[Open] Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time

[tantailizing]

🧙 WHO: Zidane and You!
⚔️️ WHAT: May catch-all! Quests, Contests, and a Minotaur, oh my!
🕒 WHEN: All throughout May
🗺️ WHERE: In and out of Camelot City
⚠️ WARNINGS: Killing in one quest and cursing follows

[I. No Buccaing Out]

[The Silent Shore living up to its name tonight, but that didn't matter once they were in the water. It was funny in that way being underwater, how every motion from the current a noisy muted slosh heavy against the ear and yet still not loud enough to cover up every other sound below.]

[But they weren't here to wax poetics about the ocean; they were here about nudibranches.]

[... Hehe, funny name, but not a fun creature to deal with - mostly. They were fortunately slow, but on the other hand, there's a lot off them. Zidane can see why they were becoming a problem since, when he killed one, there were just three more to deal with inching towards the corpse he was going to dispose of. At least it worked as bait?]

It's like there's no end to these guys...

[II. Holo, Goodbye]

[It's a sentimental request and time was of the essence. Not only that, but he wouldn't mind seeing these holo rocks himself in-person. They've keep that visit short and grab one to take to grandma.]

Which rock do you think we should grab once we get there? I'm between saying the roundest one or the flattest we can find.

[They're almost there and this was obviously an important decision to make.]

[III. A Balanced Approach]

[A bug catching contest was not the next contest he expected to join, but what the hell? If it put them on better terms with Celliwig then why not give it a go? And at least the bugs they were catching looked much better than oglops, but then again, most things looked better than oglops.]

[It wasn't long in before Zidane's in competition with one of the members of the Frog Tribe. A promise of a fair match and they're off. The prize for the winner? Well, the frog would be any bugs that Zidane caught if they won, but if Zidane won, he'd get one of the frog's special treasures. What was that? Who the heck knew; probably a bug, but hey, it was on.]

[Caught up in his own match, another character competing might find themselves nearly crashed into by Zidane in pursuit of another catch.]

Whoops! Sorry about that!

[IV. A Stone's Throw from Revenge]

[From a friendly contest to Camelot being laid siege to by a minotaur. Well, this was putting a slight bump in the way of befriending Celliwig now, wasn't it? But it wasn't the time to think about that either. Buildings were being smashed, people were terrified and running whichever way they could find cover, but the rocks kept coming.]

Hey! Over here, you bastard!

[Zidane wasn't sure if the minotaur could hear him, but he was gonna get this guy's attention one way or another.]

[And one of those ways would be swapping the way one of those hurdled boulders was flying and reversing it back to the minotaur. Man, now he was glad he took several knocks to the head from his moogle practicing with rocks, but dammit, he had to work on his aim.]

Yeah! You heard me! C'mon, what's the matter? Suddenly can hit shit, can you!?

[V. There's Safety in Numbers]

[It would be his luck that the place he just started working for got hit. The owner hadn't been inside, but he guessed he was unemployed again until repairs were done... or something. He'd figure it out after... well...]

[Annoyingly, that minotaur had caused quite a bit of damage to Camelot. Zidane still hadn't heard why either, but that guy was gone after a few knocks to the head. Well deserved he thinks, but it hadn't happened soon enough. Ignoring his own scraps and developing bruises, he pressed on to find people that might need help. He could help get people out of rubble, be a second pair of hands for a medic, even run off to get food or water if needed; just as usual, he was ready to help out.]

[VI. Wildcard]

[Can't decide out of all the prompts? New player that rather continue a TDM thread here than on the drive? This is the option for you! Just hit me up at demidemonLove!]

Comments

Holo, Goodbye

[whatsamada]

[Meanwhile, here Ken was, thinking to himself. Obviously, this was very important if this rock was suppose to be meant for someone else. As he pondered about this, there was only one logical conclusion!]

Why not find one that has both features?

[Clearly, this was the best option!]

[tantailizing]

Hm! If we get lucky enough to find one with both features, yeah!

[But they weren't yet over that bend to see what they might be working with. Of course, that's a thought to five seconds ago because the river was now in sight.]

Woooah... they weren't kidding about that shine.

