Open - Crystallize Raptor rapture

”See this is the exact reason Nyaa said we shoulda waited for backup Kae-chan!”

”If we waited more could have been harmed or worse killed Neka, just focus on getting the miners out of here and tending to the wounded!”

”Nyaa, your one of those injured people though Kae-chan!”

_____The two figures traded words as they rushed across the tunnel. The dim lights cast from glowing crystals revealing cat ears on one figure while revealing long black hair of the other as they rushed away from the deeper parts of the tunnel. The distant roar of their pursuiter a clear reminder this was not over just yet and the time for talking was not a luxury they currently had. Quickly moving towards a wall the black haired figure slashed the tunnel support beam causing the route to shake as it lost yet another piece to keep the area stable.

”Neka, what is the current chance the area is going to cave down on us before we escape!”

”Fifty-ish nyaa can’t tell with all the other sounds!”

”We need to get it lower, if we can seal this behind us that creature won’t be any trouble!”

_____Once more moving to shatter another support as the cat girl hissed lightly, the tunnel and its entirety screaming from the weight straining it and threatening to go likely at any moment. They had to stop that thing before it got outside, no more then that. They had to make sure it never got out to avoid the countless casualties in Kaede’s visions. She was not just here as an adventurer but as the daughter of the noble who once lived in these lands before the crystal curse had spread.

”Are Nyaa crazy!? I said fifty-ISH now I’m not even sure but know I ain’t gonna let Nyaa break another support beam!”

_____Kaede simply turned her head slightly to check if the creature was still behind them, unluckily it was still hot on their heels as kaede clicked her tongue and refocused on the area before her. The crystal curse of the area entering the area around them giving hint that the exit was not much distance away. Quickly moving to destroy one more support beam and hearing Neka get ready to lecture before the tunnel began to cave in and she focused purely on running at top speed, much like Kaede who followed a slight distance behind.

_____The two’s return to the surface was first welcome with the blinding sunlight, then the group of Miners they had bought time to get out of the mines, and then the large cloud of smoke as the entrance fell behind them causing everyone in the area to violently cough. Kaede, now no longer fearing so much for her life began to feel the sharp pain of her previous reckless action to save her friend and fell over holding the large gash in her stomach.

_____Neka quickly turning and rushing to Kaedes side as she began chanting to start tending to the wound, a weak smile across Kaede’s face as the girl simply laid there happy things had been over. Least she thought they had been, her magic triggering once more at random throwing her into panic, frame bolting up mid treatment as she looked to everyone in the area with dread in her darkened eyes.

”Run, it’s still not safe here!”

_____Kaede moved to fully stand, her hand resting over the half treated wound as the ground violently shook sending the miners running. Neka hissing again as she took stance beside Kaede and both watched as the collapsed cave exploded and the creature erupted from the scattering rubble, emerald eyes locking on the two girls before it violently rawred shaking the rocks around the area.

Unknown monster: ???/???​

”Neka… Go and look for help… I’ll find some way to hold this thing off or buy time for you to get a group together to fight it… GO that is an order from your superior and your friend!”

”...Nyaa better not go and die milady! Even if you can come back I won’t allow you to go die trying to be hero!”

_____With one last nervous glance to Kaede Neka began sprinting back to the nearest settlement for aid. Kaede moving to pull her dagger from her sheath and locked focus with the creature as best she could. It was not dangerously large, maybe the same size of a horse for the body and a very long tail. The danger was the body made from gems and stones that could not easily be chipped away or damaged with her smaller weapon. But even with the odds against her Kaede took stance, eye twitching as the pain in her stomach tried to regain her attention and the two began to circle each other.

_____Both dashing and trading blows, Kaeda frame digging down as the weight of the monster clashed against her weapon and she tried to direct it away with little luck. Ducking down and rolling to avoid the stomping feet of the monster before the tail lashed across Kaede’s stomach and sent her flying away.

Nearest settlement -some time later-

”Is there any fighter here?! My friend needs help please… ANYONE!”

_____The girl panted and kept shouting the same line looking for anyone that could help. Her worry and exhaustion showing on her face and air about her that this was not a trick and someone could be seriously hurt or worse. The cat girl rapidly shaking her head to remove the idea lingering in her head as she kept running and shouting for aid.

”Just hold out a little longer Kae-chan… Please…”

Hidden: OOC

Will try to get a DM spice up for the thread, for the moment just have to arrive or get Neka to guide you to where the fighting is happening before it is to late.

