Courtyard

The battle was over, but naturally, there were feelings of distrust towards their new ally. Angela had to admit, if someone wanted to gain their blind trust so he could stab them in the back later... Then he would do exactly what he did.

On the other hand, wouldn't it be much easier to kill them? They just faced a rabite that can even cast Ancient - surely, if it had a little more help, they would be done for. Had Chaos brought those here? He must really not want those crystals to be found.

Apparently, he seemed as confused as to how he got here as the rest of them. It could be that Cosmos brought him here too, but how did he get separated?

Anyway, she would tentatively trust him for now. She couldn't take another battle at this moment anyway.

"I've been better, but you three are probably in worse condition," she replied to Lightning. "I'm alright for now. We should get going. Rabites are not supposed to be here. If they are... I think that means maybe we were on the right track after all," she added, making her way towards the left entrance to the throne room.

Quote :

The party has finally managed to get a breather...

The party regains 0.5 H2KO!

Battle Info:

The orange knight had a name, thankfully. Garland had briefly considered ripping into Samus's disdain for the value of appearances, even though the point was technically accurate. When Papyrus convinced his ally to give Garland the benefit of the doubt, the winged man was quick to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Samus.. you've got good aim. Nice to meet you, along with Papyrus. Whom might your companions be?"

Though he had been injured in the battle, Garland showed an eagerness to follow after Angela and share in her knowledge. "The right track?" he questioned, curious of the underlying purpose while he strained to catch up to the young magician so as to walk alongside her. Having been satisfied that his wings could still carry his weight, he folded the majestic feathered limbs to rest against his back like a heavy cloak.

He briefly looked over his shoulder to Lightning, then offered the woman a relaxed smile and resumed his forward pace. Garland's own answers to the question of healing might be received as selfish, and he wasn't quite certain who was injured beyond himself. 'Twas better to leave it to Lightning's judgment, then.

Papyrus's question lingered in his mind, prompting the veteran mage to stammer briefly. "O-oh! I should explain more of myself. I initially woke up in a forest clearing; after looking around, I was waylaid and then locked in one of those prison cells. It's mildly disturbing when you realize the dungeon is completely empty."

"...The other one you assited is Lightning," Samus said, still reluctant to just hand out information so freely. "And this is Angela." She watched as Garland unnaturally folded his wings along his back and followed Angela away, and trailed after them. She was still worried about their more badly injured allies, but she couldn't help them any better than Lightning could. She was more useful trying to prevent any more wounds by protecting them.

"So you were taken to the forest as well..." she said. And then something had attacked him and brought him here, she assumed. "Are you also looking for Crystals?"

Papyrus
"Oh! Lightning!" Papyrus bustled as best he could over to her, scolding himself. How had he forgotten to check on her? And judging by her appearance, she was more injured then he was! She'd been with him since the battle began! Letting himself get so distracted by the conflict and not aid an injured comrade-it was an absolute disgrace and not at all knight-like!

"Are you alright? Can you walk? Do you need help?" He positioned himself next to her if she needed some support, and she mentioned something about healing magic. "Well, what are you waiting for, then! Heal yourself!"

Though Papyrus couldn't hide his relief upon hearing that someone did have healing magic. While he certainly would have benefited from it himself, she was clearly in more need of the aid then he was. His relief was rather short-lived, however, when he caught the tail end of Garland's statement. He'd been the only one in the dungeon, and he'd been in the forest they were beforehand? Then Samus asked about their mission having to do with the crystals, and that made the last of his hope shrivel up.

This meant that Garland wasn't native to this land, and that the individuals who called this place home were still missing. But that didn't mean they wouldn't find them, right? After all, Angela pointed out that the presence of the Rabites meant they were on the right track! They'd find the civilians eventually, and ensure they were safely returned to their homes! It'd be less of a problem now that they had a new ally on their side!

Papyrus just had to keep telling himself this to keep himself calm. After all, it was the only logical explanation!

Lightning raised an eyebrow at Papyrus, wondering when his barrage of questions would end. Obviously she was worse for wear, but she was standing.

It was smart of her allies to think that the rabites' appearance meant they were going in the right direction. Hopefully, they would be able to find the crystal and get out of this place as soon as possible. Lightning wasn't too fond of getting beaten by puffballs.

