World Tree MUSH

    News spreads fast around the World Tree. Even tidbits that sometimes aren't supposed to spread. But, as it just so happens that word of a princess getting kidnapped from the small kingdom and nation of Rosalia has gotten out. This likely was not supposed to spread very far, so of course it did, and to mitigate the potential damage of everyone under the sun going out to hunt the princess and her captors down, the royal family, run by the Queen, confirmed that, yes, this is a thing that has happened. And as such they reserved the right to hand pick the adventurers reporting for the supposed duty of rescuing their princess, who is apparently in line for the throne. Looks like you lucky lot are the ones that have been chosen.
    The briefing is pretty simple; a local goblin tribe is responsible for the princess' capture, and it would be preferred that the situation be handled as peacefully and non-violently as possible, as the goblin tribes, when united, can become a source of... Difficulty for the kingdom, which is mostly forests, and the resultant guerilla war to follow anything bad happening would be bad for Rosalia's defenses.
    Several knights are dispatched to guide the party towards the area of forest where the tribe is located, two of them carrying the ransom chest between them.
    "Alright this is where we take off and you take over." The knight-sergeant says, motioning for his men to drop the chest. "It's not gold or even silver." He points out. "So don't bother trying to run off with it, it'll do you no good. ... This is about where the goblins said they'd send their hunters to liaison with you, so. I guess you're sitting tight until they show up." He says, rounding up his men.
    "Remember. The crown wants this done as peacefully as possible. Do not engage in hostilities with the goblins, it'll just give everyone involved a real headache." The Knight-sergeant reminds very pointedly as he and his men begin to depart.

    Uni nods along with the request... settling disputes like this amicably can make a nation stronger in the long run, she has first-hand experience with this, after all.

    As the group head to the meeting point, the Goddess says to her Shinki companion, "Give us some overwatch, I want eyes on a swivel in case something happens." resulting in the Zelnogrard giving a crisp salute, and disappearing up into the sky, becoming but a tiny speck hovering above the group.

    "Understood, Sergeant... I personally know the stakes of keeping the peace with unaligned groups within a nation, have no fear, I will certainly be no source of strife in this endeavour." She does, however, have a rifle summoned, and hung from a tactical strap across her chest, though it's kept down and 'at rest'. No reason not to show strength, it's what most of these tribal types understand, after all.

    If there were ever an offworlder capable of making a good impression on royalty, it's Yumi Tachibana. Not only does her transformation give her the shining armor and solar light of a paladin, she has the attitude to match; she doesn't show it often, but the manners and mannerisms of a knight come to her as easy as breathing. The redhead maintains her transformation basically from the moment she's in the kingdom.

    A royal kidnapping is of some concern, but the fact that the queen is willing to reach for a peaceful solution says a lot, and not just about the queen herself, either. It says that she believes it possible - that these are potentially peaceful goblins. So when the knight-sergeant gives them their final farewell for the moment, she responds with a crisp salute, fist to chest. Clunk. "Understood. I'd very much like to see this end without bloodshed myself, I'll give it everything I've got. Safe travel, sergeant."

    Vivian is not commonly engaged as a typical adventurer, given her... goals and proclivities. Sometimes, however, she ends up in these odd situations. Hearing an earnest plea from a villager lead her all the way to this, and even if she might end up razing the kingdom later, for now she seems all too willing to help out.

    "As you wish," she murmurs, in a pleasant tone. Of all the people here, only Yumi has even the possibility of recognizing her, since her voice hasn't changed. To move more easily though, the Black Swan has cloaked herself in an illusion while visiting the kingdom, hiding her wings and also lightening her skin tone from 'pitch black' to a more rich chocolate shade.

    She carries no weapons, and wears an elegant-looking yet practical set of clothing.

    "Roger dodger!" Comes a chipper voice with the blonde man accompanying the party. Valerian adjusts a pair of goggles sitting atop his head and smiles at the guards, "Don't you worry! It's all gonna be OK!" He doesn't look like all that much of a major threat. He's somewhat lanky, he is wearing a white dress shirt with what looks like (Some sort of) leather padding over the chest, arms, big gloves, a leather apron, and some baggy pants and boots with spots of leather reinforcement. 

    Across his back is a massive... something... wrapped in a canvas tarp and tied up with a length of rope that he has turned into a handle that he uses to lug around on his back like it were a tote bag or satchel of some sort. 

    As the knights begin to depart, the young man stretches a bit and then reaches into a pouch on his apron, pulling out a silver-wrapped packet and slowly ripping it open. He drops part of the foil substance on the ground and then takes a bite into the soft bar underneath it. He then tilts his head a bit and sniffs it, "Unknown jerky ration. Coalition eats weird shit." He murmurs to himself before taking another bite. 

    He sits down criss-cross-apple-sauce style on the ground, the heavy bundle on his back thudding as he waits.

She might not be the paladin her more senior associate is, but Misaki Sakai is no less fond of peaceful resolutions. The younger of the senshi bows to the knight, "We'll do our best to see her highness safe and sound with no blood shed, Sir Gryffinham." She promises. The girl goes to gather some sticks and tinder, then summons Joyous to start a campfire while they wait, dismissing the gun once again when the fire has been started.

    As for one Emiya Shirou? The entire concept of "multiverse" is still iffy with him, considering the relatively recent nature of his being ejected from his world (which may or may not have been destroyed at that), so the entire notion of someone from a different "World" requesting help from... what would you call them? Extra-dimensional adventurers? Either way, that whole notion is a bit new to him. But the message came to the place where he is being housed temporarily... just the person the message was addressed to was not actually *there* at the time.

    And Shirou being Shirou, he figured *someone* should do something about it. And he has to repay the kindness of his hosts somehow.

    Ignoring the sheer mess of him having to figure out how to even *get* here for now... He certainly feels out of place in a world like this now. He has felt out of place ever since Day 1, to be fair, but a world like this makes it even more so. Well, at least he's not the only one who looks out of place in this motley crew of people.

    ...But maybe he looks out of place among *them*, too, seeing as the way the young red-haired man is dressed up - black jeans and a white-black jersey jacket - paints him as if though he was some passerby who accidentally wandered into a movie set and no one's quite caught on yet.

