2020-10-30: Just Otherworlder Things
- Log: Just Otherworlder Things
- Cast: Yulie Ahtreide, Seraph Lanval, Josephine Lovelace, Aster Croft
- Where: The Calm Lands
- Date: October 30, 2020
- Summary: Sometimes, you rent a chocobo. Sometimes the chocobo rents... you? Is that how this works? In other words, some Otherworlders cause some chaos on the Calm Lands.
DG: A party led by Yulie Ahtreide is now entering The Calm Lands - Plains. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================= =====================<* CHALLENGE - Ride That Chocobo *>====================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Calm Lands are exactly that - a wide expanse of rolling plains, marred only by the Scar to the north. While one could certainly travel on foot, it's generally deemed the more expedient plan to travel via chocobo. ...Luckily for you, there's a stable close at hand! For a reasonable fee, the stablehands will rent you a chocobo to cross the plains in style. Of course, first -- especially if you've never ridden chocobo before -- you need to adjust to your feathery steed and its potential quirks. If you're going to take a spill, you might as well do it now! BGM: Calm Lands -- oh, wait, it was overridden immediately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRncf6mcKJI =Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.
The Calm Lands - the wide, rolling plans between Macalania Forest and Mount Gagazet. They're quite lovely, but their immense size means that getting anywhere on foot, while possible, is an exhausting affair. The only real answer, then, is a vehicle or mount.
Fortunately, there's a chocobo stable in the center of the Calm Lands! Some may be looking to cross the Calm Lands at speed, and some may be looking for a more efficient way to comb the Calm Lands for treasure, while yet others might have their own purpose. Whatever the case is, your adventure starts here.
For Yulie... it's a more simple matter. To be truthful, the idea of getting an opportunity to ride a big bird, fluffy with feathers, was just really tempting. And so, the day finds Yulie atop a chocobo. She just wishes the others could have come, too.
At the moment, Yulie and her chocobo are going through the recommended exercises around the training paddock just outside the stables, set up for prospective riders to get used to the experience before setting out into the wilds.
...This is her first time riding a chocobo, though, so undoubtedly it isn't going to be the most graceful one.
DG: Yulie Ahtreide has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ride That Chocobo.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
SOME TIME AGO
Fox Company does a Fox Company business around the Calm Lands. It is vague in nature but something that happened! One of their number - a Water Seraph that goes by Lanval - basically slept through most of it on the back of their chocobo. Whatever business happened, at some point the chocobo with Lanval riding it takes off towards another stable with him still on it. It's, uh, an event. Once someone notices.
NOW
There is, by appearances, an obese long-bearded middle-aged man with silvery hair and a very long beard of equally silvery quality (aside from aquamarine at the tips) being dragged across the nearby stable, dragged with a bare foot caught within the riding saddle and leaving behind a trail of water everywhere he's dragged. To the mortal and the corporeal, this is excruciatingly painful and wince-inducing to watch!
"Ha ha ha!" Except they're laughing. "Weeee...!"
It is not clear if the chocobo is all that aware of what's going on. The horsebirds they've raised and utilized here tend to be a lot better behaved about this sort of thing!
A nearby stable slaps themselves in the face, dragging said hand downwards as they watch this. "Otherworlders..."
DG: Seraph Lanval has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Ride That Chocobo.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Long story short, Bevelle wasn't a good place to be anymore. If the long stint in their cells hadn't taught Josie that, the chaos both in Via Purifico and outside it had been the clincher. So she'd said her farewells, such that they were, to Ines and Lemina, and then made tracks.
Contacting Odessa might be a risky proposition at this exact moment. Her only goal is to get somewhere isolated, lay low, then take stock of things.
But...
The Calm Lands ended up being a little bit more isolated than she'd thought possible, even in Spira. Fortunately, before far too long-- there's a chocobo stable!
It just seems like she's not the only one here, though. Raising a pale eyebrow, Josie eyes the Seraph astride his... well, steed? and hands over payment for her own.
Sitting astride the chocobo now, Josie urges the bird onwards, her ability to exert control over it limited by the fact that she only has one functional hand.
"Goin' somewhere nice?" she drawls, towards Lanval and Yulie.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ride That Chocobo.
<Pose Tracker> Aster Croft has posed.
Someone has been watching, waiting for their chance. The chaos of the chocobo coming in seemingly without a rider was a good chance for that, however! Plans have been enacted, and several black balls of smoke impact around the stables!
And then a figure runs through the smoke. Glowing red eyes make just the skeletal head of Aster and her Steel Skeleton visible as she dashes in to hop on the 'stray' chocobo!
At first, the Chocobo seems less than willing to let them ride them, but a small pat to the side of the head and whispered word into its ear gets it setting off quickly! ... ... ... Then aster notices something. Her foot is not on the stirrup. No. It's on another foot instead. "..." The 'monster' reaches down with a pickaxe to hook the clothing of the Seraph, and drag them up off of the ground. Onto the chocobo.
"Terribly sorry about this, but you're evidently being kidnapped along with this chocobonapping."
Aaaand they're off!
DG: Aster Croft has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ride That Chocobo.
