Kingsway Rifter Arrival

[faderifting]

WHO: New rifters & their rescuers
WHAT: People fall out of a rift and get attacked by stuff
WHEN: Kingsway 8
WHERE: The coast of the Waking Sea in northern Orlais, just west of the mountains.
NOTES: The arrival log is open to all. Solas was able to alert the Inquisition to the general area where the new rifters would be arriving so people could be sent to pick them up.

You were asleep--deeply or fitfully, for the last time or just resting your eyes for a moment-- and then you were not. And wherever you were was not, anymore, replaced by nothing but the sensation of falling, tumbling into endless, bottomless nothing. If this were still a dream, you would wake before you hit the ground. You can't die in a dream, they say. In some worlds.

In this world, you're plunged down through warm, sticky sea air and full-body into salt water. It's shallow enough to stand and keep your head above the rolling waves--but you'll need to do more than that to live. Overhead, there's a flaring, shifting, green-lit tear in reality. Around you, there are a number of ghastly figures: some float above, hooded and rasping, poised to freeze the sea around you if you don't get out of it quickly enough, while others are spindly monstrosities that burst up from the sand and rocks beneath your feet and scream as they emerge from the water. Whatever arrived with you floats in the waves, slowly pushed toward the shore, or sinks beneath the surface. It may be wisest to leave it for now and collect it when the area is slightly less demon-infested.

To add to your troubles, there's a narrow splinter of light in the same sickly green as whatever brought you here, now glowing out of the palm of your left hand. It aches, a bone-deep pain that gnaws even through all the distractions.

But there's help, on the shore.

Comments

Iskandar | Fate/Series | OTA

[conqueredhearts]

Iskandar had been riding toward Archer. It would be his last ride but he knew it would be a memorable one. Just a brief closing of his eyes to embrace it and then he noticed that he wasn't on that bridge in Japan anymore. Mainly because he'd been plunged into the water and he was left coming up with his horse, getting off to pull the great beast toward shore.

With the big glowing green light and the demons. Not quite the same as a shining gateway managed by a King in gold. But it was rather interesting to say the least and he shook his hair back before mounting his horse again and giving a grin as he lifted his sword. Things were different around him and he could feel the ache in his hand. But there was no time to dwell on that because there was a magnificent battle laid out before him!

The tall man laughed as he spurred the large black horse forward, slicing through enemies and even trampling them with the hooves of Bucephalus. How his horse had come with him to this world was unknown to him but it didn't even matter in the long run in his eyes. His old friend was here and they were still fighting together, which was enough to bring a grin to his lips.

"Onward, Bucephalus! We shall eliminate our foes even if it must be one at a time!"

Obviously it wasn't but it was clear horse and master had no fear to be found. These were seasoned warriors who worked as one.

[gatheringstorm]

As it turns out, the new rifter isn't alone in the battle with his mount. Up ahead, a horned woman, easily matching his height, smirks as she lures some of those spindly, shrieking terror demons her way. These ones are always her least favorite, hands down, and she's been meaning to repay them for all the time she's been knocked flat on her back.

"Let's dance, assholes!"

Whirling her staff, she sends a blast of lightning to strike it and arc over to the others, the creatures coming to a halt and spasming as her magic courses through them. Not content to just stand back and watch the show either (not when she knows it means one will phase behind her, like they do), Korrin lunges forward and with her other hand, conjures a glowing blade from her previously empty hilt.

[conqueredhearts]

Iskandar heard the call of the woman and looked over. Based on the way she was manipulating magic he was certain he could assume that she was a mage! (Yes, he wasn't even bothering to pay attention to the horns.) He let out a laugh and guided his horse her way, smashing through a pair thinking they could take her from behind. How foolish those thoughts were.

Coming around, he slashed his sword down to cut into the mouth of another nearby as he called out to his current battle companion. Why not? She was right there!

"Your dance is splendid! A pity they are not better partners for you!"

[gatheringstorm]

Almost certain the aggravating demons would find a way to knock her over no matter what she did, it's a nice change of pace when someone else beats them at their own game. She darts a quick grin over at her new battle partner (partners, she's including the horse, deal with it) while casting Stonefist and sending the already injured demon before her flying.

"There's a better one ahead, if you and your kickass horse want to join in! Pride demons are always a good challenge. The faster we take it down, the faster I can show you how to close the rift that's spewing them out." Yes, 'you'. Korrin may be a mage, but there's not green glow in the palm of her hand.

