I’m back to (Rise!)
I’m back to (Glow!)
I’m back to (Fly!)
I’m back to (Soar!)
I’m back to (War!)
Let the truth be (Told!)
I feel on fire when my passion (Flow!)

|Ranger… Passions Burning! | Flames Scorching!| Fired Up!| Powered Up!| 

“Oh you bet yer’ arse I am..”

[A possibly okay story drabble under the cut!]

[It’s less impressive than the screenshots imo]

[Time: Sometime Saturday evening]

|| Proximity Alert: Sector 5, Voidal Incursion ||

| Hazard Level: Extreme. |

| Recommended Party: 3-8 |

[[Gods’ View Alert]] User Belladonna Slater has sustained multiple injuries, and one critical injury.

A thrum of thunder rolled overhead as lightning flashed in the distant skies over the once clear blue expanse that were now cloudy beyond belief. Rain fell like thin needles from the iron sky, pricking and poking at bare skin and cloth. The crackle of eerily warm fires spurred senses as they licked at what remained of a smoldering gap in several story high walls.

A battle… no… a war was raged here. A war that lasted only minutes. Between blue and the darkness that lingered on the island world beyond Stone and Iron walls. Yet even as this war had only ended, another waged, one that had waged longer than any other.

Here, in Gisana. The city of lost dreams, was a war that lasted has lasted untouched and unending since time began. Unrecorded by those beyond the veil of the unending maelstrom. A war best forgotten than remembered, much like the heroes that lived and died here. The young heroes that had barely yet to even reach adulthood that were laid low by the cold grasp of this dark war.

Here was a war that constantly brought our elezen back home, back to fight it, Alone. Just as how she supposedly ended it, Alone. Her comrades could only offer so much, a shared blade here, a storied word there, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. And it was evident, whenever the old girl set foot onto this weathered battlefield, alone, again.

The hauntingly familiar yet sickening scent and stain of black blood permeated from small puddles and pools that collected beneath muddy metal blue boots. A corpse or two of scaled voidlings lay scattered about, their claws still clutching their abominations of weapons. Flesh covered scythes and axes were buried in the rubble, the metal edges stained with still dripping crimson.

Our blue armored elezen stood before the partially broken wall, her fists curled as they rose up, her boots shuffling along the muddy dirt. Her stance ever so akin to the monks that she watched in Ala Mhigo train daily. Bella’s smirk was bloody, the stain of a crimson trail came along the corner of her lips and down her jaw to soak into the fabric along her neck. Her breathing was an audible strain, coughing with every attempted deep breathe to ease her heart as the bones in her chest remained fractured and cracked. Bloody purple bruises lined her skin over the tattoos and old scars.

The Blue helmet she wore was damaged, her working eye glimmering in the light of the fire. Occasional sparks flicked past her unmarred sight as the helmet she wore still surged with energy. Crimson leaked from punctures along scuffed and dirtied blue armor.

Re̡śil̛i͟en̢t̕ a̴s ̷éver.̶..
̀
C̛a͡n̕ yoù ̵n͝ot҉ s҉imp̡l͠y͡ ̛ju͞s͜t ̵give ͞u̕p?
͝
I͜t̀ ̸w̧o͠ul̡d́ ̕m̧a̵k̵e t͜h̀e͞se ̶l͢i̸tt̢ĺe ̶m͏ȩet̸in̵gs̕ ́ǫf͞ ours s̨o m̛uc͏h̀ e͝asi͘e̵r o҉n͜ o͢u̴r ͏s̕oúls.͠.
͏
Yo̷u’r͡e̶ ev̷e͜n͢ swàying͝.̸..̀ ͏s̸o ͜cl̛ose̡ t͟o f͟al͜li͡n͝ǵ..̀. ̀j҉us҉t̛…̡ L̕e͘t͠ it͢ hap҉p͡en̛.

̡Gi̷v͞e ̛up̧, ҉old g҉ir̛l.̵
̧
͠J̵u̸s͘t͘.̸ G͞ive͡. I̸n.
͞
̢Le͞t th́e ͢D͘a̵rk̡nes̴s͞ h͞av̕è yo͝u͡.͠

“… No.”

W̧ha͏t?͢ ͠Ẃh̵y̸ ̡do̢ yoư ͟insist on standin̡g͘?͟ ̀Yơur ̨ti̴me͟ i̵s at ̵an̵ end͢.

҉D̵o͞n’͞t͡ ͞yo̧u҉ ͡s͏ee ̧t͏hat?

“I said /No/. It’s… It’s not happening.” The elezen barked, groaning as she tightened her fists.

G̨ive. Up̧.͏

̴Y͟o͟u ̷àr̢e͠ ̷bu̢t ͜on͏è.͏

̢A҉nd ͠w͝e͞?
͟
҉B̨il͜li̶ons.̨

W͞e ͢a̛rȩ…̶ ͝Unen̕din͝g.͢

“No…” Bella hacked, her teeth clenching as the rain pricked against exposed flesh along her torso, arms and head. The rain poured hard, the street muddy and blackened, raindrops continued to fall like needles. 

“They expect nothing from me… No one here expects much from me anymore. They think an Old Ranger won’t be much help anymore. Old and beaten and.. tired…  They don’t expect the Rangers to come and save them anymore… Not after the years that had gone by. Not after the deaths of us… Of all of us!”

“I’m old… Yeah… I get it. I’ve been doing this for too long… this body can feel it, my mind, can feel it. I don’t need to be reminded again and again about how my chances of being able to walk home grow slimmer and slimmer with every moment passing here. I already know that! My fate’s already bloody sealed!”

“But I’ve gotta try. I’ve gotta stand up and fight… again and again… and again!”

The elezen’s voice broke as she roared beyond the veil of magitek masks, the projection barely able to modulate her voice anymore as she yelled.

“It’s not about winning or losing! Not about the fame or glory! It’s about every time you come back! Every time you rear your ugly face! Every time I’ll protect everyone behind that wall!”

“And I plan on doing it again and again! For the next Rangers, for a woman I’ll give my heart and soul to!”

“Regardless of if I win or if I lose this night…”

“I’m taking you right here, RIGHT NOW.”

As she roared out once more, the spouts of blue and red flame snaked their way from the gem housed along her belt to collect by her tattered gloves. The red gem pulsing a violent shade of purple and then green shortly after. Sigils and signs began to form along her arms and torso, their colors all blinding and glimmering gold. The heat of an inferno that dared to rival that of Ifrit pulsed and raged along curled fists as blue horns and a maw began to take shape over her knuckles.

The iron grip of soul and raging fire of heart came to life in her hands as the woman’s suit echoed out.

| Ranger… Passions Burning! | Flames Scorching! | Fired Up! | Powered Up! | 

“Oh… Guess I’m back in it… huh?”

The ghost of a smile flashed across her face as she freshened her grip on her burning soul’s weapons. The bloodied smile of hers flashing beneath beneath her broken mask. The roll and cascade of thunder drummed overhead as the bolts of lightning shot across the evening sky. The shadows as the light came and went expanded to reveal in the darkness…

e͙̙y̰̟͈̲ͅe̠͖̳s̖̙̜͙…

s̼͈̙̳̰o̺̤̞͈ͅͅ ̰̩̠̼m̙̝̟̰̲̪a̰͙͎̤͙̺͎n̟̥̠y͇̻͓ ̰̭̣͍͓̻̰e̻͇̼y͕͕͉̰̥̤̺e͍̠͔͕͎͙̳s̟͓̥̳̗..̭̟̟͙̺̞̭.̱̫̳̱̻ͅ

“It’s getting awfully late…”

“So… Can I have the Last dance of the night…?”