melodiesoflife | Rukia's Excellent Mysidian Adventure

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Rukia's Excellent Mysidian Adventure

WHO: Rukia Kuchiki, OPEN!
WHAT: After the New Year's Eve party, Rukia disembarks in the city of Mysidia, as she has some work to do here while waiting for the Sage to invite them back for a second audience.
WHEN: January 1st - Checking into her room / January 2nd-4th - Meditating in the Hall of Prayers / January 5th - Testing her zanpakutou's powers on the Plains of Sorrow / January 6th - Venturing to the Temple of Heroes to find a raptor, or a dragon. She's not picky.
WHERE: The Continent of Ruin
NOTE: Anyone accompanying her on her DinoQuest will also encounter a Feathered Raptor, so if you're eligible for bonus experience, come get some.

January 1st

After saying her farewells to those who intended to return to Aqures Ixen, Rukia led her chocobo down the gangplank, a backpack stuffed with her belongings slung over her shoulders. She really wished she could have brought the giant rabbit plushie along with her, but she had too much equipment for her to cart the big fluffy thing around. What a pity. At least she still had the rabbit-shaped earmuffs that Yuri got her. Those were absolutely staying. Besides, they kept her ears warm. The Mysidians could be jealous of their cuteness.

It was very late when she arrived at the inn, but given the holiday, there were still many people still wide awake and celebrating, so it wasn't difficult for her to secure a room for herself and anyone else who saw fit to travel with her. She didn't mind sharing her room either, if it came to that, as it was economically practical. Her roommate in Aqures Ixen was a man, and she'd had no problems with him thus far.

But while it was only just an hour past midnight in Mysidia, Rukia had been awake for much longer on the Enterprise. Once Yuki was properly stabled, she was more than ready to change out of her party dress and into her pajamas to crawl under the covers. With little more than a weary good night, and a sincere expression of gratitude to her travel companion (if any), Rukia rolled onto her back, and folded her arms behind her head. She thought she would fall asleep immediately, but her head was still full of thoughts and plans for what she would do while she was here. Doubtless she would need to prepare another military report for her superiors in Esdham. There was much to accomplish until the audience with the Sage as well. Boredom was the least of her concerns.

And what of the Calamity? When would it begin to move? Where should she be when that started to happen? She lay in the darkness, quiet and thoughtful for many minutes. "...Are you awake?" she ventured in half a whisper, just in case the other person had drifted off to sleep.

January 2nd - 4th

The last time Rukia had gone to the Hall of Prayers, she'd spent many hours trying to make contact with the Eidolon known as Hades. The dealings with the Reaper still haunted her...albeit in a metaphorical sense...and left her filled with questions. By now she had a better idea of what Narayana was, but not how he'd fallen under the curse in the first place. For something that powerful to become twisted and turned against the planet did not sit well with her. In November, she'd tried the meditations that the other summoners had urged her to try, though they'd warned that it would take her a long time to become proficient in such a thing. After the week was up, she still hadn't been able to do it.

This time, she was determined to make it work. Hades wasn't a shinigami in the same way that she was, she knew. It was possible that he served as a literal reaper of souls, but she didn't know enough about this planet's afterlife to know for sure. Still, she hoped that they maintained that shared connection. Now that she had undertaken the Beastmaster job, he could be called as one of her companions. Perhaps this time, with that particular job equipped, she might garner a little more success.

And so it was in the next three days that Rukia was the most boring travel companion ever. She would eat a large breakfast to give her all the energy and stamina she would need to remain still and pensive for several hours, then return at night for a late supper and a little conversation before turning in for bed, and repeating the process each day. She found it hard to focus during these mealtimes, as if she were unaccustomed to carrying on a normal conversation. A little persistence might bring her out of her daze, but for the most part, she was fairly distant.

If she could at least speak with him, even for a little bit...

January 5th

Tomorrow, Rukia would seek out her second monster companion. She would be going up against some extremely powerful creatures in that area, so it was essential to make sure that her best weapon, her zanpakutou, was still synchronized with its user. Honestly she'd wanted to keep the Santa Claus job equipped a little longer, but until she had her monster companion, she would have been relatively weak on the battlefield. So she took up the Red Mage job with the aim of finishing it off in the next couple of months. She didn't know what the next month would bring, and as the Red Mage offered the most versatility, it would allow her to adapt to whatever the new year threw at her.

