Fourth Floor: Missive

A missive reaches the Scale Emblem Alliance from the Mayor of the fourth floor town, Lord Roswaal L Mathers. It explains that he has to travel for a while, and that there has been a strange sighting of dangerous beasts around his mansion. He wishes for the Scale Emblem Alliance to safeguard the town while he is away on business - as a good faith gesture towards his people.

Liminality
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

The night has fallen upon the region of Rovia. The peaceful venician-like town is overcast. There are oil lamps in the streets that line the surroundings of the peaceful human town. Those here today have been requested by the Mayor of the town himself to please protect his people. That strange and dangerous creatures have been spotted in the forest near the town itself - to the east.

They've been warned to keep an eye out for dangerous hounds of some sorts. At least, from the rumors, that's what is going around. They've largely kept seperate from the people that live here - all humans - as other species are not exactly welcomed in Rovia. They've been warming up to the Scale Emblem Alliance, but it's been a slow process at best.

The light of the town flickers behind them, casting dangerous shadows in the forest beyond.

There!

In the distance, there's a loud hound like growl. Red eyes stare at those ready to protect the town. But it looks like the hounds are moving in a wider formation. Trying to outflank them and stretch them thin enough that they could easily move into the town itself unless they act quickly.

At this distance, and in this darkness, they can't get a good look at the dark creatures. But they can see their red gleaming eyes clearly.
SpritesHero
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Dangerous hounds? Perhaps that's the reason why Robert is a bit...uhh...over-packed for the day's events. And by over-packed, he appears to have brought a rather large box with him, which lost its seal some time ago and now is now oozing reddish fluids out the bottom. Hey. Coolers haven't been invented yet. Don't judge.

At any rate, amidst the swirl of lightning and fire and earth from the assembled members of Scale, something floppy and a bit stinky flies through the air, landing in the general vicinity of Hound #2 with a disappointing, oozy, 'plop'. It's not particularly well-aimed. And if the sound was disappointing, the now dirt-covered object looks even more so. Yes. Robert just spent his turn wasting a nice, tasty steak by tossing it at the enemy.
Prophylaxis
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

A suspicious lot the Rovians may be, but they are neighbors to the Scale Emblem alliance nevertheless. With relations outside the tower deteriorating in recent months (though they haven't incited a wave in quite a while), the Scale needs as many allies as it can assemble. It just so happens that the Rovians represent one such possibility. Thus, when word came that the Rovians need assistance while their mayor is away, Prophylaxis was quick to give his assent...

And his own personal assistance.

The doctor of Tolbana stands at the ready, with the addition of a cowled cloak to his usual ensemble (in substitute for his usual hat) to reduce prominence of his own bestial features. He needn't cause unnecessary alarm, after all, and his appearance is easily disguised as long as he remains at a fair enough distance. They can learn of his (avatar's) non-human nature in due time.

"Get ready," he says as the growling of hounds in the dark splits the evening calm. "We've got company." Red eyes blaze in the haze, and Prophylaxis is quick to respond. Stabbing his staff into the earth, a rat's nest of snake-headed vines erupt from the ground and surge toward the lurking shadows, seeking to impart a healthy dose of poison. Always start with your DoTs, every good DPS knows, unless you've got a big ol' long-cast-time nuke to dole out first...!
Setsuna
Aincrad Tower: Rovia


    You know what freaks out a xenophobic human more then non humanoids, a humanoid who has a monster leg for a leg and walks around with monsters following him. Here he is though, with the puppy running around his feet and his skeleton bodyguard. So if they residents kept there distants from the normal members, then they definately stayed away from the necromancer. However monster's were his specialty so here he was, and he watches the eyes. " I should have brought Roki, would have been fun for him. " Crouching down by his puppy he pets it , now the thing was definately growing in to its muscles and size, now about the size of a full grown collie. As Setsuna pets it to calm them down, he specifically pets on on the head. "Ok , now then I know you've been working on this just aim for the eyes. " Setsuna helps but with the right channeling the head on the left sends out a blast of electricity towards the hounds. "There we go you got this."
Schneider
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Schneider is here in his new coat, and looking keyed up and ready to fight. He's accomplished a few chores and personal projects since the tower raid, but hasn't been doing a lot, otherwise.

