middaeg | [Open] July Catch-all

Entry tags:

kh: riku

[Open] July Catch-all

Who: Riku and YOU
When: Throughout July
Where: Aefenglom, Dorchacht
What: Quests catch-all.
Warnings: N/A

a; Blink and Miss 'Em;

[By the time he reached seventeen Riku had traveled a multiverse, gone on countless adventures, and fought agents of darkness. With the help of his friends, of course. But even still, with a track record like that he's predisposed to certain notions about himself. Such as, that he's prepared and equip to deal with any situation.

Including herding and looking after two kittens who can vanish before his eyes in an instant. Despite the fact that he's never owned a cat, or any kind of pet before. It's something the most average of people can handle (minus the teleporting bit) so he should have it under control.

He couldn't be more wrong.

It will soon become a familiar sight to see the silver haired teenager running around the city in exasperation as he strives to follow the trail of his two foster kittens.]

Have you seen any kittens go by? The ones I'm looking for are white and brown.

[As for the mischievous kittens, they delight in their little games and are likely to appear in front of someone and curl around their legs for ear scratches, or follow after anyone in possession of food. You might even find them suddenly in your shop after closing or in your home, curling up on your favorite chair. Luckily, they possess collars with tags that read: If found, please return to...and the address of the Keyblade House.]

b; Doppelgangers

[One day in mid-July more chaos seems to surround Riku as he wanders around the city with his Keyblade strapped to his back. That wouldn't be so strange in and of itself if it wasn't for the fact that the teen begins to start trying to instigate a fight with whoever he thinks looks like they would be a strong opponent.]

Hey you! You look pretty tough. Think you'd stand a chance against me? [He says before striking some kind of tough guy pose with his weapon. Those who demure or try to walk away will find themselves being blocked by the teen as he continues to try and goad a fight.

Those that know Riku will probably find this behavior very strange and clue into the fact that something is going on.

Some may even, in fact, run into the 'real' Riku who is searching for his doppelganger and Keyblade.]

I know this sounds crazy, but if you see a clone of me walking around with a big sword, can you let me know? It's important.

c; Don't Make Waves

[Despite having been on his fair share of missions similar to this since his arrival in this world, Riku can never sleep easy knowing that danger lurks nearby. So most nights he stays up long after most have gone to sleep. The rumors surrounding the lake had made him anticipatory to get here and see it for himself, but in the light of day it had just been a lake. He doesn't sense anything magical about it. The water is clear and Cwyld-free as far as he can tell.

Maybe the rumors of disappearances is just rumors after all.

With these restless thoughts he goes a sits by the side of the lake, anyways feeling a sense of comfort and homeliness when he's by a body of water. Gathering some pebbles up in his hand, he begins to toss them into the water one by one.

There's nothing at first. And then something large and shadowy moves within the depths of the water and begins to rise.]

What in the world...

[A large, hard shell burst through the surface of the water and Riku scrambles back from the edge, reaching for his Keyblade in one hand, and summoning a ball of fire into the other.]

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Just think of it like a Heartless type we haven't encountered before!

[Even if Riku could probably write a book on various types of Heartless by now. A very detailed book.

Regardless, she follows up his fire to the face by darting forward and swinging her crackling keyblade at the creature's arm as it turns to glare at him. Or, at least she thinks that's what it's doing. She's not entirely sure where its eyes are.

It doesn't even seem to notice her, but when her Keyblade makes contact, it lets out another loud noise, this one sharper, and jerks its leg away with speed she didn't think it would have. She can't actually see if she did real damage or if that was just the equivalent of suddenly getting a really bad static shock, though.

And better not to stand around to find out. She backpedals quickly, trying to put distance between her and the creature before it punishes her for that hit.]

[Riku shakes his head at her suggestion. Heartless or not, this thing is going to give them trouble, its size alone seeming to take up much of the width of the lake. And who knows how much of it might still be submerged below the water.

Perhaps that's where its hiding its vulnerable places. Still, he's not sure he's ready to test that theory by diving into the water. Not yet.

Instead, he uses the creature's focus on Kairi to his advantage by approaching it from a blind spot and leaping onto its shell. From his position he's able to see the bit of damage that Kairi's lightning had done to its arm. Not enough on its own, but if he attacks the same spot...

