And then he dreams of cutting foreign throats [ Open! ]

[secondcity_npc]

Characters: Anyone interested in fighting off a giant tiger and the Unseelie Queen
Time: April 16th-April 17th
Location: The University of Chicago campus
Content: Round one is a celestial guardian. Round two is the Queen of Winter. Round three will hopefully be Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Format: Poster's choice
Warnings: None. No tag order.

Comments

[wavesinherheart]

Linkara's sudden appearance and subsequent teleport caught Aqua off guard for a brief moment. She hadn't known he could do that, although she was more than a little grateful that he'd gotten Terra out of imminent danger. She was well aware that Terra could take care of himself but no matter how she looked at it, getting mauled by a giant tiger didn't sound anything any of them was prepared for.

But there wasn't time to dwell on the fact. Terra had been rescued, the tiger's attention had been drawn away thanks to her Master's attack, and... whatever the other girl had done felt distinctly like a Haste-type effect, which was nothing to sneeze at. She was less interested in running straight into attacking, however. Sure, she could hit just fine, but with their powers coming back she had a few things she'd missed being able to do and instead her own attack came in the form of magic as she launched a ball of fire at the tiger - a ball of fire that exploded when it struck the tiger.

Extra damage couldn't hurt, after all, and it very neatly pulled the tiger's attention away from the others as it turned to come after the person who'd just singed its fur.

[eroded_earth]

Eraqus had managed to deflect the tiger's attention away from him, which Terra was grateful for. He started to get back to his feet only to find Linkara by his shoulder and then suddenly they were somewhere else. Terra blinked in surprise at the instantaneous teleporting. He shook his head, "Smashing my keyblade into it seemed like a good idea to me." Terra rose to his feet again. Apparently being thrown into a wall wasn't as big a deal for him as some people. Although if that kept up he was going to regret being without potions...he'd have to reserve his spells until his powers were back to full strength.

Terra rolled his shoulder a few times and looked up to see Knives just as the giant coffee cup vanished. It wasn't a heal spell or a potion but Terra did suddenly feel invigorated. He smirked, "Let's get back to taming the tiger, shall we?"

Fire started to erupt around Terra and he rushed the tiger again just as it made a lunge for Aqua. The Fire Surge slammed into the cats back legs causing it to stumble instead of strike his friend. Terra then went to town swiping at the tiger's legs with a multitude of attacks, his motion practically a blur thanks to the Haste ability Knives had apparently cast.

[iamaman_punch]

"Hit it until it stops moving." Linkara shrugged, grinning. "Yeah, that works." That tended to be how a good deal of his plans went, anyway. Still, it looked like a close encounter with a wall hadn't done too much damage to Terra, and they had a fight to get back into.

He turned around just in time to see the giant cup of coffee disappear, and he felt its effects a few moments later. The power of caffeine was an amazing thing. "Sounds like a plan." Terra dashed in one direction and Linkara went the other, heading for the tiger's head and calling Razor Wit to his hand - much easier than it had ever been - as he ran. Putting himself in the line of sight of one very enraged mythological creature was probably not the best of plans, but it tended to balance out pretty well with attacking the weak point for massive damage. He hurled the Keyblade, barely waiting to see it crack across the tiger's jaw before calling it back to his left hand and pulling the Magic Gun with his right, aiming a series of quick shots at the tiger's eyes.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

Between him and Linkara, Terra had been spared a nasty hit from the tiger. He also felt the effects of Knives' unusual spell; it felt a lot like Haste, which was difficult magic to pull off. He was definitely grateful for the boost now.

With that extra boost, he narrowly avoided another wild swipe from the tiger, and decided to follow up Aqua's fire spell with one of his own. He felt a renewal of power surge through him, and called up one of his more powerful spells...an immense column of fire sprouted beneath the beast's right hind leg, causing it to rear up in anger. There was no doubt about it now...their powers were returning to their full potential.

All this fire had to be tiring it out eventually...or perhaps just making it angrier.

[wavesinherheart]

Even if it was only making the tiger angrier (which Aqua was going to consider as definitely a possible, at this point) it was still a result. True, the angrier it got it was only likely to get more dangerous, but that was still something, even if it taking it on had been less than ideal. Besides, between Terra and Linkara the tiger was at least having difficulty make a decision about who to attack.

And if a two-pronged attack was doing that much, then adding another would only be better for their purposes as Aqua took advantage of the added speed to rush in at the tiger. However, her intentions were far different than Terra's as she was already casting a Stop spell as she closed in. As she'd rather expected to be the case, it didn't take, but she didn't let that stop her as she leapt into the air. The tiger was easily large enough for the rest to work just fine as she began a series of downwards strikes, teleporting to a new position before each strike. Over and over she struck, the added speed only making the teleports more difficult to predict until at last the chain ended, with Aqua landing near where she'd been when she'd started.

[eroded_earth]

With Aqua went into overdrive with teleports and attacks Terra made his way back to his Master. They needed to use more powerful attacks if they hoped to take down this Tiger. The distraction tactic was working but it would only get them so far if all their attacks were doing was pissing it off.

