RPG World of Remnant => The Vale Region => Beacon Academy => Topic started by: Vision on August 12, 2022, 06:48:05 PM
Title: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Vision on August 12, 2022, 06:48:05 PM
As the students had been lined up at the edge of the Beacon cliffs a tall and well-built figure approached the podium, Alban Inverno, the headmaster of Beacon. While he did not introduce himself the sense of authority emanating from his movements was enough to inform those who did not recognize him.
“Adaptation” he let the word hang in the air as silence fell on the students “is perhaps the most fundamental quality of those who survive in our profession. It is a trait that is rarely tested through education, whether at school or at home, and one you can no longer afford to be ignorant of." He spoke in a calm, dispassionate tone. "When you land in the forest, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for your time at Beacon. They will be your partner until you graduate, drop out, or die. We will not entertain any requests to alter partners. So, adapt.”
He gestured at the forest before continuing “Below us is the Emerald forest, for your initiation each pair is required to venture into the ruins within it, claim a jade relic and return to the cliff. There will be opposition along the way, and you will have to fight for your survival. We are monitoring you, but our instructors will not be in a position to intervene. Remember that huntsmen and huntresses are not simple exterminators of Grimm but protectors of the people, today you will only be protected by your peers.“
A slight tone of excitement could be heard in his voice as he concluded with “Prepare yourselves.”
Slowly the professor studied each student individually, some were focused on the forest, others meet his eyes, and just as his gaze moved to the next student the previous one was launched into the air.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on August 13, 2022, 12:36:29 PM
Cyrus was one of the latest to arrive at the initiation still recovering from a late night of last-minute training. This left the giant moving groggily as he stepped into position, azure wings loose and hanging open. As the headmaster gave his address Cyrus only half paid attention focusing instead more on his guitar. The simple but haunting G major and C sharp cords accompanied by Cyrus’s deep humming filled the air. As the music progressed Cyrus’ posture slowly improved so by the time he would be launched in the air he looked almost like a huntsman in training.
When Cyrus was finally launched in the air his guitar’s amp ramped up to full gear shredding the same cord progressions with the more traditional metal growl. This was just for the aesthetic however, just as his guitar’s amps powered up so it’s dust vents releasing Cyrus’ not-so-patented ‘fly dust,’ a combination of fire, gravity and air dust. This combined with Cyrus’ massive wings let him easily get clear of the pack of his fellow students and perhaps could have flown all the way to the ruins but in the end the giant decided to turn back.
He recalled the headmaster talking about partnering up and having to fight through the undergrowth to reclaim some sort of relic. Cyrus may have been willing to give up a chance to find a partner but he would never give up a chance to fight some Grimm. Continuing his increasing complex shred as Cyrus dove low the giant left an obvious path of scorching on his way through the canopy and undergrowth. Just for hitting the ground Cyrus tilted up ending his dive with one last cord, a summersault and a fire-wreathed pose worthy of an album cover.
Out of breath more from excitement than exhaustion Cyrus gulped down the forest air, finally feeling awake as he drew his two giant khopesh’s. The Peacock Faunus took a very direct path towards the ruins carving his way through trees or boulders or anything else in his path. This combined with Cyrus’ loud entrance meant the giant had definitely drawn unwanted attention, the wide grin on his face showed this was entirely on purpose.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on August 13, 2022, 02:04:37 PM
A hooded girl swayed to and fro, movements smooth and deliberate with her weapon in hand, to some music that another student was playing. It might've been hard to tell what was going through the girl's mind, but the faint smirk on her face told the tale if one managed to catch it.
As Alban stepped up to the podium, Pyre ceased her dance and her eyes became intensely focused. She dug her weapon into the ground, material be damned, and listened intently to his speech. As it concluded and students started getting launched, Pyre starting shifting her feet awaiting for her turn. When their eyes met, she muttered "Showtime~" as the smirk reappeared on her face. She gave him a peppy salute before she found herself flying through the air. She closed her eyes, spread her arms, and let her senses overwhelm her consciousness for the time being.
Rounding of the apex of her flight, Pyre regained command. She quickly eyed the ruins placed her weapon beneath her feet. Her mouth briefly scrunched off to the side of her face and her eyes focused themselves onto the forest below. Pyre activated the flame thrust on her weapon and pointed almost straight down as if planning to play chicken with the ground. She found the clearest spot she could and altered her flight angle slightly before flipping her weapon to slow her descent for a landing. Pyre painted a circle of char as she spiraled above the ground to stabilize herself horizontally before disengaging the thrust and landing smack dab in the middle of her masterpiece.
Pyre looked around, a hand on her hip, and made sure there was no threat of a forest fire. Satisfied, she looked back toward the cliff to adjust her sense of direction before heading off in the opposite direction.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on August 13, 2022, 04:27:34 PM
Nathan scratched at his beard - he'd once again been too lazy to shave that morning and the hairs weren't annoying enough yet, anyway. Glancing around, he took in the initiation venue's sights: Fellow students milling about noisily (one was playing... guitar?), professors eyeing them up, the Sun well above the horizon and occasionally obscured by clouds, the air fresh with the forest's night. A decent morning, all in all.
Crossing his arms when he arrived at his designated spot, he simply stared out at the forest sprawling beyond the cliff face, attempting to spot anything that could possibly be of significance. He only turned away when the headmaster began his speech. Which was mercifully brief and packed with all the necessary info; partner, ruin, relic, survive. The speech finished, he turned back towards the forest and concluded that there was nothing to glance from the vista. Nice tree cover though, he sure liked the colour.
Uncrossing his arms and bending his knees slightly in preparation for the incoming launch, he mentally reviewed his supply prep from earlier and concluded everything was in order. The students had quieted down now, save for the guitarist whose mellow melody turned to metal as it departed the ground, following him. The pads were activating closer and closer, until his turn came, at which time he was unceremoniously catapulted towards the Emerald Forest.
Barely managing to keep the position he wanted in mid-air, as he neared the inflexion point of his course, he fired Ergia for a few seconds to gain some ground. He had no idea where the ruins were, but they likely weren't that close to the cliff. After the aforementioned few seconds were up, he let his body spin forward until he was once again in a 'standing' position, then spun his arms to keep the rotation from continuing. As the canopy rushed towards him, he once again fired Ergia, slowing his descent to a speed he could easily absorb by rolling once he got to the ground, which he did.
Taking his weapon off its harness and into his hands, the staff's poles extended as he broke into a light jog heading forward, senses keen to any unusual noises. Yeah, starting the day by running in the golden-green shade of a cool forest was definitely nice.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on August 14, 2022, 02:04:30 AM
The headmaster's speech - at least she guessed it was the headmaster, given his authoritative attire and manner of speech - almost went completely unheard in Tina's ears, along with most of the background noise that the people around her were making. Only a dull, humming buzz in her ears remained as she stared at the wide, expansive Emerald Forest that seemed to go on forever and ever. The beauty of the lush, green forest canopy would surely have been appreciated by anyone... if only she wasn't on the verge of a panic attack.
Of course she knew what was coming. Find a partner, get the relic of the day, go home. It seemed simple enough in her imagination - until she saw the sheer number of potential candidates for Hunters in training, all with their unique quirky clothing and array of diverse, strange armaments - and her brain went Sorry, I'm not dealing with all this. Only the thought of being viewed as inadequately prepared stopped her from huddling up into a ball on the spot where she stood, on the edge of a towering cliff. If anyone gave her so much as a nudge, she would probably just topple over.
She got far more than a nudge as the launch pad under her feet triggered and she was rocketed into the air, limbs flailing and screaming in fear. Onlookers or even the closest student would probably be left wondering "What a strange bird" as Tina reached the apex of her flight and started plummeting.
At this point, the usual Hunter would pull some suitably epic piece of equipment out of their belt to break their fall or alter their velocity to a safe level, or just straight-up start flying with their flashy semblances to control the wind, etc etc. Her plan was far simpler, one borne out of necessity and lack of options: pray. Fortunately, the canopy was thick enough from years of unimpeded growth that Tina was basically guaranteed to not hit the ground instantly and turn into a meat puddle, but branches, leaves and vines didn't make a nice comfy mattress either, especially if you were travelling at high speeds like she was.
Without her Aura, she'd definitely have taken on some lasting damage - broken arm, twisted ankle, something along those lines. Instead, she fell out of a tree and landed on her butt, her clothing and hair adorned with a crown of disheveled leaves. Wincing and rubbing her rear, Tina shakily got to her feet and half-stumbled, half limped over to the nearest tree, using it as support before pulsing her Semblance to find the nearest moving human. Once she was sure it was actually a living, moving person and not some Grimm, she started heading in that direction, away from the cliff.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on August 17, 2022, 02:34:00 AM
Pyre hustled her way through the forest, twisting and turning effortlessly as she navigated through the brush. Eventually entering a small clearing, she paused and shifted her focus to her ears in an effort to hear if anyone else was nearby: she caught a hint of something straight ahead of her. Could it be another student? No, it didn't make sense. Pyre opened her eyes and readied her weapon.
Pyre waited with bated breath as whatever it was seemed to be approaching faster and faster. She tightened her grip on her weapon, preparing to swing at a moment notice. Suddenly, the bush in front of her burst sending a flurry of leaves and twigs. Pyre's eyes slammed shut to protect her eyes and she blindly swung for the fences only to catch a whole lotta air. Before her whiff could carry her around in a full circle, whatever it was trucked into Pyre and sent straight into a tree. She fell to the ground, and when her eyes finally regained their focus, she saw an Ursa standing where she once was.