========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================= =====================<* CHALLENGE - Ride That Chocobo *>====================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Calm Lands are exactly that - a wide expanse of rolling plains, marred only by the Scar to the north. While one could certainly travel on foot, it's generally deemed the more expedient plan to travel via chocobo. ...Luckily for you, there's a stable close at hand! For a reasonable fee, the stablehands will rent you a chocobo to cross the plains in style. Of course, first -- especially if you've never ridden chocobo before -- you need to adjust to your feathery steed and its potential quirks. If you're going to take a spill, you might as well do it now! BGM: Calm Lands -- oh, wait, it was overridden immediately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRncf6mcKJI =Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
===================<* The Calm Lands - Plains - Round 1 *>==================== =======================< Results - Ride That Chocobo >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yulie Ahtreide 0 --(21)--> 21 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Lanval 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aster Croft 0 --(21)--> 21 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Yulie Ahtreide 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1) Effects: ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Yulie Ahtreide 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: Seraph Lanval has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================== ============================<* CHALLENGE - Bees!! *>============================ |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One moment, you're just enjoying life in general, trotting across the Calm Lands on chocobo-back. Can't get better than this! The next minute you hear the buzzing. Bad luck -- you disturbed the nest of the Calm Lands bee! There is an absolutely enormous cloud forming behind you. Now is the time to see how fast this chocobo can run. =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.
It's a bit of a learning experience, riding a chocobo. That's something Yulie becomes acutely aware of. There's a lot of different things to take into consideration as compared to riding a horse... and, come to think, she's never actually had the opportunity to do even that. She's only ever read about it. That means she might take a few tumbles she might otherwise not have.
Things are pretty uneventful, though. A calm day in the Calm Lands. ...At least until attention starts to turn to someone being dragged around by their chocobo. Confused, Yulie urges her chocobo over to see what's going on and if she can help... only to see that said someone is apparently having a really good time...?
"...Excuse me, mister, are... you okay...?" Yulie asks, confused. It doesn't... look like he's hurt. And the chocobo isn't very distressed by it, either - they seem to be going along with it just because he seems to be enjoying it so much.
And, that's when she hears a voice addressing her.
"Oh, no, I was just-" She starts, and pauses as she turn to see the person who spoke. Yulie freezes mid-sentence, subconsciously gripping the reins tightly. Her chocobo paces in place nervously, perhaps sensing her tension. "O-Oh... it's you."
She recognizes Josie, from the Warwing Varukias. She'd probably already be a bit suspicious of her - she always tends to be, around adults - but the fact that she was one of the people who were trying to abduct her...
Well, her reaction is probably to be expected.
"...Are you..." Yulie starts, grasping the reins as she looks about for an exit.
And it's about this time that a nearby smoke bomb goes off, and both Lanval and chocobo find themselves kidnapped!! Aster leaps onto the chocobo amidst the confusion and begins to escape from the scene... but not so quickly as to not get spotted.
"O-oh! Wait! Please come back! You shouldn't steal chocobos! Or kidnap people...!" Yulie pleads, turning her chocobo around and beginning to give chase!
...It's instinctive, more than anything, as she realises right as she gives her chocobo the order that she realises she's not exactly she's sure what she'll... do, if she catches up and the thief isn't willing to cooperate...
Josie, meanwhile, even with one hand will find that these chocobos are fairly tame, and will easily cooperate with whatever she asks of it even with only one hand to use.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
Aster may have something strange dawn upon her as she hoists Lanval up. The person she just kidnapped has all the appearance of being extremely overweight. The Steel Skeleton is probably no lightweight itself... but the chocobo she's kidnapped is still holding up just fine.
He doesn't feel like he weighs much to however she's gripped him, as he's deposited in the back side of the saddle awkwardly, facing outward. That, and there's this overpowering aura of... water. Water, in all forms great and not. The stench of alcohol. And, of course... mirth. A presence, of some sort, a great one.
"Mmmmph... Talise? Layna? Sephy?" He stirs, as he asks the names as he looks out to see Josie greet him. None of the people he calls the names of say anything. "...Kidnappin', huh," he says to this strange new acquaintance of his. "Mmmm.... ha ha ha! Kidnappin'...!" He's... being a good sport about it? It sounds kind of mocking, but, he seems to oblige. "I have no idea where we're goin'... but okay..."
Where they're going is, of course, across the Calm Lands. Sure, there's a whole lot of uncertainties and stresses in the air following the events of Bevelle... but it's an incredible view. Unspoiled land, aside from the various scars of Sin exerting their wrath here and there. So many creatures - most of them Fiends, but shh - and even the close buzzing of bees. Say hello to the bees! The bees are coming by to greet the lot of them for stopping by and setting foot where they like to nest.
They like to say hello with stingers, all at once! It's very... friendly, by some perspectives. (Theirs is not one of them.)
Lanval's response to it is to just relax, breathe deep from a fancy kiseru-style smoking pipe from the back - being ever chill about being kidnapped - where it turns out it doesn't blow smoke. It blows bubbles! Lots and lots of bubbles, some big enough to envelop large swaths of the Calm Lands bee cloud.
But that may not be enough to avoid all the friendly, tiny, sharply spoken greetings.
DG: Seraph Lanval has used his Tool Bubble Pipe toward his party's challenge, Bees!!.
<Pose Tracker> Aster Croft has posed.
"I'm afraid being poor made it necessary! Besides they set up here to charge more money because people are desperate for easier travel!" Is the only justification shouted back to Yulie as Aster snaps the reins of the chocobo to urge it to go faster, though... more gentle than she probably has to so she's probably not getting particularly far ahead of the party! In fact they're probably starting to catch up!
