The Age of Summoners: Chapter 2 - Friend or Foe

[MNMinion]

Josh woke up at yelling of sorts and turned to look out the window to see paladins charging into the Gians. He smiled to himself, maybe we werent doomed after all, and it seems this is a good time to stop hiding and help out. A quiet noise came from a corner and Josh immediatly realized it was his black widow.

Several bodies were just inside the doorway, his black widow summon was missing about three legs and had several cuts. It had served him well and he had fallen asleep. He smiled for it and unsummoned it.

Josh came out of the tower and rushed for the paladins and tried helping them with his dagger and what energy he had for his bio magic.

[Toastburner B]

After a more time, Darik sat to rest again.

I suppose there is no hurry. I can't fight them until Laccolith is back.

Darik grasped the figure on his necklace. How are you doing, Little Brother.

Not stronger yet.

I'm not in much better shape, myself. That guy whacked me on the head pretty hard.

Hurt?

No. Just a little light-headed, that's all. How much longer until you are stronger?

When stronger.

Not big on the details, I see. Anyways, join me as soon as you can.

Darik once more stood, and waited for the slight twirly senstation to pass. "I'm getting pretty close to the battle. Might as well get properly prepared."

As he walked, Darik went through the spells he knew in his head. He'd be prepared for a fight this time, and wouldn't go down so easy...that is, if Laccolith came before he got to the battle.

[Inbred Chocobo]

"Alright Angelith, hold on." Kelvin said as she sat down in the middle of the Chimera. Kelvin stood closer to the neck, then sat down.

How are we going to hold on? Just grab the fur?

You guys will only grab a little bit, so it won't matter.

Then Chimera started to back up a little bit. Then took off running expanding the wings and then hit the air. The Chimera glided over the forest for a little bit then started to gain altitude. As Kelvin looked over he saw a bandit camp pass over them as they went up. He wondered if that was where Angeltih came from, but decided not to dwell on it as Chimera flew even higher.

[Lumaes]

As the first rays of sunlight eked over the hills of Camenport the ancient church bells began to toll their ancient summons, calling the villagers to morning mass. As the townsfolk dutifully trudged their way atop the church's hill a strange disquiet fell over them. This was just one day in many, nothing marked this day out amongst the others and yet there was a longing quality to the air, that of great or terrible deeds as yet undone.
As the villagers reached the summit a peculiar sight greeted them, the church doors, always kept flung open in welcome, stood near shut one door askew. Their trepidation building they pushed inside the dark building and what they saw struck them in the depths of the soul.
The priests lay slumped in the pews, there faces awash with passed horror. Instantly the townsfolk muttered amongst each other, uttering short prayers against whatever force had done this, then one spoke the fateful words, those that would be remembered as the first sign.
"On all this earth, what could do such a thing?"
At these words the torches surged in to life, the censers began to leak a faintly perfumed smoke and the bells tolled again. More fantastic than each of these events was His appearance, he floated wraithlike above the dead priests. In his left hand he carried a flaming sword and in the right he held an olive branch, he was glorious to behold and an impossible brilliance issued from his very being and incandescent wings fluttered softly. His mere presence set their souls afire with holy ecstasy, little did they no this exultant feeling came from no divine source but the perfumed smoke that even now invaded their lungs.

Fear Not People Of Terra
You Witness Naught But Our Most Holy Judgment
You have Long Been Deceived By False Priests.
You Have Been Turned From The One True Light
Your Souls Are Kept By Darkness Clothed In False Light

The villagers are taken aback, shocked at this dark proclamation of their beloved church of the Highfather.

Here Me!
I Am Soratur Of The High Seraphim And Voice Of Our True Lord
See The Truth Of Your Highfather As He Stands Before The Light Of Our Lord

The being extends his two hands and light begins to fill the church. The statue of the Highfather begins to shudder and creak, dark shapes oozing from the old stone, writhing in agony before the holy light. The statue shudders again and explodes, sharp fragments hailing down as the light dims and re-enters the Angel.
The townspeople prostrate themselves before the Holy Messenger praying for forgiveness and mercy.

Fear Me Not People Of Terra
I Bring Retribution Only To The Dark
And Rebirth Only To The Good
You Have Been Misled
Tricked By A Demon Clothed As God
If You Are True You Shall Be Forgiven
Denounce These False Priests
Denounce This Church Of Demons
Offer Your Prayers Only To Our True Lord
For He Is Merciful And Just

The villagers cluster closer the Angelic figure hands outstretched asking for redemption.

Here Me
This Place Carries The Taint Of Demons
It Must Be Cleansed
Offer Your Prayers To Our True Lord As The Light Of the Sun Graces The Altar
Gather All Images Of The False Demons And Cast Them Into The Deepest Well
Go Forth Into The Graveyard And Free Those Interred For This Is The False God's Most Heinous Evil, For In That Dead Earth The Souls Lay Severed From His Divine Grace
Let No Follower Of The Demon's Church Lay Foot Upon This Ground For Their Touch Will Awaken That Which I Have Bound

The townsfolk cast their arms towards the placid figure offering clamorous thanks for his mercy.

Be Still
Their Is One More Duty I Give To You
One Has Escaped Our Lord's Judgment
He Is One Of The False God's Tainted Warriors
And Walks In The Shadow Of A Demon Garbed In The Cloth Of Angels
He Must Never Return Here!
If He Returns Darkness Will Fall
Drive Him Out!
Fear Not, The True Lord's Blessing Will Be With You

The Angel begins to rise, the assembly raising their voices in a chorus of thanks and compliance.

Fear Not
We Shall Come Again
Remember My Words
Cast Out The Tainted Warrior
Cast Out He Who Calls Himself Gabriel!

