ally in this effort. He closed the gap almost in an instant, now being right in front of the guardian. "Weapon Art: Quick Strike!!" he shouted, swinging the sword at an upward perpendicular line along the guardian's chest. It was obvious that this threw a wrench in the guardian's plans, not even realizing he was there until he was right in swinging range. Oddly enough, when the sword scraped across it's armor, there was a definite trail of water present. Huh...that's interesting...oh wait, right!

"Call your scythe back quick!" he shouted back towards Sabrina, looking over his shoulder, which she did. Gene probably should've kept his eyes ahead of him, due to the fact that the guardian immediately shoulder checked him and knocked him back. The guardian seemed to immediately take this opportunity to perform a horizontal swing with it's axe. "W-Water Wall!!" he shouted, as the wall of water appeared right before him, the perfect shield to block the axe strike. The axe collided with the wall and destroyed it immediately, causing a pulse of sound in the process. This pulse pushed Gene back some, to where he could actually back up a bit further. Right now, he wasn't in the way of the axe...which was the good thing. "S-So...got any ideas...?" he wiped his brow some, backing up towards Sabrina, his eyes still focused on the guardian.

"I dunno! Keep trying?" Sabrina rushed to the other side of the guardian and tried to attack again with a reckless swing of her scythe.

"Could work...let's give a shot!" Gene nodded, following her lead, rushing the opposite side to strike.

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The Threshold. Aptly named, for it was a sort of barrier separating formidable foes from the rest of the world. A threshold, even, that meant you'd have to fight a powerful enemy once you crossed it. As the group crossed this one in particular, they were met with two enemies, as promised. Two armored figures, identical save for the weapons in their hands. One wielded an axe, the other a spear. The plan more or less lined up with Abby's suggestion from earlier; the party splits up, with two fighting each enemy. It seemed the axe-wielder would be dealt with by Gene and Sabrina, which left the lance-user for Abby and Marshall.

As much as she wanted to keep an eye on the other pair as well, this was supposed to be a powerful enemy, which meant giving the lancer her undivided attention. Abby made her way over to Marshall's side, joining in the slow and deliberate approach toward their shared target. "You got a plan for this guy or are we playing it by ear?" she asked.

"Well," Marshall murmured, eyes briefly drifting towards Sabrina's antics, before returning to their own foe. "If you trust me to do so, I was going to try and keep him focused on me using my speed and relatively equivalent range; so that you could get in and..." she'd trail off, not feeling as if she needed to voice the idea of 'smash-a him with a hammer'.

"Sounds good to me. I'm right behind you." Abby reached her swinging arm out to the side, calling upon her trusty smashing hammer. Meanwhile, her other hand tensed up, preparing to do that overcharge thing she'd learned about in the previous trial. "Once you start running, I'm going to try pulling him toward us, so be ready for that."

"Roger," she'd reply briefly; moving from her leisurely pace, to a full sprint towards the enemy. She focused herself, for a moment, as she tightened her grip on her lance and felt the telltale feeling of energy falling under her command as she ran; lowering the spear in front of her as she overcharged 'Full-Steam-Ahead' with a heavy thrust of the lance; doing her best to try and get the maximum amount of power and value out of it and Abby's pull both; and to try and catch her opponent at least a little off guard, if she couldn't wait to see what they were capable of before engaging.

As soon as Marshall made her move, Abby took it as her cue to do the same. As Marshall charged forward, Abby pulled back, calling upon an inward blast of wind that pulled on the armored foe. Not enough to bring it all the way over, but certainly enough to get it off-balance and a bit closer to the girls, giving Marshall a perfect opening to land a direct hit on the enemy. With a solid opening hit, Abby took the moment to close some more distance on foot while the getting was good.

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Boss Still Battling

The axe wielding servant was in fact only one creature and thus it could only focus on one person at a time. Such was the advantage of Gene and Sabrina's tandem offensive, being two people, that forced it to keep its attention on the boy who had mostly injured it. Gene went for a slash again, though this time things were not nearly as clean as they were with his original attack. The creature swung its axe into the sword of the Exalted and as the two collided once more Gene would feel the burst of sound send a shock through. In addition, the blade was completely and utterly parried, being dislodged from his hands almost instantly upon contact, both from the sound pulse and brute strength of the creature, and left nothing to prevent him from having an axe blade bury into his side. Blood would come from his wound and Gene would still feel great pain from the attack, yet he was able to stand and fight just as well as he had before. 

This sacrifice as well was not without its reward, as Sabrina's scythe swing was able to come over and slash into the armor of the creature. Quite like what had happened when Gene struck it, an arc of water in the shape of blade came out from wound. Whatever pride she might've felt from landing her third attack, and thus not landing a proverbial three strikes, would be interrupted as armored figure clearly didn't seem to care about any injury it may have suffered. Instead, it immediately shifted backwards and elbowed Sabrina, before prying its axe out of Gene, pivoting one hundred eighty degrees and going for a swing against her. 

The tandem offensive of Abby and Marshall had also proven to be quite effective. Taken off balance and with the sudden charge of Marshall it couldn't defend itself in any way, and the Lance managed to pierce the creature. It did not go all the way through, and a large burst of water came from the area that was punctured much like a full armored water balloon being suddenly popped. However, it did not continue "bleeding" water and unlike a water balloon its form was still stable and whole. In addition, it didn't seem to feel the least bit amount of pain and the only recovery it needed to do was regain its balance, which took a nominal amount of time. Once it did, it went for a swift stab of its own, and with Marshall already in close range against a similarly lengthy weapon moving at high speeds, she was unable to avoid the spear piercing into her gut, send a surge of electricity flowing through her body. The spear wielding armored man then did a short hop back, the top half of its discorporating into water and freeing itself from Marshall's abdomen before swiftly reforming back into its whole spear form. 

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"I got it!" Sabrina called out. She was excited at landing a hit, even if it brought several questions such as why was the thing leaking water, yet it didn't appear to do much to the armored enemy as it struck her with its elbow. It hit her chest and Sabrina winced and coughed as pain flared up. Something like that would have surely taken any fight out of her in the past but as it was she was able to react to the attack. Gathering up more power she leapt up into the air to dodge the axe swing.

A thought crossed her mind that from up here would be a good chance to attack. And the height might even give her time to focus her energy! Her eagerness proved unfounded though as she discovered she couldn't focus enough to...focus.

For a moment she despaired, wishing she could do something other than swing her weapon.

Then a thought crossed her mind. Why did she assume she could only attack with her scythe? After all she already had used magic before so what if...