[conqueredhearts]

"Me, hm? Well that sounds like a good plan!" He didn't seem the least bit thrown off by the fact that he was going to have to shut down the giant green glowy thing in the sky. Or that he was about to fight something called a pride demon. If those were what he was doing then those were what he was doing! It was sure to be a grand time and his eyes sparkled. Clearly Iskandar was having a good time out here. Then again, that was something he made sure to do no matter what situation he happened to be in.

"Which one is this demon of pride?" Honestly he was hoping it was that big one over there. That one looked like a solid challenge!

[gatheringstorm]

"It's that hulking, spiked piece of shit laughing is ass off at us." Korrin gestures to it with a hardened expression, always annoyed at those particular demons for being resistant to her strongest elemental affinity, lightning. "The rift can only close after they're killed, but you can use it on the rift before then to stun them. That'll buy us more time to tear it apart."

[conqueredhearts]

"I'm not sure what I'd be using on the rift to stun it." She hadn't actually explained that part yet. He shifted his grip on the reins then patted the neck of his horse. The large animal threw his head, clearly as eager as his master to be continuing with combat until this was finished. "Ah yes, my friend. You hunger to finish this as well, don't you."

He chuckled then looked at the mage woman with the horns. "I ride out now! Together we shall slay this demon!"

[gatheringstorm]

"The mark on your hand! Lift it up to the rift and it'll interact." It will probably hurt, too, more than the shard hurts now. But it's more important to get the job done, prevent more demons from spilling forth. They can provide relief from the pain later.

His enthusiasm is appreciated, though, and Korrin grins in response. "Sounds good." She casts a Barrier spell over them all, providing some temporary respite from the demons' attacks, before using Fade Step to speed forward on waves of magic. It can be a fairly good substitute for a mount, in short burts.

[conqueredhearts]

"Oh?" He looked at the glowing then gave a shrug before holding it up to the rift. Though it hurt, he showed no signs of pain and seemed more fascinated by the light connection as he felt the powers working together. There was a burst and he looked to see the demons stunned.

"Hah! A handy tool then!" Iskandar gave a laugh then let his horse run toward the great demon she'd mentioned before. He'd faced a monster far bigger than this one before so he saw no reason why this one should be difficult to take down. Lifting his sword he gave a great cry as he and his horse slammed into it, using their combined weights to shove it back some even though they didn't do more than that. Sometimes a small step was a good beginning though.

[gatheringstorm]

While the surrounding demons are stunned, Korrin focuses for a moment and then summons flaming meteors to slam down into them, covering a circular range. It's fiery devastation and ought to thin out the worst of them. Then she turns her attention to the pride demon itself, still kneeling from being stunned. She grins upon seeing her new rifter buddy charge and before it can get back up again, she's right there, glowing blade cutting into its hide from another angle. When it regains its senses, it won't know where to turn.

[conqueredhearts]

Turning back, he ran forward again with his horse, letting Bucephalus rear back so those hooves would slam down onto the demon's head. It angered the creature as it tried to decide whether to go for the beings smashing its head or toward the woman slashing it with a glowing sword. Iskandar refused to give it a second to make a decision, slicing at it with his sword, almost like he was pulling the attention towards him to make it that much easier for her to strike at it.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin will take that opening and run with it, in a sense. She places a fiery glyph at its feet and then strikes, counting on her blade and the small explosion to cut down on those defenses considerably.

But the stunning doesn't last forever, and the Pride demon straightens, wounded but still active. It proves this when it lashes out with dual whips of lightning and low, ugly laughter.

[conqueredhearts]

Iskandar would prefer to wait until he could test out why his abilities feel different but he knew now was as best a time as any. Summoning his Noble Phantasm caused the demon to think it was suddenly in a desert with an army all around it rather than at this rift. He could tell right away that this was just an illusion rather than the full power of his reality marble but at least it was working. Mainly because the demon was now striking fellow demons in an effort to fight illusion soldiers it believed it was seeing.

The King sat on his horse stroking his beard as he watched. "Hm. Usually that works as a way to actually end up in the deserts I conquered. I suppose it is only illusion in this place."

He probably should marvel over this later but nope. Now was a good time right?

[serannas]

Usually Ellana wouldn't bat an eye over a warrior fighting on horseback, but as she comes closer to fight off the demons, she sees the glowing green shard in his hand. Did-- did his horse come through the rift with him? Does his horse have a shard too? Never mind; now is not the time to question it. The stranger needs help and he will see a faint blue glow underneath him and his mount.