He brings his Keyblade down on the damaged skin of the creature's leg, the sharp edges piercing through enough to draw blood. The creature lets out another, louder roar as it rears back its body, attempting to buck Riku off.]

Whoa-

[Riku manages to get a grip on part of the shell with one hand, but its slick with lake water and his other hand is burdened with his Keyblade.]

Riku!

[Though concern and worry flood through the bond, Kairi stands her ground rather than trying to clamber on to help him. After all, she probably can't help by jumping up there with him, but if the creature exposes its underbelly by rearing up-

There! There's a spot close to the bottom that looks like it's a bit oozier than the others. Deciding to capitalize on the opening, Kairi rushes toward it at full speed, lunging forward with her Keyblade in a direct thrust into what she hopes is a weak spot.

Judging by the ear-splitting shriek the beast lets out when she stabs it, that did some damage! Unfortunately, she's now directly in front of the creature and she's got its attention completely...]

Riku! Jump off! [She does her best to communicate a sense of danger to him through the bond as the beast turns its full attention on her. She gives him as many seconds as possible, and then just chooses to hope he gets away as she channels as much electricity as she can through Oathkeeper into the raging monster.]

Edited (HTML!!!!) 2020-07-23 12:06 (UTC)

[His hand is already starting to slip, but he hopes he's at least made the creature vulnerable and distracted enough for Kairi to get close and attack. He can only assume that he's managed that much when he feels the monster jerk underneath, letting out another shriek.

But before Riku can get too optimistic, his hand slips completely free from the ridge of the shell and he free falls straight into the water. Managing to take a small breath before becoming submerged completely in the lake, he's moving soon after hitting the water.

He's slow and awkward in the water, his Keyblade weighing him down even with the effects of the weightless spell in effect. Apparently, there's still some adjustments to that spell to be made. But for now he's focusing on not drowning or being caught in Kairi's electricity.

Behind him, the creature lets out a harsh scream as it flails in the water, trying to get away from Kairi's attack.]

[So the good news is, that definitely hurt it. Then again, if getting stabbed in the gut and pumped full of electricity didn't hurt this thing, Kairi would basically have been out of ideas.

The bad news is, it's not dead, it's furious, and her mana isn't limitless. While its flailing arms can't exactly aim for her while the lightning is messing with the beast's muscle control, it's going to get lucky eventually, and taking hits is easily the thing she's worst at, combat wise. So as Riku tries to get away from the tussle and back into a combat-ready position, Kairi channels in one final burst and uses the blast she fires from the tip of her Keyblade to hurl herself back.

Unfortunately, rather than landing on her feet and skidding back as she'd intended, she slips. Which perhaps she should have expected given the creature came out of the water and has been dripping all over the ground where they've been fighting it. Too late to realize that, though, as she falls onto her left side and slides along the ground, giving herself one hell of a scrape, several bruises, and causing her left arm to go numb.

The creature shrieks again, she can't tell if it's in pain or fury, and she desperately tries to haul herself back up onto her feet. The one good thing is that she's not feeling any pain from Riku... though she's probably sending him some at this point. Along with fear as the beast hauls itself further out of the water, possibly all the way out, to come after her.]

Oh crap...

[Riku is hit with a mixture of pain/fear that nearly steals the last bit of air from his lungs. He finally manages to get his head above water, taking a deep, gasping breath as he reaches the edge of the lake and tosses his Keyblade up over the side to lie on the grass.

He uses some of his reserved energy to pull himself up and out of the water, rolling over onto his back. But his mind only lingers briefly on his own weariness before he's climbing to his feet and lifting his Keyblade once again.

What he had felt had come from Kairi, warning him of the danger she's in. He can't give himself over to his exhaustion just yet. Not until the creature is taken care of.

Finally turning his attention back to the creature, he watches in growing horror as the creature pulls itself the rest of the way out of the water. He's taking off into a run before his brain catches up to his movement, his lips forming the spell for fire as he goes. A ball of flame materializes inside his palm once again, this one growing bigger and brighter than the last.

He throws the ball into the face of the creature right as he comes to stand in front of Kairi and he follows it up with a down stroke of his Keyblade, aimed at the vulnerable tissue along the creature's neck.

The onslaught prompts the creature to wheel back several steps, splashing partly back into the water.]

Kairi! Are you okay?

