4211/The Great Gale Turkey Shoot

The Great Gale Turkey Shoot
Date of Scene:	12 June 2016
Location:	The Great Ruin
Synopsis:	Turkeys on Tellus are serious business. THE KING IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE KING.
Cast of Characters:	William Pauwel, 623, 989, Athela Valemore, 999, 571, 673, Kotone Yamakawa, Starlight Bandits

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William Pauwel has posed:
    Gale is a sleepy little town. Great fields of swaying wheat and orchards festooned with late-blooming orapple blossoms surround a marketplace and town square... And what appears to be an enormous green mound that seems to have smokestacks sticking up from out of it. Ancient steel pipes radiate from the mound and creep out between or from within nearby fields like the roots of some great, metal tree stump. Sheltered beneath two of the pipe-boughs, at the center of town, is a picturesque town hall and a quaint little clocktower.

    And right now, the whole place also looks like... A warzone. Out at one side of town, the fields give way to a crescent of worn stone barricades and makeshift wooden pallisades. Gale's townsfolk have traded in their linens and cottons for weatherbeaten leather and armor plate. They've put down their ploughs and picked up an entire armory of weapons. Vehicles that are clearly some form of tractor or combine harvester are arrayed out on the vast, rolling prairies beyond the stone gate, each and every one festooned with ramshackle armor and bristling with heavy weaponry.

    While most of them are what you might expect from a town like this- leathery-skinned, rural folk, some of the townspeople are... very clearly not human. A handful stand at least ten feet tall and use their great size to manhandle enormous weapons. Others exhibit subtler, but no less unusual traits. Some, particularly those in many of the vehicles, are rather diminuitive, and cover every inch of themselves in heavy cloth.

    The one thing that unites the townsfolk of Gale is that each and every one of them is wearing a gas mask, because today is the Great Gale Turkey Shoot. But these are no ordinary turkeys; they wouldn't need this kind of equipment if they were. It comes every year, and every year it's a hell of a party, and Will's put out an open invitation to come check it out.

    He's out alongside the rest of the vehicles, waiting for the guests to arrive. There's a mask over his face, too, but his clothes are distinctive enough to easily pick him out of the crowd.

And out in the distance, drawing closer with each passing moment, is a roiling cloud of dust, loomin just over the horizon.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Earlier:

     "Mr. Kaiba. As per your request, we've been looking into various small local events. We heard of a Turkey based event, located in a somewhat backwater community. It's a small event, but it should be perfect for getting you some free press."

     "...Mm. The public does go wild for things like turkey pardoning, doesn't it? Prepare my jet for me."

     Now:

     "I am going to fire that man." Kaiba says this under his breath, to himself. He is on scene in the town, near Will and the others gathering. He arrived not all that long ago, in his Blue-Eyes White Dragon Jet. The jet is parked further back, where it shouldn't be damaged in the assault of the winged beasts. If he had known what the event really was? He'd at least bring some more anti-wind/anti-winged beast support cards. As is, all he has ready is the gas mask upon his face, and his standard deck of cards.

     For now, he stays somewhat to the side, looking off towards the distance and towards the cloud of dust. His cards are drawn, and he's taken the first move. Wordlessly, he sets two cards face down in the Spell/Trap Zone. And, one monster is placed at the ready, in Attack Mode. The Maiden with Eyes of Blue. His battle strategy is set. But, he perks up a little. While this isn't the sort of event he intended... Well.

     "...Mm. This is a bit of a game of sorts, isn't it? Whoever slaughters the most turkeys, wins."

Raquna Sheldon (989) has posed:
"This looks like it's going to be fun. So what's the usual count on these things?" Raquna speaks up, sounding somewhat tense despite trying to appear as anything but. She hasn't fought any sort of foe that's used breath-based attacks before, but she's heard enough to know that it's not going to be pretty without the right preparation. That's why she's decked out in her finest combat gear today: Heavy weathered armor with a gas mask obtained from one of the more paranoid townsfolk, a matching tower shield quite literally as tall as her, a long sword sheathed at her side, and...

     A handgun? Yes, a gun! It's called the Great Gale Turkey /Shoot/, after all! Taking a deep breath (partially because of the gas mask), the redhead keeps her hand near her firearm as she turns towards her allies of the day. "Well, if it gets rough? Stick behind me. I might not be the best shot, but I'll keep all of you covered."

