Duty Session 211: A Dark and Stormy Night

    It's raining. Of course it's raining! The thing is, it's raining like crazy. Which leads to thundering, storms, and all manner of things. While in a tavern far off the outskirts of Fort Ouph, the group had mostly settled in. Most for their own reasons. It was a cozy, warm, out of the way tavern not even as noisy as the big city. That's what made the next part so hard.

    Giganpor himself was seated off in a corner, hammer-axe spear leaning against a wall with a good drink and having ate his fill already. He looked pretty relaxed, with his cloak even giving off pleasant looking green and blues. Even if he was in armor because it wasn't a Root Town, the man was pretty much at ease looking at the fire and reading a book he had. The occasional rumble of thunder has him reaching for his weapon on occasion, but otherwise he's mostly reading and muttering to himself.

    The evening is broken by the wind blowing the door open and a man in a hooded cloak coming in. Giganpor's one of those that shouts at him to close the door as he loses his page by a couple in the process. After the door is shut, however, a quest prompt comes up for the nearby Adventurers. The man himself is a Spriggan male of middle age with a worried expression.

    Sighing, Giganpor closes his book and moves to stand, picking up his weapon as he goes to look at the man and then around, "So... event quest. Who's in?"

Shiruba looks up at the elder Spriggan tromps in on the heels of the rainstorm. "Oh, this again?" It's not that unusual for the festival events to be repeatable even if the prizes aren't, so she picks up her bow and strides over. "I've got experienced dealing with the event if you need some help Giga."

Yeowang is sitting in the inn, having had some business with her Guildies, and now sitting quietly, looking thoughtful. She turns at the sound of the door opening, sighing as the weather blows in, then hrms at the quest popup. She accepts it, and says, "Count me in." She'll rise, taking her cloak from by the fire where it was drying off, and now growing warm, and throwing it over her shoulders. She nods at what Shiruba says. "I also have done this before, but would like to see if I can improve my performance." Not that there's a score, exactly, but Yeowang is one of those self-improvement types.

    Setsuna was once again in the corner of this bar, talking to himself as he stares at a map before drawing an x over a spot with a piece charcoal. Really there were several X's all over it and scribbled notes here and there and well really its only really a map if you look past all the charcoal smudges on it. However when the event quest comes a knockin Setsuna rolls up his map and sets it aside. " Better to handle the quest or the storm will just get worse. " It seems the summoner also has some experience with the spriggan seekin' help.

    Akatsuki is... Not hidden for once. There's no need for it in an inn; settled in a seat and sipping from a warm mug to keep the chill from seeping into her bones.
    There's a slight frown when the door bursts open, but the quest prompt makes the miniscule ninja arch a brow.
    She rises from her seat, swiping yes to accept without a word.

    With the quest being accepted by so many, Giganpor shrugs as he looks at the others, "Eh, little wind and rain shouldn't hurt that bad."

    With the quest accepted, the man's worry look shifts to one of hope. "I've only got a short time. I need to find a group of air elementals that these storms attract this time of year. They're our only source of wind shards." Wiping hair out of his eyes, the Spriggan looks at the group, "I can lead you to them, but I can't fight them. If we can find them before the storm ends and dispatch them, we need to gather as many as we can of the shards."

    Of course, the big problem is when he leads the group back out of the inn. Getting out of the small village they were in could be even more hazardous than the actual air elementals themselves if they find them as the winds toss around just about everything not nailed down. Nature's probably out to get them with this event. Like seriously. It's crazy storm season that they have to get through first!

Shiruba adjusts her heavy weather jacket, the one Gwen made for her, and pulls up the hood to keep her wolf ears from getting too cold. Granted it's not that different from her usual attire, other than it has actual sleeves and isn't cut so low in the front.

You would expect the self-proclaimed Howling Storm to be able to handle some harsh wind and it certainly proves true. Bundled in jacket and using a bit of her own weather magic to keep herself surrouned in warm air to hold the cold winds at bay she has little difficulty making her way outside of town. "Be on your guard, this trip can get pretty wild. Hopefully no one has astraphobia."

    Setsuna looks over at Giganpor as they exit the tavern, "This is true, however a lot of wind and rain can kill ya." As they enter the crazy storm and some of the leaves gets picked up knocking into his leg the Summoner shakes his head as a magic circle appears under, " Rise up and shield us. Rock Cradle!" A long wall of earth rises up at a slant providing some cover for the party to walk under and be protected from some of the elements.

