[ToM] The Fourth Battle

 

The Shadow King

The magician took note of the brief moment where Lu Ban’s mask broke. He saw the shame and anger for the split second it revealed itself and smirked. Taking the corpses of his fellow men hit a nerve. Sadly, Adrastos couldn’t relish the scene too much as the Sentinel’s charged forward.

As soon as the magician saw the Sentinels charge forward, he flew ten meters up into the air, sustaining his speed, to avoid any attack they may have planned. The Sentinel’s had kicked up a cloud of dirt and sand with their charge and Adrastos decided to use this against them.

His army of assassins were holding fairly well. There weren’t many of Lu Ban’s men left, only twenty or so, but Lu Ban’s forces were hacking and slashing at them in retaliation. “I think it’s time to stop toying with them,” he shouted. “Corner them and wipe them out. Now.” The twenty remaining of Lu Ban’s men would have no hope against the one hundred sixty troops at Adrastos’ command. His assassin’s would swarm Lu Ban’s twenty men like an inescapable plague cloud. He also signalled for at least ten of his men to surround the Sentinel’s and apply pressure. They’d distract the Sentinels while Adrastos would fly into the dust cloud to get behind one of them. The two warriors wouldn’t be able to turn easily with their shields dug into the ground, their heavy armor, and the fact that now ten men were now fighting them. Taking this opportunity, Adrastos swiftly jammed his sword through the right Sentinel’s neck where there was no armor and slide the obsidian blade out. Even if the warrior survived being sliced through the neck, he’d soon die of blood loss or lack of oxygen as he choked on his own blood within seconds.

Blood coated Niut and the magician stared at the blood dripping onto the ground. His mouth twitched. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. His heart raced. War was enjoyable. No. The slaughtering of lives, feeling the blood on his hands, was exhilarating. Still, he maintained his calm composure and refocused his mind.

If the Sentinel fell, Adrastos would activate his Grim Reaper again. The green lightning would arc between four corpses, one belonging to the Sentinel’s and three belonging to other men that had fallen earlier nearby. Adrastos didn’t know if they were once his men or not, but that knowledge didn’t matter. Soldiers were expendable pawns, and since they didn’t belong to his Order, they had no real purpose other than to be thrown away while being used to win this battle.

“Crossbowmen! Focus your fire on the left Sentinel! Assassins, get close and aim for the joints!”

MAGOI: 265/480
STAMINA: 170/200

Combat Log:

Items Used:

Spells Used:

Taking in what Tenma had said Ani simply shook her head to herself. Ani had continued to move through the camp, talking to men and even looking for whom could work as communication, advising them to spread through their army to be able to relay information as quickly as possible. "I will let you do with your men as you wish as I said, people who choose to follow me are making their own choices though, and Tenma if your men die the responsibility lies with you, but if your plan works all the better so."

Ani didn't think they had hours, and as the presence had made himself known. By now Ani had already left Tenma's camp with the supplies she needed, and the people needed to carry it. Once she had finally made herself known to the mercenary group once again she pulled her mask of faux whispers from her bag and placed it on her face. Closing her eyes the magic circle on the center brightening to life.

"Listen up!" Ani's echoed out louder and more cogent from the mask, and within a ten-meter radius of all of the mercenaries that where there. "The enemies are charging fast, they know what we're doing here and it's gonna be hard for the defenders, so here is how are going to act." She said showing them all the equipment she had. "Our reinforcements are here boys." Soon telling them the details of her plan.

As the army approached their walls people were crying out to defend and to attack, each side was putting their all in. Thud, thud thud. The sound of drums began beating loudly, coming from two separate directions each on the other side of the army. Then fire, large bonfires bursting to life creating a heat haze as it seemed two armies of Yoshiro had come for a pincer.

Soon the sounds of hundreds, no thousands began to cry out promises of death and cries for Yoshiro. How many voices were there, and which was coming from what side no one could tell as the screaming hoard filled the ears of all those who got closer to the wall.

In reality, Ani had split all her forces in half, mercenaries and any others who were following her plan. She had one half create fake armies, standing and mixing themselves with dummies to create the illusion that reinforcements had come. The fires and drums to give the feeling that this had all been a trap. As for the voices, Ani sat hidden amongst the walls using her mask to fragment her voice into thousands of different voices to yell right in their ears, with no discernable direction to cause chaos. Her plan wasn't necessary to get them to retreat, but maybe she could buy them time.  Regardless she had magicians among the fake armies and the force with Ani to ensure she could call them back when needed, or if things went south.

The two fake armies kept it up, waving their weapons and hitting drums as the fake armies sounded like they would be on them at any moment. Around Ani was silent as she kept her focus, sitting atop the back of Hoyo while she made sure Yu was close by so she could fight with her, as well as the other half of her force. Well, the thunder is already booming, now we just wait for lightning to strike.

Magoi:180/200
Stamina: 245/335

Item used:

“I understand.” Tenma would nod and smile towards the blue haired woman, already understood the risk of losing the lives of his comrades or even his own life when he agreed to be the general for this war. The reason why he invited the mercenary’s representative was because he wanted to know their plans. Not only that, he wanted to make sure that no matter what his force and her force had planned beforehand was simply because he didn’t want it to clash with each other, so both forces can effectively work for the same goal although by using different method. Now that the blue haired woman wanted to do it with her own way and left the meeting area, the one eyed man could only move on and face the incoming enemies.

“Soldiers! The time has come and I need you to stay focus.” The one eyed man would speak to his forces, putting his trust into them even though there might be some men who went with the blue haired woman. Even if there was, he would still put his trust in them, believing that they know what they are doing.

He would begin with the formation planning, mentioning the archers and fill them out with his strategies, “Archers, I would need your help to stand by at the higher place, at the back of the formation and get ready to shoot. When the enemy’s cavalry is within eyesight, shot the horses first and after that, move on to shot on the soldiers.”


“Magicians, I need you to be on the back of the formation and handle the first layer of our defense. Use any appropriate magic and create walls of ice with the electricity infused water inside.” Tenma would go on with the explanation on what he expected to happen when the enemy charged with full speed. They would be crashing into the ice wall and once the ice broke, it would burst the water from inside and electrocute them. “This is very crucial and please place the ice wall 10 meters away from our fort. After that, I just need your help to watch the enemy’s magicians. As soon as they make a move, use a magic type to counter and turn their own attacks back onto Gao’s troops or cancel out the magic so our men stay safe. I trust you all to know what kind of magic type that would be appropriate to use.”

