GRIMM TIDINGS

[thewatchers]

GRIMM TIDINGS

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On the morning of the 27th, the campus is put on high alert. Students and staff alike wake to announcements calling willing volunteers to report to the Anvil of Hadur to be geared appropriately or to have their equipment checked, or else warned to stay within the dorms or other secured buildings on campus to avoid being caught in the fighting.

Those who are sensitive to such things can feel an unsettling presence begin to enroach; monsters that feel little except malice and an urge for destruction, hungering for life.

The Grimm are almost here.


A. DIRECT COMBAT
Students and staff eager to get into the fray are assigned the task of splintering the Grimm forces into more manageable chunks as they approach the Academy and swarm onto its grounds, assisted by Daybreak’s on-campus forces and other allies brought in for the fight. The goal, if any, is twofold - first, to divide and conquer, forcing large groups of Grimm apart into wards where they can be more easily whittled down and neutralized, and second, to keep them as far from the classrooms and dormitories as possible.

B. TOWER DEFENSE
To aid in the defense of the Academy, those who are less able to greet the enemy directly have been granted temporary and supervised access to some of Daybreak’s ranged defense systems. They’re a mix of more traditional magic and advanced technology; runic sniper rifles and enchanted grenade launchers sit side by side with staves and wands made for the purpose of long-range casting and activation of wards.

For the more daring, the gargoyles that commonly sit docile on the Academy’s rooftops are being summoned to service as mobile cannon platforms - magically-reinforced stone creatures able to leap or fly high above the battlefield to target groups of Grimm with arcane cannon blasts and to engage targets in the air. They vary in size - some can only bear a single rider safely, while others can support entire groups. All prioritize the safety of their riders above their own structural integrity.

C. TITAN-KILLING
Among the mass of shadowy forces, one in particular stands out. Towering above the rest of the small army, the Leviathan will initially stand and watch the battle going on, ignoring any attacks - but once it catches sight of its four targets, it refuses to be diverted from its course. Able to move faster and more fluidly across large distances than its bulk would suggest, the Leviathan’s major advantage is in brute strength and size, and its fearsome ability to breathe torrents of electric fire.

However, it’s little more than an exceptionally oversized beast, in the end, and unlike a normal animal, it harbors very little in the way of survival instincts. Though it won’t sit and take any attempts to kill it, it has a tendency to ignore anything that’s not its mission, and therein lies a weakness that can be exploited.

D AFTERMATH
The army of Grimm has been successfully repelled or recalled, likely looking quite a bit worse for wear than when they first arrived. Now is the time for wound care, clean up, and a well-earned rest after such hard work.

E WILDCARD
For anything else, on or off the battlefield, that doesn’t fit in with any of the above prompts.

code bases by tricklet

Comments

[lithoneysuckle]

A
[Haseo is certainly out there in the middle of things, fighting the Grimm with a Scythe with a distinct feel of power about it. Rather than afraid, he seems to be rather enjoying himself... until he actually kills one.

Downloading Negative Emotion Sensing: Download complete.

This... is not a power he likes.]

C
[Haseo looks up at the Leviathan, a rather unsettling grin spreading across his face. He takes up a stance and holographic images appear over his entire body. Of note is that the one on his forehead looks like a crown.]

Come on... Come on! I'm right here! Skeeeiiithhh!

[A skeletal figure appears around Haseo, flickering away to show him every now and then. A staff appears in it's hand, the holograms around the end swiftly changing to a scythe.]

Now come on!

[theycallhimmrpchan]

A

[Ryoga was easily swarmed by many of the smaller Grimms - which is their grave mistake, as the young man yelled, being a whirlwind of fists and feet, kicking many away, and those who aren't thrown by his attacks were hastily grabbed and used to batter other Grimms - but eventually, the numbers were much - and he felt that tinge of fear, the pressure building and now he could feel it.

Despair, Fear... power, his Ki bubbles and boils deep inside his core, seeming to sink into the ground into his heart, weighing him down - his hands extending out, clasping as a ball of immensely heavy Ki starts to form]

SHISHI HOKODOOOOON!

[The Ki shot out like a canonball, plowing right though three of them and sending the forth into a wall. Suddenly the ones that were limping towards an easier target suddenly whirl and went back to attacking Ryoga, only to get more of those blasts.

It's hard to saw how long he can hold up, especially as he seem to suddenly become a beacon to the monsters]

D

[Once the battle's over, he sways unsteadily on his feet, his expression completely blank, blinking blearily]

...Are we done?

[THUMP - he falls onto his back, staring blankly at the sky - he's conscious, but dazed]

A

[fistsofchange]

[Lin was a similar tornado of fist and feet, but when she saw the shishi hokodan she faltered as she tried to wrok out what it was. Let's see it LOOKED like a weird ki technique, but in order to get it to move like that and hit like that, you'd need to...

Oh.]

Oh no.

