middleofsomewhere | Finale: All teams

Finale: All teams

Inside the System

The forest seems endless as the Voidtreckers move through it, soothing the red vines that constrict the trees as they go. But eventually they will start to come together, as though they are being funnelled towards a centre.

The trees end, the forest opening out into a large clearing. Vines carpet the floor and climb up the trees, curving to create a dome of red mesh that blocks out the sky. As everyone gathers in the clearing, vines weave past them to cover the entrances, closing them in. The red light does little to light up the gloomy dome, but as their eyes adjust they will see a huge gnarled and broken tree in the centre. It pulses with the same sickly red glow.

From the gloom creatures emerge, more of the mongoose. These ones are larger, teeth and claws are sharp as they circle the clearing, hissing and snarling.

The tree begins to move, its branches and roots are huge and they swing towards the gathering Voidtreckers with a speed that seems unlikely for their size, roots rise up to try and tangle around limbs.

The vines creating the dome can be soothed, but there are so many of them it will be a lengthy job and the mongooses patrol the edges, attacking anyone who is trying to clear the roots. Often they will give chase to anyone who tries to run, trying to hound them into the path of the tree roots or into the range of the attacking branches.

All the while more vines are growing from the tree, pulsing red strands that spread towards the walls of the dome and beyond.

Outside the System

For those that did not enter the system it has been a long vigil over their unconscious teammates. The sectors still have problems but these seem to lessen: there are fewer emergency alerts in Winter, the walls stop moving in Autumn, all seems calm in Spring and the weather calms in Summer.

But as Day Eleven of the month of Jelly begins there seems to be a shift: the sky darkens, going from the usual clear blue that is has been for days to a dark, burnt red.

The Helpmates have mostly calmed the last few days, but now there are more of them and they will attack on sight. The only place they will not enter is the inner sanctuaries of the Great-Seasons, where the bodies of those who have entered the system still lie.

A few times the ground ominously rumbles and for anyone still in the Spring sector there are certainly a few frightened alpaca-type creatures to calm.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Roots try and tangle around feet, branches whip out towards anyone who tries to approach over the thick layer of vines towards the red glowing tree.

(OOC: For this part please all reply in one single thread. Each round will be marked by an NPC tag and then each character may tag once before the next round begins. If you are late joining or miss a round don’t worry! Just tag into the most recent round and either assume your character was always there or got caught up with mongeese!)

In retrospect, this feels like a natural culmination of everything this 'world' has thrown at them so far.

That, and it's a tree. Even as disorienting as her arrival in the system had been, Nita knows trees.

She just hopes her sister is here; S'reee may know the waters, but Dairine knows software.

She moves forth unafraid, creeping herself from vine, to vine; inward and onward, braving the push of branch and blob alike.

Her objective? Touch that tree!

There's no turning back now. This always happens, every mission...the massive threat. He's usually sidelined or assessing the tech from the outside for this part, but here he's in the middle of the chaos.

That's fine. He's on equal footing with the rest for once. He hangs back at first, jumping to avoid ensnaring branches and firing icicles at mongoose.

"I'll work on making an opening!"

If he can get clear of the attacks for a moment, he'll start focusing on testing the limits of his freezing power. It's visibly straining him, but they need to get through.

Katsuya has been spending much of this fight and march a little less than himself. A combination of things struck when he was brought into the more virtual system- first, the sudden cut-off of his pool of abilities (not to mention the pokemon) left a bit of a mental shock. Then, the all too familiar sensation of a sudden shift in everything brought his subconscious back to...well. When he had a sudden shift in everything. Namely the Virtual World Noa had run.

Add in the fact that the first thing he comprehended was the stick in his hand, and a lot of his being decided that the Best Him was probably the...past. Him.

Not that Katsuya's really focused on his appearance (which is why this is happening anyway)- instead he's running through and past, a wash of rainwater following the swing of his staff as familiarly as his dragon once would have. "Got it, thanks!" A pause, and he glances back. "Oh- Uh, 'f anyone needs a patch job, I got healin' too by th' way!"

He might not be aware that he's abruptly Egyptian in appearance. Or. Mostly. His hair is silvery white and tied back, with his eyes almost as grey, which isn't generally a look people from ancient Egypt had. The coat of red with white trim though, that's definitely old, not to mention the clothes under it.

It's fine don't worry about it.

In the meantime, Yuume works as a combination of offense and defense for those near her; launching leaves forward to try and slice up the vines and branches, and summoning whirlwinds as shields. The woman scowls- "This would have been far easier if I had my usual set of 'tools'," she mutters, appearing in her standard sweater and cargo pants. Her armor as tied to her power as it is, she simply can't envision herself in it.

It's all very unlike Emporio- who appears in the clothes he once wore in the past. It's a cub's baseball uniform, actually. Though if asked, he'd admit he doesn't know much about baseball at all.

