thebastion | Event: Core [Day 61]

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Event: Core [Day 61]

For more details, or if you have any questions, please see the OOC post.

For this event, Player characters will be split into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A consists of any characters who arrived in the Bastion before Day 61. Group B consists of any characters who arrived in the Bastion on Day 61. Please keep your posts to the threads that have the heading that corresponds to your respective group.

There are two goals that need to be met:

1: Group A must locate Group B and safely bring them to the Bastion.
2: Someone must bring the Core back to the Bastion.

The second goal is time sensitive. If the Core is not found in time, it will disappear from the Skyway.

This event will consist of free-form tagging. There is no set tagging order, so feel free to have your characters respond to occurrences as you see fit.

All important threads are listed below:

Group A starting thread
Group B starting thread
Group A: at The Melting Pot
Group A: searching the stalls
Groups A and B meet up
Boss battle

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[Until now, Alucard has been quietly scrutinizing the group, hand lightly resting on the pommel of his sword. The search party looks more like they had been assembled out of what few people had any sort of experience in a fight than a trained group of warriors. Some certainly had the look of experienced soldiers or mercenaries about them, but the majority seem to be younger than even he appears to be. And the one who had spoken a moment? The scent of the girl's blood is not unlike his own: half human, half something that God rejected long ago.

His mind drifts back to the faces he saw upon arrival; some of those faces he knew all too well.]

...If the situation is truly so desperate, I will ally myself with you for the time being.

Edited (adjf;jkl wrong icon) 2013-04-29 04:07 (UTC)

Oh, don't make that kind of impression...!

[ KIDS, PLEASE.

Marie scrambles to get in front of Shiro, hands empty and her posture entirely nonthreatening as she makes mollifying hand gestures. ]

It really is a tough situation for the children, so thank you for excusing us.

[ And if they hit any hiccups, she was putting herself forward for a reason. ]

[His eyes dart from one person to another, starting to feel... equal parts intimidated and confused. Most of the people look young. Way, way too young to be on a raiding mission like this. If there are dangerous creatures out here, and it's really as bad as they're saying, then why are children doing this?

Either they're lying... or things really are desperate. Sending out their future for the sake of the present... that really is desperation. The silver-haired one offers another explanation, too. Food shortages? That'd explain the need for this crystal- the energy output is more than enough to power tech that can turn organic material into edible food. It's tech that's beyond the realm of this marketplace, but so what else is new?

It also explains why the kids are acting the way they are. Normally he'd be a bit more defensive, a bit more pressing for answers. But... they're defensive, and probably for good reason. He lowers his hand-

-until someone else dives onto the scene. Instantly Osahar's defensive again, until the speech happens. Then he goes from defensive to... baffled. Completely baffled. He's seen a lot of things in his life, and he can safely say that all of this is completely outside his realm of experience. If anything, now's when he looks the most normal, his confusion genuine and his guard down. He glances around at the others, hoping for some help here.

Thankfully, Alucard makes it easier for him. So, he shrugs.] I can tell that there's a lot here that I don't know about. So... all right. I can't say I'm your 'friend,' but I'm definitely not a 'foe.'

So, no killing me, all right? [Forgive him, he judges by outward appearance here, and killing kids is not what he does. Have a smile instead! Especially you, newcomer who actually seems to be acting rationally!] Don't worry about it, I've been through worse. Anyway, you all probably don't need me to tell you this, but be careful with that crystal. Its energy might be unstable.

[ No matter how often it's happened lately, Shiro is still completely unprepared for responses that don't somehow confirm friend- or foe-status. So, you guys think you're confused? Imagine being Shiro.

Unsure of basically everything ever, he asks: ]

What's a situation? Can I eat an ally?

[ Then he spots the Core! It's shiny! Like his hairpins! ]

How about that? Friend or foe?

[ Leave him to his own devices for too long and he'll start waving his arms to get the Core's attention or something. ]

No, allies are friends.

