Raider Assault - Air Division

[get_off_my_lawn]

Who: Taryn, Arturia, Nero, Lleld, Katina, Kusuha, Temeraire, bird beastmen npcs, British npc riders and a possible appearance from Viridi
What: Pre-battle and during battle fights against firedrakes, their mounts, and their camp. The plan is here.
When: June 15th our time - early morning (pre-battle) and actual battle
Where: Raider Camp in the West
Warnings: All the things that come with action movies; blood, violence, cursing, etc



[The battle itself will be run in two parts after the initial assault, when the two groups separate. The raiders will use hit and run skirmish tactics once they can properly react, moving in wings of three. We'll successfully capture 25 drakes, and the combined air/ground forces take out approximately 100 men and 100 drakes. Remember there's a nasty shrapnel ceiling launched from the ground forces to keep the drakes from flying too high.]

Comments

[get_off_my_lawn]

"Even when your world was falling apart, when enemies accosted you from any side and you couldn't tell who was friend or foe, who concealed a blade or had an arrow trained upon you, you still wore those bright red vestments."

Taryn gave Nero a brief, affectionate lick on the cheek. "After your... playful teasing of your cousin after your ascension to general, she and I had an interesting conversation about pack dynamics."

[fortheworldtosee]

"Hmph. She acts as if I shamed her in public on purpose." Most of the fire behind Nero's eyes dies down, but she does pout a little, especially at that lick. "I know it is a rare, amusing sight, seeing her become as flustered as she was. But I would never provoke her in front of an audience, as tempting as it may be!"

... You know, only Nero would think nothing was strange about having a conversation with a wolf-woman twice her height and wight pinning her to the ground.

"And what, pray tell, does that have to do with this?"

[get_off_my_lawn]

Just a few hours before battle, nonetheless.

"Arturia needed to learn how a pack is only stronger when there is a healthy amount of play, some instigated by the alpha, but most by others of the pack. Otherwise the alpha becomes far too serious." Basically, she told Arturia to let it go and treat Nero as family and not be scandalized by it.

"I suspect this armor is her way of... playing with you in kind." Taryn's snout dips under Nero's chin and prompts her to tilt her head back to expose her throat.

[grandtheftmecha]

Even this late in the preparations, Katina's still going over her weapons - because, yes, she has brought everything with her. A light lance, a hand ax, a buckler, three swords of different size and style. She could make up her mind on having a small pistol at her side, but what weapon would be best suited for aerial combat? A short blade for dismounting the rider, or a lance for when she's mounted? Or both. Would the weight be a problem, even in light armor?

"Shit, I almost wish I wasn't good with so many weapons."

[get_off_my_lawn]

"I suggest asking the weapons which is right," Taryn said as she walked passed where Katina was. "They'll tell you."

[grandtheftmecha]

"What if they don't agree?" They're Katina's weapons after all. Even if she knew how to 'ask the weapons' what gives them any reason not to just tell her to use them?

[lady_mayhem]

Easily said, easily done, and the smaller red dragon darted further ahead of the larger of the two. From the lower altitude, she could feel the heat rising from the fires of war beneath them, creating thermals which filled her wings and made soaring that much easier to do; even more easily than they had practiced in the short amount of time before the assault.

It was a relief, really. The extra weight was somewhat awkward and unwieldy - at least to Lleld, who was used to far more agility than she could call upon here. It also helped so she could concentrate on keeping her neck level as the big werewolf climbed along it, the sinuous muscles and veins bulging with effort. They'd practiced this, too. It hadn't been so difficult; the worst part was...

... Well, the fact she couldn't cover her ears so well when the scream was unleashed, and it did leave her slightly dazed.

But Lleld was prepared. She was ready, she had practiced, and it faded quickly. She couldn't say she enjoyed watching all those men and beasts fall, couldn't enjoy killing, but they had to protect their homeland, and she would do so dutifully.

She flew through the throngs of drakes; those falling, those angrily snarling and turning toward pursuit, keeping her profile slim and her wings ready to retract, all on her way toward the big red dragon in the middle.

[get_off_my_lawn]

"The weapon guides the arm as much as the arm guides the weapon. If they don't agree, then you have conflicting strategies in mind," Taryn pointed out. "When your heart is set on the battle, the weapons won't argue."

[grandtheftmecha]

Kneeling, Katina frowns thoughtfully. Then... "Oh! Oh, I kinda get what you mean. And that's the problem... I know the goal is getting the drakes, but I also need a weapon that I can fight from it with, while riding something I don't know how to really ride."

[not_the_ship]

Temeraire tried to keep his pace steady; though he could bound up ahead in front of the red dragon's nose in a trice (at least he thought so) he held position...for the most part.

But with the prospect of battle so close he had but to reach his claws out to reach it, his discipline wavered at times. He would burst forwards with a rush of speed, only to fall back again to a safer distance when his head caught back up with his instinct. He couldn't help it, or certainly thought he couldn't; there were opponents in front of him, in just a few dozen wingbeats' reach. Small opponents, to be sure, but his adrenaline was up enough to ignore that fact.

