The rise of the Flame's Reach (Plot)

Gilles was outside of the shack as she met with the other members of her new found group. This is the first time they have all gathered since Gilles first initiated them into the group. The group have grown too big for just the shack so they were all staying in various places around the city. Now they have gathered because it was time for them to initiate the plan Gilles was forming inside of her head. She was standing on a pile of 7 barrels. "Welcome my apostles. Today we are going to attack the guards of this city where they live! Dusk here used to be a guard captain of this city and has the knowledge of the guard headquarters. We will use that knowledge to invade them, kill some of them and try to convert as many as we can to our cause." The group seemed to be quite eager about this idea, some to spread their god's will and reach and some for their own nefarious reasons. "Dusk will lead me into the barracks acting as a victim of mine and having caught me. While 3 of you will start fires with 3 of these barrels full of oil. And the other 4 will use the other 4 barrels to light the whole guard headquarters on fire along with the surrounding area. This should create a nice distraction for us. Husk you will lead the group of 3 and Dawn will lead the group of 4. Do not attack the guards and run once the fires are started."  They all nod and Dawn speaks "This is wonderful priestess! We shall spread the reach of the flame to those warriors." She Smiles and dismisses the group having them take the 7 barrels with them.

A short time later Gilles had her hands tied together and was being escorted by Dusk who had his mask off revealing his scarred face. Gilles looked a bit roughen up. Dusk was walking on a crutch since his one leg was gone now and would shout at the guard headquarters hoping to be heard. "Help! it is me guard Captain Ling. I need help! I have caught the Pale Lady who has been causing those fires but I am severely wounded." He would shout trying to sound as convincing as possible. They needed inside in order of this plan to work or they would be against the whole guard.

Barrels of oil x7:

NPCs:

The guards with icy silks bands would be surprised to see one of their companions once again. They'd heard rumors of what this mysterious pale lady had done. Now they had a face to the name, and they had a better example of her handy work. His missing leg and burned body painting the battle clearly for many of the guards who wandered the fortress. As he stumbled on his crutch on his fellow Kou men would walk up hoping to assist. Specifically a young, naive guard.

"Captain Ling! We thought you were missing! I'll go quickly fetch Colonel Lao." The young man would quickly go rush off to fetch the man who commanded these fortifications. He may have been Dusk now but Ling would know the type of trouble that was coming their way. Lao was a powerful warrior trained in the art of magoi manipulation, and soon he'd be in their sight. They would be lead right inside by the men as the injured captain tightly kept his "prisoner" secure.


As the flames would set themselves the Colonel would approach in a hurry, speeding his way to injured captain, but worry growing on his face as he got closer. He surprised to hear that the Pale Lady had been captured. They brought her into their camp. but the question was why as he approached closer. His examining eyes breaking down both of their body language and appearances, Ling was alive yes but severely injured, and this "Pale Lady" seemed unharmed.

He'd stop, placing his arm in front of the troop who fetched him. Only 10m across from this vicious criminal he'd speak up, as his men stood to watch with their weapons armed. "It's nice to see you Captain, especially considering those injuries. I can tell you captured her by the fact you seem to have things under control." He'd take a breath before giving the man a stabbing gaze. "But could you answer why she seems to be relatively unharmed, and what's keeping her from going loose at this very moment?"

The tension seemed to thicken the air is if the humidity had doubled. He was almost dumbfounded none his men tried to question further, or at least bar them at the gate. His suspicions were high, there was no way things were quite as they seemed. This worry would only conflagrate as behind him, parts of the encampment would start to light ablaze with a show of flame. Lao Bo would just stare, his sharp eyes quickly darting over to those who stood in his camp.

"Well I think you may have a few more questions to answer." His suave voice would grate. His blade was now drawn, pointing his Dao at the two with a protective passion. This city was part of his responsibility.

Guards:

Guard master:

Gilles would stay quiet as she plays the role as a prisoner. They had entered the base fairly east but now had come face to face with a guardmaster and based on Dusk's behavior this man was dangerous. She had wanted to separate this Lao from the other guards and wait till the fires fully took but now it was clearly the time to take action.

Dusk would pull his sword and cuts the ropes while Gilles cuts her two middle fingers and uses finger bullets to shoot 1 finger each at 2 different guards while dusk runs behind her two the nearest guards and would use spin to win using his sword and crutch to attack the guards. Hopefully this would catch the minor guards by surprise.

