Author Topic: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!  (Read 32822 times)

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #120 on: October 11, 2011, 07:20:03 AM »
>Marisa: We're bringing that giant down.  "Fairies, pull back on the head and hair!  Cirno slick the surface!  Everyone else, knock the back of the knees in!"  Comet: Blazing Star to get some speed, then Love Sign: Master Spark directed at.... opposite direction of Giant Suika's face, kamikaze, hopfully with enough force to bring her down onto the other judges.

(Also toyed around with an idea to have everyone combine into our own giant of many, and go toe-to-toe).

>Youmu: Fleeting time is nothing for the gardener of Hakugyokurou.  With one hand flip the monk's hair into her eyes, and with the other drive a sword in front of her leg so that if she were to move, would cut herself.  Take off in the direction of Akyu, we'll be her legs while our conviction lasts.  Don't get hit by falling onis.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #121 on: October 11, 2011, 08:56:46 AM »
>Marisa: We're bringing that giant down.  "Fairies, pull back on the head and hair!  Cirno slick the surface!  Everyone else, knock the back of the knees in!"  Comet: Blazing Star to get some speed, then Love Sign: Master Spark directed at.... opposite direction of Giant Suika's face, kamikaze, hopfully with enough force to bring her down onto the other judges.

(Also toyed around with an idea to have everyone combine into our own giant of many, and go toe-to-toe).

>Youmu: Fleeting time is nothing for the gardener of Hakugyokurou.  With one hand flip the monk's hair into her eyes, and with the other drive a sword in front of her leg so that if she were to move, would cut herself.  Take off in the direction of Akyu, we'll be her legs while our conviction lasts.  Don't get hit by falling onis.

> Marisa

> You pull some more spells out of your repertoire, lest it be forgotten that your magic is as potent as your muscle, sending your whole body hurtling at Suika even as your allies swarm all around her.
> You feel the comforting sensation of your greatest spell completing. A brilliant pillar of light lances into the sky, a beacon that lights up all of Heaven, its destructive force used for the singular purpose of providing more speed, more momentum, more force.
> The force of your shoulder connecting with Suika's forehead shatters the island beneath you, and sends everyone attached to her flying in every direction. You, yourself, maintain your position as Suika ponderously somersaults backwards from the impact of your attack.

(Fightest's note: You can go toe-to-toe, and without assistance, at that. Mighty Hold specifically allows you to do so, regardless of your opponent's size and mass.)

> Youmu

> Please clarify your actions in regard to the Monk. Do you wish to disable her or pin her down in any way?

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #122 on: October 12, 2011, 07:07:52 AM »
>Marisa: Arcane Grapple ~ Spinning Piledriver Suika's horn into the ground.

>Youmu: Just remembered our right arm is out, but doing two actions should be no problem with Ghost Sign.  The intent is to prevent pursuit, or at least hinder it.  The hair in the eyes is meant to be a screen to set up a trap in a blind spot, so that if the monk should give chase she takes herself out of the race.  It'd be best to set up a sword just in front of and just in back of a leg, but including the feint, that might count as three actions.  The trap is meant to pin her by preventing movement in one leg, at least temporarily, but if she springs the trap. she would debilitate her movement.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #123 on: October 17, 2011, 09:09:22 AM »
>Marisa: Arcane Grapple ~ Spinning Piledriver Suika's horn into the ground.

>Youmu: Just remembered our right arm is out, but doing two actions should be no problem with Ghost Sign.  The intent is to prevent pursuit, or at least hinder it.  The hair in the eyes is meant to be a screen to set up a trap in a blind spot, so that if the monk should give chase she takes herself out of the race.  It'd be best to set up a sword just in front of and just in back of a leg, but including the feint, that might count as three actions.  The trap is meant to pin her by preventing movement in one leg, at least temporarily, but if she springs the trap. she would debilitate her movement.

> Marisa

> For the moment it is but you and the now-giant Oni, but odds have never fazed you.
> You grab Suika by one of her horns and, with impossible leverage, lift her entire - giggling with mirth - form off her feet.
> All that is left is to let gravity do its job. You take a step into the abyss.
> Far below you, the Youkai Mountain rushes at you as you spin Suika downwards, downwards, the air screaming in your ears, the clouds parting before you and
> As though continents colliding, you make impact with the upper slopes of the Youkai mountain, breaking off house-sized chunks and sending them flying in every direction.
> Suika lies in the middle of the crater you made, her eyes googly. She is stunned for the time being.

