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Showdown: Anna Primrose VS Gasa Dan

Scene details

  • Start date: Sept. 4, 2022, 4:21 p.m.
  • End date: Sept. 4, 2022, 7:58 p.m.
  • Location: Granse - River Delta
  • Participants: Reize Seatlan, Ivo Galvan, Anna

Setting: Answering a letter of challenge, the party returns to the River Delta and meets with their erstwhile merfolk opponents for a rematch between the princess berserker and the brawny mermaid bodyguard Gasa Dan. A clash of great resolve commences!

Log


 The dense aquatic foliage, milfoil and freshwater kelp, parts before the Romancing SaGa like the doors to a colosseum. The magitech vessel's engines are at a low hum, drowned out by the sounds of birds and insects, as it glides sedately through the waters of the river delta near Aurita Meloda. The party passes easily by the broken bridges, overgrown with vivid purple flowers that rattle in the breeze, which they so laborously crossed on their first journey to the lost beastkin city.
 "Looks like this is the place."
 Ivo, gloved hands steady on the helm, nods toward a flash of scales in the water. One of the lizardfolk accompanying them surfaces briefly in the process of disentangling some of the vegetation that would otherwise bar their path. Previously, passage by ship through these waters would have been impossible. But with a combination of Ivo's experimentation with earth aether repulsors affixed to the hull and the active assistance of their escort, prudently assigned to them by Cutini Nak, our heroes have managed to arrive in the heart of the delta at a pace so placid that even Reize might be able to handle it without issue.
 ...Might be.
 "Hm... we'll have to disembark in the shallows."
 Overhanging leaves brush against the small ship's deck as the SaGa drifts into a small inlet of sorts. A host of merfolk have gathered there, hooks and tridents bristling, forming a semicircle facing toward the anticipated arrivals. Ivo eases a lever down, turning the SaGa so that it begins to coast to a stop.
 "I suppose it's a fair choice of battleground."
 In the circle is a lone figure, powerful fishtail holding her upright in the shallows so that her shell-armored torso is visible along with her glinting eyes. It is the mermaid hero Gasa Dan, bodyguard to their brash young chieftain Silrug Dac, a bejeweled poleaxe brandished lightly in her strong arms. After his injuries sustained at Camellia's cruel hands, he has not been seen.
 "Careful, Anna. There may be hidden depths." The Cosmopolitan murmurs this before glancing to his friends with a cheerful smile that hardly even looks forced. "Shall we, friends?"
 There are a few raised bits of land on which non-amphibious beings can stand and watch the proceedings, but all will have to wade through the shallows regardless.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: CON Save
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 1).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=5.
Comment: CON Save
Roll(s): 3. Total result is 3. This is a failure (by 2).


  The Romancing SaGa, also known as the 'Reize Bane' is where the adventurer had found himself inside. He had been trying to deal with the travel with the medicine provided, but he was already hunched over the ship's edge, looking green in the face.

  The suffering continues.

  It may do everyone involved so good to avoid Reize during the trip. The medicine was not exactly the greatest in kicking in.

  When they finally arrive, Reize collapses along the floor. "Oh thank goodness..." He utters as the ship stops.

  'Ready friends?'

  Reize's currently on his face, lifting an arm up for a 'thumbs up', as if to say 'you can count on me!', which is unfortunately not convincing given his current state.
 

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago


 It's funny. Anna never gets the pre-fight jitters when going into the unknown. She always seems to have some kind of feral instinct for knowing when a fight is going to happen. Right now? She's seated in the back of the Romancing SaGa, sharpening her axe and worrying on her lower lip.
 This isn't the unknown. This is an honor duel, and that, for some reason, IS giving Anna the pre-fight jitters.
 When the magitech boat comes to a halt and it's time to disembark, the berserker princess tugs off her boots and stockings so they don't get wet before she kneels by the toppled sea-sick Reize.
 "... You okay?"
 He gives a thumbs up, so uh. She'll just let him recover as she makes her way to the edge of the boat and leaps off the side into the shallows of the arena.
 "I know how to swim, but..." She replies to Ivo. But she'll be hampered in a fight in the depths if it comes to it, and she knows it.
 "Gasa Dan. I accept your challenge. I am here now." She calls to the mermaid hero, before dipping herself in a formal curtsey, as a princess does before a challenger.