 

See, Eyas was prone to wander. Looking for a fight, looking for new bounties, something to fight, something to farm, something to fight, new weapons, something to fight, the list went on. Mostly stuff to fight. So of course, when something showed up asking for fighters as she wandered, Eyas finished wrapping up her hand in gauze and turned her attention to the cat... girl. Person. Guess furries were gonna be in this game too. Well, she was bound to be outclassed and probably outgunned, but fuck it, was always worth a fight.

"Lookin' for a fighter?" Propped up against the wall of a tavern, she spoke up, voice thick through the venison jerky that she loved so much. Even as she did that, she checked for the katana at her side, which it was thank the gods there would be hell to pay if it wasn't. "Might not be yer' best bet, but I'm always down to kill sommat." Or somebody. But hell, if this was her opponent, she'd feel bad to just quickdraw and have it over with. "Got a problem, lead the way. I'll fight jus' about anythin'."

 

Mizuki hadn't expected to love hunting as much as she did, but here she was in Terrasphere spending a lot of her time out in the wilds, tracking down the more interesting creatures to take them down. Of course in Terrasphere nature ran rampant and it didn't take much to find monsters, but most of the really interesting ones still tended to be in hard to reach places, which was why Mizuki also trained herself to be able to cover any terrain if necessary. On Earth she had been a bookworm who first focused on learning and studying and then just did her job helping the numbers add up and the money get pushed in the right direction, but in here she was a Caenis, wearing rough leather armour and wielding sharp claws for weapons as she stalked forests and mountains for whatever had managed to catch her interest.

This time around she had been pulled into a very interesting place: the area which had belonged to the elves in the past, but which had been struck by a mysterious and almost certainly magical curse which caused everything to become crystal, turning the ground into a multifaceted glimmering surface while organisms were slowly taken over through their wounds, the curse spreading through their insides until it erupted and covered them entirely. The plants generally seemed to adapt pretty well, but she'd already seen that for the moving, active animals it was a more dubious question whether it was healthy for them or not. Not all of them survived, and those who did survive seemed... well, she couldn't say whether they were healthy or not.

Well, it was an intriguing place, and as long as she was careful it should be fine. Players couldn't be infected with the curse unless they received it through wounds, which just meant that she had to make sure she wouldn't get wounded. It sounded a bit arrogant to say that she wouldn't get wounded, but on the other hand hunting was not necessarily the same as open combat, and Mizuki hadn't spent her time in Terrasphere idle. She might not be a master just yet, but she certainly didn't think herself as useless.

As for her target... The Caenis stayed close to the ground as she made her way forward, faced with the rather unique challenge of remaining hidden and minimizing the sound she made while moving through a world entirely made of transparent materials and hard surfaces. Her target was a crystallized panther, which supposedly had managed to entirely convert to crystals from its snout to the tip of its tail. Since most creatures had a more in-between stage that was worth hunting down, although she wasn't sure if she'd actually kill it. It might be a shame if creatures like that were rare, and as long as she did manage to take it down she'd already have gained experience from this trip.

However as she made her way onwards suddenly her ears went sharp and she looked up, her muscles taut as she was ready to run. She heard a roar from the distance, the sound of stones breaking and smashing against one another... It was from far away, but in a place as silent as this with little to nothing dampening it sound could travel very far. Mizuki stood there staring in the direction from which the sounds had originated, her ears pointed in that direction as well and twitching as more sounds of trouble came forth. The wolfwoman considered her options for a moment before she narrowed her eyes and began to run. Going by these sounds there was already a fight going on or something else disastrous, and she wanted to figure out exactly what before she thought of how she would respond.

She ran far, far enough that she reached the area where the crystal began to be replaced by normal ground and flora. There were still patches here and there, but the crystal hadn't completely consumed this place yet. It was here that Mizuki encountered upon the collapsed cave and the strange creature, which looked like some kind of granite dinosaur bolstered by green crystals jutting out from amidst the dark grey stone. it wasn't very big and it wasn't very awe-inspiring, but it radiated a feeling of danger.

And a bit further away... Mizuki's heterochromatic eyes moved towards the source of a second smell, widening in alarm as she recognized Kaede who looked like she had seen many, many better days. She didn't waste time yelling Kaede's name or asking her if she was hurt: it was clear as day that she was hurt, and if she let herself be caught up doing nonsensical things the dinosaur of rock and crystal might strike again, as she couldn't think of whatever else could be the cause of Kaede's situation.