She raised her hand, the one that the mark had shown up on, down at the armor. "As a chosen one, with the blood of dragons, not only do I control the wings but also the breath, feel my flames!" And out of her hand shot a small ball of fire. It may not have been very impressive, compared to everything else, but Sabrina's eye widened with delight as she felt the warmth flow out of her and saw the ball of flame hit the armor below her. Causing steam to come off of it and leaving a scorch mark on the armor.

It wasted no time in retaliating. As Sabrina fell back down the armor suddenly leapt up and swung its axe to try and smash Sabrina with it.

The girl had little time to respond and, as she was currently falling, she hurriedly did the first thing that came to mind. She swung her weapon right at the axe to try and intercept. The armor's strength proved much greater and Sabrina, with a blast of sound as before, was launched into the ground.

"Ow, ow....ow." She muttered as she shakily got back up. At the very least she hadn't been cut in half but it sure felt like she had been. As it landed back down Sabrina nearly let out a despaired sigh. She couldn't tell if she was doing anything at all.

But she knew she had to keep going. The only real way to lose is to give up. As long as she kept trying something had to give! "I don't know what to do, so I'm just going to keep hitting it!" She admitted. She didn't have the brains to come up with anything better but she at least could try.

And so she held out her scythe to the side and crouched down. Ready to take off at the armored warrior once more.

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It happened all too quickly...and Gene was shocked. The Axe Guardian struck at him, Aqua Star being sent flying out of the young man's hands...and it's axe was lodged in his side, the burst of sound and his entire body shuddered as it sent a shock through him. He was stunned, watching the blood exiting through the wound...and yet he stood tall still. But it didn't mean it didn't hurt like a mothe-...

His eyes went wide the moment the guardian pulled the axe out from his side and struck at Sabrina. "....FUUUUUUUUUUUU-..." Gene shouted, holding his side slightly, doing his best to back up a bit. He needed to assess the situation, while also attempt to tend to his wound. Unfortunately, he glanced at his hand with the sigils, sighing. ...fantastic...Water and Wind. Neither one can probably allow me to heal...d-damnit... he thought, gritting his teeth slightly.

Meanwhile, he watched as Sabrina launched a fireball at the guardian, while the latter ended up striking Sabrina who was landing from her little assault. However, this was a good thing. Right now, Gene noticed something: the Axe Guardian was now in a sort of lag after it's attack. Meaning they had time...now was the plan making part. C'mon Eric...there has to be SOMETHING you've seen, read or played that could be applicable in this moment!! Gene thought, closing his eyes for a moment. Then that's when he saw a moment...a scene...something he recalled from his various anime and shows he watched.

...maybe that could work here... Gene thought, making his way up beside Sabrina. "...I think I have an idea. You familiar with SAO at all...?" he asked hopeful.

"Of course I am what kind of question is that?"

He slightly winced at that reaction, but it was understandable. "I mean...I don't know your tastes in anime or manga..." he muttered, before clearing his throat and began to explain. "Floor 1 boss, the Kobold Lord. The way they defeated it...with the switch technique. It could work...considering it was having a hard time keeping up with the both of us." Gene saw her raise an eyebrow for a moment, before clearing this up. "Basically, parry an attack...switch...strike. Lather, rinse, repeat."

Gene watched a sly smirk appear on Sabrina's face, which must've meant she was agreeing to this plan, which caused him to breathe a sigh of relief. "That said..." he paused, huffing slightly. "I'm in no condition to take point in this and lead it...you care to take point? We're both pretty speedy, but I'm also nursing this gash in my side."

"Uhhh you mean you want me to go first? I can do that."

He nodded, giving a bit of a smile himself. "I'll follow your lead...the more we overwhelm it, the better our outcome might be. I mean, after all, just a bit ago...our assault worked...with a bit of fine tuning, this plan could be just what could work." Calling Aqua Star back to his hand, Gene gave Sabrina a look and nod. "At your word...Dracona."

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It had gone as expected, for the most part. Her speed was unmatched by the armor, and the lance had met its mark; the same could be said in the opposite, as well. In retrospect, the pain was the second worst she had ever felt, but it was difficult to remember the exact details of her death from before. Her fingers clamped tight around her lance as the surge of electricity coursed through, and the large chunk taken from her abdomen wasn’t helping. Her throat surged with pain as she struggled, and fought back the urge to scream; to yell, as the lance dissolved from her wounds, leaving the piercing wound empty, to fill itself with blood.

She stumbled for a moment, forcing herself back to reality, as she let adrenaline take hold. They’d need to finish this quickly; a stabbing wound there undoubtedly must have hit some sort of vital organ, and she would either need medical attention or to die and be remade again. Either way, the armor would have to go first. She narrowed her gaze on the armor as she tried to steady herself, and began to speak. “...I’m going to try and keep it focused on me. Strike when you see an opening,” she managed to spit out between harsh breaths. “Objections?”

"None," Abby answered. "Don't be afraid to fall back for a bit if you need some quick healing, but keep in mind I'm not a miracle worker."

Marshall smiled, nodding as she took in a deep breath. “...I know,” she’d take in a deep breath, as she adjusted her grip on the lance, and took a step forwards. “...Just stay behind me until we clash,” she’d keep her voice quiet, and level, as she locked eyes with the armor. Without waiting for a response, she took another step forwards, moving a free hand to cover her wound as the Lance-wielding construct of water moved forwards yet again; carefully keeping her steps slow, and steady, so as to match the construct, just until…

It lunged forwards.

She was quick on the draw, so to speak; this was what she wanted, after all. She swept the lance in front of her, scraping across the ground; energy pooling in her hands as a spark was struck, and fire roared to life. “...Stand clear,” she murmured, vision growing hazy as the wall of flames rose-- And was parted. Steam hissed out around the form of the enemy lancer as it broke through the engulfing wall of flames; heedless of its own safety. It did not slow down, nor did she expect it to, as it surged forwards and as she moved her hand out of the way of her previous wound, steadying herself. It was another impossibly painful moment; vision hazing as she grit her teeth, and clamped her mouth shut so as to avoid biting her tongue off. The enemy weapon once again, had found its place in her abdomen, striking and spearing who knows what organ, as muscles spasmed to the beat of the electricity which surrounded the lance.

All according to plan.

“Now.”

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The start of the fight had gone about as well as Abby could realistically hope for. In an unrealistic super-perfect scenario, Marshall would get a good stab in at the suit of armor without sustaining any injuries herself, but this was reality, even if Abby was still getting used to the fact. Marshall did indeed get a very good stab in, but in the process, the armor was able to retaliate with an attack of its own. At the very least, it seemed Marshall wasn't dead, so there was relief to be found there.