So, Schneider is here with the Scale group, patrolling the streets and guarding against myterious evil hounds. "Tai-to-ro! Blow this enemy away!" he casts. This looks bad, there's certainly a lot of red eyes, but to an exploder wizard, that just means it's a target-rich environment, and aiming is optional. "ANTHEM!" He aims anyhow, just out of habit, but with so many targets out there, it kind of doesn't matter /where/ he hurls huge amounts of hellfire into the darkness.
Kita
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

With other species not exactly being welcome in Rovia, Kita has decided to add a cloak to her usual attire, wearing the hood up over her ears and horns and hiding her wings beneath it. She's no stranger to people treating her differently because of her appearance, or because of... other traits, but that doesn't mean that she'll turn aside a call for help, either.

The mage pushes her glasses up her nose, squinting into the darkness. The shadows make things difficult to see, at least at a distance, but those red eyes give her an idea of where the beasts might be.

"Let's see if we can shed some light on the situation." She traces a few runes into the air, each one going up in flames before she sweeps her hand out, firing a bolt of elemental fire towards one of the groups of monsters, hoping to offer better vision to the others.
Liminality
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Robert's stinky oozing 'steak' flings through the air. Flopping into the dirt, followed by a few flies. It's pungent! But, it seems to attract something! Running from within the forest, a small puppy suddenly darts out, lacking the red eyes of the other hounds, and begins to chomp on it. Peacefully nomming on the thing. Nom nom. It looks like some kind of adorable Rottweiler.

It seems to ignore all the magic that sails over its head. The earthen snakes sail around it, slithering into the forest. There's the painful 'kai-kai-kai' sounds of doggy whines. Lightning blasts into the forest not moments later coming from Setsuna's position, clashing against some of the lines of trees, revealing their bodies - or at least their silhouettes! Red glowing along their flanks, they look like the size of regular wolves. Yet with spikes along their spines, and upon their noses!

The lightning clearly hits some of them, but more red lights quickly show, as the hounds divert to the sides. However, hellfire catches them and cuts them off! Blazing through their front ranks, eradicating a few of them, and diverting them to come straight out from the forest!

Dark bodied at the top, brown at the bottom, the hounds sprint straight for the Adventurers at top speed. Only for Kita's flames to catch more of them on their approach as they encircle their position. There's quite a few of them. And while they don't seem to be too dangerous on the health side, their speed is only picking up now that they are outside of the forest!

They jump to the air, and try to get into melee range with anyone that isn't moving fast enough. Biting at their legs and arms. Some of them going for peoples' throats. Their visciously sharp bite far more dangerous than their health would imply!

Wolgarm It seems to indicate on each and every one of them.
Kita
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

As many know, up close and personal combat is not something that sits well with Kita. As one of the hounds bites down onto her arm, she thwaps at it with her spellbook in a way that is less about damaging them and more about surprising them enough to pull her arm free.

"Back off!" She shouts, but there is a flash of real fear in her eyes as she takes a step back, her pulse already kicking up a few notches in the process.

It is pure instinct that has her lashing out with a powerful blast of dark energy that wraps the monster that attacked her in an orb of inky blackness. The attack lashes out, making sure it is hard for the creature to defend itself from the attacks that surround it.
Schneider
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Schneider actually blocks the charging hounds with his sword, holding it out so that the biting hounds bite down on steel. Up close and personal is all the same to this hybrid caster. But it gives him more time to attack, which he needs, it seems, as blocking has taken up more time and effort than he expected. On the other hand, there's a bunch of devil dogs that are bleeding from the mouth as he casts, "GUNZENRO!" and launches horrible fire and flames all over the monsters that are attacking him.
Setsuna
Aincrad Tower: Rovia


    Setsuna is so proud of the puppy as he continues to pet it and all. " Yep yep, by the time you are full grown we will have you managing fire , electricity and maybe even darkness. Then we can find you something to guard and you will be a super happy cerberus yes you, will. " He is even giving belly rubs , or so it sees as the wolfgarm leaps through to attack them and find that it was all an illusion. Oh yeah the puppy is getting belly rubs, but off to the side, out of harm way. The wolfgarm that did come at him is met with the nightmare of all canines, the bone they chased all their life has grown back to a full skeleton and is now trying to fetch the Wolfgarm's head. Setsuna is in a bit more heightened sense as he felt something just now and looks at the puppy. "Stay close and if you bite me it's ok." Looking about he is still concerned, " I think this may only be round one."
SpritesHero
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

