TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 7

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly. *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones and a pair of special ear buds (the supplier was out of the regular ones) and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. After the new arrivals come in, they'll find that this month they came in on the middle of a rather tumultuous time... people are arguing and debating about a future decision to be made. King Arthur recently tried to negotiate with Celliwig's people to open the doors to Camelot, but they refused, and the people have been left with a decision: 1. attempt long-distance, slow wooing of Queen Elphame via the Elphame Traders of the next couple of months, 2. attempt to prove a balanced and deeper understanding of the need for both pure and impure hearts by suggesting an acceptance of trials from Celliwig, or 3. band together under Camelot's flag to invade Celliwig. Celliwig is a place of communication between Elphame and Camelot that bypasses the need for weeks of dangerous, often fatal travel, so the choice is very important in regards to how Camelot both presents itself to the fae people in the future. To that end, people with strong beliefs about particular choices have arranged gatherings to draw people in to hear their perspectives on what the choice should be. A ⦿ Honey Over Vinegar A wide variety of people have sided with this group, including the Elphame Traders, as cutting Celliwig off from them would mean a much harder journey each month to the city of Camelot. (Though commerce always does find a way.) This group is hosting a Tree-Picking Tournament! Of course, the trees to be picked are out in the farmlands, and members of the lobbying group will be giving people free one-use Farm Totems to get to the tournament. The trees in this grove are a little different than normal trees, however. For one, they don't bear fruit. This is Camelot's cookie orchard, composed of special fairy tree hybrids that grow a variety of sweet treats on their branches instead of fruits. There are your usual chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, but also little puff-like wedding cookies on bushes or checkboard cookies blossoming out of stems instead of flowers. There are even some trees that have clusters of miniature French macarons! The best part, at the end when you turn in your cookies for the count and get your participation prize (and bonus pamphlet about how slow and steady wins the race), you can totally keep and eat them, so be careful not to drop them! How you get them down from the tree is up to you, of course. Try some magic, or maybe just some regular old tree-shaking will do the trick.. just be careful you don't accidentally knock down any wasp nests. Those stings will hurt bad! B ⦿ A Balanced Approach The party of people who want to try to woo Celliwig over to smooth things over see this little political gathering with cookie-based bribery and quickly fashion their own event to make sure the fanfare isn't all for just the one idea. To gather people in to hear their side of the story, this group has decided to host a bug catching contest! Head out into those flower fields between Camelot and the Red Springs that are now thriving thanks to April's plentiful rains. Whether you use a net or figure out how to use your magic to get the bugs, it's how many you catch, not what kinds you catch that count-- so make it fast and make it plentiful! And at the end of the day, what you choose to do with your captured bugs is up to you. Crush them or free them, keep them or eat them, whatever it is you want to do... ultimately, all moral choices are valid, right? So let's go along with what Celliwig wants! Don't forget that May is the season of the frog, however, and you'll be in competition with a variety of sentient and wise members of the Frog Tribe, a group of bipedal frogs who live in the southernmost part of the lake and come up to the flowerfields to stick their tongues out for some delicious bug treats. They have no problem sticking their tongues right into your captured bug nest, hopping on heads to steal your catches, and do all kinds of crazy interferences like snipping belts and tonguing ankles to trip people. You may want someone to watch your back for this event, lest you get done in by a hopper. C ⦿ A Show of Strength The more war-hungry citizens of Camelot seek to go to war. This whole issue will be over if Celliwig itself isn't the one in charge of communication and it's just made directly between Elphame and Camelot, rather than having a mediator who refuses to mediate. They believe that a show of strength is the only way to solve this problem, and as such, they'll be demonstrating that the greatest rewards come from strength by organizing an expedition to a cave at the base of the Ash Mountains. Taking a path squarely between the Dusklight Woods and the edge of the Lands of Rot to the base of the Ash Mountains, this expedition will lead into a cave known as the Giant Cave. It's a pretty on-the-nose name, since it really is a big cave. One of the cool things about this cave is that it's filled with geodes. Those who have enough strength can use provided pickaxes and drills to dig up their own crystals and gold, both great for jewelry and enchanting. In particular, there is a large amount of: • Rose quartz: dark mages can make their love spells much more powerful and healers can use this to enhance spells that soothe anxieties and self-doubt • Amethyst: siphoners increase the potency of counter-curses and light mages will find this stone makes their hard light shields stronger than ever • Agate: strengthen cognitive abilities like post-cognition for a clearer picture of what happened by enhancing perception, and death mages will find they're able to extend their possession times by about 30 minutes by using an agate to stablize their aura • Moonstones: will increase navigation as a traveler's protection for kinetic users-- no longer will you risk tripping over a rock while going at enhanced speeds, or can be traded to fairies to potentially bring down a steep price to something more reasonable • Black tourmaline: a crystal that shields from opposition/negativity-- for technomancers and elementalists, this means that technology is more likely to side with them over another technomancer, or elementalists will find that when using opposing elements, theirs will come out stronger-- like water vs fire, electric vs rock, etc. • Hematite: can soothe blood, leaving it a good tool to enhance animal and blood magic-- animals may trust you more readily by having a calming effect on them, and blood mages may find that they heal