=> Whimsical Underground Adventure 2000: Kids and Fun

[amicableAggressor]

Regina had watched as the team of 'elites' had dissolved around her. Well, she had expected some sort of immature outburst from the wiggler, but it had been the fault of her lusus to let her come here in the first place, and then been unable to defend her or itself. A troll who's lusus didn't do its duty properly tended to not live too long, simple as that. Shaking the water out of her hair, she stepped out of the pool she had dived in, with the same unerring instinct that water was the safest place for a seadweller. She had dashed forward, making a last break with the rest of her party, though it was more from blind luck rather than mutual agreement. Going back or stopping to help was laughable. Emerging at the end, she sneered around the vine-covered lair.

"Shitty decorator you got here, pal. Even shittier decision making. You might wanna consider them both!" Despite her dismissive attitude, Regina's eyes took in everything, and every inch of the troll in front of her. Already she was running through in her head all the ways she could think of to get him to come work for her. Strength was strength, after all. And he had taken down all previous waves of drones she had sent in, testing the water. Not bothering to see if anyone else had breached the line of plants, she stepped forward and folded her arms. As usual, if they survived they were strong, if they didn't, it had been a mistake on their fault to come. Trying to help out was cute and everything, but if nothing came of it but empty posturing, there was no point in it being rewarded.  

[Hivestuck]

Aendal's blood boiled. Thinking that some ingrate had just stepped out of the crowd with a death wish, the jadeblood slowly turned his head to view who was speaking. Through some invisible force, he knew right away who the speaker was. Her Imperial Condescension? It was unbelievable -- so long he hid from everything this demon had stood for and here she was, taunting him. His days of fear were over. This revenge couldn't be sweeter. Aendal clenched his jaw.

“Well, look what we have here," sneered the jadeblood. "The pint-sized despot herself. Tch..." Shitty decision making? Look who was talking. Aendal idly wound his fingers around a creeping vine and snapped it off. It wound around his digits like a snake, quietly hissing.

Aendal stared her down. The flowers in his eyesockets shuddered with his powerful chlorokinesis. Around her feet, vines shuddered. Collecting signatures - telling Aendal everything he needed to know about the trolls in the cave. They were his eyes and more. He saw everything. With her were opulently dressed seadwellers, just like her. Their heat signatures told him enough. Two of them were mere wigglers. It could have been funny, but Aendal shook with rage. The nerve. He crushed the vine between his fingers and tossed it aside. Typical royals. He'd never had the fortune to kill one before that had made their way to his hive. Over the years, trolls came and went. All of them ended up the same -- fertilizer. Seadwellers were no different than any other troll. He'd return them to the caves all the same.

"To think I hid from you and your kind. You've done me a favor, brat. I've been dying to wipe out some members of the ruling class, but this really takes the cake. I could end your rule right here," Aendal had never been one to mince words. Her nonchalant attitude was grating, but he'd soon knock her down a few pegs.

"You really think you know it all." It was a challenge. Aendal snapped his head over to "look" to all of the seadwellers and opened his arms wide. "But do you know what you're ******** dealing with?" He roared. With the movement of his palms, the grove shook and thrashed. Shrieks and howls of lusii echoed through the jungle behind the groups - tortured screaming from every kind of creature. There were still a few intruders in the thicket to crush. With any luck he'd destroyed a couple of the finned trolls' lusii in the chaos.  

[Sypon]

Aandes was frozen as the surreal scene played out in front of him. He had only heard about this from tales whispered to wigglers to get them to sleep during the day – go inside or you’ll scald. Worse off, you’ll be eaten alive by daywalkers. How could this be happening? His vision was swimming with tears that sprung immediately to his eyes. He stumbled backwards and fell, and as the drone advanced he tried to bring words to his throat. He had to call for help.

“E—Eo…” Aandes choked. He felt a churning in his bile sack. Twitching vines from the drone lurched closer to his place on the ground and he started to sob, shuddering and backpedaling with his hands until he was tangled up in encroaching thorns. “Help!” he squeaked. Eostre had to help him – she’d protected him all this time. But she wouldn’t – Koalapops was there first.

