recolle | [Closed] Quest Marker Updated

[For packing, planning, the trip there, and Lucy falling asleep on someone.]

[The nice thing about having an airship to take them there is that Minako doesn't have to worry about her spear accidentally poking anyone in the face. It's tucked in the corner somewhere, with Koromaru and all of her other adventuring things. Minako herself is sitting at a window seat, watching the world go by.

First it was a giant dragon summon, then it was a possessed ice fairy, and now it's Lucy's memories. Minako wonders if she'll be the next reason for an epic throwdown.

Because she has no doubts that today's quest will involve one, too.

She finds herself exhaling an uncommonly deep, worried sigh.]

[Pen doesn't need to concentrate so much on flying with the airship's autopilot, but she's still sitting at the helm, assuming direct control for the moment. It's not a difficult or unfamiliar trip at this point, but it bears what seems a lot of significance to Lucy.

It's strange thinking how close the four of them have gotten, through strife and combat. They've fought together, worked together, and now they're traveling together. Almost like...]

...It's like having our own adventuring party...

[And soon to be living together, like a real gaggle of an adventuring party.]

[It's definitely a little less awkward to bring the weapons in the airship, instead of strapping them to the top of a car or something. A red double-ended lance rests next to Minako's, and despite Freya receiving it fairly recently, the thing's battered to hell and back, nicks and long scratches marring the surface. Freya reclines easily in her chair, a pair of earbuds in for the trip, but she keeps it at minimum volume; she still hears Minako's sigh, and Pen's comment makes her smile. She remains quiet for now, silently tapping out a half-assed rhythm, though it's obvious she's listening from her general awareness.]

[Unlike the weapons, Lucy was not leaned up into a corner. She was leaned back into her chair, instead. At the beginning, during all the packing and scurrying around, Lucy had been tense and a bit snappish. Now, though, could just have been another day at the apartment, with Lucy slowly dozing off in the armchair. She'd picked a seat near Minako; it seemed right for Freya and Pen to sit next to each other, and...she didn't want to be too far away from Minako. So there.

Despite her best efforts--eyes closed and everything--Lucy was only half asleep. That sigh was enough of an unfamiliar sound that she stirred, lifting her head from the seat.]

...'re what? [Lucy asked, with all the coherence of a sleepwalker.]

An adventuring party.

[Minako huffs a laugh through her nose, pulling herself out of her reverie to smile at Lucy, wry and amused. Safe in Pen's airship like this, though, it doesn't seem like too much of an adventure yet, more like a day trip somewhere.]

Like in a video game. We're a group that's trying to save the world, and we've been given a side quest to help us towards that goal.

Yeah. Or we're treasure hunting.

[Doesn't much matter to her which. Lazily, Pen stretches her arms up over her head, popping them and spinning her chair around.]

We're nearly there, by the way. If the winds stay with us and not against us, it won't be long at all. You all ready?

[Lucy heard the words, but they had to filter through something fuzzy and foglike to get to her brain. At some other point, she'd be properly mortified about there being witnesses to how sluggish and not entirely dignified she was. Now was not that point.]

...huh.

[That was...one way to put it. She wasn't sure about saving the world, and had been still stuck on the "people helping her" part. But...she supposed, yes.]

Answers are...treasure too, aren't they.

[Lucy's voice didn't sound any less sleepy than it had a few moments ago, and Pen's announcement made her shoulders huddle up in protest.]

...five more minutes.

[And she plonked her head against Minako's shoulder, eyes closed again.]

[Freya chuckled softly to herself. Lucy's... come a hell of along way. A year ago, she'd probably have been sulking in her chair, curled up and somehow trying to keep an eye on all of them. This little excursion was worth it, just for that very progress.]

Been ready. How bad could it be out there? It's no Magatus.

[Which, no offense to Magnus, could rightly go fuck itself.]

[Freya would've normally been at ease with the idea of an adventure like this, but after the ordeal she's been through? There hardly seemed to be anything to worry about.]