He's taking this whole thing well though, and while he's not going on an all out offensive just yet, he is frustratedly using 'fireball' to hit roots that have already gone after his feet. "Ack-!" He's used to Weather just floating him...

It's annoying that he can't move as fast as he'd like, as quick as he'd usually be capable, but at least he's still got his instincts; darting and jumping to keep the roots off him. Tidus is fine with hanging back some, using the wind power granted to him to throw out bladed air towards either mongeese or branches aiming themselves at other voidtreckers.

"Let's get this over with, yeah!"

By getting this ~~final boss fight~~ party started!

Allen was used to having to adapt to new abilities and Allen took no time in using some fireballs to target the vines. The clothing choice for the other was one of the Order's uniform. Sure while he was no longer working for them, he still was connected to some who were still there and this seemed like the best way to connect to them.

But for now, he aimed more fireballs at vines that were near others.

"I think we need one group to go forward and another to keep everything at bay while they do. So just pick which one you are going for and go for it."

Edited 2021-01-21 15:23 (UTC)

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Cassie's still in the elegant and somewhat ridiculous red dress she'd conjured for herself a couple days ago. With comfort not being a factor, she'd seen no reason to change it. She stands with her pole clutched in a combat-ready position. The air flutters around her as she focuses her temporary new abilities on the vines and mongeese.

"Alright, Fujin," she mutters. "Time to do you proud."

Otoha is still annoyed by the sword in his hand still having the properties of a stick. Even so, he gets to work, rushing a few of the mongeese to try to fight them off enough to create an opening. Even if smacking them doesn't work, he doesn't care - he's happy enough to use his body as bait for the rest of the group to break through.

Better someone who can't feel pain gets hurt than someone who'd get slowed down, after all.

He didn't know what they were walking into, but Senku found himself in a battle with a menacing tree, nothing on him but strange magic powers and a stick.

"What I wouldn't give for a plan right about now." He mused, looking at the tree with trepidation.

Of course, it was all too willing to attack him and everyone else. He used his stick to whack a mongoose, which he's not terrible at, but a vine grabs him by the ankle and he falls to the ground with a grunt, instead putting his hands on those vines, trying to soothe them.

Gen was quick to step around and over Senku, blocking the path of more vicious mongoose ... mongeese? ... he'd check some dictionary later, to freeze them in their tracks with more ice.

There's nothing really amused about the smile that he gave Senku, all teeth. He had to ride on self-confidence and bravado and hope to any power listening that anything in this virtual reality didn't transfer to their real bodies.

"A little late for that, dearest!" Gen quipped back. Time to freeze more geese, and he rolled a little to block their path to Senku while the genius was prone. "Unless you see a way for us to just stop this whole silly thing."

He couldn't use his usual technique and he was a little tired by the time they reached the tree, but it wasn't a problem. He could call water now apparently and use it to throw mongeese aside.

He was going to focus on that because whatever they were supposed to do, he didn't really understand. Nothing about his appearance or stick had changed any, all he understood was that they were cornered there.

He would take his cues from everyone else.

Yugi for the most part was keeping a distance back, mostly for the fact that he knew he wouldn't be all that great as a close combat type person.

Plus these were just vines, right? That and mongoose, but vines Yugi was at least okay to deal with because they weren't living things in a sense. He hated to use violence though so in the back of his mind he felt bad.

Looking over at what he thought was a familiar look and being puzzled for what seemed like a little too long a vine had come and grabbed him by the right hand, pulling him down which caused Yugi to quickly use a water blast to try and knock it off him.

Instead it seemed to just stun one part for a moment while more vines to come on over to attempt to drag the other further away.

He was a lot less surprised by a final battle than he was about having a wide expanse of nothing to travel through in the beginning.

"Oh man, I'm so not the right guy for this."

Despite Demyx's complaining, he seemed to be having no trouble dodging vines at the same time as he threw leaves at a mongoose to knock it down. In actuality, his already decent movement was a lot less hampered without his oversized weapon and need to keep himself in a specific posture to play it.

Edited 2021-01-21 19:58 (UTC)

"Don't put yourself down, you're doing perfectly okay." Rapunzel was at least trying to be supportive as she managed to gracefully dodge a few vines, jumping over a couple like she was skipping rope.

"See how quickly you adapted to what new powers we seem to have. But watch out there is a mongoose behind you." She called out sending some ice shards his way to try and deal with it.

"Nice shot, princess," Jack remarks, watching the mongoose topple over from the barrage of ice shards. Remembering he has ice powers too, he tries freezing a root that's been doing its best to curl around his ankle.

It kind of only seems to slow it... "Shit, a little help here?"

"On it!" Kairi called out, using Whirlwind and letting thw wind wrap around the other, keeping them from harm for the next few seconds at least.

