Duty Session 531: Tome Raider

Akikoji To reach the tower, their goal, the group first has to cross what was at one time a decorative front garden. Now it was overgrown, gnarled roots wedging up some of the pathway cobblestones from below, while thorny vines and thick fronds have engulfed what may have once been benches to sit upon with your chosen tome of study.

The party passes the remains of a fountain that has crumbled with the ages, lacking both water and general upkeep. Akikoji ran a finger along the destroyed fountain with a sign "Such a shame...It must have been beautiful".

Dense foliage vaguely resembling rose bushes line the pathway up to the grand doorway.....Which is also overgrown in thorny vines. As the three brave souls poner how to get past this botanical barrier, those overgrown bushes come to life, erupting with more thorny vines and large rose blooms that aperture open to reveal nasty, thorny teeth within.

The only way to get the doors open is to drive back the Rose Guardian, before the pistil packing pollinator leave you the ones pushing up daisies after painting itself red....in cold blood.

Upon seeing this Akikoji leaps back to his preferred fighting distance, that's right, behind everyone else. "Ok guys, gals and non-binary pals. It's showtime! Let's make 'em ask for an encore!" he chuckles, summoning flames from his ribbons and shooting them forth towards the Rose Guardian. It's thorny vines entangled with Aki's ribbons and they were both interlocked in a stalemate. The only problem was, Akikoji only had two ribbons...and the monster had many more.

Goldenblade has joined this mission because she doesn't like to sit around idle, and she's a do-er rather than a watcher. Watching events is boring when there are things to do, even if it's gardening. Blades out, she makes like a hedge trimmer, though the fire pouring from her blades seems more like a gasoline fire as she cuts into the plants trying to block our way.

Fire beats Grass. This is gamer knowledge! Souji is def of the gamer breed. He has that pleasant smile on his face as he walks around at the front of the group, ever the vanguard. Hand on one of his sheathed katanas. "There must have been so much history here," Soujiro agrees with Aki there. The sort of beauty that accumulates organically over the years. Although Souji doesn't completely 'get' art, he does appreciate craftsmanship. A person put thought into all this!

A person put thought into that golem, too. "Well said," he gives Aki an encouraging fist pump as he heads into battle all calm-like. Another fist bump to the air like a shot-gun, loading up Fire magic so that when he draws out his blades they are wrapped in the hotness. Hotness for that Guardian. With heat. And with fire. Fire hotness.

Akikoji continued to struggle against the vines, keeping at least two of them occupied to create space for his team. Goldenblade rushed past him, charging into melee ranged of the Rose Guardian, her blazing blades hacking and slashing through the Rose Guardian's vines like a knife to butter. Seeing it's vines being taken out one by one, the monster kept sending more and more of it's vines Goldenblade's way, to no avail.

After she had successfully dispatched all of the thorned tendrils, Soujiro rushed past Akikoji so fast it created a heated breeze as his katana, now engulfed in a raging torrent of fire, sliced the the head of the Rose Guardian.

As it's petals wilted to the ground, the little that remained of the Rose Guardian shattered into virtual shards and dissipated into the air. "Be careful you two, if my hair gets burnt i'll be so mad!" Akikoji joked.

With the Rose Guardian defeated, the vines draw away from the doors, allowing them to be opened. Within the gateway the party finds themselves in what appears to be an entryway of cracked foundation and moss-covered masonry. At the opposite end of the entry is another heavy door. "Great, another one!" Akikoji huffed.

Next to the doorway is a statue of a tanuki, standing on it's hindlegs with a sakat hat atop the head. The arms are held out, one with the traditional sake bottle hanging from it, the other a basket. A closer inspection reveals the arms move like levers when enough weight is placed upon them, suggesting this jolly fellow is here to accept donations in exchange for donations to the library proper. The scripting and binding of the books had to be funded somehow. Just be glad it isn't coming to life to try and sell you some dilapidated homestead....

"Hmm...so it looks like we need to offer something to get past the tanuki... Well, it's a library so... maybe, knowledge?" Akikoji reached into his pack and pulled out an old book. "It's just a bunch of fairy tales but maybe it'll work."

To Akikoji's disappointment, the statue did not respond to his offering. "Well, I'm pretty, so I guess I don't have to be smart..."