    Might be why the kid has elected to stay largely quiet up until now. But he can't help but wonder out loud now, just as the group's point of contact and his escort are getting ready to leave; "...What exactly are these goblins asking for if not gold or silver, anyhow?" At least the concept of a 'goblin' is easy to fathom, after first accepting the nature of the world he's been brought into. Goblins were a pretty common figure in some of the videogames he'd played, afterall-- though he couldn't say any of those games ever involved negotiating with goblins.

    Hopefully this will be a pleasantly fresh experience in that regard.

    It looks like the royal knights can return in high hopes. This seems like a capable group with good heads on their shoulders. The fact that the lot of the group seems so enthused for a peaceful resolution is good vibes all around, and the Knight-sergeant nods approvingly at... Well just about everyone as he and his men depart, leaving the group with the ransom chest.
    Misaki gets a fire going, and all in all it's about a twenty-ish minute wait before something rustles in the brush. And this rustling is done very much on purpose to announce the arrival of a three foot tall, green-skinned, figure wearing... Surprisingly well made leathers. The bow on his back is a fairly decent make, and it looks like the arrows he sports for it have iron tips.
    "Yo!" The goblin hunter calls out, before whistling. "Well dang, the crown went all out with you adventurers huh. The name's Gretch, and I'mma be your guide." He says rubbing his chin, before giving a snap of his fingers, before grinning pointedly at Shirou. "You'd be surprised what a tribe needs to keep goin', kid."
    A small squad of hunters in matching leathers emerge after him to heft the chest, before he motions for everyone to follow.
    "So we're gonna take the roundabout way to the village. We kinda like keeping it's location off radar if you get my gist." Explained as the chest carrying goblins head in one direction and he starts leading in another.
    It's a bit of a hike. But after a while the forest gives way to a large manmade- or in this case- goblinmade clearing. Wooden walls make up the defenses, lined with a few archers and spear-wielding goblins. Tents dot the encampment, and it looks like the goblins are gearing up for a celebration. Savory meats can be smelled from cookpits, some instruments are being played, children are running around. There is nothing crude about these goblins.
    This is about when Gretch motions at the only non-goblin in the camp. She's a girl of about fourteen years of age, and judging from the condition she's in, she's been treated more like a guest than a prisoner. Her clothes are still frilly and pristine. And she doesn't exactly feel very happy at the moment. Though she's seated at a fire, surrounded by smaller goblins, talking animatedly about something that earns her a lot of giggles and laughter, one person in the group should be able to feel the quiet smolder of the most prominent source of displeasure-bordering-anger in the entire village, even from a good distance away.

    Uni silently tasks Bravette with following the other group, then meet up with the rest of the group, before speaking with Gretch. "I'm Uni, CPU Candidate of Lastation, in a world a bit lower on the Tree called Gamindustri. You seem like a very well educated man, why did you kidnap the princess?" She asks, keeping her weapon lowered, but with both hands on it so it doesn't wave around awkwardly. "I mean, couldn't you simply trade for what you need with the kingdom proper? Your wares seem of high quality, I'm certain there would be many merchants in town who would pay good coin for high quality furs and hides."

    She's being conversational, but those red eyes flick to each positioned archer and spearman, the set of the walls, where other goblins in the village are... and of course, the Princess with the Goblings near the central fire.

    On getting close enough, she raises her voice and calls out. "Lady Primrose, I presume?"

    The voice is familiar, but it's been long enough since they've met that Yumi can't quite place it when Vivian speaks. She does give the woman a very 'I feel like I know you' look, but no more than that. Valerian and Shirou both receive appraising looks, but at least for the first few moments, the senshi mostly watches Misaki work on the campfire. It's always nice to see their powers put to less violent uses.

    After that, she mostly just stands around; her posture clearly marks her as standing watch, but there's no tension in it, and when the goblin comes sauntering out, she lifts one hand to give him a wave. "Good to meet you, Gretch. Yumi Tachibana." She looks between the chest and the goblins briefly, but opts not to pry further, instead giving a nod. "I get you."

    She'll take the fore as much as she can, natural instinct putting her in the front of the group, but she does occasionally toss a glance back Shirou's way just to make sure he'll be okay. When they do finally reach the clearing, Yumi looks around curiously, and then with a growing relief. This is really well-made. Definitely intelligent, and they seem friendly. Good sign.

    As is the condition of the 'prisoner'. Hmm. "Yumi Tachibana, your highness. You... seem to have been treated well?"

"I am Misaki Sakai, Tachibana's junior." Misaki offers introductions to Gretch. She's still not bothering to summon her weapons, looks like there's no need. She follows quietly behind the group, and once they make it she heads towards the girl, keeping a proper distance and making a formal Japanese bow. "I am Misaki Sakai, your highness. I hope we're not interrupting anything important?"

    Valerian is eating his bar of ration and says, "Valerian Railton. I'm a trader in exotic goods." He says as he stands up again and trails after the group with a bit of a yawn. Not out of exhaustion, more out of a sort of general malaise that seems to surround him while he walks. 

    "I figured, you know, trading for a princess would look good on the resume." He explains while he lets the goblins take him down a side track. He casually asks Gretch as they go, "So who is supplying you? You're way too well trained to be a feral tribe, so I figure someone is giving you guys made goods. And teaching you how to use them." He holds out a business card to Gretch, "You got any mages, I can get them that good shit for spell components." 

    And then he looks around towards the girl by the firepit, "Oh good. You guys kept her safe. That makes these things go a lot easier when people know how to take prisoners correctly. Less vendettas that way."

    Vivian knows better than to raise a fuss, with Yumi's suspicion there. She doesn't really remember too much about the girl, but then she knows she's pissed off a lot of people. So for the most part she is hanging back, wondering if perhaps this was a waste of her time. She did it for one of those flights of compassion she feels, but this hardly seems to require her presence.

    The only thing that changes that is how the whole mess seems to be hashing out with the target being animated and pleasant, but... Vivian's jaw twitches. "Hmn..." Eyes narrow, and then she speaks suddenly, "She seems quite pleasant in her discussion, but has anything upset her recently?"

