[IC] Rebellion of the Artists

[䏠xote]

katsuhiro | 23 | nonbinary | they/them | tagged: seb

Katsuhiro's mismatched eyes softened, no pain coming to their dear sibling at the touch. Just the soft, smooth feel of their long, silky hair under Seb's fingers. You say that... The younger rebel signed, slower now, brows knit, nose faintly scrunched. Their eyes burned faintly, tears threatening as that awful feeling welled up again.

Quickly, it was swallowed down as the room rattled.

Hiro started involuntarily, head whipping toward the desk, huffing heavily before turning back to Seb. They gave a quick nod, and snatched up their journal, turning to briskly walk back out into the hall. A Dove was a bad omen, indeed. The faster they got out of there, the better.

Is everyone out? Katsuhiro signed as they made their way to the small room, the rebel throwing the door open and beginning to wrap up the essential things they needed. Nothing unnecessary--their blanket, pens, a bag with some key items. Then, they reached out, gingerly taking their naginata into their hands with a certain reverance.

This was a special item to them, indeed.

Ready.

[alienbirb]

Sebastian Kobali | 25 | they/them, she/her
location: outside the base, ground floor | tags: Katsuhiro

“Everyone but our team, yes. The Council folks are catching up with their respective groups as we speak.” Sebastian said, following Katsuhiro. They watched as their sibling quickly packed their things and took up their weapon. Sebastian nodded curtly in approval and gestured for Katsuhiro to follow them – they continued through the compound and briefly stopped by one of the weapon stores to gather a few weapons: a crossbow with enchanted bolts, a few good knives, and a machete. They already had a few other smaller weapons in their pack, but it didn’t hurt to take a few more. Once satisfied with what they had, Sebastian activated a ward on this particular storage room to give it some protection from any looters that may pass by later.

Outside, the other half of the team were waiting, keeping a firm grip on their griffins. The other benefit to flightless griffins other than their superior strength was that unlike horses, they didn’t get startled as easily. Despite all the shaking, the griffins waited with fairly leisurely composure, as if nothing at all was wrong with the world.

“Looks like the others are still getting the hang of things. Hiro-.”

An explosion rocked the side of the building just northwest of the base. Sebastian cursed to themself – they hadn’t expected the MP to move through the city so quickly. Then again, they did tend to have things like hoverbikes at their disposal. Immediately loading their crossbow, Sebastian nodded at Katsuhiro before taking aim into the rising dust ahead of them.

“Get ready, Hiro! Here they come!”

[whomstvetheheck]

Trystan Earp | 22 | He/Him | Musician and dancer | Tags; Phos, Radka, Quin

Trystan listened curiously to Phos as he spoke of his uncle. He couldn't help but admire the scientist for being so open - Trystan wasn't sure he'd be able to talk about his own past without breaking down - or worse, burning down the very building they stood in. He nodded to Radka's reply - they were always wise, if optimistic. 'Fragile' was certainly not a word he'd use to describe the king, moreover the army he had at his side. But he admired their enthusiasm all the same - Radka was always something of a wild card.
"Anger is a powerful weapon, never underestimate it," he began to Quin, but that was when the voice of a crow sounded, followed by raucous explosions in the distance. Trystan's eyebrows shot up in surprise as Seb rushed off. He mock-saluted to her.
"You heard the boss!" he grinned, already rushing off to collect some of his own equipment. "We gotta move!"
He was running on nothing but adrenaline at this point, and he couldn't help but love it. He hadn't felt this alive in a while. He rushed off towards his living space - a messy but charming part of the abandoned mall he called home - and spent a short while picking out the essentials. He swapped out his basic knives for a pair he'd had enchanted. In theory, they'd help him channel his magic into something useful, but if nothing else they looked cool, and that was always a priority. He also packed up a wrist mount for his darts, as well as his alchemy kit so he could make up some more on the road. He paused, looking at the corner where his old battered fiddle sat, and only debated for a moment before lifting it. Who knew how long he'd be gone, or hell, even if he would come back. He couldn't bare to leave it behind, so he packed it into its case and slung it over his shoulder. A hastily packed bag of spare clothes later, and he was ready to go. He dashed towards where Seb had said to meet, equal parts trepidation and thrill coursing through his body.

[alienbirb]

Phos Liang | 28 | he/him
location: outside the base, ground floor | tags: Radka and Quinlyn (temporary), Trystan, Katsuhiro

“U-um!” Phos felt a bit lost again, with things suddenly rushing by in a blur. He threw a quick glance at Radka and Quinlyn. “This isn’t good! There’s no way they’ll be able to hold them off for long if they’ve got one of the high priests with them!”