And now you've jinxed us.

[No, but Minako can agree that they've been through some tough scrapes already. One trip to the woods probably won't be the worst they'll ever get, especially if the Retrospec team is expecting them to come back relatively fine.

She glances at Lucy and laughs quietly. Awww, sleepy sheepy.]

Only if you say please.

Answers are the most important treasures.

[Pen says in a mock authoritative voice, like some old ship captain.]

The first duty of anyone in this party is to the truth. To uncover it and share it with everyone. Gold and jewels can't hold a candle to it.

[And then, of course, she giggles, and not just because of a sleepy Lucy.]

Nerd. [Freya accuses affectionately. She refrains from laughing from combinations sleepy Lucy and silly Pen, but she is grinning.]

[Lucy grumbles a bit at Minako, curling both her arms around the other girl's and steadfastly not moving from her new pillow. And she grumbles at Pen. And would have grumbled at Freya if she heard her, but didn't.]

...you're silly, Pen.

[She understood most of that, sleep attempts besides.]

[Minako absentmindedly pats over the top of Lucy's head, tilting her head at Pen.]

You almost had me convinced that came from an actual video game.

[Pen bites back a laugh and raises her water cup.]

It is. Space Trek the Game.

[Spinning to Freya, she sticks out her tongue.]

And you love it.

Guess I do.

[She flashes Pen a smile, then tilts her head back at Minako. She nods slightly at Lucy.]

Should we leave her to sleep?

[The horned girl's grumbles stopped when Minako patted her head, and her eyes stayed closed for a few more moments.

Her mind had taken its time about it, but Lucy was waking up, not drifting back to sleep. And she heard that.]

'm up. I'm up.

[Lucy straightened, yawning and scratching the side of her face. It was nice not to have to snap awake immediately, though. Being lazy about waking up was awesome.]

Morning, sleepyhead.

[Minako glances at Freya with faint amusement as she waits for Lucy to sit up, then gets up to start some stretches in preparation for what they're about to do.]

You didn't even need the five minutes.

Yep. and good timing, too.

[The engines begin to spool down some as the ship begins to go in for a final approach.]

We'll be landing shortly. You guys ready?

[Mind the trees.]

[Lucy was awake now! ...twenty minutes later. But she was standing on her own feet, eyes bright, alert, and no outward indication that she'd been half or fully zonked out the entire trip here. Except that her hair was a bit ruffled in places.

She wasn't wearing a hat--it was too hot--or a jacket, for the same reason. There was a clearing in the weeds and scraggly trees beside what looked like a logging road, and a much smaller trail leading off into the forest.

There was a hole in the road that wasn't there when they landed. Not too big, maybe the size of a manhole cover, definitely enough to eat an entire car wheel. Lucy didn't bother pointing out the obvious. She just kicked some dirt into the hole.]

[Minako taps at her phone until the flashlight is on, shining it down into the hole. Koromaru peers into its vast depths as well, sniffing curiously.]

I hope everyone who painted here last month painted the rest of the road, too...

[They could fly through the forest, if she used Kohryu instead of Seth, but it'd be better if she saves her SP for anything they'll encounter further inside the forest.]

[Freya leans over to peer as well, hands idly at her hips.]

At least we know we're on the right track. The weirder it gets, the closer we must be gettin'.

[That's the general rule for Retrospec, right?]

Then we must not be close at all, because holes in the ground is barely a four on the scale of weirdness for me.

[Remember all those black holes in the cracks of the sidewalk, back when everyone turned tiny af? Yeah, this is hardly new.]

[Pen leaned over next to Freya, holding her waist for extra support.]

A good rule of thumb, babe.

[Pepperidge farm remembers.]

But this is only so weird. I mean, last month there was no color at all. And remember that time the only thing we could taste was sour?

[Yammer Yammer...]