"Shielding you!" she shouts towards him. Her barrier spell decays as soon as it's placed, but for about fifteen seconds or so, he and his horse should be protected from any incoming damage. Then she aims her staff at a demon and thrusts it forwards, a fireball shooting towards it.

[conqueredhearts]

Iskandar noticed the glow around him and didn't bother to hesitate in his actions. He heard it was a shield and he immediately used that as an opportunity to be reckless for a short time while he charged a larger group so he could trample them to the ground. It was far better to use this advantage than to question it in his mind (of course it probably also helped that he was used to the fact that mages could do extraordinary things) and to instead use it to win. Cutting down the ones that remained, he looked over at who had helped him and gave her a grin.

"My thanks, my friend!" He laughed then turned his horse to come closer to her moving in a circle around her body to force the demons to keep their distance. "It is good to know I have so talented a mage to fight with me!"

[serannas]

He and his horse are amazing, since they take care of most the demons so quickly, and Ellana appreciates the shield they make in exchange for the one she gave them.

"You don't hear those words often around here," she says, though it gladdens her heart to know he comes from a world where he respects mages. He'll find few here who do, though the Inquisition is more open-minded in that regard.

"Let's finish them off and I'll tell you how to close the rift. Otherwise more will keep coming through."

[conqueredhearts]

"I'm not sure what I could do but I will trust your judgement, my friend. Tell me, can you cast and ride?"

He knew not every mage could do so from his world so it was better to ask. This appeared to be another world entirely and the laws of magic could be slightly different. No, that was not accurate. They were different because he could feel it just in his very existence. There was a different sensation to his abilities that he knew he would have to test out during a time that was not in combat.

[serannas]

"I can," she begins, giving the rift a worried glance. "My staff helps focus my magic, but I don't have to use it. Why?" Well, obviously because he wants her on his horse. She gets that part. But why on his horse?

[conqueredhearts]

He lowered his hand to her along with a warm smile, offering to pull her up onto the horse in front of him. "Because together we can create a better shield and I can get closer to the enemy while also knowing that you are safe. You are a capable mage and I a capable warrior. Together we will be a force to be reckoned with."

[serannas]

"All right," she says, taking his hand and placing her staff on her back. Don't ask her how it stays there. The answer is magic. But once up on the horse, she concentrates and sweeps a hand outward, laying down another barrier.

"Good to go!"

[conqueredhearts]

She was really dwarfed by him but the grin he gave her made him seem rather harmless. To her anyway. With a laugh, he shifted the horse around and let her work her magic before riding out again so he could slash at demons as they went along.

"Excellent! We make a powerful combination of skill this way!" Keeping the hand on the reins low, he made sure that she had room to still cast as she needed to, even focusing more on holding her and just guiding his horse with his legs instead. There was enough trust between horse and master that the giant beast moved without hesitation, doing everything Iskandar needed him to.

"How close must I be to this rift to finish it?"

[serannas]

Ellana can't help but smile at his confidence and optimism. He doesn't seem to fear the demons at all, and that's good to have for this fight.

"You don't have to be right underneath it, but close. No more than five or six yards away?" She finishes that statement by lifting her arms, allowing an energy barrage to leave her and sweep towards a demon, slamming him with electricity.

[conqueredhearts]

"Five or six? That won't be too difficult. We just have to rid ourselves of our foes and I can get us close."

Iskandar was charging the demon she'd attacked, trampling it beneath the hooves of his horse as he beheaded another with a sweep of his sword. This horde was quite the busy thing! Looking around, he counted how many were left and hummed in thought before he let go of the reins completely to hold onto her. This time he really was just using his legs but he was able to make sure she wouldn't fall as they trampled more demons in their path.

"When we are done with these creatures, what will close the rift?"

[serannas]

"Oh, you hold your hand out towards it. The one with the green shard," she explains, amazed by his horsemanship. "You'll feel a connection. Reach towards the rift and pull back to try and close it." It's really all the advice she can give. Back in the Western Approach, she witnessed Kain close a rift, so all she knows about how it looks and feels comes from him.

...Came from him. He's gone now, cut down by a demon. She doesn't want any other rifters to fall to that.

[conqueredhearts]

"So that is why my hand now glows. Well! We best rid ourselves of these enemies so I can close it then!" He gave her a wide grin, having already settled into what this new role in his life was. New world where he had the power to close these rifts? Why not? In life he'd been only human and then he'd become a Spirit who was summoned by a mage and with great powers. This was just another thing to add to the list of experiences!

"I ask that you protect my horse as best you can. He is strong but he is not immune to these weapons. But should we lend him your strength, he can help ride us to victory."