ROUND TWO: SEARCH AND RESCUE

[tidesnpc]

Characters: The fighters of the Winding Way and a few off the Fiertia
Content: Get in there and find those kids!
Setting: Inside Grita's castle
Time: Right before Long Night!
Notes: Okay, this is going to work a little differently than last time. The primary goal is finding the kids -- I will provide NPCs to subdue as needed. Feel free to NPC

Comments

[drinkitlovelife]

(OOC: I know she's listed in the other post, but despite her incredibly flat chest, Milk is here rather than among the kids. I apologize. o/;;)

"I'm going off this way!"

Milky Rose narrowed her eyes and kicked open a door of her own. She ran down the hall as fast as one could in platform heels, headed straight for wherever she thought was the core. A machine like that had to be in the centre of the castle. It was like that in books all the time.

[tidesnpc]

(OOC: no it's cool that was a fail moment on my part, I know she's here. I was sleepy when posting those logs. orz )

The hallway was nondescript, wooden doors leading off it at intervals. It was a few minutes before someone stepped out of one of the doors, standing in the center of the hallway and effectively blocking her path.

"You're in an awful hurry," the young man said, giving her a charming smile. He held a staff in one hand that glowed with a faint green light. A mana crystal of the same sickly green was set into the top. "Going my way?"

[drinkitlovelife]

(Well, she does get mistaken for loli all the time in SD. \o/ No problem.)

Rose screeched to a halt and raised her arms to guard herself.

"Secrets marked by the blue rose, I am Milky Rose!" The introduction was standard by now, although she didn't have time to do the posing and petal-throwing -- she'd make up for it later, she would, and she'd never forgive herself if she didn't. "As for if I'm going your way, how about you get out of mine?"

[tidesnpc]

"That's cold," he said, half-smiling. "Take it easy, Miss Rose. I'm sorry our hospitality's been a bit...lacking so far, but I'd like to fix that." He held out a hand. "How about it?" He didn't want to fight. Sure, she was an intruder, but maybe she could be reasoned with.

She looked a little young for him, though. Shame.

Annnnnnnd here's Luffy!

[d_luffymonkey]

Once they had made their entrance and started off on their own respective paths, Luffy had simply chosen the ones that kept going straight - for him, it just seemed like there was where the big one would be; after all, that was how things always happened in comics and stuff, right? So long as he kept going on straight, he was bound to meet the person who was responsible for all of this.

And once he met that person, well... see what they would say of him now!

[tidesnpc]

"Comic book!"

A man in a pale pink tutu, tights, and a tiara stepped into Luffy's path, flinging his arms out wide. "Showtime!" he declared, twirling a star-topped, sparkling wand between his fingers. The walls around them took on a strange appearance: the stone seemed less detailed, almost two-dimensional, and the flames stopped moving. In addition, the word "Showtime!" appeared in a speech bubble next to his face. Even himself and Luffy took on a strange appearance: their colors were flat, the light and shade simplified.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the speech bubble next to the man read. "Looks like I've caught myself a would-be hero! Your attacks will be no match for my magic! I have already defeated someone from your ship. You are all too weak to fight me! Go back while you have the chance!" He gestured at Luffy dramatically with the wand, sneering.

[d_luffymonkey]

Luffy instinctively stopped in his tracks the moment the other appeared, looking around the place in surprise as it abruptly shifted and warped before his eyes. The powder monkey glanced around as his entire scenery changed into something that was somewhat familiar to his memory... not that he could exactly recall what it was, since his mind was much more occupied with other things at the moment.

He barely noticed how he himself had changed too, his attention directed towards his would-be opponent as he looked at the older man with a determined gaze. "I'm not going to go back! I have to rescue my friends!" He had already failed once, and he wasn't going to fail his nakama yet again!

[tidesnpc]

"How commendable," the man in drag boomed, words still mirrored in the text-boxes around him. "Your courage and fortitude are admirable. But you do not know the danger ahead of you. We shall see if you don't change your mind.....WHEN I SHOW YOU MY TRUE POWEEEEEER!"

He whirled the wand around until it pointed at Luffy, action-lines hanging in the air around him, emphasizing the movement. A blast of air shot straight at the boy, which Luffy would feel like a punch. Ordinarily, it would be invisible, but inexplicably, lines outlined its path in the air.

[destined_skies]

Despite his bitter defeat the last time he'd stood inside these walls, Sora felt a heightened sense of anticipation as he moved quickly through the corridor. In his right hand, he carried the same wooden sword he'd brought into the first battle. It hadn't proven very effective before, but this time he was confident that things would turn out differently. After weeks of preparation, of training and taxing strategizing, just finally being here was almost a relief by comparison.

Glancing behind himself, the navigator looked back towards the door he had come through, and towards the other teen following closely behind him. Sora had tried to talk Riku into staying behind to defend the ship like last time, but the blacksmith had been too dead-set on getting involved. And while he appreciated the fact that he wouldn't be by himself, Riku hadn't fully recovered from his prior injuries.