Stamina 140/170

Abilities:

Dusk Ability:

Their movements were quick, the body manipulator even surprising the captain with her movements. Blood blades would knock out two of his men. As they feel the handicapped man managed to move close to catch some guards while they weren't focusing. Because of the time in which they moved he'd manage to hit one of them upon spinning knocking down one guard, but his buddy was more prepared. A Dragonfly Parry would come forth, the swing of the blade colliding with the crutch, spinning the man around. He'd tried to follow up using Surefire Slash aiming at his midriff.

"I hope you enjoyed your moment, that was your first and last chance to end things!" the guard captain would shout. Lao would leap, gracefully flying into the air heading towards Gilles to try and land a Lake Descent strike on him. While this would happen, the remaining 6 guards would form a circle around the attackers. Their full focus was on them, Gilles subjects had the chance to make a move as most of the guards were busy and the entire front guard was with Lao.

Spoiler:

Guards:

Guard master:

This was not looking entirely good for Gilles and her companion Dusk. She still wasnt too happy about facing such large numbers. However they would just have to wait till the fires start which should cause a distraction for the cities protectors. Dusk would use rolling out as he leans backwards and jumps backwards performing a roll and ends landing on his feet. The former captain was still recovering from his wounds so he was still not at his full strength. Gilles would see the leader of the group leap at her with skilled movements. She would use Hair Armory:Pinball to create springs made of hair around her legs, springing forward ramming her head into one of the nearby guards possibly.

From outside the barracks they four men lead by Dawn were in the middle of pouring the oil all over the building from four sides. Once done they would light the oil in order to set the building on fire before leaving like they were ordered to. Also in three different parts of the city Husk and his team would also set the oil they diapered onto buildings on fire. They had chose the building that would make it easiest to create a large flame from in order for maximum chaos. They too would leave afterwards hoping that their leader and the First Flame would make it out.

Stam 130/170

Abilities

Spoiler:

Shou abilities

Spoiler:

"Pale lady?" The one eyed man rested his chin on the back of his hand as he looked towards his assistant. Chun Ming nodded as he gave his daily report to the black haired man, knowing that Tenma would be interested to know more about this mysterious lady. "Yes, General. It seemed Captain Ling managed to capture this lady although it was strange as he was the only one injured. The lady seemed unharmed."

Tenma would smirk as he heard that information before he leaned his back on the chair and crossed his arms together. Well, the general didn't know that woman's intention at all, but the fact that she was captured after inflicting wounds to Ling but stayed unharmed was amusing. Perhaps that lady wanted something else... easier way to do what she wanted by willingly letting herself be captured. Well, General Dong Zhu might scold him later... but the swordsman was really curious about this matter and he wanted to actually see this pale lady.

"Also, there's fire occurring the moment after she was captured. I am not sure, but do you think it is just a coincidence?"

Upon hearing that, Tenma would stand up from his seat before taking his blazer which he hanged on the back of his seat. "Well, I will find out. This is the best time to go and visit Lao as well, I want to see how he handle this matter." He said with a bright smile as he wore the blazer and hanged his Katana on his waist, heading towards Colonel Lao's station despite of Chun Ming troubled expression. The assistant touched the back of his stiff neck, feeling the stress because Tenma was so carefree about things like this, but he would let out a sigh, knowing that no matter what he said, the general would still insist to go.

-

Items:

Six guards would be left standing as one would be sent flying with a headbutt. Tsk Lao would feel a slight pang of disappointment as his strike barely missed its' mark. With a furious gaze, his neck turned, facing towards the flame obsessed Sasanid. Their coordination was managing to provide some trouble for his team. How could she turn one of his own men so far?

"My own hubris has humiliated and hurt my men, men, line up we must finish them as quickly as possible!" His spoke like a surging torrent, his will the water smashing against the rocks. Pointing his blade at the pale lady he would say "Men, surround her, show her the strength of our camaraderie!"

They were moths to a flame, the 6 standing guards surrounding and her ally, pressuring her and dusk close to one another. They would line up, each of them preparing a dancing blade to close the gap and injure them, 3 would go for Dusk, 3 for Gilles. As the guards would close in Lao would use rolling winds to move 15 m around the circle to stand behind the group. His blade held firmly in his grasp he waited.

