Scene #6904: (Literally) Painting the Town Red

Owner	Pose
Ritsuka Fujimaru	As Elites draw closer the origin point of the distress call, the sight of a city in flames greets them. The cathedral is on fire, the nearby museum is on fire, and even the fire hydrants are on fire. It's an unhealthy amount of fire for the most part, and it seems that the source of all this is one cackling French(?) woman. A French woman in black armor with a flag that's on fire, just to really hammer in how much fire is here. She seems to be relishing in the destruction she's unleashing in the city, holding a dark sword high in the air and practically waiting for someone to turn her way before swinging her sword down to let loose with another volley of flaming spears. Multiple bodies are piled up by the doors to the cathedral as well, almost as if they had been placed there deliberately. At the rate this is going, the city is likely to burn to the ground before the night is over. It's not too hard to find her, at least, what with most of the light in the city now coming from the inferno blazing around the maniac.
Ishirou	A young dark-haired boy in a white military outfit touches down, releasing his grip on a strange box that floats with tiny stubby arms. The box is slightly black with slight red trimming. It chimes in a slightly metallic feminine voice. "Warning, this area appears to be on fire, making operational time more hazardous and overall operations dangerous. Recommendation: Retreat from the target area and wait for support from other Paladin Units." "No can do POD, we got data to collect, and data on anything with magic like this is going to make our long term jobs very easy," He says, "Besides, we can handle a single powerful, if not extremely hot, woman setting everything on fire," I4 says, smiling at his own pun. "POD, wide-area scan, let's look for areas where we can try and release water or fire suppression systems to our benefit." The POD produces an antenna from its head, starting to map out the area, looking for any obvious, or well-hidden items that could help them combat the fire, besides just horribly setting already burnt french toast on more fire. A screen appears in the middle of the air, while I4 seems to type on it like a holo projected keyboard. "Alright, scanning the target as well, let's just see how much magic we're dealing with here."
Solty Revant	It doesn't take too long after the call goes out for people to start arriving. One of them is heralded by a trail of dust being kicked up behind her as she runs toward the area from the nearest warp gate. The green-haired android girl named Solty Revant makes no secret of her approach...and skids to a stop with eyes wide as she sees the scene. The entire town is on fire?! The usually cheerful girl's expression is one of shock and horror. Is there anyone left alive in there? Her big furry ears start to twitch as she listens for any cries for help. Her hearing is very good, so she might be able to pick out such sounds even among the roaring flames. But, she is distracted as she notices that woman in black with the flaming flag. Solty's fists clench, and she starts toward that direction at full speed, then leaps through the air before landing in front of Jeanne with a heavy thud and in a three point stance. She fixes a serious expression on Jeanne, then stands up fully from her landing. "Did you do this?" she asks, her voice full of warning.
Kain	There was the sound of a sonicboom, then suddenly a man clad in a red robe with a rapier on his hip appeared, hovering a few inches off the ground with wings of translucent crimson. "Alright, who's the one setting things ablaze? That's supposed to be my job." He draws his rapier, looking to the woman with the black sword. "Huh... well, you're clearly mentally demented. I take no pleasure in this, but... you're hurting people. So! Down you go!" And with more of his preternatural speed, the man in red was suddenly up in the woman's face, stabbing towards her with his sword aglow!
