melodiesofeternity | Player Plot: It's Die Hard on a Ship

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Player Plot: It's Die Hard on a Ship

Who: Closed to those who (before this posting) signed up for the plot. Feel free to comment to the Job Interview thread even if you haven't!
When: On or around early-mid November.
Where: In the sky! On the Pravoka Interviews take place at Ashelia's apartment in Lavode.
What: It's Die Hard on a ship.
Warnings/Notes: Violence, cussing. Okay, all done! Tag in, y'all! Please reemeber to tag yourselves :) Yippie ki-yay, mofos!

Loading up the ship seems to be going smoothly enough, despite the harried look on Lady-Captain Ashelia’s face. She walks to and fro, Kupozencrantz struggling to stay by her side, as she refers once, twice, three, four, more times to her iMog slate. She makes a call - and after a short discussion, appears to acquiesce. Loading and boarding seems to proceed apace. The crew is signed in, inventory is checked and double checked, and the maiden voyage of the Pravoka under Lady-Captain Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca is on her way.

The atmosphere on the ship is calm and easygoing; there’s a lot of cargo to guard, but a lot of people to guard it. The meals are generous, just on this side of lavish, the mattresses in the (albeit cramped) bunks are surprisingly soft and fluffy (is that memory foam? Does memory foam exist on Vaikuntha?) and the air circulation would put some spas to shame. It’s a more or less pleasant time. Until it isn’t.

Shortly before midnight, with the crew scattered about the ship, the lights are cut. Radar and monitoring equipment just shuts down. The ship shakes and groans and, depending on where you are, footsteps can be heard. Hushed voices. Then, you smell something. Or do you? Before you can react, everything goes black. Blacker. More black.

When you come to, you have no idea where you are for a good couple minutes. The room spins around you. You try to move, but find you can’t move your arms. They’re tied behind you, or to the arms of another one of your companions, or above you...are you in the brig? No, you realize as you feel yourself sinking into the plush mattress beneath you. Not the brig at all. Regardless, your next course of action is clear: get free, figure out who did this, and make them pay.

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"They took my eiku and I can't swap to Time Mage... sorry, guys." He grimaces, but looks at the door, considering. "I'll go after 'em with my fists if I have to. If they hurt the others..."

Baiken's sword was definitely gone, and as she finally started to get back to reality, it became obvious that her Demon Tools were missing as well... which meant whoever did this got a little close to her right side...

Baiken stumbled to her feet, pushing Asuza aside perhaps a bit too aggressively considering she'd just helped her, staggering past the others and towards the door...

She lets out a roar, lifts her leg, and just smashes her foot right into the door, splintering it at the hinges, the whole thing denting in at the point of impact.

So. Probably the best first impression one could have with the strangers she'd been captured alongside.

"I'm not very skilled with hand to hand combat, but--"

Matilda barely gets a chance to make that pathetic offer of hers before Baiken proceeds with her own plan, kicking down the door and almost making a show of it. That...that might help make up for any lack of weapons.

"--Well, now we really don't have time to come up with a plan. Everyone, take whatever makeshift weapons you can find; anything's better than nothing."

She's looking around to see if she can dig up a harpoon or anything to use as a makeshift spear. She's not gonna be at her best without her chocobo, but what other option does she have? Tilly's been around plenty of the headstrong types who'd do what Baiken just did; there aren't many options besides keeping up and making sure they don't get killed.

Oh. Well that's a very direct way to push forward, isn't it? Very Undyne. Papyrus' sockets once again go googly as he watches. He raises his finger, opens his jaws, tries to search for the right words, but.

That. Is not going to put them on the stealthy side of things, is it?

Heaving a sigh, he finally musters up the power to speak. "IT'S FORTUNATE THAT I HAVE CHEMIST AS MY PASSIVE JOB NOW! I CAN AT LEAST SWAP AT WILL, THOUGH THAT... WON'T HELP THE REST OF YOU.

HOWEVER! SHOULD WE NEED HEALING ITEMS, I BELIEVE I COULD SWITCH TO CHEMIST TO ACCESS MY POCKET SPACE AND THEN RESUME MY CURRENT ASTERISK."

But that would take time, a luxury they don't have. And at least with his custom job, he can rely solely on ranged magic in lieu of weapons. Ah, what a conundrum...

Two yelps are heard through the door.

"What the bloody hell was that?!"

"Shite, they're free!"

"What do we do?"

"Get the feck out o' here!"

Footsteps are heard clomping away.

"Gaaah! Don't forget those slates!"

Footsteps are heard clomping back. Then they clomp away again, and there's silence.

"My, my. That was impressive, Baiken."

She rubs her arm after picking herself up from where she'd been kneeling. She's not going to judge Baiken for being rough with her or for kicking the door; everyone surely responds to being kidnapped differently. Azusa quickly paces to the door and tries to open it. With the dent and the splinters, it's a bit of a struggle.

