The Watchers of Night (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thewatchers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
daybreakacademy2021-02-28 07:02 am
thewatchers) wrote in daybreakacademy2021-02-28 07:02 am
Entry tags:
[Fourth Wall Finale] Night: Fall
[Fourth Wall Finale] Night: Fall
Log Comm | Network Comm | OOC Comm | Navigation
As the sun goes down on the day of February 28th, the darkness begins to swarm in earnest around the place where the final Herald will emerge - the shores of a dark and polluted sea in the Outlands. Clouds of choking, magical ash roll over the sky to replace the clouds, casting the battlefield into an eerie crimson twilight. Dark smoke boils over the landscape, and the jeering, howling cries of those who would bring on Nightfall can be heard as they amass for their final battle.
Yet, still, the cacophony of the opposition is nothing compared to their silence as a vast shape rises from the water and flares its wings, blotting out the sunlight with its mere presence.
The last Herald of Night, the great primordial dragon Suneater, has arrived. Its only aim is to devour the sun - and crush anything that tries to get in its way.
A comparatively small shape, bubbled in a shining rainbow barrier and casting rays of light down on allied fighters, floats expectantly on the field. The former Herald Iriceli calls out to those who would do battle with Suneater directly:
“Come on! I’ll protect you!”
The battle with Suneater will be conducted in a single long thread, which will have its own toplevel. Abilities directly relevant to those engaging the boss in close combat will be put there.
A. Daybreak’s Moving Castle
While the Academy has many tricks up its sleeves to be deployed in time of need, this one may be the most powerful - and most secret - of all. After everyone is assembled or evacuated as necessary, the staff and students who specialize in artificer work come together in the courtyard, in front of the clear, cold waters of the massive pond known as the Cross of Life.
Headmistress Duchene looks over to the lead among the artificers. She meets her eyes, nods silently, and holds out her hands. The artificer quickly, carefully nicks both of the Headmisstress’ palms with a ritual knife, and steps back as Mila Duchene turns around and steps onto the ice. The frozen pond melts where her blood touches it, and she steps smoothly from ice into cold water, walking forward until she reaches the fountain in the center and grasps it with both hands.
And then the night lights up.
Someone watching from above might see the lines of light moving from water to stone, the very architecture of the Academy itself beginning to rise up and rearrange, and realize: the entire campus is a ritual circle.
Some schools were built for experimentation, for pushing the limits of the accepted. Some schools were built for preservation, passing on hallowed traditions. But Daybreak Academy was built for this night, and ever since the first stones were laid on the campus grounds, it has been storing sunlight, storing power, keeping it for this:
The main buildings of Daybreak itself have been temporarily transmuted from their normal forms into a giant, winged robot.
It radiates stored sunlight in a wide area around itself as it moves through the chaotic battlefield, providing something of a reprieve from the smoke that Suneater constantly spews.
From here, combatants and non-combatants alike can deploy and regroup as needed. The main medical facility and the Academy’s extensive defense systems and armory are all fully operational.
Tasks involving the base of operations include, but are not limited to:
- Aiding medical staff (retrieving incapacitated combatants, fetching supplies, healing or conventional first aid)
- Manning defensive weaponry such as gargoyle cannons and long-range turrets to shoot down attackers aiming to destroy or disable parts of the Academy
- Monitoring and communicating with others on the battlefield itself
- Defending the Academy from enemy intrusions
B. Battlefield
As expected, the fight itself is chaos. Suneater itself may have little to do with its far smaller followers, but everything from Outlands human cults to daemons and fae have shown up on the side of Nightfall, and they give - and expect - no mercy or quarter. While some are merely taking advantage of the assembly to try and snatch those on Daybreak’s side who they’ve taken an interest in for one reason or another, others are far more vicious and terrifying.
We encourage players to create their own specialised foes as needed, but as a rule of thumb, the caliber of these enemies can range from anywhere to mobs of low-level minions to solitary figures with exceptional combat ability. Not all enemies are focused on combat; many are focused on sabotage, distraction, and creating other troublesome effects like traps and illusions.
To make things worse, Suneater’s other gift is rolling out in force. Wherever the miasma it breathes and exudes from its very pores touches, combatants - friend and foe alike - are struck with hallucinatory visions, a sense of profound exhaustion and a bone-chilling cold. Regenerative abilities, shields, healing magic, and natural or supernatural protective gear can aid in combating these effects, but as long as the smoke exists, there will be difficulty in the fight ahead.
Those afflicted by the hallucinatory properties of Suneater’s miasma may see both enemies and friends as figures from their pasts, their present, their nightmares, or even manifestations of their fears, or any other number of things. We leave it up to player discretion as to the strength and nature of these visions, should you choose to use them in your threads.
Tasks involving the battlefield include, but are not limited to:
- Fighting (anything from simple clashes to sneak attacks behind enemy ranks)
- Rescuing or aiding injured or ailing combatants; supplying them with masks, first aid or protective gear as required
- Maintaining and protecting set miasma-free zones with magical lamps and other items
C. Wildcard
Battle is fierce, and enemies are, now more than ever before, inclined to show no quarter. And even in the relative safety of the Academy, the sounds of heated combat can be heard clearly.
This prompt is for anything still finale-related that doesn’t fit into the above categories. Please feel free to use this log to play out your own confrontations!
no subject
"I'm thinking about going for its eyes." She looks over at Gunvolt, summoning a weapon similar to his own (but equipped for her own personal tricks) to her hands. "Got a plan of your own, I take it?"
Meanwhile, a perhaps unfamiliar figure--reminiscent of a rather moth-like faerie--comes to a stop, hovering a good distance away from the dragon. His companions, however, make it a little more clear who it is. Shadow on the ground is as silent as anyways. Griffon, on the other hand...
"Sheesh. Ugly sucker, huh?"
V rolls his eyes, but chuckles anyway. He throws a hand forward, sending a blast of purple magic hurtling towards Suneater's head, and Griffon follows up with balls of lightning.
no subject
Sending her own fireballs alongside the attacks being made by both V and Griffon, Desi isn't bothering with her own lightning yet; that will be coming later, she can already tell. Desi's fireballs are joined by more fireballs, courtesy of her classmate and distant cousin Viola, who is a little something of a pyromancer that has been using her time at the academy to try to branch out.
"So what is the plan, anyway?" Viola asks.
no subject
Whatever answer is given to Viola is drowned out by the thunderous bellow of Suneater's cry; it shakes the air around it with its sheer scale, more like the boom of rolling thunder than something that comes from the throat of a living creature, even one so ancient.
The projectiles, the summoned creatures, the applications of Radiance, all are having a clear effect; as Gunvolt's darts hit its head, Suneater twists in its flight. The colossal dragon's wings beat once, twice, as it attempts to rid itself of irritations; the movements send a rain of ancient debris of hundreds of years of slumber hurtling through the air. Rocks, angry creatures that have made their homes on Suneater's sleeping back, and the still-sharp weapons (and remains) of those who tried and failed to kill the beast are sent flying towards its newest flood of attackers.
"I'm okay!" Iriceli narrows their focus, deflecting or breaking the largest chunks of debris headed towards anyone more frail. Having to split their attention means they, and anyone they're holding aloft, moves slower overall.
no subject
"Prepare to face eternal judgment!"
no subject
Lia, meanwhile, makes use of her teleporting to dodge the falling debris. As she does, the glowing petals surrounding her form platforms underneath her feet. Once she's high enough up, she takes careful aim before firing her gun at one of Suneater's eyes.
no subject
no subject
He closes his eyes, exhales, and centers himself on the ground far below the fighting. Here in the Outlands, Therion's more connected to his magic than ever, and for once it's easy to sink into that newer, wilder, less self-serving power he developed in his time at the Academy.
His dance is like a panther's, all swift moves and claws. The whole time, his focus remains fixed on Iriceli's shielding sphere. As a result, Iriceli and those in their bubble receive a temporary speed boost.
Don't get smashed up there, guys.
no subject
"Keep the juice coming, GV! Let 'em have the missiles, Eve, I'm on manual targeting! Everyone, hang on!"
Gaia Sophia pivoted direction, the main cannon pointing into an incoming wave of winged gargoyle-like creatures that were heading their way. The main gun erupted into powerful blasts of energy, enhanced by the power of the planet and the radiant energy provided by Gunvolt. Doors flew open on the sides of the vehicle, and a spam of tiny homing missiles launched from small tubes, all rocketing toward those same monsters.
