X-DREAMERS [mission 04: hunters for hire!]

[HomeForFlowers]

< STATUS: Stable; In awe >

< LOCATION: Zone 8 >

< AGENTS: Towa >

< OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Nugget > 

 

Nagito's face lit up in excitement.

"Oh!" A tremor ran down Nagito's body. His shoulders quivered with emotion, and as he tried to link his trembling fingers together, they shakily slid past one another. "Oh," He said again, breathier. The weight of his feelings grew too heavy to bear. Nagito sunk down onto his knees, his eyes trained onto the dirt beneath him. "You must forgive me," he said. "A common nobody, such as I, has little experience with royalty." Despite the self-deprecating nature of his words, Nagito's tone was oddly upbeat. "I've actually only met one other princess before you, but never mind that! It's such an honor to meet another princess, and the princess of the Hope Kingdom at that!" Nagito felt a shiver go down his spine. "What a name! I couldn't think a better name inspire your people."

 

"Excuse me!"
Nugget, who had been standing idly next to Towa, took a step forward. "Mr. Soap Man! We're, um! We're looking for something!" Nugget wobbled towards Nagito as best as her tiny chubby feet will allow her. She pulls a well-folded scroll out of the tiny belt around her waist and waves it in front of Nagito's head. Nagito hesitates for a moment, seemingly afraid to move, before he gingerly lifted his head up. Nugget handed Nagito the paper. He grasped it cautiously from the feyline's hand as his hands scanned the contents of the wanted flyer.

"Oh this!" He exclaimed, eyes bright. Fluidly, he rose to his feet with both hands grabbing onto the paper. "I know this creature! It tried to eat me earlier today!"
"It did?" Nugget yelled, her tail fluffing in alarm.
"You bet!" Nagito said all too cheerfully. "That's why I bought so much soap. Food, clean water, and shelter isn't too hard to come by if you know what you're doing, but I simply detest being unclean and the mere idea of staying coated in that creature's saliva for days on end..." Nagito cringed at the memory. "I'd rather not think about it." Nagito neatly rolled the parchment then bent down to hand it back to Nugget who swiftly returned it to the sheath in her belt.

 

"I had no intention of harming the creature," Nagito said. "Someone as lowly as me has no right to go around disturbing the wildlife, but if someone, such as yourselves, has a reason to kill such a creature then I would be more than happy to help you find and kill it. I could already tell just by looking at you that you're a good person! If you're going to slay this monster in order to protect this people of this world, then I feel obligated to help you; although I'm afraid I'm not much help considering—" Nagito gently tapped the lance strapped to his back. "—I'm too weak to use a weapon designed for me. Pathetic, isn't it? I do have some talent with magic." Nagito raised his pointer finger up and began swirling his hand around in a circle. Dark puffs of purple smoke followed the movement of his finger. "It's not much," Nagito said with a shrug. As soon as he lowered his hand, the magic dissipated completely. "I can only heal and do some dark magic, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you can do!"

 

Nagito suddenly let out a startled gasp, raising a hand to his mouth.

"Well, would you look at that!" He laughed. "I rambled on for ages without answering your question. I must have been boring you, hah!" With a small grin, Nagito bowed deeply in front of Towa. "My name is Nagito Komaeda, not that it matters. I do hope you consider my request to join you. If there's anything worth doing in this world, it's giving people the hope they need to live happy lives."

[TehUltimateMage]

Adolin Kholin -- Zone 6

[ at the watering hole ] - [ hotter than a flamespren ]

 

"Air...plane?" Adolin repeated the foreign word, noting how the sounds felt in his mouth. 'Air' was self-explanatory, but plane... Maybe land-planes were land-travelling machines, then. It was strange to think that on other words, fabrials would have become advanced enough to carry people through the sky. He gave the airplane another look, watching it double back and head towards the mountains. "My aunt Navani works with machines, but I don't think any of them have the power to soar like that," he replied, pride welling in his chest. "Renarin mentioned something about an anti-gravity fabrial that would allow archers to levitate over the plains and get a better vantage point, but airplanes could change the entire tide of the battle on the Shattered Plains..."

