EVENT ★ POKAREKARE ANA

[futurologists]

NALANNI Now as weak as any mortal, Nalanni only needs one person to dispatch her. Though Jason has been selected for the sad deed, it would be smart not to let him go it alone. Once Nalanni ceases to be, the ground quakes and roils. The planet's rock and earth can feel the loss of its mother, and with Ryba still living, the power imbalance throws the world into turmoil. Monsters stream forth from the cave Nalanni had been held on the risen Dakal island. But unlike before, when Pomarr blew through the side of Nalalona and left lava creatures in her wake, these monsters are made of stone. And they are gigantic. Ranging from five to nine meters (roughly 16-30 feet), the stone golems are slow-moving but powerful, capable of crushing anything in their path with their feet or powerful fists. The golems cannot be spoken to or reasoned with; all they feel is the loss of their mother and the vacuum of power she has left behind. Their mindless anger makes them easily distracted, so teamwork is the best way to keep them at bay. Roughly formed of rock and hardened mud, they are weak to water. Luckily, halfway through the day, a light rain begins to fall. The golems will continue to come forth from the earth until Ryba is defeated. Upon her death, they will simply collapse into inert piles of stone. RYBA THE DEVOURING ONE Pomarr stays true to her word and draws the sea goddess to the shore of the deserted island that once housed the Dakal. Without comment, Pomarr turns and steps into an ALASTAIR rift, leaving your team to its business. Ryba is impossibly large, a mass of twisting, searching tentacles with no discernible body. She is especially weak to electrical attacks, but can otherwise be defeated by simply wearing her down with brute force. Now that you've got your collective powers back, it should be a piece of cake. Right? ATTACKS: TENTACLES. Ryba's initial attack is waving her massive, numerous tentacles around to try and keep combatants at bay. Despite their size, they are surprisingly quick -- capable of snapping at anyone who dares get too close, whiplike, or simply crushing those who stay still for too long. Her tentacles are seemingly endless, impossible to count, and move about in a nearly hypnotic way. THE STORM. After enough damage has been dealt, Ryba will grow more desperate and begin to use her connections to the sea itself. Though the battle is near the shore, sudden winds whip at the recruits, pulling them away from the shallows. Drowning becomes a real danger: the waves are high and fast, and intensely swirling waterspouts crisscross with intent to sweep recruits up, scrambling them. SHARKNADO. Ryba's last-ditch effort calls upon the creatures of the sea as well as the wind and waves. She creates a swirling vortex with her massive body in the center in attempts to shield herself from attacks. But that's not all -- spinning around her at high speeds with the vortex are sharks. A lot of sharks. And they are all angry. If characters attempt to speak with Ryba through the battle, she will respond in a calm, dark voice throughout: she has nothing to say to the invaders who would dare take her from the peace of her trench, except that they must destroy her or she will kill them all herself, before the world crumbles to nothing. Once Ryba is defeated, her massive body will simply cease moving. Goddess or not, it seems her form is as physical as any other creature of the sea. ISLANDERS During the day-long battle, characters who choose not to fight are advised to stay behind with the Nalawi to keep them safe. Though the battle rages far to the west, on the once-sunken island of the Dakal, the storms may travel to the westernmost edges of the Nalawi islands. Recruits may attempt to temporarily evacuate the westernmost Nalawi, though there may be considerable resistance. After the battle, the Nalawi can instantly tell that their goddess is gone for good. Where there was once confusion and desperation in the face of Nalanni's disappearance, there is now only sorrow and directionlessness. All recruits are invited to return to Komo, the first island at the start of the mission, for a somber memorial for Nalanni: the Nalawi don't blame the recruits for what has happened, and only expect them to join in their grief. For the rest of the time on Nalawi, characters may spend their time as they wish. The locals will need help learning how to cope without their Gifts and how to live without the goddess on whom they had come to rely. They will need help learning all sorts of trades, from fishing to pottery to plumbing, so characters who have knowledge in the mundane will have their time to shine. But the Timeline is always in need of tending, so recruits can't stay here forever. Say your goodbyes, because soon a rift will open and you'll be headed back to Oska. OOC INFO Mods will not be NPCing the Ryba encounter, so you are free to NPC her attacks yourself. Please remember that defeating her is a group effort; no one person will have the "killing blow." The battle against Ryba will take one full day. After she is defeated, recruits will have 13 days to say goodbye to the Nalawi before departing for Oska. If characters wish to temporarily stay behind in Nalawi, see here for details.

