Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Tokza leaps back and add to the fire with a Mighty Flamethrower. Wendy yawns and sit back on this one, putting herself together after her strenuous mental battle.

SI Gang

Dylan was clearly tuckered out.

Dylan: "What are we even doing again? When are we getting Mothra?"

He shrugs.

Noctilum

"Fire, eh? Music to my ears."

She proceeded to do something a bit odd, and removed the two unused bullets from her gun. She smashed the tips against her sword, coating it in sticky, white-orange flames.

"Let's rumble, motherfucker," she said, leveling her sword at the Leshen. She then rushed forward, and attempted to slide underneath the forest guardian and slash at it's legs.

"Ah... okay. Take care out there, Rbade. And I think that was the case, Dylan."

   "Would you mind if we/I accompanied you back?"    Ansar said, speaking to Rey.

Omega then turned to Kulve, assuming that she was still around, and said, "I... I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to see a dragon as magnificent as you up close. Um..."

He didn't particularly know what to say, since he didn't know if Elder Dragons of the Monster Hunter world could even talk. If skeletons could blush from embarrassment, he probably would be doing so at the moment.

Edited by OmegaShadowcry on May 14th 2019 at 12:11:38 PM

"Go right ahead," Rey replies. "Rbade, I wish you well. And, I think we were heading back to NLA for some quick R&R."

Hey, Mummu, he thinks to himself (and the spirit inhabiting him). Status check?

Kulve Taroth looks down at Omega and makes the goat-dragon equivalent of a smirk. Surrounded by a bunch of sweaty teenage boys and one who only just became a legal adult two days ago out-of-universe doesn't seem like the right place to take a less vulnerable position, no matter how little of a difference it makes.

The Ancient Leshen gets back up.

It unleashes another roar to stun everyone in earshot, then teleports out of the area again.

Reyna sheathes the True Gae Bolg. "Uh, be right back! I've gotta switch weapons and grab some stuff - don't pursue the Ancient Leshen without me!"

She whistles for a wingdrake and latches onto its foot with a grappling hook as it swoops overhead, departing from the premises.

A Minute Later...

Reyna comes running back with a slab of rocket-powered metal on her back instead of the previous elegant polearm.

First, she scatters Lifepowder to heal her teammates.

Then, she pulls out a jar of some kind of yellow juice and chugs it down, reducing her rate of stamina depletion. The effect spreads to her allies, giving them some extra energy and increased resistance to fatigue.

Next, she pulls out a seemingly-identical jar of an orange substance and chugs that as well, boosting the overall defenses of the team.

Finally, she pulls out a third jar with a red substance and chugs that, giving everyone an attack boost.

While the Lifepowder is specifically a full-team-affecting item, Reyna's Wide-Range skill is not at max level with this equipment, so the drinks (in order: Dash Juice, Mega Armorskin, Mega Demondrug) buff her teammates less than they buff herself.

As Reyna's Scoutflies create a trail, leading to the new location of the Ancient Leshen, she pulls out some kind of meat and offers it to Tokza. "For your gash."

If Tokza eats the jerky, the wound the Ancient Leshen had given her earlier will be closed.

—

The Ancient Leshen itself materializes in a sparse, mostly-flat terrain, save for the very large trees scattered around that look like they'd make effective cover... at least from its attacks that don't use roots.

For the third phase onward, I'm going to try to ramp up the difficulty by making the Leshen teleport three times and attack twice on every turn. Your help in reminding me to do that would be appreciated.

Edited by KiriK on May 14th 2019 at 12:21:26 PM

They wait and heal,though Wendy actually looks fairly miffled.

You knew this would happen.

Yeah, yeah, I... well, you could've resisted.

I did though ! says Wendy. I nearly got stabbed by another me but I fought her off with that old person's help.

She waves at Baba Yaga from her spot, then Wendy huffs when Tokza begins to consume the jerky.

Sorry ?? Please ?

Let's do that after the big tree thing's dead. says Tokza, thanking Reyna with a thumb-up. Wendy looks very irritated with her, and doesn't go yet, pondering.