    This is definitely not the kind of interaction Shirou was expecting with goblins. Mark him down as 'pleasantly surprised', though. Even if the particular answer Gretch gives him leaves him... a little concerned? Just a little. "Uh... I'll take your word for it..."

    He can't help but feel a little nervous while they're being escorted by a whole hunting party of goblins too, at that. But theres someone who ostensible needs help, so that nervousness is duly pushed aside, and he even offers "I am Emiya Shirou," in return to the goblin's own introduction.

    And for what it's worth, he seems entirely, blissfully unaware of whatever concern Yumi may or may not have in the glances she's sent his way. The boy really doesn't know just far out of his element he is.

    And he's visibly impressed by the village they're brought to. All this definitely helps to dispel a lot of the preconceptions of goblins being just mobs to be farmed for xp and what have you. 

    But it's the prisoner he's curious about. Since Yumi is already stepping up to talk to her, he lets himself stand back and watch for now... but he does let slip, perhaps a bit louder than he should, "She seems, uh... angry."

    Captain obvious has arrived, evidently.

    For the record, Gretch takes Valerian's card. The man even gets a pretty firm handshake. "We got a couple of shamans you might wanna have a word with. We're all about the progress of the tribe, though, sooooo we manage. Lot of our stuff is self-taught but we have a few sources, yeah."
    The chest carrying goblins simply took a shorter, straighter path to the village, so Uni will find Bravette once again pretty fast.
    "I'd say 'It's a goblin thing', but it's a little more complex than that." Gretch begins to explain to Uni. "Oh yeah we totally trade, but sometimes we gotta remind the kingdom 'hey, we're goblins, gonna kidnap your princess now', capiche?" But then he frowns.
    "Upset her?" That's to Vivian, and this is what seems to make the goblin hunter a little evasive.
    "That's super complex, lady. And probably a question for the royal family."
    For those who approach the girl, Anna Primrose stands herself up, one hand flicking her long blonde hair over one shoulder before she dips in a formal curtsey.
    "Y... Yes. I have been treated well." She replies, formal and a little stiff. Before she shakes her head. "No, you were not interrupting anything, I'm ready to return to the castle now." Outardly she seems more dejected and upset, but Vivian will sure know the truth about that huh.
    Funny though... How it's at this moment that the forest goes stone silent. The musicians stop and the goblins all glance up.
    The birds have stopped singing.
    The bugs have stopped chirping.
    The forest wildlife has gone utterly quiet, and it puts the whole tribe on edge. The warriors and hunters start barking at each other in their coarse language and setting up defensive positions rather efficiently and with some measure of practiced decorum.
    Something is up. Something isn't right. Something is terrible wrong, and even the young princess looks like her hackles are up for a second, green eyes darting wildly in search of the source.
    "Something isn't right. Y'all should take the princess and go." Gretch says, knocking an arrow to his bow.
    "--I'm staying. Get me bow." This might come as a surprise from the girl herself.
    "Princess, remember what we discussed." 
    "Nnnghhh..."

    Yumi Tachibana's instincts are sharp enough that she notices the silence instantly.

    A half-second later, Prominence is in her hand, massive blade resting over one shoulder.

    She looks between the princess and Gretch, face pulling into a worried frown. "Princess, we'll get you out safely. Might still want that bow on hand, though. Gretch, what's coming, do you know? Will your village be alright? I'm willing to stay and fight if you need the extra blade."

    "Mmmn..." Valerian looks out towards the forest and tilts his head, "Well now." 

    The young man adjusts his footing a bit, "Maybe I'll make a little money today after all." He comments as he reaches up to his head and pulls down the goggles over his eyes. 

    He grins a bit and then tilts back his head and sniffs at the air, trying to take in the wind and determine what smells are on the air and what direction they might be coming from. "Hey Gretch. Does your tribe get ambushed often?" He asks curiously as he adjusts his footing a bit, boots digging into the dirt.

Misaki isn't quite as experienced as Yumi in these things, but she's already transformed and fast, so only half a second after Prominence comes out, Joyous and Marvelous are out and the girl is standing on top of the nearest thing she can find to a lamp post to get a better vantage point. "Your highness, please don't worry. We'll get you home safely." And just in case, she extends a magical offer to allow Anna to redirect some of her negative emotions to Misaki.

    Uni nods to Bravette as she gets the report. Though she retasks the Shinki to stay on overwatch, which gives the CPU Candidate the same 'chill up the spine' as the others. She turns, bringing her gun up ready and heads to the perimeter wall. "With all due respect I think it might be too late for us to go. Whatever is coming, we'll have to face it down then extract the Princess after." she says, cycling her weapon to automatic as its energy piping shifts through green, blue, yellow, red, white and black, before settling on blue. "Defensive positions, melee fighters, hang back until whatever comes gets close, let the ranged fighters have clear lines of fire until absolutely necessary."

    Vivian frowns, but doesn't say more. She hasn't even given her name, unlike many of the others. But when the discussion with the princess starts, she seems to lose interest... yet some might notice how she glances at Anna now and then.

    The silence and the sudden ominous feeling aren't missed though. If nothing else, Vivian notices the wash of apprehension from the tribe, the emotions hitting her like a blanket and putting her on edge, just as much.

    Rather than move, Vivian simply turns slowly, focusing her will and murmuring. She casts out with her senses, seeking to feel out any signs of magic in the surrounding area, touching the fabric of mana in the immediate area to feel for ripples.

    Shirou isn't as quick on the uptake as some others in the party for sure, but even he can't miss the overwhelming sound of... silence. "Hey..."

    And it's even harder to miss the goblins all getting ready for battle. The others he came with are visibly getting ready for combat, too - including transformations for some of them?! - and Shirou is left feeling *very* out of his element, even after everything he went through in the interrupted Holy Grail War before. It'd probably be perfectly reasonable to tell this very much civilian-looking boy to just stay back or even find a hiding place... but the redhead himself is quickly scanning the surroundings for... something. The goblins probably don't have any real weaponry to spare for outsiders, but...

