isleofavalon | [Open] New Year Coming in Like Kool-Aid Man

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[Open] New Year Coming in Like Kool-Aid Man

🧙 WHO: Zidane and You!
⚔️️ WHAT: New Year, New Month, New Catch-all
🕒 WHEN: Throughout January until Event
🗺️ WHERE: Atys, New Camelot, wherever Quests require!
⚠️ WARNINGS: None at the moment, will add as they come up

I. Ice Fishing

Lord though he may be, that didn't mean he was going to sit inside all day. And when the quests for the new month become posted, of course Zidane was going to look into a few - especially the ones that might be able to help out some folks, and 10,000 G potentially for a fish sounded good.

Even if it meant taken a cold dive to get them.

Once they arrive at their fishing spot in the gorge, Zidane sets to getting a fire going and setting down supplies. They could stay there all day.

"I have a totem back to Celliwig or Camelot if anything comes up."

II. Yelling Yetis

Given the destruction at the end of the year previous, he's not surprised there continued to be issues like this coming up. But damn, yetis causing issues now?

"... Y'know, I get it. What're the Snow Games? Name alone sounds like it would've been awesome!"

Though, his new enthusiasm for the competition wasn't helping despite a few nods from the yetis themselves in agreement. But hey, a lack of games and the need to get them to go back somehow does give him an idea.

"Why not just have a brief one here? We can figure out some kind of prize, right?"

He looked over at his quest partner with a grin.

III. Wizards Gone Wild!

It's one of those temporary booths set up in New Camelot, around where the marketplace might begin becoming a little more risqué for some folks. He probably could sell out at the clubs, but he'll hit them up later - after he considers going door-to-door.

For now, the table with a sign announcing 'Charity Calendars' doesn't sound that bad, right?

IV. They Grow Up So Fast

[Option A: Calls You Daddy]
It's blue and orange, the glittering egg easily looking like someone painted a sunset on the shell. And upon seeing it in the morning, there are... a lot of thoughts going through Zidane's mind: plenty of shock, plenty of confusion and trying to understand how that worked, and plenty of internal yelling.

B-But they hadn't even... huh?

...

But that's how plenty might cross him later around New Camelot still handling some shopping matters, holding a sunset-shaded egg either against his chest or letting it wander around close with his tail latched to it. It was enough being Lord, but now he was Dad? Maybe make sure he's okay; something about Zidane's general appearance (maybe how he was staring pretty much straight ahead) said he might be in shock.

[Option B: Go on, Git]
If Zidane could, he'd keep their little bear for much longer. However, it's very apparent that living around people permanently wouldn't be possible. Ah, kids... they grow up so fast.

Good news: with Atys located near Elphame and its forests, releasing their cub would be no issue.

Bad news: goblins. Why was he not surprised? Oh, and they brought along a friend.

Cool, cool... he could invite a friend to come join them, too. Giving a reassuring pat to his bear clinging onto his back, he drew his daggers next. It's not like they had to bring the goblins back alive, right?

V. Wildcard

[OOC: Wanna do another prompt from the TDM or a Quest from the board that's not here? Hit me up at

demidemonLove or DM me so we can plot. He's totally here for the other tasks if interested!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That hit looked painful... but the crack that comes from two skulls smashing together, equally as painful. Zidane winces and he even covers his cub's eyes a bit (much to its disappointment and waving a paw to make him move his hand).

One gashadokuro stumbles back, but the second, while shaking its head, wildly takes a swing back at Asterios. If Asterios wanted to go back at the more offensive one, Zidane would slip around to go for the more vulnerable and take advantage of its downed status.

If an enemy is more offensive, that definitely gets his attention. But at least the break, even for just a couple of seconds, after the skull crashing gives him enough time to grab his weapon again. This time he goes for another hard swing, aiming at the claws and intending to hack them off.

"RAAAAAUGH!"

It looks like the offensive gashadokuro is a little more wisened to the brash approach Asterios takes after that crack and manages to pull most of its claw away, but not before losing a finger. Still, no matter to it. What's the loss of one finger which collapses into the pile of old bones it had once been. And with the brief stun wearing off, it'll swing its remaining four claws at Asterios again.