When Taryn's Howl went out the dragon seemed to twitch, the call seeming to reverberate through his armor and his harness. But as startled as he was, Temeraire soon recovered; shaking his head back and forth and giving his own roar. Even with the edge of the divine wind in it, Temeraire's wasn't nearly as impressive. But he gathered himself, scooped his wings forwards like great oars and raised his claws just before impact with the first ranks of drakes.

He brought his armored chest to bear most of the impacts, leaving the soldiers in the belly rigging and on his back free to act.

((OOC: Feel free to make separate subthreads for boarding! Temeraire will be making several passes if he can.))

[ex_cashcow493]

Arturia continued to just watch the two of them play from the side with her face in her palm.

[ex_cashcow493]

Garou? While Arturia couldn't be considered cultured, the term may have been heard in passing. A king hears so much that it would be difficult for her to catch onto every little thing.

"No, I understand why you made the assumption." Without a hint of anger in her tone, it could be seen that she was alright with this. "It felt good to tell someone of my secret. Perhaps I will continue to wear my hair in this manner after I am married. Only if it would not offend, that is."

[get_off_my_lawn]

"It won't offend, though it will end up making you and Nero look even more alike than before," Taryn pointed out. "She may feel the need to accent your physical differences more."

This was Nero they were talking about.

[lady_mayhem]

It never failed to amuse Lleld the sorts of things people didn't expect her to be capable of. Her flight had been frantic and swift, at times jerky and not unlike a rollercoaster - she'd apologize later to her two passengers if they found themselves seasick. But it had worked, even loaded down with several hundred extra pounds of weight, the dragon had sneaked and snaked, dived and shot her way through the throng of drakes toward the leader. She hadn't even had to attack many of them, instead leading them through wild chases that, on more than one occasion, led to two or more of the drakes simply... running right into each other.

Lady Mayhem lived up to her name; she may not have been much of a warrior, but there was definitely chaos and confusion left in the wake of her flight.

Until, finally, they'd come to the leader, and here, Lleld had banked into one hell of an awkward turn, pulling in her outside wing to end up right next to the drake, approaching from behind to avoid any nasty claw or teeth strikes.

Time for the boarding party.

[xiao_lan_long]

"Um, keep calm, Temeraire..."

Kusuha is even more nervous than usual going into battle, having never done so strapped to the back of a young dragon. She could take comfort in the fact that she was in her Grungust armor, which should in theory protect her from any accidental falls as well as enemy attacks - although the reassurances of 'you'll be high up enough all the extra weight won't make you hit the ground any faster' had done the opposite of reassure her.

As the dragon surges forward to attack, Kusuha focuses her mind as hard as she can - partly to get ready to make a magical attack with the Grungust, but mostly to avoid losing her breakfast. Opening her eyes, she focuses on one of the raiders - but not his drake. With a shout, she focuses her mana through the Grungust, turning her normal white magic into a beam of magical energy that lances out toward the enemy, her armor functioning like a magical turret attached to an enormous living airship.

[imperial_mods]

Without warning an enormous gout of flame shot from the sky like a divine bolt of lightning, streaking toward Lleld.

[not_the_ship]

The impact Temeraire was expecting...never materialized. The much smaller drakes seemed to eel away before his talons could strike, the ranks dividing in the center and darting to both sides. Arrows bounced off of his armor in places, but struck home in others--punching holes into his wings and between the armored joints of armor on his side. None were mrtal or even serious, but they were all red-hot and painful pinpricks.

The dragon roared again in frustration, even as he whipped his long tail to the side--altering his course, but also smacking one of the unlucky drakes backwards to where he could seize it in his teeth. The unfortunate creature shrieked as the much larger dragon dragged it backwards in the air by its tail and hind leg. The instant it was close enough, several soldiers lunged from the belly rigging onto the drake's back. Temeraire released the creature to its fate, and charged onwards to the next. He would have doubled back on himself like a snake, to engage the tail end of that formation--but he had to keep himself steady. A firing platform.

The beam of light tearing out from his back reminded him just why he had to fight the temptation. The magic seemed to startle the drakes with its brightness; even Temeraire had to squint his own for a moment. But the sound of startled squalling was enough to guide him on its own, and his forearms and talons spread wide as if in an embrace to seize the next drake.

[xiao_lan_long]

Kusuha tries to keep her focus in all the rocking - it's impressive how level Temeraire is keeping all things considered, but winged flight's not the most stable.

Still, she can feel the flow of magic around her in a way she seldom can while on solid ground. She can almost feel the people around her - Temeraire most strongly, being huge and a dragon, but her fellow soldiers and the enemies included. Noticing this, she decides to go for broke and try a new feature the royal artificers had installed on the Grungust after her last fight with Avshar's Riftspawn.