    "Ah! Sorry--" He's suddenly running up to the blacksmith's tent he's spotted. Or more accurately? THe basket by the entrance. "I'll return this later, sorry!" Snatching a long metal pipe from within, he turns back to return to the group again. On the way, two words are muttered...

    "--Trace, on."

    He still feels inexperienced with this, but the flow of mana seems to come much more easily into the pipe now. The structure of the hollow length of metal reinforced, hardened, without any added weight. The young failed magus spins the length of metal around in his hand before grasping tighter at it near one end. It... sort of feels like a shinai, in terms of balance. This could work. There's a passing thought that makes him consider trying to find something he can Reinforce and fashion as an improvised shield, even if Saber's training from before did not actually involve any Sword and Board techniques...

    He finds himself wandering towards Anna, too. NO matter what, he's probably going to end up being on the latter lines of defense, being the less-experienced combatant here, so being close to the one they came here to 'recover' seems to be make the most sense. He considers the young princess for a good moment, and a few seconds after Misaki's offer of emotional redirection (not that he would know it took place), he offers to Anna, carefully, "Hey... It's going to be okay," as he steps just past her. "We won't let anything happen to you."

    If only he knew.

    "No. No can't say we get ambushed often." Gretch admits, still scanning for a source of the unease. "I ain't got a clue what could be comin' but it sure doesn't feel friendly if you catch my drift. I don't think we'll say no to a helpin' hand."
    Valerian and Vivian will be the first to catch wind of it-- literally in Valerian's case. There's a foulness in the air. A hideous scent that isn't usually found in the mortal planes as ripples in mana and reality begin to form. ... Opening portals.
    Right inside the encampment.
    No amount of preparation could have gotten the goblins ready for the sudden green mist that floats over the encampment. A noxious stench that poisons the blood and saps the strength of anyone that breathes it in, and many of the hunters are already beginning to collapse, retching and gagging. Those that don't are quick to start ushering the children, and the elderly towards a tent in the center of the encampment.
    "I'm not worried about myself." Anna says to Shirou and Misaki as... She takes Misaki's hand.
    It's not sadness or dejection or even fear that the senshi will find there though.
    It's like a small core of pure fire, an anger quietly hiding away deep deep deep within the girl, simmering like a red hot point of light in the secret place behind her heart. It probably will not feel pleasant, even if the girl visibly begins to calm already. For the time being anyway.
    But back onto the issue at hand. The portals that open inside and outide the camp reveal a land of fire and misery, and begin spitting out creatures-- green four-legged dretches, hellhounds, flying Vrocks that start to snatch up sickened and poisoned goblins into the sky...
    And from the largest portal of all emerges a massive hog-like beast on two legs, hooves stomping the ground as the Nalfeshnee lumbers into the center of the camp.
    The attack instantly breaks the goblins' collective resolve as large numbers of the hunters and warriors are mowed down in the first wave.

    Bravette pings an alert. <MASTER!> Shunting portal locations to Uni's eyepiece as is manifests. "Shit... Get the w---" but it's too late, most of the camp is down, and those that have managed to escape are trapped in the central tent... "... You... You COWARDS!" she snarls, turning her rifle on the flying Demons trying to make off with the downed Goblins, her bullets exploding into flowers of ice on impact. She continues the barrage, even as the mist threatens to overtake her, a bandana forming over her face as a makeshift mask in a flicker of blue-white as it emerges from her Inventory.

Misaki is picking up a lot of rage but she'd mentally prepared herself for fear by pumping herself up, and this combined makes her act a little bit out of character. Normally, her first instinct would be to help evacuate the goblins. Right now, though, there's anger, expressed not by words but a scream of incoherent rage.

She charges up her weapons as fast as she can and leaps towards the the Nalfeshnee, standing right in front of the demon and pumping as much magic as she can into a pair of close range shots, without thinking about how she's gonna deal if it survives.

    "Get back!" Valerian calls out, though the warning comes too late. The mist causes him to cough several times, a small trickle of blood flowing from inside of his nose and dropping him to one knee. It is more a testament to his physicality that, despite being in the thick of the fog, he has a nosebleed while others are retching and dying.

    "Well. This was a serious mistake..." Valerian says from his kneeling position, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small remote. He hits a red button on it and says, "... for you demons, that is." 

    Right after the button is pressed, Valerian immediately stands upright again. Behind his goggles, his eyes flash red and the loose fitting clothing he was wearing slowly seems to grow tighter, as if straining against his muscles all of a sudden filling out his clothing. He even looks about two inches taller than he just looked a moment ago. 

    "Well then..." Valerian says in a more excited voice, "Let's begin." 

    The bundle over his shoulder is raised up and then slammed down into the ground with enough force to indent the earth under his feet as he releases the rope around it. Instead, he seems to grab it by the top of the bundle and then... twist his hand. 

    Vrr...chk chk chk... VRrrrr... Chk chk... VRRRRRRRRRRRR! 

    All at once, the tarp and rope that was around the bundle is turned into some many scraps of cloth and fiber on the wind as its contents are revealed: Almost as tall as Valerian itself, wielded by the handle like a greatsword, stained with old blood digging up the ground as it spins. 

    Valerian has revealed the Juicer Chainsaw. 

    "YOU." 

    Valerian immediately dashes towards the Balor. And his movement is abrupt and insanely fast, barely visible to the trained eye as he darts at the massive hooved demon. The Juicer Chainsaw is swung by him as if it weighed little more than a stick one might pick up off the ground. 

    And Valerian swings it horizontally at the massive demon, trying to bisect it at the waist with a chainsaw that was purpose built to cut through anything.

    Vivian has time to narrow her eyes. "That direction." She gestures, turning toward it, but until the actual eruption of monstrous beings she doesn't have anything else to go on. Also she is very distracted, glancing at Anna and Misaki, simply because their emotions are so in conflict with everything else going on that it's like a flaring beacon. It's an oddity she notes but doesn't try to say or do anything about.

    And then clouds of poison gas roll in. This is worrying, because without any REASON to wipe out the goblins, Vivian is actually pretty protective of people. Admittedly, she's more concerned about the princess she was told to rescue than the goblins, but seeing people choke and die in front of her is something she finds unpleasant if she isn't the one causing their life to drain away.

