2019-07-06: A Trail of Trials
- Log: 2019-07-06: A Trail of Trials
- Cast: Ratatoskr, Lorelei Calice, Ivan, Ida Everstead-Rey
- Where: Besaid
- Date: July 06, 2019
- Summary: A somewhat eclectic group comes together to wander the Besaid Trails.
==================================<* Besaid *>================================== Besaid is a small tropical island at the southernmost point of the Spiran archipelago, almost as far south as one can get and still be part of Spira. The island features a large beach and seaport, a small village surrounded by forests and waterfalls, and a temple of Yevon. Its relative isolation from the outside world has resulted in a pastoral, almost idyllic life for its few inhabitants; if not for the few Summoners traveling to pray to the Fayth, Besaid would see almost no visitors at all. It is also home to the lowly Aurochs, a blitzball team of which the less said is better. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxJE6SSX-aw
DG: A party led by Ida Everstead-Rey is now entering Besaid Trails. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==================================================<* Besaid Trails *>===================================================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Besaid Man Throws Blitzball at Strangers Unprovoked *>==========================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 |
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
As you arrive to the entrance of the trails, you come across Guba, a
40's-something man wearing the open yellow vest and wading pants of a
Blitzer. Guba is a rare individual indeed: the aspiring Blitzball player
who, in the last twenty years, has never managed to make it onto the Besaid
Aurochs.
"Hey, catch!"
Now, Guba attempts to waylay strangers by pitching a Blitzball at them. He
has been rejected for throwing the ball so hard that it bowls people over.
Can you catch it and send it back at him, before he distracts you further
from entering the trails and being on your way?
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
Things are in flux, what with Althena's Guard's crusade overtaking Luca and all... but some things are roughly the same out and about in Spira. Take sleepy Besaid, well off the beaten path, which looking from the outside in may not have much to offer to the Guard. Things will never be 'normal' again in Spira, but here, things aren't too different.
Like for example, take Guba - a forty-something Blitzball maega-fan who always wanted to play for the Aurochs, but was never accepted onto the team. There have already been countless jokes made at this expense, but what's one more? Recognizeable parts of life are precious in these times of turmoil, as the aging sun-darkened man in the open yellow vest and wading pants of a local Blitzball hopeful of two decades...
...is dejectedly lounging around on the ground, staring up at the cloudy skies above.
"Ehhhh," he goes, as a Blitzball bounces off of him, "'s fine, yeah...?"
"It's fine? It's fine!!" A certain horned squirrel-shaped Hyadean picks back up the Blitzball as it lazily rolls back into his clawed grasp. Those claws of his could mar the surface of this well-worn, beloved Blitzball with the slightest pressure, but it is instead held and handled with a care that... exceeds that of its rightful owner, honestly. "Come on!! A Besaid Auroch runs headlong into impossible odds...! They survive every time..." Ratatoskr grins, wistfully.
"...I know, yeah, but after Luca..."
"...I really wanted to see the Besaid Aurochs at Luca..." Ratatoskr remarks.
"...Me too, after this year... me too. Ain't ever happenin' again," Guba sighs.
It appears there is a circular argument going on between a dejected super-fan and someone who has never dealt with this sort of thing - ever - and the latter tries to help them through it the only way he knows how.
"...Aren't those more coming in...?" Ratatoskr's yellow eyes dim, which is somehow the equivalent of squinting. "Guba! Mighty Besaid Auroch!! Show them the traditional challenge!"
"...You can do it," Guba waves a hand, "it's... all you."
Ratatoskr's tail droops a bit. He always enjoys watching an actual Besaid Auroch (read: NOT ONE AT ALL) do this sort of thing, but on the other hand, it is a tradition he is being tasked to uphold (read: because Guba is sad :(!).
Long story short, you are being beset upon indiscriminately by a weirdly-shaped figure - one of the few surviving Hyadeans in creation today - throwing a sports ball.
Though he is a specimen genetically engineered for war, with physical attributes oft beyond that of almost any human warrior, and a tireless love for the culture and history of either world's warriors to a degree that might even make Luceid go 'dude, wow...'
There is no substituting the raw machismo and moxie of the failed athlete Guba. (That's still an injury-inducing series of Blitzball tosses, though.)
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Derelict Relic toward his party's challenge, Besaid Man Throws Blitzball at Strangers Unprovoked.
<Pose Tracker> Lorelei Calice has posed.
"Oho, it's you again, isn't it? Ah, how remarkable!"
She didn't arrive with the rest of the group, but she bursts into the little gathering in a blur of rosy curls and a heavy bounce to her gait. Lorelei Calice's eyes brighten as she bounds up towards the waiting blitzball player, clasping her hands at collar level.
"Now I know that thing went a little pear-shaped on us last time our paths crossed, Mr. Sportsball Player," she says with a cheery smile and a bat of lashes. "But --"
Lorelei pauses what is presumably 5% of the way through her prepared remarks as she realizes that the Blitzball player waiting for them is not, in fact, Guba this time, but is, in fact, Squirrel Vegeta himself.
With a click of her tongue, the senior Etone rests her hands at her hips, her stance rolling her shoulders back. "Well now. I will say you caught me a little off guard. Come to think of it, are you not the peculiar fellow who fights for Commander Vinsfeld? Yes, I remember-- the one who likes to challenge others at the drop of a--" She pauses. "--Do you have a hat to drop? Does that work?"
"Dame Calice, he's going to challenge you," Mignonette Stirling, in a floor-length Spiran robe, says blandly from behind the tiger-eared Etone.