When called upon to mske an offering, Goldenblade checks her pockets, then checks her inventory, but her coinpurse only contains moths, which do not pass muster in the realm of offerings to the library scales people. "I guess I shouldn't have spent the last of my cash on food," she laments. "But I'm /so/ tired of menu food. I have to eat it enough as it is."

"We can't have that," smiles Soujiro at the notion of hair being singed. It is unacceptable. Hair is an /important/ part to the look. Imagine if his ponytail was cut?

When it comes to puzzles like these, Souji is not in his element. He thinks on it. Head tilting to the side, looking at the tanuki. What do you want, little one? It tilts to the other side. He sits. The samurai gets out his tea set. If they are going to be thinking through this, it is best that everyone has a cup of tea. Everyone gets a cup, including the statue. It would be rude to exclude. "Have some tea," he asides to GB's lament about menu food.

Akikoji knew exactly what Goldenblade meant. He nodded at her, himself preferring the expensive cooked food over menu food. Watching Soujiro being all pretty and walking up to the tanuki, he couldn't help but smile at his kindness, even to an inanimate object. "That's so sweet of you Souji!" to their surprise, the tanuki accepted Soujiro's offer and the door clunked open slowly.

On the other side of the door there is an old directory list posted on the wall. It's tattered and faded with age, but enough remains legible to determine that the depository for the more rare tomes is on the higher floors of the tower, and that the main staircase is at the back of the tower's main floor that served as general public access. To the surprise of probably no one, this isn't as easy as walking to the back of the library. The interior of this tower library is somehow larger than its outer dimensions suggested, and the shelves of the ground floor are arranged more like a labrynth of shelves and columns. "It's a maze! How fun!" Akikoki cheered and clapped his sleeved hands together. On top of that, several of the passages are blocked off by books of matching size and thickness stacked atop each other from floor to ceiling. This symmetrical stacking is clearly the work of some supernatural force. Because no living being would stack books in such a fashion. Mayhaps the spirit of some long departed librarian still haunts this maze of shelves...Mayhaps you'd rather find your way out before learning the truth...

Finally, a task that Aki could help with. "I don't think we should stay here for very long so watch and learn..." taking a deep breath, Akikoji closed his eyes, a series of dancing musical notes began dancing around him. For a moment, he remained like that, until he opened his eyes and the musical notes made purely of light began dancing in a specific direction. "They should take us to the way out!"

Goldenblade is lucky someone got us through to here, but where 'here' is isn't our final destination. "Looks like we need to keep going," she onserves, and, she continues to herself, it looks like the way forward won't be so simple. So she will sprint ahead forward, vanishing from sight as she seeks out a way forward that will not impede us. Or, at least one that won't impede her. Which is hard to do when she can't be seen.

Soujiro Seta, solving problems by just being himself. A radiant example of good living. Even though the door opened, he continues to enjoy the tea. No need to rush in, especially when his friends have been so deprived of delicious food and drink. Drink, provided. "Dungeons runs are always more fun when are all having a good time, don't you agree?" he smiles, the self-same smile that cuts bosses to ribbons. All is safe. Except.

A maze? "That is amazing!" he unintentionally puns. "These are the best, especially the ones during holidays with the mirrors." Like many things Souji does not overthink it. "Sound plan," he agrees. The samurai follows his own instincts, which greatly align with the instincts of his team. If a turn would feel astray he would say but thay to not today.

Akikoji and his team made their way, slowly but surely through the lore labrynth. Through the guidance of Akikoji's divining notes, Goldenblade's occassional signals of which ways were dead ends and Soujiro's incredible intuition, They finally arrived at their next destination.

Dealing with the maze was frustrating, but at least the directory was correct in there being a staircase at the back of the tower. It's whilst making their way up the stairs towards the top of the tower the brave souls come upon another terrible obstacle. An irritating thrumming sound can be herd, followed by a swarm of large bees coming zig-zagging down the stairwell. But the fierce stingers they possess is not the biggest concern. It's the fact that their constant buzzing has an anomalous effect of it's own, sounding as if it's spelling letter by letter one after the other. This constant string of buzz words quickly gets into the minds and grates the nerves, making it hard to focus on important things like driving them off while avoiding those stingers, and the stairs are a precarious location to have to fight or dodge. Someone with the right vocal skills might be able to halt the auditory assault by beating the Spelling Bees at their own game!