“...I’m going to try and keep it focused on me. Strike when you see an opening. Objections?”

"None. Don't be afraid to fall back for a bit if you need some quick healing, but keep in mind I'm not a miracle worker."

“...I know. Just stay behind me until we clash.”

What followed was a tension Abby would have likened to a standoff in a cowboy film, if she were more of a spectator and less an active participant in this fight. Once the construct started forward, so did Marshall, in another trade of stabs. This time, however, Marshall had physical backup, in the form of a small woman with a big hammer closing in on the lance-wielders as fast as her legs would carry her, hammer at the ready. Once Abby was in swinging range, she did exactly that, taking a big swing right at the big hunk of steel and water in front of her.

As she did so, however, Abby soon realized that this thing may have been a bit faster than she gave credit for. Fast enough to react to the follow-up, at least, removing its lance from Marshall and falling back in a bid to escape the tiny juggernaut. While it was able to avoid the brunt of the attack, thankfully it wasn't so fast as to escape the situation entirely, being met with a swing of the hammer into its side. And so, Abby turned her attention back to Marshall for a moment. Still standing, but stabbed twice. This was far from ideal.

"Maybe let me take one?" she suggested. "So you don't get yourself killed or something?"

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Boss Music Part 2

The axe wielding armored guardian had pick its axe back up, not injured any further as the duo went to make a plan. As they were getting ready, the armored being began to charge at Sabrina who in turn seemed ready to enact Gene's plan. "Uh! I guess we're going now!" Sabrina said as she ran towards the armor. The two combatants closed in on each other and as the armor went for a heavy horizontal swing Sabrina ducked under the attack to strike at it with a slash of her own. The scythe found purchase, cutting into the armor once more and making water spray out again, all while avoiding being bisected in the process. As the armored guardian began to right itself Sabrina would realize that she was now crouched in swinging range of this axe wielding being, something that perhaps would've been a problem if not for Gene swooping from behind her and going for a cut of his own against the armored creature's leg, causing a streak of water to come as it had from every other wound. 

The attention of the axe armored was immediately taken as it turned its body to face the boy, axe already at the ready to be swung. Gene had opted to take a parrying stance against the creature, and would find that once more as his blade made contact with the axe he was clearly no match for it in a battle of pure strength. His blade was tossed aside again as the axe muscled through it from brute strength alone and moved towards Gene's unguarded torso. Once more, pain shot through the boy as an axe buried into his side, vibrations from the sound magic also coursing through him. Gene would find his consciousness begin to slip and fatigue begin to set in as he now had two wounds from his axe to show for his troubles. Though he was still able to move, much the same as he had before, it was becoming incredibly clear to him that he could not keep this up for much longer. 

The spear wielding armored guardian skidded a bit on its feet as it was recovering from the hit it took. However once it got its footing back, it had opted to stay where it was instead of go forward like it had last time. Seemingly now aware of the danger that approaching these two possessed it opted for a different strategy. It leaped back before planting its feet into the ground, reeling back its arm as the entirety of the spear seemed to crackle with electricity, intensifying by the second. Abby would soon find her request to Marshall fulfilled, as once the creature had finished its wind up, it launched the spear at high speeds towards the small girl. 

Edited by Skaia

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It was strange.

 

The clarity provided by the blood loss, by the adrenaline, it was… A lot for Marshall to take in, as she steadied herself. Her skull pounded from a lack of fluids; her limbs ached as she willed herself to stay standing, and the massive portions of missing or damaged intestines couldn’t have helped either. And yet, despite everything, she saw the world as clear as ever. Even as her vision hazed, even as her grip on the lance sagged, she remained standing, eyes locked on her opponent, as Abby spoke. In truth, Marshall couldn’t help but oblige Abby; even if she wanted to take the next hit, the target had already been selected.

Which made now the perfect time to move.

The lance faded from her hands in an instant as their enemy finished its wind-up; and she broke out into a sprint towards it. Her vision blurred into a haze with each labored sprint; each step sending a shockwave of pain through her body as the two abdominal wounds threatened to leak further with each step-- But she kept moving. Even as her balance flickered for an instant, her hearing dimming to fill only with the pounding of her heart-- She kept steady in her sprint. The lance had kept her grounded, but… She couldn’t let it slow her down. She needed to move fast-- And move now. The distance was simultaneously longer than she could have ever expected, and shorter than she thought it would be. Like a blur across the field, she shot forwards with a single-minded goal, and brought both hands to her right side as she closed her eyes; the distance was crossed in a moment, with the armor still recoiling from the throw of the lance in her vision as she opened her eyes.

The lance appeared in her hands at just the last moment, and in an instant, she felt the last of the supernatural strength that accompanied an art leave her.

It plunged into the armor’s chest with less impact than before, but still enough to stagger the armor; as well as her. Marshall’s grip tightened on the lance as she came to a sudden stop as well; the wind knocked out of her as she struggled still to smile, staring up into the helm of the knight. Her mind slowed for that moment, adrenaline fading as the pain began to catch up to her; just in time for the fist of the armor to do so as well, slamming into the crater the lance had formed previously. An unpleasant squelching accompanied it (and whether that had come from her or the Armor, she couldn’t say) as her grip tightened involuntarily on the lance; lightning surging through her body as every muscle seized.

She could hardly feel anything anymore.

She used what strength she could muster to slam the lance further in, her legs growing weaker as the lance edged slightly further into the liquid form of the knight; water beginning to spill out all around the lance’s widening base even as she pushed the lance further in. “...Let’s just hope…” she’d smile, as she watched the lance raise its other hand; lightning sparking across its knuckles as it tightened it into a fist, and she closed her eyes. “...They make sure this is only your final stop,” she muttered, throwing her full weight onto the lance, thrashing it around inside of the knight, as---

Everything went dark.

Edited by Tiamat's Circus

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"Uh! I guess we're going now!"

Gene followed Sabrina's lead and for the most part, the plan worked...until he felt the pain again...right in his unguarded torso. His eyes went wide, feeling the sound magic and vibrations coursing throughout his body...it hurt...no, it didn't just hurt, it was PAINFUL. Right now he had two wounds from this axe wielder...and he was already feeling his consciousness falter, fatigue was already beginning to slowly creep in now. His breath was getting a bit shallow from what he could feel. Sure he could stand still, but it was obvious on one fact: Gene Eric could not keep this going.