 

Adolin continued on, speaking about the possibility of aircraft in warfare, totally in his own world and unaware of whether or not Evonna was losing interest. Eren had already tuned him out after briefly considering that walls would be inconsequential to titans if these airplanes could air-drop them, and refused to think any more about the flying machines. 

 

 

It wasn't long before they reached a small dead-end area in a valley between mountains. Water had pooled between the rocks and created a sizable spring -- though he would have expected a few more creatures taking advantage of the watering hole based on the bones littering the ground. Did their approach scare them away? Adolin shifted his weight to signal his horse to stop and Sureblood slowed before halting and shaking his head. The sharbearer glanced back at the two younger children, watching without comment as Eren jerked the reins in a rather inexperienced manner to get his own horse to stop.

 

What was most of note, though, which Adolin did not acknowledge at first, was a young woman -- with hair as golden as his own -- who had more skin exposed than she had covered. He felt his own face heat up and put a hand over his mouth to discreetly hide his blushing. Peeking over the fingers of his gauntlet, he noticed that she stood beside some sort of long, tall weapon that felt like it matched the airplane they saw.

 

"It ain't that uncommon to see other hunters on the field sometimes," Eren commented to everyone, totally unfazed by the woman's appearance. "If you don't get in our way, we won't get in yours."

 

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by TehUltimateMage

[DuskOfTheStars]

[Hornet -- Strangers In A Strange World]

 

They came into view not long after her fighter had returned. The riding-animals were certainly strange - she didn't think she saw four-legged creatures that big very often. Cats and rats were both fairly small... She shook her head, and looked again.

 

One of them was covering his face, while the other man raised his voice, calling to her with 

 "If you don't get in our way, we won't get in yours."

 

Right. This lot was strange enough, and it looked like they wanted to be let alone. She paused for a moment, before deciding to keep her two planes on hand. Just in case. Hornet tossed away the bone before straightening up.

 

"Y'all mind answerin' me something about this here place, or you rather me let you alone totally?"

[hikarinomemori]

 

Cure Scarlet, Princess of the Crimson Flames
<Status: Stable>
<Form: Civilian -> Pretty Cure>
<Location: Ancestral Steps - Main Camp>
<People: Nagito | Nugget>

 

~~

 

Wow, this guy certainly knew how to flatter a girl! That being said, Towa wasn't sure what to think of him calling himself a nobody, though she took his words to heart when he said he had little experience with royalty.

 

Then he seemed to recognize the creature in the wanted flyer. Towa cringed when she heard it had tried to eat him. Sure, every creature did what it could to survive, but the thought of this one nearly eating a person wasn't a pleasant one.

 

"Mm, yes... It is unfortunate that this creature has to be slain, but it is a necessary evil, all the same, because the people have to be kept safe." Towa paused. Did her powers count as magic?

Whether they did or didn't Towa thought it best to be prepared, so she pulled out her Princess Perfume, inserted the Dress Up Key, and turned it.

 

"Pretty Cure, Princess Engage!"

 

In a flash, Towa's appearance had changed drastically. A simple white dress had become an elegant red one. Her hair had grown longer and was now pink with a dark pink ombre, parted back to reveal pointed ears. A beautiful tiara, set with red jewels, sat upon her head, and similar smaller jewels were present in her earrings and on her choker.

 

"Shinku no honou no purinsesu... Cure Scarlet!"

 

Scarlet turned to look at her new friend. "I can imagine that this is probably a bit startling, but I assure you, I'm still the same as Cure Scarlet as I am as Towa. I don't know if my powers as Pretty Cure count as magic... but rest assured, I will not let you come to harm."

 

She paused for a few seconds. "...and it's all right, you didn't bore me. I think Nagito is a lovely name, and for all my flames can do, they can't heal, so you're welcome to join us; I'm sure your healing would be very helpful here."

[Mikasa361]

[Evonna Estelle Durand - What are they, morons?]

 

Evonna rolls her eyes when Adolin isn't looking. Eren as well. These two.... Don't seem particularly bright. Has Eren been nice to her? .....As nice as someone like him could be, sure. She looks at the yellow-clad girl, who tosses a bone aside and speaks in a Southern drawl. Evonna has to admit, this girl is pretty cute. "Y'all mind answerin' me something about this here place, or you rather me let you alone totally?"

