[Coolshaymin]

Somewhere in the calm and tranquil lands was a long and stretching field of flowers. There was flowers of all kinds from all kinds of lands. In the center sat a large Cherry Blossom Tree that spread it's Cherry Blossoms throughout the area. The field seemed to stretch on for quite a long ways and it seemed impossible to see the end from here. A strange thing in the flower field however, was a series of purple vines stretching from the Cherry Blossom through all the flowers.

Not that far in, stood a girl with silver hair and two sheathed swords. The longer sheathe having a flower attached to the end. Around her floated some white blob like thing that seemed vaguely spiritual. She stared out at the Cherry Blossom as she stood there, looking like she was concentrating on something.

"... The floral arrangement could use some work. The vines are a weird addition and seem rather impratical. Oh well, I should probably see if I can find Lady Yuyuko..."

"Hm? That seems out of place..." The girl stared in the direction of what looked like a large budding plant.

Ready?
Go!

[Rina]

It took the Dark Wizard a while to get to the main rendezvous point, but he has arrived. While he had the ability to rip open portals, he couldn't exactly do so to unfamiliar locales without getting horribly lost.

Or the fact that he's not his Dark Wizard self.

He's in the oddly rare scenario of him utilizing a transformation. Granted he did use it once, he never really utilize the abilities in combat, and is mainly finding an excuse to hone his skills. Donned in ninja garb, Schezo adjusted his headband and fixed his scarf so it stays securely on his body and to cover his neck as he gets into combat. He counted the kunai and shuriken on had, making sure he's properly equipped for this mission. Looks like they're accounted for. After they were checked out, he came to notice the spectacle that is the cherry blossoms. Such a tree isn't native to where he comes from, and he couldn't help but gaze into the breathtaking sight.

"My, such flora is few and far at my home world."

Schezo held out a hand to catch one of the petals. It was delicate and pink, and it was but one of many others from the tree it came from. However, the tree's status doesn't seem too normal. He notced the purple vined on it; something not very characteristic of trees.

"Hm? What could be tethered to the trunk?"

Current Form: Ninja

[Mari]

The frantic fluttering of wings could be heard from nearby Schezo. Arle hit the ground running as she landed, not having yet mastered the art of more gentle landings. She stumbled forward for several meters before she managed to regain control of her momentum, slowing to a walk before coming to a complete stop nearby. Arle sighed a breath of relief, brushing herself off rather habitually as she continued calming herself down after the flight here. While she was doing this she took notice of the surrounding area, ...as well as Schezo's outfit. "Wow, this place is really pretty. Hi Schezo~! You're looking different."

[Coolshaymin]

"It's not that impressive. I could make floral arrangements like this in my sleep. Don't forget you live with the person that makes nature beautiful," Viridi's voice called out Arle before the Goddess of Nature herself descended down by her. "Also, Schezo, I think it's a bit more complicated than a tether. It's almost like all the plants in this garden are connected. We don't really have time to look at fauna. We should look for that half-phantom girl before something happens to her," she went on to suggest.

zDbvbNAmp_1d20-2

"... Does anyone else... feel a... little..." Viridi started to ask until she suddenly passed out and fell towards the ground. If one was watching closely, there seemed to be a high concentration of spores building up. The spores seemed also gave off a very exhausting energy.

(Arle and Schezo! Spores are spreading through the air! Roll a 12 or higher in Con to resist the Spores! Failure results in being afflicted with Sleep)

1d20-2

[Rina]

Schezo turned over to Arle, noticing that she's...not in blue. The armor isn't all that surprising to him; he wears more than Arle does usually. From what Schezo can understand from a glance, he assumes this more heavily-armored, winged form is more suited to close-quarters than distance. As mages, being able to fight up-close is a common vulnerability. Not so much with Schezo, but he is not exactly fast on his feet. Nevermind the shaky landing and getting back on track, it seems both of them are utilizing their alternate ways of fighting.

"Likewise, Arle."

Then he came to witness Viridi's appearance. Huh, this is the first time he's working with her, isn't it? She's to the point, too. He might actually get along with her, as long as she doesn't call him a pervert like during the party. A god-defiler working together with a goddess? This is proving to be the ironic circumstances he's in.

"Hmm...That may be the case here. You're right, we musn't dawdle."

ZiVpqWG2p_1d20 (Schezo avoided the attack! Wait, wrong game.)

"What is this...spores...? H-hey!"

Schezo felt a little drowsy a first, but he was able to shake himself awake upon realizing what was going on. Unfortunately, the spores already got one of them, alerting Arle to the situation before proceeding. He doesn't have any powers to wake her up to get back on track; does Arle have any, though?

