Theme Song: Mayhem from Ace Combat 0 OST As Richard finished issuing his orders and then belaying the ones he had just given to Arathorn, the golden armored boy (whose name he still hadn't learned) finally spoke.
These people that Emily and the others had begun fighting... were this man's cousins. But then, a cursory look at their similar armor styles was proof enough of this. Richard's brow wrinkled far too easily as he listened to his "schoolmates'" more chilling words that "Scylla" wouldn't let anyone leave.
"I didn't know they taught haiku in middle school," Wren the goth girl would say just as she finished checking up on the golden-armored boy, ready to go help him up, but Richard had already gone to do so. He was satisfied with her analysis on the injured boy, but...
Richard frowned in confusion. Middle School? Did she mean Secondary School? And of course they were taught that, poetry was one of the earliest and easiest---
"Well, Mr. Krane, it's worth a try. Richard, Mr. Krane, there's an exit at my 6," interrupted his thoughts, keeping his mind focused at the task at hand.
---Arathorn worked fast, even in the time while his orders were on standby. Richard looked behind Arathorn to visually confirm this for himself. Meanwhile, Arathorn continued to identify a teacher (an ally?) and pointed out the advantages of the ice and the continued usage of coverage. Richard nodded
very approvingly, taking off his jacket. It'd be good to lay the injured on top of to drag and slide them to the exit.
"Understood. Well done," he said, still not quite certain on the orders to give him since belaying them. Inside his mind, he'd laugh at the intruders.
They wouldn't leave?
Bloody hell, they wouldn't. He---
Richard shivered down to his bones, his eyes widening and he stared at the couple, at this... "Scylla." Oh yes, this wanker was the source, he even did the slow stand up and bow of respect of someone. Practically
everyone noticed the way how the female-armored intruder just backed away as it got colder and
that in itself was incredibly concerning.
She, that... "Belier" herself was otherwise not bothered and at the same time dismissed probably all hopes and chances for diplomacy.
"Because the laws of men can compare to the Gods?"
Richard's body shook, his eyes losing focus------He slapped his face, growling to himself. 'Militia'? 'Dragons'? 'Crows'? Now was
NOT the time for imaginary make-believe groups.
But 'The Gods.'
The
sodding Gods were real.
And just like the monsters he knew from his dreams, Scylla just...
slid on the ice and sucker punched Emily into the air.---Or was that Violet at the last second??
-On the ice.-
"VIOLET! EMILY!"Violet's orders held no more meaning as she got flung towards towards the wounded---towards the goth girl, Wren, and himself. He pressed on with his own, looking at the golden-armored schoolmate who seemed to... have survived---he could either help in the rescue efforts or (inadvisably) return to the fray. He slapped his face.
"ARATHORN, ON ME," he'd roar, re-confirming his previous orders, rushing to the next closest injured that
Wren the goth medic was tending to. He'd have to trust that the Student Hierarchy wouldn't get taken out so easily---that his newfound friends would survive this.
"Violet. Can you move?" he'd say, sliding over to her, pushing the immediate nearby table over to continue obscuring the Gods' vision of them. He wouldn't pay attention to Arathorn as he did so, trusting in his schoolmates' support, whatever it may have been.
He wouldn't see the Student Captain heroically get back up and continue fighting. He didn't see Stevie's attempt at a joint counterattack with Melanie... nor Katsuko's final plea for a ceasefire, only just hearing her words. Words that would hold no meaning as long as they, the 259ers continued to attack and as long as the Gods continued their counterattacks.
No, again, Richard had begun moving after he shook himself out of the shock was already tending Violet, and he'd wave over
Wren the goth girl over to him---when a table would go sailing over their heads. He looked up to see
A FUCKING DRAGON the teacher that Arathorn had mentioned from earlier walking on by, bidding them to leave. Being so close to Wren, she might see his eyes dilate as he physically paused before---
*TEXT MESSAGE SOUND*---IMMEDIATELY snapping the short boy out before he could have another day dream, his eye rushed to check. It was indeed SJ. She was safe. She was...
...With 'another student.'
He had told her to text him if something suspicious had happened. SJ
could have been keeping him posted... but call him paranoid, but if she wasn't trying to give herself away (the voice-to-text thing was wicked cool as she had shown him the different ways that new smart phones were really accessible to everyone), then something suspicious had happened.
Richard needed to get to the library.
Now.
"Bloody---SOD IT ALL."This was complete mayhem.
Richard stood up over Violet, above the table's cover. He needed a full view. He couldn't concentrate.
---The vampire-like teacher from before began pounding the ground,
shattering the ice. Whether on purpose or no, the man had probably started attacking Scylla's domain of power---the ice. Melanie had continued to fight while Stevie and Emily---had they gone through a
wall of ice? And then, rushing from behind the rag-tag recovery team with a chair in hand came another adult, swinging said chair at... what Richard hoped was at Scylla.
Richard took a breath.
He'd confirm to make sure Wren was taking care of Violet---the latter to whom he'd ask the unfortunate question:
"Can you still fight?"If Violet could, he'd help her to her feet, provided Wren didn't stop her. He'd suddenly jump up to the top of one of the tables, making himself a target from a distance. He would then have a view of the entire cafeteria---something the current combatants did not. He would shout at the vanguard team:
"KATSUKO, PULL BACK!
"BRING EMILY AND STEVIE!
"HAVE THEM RECOVER!"---he had no idea if Emily or Stevie would comply, but his mind was running like a Mustang right now. They couldn't fight this monster normally. Katsuko was the closest to them as well, so it made the most sense.
He'd then point out to the teachers and the Pillar, still hollering.
"TEACHERS, MEL, MAINTAIN!
"SWITCH OUT WHEN EMILY CALLS,
"CONSERVE ENERGY!"This... this was what Richard wanted done. They had no team effort, no unity... they weren't the imaginary people in his dreams. They would either get knocked out before all their stamina was gone or they'd use up all their stamina fighting against this monster. No. Emily was someone of power, to whom he could leave in charge because people would listen to her. If she made the call to pull back, to retreat, it would most likely happen. Fighting in groups of two-to-three against Scylla while switching out---as long as Belier didn't move, meant they could fight for longer and coordinate their next moves while having time to catch their breath. He looked to Violet and Arathorn.
"Arathorn, keep watch,
"Either help her---" he'd say referring to the goth girl he had
never met before today,
"...Or support," he'd say, tapping his own throat. Call out to the fighters. Observe the strong points and weak points. Suggest not-so-subtlely that they needed a
Goddamned Commander.
"---I need to go. Now."Richard would jump down from the table and pull out his phone. He'd show Arathorn the texts...
"...She's blind," the Englishman explained. There was worry in his voice, whereas moments ago there was nothing but confidence as he shouted at people far more powerful than himself. He passed his jacket to him, in case he wanted to still slide the injured.
Without full-on confirmation of Violet's condition, he'd rush for the exit---
---Only to find it sealed.
Richard was incredibly dissatisfied. A boot stomp with all this ice on the floor wouldn't be good. A punch wouldn't make sense. He'd have to throw his body at it. Or the window.
"BLOODY---GET FUCKED, ICE," he'd say, bringing up his shoulders in full to make a charge attack against it, tucking his head into his shoulder as he'd try to slam through.
OOC: Richard tries for a Strength/Charge Check against the ice barrier at the exit Arathorn revealed.