A second explosion shook the building, this time much closer. Phos was generally not one to run headlong into danger, but there weren’t many other options. Besides, he was tired of standing idly by while other people were hurt or even killed for something he should have gotten involved with a long time ago.

If your son cannot properly channel his inherited power, then he is worthless.

Phos flinched at the sudden memory. No, if he had joined the rebels earlier, he likely would have been killed by one or both of his parents. Perhaps the timing now was thanks to fate? Ignoring the subtle nausea brought about by the constant shaking of the building, Phos ran off after Trystan. By the time he caught up, the other rebel was already close to the ground floor. He supposed the leader was likely outside by now, along with Katsuhiro. Trystan looked a lot more prepared for dealing with the MP than he was, but at the same time, Phos didn’t exactly have any weapons proficiencies. Huffing, Phos continued following Trystan, a bit out of breath from all the running.

“H-hey! Wait for me!” Phos exclaimed. Upon reaching the outer wall, he stopped to lean heavily against the doorway. “So, uh-.”

There was a sharp crack and a bullet chipped off a considerable piece of the doorway Phos was holding onto, spraying him with tiny bits of plaster. He yelped and ducked behind the wall again, not having expected to run straight into a firefight so soon. He could hear Sebastian yelling, “Hiro! Take cover!” and the sound of screaming – most likely from the MP’s side. Shaking rather profusely, Phos poked his head out from the doorway again and upon seeing where Katsuhiro and Sebastian were, dashed over to greet them.

“I’m... I’m here to help!” He yelled, ignoring the surprised exclamations from the MP several meters away.

[InfectedHau]

Quinlyn De Chanel||20||Female|| Location: outside the base||Tagged: Seb, Hiro, Phos, Trystan

Quinlyn's heart dropped into her stomach. The MP? Here? How had they gotten here so quickly? And why had they brought a Dove with them? Was it because of her? They had no idea she was here though, she hadn't told anyone her real name. She supposed this was the rebel base, but sending in someone like that for people like this seemed a bit overkill. There were hardly any actual rebels here, it was mostly displaced citizens and refugees.

There was no time to get supplies, she'd have to get by with what she had. Drawing her sword, the ex-MP ran after Phos and Trystan,
pressing herself up against the doorframe with the panicked scientist. This was a new and not altogether pleasant experience, she'd never been in an actual firefight like this before. Still, she'd spent a good two month in training for one, and she found herself slipping back into that training almost automatically. "Stay low," she instructed, pulling a card from her deck, "Don't move unless you're about to get shot." He was strong, that much was clear from his earlier episode, but he was still a civilian, a liability in combat at best. Staying out of the way was the best way for him to help.

The card she'd drawn depicted a towering, snow-capped peak, the word Haupapa inscribed below it. It wasn't something she'd normally have considered useful in this situation, but the crack of gunshots gave her an idea.

Quinlyn wasn't quite sure how her portals worked. She'd never actually walked through most of them. She had no idea if they were actual locations she was linking to or if there were special spaces the cards created. They always seemed to do what needed to be done though, even when she wasn't sure what she needed them to do. That wasn't the case this time, she knew exactly what the deck was telling her to do. An icy peak, high above the world. Snow-laden ridges, on the brink of collapse.

A swirling portal opened in the air outside the base, facing the squad of MPs. Icy wind flowed from the gate, sunlight streaming through as it reflected off the flawless sheets of snow on the other side. At first, nothing happened, until one of the commanding officers fired off a shot, sending more plaster cascading around Quinlyn. The snowcaps rumbled ominously, and then gave way,
tumbling and cascading down the mountainside. The stream of ice that exited the portal was but a small fraction of the full avalanche, but the sound it made was in no way diminished, a tremendous roar that shook the foundations of the complex as ice and dust cascaded down on the MPs.

[䏠xote]

katsuhiro | 23 | nonbinary | they/them | tagged: seb

Hiro's eyes narrowed as they gripped their spear-sword tightly, shoulders stiff with anticipation of the coming onslaught. They ducked back against a wall, out of the way of the MPs' aim. They'd been in this position before. All they needed to do was wait for their sibling to open things up for them.