The young man was already attempting to move back away from the Axe Guardian, successfully dislodging himself from it's axe...though it hurt like a mother, huffing and panting in the process.  ...w-what...a-are...we...s-s-supposed to...do? he thought, trying to steady himself some. This was getting them no where, and he wasn't in any shape to keep going. But that was only the beginning. He glanced over to the other two and his eyes went wide with fear.

The Lance Guardian had Marshall, though from what he could see...she was...she...

"N-No...no no no no no no..." Gene muttered under his breath, feeling his chest get real tight for a bit. He knew what this was to an extent: hyperventilating. He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute as well. Was he...? There was no doubt about it, he was having a panic attack. Gene immediately dropped to his knees for a moment, the Aqua Star sword clanging to the ground before dissipating. ...t-t-this can't be happening...c-can't...be...happening... he thought, clutching his chest slightly, gasping for air some.

They had already lost so many others... Drake, Jocelyn, Percy, they practically left them to fend for themselves, no words...nothing...and now Marshall. It was only Sabrina, Abby and himself...but with how he was feeling...he'd follow right behind Marshall. They weren't able to do much of anything right now...one step forward, ten steps back it seemed. He looked up in the direction of Abby and then at Sabrina, still trying to catch his breath. He shook his head slightly, still trying to calm himself down, though now he was seeing the Axe Guardian moving. The Guardian practically performed a jump attack, swinging it's axe in the process. Gene panicked again, immediately scrambling and tried to dodge the attack, to which he thankfully did...but barely. The axe slamming into the ground caused that sonic boom again and it struck at him, knocking him back a bit more.

D-D-Damnit!! he thought, struggling to get himself up. ...s-some hero...I-I turned out to be... Gene proceeded to slam his closed fist into the ground, his whole body shaking. ...how t-the hell...a-are we supposed to beat them...?! Were his dreams of being the courageous hero just that: dreams? He was a fearless swordsman that laughed in the face of danger in his dreams, and yet, he was shaking like a leaf...he was terrified. He clenched his fists, his eyes closed tightly, trying hard not to just burst into tears.

BGM

Could it be that he was right along? That his step father was ri-... His fist slammed into the ground again harder than he did prior, causing his fist to bleed a bit, shaking his head fiercely. "N-No...I-I'd rather die again...b-before I ever think he was right..." he muttered weakly to himself. He did his best to steady himself, finally getting back up, his legs shaking beneath him. Gene's eyes, they had tears in them, but there was a fierceness in them...one that showed he wasn't done. To his hand, Aqua Star was summoned once more. Gene wasn't done...he couldn't be done...not after just seeing that Marshall was willing to throw her own life in the line of duty...but at the same time, he wasn't going to let HIS words be the thing that he found out were proven true about him.

He shifted slightly, knowing that now the Guardian had a bit of a recovery period. This wasn't the first time this happened...now he knew something. Twirling Aqua Star in his hand a bit, Gene rushed forward towards the recovering Guardian. He rushed around him, striking at the armored being, namely at his shoulder...the one with axe. The moment he saw him move, the young man immediately disengaged and skidded to a stop near Sabrina. "...t-that should be the time then..." he said, his voice still wavering slightly. He was still shaking, his grip on the sword's hilt was deathly tight. Yes, he was still scared to death (literally), but Gene couldn't stop...not now. "...we make sure they're at a distance...do that attack...they have to recover afterwards...s-s-should be the time to strike..."

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She was doing...good, right? She felt like she was at least. She hadn't been hit much and she hit it quite a few times. That must mean she was winning. Which meant she just had to keep going like this and it would go down right?

Too focused on the enemy in front of her, and without being able to see the whole area, she didn't know how the others were doing but now wasn't the time to worry about that. The armored enemy was on its way.

"...we make sure they're at a distance...do that attack...they have to recover afterwards...s-s-should be the time to strike..."

"So what you're saying is....don't get hit, yeah? Got it." Sabrina thought something was off about him, he seemed to be barely hanging in there, but that couldn't be the case. There was no way that she'd still be feeling fine while he was on his last breath right?

Yeah, it'll work out alright. She had this now.

Sabrina charged right for the enemy. Seemingly ignoring the words of her fellow isekaiee. However as the armor readied their attack she jumped, pushing herself up high with the wind magic and, when she made it directly over them, fired another ball of fire right down towards their helm.

She continued until she landed on the other side. Sabrina wasted no time to charge at it again. This time intending to swing her scythe.

However the thing had already begun to turn. And when she got within range it was ready to slam its axe down at her. So she scrambled to a halt and half jumped backwards. Back-peddling awkwardly but fast enough to avoid the axe splitting her in two.

"Okay okay, no getting greedy then..." she muttered, taking a moment to catch her breath. She had forgot for a bit how scary it was to have a weapon swung at her like that.

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Everything was going more or less to whatever semblance of a plan Abby had. The lance armor had turned its attention to Abby, and was getting ready to thrust at her. To be honest, she hadn't figured out what to do once she was impaled, but she knew it was better her than Marshall. So, prepared to face the attack head-on, Abby braced herself for impact...

Only for Marshall to do something incredibly stupid!

"Are you stupid!?" Abby barked as her partner charged into the now-spearless armor, receiving a pugilistic pummeling for her efforts. Marshall was soon after rendered down for good. Either she was dead, or she probably wished she was. This sort of thing was something Abby had prepared to be met with even in her previous life - she did want to be a doctor, after all - but she wasn't expecting it to happen quite like this. Least of all by someone recklessly charging in time and again against a singular foe. But unless Abby wanted to join her in the afterlife (after-afterlife?), she didn't have time to freak out over that. It was now 1-on-1 against a foe meant for two, and the armor demanded Abby's full attention.

As did the spear. While she had to admit she hadn't expected it to be thrown at her in such a manner, the how and why of it didn't matter. The spear was there, and Abby needed it to not be inside her body. And so, as the spear approached, she brought from the side her hammer to meet it mid-flight, swinging at the projectile weapon. And the attempt to deflect it did work, somewhat. The force behind the spear was a bit more than Abby had suspected, and while she wasn't able to fully rid herself of it, she was able to send it off-course enough that the spear found itself lodged in her waist rather than piercing through her heart. That was definitely a preferable outcome, though the electricity surging through her body did briefly cause her muscles to seize up. Marshall's sacrifice was something of a blessing in this moment, since the armor being occupied killing her meant it didn't have time to move in on the briefly-stunned Abby. And she was certain this time that "killed" was the right word, for Marshall's spear even disappeared from the field of battle. This mortal distraction gave Abby a brief moment to cast a quick Cure on herself, but at what cost?