Time to take the stage! Akikoji at this point had just about had enough of this tower and you know what? He was going to let those no good bees know it! He took a deep breath in and screamed his thunderous fury at them with all his might.

His voice boomed through the room, causing the bees to shake, desperately trying to remain in the air.

Goldenblade climbs the staircase without a problem, which is probably the thing she likes best about the game. Stairs had gotten to being a problem in RL. Here, it's just terrain. But books aren't just books, this has got to be some warped idea of a joke, and she's not with it enough to appreciate the joke, nor tough enough to shrug off their stings as they attack.

Those bees need to know when to buzz off. The first hint should be from Aki's thunderous response. Any bold bee bearing belligerance before zee buddies gets blasted back by Souji. Specificbee, by Soujiro's defensive stance that affords counterattacks that can hit a little harder than the little stings!

"Swarms are interesting to fight," he offers as he talks, head already rather breezy so more buzzing isn't going to break his mindfulness too badly. "They don't have that good meaty 'chonk' of a single hit, but Wave Arte users can use wider effects and away they go. Keeps fighting fresh." And Souji does love his combat.

Akikoji sees the stingers approaching Goldenblade and attempts to redirect his vocal boom to attempt to redirect some of their stingers. Only managing to get a few off of her before the others made contact. Being covered by Soujiro as he deflects and repells their stingers, slicing them in their dazed states, Akikoji got to healing Goldenblade's wounds quickly, his hands glowing with a warm, pink light, musical notes of light rising from his hands and glittering in the air. With the bees defeated, the group pressed on.

After a couple of loops the stairwell exits onto another floor, which again has to be crossed to reach the next set of stairs. Fortunately there is no maze this time, the bookshelves are arranged in proper rows, with the occassional table or chairs interspaced amongst them. As the party nears the opposite set of stairs though, a book wizzes just past their heads. Then another. Then several more as they leap off the shelves! You can't judge a book by it's cover, and these Binder possesed literary works seem to be keen on proving that right. Throwing the book at you is one thing. But others will try to force themselves into your hands to look at them, trapping their prey by forcing the victim to read their contents, and sapping their energy while they're entranceed by the prose. Driving the hardcover horde back is the only way to reach the next stairwell. Or maybe starting a classic book burning.

"Look out you guys, I don't want anyone getting hurt. Time for an icy rhythm i think..." frost began seeping from underneath his kimono sleeves and his ribbons turned a shade of icy blue. Akikoji started stepping from side to side as his ribbons danced through the air at lightning speeds, freezing multiple of the books that were attempting to close the distance on the group. Not quite getting them all but a sufficient amount. "Aww, did my moves make you freeze up? I get it, being in the presence of an idol can be intimidating!" he winked to nothing, as if he had an invisible camera in his mind that was capturing their adventure

Getting Souji to read? When has anyone seen Souji read a book?! That is Nazuna and Shiroe territory right there. Instead he is more interested in Aki's performance. If you can't take the time to admire your party members, what /can/ you do? "Fire!" he emotes, a basic Wave Arte. Technically one could do that. But only for the books that are getting in the way of watching the performance. Take that, nerds. Athlete Souji has no time for books unless its a manga or a light novel.

Goldenblade will go with her instincts on this one - it looks like time for a good old-fashioned book burning. The books, luckily, are entire;y flammable and Goldenblade's facility with fire is probably her strongest suit. It certanly wasn't planned that way, but when you're handed an opportunity, you run with it. And when all your problems are made of paper, fire looks like a good solution indeed. "Reminds me of Farenheit 451," she says. "It came out when I was sixteen, and it was pretty dystopian. And now we've come full circle." Flames consume the books with vigor.

Akikoji examined the beauty of what the three of them had created. Between the fragments of frozen literature falling and catching the light, glimmering in a truly ethereal way, and the ashen embers of burnt pages floating in the air, they had created a visual cacophony of beauty. Fire and Ice. True teamwork wasn't something you could learn from a book so na na na na na! "Golden that was so cool! How you were so casual you could just remember something while creating those flames?! So cool!" as he shuffled into a more static state, Aki slapped at his cheeks. He briefly saw Souji looking at him while he was performing but a true idol wouldn't let something like a pretty boy distract him! the party made their way through the remainder of the floor, stepping over the still burning embers, slowly melting the crystalline fragments.

