Beware the Deadly Poisonous Crystallis Hamsters...

[mindofathief]

Who: Duster and anyone who signs up on the OOC Post.
What: Too long has this mighty enemy gone undefeated and free. It's time to capture a Hamster for the Monster Area to earn som crystals.
Where: Outside of Aqures Ixen
When: June 6th, Nighttime
Warnings: Lots of violence.

Today was the big day. The battle of a lifetime. One that had to be won with the strength of a hundred hearts. Or, at least, several powerful Heroes.

For tonight, a band of brave adventurers had to face the killer hamster.

Duster learned that this adorable animal was deadlier than it seemed thanks to the letters he got in return, so he made sure to stock up on potions, eat well, and get plenty of rest before meeting up with the rest of the gang. His ocarina had been cleaned earlier, ensuring that his songs would play clearly, and he had bought sturdier shoes in case he had to make use of his Monk Job.

Tonight, they were either going to bring hope to the world, or Crystallis was going to see more death on its surface.

Comments

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie has a lot of quick attack power up her sleeve so she just waits as everyone casts their spells and protections. She doesn't mind waiting but when the talking start she looks antsi. She's about to just charge in when Duster does it for her.

A smirk pulls at her lips and Her attack follows behind Duster.

She activates Amped Strike and then throws her large blade into the air to circle back around at the small hamster. This is one of those moments where Yuffie is happy that she spent all that time working on her aim.]

[damn_juicebox]

Kashikoiko! Go!

[The velociraptor tilts its head, eyeing the delicious snack-sized rodent before it. Unlike Rukia, she is not afraid, if only because hamsters aren't native to Mysidia. It looks tasty, and it wouldn't take more than a few seconds to wolf it down. It leaps at the hamster, aiming to impale it with its claws.]

[Rukia, meanwhile, is almost shaking. It might seem as if she's afraid. If only that were the case. But even now, after witnessing what it's done to the malboro, after suffering an assault that nearly killed her in her first few weeks in Crystallis, the urge is still there.]

[All she wants to do is pet it, and feed it, and keep it safe.]

Damn you...!

[melodiesboss]

[ As the Heroes of Light prepare themselves for the fight, the Hamster's look of curiosity intensified, nearly as if it was wondering what all of this was for. And then Duster attacked.

In a surprising feat for such a small creature, the rodent leaped into the air, avoiding the kick with ease. And for an instant, it looked as though it had disappeared. Where was it? Could it be preparing an attack?

A low-key screech right next to Duster's hear would alert him the rodent had actually fallen back onto his shoulder and it was quickly moving from a shoulder to the other, as if to escape notice. But he needn't fear, for the Hamster didn't attack and jumped back onto the ground before long.

What Duster needed to fear however, was the Shuriken and Velociraptor that had been sic onto the Hamster. The dangerous rodent had waited the last second to jump back onto the ground-- Would the raptor be clever enough to switch target within a split second or would he find Duster a bigger and better meal? ]

[mindofathief]

[Time seems to stop when the Hamster disappeared and reappeared right beside him. The Malboro corpse before him is all too relevant to what will happen to him in the next five seconds. This is it. His ultimate mistake.

Nothing happens after the adorable squeak. There's something tickling his upper back, but no pain. Or death.

He looks to the side just in time to see a Shuriken and Velociraptor running towards him, both meant for the Hamster. Not time to think. He attempts to throw himself onto the ground in order to avoid the weapon, but he can only hope that he doesn't get harmed in the process.]

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny had planned on using a Jump before the hamster decided to leap into Duster. Instead, using Mirage Dive, he hoped he was fast enough to help his friend and attack the creature. He threw his lance to knock the incoming shuriken or of the way, while the clone ran forward to spear the hamster before it could get away.]

[thegreatninja]

Oh no!

[Yuffie blinks in a puff of purple smoke and appears in the path of her blade, skillfully catching it and then landing gracefully on the ground.]

Do you think slow will work on it? Or stop. We need to get this thing to be still.

[damn_juicebox]

Stop!!

[Too late, the velociraptor couldn't change its flight path in midair, and it was still headed straight for Duster with wicked claws bared. Rukia had only one choice, and that was to quickly dismiss the dinosaur before it could land.]