[While she was distracted, one of the smaller Grimm almost got her. She knocked it away with an uppercut that crackled with lightning, a taste of her own ki powers, but she was still focused on Ryoga.]

Oh kid, what did you DO?

Grimm | OTA

[fireindreams]

A

[The name of these beasts had caught Grimm off guard the first time he heard it, but such things can wait until later to joke about. For now there was a school to defend.

Grimm's movements throughout the battlefield are much like a dance, flashes of black and red as flame consume the beasts in the Troupe Master's wake. On occasion, he vanishes in a puff of red smoke only to re-appear in the air and let gravity to do the work and deliver a powerful kick when he lands on top of one of the Grimm.

But mostly it is setting them on fire. If he seems irritated by something...well, it likely means nothing. Probably.]

C

[It is hard for Grimm to ignore the Leviathan, especially once it spots its targets and begins to pursue them relentlessly. He cannot hope to defeat it on his own and he is not stupid enough to try. But that does not mean he can't act as an irritation to slow it down.

As Grimm said to Puella, his strength lied with pure speed and he makes use of that and his teleportation to make his way up the bulk of the beast and do the obvious.

Try to burn its eyes out. It is hard to find your targets when you cannot see, no? He can only keep this up for so long, however.]

D

[Once the dust has settled, Grimm stops to take stock and breathe. Unlike the last battle he still has all his limbs intact but is supporting a number of bite marks from some unlucky moments. They will quickly regenerate so he does not worry about it much.

Instead he will approach others who look like they are in more of a bind then he is.]

Do you require help to get to the infirmary, my friend?

c

[stavros]

Here!

[Kokoro's without her Rune Armour at the moment, but she's hurled a throwing axe at the creature.]

It's huge...

D

[hatesdeerstalkers]

H-Hm?

[Most likely, Grimm has caught him after his brawl with Sherlock - so while he's looking distinctly roughed up - maybe even a little blood on his clothes - it's clear that the wounds are slowly healing.

He is shaking like a leaf - and while it could be taken for fear, the slight giggles that escape him and the plastered on smile makes it clear that he's withdrawing from Adrenaline. All around him, Butterflies flitter in agitated patterns, and he raises his hands palm up.]

Ah, n - mhph, haha - not to worry, I'm regenerating j-just fine.

[hatesdeerstalkers]

B-1

[Surprisingly, Moriarty doesn't balk when the time comes. Instead, he calmly grabs both a Rifle and a Grenade Launcher, getting himself first to a higher position to do some fucking sniping. In fact, he somehow gets to a nearby roof, setting up in what looks like proper sniping position, calmly waiting for the Grimms to come close enough to shoot.

But when he finally starts - It's noticable.

Each shot is extremely long distance, each bullet seeming to find its way to the normal 'vital' areas of anything - Head and chest, primarily, almost perfect and precise. It might not be enough to immediately kill some of the bigger ones, but it's certainly enough to startle or make them pause in pain - which might just be enough time for a strike or two.

Though every time he makes a hit, his smile grows wider and wider...]

B-2

[Eventually, the Grimm get close enough that Sniping isn't a valid option anymore - and he switches to the grenade launcher at hand, his grin growing from ear to ear as he starts attacking the creatures with the same precision he'd shown before, but....]

...Heheh. Hehehehe, hahahaha....!

[It only takes a few explosions before that grin turns into something much more manic, his voice getting louder and louder with each hit, and he's....

...laughing?]

HAHAHAAHA! Wonderful, wonderful! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!

[The look he wears is sheer excitement and joy - and, perhaps, just a bit of madness glitters in those blue eyes as he takes in the carnage he creates.]

D

[Yet, all good things must come to an end. As the Grimm retreat, Moriarty finds himself with a bit of a problem.

As he gets down from the roof, the air around him is filled with a swarm of butterflies, seeming to burst and generate constantly from the sheer giddiness and adrenaline currently running through his system, still looking manic and gleeful and even laughing to himself every so often.

...Though, if nothing prolongs the state, people will be able to see him eventually taking a seat on the ground, furiously shaking as he begins to undergo a crash from the battle high he'd been in.]

B-2 eventually to D

[improbablenotimpossible]

[As the man cackles, a shadow looms before it suddenly jerks to the side as a loud growl can be heard, as a large hound grabbed the monster by the throat with sharp teeth, shaking it until it ceased struggling. Perk ears lifted up and then pressed back as he drops the creature, snarling in warning as green eyes slowly turned scarlet]

[anoceanofatma]

-B-

Jun was staying in one of the towers, taking potshots with a rifle that fired magic vine bullets, when one of the larger grimm slammed into the side of the building below. With a tortured screech of twisting metal and crumbling stone, the whole tower started to wobble and was CLEARLY in the process of falling over.

He dropped the gun and made a swinging gesture as if casting a fishing line and glittering threads of magic shot forth to wrap around the entire tower. The effort of this much weight in place was ENORMOUS, but it bought everyone in the area a few more seconds to get to safety. "H....hurry!"

