Mean Green Mother

Today's adventure has a small band being lead to the edge of a low gully out in the midst of the Ninetails farmlands. "So," Vertina is explaining as they go, "I was out practicing the skills Syx has been teaching me when I came across this place. It was pretty lush with plant life, even for this time of year. Of course I poked around a bit, and I found it was actually overgrown by one very large plant that was eating the local wildlife." Vertina makes like snapping jaws with her curled fingers. "When it tried to grab ME I made a tactical withdrawl... but I want to see if we can find HOW one plant grew to such size and dominance. It could be useful in.. other plant things?" She looks at Syx, both her mentor and a Farmer. And no longer obsessing over Gruntys either.

She pauses at the entrance of the gully, pulling up some thorny briars. A few bleached bone remains fall from between the twines. "See? It eats animals."

Syx, finally out of his strange mood, has resumed being normal Syx instead. That is to say still somewhat of a crazy dude, but in a less focused and more chaotic way. Which is why when Vertina told him about a giant plant, it got him curious about how it got so big as well.

"I mean it could be some kinda like, weird food source. If we can figure out that part, we could maybe take some samples and feed it to less murdery plants." Syx offers, as he stands near the gully entrance, looking over at the bones, "Well lets try to not let it eat us."

Here she comes...

Darting from spot to spot...

And landing in a crouched position with her personal weed cutters at hand, is the Spriggan ninja Kotono! Of course, Miyako is taking her own standard approach, but the fact remains they'r here. Upon her arrival, Kotono listens to what's being said, nodding a little. "You're right, it might not necessarily be hostile, but rather it might be something we're not entirely aware of. We best look at this carefully before we make any decisions."

    Miyako hmms softly as she considers it. "Last time we went for something like this, it had tentacle vines," she mutters. "You ready for this, Ko-chan?" She's had enough time to get out of the clingy over-protective phase after Kotono's death and respawning, but she still /worries/. The very idea of either of them dying seems to /offend/ her.

    "Ought to just burn it out, maybe. Who do we know who's good with fire?"

"Well, yeah, normally I'd go for just burning it. But what if whatever just makes it grow back? What if it starts spreading out to the farms and hunting grounds? People that rely on livestock or wildlife..." Vertina stops, holding out an arm to slow the others. "The briars are moving." Sure enough, there's a visible twitch in the entwined thorny stalks.

Up from somewhere in the center of the overgrowth entire portions of foliage move and rise up, revealing a 'head' of plant matter with jagged barbs like teeth, a peculiar red-orange in color. But unlike your typical bulbous shape of a flytrap this head is a long taper, making it look almost like a reptile's face.

And a lot like a long pepper, as well.

It doesn't have visible eyes but yet gives the impression it is looking in their direction. The thorny brush moves, this time more energetically. Though rather than strike directly at the group it starts to bind itself together even more tightly to make getting past it more difficult.

"Oh, it's trying to keep us out. Let me see..." Vertina pulls out an alchemy flask and flings into the mass, in hopes the concoction can styme the overgrowth's effort to reinforce it's position.

    For a farmer, one of the greatest dangers is an early winter storm. Hail can crush crops under its weight, breaking stalks and killing the plants before they can be harvested.

    This is what the runes Miyako carves into the air have called up. Chunks of ice hailing down (heh) from the sky, smashing into the plants with immense force.

    "*Ice* to see you," the Spriggan comments, grinning.

Unfortunately, it seems this thing is not friendly. Kotono was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but it seems there's no other option.

"Stay away!" Kotono yells as she slashes her daggers, although it's more of an attempt to fend off the plant rather than actually attack it. "We're not here to hurt you! Leave us alone!"

Now when it comes to Syx, he tends to be very much the type to take the most direct approach.

"I don't think it cares!" He calls out in Kotono's direction, as he readies himself, opening up his hand and creating a knife edge on his right hand, delivering a knife edge chop to the vines that come after him, cutting it down, "Back off, greenie!"

Vertina's alchemy potion does its trick, slowing the briars' growth. Followed by Miyako dropping the temperature enough to make frost form across entire lengths of plant. The combination leaves things rather brittle, making it that much easier for Syx and Kotono to hack and slash their way through the overgrowth towards the towering central mass of plant matter.

