Onward: Purple

[voidtreckermods]

Villages

Each village has a central area and that is where the blighted have gathered. Or, not just the blighted; truthfully, most people have gathered in the commons. It is a hub of activity, people gathered for safety, for company. There is plenty to do for anyone not currently fighting golems or trolls: the village wells are often on the vulnerable outskirts, so fetching water is an important chore, as is collecting firewood.

Inside the village halls, there are injured to be tended and the blighted to care for. Most of them are well enough, they just are unable to do much for fear it will set off the powers inside them. They need help with most basic things, and apologies for stray fireballs or flash-frozen surfaces can be frequently heard in the large spaces.

Roaming

The outskirts of the villages are where the danger lurks: golems and trolls roam the woods and will lumber out to attack when they get near the villages, especially if they see people.

The trolls are big and swing large clubs with impressive strength and control. Their cunning makes them harder to fight than may be expected from their brutish appearance, teaming up or feigning attacks to get the upper hand. Their skin is mildly resistant to magic, but their size makes them easy targets.

Likewise, the golems are not particularly hard to find, nor hard to hit. They are, however, highly resistant to most damage. The crystal set into their faceplate pulses with a sickly, overbright energy that continues even if removed from the golem. (The golem itself does not continue, but falls into a passive state.) Golems are not equipped with weaponry, nor do they have any ranged attacks; their offense is great, spinning punches, or bulldozing.

Further afield, wild animals roam in great numbers, displaced from their usual homes by the aggressive trolls and misfiring golems - or blighted members of their own species.

Purification

Roughly in the centre of the cluster of villages, there stands a shrine. It is a simple structure, dark, curved walls open to the sky. Within the shrine, a circular pit about a foot deep can be found, which is where the crystals must be placed.

The ritual itself is simple, though requires some magical casting. Those who do not share in the magical arts can be helpful by helping clean, polish or mend the crystals before the ritual, or even by taking part in the chants. The natural, latent energies of living beings aid in the ritual, it seems, and so the attendants will not turn away any who wish to remain.

For the most part the ritual doesn’t look too exciting: chanting, small spells being cast into the crystal with small flares of light or song. However, right at the climax of the ritual, the whole pit burns with a brilliant light that fills the shrine before flowing back into the crystal. Once purified, the crystals can be placed back into an inactive golem, which will take up their natural roles of protectors of the villages if they are not in too poor a shape.

Comments

Kitty Pryde | OTA

[goingthroughaphase]

A. Roaming

Taking on the golems was much easier thanks to Samata's plan of trapping them in the gorge. Kitty was among those helping out once a golem appeared there, using her ability to phase into the golem in order to retrieve the blighted crystal while others distracted it.

B. Purification

When a crystal is retrieved, Kitty would take the crystal to the shrine in order to have it purified, placing it in the pit and helping clean and mend it under the guidance of the spellcasters.

After helping out a couple of times, she even learned some of the chant to help out during the ritual itself.

C. Villages

When she wasn't out in the gorge fighting the golems or at the shrine to purify the crystals, Kitty could be seen around the villages, helping out those who were blighted. She could definitely understand the fear of powers getting out of control, so she didn't mind helping out with even small tasks for now, until they could be cured of the blight.

Plus, her phasing ability also helped with stray projectiles that came at her now and again.

D. Wildcard

((If you have any ideas for something else, feel free!))

roaming for day 10!

[blitzcheer]

"Kitty!"

For his own purposes, Tidus has showed up in the village outskirts this day, though it's been nearly a week since their efforts started, and Purple Team's work shows for it. But there's still golems to be worked on, and from where the ground dips into the gorge, Tidus spots her from his place above looking down.

[goingthroughaphase]

She glances up when her name was called, but couldn't look away for too long before the golem tried to attack. She jumps out of the way, tucking into a roll and landing a few feet away from the golem.

"Tidus! I need to get closer!"

[blitzcheer]

Tidus watches the action, alarm mixing with quick relief when he watches Kitty make a dodge from the attack thrown her way. She needs to get closer--what will work on these things? He makes his decision quick, gathering energy as he throws out a spell of hastega over him and Kitty--reaching over the distance, golden rings surrounding and making her limbs feel and be more nimble, speedy--before skidding down into the pit, whacking the back of the golem.

"Hey hey! Look over here, you dumb pile of rocks!"

[goingthroughaphase]

She took in a breath as she felt the spell affecting her, making her feel a little lighter. When Tidus tackled the golem, distracting it, she rushed forward and dove for the golem at the same time, phasing into the rocks that made up its body.

[blitzcheer]

Does it notice Kitty slipping through it? It doesn't seem to react to anything but him, giant hands rounded into fists to come at him with, lifting it up high to crash back down.