Ritsuka Fujimaru	There is a whole lot of fire going on here, even for sensors and scanners. I4's scan of the fire-wielding Servant reveal that there's a whole lot of magic coming out of her, but not overwhelmingly so compared to the amount of fire around. Despite her confident laughter and psychotic demeanor, this was clearly done with some amount of planning to maximize damage efficiently! It's not much comfort to anyone inside, of course, but still. There are indeed people still inside the cathedral and museum, varying in how alive they are. It ranges from not-very for those in the cathedral (but they still are!) to significantly more alive for those in the museum. Once more, there may have been some planning in all this chaos. Planning that seems to be paying off dividends, even, as Jeanne is confronted by Solty. "Hm? Yes. Yes, I did. Impressive, isn't it?" A self-satisfied grin forms on Jeanne's face as she taps the base of her flag against the ground, the flames around her intensifying for a brief moment. "But you didn't come just to ask that, did you? You came to do something about it." Apparently, Solty's not the only one that came for that reason. Kain arrives with a fairly accurate assessment of Jeanne's actions. "What of it? These people deserve no mercy. The world will be better off without them!" She belts out another laugh and barely even flinches as she sees the swordsman charging right for her. Rather than moving to evade the stab, she draws her own blade to thrust it towards him even as his weapon pierces right into the side of her armor! "Heh... A bold one, aren't you? But let's not waste any more time dancing around the matter." The flames around Jeanne flare up again, and she clutches the flagpole at her other side as spears form around her. "Let's make this burning city our battlefield!" And then the spears launch outwards while she swings her flagpole forward. The burning flag goes right for Kain and Solty with how close they are to the mad Servant, and the spears spread more flames while a few more happen to be launched right at where I4's watching her from!
Kain	Kain just kinda... laughs at the flames licking his body! "You're using fire... against a Fairy whose job it is to FLING fire! Seems that's your only thing, there! But me? I like to DANCE!" And Kain quickly sprung, performing a front-flip over the woman and striking from her backside as he gracefully went for more flashy and showy than anything else. His movement isn't wasted at all. His body seemed to gracefully dance as if it were just the most natural thing to him! Although, flying certainly helps things...
Ishirou	The android continues to beat at his holocomputer. Yeah, this was set up too well, and the fire is everywhere, with it being connected to her. Meaning that there is no guarantee that if he got fire suppression online that anything would actually easily smother the flames while she was here. Worse, there were people trapped. Moving a hand, the information is sent to both Kain and Solty. Somehow it's just there in your vision as if you had electronic eyes or something. This is pretty odd. "POD le-" And then fire washes over him, sending him off his feet and bouncing him across the ground and through a few different fires. Stopping, the now slightly on fire I4 rises to his feet with some effort, as the POD moves over to helpfully spray fire suppressant on I4. "Situation is critical, recommended course is a retreat," The POD says again, but I4 does not immediately respond. However, a beam of light shines through the air, aiming to try and smack into Jeanne from I4. I4 attempts his BMIS (Bio-Mechanical Interface system) to try and start messing with the magic coming out of Jeanne. A flash moves through the air, attempting to use the connection (should he form one) to both weaken her power, but also overload her own magical circuits with feedback. "Hey uh, guy who's very overeager to hurt things? That's like saying 'You stupid fire elemental, how dare you fight me a magma elemental'. You're both fire fairies."
Solty Revant	Solty brings up her arms to block the swinging flag and is sent sliding back by the impact, a bit of what looks to be...cracks? in her forearms. "How can you possibly know that about every single person!" she demands of Jeanne. She picks up a large piece of debris and throws it at Jeanne, but then takes off for the museum. It has the most people alive, and thus the most sounds of people alive, so it stands out. Running at speeds normally reserved for supercars, Solty charges for the museum, breaking fire hydrants as she goes to try and get -some- sort of fire fighting going on. She slows for a moment when that overlay pops up thanks to I4, but stopping Jeanne is secondary to saving people as far as Solty is concerned. When she reaches the museum she just...smashes through the wall to try and create the biggest exit point she can. "Everyone get out! Quickly!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru	"You're... A Fairy." There's a brief moment of silence, and then Jeanne bursts out into laughter because of course she would. It gives Kain enough of an opportunity to get another stab in, although this one isn't quite as deep as the first one. It sitll draws a fair amount of blood, but the Servant almost look like she's enjoying it with that same deranged grin of hers! Still, that return-thrust has her focusing just a bit more on defense now that she's not just showboating and has I4 as well as Solty both gunning for her at once. It's not really literal in I4's case, though, as his attack comes more in the form of a strange techno-magical attack designed to mess with her magic at its core. Even without throwing out more flames at the dark-haired boy, she can feel her mana draining. Before she can identify him as the source, though, she instead identifies a chunk of wall hurtling right for her. The Avenger actually brings her flagpole forward to block against it, skidding back several yards from the impact as the debris draws some more blood. Also, that ever-widening smile. "That's more like it... You style yourselves heroes, don't you? That every life deserves to be saved from the mad witch, no matter what they've done?" She scowls briefly as Solty starts trying to get some of those people out, and Jeanne leaps high into the air as more (non-flaming) spears circle around the Servant. But instead of launching them, she glances towards I4. "So that would make you the smart one, him the violent one-" she glances at Kain, then at Solty "-and her the gullible one." And with that, she kicks off a nearby building towards Kain first. Her sword alights as she takes a big, hearty slash at him before rushing towards I4 with a brief feint followed by a heavy thrust towards center mass. Solty, meanwhile, gets a whole lot of spears tossed her way as Jeanne leaps towards her with a quick series of slashes to follow those up. "If you have time to save people, then you have time to fight!" It seems that trying to do anything beyond fighting is getting on her nerves!
