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pawnstorm2017-01-10 09:59 am
boardmaster) wrote in pawnstorm2017-01-10 09:59 am
event ♚ january
Alumina Antimoine, daughter of the mayor of Menchik, is missing.
Upon her sister Gretchen’s urging, the mayor has rented a conference room at the Gearson Hotel as a venue for all Heroes to share information regarding the recent disappearances, including their daughter.
According to various reports, Alumina ran off yesterday nght and hasn’t been seen since. She was quick to rush from her home despite her timid nature, claiming she had something important to do. Her parents are beginning to grow worried. Hannes and Gretchen have done their best to look for her, but so far their efforts have been fruitless.
Upon her sister Gretchen’s urging, the mayor has rented a conference room at the Gearson Hotel as a venue for all Heroes to share information regarding the recent disappearances, including their daughter.
According to various reports, Alumina ran off yesterday nght and hasn’t been seen since. She was quick to rush from her home despite her timid nature, claiming she had something important to do. Her parents are beginning to grow worried. Hannes and Gretchen have done their best to look for her, but so far their efforts have been fruitless.
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Gretchen Sorry to interrupt your investigation, but I’ve enough reason to believe Alumina’s disappearance is linked to this. She’s the most invested in the missing people’s case more than anyone else, so I... |
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Hannes Ooh, macarons! |
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Gretchen Hannes. [ loads gun ] |
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Hannes [ pops a macaron in her mouth ] Relax! There are security automatons all over the city, so I’m sure we’ll find her in no time. Maybe she’s hitting it off with one right now. I mean, they’re pretty hot. |
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Gretchen [ munches on it ] Buttercream… [ gasp, how embarrassing ] A-anyway! If you’re more useful than my brother, by all means, help us! |
| Lisbrand Gretchen. |
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Gretchen F-Fleur! You’re back! |
| Lisbrand My task force and Lisbrand Technologies will take it from here. Our company’s automatons are equipped with cameras. If we can get into the system, we can locate Ledo and Alumina quickly. |
|
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Hannes See, I knew there was more to Fleur than her huge knockers! |
| Lisbrand Hannes. [ loads gun ] |
ONE ♟ ALL-NIGHTER
Long tables and uncomfortable chairs await you in the conference room. Coffee, tea and some small snacks have been prepared for the Heroes as well as pen and paper to take notes with. This is where Heroes can share information and pool knowledge. Maybe something will add up if you all work together!
Each table has copies of the missing people reports and some might recognize the faces staring up at them from the pages as corpses found near the lake. Newspapers have been neatly stacked on a table in the corner, with many articles noting increased avian activity near the lake and within the city. Certainly odd at this time of the year. Other articles include statements from Menchikans where they found severed fingers or toes that turned into black feathers shortly after.
Hannes and Gretchen also haven’t been idle and have interviewed police officers and Commander Lisbrand’s scouts, who reported encounters with misshapen monsters with beaks. The number of casualties and injured are high. It appears that the monster is too strong for ordinary humans to deal with.
Each table has copies of the missing people reports and some might recognize the faces staring up at them from the pages as corpses found near the lake. Newspapers have been neatly stacked on a table in the corner, with many articles noting increased avian activity near the lake and within the city. Certainly odd at this time of the year. Other articles include statements from Menchikans where they found severed fingers or toes that turned into black feathers shortly after.
Hannes and Gretchen also haven’t been idle and have interviewed police officers and Commander Lisbrand’s scouts, who reported encounters with misshapen monsters with beaks. The number of casualties and injured are high. It appears that the monster is too strong for ordinary humans to deal with.
TWO ♟ Never tell me the odds
The door slams open and a messenger from Lisbrand Technologies runs into the room, breathless from his travels. He claims that Alumina has been found near Lebedche Lake!
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Gretchen That’s great! But… |
| Lisbrand Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that lake. |
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Hannes Oof, hold on. Everyone, take these. [ gives everyone a satchel of magical bread crumbs ] Use these so the others can find you. |
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Gretchen Yeah, alright. Let’s leave glowing bird feed on the ground. That’s a great idea. |
| Lisbrand No, he has a point. This time around, the birds are out to eat us. Heroes, move! |
- Tattered pieces of Alumina’s hair ribbon rest on a dead branch of an otherwise healthy tree. When you pick the pieces up, you’re hit by a sudden chill and your vision grows dark. Something bitter seems to coat your tongue for an instant, and you immediately feel exhausted. Look at your hands and you will find that the ribbon is no longer in your possession.
- As you climb one of the large rocks near the shore, something light brushes against your head—a soft, black feather. Another falls, and another... until you are pelted by the ton.
