Domino City Duel Academy

"No eyes, sir. They must be hiding behind the containers." Felicia hears one of the soldiers in the near distance.
"Or around the corner." The leader asserts. "We'll have to clear them. Ready? Move." A series of footfalls and jostling equipment signals the fireteam moving into the entrance hallway. "Command, Echo actual with a possible intruder at the front door. Took out the camera. Moving to investigate."
Felicia hears the light crackling of a radio channel opening. "Copy, Echo actual. Sending QRF your way."

Yoko's illusion gradually grows less translucent as if materializing from the aether. Julia estimates that her work is around halfway complete.

 

"They're sending in more backup." Felicia whispers, "How long until the spell is finished?" She adds, clenching her fists, despite knowing her opponents had guns.

 

"So we must guess." Seth slinks along the wall, going to the right. He gives Adam a sideways look. "Then do not get caught." The pair soon reach a double door. The wall above the stark portal reads "Barracks B." Halting, Seth turns to the other prisoner. "I sense more soldiers than I can fight alone. Can you use what you took from the jailor?"

 

Adam holds up his stolen twin handguns. "I'm not sure how I'll do - using a gun isn't rocket science, but I've never exactly been in a gunfight, and these guys quite likely have." Adam grits his teeth. "Plus, I don't know how much experience you have with them, but guns are pretty loud. If this turns into a fight, it could alert the whole base."

The Frenchman sighs. "No one likes having a gun pointed at them. I might be able to intimidate the soldiers into surrendering if we catch them off guard."

 

"I wonder...condensation is just water vapor in the air....so...."

It was only a loose theory of what the full scope of her magical abilities are, but in theory it shouldn't actually use that much power to simply create a fog in the air and blur the vision of the squad while Yoko makes her illusion.

 

"It will be a battle. Too many to evade." Seth frowns. "Any who die will fight again in our favor. It is distasteful but necessary." Facing the doorway, he takes the Rod with both hands, kneels, and touches the top of it to the tiled floor. "I must channel a spell. Wait for thirty seconds, then open the doors and move out of the way."

 

"What the fuck?" Adam gasps as he hears the insinuation that Seth is planning to...reanimate the dead? "Oh, I hate this so much..." He grunts, before nodding and grabbing the door handles. At the count of thirty, he swings them open and ducks behind one as it presses against the wall.

 

Yoko doesn't reply. The spell seems to require all the illusionist's attention.

Spoiler: Spell Roll

15+20(Sorceress)+10(Water/Ice Magic)=45 weak fail

There must be something to the formation of fog that Julia overlooks. A small amount of her energy is spent in vain as nothing happens. Thankfully, not even Yoko seems to have noticed.

The fireteam looms, moving ever nearer as a steady stream of chatter grows louder. "One, clear."
"Two, clear."
"Three, clear." They don't have much time left.

 

"Khh." Letting out a low growl, Felicia clenches her fist. Come on, isn't there something I can do. She pondered to herself, while also speaking to Tyrant, and Uru...

 

Apparently, this required more practice. She was sure she almost had the right idea, but couldn't quite be sure exactly how to do it in practice. It was fun about learning about the full extent of what she was capable of, but she didn't really have the time to be playing around. She'd hate to say it, but this did seem like something of a bind. She had definitely improved rapidly with magic, but she didn't have unlimited power to be spending.

Still...realistically, she had to reason, even as well equip as they are, this group couldn't be too large. If they incapacited some they likely wouldn't be able to replenish themselves rapidly. Though. They didn't need to fight all of them. Just enough to make a gap in their people. The only spell she really got the hang of in a direct fashion it seemed was making iciciles however.

"Well....when all you have is a hammer...."

It was going to be draining to try, but her options were limited here as she attempted to create a columun of ice shards on the ceiling to rain on the squad. With the speed and force of gravity, the attack above their heads had the potential to do quite a bit of damage to them if she did this correctly..

 

Throwing the doors open, Adam gets a brief look inside before throwing himself out of the way. Through the clear curtains sectioning off this first room, he sees more identical bunks.

Spoiler: Barracks B

"Intruders!" One of the two men looking the Frenchman's way immediately shouts, drawing a sidearm from his hip. The other solider reaches for his own weapon. A split second later, a large sphere, around five feet (1.5 meters) in diameter, flies through the doorway past Adam.

Spoiler: Magic Sensitivity Roll

21=21 fail

The ball's transparent surface is violet, but the core is a lightless, deeply unsettling void.
It passes through the two terrified soldiers before continuing through the drab, green canvas wall on the opposite side of the room. They both collapse helplessly to the floor. Their crumpled forms lie physically intact but motionless. Seth, still in the passage behind Adam, seems to writhe in pain having fallen as well. The student hears screaming from beyond the canvas.

