Wellspring Attack

[npc_kun]

Characters:NPC Nothing, NPC Charger, NPC Steve and OPEN
Date/Time: Friday, September 23rd, midnight
Location: Wellspring Island
Rating: PG-13 and up
Summary: The beginning of the end.

Questions and general plotting can be done on this post. You can also page the NPC muns on that page or on our mod contact post. Please remember to forward date

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Paladin and Hawk

[mythgravenblade]

There was something in the air these past--weeks? or was it months by now?--that discomfited Paladin, that made him tense and wary, made his sleep light and troubled. He was already awake, taking a drink of milk, when strange sounds from lower in the branches caught his attention--he was galvanized when a look out the window revealed a red-orange glow.

Fire. Fire. Again?!

In no time--long before he realized this burning did not envelop the tree entire, he was out, heading for the source of it. Dread seeped into him at the familiarity of the location, and his jog turned into a hard run when he saw that the clinic burned. Who would...? And why?

One bridge was already down, but he knew the ways to the island. He knew this island well--thus the shock on his face when from the forest there emerged great monsters. Nothing so horrible lived there, so where had they come from? And...why did these creatures, more plant than animal with writhing tentacles, seem so familiar?

"What manner of devilry--" Paladin began in a whisper to himself, but did not finish. Another of the plant monsters interrupted him, from its perch in a tree's branches.

Paladin and Hawk - after the Vimes and Krile thread, all the timey wimey balls in this log...

[crimson_seeker]

Hawk would have echoed Paladin's confusion. The Commander would see to Krile's safety, but clarity about the scope of the entire disaster--the woods ablaze, the bridges down, the healers attacked--still eluded him. For now, he'd do what he could about getting people out of Wellspring. Not for the first time, he wished--dearly, impossibly--that he had Fuu, had the damned dragon and its flight, still in his grasp.

As it was, his feet and wits and spear would have to do.

However, the first person he spotted was one he trusted to handle himself in a spot of trouble. The present trouble came in the form of flailing, green beasts that at first seemed to be ropy knots of vines given motion. One slithered along the ground, opening a gaping maw with a wet, stomach-turning sound.

"Paladin!" Hawk raised his voice, a sudden shock of alarm going through him as he realised the tree just above the his friend held another one. "Above you!"

(good news Esuna is a go!)

[mythgravenblade]

Thank all the gods there might have been for Hawk--his warning could not stop the creature already falling, but he could fling himself away, to a position to handle this hideous gurgling creature. He swiped at it with the sword, and when the...thing crowed in dismay, shorter tentacles flopping, he turned towards Hawk.

"Hawk!" His voice was loud and strained, to be heard over the tumult of noise surrounding them. "How fare you?" He didn't speak his gratitude--the night was busy, and he trusted Hawk would understand without him having to say so.

However, the plant-thing was not as impaired by a loss of some tentacles as Paladin had thought it would be--no sooner were the words out of his mouth than he was fending it off once more.

(woot! - I take it these are smaller Malboros, as per, say ffXII?)

[crimson_seeker]

Up ahead, the forest was ablaze, and hopefully the tremendous sound of the trees burning would be warning enough for anyone to get themselves to the nearest bridge, where they would at least have Watchmen to guide them on.

"I could be worse!" Hawk felt a brief spark of satisfaction as the creature shied away from Paladin's strike, however short-lived. "But there's--a dozen manners of creatures all over the island!" Rushing in towards the second monster, he flipped the spear in his grasp and, with a two-handed grip, drove the sharp spearhead down into the vine-covered lump that seemed to form its body.

The spear sank deep with a strange lack of resistance, but he'd barely wrenched it free when the creature spun, tentacles writhing, the stab wound leaking something dark that was yet not blood. Hissing, it let loose a spout of sickly green fumes from its fanged mouth.

The cloud hit him like a hammer blow between the eyes. With a strangled yell, Hawk went to his knees, his vision blotting into sudden darkness as if someone had yanked a sack over his head. The instinctive breath he drew seemed to sear fire into his lungs instead of air, yet he couldn't so much as cry out.