After her allies confirmed they were all okay, Lightning attempted to use Cure on herself.

Quote :

Lightning uses Cure on herself!

Healing magic! Lightning is not defending against Cure.

Lightning (offense): 961
Lightning (defense): 0

Critical heal! (+1.5)

Battle Info:

Angela gave Garland a slight nod as Samus introduced her. Could he be also searching for crystals, now that she mentioned it? She kinda doubted it - if Cosmos had revealed herself to him, you would think that's what he would have led with when he told them his story. Instead, he seemed plain and simply confused. Perhaps he was attacked by agents of Chaos before he could join the others?

Either way, they could share their stories on the way in. She opened the door and glanced at the throne far in the room. Of course, Mother was not there. She no longer expected to see anyone - most likely, this was not her actual home at all. But, there was something...

As she got closer, she could make out a small crystal hovering just over the throne, emitting a soft red hue... Was that the one?

She slowly approached it and hesitantly took it. She couldn't exactly describe it, but she could feel some sort of energy emanating from the crystal. It had to be the real deal.

The newcomer followed Samus's functional introductions, recognizing the pink-haired soldier to be named Lightning. Then that meant the young lady in the dress was Angela, and she knew quite a few things about spellcraft. Furthermore, it appeared as though she had detailed knowledge of the palace they were exploring.

"Angela.. what a lovely name." Garland commented quietly as he followed Angela to the throne room, then fixed his gaze on the small red crystal. What was this thing that she was approaching? There was a significance to the glow, but Samus believed that he was in search of these relics. Shaking his head, Garland stood at a modest distance from the crystal bearer while attempting to analyze its aura. It would have been impolite to stare at her too long; besides, there was a good chance each of them would have also sought a way to the place they called 'home.'

"You're the first people I have met since my arrival. I couldn't see the attacker that brought me to the palace dungeon; I only know that they struck me with a temporal suspension spell."

"That's one crystal secured..." Samus said, inspecting the small red shard in Angela's hands from over her shoulder. The odds of it being the wrong one were rather low, considering the forces of Chaos that were guarding the throne room. She looked back at Garland as he explained himself further. 

"So you didn't speak with Cosmos at all then. It's possible that you were attacked by something sent by Chaos to prevent you from joining our mission." Sabotage most likely wasn't out of the question, but Samus was more worried that it might take a while to explain this entire conflict to him. Was collecting the crystals time-sensitive?

"And your mission involves.. crystals?" Garland furrowed his eyebrows, looking away from Angela's crystal to Samus. As she was affiliated with the other wayward travelers, it was possible that an entity named 'Cosmos' sought them out and charged them with a mission of great importance. Strange, then, that Garland would receive no such welcome. Perhaps he merely went the wrong way? Or was the deity forced to put him to work without the benefit of introductions?

It was troubling to think that an extraplanar being would have such detailed knowledge of the mage that it could trust him to perform such quests without any context.

Garland let his eyes wander over Papyrus and Lightning, curious to their own impressions of the mission. "I haven't met Cosmos or Chaos since my arrival in this realm. Someone moved me to this location; even though I don't know the rhyme or reason, that is no excuse for me to claim ignorance and flee from responsibility.

"Though we are of different worlds, I shall help you find what you seek."

Throne Room

"Those Crystals supposedly hold divine power - unleashing their power will purify this realm and even the balance in the war between Cosmos and Chaos. If the balance were to be overthrown, that would affect our own worlds as well... At least that's what she told us," she replied to Garland. "Honestly, I didn't know any of this before, either."

She observed the crystal, still emitting that soft red hue... Did this crystal really possess such great magic? Are they supposed to release their energy as they collect them?

Either way, they were done here, weren't they? She wasn't still sure how, but she managed to find her crystal. "One down... four to go, I guess?" She glanced around the team. "Who will go next?"

ooc:

Samus Aran

"I'll take the tracking Crystal," Samus said. She was less eager to see where they would be taken to this time, and more focused on finding their next crystal as fast as possible. She assumed wherever her own crystal was, she'd be familiar with the area and be able to navigate it with the least amount of issues. If they were lucky, it'd be mostly barren like this town was.