    "Hmn." Fortunately, she is a wind mage, with such advanced mastery that she's known as one of the most accomplished. She gathers up power and stirs it, cuasing a draft to sweep in and upward, rolling under the cloudes to thrust them up into the air where they can disperse. She may not be able to get all of them, but disrupting so much might throw a wrench into the demon's strategies.

    Unfortunately, she's still a Blight Crow. Everyone near her will feel a strong sensation of twisting wrongness as if something was trying to yank their very soul out. Just a little tug, but that's not very pleasant even if it has no chance of succeeding. More immediately, the grass and foliage around her immediately blackens and rots, a circle about her turning to decaying mush.

>> SUMMARY[Vivian] >> Wind magic to blast some clouds away. It feels really awful because she destroys vegetation when she casts.

>> SUMMARY[Valerian Railton] >> Activates his Juicer Rig. Takes out his chainsaw. Attacks Balor

    When Shirou goes to pick up a pipe, Yumi's eyes track him for a surprisingly long time. It's hard to figure out just what she's thinking; but a look of approval is already starting to creep onto her face even before he uses magic to enhance it into a makeshift magical weapon. A smile appears on the senshi's face, just briefly. "Not bad. Better than some of the stuff I used to use." But it's only brief. Her face returns to 'all business', and she gives Gretch a nod.

    "Alright. I'm a solid frontline fighter. Big sword, close-range fire and light magic, I'm strong and tough. I make a good anchor for any melee engagement, and if you need to line up shots with your archers, I can move out quick." A quick rundown of her own tactics and best use, letting the goblins - and those who don't know her well - get an idea of how to work with (or around) her.

    But she's not sure what she'll do against a rolling wave of deadly green mist. "...EVERYONE GET BACK!" The magical girl hauls back her left fist, drawing up a pretty hefty amount of magic, and then slings it out, creating a bright and powerful explosion at her maximum range - only about twice as far as Prominence can reach, unfortunately. She's seeing if there's anything she can do to hold back the fumes; but Yumi herself knows it's futile. She's already stepping back herself.

    And then the attack comes. Sudden and furious, horrifying in its brutality. Yumi's been through a lot, but even she has to grimace. "This is a slaughter..." And what goblins DID survive the initial wave are all gathering in one place. It'll be a slaughter if they retreat.

    Yumi yells out over the fray, brief and simple, "Someone needs to get the princess out of here! I'm going to go do something really stupid!"

    And then the senshi of the sun takes off at full inhuman speed towards the tent. As she goes, Prominence begins to glow... and then so does Yumi. Heat starts to roll off her in waves. Even her eyes take on a gold-white luminance; by the time the redhead skids to a stop in front of the tent, firmly planting herself between it and the advancing demonic hoard, she is the very image of a knight imbued with the sun. Even the tug of Vivian's magic doesn't so much as register.

>> GAME >> Yumi Tachibana spends an Edge for: Fighting all-out to protect the tent.

>> SUMMARY[Misaki Sakai] >> We Ae Experiencing Temporary INCOHERENT RAGE. Please Stand By.

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> A knight bets everything to stand in defense. Taking a point of overcharge for all-out fighting.

    "Ah-- thank you?" Shirou offers back to the Senshi that is Yumi, even if he seems a bit dubious about the particular wording behind the praise.

    Everything else he is distracted from by two things. First: Anna's response to both him and Misaki. "Huh?" He ends up letting out in reaction to that, for that matter, and giving a long, confused look at Anna. "Look, I understand how you feel, but..."

    Ignoring for a moment that he does not, in fact, understand how Anna feels at all, the second thing to distract him comes along: All hell breaking loose.

    It's so much that it's almost hard to keep up with everything. But the horror of goblins falling dead from the poisonous mists sinks in all too deep. For Shirou finds himself staring in shock -- trying to process it all, trying to figure out *how* he should even react. WEre it not for Vivian blasting all of the poison away from the air, he probably would not have had the mind to try to cover his mouth and nose early enough to even attempt to stop himself from suffering the consequences.

    Between that, and the sheer sense of *wrong* in Vivian's magic, he feels just about ready to retch right there and then.

    But everyone's much quicker and much more prepared than him in setting off into a counter-attack. It's an impressive display from all -- and Yumi in particular, with her sun-like glow and charge of imperceptible speed that catches his stare. "...Like a Servant..." He finds himself muttering, but what Yumi said rings in his brain.

    "...Guess that's me. Okay--"

    A quick turn spins the redhead around, and his free hand shoots to grab Anna by the forearm, just firm enough to try and tug her along. "Come on, princess--!" He urges in a hurry, trying to lead her off to the other end of the camp that is... well, at least *less* saturated by horrible, his other hand gripping tight at the Reinforced pipe in case anything ends up wandering too close for comfort.