(So I figured, but I at least am not adverse to a huge one appearing if you like)

[mythgravenblade]

"What?" Paladin called out, almost in disbelief at what Hawk had to say. Dozens? How could that be? These did not appear like Crystala's monsters--so where could they have come from? It baffled him. Benign woods transformed into a burning deathtrap, flames and fangs and--

He felt a sense of familiar fear and worry as the vine-thing hissed in breath, but before he could turn this alarm into a warning, it had already coughed out the fumes. They didn't hit him--he only felt the slight side effect, the staggeringly awful stench--but Hawk was hit full force.

Something in him galvanized him, a combination of faded memory and fierce training. Paladin thrust the sword up through the roof of the creature's mouth, taking advantage of its breath attack to give it an injury it couldn't ignore, then went to where his friend was reeling.

He knew, and at the same time, he didn't know what was wrong--this was urgent, he knew, but little more clearly: only fleeting thoughts of muteness, blindness, poison, even the mind going, sometimes. He was already focusing the light of healing--even as he dreaded how useless it seemed to be (he had known it would be, or had he...?), he continued concentrating, thinking as fast as he could.

Then, like a breakthrough, the light turned golden, and magic began to be worked.

Feel free to toss one in?

[crimson_seeker]

An eternity seemed to pass in that brief moment; then, just as Hawk wondered if he has lost his mind along with his senses and voice, something clean and cold flushed him from head to toe. The fog lifted from his eyes that focused again on the nighttime woods: the low, ambient light seemed bright as day after the absolute blackness of a moment ago. He found his feet, though he still had to lean on his spear, and the golden glow surrounding him seemed to wash away the fire in his veins.

The twice-wounded creature was flailing and thrashing not too far off. There was Paladin--sword ready at his side, but lowered at an angle, clearly focused on another task, which had to be the cleansing magic flowing through Hawk.

Gritting his teeth, he closed the distance and stabbed his spear into the writhing creature, once, twice, violent, ungraceful thrusts that yet did their job: it flopped unmoving to the ground at last.

"Thank you," he stammered to Paladin, not certain what had happened but certain his friend had saved his hide. There had been another of the things; it seemed to have scurried off, he realised. "How... what in Heaven's name was that? I thought... Well, almost thought I was done for."

consider it tossed.

[mythgravenblade]

Paladin's relief at the magic working was a palpable thing, cooling his hot anxiety and slowing his speeding heart. He could see how it worked, how once again Hawk stood straight, with eyes that saw and ears that heard--

--heard the vine thing's approach, and before he himself could move, finally killed the foul thing. "Thank you," Paladin said, the relief in his voice sincere. How odd a creature that had been, and how firmly it withstood death. And yet, at the same time... "I think," Paladin began, slightly unsure. "I think I know these creatures.

"In no detail do I remember them," he cautioned, but then continued, "but they are familiar--meat-eating plants, who afflict their prey with maladies to weaken them." His brow furrowed then, staring intently at the monster's corpse as though it would reveal to him his lost memories. "But it is strange. For some reason, this seems..."

He cut himself off at a crashing in the forest, too close--and moving closer, until a small tree was snapped aside and it could show itself--

"...Small."

(And now I'm all AN AEON I NEED AN AEON here. XD hi ffx)

[crimson_seeker]

"Dragon's bones." Hawk knew of species of plants that lured small insects to sustain themselves, but these monsters were a far cry from such flora, if what Paladin said was true. And he had first-hand proof that the creatures could utterly cripple a person--had Paladin not been there, he would have been helpless to even fight back.

He shuddered, gripping his spear until his fingers ached with the force of his hold. "And do they hunt in packs? Might be an ugly thought, but at that size, a man feels like too large prey for a lonesome..."

Then the rest of Paladin's words and the cracking and rustling of branches lodged together in a fresh picture of the menace headed their way. The two little--yes, little ones had been somewhat less than Hawk's own height. The monstrosity that loomed out of the woods towered almost twice as tall as Paladin, and the smothering stench of rot preceded it as it dragged slimy tentacles along the dew-wet ground. Only now, Hawk realised that some of the tentacles actually ended in eyes, dark and staring, whipping wildly back and forth as the creature lumbered forward. A wordless sense of horror rose in him, and he forced it down with sheer willpower.