Lorelei sighs and pinches her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Please, that would be silly. Do I look like a, ah, how do the young ones say... a 'baller?'" She makes quotemarks in the air with her fingers.
DG: Lorelei Calice has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Besaid Man Throws Blitzball at Strangers Unprovoked.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Ivan definitely has nothing to do with any of this and is just passing through, scoping things out in search of anything noteworthy or weird. The sight he comes upon is... probably not of any strategic interest to the Guard, but nonetheless, it is difficult not to stop and stare when you see a giant metal squirrel man challenging passers by to some sort of land-based Blitzball competition.
Actually, he has met the giant metal squirrel guy before, but he had half written him off on an oxygen deprivation-based hallucination or exaggeration during his first, harrowing visit to the sunken monastery.
"I don't understand. You just catch it? What's supposed to be hard about that?" Ivan maligns the concept of the challenge, looking sour about it, while also indirectly volunteering.
DG: Ivan has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Besaid Man Throws Blitzball at Strangers Unprovoked.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"...Ivan?" comes a voice from slightly further down the path. Ida Everstead-Rey walks into view, her gait smooth, fluid, and entirely free of the weakness and jerkiness that plagued her for weeks after "the sickness" took hold. She bears a walking stick, but it's less an essential aid, and more a tool to make the journey a little easier.
Ida takes a step closer. She raises a hand, trying to get his attention--
And then she sees Guba, also known as the reason why she was skeptical of coming here again. With him... Ratatoskr? That makes sense, she thinks, in its own way.
Ida calmly steps forward. "Very well, then," she says. Then she sees who else is here, does a bit of a double-take, and turns back to Ratatoskr, frowning.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Besaid Man Throws Blitzball at Strangers Unprovoked.
==================================================<* Besaid Trails *>===================================================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Besaid Man Throws Blitzball at Strangers Unprovoked *>==========================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 |
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
As you arrive to the entrance of the trails, you come across Guba, a
40's-something man wearing the open yellow vest and wading pants of a
Blitzer. Guba is a rare individual indeed: the aspiring Blitzball player
who, in the last twenty years, has never managed to make it onto the Besaid
Aurochs.
"Hey, catch!"
Now, Guba attempts to waylay strangers by pitching a Blitzball at them. He
has been rejected for throwing the ball so hard that it bowls people over.
Can you catch it and send it back at him, before he distracts you further
from entering the trails and being on your way?
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
=============================================<* Besaid Trails - Round 1 *>============================================== ===========================< Results - Besaid Man Throws Blitzball at Strangers Unprovoked >============================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lorelei Calice 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Derelict Relic 2 Brute Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ivan 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------< Party >-------------------------------------------------------- Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Injure(2) Effects: ===================================================< Dream Chasers >====================================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
'What's supposed to be hard about that,' indeed, as Ivan invites fate to catch him unprepared and be bowled over by a respectable Blitzball assault by Ratatoskr, who cackles at the very sight of it. "Guba! Did you see that? Did you see that!"
"...Huh?" Guba somberly looks over to the gathered - the respectful-looking TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD-LADY and her put-upon bespectacled assistant, another familiar face with a walking stick, and a toppled Ivan.
"...Welcome to Besaid, yeah..." Is all Guba offers to the lot of them. He is not at all like the bothersome SPORTSBALL BRO they have come to know him as, as the Blitzball bounces back into Ratatoskr's very grasp to the disapproving look from Ida, which is met with brighter yellow eyes.
"Oh, it's you...!" He sounds delighted to see her, despite every reason to the contrary as Lorelei more descriptively lays out his loyalties.
"Vinsfeld Rhadamanthus is so cool... I studied all the maneuvers of the Slayheim Liberation Army through 490 to 494 Post Collapse," Ratatoskr grins wider, "and now he's got everything from so many armies of today... but you know what? You know what!"" He leans over with a feral grin. "I remember what you did... that great big flash..."
He off-handedly throws the Blitzball at Ivan again with the same force, as Guba just quietly waves 'hello' and makes no motion to impede or bother them. This is a good thing.
The bad thing: now they have Ratatoskr following them. Lorelei does bring up an important point by proxy, in that no matter how weirdly off the beaten path Ratatoskr's movements and actions may seem, he is an Odessa agent. Absolutely anything he does could be a furthenance of Vinsfeld's schemes.
He did appear to get Marivel killed by proxy in goading people to go fight the Four Heroes, after all - a major blow to ARMS.
Buuuuuut he could also just be beaning Ivan just for the hell of it, too. (Probably that, this time.)
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Besaid Trails *>===============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Entrepreneurship *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
You aren't the only person on the trails today. Indeed, it seems others can
be found here, every now and then. As you walk down the road, a young man
wearing the robes of a Yevonite priest approaches -- and does the
traditional sign, before he bows. "Hello! I have some spare things," he
says. "If you'd like them... and have a few gil."
Who can pass up a chance to restock their healing items? But, can you
successfully haggle a good deal?
=Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida winces as Ivan catches a Blitzball, painfully. She offers the young assassin a hand up, because pride or not, he just got bowled over by a ball that weighs at least ten pounds. Ratatoskr earns himself a flat, annoyed look, but nothing more. Has Ida let down her guard? Not exactly. She's learned that Ratatoskr is, if nothing else, incredibly persistent, and extremely talkative. Something in the back of her brain reminds her that this can work to her advantage--and perhaps she still holds out hope of teaching him a few lessons. "Come along," the heiress says, gesturing with the hand holding the staff. "Lovely day for a walk, isn't it?" She keeps an eye on Ratatoskr, but relaxes somewhat as the group walks along.
