World Tree MUSH

    The continent of Mistral in winter. Vast stretches of wilderness were still wild and untamed in this place, like much of the world where humanity had been forced to band together in cities and roaming communities. Not the worst world to be in though... they were quite civilized in most respects. Even rural areas had some means of protection and machinery!

    The vines were starting to let people out near rural towns, but even if it isn't a coincidence(if you can call the Tree's tendency to make flash mobs of Harbingers 'coincidence'), a cry for help had been sent out from this walled rural community. They'd hired Huntsmen and Huntresses to keep them safe... but quite suddenly, all of the ones that had been watching over them had been killed in action. With the strife ongoing it was difficult to send a replacement, but there were definitely some who wondered what could have happened to cause this? It's especially worrying since the Grimm were attracted to negative emotions... and the panic from losing their two defenders was likely to be drawing more in!

    But right now the little town looks safe enough. Quaint buildings, a few more sophisticated housing a machine shop and a communications tower(though currently inoperative with the Fall of Beacon), and a wooden palaside surrounding it. The gates are open because they are expecting some visitors, but lookouts are motioning for the citizens outside to hurry in. A group of Grimm were spotted coming this way, the gates will close soon.

    For Octavia Alicette de Tenebrae, this is more than just a random pit stop; it's a chance to build relations! She is her country's- her world's- representative to the World tree at large, and her near-perpetual voyage of recent times takes her far and wide. If her route near any given world takes her in range of a cry for help, she's more than happy to stop by and lend her blade or her wits, both for the sake of being a decent human being and for the sake of interworld diplomacy.

    So the denizens of this town aren't just getting a random visit! They get to see an offworld airship set down not far outside the town, just long enough for a young woman (who could very well be a huntress, just looking at her) to step out. Then it banks around and sweeps up into the air, drifting itself off to a safe distance. She makes for the front gate with haste, glancing once or twice over her shoulder towards the Grimm. "Don't hold the gate for me, I've the skills to make a stand outside and hold off the beasts! I would have no objections to support, of course!"

    Sometimes... Sometimes one just needs to get away from their icy mountaintop fortress. The oppressive halls of Snowpeak Garrison have not done well for Rydia of Mist in the past few days. Feeling claustrophobic and needing to stretch her proverbial legs a bit, a job offworld should help relieve some of the Summoner's tensions.
    So here she is, showing up through a vine, riding her trusty chocobo into town, a faint fog and mist rolling in with the green haired Summoner's arrival.
    "So you're just going to have them shut the gate and make a stand on your own right outside?" She asks Octavia.
    "That's kind of suicidal alone." Muttered as she hops off her trusty steed and shoos her chocobo into the gates. And stays right outside too.

    Dante got the call about a job from Enzo, and he was pretty quick to respond. He needed the cash after all,and hunting Grimm was good work. Making his way by foot, the demon hunter has his hands tucked in his coat pockets, looking quite well suited for winter with a sweater underneath his coat and heavy winter boots. Yes, he's got the Timbs today, y'all. Be afraid.

    "Quaint place, shame it's Grimm central." He says, before drawing Ebony and Ivory. Taking off in a sprint, he only stops when he spies Rydia and Octavia, after spying both the chocobo and airship. "Yo, ladies." He greets cheekily, and does a double take at Rydia. "...huh." Did she do something with her hair?

    Serrah, meanwhile, ended up here accidentally while making her way from Hyouka's world to Dante's; she's wearing a winter coat that seems slightly inadequate to the task, a rainbow-colored skort is visible, and her usual baseball bag is hanging from her hip.

    She furrows her brow and looks from the approaching Grimm, to the group that's already here, then to the Grimm, then turns around to head back into the Vine, and ...

    ... slows to a stop immediately before entering.

    She stands there, grimaces, then sighs and turns back around to head over to the group. At least there's a few familiar faces here already, and a certain devil-hunter in particular seems to know what's up. "Uh ... hi," she says awkwardly. "Hi, Dante, uh ... what are these ..." She jerks a thumb at the Grimm. "... guys?"

>> SUMMARY[Serrah Delany] >> Maximum Awkward!

Any mention of monsters is a quick way to get Holly's attention and it seems like there's already many familar faces present. The witch descends on her broom accompanied by Servis and Lavaux. "I'm glad, I'm not the only one here. Hi Serrah and Dante!" She doesn't recognize Rydia at first until Dante points out her out. "I'm pretty sure it hasn't been that long since the last time I saw her. "Did I oversleep by a few years or something?"

    Paine is not dressed for winter. But that kind of thing happens when you just walk through a portal in the air. You run the risk of not knowing where you'll end up. That's the kind of thing that's happened here.

    So suddenly there's a leather-clad woman with a really big sword strapped to her back approaching. She stops to look around, with a look of annoyance. "...Great," she mutters. Of course the city is the only bastion of civilization near, so she'll go that way...

    ...Except suddenly there's calls of trouble, and people are grouping up outside looking like they're about to fight.

