Monsters and children and...more monsters, oh my!

[tidesnpc]

Characters: Everyone in the Badlands fighting!
Content: The Badlands is being attacked by monsters! And children!
Setting: Various places in the Badlands, plus the Convoy itself for gunners and powder monkeys
Notes: Remember, the Convoy and the Amestris are heading for the south, while Serenity is in the Garrettstown/mountains area. However, if you

Comments

Valigarmanda

[tidesnpc]

The being dragging itself across the Badlands was nothing like any beast currently living on Reial, if one could even call it a beast at all. The main mass of it, all 15 ft tall of it, seemed to be a motionless mask of a bird like face. In a way, it almost seemed to be a giant metal decoration from some long lost tribe. Its eyes were blank and slightless, but the three limbs dragging it around proved it was very active indeed. Said limbs also looked more metal then organic, each one ending in a tree pronged gripper of some sort. Each of these limbs each possessed an element: fire, ice, or electricity. Occasionally, one of the 'hands' lifted up, aiming at some structure or fleeing foe and fired a blast of pure elemental power at them.

Sorry about the deleted comment - forgot to change the subject. We're good to NPC ourselves!

[surfaceshine]

The world was trying to fall apart around their ears, but this at least Dean understood; people needed help, monsters needed put down, and his place in all of it was as simple and straightforward as he liked it. Less so how he was going to go about winning this, but, one thing at a time. He'd declared his intentions as soon as he saw the cards: gunning down more special children, or work he understood and knew, it wasn't really a choice. Plenty of people needed help and he separated from Serenity at Garrettstown long enough to find a cheap mare (read: probably unintentionally stole) and ride hard for where the reports of monsters were coming from

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka was standing a little way away, on top of a big rock. He was peering into the distance, shading his eyes with his hand, watching the creature's approach. The Gods only knew what it even was. It had not come from this landscape, and it was not at home here. Like the rest of the strange beings released by the upheaval of the earth's structures, and like the Sky Serpent, it did not have any way of living here except to destroy or simply overrun whatever it found. It had already decimated one settlement and it was heading for another. And there was no way to put it back where it belonged

[surfaceshine]

The mare threw her head and protested their lack of movement when she seemed to realize what kind of danger they were in; Dean kind of agreed, but there wasn't a lot for it. Instead he soothed her quietly and, while it was headed for them and Hisoka was keeping an eye on it, backed he back down the rise and out of sight of it. When she'd finally stopped flicking her ears back and forth in agitation, he dismounted and slipped the bridle off her face to hang on her neck, trading it for the halter and leadrope to tie her off to a nearby log. He patted her neck as he walked back up the hill

Sylph

[tidesnpc]

At first, it just seemed to be a dust storm or swarm of locusts, not that uncommon across the Badlands. But on closer inspection, one could see hundreds of tiny creatures in the cloud, each one adding it's own voice to the hive mind of the swarm. Every member moved as one, and the cloud would sweep the area with a powerful wind, blowing those unlucky enough to get caught in the gales away. Or the members would pack in tightly, forming deadly weapons to strike at targets directly.

[armorgal]

"So," Erza said, looking up at the cloud. Her face was already scratched and ragged from a close encounter with the things. "All we need to do is take out all of those little things."

She had donned her Heaven's Wheel armor for now, and stood with a half-dozen swords floating behind her. She was prepared to fight this thing alone if need be. She hoped that she wouldn't have to.

[princelyspirit]

"Easier said than done.

Utena stepped behind her, clad in the black armor Erza had loaned her long ago. The buzzing chorus of those little monsters sent a chill down her spine, but she gripped the handle of her rapier and steeled herself for the battle to come. She glanced at Erza, and asked, "Do you have a plan?"

[armorgal]

Only a very, very vague one.

"If we keep killing them," she reasoned aloud, "it'll run out eventually."

And without waiting for a response, she leaped forward, spreading her armor's 'wings' to give herself more airtime as she closed the gap between them and giant cloud.

Ramuh

[tidesnpc]

Unlike the others, this monster looked like an ancient man straight from a legend, with his long beard, robe and constantly smoking pipe. Yet, something was unbelievably alien about him. For one, he was much taller than any living human, and his proportions were too chiseled, too perfect. Even his eyes lack any kindness and crackle with blue light, as if the storms themselves dwell inside of him.