Athela Valemore has posed:
Well other than the heavy machinery present this is the sort of location Athela could actually feel familiar with. But there is no time for sightseeing now, they're here to make sure there will be something left to see later. And live in. And so forth. Make sure there is something left in general.

    Though if the locals are that heavily armed and still asking for help, that leaves one to wonder just what they will be up against. But that shall not daunt the brave knight set out to prove herself to the world, and despite a bit of mental perplexity over what she's gotten herself into she strides up to the gathering with all the self-confidence one would expect of a people's hero, with her entourage of pokemon following close behind. "I hath heard there was to be an issue with fowl quite foul to be dealt with?"

    The most humanish of her pokemon slaps a hand to his face at her terrible bird pun.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    No one's quite sure when or how she got here. She sticks out like a sore thumb. People are probably wondering if the woman is daft for being out here in that incredibly fancy outfit rather than something solid and sturdy.

    The sleek, Multiversal-tech gas mask and high-power automatic rifle only make her stick out all the more.

    But, yes, there is a woman here in a fancy longtail tuxedo. She's hung the coat up on a tractor for the moment, and is currently giving her weapon a last-minute check before the action starts, with a precision of touch and smoothness that imply years of experience and intimate familiarity with the rifle. She seems either completely oblivious to, or uncaring of, the stares being sent her way.

    Sharp eyes, however, might catch occasional glances in the direction of others present; Will especially, but Kaiba, Raquna and Athela are given quick look-overs as well.

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    While her armor's seen better days, it's back to functionality for the most part. Maaka's also glad her hand's been repaired as well. Flexing her left arm, Maaka's helmet folds into place Iron Man style, before she hops up from the truck she's sitting on.

    She totes a shotgun, a ten gauge Imperium navy issue combat pattern weapon loaded with rifled slugs for this mission. Normally she'd be using a 3" 12 gauge slug, but these turkeys are bad enough for her to go the extra mile in killing them.

    Her head glances to Raquina, Athela, Kaiba, and also Emily with some familiarity for the Ontario noble, but otherwise unsure of the others. "Folks. Nice rifle, lady." She greets, noting the butler in particular as she hops to the ground.

Rory White (673) has posed:
"Could turkeys really cause THIS LARGE of a dust storm?!" Rory speaks in amazement from not far from Will. Her Flexbot's adopted a feline shape with a humanoid face. A shape Will might think familiar. And since Rory's seen to use it twice, she might be taking a liking to it. Her silvery-grey Flexbot can take any shape, but some shapes are more generally advantageous than others.

    Apparently, mimicking nature has its benefits. The feline shape has excellent mobility and isn't too uncanny valley.

    So this configuration she's saved, and named Sphinx. Since it's a feline configuration with a human-like head and blue fur for a mane (as her hair is normally blue in her human shape).

    The feline's shoulders are hardpoints for weapons though. Double barrels sprout from both front shoulders. And these look like they're actually suited for firing bullets.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa hac once more come to William Pauvvel's world and she hoped that there would never again be anything like the coral from her first trup there. She still had nightmares about it at time,s but here she was clad in her stealth gear with a rifle slung ove her back and she seemd to be in good enough spirits well given how things looked? It didn't last too long as she saw what seemed ot be a warzone here.

She seems concerned nowa s she moved in to just check out just what was going on here.

<<Good to see your fixed up Alexis.>>

KOtone noted as she also fell in with Rory as well.

"I have no idea Rory, I really don't but maybe I should have brought a shotgun today..."

Starlight Bandits has posed:
    "Hey, Irvine?"
    "How can I help Molly?"

    Yes, on this day, the sleepy town of Gale has been blessed by a visit from the Starlight Bandits! After all, they can't say 'no' to a request from William, their number 1 fan! Unlike most here, instead of gasmasks, they've gone for a more kitbashed approach. Wrapped around their mouths are bandannas soaked in traditional counteragents to the foul breath of the turkey. Perhaps it is their overconfidence that demands such an easily foiled countermeasure?

    Or is it just because it makes them look more like bandits?

    "Turkeys have breath so bad it hurts you, right? How do they do that?"
    "Hmhmhmhm... it's really quite elementary, my dear. You know when you're so angry and hateful, it burns in your gut?"
    "Hmmm... nope!"
    "Hahaha! That is because you are a kind, peaceable sort."