"Heaven's mercy." He glanced at Paladin, a snapping instant of affirmation. They were in this together. "Stay away from its front! If you get caught in that breath I've no way to help you!" He veered away to the left of the creature. There were two of them; perhaps they could strike from the sides, where the beast wouldn't be able to aim the devastating fumes.

negl my strategy/setup for Omega Ruins was organized around "what if Malboro 8((("

[mythgravenblade]

Paladin felt horror mounting as well--even according to his vague sense of deja-vu, this was large, too large, almost as large as some of the small houses in the Tree. And how disgusting it was--its rotten stench, its slime, those tentacles, the eyeballs, all of it utterly repugnant. Heaven's mercy, indeed.

But--surely it could be killed, and so he nodded sharply at Hawk and sprung away to the monstrous thing's right side. The way those tentacles were...well, aligned, the beast's broad back would be blind, and therefore vulnerable. And he was right about the blindness--its back was only an expanse of..."flesh"--but when he put his sword to it, he found simply hard, pithy "skin". If he had only thought to bring an axe instead of a sword...

Time for another plan. Particularly since the beast wasn't as poor at turning as its huge bulk might indicate.

First Strike. Never leave save sphere without it.

[crimson_seeker]

Paladin worked healing magic much like Krile. Did he also have spells suited for fighting, as well? Hawk was finding that his spear notched the smoother surface of the creature's back, but it was a thrusting weapon and would fare best if he could find a spot of thinner skin.

The beast swerved towards him, and he hastily yanked his spear free and scrambled to stay out of its sight--however well those eyes then saw in the near-darkness, he could not say. Glimpsing Paladin briefly, he saw his friend struggling to cut the hide, much as Hawk had found his own attacks thwarted. The creature made a hideous, gurgling noise, spitting forth not the fumes, but a spout of noxious liquid that sailed barely past him as he threw himself flat. He drew his feet under him, trying frantically to think.

"Those tentacles could be an easier target!" he shouted, hoping to the distant gods that he was on the right track here. Their flexibility suggested the skin covering them would be softer, and they might also be more sensitive to pain than the bulk of the monster. "Can you keep it occupied? I'm going to--try something!"

Something reckless, to be precise. A frontal attack wasn't an option. The beast could swallow either of them whole if it had a mind to. However, its body sloped down into a thick tail, and while it turned about swift enough, it did have a blind spot...

Hawk dashed to the back of the creature, drew his knife, and drove it to the hilt into its flesh with a forceful stab.

reason #37434723424240 why Auron is a constant party fixture

[mythgravenblade]

The tentacles? Paladin was momentarily confused. Yes, the skin looked soft, easier to cut--his own slashing at the beast had done little to it--but then, the creature had tentacles the way centipedes had legs; he couldn't imagine an injury or even loss of some practically slowing it down. And when they operated on a sort of hideous timer--from now until they had to deal with him being hit by the fumes (he had to be lucky to dodge them every time, this plant thing only had to be lucky once)--he couldn't see much profit in that--

--until he heard it scream. Surreal, yes, to hear a plant shriek, but also, once he realized why, intensely gratifying. It felt pain, and if it felt pain, then... Paladin adjusted his grip on his sword and, once the devil-plant had spun to face the new offense, swung and severed a tentacle tip. Truly, a very dangerous game, but so long as it was confused and bleeding, their chances improved.

/makes shit up about Malboro physiology, oh FF monsters

[crimson_seeker]

The rasping, horrible clamour the monster let forth sent a spark of grim satisfaction through Hawk. Its tentacles thrashed back and forth, but the pain had distracted it for a precious moment.

He didn't intend to waste it. The creature's skin was resilient, almost gummy, but not quite smooth in texture. In matter of fact, his slapdash plan hinged on that. Abandoning his knife for what sort of thorn it could be in the creature's side, Hawk scrambled towards the tail. He plunged his spear into the thing's side and, using the haft as a point of leverage, leaped up onto the creature's back. His sandals slid on its skin, but he kept a precarious balance. The narrow spearhead detached from its flesh easily enough at his pull.

