[Event] Operation Arizona

[soul_mods]

Characters: Those who signed up for Mission 128: Operation Arizona. List of participants here.
Location: Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Rating: PG or higher, for death, destruction and the like.
Time: November 25, late evening for the pre-mission posts, then November 26 at 00:00 hours all the way until the whee hours of the morning of the

Comments

Team Awesome and Team Derpsome, aka Selendis/Karkat and Chika/Masaru

[dungenessmaster]

[this is one of those times Karkat really hates being a Weapon. it's his job and he plans to do it like the boss he is, but he really would rather be the hero swinging the axe, destroying witches and kinshin eggs and getting all blood-stained and badass in the process. he's not in his other form, but he's staying near Selendis and is ready to go at a moment's notice.

he glances dubiously at Masaru and Chika.]

So... you two are partners, right? Or was this some kind of last minute team-up?

((OOC: If you guys would rather prose this, go for it!))

[dungenessmaster]

[Karkat would love to continue arguing, Masaru, he really would, but this is clearly Go Time. he swears as the blade fails to cut into the monster; he hates it when they're armored. it doesn't really hurt, but it's still so annoying to have to strike these things again and again. grudgingly, he admits to himself that the fire's actually a big help.

and it looks like everyone already has the same strategy in mind -- drop it fast, take it out -- so he continues being an awesome badass axe of heroism.]

[scatterflower]

[Well, Chika definitely didn't need to be told to do that twice, sending her leg out at the kishin's knee as the fire around her foot also shifted into a spike of flame.]

[dai_mon_dai]

[All Masaru can really do is yell in exhilaration. Even though he isn't the one attacking he can still feel the rush from his sister. The danger and the excitement of it all only serve to make his flames hotter and brighter.

Karkat had been right, there was nothing wrong with being a Weapon at all]

[justiceisdue]

[Chika's too small and too fast for the kishin to grab before she lashes out, and the fire goes right through the softer flesh of its knee. The monster roars in pain, listing to the side as the injured leg fails to support the weight of it. It hits the floor hard, still snapping its jaws, but that's all the invitation they need.

Selendis surges forward again, mindful of Chika's flames. She aims for the kishin's exposed neck, like the last kishin they fought together, just under the jawline where the scales are thin. Karkat's blade cuts in this time, and one pass is enough to do the job. It doesn't even have the chance to bleed before the monster is reduced to a glowing red egg. Satisfied, she lowers the axe, glancing over at Chika and Masaru.]

Well done.

((ooc: more kishin or is it witch time?))

I'm down with the witchness whenever! o7

[dungenessmaster]

[Karkat remains in weapon form, his image in the blade looking a bit reluctant to agree. hard to argue with that floating red soul where the monster once stood, though.]

Yeah... maybe you guys don't suck that bad, at least not for a couple of rookies.

Yes. Bring the witch! MWAHAHAHA

[scatterflower]

[Chika's grin at beating the kishin faded as Karkat well... spoke. She really wanted to glare at the axe, but right now probably wasn't the best time to be pissed off.]

Gee, thanks. For a second there it almost sounded like you might like us.

Works for me!

[dai_mon_dai]

[Masaru's flames calm, now only lazily hovering around Chika's form. Though the if flames could be called self satisfied, well these certainly are]

Don't mind him, he's just a crankier Ikuto. You know, "Me hate human, thuggathugga".

You called? :3

[namelesswitch]

[What was that infernal noise? There was human bickering everywhere, it seemed. This group, however, was close.

She turned a corner, and, true enough, spotted two children in the company of a strange... creature, wielding an axe.

That did not intimidate her in the least. All things, she had learned, bleed the same.

Have a tall, strange woman walking towards you. She's bundled up in fur and odd, long spines, like those found on a porcupine's coat.]

What a crude language you speak. And what irritating noise you make.

[From the way she's acting, you'd think you ran into each other in a park or something.]

OH GOD WRONG NUMBER

[justiceisdue]

[Once the mission is complete, Selendis is going to have some words with Karkat about how to work with others on the battlefield. Maybe it does wonders for trolls, but the antagonizing was just creating tension here.

Of course, that tension isn't helped when something unfamiliar approaches. She catches the scent first, and while she doesm't go searching for it with her mind, it's presence is unsettling. Moreso than a kishin. Her grip tightens on the axe handle, and when the woman steps around the corner, she's already in a defensive position. When she speaks, she makes her voice audible to only her three companions.]

Witch. Be prepared to fall back. [There was no way they're ready for this, even with how well she and Karkat have been working together. Putting up a fight might get them killed, but they might be forced into it.]

nooo they have *69

[dungenessmaster]

[Karkat's eyes flick to Masaru and Chika, and not for the first time he's glad she's the meister. they'd have a hell of a time peeling Masaru away from the witch.

after a pause, trying to size up the witch and check their surroundings for more threats, Karkat speaks to Selendis through resonation.]

Oh, FUCK. This one's alone, but she's not the one we were supposed to find. We should...

[they're not ready, and he knows that. he just doesn't want to admit anything's beyond them.]

Re: nooo they have *69

[scatterflower]

[Chika's eyes widened as the witch came near them. Oh god, this definitely wasn't good. Not good at all. There was no way that they could manage to beat a witch. Not yet. Not with the first real battle that Chika's been part of.]

Okay...

[dai_mon_dai]

[While the rest of the team were slowly falling back, Masaru was a ball of barely restrained energy. He wanted to fight her, wanted to like he was a rooster in a pit. All aggression and little thought.

But part of him knew when something was very wrong, and through his resonance with Chika came a realization that they shouldn't fight this fight. If it'd been him and Armstrong? hell yeah, but not Chika.

So he even managed to pull in his flames, becoming a more subtle glow then a constantly spewing becaon of 'HEY WE'RE RIGHT HERE']

[namelesswitch]

You attack this base, then you dare to run away?

[A grim smile. Then, in an almost lazy gesture, she's bowing, exposing her furred back.

The spikes jut out immediately, faster than a blink. They'll lance through anything that stands in their way, it seems.]

[justiceisdue]

[Selendis isn't a fan of retreating, but you couldn't keep fighting if you were dead. Unfortunately, this witch wasn't content to let them go on their merry way. She's prepared to run, but that option is gone as soon as the spikes are coming right at them.

Her first instinct is to try to deflect them, and she swings the axe in a wide arc to do just that. It's only partially successful - there are simply too many spines, and her armor doesn't cover nearly enough of her skin. When powered, her armor used to give her a protective barrier from the elements and enemy fire alike. BREW had taken away that power, leaving her vulnerable.

The spines sink into her exposed side, striking her arm and thigh and she stumbles back a few steps. Shifting Karkat to her other hand, Selendis reaches up to yank them out of her arm, spilling bright blue blood. The pain is familiar, and easy to manage right now. She glances toward Chika, hoping she isn't hit or wounded.]

[dungenessmaster]

[Karkat stares, somewhat shocked. it's the first time he's seen Selendis injured, not counting the small hand injury from the day they met.

as he's shifted, Karkat snarls at the witch and bares his teeth. that was a nasty sneak attack, and she's not getting to his partner again if HE has anything to say about it.]