-D-

Tired from all the fighting, as well as from the near catastrophe in the tower and the magical feat he'd accomplished averting it, Jun sat on a wrought iron bench that had miraculously emerged unscathed despite being right in the midst of the fighting.

He had more lines of magical thread stretched between his fingers as he went through intricate string games, entirely by muscle memory. His hands still remembered, even if the rest of him did not.

He looked meditative.

D

[shiritai]

[ Now that things have quietened down, Violet's doing the only thing she can really think of to help – she's too highly strung and running on adrenaline still to really settle down, so she's been making her way through the campus, keeping an eye out for any stray Grimm leftover, anyone injured who might need a hand – anything of that sort.

She stops short when she sees Jun and she's about to ask if he needs any help, but she finds her words stopped in her throat when her eyes catch the thin string between his fingers, the way he's weaving them into shapes. She can't explain what, exactly, but something about it has her attention.

After a few moments, she makes herself speak up. ]

Um... excuse me. What exactly is that?

[aibolition]

A

It's not even been a month and already his senses are picking up an Army encroaching upon them with intent on ripping them apart.

It settles it. This is the best school. He can hardly believe his luck. He hardly waits before rushing out to the grounds an into the fray. Any team he was supposed to mind is ignored.

Within no time at all, he's drawn his blade and pulled on his mask, swinging and slicing through monsters that seem to swarm him to an abnormal degree. But he's not pur out, in fact, he's grinning wide, shrieking with joyous and vicious laughter as he goes.

C

He hardly gives warning. One minute there's a battlefield, the next a blast of dark blighted energy is cutting through it, make a deep cut up the giant's body and a deeper put in the earth. But it's not slowing.

He makes a frustrated noise. "That usually works."

Nekane | OTA

[opheliaafterdeath]

B-1

[Nekane's abilities were meant more for stealth, distracting and disabling so they could slip by with no worries. They do not have the heavy firepower that most others do at this school and while it had not been a problem before, it certain was now.

Or it was until access to the long-ranged weaponry. They may not have any flashy way of setting these off but they can do multiple batches. Drawing on shadows to form large clawed hands, each are fitted with a grenade launcher. Nekane knew they themselves were too weak to fire them on their own, but shadows can go on and on until they break.

Boom! They're not laughing like certain people, but it's clear by Nekane's expression that they are enjoying this a tiny bit.]

B-2

[It is obvious to anyone who looks at them that Nekane cannot fly, their wings little more then just useless bone. And even if they wanted to try merely moving them caused pain.

But they're not against the concept of flying, especially if they don't have to think about it. The gargoyles would keep them out of the way.

(And they're no stranger to doing reckless things.)

Those fighting on the front lines will notice some of the Grimm are suddenly terribly distracted, snapping and swiping at things that are not there. Nekane's illusions do not last long but hopefully it is enough to pull others out of some tight spots. They have to dip down lower to use their shadows to pin Grimm to the ground to make it easier for those more skilled to finish the creatures off.]

D

[Everything is said and done, and Nekane has to fight to keep their lunch down. Not because of the bodies, no. They're used to that.

Too much use of their shadow powers again. The cracks dotting their face have opened up more and are leaking black sludge. Nekane presses a hand against their eyes and takes a few deep breaths.]

...infirmary staff is gonna bitch again. [They cannot help but say out loud.]

D

[alreadyhuman]

[ Vivi is looking a little tattered by now, but clothes can be fixed. He's tired, though, and that can't be fixed by anything but rest.

Still, Nekane is around, and they look bad. He wobbles over, using his stick as a support. ]

Uh...[ He blinks rapidly, trying to fight off his exhaustion. ] Um...do you need anything? Your face's all...leaky. [ That's bad, right?? ]

[ofexperience]

A
[V actually isn't on the front lines himself--he's honestly a bit too fragile for that and he'll admit it. In his stead, however, are Shadow and Griffon, the pair of familiars attacking with transforming blades and lightning respectively. If anyone seems like they need a hand, they'll come in to help.

Or, well, maybe you're lucky enough to spot Nightmare dropping almost like a meteor onto the battlefield, before forming and slowly moving through the Grimm with wide, swinging blows and violet beams. Although, every now and then, it'll seem to melt into slime and vanish. How odd.]

B
[Now, as for where V actually is, well... he's no stranger to peril and he's done stupider and more dangerous things for flimsier reasons. Those fighting directly on the battlefield may end up getting assistance from V, flying through on the back of one of the gargoyles, either with arcane blast or a strike from his trusty cane.

Might be interesting to note that some can spot him with white hair instead of his typical black.]

D
[After the battle, V can be found sitting somewhere and catching his breath. That was certainly... a lot of excitement for the day. Griffon is perched nearby, voicing his concern.]

You holding up there, V?

I'll be fine... I merely need to catch my breath...

A

[bolderfell]

[It's really Therion's own fault. When he's being tricksy and hard to see, how can he expect anyone to avoid dropping a humongous nightmare monster on his head? He notices the incoming meteor strike in time to dive and roll out of the way, and the glamour directing attention away from him drops as he springs back up.]