    Now, Paine isn't one to rescue the damsel (or dude!) in distress, but when it looks like there's about to be a fight? Hell yeah, she's all over that. Letting off some of the stress by smacking something around with an improbably large sword sounds like fun right about now.

    So she pulls the sword from her back and runs towards what looks like the pre-fight gathering area. Keeping introductions quick, "Name's Paine. What needs to die?"

    Well SOMEONE here has to know what's going on! Weiss is not officially a Huntress yet, but Vine-hopping herself, she'd ended up nearby and heard of the problem. It might be problematic to interfere here when she has her own destination, but let's face it... even she isn't going to turn a blind eye to a village in need when they're about to be overwhelmed! At least there are people here she recognizes, right?

    The pale heiress struts right up toward the gate, pulling out her rapier, Myrtenaster, and spinning the cylinder at its base to check the contents of its multicolored cargo. "They're called Grimm. They've been fighting the humans on this world for as long as anyone remembers. You shouldn't hold back, they're not stupid but they're kind of single-minded in killing everyone here."

    The town isn't totally defenseless, but 'rural town cops' don't really stack up to 'trained monster hunters' now, do they? One middle-aged man is readying the gates to be closed, looking at this group that has arrived piecemeal with some worry but gratefulness. "Well, you aren't Huntsmen, but from the look of things, you all seem to know what you're doing." Well maybe not all of them, but certainly enough that he is less worried about incompetence. Not totally unworried though! "We don't know why these Grimm are stronger than the others that used to attack now and then. Two Huntsmen used to be enough. To lose both... I worry these are stronger Grimm than we are used to. But we thank you for the help, hopefully this will give us enough time to find more Huntsmen to hire."

    The shadowy figures in the snow-ridden forest begin to move forward though... and a long howl is let loose! Beowolves, for anyone who has fought the wolfman-like shadow creatures. But those are such a minor and easy to defeat Grimm... surely that isn't what brought down the Huntsmen and Huntress? It's still enough for the man's moustache to wiggle worriedly before he dashes in just before the door closes. The watchmen above the tower will provide fire support at least!

    Meanwhile, dozens of these things are just rushing out, yapping and howling, intent on tearing into human(or humanoid, as the case may be) flesh!

    "Sup, girls." Dante says, as the group gathers. Holly definitely gets a nod from Dante, "It's WEIRD, right? Did I miss somethin'?" Upon noticing the newcomer, Paine gets a nod from him too, "Name's Dante, and-" Weiss nails pretty much everything he was gonna say. It helps, Weiss is a local after all. He nods to her, before twirling his guns. "Sorry I didn't get any of you guys anything for Christmas, I'll try and make it up later." He did bring the pumpkin gun Holly gave him, for shiggles. Cocking the pistols in his hands, Dante cracks his neck as he sees the grimm rush the towen. "Alrighty, go-time!" He sprints off, leaping at the Beowolves with Ebony and Ivory blazing, firing into the horde.

    As Octavia turns and moves to draw the rapier sheathed at her side, a green-haired girl arrives astride a rather avian steed and questions her choice in tactics. The young noblewoman regards the newcomer for a moment, and...

    "O~hohoho!"

    One gloved hand beside her mouth, Octavia de Tenebrae laughs. "Your concern is admirable! But of course, I wouldn't make such a stand if I had no ace up my own sleeve. Watch carefully, for-" Before she can really get rolling, Octavia's eyes fall on Dante and Serrah, and her expression brightens considerably. "-ah! Dante, Serrah! Wonderful to see the both of you. Dependable allies are always welcome at my side." And Holly's a familiar face as well, from all the way back in Usagi's world. The noblegirl nods with satisfaction.

    But of course, there's newcomers too. "Octavia Alicette, daughter of House Tenebrae," she replies to Paine's introduction. But her attention is snagged by Weiss next, offering an explanation of just what's coming - and wielding a weapon that draws an approving glance! "I see. Well, ordinarily I prefer to lean on an other element, recently; but this charge of theirs offers an opportunity for my Light element to shine!"

    Hauteclere whips through the air in front of Octavia, the rapier drawing a series of runes in radiant, ranbow luminescence. With a sweep of her blade, the noblegirl unleashes the spell, which proves to be a sudden, rapid-fire barrage of energy orbs with some appreciable range. If the Beowolves are going to charge over open ground, she can unload a fusillade to thin their numbers the entire way!

>> SUMMARY[Octavia de Tenebrae] >> Greetings all around, light-elemental projectile barrage for the Beowolves.

    Paine nods at this information from Weiss, with an affirmative grunt. She does not reply to either Dante or Octavia's offer of names, but she's taken note of those names. After all, there are enemies about; less talk, more fight!

    She has no context for the type of Grimm. She just knows they remind her of fiends. Which have quite a bit in common with these things as far as she's heard. Not only can they also be quite intelligent, but they also need to die. Again.

    She takes careful note of the battle however, and sees an opportunity. She uses the ranged shots of Octavia to cover her own approach into melee range with the wolflike beasts. Her sword is quite heavy and quite large, and she is quite strong; her swings ought to send a few flying.