Rbade looks around at the assembled characters: he nods to Omega and Rey. He stretches and yawns.

"See y'all."

And then he just walks off, mind racing with ways to improve his capabilities (and treat himself).

As they chase the Leshen, Baba seems increasingly suspicious with a hint of anger. "He again running away. Why we pursue? You not in danger."

Primordia

"Fuck... I really should start bringing earplugs along for this shit, shouldn't I?"

Megan flourished her blade a bit, and when Reyna reappeared, she grinned, for she knew the Wyvern Ignition well.

"Oh, now we're talking. Let's turn that thing into crispy timbers."

She holstered her handgun, and took out, but did not yet drink, her Primal Armor potion.

Reyna runs along. She gives Baba Yaga a dirty look.

"Because it invaded my world first. Leshen are highly territorial, and apparently opportunistic, because they snuck into my world to gain power from its abundant life compared to their own. Give this one enough time and it'd claim everything under a tree on this planet as its own, from the ground to the other living things. Those Jagras are supposed to be wild animals living in isolated packs, not a legion obeying the beck and call of one monster. You saw what it did to the flower girl. If we don't kill it, it'll just keep getting more dangerous and domineering, and we can't afford that. Not in our world, and definitely not in this one."

They get to its new location, and it promptly calls up a Revolture aura with a swipe of its arm. Then it teleports to a corner of the area far to the group's left, launching a wall of Revoltures poised to hit them all.

Next, it teleports to the party's front side and sends out a "V"-shaped pair of root lines at Megan and Baba Yaga, before teleporting behind them.

Reyna dives for the ground to avoid the Revoltures.

Edited by KiriK on May 14th 2019 at 1:53:07 PM

Wendy, visibly shaken by her experience, is left behind as Tokza rushes forth, to the battle, attempting to join it with a surprise Mach Punch at the Leshen.

Meanwhile, while everyone else is busy, someone step out near Wendy !

"I smell your words true, girl," Baba replies. "Brings no pleasure to kill creature like this, but if must be done..." Baba's mortar vaults over the attacks and Leshen, flipping over in midair to rain a flood of random cursed items from above on the beast's head.

The knight, meanwhile, blocks the Revoltures with a moon-shaped sigil, then unleashes a wave of pure darkness in an attempt to damage and blind the Leshen.

Primordia

Megan dove under the birds, receiving cuts and pecks as before, and quickly found herself being launched backwards by the roots. She had been expecting this, based on her initial positioning, and she slid to a stop a short distance. Still hurt like hell, though.

Realizing that Reyna must be using some kind of wide range build, as she recognized the effect from her time messing with decorations in Monster Hunter. An idea formed in her head, and she called out to Reyna.

"Yo, Reyna! Got a Primal Armor potion for ya!"

She waited for Reyna to be ready to catch, and prepared to yeet the potion over to her.

Reyna looks a bit glum as she looks up from her spot on the ground at Baba Yaga. "Yeah. Geralt's from its world. He tells me they're older than the trees they walk among, and... you really shouldn't kill them unless you absolutely must, which I'm afraid we do."

She stops to catch Megan's potion. Gonna save this for the endgame. Depending on how much we've damaged it already, this phase could be either the longest or the shortest...

The Ancient Leshen starts to teleport, but the rain of cursed objects briefly staggers it. It still teleports, ending up behind a tree on the opposite end of the battlefield. Also, nothing happens to it this time.

Reyna comments, "The traditional statuses that can affect monsters like this one are poison, sleep, paralysis, stun, and blast. Ancient Leshen is immune to sleep and most susceptible to poison... but still not very weak to it. It's probably built up an immunity from the last two times it got poisoned, and the other statuses just... failed to occur. Also, while it's supposedly difficult to stun with blunt force, it is guaranteed to be stunned if you manage to expose it to blinding bright light."

The Ancient Leshen teleports closer to where the team is, but then it digs its hands into the ground and tears them up, erecting a barrier of tree roots twisting and angling upwards, which takes the knight's beam of darkness for it. After that, it launches a medium-sized flock of Revoltures through the barrier at Reyna, followed by a small wave of them at Tokza. Then it immediately does the exact same thing a second time, with the medium flock flying at Baba Yaga... but the small one still flying at Tokza, again.