 

Well, perhaps it's a good time to answer. Evonna peeks from behind Eren and gives a small wave. "Hi, I'm Evonna. This seems to be a different world, like a base or somethin', but we're part of the eXtra Dimensional Restoration Squad. Seems like you probably got warped here, but our little group here is on a mission."

 

Then she smiles at the new woman. "Um.... What do we call you?"

[DuskOfTheStars]

[Hornet - Worlds and Timelines]

 

The two men continued to not pay any attention. At least one of them was willing to talk. The girl waving at Hornet soon introduced herself as Evonna, proceeding to anticipate Hornet's question. Now that was strange.

 

"I can say I've heard a' other timelines from them Sirens, but now other worlds altogether? Reckon it had ta happen...." Hornet mused. Now, she figured it made some sense that if there were infinite timelines, there would be other lands as well. Warping in would explain how she woke up from the abyss in this strange land filled with monsters. And a mission? Even more questions --

 

Oh. The girl was talking again. "Hornet. My name's Hornet. Don't need any of them fancy-like titles a' anythin'. What was it ya were sayin' about a mission?" 

[HomeForFlowers]

< STATUS: Stable; Startled >

< LOCATION: Zone 8 >

< AGENTS: Cure Scarlet >

< OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Nugget, Tigrex > 

 

With shaky hands clutched together, Nagito watched in silent awe as Towa was enveloped in light. She danced in the flight as clothing and jewelry sprouted from the flames that emerged from her body. Nagito felt truly and utterly unworthy to see such a magnificent display, especially one from someone who had the high honor of being a princess of the Hope Kingdom. Had Towa, no, Cure Scarlet not spoken to him so soon after the transformation completed, he might have just shed a tear.

 

"Oh! Yes, a little startling perhaps," Nagito agreed. He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling shyly. "It is not everyday that I come across such a riveting display of hope and I, um..." Nagito lowered his head, abashed. He began to speak in a soft yet frantic tone. "I would claim I am a worthy enough being to disagree with one such as yourself, but I fail to grasp how my name could be contorted into anything as 'lovely'. If I'm being perfectly honest, my magic is the only useful thing about me even if you even dare to call it that."

 

The cat, Nugget she said her name was, cleared her throat.

"Pardon my rambling!" Nagito said. He chuckled lightly under his breath. "We were supposed to find the monster, yes? We're actually in the right area! Zone 8 is where the tigrex lives so we should be able to track it from here." Swaying on the balls of his feet, Nagito spun around and lifted a hand to cover his eyes from the harsh sunlight. "Hmm, tigrex are large muscular creatures but they are capable of flight. Chances are we'll have to scout it by foot, but if we're lucky we might be able to discern some unnatural formations in the clouds. If it hunted recently, we might be able to catch of flock of scavenging birds heading towards the kill so they could wait their turn."

 

Glancing up at the sky, Nagito saw that it was almost entirely devoid of clouds. There was a flock of birds flying east, but they were small. Sparrows or something perhaps; not the scavenging kind he was hoping for. To the south of them appeared to be some sort of large creature flying up high. Nagito squinted, but the mass wasn't discernible to him behind the black mass of its silhouette. Ah, his vision wasn't failing him, was it? Nagito rubbed his eyes with the back of his free hand and stared more intensely at the mass. Was it... getting closer? And the shape! It looked awfully familiar. Almost as though he had seen it before and...aha!

"I think I found it!" Nagito spun towards his new friends. He clapped his hands together before pointing excitedly at the shape in the sky. "I'd recognize it anywhere! That's what it looked like before it swooped down from the sky and tried to eat me a few days ago!" Nagito turned on his heel and looked up towards the sky. "Yes, I'm certain of it! The beast looked exactly like that when as it got closer to... the ground.... and..." The monster was getting closer at an alarmingly rate. Nagito could make out the beast's frightening teeth and massive claws as it flew closer towards the party. Funnily enough, Nagito noticed a familiar strand of green cloth wrapped around the creature's horn from when Nagito's coat had gotten stuck on it. "Oh... dear." Nagito took a step backward. "You should all run. Now!"