more readily after using their abilities • Boji stone: alchemists will find that this is a good stabilizer for for particularly volatile potion combinations, and the properties of this stone leaves green mages to sense new types of plants they haven't yet encountered in passing, even if they're not looking at them It's not particularly a contest in this case-- you can keep and use what you want, and this show of strength has given you more power than ever, so why not consider the same concept for how to deal with our unneighborly neighbors in Celliwig? It may be sweaty business, but surely hitting some rocks will show you the value of strength! With the surprisingly tame day in the Giant Cave, one would think that the Ash Mountains were something of a safe place. No one really bothered the travelers, but that's because no one had been home at the time. as it turns out, the Giant Cave is home to a giant... douchebag of a minotaur. Not a giant, despite the name. His name is Simon and he doesn't like to share, and now that a bunch of people have gone and taken his rocks (he didn't even know there were crystals inside, nor does he do anything with them). Now he has to take his revenge, regardless of not knowing who actually took the crystals that were never really his to begin with, they just happened to be in rocks near where he sleeps. A ⦿ A Stone's Throw from Revenge The minotaur is a very instinctive creature, and his instincts say that the people of Camelot, the nearest settlement, are the ones who need to be punished for this. He uses his superhuman strength to drag huge rocks and boulders all the way to the north-east edge of Camelot, seemingly for no reason, until he's got practically a wall built. At which point he starts picking them up, spinning, and then vaulting the rocks into Camelot's buildings. You may find yourself inside of one of those buildings and scrambling to check if everyone and yourself is okay, or perhaps you're rushing out to stop the minotaur from throwing another. Either way, it's a sudden attack and you're going to have to act fast. Trying to attack the minotaur will be difficult, since it has superhman strength and durability, sharp horns atop its head, and can smell you coming from a mile away. Get creative, and stop the minotaur before it's too late! B ⦿ There's Safety in Numbers Once the minotaur's attacks stop, it flees to recover its wounds, promising it will come back to destroy Camelot once and for all. It's a time for reprieve and to help clean up the damage. Use your magic to help clean up broken buildings and structures, or heal and help others who were injured in the sudden, mostly unprovoked attack. Many of the uninjured citizens will be going around town and providing drinks, towels, and cups of noodles to those who are helping out. Because of the impending threat of the minotaur's return, it's recommended that otherworlder's use the (Recipe) Buddy System spell. The way they explain it, it's a spell designed to alert your buddy if you're in danger and lasts about an hour. The way it actually works is you must be touching your buddy in any way at all times for the next hour. Unfortunately, it seems like the volunteers sharing the recipe may have missed that it was created in a kindergarten class, not for adults. C ⦿ Gross Thankfully, the Buddy System wears off before the Minotaur is back for round two. When the Minotaur returns, the castle has since gathered forces to the edge of town to defend it from another attack. It's unclear where the Minotaur went to get healed, but whoever he went to apparently had some advice, however, and the instinctive minotaur gave into a different instinct for part two of his revenge. Rather than go right back to his pile of rocks, he instead travels the day to get to the southernmost part of Camelot and barrels into town unopposed, as most of the troupes are where they had thought he would come from again. After all, minotaurs are not known to be big thinkers. Instead of violently destroying this time, however, the minotaur instead heads straight to lowertown's well-- and takes a pee in it. It turns out, not only does he have a giant-- ahem, but he is a giant dick as well. Now the entire lowertown has to be evacuated due to contaminated water up to other areas of Camelot. Many people who live there are relocated to live in extra castle rooms. After all, Minotaur Urine is known to be incredibly potent and stinky. Mages who are able to handle the smell are asked to come help perform a ritual of water purification for the lowertown's water system. This ritual involves multiple groups of people performing synchronic magic, a magic type that requires you to be in perfect sync with your partner. Draw a special ritual circle with four candles at equidistant points. Chant a spell in sync with your partner, and blow a special powder made of ground jasper, charcoal, and rosemary into the center of the circle. It will be drawn into the candles' flames and with enough people doing this, all impurities will be removed from the lowertown's water and dissipate into the atmosphere. KEY POINTS New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. There is a vote pending for Camelot and each side of the issue is trying to engage otherworlders to their side of the vote. The slow/steady approach is hosting a cookie harvesting tournament from a grove of cookie trees, the middleground group is hosting a bug-catching contest, and the group that wants war is hosting a mining expedition. The mining expedition aggros an asshole of a minotaur, who throws rocks at Camelot. Driven away, the townspeople try to help by distributing a spell called "Buddy System" which binds two people together, not realizing it was intended for kindergarteners. (Oops.) The minotaur returns and pees in the lowertown's water, so a ritual of water purification must be performed because it's gross and stinky. The minotaur is still at large. **** The above key points are a new feature we're going to start including on TDMs and Events. Since it's new, the format is still fluid, so please let us know if you have any feedback for this section here. It should just include brief summaries of each prompt to make parsing information easier and more accessible. The original prompts should still be read and referred to for complete information and details. **** MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. • A poll will go up a little later this week regarding the mentioned voting, which should be answered ICly by each character you play. The poll will remain open through the 15th so that newly accepted characters may also vote if they choose to. •If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

