Bring On The Cavalry [Plot] [Auric/Fayt/Albel]

[faye]

Faye dropped nimbly to the floor, falling into a crouch. Her borrowed Imperial armor made some noise, though there were no guards around to notice. She stood up, taking in her surroundings: she was standing in the middle of a short hallway, deserted, metallic walls on both sides close enough that she could touch them if she extended her arms. The switches on the ground were flashing green; that was good, they'd be red if the alarms were set off . The Scout extended her forearm before her, an blue holographic glove appearing over the armored gauntlet; she twitched her thumb and a map of the facility appeared over it. The intricate hallways were littered with little red spots, though none of them appeared to be rushing to protect the Laboratories against a sudden infiltration; they were just walking about their regular patrols, oblivious. Well, it was no surprise - Faye was an awesome infiltrator. It was one talent she had, among many. She deactivated the Primer's interface and walked to her right, speaking to him over her ear piece. "I'm in. Thanks for making me climb, by the way."

Faye walked to her right, turning around a corner into a long hallway. She needed to get to the Security Room, which wasn't very far from her entry point - she had to walk to the end of the hallway, then right, then left. Auric would be on the lower levels right now, getting close to the Nethicite. She had absolutely no idea how he'd gotten hold of Gabranth's armor, but apparently he had somehow and he was walking around Draklor impersonating the feared Judge Magister. It wasn't fair; she wanted to be a Judge Magister. Instead she was stuck climbing up buildings and wearing this stupid uniform. "Did I mention these armors suck?

[/i]" It was true. The greaves made a really annoying sound when she walked, that stupid skirt got between her legs all the time and she couldn't see at her sides because of the helmet. Plus, it smelled like sweat. If only the Archadian military wore more comfortable uniforms - like the Alexandrians. Now those were comfortable. She'd decided to put up a suggestion for chainmail bikinis when she returned to Aurelis, though she doubted the Weaponmasters would approve.


Feeling a pinch of nostalgia as she thought of home, the Scout walked along the Laboratory, careful not to step on the green circuits that went all through the floor across Draklor, trying to look tall and soldier-ish. There weren't any labs on that level; mainly storage rooms and living quarters. They were deserted at this time, since most guards were patrolling the lower levels and scientist were on their labs doing science-y stuff. She encountered a few guards, though none of them called her attention; someone was bound to notice her when she got nearer the Security Room, though. She'd been debriefed on this place by Auric and then by Cid when she'd been hired for the job; for what she understood, Archades used the facility for weapon development, it was founded and sponsored by the Empire though it wasn't officially part of their war machine. It was a spooky place; it reminded her of the Ark. She decided to direct her thoughts to happier places, and wondered what she would do with all that money once the mission was a success. The possibilities were hard to grasp, specially since they didn't have a currency system where she'd grown up. She supposed she could buy an airship like Auric's with that kind of money; or a fleet. Or she could buy an island, and populate it exclusively with Vieras. She'd make them wear the Alexandrian battle-uniform, while they massaged her back and served her fancy drinks on the beach. Now that was a good investment project.


She reached the end of the hallway, then turned right; this one was shorter and was cut in the middle by another that went both sides. She focused her senses, since she was bound to encounter somebody by now; the Security Room wasn't very far. She had to go past the interjection and then turn left to get to her objective - she was near, but she couldn't be seen now or she'd have to answer questions. And starting a fight would be a pretty bad idea at these point, since the alarms were so easy to trigger. Faye put her back against the wall and turned on the Primer; the map showed two red dots moving towards each other at the left side of the interjection. They met each other in the middle of the hallway, their voices resonating against the walls and muffled by their helmets.

"All clear!"

"Dude, you don't have to say that every time."

"B-but it's protocol!"

Faye risked a peak around the corner; the soldiers were standing in the middle of the corridor, facing each other. The once facing her side would see her if she tried to cross.

"Oh, you're such a tight-ass. Just don't say anything unless there's a problem, okay? I'm sick of hearing 'It's all clear! every five minutes."

"...Yes, sir."

Both soldiers started walking away, the one with the lower rank muttering unhappily.

"...Douchebag."

The officer turned around abruptly; apparently he had heard the insult.

"What did you just say?!"

They were both facing away from her now. Faye took the opportunity to move and rolled past the interjection at top speed; the officer's shout muffled the sound her armor made against the floor and they didn't notice her. She sprinted silently along the corridor, the guards' ongoing discussion covering what little sound she made; Faye wondered if soldiers were universally inept in other worlds, or it was just the ones she'd encountered so far. Aurelian Instructors would cringe.

The Scout stopped at the corner and turned on her map; there was a soldier at the end of the corridor. A teleportation device leading to the Security Room would be right behind him. So far so good.

She wondered how Auric was faring.[/blockquote]

[Auric]

Bring on the Cavalry
withhold the pain

I have to admit, Archades was one of those places you can't just walk into. I've been to Midgar -- been denied access from soldiers who knew not to question their orders and just stop anyone from passing. I never needed too much thought as to get around them, though, but I can tell you now it's fairly consistent in most other places. Archades was kind of like Esthar, few ways in and out with guards watching every avenue of approach, the difference was that you could throw some money around -- invest in a company, a lab, and get yourself on their exclusive visitor lists. Archades was more or less the same... getting into the Draklor laboratory, though? That needed a little thought. You can't get yourself added on to that list of authorized people -- and you can bet that was always our first problem.

That's when I hit upon and idea -- if we can't get on that list, why don't we just be someone who already is?

---

The air-cab was quick to drop him off. Minor arrangements were necessary, but here he stood at the very entrance -- large doors, heavily guarded, clad from head to toe in grey-black armor. A cape fell from his shoulders as his hand clasped his belt. The leather beneath the metal plating was fairly form-fitting. His helmet was patterned and intricate, an intimidating sight. It covered his face in its entirety, the slots for its eyes too small and many would not dare to take a closer look. It was impressive; it screamed of authority and displayed status and power... but perhaps what was the most astounding of its qualities was that it wasn't his own.

Judge Magister Gabranth. The Hound. Of all the many stories that Auric could tell you, how he obtained the full set of armor of the most notable Judge Magister and influential figure in all of Archades without anyone knowing was one you simply wouldn't believe. Faye certainly hadn't. Of course, she was more insistent that he spoke of it to begin with -- Auric, as ever, teased her by refusing to tell how he'd achieved such a feat. It was all in preparation -- he needed a way to get where he needed to without anyone standing in his way, getting out was a different problem in its entirety. Still, he was about the man's height... and despite Faye's desire to be the one walking through the front door rather than scaling the walls, Auric had so eloquently reminded her that the Judge Magister was male.

Go figure the voice on his ear piece wasn't exactly a happy one. "Well, you did say you could climb better than me." he whispered back, wielding their rivalry against her. He kept a straight back, marching forward towards the front door, six guards in total -- four at their posts maintaining watch while two at either sides of the entrance, ready to open the door or deny anyone admittance. He didn't stop. He was, as far as these men were concerned, Judge Magister after all... and so as he showed no signs of ceasing his forward progress both men immediately opened the door. He knew where he was going... unlike Faye, he didn't have the luxury of huddling against a corner or stopping by a wall and pulling out his Primer and checking his datalogs. He'd memorized his route and the passages for each floor, walking into an elevator as a couple of researchers were just coming out. They stood aside and were curious as to his presence... naturally, a visit from the Judge Magister was rarely unannounced.