[This is said gently. Shiro forgets things all the damn time, so he might need a few reminders.

Bon will also be dragging Shiro back from the core.]

It's not alive, it's a tool. Kinda like a sword, or an oven.

--Miss Marie, it's okay.

[GOD WHY IS EVERYONE SO TENSE well except Shiro he's so cute it's embarrassing really.]

We're here to rescue you. I sensed your presence over here, though our mission was originally to get that Core, ah--I guess it's lucky then that you happened to have it. Rin--[referring to the girl with the tail]--and I have been on a Core retrieval mission before, so you don't have to worry about how we handle it, sir.

[A nervous shift as he moves his scythe from one shoulder to the other.]

If we can't manage to make some distance back to Bastion before the Peckers get here, we'll have to fight them.

.............

[The child is strange. It is also somewhat concerning that he cannot identify the boy's species. And given the fact that he asked if allies are edible... Well, hopefully that's just something that children sometimes ask, and nothing more. With his complete lack of experience with children, it's rather difficult to tell.]

...Shall we collect the crystal and move on? I would rather avoid conflict with the "Peckers."

[Not exactly a creative name, but it was likely an accurate description of their attack pattern.]

[At her name, Rin waved to the two of them, her tail twitching behind her. It had been moving faster when she was annoyed earlier, but further conversation and at least a little show of cooperation had calmed the movements to something closer to a content sway.]

The sooner the better. We can talk more later, 'cause now we gotta get you and the Core back to the Bastion.

[Okay no she was still annoyed. Rescuing survivors was not in their plan.]

I'll give a shout if they're getting visible. If we're not close enough to the Bastion then, take a dive for a nice space for dealing with birds.

[ Here didn't seem like too bad of a spot, but having to deal with the creatures would be something the knight would like to avoid. ]

... Neither of you can heal, can you?

[ A little hopefully. Duke would love to be able to feel okay with going on the offensive. ]

[Crona, hanging back as usual, is thinking maybe it would have been best not to even come. There are too many people and too much noise and too many decisions. So Crona was hanging back by Maka, but then Maka moves forward to speak to the strangers and Crona's left shifting awkwardly, holding a cookbook found earlier.

Ragnarok is out and active, stubby arms crossed on Crona's head, munching on rock candy out of a bag (again, found during their scavenging). He decides to contribute to this conversation.]

Make up your minds, idiots! We don't have all day!

[... yes Ragnarok that was a good and useful contribution.]

[Rin's annoyance baffles Osahar, and to be honest, aggravates him a bit. After seeing the full group now, he can say with a reasonable amount of confidence that he and Alucard are not going to be a burden here. Still, he lets it go. No point in taking any of this personally when they're all clearly... off.

Granted, Ragnarok and the other kid- by the Singularity, he hopes that he hasn't just landed in a colony of cannibals!- make that a little difficult, but he breathes out and lets it go. Important things first. Kid with the scythe- why all of these old-time weapons, too?- is first.] I'll ask later about how you 'sensed' us, but for now... I'll leave the Core to you or Rin.

[If they know how to handle it, then he'll not get in their way. Knight next. Sheepish grin.] Ah hah... I can do some basic first aid, but I'm an engineer, not a doctor. That being said... let me walk with you. I'm a pretty decent shot, and this pistol's got some range, so I can cover the ki-

[Wait. No. That could be bad. Cough cough you didn't hear that.] ...others. Lead the way, and I'll follow.

[Alucard holds back from contributing any more to the conversation. Although his face betrays nothing, his stance betrays small hints of agitation. Enemies are approaching, and yet here they are, still standing around and talking despite the clearly expressed urgency of their mission. Perhaps he would have been slightly more patient with the group were they not just that: a sizable group. Mostly human too, as far as he can tell. This group seems to be a rather accepting one, given the presence of their not-entirely human members, but given his previous experiences... Large groups of people make him rather nervous.