Their strikes wouldn't kill the invaders, but it would allow him to have an opening strike. With how jumpy they both were he kept his eyes up, waiting for one of them to potentially leap out. The Colonel was going to strike the moment his prey lept from its dangerous waters, right into his maw. He was a peaceful man, but when the time to defend his men, or city came down to it he was ruthless. The heron waited, his blade ready for The Starving Heron.

Dm notes: 6 remaining Guards have surrounded you, using dancing blade so three c-tier coming towards each character. If anyone leaps out Lao will use The Starving Heron to try and strike them down.

Lao moves used:

Guard abilities:

Guards:

Guard master:

After the Flames Reach started the fires, the lames would quickly build and spread. The 3 fires that were set around the city would begin the spread from building to building creating a ring around the guard barracks. While the 4 barrels that were dispersed over the guard building would spread just as quickly as the majority of the exterior would be engulfed in flames. The flames would slowly start to make their way into the interior of the building itself which would make itself much more noticeable to those that are inside. It would only be a matter of time till everything in the building was engulfed in flames.

Gilles would look around and see that they were quickly being surrounded by the remainder of the guards with the colonel watching, waiting to strike. They would need to try to create some kind of opening to give themselves some breathing room. Gilles would form her hair blade by creating a sword of hair around her arm. Dusk would use the strength in his single leg to jump above the guards towards Lao swinging his sword. Gilles would jump behind him and if Lao attack Dusk she would pierce her blade of hair through Dusk and towards Lao hoping to stab him. If lao doesnt attack she would stick behind Dusk and land outside the ring.

Stamina 120/170

abilities:

“Hmm…” Tenma who had just arrived in the city alongside some of his men would be able to see that the fire had already started. “I would need your assistance to split up into three teams, scatter around the city, find the places that are being burnt and try to stop the fire before it spreads more.” He would say to the 6 men who was coming with him, but before letting them go, he would give a light pat on one of his man’s shoulders, “But remember, I need all of you to come back alive. You all know what to do.” All the men would bow slightly before answering Tenma, they would begin to split up into a team of 2 to locate the fire within the city.

Now that Tenma was alone, he would use his exceptional speed, heading towards the city guards headquarters only to find out it was surrounded by a ring of fire. He could have found the way to enter, but perhaps he could try something that would make his life easier a little bit. Essence of the Dawn would definitely help him a little bit to tame the fire, he would activate the gift of diana and let the icy mirror that would spread to 15 meters in diameter to tame the ring of fire. As an addition, the swordsman would choose for the icy mirror to show the location of the fire occurring around the city. He would only glance on the image, memorizing it, before he stepped on the icy mirror to enter the building.

The scene in front of him was amusing, he wasn't able to hold himself and ended up chuckling the moment Gilles attempted to stab Lao. He saw the pale lady fighting Commander Lao and his men, but what was this…. “Captain Ling. Ahh… so that’s why…” He would call Dusk with his Kou name before unsheathing his Katana, amused to see that the man turned out to be the traitor that was letting this platinum furred rat inside.

Taking out his nunchaku, Tenma would feed his magoi and activate the sweeping flare, aiming the stream of flame towards Dusk. It was not the time to target Gilles for now, he would let Lao to deal with her at the moment while he played with Dusk.

Magoi: 240/260
Stamina: 390/390

Notes: Tenma attacked Dusk with sweeping flare, his 6 men split into a team of 2 to go around the city to stop the fire.

Skills:

Their battle took to the sky as Dusk would leap to intercept, The angle of his blow would manage to miss a vital spot as he aimed for the Pale woman. Hoping to take her out his blade would drive into Dusks good leg, dealing A-tier damage through the bone. As they fell the ground he would become aware of Gilles' true intention, as her spike of hair would poke through his flesh. The wound was minor yet it would provide him further irritation. "Gahh! Damn you woman!" he would shout as they fell to the ground. She smugly stood on the ground, yet her compatriot and Lao's men would see reinforcements, and flames fly their way!

Lao's guard would bring the ring to retreat, leading the weakened man open for attack. Fires raged upon them, while Tenma's men would be quick they would soon see how the roaring flame was beginning to spread to other buildings. Oil had spread seeping into the nearby town, the fort may have been a lesser one, but for a random fire it was the perfect location.