> Youmu

> You cannot let yourself give up for as long as you have strength in your body.
> Like a wind's whisper you rush forward, draw your swords one after the other and plant them deep into the ground around the Monk's leg, expertly pinning her in place.
> With nary so much as a pause you continue onwards, onwards to Akyu, grabbing your honored ally and, sweeping her off her legs, carrying her across the islands of Heaven at a speed unmatched.

> Akyu

> It is as if a hurricane picked you up and carried you with a mind of its own.
> You take a moment to realise that you are being carried by Youmu, who is not looking well at all - her breathing is ragged and shallow, and her face pale.
> You realise that she will carry you far, but her body will collapse from under her before she reaches her distination.

> A pulse of sound, as though the ringing of bells, carries around the battlefield. Kanako, singing a mighty hymn, releases her stored magic, suffusing her allied Judges, rejuvenating and invigorating them.
> "I'mhereI'mhereI'mhereI'mhereI'mhere!"
> Sanae, dressed in full Shrine Maiden regalia, dashes through the clouds to stand opposed to her two patron Goddesses. You can hear her shouting from where you are.
> "They're done! Just try not to kill me while I get set up!"

> A ball of fire lights up the battlefield, surrounding a recovered Shikieki. She charges at her nearest target...
> And halts her advance as a crimson lance rips through the air ahead of her, as if thrown from far below, splitting clouds and islands alike in its path.
> Looking down, amidst the tapestry of Gensokyo laid out far beneath you, you can clearly see a circular patch of grass, as though the ground was but several metres below.
> Three figures stand on the patch - Reisen, her red eyes glowing as she channels her sight-warping spell, the maidservant Sakuya, holding a sequined parasol over her mistress, Remilia Scarlet, who is even now preparing to throw another arcane lance.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #124 on: October 20, 2011, 12:52:31 PM »
> The Parser apologises for taking so long to write up the previous post but would like to point out that it is there harrumph

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #125 on: October 21, 2011, 07:55:23 AM »
Aw, don't worry Fighty, I'm sure you've got plenty on your plate.  There have been pauses before, and there will be pauses ahead.  No fretting allowed.

>Has Kanako's spell rejuvenated Suika too?
>How's morale on our side?
>Set allies to "Protect Sanae" mode.
>Akyu: Attend to Youmu as best we can.  Is she too hot/cold? Wipe away sweat? Heart rate?  Our mind's eye tell us anything? Watch her eyes and breathing closely for signs of collapse; if she's giving her last for us, we'll be sure her fall is as soft as we can at this speed.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #126 on: October 21, 2011, 04:19:50 PM »
>Has Kanako's spell rejuvenated Suika too?
>How's morale on our side?
>Set allies to "Protect Sanae" mode.
>Akyu: Attend to Youmu as best we can.  Is she too hot/cold? Wipe away sweat? Heart rate?  Our mind's eye tell us anything? Watch her eyes and breathing closely for signs of collapse; if she's giving her last for us, we'll be sure her fall is as soft as we can at this speed.

> Yes
> Everyone's going out of their way to resist in as much a non-permanently-damaging manner as possible has actually kept them conserving their strength. As such, confidence in victory is still high.
> The first group to respond to Sanae's entrance are Kaguya, Eirin and Mokou. They take up defensive positions around Sanae, who is even now fixing talisman after talisman in place in mid-air around her.
> In response, Kanako starts charging up another orb.

> Akyu

> Even as you are being carried by her, you tend to Youmu.
> She looks on her last legs, but the determination in her eyes in unshakeable.
> Your Qi sense paints a grim picture: critical Qi centres in her body have been shattered completely, and the resultant flow is sickly and cancerous.
> A procedure to restore these centres is complicated and dangerous - a wrong move could cause even more damage, maybe even killing the recipient outright.
> Your Compassion makes it impossible for you to truly hurt your allies.
> You concentrate on your own Qi and, with a few precise taps on Youmu's breastbone and neck, manage to infuse her with some of your overflow, creating two gentle pulses of Qi where Youmu's once were. Already her flow improves and stabilises.
> This is a stop-gap measure at best, as the damage has already been done, but, at least, she will survive.