Except for the Seraph of course. Who is already caught up. And sitting behind her. "Unfortunately, I'm not one of your friends." Aster comments back towards Lanval. Aaaaand then he's lazily smoking that bubble pipe. Whelp, clearly he's not focused on Aster! And he seems super light, even with him sitting to the back of her. And being very... jolly. Like some sort of mythical winter figure of some sort!
Except he smells. Like.... too many things. And it's confusing Aster's nose. Her response? Pull a bit of cloth over it. It does very little to reduce the smell, but it makes her feel better at least.
Wait... buzzing? Oh no, buzzing. Aster fumbles around for a stick of dynamite, but can't get ahold of any in her current position, and opts to instead snap the reins a bit harder, this time to get her chocobo going even faster! "WATCH OUT, BEES!" She calls out towards everyone else, to make sure they know about the danger. In spite of them giving chase after her. This is probably fine, right?
DG: Aster Croft has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bees!!.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Oh, that's right, the last time they met, Yulie had been in a bit of a pickle, courtesy of Josie's once and current compatriot, Scythe Riebaure.
Or, as she used to know him, Casey Planck. He's really gone all-in on the gothic motif, huh.
So it might come as some surprise -- maybe -- to Yulie that Josie doesn't descend upon her and hoist her off into the wilderness, cackling merrily. Instead, she simply smiles at her crookedly and gives her a wink that really can only be called 'saucy'.
"How's it hangin'," she remarks to the Paladienne. "Good work, not dyin' in that crash or none. I guess I see what they're after, eh?"
And then a smoke bomb goes off, before this can get any more awkward for any of them. "What the--"
Staring after Lanval, his hijacker/kidnapper(Seraphnapper?) and then with a glance over at Yulie, Josie shrugs and with out further ado, heads on after.
"Guess you're going my way after all!"
Of course, the other thing that's heading their way is...
Well, the bees.
Josie cranes her head to look back over her shoulder, gazing at the sudden buzzing sound following them all.
"...Fengalon's teeth."
She promptly urges the chocobo onwards, hoping she doesn't have the misfortune of a sluggish one. "Right, then! Time to get out of here!" she calls, hoping the bubbles help with the bulk of the problem. ...If the chocobos can't, that is.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bees!!.
<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.
That wink really just makes things worse. ...For Yulie, anyway, Josie's probably having a good time. She can't really meet Josie's eyes on her comment about what they're after, but fortunately the ensuing chaos means that she doesn't have to try to come up with a response.
...But, it looks like Josie's going after them, too, which heaps more awkwardness onto this awkward situation.
"...It... it looks like it..." Yulie replies unevenly. The only alternative would be to not to, and if even if she hasn't come up with a solution yet, that's not an answer, either. And then, they're off!
Aster is poor, huh...? Yulie can sympathise with that a little, but...
"That's no excuse for kidnapping, though...!" Yulie calls back to Aster, continuing the chase. That part is a little personal.
It's a frantic chase through the Calm Lands on chocobo-back. It would be nice, if it was just them and their chocobos... but, as it turns out, the local wild-life isn't exactly pleased to be disturbed by their antics.
Soon enough, they've disturbed an entire hive of Calm Lands bee! Yulie... can really only hunker down as best she can, covering anything vital while mentally going over the processes for treating bee stings with Crest Sorcery. Chances are good that she isn't getting out of this unscathed.
DG: Yulie Ahtreide has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bees!!.
=========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================== ============================<* CHALLENGE - Bees!! *>============================ |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One moment, you're just enjoying life in general, trotting across the Calm Lands on chocobo-back. Can't get better than this! The next minute you hear the buzzing. Bad luck -- you disturbed the nest of the Calm Lands bee! There is an absolutely enormous cloud forming behind you. Now is the time to see how fast this chocobo can run. =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
====================<* The Calm Lands - Plains - Round 2 *>===================== ==============================< Results - Bees!! >============================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yulie Ahtreide 21 --(18)--> 39 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josephine Lovelace 5 --(18)--> 23 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seraph Lanval 5 --(5)--> 10 Pass Bubble Pipe 3 Agility Effects: Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aster Croft 21 --(18)--> 39 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Yulie Ahtreide 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Injure(2) Effects: ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Yulie Ahtreide 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: Aster Croft has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================= ======================<* CHALLENGE - Shifting Crates *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Nobody lives in the Calm Lands -- nobody, save the service industry for those heading towards Macalania or Gagazet, that is. A few way inns dot the plains, and while you stop off at one to take a rest and check your bearings, you're immediately approached by the proprietors, who say they need a little help. Apparently their usual laborer threw out his back, and they need some modestly heavy crates shuffled from outside to inside. You're willing to help, aren't you? =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Tire=============================================
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
The bees that slip through are gaining. At lest one chocobo shrieks from getting a sting, and when one chocobo starts shrieking, it doesn't take long for any of the other horsebirds to get overly excited by cues of danger and start violently flapping their wings and thrash about. It's a bumpy ride! The Calm Lands must be named after some of the boldest lies this side of a provocative rug!
...But the bubbles continue to blow, enveloping huge chunks of the cloud of bees. Even the ones that pop see those bees repulsed, as bees - as a rule - generally do not like getting drenched. There's still matters of chocobos panicking for a short while, but by and large the lot of them get out of it uninjured and still on chocobo-back. Who knows what the hell direction any of them are going, but they're still going and that's the most important bit here.