Comments

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[terrormine]

[And without skipping a beat, after his urging:]

Final Embrace!

[A giant flower-like cluster of ice materializes to engulf the other two golems, encasing them whole before shattering with an impact strong enough to knock both down and over. They don't get up again either after a second, nor two, but do start to crawl back to their knees a good several seconds later, with their movements obviously slowed.]

Hurry up and run? Go ahead, Meebo, if you're feeling too scared or rusty.

[There's Edna, arm outstretched with umbrella in hand. Despite the provocative words, it lacks the usual bite: she's not even looking at him, eyes still fixed on the golems and any more that may be shambling forth from beyond the horizon.]

[circulets]

As if I'd turn back now, even if I had the choice.

[ His own expression and reaction is missing the usual embarrassment he'd feel upon being provoked by Edna. It's different from fighting hellions back at home - it isn't as though they can be purified, and perhaps that's only one of the reasons why all of this leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

Still, they have to do what they can.

At least for now, they've stopped the golemms from moving forward. ]]

It's been a while.

[ They haven't fought together like this since they were back at home. ]

[terrormine]

Why not? No one likes clean-up work. This isn't where the main event's gonna be, either. Bloodthirsty boys eager for more god-slaying action should get a move on.

[Someone's definitely still not happy about Nalanni. ...Or Ryba, honestly. The entire decision still doesn't sit well with Edna, and Mikleo's likely known her well enough to potentially pick up the fact that she's just indirectly venting.

A beat, and a faint magic circle appears once more by her feet. They may have halted the threats for now, but Edna's standing on guard and already preparing the next spell, just in case.]

Missed me?

[circulets]

This isn't the solution Sorey and I wanted.

[ He knows why she's saying all of that, however. He's well aware. It likely reminds her of Eizen and the situation back at home. However, that and this were different. This Goddess-- was no hellion. Even so, Mikleo and Sorey were never ones who wanted to kill anything.

Though, he'll begin to charge his own artes, focusing until he can cast a protective arte for the both of them. ]

I'm sorry it came down to this.

[terrormine]

[It's not even just the hellion part. They were given the ability for interplanar travel. Some of their fellow 'recruits' even went ahead and successfully convinced Pomarr, a local, to join their cause. This isn't the black and white situation like back on Glenwood. Other means were GLARINGLY present.

But it came down to that after all, huh? ...Yeah, she's sore. Nalanni didn't pressure this world with her existence because she wanted to, just like how the dragons aren't malevolent because they wanted to.

In the end, there was little point in dwelling. What's done is done. Edna will just take the liberty to be broodier than usual, and not be overly helpful even for the fight against Ryba.]

Apologize to the Nalawi if you really wanna say sorry. They're wasted on me. Not like this world has anything to do with us either, after all.

[circulets]

[ The seraphim were supposed to protect - of course he can't help but be bitter about all of this, as well. However, he trusts in Sorey's decision in all of this, as well. More than anything, he knows that if another solution is found during all of this, it's him who'll do what he can to make that happen.

Still, he doesn't agree with all of Edna's words. His apologies were meant to be ones of condolences, yet he knows it may not help. ]

That's true. But, we're here. [ They're have nothing to do with this planet, but them being here to begin with meant that they were interfering with this world. A beat. ] .... I don't think either of us are out here for that reason, either. .[ Neither of them are here to kill anyone. Mikleo-- he's here to protect. Another pause, and Mikleo looks to Edna intently. He has no doubts that she can take care of herself, but no one can handle everything on their own. ]

You aren't alone.

[terrormine]

[Sorey and Mikleo didn't need to prove anything to her. They've already done so plenty of times back on Glenwood, after all. They may not know their future the way she's experienced it, but she has no reason to believe that things may turn out differently - that is, regardless of the challenge, they'll always overcome it.

