melodiesoflife | Fly, You Fools!

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Fly, You Fools!

WHO: Chrom, Ales, Aoi "Santa" Kurashiki, Alice Liddell, Open to Others
WHAT: Chrom leads an expedition to the Mythril Mines to fulfill the quest they were all assigned: to gather pure mythril ore and crystals. However, they dig too deep, and uncover ~~a Balrog~~ a corrupted Eidolon. Horrors!
WHEN: June 7th - June 9th
WHERE: Mythril Mines
NOTES: This is unmodded, so we're all free to write the events as we like. Take liberties with the Dark Titan as you please, so long as everything is cohesive.

Chrom was uncertain how deep the mines went, or how far they would have to go in order to reach decent mining locations. He'd never done this before, but that didn't mean he was unwilling. A blade forged of mythril was supposed to be one of the finest weapons a man could possess, if crafted correctly. As if he needed further incentive to fulfill his duties, this seemed to be icing on the cake. He was actually looking forward to the quest assigned to the small party.

After surveying the rest of the people assigned to this mission, Chrom had a feeling he was going to be doing the majority of the mining. Santa's muscle tone was...lithe. Alice was still a child. And Ales was quite small. Nonetheless, he wasn't about to disallow them a chance to participate as they wished, and he trusted that they'd all brought equipment suitable to their needs.

He had his own gear packed up and loaded onto his back, including a sleeping bag, food and water for five days, a pickaxe, a lantern with oil and a flint and steel, and chalk to mark their way should the tunnels prove to be troublesome to navigate.

"Everyone ready?" he said, tightening the strap of his pack before picking up his lantern. "Let us head inside, then."

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[Mingling prior to the adventure, mining for ore, or campfire chat all go here. Mix it up good! During the first day and a half of exploration, an occasional small tremor will shake the mines, causing rubble to fall, but never to dangerous proportions.]

A. Beginning of Adventure

Ales had spent most of his flying time piloting an airship, not as a passenger. After he had gotten his own airship, he didn't bother waiting for an airship to fly him to another city; he had his own ship with his own room with all the private storage space he needed. For most of the flight, he stayed in his room, drawing up quick ideas for future inventions and tending to a modified snow catapult he build over a year ago.

Once the airship began descending, he hoisted his satchel and with his portable minicopter on his back, waited for the others to leave their rooms. Dear heavens, Wedge didn't pick the best Heroes to do literal mining work. Good thing he - genius inventor that he is - thought of something.

"I will need some help rolling this out!" He waved at the first person he saw in the hallway. "If we're going to do some serious mining, we're going to need this machine!"

B. Mining

While digging for Mythril, Ales spent his time attending his automatic pick machine. The modified catapult would allow the attached pick to strike the rock several times before needing rewinding, and that alone was exhausting work. His minicopter lay to the side, and he was focused more on gathering the pure crystals into his own bag. That was meant for assistance in Levy's project.

Thank goodness for those small tremors; it shook ore out of hard-to-reach places and to the ground. The worst was went a large chunk of ore landed out of reach for the small Teensie. Then he had to unfold the minicopter and waste perfectly good crystals to fly up there and pick it up.

Most likely the first person he saw was the blue-haired lord who was, surprisingly, not at all on fire. He closed the door to the cabin he'd borrowed, his attention caught by Ales's voice calling out to him. Ales had boarded the ship before Chrom, so he hadn't noticed any additional equipment.

That would explain the slight widening of the eyes and slowly dawning smile on his face when he saw the contraption. After all, Chrom was younger than he looked, and even the serious lordling had a soft spot for things that other young men would admire. Like swords and complicated machines.

"You made a mining machine? I'm impressed." He slid his pack off of his shoulders and set it aside where it wouldn't be in the way, then sidled into the room behind the mining machine so he could leverage himself to start pushing.

The Teensie pat the side of the catapult, thankfully not wound up at the time, and stepped around Chrom to the front. "I built most of the foundation a while back, so all I had to build was the new gear and attaching the pick."