Time was limited. He knew their disguises would come under scrutiny eventually and his identity would no doubt be first to be compromised. "Yeah, you did." he sighed noticing his muffled and echoed voice beneath his helmet, sounding distinctly like that of the Judge Magister's. "This'd be the sixth time... and that's only since you actually put it on." he grunted, almost amazed at how much she could complain before putting the armor on. "Okay. Here we go." he reported as the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened and he marched out, the same looks following him as he passed. Auric was out in the hall way as he headed for the labs, various scientists and researchers were working on their projects, analyzing data or preparing the next test. He scanned the hall ways and looked for the right supervisor. He didn't want a research lead; such persons were always obsessively possessive of their specimens... they'd throw paperwork and unnecessary amount of verification to ensure everything is above board. Things he really didn't need right now.

The supervisor was easily identified, the one passively observing the other scientists and making sure any explosions were completely expected -- the title beneath the name tag also helped. "Judge Magister! I... to what do owe the plesure of this visit?" he asked politely, as if something was wrong. Of course something was wrong. Auric had clearly forgotten to announce his infiltration. "I come on behalf of the Emperor." he stated. "Your discretion would be appreciated. As would privacy." he stated as the large room was cleared.

"Of course, your honor. What does the Emperor require?"

"The nethicite."

There was a pause, a look of hesitance crossing the supervisor's face as he fumbled for words to delay the exchange. This was no small request, after all... and to have it asked for so suddenly was very much irregular.

"You hesitate? The nethicite will be transported off-site, to be studied upon only when its security can be guaranteed."

"--but, your honor, I've been instructed not to release the nethicite to anyone! This facility is --is secure!"

"History suggests otherwise. The point is irrelevent. The Emperor himself wills it, I am to personally transport the nethicite to safety. Forcibly if need be."

"Uh, of course your honor." the supervisor replied meekly as he approached the contraption which contained both shards of the nethicite. Held in check since their most recent war before the worlds collided, it was the only two their nation held. Invaluable, but horrible. The supervisor opened the frame as Auric ascended the small platform to pull both shards so delicately held out. Curious things to hold such power, objects of obsession; targets of greed. Curious how right now he was taking the darn things. He concealed it within his frame as he turned around and walked out, the man left behind still confused by Gabranth's presence.

"Primary targets obtained." he whispered into his ear piece as he took the elevator up. "Heading to the archive level. Moving on to my second objective. I'll meet you there when you're ready to grab the data."

[faye]

“…Roger. Radio silence.

[/i]” Faye chipped into her earpiece in a hushed whisper, looking at the soldier from around the corner. He was standing right in front of the warping stone that would take her to the Security Room. She’d have to knock him out quietly. She noticed he was wearing a fancier armor than most guards she’d encountered; not a Judge, but definitely elite. Or whatever passed for elite in this place. She supposed the majority of their soldiers hadn't gotten through the world-merging and they'd have to improvise replacements. Faye took a few deep breaths and ran towards the soldier clumsily, as if she was out of breath, making herself stumble just before he reached him; the man instinctively caught her. Faye breathed heavily under her helmet, imprinting a nervous stutter on her voice as she answered the guard’s question.

"Halt! Soldier, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Intruders, sir...th-they got in through the...ventilation system..."

"What?! Why didn't the alarms sound off?"

She noticed the red card pressed under the soldier's sword-belt. She snatched it quickly and slided it under her own as he helped her get up.

"They've been d-disabled. Sir, I have to get to the Security Room. Th-The Judge Magister sent me."

"The Hound...? I heard he was here. Did he have any orders for me?"

"J-just to let me through. Is there anyone else in there?"

"No, maintenance doesn't come here 'till half an hour. What..."

Faye didn't waste any more time and knocked his breath out with a punch to the gut, then grabbed him by the back of his helmet as he doubled over and crashed it viciously against her knee. The guy was out; she caught him before he fell to the floor, carried him towards the waypoint and touched it. She was enveloped by a blue-ish light and her surroundings disappeared, replaced by the sight of a small room full of computers and flickering lights. Well, she'd made it so far. She dropped the guy to the floor unceremoniously, before crossing his face one more time with a punch to ensure he remained quietly unconscious. The redhead walked towards the column in the middle of the room, were all the green cables seemed to lead to. It had to be the security mainframe. There was a screen built in the middle of it, with a card-slot next to it; she slid the red card and the screen went alive with series of blips and strange symbols.

"I’m in the first objective. About to disable security.." She produced a small black device and put it next to the screen; it attached itself magnetically to the column. "This thing better work or I'm kicking your ass." The led on Auric's gadget glowed red for a second, and then turned green; Faye turned her head towards the security lines. They flickered for a moment, as if power had gone down, and then flashed green again. Only now they wouldn’t activate if someone stepped on them. The Laboratory's other defense systems would be disabled as well, including the alarm rigged on the data cores. "Alright, we're clear. Heading to the archives." Before that she walked towards the teleportation stone and gave it a good roundhouse kick; it shattered in half with a surge of electricity. No one would be able to get to the Security Room for a while, which would save them some time if they discovered something was off. They'd probably think it was just the waypoint malfunctioning at first, unless they were already warned. The Scout made her way to the left side of the room and tore out the vent grille on the wall. She took a deep breath, and went into the shafts.

---

Faye stopped to look at her map, the blue-ish glow of her Primer dimly lighting the narrow passages of the vents. She’d been crawling for about ten minutes now, slowly making her way down to the lower levels as she uttered a foul curses into her partner’s ear. Stupid Auric and his fugly Judge Magister armor. It wasn’t fair; she could’ve played a perfectly good Gabranth. She’d just need a device to modify her voice, and nobody would be the wiser. Well, she’d probably need some kind of stilts too, since she wasn’t very tall. And shoulder pads to wear under the armor, and something to make her arms look longer…and some time to practice, so she could walk in that thing naturally. Okay, maybe not. Still, this planned sucked. She shouldn’t be there, crawling through the shafts like a…like a rat. She wasn’t a rat. She was an elite reconnaissance operative, goddamnit. Nations paid billions for her services. Just as she was about to continue crawling, her nose caught a foul scent; the Scout kept her elbow raised in mid-air and cursed loudly. “...Rat shit. Awesome[/i].” She dodged the piece of excrement and continued advancing, letting out a long string of profanities through her teeth. At least it shouldn’t be long now.