[With distance put between them and the danger, Riku rounds on Kairi, keeping the creature and the lake within view even as he looks his friend over.]

[Kairi manages to scramble to her knees and is rising painfully to her feet with the aid of Destiny's Embrace as a makeshift cane when Riku jumps back into the fray, hurling a much larger fireball at the creature and slashing its neck. It screams again in response, and backs away, giving her time to shift into a fighting stance again.]

I'll live. My left arm's numb, but I don't think it's broken or dislocated. Everything else'll heal fine pretty easily. What about-

[The creature lets out yet another shriek, but this time it seems almost like it's gurgling at the same time. As if it's getting some liquid in its throat from Riku's last attack. And something, black blood or the like, is flowing from both that wound and the one Kairi made in its belly.]

... Think blood loss'll slow it down?

[He surveys his friend, taking in the arm hanging numbly at her side and the various scrapes and bruises dotting her skin. His teeth clench together and he silently berates himself for not being faster, for not coming to her aid before she got so hurt. An echo of guilt strums through their bond.]

I've gotten better with healing spells. I can patch you up once this is-

[They're both cut off by the shrieking of the creature and Riku whips back around, his Keyblade rising in an offensive position. He notices the black blood streaming from its wounds and begins to feel a spark of hope that this fight is almost done.]

I hope so. Only one way to find out. You up for a double attack?

[The guilt hits her and she shakes her head almost imperceptibly. A quick pulse of reassurance and trust runs to him, a reminder that she's still glad he's the one she's here with.

Of course, the beast breaks in before she can do more than that. It roars and snarls and snaps at them, but frankly, she thinks it's starting to look afraid of them...]

Think we can get at that wound I opened on its belly?

[If they can carve it open there, that'll be the end of that, she's pretty sure.]

There's only one way to find out.

[They'll have to be fast and time their movements just right. One of his hands rises over his Keyblade and he focuses on sharpening its edges even more. Using fire would be a risk as the wound is close to the water, and even if it doesn't get doused, it could end up cauterizing the wound and doing the opposite of what they want.

But with Kairi's lightening and an extra sharp blade maybe they can deal enough damage to finish this.]

Ready?

[She shifts her stance, lowers herself a bit, bends her knees as she prepares to dash forward. Her lightning's still crackling, and her own blade's as sharp as she can make it. This is as good as she's gonna get.

So she answers his question with a feeling of readiness through the bond, and as the creature rears up and begins to move towards them, Kairi whispers.]

Three... two...

[It roars and lifts its front legs, preparing to swipe.]

One!

[She charges, not quite as fast as Sora but definitely swift enough to get in under those claws. Trusting he'll be there to slice with her, she brings Oathkeeper up...

And diagonally down, aiming to slice the fiend's belly open in an x along with him.]

[Riku watches Kairi from the corner of his eye for their cue and rushes forward at the same time she does.

A swipe from one of the creature's front legs causes Riku to dodge to the side and execute a smooth roll that leaves him coming in a little behind Kairi.

She's already making her cut when he lifts Braveheart and begins slicing through the creature from the other side.

Blood begins seeping heavy from the wound and the creatures attempts to rear back away from their onslaught but is already noticeably weakening as its coordination grows unstable.]

[They're almost done. The creature's blood stains the ground beneath it and as it lumbers back it's obvious how the blood loss is weakening it... but on the other hand, it's also getting more desperate.

Roaring in agony and rage, it swings its claws wildly, slashing with such force and so rapidly that there's just no way to dodge without being out of its range. It seems to be flailing wildly in an attempt to keep them at bay rather than trying to actually attack them at this point, but given how close they are, that's not incredibly reassuring.

Kairi rolls back and actually has to go prone to avoid the slashing arms, hurriedly crawling away until she's out of its range. But Riku got in right after her...

Struggling to her feet, she turns her full attention to him, aiming a quick lightning blast to try and stun the creature so he can get away.]

[Her attack comes a little too late.

The creature swipes its claws wildly, and while Kairi manages to roll out of the way, Riku takes the brunt of a strike that sends him flying towards the trees.

He hits the ground hard on his back and lays there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Finally, he manages to roll onto his side, eyes darting around searching for his friend.]

Kairi? [He hadn't seen whether she managed to avoid the attack.]

Riku!

[Dammit, she couldn't move fast enough. Sure, she's seen him take way harder hits than that, but that was with the Keyblade's power shielding him...