    It is, perhaps, for the best that Vivian came along on this outing; her mastery over the winds themselves causing the noxious clouds of gas and fumes to drift upwards and no longer plague the camp, even as her twisted magics sap the life of the very world around her; in the moment it is a very clutch move that saves the party from the misery of the dretch stench.
    Uni and Misaki return fire to the demons, Vrocks getting shot out of the sky by the Lastation goddess candidate left and right causning them to drop their green-skinned prey, while Misaki... Misaki goes for the Nalfeshnee in a fury; charging Joyous and Marvelous and unleashing torrents of her magic into the great beast, causing the hoofed monstrosity to snarl and backpedal before swiping at her with the force of a truck.
    Valerian has revealed the Juicer Chainsaw. And the Balor that steps from the nearest portal bellows its challenge at him, flaming sword in one hand blazing whip in the other.
    Sparks fly as that monstrous chainsaw- a weapon made to kill dragons impacts the blade and the Balor has to put all its strength into deflecting the blow that would have gutted it, growling with surprise and a little more respect as a line of red blood gashes across its stomach.
    Yumi... Yumi rushes into action, leaping to defend the tent with her stalwart and righteous furor. Demons assault her left and right- countless numbers of dretches, vrocks, and hellhounds rush the senshi and are simply unable to pass her regardless of how much they try to press her with their sheer numbers. They shall not pass.
    And in the chaos of it all... Shirou is trying to lead the princess away. She stumbles after him, led by the hand, emerald eyes watching wide and wild with horror at the sight of the goblin tribe being decimated, the warriors doing their best to rally only to be cut down and devoured.
    "No..." She says, barely audible over the insanity. "No no no no no no no... No... No!"
    Vrick is laying in a puddle of his own blood. He taught her how to track animals in the woods.
    Saxxa is getting eaten while she watches. He taught her how to howl like the wolves do at night. Gribla isn't moving. She taught Anna how to skin and cook meat after a hunt.
    Gretch lays dead amongst a pile of the hunters. He told her to contain her anger...
    "My... My tribe..." Anna whispers in horror.
    And then the horror breaks way to something else. Something small and hidden. Something that explodes with the force of a wildfire from confinement as the princess' green eyes turn a bloodshot and killer's red.
    "My tribe... My tribe... My tribe..." She repeats like a mantra as she begins to hyperventilate, stopping so firmly that Shirou might have difficulty pulling her any further.
    A woodcutter's axe lays discarded on the ground at her feet.
    It's about to fucking become a headsman's axe in a goddamn second.
    Wrenching her hand free from the youth's grip, she reaches down, numb fingers curling around the axe's haft in a white knuckle grasp.
    The explosion of raw fury that follows washes over the whole camp. And with a primordial cry of sadness, woe, and unfettered, unchained, raw, absolute, searing, rage, princess Anna Primrose of Rosalia wheels around and shoves herself into the thrust of the fighting, axe hacking away wildly, actually, cutting a bloody swathe through the hellhounds as she bull rushes through a horde of infernal minions, shrieking.
    "MY TRIBE...! I'LL KILL EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF YOU! I SWEAR IT!"

>> SUMMARY[Anna Primrose] >> They are rage. Brutal. Without mercy. But you... You will be worse. Rip and tear. Until it is done.

As the rage builds in Anna, so does Misaki's, until that connection snaps. Suddenly, the senshi is regaining her lucidity and at about the worst possible time. No longer acting on instinct and trying to figure out what's going on, she is unable to respond to the Nalfeshnee's swipe and is sent flying, bowling into the side of a building and only barely able to protect herself enough from the worst of it.

When she hits the ground, her transformation is already gone, and the school girl looks injured.

    Uni keeps firing, bursts of ice bolts ringing out in sonorous chorus... but it isn't enough. The Goblins are being torn apart, every time a group rallys, they're taken down by one of the larger demons...

    As if in sympathy from the sheer force of Anna's rage unleashing, Uni stands from her marksman's kneel, and holds out one hand. She takes a breath, an in an imperative tone, states a single word that resonates with immense power. "ACCESS." A burst of light surrounds her, piercing the clouds above for a moment, before shattering into motes and revealing a white-haired woman with green eyes, and power symbols instead of pupils. She's wearing a tight black bodysuit, with armour-like pieces and wings made from hard-light. "Processor Unit, Set Complete... Now, time to take out the trash!" her voice has shifted a little deeper, and her demeanor is much more disciplined, though it's clearly the same person. "Now I shall show you my Heart and Soul! Special Arms, Limit release!" She expands a wide 'magic circle' beneath her, a matching one appearing above the giant Nalfeshnee. A summon of her Railcannon brings it swinging up, to fire pulses of energy into the other circle, which then rains down Light-aspected fire on the hoofed demon. As each pulse hits, it forms a third symbol beneath the giant, which then explodes with a snap of Black Sister's fingers, creating a burning 'bubble' around the Nalfashnee. "Dolce Vida." She lifts into the air, and fires a golden beam cannon into that roiling ball of energy, causing it to implode with the monster inside it. Whether this actually kills it or not, the Goddess doesn't seem to care, only that it doesn't threaten any of those injured and able to be saved.

>> GAME >> Uni spends an Edge for: Transforming to Black Sister

    The huge blade of Prominence seems to fill the air around Yumi, trailing wisps of fire in the wake of every swing. Those seeking to exploit its size and dive in past her swings will find only a fist waiting, or a boot, or even simply a small blast of light and heat erupting from nowhere. There are stomps. There are smashes. The ground cracks in a few places. The sunlight senshi wields her magic freely, imbuing her sword, imbuing herself, unleashing bursts of it at anything within range.

    Her style is powerful, brutal, but controlled. Making full use of her exceptional strength, with the grace and precision of a veteran warrior. However much she may seek to avert bloodshed, she isn't, it turns out, averse to taking lives. And the air around her shimmers with heat from her magic.

    But it's Anna's cry of woe and fury that finally manages to stall her out. The magical girl stops entirely - much as her enemies most likely do. "...Anna..." Pained sympathy flits across Yumi's face, followed by mounting surprise. "...what... oh god." No time to dwell. She's fine. She's... more than fine.

    Yumi glances at the tent, at Misaki, and then at the demons. Then, she yells out. "EMIYA! Get Sakai over to me! I can't abandon the tent!"

    That's all she can afford to do. The rest of her energy and attention goes back to her full powerhouse defense of that tent.

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> Continuing full defense. A little shocked at Anna. Calling for Shirou to bring Misaki over.

>> SUMMARY[Uni] >> Transformation Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcTPTxCcthQ Dolce Vida music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNEh2Wv1t1Q

    "OI! GIRL!" Valerian calls as Anna hacks her way through the hellhounds, "That blade'll chip after a dozen kills or so! Here, Princess!" 

    Disregarding all safety protocols and basic common sense, Valerian just... chucks the chainsaw towards Anna. It lands a few yards away from her, digging into the ground as its blades and teeth kick up dirt and viscera from fallen enemies around her as it awaits her grasp. 

    "As for you." Valerian turns back towards the Balor and then sighs a bit, "That chainsaw? It was more for your protection than mine. I just can't let you break it with that sword. But I really don't care as long as someone cuts stuff up with it. She needs it more than I do for her revenge, anyway." 

    The Juicer then plants a hand on the back of his neck and rolls his head to the side, popping the joints loudly before he curls his hand into a fist. 