Finally, she reached the last interjection; a sigh of relief left her lips and she turned left. The tunnel ended before her, a vent grille just on the end letting through some welcome air on her face. She’d have to be fast; they didn’t have much time. Missing guards might get noticed, and someone could figure out Judge Magister Gabranth wasn’t really supposed to be there at any given moment. She’d like to see their faces once they did, though it’d be best if they were long-gone by then. She almost felt bad for the poor bastards once the real Gabranth questioned them, though then again, they were researching weapons of ultimate destruction. Faye checked her Primer; three red dots, all close to each other. She wondered how would life be for a guard at Draklor Laboratories, and got bored immediately. The Aurelian rolled on her back and kicked the vent down with both feet, then dropped to the room below.

She landed nimbly on the floor and looked around. She was in a small room, with only one door and a table against the wall on her right; there were two guys sitting around it, laid back comfortably in their chairs. The third was standing in front of her, motionless, sporting a tray with three smoking cups of coffee and a matching set of spoons. They all looked at her for a second, their black helmets staring at her with faceless astonishment, then sprung to life with alarm. The two at the table rose up hurriedly, only to collapse back on their chairs as Faye took them out with two silent shots of her gun; the third one dropped the tray and turned to run away. Faye quickly shot at his back and lunged for the falling tray. She caught it just in time, then heard a loud clang and the last soldier hit the floor; she put the trey gently back on the ground and looked up. Coffe-guy was down, unmoving. Her map told her there were no red dots rushing to her position, which was good. The Aurelian got up, evaded the trey on the floor and kneeled over next to coffee-guy’s corpse. She found another card under his belt, just like the other soldier she’d knocked out earlier, this one yellow, and used it to lock the door behind her as she went through.

The archive level was a huge vault, cut into narrow, unpredictable passages by tall, wide columns connected by security cables. She knew each column stored data, which could be accessed through terminals all over Draklor with different levels of clearance; the entirety of the data could be accessed through the mainframe on this floor, which was her objective. The area was heavily guarded; Faye had to move stealthily, passing interjections with rushes of speed when the guards weren’t looking, using her Primer and her senses to plan her moves and avoid patrols. She’d done a lot of exercises like this during her training – only she hadn’t counted with the advantage of a map, and she’d had to avoid flesh-eating Pulsian beasts rather than guards. And guards couldn’t smell you. Faye reached the far side of the room, waited until the nearest patrol was far enough and rushed out of cover, knocking the soldier guarding the door out cold with a solid punch. She opened the door hastily, went through and dropped the guy on the ground, closing the door behind her.

She was in another vault, this one dimly lit. There was a huge terminal on the far side, casting a dim red light. She walked towards it, producing another of Auric’s devices. Like the other one, she attached it next to the screen, and the led started flickering green. “Starting data download[/i].” She knelt against the wall, waiting for the device to finish transferring the invaluable data onto itself. She decided to argue with Auric just to pass the time. “…Oh, I want to discuss our arrangement. I think I deserve a raise, since you got to use the Judge Magister armor. [/i]” She believed she had a point. She’d been climbing and crawling and whatnot since she got there, and all he’d had to do was walk around in that stupid tin-can suit snarling at people. She'd practically done all the work. “Also, I got here first. We made a bet on that, remember[/i].” Actually, they hadn’t, but they made so many bets she hoped Auric would think he’d forgotten. It was a long shot, but she didn't lose anything by trying. The device stopped flickering, the light switched to red and started flickering again. “…You just think about it. Finished downloading, uploading the virus now[/i].” Auric would’ve planted the bomb already and about to meet her there. Then they’d be off, blissfully on their way to the obscene riches that awaited them; and it had been easy as pie.

She just had to think that.
[/blockquote]

[Auric]

Faye was to disable security. He'd told her to do it because she couldn't fit well in Gabranth's armor... among other things it was because the two stones of nethicite were dangerous things to handle. Such objects didn't exist in their world and the idea that a rock was capable of destroying and entire fleet of airships alone was enough to warrant caution. Still, as it fit comfortably in his pocket he knew it required a little something to go off -- and he wasn't about to push its proverbial button. That was the last thing they needed. Still, he did trust Faye; he just wouldn't want anyone else to hold the damn things if he could help it. Right about now, he could imagine she was subduing a couple of guards and having to drag them around to hide their bodies, doing the cool-looking parts of this wonderful slice of infiltration. Also took a little more effort. You had to admit, Auric was a little cruel giving her the more strenuous parts of their mission...

... but it was Faye. And he did so love putting her into these funny situations. "Douchebag" indeed.

The archives were housed on an entire floor, guarded fairly heavily in comparison to the rest of the building. Natural, given the value of the information that was stored there, precisely the reason why visiting this site was so important. A vault, really. Rooms that were contained and could be sealed, repositories of knowledge both in their physical hard copies and digital versions the archives was a target of a great many information dealers and brokers out in the world. Still, the best of spies had little to no way to feasibly go in and out long enough to take anything of value... and truth be told, it would have been the same for their case only they were much more sophisticated in their approach. Much more co-ordinated, too... with the most surprising resources at hand. To both of them, though? This was easy.

As he got out of the lift he moved to one computer and used the catalog to look up which columns held specific bits of data. He wasn't interested in downloading any of it -- that part of the mission was Faye's, and she'd be storing their entire vault's worth of information into a rather small device he'd given her (isn't technology so cool?). Still, as he took into mind the specific columns he moved to the closest one and with a little bit of privacy, yanked open one of its control panels and placed a rather inconspicuous-looking brick on the side before sliding it back in before moving on to the next one while Faye was already reporting in. He knew where she was coming in and watched the hall to make sure no one was going her way... the Primer he'd given her would no doubt serve its purpose but it didn't hurt to make sure.

The bricks were explosives. Powerful things, but with the way this entire floor was built he had to spread it out to be sure. There were many reasons to do so -- blowing this floor would ensure that their data was destroyed if the virus failed to do its bit. They were thorough, that way... especially so given that one was enough to do the trick if placed well... but honestly? He and his partner could do with a little more boom in their lives. But his actions were always calculated; in the event that they needed to cover their escape, it would serve as the perfect distraction for them to get clear. He was just about done when his partner was trying up her cut. Oh, like that ever worked. "Pfft. I had to work to get my armor, hell, I even helped you get yours." he bit back, playing along. Of course he was going to surprise her by splitting their pay into even shares -- a full fifty percent instead of the thirty five she would have normally received. Yeah, believe it or not her attempt to bargain with Auric was that bad. Even worse, she'd even volunteer to pay for expenses -- without even looking just how much that actually entailed.

That is, until a small squad of soldiers were running her way. Great. he thought to himself as he walked behind them...

---

The vault door to the central archive terminal opened, and Faye was greeted with the sight of Judge Magister Gabranth, limp bodies littering the floor around him, with the last guard being subdued with Auric having thrown him right in front of Faye. "Yeah... so, when you were disabling the alarms... did you remember to shutdown the auxiliary systems?" he asked, remembering that he'd specifically told her that disabling the security systems or shutting them off was pointless if she didn't. That the only way to do so was to do that first before putting his device in... or the security would come back online within minutes and in all likelihood go off. Or was he imagining having told her? Great.