 Ivo grins and returns Reize's thumbs up, not that the boy can see, before beginning to conscientiously remove his boots and roll up the cuffs of his trousers.
 Gasa Dan's glare does not abate as Anna approaches, her implacable features only growing more stern. A faint flicker of irritation passes at the curtsey.
 "Only once have I doubted my eyes," she says, her voice low and rough, "and now I doubt no more. You appear just as in my memories. I thought I must be mistaken." Her stare is unblinking. "Such might, contains in such a slip of a girl."
 Splashing his way through the shallows, Ivo surmounts one of the small hillocks so that he need not be knee-deep in the water at all times. Glancing about, he sees some of their lizardfolk escort coming to join him, the two rival forces assembling on opposite sides.
 "Everyone seems to be behaving themselves, at least," he murmurs.
 "But such strength must be matched by resolve!" Gasa Dan then declares, her restraint fading as she raises her poleaxe and slams its haft into the shallows, a wave rippling through the water about the combatants. "My people have fought alone for centuries to preserve our way of life. I have inherited that determination. Against even the slightest hesitation--"
 Her eyes gleam like the jewels on her weapon's haft.
 "I cannot lose!"
 Ivo, listening now, squints toward the bold warrior.
 "Could those be--"
 "Yes." The young man startles as a familiar voice, raspy and weakened, emerges to his side. "They are our people's treasures, the Lights of Rebellion, once fused to my flesh."
 There, borne on a palanquin by four strong merfolk through the shallows, is Silrug Dac, his form swathed in bandages fashioned of aquatic plants, brought to join the observers.


  Reize will retain his lunch. Maybe.

  After a few minutes pass with Ivo and Anna's departure, Reize is able to recover enough to follow suit of his comrades. After all, he doesn't want to miss out on the fight! Also, he wants to be able to help Anna in case the other audience would try to jump in.

 Hopefully, it does not come to that.

 Soon joining behind Ivo, he adds, "Good! We can just spectate the match up and cheer Anna on!" He brightens, now giving Anna a brighter thumbs up, to instill full confidence in her.

  Upon the wave rippling to the water, and then over to the mermaid. "... Whew...."

 His eyes widen, however, when he turns his head to see the leader, Silrug Dac. "Ah... You're....!"
 

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago


 It's true, Anna appears... Just as the mermaid should remember her. As delicate as she appears to be, the berserker princess holds that axe of hers with confidence as she draws a slow, steeling, breath to calm her nerves.
 "You needn't doubt your eyes anymore. I am here. And I am ready." Anna says, resolved as she takes on a readied stance with her axe, as that great poleax cuts the waters.
 That Silrug Dac has come to watch the proceedings does not go missed by her, nor the jewels affixed to the weapon's haft.
 "Then show me your resolve!" Anna demands, eyes turning a bloodshot shade of red, "Show me something worthy of tempering my rage!"
 Just like that, Anna tears across the shallows, a wake of frothy water trailing behind her as she bull-rushes the mermaid champion and raises her axe high in a reckless swipe intending to put Gasa Dan on the defensive right from the start.

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago

Anna rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Opening Attack
Roll(s): 20. Total result is 20. This is a success (by 8).


 Ivo, exchanging a wide-eyed glance with Reize, seems just as taken aback at Silrug Dac's arrival. The last they saw their reckless adversary, he had summoned Elemental Chaos onto the battlefield, beginning their greatest battle in Granse up to that point. Only Ivo had witnessed what befell him at the battle's end.
 "Great Chief," the Cosmopolitan manages, maintaining his composure with visible effort, "how gratified I am for your presence. I had feared the worst."
 The sound that issues from Silrug Dac could be either laughter of coughing. "Did you, now?" the merman croaks. "Fear not. My wounds are self-inflicted."
 Ivo quirks a brow, puzzling over this comment for a moment, before his eyes widen again.
 "Then, Gasa Dan..."
 "...possesses all the Lights that were not stolen from me, yes," the chieftain explains. "The wisdom of our ancestors was lost when we were driven from Aurita Meloda. To lose one Light is to lose them all."
 "So, unable to harness their power as you did before, you had the rest removed from your body," Ivo murmurs, blanching slightly. "That... must have been terribly painful."
 "They still," the chieftain replies, "have a purpose to fulfill."
 As if on cue, the sound of crashing waters calls Ivo's attention to the battle commencing. Anna is charging toward Gasa Dan. For some reason, the mermaid seems enraged by the princess's words, her hands beginning to tremble on her weapon's haft. Rather than adopt a defensive stance, she grips the poleaxe tight, knuckles going white, and grits her teeth, revealing filed incisors. The flawed gems begin to pulse and spark, the cracks within them refracting the aetheric glow.
 "Ghhhh--!"
 But nothing happens. Instead, the mermaid is bowled back by the full force of Anna's blow, sent skipping along the surface of the shallows like a pebble, before crashing beneath the waters with a great spray. Some of the watching merfolk seem taken aback by Anna's strength.
 Ivo, glancing to the side, sees that Silrug Dac does not bat an eye. He looks back. Several seconds have passed.
 "Ah, she's--"
 Gasa Dan erupts from the water-- behind Anna, having changed position beneath the waters with hardly a hint of her movements visible, her emergence from the waves nearly silent. One eye squinted shut from pain, the swing of her poleaxe remains mighty, aiming to cleave Anna's legs out from under her and topple her, driving her beneath the water's surface.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Gasa Dan's Aquatic Art: Hidden Current Cut.
Roll(s): 6. Total result is 6. This is a failure (by 4).