    She certainly doesn't LOOK peaceable, as she loads up several revolver speed-loaders with heavy rounds before slipping them into a pocket on her dress. Irvine meanwhile is preparing several clips for that curious gunblade of his and hanging them from his belt.

    "Anyway! Turkeys are so angry and hate-filled, it boils up in their stomach as poison, which they then breath out! You see?"
    "Ooooo... but won't that make them dangerous to eat?"
    "Not at all! You see, there is peace in death, a peace that counteracts their hate and nullifies the poison!"
    "Wow, that's so incredible~!"

William Pauwel has posed:
    "Howdy there, y'all," Will says as friends, acquaintences, SUPER COOL BANDIT BUDDIES and total strangers all file in. Some of Gale's residents give several of the multiversals curious looks. Nothing... unfriendly; though it's hard to tell underneath the masks. Rory, especially, gets particularly odd looks. The only robots these people have met are ones that want to kill them.

Well, except for the town's new sheriff, who is apparently missing right now. Huh, strange.

    "S' like Irvine says, though. Their breath is all kinds of bad news; turns flesh to bone! Don't stand in the stuff for too long. We've got some reserves held back iff'n things get to wild, but hopefully this year won't be too heavy!" It's an innocent hope; that, maybe, they won't be... too badly tested this season. Unfortunately, Will's dreams seem to exist to be dashed.

    Because, in the distance, that cloud is beginning to take shape. It's not actually a dust cloud; the land is far too damp and fertile to kick up that much dust. It's also not... dull gray. The true source of that cloud becomes clear as they rampage into range. Avian shadows, ranging from being approximately the size of some small buildings to standing taller than a house. Will squints into the distance and frowns, massive beaks breaking from the cloud, greyish fumes wafting from hundreds of gobbling, befanged mouths. Hateful black eyes stare out from the haze, punctuating the terrible, heart-shaking, subsonic gobble that seems to echo off the earth itself. They glower around great, spiked, waddles that smash into grey, plate-like feathers, shedding grey ash that quickly recovers, accumulating out of the roiling cloud.

    "They're here, y'all!" Will yells, kicking up his stand. The Mistral's engine roars as he revs guns the gas. A full chorus of machine sounds echoes out from all around them as slugs and beams start streaking toward the monstrous horde, sailing out around a fleet of tank-like vehicles. "It's time! Go, go, go!"

Starlight Bandits has posed:
    As the cloud gets bigger, the ground starting to tremble at the approach, so too do the Bandits begin to tremble with anticipation. They form up at the very frontline, Molly producing a hatchet and attaching it to her revolver to serve as a stock. Irvine meanwhile tilts his gunblade 45 degrees, using the corner of the pistol hilt to line up his shots.

    "Irvine... it would be really cool if we ran in and beat them up-close!"
    "Hahaha! That would be quite cool indeed. But! Let's let them come to us first, shall we?
    "Hehehe~ Okay!"

    And so, they too begin to fire! Irvine fires his pistol quite willy-nilly, aiming at the legs of the horde, trying to collapse some so that others may trip over their forms! Molly meanwhile, is much more careful with each shot, aiming to pick off the larger birds with headshots. But with that hatchet stock, her aim is quite precise whenever she decides to squeeze off a round!

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    Without even looking up from some last-second scope adjustments, the lady butler repeats Will's advice in a crisp, picture-perfect received pronunciation. "Vicious creatures. Dangerous breath that turns flesh to bone, don't breathe it or make contact with it if we can help it. We're meant to drive them off, not slaughter the lot." Her tone of voice makes her response clear: 'heard and understood'. So, apparently satisfied that she'll be able to use her weapon even through the gas mask, the blonde stands up properly, and then turns to swing herself up onto a vehicle, taking up a practiced shooter's posture.

    The weapon is currently switched to semi-auto, but at these ranges just spraying bullets would be a waste. She'd much rather carefully line up a shot and squeeze the trigger. One, then another, taking her time to make slow and accurate shots while she still has the advantage of range.

Athela Valemore has posed:
The description of the beasts' abilities just makes Athela grimace in an all the more pronounced fashion. "A manner of paralysis, then?" That's the best she can make of the bonefication breath even if it's likely not all that accurate. All the same, it's enough information for her to try and work with to start. "Stay close, Sprite. Your ability to remove status ailments may come of use." The small eevee bobs her head as if nodding."
    "Mizzen, stay here, help keep those barriers up. Pound anything that gets away from the flock and tries to bypass them." The Timburr salutes with the hand not holding his log-club and scampers off to do just that. Goomy is already on her shoulder, so Athela restraddles the back of her 'mount' -- the giant armor-bearing sealion like creature known as a Samurott -- and nudges him to follow charge towards the encroaching dust enshrouded horde. She rides that thing on dry land?.. Actually it's not as hard as you might think, as the farmland is mostly smooth and certainly damp enough he needs only enough of the moisture against the smooth surface of his armored underside to hydroplane over it, while Eevee runs along next to them.

