Hunt, hunt, hunt! Another one bites the dust!

[thezekeinator]

⭐ Who: Zeke x3! Sam x2! Lisa, Ango, Keiwa, Hanako, Mitsuki, Jade!
⭐ When: January
⭐ Where: The Dream Sphere
⭐ What: Three Torment Hunts! What could go wrong?
⭐ Warnings: chaos... brought?!

Comments

Hunt 1: Chaosbringer, Tycoon, Rhodonite, Drop-DTune; Facet Lagoon!

[thezekeinator]

Oh, this is great!

[The beach is narrow here, the white cliffs close to keep Torments hemmed in and packed together. The lineup of Sentry, Striker, Saver is in place, established for maximum effect, with Tycoon free to run interference on any end. Chaosbringer claps his hands together, already delighted!]

Okay! Rhodonite, do you want to bait them in, or shall we have Tycoon dart in and out, then you intercept?

[traceofeffort]

Hmm. Probably better to have me bait them, yeah?

[Rhodonite is looking around at the cliffs, feeling like she's getting ready for the climactic battle of some high-budget anime movie. You couldn't ask for a better place to set up an ambush... or a firing line. This might work?]

I don't trust the Torments not to decide to shoot first and ask questions later. If they get frisky, I can always cover myself. I dunno if I can get to Tycoon-san fast enough to keep him from getting hit, though. [She can; she just doesn't trust herself to actually keep him from being harmed, which is. Too high of a bar.] I'm, um, open to suggestions if that sounds heavy-handed? Otherwise, I'm good to go!

[i_peace]

[at the start of the month, Tycoon would have been feeling fairly capable. At this point... He's definitely less confident. This wasn't an entirely foreign feeling; Tycoon has never entered the Dream Sphere feeling fully ready to take on the Torments and Nightmares that occupy this world. And unlike the other two Dreamers, this ninja's default state is anxious and unconfident to start. Though...

Try as he might to keep his nerves steady, this is the first time he's found his hands shaking while holding onto his weapons.

Still, he's fought with Chaosbringer and D-Tune both. This will be his first time fighting with Rhodonite, but if he could manage to fight a Night Terror and a Nightmare, then just a group of Torments should be fine right? Right.]

I'll be fine. [maybe he should try that again, once more and with confidence? Tycoon looks like he wants to but gives up partway through the attempt, though he tries to give Rhodonite a smile nonetheless] Just let me know where you need me to be.

[noonecandestroythemetal]

Don't worry too much, Rhodonite. If they target Tycoon, I've got his back. Chaosbringer's a freaking tank anyhow, I'm less worried about him.

[That's also because they tend to do a lot of these together, and she has fought with Tycoon before, so she's confident in him--even if he isn't confident in himself. But there's a difference in confidence and cockiness, and Sam's the type to err on the side of caution.]

Whatever you three choose to do, my plan's to bring up the rear--mostly to be a rear guard, but I can move around enough to get to any Torments that menace you guys.

[And to be sure she can heal anyone who needs it, if necessary. Up to and including herself; Sam knows she's far from perfect!]

[thezekeinator]

[Chaosbringer would complain about how so many plans include "just let Chaosbringer get slapped around, it doesn't bother him"... if he didn't specifically love being indestructible.]

All right! Rhodonite, ready when you are!

[Drawing his sword, Chaosbringer slashes it left, then right, whirls it above his head dramatically, then brandishes it forward with electricity crackling along the blade. Is it extra? Absolutely! And he's convinced the Dream Sphere responds to such things.]

[traceofeffort]

[Is it extra? Absolutely. Does it reassure Lisa that someone's ready to take over if she royally screws up? Multiple someones, since DTune also volunteered to jump in? Definitely, and she lets out a breath, seeming upbeat. Moreso than any of these people have seen in a while. She's pumped up to get this show on the road. And, thus:]

Roger that! I'm going for it-!

[She's not quite enough of a nerd to play at being a mecha pilot, but it's important to keep them informed, right? The way she takes off like a shot might as well be off a linear catapult, though, water whipping up in her wake as she goes, and between the disturbance in the water and the sound off her bass as she blasts out something halfway between J-rock and glam, the Torments definitely notice her. The faint glow as she channels magic to hold their attention doesn't hurt either. Her route bends back onto shore and between the white cliffs, and her hair whips in the wind as she quickly but deliberately steps in her now-wet heels. It's taking enough focus not to slip that she can't quite shape the words for detailed orders, but she can manage one command, as the crowd starts to filter in behind her-]

Special delivery! Open fire!!

[i_peace]

[he's relieved that Rhodonite's taking point. It gives Tycoon time to get his nerves under control... It's not the first time he's been nervous going into the Dream Sphere, but with the memory of the thorough trouncing he got in the Necropolis, the nerves are harder to shake off than normal.

