high_seas | To go with your crew...

Who: Everyone who is fighting in the battle to kill the witch.
Where: The Black Fortress in the East
When: Jan 24th-25th
What: The grand battle to get back what you have lost, get revenge for what was taken, and avert disaster.
Warnings: Language. Death. Victory. Defeat. True love. Miracles.
Style: Text or prose
Status: Open to all

The black fortress ripples with shimmering iridescent energy, the piles of black coral heaped on roped together barges around it, bobbing in the waves. On the largest barge stands a slender man with a copper belt, wearing a face mask, orange red hair flecked with black from ash or dust. As the dawn slowly folds over the ocean, he'll look up, as if hearing some hidden voice.

At the top of the fortress, a figure climbs into vision, a woman, dressed in gray, features obscured by a hood with impenetrable darkness behind it. She staggers a moment as if she is weary, then straightens to her full height. As she speaks, her voice comes out of the journals, echoing over the water, low but clear.

"This is no small task ye do. She that rots within'll do anythin' ta stop ye. Don't hesitate to kill what ye find. If they were human once, they hain't no more. Watch out for her golems, too, or they'll drain ye dry quicker'n a wink. But if ye can get rid of 'em, it'll weaken her." She hesitates, cants her head to the side. "And if ye lot aren't as much of a bunch'a idiots as usual, ye might come out alive through this."

That said, she raises her hands. After a moment so does the man on the barge. For a moment, nothing seems to happen and then iridescent light shimmers over the coral, seeming to match that which surrounds the fortress. It crackles and dances like a fire, and then without warning bursts into a furious life, slamming against the energy of the fortress. There is the sound like thunder and light snaps and crackles, zipping with energy. Then with a woosh the light flies upward, taking the figure with it. The man on the barge lets out a cry like a seagull and dives into the water as if intending to swim after her.

For the boats that remain, a part of the fortress will crumble away into the sea, revealing a small harbor and an open doorway. Enter all ye who dare.

[If things become too crowded, feel free to make another thread outside of these. Just put where you are in the header.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jade strolls along behind Tokunaga, largely unconcerned with the incoming hordes of undead. Now that Anise is keeping them occupied, he has more than enough time for a fonic arte of his own.

"Grant mine enemies a final rest. Flame Burst!"

The rotten flesh of the zombies is practically asking to be set on fire, and cluttered together like this, they make for an easy target. An entire group of them is incinerated before they can so much as lurch at him.

"Looks like we made it in time." To absolutely no one's surprise, the colonel sounds unnecessarily cheerful. He peers past the remaining zombies where the Precures are. "You girls alright over there?"

And if all of that still wasn't enough, the remaining zombies that are a little too close for comfort are brought down thanks to a few quick lightning bolts. Henry gleefully runs up to the group, looking very much like an excited little kid. As always, he's having just a little too much fun. But at least it comes in handy.

"Nya ha ha, that could've been pretty bad, huh?"

He pauses at one of the fallen zombies, half incinerated from his own lighting bolt earlier and he kneels down besides it, poking it a little.

"I guess this one had quite the shock!"

He grins at his own lame joke, then looks over to the Cures, giving a casual little wave.

Mana was just about to answer Rikka, when... suddenly, hope literally exploded onto the scene. Anise, Jade, and Henry, all three of them appearing in short order. Mana found her expression brightening, and relief wash over her.

"E-Everyone...!" she exclaimed, standing up on shaking legs. "You came for us...!"

She turned around and grabbed Rikka into a hug, which was followed by her giving one (gently) to Alice as well. The others were here. They were going to make it out of this...!

The sudden arrival of qualified, and more importantly capable, backup made Rikka let out a sigh of relief. She'd thought this would be it, but... it looked like they'd live a little longer. This place wouldn't claim them yet.

"A little worse for wear, Colonel Curtiss," she answers, "but we're alive, somehow."

The hug from Mana is a surprise, but not an unwelcome one; the adrenaline is bleeding away finally, and with it the rage that's been mitigating her actions. And so, gently, she manages, "I'm sorry if I worried you, Mana, Alice."

Alice stared at the newly arrived carnage in awe. Henry, another person she had hurt, and... That girl's voice sounded familiar, and she'd appeared with Jade... Realization of who that may be dawned upon her, and she suddenly felt even lower. If that were possible.

She accepted the hug, but clutching her injured arm she didn't reach back out. Or perhaps she didn't feel as if she should. Either way, she just shifted her gaze a bit towards Rikka, and shook her head.

"You are the very last person who needs to apologize, Rikka-chan..." she murmured, and in spite of everything else, one thing was still true: "You saved us in the first place..."

Anise finishes off one last zombie with a swift uppercut and an energy blast with Tokunaga, sending it to slump against the wall in a crumpled heap. Seeing nothing left to fight, she hops off neatly from Tokunaga and shrinks him down again, slinging him back to his usual place on her back. Hands on her hips, she marches up to Henry, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"I can't believe you're poking at it!" But she's got other things to worry about other than a crazy mage. Spinning around, she waves at Rikka, a big grin on her face now.

"Hey Rikka! I'm glad you're safe!" She hadn't seen the girls there when she first started attacking those zombies, but rescuing people is always a bonus, even when they can't pay up.

But who are those other two girls? Anise has a sneaking suspicion, especially since she could have sworn she heard Rikka say "Mana" and "Alice", but...

"So who's with you?"

"Ah, that's right. You haven't been properly introduced."

Jade pushes his glasses up.

"Anise, this is Captain Mana--" also known as the girl who'd casually threatened to attack every crew out there "--and Alice--" also known as the girl who threatened to drown you "--your new crewmates. Why don't you all say hello?"

Nothing awkward about this at all.

Henry stops poking the unfortunate zombie's remains, grinning up at Anise and shrugging, like what he's doing is perfectly normal. Of course, in his mind, it... probably is.

"It's not like it's gonna bite me or anything! Probably!"

He stands up, dusting his robes off a bit. Naturally, the awkwardness of the situation goes way over his head, but who here really expected Henry to pick up on that? Yeah.

"I'm glad you're all doing okay there!" He pauses briefly, as he looks at the Precure and realizes that perhaps 'okay' isn't exactly the right word to use here. "Well, okay-ish anyway!" Yes, much better.

To go with your crew...

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