World Tree MUSH

    The Vine that leads to this world's Venus is new, but the world obviously knows of the World Tree. It set down on a smallish floating platform, and amakeshift bridge - more like a series of floating segments - has been made leading to the city proper. Cromviel isn't very large in population, but it has a large plaza set up on its floating mat, and massive factories that both power the fans set up all over the city, and bottle some of the upper clouds for use in industry. Even this high up, Venus is very warm, but the fans keep it a reasonably comfortable temperature no worse than a normal summer day.

    Signs on the rails of the 'bridge' indicate that 'swimming' is not possible, even though ships are seen in the distance. A large banner welcomes offworlders, hastily-made and thrown up because of the new nature of the vine, but the place also has a military detachment of soldiers... with sabers and rifles, in dress uniform, because this place is obviously just after the turn of the century despite being on Venus. Strange devices do dot the street, but it largely has an old-time feel, complete with the clothing styles of the time, conservative as they are.

    In the middle of the city is a large statue, though it is currently under a sheet. The speaker is already talking about the exploits of Colonel Robinson, going on and on. "The statue was commissioned by a local fund, and the sculptor Richard VanVoorhis was kind enough to take on the task. Late in the design stages, an anonymous donor even provided us with the authentic training saber for the Colonel's academy days, believed lost. It is our honor to integrate this into the statue's making."

    A lot of people are here... including Justine, hanging at the edge of the crowd in formalish wear, but with her mechanical hands showing. Then again, clockwork prosthetics do not seem to be unknown here. Not very common, but at least one person of wealth has a replacement leg, though it is not quite so adeptly-made and he uses a cane to help.

    The black-garbed stranger absolutely doesn't fit in. At all.

    They got here earlier today and have just been sort of hanging around the entire time, never once taking down their hood despite the heat making their apparently-all-leather outfit obviously stifling.

    This place is... amazing to Xion. Some of the technology feels slightly familiar for reasons that escape her, but the setting - her surroundings - are like something out of a storybook! She's spent all afternoon just wandering around and staring at things. And people. And being very slightly creepy without meaning to, what with the face hidden under a black hood and all.

    Yahiko hasn't been here long, but he's more comfortable than he was in many places. This is only a little past his own time... just a very different place, and very Western as well. Dressed in a kimono he actually just looks like a Japanese ambassador! Except he's still a teenager. Well, his world has like, 10 year old doctors, so why not?

    His shinai at his side and the real sword on his back, wrapped up in cloth, he is watching the presentation with vague interest actually. "Everything is so similar... but on another planet..."

    Yahiko isn't alone. Though Rydia has left her chocobo behind for this trip. The girl has, steadily gotten used to larger cities over time; especially ones more advanced than her simple home of Mist, to the point that she's not ALWAYS looking around in complete awe.
    Right now though she's tugging on the sleeve of Yahiko's Kimono.
    "Hey... Hey Yahiko. Don't make it obvious when you look but. Some people here have metal parts." She points out the obvious, while trying to not seem like the complete tiny tourist that she is.

    The bustle of otherworldly visitors makes the others not TOO stand outish... but it's still obvious who is a tourist, mostly. Rydia and Yahiko, initially given some attention, have been decided non-aggressive though a few soldiers are probably watching them anyway, just less intently. Xion keeps getting stares that wander off the moment they have to look at someone else, so has an even easier time.

    "And with the appearance of this Vine, we look forward to opening up trade relations! We can only hope the connection is steady, and this sort of pioneering of policy makes a first for the colony... sure to make the Colonel proud, were he here to see it! So let's let his proxy do so instead!"

    With a flourish, the sheet is dropped, revealing the noble statue and its shining covering of copper... no doubt soon to get a patina. But for now, the only non-copper addition is a shining saber, held aloft and coated in some kind of protective layer. The speaker goes back to talking about the Colonel's exploits in adventure and exploration of Venus, including something about the native savages...

    Though a few stir as the statue's head moves, and the arm shifts, turning to look at the speaker, who hasn't noticed since she is facing forward and the statue is behind. Slowly, the statue of the Colonel raises its blade, as if to strike down the speaker.

    Xion has only been half-listening to the ceremony, really. It's not really for her, because she's not from here! ... Right? It doesn't feel THAT familiar. There aren't enough huge skyscrapers, and there's not a giant moon in the sky... Although she's not sure why she thinks a giant moon in the sky is an indicator of home.

    In any event, she's still looking in the direction of the ceremony from time to time. She wants to see whatever it is that's under that sheet! As it's pulled aside, she gives a little appreciative clap, muffled though it is by her gloves-

    And then the statue is moving. Is it meant to do that? Raising up its hand holding that sword...

    Xion is in motion in an instant, summoning two of her Mirage Blades to hand. That statue is large, and she's too short to block the blow before it strikes the speaker, but maybe she can tackle her out of the way...!