“Shielders, you would be at the front line, for the very first line, keep the shield facing the front and for the rest of the line, keep it upwards. Pike Infantry, lace in with the shield unit and make sure the pikes poke out from the shield’s gap as well as putting the butt of the pike on the ground to ensure a better footing against the charging horse. Hang in there in defensive mode until I give signal to split and give ways to the cavalry to march. After that, you are going to start attacking the enemies.” He would pause several second, at least to give the soldier time to understand the strategy before continuing,

“Last but no least… Cavalry, wait at the very back with your horse ready as your mounting and with my signal, charge towards the enemy. Oh, and for every one of you, avoid facing or aiming at Gao’s general as we don’t know yet what he is capable of. Not only that, hold your ground at the river’s edge.” He thought when the enemy reach the river bed, they have to fight in water and mud while his men would be on the dry land thus would be giving his men more advantage in the fight.

“I believe in each one of you, we have to hold our defenses so the construction worker can focus on their job. Believe in yourself too, each one of you have incredible strength and values that makes up our country.” The swordsman would unseat his Katana and raised it up, making it to point upwards before saying with confident and determination, “Remember! We are doing this to protect our country! For the sake of Emperor Yoshiro! And equally important, for the sake your dearest ones! Now, stay in each of your positions. Engage!”

By the time they were ready in their position, the enemies must be crossing the river and at least half of them…more or less would be falling into the trap set by Tenma’s force earlier. The one eyed man would calmly standing at the command tent to see the whole battle, but of course, he was well prepared with his weapons and equipment so that whenever he needs to join the battle, he could be there quickly.

With a single step, the battlefield would be torn asunder and the fight would engage. She stood in front of all his forces, using his mighty Rising Mountain technique. The black rock shot forward, reaching to the forces of Tenma. AS the earth tore up they would have a moment to prepare for the oncoming onslaught. Yet some were certain to get pierced or pushed back by the long trail of obsidian. His forces pushed forward with a valiant charge,  guiding them in order to reach the partially constructed fort, which would have shards of black stone stabbing through. Managing to intimidate some of the workers.

Tenma's troops were in military formation yet there was still the fact that the workers were open. Of course, they would be mostly safe once the forces moved past them. The question was, would they be able to stop them before they could collapse in on their base? Tensions built up into the air, as this small-scale battle would be the one that wins the resource war. They would need to be prepared but were they prepared for the small stutter in the forces of Gao?

During their charge, the efforts of the blue haired woman would pay off and manage to halt their charge for a slight moment. The blazing horizon of a pseudo-military would catch them by surprise. It was uncertain to them if the enemy force was really bigger than they anticipated.  After all, they had heard nothing from their spy, their plan of sabotage was currently in ruins. Despite their failures in some regards, they had the number advantage, but now that wasn't certain.  A mercenary force this large posed a real threat. Yet, the charge would resume despite the small misstep, but it was an opportunity that could be taken advantage of.

Despite their numbers, the fight was coming to them, the general was upon them and he was ready to unleash his wrath.  He would use his Quake Step once again but this time to disrupt any oncoming forces. As the earth rumbled like the sky during a storm action would be needed. Both forces, both leaders would need to step forward to take down this monster.


DM Notes: Shen is currently 5m infront of the fort, his forces will be right on the gate by the end of your post.

Shen:

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A shadow slipped through the air, managing to avoid the oncoming attacks of the two large sentinels. They would look up, trying to spot their target amidst the night sky yet it proved rather difficult for them. They were grounded soldiers, flying combat was not their specialty. They would hold up their shields, attempting to keep their defenses tight. Their efforts would fall flat before the attacking magician, that would soon be their assassin.

As the shadow swooped down he would catch the both of them by surprise, managing to cause a misstep in their actions, causing a swift death for one of the sentinels. As Adrastos blade sunk into his neck the light would leave his eyes. Soon his body would fall to the ground, causing a soft thud. This would enrage the might Lu Ban, and his remaining sentinel. Yet something more horrific would manage to fill both of their hearts with a raging anger. The bells of battle would ring ever so loudly within their ears.

As the corpses of his men would arise Lu Ban knew it would be time for him to join in. His rage swelled up, the anger of seeing his men tainted in a way like this. These were his men, and his emotions would pour out through his voice. "If you want to toy around and play with your soldiers I think it's time that you come play with me, magician." He would let out a loud whistle, the clouds would rumble, as a bird would swoop down from the sky. As the animal came down Lu Ban would pull out his lance, aiming it towards his opponent. Witnessing the fall of his other sentinel in that brief moment of speech.

He tried to his best to Stand Guard! Yet bolts and blows would manage to break his hold and eventually his shield. Soon the bolts of the undead crossbowman would strike into his flesh, sending his blood back onto his commander.  Lu Ban would raise his spear, using Radiant Spear. How would the dark come to clash with this light?


DM Notes: Sentinel dead, Lu ban is currently standing 15m away from Adrastos.

Lu Ban:

The Shadow King

The magician whistled and deactivated his flight. He fell to the ground, but instead of landing on the ground, Adrastos landed on his mount, Sahara. He needed to conserve magoi; too much had been wasted on menial flight. Unfortunately, that put the magician at a bit of a disadvantage now. He had less mobility.

Lu Ban had been angered because of his fallen men that now served the dark king in the afterlife. The reaction was amusing, and a bit predictable. Also ironic. Lu Ban cared about his men, but after seeing four of them fall and rise, he did nothing to stop it from happening again. The loss of his Sentinel was on him.

“If you are that hungry for my attention, I suppose I can allow it,” the magician responded smoothly. “However, the death of the Sentinel was on you after you saw my power and failed to do anything to prevent it. How does that feel, I wonder? The guilt eating at your heart?”

Adrastos flicked the reigns of his mount, directing his mount toward his opponent. Whatever Lu Ban had in store, there was no way Adrastos would be able to get out of range quick enough. Adrastos kept a close eye on the lance Lu Ban wielded, making sure to take note of the bird in his peripheral.

Let’s hope I can survive this… There’s too much at stake for me to die now.

MAGOI: 270/480
STAMINA: 170/200

Combat Log:

”Items Used”:

As the situation of the battle became more intense, Tenma decided to march towards the war itself, possibly has to take down the enemy’s general. However, the swordsman was not sure how to take down the inhuman general of Gao, especially when he managed to intimidate some workers by performing deadly move. With a sigh, the one eyed man would ride his horse and marched towards the enemy, targeting only one person in mind. But before he marched he would get one of the soldier available to send a message for the workers, a message with a hint of encouragement and trust. Of course, he would still trust the soldiers that he commanded before, especially the magicians and archers to reduce enemy’s troops number.

The swordsman would be moving to the left of the battle line and raised his bow before shooting a basic arrow towards Shen, although it would be followed by two basic arrows right after that. The intention that Tenma had was to draw Shen’s attention away from the worker and hopefully it worked.