It isn't long before they come across someone else.
"All proceeds go to the refugees of Luca," says the young man, a hopeful look in his eyes as he holds out the box. Ida glances at the others, her gaze lingering a moment on Ivan. She considers the priest for a moment, her hand dipping into her pocket and closing around the multitool within as she centers herself. He makes quite the emotional appeal, but something seems off about him. Is he a real priest, or someone trying to make some money off of other peoples' suffering?
Ida looks at him. The man's hopeful smile turns a bit nervous.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Multitool toward her party's challenge, Entrepreneurship.
<Pose Tracker> Lorelei Calice has posed.
Others soon zero in on the situation. Lorelei turns and opens her mouth as if to say something --
She pauses at the sight of Ivan and draws in a breath, before beaming, her eyes bright. "Oh, well, hello there! Have you also come to explore the trails? Ah, but the scenery here is so pleasant--"
Ratatoskr starts talking, cutting the totally 21-year-old Etone off in the midst of her bid to flirt with Talia's twin brother. She blinks at Ratatoskr a couple of times, then curves her lips into a little frown, one that fades to a pensive moue.
It reverses soon enough, and she bats her lashes. "I do try to be memorable, ohoho~ You know, one does one's best to protect those in need of it!" She draws a breath, ready to say something else.
Ivan catches a Blitzball. Lorelei widens her eyes and rushes over with a couple of darting steps. "Oh, no! Are you alright?! How terrible, having it thrown at you--"
Eventually they move on. Soon enough, they're approached by someone else. The nearing priest is spotted, collecting alms for the refugees.
With a gasp, Lorelei darts forward and clasps both hands together beneath her chin. "Ohh, goodness, those poor refugees," she breathes, her voice tinged with honest sadness. "I can't believe something so terrible happened! Ah, you know, those poor people - I heard that Miss Barber and her people have been taking care of so many of them. Aren't they wonderful people? Yes, and the clergy of Yevon as well! Come to think of it, I don't think I recognize you, and I've spent more than a little time among them, being a close, personal friend of the administration and all that - ah, what's your name again? Surely there's a reason I don't recognize you--"
With a soft siss of robes, Mignonette steps up beside Ida and lowers her voice. "Sometimes Dame Calice is smarter than she lets on."
DG: Lorelei Calice has used her Tool Mignonette's Hot Tips toward her party's challenge, Entrepreneurship.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"Explore the trails? Maybe..." Ivan hadn't realized there were trails worth exploring, here, but finding that kind of thing out is the point of traveling around to see what he runs into, more or less. If there is flirting taking place, Ivan would certainly be the last to realize it, and there's no indication that he picks up on any sort of vibe.
Ida has also arrived!
"You again?" he asks her, moments before a blitzball arrives with such force that he flies backwards with it and rolls a couple of times. He frowns for a moment at Ida's offered hand, and Lorelei's expressions of worry.
"I'm fine! I just wasn't ready!!"
He springs up, angrily throws the ball back, and gets casually knocked over by it again later in the conversation.
"Damn it!! One more time!!" ...he shouts from the ground.
But... everyone is leaving further down the trail. He sits up, seeing this, and then jumps to his feet and runs after them.
"Hey!!"
Although, if he wanted a rematch... he did leave the ball behind. Perhaps he will have to choose some other contest.
"What's your deal, anyway?" he demands of Ratatoskr. He adds, in an accusatory whisper, "Are you full of tiny robots?"
The group encounters a priest raising money for the refugees of Luca, a subject which Ivan finds Awkward. He looks askance with kind of an "uhhhhh," and guiltily evaluates his available funds, half-listening to any expressions of doubt about the man's truthfulness.
DG: Ivan has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Entrepreneurship.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
Ratatoskr has very loud opinions about whether a day is lovely for just a walk, or for some pitched battle or another. He is not the most polite company. He is not the most welcoming company. Even after being physically rebuked at least a few times by Ida (and once by Lorelei by proxy when she had to show a bunch of cultists once for), though, he does seem to really enjoy being around the lot of them.
When his facial expression rarely goes any lower than 'smile,' though, he sort of looks like he enjoys just about everything...
"...Refugees?" Ratatoskr asks as he stands upright, tail flicking as he crosses his arms. "...Is no one going back there to fight? There wasn't everyone there..." The squirrelly Hyadean, um, reasons.
"Can it go to the Crusaders insted?" The excommunicated warriors? Ratatoskr leans in towards the priest as he withdraws a Hyadean datapad. "I didn't see them... I watched the Four Heroes' movements and I kept thinking... I kept thinking! Wow! I couldn't wait to see if they'd appear from the west flank of the forces underneath Blue Master Lunn...! Hyahaha--! I wanted to see that!"
He starts drawing a clawed finger delicately (in spite of how fast he's poking and swiping it) across the datapad as he seems to be drawing sketchy figures like it were a complex sportsball play, starting to overwhelm this kindly(?) soul with all sorts of thoughts and suggestions about how a part of the battle might've gone down if the Crusaders were there.
(He may also be really confused about what a 'refugee' is supposed to be.)
Somewhere in this, Ivan's question comes up. "What's my deal? What's my deal!" He laughs. "War heroes of today and before... they're the greatest... I never even knew there were any here..."
Then he tries to bombard Ivan with yelling about his Fantasy Crusade War play where the Crusaders could have routed at leaast one of the forces of the Four Heroes if they were where he thought they were and/or should've been.
(Armchair Generals are the worst.)
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Corrupted Records toward his party's challenge, Entrepreneurship.