Kain	Kain saw the popup show before him, and just nodded as if it were the most normal thing to him. "Thanks." He seemed not to really say this to anyone in particular, just saying it for the sake of thanking the information given to him. With the very aggressive strike, Kain winces from the attack! "So... you're good with a blade too... oh wait! No you're not!" And once again, Kain spun around and jumped over the crazy french woman! But instead of a back strike... it was a spinning slash that seemed to aim for the arm that was holding the blade... Just what was this 'Fairy's' game?
Ishirou	The feint throws I4 off balance, and before he knows it, the blade cuts through his uniform and into his chest. There is sparking and dangerous-looking damage from the blade as he's sent rolling across the ground. Grabbing at his chest as he gets to his feet, and gritting his teeth he speaks only on her analysis. "If I were smart, I wouldn't be here in the first place," He says, at some self-deprecating humor. The comment about Solty causes the Android to grit a bit, at least she was trying to help people. "Pod. Particle cannon mode, fire on my command." He says and runs right towards Jean, a sword comes out to his hands as he attempts to swing, easily parry able, but he drops to the ground. "FIRE!" The flying box changes shape, opening up and revealing some sort of barrel. Before a dangerous beam of energy flies right towards Jean, as he rolls to place himself between Solty and Burnt French Toast. He follows this up with another round of BMIS, trying to make the shot from the POD more painful. "Hey you, just get to those people, leave her to me," He says, with another spark coming from his chest. 'I'm going to fucking die.' he thinks inwardly.
Solty Revant	Those spears come in and Solty tries to weave between them, but there are just too many. Several hit her, and sparks like metal on metal fly from the impacts, followed by those slashes from Jeanne. After all of that, Solty's nature as an adroid is all too obvious. She might look like a completely normal girl on the outside, but all of the places where a spear struck her has torn away the Resemble skin covering her limbs, revealing the gleam of metal plating beneath and in some places even causing electrical sparks to fly. Solty slides back after the last strike, then frowns at Jeanne. "And if you have time to fight, you have time to /not/ fight!" she says before...seeming to disappear. In less than the blink of an eye she is suddenly beside Jeanne and in the middle of a spinning kick aimed at Jeanne's belly, meant to knock her back and clear the way for those getting out of the building. Then, I4 interposes himself between Solty and Jeanne, and Solty blinks in surprise before giving a determined nod. "Okay!" she says, then takes off for the cathedral. When she reaches it, she fully intends to break it open as well and let those people out...the ones that can still move anyway.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	As the battle continues, Jeanne finds her predictions eerily accurate. Kain's taunt doesn't really land anywhere near as well as his counterattack, the slash cleaving right through a gauntlet and drawing a nasty spurt of blood. "Tch... Surely you've got better quips than that! You weren't even trying with that one, were you?!" She sounds more annoyed by the taunt's quality than the injury, strangely enough. Between that and I4's assessment of his own intelligence, however, she's distracted just long enough that his gambit of charging directly at her with the pod actually works. To be fair, she wasn't really expecting someone his size to fight in such a way. No, she's still the sort to underestimate people, and it costs her dearly when that beam blasts right into her, and even his blade actually manages to dig right into her armor at center mass. "Kh...! Not bad, smartass. But if you really want to save anyone from danger, then you'd best focus on the person that put them there in the first place!" She goes tumbling backwards several times over before stopping herself with her flag embedded in the ground, but Jeanne doesn't remain still for all that long. Instead... "... What?" She sounds genuinely confused by what Solty's telling her. It actually takes the wind out of Jeanne's sails for a