> You have traveled far, and, gently, you lay the unconscious Youmu on the ground. All that is left now is the journey up, to the very top of Heaven.
> The air around you grows cold, ghost lights in the shapes of butterflies materialising out of nowhere.
> With a sound of breaking glass, the enigmatic lady in the pink-and-purple formal kimono appears, kneeling next to Youmu, gently stroking her head.
> "Well done, Youmu," she says, "well done. It was impossible, yet you have succeeded still."
> The lady turns to you.
> "Thanks would be in order, hmm?" She smiles and winks. "Without you, this wouldn't've worked! Poor girl-" she nods at Youmu "-she knows nothing about the failsafes, but that's what makes them work."

> Shikieki, her sword now a blazing whip, parries the second thrown lance only to barely dodge Remilia Scarlet's charge.
> "A judge?" scoffs Remilia. "You're but a miserable little pile of laws."
> Shikieki's answer is only the snapping of her whip.

> The monk turns her head slightly to view her new opponent out of the corner of her eye.
> "You cannot hope to win," she says. "Not against my power. You've seen what the Hieda child can do."
> "Then I'll just lose until you are too tired to claim victory," says Meiling.

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #127 on: October 22, 2011, 06:37:39 AM »
Hoo boy.
>Marisa: Pin Suika's horn into the ground as long as we can.  If she can get free, Arcane Grapple ~ Quickthief Reversal by directing Suika into the Mountain Lake, or basically try to impede her progress.
>Akyu: What does our Qi tell us?  Do we sense hostility?  "What do you speak of?"

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #128 on: October 22, 2011, 11:16:05 AM »
Hoo boy.
>Marisa: Pin Suika's horn into the ground as long as we can.  If she can get free, Arcane Grapple ~ Quickthief Reversal by directing Suika into the Mountain Lake, or basically try to impede her progress.
>Akyu: What does our Qi tell us?  Do we sense hostility?  "What do you speak of?"

> Marisa

> You grab hold of Suika as she recovers and, with a heave, send her sprawling into the nearby lake, sending up a vast plume of water.
> Amidst the spray, you can feel Suika trying to get up on her feet.
> "Only two Oni ever reached the ceiling underground, you heard of that? Always did wonder if I could reach the ceiling here."
> You feel a monstrous surge of acceleration, and it is all you can do to keep holding on, as the ground falls away at an astonishing rate.
> You see, off in the distance, the highest reaches of Heaven - your flight spells could never carry you this high and, soon, even they fall below you.
> Seconds later you come to a harsh stop as the two of you crash into... the sky... sending cracks running along the hard and smooth gentle-blue surface.
> Through the gentle blue, as if through stained glass, you can see a swirling, colourless non-void, a roiling, chaotic, all-encompassing existence, its tendrils hungrily licking away at the hard wall that separates you from what is outside.

> Akyu

> Something has broken around the lady. The intrusive compulsion that seems to drive the rest of the Judges is not there for her.
> She is not hostile.
> "I've always been a bit worried that someone would somehow control my mind or body against my will. That sort of thing just would not do - I've simply got too many responsibilities to waste time like that. So I placed a few triggers and conditions on myself to allow me to resist all control should dear Youmu ever be in danger and rush, like a knight in the shiniest of armours, to her aid. Once that happened, I was able to kill the compulsion entirely."
> She shrugs, as if it were a trivial task for her.

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #129 on: October 23, 2011, 06:30:40 AM »
>Marisa: Depending on what is below us, we may need to Master Spark as a retro rocket to avoid a harsh landing.
>Akyu: "Then do you know how we can stop this foolish tournament, or who we must confront?"

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #130 on: October 24, 2011, 03:44:23 PM »
>Marisa: Depending on what is below us, we may need to Master Spark as a retro rocket to avoid a harsh landing.
>Akyu: "Then do you know how we can stop this foolish tournament, or who we must confront?"

> Marisa

> You've got a lot of falling time before you need to make any decisions.
> In addition, your Brawling is sufficient for you to land at terminal velocity without meaningful damage.

