middleofsomewhere | Wings of Wonder: Finale

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Wings of Wonder: Finale

THE DAYS have been long and tiring, always a job to be done. If it hasn't been taking out the birds that continued to come over the days, it's been fixing and repair; if it hasn't been that, it's been working with the crystals, offering energies, searching for a way to make powers work on a world that refuses them.

The Voidtreckers know the sali's plan, and have been working with them to achieve it, as well as to add their own ideas. Both groups are to make a team to head to the West Island where the birds gather their numbers, singing a song that calls more to them. Taking an airship and craft carriers, they will blow at the Red Storm being generated by the birds, and then take out their numbers before it can be amassed to any dangerous amounts.

And for the Voidtreckers not going West, they're asked to go South. The East will be protected by the sali and the Forever Ones there, and Enshala will need any extra aid in taking out the birds by disorienting them, making them easier pickings for both sali and Voidtreckers.

Finally, 11 Nebula arrives. People who wish to risk going to the heart of the problem are to meet either to the North, or at the Centre island. Hemla is coming with them, along with the Shrinlo, to closely connect the powers of the Forever Ones in the battle to come.

Over the SCAs, a call goes out - and a voice comes through: young, perhaps around 20s in terms of human age, androgynous in tone. Small yet driven, clear to any who hears them:

"Help from skies far, this is Hemla. I thank you deeply for joining us. For coming to help, for working with us despite the struggles it has taken, the pain.

I want to speak to many of you so much, but now is not the time. Through the tools you call S-C-As, we Forevers will sync with its energies and meld them to ours. We will trick the world into seeing your powers as ours. There will be limitations, so be safe - use the crystals made by our crafters and yours too. Speak to each other, learn how they work. The sali - and your people who helped - know.

I...will be doing my best to protect those who go West. Everyone I have spoken to, you are in my thoughts. Reach for me in your minds if you need my strength, and I will do my best.

Thank you... thank you."

With those words, there is some time before everything is set into motion. Until finally, the airship rises and starts its travel to the West Island. Until finally, both Voidtreckers South and West-bound feel their body lighten, the first proper relief they've had for days. As the Southern skies start to show approaching wings from a distance waning...

WINGS OF WONDER: FINALE

A TL;DR notes version of event/prompts: (click to show)

EVENT BASICS:

West Island

Boss Battle

boss battle

TO THE WEST

The sound of music sings inside the airship, powering its speed, and winds that repel the Red Storm. It resonates with the surrounding air, offering protection to the smaller crafts following at the sides. "It is time!" A sali declares, and two come to stand by what looks like a mix of a megaphone-cannon, pointed out from the front. Sali and Voidtreckers have smaller versions, and are directed to prepare their places - take to the sides of the ship, be ready for combat.

Already the birds are coming for them, covered in red, but their united power pushes them away. The White Forest is under them, and the cannon-phone starts powering. Another signal is given as a hand is raised, counting down from three. The instruction is simple: At zero, shout.

And indeed, when the fist is made, a great chorus of screams join, and the weapon at the front glows, and blasts a magnificent whirlwind of air that encompasses the mountain the birds have been nesting at. Many are blown away, every which where. The Red Storm thinning out, the airship flying close to the mountain peak, usually a crater.

Except a bird emerges with large red wings and rocks the ship as it ascends from their roosting spot, filling the air with its shrieks and presence.

The fight begins.

ATTACK FROM DECK. Some of the Sali are on the deck, armed with their blowhorns and any voidtreckers who feel they would be most use fighting the birds at range can join them in the skies. Those with magic, music, bows or guns join forces with the Sali to fight off the swarms of birds.

GROUNDED. Not all the fighting is in the air. The blast from the air ship has sent many of the birds tumbling to the ground where more Sali and those Voidtreckers whose fighting skills are best served when on solid ground are waiting for them.

The birds try and recover, but most remain at least low to the ground, attacking those they see.

KING OF THE AIR. Through the chaos of snow, red mist and birds comes a beating of wings as another threat appears.

TO THE SOUTH

Those that do not go West will be asked to go South, to defend island and the Sali who are too old or too young to fight..

PAINT IT RED. The Sali have an area for those who cannot fight, protected as best as it can be by geography and Enshala's power. However with the birds swarming everywhere there is need of defenders to make sure that it remains a safe space.