[Kildare]

OOC: LOL, looks like you're in a fit of trouble Raiden. You win the battle in Endorville, you're going to have some problems when you get back to the church. You lose, and you'll STILL be in trouble. XD

[Raiden]

(OOC: F#%k. Well, we better not lose here, then.)

[Astral Harmony]

"Wow!"
Angelith looked down at the scenery. Having never flown before, Angelith was thoroughly impressed with the whole concept. As the creature had climbed higher, Angelith loosened her grip on Kelvin's torso, feeling a little embarrassed about holding him so tightly.
"By the way," she said, her platinum blonde hair whipping at the wind that tugged at it, "where might we be going?"

[Arhra]

OOC: To fix this as soon as possible, I'm putting everything as the one post. If anyone wants to add anything, put it as a flashback. By the way, you should keep totally OOC posts like that in the discussion thread.

Quetzacotl and Catharsis' attacks both hit Bahamut, the disc of air splaying on him as he twists in the air to take the brunt of the blow on his armoured chest. It disintegrates in a blast of howling wind and then Quetzacotl's lightning and the second part of Catharsis' Divine Wind engulf the great dragon in a crazy whirlwind of barbed lightning and bladed air. Bahamut roars with pain and outrage as hostile magic crackles across his massive form.

Yet even then, Bahamut's mind is still set upon purposeful destruction. Gathering the remainder of his power to him, he breathes a devastating lance of pure destructive force to nail Quetzacotl to the sky. The battlefield is rocked by the mid-air explosion as Bahamut fades away, the magical lightning and wind still seething violently where he had been.

As Tarathiel clambers to his feet from where he had been knocked down to avoid Manda, he feels a sudden feeling of loss. Quetzacotl is gone - Bahamut had taken his enemy down with him. There's no time to think about that though as Mikay moves forwards and Kithar charges headlong towards him, face transformed by fury. Mikay holds back as Kithar attacks fully on the offensive and Tarathiel is hard pressed to do anything but defend himself. Kithar swings his sword in great, rage-fueled vorpal arcs, each one potentially fatal. He smashes the elven summoner's sword aside and it looks like the end is nigh.

Then there is a sudden moment of coursing shadows and Tarathiel is gone, whisked away by dark wings. As Darkwraiven ascends into the sky, attempting to get beyond the reach of unfriendly arrows, Mikay walks up to Kithar's side, the snake-skin necklace once again around her neck. Kithar's face is momentarily blank and then focus comes back into his eyes as he watches Darkwraiven make its way to the castle carrying the two Terran summoners. He slumps slightly, letting the tip of his sword brush the ground.

"So you've returned to yourself." are Mikay's first words. After a moment of uneasy silence, Kithar replies,"Yes..." A moment later he continues on a tangent, "We could not have expected so many opposing summoners. We overcame them but until they are dead, they are still a threat."

Mikay's reply holds the same note of determination, "Next time we will be ready for them." The two of them watch the battle progress for a while in silence before they head to where the Gaian army had set up camp.

*

As the afternoon shadows lengthen into twilight, the last of the elves are swept from the outer wall. There is little opportunity for the elves to launch counterattacks for they must fall back to the inner walls or risk being taken apart piecemeal by the advancing Gaian elements. As night falls, parts of the city are ablaze, as trapped pockets of resistance slow the invaders. Past midnight, relative calm descends. Both forces are wearied by the day's battles but even now quivers are restocked, swords sharpened and other preparations made ready.

*

With dawn's first rays comes the charge of the paladins. They had marched through the night to get here while the Gaians had rested, if not entirely peacefully. The Gaians are not caught completely unaware. They had known some had managed to break through the siege and would possibly bring reinforcements but they had not expected it so soon, not even a small force like this. The paladin's charge had been slowed and they had been forced to withdraw soon into the battle lest the Gaians recover from the surprise and organise their vastly superior numbers to crush them.

But in a sense, the paladins' have been successful. The commanders of the Gaian army along the summoners Mikay and Kithar who had been attached to the force as a special unit, decide it is pointless to get drawn into a war of attrition. There is the possibility of additional reinforcements for the elves and the chance of more enemy summoners appearing is deemed unacceptable. The defenses of the elven city has been greatly comprised and it is highly unlikely they will be able to deploy their army in any significant numbers in the field without endangering the protection of the city. When the time comes, the city should fall easily to the main body of the Gaian army.

That day, the Gaian force begins its withdrawal.

OOC: There we go, sweet, sweet resolution.

[Bailey]

Andrew turned to Thunderpaw and nodded towards the Gaian troops.

"Guess we had best follow them and find out if they need our help for anything else."

With that, they set off towards the army. Since the army had more equipment and had a larger group, they were able to catch up fairly quickly. At one point when the army had stopped to rest Andrew left the cover of the denser forest and walked up to someone who seemed to have summoning power.

((this is assuming that summoners can somehow sense if other people can summon))

"Excuse me, do you know who is in command here? I was just sent through and I was told to meet up with you guys as soon as possible to follow whatever orders I was given."

[Inbred Chocobo]

"I'm headed to a town near a church I've resently been to. I'm sure they have an inn we can stay at." And what he said then was true. It was morning now, and all the villagers had left for the church and here he stood in his room. He thought things would be weird if he got just 1 room with Angelith, so he had gotten 2. He was also going oer the small conversation they had, about each others pasts. Since they were travelling together, they decided to attempt to get to know each other.

After stretching a bit and putting on his clothes and armor, he decided to get Angelith out of her room and see if she wanted to head to the church. He was curious if Gabriel had made it back, but first things first. "Hey Angelith. You up?" He shouted as he knocked on her door.