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Noctis Lucis Caelum | FFXV | Elemental / Siphon

[nocts]

A ⦿ Honey Over Vinegar

[Usually he has Ignis watching over every single thing he eats and complains because 90% of those things are junk food, with a very few exceptions of when Ignis himself prepares a meal. Even then he's picky.

So having this abundance of sweets to grab from the trees themselves is both weird and like a dream. Maybe he is sleeping. Of sorts. Who knows what Crystal did to him. But without his warping abilities here, it's almost impossible to reach the branches. Glancing around, he calls for the nearest person.]

Can you give me a leg up? [Noct is on the shorter side and he's trying his best not to be grumpy about it.]

B ⦿ A Show of Strength

[He's not the strongest person ever, not even close to Gladio, but that doesn't mean he can't handle some digging. Especially if the stones are magical. He really wants to stock up on items that he's lost in the transition from his world to here. He does wish his shield is around to bombard him with random survival trivia.

With a nice pile of stones he's dug out, he's picking through them, looking for the best pieces. He can feel the energy coming from the amethyst.]

Do we get to keep these? [He would really like to keep these, please.]

C ⦿ A Stone's Throw from Revenge

Come on, this way!

[He's been in battles before, against things a hundred times bigger than himself, and the minotaur is nothing in comparison to Titan, for example. Still, he doesn't have his abilities from home so he will have to make do with whatever he has. Besides, he doesn't dare engage with the beast itself because his retinue is not around to back him up.

So, as he's helping people run out of the buildings and evacuate, he's turning around and slinging fireballs and ice arrows at the thing. This new elemental magic is different from the one he had, but it's still something familiar that he can exploit.]

Down that corridor, don't stop running, there's nowhere to hide- [he yells out after dodging and jumping over the rock that just narrowly missed him.]

D ⦿ There's Safety in Numbers

[He waves away one of the citizens that approached him with food and just takes the bottle with water. With scratches all over his face and arms, and a deep gash on his side, Noct is leaning against one of the ruined buildings with his eyes closed. Maybe he's just some lucky son of a bitch that managed to get away with little to no scraps.

When another person approaches him, he waves again at them to move on-] I'm fine, I need a nap. Go heal someone with worse injuries.

D

[shotgunman]

You can nap later, dumbass.

[Prompto isn't going anywhere. Instead, he knelt right down to the prince's level and lifted up the shirt to see the gash. He hissed at the sight. He held his hand out to hover over it and the healing started.]

You know we don't have potions here anymore, not at our disposal anyway. So, I'm gonna be your healer for today and you're just gonna have to deal, my dude.

[nocts]

[Prompto gets a grumble for his effort and for calling him a dumbass but doesn't get pushed away. A little bit of squirming here and there because rule #1: don't take off the shirt in public. He's not ripped like Gladio (and there's also that back scar...).

He peers at his friend where he's crouching beside him, and closes his eyes again, sighing a bit; there's a small relief when the wound finally starts closing up and stops stinging.]

No self-healing abilities either. [Noct was able to do some minor healing as well but it's all gone.] At least I can still fling fire bolts.

[shotgunman]

[Get over it, Noct. No one's here to ogle anyway. Besides, Prompto only lifted the shirt where the wound was, he didn't take it off.]

Told you, we don't really have access to anything from here. We all essentially become normies here and we gotta learn new abilities instead. I got apparently got assigned healing and... uh... [He looks almost sick thinking about it.] b-blood magic.

[nocts]

Yeah, yeah, I get it, [Noct grumbles, then hisses when magic gets to the deeper parts of the cut. It stings, this "flesh knitting". He wished he had at least one bottle of healing potion with him.]

Blood magic? [He can see Prompto's not really at good terms with it so, as always he tries to reassure him with a small joke (he still feels bad for how he talked to him in Cartanica...)]

Did they turn you into a vampire? You gonna sparkle now? [It also helps as a distraction from his own wounds.]

honey

[shiliu]

[ Gu Yun isn't here for political reasons, nor does he like sweets; it's more that he's interested in plants that grow unconventional produce. He's been trying for some time to use his green magic to grow a chicken tree, with limited success.

So he's just been examining the bark of one of these trees when he hears that request. He looks up. ]

Hm! All right.

[ He's quite practiced at kinetic magic, at this point. He doesn't walk over, but simply raises his hand, on purpose to use his magic to lift the man into the air. ]

How high do you want to go?

[nocts]

[Noctis has enough of politics back in his own world so no, he's not here for that either. He just wants to fill his pockets with sugary snacks because he can. There IS a brief moment where he ponders whether this is a theft or no, but everyone else is doing it, some even sitting in the trees and eating them so... a few pocket cookies will be fine, right?

He quirks an eyebrow and then nods up-]

The first branch is just fine. I can climb after it. I kind of lost my powers of short-distance teleports so... yeah.

[It's a nuisance. It was so useful, Noct realizes that now.]

[shiliu]

[ With a flick of his fingers, he sends the man into the air; it probably feels something like being suspended on a string. ]

Oh, a newcomer.

[ There's a tiny branch emerging from the tree he's been studying. He breaks it off and twirls it between his fingers. ]

Teleportation? That sounds like a useful skill.

[nocts]

[It's a very weird feeling but he appreciates it; the moment the branch gets in his reach, he grabs it and climbs up like a cat.]

Yeah, it was. This place took it from me so now I can't do it anymore.

[His voice gets muffled a bit as he climbers up the tree and takes a nice seat on one of the thicker branches.]

A

[konpeito_aji]

[A man after his own heart!]

Yup!

Hop on! [To his shoulders, and then you're on your own from there! It's still technically a competition even if Nobunaga just intends to eat the most of everyone...]

[nocts]

[Noctis could contribute to the contest himself but he needs to first satisfy the urge to stuff his face with chocolate chip cookies.]

Thanks! [Despite not looking very athletic, Noct very nimbly and quickly, over the man's shoulders gets to the first branch of the tree.] This place took my teleportation power, sorry!

[konpeito_aji]

[SEE? Nobunaga's thoughts exactly!]

