Player Plot: The Crystal Temple's Secret

[princeandscholar]

Who: Characters signed up for this quest
When: 12th
Where: The Crystal Temple in Sen Devadatta
What: The Heroes of Light vs. Bahamut's Temple
Warnings/Notes: None


IC | Arrival

After a long flight to the Empire, a visit to Parasraya, and a meetup at the capital, the expedition members are loaded onto vehicles and delivered to their destination: the magnificent Crystal Temple. Alas, there is no time for a leisurely tour as the company gathers outside with caving gear and weaponry.

Once all party members are assembled, Orcelito addresses everyone:
"Thank you for coming. I know it was a long flight and there was a lot of preparation. Your presence here is appreciated, and we will be underway shortly.”

He gestures towards the Crystal Temple. “Two teams will be escorted into the basement of the temple. The rest will travel into the forest to look for a way in through the network of caverns. We have leads on where to start searching, so we can make the most of our time.

“As mentioned in the letter, the ruins have deteriorated over the years. Bahamut’s Temple is ancient, and parts of it are no longer standing. I’ve been told that some areas may be flooded or unstable.”

Orcelito pauses, scanning the group. He lowers his tone as he adds, "If you find evidence to suggest someone has tampered with the ruins recently, let me know. As well, please refrain from disturbing the ruins more than necessary. We are here on the Empire's good grace, after all."

And one more thing. "I understand it will be inconvenient, but the order not to use the Mognet is especially imperative while we're here. If you need to send a message to another team, ask one of the Moogles. They are here to help."

From where she hovers by his shoulder, Marigold waves the free paw that’s not clutching a lantern. Those traveling with their Moogle companions will notice they've been given similar lights.

Finally, he smiles; Orcelito may not know everyone here, but he's committed to leading each of them out safely. “Don’t take unnecessary risks. Look after each other.”

Once the orientation is complete, the parties are split. Orcelito turns to lead the way into the temple where a researcher stands ready to guide them to the basement. The other group will find a vehicle waiting to carry them to the forest nearby.


Team Thread Links
Team A thread: Orcelito, Tidus, Rutile, Naoto, Snow White
Team B thread : Ashelia, Castor, Terra, Klonoa, Frisk, Madhuri
Team C thread: Finn, Regis, Adrien, Sephiroth, Ursula, Papyrus, Kanji
Conclusion

Comments

[princeandscholar]

The arcade the group enters is lined with columns, and a few dilapidated (and empty) rooms to explore on either side. But it does not take a discerning eye to see that this place was elegant once. The architecture appears simple at a glance until one wipes away the grime and sees the quality of the stone.

One column is broken from the base, and a wall of dirt caved in its wake. This part of the passage is piled almost ceiling high with debris. And while the space at the top may be sufficient for the smaller party members to crawl through, it will need a bit of clearing to admit an adult. Fortunately, it yields to careful hands. With some digging, the party will be able to clear a path for everyone. On the other side is only dirt and pebbles to slide down and continue onward.

(Though, it will make an awful lot of noise. Hope you weren't going for stealth!)

[songbird_slayer]

"You may need to, in case we bump into something hungry."

Madhuri had no issue digging and moving debris. But she's wary with the amount of noise it was making, almost echoing through the chamber, yet there was no other way forward. Let's just awkwardly use our staff...

"Suppose anyone brought a shovel...?"

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia sighs, shaking her head as Madhuri makes her way to the top of the pile of rubble. "I suppose I'll join you," she says as she follows. It's difficult enough making her way to the top of the pile, but getting a good grip on some of these rocks...

"Frisk, Klonoa? Would one of you be amenable to perhaps working from the other side as well?"

[sassafrisk]

Aaaaand Frisk is already on the other side of the room, giving a thumbs up to the rest of the group. "Yeah, I got this. I'll scout ahead and let you guys know if something's up. Don't worry, I'm enough of a coward to head back through here if I run into something I can't handle." They pause. "Buuuut if I do die, have a fighting tournament over the Dragon's Heart I still have sitting at home in my honor. Let's go, Klonoa!" Just like that, Frisk is wriggling their way through the whole like an expert contortionist.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa nods, and hops up the mound of masonry debris to similarly toss a thumbs-up back towards the others, flashing a sharp-toothed grin.

