melodiesofeternity | Event || Custom Fit

Event || Custom Fit

Who: All
When: September 10th to September 30th
Where: Curti Center and mines around the world
What: Characters assist Ganeshan in developing Custom Jobs.
Warnings/Notes: OOC Post

A. The Lab

As much as Ganeshan requires supplies to create Custom Jobs, he need help at home base. With the large number of potential applicants, outworlders and Curti Center employees are invited to help out in the lab, not only with testing transfer of Jobs to crystals, but in developing the abilities and running safety tests.

Easier said than done when all of these cats aren't roaming throughout the center and claiming everything to be their sitting spot. The interns are trying their best to catherd to little avail.

B. Job Development

The break room contains formal submission papers and pamphlets describing the steps required to develop a Custom Job. Senior employees are available to help characters workshop the abilities, but they mostly want to remain in the break rooms to avoid Ganeshan's constant Job mania. His booming voice is muffled through the doors, interspersed with allergic sneezing.

A room has been prepared for those to practice using their basic job abilities, primarily in making sure they're stable yet not too weak. There is a chance that an improper ability extraction can go wrong and hurt the user, so Ganeshan has group of White Mages are on standby in case things go south.

For those that would rather have all the fun without the work, there is the Ability Simulation and Modeling Room, where characters can design their abilities on the computer and see them play out on the screen before them. There's no limit here, and since Jessie is too busy to keep an eye on everyone, the outfits and visual effects have the potential to get...very, very silly.

C. Heigh-Ho

It's off to work you go. Those crystals won't mine themselves, and anyone strong enough must enter the mine in search of the necessary material. It's tedious, difficult work, and some of these are embedded so deeply in the rock that they might be more trouble than they're worth. Not to mention those gross bugs might not like their homes to be disturbed.

There's also the fact that monsters have a tendency to wander inside and attack, so they'll need some reliable body guards.

There should be more crystals deeper inside, but someone else will have to scout the area...

D. Explore the Dungeon

Which is where this team comes in. All the good stuff is deep in this mine, and reliable navigators are necessary to map out the tunnels without getting lost. There's also the fact that the previous owners of a time long ago didn't want opportunists to take their precious resources and outfitted the rooms with puzzles.

Door Locks are puzzles. Pressure plates activate traps. It's the ultimate test of critical thinking. Some of these don't make sense if you think for too long. Why did they go through all the trouble to program time-based puzzles with falling blocks and symbols? The Pupu are strange. At least the bats here are easy to fight, and the mine cart rides are fun.

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It does indeed and it makes Ignis' eyebrows narrow. He's not unfamiliar with deep dungeons and endless tunnels, thanks to their Royal Weapon hunts back on Eos. Is digging that deep safe? An unpleasant feeling settles in his gut.

"It also means that if it is trapped, someone has already been there," he nods, more on alert. "Is there something more in these mines than just crystals?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Ashelia answers Ignis, shaking her head. "But I intend to find out. We haven't the time to leave any stone unturned." If Ashelia were the type to wince at a pun, this is where she'd do it.

"You needn't come with me, I simply came back to warn of the traps. Somewhat simple in nature, but dangerous if you don't know what it is you're walking into. Pressure plates, darts, and so forth." She takes a deep breath, and finally fully regains her composure. "I am, however, remiss. I am the Lady Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca."

"Cor Leonis. And thanks for the heads up." He thinks about for a few moments, exchanging a look with Ignis. "Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a couple of folks with you to help."

"Ignis Scientia. Pleasure," he nods. Catching Marshal's look, Ignis rubs his chin in thought.

"We might as well secure more resources for the researchers. They will need everything they can get their hands on." And with the things that lay in the future for them, Ignis is not going to hesitate.

"I am also eager to learn if the trap makers left some signs behind them."

"Likewise."

Ashelia takes a brief moment to size the two men up. Apparently satisfied, she nods, crossing her arms before turning to walk back into the tunnel. "Signs? What exactly do you have in mind?"

Once he makes sure that his blade can still be drawn smoothly, Cor starts following Ashelia. He remains silent for the moment, trusting Ignis to thoroughly explain things. The younger man is good about that, from Cor's personal experience.

The obvious sizing up of their strength gets a glare out of Ignis, but he says nothing. Instead, he gives Cor a short nod, and silently (literally silently, because of his asterisk) walks after her.

"A clue into who could have designed and set up these traps." He glances at around at the walls. "Clearly someone didn't want us delving deeper into these mines."