Watch where you--

[Whoa. Damn. If this hulking thing is one of his classmates, he does not want to antagonize it. Therion wisely shuts up, takes in how Nightmare plows his way through the Grimm with its wide, swinging arms, and then decides to stick close to it, taking advantage of the path it creates in its wake. It's not aiming the laser beams at him, and its wide blows are easy enough to dodge. It gives Therion a little breathing room to look for a next target or a quick way out.]

[buddinghopes]

A-1
[Of course Lia's in the group where she's going to be fighting directly. She's content to shred through Grimm with a flurry of gunfire--trick shots can be for when the numbers have thinned out a bit.

She is, however, still teleporting throughout the battlefield, in order to attack from blind spots and to dodge incoming attacks.]

A-2
[At some point late in the battle though, Lia decides, no, the gloves need to come off. She's briefly enveloped by bright light and when it fades, her transformed outfit's gotten fancier, she's moving faster, and she's certainly quite a bit stronger. Her attacks are packing a lot more punch. She's, uh... certainly quite the force of nature like this...]

D
[... Which is all well and good until it wears off. Lia hardly seems to be registering anything as her Mana Drive outfit dissipates, leaving her in her school uniform. She wobbles for a moment or two, then falls to her knees. She looks ready to collapse completely...]

A-1

[alreadyhuman]

[ Vivi is doing his best, but he's not very good at casting rapidly, so he tries to keep up with Lia's teleporting just to have a safe spot to run to if things get overwhelming...as they sometimes do. He's breathing hard, trying to hold his focus.

He's gotten a stick from somewhere, and while it's not particularly sturdy or designed for his magic, it's doing a better job at aiming it places. He backs up almost into Lia just to make sure something won't try to maul him, casting a wave of fire across several enroaching Grimm that knocks them backwards.

He glances backwards at Lia briefly, apparently just to check she's still there. He seems to find her presence reassuring. ]

[transfusionem]

a;
[Luckily, Adelaide has been training lately. Not necessarily for this situation in particular, but she's been learning how to become deadlier than ever.

And it's working! Adelaide is able to go toe to toe with the Grimm, and she's cut down plenty. She just...seems to be completely reckless about it. Someone, or something, is going to get hurt.

But it's fine.]

c;
[What is it they say? That actions have consequences? Adelaide doesn't know what she's done in particular, but she does know that the absolutely massive Grimm is coming straight towards her.

So. That's fun. It doesn't at all fill her with fear and panic, even though the way she completely freezes on the battlefield might say otherwise. It's fine. She's fine. She just can't...move, anymore, completely locked up as the leviathan gets closer and closer to her.]

d; cw: body horror, descriptions of injury
Oh, fuck.

[Adelaide's found a quiet place to - well. Hide, basically. Away from prying eyes, hopefully. She...wasn't as careful as she could be. She was specifically targeted and she's not sure why and she paid the price for that.]

Ah...

[She leans against the wall, not even sure what building she's at, and slowly slumps to the ground. Her body is covered in burns, but the most noticeable injury is the complete lack of an arm. Instead there's just a bloody stump, with fragments of bones peeking out from the mass where her shoulder used to be. The leviathan was no joke, and she paid for it.

At least it's dead, now.]

Shit, shit, shit...

[But what the fuck does she do now?]

C

[lithoneysuckle]

What are you doing?! Get away from there!

[Haseo's Avatar dashes in as the Leviathan tries to attack, grabbing Adelaide in it's huge arms.]

Run, I'll hold it off!

[bolderfell]

i. above the fray

[Stay inside. Stay safe, if you can't fight. Those are good ideas, as far as Therion's concerned; by the time the announcements started, he'd already made his way to the Banquet Hall to see about coffee, and now he's got a great view from the Grand Hall roof of the tide of beasts crashing onto campus. It's clear pretty quick he'd be no match against those things, not one on one, and certainly not in those numbers. He's not made for open battle. His gifts lend themselves to sneaking and subterfuge and not a whole lot else.

That doesn't seem to be the case for a lot of other students. He watches classmates, teachers, kids younger than he is throw themselves into the struggle like they were born to it, takes note of their powers and their prowess, and finds himself pulling uselessly at the band of metal clamped around his arm, hidden beneath his sleeve.

He's expected to fight this? He growls and hugs his arm to himself, tucking wrist to chest under elbow even though his shackle can't get any more hidden than it is. Will they know if he doesn't? He's figured all along they sent him here to die fighting for strangers, but he didn't think it'd be within the month.

Therion remains huddled up there for a while, occasionally flattening himself to keep the gargoyles' flight from whipping him off the roof. He studies the battle--the powers everyone's been forced to reveal--like there's a test coming, and the whole time, his conflicted expression doesn't change.]

ii. on the field

[Whether or not he has the skills to fight them, the monsters don't have anything Therion wants. The teachers and students fending them off, though? They're outfitted, they're armed. And some of them, overwhelmed or injured by the attacking Grimm, aren't keeping hold of their shiny toys from the Anvil.