While the blazes licked further into the sky he drew his blade once more, standing to face the pale woman. With his blade aimed he would hold no further words. He was sick of these games, of how she made a fool of him. It tarnished his honor as a warrior, it disrespected his title as a colonel. With a firm step he would perform Starving Heron once again. It was a powerful move, yet Gilles had seen it now. It was predictable even in it's grace, she had the chance. The sasanid had the moment to to user her knowledge or she could cower in the face of his attack.

Dm Notes: Dusk putting himself in the way means he'd take damage, with A-tier damage to his good leg out of commission for abilities but you can still try to save him or try to use basic actions to have him save himself. But he is severely injured. Starving Heron coming your way, Tenma's men are able to locate the fire but with Gilles plot and location choice, its conflagrated to a large size.

Move Used:

Guards:

Guard master:

The flames would continue to spread if nothing was done to slow or stop its movements. Dusk would groan in pain as he felt the blade go through bone. But before he could hit the ground a spew of flames would hit dusk. He would let out a howl of pain as he falls squirming and rolling on the ground till he would come to a complete stop, no longer moving.

Gilles would land near her comrade's lifeless body seeing that he had just died. She would laugh as she was happy for her first flame to have died by the flame, it was his time to become one with the great flame. She would grin as she admired her first flame. She would pick up his sword with her left hand and look as the flames would creep closer. She would bring some of her hair close to the flames causing it to quickly catch on fire. She would than wait till Lao was with in 3 meters before using her Finger Bullets, building pressure in her fingers before cutting 3 of them off her right hand leaving just the thumb. The three fingers would shoot out towards Lao aiming for his torso. While she is doing this she will also use Flaming Sword forming her fiery hair into a blade and launching it at this legs. After this move her hair would fall off as it completely burns away.

Finger bullets squared to A tier

Dusk has died due to the stab and the fire.

Stamina 60/120

Abilities:

Seeing how his attack went through and actually resulted in deadly damage towards the traitor, Tenma would shift his gaze towards the woman. The expression she was wearing at the moment was interesting, that psychotic gaze, that smile that was full of admiration as she stared at her lifeless companion. He was wondering about that though, it was as if he was watching a junkie, as if she was using a drug to look like she was high, like she was in her own euphoria.

At this point, it would be better to let Lao handle the woman for now. Tenma obviously needed to handle the flame, it got worse and it would be really bad if he didnt do something to stop or at least put off the fire. The one eyed man was a little bit worried though, why did the city guards don't do anything to put off the fire...his men alone wouldn't be enough to handle it by themselves... He would call some guards who were probably waiting for Lao’s order, who was too busy to deal with the woman. “Guards, I will need some of you to try to put off the fire here. Then some of you, scatter around, spread the words, go get as many magicians as you can, especially ones specialized in water magic to help put off the fire. The rest of you, go help to put off the fire scattered in the city, ask some townspeople to help as well. Report to me about anything as well, remember, if we fail to stop the fire, this city will be burnt to ashes.” The swordsman would see as they begin to do his command, but he would call one of the guards on the very back, “Can you do me a favor? Take the fastest messenger bird that you have and send a message to the imperial palace, inform them about this and ask them for some backup, especially magicians specialized in water magic. Thank you.”

The swordsman would be focusing on the woman and her fight with Lao again, observing for now. He would jump in the fight and teaming up with Lao just in case he was in a pinch, but they couldn't afford to drag this fight longer… Saving the city would be the top priority and Tenma was sure that this woman had several subordinates who started the fire in the city… so they need to be stopped as well. “Lao, I know you can subdue her. But if I think you need help, I will jump in, just telling you now. We don't have much time to play...” The swordsman would stare at Lao, there was no smile on his face, implying the seriousness within his words.

As the weight of his body would fall upon Gilles he would have moved too quickly, and without her dodging, she was sure to get struck. However, it also meant he was incapable of blocking, and her fingers would pierce his chest. The individual damage puncturing his lungs, and managing to throw him off. His strike would hit, but rather than skewering the pale women his dao would find itself resting in her shoulder. As the dark, pooling liquid would drip against the blade it's sanguine hues would mix in with the stone and dirt beneath their feet. As a blade of fire would swing to slice his leg, he was severely injured but he was not dead.