[orphism]

When news of the Badlands crisis reached Minato, he had to decide what he was going to do. Did he join the humanitarian efforts, or did he put himself out on the front lines? It took a bit of internal debate to decide which he should do, and eventually, came to the conclusion that he must participate in the battle. He did, after all, have the capability to fight, and the power to support everyone else doing the same. It wasn't an easy decision to make: he was putting himself in great danger, and not so long after he had been scolded for doing that exact thing in Antrim. (By two different people to boot!) But this time, it was different

[surfaceshine]

Dean had been following the old man carefully, leading his "borrowed" mare most of the time and talking to her nearly constantly, always quietly, to keep her calm and as silent as a beast her size that didn't understand the danger they were in could be. He had no interest in facing down this particular monster on his own, and he'd lost track of Hisoka after the last fight, though he figured they'd either meet up again out here or at one of the settlements. The young hunter had been trying to learn about the thing he was following, so when the time came

[orphism]

Minato turned and looked. Ah, that was one of his crew mates! Dean was his name, wasn't it? Luckily for him, the man monster didn't seem to be paying him any heed, and was carrying on with his own business. Business that was about to be stopped soon.

"Hello there!" he called back to Dean. "Fine day for a fight, isn't it?"

Garrettstown

[tidesnpc]

While Garrettstown didn't face the same terrible fate as the southern Badlands, it had a problem all its own: to the west of the city, just on the outskirts, a swarm of children in their early and midteens stalked towards the city. Their appearances varied, but they all wore the same drab, gray loose pants and shirts and had the same blank expression on their face. There were about a dozen in number and, all of a sudden, they stopped.

Then, an airship launched itself from the docks and began its flight to the south. One of the girls looked up and snapped her arm up and, with a flick of her wrist, the rudder exploded in a blistering light. As it crashed down to the ground the children divided into pairs and launched themselves forward.

[dodgyallround]

Xigbar didn't mind fighting, on the condition that his opponents were weaker than him. He'd rather not get himself backed into a corner where his only options were fight or die, because that meant that one of his options was dying and that made Xigbar uncomfortable.

As such, he was sticking near Garretstown, but he was also staying armed. Both his arrowguns were kept easily to hand as he found a quiet corner near the ship.

It was all getting a bit big, and in those circumstances, Xigbar preferred to stick to the shadows.

[nouseincryin]

To hell with monsters. Snakes and god knew what else now. Herding civilians was pretty low ranked on his list, but it was somewhere up above what was going down to the south and a heck of a lot higher than getting himself killed.

Herding it was, then. Not that Garrettstown didn’t have it’s own problems, but, well, that was what the rifle over his shoulder was for. Captain’s concerns or not.

It was while roaming the streets, keeping his eyes open and trying to look busy without actually being it, that he noticed a familiar face. So to speak. “Well, well,” he said directly, as the guy was pretty well covered. It wasn’t easy to disappear in the middle of the day, but somebody with lesser eyes might have missed him altogether, “Don’t we look all heroic.”

[dodgyallround]

Nack got a laugh in response. "You saying I look like a corpse?" Xigbar asked, grinning, despite himself. "The fastest way to become a hero is to die," he explained, amusement lacing every word. "I figure letting someone else claim the hero spot ain't much of a hardship."

Neither did Nack, if his presence here was much indication.

Mountains

[tidesnpc]

While the children created a distraction outside of Garrettstown, their cohorts, another dozen in number, flew down through the mountains. Their shots were careful and precise, and with every hit, the continent gave another tremor. However, soon a dark, thick shadow fell over them: the corpse of the world snake. It fell on the mountains with a loud, sick thud, and the children scrambled out of the way just in time to avoid becoming part of the geology. It would take a few moments for them to regroup and continue.

For SCIENCE

[luminanomnom]

Szayel had hitched a ride with a stranger. There was no point in worrying about that kind of thing, because Szayel was inevitably more dangerous than any stranger he might encounter.

He'd asked to be dropped in the mountains. The snake was an opportunity not to be missed. With a little luck, Szayel also hoped to be able to get samples of the fal'cie, but one thing at a time....

The snake was plainly visible from some distance away. It would require a lot of cleaning up, but that would be up to somebody else.

Science, you say~? 83

[unsoundmind]

Hojo did not, upon realising that the end of the world may be nigh, want to be stuck in the infirmary looking after people. Oh no. That may be an admirable thing to do, yes, but it was also boring and, if by some chance the people fighting to save the world managed to achieve that goal, he would have no samples.

He, too, had hitched a ride with somebody lucky enough to have a plane of their own and had been left not too far from the snake. He could see it and oh, how he wanted samples. Something that big and dangerous? He was hardly going to pass that chance up. Still, as far as he was concerned, it could wait. There were interesting living things in the area and the snake wasn't exactly going any where.

I do~

[luminanomnom]

Szayel tilted his head as he saw a familiar face along the way.

"Well isn't this my lucky day?" He said, as he got within earshot. "We really must stop meeting like this, professor." He was teasing, possibly, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself.