OOC: To Blank: BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

To the rest: Yes, I am caught up and have been following along somewhat, but I was out most of yesterday and today so I wasn't really able to post. Anyways, I'm gonna just do what Alpha said and act like I've been here this whole time so I don't have to say what I was doing all this time...

IC: The sudden appearance of the huge squid had frightened Victor into utter paralysis. Most slimy things simply disgusted him, but those of the larger variety thoroughly scared him; especially when they could fight back. What made things worse was the beast's ability to discharge it's own inky, acidic goo upon those around him. The first time that the squid used this attack, the Bard simply remained motionless. However, by the second time he came back to his senses just enough to communicate a groaning

"Eew!"

Wiping some of the ink off, Victor decided to join the fight despite his fear of the monster. Still, he reached for his bow instead of his dagger; no use getting unnecessarily close to the thing. Taking an arrow from his supply and loading the bow with it, he aimed carefully at one of the tentacles (OOC: Let's just say number one), pulled back on the bowstring and released, letting his arrow soar as he yelled (though in a rather shaky voice),

"You're going down, squidy!"

OOC: Anyone else notice that Dyquis is an anagram of the word "Squidy"? That is to say, it uses the same letters, just jumbled up. Nice work there, Alpha!

OOC: Wow Kamakazi!! I Never noticed that! Thats awesome! Is it how alpha planned it? Anyways, still, great work!

OOC:

OOC: Ack! I go to work an a movie and what do I get when I return? An almost dead Blank! Thanks a lot, Alpha. And after all the attacks that just happened to find Victor rather than Alpha in CGG

And by the way, The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was hilarious!

A movie? Like, work at a theater, or make a movie? I like making movies! In grade 6, I got the highest drama mark in my grade.

And, I saw the commercials and trailers, but theday it came out here, we wanted to go, and my dad wouldb't let us, because it was too 'bad'. Talk about protective, eh? It looks funny... "Tom Cruise, save me with your witchcraft!". But the best of all was when hje was praying at the dinner table. "Dear baby Jesus, I would like to pray for my two sons, (the first I forget now...), and texas ranger, and my red hot smokin' wife." And everyone at the table goes "MM!" and all that. I need to see it!

And good eye, Vik! You're going to be too good at my own story...

OOC: ACK!!! Sorry guys; I managed to get online relatively early this morning (9:00), got all ready for a day of battling Dyquis, made sure my notes were in order...and then my dad wisked me away for seven hours of work. Hard physical labor, too. I just now got set free; I'll edit this and we'll continue!

Edit:
Okay, first, Nogare, which stat are you choosing to buff? You have to pick a stat. Until you tell me, I can't exactly know how it would affect outcomes, so I'll just wait for the info before 'activating' the effect.

Great to have you back, MG. Yes, we've been somewhat busy.

And actually, Victor, it was originally just an anagram of 'squid', with the y thrown in to make it sound good. But 'squidy' works too.

IC:
Dogura is still Confused, and as a result he falls to the ground, unable to do anything for the time being (1[Roll]=Do nothing).

Grenada's words may have been inspiring, but his actions are not (2+7[Roll+AGI]). The tentacle slithers around the Deku, and it maneuvers away from the mercenary's blade each time.

Blank also lacks the ability to strike at a tentacle (3+2[Roll+AGI]). The tentacle dodges every attack the nomad makes - but only with a mere second to spare, as if taunting him.

Victor's arrow comes close to dealing damage (6+3[Roll+AGI]), but before it can hit the tentacle's soft side, the hard armored part of the appendage intercepts the projectile.

Dyquis rears back its head and makes...what sounds like laughter; but it is a twisted, pained laugh that emerges from its mouth. Yet there is no doubt that the squid is expressing some form of demented mirth. All five of its tentacles, still yet to be touched, rise into the air and slam down on different adventurers: Shada, Victor, Nogare, Link, and Grenada.

Link loses the last of his HP, and falls down to the floor. The fact that he still breathes tells you that he is still alive, but unconscious. No healing spells will arouse him until the fight has ended, save 'Resurrection' or 'Elegy to the Departed'.

Blank and Rose lose 2 HP to the poison.

As if to remind the adventurers of how close to defeat they are coming, the final tentacle returns from its watery grave, fully healed yet again.

