Magical Fracas, Episode 5: New friends and enemies?

[Teal Mage]

Summary: A complicated attack post. Daichi's laser sets Ayame's net on fire, and almost fries Ayame. Panko saves her, then Ayame sicks her burning Scarlet Bind on the Tapeworm Voltron, summons Miranda, and then double attacks a Mudman.

A white casting array expanded beneath Ayame's feet as she hovered inches above the ground, green eyes intent on her improvised defense. Four rapid impacts, then the net sprang back, throwing the mudmen away. Taking the cue, Ayame raised her arm, white magic ranging along it. Another triangular array blossomed before her palm. "Sacred-"

A heat ray scythed through her net. In its wake, the magical fabric burst into flames, links weakening and then snapping. Her spell collapsed into a mass of lank ribbons.

Eyes wide, an expression of horrified disbelief on her face, Ayame stared at the approaching spell. Too fast! She cut her casting off, dodging desperately-

And was tackled by a speeding cat-girl.

"Sorry," Panko said a moment later, hopping off her, "didn't want you to get hurt. You're the only familiar face here, ya know?"

Ayame pushed herself to her feet, idly dusting herself off. "Thanks Kid." The priestess said gratefully. Seriously, that was quick thinking. She telepathically added, before turning her attention to the immediate situation.

A charging giant was not what she wanted to see.

Better move. Miranda intoned, to both Panko and Ayame.

Ayame leapt to the side, flight magic boosting her jump. She gestured sweepingly toward the giant, as Nicia unloaded a salvo of her everso effective summons. Her ruined defense spell flashed, the fire at the ends flaring purifying white. The smoldering scarlet bind tensed, before springing like snakes to entangle the giant. Burning snakes that is.

A distance away, Ayame landed lightly, bow forming in her hand. She raised it, taking aim at the nearest mudman. Beneath her, a white cross shaped array expanded.

"Summoning," Ayame murmured, drawing back her bow's invisible string, "Miranda!"

Light exploded around the priestess, obscuring her from view. Then, a blurred shape burst out of the radiance, climbing high into the sky. Miranda unfurled her wings in a shower of white feathers, a bow of white flames crackling in her hand.

"Lotus-" An arrow of red magic appeared on Ayame's bow.

"-Arrow!" Miranda loosed her newly formed arrow of piercing white magic.

The twin arrows flew toward one unfortunate mudmen. If all went well, the red magic would blow apart its outer shell and reveal the vulnerable control unit beneath. And that was the target of Miranda's attack spell.

It'd be nice to kill one.

[Arhra]

Something invisible slammed into Mero's side with all the force of a flying kick, knocking her and her rider down.

"Putting all that effort in to cast that on your familiar? Are you stupid or just... stupid?" the mocking voice demanded of Menarker.

"I'm going to say... stupid!"

Menarker felt a metallic rod smack into his torso, releasing an explosive burst of energy at the contact.

The bone-like construct leapt high into the air, thin jets of orange hissing from the frames of its wings. It's claws glowed orange and each digit turned into a long, slightly curved lance of burning light. It swept them inwards, stretching across the distance to rake across the pair.

The spindles were fanning out, lightning arcing between them again in a chain. They spun along, aiming to close the circle and trap all the combatants inside once more.

[Menarker]

"Ugh!" Menarker bounced as he landed on the dirt. As he picked himself up and heard the sarcastically critical voice of the unseen target, he glances sideways to look for Mero only to feel the burst of energy that sent him sprawling again. Mero darted toward him, jaws clamped securely against his arm, dragging him inward as the lance of light hooked in their general direction, the distance between the foe closer than is entirely comfortable.

"Get up... We have to leave now."

Menarker stammered a slight as he braced himself up removing his arm from her mouth, but he stared intensely at the dragon imitation. Something tinged in his mind, almost haunting.

"... As long as you are alive I'll always be on your tracks! You and your friends will never be safe!"

"We can't run now."

Menarker dashed in sharp arc, barely questioning the mental knowledge that suddenly made itself known. His movement became slower but a sense of grace as if handguided by an experienced co-pilot with an unfamiliar tool. Mero trailed behind worried about this seemingly reckless behaviour.

"Left, right, dash again, Air Slash... " The lad moved as dictated, keeping out of reach with this safe ranged projectile approach. As he pulled his arm back, the feminine voice chided him as his movement jerked back. "No, stop that. Don't just count on your strength to hurl the air. Imagine your fingers scraping across the air to be a grindstone, make it sharp. Beckon that energy to stay near until that critical moment. You mustn't take shortcuts for the sake of shortcuts."


Menarker clenched his fingers, trapping the energy beneath their tips, his back stretched with effort as his arm lashed out, "SAVAGE WIND" the energy freeing themselves from his fingers, the full momentum of his body backing the force of its direct approach toward the beast. The lad tried to mentally ask how he did, but the voice continued on as if something like that was matter of fact.

Straight to your side, jerk sideways, abrupt stop and send a jet.
"A what?"

"Take your electricity, channel it to center within the inside of your palm. Tighten your fingers clenched as if they are prongs, directing your focus. Take your aim and fixate upon your foe, snap your fingers outward and send your energy out. It won't be that difficult. This energy wielding aspect between you and I, not much different."

The teenager's mind raced with questions to interrogate this phantom entity, answers streaming as swiftly as he thought of them, the essence willing to bare all her secrets just to get the confusion and hesitation over with. Mero bolted alongside him, a slight headbutt to his leg to jolt him to action as she darted off in another direction to watch his flank. Menarker weaved toward the beast, trying to analyse its melee range after a step-in. Mero jumped over her partner and whipped a scathing Vorpal Wind as Mern threw himself to his right side, one arm extended and clenched.

"Crackling Roar." A jet of voltage surged along his body shooting out into the space between himself and the bony dragon.

[DanteFalcon]

Virgil smiled wide at his success though he wondered where the mudman had gone as he retracted his arms to their normal length. Still no time to worry about it now, there was more still to fight. He broke from his cover, rushing into the clearing and closing to about 15 feet from the group of 3 mudmen and baring his claws.

Tsukino however was not pleased, flying high above him and immediately commenting on his change in tactics irritably.

"Are you always going to be this hasty?"

"Just be ready to hit them Tsukino. I'll probably need your help depending on how this attack goes."

"Bah.... You and me are gonna need to talk pup when we're done here about your tactics and lack of planning." Regardless the owl watched the mudmen and the rest of the battle from high above, calculating their odds and waiting for an opening to attack.

Virgil swung his arms wide, lengthening his arms again in an attempt to sandwich all three mudmen together, praying they weren't fast enough to hit him while his arms closed on them.