[whatsamada]

[As Ken got a closer look at the river, all he could do was give a sigh. Of course this quest wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.]

Then isn't it all the more important that we start looking? Hopefully we're able to find a round and flat one!

[He said before bending over to get a closer look. Hmmmm....!!]

[tantailizing]

Yup. We've got quite the selection and we need a refined eye...

[But he says that with a teasing note because, not really. They're picking rocks, not cut gemstones. Although, his eyes drift over to the partying fairies, drinking and being merry... and glancing their way.]

...?

[He knows he's read up on them, but... how trickster in nature could some of them be again? And this wouldn't be invading their territory, right? They weren't all normally here.]

[whatsamada]

[As Ken looked at the fairies and then back at Zidane, he wondered if he should make the first move.]

You don't think they would mind us taking a few of their stones, would they?

[While Ken might not know the older teen that well, he had a feeling he was up to something. He didn't know what but just...something. That being said, he was holding his spear as if he was expecting an attack of sorts.]

i. no buccaing out

[fullgauntlet]

[The last time that Izuku was down on the Silent Shore he, Ochako and Gaius had to fight off a pretty hefty wave of violent orcs. This time it seems that the water is more their turf and the nudibranches are the ones causing the issues now. Izuku has to wonder if it's something negatively magical about this place that attracts all the trouble...

As he has to tread in the water now Izuku can't bring his broadsword with him. Without the heavy weapon, Izuku is relying on his magic skills for this. But that won't slow him down, he's ready to help.

Even if he feels bad about using a corpse to... Ugh.]

I think we have to keep going, though. If we bring down the numbers enough, it should make this place safe again. Erm... At least- safer.

[tantailizing]

[They're really not hard to kill - a quick stab with his dagger and cleaning them off before moving onto the next. He should've brought a spear or something... haha, Freya would have no problem with this. He has a grin on his face, trying not to laugh at the thought of the dragoon knight jumping out of the water and back in just to stab several nudibranches (she totally wouldn't do that and would knock him in the head for being stupid).]

... But how fast do these things multiply? Are we looking at a few weeks or a few months before we're exterminating them again?

[This is the thing with pests. It wasn't something that was really mentioned, was it?]

Or is this like a seasonal thing? They're here now, but in another part of the waters the rest of the year?

[fullgauntlet]

[Izuku frowns shortly as he uses a flash of alchemy to manipulate a sharp piece of metal to pierce through another one of the pests. It's a messy and disgusting job. Especially since they make such a gross weird noise when they lose their breath in the water and Izuku feels the dread in his stomach for it.]

I ... I don't know. I don't know much about these things except that they're a lot like a parasitic type of slug...?

[He glances at Zidane.]

I think if we can get rid of as many as we can then maybe they won't pose so much of a threat to the community here and they can take care of the rest. We've got to do our best...!

[And maybe steer clear of that sticky paralytic sludge!]

[tantailizing]

[They do make weird sounds, but he thinks it's more because of the water. Either way, Zidane's fairly casual about killing them - more disappointed that there doesn't seem to be more they could do with them.]

... Ya think I could coat my daggers with them and paralyze someone that way?

[Because this kind of seems like a waste.]

Holo Goodbye

[konpeito_aji]

The shiniest!

Did you know there's a belief in Owari if you can skip a rock across the river when it's not frozen without it sinking, you can accomplish anything.

[Speaking of flat rocks; watch this.]

[Nobunaga goes skipping the flattest rock he can across the river!]

[tantailizing]

So, you're suggested a flat rock. Okay...!

[Because a lot of these rocks were equally as shiny it's easier to spot a dull rock than the opposite.]

[Meanwhile, Nobunaga's rock skipping seems to disturb the visiting locals more than they already were bothering them with their rock hunt.]

[konpeito_aji]

ROCK SKIPPING CONTEST! COME ON!!! You can't be too drunk already!!!

[Whatever, he'll just get the fairies to learn how to be as awesome as him. OBVIOUSLY.]

[Nobunaga is also trying to film it for the Granny, though he hopes this part doesn't give her a heart attack or something.]

