melodiesofeternity | The Heroes of Light vs. The Sakura Forest (round 1)

The Heroes of Light vs. The Sakura Forest (round 1)

Who: Everyone who signed up!
When: October 10
Where: The Sakura forest
What: There's supposed to be an Eidolon here! Lets go find it!
Warnings/Notes: it's October and there are supposedly mimics in here.

This morning is damp and foggy, lingering swaths of mist a testament to the rapid changes in temperature that always seem a hallmark of the fall season. The sunlight is still too new to burn it away, and the world seems hazy and lavender.

It would be beautiful, if it wasn’t so eerie. Perhaps it’s simply the morning chill, but skin prickling up to gooseflesh seems to be a common occurrence amongst the gathered crowd, and Castor herself, standing at the head and sorting people into teams, is not immune to this.

Behind her stands the southwestern edge of the Sakura forest. The fog within seems particularly dense, and as it diffuses the morning light, the forest seems almost otherworldly; a glimpse at something fey and unknowable and eternal. It’s likewise eerily quiet; even accounting for the fog smothering all but the closest noise, there are no audible signs of life from within the forest’s boundaries.

If the hair on the back of your neck is slowly raising, you’re probably not alone in that, either.

“Alright!” Castor calls, once she’s finished organizing people, “That should be the lot’ve ye! We don’t know what all’s about in there, and I’ve had word that the local wildlife has been ornery of late, so keep yer wits about ye, and stay close te your mates!

“I’ve given each of ye a handful of ribbon…” she pauses to hold up a handful of her own, a cheery red that somehow looks ominous in this atmosphere. “A colour te each team! Use ‘em to mark yer way in; I don’t want te have te go fishin’ fer lost souls when all’s said and done, and if ye find somethin’ ye’ll leave an easy way back.

“I’d advise ye sort someone te keep an eye on the Slates. Twelve willin’ they work more’n ten fulms into the wood, stay in touch best ye can over the network. And don’t hesitate te turn back if ye feel things’re goin’ poorly fer you an’ yours. I’d rather ye come back alive and emptyhanded.”

Here she pauses again, seeming to count something out on her fingers. “I think that’s the last of what I’ve got te say. Try and be back ‘fore sundown, yeah?”

[ooc: And go! I will be endeavouring to reply to each party at least ONCE daily, regardless of who’s posted in the meantime (we’ll see how it goes)!]

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[Adrien could take the lead; Red was a little too preoccupied to shoulder his way to the front, muttering and grumbling while tugging at a big blue mass in his mitts.]

Doggone it, my ribbon's all tangled up...!

[At least feeling the Protect spell come over him is enough to snap him out of his struggle and offer up a nod of thanks. It had been a few months since he'd had a big group adventure like this, but this time around he's working along a few familiar faces that he already knows can--

UGH, was this thing a blue ribbon or a Mobius strip?!]

[ Baiken remained silent, remaining relatively close to Adrien, given he was the only one she knew well enough. Oddly, she stayed a pretty good distance *away* from Madhuri, which was probably weird. For reasons. Either way, she kept her eye peeled ahead of them, hand resting on the hilt of her sword. ]

The forest is...not welcoming per say, but the path this party is on is fairly clear, and the sun cuts through the very worst of the mist. The grass and ferns here are tall, coming up waist-high in some places, and likewise aggressively dense, requiring no small effort to push through.

There are signs of life here, and some muffled birdsong. Every so often, there's an odd post of wood, like a sign that can no longer point the way, old and cracked as the forest works on reclaiming it.

Listen closely though, because soon, the birdsong....just stops, and whoever's in the lead might find themselves tripping over a very peculiar rock. Odd, it almost looks like a squirrel made completely of stone...

[It was nostalgic to walk through dangerous woods and listen to the birdsong like this. As the rest forged on ahead, she kept her horns tuned to any signs that something is off. The forest and its fauna were handy that way, because no creature liked to be...

Madhuri felt a chill up her spine. There it was, after some time traveling. Silence.

Grip tightening on the staff, she peered over the rims of her glasses for any signs of movement. When someone fell, her head snapped in their direction, feeling her heart leap briefly.]

Oops, careful! Are you alright?

[No need to leave this here for any others to trip on during the return trip! But as she stooped to pick up the stone and maybe give it a toss, she paused. She listened for any sort of rooster crowing, a ball of ice forming in her stomach. She hoped, deeply and dearly, that someone was just really good at stone-carving...

But before she could conclude any of that, she will begin to conjure a swirling wind around the group, pushing away the mist. Try as she might, she was starting to visibly sweat.]