- Empty bullet shells can be found in the pebble stones by the shore. If brought back to Gretchen, she will worriedly comment that the shells match the gun she gave Alumina for self-defense a while back. Does that mean that someone tried to hurt her?
- An envelope addressed to Alumina. It’s contents are empty and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary until you hold it up against a source of light, revealing an emblem.
- Pages of a letter are scattered across the lake’s surface. Retrieve them and the ink will suddenly begin to spill from the pages and drip down your arms, burning your skin. No spell or ointment will cure it until an hour has passed. What is left behind on the pages, however, are broken sentences: “...can’t be... “ “Promise to…” “...happier with me.”
THREE ♟ Cave Story
It’s evening by the time Lisbrand’s team discovers where Alumina is being kept. The Heroes and Lisbrand will be led to a cave near the lake. Reports say that the strange noises from further in often ward intruders away…
Inside, Heroes will find angry, screeching bats. Lisbrand is all too used to shooting them due to Verdoni’s antics, but they’re not vampiric by any means. Be mindful of the ground as well—the lake floods the cave once in a while, leaving stones slippery and covered in algae. Steady footing will come in handy when vicious rock monsters come charging towards you. Madness fills their eyes as if they have been tampered with by dark magic... There’s no other choice but to put them out of their misery.
A foul smell fills the air as you venture deeper into the cave. You soon find its source: severed body parts left to rot litter the cavern floor. The various parts have been sorted into morbidly neat piles: hands to hands and feet to feet. This isn’t the work of a mere beast. This was planned by someone meticulous.
Someone human.
Gretchen gags at the sight and Hannes exchanges a nod with Lisbrand before leading his sister back to the cavern entrance. The siblings won’t be tagging along for what’s to come. You keep moving. Water drops from the ceiling, your footsteps echo down the grimy walls. The shadows cast by your torches seem to come alive, reaching out and clawing at everything they can reach. Finally, moonlight filters in through a hole in the ceiling and in the center of it lies—
Alumina.
No calling will wake her. Approach her and heavy fog will begin to filter in the room. Lisbrand snaps, “Don’t breathe!” The fog is poison! They need to get out of here! She snatches Alumina with a grunt and escapes with the Heroes. They will be hounded by by a flock of black swans who will try to cut the Heroes off with their dark magic spells. Once out of the cave…
Inside, Heroes will find angry, screeching bats. Lisbrand is all too used to shooting them due to Verdoni’s antics, but they’re not vampiric by any means. Be mindful of the ground as well—the lake floods the cave once in a while, leaving stones slippery and covered in algae. Steady footing will come in handy when vicious rock monsters come charging towards you. Madness fills their eyes as if they have been tampered with by dark magic... There’s no other choice but to put them out of their misery.
A foul smell fills the air as you venture deeper into the cave. You soon find its source: severed body parts left to rot litter the cavern floor. The various parts have been sorted into morbidly neat piles: hands to hands and feet to feet. This isn’t the work of a mere beast. This was planned by someone meticulous.
Someone human.
Gretchen gags at the sight and Hannes exchanges a nod with Lisbrand before leading his sister back to the cavern entrance. The siblings won’t be tagging along for what’s to come. You keep moving. Water drops from the ceiling, your footsteps echo down the grimy walls. The shadows cast by your torches seem to come alive, reaching out and clawing at everything they can reach. Finally, moonlight filters in through a hole in the ceiling and in the center of it lies—
Alumina.
No calling will wake her. Approach her and heavy fog will begin to filter in the room. Lisbrand snaps, “Don’t breathe!” The fog is poison! They need to get out of here! She snatches Alumina with a grunt and escapes with the Heroes. They will be hounded by by a flock of black swans who will try to cut the Heroes off with their dark magic spells. Once out of the cave…
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Gretchen Alumina! |
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Hannes What happened to her!? |
| Lisbrand Get back, the cave isn’t safe! [ turns to the Heroes ] I’ll bring her to the hospital. You’re all dismissed. We’ll talk about this when I get back, but I have a feeling it doesn’t end here. |
no subject
[ Hand it to the Knight to be able to tell that much, which is why Kojirou hasn't just charged into the mist and hoped for the best. ]
It almost makes me miss a certain witch, but she was always more likely to stab me in the back than heal any of my wounds.
[ pain breaker where
On the plus side, he's still running away from the birds instead of right at them, but for the record, he's not pleased about it at all. ]
no subject
Jeez. I thought I had problems, but it sounds like your girl troubles are even worse than mine.
[Most of his girl troubles are things he's not present for, since he's never really stuck around.