If he didn't feel out of place when he first arrived, he certainly does now.]

[Rin is actually kind of siding with Alucard on this. They're noisy, the birds are noisy and getting closer, and they're not exactly moving at a decent pace here. ... so she agrees with Ragnarok too, crude wording and all.

Hearing Osahar start to say 'kids' and stop earns him a look, but it's not nearly as annoyed as her previous one. No, it's okay, she knows she's a kid. Demon or not she is only fifteen.

But it's a moot point for the time being and they can deal with proper introductions, back stories and whatever else when they were back to the safety of the Bastion.]

Let Maka take it.

[She motioned a thumb at the boy who had spoken her name earlier, and slipped Kurikara out of it's case on her back, holding the sheathed blade until there was an absolute need to take it out.

Which given the position of the Peckers and the ruckus they were causing was going to be soon. But at the very least if she kept to the front she might have a chance at using her flames to clear out whatever was going to come at them.]

... Gotcha, I'll keep ready for any healing needed.

[ Which means that tornadoes and fireballs aren't going to happen. So maybe the knight sounds a little disappointed, but now its time to shoo people toward.. well, a larger area. Duke would really rather not be on a narrow section of the skyway when the birds reached them. ]

[There is a square up ahead, with a fountain and open spaces and lots of room for fighting big birds. Which is exactly what the party needs, Because this bird is huuuuuge. We're talking 'size of a large horse' huge. And as the party arrives in the square, it lands right on top of the fountain, breaking the angelic statue that had once spewed out water.

The smaller Peckers are staying to the side, watching as the big one caws loudly at the group. Think fast, this thing is hungry.]

Hey! [ points ] Look, that one's really big! [ He starts running over because maybe it won't hear him if he's too far away. ]

Hey, hi! Are you friend or foe? See, my grampa—and when—

[ Please interrupt him. ]

Edited 2013-04-30 02:09 (UTC)

Someone get him! [That idiotic kid! And what idiots these people have to be, to let him be around in such a dangerous situation!

Now, there are all kinds of objections Osahar wants to make here. The square-cube law, the impossibility of what he's seeing, the fact that this bird shouldn't be able to do what it's clearly just done! But... right now, that's not at all an issue. Not at all.

What matters is protecting the group, and that means acting first. So he snaps up his prosthetic hand, his enhanced vision focusing a reticle on the thing. He's at full power because of that Core, after all, and with that, he waits a second, letting the computer calculate angle and velocity, aiming right for the thing's face...

...and then he fires. A coherent blast of white-hot plasma erupts from his pistol, the vaporized air rumbling like thunder in its path. It'll take a bit to recharge the shot, but... hopefully that first blast will be sufficient...]

[Ragnarok vanishes, twisting into a swirl of black liquid, that vanishes down the back of Crona's dress, splashing out into the meister's hand, and taking the shape of a thin black and white sword. At the same time, Crona steps forward, moving to the front of the group, moving in front of Shiro without a word in order to stop the little one from doing something stupid, like running into the path of that plasma shot.

In a fight, Crona is a wall. You won't need healers if one person can take the brunt of the attacks.]

They're not friends!

[ Duke is going to try to make a leash for Shiro for any further trips out in the Skyway. Just. Please stop running at things, small child, the knight's hair may be white but it could actually go grey-

Duke figures that the big bird is probably distracted enough, and heads after the audience of peckers. Minions can be dicks. ]

[WELP.

See the bird is used to people running in terror. It is not used to getting shot in the face, especially not with plasma guns.

The shot isn't completely effective, though, because the giant bird jerked its head back out of reflex. The glancing blow does do some nasty damage to one side of its head, though, leaving it bleeding and without sight in one eye.

But now it's mad. very mad.

So it is going to fly up and try to grab one of the people in front of it. squishy humans tend to die when they're dropped from a tall height, and that is what it's going to try to do.