Magoi: 260/260
Stamina: 390/390
Ranger’s Ammo: 3/10

As Shen's forces had stopped for that brief moment Ani knew she had done as much as she had needed, and that was when she turned her attention back to her magician allies. She was going for a double trick, they had seen the fake army and had studdered. They would be expecting to be attacked, but what would they do when the army that was on the horizon was on you suddenly. Having sent word Ani's soldiers sneaked away from the fake armies, exiting from the backs. They were going to use the rivers to their advantage, they couldn't cross them easily so now under the order of the Amazon they were executing a surprise pincer attack.

As for the forces that were with Ani there was only one thing to do now, fight. So, after Shen had done his impressive step Ani's forces advanced ready to defend the workers and fight till they died, or till they were rich with gold. In order to make sure everything went according to plan, Ani felt that Shen's attention needed to be kept on their forces, Tenma, and of course herself. Happy that her communication system was working alright she looked to see Tenma readying to attack, and smirked as she stood from her hiding place.

Hoyo's tailed having been raised in the air his mouth fully opened as the second sign of something Ani had been dying to test was done. Hoyo's crystals began to glow and crackle as static danced along the smooth surface. "AND WHERE THERE IS THUNDER,  MUST SURELY BE LIGHTNING!" Her words crying out as Thunderous Artillery was fired towards Shen before then another Thunderous Artillery was fired at him, hoping to use Tenma's attacks as a way to catch him of guard and hit him with her attacks, Tenma's attack, or all of them.

It didn't matter what attacks hit Ani had to move after that. Making sure to keep an eye out for what was around her Ani, Hoyo, and Yu would quickly move to join the battle.

Magoi:180/200
Stamina: 185/335

Combat details: Used and Sustained in same post.

Ability used:

At that moment the two opposing forces would see their might meet on the battlefield. First was the one that drew more attention and more excitement.  As the forces of Gao were preparing to press on the workers the moment of hesitation they had backfired. While the groups of soldiers began to meet the approaching General would find himself face to face with two different yet fearsome foes.
The air would spark alive as the first one, the leader of the Mercenaries would show their attack. He would see a bright light as electricity charged at him. Yet before he could defend against the lightning an arrow chinked his stony skin.

He turned to his other side, seeing the opposing General unleashing a few arrows at him. He would use his open left side to punch the arrows as they came at him. Yet this would leave him open for a moment, causing lightning to crash into his body, sending small shards of obsidian out across the battlefield. In a second another blast of energy would be ready to strike the mighty stone warrior. Yet he would retaliate with Rising Mountain, caused lightning to meet the bolts of lightning in order to protect him.  As the two forces met a powerful counterattack would start.

He would use two Rising mountains, one towards Ani and the other towards Tenma. Ani would be easier to hit, Tenma was moving on a mount but couldn't be more than twenty meters away so their chance of it hitting or just disrupting his attack pattern. Once the two attacks would go off he would run towards Ani, preparing to go after her. While the fight was heating up the two forces were at a stalemate, which kept the workers alive.

During a mighty clash of these forces, a smaller but also astonishing battle was waging onward. A fight that would decide which would decide what force would have the upper hand.

Dm Notes; Two rising mountain attacks used, one on Ani 5m away, the distance wasn't given for Tenma, so you have a lenient range of 20m you can work with that but the attack is coming your way. Shen is currently going to engage Ani.

Shen: taken 1 A-tier and 1 C-tier of damage

Shen:

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Lu Ban would swiftly run towards the magician in order to engage the fight. His spear held out and his bird flying 20m into the air. Lightning sparked through both the land and the sky as the pair valiantly charged across the battlefield. Their small forces were still engaging each other but for the most part, it was down to these two commanders. If Lu could keep up the defense and kill the scourge of magician he could to help his allies. If Adrastos won he would be able to get his troops inside the fort and destroy it from the inside out. As the wheel of fate spun the conversation between these combatants spurred on.

"You are going down a coward, you've dishonored my men but they knew the risks. You have power, yes, but it is my power and my duty to wipe you out for the sake of the Kou Empire." He was often cocky or messed around trying to antagonize his enemies. Yet this magician was an affront to everything his good nation stood for, it was the duty of Lu Ban to kill him, and he was going to make sure that he did kill him.

As he charged forward only a few meters away he would use his move Double Peck. His spear would fly forward towards the dark mage. Soon his lightning bird would sweep down to perform his part of the move. Yet there would be another concern, the arcing lightning that was coming off from the tip of the spear. If he wasn't careful he was going to be skewered then grilled by lightning.

How would he choose to deal with this pair of warriors, they were both coming at him fervently, and there would be more coming to this assault.

Dm notes: about 15m away when running began, eventually gets 3m away then uses double peck while the bird is 20m diagonally in front of Adrastos flying in the sky to swoop down.

Lu Ban:

It was good that Ani used Shen’s distracted moment as a chance to deliver some damage, although Tenma admitted that he was more cautious than ever since the enemy’s general was really inhuman. The one eyed man braced himself when a massive spike wall of stone coming through him and held his shield tight as he hid behind it, taking the damage on his shield. Unfortunately, his horse went down because of the spikes and caused Tenma to fell from the horse. Tenma remained on the ground for just a moment in hopes it would convince Shen of his defeat. But since the Gao general was battling Ani, Tenma only needed to spare a breath before quickly climbing to his feet and charging towards Shen using his Exceptional Speed to get behind Shen as he was focused on charging towards Ani.

The moment he got close, Tenma would move a finger forward as he was forming a knuckle before sending Nakadaka Ken towards Shen’s back after he scaled it once and sustained it once again while scaling it one time, now by using his other arm. He was hoping Ani could deliver another sick damage towards the inhuman general too when he attacked, wanting to take the man down quickly. Also, since it would be dangerous if the swordsman stayed there to see Shen’s reaction, right after Tenma attacked, he would use the advantage of his exceptional speed to stay back around 5m away. He would also take his shield and unsheathe his Katana, preparing for what Shen might do after this.

---

Shield HP: 100/300
Magoi: 200/260
Stamina: 330/390

Skill & Trait used:

 

The Shadow King

Adrastos watched as Lu Ban closed in, but made sure he didn’t forget about the general’s pet bird flying around in the sky. However, as each got closer, the magician couldn’t help but smirk. They were falling into his clutches. He memorized the position and angle at which Lu Ban and his bird were attacking before holding up his wand with his right hand. Feeding his magoi into the wand, darkness spewed into the air before Lu Ban was close enough for his attack to be any immediate danger.

“Says the general who allowed his men to be turned into my pawns not once, but five times, before fighting himself. But no matter…” The darkness dripped and oozed down the magician’s body, coating every part of him and his equipment in solid shadows. Adrastos, with his silver eyes gazing sinisterly at Lu Ban, was an obsidian demon. “I’ll show you the beauty of darkness… Before you drown in your own blood, tell me this: Can you even fight by yourself, or do you always need a crutch?”

