Zompania Draft - Draftees and Reinforcements, mid-day 4-early 7

[lucetimods]

Who: Draftees and Volunteers
What: The draftees and the reinforcements must hold against the Third Party army until rescue arrives
When: From May 23 through the wee hours of May 26 (days 4-7)
Where: Zompania
Summary: Draftee information and Volunteer information
Rating: Varies on thread, please mark explicit material.

This post is for the rest of the draft, beginning when the volunteer reinforcements arrive. Look up in the sky--your friends are parajumping in! Be sure to use the above info post for any plotting needs you might have. Enjoy!

Be sure to tag this post appropriately: [canon] character name

Comments

[aerialassault]

Tch. I feel like hell.

[Snorting in wry amusement at the pointed commentary, Cliff followed her and, after eyeing the diamond dubiously for a second, flopped down inside and made himself comfortable on the roof.]

Nifty trick...what kinda magic is this?

[He was digging through his pack as he spoke, pulling out some of water and packages of non-perishable foods that he had thrown together before he left for the teleporters almost a week earlier. They had a few moments-- perfect to rest up and share a brief meal.]

[faithfulflame]

[Mars finishes the work and takes a seat next to him, going through her own pack for various things, including a sandwich that she offers to him.]

The Charter. Something a friend taught me here.

[She pulls back her bangs to reveal the Charter Mark she generally kept hidden, a faint disc of silver.]

It's channeled from this, into me. I don't know how to explain it though. But if you don't cross the Diamond, it's invulnerable.

[aerialassault]

[Cliff offered up a small bag of dried fruit in exchange, because fair as only fair and that sandwich looked good after all of that fighting.]

Wow, does 'invulnerable' mean it's for everything? Because that'd be handy in this mess. We're having a hard time finding defensible places for everyone to have a breather if they need it.

[faithfulflame]

[She'll pluck out a few apricots, a taste she's acquired from sharing with Fenimore...]

It is, but any bigger than this and I can't maintain it for more than a few minutes. This will last an hour, in theory. It's not a good way to fortify a building, but for a brief rest like this? It's fine.

[aerialassault]

[He took a grateful bite of the sandwich while she spoke, and it tasted like a piece of paradise to him.]

Ah, I get it. Sounds like it's pretty basic physics. But, an hour's way more than any of us have gotten lately...

[He smiled.]

Thanks. You're something else.

[faithfulflame]

[She leans against his broad arm, laughing slightly.]

I figured as much. That's why I went looking for my friends first. I came to help, however I can. And I'm a little too fragile to go charging into the front lines. I'm not a big lunk like you, and I don't have a sword like Souji-san. And without the rest of my team, I've got to find my own way.

[aerialassault]

[Cliff chuckled. He understood that feeling.]

You're doing a good job of it too! I gotta say, I normally don't work alone either. I don't have a team...but, it's better to work with someone at your back.

...Wanna work together some after we're done here?

[faithfulflame]

[Nodding, she took a bite from her apricots.]

Oh, of course. It worked on TERRACE, and even though this is a little bit...more grim...it can work again.

[She looks away, out over the darkening sky.]

I've never seen so many bodies...

[aerialassault]

[He hummed throughtfully at her words, brows furrowing as he, too, looked out over the city.]

The only time I've seen anything close to this was on a protected planet back home. Its tech-level was centuries' away from any possibility of First Contact-- think 'Medieval Europe' and you'll have a good idea of what it was like.

Fayt and I kinda crash landed there, and we got caught up in a nasty war between two kingdoms. And, lemme tell ya, that wasn't a pretty battlefield either.

...Though, it's the way that the dead are bein' treated here that gets me. There's no respect.

[And, if his hunch was correct, the dead were the ones who had howled through the entire night during the days leading up to the bomb. He didn't even want to imagine how they must have died.]

[faithfulflame]

[Mars shivered as she listened. What must have happened here, that's shaken him so badly? How cruel was the enemy, truly, to cause the deaths of so many people? It was a little difficult to wrap her head around, even knowing what their end-goal was.]

No, there isn't. They deserve a pyre, at least. But...there's no time. And it would only attract the enemy.

[Wrinkling her nose, she looked to the sky.]

Our enemies back home...they weren't nearly this vile.

[aerialassault]

[A better question was one of how insane the enemy truly was. Cliff still shuddered at the thought of the darkness and the thing that lurked within it-- but, later.]

Only a truly twisted soul could do something like this, [Cliff muttered, idly trying to wipe some of the dirt from his face. He took another bite of the sandwich, but it tasted like dust and loss.]

The enemy's already here-- if anything, it'd smoke 'em out so we can get a better shot, but it's risky. Might be too much to bother with anymore.

[faithfulflame]

We don't want to give away our position.

[She's the one that's adamant about striking from the shadows where she can. There's no reason to play fair. And no reason to risk danger to herself or her friends.]

Hit and fade is best. We'll lose if we get caught in open conflict. And I don't...want to think about how many of those monsters would turn up if we started trying to do what's right.

[aerialassault]

[He saw her point; indeed, it was an excellent strategy for some people, and one that would be ideal in most circumstances....]

I've gotta small problem with that one. Ya see, I'm kinda too conspicuous for hit and fade job. There's no way for a guy like me to just disappear.

[faithfulflame]

I disagree. You're perfect.

[She lets out a little laugh.]

Night is coming, and I can cloak you in shadows.

[aerialassault]

You mean you're gonna use more of your magic?

[Because, this? It was something he could get behind!]

[faithfulflame]

I am. Twila's magic.

[She's been experimenting.]

[aerialassault]

Twila?

[He remembered that incident and all of the craziness surrpounding it. Suddenly uncomfortable, he tossed his head.]

Be careful with that-- it could come back and bite ya.

[faithfulflame]

Twila, the spirit of shadows.

[Mars gives Cliff a curious glance.]

First of all, Cliff-san, shadows are not inherently evil. Second, I'm just using her to make them more dense, nothing difficult. Nothing to look so surprised about.

[aerialassault]

I know, it's just...

Gah. Twila rubbed me the wrong way at that time. Not so sure I'd trust her if I did bother with the Filial magic.

[faithfulflame]

She's done no real harm, you know.

[Mars smiles softly.]

Darkness is misunderstood, but it's importance as much a part of my beliefs as light. Everything has a counterbalance, after all.

[aerialassault]

[He smiled back, conceding defeat.]

Yeah, yeah. Alright-- I'll work with ya, but only because it's you and not anyone else. If anyone can handle herself if there's a problem, I know you can.

[faithfulflame]

[She nods and stands up, collecting her pack.]

Then let's go find something to fight, hmm?