daybreakacademy | battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

Who: A. Anyone!; B. Mostly those who have shown interest in fighting the Dragon, but even if you haven't posted in the OOC interest check, feel free to jump right in anyway!

What: A. Let's talk about Heralds; B. It's time to fight a Dragon daemon!

When: Late June. A happens before B.

Where: A. The Iris Network; B. A small town found within the Mount Lebanon mountain range, Lebanon.

Warnings: There will be fighting, likely with blood and possible gore.

Note: Will match format!

A. UN: murakumo_emille | Subject: Heralds

A. Colleagues and Students,

I, Head of Research Emille, have been looking into the beings known as Heralds in order to prepare for our eventual showdown with Utultar. There are records of battles against a previous Herald, Xelvak, and we cannot forget that a baby Herald resides with us within the walls of the Academy.

Therefore, for anyone who has fought with Xelvak or Utultar, or have interacted with the baby Herald, I would like to hear your story. What was your experience like? What was the Herald like? How do you feel about the baby Herald that resides with us? Is it an abomination, or worth training to fight with us?

As for myself, I will admit that I am wary of the baby Herald. As long as it does not become a threat, it can remain with us, but the moment it becomes dangerous we will need to take action against it. Besides, I do not believe it likes me much. That is my opinion. What is yours?

--Emille

B. Codename: Sleepy Hollow

[One June afternoon, Emille receives a dire phone call from Murakumo HQ in Tokyo. They've detected signs of a butterfly-like Dragon daemon in Lebanon, and they're asking if she can mobilize a squad from Daybreak to nullify the threat. By the next morning, she and a select group of students are on a Murakumo-funded helicopter flight to the Middle East.

Upon touching down at the foot of a mountain range, they are taken in rugged ATVs to a small town within these mountains. The surrounding area is densely wooded, and snow-capped peaks can be seen off in the not-too-far distance. As for the town, it is a mess. It is obvious that something strange is going on, that a battle has been taking place. Burn marks can be seen on some of the buildings. Chunks of earth have been gouged out and strewn around. Small medical tents have been erected near the entrance to the town, with Murakumo doctors aiding wounded humans. And, of course, swaths of orange flowers have sprung up in various places, from the ground to the rooftops.

Emille and the group are greeted by a member of Murakumo as soon as they step out of the ATV. The uniformed, ventilation-masked man gives a quick debriefing: the Dragon daemon, codename Sleepy Hollow, has used some sort of ability like the shedding of its wing scales to turn the people of the town against each other, verbally and physically. Murakumo is currently working on providing an antidote to this problem, both for the victims and for those gearing up to fight the Dragon. Sleepy Hollow itself has been chased off for now, but it will be back anytime.

He then points to three stations: A larger tent set up next to the smaller medical tents where the antidote is being created, a small table with a nurse outside of the medical tents, and the biggest tent of all in the center of the town where the anti-Dragon briefing is about to begin.

Which station will you join? See the toplevels below for details!]

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[The laboratory tent where the antidote is being studied is nearly packed with Murakumo scientists and portable lab equipment. There is a long table in the middle of the tent where various parts of plants and other unidentifiable specimens await extraction into serums for testing. A man in a white lab coat spots the new guests and says with barely a glance,]

Are you here to assist us? We're running out of ideas. Anything you can provide would be helpful.

[The ventilation-masked female nurse standing at the table is sorting through medical equipment, hoping to keep everyone as well-stocked as possible. As she's going through a box of IV drip bags, she notices someone approach and stops what she's doing for a brief moment.]

If you're interested in helping, the tent behind me could use another pair of hands. Some of the patients are still confrontational and need help calming down. Do you think you could do that?

[On the inside, the biggest tent looks like a proper war room, with a long table in the middle surrounded by chairs and a large transmission screen at the far end. Several Murakumo Units are standing around in groups of threes, and they definitely take notice when the Daybreak team enters. The new arrivals are asked to sit down at the table when the screen flashes on to show a woman, some of her long brown hair up in a bun but most cascading around her, sitting comfortably in a red-backed chair. She smiles at the camera before beginning her speech.]