    They're not quite as fast as some of the charging vehicles, but that's not long before they're closing within range all the same. Athela draws her sword and points the magic weapon ahead of her. "Push them back! Begone with these unsavory beasts!" Lancer opens his maw with a roar, whiskers flaring back to be clear from the torrental gout of water that streams from his mouth with Hydro Pump. The powerful pressure of the aquatic attack will hopefully help with knocking back any of the turkeys from hell it hits.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Kaiba stares forward blankly, looking towards the large mass of turkeys. He had heard they were dangerous. He had heard it was a threat. But this? Well. It's a little bit outside of what he was exactly expecting. Still, he maintains his usual poker face. Even if it is hidden behind his gas mask.

     He draws a card, calmly. He asked over the radio if anyone might be willing to attack his Maiden with Eyes of Blue for him. But, Kaiba doesn't expect any of them too. Instead, he shouts out orders. "Maiden with Eyes of Blue! Move into position in front of the horde of turkeys!" The female monster, for who all purposes looks like a normal human, moves further ahead. Really, it's only a matter of time until she is struck by one of the turkeys. This is, of course, Kaiba's strategy. If she falls? His strongest monster can be summoned forth.

     For, for now, a direct strategy is needed as well. A card is placed down, face up, in attack mode. A large burly man appears, a muscular figure wearing black armor with green trim. A fierce metal helpet is on his head, and in his hands, he holds a metal axe.

     "Vorse Raider! Slash apart the turkeys with your axe!"

     And wtih that, the axe-wielding monster rushes forward, trying to slash towards a group of turkeys with his blade.

Raquna Sheldon (989) has posed:
So many interesting people again. If nothing else, Raquna certainly isn't in weak company! Probably. Her companions certainly look strong, at least, and most (if not all) of them are significantly more armed than she is.

     In Alexis' case, probably even in the literal sense.

     "Very foul fowl, yah. We'll be fine, though, as long as we don't spread out too far." Raquna gives Athela a firm nod before looking around again, noticing Emily's interesting choice of combat attire and Alexis' shotgun and raising an eyebrow at the latter. "Nice weapon. Think we'll need something that big for..."

     She pauses. No, it's probably better not to underestimate what they're up against. /Especially/ not if support from the Multiverse has been brought in to deal with it. And... Flesh-melting breath? "These masks might not be enough if that's the case, eh? "

     The redheaded Protector doesn't have much time to worry about that issue, though, as the dust clouds rise and the crazed gobbling grows louder. It's time to make her own move. Slamming the bottom of her shield against the ground, Raquna drags it along the ground and advances while thrusting it forward, casting a protective spell on the vanguard to augment their defenses against the gassy waddling menace! Afterwards, she takes some potshots at the turkeys, trying to draw their attention her way.

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    "Someone sure knows their shit." Maaka muses, watching Emily work from the vehicle as the turkeys begin to attack en masse. Cocking her shotgun with a satisfying pump, Maaka shoulders the heavy duty scattergun while she takes a look at the turkeys. "Holy shit, that's a lot more than I expected..." She mutters, then synchs with Kotone and Rory's tacnet.

    [Thank Rory, she's the one that helped patch me up while I recovered. The arm was the hard part, considering how fast Zwei fixed my suit.] She messages them, before hopping aboard WIlliam's vehicle to ride into battle. It'd be ridiculous engaging the turkeys with a shotgun at this distance, may as well rush them back.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa hooks up with Rory and Maaka in short order she seems to not evne think too much about doing it. Quite a change from the timid little thing she was a few years ago when she first stepped out of the warp gate. She readis her weapon a she's got to worry about Turkies and here they come. She hears the warning and she breaks into a bit of a rapid run as she makes to close with the strange burd things. She just kinda stares at this.

"This is kharman for North America's love of eating these things... isn't it?"

Kotone Is already opening fire on the things but damn there's so manyt of them and she was not expecting something like this. She is doing controlled shots in small burst mode rather than full on Auto.