As for the little ones, they take off as soon as Duke gets close, but they'll still be circling the area.]

Oh for the love of-- SHIRO!

[Yeah that didn't work last time it's not going to work this time and Rin is going to help Duke make that leash!

Later. When they're back in the Bastion and not dealing wit this shit.

Seeing Osahar take the bird's eye and Crona step in front of the group gives Rin an opening as well. She finally takes her sword out, and with it a rush of blue flames erupts over her body, at the tip of her tail, and across the blade. Her ears grow longer, as do her teeth, and two flames atop her head look suspiciously like horns.]

Crona! I'm gonna try to get that thing closer to you! See if you can take it out! Maka, get the Core outta here! Some one cover him!

[It wasn't the greatest battle plan ever, but she wasn't a strategist. She was going out on a limb assuming anyone would even follow her orders, but it was better than trying a bunch of different battle tactics at once.

She darted around Crona and charged forward, dropping in to a slide that sent her underneath the bird between it's talons. That sure as hell wasn't comfortable to do in a skirt but frankly she didn't give a shit right then.]

HEY! BACK HERE!

[She yelled at it loudly, swinging the flaming sword in hopes of getting it to turn around and focus on her while backing a path up closer to Crona.]

[The child's seeming lack of any sort of self-preservation is startling, but not so much so that Alucard doesn't focus on the bird rather than the boy. The others clearly have that handled well enough. Even the girl - Rin, was it? - bursting into flame is not enough to throw him off.

He has his sword drawn and had been looking for an opening - see if he could get a clean slice at its neck for a quick kill - when Rin dodged the bird's talons and began shouting at it. Well, that's as good a distraction as any in his eyes.

The dhampire darts towards it with the intent to deal a killing blow and-

...Ends up getting grabbed up in its claws himself. He will berate himself for the mistake later, when he's not being dragged higher into the air. Don't hit him with your projectiles when trying to get him down kids.]

Oh no, you don't!

[ It was unfortunate, but Alucard getting snatched up was the only way she had an opening to help. She moves, leaping at the creature at an oblique angle in that small window of opportunity before it gets too high. Her hand is abruptly a sledge hammer, and she goes for a strike.

If she manages to hit it, she just hopes Crona is careful tries not to hurt the poor man in the bird's talons.

It was the one shot she had, and otherwise she'll be trying to move on to try to cover for Maka because long range just wasn't her thing. ]

Edited 2013-04-30 03:42 (UTC)

[The bird is hit in the head, and it drops Alucard as it falls to the ground, stunned.

The smaller birds are in a frenzy now. They are clearly worried about the big bird, but they are too scared of the party to approach. Rin's flames are especially scary. Seriously, who lights themselves on fire like that?

But for the moment, there is a stunned bird and squawking smaller birds. Escape is possible, but there's no telling when the bird will get up and chase the party or not. What will the group do?]

[Crona isn't a person who has experience letting a fallen opponent escape. Ragnarok is starting to hum, vibrations skittering across his blade, soul lashing hungrily at his meister. They both know exactly what to do.]

Scream resonance!

[The words start off low as a command but shift quickly into a scream, the unified voices of meister and weapon. Then Ragnarok's voice shifts to a high shriek, the sound loud enough that it's hard to focus, even for normal humans. The blade goes up, and Crona barks out a command.]

Screech alpha!

[The blade comes down, sending out a blast of energy that tears up the ground as it heads in a straight line for the bird. It's definitely noisy and destructive, charged with sound and soul energy, and will try to catch the monster in its screaming mouth.]

Edited 2013-04-30 04:13 (UTC)

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notduchess - 2013-04-30 04:16 (UTC) - Expand

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bastionpc - 2013-04-30 04:25 (UTC) - Expand

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Event: Core [Day 61]

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BOSS BATTLE

Re: BOSS BATTLE

BOSS BATTLE OLIOLIO!

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