 

A deafening roar filled the air as the tigrex flew down to the group of unfortunate adventurers, talons raised. The group managed to largely avoid getting hit. Nugget, who had faced her fair share of aerial attacks, skillfully leaped out of the way before unsheathing her sword. Nagito jumped out of the way. He waved a hand into the air, inciting a surge of black magic to burst out of his fingers. Runes from a foreign language began to circle underneath Nagito's feet. He drew a tau symbol in the air with the dark, glittering magic before snapping his fingers. Instantly, spikes materialized in the air around the dragon's descent and struck down towards the earth. The tigrex swiped most of the spikes away with its tail, but one spike pierced through its foot, eliciting it to roar out in anger.

 

"Forgive me, Cure Scarlet and Nugget," Nagito said with an apologetic smile. "I believe I just made it more upset." The beast turned towards its prey. It flared its wings open and let out a ferocious snarl.

 

[TehUltimateMage]

Adolin Kholin -- Zone 6

[ at the watering hole ] - [ THERE IT IS ]

 

"Hornet," Adolin repeated, committing the word to his memory. He refrained from listing his titles since it seemed like the girl wasn't interested in those kinds of formalities. Even if he still had some trouble looking at her directly, he could at least attempt to not appear any more rude by answering her questions. "I'm Adolin Kholin, from Alethkar, and this is my Rhyshadium, Sureblood. Our mission here is to... replenish our coffers by hunting a dragon for its bounty. "

 

"Hornet, like a big bee, right?" Eren thought out loud. "The colors match up." A glance from Adolin prompted Eren to introduce himself, as well. "I'm Eren. Myrrh did mention that sometimes people could suddenly get thrown into other worlds, including this one..." He placed a hand to his cheek, thinking. "And she did say that it would be a good idea to rescue and bring back 'any such person we find'." He looked at the bones scattered about the area. "Though it looks like you've been holding out fine on your own so far."

 

Adolin was about to add more, but his Rhyshadium yanked its head to the side to command his attention just as a dark shadow passed over the area. Both of the group's horses scampered out of the way just in time for a huge winged monster to crash in and lift off like a bird of prey. Having unfortunately missed the bigger prizes, the dragon chose to retreat amidst the sudden rain of gunfire from the relatively tiny flying machines, carrying away the XDRS' little feline companion. 

 

"That's the one!" Eren yelled. Trying -- and intensely failing -- not to accidentally knee Evonna in the face, he climbed to his feet on the back of his horse and jumped, launching the hooks from his ODM gear into the air in an attempt to latch onto the Rathalos before it escaped. He missed and landed in a crouch onto the ground, cursing how fast the monster was despite its size.

 

For whatever reason, it had never occurred to Adolin that the target they were after was to be a flying greatshell, which complicated things a bit. On the other hand, this seemed much more exciting than the simple slaughtering that usually passed as hunting nowadays. He found himself smirking. "Can you follow it with one of your... Planes?" he asked. "We will have to take the long way around, but it shouldn't be too difficult to chase after it on horseback if you ride with me."

Edited May 24, 2020 by TehUltimateMage

[DuskOfTheStars]

[Hornet - Flight of the Dragon]

 

Now they were talking. About time. The first of the men - Adolin - started talking. Rhyshadium. Now that was a word she'd never heard before. And apparently that was what his mount was? ...okay, she didn't really get this, but now wasn't the time. ... and replenish coffers? So they needed money.

 

The other one made a "big bee" comparison, and Hornet stiffened instantly. He kept talking before she could interject to tell him not to call her Big Wasp - and thank the Creator he didn't continue. Instead she learned his name, Eren, before he started talking about someone named Myrrh's directions.

 

His last comment made her raise an eyebrow. "I been fightin' hungry beasts and I don't half know this place," she stated -- and then there was a shadow. Her head snapped up instinctively - monster in the sky - a harsh flick of her wrist heralded the launch of her two planes -

 

... and they flew at the beast just as it'd snatched the palico with the others. Her planes' guns were ablaze, but she quickly realised they were missing. Brilliant - the thing was flying away now, and she had to send her planes for another run.

