We are off to see the Crystal Tree!

[greenmagick]

WHO: OPEN! Those setting out towards the Crystal Tree~
WHAT: Terra has arranged an expedition. Keep in mind that this takes place after the January Event!
WHEN: January 17th - January 27th
WHERE: Plains of Sorrow, Crystal Forest & Crystal Tree~
WARNING: None.

[ooc: Information and plotting about this adventure is posted here. If you have any questions please post them here as well. It's assumed that Terra posted up a help wanted for the heroes who don't know her to see if they want to come along. Settings will be described in top posts to keep thing organized!

Please note that the Friendly Monster and Crystal Tree sections will be one long thread.]

Comments

Along the Crystal Trees

[greenmagick]

[Groups are split among the horribly confusing maze of the trees. Dragon, Tonberry, Skeleton, Mandragora wait to attack those within the labyrinth. There are crystals growing on the trees so it might be too difficult to mark a trail and every glimmering trunk looks like the last. Here the heroes might get lost, turned around or end up at the beginning of their trail.

ooc: Groups are smaller: feel free to make posts for the adventure through the Crystal Forest here!]

Group I: K'pandolu, Ramza, Fai

[greenmagick]

[zodiac_brave]

[Ramza made his way down one of the trails that branched away from the main path in the Crystal Forest. He was not sure what, precisely, he was looking for, but the Heroes on the expedition were determined to explore all the paths to discover the forest's secrets.]

Stay alert. We do not know what we may encounter here.

[The others that had chosen to follow the same path were reliable Heroes, but still it was best to be on guard.]

[iscursednomore]

[Fai had understood the need to be on guard and on guard he had been. Guns sitting by his hands, he was ready and prepared for anything.]

Already on alert. [His eyes were focused however on looking around him, always keeping his eyes out for anything that might happen.]

[unyieldingspirit]

[meanwhile, the third member of this particular party…

…is examining one of the trees, judging how difficult it might be to dig some of the crystals out of it. Though- should she try now, or on the return trip…?

She drops her hand, turning towards the other two.]

There were skeletons and mandragoras- I'd imagine we could take those on easily enough, but I did hear dragons… Those are sure to be trickier. [she reaches up to scratch an ear for a moment, and settles again.] If we're unlucky enough to meet a Tonberry, we're best off running. They didn't seem to take attacks too kindly. […that is, they were most definitely not as easily downed as the ordinary Tonberries in the Wanderer's Palace.]

[zodiac_brave]

Indeed. [He gave K'pandolu an approving nod. She had done her research. Knowing their enemy would certainly give them an advantage in a fight.]

Let's move. [He started walking further down the path, taking in the sight of the crystalline trees, but not touching anything. He did not know what power they held, and he did not want to be the one to trigger some adverse effect.]

[Up ahead, around a bend in the path, their first enemy, an Adamantoise, paced back and forth.]

Group II: Tazendra, Sheena, Vincent, Sephiroth

[greenmagick]

Re: Group II: Tazendra, Sheena, Vincent, Sephiroth

[bloodypast]

Vincent was only mildly surprised to find himself grouped with Sephiroth once more. The other unknown to him was the taller woman, Tazrenda. Getting the attention of the others, when it became clear they were split off, with a soft clearing of his throat. Insistent, while also not obtrusive.

"We've been separated. Ideas?" He knew of Sheena's capability, though had not worked with her before. At least, not outside of their normal jobs at the Library.

Group II: Tazendra, Sheena, Vincent, Sephiroth

[shinrasfinest]

Much like Terra, Sephiroth hadn't intended to be separated from her above all others but much as always he kept that very much to himself. Regardless if others in the group he'd ended up with might hazard a guess in that direction. Between Starlight and the New Years Ball; it was becoming just foolish to deny that -at the very least- he didn't have a little more affection towards her when compared to others.

The swish of silver hair, taking point, came to a stop as they rounded another corner and were met with nothing but a wall of trees with no obvious path through. Probably not the first time they've ended up at a dead end.

"Damn..." Breathed but a curse all the same as Sephiroth took a step back and turned towards the group.

"We need to come up with a way to keep track of all our turns."