Running forward Mizuki positioned herself between Kaede and the strange monster, claws at the ready as she took her low stance, ready to go on all fours and move around in case the thing tried to attack her. She didn't know how well her claws would work on this thing, which looked like it didn't have a shred of organic material left on it, but she was certainly going to make a spirited attempt trying it out.

 

• 100/116 HP
• 135/140 EN

-10HP (failed attack) -6HP (previous wound) | -5EN (attack)

_____Kaede was not exactly happy to see Mizuki, the fact she arrived and rushed to Kaede’s aid only further cementing her vision of so many deaths it was hard for her to stomach it. Hand slowly spinning her dagger free from her belt as she moved to stand straight and watched the creature split in two. At least that did not fully seem to align with the mass killing vision, unless they only managed to deal with it and the beast rushed for easier food.

”We can’t let that larger creature reach town… No matter what!”

_____Without a solid plan Kaede rushed forward, she did not care if she died numerous times if it meant keeping this raptor from killing so many innocent people and leaving the nearby town a mass grave that nobody would inhabit for years to come. Dagger raised steady as Kaede kept her approach and forgot the other issue they would have to deal with. Within seconds Kaede was hit airborne as the tail of the creature raptured the crystal earth and tore Kaede’s right leg slightly.

_____The bolk of her pain however came from the landing as she tried to roll to the ground but came down on her injured leg with a displeasing pop. Frame rolling away as the tail came down also and went under the earth once again. The fight was going to be much harder then Kaede thought, pushing herself up and once again glaring down the creature Kaede did not seem the slightest interest in retreat.

Nearest settlement

”We have to hurry then, i’m not sure how long Kae-chan can fight that creature alone…”

_____While Neka would have hoped to gather more people she had not time to be picky, Kaede was risking her life and even one pebble could make a tsunami. In this case one extra person might just help turn the tide in the fight and if the girl could buy enough time for Neka to heal Kaede back to full health that would help them severely.

Roll (1+35=36 failure)
@Eyas Amari | @Ueno Mizuki

 

Move.

Stepping off as she came in sight of the raptor, she felt the hardening ground underfoot rumble as the raptor... did something. It looked like it cut a chunk of itself off? Why though? Oh. It was alive. That was... not good. Not good at all. Really, it looked pretty damn bad in the first place. She had a sword and a few lightning tricks against a big fucking crystal lizard. The best she could do was catch it in a crack, right?

Well, she had to strike. Grab attention. She was fast enough to get in close. And there she was, moving off at a sprint and diving over Kaede as she landed on the ground, a claw catching her upside the head as she came up. A small shot of blood flew off the side of her head as her other hand came up to the sword at her hip, drawing as the crystal beast got in close. Too close. She couldn't bring it to full swing this close in. But she could harass it.

Drawing to half-swing, she came up out of her injury at a spin, bringing the sword across the hardened beast's face. It wouldn't do anything. Nothing to catch on. But even with her blood flowing, she retained the clarity of thought enough to dip away from the raptor, sheathing her sword as she rolled away, trying to draw it away from the injured Yladian before they could get any further hurt.

Roll - Failure

 

Mizuki made an odd face as she watched the crystalline raptor twist and squirm on the ground, unsure what to make of it even as she kept her clawed hands high in case it was trying something. Had Kaede managed to damage it and had it just managed to ignore the consequences until the Lupis had arrived? Why was it squirming like that?

It took until the tail detached that Mizuki realized that even in this crystallized form it was still in the end a lizard. However even lizards couldn't have their tails turn into independent monsters, which left Mizuki cursing and jumping backwards as the tail-beast began to dig its way towards them, hard to track except from the faint tremors which resonated throughout the ground. Whatever it was, it wasn't trying to be stealthy. Maybe it just couldn't move properly above ground.

As for Kaede, it was good that she was still in the position to talk, Mizuki nodding in agreement as the Yladian stated that they had to stop this monster no matter what. If this kind of creature reached a place with non-combatants it'd probably cause a lot of damage to people and structures alike before it was brought down, and Mizuki wasn't about to let that happen.

"I agree with that sentiment, but this fight will be difficult. It's got a strong exoskeleton of minerals if it even has a soft core beneath, so we can't rely on hitting vital organs."

She blinked when Kaede charged forward, then followed in an attempt to aid her friend in whatever plan she might be forming in that head of hers. It was only when Kaede got knocked up in the air that Mizuki began to realize that maybe the elfin female didn't have a plan, and that she was just going on the offensive. As someone else arrived and began to attack the main body Mizuki narrowed her eyes at the tail as it went back underground after successfully having struck Kaede. The wound on the Yladian didn't look too serious, but the Lupis wasn't in the mood for this.