Yeowang is pretty serious about getting her cloak on, and tighting her belt and checking her gear, and it's no surprise why when we get out into the gusting wind. She nods to the fellow, though she secretly suspects that they're collecting quite a lot of these wind shards. "What do you use them for?" she wonders, though she's not surprised at the lack of answer and she follows Giganpor and the others out into the stormy weather.

The wind blows back of mane of blonde hair, but does not seem to seriously inconvenience her. It could be simply that her expression is of one who is not going to put up with any flack from some wind, no matter what it thinks of itself, and the wind has wisely decided not to press the issue. Although it's possible she has some control over the wind, in the little zen ways that some have, and she's keeping it calmer around herself.

    Wrapping herself in a thick cloak, Akatsuki joins the others to venture out into the incredibly incelement weather in search of air elementals.
    "This is more than just 'a little wind and rain'." The quiet ninja points out matter of factly as she takes cover behind Setsuna's earthen shield for as long as she can before it's time to move.
    Then things go flying.
    A huge flying rock--
    Dodged.
    A mailbox--.
    Evaded.
    A signpost--
    Deftly cut in half.
    Akatsuki proceeds without missing a beat.

    With the various magics, powers, and abilities going on the group makes it through the storm laden town into the wilderness. Giganpor himself turns the water into a shield, covering the group as the rock cradle from Setsuna helps out greatly with that. A lack of answer from the Spriggan means the question probably went unheard from Yeowang. Akatsuki's dodging debris is probably the most noticeable, and the cut in half sign post that makes a 'TWANG' when it eventually imbeds itself into the ground thanks to that. If it wasn't for the wind, anyways, that might have been heard.

    Making it outside the town, the storm only gets worse. Their guide raises a lantern, calling back at a shout, "They really are putting up a fight!" Another gust of wind puts out the lantern, the only light source in this storm besides the occasional flash of lightning.

    The guide looks back and calls to them, "Could you use some of that Adventurer magic right about now? It'll withstand the storm, right?"

    The main problem is they need to light the way, or somehow make it through this crazy storm before it blows them away or off course completely.

"Right, got to be the light in the darkness." Shiruba pulls out one of her fire arrows and strikes the tip to ignite it, and then hold it up like a torch. It's magic fueled fire so it won't be easily put out by the rain or winds. "I've got extras if anyone else needs a light." But it looks like most of the group has it covers in some form.

    Setsuna hugs the wall of rock cradle until its range disipates and then he just does his best to keep himself warm as they walk. "One day they will put the cause to the problem right where we start, no travel just oh hey theres a monster kill it. " It would appear he does not enjoy the rain so much, but he did know what it meant if it didn't get put to a stop. As the light begins to dim he fishes around in his pocket for a moment before he pulls out a paper packet of something that he very uncarefully adds to the lantern. Just kinda tossing it in, as the fire changes from a orangish yellow color to a bright white, and any dampness that bothered the fire before doesn't appear to give it any trouble now.

    It's dark. The group is likely to be eaten by a grue. In the rain.
    Not really, but it's still pretty dark. Especially when the guide's landern gutters... And then dies.
    Akatsuki delves into her inventory and produces a torch. Taking to a knee, she scrapes a kunai against the ground to try and kick up a spark to light it... But frowns when it just proves to be too wet and rainy for that to work at all.
    "..."
    Tiny ninja is scowling.

Yeowang grimaces as the wind puts out the Lander's torch as soon as we're out into the worst of the storm. But there's nothing we can do but to press on, and she pulls a torch from her own pack. Turning her back to the wind to create a small sheltered area with her body, she gets the torch lit, then allows the wind to fan it a bit, concentrating as the torch fully catches, the tar and goop around the end clinging to the flame tenaciously as the wind attempts to put it out. She then resumes the trek, peering into the dimly-lit darkness as the torch lights her way in the dim circle of light it sheds.

    The various lights even make sure that Akatsuki don't get too far. The one that really succeeds is Giganpor as he shifts up to his Were Lion form, and his cloak starts to glow a bright white/red to light their way. His keener senses help the party find their way, and the light of the cloak shows where he is at all times. The surrounding farmland of the town looks to have been taken quite the beating from the storm. At least the plant life in Yamato is pretty sturdy.

    No tall trees, however, presents a new problem as lightning nearly hits their guide. Who laughs it off, even if it's a nervous one, "Ha... that was close! Hahaha!" And the lightning seems to be picking up.

    It's obvious the new challenge. Get around incoming lightning bolts. Because they need to dodge literally one of the fastest things there is.

    Giganpor looks conflicted, but growls, "Anyone got ideas on this one? 'Cause I've only got one and it's not going to hold for long."