Welcome, Scientist Emille, and warriors of Daybreak Academy, to Lebanon. I am the President of the Murakumo Organization, Natsume Hikasa. [She tilts her head and nods slightly.] As you have heard, you will be facing the Dragon daemon codenamed Sleepy Hollow. You will be the lead Unit for this battle, and I expect you to kill it swiftly and retrieve viable specimens from its corpse. The Murakumo soldiers occupying the tent with you are under your charge, if you need them, but I expect you won't. Speak with the scientists before--

[The screen wavers and the call is cut immediately before a siren blares from a computer in the room. The man at the computer turns around and excitedly shouts,]

Sleepy Hollow has been sighted on the radar! It will attack in less than five minutes! Take your positions! Hurry!

Any questions about the Dragon, the battle, or anything related to this mission? Let me know here!

[ Rex would be a fine addition to either of the other teams, but for once he's chosen not to do something behind the scenes. He's fought almost everything you can imagine. Vampires, werewolves, daemons, ghosts, ogres, fae, ghouls, goblins, hydra, the list goes on. But if there is one opponent he has always wanted to fight, it's a dragon. To be a dragon slayer would bring him one step closer to reaching his mother's level.

It's been a while since he's felt a real thrill. He was calm and collected as ever before but when the sirens sound, he smiles. ]

Five minutes...[ And like the world's most sinister magical girl, he grips his giant coat from the shoulder and somehow removes it in one sweeping motion, as black ribbons wind around his body to form the muscle like combat suit and thick smoke coalescing into skeletal looking metallic additions, adding claws to his fingers and toes. A stripped-down version of his usual heavy plate armour, which also makes room for plenty of pouches full of various tricks. But his main weapons, his gigantic sword, shield and rifle are stored in the floating black box beside him. Ready to be launched out at his command. ] Too long.

[ He may be on the verge of his dangerous battle mania, but he's still Rex. He spends a moment handing out a small, green detergent pod like things and explaining they're healing items. Pop them on a wound and they'll help. ]

[ Hornet pockets the pod with a nod, though she doubts she'll need it. She's more durable than most humans tend to be, and she has her own ways of binding her wounds, but more tools against a dangerous foe she'll never turn down. It's only practical.

She leans against the wall, giving her various bits and pieces of equipment a last check. Her needle gleams sullenly in the light, a product of her meticulous care. ]

Are you so eager for the call of battle? [ Despite the bluntness of her question, it's not an accusation or a judgement. She, too, harbors a warrior's instincts; in some ways, this is simply fighting for survival once again. Just for others, rather than only herself. ]

[Rebecca probably would have turned a few heads by agreeing to come along on this mission—she still feels the need to do something with herself, with what she's capable of—but with her carrying herself the same way she normally does and with Emille being only just barely taller than her, she's not considered too much of an unusual sight here.

She pauses for a moment when she's addressed.]

Yeah, I can try. [No guarantees, but at the very least she can help to minimize any harm done. After confirming that she's there to help, she wastes no time in stepping around and making her way into the tent, calling back behind herself on her way:] If you need me back out here, yell for Becky.

[Jonathan has admitted that he's not much of a medic- if anything he's better in a fight, but unfortunately against a dragon immune to radiance he's determined that he would be of better use elsewhere.

Elsewhere is apparently here, and so the bat- well, presently 'man', as he's using his false body- nods to the nurse and speaks.] I believe so- though I would like to ask your advice on the matter first. Using my Hamon, I can force one into a sleep, but I've been told the reasons for this is akin to a heat-stroke. I would rather not create more damage to anyone than considered necessary.

[In other words, he'd feel far more comfortable if he had permission.]

[Emille, on the other hand, is only decked out in a light golden chestplate, with matching golden gauntlets and boots. Anything heavy would only slow her down, and speed is her greatest strength until her secret weapon kicks in. She is thankful that Rex and Hornet are well-prepared and experienced, as she herself has spent little time in training and no time on an actual battlefield.

As the others are getting ready, Emille is speaking with a member of Murakumo about their current defenses against this Dragon daemon's brainwashing ability. She returns to the group in a calm hurry and tells them what she's learned.]

President Hikasa wished for us to see the scientists about an experimental vaccine that will protect us against the Dragon's powder. It is fortunate that we will be testing one potential vaccine today [-- that is, the anti-Bloom pollen vaccine that Rex whipped up for her some time ago --] but I am not sure we have the time to have the second one administered to us. We will have to grit our teeth and fight the effects as best we can until it retreats again, or is slain.