Upon working a bit closer they can actually INSPECT the floral monstrousity, which comes up as CAPSAICIN MEATEATER. If it's named for the shape of it's head or for some other reason is to be seen.

It's a bit more worrysome that as the band of Adventurers works closer to the core plant it uncoils several more of the pepper shaped heads. Despite Kotono's shouts all it sees is more meaty morsals to snack on. The newest heads lunge forward, trying to chomp down on the Adventurers in their toothy maws! Though a band of adventurers is a bit less likely to just stand around and allow themselves to be eaten.

Kotono manages to avoid the vines, which is a good thing...

But she can't land a counter-attack either. So that's a bad thing.

"Gotta stay focused," Kotono says as she twirls her blades a few times.

There's a few moments when Syx looks at the big plant, taking in a deep breath, before he dives out of the way of a tendril that comes for him. He rolls, coming up into a crane kick pose.

He holds for a moment in that pose, before he performs the move from The Karate Kid in a perfect replication of it, kicking one of the tendrils, with enough force to break it apart.

    Ice on the ground. Ice and snow. And the subtler part of Miyako's magic takes effect, as the Spriggan ducks wildly to get out of the way of snatching vines.

    Frost spreads across the ground, a glistening coating of white on every blade of grass, every leaf, every root... creeping up the stems...

    "Ko-chan, look out!" she calls, spotting a vinetacle going after her partner.

When one of the pepper-shaped heads lunges at her Vertina digs in her heels and with a growl catchs it's open maw, and holding it open. "This is one chef that's not about to be eaten by the food!" She jerks the head to the side, then grabs onto it's stem of a neck to pull it completely free of the main monster's body, and flip her own body to SLAM it into the ground!

Everyone else seems to take a more evasive approach to the matter. Kotono jukes and dodges the striking pepper plant, though fails to land a counter of her own. However as it keeps trying to grab onto her it gets into the path of Miyako's ice spell, freezing the growths attacking both of them so deeply they shatter on the spot.

Syx succeeds in dodging as well, and maneuvering close enough to the central mass to slam a mighty blow into it! Like trying to chop wood with bare fists like when starting that one game where everything is block shaped, but with his foot. It's not enough to chop this overgrown weed down but it visible shakes and spasms from all the damage being flung at it.

The original central head looms over them and opens it's maw wide. But doesn't lunge at the Adventurers below. Instead it spews out a cloud of hot caustic liquid and vapors. Maybe THIS is where it gets it's name, because that stuff may not be literally fire but any bare skin it touches is going to feel like it's burning badly!

"Wha?" Kotono is caught off-guard.

Fortunately, she dodges quickly, zigging and zagging.

Unfortunately, she's also too far away to strike properly. "Ugh... why did I do that?"

As soon as Syx realizes that the creature is spitting out particles that burn, but aren't actually fire, he gets a big grin across his face.

Flames suddenly whip around him, looking like a 90s anime character going to the next level. He drives forward, burning through the briars and pushing further towards the center of the brambles.

He's throwing multiple punches and slamming them through vines and those heads of the plants that snap and try to grab at him, "Come on you big boy, lets do this!"

    More of them. There's always more. No matter how many she freezes and shatters, how many Kotono or the Salamanders cut down, there are -more-. "This is getting RIDICULOUS!" Miyako shouts as she throws herself out of the path of yet another vine. "How many of these things ARE there?"

    Getting to her feet, the Spriggan surveys the field for a quick moment, and remembers a technique Daiyu had shown her, using air magic with her war-fans.

    She produces the two steel-and-silk instruments, flourishing them in a swirling pattern, wind gathering around the fans as she works. The swirling wind picks up debris from around her - shards of ice, bits of broken twigs, stones and bits of dirt, and more.

    "Make a hole!" she shouts as she prepares to unleash her blast, and gives a few moments for her allies to clear out of the path - and then the twisting drill of fast-moving debris and air scours its way through a mass of plants.