As much as this was a whole new thing to the young girl she was rather adapting to it easily. But she soon jumped over a few vines and a couple of mongooses as she attempts to start making her way closer towards the tree.

Even without his usual access to his ki abilities, or his half-saiyan heritage in here, Trunks still had his combat instincts. He moved to support Kairi, also making his way towards the tree, with some ice-shards thrown at the mongeese. His 'sword' wasn't acting like a sword, but that was alright--it was still more than enough to parry and block vines.

"Got your back."

Kairi's whirlwind keeps the grasping root off Jack just long enough for Devero to step in. He drops to a knee and uses his prodigious strength to just tear the root apart. "Go!" he says as he stands, shoving Jack forward into the hole that Trunks and Kairi are starting to bore through the tree's defenses.

Devero-- who's no longer dressed in the Saiyan armor but rather something out of his past-- hangs back to keep that hole open. He's realized the utility of his strength, and sets to using both his hands and his two batons to not just parry the grasping roots and sweeping branches, but to break them.

He throws aside one snapped branch and throws up a baton to keep another from swatting the head and shoulders of a fellow passenger. "Keep moving, I've got this!"

Naturally, Koumyou Sanzo isn't far from Devero. He looks younger than normal, and the illusion on his weapon is that of a simple katana.

Which he's not the least shy about using, nor is he noticeably rusty with it. Too bad it can't actually slice.

He takes his cue from Devero, staying back to help keep the hole from sealing.

No banter from the priest for once, too busy swatting vines and branches away, even his expression focused and serious.

[Masumi is doing her best to work her way towards the tree, having gotten the hang of using her water powers to knock away attacking mongoose while working through the forest.

The roots and branches are a whole different problem though, and take more effort to block as she struggles towards the tree. One root goes to grab at her ankles, and she's forced to stop and blast it with water before it can get a solid grip on her.]

As Nita ran towards the tree she would find roots curling up to catch at her ankles. Kaiba's ice caused branches to freeze and crack, though roots come for him to, swiping at both him and Jonouchi in an attempt to trip them, to break their concentration.

Yuume and Tidus both sent leaves flying into the tree, branches flailed around, a swirling shield of sticks to protect the tree against the razor sharp leaves coming towards it and batting some back towards them. A section of leaves fly directly at Cassie but are blocked by her whirlwind shield.

Allen and Emporio have begun to clear a part of the forest floor with their fireballs, causing roots and branches to withdraw. The mongeese seem less wary as they surround the boys,, though Otoha is keeping a good number of them busy. Two of them leap at him, trying to sink their teeth into limbs.

Senku soothes the vine that has him tangled whilst Gen fights off mongeese. A tree root tangles around Senku's foot, replacing the soothed vine and it tries to pull him, dragging him in the direction of the tree.

Yugi is in similar danger, tangled in vines and roots that are trying to pull him towards the tree, a further danger has come from three mongeese that are heading towards the prone boy, though some relief comes in the form of Yoite who blasts the nearest one away with his water. Masumi saves herself from a similar tangled fate with some quick water blasting though another root is creeping up on her other foot.

Demyx and Rapunzel skip over vines, using leaves and ice to deal with the mongeese. Their skipping game is about to become a little trickier as two large tree branches come in from above, swinging in like clubs towards the two of them.

Handsome Jack is saved by Kairi's whirlwind shield, and Devero's strength as Kairi and Trunks try and force a hole in the tangle of roots and branches. Handome Jack, Kairi and Trunks will all find more roots trying to grab onto them as Devero and Koumyou tear into the undergrowth with pure strength. There is a snarling as three mongeese leap at the two men.

Otoha just watches almost impassively as the mongeese leap at him and darts towards Allen and Emporio. He promised he'd look out for the kid and he intends to keep his promise. He goes to kick one of the ones near the boys away, grunting a little with the effort.

He has not bothered to dislodge the mongeese from his arm and leg.

Allen looks over aiming a fireball towards the closest mongoose, if he could help it he was going to keep them away as best as he could, but he was at least happy to know that there was another coming to.

"Thanks" he called happily since now it meant they could at least focus on moving on ahead.

[She barely notices the second root in time, hurriedly blasting it just as it had started to take hold of her other foot. Because of her focus on not getting entangled by the branches and roots, she's not making much progress towards the tree so far, and so makes the realization that she might need some backup to actually make any progress.]

Anyone able to help me deal with these roots?

Kairi was trying her best to avoid the roots, but the numbers seem to only be increasing. When she looked over she could see someone else that needed help, so for her, that took her priority.

With one helped she made her way over, using leaves to get close before using another whirlwind shield to cover the other.

"I hope that helped a little bit, just to get your bearings."

Tree Battle

Re: Tree Battle

Re: Tree Battle

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