"They're making off with our slates...I don't know what Jobs you have equipped, but I'm an Astrologian like usual. You can be as reckless as you want. I'll be there to heal you--!"

With a grunt and a gasp, she finally manages to throw the door open. Their captors have already fled from the room, but they're now free to move after them.

The open door reveals a more or less nondescript hallway; one door on the opposite wall, none on the walls perpendicular to the bunks. Just beside the door to the bunks are two folding chairs, one of them on its side. Those pirates wasted no time in getting the hell away from the freed Heroes.

And, unfortunately, no slates.

"Crap." Serge helps wedge the door open, throwing his weight into it and stumbling into the corridor. "They're completely gone. Man..."

Experimentally, he tries the other door, pulling it open. If there was anybody behind it they would've already come out, right?

Edited 2018-11-10 16:34 (UTC)

As soon as Serge pulls the door open, an arrow whizzes just past his head.

Visible from the open door is a larger, wider room; the galley. Tables have been turned over, their tops facing the door Serge just opened. There's an upper level that hangs over the main eating space, covering about twenty percent of the room on its outer edge. Judging from where the arrow came from, the archer must be stationed on that upper level, directly across from the door.

There is silence...other than the sound of another arrow being notched...and a gun being loaded...

"Serge, watch out!"

[As silence descend upon the room, Corrin quickly risks a peek out before withdrawing her head and before the enemies have finished reloading.]

"I'm willing to bet there are more of them behind the tables, getting ready for us to rush out. [She says this in a low whisper.] "I think I can get to the stairs from here and distract the archer-" [She's a tank and used to getting the crap kicked out of her, physically and emotionally!] and give the rest of you time to handle anyone else who might be down here."

"I'm a cavalier, so I'll be at a disadvantage without my chocobo. Still, I think I can manage something..."

...Like this broom. There's no harpoon here, but she does have this broom to work with. It's the best she can do. Once she has a hold of it, a white aura wraps itself around the fox as the flourish of her ~~broom~~ polearm still triggers one of the Divine Stances.

Right on time, too. With the arrow shooting in and the pirates alerted to their presence (specifically Baiken's perhaps), it won't be long before they get away with their iMogs.

"I'll make an opening for you; just let me take a shot!"

It's more of a statement than a request, with the way she readies slides into position by the door, risking that quick peek outside to get a look of the situation. Just remember everything Felena taught you about firefights, Tilly...

With her broom at the ready, the cavalier keeps herself pressed against the side of the door, taking aim with her lance and guiding the Light Arrow towards the archer. It may not hit very hard, but the chance to blind him is what she's going for...

The broom hits the ranger, and he does seem to be blinded. He stumbles backwards, dropping his bow and wiping at his eyes. With one hand, he scrambles for his belt, finding the pouch at his right hip.

Other than the ranger's gasps and the wooden clunk of his bow hitting the floor, there's no other sound, no other movement. Maybe they are all laying in wait...

"I don't know how much help this will be, but without a deck of cards, I can't quite strengthen you all the way I want to," she apologizes, moving closer to the door. If Corrin is going to go in next, she at least needs to provide her a distraction of her own to dash in after, right?

She presses herself up against the wall, listening to the silence before only getting the slightest peek into the room. Once that's done, she casts Malefic at one of the tables that has been turned over, aiming to hit anything behind it or at least send it flying it away. It's a little difficult to aim a spell when you aren't sticking your face into the room, but she shoots the comet of light in that direction anyways.

"Please hit!"

"Okay...GO!"

[As Matilda and Azusa cast their spells, Corrin is already out the door, head down, running towards the stairs, taking them two at a time as she bounds up them. Once she reaches the top, she barrels toward the archer, cognizant of the fact that he's armed with at least a bow, while Corrin herself is armed with a pair of "jack" and "shit". This does not cause her to slow down. It does however cause her to yell at the blinded guard so he knows she's coming for him...so his bow is pointed at her and not anybody below.]

"HEY!"

Baiken wasn't far behind her, equally unarmed, and one armed, letting Corrin be the vanguard as Baiken dashed in low on the rear.

The moment the ranger's attention was on Corrin, however, she just as quickly ducked out from behind her, rushing in close to grab at the archer's shoulder. The Himawari was one of the few techniques she could use unarmed, and she immediately made it known, aiming to leap off the balcony itself with the ranger in tow, hoping to slam him into the floor below.

With the others on the move, Papyrus trails close behind. Close-range fighting is far from his forte, but magic? That he can do. So he thrusts an arm out, summoning a wave of bones with his Bone Barrage skill. It should be able to strike at least a few targets, maybe even knock 'em over if he's lucky enough.

It may not be as strong as his standard bone spell, but at least there are others more suited for the frontlines.

Serge definitely isn't a coward, and he's not about to just let his friends charge in and potentially get hurt while he sits back and does nothing. Steeling himself, he charges for the opposite side of the room, under the overhang. There've got to be stairs back there that lead up, right?

Matilda is making her move alongside Serge. Even without her mount and her armor, she's still moving into the front lines. She's used to not having much armor on her, anyway.