Drawing her arm partway back, she pulls a lever inside the armor's elbow, causing the oversized gauntlet to shoot out with a small magical explosion and shove the pilot of an enemy drake right off his mount! The launched fist, attached by winch and chain to the Grungust's arm, grabs onto the drake's saddle like a grappling hook, pulling it back. Kusuha remains stunned for a moment that that actually worked.

"Um, Temeraire! One more on your right!" she shouts, hoping the dragon can grab and secure both targets, or at least keep them in distance to be boarded by lighter soldiers strapped to his torso.

[lady_mayhem]

The turn suddenly turned into a half-roll, and Taryn and Arturia better have good grip on her because her wings twitched and retracted, and the small red dragon dropped beneath the flame, wheeling sideways and over. Lleld could feel the heat beating against her scales; any closer and that would have been a righteously painful hit for her, and perhaps even deadly for her passengers.

This wasn't like the petty drakes and their riders. Those hit and run tactics, while annoying, weren't all that dangerous to something faster and more agile than them. Brute power like this, however, could be a bit trickier, especially if it was applied in large mass.

I hope you've been working on your aim, Taryn... the dragon set her jaw with a soft growl and righted herself as quickly as she could, swooping back in to her position.

[get_off_my_lawn]

Taryn smelled the fire a second before she saw it, a slight difference between it and that of the fire drakes. Claws of one hand digging into the scale ridges that she was using as her hand hold, the werewolf latched her other hand onto Arturia's ankle to make sure the other woman didn't fall when Lleld avoided the blast.

Looking up, Taryn growled. "That dragon's either unaffected by the shrapnel or something else is going on. It's still too far away. Lleld! I need you to get up there."

She felt bad, because she knew it was going to hurt - all of them - and she was the only one with regeneration as far as she knew. But this was war. Lleld understood that.

"Arturia, the moment we're in range, I'm getting you onto that dragon. Be ready!"

[grandtheftmecha]

There's no way Katina's fighting from anywhere but the back of their ally, preferably ahead of everyone else, spear in hand as her eyes dart around to everything that moves. There are, if anything, almost too many targets to worry about, and she wants to try and pick the strongest next to the leader himself. Not only does that get a strong opponent out of the way of her allies, but it should hopefully mean a superior mount for herself.

"Make sure you take care of yourself... I only need one good shot at this!"

[not_the_ship]

This time, the drake formation's attempted pass was far less successful; reeling from the bright light, their momentum broke into the drakes darting every which way to try and get away from it. And this time Temeraire stuck home, crashing into the ranks and knocking them aside like leaves. When he brough his forearms together, the flashing talons caught still more. Some fell, floundering and squawking, to lower altitudes where they were in range of the archers below.

There was little elegance to the maneuver; just bulldozing through with his sheer weight advantage, but it did work. He did start a bit at the explosion whistling past his head, even used to rifle volleys as he was. As the now riderless drake was drawn in by the gauntlet, it spat panicked puffs of flame that almost singed the dragon's whiskers and did scorch the gloss out of a patch of unarmored scale on his chest and made him toss his head.

"Oh, that is enough from you!" Temeraire growled, and his left forearm changed direction to catch the drake and pin it against his chest like a child's doll. Another British soldier crossed from the rigging to the drake, and Temeraire released the creature before it blew any more irritating flames.

Then his ruff prickled, the only overt sign that he had heard before his right forearm to darted out to snatch the target Kusuha indicated. Its rider was more prepared than the beast, however, and almost immediately started jabbing at the armored knuckles with a spear. It was enough to make the dragon hiss and twitch and very nearly drop the drake.

[not_the_ship]

There was one drake that stood out eventually; one that seemed fixed on leading Temeraire on a merry chase through the ranks. His head was a bit too far gone to adrenaline to really notice the arrows and flames that raked his sides; slivers, annoyances...that would soon build up.

When the drake darted to the right, the dragon lashed to follow it like a snake, closing the distance sharply until the drake crashed into his chest broadside instead of making a proper pass.

[ex_cashcow493]

Arturia couldn't do much to be prepared other than to cover her ears with hands clad in metal. The vibrations resonated between the flesh of her ears and the gauntlets she wore, but the young Pendragon woman didn't waiver in the slightest. Doing so would be a weakness to those around them and Arturia could never be seen as such.

Once she had been sure that the cry was over, she lowered her arms only to grip at the scales underneath her form. It had been a gentle hold, the girl unconsciously aware of what was best for a beast like her, but a firm one nonetheless.

"Do you think the field needs to be cleared a bit more?" Her voice would be loud enough to be heard over the cries around them.

[ex_cashcow493]

"Understood." Arturia wouldn't quite understand the weight of her words, but getting on top of that dragon would be a crucial tide in the battle. "What of yourself? Will you join me after?"

She'd flash a smirk were she cocky, but honor came first in battle. So there would be no need to jest for now; perhaps that is why the two cousins were so different. Even Arthur might have cracked a joke in the middle of this moment to ease the tension, but Arturia?

She held onto it fiercely, using it instead to keep her fully focused on the battle.