 

Spoiler: Commune Roll

Tyrant 30+10(Double Spirits)+10(Affinity)=50 weak success
Uru 18+10(Double Spirits)+10(Affinity)=38 fail

A booming presence speaks to Felicia. Command her. An image of Dinah enters the student's mind.

Spoiler: Spell Roll

30+20(Sorceress)+10(Ice Mage)-10(Awareness)=50 weak success

Moving her arms in quick, staccato gestures to channel the spell, Julia feels a modicum of energy leaving her. Peering around the corner, she sees sharp icicles quickly form on the ceiling above a trio of soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms, helmets, and kevlar vests. Each of them, two men and one woman, holds a modern assault rifle at the ready as they carefully and efficiently check the surroundings of every cylindrical container along the corridor. None of them notice the spikes of ice. However, the fireteam's constant movement makes aiming the ice at them tricky. Julia times it well enough to impale the closest one--the sharp point driving through the man's helmet from above without too much trouble, but the stalactites miss the other two soldiers. "What the hell was that?!" The unharmed man shouts.
"They're around the corner! Get cover!" The woman commands, jumping behind one of the cylinders. The other soldier presumably follows suit, but Julia withdraws from the line of fire before the soldiers get a chance to shoot at her.

 

Adam rushes forward to disarm the fallen soldiers while they're still writhing on the floor, before doubling back to help Seth to stand. "On your feet, soldier!" He says authoritatively, as he pulls the young man up and checks his condition.

 

She tried to keep her prescence low and out of sight as she tried to recover. Hopefully, Yoko had enough time by now to have properly prepared her own spell. With these soldiers blood pressure amped up so highly, Yoko's illusions could be rather messy. Julia for now did her best to find a good hiding spot, at least until she could build back up some stamina if Yoko isn't able to finish them.

 

Her... Felicia looks toward Dinah, still paranoid about when, or where the former nun might try to break the spell binding them together. But with their current situation, so taking a deep breath. "Dinah, is there a way you can slow them down? Maybe a spell, like the one you used on Michio." She asked, giving her slave a determined look.

 

He kicks the pistols away from the pair of soldiers. The firearms clatter into the white corridor as Adam rushes past the sliding weapons to reach Seth. The mage's tremors cease as Adam lifts him to his feet. Seth's breathing is ragged and rapid, almost hyperventilating, and his countenance betrays a grave exhaustion, but he keeps his footing. "Used too much strength." He grimaces, leaning against the Frenchman to remain upright. "You fight the rest. I will follow." Seth shuffles to the wall, supporting himself on it. More terrified screams come from deeper within the barracks.

 

A few more of the cylindrical, wall-mounted containers prove adequate for concealing Julia.

Dinah nods, clasping her hands together in front of her as though praying. However, Yoko's spell finishes before Dinah has barely begun. A near-perfect replica of the guard which Julia, Felicia, and the others ambushed earlier stands, unblinking, in front of the illusionist.

Spoiler: Illusion

"I see you were too impatient for me to finish my work." Yoko chides. "Pet, go and take credit for their dead friend." The illusion turns wordlessly, disappearing around the corner.

"Pereira! What the hell are you doing?!" The fireteam's commander demands.
"Following orders, sir." The illusion replies. Yoko's mouth moves as the words are heard, informing Julia, Felicia, and Dinah that the mage must be actively controlling the facsimile Pereira.

 

"Get your spell ready anyway, their back up might arrive." Felicia whispers to Dinah. Waiting for the coast to clear, she does her best to not bother Yoko.

 

"Alright, take it easy, and call for me if you need help." Gulping, Adam raises one of the pistols and pulls back the slide, before holding it in front of him in an untrained stance, as he moves forward.

 

@Arachna

[I'll try not to draw this out since no one wants to interject.]

"Yes, mistress." Dinah whispers in return. She returns her focus to casting.

"Following orders?!" The leader's tone rises, incredulous. "You killed York!" A deafening burst of gunfire rings out. The bullets pass harmlessly through the illusory soldier, putting a cluster of holes into the wall.
"You can't hurt me, sir..." Yoko speaks through her minion in a haunting monotone. It nonchalantly walks within arm's reach of the pair of soldiers without any further opposition. "...but I can hurt you." Yoko, showing slight strain on her face, channels an intense flame into the illusion's arms. Before the two of them can react, the false Pereira's burning limbs pin them against the far wall, setting them alight. Within seconds, nothing remains but ash. The illusion likewise dematerializes. The path is clear, for now.