Hood up, easy to miss, Therion darts like a sewing needle in and out of the battle. He stoops without slowing to scoop up a dropped knife, an amulet; whenever a beast notices him and swipes, he somehow just isn't where they aim to hit, twisting out of their way. He'd look laughably normal against the wands-and-fire war scene in his hoodie, except some subtle glimmer of magic encourages eyes to slide off him, to pay attention to the way more important threats snarling all around.

So it may seem like he pops up out of nowhere to yank someone out of the way of crashing teeth or spiked, heavy blows, jaw clenched and brows pinched.]

Watch it! [Even as he growls that, he's turning and flicking a hand. A pilfered dagger drops into his grip, for all the good that'll do against the mass of these things.] If you need to get out of here, go!

iii. out of sight

[By the time Daybreak Academy beats back the horde, Therion's already slipped away, basically unscathed, to the classrooms. He's less interested in the relative safety they provide, though, than what they might conceal. He can't pass up a chance like this to investigate, while students and staff alike are necessarily distracted.

He tests a door or a window here and there as he wanders soundlessly through the halls, but doesn't push his luck against the locks just yet. What he does do that's strange is rap his knuckles against walls and listen to the sound.

Old buildings like these always have secret passageways, don't they?]

ii

[alreadyhuman]

[ Vivi's yanked off his feet and out of the way by someone he doesn't notice. This is not, in truth, an occurrence that is totally unfamiliar to him, and he's pretty sure a Grimm would just try to eat him, so it's probably someone who doesn't mean him harm.

But he's in the middle of a spell and that shakes his concentration a bit. ]

Huh? Oh, um! Can you stay here for a minute? I don't want you to get burned.

[ It might look a bit concerning, a small child surrounded by a mass of snapping, snarling creatures.

It does probably look a little concerning, except for the part where Vivi's eyes are burning brightly.

He raises his hands to complete his casting, raising his makeshift staff high and waving it. The temperature spikes as fire explodes into existence.

He's nice and fresh right now, so he can pour as much power into it as he wants. Grimm waver and run from the magical assault, or they simply crumble beneath it.

He lowers his staff when there's nothing immediately menacing him or his new acquaintance (friend??) any more. ]

See? I'm okay. [ He blinks, lowering his stick again. ] You're okay, right? I didn't burn you too?

[notbornguilty]

A

[Weiss is acting as battlefield control, a glyph here and a wall of ice there. Grimm being bounced into the air, or flying Grimm being pulled to the ground. Either way, they're much easier targets now. Any Grimm that get too close find that she's no slouch with Myrtenaster, the rapier a blur as she fights against them.]

C

[Weiss sees the Leviathan, of course. It's pretty hard to miss. But more than that, she sees where it's headed. Or rather, who it's headed for. Before she even really realizes what's happening, Weiss is moving faster than she's ever gone, glyphs making a path pulling her towards her destination.]

Ruby!

c

[rwbyrose]

[ ruby, in the meantime, is catching her breath. she barely notices weiss making her way towards her until she yells, and the leviathan goes in for a strike-- ]

Weiss!

Sarona | OTA

[inkedspell]

A : Direct Combat
[Sarona is forgoing rune armor for this fight and instead using a temporary invulnerability and strength tattoo. As much as she loves some of the armors she works on, it's near impossible to use her metal-warping skill safely while instead an armor mostly made of...metal. So she goes for invulnerability instead, not having to fear a strike that could seriously harm her. It may not be perfect on short notice, but it'll definitely do in the pinch.

While also using her speed rune tattooed on her leg, it makes for blips of vision, her there and gone and she pushes the Grimm back, cutting them off from the main group. She shifts the huge she brought into various forms easily. Sword, staff, scythe, excessively large hammer...whatever the needs are, she's going at the Grimm directly.

Then she notices a Grimm coming up on her from someone close by.]

Keep an eye on your eight o'clock!


B : Higher Ground
[When she feels the rune's strength beginning to wane--couldn't last that long with how hard she was going at it and the hits she was letting herself take--she retreats back into the rooftops where the long-ranged weapons wait. Rest? Hah. There's still more Grimm to turn into dust and smoke. Like she's gonna that a break.

She calls out to whoever might be nearby.]

Pass me that launcher. We need to level up some of these grenades.

[Does she somehow have undamaged pens, markers, and specialized ink stashed on her? Of course she does.]


D : Aftermath
[So maybe she did push herself a bit too hard, but they won, didn't they? Even the biggest and ugliest of them went down, so she feels the ends justified the means. She's only got some cuts and scrapes from shrapnel and debris, nothing major, except for the bone-deep exhaustion causing her to lean up against a nearby wall, glasses dangling in one of her hands as she takes what time she can to just breathe.]