"Mmmm... have ya thought 'bout a ranshom?" Lanval asks of his not-friend. "I got a shuggeshtion, if ya ever shee... shaaaaay... a big ol' half-Beastwoman," that's awfully specific to point out the 'half-' part, "'n a pirate captain, 'n a shmart girl, 'n a big ol' fox... ashk ferrrrrrr.... the Quartermaster's Stash!" The what? "It'sh great booze! ...yer gonna wanna give me the bottle firsht, sho I can tell ya if it'sh the real deal. Ha ha ha!"
Lanval's having a great laugh of it all, but as one eye opens half-lidded, he can see Yulie's building nervousness - he did hear her call out from behind when they were first setting out, and there's an undeniable tension behind Josephine's smirk. (To say nothing of the poor horsebirds who just had themselves a bit of a scare.)
"...Shomethin' wrong?" Lanval asks of the both of them, which is funny to ask since he's technically being kidnapped.
...The journey continues, such as it were.
<Pose Tracker> Aster Croft has posed.
"I wasn't looking for a party for this journey!" Aster calls towards Josie, shaking her head a bit. Nope, not a fan of this! She just wanted a chocobo, not to kidnap someone and steal a chocobo!
"The kidnapping was accidental! I didn't notice him at first. ... Somehow. I'm not keeping them! Probably!" She can't control if he follows or clings to her or something! Which would be weird, why would he do that?
...Aaand he's suggesting ransoming him to some people. Uh. Huh. Hm. That's a thought. "...I mean, maybe. ... That's a thought." She muses towards Lanval. "So you're willing to do this? Hm. Well, this isn't a kidnapping anymore then!" She calls out loudly enough that hopefully the other two can hear her! "We're partners in very minor crime now!" That makes it better, right? Hopefully better enough that they can rest their chocobos.
Because the chocobos are starting to get more than a little tired from the scare and the hard riding that was being given to them in response to the events. Not to mention the party's rear ends from being jostled around!
As they approach the inn, Aster slows down to stop at the inn, where the proprieters begin to approach the party. "Hail! You all seem like an energetic and strong lot! Would you care to give us a bit of help in trade for resting here for a while before continuing on your journey?" The Proprieter offers. And... Aster, in spite of being chased, responds with. "You know what... sure." It should be easy and quick enough with her steel skeleton. She turns to carefully grab Lanval and help him down from the chocobo, before climbing off herself.
She reaches to press a button on the side of the metal, which causes six limbs to extend from the backpack, and a series of 8 metal ribs to snap rather viciously into place over Aster's chest. Aster doesn't seem to respond, but it sounds and LOOKS painful, to be honest. Finally, metal plates slide over those ribs, covering Aster with some semblance of protection. "Where are the boxes?" She asks the now-spooked proprieter.
"Uh... over there." The owner says, pointing at several rather heavy looking boxes. Which Aster moves over to start grabbing with the large metal claws on the end of the metal exoskeleton's arms, lifting them with likely relative ease to get the boxes moved to where they need to be.
DG: Aster Croft has used her Tool Digging Claw toward her party's challenge, Shifting Crates.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
If she has taken notice of Yulie's distress, Josie sure doesn't show any sign of it, that smile lingering on her lips as she trots on along after the younger girl, as easy as you please.
Nevermind the fact that Lanval might have gotten kidnapped over there, maybe.
The good news with the bees, meanwhile, is that neither Josie nor her faithful steed have gotten stung. It's not the most comfortable or calm series of seconds, no, but--
"Guess I owe you one again, eh, Lanval?" she calls out, then, shortly after his kidnapper (??) shouts that this is all an accident, that it's not a kidnapping, and is in fact completely fine and normal outside the minor theft that's taken place (of a chocobo), Josie responds with,
"Well, don't that beat all." Rolling her shoulders in a shrug, she's one of a kind to join the ex-not-really-a-kidnapper at the approaching way in, sliding out of her saddle and taking a good, much-needed stretch.
"So, got a name, honey?" she asks Aster, tilting her head the other's way.
They're not here long before the inn's owner, seeing an opportunity, approaches the lot of them.
"Really? Don't suppose you'll pay us a few coin or none. Could use a few more in my pocket, eh?"
But whether there's money to be had or not, she ambles on over and regards the boxes... and Aster. "Nice toy you there. Don't suppose you'd fancy me takin' a look at it?" She, meanwhile, has produced a mattock, which she uses to onehandedly push one of the crates along.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Shifting Crates.
<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.
Yulie might get out okay, but her chocobo doesn't. There's some worried shrieks, but Yulie quickly murmurs some soothing words to it and draws out a Crest Graph, casting a healing spell over it. This helps calm the bird back down and get things back under control.
Lanval and Aster apparently have conversation, with the latter raising her voice loud enough for the rest of them to hear.
"I'm... not sure he's in the best state of mind to make decisions like that. He sounds a little... um. Inebriated..." Yulie points out. ...Was that rude? She feels a little rude, saying that. Should she apologize to him...? Of course, she doesn't realise that Lanval's always like that.
And Lanval asks if there's something wrong. Yulie sends a glance Josie's way. ...She could tell the truth, about why she's so worried, but... if she did, it might cause problems.
"...N-no, I'm just... a little nervous around strangers. I'm sorry if I worried you..." Yulie replies apologetically. ...It's not technically inaccurate, in that it is a true fact but not entirely the truth of the current situation.