    Serrah shakes her head at Holly's immediate confusion about Rydia. "Time shenanigans happened," she says. She pauses. "... Wouldn't you have grown older, too?" she says. "If you'd just fallen asleep."

    She frowns towards Paine at that display of nonchalance. Something about the young woman ... slightly sets her off. "Serrah Delany," she says, glancing around. "I'm a dhampir -- half-human and half-vampire, uh, for reasons that would probably sound weird from your world's frame of reference." She says this because she knows the other way of being half-human and half-vampire is weird from her world's frame of reference. And, yes, she definitely looks more alive than she had the last time i.e. Weiss saw her her.

    But then Weiss is here with an explanation, and she nods. She only met the heiress once, but this looks like it shouldn't be a problem. "Okay," she says. "I guessssssss ... I don't have anything better to do except go all-out, hah. Stop the World!" And then suddenly ...

    (From her own perspective, the world goes purple and drab, and everything is frozen in time -- except for herself. She floats up, hovering sideways as she reaches for her baseball bag ...)

    ... she's a dozen feet off to the side and hovering five feet off the ground. The transition is as abrupt as a video skipping ahead -- there's simply no time between the two states.

    Oh, and also there's half a dozen or so baseballs flying a little faster than the speed of a car on the freeway. Serrah's no Major League pitcher, but she does have boosted strength and speed.

    She ... rolls her eyes at Octavia's display, and definitely doesn't smirk. "Oh right, Schnee," she calls out. "Is it dangerous to touch these guys bare-handed?"

    "Dante." That's the Summoner's greeting to the Half-Devil.
    Rydia did something with her hair, sure. She let it grow. And she grew along with it, all things considered.
    "I grew up." She says matter of factly to Holly, keeping explanations short and sassy.
    Jade eyes return to Octavia as the noblegirl begins to laugh so haughtily.
    There's a silent beat of staring before the Summoner decides to reply to Paine:
    "Rydia of Mist."
    And Weiss says not to hold back. Which is all well and good when the Beowolves come tearing through the trees as they do.
    In a smooth motion, the green haired girl unfurls the whip hanging coiled at her belt and cracks it at the air, the loud SNAP of leather resounding like thunder as her voice calls out, ringing with power and dominance: "White Wolfos!"
    A mist had already rolled in with the girl herself, but as she calls this beast from beyond the world of Remnant a much thicker fog begins to lick over the ground. And something else prowls through the forest.
    A massive wolf, as large as a car, and snarling just as loud as a truck engine comes bounding towards the party. The White Wolfos' fur is dotted with jagged and razor sharp ice crystals and its eyes burn a hateful, baleful, evil, red as Rydia cracks her whip again and the beast obediently shifts its course, loping for the main body of Grimm, great jaws snapping, claws flailing, seeking to rip throats and and rend flesh from bone.

    "Beowolves!" Weiss calls out. "I'm a native, I know what they are. Weiss Schnee." These folks look all right, though Octavia looks painfully aristocratic and conceited. Weiss is going to call her White, too, because she's quite a kettle. "Hello again Dante. Enjoy yourself... these creatures are weak one on one, but they'll swarm you and wear you down. Don't let them surround you or you'll be in trouble."

    Serrah doesn't get a wave or smile, but a nod, a firm motion to acknowledge she knows her. "You can touch them, they won't hurt you by contact unless you grab them on a tooth or something. They also can be hurt like a normal creature, they'll just melt away afterward!"

    Her sword twirls and then plants tip-first into the ground. As Weiss said, they are a large force, so from shimmering circles, sparkling white boar-creatures emerge and stampede forward, five in all. The summoned boars aren't very strong, compared to everyone else... but with the main danger being swarming of superior numbers, evening out the numbers might help keep that from happening.

"I hadn't thought about that, I really should become an elf in-case that happens. Then I won't get old so fast." Holly sounds a bit concerned about her mortality before noticing Weiss, Oh, it's the lady in white! I haven't seen her in a while."

 "Weiss." Servis reminds the witch, "I know! I still think she looks like a ghost. I mean her name even means white!"

 "So does yours."

 "Holly doesn't mean white."

 "I mean Winn, it's Welsh for white."

 "Oh, I didn't know that..." Her attention then turns towards the white wolfos, "Neat! I should summon something too! Canis Inferorum!" She waves her staff around before there's a poof of orange smoke and a cerebus puppy appears. The dog seems to be more confused than anything else.

    Like Weiss said, these Grimm are quite weak individually. A barrage from Octavia shows they aren't /pushovers/, but that just means each individual orb doesn't take one down by itself. She still mows down several of the charging beasts at once, and Dante's quick rattling of pistols also takes down several before they can close, making the initial rush stagger before they can surge forward and recover.

    And there are a LOT of them! A few fall to the town guards providing supporting fire, but they aren't nearly as effective as the trained warriors here. Warriors like Paine, who initially has no kills, but everyone can see how effective a large, heavy blade is against these things... the warrior's sword cleaves one right in half! Not all of their deaths are quite so dramatic, but just as Weiss said, they start to dissolve into nothing as they expire, vanishing into ash-like sprays of dark fluttering whisps.

