Fantasy Hunter's Moon: Ascendancy [IC] [CLOSED]

[joshuadim]

Death would not have Azathor yet as he clambered back up thanks to Rebecca's healing, even though it hurt like hell to receive. Just the perks of being a demon on the receiving end of divine energies as he winced from recovering his wounds. In exchange for his return to the waking world, Cassandra had her brains plastered across the house's walls behind her; and so, Azathor gritted his teeth, grabbed his blade and swung at one of the Sergeants.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille grunted and squirmed as the armor-clad saint fell upon her, gritting her teeth with frustration and pain as she tried to wriggle free. Humiliating as it was, she knew that the alternative would have been getting ripped asunder by the shotgun blast, and thus could harbor no ill-will toward the saint that functioned as her shield wall. Quickly rising to her feet, she saw how Rebecca focused on healing Azathor. Swiveling her gaze, she saw exactly who to target with her rising ire. A quick and evasive sprint to close the distance and she assailed the shotgun wielding sergeant with a flurry of her sabers!

 

[Infab]

Caleling Reef - Marketplace - Turn Four

Skeleton #1 = 9. Does 1 DMG to Possessed Sergeant #2. Possessed Sergeant #2 HP = 1.
Skeleton #2 = 2. Misses Possessed Sergeant #2.
Skeleton #3 = 8. Does 1 DMG to Possessed Sergeant #2. Possessed Sergeant #2 is dead!
Skeleton #4 = 7. Does 1 DMG to Possessed Lieutenant. Possessed Lieutenant HP = 5.
Skeleton#5 = 4. Misses Possessed Lieutenant.
Skeleton #6 = 2. Misses Possessed Lieutenant.
Skeleton #7 = 2. Misses Possessed Lieutenant.
Skeleton #9 = 4. Misses Possessed Lieutenant.
Royland = 7. Acc. Roll = 14. Does 3 DMG (Armored Up) to Possessed Lieutenant. Possessed Lieutenant HP = 2.
Xiaòzhou = 3, 4 (Like Water, Returning.) Misses Possessed Lieutenant.
Rajko = 1. Critical Failure! Misfire!
Sebastian = 8. Acc. Roll = 2. Does 1 DMG to Possessed Lieutenant. Possessed Lieutenant HP = 1.
Azathor = 7. Does 3 DMG to Possessed Lieutenant. Possessed Lieutenant is dead!

​

The skeletons refocused their efforts, dividing up and targeting both of the remaining possessed soldiers. And with one of them, the brothers in bone would prove successful. Three strikes would send the Possessed Sergeant to the ground, with the last of them hitting him square across the side of his head. Killing him before he hit the dirt. The other four skeletons would fail to strike the Lieutenant, who deftly dodged each swing as he tried to focus on putting down another member of the group.

Royland's swing forced the spiked mace to twirl about, sailing over the ducking skeletons before slamming into the Lieutenant's side before he could get a good bead on anyone. The impact forced the Lieutenant to stumble sideways, which made Xiaòzhou miss his intended target. Rajko would try to shoot the Lieutenant as he attempted to regain his footing, but his rifle made a simple click instead of firing. The cartridge had failed to fire, the firing pin snapping into the bullet's rear and doing absolutely nothing. Bad round. With a simple cycle of the bolt, the poorly made round was ejected.

Sebastian's rifle, however, would fire its shot. Instead of hitting the target, however, it grazed the Lieutenant's neck. Forcing him to snap his hand up to it to stop the bleeding. And leaving him wide open for Azathor. The demon price rushed in, and drove his swords straight through the lower abdomen of the possessed soldier. Just beneath the armored plating that he was wearing.

The stab proved fatal, the possessed soldier going lifeless not long after the blades were pushed through. He slid off the end of Azathor's blades a moment later, Azathor pushing him off with his boot. That seemed to be all of the cavalry troops, but something felt wrong. Wouldn't the Icons have brought more than this to bear against them? Why only a simple light platoon of demonic troops?

The skeletons looked about as well, searching for a new hostile target to attack, but found none for the moment. So they simply stood in place, creaking and hissing as they clutched their melee weapons tightly.

