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

[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.