Visiting the Neighbors - Kanako in the Netherworld

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow. "Oh? An elemental, hm? Impressive."
>Let's get a nice little wind barrier, something like that 'Invisible Air' thing Sanae and Suwako mentioned back in the outside world.

[Oldmansour]

>Raise an eyebrow. "Oh? An elemental, hm? Impressive."
>Let's get a nice little wind barrier, something like that 'Invisible Air' thing Sanae and Suwako mentioned back in the outside world.

>Surrounding yourself with a shield of wind, you wait for the oncoming elemental to make the first move.
>The flaming creature extends its hand outwards towards you, and a wave of sooty flame emerges the its palm. Your barrier of air, however, easily diffuses the flame. The elemental, you note, only has a level of 150.
>The elemental, however, may have served as a diversion only, as a quartet of fireballs range up from the direction of the dragon only seconds after the flame wave washes over you, impacting heavily against your shield. These projectiles are also blocked by your screen, but they do force you backwards a few handspans. They packed a lot more impact than the elementals' shots.

[Hanzo K.]

>Smirk a bit. "Impressive. But I wonder if you can put up as good a fight as Suwako did..."
>How far from Pyremaw is the elemental, and if we were to use Mountain of Faith in an effort to peg both at once, with some added bonuses, would any of the allies of those paladins, or the paladins themselves, be in the firing range?

[Oldmansour]

>Smirk a bit. "Impressive. But I wonder if you can put up as good a fight as Suwako did..."
>How far from Pyremaw is the elemental, and if we were to use Mountain of Faith in an effort to peg both at once, with some added bonuses, would any of the allies of those paladins, or the paladins themselves, be in the firing range?

>There is approximately 60 feet of distance total between the elemental and Pyremaw.
>Mountain of Faith, like a great many spellcards, is omnidirectional. If you unleashed it upon the elemental and the dragon, you'd essentially be blanketing the area with danmaku. The only ones that might not be within range of it would be the remaining mage and gunner pair along the south face of the valley, due to your position and the cover they have from you where you are.

>However, danmaku does have a 'friendly fire' addendum. If you're practiced at it, you can exclude your allies from the effects of your danmaku. It's a technique you picked up from that traveling band of poltergeists. Their danmaku allows them to fire indiscriminately without worrying about hitting themselves. Now, you haven't had many chances to practice it, but you did learn it for yourself, in the event you ever ended up fighting alongside Suwako or Sanae. You're a Goddess who prides herself on being prepared.
>The only uncertain factor would be, you're not technically sure if the paladins and their allies would count as YOUR allies. You may be on their side, but thus far, you haven't seen any sign that they feel the same towards you. You're not quite sure if you can exclude them in this case. The Prismrivers didn't know if both sides had to agree or not.

[Hanzo K.]

>Alright, let's make our way to the Paladins, keeping the barrier up.
>"You two, take your allies and get at least sixty feet away from the area. I plan to make a decisive attack that will dispose of much of the opposition."

[Oldmansour]

>Alright, let's make our way to the Paladins, keeping the barrier up.
>"You two, take your allies and get at least sixty feet away from the area. I plan to make a decisive attack that will dispose of much of the opposition."

>Adjusting the wind shield around you to be mobile, you fly forwards and down towards the armored pair clashing with Pyremaw's forces below. And it's as well you do, for you draw your share of attention along the way. The elemental stretches out its hand again, and a column of sooty flame strikes down from over your head, dealing you no damage, but it does obscure your view momentarily. Only enough to slow you a little. One of the gunners on the north cliffside fires a triple burst of shots at you, but these two are repelled by your shield of air. It seems that the dragon Pyremaw himself is really the only one in your weight class, if this is the best the small fries have to offer.
>The female paladin sweeps her ranseur low and takes the humanoid warrior facing her off his feet, then calls back to you. "Love to, but we can't. The Prinnies have to keep going forward." The dracotaur facing her raises his sword and charges forward in a blur of motion, slashing her with his two-hander in the process, then leaping back to his starting position once he's done with the blade rush.
>"Prithee, mighty woman," the male adds, his voice archaic and proper, "if an ally true ye be, aid our valiant saint dragons in their plight. 'twill not be long ere the foul drake enters the fray himself."
>As he speaks, the dracotaur in front of him pauses his attack on the paladin and raises his head in your direction, unleashing his flame breath upon you. Simultaneously, an explosion of flame erupts all around you, a spell cast by one of the red-hooded mages. Both are slightly distracting, but neither scratches you, though the flame breath of the dracotaur does manage to singe the shoulder areas of your shirt ever so slightly.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Very well then, I'll provide support for them until you can fall back temporarily. My planned attack will remove much of the opposition after all, which will in turn clear a path for these 'prinnies', whatever they may be."
>Alright, let's see whatever enemies are aiming for the saint dragons, and literally blow them away with whatever spell or skill we have at our disposal that's sure to nail them all down in one pass. Well, that isn't Mountain of Faith that is. Have to be mindful of possible friendly fire after all, and they seem a tad skeptical.