A grin spread across her face as Pyre got back to her feet, weapon readied and ready to face the beast head-on.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on August 20, 2022, 08:26:22 AM
Cyrus casually made his way through the forest only occasionally peaking above the canopy to make sure he was on the right path towards the ruins. After one of the ascents Cyrus was met with a fierce growl as he landed. The giant turned to face the new threat and found a Boarbatusk who was digging out the ground in front of it in preparation for a charge. Cyrus roared with equal ferocity and met the charge with wings out stretched and thunderous speed.
The giant opened with a overhead strike but it bounced off the rapidly rotating bone plates. Luckily the force of the impact still pushed both Cyrus and the Grimm to the side changing what would have been a direct hit into a grazing one. The Boarbatusk continued on it's charge only managing to slow itself down by tangling up in a patch of dense undergrowth. Here Cyrus saw an opportunity to humiliate something that had so easily deflected on of his attacks, by activating his semblance and setting the undergrowth alight.
Confident Cyrus turned away thinking the fight already won but the growling of the Boarbatusk only got louder and more fierce and Grimm once again readied itself for a charge, only now covered in burning branches. The smell of smoke filled the air as well as the sound of battle near and far. Cyrus realized other students had encountered Grimm.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on August 21, 2022, 07:44:30 AM
She didn't need her Semblance to realize that the Emerald Forest's more lethal inhabitants weren't very welcoming to the Hunters who had been launched headlong into its depths. All around Tina were the sounds of fighting, distant yet noticeable. Defiant shouting, steel clashing against claws and bone, unidentifiable Grimm growling. Despite the sun overhead, Tina shivered, her hands drifting towards and stroking the handles of her twin revolvers nestled snugly in their holsters. The familiar texture of the intricate engravings was reassuring, reminding her that she wasn't helpless in the face of danger and was more than capable of defending herself - by blowing their heads clean off, if need be.
Internally, she knew she wasn't actually in much danger. Unless she actively went in search of Grimm to fight, they were highly unlikely to get the jump on her thanks to her Semblance giving her tabs on everything that touched the ground. The only Grimm that would catch her off guard would be the flying types, and only Nevermore of a sufficiently grown size would pose any trouble for her solo - and those would be too large to approach without rustling the treetops. By that logic, she'd also be able to sense any Hunter that was headed in her direction too, which led to her next train of thought.
Eventually, she'd have to pair up as per the academy's rules. That gave her more anxiety than coming face to face with any Grimm in the forest, and it necessitated finding a partner before being able to claim a relic. The person she was originally headed towards had either moved out of range of her Semblance, or she'd lost his prints among the trees, Grimm or other Hunters. Without much other alternative, Tina sighed and kept moving at a steady pace. If she kept moving in the general direction of the ruins, she was bound to either find the relics or someone else eventually...
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on August 22, 2022, 01:58:09 AM
Pyre and the Ursa charged one another, their first blows colliding with one another with such force that the recoil froze their bodies with each hit. As much as she wouldn't have minded a head-on duel with the beast, this was only the beginning of the mission and she couldn't waste too much time and energy here.
Pyre let off a soft hum as her feet lightened, and she continued to parry the Ursa's attacks until finally an opportunity opened up. Instead of taking the beast's blow head on, she danced under the attack and, using the momentum of its miss, she dug her feet into the ground and crashed her weapon into its side to send it flying into a nearby tree. The Ursa groaned and tried to shake off the hit, but before it could recover, something shot through its torso and impaled it to the tree. It let out a ghastly howl and frantically swiped at the object protruding from its body but to no avail, partly because the object was already deeply entrenched into the tree and party because the flames spewing out of the object was keeping it that way.
Off to the side of the flames, Pyre walked up to the Ursa and stopped just out of reach. It switched from swiping at her weapon to swiping at her, but it was hopeless. Pyre gave it a curious look before raising her right hand. After it moment, it was engulfed in a bright, purple flame. She put on a warm smile, and with her left hand, waved the beast goodbye. As her right hand met with one end of her weapon, the purple flame shot up the shaft and engulfed the entire weapon. The Ursa let out another cry, much more sickening than the first, as the flames scorched its innards. Soon enough, it fell silent and its body began to dissolve away.
Pyre retracted her semblance and disengaged the flames of her weapon which had left a gnarly trail of charred forest in its wake but not much more; at the very least, she was 2 of 2 for not burning down the forest. Her weapon popped out of the tree with ease, thankfully, as her semblance has turned the lining of the hole into char and ash.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on August 25, 2022, 11:08:31 AM
Smoke filled the air as the Boaratusk and Cyrus continued to clash. Luckily for the forest the Grimm didn't stay in one place long enough for it's flaming wreath to catch anywhere else. Unfortunately for Cyrus this was because the Grimm continued to charge and charge at Cyrus. Every time the pair met the same thing would happen, the bone plates and the speed the Boaratusk was rotating would protect the Grimm from the giant's downward strike.
Breathing hard Cyrus knew in his mind that a change of strategy would be best, divert his strike a quarter of a rotation or even an eighth and it would be behind the Boaratusk's armoured plating. Without such defense there was nothing such a Grimm could do to resist one of Cyrus' strikes. But the Peacock Faunus would not relent, seeing his overly boneheaded way of doing things as self styled challenge he has set himself. And Cyrus never backs down from a challenge.
Once again Cyrus and and Boaratusk clashed but this time Cyrus's rage had grown to the point he channeled some of his aura into the strike unintentionally. The giant's blades burned bright as it was enveloped in a red aura and with a final downward cross slash Cyrus broke through the Grimm's armour. It's only defense gone nothing prevented Cyrus from continuing to plunge his sword deeper and deeper into the grimm until finally cutting the beast in half.
Letting out a loud roar of victory Cyrus stretched out his wings and tossed the quickly dissolving body deeper into the forest only for it to smash through a tree revealing one of his fellow classmates behind.
'Oh' The giant began before slightly composing himself. 'How is it going? Guess we are partners.'
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on August 26, 2022, 07:20:55 AM
Her radar kept filling up with blips, of Hunters and different species of Grimm both. The further Tina delved into the depths of the forest, the harder she found it to slip past the dots that danced in circles around each other, until their partner in combat disappeared off her radar. But since everyone seemed to be roughly heading in the same direction as her, it should be alright to -
"Eep!" she squeaked as the tree to the left of her exploded into splinters, jolting her out of her radar sense and back into reality. The rapidly dissolving body of the Boarbatusk was the answer to her first immediate question, but who could hurl an already sizable Grimm with enough force to completely smash through a tree?
Oh.
The giant's muscled body alone would have been enough to blot out the sun from where she stood, but if that weren't enough, from his back extended a pair of glittering wings that she thought she could just barely recognize as peacock plumage. Eyes in the center of each feather seemed to stare down at her imposingly, and coupled with the skull rings on his ears and hands, it was a miracle she didn't just run away as fast as she could. Tina couldn't even look up high enough to meet her to-be partner's eyes, such was the disparity between their height. She didn't even come up to his shoulders, for crying out loud! How was she expected to even talk to this person, let alone work with him for the entirety of her school years?
"H-hi..." Tina stammered, her voice barely louder than a murmur. She hoped her legs weren't trembling as she nervously glanced upwards, completely covered by the man's shadow. "Partners, huh? I, uh...p-pleased to meet you..." Her hands clasped together, but she was squeezing so hard her knuckles were white, completely unbeknownst to the girl.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on August 31, 2022, 09:23:30 AM
Cyrus chuckled softly to himself as he watched Tina trip over her words. He knew he cut an intimidating figure, he did it intentionally and that was even considering the now fully dissolved grimm which revealed the pair. For a moment Cyrus wore a cruel smile and cocked his head to the side thinking if he should play up the act more. It would be fun but he had a mission to complete and failure wasn't an option, there was always time for that kind of stuff later.
Cyrus sheathed both his weapons, drew his wings in close and started to slowly approach attempting to look slightly less intimidating without much success.
'Pleased to meet you to. My name is Cyrus. Cyrus Blaze.' Cyrus introduced himself as he kneeled in front of Tina hoping that the drop in his height would put the huntress in training at ease.
'And who is going to have to put up with me for the next couple of years?' Cyrus asked, smiling a little too hard and too wide.
'We should probably get moving, the Grimm are probably thicker deeper into the forest. Should be a good opportunity to test out our new partnership.' Cyrus finished by offering his hand to Tina to shake, still trying to keep his movements slow and steady to not startle Tina.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on September 01, 2022, 04:26:58 AM
Tina gingerly accepted Cyrus's outstretched hand, painfully aware how small her dainty arm was compared to Cyrus's thick, bulky one. Now that she didn't have to stare upwards to make eye contact, her partner's unique features became more readily apparent. His choice of clothing did little to cover the mass of scars dotting his chest and arms, and his fire-red mohawk paired with the electric guitar - Wasn't he holding a pair of swords just now? - simply screamed rock star guitarist. Compared to such a noticeable, imposing presence, it only made her nondescript clothing, body and small handguns look even smaller.
"I-I'm Tîna Allan...um..." Now that she could meet Cyrus's eyes on a level gaze, she couldn't bring herself to. What should she talk about? What she could do? Maybe ask Cyrus about himself? "I, uh..." As per usual, faced with what was essentially a complete stranger, she was left grasping for anything to say. What she wouldn't give to be staring at a Scroll in ignorance instead...