This is bad. Didn't he just have to learn to not focus on this if he was going to get his magic to work? The last thing he needed was to be surprised into becoming a tanuki again]

... [he breathes a quiet sigh before tightening his grip on his weapons. No time to be nervous-

Tycoon jumps up a cliff face before kicking off, launching himself further into the air. Once airborne, he summons a bunshin as he drops down onto the group of Torments with weapons out and landing on top of one, taking it out. His clone also drops a little further into the crowd than him, likewise with his weapons drawn though without the same level of accuracy, landing in the midst of the Torments. The attacks break up the mob a bit around the edges, the ones towards the centre pushing further in as a few strays are knocked out of the ground.

Wait, was there a plan? He might have forgotten it while trying to get his nerves under control, but it's fine, right? This is fine. Chaosbringer has enough strength to burst down the group without issue]

[noonecandestroythemetal]

[And honestly, whatever Chaosbringer, Tycoon, and Rhodonite don't take care of, DropD-Tune can mop up. That's one of the reasons she's there. At least, according to her, anyhow.

She's sticking to her plan to bring up the rear, but she's not dragging her heels by any means. She slings her axe off her back, charging in after Rhodonite and Tycoon. If Chaosbringer's going to slack by posing, well, Sam has no problems picking it up!

Sam's heels have penetrated ice before, but it seems that they're sturdy enough (that or she's kicking hard enough) to allow her to run up the side of the cliff at an angle, following Tycoon's lead to get at the Torments he casts to the right. They might get uppity, if she doesn't! Not that she's really worried--if she was, she wouldn't be spouting quips, now--would she?]

Come on, Chaosbringer! Don't just stand there looking pretty! We've got work to do!

[thezekeinator]

I'm not just looking pretty. I am pretty!

[But Chaosbringer has a reason for delaying, which quickly becomes clear as Rhodonite reaches the shore once more. Seeming very casual about it, Zeke tosses his sword into the shallows, where it lands point-down and sinks a little bit into the sand, just enough to hold it upright with the hilt and a foot of blade above the water. Turning to face his comrades, he smirks, then lifts one hand, snaps his fingers, then twitches the extended index finger down and back towards the blade.]

[Lightning launches downward from the clear sky, striking the hilt, then rushing outwards through the water. Not many better spots than here for Electricity to really do its thing!]

Hunt 2: Chaosbringer, Hanako, Decadence, Siren; Stardust Sanctuary!

[thezekeinator]

THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!

[Sword upraised, Chaosbringer charges towards where he thinks a descending Torment might land. He'd picked the Sanctuary for this group because he thought it would be fairly easy, all things considered. With enemies raining down and his own endless wellspring of enthusiasm, he almost thinks that... maybe... this won't be a disaster?]

[darknesshotpot]

[This is already a disaster.

All Ango wanted was a nice, easy Hunt where he (as a newly minted Experienced Dreamer) could safely sit back and collect overtime pay while watching some energetic newbies chase after Torments. He'd already been to the Stardust Sanctuary, and it seemed ideal for slacking off - the Torments generally weren't too threatening, and you could see them coming from a mile away. No dark, claustrophobic corridors or bone spiders here. He shudders a little, thinking of the last failed mission and the lingering agitation that he still can't seem to shake.

Instead of the bright-eyed newbies he'd been expecting, they showed up to the Hunt. Stupid Sexy Zeke (like hell Ango is going to call him "Chaosbringer") and The Brat. There's also a mermaid kid that Ango doesn't know, but they're a teenager and therefore automatically suspicious.]

Yeah, yeah, I see it...

[Grumbling, Ango materializes another pair of throwing knives and flings them towards the nearest falling Torments... which just so happen to be near the brat, so the knives go flying past his head just a little too close for comfort. Heh. Serves him right for blaming the whole failed Excursion on Ango... okay, Ango probably could have been a little more careful, but sometimes recklessness leads to rewards! Chaucer said it best - "nothing ventured, nothing gained."]

[hanamane]

[Yep, this was definitely a disaster.

On one hand, Hanako liked Stardust Sanctuary-- the enemies were largely predictable (aside from the occasional giant dragon), and he'd been on enough hunts here already that he could take care of these critters without breaking a sweat. The scenery itself never failed to put him in a good mood, either, so he was usually content to stick around and admire the view long after everything was mopped up and taken care of.

Except... well. Of all the people he had to wind up on a hunt here with, why did it have to involve these two? At least Zeke seemed more occupied with fighting Torments than grabbing faces this time around, thankfully, but Hanako couldn't trust himself to be ten feet from Ango without breaking his stupid glorified glasses in half. It was his fault he'd been a nervous wreck here most of the month-- even if it was in the name of digging up more information on Reverie (literally), it was just common sense NOT to dig up graves in the creepy, haunted labyrinth zone, okay!! Especially after he told him not to mess with anything!!!