"Still doing okay?" The question may have seemed snide, except that Sora was anything but. It was an honest assessment of Riku's condition. It wasn

[temperedsilver]

Little time had passed since the inglorious invasion of the Way, and whilst many had devoted this brief span to preparing for the rescue mission, a certain silver haired teen had spent the majority of the month resting. No matter how maddening the physical restrictions had been to the normally active youth, the lack of agitation proved undeniably beneficial to his injury. As surface bruising on his side faded into patches of sickly yellow, the bone beneath was far less sensitive to movements, allowing Riku to keep pace with Sora as they began their search of the castle.

Cutting his companion a bitter look, the blacksmith's response made light of his frustration. "Quit asking and I'll be better."

[tidesnpc]

Just as they turned a corner, they nearly ran into a man. Nearly missing him was easy, since he had been pressed against the wall and was obviously trying not to be seen. It looked like he'd been about to check around the corner to make sure no one was coming.

He stared at the newcomers, and recognition flashed in his green eyes as he spotted Riku. "You!" he hissed. "Wait--stop!" He threw out a hand, reaching towards them.

The expression on his face was far different from the angry, confident fighter Riku had faced. Now, this man was furtive and suspicious, jaw clenched tight.

[destined_skies]

Nearly running head-first into the stranger, Sora quickly backpeddled as soon as he rounded the corner, and instantly dropped into a defensive stance. Seeing how the man seemed to lay eyes immediately on Riku, the navigator edged a few steps to the side, placing himself between them. It didn't seem like they were in any immediate danger, but he wanted to be ready--just in case.

"Friend of yours?" He called back to the blacksmith, though his blue eyes remained frozen to their wayward opponent.

[daughterofchump]

It was amazing how much she had changed over the years. She knew that now as she moved swiftly down the hall of pale stone. There was a feeling of lightness inside her, and the lightness was terrible. It was empty, ghostlike

[maddestofall]

The swordswoman looked as though she could use a companion, and Quixote had spent the better part of the night in prayer, keeping vigil and meditating upon all of the foul things that had befallen this poor ship. His nerves were steeled to the task ahead. The Great Enchanter's minion must be stopped before the children were harmed, and with that in mind, he walked proudly up to Zeetha's side.

"May I join you in your quest, my lady?" he asked quietly, his left hand gripping the pommel of his sword as tight as it could.

[tidesnpc]

Sharp eyes watched the two from under a Badlands rancher's hat, crouched in the shadows behind the staircase Zeetha and Don Quixote had just walked past. Two against one, hm? Maybe he could even the odds a little bit.

Drawing a length of string into his hands, he stepped out from behind the stairs. He would have moved towards them, completely silent, stalking his prey like a cat until he could loop the deadly cord around an unsuspecting neck --

....but his spurs clicked against the ground with a metallic clink.

Damn it all.

He'd just have to make this quick, then. Diego dashed forward, playing his cord out in a loop and flinging it towards Zeetha, trying to get the loop over her head.

[daughterofchump]

"It's hardly a-" But then she was turning, drawing her blades. Instinct served her well, the distinctive sound was human. Now fortune favored her as well, for she wore her blades crossed on her back, so that in the quick motion to draw her arms prevented the loop from being able to close around her neck solely. As she saw what was happening she tugged her blades up sharply

[princelyspirit]

The men and women of the Winding Way weren't the only ones on a rescue mission

[flight_15]

Ichigo heard footsteps approaching rapidly behind him. That would be his first opponent. He'd cut through as many people as he needed to in order to get to the kidnapped kids. He pulled his sword out of the hooks that held it to his back and whirled around, braced in a fighting stance and ready to --

....stare in shock at the familiar face. It had been over a year, but he'd know that hair anywhere. "U-utena?!" he gasped, unable to believe his eyes. "What--you're alive? What are you doing here?! I thought you were--"

He'd thought she had died, back on the Amadeus two Lunasas ago. He had gotten as many people off the ship as he could, but Utena hadn't been one of them, and he hadn't seen her in the nearest town....it was a massive shock to find her alive, and on a floating castle in the middle of nowhere on top of that.

[princelyspirit]

Utena stalked down the hallway, blade in hand, ready for any and all enemies that lay in wait. It didn't take long for her to see another figure: he was tall and gangly, dressed in black, with an almost impossibly huge blade strapped to his back. In fact, it almost looked like a giant meat cleaver-

Only one person would be both ridiculous and powerful enough to have a sword like that. Utena gasped, but didn't have time to react; the stranger had spun around. She tensed and, eyes wide and mouth agape, sputtered, "I-Ichigo?! Ichigo Kurosaki?! I can't believe you made it out of there!"

She remembered all too well what happened to the Amadeus. She stayed behind to help one of the other pilots ferry passengers and crew off the ship, and just barely caught a flight out herself. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she hadn't been able to get ahold of Kurosaki.

...the lack of a permanent difference engine might have had something to do with that.

[flight_15]

"I can't believe you got out!" he shot back, just as shocked. "Where have you been for the past year?!"

Ichigo hadn't completely forgotten about his mission to rescue the kids, but it wasn't every day an old friend came back from the dead. "Why didn't you say something over the network? I thought you had died!" With the rest of them, he didn't say. He'd mourned those who had not gotten out, whose lives had ended so suddenly.