Dragon's Dance

With a sigh, Brianna would rotate her shoulders a few times, adjusting to the weight of the clockwork wings that were attached to her back. She’d yet to truly master the unique device but there was no better way to test them than in the middle of a fight and the brunette slayer knew that she was in for one today. In fact, it was precisely what she wanted. A chance to unleash some of the immense amount of frustration that had built up inside of her. Nothing had gone right since she’d returned home, having received a letter from her father that had caused her to return to Ca-elum, forcing her to take a leave of absence from the guild that she’d only just joined. What did she find when she got home? Her family’s shop in ashes with no sign of her father. She damn well knew what had happened but not one of the locals gave her any information, claiming ignorance and slamming the door in her face. An outcast, as she’d always been, in her own homeland. So, in her anger and grief, she’d gone to the local guard station and tried to get an answer from them. They told her that some of her fathers crafting materials had caught alight and started the fire. It was complete bullshit and Brianna told them so, informing them of the threat to her own life that she had received during her time in Fiore, a threat that had come directly from the higher ups of the country. That was where things had gotten heated and she’d gotten so close to losing it completely, so close to attacking the guards in their own barracks. They told her to simply get a grip and leave which she finally did although she slammed the door so hard that it flew off its hinges and landed in pieces on the ground. They were useless and the Sabertooth mage couldn’t help but be suspicious of them too. Who could she truly trust among her own country folk? No one. That was the honest answer.

Her search for her father had sadly not provided any answers and even now she didn’t know of his fate. Was he still alive or had he been killed by those who wished her and her family harm? The not knowing was the worst part and so she was stuck in limbo, unable to grieve properly and move onwards. All she could do was live day by day and at least try to do some good, even if she felt anything but inside. She was still a member of Sabertooth after all and the promises that she’d made when she’d been accepted were just as important to her now as they’d been made when she’d made them. Her father would want that and her pride would never allow her to go back on her word.

Which was what had led her to where she was now, standing in a tent, preparing herself to battle the forces of Pergrande. A country that she had little love for due to their horrible treatment of mages and whose offer she’d swiftly turned down when they tried to coerce her into aiding them. The thought of fighting for a nation who despised her kind made her feel physically sick and the brunette hybrid slayer had turned them down without a second thought. The recruiter had become rather hostile after that, so much so that Brianna had ended up having to give him a dose of reality or in her case, a swift punch that had knocked the fool on his ass. The people of Bellum had been far more hospitable towards her and the brunette had willingly joined their side instead, appreciating the welcome. Apparently, there was quite a force on its way and the dragon slayer was more than happy to do her part and take a few of the Pergrande scumbags out.

Walking across to where her blades were resting, Brianna would swiftly attach them to her hips, Ventum Arctica on her left and Dwarf Basher on her right. They would surely both be needed and the slayer had done some extensive training when it came to dual wielding. Two blades of ice, to add to her already broad collection of slayer elements that she was still becoming accustomed too. It had only been recently that she’d managed to acquire her second lacrima and the limits of it were still rather unknown to her. The name of it was ominous enough and she was certain that she could start to feel the elation for combat that the dragon must have experienced when fighting. Her pulse was already starting to quicken just by the thought of battle and as she briefly closed her eyes, she could’ve sworn that she could see the War Dragon himself in her mind's eye. Yet, his lust of battle was kept in check by her Antique Dragon, the source of her first magic. Together, they seemed to be in harmony inside her, which she was definitely thankful for.

“Brianna!” A voice suddenly yelled from behind her, “The Pergrande forces have reached us!”

Turning, the hybrid slayer found herself face to face with a rather young looking guard. He was clearly nervous but there was a fire in his eyes, one that would no doubt be in hers too.

“Then let’s give those fuckers something to worry about!” she replied, following him out of the tent.

As she walked towards the large gate, her form would become covered in copper coloured dragon scales, while her hands would turn to claws and a pair of horns would appear atop her head. Inside, the brunette could feel the souls of the two dragons whose powers she’d inherited burst to life. The time had come to put the Pergrande bastards in their place and the moment that the attackers came into view, the teenager would take off and dart towards them while the soldiers of Bellum followed close behind. The battle had begun.