In the same instance as the shadowy armor engulfed Adrastos, he fed more magoi to create a realm of darkness fifteen meters in diameter. With this, he rendered the sight of Lu Ban and his bird useless, but Adrastos knew exactly where his opponents were with the slightest of movements. Taking advantage of this and his previous sighting of Lu Ban, the magician took his sword, and with both hands, he redirected Lu Ban’s attack with Taiji Obstruction. By using more energy than normal and moving his weapon in a circular movement, Adrastos forced the lance to miss by moving it to his left while veering Sahara away. Lu Ban’s momentum would be too much to come to a sudden stop, and the weight of his lance meant that it couldn’t be maneuvered as easily as Adrastos’ blade. Taking the chance he could and using more stamina like before, Adrastos slammed his blade into the lance, hoping to shatter or weaken the weapon, even if it meant weakening his own. The lance attack would be averted, and the bird would not be able to break through the armor of shadow the magician wore, but there was still his attackers to deal with.

Adrastos knew Lu Ban was in front of him. He smirked and waved his right hand forward, activating the Ring of Erosion. Acid erupted from the vessel and toward Lu Ban. The substance would melt his armor and skin away if it touched him. This was ramping up to be an exciting battle, but Adrastos would be the victor. There was no other way.

MAGOI: 230/480
STAMINA: 100/200

Combat Log:

Abilities Used:

Items Used:

Ani wasn't an idiot, and she was soon to realize her plan was successful as he had looked to Tenma only to take damage from Hoyo before Shen had launched a counter-attack. She had been wise to start moving after her attack it seemed. Her beast was fast and she had quickly commanded him to move even faster. "Hold on tight!" She advised Yu Yan as they maneuvered.

As she saw Tenma coming back around as Shen charged towards them Ani knew she had to quickly think. Looking to one of the messengers on the battlefield, she made a sign with her hand from the distance, it was the signal to start the pincer attack, encircle and break the enemy forces down with no chance of the retreat. "I call this the honeybee roast."

After speaking to Yu Yan she had her jump down from Hoyo as he began to move towards Shen, having moved in an arc to reposition herself with Tenma and attack. She had dropped Yu in a forty-five-degree arc away from herself. If there were three of them attacking from different angles at once it would cause some chaos. So, Ani thought that four would be even more chaotic and stood on Hoyo's back before leaping into the air with her spear in hand. Taking into the air her plan was to strike in concert with the others, then either flip completely over Shen and remount Hoyo, or jump off Shen to make it back.

As she moved faster in the air towards Shen she cried out. "SHOULDER CHECK HIM!" She commanded her beast as she thrust her spear at Shen twice aiming towards spots where obsidian had already chipped off. Having commanded her beast to slam into him, stabbing at him, Tenma's attack, and hopefully an assisting Yu Yan she hoped she might be able to set themselves up with another advantage.

As Ani and the others had gone about their part the other group of mercenaries with their small units of Yoshiro men, most likely from one of the other less important commanders that were there had been moving around the river as commanded. They were using the chaos of the battle, and the priority of the assault on their defenses to slip past. With Ani's message they had begun moving in faster. Soon enough as the Azure Amazon had hoped as she was unleashing her own attack the secondary force came in to enclose the attack. This was war after all.

Magoi:180/200
Stamina: 155/335

Ability used:

The stone general let out a monstrous cry, his attacks charged forward, The one closest to him, the girl on the beast tried to simply avoid his attack. She moved fast but it was one of his strongest techniques, she would manage to escape most of the damage but one of the spikes would pierce one of her legs, causing blood to stream down the side of her leg. It was a strong blow but her decisive thinking would save her from further damage. The general's other target was also turning out to be a slight challenge also.

As his other wave of obsidian crashed against the shield of the enemy leader. Taking the brunt of the attack causing them to be dismounted. He tried to keep an eye on him yet it was hard to stay focus on more than one target. Things began to begin closing in as the beast tamer had launched her assualt. Time slowed for a moment, as his enemies zoomed in on him, he was slow but he had power and he was going to need. He was normally a great solo-fighter, so this three way pincer attack that was closing in on hiom was alot of Shen, but he was a mighty general of Gao and he was going to show his prowess.

First he would need to deal with the beast that as charging at him, as Hoyo charged at him he would clash using his Put Down[b] his fist would clash with the create charging into him. As the fist struck him a shard of obsidian would lodge into it's toros pinning it to the ground. As he did this he would the pain as the first strike from Tenma would smash into his back. Feeling great force crack his stony skin, As the other one came towards him he would turn around using [b] Put Down one more time to try and atleast meet the force of the attack.

As he dealt with those too the blue haired girl would come at him, attacking with her spear but the genral would simoply just match her blows with his, stirking the spear with his stony fist. He was overwhelemed, his forces were seemingly getting pinned against him by the army pressing on his forces left flank and their front. His chipped and damaged body would not be able to sustain another blow. So with great force he would use his ultimate move, Earth Breaker. In that moment there two warriors would have to decide how to deal with this massive amount of force.

DM Notes; Earth breaker used, all are within ability ranged, currently have him surrounded, but Hoyo is partially pinned.

Shen damage: 2x A-tier and 1 B-tier

Shen:

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"You fool my men were unaware of how much of a monster you were. We underestimated you but that was my fault. For mistake, I will show you the power of a true Kou general." His attack was blocked, taking a strong instance of damage making cracks splintered across his lance. It spread out like a web across his weapon but it wasn't damaged enough to break his weapon. The magician proved to be quite a handful but very quickly he would begin his counter attack against the magician. He would prepare to attempt to damage the figure but before he could he would feel pain wash over him.

Acid had struck his body, melting his resplendent armor to his body. As the metal dripped and broke down his body could partially be seen. Warped, with his flesh starting to bind to the armor that was previously keeping him protected. A cry of pain would fill the air, Lu Ban would quickly reply using his Double Peck technique with his bird then used a Basic lance strike In order to try to break damage the magician, as his first attack was likely to be blocked by his opponent.

"Scum or not, at least you're a worthy enemy, but at the end of this battle the light of Kou will win." H would say galiantly as he would prepare to launch his next attack towards his target. He would call his bird using Pick me up. Using his bird to grab him the mighty general would once again use his double peck attack hopping to pressure his enemy. He was unsure if he would be able to make it out of this battle alive, but he was going to make sure that his oppoinent faced them same fate as him and his men.

Dm notes; Lu Ban has taken B-tier damage, his bird picked him up from behind Adrastros, taking him 10m into the before swooping down so they could both use double peck.