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago


 Despite her enraged state, Anna is conscious of her surroundings, the conversations going on around her, the awe of the crowd at her sheer strength.
 So Silrug Dac gave Gasa Dan the last of the Lights of Rebellion.
 This may not be an easy battle if they give her more strength than before.
 When the mermaid is launched by Anna's initial attack, the berserker princess moves forward to press her advantage. Only for Gasa Dan to appear behind her, having used her preternatural mobility in the water to shift positions.
 The hairs on the back of Anna's neck stand on edge, her feral instinct warning her of the danger as it comes. And when that mighty poleaxe comes swinging, intending to take Anna's feet out from under her, she leaps over it, landing delicately UPON the weapon itself, Anna rushes along the shaft of the hefty polearm, intending to close the distance between herself and her foe and deliver a crushing butt of her forehead into the mermaid's own skull.

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago

Anna rolls 1d20>=13.
Comment: Headbutt!
Roll(s): 19. Total result is 19. This is a success (by 6).


 Gasa Dan's features twist with shock and frustration as Anna twists like a jungle cat and evades her technique. The mermaid attempts to brace her tail against the silt of the shallows but her scales slip against the unsteady sediment and, as Anna smashes her forehead against her opponent's face, Gasa Dan nearly loses her grip on her weapon as she splashes back.
 "Great Chief," Ivo says, tone careful, observing Gasa Dan's struggles, "I am unable to discern the purpose of which you speak. It seems that the Lights of Rebellion, as you call them, do not function as before."
 "Indeed," Silrug Dac says, tone flat. "As ever, their fate is ours."
 Still mystified, the young man scans the features of the merfolk onlookers. Some of them shoot venomous glares at the lizardfolk, who largely refrain from eye contact themselves. The majority seem unreadable, save for occasional bouts of agitation as the match progresses. But at last Ivo sees that a few, mostly older, display a striking emotion indeed: grief.
 "Then..."
 When Ivo looks back to Silrug Dac, it is hard to say if the young man appears impressed or horrified.
 "...is the point of this... for your people to see Gasa Dan, wielding what is left of the Lights, lose...?"
 He nearly jumps back at the look Silrug Dac gives him. For the first time, the old fire has returned to the wounded chieftain's gaze.
 "Gasa Dan," he says sharply, "does not lose!"
 "HRRRAAAAH!"
 A spray of water obscures Anna's vision as the resolute bodyguard splashes her tail. Once again, her adversary seems to disappear from view. But Gasa Dan has not, this time, gone below.
 "That's--!"
 Ivo's shocked exclamation is lost in a roar of aether. The mermaid's powerful tail has propelled her high into the air. Blood streaming from her broad nose, her one opened eye shining, the water flecking the air warps about her weapon's edge as its gems take on an unearthly light.

> Gasa Dan's Rage has peaked!

 With a mighty bellow, she descends, her poleaxe leaving a kind of oily streak that lingers impossibly in the air behind her, a strike that seems to wend and bend as though defying the laws of physics, threatening to anticipate any defensive posture or maneuvers as she brings it down on the berserker.
 But, succeed or fail, within moments, her unsettling glow will fade.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20+5>=10.
Comment: Gasa Dan's Forbidden Art: Chaos Cleave.
Roll(s): 11. Total result is 16. This is a success (by 6).