"We'll be back before you know it, and we'll make sure you guys have a path to get through. Rupurudu, Frisk!" Klonoa says, adjusting his hat before he ducks down to start following behind.

[littlemhigan]

"Take care've yerselves," Castor calls after the duo, despite being mid-fiddle with her asterisk. A moment later she has to set aside the Greataxe that spawned as a result of her class change, and heads over to Madhuri and Ashe, using impressive strength to help shove aside some of the larger rocks.

"Even if somethin' hungry does find us, I'd rather it find us - ugh! damn rock - I'd rather it find us here, where we've got room an' enough light te deal with it."

No, kids, you can't fight the mini-boss by yourselves.

[princeandscholar]

Scouting ahead, the passage opens to a tall, rounded room. There's the immediate sense that this room had a special purpose, for the care put into its construction… and the centerpiece of the room. An alter lies long forgotten, as do the remains of frayed tapestries and tarnished candle holders. What might have been elegant wooden furniture has collapsed into heaps of debris.

More notable are a few skeletons - or what remains of them - strewn throughout the room. Most of them are only dust by now, only discernable by a few surviving pieces. They have been here for some time and are far too worn down to be monsters or friends.

A tall, curving staircase beckons on the opposite side of the room, leading upwards to a second floor. But the top floor is out of sight from this angle. Halfway up the stairs, lantern light catches a glint of metal. A large kite shield in golden-bronze colored metal languishes on its side… although coated with a layer of dust, it is in excellent condition, though likely as old and inert as the rest of the temple.

Until it senses movement in the vicinity. The shield rises through no apparent outside influence to hover over the stairs.

… You might need a full party for this part.

[sassafrisk]

"Woah," Frisk whispers, taking a step into the room. The grandeur of the temple had taken their breath away before, but somehow, this... this is on an entirely different level. They reach out to touch the altar--

--and when they see the shield, there's a rush of wind, and they're immediately back on Klonoa's side. Darnit, they were smarter than this! Why didn't they see it was a boss arena before! "Maaaaaybe we should try to open up the hole for everybody else. So we. Don't get. You know," they point at the skeletons, then at the floating shield.

[wheretheresawill]

Terra slings his greatsword reluctantly over his back, but he needs both hands to move rocks. Don't get him wrong, he's naturally inclined to lift heavy objects, and there's something soothing about it, but the danger takes some of the peace out. He starts whistling a jaunty tune.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa doesn't notice the shield lifting until Frisk is there, but as soon as he does, he's backing up, hands out in front of him.

"Okay, okay, that's sounding like a good idea."

Klonoa turns to look at the way they came, or, more explicitly, the ground beneath them where the doorway was blocked. Is there another way out? If need be, he's got quite the skillset to moving large objects or blowing away debris with wind magic!

[littlemhigan]

MEANWHILE (i guess):

Castor can't help but smile at Terra's tune, and she finds the task of clearing rubble suddenly less arduous. She seems content to sit and dig for a while, but soon her smile turns to something of a frown.

"Kids ain't back yet," she says, eyeing the hole that Klonoa and Frisk had vanished into. "'M startin' te worry."

[princeandscholar]

Fortunately, the ghostly shield is not inclined to follow. As Frisk and Klonoa depart, it lowers back to a resting position on the staircase, so slowly it doesn't make a sound.

Once the team has cleared space to climb through, they’ll find the room as was noted by the scouts. The only exits are the columned arcade the group came from and the staircase rising to the second story.

Speaking of which, the strange shield still rests halfway up the stairs. Its recent stirring has shaken off the dust to reveal a polished, smooth surface, without signs of dents or scratches.

The shield will silently rise once again if someone comes within 20 feet of it.

[sassafrisk]

Frisk sticks to the shadows like gum to a shoe when the group finally reaches the room. "Alright," they whisper, eyeing the shield suspiciously. "Let's approach it nice and easy. Maybe it won't be hostile. So no jumping the gun on attacking it, alright?" Having said their piece, Frisk keeps in the dark as they leap from place to place towards the shield, prepared to drop a Smoke Bomb if the shield makes any hostile moves.

[littlemhigan]

Castor hefts her axe a little closer and takes a deep breath to fight down the drive to just run in screaming. She wasn't the stealthiest human being, but she was trying now, creeping slowly and quietly forward. Her eyes remain trained on the shield, judging it's reactions, but she glances up now and then as she addresses Frisk. "How close did ye get before?"