It's not long, however, before they all find themselves wrapped up... in a box-pushing minigame! Yulie... is not particularly strong, but she can contribute at least.
"Um... hold on." Yulie says, rummaging through her coat before drawing out a gem with an earthy orange color. It might be familiar to those who regularly use Sorcery as a gem of crystallized elemental energy that often appears after battle in which those elements have been used. She focuses for a moment on it, drawing the energy from it and directing it toward the nearest box. She's attempting a weak push - it's more effective than using her own arms.
...She just hopes she doesn't break the box outright.
It is only after she does this, however, that she realises the absurdity of the situation - a chase sequence paused by all parties to help push boxes - and finds herself momentarily bewildered. ...How did things end up like this...?
DG: Yulie Ahtreide has used her Tool Magic Gem toward her party's challenge, Shifting Crates.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
"Mmmm... it'sh fine..." Lanval remarks to Josie. He may not be fully aware of where her allegiances lie now, or it could just be a baseline sort of courtesy he's more than willing to give.
"I'm alwaysh drinkin', yep," that may not assuge anyone's fears about his fitness to make decisions! As Yulie clarifies her nervousness, he scratches away at his chin. "Mmmm... it'sh all right..."
Now they are at a place where they can rest after work!
Lanval doesn't resist being picked up and put down. Holding him is weird, in the sense that Aster can tell and feel that he's there and yet a distinct weightlessness that feels like he... isn't. It's tough to describe. He takes the idea that they're now partners in minor crime in all due stride, a dumb cat-like smile widening as if this were the beginnings of a truly clever plan.
...He's sure they're worried about him, though. He figures he'll reunite with them soon enough. He does remember that the chocobos, left to their own devices, do go along set routes so that they are never 'lost' from where they should be unless something eats them.
"I'm gonna resht here right now," Lanval says on the ground, allowing Aster to take up the bulk of the hard work. And the bulk of the easy work. Really, all of the work. He seems perfectly fine with lying around on the ground outdoors.
One eye opens half-lidded again as he looks to the outline of the Blue Star above - Filgaia - and takes a drink from his gourd with a long, deep sigh. The drinking gourd doesn't look it, but there is a great weight carried in there. He holds it with all care and caution even with his carefree nature - interrupted only by hearing the sounds of Aster looking like she's turning into some upright metal spider or something. It reminds him to a point of someone else he considers a dear friend, but... it doesn't look like it's the same sort of deal with her, to his senses.
Still doesn't compel him to get up and help move boxes around, though. If she's going to have six extra arms, far as he cares, that means three can rest too! The math adds up!
DG: Seraph Lanval has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Shifting Crates.
========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================= ======================<* CHALLENGE - Shifting Crates *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Nobody lives in the Calm Lands -- nobody, save the service industry for those heading towards Macalania or Gagazet, that is. A few way inns dot the plains, and while you stop off at one to take a rest and check your bearings, you're immediately approached by the proprietors, who say they need a little help. Apparently their usual laborer threw out his back, and they need some modestly heavy crates shuffled from outside to inside. You're willing to help, aren't you? =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Tire=============================================
===================<* The Calm Lands - Plains - Round 3 *>==================== ========================< Results - Shifting Crates >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yulie Ahtreide 39 --(3)--> 42 Pass Magic Gem 2 Brute Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 23 --(3)--> 26 Pass Well-Used Mattock 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Lanval 10 --(3)--> 13 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aster Croft 39 --(3)--> 42 Pass Digging Claw 3 Brute Effects: Rally ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Yulie Ahtreide 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Injure(1)|Tire(2)|Weaken(2) Effects: Strengthen(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Yulie Ahtreide 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: Josephine Lovelace has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - The Big Bad Wolves *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- They stand out on the plains -- ahead of you, you can see the manifestation of several Fiends. Skills, a lupine Fiend, to judge by the look of them. The good news is that they haven't seen you yet, which means you'll get the drop on them. The only downside is that they're just the sort of thing that would make a chocobo flinch. You'll need to move quickly and break things to handle this encounter before it goes south! =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Tire==============================================
<Pose Tracker> Aster Croft has posed.
Between the pushing of the Mattock, the lifting of the large exoskeleton, and the magical movement of the boxes, the party gets the job done as quickly as possible! It still takes a little bit, though. Long enough for the proprieters to treat their chocobo's stings and give them a good rest before they continue on their journey. "Thank you for your help!" The proprieter responds. The negotiation from Josie also gets a small reward for her. "Alright after the discount from you helping out and the cost of taking care of your chocobos, your total payment is 10 gil." Yep. Totally worth it, right?
Uh... crap. A name. Uhhhh. Uuuuuuhhhhmmmm. "...You can call me the Tombraider. And uh... maybe sometime in the future on looking at my exoskeleton." Aster responds to Josie after a way-too-long pause. This alias probably won't stick, especially since literally any digger could probably call themselves that. Yep. But for now, it's what Aster gives since she doesn't want to give out her actual name! Ugh! It's easier when she's just stealing from people, not talking to them!
"He's... uhm... totally in the right frame of mind! See? He's not running away!" Is Aster's response to Yulie, as she releases the controls of her Steel Skeleton to hit another button. The legs and four arms disconnect and retreat back into the oversized metal backpack, and Aster moves to begin helping Lanval back up onto the returned chocobo. "You are strangely light, by the way. It's very peculiar." Aster comments towards Lanval as she helps him up, probably unnecessarily. Once again, she moves to sit in the front on the chocobo to let Lanval be free to use his gadgets and such!
