[nathan67003]

As the Deathstalker didn't retract its tail, Anna knew what was coming. Or, well, that much made sense, anyway. She barely had the time to swing her legs up and wrap herself around the tail before the claws swung past. Well now, this was a rather precarious situation. While keeping her hold of the tail, she made sure the chains had at least one turn around the stinger's articulation before pulling as hard as she could.

[MonsterManic]

Seeing Anna swing clear of the danger that was the Death Stalker's claws, Setsuna gave a small sigh of relief, before switching his mindset over to a more offensive approach. Hoping Anna would occupy the stinger, he reformed his sword into buster form, hoping that the extra strength would be able to do something to the armor of the beast.

Suddenly hearing Calen's voice made him flinch a bit, before processing what exactly he was saying. "Well, I guess this thing's the guardian of the ruins." he commented idly, looking for any chinks in the bone-white armor. "Calen, can you distract and possibly cripple it? Without Taro's Semblance, my buster sword's the next best option for breaking that armor and chopping it's claws off." He raised his sword high over his right shoulder, channeling his aura into his arm, then bringing it down as hard and fast as he was able, aiming directly for the plate armor in the centre of the head.

[Kingnoname1]

As Anna's chains tightened around the Death Stalkers tail sounds of buckling plates could be heard and the Grimm went into a rage. Smashing Anna into the ground repeatably as it whipped it's tail side to side.

Calen bristled at the idea of taking suggestions from basically a stranger so he turned back his head to face Setsuna and sardonically replied. 'Sure right away boss.' Before launching forward and extending his weapon out into it's glaive form. Vaulting over one claw Calen made himself a seemingly easy target for the Grimm's other claw leaving the creature's face open for Setsuna's strike. Dodging the claw with another application of his semblance Calen shot forward through the air giving Anna a small window to jump off relatively safely if she would take it.

The Death Stalker reeled at Setsuna's heavy blow, leaving a heavy indent and black ichor flowing from the wound. Quickly moving it's claws to cover it's face the Grimm tried to blindly stomp Setsuna while he still remained under it.

Death Stalker's Battle Data
Armour has been breached in some places but little true damage has been done
6% Smash attacks at Anna, it'll get three off before Setsuna's strike hits home
4% Stomps to Setsuna, around five or six strikes but some will go wide due to the blind nature of the attack

Calen's Battle Data
Fatigue: 60%(One Semblance use)
Aura: 70%(No changes)

[nathan67003]

Anna felt the... well, not chitin, but whatever the scorpion's carapace was made out of, start to give a bit. A little more and that stinger would no longer be a problem.

The the damn thing started trying to smash it on the floor. She began repositioning herself on the other side of the tail - where she's be fine - but wasn't able to do it quickly enough to avoid all damage and wound up getting smushed. After that, she avoided further damage while using the tail's sudden jerks to force the chains further between the plates.

Please, let this end quickly before the headache sets in.

(Aura: 94%)

[MonsterManic]

Setsuna would honestly had laughed if he was a spectator watching this fight unfold: the Death Stalker was basically tap dancing. With all of its legs, no less. Unfortunately, he had no such leisure as two of said legs smacked him straight in the chest, sending him stumbling back a few paces, away from any other hits. Luckily it didn't wind him so he pulled his arm back for another aura-charged smash, at the same location where the last strike hit. The armor seemed to be worse for wear, and this should do some good damage to the beast.

(Aura: 76%)

[Kingnoname1]

Shielding it's face with it's claws Setsuna's second strike bounced off the Death Stalker's hardened chitin, the Grimm then tried to swipe the shieldsman away. Anna on the other hand had, possibly, a far worse time of it. Her chains had made measurable progress, through the first layer of plates but this ends up creating a vice like hold as the tail moves. Coiling it's tail so the huntress-in-training is held in place the Death Stalker deciding to cut it's loses and retreat back into it's cavern below. Although it moved quickly it's path was obvious and they would be able to follow it easily. That is until it found what it was looking for, an upward opening in the cave below. Leaping down, trusting it's armour and strange body to survive the fall.

Calen, who had landed behind the Death Stalker after Anna decided to stay on, braced himself for the Death Stalker's retreat. Using the ground as additional hold he tried to resist the coming storm of claws and fangs to no avail. Being able to slip under it's shielding claws Calen managed to get at one of the beast's eye before being trampled. Slow to his feat Calen could only watch dazed as the Death Stalker vanished from sight, maybe or maybe not carrying Anna.

Death Stalker's Battle Data
Noticeable wounds have been dealt although the creature is still at full, minus one eye, fighting capacity
4% Lazy swipe at Setsuna, it's more to push you away than deal damage
6% Trample on Calen
10% Super smash if Anna remains trapped on the tail as the Death Stalker will smash you on the ground as it falls.

Calen's Battle Data
Fatigue: 60%(No changes)
Aura: 64%(Lightly Trampled)

[nathan67003]

Anna, well, "saw" the Death Stalker start to wind up its tail. Again, she changed position around the tail, avoiding getting caught in the coiling menace.