[Oldmansour]

>Alright, let's see whatever enemies are aiming for the saint dragons, and literally blow them away with whatever spell or skill we have at our disposal that's sure to nail them all down in one pass. Well, that isn't Mountain of Faith that is. Have to be mindful of possible friendly fire after all, and they seem a tad skeptical.

>How can you determine what are the saint dragons? You've never heard the term before.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Which ones might they be? I'm afraid I'm rather new to this world you know."

[Oldmansour]

>"Which ones might they be? I'm afraid I'm rather new to this world you know."

>"The four-legged beings with feathered wings, be they." the man informs you.
>"Incoming!" the woman shouts.
>Pyremaw has decided to escalate his offense, and has unleashed a massive wave of shadow energy-infused flame traveling down the valley, a roiling mass of hellish flames and black tendrills of energy. It seems that unlike you, he has no compunctions about friendly fire.

>"Shadowflame." the male says darkly as he crosses blades with the dracotaur. "Truly thy master is a merciless monster. He shall destroy thee as surely as us."
>"Think again, fleshling." the creature snarls. "We get to enjoy watching you burn."
>The male fighter to his right, as well as the fighter squaring off again the female paladin, both flee towards the cliff walls of the valley, trying to get to cover.

[Hanzo K.]

>"....I suggest you find something to hold onto, mortals, things are about to get rather 'breezy'."
>Let's bring up the biggest gale we can to send the flame back at him! We'll put some of our own divine might into this one, a Divine Wind!

[Oldmansour]

>"....I suggest you find something to hold onto, mortals, things are about to get rather 'breezy'."
>Let's bring up the biggest gale we can to send the flame back at him! We'll put some of our own divine might into this one, a Divine Wind!

>Time to show off just what you can do.
>Elevating yourself above the battling mortals, above the beleaguered saint dragons and the flying beasts assaulting them, you draw in your power as the wall of unholy flame washes down the valley, leaving charred earth and melted ice in its path. Extending your left hand out almost casually, palm up, the air between the cliff walls swirls and twists, gathering and strengthening. The saint dragons, you note, take notice of this right away, and heel over and dive down towards the paladins. The mothmen harassing them attempt to follow them, but the paladin's archer comrades unleash nearly a dozen arrows simultaneously, covering the dragon's retreat.
>You wall of wind takes almost physical form, endowed with your own divine energy, sparking blue and green currents of energy among the visible air currents. The sound is massive, but still not enough to drown out the horrible noise of the oncoming firestorm. The combination of the two warring noises is practically deafening. Sending the divine wind forward only serves to make the dramatic sight even louder.
>The two forces meet with an almost epic noise, corrupted fire crashing against sanctified air, the burning darkness scattered by the divine wind of the Moriya Goddess. The paladins and draconids both pause in their clash to look back at a sight you would venture to guess none of them have ever beheld before.
>When the dust settles and the wind quiets down, both attacks have played themselves out against each other. No trace of the shadowflame of Pyremaw remains, nor does your divine wind. Only the dragon himself, glaring malevolently at you from hundreds of feet away. You were sure he was annoyed before. Now you have no doubt that the dragon is enraged.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"I'll handle the dragon."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll handle the dragon."