[This hamster. This hamster. It is absolutely going on Rukia's Naughty List.]

[She has to take a few moments to start summoning Hades to the battle so she can unleash its Cauldron effect. All the while, Rukia's sharp eyes flick back and forth, not wanting to be caught unaware should the hamster decide to summon a wave of pure adorable malice to devour them all.]

[iknowtheconsequences]

Now didn't this look familiar? This is why the Hamsters are so deadly; not the attacks, necessarily, but the speed, and the fact that they are so hard to hit. He's seen this before, one of the Angel fights. So how did Shinji handle an opponent faster than him?

Change of plans, then. Kaji was going to try Flare, but the area of effect on that might be too wide. Something more focused, then. He instead draws his sword, aims at the hamster and casts the Tactician spell Thoron. Single target, so maybe possibly it won't get cross-fire.

[21stcenturyguy]

The hell do you think you're doing!?

[Santa's more focused on Duster lying on the ground than he is on the hamster now. The hamster is not even the most dangerous threat at the moment. Goddamn friendly fire is.]

[With a raptor, a giant-ass shuriken, and the shark-tooth asshole with a spear all hurling themselves at Santa's freaking musician, Santa doesn't really have time to think other than to be really damn pissed.]

Vanish! [He activates his Illusionist ability to teleport between Duster and all the implements of death hurtling at him. He doesn't know if he can get back to the back lines with himself and a passenger with his ability. If not, Duster just acquired a silver-haired meat shield.]

[neverfirstclass]

[Even with the other monsters present, Cloud remains focused on their quarry. It doesn't matter how strong the others are, the hamster is the thing that they can't afford to stop paying attention to. But maybe he can do something to hinder its own attack. Gathering the energies of the Dark Knight class into his hand, he fires a shadowy pulse at the hamster, hopefully blinding it.

Now just to hope Sentinel is still up.]

Try to keep the hamster focused on me. I'll keep it busy.

[He hopes these won't be his last words.]

sorry, was sick-ish for a few days

[line_piece]

I don't have any slow spells, but I can make us faster.

[And since she's got the Bard's Troubador ability, she can layer this second song atop the first without the party losing the benefits of Fighting Fate. This time, she fires up a custom song designed to double the party's speed, and also the power of the Monk Job.]

This song goes with everything.

[mindofathief]

[It wasn't just one person who came to protect him. Two were thrown off their plan just because Duster was being stupid and thought he could attack the Hamster on his own. And now Rukia lost her velociraptor. This is bad.

All of his teammates supporting him, and he had to pay that back. In one movement, he leaps to his feet and catches his balance.]

Thanks.

[It's almost a whisper, but he's grateful for Yuffie and Santa.]

Don't worry about me. Keep the Hamster still.

[He steps around Santa, and with the power of Chiaki's song, he runs at the Hamster again. This time, he knows how fast it can react and adjusts he approach accordingly. Duster doesn't take a direct path to the Hamster, instead taking a more circular route to better attack it from behind. With that, he calls upon the footwork he learned over his lifetime to step around the beast and get at least one hit in.]

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny doesn't have any moves that will hold it in place. Instead, he goes with another Jump attack, hoping that someone else can hold it by the time he comes down for his attack.]

[confidentia]

[ Ace, too, keeps his eyes open for an opportunity to strike while he continues on with the song. Ultima is not a spell to be toyed with, and so he has to ensure the creature has been subdued first. With the Hamster being so smart and agile, it's an unfair task to place in front of others, so he decides to go in Chiaki's footsteps, combining the effects of the Nameless Song with the Boss Theme, which raises the allies' stats all around.

Hope you enjoy this strange background music mix, everybody. ]

[fearlessherosheart]

[Well, that is a troublesome thing. Tazendra had readied a Shadow Flare, and cast it, hoping that it was powerful enough to do something.]

Perhaps we should not have bought so many people... ,

[21stcenturyguy]

[Santa hasn't unlocked Stop yet, so the best he can do to help now that his team isn't about to accidentally murder anybody is cast Slow at the hamster.]

