[attr="class","frame144"]

[attr="class","lowe14reescroll"]
[break][break]
Aside from shogi, and navigating the challenges of natural lighting, fishing was simply one of the skills that Umeko felt relatively comfortable with. It was a journey to go through the motions and admit that perhaps her ability to conquer markel didn’t translate well to giant monsters. Dejected, she nodded, Honey at a clearer head on her shoulders, at least in this very particular and decidedly unusual circumstance, “Let’s give it a try; it can’t go much worse.”

[break][break]

Neatly folding her shirt, she left it discarded on the beach, “I can draw a monster’s attention, that much is certain.” She attempted to comfort, while she inadvertently revealed some of the scars she had gained in her Earth-chan time by drawing the ire of monsters. Luckily Umeko had the build of an actual cannon; largely stationary and hard-hitting.

[break][break]

Joining Honey in the surf, she swam alongside her partner in monster-crimes. Overall, this moment proved far more serene than frustratingly attempting to capture nothing, as foolhardy of a plan it may have been.

[break][break]

A perfect opportunity to begin filming, she thought. Capturing the swaying of the sunflowers, set against the beaming of the grueling Nadir sun. Dipping the unnaturally durable camera underwater, she followed the tendrils of roots, aimlessly feeling around the vacant ocean. They even had their own source of light, strangely enough, shining through the twisting gaps. Upon further inspection (a simple closer look) the light widened, as if its source was rapidly approaching, “Hm…” She mildly expressed, seeing the flash of teeth in the depths, “Strong intuition.”

[break][break]

Umeko’s warm smile flipped into a perturbed scowl in no time. Widening her eyes at the recording present on her camcorder, she sunk her head underwater confirming her suspicions, and promptly breached the surface with the found elegance of a disturbed dolphin. Cycling through her recordings, she flipped the viewfinder over, in preparation.

[break][break]

Swimming and sorcery just so happened to be poor bedfellows. Taking a note from Honey, Umeko retrieved her [Worldline Superimposer] in her free hand, slipping a slide into the slot. Transported from the scorching heat of Nadir to the biting cold of the [Frozen Lake]. Finding her own footing, she was nearly knocked off balance by the smashing emergence of a large jellyfish-butterfly, flopping on the solid surface.

[break][break]

Meeting eye to eye with the magnificent creature, Umeko felt a chill down her spine upon feeling something brush against her ankles. Distracted, she looked down, gazing upon the twin mermaids now dressed in sweaters and scarfs, “She has arrived--The beach must be defended.” They sang in unison, getting a brush off from Ume in response. Secretly hoping that her establishing shot hadn’t been too thrown off, Umeko fired off a concentrated bolt of pure ice magic, directly into the screeching face of a legally distinct kaiju. It did not find that amusing. In this break of the monster's concertation, Umeko checked in on her similarly field ally, "Are you well-prepared Honey? Can your flowers bare the cold?"

[break][break]

Used

[break][break]

Name: Frozen Lake
Damage Type: Ice
Description: A large body of water that has been troubled by terrible cold, the entire surface sealing over and becoming a treacherous battlefield for any to fight in.
Effects: While on the Frozen Lake, [SPD] is increased by 20% however all creatures can only move in straight lines, this doesn't apply if they are flying or levitating. Any damage greater than the Lady of Vistas [MAGI] will also cause the ice to shatter and send freezing water up, causing those attacks to deal an additional count of damage equal to the Lady of Vistas [MAGI]-1 Rank to all enemies within five meters of the initial target.

[break][break]

Attacked for [C-Rank] Ice Damage

[attr="class","frame14"]

[attr="class","frame144"]

[attr="class","lowe14reescroll"]
[break][break]
These Kabukichō assailants had lingered as a hot issue. Creeps roaming the streets wasn’t something to be taken lightly it seemed. For Ume, they were the usual mob riff-raff, but she hadn’t considered what the alternative may have meant. Prepared to ease Hikari’s concerns, she readjusted her priorities, “System-generated. Cybernetic bōsōzoku. Very fond of their motorcycles, and not so much me.” She very calmly explained, dropping her nonchalance surrounding her near-attempted murder.
[break][break]

She gazed pensively; listening silently and intently as Hikari laid out the guild’s ambitions. Some of the more detailed ideas falling upon her ears gave Umeko a bit more to consider. A lack of rigid traditionalism was a great source of comfort. It was all too familiar, and very much unmissed. A thousand comments and actions remembered in her memory, eliciting a sigh of, "Too right..."
[break][break]