Though before it seemed that certain birds had flocked to certain islands now the swarms were more varied, any of the different kinds of birds; swift wings, red wings and steel wings all dive down to attack.

SENDING HOPE. Of course the Forever Ones hold the key to all of this, helping the Voidtreckers be able to use their power better than before, helping hold back the birds from strategic places and creating a web of power across the islands that connects all the Sali and their allies in the Voidtreckers.

Enshala welcomes any who needs to rest and of course anyone who wishes to help by lending energy, or anything else they feel they can contribute in a spiritual sense. Her area is one of peace and rest.

It is also where those Sali who cannot fight are sheltering and though they are resilient, those who can help with food or persuading small Sali that they cannot fight birds, is also a task worth doing.

DIVEBOMB. Despite the attempts at shielding the area a swarm of birds has broken through to where the herds of woolies and headbutters are. Any Voidtreckers who can be spared to fight are asked to assist fighting the birds off. They arrive to scenes of chaos.

OOC NOTES

NOTES: OOC info is here, info about powers/magic here. Ask questions here, submit shenanigans here, submit rewards here.

ABOUT POWERS: Powers are available around 40-50% percent. People can teleport easier if they stick around the area, but will still need to watch how often they do it. Manipulating the environment is still greatly difficult (the air, plants, gravity) etc, but anything that relies on one's own inner power (magic, chi/ki/qi) works easier.

ENERGY/ETC BEINGS: No longer feeling so much a drain. Will be able to run around and fight without being completely drained.

ABOUT USING STONES/SALI WEAPONS: During the battles, the Voidtreckers will be able to tap into some special weapons and elemental stones. These are:

BLOWHORN:

will

SLINGSHOTS, BOW AND ARROWS:

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS:

banjo

AIRNADO:

FLASH BANG:

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She dodges out of the way from the feather knife. They were cool. Would be cool if they weren't aimed at them. But having feathers that were also knives, she would like to be that bird right now.

But she is not a bird, just a girl with a gun and she focuses on shooting some of the smaller birds, there's plenty of people here and the big bird has spiralled downward for now.

The music from Wei Wuxian amd Jake is having an effect, the birds attacking the air ship are slower, some completely disorientated as they get distracted by the music and crash into the side of the ship rather than attacking those stood on top of it.

The large bird plummets, being thrown off by Lan Jingyi's tail once again, though the dragon will soon find himself swarmed by two of the red wings, burning feather launching towards his tail. The large fire bird half crashes in the ground where Elidibus is and attempts to grab the man, though it is very quickly distracted by the dinosaur that has finally caught up with it. Dinosaur and bird grapple, flames sparking from the fire birds feathers into Takechirou.

Kiyoiri herself may wish to be careful too as one of the swift wings swoops towards her, seeing her small stature as perfect to lift up into the air, talons extended to grab her. Nearby Lan Wangji and Lea took some of the smaller birds out of the air, but have been noticed by one of the larger steel wings, a rain of sharp feathers fly towards them. Goku managed to send his bird flying but needs to be careful of the fire bird, dinosaur chaos that is getting very close to him.

Back on the airship Ryu's fire proofing might come as use as a redwing crashes onto the deck, flailing around and trying to cause as much damage with its flame feathers as possible.

Meanwhile a swift wing flies at Xue Yang to try and knock him down before talons stretch out to grab Little One and lift her from the deck.

Fire and fire clash- Takechirou's chosen form was chosen to advantage indeed, even if Hemla had been operating on 'rule of cool' more than any predicted encounters. Fearsome jaws bite down at any joints the beast can find, his own flames brewing to create as much a buffer as possible against the thing.

Kiyoiri meanwhile, is not so defenseless as she appears- though she certainly can't take out that bird unless someone else does, not in this position. Fortunately for her, Takechirou's reached that bird- her magic is no longer occupied. Tensing and fueling as much magical energy as she can through her legs, she does the smarter thing.

Swooping birds are fairly directional, and this one is now mid-swoop; Kiyoiri ducks, and kicks off to the side, focusing on avoiding this thing (not to mention any other flapping, flying thing) until it's taken out.

...Well, that or until she sees someone who needs medical attention. She can probably think of something to take this stupid bird down for 'dinner' in a pinch, right? ...Right?

(Those talons have undoubtedly grazed and torn through her shirt though, which is frankly a shame even if she'd prioritized clothes that could be damaged for all of this.)