Thankfully, Cyrus solved her dilemma by speaking up again. "O-oh, uh...sure, let's." While Cyrus was still kneeling, Tina closed her eyes and concentrated on her Semblance, her mind working to understand the blips on her underground radar. After a while, she turned and pointed to the right. "If you, um... wanna avoid fighting, there's enough space between anything that moves in that direction. It should allow us to go past without drawing attention." Swiveling left with her arm still extended, she continued, "But if you do want a tussle, there's a pretty sizable pack of Grimm over that way. About...two Ursa, and a group of Beowolves not far off - I think there's five? Six? They won't stop moving for me to count..." Tina's brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the blur of dots blinking in and out of existence. Cyrus was right, the number of Grimm would only get larger further in, but that unfortunately meant her Semblance would start getting harder to understand. Cram enough entities in range and all she'd be good for would be acting as a proximity detector.
Eventually, she sighed and gave up, blinking the dots out of her eyes. "One more thing...there's a few people around as well. Maybe they're already paired up? We do still need another two..." Just the thought of having to interact with another two people made her wanna lie down and curl up. A giant and a waif...what a strange duo they made. "So...uh...u-up to you, Cyrus..."
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on September 04, 2022, 02:37:57 AM
Occasional gunshots and the clanging of weapons faintly broke the otherwise calm air surrounding Pyre as she continued to progress towards the ruins--it was a shame that none seemed to be coming from straight ahead. She shrugged off the idea of an easy meet-up with other students and instead turned her thoughts back to the forest. Besides her encounter with the Ursa, Pyre has been in the clear for a good while now, but she wasn't sure if this was to be expected, especially with all the other commotion, or if she has just been lucky since then. And so, unsure of her exact circumstances, Pyre made sure to keep her weapon at the ready.
As she ventured further into the forest, the brush became more dense, the trees more plentiful, and Pyre more uneasy--she was slowly losing both her visibility and her mobility. The rhythm of her breathing was slightly off from before, and while she remained confident in herself, she knew that confidence could only do so much for her.
Pyre froze, a sudden rustling stopping her in her tracks. She turned towards the disturbance and readied herself to swing, but as soon as she did so, her ears started darting every which way around her. 2, 3, 4, 5, a few more than even that but too many to count now. Certainly too many to fight alone. Surrounded. Before Pyre could even mouth off a swear, a Beowolf lunged at her from behind. She quickly shifted her stance for a swing on the lunging Beowolf, but with her eyes and ears trying to keep track of the others, she couldn't put all her power into it as it would leave her too vulnerable.
Pyre hit the Beowolf with enough force to let out a nice thud and knock it to the side, but with the lack of oomph, it was only enough to briefly deter the beast, not kill it. One by one, the others charged at her through the brush, but with her managing the flow of her stances, she was able to respond to each one, albeit barely. With the initial wave done, Pyre quickly decided that's all they were getting. She brought her weapon down horizontally and pointed the tip ahead of her. Activating the trigger, a bellowing flame shot out, licking at the trees and foliage around Pyre as she did a nice little 360 sweep. The pack of Beowolves recoiled from the flames, and with that, Pyre switched off her weapon and booked it towards the nearest opening of the encirclement.
With the receding of the flames, the Beowolves quickly regrouped and began pursuing Pyre who was now, thanks to the chaotic fight, without a sense of direction. She fought for every inch of separation she could, even riding her weapon in short bursts whenever the forest cleared up just enough to do so. Unfortunately, those opportunities were few and far between. All Pyre needed was a good break in the canopy so she could make an escape. Or perhaps she'd run into other students so she could stand her ground. Flight or fight, it really didn't matter at this point. But with Pyre's luck so far, she was hoping for the latter as she was itching to return the favor.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on September 04, 2022, 11:15:55 AM
Nathan had been jogging back towards where he came from for a couple minutes now, Ergia still in staff mode in his left hand. He thought he'd managed to get that massive Grimm off his tracks, but you never know. Besides, it was between him and his destination and unless he was planning on making a significant detour around it, which would increase the risk of encountering Grimm anyway, he might as well go back to the main pack for some backup.
Because he didn't run away due to being unable to deal with it; he just ran away because trying to risk and take down a large Grimm without backup was, primarily, really fucking dumb. There was nothing at risk here. He had no reason to endanger his life beyond what was the bare necessity.
Thankfully for him, this part of the forest seemed to mostly be old forest - dead leaves, earth, roots, the rare patch of ferns and a seemingly all-consuming mossy carpet was all that was along the ground, between large tree trunks that blocked the view a few dozen meters away. He would've probably laid down here if it wasn't for the probably omnipresent danger. Moss is comfy.
His musings of nature's beauty were interrupted by a series of barks approaching from his front, interspersed with the occasional gunshot. He slowed down from his jog but barely had time to come to a full stop before a black figure came out from behind a tree and slammed right into him, sending him - and possibly itself - careening backwards, into what was possibly the only depression in the landscape within several kilometres, a small stream running at its bottom.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on September 08, 2022, 11:21:38 PM
Pyre pinballed off the surprise body and into a tree, tumbling the rest of the way down the gentle slope into the calm stream below. Face-down, the cool water swept briefly over her face briefly before she jolted up to her hands and knees, the front of her clothes now soaked and dripping. and wet strands of hair dangling down in front of her face. Her breaths were quick and sharp as Pyre took a moment to regain her composure.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on September 09, 2022, 07:30:07 AM
Nathan came to a stop splayed and facing upwards, water cooling his head and back. He briefly thanked the very concept of Aura for preventing having the wind knocked out of him and clambered to his feet ASAP, looking to where he'd just rolled down from and holding Ergia in a defensive posture. He quickly scanned the area to locate the black figure and managed to do so as it jumped to standing position off to his left. He couldn't even tell anything about it with how quick he'd taken a look, but that was far from being something that mattered at the moment - it was person-shaped and that was enough.
"You okay?", he asked in an unnervingly neutral tone as he slowly stepped closer to what was ostensibly his newly-assigned partner, eyes still trained on the slope above.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on September 09, 2022, 09:07:44 AM
Cyrus was a little taken back as Tina so clearly stating where Grimm might be and not be. The giant frowned as possibilities crossed his mind, Tina lying or just trying to show off seemed most likely but Cyrus knew some people had weird abilities.
'Let's see if we can chase down some more Grimm, they are probably hunting other students so maybe we will find what we are both looking for.' Cyrus responded drawing his weapons as he headed leftwards, the second direction Tina pointed out.
'Just give me a yell if I get too far ahead, I might have a little habit of rushing off and I'm not that used to working in a team.' Cyrus remarked apologetically as the pair set off. The Peacock Faunus thought about trying to maintain a conversation with Tina as the pair moved but decided against it, she seemed timid enough already and there would be time for that sort of stuff later.
Normally Cyrus would take to the skies but he wanted to stay closer to Tina with Grimm around, the giant looked obviously tense at being half trapped on the ground as he set about his task of cutting through the undergrowth. The monotonous but still physical work kept Cyrus's mind focused and it wasn't long until growling could be heard coming from all around the pair. It sounded like a large pack but they weren't engaging right away, seemingly happy to keep at a distance. Almost herding the students.
Not long after the growling first was heard the pair cut their way through into a small riverside clearing and came across another pair of students kneeling in the river.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on September 10, 2022, 03:17:39 AM
Give you a yell? Sure, easy for you to say when you're this large and confident... Tina internally sulked, but nodded to show that she heard and agreed. Thankfully, the giant seemed to get the hint and didn't try to start any conversations with her for now. Part of her wanted to make the excuse that speaking less would draw less attention to them by virtue of making less noise, but the more rational half just scolded her for being antisocial. Besides, Cyrus was making a hell of a lot of noise just pushing his way through smaller bushes and brushing past low-hanging branches that the smaller girl would have just slipped past silently, so even that was out of the question.
While Cyrus busied himself with bushwhacking a path, Tina stayed on alert and pulsed her radar every so often now that she wasn't alone. Despite the noise, it somehow seemed that the Grimm weren't attracted by the noise, or they didn't hear it? Instead, the dots encircled the pair at a reasonably safe distance...not attacking, but not content to let them roam in whichever direction they pleased either. Since the growling from the pack was fairly obvious at that point, she didn't feel the need to alert Cyrus or draw her weapons - yet. But with their numbers, it was imperative that they find other Hunters, whether Tina liked it or not.
It didn't come as a surprise to Tina to see two students half lying, half standing in the river - she'd observed the irregular movement long before she actually laid eyes on them, one girl - Praise be, I won't be surrounded by only males for the next few years! - and one boy, black pole raised defensively and staring in their opposite direction. In a flash her own revolvers were out and trained at the same slope. The other male's senses must have been sharp, for a pair of beady red eyes poked over the edge. Then two more, and two more, two more - with a razor-sharp, amber yellow stinger dangling overhead. Without a word, Tina opened fire on the Deathstalker, aiming to blind at least an eye or two and possibly deter it from attacking the closer duo on the streambed. Obviously this would draw the attention of the pack behind them, but better Beowolves than a Deathstalker.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on September 10, 2022, 08:48:54 PM
Regaining her composure, Pyre made her way back onto her two feet. Taking advantage of this brief reprieve, she took a gander at her fellow student, now made partner. Pyre gave him an energetic thumps-up, but before she could introduce herself, a Deathstalker reared its ugly face over the ever-so-slight ridge overlooking the stream. Pyre prepared her weapon but was caught off-guard as the beast reared back, pelted by sudden volley of gunfire. Pyre turned her head just enough to catch a glimpse of a giant, eye-catching man and a short woman, two guns in hand. A smirk flashed across her face.
