Cram Week [Player Plot]

[tiredcharmer]

Who: The Heroes of Light
When: January 15-22
Where: The Great McGard Library
What: The hunt for Alexander's Temple takes an unexpected turn into college cramming territory.
Warnings/Notes: The combat threads will go up as soon as the introduction as finished, as that should wrap up fairly quickly.

Comments

[einspine]

"NYEH HEH HEH!!! THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL DEFEND THIS BOOK WITH MY LIFE!"

So says the skeleton before he launches a Bone Barrage at the rest of the party, his fellow charmed combatants notwithstanding. While the damage is light, Uendo will find the troublesome bones have left him stunned for the next round.

He'll apologize profusely later. Right now, his charmed state leaves him a bit out of sorts.

Just imagine Dark Messenger being cut off by a record scratch and suddenly BONETROUSLE

[acapriciousreaper]

There's a twinge of annoyance when Papyrus... interrupts. He takes to the skies, using the massive shelves as impromptu cover. "Must you shriek so incessantly? The stage has room for only one lead, you stupid bag of bones-"

He gestures like a conductor, conjuring a series of [Flare] orbs around Madhuri. If she's going to undo his work by throwing around healing magic, he'll just have to put a stop to that.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Patches was going to try summoning Ramuh is hopes of paralyzing Cor for a bit but then--

BONK.

--a bone smacks him in the face and now all he can see is stars and little dancing chocobos.

"Ow ow ow ow... Anyone else wanna... throw me a bone please...?"

[songbird_slayer]

A bonk and she snapped a look to Papyrus. Oh no, him too...!

Her jaw set, and the focus crystal begins to gleam. She worked up an Esuna and cast it upon the skeleton. "Sweetheart, that's enough. Come on back-"

But it was too much at once. The orbs began to form around her. She suddenly was acutely aware of the rule to take out the healer first, and that was... her.

[topgun_textiles]

"'Might be', huh?" He grinned. Bones rained down upon the group, that obnoxious healer was on lock thanks to Kuja, and Cor was gearing up. That just left the detective who seemed to be trying to take shots at his charge.

"Ya might be right," he chuckled, and entered a Berserk in mid-lunge toward Naoto, sword brought to bear for a swing.

[tiredcharmer]

Thanks to Madhuri's efforts, Papyrus is cleansed of Page 256's charm for the round--but the [Moon Flue] continues to play, and Papyrus will be under its spell next round unless Madhuri refreshes the Esuna.

[pishirogane]

She just narrowly avoids the bone barrage, reloading her gun, causing Concentration to go into effect. However, it does leave her open for Kanji's attack. Berserk state was no good; he wouldn't listen if she tried talking to him right now.

... And it looked like that sword nicked the thermos with his tea in it. At least it wasn't his favorite canister.

"Kanji-kun, I will use other methods to remove you from battle if needed!" But for now, she was still going to wholly ignore his attempt to delay her - her target was still that flute. Get in the way if they wanted, but utilizing Ricochet with Trigger Happy this time, she would get that instrument.

Though, Kanji might not enjoy the Egi appearance of Ifrit releasing a Little Inferno at his face.

[einspine]

Papyrus blinks rapidly. What just happened? That was... not what he expected, and once realization sets in, his eyes go all googly. "OH NO!!! DID I HURT YOU? I'M SO SORRY, EVERYONE!!!"

But. But!!! No matter. Seizing this opportunity, he turns to the enemy and uses Blue Attack in the hopes that its playing will temporarily halt. It may only stun for a turn, but at least it's something, right?

[acapriciousreaper]

"And the shrieking buffoon has turned double-agent. Hands up, any who're surprised? Nobody? Well then. Time to test an old theory. I don't think I ever found out if you were undead, Papyrus."

A single orb of brilliant blue light, a [Seraphim] spell sent careening directly at Papyrus' face.

[songbird_slayer]

"Welcome back, Pap. Keep on that flute nonsense and stay sharp. Ser Naoto seems to be having a lover's quarrel at the mo'..."

Prioritize support! She would take the moment to gamble and cast a Cure on Patches.

"We need a lockdown on Kuja!"

[topgun_textiles]

A flash of light, and a spray of fire engulfed him from the teeny-tiny Ifrit. So cute... but so not what he needed right now.

"Fuck OFF-" He swung again, this time for the egi, the source of this current burst of rage. An obnoxious fly to get out of the way to get at that chatty gunslinger.