In a white blur, the lusus charged across the ground and climbed up to the drone’s shoulders. Low bellows accompanied sharp bites to the drone’s neck and face as Koalapops tore through skin. Aandes’ lip quivered, and shocked for a moment, he couldn’t move. Then, he found himself being pulled away. The thorns were closing in. They had to go. “POPS!! NO!! NO!”

Aandes tripped over his feet, looking back to the path no closing off. The white of his lusus disappeared in the thicket. Aandes soon couldn’t see through the tears pouring out of his eyes. His lusus would never – could never… But he did. And now he was gone. The light of the perceived exit was at hand. Uncontrollably quivering, Aandes fell to his knees when the two made it out of the path hurt, but alive.

There was a monstrous greenblood in front of him. And a display of the dead. Aandes lost his stomach contents on the ground and was quiet and still.  

[purplerosesbeauty]

Eostre huffed as she stood in front of Aandes, glad to have escaped the horror flower tunnel with her life. She'd never seen such a thing before, and it was incredible. She'd had to grab the greenblood before he got himself killed, and now the poor kid lost his lusus in the fight, it seems.

She glanced at the jadeblood monster quickly and she tried to move into the shadows with Aandes while he was distracted by... the Queen? Eostre didn't know the... was it a rainbowdrinker too? God, was anything right in this hellhole of a city? She sniffed angrily, turning back to Aandes.

"Aandes," she whispered to him. "We'll go look for your lusus after this is over, but for now we need to take care of ourselves and get out of here as soon as possible. Whatever this guy is, he's dangerous. And I'm certain we have to fight him." She cracked her knuckles, making sure her knuckle dusters were in place. "Just stick close to me."

 

[amicableAggressor]

Looking down at the little seadweller standing half-beside, half-behind her, Regina gave a small grin. Ah, so the kid had managed to survive her first trial separation. Maybe she wouldn't be a complete wash after all. "Hey. You were bitchin' at that other seadweller earlier, weren't you? Take a good look at this lowblood here. He's the one you should have been saving those words for. Learn to identify your target instead of just lashing out at the first person across your self. Take that anger and learn to use it when it'll actually matter." Straightening back up, she pointed a finger at the mad troll in front of her, as though aiming a gun. "And remember, whenever something bad happens, nine times out of ten it's some nutty land dweller. Tenth time's usually a big angry thing that you inadvertently pissed off."

She turned her attention back to Aendal, folding her arms and looking at him like he was an afterthought. "Oh, sorry? Were you saying something relevant, or just more angry rambling?" There was some lowblood kid freaking out, unable to cope with the situation that they themselves had volunteered to be in. Seriously, way to make great decisions.  

[Sypon]

Aandes heard his name spoken tohim quietly, and looked up. He wiped his eyes. She was right. The hope he had was gone, but at least Eostre was here with him. He resigned himself to her side, picking himself up off of the ground. "Yes. I will," he vowed. Aandes shakily wiped his lip and got to his feet, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the cavern. It was too much to take in for the greenblood.

Pops hadn't taught him much on perseverance over his short life. He had never been around, or lucid enough to bother. Aandes did what he wanted, and for all of his doing he did little. Silly games and small-time profit were nothing. He'd been so focused on avoiding trouble that he had no idea how to confront it. No matter what happened, Eostre was ready to fight. She had been this whole time, while he had acted like a wiggler. Aandes had to learn to stomach this. In fact, he had to learn now or he'd be dead in an instant. It was time to fight. It'd be better than laying down anyway.

He positioned himself behind Eostre, and cleared the metallic taste from his throat. Oh, yes. There was still fear. Anyone who didn't feel a pit in their bile sacks when they laid eyes on the jadeblood was either an idiot, or the queen. Though... way she spoke about landdwellers and her attitude towards this - mythical? - troll was indicative that she could be the former, but it was yet to be seen. Aandes was too preoccupied with terror to make judgements, and kneaded his hands at his sides wishing he was more skilled at using his weapon.  