Rebecca stood up from her crouched stance behind her shield, glancing about at the others before noticing Cassandra's body laying near where Sebastian and Jayden were crouched behind cover. Jayden was shocked by it, reaching over and poking Cassandra's body with the barrel of his rifle. No reaction.

"Is she... you know, dead dead?" he asked, look back to Sebastian next to him. Before Sebastian could answer the man, however, a string of total gibberish escaped from Cassandra's lips.

The pureblood sat up, clutching her head. Her fingers felt about, moving from her forehead to her scalp, then traveled further back to the rear of her skull. Then she felt the open wound. More gibberish rolled from her lips. It seemed the shot to her head had damaged her ability to speak correctly. She felt around on her belt, eventually finding one of her canteens of blood, before unscrewing the cap and gulping down its contents.

Slowly but surely, her head began to mend itself. The gaping hole in the back of her skull began to close, her brain seemingly mending itself inside as the skull, flesh, and hair began to reform. Her face twitched a few times during the process, blinking rapidly as she rolled her jaw and flicked her tongue a few times. "My my, who knew that lieutenant was such a crack shot!" she said, a partial grin appearing on her face eventually. She was back to talking properly.

She looked over to Jayden, who looked more than horrified at how she basically just regrew her brain and skull. "A perk of being a pureblood! Rapid healing." she said, her eyes shifting to Sebastian briefly before looking to the others. "All good here!~" she then said, "Did we get them all?"

Rebecca eventually answered, glancing down at the bodies. "It appears so. But I don't think we're through here." she stated, "Let's tend to our wounds, before whatever else they have comes our way."

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian took up his Winchester and loaded a few silver shots into it before he left cover, suspicious of what might happen when Cassandra awakens from her "sleep." He rolled his eyes at Jayden's question and was about to answer him when Cassandra began to talk gibberish. He waited, focused intently on the pureblood's behavior as she healed, until she began to speak clearly in the sort of sing-song tone she brought back with her after that battle she had with the witch's shade.

"All good here!~" she then said, "Did we get them all?"

Sebastian pumped his shotgun to load a shell into the chamber while keeping the barrel pointed at her.

"I don't know, did we?" he snapped, before glancing at Rebecca urgently. His eyes back on Cassandra, he spoke slowly and carefully: "I think you should let the Saint check on you, Cassandra."

 

[Dmaster]

Not too concerned with the state of Cassandra or her injury, Camille kept her eyes fixed on the horizon with an increasing sense of unease. This meager force to stop them from obtaining an artifact? Something was extremely off about this, and as ever she decided to rely on her extreme vigilance to keep herself alive. It's worked out for her thus far, after all.

"I don't trust that this was the end of them. It can't be," the huntress spoke aloud, starting to scan the marketplace for more enemies. "I'm going to get on a rooftop, obtain a better vantage and hopefully cover from another wave of possessed. Or perhaps something far worse." Turning quick enough that her feathery cape audibly rippled in the sea air, she started to start climbing onto nearby crates to try and get as much height as she could.

 

[Infab]

"I think you should let the Saint check on you, Cassandra."

Cassandra's head shifted back around, and her eyes met the muzzle of the shotgun levelled at her. The grin plastered across her face faded, her teeth disappearing as she formed a simple smile. And the tone she replied in a moment later was still cheerful, but somehow also bore a sinster tone.

"You really love to wave guns at me, don't you? Just absolutely begging for the chance to squeeze off a shot or two." she said, eyes running up the barrel of the shotgun all the way to Sebastian's hands. The smile faded, as her eyes moved upwards from the weapon to meet Sebastian's gaze. "A bit sadistic, don't you think?"

She tried to stand, pressing one hand into the rubble beneath her, and moving her legs. "You know that guns won't stop me. Not for very long. And would you be fast enough in the first place?" she said, shifting her weight to her side as she sliped a foot beneath her. "...Maybe I'll give you some practice, hmm? Might help if we encounter other purebloods, and it'll allow you to act out some of those little power fantasies of yours."

