Anora was waiting to board a ship that would take her home to Avarell, where she would visit her family for a short stay. She was accompanied by Runa, who was spending some part of their day off of guard duty to see her off.

“I’ll be back soon. It’ll just be a few days– I’ll be back before you know it,” She said with a smile, squeezing Runa’s hand in hers in reassurance before letting go and walking a few steps to board the airship.

She had barely taken a single step onto the deck before the shrill sound of screeching steel assaulted her sensitive eardrums, watching as an entire airship crumpled under some incomprehensible weight. “What in the Six–?” It took her a moment to process what was happening as screams erupted around her, people fleeing in every direction as they sought to escape the source… a man on the dock with his eyes set on the city gates.

She locked eyes with Runa before springing to action, dropping her satchel on the ship deck and running back onto the dock with urgency. “We have to get people into the city and close the gates behind them. I’ll help people through, you take the rear guard. Please be careful,” she said, giving them a brief kiss to their temple before setting off in a sprint to start helping the enfeebled and wounded through the city gate.

Runa was accompanying Anora, having a day off for once, and as such they were dressed in more civilian clothing. A gambeson, slacks, and leather boots. Seeing her safely to the airship wouldn't have been a dangerous thing, and they had errands to run in the area, needing to stock up on oils and the like for their weapons.

Weapons that they found themself missing direly upon hearing a most ear-piercing screech. Runa looked on ahead in abject horror, seeing an airship basically crush itself into nothingness, a painful death awaiting any who had been on board at the time. Divines above, that could have been Anora...

Instinctively, their hand reached to their back to grip their sword, finding nothing but air. A poor day to have left their shield at home.

"Good idea. Please have care, Miss Anora." Runa would say, giving her a soft smile before they parted. If she was going to focus on the civilians, it meant Runa would have less worries when trying to deal with this strange opponent who seemed to be the source of this commotion. They would walk towards the man, carefully watching him as they had no idea what to expect next.

"In the name of the Knights, and in light of the crimes you've committed against Pont-Ciel, I command you to cease. Or you answer to me."

They channeled light energy through their right hand, readying themself in case the conflict turned worse. There was no way this man would just turn over and surrender, after all.

The Mad Dog of Asakoshi stared as the scene unfolded. He was... somewhat bewildered, as he watched the transport he was supposed to steal just get downright destroyed. Gritted teeth would slowly grind together, before a calming sigh escaped his lips. The cacophony of grating metal and screams was slowly being drowned out.

Slowly.

"Careful," Baba would chime in from behind the trio who stepped forward. If they looked to him -- which he'd advise against, as their enemy was before them -- they'd see him slowly removing his coat.

"No telling if he can target specific things, or if that power is based around areas instead. Spread out and move fast, or you're dead."

With that, his torso would be bared, leaving him in fine leather gloves, pants, and shoes, with a matching eyepatch. He lowered himself into a sprinter's starting position, before parts of his body began to glow and his implants were activated.

What sounded like a sonic boom could be heard as Baba burst forward at great speeds. He'd whirl around the trio and try to get behind the man. From here, he'd spin around and run at the man from behind. Once he was close enough, he'd leap off of one foot and spin around, aiming a spinning right kick for the right side of the man's head.

"It's not till someone like me acts out that anyone cares about the ones who are "just trying to make a living," is it," the man would say with a frown as Potage chimed in. He'd stare them in the eye for a moment, then watched as others stepped up, seemingly brave enough to stand up to him.

He wasn't surprised. Guard-types like this had been putting him down for long enough, it was fitting to have to go through them now that he had power, too.

"I'm done answering to the knights."

More creaking could be heard from the ships behind him as various bits of steel were ripped from them. The man let Shinsuke Baba dash past him for the moment, instead turning his attention to Runa Morei-Nyland and Potage. The duo would find as spikes of twisted metal would shoot out toward them at high speeds, looking to impale them in the chest and pin them to the walls. Clearly, the man was going for quick kills.

He wasn't messing around.

As Baba came up from behind, the man would hold up a hand, and from one of the ships a sheet of metal would come flying out and strike Baba from the side. It contorted around him, turning him into a human missile that he would send flying at Forsythia!

Even if she hadn't acted out, she stood there in defiance. This made her a target, too.

Luckily for Anora, he currently paid her no mind.

A man had given a warning about not knowing what the enemy was capable of, and Runa nodded quietly, not taking their eyes off of their foe. Then, as if in an instant, sharp spikes went off flying in their direction. Even if they could dodge, chances were good someone else would get hit, and they didn't want to risk Anora being hurt. No, blocking it would be faster.

Runa would bring their arm up that they channeled their light through, creating a shield of light on their arm to imitate the one they left at home. They would attempt to block the spike, dampening the impact as much as possible. They would see their red-haired ally struck in the arm, recognizing them from the fight with the old man in Bleeding Heart. They weren't going to die here, not if Runa had anything to say about it.

Lifting his free hand, Runa would aim it at the man, firing off a blast of light in his direction while he was hopefully occupied with the eyepatched man.

(Tier 0 - Light Ray: shooty

Tier 1 - Hallowed Ground: Preparing to stand their ground, Runa's light shifts into a powerful defensive mode. Their defense grows far more powerful, but they become far less mobile as a result. Made to tank more powerful attacks or defend their allies. Runa gains +15 CON at the cost of -5 DEX.)

Anora made sure to keep an eye on the enemy from the corner of her eye as she helped an elderly woman who had fallen amid all the commotion. It was every man for himself– those with any good sense had fled at the earliest sign of danger, leaving the elderly and enfeebled to be trampled underfoot by those who could care less about others.

Anora would help the old woman to the gate, watching as others were targeted by fierce tendrils. She saw Runa’s attempt to block the attack, but Potage fared little better– Anora made a beeline for the Fey vigilante, weaving through what people still remained and were attempting to flee.

She would kneel beside Potage, attempting to lift the tendril from where it had pierced their arm, wincing in pain as the metal tendril conducted electricity from the open circuit in Pots’ arm. Anora would push through and attempt to assist Potage in freeing their entrapped limb, ideally to get them out of their vulnerable position.

“He doesn’t seem very friendly,” She said. “I don’t think he wants to talk.”

Well.

That was embarrassing.

Baba could no longer see, and was thrown in a direction that likely should have ended up hurting him and/or someone else. Instead, though, he found himself colliding with... well, it felt like a wall. As it did, he'd sigh in relief. His body was shaken from the impact, but if he was safe, that'd be enough.

The implants started to work in overdrive and Baba's muscles swelled in response. With his newfound strength, he'd rip the metal off of himself, throwing it down the hall and away from the madman in the hopes that the range might be a limiter for him.

To his surprise, he found he was caught by a... person. Not a wall.

"You're strong," Baba would compliment as he stepped out of the remnants of the metal around his feet.

Slowly, he reached forward as far as he could with both arms. Fingers slowly curled into tight fists, knuckles cracking with each movement. He stretched, letting the implants do their work as he felt his strength begin to swell. One arm pulled back, before shooting downward as he fell to a knee. A chunk of the stone in the ground would shatter off, enough for several handfuls to be thrown.

One chunk would be taken in either hand, and he would fastball pitch these from over the Knight's shoulders at the target. With two thrown, he'd pick up two more, then duck low and run in from the side.