Now, all he had to do was to make it the few slippery steps on top of the beast. If it had any vital organs he could strike, his best chance seemed to be to do it where it could not reach him.

biology what is that

[mythgravenblade]

Because he didn't know what Hawk was planning, Paladin played the grim evasive game with the creature--slicing its tentacles, listening to it squall and hiss, doing his best to adjudge when the pain would cease to be a thing that muddled it and become a thing that galvanized it. It was chance that he looked up at just the right time to see Hawk move, to see him use the spear to leap a great height--and for the second time, he was struck by familiarity, by something so right and correct and yet different, that it gave him pause.

Unfortunately, pause was not something he could afford, and so he only barely ducked the spew of bile the creature directed at him. Thinking quickly, he darted close to it--closer than perhaps was wise--and taking his sword in both hands, thrust it down with all his might, pushing it though the upper third of a tentacle and into hard ground. Pinning it, even if just for a short while, would keep it from upsetting Hawk's balance, and he prayed the other would make good use of that.

liberal arts majors need no hard sciences :P (also feel free to have Paladin give a final blow)

[crimson_seeker]

There! Though Hawk had no sight of Paladin right then, he felt the creature still in its writhing for a moment. Instead, it seemed to focus its efforts, the slope of its back tensing with strain. Whatever Paladin had done, he'd halted the monster. Hawk had his opportunity.

He planted his feet as securely as possible and stabbed his spear down into the "head" of the creature, hoping to perhaps pierce into the gaping maw. The skin was softer nearer to the roots of the tentacles, and the spearhead bit deep. Dragging it free with a fierce wrench, he thrust the weapon downwards again, and once more, dark viscous something welling up from the wounds as the creature thrashed and keened.

Hawk chanced one last blow just as the monster tore itself free from whatever pinned it down. Desperately, he hammered the spear into its flesh. Whatever it bled was slick as blood under his sandals; his footing was lost, the spear caught in the fresh wound, and he went tumbling down its blood-soaked flank to land more or less on all fours with bruising force. The monster quaked, weakened, its life ebbing, but for a moment all Hawk could do was scramble frantically away from it.

rawk on Hawk

[mythgravenblade]

He had gotten as clear of the tentacles and the creature's jaws as he could after pinning it, watching with his heart pounding. It was a gamble, doing this, as there was no guarantee he could get his sword back soon enough after the monster pulled free--or even at all. So it all rested on Hawk.

And as he watched, Hawk took his spear and three times drove it into the creature's head, three times the plant thing screamed and writhed--and then, then Paladin saw what he had feared he would see, the point where pain would only spur it on and not cloud it. It roared and ripped itself free and before it could do anything more, Paladin dove for where Hawk was slipping and falling--he couldn't catch him, but he could pull him out of the way, so that the stun of the fall would not set him up for mauling.

But then, he heard the roaring fade out, and as he looked up, the creature began to...sag, its movements slwng, as whatever animated it drained away. The cries faded to a low, eerie moaning, and then even that was gone, the chitin flowing from its wounds falling to a seep. "...That was a brave move," Paladin said, after several seconds had passed.

:D

[crimson_seeker]

When he found his feet again, his first perception was of Paladin hovering next to him, apparently ready to haul him out of harm's way if it became necessary. Then, raising his head, Hawk saw the monster slump, piecemeal, into a tumbled heap of dark tentacles. For a moment, he just stood, shaking subtly as the spike of adrenalin ebbed from him.

"Or a mad one," he replied, his voice croaking through a suddenly parched throat. "But it worked, so I reckon this counts as a victory. You're unhurt?" He glanced at Paladin, looking his friend from top to toe to make sure he had escaped unscathed. "I... was out looking for anyone still caught out here. The Watch has people posted at the bridges. Good thing it was you I happened across, or I'd be... Well, best not to think where I'd be without you." He managed a smile, somewhere between grim and relieved, as he went to retrieve his spear from the body of the fallen creature.