Pyre turned back to the Deathstalker and watched as it started making its way down the slope. Her eyes darted side to side scanning the ridge-line, but her brows scrunched as she wondered where the pack of Beowolves had gone. Were they scared off by the Deathstalker? They seemed intent in catching her so surely not, but it was impossible to tell. Pyre let off a soft hum before she made up her mind. She turned to her partner and pointed toward the sky.
"Hey, I'm going up."
Pyre gave herself a running start along the shore of the stream before activating her weapon and shooting up through the break in the canopy directly above the water, a bellowing flame trailing behind her.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on September 11, 2022, 09:29:31 PM
Nathan had barely registered the movement off to his left - a... thumbs up? Possibly? - when his concentration aimed towards the front intensified, several close-set red eyes appearing above the slope's edge. Of course he hadn't gotten away from the deathstalker. And if it was there, where the hell did the beowolves who'd been chasing his brand-new partner go?
He was ready to roll right out of the way of its likely charge when gunfire erupted behind him, making a sound not too dissimilar from hail smashing up on a rock. He guessed the likely target was the thing's eyes, but with their pinpoint size that was easier said than done. Didn't feter it much from its target either, judging by how it made its way down the slope. Nathan backed up towards his partner, keeping Ergia solidly held between himself - the likely target of the deathstalker - and the aforementioned arthropoid abomination.
As he was about to ask his partner for a plan, any plan, to tackle this, he heard the decidedly feminine voice announce it was 'going up', followed by the roar of flames and their heat. Splitting his brain between the scorpion as wide as the shallow river in front of him and his partner's possible intentions, he determined she was likely going to attempt and dive-bomb the deathstalker into oblivion. That was his best guess, anyway.
Since there'd been gunfire coming from behind him moments before, he assumed someone else had joined the party and shouted to their intention. "Take care of the beowolves! This guy's after me, I'm gonna keep 'im busy 'til she comes back down!"
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on September 12, 2022, 01:25:28 AM
Grimly observing the Deathstalker back off slightly before continuing its slow advance down the slope, which could only mean her bullets didn't hit their mark, Tina would have continued raining lead on the oversized scorpion had the girl on the streambed not rocketed off like...well, like a rocket. She stared in wonder as the girl swiftly soared out of line of sight from her position, and could only assume that it wasn't her beating a hasty retreat. Given that her bullets would do little against the Deathstalker's thick carapace, she would be more than happy if Rocket Girl was gonna sort out the big critter for them.
"Take care of the beowolves! This guy's after me, I'm gonna keep 'im busy 'til she comes back down!"
Oh right, the Beowolves. Tina scarcely had time to turn around fully before one lunged from the thick bushes, pitch-black throat growling gutturally and razor-sharp fangs dripping with drool. She threw herself backwards, still getting clawed across the right shoulder for her troubles but double-tapping the Beowolf in the head in retaliation. Now with two large holes through its brain, the Grimm's corpse tottered and slumped across Tina's prone body and legs, making her kick and flail her way out from under the slowly dissipating darkness.
"Cyrus, they're coming!" She shouted, somewhat pointlessly. "Two on your left first, then two on your right, and one straggler that's lagging behind!" Scrambling to her feet, she took up a position behind the guitar-wielding giant with guns trained on the treeline, sparing nary a glance at the man brandishing his pole in front of him.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on September 13, 2022, 07:18:50 AM
'Huh, another fire bird. What are the chances?' Cyrus muttered to himself as Pyre launched herself into the air.
Cyrus gave Nathan a nod as he volunteered himself as the distraction for the Deathstalker then turned to face the on coming pack. Leaving such a powerful foe behind him was difficult for the giant but if these people where going to be his team he would have to trust them. Reacting quickly to Tina's call outs Cyrus swung around his guitar and let loose a quick riff which activated the guitar's dust emitters. Gravity dust blasted out at the two Beowolves slowing them down, causing them to miss their charge and end up floating harmlessly at least for a time.
'I'll set them up...' Cyrus began as he left Tina to finish off the partially disabled Beowolves left in his wake.
With one flank secure for now Cyrus turned his attention to his right, swapping his weapons into their sword form the Peacock Faunus met the Grimm's snarls with a roar of his own. One of the Beowolves lunged high and Cyrus was able to catch the beast's underside in a clean upswing, severing the beast in two. The other went wider and it's jaw latched onto Cyrus's wing. The giant bit back a howl of pain and tried to bat the Grimm away, the Beowulf however kept it's footing and it's distance and bit down even harder.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on September 14, 2022, 07:44:19 PM
His feet solidly planted in the stream in evident defiance, Nathan's mind went into overdrive. He consciously made an effort to process information outside the centre of his field of view, in an attempt to register any kind of anticipation to the deathstalker's movements. At the same time, he examined his options. His partner was above the canopy. To his right, the rest of his fledgling team was dealing with one, or perhaps several, pack(s) of beowolves. He could not back down and survival was the top priority, while his actual goal was forcing the giant, fake arachnid of a Grimm in front of him to focus its entire attention, aggression and intellect onto himself.
Turns out he would be using that plan after all.
Patiently, he waited in the same defensive stance as before, not moving back or to the side from the predator. The latter very obviously found this insulting, as it hissed and snapped its immense claws in an attempt to intimidate him - with no result. He was too focused to even register threat displays as actual threats. The deathstalker, however, did not share his patience and soon lunged at him, claws open for a shredding.
The entirety of Nathan's plan unfolded within the next second. Retracting his legs towards his body as fast as he could while bending down and using Ergia as a pushrod, he dropped down and forwards, the scorpion's claws swiping at air as it barrelled right past him. As fast as he could, Nathan shoved his staff through a gap between two of the beast's right legs and, using one of his hands, hoisted himself on top of the bony plates. He immediately rammed one end of Ergia in the articulation between two large plates and laid flat, back towards the ground, while holding the staff with both hands.
The shrill was decidedly painful to Nathan as the deathstalker raged against both the pain of having plates forced apart and the humiliation of a human deciding to ride it. It frantically trashed around, slamming against the ground, spinning left and right, anything to attempt to dislodge the pest on its back, out of reach of its claws.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on September 16, 2022, 01:51:37 AM
Pyre circled above the trees, stalling for time as she watched the battlefield unfold beneath her. The other pair skirmished with the Beowolves that were once chasing her and her partner faced the Deathstalker alone--a clear signal that they were expected her to do something. Almost as soon as that thought entered her head, it was leaving again as a soft giggle. Pyre had taken to the air to survey the area and then strike where needed, and it looked like it was needed on the Deathstalker.
She continued to watch as her partner masterfully damaged the beast's playing. Unfortunately, it was at the cost of it being an easy target as it thrashed about as it attempted to unseat him. Finding the opening she was waiting for, Pyre activated her semblance, engulfing herself and her weapon, and rocketed toward the Deathstalker, approaching the weakened side at a 45 degree angle.
""Get ready!" Pyre shouted. A rare occurrence to be sure.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on September 16, 2022, 08:54:27 AM
The way the Beowolves floated by was almost comical, their arms flailing and swiping at thin air as they drifted harmlessly over Tina's head. A bullet to their very exposed noggin sorted both weightless Grimm out and Tina turned back to see Cyrus dealing with another that decided it wanted a course of chicken wings. She winced in sympathy, taking careful aim not to put two holes in Cyrus's already injured wing, before firing through the Grimm's neck with both revolvers. Hopefully, severing its spinal cord would instantly relieve some of the jaw's pressure before the head would fully disintegrate.
Still fully aware that there was one Grimm left on her radar, Tina beckoned with one revolver-grasping hand for Cyrus to come closer to her, away from the treeline so that she'd have more time to nail whatever decided to emerge instead of being jumped on like they previously had been. Behind her, the Deathstalker screeched in displeasure, prompting her to turn around and look. She wasn't expecting the other Hunter to be riding it like a rodeo bull at an arcade, but it seemed to be a pretty good distraction while Rocket Girl did her thing.
Speaking of, her new position afforded her a prime position of the other girl falling like a meteor, fully encased in flames and all. So, a giant with an equally large guitar, a Deathstaker-mounting hunter, and a burning girl with a rocket-propelled...broom? She couldn't tell from this angle, but it was a stick with a bulbous end - broom was the first thing that came to mind. In spite of everything happening around her, Tina sighed deeply. Why couldn't I have found people that aren't as loud and boisterous...
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on September 17, 2022, 08:24:36 PM
Cyrus gave a nod of thanks to Tina as she shot through the Beowulf attached to his wings, stabbed one of his swords into the earth and ripped the now loose Grimm head from his wing. Juggling the dissolving head a few times Cyrus turned to face the last Beowulf before throwing it at the charging beast and knocked it off balance. Picking back up his second sword Cyrus plunged both into sprawled out Grimm finishing off the last of that pack.
'Anymore? Other than... you know that one.' Cyrus asked Tina as he pointed and at the Deathstalker.
