Corruption in the Sands [Plot Boss]

[Boss]

[Rules: Four member slots available. You cannot be participating in another plot thread. I will be posting at least every 48 hours. The grounds for ejection from the thread are being skipped three times total. This isn't to be mean, but to ensure thread completion and to maybe get someone else involved who can be more active.

Style: Casual]

The Iron Knuckle paced through the desert.

A creature of eternal life, with a guardian statue mentality, much of its existence had been spent patrolling the endless sands in countless circles. It knew not of hunger, thirst, or sleep, and desire was a vague presence in its mind, only surfacing when it saw something it perceived as an invader of the lands it had been directed to protect.

And so, when a section of the City in the Sky fell, Death Mountain erupted, and a rainbow of colors emerged like a tower from the Sacred Grove, it barely recognized their occurrence and marched on.

Unbeknownst to the being, as millions of lights streamed across the sky , one white light was streaming straight towards him and impacted with an alarming velocity, knocking the great beast to the ground with a loud clang. It laid there for a moment, no sound emitted from within its heavy armor as it remained still.

Then it came forth; strings of white emerging from the hole that was created in the armor, surrounding the creature until it was encased like a cocoon and slowly rose into the sky, increasing in size exponentially by the second until it burst free of its shell, the white energy sucking back in.

And a new creature fell to the sand, landing with an incredible thud and sinking in. It was now over 20 feet tall, groaning with the weight of its own body. It looked around it, as if for a moment it had a conscious and was curious what had happened, but then it roared loudly, echoing over the empty wasteland, and took a step forward, continuing its endless march, now moving towards the Arbiter's Grounds…

[Fane]

FACEPALM

Fane stared at the creature with wonderment and desperation. The only thing he could think of was what the hell was happening in Hyrule. First Varen, now this monstrous thing? Either way, it mattered not. Fane had a new weapon that would prove extremely useful against this thing. With all his equipment set and prepared, he raised his eyes to block out the sun and get a better glimpse of this thing.

No tree's to weave in and out of here, just sand....for miles and miles. Just pure sand. With Aarondite on his side, Greer's blade, a 12 foot sword with black material over his back, and Veritas & Aequitas all on him, he was prepared to fight this thing one on one. And honestly, he was fairly sure that he would....be defeated. Without aid, he probably couldn't take this thing. From past experience though, aberrant as it may be, where opportunity for a challenge arose, warriors gathered. Being the first on the site, he felt obliged to take the first move, but didn't. That was foolish. Instead, he stood back, watching and waiting for the creature to make a move.

"Armored body. Bullets need to trail through the openings....got to get in close. Things probably slow."

Yes, it probably is. Valen spoke through his mind.

"Hm....Greer's blade will prove most useful."

[Merik Dragmire]

The recent attack on the seas, as well as the environmental disasters, had prompted a quick return of the Defiant to the mainland for an investigation (plus many members of the crew still had family ashore and wanted to ensure their safety before continuing with work). Before beginning his own investigation into the events Merik had decided to return to the Fortress to make sure all was right in the desert. Riding Desertfury across the empty wastes the Gerudo was surprised to hear a loud roar from off in the distance. Turning the horse towards the sound he could make out a very large form nearby and quickly set his mount into a hard gallop towards the creature.

"First they attacked the sea, now their attacking the desert...WHAT THE HELL DID I DO TO ANNOY THESE PEOPLE!?" he growled as horse and rider continued their approach.

[Kinsley]

"It certainly will, unless you prove to be useless. A weapon is as good as the user." Kinsley teased Fane. She had tagged along with the man simply out of curiosity. They have worked together in the Fairy Fountain Tavern. He was a bartender, while she, in her in civilian identity, was a waitress. During their time together, she has never seen him in a battle. She knew of his weapons, but she wondered if they were just for show. So on a whim, she followed him. Not caring if he mind her company.