    After getting some water from the locals, Yahiko is listening more interestedly. "Hmm? I know, Rydia. I think that's what they do if someone loses a leg or arm..." Though that girl is pretty young to have lost hers. Maybe a bad accident? Not something to ask about. It took a while, but the boy learned tact!

    He also learned to... pay attention to the statue. When it moves, starting a strike, he frowns. "Did that just move... Rydia, is that thing magic-" And it's starting to attack? "LOOK OUT!"

    He leaps into action, saying, "Stay here, Rydia!" Instinct really, he knows she can help in the fight. His shinai is already out and ready, the boy leaping up and launching himself off of a cart, to try to bypass the crowd.

    That's what they do when someone loses a limb? It... Kind of makes sense? Especially if the parts move like an actual limb's. But then jade eyes lock on the statue in motion.
    "I don't... Think it is?" When asked if it's magic.
    And then it makes to attack.
    And then Yahiko and... Who is that?
    Rydia has the vaguest feeling she's seen them before somewhere. Maybe?
    Doesn't matter, they're lunging in to-- wait. Did Yahiko just tell her to hang back.
    "Whyt!"
    With a little swirl, the mist shrouding her detaches and takes on the form of a hatchling dragon. "Oh he did NOT just tell me to hang back-- go help!"
    With a low coo, the littlest Mist Dragon turns about and goes darting toward the speaker as well, wings flapping to gain speed.

    A tour in a brand new world!... well, at least for him!, Venus!, it looks far less... futuristic that he might have expected for some reason, but rather than disappoint, just makes the tourist boy far more curious about the whole thing!. He is walking happily towards the unveil ceremony, even taking a few pictures here and there, keeping his pokemon away for now, no point freaking out people if he can help it!. He manages to get just in time to listen the speaker talk about some colonel stuff... moving closer to a familiar face or two... Xion gets a curious glance, a fleeting moment of recognition, before deciding it must be just his mind playing tricks... when the statue began to move!.

    There is a second where Luke thinks it might be part of the show, until the sword is brought down, screaming at the speaker from his... far away spot, and rushes quickly towards the crowd, reaching for a pokeball on his belt, and mumbling about eating too many snacks lately. There is a flash of light as a large, orange, black and cream... bear like creature appears, "Agni!, we need to stop that statue!". The bear is not that fast, so it likely gets there after the others, but it charges straight at the copper construct, growling loudly at it.

    Huh, already heading to the battle, is it? The soldiers are raising rifles in alarm, but fortunately only one fires a shot - going wide - at Xion before the others realize the hooded figure is leaping to SAVE the woman. A few others shoot at the statue, causing minimal damage, but what happens to the stage is more important.

    The statue's sword comes down... and thanks to the warning's and Xion's quick leap, the blade misses, crashing through the podium instead. The statue buckles the stage as it leaps off the stone pedestal, but it doesn't appear to be stone itself... thankfully. Hollow metal? But it does move more freely now, rising up with sword in hand to look at Xion, before taking a swipe at the one who interfered!

    The crowd, at first confused, begins to panic and start to surge outward, making it harder for Agni to safely approach but fortunately with most having the sense to stay out of the bear-thing's way. Soldiers are forming up with quick shouted orders, and Whyt skips all these tramples to zip right up toward the statue, distracting it. Yahiko is within sword range now, but the opponent is... a statue, and eerily silent, bearing an ancient training saber that somehow split the podium clean in two effortlessly without a hint of damage... and is now attacking Xion.

    Xion dives for the speaker, then rolls as she hits the ground and, in one fluid motion, is once again on her feet. She swiftly turns towards the statue - the gunshots are completely ignored - and raises her left arm, Mirage Blade held in a reverse grip to let the blade rest along her forearm. She's intending on blocking the swing of the statue!

    ...She realises only at the last minute that she's probably not strong enough to block it. And promptly summons six more Mirage Blades in the air next to hers in an effort to help absorb the blow!

    ...Unfortunately she hasn't yet worked out how to hold them in place after summoning them, so it's doubhtful it'll do her much good.

    Yahiko intended to just help save the woman, but Xion beat him to it. That's fine with him! Though now it looks like Xion - she's vaguely familiar... - needed his help. Instead of attacking the statue proper, he hits the stage running, then skids right up to where the attack is headed and throws out an open-hand strike at... the wrist. It's a powerful strike, he can only hope to deflect it, and that takes all his energy for this. "Oh no you don't!"

    It's a variation of his blade catch, deflecting the wrist to leave his sword free. "... I don't think my shinai will do much against this thing," he admits.