However, an unfortunate voice caught their ears, and they clicked their tongue with an audible "tsk." Damn that idiot scientist. As Phos darted forward, they reached out, hooking their arm around the man's neck, the thin fabric of Hiro's turtleneck the only barrier between his skin and the young rebel's painful touch. They yanked him back, snorting away bits of plaster, and dropped him onto the floor, glaring down at him sternly.

Stay. They signed a bit forcefully with one hand, before turning their attention back toward the incoming forces. One of the MPs cried out, another dropping their weapon, and Hiro moved.

In a moment, they dashed forward, grip tight on their naginata as they thrust it into the midsection of the disarmed MP. Spinning back, their blade caught the weapon of another, a sharp clang ringing out as it was knocked from the man's hands. A flash of horror crossed his face, and just as Katsuhiro moved to strike a third opponent reached out to touch them--only to scream out in agony as their fingertips met with the rebel's skin.

Fool.

Behind them, the air suddenly shifted, and Hiro's eyes grew wide at the image of snowy mountaintops, as though the peaks were right at their feet. What kind of ability was that? Quickly, they scrambled back, managing to only slightly miss a shot from one of the MPs. Perhaps the shot was the least of their worries, as it was soon followed by waves of snow, the bitter chill numbing Hiro's nerves--as if the frigid gusts sapped their strength. They decided to bargain on it, diving to the ground and rolling to the side, out of the line of fire and ice.

They were starting to think they didn't care much for that woman.

[alienbirb]

Sebastian Kobali | 25 | they/them, she/her
location: outside the base, ground floor | tags: Katsuhiro, Quinlyn
Phos Liang | 28 | he/him
location: outside the base, ground floor | tags: open

Sebastian barely had time to react as they noticed the telltale glint of metal through their crossbow sight and they dove behind a sizable chunk of rubble for cover while bullets hissed through the air in their direction. To the side, Phos hadn’t heeded Quinlyn’s words at all and had been running like a fool across the battlefield for whatever reason and was rather roughly thrown to the ground by Katsuhiro. Sebastian darted out and grabbed the scientist by the collar of his tunic, pulling him the rest of the way behind their cover, just in time to avoid another onslaught of bullets.

“You really have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Sebastian grunted, loading an armor-piercing bolt into their crossbow and keeping several more on hand at the ready.

“I- no! I’ve never been in a situation like this! And even if the lab did get attacked a few times, all I know is evacuation procedures for one location that I’m actually familiar with.” Phos said, looking a little irate. Sebastian simply let out a quiet hrmph before briefly emerging out of cover and rapidly firing off several bolts, disarming the MP that had been firing at Katsuhiro. There was a sudden rumbling sound and a wave of ice and snow buried a good third or so of the officers present – Sebastian had seen this before, but the effects were still rather surprising to them. An idea flashed through their mind, and they readied a lightning-imbued bolt before calling out to Katsuhiro.

“Hiro! Fall back and get behind cover!” Sebastian yelled. At the very least, the MP’s guns were all on the ground by now, but it still wasn’t safe to be out in the open – there was no telling what the MP had up their sleeves or if they brought snipers. They briefly turned to Phos, saying: “Phos. Can you move fluids with that psychokinesis of yours?”

“Yeah, it’s not a problem for me.” Phos tilted his head, wondering what Sebastian was possibly thinking about. Sebastian nodded, grinning slightly and pointed at the mounds of ice and snow.

“I’m about to melt all that and I’m gonna need your help to keep it all specifically around the MP in a big ol’ mass. Can you do that?” Sebastian asked, loading the bolt onto their crossbow. Phos’s eyes widened as he watched the enchanted bolt crackle a bit with electricity and he nodded vigorously. Sebastian rose to their feet again and focused on the snow – this was easier to shift en masse as it was already melting in the sunlight – and shifted all the frozen water into a liquid state. As the MP stumbled in the sudden mass of water, Phos reached out with his psychokinesis and forced the water to stay in a massive, floating pool-like formation around the MP in specific. As Phos held the water back, as well as keeping a few stray MP from fleeing the floating pool, Sebastian took aim and fired into the center of the mass of water.

The resulting thunderous noise was extraordinary, paired with the not-so-pleasant sound of multiple people screaming in agony. The entire pool lit up with electricity, a few arcs jumping here and there and chipping off pieces of nearby buildings and rubble. Phos raised a few shields to prevent anyone from the team from being struck, but the lightning seemed to be concentrated primarily within the water. Once the bolt was spent, Sebastian nodded at Phos, who then let the pool down – water immediately gushed in all directions and the majority of the MP simply collapsed in a heap. A few remained – possibly either because they had some natural elemental resistance or were smart enough to bring armor that could take the fall for them if they were to run into something like this.