Lu Ban:

It was dangerous that Shen managed to clash with the second force Tenma sent towards the back of this monster, although he was lucky that he backed off 5 meters away so he could take a deep breath and concentrate before spreading his magoi over his body and his equipment as well. As his Kyokaryoku skill activate, he would brace himself for the another attack which the Gao’s general sent. The swordsman took the first damage with his body, although it wouldn’t damage him since his magoi was protecting him. As the spike wall shot up from the ground, the one eyed man would use his sword to clash with it while still having the magoi coating the weapon as well.

Tenma would use exceptional speed again and got into a close range where he brought his Katana to deliver a downward cut from above, directed against Shen’s abdomen. He intendedly avoiding cutting Shen too deep though, didnt want to kill him for now. But if the inhuman giant tried to do something, Tenma wouldn’t hesitate to deliver a killing blow although that would not be his priority at this moment.

“Men and women of Kou, listen!” The black haired man would raise his voice a bit, but not in an angry manner at all. “This civil war has been going on for too long… Blood of our people starts to taint our home because of this civil war! Our family…our loved ones lives in fear, counting days and pray with all their might so they can be safe. Don’t you think it’s meaningless?!” The swordsman would pause for a second as he looked around him before continuing, “It is meaningless to spill the blood of our own brothers and sisters any further! We were born in this countries together, helping each other, looking for each other… So stop fighting with each other anymore!” Tenma would say that as he pointed a finger towards Shen, as if saying that the opposing side have no hope of beating him if even their commander couldn’t. “If anyone wants to keep fighting, I will be your opponent!”

Tenma hoped all the soldiers, especially the one from the opposing side can open their eyes and let the word spoken by the one eyed man could be the encouragement to stop the fighting.

Magoi: 140/260
Stamina: 330/390
Combat details: Clashing with Shen's attack using Kyokaryoku and Sustaining it once

Skill used:

Trait:

It was hard to be prepared at all times, and Ani had been learning this more and more as people with higher capabilities and inane abilities had appeared before it. Her spear had been broken It was the common sense of what was around here and she couldn't take the time to filter it. Rather all she could do was act as quickly as possible to what was happening before her.

Hoyo's tail had been injured before by the other spike and now his torso had been pinned. Luckily for the beast it thrashed around to break through the crystal with its strength. The first wave of rocks that flew towards Ani gave her little time to react, but as the large rocks came towards her she instinctively felt her left foot twisting a bit to gain sure footing. Then as they were getting closer and closer the amazon's body her left leg had suddenly sprung forward and straight like a spear, her spear kick using more of her vitality to put more force into it. Moving her leg with the force with the intent to break the rocks that were coming at her, hoping that even if she didn't break them all she'd buy herself a second.

As her foot was brought back down Ani backflipped to push herself back away from the attack, but now that her beast was free she didn't plan on letting the second wave coming at her, and neither did he. Now that some time had passed Hoyo had opened his mouth widely, the beast charging with electricity, scaling up his attack as he suddenly fired a thunder bomb to clash the second wave.

If everything had worked and Ani landed on her feet she would listen to what Tenma had to say to Shen. It wasn't enough Ani had felt. Pressing her hand back to the mask she activated the magic of it to create a louder. compelling voice for the area around them. Having, of course, waited for Tenma to say his part she stepped forward taking a soft silent sigh to herself.

Tenma seemingly spoke to them all, but as her voice began to boom out the only person she had her eyes on was Shen. "It doesn't have to end like this, a bittersweet fight that even under the conditions of victory would lead to more loss than gain." She was tired, and a bit weary, but she wasn't the only one. "Let's end it here, your men end their assault and I call men off from the pincer, but it needs to end now." The last part of her words to signify the one thing that was most likely running through all their minds. That it needed to end now, even if Shen could escape the battlefield on his own, or even fight the pincer attack would keep going, killing his men.

Taking in one more deep breath she closed her eyes, slowly her lids parted once again through the slits in her mask, her rosé eyes peering at Shen and through him. Looking and glaring at them all Ani stood, panting as her beast took its place beside her. "This has been a war full of losses, those full of meaning, and those that were pointless no matter what side you look at it from, this doesn't have to end in any losses." Her words obviously hinting at the losses that would hurt one's heart rather than who would actually lose the battle.

Magoi: 170/200
Stamina: 75/335

Combat details: Spear of Disaster broken, Used and scaled Spear kick, used and scaled Thunder bomb. Activated Mask of whispers.

Abilities used:

Traits used:

Item used:

 

The Shadow King

Adrastos quickly backed away, smirking as he heard the scream of Lu Ban. Such satisfying music. The acid did the job, but it still wasn’t enough. Luckily, Lu Ban and his pet could not see the magician in the dark realm he created. That fact alone would make it easy for Adrastos to dodge the attacks. They fought blindly, but where was the fun if he didn’t toy with his foes? To make sure Adrastos continued to have the upper hand, he raised his wand and sustained the area of shadows longer.

Lu Ban was pretty stupid. In this world of shadows the magician had created, one would think to not talk or make excessive sounds, but Lu Ban couldn’t help but taunt and gloat about the light, his Kou, or his power. The Kou general got lucky once with his basic lance strike as it made contact with the magician’s Shadow Defense after the magician evaded their Double Peck. The black armor melted off his body, however Adrastos wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by him. Feeding magoi into his Ring of Erosion, he flung the acid onto the lance. It was doubtful that the weapon could withstand much more damage after being cracked from Adrastos’ earlier stunt. Before Adrastos could do more, the Kou general was whisked into the air.

“The light of Kou? Look around you! If such light existed, it has already been swallowed by the abyss,” he cried, giving away his location if Lu Ban paid any attention. The magician, however, didn’t do it out of stupidity, but rather to lure Lu Ban to him. “You poor misguided man… If only you could see the truth… All this talk of light and darkness, fate and depravity… It won’t matter when I am done with this twisted world…” Adrastos sensed Lu Ban and his bird swooping down to attack, most likely with the previous combination from before. The borg would activate, protecting the king of shadows from the pair’s charge. Shattering, the magoi shield was rendered useless immediately, but Adrastos didn’t hesitate. There was no time.

For the first time in battle since he received his crown, he fed magoi into the black vessel. There was no need to fear about this spell failing since they were both encased in an abyss. Knowing the location of his enemy while inside the dome just made this battle easier. The magician just had to strengthen the spell to be able to hold his enemy. Using his crown, the magician performed Shadow Marionette to bind the general's appendages and hold Lu Ban in place.

Adrastos stepped forward and leaned in close to Lu Ban’s ear with his right hand placed on his exposed chest. “Sadly,” the mage whispered in his ear as he activated Dantalis’ Serpent, “there is no room for you in the paradise I will create.” With Dantalis’ Serpent activated, the moisture in Lu Ban’s chest would be removed so quickly, his chest would become nothing but a hollowed out shell, destroying the organs inside in the process.