"There's even more of them coming from another direction! Get ready for contact!"
Another wave closed in, the screeching growing closer, threats of gnashing teeth and vorpal claws growing more real. But the roar of a very different engine soon eclipsed it.
"SkyKnight One, Fox Three, Fox Three. Closing on gun range."
A fresh barrage of missiles from another source flew into the cloud of enemies, exploding into shrapnel and rending the beasts asunder before they could get closer. Any survivors were then met with photon cannon blasts from a passing Rune Wing fighter, delivering precision shots as it sped by.
"SkyKnight One to all friendlies heading up to the giant lizard. Give 'em hell up there. I'll be keepin' the skies clean of any daemons looking to get in your way. Oh, and Iriclei, you be careful. Celia wants to hang out with you after all this is done."
As the Rune Wing flew past, it circled around, ready to defend the ascending members of Daybreak Academy. Gunvolt, for his part, intensified his Flashfield output to allow Gaia Sophia to keep up with the fresh speed buff provided to Iriceli by Therion below.
no subject
Though it might be difficult to tell, following after the Rune Wing is a small green-and-gray speck of a thing, Celia using her ability to control the wind in order to follow the craft. Any hostiles that come too close find themselves quickly disoriented by extremely harsh, erratic gusts, making several of them into some rather easy marks for anyone with any sort of ranged weapons or abilities to take down.
no subject
The rocks stopped, but only briefly, giving Iriceli more time to break through them and keep everyone else safe. As the time stop around the debris failed so too did the time stop on the wing burst into gold Radiant light. She would have to start over to grab hold of it again.
no subject
Puella's power detonates like a bomb, and the projectiles strike true - lightning and axes and canes needling the ancient beast. Its wings ripple as it slows, Radiance crackling across one wing, manifesting as white hot scars.
It's enough of a pause for Lia's shot to strike true, grazing the dragon's left eye. In response, Suneater finally turns its head, bathing its enemies in the cold and unforgiving pressure of its gaze.
Its jaws creak open, and from it issues a concentrated cloud of pure miasma, blown towards them by a powerful flap of the dragon's wings. The shapes of nightmarish beasts roil and frolic in the dark steam; they break free as misshapen creations given a brief and violent half-life by exposure to the surrounding atmosphere, tumbling towards the planes and fighters held aloft by Iriceli's power. Their cries are unpleasant, grating things; more unsettlingly, it's possible to hear the shrieks of those dear to you in their voices, eerie imitations ringing across the dark.
Iri pushes back with a barrier of pure force in response, expanding their shield and forcing it to spike outwards to protect their teammates. Creatures hurl themselves on it and shatter unpleasantly to pieces, their kaleidoscopic blood falling like rain, as even with the speed boost progress slows once again.
However, with Suneater focused on attacking, it, too, has stopped its ascent for the moment, and is holding its position. Only time and further effort will tell if this approach will hold.
no subject
And then, rather suddenly, the light from the moon cast a shadow; a dark eclipse that may have heralded glimmers of fading hope for those that fought tooth and nail for the light. In the moon's pale light, the silhouette of a winged, daemonic dragon suddenly appeared, its wings beating lazily to keep altitude. It would be a familiar silhouette to some of the people raising the battle against the much, much larger dragon in the room, though.
Intense magic, born of the cosmic void of the universe, a swirling, thrumming thing, concentrated around the silhouette as it brought its massive arms forth, fists balling and muscles tightening in anticipation. The gathered energy swelled, its hue visceral purple, absorbing into the creature before it dove down toward the eater of suns... and at point blank, or as close as "point blank" would be relative to a creature the size of a continent, it unleashed a piercing, sky-splitting roar.
From both its arms and mouth erupted raw cosmic power, ancient, primordial, in a blast that could rip a country asunder. A power belonging to a Daemon Emperor that could split soil, rock, steel, bone, and anything in its path into atoms. Though the Tyrant's transformed state was still dwarfed by this truly ancient beast, the true unleashing of his legendary might, further bolstered by the magical essence he had absorbed from his foes, would still prove to be quite something.
no subject
But then. Then the miasma comes. Held in Iricel's bubble, she's relatively safe- for now. But what's outside of course is not so much the same. One of the sprites from within chitters- the moon reflects the sun! She's protected her from blight before, in the past, for a reason!