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa shakes his head. "Not that close, it reacted pretty quickly and Frisk jumped back. I hate to say it, but somehow I don't think it's friendly. Just watch out, everyone."

He says, and holds his arms out, focusing as a Protective barrier forms around everyone and fades from view. "We're going to have to get really creative if we want to get up that staircase without dealing with that thing."

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia extends her free hand, her sword drawn and ready in the other. "It's less the shield that worries me than what may be wielding it," she says dryly, shaking her head. "Are you certain it's the shield itself?" She keeps pace with Klonoa more or less, happy to put the more sturdy members of the party between her and whatever it is there approaching.

[princeandscholar]

As the party sets foot on the stairs, the shield lifts to its sentinel position. It takes no further actions… at first.

But as they close in past 10 feet, a snap is heard - a sound like leaping static or a circuit fizzing. The shield pivots, directing its front to the team members closest to it, and rushes forward to Ram them.

(The attack is physical and low damage at this range and speed. Protect dampens it further. But you may take additional damage from falling against party members and/or the stone steps.)

[littlemhigan]

Castor manages to get her axe up in time to not take the Shield straight to the face. Her feet slip, and she needs to take a step lest she fall, but she otherwise seems to be holding the thing at bay for the time being...but it doesn't look at all easy to mantain.

"Ye swivin...."

She feels a berserk rage coiling in her gut again, rising to the challenge that's been posed but she stamps it out - she needs to keep her head until they know what they're fighting.

HP: 142/150

[sassafrisk]

"Gah!" Frisk yelps, and just barely flashsteps out of the way, moving too fast for their fellow party members to catch anything but a blurry silhouette in motion. That was way too close to comfort, especially with their already-fragile defenses being further lowered by their SOUL Mage abilities. Time to get out of sight. They drop a Smoke Bomb, and when the smog clears they're nowhere to be found.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa is just glad that he threw that barrier up just before they all got hit. He grits his teeth, and stumbles back, letting himself get thrown. He manages to stick the landing pretty well, but when he looks up--okay, Frisk is gone, that's probably not ideal.

"It's alright everyone, we'll get through this!" He calls out encouragingly, clapping his hands together. If nothing else, he can get Castor healed up. But why just heal her once? He casts Regen so he can heal her without having to heal her!

[princeandscholar]

Meanwhile, the Shield is behaving exactly as a proper shield should and Defending, raising its already formidable Physical Defense by 10%. It refrains from acting against the rest of the party while it has an axe to grind with Castor, and fortunately, Castor's stats are high enough that her strength can keep it at bay. (Though, it is angling to try to force her off the stairs.)

As far as the group can tell, there doesn't appear to be anything behind the Shield wielding it, and indeed, such a shield would be awfully large to be wielded by a human combatant. It is a mystery....

HP: 134/150 (doubled weak lightning damage, magic power C, attack potency A, dmg +20%, job mastered)

[sassafrisk]

Frisk flashsteps back into vision for a moment, eyes shadowed. They summon two chakrams made out of electricity with Invisible Lightning Ninjitsu (Damage Doubled!) into their hands. Several more chakrams crackle into existence behind them, which fly towards the shield as they fling the ones in their hand at it. Before the shield can get the opportunity to retaliate, Frisk flashsteps away again, nothing more than a blurry, shadowy silhouette moving almost too fast to see.

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia is knocked back as well, but is able to maintain her footing, having some bodies between her and the shield. She takes a few steps back to create a bit of space, biting her lip as she thinks of a game plan...

She extends a hand, sending Dual Vents at the shield, seeing if it can be pushed back or buffeted in any way.

[littlemhigan]

Castor grits her teeth against the sheild. She feels her feet slipping back ever so slowly and knows what's likely to happen if she goes much farther.

Instead, she bellows with Vengance hoping the adrenaline rush it provides will be enough to hold the shield off long enough for the others to deal with it.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa claps his hands together. Everyone's doing okay, aren't they? With so much armor and armor raising abilities, the shield is just so.. shielded! With that in mind, Klonoa focuses on his real passion. Healing is great, but there's nothing quite like the rush of wind magic dancing through your ears.

"Rupah!!" And with that, he unleashes aero at full force, blasting into the shield with magic!