    Blunt weapons like Serrah's are still effective though! At first it looks like they aren't, as they smash in with cracks and cause the beasts to stagger, but not stop. But a second hit proves that they do have bone-equivalents, and crushing those is just as effective as the more dramatic cleaving that Paine is doing.

    Summoned creatures ARE effective though! Against more foes who are scattering about, it's harder to corner them, so Weiss manages to keep many occupied and even brings one down! The Wolfos from Rydia is more effective in tearing them apart, but the tactic to prevent swarming is a good idea... probably.

    Okay, Holly isn't being all that effective, but she's still in the back line. She has a chance to whip up something more impressive before she's faced with actual danger.... probably.

    Why probably? Because everyone killing these things may notice something. About one in every three doesn't dissolve completely. A large metal 'tag' of some kind is embedded in them, and THAT appears to stay behind. What could it mean? Or be?

    There might be a chance to find out, because this initial rush is failing, and the first wave is falling back again, snarling. It's a strategic withdrawal, as they're clumping together near a larger one, reassessing the situation.

    By the time Dante is in melee-range with the fiends, he lashes out with a dropkick at the nearest beowolf. He dishes out punches, kicks, pistol whips, and point-blank shooting. "Don't let 'em swarm, gotcha!" He says, headbutting one of the grimm before blasting its head off with his pistols.

    He does his best to fling grimm into the air, dropkicking a grimm and snapping its spine as he tries to remain mobile. Getting bogged down with these guys is the best way to get overwhelmed, so he remains on the move. "WOOHOO! Suck a little less, fellas, I wanted a challenge!" He taunts the grimm, grinning as he switches to Rebellion. The greatsword slices a Grimm in half, and he flings another into the air before jumping to meet it, and he batters the grimm with sword strikes before cutting it to bits.

    It's weird, these things aren't entirely fading away, and he moves to slash at the tag with Rebellion.

    More names, more noting of them. Paine looks in each one's direction briefly as they're given, to let them know they're being listened to. Don't worry, she'll remember!

    Though at the literal summoning of creatures, she's a bit taken aback. Summoners? Maybe Paine's not as far afield as she thought...

    Getting her mind back on the battle, she notices how these things are just starting to... dissolve. Even more proof, in her mind at least, that these things are some kind of fiend. There are no pyreflies, but it's close enough for her.

    But then, there's that odd 'tag'. In a lull in the battle, Paine pokes at one of these tags with the point of her sword. She's not touching that thing until she knows it's not dangerous. And anything left behind by a fiend -- or fiend-adjacent being -- probably is.

    "Oh my, that beast..." Octavia murmurs with surprise at Rydia's summon. From a certain point of view, it's not all that different than what they're fighting! But it's on their side, so she has no complaints. And hot on the heels of that, Weiss deploys a few summons of her own. "Such an impressive array of magic. I certainly can't afford to fall behind such a splendid showing!"

    This time, when Octavia inscribes a spell in the air, the runes are lined not with the shimmering colors of Light, but the soft gold-white of the Holy element. When she flicks Hauteclere through the completed spell, the surge of sacred radiance expands briefly - then squeezes back down and flows into the rapier, imbuing the entire blade with holy glow. But that's just a preparatory measure.

    "Don't think that simply holding your distance will protect you, beast! If you don't plan to attack, you had better retreat, because my light magic can reach you even there!"

    The spell that follows is Light-elemental again, and takes a fair bit more wind-up than those she's used so far. A spell she sets off with not a swipe so much as a stab - which fires off a short-lived laser aimed at the big Grimm, scintillating with rainbow hues, like a low-end magical sniper shot.

    Dante and Paine both have some experience with technology, even if they may not know the exact means and purpose. And that's very clearly what this is. A small metallic container holding silicone and metal. Along with a tiny wound wire...

    Serrah answers Weiss with a single word: "Good." She swoops down into a group of four Beowolves, grabs one by the bony protrusions on its shoulders, and physically slams it into two of the others, before she unleashes a stream of rapid-fire punches on the remaining one. "POWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOW!"

    It dissolves, leaving a metal tag.

    "Wait, what?" she says. Heedless of any possible risk, she picks up the tag. "Schnee!" she calls out. "What's this --"

    Two of the ones behind her struggle to get to their feet. She whirls around and kicks them in the face, and this time they stay down.

    One timestop later, and she's closer to Weiss and her previously-thrown baseballs are back in her bag. "What are these things?" she says, trying not to flinch from the light of Octavia's spell. "Seems like some kind of ... doohickey."

    She pauses as she glances over at Holly. "This ... might be one for you, Lavaux," she says flatly.