MAGOI: 165/480
STAMINA: 100/200

Combat Log:

Abilities Used:

Items Used:

In a single breath, the battlefield would have all eyes towards the center as the mighty stone general would fall. His attack would let out a great wave of force as the earth was torn from his attack. The two fighters would manage to meet his attacks in their own ways. With the very land before them shaking and shaping the battlefield appeared altered. They would see shards of obsidian lodged into the earth beside them. As they were close the figure of the general was slumped over before them as his body was clearly damaged and unable to move further.

His hard stone body now had cracks, large chunks of obsidian blown off causing the blood deep within his stone body drip across the battlefield. As the crimson ooze seeped from the black stone general it would be clear he would put up no more of a fight. Adding insult to injury to put him down for sure the opposing general, Tenma, would choose to strike him. Shallowly slashing into Shen's chest would cause him to fall backward, his wound facing the sky. His wounds, and ears aching in pain as he heard his opponents prattle on.

As they talked amongst the now still field the barely conscious Kou general would fill with tension and disdain. An aura would build around him. He knew his men were prepared to die for the cause like him. Yet these were his men and either way he was lost, they needed to call off the assault, it hurt his pride, he'd take his own life if he could even. Gritting his teeth the worlds would soon escape his stony maw.

"STAND DOWN!" his first words echoed causing the army to put down all arms. "We make surrender today men but they do not take our lives, they do not take our glory or the might word of Gao. Fledgling leaders allow for help from foreigners, they disgrace our nation. We fall today but we will rise again my men." His words were gruff, escaping with tired pacing. Shen, the black stone general, had been defeated. Without the main force, the reinforcements would be useless and caught off guard. Yet they still had the side team which had made a dent in their forces.

The workers would get the chance to finish their work, both of the leaders greatly inspired their forces. Adding to Shen's defeat they would both get the chance to discuss what to do with the down body. There was also the matter of the side force, would they intervene? Would they trust Lu Ban or trust the opponent to flee. Before they would get to decide they had to decide what to do with their new prisoners.

---

Unaware of the battle around them the other battle raged on in darkness. Lu Ban took a gamble, managing to strike and damage his enemy's defenses. Yet the valiant light of Kou would find himself caught off guard by the consuming shadows created by the mage. The god of death had pulled out the power of his dark metal vessel. Dark rukh condensed in the world, slowly settling around and building. The power of the dark vessel would show it's shadowy control over the body of the fierce Lu Ban.

His pride was utterly shattered,  he had been taken by surprise based off of arrogance. He felt a lack of control as the crowns magic rendered the general immobile. Anger swelled, shame exuded from his body, and determination started to rise. He would feel the adrenaline as moisture would drain from his body. Dizziness would soon swell and overcome, the damage should have been fatal, he held onto bare life, His organs felt like they were slowing down, his body felt slightly empty as if he had been robbed. Soon organ failure would take over and kill Lu Ban.

The veil of death crept ever so slightly over Lu Ban. He struggled amidst the shadows, speaking slightly despite his dried out body. "You may take everything from me, my control, my pride and even my men. Yet burning within me, and those out there fighting your allies burn the bright light of Kou. Even amidst all this darkness a Radiant Storm burns." As his dried voice finished muttering out light would appear.

It would crack through the sky as  Lu Ban activated his might Radiant storm ability. His bird would spread out its wingspan in full as a massive charge of lightning would shoot down, coming to hit both Lu Ban and the magician. One last stand in order to try to wipe out the threat that stood before him.

As the battle was coming to a close end on all sides the world would see a large condensing of Rukh in the area. Large pools of white and black rukh began to swirl around. Both tides of fate were seeing growths, the growth of leaders and warriors to shape the fate.

Dm notes: Lu ban has taken A-tier B-tier damage, has his thunderbird using radiant storm from the sky.

Lu Ban:

The black haired man was glad that the opposing general decided to surrender, although if he could be honest, Tenma didn’t really fond of what Shen had said. What a ridiculous fellow, the one eyed man thought to himself. But he was not going to stay quiet and accept what Shen said though, "Personally I was born in this country, so I am not really a foreigner. Not only that, thanks to the help of these foreigners less Kou blood had to be spilled today. A bit of gold is a small price to pay for the lives of both our men." Tenma would smirk towards Shen before chuckling, "Besides...the man you wish to serve failed twice to conquer Reim. Should you really be looking down on foreigners so much? Compared to Emperor Yoshiro who has earned the respect of other nations...perhaps you should think long and hard on who truly disgraced our nation." His tone was cold, just like his golden eye which was staring right at Shen’s eyes. A side that maybe only a very few people had seen instead of his usual fake smile-decorated face.

With a sigh, Tenma would make a decision about what to do with the opposing side, directing his words towards Ani first. “I will let all soldiers who had sworn an oath to Gao Yuan Zu to go back to their basecamp… except him… I plan to imprison him, the Emperor might want to meet him.” The swordsman quickly shifted his gaze towards Shen again before looking back at Ani, the woman had been helpful and at least he wanted some insight from her. If she agreed with his plan to imprison Shen, Tenma would order some of his men, “Men, take him to the prison and tend his wound, but make sure to place some magicians there to guard the prison.” And by that time, he hoped all Gao’s soldiers would already take their leave from the battlefield.

After that being taken care of, Tenma would start to manage his solders, “Soldiers! Bring the wounded to medic. Some of you who are not wounded, stay on guard. Also, I need one or two scouts to go towards Lu Ban’s area and inform me anything you got from there.” He wouldn’t lie but he was kind of worried about Lu Ban, although he thought it wouldn’t respect the older general if Tenma rushed to help him. Besides, he still need to check the situation in his area first, making sure it was clear from threat. Now that the construction worker had finished their job, Tenma thought it would be a good advantage for them later on.

As the battle came to an end and Ani had heard Shen call off her forces. She watched them, making sure they were following their end of the bargain she soon told her men to stop the pincer and keep formation to help maneuver the surrendered soldiers to their freedom as they had promised. Though as Ani had them stop she made sure that some of the few that were directly loyal to her were spreading the name of her mercenary corps, The Azure Raiders, she had a fortress in the Jade Dragon mountains and she was hoping to recruit and establish her base there before the war was ended, so they could be seen as an assisting force. She didn't try to directly recruit any Gao men, but she didn't stop them from listening and if they showed up at a later date to join, they'd be welcome should they meet her criteria.