[melodiesboss]

[ While the Hamsters is successful enough in avoiding all the attacks, including the Jump and the Shadow flare, the status ailments hit him successfully, drastically reducing its speed. It might make it easier to hit the ferocious beast. But the Hamster can still cast an attack, and should the Heroes of Light take advantage of the slow to attack him, they'll soon have something else to worry about. ]

> C'mon Hamsters!

[ The ground starts shaking ever so lightly, but the rumble is growing as if a horde of wild animal was growing closer... It might be game over for anyone not protected well enough next turn. ]

[thegreatninja]

Oh no!

[Yuffie gets ready for whatever is coming but she has an uncomfortable feeling twisting in her stomach. She looks at the hamster and for the moment tries to throw everything she has at it.

She uses her lightening ninjistu before moving to what she hopes is safety from the oncoming horde.]

[line_piece]

Everyone defend!

[Chiaki is fairly confident that all the songs they have in place will help them survive the attacks, but just in case, she's going to cast a Protect spell on herself and take cover all the same. She's easily the least protected one in the group right now, after all.]

[damn_juicebox]

[There's a sharp drop in the pit of Rukia's gut as well. But there's no running this time, not if they mean to capture this terrible creature and find the means to save one of the cities that has already been overwhelmed. Keeping that firmly in mind does little to repress her goosebumps, but it does help to keep her focus on the job at hand. Once Yuffie's spell is finished, Rukia steps forward]

My turn.

[To avoid another massive assault from all heroes at once that could harm those at close range, Rukia instead announces her attack to give people a chance to get clear. She shifts her stance, whip uncoiled, as she concentrates her summoning.]

[One by one, each of her 'pets' appears. Chappopo pops into the sky, somersaulting forward and grasping a tiny staff in her paw. Yuki, the green chocobo and her young offspring, a black chocobo chick, tear at the ground anxiously with their talons. The velociraptor lifts its lip, sucking in a hissing breath. And Hades drifts forward through a plume of crimson and black smoke.]

[Rukia unleashes her Bestial Assault, and her entire team rushes forward to attack the hamster.]

[When it's finished, regardless of the results, the one that returns is Kashikoiko. Rukia leaps onto its back, as she must rely on its speed for the onslaught to come. If there really are a wave of hamsters, she'd rather face them atop something that really wants to eat those hamsters. And if she can manage to catch just one in her Toy Bag...]

[charming_jerk]

[There's not much Johnny can do if he wants to not get trampled, so instead he opts to curse loudly, then Jump for the nearest tree to get out of the way. He didn't have any ranged attacks that would work from up here.]

[21stcenturyguy]

[The ground is shaking. Seems like a perfect time to activate his Levitation skill. Santa is now hovering off of the ground, maybe out of hamster-leaping range?]

So, we just need one, right?

[He's wondering how hard it would be to just grab the slow hamster and run...]

[neverfirstclass]

[The hamster has been surprisingly passive in all of this. It's been dodging yes, but from the stories he's been told Cloud was expecting some more of a direct offense from it.

When the ground begins to rumble though he shares the same feeling of dread the others do. His options are limited, so instead he just focuses on what he can do. Since Ace's song already has the effect of Protect covered he decides to be absolutely sure and uses Sentinel once more.

thrusting his sword into the ground he braces himself against it, raising his shield against whatever may be coming. He can't be sure of where the attack may emerge from but he'll do his best to get in front of it for everyone else's sakes.]

[mindofathief]

[This is bad. Judging from Rukia's and Chiaki's reactions, the hamster was about to unleash a powerful attack. He fought in enough near-impossible fights to know that the best strategy is to defend and heal immediately after the attack.

Unfortunately, he's the closest to the hamster. Fortunately, he still has Fists of Wind activated, so he uses it to the best of his ability to run as fast away from the fight as possibly.

...While floating in the air. It's a new feeling, but it does prevent damage to his shoes. Thanks, Santa.]

[iknowtheconsequences]

Sssssshit. Scholar and low level Warrior, can Kaji even survive this? His best shot is Stats Lore doubling the effects of all protection now and any healing items used afterwards.

The kid, Cloud, is gonna try to sacrifice himself again (does he always do this for his friends?) and Kaji doesn't think he has any choice but to let him.

"Damn you..." Whether that's at the hamster or Cloud is up for debate.