'So do you think you guys have that deathstalker under control or do you need help?' Cyrus yelled out, transforming his weapons back into their guitar form.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on September 20, 2022, 11:00:55 AM
Still laying flat on his back against the deathstalker's armour plates and relying almost solely on the staff firmly lodged into the articulation between two of the aforementioned plates, Nathan was spending most of his thinking power on not getting thrown off by the increasingly wild bucking combined with keeping an eye on the golden glow of the beast's stinger. He was entirely reliant on his partner coming down sooner or later for the moment - though if this kept up, he'd have to go with his original, solo plan sooner or later.
Through this and the scorpion's frantic, infuriated screeching, he barely even understood the last words someone shouted nearby - "need help?" A few seconds later, his brain had managed to process the information enough for him to generate a reply. Yelling a bit to try and be heard over the rampaging Grimm, he said "Nah, we're fine, just uh, give it a bit!"
No sooner had he finished his sentence that a far more pressing yell reached his ears from on high. Luckily, he was already looking up and therefore had absolutely no issue spotting the speeding fireball heading towards him. He only gave it a scant few seconds, to get better timing, then swung around Ergia, firmly planting his feet on the white, bonelike plates and pulling with all his might in an attempt to dislodge the black weapon from the equally black creature. A particularly violent attempt by the deathstalker to get him off of its back gave Nathan the help he needed, the black tube coming out of its lodging with a mix of suction and a loud crack. Half furious from the injury and half invigorated by having at last sent him flying off, the black monster turned its red eyes to face Nathan as he rapidly got up from the stream's bed and screeched with all its might.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on September 25, 2022, 03:39:32 PM
Pyre adjusted her flight path, constantly keeping an angle on the kink in the Deathstalker's armor. Although this made difficult by the Grimm's erratic behavior and the thicker tree lines alongside the stream, she managed to stay zoned in. As she closed in, Pyre seamlessly switched off the thrust of her weapon and kicked out her back-foot to flip the weapon handle up into her hands. She took in one last breath and held it in as she smashed her mace into the right side of the Deathstalker.
A sharp, sickly cracking sound reverberating through the forest and Pyre's flames flashed from purple to near white before immediately extinguishing. Her body was flung from the impact side, landing near the shore and loosely tumbling for a couple of seconds before coming to a rest. Working back, the Deathstalker lay with a large chunk missing from its body. Further beyond that, in the opposite direction of Pyre, was her mace sticking up from the ground, the head of each was deeply entrenched in the earth.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on September 27, 2022, 07:54:39 PM
Cyrus looked over at Tina waiting for a response to his question but when it became clear none was coming the giant simply sat down on the grassy floor and watched the fight against the Deathstalker continue. Even going so far to applaud when Nathan and Pyre's blows connected, particularly Pyre's whose aerial acrobatics combined style and brutality in a way the punk appreciated.
Thinking about aerial acrobatics brought Cyrus's attention back to his bitten wing, luckily he aura had held so no tissue damage had been done but it still thrummed painfully. Absentmindedly the Peacock Faunus groomed his wings while he waited for his new team mates to finish their kill on the Grimm.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on October 02, 2022, 06:30:53 PM
Despite his relative preparedness, the blast still caught Nathan off guard. He'd still been in the process of actually standing up, but the heat that flashed across his face from the flames made him decide otherwise - he reflexively moved to curl into a ball, protecting his face and head with his arms - staff still in hand.
Whether this was a justified move is still out for debate, but the result wouldn't have changed regardless; he was sent rolling backwards along the stream's path from the blast's force. The sphere of person came to a stop several metres away, back to the ground. He unceremoniously unfolded himself, limbs sprawled half in the very shallow water. After a moment to collect his senses, he got back up at a somewhat leisurely pace. Ergia had, by will or miracle, remained in his left hand throughout his tumbling journey.
He took a brief look at the rapidly evaporating deathstalker, looked to its left - a large hammer was firmly planted in the incline - then to its right - his teammate was seemingly passed out in a similar position, head included.
Remembering that he was in the middle of the Emerald Forest and that killing one Grimm, however large, didn't mean he was home safe, he ran at a jogging pace to his partner and, after planting Ergia in the ground, passed his arms around her midriff and pulled, attempting to dislodge her from the earth's grasp.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on October 03, 2022, 03:17:24 PM
Tina mumbled something under her breath about there being no more immediate threats, but when Cyrus kept looking her way expectantly she just shrugged and refused to make eye contact. He probably got the message, since he turned to watch the remaining two students duke it out with the insectoid monster. Without anything else to do, since she wasn't adequately armed to actually do anything to the Deathstalker, she quietly reloaded both revolvers and joined Cyrus spectating the ongoing fight.
The human rocket had about the same effect as its namesake, obliterating a sizeable chunk of the Grimm's body and legs and leaving it for dead. The two students were sent flying and tumbling across the riverbank like some higher entity had picked them up and used them like skipping stones, but Tina knew there wasn't too much cause to worry. Like Cyrus's non-bleeding wing proved, their Aura would protect them so long as it held strong, so potentially their only concern would be broken bones from the impact.
As they watched in silence, the male peeled himself off the floor casually, so clearly he was fine. The same couldn't be said for Rocket Girl, who lay limply with her head stuck in the ground like an ostrich. While her mind conjured up a "revive" symbol floating over the girl's body, she didn't move to offer any assistance since she didn't know how to give any. It wasn't like a game where she could just press a button over a downed ally and bring them back to fighting shape, after all. Instead, she shyly glanced over at Cyrus to see if he could be more useful, then turned her head back, saw the position the male had assumed while trying to help, and felt her face going red. Cyrus probably wouldn't hear a peep out of her for the next while...
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on October 03, 2022, 08:24:28 PM
After a few tugs, Pyre's head eventually popped out of the ground; with a few added sound effects, it would've seemed almost straight out of a cartoon. She squinted and shielded her eyes. As soon as her eyes readjusted to the light, she pressed her hands against the ground that was currently 'above' her head and balanced herself onto a handstand. Pyre took a few steps away, each accompanied by a random noise, before performing a quick, acrobatic maneuver to get back onto her feet. She quickly brushed off any remaining dirt on her body before extending a hand out toward her freshly-minted partner.
With a bright smile she said, "Appreciate the help! I'm Pyre. You?" She looked at him expectantly.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on October 09, 2022, 01:12:31 AM
'Good show, good show. No kill like overkill, that's what I always say.' Cyrus remarked loudly as made his quickly over to Nathan and Pyre through a combination of wind dust and his own natural wings. When the Peacock Faunus got close he tried to put his barrel-sized arms around the pair of new partners and pull all three of them together.
'So you guys are partners and Tina and I are partners, that makes us a team.' Cyrus continued using his wings to point to Tina as she stood behind them. The giant patted Nathan and Pyre a few times on the back before releasing and taking a few steps back.
Anyway we still have got a test to do and these wont be the last Grimm we see. Wouldn't do to make a bad first impression after our first trial.' Cyrus finished as he beckoned the three to follow as they continued towards the temple.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: nathan67003 on October 10, 2022, 12:05:48 PM
Nathan let go of his partner as soon as the resistance gave way, her head now presumably free from the confines of the ground. To his mild surprise, however, she stayed upside-down in a handstand - something somewhat impressive considering the incline. She 'walked' around a bit, seemingly coming to grips with her current situation, before doing what Nathan could only describe as 'a flip' and landing on her feet, safe and sound.
He watched as she brushed off the loose dirt on herself - to decent effect, if it wasn't for the rest of the dirt, deeply rubbed into both her face and clothes - and extended out her hand in a decisively upbeat greeting. Nathan smiled back (not that most people would notice movement of his facial features) and took the invitation, responding with a barely lilting "Nathan." He briefly considered the fact that all his clothes were utterly drenched before the thought evaporated, the comparison with his dirt-covered interlocutor making the situation trivial.
He was about to let go of the hand after what would have likely been a mutually-decided upon length of time when a booming voice reached him from the other incline, making him jump a bit and garnering all of his attention. He didn't have much time to react, however, as the large mass of black and colour approached at great speed before squeezing both himself and Pyre against it. Great, a hug bear.
The mass' subsequent words provided some explanation, thankfully. Right, team member. That made sense. He thanked whatever there was to thank when the enormous man let go of him and, after listening to the brief sentences, climbed down the incline and back into the river where the giant had started walking. Ergia still in his left hand and making sure the red-mohawked man was intently looking away, he dusted himself off - this was purely psychological and he knew it, but he didn't like being hugged like that out of nowhere.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: MonsterManic on October 11, 2022, 12:27:07 PM
Watching from a distance as Cyrus jumpscared the other duo with a giant wing-hug (or as much as one can scare people with that overly loud voice), Tina raised one dainty hand to chest height and waved nervously when she heard her name being mentioned. Pyre's name she managed to catch from her cheerful introduction, but there was no way the other's sullen response could carry that far, given the boy's lack of emotional reaction from the handshake...or the involuntary hug, judging by the vigorous shaking-down when Cyrus was looking the other way towards her. Tina mentally filed that tidbit of information away, not that she would ever be approaching them for bodily contact in her lifetime.
With the feeling that Cyrus had nominated himself as the de facto leader from his confident approach, she meekly followed him into wherever he was going, passing by the duo with nary a word or even a sideways glance, her eyes instead staring down at the floor in front of her feet - like she was determined to avoid eye contact. Hopefully at some point they'd mention the other male's name in passing conversation, or she'd be going the entire initiation without knowing it. That would make for quite the embarrassing situation when she inevitably needed to get his attention...