Reyna gets blown down by the first Revolture flock in an instant. As she pulls herself up, she grunts and notches some kind of orb thing into her Slinger. "I've got Flash Pods on me for blinding it, but I'm saving them for when it summons Jagras, when it uses its pinning attack, and/or when it tries to one-shot us all in an unblockable nigh-undodgeable crowsplosion the size of Noctilum."

Tokza is able to dodge the first wave of Revoltures, but the next one catch her by surprise and she's pushed back. However, a shadow brushes past her and leap towards the Leshen, revealing Harenzo, a Kirlia.

Hey, jerk ! Pick on someone your own size ! he says, before attempting to blast the beast with Psychic, summoning an intense pink beam to try to strike the beast ! If successful, he fires a Charge Beam, with the attack's energy washing over him and seemingly empowering him a little.

Harenzo ? Hey, back off !

Wendy watches from afar, slowly building herself up with the Quiver Dance.

Edited by Bolded1 on May 14th 2019 at 12:02:28 PM

Noctilum

Megan picked herself up off the floor, and channeled about an eighth of her total mana into her sword, striking her palm off of the flat like one would strike a match. The blade glowed in the same ghostly blue as her bullets had previously, and the flames took on more of a pure-white hue as the orange-white flames mixed with the blue of the sword. She pulsed her dragonsenses once again, and focused in on her sense of sound to locate the leshen, waiting until it had finished teleporting before mustering up all the speed she could.

She then ran up the side of one of the nearby trees, and aimed a nice, solid, helmsplitter-esque plunging strike down on the Ancient Leshen, hoping to break a horn or get a mount off on it.

"Well, should be dawn soon," the hag simply says, strangely unconcerned by the threat of an Noctilum-encompassing one-hit-kil crowsplosion. The mortar hops sideways to dodge the deadly flock and Baba throws a skull with flaming eyesockets directly at Leshen. It will shatter with a fiery explosion on impact. If it connects and Leshen is staggered, the Night rider will charge in and attempt to cleave its head off.

Noctillum Depths

Geralt would be in a cave alongside the young man he just essentially rescued, having collected some firewood. Geralt would light the fire with a minor use of igni, and would meditate. The young man would begin to wake up, gradually. He'd Pull, as if trying to pull a blanket closer to himself, but he's pulling on air... He finally sits up, Looking around. "Wha... Where am I?" Geralt responds by simply replying "I was about to ask you just about the same thing."

Noctilum Depths

A muffled snap can be heard outside. Several, actually — seemingly all from the same source. Something large was on the prowl...

Something hungry.

—

The Distraction Carnifex looked around, smelling fresh meat for the first time in hivefleets-only-know how long. It had been surviving off of secondhand sources, trees, and fucking rocks for far too long. It's fang-filled mouth dripped with saliva in anticipation of a fresh meal, and it began to stalk back and forth in front of the cave entrance, breathing quietly as it waited for signs of life. It's four scythe-bladed forelimbs twitched with ravenous intent, and it's eyes glared into the depths, straining for any sign of life.

The Ancient Leshen is struck by Harenzo's Psychic, but does not flinch. The subsequent Charge Beam is stopped by the wall of roots.

As is Baba Yaga's skull throw, but then Reyna brandishes her Hunter Runestone and burns down the barrier with a quick burst of Igni-esque flame, allowing Megan and Night to get two clean hits on its head. Sadly, the Ancient Leshen seems to be resisting decapitation at the moment.

Also they both take automatic chip damage because they were within physical reach of it while its aura was up.

It teleports away from what's left of the barrier, then teleports two more times around the place before howling, calling forth another pack of Jagras.

And then it opts to use its dark smog of possession on Tokza and Harenzo.

Edited by KiriK on May 15th 2019 at 7:49:45 AM

Wendy recognizes the attack but freezes up in terror at its sight, thus, Harenzo's hit by the attack and end up possessed, his psychic energy flaring up around him. Tokza is saved and pulled backward by Wendy's vines, though !