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago


 'Gasa Dan does not lose'
 That.. That is something Anna will have to see for herself.
 For now though, she must contend with the furious mermaid's ire brought down upon her- quite literally- as she launches herself skyward and comes down, glowing eerily, polearm brandished and ready to cleave Anna in half--
 It brears down upon the berserker princess and, seemingly, at the last second; she raises her axe to fend off the blow. But the force behind it is so pure and terrible that even in her defensive posture, Anna's arms are bowled back by the impact, the poleaxe's blade embedding in her shoulder and drawing blood.
 "Gh...!"
 But there's something Gasa Dan should know...

 >Anna's Rage is ALWAYS at peak.

 Anna grips the shaft of that polearm buried in her shoulder, eyes wide and wild as she rips the weapon from her bloody shoulder and YANKS, intending to bring her free hand into Gasa Dan's solar plexus with the force of a whalloping haymaker.

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago

Anna rolls 1d20+3>=10.
Comment: Always running at full steam here.
Roll(s): 19. Total result is 22. This is a success (by 12).


  The young explorer had been with Ivo up to the point of encountering the 'Great Chief' of the mermen tribe. While Ivo had been able to keep his composure, Reize had been more suspicious.

 His eyes drift back to Gasa Dan, who has the other gems that were retained. "...Huh?" He looks back, being the one of the combatants that missed the fate that befell the chieftain.

 Reize decided to turn his attention to the battle at hand. "Go Anna! You got this!" He chirps, bringing both of his hands together. Though, the chieftain's fiery rebuke towards Ivo causes the boy to jump, "Whoa!"

  There is an unnatural energy that falls. Reize's eyes widen at the feeling as he watches Gasa Dan channeling the chaos, "Whoa!" That unsettling power can be felt by Reize. "Ivo... Kernunnos.... di--did you feel that?!" Reize only recalls that feeling once. It was from Adrastus himself.
 


 "Impossible," a voice issues from Reize's pendant, its light pulsing. Kernunnos has been quieter than before since the party's venture to the Bastion of Bygone Days and acquisition of the final fragment of the Crux. But even he is stirred, his voice tinged with perplexity and alarm. "My champion, prepare the Crux. Should that power return, we must act at once to suppress her, with all our strength!" The eidola dispenses with any concern for diplomacy given the urgency of the possible threat.
 Yet the light from the gems upon Gasa Dan's weapon is gone.
 "That was... Chaos, then?" Ivo blurts, marveling at Gasa Dan's attack, forgetting his confusion at the merfolk's goals in arranging this contest in favor of attemping to understand what just occurred. "But when you summoned the elemental, it began to expand, as though unraveling the world." His curiosity outweighing his fear, he dares to look back to the angered Silrug Dac. "Chaos should compound itself. Meloda's Blessing is an exception. The Lights only glowed a moment..."
 "What do you know," Silrug Dac asks, "of Atina Lurias?"
 Ivo looks almost annoyed at the chieftain's refusal to give him a straight answer, but after a moment, his interest in the question wins out.
 "Lurias... is the name of the Beast of Wind, yes?"
 "And Atina Lurias was his domain," Silrug Dac replies, "in a land far from here, destroyed by you humans long ago." Despite his words, his irritation seems to have passed, his gaze fixed on the battle. "There, the wisdom of our peoples reached its greatest heights. They sought a power beyond blasphemy. One that lies within."
 Ivo stares at the chieftain, forgetting even the battle.
 "Wait," he breathes, "hold on. Are you talking about the difference between outer and inner aether? That's madness. There couldn't be any *inner* aether equivalent to the power of Chaos. It'd eat you alive--"
 Ivo trails off. His thoughts drift to Argent, attuning with her athame to the core of Meloda's Blessing. It was eating her alive, the star fragment within her -- within any homunculus -- unable to protect her. But it did not do so right away. The process was gradual. And what is gradual can be forestalled.
 "There is one other power," the chieftain intones, "that transcends divine design."
 "GHHHAAH!"
 Gasa Dan, frothing at the mouth, viciously twists at the poleaxe embedded in Anna's shoulder, having seemingly lost herself to fury. But the gems upon her haft remain dormant. When her gaze settles upon them, her features twist again in an agonized frustration. Again, rather than press the assault right away, she seems fixated on the Lights of Rebellion.
 "Ghhh--!"
 That hesitation costs her. Anna's punch slams into the mermaid's muscled midsection, the bodyguard doubling over. But her widened eyes fall upon a yet more unexpected sight.
 "The power," says Silrug Dac, "of the Will."
 The Lights of Rebellion again glow.
 Anna's form blurs. Before the astonished eyes of the onlookers, time twists and repeats. Images of Anna's attack repeat, each one striking with full force, Gasa Dan punched over and over as though reality itself has come undone. With every split-second comes another blow, the warrior's heavy body literally propelled into the air from the combined force of the ceaseless barrage. When at last the images fade, Gasa Dan hangs in the air as though the world is unsure what to do with her.
 "Ghaaaahhhh!"
 And then, with a spray of blood from her lips, she streaks through the air as though shot from a cannon, flying above the heads of her companions to crash into a tree, which noisily begins to topple.
 As Ivo stares, jaw slack, he spies the poleaxe embedded in a distant hillock, quivering in the dirt, flung from the bodyguard's grip. Its gems spark one last time before its light fades. His gaze sweeps the crowd. For the first time, the merfolk and lizardfolk seem united-- in awe.
 Somehow, only Silrug Dac does not seem surprised.
 "We must," he says, quiet words breaking the silence, "move on."
 Water sprays again. It is Gasa Dan, emerging before Anna in the shallows. Her chest is heaving, even the resilient woman flinching with every breath from doubtlessly broken ribs. Despite her many visible injuries, her gaze is as fiery as ever. She looks one last time toward the weapon she had struggled to tame, still embedded in the land. She looks back to Anna.
 "Come on!!!!!"
 Roaring, heedless of the pain, the bodyguard lunges toward her opponent, ignoring her injuries, aiming to grapple the berserker directly, dragging her down beneath the waves in an undying frenzy.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20-4>=10.
Comment: Gasa Dan grapples. (Penalties: injuries, loss of weapon.)
Roll(s): 1. Total result is -3. This is a failure (by 13).