> Akyu

> The lady bites her lip at your first question, and smiles enigmatically at your second.
> "The answer to your second question comes in two parts, the second of which I will not reveal. You see, I believe there is an interesting... event riding on your ability to deduce your final confrontation. The penultimate, though, is obvious enough - you're looking for the individual all the way at the top. An interesting person, if you can call them that."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #131 on: October 25, 2011, 07:45:07 AM »
>Marisa: "SUIKA WHAT WAS THAT?  WE SHOULDN"T HAVE GONE HIGH ENOUGH TO REACH SPACE!"  To make sure she can hear us through the rushing wind.
>And make sure she doesn't grab us.

>Akyu: "Will they be able to answer my questions up top?"
>Continue travel?

Anything to add anyone?

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #132 on: October 26, 2011, 11:40:13 AM »
>Marisa: "SUIKA WHAT WAS THAT?  WE SHOULDN"T HAVE GONE HIGH ENOUGH TO REACH SPACE!"  To make sure she can hear us through the rushing wind.
>And make sure she doesn't grab us.

> Marisa

> "Space? Oh, 's right, you surface people have that thing going on. Ain't no space here!" she hollers, her voice booming. "Only the unshaped chaos, the unexistence that is what it is not!"
> She tries to grab you by your head, but you slip through her fingers and re-establish your hold on her arm.
> "Look down, Marisa! This is all that's left of our little world!" Suika's voice is filled with equal parts hysteria and spite.

Quote
>Akyu: "Will they be able to answer my questions up top?"
>Continue travel?

> "They most certainly will - it is their plan to reveal. Do you want me take you there? You will leave your allies behind if so."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #133 on: October 27, 2011, 07:51:10 AM »
>Akyu: "Let's end this, the sooner the confrontation, the less Gensokyo has to suffer."

Anything else?

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #134 on: October 29, 2011, 10:22:22 PM »
>Akyu: "Let's end this, the sooner the confrontation, the less Gensokyo has to suffer."

Anything else?

> The lady nods, and a chill unlike any other surrounds and envelops you. A darkness follows, and you feel yourself slipping away, slipping away into a nothingness cold and terrible.
> A warm wind brings you out of your stupor, and you find yourself elsewhere. There is nothing above you but a blue sky, and it is as if all the land is below you to watch with an enlightened detachment. A pavilion stands just ahead of you, radiating the warm wind that you feel now. A small pedestal stands at the centre of the pavilion, a smaller container, like a finely-crafted pitcher, stands atop it.
> A figure in magnificent golden armour sits meditating, cross-legged, before the entrance of the pavilion. A sword, radiating brilliant crimson, lies beside her.

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #135 on: October 30, 2011, 06:22:44 AM »
>What do we sense about her?
>"Hello?  Whom is this august personage before me?"

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #136 on: October 31, 2011, 12:11:03 PM »
>What do we sense about her?
>"Hello?  Whom is this august personage before me?"

> She is a swirling mess of magic and Qi intertwining and overlapping, as if fighting each other for superiority.
> You sense the immunity effect of noncombatants, but one that has been subtly altered.
> You sense a presence about her that feels alien to her.

> The figure opens her eyes, normal for a brief moment before they turn to glowing golden orbs.
> The voice that comes out of her mouth is both a gentle feminine one and a deep, rumbling bass, cracking with age.
> "She is my Eldest Daughter, and the final challenge between a contestant and the glorious prize that awaits them as reward for their victories."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #137 on: November 03, 2011, 06:31:28 AM »
>"Were you the one to start this whole tournament nonsense? (Why would you do such a thing?)"
>"What will you gain by fighting? Do you not think there is another way?"

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #138 on: November 03, 2011, 08:52:09 AM »
>"Were you the one to start this whole tournament nonsense? (Why would you do such a thing?)"
>"What will you gain by fighting? Do you not think there is another way?"

> The figure takes a more relaxed pose.
> "Yes, I started the tournament that you have done so well in. And, to forestall your next question - no, I cannot end it. It is beyond my power."
> The figure smiles a confident smile.
> "This entire event was created with this very situation in mind. Yes, Akyu, daughter of the Hieda, the whole tournament was designed for you. For you to enter, for you to participate in, for you to win and lose in. And, finally, it is for you to end."
> The figure casually shrugs.
> "Ending it is, of course, impossible, but I trust you will find a way. We are all doomed if you do not."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #139 on: November 04, 2011, 07:31:39 AM »
>"If you started this whole ruckus with the intent of getting me dragged into the mess, why go about it in such a round about way?  Tempting others with promises of lasting life in order to eventually get me caught up in the storm, then leading me by the nose blundering about, finally bringing me to your doorstep, to do what, even you don't know.  All the while involving and hurting innocents in the process.  If I were able to help, and the situation is as grave as you and Hakurei claim, why would I refuse?  What is really going on in our world?"