    The boars are rushing, and one of them falls, making Weiss flinch from the minor backlash she feels. She can continue to summon, but if too many are down her aura will be depleted, just as if she were taking a pounding herself. It's a frantic few moments before they start to retreat, letting her dismiss her Summons in a sparkle of light. "Good thing we have so many-"

    Uh oh. She spies what Holly summoned. She hasn't even greeted the woman yet, but there's a stare. A flush to her cheeks. And... "AWWWWWWWWWWW!" Suddenly Weiss is VERY DISTRACTED by the little cerberus.

    Good thing Serrah is there to snap her out of it. "AH! Serrah!" Her blush suddenly a BRIGHT red, she sputters and glares. "I-I was just assessing the... combat... capability." Flustering and stammering, only the tag brings her back and she stops to stare at it. "Huh? I'm not even sure that's our world's technology..."

"Maybe, you should just stick to smacking the wolves with your staff?" Lavaux suggests as Holly reaches down to scratch one of the cerebus's heads a bit. Another one of the creature's heads notices Dante before letting loose a whimper and the creature goes tearing off toward Weiss. So much for that plan.

 "Oh come on, I've been practicing!" She takes the ghost's suggestion though and takes out her frustration on the beowolves with her lollipop shaped staff.

    That's odd. Weiss said they melt when they die.
    "Should they be leaving things behind?" Rydia asks the silver-haired Summoner as she snaps her whip again; an act that sends the White Wolfos retreating from the battlefield to come again when she calls next time. But Rydia purses her lips as she watches the Beowolves retreat to linger around a much larger Grimm.
    "I--..." She trails clean off as Holly calls a three headed puppt and Wiess squeals.
    "..."
    A slow breath and the last survivor of the Mist Summoners rallies.
    "Holly. Why don't you leave the monster manifesting to those of us who are more experienced." She says, surprisingly gently.
    Rydia returns her focus to the task at hand though as she tugs her whip taut in both hands. There's no crack this time; she doesn't need to dominate the next creature she calls upon.
    "Whyt!"
    The mist lingering about the green-haire girl thickens... In fact, soon enough the whole field is covered in a thick fog- fog that coalesces into the form of a great, white, dragon made from the very mists itself.
    With a keening, almost song-like, cry, Whyt draws in a breath... And exhales it in a plume of frigid cold, holy-aligned, misty breath upon the Beowolves.

    Light and Holy powers do seem to be... somewhat more effective? Less so than if the Grimm were undead, but they definitely aren't liking that! It seems to burn them somehow, but not instant death. A few good staff whacks, a stream of mist, and... well, they're really starting to shuffle back. Just...not totally retreating despite their massive losses.

    Indeed, the largest of the group, the 'leader' as it is, HOWLS into the sky... maybe because Octacia gets a shot in that hurts it. That howl, head thrown back, shows something more unusual. A metallic collar with a large device on it, which almost radiates malevolent energy. But when the beast is wounded, lights blaze to life on the collar, and the device suddenly hisses. Even from a distance it's very clear something was injected into the Grimm.

    And that something is making it roar in pain and anger of its own! Bony plates are sprouting all over, and it's growing, mutating at a rapid pace. A rapid, uncaring pace as it starts toward the gate of the town, just tearing right through some of its comrades without even notcing they are there.

    It's very rare for Grimm to outright retreat even when losing... but the rest, the one that isn't mutating by the step, do so now. Fleeing outright from the monster among monsters.

    Well, it looks like Octavia will get her wish, but that certainly wasn't how she was hoping it would go down. "Not to belabor the obvious, but whatever those objects were, I'd wager that beast's collar is connected. And now it's making the thing rather more of a problem."

    And of course, it's now headed right for them.

    Expression grim, the mageblade wielder whips the holy length of Hauteclere around herself, then begins a charge of her own. And it's here that she proves she's not just a back-line caster with a mouth; her feet are swift, her movements efficient and focused, and as the distance between her and the massive Grimm closes, the scion of Tenebrae leaps herself to one side, aiming to get a cut along its flank or underside with the enchanted Hauteclere - a blade that, in this moment, truly counts as a holy sword. "HAA!"

    Dante stares at the baby cerberus for a moment. One could FEEL a killing instinct from Dante, as he awaits the next horde of Grimm. He's...pretty befuddled by the pupper. "Huh. Usually those are bigger." He muses.

    THEN THE BIG DOGGO shows up. He begins to push against the horde, stowing Rebellion and summoning Agni and Rudra, blades of fire and wind. MOving like a spinning buzzsaw, he slashes and dices Grimm in a spinning motion, before he makes a head-sprint toward the Alpha.

    "C'mon ugly, you're more my size!" He grins, lunging at the Grimm and slashing at its middle with both scimitars.

Paine frowns at the bits of technology thoughtfully. When it fails to explode, she picks one up. Her time with the Al Bhed hasn't instantly made her into a mechanic/technician (despite the majority of Spirans believing that you just get INFECTED with machina).

    Weiss's momentary lapse into cute-talk draws Paine's attention, and she looks up with a raised brow. She doesn't ask though, it's not really any of her business and Paine knows that.

    Though she does hear the part about these 'tags' possibly not even being that of this world. She hasn't gotten the whole 'you're in another world now' talk yet, but whatever that means, that's definitely bad. Turning the retrieved tag over in her hand, she asks, "Any idea what these are for?"