After taking the Black Crystal, she led the way back into the courtyard to get ready to leave.

"Angela found it, so let's leave to look for the next one before something else comes to attack us," she said to Papyrus and Lightning. She waited for the group to get into a circle.

Chaos Land

It has been a long time since someone dared to talk to Frieza like this. But it wouldn't matter, soon this Clown and so called Queen would be as dead as the last insect which tried to insult him.

"If you insist on dying Clown, then who am I to deny your request?"

The Tyrant started to charge up his Ki, overloading his Scouter and causing it to explode. It would only take him one shot to wipe this maggots of the face of whatever Planet they were on.

"Now die", he stated, before directly attack Buggy.

Action:

 chaos Land 

Buggy stood there, shaking a tiny bit but he was determined to keep the Queen safe. "Please watch out, your highness...I will stand in his way. also Frieza..your really shouldn't be doing this..we are on your side you know..no matter what we are or look like. you would or might need us later."

~ Narrative - Chaos Land ~

Quote :

Rocbouquet uses Spirit Barrier!

Rocbouquet and Buggy are protected against one attack!

Frieza attempts to strike Buggy!

Rocbouquet's Spirit Barrier! +500 defensive roll bonus for Rocbouquet and Buggy against the attack.
Rocbouquet's Magnificent Morale Booster! +50 roll bonus for Buggy.
Frieza's Low Base Stats (1st form)! -100 roll penalty

Frieza (offense): 603 503
Buggy (defense): 84 134 634

It missed!

Buggy did not move quick enough to evade the attack on his own, but the barrier deflects it!

Battle Info:

 *Chaos Land*


Buggy was sweating Bullets and closed his eyes ready and knowing he would probably die on the spot..but he didn't! There was a sort of shield or something protecting them. He knew he didn't have powers like that but knew it was the Queen that supplied it.. "Thank you for that..now can WE PLEASE get to our respective homes and off this crazy piece of land"

Chaos Land

"Please watch out, Your Highness...I will stand in his way.”

Those were the same words uttered to her by almost every fool in the jungle. Rocbouquet sighed in relief. If the captain was at least willing to stand between her and that awfully arrogant Galactic Tyrant, then he would likely jump forward at the opportunity to help her find her way back to Salamat! It's what any other lonely, foolish man would do, right? Without removing her gaze from Frieza, the temptress uttered a sincere Thank you into Buggy's ear as her hand slipped away from his shoulder.

But the Star Clown did not end up needing to shield the self-proclaimed jungle queen from the angry tyrant's attack. When Frieza suddenly thrust himself forward with a raised fist, the drifting spirits instinctively melded together into an amorphous layer of fog and stopped his attempted assault without much effort. A smirk tugged at the corner of Rocbouquet's lips. This so-called "Galactic" emperor was not nearly as powerful as she had originally thought.

“...So sorry, Emperor, but I'm afraid that you have made the wrong choice,” she remarked as she puckered up her lips in a sassy manner. In the background, the cowering clown expressed his gratitude toward her barrier, but Rocbouquet did not acknowledge him as she continued to tease Frieza with her sultry eyes. It was the spirits after all who had chosen to protect her from the oncoming attack: Buggy just happened to be in their way. “Now, let's see if you are man enough to take me on.” She winked. Stepping out from behind Buggy, Rocbouquet bent forward and placed her hands slightly above her knees.

“...Temptation,” she whispered in an effortlessly seductive voice as she brought both of her hands toward her face and pressed her fingertips gently against her light pink lips. Without breaking eye contact with her victim, the temptress slowly flipped the palms of her hands outward and blew lightly in his direction a gentle kiss accompanied by a handful of brilliant-red rose petals.

Action:

~ Narrative - Chaos Land ~

Quote :

Rocbouquet uses Temptation on Frieza!

Low accuracy: -200 roll penalty
Frieza's Low Base Stats (1st form)! -100 roll penalty
Destiny's blessing! Players have mutually agreed that the attack will hit regardless of roll

Rocbouquet (offense): 702 502
Frieza (defense): 948 848 501

It hit!

Effect: Charm! Frieza is Charmed for X rounds.