[As soon as she finishes that sentence, a piercing "skreeeee!" can be heard from a distance outside, and the Murakumo agents inside the tent begin to scramble to their positions. Emille dons a Murakumo-issued ventilation mask over her head and nods to the others.]

It is time to face this Dragon daemon. Are you ready, Unit Daybreak?

[The nurse isn't at all taken aback by Becky's height -- there are young members of Murakumo who are even shorter than she is. She merely nods at her and goes back to sorting IV bags.

Inside the tent, several emergency cots are laid out in a straight line, and nearly every one of them are full. Most patients are bandaged and resting, but it won't take Becky long to hear and see a young woman raising her voice at an attendant further down the line.]

No! Let me go! He tried to kill me, so he has to die first! I don't want to die!

[She begins to kick her bandaged legs up and down on the cot, while the attendant tries to soothe her by assuring her that "he" is gone and she is safe. It's not really working, and the attendant is growing visibly frustrated. The bandages begin to unravel as well, revealing what look like cut wounds on her lower legs.]

[The nurse pauses to consider Jonathan's words, then picks up a clipboard and starts flipping through the pages, talking as she looks.]

From what I'm seeing, the majority of our current patients are elderly, so I don't think we should risk giving them a heat stroke just to calm them down. It might work for some of the younger patients, but I would check with the doctors looking over them first. I've been out here handling triage for most of the day, so I can't tell you any details.

[She puts her clipboard back down and looks him over.] You say you can cause heat strokes? That sounds like a strange magic you've got.

The Slayer understood why this was a complicated operation. Some people needed antidotes, or medical care, and any military operation required the marshaling of your forces before the battle.

But his role in things was simple. There was a daemon, and he had a shotgun. That was...about it.

The Slayer calmly walked out to the front of their position, fully decked out in his armor, with his shotgun in one hand. He climbed up on top of a medium sized rock to get a better view, and waited. The rage was still there, of course. It never really left. But for the moment, it was under a lid of almost serene calm. The Slayer just...waited. When the daemon appeared, he would act.

The Slayer took a tide pod and pocketed it. He was never one to turn down helpful equipment freely offered. He spent a silent moment staring at Rex, trying to decide if he was entirely human.

He didn't say anything, though. Rex probably could barely even tell he was being looked at, behind all that armor. The Slayer had heard of "wearing light armor to improve mobility" and wanted no part of it.

[The noise is what draws her attention after she enters the tent, considering that helping with the confrontational ones is what had been requested of her.

She watches the scene as the draws closer to the cot, noting the bandages and what they were covering. Though there's a question of how much of the woman's behavior was caused by the Dragon and how much of it is being caused by the pain from the wounds, Becky considers the idea that if there's less pain, there should hopefully be less inclination to lash out.

She walks up to the cot, stopping next to the attendant, and having decided on what course of action she's going to try to take, she tries addressing the woman, hoping that her childlike appearance will help her present as completely non-threatening.] You're not gonna die, okay?

My name's Becky and I'm here to help. Is it okay if I help you?

It is less that it causes heat strokes specifically, and more that the symptoms are similar. Hamon is akin to radiance, [he explains, allowing it to come over his hand.] The energy of life, but condensed for greater force. It isn't meant to harm living beings, but to be overloaded with such energy can certainly cause harm of a sort- disrupting the rhythm of another's life, in particular.

It needs to be handled with quite a lot of concentration and precision to reach such a point however! [he adds, explaining further-] With typical matters, it helps to hasten healing if anything.

[Energy of life and all that.]

[ Rex spends a moment contemplating Hornet's question, but not a long one. His answer is as blunt and simple as the question. ] Yes.

[ He doesn't feel the need to justify why exactly that is. He wants to fight a dragon. It's self-explanatory. In contrast to all logic and his usual tactical thinking, he's actually a bit annoyed there are other people involved now that he can feel his the excitement building. It'd probably be rude to ask them all to wait here, wouldn't it? Shame.

He nods towards Emille, his clawed toes (the combat suit has individual toes, not shoes, it's kinda offputting) clacking slightly as he walks by on his way out. ]

Prevention may prove more effective than cure. [ He says this as the collar of his suit opens and expands into a helmet. Before it was just vaguely similar to a dog's skull, the extended muzzle akin to a jet pilot's mask. The new helmet is obviously canine, complete with rows of teeth along the snout. A small spout of the black smoke from before wafting from between the fangs for a moment. There's some kind of purpose for all of it, even the Doberman like pointed ears. All of it except for the glowing red eyes, which are just cool. ] Thus I suggest an all-out assault from the very start. I shall begin.