>"Good fortune to you, mighty woman." the man replies in his archaic speech, smashing his glowing shield into the nose of the dracotaur in front of him. "Be wary. The likes of wyrmkind are not to be underestimated, even for one such as yourself."
>Its heavy wings beating heavily, Pyremaw rises slowly from the rock he was standing upon. But it is not he that gives you trouble right away. The three flying creatures arrayed against the saint dragons, the pair of moths and the smaller black drake, are all flying in your direction, the dragon and one of the moths coming from just above and in front of you, the second moth from an eighty degree angle above you.
>Support for you comes from below, as a swarm of arrows fly up from the surface and strike both the drake and the moth, impaling them both in many places. But this turns out to be only have the equation, as the arrows strike sparks and lightning falls from the sky, striking the pair of fliers with heavenly wrath. The moth falls smoking from the sky, motionless and crispy, but the drake presses on, and breathes out a line of flame at you.

[Hanzo K.]

>Let's casually throw out a little whirlwind into the path of his attack to capture it, then send it on it's way to him for a case of being hoisted by his own petard!
>"It'll take more than that to best the very wind itself you know."
>Ah, there is that other moth after all, let's have that whirlwind from earlier swing around for a pass against it as well.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's casually throw out a little whirlwind into the path of his attack to capture it, then send it on it's way to him for a case of being hoisted by his own petard!
>"It'll take more than that to best the very wind itself you know."
>Ah, there is that other moth after all, let's have that whirlwind from earlier swing around for a pass against it as well.

>A twisting whirlwind appears in front of the line of flame, drawing air inwards into the vortex in the center. Dragon's flame, however, doesn't quite behave the same way a normal flame would, and a great deal of fire spills out around the sides of your whirlwind, disappearing in the strong gale generated by the vortex. The remainder permeates throughout the whirlwind, casting a burning orange glow in all directions as you fling the vortex forward. The horse-sized drake runs headlong into your whirlwind, and while the flames bounce harmlessly off its scaly hide, it is thrown violently to your left and towards the ground by the force of your wind. The beast manages to right itself barely a foot off the icy ground and glides away from you, back towards Pyremaw.
>As you direct your whirlwind towards the moth, you are enveloped in another column of sooty flame. The elemental, no doubt.

[Hanzo K.]

>Let's fling a cutting gale at the elemental then. We'll scatter it to the four winds in one blast! "Begone."
>And we'll finish bringing that Flaming Whirlwind around to take out that moth as well.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's fling a cutting gale at the elemental then. We'll scatter it to the four winds in one blast! "Begone."
>And we'll finish bringing that Flaming Whirlwind around to take out that moth as well.

>Time to deal with that little irritant. Bladed winds fly from your hands, and buffet the elemental. The beast casts of flaming bits of itself for a few seconds, then simply explodes into rapidly fading licks of flame.
>One down, one to go. You send the burning vortex of air towards the moth as the bug unleashes a cloud of purple dust from its wings. The dust seems to have no effect on your beyond making your nose slightly itchy. Your whirlwind, however, has a much more dramatic effect. The crisped form of the moth falls away, trailing ash and smoke from its tattered wings as it makes a nosedive towards the ground.
>You've not the opportunity to enjoy the removal of these foes, however, before a bolt of black energy slams into your side. Matching shadowy blasts strike the pair of saint dragons, the archers and the female paladin with full force. The male manages to use his shield to ward off part of the blast, but the shot nearly rips the shield from his hand. His dracotaur opponent, a fierce grin on his face, takes the opportunity to deliver a vicious rising slash to the paladin with his axe. The female is in no better shape, as her dracotaur employs his flame breath, engulfing the warrior in a gout of thick fire.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Pyremaw, no doubt. Time to turn our attention to the real threat.

[Oldmansour]

>Pyremaw, no doubt. Time to turn our attention to the real threat.

>It does indeed seem that Pyremaw launched that volley of shadow bolts. And he has an escort now, as well, as the small drake has fallen in below and in front of him, to his right, and this one unleashes a volley of fireballs at you and your six new allies below you.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Deflect that attack, then Giga Wind the drake. Take it out.

[Oldmansour]

>Deflect that attack, then Giga Wind the drake. Take it out.

>Did you wish to deflect just the fireball heading in your direction, or would you like to try and take care of all seven?

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>All seven, if it won't be overly taxing. Then take out the drake.