"Master! We should combine attacks," he shouted as soon as he was close enough. His combined attack with Linkara that one time during the final fight with Mechakara had worked out well...maybe it would be good if he did something like that with his Master.

Terra drew in the energy, focusing on the earth at his feet. He could feel it inside him, the power he needed to help bring the tiger down a notch or two. With a relish Terra brought his keyblade up and knew right away this was going to end badly. His keyblade and hand were glowing with a blackish-purple aura and before he could really help himself the power was unleashed.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

Aqua's teleportation spell was proof that their powers were almost fully returned, and Eraqus decided to try for his for all they were worth. They needed them now.

So when Terra gave the suggestion that they combine their attacks, Eraqus responded with a nod and a "We shall!" He prepared to cast one of his own best spells...spells made of light.

Eraqus felt that building darkness in Terra even before it was released, but there was no time to do anything about it before it fully manifested. And that darkness manifested as an enormous, reaching hand, black and purple and red and swirling with power. It was somehow both impressive and horrifying.

But there was no time to stop his own spell process to correct or even comment on this rush of darkness. Eraqus floated a little ways off the ground as a half-dozen blades of light formed around him in a circle. The blades of light spun faster, then all shot out...towards that giant hand of darkness.

But apparently, their combined strength stood out even in this attack, with their two opposed elements reacting with each other. The darkness hand, instead of deflecting or being hurt by the light blades, grabbed them up in quick succession and slammed them into the tiger's body with many times more force than the blades would have done on their own. The enormous tiger howled in pain, wobbling on its feet at the force of the continuous strikes.

[wavesinherheart]

Much like her Master, Aqua had noticed the sudden surge of darkness from Terra. Even if she hadn't actually had to fight the version of Terra that she'd found waiting in the courtyard of Radiant Garden, there was no way to avoid the fact that darkness was deeply and uncomfortably familiar, and to see Terra actually controlling it was more than a little worrisome.

All the same, she did have to admit that between his darkness and Master Eraqus' light the tiger appeared to be taking far more damage than it might have with only one of them attacking it. It might have been a strange sight, to see a hand made out of darkness snatching the light blades out of the air, but did it matter how strange something was if it worked? For now, however, it seemed that she'd simply have to wait until the attack was finished. She wasn't about to get in between something like that.

She did, however, start drawing in her own power just in case.

[secondcity_npc]

A snarl bubbled up from the Tiger's throat even as it stumbled back from the force of the attacks, still possessing that sublime feline grace even though it was injured. Broad and muscular shoulders collided with the edge of one of the buildings, sending down a rain of dust and bricks to the ground below. The Tiger shook its head in an almost human-like gesture of clearing its thoughts, eyes still glowing under the power of possession but now there was a hint of distraction in those same eyes, a flicker of what may have been uncertainty.

It that one breathless moment, it became clear that the quartet was not the only group fighting. A series of high-pitched yells and what sounded like a miniature trumpet erupted from a nearby bush, followed by dozens of tiny balls of glowing light which flew up into the Tiger's face. The Tiger growled in what was more annoyance than anger, snapping as the faerie lights approached.

One light in general dashed past the group, larger than the rest, the faerie wings fluttering furiously as it rushed towards the beast.

"We'll protect the city too until the Za-Lord returns! FAERIES, ATTACK!"

[iamaman_punch]

Linkara had been pretty pleased with the turnaround in the battle - sure, they hadn't exactly done a ton of damage yet, but the tiger couldn't keep them all straight and so far there'd been no major injuries. Considering any fight he was in usually started with him getting ambushed, he figured that was a massive improvement.

He'd been readying another attack, trying to figure how good a grip he could get on that Fire spell Terra had taught him during their (admittedly sparse) training, when Aqua rushed forward and completely outdid anything he could have thought up. It turned out teleport spam was really, really impressive. As if that wasn't enough, Terra and Eraqus followed it up with what was probably the most terrifying yet amazing combo attack he'd ever seen. A look at Terra's expression, not to mention his knowledge of Terra's darkness issues, told him it hadn't been intentional, which only served to make the attack that much more fantastic. "Sweet mother of Deadpool!" The words were out of his mouth almost before he knew what he was saying. "That was awesome!"

His attention snapped back to the tiger as it stumbled into the building - that much was pretty tough to miss. It was the headshake and the hesitation in its eyes that caught Linkara's interest. "I think we're getting to it! Keep going!"

And then the faeries showed up.

Nobody at home would ever believe this one.

[eroded_earth]

It was hard not to stare in awe at his own attack. He hadn't meant to use the darkness, not really, but apparently it had been buried for so long under the power suppression that it had desired its own release. The hand of darkness he had summoned slowly faded away, leaving them with one injured tiger but still a long ways to go in the line of battle. Terra cast one glance at his Master before looking away. He didn't want to think about what his Master was going to say about his.

Terra hefted his keyblade again, preparing to rush forward and just start wailing on the tiger, when several bright balls of light flashed forward at the sound of a trumpet. "What?" Terra stumbled to a halt and watched in amazement as the balls of light flew at the tiger and started attacking. Well, at least the swarm was on their side, but where had they come from and who was the Za Lord?