Shit. That was wild.

a

[stavros]

[Kokoro doesn't have her Rune Armour either, though she looks like she might need to call it soon, running out of breath as she is. She snaps a leather whip to her side and gets the Grimm around one leg, then throws a small glass bottle at its face while it's restrained; the bottle bursts, scattering water that catches fire when it touches the creature.]

An onslaught like this had to have been preplanned.

Aloisia Gehring | OTA

[ironspear]

A
[ A woman dressed in red can be seen here and there on the battlefield. There's the jingle of chains as she raises armored hands in simple, swift motions; wherever she points, shattering explosions throw Grimm high into the air or simply disintegrate them where they stand from the magical force. She's avoiding collateral damage and not hitting allies, but the sound of explosions going off nearby might be alarming.

Sometimes she has a spear in hand, and she's using it with the force and skill of someone trained to wield it. Sometimes, spears can be seen rocketing through the fray, piercing several Grimm at once and not slowing down at all.

The only clue to any possible identity she might have is that to those who know Ekkehardt, her uniform is familiar. ]

D

[ After the battle is over, Aloisia is cleaning out any stragglers from the enemy force. There's not many, but every loss is someone else's gain, after all. Monsters like these take time for their master to make.

She carries a well-kept spear casually in one hand, ready for use. Anyone who addresses her will get a smile and a nod. ]

Hello there! Anything I can help you with?

D

[hattersgonnahat]

[Finally. She was allowed in the front lines to remove any of the stragglers as well. The small or the weak ones that couldn't escape yet. Consider it an early training exercise.]

[A tiny Grimm was eventually beaten into submission by what looked like just an ordinary blue umbrella. Possibly not dead, yet, but definitely out cold. She glanced up to see where the Grimm was heading, only just now noticing there was another figure in the distance.]

...Ekke?! [He was awake now??? Why didn't he say so?!]

[Puella wanted to hurry. There was so much she had to talk about!]

[fullthrottleammy]

A

[Ammy can be found out in the field, swinging a broadsword that crackles with lightning around. At one point, she blocks the claw of a Beowolf with what looks like a flaming mirror and... Yes, she is in fact, introducing the Grimm's face to the ground by way of spinning pile-driver as a counter.

She'll also be helping out anyone who seems to be in trouble, appearing all of a sudden from a shroud of mist.]

C

[That... is a very big Grimm. She'll take off running for it, jumping towards it's leg. In mid air, there's a shimmer around her as she turns into a white wolf with red markings. She runs up the Leviathan, striking at it as she goes.]

Seiji | OTA

[heartofasamurai]

A
[Seiji is wearing his magic-formed armor and slashing his sword through Grimm after Grimm. The light that shines from the blade can be blinding, but no more so than the lightning itself that he calls down to strike more than one of them at a time. He slashes through the air and the sound of thunder booming may be a bit too close to some people, although he will be quick to give out a word of apology if so.

Things are so much calmer and louder at the same time in the middle of battle. His mind is focused, closing out the distractions even as the presence feels ever looming.

If someone is injured, he'll move in quickly and offer to help. His magic is just as effective in healing as it is for combat. The person will even get a boost of energy as a side effect. But then it's back to the fight.]


C
[The Goliath of a beast rampaging its way toward whatever target it has is something Seiji has never faced before, but he can tell its not more beyond power and focus. And that means it can be beaten. He looks to the fighter nearest to him and calls out.]

It is already distracted by its task. We need to use that to our advantage!


D
[After the battle is done and won, Seiji feels tired, but chooses to redirect his attention on those who may be in need. He allows his empathy to expand, not to intrude, but to seek out those who may be in pain and need healing. Even if he has used up too much magic to cure critical injuries at once, he can bring them down from lethal so as to get them to the infirmary.

Unfortunately the consequence of allowing his empathy more freedom means he may get feelings he does not necessarily expect or wish to experience from those around him. He tries to ignore them as best he can to help those he finds.]

Are you in need of assistance?

[shockingblue]

A

[One of the benefits to being a Candle and possessing powerful Radiance is that you're an anathema to them. And it just so happens that GV's Flashfield works pretty well at dispersing enemies who get close, and Grimm don't like being struck by lightning, same as anything else.

Gunvolt moves through the battlefield with practiced proficiency; he keeps his distance, firing his Dart Leader from a distance, the darts drawing his Radiance lightning to their targets with unflinching accuracy. Still, that doesn't mean in all the swarms of Grimm, some don't still get close. And when one does, it might look like GV might be in trouble.... until he draws something from his belt.

And in what was assuredly both an equally cool and absolutely nerdy moment, he draws what almost looks like a laser sword... except the blade is made of lightning, and he slashes the approaching attacker viciously with it. It's brought low, a limb sliced almost cleanly off. Immediately after he deactivates it, puts it back on his belt, and smiles.]

Well, that one definitely works. ...I like the gun more though.