Since the attack would have missed, Kai can choose how long the effect stays.

Battle Info:

ooc:

Throne Room

As Samus volunteered to go next, Angela gave her the teleport crystal. She placed herself next to her, taking her hand and waiting for the rest to get in the circle. What awaited them next? Would the crystal take them to a place that was familiar to Samus? And what kind of place would that be? She already said that there wasn't much of a home left for her anymore... That did not sound optimistic at all.

She let out a soft sigh. No matter, they would just have to carry on and fulfill their mission as soon as possible. This was their only option right now.

Papyrus-Throne room
Papyrus listened to their conversation halfheartedly, and while the beauty of the crystal distracted him for but a moment, his thoughts were soon clouded with anxiety once more.

They reached the throne room, the innermost part of the castle. Why had they not encountered any other native beings other then those violent yet cute beasts? Had all the other people here truly-

He shook his head to rid of the bad thoughts that threatened to consume him as Samus spoke up, wanting to try to find her crystal next. He approached the circle,uncharacteristically quiet, and took Angela's free hand.

Chaos Land

Just before Frieza was able to realize what caused his punch to miss its target completely, Rocbouquet was targeting Frieza with another weird attack.

But other than a boring monologue and whispering 'temptation', she did nothing but wink at him. What was thiii.... Suddenly the emperor's mind went blank and his pupils white. All he was able to think of was his awesome mistress.

He backed off a little bit.

"Are you Clown bothering my beloved Rocbouquet? I'LL KILL YOU"

 *Chaos land*

Things seemed to die down a bit which gave Buggy the chance to breath a sigh of relief. Then all of a sudden Lord Frieza was threatening him again..what for this time...Buggy thought he did nothing wrong. He started backing up slowly, "Hey now, Frieza..Im not bothering anyone...actually I was going to go see what that fish ninja guy Zabuza was up to...he's probably waiting for us unless he ditched us for real.."

Chaos Land

A wide smile spread across the demon girl's lips.

“Tch. You're too easy, Emperor,” she taunted as her magical kiss took affect on Frieza's body. But how could she blame him for his sudden change of heart after she posed so nicely for him and caressed his cheeks with a soft, fragrant breeze? She was irresistible! Perhaps even undefeatable! Stupid Galactic-demon-whatever emperor for thinking otherwise. Rocbouquet giggled to herself in amusement, motioning for her spirits to return to her side. Their chattering teeth seemed to amplify her laughter as they wove in and out of her blue hair, taunting Frieza with their wisp-like tails and high-pitched shrieks.

“Oh? You'd kill him for me?” she mused, touching a hand thoughtfully against her cheek and motioning the other toward the Star Clown as she moved closer to Frieza. “How sweet of you. But I don't think that will be necessary.” Pausing, Rocbouquet feigned a weak smile.

“You see, there's this little favor I've been meaning to ask of you both. Hell is an awful place for a girl like me, and I don't feel safe exploring it alone. Will you help me find a way out?” She brought her hands together and looked between the two men with a glimmer of hope in her softening gaze. Hope that her cute look and sweet voice would make Buggy and Frieza forget about the way she had previously spoken to them.

Lightning felt the pain wash away as her Cure spell went over her body. Feeling mostly normal, Lightning was silent as she contemplated her mistakes in the battle. She needed to be faster, more focused, and more considerate of the fact that this was not Cocoon, and the enemies here were unlike any she had ever seen. She needed to stop being so cocky and start being the Lightning that saved the world.

Lightning took Papyrus's free hand, hoping that this next world would be more her style.

Throne Room

The winged man took his place in the circle between Lightning and Samus, taking their free hands into his own calloused paws. He retained a firm grip that, while comfortable enough, showed a clear desire to avoid separation now that they had been gathered together. Though he might have been as lost as any of them, Garland could feel an inner obligation to look after their safety.

The scion of the Enthroned glanced to the other members of the circle, his blue eyes lingering briefly on the woman soldier before they cut back towards the orange knight and the odd crystal in her possession. Garland wanted to smile, to find an explanation or reassurance that they would be safe. But he knew nothing of this land, other than that Angela recognized the ensorcerelled rabbits which put up a fierce battle. More observation would be needed, and to reach that point, he would have to defend these travellers with sword and spell alike.