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
She watches Yulie for a moment, head cocked to one side, as if wondering herself if Yulie is about to spill her guts to Lanval. But instead, Yulie appears to hedge on the matter, prompting the wayward archaeologist to give her a big old wink coupled with a thumbs-up.
It'll just be their little secret. ...Until the next time someone decides they really ought to snatch up Yulie for one of Odessa's interests or another.
Josie's reward for some good old fashioned 'pushing around boxes' is--
A cool ten gil. The look in her eyes might say 'really', but Josie herself cracks a lopsided grin. "Take what I can get!" she says, pocketing what really amounts to 'loose change'.
"Remind me not to rent a room 'round here," she remarks to the others, as she saddles up once more. "Gouge you as soon as look at you."
Meanwhile, there's her new friend! "'Tombraider', eh? Reminds me of my work, some days! ...The name's Josephine, Josephine Lovelace. But don't you let me catch you callin' me 'Miss Lovelace' now -- it's Josie or nothing!"
Urging her chocobo onwards, she sets out at a fair trot, apparently interested in putting ground between herself and that way inn. It's just too bad that their advance -- or their mounts more accurately -- don't go unnoticed.
There are Fiends in them hills, and here they come, none-too-stealthily at that.
"Oh for," Josie utters, shaking her head. "I ain't nearly drunk enough for this shit." Releasing her grasp on her reins just long enough, she fumbles for something in her pocket. Unscrewing the cap of the item -- a flask -- she takes a good mouthful before pocketing it again. "Right! Now eat this! Bolt Lance!" she shouts, drawing on her own Symbology to hurl with her good hand a crackling javelin of electricity for one of the wolves.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Liquid Courage toward her party's challenge, The Big Bad Wolves.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
Lanval looks up as Aster mentions 'exoskeleton.' He misunderstands the word. Ex skeleton? But she's not undead. How can you be a former skeleton? It's worth another drink, which he's pulled out of as the 'Tombraider' picks him back up.
"Light? 'm waterrrr..." Lanval slurs the correction as he's picked up and dumped back on chocobo-back. This may come off as mere drunken rambling. (It is, but also it's the truth.)
The journey continues to another potential dangerous roadblock - prowling lupine Fiends. They call this place the 'Calm Lands' and they're still lousy with Fiends. It's not very calm at all. "You ain't?" He looks to Josie. "Mmm, good thing I am..." There's some ambient giggling, but that dies down a bit as things look to get serious. There's already lightning being flung about, and they're on some flighty easy-to-scare horsebirds. He sits up, takes a bottle of Holy Water - a popular and common 'mainland' Lunarian monster repellant that seems to work on a whole lot of creatures - and pours some of the contents inside of his drinking gourd. "Heyyyy... Tombraider, ain't it? Gonna ashk ya ta lower yer head a li'l..."
He takes the attached rope in both hands, hoists it up high with a grunt of exertion, and starts whirling it like one a mace. From within, the shining white water of the Holy Bottle starts spraying everywhere.
It's to set a hard line to try and prevent the Skolls from coming towards them. If for some reason it might actually physically hit something or someone... despite its size, the impact of it would rank as a 'yes,' and also an 'ouch.'
He's not trying to, though. He's just spreading Holy Bottle water all over the place.
DG: Seraph Lanval has used his Tool Holy Bottle toward his party's challenge, The Big Bad Wolves.
<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.
Yulie gets a wink and a thumbs-up! ...In any other situation she'd be proud of this, but from Josie right now it just causes her to shudder and feel like she did something wrong. But the alternative... well, that didn't seem any better.
"Ah... you're welcome." Yulie says with a polite bow to the proprietor. She looks up as Aster gives her alias... and when she claims that Lanval is totally in his right mind, she just sends her a skeptical frown, not helped along by Lanval's assurance that he is, in fact, always drinking.
And that's when they get going again. ...At this point, it feels less like a chase and more like she's just going along to make sure that Aster or someone else doesn't hurt Lanval or the chocobo until they're set loose.
To that end, when they're suddenly beset by the skolls, Yulie elects to hang back. It's not that she doesn't want to fight - it's that she has a much more effective way to help them.
"With Calucion's blessing...!" Yulie entreats. One hand grasps a Crest Graph, and the other takes hold of a holy symbol of the Paladienne Order. It doesn't have any real powers of its own, but does have a calming influence on her. As she invokes the Crest Graph a warm light settles over the others, providing healing for both themselves and their mounts.
DG: Yulie Ahtreide has used her Tool Holy Symbol toward her party's challenge, The Big Bad Wolves.
<Pose Tracker> Aster Croft has posed.
"S...sure Josie." Aster responds to the ex-kidnapper/new friend(?). "...And... uh... yeah it kind of fits being a digger to a T, huh?" Aster says towards Josie, though it's one of those distracted kind of talking to herself kind of comments, so if it's REALLY towards Josie is somewhat up for debate. Aaaand then. Then there's fiends. Aster takes a deep breath at that. Ugh. She seems more annoyed than anything at this point.
As she reaches back to hit a separate button on her Steel Skeleton's backpack, Aster comments towards Lanval, "...Normally water is pretty heavy though. I mean, just look at people. They're mostly water!" She shakes her head a bit. "....Maybe you're not in the right mind to make decisions."