"Take heed, Arle. The air is dense with spores that will put you into a slumber!"

Current Form: Ninja1d20

[Mari]

Arle glanced to Viridi. Was that... jealousy she was picking up on? Arle was a tad curious as to whether a goddess even could be jealous, but Viridi had always seemed more human than any god or goddes she'd ever imagined anyway. "How could I forget when you're right there exemplifying all you've created~?" Arle remarked rather light-heartedly. That was about the most romantic thing that had ever left her mouth... unironically anyway. There was only so much cheese she could tolerate on her nachos without snickering. To Arle's alarm, however, Viridi began passing the hell out right in front of her! Oh god--! Er, I mean--Oh Viridi! Was it something she'd said?! Arle lunged forward to catch the falling goddess, only to feel a tingling sensation as the spores began to attack her body!

6tVYursnp_1d20-1 (Arle's Critical Save Viridi Senses)

...But Arle's desire to protect Viridi was too strong. She couldn't sleep now! Viridi needed her help! The mage-knight just sort of turned her head and awkwardly sneezed into her shoulder rather violently, dislodging a lot of the spores trying to take root inside of her in the process. That'd buy her time. "No kidding..?" Arle replied, pulling Viridi close to her and laying her free hand upon the other's chest. "Purifia!" Arle shouted, purifying Viridi's body of the foreign spores to aid in waking her up. She .... could've just slapped Viridi around a little, but she didn't want to treat her like that. She then raised her free hand to her face and conjured holy fire around her hand. The way she saw it, if these were spores they wouldn't be able to get inside of her if they burned up in the fire first. "...Has that girl always been there?" the mage-knight wound up blurting out as she took notice of the silver-haired lass in the distance.1d20-1

[Coolshaymin]

"Nope, can't figure out what this bud goes to. It is a very unusual plant. Oh well, I should probably get going. I have this strange sense of unease... Yaaaaaaaawn..." Youmu stated as she got ready to continue moving. Her human half was falling asleep but her Phantom Half kept nudging her to keep her awake. She was unaware of the other three until her spirit half noticed something behind her. Something surprising but very welcome if it was true.

"Dad?!" the swordsgirl exclaimed as she turned around... Only to notice it was not him. There was something off her Phantom Half did not notice. If the two was listening carefully, they may of been able to make out what she said.

"No, that is not him. He has no phantom Half. Though the girl with plants on her has a strange spirit... The Cherry Blossom?" Youmu stated to herself at a distance.

"Huh? What happened?... Silver Haired Girl? I do not sense anyone else..." Viridi replied groggily, still apparently somewhat tired after Arle used magic to wake her up.

NlPtVMVAp_1d20+2

Viridi was not really in it as suddenly, a purple vine came down and wrapped itself around Viridi. The vine seemed to give her quite a painful shock too as she screamed in pain for some reason. That seemed to wake her up. The vine attempted to lift her higher into the tree as more vines came for Schezo and Arle.

(Schezo and Arle! The Cherry Blossom is trying to ensnare you with vines! Roll a 13 or higher to evade. If you fail, you take 7% damage and require a 14 or higher STR roll to break free. If you are already free, you can cut someone else down if you have a sharp object automatically. Otherwise you need to beat the STR Roll to free them)

"Get away from that Cherry Blossom! Something is controlling it!" Youmu yelled out as she approached with two swords out.
1d20+2

[Rina]

...to be fair, she does have the white hair and blue eyes just like he does, but "dad"? She is sorely mistaken, as Schezo is still single and just a human, despite that he's...well...180. As he got closer, he came to notice the tree's status, somewhat understanding what Viridi was getting at with it. The vines seem...off. He grew cautious of it as he approached, being properly wary of it as it lashed out at him!

RBv2z_q_p_1d20+4 (Ooh, so close!)

Try as he did, he was barely slow enough to be grabbed the vines. He attempted to struggle his way out of its grasp, not wanting to be some plant's plaything all because of one barely missed evasion.

Schezo's struggle:
p_1d20+1
p_1d20+1
p_1d20+1

Unfortunately, the vines' grip held strong, failing to even wiggle out. He can't reach for his blades like this!

"Confound it, watch out Arle!"