With three fingers deep in his chest, on one leg with a near dying breath he would turn to towards Tenma. A splutter would follow as he'd say "I don't, don't blegh!"I don't think I can keep up.." His words lingered as he would fall, Gilles could finish him if she wished but he was already out of commission, resting at her feet. He only had a few moments left to live, as the fires above licked the sky and spread throughout the city. As smoke turned day into night, as the skies would redden like the life force which pooled at their feet.

Action was needed, by either party, as crossroads had been presented to them. Frantically would Tenma's men run, doing their best, gathering awareness and raising action. As the people moved the flames continued to grow, they would be able to save their city, but it was the perfect way to burn. They could rebuild, they could stop the flame, but they would never be able to reclaim the lives which began to burn. As her offerings would be taken from the world grief, strife, and curses of faith were born as there were those incapable of escaping the Flame's Reach.

DM notes: Lao took A-tier damage, but three bullets mean only B-tier and one c-tier to the chest, I believe he'd survive but he will die quickly. He had no real way to defend, and it was a risk which caused you to Take A-tier damage to the shoulder, your left arm is no longer properly functioning.

Gilles would shout out in pain as the sword goes through her shoulders. She would roll on the ground howling in pain for a few seconds before slowly getting back up. She would grin as she sees Lao on the ground but not quite dead yet. This was nice, she could definitely use someone like him as her new dusk. It would just require some tough love to make him feel the warmth of the fire. She would look around seeing that the fire has spread greatly and laughs looking at Tenma. "Well Guardian of Kou Tenma! it looks like your precious city is burning to the ground if you dont try to stop it. Now do you really have time to worry about me and this dying man while hundreds of lives are at stake? I would hurry if you dont want hundreds more to lose their lives, just think of the children." She would say grinning. She would grab Lao with her good arm and attempt to drag him out of the city wondering if Tenma would try to stop her still or not.

attempting to drag Lao away from the city

The guards would do their best to do their job, some would help the women, children and elders to get away first to the safe area. Those who can help the guards to try and distinguish the fire would stay until the magician came with maximum precaution, by using any water source they could find and throwing the water into the fire. Some would even use sand to extinguish the fire as well to save their city. Luckily for them, there would be a lot of magicians arriving in the city, even some water based magic item wielders would also arrive to help. They would soon use various kind of  water magic to drench the town with water, at least helping to reduce the fire so if there was some trapped people, they could go out and guards can even step into a building to check if there’s still someone else’s trapped. “We are doing good! Dont lose hope!” One of the guards would say, trying to increase the moral of the townspeople. All of them could only hope for the best now.... Would nature be kind enough to them and give them a blessing in the form of rain? They could only hope for it… Some of the guards would also be cautious of the arsonist group, they would try to capture them if they see them.

Meanwhile, the one eyed man’s hand would be touching his Katana as his eye observing every movement of Gllles and Lao. But it seemed that the colonel was having a hard time after all, his body received the attacks delivered by the woman head on, blood coming through from ever wounds that he had at the moment as he slumped into the ground. A smile would appear on Tenma’s face as Gilles taunted him, a smile which soon turned into a mischievous grin as he unsheathed his Katana. Tenma would first take a deep breath and focus on his magoi to spread it to his body and equipment, performing Kyōkaryoku. Then, he would be using his exceptional speed trait to get closer to Gilles before swinging his Katana to cut off her right arm which was dragging Lao. “I trust the guards, they will do anything they could to minimize the casualties.” The trust was the whole reason why Tenma decided to give directions to the guards and let them do it for now, he knew they would do their best. That was also the reason why the swordsman did not step into the fight earlier, it was because of the amount of trust he put into Lao, the respect that he had for a fellow warrior.

The swordsman would lift his leg and send a kick to Gilles’ stomach, enough to push her away. He would let Lao stay still in his current position as he would treat him as soon as he was finished with this lunatic. The man would take his steps, walking closer towards Gilles before kneeling in front of her and pulling her collar, he would be using his Katana to stab the woman right at her solar plexus all the way until the handle of his sword stuck on the woman’s stomach before pulling it out. The man tilted his head as his cold eye was staring into Gilles’, then he would use his hand to hit the back of her neck to knock her out.