She forced herself to her feet, wobbling and almost falling over a few times as she tried to gain her balance. The headshot seemed to have thrown off quite a few things. "...But anyway, as much as I love these talks we share, we should focus more on the task at hand rather than my mental stability. I believe there are not one, but two Icons lurking about?" she soon stated, stepping carefully over and picking up her rifle. Her walk much like a newborn calf, taking gentle steps.

Rebecca watched Cassandra, as she carefully moved about. The shot to the head must have temporarily brought that other side of her to the surface. If they had the time, she would have mended her further, but they didn't. "I'll mend her mind again later. We have to keep an eye out for the Icons and whatever else they're bringing to bear against us."

The saint looked to Camille, whom was starting to climb up onto objects to get better views of the surrounding area. "Careful, huntress. A lot of this is pretty rotten." she said aloud, soon moving to the others. Checking to see if they needed any healing, and providing it if they wished for her to.

 

[joshuadim]

After dispatching the last Lieutenant with his blade, Azathor gave a strong flick of his steel to take the blood off it and splatter it on the ground below. What concerned him was that he still felt the Icons, but they were nowhere to be seen. Were they coming to ambush them? Or perhaps this fighting force had been a diversion? The possibilities raced through the demon prince's mind as he maintained the grip on his weapon, but quickly turned to Cassandra when she spoke up. His concern mounted when she sounded *off* in the way she spoke to Sebastian, which was reflected by Azathor's visible mood.

We do not need this shit right now.

He had half a mind to speak out to the pureblood, but the main problem still retained its presence here which bore most of his attention. He would have a sincere talk with the others about this afterwards.

 

[K0mori]

"You really love to wave guns at me, don't you? Just absolutely begging for the chance to squeeze off a shot or two."

"Ja," he replied simply.

He kept his bead on her for the rest of her rant, standing as still as a statue, aside from when she questioned if he'd be fast enough to pull the trigger. He had very nearly fired a shot into the air above her head just to prove a point, but had stopped himself at the last moment.

Eventually, Rebecca interjected, promising to fix Cassandra's mind later. Sebastian wasn't keen on that- if Rebecca fell in the coming battle with the Icons, there would be no one else to reign in the pureblood's sickness and bring her back to lucidity. They'd have to take her down then, when she had regained her motor skills.

"We have to keep an eye out for the Icons and whatever else they're bringing to bear against us."

The Saint was right about that, at least. He lowered his gun at last and fished out a cigarette and a match, lighting it as he walked back to where he had been before. Others would sense their foe before him, so there was no use standing out in the open and risk getting killed by an unseen enemy.

 

[Breadman]

"Better men than you have tried, boy and the lucky ones are in the ground." Royland was tying the chains back into place as he walked back to keep up with the others. His input wasn't requested, but that has never stopped him before. Not when distractions were threatening to become a problem. He looked to Cassandra for a few moments. He wondered how effective the stare would be on a pureblood. It stuns and on occasions destroys weak enough minds, but he's never had the chance to test it on someone like her. Though their ally in the Abyss would surely object to raising his hand against her right now. He looked away from her as he sensed the auras. The demon prince and oni must be sensing them too. The icons were getting closer.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Rajko dredged himself up from the dirt. Repositioning himself to better vantages in anticipation of the icons' arrival. Still, his acute ears heard the shifts and twitches in Cassandra's voice. It seems the bullet did more than just allow fresh air into the pureblood's cranium. Kneeling, his eyes tracked the vampiress while his hands unloaded the unfired round. Her state of mind is as capricious as the stormy wind, Rajko pondered to himself. A good whack to the head could, potentially, achieve similar results, but enough of thoughts like that. Rajko will ignore the mania. For now.

He spotted Camille adapting similar tactics as himself and the Saint is correct about their positions, these boxes and whatnot don't seem so sturdy. In the interim of battles, the inquisitor wished he had anything to smoke.

The others would sense the icons through mystical means, but Rajko lent his nose and ear to the breeze.

 

[Damian0358]

Though Xiaòzhou was glad that the Lieutenant had been taken out, he did find himself surprised by how much he had missed as a result of Royland's strike. Missing with the carbine proper, that was to be expected, but with the talisman too... big steps, those were. Soon after all the enemies were eliminated, the hermit placed his gun back in his bag, and raised his hand for passive healing.