Fortunately there is help nearby.

Braced as he was for the full impact of the bird's dive, Elidibus was able to turn away the talon's grasp by angling the shield just so. There might have been one effort to slice at the bird but it's arrested; Takechirou's sudden engagement with the downed avian is decidedly hampering any clear attempts to land a blow.

The Ascian disengages a few steps back. He almost knows before his gaze falls in Kiyoiri's direction but he'd been keeping part of his awareness on the child, given her protector had certainly not been bird-stepping through the air with his master on his back. It seems this attention was merited; but more to the fact it allows Elidibus to quickly cover the short distance to stand between the swift wing and Kiyoiri, sword thrust upward should the bird have continued its efforts to claim the healer for a meal.

There isn't much he can do about those feathers aimed his way other then try to avoid. He flies backwards as quickly as he can, trying to block others with Bichen as he moves. It seems the birds have quite a few tricks up their sleeves which makes this all the more complicated. But at least there is a wide range of fighters doing their best.

He tries to use his spiritual energy to blast a batch of those feathers back towards the ones that shot them. It's a good thing he has been working with the elders of this world and their crystals to try and understand the powers of this place.

He laughs as a wing comes at him. As if he would be afraid of something when he has a blade that he trusts can cut through anything. He brings it up in a motion to try and cut the wing as it gets close as much as block the motion. His aim for the place where the wing meets body. Charging forward towards it instead of trying to avoid. Xue Yang isn't afraid of some bird. If it knocks him off then he will just have to try and take others out on his way to the ground.

Ryu dives towards the airship, wings beating hard as he floats over to them. He smashes onto the deck with just enough force to not smash through some of the deck, and rolls to take some of the fire and put it out.

He stands, snarling - and releases his energy. A dome forms around him - which bursts, revealing his full dragon form. He gathers red-orange energy in his mouth and fires at the large bird attacking his fellows, careful to avoid them. His DragonBreath attack should inflict about as much damage as he can muster. After all, he can't hold his full form for much longer than it takes to fire the attack.

Goku notices the incoming firebird/dinosaur fight and flies off and around them. Too close to really attack them from there. But, now's not the time to hold back as others are in danger.

He takes notice of the rain of feathers heading for Lan Wangji and Lea and decided to give them a hand, launching a massive burst of ki at the feathers to destroy them if possible (if not, certainly scattering them away)

Meanwhile Jingyi has no idea why birds are yearning for his tail, but you know what? He'll take it. Surely this is not the only time someone's tried to light a fire under his rear assets, and it won't be the last.

His talons form a seal when he releases another blast of air, scythe like, at the birds coming for him, sending many feathers off course. Two strike tail, sliding off scales and down, not having gotten purchase enough to do true damage. Scales baby!

Wei Wuxian becomes aware of several things at once, letting them flow through his awareness: Jingyi is beset by two flaming birds, Xue Yang being struck at by another, which aims toward the smaller Buttercup onboard.

He spikes a note, sending a sort of disruptive energy at one of the two birds, before the melody returns to the supportive one keeping smaller birds disoriented around the ship itself.

Jake's been idly sitting in the back for a little while. That experience sure was...something. He watches the skies with interest. Zooming dragons! Weapons firing, all kinds of fun stuff. Epic battle with the birds.

And that also deserves a song. He rallies his strength and plucks the strings again.

Double dragons, rulers of the skies
Breathing fire, clawing out some eyes
Beat those birds, yeah, strike 'em down
Some stupid feathers will never scare us~

Between Elidibus' attacks and Kiyoiri's own defences they manage to deny a bird its dinner. Two of the steel wings fly towards them though, throwing dagger like feathers towards them both. A third steel wing has remained near Lan Wangji and is caught in its own feathers as the cultivator sent them shooting right back at the birds, at least those that hadn't been destroyed by Goku. The bird plummets to to the floor. A fire wing flings itself at Goku feathers aflame, a ball of searing heat.

The bird that Xue Yang cut flails, still grabbing at Little One but also batting out at Xue Yang as the damage to its wing sends it tumbling into free fall. Ryu blasts any of the other birds that were coming in to attack Xue Yang and for a moment that portion of the deck at least is quiet.