[ He might not be able to tell everyone to sit on their thumbs while he fights, but he can eagerly dive in ahead and call it strategy. That's fair. And not at all a sign he's about to go joyfully berserk because battle is so fun. Rising into the air, lifting his arms to shoulder height, he levitates upwards until the dragon is in his sights and doesn't waste a moment. Thrusting both hands forward, together with palms out and wrists crossed, Rex opens the proceedings by creating several eight orbs of electricity which briefly orbit around him before streaking towards the dragon, all at once. ]

[ Hornet gives Emille a short nod. She can feel a wrongness in the air a moment before the daemon looses a shrieking cry, like a spider senses the vibrations of intruders in a web's thread; it makes her tense in anticipation.

She's pursuing Rex as well as the dragon; while she prefers to fight alone, it would be foolish to give up the tactical advantage that having teammates represents. To get out of Rex's way, she takes a hard swerve to his left, leaping rather than running to minimize the amount of air she inhales. She hurls her needle mid-leap, aiming to dive for one of the dragon's wings; from the information they were given, stopping it from being able to unleash the full effect of its scales is paramount. Silk drifts behind her in a loose web, ready to snap closed at the slightest impact. ]

[The woman calms her thrashing for a moment to focus on the person behind the voice she hadn't heard before. Then, just as quickly as she had stopped, she begins to laugh uncontrollably until she is sobbing. She's obviously tired, but the fear and insanity caused by the Dragon is keeping her from any rest.

With a sigh, the attendant begins to wipe the woman's tears away with a handkerchief while gently shushing her, as one would do for their own crying child. As she tends to the patient, the attendant fills Becky in on the circumstances.]

We found this woman curled up next to a dead man with a knife in his hand. She was demonstrating this exact same manic behavior, and though it's likely due to the Dragon's influence, some kind of strong preservation instinct must be switched on in her head as well and it just won't turn off. [The woman's crying begins to turn into sniffles, and the attendant uses this opportunity to begin re-wrapping her leg bandages.] These cuts on her legs were caused by that man's knife. We're unsure if she killed him in defense and doesn't realize it, or if something else happened entirely.

[The woman is now staring off into space with glassy eyes red from crying. The attendant, still trying to get the most out of this calm moment, stands up and stretches.] Thank you, young lady. I'm sure it was unintentional, but your comment itself was very helpful. I wouldn't mind if you stuck around and helped me tend to her, if you're willing to stay. By any chance, and this might be asking too much since you're so young, but do you know how to set up an IV drip? I can show you how if you'd like to learn.

Oh! [The woman seems to light up at this information.] You have an ability that allows you to affect someone's own life flow? That does sound helpful in this situation, as long as you keep it from causing heat strokes. We have enough on our hands as it is! [Yeah, she's going to keep calling them "heat strokes." She'll probably start calling Jonathan "heat stroke boy" if he stays around long enough.]

[At that moment, a male field medic rushes up to the tent, carrying a little boy on his back. The boy isn't moving, and he's obviously wounded, though it's hard to tell to what extent due to the position he's in. The nurse picks up her list again and tells the man that cot number three is open. As the medic takes the boy inside, the nurse looks at Jonathan.] If you want to help, this might be your chance.

I'm eighteen. [It's a near-automatic response to the remark about her appearance.] I'm one of the students regularly helping out in Daybreak's infirmary, but IVs aren't something I've handled before, so yeah, go ahead and show me.

Though, uh, mind if I try something real quick first? I'd like to see if I can get those cuts taken care of; things might be a bit easier if she's not in as much pain. [She knows she's going to be asked what she plans to do, so she just keeps going and puts it right out there:] I'm a Candle with a sort of healing touch, so if she lets me, I can speed things up a bit there. It's not going to be like immediate full recovery, but it'll be something.

[Being the least of the warriors gathered here, Emille does rush out of the tent after the others, but she hangs back at the entrance to watch the Dragon make itself known and the first blows against it.]