(1013 Words)
(1013/4000 TWC)

Imperial Army Recruit x3
Imperial Army Officer x14
Imperial Guard x2

The member 'Brianna Tano' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Gunfire was what awaited them and Brianna had to swiftly activate one of her wings abilities, by rotating her shoulders, in order to get in close enough before she was shot down. There were three opponents at first, looking identical from one another, spraying and praying in the area in front of her. They didn’t seem to be the most accurate of gun wielders but they fired so many that it was hard for her to get into her preferred range. The soldiers behind her quickly took cover as best they could, giving her covering fire which was useful, forcing the Pergrande troops' attention to be split. The brunette had never liked guns particularly, preferring the feel of a good blade but there was little she could about it now and so as she flew down towards the three, she made pistol gestures with her fingers and unleashed a barrage of red hot coal bullets. Her attack was more potent than the recruits and the bullets struck their marks, scorching through the armour of her foes and causing them to reel backwards. Still, they continued to fight despite the pain although their aim seemed to become even worse because of it. Taking advantage, she’d then start to spin, releasing a large amount of cogs and metal shards from her wings that tore towards her enemies, striking them again and knocking the three completely off their feet.

That was her chance and dropping to the ground, Brianna would quickly charge towards the fallen gunners, her claws prepared for close combat. The three would try to scramble out the way but one of them was rather slow on the uptake, only managing to get back to his knees before the slayer was on him, delivering a rather nasty strike of her knee to his stomach, followed through with a slash from her claws. He collapsed to the ground afterwards, out for the count. Brianna did briefly pause though, watching as his helmet rolled off, revealing the face of a boy who was about the same age as her. He didn’t look ready for combat at all and the brunette couldn’t help but frown. Just what kind of monsters would send unprepared children into battle? The country of Pergrande were clearly even more cowardly than she’d thought they were. It caused her blood to boil with anger and as her enhanced senses detected the sound of a weapon being discharged, her mind was yanked back to the matter at hand.

Rolling out of the way of the bullet flying towards her, Brianna would open her mouth and unleash her Antique Dragon’s Roar attack, resulting in a powerful blast that struck the recruit hard. So much so that he was lifted off the ground and hurled backwards, landing with a large thump on the ground. Disorientated, he’d try to scramble back up to his feet but the Ca-elum was soon there, kicking the gun out of his reach, before a second kick was launched across his face, knocking him unconscious and out of the fight. She was under no obligation to end the lives of these poor, misguided souls and truthfully, she didn’t actually harbour any dislike for the foot soldiers. It was the leaders who gave the orders, leaders who she couldn’t help but feel were similar to her country's own. The monarchy of Ca-Elum ruled with an iron fist too. The similarities between the two only pushed Brianna onwards.

The third of the recruits, already having seen what had happened to his fellows, seemed far more nervous but even so, raised his gun as Brianna turned to face him. “Mage filth!” He shouted at her. “The people of Bellum deserve to be wiped out if they align themselves with the likes of you! Your kind are freaks of nature and will be put down as such! Die!”

His words cut deeper than any attack could and Brianna trembled with rage at what she’d just heard, her emotions rising quickly to the surface. How often had she heard such words? Not because of her being a mage but because of her family. One who’s fall from grace had been so profound. How often had she been verbally abused simply because of that? Judged and ridiculed, without any effort being made in getting to know her. It had been the norm back home and why she’d taken to the shelter of her father’s smith shop, where she could work without being humiliated and trodden upon. A shelter which was now just ashes.

There was a change in her body language as she approached him, her steps slowing and becoming far more menacing. Steam began to rise from her, the anger of the brunette haired teenager becoming visible for all to see. The ground around her became charred and burned. She seemed to grow in size too in the eyes of the recruit, his eyes moving upwards, his footsteps becoming unsteady. He fired at her in desperation, something that Brianna didn’t even dodge, the bullet catching her on the shoulder, leaving a dent in her copper scales, which only angered her further. By the time she reached him, Brianna seemed to tower over the man.

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence between them, before Brianna unleashed a brutal slash of her claws across his throat, resulting in him crashing to the ground in a motionless heap. Her expression was hidden by the draconic armour but as she furiously turned away and returned her gaze towards the battlefield, a solitary angry tear ran down her face. There was no place for prejudice in the world of Earthland and Brianna would stop at nothing to see its eradication.

“Brianna! Another wave is coming! They’re far tougher than the recruits! We need your aid!” The Captain of the troop she’d been assigned too yelled towards her.

Without hesitation, the slayer would leap back into the air and soar towards her garrison of troops, who were definitely coming under heavy fire. There were at least a dozen more gun wielding soldiers approaching and they looked far more seasoned.

“Stand strong, Captain!” She roared in reply. “We will hold the line!”