Xiaòzhou watched as Cassandra put herself back together in the disturbing way purebloods could, grimacing at the tone of voice she was using. He briefly considered trying to step in Rebecca's place, see if he could somehow help, but soon after the vampire mentioned the Icons, the oni took a deep breath.

He checked himself over and his gear in preparation, and kept his eyes on everyone's vitals. This is not going to get any more pleasant any time soon.

 

[Infab]

As the group moved about the market, attempting to sense or spot what the Icons were up to, they began to notice the rain that was falling increased in intensity. But oddly shifted in regards to where exactly it was raining. It began to slowly shrink its radius onto one spot in the market place, to the point where it was but a single long stream of water shooting down from the sky. But then the rain stopped falling, and the water began to change in shape.

By now, those with enhanced senses would notice the aura the rain was giving off as it began to shift in form. Powerfully demonic. Archdemon level. Not quite princely, but still. Cassandra and Xiaòzhou recognized it near instantly, thanks to their journey through the Abyss. It was an elemental demon, a powerful type of demon mage that focused its skills on a single element in order to master it. This one seemed to have chosen water.

Eventually, the blob of water had formed something humanoid, two bright near-white eyes appearing where it's head was. And suddenly, what appeared to be plates of armor began to manifest around its form. Giving it a more solid body.

Rebecca seemed to know what it was as well. "Water Elemental. And apparently one in its prime." she muttered, as she held her shield out before her. "Careful. We're in the worst possible weather and location to fight this thing."

But suddenly, light flashed above. Streaks of white darted through the clouds above from various directions, but gathering and circling in the cloud directly over them. And before anyone could say anything, there was a loud crack as a lightning bolt shot down from the sky and hit the sand near the Water Elemental.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the flash, not risking potentially being blinded by whatever was doing this. But as they looked back to the spot where the lightning had impacted, they found themselves gazing upon a thin but muscular demon. Its skin was oddly colored, grey with streaks of shifting yellow and white surging through the skin. Its head was smooth across the top, the skull sloping back to a point. Its face resembled a skull, with empty sockets and visible teeth.

The more notable thing was the crackling electricity moving across its body, bouncing between visible spikes on its arms, thighs, and shins. A few more larger spikes jutted from the back of its head, though simply dangling down like hair, as well as three large spikes on its back. Rebecca spoke again. "Wonderful. It brought a Lightning Elemental with it." she muttered. At least she was equipped to fight this thing, using her heavenly abilities. The water demon, however, would be a problem. If it doused one of them in water, then the other hit them with a bolt of lightning, they'd be fried to a crisp.

And they were already damp from the rain. This was going to hurt.

 

[Damian0358]

Xiaòzhou grimaced as he realized that elemental demons were approaching, especially ones that appeared to be, as Rebecca remarked, in their prime. This wasn't the first time he had faced up against the pairing of Water and Lightning Elemental - he remembered back when the Inquiry had fought a set in Azgon's territory, at the rail hub - but even with that experience in mind, this was likely not going to be simple. Just as they had fought around snow back then, the dampness of the area did them no favors.

The hermit quickly drew out his staff, and began building up a qi shield, which should at least help reduce his chances of getting one-two shot by these damned elementals. But the main thing that would be crucial would be separating the two in such a way they could not use their powers in tandem. He eyed down the water elemental, and gazed over at the others, attempting to motion to the others the idea of splitting up to divide and conquer their foes.

Attempts made, and shielded, the oni rushed to strike the water elemental with his staff.

 

[joshuadim]

Azathor's upper lip curled in a mixture of disgust and annoyance as two elementals appeared to now harass the group themselves. Certainly, they were strong in raw power but they could not match the wills on display. They would fall, but that was not Azathor's primary thought: Where are the Icons? he thought to himself as he watched the Water Elemental approach closer to attack. If the main enemies weren't here still, then they were almost certainly preparing an attack when least expected. Would it be an ambush following the elementals? Or perhaps, something worse?