The silver masked woman looked at the two gigantic beings in the sands; One was a hulking armored brute, resembling the one she fought days ago. And another that seemed to just appear from the sky. Unlike the first, this one looked angelic. Both in entrance and appearance. But that quickly disappeared, after hearing it scream. She pressed her gloved hands against the sides of her head. It made her want to regret being born with excellent hearing.

"Ugh. Let's kill the white behemoth before it can scream again."

She reached for her the handle of her rapier and unsheathed it from her the side of her hip. She lowers it down, the tip pointing at the sand between her boots, and turns to Fane.

"But what if they are fast for their size? You'll never know."

[Scheherazade Al Khalifa]

In a roundabout way, this is sort of the Oocca’s fault. If they had maintained their city, it wouldn’t be prone to damage. So when the portion of the City in the Sky fell, Scheherazade had a suspicion that this whole thing would better be handled by one of their own. It wasn’t hard to follow the portion, to see the creature and make a quick prayer to the Goddesses for aid, but it was a bit harder to pick out the three specks in the sand that were clearly people. They say Oocca are special because they can fly, but the bone breaking dive she stooped into in order to quickly reach the three was a bit much. She nearly snaps her wings into pieces with the urge to make it there, sand flying into the gaps of her otherwise tight clothing. There will probably be a rash there later, but the need to save lives takes a greater priority. A man on a horse, a woman with a rapier, and a man with curious devices she has never seen. Interesting ones to also feel the need to save others, and she manages to land near the two unmounted ones without a hitch.

“A monster. How… simple minded it seems.” Scheherazade spares a quick glance to the wingless ones, a blank face giving away about as much of her intent as her dry voice. “Care for some emergency back-up, or shall you just dash headlong into the fray?”

[Boss]

(OOC: There isn't a Posting Order in Boss threads, so post ASAP.)

”Must…purify…” Muttered a deep voice within the shell of metal.

Each step brought the lumbering beast closer to its goal, but the Arbiter’s Grounds was still a long ways away. To the beast, the length of time that would require traversing the sands was mere seconds to it, as it had long ago lost its sense of time, but for the others, it was clear they had at least a bit of clearance before worry would need to rise.

The mutated Iron Knuckle didn’t even acknowledge the presence of the four individuals who had moved towards it, it did not wonder if they were malicious or curious, it had no response at all.

It simply marched on, every large footprint it left filling with sand…

[Fane]

Fane looked to Kinsley with surprised eyes. What was she doing here? He shook his head in confusion; he didn't even notice he was speaking aloud. What a bad habit.... "What are you doing Kinsley? Your going to get hurt." Stepping back beside her, his memory flashed back to Hyrule, with the tavern and cat. She didn't exactly have time to respond, as the large roar leaped forth and an Oocca cascaded from the skies, coming down beside them. The scream was loud, but he did not flinch. As Kinsley did, he lifted a hand to her shoulder, assuring that she was okay. A fellow friend on the battlefield, that is all he could show. He liked her, cared for her, but that was all.

Fane kept silent for the most part, nodding to the Oocca and then stepping forth. The creature was minding its own business, but it never stopped the white haired man before. Dashing down the somewhat miniscule dune, he slid to a stop in front of the large beast. Drawing Veritas and Aequitas, he aimed directly to its head, while maintaining a safe distance out of its reach.

"Is that skin?" He noticed what looked like skin on the bottom of the arms, where no armor remained. If it was, then he could disable them with accurate strikes. Shooting both guns directly at the head, aiming for where he was assuming its eye sockets to be. Immediately after shooting, he threw the guns back into their holsters.

[Merik Dragmire]

Merik pulled Desertfury to a halt near the other three as the white haired man pulled out two guns and fired at the giant.

"If you're looking at the arms, I'll see if I can remove some of the plating from it's legs so we can immobilize it." the King said as he took the reins in one hand and summoned Frostfire. "If any of you are proficient with Ice magics, you may want to have them on standby."