Harenzo, no !

SI Gang

Dylan sighs, laying down on The Warrior's shoulder and looking to the sky.

Dylan: "So, NLA it is?"

SI Gang

Mummu replied back to Rey, also in thought. We seem to be in the clear, for now. You gonna be alright, kid? You and your crew took a hell of a beating there.

Omega paused for a moment, and then nodded, slightly confused. "You... can understand Common, although that look... hmm... I suspect you're more fascinating than you're letting on. Consider me most intrigued, indeed."

"So it seems, Dylan. Let's get a move-on before I feel the need to re-enact the Great Highway Robbery of 356."

Omega gave Lahkmu a look of complete and utter skeletal bafflement, as even he did not know what this event was.

Megan stumbled to a landing, her sword biting deep into the ancient earth, stifling but not extinquishing the alchemical flames. She could feel the burning of the cuts, bites, scrapes, and pecks, but decided not to use a potion just yet. She instead pumped even more mana into her sword, draining the color considerably, and withdrew it from the earth. The flames glowed a strong, yet ghostly, ice-blue, and a thin trail of light followed the tip of her blade.

"Alright, alright, alright, motherfucker, let's see how you handle an Aura Spike to your face."

She trailed after the leshen, and tried to get into a good position to make a lunge at its face or chest, aiming to stab it — or at least she would have if it weren't for the jagras.

"... shit. Reyna? You have any flashpods?"

She decided to back off and wait for an opening instead.

No, I don't think we're fine. I mean, I think we will be, but we're not right now.

Rey leads the Self-Insert Gang back to NLA.

Expect to see more of them after the setting change, but for now, they get a well-deserved break.

"Right here." Reyna fires the Flash Pod she had loaded into her Slinger earlier. It explodes in a blinding flash of light. Then she climbs up a nearby ledge seemingly made from overgrown fungal formations, jumps off, brings her Great Sword out mid-jump (seemingly propelling herself upwards with the initial burst of the built-in engine for extra airtime), and swings it down at the Ancient Leshen right before she hits the ground.

The Jagras and the Ancient Leshen are blinded by the light, preventing the latter from marking a target. It wildly stomps and swings its arms, trying to hit whoever gets too close even as Reyna lands her blade on its head.

And as a consequence, although Reyna hits the Leshen with her jumping charged slash, she promptly gets swatted aside by a stray backhand like a fly that was too slow. Unlike a fly, she survives, thanks in part to the buffs she had applied.

—

Harenzo's mindscape looks mostly the same as Wendy's did, but Fey Harenzo takes the form of a shiny Kirlia whose head-parts are bound into a shape that more closely resemble a tribal headdress than wide bangs.

He reaches out to his counterpart with one hand and makes an aggressive yell, attempting to daze him with a blast of Confusion.

Main Entrance - Hit and Brain

The portal shut behind them, with a loud whoop.The gates were wide open, and the golem that was out front was still standing there.

Tower's Peak - Narktus

   "Good day to you... Narktus. I will be in contact."   

Oblivia - Yamoshi and Bardock

Gunnor is dazed for another few moments, before returning from the seemingly out of body experience. He rushes Yamoshi head on, developing a thick ice coating around his entire armor. He knew something was coming, but was confident he could tank it.

No ! No ! Harenzo, fight it ! Fight it ! says Wendy, attempting to pull a Cooldown Hug on the corrupted Psychic/Fairy. He does seems to cool down... and then wrap an hand around her "waist", raising his hand and charging up a Thunderbolt.

Shit ! Wendy's on the way ! Dodge ! says Tokza, as Harenzo unleashes a powerful, straight-forward bolt of lightning at the anti-Leshen gang. He doesn't let go of Wendy, seemingly using her as a shield, to her stunned horror.

—

Harenzo's eyes glow and he dodge by lifting the terrain below him, putting his hands on his hips and looking down at the Fey.

Fighting a Psychic in the confines of his mind is a big mistake, you ug-wait, no... rah, forget it !

He attempts to manipulate the terrain, attempting to smack Fey Harenzo around by raising pillars and the likes.