Let's keep our eyes on each other, dears! Er, perhaps on the forest floor, too... for tracks, you see.

I'm fine!

[That 'thump' had just been Adrien catching himself on his feet after a stumble, Ninja skills helping him, but he probably didn't need that much force on his feet. However, his foot had caught something... and Madhuri had picked it up.]

... A squirrel?

[Looked pretty lifelike... Actually, it was abnormal, but it felt like something was gnawing at the back of his mind for the 'statue' being very... wrong. In fact, the sudden loss of birdsong was the most fervent alarm.]

Keep your guards up...

[It was the deafening silence that finally drew him up from his untangling, but it was Adrien's stumbling thump that bid him to stuff the mess into his bag and actually take stock of his surroundings. Good to see Adrien had a knack for landing on his feet, at least.

What was causing all this tension and fuss? That little statuette? Red blinked, bone askew in his jaw as he scrutinized it. This is what everyone was afraid of?]

...Doesn't look that bad.

[Still, he did know that if anyone here knew a lot about adventures and battles, it was Madhuri... and if she was going to start sweating over a stone squirrel, he could take it a little seriously.

He cracked open the chamber of his Gunblade.]

Think Lightning's good here, or should I just go straight for the Magitek Armor?

[ Ena, who had been trailing silently behind, slips forward through the group when they encounter the stone squirrel. She kneels down to examine it, and squints. Briefly, she's tempted to ignore it, but the placement is odd. And it was much too lifelike to be mortal-made.

Once, she had fought an enemy with this power. Well--not that she had any recollection of it, though.

She turns slightly to look up at Madhuri and Adrien, both from whom she sensed a familiarity of what this might mean. ]

...A basilisk? [ She's practically whispering, as though saying its name aloud would attract its attention. ]

[Lance is used to staying in the back - he's someone who's used to having range, and it's a habit he hasn't quite managed to break when it comes to scouting.

Even though he's supposed to be a frontline fighter. Ah, well.

At Ena's question, he perks up, attention brought back to the party.]

What, like that evil chicken-snake?

[He vaguely remembers reading about them in class what seems like a lifetime ago, and he's quickly learned the fantastical is very, very real here. It still seems like a long shot to him, though.]

[ Baiken's hand gripped tightly on the hilt of her sword, though left it undrawn for the moment, lowering her stance. There was a small twitching in the empty right sleeve, but it barely went noticed with everything else going on.

She spat out the bit of grass she'd been chewing on, finally speaking. ]

I'll be the vanguard. Everyone stay behind me, at least a little bit.

[She would've preferred to be Ladybug for something like this, but that's not an option so she's going to stick with Red Mage for now. If nothing else, it's the one she's put the most effort into at this point.

She's also mostly been sticking to the back and keeping an eye out for anything weird going on. Ena's question, however, snaps her back to the present, and she blinks a bit.]

Is that really something we might run into out here?

[She's not being snotty, she promises. But most of the things she's had to deal with before coming here have been people who've been turned into cartoony versions of themselves, and though she vaguely remembers reading something about them once or twice, Marinette isn't terribly fond of the idea of meeting a basilisk in person.]

There's only a split second warning before the brush to the party's left blasts open in a flurry of...

Small angry peeps and half-grown down. It's a cockatrice alright, but this one looks hardly old enough to be away from it's nest. Nevertheless it ruffles itself up at the party, trying to look as big and threatening as it's sire and dam, but there's only so much one can do when the size of a large dog with half one's feathers grown in.

It's impossible to tell if the petrified squirrel is this chickatrice's victim or not, but it certainly doesn't look old enough to be on it's own...

[ Baiken was quick to turn towards the sound, dashing to remain at her self-appointed position of vanguard, ready to draw her blade the second whatever it was attacked...

... Only for it to be basically a babe. She grit her teeth, huffing out a frustrated snarl. ]

Don't let your guard down! This kid won't be alone! [ Baiken wasn't taking any chances. Especially since even a child of that breed was still dangerous. ]

[ Ena looks up, slightly startled by the rustling and the peeps. Oh no. Though she had no recollection of what the beast that turned Verus to stone looked like, she wasn't about to take any chances. Baiken's caution only confirmed her suspicions.

Slowly, she holds out her hands, palms facing the little creature as though to show she meant it no harm (not like it understood what that meant, anyway). And slowly still, she stood. And even once she was standing at her full towering height, she kept going up. She Levitates herself up right into the branches of the trees. Out of range. Just to be safe. ]

Edited 2018-10-13 21:14 (UTC)

[Well, that's an abrupt disappearance.]

If it's not going to be alone, maybe we should leave before its parents show up?