At the present situation, Ani began to question whether or not she would've survived had the battle continued. Soft pants broke past her lips, the soft pink flesh cut and stained with crimson from one of the injuries she had received. Suddenly her trance had been broken by Tenma as he addressed her. "I have no problem with imprisoning him to get him to where he needs, but don't torture the man." When she said this it was more to address that torturing Shen would be ultimately useless, but part of it was out of respect for the fight that he had provided them. Despite the lightheadedness of blood loss, Ani felt her body burning with passion from the brawl and the strategy she and Tenma had been able to pull off. She, of course, was happy her pincer plan worked, but she couldn't deny it had been the thrill of the fight that had kept her going. She did note from this though that she still had much room to grow, and if she were to do anything else as extreme soon she'd need to train soon.

Maybe it was because of how the battle had dragged out in her head, but she couldn't help but think and focus on other things. She needed to focus and she got atop Hoyo before making sure Yu Yan was okay. Suddenly looking over to one of her messengers she would take a step over to relay another message to her men. "Tell the men to gather supplies from the battlefield and reuse anything that we can." Of course she had plans to load the carts of supplies and move some of them with Yoshiro's supplies, but she would send as much as she could to her fort if it was plausible.

Watching around the battlefield she didn't care too much to check on the other forces since they had handled the main part, she was sure she couldn't help them but small losses were inevitable, though she had to be ready incase there was a small attack, so she kept her men ready.. As her mind thought of losses she had remembered that her spear had been shattered moments ago. "Heh, well I guess some sort of loss was gonna happen." Her hand briefly rubbing the scar on her weaker eye.

The Shadow King

The thunder in the sky alerted Adrastos. He had to get out of there. Now. However, he couldn’t leave the general behind, not if he planned on commiting suicide. Where was the victory if he just killed himself? He should have just succumbed without trying to muster what little strength he had to be a hero, the light he so desperately wanted to show his troops. Lu Ban was choosing a coward's death, a shameful death. He just sealed his fate to be more than just a death sentence… He grabbed the general and activated his flight spell.

“Move now! Retreat!” The magician ordered his troops. They responded swiftly, understanding the immediate danger they faced. Expending more magoi than normal, he flew as twenty-five meters away with Lu Ban in tow. Once he was far enough away, Adrastos witnessed the devastation cause by Lu Ban’s final attack.

A lightning bolt bigger than what’s produced by nature descended from the sky. In a brilliant light, it illuminated the area and struck the shadow dome. The realm of darkness was no match for the power of the lightning bolt as it shattered like glass, and the explosion that transpired after the lightning hit the ground was unbelievable. Thankfully, most of his troops seemed to have made it out of the blast radius.

Adrastos ran his fingers through his silver hair, slicking his hair back, as he faced Lu Ban. “Why couldn’t you just accept your fate? You could have had the pleasure of dying by my hands, but instead you chose the death of a coward by trying to kill yourself… I’ll admit it was a nice strategy. Since you couldn’t defeat me, you’d kill yourself and take out as many as you could in the process, including your own men.”

The magician tilted his head. He unsheathed Niut and held the blade against the general’s neck. He sighed, “It would be so easy to kill you now… So tempting… Your act of weakness sickens me to the point where I shouldn’t have allowed your existence.” He pressed the blade into his neck but made sure to not pierce the skin. “I won’t kill you though. Instead, you’ll be my prisoner. This will be your punishment for deciding to leave this world by your own means.”

His lips curled up in a sneer while his eyes gleamed. Waving his hand, he motioned his troops to surround Lu Ban and bound him in chains. Leaning in close, he chuckled. “You’ll be begging to bathe in the darkness before the end. You will see.”

MAGOI: 125/480
STAMINA: 100/200

Combat Log:

Abilities Used:

In the wake of the war, some of Gao's men would choose to flee, hoping to meet up with reinforcements, if they fell into a battle like this it may be disadvantageous. The rushed out the battlefield like a storm, it was in a decisive moment, a brief one that these two forces had managed to clash with such a fervent fury that even the veterans from the previous battles would find themselves caught off guard by the display of power and warfare that was presented. Despair would waver over both sides as they would claim their prizes and come to a realization to what losses had overcome them.

Shen would sit there, stewing in his own thoughts and hatreds he would avoid making any other comments towards these vile soldiers who were desecrating the very honor of Kou. There was no respect in getting help from others, victory not claimed through one's own people, who had shared struggles and identity were not valid to him. Gao's glory was not gone, it was not an inconsequential loss for him though. His pride was greatly wounded but he still lived, and the glory of Kou would be restored one day. This is what stewed and gathered within as some of Tenma's and the Mercenary forces celebrated.

Crys and shouts would reverberate amidst their defense. Some of the construction workers were gone, they lost good men, even one of their best men in the midst of the conflict. There were, of course, their wins which would be worthy of celebration. Among the bodies of Gao's forces were the occasional tools, weapons, and magical items. They were possible leftovers from the previous war, nonetheless, they would be nice spoils to collect. Both groups would have the chance to celebrate with their forces and collect whatever loot they desired.

---

As cries and shouts resounded on one side light crackling and decimating the ground would fill the air. A burning sensation would rest in the nostrils of those near, smoke danced around swirling the battlefield. Lu Ban looked up, seeing the pale face of the man that had managed to avoid the force of his final attack. He was not dead, nor was his bird but he was unfit to give any form of resistance. Words would be mumbled as they stuck his eardrums. Darkness would fall over his eyes. Now a disfigured image he was seemingly disgraced.

Despite the cacophony of battle there silence as Lu was unable to respond. Yet it was no an act of cowardice, but of hoping self-sacrifice. It inspired the remnants of his men as Adratros would get the chance to escape with his soldiers. Most of Lu's were either dead or knocked out. Carrying precious items some of them would be grabbed or looted unveiling precious tools and items. While a retreat was coming there was rewards that came from their effort.

The magician was likely unaware of Lu Ban's prominence in his army. His power alone was something to not make light off. Yet it was overpowered through a smarter and more well-powered individual. There was no a possible well of information for Gao's army as well, Lu Ban was a proud man but opportunities had been presented for the silver-haired mage.

As they fled and scavenged what they could before Yoshiro's forces would encroach on them. There was one of Lu Ban's guard whose voice would be heard no matter what was done.

"You may take Lu Ban, and harm him but his ideal stands. WE ARE KOU, WE ARE KOU, WE ARE KOU!!!"

The chant would carry on, spreading from forces as the words would ring through the battlefield. They had a damaged and noticeable supply route. They set up their forces but the battle was far from over. A sour taste would spread among every battle participant. While tides have been altering and shifting, this was not the last nail in the coffin. For unknowingly these two monstrous armies would soon clash one last time.

Rewards will be in next post, good job everyone. You may continue plots aspects in any way you which with your captured npcs.