<<the Multiverse, seriously what the hell!>>

Three Years and it still makes her go what the hell about things...

William Pauwel has posed:
                           --==MISSION START==--                            
              Victory Condition: Survive the Turkey Migration              
         Loss Condition: All units destroyed or Turkeys reach Gale.        
                         Mastery Condition: ???????                        

    Lead slugs and glowing bolts of energy slam into the advancing horde. The beasts at the very front of the horde absorb the storm of projectiles into their armored plumage, slates of bone-like plates sloughing away in cascades of dust and ash. The Bandits' shots, along with many of the others, largely end up absorbed by that armor, but Molly's aimed rounds find purchase in one of the beast's eyes. It squawks wrathfully, blood spraying from its shattered eye before Irvine's own shot fully topples the unbalanced bird, leading it to be... viciously trampled by its brethren.

    Emily's bullets and Kotone's aimed shots pound into the next bird to leap over the fallen turkey, joining other rounds in shattering its armor. Another set of shots from Elites and townsfolk alike bring it down, too, and eliminate a handful more turkeys mid-charge.

    The horde begins to turn away from the punishing hail of firepower, helped along significantly by the enormous jet of water that knocks over a half-dozen chargers at once, resulting in a twenty-bird pileup... Just in time for the cavalry to smash into their flank. Will opens fire himself, enormous slugs of plasma ionizing the air and burning away layers of armored plumage for Alexis' shotgun slugs to take advantage of. Seto's rider actually charges into melee with the great birds... unwisely, most of the veterans would say. Its axe does decapitate one bird, but it isn't long before the terrible crush of razor-sharp talons and heavily armored avians render it into so much roadkill.

The Blue-Eyes Maiden wanders pointedly right into their path, next. To Kaiba's likely delight, she, too, is flattened into Blue-Eyes Pancake.

    The Turkeys are upon the others, next. Will turns away as several exhale great clouds of dark-grey fumes across the cavalry. Many of the townsfolk yell warnings, swiveling away from the clouds; though as they emerge from the fumes, several seem to be... covered in more of that weird bone-stuff. Many are shivering like they've suddenly fallen ill. Will's tucked his head down, as if trying to hide from the fumes.

    The gunnery team is better off- but not by much. The turkeys fan their tailfeathers-- which suddenly launch like a manticore's spines. Biological quill-missiles sail through the air and smash into the fortifications. Several of the townsfolk appear to be skewered... before some kind of MAGICAL POWER shields them from the projectiles. The bolts knock them back with pure kinetic force rather than impaling them bodily, thanks Raquna!

The missiles keep on pounding down, though, and many of the elites are right in the line of fire!

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     The Vorse Raider is slaughtered by the turkey, falling in their paths. Trampled by the countless turkeys. But. One of the beasts fell. One of the creatures is dead. Sure, a number of them were killed by others. But, Kaiba's cards are all falling /exactly/ into place. Especially as his Maiden wtih the Eyes of Blue is trampled as well.

     "You turkeys have activated her ability! Now... I can summon forth the BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON! And, in additon to this... I activate a trap card! BOTTOMLESS TRAP HOLE!"

     Right near where the Vorse Raider fell, near the turkey that killed it? A massive hole opens up, the earth cracking suddenly. It's large enough that, hopefully, at least one turkey might fall into it. After which? The earth seals back around it. Near Kaiba himself, the Blue-Eyes appears. The massive, powerful dragon.

     "AND. MY turn!" Kaiba draws a card. A smirk. Another perfect draw. Though he doesn't believe in the heart of the cards? He believes in his skill at constructing a deck.

     "I play the BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION! BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON! ATTACK!"

     Kaiba plays a card. It's effect, in game, is to destroy all monsters on the opponent's side of the field. Against this many foes? Unlikely. But, either way, the Blue-Eyes attacks. Its mouth opens up, and a hot burst of plasma flies towards a large group of the birds. It is an /intensely/ powerful attack.

     "And... to end my turn... I play... MONSTER REBORN!" He flips up a spell card on his Duel Disk. Suddenly, near the Turkey that was cut down by the axe? There is mystical-looking things surrounding it. It is, in fact, just part of the hologram. The hologram is merging with the Turkey's body, to act out the card's effect. Revive a monster, from either graveyard, under the control of whomever casted Monster Reborn.