Re: Group II: Tazendra, Sheena, Vincent, Sephiroth

[fearlessherosheart]

"Perhaps some sort of marking?" Tazendra didn't seem that bothered. Whatever it was, they could find their way out, and they had plenty of supplies. It would be easier if one of them could teleport. She regretted not making that appointment at the lab to get her old skills back. She'd have to do that on her return.

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena had remained quiet for most of the trip, usually spending time with Vincent or off by herself. And now she was in a group with Sephiroth... And that made her even more uncomfortable because of his association with Terra.

Sigh.

However, while the others were talking, she was looking up.

"Can we climb them?" Hey, she grew up near a forest; climbing trees was second nature to her.

Group III: Jade, Albel, Bartz

[greenmagick]

Re: Group III: Jade, Albel, Bartz

[free_spirited_wind]

Wow, this place is great!

[He pokes one of the crystals growing on a tree. Bartz is going at this with a ton of enthusiasm and not much else. It's hard to tell if he's actually trying to find a way through this maze, or just enjoying the scenery.]

Hey, do you think these crystals are made out of the same stuff our crystals are?

Re: Group III: Jade, Albel, Bartz

[wickedone]

[Albel wasn't especially pleased that he'd been separated from the people he actually liked called "friends." But he supposed travelling with Jade wasn't so bad. He really should become more familiar with the man -- should have already talked to him while they were in Esdham together. But that time was lost now.]

Hm.

[He eyed the crystals around them.]

I doubt it. I'd hardly like to believe that the crystals which capture our life here can just as easily be found on trees. But the composition is surely similar.

[Curiously, he wrapped gauntlet fingers around one of the larger crystals and, with a grunt, broke it off. He wasn't sure if it possessed any power or if it would be purely decorative within a weapon, but he was intent on studying it at the forge once they returned. In fact, it would probably be prudent to take a few samples, just in case.]

Re: Group III: Jade, Albel, Bartz

[jadethenecromancer]

[Jade had given up thinking about the Sage's vision for now. This wasn't really the time and in any case, dwelling on it wasn't getting him anywhere.].

Crystals found in nature are usually formed from the planet's own life force. In that sense they are similar to ours, if not quite so personalized.

[Of course, there was also what Kalki had once told them -- that their crystals were connected to the Calamity. They still didn't know completely what that meant...]

Re: Group III: Jade, Albel, Bartz

[free_spirited_wind]

[Bartz taps the crystal he's inspecting a few times, then decides to follow Albel's example and also take a souvenir.]

Either way, they sure are neat. They can hold life force, elements, jobs, and other stuff.

[He peers at the crystal he just broke off the tree, then smiles brightly.]

I wonder if they start with tree crystals like this when they make the ones for invisibility or illusions...

[Not that he's even sure who 'they' are anyway. His own invisibility crystal was given to him.]

Group IV: Terra, Riaylnn, Jack

[greenmagick]

[rialynn]

[As they travel along the branching trails, Rialynn keeps a rough sketch of their passage in her journal, marking which way they chose to go, and making notes of what unusual points of interest stand out to ensure they don't get too lost.]

[On a long stretch that doesn't appear to have any diverging paths or hidden trails, she refers to the monsters that the Shumi warned them they might see along their way. Skeletons are pretty scary, she supposes. But the mandragoras and tonberries don't seem too deadly-looking. At the advice of the shopkeep, she'd stocked up on potions and antidotes, just in case, as she knows the plant monsters can poison people.]

[Really, the only monster she's worried about are the dragons. If they run into one of those, she isn't going to be of any use at all, unless 'being an unwilling snack that gets stuck in the dragon's teeth' counts as a use. She'd rather that didn't happen.]

[The tonberries were supposed to be very dangerous, but...well, look at the thing. It looks like a child's doll in the picture! Maybe that's just the artist's rendition. She'll take the precautions she should, but she can't make herself feel afraid of such a goofy monster.]

[She closes the book and tucks it into the leather pouch hanging from her hip. Her rapier is loosened in its sheath, ready to be drawn at the first sign of danger.]

I hope the others are all right.

[She's still not completely at ease, being split up like this, but they can definitely explore more of the area this way.]