So that was why Hanako was going to do the wise thing (for once) and keep himself at the edge of the group, opting to stay closer to the one unfamiliar face among them than give himself more headaches. Better to help keep an eye on the Novice amidst all the activity than distract himself with arguments!

... or so he had thought, until Ango's knives whizz past his face and straight towards his target in front of him, the blade's edge close enough to shave off a few strands of his hair in the process. OH. So this is what they were doing now, huh?]

... hey. Old man.

[Hanako's mouth might be smiling, but the look in his eyes is absolutely murderous, focusing it dead on Decadence as he swivels his head in their direction.]

I think you missed one! ☆

[And at that, his Hakujoudai rockets into another incoming Torment, driving it hard enough in Ango's way that the force makes it burst into an explosion of sparkly dust right over the other man's head. GET GLITTERBOMBED, BITCH.]

[brightidol]

[Siren, meanwhile, is trying so hard to focus on the Torments around them, and not the bickering. They summon water and as they send it towards a Torment, they freeze it into sharp points. They do this a couple more times. Its their new favorite trick, sue them.

But between Hanako's close call with the knife and the glitterbombing of Decadence, Mitsuki is starting to get the feeling there's some history here.]

I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this hunt...

[And their focus is now split not so evenly between the Torments around them and what's going on with the two.]

[thezekeinator]

You're telling me.

[Grumbling, Chaosbringer spins his sword around, shaping it into a scythe that cleaves through the fallen Torment with a thunderclap and a fierce hiss-rush of electricity. No having fun today, not when the Hunt is practically half-staffed and any delay on his part might lead to a superpowered slapfight back there.]

[Turning to face the others, Zeke gets ready to start trying to be inspirational, and wondering just what the HECK is going on.]

[darknesshotpot]

[Seriously, a glitterbomb? What a middle-school-level prank! Ango may be a 40-year-old juvenile delinquent, and Zeke may be a permanent 8th grader, but Hanako's the biggest brat here by far.

At least Siren seems to have their shit together, so Ango ducks behind them for a moment to attempt to shake the glittery stardust from his hair. Ugh, gross. Will it disappear when they leave the Dream Sphere, or is he going to keep picking little bits of glitter out of his Dreamer costume for the rest of his life?]

Yeah, that's anxiety. The trick is to never let those bad feelings catch up to you.

[Ango dodges a volley of fireball Torments and swaps his default throwing knives for a more substantial weapon: a samurai sword not unlike the one he had in his Disturbance. What it lacks in range it makes up for in cutting power as he hacks through a larger-than-usual Torment.]

Uh, is it just me, or are these guys a little bigger than they were last time?

[hanamane]

[Wait 'til Ango finds out that Hanako's an actual middle-schooler-- wouldn't that just blow his mind??

He can't help but shoot the man a reproachful look when he scuttles over behind Siren, though, moving away out of instinct; couldn't he just stick to his own side?? Gratifying as it was to bombard Ango with a year's worth of Art Herpes, they still had their duties to fulfill, and he didn't exactly like to be considered the weakest link just because some crappy adult decided to pick a fight.]

Are you sure you should be the one saying that...?

[After all, it was Ango's Bad Feelings that nearly broke the Dream Sphere a few months ago, but for as uncharitable as Hanako was feeling towards the older man these days, he wasn't about to put lemon juice in that proverbial cut, either. It's not like he's any more qualified to talk about anxiety himself, especially now that the weird roiling feelings he'd been having lately have finally died down. But at least he's not offering up advice about it...!!

But right now, the only sniping he should be doing is towards the Torments, and they didn't seem to be letting up just because he had to needle at Ango a little more. In fact, they seem to be bearing relentlessly upon their little cluster now, and while Hanako can hit some of the further ones with his Hakujoudai just fine, some get close enough that he has to fall back upon his trusted knife to cleave his way through. He'd done this enough times by now to know their usual patterns, but--]

I dunno if I'd say bigger, but they're definitely coming down a lot faster than usual. Maybe something's got them agitated...

[Yeah, like THE RANCID VIBES, maybe????]

[brightidol]

[Siren looks between Decadence and Hanako.]

No, I don't think its anxiety that's giving me this feeling.

[Honestly, Siren is a little relieved to hear that this isn't normal for the Torments here, because its kind of an exhausting pace if they aren't going to let up soon. And the two more experienced Dreamers using them as a barrier isn't helping them at all. They take an icy shot at another Torment, a little bit away from them, making sure not to hit the two problem Dreamers. They don't trust their ability to not hit the two Dreamers near them if they attack anything closer.]

Can you two at least try to behave yourselves? I may be inexperienced, but I doubt this is how your supposed to act in a Hunt.