==============================<* Besaid Trails *>===============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Entrepreneurship *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
You aren't the only person on the trails today. Indeed, it seems others can
be found here, every now and then. As you walk down the road, a young man
wearing the robes of a Yevonite priest approaches -- and does the
traditional sign, before he bows. "Hello! I have some spare things," he
says. "If you'd like them... and have a few gil."
Who can pass up a chance to restock their healing items? But, can you
successfully haggle a good deal?
=Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
=========================<* Besaid Trails - Round 2 *>========================== =========================< Results - Entrepreneurship >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Multitool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lorelei Calice 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Mignonette's Hot Tips 1 Wits Effects: Enlighten and Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Corrupted Records 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ivan 5 --(5)--> 10 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Injure(1)|Save Point(1) Effects: Enlighten(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"They've already suffered so much, kind sir," the priest says. He looks Ivan directly in the eyes, and holds up his box full of tonics. Now that it's in closer view, Ida considers it, compares it to what she's learned about Spira's medicines and labeling practices. "Even ten gil could save someone's life."
Ratatoskr interrupts. (Intervenes?) The man draws back, closing the wooden box of tonics and staring at the man he thought was a Ronso at first glance. "Is that--?!" Machina? 'Full of tiny robots'? What is going on here? Lorelei starts talking to him before he can recover. The mention of 'Miss Barber' earns a blank, vaguely frightened stare--only for a moment or two, but it's telling.
"Regrettably, I have never heard of such a p--"
"You know," Ida says, stepping forward and cutting him off, "if I were selling questionable patent medicines, I would at least have the moral fiber not to do so while disguised as a priest."
The would-be con man stares right back at them. He turns around, and promptly makes himself scarce.
"Shameless," Ida snarls, disgust in her voice. She lets out a hiss of breath, and with it, her anger.
DG: Lorelei Calice has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================<* Besaid Trails *>================================
=========<* CHALLENGE - Dodging Excessively Long Tourist Conversations *>=========
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
Sometimes, people from elsewhere in Spira come to Besaid in search of the
quiet and calm of the small island. With a Temple here, religious
pilgrimages are not uncommon. Today, you find a pair of husbands who slow to
a stop and wave at you.
"Ho, there!"
"Fellow travelers, huh?"
"Do you have any tips on where to eat?"
"What's traffic at the Temple like?"
If you don't find a way to deflect them, they might well take up hours.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Tire============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
"I was starting to wonder why he wasn't carrying weapons!" Ratatoskr chimes in despite no one asking. "He wasn't carrying any...! How would he have supplied the Crusaders with weapons?" That's not even what was-- oh well
<Pose Tracker> Lorelei Calice has posed.
"My, my, you really must be out of touch! Everyone has heard of Miss Barber and the Caravan Kinship!" Lorelei gasps, clasping her hands to her cheeks.
When Ida pulls the proverbial mask off the gambit, Lorelei's expression hardens suddenly, and she levels one finger. "...Count your blessings that you're dealing with people who understand the concept of mercy." Her voice is much colder and flatter.
It doesn't last. Once the con artist is out of range, she flicks her hair back and brings her hand up to her mouth. "Well! I suppose the cockroachs do come out now and then, don't they? Ohoho~"
Onward they go. Moving along the path, Lorelei takes the lead, peering ahead and blinking. "Someone's coming," she remarks soon. Two figures come into view.
Immediately, the priestess perks up. "Ohh, it's you two again!!" she gushes as she dashes forward, immediately taking one hand from each of the pair of Spiran husbands, smiling travellers.
"Oh wow, what a coincidence!" one of them gasps. "You know, we went to that Solofa's eatery you recommended and it was so delicious--"
"Isn't it?!" Lorelei widens her eyes and cups her cheeks with amazement. "It was by far the best thing I have ever eaten here -- and you know I'm very touchy about seafood, you know everyone thinks that someone with ears like mine will eat any old fish dish but that's hardly true, but the whitefish soup just was so divine. Ah- did you actually try the sate? I've heard such good things. My friend Mignonette tried it--"
Mignonette buries her face in her hands for a moment before looking up at Ida, then Ivan. "...Let's just start walking away. Last time she met these two, they made small talk for a literal hour."
"--oh, well, did you try the lotion? You really should try it--"
Mignonette buries her face in her hands again.
DG: Lorelei Calice has used her Tool Mignonette's Hot Tips toward her party's challenge, Dodging Excessively Long Tourist Conversations.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Ivan regrets the decision to approach Ratatoskr immediately because instead of getting anything that resembles an answer to his question, he is instead being shouted at with a chaotic jumble of words. He recoils in horror (Ivan's weaknesses include water and fast talking... and apparently also forcefully thrown blitzballs) and sort of falls back to where Ida is standing. "What's he talking about??" he asks, in case she understands.
Somewhere in here he also gets totally swindled by a fake priest. He doesn't even buy anything, he just hands over some gil and goes "Yeah, nevermind," while avoiding eye contact.
This becomes all the more awkward when Ida exposes the guy and runs him off. Ivan looks rather thoroughly embarassed by this turn of events. "How did you... ... did everybody know...? ...ah whatever!"
The group comes up on some talkative travelers, and Ivan looks downright intimidated by all of the effusive chatter going on. There's no need for him to participate in that, right?? Can he just kind of run away? Mignonette straight up suggests running (walking) away, and he looks to her, his expression serious and grateful.
"That sounds like an amazing idea."