After making sure she was knocked out, Tenma would rush to Lao, and carefully carried him out from the building. He would lay the man down on the ground before he went to the fire to heat up his Katana, hot enough to help him perform cauterization to at least stop the bleeding, something he got from the war as the way to treat wounds. He would take off his glove and put it into Lao’s mouth then he would use the heated metal and carefully press it to the wounds, “Bear with it Lao, you have to live.” Once he was done taking care of Lao’s wound, at least stopping the bleeding, Tenma would take off his blazer and put it on the man’s body, he would command one of the nearby guard to go get a medic or doctor to treat Lao as soon as possible before rushing to the city to check the situation.

The general would see that the magicians were already working on saving the city for now., so he would let them do what they could but he would help to clear the area to minimize the casualties, protecting the townspeople would be their first priority after all.

---

Notes:
- Woman, kids and elders are evacuated first
- Magicians have arrived and are doing their best to shower the city
- All Tenma's basic attack is A-tier skill damage due to the buff that he used before.
- Cutting Gilles hand by using A-tier damage  and gave her another 3 A-tier attacks in the form of Kick, Stab and Knifehand strike to knock her out.
- Tenma also tried to stop Lao’s bleeding and already called a medic/doctor.

Stamina: 240/260
Magoi: 360/390

Skills:

Gilles would notice that tenma was coming towards her. She would grin despite knowing that she had no chance in a fight against the dragon of Kou, not a fair fight anyways. She was surprised to see the man's quick movements but just as quickly she would have come up with an idea to at least slow down the man. She would use her good arm, that was holding on to Lao, and her right leg to toss the body of the unconscious Lao At Tenma. Gilles knew she would probably still lose her right arm but it was worth it. After tossing Lao at Tenma, rather 1 armed or 2, she would turn and start running to the exit. She was planning to run straight through the wall of flames that were enveloping the courtyard hoping it would stop Noir's pursuit.

Gilles had quick action, but the speed of the mighty Kou general would prove quick enough to win in their trade. With a weakened body there was only so much the pale woman could do. Her grunts and sighs were as heavy as the armored body, it would provide obstruction but Tenma's steps were guided by the wind. It was quick, before a leaf could even land in the courtyard his steps would move past the body. As Gilles would stumble she would lose her right arm, and a kick would only send her back further. Dust kicking up with her body she had no chance to hold or grab Lao now that he was by the one-eyed warrior.

A fallen body on the floor he would breath heavily. While the Sasanid had the chance to move away from the attacks the warrior could still pesure, he could hunt down the fanatic if he wished. As Lao laid there the sound of mages gathering in the distance could be heard. The flames danced above, as the time of day seemed to change with the smoke. The flames had yet to win the day, but there were no winners or losers in tragedy. As a battle for glory, defense, and one's madness raged in the city none of them truly lost. The ones who lost were those who were vacated from their homes, those who survived, those who may have been spared from losing their residence poisoned by the flame's reach.

Tenma considered saving Lao and the city came first for now. As much as he wanted to chase after the girl, he didn't think it was a wise choice, he didn't have much time as well at the moment. He could try to chase after her later in the future after he sorted things here in this burning city, she was crippled and weakened after all.

Using a cauterized method, the general would use his Katana to give Lao the first emergency treatment, carefully closing his wound with enough heat before handing him to the medic or magician that would be capable of performing healing magic. Today was a dark day indeed, but the swordsman had a proposal for the emperor, he would like to prevent these things from happening again.

The swordsman would go around the city to check one last time, listing all the loss so he could report back and ask the imperial palace to quickly rebuild the burnt home or shops… he could only hope that the villagers would be satisfied living in a shelter for now. The one eyed man sincerely apologized towards the villagers, he would try to talk to them, either to motivate them or to give him hope.

Gilles had made it through the flames and was patting them off by rolling on the ground. She would have some fresh burns and scars after today. She would keep walking to the edge of the city where she would be found by the flames members that had done their tasks already. She was exhausted and he legs would finally give out and Dawn and Husk catch her. They would have to leave the city and find a new place to hide away while Gilles recovered. They had done their task in attacking the city, but so much had seemed to fail. They lost Dusk, and failed to capture or destroy the guards of the city. That and Gilles now had a hatred for the man that was known as Tenma. She would be back one day.