Damage: 7%
Current Form: Ninja1d20+4·1d20+1·1d20+1·1d20+1

[Mari]

Hm6aB2Gsp_1d20+2 (Arle's genre savviness)

Arle didn't need to be told that sentient vines were a stranger danger, nor that there were probably more of them looking to coil themselves around her. Well she wasn't having that. Arle casually yet firmly brushed a vine away from her as she lunged forward, leaping into the air with a flutter of her wings and grappling onto the vine that had just wrapped around her girlfriend! "Oh no you don't!" Arle snapped as she lunged, now hanging slightly above Viridi, right where she wanted to be. Danging from the vine, she grasped it with both hands and gave it a sharp twist in two separate directions in an attempt to rip the vine apart!

p_1d20+2 (Arle's Viridi saving skills)



Snap! Arle was suddenly holding a broken vine in both hands... and a Viridi in neither. Thankfully, her goddess was still tied up in those vines. Arle drew Viridis as close to her as she could before letting go of the vine suspending them and quickly pulling the other into a tight, protective embrace as she fell back to the ground. Arle knew she wasn't good enough at flying to pull herself out of the fall, not with such a short distance between them and the ground anyway, so she just kind of didn't bother trying, instead opting to focus on bracing for the impact. She landed on her feet but promptly collapsed onto her rear. With all that extra weight, trying to stick the landing would have been recklessly stupid, even with all her extra strength. She now held Viridi in her lap, taking a brief moment to catch her breath and reorientate herself before she got back up and carried her goddess away from the enemy tree, not stopping until she passed Youmou. She then... promptly collapsed back onto her bottom. She was a little tired from sprinting with someone in her arms, but more importantly it would be much easier to free Viridi from her bindings while sitting down. It was only now that she had a moment to clear her thoughts that she recognized the intimacy in the way she was holding the other, becoming subtly flustered. She admittedly also felt a little guilty bringing Viridi here and being unable to stop these enemies from hurting her. Regardless, she moved to begin fiddling with the vines. She wasn't too worried about touching them, seeing as her gloves were quite tough. "Are you alright, Vivi? That looked like it stung. Someone's got it out for us." Arle murmured rather quietly. "Healing." Arle went on to incant, quietly attempting to soothe Viridi's pain. Assuming the other hadn't already gotten off her when she'd been freed from the vines, Arle would then move to help Viridi stand back up with her, ready to confront their apparent enemy.

p_1d15+4 (Arle's Healing; Heals for 14% Damage)

"A violent plant, huh? Well--" Arle began, only to stop with sudden realization. "...Where's Schezo??" she blurted out. She could've sworn she heard him warn her during the chaos, but had he been taken as well?! She couldn't keep her eyes on so many people at once, and this form was already demanding so much concentration from her... Still, it alarmed her that she couldn't immediately see him. She quickly scanned the area, only to see Schezo had been pulled up into the tree like Viridi before him.

p_1d20+2 (Arle's Critical Schezo Save! Does 23% Damage)

Spreading her wings, Arle burst back into a sprint and rushed the tree! She took to the air the moment she got enough wind under her wings, building an enormous amount of speed without slowing down one bit as she zeroed in on the dark wizard. She would raise her lance, arcing up above Schezo like she had for Viridi! She then stabbed the vine with enormous force, driving her lance through it and into the tree itself where it penetrated deep. Her free arm reached down to catch the still tied up Schezo, drawing him into her embrace as she planted her feet against the tree's bark to break her momentum with a thud. She then quickly pushed off, scooping Schezo into her arms bridal style as she bounced back away from the tree. "Hey Schezo! Funny seeing you up here~" Arle would tease light-heartedly, taking some sort of joy out of being able to save him. It made her feel good in all the right ways. In spite of how she emotionally felt, however, her arms were trembling a little with weakness and her words revealed a breathlesness underneath them. She would have to fight the tree later; she really didn't have time itself to spare on anything else as she carried Schezo back with her towards Viridi. Fluttering her wings, she came to a running stop and just kind of awkwardly faceplanted. Her legs had betrayed her the moment she landed, sending her skidding across the dirt. Oops. "Batan...kyu..." Arle whined where she laid sprawled on the ground. A moment later, her armor melted away in a shower of sparkles, leaving the fallen and seemingly unconscious, or at least immobile, mage helpless.

Arle Damage: 0% Shield Damage: 0% Status: Over-Exerted Healing Cooldown: 2 Turns Remaining

1d20+2·1d20+2·1d15+4·1d20+2

[Coolshaymin]

Youmu slowed down as she noticed the seemingly normal girl's strength in taking down the other and rescuing her. She was distracted as she took down the vine holding the strange plant girl... But why was she getting bad vibes? Was some energy or soul trying to inform her of something. Viridi on the other hand seemed barely conscious though the vine had nowhere near the same effect on Schezo. It's squeezing was a little painful but not near the levels of the Goddess for some reason. "How are these plants handling me so easily...?" Viridi muttered rather weakly. She was glad Arle saved her but the healing did not seem to do too much for her.