  Reize holds onto his pendant, acknowledging Kernunnos's warning, "Y--Yeah...." He looks back at Ivo, who had been talking to Silrug Dac. Their discussion about the domain of one of the Great Beasts catch his attention. His mind goes back to his first encounter, but he puts those thoughts out to listen to the history provided by the chieftain. Calling upon Chaos from within?

  Reize blinks, unable to comprehend their discussion. However, he watches the fight once more. "Come on, Anna! Youc an do this! Yeah!" He is loudly cheering his friend. That haymaker is impressive.

  "That's our Anna!" He chimes.
 

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago


 For a moment. For a single, bewildered moment, even in the midst of her rage and fury, Anna stares down at her hand, after dealing out that stunningly powerful series of blows.
 She... She had only intended to punch once. How did that happen?
 It's a question she must save for later as the mermaid comes back, heeless of her own injuries, furious in her own right, and intent on dragging Anna under the water into the depths to drown.
 But those injuries and lack of weapon will cost her. Anna, despite her injured shoulder, is still good to go as she's pulled under the water, sucking down a breath before she's yanked beneath the surface.
 Her vision blurs. Water floods her nose. She fights on.
 Grappling, tumbling, tussling under the waves, Gasa Dan's strength is admirable. But how long can the mermaid hold out even in her home turf.
 And as the mermaid champion loses her grip, Anna capitalizes, HEAVING with every ounce of strength she has to surge back up to the surface and into the shallows where she tries to hold Gasa Dan up-- too high for her gills to breathe in the water as slender but immeasurably strong arms try loop the champion in a headlock.
 "YIELD!" Anna demands as her arms tighten, intending to strangle the mermaid unconscious if she can and, if Gasa Dan doesn't tap out.
 "Don't make me hurt you anymore than necessary, yield already!"

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago

Anna rolls 1d20+3>=15.
Comment: Go to sleep.
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 5. This is a failure (by 10).