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #140 on: November 04, 2011, 08:04:54 AM »
>"If you started this whole ruckus with the intent of getting me dragged into the mess, why go about it in such a round about way?  Tempting others with promises of lasting life in order to eventually get me caught up in the storm, then leading me by the nose blundering about, finally bringing me to your doorstep, to do what, even you don't know.  All the while involving and hurting innocents in the process.  If I were able to help, and the situation is as grave as you and Hakurei claim, why would I refuse?  What is really going on in our world?"

> "Time enough for explanations, I would suppose. The little bubble of existence that you know as Gensokyo is dying. The Sublime Barrier is fading, bit by bit and, it might not be today, and it might not be for ten years, but, eventually, nothing will remain."
> The figure stands up.
> "Believe it or not, Akyu of the Hieda, you are this world's last hope. Your ancestral memory might hold in it some way to save us all, the ancestral memory that can be unlocked by the phenomenal power passed down through the Hieda clan. I have been trying to awaken a child of Hieda to this power for many, many decades and you are my last and greatest attempt. The Hieda line and - should you fail - the rest of the world as well, ends with you, Akyu."
> With a flourish of her arm, the figure materialises three crystals in the air in front of her - only an illusion, you can tell. One burns with a golden flame, one oozes a black shadow, one shines with a crimson light.
> "Only a time of great crisis can make this power manifest, and only by accomplishing impossible deeds can its wielder truly awaken it."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #141 on: November 05, 2011, 07:50:34 AM »
>"What have your previous attempts to awaken my line been?" Check with Eidetic Memory.
>"What are you showing me now?"

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #142 on: November 05, 2011, 11:48:22 AM »
>"What have your previous attempts to awaken my line been?" Check with Eidetic Memory.
>"What are you showing me now?"

> You are unaware of any direct interference on you or any of your ancestors.
> "Every time this land had been plunged into crisis I had hoped you - or your ancestors - would be embroiled in it somehow. Yet, to my frustration, you have always managed to stay on the sidelines, playing the role of the impartial observer. My only choice was increase the stakes, involving everyone in the crisis, and here we are."
> "Power, Akyu. A flawed and simple representation of it, but it is the greatest power this land has ever seen. I do not know which kind you possess, but that matters little at this stage."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #143 on: November 07, 2011, 07:21:03 AM »
>Any ideas how to identify or draw this power? "Any idea how to draw on or from this power?"

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #144 on: November 07, 2011, 09:00:50 AM »
>Any ideas how to identify or draw this power? "Any idea how to draw on or from this power?"

> An uncanny, unnatural sensation floods through you - you should know and understand this power, but it is as if you are seeing it for the first time. It is as if your own hands have become alien to you.
> "You have been drawing on it ever since you broke your immunity. Magnificently so, I would add."

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #145 on: November 08, 2011, 08:38:41 AM »
>Meditate.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #146 on: November 08, 2011, 09:14:15 AM »

Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #147 on: November 09, 2011, 07:35:40 AM »
To ...um... think about this new sensation, and from where in our psyche/body/place? it comes from, in order to understand it better.. or something.
Assuming we're free to do so, and she suddenly doesn't go "Ha! Gotcha!" And punches us in the ..... external occipital protuberance.

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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #148 on: November 09, 2011, 02:07:13 PM »
Also, analyze (Or Introspect, if we've the time and freedom of thought, since that seemed to be a way to better realize and appreciate one's abilities based off of previous Introspection) our growth since the beginning of this mess, recalling how we started and our current abilities that we DO know about? (Not looking for a list of Skills/Stances/Moves, we could just reference the first post for that.  I'm talking about a more general sense.)
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Re: Pound on the Gates of Heaven! Akyu Quest Concluded!
« Reply #149 on: November 10, 2011, 04:36:16 PM »
Jq has it.

>Let's not go so far as meditating in the middle of all this, rather, just consider a moment. As well, contemplate how our many allies have helped us through all this, in a more absrtract fashion, to see if there's anything other than face value that can be see there.