Hyrule Adventures 2

As you scale the mountainside near Laruto Falls, a large amount of shuffling, among other noises, draws your attention. As you stride ever closer to the source of the sounds, you realize they are some of Ganon's creatures.

Big Octo x2
STR - 8; DEF - 15; AGI - 6; INT - 3; SPI - 16; SPL - 20; HP - 40
Items:
Rock Cannon--Long-ranged, high-velocity rock fired out of snout with high precision. 10 base DMG, +5 chance to hit.


Zola x3
STR - 4; DEF - 12; AGI - 8; INT - 6; SPI - 8; SPL - 12; HP - 32
Abilities:
Water-based: This monster cannot be hit by Fire spells, nor can it be physically attacked by anyone who can’t swim.
Fireball: This monster is capable of releasing a much more intense ball of flame from its mouth. 15 DMG, 3 SPL.

OOC: I didn't want to post first- the Cleric is supposed to follow. Balrgh... Fine though- I'll lead on.

IC:

Phinneas ducked behind a rock, and peered slowly over it. Good, the beasts hadn't seen him. He turned around and sat with his back against the rock. He opened a bottle of water and chugged it. He'd just climbed a lot of stairs. He also realized that he'd made it up the mountainside faster than his comrades, which would present a problem should the monsters find him.

If I'm caught alone, those things will rip me pieces... Where are those guys?

He glanced carefully around the rock once more. Two big Octos. They could easily split him and each eat a full meal. He shuddered at the thought, and leaned around the other side of the rock, this time spying two Zolas. They hadn't seen him- good. He turned back around to check on the Big Octos again, when he stopped cold. His blood ran icy, and his hair stood on end. He looked up at the creature that loomed before him.

Words would come to his throat, but wouldn't escape his mouth. So many thoughts ran through his head at once. It stared down at him intently, and the cleric knew that if his allies didn't catch up, he'd have his hands full. He scurried backwards, but a tentacle shot forward and wrapped around him. It pulled him close, its gaping maw ready to take him into its gullet. "AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" He screamed, as he beat it repeatedly with his staff. [Staff - Big Octo #1]

'Din's Fire, what was that guy thinking?!'

Alpha didn't even have a chance to rest from the long climb up the hills before he was forced back into combat once more, this time not because monsters had noticed him, but because they had noticed Phinneas. Why had the cleric gone ahead of the main group? It wasn't a very sensible idea in the first place . . . and then the man had failed to hide himself effectively, leading to his current situation: grabbed by a Big Octo's tentacles and being dragged towards its massive mouth.

His screams, no doubt, only goaded the creature on, but his attacks might actually prove effective. In case that supposition did not hold true, though, Alpha knew that some other sort of distraction would be needed to save the Cleric from a rather gut-wrenching fate. There was no time to wait on the others and formulate a plan, as he'd have liked -- he only had time to charge in himself and hope he could do something to help.

Withdrawing his own staff, he swiftly moved to close the distance between himself and Phinneas' attacker. Normally he'd have used magic, but the creatures of the South seemed especially resilient to his spellcastings. Phinneas couldn't afford an attack missing, so all that was left was a physical strike.

So that's what Alpha went with, bringing his wooden rod around in a powerful swing that would, hopefully, get its mind off the prey it had found.

[[Staff - Big Octo #1]]

56/56 HP
48/48 SPL

Leth was dismayed to find that the battle had already started by the time he had finally climbed back up to the top of the mountain.

"Gee whiz. Can't a guy get a break around here?" He murmured mostly to himself before assessing the situation. It was a rather nasty looking bunch of critters this time- this one would definitely be bringing lots of pain. The clericly fellow was fighting, along with the renowned Sheikah warrior, Alpha. Together the two of them seemed to be handling the first giant squid thingy - a big octo, if Leth remembered his schooling correctly - so Leth decided to turn his attention to the other one.