The demon prince took a moment to look at where Claire had been left to duel all by herself and gritted his teeth. He could only hope that she would be able to pull through and get the artifact. In the meantime, Azathor returned his attention to the water elemental and charged alongside Xiaòzhou to attack it with his blade in hand.

 

[Breadman]

Royland looked around as the elementals appeared. The icons were not going to appear until the group has been weakened it seemed. No matter, they'd burn like the rest. He swung the chains again towards the lightning elemental. The metal was not going to be a problem if he was going to give it a proper lashing.

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian hardly even understood what he was looking at any longer. His allies were speaking words that he understood, but it didn't enlighten him, and as he tried to keep himself as concealed as possible by the crumbling, ruined building around him, he looked to the creature described as a water elemental, and then to the lightening elemental, and decided that he would rather be struck by water than by lightning. He lifted his rifle up again, as he had done in the prior fight, and began firing at the latter.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

The ominous rain pelted the inquisitor as he reared his head to look at the formed elementals. One water, one electrical. Both deadly alone, but unionized together, they were lethal beyond comprehension. His eyes darted down to his teammates to see who takes pick of their opponents. With grim uneasiness, he resolves to attack the lightning elemental. His arms raise the rifle and wonders just how effective a leaden round would work against a being of electricity. The trigger is depressed and the round is fired.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille was careful and slow as she secured her vantage atop one of the shanty roofs, the huntress proving herself rather adept at maneuvering atop dubious structures such as this. Her propensity to swoop down from on high was what had granted her the nickname that matched her armor. In moments it appeared that her caution was justified, the intensified weather causing her to secure her footing as she squinted through the deluge to observe their foe.

Elementals? She hadn't encountered such a foe before in her hunts, and that inexperience gnawed at her. Doubtless her weapons would be ineffective against the one that was comprised entirely of water. The one with crackling electricity around it seemed to be a fascimile of flesh at the very least, and thus she resigned herself to that target. Best to keep it at range, she thought, as striking it with her sabers could net her a volatile jolt.

Steadying her aim in the buffeting rain, she loosed a crossbow bolt at the lightning elemental before quickly trying to dismount from the rooftop. Camille had a feeling that the high elevation would prove to be dangerous if this being could manipulate bolts of lightning.

 

[Infab]

Caleling Reef - Marketplace - Miniboss Fight - Turn One
Water & Lightning Elemental Demons (Master Level)
(Both have 75 HP.)

Special Buffs
Water Elemental Demon (Master Level)
Pressure: The water that the Elemental produces is of a high concentration, capable of quite a lot of harm to its targets. Its attacks will ignore cover, and will do double damage if hitting an enemy directly. It can also allow the Water Demon to strike multiple targets (up to three) in one wave, though any targets hit after the first target will get standard damage.

Armored Plating: As it now is covered in armored plating generated after its forming, it's fairly well protected. Ranged attacks will do considerably less damage than normal.

Lightning Elemental Demon (Master Level)
Ride the Lightning: The Elemental is able to manifest lightning at will, and can strike multiple targets with its bolts. It can target up to three enemies at the same time. Focusing on one enemy grants double damage, but splitting between two or three results in the attack doing standard damage. If single target has already been hit by the Water Elemental, then targets will suffer triple damage.

I AM SPEED: This Elemental is lightning incarnate, able to dodge melee attacks with ease. The Lightning Elemental has an increased chance of avoiding a melee attack, and will counter with an enhanced melee attack of its own (doing six damage instead of three) if an enemy misses.