The steak had been meant as a distraction for the monster-dogs. That was the plan. The plan did not work. The plan, in point of fact, backfired. There's a long, drawn out 'Dawwwwwwwww' from Robert who loses precious time cooing over that damnably adorable Rottweiler puppy. His brown-eyed gaze melts in adoration, turning positively (if metaphorically) gooey.

He's roused from his reverie by a snarl and a flash of teeth. "Gah!" he exclaims, rapidly propelling himself backwards amidst a path of flame. He thunks into his crate of steaks (managing to set them on fire), half-flips half-somersaults over it (accidentally), and ends up on the ground, on his back, butt in the air. As his hands slap against the dirt, the earth trembles, ominously, aiming to disrupt the footing of any oncoming devil-dogs.
Prophylaxis
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Well.

That is an absolutely /adorable/ little pupper dogger, and to be quite honest Prophylaxis feels almost bad about siccing a bunch of poisonous earth-snake-vines at its parents. This feeling lasts for about five seconds, which is about as long as it takes for said parents to emerge from the woods and reveal themselves.

They're... kind of awful. What kind of monster takes a perfectly good dog and covers it in spikes? That completely prevents anyone from snuggling them properly, and without cuddles and pets, a dog is simply not a proper dog!

So, no. He feels absolutely nothing wrong with encasing himself in a frigid wreath of frosty armor the moment one of the beasts goes for his throat. With a mouthful of ice, slowed by the chilling aura, it has no means of recourse when Prophylaxis lifts his hand and places it firmly upon its chest.

...And fills its body with a SHRAPNEL-IMBUED FIREBALL.

...Which sends it flying towards its fellows, a living rocket-propelled-grenade. The moment it makes contact with the ground, the beast explodes, unleashing a fiery blast and a storm of flesh-shredding flechettes...!

"Bad dogs," Prophylaxis scolds, readying his staff again. "No biting. /Bad/ dogs!"
Liminality
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

The viscious hand tears and tries to shake off Kita's arm as it growls. But with a WHACK of her book, she finally manages to get it off of her after taking significant damage from the creature. She's a skilled Adventurer by now. The Landers no doubt would stand no chance against a creature like this!

The night is once again set alite as Schneider calls out for his flames. The horrible flame wreathing around in an arc. Yet they fail to penetrate the darkness coming from Kita, as she retaliates. Her dark orb swallowing up one of the hounds, choking out its life with pure arcane energy while hounds are burnt alive around her!

Setsuna's skeleton comes to live amidst one of the hound's bites, tearing it apart from inside, before it slashes apart another. They hounds keep coming from the forest as the little puppy continues to eat patiently on the steak that was granted to it by HeroSprites...

Before it begins to grow bigger... and bigger...

Howling to the skies as it rises up and its entire form changes! Spikes growing along its tail, as it lashes its body about - some of the spikes firing from the tip of its almost lizard-like thick dark furred tail! The creature easily twice as tall as a human, and with the proportions to match the rest of its fellows!

It jerks its head to the side as one of its fellow hounds is suddenly blasted from the Adventurers, as that shrapnel-fireball blasts it apart and the flaming pieces jab into some of its fellows, making those spikes start to glow with embers, seemingly absorbing his flames!

As it howls, the other hounds howl with it, seeming to be empowered by the central one! Even if the hounds are having their footing disturbed, they quickly rush forward again, trying to attack everyone. Bites getting more focused towards the source of their magic and weapons. Setsuna's skeletons ignored in favor of attacking his Cerberus Pup!

All while the Shaman Wolfgarm rushes right for SpritesHero, who stinks of rotting meat, and tries to devour him right where he stands!
Kita
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

It seems that the sphere of nightmares is not enough to discourage the hounds from coming at her, especially as they seem to grow more bold with their attacks. As one leaps towards her, Kita raises her book in defense, but it seems that she doesn't have the energy to raise a proper shield. it's likely she's been investing too much energy into other things to be quite as capable a fighter as she normally would be.