    She's not taking her eyes off the retreating horde of fiend-beasties.

    Fortunately it's because she's keeping an eye on them that she sees what happens over there with that one mutating. And she's also noticed the slight burny aftertaste that light/holy seems to leave with the Grimm.

    So as the thing gets closer, she raises her sword into the air briefly, and a white glint slides down the blade, wrapping it in a yellow-white aura. And then she runs straight at the big doggo thing.

    She dodges to the side at the absolute last minute, and aims to tear a line down the thing's side, her sword wrapped in that bright aura.

    She is also quick to get out of the way of the others, since she's already seen they have some pretty damn potent abilities. Abilities she doesn't want to get caught up in.

>> SUMMARY[Paine] >> Paine uses Excalibur: Holy damage, single target.

"I've been practicing magic since I was a child. I was born into a family of powerful mages. I'm enrolled in college classes, I have to become a great witch..." It sounds like experience isn't the problem that Holly's been having.

 "Hey, where do you think you're going!" While Holly's trying to focus, Lavaux is yelling at the Grimm. Without a body he's limited in what he can do. The ghost slips behind her before floating inside the woman and taking control of her. The pair rushes at the Grimm and attempt to pin it to the ground before it has a chance to run off.

    Serrah has an expression when she sees Weiss's reaction to the cerberus puppy. She actually looks faintly relieved when Weiss focuses back on the device she brought over. "Oh, huh." She frowns. "Odd. So, this is some kind of outside interference ...?"

    And then the larger Grimm starts roaring towards them. "... Gee, I wonder what our target is supposed to be here," she says sarcastically. "Tiiiiime to, uh, to do the time-stoppy thing again!" She grimaces. "Actually I'll just ...

    She leaps forward --

    (Time stops again for her. She flies forward, very carefully avoids getting too close to Octavia or Paine, then gets out a few baseballs, and hurls them one by one at the device on the monster's neck at breakneck speeds. She then zips away, brow furrowed.)

    -- and then is suddenly flying off away from the direction Paine and Octavia are moving in, and of course there are thrown baseballs.

    "I have no idea, but that really isn't normal... and anything attached to attacking Grimm can't be good!" Is it a plot by Salem? Or... something else? SomeONE else? It's advanced tech so her father might...

    No, Weiss shakes that thought out and focuses on the mutating creature. "And THAT is completely new!" She isn't going to charge in like the others... Weiss, despite being an adept fencer, is actually best when playing support of some kind. To that end her sword's cylinder spins, and then a black glow(how that works, ask someone else) rises from it. A black glyph slides along the ground, rippling over the terrain to intercept the charging beast... and ACTIVATE! Holly's ghosts are trying to pin it down, and they'll have help in the form of the beast's personal gravity suddenly tripling!

>> SUMMARY[Weiss Schnee] >> Use Gravity Trap Glyph on monster.

    Whyt retreats and the mist recedes after the dragon unleashes its divine breath. But then... Then the biggest, baddest, Beowolf of them all begins to charge.
    Rydia watches. She watches fascinated and horrified as that collar does something to the beast and it begins to mutate and change before her very eyes.
    And then... It rushes the gates.
    "--No!"
    If it's not stopped... Who knows what damage it will do- what harm it will cause!?
    he fleeing Grimm are forgotten in favor of the one on a collision course for the town.
    The last Summoner of Mist draws a breath. She focuses everything she has. Her heart beats in her ears as her body roils with power.
    Something... Somewhere... Hears her call.
    The skies grow dark as storm clouds roll in, roiling with thunder and lightning. And from nowhere he appears.
    The great figure of an old, wizened, man in flowing wizard-like robes appears in the skies, his beard long enough to hang to his ankles as she regards the battlefield.
    Rydia has called... And Lord Ramuh has deigned to answer.
    "Hold it down!" Rydia calls as the spirit of lightning itself raises his staff, a great tongue of lightning lancing from the skies and channels through the staff, before Ramuh launches his staff through the air, flung like a javelin and charged with all the fury of a storm upon the rampaging Grimm.

>> GAME >> Rydia spends an Edge for: Summon: Ramuh - Judgment Bolt

    Remnant is a world that is -supposedly- without magic, even if Dust and Aura are quite close. The holy power and the elemental effect of Octavia and Dante's attacks cause shearing wounds to open up, black and red bubbling out in a mixture of leaking, malevolent darkness and actual blood, disintegrating like the rest of the blood drawn this battle. Paine's massive sword slashes down the other side, the barrage of powerful cuts leaving gaping, lethal wounds... or do they?

    Weiss's Gravity Trap and Holly's possessed body both work to bring the beast to a halt, and not incidentally bones crack and shatter under a barrage of dhampir-powered thrown baseballs. Its jaw snaps to the side, more darkness bubbling up... and closing the wounds. Like they were never there!