She... misses it, to be completely honest. When it's just a small handful taking on a whole world. Despite the bad things that've happened on their journey, it still definitely doesn't come anywhere close, to the chaos generated by 70~80 randomly appointed 'saviors' with likely highly dubious qualification. Heck, Edna herself is very shitty 'world savior' material, and she knows it. She can just still put in some work with the right company, and admittedly if Sorey and the others - Mikleo included - weren't here, she might not have bothered doing a thing.

So no, it's not her place to judge the outcome. She may not have tried very hard either, even if she COULD have had a more direct hand in the decision regarding Nalanni. Just... unfortunate coincidence, really, that her situation ended up hitting so close to home, just a bit.

...]

I know.

[The pause is short.]

Do you have a fever, Meebo? Or had too much dairy recently? A fermenting and lukewarm puddle isn't gonna fill up or quell down much, you know.

[The gaping hole that Nalanni's death has left behind, and the resulting turmoil in the ground that's given rise to these Golems. The earth is still reeling from the loss, and she can feel that pulse.]

[circulets]

[ It's just like Edna to tease him in response, and honestly for once, he's sort of relieved to hear her with a more usual bite. She doesn't need to tell him how difficult this has to be for him to know.

Still, it nearly feels like they didn't have far too much of a say in all of this. Maybe it's been like that from the moment they first left Glenwood. It's frustrating, but he still wants to do what he can to protect others-- not just Sorey, Alisha, or other humans here -- but those important to him, too.

There's a quiet mumble in response, something like 'there she goes--' but, he quickly chants artes, preparing to cast something that would help to protect her, at least. ]

Come on. There's more golems ahead.

[terrormine]

[He's... 'right', there. An Edna that isn't picking on him would definitely be an Edna that isn't well, so the sharper remarks can be taken as a good sign that she's herself.

Still, there could be time for their usual antics later. For now, the Earth has cried, and those pleas have not fallen on deaf ears. Nalanni loved this world wholly, and she would not want for her domain to revolt against the landscape and people that she held so dearly.]

Four, though it'll take a while for them to shamble over. Water looked pretty effective, so either these things missed the memo about the proper order of the element wheel, or they're just more mud than stone.

[Brief analysis made, she glances back at him.]

You wanna take the fight to them? How uncharacteristically bold. But then who'll be left to defend the poor and the hapless?

[She's not actually scolding him... really. Just her way of asking him what he wants to do.]

[circulets]

[ The analysis is more than appreciated. He, too, noticed the effect that water has on them, which is more than enough reason for him to want to take he lead here. Mikleo's never been one to want to just stand on the sidelines, and this situation is no exception.

Although alone right now, he's following what Sorey wants to do, just as he always has. And, if Sorey is fighting, then he'll do what he can to protect as he always has. ]

You noticed, too. [ A statement, not a question. ] That's why it's better for me to be the one to use my artes to slow them down. If I do that, then it'll help protect those who can't fight too, won't it?

What about you, what'll you do?

[terrormine]

Duh. It may be your main attribute, but you sure don't hold exclusivity over it.

[She doesn't need to say more because he knows as well as she does. Her arte repertoire may not be as extensive as his due to their very elemental nature, but a few Final Embrace of her part would be quite effective, too. Plus, considering the armored type of being they are, Air Pressure may well keep them down, also.]

But overwork yourself now, and you're not gonna have the strength left for the final boss fight later. Can't endanger Sorey by being in anything less than your perfect peak form, Meebo, can you? Or is it that you won't mind too much, if you fail to give your best and something happens to you both?

[She casually "answers", with more questions of her own and without actually answering his. ...He's probably used to it, though, and despite the bad implications, there's still something deeper beneath that, too.]

[circulets]

[ He watches as they slow down for now, listening to her words closely. He implication of anything happening to Sorey is enough to make him stiffen for a moment, but that brief moment fades, and he replies. ]

Even if he can't see or hear us, we'll give him our full support no matter what. Isn't that how it's always been? [ Nothing's changed. They've fought more hellions than this. ] But, are you implying that I go ahead?

[ He knows that what she's saying is something deeper than what she's said. Still, he won't leave Edna fighting on her own, either. ]