(1035 Words)
(2048/4000 TWC)

Enemies Remaining:
Imperial Army Officer x14
Imperial Guard x2

Bullets were flying far more regularly now with this new group of enemies far better when it came to aiming. The number of Bellum troops were falling fairly fast and without any hesitation, Brianna flew right over the top of them and into the fray once more. The words of that fucking recruit were still in her ears and they were driving her into an emotional frenzy. Honing in on a pair of the gun wielding troops, she would draw her two ice blades and dive towards them, receiving another dent into her armour for her troubles. The pain was nasty but she again used it to fuel her powers. Yet, as she swung her blade towards the closest soldier, she felt a horrible twinge from her shoulder, the location where she’d been shot the last time, forcing her to grit her teeth. Her attacks landed though and she caught the man with a powerful double cleave, Dwarf Basher catching him hard, followed by an immense blow from Ventum Arctica behind it. The blades knocked the man off his feet and before his partner could defend him, Brianna turned and delivered a pair of blows to him as well. This definitely attracted attention from the rest of the Pergrande officers and a few turned towards her. Her intent was clear though and she plunged a blade into each of those she’d already knocked down, making sure they wouldn’t return to the fight.

The remainder of her Bellum troops took heart from her example and attacked fiercely, peppering the officers with gunfire and causing them to have to take cover. Brianna made the most of it and pursued, cutting down another of the officers with a pair of attacks across his back, before plunging both blades through his armour, causing him to yell in pain as he fell. She was becoming lost in the elation of battle, her emotions on full display as she darted after a fourth officer. He turned around to fire at her but he just wasn’t quick enough, as the slayer was upon him just a moment too soon. Striking hard, she’d swing her left blade down, catching him in the foot and knocking him off his feet, before finishing him off with his second, straight through his helmet. There was no messing around anymore. These men clearly wanted her and every other mage dead and these were no recruits. They’d climbed the ranks and obviously believed in the policies of their commanders. They would show her no mercy and so she gave them none.

As the bodies started to pile up, the remainder of the officers began to spread out in order to try and make it more difficult for her. Yet by doing so, one of them was caught by a pair of bullets from one of Brianna’s allies and without missing a beat, the slayer would erupt into action, unleashing a dragon’s roar that easily finished him off. They were starting to drop like flies now and with each little victory, the chestnut haired teenager became more and more aggressive.

Pulling Dwarf Basher up so that it was in front of her face, she’d activate its special ability, resulting in the blade to emit a freezing effect and surrounding her in a veil of mist and ice. An officer would take aim at her but the slayer would swing her dwarven weapon, resulting in a chilling blast of wind that froze the man solid. Her men were instantly on the offensive and opened fire, peppering the now frozen figure with bullets, finishing him off.

“Forward men!” She yelled, raising her blade as a rallying cry for her forces.

With a cry in response, the troops would do just that. Ploughing forward as well, opening fire on any target that they saw. The best defense was a good offense, after all and now they were going to prove it, along with the chestnut haired slayer.

(661 Words)
(2709/4000 TWC)

Enemies Remaining:
Imperial Army Officer x8
Imperial Guard x2

The officers left were still firing as forcefully as ever, resulting in a large fire fight between the two forces. For Brianna, it was a little annoying in one way, as it made things more difficult for her and almost resulted in her getting shot by her own men but to see them so energised made up for it. In a flash, she’d use her evaporation ability in order to close in on yet another officer, leaving him looking rather bemused as she suddenly reappeared behind him. He swung his gun around to fire but with a powerful slash from Ventum Arctica, she struck hard at the weapon, knocking it from his hand. She followed up with a double slash across his body, with a mighty kick behind that. Knocking him backwards, he’d be easy pickings for the Bellum troops, who brought him down with a barrage of gunfire.

Moving from one foe to the next, Brianna would then activate one of the secondary effects of Dwarf Basher, allowing her to teleport again and appear besides yet another officer. Just how used to fighting mages these guys were was a mystery to her but they seemed to be easy enough to surprise. He did roll out of the way of her strike though and opened fire, catching her with a blast of bullets that fractured her armour. The bullets were beginning to add up and the pain stemming from her wounds was becoming a bit of a hindrance. There were bullet holes in her right shoulder, abdomen and thigh. The adrenaline helped her fight on but it was becoming a little difficult. Still, she fought on, unleashing a wave of ice from her blade that froze the man solid. Moving forwards, she’d then double slash the ice block, leaving what was left of him in a heap on the floor.