    No, that's not quite right. It isn't a clean healing. The 'flesh' that returns is bristly, bony, or horned. One arm is sliced off by Paine's powered attack, and when it grows back, two grow in its place. And a new jaw erupts... but the old one is still in the way, and the one has what can only be described as tusks.

    "GROOOOWWRRWRRR!" the Grimm gurgles, jerkily trying to hurl off the attackers, to stand up and fight. But that rapid regeneration and the mutation isn't really beneficial, entirely, making it mutate itself to the point that every motion is tearing itself further apart, making it a chain reaction.

    And then... a bright flash of light and the sizzling smell of burnt flesh, as lighting crackles down to BLAST the beast! It convulses, and for a moment it grows even larger... and then a second skeleton erupts from the base of the spine, literally tearing it in two. It would be a lot more gory if it weren't already starting to disintegrate from the trauma inflicted.

    But that collar clunks heavily to the ground, still oozing a whisp of malignant dark aura that finally disappates.

    The group promptly cuts the bastard Grimm down, and Dante swipes his dual scimitars clean of blood. Do these things blleed? It's unclear. ~A wonderful battle, thank you for using us tonight master!~ ~Yes, glorious carnage! These beasts never-~ Dante promptly smacks the hilts together in annoyance. "I keep telling you assholes, stuff it when we're working!" He gets no response. "That's what I'm talkin' about." Stowing the twin blades, he brushes his coat off. With all the slashing, magic, and goddamn lightning blasts being thrown about, it's gonna be hard for anything to survive that kinda punishment.

    He claps Paine on the shoulder with a grin on the way to the Grimm's collar, "Nice work there, kid. Remind me to buy you a beer later." Dante says, before going to inspect the collar.

    "I don't think this was a natural attack." He muses aloud, twirling the collar on his fingertip like a basketball.

    As her attack cleaves true, Octavia is smart enough to roll out of the way and come up prepared for a counter, fingers resting on a set of runes etched along Hauteclere's blade. But the need for whatever spell she was planning is obviated by a thunder-empowered staff from a veritable titan of lightning. It's this sight that finally breaks her composure, prompting her to stop for a moment just to stare, wide-eyed. "...by Rilarn..."

    A glance is swung back and forth between Rydia and the Grimm as the beast at last falls dead. With a practiced flick, she swings her rapier to one side, then returns it to the sheath at her hip, and begins heading back towards the gate with her eyes squarely on the summoner. "That was... ah... that was quite impressive." She's still trying to tamp down the awe under her usual facade of confidence. She can't quite manage it. "What... what was that?"

>> SUMMARY[Octavia de Tenebrae] >> By Rydia the ohoho awoke, and by Rydia the ohoho broke.

    "Definitely wasn't normal," Weiss mutters, too worried to take up her usual grouchy tsundere attitude. "Grimm don't leave stuff behind, and this doesn't look like our world's technology. Somebody has been experimenting on the Grimm." She plucks up one of the tags that had fallen.

    "We might want to find out where these came from... what if it had worked better than it did? It could have breached the gate." Her words might sound accusatory but her tone is more worried. "We're lucky we had some strong fighters and summoners here... even if your summoning is a lot different from my family technique." Holly and Rydia both get this, and despite Holly's summoning being more adorable - and absently petted, if it's still around - she doesn't seem to distinguish despite her normal vanity.

    And very belatedly. "... thanks." To everyone. She is not used to thanking people, clearly.

    Serrah flies the hell away when Rydia blasts the damn thing with Ramuh. "Jeez," she mutters.

    She flies back to the group, and lands by Dante and Paine. "Yeah," she says, looking over towards Weiss as she gives her two cents. "Dunno what to tell you." She shrugs grandiosely. "I mean, shit, for the World Tree, this is like ... a slow Tuesday. Maybe a slightly less-slow Tuesday. Or ... whatever."

    She smirks faintly at Octavia and Weiss's reactions to Rydia. "Should've seen what the white dragon thing did to vampires," she says dryly.

    When the Grimm starts mutating rather than healing, Paine sneers a bit. "Gross. I hate it when they make a mess," she quips. That said, she might be helping it along; seeing that its attempts to heal itself are mutating it beyond the ability to recover, she might just keep hacking at it to make things worse.

    Paine keeps her sword in hand until the mutating Grimm starts disappearing. Once the collar falls to the ground and the beast is safely disappeared, she'll put the sword back on her back. She looks at that collar thoughtfully...

    And then is clapped on the shoulder by Dante! She tilts her head at him. Actually, this could be beneficial. She has no idea where she is. Maybe she can get some information out of him. So she gives a half-smile (sorry, Dante, they're about all she's capable of). "I could use a drink after this," she notes.

    Weiss's thanks get a nonchalant shrug. Though Paine's not going to blow the thanks off totally. But she's also not going to bask in it. "No problem. If it got in I'd have had to move on anyway."

    Serrah's words get a raised brow. "I understood about half of that," she notes, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one hip. Uhoh. Got a newbie here, folks.

    Weiss sighs heavily, an exasperated sigh, and speaks very gently. "No Serrah. This was not a slow Tuesday. I'm very sorry to have to break this fact to you." She sighs again.