"Let's put you on hold." He said quietly as he drew and set a frosty Ice Arrow to the string. "Or better yet, you're going on ice." He quipped as he released the frozen projectile at Big Octo #1

OoC: Lulz bad comic book puns ftw

Sabertache struggled his way up the steps at the sounds of battle, seeing several of his friends--along with an unknown cleric--in battle with a bunch of watery foes. Fabulous. For the moment, he decided to target the same enemy as his allies, hoping that they could quickly wipe at least one threat from the field of battle. He drew his sword and attacked in one motion, hurtling through the air in a lethal long jump.

HP: 44/44
SPL: 14/14
Will: 9

Phineas' staff merely bounces off the Big Octo's hide; maybe it wasn't such a good idea for the cleric to be out in the midst of battle. Thankfully, however, he was knocked free of the Octo's grip by another staff, this wielded by Alpha, who dealt a clean 10 DMG and a wealth of aggravation to the creature. To make matters worse, he was then pierced with an arrow for 9 DMG--not cool. Or, rather, very cool. Chilling, in fact, as the magical influence of the arrow spread over the creature, dealing 3 more DMG and sticking it in place. Then Saber's saber came out of nowhere, chipping into the ice for another 10 DMG. This Octo was just not having a good day.

And then its friends retaliated. The other Octo fired a rock off at the Sheikah assailant who had started the siege on its mate; however, Alpha easily skipped out of harm's way. The three Zola each fired a small ball of fire at the other combatants, and though Phineas and Saber emerged unscathed, Leth took a glancing blow for 8 DMG.

Big Octo 1: 8/40 HP FROZEN 1 ROUND
Big Octo 2: 40/40 HP

Zola 1: 32/32 HP
Zola 2: 32/32 HP
Zola 3: 32/32 HP

Man, this Octo was going down quickly. "Move on to the next, I've got the easy target!" He shouted to his allies. Heck, might as well be honest in cowardice. Drawing his blade out of the ice, he spun on the spot to build momentum back up, bringing the tip around to pierce into the immobile creature at full force.

HP: 44/44
SPL: 14/14
Will: 9

OoC: .... eh, why not.

IC: Leth barely had time to acknowledge the success of his attack before he was staggering back from the impact of the Zola's fireball and swatting out the fire on his clothes. How did I not see those Zolas? He berated himself quietly, glancing up at the three other creatures he hadn't even seen when first entering the fray.
We're making short work of one of those Octos... but there's quite a handful of baddies here to deal with. He had every confidence they could take care of themselves, but it wouldn't hurt if they didn't have to worry about so many creatures at once... Leth decided to switch tactics. Shouldering his bow, he slowly approached Big Octo #2, imitating the strange, bubbly sounds it makes in an attempt to - if briefly - soothe it into a calmer state, in the hopes that it might ignore them for all for a few moments. (Calm Beast L.1)

(I've never actually used this ability before... I don't even know if that's how it's supposed to be used haha I just saw it in my ability list and thought, "might as well give it a try" lol)

HP: 33
SPL: 13

Simon Grendel
STR-3; DEF-5; AGI-2; INT-5; SPI-6; HP-36; SPL-48; WILL-9
DMG
Deku Staff: (base) 9 + (STR) 3 = 12
Deku 2H Sword: (base) 14 + (STR) 3 = 17 (-2 chance to hit)
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 8 (+1 chance to hit)
Bomb: (base) 5 + STR (3) = 8
Spell Damage: (Level) 14 + (base class) 3 + (INT) 5 = 22
Equipment
Deku Boomerang
Bomb Bag
Deku Staff
Deku 2H Sword
L1 Tunic
Gerudo Training Gloves
Bottle [Empty]
Meat Shank
Abilities
Train: 2H Sword L1 - 3
Train: Boomerang L2 - 4
Learn: Elemental Burst L2 - 4
Learn: Life L1 - 2
Epic Poem L2 - 3
Learn: Shield L1 - 1
The Quill is Mightier than the Sword L1 - 2
Speak: Gerudic L1 - 1
Master of Linguistics L1 - 1
Learn: Fire L1 - 2
Defense Rating
(DEF) 5 + (L1 Tunic) 10 + (AGI) 2 = 17

Simon had been searching for remaining foes to defeat. In the time he was away from the South, the other adventurers had made huge breakthroughs in the retaking of the southern half of the western continent. He had been given a lead by an outpost of knights not too far from here that Laruto Falls still had a contingent of dark forces still in need of slaying.