DG: Ivan has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Dodging Excessively Long Tourist Conversations.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
Small talk happens. Aside from the general preference not to stick around out in the middle of the boonies for long when there's just so much to do after the whole Luca thing--
"Hyahaha--! Besaid is great..." Ratatoskr joins the small talk! Oh no.
"Do you know of the legendary Kagoro-no that rests within Besaid?!" The 'Ronso' who does not match the coloration nor shape of one says, eyes positively glowing with interest in the subject. "The largest Garuda known to Spira... reclusive to all, but it awaits the challenge of the bravest Blitzball-wielding warriors..."
There's that datapad again, full of obsessive details about its movements. Notes no one really needs, because that Garuda is well-known to be something one just does not casually provoke.
Such is the folly of an alien soldier who boasts regenerative abilities that make his own kind so difficult to kill. How many times has Ratatoskr been maimed by Kogoro-no?
He might extend the small talk past the projected hour.
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Corrupted Records toward his party's challenge, Dodging Excessively Long Tourist Conversations.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ivan approaches Ida, and asks a question. "Ratatoskr is a student of military history," she says. "He's... describing how he felt the Battle of Luca would've gone had the Crusaders participated meaningfully." It occurs to her that yes, that's a proper noun now, and no, the Crusaders are in no shape to participate in Spira's defense as they've done in the past. It's not a good feeling. Ida doubts Ivan wants to think on that earlier. "Tiny robots?" she asks, perhaps switching over to a topic that is less of a raw wound.
And then, tourists.
Ida has spent many long hours in parlor conversations she wanted no part of. Hours spent socializing with older relatives or family acquaintances, talking about business or society gossip or whatever her seniors felt was appropriate. Ida learned a lot from those, including ways to deal with people who won't stop talking while still saving face. She runs fingers along the multiool in her pocket, and feels a distinct pang of loneliness as she remembers who made it. The happy couple in front of her doesn't help.
Ida does her best to indulge them. She smiles and nods, interjecting with polite commentary. The key is to make the other person feel listened-to and appreciated, while still looking for an opening.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Multitool toward her party's challenge, Dodging Excessively Long Tourist Conversations.
===============================<* Besaid Trails *>================================
=========<* CHALLENGE - Dodging Excessively Long Tourist Conversations *>=========
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
Sometimes, people from elsewhere in Spira come to Besaid in search of the
quiet and calm of the small island. With a Temple here, religious
pilgrimages are not uncommon. Today, you find a pair of husbands who slow to
a stop and wave at you.
"Ho, there!"
"Fellow travelers, huh?"
"Do you have any tips on where to eat?"
"What's traffic at the Temple like?"
If you don't find a way to deflect them, they might well take up hours.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Tire============================================
==========================<* Besaid Trails - Round 3 *>=========================== ===========< Results - Dodging Excessively Long Tourist Conversations >=========== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Multitool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lorelei Calice 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Mignonette's Hot Tips 1 Wits Effects: Enlighten and Fanfare ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Corrupted Records 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ivan 10 --(3)--> 13 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------- Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Stupify(2)|Tire(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) ================================< Dream Chasers >=================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Ivan has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Besaid Trails *>=============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Jump Into the Ocean *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Sometimes, parts of the trails through Besaid Island are flooded out. Sometimes, there are no bridges, but every Spiran knows how to swim -- and if not, there are ropes along the canyon walls to drag oneself along. However, getting down into the water entails leaping into it. Try to not become a red smear on the rocks when you do! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lorelei Calice has posed.
There are a lot of things Lorelei Calice does not do well. That field does not include making small talk.
But Ida's arrival sets off a chain of events that may appear remarkable from the outside: It reminds Lorelei that all good things must come to an end.
"--Well!" the rosy-haired beastwoman says after about five minutes of chatter. "I'd definitely avoid Luca right now, alright? I'm sorry I can't stay and talk more about your cousins, but my friends and I are really on a bit of a schedule - isn't that just dreadful?" With a glance at Ida, Lorelei delicately touches the woman's shoulder, flashing her a fond smile. "--My friend Ida here really is wonderful company, though. Isn't she polite? Oho, isn't it true?! Well, we must be going--"
Soon enough, it's all wrapped up, and the senior Etone rests her hands at her hips, flashing Ida and Mignonette a broad smile once the husbands are out of earshot. "I know Mignonette thinks I'm a frivolous pest sometimes, but I thought that went quicker than it could have. It never hurts to be polite to those you meet along the road of life. Just one of the important lessons I've learned in my 21 years, ohoho~"
Lorelei has been 21 for quite a few years now.
"Let's continue," Mignonette sighs with a dip of her lashes.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"Uh, I see..." Ivan is somewhat relieved to have an interpretation from Ida about what Ratatoskr is on about, though his brow still knits as he wonders... why... that particular topic is worth shouting seemingly a million words about, to Ratatoskr. Ida, however, wants to know more about the tiny robots Ivan mentioned earlier.
"Uh...never mind about the tiny robots, I guess..." Ivan says. In his earlier enthusiasm to get an answer about the possibility of tiny robots, he hadn't anticipated multiple people taking an interest in the subject other than, and instead of, Ratatoskr. And you probably shouldn't loudly whisper about other people's tiny robots, come to think of it.
The party manages to escape a marathon conversation with other travelers (at one point Ivan tried to walk past them, got asked a question, and fled back from whence he came). However, no lasting harm comes to anyone from the extended chatter, not even Ivan, and they continue on their way.
What awaits them is a place where the trail appears to drop right off into the water, with a rather daunting jump awaiting anyone who wishes to swim to the next stretch of land, given that there are some rocks along the base of the ridge. Fortunately, there's also an elevation change in the trail continuing on, and anyone who manages to safely jump down into the water will at least be able to swim to the opposite shore without a corresponding steep climb back up to the trail.