With that he set his mount into motion again and quickly closed the distance between himself and the Iron Knuckle. As he finally reached a close enough distance he let loose a stream of flames from his sword aimed at the armor covering the creature's legs. As he did so he began to circle the horse around the giant, constantly burning the armor as they moved.

[Kinsley]

Kinsley looked toward the winged woman who had just descended from the skies. Thankfully, this angelic being didn't scream like the last one. It was enough to regain her respect for angels. She took one step over to her and replied, "Any medic assistance you can provide is welcomed. But don't worry, we're not meat heads who would foolishly run into battle, and make your job harder." As she said that, a certain meat head comes to mind. That knight from the battle that recurred a couple days ago.

By the time she was done speaking, she noticed that Fane had already started to open fire on the armored giant from a safe distance. Hopefully, she didn't have to worry about him. But unlike him, she only had weapons and tools for close ranged confrontation. Which makes it difficult on her, since the giant would have a long reach with that axe.

She thought about using the same tactic from the last battle she had with an armored foe. It might work better here, since there were not one, but two people who are attacking it, and are more likely to gain it's attention while she goes in for the kill. But, they seem to have a plan of their own. So, rather not ruin what they are planning, she decided to wait with their new winged ally.

[Scheherazade Al Khalifa]

Scheherazade is not meant for this kind of madness. She prefers quiet rooms where all she needs to worry about are changes in policy and who got stuck in which pot this week. There is no way she is prepared to fight something this large for any reason whatsoever. But she doesn’t have to fight, not according to the three wingless ones she has voluntarily taken under her wings for this brief moment in their lives. A series of sharp sounds come from one (bright flashes of light and the ping of metal make her rather curious to accost him for that knowledge later), the Gerudo has decided to run the monster down with his mighty steed, and the female has deigned to stay with Scheherazade. “Very well. I shall endeavor to provide support as needed.”

She would bow, but there is no time for that, not when common sense tells her something will go horribly wrong soon. One brave soul into the fray, nipping at the beast’s heels with flames and pride, and Scheherazade can feel the tingle of magic in the back of her throat. Another brave soul attacks with relentless abandon, and his bravery makes her heart weep. She will sing for them, stills her mind and waits for the sting of the monster’s hatred to rip into them. Scheherazade almost dares the thing to try, for they are under her protection and she will not stand for such an affront. “Would it be acceptable if I asked for protection while I cast? Even the slightest slip will set me back, for it is a vexingly complicated art.”

[Boss]

It was an interesting theory, and a sound one, shooting at the discolored part of its body, yet unfortunately it was not that simple, as the discoloration was simply a different armor, though unlike normal armor, when the bullets impacted, they pressed in, leaving indents as they dropped to the ground.

The monster barely registered the attacks, but as the Gerudo King made his move and unleashed a torrent of flames at the beast, it turned its head downwards, watching him.

”Must…purify…”

Looking around him at each of the warriors, the creature’s eyes flashed white and it let loose an enormous roar.

ARMORED GIANT: Steel Fist

The monstrosity moved to raise up his ax, yet before he could begin his attack, whether by luck or design, the beast stumbled back as the sand beneath its feet turned to glass and shattered beneath his weight. Groaning, it stepped forward and sunk a little into the sand, roaring as it swiped its large weapon in a crescent, aiming to destroy the horse upon which the Gerudo rode.

Steel Fist

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul]


Fane

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul]


Merik

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: Physical Attributes x2.[/ul]


Kinsley

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul]


Scheherazade

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul][/blockquote]

[Fane]

Greer's blade was his first reaction, however he corrected himself. As the flintlocks slid gently into place, his right hand moved around to his back and grasped the large 12 foot blade or pure power. As the beast ignored his first attack, Fane charged forth, kicking up small portions of sand as he did. Coming in as quickly as he could, he distanced himself to the side of the giant so that his sprint was not a straight line.