"You either avoid the lightning, or find a way to redirect it." Shiruba answers, before taking off to sprint across the field herself. Zig and zag and zig again... but at the very end a lightning bolt actually crashes down behind her, and the shockwave is enough to throw her off her feet and rolling across the ground for a bit before stopping.

"Uff." She gets partway up and much like a dog getting out of water shakes herself off before standing completely. "Well, at least it didn't knock me back to the start..."

Yeowang blinks at the lightning, so close now, and with no cover over the terrain we need to traverse. This would be a problem for someone slower than she is, but she's been doing martial arts since she can remember, and her reflexes are honed to a razor's edge. They're just barely enough, though, when combined with her speed-boosting skills, to remain a step ahead of each lightning strike, dodging forward or to one side or the other a heartbeat before each strike comes down. She looks a bit frazzled by the time we're out of danger, that was more closely run than she would have liked.

    Proceeding is getting messy now.
    Though Akatsuki relies on the others to light the way when she can't get her torch lit, the sudden lightning strike that barely misses their guide earns a frown.
    Thunder roars in the skies above and each strike grows closer and more frequent now that there are fewer and fewer trees to soak them. Akatsuki takes a step forward...
    Lightning strikes the space where she had been just a split second before. The ninja is a sudden blur; juking aside as another bolt comes crashing down and she sidesteps that with ease as well; another lances down from the clouds and she's simply not there anymore once again after a backwards vaulting somersault.
    It's a testament to all her skill, instincts, and reflexes that when another bolt comes down, Akatsuki blurs out of the way of that one, faster than lightning itself- and the next, the tiny ninja leaving a trail of scorched earth in her wake as the heavens itself tries to strike her down and simply cannot.

    Setsuna looks at Giganpor as he asks for ideas and grins, " Never played a game of tag before?" With that said Setsuna just walks right into the bolts of lightning, and following the ninja's lead he seems to dance throough the lightning himself. It wasn't as skillful as Akatsuki though but he has had more practice at usual regarding dodging lightning this week. Looking back towards the others he shouts, " Coming?"

    Giganpor, reaching into his inventory, pulls out a small pile of metal. His smithing hammer glows before he tosses one just in time to save their guide as it lands like a spear, taking the lightning bolt and grounding it.

    Another is tossed to save Shiruba from a second one. He proceeds to kneel down and make more. A lot more, and starts tossing them out. While it takes a few more minutes, eventually the guide, Shiruba, and Giganpor himself catch up with the speedy evasive ones now that they are under cover as well.

    Glancing at his smithing hammer as he puts it away, Giganpor looks at the others, "Riddle of Steel's on cooldown, so I'm glad we got Akatsuki."

    And that's when they find in another flash of lightning, something that really is going to block their path. A massive wall of wind, water, and debris. A literal tornado is blocking their path in an unatural, unmoving wall. The guide looks at it, being out of breath as he had fought the storm along with them to make it this far.

    "I've seen this before. They're in there. Enough get together, they make massive walls around the eye of the storm. Has to be a way through." He explains out of breath.

    Question is, how to get through suck a massive force of quasi-nature? Going over isn't an option, nor around, maybe under?

Yeowang pulls up to the barrier with the others and peers at it critically. A wall of wind and water and debris blocking our path gives rise to a thoughtful look, and then a decisive motion, ice extending from her hands. But the ice, which was supposed to freeze deeper into the barrier, then shatter away, instead freezes only a surface layer, and when it shatters, the remaining barrier is just as impassible as it was.

    Setsuna looks at the at the wall ahead of them and considers his options before he considers a moment on how to approach the problem. "Can't go over it, can't go around it. I guess we are going through it. " Setsuna takes his staff and begins to draw a summoning circle in the mud, and then begins to invoke his call of the undead. " Ashes to ashses, dust to dust, take the form that I now need." A bone golem , mixed with some mud and dirt, rise out of the ground as it charges into the wall and begins to pound on it as hard as the golem can, trying to break it down.

    Akatsuki isn't even sweating by the time the lightning stops and she comes to a halt. She's not even out of breath.
    But now she's halted by a wall of cutting vicious winds and debris.
    Maybe the best path would be to go under.
    Taking to a knee she places a hand on the ground.

    "Thorn Bind Hostage."

    Murmured as thorns and vines begin to erupt from the earth, in an attempt to soften it up for the others.
    It doesn't seem to work so well in this case, though.
    Frown.

Shiruba appreciates the help in not getting zapped by more than a close call. "Thanks Giga." And now they're up to the barrier of the storm. "Watch out for debris caught in the winds."