Questions for later, the faeries had the right idea and Terra's blood was still pumping from the fight and the joint Darkness/Light attack he'd just pulled off with his Master. Terra hefted the blade again and rushed forward, a blur of lines since he was still under the effect of Haste, not to mention a little of his own speed coming back. Terra activated one of his D-Links as he ran, drawing powers from one of his closest friends besides Aqua, Linkara. There was a soft glow and then Terra was blasting the Tiger with Fire-spells and using the Sonic-Blade technique that came with his D-Link.

Eventually, he had enough power to activate the Finishing technique, Common Sense. A familiar looking hat appeared and dropped into his hand which he then flipped onto his head, brought up the keyblade like a gun, and started firing off magical blasts at the tiger. He wasn't sure where the hat came from or why it was part of the D-link, but if it worked it worked.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

While unexpected, the combined attack had most definitely been effective. Eraqus returned Terra's quick glance with one of his own...something that held both an impressed feeling and a disappointed one. He had been trying his best to understand this darkness in Terra that was likely his fault in the first place, but still he was fearful of it. That darkness was powerful, but it was also so dangerous...right now, just to the tiger. But Eraqus did not want to see how it could be dangerous to Terra himself.

He did not much time to dwell on what had happened, as a new (and unexpected) ally entered the fray...a large group of faeries, all flying up into the tiger's face and distracting it. He didn't know where they had come from, but he wasn't going to say no to the help right now.

While the tiger was still staggering from the faeries and Terra pounding on it, Eraqus decided it was time to bring this beast to the ground, where it hopefully couldn't damage the buildings anymore. He aimed his Keyblade at the tiger's legs, and a series of light chains shot out from the tip of it, wrapping around its back legs in a swift motion and damaging them even as they bound them.

Haste has probably worn off by now...

[scarfandknives]

Knives had just kinda taken to sitting and watching, so much going on made it really hard to get into the fight. So she sat back and enjoyed the show. All sorts of neat things everyone could do... AND FAIRIES! I mean, how cool was that, you can't really top that when it comes to just wow fact for blowing the budget on a fight!

With the guy who has spiky hero hair that would be totally evil if it was white shooting at the tiger, and the old master guy who is sure to die horribly in any coming-of-age story binding the back legs. Knives saw her chance to lay in her own strike.

She dashed in to the tiger's front left leg and spun on one leg, her other rising and a bone shattering kick took the tiger's knee... if tiger's had knees. If it was human, a knee would be there, okay! It had the lovely side effect of the large CRAAAAACK effect appearing directly in front of the beast's eyes. Blocking its vision until something shatters it or it dissipates on its own.

[wavesinherheart]

Of all the various things that seemed to happen all at once, it was the visual effect of Knives' attack that surprised Aqua the most. She'd seen her Master's chains of light on very rare occasions and fairies coming to their aid wasn't any stranger than what happened in most worlds on a fairly regular basis. As for Terra's attack, she was no stranger to D-Links, even if she didn't recognize this particular one. She could make a few guesses as to where it had come from, though, with that finisher.

This time, it was her turn to draw out a facet of her power, like Terra had before her. But where Terra's had been darkness, hers was the same sort of magic that had fueled her earlier teleportation spell, leaving her surrounded by an aura of pale colors that never seemed to quite be one color. Or perhaps it was the fact that she seemed to teleport every time she moved or swung her keyblade, leaving afterimages of herself behind that was responsible for that particular optical effect.

Either way, she bore down on the tiger with nothing more than simple attacks, each attack causing a teleport and each teleport taking her conveniently away from where the tiger had expected her to be. Over and over she struck, afterimages fading only after she'd gone somewhere else entirely. This was no simple teleport spell, and when at long last it seemed like it ought to have been over, she moved seamlessly into a series a diving attacks, each one leaving a trail of the same pale light behind. A cone of light, centered on the tiger, and once she'd finished making it it exploded outward in an shockwave of energy.

Then it was done, as the glow that had surrounded her vanished. They had to be almost done here, she figured.

[secondcity_npc]

Celestial guardian or not, under the influence of Morgana's spell and in a world that did not bend to its usual powers as a godlike beast, the constant attacks couldn't be long suffered by any thing. The Tiger growled in pain, staggering to the ground blindly, the wild glow in its eyes dulled slightly by the rush of physical injury that spread through it. The faeries continued zipping around its head, shouting nonsensical commands at each other ("Bite his ear off!" or "No, no - your other left" or random, high-pitched, "FREEEEEDOOOOM!!").

The Tiger lowered its head, the dark magic that wound around it slowly seeping into nothingness and when it looked back at the group, the reddish fiery glow in its eyes had chilled to an intense blue.

The Sorceress, came a voice that was no voice, may find herself in a battle she could never comprehend. There may have been a hint of wry, tired amusement in the regal tones.

[eroded_earth]

Terra blinked and lowered his keyblade when he heard the voice in his head. Had they actually gotten through to the tiger? He looked up at the giant beast and saw that its eyes were no longer glower red. That was a good thing, right?

"What do you mean?"