[When the hole failed to do anything besides continue impossibly far down, and nothing jumped out of it not a macabre jack in the box, Lucy lost interest. Though her mouth twisted at Pen's reminder.]

I don't think there's anything down there.

[The trees had started to rustle distantly, like an audible reminder. There wasn't much of a breeze out here, though--maybe it was further in?

Instead of saying something--or just wandering off--Lucy paused, looking at all of them briefly. Only then did she start off along the trail.]

Well, isn't she being decisive today?

[But it's amused, not a criticism, as Freya grinned after Lucy. She glanced down at Pen, scritched her scalp briefly, then took off after the group's youngest.]

I guess Lucy is our leader for this expedition.

[Minako huffs out a laugh and follows as well.

For about ten minutes of walking, there's nothing to worry about except for the holes in the ground. Even as they steadily grow in size the further they head in, it's an easy thing to hop off the path and go around them.

But the further they go in, the darker it grows around them as well. The trees start becoming a proper forest, towering over them like a series of archways, with all of the animals hidden within watching the intruders.

Koromaru is near the front of the group as their lookout for more holes, keeping his nose to the ground, when suddenly he swivels his head around, barking in warning to the back of the group. Though she she can't see what's there, Minako raises her voice in alarm anyways.]

Look out!

[Pen's going to comment further about that, because heck, Lucy being decisive is weird but she does tend to dominate discussions she's involved in at times. Mostly by grumbling...but still. Better keep that to herself.]

Mmm?

[The dog's warning hits Pen, and she slips off of Freya, whipping out her spear and extending the weapon, taking a battle stance.]

What's wrong, Koro?!

[That rustling of leaves was still rhythmic but distant, and Lucy had been so focused on finding out what it was that she missed something much closer. If Koro hadn't barked, she wouldn't have looked up in time to see the trees' shadows move. And it wasn't from the wind.

Hands broke away from the shadows to lunge for her face, almost a mirror copy of her own vectors. But where Lucy's distorted the air they passed through, these reflected nothing--black shadows, grasping fingers. Lucy jerked her head back with a curse, vectors immediately bristling up in defense. When they touched, however, the vector and shadow simultaneously fuzzed away into scattered light and garbled sound.

And they weren't coming from just one direction, they were reaching in from both sides of the path to grab and pull.]

[A fact that Freya quickly discovers. As she glances towards the front of the group at the commotion, extending the blades on her lance, a pair of shadowy hands grasp her left arm. Freya swears when they pull her off-balance, struggling to remain on her feet. She slams her spear into the trunk of a nearby tree to anchor herself. On the other side of the path, more of the shadows are trying to do the same.]

Behind you!

[Koromaru springs into action, slashing at the shadowy limbs to keep them away. Minako rushes in after him, but a brief tug-of-war battle ends with her spear snatched away, and she immediately summons instead, bright blue light giving way to the pumpkin headed form of Pyro Jack.]

Maragi!

[The fire isn't nearly as strong as Seth's Agidyne, but what it lacks in power it makes up for in number and range. Fireballs start hurtling in every direction, catching on the black limbs in an effort to drive them back and give the women a chance to regroup.]

Oh Hell!

[Pen follows Minako's attack with a sweeping motion of her hands, balls of light surrounding each and every one of them. The Bubble spell she's so fond of creates a scintillating globe of light around the girls and the dog, covering them from any hands that reach out and try to grasp.]

Stay together! And move away from the hole. Towards the direction we came. Move!

[That came out a bit more like a squad commander than she intended, but it seemed like the sort of thing they'd need. someone had to get them moving in the same direction, and they don't want to be cornered between the hole and the monsters.]

[Lucy backpedaled, even though it took the hands out of range. The fire dispelled some of the shadows, the light more. But they didn't give up, scattered motes of dark recollecting around the edges of the light spheres and following them every step of the way.