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on October 13, 2022, 03:26:44 AM
Pyre welcomed the embrace from her fellow bird faunus, though she did feel a tinge of fear at the thought of potentially getting squeezed to death. Thankfully that feeling didn't last too long as she was soon released from Cryus' grasp. Pyre gave Cryus a hearty thumbs-up before turning towards Tina and returning her meek wave with one that was wide and energetic. As Cryus beckoned the team onward, a timid Tina passed by, her eyes glued to the ground. Pyre let off a soft "Hmm" as she watched Tina trail behind Cyrus.
Turning back to the issue at hand, Pyre looked around the immediate vicinity looking for her weapon only to find it several meters away thanks to the guidance of Nathan who gave her a quick point in the right direction. She wrapped her hands around the handle of her weapon, nudging it around to see how badly stuck it was, before suddenly jolting it back and forth like a dentist ripping out a tooth and popping it free from the earth at last. She smirked, satisfied, before following the others making their way toward the objective.
Pyre gave Nathan a couple pats on the back as a thanks for his assistance and realized he was still soaked from the battle. She inflamed her weapon and angled it slightly toward him, an offer to assist him with his situation.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Aethon Shaan on October 17, 2022, 08:13:19 AM
The new team of four made good time through the forest, there were at times small movements could be heard in the undergrowth or the canopy but when one of the hunters in training went to investigate they wouldn't find anything. The suspense and lack of action was obviously getting to Cyrus and the Peacock Faunus grew increasing agitated. Striking at the undergrowth with far more force than was needed even chopping down trees if they got within reach. The giant was clearly trying to draw the attention of other Grimm he was at least for now unsuccessful.
Sound of running water slowly came into earshot of the group as they continued to move towards the temple and after cutting through a particularly dense line of plants the hunters in training could finally see the river blocking their path. The high river backs signified it was a drier period for the river but the bottom couldn't seen and it was clearly fast moving. Cyrus cautiously made a few steps down the muddy banks, his heavy boots sinking deep with every step.
'Pyre and I can fly across but are you guys going to be OK? Shouldn't be too hard to carry someone a couple of meters. There is no reason than more than one of us has to be covered in mud.' Cyrus asked giving Pyre a little smirk before stretching out his wings in preparation to fly.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: nathan67003 on November 02, 2022, 07:33:43 PM
Nathan picked up the pace to match the rest of the team once Pyre had joined in the walk. The (probably) thankful slap to his upper back (not covered by Ergia's harness) sent out a thoroughly sodden smack. This seemed to give pause to his partner, as her weapon ignited with purple flames. Nathan angled himself to face the new heat source. "Oh sweet, thanks. Wait, uh, does that burn up Dust?" Upon Pyre's negation with her head, he added "Niice, mine needs Dust - or at least, power - to do it. Don't mind if I do." He then spent the next few minutes slowly turning which side of his body was facing the purple fire, all the while still walking at a constant pace.
After a good while walking in the stream's bed, they arrived at the river in which it ended up. Said river was large and deep, but only had water near its very bottom, some rapids gurgling along. The muddy banks didn't help feeling like one should not simply cross this at their leisure.
When Cyrus suggested carrying someone over, Nathan deactivated Ergia's staff mode, the weapon's stick parts (un)telescoping into the central cylinder. He was the last to give a reply, simply saying "Nah, I've got my ways." He put the now-collapsed Ergia on his back, against its harness. A barely-audible tshak sounded and he tested the links' solidity by pulling at the black object, before putting one knee and both hands to the ground, his back therefore slightly angled upwards. "You all go first, please. And, uh, clear the landing site once you're over. I wouldn't wanna slam into anyone."
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: MonsterManic on November 04, 2022, 04:53:52 PM
In lieu of having to force awkward conversation with her new teammates, Tina made efforts to stick closer to Cyrus than the other two, who had struck up a brief conversation over impromptu hairdryers. At least Cyrus had gotten the hint and made little effort to make small talk, instead focusing on bushwhacking a path for the four Hunters - a bit louder than necessary to her; there was always the possibility of attracting the attention of more Grimm. Despite her wincing each time Cyrus hacked down an entire tree, however, nothing turned up on her radar at all. Perhaps the noise was doing the opposite and actually driving away the small fry instead?
Eventually, the group stopped at a fast-flowing river. Tina looked around for viable crossings and pulsed her radar, but nothing satisfactory turned up either way. Ignoring the fact she wasn't a very good swimmer, her guns and Dust weren't waterproof either. As Cyrus showed off his impressive wingspan by stretching, the other boy started fiddling with his metal rod for reasons unknown to her. She could only assume he had some plan to get over. Pair that with Pyre already showcasing her capability of flight in the previous battle, and that left her - stuck on their side of the river with no personal way of fording. Trying her best to swallow her anxiety, she squeaked "Can someone give me a lift?"
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on November 11, 2022, 11:45:50 PM
With Cyrus angrily chopping his way through the forest, Pyre seemed to be getting a taste of his personality. With his boisterous personality, she understood his mood but she still hoped that it wouldn't cause them any more trouble. Thankfully, they seemed to be in the clear, at least for now.
Coming up to the river, Pyre gave a thumbs-up at the mention of being able to fly across before attaching her backpack to her weapon to refill its Dust capacity. As she did so, she watched as everyone else started to prepare themselves as well to cross the river. Everyone but Tina. Finishing up her refuel, she clapped her hands once and walked over to Tina with a smile. Pyre gave Tina two pats on the shoulder before answering her request, "I gotcha, get ready!"
Pyre broke into a sprint along the shore of the river, giving herself a running start before igniting her weapon and taking to the air. She flew straight and up for a few seconds as she calibrated herself to the terrain and then took a sharp turn back in the direction they had come from. Pyre scanned the canopy until she was able to find a good opening before taking a hard u-turn and shooting down into the trees, leveling out a couple of meters above the forest floor. As the river and her teammates raced back into view, Pyre beelined for Tina, holding out a hand so she could carry her across.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Aethon Shaan on November 16, 2022, 08:42:26 PM
The giant gave Nathan a nod as he explained his own way of getting over the river. Cyrus was curious at how the other boy planned to get across but it seemed he would have to wait to see how his weapon would be involved. That left Tina as the only one who didn't have an obvious way to get over the river and after she quietly requested help.
"Can someone give me a lift?"
Cyrus shrugged and checked his dust reserves doing some basic calculations in his head, Tina didn't look like she weighed much so it shouldn't be that much more. But as Cyrus was doing his preparations Pyre spoke up saying that she would take Tina across.
"I gotcha, get ready!"
The giant was initially annoyed at, in his mind, Pyre's interruption. Tina was his partner and therefore in his eyes his responsibility but so now the more reasonable side of his mind won out, they are all part of a team and they all have a responsibility for each other. Stepping away from Tina to allow Pyre space to approach from any direction Cyrus got ready for his own short flight.
"You're welcome to play Taxi Pyre, I'll go over first, easier for me to get back alone so I can check if its safe."
Cyrus remarked a little bitterness still colouring his voice. The Peacock Faunus quickly took to the air, utilising his personal mixture of wind, fire and gravity dust or 'fly dust' as he called it to accelerated quickly across the river with a few flaps of his enormous azure coloured wings. After landing Cyrus sank a little in the soft mud but quickly moved away from the bank both to give the other members of his team more space to land as well as getting away from the sounds of the roaring river. In the dense forest and Tina still back on the other side of the river sound was their best detection method for Grimm and the giant felt pretty vulnerable without it. After a moment or two Cyrus was satisfied that no one had leaped out and attacking his yet meant that it was probably safe.
"OK all clear, lets get a move on people."
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: MonsterManic on November 17, 2022, 12:30:33 PM
Despite expecting a response from her teammates, Tina still jumped slightly when Pyre patted her on the shoulder. Internally, though, she was grateful that Pyre volunteered instead of the two boys. She just...didn't think she was ready for that yet. Cyrus was the one to take off first, but she barely registered his flight as her wide eyes were fully focused on whatever Pyre's plan was. As she ran off and jumped on her rocket-powered broomstick, Tina mentally prepared herself for what was about to happen, slowly backing away in the opposite direction towards the river.
For a few seconds, Tina was worried Pyre would stall mid-ascent since she was doing nothing but go up at a scarily rapid pace, but clearly she underestimated the broom's horsepower as Pyre did an about-turn and zoomed back towards the ground with ease. As she came closer, Tina noticed she was holding a hand out and gulped, but raised her own as high as possible. The next moment, her arm felt like it was being yanked out of its socket as her feet left the ground. She couldn't help screaming a little as it seemed like they were going to crash into the trees on the opposite end, but the part of her brain that wasn't overwhelmed felt Pyre's grip loosen as they crossed over and did the same.