    "So big guy..." 

    Valerian raises up his hands into a boxing stance and throws out a combo of seven punches aimed at the torso of the massive demon. Each one rips through the air with a speed and a strength that is clearly supernatural. And the sound each one makes as it impacts against the demon sounds like a siege cannon going off. 

    And it hits about as hard as a siege weapon too. 

    To do this, though, Valerian makes no attempt to dodge any counter-attack the demon makes, leaving him wide open to whatever attack it throws his way as he throws seven punches that could, themselves, probably slay a dragon.

>> SUMMARY[Valerian Railton] >> Valerian tosses Anna his Juicer Chainsaw. Throws a 7 punch combo that does a casual 7d6x10 MDC.

    With the wind spell having done its job, Vivian is able to turn to the demonic infestation. And thus she gets to see the impressive sight of the chainsaw and giant blade tearing into them, and Uni's transformation. Useful things to know, but not her concern right now... it's simply good to know that these adventurers are far from helpless.

    She drops her illusion, returning to her normal jet black appearance with wings fanning out behind her. They flap, carrying her upward easily, launching herself up above Yumi. Shirou is taking care of Misaki? Well, that leaves something for her to do, doesn't it?

    Yumi now more directly feels the wrenching of that magic scrambling at her soul, and the grass around the tent dries up to crumble, brown and withered. Her powers are mostly offense related, but she does have some defenses...

    Namely, any demons that approach the tent now will not only have to go through Yumi, but possibly Vivian as well. The black-winged woman is duplicated a half dozen times over, fanned about to make it difficult to approach without encountering one of them. Perhaps one will be Vivian. Perhaps not. Then again, they're all flying and she has yet to unleash her ranged attacks.

    "--Ah?" Shirou has suddenly been anchored in place. By... Anna? He's not stupid enough to keep trying to pull, so he instead stops fully and turns to look back at her. There's sadness and sympathy in his eyes, first, but before he has a chance to offer any words to her...

    Something changes in her.

    "...Princess...?"

    Just like that, she's wrenched herself out of his grip so violently that for a split second his brain is under the impression that his whole arm has been dislocated.

    "Princess?!"

    The sight and sound of the tiny princess turning into a manifestation of all the fury of hell is much more of a shock to his system than the whiplash of his arm being shoved away, though. And here he thought for a second that his quota for witnessing Batshit Crazy Stuff was already filled for today.

    He only stares after her, mouth agape, for just a few seconds, though. Because the yell of his name brings his attention to Yumi-- and then to Misaki's form slumped down after taking a hit like that. Oh, no.

    "--Right!"

    He doesn't even need to be told more than that. He's already sprinting for her. "Sakai!" He calls out, just before he comes dropping down to one knee by her, free arm reaching down. "Can you-- can you stand?" Not that he isn't prepared to bodily carry her if he has to, but... can the others keep all the demons busy enough to keep any from blindsiding them now?

    It's a nightmare of chaos and hellfire, and in the middle of it all a single screaming voice rises above everything. Lost to her fury the princess becomes a small powerhouse of endless destruction as she wades through the demons.
    Misaki goes flying- and the sight of the girl that had given Anna some small measure of relief from all the simmering in her heart get injured only makes the princes angrier.
    The legions of hell are looking less like a legion now and getting run down, the mass trying to push past Yumi only getting cut down for the efforts, and when the black swan, Vivian, joins her, adding to the confusion amongst the demons causes them to start slacking on their attack, beginning to give up on it altogether after a moment and retreat for the portals.
    Valerian stands toe to toe with a Balor; the towering champions and kings of the Abyss- and he throws his weapon away. It's an act that, at first, earns a low rumbling chuckle from the beast. Before the punches come flying. Though it swings that blazing sword and cracks its whip at the Juicer, the Juicer's sheer strength is enough to audibly crush and pulverize the demon's bones, causing the giant Balor to collapse as seven blows cave its ribcage in completely, a horde of lesser demons rushing forward to retrieve their champion and drag it back through a portal as well.
    And that just leaves the Nalfeshnee...
    Uni's bombardment is sheerly staggering as she bathes the great demon in holy rays of endless pain, when it comes to an end... The beast is wobbling, dizzy where it stands and collapses to a knee...
    ... As Anna picks up Valerian's chainsaw.
    There's murder in her blazing, bloodshot eyes as she rushes the Nalfeshnee. A girl her size should not be able to lift a Juicer Chainsaw, let alone carry it anywhere. But she does-- and she raises it overhead, bringing it down in a screaming arc onto the center of the demon's head and chest.
    The result is a complete mess as the last of the goblin warriors look on, shocked, a whisper resounding amongst themselves...
    "... B-Barbarian rage..."
    The camp goes quiet... The demons slink into the portals from whence they came, and the chaos dies, leaving a red mess everywhere with it; the barbarian princess' eyes returning to their emerald color once again as that ceaseless fury retreats back to the secret place behind her heart, leaving her to collapse, trembling to her knees and soaked from head to toe in blood, tears streaming down her cheeks.

    Black Sister hovers in the air for a few moments longer... "They are rage. Brutal. Without mercy. But you..." she shakes her head, dropping back to ground level and dismissing her Goddess form just before landing, her boots thudding softly on the ground. She then dismisses her weapons, and goes to check on the prone forms of the goblins nearby, summoning bottles with a stylized N on the labels, offering them to any that still draw breath. The medicine may only help ease their suffering, but anything is better than nothing.

Misaki's eyes are open, and she smiles at Shirou. "I don't know, let's try." She sounds weak, and reaches out for the boy's help to get up. If he helps her and supports her, she can kind of limp... but it might be faster to just carry her. She watches the violence conclude, and her gaze falls back onto the princess. "Please take me to the princess." She asks, Shirou, and again offers to take on part of Anna's burden.

    "Damn. They dragged him off." Valerian says as he wipes some blood from his hands on his apron, "I bet he had some valuable organs." 

    Where the whip and the flaming sword struck him, there's shallow wounds across his abdomen where his clothing does not cover, and the clothing itself, particularly the reinforced section, looks scorched and damaged. But clearly it is not natural and functions as an armor. 