She's asked to lower her head, as that bottle is taken out. Which Aster obliges, ducking out of the way as one of the welder-arms of her Steel Skeleton pops out of the backpack. As the water sprays out, Aster lifts the welder arm to dip its tip in the flow of water, which emites a high-pitched squeal and extremely bright light as the holy water is now electrified holy water being sprayed towards the demons!
Sadly, Aster is kind of paying attention to the fiends, so misses that skeptical smile. Or she might shrink a bit more. Probably with guilt. Instead she just calls back, "Everyone okay back there?" For the party members that are touched by the electricity of the combined skill, it's somewhat... invigorating, hinting at the semi-magical nature of the welder.
DG: Aster Croft has used her Tool Steel Welder toward her party's challenge, The Big Bad Wolves.
=========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - The Big Bad Wolves *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- They stand out on the plains -- ahead of you, you can see the manifestation of several Fiends. Skills, a lupine Fiend, to judge by the look of them. The good news is that they haven't seen you yet, which means you'll get the drop on them. The only downside is that they're just the sort of thing that would make a chocobo flinch. You'll need to move quickly and break things to handle this encounter before it goes south! =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Tire==============================================
====================<* The Calm Lands - Plains - Round 4 *>===================== ========================< Results - The Big Bad Wolves >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yulie Ahtreide 42 --(5)--> 47 Pass Holy Symbol 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josephine Lovelace 26 --(5)--> 31 Pass Liquid Courage 3 Combat Effects: Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seraph Lanval 13 --(5)--> 18 Pass Holy Bottle 2 Combat Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aster Croft 42 --(5)--> 47 Pass Steel Welder 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Yulie Ahtreide 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Tire(2)|Weaken(1)|Wound(2) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)|Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Yulie Ahtreide 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> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Digger, eh?" Josie cracks a broad smile at that one. "Ha! That's one way to put it! But, you know, I used to be an archaeologist. Talk about 'raiding some tombs', eh?" She says that with just about everything short of the actual elbow-nudge in the ribs, too.
Possibly she was an archaeologist sometime before becoming first a mercenary and then a terrorist.
But right now, there are Skolls to handle.
Between that first wave of invigorating healing, that following spray of (quickly electrified) water and the following Symbological bolt, well...
Pyreflies dance upwards into the sky when they're done here. "See, now that's how I like it," Josie remarks, taking hold of the reins again.
"I think I still owe you that drink, Lanval, come to think. Well, looks like I'm leaving you, ha, high and dry once again!" She smiles, though it doesn't meet her eyes.
DG: Yulie Ahtreide has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================= ==================<* CHALLENGE - Do They Live in a Barn? *>=================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You can see it now! There, ahead, is the chocobo stable on the other side of the plains! But wait, what's this? Past travelers have left their debris discarded all about the trail leading to the stable -- enough that it's causing some actual trouble for your bird, which is understandably balking. Seriously: there's empty potion bottles, discarded papers, broken weapons, food remnants and packaging, bits of metal, broken spheres, and all sorts of touristy garbage. It might not be your mess, but it's still your problem -- it's time to take out the trash. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Exhaust==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.
"I'm still okay!" Yulie calls back. Soon enough, with the skolls are dealt with and they're able to move on. Gradually, the chocobo stable on the other side of the plains comes into view - the place to drop off or pick up another chocobo. Yulie glances toward Aster.
"Miss Tombraider... if you return Mister Lanval and the chocobo safely, I won't let anyone know it was you..." Yulie says. Should she tell? ...Maybe, but their safety was more important.
That's all well and good, of course... except, there's a problem - the path leading up it is all covered in trash, and it's poor footing for the chocobos. They don't seem keen on moving further. They could walk, but... there's still a little ways to go, and does anyone really want to walk through all of this?
"...This is... ugh." Yulie says, making a face. It's gross! And irresponsible! "Um... do you think it'd be okay if I just burnt all of it?"
...That might be also irresponsible, but it's probably quicker than picking it up by hand. And safer. To that end, Yulie brings out two magic gems - one red, and one blue. She uses the first, primarily - using quick blasts of fire to incinerate garbage. The other one is kept on hand, ready to put out said fires if they go out of control.
She might not realise Lanval is a Water Seraph yet. ...She might not even know what a Seraph is.
DG: Yulie Ahtreide has used her Tool Magic Gem toward her party's challenge, Do They Live in a Barn?.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
"Waaaaaaaaait a shec...!" Lanval speaks up as he slinks off the back of the back of a stolen chocobo, ambling towards the garbage in a way that... really casts a lot of doubt as to whether he understands what 'walking' is generally supposed to be. Usually it's one foot in front of the other. For Lanval, it looks more like an endless set of teetering, tumbling, and all sorts of nonsense that would be better suited in the fumblecore genre.
"Don't jusht burn all of it...!" He leans over, delicately and precariously balancing on one leg as he picks up an empty bottle. "There might even be..."
Beat. He opens one eye up a bit more than half-way and looks inside that bottle. Shake, shake, shake. Turning it over above his maw, shake, shake, shake. Nothing. He throws that bottle away.
"...not that one... okaaaaay, maybe thish..."
It repeats for a second. Third. Fourth time.
He starts looking a bit more dejected with the possibility that there's nothing here to bum a drink off of. At least he's kinda-sorta helping by going through the emtpy bottles?
There does seem to be one empty bottle he decides he wants to keep, though. For some reason.