Just as the teeth are about to sink down, one of Setsuna's skeletons ends up moving in the way of the attack, being turned into a chew toy, instead. Gasping, the girl steps back, shooting the necromancer a surprised look before nodding her thanks. "I owe you one."

The poor Imp is still trembling at just how close the attack had come. Trying to gather her wits together, Kita forms a ball of darkness between her hands, her fingers holding it still before she launches the mass of dark energy towards the gathering of monstrous canines, still trying to back up and put some distance between them and herself.
Schneider
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Schneider is in close combat, magic shield providing for his defense as he uses his flaming sword by laying about him crazily and eagerly. His intimate attunement to Fire is more importand than his skill with normal swords, smashing everything closeby with thousands of degress of raw hellfire. He's been avoiding their attacks, and so his confidence is rock solid for the moment, smashing and burning all about him with abandon.
SpritesHero
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Fat crackles and sizzles as those "steaks" blister under the heat of their flaming, former crate. Robert is just about to get to his feet once more when he is immediately bowled over by one very enthusiastic, but perhaps not exactly friendly Shaman-monster-devil-dog. He manages to get an arm up. His left arm, which is abruptly clamped down on. Eh, better his arm than his head. "Ow! Mother F..."

His free arm shoots out to the side, gloved fingers scrabbling through hot coals to retrieve a now medium-rare steak. "Nightmare sphere!" he shrieks, banging the dog hard on the snoot with the t-bone, then jamming the whole darkness-enhanced (but delicious smelling) steak down its throat. Probably hoping it's large enough to choke the dog. It's...a novel strategy for debuffs, one supposes.
Setsuna
Aincrad Tower: Rovia


    Setsuna's mind is everywhere, in the fight, in the puppy's head, in the skeleton's head. The guy is managing it somehow as a dark aura wraps around him and the puppy and he uses the enhanced evasion skill to move himself and the puppy out of the bite range of the wolfgarms and is continuing to keep away. Unfortunately others are not that lucky as he looks at the skeleton and sends it towards Kita to be the real bone shield. Watching the HP drop in his status he is fortunate that the pain isn't transfered or his concentration on all this would be at risk. With a large leap back , cerberus in hand, he drops to a knee and places his hand on the ground. "I curse those that would harm us, and bind it to you through the shadows. " As the curse is invoked the shadows climb up the wolfgarm's body, till they settle in leaving the magical black tattoo of the thorned plants on them.
Prophylaxis
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

What the heck, you can't even give these doggos treats without them mutating into some kind of horrible super-monster-dog. What kind of nightmare scenario is this!?

And Kita's getting eaten alive. Setsuna intercepts the attack with the most appropriate of distractions (dogs love bones, skeletons are made of bones, qed), no instructions necessary. Prophylaxis approves, which is more than can be said for the behavior of these extremely mischevious (some might say 'evil and bloodthirsty) beasts. "It seems to be able to eat magic... Or absorb it? That's troubling," Prophylaxis murmurs, his brow furrowing at the strange behavior of the newest addition to the Wolfgarm pack. "Careful, everyone. Let's clear the area a bit first, eh?"

The magus raises his staff. Twin horns mounted to its headpiece stirr the air, as the scent of ozone begins to sting even in the noses of those standing several yards away. Static electricity tickles at the nape of the neck, at the hairs of the forearms and at the crest of the brow as a chill wind blows and howls through the apertures of Stormsong's shaft. "Come," Prophylaxis commands, as dark clouds roil in the heavens above. "LIGHTNING!"

The world flickers white and gold, shafts of light shattering the oppressive dark as bolts of electric fury come crashing down from on high, smashing into wolfgarm after wolfgarm after wolfgarm. Only after the cataclysmic deluge of electricity ceases does the thunder finally arrive, almost deafeningly loud, as if to scatter the lingering motes of dissolving beast-bodies.
Liminality
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

A skeleton interferes, placing itself between Kita and the Hound, letting it bite into its bone. Tearing its body apart as another grabs for its leg. Another for its head, and it gets torn apart before her very eyes. The remaining hounds take a moment to pause before turning towards her -- only for a swelling ball of arcane energy to overwhelm them. Subsuming their bodies into its rotating purple-and-black self, devouring their skin off of their bodies, turning their bodies red as they slowly get swallowed up as if an acid was wearing away at their bodies! Erasing them from existance.