Minako's spear lay just out of the light's reach, mockingly. It rankled Lucy, along with the call to retreat. But leaving Minako's side was a greater worry, and the horned girl fell back with her face twisted in a grimace and the air over her shoulders distorted.]

[When the bubble formed, freeing Freya from the grasp of the shadow-arms, she yanked her spear out of the tree and immediately formed up with the group.]

[She could feel the pulse in her shoulder, Bahamut reaching out and offering his power. Freya considered it--but they might need him later. Instead, she stood ready to lash out at the next thing to go for the group.]

[Losing her spear cripples Minako's fighting power, but she can easily borrow Kartikeya's once she summons him, so she only spares the Vel Vel Muruga a passing glance as she runs away. She's the last one to make it to the group, just a few seconds after Koromaru-- and as she skids to a stop, the earth shakes violently all around them.]

What the--?!

[She cuts herself off when the answer emerges from the depths of the forest, an impossibly huge horned beast, its hoof half the size of a house and quickly descending upon them. So much for staying in formation, because now it's Minako's turn to bark out orders:]

Scatter! Get out from under it!

[Well shit. That sure was a thing. A monster bearing down on them? That was something she could handle at least.]

Jesus Fuck!

[With swears, curses, and a little bit of magical help. More light flew from her fingers, a Haste spell finding each and every one of them and speeding them up immensely. Time seemed to crawl from that point onward, making the escape that much easier, their movements near a blur.]

[Shadows around them, and a shadow looming above. Lucy's sense of time compressed, even before the spell that hastened her limbs. The burst of speed surprised her, feet carrying her well beyond where she meant to go. But the monster's foot crashed down well behind her, blocking her view of the others and bowling her off of her feet with the tremors.

The horned girl stumbled, but her vectors were there to catch her. She scrabbled forwards like some horrible spider until she was able to get to her feet again--

--where the shadows were waiting, reaching out with their spindly arms. Sharp fingers yanked at Lucy's arms and hair, pulling her off balance in many directions at once. Her vectors could only do so much, keeping the hands away from her throat and face. She needed her voice for shouting, angrily:]

Get away from me!

[The shadows heaved backwards and slammed her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her lungs.

But that Haste spell was what saved her, quickening the time it took to get her breath back. Her vectors only defocused a moment with the wavering in her concentration before reaching across the ground for something, anything to use as a projectile--

The spectral fingers closed on the haft of Minako's spear, and if Lucy were a fraction less angry she'd have smiled. The weapon whirled up from its spot on the ground, scything in a wild arc with no consideration to the angle of the blade. But it was enough to sever some of the shadow creatures into smaller motes of dark, clearing some space. Most of the shadows had gathered around this target, drawing them away from the rest of the group.]

[In that initial moment, with the shadow settling over them, Freya's stomach plummets when her brain registers the sheer size of the imminent creature. Then the adrenaline kicks in, working double time as she grabs Pen's arm and leaps back, pulling the both of them out of the way.]

[And all the while, a wild laugh peels from her throat. It's only half-hysterical, and the other half's the pure delight of thrill. Only a mere moment ago, she'd declined Bahamut's help; with the appearance of the new player on the field, Freya reaches, manifesting the familiar Eidolith by her brand. The shadows are momentarily forgotten to her.]

[With Bahamut's sudden appearance, the beast roars out in challenge, ready to face an opponent it can actually see. With speed that belies its size and weight, the beast swings its head into the Eidolith's gut, immediately going for a fatal hit with its horns.

Below, its feet are skidding against the earth and kicking up a dust storm. It almost immediately dissipates when Seth bursts out above it, Minako and Koromaru riding along his back. A powerful beat of his wings sends the dust to the side.]

Come on, big guy, we gotta cover Freya!

[The dragon screeches and dives, using his wings and well timed Agidynes to drive back the shadows in the area.]

[Pen doesn't stop to think. She just whirls around to raise her hands and call out a new fighter of her own. She'll have to focus on defense and support, but the enormous, fat frame of Cu Chulainn appearing has to do nothing of the sort.