 Ivo can only stare in silence as he watches Anna hoist the severely injured Gasa Dan into the air and out of the water where all her advantages lie. Yet the mermaid, glaring unflinchingly, blood dripping from her lips, entwines her powerful tail about the slim girl, the muscles of her neck bulging. The champion of the merfolk seems to lack the strength to wrest herself free. But, even as her eyes unfocus, her resolve does not falter. Anna, despite the prowess she has displayed thus far, cannot seem to choke her out. It does not seem as though she will submit, no matter what it costs her.
 A murmur passes through the merfolk assembled. Previously still and orderly, they begin to rustle. In turn, the lizardfolk gathered near Reize and Ivo begin to shift their stances.
 "Enough!!!"
 Silrug Dac's shout is followed by a bout of pained coughing, and his raspy voice dulls its once bold tone of authority, yet every merfolk straightens, including Gasa Dan, her tail slackening.
 "We are proud merfolk!" he gasps through a jaw clenched in pain. "Never once have we surrendered. Never once has our rebellion ceased! And we will never yield our legacy to our lizard foes!"
 The assembled merfolk mostly rumble in approval.
 "But the Lights of Rebellion," Silrug Dac continues, "do not glow only for us."
 Anna can tell that Gasa Dan is no longer fighting back. But more striking still is the way that her adversary stares deep into her eyes. Her expression is difficult to interpret. But, as much frustration as she showed as she struggled with her weapon during the bout, there is not a hint of anger or resentment now displayed.
 "I hereby decree," the chieftain says, after a lengthy struggle to breathe, "that our people shall return to Aurita Meloda. We shall not yield up our so-called blasphemy, as Cutini Nak has demanded. No."
 He points toward the poleaxe, now still upon the nearby hillock.
 "We shall pass it on," he concludes, "to a worthy successor."
 The cracked gems upon the weapon's haft catch the light of the sun above, glinting as though in acknowledgment. The silence of the crowd is deafening.
 "*This*," Ivo whispers, "was your plan?"
 Gasa Dan's most of all.
 "No," replies Silrug Dac.

> Accept the Lights of Rebellion?
>> Yes
>> No

 "It was hers."


  Reize was impressed by Anna's display. Though, the fight itself was impressive, from what he could catch. He looks at the lizardfolk shifting as the merfolk assemble. His eyes widen.

  Until Silrug Dac calls everyone to attention.

  As the surroundings become less tense, he runs a hand to the back of his head. It is the note of the 'Lights of Rebellion' not only glowing for the merfolk does Reize become confused.

  And then it dawns...

  A successor?!

  He looks over at Anna.
 

  • Character: Anna
  • 2 years ago


 Anna does her best, intending to end the fight as painlessly as possible now, even as that powerful tail constricts around her torso an begins to bruise her ribs. It is only at the sudden cry to halt the fight does Anna loosen her grasp, when she feels that tail loosening around her in turn.
 Slowly, clarity returns to the berserker princess' eyes, staring into Gasa Dan's as she listens to Silrug Dac and his decree.
 Blinking bewildered, her gaze turns towards the halberd embedded in the distant ground, gleaming and jewel encrusted... Being entrusted to her.
 "I... Wha... But..."
 She's confused only for a moment longer before the Suryle royal rallies.

 > Accept the Lights of Rebellion?
 >>Yes

 "... I see. I shall accept." She says while staring Gasa Dan right in the eyes.


 Ivo's gaze softens as it falls upon the assembled merfolk and, at last, makes sense of what he sees. A proud people, tired, wounded, lost. Their treasure, carefully protected for centuries, now imperfect and weakened. Unwilling to slink back to their ancient foes and beg for succor, yet now unable to fend for themselves. Unable to move forward or backward, doomed to dwindle and fade.
 Yet at least one with the resolve--
 "Hail!"--to make the necessary sacrifice.
 "Hail the hero who shall carry on our light!"
 These words are Gasa Dan's. As she bellows, she reaches out to take Anna's hand in a grip that is shockingly slack. The wounded mermaid does not visibly waver. But Anna can feel that her opponent is leaning upon her, relying on her to keep the warrior upright, so that her weakness is not seen.
 There is a long silence. And then, like the sound of a drum, the merfolk begin to slowly pound their polearms upon the shallows, the water rippling about them. The lizardfolk, in turn, gradually join in, slapping their tails upon the ground and waves. Spray issues up in all directions, catching the light.



> Anna has acquired the Lights of Rebellion.
> These aether gems may be socketed to any high-quality weapon.
> By expending Rage, Anna may harness the power of Forbidden Arts!

 "After just one fight," Ivo murmurs, "Gasa Dan was willing to entrust Anna with the most prized treasure of your clan?"
 "That girl," Silrug Dac replies, "has the power and will to forge her own path."
 After a long moment, Ivo, though visibly bemused, smiles.
 "I see," he says, "what you mean."