     Kaiba stands there egotistically, with the stance of a man who is playing God.

Raquna Sheldon (989) has posed:
"People actually eat these... These?!" The Multiverse is so weird. Shaking her head briefly, Raquna steadies her hold on the shield as the wave of feathers comes flying towards her and the other gunners. "Brace yourselves!" She calls out before brining up that shield, grunting a bit from the heavy impact and standing tall after the initial surprise wears off.

     "Crazy things even have that sort of attack... Keep your eyes open, everyone. I'll try and draw their fire!" Her gun doesn't seem to be nearly as effective as her allies', anyway, so why not try and focus her efforts on doing what she does best?

     Okay, maybe there's plenty of reasons. Like, say, not getting turned into a boney mess or getting pecked to death. Staying ssafe(ish) in the back lines isn't really Raquna's style, though, and she charges forward while firing off her gun wildly at the turkeys. "Come on, you stupid birds! I've fought venomflies tougher than you!" Her aim might not be the best, but she is being incredibly loud and shouty as she does it. She stops after running out a fair distance, however, then starts banging an armored gauntlet into her shield to create EVEN MORE NOISE.

     She does feel just a little silly trying to shit-talk some weird birds, though.

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Maaka doesn't wait long to take the shot. She leans out of the vehicle with her shotgun, firing multiple times while slam-firing the weapon at a rapid rate. There's no use for fancy shooting, all that matters is taking these things down as quick as possible. Thanks to her suit's seals, she's able to survive the gas, but it's definitely making it tricky for her to aim before the shotgun runs dry.

    In the corner of her eye, she can see Kaiba summoning monsters with what looks like trading cards. "THe /fuck?!/" Guess the Multiverse takes all kinds, the cyborg supposes. "Is that really a good idea for him to do?" SHe asks William as she slides back into the car, loading some fresh slugs into the shotgun, first round going in the breach and the next in the tube after she racks the pump.

    "Back into battery, engaging!" She calls out, leaning where she can aim and shoot freely as she pokes out the window and fires at another turkey.

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Maaka doesn't wait long to take the shot. She leans out while on Will's bike with her shotgun, firing multiple times while slam-firing the weapon at a rapid rate. There's no use for fancy shooting, all that matters is taking these things down as quick as possible. Thanks to her suit's seals, she's able to survive the gas, but it's definitely making it tricky for her to aim before the shotgun runs dry.

    In the corner of her eye, she can see Kaiba summoning monsters with what looks like trading cards. "THe /fuck?!/" Guess the Multiverse takes all kinds, the cyborg supposes. "Is that really a good idea for him to do?" SHe asks William as she lowers her weapon while they ride, loading some fresh slugs into the shotgun, first round going in the breach and the next in the tube after she racks the pump.

    "Back into battery, engaging!" She calls out, leaning where she can aim and shoot freely, then fires at another turkey.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    Every time Emily squeezes off a shot, she pauses for a second or so to see what effect it's had, if any. After a few, she's got a reasonable idea: those armored plates are deflecting her shots. It's unsurprising. She'd started with hollow-point rounds for more effectiveness against soft targets. But these aren't really soft targets, are they? Before she can move to correct the situation, the bristling turkey tails become dangerous hails of sharp projectiles. The butler immediately ducks herself into cover on the vehicle she's riding. "Well, that was rather unexpected. I'd hoped they'd be rather easier to kill than this. Ah well, no point wasting any more ammunition."

    With swift movements, the woman ejects her current magazine and clears the chamber, then drops it into one of her coat's pockets. She then reaches around to the other, and pulls out a different magazine; this, she shoves in and chambers around, before popping back out. "I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out, I only brought one... well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I suppose."

    This time, when Emily pulls the trigger, the bullet fired isn't going to just glance off. It's an armor-piercing round. For a soft target, it'd punch right through, which might be an issue. But for targets like this, well.

    Her shots are now being aimed at the turkeys spitting out all that ossifying vapor. She's sure the people on the front lines will be glad to have cover fire involving AP rounds. For the moment, with Raquna's protection, she can afford to focus on them instead.

Athela Valemore has posed:
    The idea was to break some away from the swarm so they'd be easier for the locals to get their feasting birds without facing the entire flock to do so, and the pileup caused by the pressurized water spray seems to do that nicely enough. Athela holds onto the neck armor of her ride as she leans to the side and Lancer does the same, avoiding a plume of fossilizing fumes that billows in their direction from those collapses in the pile.