By the time he rolls onto his side she's made it to him. She kneels down next to him, their enemy ignored for the moment. Given that it seems to be trying to retreat, she thinks it's okay.]

It's alright. I'm right here. [She send pulses of reassurance through the bond, though her own worry tingles just beneath. She jerks her head over to look at the beast.

It hasn't moved. It's hunched over, still bleeding, glaring at the two of them. At this point, Kairi's not sure it's going to survive what they've already done to it... but she's not sure it won't, either.]

[A fleeting rush of relief goes through their bond when he sees that she's okay, but it's quickly overtaken by pain. Riku groans as he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees. He's sustained a few scrapes from the fall, but the worst of it is the soreness radiating through his back.]

We...need to finish...this.

[He reaches for the handle of Braveheart, using it to leverage himself to his feet.]

[She moves to support him, frowning at how much difficulty he's having standing up.]

Focus on yourself for the moment. How bad are you hurt?

[The beast slinks away a bit more, back towards the water. But it's moving slowly, and unsteadily. It looks confused.]

It's just a hard fall. I'll be fine.

[His gaze remains steady on the creature, watching it move further into the river.]

We'll miss our chance if it goes any deeper.

[She checks what she's getting from the bond, and has to conclude that he's right. He's in pain, but not the kind of agony that means he can't fight anymore.

Turning her focus back to the monster, she ponders its position, and raises an eyebrow.]

Maybe not... Riku. I'm going to hit the water next to it with a lightning bolt. When I do that, and the lightning stuns it, that'll be your opening.

[She knows electricity stuns the creature, so that ought to work perfectly.]

Just try not to get zapped yourself.

[He turns his head to look at her, silently contemplating her plan before slowly nodding.

If he can get in quickly enough and strike a hit deep enough while the creature is stunned then he could finish this. With the wounds the creature already has, it won't take much more to put it down for good.]

I'll approach from the other side and avoid the water until it's stunned.

[That should be enough to avoid being electrocuted.]

Perfect. Just give me a signal... send me readiness over the bond when you're in position.

[This thing is so useful. She kind of hopes they can hold onto it when they go back home.

Plan in place, Kairi moves forward, drawing the creature's attention as she brandishes Oathkeeper at it. Making a weird noise between a growl and a shriek, it swings its claws at her a few times as if to warn her away, still shuffling backwards into the water.]

Okay.

[Riku moves around to the other side of the creature at a distance, not wanting to draw its attention from Kairi. As much as he doesn't want her to take the brunt of the creature's attention, that's the only way that their plan will work.

If the creature doesn't see Riku coming.

Once he's sure he won't be spotted, he creeps closer to the side of the river and gets ready to run. Following Kairi's instructions, he does his best to send a sense of readiness through their bond.]

[The creature doesn't even seem to recall that there's another enemy it should be trying to keep track of. That or it's just so focused on the foe in front of it that anything else is blocked out.

Kairi feints a charge just to make sure, and the beast braces itself, stopping its backup into the river and clawing at the air in front of it to bar her way, making her jump back. It screeches at her, as if to declare that it can still fight...

And Riku sends the signal.

Immediately, Kairi brings down the lightning, hitting the water right behind the monster. The shock courses through it, locking up its muscles and freezing it in place, just as before, and just as planned.

Now for the final blow...]

[Riku watches the lightening hit its target and waits to see the creature's limbs freeze up before charging forward with Braveheart. With its upper body raises up revealing its previous wounds, he has the perfect target to draw his Keyblade on.

With two quick strokes he cuts another slash across the older wound they had previously inflicted, making sure to cut good and deep. Its blood and bodily fluids begin to gush out of the wounds as Riku leaps back to avoid being covered in it.

Slowly the creatures droops forward, its life draining out of it, and its body collapses partially out of the lake.]

[And it's down, plan executed flawlessly!

Well, that last part was, anyway. She's feeling a bit too beat up to call this a flawless victory entirely. Still, at least they're finished, and with nothing worse than a few scrapes and nasty bruises. She whoops in victory.]

Great shot, Riku! Looks like we're finally... done.

[She looks over the creature, frowning, and finds a grimace twisting her face.]

It's... a little different when they don't just vanish in puffs of darkness when we're done, isn't it?

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[Open] July Catch-all

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