Money wasn't a problem for him. The difficult part was designing the launcher so that didn't send the pickaxe flying. Not that he didn't have have problem during the design phase, nope. Not at all. He didn't nearly send it crashing through a window.

"It would be quiet rude of me to let you do all the hard work. Sadly, this device isn't the easiest thing someone my size can carry."

"I look forward to seeing how it works," Chrom grunted, lending more of his weight to his efforts as he pushed with his shoulder and hands, heaving the large contraption out of the room while trying to get it to turn into the hallway. It wasn't easy, but they were making progress little by little.

Once they had it straight and pointed toward the deck, Chrom took a step back to catch his breath and readjust his gloves, before getting back to work.

"I'm not sure it's a device someone my size could carry," he laughed somewhat breathlessly. "You're rather resourceful."

"It's a catapult. Building one that didn't have to be rolled around would be a feat in of itself! However, since this has to throw weighty objects accurately across a considerable distance - or swing a pickaxe without breaking - it can't be lightweight. If I could find a lightweight yet sturdy material, I could rework this so a human of your strength could lug it around."

He was clearly enthusiastic about the work he put into it. Even as a blacksmith, most rare metals were dense, and there was a long way to go before portable catapults.

"Push this out by the exit door," he added and tugged on one of the supports. "I can do a demonstration while we're away from the airship."

"Makes sense," Chrom agreed. "If the rock is too heavy, it would flip a lightweight catapult, wouldn't it?" He might not have been a scientific genius, or anywhere close, but even he knew it was pointless trying to throw something that weighed more than he did, and that same principle could be applied to a catapult.

He obliged Ales's request, pushing the heavy mining machine onto the deck and down the ramp. That was the tricky part, getting it to move downward without thundering down the ramp at high speeds to run away and mow people down. But somehow, they managed. When Chrom was finished getting it settled in place, he took a step back and drew his wrist across his brow. It was hard work, but a good warm up for the mining that was sure to come.

As they rolled it down the ramp, Ales kept his back pressed against the catapult-mining contraption, slowing down its roll and potential running himself over. Turning it into a runaway cart of death was a last resort use of his invention, but if he could replace the pickaxe with something more deadly, it could be a viable solution.

For a moment, Chrom let the machine roll down to quickly, which scooped Ales off the floor and gave him a frightful ride for two inches.

He'd get his revenge eventually.

With the machine safely on the grass, Ales stepped away to catch his breath and let his heart calm down. "Good. Is it too heavy for you to roll it to the mines alone?"

"I'm not sure," Chrom admitted, taking a step back to rub the back of his head. He was a little short of breath already, and the road to the mines was rougher than the smooth planks of the airship deck. "I might need Santa's help for this one."

Otherwise he might be too fatigued to mine, and then where would they be? Would that he had the right mind for tactics, he could probably come up with a solution that made the best use of everyone's talents for optimal success.

"We might be able to rent some chocobos to pull it," he suggested.

Would that he had some to offer, but he never did have any luck catching one. Just an odd man in a suit.

"No, no, chocobos are a better idea than turning yourself into...that." They would be down one offensive party member, and they they'd be in a mess if they ran into monsters. Pickaxe machines were not meant to be a long-ranged weapon. "I have the funds for it."

Thank Ales and his two high-paying jobs and his street stall and his money-saving ways. It felt good to have so much power.

"I'll split the bill with you, then," Chrom offered. They were a team, after all, it wouldn't be fair to put the burden of financial expenses onto the shoulders of just one person.

...Even though Chrom's finances had rapidly dwindled since leaving the military life and stepping in to fill Olivier Armstrong's shoes at the training academy.

"I'll call Kulevi and have her place the order in Trano Golsaucia. It shouldn't take them long to arrive."

[As the party presses on, the steadily constricting tunnel suddenly yawns open into an enormous cavern. The light flung from the lantern casts long shadows over the cave floors, occasionally catching a glint of crystal or a dull silvery shimmer from a vein of mythril. Ancient symbols are carved into the walls, drawing Chrom's attention. He holds his lantern up, squinting at the script, but he's unable to read Ancient.]