Umeko remained cautious, she put a great deal of mental energy into just about any decision she made, no matter the urgency. She had not made her way towards the Uesugi estate lightly, every step had been one of review and consideration. Lowering her head, she took on a far more inward expression, “As it stands, I’m just a woman with a movie camera. A vagabond sorceress, hardly the makin’ of neo-Toho on my own.”
[break][break]

Even with her head lowered, the poised woman-of-few-words had sparked, “I suppose you may call it a career goal; ANTHEM would open avenues for collaboration. I have a lot of passion for filming, my place is behind the camera; it’s where I can do my best work. However, what I’m usually missing is people to film. I hope to provide many artists and creatives with a medium to work and develop with, one they may have previously thought lost.” She jauntily elaborated, warming up as she sat in the hot seat.
[break][break]

Taking a leisurely sip of her tea, perhaps the last she may have access to yet, she brought her gaze back to Hikari, “Moreover, in forging a safe zone in Neo-Tokyo, I would hope to carve out a space for a studio. A place where actors, writers, and other filmmakers can gather. It’s an enterprise of many moving parts, all seemingly scattered.”

[attr="class","frame14"]

[attr="class","frame144"]

[attr="class","lowe14reescroll"]
[break][break]
Forcing the butt of her axe into the ground, Ume struggled to stay standing. She had collected two tails, and to her, that didn’t seem sufficient. Was there even any culinary value to be pulled from the strange metallic tail that she had just freed from its previous owner. It was hardly a job well done, she looked back on both engagements and picked apart her various failings, setting these thoughts aside when she felt the sting of wounds inflicted by the bladed tail she had been subjected to.
[break][break]

A weakness in her breath, she pondered the sudden darkness. Some confidence had been spared for her internal clock. The break she took after her deadly fight with the saber hadn’t been close to long enough for the sun to begin setting. No mistake had been made, there had to be another reason for the rapid onset shroud: A squall? An airship? A dragon? Her mind emphasizing the final point, brought her gaze upwards. Skulking above her, dribbling heated saliva was a vanilla red dragon, a proper change of pace.
[break][break]

Hardly a surprise at this point. Ume, mostly unwilling to put up with this level of tomfoolery, slotted in her frozen lake terrain data. With no trees to keep itself propped up on, the confused dragon tumbled down to the icy surface. Ume, to prevent being crushed in round one, kicked off from the ice, sliding away at speeds she could never hope to run. Crashing with a solid thunk, the dragon staggered, allowed a window Ume to strike with a direct blast of ice.
[break][break]

Used
[break]

Name: Frozen Lake
Damage Type: Ice
Description: A large body of water that has been troubled by terrible cold, the entire surface sealing over and becoming a treacherous battlefield for any to fight in.
Effects: While on the Frozen Lake, [SPD] is increased by 20% however all creatures can only move in straight lines, this doesn't apply if they are flying or levitating. Any damage greater than the Lady of Vistas [MAGI] will also cause the ice to shatter and send freezing water up, causing those attacks to deal an additional count of damage equal to the Lady of Vistas [MAGI]-1 Rank to all enemies within five meters of the initial target.

[break][break]

[C-Ranked Ice Attack] SUPER EFFECTIVE

[attr="class","frame14"]

[attr="class","frame144"]

[attr="class","lowe14reescroll"]
[break][break]
Deep in the jungles lay a few felled trees. Their trucks were perfectly smooth, as Ume confirmed with a tactile inspection. Her next target wasn’t far off. She got low, her nerves creeping into her state of mind. Her eyes zipped up and down, trying to get a read on where it might be hiding. This next dragon was a bit more dangerous than the last, and her lack of speed could have proved to be an even bigger detriment than it already proved to be.
[break][break]

Sneaking and examining, Umeko listened, trying to filter out the ambience. Breaking through the ambience was abrupt chaos. Birds scattered, screeching in terror, as more trees tumbled towards the ground. Swinging around, Umeko got behind one of the smooth trunks. A flash of silver crossed her eyes, followed by the falling of yet more jungle trees.
[break][break]

Just a few meters away, crawling low to the ground was her next tail. Resembling a large metallic Komodo, graced with a rusty underbelly, was what Umeko had clocked as a saber dragon. Its was far longer than the rest of its body, and much of it reamebled a wootz steel blade. Its cry was sharp and wiry, sending a chill down Umeko’s spine.
[break][break]

Her axe could not sever this tail, and she struggled to think of a way she could engage this one in battle safely… if such a thing was even possible. Her decision was made for her. Somehow she had been found out; the sound of slicing wind erupted above. Ume’s head. Beside her, a stump had cleanly been cleaved in two, driving her from cover. Now eye to eye with the second dragon, it released a shrill shriek, echoing through the jungle.