    Rydia had sent why to help try and rescue the speaker, but if that's handled it's of little negative consequence. This just leaves the slight issue of the statue. Still there. Still moving. Still dangerous and wielding a blade, and, and-- and...
    And Yahiko is taking it head on.
    "Whyt get back here," She orders her Eidolon out of the way, both to get out of harm's way and to not be IN the way as she considers what to do...
    It's made of metal. Rydia has two options. The last time she something of metal move on it's own it was a machine, and machines don't like sudden surges of electricity. On the other hand if it's not that kind of machine... Rydia makes her decision. She could try and freeze it.
    Metal doesn't like sudden drops in temperature, and the littlest Summoner begins hastily chanting under her breath. A few quick words to channel power and focus before it all comes out in one single declaration:
    "Blizzard!"
    The result is a sudden wave of cold washing over the statue to try and slow it or make it brittle or- or- or something.

    Luke is a bit out of breath as he finally makes it all the way to the stage proper and gets a better view of what is going on, like... how the copper looking statue managed to slice the podium cleanly in a single swing. Agni is a bit ahead of the trainer, thankfully people did get out of the way, and while Luke tries to plead outloud not to SHOOT the pokemon, it barrels forward, a creature the size of an adult grizzly bear (give or take a bit) rushing to assist Yahiko, growling outloud at the boy to be warned of it's arrival. 

     Luke hesitates on what to do at first, with the others right next to the statue, fire moves are more dangerous than helpful!, thankfully Rydia seems to give him an idea. "Mega Punch!" calls the trainer, the bear coming to a stop right next to the metal enemy, rearing up and closing one of it's large paws into a fist, white energy engulfing it as it brings it down on the statue's torso with quite a bit of strength.

    The soldiers don't shoot the pokemon thankfully! They've seen pokemon before. They actually cease fire as the people are panicking, electing to stand aside and help funnel them away while heavier weapons are brought in... but the fight is already underway. The Mirage blades clatter aside but DO slow it... and also there's a moment of hesitation for some reason, enough that Yahiko's blow pushes the strike aside entirely. Both Yahiko and Xion are immediately faced with a side kick, sweeping along to try to buffet them off the stage.

    That's when the blizzard hits. The frost spreads rapidly over chest, making a creaking groan, so when Agni comes in and SLAMS into the statue, spiderwebs crawl across it and the front caves in, the statue stumbling. The hilt of the sword comes arount with uncanny speed though, slamming toward Agni while the statue is stumbling. The movements are sluggish, all but the sword hand, where the saber is darting and flicking forward to slice the supports and let the statue slide down the now-sloping stage toward the ground. Unlike the sluggish and cumbersome motion of the body, the bladework is excellent.

    Oh no! Not Side Kick! That's the most abusably overpowered technique in the entire game!

    ...Wait no wrong RPG.

    Xion is hit and buffeted away by the kick, her surprisingly light form going flying. She lands on her back, rolls, then scrambles to her feet. She's battered and bruised but still in one piece. "Then use your actual SWORD, Yahiko!" Xion shouts at the boy. She... hasn't noticed yet that it's apparently the sword controlling the statue. She fingerguns at the automaton's head instead. "Pearl!"

    A shaft of holy light descends from the heavens!

    With a crack, the kick also hits Yahiko, and the boy tumbles to roll with it and land in a rolling series of thumps farther away. He's on his feet in an instant, "Yeah, I- huh?" A quick look and a confused expression has him trying to remember Xion, but in the heat of combat he definitely isn't going to. He'll need more exposure, and right now has other things on his mind.

    "What is that?" Luke's pokemon has him surprised, but as he uses the time Agni buys to unwrap the reverse blade sword, he yells to Rydia, "Is he a summoner too?"

    Yahiko, being a skilled swordsman, HAS noticed the bladework. His own feet are a blur, dashing from one side to the next, looking for an opening to strike with his own blade.

    "Pay attention to the sword! This thing's footwork is awful, it's just the blade to worry about!"

    Luke keeps getting closer, he is NOT charging in between the fighters of course, but certainly close enough to hear the question, "That's Agni, my pokemon!" he starts, "I'll explain later!". The hilt slams into Agni's side easily, the pokemon is not a particularly fast one, but it IS quite solid, stumbling back from the hit, before regaining its composture and watching what the statue did. The bear perks it's ears at the mention of the sword, focusing its attention on it. There is a moment of pause as both Trainer and pokemon also watch the statue, before charging ahead, "Hit it again!, Brick Break!" this time, the bear jumps up, raising its paw up, and bringing it down in a karate chop aimed at the shoulder of the arm holding the sword, or at least, aiming for it, hoping to break it or at least damage the thing.