As he ran, his spare hand concentrated all of his energy, and he prepared to halt the attack from the giant. He could either use Greer's blade to clash with the giants axe, but he had a feeling that it would put him in a rough spot. Coming around the side, he swung the blade back onto his shoulder, resting it. Leaping into the air, the white haired man used Demonic Pulse

[/color], exploiting the creatures opening.

Its axe was raised, its attention diverted. He could hopefully recreate the same situation as his last battle, where he ripped apart the Dark Knights Armor and killed him. Demonic Pulse was powerful and didn't take long to recharge, his favorite part about it.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[Merik Dragmire]

As the giant swung the axe downward Merik scarcely gave it a glance as he kept Desertfury on course and prepared for an odd maneuver.

"Desertfury, attack it's face now!" he said as the horse burst into a sandstorm around him and flew up towards Steel Fist's helm.

For his part the Gerudo burst out of the whirlwind and hit the ground rolling as he dodged the axe seconds before impact. Quickly rising to his feet and continuing his fiery assault on it's legs as he ran behind the behemoth and focused there before it could rise.

(Cooldowns: This is Flamethrower's last turn, Dodge has 3 turns, and Desertfury will continue to distract (and possibly harm) for two more turns)

[Kinsley]

Kinsley shook her head. "It won't a problem." she assured her, smiling warmly at her while trying to ignore the roar. If this person was going to be of any help, it would be smart to keep her safe from harm. Especially since she has asked so politely, that she can't possibly refuse her. "I'll keep it distracted, while you get ready." Right after saying that, she returns her rapier into it's sheath and pulls out her stiletto, a narrow bladed dagger useful for getting into those tiny gaps in armor. Strangely, she places the handle in her mouth, but shortly the reason for this becomes clear. Within seconds her body morphs into that of an animal; fur surfacing from her skin as her clothes disappear. In mere moments, she became a silver fox.

Immediately after transforming, she rushes off on her fours legs, still carrying the dagger in her mouth, toward the behemoth. She begins to pick up in speed as she ran. By the time she reached the giant, it was staggered. Being in range of it, she makes a leap of faith at it. Her body being lifted further by the momentum she had gained. Hopefully she had jumped high enough to avoid the deadly swing and reach it's face, where she readied her dagger to be jammed into one of it's helmet's eye holes. She planned to not only force the narrow blade of her weapon through them, but have it also go through it's eye socket and hit it's brain.

[Scheherazade Al Khalifa]

She watches the others in their own methods, absent mindedly noticing that the girl is now a fox. The other is small enough to not be a major target, and Scheherazade mentally apologizes for the choices she must make for their continued survival. She inclines her head graciously as the other agrees to serve as her distraction, spreads her wings to their full span, and blinks. This will probably end horribly in the end, but at the very least she can keep their intestines properly on their collective insides. So as the other runs off she takes flight, spirals up to a decent height and prays this works like it should. Magic is an iffy thing, but she has complete faith in her ability to do a few things at the same time: breathe, have a heartbeat, and remember to dip her wings on the low notes and raise them on the highs. Usually she uses her arms to keep a physical reminder of how a song is supposed to sound, but for now her wings will do.

Her targets are the ones most likely to end up with an ax where it doesn’t belong: the enthusiastic males who grabbed its attention in the first place. The horse will be a regrettable loss, and she has every confidence that the fox will use her Goddess given brains. So she sings, a simple song that will take her forever to force into the air, each note taking time to imbue with the healing energy necessary for it to work. “ Your joy is the proof you've shared happiness with someone/Your sorrow is the proof you've shared pain with someone.” It rather hurts to sing this loudly, the pressure on her diaphragm burning even as the magic taints her words. “The road may be steep, but it's far better than an uneventful life/Everyone has proof of life/What's important is to find it and believe it-”


[ooc: I am crap at writing lyrics and cheat. Cordo Di Dea. Unless you want to write a song for this, shush.]

[Boss]

As attacks converged, they aided and impaired one another. Fane’s blast hit the creature square in its chest, pushing it back and sinking it further into the sand, but it only slowed its swing. However, this did not matter, as the King dissolved his loyal beast and sent it to attack the giant, a flurry of air and sand swirling around its head.