Unlike Cyrus, the smaller girl stumbled and landed on all fours as she wasn't prepared for the impact, while Pyre presumably landed a touch more gracefully nearby. Thankfully, the ground was mostly mud and it softened what would otherwise be a more jarring landing, though she had to wipe the mud off on some foliage nearby. "N-never again, please..." she managed to stammer, patting her waist to check if either of her revolvers had fallen out somehow.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team TBD
Post by: Kaliot on November 21, 2022, 02:22:28 AM
With the cutting of her thruster, Pyre waiting a moment after dropping off Tina before landing herself. In a semi-controlled manner, she tumbled along the ground giving herself a nice coating of dirt and loose foliage in the process. Eventually coming to a stop, Pyre popped onto her feet and let out an audible "Phew!" as she patted herself down as best as she could. Considering it was her first time even attempting a lift, Pyre was thankful that it was as successful as it was despite the rough landings for the both of them, although Tina clearly didn't feel the same way. Pyre jogged on over to her, helping to clear what she could of the remaining mud as well as verifying that all her equipment seemed there.
"Don't worry, I'll work on it." With Tina's belongings seemingly in place, Pyre smiled and gave a go-ahead thumbs-up to Nathan before turning to follow Cyrus.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: nathan67003 on November 22, 2022, 06:52:41 PM
Nathan patiently waited in position, hands on the ground, as his teammates carried themselves to the other side, with varying degrees of success. He occasionally glanced around and most specifically behind himself - the river's din could've easily washed out a Grimm's approach. Thankfully, no such thing occurred.
Before long, Pyre was giving him a big thumbs up and striding along, presumably to join up with the Faunus further in. This left him with plenty of space to work with on the other side of the river, most of which he'd probably need. Wordlessly, he shifted his back's position a bit as a last-second aim adjustment and took off.
And took off he did. Ergia's jetpack function flashed to life, a streak of light leaving the bottom of the cylinder - immediately sending Nathan airborne over the river. He was functioning more with planning than reaction, here; he'd guesstimated about a quarter of a second's worth of jetpacking would be enough to send him safely over and he was, thankfully, right. Ergia once again inert after turning off just around the peak of Nathan's trajectory, not even half a second after lift off, he received himself into roll after roll on the destination side, far beyond the muddy parts of the riverbank.
Once he'd lost enough momentum from rolling forwards over and over, he unfurled himself and stood up, dusting off his forearms, elbows and knees of some of the dirt that had smeared itself on during landing. He took Ergia out of its harness with his left hand and turned it back into staff mode, looking back to where he came from for his teammates as it extended. The large musical man was standing about a dozen or so metres behind him. Wordlessly, with no emotion visibly upon his face (nor any present upon his mind), he simply held up his right hand in salutation.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Aethon Shaan on November 25, 2022, 06:53:46 AM
Cyrus nodded with approval as he watched the members of his new team make their way across the river. Nathan and Pyre with more confidence and grace but even the more timid Tina seemed to recover quickly enough from her short flight.
'OK good job guys, shouldn't be much longer now.'
Cyrus called out and after waiting a short while for everyone to bunch up continued leading the way towards the forest. Their surroundings steadily got less dense as the forest seemed to grow younger in age. It may have been centuries ago but these woods had once been cleared and used for farming and roads. The ruins they where seeking had to be close.
As the team went deeper into this newer part of the woods small pieces of evidence of previous habitation appeared; cobblestone covered and revealed a dozen times by the elements and mounds of earth too uniform in appearance to be natural where scattered around the path PCNT took. This combined with the reduction in noise made the whole situation seem earie and every far off bird cry seem even more dangerous. Eventually the team finally came towards an opening behind some of the more well preserved masonry, this was the most likely place the relics lay that the party had seen so far. Eager to be finished with the mission and be back to civilisation Cyrus went to move through to the opening unless he would be stopped by his new team.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: MonsterManic on December 03, 2022, 04:30:29 AM
"So these are the ruins..." Tina whispered to herself as she gazed around the remains of the mossy yet structurally intact stone constructions, devoid of civilization and reclaimed by mother Nature. While the others surveyed their surroundings, she knelt and brushed aside some dirt and overgrown foliage to unveil something that caught the corner of her eye. A rusted circular locket, its chain lost to time. Fiddling with the eroded clasp that held the two sides in a vice grip, it eventually yielded to her efforts - revealing a well-preserved portrait of a middle-aged man smiling brightly. Wordlessly, she slipped the trinket into her pocket and stood.
As Cyrus made to step through the opening, she pulsed her Semblance quickly - the long-term use over time had started giving her a dull ache, so she was more sparing with it - but saw nothing out of the ordinary. That being said, the floor plan was like a maze, additionally hindered by fallen rubble and such, which meant a harder time trying to figure out what was a passageway and what was actually a dead end. Looking back at Pyre and that boy she still didn't know the name of, she made a show of drawing both revolvers as a sign of caution before stepping in behind Cyrus.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: nathan67003 on December 06, 2022, 04:00:34 PM
Nathan waited for everyone to pass in front of him and brought up the rear, wordlessly flicking his sight to and fro around him. There wasn't much around, though and as the team moved forward, there came to be even less around - the canopy broke apart and the trees broke away to reveal what could have very probably been a site of archeological significance if it hadn't been slated as a testing grounds for new Beacon students.
There wasn't much to look at here, either - various every day commodities were strewn about in equally varied states of distress, broken wood beams jutted out from collapsed piles of mortarless masonry... Dilapidated, that's the word. But maybe even more than that... disrepair? Yeah, sure, let's go with that. Fits better, anyway.
He took a gander at the occasional passing stone - very cleanly assembled bricks, much more tightly fitted than he would've expected from a random village. Nothing out of the ordinary otherwise, apart from one of his teammates taking what he assumed was a memento of the event. Small shiny thing with a chain was all he could tell. On his end, he found a thick, lush moss carpet draped over what was left of a wall and splayed his hand in it. Very soft. Worth it. He'd be back for that one, mentally taking a note of its location as he filed behind everyone again, the de facto leader striding off into an opening leading to what appeared to be a man-made, underground construct.
After taking a last good scan of the surroundings, he entered and removed his sunglasses, unceremoniously shoving them in his left jeans pocket. Even if he did consider that he had pretty damn good senses for a human, it was nothing compared to a Faunus and unlike them, he'd have difficulty seeing clearly enough to keep pace - or keep watch for that matter. He could light his vicinity himself - Ergia could be made to glow to an extent - but it'd cost him Dust, which was in limited supply. This is what prompted him to ask "Uuh, hey, Pyre, you mind sticking close and being my lantern? I'm not nearly as sharp-sighted as Faunus..."
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Kaliot on December 07, 2022, 07:54:15 PM
The ruins lit up Pyre's imagination as she thought about how wondrous it might've been in the past and why it was left in such a dire state despite its proximity to Beacon. She lit up her hand, aiding her faunus vision with the pockets of darkness scattered about, as she wandered about looking for the relics, whatever they may be. Pyre's ears perked up at the utterance of her name and she jogged over to Nathan who was standing at the entrance of a dark hallway and asking for her to light the way. Pyre obliged, lit up her other hand, and motioned for Nathan to follow as she led the way down the hall, the walls of which were now tinted a slight purple.
The integrity of the hallway was surprisingly intact, for now at least, and the reverberations of Nathan's steps grew evermore echoey as they went along. Turning a corner, she briefly squinted before waving her hands about and her pace slowed until finally coming to a stop. Pyre held out one palm facing Nathan, signaling "Stop", before taking a couple more steps, leaning over, and saying, "Echo! Echo-echo-echo-echo" She turned back to Nathan, "It's a pit." What was once a stairwell was now basically a couple-story drop, the stairs themselves damaged but still potentially descend-able for anyone wanting to tempt fate.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Aethon Shaan on December 16, 2022, 06:59:00 AM
'And I suppose we have no idea where the relics could be, they could be anywhere in this dump.'
Cyrus spoke loudly enough so everyone could hear. The ruins had been revealed to a lot more extensive than he initially realised, this would cause a smarter or at least a more reflective man to consider the various options but Cyrus was neither of those things so continued deeper into the ruins.
'Cozy, hard to imagine what it used to be. Pretty shit acoustics if I'm being honest.'
Cyrus remarked as he entered the underground strumming a few cords on his guitar. While pressing on Cyrus would make an attempt to keep all the members of his team in his eyeline, including looking back to ensure Tina was still following along. The giant tried to give his partner an encouraging smile but the poor lighting and Cyrus social issues made the expression a lot more menacing.
After dropping down the broken staircase Cyrus let out a gout of flame against one of the nearby walls, it splashed harmlessly against the hard rock.
'Err... sorry guys, thought I heard something.'
Cyrus explained as he remained still, listening as well as he could. Water slowly dripping from the earth above and running in small underground rivers where barely audible but every now an then there was something else. A scratching like claw on hard stone or the disturbance of loose rocks but when light was shone on the cause of the disturbance there was nothing there but a cloud of dust.
Pushing on Cyrus strove deeper and deeper into the tunnel but found nothing except another level of annoyance until there was a loud rumble and suddenly all natural light into the cave was blocked. Finally in pure darkness the tell tale red eyes and bone mask of a Grimm could be seen some how encased in rock. Cyrus approached thinking it a decoration of some kind only for a boulder to fly out and smash Cyrus backwards.
The entire cave trembled as the Geist searched out for rocks to build into its body and it grew so large it couldn't stand up straight in the close confines of the cave. That didn't stop it from flinging more boulders at team PCNT. Cyrus recovered quickly and rolled behind cover before the second blow could land.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: MonsterManic on December 22, 2022, 05:48:52 PM
For the sake of not incapacitating herself with a migraine, Tine refrained from using her radar despite now being about the most important time to use it since she first crash-landed in the forest. The ruins seemed cramped enough that nothing too large could jump out at them without making noticeable noises, but she kept herself behind Cyrus just in case. If nothing else, the giant made a nice big meat shield.