With that she takes off, and this is a little more up her alley than dodging lightning is. She jumps and dashes and puts her wild parkour skills to use in taking advantage of the various things caught in the windstorm to run across or take shelter from the winds themselves until she can get to the other side and the fury settles down into the eye of the storm itself.

    Seeing the various efforts, Giganpor facepalms and does the obvious thing. "We're going about this the wrong way! Well, except Shiruba." He brings his weapon around, then flips to the hammer end and brings that down along with a foot stomp, "Tremble Step!"

    The bone golem has apparently weakened the wall enough that whatever Giganpor planned works. A literal tunnel under the tornado wall that holds long enough for all of them to get inside it.

    The Spriggan looks almost manic in his glee once they are inside the eerily calm quiet of the storm. "There they are! I can'd help you here, but I'm sure you can handle it."

    The elementals look to be literal forms of shifting wind, crackling lightning, and hazy cloud formations that flash against the darkness of the night. They don't seem to notice the Adventurers at first. It's not even clear when they do. One shifts towards them as a flash of lightning shoots towards the group, and then the battle is on!

Yeowang, having taken advantage of Setsuna and Giganpor's efforts to get through the barier, looks up at the elementals causing all the problems. She takes a pair of cloth strips from her pack and wraps them around her fists, and runes flare on the end of the wraps, causing her fists to pulse strangely. Then she's attacking the elementals, punching mostly, with a boxer's intensity and tenacity. The fistwraps glow, her strikes piercing, wounding the elementals despite them being comprised of swirling air. There's an odd sound to each strike, like a buzzsaw perhaps, but whatever it is, it seems that they're definitely worse for wear after her rapid strikes.

Shiruba already has her bow out and an arrow ready in it. "Keep them from getting close together and compiling their power!" Then fires her arrow into one of the Elementals, the extreme cold causing the moisture in the air and fog composing it to start freezing. The drop in temperature both slows down the elemental force's movements, and starts forming solid chunks of ice in it's 'body' that provide something physical for other attackers to aim at with their own techniques. She repeats the tactic for the others, to help in keeping them apart.

    Setsuna watches the tunnel formed and proceeds ith the others through it to the eye of the storm. Looking up at the elementals he smiles, " This time I am ready for them." Compared to beofre Setsuna has a plan, one to insure that the elementals are much easier to hit. " Thorn Bind Hostage." A wave of magic is released towards the the elementals, that seems to come together to form thorn vines around each of them giving the others an uptick in their damage.

    Once under the deadly wind wall and facing down the air elementals beyond, Akatsuki's hand goes to her blade.
    Lightning strikes.
    Once again the ninja is no longer where it lands.
    Instead she lunges into the fray, activating adding to the group's DPS to whittle down the elementals, moving too fast to be hit, lunging in for backstabs and vicious sneak attacks, before...

    "ASSASSINATE!"

    That is a sudden and massive spike in DPS, right there, as she lands a deadly strike.

    Admist all of the crazy strikes, Giganpor has started to raise up rock walls. The fight takes a while, because it's multiple near-boss mobs. The DPS whittles them down quickly, finally taking the last one down and the storm seems to quell with them.

    Between the DPS and the defensive evasions, as well as rock walls that just have people slamming the air elementals into them, it's obvious that there's not much left but those shards.

    Their guide steps out, happily grinning ear to ear. Small shards are quickly picked up and one each handed out, "Thank you! You did it! Here! Here! These will be very useful to the Mage's Tower. I couldn't have done it without you!" And then he's heading away into the night with the bounty of shards.

    Giganpor blinks a few times, then looks to the others, "Mage's Tower? Uh... okay... back to that inn?" He comments, then shrugs and starts heading that way.

Shiruba shrugs. "It's easier to let them do what they need than question it too hard. Considering they probably use it to make the things that are used to keep creatures like the Kirin from overloading the natural weather patterns, who can really complain?" And usually not worth trying to get any answers out of them.

Yeowang nods to Giganpor about returning to the inn. "The less time we are out in the weather, the better. though I think it's calmed a bit." As to what the Mage's Tower may be, she shrugs, nodding agreement with Shiruba. "Indeed."

    Setsuna watches the elementals get popped and rain shards down. When offered the reward though he declines, he just didn't want the storm to get worse at the inn, it would have been inconvenient. As it is suggested they head back he nods and turns that way, putting an effort to catch up with Shiruba. " Hey Shiruba, real quick. Would you be interested in a tracking job? All I can really offer as payment is a favor of your choosing, but if you are interested." It was an opportune moment in someways, in others it wwas cold and wet and windy so if Shiruba didn't respond he would understand.