    The fanning of tailfeathers is at least a signal Athela recognizes in a relative sense. It reminds her of the way Skarmory spread out their wings before unleashing their metallic primaries to attack. "Break and flank!" Eevee runs in one direction while Athela and her mount veer in the other, getting on different sides of a demonic turkey. Sprite forms what appears to be tiny stars around her small form, sending them zinging towards the turkey. They're almost impossible to dodge, homing in on the target, but not going to do a lot of harm to the metallic plumage. But that's okay, it's mostly a diversion. A diversion as Athela and her Samurott come around from the opposite side. "You shall make a fine feast for these fearless fending off your fiendish foray!" Athela keeps up the alterative speech even as swings her sword to knock aside the turkey's wing, so her Samurott can lunge in and try to drive the blade-like 'horn' on his helmet deep into the monster's side!

    Back at the barricades, dozens of metallic feathers dig into them like bizarre avian missiles. But this is why Athela left her Timburr behind. First he uses Bulk Up to boost his strength and endurance even farther, then slams his log-club up against the barrier to help keep it up, so people can continue to use it for cover.

Starlight Bandits has posed:
    Ping ping ping goes the bullets against the bony armour of the turkeys. Sure, they bring down one together, but that's just one! Not at all up to their usual self-perceived standards. "Irviiiiiine, they have armour! It's not fair!" Molly pouts. "I know Molly. Remember! Such armour is thinner around points of articulation! Knees, necks..." That's... actually a good point, coming from Irvine.

    But now, bladed quills are being launched! In a blink, Irvine is standing before them, raising his Playing Mantis confidently. "Behind me everyone! BEHOLD! The invincible blade work of Irvine Lune!" And with that, he begins twirling and swinging the kukri, incorporating old-west twirling with the trigger guard and defensive swordsmanship to cut the feathers from the air! Some of them slip through and nick him, but most are slashed away, or into the ground!

    Molly meanwhile, is unloading her revolver and taking a speed-loader from her pocket, this one a bright orange to differentiate it. "Hehehe~ Let's see that armour hold up to this!" The revolver is loaded, the rounds fired! These ones are packed with extra powder and even a dose of glycerine, for extra power!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
This is the strangest turkey shoot ever, given how dangerous the Turkeys are to everyone. She just cloaksnow, hopefully the dangeorus birst may bemore likely to miss her, when she does this she starts moving again trying to cut down as many of the orde as she can, but ther's so many of them it may need her to use explosives to thin the horde out even as the others do their attacks but they keep coming she'll try to get away from her allies and start putting XCOM plasma grenades to work.

<<GRenade out!>>

Those who know the weapons would hear the tell tale beep of them arming before they explod and then Kotone would fire several longer burst to keep the birds distracted from the big booms that are fcomming.

<<This ... world how do turkeie even get like this?!?>>

William Pauwel has posed:
    Things are actually going quite well, in full honesty. Will has seen his share of Turkey Shoots, and this one's definitely got more firepower than any other in recent memory. Maaka's shotgun takes down another turkey as she pumps munitions like water into its flank. Armor piercing rounds smash into one turkey, shattering its armor and penetrating its flesh in one fell swoop; the creature squawks and falters, tumbling into a squriming, agonizing pile.

    What quills pour in are intercepted further by Raquna's barrier and her Timburr's work in securing that protective shield. The bolts that get through- and there are still many- are... intercepted! "Dang, look at that one!" A voice goes up as a swift kukri cuts a feather away! "Never thought we'd be cheerin' on bandits again! Not since the old man ret-"

"Hush! We don't talk about that anymore, you know that!"

"Aw, but Paulie--"

"No buts!"

Well, that was odd.

    Projectile stars smash into one of the beasts, causing it to buck right into Athela's charge, skewering its side and ending the life of yet another turkey. A grenade blossomes into a tremendous explosion, blasting away several in a plume of plasma. It seems like things are going really well today!

Really... Too well.

But... Then--

    There are many things that the citizens of this idyllic town have seen in their day, but an ACTUAL DRAGON is not one of those things. Many of the guns go quiet as Seto's summon reaches completion, disgorging the great Blue-Eyes White Dragon into the world. The rampaging turkey horde is suddenly faced with its greatest challenge yet as a wave of destruction eradicates dozens at once, a number that dwarfs the mere two or three that fall into Kaiba's hole.