“Quinlyn, take that portal down for now. We won’t be needing it anymore.” And then, to everyone in general: “There’s just a few small fry left for us, but don’t give them any slack just yet!”

Truth be told, they were more concerned about the impact the cold was having on Katsuhiro – not to mention, given the season, it was about time for them to start worrying about their sibling more. As the remaining MP struggled to stand and move about, Sebastian quickly scanned the tops of the buildings for any hidden enemies – there didn’t seem to be any just yet.

[InfectedHau]

Quinlyn De Chanel||20||Female|| Location: outside the base||Tagged: Seb, Hiro, Phos, Trystan

Quinlyn made a vague noise of exasperation as the scientist proceeded to do the exact opposite of what she'd instructed him to. Civilians, honestly. She knew it wasn't his fault, she shouldn't have been mad at him, but she tended to get a bit stressed in combat situations. Still, her avalanche combined with Phos' and Seb's combined magics had managed to take out a good portion of them, so he was largely out of danger.

The guns had been pretty much dealt with, so Quinlyn felt it was safe to move out from behind the door, rushing up to engage the survivors in melee. At first, the soldiers didn't react to another figure in MP garb, which allowed her to take one of them by surprise, running him through with her sword. A bad move, as it turned out, because the others had recovered by the time she pulled her blade back out, those that hadn't rushed to deal with the other rebels circling her warily, swords drawn. She saw recognition in some of their eyes, and knew that she couldn't let any of them live to talk. If someone went around saying that the heiress of the De Chanel corporation had joined the rebels, Seb would find out, and her cover would be blown. She was sure the general public wouldn't heary anything about it, no way would the government let something like that leak, but her parents might, and they'd be crushed.

[whomstvetheheck]

Trystan Earp | 22 | He/Him | Musician and dancer | Tags; Everybody

As it turned out, his brief stop had set him slightly behind the rest of the group, and he only burst outside just as the ex-MP's portal started spilling out snow and ice on to the battlefield. He could only watch in amazement Quin, Phos and Seb - an unlikely team - managed to wipe out the bulk of their adversaries. It took him just a moment to long to remember that he was actually in this fight, not just watching it like some movie. He pulled his knives from their sheathes at his hips, and move forwards. He could see a number of attackers rounding on Quinlyn, but she looked to have it covered. He kept one eye on that part of the battlefield as he used his dart gun to take out a couple MPs in a group, catching the attention of the others, and he gripped his knives tighter as they approached, waiting for the right moment before he launched himself towards one of them, slipping through their defence and jamming one of his knives in their neck, while he used his free hand to slice at another. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through them, and just a little bit of something else. He moved in time to the music in his head, and he could feel his body beginning to speed up just beyond what was natural, and grinned. For once, his magic was on his side. He launched himself fully into the fight, slicing and kicking with everything he had.

[alienbirb]

Phos Liang | 28 | he/him
location: outside the base, ground floor | tags: Quinlyn (no dialogue), all (psychic pulse)

Phos was considering sitting out the rest of the fight – the events of the day had left him a lot more tired than he’d usually be, from all the rampant psychic bursts, suppression, interrogation, and now this. He was about to find somewhere to hide when something caught his eye – not far from the group of MP surrounding Quinlyn was a pair of officers knelt on the ground while working a radio of sorts. Narrowing his eyes, Phos ducked behind rubble to get closer and see what the two were talking about.

“- and contact General Liang. Yes, it’s definitely him! Wait, where’d he go, I swear he was just-.”

Oh no, oh no oh no oh no.

Without thinking, Phos burst out from his hiding spot and aimed a pulse of psychokinetic energy at the radio, mostly with the intent on cutting off communication. Energy rippled violently through the area as the officers’ equipment – weapons, radio, and pretty much anything else running on electricity – shattered into useless pieces. The MP were thrown several feet away, and the pulse continued to similarly knock down about half of the officers standing around Quinlyn – some of which were partly distracted by Trystan’s sudden assault. Feeling a bit light-headed, Phos clutched the side of the rubble for support and stared blankly at what he just caused, but snapped back into reality as a few of the last MP standing began rushing his way. Ignoring the strain in his head, Phos psychically grabbed at all the nearest chunks of loose debris he could and pelted them at his assailants, accelerating the rocks till some of them heated up in midair. It wasn’t the most pleasant solution, but it would have to do, Phos thought.

[ owner note: this thread is currently being moved ]