[theendiswherewestartfrom]

Jack didn't pay attention to when they got separated from some of the others, but he's pretty sure that Terra didn't mean to go the other way than Sephiroth did. So, he's been keeping close to their organizer and improptu leader to make sure that Terra still feels safe. He is geared up in heavy armor, and mentioned that his main job was Paladin, so he can function as heavy hitter, and do some healing.

More important, though, might be the weapon belted to his side. It had cost him an arm and only half a leg, because he'd supplied his own Light Crystal, but his brand new greatsword might be the most effective thing they have if they run into the undead monsters that people had warned about.

Jack gives Rialynn a reassuring smile. "They'll be fine. There's no one who came on this trip who wasn't pretty capable." Jack exaggeratedly looks at Terra, "And we're with one of the strongest Heroes in the city, so we'll be fine, too."

[greenmagick]

[Terra has warrior and red mage equipped meaning she had her blade, the crafted gleaming sword that Sephiroth had given her that holiday as well as her black magic and white magic skills. She wasn't as skilled with red mage but the combination was comfortable and more like what she was used to at home.

She looks towards Rialynn noting the map that the girl is drawing. She wishes there is an easier way to tell where they are or were the others were. It'll be easy for Jack to tell that she hadn't meant for this to happen and being split up made her nervous. She had lead people here and if anyone got hurt she'd feel responsible.]

I don't know about that. [Jack confidence in her made her smile as they headed through the dense woods. The trees were similar but over time Terra began to notice small imperfections in the crystal growth along the bark.]

If we continue Northeast we should reach the tree. [She hopes everyone is heading that way.]

[rialynn]

"I guess that's true," Rialynn murmured, resting the end of the charcoal stick against her bottom lip before making another notation. Both Jack and Terra seemed like they could handle any monsters that arose. Naturally, Rialynn wasn't about to let them stand back and do all the hard work, but she was fairly practical concerning how much she could reasonably hope to accomplish on her own.

She looked up, trying to scan for the tree beyond the crystal canopy, but the glittering shards were too tightly interwoven for her to get a good look. "I didn't think to bring a compass, though. What about you guys?" If necessary she could climb up one of these trees to get their bearings. It was something she'd done ever since she was a small child, and it might be fun trying to get up into the branches of one of these giants.

Group V: Kidd, Tear, Duster

[greenmagick]

Re: Group V: Kidd, Tear, Duster

[not_most_days]

Kidd kept a wary eye as her group moved through the dense trees. It wasn't the fact that the group was split up that concerned her about this place as it was the creatures that were said to inhabit it. Had she come as an Assassin then it wouldn't be difficult to climb the trees and scout their surroundings. With the mage jobs she came as she was stuck strictly as support.

Still, this place was beautiful. It at least had that going for it. And once they found the tree and rejoined with the others it would likely be easier to leave.

She looked to the other two. Duster was new but he seemed capable enough. And the military air that Tear carried herself with was ironically comforting to the pirate.

"What do you two think? I'm afraid I'm more used to navigating the seas than forests. At least, not from the ground."

Group V: Kidd, Tear, Duster

[mindofathief]

While Duster did not have the Jobs that would allow for ease of climbing trees, as a Monk, he had strong arm and leg strength that agreed with muscle memory. Despite what Kidd and Tear could have thought when they first saw the limping, scruffy man, he knew how to navigate forest terrain. He took the lead, scouting ahead for enemies by climbing onto smaller trees and rocks. This was almost like old times, just him and his friends walking through the wildnerness, fighting off chimeras until they reached their destination.

He held out a hand to the others as the group approached a hill and ran up. He stopped mid-step on top, and with an unconcerned face, turned back.

"There's some skeletons on the road ahead," he stated in a monotone, unsurprised tone.

Group V: Kidd, Tear, Duster

[cantante]

"I've navigated a number of terrains, but as no two are alike there is only so many precautions you can take." For the time being Tear was taking her usual place at the rear of the group, equipped with Bard to provide support and Red Mage at the ready for any closer attacks. Also at her disposal was Mognet Central, allowing them the flexibility to change jobs in between battles if they needed to. For now though, they seemed to be doing all right.

Up until Duster mentioned the skeletons, the girl narrowing her eyes just slightly in anticipation. "Skeletons? Can you share more information than that before we get any closer?"