Shada: 10 HP
Victor: 18 HP
Nogare: 18 HP
Link: Unconscious
Grenada: 18 HP
Blank: 15 HP, Poisoned
Rose: 9 HP, Poisoned
Dogura: 5 HP, Confused (1 turn left)

Tentacle 1: 15 HP
Tentacle 2: 15 HP
Tentacle 3: 15 HP
Tentacle 4: 15 HP
Tentacle 5: 15 HP
Tentacle 6: 15 HP

Dyquis: 39 HP, 10 SPL

OOC: Wow...I never actually thought it would go so badly for you guys...hmmm...

Oh, and I picked Link because he hasn't done anything here for a long time, so he's the least likely to get mad at me for it.

OOC: Man, I came on, and as I started reading from where I left off and discovered that the tentacles grow back, I began to desperately hope that you guys had finished this thing already...

-_-

Just a side note... ZF, if you misspell "tentacles" as "tenticles" one more time, I'm going to puke! XD

Oh, and all those who think Victor should spend some TP, say aye. ^^

IC: Arco, clothes and skin shredded and suckered (and even purpled a bit) from the monster's attacks stands weakly to the side. After watching all of his fellow party members miss their attacks narrowly, he sighs just imperceptibly, and withdraws his hurdy-gurdy a second time--perhaps with a little less strength than before.

And the music begins again, with all the lights, camera, and action that swirled through the room the first time (except without the camera part); only, it all comes with a much more... vengeful tone. The clouds raining down Farore's Will are darker, the leaves are Aspen and the bloody Poinsettia, the winds howl a goddess's wrath, and the music itself resonates a warlike drumbeat. Agitato! Devenstrate!

And as your body begins to glow a greenish hue once again, you wonder--poinsettia!?

OOC: Will of Farore again -_-. By the way, I think one reason why this is going so "badly" is because the thing never misses. I mean, I know you don't want to make rolls for every tentacle, but this is getting... absurd! Well, not absurd. Just very difficult.

Edit: Nogare, I highly recommend that you choose (that is, "chose") to buff STR. That'll make it so all of us can take out an entire tentacle in one hit this round... and if six people (better yet, more, since someone might miss) can attack all at once, then we'll have 2 rounds to finish off the body before the wigglies get back. Just stating the obvious ^^.

OOC: Aye!

And Weien, this thing may never miss, but remember that I've only had enough tentacles around to use their Strike attack twice. You guys need to get much luckier.

But recall that now, all attacks made on the tentacles (the five that were around; not #6) will do 2x DMG. And, to be nice, I'll allow used abilities to stack - you'll understand that part soon enough.

IC:
Arco's song rains down an upgrade in everyone's DEF and especially AGI. As if that right there wasn't exciting enough, Nogare activates his Leadership ability, which further boosts everyone's AGI. Now, with an extra 7 AGI, it will difficult to miss Dyquis!

Shada goes in to prove this point, bringing both daggers to bear on the first tentacle. The daggers slice it apart (11+14[Roll+AGI*]), dealing a full 22 DMG. The tentacle falls back into the water again, defeated.

Kasei, actually the strongest one of the adventurers at this point (33 HP), finally grows tired of using useless bombs and charges forward with his sword. The blade flies through the second tentacle (4+12[Roll+AGI*]), dealing 16 DMG.

Tentacle 1: ...2...
Tentacle 2: ...2...
Tentacle 3: 15 HP
Tentacle 4: 15 HP
Tentacle 5: 15 HP
Tentacle 6: 15 HP

Dyquis: 39 HP, 10 SPL

OOC: Nay! I vote for Freedom *hopes no one notices his 10 unspent TP*

IC: 'Dang, what leadership! Get all excited and try to bring everyone's spirits up, then miss...' Grenada knows he can't stand such failure. In addition, he wanted to avenge not only the hit on himself, but the death of his comrade.

"You're gonna pay, slimeball!"

His tiny size and squeaky voice make his threat that much less intimidating. Hoping to speak without words, he takes his blade and attempts to slay the nearest tentacle with a powerful upward thrust.

OOC: Of course they stack! ^_^ (right?) I mean, we're not going to say "X's song fizzles in mid-air, since people already heard Y play it a second ago; plus, Z's got something else that buffs the same stat." At least... I hope not XD. But you know what they say; the GM is always right.

Oh, and, aargh, aargh, more AGI, aargh... should've PM'ed him, I guess -_-.

IC: Arco's face blanches in despair, knowing that even now, his strongest strike will fall short of taking out a tentacle in its entirety; rather leaving behind a stump of a squidling ready to be overkilled by another warrior.