This is interesting. Are any of you able to read what's inscribed here?

Why else would I be here? [No, Ales didn't expect to find Ancient writings, even if this was an old mine. There was no reason for miners to write novels in here. Fortunately, his goal to crystallize monsters on the way gave him the skill to read all languages.

And whatever was written here has to be important.]

Give me a boost so I can see better. [He'll read out the writings out loud.]

Of course.

[If Ales doesn't think of it as embarrassing, then neither does Chrom. He lives to serve. Reaching down, he puts his hands under Ales's arms and easily lifts the Teensie to get a closer look.]

[The runes are old and worn, close to eroding from the small stream that runs in a shallow rivulet down the wall, making them somewhat difficult to read. But with careful study, he can probably make something out about the lord of the mines, a deep but troubled sleep, and that a catastrophic earthquake may or may not shake the foundations of the continent if he is not awakened every hundred years, make an offering in the black lake, blah blah blah.]

[Being carried around with permission is very rude in Teensie culture, but this is preferable to breaking his neck while looking up or climbing on a slippery rock for a beeter view.]

Hmm.

[Ales goes over the writings once, twice.]

There's some words missing, but I can make something out...There's something sleeping in these mines, possibly causing those tremors. It says it needs to be awakened every hundred years or else an world-shattering earthquake can occur...

[He taps Chrom's hands, indicating he wants to be put down.]

Oh, and there's a black lake where you can make an offering, but all the details are a bit, let's say, washed away.

[Santa's not thrilled to be here, to put it mildly. He's still exhausted from fighting against a hamster ~~here's hoping he survives that~~, and he's not thrilled that Cid sent him on another quest with Swords for Brains and the weird blue thing.]

C'mon, there's gotta be more than that. What kind of offering? Are we supposed to toss in a gil coin and make a wish, or do we gotta sacrifice a virgin into the waters? That's way too vague to go off of.

That may explain why there have been so many tremors. Thank you.

[Chrom puts Ales down, then steps back to fold his arms as he furrows his brow in thought. Wedge hadn't mentioned anything about quakes in the mine, nor had anyone else he'd spoken to about this particular quest. Does this mean the one hundred years is almost up? Do they need to act quickly?]

Precious minerals, perhaps. That could be the reason it chose to dwell here in the first place. I don't see why we can't start off with a coin, however.

[But he doesn't go to do this just yet, looking at the others to weigh their opinions first on how they think they should proceed.]

We can just ask, but precious minerals is the standard offering to give to these kinds of guardians.

[It doesn't seem all that alarming to Ales. Back in his world, they have all sorts of large beings that would much prefer to be left alone, but if this "waking up" business was real, then they would have to fight it. Hopefully it's not a giant scorpion.]

Keep in mind, if it offers any kind of power or wealth, don't agree to it. It's supposed to be a test of character or whatever. [And gaining power through magical means is cheating. Ales is bitter about that.]

[The weird little blue guy has a standard for giving dark underground entities tribute? What's Santa talking about, of course he does. Why wouldn't he? Whenever Santa thinks his life has reached a high water mark of weirdness, something even more bizarre comes along.]

Ok, I don't carry around a ton of cash. Either of you got some 'precious minerals' on you, or am I gonna be asking whatever's causing the earthquakes if it takes a bank card?

[Because as much as Santa wants to promote his newly acquired bank, that's not really the way he wants to go about it.]

The mythril we mined should be more than sufficient.

[Chrom opens his Toy Bag. He isn't eager to give up what they worked so hard to obtain, but better this than losing the world to an earthquake. He furrows his brow as he sifts through the chunks of metal and blank crystals they've collected before bringing out a palm-sized chunk of mythril. It's of above-average quality, and should make a decent offering.]

[He carries it toward the lake, but continues his conversation with the others, since Ales's warning piques his interest.]

Does that sort of thing happen often?

[He wouldn't mind a boost, but if it's just a test and he's not going to obtain anything that will help him in the battles to come, it's good to know so he can decline.]