As for the second, Zidane thinks them being left to take out one is enough as he clambers onto the downed gashadokuro's back and goes to sever its head. Oh yeah, the Dullahan and Asterios have the right idea by doing that. But now's a matter of getting out of the collapsed bone pile he's created.

As much of a wall of beef Asterios is, he isn't invulnerable. All these claw attacks are starting to draw blood, and pain. He could try to kick in his insanity, which would have him ignore pain but... well, go crazy... and he doesn't want to risk Zidane and the baby bear's life any further.

(For the record, his own baby is doing just fine. Maybe a blood-soaked. But fine.)

So he staggers back from battle for a moment, clutching his injured arm, and landing on a hefty pile of bones.

"Woah! Berry...!"

Good thing the second was down. The third gashadokuro was proving to be tank, rattling its teeth and seemingly pleased to have drawn blood from the minotaur. It raises its claw to swing again, but stops short at a whistle. It goes on to try following through until a skull bounces off its head.

"Don't think I'm just gonna let you ignore me!"

Zidane's got more bones to chuck if it wants to keep attacking Asterios and he's not afraid to do so. As shown when he throws what was probably another victim's femur. "How about I put one in your eye?! What about that!"

Asterios takes a few precious seconds to catch his breath - oof, no longer being a Servant was exhausting! - before he throws himself back into the fray... literally.

"RAAAUGH!"

He moves to wrap his arm around the monster's neck, trying to lift it off the ground! "How many more... are left...!"

Looks like he bought enough time for Asterios to get a second wind.

"It looks like he's the last one!"

The gashadokuro is struggling to stay on the ground, but even it didn't expect to suddenly be lifted. It loses it's connection with the ground...!

"Then... may this... send a message!"

He digs his hands into the monster's scalp, trying to hoist it high in the air... and then chop it off from its body with his labrys!

Baby bear is definitely covered in... something by now. Ew.

Zidane wonders whether or not to cover his cub's eyes, but it's a bit late to decide as its body becomes... well, separated.

Heck, baby probably liked that.

"Hrm... I'd say message received, but... I don't think we had the audience for it." He kinda maybe took out the goblins already. "... Oh well, they can find the notes left behind if there's any more of them!"

Asterios pauses - oh, right, Zidane had taken care of that part, hadn't he? For a very fleeting second, he looks... embarrassed? But it's over so fast it's impossible to tell if it happened in the first place.

With a grumble, he moves to, gently, take his own cub out of his hair. "... Now, we must... let them go."

Was it possible that... Asterios had been flustered for a second? Well, he had almost done something cool only for that to be negated by everyone pretty much being dead - er, dead again. Whoops; he chuckles a bit, but then sighs.

"Yeah... but, maybe one last bath first." Zidane's cub might have a bit of blood from the goblins, but oh boy, Asterios's cub was... not that color when they started.

"More might come back." Asterios warned. Since there had been no "message" to give, as he had missed the chance... "They must go now."

"You really want to send him off smelling like blood?" Maybe that might spook or deter the goblins if anymore did come around, but that just might attract other animals to them. Though, maybe part of the delay was just Zidane not being ready to let his cub go either.

"It is time."

Asterios... really doesn't know how to comfort people. So tries to copy what his Master has done and slowly - gently - touches Zidane's shoulder.

"... Are they're going to be okay?"

Since Asterios is the animal mage, he knows... right? They might be bears with weird magic, but they're still so small. He knows there's Unseelie out this way too.

Asterios nods. "... They have learned from us." He gently plucks his own bear from his fur, setting it down on the ground. "They are young... but they have thought. Survival is the one true thought, of all animals... that will carry them through."

"Hm... yeah, that's true. They learned from the best." He forces a grin and then crouches. Easing his bear cub onto the ground, he turns to look at it, giving it a pat on the head. "You got this, yeah? Don't forget all those good spots I showed you."

His own bear cub walks up to Zidane's cub, and takes him by the paw. He wants to walk into this new world together with a friend.

Asterios isn't sure whether this is a reflection on their owners or just the way the cubs are, but his expression does soften a touch.

Noticing the other cub walk over, he's surprised to see it take his own cub's paw into its paw. Ah...

"... Yeah, you two take care of each other." Surviving is much easier done together than alone. That makes him feel much better about this.