[Hivestuck]

The littlest seadweller was causing a fuss. Hiding behind the Queen herself, she looked like a frail little insect. “Not used to getting what you want, princess?” he snapped. She deserved no other commentary for the moment. Her naivety was irritating, and control of power over the royal was sweet but hollow.

Two other trolls – landdwellers – had entered his grove. The small one appeared worse for wear, an easy target to get rid of, but his companion was more resolute. Fine. So long as they didn’t make any sudden moves. He kept them in his senses as he turned back to the Queen, seething.

“Shut the hell up, wiggler. You’re as insignificant as the pawns you rule, and twice as worthless,” He itched to kill her, then and there. She acted and commanded like a child, yet possessed total authority to destroy his kind. The entire world was at her will. “You think she will protect you?” He addressed the small seadweller again. Her followers – the population who perpetuated the cycle and those who worked against it for their own agenda– everyone. They were all gutless drones. They all deserved to die. His rage built, fingers twitching. Vines on the ground pulsed and gnarled with his anger. Soon, the final groups of trolls stumbled into the cavern. Aendal snarled, then what could have been perceived as a manic laugh escaped his lips. His expression was demented. It was like a surreal dream; a handful of children, some teens and their Queen. This is what Alternia's ruler has to offer? Pathetic.

Aendal opened his palm. The wall of drones began to shiver. Quick flicks of his fingers and the vines were on the move again. "You’re all the same to her: fodder. Did you come here for glory? Fame? The chance to kill? You’ll all end up like the rest of them.”

The bodies within the construct began to move. Voices from the grave were strangled out of the corpses with coaxing from vines. Aendal crossed his arms over his chest and the drones twitched from their place on the construct, their arms and legs bending at impossible angles. They were similarly covered in flora, having been entangled and rooted. Vines buried inside took root in the cavern and gave them new life.

Katanari

Ephias

leon_a_darkangel

Voscil

KitsuneAura

Etsali

quite uneventful

Zindel

Gl!tch~

Reemus

TanuKyle

Nervit

seekingCylem

Sinter

TanuKyle

Alexin

LordPocky

Miache

Sypon

Tamiya

You have arrived.  

[seekingCylem]

[ Sinter's skin burned and his eyes watered. The dark path cut out of the thickets had been the only shape he could distinguish among the mass of plants and his blurry vision. He'd heard the bellowing just as he and his team had darted into the alcove. Sinter had turned just in time to see the red glow of Lophie's lure be enveloped by a mass of plant life.

"s**t! s**t! NO!!" Sinter was overcome with his own adrenaline and easily yanked away from the scene by Reemus. Soon enough, the foliage closed in around them and Sinter had lost sight of Lophie completely.

Sinter didn't have time to process what had happened. His eyes had barely cleared themselves of the spores, but by that point he was certain the tears were more than just allergies. The group was already set upon by something else. Sinter blinked hard as the gray shape in the bushes came into focus. "Hang on. Wait, what is tha--"

The drone was pulled free of the plants and Sinter pulled back on impulse. His vision returned just in time for him to recognize the deep, colorful wounds across the drone's torso and their pale, blank eyes. "Oh my god!"

The white flash of Pyredad's interference barely registered with Sinter beyond the zombie's slight pause in movement. With an unyielding grip on his companions, he sprinted through the brush.

Sinter burst into the cavern covered in leaves and twigs with vines snagged in his horns. With the algae green of his clothes, he looked like he belonged in the verdant cave system. It was only the sudden lack of branches in his face that caused Sinter to stop and assess his surroundings.

It was bright in there, despite supposedly being quite a ways underground. The illumination allowed Sinter to see the many other trolls that had made their way to this point--all looking at least as shaken up as himself.

They were also all staring. Sinter turned his attention to the figure at the center. He struggled to catch his breath, certain that he was hallucinating from stress. What kind of troll could live looking like that..?

The corpses rising from the underbrush answered Sinter's question. ]

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Voscil had tried to keep her act together and remain on top of her game throughout all the mishaps. Yet as things went from bad to worse there was nothing any of them could do. They'd kept on the move, and clearing the vines had been a small victory. That was, until she realized Mamaju had not made it through nor was she visible any longer. "W..wait where's Mamaju?" She asked as it became clear she too has been separated like the other lusii before her.