And no sooner did he think about it did the alarm go off. "Ohh... that's totally your fault." he accused, grinning as he went. Well of course things never went too smoothly... and before she could even react he took off and made for the elevators, knowing full she'd keep at his heel. It didn't actually matter whose fault it was when the damage was already done, but it was fun to blame each other anyway. "Oh, yeah, it's totally my fault, I mean, it's not as if it was my job to shut off the security systems or anything." he told her as they argued the entire way down. "Tell me you at least...errhem" he stopped as the doors opened. They walked out rather calmly. Auric impersonated the Judge Magister as he ordered some men to search one of the higher floors, the two squads in the foyer immediately complying as they took the lift up.

They were home free, just one more door to pass through before they'd be out and blending in with the rest of the city before Auric froze, spotting a pair of men approaching the door who definitely didn't look like Archadian military. Nor did they seem the kind to be fooled by a his shiny armor.

"Great." he sighed, standing by his partner's side, knowing that the only other method of fleeing just took two squads of soldiers to a higher level.

[Albel Nox]

POST BY ALBEL NOX

!!!

THE WEAK AREN'T WORTH MY WHILE

LET ME SEE YOU SQURIM.

YOU'VE GIVEN IN TO - RECKLESS DARK DESIRES

When the alarms sounded, Albel responded immediately. Of course, his lover had to respond to - to his displeasure mainly because if it was some kind of assassination job, he'd rather not have the other get hurt. However, in hearing where the intruders were, he quickly threw that out the window. He changed his mind; he appreciated Fayt being with him.

Not that he'll ever admit it.

Fayt either was growing fat, which the Wicked didn't notice so quickly ruled that out, was out of shape, (though he knew that wasn't the case) or Albel had gotten even quicker than before. Albel was missing the other next to him, though he was sure the other was following him. Albel rounded a corner, the last defense they held, and arrived, with Fayt, in time.

A soldier and what seemed like Judge Maister Gabranth was trying to make their exit. "Judge Maister Gabranth...how nice to see you again." Albel indicated two things. One, that the Judge had been gone for quite sometime and two, Albel knew him. However, to Fayt there was something wrong with his words. Albel would never address Gabranth as such.

Auric and Faye may have thought they might have a chance to run by them, but any hope would be quickly doused as Albel's good arm took out his blade. "If it were him. Impostor and Intruder...I hope you're not weak." Albel held an almost feral smile. It had been some time since Albel found anyone worth fighting against.

He also knew it had been quite some time since Fayt and Albel fought side by side. This would prove interesting.

[HP=165/165]

D I S C O N N E C T

& SELF DESTRUCT

[Fayt Leingod]

What a wonderful day to have been touring around the top Archadian weapons research lab, huh?

It had been Fayt's idea and request to come. Considering he had been quite familiar with the Aquarian Symbological Weapons Research and Development Lab, an acquaintance that still brought a wry and heartbreaking smile to his face (during that war, and that secretive foray into Glyphian mines for copper ore, he and Albel had faced head-to-head... on opposite sides of the conflict and with opposing morals), Fayt figured he knew at least a bit about magic-based weapons development.

Which, then, hearing the tale of the nethicite had drawn a great deal of interest on his part. Manufacted and deifacted nethicite, their differences and likenesses, and the possibility of refining the former into the latter... he supposed an interest for how such things worked was what made him tick, as it were, to apply his own terminology to himself.

Misfortune did lay down that path for the unfortunate, he knew. Thinking of Dion and of Ameena, the bluenette's eyes began to water, but he brushed the thought and the offending irritation away roughly as he attempted to pay attention to what was going on around him.

As soon as that had occurred, the alarms were triggered.

Upon mere instinct, it seemed, Albel acted, and Fayt was left reeling as his familiar companion took off in the direction of the tripped siren. Usually Fayt would have been faster, but lost in his own thoughts as he had been during this little tour, he had much less of a sense of the area than Albel did; he seemed at home taking a blind corner, knowing the paths he was taking, or so it seemed, while Fayt stumbled along a little less gracefully behind, cursing his lack of a sense of direction all the way.

A soldier pointed them down the left end of a T-section, another three guards behind him, and Fayt took the direction with a grateful nod, knowing that the pair of them were likely the heaviest and quickest forces able to respond to this threat at this time.

Fayt skidded to a stop beside Albel after the last corner, facing an ornately-armored man with a face hidden under his helmet, and to his side a slighter Archadian soldier. Nox named the former with an uncharacteristic politeness. "Judge Maister Gabranth...how nice to see you again."

The bluenette knew the name and the acts associated with it. Upon associating the name with the person before them, he lowered his center of gravity by descending into a more defensible stance, the first step to engaging an enemy.

He knew Albel well enough to not be surprised when the other drew his sword. He did not defer so easily to anyone, even one he had lost to. Thus...

"If it were him. Impostor and Intruder...I hope you're not weak."

There it was. In sync, Fayt drew his own blade, judging the room they stood in. One of the lift lobbies, perhaps thirty feet square... it would be a challenge to keep the structural integrity of the building intact while subduing this pair. Skilled infiltrators never possessed a lack of battle prowess.

"Cocoonian?" he asked, aloud, to anyone really. To have such talented spies... if they were masters of subterfuge, the continent in the sky, then did they already have eyes and ears in Archades? As far deep as watchers detailing the Emperor's every action?

And to know to use Gabranth's disguise; they were far too informed. Which begged the question of how they had stolen the armor, or indeed made such a complete replica that the Draklor scientists and guards had been fooled blind.

All of the hows could be addressed later, once they were in custody, and they could begin understanding just how far deep the fault of inattentive openings ran.

---

[hp=125/125]

[faye]

Faye turned around to see Auric's in his hulking vestment, appropriately surrounded by a heap of defeated enemies. The Scout caught the last remaining soldier by the arm as Auric threw him to her, like he would a football; the terrified soldier looked at her for an instant behind his expressionless black helmet."...Howdy." She punched him in the gut after greeting him and threw him away, joining his fallen comrade at Auric's feet. The exile truly looked intimidating in that armor, cold and powerful, a creature to be feared - that is, until her friend's mundanely familiar voice spoke muffledly out of it. His words made her blink puzzledly.

"...Auxiliary what now?" Then all hell broke loose - alarms started howling from all directions, the security lines turned an ominous deep red and she could hear soldiers running and shouting orders as the facility's infiltration was unveiled...so much for keeping quiet. Faye looked at her childhood friend for a second before taking off, both running as they argued heatedly. He hadn't told her anything about any auxiliary security systems...or had he? She couldn't quite remember. Still, she blamed it all on him...which she did on principle, but this time she was quite adamant. They argued all the way up, stopping only for Auric to use Gabranth's authority to move soldiers out of their way, and eventually they got to the exit.

Or almost. The Scout stopped on her tracks as she noticed the two figures coming in from the door, blocking their way. They had the confidence of elite warriors, the way they unsheathed their weapons in sync making it clear they were used to fighting together; it looked like it was going to be a difficult fight. She immediately discarded the idea of bolting past them - they would either block their way immediately or let them pass and cut them down. Which left the Aurelians in a tricky situation. They would have to fight them straight-up, while Archadian soldiers could burst through the back door at any minute and the bombs planted in the archive level about to blow the building up in flames. One thing was certain - it'd make one hell of a story once they got out.