Having climb his way up the steps slowly, it was no surprise that he had arrived to the fight later than the other adventurers. He half suspected that there might not be any foes remaining when he caught up with his allies. It would seem however, that he was wrong. Stopping for only a minute to catch his breath when he heard that he had reached the sounds of the scuffle he had detected earlier, he soon surveyed the battlefield.

There were two Big Octo, although one of them was not only severely injured but frozen as well. And there were also three Zola's attacking from their strategic spot in some shallows. Still, he wouldn't be able to attack them physically, he'd need a ranged weapon. He could rely on his magic reserves, but that should probably be saved as a last resort.

Seeing Leth, Alpha, Saber, and a cleric that he'd seen around before but hadn't actually met, already in the fray, he didn't want to waste any more time observing. They needed all the help they could get. Realizing the the Octos were the greater threats, Simon readied his staff and rushed to strike the one that had already been frozen, hoping that the beast's legendary defenses wouldn't be able to avoid or block his attack now that it was frozen. Reaching the best, he struck out with his staff in a jabbing motion [Attack - Deku Staff at Big Octo 1].

Saber and Simon both went for the kill, but unfortunately neither one was able to complete the task against the monster's defensive shell (Saber: 8+3, Simon: 15+2 vs. Big Octo: 15+6). Saber's sword struck against the ice surrounding the monster, failing to penetrate it to hit the beast itself, while Simon's staff bounced off its hard shell.

Leth, fortunately for them all, had much better success (19+3 vs. 18 PASS). Whatever he was saying, it seemed to soothe the giant beast into a peaceful state. It slowly sat back and relaxed on the ground, bubbling back a soft response to Leth's words...or noises...whatever they were. In any case, it looked like this beast was content to sit back for the time being and let the group focus on other foes.

The Zola did not look terribly pleased at this turn of events, but they each appeared willing to bide their time for the moment - especially as the first Big Octo thawed out, returning one of their heavy hitters to their team.

Big Octo 1: 8/40 HP FROZEN 1 ROUND
Big Octo 2: 40/40 HP CALMED for 3 Rounds

Zola 1: 32/32 HP
Zola 2: 32/32 HP
Zola 3: 32/32 HP

Simon Grendel
STR-3; DEF-5; AGI-2; INT-5; SPI-6; HP-36; SPL-43/48; WILL-9
DMG
Deku Staff: (base) 9 + (STR) 3 = 12
Deku 2H Sword: (base) 14 + (STR) 3 = 17 (-2 chance to hit)
Deku Boomerang: (base) 4 + (STR) 3 + (Gerudo Training Gloves) 1 = 8 (+1 chance to hit)
Bomb: (base) 5 + STR (3) = 8
Spell Damage: (Level) 14 + (base class) 3 + (INT) 5 = 22
Equipment
Deku Boomerang
Bomb Bag
Deku Staff
Deku 2H Sword
L1 Tunic
Gerudo Training Gloves
Bottle [Empty]
Meat Shank
Abilities
Train: 2H Sword L1 - 3
Train: Boomerang L2 - 4
Learn: Elemental Burst L2 - 4
Learn: Life L1 - 2
Epic Poem L2 - 3
Learn: Shield L1 - 1
The Quill is Mightier than the Sword L1 - 2
Speak: Gerudic L1 - 1
Master of Linguistics L1 - 1
Learn: Fire L1 - 2
Defense Rating
(DEF) 5 + (L1 Tunic) 10 + (AGI) 2 = 17

Simon frowned as his staff failed to chip away at any of the frozen enemy's defenses. These creatures were just as difficult to injure as he recalled hearing about. Moving away from the target, and back to a stance of readiness, he saw Leth succeed at manipulating the non-frozen Big Octo into a state of calmness. Perhaps they might be able to use that to their advantage. Simon made a mental note to not use any attacks that would harm multiple enemies at once, or even so much as perform a sloppy strike that could accidentally hit the pacified beast.