C

[You can't ignore a giant Grimm like that. "Leviathan" almost seems like an understatement. Gunvolt watched as it unleashed a torrent of sparking fire from its mouth nearby, at a target that wasn't him.]

...Lightning and fire? Seems like it's trying to prove something. [GV pressed the magazine release on his Dart Leader to swap in a fresh one.] ...So, how do you want to approach that big one?

D

[After the battle's over, GV finds a quiet place to sit. At this point, he's soaked with sweat, breathing heavily, and in general looking pretty gassed. He wipes a thick layer of perspiration from his brow from fighting in the warm August air.]

Whew... glad that one's over. Hope the next mission's a little less Horde Mode. You holding up okay?

A

[unlogic]

[Desidera had been unsure about getting herself involved, out of concern that she would be either too much of a liability or, more likely, a risk. With Gunvolt opting to fight, though, she felt like she needed to do something, herself.

So, she had chosen to fight, herself, and in doing so she seemed to be drawing just a little bit more attention than the average student on the field—not so much as to be overrun, but...it's noticeable if one pays enough attention.

Any nearby Grimm that weren't struck by GV's attacks are instead bursting into flames, or tethered to the ground by some force that appears to be the creatures' own shadows, and then they're set on fire. Those that draw too close to her are rather unceremoniously punched, almost excessively hard, and then while recoiling from the impact, they are dispatched in the same way as the rest.

She does make an effort to be aware of her roommate's position and status, and at one point, it appears that he's about to be caught off-guard—]

Gu—! [—then he pulls that laser blade and cuts his would-be attacker down.]

W-well.

[marmoron]

[A] - OTA
[They've all known for a while now that the Grimm army would be coming, but knowing doesn't make it any easier. He knows who their master is and that this is personal. If it'd been up to him, he'd have preferred to go on the offensive and ambush Vraxke at another one of her hideouts before she could ever set the Grimm upon Daybreak, but the last time he had an idea is precisely why they're all getting caught up in this mess.

But there's nothing he can do about that now, except try his damndest to make sure nobody else has to get hurt. Dressed in rune armor, Keith rushes out to meet the first wave of Grimm. Sword in hand, he yells:]

Stay back!

[A warning for fellow students in the vicinity, as the sword ignites. He strikes the closest Grimm and the creature is set ablaze.]

[C] - closed to Allura and Pidge
[It doesn't take a genius to work out that the large Grimm seems to be fixated on coming after him. In fact, it's probably a good thing as it means he'll be able to lure it away from the Academy and the other students. Even better that he's piloting the Red Lion who has decided to show up late to the party as this means taking the damn thing on one on one should be a lot easier.

It's not the first time he's attempted combat with a lion, but things had worked out pretty well back in the Outlands. That said, he'd been alone in the cockpit back then and didn't have a certain Altean princess attempting to backseat pilot the lion for him.]

I got this-- [he snaps, then jams the directional controls forward. Instantly the lion lurches forward at top speed, charging headfirst towards the Leviathan. For a good five seconds before a teeny figure appears on the view screen, running straight towards them and it's not a Grimm which means whoever it is, it's definitely not someone he can trample.]

Rrgh--hang on Allura! [Yanking back on the controls, Red stops, then opens his mouth to swallow the person on the ground.

As they say, "this is fine."]

[D] - OTA
[The battle is over and won. What's left of the Grimm army has retreated, but they've left the place in shambles and though Keith himself is largely unhurt thanks to Red's protection, the knowledge that this may just keep fucking happening until him and his friends are dead is lead in his body.

When he has a moment alone -- or at least thinks he has a moment alone, he lets out a frustrated shout and drives his fist into a nearby wall.]

Things can't go on like this.

A

[notbornguilty]

[As Keith fights, a Boarbatusk charges towards his back... only to have it's path blocked by a wall of ice. Weiss Schnee descends from the source of the ice, Myrtenaster in hand.]

"Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
is also great
and would suffice."

Not entirely accurate as to my feelings on the matter, but it's rather situationally appropriate, don't you think?

[onebetter]

C.
[ When the Leviathan starts tracking him, James initially can't quite believe it. Why would this thing have any particular fixation with him? Why would it follow him around? James had been defeating smaller Grimm with his rune armor and rifle just fine, but the Leviathan would not give him moments to breathe. Why? Why, why, why?

The panic of it clouds his judgement and hinders his movement, so the Leviathan gets a good chance to smash him into a wall. James cruses. ]

What do you want from me?!

[ The Leviathan, obviously, does not answer. ]

D.
[ After the battle is over, James is doing the best he can to assist in the clean-up. Are you carrying something? Do you need help with bandages? Anything? James is here to take over for you. He looks pretty banged-up himself, but he moves with purpose and determination. ]

Let me help you out here. It's partially my fault that this attack came to pass, it's the least I can do.

C

[sauerfacedcyborg]

[It doesn't take a Seer to tell the Leviathan is singling out specific students, and Ziggy doesn't like it...especially when one of those students goes flying. It's clear he's overwhelmed and needs some breathing space.

