Finale: All teams

[voidtreckermods]

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.

Comments

[paopuofyourlife]

Kairi herself was just making sure that if people need help she will be there. Sure at times, she may trip up for a moment, but she is quick to get back into it.

For now, though her focus was on what the others were trying to focus on: the hole. Making her way over, she plans on using her leaves as a way to cut some vines open and help in that aspect, spinning around to soon kick a nearby mongoose.

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx was jumping around, avoiding vines okay this time when he ducked the branch, he got whacked upside the head. Fortunately it was just a graze, his luck was holding out.

A quick glance over his shoulder and he realized someone was lagging behind. Oh man, he gets the feeling if they lose someone, people might blame him and then where would he be?

There was no reason to believe that, except his own paranoia, but that healthy paranoia kept him alive so he didn't knock it. He was having an easy enough time navigating so he fell back and attacked that root, using his cutting leaf powers to do it. He split his focus by swinging his stick and sending a mongoose flying. At least someone in this battle was combat hardened.

[blue_ice]

And then there was Kaiba, the embarrassed straggler. He'd tried brutally yanking himself free, and that had only gotten him extra scratches. The ice wasn't as effective on the branches as he hoped.

But a familiar face appeared to cut him loose, and he managed a small nod and grunt.

"Sorry---"

Angered and humiliated (but somewhat more careful this time), Kaiba rushed to catch up with the rear of the group, spinning to fire icicles at anything attacking the group from behind.

[bakegarasu]

Otoha shakes the mongeese hard, hitting them to get them to let go. If need be he'll just yank them off of him, not caring about the wounds as long as the kids are safe. He scrambles after them, glancing around them to check for threats.

"No idea. Keep moving, I'll cover you." With fire, if needed - though with how many branches are around them now, he's not sure that's a good idea.

[subcircuits]

Devero almost doesn't seem to care about the incoming mongeese, not with his Sanzo guarding his back. He's learned to trust Koumyou's effortless capability as they've traveled together through this artificial forest. He keeps his focus on tearing roots and breaking branches.

But as Kaiba passes the point he and Koumyou are holding, those icicles give Devero an idea. "Yo! Kaiba!" he calls in that deep voice he's got. He throws out a hand in an arc, a blast of water spraying out. "Think you can freeze this?"

(You can tell Devero's never had to fight in a melee like this one. As he focuses on Kaiba and his idea, he's not paying as much attention as he should to the rest of the field...)

[10billionpercent]

Senku was no longer being dragged at least and he rolled onto his stomach and since those mongeese were still on Gen's tail he held out his hand to push his own ice spikes at them to take them down with a bit of heavy breathing.

"Okay, let's just...we need to regroup or something." He told Gen, holding still for a moment to catch his breath.

[its_dad_sanzo]

And Koumyou just sticks with Devero, defending him so that the bigger man can focus on the vegetation. Two of the mongeese are flung back into the woods in one move, and the third ends up dead on the ground at his feet, neck snapped by the tip of his 'sword'.

For whatever reason, the priest takes a second to flick the body away, too, back out into the jungle with the others. Then he's back to assisting Devero more directly, glancing over toward the guy he's yelling for.

[tactlesstantei]

Thanks!

[Wincing as her foot was freed from the root, Masumi gives her thanks to Yuume as she rushes towards the hole to help where she can.

Having learned not to let the branches and roots get a chance to grab hold, she’s blasting at anything that looks like it might be trying to hit or latch onto anyone nearby, in hopes of giving others an easier time of pushing forwards.]

[nutkrusher]

Cassie has been playing an aggressive support role - moving steadily forward, but a little further back of the vanguard. She's sending out blasts of leaves to clear paths, diving forward to get physical when need be. The backline is now further ahead than it was to begin with.

She moves forward to support Senku, swatting away branches and mongeese with her quarterstaff stick.

"On me."

[gentle_jim]

"Thought you didn't like me?" Jack says with a grin while running alongside Cassie. He joins the circle around Senku and Gen, concentrating on freezing roots before they can grab anyone.

"Anyone got a plan?"

[nutkrusher]

"Thinking a person doesn't like you should be your default assumption for everyone you meet."

She steps forward with her weapon at the ready, indicating for everyone in earshot to gather round.

"We make a shield wall and push forward, shoulder to shoulder. Purple Team, put your shields up. Jack, stick your face forward. Everyone else, come up behind us and blast everything that moves with suppressing fire."

[sizedoesntmatter]

"If I may say something. While a shield wall would be a good idea, since everyone is already a little busy it may not be at all possible to do." Which Yugi was pretty aware of as he dealt with a couple more vines with his water.

He made sure when he did have the time to glance over and make sure certain friends were okay before glancing over.

"The best you can get is like two or three people per group instead, maybe" And with that, he moved to barely dodge out of the way of an incoming mongoose before blasting it with water.

[nutkrusher]

"Then we go with however many we can get to start," Cassie says. "Once we build up momentum, more people can follow."

[voidtreckernpcs]

The mongoose froze as Nita's ice hit it. More ice attacks came in from the side as Rapunzel and Masumi pushed forwards, blasting branches out of the way. Vines tried to form a wall between the three and the trunk of the tree.