The canyon wall continues alongside the gap, strung with a few ropes to aid in providing handholds. Which path appears more daunting is probably up to the individual, but Ivan has a clear preference, and beelines to the canyon wall, beginning to climb along it. He gives one of the ropes a testing tug, and summons his whip as backup, just in case it should give way.
DG: Ivan has used his Tool Whip toward his party's challenge, Jump Into the Ocean.
<Pose Tracker> Lorelei Calice has posed.
"I feel like I remember this jump," Lorelei muses as she stands on the edge of the trail, gazing down into the water far below. The senior Etone scratches her cheek with a pensive frown, gauging the distance across the gap to the other side of the trail. "...I feel like I made the jump last time. I have no idea how I did it. I could never jump that far."
"You boosted yourself." Mignonette steps up to Lorelei's right, gesturing out across the gap with a sweep of her hand. "It was extremely chancy and you were lucky to make it to the other side, Dame Calice. I'm not sure you could do it again."
With a huff, Lorelei crosses her arms. "Bother. Always taking the conservative approach, Min."
The bespectacled trainee shrugs. "Sometimes safe is better."
"Sometimes safe means you miss your chance." Lorelei's eyes track towards Ivan as he takes the path of trying the canyon ropes. She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, watching the young man's progress for a moment. "...He seems awfully withdrawn," she murmurs. "Poor fellow...."
With a sigh, Lorelei shrugs out of her overrobe, leaving her in her boots and the swimsuit-like vest and shorts combo beneath the garment. "Alright! Swimming it is!" she decides before sprinting towards the edge of the path. She hops, heels clicking against the path as she lands, using her momentum to spring up into a dramatic midair flip, converting it into a dive down into the water.
Pink hair breaks the surface in an arcing toss. With expert strokes, Lorelei begins to swim towards the far end of the path.
"Yeah, fuck that," mutters Mignonette as she joins Ivan in trying the ropes.
DG: Lorelei Calice has used her Tool Sassy Boots toward her party's challenge, Jump Into the Ocean.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
Ratatoskr probably helped in shortening things because is anyone going to take what might be confused for an Unsent Ronso-turned-Fiend as a reliable tour guide? He comes out of all of that refreshed and excited as ever as the party comes towards the trail with the drop into the water. Ratatoskr has been witnessed by some here as having the natural capability of gliding, and that would be the most direct and easy course for him to take.
He passes by the nostalgic waxing of Lorelei and her long-suffering assistant, crouches down on all fours, lifts up his tail, aaaand....!
Jumps onto the wall near where Ivan's climbing. A large rock falls and bounces off of his shoulder, claws digging into the rock as he slides down some. He recovers well enough.
"So what's this about tiny robots?" He asks as he crawls along after Ivan... then turning to face him, where he can see something dribbling out the side of his mouth. Looks like he might've bitten his cheek or something. With sharp teeth like that, he must do that all of the time.
...
The blood that seeps out the side of his mouth is almost the same color as a certain someone's in this lighting - maybe a bit lighter, but that doesn't change that it's some kind of silvery hue!!
"Why would I be made of tiny robots? Why would I be made of tiny robots!" He cackles. His part of the wall climbing route is getting slow, cumbersome, and boring and there's enough debris in the way that gliding's no longer an option, so he reaches from... somewhere... and grabs a weird crystalline-like device that doesn't look to be in the best shape.
It might make him flicker out of existence and deposit him somewhere else, but the universe may well judge to do it in a way to make it esepcially awkward or worrisome for Ivan's confidence in his route and choice of company!!
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Teleporter Fragment toward his party's challenge, Jump Into the Ocean.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida nods and smiles when Lorelei compliments her. She doesn't even tense up at the unexpected touch, though that last part takes effort. "It is," Ida says. Inwardly, she wonders if she's ever going to hit the point where she feels compelled to lie about her age. She realizes, a moment later, that she's still assuming she'll grow old like a normal person would. It's a sobering thought.
Then, the group comes to the bridge. "I have just the thing," Ida says. She lets out a breath, and tenses up, preparing to leap--the soles of her boots glow bright green, and a gust of wind rushes up beneath her. Ida leaps, and the wind carries her up, where she grabs hold of the rope next to Ivan and Ratatoskr.
Someone caught on to the 'tiny robots', she thinks.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Zephyr Boots toward her party's challenge, Jump Into the Ocean.
==============================<* Besaid Trails *>=============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Jump Into the Ocean *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Sometimes, parts of the trails through Besaid Island are flooded out. Sometimes, there are no bridges, but every Spiran knows how to swim -- and if not, there are ropes along the canyon walls to drag oneself along. However, getting down into the water entails leaping into it. Try to not become a red smear on the rocks when you do! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
=========================<* Besaid Trails - Round 4 *>========================== =======================< Results - Jump Into the Ocean >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Zephyr Boots 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lorelei Calice 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Sassy Boots 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Teleporter Fragment 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ivan 13 --(0)--> 13 Pass Whip 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Stupify(1)|Tire(1) Effects: Quicken(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Ratatoskr has drawn a new Challenge.
==================================================<* Besaid Trails *>===================================================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Besaid Man Needlessly Provokes Dangerous Wildlife *>===========================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
Besaid Island's largest Garuda is known as Kagoro-no, a beast of such
immense size that its wingspan is said to be larger than some bridges. The
islanders know well to never go too near Kagoro-no, much less draw its ire.
And yet, here we are.