As another is about to jump to Kita, Scheidner gets in the way, hewing it apart with a slashing downwards strike of his blazing blade. Carving through it and leaving a line of red that divides it neatly in twain. It shatters into light behind him, before another two cuts wave flames across the battlefield, eradicating two more before him! Part of the blaze reaches the hound that is assailing SpritesHero, causing the massive Shaman Wolfgarm to get knocked a bit to the side. This causes the darkness infused T-bone to get stuck, but the magic to get dispelled by its glistening saliva!

However, that T-Bone remains stuck, as it tries to bite its massive bite down. Slowly tearing it down, moving to get it towards its teeth, while flinging its head to SpritesHero to knock him to the ground!

To the side, lightning illuminates from the skies, creating flashing lights that cover the region. At the same time, Setsuna's curse lifts from the earth and envelops the Wolfgarms, right before it begins to spring rapidly from one to the next. The repetitive crackling of lightning perfectly linked with the Thorn Vines to set them off, causing detonations of light throughout the arena.

It looks like the Wolfgarms fall for a moment... only for the Shaman Wolfgarm to suddenly lift its head, and howl once more. Some of the light stops disappearing in a way that is almost reminiscent of Prophylaxis' miracle gem. The hounds sticking at the last bites of their HP. Their bodies shaking. Their legs barely moving. Taking in deep breaths, panting, before they return on the attack. One of them is just about to reach Kita's neck - she can feel the heat of its maw right there...

RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE-CRUNCH!

As an enormous ball of metal crushes into its body, ripping its body apart along with the hound that was right next to it. Light flares as a blue haired girl steps forward with a glowing red horn, reeling in the weapon by the enormously long chain with the ease of handling a yoyo. The blue haired young woman staring in anger at the hounds... and HOWLS at them! Her blue eyes set on the Shaman, before flinging her chain at it. The massive Shaman quickly moves to the side, but it is still slowed by SpritesHero's debuff, causing the chain to slam into its side and push it to the side.

The young woman in the black and white maid uniform doesn't speak. But those who do a quick Inspect will note her indicator being that of a Lander; Rem.

The Wolfgarm Shaman growls and changes target, turning and trying to get back into the forest, while the other Wolfgarms rush the Adventurers. Biting at their ankles. Some of them starting to exude strange sounds from their bristling spikes, which starts to interfere with the magic in the area, making it just a bit harder to get their spells to activate!
Kita
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Kita has never owned a dog, and perhaps this is a good enough reason for her to never change this fact. So far, the beasts have gotten far too close to her for comfort. The fact that they seem to be defeated, at least in that instant, seem to give her a momentary look of relief, but it doesn't last long.

The next moment, one is chomping at her neck, only to be blasted by a weapon attack from the strange, other blue-haired girl. Well, it is one more time that someone else has pulled her ass out of the fire, tonight.

Kita stares for a moment, perhaps just a little surprised to see a pretty girl being quite so bad-ass. Let's be honest, that sort of thing appeals to her. Somewhere in her head, a chibi version of Jurou appears and thwaps her for wandering eyes. "Right... focus."

The girl draws out a bit more arcane magic, forming it into a swirling ball of elemental magic, tinged with darkness, tossing it towards the hounds. "Go down and stay down!" She shouts.
Setsuna
Aincrad Tower: Rovia


    Setsuna looks at the creatures for a moment as they should have all fell down. " I am starting to notice a theme here pup, death is becoming less and less effective against monsters. " Setsuna turns and looks for his skeleton, but the damn thing has gone and fell apart on him. Probably for the best as the weapon that maid is wielding is probably powerful enough it would have killed both his skeleton and Setsuna himself had it struck. "Ok pull yourself together and get back in the fight." Setsuna tries to channel enough magic into the knight's remains to pull it back together, unfortunately their are pieces scattered and missing. It will be a fun puzzle for later however it seems today Setsuna and the Cerberus puppy will have to finish it without their bodyguard.
Prophylaxis
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Just as it seems as though they might have a relatively... 'mundane' is perhaps not the right word. 'Straightforward' is perhaps more accurate. Just as it seems as though they might have a relatively 'straightforward' encounter, the Wolfgarm shaman howls... and its fellows rise from the brink of death. They're on their last legs, but how many times can their leader repeat the process...?