The other spear, meanwhile, turned back into water, rushing back to its owner's side. So that's your game.

If the armor was smart, it would turn this into a war of attrition. Keep throwing the spear until Abby is worn out, then finish her off from there. Abby couldn't have that. Even if "run at the opponent" wasn't the best strategy by any measure, it was what she'd have to do in this moment. She could play the rest by ear, with one particular endgoal in mind. As she began her approach, the armor threw its spear once more, though without the additional windup and crackling electricity this time. Perhaps this time a good swing would deflect the spear in its entirety? Much to her relief, it was! As the hammer and spear collided, the latter was sent off to the side, clattering uselessly against the floor.

Well now!

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As the Axe wielding guardian struck the ground, the two fighting it would begin to notice something as it slowly brought back its axe back up. While there had been a subtle hum coming from the axe the whole time, they would notice that this hum was growing louder and louder as the axe raised. More to the point Sabrina would see that the slight vibration around the axe was steadily increasing and a gray energy started to fill the blade. Soon enough, the blade itself had become blurred in its vibration and the hum had become a high pitched screech as the armor finally raised the blade above its head. The two would also notice that it's aim didn't seem quite like it was trying to hit either of them. And then, at the apex of its wind up it swung the axe down, smashing the blade against the ground rather than either of them letting loose an enormous burst of sound and force from it, the blade shattering back into water briefly before moving back to slowly form the blade once more. 

The previously Spear wielding guardian was unable to strike Abby as she had managed to beat the weapon away from herself. Interestingly, rather than call back the weapon as soon the attack was deflected it waited until the weapon had clattered to the ground and came to a stop to do so. It took up a defensive stance briefly, waiting for the spear to come back to it before it resumed its usual gumption. However, as both of its ranged attacks had seemed to not work as intended, this time the spear wielding armor decided to approach Abby. Slowly at first before suddenly rushing forward and going in for a stab against her. 

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That was it! She had to go in now before it did...whatever it was doing! Sabrina didn't even think for a moment if this was a bad idea before she already started to run towards the armor. She was able to reach it before it swung and sliced cross its chest with her scythe. However it didn't stop the thing from attacking at all and Sabrina realized her mistake as the humming axe came down.

She backpedaled then turned to try and run out of the way of whatever was happening. Then the axe hit the ground and she felt intense pain as a shockwave struck her back and sent her flying forward and onto the ground. Her ears rang and she couldn't hear anything for a moment. She wouldn't even be sure she was conscious if not for the pain. But as it stood she was able to struggle up to her feet again and, body aching, turn towards the armor.

It had hurt but she was still standing, even if a bit shaky, so she launched a ball of flame towards the armor from the distance.

The armor had recovered from its attack and was ready for her. Its axe blade hadn't reformed yet but that didn't stop the thing from attacking. The seemingly unfazed enemy pulled back and threw the haft of its weapon towards Sabrina. It cut through the fire, which still managed to land, and sailed towards her at high speed. "Ack!" Sabrina let out a surprised noise as she dove to the side to avoid the attack.

Before getting back up she came to a realization that she could try and attack again and, on her side now, she fired off another fireball towards the enemy.

"E-engulf in draconian flames! Just....lose already, ugh!"

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Gene watched the Axe Guardian, hearing the subtle but growing louder humming from the weapon He couldn't exactly tell what this was, but it was something he had to keep an ear out for. But he couldn't really focus too much on that, what with the Guardian currently slamming the axe into the ground and sending another thunderous clap axe slam. This wasn't good...he couldn't afford to be knocked back down by something like this again.

"W-Water Wall!" Gene shouted, throwing his hand in front of him, holding his upper arm as the sigil on his hand began to glow. Between him and the oncoming reverberations appeared another wall of water. "Shitshitshit..." he groaned, moving back a bit. The wall of water would provide a negation to some of the reverberation, sure, but right now he needed to distance himself from the wall. After getting a bit further away from it, Gene watched it shatter against the weight of the reverberations. But the plus side: he was alive still. A sigh of relief was breathed at this. But they weren't out of the woods yet.

"E-engulf in draconian flames! Just....lose already, ugh!"

Luckily, Sabrina was shooting it with a fireball, though the elemental affinity here wasn't exactly helping in the long run. Nevertheless, he was glad she was doing something to keep the guardian busy. Gene decided to take this opportunity to strike again at the guardian...especially while it was being distracted. With a slow exhale, Gene rushed towards the guardian once more before striking at the armored foe's back...about the time the fireball was making contact. As he got close...he noticed. The fist of the armored guardian began to vibrate with the same type of magic as it's axe did...and he simply punched the fireball with ease. The armor was scorched, of course, but Gene also noticed it was starting to crack around the hand. "...wait...what?" he muttered, before looking at the area of the guardian he struck. All this time, water came out of the wounds...and yet...the spot he struck this time...the armor began to crack and split.

W-What is going on? Gene thought, immediately backing away from the armored warrior, trying to get his bearings together. Where did the water go? What changed? It makes no sense...could it be the fire? No...wait...maybe it's that sound magic...that has to be it. I mean...what else could it be?

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Abby had learned two vital pieces of information from the exchange between the spear and her hammer. One: The armor could still call back the spear, even if it was deflected in such a manner. Two: Doing so took longer than if it had hit like normal. Abby could take advantage of this later on, probably. For now, the armor seemed to get the message that throwing the spear wouldn't work anymore, and so it began to approach to the considerably less safe melee range. As it approached, however, its speed suddenly changed from a slow walk to a lunge, with the spear coming straight for Abby. This wasn't quite what she had in mind for how to deal with the enemy in front of her, but she could very much make this work.

Abby made no effort to avoid the incoming spear. If anything, she seemed to welcome the attack, bracing for impact and taking the attack head-on. She could feel the electricity of the spear surge through her body, but she was ready this time. As soon as she felt the spear pierce her flesh, Abby immediately turned her attention to the conspicuous hole in the armor that Marshall had made earlier. She'd never finished med school, but you didn't have to be a doctor to know water and electricity didn't mix well. Which was why getting close to the thing had been her plan. Once she was met with the spear, Abby thrust her hands forward, sticking them into the hole and letting the current also run into the water beneath the armor.

That would show it! It would show it, right?

Abby could tell it was affected by this course of action, though to what extent, time would have to tell.

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Gene would find any worries he had unfounded and any thoughts he might've had about the situation to be unnecessary. The break in the armor that he had caused with his sword as well as the cracks on the hand the fire had cause start to spread further and further until the entire body began to crumble and return to its original form; water. There was no trace, neither armor nor weapon, that the foe they had been fighting had existed at all saved for the puddle of water it had turned into upon its defeat. Though Sabrina and Gene may very well have felt relief in that moment they would hear no victory fan fare as the fight still raged on. 