    He touches the cut on his shoulder and frowns a bit before looking around. He lifts the bloodied goggles up off his face and looks around, taking in a deep breath as he smells the blood on the air, "Well this went to shitsville on a paddleboat." He remarks, slowly wading his way through the viscerce on the ground towards the collapsed princess. 

    He doesn't move to touch her, or pick her up, but he does plop down next to her sitting cross-legged again, "First time, huh?" He asks her looking sideways, "Different from my version, but close enough." He reaches into a pouch on his apron and pulls out another silver-wrapped bar. 

    He rips it open and holds it out towards her, "This thing has about 1500 kCal. You're gonna wanna puke, but try to eat it all and keep it down. Otherwise you're gonna stunt your growth and cause malnourishment issues." It contains what looks to be a dense block of protein, carbs, and sugars. It smells like artificial strawberry.

>> SUMMARY[Valerian Railton] >> Plops down next to Anna and offers her a ration bar. And some advice.

    Though Yumi's blade never falters, there is a moment where she feels that twist of Vivian's magic keenly enough to actually glance in the woman's direction, seeing her true and more familiar form this time. Only when there is the briefest of pauses does the sunlight senshi speak, and then only briefly. "Thought you sounded familiar. Long time no see."

    No time for more than that. No time for anything but defense, until Anna at last unleashes bloodsoaked vengeance on the Nalfeshnee, and the rest of the forces are effectively routed. Then, she finally relaxes, and turns to look towards the blood-spattered princess; face falling into a grimace of worry, not knowing what to say. So instead, she turns to look in Shirou and Misaki's direction, and after a moment or so, leaves the scorched site of her defense to go and help support her fellow senshi. "Hey, you alright, Misaki?"

    And there is the retreat. Vivian's clones vanish, the illusory doubles fading away before she really has need to tear into the demons. This was a strong group, and the surprise rage from Anna no doubt startled the demonic invaders. She's frowning for some reason though.

    The Swan alights next to Yumi, despite the magical girl recognizing her for the Keeper she is. That's because Yumi also knows how strong she is. "She picked up a piece of the princesses rage. I didn't attempt to calm it because focusing my empath abilities on a single person is difficult." She looks at the princess, then the slaughtered goblins.

    "Creatures like this do not simply attack though. This was not the doing of the Keepers, it was likely a personal matter."

    "Okay, here..." Shirou offers quickly to Misaki, with one arm reaching to wrap around the girl for support. He does just support her on her feet, at first, to help her limp along... but with the demons on retreat, and with just a bloodied camp left behind...

    Well. There's plenty of horrified staring to give, too, but besides that...

    "Hold on, let me..."

    And without more said than that, he drops the pipe in his hand to the ground, and suddenly uses both arms to scoop Misaki up into a princess carry, without any consideration for how embarrassing such a thing may or may not be for those involved. In his defense, it's much easier and quicker to move her around like this!

    "...Are you sure?" He asks of Misaki once she's given a direction, though. "Tachibana wanted--" But speaking of Yumi, since the other Senshi is coming over, the decision on how to adhere to Misaki's request is quickly made in his head.

    "Come with?" He urges of Yumi, thus, as he pivots on his feet to carry Misaki towards Anna, so that she might give the berserker-princess, in turn, her aid.

    Quick, ragged, breaths and a numb nod of her head is Anna's initial response to Valerian. 
    "Gretch... Said I was angry... I... I didn't... I didn't think..." She had no clue it would all come out like that as trembling fingers accept the ration. Without thinking, she tears into it, several big hungry bites and swallows before she remembers.
    She's a princess.
    Making a bit of a face she slows down and takes more dignified bites- but in the end this helps when she starts to retch, to keep it down.
    Shirou brings Misaki over, and Misaki, ever in her kindness offers to share in the fires of Anna's fury once again and... The princess shakes her head.
    "I don't... Think you should. You're hurt. And." And she doesn't know if she can hold any of it back that it doesn't overwhelm the senshi.
    The remaining goblins are in no condition to say no to Uni's aid, and, thankfully due to Yumi and Vivian's combined efforts, the quiet of the camp causes a few of the goblins in the tent to poke their heads out furtively. Saved.
    "I'll find them..." Anna whispers, overhearing Vivian. "I'll find all of them, and I'm going to kill them. I swear it... And then. I'm going to find out why. And when I do... I'll kill whoever sent them."
    hat's not threat. That's a promise.

Misaki smiles at Yumi, "No, but I'll be fine. Want to make sure the princess will be." The younger senshi listens to Anna's response, "If you say so, your highness." She takes a look around her, "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I get the feeling that this was an assassination attempt, your highness. I think they were gonna argue that these fool adventurers started something, that the goblins in their desperation summoned demons, and that you were unfortunately caught in the crossfire."

    "Like I said, it's not identical, but it's close enough that I've known a few people like you." Valerian says as he pats her on the back a couple times, "There you go. If you feel it start to come up, tilt your head up and take a deep breath." 

    He pushes against the ground and stands up before picking up his chainsaw and then shaking it a couple times. He gives it a couple good swipes in the air (facing away from everyon) to clean the chunks out of it in a spraying arc of blood and then hoists it up and rests it across his shoulders after turning it off. 

    "I don't disagree with her," He points a thumb towards Misaki, "Not completely, anyway. This reeks of an ambush that was set up to wipe out this tribe. Whether it was to kill you or what, hard to say, but..." He wobbles a hand a bit, "Right now you should consider that anywhere you go has a chance of demons appearing. Until you know otherwise." 

    "You should definitely kill them all, though. Kill your way up the chain until you get to the mastermind. That's the only way to guarantee it stops." Valerian says, fully endorsing the murder quest of a 14-year-old.

    Uni helps triage the goblins... most of them won't make it, and that leaves the Goddess Candidate feeling hollow. She helps move those who didn't survive to a more dignified position, so they can be accounted for and given the proper rites before, whatever Goblins do with their dead. "Princess... you have my word as the CPU Candidate of Lastation, that if you ever call, I will be there to help you." The young looking black-haired girl has a conviction in her voice that's well beyond her apparent years.