She noticed their attires didn't look Archadian, though she reckoned they had be pretty high up if they knew the Emperor's Hound. The were also pretty young, though that only meant they would be dangerous if they held a high rank. The brunette's words also told her something else - he hadn't seen Judge Magister Gabranth in a while, which meant he wasn't in Archades....or he was somehow missing. It would explain how no one noticed Auric's little roleplaying act sooner, and perhaps it had to do with how he'd obtained the armor. She left those consideration for another time; the battle was commencing, and they'd had to end it fast.

Faye attacked without warning, no battle-stance to transition from her standing position to her sudden charge - a soldier standing in the common Imperial armor in a second and a blur of motion at the next. Her battle-style was based in agility, but it wasn't particularly graceful; Faye attacked in rushes, fast, brutal and to the point. Sparring with the invincible Auric for so many years had made her extremely dangerous, and when she fought at his side it was as if they shared the same mind. When they fought together, enemies fell like flies.

Faye's charge was followed by a sound of soaring wind, as a Ruin spell flew through the air towards the brunette warrior. Before it hit, she'd already changed directions abruptly and stood between him and the blunette, separating him from his companion, maneuvering around him in a blur and blocking him from all sides.

---

[HP=120/120]

Actions:

Ruin [Albel] - Contain ON [Fayt]

Ravage - The damage dealt by Ruin, and Ruinga is doubled and any members in your party that specializes in Black magic get a 10% spell power boost.

Ruin - An attack that does moderate non-elemental Magickal damage to a single opponent.

Contain - Faye keeps an opponent from targeting anyone other than her, redirecting to her any abilities they use on other targets. The target also recieves double damage from Faye's allies.


Damage Output:

Albel: 20 (10*2)
Fayt: 0

[Auric]

It was no surprise she didn't remember what he was talking about. Whether because he neglected to tell her or... simply because it was one of those moments when she was thinking; Faye was only a genius when she wasn't. Still, as their guests arrived, rushing past them wasn't even an option in Auric's mind; he knew just from looking at them that idea wouldn't fly seeing as how they actually seemed quite competent -- that wasn't to say the Archadian military was particularly bad, but by comparison to what both Auric and Faye had know, they were cookie cutter soldiers at best. Still, even with that in mind the two warriors before them certainly smelled like foreignors; mercenaries perhaps like themselves or one of the few people Gabranth had imprisoned and taken to using as some sort of indentured soldiers. Not the brightest of ideas.

Auric and Faye had sparred with each other many times in the past. She wasn't without finesse; that was the most dangerous part of her combat style. Fast, aggressive, powerful... she overwhelmed with strong strikes that were aimed remarkably well and when she fought Auric it was that combination which always taxed his advanced levels of intuition; for no sooner than did he evade one attack was he faced with another and the only way he could get himself clear was by warding her off with perfect counterattacks... which was difficult to pull of despite his abilities. Perhaps more so for others for she was quite the capable warrior even in Aurelis. It was no small feat. When either Auric or Faye took to the field, it was almost always with the other at their side... as far as pairs go, their worth would certainly be proven to the two before them.

Their enemy's actions were in sync, as were theirs. As Auric took a step forward, he met the challenge put forward by Albel Nox; his voice, though muffled, still broke through as the intimidation mingled with the voice changer had begun this battle. "COME! Show me what passes for FURY among your misbegotten kind!" he cried, as Faye bolted forth, engaging Fayt and keeping him in check after blitzing Albel; softening him up for when Auric could walk in and send him reeling. He made his charge as he followed his battle sister, sprinting forth and dropping right next to the feral Wicked; feigning a strike with the Judge Magister's blade before suddenly opening his hand and summoning his magic. "For the Emperor, weakling."

---

Battle Report

[hp=140/140]

Actions:

Champion's Cry [All] - Triple Foul [Albel Nox]

Champion's Cry - "Come! Show me what passes for fury among your misbegotten kind!"; All enemy passive abilities are rendered ineffective.

Triple Foul - A spell that causes no damage, but is highly likely of inflicting the target of choice with Blindness, Sleep and Silence. Lasts 2 posts (Sleep lasts 1).

Passive Abilities:
Bad Time - Increases the post duration of all Debuffs on the enemy party by two posts.

Damage Output
Albel Nox - Sleep +3 posts; Silence, Blind +4 posts

[Albel Nox]

POST BY ALBEL NOX

!!!

THE WEAK AREN'T WORTH MY WHILE

LET ME SEE YOU SQURIM.

YOU'VE GIVEN IN TO - RECKLESS DARK DESIRES

How Albel knew this place so well would be a mystery. He could simply claim that he was here long enough to know all the nooks and crannys. However, Albel would have no reason ever for being down here, only deciding to follow Fayt and he obviously didn't know the route Auric nor Faye was taking. When Fayt spoke it made Albel realize something.

If they were Cocoonian they came here for a reason. Obviously, the place gave it away but quite a few things made sense. Meaning if they slipped by them, Larsa would not be pleased. He wouldn't let Fayt fall for the same trap Vox had lain for him. He remembered when he was defeated by Fayt and his friends and Vox accused him for Treason for letting him go.

Someone may be like Vox and accuse Fayt. Albel wouldn't let that happen. Albel expected Faye to be fast; he had made an enemy of Nel once, after all. She held incredible speed and was a harsh hitter as well. However, her speed was almost unnatural. Albel was hit faster than he expected, but didn't recoil back, his eyes narrowing that Faye separated them both.

However, while Auric was shouting at him, Albel struck Faye. His sword arm was strong, and fast, and she would taste steel. His katana was long but it wasn't only that; he approached her swiftly and struck with a fairly strong blow. But it was because of this he was too late to react to Auric for Albel had to use his entire shout to complete the attack.

Albel was about to counterattack the other but he realized that he couldn't see. It wasn't only that; he felt suddenly very tired. He couldn't feel the effects of Silence for he held no magik but he dropped to the ground, kneeling on one knee, and put his sword in the ground, trying to stay awake. However, it would prove futile as Albel's eye lids slid closed. He remained in that position, however.

[HP=145/165]

Momentum - Every time an attack lands successfully the attacker is granted an attack power boost of 10%. - Costs 15 LP

Lifesiphon - Every time an attack lands successfully the attacker is healed for 10% of the damage inflicted. - Costs 15 LP

Faultsiphon - When an attack lands successfully the defense of a target is quartered until the next attack is landed. - Costs 15 LP

Excalibur - Inflicts Significant non-elemental damage to a single adversary; requires four of the other Strike abilities. - 4 post cooldown - 35 LP

[COOLDOWN: EXCALIBUR - 4]

[STATUS EFFECT: SLEEP, BLIND, SILENCE]

D I S C O N N E C T

& SELF DESTRUCT

[Fayt Leingod]

Gabranth's doppelganger let out a ringing battle cry that sent a line of shivers down the bluenette's back as the other Archadian soldier charged him, far too fast for anyone but maybe himself to handle. He saw Albel going down from the corner of his eye, but each time he made to turn to the other, the slighter figure was interrupting his line of sight, taking up all of his attention.