"Moon!" It's only a little bit- and mostly for the birds, ultimately. They're already under an umbrella of influence from the sprites. It's just easier. But it does mean that they can help a little more with fighting the creatures alongside the Suneater, or with protecting others in the field.
Jonathan meanwhile darts forward as fast and bullheadedly as possible. He can hear people he loves screaming- he can hear people who hated him cursing. He can hear all sorts of things, but he forces himself forward. He faced similar matters while facing the collective herald that had risen up from humanity itself, he reminds himself. The bat, so small, so puny, streaks to its target as a miniscule bolt of light-
Until finally he strikes something of the Suneater, releasing all the radiance he's gathered on the flight there.
Without a doubt, he idly and tiredly thinks, he's going to have to do this again.
no subject
Some part of her hurts at the idea that she has to act against a dragon, of all things, but she knows that it can't be helped; this particular dragon is a very clear threat to her, to the academy, to everyone.
Soon enough, her incantation is finally finished, and she unleashes the spell: several large balls of lightning form in the air around her before they rocket off to swarm the Suneater and strike at it relentlessly. She unleashes wave after wave of these balls, her use of the power that was given to her by the Astral Dragon Atruum eliminating any need to incant the spell again.
no subject
It doesn't seem like an older set, either. And for those who have been to her manor before, either to help stop Annabelle or in their free time would not have seen this before. Judging by its gleam, as well as the detailing, this set of armor is entirely new. A commission from Jailbreak for a very special occasion. Of particular note is the helmet. It looks almost dragonlike, with a snaggly grin not unlike Urtz's own. Four slits on the sides, placed where her eyes would be, complete the look of making it clear that whoever is in that armor, they aren't exactly human.
Though anyone familiar with the Cromwell crest wouldn't have a hard time figuring out this person's identity as they get closer and closer to the Suneater. Normally Urtz prefers to fight with a rapier, but a saber and shield are more flexible and effective against this daemonic beast. Focusing a great deal of her magic into her sword, she lunges for one of the Suneater's wings, her shield radiating a barrier to help her plow through the miasma, and with one strike, slashes at the extremity before darting away. She doesn't expect that strike will stop it from flying or even gravely wound it, but it is her goal to create a weak point that her allies can use to knock it out of the sky.
no subject
He looked to Desidera. "Not yet," he said, warning her not yet to spring the trap he'd set up awhile ago. His railgun revealed most of the darts were still in place. More than enough. "You'll know when."
The AI Core rested in the receptacle of his armored backpack, lights on it slowly flickering blue. For now, it remains silent, but the diligent will notice that perhaps the AI within is beginning to stir. For what delay it might be, one can only guess.
"Jason, keep pushing on. My Flashfield will roast anything that gets close. I've got a little more setup to do before showtime." Gunvolt loaded his railgun again with another specialized shell. For now, Gaia Sophia pushed closer to their objective, the spewed out creatures of darkness that grew closer cut down by either the photon cannons of a circling Rune Wing, the Crusher Cannon from the tank, or the Flashfield itself acting like an oversized bugzapper.
Gunvolt took a knee, steadying his aim despite the movement and jostling, the air whipping around them, the chaos. He takes a deep breath in, before firing at the creature's further wing. Exhaling quickly, he ejected the shell casing, and loaded a new one in, before taking aim and firing a second canister at the closer wing, ideally at the spot Urtz just so kindly attacked. Hundreds of more darts flew through the air at hypersonic speed, propelled by enough energy to reach the target almost instantly.
Still, though, he waited. The darts were in place. With a little luck, a little coordination... it might be enough to really put a dent in it.
no subject
Instead, she's once again taking aim at an eye. Her last shot only grazed, but maybe if she can keep landing these hits...!