"I am ready."

Papyrus

Like before, once everyone joined hands they were teleported once again. Once the sensation ended, he heard Samus speak and opened his eyes.

They had a wonderful view this time around, instead of it being a bit blocked by snowy weather. Well, if you could ignore the small pinpricks the rain caused. Oh, and how there was nothing but rocks for as far as the eye could see. And the ruins.

Yet, for some reason, Papyrus felt more at ease here then where they were previously. Perhaps it was because it reminded him of the desolate places of the Underground? Or was it the fact that there couldn't possibly be anyone here other then themselves? Shielding his head with his hand, he broke the circle and approached Samus.

"Do you know where we are now?"

Samus Aran

She'd destroyed it... but it was still here, like her last mission had never happened. It had to be a trick, or maybe she was having an extremely vivid flashback episode... Forgetting about everyone else around her, Samus raised her hands up to her helmet, hesitated, and then unlocked it and took it off. The sensation of rain directly on her skin was enough to pull her back to the present. Whatever was going on, it wasn't an illusion. She still didn't know if this was actually Zebes, but if they were going to get the next crystal, she needed to stay on track. Any sense of shock on her face was quickly suppressed, replaced with something much more neutral and serious.

"...We're on a planet called Zebes," she said, finally responding to Papyrus. "I... grew up here." She didn't meet anyone's eyes as she spoke. "This surface area is known as Crateria, but for now, we need to get out of this rain. Or at least you all do." The acidic rain was something she was made to withstand, but it was potentially dangerous to non-natives. Ignoring the ruins to the east, she turned the opposite direction and pointed at a downward slope leading into a large tunnel. 

"I think I know where the crystal might be, but we'll have to detour underground through Brinstar to make it there." If there was anything lurking around here, it'd be in Brinstar, so they'd have to be careful not to run into anything if possible.

 Chaos Land

Buggy smirked when Frieza wasn't going to be able to hit him. He was going to act silly and tease him but he didn't know how long he would be like this. Then Roc asked them both a question in a very kind and sweet voice. "Look Roc...I wanna get out of here fast as well and lover boy here I bet wants off this world too...we should go catch that fish ninja before he leaves us here for good."

With her helmet off, she has a strong resemblance to Ethelle..

After catching himself in a brief daydream, Garland quietly slapped a hand to his forehead in an unannounced display of self admonishment. If there ever was a time that he needed to disregard his own human quirks and concentrate solely on an important mission, this was that time. Just ahead of him, Samus was serving as an unspoken guide and leader on this acid-etched planet. Her emotional response was anything but positive, yet the orange knight was able to push those feelings aside and devise a rational course of action.

Brushing his hand down over his face, Garland stepped foward to get a closer look at the tunnel. His eyes then shifted sideways to Samus, curious at what sort of marvels lay within her suit. "Avoiding this corrosive shower is a good idea and all, but what will we do for light?"

Planet Zebes

As the rest of the party joined hands and Samus concentrated, the teleport was initiated again. It was a sensation she could not quite get used to. The place they arrived at seemed... desolate. Only ruins and destruction lied ahead, but for some plant life. It was raining a little bit, but it was... odd. The rain stung somewhat.

Samus' reaction upon seeing the place was anything but a positive one, too. She wanted to ask, but... Hadn't he said that there wasn't much of a home left for him to return to? Angela's crystal took her home - or possibly to an illusion of it, she still wasn't sure. Could this be...?

She preferred not to ask. It was probably a sensitive issue for him. But then he proceeded to hesitantly take his helmet off, and admittedly, Angela's curiosity peeked for a moment and forgot about the scenery around her. What did he look like anyway?

...Well she did not expect that. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. He most definitely and absolutely did not seem to be a he.

She blushed a little bit, and shook her head to herself. Why did she think she was a boy anyway? What a silly assumption. She couldn't really tell from her voice with her suit on. Well she didn't know that she didn't know that she was not a he? And she didn't have to know, right?

Garland's question snapped her back to reality, and she tried to focus on that. "Is there, um, well, any light source in the, uh, tunnel? Um, Samus? I guess you probably, um, know better, right?"

She was not awkward at all.