Hunt 3: Chaosbringer, Drop-DTune, Space Witch; Whispering Grotto!

[thezekeinator]

[Sloshing out of another pool of water, Chaosbringer groans wearily as he kicks a Torment out of his way.]

What is going on with this bloody place today?

[This whole trip is a slog. Not only is the music terrible today for reasons he can't even comprehend, the whole cavern system seems knee-deep in Torments! Not strong ones, fortunately, but quantity is a quality all its own. Pausing, he rests one hand on the wall, then glances over his shoulder to check on the others.]

Everything good?

[noonecandestroythemetal]

I could complain about my armor, but it wouldn't get me terribly far, I think.

[Though there are definitely times--like now--where Sam wonders why she ever dreamed this outfit up. Sure, she thinks it's cool, but while Zeke potentially sinks just because he's bulky, she does because her armor is. It's a pain, and there's a part of her that envies the other Dreamer girls who have cute, wispy little outfits.

Though she has to admit, that's not really a part of her wheelhouse--wispy outfit and a big honkin' battleaxe that doubles as a guitar? Yeah, right.]

I'd kinda like to know where all these little monsters are coming from, myself. It's like they're bleeding out of the walls, or something! You doing okay, back there?

[She's sure Space Witch can handle herself okay, but D-Tune is the sort to ask anyway...]

[dogdaughter]

[ While Space Witch is probably having the easiest time with travel out of the three, being able to hover above the water instead of trudging through it... her canine ears are folded flat against her head. She picks off a couple incoming torments with her rifle before replying (she feels pretty confident that all the little guys in this place are angry today, so she doesn't feel too bad about taking preemptive shots). ]

I... yes. Mostly. [ She's not one to complain, but... ] I just wasn't expecting the "music" to be... this.

[ She's sure she's made worse noises back when she used to pretend she could play the flute... but then again she's also not part dog in the Waking World. This noise would probably bother human ears less too! ]

I think I see a more open area down the path a bit, maybe they're centered in there?

...I wonder if the sounds are agitating them, or if it sounds like this because they're agitated...

[thezekeinator]

[Honestly three-quarters of why Zeke sinks are his big honkin' metallic boots. Rocking a wispy skirt is just a benefit of being him.]

Probably yes. [To both. Urgh. Blargh. Obviously, the situation is getting to him, especially the noise, because even the irrepressible Chaosbringer is a bit dampened. Of course, having D-Tune along means he's a little more open to expressing such emotions, but even so.]

[Since he's no longer in the water, Chaosbringer draws his sword and strides forward, eager to meet some enemies that might get his blood pumping.]

[noonecandestroythemetal]

[D-Tune is...a bit inured to the noise. Mostly because she's used to loud, cacophonous sounds. She might wince once or twice when things are especially piercing, but inwardly, Sam is definitely blessing the existence of Creeping Mendacity. She'll have to buy the boys some cold beverages of their choice, later...]

Yeah, probably six of one, half a dozen of the other, if you get my meaning.

[She's up for closing in after Chaosbringer for the moment--since Space Witch has a gun, it's probably better that she's in the back. Let the two armored meatheads take point!]

Just be careful, they're nuisances one at a time, but if they mob anyone, this could get ugly fast...

[dogdaughter]

[ Space Witch nods resolutely, not really thinking about the fact that her taking up the rear means no one can see this. ]

I'll do my best to keep down how many reach you two!

[ She continues to stay behind the other two, but closes the gap between them enough that she can see into the upcoming cavern better... ]

[thezekeinator]

[He's on Sentry duty this Hunt, as he so often is, but that suits him just fine; when it comes to battle, Chaosbringer's a heckin' tanky Striker. So he takes the lead, though not far since Sam's a heckin' strikey Saver.]

[Sploosh sploosh sploosh go his boots through the water as he has to wade back down into a stream again and duck under the low opening to the next room -- which immediately has him drawing his sword, as the shadows of that stalagmite-riddled cavern beyond seem to shimmer and writhe with way more Torments than he'd expect.]

Well, bollocks.

[noonecandestroythemetal]

Bollocks? Zeke, what the--

[She's not as short here as she is in the waking world, which means she isn't going in blind. Not entirely. But DropD-Tune is aware that their sniper probably can't see past them, since that's a low bridge Chaosbringer is now blocking.]

Space Witch can't shoot with you in the way! Come on, move!

[Really, Sam can't do her job, either, which is getting in there to swing her axe around! She needs some elbow room, dammit! Sam doesn't particularly want to shove him--but she will if needs must. It's a warning that she calls back to Jade, next.]

We've got a LOT of incoming in here! Just--do what you can! [Since for the moment, there are two six-foot-tall meat shields blocking the cavern mouth...]