moment as she tries to process what that means, but is quickly back on guard once the android disappears from sight. Although she can't see where the girl's gone, Jeanne does have enough sense to not just stand there like a dunce. She dips back once she catches sight of Solty, jerking back at the kick and moving with the strike to not get the wind knocked out of her. That distance between them and I4's gambit still give Solty time to get that cathedral entrance cleared, though, and various clergy members donning overly lavish (and burnt) clothing stagger out in their haste to escape. Most of them are crawling their way out, all bearing various stab and burn wounds as if whoever attacked them had purposely let them cling to life. "But we can't keep dancing forever. No... This place needs to know the folly of their greed and their lip service to this... This so called God, and I'll make sure there's nothing left to even rescue!" The darkness in the air intensifies around Jeanne as the flames surrounding her burn even brighter, holding her blade aloft. Despite I4's BMIS forcing her use of mana into overdrive, she still manages to put out massive amounts of mana as if trying to burn everyone else out before she burns herself out. "This is the howl of a soul filled with hatred!" Jeanne swings her sword in front of her, pointing it towards the Elites with a (figurative) fire burning in her eyes. "La Grondement Du Haine!" The flames surrounding the Avenger expand rapidly, surging towards each of them in countless waves of flame. As the flames reach their targets, geysers of flame erupt from the earth beneath them followed by numerous spears, each one coming in at a different angle poised to launch right through them if they're not careful. The rising spears keep growing in number until an explosion rocks the area, threatening to burn them and the survivors to a crisp!
Ishirou	The flames burn through all of the defensive barriers that I4 can place up, and passed him. It was literally trying to fight a burning field...or... "POD, run ID through data banks," Or like a death. That's it. This is why he's seeing the magic run this way. Even as he screams through the pain, his mind is already trying to process what he is seeing. Falling to his hands and knees, burnt to a crisp, yet somehow still functioning, the now heavily sparking Android slowly rises to his feet. A smirk on his lips. "Analysis complete. BMIS interface ready," The POD beeps. "However, I4 has sustained severe injuries, and retreat is recommended." "Yeah yeah, but we got people, and a little girl depending on us now. Besides, I am too curious to see what would happen if I do..." Loading the proper procedures up, I4 attempts to use his own magic field to touch the ground he was nearly slumped on. "Holy Blessing be upon you!" With that a burst of holy light surges through the ground itself, trying to fight the unholy fire with righteous light, aiming to distract Jean just long enough to run through the blinding light and fire, aiming to try and thrust the blade right into her chest. It too, glowing in the light of magic. "For all that you have done, I forgive you." he says, completing the ritual.
Solty Revant	Solty would happily take all of the hits herself if she could. But, there is no way she can possibly stop these waves of flames with force! So, she tries with speech. "What would Mr. Touta say if he saw all of this?!" she exclaims loudly, her volume helped by the pain of those spears and that fire. More and more cuts appear on her as those fiery spears smash into her until finally she lets out a high-pitched cry as one actually pierces through her midsection and all the way through the other side. She stumbles back, arcs of electricity escaping from the wound every now and then. The flames near the survivors, and Solty screams. "NoooooOOOOO!!" before she charges right at Jeanne. "STOP IIIIT!!" she screams as she comes flying in instead of running, her body surrounded by a yellow-orange aura that ripples and flows almost like water. It is most concentrated around her fists, and the flying comet that is the android girl comes screaming in toward Jeanne. The force of the impact would be enough to cause a small crater, and the hit itself is augmented by some sort of explosive release of kinetic energy.