The spear armor was still very much alive and Abby was still being impaled by it. They would also be able to see Marshall face first lying on the ground. She wasn't moving so it was clear that something was wrong but she wasn't in a pool of blood or anything so it was difficult to tell if she was actually dead or just in a coma. What was easy to tell though was that the spear armor and Abby were still having a clash of sorts. The hole in its armor was only growing as Abby continued to push her hand into it and pieces of the armored body started to crack open at random as the electricity coursed through it. It didn't seem like it was hampered by the attack at all, though certainly it had taken damage from its own electricity hitting it, and quickly pulled the spear out of the girl, having half of it turn to water as it had done previously, before stepping back and going in for yet another lunge against the girl, seemingly oblivious to the defeat of its comrade on the other side of the room. 

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"HaHA! See, see, I really do have awesome magic power take that!" Sabrina cheered as the enemy fell before her. Hopping up and down due to the joy that had surged through her. She looked around to see how the others were responding....

Only to see one on the ground, knocked out hopefully, and the other in the process of being stabbed. "Oh!" She let out a surprised noise, not having expected such a difference in how the two sides looked. "U-uh, that doesn't look...good." she said.

Panic set in for a moment but the excitement from the victory was still keeping her going which caused the girl to throw caution to the wind. "Ahhh.....heck with it if I could beat one I can beat another right? Don't worry I'm coming to help, m-my draconic blood still boils for battle!" With that she ran towards the interlocked duo. She had no plan in mind. But then again she hadn't had one this entire time. Despite everything she couldn't help but feel confident in her chances.

Perhaps she was starting to really feel like a chosen hero after all. "Yaaaaaaa!" she called out as she reached the two, standing behind the armored lancer and swinging her scythe in an arc. The enemy didn't so much as turn, too engrossed in trying to kill her teammate, and she was able to slash across its back. Larger cracks began to form on the thing's armor. She could only hope that it would be brought down before it hurt Abby even more.

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To his shock and surprise, the axe guardian was felled...and that issue was finally over with. But unfortunately, they weren't out of the woods yet. Gene glanced over and saw the lancer was still striking at Abby, and she wasn't having a great time. He began to slightly grit his teeth, knowing that Abby right now was the team healer of sorts...on the count they had no other methods of healing. If she went down...then they'd be in a worse condition than they already were. They couldn't let that happen...

Luckily, now he could see large cracks beginning to form along the foe's armor. It was the same as the other one...which meant... ...it should be possibly close to falling...which means we may have a chance!! Gene thought, slowly huffed. He still wasn't feeling his best, but he wasn't going to let this be the end of it. Gene stood upright, adopting a stance, exhaling slowly. To his surprise, or maybe his expectation, Sabrina went rushing forward towards the lancer immediately before him. ...last one...she hits em from the back...then...I'LL GO FOR THE FRONT!!! he thought, before rushing right after Sabrina.

Gene knew how he wanted to strike this foe...he wanted to strike him just like Sabrina did with the other...go for the arms. With Abby doing what she's doing...that should make the inner integrity of the armor...just weak enough for a strike...gotta make it count! he thought, getting up close now to the armored warrior. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Sabrina deliver the heavy attack straight to the warrior's armored back. The moment she did...Gene let out a yell as he slashed his sword in an downward swing, making contact with it's arms. And it surprised Gene this time...as the sword went clean through the arm. Must've been due to the armor being so weakened by Abby like it had been, but regardless, the cracks from its damaged arm start spreading, as does the cracks on its back until the whole thing splits and shatters into a bunch of a pieces, falling to the ground and turning to water as it does so.

"D-Did...d-d-did we do it...?" he huffed slowly, feeling his knees slightly buckle beneath him.

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With both armors having crumbled and returned to their original state as water the puddles that they had left behind suddenly started to move again. This time, rather than animating as living suits of armor trying to murder the Exalted, they coalesced into a small sphere. The water in front of the currently living trio then seemed to spark with electricity coursing over it, where as the puddle from behind them that was once the axe armor had turned into a vibrating sphere of water. The two spheres floated up and moved towards the Exalted. They would instinctually know that these orbs possessed no actual ill will towards them, though if they tried to escape from it the orbs would relentlessly hunt them anyway. The one with electricity flowed moved towards Abby while the humming moved towards Sabrina, being the two closest, and floated into their Dragon Sign. A large sound, as if from a rock being dropped into a still pond, would resound within all of the Exalted's ears. And then their vision went dark for a moment. 


They were in a blank void. Black as far as the eye could see. There was no light. No sound. No them. There was Nothing. Nothing was all around them. They couldn't feel anything but they could feel Nothing encroaching around them, rejecting their very existence as if insulted by it. Threatening to scrape away any and all trace that they ever were. 

"And from that blank void was he born." An alien voice rang out. They could make out no details from it. Not gender, age, language. It was something they couldn't even be certain that they were being spoken to but they understood the meaning that was being transmitted. "The First. In a Sea of Nothing, with neither Earth nor Air, he erupted like a raging Wildfire." 

And then there had been light. A singular, small light. And then that light pulsed and their vision was filled with more lights. These tiny lights continued to litter the Nothing around them as the original one began to grow bigger, burn brighter and more intensely. Until finally, they could see what lie in the large, burning sphere. What had made its home within the Sun. Scaled swings stretched far and wide. A reptilian eye looking straight at the group, before its long neck brought its head back and let out a Primordial roar. 

This was a dragon. 

"Star." 


As their vision returned, now back in the room where they had fought the guardians they would feel their hands vibrate intensely and electricity crackle across it for a brief moment. Taking in their surroundings more, the water that had been flowing across the walls had dissipated and they were able to see the carvings etched on the side walls. That depicted the alien creatures lying underneath what could be seen as notably larger animal carvings, and humanoids with animal like features on them. And in the center of the room was a large stone statue, depicting a strange chimeric creature. A quadrupedal creature with a large, likely furred in its life, torso. Its back legs ended in hooves while its front ones ended in claws. Its neck was long and coated in what was likely a lion's mane. It had the head of a wolf, tusks growing out from under its jaw and whiskers on either end of its face. 

After a moment, River had appeared to greet the group again. "Congratulations every one. You fought very wonderfully and used masterful teamwork together. And with it you have passed the trial of Storm and have been bequeathed with his power." The girl smiled and gave a small, sincere clap for them. Then, after a moment she asked, "do you have any questions?" 