[He is not looking forward to fighting whatever laid? birthed? whatever that thing is.

He's going to brace himself just in case, though.]

Precisely as I was about to suggest. Few monsters leave their children unattended!

[But if the little one is hungry, she will relinquish the stone squirrel and give it at least an easier meal. After, she was more than glad to proceed onward with the others should they choose to make tracks. But that wind will continue to keep the mist at bay.]

[...This little thing? Red gives the tiny chick a rather confused look before simply loading up the •Thunder Bullets with a shrug. They did have a point about parental supervision.]

Give it a wide berth and watch out for mom. Got it.

[If that scary Samurai lady was going to put herself at the front, Red would just have to guard their rear in case of--

...hold on a minute. He peeks upwards towards Ena in the canopy.]

Don't suppose you can see anything comin' up on us from up there?

Before Ena can answer, the Chickatrice almost screams and the shrill sound absolutely shatters the silence of the surrounding area. Almost instantly, there's an answering trill, louder and lower...and then a second. A third. The brush before them begins to rustle once again and a full-grown Cockatrice bursts onto the path, crowing with all the righteous fury of a mother who's young is endangered.

It looks furious.

Stand back!!

[Well, so much for hoping they could slip on by it. A chickatrice would have been on the level of target practice, but its fully-grown, angry mother?

Oh yes. He was pulling out the •Magitek Armor for this one.

Far overhead, above the clouds, an orange streak passed through the sky alongside the quiet roar of high-speed airship engines- a sound like distant thunder- but only a second or two later, the crack of torn air and a shuddering slam of metal into the earth heralded the arrival of his beloved DAHAK Mk. III... The mecha he'd spent the past few months fixing up with Magiteknology.

And now, he finally had the chance to test it out. With a well-practiced stride, he hopped up from leg to arm and into the cockpit to grab the controls. He didn't have the time to move and cover his teammates while the Magitek Armor came online, but hopefully its size would at least draw some attention...]

Edited 2018-10-16 01:06 (UTC)

[Blood turned to ice with the cry of a rooster. The sound of anything other than that horrid shriek was muted in her horns. All she saw other than the creature stepping out of the underbrush was Red taking his first steps forward. He was suited up for the job, but material didn't matter... not when it came to what cockatrice were capable of.]

Be careful!

[She gathered a bead of white magic and focused its power upon herself. To cast a Divine Caress on the healer first would ensure she could Esuna petrified friends later.]

Don't everyone lose their heads. She probably just wants to protect her kid. At least she had the courtesy to face us head on.

[ Baiken shifted her position once more, but she moved out of her lower stance as she approached the mother bird, looking remarkably open to attack. She had even taken her hand off of the hilt of her sword, looking the mother down with her one eye, trying to clear it of any anger or anxiety. ]

Baiken, should you really be looking it in the eye?

[Or was that for another monster? Also, this entire scenario was a little rude. They hadn't done a thing to the baby Cockatrice... except him maybe standing away from it before its feathers agitate his allergies. Why? Why was it always encounters with birds as companions or bird-like monsters?]

[He doesn't have any skills to prime like the others to keep them protected, but he was prepared to Counter if need came up.]

[ The response Ena had for red in her mind quickly vanishes when the larger, more hostile creature bursts from the brush. Knowing she'd fought this kind of monster before, or one similar to it, but didn't remember how they beat it was an incredibly frustrating, powerless feeling.

Fine. It was fine. There were a lot of them here now, and only two of them. All she needed to do was keep herself from turning to stone.

So she sees the protective spell that Madhuri casts on herself and Imitates it, divinely caressing herself. ]

Everything was happening so much, and Marinette could hardly believe that so many of the group were looking like they wanted to attack what was essentially a mama bird and her baby.

"I have a radical idea. How about we just leave them alone? Most animals are more concerned with protecting their babies than picking a fight, so..."

Then again, these didn't look like any sort of animals she'd ever seen before. But there was no reason to get into a fight if they could avoid it. "They're not why we're here."

The Cockatrice takes that choice away from them, even before Marinette finishes her sentences. It fluffs up its feathers and squawks at Red and his mecha before charging at Baiken instead, attacking the swordswoman with a flurry of wing buffets and it's sharp talons.

The chick dives back into the brush, still chirping in distress

[ Baiken was deeply tempted to strike back, but she knew that would only make the situation worse. She couldn't use her sword, or her Demon Tools, relying on ducking and weaving around the Cockatrice's attacks, hopefully keeping it busy enough for someone else to find a non-fatal way of disabling it. And she couldn't dodge forever... ]

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ROLL INITIATIVE KIDS.

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