 

Moments later, Adolin turned to her, asking her to send a plane after it. Hornet straightened up a bit. "''Course I can." And now he was calling his Rhyshadium a horse? Maybe that was what all mounts were called...? Whatever - they had a flying monster to chase, and her fighter was gonna tail the thing. She scrabbled up onto the Rhyshadium's back, though she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to hold onto.

 

Besides, it felt weird balancing on the creature. Hopefully Adolin didn't mind if she hung onto his armour, since she didn't see anywhere - whoa. The fighter was already sending back the direction, and she called out. "That way!" She flicked an arm in the direction the beast had taken. "It's goin' towards... uh... looks like a buncha cliffs ta me."

 

When the creature started moving, she held on tight. The way the Rhyshadium was moving, it reminded Hornet of a rolling, roiling sea, one it was easy to lose your balance on. As its feet clacked against the ground, she felt more radio coming in.

 

The fighter reported it circling, before... "It's landed on some a' them cliffs! Up top, so we're gonna have ta get up 'em too."

Edited May 25, 2020 by DuskOfTheStars

[hikarinomemori]

 

Cure Scarlet, Princess of the Crimson Flames
<Status: Stable; In Battle>
<Form: Pretty Cure>
<Location: Ancestral Steps - Area 8>
<People: Nagito | Nugget>

 

~~

 

The roar in the air was more than enough proof that their target had arrived, and Scarlet leaped back to avoid getting hit. She had seen her fair share of combat, it seemed.

 

That being said, it didn't make much sense to rely on her Keys and Scarlet Violin straight away, so she opted to try to strike it in person - Pretty Cure weren't all magic, after all. Unfortunately, she missed, and it was all she could do to keep from crashing from the momentum.

 

When she finally got her bearings, she flinched a little. "Agh, sorry - I might be a bit out of practice..."

 

~~

 

<BATTLE SUMMARY:>
<Scarlet dodges the Tigrex's attack.>
<Scarlet attacks the Tigrex, but misses.>

[Mikasa361]

[Evonna Estelle Durand - MY FACE]

 

"I can say I've heard a' other timelines from them Sirens, but now other worlds altogether? Reckon it had ta happen...." The unfamiliar girl starts to talk, and after Evonna's question she answers, "Hornet. My name's Hornet. Don't need any of them fancy-like titles a' anythin'. What was it ya were sayin' about a mission?"

 

Hornet. Quite the interesting name, but after hearing names such as Adolin, Rock Rock (thanks Stan), and others, Evonna doesn't mind another odd name to add to the collection. She begins to speak, but Adolin cuts in at just the right time, making Evonna's blood boil a little bit. If you'd let me answer the McEffing question, she thinks to herself, but he does put it quite eloquently. Though she has no idea what he just called his horse, Sureblood. What, on God's green earth, is a Rhyshadium?

 

Eren chatters on about how they should take Hornet with them, though she does agree when he says that Hornet has been doing well on her own. "Well, that just means if she'd like to come with us she ca---"

 

Sureblood turns its head to the side, commanding attention when something passes right over them. To her dismay, the horses move away as something huge - IS THAT AN EFFING DRAGON? - swoops down and takes a hold of the cat, flying off. "That's the one!" Eren yells- it seems awfully natural for him to yell like that- and stands atop his horse. Or at least, she thinks he's about to do that before one of his knees hits her right in the face.

 

"M---E-" Evonna curses as she falls right off the horse, landing on her back with an "oof". As soon as she catches her breath, she makes her way back onto her feet, facing Eren, who had just landed in a crouch on the ground. "TABERNAC, Eren, will you watch where you're-" She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Remember, Evonna Estelle, he's the one leading you through this. Do you want to walk after that thing? ".....Jesus Christ, a whole ass dragon," she mutters under her breath. 

 

Adolin smirks, almost as if he'd been waiting for this. Hornet hops onto the horse with Adolin and they're off. Evonna shakes her head and holds her nose. 