Unfortunately, the impairment came for the fox, who attempted to slash at the creature’s eye, yet the whirling sands interrupted its plan and make its strike miss its target, bouncing harmlessly off its armored head.

Lifting its heavy limb out of the sand as Merik crystallized more of it, the beast moved forward, attempting to get itself out of the hole. It looked between the three who had struck at it as the silver rings hanging from the armor on its shoulders began to shine, turning into brilliant golden lights. Within a moment, those lights suddenly collected in the center space of the rings and fired out, eight thin beams of energy soaring; three towards Merik, three towards Fane, and two towards Kinsley.



Steel Fist

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul]


Fane

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul]


Merik

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: Physical Attributes x2.[/ul]


Kinsley

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul]


Scheherazade

[/b][/color]
Passive effects: None.[/ul][/blockquote]

[Fane]

Fane knew he efficiently damaged the Giant, so he immediately pulled back after his hit made contact. Sliding through the sand, he slid to a stop. Pulling Greer's blade out as quickly as he could, he prepared for another strike, however the beast had already acted. As the beams of light shot out, he lifted the giant blade in front of his body, aiming to use it as a shield against the blasts of light.

As it was lifted, prepared to be used as a shield, he dashed off to the aide of Kinsley, attempting to reach her and guard them both before the bolts hit them. He wasn't sure if he could withstand the blasts force whilst in motion, but he had confidence in Greer's vitality and strength to withstand the blast.

[Kinsley]

Ping!

The sound of a metallic ping filled her ears, as the blade of her dagger harmlessly hit the helm. Even with her eyes closed after she closed them instinctively when the grains of sand entered them, she knew by that sound she had failed to hit her intended target. She managed to fall safely on her paws, once gravity pulled her down. Though, it wasn't as graceful as she would have done if her eyes weren't blinded by the sand.

She tried to open them to allow herself able to retreat. But every time she attempted to open them, the grains strung her eyes. It was infuriating to say the least. Not wanting to waste any more time trying to regain her vision, she moves her body away from the sounds she recognizes from the behemoth. Her body shambles helplessly about.

Then another sound filled her ears. Something that sounded like a discharge of energy. But in her blinded state, she is unable to detect it's direction. Feelings began to submerge from within her. Fear was looming over her.

Wait. It wasn't fear that loomed over her. It was Fane.

[Merik Dragmire]

As the flames finally stopped flowing from Frostfire the fire and ice along the blade both seemed to dim as the magical energy dwindled. As Merik made his way back behind Steel Fist once again his speed visibly slowed as he channeled the speed from his boots into his sword, instantly reinvigorating the elements on it.

As the pirate prepared for the second phase of his attack the monst released three beams of energy at him and he quickly altered his plans. Having no real defense abilities he took the first option that might work best to keep him relatively unharmed: he pointed his sword at the ground and fired a stream of ice, spinning incredibly fast on the spot to surround himself with a nice little wall. He completely expected that the energy beams would destroy his hastily erected barrier but he also hoped that all the attack's power would be wasted shattering the ice.

COOLDOWNS: Desertfury has another turn to continue attacking / irritating, Icethrower has another turn of use, Pegasus Boots have begun their two turn cooldown after taking the cooldown from Flamethrower, Dodge has two turns

[Scheherazade Al Khalifa]

Scheherazade's existence has been condensed into doing three things: breathing, flapping, and singing. "Love, bravery, and hope, they all exist in everyone's heart/Everyone is waiting for the door to open." Magic, it's a hard thing at times, but at other moments it exists like a breath of fresh air in a stagnant cave. Right now her magic is an easy thing, something that draws her no attention even as she slowly drifts back to the sand.

"And when you achieve it/Someone will smile for you." Her spell is cast, her goal clearly defined as her voice reverberates across the desert.

Spell cast: Farore's Melody. Targets: Merik && Fane