It's Sushi Time!

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for August
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: August 10th-16th
Warnings: Murdercrabs for the murdercave. A delicacy!

It's early in the morning when you feel the telltale thud of hitting hard-packed earth. Whether you're used to the feeling or not, you'll probably have a bruise or two from hitting the ground, which is another way to say Welcome to Hadriel!

In our beautiful city of Hadriel, you can find many treasures and wonders, like the creepy cat clocks, or the baby face cuckoo clocks, or some dali clocks, or... well, they're all clocks, and lucky for you, they all have different times set on their hands!

Be careful not to spend too much time lingering around with the timepieces, as there are monsters afoot! You should be careful or you'll be overrun by war crabs! These mollusk-like creatures are several feet in diameter and a few hundred pounds, so be careful when dealing with them! They're also capable of utilizing their steam-powered machinery to launch rusty grenades and musket bullets at you- don't think that close range is a good idea either, as their sharp pincers can amputate entire limbs, and they're quicker than they seem.

You might want to get out of this place as soon as possible- maybe one of the other folks around you can lend a hand? Sure, they might be just as confused as you, but there's strength in numbers, after all!

After you've find your way out of the colosseum there's plenty of other distractions. Feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers August 10th-16th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

crab battle

[armcollector]

[Magnus, finally on time to meet the new arrivals at the Colosseum for fucking once in his life, can recognize magic when it's cast. From a year of fighting alongside Taako and Merle, there's a certain quality of sound and a pressure in the air that can be heard or felt with every spell that he's come to recognize easily. It helps when he's in the thick of battle, to recognize what the other two are doing while he's on the front lines quickly, and to make sure he doesn't get in the way while he's up close and personal with some monsters.

Magic Circle isn't a spell Magnus is particularly familiar with, but the telltale sound of magic captures his attention instantly as he looks around the arena. And a woman of the Director's stature, skin tone, and hair color happens to be standing within the summoned translucent cylinder.

From this distance, he doesn't see that she's much younger than he remembers.

He falters for a second, the instant relief he feels upon seeing someone familiar suddenly overtaken by his most recent memories regarding her. He was kind of in the middle of working against her. He abandoned her cause for Barry's, lied to her, worked with the one she claimed was the enemy...

He knows she's been lying to him. He's not sure about what. But maybe that's not so important right now?

A mechanical crab scuttles toward her magic barrier and he takes advantage of its distraction from him to stab it in the back with the huge jousting lance he is currently wielding. He, um, rolls very badly despite having advantage and the metal clangs as the lance is bounced off at a poor angle.

The crab's attention turns to him, and he rushes its side as it turns, and this time he has better luck. His lance jabs between its legs toward its underbelly, piercing the rusty flesh hard. It screeches and sparks and shudders, trying to fight back but already weak. It smacks him in the face with a leg as it falls onto the ground, and he yelps, jerking away and losing grip of the lance.

Still, it's pretty dead. That was a very good roll, okay.

Magnus rubs his temple where it hit him and puts his other hand on his hip, turning back to Lucretia.]

Uh, hey. Noticed you had a crabs problem!

[He grins like an idiot, because there is no other way to grin after a joke like that.]

[scholiast]

Bad, (Lucretia calls automatically, secretly so relieved to see him that she can't help but smile so sincerely at the sight of him standing over the metal carcass of one of the crabs. Even if they can't find the others in the chaos, at least Lucretia has been afforded the knowledge that she won't be alone this cycle. Unless Magnus goes and promptly kicks it to the next crab that shows up and Lucretia can see something like that happening now that she's thought of it.

She gestures, hoping to bring him over to her magic circle, which she isn't really keen on leaving until she's made a better plan than the shit one she's relying on right now.)

Magnus, (she calls, when he's decided he's too busy grinning inanely at his own joke to respond,) come here!

[armcollector]

[Magnus snickers to himself as he turns away to yank his lance out of the crab, then hurries over into the safety of the magic circle.]

Hey! You look good! Uh, you also don't seem to be surprised that I'm alive, which might make a lot of conversations going forward pretty awkward.

[Considering she would have been if she was pulled from the point he was.]

Just so you know, full disclosure, I was the one who pressured Taako and Merle into the whole thing, so if you ever have any inclination to blame them for anything, it was all me. That was a Magnus special.