[tantailizing]

[They are not too drunk, but they were enjoying the shimmering river. But now, he has challenged faeries to a contest.]

[Meanwhile, Zidane's gonna keep searching for a rock. Oda should be fine, right? Right! Flat rock, flaaat rock... that one?! No...]

Holo, Goodbye

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Zidane and Darin really were two people cut from the same cloth. When he heard the request, he couldn't help but sign up as fast as he could either. So when he found himself teamed up with Zidane again, it was actually a welcome surprise.]

We have to choose? Why not both? If we have time, I could always carve it into something...really make it one of a kind.

[tantailizing]

We probably could, but they mentioned fairies will be around, right? We might not wanna take more than we need.

[Normally, he'd be cool with it, but this stuff with having to get on Celliwig's good side was still a thing. An annoying thing when they wouldn't even talk directly to them, but building up magic is between him and getting back home... boo diplomacy.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

If we each take one, I'm sure they won't mind. Hell, I'm sure if we explain the situation they might even appreciate the honesty.

...Worse comes to worse, we can trade something.

[tantailizing]

Yeah, I was thinking of that if they started getting mad. Any ideas what a fairy would want in exchange? I don't have any ore on me right now...

[And Gods help them if they wanted diamond.]

IV

[whirlwindthrust]

Do you think provoking the creature is truly the best course of action?

[ Xiao is there, of course. With a beast rampaging about and putting people in danger, how could he idly stand back? No, that just won't do. Thus he stands there, with spear in hand. It's admirable that this one would use the rocks against the minotaur. Clever even.

The Yaksha looks for a moment to assess the situation. His own magic... Well.

He takes his spear and cuts his own hand. ]

[tantailizing]

Hey, if it's targeting me, it's not targeting anyone else. Besides, I can at least throw the rocks back.

[So, of course, why not? Only issue was keeping the minotaur's attention if it happened to catch on - fortunately, it seemed a bit thick.]

[Raising an eyebrow, there's a slight grimace when Xiao cuts his hand, but... he can figure why.]

Blood magic? ... You good attacking from here or do you need to get closer?

[whirlwindthrust]

[ As long as that is what it is. A tactic that Xiao would likely attempt to employ himself. Now Zidane might call the creature thick, but the Yaksha might say the opposite. It has a rather singular focus and is not forgetting its overall goal, to not be completely taken in by a potential opponent aiming to just tick it off. ]

My preference would be to get closer. Or to bring it closer.

[ Think that you can manage that you little monkey? ]

[tantailizing]

Well, I know I can do one.

[Grinning, he looks at the minotaur and waves his hands. But soon, he sticks his tongue out and makes some rude gestures. That'll be another rock heading their way.]

Oh look! Big enough to hold one!

III

[rotacalamitas]

[Zidane isn't the only out here trying to compete in a bug-catching contest, as Bennett is also out here. He wasn't lucky enough to get any promises of treasure, but maybe that's for the best, right? Any attempts to get treasure tend to go poorly for him, after all. If it's purely for sport and fun then what's the worst that could happen?

...Well...]

Ahh!

[The answer? Zidane nearly crashing into him, Bennett trying to dodge out of the way, but his attempts to avoid while Zidane does the same ends up with Bennett somehow getting caught up in Zidane's net.]

[tantailizing]

[Zidane doesn't even know how... this guy got caught in his net, but it happened? Turning around, he begins to help them out.]

Try not to move. It'll only take a sec...

[Or maybe it would be easier to undo the knots? Again, how in the hell did this work out? Wrong move at the wrong time.]

[rotacalamitas]

Gah... [Bennett knows not to struggle, at least, sitting there sheepishly as . He's gotten himself accidentally caught in his fair share of snares and traps before, and so a bug net wasn't much different in that regard.]

S-sorry about that, I should've been watching where I was going...

[He droops his head a little as he says that, fully acknowledging this was his bad.]

[tantailizing]

Nah, you're good. Everyone's running around in here, and those Frog guys are tripping people up on purpose.

[He gets enough of the net done that Bennett could get out now, buuut he'll undo a little more in case he managed to somehow make it worse.]

Alright, it's safe for you to move!