Idle prattle aside, Robin sure is glad to have a bow he doesn't really need to aim - it's perfect for hectic decisions like this, where he can pause for just a second and shoot. As long as he expends a little mana, his arrows will fly however they can to reach their target, no matter which direction he's running. He's prioritizing the ones that are actively casting their spells, and while he can't get to all of them before they finish, it can help reduce the potential damage done.
The birds that get too close, he figures, can be left to Kojirou. He doesn't have to be happy about it, as long as they both make it out of here alive.]
no subject
[ And one Saint that has trouble with him.
Sticking around, what is that? ]
I think I have quite a good eye for women after all. [ Even if he needs more training in that area.
But #ladbants aside, running backwards and playing defence is surprisingly tiring. While the deftness of his sword ensures that he's catching most spells and the occasional bird that tries to get close, he only has so much mana to work with. ]
If we're not engaging these birds in melee combat, I don't suppose you happen to have an Anti-Army weapon of some kind.
[ Excalisomething. ]
no subject
[Only four-stars or higher have Excalisomethings, jeez.]
But I might be able to slow some of them down.
[He hurls two glass bottles toward the flock of birds, then fires an arrow, piercing both of them at once. The bottles shatter and a number of swans are doused in a concoction that causes paralysis; while it doesn't affect all of them, the ones that get splashed with a fair amount start dropping out of the sky, their wings no longer able to support them.
It's easier to just imbue such properties into his arrows, but that still doesn't solve the Anti-Unit problem, so this will have to suffice.]
no subject
[ Go poison their entire army! Or throw a molotov at them!
Kojirou swings his sword, launching a wind spell right through the poisonous fog, cutting through the swans one at a time.
He's not much of an anti-army guy either. The one-star life. ]
no subject
[His response is rife with sarcasm, but he's not sure he'd be surprised if he could. Kojirou is kind of amazing.]
Sabotage is supposed to be about not having to fight in the first place, so it's a little late now that we're already fighting. Watch your head, there's gonna be some fire.
[He throws another bottle into the veritable cloud of swans, the sound of glass breaking rings out, and true to his word, there's an explosion of flames. It's not exactly a molotov, but it's close enough.]
no subject
[ Point taken. ]
At least now we know this gas is not flammable. A pity, that would have wiped out these enemies rather well. [ Kojirou muses as he continues running backwards, somehow managing to keep his footing while blocking swan spells.
But this does leave him with another problem: The fog is creeping up on them no matter how much they run. Perhaps if he could just dash as fast as possible, it wouldn't be an issue, but that's clearly not the case. ]
no subject
Got any more ideas? The only thing I've got would be to kick up some sort of wind and run, but I can't do that.
[It'd keep the fog at bay, theoretically, and disorient at least some of the swans, which might be enough for them to escape. There's no pride in running away, but there's no pride in dying, either, so now that the option to fight has worn out its welcome, it's what he naturally turns to.]
no subject
[ Kojirou stops running and takes a stance, sword held at his waist level in a fascimile of a quick draw. ]
I've been called a tempest, so I suppose I can do that much. Unfortunately, this will take about all the mana I have left, so I'm counting on you to drag me out.
[ Thank god for Pigeonsblood lessons. Kojirou was never that interested in magic, but once they started teaching how to incorporate it into his more physical pursuits, he was all over that.
And also mastered it surprisingly quickly, because he's kinda cheating like that.
So cue his theme song, as he charges up a big wind spell, held in the edge of his sword, and releases it with a swing, literally cutting through the air and clearing out the fog.
Which would be great, if he didn't drop to his knees immediately afterwards. ]
no subject
Okay, hang on!
[He hauls Kojirou up and over his shoulder - it's not a gentle motion, and probably not comfortable, but when speed is this important, there's no time to take comfort into account. Robin runs as fast as he can, expending every ounce of energy he can muster.
Through some stroke of luck, or more likely, as a testament to Kojirou's skill, they safely emerge from the cave after a few tense minutes, and Robin barely manages to deposit Kojirou on the ground before his own knees buckle under him, exhausted and suddenly drained of the adrenaline he'd been relying on.]
Shit...I'm never doing that again.
[He never thought swans of all things would end up on his blacklist, but here they are.]
no subject
[ Kojirou manages to get to a seated position, brushing grass off his uniform. ]
I'm not in the habit of being held by men.
[ Is that really the issue here? That seems to be the main issue here, because Kojirou isn't letting the fact that he almost got killed by a combination of poison and black swans get to him. At least, not outwardly. ]
Especially not like a rice sack. Couldn't you at least have used both arms?