OOC

Spoiler

So yeah, you guys did it. You beat the armor, got a spooky vision and got more power. 

In case there was any doubt, you have in fact unlocked the Rune Grafts of Sound and Lightning Magic and can equip them at your leisure. 

In addition to this you have all gained more Soul Fragments and the newly showcased Arts Fragment. These fragments are used to create and modify Arts, and the "Arts - Creation and Improvement" section has been added to the OOC.  The amount and expenditure of these will be in the discord chat so yeah. 

There is an in-universe explanation for how these things work but so as to not just info dump you all at once, I'll leave it to your PC's questioning to figure that out IC. OOC feel free to ask any questions about it. 

Also because I was unable to find a place to put it, Marshall would also be able to have this weird spooky vision and once it ended she would be alive again. All of you would also look no worse for wear, your clothing is totally fine and Marshall's hat is back. Weird huh. 

 

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"D-Did...d-d-did we do it...?"

"Obviously! That was nothing compared to the power of the chosen heroes! Hehehe!" Sabrina, upon seeing the enemy fall, began doing something like a dance in place, jumping from one foot to the other and ending by pumping her fist in the air.

She then heard an odd sound, and started to look around to see where it had come from, and all she could see was darkness.

Anxiety gripped her as she found herself surrounded by Nothing. An anxiety that wasn't relieved by the unknown voice that suddenly sounded. However what followed filled the girl instead with something else. She stared into the eye of the great dragon before her and felt a mixture of excitement, awe, and a bit of embarrassment at her claim of having dragon blood.

Though. What if....what if that, like being a special chosen hero, wasn't just a fabrication?

The thought came to her as everything returned to normal, or what was normal at the time, and she let out a shaky breath. "Whoa..."

She felt her hand vibrating, her right arm tingling with incredible power in fact, for a moment which brought her back to the now of things. She looked around and her eyes passed over the carvings. She had no idea what it all meant but they at least looked pretty cool.

She settled back on River as he girl spoke up, clapping in such a cute way that Sabrina's heart jumped at it, and opened up for questions.

"Uh so...does...this mean we can just...use more powers now?"

“Oh, yes.” River nodded. “Specifically the powers of sound and lightning. Though the amount of power you have access to at once is still limited.”

"Wait, um....does that mean, hold on like uh, equipment slots or something? Is that...I mean I thought we all just had our, uh, things we did that was our...thing."

“Equipment slots?” The girl cocks her head in confusion at the term before shaking it. “Oh no, not quite. All of you possess five, now seven, blessings from both the Primordials and Aeon. You are only able to maintain the use of two at a time though. After all mortal souls can be a bit fragile and take their concept of identity very seriously. So trying to draw upon the power of more gods then you could handle at once would be disastrous for you.”

The wording made Sabrina think of something that had been in the back of her mind. She then asked another question which, after she said it, made her feel like she had said something stupid. "So we're...still mortal, then?"

The girl nodded. “In spirit yes, you still possess the soul of a human being. Albeit one unaltered by any god which is quite a rarity.” After a moment of thinking she said, “though you no longer possess the body of a human, so while still mortal you are not quite so as the other denizens of this world.”

Sabrina's head began to spin at this information, unable to understand what she meant. "Ahaha....yeah of course, after all I have the blood of a dragon, um..." Sabrina's usual line faltered as she remembered what she had just seen.

Her eyes lighting up, River said, “oh, that is true. You have dragons in your world as well? I haven’t sensed any other kind of blessing within you, so I am quite curious as to what kind of dragon your lineage belongs to Sabrina and what kind of role it plays in your world.” The girl smiled with genuine curiosity at Sabrina.

Sabrina hesitated. This was one of the only times she ever had her claims taken seriously. And not just seriously but with interest. She thought for a moment about admitting she didn't actually know what she was talking about, but... "Well...that is, I can't say for sure. It was, um...." she took a deep breath and then nodded. It was now or never. She brought a hand up to her face and spoke, her voice lower than normal, "It was ancient times when the dragons roamed. Long have they been sealed, cast aside by foolish mortals, but there are those who still keep their powers in their hearts." She paused then, voice going back to normal, "And uh, that's...my ancestors or...something."

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It was odd, to be honest. Throughout Marshall’s life, there were always arguments over what ‘death’ meant for each person; it was strange having an answer. Then again, she knew this answer would be less than satisfying for most, but what could she say? There was nothing. It was a peaceful nothing; a nothing that she almost understood this time, that she almost accepted. After all, this nothing had rescued her from the gouging pain that had so prompted her entry into the darkness; this nothing had rescued her from the acute knowledge of every organ in her body, as it screamed out in pain from the lance that had embedded itself in her flesh--

But as with all sweet-nothings in death, that too came to an end, as a voice followed. As a voice showed her something. A dragon was born. A star was born. A world was born.

It seemed, she had an answer to the question of creation as well now.

Marshall awoke with a sigh, as she found herself slumped down on the ground, and once again assaulted by the existence of sensations. There were small things; the feeling of her clothes as they clung to her body. The uncomfortable feeling where she had begun to wear a hole through her shoe, though it hadn’t quite come to be yet. The rough ground against her face, and the rest of her body. The feeling of air as it passed through her mouth, through her lungs. The light as it assaulted her eyes with a sudden fervor, the overwhelming might of the light reinforced by that of sound as Sabrina asked question after question; and good questions as they were, they were still a lot.

She would have to process them later.

With another sigh, Marshall slowly rolled herself onto her side, and then sat up, cracking her neck, and then her back. Blinking one eye and then another, she slowly pushed herself to stand up, stretching her arms for a moment, before crouching back down. “...Good then,” she spoke, clearing her throat as she picked her hat up off the ground, before rising back to her full height, turning to regard the others as she placed her cap back on her head, and adjusted it. “...I’m glad to see that my previous hypothesis about life and death rings true in these tests as well, Dispatcher,” she nodded towards River with a faint smile

For how simple a question it is River seems to ponder it for a moment. “My Lady is certainly responsible for your current state of being, though I believe the return of your hat is more a product of your own doing.”

“...I see,” Marshall nodded, crossing her arms. “...I suppose then, that it’s similar to our weapons?” she asked, the idea sparking off in her mind. “Where, since they are a part of us, their physical form is shaped by our self perception? And in that way, our clothes and appearance are as well?”

The girl smiled and nodded. “Yes very similar. As I had mentioned, identity is a very important part of the soul, and both the concept of wearing clothes and these clothes in particular must have some importance on your own identity. So rest assured that no matter how damaged or lost your clothing becomes it shall always return to you, in a similar way to how your body will always retain the same shape after being healed.”