"The hell are you people?" he bit out, whether who or what preceding the question it didn't matter; he was asking both.

If he wanted to do anything, he'd have to match his or her speed first - noting this, overlapping two spells and casting them in quick succession, he afflicted the other with Slow and granted himself Haste to even things out.

He needed to get to Albel, but he had a feeling he had to take care of this intruder first - besides, the other could handle himself, as soon as he pulled himself together.

Backtracking two steps to give himself more space, he waited for the other's attack, tensed.

---

[hp=125/125]

Evasion - Reduces damage taken by 10%.
Counter - Doubles damage dealt after taking damage.
Area Barrier - Physical and Magical Defense is boosted by 50% and the rest of your party gains a 30% Physical and Magical Defense boost.
Reciprocate - When exiting Guard, you immediately inflict the damage suffered whilst in Guard to a single foe. This damage is not reduced by the effects of Guard. [Must know Guard and Counter to learn this ability].
Lifesiphon - Every time an attack lands successfully the attacker is healed for 10% of the damage inflicted.
Divine Spirit - All white magic spells heal by one more level than usual (E.g. Moderate to Large).

Haste [ "Berserk" ] - A simple spell that increases the attack speed of a single allied target, allowing for three actions every second turn, and lasts 4 posts - 2 post cooldown.

Slow [ Spiderwebbing ] - A simple spell that decreases the attack speed of one enemy target, skipping over the ailmented individual's second turn, lasts 3 posts - 2 post cooldown.

[ cooldowns ]
haste - 2 post cooldown
slow - 2 post cooldown

[ effects ]
haste - 2-action (next post: 3 actions) - 4 posts remaining
passives nulled - x posts remaining

[ damage calculations ]
n/a

[faye]

The voice-changer made Auric's battle-cry sound strange to Faye's ears, who'd heard it so many times in the past, right before they charged some Pulsian beasts head-on, reckless and care-free and they'd been. Though the voice was unfamiliar, Auric's battle-cry still brought back memories, memories of her home and her childhood that empowered her resolve and strengthened her focus. Faye recognized the prowess of her opponents, but she still felt close to invincible.

Right now, all her focus was concentrated exclusively on the blue-haired warrior, set on nothing else other than reading his moves blocking his way at every turn. She sensed at the back of her mind, like a faint echo, the Magick of Auric's spell subduing the other warrior; behind her helmet, Faye's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. The partial blow the man had landed on her shoulder hadn't managed to pierce the Archadian armor, though it had been close and she could feel an ugly bruise pulsing under the shoulder-pad. That'd hurt in the morning. Faye had wanted to retaliate in kind, but she hadn't had time; keeping their opponents apart was mandatory.

Faye had initiated the battle, attempting to surprise them; her first attack had only served to keep the brunette distracted while she focused on his companion, and to soften him up for Auric's charge. It was a classic Aurelian tactic, pretending to rush on a target only to focus on an entirely different one, as it was keeping enemies separated. She'd picked the bluenette because he seemed the most level-headed of the two - and more fragile, which would mean he'd go down than faster. Also, battle tended to create emotional bonds, and the brunette seemed the more likely to lose his mind if he saw his partner down. She was aware all of that was superficial, but she hadn't really had the time to ask them about their personality types before she'd charged. It may have been funny, but that was besides the point.

Rushing around him, blocking his way, to Faye it was clear very soon that the bluenette was the fastest opponent she'd faced so far. She had to use all her speed to keep up with him, as opposed to increasing and decreasing her tempo suddenly as her technique required. She'd also been right about his self-assuredness; the warrior didn't lose his mind as he saw himself separated of his companion. She supposed she'd have to test if she'd been right about the squishiness as well. She prepared to attack him, to then maneuver away for Auric to finish him, when she sensed him gathering Magick. That was no good; if she was disabled the way Auric had done to the other elite they'd be screwed. Or Auric would defeat him all by himself and take all the credit, which would be just as bad. Wait, what the hell - it'd be worse. He'd have that outrageously annoying self-satisfied smirk on his face for days and she'd go insane trying to punch it off.

To ward-off against such a horrific scenario, the redhead extended her palm, activating the ECHO gloves; the gloves re-directed the Slow Magick back to the bluenette, completely nullifying his previous spell should it hit. It'd been a smart move on his part; Faye was as good as dead without her speed. As it was, however, his tactics had been trumped by Auric's invention; the Scout knew just how infuriating it could be, she'd learnt it the hard way - then proceeded to make Auric's life a living hell of torment until he made her a pair. Faye smirked behind her helmet, taunting as she pounced, burying her fist in his gut with malice.

"Did that go the way you'd planned?" In a blur she circled behind him, trying to keep him off balance. "No? Awwww." She circled around him again and feigned an attack, then moved out of the way abruptly for Auric to deliver. If they could keep them apart as they'd done so far, she believed they could win this fight. The only problem was the bluenette's Magick; there was no telling what else he had in stock.

---

[HP=110/125]

Actions:

Ruby Effect [Slow: Fayt] - Attack [Fayt]

Ruby Effect - Redirects magic against a different target.

Attack - Deals Weak Physical damage on an enemy target.

Contain (ON) - Faye keeps an opponent from targeting anyone other than her, redirecting to her any abilities they use on other targets. The target also receives double damage from Faye's allies.

Buffs:

Area Barrier – Physical and Magical Defense is boosted by 50% and the rest of your party gains a 30% Physical and Magical Defense boost.

Counter – Doubles damage dealt after taking damage.

Damage Output:
Faye: 10 (20/2)

Albel: 0
Fayt: 10 (5*2), Slow, 3 posts.

[Auric]

The battle-cry wasn't something just anybody could perform... and rarely ever was it performed by just one person. In battle, a formation of Aurelians charging into beasts often let loose a shout; other than startling beasts it served as a unifying chorus that kept rhythm within the group... and indicated that their charge would be brought on with full-weight. After all, a barrage of individuals wasn't much of a charge.... but a single mass of warriors crashing into the fray could scatter a horde, leaving it wide open to the simplest of strikes to finish off.

He'd seen other countries; how they fought to repel against invading monsters or bandits... how they scrambled to the defense, cordoning off areas trying to contain a threat or cautiously establishing a perimeter to corner their prey. But even so, few could truly match the end result of Aurelian tactics -- mini-strategies pulled seemingly out of thin air, a formation of warriors was quick to adapt to changing circumstances. And more than that... Aurelian warriors never broke in battle; more than their martial skill or toughness it was their discipline that kept them strong. Faye was a shining example; keeping in formation even as Albel had gotten a blow in.

Or, you know, she could be trying to build a case to get a bigger cut. Hehe.