[Sleepy Hollow's sharp screech proceeds its appearance for twenty-or-so long seconds before it finally appears, flying high and speedily above the surrounding forest's treeline and spreading orange Bloom flowers behind it. It senses prey, however, and beelines it for the town.

It did not expect to be assaulted immediately by a very heavily armored man surrounded by orbs of electricity and a small woman's needle and web. Hornet's idea to attack to the left of Rex allows both of their attacks to be concentrated on either wing, stopping its flight in mid-air and causing it to plummet towards the ground, its wings slowing it enough so that it's able to regain its footing before landing. When it does land, dust from the scorched earth mixed with some of the Dragon's grey sleep-inducing scales that had been stirred up when its wings were attacked is kicked up in a cloud around it that extends over the entire town.

Now there is a haze of sleep powder floating through the air, but Rex and Hornet's dual attack proved that Sleepy Hollow's wings are a definite weak point. And there's an angry Dragon daemon staring them down in the midst of all this. It rears itself backwards, raises its front claws and hisses at its enemies. It then begins to undulate its long, whip-like tail in anticipation.]

From his rock, the Slayer will be the first person to react to the Dragon daemon's piercing cry that signifies its return to the town. It's high in the air, far out of the reach of a normal shotgun, but Rex and Hornet race towards it and knock it down to the ground with a well-coordinated double blow to its wings.

Now that the daemon is within his grasp, what will the Slayer do?

[The attendant tilts her head at Becky's remark about her age, then shrugs her shoulders. She's seen weirder things.] Sorry about that.

[She listens to Becky's plan, and nods.] Sure, why not. We don't have too many Candles in Murakumo, so I'm interested to see what you can do. If it doesn't work out, we can administer sedatives through the IV drip like I was originally going to and let this poor girl rest.

[The woman is still staring off into the void when the attendant places a hand on one of the woman's in an attempt to get her attention.] Miss, are you okay? [The patient snaps her hand back almost immediately and glares at the attendant, who continues talking.] Good. I have someone here who wishes to help you feel better. Are you okay with that?

[The young woman doesn't say anything, but looks tired. She eventually nods, tears welling up in her eyes, and says in a small voice,] Please, help me. I don't want to die.

[Well. Time to show what she can do.]

It'll probably feel a little weird at first, but I'm gonna try to get those cuts healed up for you. All I need is to just see your hand for a minute, and I won't do anything that hurts, promise. [Offering one more chance to back out of this—she doesn't want to go and do it without being 100% sure she has consent—Becky holds both of her own hands up, allowing the woman to take them if she so chooses.

If she does, then the girl begins to focus; simply touching isn't enough for her ability to work, she has to focus on it, actively make it work. Wanting it to work quickly, she focuses hard—harder than she has before—in an attempt to push it into actually healing as opposed to just being the accelerated natural recovery that it normally is.

Because she hasn't actually pushed it so hard before, she doesn't know how quickly it might work, or how long she can try to do this without exhausting herself. If it does work the way she intends for it to, though, those cuts should start healing, although with the bandages back on, whether it's really working or not can't actually be seen right away; the only immediate indicator as to if it is or not might just be the woman's reaction, whatever that may be.]

[The woman tries to fight back her tears as she looks at Becky, hearing her but not quite comprehending much due to her state of delirium. So when Becky raises her hands, she's not sure what's happening. The attendant notices this and says gently,] She wants to help you. Touch her hand.

[The patient looks at the hands in front of her, and begins slowly reaching out with her right hand. She falters and withdraws it a little once, but she does eventually brush her fingers against one of Becky's hands. Her hand is trembling, and her palm is sweaty, but it's where it needs to be. The attendant smiles.] Good girl. You've done well.

[At first, it doesn't seem as if anything is happening. It takes several minutes for the woman to react in any way, but she eventually snaps and howls in irritation, suddenly taking both of her hands to her legs and trying to claw through the bandages. She hisses through clenched teeth:] It itches...! Make it stop!

[The attendant jumps up and gently tries to restrain the woman's arms in order to stop her futile scratching. Once again, she's shushing the woman and trying to calm her down, but the woman is only growing more irritated. She then begins to kick her legs like she had been earlier, and the attendant looks at Becky and curtly orders,] Could you try to hold her legs down until she calms herself? Please!

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battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

B1. laboratory tent

B2. medical station

B3. center of operations

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