V zips on ahead, his new empowered form meaning he doesn't have to rely on Griffon's help--which is just as well, with the two of them continuing to attack from the air. He fires a violet beam at Suneater, Griffon following up with more pillars of lightning.
no subject
Suneater is struck again and again with lightning, the torrent of sustained magic chipping away at a hide made tough by centuries of debris. At first, as it begins to rise again, it seems that the barrage is doing little than to annoy it - but those sustained attacks distract and befuddle normally sharp senses, allowing the more specialized attackers to strike at vital points.
Jonathan's attack pierces the sole weak point on its chest; another erupting explosion of Radiance spreads out across the scales, leaving a bright scar and a hole in the darkness, a perfect target for others to aim at. Urtz's strike into its other wing combines well with Valvatorez's sudden and dangerous release of magic; Suneater spreads its wings to keep aloft at the exact moment it notices the daemon charging up, bracing for its attack. It lets out another enraged bellow that ripples the air around it and throws flight into chaos as Urtz plunges the saber into its as-of-yet undamaged wing and Valvatorez releases his attack; while its effect isn't as visually dramatic as Puella's burst of Radiance, blood spurts from the injury, sizzling and vivid and an ever-shifting iridescent hue that's chaotically beautiful, but dangerous to the touch. A brief shower of toxic blood spatters across the battlefield; where it contacts Suneater's existing miasma, creatures begin to take form.
(This creature, too, is a progenitor of sorts. But what it could have been, before being consumed by the ritual of the Herald, is forever lost.)
Its head jerks up and its throat pulses with threatening, creaking sounds as it works up some other effort. It's a perfect opening for Lia's shot to pierce its already injured eye, creating another spray of vivid blood. Iriceli vaporizes most of the splash, but some of it still escapes to fall to the battle below.
In response to being harmed so thoroughly, its tail lashes and cracks like a whip at the biggest concentration of attackers, terrifyingly fast for such a large creature. The sheer speed and force of the blow means that even though avoiding the physical strike is certainly possible, the way it warps the air around it mean that the blow is wider and larger than the actual tail itself.
In addition, Valvatorez's point blank position puts him in the most danger, even for a daemon on his power level. Suneater's jaws open as it swings its neck around and darts its head forward with startling speed, aiming to snap him in half with crushing force.
no subject
"Oh no you don't!!" she cries. Between the distance and amount of strength needed, it was unlikely she would reach in time to stop the dragon from lashing at Valvatorez, but she could make it a little more difficult doing so a second time. It would be impossible to keep jaws as those as those closed however, rather than letting the magic reserves deplete even faster she doesn't take long to let the Radiance detonate again.
no subject
"Face your punishment!"
no subject
"Viola!"
The other girl startles, just briefly, at the urgent call, before quickly realizing that the Shadowling needs another light source; Desi's capabilities are no secret to her classmates, and especially not to those she tutors. Viola casts another explosion into some empty space above, the sound of which may be enough to make the Suneater think for a moment that there is even more coming its way, but instead, the particular shadows created by this blast are used to reach after Valvatorez and pull him back a bit to relative safety.
no subject
His faith was rewarded thanks to both Puella and Desidera, Puella buying him more time to escape, and Desidera's apt shadow manipulation aiding his evasion. He relented to the shadows yanking him away from danger, and dropping his massive draconic form to become harder for the beast to track. Once pulled out of immediate danger, albeit barely, the daemon pops loose of Desidera's shadows and flies up to land on the creature's snout. To a beast so grand, the heavy footsteps of Valvatorez bearing down on it, practically taunting it might barely register. But he marches with purpose, alacrity, and unholy speed up its snout toward its head.
"Commander Vaeris. I trust you have the orichalcum-tipped bunker busters I procured loaded?"
"SkyKnight One. Yes sir, two subs waiting to be delivered, hot and fresh."
"Between its eyes. Behind its massive first horn. I am heading there. Drop the payload and soften his skull so that I might perform an unlicensed lobotomy."
"Professor, I am under professional obligation to warn you that the weapons might not penetrate the creature successfully. Concrete, steel, and adamantine are one thing, but... this thing is something else."
"I am well aware, Commander. Start your attack run."
"SkyKnight One, copy that. I'm already coming around." The Rune Wing performed a daring acrobatic maneuver, pushing through the vicious winds and forces the creature put out there. It flew closer to the creature, to where Valvatorez indicated. "SkyKnight One, Magnum, Magnum."