Luckily, into dirt and rock, Tidus jumping back and out of the way.

"You gotta do better than that!"

Hopefully, it won't get to do anything soon.

[goingthroughaphase]

Not if Kitty has anything to say about it. Moving through the rock golems had gotten easier once she'd gotten used to how they felt, and she made her way to the golem's head where the crystal is. Grabbing the crystal, she phased it with her through the top of the head, forcing the golem to come to an abrupt stop once the crystal was removed.

[blitzcheer]

The golem stops, and so does Tidus; witnessing the hand and the crystal come out, but he isn't sure if anything else is about to happen.

"That it?"

It's not a complaint nor surprise. It's a 'whoo boy should I be ready for the golem to explode or anything--'

[goingthroughaphase]

Pulling herself completely out of the golem, Kitty checks over the crystal really quick.

"Yeah. Once the crystal is removed, they can't function anymore."

Hopping off the golem's head, she phases through the air to slow her descent to the ground.

[blitzcheer]

There doesn't sound like there's any more. Tidus thinks he heard something about golems being warped into the gorge, so he relaxes a little, though that means it's just him and Kitty now.

A kinda awkward situation, after the last time they met. He shuffles on his feet some, in place.

"Hey, uh... I'm sorry, 'bout the things I said. Before. I know it wasn't great."

Depressing, more like.

[goingthroughaphase]

As her feet touched the ground, she shook her head and offered a smile. "Don't worry about it," she replied with a small shrug. "I know that things can get pretty tough sometimes."

Especially after things happen like what he'd been through.

Holding the crystal in her arms, she then tilted her head a bit. "Mind walking with me to the shrine? I think there are still trolls around here to look out for."

[blitzcheer]

He wears a tiny smile at her response, then gives a "Sure" at her request, looking around.

"There an easy way outta here? Or we gotta climb? I can give that a good chuck over the top."

He means that very important crystal in her hand, and suggested very seriously. He can totally chuck it back to the top while they make their way back up!

[goingthroughaphase]

She frowned a bit. "I...don't really think we should be throwing this," she said after a moment. Then she gestured vaguely around the gorge with a free hand. "I think there's a path around here somewhere."

[blitzcheer]

Oh. "Alright," he agrees easily, and they can walk to find a manageable way out of the gorge. Tidus goes first to watch Kitty, asking at a point, "It isn't heavy?", since he'll offer to take it if so.

But otherwise, they shouldn't have any problems getting up--unless another golem gets teleported in.

[goingthroughaphase]

Even if one did, there are still people to take care of it. As they start heading up the path, Kitty carefully weighs the crystal in her arms. "A little, I guess," she admits. "I've carried a few of them before, though, so it's not that bad."

[blitzcheer]

"How about you let me take over this time? I don't need to carry anything back in Blue."

So she can get a break and it won't be burdening him in that case, right? He offers his arms for the crystal, if she'll hand it over.

[goingthroughaphase]

Considering that for a moment, she nods and holds the crystal out to him. "Just don't throw it anywhere," she teased.

[blitzcheer]

"I'll try," he teases back, a little more subdued but not without a small smile.

"You're doing okay though? Things don't seem as stressful as last mission."

Thankfully.

[goingthroughaphase]

"Yeah, I'm all right. There's been a lot of golems and trolls to fight, but I'm managing."

She's a little tired, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary with her.

"How about you?" she asks, glancing up at him.

[blitzcheer]

"I'm fine," he says, like a reassurance. "I'm keeping an eye on for those trolls. I hear you get money for beating them, right? And Blue Team needs some better equipment for the trip. There's some stones on sell, heat up the whole room, but they ain't cheap."

He doesn't have his regular energy as he speaks, but it's better than what it was before. Getting out and interacting has helped, a little.

[goingthroughaphase]

He does seem better than before, even if he isn't 100%. Still, some progress is better than nothing.

"Yeah? What kind of things are you looking to buy?"

[blitzcheer]

"The stones, mainly," answers. "I haven't seen anything else. I mean, some kinda weapon or protection would be good too, but... if we have to pick one thing, staying warm's most important."

[goingthroughaphase]

"Oh yeah. It's pretty cold where Blue team is, huh? How bad is it?"

[blitzcheer]

"Like walking through an endless freezer?" Aha. "It's boring, if I'm honest. You spend most of the time walking for miles with nothing around. There's a random animal trapped along the way, and then sometimes the ice sprites find ya and set a storm after us."

Which isn't really boring and incredibly dangerous, but-

"It really makes you wonder why you're out there. Or, there's gotta be an easier way, you know?"

[goingthroughaphase]

"Oh wow. That sounds pretty tough." She was kind of glad she decided not head that way. "Is everyone there okay?"