Xiaòzhou attempts to generate a shield! Chance Roll = 7. Chance Successful! Shield will block around half damage.
Xiaòzhou: 7. Does 6 DMG (Like Water, Returning) to Water Elemental. Water Elemental HP = 69.
Azathor: 2. Misses Water Elemental.
Royland: 5. Acc. Roll = 10. Does 3 DMG to Lightning Elemental. Lightning Elemental HP = 72.
Sebastian: 10. Acc. Roll = 11. Does 3 DMG to Lightning Elemental. Lightning Elemental HP = 69.
Rajko: 9. Acc. Roll = 12. Does 3 DMG to Lightning Elemental. Lightning Elemental HP = 66.
Camille: 6. Acc. Roll = 19. Does 10 DMG to Lighting Elemental. Lightning Elemental HP = 56.
Jayden: 8. Acc. Roll = 1. Does 1 DMG to Lightning Elemental. Lightning Elemental HP = 55.
Cassandra: 10 (Shadow Dancing, Naturally.) Crit Roll = 10. Does 11 DMG to Water Elemental. Water Elemental HP = 58.
Rebecca: 9 - 3 (6. I AM SPEED.) Does 3 DMG to Lightning Elemental. Lightning Elemental Hp = 52

--- --- ---

Water Elemental = 8, 6, 9 (Pressure.) Acc. Roll = 13, 17, 20. Does 10 DMG (Pressure) to Cassandra, Does 5 DMG (Pressure) to Azathor. Does 2 DMG (Pressure, Xiaòzhou's shield) to Xiaòzhou. Cassandra HP = 5. Azathor HP = 10. Xiaòzhou HP = 13.
Lightning Elemental = 6, 10, 9 (Ride the Lighting.) Acc. Roll = 11, 9, 17. Does 3 DMG (Ride the Lightning) to both Royland and Camille, Does 5 DMG (Ride the Lighting) to Rebecca. Royland, Camille HP = 12. Rebecca HP = 10.

​

The group made their choices, focusing on their own individual targets as they attempted to take the two archdemons out. But before they could properly act, however, the lightning demon raised a hand to the sky. And in a blinding flash of light, a lightning bolt errupted from its hand. Striking the skeletons still standing from the previous battles. The beings of bone burst apart, fragments scattering around the marketplace where they stood. It didn't appear that Rebecca's group would have any proper aid for this fight.

After the thunderous area attack, Xiaòzhou was the first to strike. Quickly raising a qi shield to protect himself from attack, he rushed forth and swung his staff at the Water Elemental. He knew where to strike. A small blue orb housed within the watery archdemon's chest. The focus of its being, and source of its power. Strike that enough to shatter it, and the elemental dies. And he did strike it, the end of his staff smacking against the gemstone with quite a bit of force as the staff slipped between the armor plating. Azathor wasn't far behind, but his swords missed the orb entirely.

Cassandra wouldn't miss, her blinding speed coming into play and the tip of her sword piercing the demon. It collided with the gemstone, breaking off a small chip of the orb. The Water Elemental didn't seem to like that too much, and soon enough raised its arm to strike. A jet of water swung through the air, Cassandra attempting to move out of the way before it hit. However, she stumbled. She hadn't fully regained her composure, and it would cost her. The water cut through her flesh, carving a gash across her back as she stumbled around. Slicing her Lebel in half in the process. There went her current ranged weapon. She yelped in pain as she fell to the ground, and the jet of water continued on. Striking both Azathor and Xiaòzhou as well. Azathor's armor was struck, a long crack forming across his chest plate, but it seemed Xiaòzhou's shield would absorb most of the attack. Still, the force caused him to recoil backwards in pain.

The others would focus their efforts on the Lightning Elemental, as the archdemon lowered its arm and prepared for battle. But before any melee attacks would meet the demon, gunshots sounded off. Sebastian and Rajko would both score hits, bullets punching through the demon's arm and leg, while Jayden made a grazing shot across the demon's side. Camille's crossbow bolt would score a hit center mass, the bolt lodging itself in the demon's sternum, before Royland's chained mace head slapped against the demon's shoulder. Neither seemed to faze it much, from what they could tell.

The attack would allow Rebecca to rush in with her longsword, driving the blade deep into the demon's arm in an attempt to lop one of its limbs off. Which it failed to do. In response, the demon slapped her away, and shoved his hand into her breastplate. Electricity surged forth, rippling down its arm before crossing into the armor that Rebecca was wearing. She locked up, mouth agape as she was electrocuted. But suddenly, the electricity rocketed away from Rebecca and into Royland. He too would seize up, before once more the electricity would leap away. Hitting Camille as she landed on the ground. She hit the ground, the electricity surging through her body and forcing her to stay put for a few moments.