    Yep, definitely the sword. By now the crowd has mostly drawn back or run away, the woman who had been speaking being helped and calmed by soldiers who are lining up their shots. The statue rises... but even though the sword is in control, a blast of solid light to the face can still make it stagger back! The sword has to compensate, whipping forward to try stabbing Agni shallowly-

    This comes at a cost though. The bear-pokemon slams hard into the shoulder, making it dent and creak. No matter how animated, the impaired joint makes the sword slower, providing some solid openings for everyone to exploit. The statue staggers, then lifts its sword again to strike...

    "Of course it is the sword," says Justine, standing not far away and sounding calm, if a little irritated. "Much as he liked to claim otherwise, the Colonel was very much a man of the moment. He discarded the unneeded... including the sword that saved his life twice. This one. Can you blame it for feeling bitter?"

    Xion is a bit too preoccupied to listen to Justine. She has a monster to slay!

    The girl rushes in just after casting her spell, discarding one of her Mirage Blades - it shatters as it hits the ground - to hold one in both hands. She leaps up, aiming for the sword, which is apparently this thing's weak point?

    Kinda weird, but whatever.

    "Light, give me strength!" she calls out, as her body is surrounded by a carona of golden light. The blade swings this way and that way, her body seemingly bouyed aloft by whatever magic she's channeling through herself. Slash, slash, swipe, cut, parry!

>> SUMMARY[Xion] >> Xion used AIR ARCANUM

    Xion gets the idea, as does Agni! Yahiko huffs, "Good idea..." Justine saying something that makes him grimace. "That's an awful fate for a sword, especially one that saved a life." The reverse blade comes up, the boy wheezing some from his ribs injured.

    "But now... it isn't the sword that is protecting!" As if that were some insult to the idea. He leaps forward with Xion's attack, and flicks the blade of his sword... but changes it at the last moment, making a gentle 'tap' along the saber, then a sudden twist to strike at the middle. "Hit the other side!"

    He's hoping that between his strike at the weak point, Agni's shear toughness, and the mirage blades whirling about to also strike it, he can use his blade break on the saber.

>> GAME >> Yahiko Myojin spends an Edge for: Blade Break

    The pokemon seems to follow their lead easily, and seems prepared to try to stop the swing, both paws raising up in defense, trying to 'block' the sharp edge. Luke has barely time to yell a single word as the blade comes down on Agni, "Reflect!", there is a flash of yellow, some kind of barely visible wall getting in the way of the sword strike, absorbing some of the hit before shattering and slowing the attack enough that those clumsy paws stop the hit without more than a shallow cut (and some trimmed fur), and reaching to trying to hold the blade still, trying to give time to the others to hit it.

    That was short-lived. The clanging of blade on blade is enough to slow any strikes, plus... as Yahiko said, the footwork is awful. So when the bear bears down(hah) on the arm and sword and makes it harder to move, that makes it the perfect opportunity for Yahiko to take advantage of the frost-brittled blade, leveraging the weak point and using his abilities and the support of the allies to make the saber snap with a loud, metallic noise.

    Immediately, the statue stops moving, and that leaves Justine sighing. "It is a pity... but emotions are hard to quell." She tips her had. "Now I think I had best go. The noise from the feelings here is getting too loud already. Enjoy the... festival, offworlders."

    Xion does a quite spectacular pirouette in the air once the beast's sword is snapped in half, landing in a three-point stance with her sword pointing towards Justine. Seems she heard her this time!

    "...I remember you! Are you the one causing these... things to come to life and attack innocent people?" She's glowering. It's a hate-filled glare, but there's... no spark there. Justine can't feel anything coming from this girl. She's as emotionless as a doll.

    "My name is Xion, villain! And if you continue to threaten innocent people... I'll be the one to bring you down! So you'd better remember that name!"

    Pant pant pant. Sheathing the blade he carries, Yahiko steps back... and hears Justine's comments, wondering if she is just informing them, helping them, or behind this.

    Xion seems to think the third option, but Yahiko doesn't remember her clearly.

    "But why?" That's all he can think of.

    Luke rushes to check on his pokemon, apparently considering the fight to be over, reaching towards his backpack for something to clean the cut in the bear's skin, coming to a halt when the odd kid seems to be blaming Justine as the source of the situation, turning around to look at Xion, and then at Justine, one hand holding a bottle of some kind of disenfectant. "She caused this?". The pokemon just looks at Xion curiously, something is just off about her, and is the only one still holding a weapon, or at least aiming it at someone.

    Justine stares at Xion. "If you're going to accuse me of that, you should mean it," she says in reply. "I just watched this time. The emotions of the sword are what caused this. I don't really care about this colony either way... I'm afraid I'm not much of a patriot." She shrugs with a mechanical whrr.

    Then her tone turns dangerously venemous, "But don't go lecturing ME about how I'm a villain and you'll stop me. What gives you the right to pass judgement on me? Just try it. It will be self-defense for me, and oh I'd love that..." She grits her teeth, then lets out a longer breath. "Go home."

    Justine turns away with a noticeable shake of anger.