Youmu remained silent until in thought until she noticed Arle running back to the tree... Oh right, the other guy. She looked down to the plant girl before she realized something. "Hey! Wait!" Youmu called as she just noticed Arle helping Schezo. The tree seemed to brighten up this time as a vine came for her while she was freeing Schezo. However, in a flash, Youmu quickly cut it before it could touch her and moved to follow her away while it recovered.

A little after words, another surge of pain went through Viridi even though she was not in the vines anymore. The Goddess swiftly collapsed as something seemed to be effecting her pretty bad. The presence Youmu was feeling was getting stronger too... Not to mention there was only two of them able to move at the moment.

".... We need to get them farther away from the tree and the flowers. It is not safe here. Especially not for her," Youmu suggested to Schezo. She made a move to go and pick up the Plant Girl and leave the other girl to him. As she did though, two vines came from a bud in the ground a little ways away and attempted to wrap themselves around Arle and pull her towards it and away from Schezo.

(Schezo! Since Arle is currently helpless, roll a 10 or higher in Dex to get Arle away from the vines. If you fail the Dex Roll, you may try a STR Roll to pry her away. Difficulty for that is 12.)

[Rina]

"...."

No comment. With the vines severed from the host, Schezo was freed from its hold and caught by Arle, darting a deadpan stare for that comment. Getting bridal-carried by her isn't the most flattering thing, but he can't help but have respect for her for doing double time with the actions. He shouldn't have been caught by those vines, but a crisis was averted. Understandably, she collapsed from all that, prompting Schezo to pick her up. Youmu's right. The group isn't safe within this proximity, so it's up to him to get Arle away from the tree.

"Agreed. I presume this form she has is taking toll on her energy from inexperience, so I shall bring her to safety."

lQj5IHhKp_1d20+4

Following Youmu's suggestion, Schezo attempted to get Arle out of harm's way. With his nimble movements, he successfully escorted her out of the range of the vines that once had hold on him. He followed Youmu over the safe distance, making sure everyone else is safe. Upon taking a head count...

"...It only recently occurred to me that I am the lone male of this group."

Damage: 7% 

Current Form: Ninja

1d20+4

[Mari]

Arle was picked up. For once, her guard was down and she just sort of emitted a low whine at being handled. She didn't appear to have much to say about it though, probably because she just finished taking a nose dive in the dirt. For now, she's a bystander.

[Coolshaymin]

"... Is that not normal? Usually males are not a common sight... Where did that portal lead...?" Youmu questioned as she ran alongside Schezo quickly with Viridi on her back. She lead the way keeping a quick pace but not too fast for Schezo to keep up. This guy did not seem too bad honestly. He had a somewhat dark presence but his personality was not fitting of it.

"My name is Youmu Konpaku by the way. Gardener of the Underworld. What can I call you?" she asked Schezo as they tried to get the other two girls safely out of the flower field. However, after a few more feet, the flowers suddenly grew really large and blocked the path forward with their thick stems.

It was then that a voice came from behind the duo. "Leaving before the party even gets started? That's a little rude don't you two think? Speaking of rude, what is it with you silver haired people and getting in the way? I swear, it is really starting to turn into an infestation," A flower accused with a smug smile. This flower being the special infected known as Lovely.

"... You are the flower from the garden..." Youmu identified as her pink ghost half floated around her in wait for whatever this flower had in mind getting in the way.

"Well, no duh, spirit girl."

"I am half human you know."

"... Who really cares existential crisis girl."

[Rina]

? That...that is a rather unusual sentence. Does she come from a land highly populated by females? I'm aware such locales exist, but I have yet to see one. She's a rather interesting being, a swordswoman accompanied with that spirit.

Schezo...refrained from commenting on that sentence. Knowing his own track record, he might just put his foot in his mouth like he almost always does. Oh, right, introductions.

"My name is 'Schezo Wegey'. Contrary to my appearance, I am a dark wizard first and foremost, currently having the abilities of a ninja."

And without said mobility, he would've been caught by the bramble. Guess he picked the right day to practice his ninja abilities, considering things would have played out much differently if he had his armor. Continuing to escort Arle on out, he was quickly met with a wall of vines. Sheesh, plants really have a vendetta today for some reason. Especially that flower that sprouted from nowhere.

Wait a minute...

...Pardon? Half spirit? That is certainly a species that is not commonplace in my home land. I must not think too deeply, for there are more pressing matters.

Schezo turned over to Youmu and asked. He's not in the loop yet regarding this flower, after all.

"You are familiar with this plant?"

Damage: 7%
Current Form: Ninja

[Mari]

"...What..." Arle blurted out rather late in response to just about everything Youmou said. She did not, however, make a move. Judging by the tension in her muscles, in spite of being completely limp, she was probably in pain right now.