Eh. Only with creatures created from Polkus' nightmares, but in general, don't trust shady deals. Life can be so much safer when you make smart life choices.

[He steps back and pulls out a tome. Normally, summoned guardians don't attack on sight, but this is Crystallis, not the Glade of Dreams. For all he knew, the one sleeping in the cave would wake up cranky. And then they'd have to beat him up until he realized error of his ways, they would become friends, yadda yadda yadda...]

Hopefully the sacrifice he requires when he wakes up isn't our lives.

Yeah, hopefully not. [Seriously, Santa was just here for a goddamn rabbit. Why had Wedge stuck him with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum here? Just casually chatting about waking up monsters and shit.]

Look, ain't no point in just talking about it. Let's do it and get it over with.

Very well. Keep the chocobos further back in the tunnel, just in case.

[Chrom hefts the lump of mythril in his hand, testing its weight, before he gazes out over the dark shimmering waters of the underground lake. He pulls his arm back, then chucks the ore into the glassy depths.]

[Sploosh.]

[Ripples race across the lake's surface, and there's definitely something just slightly off about the way they move. The concentric rings are almost too perfect, too evenly spaced apart, and they seem like they keep going despite having nothing to serve as their source once the metal chunk sinks into the deep.]

[The earth beneath their feet shudders violently. Chrom throws her arms wide, bending his knees to keep his balance. The waters of the lake recede, rapidly draining. Chrom retreats slowly and carefully to rejoin the party, standing protectively in front of them as he draws his sword.]

Prepare yourselves.

Oh, not this again!

[Ales flips the pages to one with a spell he can case. As much as he hates using magical objects, he's been stuck with the Scholar class ever since he woke up in Crystallis nearly two years ago. It's an unfortunate side effect of being able to read every language and create crystals from monsters.]

Don't attack it unless it appears hostile. We don't need a misunderstanding to end with a dead guardian.

Dead guardian? What about dead US? [Little blue guy needs to reevaluate his priorities. Santa takes a step back and casts a preemptive Haste spell to get them prepped for whatever happens.]

[Chrom is familiar with the rush of adrenaline that comes from a Haste spell, sharpening his reflexes and perception. He knows that it's coming a split second before the creature's head crowns the center of the lake, water boiling. The thing that emerges is humanoid. And large. And beefy. And wearing next to nothing, if you happen to think creatures like this have any semblance of modesty, which they don't.]

[Rivulets of lake water sluice over his sinewy body as he rises, floating several feet above the water, and staring blankly down at the assembled trio of Heroes with burning eyes that are little more than sheets of sheer white. The most unusual thing about him, however, is the dark miasma that seems to crawl and swirl around him like a sickly fog. It clings to his bronzed flesh, trailing his movements just a beat too slow as if it were a procrastinating shadow.]

[Chrom tightens his focus. The being stares at them from beneath a heavy and beetled brow, lip peeling back in an open display of aggression.]

[Then it rockets for them, driving its fist firmly into the cave floor. Chrom is driven back to avoid the blow as great slabs of earth buckle and jut upward. Welp, Ales, it appears hostile. There's no way to avoid a fight now.]

HaaaaaaAAAAHHH!

[Chrom rushes him, his dusted white cloak billowing with his movements as he leaps high, slashing at the creature's shoulders with a flash of light from Falchion. Power Break certainly can't hurt to use early in the game, and he's going for it now.]

[There goes his plan. Dumb guardians and their death wishes.

He pulls out his hammer, going for the offensive route at the start. Since he can act quickly thanks to the Hast spell, he can work on buffing the others in case things go south. First off, he holds the hammer high into the air, lighting sparking out and striking the beast with Thor's Hammer.

Using magic directly was one thing, but calling upon an item already infused with magic was another. Ales is more comfortable with the latter, since it requires no internal spell nonsense to activate.]

[Well, Santa's current job set makes him kind of a one-trick pony. He's got plenty of skills that will let him run from a battle or fuck around with time, but not much in the way of attacking an enemy. All he can do is Slow the scantily clad hulking monster down.]