Realizing that his options were limited anyways, Simon took a scroll from his traveling sack. He used a very thick and heavy case for his ink - it was still breakable but it would be resistant to the typical damage expected of a inkwell stuffed into a bag full of tools carried around by somebody who walks all day. Simon noticed a nearby flat rock, and he crouched at it. Taking a short-feather quill from within the pockets of his cloak, he set his inkwell down by the side of the rock on the flattest ground he could find. Uncapping the container, he dipped his quill in and began marking up the scroll immediately. Within two minutes, he had written several rhyming couplets.

His poem reflected the tenacity of the adventurers, and how they were persistent to an end. He felt it reflected his inner feelings well, but that it would motivate those fighting today to remain determined in their long-standing quest to purge the South of the influence of the Warlords. Not bothering to announce his plan before enacting it, he simply read the words on the page to his allies, and hoped it would inspire them [Epic Poem L2].

OOC: I was going to post my updated stats after using Epic Poem L2, but then I realized I had some questions about it. Obviously, there was that one topic a while back where HnS/Kokiriwolf during the Crusades was using Aria, and the buff to her (Aria's) health from my Epic Poem was the only thing keeping her alive. In that situation, obviously, the max health and current health were buffed from the poem, if I'm not mistaken. And the current number didn't drop once the buff wore off, just the max number, as she remained alive after the poem dissipated, if I'm not mistaken. If this is true for health, is it also true for spell points?

Leth quietly sighed in relief as the Big Octo seemed to calm down, almost as if it had completely forgotten that it was in the midst of a large battle. He pulled his hand back and straightened up. Well, that worked better than expected. He thought, and turned to survey the more active participants in this fight.

There was still one more Big Octo in the fray, though if Leth was observing it correctly, it didn't look like it would last much longer. On top of that, though, the three Zola's had not even been hit yet. What about my allies? Leth wondered as he looked around. They had certainly played their part in putting the hurt on the first Octo, but the three Zolas were looking like a much bigger threat at the moment with one Octo out of comission for a few minutes and the other almost dead.

Seeing that his companions also seemed to be hesitating for a moment, Leth decided to try and take control of the situation.

"Don't mind the Octo behind me," He said gesturing with his head back at the tranquil creature behind him. "I think I've managed to calm him for a bit. Right now, we need to focus on those Zolas. If the rest of you can start trying to take them out, I can handle this last Octo. Sound good?"

As he said all of this, he was drawing an arrow and lining up a shot at [Big Octo #1]. He didn't even wait for the others to acknowledge his idea; instead he simply let the arrow loose at the large creature, hoping they would follow his instruction and perhaps even the battlefield a bit.

Well, I guess I had that coming.

Saber stumbled back a bit as his saber clanked uselessly off the frozen Octo. Bravado always seemed to butt up against life's love of irony, and his inability to finish off a paralyzed foe was no exception. Maybe if he just threw in a quick jab, noone would notice?

Nevermind the Octo behind me!

Nope. Too late, Leth was going to be the hero. Well then.

Nothing to do but swim for it, I guess.

Saber turned on his heel and lowered his head as he raced towards the river, Simon's' poem ringing in his ears; with one fluid motion, he leapt from the edge of the bank, towards Zola #1, and brought his blade down in an aggressive (yet clumsy) arc, hopefully cleaving the monster as his body dropped into the water. [Swim L2]

HP: 44/44
SPL: 14/14
Will: 9