She stomped the ground several times, hard, hard enough that she managed to chip off some pieces of crystal and leave some cracks in the facetted surface. She could feel the tremors quickly getting closer as the tail noticed the one being so noisy and decided to target her next. Almost... almost... Mizuki suddenly jumped to the side, just as the tail came out of the ground to rip into the wolfwoman's leg next. Instead the canine warrior evaded, then firmly placed her feet on the ground and put all her weight into a punch that launched the tail, sending it flying until it smacked into the rubble that had come from the collapsed mine, where it squirmed and twisted for a short moment before it began to dig underground again.

Mizuki meanwhile moved next to Kaede, watched the woman who was fighting the raptor while the two of them were distracted by the tail. It looked like she was trying to keep the main body busy, either because she was waiting for the two of them to come help out or because she was having difficulty penetrating the mineral exoskeleton.

"Don't waste time with small attacks, try to gather your energy and focus it so you can destroy the joints. Even if it's made of crystals the joints are going to be weaker."

She said this quickly towards the Yladian as she watched the creature carefully, her eyes glowing their heterochromatic colours as she was searching for the thing's weakest spots so she would know where to strike. The joints, the joints... Crystal or not the joints would have to be more fragile or the thing couldn't move at all, and if they struck hard enough they might be able to sever the limbs entire, after which it should only be a matter of crushing the head.

71 (Roll) + 35 (Mastered Martial Arts) = 106
@Kaede Hoshi @Eyas Amari

 

• 100/116 HP
• 130/140 EN

-0HP | -5EN (attack)

_____Mizuki was right, Kaede struggling back to her feet as Neka ran towards them and looked at the tail’s hole. Turning to Kaede quickly as she simply nodded and Neka began getting ready to watch her back. The two did not need to talk to know what the other was thinking, a bond from fighting together a number of times despite a few ending badly for Neka who risked her life to keep Kaede safe. Neka turning to Mizuki before speaking up towards the people ready to fight the unearthed creatures before them.

”Two of us should deal with the tail, or at the least one of us. If it attacks us while we are focused more on the main body it can deal serious harm.”

_____Neka would look to the two people for a moment each before she rushed off, her ears moving slowly as she pinged the location of the creature and slammed her staff against the crystal ground. A circle forming as she chanted and the creature surfaced and rushed towards her. The circle glowing as Neka rolled away and watched the creature bounce around on the ground before bouncing off a invisible wall of light.

”Neka can keep it out of the earth, but she cant fight back as long as she keeps that spell active, or heal anyone… If you two can keep the main body distracted i will try to finish the tail off quickly so we can all focus the main body… but as it stands… that main body is the largest threat!”

_____Moving to aim her dagger that the main body before her eyes flashed pure black and she rushed forward. Dagger moving quickly as she was before the raptor swung his right claw and Kaede caught it before it could gain real momentum. The creature was not going to wait for them to pick. Pushing the claws away before stabbing at a small crack in the underarm before jumping away a bit. If the two wanted to focus the large body she would need to be ready to rush to Neka’s aid.

64 (Roll) + 35 (Mastery) = 99 [success]
99/???? Raptor (Main body)
106/???? Raptor (Tail)​

@Eyas Amari | @Ueno Mizuki

 

Focus. Feel the storm.

Sheathing her sword, Eyas moved at a diagonal clip to the Raptor's main body, pivoting off her back foot to doge a chunk of earth thrown up by the crystal creature's fury. Her eyes closed slowly, briefly, as her focus narrowed, coming to a single deadly point. Her chest tightened, as small flickers of electricity arced off her fingers. Complete awareness, complete focus. Her face was void of emotion, features blank as she processed and moved. Coming to a stop just beside the raptor, the sword came out, and she took a breath, steadying it in front of her at the low ready.

Time slowed down.

Rend

Her mind focused inwards as the raptor turned towards her in what she perceived to be in slow motion. Raising the sword above her head, Eyas' steely focus reattuned itself as she scanned for the weakest link. The tail had already fallen off, no go. Head and neck? too heavily armored. The legs then. Shifting her grip on the blade, she twisted, rotating her body and bringing the blade down on the back of the raptor's knee, drawing out a roar as she bit deep.