We're supposed to kill it, right?

['cause he's really hoping they don't have to capture like that weirdo at the Monster Arena is always trying to get them to do. He'd really like the scary muscle nightmare demon to be dead.]

[Chrom's not sure if this creature can be killed, but that doesn't mean they should hold back. He gives Santa only a brief nod before charging forward with his sword once more.]

Bring it down and carry the day!

[His sword gleams brightly in the reflection of the cavern torch light as he attacks the enormous Eidolon. He's rewarded with a bare-fisted punch that sends Chrom sailing several yards.]

[Probably wise not to get too close. But without Chrom as a nearby handy target, he goes for the next closest, which is Santa. At least he's doing so at a slower pace.]

[That could have gone better. Ales doesn't have any healing spells on him, but he opens his tome to another page and casts Stats Lore, doubling the effect of potions in case Chrom needs time to heal himself.

Next was the monster. Santa can manage, so Ales prepares another long-range attack. This time, a Flare spell is aimed at the Eidolon's body.]

Shit! [Santa tries to dodge the monster's attack. It hits him, but at least it's only a passing glance. He still doesn't have anything useful to hit the bastard with, so he mimics Ales' Flare with his Imitate ability.]

You can carry the fucking day around in your basket full of crazy.[He mutters at Chrom. What a dumbass.]

Edited 2016-06-27 23:53 (UTC)

[That's one of the good things about having the Toy Bag. Chrom can fit a lot of items in there, and he dizzily fishes out a potion thanks to Ales's thoughtfulness.]

It's...ngh...earth-based.

[He struggles to his feet, one eye winced shut as blood trickles from a gash in his forehead.]

Do either of you have any wind magic?

[He's sheathing Falchion and digging back into the bag. Potions isn't the only thing it holds. It also contains Chrom's impressive assortment of element-aligned swords. It was the aspect he liked best about the job, as he could customize his weaponry on the fly if he didn't have any chance to prepare.]

[The sword's blade has a greenish glow, and when it moves, the air whistles. Chrom circles to the left, waiting for the Titan's attention to turn back toward the two spellcasters.]

[He rushes in from the side, driving his blade with a clean thrust into the Titan's ankle and jerking it out again. Then he's moving. He's already learned that staying still is a death trap, and as long as that Slow spell holds, he should be able to keep ahead of it.]

[Before Ales can answer, the Titan faces him and Santa, its fist raised high for another attack. He's got little time to think about an answer.

Wind magic, wind magic, wind magic....he frantically searches his bag for a Teensie-sized book with just the thing. An Elemental Tome imbued with wind magic. He feels so dirty just holding this piece of magic, but if he doesn't want to die, he's going to have use it. Next time he goes out, he need someone that doesn't suddenly develop magical skills. Robots and guns all the way.]

Take this!

[A whirlwind forms at the Titan's feet, blowing up dirt and pushing back Chrom, if he doesn't back away soon enough.]

I got fuckin' nothing, man! [And he doesn't think he can Imitate a magical item or weapon, so he's back to casting Time Magic. Slow spells stack, right?]

[He splits from Ales. It's big enough and muscly enough to sweep its fists and hit both of them at once, so they need to stay spread out. At least, only one of them will get hit.]

[If Santa doesn't have anything he thinks he can use, then the fault lies on Chrom's shoulders for not asking what skills he had available. He's sure he could think of something Santa could do, but there's no time to gather that information now.]

Stay back! Be ready to use Potions on either one of us.

[He unfastens the toy bag and lobs it underhand toward Santa. If he can't use any of his spells, then it's best at least one of them stays standing just in case things get really ugly. At the very least he can escape with the ore and crystals they mined.]

[Chrom lashes out with his sword, but as soon as Ales's magic whips up, he leaps back and digs the point of his blade into the ground to anchor him as he shields his face with the other arm. It's so sad that he's unable to see how magnificently his tattered white cape flutters behind him.]