Her chains, however, were still firmly holding on and, for all intents and purposes, were also nigh-unremovable at this juncture. Now that it was merely trekking, she didn't waste time, Cranking her semblance down a notch because fuck headaches, she rapidly rummaged through her small bag with one hand while holding both chains with the other.

Taking out two knives, she examined the damage and her options. The chains were tightly wound, so getting one of the pointy utensils in there was a no-no. She did, however, have an idea.

Passing one of the knives through both chains, she quickly looked for the weak spot created by Stsuna's previous strike. Then everything went dark.

Crap. She knew what was coming. Working her semblance at full power again to be able to see well in the pitch black surroundings lit only by the Grimm's red bits, she loaded a kinetic canister in each knife. She stabbed the first one in the weak point, nudging it in a slight crack. She wasn't really sure that did any damage, though.

After that, she scampered back to the tail and took out yet another knife, which she also loaded with a kinetic capsule. Holding it in one hand and grabbing the one inserted into the chains' links with the other, she pointed them upwards before holding both knives with her left hand. She made sure to have a death grip on those, as it'd be essential for the next step.

She then flicked open the device on her belt and waited for the beast.

Ah. There it was. A big load of nothing came into her field of vision, and relativity took her for a ride as she sped down the hole - or was the hole speeding past her? She honestly couldn't tell.

The moment the hole ended - floor came into viewing distance - she activated the transmitter, detonating the Dust capsules. Her plan was to genuinely punch a hole through the weakness made by Setsuna, sever the tail's end and slow her descent to a grinding halt, all at the same time.

She didn't know if any of that would remotely work.

[MonsterManic]

As Setsuna's sword bounced off the claw's armor, the recoil of the hit plus the claw moving in to smack him in the face made him decide to drop the sword, which shattered into it's respective pieces upon hitting the floor. He then blocked the claw with his shield with considerable effort, sending him sliding back a few steps, only for the Death Stalker to retreat to what might have been it's den, Anna in tow.

Decisions needed to be made, and now. There was no way Setsuna was just going to let it get away with Anna. On the other hand, he had no idea what he was jumping into, and if there even was a way out. However, saving people came before his own safety. Picking up his sword and storing it on his waist, he picked up two of the longest sword bits and reattached the rest where they belonged, before utilising his Semblance and surging past a dazed Calen, leaping into the hole in hot pursuit of the beast.

Using a similar technique to how he landed, both blades stabbed into the wall and slowing his descent, he could barely see anything apart from the glowing stinger and the 10 red eyes of the Grimm. He couldn't see Anna, but he could see a knife lodged in some armor. No matter, he jumped off the wall, landing on the Grimm carapace mid-fall, and started slashing whatever he could touch, attempting to distract the Death Stalker long enough for whatever Anna had planned to work. It didn't matter if all he was hitting was armor.

[Kingnoname1]

Anna's kinetic dust knives end up doing serious damage to the Death Stalker. The one at it's head flakes the armoured plate straight off leaving a very vulnerable point on the creatures armour. The one on it's tail manages to blast away the partially broken plates trapping her chains. Black ichor starts leaking out of both wounds signalling that at least one part of the tail was now vulnerable to attack. Screaming at the pain inflicted the Death Stalker rolled into the darkness, shaking off Setsuna and his heavy but not truly damaging attacks. The creature then fled into the darkness, leaving a cloud of dust but when that passed other groups of red eyes could be seen around the cave walls. For now they held back seeing if these hunters-in-training would fall prey to the other dangers first.

Setsuna rushing past him shock Calen out of his stupor and he made a split second decision to bring Taro down into the caverns with them rather than leave him up there alone in the Grimm infested wilds. While falling Calen managed to catch sight of Anna who had been blasted free of the Death Stalker by her own daggers. Catching her just before all three collided into the cold cold hard ground Calen had to dig deep into his semblance to halt their velocity in time.

'I wouldn't suppose anyone brought a torch?' Calen's voice rang out through the darkness, strained humour straining further still as it echoed accompanied by the never ceasing sound of scuttling coming from all around them.

Death Stalker's Battle Data
Although little damage was caused to the Death Stalker itself, it's defences won't be as substantial next time.... if you survive that long.
No attacks made by the Death Stalker this post

Calen's Battle Data
Fatigue: 45%(One application affecting three people)
Aura: 64%(No Changes)

[nathan67003]

(Hey, look! I totally failed to realize it was my turn to post! *cringe smile*)

Oh. Neat. This had almost gone as planned, which was pretty stunning in and of itself. Taking a breather and vaguely waving a thanks to Calen, she throttled back her semblance to null, taking the opportunity implied by the somewhat panicked screeching that was moving further and further away.

When Calen spoke up about a torch, which was probably an attempt at humour that Anna didn't bother to try and actually decode, she took out her scroll from her pocket and gently threw it towards the source of the voice. A bit too spot-on, mind you, as even if she wasn't looking, it was aimed right at his head. She then started to gather back up her chains around her forearms, relaxing in the meantime.