    "It's very definitely Thursday."

"That's right, you don't mess with us!" Holly says in the voice of a middle-aged man.

 "I think you can give Holly her body back now," Servis notes that its safe. "Oh right..." Lavaux slips out of the witch leaving her a bit confused.

 "But it's Thursday and the monster's gone?" The cerebus puppy broke free of Holly's magic the moment Lavaux possessed her but it seems to be happy getting attention from Weiss as it fades back to where it came.

    "Think nothing of it, Lady Schnee," Octavia says, responding to the thanks with a warm smile. "It is my honor and duty as a Tenebrae to help those in need of a bulwark against creatures like that. Especially alongside such gifted comrades." Haughty though she may be, there seems to be nothing but praise in her for those present! Definitely one of the more personable nobles.

    As soon as he had come, the Eidolon of Wisdom and Lightning leaves. Ramuh makes his exit swift and soundless, the great Eidolon dipping into a formal bow before fading from sight.
    And Rydia collapses to her hands and knees, breath ragged, sweat beading on her brow and looking pale. It takes her a good, long, moment to regain herself, catch her breath, and rally from expending so much of her magical strength to call upon the old titan. But after a moment she slowly stands herself up.
    "That was Ramuh; keeper of wisdom and Lord of Lightning." She explains to Octavia as she pats dust from her knees.
    "I said I'd help, so I helped. Think nothing of it." She says to Weiss once she's fully recovered.
    "That's because Whyt's a holy creature." She does note to Serrah.
    Then there's a pause.
    Then there's a horrible snarl. Could it be another Grimm?!
    No. It's just Rydia's stomach.
    "... Doing that takes a lot out of me."

    "Goodness, if its breath is that potent against ordinary monsters, I can only imagine," Octavia replies to Serrah. The explanation from Rydia, though, doesn't explain... well, much. It explains a little, and she fills it in immediately with her own suppositions. "A god of your world? Fascinating..."

    Stomach rumble.

    About half a second later, Octavia has to stifle a laugh - but it's not the thunderous peal she started the battle with, no. It's a softer, more good-natured chuckle. "Goodness, it sounds like it." She glances over her shoulder, towards the airship hanging in the near distance, then turns back around to the crowd-

    -and claps her hands. Clap clap.

    "I should like to offer everyone a meal aboard my airship, in that case! Or at the very least, some manner of refreshment. My butler is a splendid chef, and a battle like this merits some form of reward."

>> SUMMARY[Octavia de Tenebrae] >> Who's hungry?

    Serrah furrows her brow at Weiss. "It's an expression," she says. She shakes her head at Octavia. "Oh, yeah, no, what she said," she says. "Vampires ... Light and Holy just ruin their day."

    She blinks at Paine, and seems to register her for the first time. "Well, uh ... how do I put this ..." She considers this. "You're ... in another world, basically," she says. "The, the world you came from ... is ... one of, like, a few hundred different universes which are all connected to this multiverse, each with their own people and, and, like basic metaphysics. Some of them don't even have magic, if you can ... believe that." She realizes as she says that last part that Paine might in fact be able to believe it very well. "... hang on, your sword doing that glowy thing is magic, right? It's not some sort of ... 'capability' or whatever which ... 'technically isn't magic' like Schnee's abilities? There might be ... semantic confusion ..."

    Paine smirks at Weiss's joke. Well, it's more information than she knew before, at least! Rydia collapsing gets her attention next and she gives a worried frown. "You okay?" she asks. The explanation -- and the subsequent violent snarl of Rydia's stomach -- brings the smirk back though. "...So which temple did that one come from?" she asks of Rydia. "Not an Aeon I know anything about."

    She also nods to Octavia's offer. "Sounds good to me," she agrees. That's also a good opportunity to get some information!

    Though speaking of information? There's some from Serrah. And also a question. "It's not magic, no. I get the rest of it, though. Thanks." There will be time to process it later. Right now she HAS the information, and that's better than she was doing.

    "I'm sure we can find some food in there," Weiss says, gesturing to the town. "My abilities aren't magic... there ARE magic-users in this world but they're... really rare? Only like... six of them I think...? It's kind of a long story." She slumps shoulders and sighs. "Now I have another thing to worry about. But no they're not magic. My summons might look like it but they're just hard light constructs. A-anyway, we can tell you where to find a little more information, we'd better see if anyone is hurt, and I definitely need some rest too."

    Dante nods at Weiss. "No prob'." He takes a tag to hold onto, maybe ask around and see if it's from his world.

    Paine gets a wink. "Your name's Paine, right? You got some moves." He'll hand the collar over to Weiss, it's her jurisdiction after all. "You'll wanna get this to your teachers, make sure they know someone might be controlling these attacks."

    As for food, he brightens up. "I'd fuckin' kill for some pizza right now."

"I could eat, I didn't get a chance to before I got here. I overslept." Holly's hungry herself, flying and summoning uses a lot of energy after all. "Hard light? Like holograms or something?" She doesn't know much about technology after all.