[The moment he feels the weight of the material float back down to his shoulders, he uproots his sword and charges again. The Titan is ambling toward Ales, but Chrom is there to defend him, leaping upward and slashing it across the chest.]

You will keep your focus on me.

[The Titan obliges and flings Chrom across the cave again.]

Waugh!

[Too close, too close, too close! Ales takes a step backwards, then another. His puny legs are too short to outrun the Titan, and all he manages to accomplish is trip over a depression in the cavern floor and fall flat onto his back.]

Oof! [He's not hurt, but his hat and wig fall off, revealing his bald head. Great. Insult to injury. What a fantastic day. The blue haired lord getting wacked away provides a bit of black comedy to balance it out.]

Again! Take this!

[From his spot on the floor, Ales takes advantage of the Titan beating up Chrom and uses the extra time to cast another Wind spell with Elemental Tome. This time, it's centered on his front, so if it's able to push it away, it won't go near Chrom and Santa. They need their fighters.]

[Santa catches the bag. He knows how it works, having mastered the Santa Claus class as well. Potions? Nah, while the loin-clothed fashion disaster is distracted by the others, Santa rifles through the bag for something combustible. He's no alchemist, but he's got enough knowledge to put together a small bomb if he can find the right materials.]

Doin' great, guys. [He calls out distractedly, not even bothering to look up from his work. He'll toss out potions if he hears any bones crack or bloodcurdling screams.]

[Santa might find plenty in there. Chrom has given it to Robin before, and she's likely to have included several different items to be used in a variety of tactical circumstances.]

[Chrom picks himself up, aching from head to toe and bleeding from a small cut on his jaw, but he's not out of the fight just yet. He strikes the enormous Eidolon with another Power Break. He isn't sure if the effects stack or not, but he would very much like to not fly quite so far the next time he's struck. This dastard hits hard!]

[The wind spell slams into the Titan who grunts angrily as his loincloth flips up and]

[CENSORED.]

[Disgusting.

Ales looks away from the crass display. Who cares is if costs him time, he's not letting his brain remember that.]

[Santa blinks. Shit. That's...pretty impressive. He tears his eyes away and turns his focus back to the vials he's pulled from Chrom's bag. It'll only take a little bit of time to mix them into an explosive surprise for the big guy over there.]

[The battle rages on. Titan punches the cave floor so hard that tables of slate shoot into the air. He punches those at Chrom. He has to stay fast on his feet, lurching from one side to the other, even forced to springboard off of one of the massive chunks of rock to avoid being pulverized.]

[The wind-elemental sword practically sings as it bites through the air and slashes into the Eidolon, driving it further back. It looks like it's starting to tire, Titan's breathing becoming more labored, those gigantic shoulders heaving with each powerful air circulation.]

Hold your ground! The battle nears its end!

Oh, good.

[Ales isn't getting hurt, and that's all that matters to him. He's not going to make a repeat of that loincloth fiasco, and instead aims his next spell at the Titan's head.]

Why won't you give up already?!

[Santa pours a few of the vials into a bottle and quickly corks it. A quick shake to mix it, and then, if they're the chemicals he's hoping they are, oxygen should make them combust.]

Head's up! [He lobs the bottle at the titan's feet. Small bombs can have a big enough impact if you place them right.]

[The combined attacks of the three seem to be staggering the Titan. Chrom dashes behind the monstrous man, slashing across the back of his legs as he speeds past. Santa's bombs further upset Titan's balance, and then Ales punches him upside the head with a wind spell.]

[It falls backward into the lake, and the water lurches up to rush over the cave floor, sloshing past their feet before receding.]

[Silence settles over the room.]

[Chrom drops to one knee, panting heavily for breath. It had been a tough fight for him, but they managed to survive it.]

Everyone all right?

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Fly, You Fools!

CONVERSATIONS / DOWN TIME / MINING

Ales - OTA

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DARK TITAN ENCOUNTER

Re: DARK TITAN ENCOUNTER

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And then the Titan turned them all to jam to punish them for their lack of teamwork

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