Losing her was a shock, leaving Voscil looking lost. "MAMA?!" She screamed, taking several swift steps forward heading back as if she'd return the way they came. Fear made her stop dead in her tracks. Swallowing past the lump in her throat her fists balled, clenching tightly as she ignored the yellow-mustard tear droplets rolling down her marked cheeks. Voscil’s shoulders dropped as she lowered her head not wanting to look at any of the others she'd travelled with until she collected herself. Running back would mean some one was liable to get hurt. Mamaju wouldn't want that. Voscil blinked in disbelief, barely sure what to do or say for a moment.

As angry as she was, her promise to Ephias to lead them for a while kept her outburst from overflowing into sitting in a corner and sulking. "s**t…um..come on guys. I guess." She kicked at the ground in frustration as she un-clenched her fists. Voscil wanted nothing more than to scream and cry more but just like before they had to keep going. Not looking back was the hardest thing she'd ever done in her short sweeps of existence and it felt like a betrayal.

Bolting into the cavern, she ignored the pain of twigs and leaves clawing at her bare skin. Her attention snapped to the center of the room. It took her time to register what she was actually looking at, her eyes widened in surprise. "Woaaah...! No way, I think those are real life zombies? And not some FLARP imitation either. That's so creepy!" she announced in a hushed whisper, brows furrowing. All those present for the horror show looked how she felt, at least in varying degrees of extreme. For the first time she didn't have a lot to yell or shout over, her eyes instead rested on the glowing figure and his abnormal appearance. It was pretty damn obvious he wasn't a natural living thing, not with an appearance like that.  

[T-Kai]

Nervit thought she'd been doing something good, saving some kind of troll who had been stuck in the vines. But only a corpse rose from the ground, and Nervit backed up, grabbing at Reemus to pull him back too. As Pyredad leapt from her horn to protect his charge, Nervit reached out for her lusus to try and grab him back ; he was too small! too small and too fragile! His poison would do nothing against such a large creature - well it would, but not in time, not in time - but before Nervit could finish this ill-advised action, Sinter was upon the two children, bearing them away before the drone could strike. Half of Nervit was glad for this, but the other half was a little girl screaming for her dad, her papa - her lusus!

Still, not a peep was heard from her as the party continued to run on, Nervit as steel-faced as any soldier as they stumbled into the clearing. Though her eyes were bright with unshed tears, she clasped the hands of her companions tightly as they stood against what could only be an undead fiend. Though her voice quavered, she spoke out loudly into the cavern.

"Does anyone know how we kill him?"

A little to the point perhaps, but Nervit had identified the threat to her lusus, and it was going /down/. Fierce in her anger, Nervit hadn't considered the fact that she was drawing attention to herself by this action - only that this was an enemy, that it was undead, and in all respects (including offense to the eyes, that thing was GARISH) it needed to die.

====

Alexin tumbled out of the stinging nettles tears wet on their face - for both lusii lost and from the pain. Welts were raised on their palms and fingers from the irritant of the nettles, and they scrunched their palms in agony, only furthering the pain as the poison spread further. Struggling to their feet, they took in the situation, and then, quietly, without any preamble, swore under their breath.

"shitmaggots."

They looked around for Tamiya and Miache (But particularly tamiya, who had a weapon!) and then were distracted by a young lowblood (how dare she speak out of turn...on the other hand that was a damn good question...) who near-on shouted to the rest of the cavern. How to kill it...how to kill it.... It was undead....Maybe chopping off it's head would work?

Still, Alexin wasn't going to say that and risk it's attention turning to them, nope.  

[Hivestuck]

From within the jungle, the missing lusii marched. There were scores of them. Perhaps a hundred lusii stumbled like the dead from the thicket. Creatures of all kinds wailed with horror and rage. Some of them attempted to free themselves of their bindings, while others had to be dragged along the ground by vines pulling them towards Aendal. Various states of injury plagued the group, and among the throng there were a few lusii that were very clearly deceased. Like the puppeteered drones, they were being lead by Aendal’s control. With a snap of his fingers, he silenced the lot with choking vines. As the sputtering ceased, he spoke.