While Kotono is having difficulty landing any solid hits her presence and constant movements helps keep the monster from focusing too long on one person. It has to turn it's head to spray across a wider berth of area as it tries to follow everyone moving in different directions. Clearly it is use to prey that doesn't act in so many different ways at one time.

Vertina quickly backpedals from the acrid spray, but catchs her heel on some gnarled roots and tumbles backward. She hits the ground hard enough to reflexively suck in a breath, and thus some of the spicy hot fumes. Even for a Salamander that's nasty enough to induce some gagging and coughing as she gets on her feet. And pulls out a bottle of brew to chug down and douse her throat. "Alright you glorified thistle, time for me to be the blow hard!" She makes several quick motions with her arms to gather air near her, and then sends several blasts flying at the monster plant with punch like motions. Reach out and crush someone!

Syx on the other hand takes a more direct approach, literally blazing through the spicy breath and applying flaming hot blows to it's central mass once more. He gets it's attention, but before it can try to chomp down on him Miyako's magic slams into it, sending the head reeling while tearing apart foliage like a tornado!

Angry and hurting, the Capsaicin Meateater resorts to more desperate measures. It spawns several large seed pods and, for all intents and purposes, fires them around the gully. They prove to be just as spicy as it's breath, exploding much like botanical grenades!

Syx is having fun. He still thinks about this place as a game, and as such, he is having an absolute blast. He weaves in and out of vines like lightning, seeming to disappear and re-appear here and there, forcing the plant to tie itself up into literal knots.

He grabs that big knot, and hefts it up onto his shoulders, "Time to tear this problem out by the roots!" That swirl of flames engulfs him again, as he jumps, ripping now flaming vines up with him, as he swings through the air, whipping the vines around, spinning around and around and getting the massive momentum behind the throw, before he launches the flaming knot of vines at the main head of the plant, trying to slam into it with every bit of his might.

Finally, Kotono manages to evade properly AND land a good hit! This time, it seems to do the trick!

"This ain't typical gardening!" Kotono says with a grin.

    Miyako takes advantage of the swirling blizzard of debris she created to slip in closer, making her way towards the core of the monster. She grins widely as she sees Kotono pushing in nearby, and winks slyly at her partner.

    Shadows wreathe her war-fans as the Spriggan reaches her target, coating them in the darkest of magics as she slashes at the stem of the plant-monster. Her spell draining its very life, even as it speeds her blows....

Now the thing is even shooting at them! Unfortunately for it the seed pods are fairly sizable projectiles compared to arrows and knives, making it all the easier for Vertina to use her Godhand reflexes to knock them right out of the air and away from harming herself or others. It's followed by her leaping into the air and spinning around, unleashing a wake of flames from her foot to farther burn a swath through the plant monster's mass. Kotono and Miyako work together to combine their speed and precision, dodging exploding seeds while striking it's central mass repeatedly. It starts to leer to one side as several of the roots anchoring it snap apart under the assault. Leaving it prime for Syx to do what he does best -- beat the everloving *bleep* out of it. While on fire. Thus setting it on even more fire.

The plant monster collapses, going up like a bonfire after being slashed apart and set aflame. It's difficult to tell where it stops burning to ash and starts to just pixilate, but the vines and briars congesting the gully also start to break down. No more threats to the local farms or wildlife.

Vertina did manage to grab a couple of the seed pods though. Something to examine while working on her new herbology skills. They're quickly stored, and she dusts her hands off. "That takes care of wacking that weed. No more savage carnivore plant. Thanks guys."

Once the thing is down, Syx sits back and watches it burn until it pixelates and the briars clear ouf, "Well done, everyone!" He says, as he gives the whole group a big thumbs up, "I'm going to go ahead and take a look at the area around here now that it's secure, see if I can't figure out what it was drinking to get that big."

Kotono takes a knee as she catches her breath, but she smiles. "Well, we dealt with that overgrown weed!" She looks to Miyako. "Let's go celebrate together, shall we?"

    Miyako settles beside Kotono, leaning against the taller Spriggan. "Yup. We win this one, hon." She slides an arm around Kotono's shoulders. "Burgers?"