 

[Breadman]

The lightning bold forced Royland down on one knee. The heated plates of his armor began to emanate steam. He rose up and looked to the demon, the helm barely held together after that last strike and it was becoming a nuisance to keep on his head. The knight tossed it aside and stared into the eyes of their foe.

[Using Penance Stare on the Lightning Elemental]

 

[joshuadim]

Azathor grunted as he stumbled back from the water elemental's blow, looking at annoyance at the damage dealt to his plating before twirling his blade again. He'd just keep trying, without being discouraged by his initial failure. Besides, he really wanted to hurt this damn elemental now. Wordlessly, he charged again at the demon, aiming to strike with an undercut swing at one of its legs.

 

[Damian0358]

Xiaòzhou's shield had managed to protect him, but even through it he could feel the amount of pressure coming from its jetstream, without even needing to look at how it had just scarred Cassandra with it. He breathed out in pain as he considered his stance. He, Cassandra and Azathor had all been hit with water, which would make them ample targets for the lightning elemental. He had to consider the best approach now.

The earliest demonstration of the lightning elemental's power against the skeletons showed that positioning would not aid them - for all he knew, putting the water elemental between himself and the lightning elemental would just result in lightning from above, so any attempts at directing attacks at one another would have to be actively induced, not passively. With that in mind, drying off was of utmost importance.

He rushed over to Cassandra, healing her as best as he could, before a card-like talisman popped out: "Wuxing ~ Crimson Fire..." he spoke softly, utilizing the usually-offensively minded talisman in an attempt to dry off Azathor, with the horn-based miniscule projectiles charging themselves up with qi and rushing forth, not in a rapid blaze, but heated to dry.

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian had cycled the bolt enough times on his Mauser that he was beginning to lose track of how many bullets he had sent the enemy's way over the course of the battle, and it was far from over. Still, he was lucky in that the enemy had not yet devoted any attention toward snuffing his life out, and as far as he was concerned, if he kept hiding, maybe it would keep working. However, when he saw the harm that had come to Camille, he snapped out of his machine-like behavior and fought back the urge to charge out of cover. Nein... She's still upright, he told himself. No use getting myself struck by lightning; she knows what she's doing better than I do.

It was a series of affirmations he made mainly to soothe his conscience. It didn't feel right, hiding in the shadows as others took the brunt of the demon's attack. For now, he planted the stock back into his shoulder, grit his teeth, and tried again to put the lightning elemental down.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

The downpour made his rifle wet and slippery, his gloves helped with grit. As the bolt slid backwards, the inquisitor drew breath. It felt bitter. He felt bitter. Compounded by the fact that he saw another be struck by an electric assault. His mind took pause and simply stared for agonising eons.

Until he clicked out of his hypnosis. Jumping down from his vantage point, he did not rush to Camille's aid. That was obvious bait for fish. Instead, he circled the lightning elemental and raised his rifle above his head. The droplets dripped off the brim of the tricorn hat. Aiming centre mass, Rajko squeezed the trigger as calm as a leaf on a pond.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille's body seized as she was electrified by the crackling jolt of energy, gritting her teeth as she had already been crouched from her rapid descent. Despite her tolerance for pain, she still let loose a scream from the painful tightening of her muscles as she began to spasm into a curled ball. Not that she was fully aware of the possibility, but it was quite fortunate that the bolt of lightning hadn't stopped her heart.

A shaky hand grasps a tightening fistful of sandy dirt as the huntress starts to push her forearms into the earth to stand tall again, glaring fiercely at the elemental that struck her. Reaching into a pouch she began to move her arms in an effort to load another crossbow bolt, but her hands shook erratically to the point that she dropped the ammunition as she fumbled with the mechanism. Camille exhales shakily before she steels her resolve, starting to begin a sprint toward the Lightning Elemental. Her hands spread before they swiftly retrieved several throwing knives from their holster, slender but not nearly as needle-like as the quills she would use during the initial Grimtham Inquiry. Her fearless advance was accompanied by a flurry of tosses at the elemental's vitals.