“No one chooses their path in this contemptible planet. You give your lives to one queen who ******** you over until you die a slave. A slave of her rule, of the army, of the caverns... I wanted to be alone. Trollkind marked me as soon as I slithered into existence... Marked my lusus for slaughter the moment after she took me in.” A machete materialized in Aendal’s hand from the grove. “I’ll cut you down in retribution for her death, you bastards!”

The machete contacted the oily surface below him, and ignited. Vines spreading from the jadeblood’s feet were covered in that familiar oily residue from his vines of choice, and soon burst into hot flames. The cavern made a perfect ring for a stand-off, bordered now by licking fire. There was no escape.

The jadeblood’s voice grew louder and more commanding. Flowers popped up on his sleeves, and near his shoulders a thick layer of thorny vines began to spring, amplified by the harsh glow of his skin. Aendal backed up from the group. Vines burst from the ground in front of him and soon the twisting knots of plantlife began to create a new column for him to stand on and separate himself from his enemies. “You think losing a lusus is hard? Try killing them yourself. If they don’t kill you first!” Aendal spat.

Aendal swung his machete in an arc, and a thick spray of spores burst from plants restraining the horde of lusii. The effects were immediate. Struggle and suffering filled the air as Aendal grimly looked on.

There was a distinct change in the air now. The creatures frothed and lunged at the group of trolls in front of them, yearning to be free of their restraints and roaring with bloodlust. Many attempted to bite and scratch at each other, indiscriminately hostile towards all living creatures within the cavern while they were caught in his grip. Relentless tearing at the vines and each other was too much for some lusii, shrieking from their fresh wounds. The cacophonous sound was unlike any other in the cavern.

“Attack!”

You start this battle with the amount of HP you lost during the CYOA subtracted from your health. Groups that reached Aendal's lair first have rested and do not have a health penalty.

Trolls who have lost their lusii: Your lusus has been turned against you, and is struggling against Aendal’s influence and the plants that are holding it hostage. Before you can take part in the battle, you may attempt to free them. Write a RP post in which your troll frees your lusus; you may decide how difficult it is to free them, and how serious their injuries are. Once you get your lusus back, your HP will be the standard 40 for lusii, minus any health lost during the CYOA (except for groups who have rested). As per usual, lusii will take all attacks and the damage directed at their charge during this battle.

700/700
how 2 bossfite | wiggler version: electric boogaloo
Any questions regarding battle mechanics should be asked in the main meta thread.

LUSII UNDER AENDAL'S CONTROL: 100/100
Aendal may take additional damage from a combined attack when a certain amount of lusii are freed.
(staff will keep track of this number and the damage dealt due to this effect.)
Lusii needed for next combined attack: 10

Once the lusii are released, they immediately attack whatever is in sight. Aendal's influence is overwhelming; the vines causing the aggression are simultaneously driving them wild with toxins and dragging them around as though on a leash. Getting through them before Aendal seems to be the dire situation at hand.

If you rolled a 1, you must smell tasty. A huge, horned lusus pins you to the wet cave ground with every intention to gore you. You're not in any position to fight back. Lose 3 HP and deal no damage this turn.
If you rolled a 2, you are blindsided by a pack of lusii that trample you in fighting each other and the group. It takes you a long time to recover from their assault, and even then they rush past too fast for you to do lasting damage to the enemy at hand. You lose 2 HP and deal one less damage this turn.
If you rolled a 3, you notice a familiar lusus in the pack. It's a terrifying sight, and after doing a double-take, you're caught off guard by a reptillian lusus that trips you up and starts to tear at you. Lose 2 HP.
If you rolled a 4, you take some time to focus on Aendal, who is backing away at a safe distance to avoid the rabble below. Divebombing lusii make your task of getting close difficult. Lose 1 HP.
If you rolled a 5, you see right through the pack of lusii, and maneuver yourself to attempt to stop his ascent. You fight off the horde by slipping around the main action and take no damage this turn, but in your slow speed you deal one less damage this turn.
If you rolled a 6, you manage to use the distraction as an advantage. Lusii charging towards you crack heads with each other instead of yourself, and get in a swing at Aendal too boot.