"Hide behind your pets, will ya!?"

[pishirogane]

Too bad for Kanji, his attack phased right through the ghostly Ifrit, and there was a glint in Naoto's eye.

She would apologize for it later, but swinging around to sharply strike him across the face with the back of her hand, a sore cheek would be worth it. "Snap out of it, Kanji-kun!"

[tiredcharmer]

Naoto's bullet strikes true, lifting the spell of the [Moon Flute] for a turn while it scrambles to recover! But before it can even get close, Papyrus's Blue Attack stuns it, giving the party another turn to whale on the monster before it recovers.

[songbird_slayer]

"Oh! That's it! Get him, get him!" She gave her staff a firm tap against the floor, and as she channeled aether, she began to lift from the ground. From before her, a massive orb of light began to coalesce and grow, blooming ever brighter as more was fed into.

"A gift for you, you little sh-!"

A blast of light and energy followed Madhuri's ignition of Holy.

[topgun_textiles]

The slap was met with a grunt of discomfort, and the haze about his eyes faded as the sting continued to linger at his cheek and nose. His priorities had shifted from guarding the others to... guarding this thing!?

Oh, you son of a bitch.

"Thanks," he quickly added. Now, to thank Page 256. The blade came around with a horizontal swing, conjuring a pair of airfoils that buzzed and clashed together upon the foe in a Fell Cleave.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Patches shakes his head vigorously, blinking until everything swims back into focus. Not that it makes the situation much less chaotic.

"Nice shot, Detective! ...And a nice backhand, too!" He flourishes his staff. "Okay, let's try this again! Let's go, old man~!"

Ramuh's partial form pops out through a portal and casts Thunderstorm on the monster. Come on, paralysis...!

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja stops, in midair, another spell forming on his fingertips, the elation and the power of having the edge over all these little people fading, and he hangs in the air for a moment, pithy quip dying on his lips.

He turns, snarling. No more taunting, no more wordplay. Just hate and rage, like poisonous fire in his veins. It had used him. Taken away his independence, for that brief moment, made him think-

He could do it too, kill them all. Turn on them and use his trump card like he'd done before. Nobody had ever walked away from Ultima, not while the power of Trance flowed through his veins like a drug, claim all the reward and the glory for himself
It would be easy. They wouldn't even expect it, they wouldn't know what hit them-

He screams, then, and casts without thinking. There's no artistry behind it, just the urge to see the thing atomized. [Flare] after Flare, in a frantic effort to stop it from ever taking root again.

[pishirogane]

"Sorry about that... again."

It was never fun to get slapped in the face, but it looked like they'd gotten everyone back... mainly because the flute had been knocked stray, but the attacks following should buy them more time.

"Uh, thank you... Uendo-san."

Still not proud about having to do that, but back on target. Trigger Happy was a quick way of ensuring a reload necessary, again putting Concentrate into effect, but she would save her next attack by Aiming. If their enemy wasn't paralyzed or further hindered in any way, well, her next shot would have a better chance at stopping that Flute again.

[wind_in_my_ears]

The best way to take this thing down seems to be to destroy it with as much firepower as they possibly can while it's still stunned.

And that's exactly what Klonoa aims to do. With the Wind Ring transforming into some manner of... staff? he holds it out in front of him as white light fills in through the top, the force of it actually lifting him several inches off the floor.

Klonoa seems way more surprised by this than most anyone else probably is. "I really hope this works...!" He shouts, as the light reaches a fever pitch--and he directs the staff, the full-force of white magic blasting into the hedgehog-like creature in the mask.

"Holy!"

[tiredcharmer]

Under the relentless assault of the party, the monster falls to ash, and Page 256's true form--that is, a page from a book--flutters to the ground.

There is some sweet loot in the ash for those that look for it, though.

Moon Flute Charm (10): The Moon Flute has been shattered, but fragments of it remain. These amalgams of wood, obsidian, and ivory grant total immunity to Charm and other mind control effects.

Ancient Mask: A smaller version of the mask Page 256 hid behind. Increases Magical Power and Magical Defense by 1 Rank each. Doesn't have to be worn on face to be effective.

Golden Quill (3): A few of Page 256's quills can be found among the ashes. When used, they increase Attack Potency and a Power attribute of your choice for the rest of the combat, but reduces you to 1% HP afterwards.