Prophylaxis whispers a curse and lifts his staff as if to attempt another spell, when suddenly an absolutely ridiculous ball and chain erupts out of the dark and shatters two of the hounds in an instant. Prophylaxis double-takes at the sight, following the attached chain to find...

"...You..." he gapes at the screaming woman, "You're one of the maids from the mansion. What the devil--"

She's in no mood to talk. Everything is thrown into chaos, with balls and wolves flying this way and that. But Prophylaxis knows now how dangerous monster-leaders can be if they're allowed to escape, to learn from their encounters. He does not feel particularly like letting /this/ one slip the noose.

The shaman turns to run, and Prophylaxis is hot on its heels. He whips his free hand out to his side, a silvery tendril snaking out from his wrist. With a shout of exertion, he cracks the tentacle at the shaman's heel...

Where it buries into its ankle, and injects... Well.

There are many poisons that the Doctor of Tolbana has developed in his time, and this one is a particularly brutal one. The beast has already taken a number of wounds, and the Sanguine Lamia is intended to infect each and every one with a powerful bleeding effect. "You're not getting away," Prophylaxis snarls, "Not if I have anything to say about it!"
SpritesHero
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

SpritesHero thunks to the ground once more, dazed, arm speckled with crimson light where the shaman hound's teeth found purchase. He recovers quickly, popping to his feet, his rapidly narrowing-eyed gaze scanning the ranks of monsters for wherever that durned dog went to. He deflects an incoming dog--with his fist, into the ground--before finding his target. Well, technically Prophylaxis found the target, and just sort of...highlighted it. With his distinctive style.

Works for Sprites. He can help with whatever it is Proph is doing. "Thorn bind hostage!" he announces, slamming his hands into the dirt and sending tendrils of dark vines towards the shaman. Notably, they're a bit -lacking- when it comes to thorns. Somebody's still pulling his punches.
Schneider
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Schneider carves out the bad doggos, one by one, slashing and smashing and burning them back, fending them off as they swarm and attack. None get /too/ close, though he's dancing among them in what seems like a worrying way, for most wizard types. But he's not a regular wizard type, is he?

He attacks with his flaming sword, smashing and slashing freely as he turns quickly around, turning, smashing, reacting, blasting the bad guys, or bad dogs, anyhow, until they're fleeing. Like Proph, he feels letting the shaman run off is a bad plan, so he will run after it, laying about himself with his flaming sword eagerly.
Liminality
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

The horned blue haired woman moves closer to the 'revived' hounds and swings her flail down. The spiked ball impacting on one, while the chain follows through, coming down hard enough to cut off another one that was trying to move upon Schneider. The rattling of the chain keeps sounding through the area, as she swings the ball about, cutting off the path of one of the hounds while Kita's elemental dark magic is thrown to that very one. The blast hits it into the side and tears through it, lining into another one right behind it like Kita were shish-kebabing it!

The ball and chain then suddenly comes down right near Setsuna's Cerberus, as Rem seems to confuse it for another monster that is attacking. No doubt getting a quick reminder from the rest of the Adventurers that the Cerberus is under Setsuna's control and she should not attack it. Which she seems to respond to, that red glowing horn turning brighter for a moment as she turns towards the big one trying to leave.

Her flail snatches it by the leg, dragging it down for just a moment before it gets up again. But giving just enough time for Prophylaxis to get his attack in! The Shaman Wolfgarm is left squirming on the ground, as the poisons inject into its body. Paralyzing it. It starts foaming at the mouth. Rem uses that chance to pull her flail around its leg again, and begins to pull it back into the opening of the field! Thorn Vines starting to bind it down further with Robert's aid, wrapping around it and hogtieing its legs. There is no doubt that the Adventures are more than powerful enough for matters on this floor! And Schneider makes sure of it, using his blazing blade to tear off one of its legs, before having to avoid a bite from the creature.