Though she wore both jobs, she opted for the garb of the Beastmaster, as the thick furs and tough leather armor provided the best protection against the solemn winter of the Continent of Ruin. She stood on the vast stretch of barren plains, the wind in her hair and ruffling the fur collar of hood, which she left down. Rather than the rapier or the whip, Rukia loosened a katana at her hip, sliding it free from its sheath. The weight of the blade was familiar in her hand, and she felt a faint tickle at her senses. Good... Being made mortal had not severed the connection she shared with her weapon.

Rukia closed her eyes, and held the sword out in front of her, before slowly allowing it to spin in her agile fingers.

"Dance," she spoke a single command, "Sode no Shirayuki!"

Her sword's name meant 'Sleeves of the White Snow' and what an accurate name it was. Her zanpakutou had been described as one of the most beautiful in all of Soul Society, and as her weapon awakened from its long slumber, it was clear to see why. From blade to guard, the katana was a pure, pristine white. A long ribbon unfurled from the base of the katana, curling into a wide arc as her sword spun.

Rukia spread her feet apart as she changed her stance. The familiar tingling chill of the sword's ice affinity did not cause her any discomfort. It was cool and pleasant. Refreshing. It was as if the cold purified her soul of doubt and fear, anxiety and weakness. Her steps were elegant, for she and the blade were one entity. The snow that swirled on the windswept plains circled her, dusting the tips of her dark hair, and lighting on her lashes.

The tip of the katana dipped four times into the earth, leaving a soft glow. Shards of ice began to flow upward into the air.

"Tsugi no mai... Hakuren."

The flowing shards were swept up into a hailstorm of cold air. There was no creature for the attack to flash freeze, but Rukia relaxed, pleased that her blade could still dance, and that Rukia remembered the steps. She would be able to fight tomorrow when they traveled to the Temple of Heroes, and she was satisfied.

January 6th

She supposed she could have settled for one of the more common monsters encountered on the Continent of Balance, but she had a desire to be strong, and capable. As a Beastmaster, she would rely more on the strength of her companions than her own combat abilities, so that meant finding a powerful ally. Thus, she had her heart set on one of four special creatures. Narrowing it down had been obscenely difficult. If she had more time, and if she were less reluctant to expose her other companions to danger, then she might have suggested they hunt for a dragon or a tyrannosaurus rex. Riding on either of these would have made her a formidable warrior on any battlefield. She would have taken a zombie dragon as well, but given that she had access to Hades, having an additional death monster would have been somewhat redundant.

So she would settle for the smaller velociraptor. ...Unless a tyrannosaurus rex came along and they had no choice but to fight and defeat it, of course. She wouldn't seek it out intentionally, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity if it came to her.

What was even better was the fact that velociraptors could be found near the Temple of Heroes. Rukia didn't have her Scholar job advanced enough that she could read the language of the Ancients, but she knew some who could, and her expedition could double as exploration as well. Maybe they'd find some answers about their past while indulging Rukia's need to have a dinosaur friend in her life.

"Watch your step," she warned, her gloved hand clutching a cluster of half-frozen vines as she made her way down the steep, craggy drop that led further into the valley of Ancient Ruins.

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The Barkeep didn't like the looks of the ruins when he first stepped in, and this proved that he should have listened to his bad feeling about this and stayed back in Mysidia. Fortunately, he stood back in the cover of the trees with his Seer robes and newly-bought coat to keep him warm as he watched the three investigate. As the velociraptor stepped into the exposed rocky ground, the Barkeep whipped out his staff and began focusing his energies on the molecules in the air. He didn't have the observing powers of the Force Galactic with him, but with the power of the crystal, he could sense the velociraptor's material composition in his mind and focused on vibrating as fast as possible.

The dinosaur was distracted by the nearby targets and the loud dog, for it did not notice the older man standing a distance away with his arm outstretch.

"Combustion!"

The air by the velociraptor's body exploded, and the monster was violently thrown onto the ground.

It was hurt.

It was angry.

While the others would be able to attack it while recovering from the sneak attack, another pokes its head out from behind a bush, upset that its partner had been injured.

