Finale

[lesmodsalouette]

Finale

Today, tonight? Has been a long, long day. At least you've been afforded some small window of rest after the carnival, for however relaxing it might not have been. Hopefully by now you've been able to process some of what's happened, or maybe you're just looking past it.

Either way, a little over an hour after the Goddess of Ish's dreams vanished, she reappears.

[OOC: Welcome to endgame! We'll have some IC discussion and then characters will split into two different teams. Here's to the end, wherever that leads! ]

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[the_obedient_servant]

[Despite their fumble and the blood dripping down their chest, they show no signs of stopping in their relentless attack.

Assuming a charging position, they take advantage of the stagger and its faltering balance to thrust their knife directly into the beast's throat (19+3=22)

They don't have any witty remarks, any sly jokes, any expressions of rage - only ice cold focus - even if they did briefly lose it.]

cw: minor gore

[lesmodsalouette]

[Lili's continued prowess with the crossbow knocks the ootachi down to one knee, so that any further attacks on its legs will go to its back and sides instead. Vanis and Blade go in at almost the same time, finding the weaknesses and chinks in its armor (8, 12) to give it some good solid stabbing. I think they've stabbed it in the ass at this point but I do not in fact have backshots of these creatures to check.

Richard comes rushing in after, though the neck of this creature is actually one of the most heavily armored parts of its body -- several pieces of spiked armor and the remains of its bone spike companion are not quite enough to fend off the attack (8). There's some give, a crunch, and a rattling hiss from the ootachi. Chara's blade takes advantage of the opening a moment later, turning the hiss into a gurgle. Still, the ootachi moves, a ponderous mountain.

Instead of raising its sword from a kneeling position, it frees one hand and raises a fist, fully prepared to go hand-to-hand despite the general asspain. Homura's shot knocks the fist aside, clipping off a heavy finger that goes spinning into the distance and interrupting the punch.

Back with Angelo and the itemaniacs, the yari is properly caught and stomped, breaking off more of its protective spines (11). The head of the shield creature attempts to bite, but gets kicked instead (3).]

[safetycheck]

[ Mister armor man is looking soooo much worse for wear. Her aiming on it gets a lot easier (12+3=15) and she shoots at it...

...as it's moving, that is. She was aiming for its side but then it swivels a little and the arrow is probably going to land on one of its asscheeks. ]

[objetdevanite]

[ Oh.

Huh. ]

Well, you did manage to land a wonderful hit.

[ Just. You know. On its ass? ]

[objetdevanite]

[ Stars, he's so supportive. Heart heart. ]

Yeah, a real butt's eye.

[ Bull's eye, butt's eye. Come on. That was good. ]

I don't think I could've done better with your voice in my ear, Raha.

[objetdevanite]

[ And now Lili has to deal with This. ]

Um.

[ Yeah, he's got nothing. ]

[cleansheets]

[ His kicks have been going a little too well here, but... after the first attempt at a bite is refuted by his boot, the second takes hold and the yari's teeth sink through the leather right into the flesh of Angelo's thigh. (1+3=4)

Angelo yelps out a curse that cannot be aired on daytime TV and attempts to finally reload his pistol to get this damn thing off him, but one of the remaining spines gets his arm and he drops the bullet he was holding (1+3=4)

... so here's an attempt to try and use one leg to kick off the jaw locked into his other leg??? He's... definitely bleeding a fair bit, oops. ]

[oncefallen]

Angelo!

[He'd been focusing his attention on the other creature, but now it's looking like a change of tactics may be in order.

He's going to attempt to drive his dagger (11+3) into that jaw to try to get it off Angelo before this gets any worse.]

[baebladie]

Die.

[ Blade doesn't speak much; he's a quiet man through and through. This hasn't changed, even now. The sound of the enemy's pain - it's agony - it excites him, whips him up into a battle frenzy. Yes...

More.

He needs to see it writhe - to scream out in despair, so that he can delight further in its suffering. Blade's going to try to continue to stab at it in a different spot - angling down for another slit, another opening, no matter how many times he could. Slithering around it like a terror, at its back, closer to one side.

Potentially once again into the ootachi's ass cheeks. Who can say (14+3=17) ]

[objetdevanite]

[Being carried by Blade might not be exactly the wisest place for her to be, since the capybara gives its own little bark of a laugh at the violence.

Ugh. Ahem. Right. It's still important that this is for an ending... a happy, peaceful ending they're all somehow agreeing on as earned, right?

She doesn't know how she feels about that, but...]

We've stood against things like this before. This is to win your time back. For yourselves and everyone else. [That's the happy ending...for them to have the time that they are owed.]

[baebladie]

[ Oho. Someone else who is delighting in the violence - well, Blade knew that they had similarities, though this one is new.

He grins, wide, and manic, hearing that.

Though he hears what she says next. ]

We'll kill all obstacles in our way! Anyone who blocks our path will die.

[ This is how they will claim their happy ending.

This time is theirs. And the time for that is now. ]

[ocenon]

[ Haha, yay! Richard pulls the sword back out and shifts, this time aiming back for that chunk in the side he had managed to crack open again (to probable middling success, [5+3=8]) ]

[fourtuity]

[ Since she's currently part of the yari beatdown: ]

Angelo!? Let go of him—

[ Clover immediately swings towards the head of the shield creature (15+3), trying to force it to release Angelo. She's confident enough in her aim, but holy shit, it better open its mouth! ]

[antemeridian]

[ she is so sick of this repetitive motion for each and every single one shot already. hammer to half-cock, load the black powder from the flask, load the lead shot, jam it down there, no air bubbles left in the barrel, prime the flash pan and snap it shut--

methodically she aims another shot and fires it, arms steady, but the alarm of what feels like half of the combatants present draws a portion of her attention even as she does. her aim's fine, for the most part, but whether or not the shot will actually land due to bad timing, well . . . (1+3=4) ]

[lesmodsalouette]

[Lili continues to cross and bow everything she touches, as her bolt flies true and gets stuck between two armor panels on the backside of the ootachi. Uncertain what this means for the fellow's posterity but y'know we're not going to worry about that right now (7). Blade is apparently going to very enthusiastically pound that assbolt in, though the armor around it means that it doesn't go too deep (15). I don't know what I'm writing anymore, actually.

