Onward: Purple

[voidtreckermods]

The second night of their trek is interrupted by the shaking of the ground. It only lasts a few moments and all the tunnels hold, but it is enough to be a frightening experience.

And it seems to have agitated the monsters. A wave of crabs attack not long after the shaking has stopped, emerging from the rocks around them.

They are close to one of the sandbanks and as they emerge, for a moment out of the caves they will find darkened skies and choppy seas. There is a feeling of a storm approaching. It is cooler then it has been.

But that is the least of their problems. As they cross the sandbank, wading in the water a giant squid attacks. Tentacles reaching out of the sea, to wrap around limbs and pull the voidtreckers and those they are escorting off the sandbank and into the ocean depths.

The tentacles at least seem to withdraw if damaged enough, hopefully they can be fought off before anyone drowns.

Comments

[alongtailtalltale]

Tangle has to think quickly; crabs on one side, and tentacles attacking on the other. She just avoids being dragged into the depths by hopping out of the way, and in response, she unfurls her tail to full length.

"Everyone who can't fight get as far away from the tentacles as you can!" she calls out, grabbing hold of one of the crab monsters and flinging it into the air at one of the tentacles.

[bridgetothefuture]

Sam's not about to argue, given how he absolutely cannot swim, and doesn't exactly want to try learning how to while being attacked by giant tentacles.

"C'mon, follow me."

If crabs start following the non-combatants he might be able to punch them in the face, maybe, but he's pretty out of his element, here.

[alongtailtalltale]

Tangle keeps fighting as Sam tries to lead others away, taking swings at one of the tentacles with her tail. Unfortunately, it gets grabbed by it, and she's swung across the beach by it, landing right in Sam's path.

"No Jewel, I don't think a rabbit can eat 50 hamburgers," she wheezes out, dazed.

[silentwoof]

Whisper takes a shot at the crab, and the tentacle, together - nailing both at once with the laser mode on her wispon. Perfect. There's not an ideal amount of space, but she's got enough room to fall back and take shots from afar, and maybe focus a little bit more on keeping Tangle safe. Subconsciously. Mostly.

[laurefindil]

"And protect the priests at all costs!" reminded Glorfindel as he did something very similar.

[kabe]

To anyone (un)fortunate enough to be near Yuna during her transformation, would get to see the former summoner in action. Transforming into her black mage sphere, she's quick to hold her staff towards the looming crabs and set them ablaze with a weak fire spell. Some of them manage to either die off or scurry away, but there's one that sneaks its way towards Yuna. With the girl distracted by her magic and floppy hat, she's unaware the crab is quickly making its way towards her. It isn't until it latches onto her long braid that she begins to run around, trying to whack it with her staff.

"Someone please! Get it off me, I can't cast a spell with it on me."

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel springs forward with a sharpened bamboo stick at the ready. "Hold still!" he says. "You are flinging it around too much!"

[Have to protect people with long hair! He feels for you!]

[myblueskies]

"I'll help you, miss!" Romeo hadn't spoken to the woman who could magically change clothes yet but she was in trouble, with a bad crab having grabbed her.

Romeo might not be able to use his borderlines but he had a spear that Glorfindel had given him. He frowned in concentration as he tried to hit the crab, without hitting her!

[laurefindil]

1 Earthquake in tunnel

Glorfindel was surprised when the earth started shaking. Usually he had a premonition that was about to happen. But this time he was completely taken off guard. Unsure if the tunnels would hold, and not sure where the weak points were, he crouched down next to a stalagmite until the shaking stopped.

Now is not the moment for secrecy, he thinks. It takes a little more push than usual though. Whatever was stifling his premonitions was also stuffing up his other abilities. It was like he had a magical cold.

The caves are now daylight bright. [Sorry to those of you with nightvision]

"Is everyone okay?" Glorfindel asks. He looks over to his right at the person just visible behind another pillar of rock. "Are you hurt in any way?"

2 Crabs in tunnel

Crabs! They're...everywhere! At least everyone could see them, Glorfindel thought grimly. He pulled out a sharpened bamboo stick and skewered the one at his knees. They weren't particularly dangerous in ones and twos, but coming in panicked waves, it was a different story.

Listening on the radio for their Team Leaders' directions, Glorfindel spotted one of his teammates fighting off about six of them. Taking advantage of his Elven heritage, he stepped quickly over the ones nearest him to come and help. "Mind if I lend a hand?" he asked with a grin.