"Well done!" Rukia flashed a confident grin in Barkeep's direction. It seemed his strategy had paid off. With an explosion like that, it was surely weakened enough to be captured for the arena. That had to be the first priority before she caught her own, she'd decided. Wielding the capture device the old man had given to her for the mission, Rukia pulled in the injured velociraptor. Now there were only three left--

Wait, three? This appeared to be a fairly sizable pack, she'd thought most came in trios.

It seemed she would have to step up her attack power, if she was going to keep pace with the Barkeep's skills and keep Levy safe. She slid her katana free of its sheath and turned her wrist, spinning the blade in a circle. "Mai, Sode no Shirayuki!" As she spoke, the sword transformed, paling to a pure white as a matching ribbon unfurled from the pommel. "First Dance... White Moon!"

Poised on the balls of her feet, Rukia bent at the knees and sprang forward. Her opponent bared its needle-like teeth, preparing to pounce as it hunkered to meet her. Her zanpakutou cut through the air, the temperature around the two dropping sharply before a column of ice speared upward and encased the raptor, then shattered. It fell back, badly damaged from the attack. Its previously hidden partner leaped at Rukia's exposed back, forcing the shinigami to turn and force her blade up to block the hooked talons of its feet from piercing her small body.

"Rukia, be careful!"

By this point, Levy has managed to recover, scrambling to her feet and taking out the book she uses with the Scholar Job. It's still the most powerful attacking option she really has, since she hasn't quite mastered Blacksmith yet. Flipping it open and stopping on a particular page, she focuses her energy and lets loose with a pinpoint burst of magical energy aimed at the raptor that attacked her friend's back.

"Flare!"

The spell explodes around the raptor, knocking it away from Rukia for the time being as it's blasted into a nearby wall. It's not down for the count just yet, though, hopping up to its feet and hissing angrily. Something will need to be done quickly before it redoubles its assault.

"Rukia! Zwei, FIRA!"

Now, imagine this sight: there's a little corgi puppy, no taller than to your ankles. It barks twice, then opens its mouth... before a large fireball joins Levy's Flare spell in striking the raptor. And once it hits, Ruby's on the move.

"This one's mine! Going to capture it!"

And she does that by shifting her scythe back into its sniper form, firing a magical burst at it with the intent on making it her own. "Get the other one if you can!"

While the other two velociraptors attacked Rukia, only to be struck down with the help of Levy and Ruby, the fourth spotted the Barkeep standing a ways from the group. It paused as it realized that this one was an easier target and clicked to himself in through before dashing off directly to him.

There wouldn't be enough time to set up another explosion, and without a second thought, he held out a hand above him, palm parallel to the sky.

"Vanish!"

He managed to disappear just as it neared him and reappeared ten feet behind it.

Rukia heaved a short breath of relief as Levy managed to prevent Rukia from fighting two dinosaurs at once. (And oh, what she wouldn't give for a cute dog that could breathe that much fire!) And with Ruby moving in to keep the other from rejoining the fight, that allowed Rukia to focus her efforts on the one she'd just frozen. It was starting to recover, so if she acted swiftly, she could strike it down and weaken it enough to capture for her own.

...Or she could keep her promise to Barkeep, since it looked like there was another raptor she hadn't seen trying to go after him. That wasn't part of the plan! Who could have expected that his hiding place would coincidentally be right next to the fourth raptor's hiding place?

Using her zanpakutou was too risky. Barkeep and the velociraptor were only ten feet apart, and she suspected that distance would be quickly closed once it realized where he'd gone. It was already sniffing the air and turning in his direction. Using either one of her sword's dances ran the risk of catching her ally in her freezing attacks. Maybe it was time to try out her own Beastmaster abilities.

"Come forth, Hades!" Rukia lifted her hand into the air, glowering at the hissing creature. Darkness spilled from her fingertips, pooling into the dark robes that billowed and swirled into the skeletal Eidolon's familiar form. Would that she could communicate with him this way, but to no avail. At the very least, he could use his Life Drain attack, inhaling deeply to stagger the creature. The raptor stumbled a little as if dizzy, and shook his wedge-shaped head with an unhappy clicking trill. Rukia hadn't taken much more than a light strain on her muscles as far as damage went, thanks to Levy's quick thinking, so the Life Drain didn't have much to offer as far as healing went. But it did pull the creature's attention away from Barkeep, so there was that.