Without her extra sense, she was forced to rely on Pyre's source of ethereal light as she lightly treaded the hallways, her soft footsteps eclipsed out by her teammates' louder clomping. Cyrus kept turning back to glance at the rest of the team - whether to keep count of them like a bear taking care of its cubs or just looking for reassurance - but the flickering purple flame combined with the giant's height often veiled his expression in shadow. Still, it was nice to know he cared instead of simply stomping ahead without a care in the world. Tina briefly considered just taking her scroll out and using it as another makeshift source of lighting, but nearly bumped into Pyre mid-thought.
They'd stopped before a drop into darkness, the purple glow barely illuminating the damaged remnants of the stairway. Wooden handrails along the walls looked mostly intact, but the same couldn't be said for the pillars that made up the structural supports. As the lightest of the group - and the only one without flight - Tina gingerly tested the first few planks with one outstretched leg while their leader dropped straight down. "You might need to give me another lift, Pyre -" She'd barely started whispering before the quaking of rocks drowned out her remaining words and all remaining light was snuffed out, save for Pyre's flaming hand.
From the top of the stairwell, Tina couldn't make out the large figure and wings of their leader. What she could discern made her whimper quietly - a pair of dim, blood-red eyes set in bleached bone amidst a curtain of darkness such that she had no idea what the Grimm they were facing was. The rumbling didn't help matters as to her slightly panicked senses, it felt like the whole structure might collapse on them. Tina pointed both revolvers down at the only visible target, but every working sense she had screamed DUCK! She threw herself backwards as a boulder crashed just below where the remaining members were standing. "So what's the plan, guys?" she shouted over the rumbling and tremors.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: nathan67003 on January 05, 2023, 05:06:45 PM
Nathan quietly followed behind Pyre as she lit the way, trying his hardest to keep an ear out for any out-of-place sounds. Not that it was much help considering all his teammates had better senses than he did by a good margin.
Upon arriving at the pit, he gingerly looked over Pyre's left shoulder as she lit up what she could of the room below. A wide, cylindrical room with a decrepit staircase going around the edge starting where they were standing. Several chunks of stairs were missing and he couldn't even see a quarter of the way down, it'd be hard to imagine that the stairs were even half intact, let alone usable. The leader's burst of flames confirmed his thoughts.
The, er, other girl on his team barely started mentioning that she'd need another lift down when a small red glow appeared in the shadows below and the sound of massive rocks breaking apart filled the cavern. A faint air current on the back of his neck was all he had the time to notice before an enormous boulder came into range of Pyre's light, crashing right below the ledge where three quarters of the team were standing. It thankfully missed but as a precautionary measure, he took a step back.
Putting himself to the left of Pyre in a defensive stance, he answered the feminine voice with no name's question in an equally loud, if lower-pitched, voice: "Depends on everyone's alpha strike capabilities! We either give it a single hit on the mask to take it out, slam its main host apart in a single hit then take it out immediately, or whittle it down by hitting the mask over and over! And whatever we end up choosing, I'm not gonna be a lot of help within that thing's range if I can't see it flailing around!"
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Kaliot on January 23, 2023, 04:37:14 PM
Considering how it went the first time, Pyre smiled brightly at Tina's request, but that feeling was short-lived as she dropped to the floor, barely dodging a large rock that was tossed their way. Getting back to her feet, Pyre quickly attached her backpack to her weapon while the others devised a plan of action. As soon as Nathan was finished, she leapt off the edge of the stairwell with one of the palms facing back toward Tina and Nathan gesturing "stay".
Pyre momentarily shot her weapon's thrust toward the ground just enough to avoid the shock of landing, switching it off to readjust the direction toward the Geist, and flipping it on again to engulf the monster in flame, blinding it from seeing the team and helping the team see it. Pyre, a bit worried that her stalling tactic might piss off the Geist, turned her head back and yelled out, "Plan!"
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Aethon Shaan on January 29, 2023, 08:08:10 AM
Pyre's fire was absorbed into the raging storm of debris the Gsist was summoning to itself to form its body. Four limbs; two arm-like and two leg-like pillars with the mask embedded in the top half of the body. Smaller fragments continued to spin around the Grimm's form providing both a protective shield and a method of disrupting attacks. Forced to bend at the waist by the close confines of the cave the Geist spun around with surprising speed and tried to slam it's arms into the Beacon students around it.
Cyrus met the downward slam with both of his blades, a loud thud rang out as aura protected steel clashed with Grimm powered rock. The giant was able to absorb the initial blow channeling his red aura into his limbs to keep them stable but the Grimm just continued to press down and eventually Cyrus had to disengage from the parry.
'The plan? The plan is we kill it before it kills us. Same as it always.
Cyrus responded frustrated and already out of breath. The Faunus had wasted a fair amount of energy in their initial clash and had nothing to show for it. Pulling his wings in tight Cyrus barreled through the Geist's protective screen and spun in a heavy upward swing at one of the Geist's legs triggering a spray of gravity dust to get the creature off balance. In this Cyrus was successful, the leg Cyrus stuck seemed to anchor itself to the roof of the cave but otherwise no damage was done to the Grimm infused rock.
In fact with it's new leverage the Geist was able to rain down a new volley of blows including a kick directed at Cyrus who again went for a parry. Another loud bang sounded through out the sealed cave as Cyrus channeled more of his aura and try to overpower the Geist.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: MonsterManic on February 14, 2023, 04:31:35 PM
Now that the stairwell was abruptly lit with Pyre's flames, Tina could finally see their adversary - not that it really helped, since in lieu of darkness, the Geist had summoned a storm of stone as cover for its weak point and her target: the bone mask protruding just barely out of the rock that formed the Grimm's body. Shatter that and the Grimm should fall, but how to do so when shielded by so much rubble, even flame wasn't getting through?
She snapped open one revolver cylinder and removed a single loaded bullet, before reaching into the small bag on her waist and gingerly retrieving an identical one save for the brightly colored "DANGER" sign printed in red on the side. Loading that back into the cylinder, Tina started firing with her other revolver down at the Geist, both to further split its attention from the two Hunters down below and also to chip away at the screen of rubble shielding it. Sure, she doubted her regular ammunition was going to get through the storm, but on that same train of thought it was still a bullet smacking a rock. The rock would crack and splinter and eventually, with enough bullets, she'd theoretically thin the storm enough for her other gun to get through.
Theoretically. Probably didn't have enough bullets, realistically. Good thing she wasn't alone. "So uh, you think you can help weaken that shield?" Tina asked Nathan. "If so, I think this might be able to do a good chunk of damage to it." She waved her other revolver in the air.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: nathan67003 on March 20, 2023, 08:26:24 PM
Nathan's vision raked at the walls and ceiling lit by the flickering lights of his teammates' flames. They were all made of what looked like enormous blocks of stone, the ceiling having alternating lines of blocks and beams going from one side of the room to the other. The fact that it apparently hadn't even budged despite the Geist's thrashing meant that it probably wouldn't budge no matter what he did.
Resigning himself, he sighed, let Ergia retract back into its storage form and put it in its harness on his back, all the while answering the girl still besides him. "I can do shit all to that thing at range, my bullets aren't Dust so it'd just fuel its debris shield. I'll throw myself at its face with my jetpack, the speed should get me through and my semblance should be enough to destroy the Geist's real body in one shot."
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Kaliot on April 05, 2023, 11:41:42 PM
Just kill it? Certainly straight to the point. Luckily Pyre was that kinda gal. A smirk flashed across her face, and it just as quickly faded as she dodged away from the Geist's attack. The party was engulfed in a brief darkness before Pyre continued her seemingly fruitless attack. Clearly not pleased with the outcome, the Geist sent another in her direction. And another, and another, and another, each seemingly more frantic than the last. Pyre did her best to continue lighting up the monster between her maneuvers, but its attacks chipped away at the margin of error of her dodges until finally she was forced to plant her feet and smash away its attack.
Pyre had a brief moment of respite, but that's what it wanted. Taking advantage of her mental lapse, a second attack quickly followed the first and sent Pyre crashing into the far wall of the stairwell. The area was illuminated no more.
Title: Re: [sSR] Initation: Team PCNT
Post by: Aethon Shaan on April 14, 2023, 10:37:03 AM
With a thundering crash the Grimm freed it's leg from the roof of the cave and smashed again into Cyrus. The Peacock Faunus' whole world shook as he only barely managed to get his swords up in time to meet the attack. Again Cyrus channelled his aura into the parry even managing to push the creature back a step before simply being overwhelmed by the Giest's raw strength. The monster was slowing and as Pyre kept raining down bolts of fire Team PCNT saw these attacks where in fact having an effect, the flames burned hot enough to scorch rock which chipped away as the Grimm struck out. The giest started to take from its swirling cloud of debris to keep itself together.
With Nathan and Tina backing off the Grimm focused it's attention of Cyrus and Pyre shooting what's left of it's debris field out towards them before striking out. Cyrus let out a burst of wind dust from his swords this protected him from the first attack but unfortunately blew even more debris towards Pyre. Taking a deep breath Cyrus braced his already flicking aura for another clash, his back against the wall literally there would be no escaping the parry this time.
Come on you bastard do your worst. Cyrus screamed in defiance as the Grimm's attack landed.