The monster lets out a rich, vile...absolutely gross laugh that shakes it's flabby belly and leaps in to start attacking the monster while it's distracted by Bahamut. It sails through the air, coming in hard with a fist the size of a motorbike and slams into the beast's knee with tremendous force.]

Lucy! I'm going to make you invisible! Be ready to move so you don't get pinned down!

[The vanish spell flickered out next settling around Lucy specifically, giving her a chance to get clear.]

[Thank you, homing buff spell. It finds Lucy, despite her being half-buried under shadow-limbs and struggling to stand. The shockwave of that beast's feet crashing to the ground around her made standing both difficult and crucial, if she didn't want to be paste. And that laughter was repulsive enough that just hearing it made her want to get away.

The hands grabbing onto Lucy pulled back slightly when she vanished, their owners confused. Vectors lashed from her back, shoving the shadow creatures up and away from a now-invisible target in a perfectly circular dome. Another that hadn't let go of the spear yanked it close, a visible marker of where Lucy was as she stood. scrambling back to the others and the light. She had to detour a lot, though, so as not to get crushed underfoot.]

[Bahamut was no small creature, but it might have been an annoying bird to that giant monster. He catches the tip of the horn between his claws, but the force sends him sliding through the air. Unharmed, granted, because of the whole flying thing, but still farther from his summoner than he'd like.]

[But there was still shadows. In a rare display, the Eidolon roars, and throws both hands forward. Small, shimmering explosions burst in a ring across the clearing, along where the shadows were thickest.]

[Freya whistles; Bahamut zips away in her direction, avoiding another gore from the wildlife.]

[Finding that its opponent has flown away, the horned beast follows after, braying loud enough to echo through the forest as it lifts its head and tries to snap its blunt teeth at the Eidolon. It keeps moving forward, each step it takes shaking the earth, ignorant of the two women still on the ground trying to get out from under it.

All this time it's been ignoring the bursts of fire Seth has been sending to its tough hide too, as if the dragon were just a bug compared to Bahamut's bird. Minako tsks in frustration, and then changes tactics. Seth disappears out from under her, and both Minako and Koromaru are freefalling for two seconds before they're scooped up by a huge clock and the three one-winged women melded to it. There's considerably less sitting space than on Seth, but sheltered in the curve of one of Norn's wings, she's safe enough to keep her aerial position.

A shout prompts a huge hurricane to form right at the creature's head, the razor sharp wind disorienting it enough to stop its progress on the path.]

[Pen slams the buttons on the small command pad that'd come with her airship, the vessel spooling up and roaring into view a few minutes later. High in the sky, it settles well out of the monster's range and it's guns swivel at her direction, lining up a shot.]

We really, really need to get out of here! At least clear of the monster unless you're resistant to fire or something!

[The cannon whines as it spools up and Pen moves further back. And when the others are clear, it begins firing. Volley after volley of fire spells pepper the beast's flank and head, joining the winged beasts swarming like airplanes in a Godzilla film.]

[The shadows burst into scattered motes of black under Bahamut's fire, shrieking discordantly before disappearing. But the stains they left behind weren't ashy smudges, but brighter patches of forest floor. The remaining shadows pulled back, vanishing to regroup or retreat.

Lucy didn't have much time to ponder that. The beast thundered by overhead, and Lucy recovered her footing. Minako had summoned something different now, Pen's airship had come back, Freya's dragon was leading the trampler away and everything had escalated horribly quickly. But Lucy was...maybe, safe. Not immune to fire, though.

Shit, they probably still couldn't see her except for the spear.]

I'm clear! [Lucy shouted, and someone heard--the roar of a cannon rang out overhead, making her flinch.]

[I don't have anything clever to put here I'm tired.]

[Closed] Quest Marker Updated

Transit/Arrival

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Exploration/Inevitable Monster Fighting

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Breaking and Entering...?