[MonsterManic]

Spoiler: ShowHide

You're not the only one in that boat, Nathan. A thousand apologies. Let's get this show on the road.

The ground was much closer than what Setsuna had expected, causing him to be completely unprepared when the Grimm shook him off. Landing on the floor with the air knocked out of him, he lay there looking at pitch darkness, breathing heavily in an attempt to regain his footing. While he was doing so, however, a dim flash of red caught his attention, and instinct kicked in, groping for his weapons. Thankfully, they were both close by, and he staggered to his feet, trying to find his teammates. "Guys? There's more than just us in these caves. Where are you two anyway?" he called toward Calen's voice.

[Kingnoname1]

It's cool guys I love you all anyway.

Unable to operate as well Anna in the dark Calen had to rely on his aural danger sense to feel the scroll being thrown towards him. One arm still holding up Taro and tired from the battles topside Calen put on quite the dance failing to catch the scroll and instead juggling it a few time before finally getting a tight hold of it. Taking small solace in the fact that no one could possible see him Calen quickly turned on the scroll and used it’s artificial light to illuminate their surroundings revealing that the team was trapped in a large cavern with two exits, one the Death Stalker must have fled through.

Indignant over the incident with the scroll as well as Setsuna ordering him around before Calen’s limited self-control broke and he responded to his leader’s comments with more venom and volume than that would be appropriate. ’Of course we aren’t alone you followed a grimm into this cavern in the first place you little…’ Calen’s tirade was cut short by being lunged at by one of the smaller grimm. Both arms occupied Calen had to  make do with a series of sharp kicks to dispatch his new foe. The light had seemed to send the grimm into a frenzy and they began throwing themselves at the hunters-in-training. They are small death stalkers , weak and seemingly without number but are charging straight towards Calen whose kicks will only be able to deal with a few at a time.

’I vote for the way papa grimm didn’t go.’ Calen remarked through gritted teeth as he backed off in that direction. Aware how low his aura and how tired he was Calen fell back on a more practical fighting style, losing all of his grace and dance like movements for pure savagery and speed.

Grimm Battle Data
Grimm killed 1/lots
They will go down in one or two light swings so feel free to have your trailer moments

Calen’s Battle Data
Fatigue: 45%(No change)
Aura: 64%(No change)

[nathan67003]

Anna honestly hadn't been expecting this. When a screeching sound, accompanied by struggling ones, came to her ears from Calen's position, she ratcheted her semblance straight into third gear and let loose her chains. After 'carefully' analyzing the situation, she started swinging her chains in large circles around her teammates, putting as much power in it as she could. She'd just follow them anyway with the way she was handling the Grimm, so she didn't really pay attention to the ongoing discussion(s).

...Though, to be honest, she was too busy resting before the Grimm jumped Calen to have listened to much of what they were saying at that time, either.

[MonsterManic]

"What, did you expect me to just let that thing go with Anna? I'm not about to make it two members down, dammit!" Setsuna protested in self-defense of his actions, using his shield to smack any Grimm out of his path, making his way back toward the group. Once regrouped, he drew two of the shortest bits and started stabbing away at anything in reach. He could tell Calen was ticked off, and his words did ring true; jumping into a cave wasn't one of his best ideas, so he silently accepted defeat and mentally prepared for any abuse that might be thrown his way.

It didn't take a scroll to tell that Calen was lagging in both aura and fatigue. Carrying two people plus himself must have put significant strain on his body. With that in mind, he hastily formulated a plan. "We need to get out of this. When we move, and hopefully soon, I'll take over carrying Taro, and try to clear a path via my semblance. Aye or nay?" he shouted over the noise, mainly at Calen as he didn't feel right ordering people around who didn't like being told what to do.

(Grimm killed: barely enough to hold their ground)

[Kingnoname1]

'No you're right it's far better to leave someone unconscious, in Grimm infested wilds, did you even look what I was doing? What if I was already jumping down as well?' Calen continued, he would have kept going but he could tell Setsuna wasn't going to defend himself more so in a huff took out his frustrations on a near by Grimm. Getting some serious height on the kick was enough to, a bit temporally, lighten Calen's mood and only made a slight quip as he made his way over to Setsuna to pass Taro off to his leader. 'You can take my pack to if you want?'

Finally drawing his sword Calen could actually go to town on the oncoming hoard of Grimm, those who got passed Anna anyway. Quickly realising it was the light that the monsters were aiming for Calen didn't deactivate the scroll but instead used it to bait the small Grimm into easy chopping angles and slowly began to move back into his more graceful styles of fighting. Taking a few nicks Calen still managed to put down a fair number of the scorpions while slowly making his way towards one of the exits, being aware to give Setsuna an open line for when he decides to power up.

Throughout all of this the Grimm continue their mindless frenzy, only really attacking the hunters-in-training if they get between the creatures and the light and even then it's more to push them out of the way. For every one which the team puts down another seems to be already advancing and the air is becoming thick with the smoke of dissolving Grimm.