One of the birds attacking Lan Jingyi is taken out by Wei Wuxian and the other is quickly dispatched by Lan Jingyi's tail. A swiftwing flies at Wei Wuxian and Jake now, straight and true, fighting against the power of the song. Not quite reaching him just yet. Some of the smaller birds start darting at Jingyi trying to peck at those scales.

Having small birds launch themselves at his scaled body is a new experience, and Jingyi ends up barrel rolling to break up some of the attack—his scales smooth enough the birds are struggling to find purchase, and go rather comically sliding and bouncing off until they find something like his mane for better purchase.

His talons form another seal while this time, he waits to release it before he holds his tail out to the side, away from the airship, wondering if it'll keep working as a lure before he releases his next wind attack. It's like fishing, only while flying, and for birds!

A mental nod of satisfaction when Jingyi manages the other bird, and Wei Wuxian's focus returns to the playing to help as a whole; he narrows his eyes at the bird set on fighting against the song's influence.

He kneels after he sends out another burst of sound to disrupt that particular bird's flight further, more knocking it sideways to be dealt with by anyone else than taking it down. Then he braces himself, continuing to play as he has been, sometimes even combining his song with the one Jake was playing and inventing some very odd lyrics for.

Words may be something he often uses, but he's no stranger to combat, much less against multiple enemies. Elidibus stands firm, using strikes of sword and parry of shield with efficient skill to parry the worst of the barrage of steel feathers.

The worst, but not all of the effective. Kiyoiri would have been his priority in the moment and making sure whatever got through was not going to incapacitate him. Several fine lines score wounds across face and body; two steel feathers dig into leg and shoulder. It won't take him down and the defensive protections aid in lessening the impact, but the lack of armor is going to be a problem if this keeps up.

The Ascian grasps the feather stuck in his shoulder and pulls it out, casting it to the ground before bracing the shield and preparing his counterstrike.

With a blade charged by aether, he strikes to grab the trio of birds' attentions- swift and two steel- with what might be viewed as 'flashy' to some. Bright with the shock of the energy empowering the blade, a near-visible disc seems to cut through the air around Elidibus as he performs a spiraling cut. X crossed patterns follow, bursting a very short distance almost as soon as they're drawn into the air and looking to, if not immediately cut down the birds in his range, then do significant damage.

Though he holds his ground, beads of sweat form on his brow. Holding back, keeping everything in moderation... It's all well and good. But while the world no longer exhausts the ancient being simply because he exists, it doesn't mean he's recovered completely from the earlier strains and efforts.

Kiyoiri is small, and Elidibus an effective shield- but she grimaces all the same. She cannot afford to tell Takechirou to pull back- no, right now he is very much keeping that Massive fire bird busy.

(Maybe Ayumi will see them. Maybe not. But-)

"...I am going to get your shoulder to at least clot," she insists as Elidibus handles the birds. She has the decency to wait until there is a bit of quiet from the attackers. "...But I need to touch it."

No bleeding out on the field, please!!

With how much this world still hinders her magic, Ayumi has spent the past several moments recovering from that Projection of Caladbolg while the Mini-Nobus huddle around her, desperately firing shells at the remaining attacking birds to fend them off while she rests.

But now she's ready to plunge into the fight again.

Ayumi raises both of her guns, Reinforcing her arms to once again steady her aim, and focuses all of her mana into one eye while she closes the other, sharpening her focus.

Find the weak points. Find the patterns. Search, search, search... The Mystic Eye of Focus highlights her targets, and Ayumi's work begins.

As much as Nobu was an advocate for overwhelming firepower, when she'd been teaching Ayumi how to shoot, she'd been well aware of her extremely human limitations. So she imparted a straightforward philosophy, obvious, really, but drilled into her skull over and over again: don't waste ammo. So Ayumi keeps her breathing steady, refusing to shoot until she sees the perfect opening, then firing the nanosecond it comes to pass. No wild flurries of bullets, no sweeping wall of rifles. Just two guns firing slowly, carefully, aiming to take down one bird with each shot into the perfect opening... which her Eye is all too happy to provide.

That is, until she sees the king of the air menacing Ki-chan and Elidibus. Then all that goes out the window.

Ayumi forces all of the mana out of herself, manifesting two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, more and more and more and more rifles in the air around her, each in the style of Oda Nobunaga's Noble Phantasm. It's just a weak imitation. A fake.