Aarrrrgh...

With this outburst of emotion, Arco replaces his instrument and draws his dagger. He points it experimentally at Dyquis, as if to say "You're going down, boih" (only it would have come out, "Errr Korrrind zakk'n"). Then, changing his grip subtly, he sprints down the marble pathway, shifting his front foot so that he skids the final two yards, and then leaps: there is a frozen moment in which his dagger becomes lost in a sea of green haze...

Leaps, and spins. Like a Zoran ice dancer, he draws his dagger in for a quick moment, and with that burst of centrifugal force, flings it out to follow his entire body in a tight triple-twist, striking for a tentacle once, twice, thrice--before landing back on the path, breathing hard. He snaps his head up to see if his attack struck true.

OOC: Yes, that's just one attack, but, well, you know... and you never know...

OOC: AGI. And remember; I'm smart! (Inside joke...)

IC: I need to kill this living scum before it kills anyone! Link IS just knocked out, but he could be crushed anytime! He focused on his foe. He couldn't use Honourable kill; it had only been 2 turns; it required 3. He had to just attack it normally. He readied himself, and he jumped at the squids eyes. "Saikoro, yajuu!"
(Transation; "Die, beast!").

He flew swiftly through the air. His sword was aimed directly in front of him, as he would extend his staff. From where he was, no tenticles were coming at him... yet...

OOC: Aarrgh... not "tenticles"! *goes English-crazy, foaming at the mouth*
By the way, Nogare, you do know that Honorable Kill is only worth it if Dyquis or a targeted tentacle has (in your case) only 16 HP left or less, right? Otherwise, it's wasted?

OOC: Don't diss the AGI Leadership, Weien. Kasei would've missed without it.



And I wasn't sure about the stacking thing. So I decided to make is sound like I was being nice to you ^^.

IC:
Grenada's sword flies true (11+12[Roll+AGI*]), as does Arco's dagger (3+13[Roll+AGI*]). The third tentacle flails about before collapsing under the Deku's powerful strike of 16 DMG, while Arco's manages to barely withstand the 14 point deduction.

With three tentacles gone, Dyquis decides for a more direct strike. Lifting its head up into the air, it slams its head down on the strongest warrior at the moment: Kasei. The mercenary takes 17 DMG, but his head remains clear.

Blank and Rose lose 2 HP to poison. But there is some good news! (OOC: I just saved a bunch of money on my...car insur...wait, no I didn't!) Dogura finally recovers from Dyquis' headbutt, and the confusion clouding his mind finally evaporates.

Nogare's strike deals plenty of damage (7+10[Roll+AGI*]), but since the tentacles have now had time to recover from their strike, the attack does its normal 8 DMG.

Shada charges in again, aiming now for the sixth tentacle. Her daggers' aim is true (11+14[Roll+AGI*]), dealing 11 DMG to it. There may still be three tentacles left, but they are all weak enough that any attack made on them will take them out.

Kasei: 16 HP, 4 SPL
Blank: 13 HP, Poisoned
Rose: 7 HP, Poisoned

Tentacle 1: ...2...
Tentacle 2: ...2...
Tentacle 3: ...2...
Tentacle 4: 1 HP
Tentacle 5: 7 HP
Tentacle 6: 4 HP

Dyquis: 39 HP, 10 SPL

OOC: Weien's getting ready to kill Nogare! This I have to watch!!!

OOC: Really? How?

OOC: Car insurance, good one XD. Thought you were going to say "I just lowered my cholesterol!" And re: AGI... alright, you win. I'll stop complaining .

Re: Honorable kill...

A Vassal can execute a deadly critical attack that will double its DMG if it is the death blow (with doubled damage).

That means that the attack's DMG is only doubled if the doubled damage will finish off whatever it's trying to kill. So if you attack Dyquis when she (he? no, of course she's a she!) has 30 health, you'll just do 8 DMG, whereas if there's just 16 HP or less left, your attack will have been doubled. Would work with a (fresh, full-health) tentacle, anyway.

Instead of grumpily saying, "Capiche!?" I'll just mildly smile and mildly murmur, "Hope that helps..."

OOC: OOHHHH MAN! I hate it when people make it seem better than it really is; I thought it was always DMG x2. Silly me... but I didn't use honourable kill here; I used an ordinary attack anyway...

OOC:

So if you attack Dyquis when she (he? no, of course she's a she!)

Actually, I always thought of Dyquis as a mere 'it'.