Half hour options:
Fight! Teens can choose to attack Aendal once every half hour, as normal.
Free! Kids can attempt to free the lusii from Aendal’s influence. Roll 2d4 as normal at the beginning of the round (first die representing the dodge roll, second representing damage). You can roll 1d4 at each half-hour interval. This roll deals no damage. When you roll two of the same number in a row you free a lusus, which attacks Aendal upon being liberated and deals the sum of those two numbers as damage. Note that the first number (representing dodge) in the 2d4 rolled in the beginning of the round does not count towards freeing a lusus. When this occurs, please post in bold the damage that you have dealt, and that you have freed a lusus.
Example: Kid A rolls 2d4 at the beginning of the round and gets a 2 and a 3. At the next half-hour opportunity, they roll 1d4 and get a 3. Since they got two 3’s in a row, they deal a total of 6 damage to Aendal and free a lusus from his grasp.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Saved MamaJu (RP post)
Mamaju's HP: 39/40

The marching lusii from the mists of the jungle made her heart pound wildly in her chest. The familiar roar of her lusus turned Voscil's attention from the shambling vine horror, to that of her captured mother. The roarbeast sounded pained, which in its self-broke Voscil's heart. She was silenced like the rest, which struck a raw nerve. It was bitter sweet seeing her, at least she was alive! “Hang on! I’m coming.” Voscil was on the move breaking away from those that were assembled.

Voscil rushed to Mamaju's side, pulling at the vines that clung to the four legged beast’s paws that moved and pulled her along. Clenching her jaw tightly, the yellowblood ignored the sting and discomfort of the plant life as she pulled. None of it mattered, so long as she could free her mother. She'd take stinging raw palms over Mamaju being held captive.

Her injuries weren't terrible, only several little thin cuts here and there showed she'd suffered harm. She only hoped the toxic poisons hadn't caused her too much grief. She'd resisted the vines having tugged and pulled at her neck were plain to see. Whatever the jadeblood had once been, he clearly wasn’t going to back down. Voscil kept her attention on the immediate task at hand, she’d worry about dealing with everything else after. "Mama," She gave another firm tug at some of the entangling matter wrapped around her. "I've got you! I'll get you out. I promise okay?" Darting around to another side where they seemed to be less concentrated and with the help of the now alert and angry roarbeast.

Mamaju thrashed and gnawed at the vines until they gave free. Voscil gave a cry of delight when they gave way, effectively freeing Mamaju from the hold. Her golden-mustard blood oozed from a few of her cuts and scraps, dripping onto the cavern floor. She otherwise seemed fit and fine. Her lusus turned her narrowed, angry gaze onto her target. Her tail flicked in annoyance, followed by a mighty roar to annoyance her displeasure with the situation. Mamaju stood in front of her charge, her body brushing against the small troll nuzzling her in reassurance. The display was brief but adequate enough to earn a sniff and eye clearing rub from Voscil. Mamaju stood ready to attack and defend her daughter with everything she had.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

MamaJu HP: 37/40


With her target in mind the powerful roarbeast moved forward, her claws raking at her enemy. It was aimed to be more powerful, yet in Mamaju's haste to attack she hadn't noticed the pack of lusii thrashing and flailing about at the command of the vines. More it had taken her too long, and she'd been promptly overrun in the chaos. She snarled as one body smashed into her knocking her off her balance. It took too long, she had another step on her as they passed. The struggle of being trapped and stuck however brief aggravated her.

Voscil meanwhile cheered from the side lines, cringing when she watched her mother get stepped on. She reached out as if to step towards her lusus but received a glare, and bared teeth snarl. Clearly, Voscil would have to find something else to do.

Voscil's lusus deals 2 damage. Mamaju takes -2 damage.

 

[purplerosesbeauty]

Eostre HP: 17/20


Eostre saw the wall of lusii and got pinned to the ground by a large lusus. What was the point of a guardian so large! She struggled to get away from the huge beast, punching it square in the face.