Re: Chapter 2, Phase 4 - Seven-Day Island
Perhaps has a testament to her Element, Kiana is not so quick to attack or to move as Zeru and Tageru. Though in truth she wanted to run right along side Zeru and join him as he crashed into the Lintha, her aspect was not nearly so nimble and agile on their native element, little less on the ever moving surface of the ocean. So instead of running toward the battle, her mind worked quickly, ever vigilant eyes scanning the ships, the bodies, and the battle in general, working over time to determine who was winning, who was losing, why, and how victory could be seized in the quickest means possible. First, though, she had to make sure the Dryad was secure.
It was her job, after all.
She turned and bowed to the Nymphs, as without their help they would have still been plumbing the depths of Rakatau! "Thank you for your help. However this battle ends, you've done everything you can to assure us victory." She said, clasping her white-jade covered hands in front of her breast as she bowed, her black hair falling over her eyes with the motion, hair that would never grow longer than its current length. She had sacrificed one aspect of herself, only to find another in the breastplate of her Father--a trade she would make a thousand times over, if she were faced with the decision once more.
Kiana turned and spotted the unusual rock ship, and with Sylpheel and her Nymphs, she climbed onto the Island Ship, taking the hand of one of the Jokun in order to hoist herself up and quickly make her way toward the bow of the ship, appraising their naval position as much as she could. Though Kiana was not much of a sailor, she did have a potent understanding of naval battle. "Please, take us toward the Dryad. The Flagship of the Cobalt Alliance must not fall." Kiana besought the Jokun in their native tongue, pointing toward the Dryad, and toward 'her' crew, who was fighting without her. They had some training under their belts, but Kiana did not want them fighting without her any more than they had to.
Provided the Jokun did as they asked, Kiana eagerly looked toward the Dryad. "Hold fast! I'm coming!" She shouted to them. One of her people shouted something in return, pointing madly toward Kiana. Just then, the Earth Princess heard the scrapping of flesh on stone, and quickly turned to see what had caused the noise, and was dismayed to see three Lintha boarding the Island Ship from off the port bow. All three were wielding blades, and were apparently hoping to win honor for their people by cutting off the reinforcements that the Dragon-Born were bringing to the fight. She narrowed her eyes and quickly took flight toward them, her heavy white-jade boots completely supported by the earthen deck as she closed the distance between them.
The three Lintha had already drawn their swords, and as Kiana rushed toward the one in the middle, the three of them moved to strike the Earth Princess at once, hoping to overwhelm her, as her charge was a thing of offensive, and knew from their previous experiences that when a man charged, he was not thinking of his own safety, and thus was an eager target. The Earth Princess was hardly an average combatant, and as their blades came down, so did her arms go up, first crossed in front of her chest before spreading out in a large, circular arc, catching the blades in the protective forearm of her Smashfirst. Her rush suddenly stopped as she finished in a low forward stance, swinging her arms wide to deflect the blades before shooting those hands out in an unstoppable double palm strike into the chest of the third demonic sailor, right in his chest. The creature was only able to utter a surprised couch as it was struck, and went flying off of the ship and into the depths, with his sternum all but crushed, and his lungs collapsed.
One down. There was still two boarders left to deal with.
Standing her ground, Kiana faced the two as they circled her, shifting only to keep the both of them in her gaze as one came right at her, while the other attempted to flank her. The first charged with an over hand strike with the large sword he carried, and she quickly reacted. Taking a long step inside of his range, her left hand lashed out and struck his arm, causing the sword strike to swing wide. In the same motion, she brought her closed fist soaring into the man's stomach, causing him to double over in pain at the sudden displacement of his digestive organs. Her anima suddenly erupted around her fists once more as she heard the other Lintha come at her from behind. Kiana took a step back, bringing her right elbow, which had just punched the Lintha in front of her, straight back into a crushing elbow strike, into the flanking Lintha's stomach, while her left hand snaked out and chopped the other's neck as he was still recoiling from the previous blow. The poor demonic fool all but collapsed onto the deck, while Kiana followed through with the elbow, turning to face the last boarder as he stumbled back from her blow. He growled in rage as she assumed that familiar low stance, and he charged at her out of desperation. Kiana, tired of dealing with them, simply stepped to the side just as he swung, lashing out with a devastating thrust kick into his side, her boot unforgiving as he was flung off of the ship, and actually skipping once off of the water before sinking below the surface.
With the boarders dealt with, for now at least, she turned her attention back toward the Dryad. They didn't have much time.