3 Emerging onto sandbank

For those beings who sweat, the breeze off the ocean was probably quite refreshing after the close quarters combat in the tunnels. As they emerged, Glorfindel muted his shine again.

Out to sea, there were ominous clouds rolling in. Looks like for this next bit, they were going to get wet. At least they were dressed for it. He looked over, "Good to see the helmets are good for something, right?"

4 Squid

Glorfindel was one of those who took the seaward side of the group they were escorting. This was a wide open space and a bad time to let down their guard. He only had time to spot something moving in the water toward them before something grabbed him by the leg and pulled.

"Aaa!" Most of his spears fell out of his backpack and landed, sticking upright, in the sandbank below. The squid had wrapped a tentacle around one leg and was holding him up in the air!

1

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin had been fast asleep when the earthquake hit, curled up with Romeo and too exhausted from their exertions for the nightmares that usually plague him. For a moment, he’d even looked peaceful, smiling at some dream.

Then the tunnel decided to rock up and down.

Suddenly he’s bolt upright and shouting something that sounds suspiciously like “Mum!” in sleepy, terrified confusion. When he comes to himself a little more he scrambles for his glasses and crouches down with his arms covering his head like he’d seen once in a newsreel about atomic bombs.

The shaking begins to subside and he crawls on his hands and knees out from behind a pillar of stone, towards the source of the sudden, brilliant light in the cave.

“This place is determined to do me in,” he grumbles, getting up.

2

[achickenformylove]

It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of things to happen, being suddenly startled by an earthquake. After checking on those nearby and his family, suddenly there were crabs as far as the eye could see!

WangJi immediately drew Bichen, which glowed with a faint blue light on its own. He stabbed one of the nearest crabs as it neared him. It was what was necessary to protect the others here, to prevent the crabs from attacking further.

He glanced up hearing a familiar voice and spotted a familiar face as well. "It would be appreciated," he said as he withdrew his sword and aimed for another of creatures.

[theturksway]

Reno was lamenting a lot of things about this whole ordeal. The earthquake and subsequent tremors were a hearty scare that pissed Reno right off. He wasn't afraid of small spaces but throw in the effects of a quake and he was so done with these stupid people and their stupid quest or whatever. He was tempted to head back to the beach but that would have meant trekking back through the tunnels they already went through for an entire day. Not worth the effort if he just pretended he knew it wouldn't be that much longer to reach the end now.

But what Reno really lamented during all of this was the freaking water that kept ruining his day. Yeah, they had wet suits and all that junk for when they needed to dive but that wasn't even remotely the problem. (Okay, it was definitely a part of the problem. He looked like a drowned rat for most of the trip because of it, damnit!)

The real problem was that it messed with his favorite fighting technique. And boy did it ever become obvious once the giant squid attacked from the ocean depths on the other side of the sandbank.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" he yelled at no one in particular as a large tentacle smashed into the sand where he had been standing one second ago. Thankfully he was plenty agile.

Unfortunately for anyone near him, they might have gotten a little shocked from the lightning that discharged as he moved. The wetness from all the diving and wading through water caused even Reno to take more damage than usual from the electricity outbursts. He was definitely not happy with the results.

And yet, the electricity crackled again a second later as Reno swung his nightstick down on the tentacle in an angry downwards arch, his teeth gritted from anger or pain or maybe both.

"Just fuck off already!" he yelled angrily. Yeah, he was definitely upset about this whole ordeal. But if anyone wanted him to stop with the poorly timed lightning attacks, they were going to have to confront him about it because it certainly seemed like he was just going to keep shocking everything around him with his electricity attacks.

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel was a safe distance away, where he was battling a tentacle of his own. "Your temper seems a bit electrifying!" he called out with a grin.

[dredefulchilde]

There is a tiny child with a long and wicked-looking dagger, brandishing it expertly as he enters the melee. He really shouldn’t be doing hand to hand comment against the fucking Kraken, but he’s working with what he has.

He notices that the new redhead is still using electricity even though they’re in the water, and he can’t help but shout at him.

“Oi! Watch it with that thing or you’ll fry us all!”

[myblueskies]

"Ow!" Perhaps it is best for Reno that Romeo hasn't realised the fact he got shocked as well as slammed into the wet sand by the tentacle was to do with him rather than the monster they were fighting.