Albel went down; Faye checked Fayt. They'd successfully seized the initiative. Both he and Faye knew that their new intruders were capable individuals and given their timetable they had no intention of engaging them on equal footing. As fun as it would have been to delay and play around, they did have the priority of needing to leave. Such was the life of a professional. As he turned to watch Faye and Fayt duke it out, he took a deep breath, exhaling as cold air left his lips, the magic welling at his finger tips... he knew he was up. The battle went their way as Faye used her new set of gloves; the equipment he'd worked hard on to ensure someone other than himself could use it. That was his queue -- as he stepped forth --opening his palm, he let the magic fly.

A single spell that could transform entire landscapes. And to have seen it coming -- you had to have been looking at Auric whose armor flashed white with a mild tint of blue. And the room followed suit -- the walls, the floor, the door -- the foyer, even the elevator was hit by his Arcane Magic. What followed was something that Faye would have known... and her queue to close quarters with her engaged enemy. A blue orb was in the air only momentarily before building up mass and crashing into the floor, fracturing into shards of ice that flew about the room; ice crystals impaling the walls and shattering into glass, it would no doubt be painful to be struck by it. Like a literal spin on the word "frost bite".

He exhaled as steam left his lips.

"We are the Emperor's mailed fist." he replied coldly. Mind the pun. He'd said it anyway... best to maintain the facade, even though it was fake. Fayt couldn't have expected a real answer -- could he? After all, they'd gone as far as to infiltrate the compound and wear disguises that even concealed their faces. Or perhaps he was trying to provoke Auric into going into a long witty introduction and commenting on the paradox of asking a "masked man who he is".

---

Battle Report

[hp=140/140]

Actions:

Freeze [Fayt/Albel] - Blizzara [Fayt/Abel]

Freeze - A strong spell that inflicts Severe ice-elemental damage to a single target and a significant amount of damage to all other enemies in combat.

Blizzara - A stronger spell, this deals moderate Ice of damage to all enemies.

Passive Abilities:
Runic Focus – Increases the damage dealt by all black magic spells by 30%.

Ravage - The damage dealt by Ruin, and Ruinga is doubled and any members in your party that specializes in Black magic get a 10% spell power boost.

Contain - Foes targeted by Faye's Contain receive double damage.

Damage Output
Fayt -78.6 ((((10*1.3)*1.1)*2)+(25*2))
Albel -34.3 (((10*1.3)*1)+20)

[Albel Nox]

POST BY ALBEL NOX

!!!

THE WEAK AREN'T WORTH MY WHILE

LET ME SEE YOU SQURIM.

YOU'VE GIVEN IN TO - RECKLESS DARK DESIRES

Albel was unaware of the battle continuing to go on as he was, currently, very much asleep. Even when he was attacked with a rather cooling attack, he was unaware of it outside a nice, cooling, effect. However, unbeknown to him, an item that Larsa had personally given to him would come in handy; it seemed like the kid just knew when to give what item to the right person.

There were two pendants, easily going unnoticed, tied to his skirt. They glowed brightly, responding to the time and to each other. One dulled while one glew a soft green color. Albel's eyes snapped open. the scene was looked at with quick confusion. However, he would act quick, summoning the power of darkness at his disposal, taking out quite a bit of his own health.

Albel was quick as his gauntlet turned a black-ish hue as he clawed the air, aiming at the two before him as a dark pool formed over the field, however, damaging only those two. Albel himself didn't know why he could suddenly see and suddenly awake but this was a battle - maybe Fayt did something. Albel smirked as he stared at both of them.

"Did you miss me, fools?"

[HP=95/165]

Momentum - Every time an attack lands successfully the attacker is granted an attack power boost of 10%. - Costs 15 LP

Lifesiphon - Every time an attack lands successfully the attacker is healed for 10% of the damage inflicted. - Costs 15 LP

Faultsiphon - When an attack lands successfully the defense of a target is quartered until the next attack is landed. - Costs 15 LP

Evasion- Reduces damage taken by 10%. - Costs 15 LP

Counter - Doubles damage dealt after taking damage. - Costs 15 LP

Area Barrier - Physical and Magical Defense is boosted by 50% and the rest of your party gains a 30% Physical and Magical Defense boost. - Costs 15 LP

Darkness - Sacrificing 10% of their max HP, the user will inflict Significant damage to all enemies within a forty-foot radius. [Must known three additional physical/defensive techniques]- 2 post cooldown || Cost: 35 LP

Nirankar - Given as a gift from Emperor Larsa himself, this pair piece item is unusable with only one, but together form a dual-magic item. Without being able to touch the white magik tier at all, it gives the effects tot he wielder as thus:

If GREEN MAGIK is casted upon Albel, the White Magik spell ESUNA will be casted upon Albel, nullifying all status effects. If Bad Time is added to the effect of the Green Magik, Esunaga will be casted, healing the entire party of status ailments.

If TIME MAGIK is casted upon Albel, the White Magik spell CURA will be casted upon Albel, healing Moderate damage. If Good Time is added to the effect of the Time Magik, Curaga will be casted, healing the entire party of Moderate damage.

CAN NOT overlap. The condition is that Albel must be under the said effects for one turn before activating the pendants' power. 5 post cooldown for either effect.

[COOLDOWN: EXCALIBUR - 3, DARKNESS - 2, NIRANKAR - 5]

[STATUS EFFECT: CURED]

D I S C O N N E C T

& SELF DESTRUCT

[Fayt Leingod]

As if using simply their bare hands (a figure of speech, he noticed now, seeing that the gauntlets didn't match those of typical Archadian soldier uniform), his opponent reflected the spell right back at him, and Fayt's eyes widened at that, feeling the effects of the Haste spell lessen to nothing, cancelled out.

What the-

His balance compromised, the bluenette stumbled slightly as his/her fist collided with his stomach, then immediately reappeared behind him, voice feminine and taunting.

That solves the mystery, but-

The unnamed woman in Archadian armor feinted, then twisted away before he could even think to attempt a strike, and in the next moment, a spell with the intensity of a hundred Deep Freezes flash-froze the room around him.

For that instant, all Fayt knew was cold, cold and a myriad of stinging cuts littered up and down his arms. Half-obscured by his navy-blue hair, a small earring in his left ear seemed to glimmer a blinding white as he fell to one armored knee, his panting clouding the air before him.

"We are the Emperor's mailed fist." The man's voice was chill, chill as the air, and at that - both minding the pun and noting the irony of the response - a twisted grin stretched across his face.

Seemed Fayt had been unconsciously taking lessons from Albel.

"You know what happens when you set frozen metal on fire?" he asked, rhetorical and wry, as he summoned a mid-level white magick spell to cast on himself, replenishing enough of his energy to permit him to stand. Then, tapping into his latent Destruction ability, he focused on his agile opponent's gloves and simply... imagined them gone. One would think they'd vanished, leaving no trace. "It warps. Sometimes it breaks."

He still wasn't able to focus fully on the man who'd so casually almost taken him out, but the sound of Albel's voice raised a weight off his shoulders, and Fayt stood more fully, though crouched back as he summoned the energy for the spell. Building before his right palm, stretched out behind him, a semi-translucent magic circle spun, arcane writing in glowing green letters providing the power behind the enchantment.

"Want to see how your mail stands up to the shock?"