But with that many shots, it should be enough to at least grab the monster's attention. And Ayumi, frankly, does not give herself enough credit for her craftsmanship.

"Three Line Formation," she half-whispers to herself, knees buckling under the pressure of that many Projections, before the line of rifles all fire lasers down on the King of the Air, carefully aimed to avoid Kiyoiri and Elidibus but not much else.

Then she collapses, rendered completely vulnerable to the attacking birds. Yeah she's... going to need to take a breather after that one.

Xue Yang doesn't want quiet. He was successful against the bird that tried to take him out so now it is time for some new prey. His eyes look towards the next big target. Even if his attack is more a way to bring them closer to himself versus actually hurting them, it is still effective. Get them close enough to be able to dispatch them the way he prefers. Sword into flesh.

So he puts his aim towards the next prey and sends another set of electrical strikes it's way. He might as well try to help out his senior. So he sends that attack towards the Swiftwing that seems to be aiming for Wei Wuxian.

"Oh my god, get away! No one likes you!"

Jake is slightly too panicked by the attempted divebomb to sing. No weapon! And he obviously can't punch a bird. What on earth is a defenseless singing jester to do?

Scream, of course. He lets out a single scream as he plays as loudly as he can, discordant notes rising faster and faster. And if that fails, Plan B is trying to catch a bird with a banjo.

Edited 2021-09-23 01:27 (UTC)

"YEEOW!" Goku yelps. He had tried to get out of the way of the fireball, but it tagged him in the rear, sending the proud warrior flailing. "MY BUTT'S ON FIRE!"

Where Lan Wangji dodged, Lea caught his chakrams when they headed back his way, and held them up like a shield, which worked surprisingly well, though bracing against the multiple impacts was difficult. Shedding the last of the steel feathers from his chakrams. Opting to keep one in hand for blocking and striking at any birds that dive too close, he sent the second one spinning skyward again, this time aiming at the rest of the smaller birds that were harassing Jingyi.

"Try and chase some of the fire ones my way!", he called out to anyone in earshot. "I can't be hurt by fire, so I might as well be a distraction!"

Talons catch into her hoodie, scraping against her skin causing pain. THe bird is too close to shoot and she needs to drop it, to grab her knife.

Xue Yang's sword cut the bird and it fell sideways, still fighting even as it fell and dragging her with it. She attacked the feet with her knife but as the edge of the ship got close she attacked her hoodie instead, the bird tumbled with strands of red fabric, but no Buttercup.

She scrambled back from the edge, plunging into the emptiness, that fear can be dealt with later, she doesn't have time right now.

Jingyi's bird fishing trap seems to work as more of the small birds attack his tail, trying to find purchase on those scales.

The bird heading for Wei Wuxian and Jake is sent off course first by Wei Wuxian's prompting and then by Jake's scream and finished off by Xue Yang's lightning strike. Jake's scream sends most the birds in the area scattering, which is useful for Ayumi as it means she can concentrate on her own attack.

She is aiming for the big fire bird, still tangling with the dinosaur and getting close to Elidibus and Kiyoiri. There's an explosion of energy, blasting down from the air ship towards the grown. Her two friends are untouched by it but the birds menacing them are very much not so. Goku, Lea and Lan Wangji as well as anyone else on the ground may wish to scatter, lest they be caught in that blast.

But once the smoke clears it at least seems most the smaller birds down here are dead, giving them a reprieve to regroup.

The large bird though bursts upwards, out of the blast of energy. It is clearly injured from the blast and its prior altercation with a dinosaur. It launches itself at the airship, to where that blast came from, towards Ayumi who has slumped down in exhaustion.

Recovering from the scream a red wing has launched itself towards Xue Yang and another swiftwing tries to grab Little One's leg to pull her off the side.

Goku had finally put out the fire when he caught notice of the burst of energy heading towards them. "Uh-oh. That's too much!"

With that, he flew down, intending on scooping up Lea and Lan Wangji and getting them to safety. "Sorry, guys, don't need any pointless injuries!"

Says the guy with a burnt butt.

Fear can't reach her in the emptiness, she twists as talons cut into her leg and slashes out with her blade towards the bird that is trying to drag her over the edge.

Wrestling with a bird isn't exactly something she's trained in but she will fight tooth and nail to stop herself from being picked up and dragged over the edge of this ship.

Edited 2021-09-23 16:36 (UTC)

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