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

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.

[melodiesboss]

And lo, what they could see on the horizon was something that defied imagination-- A sea of hamster rushing at them, hundreds maybe even thousands? The only certainty was that the horde was rushing toward them without stopping and before long, it reached them--

Any Hero of Light not busy defending or buffing themselves up this turn died. More specifically, they would be trampled and devoured to death without the hamsters showing any hints of mercy. The most blatant example of this was Rukia. Indeed, since she didn't protect herself and decided to attack the Hamster, the horde left nothing but bones, blood and bits of her flesh in its wake. The monsters she sent were devoured as well, attacking now really wasn't a good idea.

Kaji at least survived this, with hamster bites all over his body-- If he is to die, that'll be of the blood loss from all the bites... Or of the poison effect the bites gave off. Santa on his end was fine except for his feet the Hamsters tried to eat, and they poisoned him of course.

Chiaki and Cloud got only some bruises following this attack-- But like everyone else that got hit by it, they are poisoned as well. Everyone else is fine as they avoided the attack, however... ]

> Leap

[ The hamster looks reasonable angry now and doesn't give them a second to rest. It leaps as Cloud's throat and attempts to quite simply rip its way into Cloud-- Needless to say, that's a death sentence if it succeeds. ]

[mindofathief]

[No. No.

Such cute things should not be so terrifying. Sweet, adorable balls of fluff rammed into the party, nearly killing them all. Duster missed some of the attacks since he got so far from the action, but some of the hamsters managed to bit him.

Just how strong are these things?!

this isn't looking good. Rukia is...no, he can't look at what used to be Rukia. Everyone's in danger, and he's too far away to attack.

But not too far to play a song. If they need to hit the hamster with harder attacks, the only answer was the use Limit Breaks. He took out his ocarina, began taking slow steps back to the battlefield, and played You're Not Alone, a song that allowed the Heroes to use Limit Breaks with more health.

Please, he pleaded as if anyone would be able to hear his prayers. Please let this be enough.]

[line_piece]

[Chiaki's got a pretty good Limit Break, but it's a little timing specific, so she wants to make sure to save it for just the right moment. Right now, she's got a dead friend to tend to. With a quiet calm, she walks over to the pile of blood and bones that used to be her friend, holding her hand out over it and slowly changing a Life spell. No one is going down for good in this fight if Chiaki can help it.]

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny's spear is thrown from the tree he was hiding in, sticking int the ground. A few moments later, Johnny follows, leaping down with sudden surprising gravity. His breathing is heavy, and with each breath a low, guttural growl got louder and louder.

With a sudden, frightening roar, Johnny darts towards the hamster at an explosive speed. With his limit break activated, Johnny is not just as strong and fast as he was before he got to Crystallis, but even more so.

But he's also given over to his demonic side totally. Any of his allies in his way between him in the hamster will be knocked viciously out of the way. This includes Cloud, whom the hamster is targeting. As far as Johnny is concerned, he is going to take this thing down, no one else. Rational thought is gone, and all he wants is blood. The blood of this awful, stupid little creature. Nothing is going to stop him from trying to tear the critter apart with his bear hands, short of death, which might be the case if hamster gets a hold of him.]

[21stcenturyguy]

Shit shit shit![Santa's shoes are ruined. There's a single, stunned moment before the pain hits, before he realizes his feet are ruined. If he wasn't still floating in the air, he doubts he could stand.]

If anyone needs out, I can get you away from here. [Santa's pretty sure they all should run. There's poison coursing through most of them, the crazy lady is being brought back to life by Hinata's busty girlfriend, and the little hairy bastard that did it doesn't even look worse for wear. They're all way over their heads.]

[If nobody pipes up that they want him to Vanish them out of the main line of fire, he's gonna cast Haste on Johnny. Seems like he's hulking out. Maybe he'll be able to kill the damn rat.]