 

God please don't tell me my nose is bleeding...

Edited May 29, 2020 by Mikasa361

[TehUltimateMage]

Eren -- Zone 6 

[ hunting: rathalos ] - [ link(?): evonna ]

 

"Evonna, your--" Eren trailed off. He struggled to find his words at that very moment -- the girl's civilian attire had let out a flash of light, drawing his attention, and her clothing had now been replaced by leather and steel armor and a delicate metal faceplate. She was holding her face while snapping at him, but quickly calmed down. Eren furrowed his brow. Had he accidentally knocked her off in his rush to catch the Rathalos? ...Oh, he had. 

 

Taking a beat too long to react, he sheepishly scratched the back of his head and apologized. "I... Sorry. " Eren reached out a hand to help Evonna get back onto her feet. There was no use pissing off new friends, especially since their quarry (not to mention one of the XDRS' Palicos...) was getting farther by the second. 

 

Strangely, grabbing her hand gave him a sense of renewed strength. It seemed to have something to do with her power...? In the multiverse, he knew even less than he did when he was in his homeworld, and that ignorance really frustrated him. Well, that and how Mr. High and Mighty on his white horse had already began prancing away. It shouldn't be too hard to catch up to him. Eren had a feeling that the Rathalos would be returning to its nesting grounds. 

 

He clenched his fist and replied. "Yeah, a whole-ass dragon. And we're going to kick its tail for taking Ser Ocelot!"

 

~

 

Adolin -- Zone 6 > Zone 7

[ hunting: rathalos ] - [ together we ride ]

 

This woman, if her claims were to be believed, had already survived on her own for whoever knows how long. But seeing her flying fabrials in action, Adolin didn't doubt her veracity. Reasonable, confident, and at home in her skin, Hornet didn't seem to be bothered at all by her... immodesty. And, once Adolin got used to the sight (not that she was in his field of vision now that they were riding off), he didn't seem to mind too much either. Given that no one else found it odd that she looked like she was ready to go swimming in the Reshi Isles, Adolin could only assume that this, too, was an otherworldly quirk just as much as the completely different flora and fauna. 

 

Still, he felt a little tension in his shoulders when she grabbed onto his armor for balance. Adolin almost assumed that she was going to attempt to flirt with him with her touch, so accustomed he was to catching the attention of lighteyed girls in the warcamps -- but to his relief she seemed wholly focused on seeking out the Rathalos. 

 

(If only he himself  could stay as focused...)

 

Hornet's second update jostled him out of his thoughts.  "It's landed on some a' them cliffs!"  she said. "Up top, so we're gonna have ta get up 'em too."

 

"Troubling. We'll have to dismount, but a little cliff should not prove to be such an obstacle."

 

Adolin audibly cracked his knuckles -- an impressive feat considering that his bulky gauntlets were in the way -- and eyed the cliff face. It wasn't too different from the shattered plains, minus the ever-present lazy grass clinging to its face. With the power of his shardplate, it wouldn't be hard to scale at all.

 

[DuskOfTheStars]

[Hornet - Overland]

 

Adolin was quick to respond to Hornet's update. " Troubling. We'll have to dismount, but a little cliff should not prove to be such an obstacle."

 

Dismount... right, that was getting off the Rhyshadium. She nodded, even though he wouldn't see her. Hornet hoisted one leg up, before letting go of Adolin's armour and sliding off in the direction of the leg that she hadn't raised. She stumbled and nearly lost her balance upon hitting the ground, however. "Oof!"

 

Hornet staggered a bit before catching her bearings. When she did, she looked around. Damn, that cliff was big... Hornet spotted the vines on the cliff-face. Huh. Maybe that was what Adolin was talking about.

 

She approached the cliff-face, and gave one of the vines an experimental tug. It was sturdy, and didn't feel like it was weakening under fingers. "Mm. These things feel pretty sturdy." She tugged harder, and the vine still stayed. Looked like these were climbable, then. It was probably going to be like climbing a rope.

 

At least vines didn't give you rope burn. Hornet cringed at remembering the feeling. That hurt like hell.

Edited July 21, 2020 by DuskOfTheStars