And with an "EXPLOSION!", the bluenette flung the Flare spell at the masked woman, the only one he could target. Pushing the limits of his speed, he followed up with a smaller magic circle - a quicker cast - piling on a Firaga at the end.

The entire sequence left him drained, and Fayt used the blade of his sword to keep himself upright, feeling himself swaying with the effects of his drained magic.

---

[hp=46/125]

Evasion - Reduces damage taken by 10%.
Counter - Doubles damage dealt after taking damage.
Area Barrier - Physical and Magical Defense is boosted by 50% and the rest of your party gains a 30% Physical and Magical Defense boost.
Reciprocate - When exiting Guard, you immediately inflict the damage suffered whilst in Guard to a single foe. This damage is not reduced by the effects of Guard. [Must know Guard and Counter to learn this ability].
Lifesiphon - Every time an attack lands successfully the attacker is healed for 10% of the damage inflicted.
Divine Spirit - All white magic spells heal by one more level than usual (E.g. Moderate to Large).

Cura - A healing spell that heals a Moderate amount of health to a single target and adequate amount of health to the rest of your party. [Must know Cure] - 2 post cooldown

Destruction - He possesses scant control over the genetic trait, but he is able to utilize the Destruction Gene to "destroy" a magical item of an opponent. It can be used once per thread, and the magical item in question is restored after the battle ends. Until then, its ability becomes unusable.

Flare - A complex spell that inflicts Severe damage to a single target and a significant amount of damage to all other enemies in combat. [Must know Firaga] - 8 post cooldown

Firaga - A complex spell in the fire element that does Significant damage to a single enemy and moderate damage to surrounding targets [Must know Fira] - 4 post cooldown

[ cooldowns ]
haste - 1 post cooldown
slow - 1 post cooldown
cura - 2 post cooldown
firaga - 4 post cooldown
adonai - 4 post cooldown (doubler 1/2, eliminator 0/2)
flare - 8 post cooldown

[ effects ]
ADONAI ACTIVATED - activated when Fayt sustains damage equal to or greater than 50% his full HP in a single turn, Fayt is allocated double the number of attacks as per usual for a single post - 4 normally, 6 if under Haste. This ability can be used twice per thread, and has a four post cooldown.
haste - NULLED
passives nulled - x posts remaining

[ damage calculations ]
damage received - 89 hp
damage recovered - 10 hp
total damage sustained - 79 hp
damage dealt - FAYE = 25 + 20 = 45 || AURIC = 20 + 15 = 35

[faye]

Faye moved out of the way just in time, avoiding the explosion of frozen air and flying shards of ice that could've impaled a Behemoth cleanly side to side. Such spells could be easily manipulated to avoid specific targets, as the Magick you conjured could be controlled and bended to your will, as much as any limb, even after it leaves your body and until it vanishes; Faye was aware of that, but she still she moved out of the spell's way so the blue-haired warrior would get a full hit. She'd sensed Auric gathering his power after disabling the other one, and made sure her opponent would be to focused on her to notice; until the spells were cast, at any rate. An explosion of pure ice Magick and giant spears of frozen air flying in all directions was hardly something that could pass amiss, unless you were catatonic or some sort of blind incorporeal entity. Actually, the fact that she'd kept her opponent from noticing it up until that point spoke of how effectively annoying she could be, which she chose to count among her virtues, though in truth she had a tendency to count most of her own traits as virtues. Annoying was better than boring, at any rate. After the rushes of blue energy stopped enveloping her and the frozen wind of Auric's spell winded, leaving the floor of the room covered in broken icy crystals, Faye went charging back at the bluenette, reasuming her original strategy. She hadn't gone far, as she still counted separating the enemy from his companion as a priority; they were winning but the battle was not over yet, and they were on the clock.

Her charge, however, was interrupted; the other elite had somehow recovered and didn't lose any time to jump back into the fray, conjuring a sphere of baleful black energy, harming both Auric and Faye and bending around his ally much like Auric's spell had done seconds ago. The spell hit her from the left side as the sphere exploded at her right; it made her stumble, missing a valuable second, though it didn't knock her off her feet and sent her flying as it should've - Faye kept herself surrounded by a cocoon of protective energy as long as she was engaged in battle, protecting Auric in some measure as well. It was a simple technique, but pretty damn useful as far as defense goes. Still, that second she missed was enough for the other to gather his power, retaliating Auric's attack with the opposite element. Faye smirked; apparently they hadn't learned their lesson quite yet. She extended her hand, willing the bluenette's spell to collapse around him and burn the bastard alive like a crisp...only it didn't. The ECHO gloves were gone. She had only a split of an instant before the fury of the bluenette's Magick hit her, turning the room that had been frozen only seconds ago into a blazing inferno; Faye put her arms crossed in front of her protectively, her tactical barrier and the Archadian armor protecting her from the brunt of the spell. The frost melted instantly, the walls cracked and the room was filled with a cloud of smoke and steam. It made it difficult to see, but the sense of sight wasn't nearly as vital for trained warriors as it was for common people.

Okay, so now she was pissed off. Parts of her armor cracked and shattered, leaving her entire left arm and most of her leg exposed. The intricate blue-colored tattoos on her left shoulder were visible, as some of her fiery-red hair beneath the ruined helmet, but Faye was thinking about none of that at the moment. She was thinking of her missing ECHO gloves. People valued worldly possessions very highly where she came from, as they didn't have many; specially gifts. The ECHO gloves, besides being extremely useful, were Auriga's gift, a symbol of their friendship and their reunion, a treasured object and a powerful weapon. She wasn't appreciate someone destroying them. How they'd vanished she had no clue, but she knew they'd been there right before the bluenette summoned his Magick, and that was all the evidence she needed. Well, she meant to show him a trick of her own. An aura of red, unstable crackling energy surrounded Faye; time seemed to stop, things moved in slow motion. She closed up to the bluenette with a sudden vault, aiming to bury her knee into his gut with the same impulse, punching at his throat, kicking at his knees and head-butting him viciously, her rage increasing with each blow and in turn powering her attacks. She would return every a attack the Archadian attempted with two of her own, advancing with every strike and leaving no quarter; this was not the the time nor the place for mercy - there was a bomb about to go off, and they were running out of time.

---

[HP=78/125]

Actions:

Slayer ON [Self] - Onslaught ON [Fayt]

Slayer (ON) - Faye counter-attaks for Weak damage each time she is targeted, though Magick becomes unavailable.

Contain (ON) - Faye keeps an opponent from targeting anyone other than her, redirecting to her any abilities they use on other targets. The target also receives double damage from Faye's allies.

Onslaught (ON) - Attacks an opponent three times for each turn, dealing Weak damage each time. While on effect, Faye can't take any other action.


Buffs:

Area Barrier – Physical and Magical Defense is boosted by 50% and the rest of your party gains a 30% Physical and Magical Defense boost.

Counter – Doubles damage dealt after taking damage.

Damage Output:

Faye: 32 ((25 +20 +20)/2)

Albel: 0
Fayt: 60 ((5*2)*6)