Suddenly the world pitched violently as something heavy thudded into Rukia's back. The raptor she'd tried to frost over bore her down with the weight of its body, long claws raking into her back as it bent down and bit into her shoulder. The shinigami gasped with pain. If it had moved a little further to the left, it would have torn open her throat to be sure. As it was, it tore into her shoulder, pulling a sharp cry from Rukia. These things were rated with multiple stars for a good reason.

"Rukia! Hold on...!"

Turning now to the skills of her Alchemist Advanced Job, Levy digs around in the small item pouch at her side, drawing out two potions. After several hurried seconds of pouring liquid back and forth, she pours the resulting mixture into a third empty glass bottle before hurriedly splashing the contents onto her friend. The Mega-Potion she managed to create should deal with most of the wounds Rukia had just taken from the raptor. But if the others aren't dealt with soon, Levy won't have enough potions to keep everyone healed.

"We have to get rid of the others somehow! Is everyone okay?"

"I'm good!" Ruby cried out. With Zwei continuously firing Fira at the Raptor they were facing, it did relieve a little bit of pressure, but this stupid thing refused to stay still and just get caught!

"AUGH! STAY STILL!" Frustrated, Ruby sets Crescent Rose back into scythe mode, clobbering her attacking raptor over the head with it.

"Dangit!" He hated fights like these; too bloody and messy, and he didn't have his healing magic today. The Raptor beside him was stunned for a short while, and that was his chance to attack. But...

There were two closer by the others. Rukia was hurt, and he couldn't tell if Levy and Ruby would stay safe. He held two fingers to his temple and focused on the dizzy monster in front of him until he got a decent telekinetic grip on it. Tighten. Toss.

The confused raptor clicked in alarm as it lost its grip on the ground and flew upwards, thrashing around. The Barkeep stepped back, careful to put all his attention on drawing into the power of the Seer job, and strike with an attack that would target all of the raptors. As long as nothing ran at him while he prepared his spell, of course.

It seemed the group was safe from raptor attacks for the moment. With one captured, one being soundly clobbered by Ruby, one flipping around and hissing angrily in midair, and one eating Rukia, there would likely be no interruptions to Barkeep's spell.

Rukia gasped as her wounds sealed nearly all the way. It gave her a moment to catch her breath, but just as quickly, it was stolen from her again as the raptor dug its large blade-like talon down her back, ripping a large gash into her body. Rukia's eyes went wide as she stiffened from the paralyzing pain. Her eyes started to go glassy, just before a strange glow began to pulse from beneath her where her crystal lay secured in her furs.

The temperature started to drop. Breath turned to frosted plumes as the grass beneath Rukia's hands crusted over with tiny crystals of ice.

It seemed she'd hit her limit break for the very first time.

A circle of cold suddenly snapped out, a shock of absolute zero temperature freezing the raptor on top of her completely solid. Even the blood Rukia had spilled was a frozen pool of dark crimson upon the ground.

Two down, two to go.

"No!"

Levy cries out as she once again witnesses Rukia being torn into by the raptors. She needs to do something to drive them off - healing is only going to provide a stopgap for so long. Putting away her book and picking up her hammer, Levy raises it into the air, focusing her energy before pointing it at the remaining two raptors.

"Tool Blast!"

The attack seems to do the trick, momentarily stunning the raptors but not succeeding at dealing a whole lot of damage. And while Levy has managed to get them off of Rukia's back for the time being, now the two are stalking toward her, nostrils flaring as they release deep guttural growling sounds.

"Ah... u-um..."

Ruby looked back to see the trouble going on. Rukia was badly wounded. Levy pinned down by two raptors, the Barkeep trying to cast his spell. Oh, she wished she had used her Dragoon job instead.

Slamming her boot on the downed Raptor's head, Crescent Rose went back into sniper mode and she took aim.

"Got your back!" Ruby called out before taking aim and firing. She was already amazingly gifted with the weapon. The Archer job made her even better.

Why can't this go any faster? he chided himself and this time-consuming magic. Two steps closer to the Raptors and the others, but the dinosaurs were still focused on the three. Ruby's attack was the only thing buying time for him, and if this didn't work...

Well, he hoped it did.

The air around the two remaining raptors began to heat up, though not yet enough to heat the cold, frozen ground. The Barkeep smiled as his Phantasm reached its peak. Two targets. Two powerful attacks.