[SirChaotick]

>The drake is flying, isn't it? Be sure to shoot it downward with the Giga Wind if so.

[Hanzo K.]

>Hell, let's redirect all seven right back at Pyremaw. If he's too angry, he won't think straight. And that means he'll be that much sloppier an opponent when we come around to fight him.

[Oldmansour]

>Deflect that attack, then Giga Wind the drake. Take it out.

>All seven, if it won't be overly taxing. Then take out the drake.

>The drake is flying, isn't it? Be sure to shoot it downward with the Giga Wind if so.

>Hell, let's redirect all seven right back at Pyremaw. If he's too angry, he won't think straight. And that means he'll be that much sloppier an opponent when we come around to fight him.

>Quickly analyzing the paths of the fireballs, you wave your hand and generate a septet of swirling vortexes of air in their paths. Redirecting seven different attacks traveling in different directions to go all towards the same destination is no easy feat, even for a Goddess. On the other hand, it isn't the first time you've done something like this. The fireball volley is diverted away from you and your new allies, and back towards the larger dragon. Each burst of flame simply splashes harmlessly against the huge Wyrm's hide, dealing no damage whatsoever.
>With that attack dealt with, you turn your attack towards the smaller drake, employing what is quickly becoming your new favourite spell. Though you try to invert it, in a rather clever move. You feel a sense of resistance, however. The spell seems to have been designed to work one way, and that's up. You are certain that, given enough time, you could master the spell and turn it to your desire, but the middle of a battle is not the best place for magical experimentation. Especially not when you have a plethora of other tools at your disposal. So you settle for a normal giga wind against the smaller drake, sending the beast flying up into the air. It does not rise far, however, as the small drake impacts against the underside of Pyremaw's jaw, hard enough to snap the larger dragon's mouth shut with a resounding *clack*.

>Visibly angered, Pyremaw snaps his forarm forward and snatches the smaller drake out of the air. The drake is motionless, either dead or unconscious, you can't tell. Pyremaw doesn't seem to care, as he hurls his smaller fellow dragon at you, the drake trailing blood as it flies through the air at an impressive rate.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Blow it back. If we can't do that quickly enough, dodge.
>If it gets sent at us again, blow it back again, a little faster each time, until Pyremaw misses and gets hit.

[Oldmansour]

>Blow it back. If we can't do that quickly enough, dodge.
>If it gets sent at us again, blow it back again, a little faster each time, until Pyremaw misses and gets hit.

>A powerful gale intercepts the incoming small dragon, but the beasts momentum prevents you from sending it back the way it came. It merely drops from the sky, while heading ever so slightly back in the direction of Pyremaw.
>This affords you a moment to take stock of the scene below you. One of the two dracotaurs is down, unconscious but breathing, while its opponent, the female paladin, has joined her male partner in assailing the remaining dracotaur. Of the humanoid minions of Pyremaw, you see no sign. Either they're hiding, or they've beaten a retreat.
>One of the two gold-skinned saint dragons flies up from the ground towards you. "Allow me to Magichange with you, warrior, and add my power to yours." he calls.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"I don't know what that is, and this strikes me as a bad time for learning about it. You should remain ready in case more enemies arrive. I am quite capable of dealing with this beast on my own, I assure you."

[Oldmansour]

>"I don't know what that is, and this strikes me as a bad time for learning about it. You should remain ready in case more enemies arrive. I am quite capable of dealing with this beast on my own, I assure you."

>Insomuch as you can read canine faces, the saint dragon seems about to argue, but his attention, and yours, is drawn by Pyremaw, who has surrounded himself with a field of angry red energy. You brace yourself for another attack, but the dragon does not launch one. Instead, he launches himself downwards, towards the ground, his dive leaving crimson afterimages of light in his path. The dragon slams into the ground, cratering the icy ground with the impact, his aura flowing into the frozen earth below him. Spheres of what appear to be molten lava burst from the earth, nearly a dozen of them, each as large as a large boulder. It is not lava, however, your eyes reveal, but molten metal which the dragon has generated from the ground. One after the other, these orbs of red-hot liquid iron fly up and away from Pyremaw, dripping molten metal in their wake and striking flames from the air, the burning projectiles sear the air as they fly at you.