Kain	Kain recoils HARD from that hit! "ARGH! Ugh..." Pixels were scattering at the edges of his form... this was not a good position to be in... all he had left was to show off one more time! Taking a deeeeep breath, he looks at the woman. "You want a quip? Fine... here's one for you... I have a move I've been saving for special occasions... it's still not perfect... but it's all I'm gonna need to defeat you!" Moving into a pose, his Rapier glows once again! "Chant du Cygne!" And with that declaration, Kain literally disappears from sight! He then reappears several feet behind the mad woman! He'd collapse to one knee... but as he did, SEVERAL needle-sharp attacks would erupt around the French woman simultaneously It looked to be 100 in total! "Requiescat...!" And he would sheathe his Rapier, all 100 would stab in simultaneously!
Ritsuka Fujimaru	"Holy magic? No... What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jeanne scowls as I4 charges through that swirling miasma of flame and light, the dark and holy energies combining into a confusing, yet visually distinct and aesthetically pleasing field that keeps the Avenger both entirely focused and thrown off at the same time. Although the blade misses its mark and gets pinned between her side and her arm, she doesn't quite get a chance to bash his face in. "Forgiveness? What do you take me for? Someone seeking re...?" She grits her teeth and raises her arm, suddenly looking angry as she prepares to backhand the taste out of his mouth for daring to speak such nonsense. Before she can, though, she's interrupted by a sudden fist to the face. Solty's wild punch frees both I4's sword from Jeanne's hold and Jeanne's feet from the ground as it launches her through a nearby streetlight. The Avenger rolls a few times before planting her feet firmly on the ground, stomping once to steady herself... Just in time for Kain's rapiers to materialize around her. Pulling up her flag, she twirls it around to deflect whatever of those needles she can, but it only goes so far as the rest stab right in and draw not-necessarily-countless-but-a-lot of spurts of blood from the Dragon Witch. She remains still for a long moment, slumping forward slowly... And then she starts laughing. Despite the pain and the injuries, she's laughing. "That's more like it... That's what I was looking for!" Slamming the base of her flag against the ground, Jeanne pushes herself up to keep herself standing as she points at the Elites with her sword. "This battle... This is what fools like these people needed to be reminded of. Their mortality, the weight of their sins... If there is a God, surely He would have protected them from me!" Her laughter continues as she gestures at all the fire. There is still a great deal of fire, although the people in the cathedral and museum aren't trapped any more. They might still need help escaping, but Jeanne no longer appears interested in burning the crap out of them as she turns to start strolling away incredibly slowly. "Don't let these idiots forget, either, or I will return."
Solty Revant	Solty looks entirely confused as Jeanne says all that. As Jeanne walks away she calls out, "I don't know if there's a god or not, but if there is, maybe he protected them by sending us?" she says. But, she isn't about to chase after Jeanne when there are still people in danger! If there is any sort of vehicle nearby such as a wagon, bus, or other large vehicle, she starts pulling it around and collecting people and then taking them out of town. It really doesn't matter if it is running or even has wheels so long as its body is whole and it isn't on fire. On the off chance that such a thing isn't available in a town that is completely on fire, she just starts carrying a few people out at a time.
Ishirou	I4's eyes close shut, he knows what is about to happen. It doesn't. He opens his eyes to notice that Jean is being crazy and walking awayish. He wants to fall over and hope that POD can take him back, but he is reminded people need help. With a sigh, and sparking that reveals he's nearly critically damaged, he starts working. He works on trying to stop fires first, trying to suppress or control them to let people work on trying to get others out. Magic was plentiful here, and enough to let him try suppressing the heat.
Ritsuka Fujimaru	Luckily for the people of the town, the fire hydrants are still working well enough for the Elites present to get them (mostly) functional to stop the fire from spreading (too much) to other buildings. The cathedral's basically kaput at this point, but at least most of the not-corpses will survive in time! As for actually getting the survivors out, there's still plenty of scorched, yet functional buses to hijack for extraction. Given enough time, the people will certainly recover, but the property damage will take considerably longer.