[neverfirstclass]

[It's not that Cloud is trying to sacrifice himself this time. It's really not. But he's also spent all of this time trying to build his jobs up so that he can protect his friends. His setup may be a bit all over the place, not as streamlined or filled with custom jobs as others, but Crystal Knight is one he made a specific effort for.

As the wave of hamsters passes Cloud feels a wave of Desperation filling him. He knows in his gut some of his allies have fallen to the attack, but he doesn't bear look. Nor does he have the time. That hamster is up and lunging at him before he can even fully process the shouts around him. He raises his sword, hoping to cut it out of the sky, but then things literally go sideways.

He hits the ground in a heap, his body burning from the poison he's been inflicted with, and Johnny is as much a blur from his speed as he is from the ailment the blonde is suffering from. Stabbing his sword in the ground he hauls himself back to his feet. He's not going to let Johnny do this alone.

Running back into the fray Cloud leaps and brings his blade down, carefully aiming the slash at the hamster. There is a burst of light as he follows through on the swing that shouldn't affect himself or Johnny in any bad way but the hamster may find it a bit of a Shock.]

[iknowtheconsequences]

Kaji staggers hard, bleeding from countless wounds. His sword tip digs into the ground, he uses it to hold himself up.

Okay. Limit Break. He knows that these powers can get activated at moments of desperation, so Kaji gathers his focus and tries to cast. It wont cast. Not on the Hamster. He focuses, but he can feel it wanting him to target one of his allies. And the more he focuses, the weaker he can feel himself getting.

Oh. Of course. What else would it do?

"I know the consequences."

Kaji drops like a puppet with its strings cut, leaving in his place a wispy afterimage, as if made of cigarette smoke. The image flies into Rukia and impacts with her, giving her a heal, Protect, and Shell. But Kaji is out of the fight, even another Life spell will not rouse him.

Better make this good, Rukia.

[damn_juicebox]

The greasy puddle of Rukia's remains where nothing would ever grow again quivered beneath the gentle magic of Chiaki's Life spell. Bright motes of light drifted downward, clinging to an invisible mass that slowly took on a small shape. Rukia. Her eyes opened blearily and she sat up with a rasping cough, shuddering. That was a memory that would haunt her nights for months to come, if not years. She put a hand to her head, wrestling herself up to her shaky feet. "Ngh...my sincere thanks." She cast a weary but genuine smile at her friend before taking one more deep breath to steady herself.

Tempting as it was to retreat, it just wasn't an option. They needed that crystal. An entire town full of innocent people needed them to succeed. All around her she could see that people were reeling from massive injuries or severe poison. She drew her whip and cracked it, and a weary green chocobo shimmered into view.

"Kuh-weeehhhhhhhh," Yuki squawked pitifully. She'd been eaten too, and her feathers were plumped up defensively. Nonetheless, she was here, and able to cast Esuna in order to remove the poison from those who suffered from its agonizing bite. Johnny, Cloud, the cheapskate whose name Rukia didn't know...

...Who was looking suspiciously unsteady on his feet. "Oi," Rukia called out to him, frowning. He muttered something she couldn't hear, then collapsed. Then Rukia stiffened in shock, her breath stuck in her throat as she felt his essence invigorate her. It erased the lingering injuries, buffering her defenses enormously. Had he just sacrificed himself to...

"OI!!!" Rukia shouted at him, shocked. What had he done?!

She whirled to face Yuki, who spun and danced as she cast her magic. "Protect Chiaki!" she ordered the bird, hooking her whip back into place and drawing Sode no Shirayuki from her sheath. While the effects of the sword would have functioned far better had she equipped her custom shinigami job, they were nonetheless linked, and if getting eaten alive didn't unlock Rukia's limit break, she didn't know what would. Moreover, Kaji's sacrifice gave her enough clarity and control that she could more easily direct her power instead of unleashing her powerful ice attack to lance out where it may.

"First dance," she intoned, flakes of pure, cold light rising from the ground as her sword sheathed itself from point to flowing ribbon in pristine white. The moment Johnny got clear, she would entomb the rotten thing in a column of ice, and let it shatter. But she had to wait for just the right moment.