Damaged. Maybe crippled. But in no way killed. Better to get back out of range. Pulling back her blade with the scraping of sword on stone, Eyas retreated backwards, watching as the attention came back to her and she kept her weapon at the low ready, a glint of cold fury in her eyes.

roll - 71 + 15 mastery = 86 = success

@Kaede Hoshi @Ueno Mizuki

 

After the initial moment of panic and trying to figure out what to do it looked like they were formulating a proper plan, and even more fortunately there was someone present who could help keep the tail above ground. As long as that thing could dig about freely it'd be a real hindrance, keeping them from attacking the main body by either tearing into the or forcing them to act defensively. Mizuki nodded in agreement with Kaede and the Felis, deciding that for now she'd do her best to destroy the tail so afterwards the four of them combined could take care of the big threat. As dangerous as the tail was it was clear to everyone present that the real trouble was still the main body: destroying the tail was only a measure taken so the actual monster could be taken care of afterwards.

With both Kaede and the human fighter attacking the main body that left Mizuki and the Felis with the tail. With Neka being busy channelling it'd be up to Mizuki to go on the offensive, so she didn't waste any time dropping onto all fours before dashing towards the tail, which was still rolling around on the ground trying to get back into the environment where it was at its strongest but finding itself unable to pierce the crystal ground. If it had a face Mizuki was pretty sure that it would have looked confused, and maybe a little bit panicky as well. An easy prey.

Once in range Mizuki transferred her momentum into a punch that sent the tail into the opposite side of the circle, before dashing around the thing and repeating the process from the other side. Bouncing the mineral tendril from one side to the other Mizuki began to feel confident, thinking that the tail lacked the intelligence to adapt to the situation and would do nothing but flail around in its attempt to burrow once more.

Which had as result that when Mizuki once again tried to smack the tail around she reacted a bit too slowly when this time it struck back, the wolfwoman yelping in surprise as she managed to twist her body but still felt the hard and sharp crystals smashing against her side. Her armour prevented it from actually cutting her skin, but it was still a painful blow that had the Lupis retreat to a safe distance while exhaling heavily, her eyes narrow as she felt the struck area throb painfully. Not a serious wound, but a real nuisance.

An important lesson to learn: never think the enemy can't possibly be planning something. She'd have to think about what she did wrong after the fight, but for now she just moved back into the spell channelled by the Felis to ensure that the tail would have something to aim at. While the circle was doing a good job containing the thing Mizuki wasn't sure if it could actually endure a full-on assault from either the monster or the tail, so while the others were fighting the real deal she'd keep the tail from breaking free, and if possible break it apart in the process.

On the bright side, she could see some cracks in the tail where she'd hit it, and where it had impacted with the invisible wall. It weren't big cracks, but it was a sign that even being made of mineral didn't make it invincible, and as long as she chipped away at it and took care to not get struck in retaliation it'd be fine. Although even then, she'd have to hurry to make sure the others didn't have to face the monster with only the two of them for too long...

Dropping back on all fours Mizuki's tail swished from side to side behind her, her teeth bared as she waited for the tail to move this time. It knew she was within its reach, all she had to do was wait for it to try and strike and then strike back faster.

"I'll keep this thing busy. If either of you can spare the energy to help finish it off we can all focus on the lizard itself, but for now I'll try to wear it down and keep it out of the way until I can join you."

20 (Roll) + 35 (Mastered Martial Arts) = 55
@Kaede Hoshi @Eyas Amari

 

• 100/116 HP
• 125/140 EN

-0HP | -5EN (attack)

_____Watching Mizuki and Neka work to defeat the tail Kaede still felt the risk they faced would take longer then the mage could keep the creature above ground. Clicking her tongue and moving forward Kaede decided to take charge and not simply give choices for the fight. Making sure the raptor was focused on Kaede she grinned and rushed forward while speaking an order to the girl who arrived with Neka, hopefully it was respected and followed.

”I need you to help them deal with the tail quickly milady. I don’t know how long Neka can keep it above ground and as someone who can decently foresee the attacks i have the better chances buying time and keeping it busy. Not to mention I’m the one who woke it up to begin with.”

_____Kaede spun to face the girl, her eyes black as night as she weaved to the right evading an attack from behind before resuming her sprint and sliding under the body of the creature, dagger jabbing at a chiped stone to deal a but of harm before she spun to her feet behind the creature and got it to face away from the others and lock onto the clear annoyance to it. Her face flashing with a moment of worry before she steeled her resolve and mouthed the words ‘go’ to the girl before she began teasing the raptor into charging after her, a narrow roll to avoid a crushed arm as the fight raged on.

54 (Roll) + 35 (Mastery) = 89 [success]
274/???? Raptor (Main body)
161/???? Raptor (Tail)​

@Eyas Amari | @Ueno Mizuki