Maybe all this asskicking is why Richard doesn't quite manage to get his sideswipe in (10), glancing off the still-pretty formidable armor and spikes bristling from the ootachi. Despite being beaten down to a considerable extent, it's still somehow got the energy to raise its fist again, swiping at those who have come in close for their attacks (13).

And with the arc of that fist, Homura's shot pings off one of the creature's armored spikes, ricocheting off towards the cluster around Angelo -- somehow it manages to miss everyone else and head straight for Angelo himself.

Speaking of which, perhaps three people focusing on the shield creature was a mistake? It's small and bisected and easy to destroy, but that gives the yari time to slither out of its embrace and the fray entirely.

It vanishes.

And then reappears above the heads of the crowd around Angelo, spear aimed down (18).]

[baebladie]

[ Sorry, but Blade's focus is still entirely on the enemy in front of him. It's all he can think about - in rending it apart, leaving nothing left.

Since it's still attacking, he'll get hit in the face by the ootachi (7), and there may be a bruise, though Blade hardly cares.

As, after that, Blade's going to put the full brunt of his own strength - nothing to scoff at - zigzagging to the front, or at angle to try to slice through it with the reinforced blade of Shard Sword. It's craftsmanship is made by yours truly, and with broken pieces of its armor or whathaveyou, attempting to bisect it, starting in-between its legs to slice through down there, and as high as he can is a really good effort (20+3=23) against the ootachi.

(By which I say this is him definitely getting the definition of a nut punch. Or a nutslash, starting from the bottom.) ]

[objetdevanite]

[ Well this took a turn. The cigarette case squirms out of Angelo's jacket pocket. Hickey is downright useless in this form and he knows it, but maybe... he'll think of something.

Once he's on the ground, he pops the case open to launch himself into the air, hoping to help pry Angelo free from the yari's jaws—but the thing's already let go and vanished—

—and suddenly there's a CLANG. The cigarette case goes flying, struck by Homura's stray bullet. ]

FUCK—

[ The case clatters to the ground a few feet away from the group, heavily dented and unmoving. ]

[cleansheets]

[ Huh?? HUH????? HUH????????????????

Forget the pain in his leg, why would-- ]

Elias?!

[ Why wouldn't you just stay put?!

Stupid, stupid, stupid-- Angelo is still stuck partway in the maw of the beast, but this sees him attempting to partway-crawl over the floor to pick up his dumb fucking cigarette case--

This, of course, means he is not paying attention to the incoming Yari attack... ]

[oncefallen]

[Ohhh this is bad.

Vanis doesn't even have to think-- he's whipping that tarot card out of his sleeve and holding it up to activate it, which will give Angelo a nat20 for his next move.

... which is probably a good thing given that spear because, uh, yikes.]

You will not!

[Unfortunately, this moment of distraction means that he's going to be unable to dodge (6+3) that hit from the spear for himself and...

... well. That's not good.]

[objetdevanite]

[oh here goes]



[a little flying ant weeeeeeee]



[clattering to the ground]

[ow]



[okay he's going to try to right himself on his feet from where he is a few feet away but its not happening just yet curse this cute wood carved ant body]

Vanis-!

[fourtuity]

[ Shit, this is what she gets for helping people. Or tunnel vision. Let's go with the former for now.

It doesn't take long to realize what happened. Heart pounding, Clover starts sprinting, trying to make it out of the radius in time (9+3). The dread in her stomach feels like reaching for the DEAD all over again. ]

[safetycheck]

[ Aaaand before Clover can go down, Lili will activate...her trap card! Tarot time.

She uses her card to protect Clover from a potentially lethal hit. That attack. Really doesn't seem like a joke, after all! ]

[ocenon]

[ With (16+3=19), Richard manages to duck out of the way of the fist, sliding out of punching range. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the yari reemerge and, while the business with Angelo gets resolved, runs over there with an incredible amount of speed, trying to take a swipe at it to at most push it back, if not try to get the spear out of it's hands (17+3=20) ]

[antemeridian]

[ on the one hand, her being at range means she doesn't have to worry about being in range of the attack aimed at the crowd. on the other hand, it means she's nowhere near correctly positioned to be aiding anyone else, either, whether it be to pull them out of the way or--

block... a blow... with what, exactly? she doesn't have her shield anymore.

(the purpose you'd given yourself, null and void...)

all she can do is keep going. reload. aim. fire at the yari, paying her no attention and thus hopefully unable to galvanize a defense but moving at speed (8+3=11). ]

[lesmodsalouette]

[Blade's focus, at the very least, gets him a solid hit on the ootachi, finally -- battered by all the blows from all quarters, despite deflecting that last shot, the kebiishi drops its sword and lets out a howl as it's pretty much carved up like a ham and forced up on its knees. It struggles, reaches for its sword, but it's wide open like this.

Meanwhile, it's complete chaos in yarisville, but that's what happens when your target is spearited away in the heat of the moment -- fortunately for just about everyone, their items keep them protected from the practically supersonic spearhead; and fortunately for Vanis, Richard himself reaches ridiculous speeds to get there in time, outright slapping the spear away from the yari before its last deadly attempted blow can land.

Which means Homura's shot lands while the yari is still reeling from the surprise attack, finally sending it to the ground again.]