It had to be said that the officers were pretty limited with what they could do and once Brianna had seen one, she’d kind of seen them all. They all had the same rigid style of combat, one that had probably been taught through endless drills rather than actual battle. It did make fighting them easier, however, with the slayer not finding it too hard to find gaps in their defences. Eight of the officers had already fallen and as she leapt up into the sky again and began to spin once more, the remaining six had to get out of the way as her barrage of metal burst forwards. Her men took advantage and pushed even further onwards, starting to cramp the Pergrande forces and putting more pressure on them. The tide had turned completely and as Brianna swooped down and took down another officer with a powerful strike from Ventum Arctica, she began to wonder if these guys were all Pergrande had. Surely they must have more if they wanted to invade Bellum?

Officer number ten was launched into the air by the force of her attack from her clockwings and Brianna swiftly flew up towards him, catching him with a powerful kick that sent him crashing back down, hitting the ground hard. To finish him off, the slayer would then draw a circle with Ventum Arctica, resulting in the area around him to freeze him solid. In fairness, quite a bit of the battlefield in her vicinity was frozen over by now due to her attacks.

It seemed that victory would be theirs soon and as the four remaining officers gamely continued to fight, the slayer darted in towards them to finish them off. However, as she engaged them, a pair of figures emerged behind her troops and began to effortlessly cut them down. Wielding powerful blades and cutting through the Bellum soldiers like a hot knife through butter.

(633 Words)
(3342/4000 TWC)

Enemies Remaining:
Imperial Army Officer x4
Imperial Guard x2

Having to focus on the remaining officers, Brianna wasted no time in laying waste to the four. Dancing and diving around the battlefield, evading their powerful bursts of bullets as she tried to get into range. They were accurate but perhaps not used to such a quick moving target and Brianna soon managed to once more teleport beside one of the last four and strike him with a powerful knee to the gut, followed by a flurry of sword strikes that battered through his armour and knocked him out of the fight. Her gaze then swiftly turned to face her next target, who proceeded to fire his entire magazine at her. Having to think quickly, all she could do was try and block and parry with her blades, spinning them around as quickly as possible in order to create a shelter of protection. It worked to a degree but she was inexperienced doing it and she eventually felt another jolt of pain as a bullet struck her in the side. The damage was building up and in her surprise and anger, she’d fire off a powerful blast of draconic energy at him from her mouth, which finished him off.

The final two officers seemed to learn from the last and simply tried to overwhelm her with bullets, again forcing her to try and defend against them as best she could. Her blades weren’t really meant for it but it was a testament to the work put into making them that they were able to do as well as they did. She’d start to move forward, closing the distance between herself and the men until she was right in front of him, before unleashing a powerful combination of strikes against the pair, channeling her Ventum Arctica’s strongest ability, in order to add magical power between its blows, increasing its potency. By the time she was done, the pair were lying motionlessly on the floor, to join their fellow officers. They were the last of them with now fourteen of them laying across the battlefield, alongside the three recruits she’d defeated earlier on.

It was only then that she turned, finding herself face to face with the two guards. Behind them lay the remains of her troops, battered and bloody from the two sword wielding warriors ferocious attacks. Clenching her fists tighter around the hilts of her blades, Brianna would raise them in a combat position, her magical power bursting to life around her. She would activate her Steam Bath ability, which did heal her somewhat but the pain of the bullets was still there. Her anger though reigned supreme and as she tore towards the two, that was what was pushing her onwards. This would be her last fight of the campaign and with that in mind, she unleashed all of her power, tapping into the most powerful of slayer abilities. Force.

The effect that it had on her fighting style was immense and the aggression that she showed was far higher than it had been before. Like the dragon, she’d unleash her full might against the two sword wielders. The clashing of blades could be heard a mile away. It would become difficult to watch each movement through the naked eye as the three combatants fought tooth and nail against one another. The two guards were so swift, moving in the blink of an eye to deliver their attacks and Brianna was pushed to her limits in order to counter them, fighting at a level that she never had before. These were true warriors and as the battle drew on and on, the slayer’s wounds began to mount again, her healing powers not enough to keep them at bay.

Feeling that, Brianna would tap into her magic and unleash her Phalanx attack, causing a massive amount of spikes to burst from her form, penetrating through her opponents guards and causing them both to take a step back. She’d then counter with a frigid blast of ice from her weapons, freezing them to the spot and giving her the time she needed to finish the duel, with a powerful double cleave which struck both of her foes. Their heads rolling off from their shoulders as they both tumbled to the ground. A victory but a painful one for the young chestnut haired slayer..

Her armour spell broke at that point, revealing the wounds that she’d received from the battle. Blood was dripping from her face, body and legs. Her footsteps were unsteady but after taking a final look around the battlefield, she’d look to the sky and unleash a powerful roar towards it.

The day was won.

(777 Words)
(4119/4000 TWC)

All Enemies Defeated.