[Especially since he never had cookies before. So there's A LOT to try for him. Like all of it. Chocolate. Peanutbutter. Oatmeal. But not raisin. Raisins are not candy or even sweet. Anyone who claims they are should be punished!]

[He looks up in surprise.] You had teleportation magic? Truly? [He doesn't doubt it, he's just surprised. Noctis is the first person to mention losing/having such a thing.]

[nocts]

[If his advisor were here though, he'd get an earful for eating unhealthy.]

Yes, I could warp from place to place. Short distances, like, up to 120 feet I guess. But still- it was very useful, for both fight and getting places.

[He starts picking at the few cookies that are in the reach and climbs on the second branch.]

B. A Show of Strength

[patchricide]

I should hope so. After all, I didn't attend this event to listen of their talk of warmongering.

[Allura's sorting out her own piles, setting aside her own amethysts as well as some agates. And it looks like she's found quite an assortment, but... only a few small pebble-sized amethysts. Her eyes glance over at his stone, and back to hers...]

[She might be a little jealous.]

C

[tantailizing]

Hey! This way!

[Back up has arrived to help see the building evacuated. It's taken a few more hits than that last one, putting the stability at risk.]

Head out and to the other side of the city! Move as fast as you can!

[He'd like to take a go at the minotaur soon, but these people first.]

[nocts]

[It's good to see some more backup! Noct would've been way faster than this if he could just warp across the room or, even better, warp back at the minotaur and just stab him with his spectral blades. But they are not here, and he can't warp, and the only thing he has is Ring (that's not functioning) on his finger.

He ushers some more people forward and waits for the guy to follow as well and leave the corridor. Then he turns around and uses both types of his magic- elemental ice infused with siphon, to create a massive, extremely thick glacier in the middle of the corridor. It should stop most things flying through it. It won't last forever, of course, if the minotaur keeps attacking it, but it will stop a few boulders.]

I bought us some time! Does this place have fast transportation?! We can't outrun it!

[tantailizing]

[Looks like that's about everyone that passes him and Zidane goes to follow. However, he stops and looks back at the sound of ice crackling and growing. Ah, that might stop a few boulders, but just for a while.]

The only fast transport you might be able to hop on right now are horses and those things spook too damn easy. I can cover you guys from overhead, but you gotta cover them if anything gets past or he hits another building, okay?

[nocts]

[They need all the time they can get, and Noct still has some of his magic left to try and summon more of that in emergencies.]

Are there carriages? I doubt there will be enough horses for everyone to get on. I hope something else catches the guy's attention so we can evacuate this part.

[There's still noise coming and things crashing and burning in the distance, but it doesn't seem to be coming their way. Yet.]

Grandson....!

[luciing]

[ The Giant Cave is aptly named. For anyone else, they might wonder what sort of processes or beasts carved out the labyrinth littered with stalagmites and adorned with stalactites, decorating it as a natural cathedral of the earth. For Somnus, however, he comes here to gather the precious stones not out of a need to show strength— as the some war-hungry locals wish— but out of interest for the use of the potentially magic-compatible gems.

Within the depths of the cavern, who does he find but the King of Kings crouched close to the ground, amethyst in hand as a wealthy pile of stone glimmers beside him. He’s been busy, it seems.

Once spoken to, Somnus’ steps out from the shadows, looking him over once with a stern and stiff gaze. ]

Hail, Chosen. You have returned to this realm.

/gasp/ Grandpa!

[nocts]

[Everyone has been trying to make the most of what they were given, and Noctis has been on a long-running trek of doing just that. Surviving in the middle of nowhere, in caves, mountains, lava pits, swamps and tall plants. Sleeping under the open sky or ran down motel or trailer park. Eating whatever food they can hunt down, and it's not bad only because Ignis is just that good at cooking.

So when there's an opportunity to find and take something that can help him with fighting here, with his magic, he takes it. What he doesn't expect is to be called Chosen- it sends a shiver down his back and his eyes snap up faster than he can warp. For a moment he thought he heard that voice somewhere, but it was not the same. And the fact that he looks eerily like him gives his gut a very unpleasant twist.]