It isn't long before things in the night grow quieter. The Wolfgarms dealt with, and the Shaman left to their devices. "You should kill it." Rem hisses at the group. "Before it can escape and repopulate its accursed nest."
Kita
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

"I'm with our badass and beautiful savior." Kita replies, making a motion towards Rem as she pushes her glasses up on her nose. "We were sent here to get rid of the danger, and this thing is almost certain to cause more danger if we don't kill it."

She glances towards Prophylaxis, though. He tends to be the defacto leader for much of Scale Emblem, even those outside of his own Guild.

She makes no movement to get any closer than she is, leaving the determination of what happens to the beast to others. Instead, she clutches her spellbook to her chest, using it as a lifeline to calm her racing heart. From the battle, not from pretty girls. Really.
Prophylaxis
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

"Agreed," Prophylaxis says as his tendril retracts into the gauntlet on his arm. "In all respects. This creature and its ilk are threats to our friends in the region, and we were tasked with protecting Rovia in the absence of Mayor Roswaal. I don't like the idea of having to root out a monster-leader capable of bringing its fellows back from the brink of death. Sounds like an absolute nightmare, almost as bad as the goblins on the fifth."

In other words, Prophylaxis gives his assent. Besides, he has suspicions that Setsuna has a bone (or a few dozen) to pick with this particular beast.

"Rem..." The doctor asks, turning to the maid. "I'm... impressed? Also, surprised. Good job! And thank you kindly for the timely assistance."
Setsuna
Aincrad Tower: Rovia


    Setsuna gives Rem a dirty look as the giant ball at the end of her chain almost smashes his pet but all is quickly forgiven as the leg is taken of the shaman. With a moment of it being questioned on what should be done with the shaman Setsuna doesn't hesitate as he draws his knife and walks over to the shaman and then looks at his pup, " Sometimes when people challenge your authority you have to just put down such threats. Like this guy." With that he drives the knife into the shaman's heart to finish it off.
Liminality
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

The red glowing horn begins to recede into Rem's head, disappearing beneath her scalp. The young woman touches over her head, almost like she is hiding it, and then seems to weaken a bit. She drags the ball and chain closer to herself, and drags it over the ground rather than just flinging it around, and looks at Kita with a prim and proper smile.

"Thank you for the compliment. My master wished to ensure the task would be executed properly. Though I believe my interference was not needed." The young woman expresses. She then puts her hands to the edges of her maid outfit and does a curtsy towards Prophylaxis, as he thanks her as well.

She tilts her head to the side and blushes a bit, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear, then begins to /drag/ the ball and chain behind her, back the way she came, from the direction of the mansion. It's not like she has /trouble/ dragging it, but it's clear she's not as powerful without her horn out.
SpritesHero
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Our badass and beautiful what? Robert boggles for a moment. Oh hey. Well -hello- there. There's a gorgeous blue-haired horned lady with a giant....

Squish.

Rem's forgotten rather quickly. Sprites whirls around, boggling at Setsuna with a distinct look of abject horror. He's shocked. Shocked, I say. Positively appalled, in point of fact. Never mind all the other dead dogs--burned, sliced, diced, you name it--that had dotted the meadow before bursting into polygons.
Schneider
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

Schneider has been given the go-ahead, so he piles on the fire. Like, by the bucketload. It seems excessive. On the other hand, this is Schneider and Fire, excessive is par for the course. Possibly gratuitous. He doesn't want to leave this particular villain alive. And leaving it to threaten the village sounds like a bad plan also.
Prophylaxis
Aincrad Tower: Rovia

"Well, I'm glad to know that we measure up to and perhaps even exceed his expectations," Prophylaxis says with a good natured smile as Setsuna MURDERS A DOG MAN. "Ah, but--" Rem's horn disappears. That wasn't there before either, and now... her incredible strength seems to have diminished.

...What /is/ she...?

"...Well, well done, everyone," the doctor says to the others. "Shall we escort miss Rem back to the mansion before taking our leave? Not that I expect she'll need our help, but I figure we should at least return the courtesy she provided us."