A pair of heavy missiles launched out from the wings of the craft, streaking toward the skull of the dragon, and with any luck, hitting home and punching through its heavy scales and skin... or whatever passed for them.
no subject
[Of an engine revving.]
[Several miles up in the air.]
[Said noise is also rapidly becoming much louder to anyone particularly near Suneater, as a distant speck begins to resolve into an extremely high-speed blur vaguely recognizable as Jailbreak's car, using the enchantment that allows it to drive on any surface to charge forward on the road made by Suneater's own miasma.]
[She's driven on smoke before, after all.]
[Jailbreak's sitting in the driver's seat, pressing the gas pedal into the floor so hard she's leaving dents, and still pulling more and more alarmingly dramatic levers to add further speed. By this point the car is travelling so fast that, even with the safety enchantments, she's honestly having a little trouble not blacking out.]
[But she grits her teeth, opens a panel under the steering wheel, and yanks one last handle.]
[And the car moves too fast to be seen. ...But not, just barely, too fast to stop Jail from frantically slamming her free hand down on the red button she'd had it hovering over when she pulled the last lever.]
[It's labeled emergency eject.]
[Which is good, because at the time she manages to press it, the car is positioned to plow directly into Suneater's uninjured eye, and still accelerating.]
[Quite some distance away, Jailbreak herself appears inside the command room of the Mechacademy, sitting in the abruptly-teleported front seat of the car. She's still clutching a disembodied gearshift in one hand so hard her knuckles are white.]
[A passing technical aide gives her a look.]
Sorry I'm late, traffic was murder.
[...well, at least she thinks she's funny.]
[Whatever the results of her last ditch effort are, she's hoping they'll make a dent, at least. If not from the car itself, then from the very, very large amount of C4 in the trunk.]
[Really, this is Daybreak's fault for giving her a budget.]
no subject
The sudden rocking of the shockwave flying past, roaring like an earthquake, slamming Gaia Sophia like a herd of angry bulls. Gunvolt grabbed for both Desidera and Viola, his shoes electromagnetically holding to the surface of Gaia Sophia. With only two hands, he could only hope the rest of the people on board would grab onto him, keep hold of the tank somehow, or that Desi could catch them with all the light he was putting off.
Sophia itself spun around on its axis several times from the force of the blow, sparks and smoke erupting from parts of the vehicle. Yet in spite of things, it remained airborne, a stubborn piece of technology that matched its creator. Once the tank stabilized, Gunvolt resisted the urge to throw up from motion sickness, and then called in over comes.
"Damage report? Can we keep going?"
"Yeah, GV. We're still okay. Looks like we lost some of our weapons systems on that, but the Crusher Cannon, Hexa Missiles, Burning Spark and the FA-Burst are still online."
"Sophia's tough. We've been through worse than that together... but we can't get hit like that again. Eve, power up the FA-Burst. We're gonna let him have it with all that power GV's been giving us."
"FA-Burst coming online now. Everyone, get ready, it's gonna get bright."
Gunvolt looked over his shoulder to his backpack as a sphere of light began to focus above the Sophia tank. It glowed an odd mixture of green and blue... crackling with raw power and energy... and at a glance, it looked like a fearsome weapon was about to be unleashed, and the sphere only grew larger and larger, glowing like a sun.
"Morpho... get ready to make your debut. We'll need you very soon." His blue eyes darted over to Desidera, still held close. "...Get ready. It'll be time to do this together. ...Send your shadows everywhere you can on that thing... and get me as close as you can to it with them, okay?"
no subject
With that, she takes hold of literally every shadow she can find. Most of these are quickly combined into a single large mass that is sent out to cover the Suneater like she was just told to do. What remains with her there then stretches out and takes the form of a large, mechanical-looking arm attached to the Gaia-Sophia, with a human-sized birdcage with an opening on side side at the end of it, lowering itself down and waiting for Gunvolt to get inside—and when he does, she follows. Once they are inside, it raises itself up and starts moving to get into position.
With the sheer amount of light that brought these particular shadows into existence, they should be particularly sturdy; it's not completely safe but should hopefully still keep them mostly protected.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)