As the brave party finally steps onto the top floor of the library tower they find the repository for the books to be copied or repaired. But the small workstation has been abandoned for a time, it's tools smudged with ink and left in disarray. Books are left in random piles or just scattered around the room in general. None of the supernaturally superb, symmetrical stacking going on here that's for certain. Globs of black liquid smear the floors. The only tidy thing is one pedestal in the centre of the room. But as soon as someone approaches, there is a raucous thud as several books tumble out of one of the piles. A few flip open as they land, which reveals the true horror that is to come. A big glob of blackness oozes from the pile like a rolling mound of ink. As it slurps over one of the books the writing on its pages seems to melt away and ooze off the parcgment, which the Inkswell soaks up and grows in size. A single bloodshot eye opens, and it opens a mouth lined with a crooked pen quibs for teeth to roar at the threats to it's literary smorgasbord! It's gooey body of ink is really resistant to physical blows, and the splatter of corruptive ink-slime from it's viscous form is a constant threat. You'll need to find ways to dilute its mass down to a manageable size if you hope to defeat it!

"Gross! All this way and we get a huge black blob trying to lick us? Wow!" he called out to the world. Sighing he opened his mouth and blew a bubble with his mouth, creating a large bubble, filled with a liquid that could be likened to the aurora borealis. It slowly moved over the black mound and exploded over it, melting away some of it's gooey exterior

Soujiro Seta ponders what that is in Celsius. He does not have the time to think about it for long because there is the thing he loves right there. Boss fights. Like a Dark Souls player coming across some mist in a door, the big health bars and nuanced mechanics have the sword saint smiling. "I've seen shows start out that way," the tank says, raaaatthhhher immediately making sure he is closer to the front so the idol isn't within grabbing range of the blob. There is ink, ink everywhere, so he goes Janitor Mode. Long, sweeping slashes emit watery waves to clean up the combat. This boss is all washed up.

Goldenblade's flaminc swords are singulalrly ineffective against ink blob monsters, but that doesn't keep her from fighting, flames flickering along the lrngth of of her blades seeming to have no effect on the monster. She fights on, she's brutslly straightforward, even when it doesn't seem to be doing much good, and whatever good she /does/ manage seems to be peripheral to her major effort, which is remaining in its face and holding aggro, though given that we have an actual tank, she doesn't need to do quite so aggressiveely maybee. As to converting Fahrenheit to celcius, she's been doing that for fifty years in her head, she generally does it by memory now, for the weather, but for non-weather conversions she needs a calculator.

Akikoji combining efforts with Soujiro's water artes, while Goldenblade slashed at it's eye, keeping it distracted enough so that Souji and Aki could efficiently was it away. After large quantities of water carried away all of the black goop *gross* all that remained was the eye. Which, much like the other monsters shattered, though this time, it left a small pile of loot behind for the party. "Encore! Encore! Encore! What a performance!" he said, brushing himself off with a spinning flourish. Creating extra little pink sparkles purely for dramatic effect. He needed to figure out a way to broadcast his fights....maybe that would help make him more famous....

Loot! Soujiro gets a... pen? He holds the loot in his hand with a 'I dont know what to do with this' look on his face. Still, loot is loot. A wave of the hand and into the inventory it goes. "Good job Aki. Good job Golden," he says with a carefree smile upon his carefree face. "Interested in heading to a tavern after this to get a meal?" he asks, recalling the desire for good food that does not taste like soggy crackers.

Goldenblade shrugs about heading to a tavern after this, but she's out of cash, as previously demonstrated, so she says, "If you're buying." Soggy crackers are bad, but they're also affordable. It's one of the things that frustrates her about the game. So many things, if you can do them in RL, you can do them. But cooking and first aid, no. It seems so arbitrary!

Akikoji nods with a glimmer in his eyes. "Being an idol doesn't pay too well just yet but I have some money saved up from working at the clinic and dungeon runs. We didn't die, so I say we treat ourselves. I can pay for you if you want Golden?" he chuckled. wrapping a ribbon around Goldenblade. This was his respectful version of a hug