Someone or something didn't want us here, gathering ingredients for developing the jobs that could probably help with Calamity, is what Ignis' look to Cor says.

"Traps are not a design of nature, but people's work. Always."

"I suppose it's possible these traps were set to stymie our efforts, specifically..." Ashelia doesn't sound too convinced, though. "Either way, we needn't go too far in if you're worried."

Ashelia continues walking for a bit before stopping abruptly. "Here is the first pressure plate I encountered." She draws her sword, setting its tip on the ground in front of her. She taps the dirt, the hollow sound of tile echoing off the walls around them. "Tread lightly."

Cor, however, nodding slightly in agreement towards Ignis, regarding that silent message. "Even so, it wouldn't hurt to figure out where these traps are so that others don't get themselves killed in the future."

He takes a few steps forward, pausing to tap a couple of bricks. One's solid...one's hollow, off to the side. Right where someone would step, should they be aware of the first pressure plate.

Perhaps not their group, but people coming to look in general. "We are going as far as we can," Ignis says. The only thing he's worried about is them not securing these levels for mining and getting the resources back to the lab. The researchers are doing their work- and they need to pull their part of the weigh as well.

Engulfing his dagger in flames, Ignis illuminates the surroundings and the crouches near the plate she showed him. Too simple, crosses Ignis' mind and he stands. He keeps his blade alight and carefully sidesteps around the pressure plate.

...

"Wait."

A wet, slithering sound.

"...did you hear that?"

"Hear -?" Ashelia cuts herself off before continuing, taking one cautious step back. She cocks her head to the side, listening intently...

...then she hears it. She readies her sword, casting her gaze to the ground, eyes squinting in the suddenly-right light of Ignis' dagger.

Now, there's a familiar sight to Cor - Ignis channeling his magic thru his blades. Nodding in agreement to what the younger man said, he steps arouns the other pressure plate and scans the area for any other possible traps.

And then comes that slithering sound, and it makes the hairs on the back of Cor's hesd stand up straight. Shifting into a ready crouch, he adds, "Hope one of you got a plan of attack in the works." And that better not be what he thinks it might be...

"Be on alert. I am to your left," Ignis says quietly, extinguishing the flames in his daggers and disappears, due to his asterisks' ability, leaving Cor and Ashelia to rely on the flashlights. The slithering sounds continue as he moves silently next to the wall and right to the lower exit of the room. It is going to be a very tight fit to fight in an enclosed space like this.

It barely takes fifteen seconds- the long, thickly scaled body of a snake crawls over the ground until the beast rises itself, blocking the door from where it came with its body and baring its huge fangs at people it sees.

'They are poisonous, Ignis' mind supplies as he observes liquid, toxic green, coating the sharp fangs.

Edited 2018-09-19 17:28 (UTC)

Ashelia nods slowly, holding her sword in front of her. The flashlight is turned off and tucked into her sword belt, as she instead opts for a ball of flame hovering above her free hand. She bends her knees, getting ready to jump whichever way she'll need to.

Cor vaguely recognizes that slithering sound. However, he normally equates it with certain types of daemons back home - Nagas and the like. This, however, just looks like a very large snake...

A potentially poisonous one, given the fangs its bearing. "Stay on your toes," he murmurs quietly, gently unsheathing his blade just a little bit with his thumb. Snake or Naga, he expects this thing to try and strike hard and fast.

"...any bright ideas, Ignis?"

Ignis is really happy it is not Naga. But this snake also looks like it can pack a serious punch if those fangs graze you. And those scales... he really wishes he could use Libra right now, to scan for weaknesses. He has a sinking feeling that the magic won't work on this one.

...bright ideas, huh?

He sneaks back, trying not to draw the attention from the snake, and says in leveled voice. "The scales are thick, magic won't work." His eyes quickly scan the body of the reptile and they light up.

"Try to aim for the throat. It is not protected. Mind the fangs and the traps."

Ashelia nods as she takes in Ignis' directive. Her grip on her sword tightens. What course of action should she take? Her first real fight after arriving on Vaikuntha.

Focus. Breathe. You've been doing your drills.

Ashelia had fought many creatures that were naturally faster than her. If she can't predict the snake's movement, then...one of her brothers' words echoes in her mind.

"I'll fake a strike. Dispatch it before it regroups." Her tone is firm, but not over the line. With that, she lunges forward, swiping at the snake horizontally with the tip of her sword - but dances out of her line of attack, turning sideways to dodge the possible retaliatory strike.

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Event || Custom Fit

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