“Of course, I know that much, milady.” The black haired man would chuckle before he walked away from the blue haired woman, didn’t intend to torture the captured general to dig some information. In fact, he would see if Emperor Yoshiro would want to talk to the prisoner first or not. Although he was not entirely sure if Shen would speak up even if it was the emperor himself that demanded the information. As he walked, he could hear some kind of chant from the side of the battlefield, possibly came from where Lu Ban was battling the opposing force. He wondered if the old man won the battle, but was pessimistic when the scout came back with devastating message. Lu Ban had been injured severely, disfigured and was taken as a prisoner. Oh well, he guessed it was kind of like an eye for an eye since he took their general as prisoner as well… but he was sure they wouldn’t kill Lu Ban yet… for now.

He would walk towards the area where the construction workers had been working hard, noticing that they lost some good men. It was inevitable though, but perhaps small sacrifice was necessary to win a war… Not something that the swordsman was proud about though. “All of you did a good job, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart to do your best to finish the construction.” Tenma would bow a little bit towards the workers and gave them a salute by placing one of his hand on his chest. “Now please, get some rest, celebrate if you must.” It must be tiring to try and stay focused during the battle in order to finish their task and to survive as well, so it was only fair if Tenma showed his gratitude to them and would let them to celebrate it.

“Oh yeah, please help the mercenary to transport the supplies and make sure we have enough supplies for the next phase.” The swordsman would say to some of his soldiers, before encouraging them to get some rest when they could. He wanted them to feel the ease a little bit and let them lift their burden. As for all the fallen ones, he could only provide them with a proper burial and pray for them so they can rest in peace… After that, the swordsman would stay near the fort that moment though, wanting to defend the fort that would be their key of victory…hopefully.

 

The Shadow King

Adrastos sneered at the chanting soldiers, but said nothing to them. If only they knew what was in store for them… With a wave of his hand, the magician signalled his troops to fall back. Despite not taking the construction or destroying it, he did take their general. Many of his troops looked at Adrastos in disbelief, their eyes glimmering with anger that he’d dare choose to retreat. Most stood in their place, defiant.

“We’re leaving. Now.” Adrastos mounted Sahara, placing the captured general behind him like a sack of potatoes. The man had been gagged and tied up so there was little he could do to resist. Once again signalling his troops to move out, he flicked the reigns of his mount and lead the way.

After they retreated, one of the men that served under Adrastos stormed toward the magician in rage. “Why did we leave?! We could have taken them! We could have won the battle and yet you retreated and took a prisoner!” He took his helmet off and threw it to the ground. With an accusing finger, he pointed at Adrastos, “You are not fit to lead! You are not worthy to serve under The True Emperor! You should be killed for your weakness!” Dismounting, Adrastos patted the dirt off his clothes and straightened his equipment in silence. He then turned and smiled at the soldier. “Tell me,” he said calmly, “What’s your name?”

“Wei Zhon.”

Adrastos nodded. He chuckled as his gaze lowered to his boots. For a moment, the other soldiers joined in, as if the magician’s laughter was a plague. The silver-haired man grabbed Wei Zhon’s throat, squeezing tightly. “They don’t know it yet, but they’ve been crippled. We have the general, yes, but do not confuse my actions for weakness,” he hissed, leaning closer to Wei Zhon’s face as he struggled to breathe. “He’s much more valuable alive, especially if we can stain his pure gold heart obsidian. Think of it? The man who holds so true to his ideal and spread them among his men is broken and let loose on the very men that praised his so-called ideals.” A wild looked danced in the magician’s cold silver eyes. “Drowning him in darkness will surely be pleasant… I can just imagine his screams… His blood soaking his clothes… his pleas for mercy as I continue to slice and dig into his psyche… Tearing him apart from the inside out until Lu Ban no longer exists…”

The magician threw Wei Zhon to the ground. His eyes solidified into an icy stare. “You want to know weakness? Look at our prisoner, the man who dared think he could end his own miserable life without my permission now in chains. Look at yourself shivering before my feet. You sicken me… Your perception isn’t wide enough to see the big picture. This battle isn’t the end. Can’t you feel it?” With a spin on his heels and his arms outstretched, Adrastos laughed. “There’s still more to come! The final battle is soon and it’s sending shivers through my spine!”

Adrastos dropped his arms. He regained his composure, straightening his posture and putting on a mask. His eyes looked out at the horizon. Yes, the final battle was soon approaching, but he wouldn’t be there to participate. Somewhere out there… A dungeon stood tall, waiting to be captured by either side. He’d go, as he agreed at the meeting with Emperor Gao Yuan Zu, but there was still a part of him that fumed. Whatever would happen while he was inside, he’d be powerless to move the pieces to his advantage outside. If there was anything that needed to be done, it needed to be in the short window between now and then.

“I’ll go inform the Emperor of our capture.”

The magician snapped out of his thoughts. “No,” he ordered sternly. “He doesn’t need to know. I’ll tell him when the time is right. There are other tasks he must focus on accomplishing.” As if, he thought to himself. Lu Ban is mine. I will make sure he pays for his insolence with my own two hands. “Just tell him the situation has been handled.”

MAGOI: 125/480
STAMINA: 100/200

Combat Log:

Watching her own supplies being transported with Yoshiro's supplies she smile in assurance, but even though they would be separated soon enough she could be content that her men would protect their supplies on the way back to the fort. Her eyes shifted across the battlefield as she dropped her spear fragments into her bag before she would direct the few Azure Raiders she had brought along to keep searching the battlefield. In her head, the Imuchakk woman knew it was time to rip the riches from the lifeless warzone. Her rosé eyes peered down at her messengers as she told them to make sure her men were dividing up and scouring as much of the battlefield for more collateral payment.

The leftovers of the battle would be numerous, so it wouldn't hurt for her to have them farm the enemy remains for herself, especially since Yoshiro's troops would loot the rest. As her men's need would be satisfied soon enough she would lead Hoyo by her side as she began to scavenge the battlefield more personally. In her mind, she had been hoping that her height might give her a better view for something, but regardless she had kept marching forward with her senses peeled out for what was around her. If something had caught her intention she would make sure to overturn it to see if there was anything of value about it.

"I wonder if they brought any weapon's to destroy us with that they might've dropped."

Within her mind, she had begun to think that if there was anything of importance left behind it might be left in a container, or near something important. Her beast would also start walking around more himself, Hoyo would be searching for anything off himself. Even if she was searching for herself Ani knew it was useful to keep looking around the battlefield, anything that might be found could offer some sort of value to her at a later date. This sentiment was obvious in her as she would studiously investigate anything that seemed off as she enjoyed the aftermath."I wonder what everyone else has looted." Her mind wondering as she knew herself that she would investigate whatever she might find immediately.