Trunks and Kairi were also making good progress, pushing through the hole they had made and getting closer to the centre of the tree. Roots try and tangle them again as mongeese get thrown aside by their attacks. One mongoose has climbed onto a branch but goes tumbling when Trunks shatters the branch.

Demyx was also cutting through, forging a path for Kaiba, Devero and Koumyou to follow. Whilst Devero called for Kaiba a mongoose lept at him from behind, hopefully Koumyou would spot it, though there is distraction in the form of a large branch heading his way, aiming to sweep him off his feet.

Otoha would find more mongeese converging on him as he pushed forward, getting closer to the trunk. Senku at least has a breather, a moment to regroup though there are some roots nearby slowly moving towards him.

Cassie, Yugi and Jack might want to implement their plan quickly as two solid branches come swooping towards the group, aiming to knock them back away from the tree.

[mynameisallen]

Allen was doing his part to help, backflipping over a mongoose that was attacking before trying to get closer to where they needed to go.

Whenever a vine came close he unleashed a fireball even if the vines were going for others as his focus will be on them, making sure they get through safely.

[nutkrusher]

Cassie pulls up a wind shield, deflecting anything that might pass through with her stick. Her body language makes it clear - anyone who's heard her plan and agrees with it, it's time to gather around her and press forward.

[knifewithnoname]

She flashed Kairi a smile of thanks as she was saved fro the mongeese and continued pushing forwards, burning through branches with fireballs and catching up with Kairi and Trunks.

"It do no be being much further."

They just had to stop these stupid mongeese from attacking and these stupid branches from blocking them.

[sizedoesntmatter]

Yugi decided to stay as near to Cassie as he could, using the water attack to the best of his ability to keep vines and mongoose at bay.

"Is this okay?" hee figured he might as well at least check.

[unfavorableinstigation]

And Nita continues onward, absently picking up the 'mongoose' to keep frozen and use as a shield - or, if it comes to that, offer it to one of the roots as a distraction.

She's paying a little more attention now, to who-all is coming in after or beside her, but the tree still comes first.

[shadowslipping]

Yuume only takes a moment to consider the idea of creating a mass shield for the sake of others getting through- but ultimately, there's too much distance. Nodding to Masumi, she follows after, practically spinning the whirlwind shields in an attempt to break through the rising wall whilst blocking their sides. "Just focus on moving!" she shouts, both for Masumi and for others as well. If vines intend to block their way, then she'll create a drill with their own protection! "It'll be easier to avoid getting rooted down if you're not staying in place for more than a moment."

A rain of sharpened leaves is flung at any incoming mongeese all the same.

Emporio in the meantime spares a wincing look to Otoha's wounds, but moves nonetheless. His hands spark with flame, and occasionally he sends them forward to burn the leaping mongeese before they can do more than begin to strike. "Right! But please don't get bitten too much more..!" he adds, just to be safe.

Katsuya meanwhile...

"Hihh-!" Branch. "Yikes-!" Branch. "YEESH!!" He got a bit ahead sure, but this might be a bit more than he wanted to be chewing! "Oii," he cries, soon becoming more focused on dancing around the branches and roots in a relative circle while batting mongeese back with water and a stick, "How many of these things are there!?" And for that matter, how hard do they have to make it to get to the source of those vines!? "I just...wanna...calm y' down dammit..!"

All flailing aside, if he grabs something that IS a red vine along the way, he's soothing it best as possible before he has to move.

[blue_ice]

Kaiba gives Devero a quick nod.

"Worth trying!"

He focuses intently on a splash of water, willing it to freeze. If they can hurl a bigger, sharper icicle and cut through...

They just have to avoid getting hit. He's focused on the rear at the moment and fires at a mongoose. Hopefully they have his back?

[comefadeaway]

Yoite wasn't exactly used to keeping track of people in his usual day to day combat, but when people begin to gather, he makes his way over there, brandishing his stick and whacking mongeese back out of the way.

He landed next to the group and looked towards the east, positioning himself hopefully in a way that demonstrated he was trying to help keep the creatures off of them.

If he didn't make it to the tree, he didn't particularly care, he wasn't sure what he'd do when he got there. This part he at least, had a sense of what he was doing.

[bakegarasu]

"I can't feel pain, it's fine." He can bleed out, but he's doing his best to avoid the stupid things. He throws a bright flash at the ones following him, following it up with a fireball as he keeps pace with the kids.

"Almost there, come on." A little further still... but he's trying to be encouraging.

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx's luck appeared to be holding out as he continued to avoid roots and tree branches, using these strange powers to cut through the mongeese.

"All this is missing is a real good song, you know?"

What could he say, he preferred music if he was going to be in any battle.

He kept his eyes on those who seemed to be a little less prepared for combat as he was. He ducked suddenly. "Watch out for branches!"

[gentle_jim]

"Somehow I don't think these guys'll appreciate my beauty," Jack scoffs at Cassie's suggestion, referring to the giant mongeese.

He doesn't have a shield either- so the branch coming towards him hits him square in the chest, knocking him away from the other two.

He lands hard next to someone with a loud groan.

"...Ugh... mind helpin' me up?"