"Rukia! Levy! Get outta there!" There was little time before his Combustion spell hit both Raptors, knocking one to the ground and severely injuring the other.

Rukia panted for breath. She could hear the shouts of her companions, but couldn't decipher the words. Were things going well? Poorly? She couldn't allow herself to rest until she knew for sure.

Desperately she pushed back against the darkness encroaching on her consciousness. Her wounds were bad, but not the worst she'd received. So why did she--?

Ah, right. She was mortal. That probably made a big difference.

Gritting her teeth, her nails scraped against the ground as her fingers curled toward her palm. She forced herself to rise and recall Hades, and in the Eidolon's place a white chocobo shimmered into reality. Ducking its head, it spread its wings with a feminine trill, casting healing magic over the fallen shinigami. The effects were immediate. It was easier to breathe, and strength flowed into her shaking arms. Rukia raised her head. The healing wasn't complete, but it was enough. She activated her second Capture, sealing away the velociraptor that had been knocked to the ground.

"Ruby...last one is yours," she wheezed, but flashed a confident smile. Once this one was taken, then she could finally breathe easy.

"You got it!" Ruby said, giving the recovering Rukia a thumbs up. "Just rest up, I'll take it from here!"

With everything settled, Ruby gave the remaining raptor a few shots before activating Capture, making the catch.

"Goodbye raptor, hello... um... good raptor!"

"That's... that's all of them, right?"

Levy lets out a loud and long sigh of relief, her legs wobbling under her. With the adrenaline from the combat steadily draining away, she eventually falls to her knees, trying to catch her breath. But she does eventually force herself back into a standing position, walking over to Rukia with another healing mixture.

"Here... have another one, Rukia. You need to take care of your wounds."

The Barkeep slowly moved his shaking arm back by his side and let out a sign of relief. "Now that is why I ain't as adventuresome as I was before," he said to himself. Rukia was still in pain, but Levy was taking care of her. Good.

He stepped around the icy patches on the ground and made his way to the rest of the group.

"Rukia, you feelin' better?" He held out a hand. " We should turn back if you're hurtin' bad."

"You have my gratitude," Rukia said, still somewhat breathless as she accepted Levy's potion. Drinking it took away more of the burning pains embedded in her back, and when the flask was empty, she let it dangle from her fingers as her head drooped forward, shoulders hitching with a sigh of relief. That was indeed much better.

She couldn't help but chuckle at Barkeep's remark. Did that mean he was accustomed to wrangling dinosaurs where he came from? "Nonetheless, your presence was remarkably valuable to us. I thank you." She took his hand to get herself back onto her feet. Suddenly Yuki was there, thrusting her head against Rukia's chest and nearly bowling her over with a trill of affection. The shinigami blinked in surprise, then stroked the bird's feathers.

"I'm better," she reassured them. "But there's little more we can learn here, and we've accomplished our objective. It would probably be wise not to linger here any longer than necessary." She cast a smile at Ruby, then pulled herself onto Yuki's back. As long as her chocobo was here, why not ride it back? "What are you going to name your new companion?"

"Name it?" Ruby asked, blinking a bit before taking a thoughtful look. "Gee, I never really thought of that, though..."

She chuckled a bit as she continued. "I feel like it's a 'Monty'. I don't know why, but it feels like it fits."

"We should get back to the city. You need to rest, Rukia."

Levy stands up, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulders and letting her lean on her for support. They're both shorties, so it should work out.

"Mm-hm, name your new dangerous pet, that's right," he muttered while watching the conversation between Rukia and Ruby. Clearly, the best thing to do with a killer dinosaur is to name it and keep it around the house.

He waved a hand in the direction towards Mysidia. "Best we get on our way before it gets dark. Don't wanna run into any more trouble if there ain't a thing we can do here."

Rukia nodded thoughtfully. She hadn't even thought as to what she would name hers. Perhaps 'Fuji.' Yes, that would do. She allowed Levy to help her to Yuki's side and mounted her chocobo, allowing the mage to ride behind her if she so chose.

"Agreed. I owe you all my thanks for your assistance." Rukia smiled. She was tired, but proud. "I am glad to consider you my allies."

[OOC: Wrap up around here?]

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Rukia's Excellent Mysidian Adventure

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