Guba, the rejected Besaid Auroch, has made his way through the trail. He
bounces a blitzball off the ground -- /pth-wooooong/! -- and then gets ready
to clobber the legendary monster.
This is a bad idea.
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Stupify========================================
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"...Hey!" Ivan protests, as Ratatoskr leaps onto the wall behind him, shaking it and sending some rocks tumbling down. "Don't bring the cliff down on top of us!"
There is a follow-up question about tiny robots, and since Ratatoskr is asking, Ivan actually clarifies.
"I was wondering if you're full of them and that's why you're weirdly strong... what's so funny!"
Ratatoskr seems to be denying it, at any rate, but Ivan catches a glimpse of silvery blood-stuff coming out his mouth when he glances back at him over his shoulder, which earns a skeptical frown.
Many members of the group choose the drier route across the gap, with Mignonette and Ida joining Ivan and Ratatoskr in a journey of pulling themselves along via the ropes along the canyon wall and carefully choosing footing along jutting rocks.
Well... except that Ratatoskr seems to get bored with this approach midway through and teleports the rest of the way. While this does, in fact, startle Ivan, he manages to avoid dramatically falling off the cliff wall in surprise or anything similarly damaging to his already battered dignity.
Lorelei chooses the watery path. Luck (or careful aiming) is with her, and her acrobatic leap into the water will be remembered as a cool stunt, and not a fateful error that cuts her life tragically short at the tender age of, um, twenty one.
Anyway, everybody's fine!
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
There it is - higher up in the terrain towards the end of the commonly-trodden trail, a great Garuda sleeps. The uninitiated could confuse it for a hill, until one notices the hill is breathing. It's not a hill. Those are serrated-edged wings. That is a mouth full of sharp teeth. Those roots are scaled, taloned feet. It is not meant to be engaged by anyone people-sized. Even the largest and strongest among the common Drifter community - Ines and Talise - would be naught but playthings to it.
"There it is... higher up in the terrain... towards the end of this commonly-trodden trail...!" Ratatoskr starts. "A great Garuda sleeps..."
He grins ever wider. "Kagoro-no!" This is a great time to go 'Ratatoskr, no.' He is about to do exactly as one thinks, bounding up to it. "One of the finest training targets of the mighty Besaid Aurochs...!"
Kagoro-no knows about Ratatoskr and the latter doesn't even need to get too close for it to rise, scream its blood-curdling scream, and unfurl its colossal wings. They're longer than even the bridge over that gap of water would've been if there was a fully functional one.
Ratatoskr, dauntless before what should have been certain death the last few times he's come up to this thing, gets out that weird Hyadean datapad again.
"...How would it stack up against the Kilika Beasts...?" This is a weird thought to have before being rightfully torn apart limb-by-limb, when, suddenly...
A blitzball bounces behind the group.
It's Guba.
"Hey! Hey! That's Kagoro-no!" Guba says. "That thing's gonna... no, I'm sure it's already done... hey..." The forty-something meathead looks uncharacteristically exasperated. "You all gotta help me with this one...!"
No they don't.
"Luca's been taken by those Al'thens," that is not what they're called, "...with it, the biggest damn blow to the one thing I've always wanted to do, yeah? Play pro Blitz with the Aurochs. But..."
Guba starts to rear back his throwing arm. "That guy there, I've no idea what his deal is. Just came outta nowhere one day, thought he was a Fiend, so I threw the ball at him, and... ever since that? He's the only one who ever believed in me. Only one who ever really encouraged me... only one who wanted to go to Luca with me to watch the Aurochs play in that big game they won."
Guba, for all his faults - and he has many - at least has a good, comfy enough life in Besaid as the bedrock in which to enable to fixate upon a dream he will never get to fulfill. That's been his life day in, day out for years. Pick up a Blitzball before and after the day's work is done, and just throw it at anyone and anything. That the Besaid Aurochs never picked him up to play in the big leagues could not deter him.
He starts to prepare one of his infamous throws.
"Don't want Kagoro-no to take my best friend away from me after Luca...!" He's going to need help, if anyone's moved to see to the well being of at least two very bothersome individuals who have done nothing but complicate the lives and travels of everyone they've met.
"Hyahaha--!" Ratatoskr enters a fighting stance as the Garuda roars again. They're going to need to be fast or clever to put a stop to this, somehow!
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
...Ivan also thinks the enormous, unbeatable monster is a combat challenge, and can be seen looking at it with awe and trepidation that fade into quiet resolve. He rushes after Ratatoskr and Guba to join the fray, sparks of gathering fire flickering into his hands.
...Uh... really, just... apologies to all the more sensible members of the group.
DG: Ivan has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Besaid Man Needlessly Provokes Dangerous Wildlife.
<Pose Tracker> Lorelei Calice has posed.
Pulling herself out of the water, Lorelei makes sure to flick her hair back dramatically with an arch of her back, both hands on the soft grass as she draws herself forward.
"Must you," Mignonette murmurs with a dip of her lashes as she touches down not far from her senior Etone.
"Yes. I really must." Lorelei smiles, then wraps her arms around herself and gives herself a brisk shake, spraying droplets around her - and mostly hitting Mignonette. The trainee holds her arms out at her sides with a sigh.
Onward they trudge, towards the place where Kagoro-no sleeps. And soon enough, Ratatoskr perks up and gets it in his mind to provoke the Garuda.
Looking between Guba and Ratatoskr, Lorelei opens her mouth a little, then closes it. She remembers all too well the time Guba beaned her in the face with a Blitzball.