DG: Seraph Lanval has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Do They Live in a Barn?.
<Pose Tracker> Aster Croft has posed.
"Well, I mean... that's the name of the profession isn't it? People go and explain ancient ruins? Digger? Or did I get terribly confused by something?" Aster responds to Josie, giving a bit of a puzzled look as her (now slightly overloaded and overheated) welder retreats back into its oversized metal backpack. Aaaand then all the obvious trash. All over. Seriously??? "...I... uh... yeah sure. I plan to return him to his friends. And the chocobo. I just needed the ride, not to keep it or anything. And taking him was accidental." Is she blushing from mild embarassment? Maybe. It's hard to tell with that helmet covering half her head, and the cloth covering her face covering the other half for the most part.
Regardless, she presses a button again and out comes those digging claws once more, the metal of the claws interlocking to form a more scoop-like form as opposed to 'fingers'. which she begins to use to scoop any non-burnable trash out of the path, picking it up like it was chunks of stone to be mined out of the way.
And then Lanval is off of the chocobo, ambling off towards the garbage. She carefully moves after him, using the claws to move any flaming wreckage out of his path as he ambles towards those bottles with an absent sigh. She's beginning to doubt if it's really worth it to ransom him with how he acts when traveling! Maybe she'll have to tie a rope to him so he doesn't just wander off.
DG: Aster Croft has used her Tool Digging Claw toward her party's challenge, Do They Live in a Barn?.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Josie regards Aster for a good long moment, then laughs, if not unkindly.
"Honey, you're cute. Don't change none, yeah?" She waves her free hand -- her good hand -- in the air briefly, as if to write the matter off. "And don't worry 'bout him! He might look helpless," josie no, "but trust me when I say he ain't!" Seizing the reins again, she urges her chocobo onwards.
There at last it is, their destination -- the far stable! Except...
Josie squints. Something glitters, as if strewn about before the approach to the stable. "Is that..." It looks like glass. Like glass bottles.
...Because it is. "Well, ain't this a pretty mess," she remarks, and purses her lips as if to avoid laughing at her own bad joke. Bringing her chocobo to a stop just outside the start of the worst of it (it's more than happy to do so) she slips off its saddle and heads on over to the garbage. "Reminds me of my first place," she sighs, then glances over at Lanval. "Hey, now, wait just a moment--"
Maybe the reason she goes for the bottles first with the mattock is for his sake.
...Can Seraphs even get sick?
(Fortunately for Yulie this means that -- for now -- Josie isn't paying attention to her...!)
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Do They Live in a Barn?.
========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================= ==================<* CHALLENGE - Do They Live in a Barn? *>=================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You can see it now! There, ahead, is the chocobo stable on the other side of the plains! But wait, what's this? Past travelers have left their debris discarded all about the trail leading to the stable -- enough that it's causing some actual trouble for your bird, which is understandably balking. Seriously: there's empty potion bottles, discarded papers, broken weapons, food remnants and packaging, bits of metal, broken spheres, and all sorts of touristy garbage. It might not be your mess, but it's still your problem -- it's time to take out the trash. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Exhaust==========================================
===================<* The Calm Lands - Plains - Round 5 *>==================== ====================< Results - Do They Live in a Barn? >===================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yulie Ahtreide 47 --(101)--> 148 Fail Magic Gem 2 Brute Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 31 --(101)--> 132 Pass Well-Used Mattock 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Lanval 18 --(101)--> 119 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aster Croft 47 --(101)--> 148 Pass Digging Claw 3 Brute Effects: Rally ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Yulie Ahtreide 80 --(15)--> 95 Fail Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Weaken(2) Effects: Strengthen(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: Yulie Ahtreide is too exhausted to continue! DG: Josephine Lovelace is too exhausted to continue! DG: Seraph Lanval is too exhausted to continue! DG: Aster Croft is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. This attempt is over. DG: The party led by Yulie Ahtreide has been fully Exhausted by The Calm Lands - Plains! DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
========================<* The Calm Lands - Plains *>========================= ==================<* CHALLENGE - The Power of the Coupon *>=================== |Type: Landmark |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Maybe things could have gone a little better. Still, you reach the stables barely the worse for wear and head around front to resume your travels on foot. One of the way inn managers, sizing you up, approaches you and makes a little small talk before handing you a coupon for your next stay at one of their establishments. Half-off your next room, one night only! Well, that's one way to drum up local business. All in all, despite the various hiccups in your passage across the plains, it's been a pretty good day. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.
Yulie sends Aster a quiet nod as she gives her promise. She's trusting her word on that.
Yulie is about to burn another batch of garbage when, suddenly, Lanval asks her to stop!
"B-but it's..." She stammers. "I-I'm sorry..."
Maybe... maybe he was looking for something in this mass of garbage...? Yulie doesn't burn any more garbage, after that, hesitant to burn up whatever it was he was looking for.
...If she knew it was alcohol, she'd probably keep doing it anyway. Lanval might find a little, but Josie seems to be focusing on the bottles in particularly.
It's... it's probably for the best.
Aster, meanwhile, deals with the flaming wreckage - and then the rest of the garbage after that.
It's a long, tiring process - by the time they get to the stables, the sun is already starting to set.
"Sorry about that... But hey, let me reward you for the hard work!" The worker on charge says, and hands them all coupons for a night's stay!
...Only half-off coupons, specifically. This might help Aster feel yet more justified.