END OF ARC 1: DAY 168 BATTLE

[asgardmods]

[The grey dim light of false dawn has just settled on the city when the sirens sound. The piercing shriek of a modern warning system begins, and within seconds is joined by the low, haunting wail of wood and bone horns from the Elven camp outside the Gate of Fire. A minute later, there is Thor's post to the network.

And now, as the sun slowly rises, the light reveals clouds of dust in the distance, far off to the North and West. In that time, the city will be awakening with a start. Anyone with connections to a god-supported group or to the elves will be roused and rushed off to their jobs. Folkvang comfort house will open its doors, revealing an interior cleared of equipment and converted into a shelter for those who must flee the incoming violence.

The whispers on the streets are of disbelief and fear. Is it really the end of days? Surely the walls will hold against any mundane army. Surely it will all be over soon... right? Healthy natives are saying goodbye to their loved ones "just in case". Perhaps you should be too.

Later, the armies arrive. First the enemy, made up of humans, monsters, and five dragons. The lesser giants look almost human, except for the flame or frost in their eyes and the warm or cool tint to their colouring. But the king of the fire giants is something else. He is tall and broad and strong, riding on a huge, splendid black boar. The queen of the frost giants is equally intimidating, in armor that looks made of glacial ice itself, seemingly too ornate to be practical but clearly worn as if it is. Her mount is a great white serpentine creature that radiates dangerous cold. The other kinds of creatures are uncountable in their variations, but all well armed.

They dwarf the small forces of Asgard and the forward units of the elves, but just as battle is about to break the sound of a great number of clockwork machines heralds the arrival of the full forces of Alfheim. They are joined soon by the modern outfitted soldiers of Utgard, and then the masses of people collide like conflicting waves of water. Above them fly the dragons, and one great flying ship that seems to have come from nowhere but fights on the side of the gods.

What will your characters do? Will they join the front lines? Hide in the shelter? Man the Arena-turned-war-hospital? There are a million things to do in a battle, but not even those hiding will escape the smell of gunpowder and metal and the sounds of battle.]


[ooc note: your characters are welcome to come up with any frost/fire themed monsters you like! They may not directly combat the giant king or queen. They may not fight dragons without first checking in with the mods in this post (and two dragons are already claimed). Try to consider that there will be a second battle, so you can vary what you're doing. Also make sure to read the plot post thoroughly, especially with regards to character death.

Make sure to include the rough time of day in the subject of your top-level comments, as well as if your thread is open or closed. This whole log will only cover Day 168. If you need mod participation/NPCing, please ask us asap and give us some allowance to be slow, since there's a lot going on.

There is a log for the downtime on days 169-170 here, and a full-event log for those staying in the shelter at Folkvang here. There will be a second pair of battle/downtime logs for the second battle (Day 171-172 with downtime on Day 173) posted on Nov 8.

Important note! There will be a lightning speed commentspam thread for taking down the most familiar dragon in this post beginning today at 6pm CST. At that time there will be a mod plurk to let everyone know we're starting. We will also ask those who can to join the AIM chat (asgardchat) at that time so we're all on the same page. It's a thread we want to get done from start to finish as fast as possible/within two evenings, due to mod business. Please don't feel left out if you can't participate in that thread. It's partly an experiment in seeing if this kind of thing works for us, and there's lots else you can do!

Have fun, everyone! If you have questions, please ask on the event post so that everyone else can see them/the answers. Thank you!]

Comments

[digophelia]

Are you safe?

[It's a stupid question; she doesn't know what sort of connection Altair, Ezio, and Malik have and can only assume they're apart of some group. A group of fighters or even mercenaries. Long ago, Alice vowed never to pry out of respect for all three. It's none of her business, she concludes. But they're her friends and next to Roxas, the closest people she has in this land.

She approaches out of concern, weighing out the concern for her arm. It's deep, but Alice is more concerned about the welfare of the people she knows. It's relieving to see he's intact and there are no words to describe the absolute awe she holds for Malik being able to fight for himself with one hand. Then again, this is Malik, the strict and very intense shop owner, what else would she expect.

She looks him over for any other injuries on him, wiping the blood off of her vorpal blade. Throwing knives, she notes. That must be pretty useful against these things. Then again, Alice has a preference for them. She finally notices the wound after looking him over, glancing to her left arm, covering it and withdrawing a hand with her own blood. Well.]

Ah, I didn't even noticed.

[singlehandedly]

I am fine. [not that this stops her from looking him over anyway, he notices. Once she's made sure herself, and only then, does she even seem to consider his words. He frowns at her for a long moment. Even if she must have fought well, because that was certainly a lot of other people's blood in comparison to the cut on her arm, that's no reason not to look after herself.]

Have you been fighting on your own?

[Never a good idea in a battle of such a large scale. Easy to get outnumbered. Easy to get cornered and killed, at least, for people who are not assassins.]

[digophelia]

[She has a few things going for her, when it comes to fighting, and that's her small stature and her speed. Alice is too skinny, at times, but she's very keen on noticing what her opponent can and cannot do. When under duress, she has plenty of energy. Alice seems to lack form, her method of attacking is too close, too personal, and unplanned.

Alice knows this and she knows she puts herself on the line as she does this. The only thing that fuels her is to keep going to protect others. Alice wants to make sure they stay safe, regardless of what happens to her.

When she considers it, a cut on the arm is pretty mild compared to what could happen. Sure, it will come with it's fair share of bruises and Alice likely passing out in the shop again, but she wants to contribute. She knows he won't like this. Alice nods quietly.]

I go wherever I can help.

[singlehandedly]

[The entire time, he does not take his eyes off hers, gauging her reaction, reading every sign he can. It matters. It matters why she does this and how well, much more so than how she comes by such skill. Finally, he nods, speaking very clearly.]

Then you should go to the Arena. We cannot have any enemies attack the healers or those that are already injured. Make sure the streets are clear for those who are hurt. Chance the path closer to where the battles are if you feel you can, but having a place of refuge is most important for the whole city.

[A pause, but he doesn't quite leave room for arguement, emphasizing this last part with a gesture from his arm.]

Do not get yourself killed.

[And that's final. We need someone to keep the shop clean, yes?]

[digophelia]

[Malik's orders are easy to follow enough. He may have forgotten his time here, but Alice hasn't forgotten how stern this man can be. She gives a small huff, her hair gently blown away from her lips. Fine, the Arena, Alice can do that. She still frowns. The man still has one arm, after all.]

I will, Malik. What of you? What will you do?

[singlehandedly]

[He sees that huff, and he frowns at it, prepared to be clearer than this if it should prove necessary. Thankfully, it does not.]

I do not plan to go to the front lines, but I too will go whereever I can to help. [Vague answer, yes. But he doesn't know what exactly he'll be doing - and if he did, he would hardly tell her.]

[digophelia]

[She wavers a bit, griping the vorpal blade in her right hand, unsure whether to part just yet. But before she does, she has to say it-]

I can help you sometime. I can fight.

[All Alice wants to do is make sure everyone around her knows this, not to second guess her. Not to forget she wants to fight better.]

Please be safe.

[singlehandedly]

I know now that you can, and I will not forget your offer. [He inclines his head, almost a bow. As much as he's flattered that she wants to help him, he can't, won't take her up on it. For now.]

You as well, Alice.