[Not really, but if he covers their ass they might actually get out of the ordeal without ruining their lives. Although, now that he's looking more closely at her...]

Hey, just checking, but you... definitely said my name just now, right? As in you knew it? Did I say my name?

[scholiast]

Hey, (Lucretia echoes, but then Magnus says several very odd things all at once and she closes her mouth. Opens it, closes it for a second time.)

What are you talking about? (She manages eventually. She can't tell if this is a joke or not. It wouldn't be the first time he's teamed up with the others to give her a playful run-around.)

I said your name, why wouldn't I know it? Look, Magnus– it's not really the right time for this.

(One of the crabs stuck outside of the circle lobs a grenade too hard and Lucretia pauses to watch it sail past them and explode dully on the other side. It kicks up a spray of debris high into the air that spatters against the wall of magic.)

If we get out of here in one piece you can go straight back to razzing me, promise.

[armcollector]

Uhhhhhhhhh.

[There's a lot happening here. She looks very young, is all. He doesn't know why she looks young and also knows who he is. Is she pulling a Taako right now? He never got the impression she was that concerned with her looks.]

I mean, this is kinda important, but--

[A metallic shriek rings out a little too close by, cutting Magnus off. After it finishes, Magnus just stares at the crab like. Are you sure you're done. It was very rude, is all.

Finally, when it seems like it's definitely done screaming for no good reason, Magnus continues.]

Yeah, okay, point taken. Let's fucking mosey. I'll take point, you can blast fools, I've got a very big pointy thing. We just gotta get outta the colosseum.

[scholiast]

(She laughs as the crab screech cuts him off, bewildered to the point where it's just easier to smile, nod, and go along with it. They'll figure it out later, but for now, they'll fight.

The pair of them are a good match-up, actually, Lucretia thinks dimly as she dispels her magic circle to free up her concentration. A wizard, and a fighter. At least one of them has the hitpoints to front this fight. Means that she doesn't have to worry about playing support this time.

She drops back and raises a hand to lob a neat fireball at an advancing crab, flipping it onto its side.)

Go, I'm right behind you.

[armcollector]

Yup!

[He is already rushing off to the first crab that's coming this way from behind the one Lucretia downed. It lobs a grenade, which he winds up and bats back at it with his lance like he's playing baseball. The crab rears up in surprise, but the grenade still explodes in its face.

He checks back to make sure she's still following, and chooses a route with the least crabs obstructing it, the main goal being to escape the colosseum.]

[scholiast]

(She is, and she's being a bit spiteful about the crabs daring to advance on them, casting another fireball to scatter a small group of them. She doesn't like the way they walk, is all. Glancing up she realises where Magnus is trying to herd them towards and picks up the pace, coming up alongside him as the crabs start to thin out. Perhaps they've asserted the fact that they're formidable opponents?? About time.

There's one left, lingering about the exit like it's waiting for them.)

Heads up, Magnus–

[armcollector]

Got it!

[Magnus charges the crab and runs straight into it, lance held out, jousting it the way his weapon was intended to be used. One of his following jabs bounces off its metal skin, but he's got attacks for days, and with enough stabbing he manages to pierce it right in the face. It shudders and tries to shoot at him, but it misses.

Soon enough, it collapses onto the ground, dead or at least dead enough to run past it. He reaches back and grabs Lucretia's arm as he leads her the rest of the way out of the colosseum.

Free from danger, now, he plants his lance into the ground and leans against it as he catches his breath.]

This happens once a month and I still end up [huff huff] out of breath every time. I know I'm gonna end up in the clinic at some point today. That's just how it goes.

[scholiast]

Overkill, (she notes, with satisfaction, hopping past the crab just in case it decides it has enough juice left in the tank to make one final stand and racing after Magnus as he departs the colosseum at top speed, her arm gripped in his large hand.

Eventually they slow down and Lucretia pulls her arm back with a soft pant, hands jumping to her hips. How many times has she had to run like a wild thing from creatures chasing her across the many planets they've delivered? Too many times for comfort, to be honest. She could give up this particular thing and be fine with it.)

Once a month? Why do you keep going to the colosseum, then? Solely for rescue? (Must be. That's her Magnus, rushing in as always.)

Out of breath isn't like you, though, (she teases, even though she's a bit puffed herself.) Getting old or something?