Player Plot: Let's Explore Mad'ni Shrine!

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Who: Everyone who signed up!
When: Around November 3-6ish
Where: The Mad'ni Shrine
What: Searching for the lost ruins beneath the Shrine!
Warnings/Notes: It's another dreaded water level.

Although the flight provided by Curti Center takes them as close as they possibly can, the Heroes still have to take a brief walk through the woods to reach their destination. It remains to be seen whether the trip will be worth it. After all, their hope of finding a Legendary Eidolon, or even just clues pointing to one, is based on little more than guesswork.

But, with the time ticking down towards the end of the world, they don't have the luxury of ignoring a lead, no matter how vague. A shot in the dark might be what saves them all in the long run.

OOC info and sign-ups are here!

Comments

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia nods, stepping forward. She holds out both her hands, sending Dual Vents out at one of the spikes, angling the path of the wind spell to push one of the spiked balls, if it is indeed able to be pushed.

[timecrash]

Serge looks out at the pool. Those spikes look dangerous, but...
"I can swim. I practically grew up on a fishing boat. They're floating, right? So I've just gotta hold my breath."

[whirluendo_of_puns]

The spike balls are attached to the bottom of the pool by thin chains, though they seem to have quite a bit of slack. The wind spells from Ashelia push the targeted spike ball a little -- maybe about a foot or so. It might not let them clear out the path entirely, but this could make parts of the maze more forgiving.

The cluster of spikes Orcelito picks out freeze into a solid block. One, two, three... At ten seconds, the ice suddenly cracks and breaks apart, freeing the spikes again.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa nods, surveying the situation. He's got a pretty good idea on how they're going to get through this room. He takes a deep breath... holds his arm back, and runs forwards. He leaps up high into the air, flapping his ears twice to help cut his momentum as he holds himself above the floating ball--and then he drops, landing ontop of it. He wobbles there for a few moments, arms held out to steady himself before he gets the feel of it, standing up again to balance. He turns around to look at the others.

"I think I can get the ball over to the other side like this." He says, slowly swaying with his arms still outstretched for balance. "But you guys need to clear the pathway, I might not be able to stop this thing's momentum."

[timecrash]

Serge weighs his options carefully. "Klonoa, dude, if you can't swim-" He makes a mental note to take the little furball out sometime. How do you grow up not knowing how to swim?

He switches over to [Time Mage]. He could use a little prescience right now. Carefully, he starts wading into the water, testing the depth experimentally before grabbing a pair of goggles from his pocket and strapping them on. "I'm gonna see where this goes. Anybody wanna come with?"

[princeandscholar]

He casts a smile at Klonoa. "Yes. And we have good swimmers to help you at the end." If Castor or Serge is delayed for some reason, a strong patch of ice might be enough to hold Klonoa and buy time. Though, it occurs to Orcelito as he holds his grimoire open that he’s never casted single spell consecutively like this before.

Addressing Ashelia, he says, "If you push the closest ones out of his path, I can hold them. But only a few at a time and only for a several seconds."

[littlemhigan]

Castor is already waist-deep into the water, moving to try and spot in case Klonoa fell. She turns to keep tabs on the conversation even as she progresses deeper.

"I'll be with ye in a minute, Serge. I'd rather make sure fuzzbutt up here doesn't take a dive've his own. "

[timecrash]

Serge throws Castor a winning smile and a thumbs-up, before taking a deep breath and diving in. If he stays near the bottom, the spikes ought not to give him too much trouble, right?

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia steps forward, nodding at Orcelito's plan. She extends her hands, conjuring the wind she'll need to help keep Klonoa from...well, not drowning, as the others do seem like quite skilled swimmers, but getting wet at the very least. Perhaps skewered.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa smiles. He nods firmly at everyone else, just balancing up there ontop of the sphere like a circus performer. Sure, he can't fall into the water, but--he's got this.

"Thanks for pulling the spikes out of the way. I'll wait on moving until everyone's up from the water!" He says. Admittedly, all the water's made him a bit uneasy, but so long as he has something to stand on he's confident enough.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Indeed, the spikes don't present much of a problem under the surface. However...

Around the midway point of a pool, a small swarm of Dangler Fish are quietly swimming near the very bottom. They don't seem too interested in the ball at the moment, or even in Castor and Serge going into the water... but what if they were to notice someone making a big splash?

A delicious catbunny person, perhaps?

[littlemhigan]

"I'm stayin' here so long as you're up there," Castor calls back to Klonoa, treading the water easily. "Nobody's drownin' on my watch."


She's blissfully unaware of what's lurking below her.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa nods firmly, and looks over everyone. This is a good group. It's nice to have people wanting to help him not fall in the water and splash around like a frenzied aardvark.

"Okay, I'm counting on you, everyone!" He calls out, and turns around, slowly beginning to walk backwards on the sphere, rolling it steadily forwards in the water as his ears wave behind him to give a little bit of thrust as he begins to navigate the path between the spikes that are pulled aside.

[princeandscholar]

Orcelito steps to the side to get the best vantage point of the obstacle course. Watching Klonoa’s movements and making guesses from the momentum, he can start to discern the route. Fortunately, his Asterisk is ready to provide the experience needed, and he has only to raise a hand and start casting. In small batches, the spikes closest and most threatening to the ball frost over, coordinating with Ashelia’s magic as needed.

[littlemhigan]

Castor swims slowly and easily behind the Cat-rabbit. She's a little more mobile than he, and maneuvers between the spikes with ease.

"If ye don't mind my askin, how de ye not know how te swim? Did it never come up?"

[whirluendo_of_puns]

The combined skills of Orcelito and Ashelia make for a fairly manageable path that Klonoa's careful maneuvers should have little trouble clearing. Some of the Dangler Fish pause, sensing the movement of Castor's legs, but as long as she doesn't move too quickly they're not coming after her yet...

The power of teamwork prevails, as the ball eventually makes it to the goal, fitting perfectly into its cavity. The edge of the pool glows for a moment, followed a series of lights running along the wall of the room to the door they came through, all the way to the central area.

The right-hand doors on Floors 3 and 4 have been unlocked.

Now it's just a matter of making their way back without a) drowning and b) getting their toes eaten.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa eases forwards until he feels the satisfying clunk as the ball slots in, balancing ontop of it. He turns around, jumping with his arms up.

"Wahoo! We did it, everybody!"

He says, and then puts his hands on his hips, taking a look around at the... fish.. infested... deep waters all around him.

"...We did have a plan for how I was going to get back, right?"