Marshall seemed to pause, as if taking this information in for a moment, before nodding. “...That makes some sense, then,” she nodded. “Thank you for your time, Dispatcher,” she brought a hand back up to her hat, and gave another slight nod towards River, before turning her attention back to the others. “...I suppose I should add to this; good work. I wasn’t able to see it, but judging by the fact that I have returned, I’d like to thank you all for dispatching our remaining foes in a timely manner,” she’d explain, tucking her arms behind her as she spoke, a faint, almost proud-looking smile on her face.
 

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Abby's struggle with the armor was on in full, and her game plan had been executed. Albeit, to slightly less success than she'd have liked. Perhaps a 1-on-1 with this thing wasn't as easy a task as she'd expected. Luckily, she wasn't quite alone. Thanks to some timely intervention from Sabrina and Gene, the spear-wielding armor was disposed of, and the Exalted were deemed the victors! And to the victors went the spoils, to the tune of an orb sticking itself into the Dragon Signs of the two still-living girls. Which, in turn, prompted quite a vision from Abby.

Or perhaps it was better to call it a lack of a vision? After all, it was so much nothing, that it was frankly impressive how nothing the nothing was. And then there was light! And within the star before her, a dragon! Abby hoped she didn't have to fight that - while she was no expert, she knew dragons were not suitable early foes - and her hopes were fortunately right on the money. The vision ended with a return to the room from before, but with all the cascading water done away with, new wall carvings became apparent, as well as a statue! It seemed that all four Exalted were none the worse for wear... yes, all four of them.

Despite Marshall having just died moments ago.

While Abby was relieved to see Marshall alive and well despite the whole dying thing, she was even more relieved that this meant she'd be able to make her feelings on the heroic sacrifice perfectly clear.

But first, there was one other matter that warranted Abby's attention. The triumphant return of not just Marshall, but also her hat, and the line of questioning that came with it.

“...I suppose then, that it’s similar to our weapons? Where, since they are a part of us, their physical form is shaped by our self perception? And in that way, our clothes and appearance are as well?”

“Yes very similar. As I had mentioned, identity is a very important part of the soul, and both the concept of wearing clothes and these clothes in particular must have some importance on your own identity. So rest assured that no matter how damaged or lost your clothing becomes it shall always return to you, in a similar way to how your body will always retain the same shape after being healed.”

"Dunno if I identify with this getup," Abby commented, taking a glance down at her own attire. "I just happened to die wearing it, due to... reasons."

“...I suppose I should add to this; good work. I wasn’t able to see it, but judging by the fact that I have returned, I’d like to thank you all for dispatching our remaining foes in a timely manner.”

"And speaking of dispatching," Abby groaned, planting the business end of her hammer into the floor, to use the shaft as a convenient pivot to quickly turn around and face Marshall more directly. "Mind telling us what the hell you were thinking throwing yourself into the jaws of death like that!? Now look, I'm very happy you're alive and well, but for all you knew, that would have been it for you! We're already tight on numbers as it is, and the last thing we need is..."

Abby paused in her scolding, taking a deep breath before tossing her hammer aside, dissipating it into the great nothingness of spiritual weapons that are no longer manifested. "Look, you're lucky for a lot of reasons you came back in as good of shape as you did. We gained valuable information about dying and all, and you're still with us. So it's fine, I guess, but... ugh, whatever. It's not me to get all worked up like that, but people just throwing themselves out to die really rubs me the wrong way. Though I guess you being back begs the philosophical question of "if Marshall is alive in front of us did she really die?" but I super don't want to get into that right now."

Another pause and deep breath. "Point being, welcome back, please don't do stupid shit like that again."

This line of thought and conversation was clearly getting nowhere fast in Abby's head. So she turned her attention to River instead.

"So, the clothes thing. Am I stuck wearing what I died in or can I get a wardrobe change if I think really hard about it?"

River silently watched as Abby vented her frustrations, seemingly curious about it, before becoming more pensive as the question came back to her. “I am unsure. Trying to change the identity of your soul through sheer willpower could prove both difficult and dangerous so it is not something I recommend. However, if you have no particularly strong feelings or identification with the clothes your wearing then if you purposefully remove them then they are likely to not return, and perhaps a different set of clothes that are more impactful to you would take their place.” After a pause she then added, “oh, I am unsure of how wardrobes work in your world but I have observed that typically humans do not wear two sets of clothing at once. So if you find something you like in this world and replace your old clothing with that then in due time it would likely become the default outfit for you.”

"Hm. Worth a shot later on, I guess."

Edited by yui

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"Obviously! That was nothing compared to the power of the chosen heroes! Hehehe!"

Sabrina was so...confident...so collected in this moment, Gene was obviously envious of this. She remained as stoic as she was prior...meanwhile he faltered...questioned himself and potentially his worth. He prayed this wouldn't be a reoccurring issue, but it was too soon to even tell at this point.

Yet, in the moment, with the Guardians felled, Gene along with the others, watched as two orbs went straight to Abby and Sabrina. He was a bit...disheartened, to know that he wasn't able to obtain an orb like that...but perhaps it was for the best right now. Better to wait and not get one than just getting one now and potentially being screwed up later. The sound of water dropping was heard again...but then, Gene's vision went dark...

Before him was...what Gene could only describe as a cutscene like in a few of his games. It was clear...concise...life like...it was depicting something, of what specifically, he knew not. The best he could've potentially described it as was a creation myth. He read about a few creation myths and legends back when he was still alive, but this seemed to accurately depict a history of the world here...a Primordial Dragon, Star, to be exact.

"Congratulations every one. You fought very wonderfully and used masterful teamwork together. And with it you have passed the trial of Storm and have been bequeathed with his power. do you have any questions?"

His vision returned to him finally, but once he did, he noticed something...yes, the obvious strange creature statue in the middle of the room...but something else: Marshall...alive. He wanted to immediately move and happily embrace the conductor in a friendly manner...buuuuuuuuut...

"And speaking of dispatching, Mind telling us what the hell you were thinking throwing yourself into the jaws of death like that!? Now look, I'm very happy you're alive and well, but for all you knew, that would have been it for you! We're already tight on numbers as it is, and the last thing we need is..."

"H-Hey...least we're all together though..." Gene sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his head, still trying to mask the fact that he almost had a mental breakdown complete with panic attack. "I-In any case...I think all the questions have been asked so far...sooooo that doesn't leave me much to ask."

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