Fortunately, that sort of thing is what he's best at. He calls on the power of his Flame to cast an enchantment, one that, if it takes hold, will make him the focus of the Leviathan's next attack.]

Rex "You're Doing It Wrong" Arany

[heromedal]

[ Rex had preferred to keep away from the frontlines of fighting in his time at Daybreak- often implying he was a coward or weak. It suited him better to be out of the spotlight. There were multiple reasons for this. He was convinced he actually was weak and needed to arrange circumstances in his favour to win the simplest fight. He didn't want others to see his degree of experience. He wanted to hide what he could do from potential enemies.

But most of all, he didn't want anyone to see what he increasingly feared was the Real Rex.

He'd started playing by the book and cooperating with plans, working with others as support- buffing, barriers, distraction. No plans survive contact with the enemy and when things went wrong...

Anyone nearby probably felt his laugh was more disturbing than the monsters.

That was five minutes ago and he'd long since discarded the idea of teamwork or subterfuge. All that mattered was life, death and battle and those were currently synonyms in his head. He's pulled free his headphones and the song he's playing right blares into the world. Realising the real fun of a battle against a huge number of opponents lies in fighting as many as he can, Rex has cast as many and as long-lasting as possible buffs on himself as possible and is going at his opponents up close. If anyone were observing longterm, they'll the way he improves rapidly. Of course, he can't get stronger or faster. He just uses the strength and speed he has better with each passing moment. He discarded his coat and in the process of his experimentation, he's lost half his shirt, leaving his scar covered torso exposed with a few wounds liable to add to the collection. But he's developed his anti-Grimm style, baiting attacks, barely getting out of the way with a confident sway and slamming an attack into a weak spot. He's still experimenting with the best way, swapping between knife, sword, fist, electricity, fire... He had options and they all needed testing.

He's having the time of his life, bursting into fits of laughter with each successful takedown. Being loud and aggressive without making any attempt to hide his presence means he's drawing Grimm for his experiments. ]

I never want this to end! [ He says that as he hooks fingers into the upper jaw of a large, wolf-like creature, his foot on the lower and flexes, tearing it clean in two. ] There's gotta be more, right?

Wildcard/WHO'S UP FOR SOME KEEP AWAY?

[trademark_skull]

[Emizel was not so sure why this kept happening.]

[He had been doing his best to avoid the conflict, but somehow, the conflict kept finding a way to come to him. One or two Grimms was fine, it wasn't until there was a whole pack of him that it became an issue.]

[At one point during all the fights he dropped his bag, revealing something glimmering inside. At that exact moment most of the Grimm abruptly ignored him to go retrieve it. They were never after Emizel at all, it had been the crystal. They been after the crystal all along.]

[Well...they couldn't exactly have it either. Whether or not it was meant to go back to their previous owner, or someone else - it was a pretty strong piece of rock after all. So he grabbed it before the Grimm could and took to the skies with it. He can't...exactly go far but there had to be someplace safe to take it.]

[In the mean time, he can keep some of the Grimm away with tornadoes. It was bigger fliers he was worried about though, if there was any. Those might be impossible to shake off.]

[alreadyhuman]

[ He can't help but notice the person being followed by a crowd of Grimm. That doesn't look good, and he quickly runs to intervene.

Well, for a given value of 'run', anyway. A convenient gargoyle is easy enough to convince into flight, and though heights aren't his strong suit (he's trying hard not to look down too much), someone needs help, and he can't ignore that.

A lightning bolt tears through a flying Grimm, splitting it in half. It falls as it disintegrates into nothingness. Vivi's voice comes ringing through the air as he tries to pilot his new mount with a limited degree of success. ]

Hello?! Are you okay?!

[hawkwardness]

B

[Some kind soul was good enough to modify a rifle for Tobias, and that would be how he's able to contribute to the fight! He's lying on his back in an awkward way, taking aim with the aid of a magical joystick-like device with one talon and squeezing the trigger with the other. It's the closest he's ever come to playing a video game, even as a human--his aunt and uncle never felt like spending that much money on him, naturally.

He's not the quickest shot, not using his feet, but his vision makes up for it and aim is fantastic. Every little bit helps, right? Every dead Grimm is one less enemy. And it's exhilarating. He's loving it!]

< Yes! Got one! >

D

[Later, when it's all over, he can be found tucked away in a corner, a cute little bundle of feathers. Lying there in that uncomfortable way for hours has made him stiff and tired. But he's unharmed, that's good. He'll rest a while and then he'll be ready to fill his belly for the day...]

B

[unpocoloco]

[He's not staying still much around the tower, seeking new vantage points every so often, helping others where he can, but he settles by friends on occasion, pulling out his arrows and aiming into the distance at the further enemies-- his aim is good, but he doesn't trust himself not to hurt someone on their side from this far out.

Tobias has no such problem. His brows go up and he flashes a grin.]

Nice one!

[He almost goes to high five, but stops and laughs at himself last minute.]