With a sigh, Lorelei rests her hands on the arches of her hips. "Min, as much as you dislike my lack of sense, even I'm not fool enough to provoke that Garuda. But...." She sighs and shakes her head before unshouldering something slung behind her. She tugs the sheet out from around it.
It's a long, silvery ARM with an extended scope mounted to it. Lifting the weapon, Lorelei loads a rectangular clip into it and tracks after Ratatoskr.
"He's Hyadean," Mignonette opines quietly. "Standard rounds won't do much to his physiology. Use the cyanoxinide."
"Right." Lorelei loads another, smaller clip, only a few bullets in it. She takes aim and opens fire.
There's a burst of energy, but what issues within it is a physical shell - an unusual round with a dart jutting from it. If it connects, the substance inside just might put Ratatoskr to sleep.
DG: Lorelei Calice has used her Tool Mignonette's Hot Tips toward her party's challenge, Besaid Man Needlessly Provokes Dangerous Wildlife.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Several things happen at once.
Ratatoskr starts gushing about the deadly, dangerous Fiend that roosts here. Kagoro-no responds as if summoned, all fury and terror. Guba displays actual concern for another human being. Only one of these is completely unexpected.
"Get back!" Ida shouts, to Guba--even though she realizes it's likely futile. "Ivan, get Ratat--" She trails off in mid-sentence as she realized she looked at Ivan and started talking to his back, rather than his face. There's no way she can rescue all three of them at once, but she might be able to deal with the garuda...
The sun shines, high overhead. Ida gets an idea. She grits her teeth, and pulls a small, metal object from her pocket. She unfolds three tools: a knife-blade, a hacksaw, and a bottle-opener, all shined up and in immaculate condition. Ida angles them so they catch the rays of the sun, and then--perhaps remembering one of those puzzles that require this sort of technique--tries to blind the swooping garuda. By itself, it's not enough.
And then something goes pulse in the palm of Ida's hand. White heat condenses on the blade of the multitool, too bright for her to look at directly. But is it good enough to blind the Fiend?
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Multitool toward her party's challenge, Besaid Man Needlessly Provokes Dangerous Wildlife. DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Corrupted Records toward his party's challenge, Besaid Man Needlessly Provokes Dangerous Wildlife.
==================================================<* Besaid Trails *>===================================================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Besaid Man Needlessly Provokes Dangerous Wildlife *>===========================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
Besaid Island's largest Garuda is known as Kagoro-no, a beast of such
immense size that its wingspan is said to be larger than some bridges. The
islanders know well to never go too near Kagoro-no, much less draw its ire.
And yet, here we are.
Guba, the rejected Besaid Auroch, has made his way through the trail. He
bounces a blitzball off the ground -- /pth-wooooong/! -- and then gets ready
to clobber the legendary monster.
This is a bad idea.
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Stupify========================================
=============================================<* Besaid Trails - Round 5 *>============================================== ============================< Results - Besaid Man Needlessly Provokes Dangerous Wildlife >============================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Multitool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lorelei Calice 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Mignonette's Hot Tips 1 Wits Effects: Enlighten and Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Corrupted Records 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ivan 13 --(5)--> 18 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------< Party >-------------------------------------------------------- Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 80 --(35)--> 115 Pass Conditions: Injure(1)|Reckless(2)|Stupify(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) ===================================================< Dream Chasers >====================================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has successfully explored Besaid Trails!
==================================================<* Besaid Trails *>===================================================
=================================<* CHALLENGE - O'aka Donation - Fresh Gysahl Greens *>=================================
|Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 |
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
As you near the exit of the trails, you find a slightly different bush than
the rest. The Gysahl bush grows the common food of the chocobo, Spira's
ever-present horsebirds: the gysahl greens. One could make some clippings
and sell these...
But you recall something heard on the boat ride to Besaid. Isn't a merchant
named O'aka looking for a Gysahl bush?
Please visit the following wiki page and update the current donation!
https://dreamchasers.space/O%27aka_Support_Fund
=Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
This will not end well.
This doesn't end well.
Kagoro-no roars one more time, takes to the air, and primes those deadly taloned claws. Not one of them could stand in a straight fight against this thing, but the lot of them (by and large) think on their feet, and on the tippy-toes of their lives.
The tips of the bullets in question are nowhere near as high in temperature as Mignonette's are, but Lorelei's shots hit true as they bury into Ratatoskr's open back and get to work in tranquilizing him. He flops over just as the Garuda starts to sweoop. Split-second decision one.
Ida flashes a light in the sight of the single scariest thing Besaid has to offer, and it turns out sight is one of the senses it relies on most. The Garuda sweoops... at just a high enough elevation to mostly pass overhead. Split-second decision two.
Ivan dares to charge into this head on anyway, and a talon leaves a gash against Ivan's flame-gathering hand... which threatens to knock him off balance and down the trail a ways, down into...
Foliage. Guba rushes to Ratatoskr. Those two deserve one another - Ivan is of greater concern, and should the others choose to pursue him, they'll find that he has safely landed in the soft embrace of large, healthy bushes in which to prevent a grisly end. Which is good!
The Garuda continues to scream as it flies off to go somewhere where it'll not be bothered, and doesn't loop back. Taking in a whiff, they will all recognize this smells exactly like what they feed the local horsebirds.
Gysahl greens. This is a bush that grows the stuff! With Luca overtaken and several trade routes disrupted... think of the amount of economic influence one could attain by harvesting and growing clippings from this very bush! (Or the cute, tiny chocobo chick(s) one could feed from it.)
Think of how many copies of the Life and Times of Lord Mi'ihen one could buy with this!