[attr="class","frame14"]

[attr="class","frame144"]

[attr="class","lowe14reescroll"]
[break][break]

[break][break]

A land of giant monsters! Hardly a better place to be found, for the time being. Dressed in a red vest, white dress shirt, and black slacks, Umeko was well prepared to trek the unforgiving jungle of the Draco Isles. She had picked an assignment that had her collecting dragon tails. Usually, the rather docile cinematographer wasn’t interested in hunting, but dragons had been enough to entice her towards a concession.
[break][break]

Swinging a decently sized axe in hand, she whistled a jaunty tune her way down the beach. Her research had led her to believe she could find the first of her dragon’s here. First things first, she was seeking a blue jewel sonic dragon, as it had been rather awkwardly designated. Relatively peaceful and more content to sing and mock passerbyers, she saw it as the perfect warm-up hunt. The gleam of her axe had proven otherwise.
[break][break]

Coming to an abrupt halt, Umeko recognized a flash of color inside of the trees lining the beach. She hadn’t done anything to provoke it already, had she? Following the splintering crack of coconut above Umeko’s head, a sing-song screech roared past Ume. Landing smashley amongst the trees was a feathered wyvern, covered in a beautiful display of reds, blues, greens. A set of large red eyes zoned in on Umeko, as the dragon lined up its first sonic boom.
[break][break]

The virtue of distance allowed Umeko a rare dodge. Sand rained down upon her, and she tried realign her barings. Sweeping at her again, a set of large talons attempted to close in on the wizardly filmmaker. Quickly she placed a piece of terrain data into her Viewfinder. In an instant, a beautifully sunny beach day had been overtaken by a violent squall. Slowed, the dragon lost its composure, opening Ume to fire a bolt of lightning directly into its face, gently leading it crown first into the trunk of a coconut tree.
[break][break]

Used
[break][break]

Name: Rainstorm
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: A heavy rainstorm, dark clouds covering the skies, rain lashing down like stinging needles and harsh winds blowing across the battlefield.
Effects: While in the rainstorm any ranged abilities or attacks have their range reduced by 25% and the [SPD] of all creatures in the Rainstorm is reduced by 10%, increased to 30% if the creature is flying. Lastly any fire damage is reduced by 50% while in the rainstorm.

[break][break]

Attacked for [C] Magic Damage

[attr="class","frame14"]

[attr="class","frame144"]

[attr="class","lowe14reescroll"]
[break][break]
Which few precious seconds she had to prepare was struck away as she was very simply let in. Her diligent anticipation to work around the sounds of footsteps was for naught. The door swung open, framing Ume attempting to straighten out her smoldering shirt, caught like a deer in the headlights. Clearing her throat in an attempt to regain composure, she offered a polite bow at a distance. Removing her shoes at the door, she slipped into the considerable safety of the estate’s inner-walls, marveling at its untouched opulence.
[break][break]

Every step for the past two or twenty hours (she couldn’t be sure anymore) had been a newfound struggle. Ume had been surprised that her legs had been able to take her thus far. Eternally grateful to be offered a seat, she survived the last bit of anguish to not completely collapse. Fighting the urge to not be entirely distracted by the nearly forgotten scents of freshly brewed tea, she sharply jumped right into focus.

[break][break]

The woman she had joined had expressed some familiarity with Umeko, who could process a few different reasons as to why, “You might’ve; I showed up at ANTHEM’s apartment for a time, or perhaps when I was working at Suzuki Studios before the incident, if you ever visited.” She preferred to not touch upon her roles in various v-cinema pictures, where she usually existed as ‘tall henchwoman’.

[break][break]

Having failed to make a formal introduction, she pivoted, “Pleased ta make yer acquaintance, Uesugi-sama, I presume?” She questioned, her kansai-ben shining through. Even if it seemed a safe enough bet; she usually shied away from assumptions. A possible sight in passing was hardly an introduction, and even if this wasn’t Hikari, she still owed hospitality an explanation, “I am Uesugi Umeko, of the uh… Osaka Uesugis. I was hopin’ to speak with someone about about a place in ANTHEM.”

[attr="class","frame14"]