He is a bit dazed as he scrambles to his feet, swinging the spear around to fend off another and yelped as he he was blasted into the sand again.

"These are bad! They make shocks too!"

He shouted out, to anyone near him.

[mynameisallen]

Crabs
Finally was oddly enough one thought at the back of Allen's mind. He had an inkling something was going to happen because things had seemed a little too easy. So with a determination, he held out his left arm. "Innocence, activate." Nothing. Allen seemed puzzled as he jumped over a crab that had tried to attack him with its pitchers as he tried again, this time it flickered, but nothing more. Even that had felt a tiny bit exhausting.

Back flipping away from another, he was now just trying to avoid them while he kept trying to bring about his innocence.

"Oh come on!" He yelled rather annoyed as he had tried for the third time with very little effect. But the moment he stopped paying attention to his surroundings was the moment his side got slashed by a pitcher, causing him to flinch and jump back, hand to his side briefly.

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel threw one of the bamboo spears, distracting the crab closest to Allen. "How are you doing over here?" he asked, scooping it back up and using it to fend off another. "Looked like you could use a little hand."

[irrationally]

Alice isn't paying much attention to the other people fighting. Although not entirely on purpose. Usually she could have dealt with these crabs fine enough. She's fought big crabs before underwater, there's hardly anything about this that's new to her. But something is making her feel oddly more sluggish as she's swinging her weapon around, though she's not sure what.

But whatever it is, it's enough to force her to keep her attention on whichever enemy she's fighting.

Which means that she doesn't notice what's up with Allen until she hears him yell. Alice turns her head right after crushing one of the crabs - just in time to see him get slashed.

"Allen!" She doesn't bother to hide the obvious worry in her tone as she yells out.

[utulien_aure]

The crabs come and go and the tentacles come and go, and little by little Fingon finds himself losing patience with this.

(It's not long, in the grand scheme of things. As elves go, the Finweans are a most impatient lot.)

There's only a moment's warning as he turns from the last tentacle he attack- a funny glint in his eye, as his gaze follows it into the water. Then he jumps, and the rest of him follows it into the water to see what he can of the monster underneath.

He'll be up. Eventually.

In the unlikely event he isn't killed horribly.

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel saw Fingon take that jump and his head slumps down for a moment. Why did it have to be Finweans? runs briefly through his mind.

He plucks one of his spears from the sandbar they'd landed in earlier, runs forward, and dives into the water after his King's brother.

[bridgetothefuture]

Sam isn't a combatant; sure, he knows how to handle a gun, because any porter who doesn't know how to handle a gun is a porter who isn't going to live for very long on the surface.

...But that being said, his training is all in non-lethal incapacitation of targets, and his knowledge of live rounds is virtually nonexistent.

So, when it comes to fighting monsters, especially when it's monsters like giant squids and enormous crabs, he's even more out of his element than usual. "Goddammit!"

Sam's been doing his best to let the people with actual abilities do most of the fighting, but that only works so well when a whole pack of them are scuttling right at you. "What the hell are these things eating?!" He manages to kick one onto its back, causing it to wave its legs unsteadily, but there sure are a lot more where that came from, and none of them are friendly.

[laurefindil]

"Sharp Pointy Stick?" Glorfindel asked, offering him one. With his other hand he used his own stick to flip one of the crabs onto its back, effectively nullifying it. "If you can keep them from using their big claw, they can't flip back over!"

"We need to clear a path to get out of here!"

[tweaktherules]

"They've been gettin' their protein, that's for sure!"

Higgs, compared to Sam, is a piss-poor fighter but by god is he giving it his all. He kicks at one of the things, and he manages to launch it into the wall.

"Good thing we're bigger!"

[sendiintheclown]

When the crabs started coming for him, Trowa used the spear like a bat. He was swatting them away, backing closer and closer to the the priests to make sure none of the creatures got behind him. He heard Glorfindel's comment about incapacitating the things, and drew one of his larger knives to cut the joints below the large claw on the crabs that were flipped on their backs. The joints were the weakest points, and a lack of functional nerves would make those claws useless.

[laurefindil]

"Nice job!" Glorfindel said, seeing how Trowa was dealing with the crabs.

"Pass the word about the crabs? Ad see if anyone needs a break." He paused for a half moment and looked at Trowa. "When was the last time you had something to eat or drink?"