I've heard that I've been here before, [he stands up so he can properly look at the guy,] but no one until now called me 'Chosen'. Are you... from Eos?

[luciing]

[ Noctis is the spitting image of him when he was younger. The resemblance is uncanny-- and, perhaps, divinely ordained to be just so, from the beginning to the end.

Unlike Noctis' face, however, Somnus' visage remains cold and stoic, as if he yet wears the helm of the Lucii, and his gaze only wavers once-- to the Young King's right hand-- before snapping back to meet his eyes as he asks a question.

A pause precedes his answer. Then, in a voice that carries throughout the cavern: ]

Behold.

[ While he no longer has his abilities to access the armiger, the magic of Avalon has gifted him with the kinetic variety. Wordlessly Somnus raises his hand, and the Blade of the Mystic which had been hovering just behind his back (for he has yet to find a proper sheath), moves forward. A legacy, a birthright, a blade all in one, the greatsword hovers off-center between the two. Its obsidian face seems darker than the shadows of the cavern, its edges gracefully refract the light it catches, and their family's crest-- the chrysanthemum-star-- remains unmarred.

After a moment, Somnus' hand lowers to his side, disappearing beneath his cloak. The sword's tip sinks into the ground, inert.

The blade can only belong to one person. This alone should be proof enough of who he is. ]

[nocts]

[Noctis is still recoiling from the fact that almost a mirror image of himself has walked up to him. There's no way he's not from Eos, but he can't put his finger on where and how- he even knows that Noct is 'Chosen'. The ring is there, the Ring of Lucii, on Noct's hand, but its shine is dull, devoid of any magic, and looks like a ring carved out of black stone.

But Noct's eyes go wide when the blade, the blade, appears from behind the man's back and it clicks. The resemblance, the knowledge of Eos and what is going on and it's almost too much- looking his ancestor in the eyes and then back at the sword.

It's proof, and yet at the same time, it's so hard to believe.]

You're the Founder King. [His eyes fall back onto the sword, clearly left there for him. His fingers touch the top of the hilt, and he looks up at him again.] I don't have my powers here, this place had- completely cut me off from- everything.

[He wraps fingers around the hilt and pulls the sword out of the ground and gets it in both of his hands. And steps forward, offering it back,] I suppose the same goes for you, so you'll need Your blade. I have my Father's. [And it's true, he can't keep his own sword in armiger either, but it's sheathed on his back, and buckled around him.]

C

[apshot]

[ It really is like one of those crappy fantasy rpgs. An actual minotaur. Causing problems. Man, who pissed this guy off? Bakugou supposes that it doesn't really matter.

Getting people out is what matters. People getting hurt isn't acceptable and since Uraraka's shit on Bakugou's rescue skills? Of course he wants to show her up.

When that rock comes cascading? Bakugou actually throws up a barrier to make sure that no one gets crushed by it. ]

Fight or focus on getting people out. Don't do both!

[ Be the distraction or run away with everyone else! ]

[nocts]

I'm trying to-

[-just as he opens his mouth to answer, another huge boulder comes hurtling at them, just after one that impacted with the guy's shield. Instinctively, he fuels his arm with lightning energy and amps it up with whatever left he has from siphoning he's done, blasting the boulder into pieces. There are still some larger chunks, one of which scrapes Noct's arm as he tries to dodge back, but it doesn't smash anyone.]

-I'm trying to protect our asses! Keep running, I don't have more enhancing magic to keep blasting these things!

[He definitively doesn't look like he's going to engage the minotaur, just buying time for everyone to run away. Without warping around, and his armiger, Noct feels as if his hands are tied.]

[apshot]

WHO SAYS YOU'RE THE ONLY FUCKER CAPABLE OF BLASTING THEM, EH!?

[ Bakugou is not known for being a huge team player, it's true. However when push comes to shove, when actually faced with crisis, Bakugou actually does put forth that effort. It's probably why he's pissed off this guy thinks that he can handle this on his own.

There's nothing wrong with accepting that help's needed. A lesson that Katsuki's struggled to learn. ]

You just keep going! Block against pebbles or shit!

[ Because next time a boulder is launched in their direction, Bakugou conjures up a ball of flame to blast it. ]