Still, support abilities may not be so dampened with all of her current disadvantages. Seeing Corrin ready herself for a direct confrontation with the others, the cavalier readies her magic to prepare a Virtuous Shield for her. It's the least she can do to keep her protected.

The ranger, blinded as he is, is unable to stop or dodge Baiken's Himawari. He is slammed to the floor, crying out in pain and confusion.

Dashing in from the opposite end of the overhang is the gunslinger who was reloading their weapon earlier. He stops himself just short of where the ranger had been standing and braces himself as he unleashes a Concentrated Flamethrower attack right at Corrin for heavy fire damage. It's a hit, though unfortunately Matilda's depowered Virtuous Shield reduces the damage by only about 7%. Every little bit helps!

Azusa's Malefic hits a table, blasting it back - but there's no one behind it. The two other overturned tables are hit by Papyrus' Bone Barrage; they're blasted back in similar fashion, but they reveal the other three sky pirates lying in wait.

It seems they were expecting this, though. A berserker bounds to his feet, headed straight for Serge and Matilda; a flanking attack, as they moved to the opposite side of the room under the overhang. The berserker swings his axe, hitting Serge on the right side of his abdomen.

A paladin surges forward, swinging his Holy Blade at Matilda, hitting her in her right abdomen area. The black mage that was lying in wait with the paladin extends his staff forward, sending a Focused Heavy Ice Spell towards Matilda as well; a hit.

She can't see everything that happens. Once everyone is out the door, she can only assume that it's safe for her and Papyrus to watch what unfolds. Corrin is hit hard. A hand immediately races up to her mouth, but that's not even the end of it. Three more enemies are revealed, and two of them rush over toward the blue fox girl.

What is she supposed to do? She's only one healer. She steps into the doorway, revealing herself now that all the enemies are in play, making room for Papyrus to do the same. Hopefully, her skeleton comrade is going to back her up as well.

She sets about casting Benefic on Matilda first, healing her with a medium recovery spell. It's the best she can do on this turn; casting Regen wouldn't do anyone any good, and she thinks those two hits did more damage than Corrin's one.

"Please, stay strong, Fox-chan!"

Baiken gave one hard hook to the Ranger's jaw, aiming to break it and knock him out, because at the moment, she had more important targets to worry about. Namely that the other pirates had ran past her...

Which really just made her angrier, flaring up around her in visible, violet and enraged ki.

"Never... turn your back on a killer!" Baiken picked the black mage out as her first target, rushing him down, attempting to Himawari him, as well.

Serge takes a pretty bad hit. He’d be lying, and badly, if he said it didn’t hurt. Okay. Bleeding. Bleeding really bad. Nooooot good. He steps back, away from the Berserker, one hand clutching at his side, the other raised protectively in front of him. Staff Master training. Redirect, never block. “That… all you got?”
If he gets the chance, he’s going to smash that big brute’s face in with his own axe.

[Corrin cries out in pain as the flames envelope her, even with Matilda's shield absorbing some of the damage, but she doesn't stop rushing forward.

[Then her cry of pain turns into a roar. It's almost instinctual, as she feels the change come on her, a survival mechanism baked into her being.]

I just hope I have this under control...

[It's Corrin who is hit by the flames, but this is what emerges, as she has activated her Dragonform Melody, lunging towards the Gunslinger with forelimbs that look disturbingly like human hands rather than claws, hooves, or paws. The face of the beast appears to be featureless...right up until it's lower half splits open revealing a maw of very unpleasant looking fangs.]

[For the moment, Corrin is in control enough to try and mimic Baiken, and knock the Gunslinger off the balcony with her increased draconic strength for Physical damage.]

Edited 2018-11-12 21:18 (UTC)

Oh dear. This is getting frantic rather fast! Papyrus glances all about, watching the many foes attack his comrades. Though when Corrin transforms, he can't help but gasp. That's quite the change! And a rather fierce and formidable one.

He'd normally express his excitement through words, but now's not the time. Shaking his head, he sets his sights on three of their opponents, launching yet another Bone Barrage.

It should at least hit them with a little damage now that they've been revealed, though sadly it seems only one will get stunned as a result. Such is the luck of the draw!

Then perhaps they're not just standard pirates...or are they able to channel abilities from others' iMogs? Matilda's not sure; all she knows is the holy blade and ice spell hit their marks and she's left stumbling and bleeding. Rather, she would be bleeding, if not for that healing spell keeping her going. She can take the hits, either way, and readies her stance after shaking her focus back on the attac--

--A dragon?! A shapeshifting one, at that?!

As welcome as that realization is, there are more pressing matters. Right now, she can't handle the paladin in a fair fight. Fortunately, this is why she's in the Pestilence stance: the disabling aspects. After the two heavy blows pushed her back somewhat, she readies her broom and makes what might've been her Last Charge if not for Azusa's healing spell. She's charging bristle side first and God knows what this thing has swept up.

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