And then he goes and brings one *back to life.*

And that's about when the air seems to... change.

William Pauwel has posed:
    It's a grim breeze. A turning of the wind. The turkey rises from the dead, its eyes glowing with unnatural light. The creature raises its voice in a terrible, warbling squawk and turkey turns against turkey.

Which is about when *something* erupts from the midst of the great, roiling fumecloud. The sun is abruptly eclipsed by an enormous shadow. A pair of gnarled, ancient talons grip the traitor's skull in their terrible grasp. The whole thing collapses in a wash of blood and bone as something... gargantuan makes landfall.

    It stands, a beast the size of the great mound at the very center of the town of Gale. The beast is covered in plates of ossified feathers, growing out from its body like rings from a tree. Each molt added to the last, building and building and building until the resulting beast is more a dragon in its own right than a mere *bird.* Its talons sink deep into the earth, and yet they only halfway disappear beneath the ground. Great wings spread at either side as it extends its neck and issues forth a great, wrathful, mournful, VENGEFUL gobble.

This... This can only be...!

                    --==THE EXTINCTION OF THE PLAINS==--                    
                            ATLANTOW THE TURKING                            

    The Turking turns towards the Blue Eyes, its hooked beak parts, and an enormous wave of jet black gas explodes from deep within. The thing's beak snaps shut, the very tip strikes top against bottom, shedding a spark that transforms the ossifying wave into a great cataclysm of poison and fire.

                               MISSION UPDATE                              
               MASTERY CONDITION: DEFEAT ATLANTOW THE TURKING              

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    Emily picks her shots, one after another. When Maaka needs to reload, she aims for the turkeys that most directly threaten the cyborg; when Raquna tugs their attention, the butler takes a chance to pick them off neatly. Only one thing brings her pause, and that's when Kaiba brings one back to life. There is a brief grimace on her face, but she pushes it down for just a moment (with plans to bring it up later). All of that goes out the window, however, when their steady thinning of the turkey herd, including that reanimated bird and a /dragon/, draws up a response that can only be called 'Gobblezilla'.

    Well. She certainly didn't bring the ordnance to deal with /that/.

    Certainly, she has a weapon that would work, but... well, no, not yet. Not here. For the time being, she can stick to a support role. There's still plenty of regular-sized turkeys. Those, she can still shoot. And she can prioritize any of them that threaten friendlies. She's still got about half her magazine of AP rounds left. After that, she'll just have to play it by ear.

Raquna Sheldon (989) has posed:
Of course there had to be a gigantic one. It could never be /that/ easy, right? Raquna goes mildly wide-eyed as the turcloud seems to be getting even BIGGER than before, and the monstrous bird shows up to join the fray! Both fear and excitement mix together as the Protector lets out a quiet noise at the sheer size of the thing, an odd sort of grin forming on her face.

     "... Oh. That's a huge one, alright." Now's her time to shine! Probably. Well, it's not like she can shine just shooting it. "... You know what? Forget the gun. I'm going in!" Holstering her gun, Raquna draws her sword next and presses the blade against her shield, the defensive implement glowing with power as she projects a damage-absorbing aura towards those closest to the Turking.

     "I've got your backs, everyone. And front, too. Let's take it down!" The explorer lets out a confident shout before charging straight for the Turking, moving into do things the old fashioned way and hacking away with the sword and board!

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Kaiba looks up. For a moment, he takes the gas mask off, so that he can look at the creature directly. Sure, there is a bit of a risk in this. But. A creature such as this? It is something he has to see with his eyes unshielded. His face looks stoic for a second, emotionless.

     Before the sides of his lips curves up into a smirk.

     "BLUE-EYES! Defense mode! Hold out. Time for the /real/ battle."

     Kaiba draws a card, while his dragon takes on a more defensive position. Kaiba doesn't want his monster destroyed. The Blue-Eyes attempts to tank the poison and flames. It looks in pain. It looks suffering. But, it is at least /surviving/, somehow.

     But. Kaiba looks at his card. A smile. He plays it immediately.

     "I cast Pot of Greed! This allows me to immediately draw two cards from my deck!" Two cards are pulled. Two more Blue-Eyes. If he can pull Polymerize? The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will be unleashed.

     He just has to pray that his Blue-Eyes can hold up to the continued attack. If it gets slaughtered...? He'd be left with no monsters, and no defenses.

Athela Valemore has posed:
    Even dead the turkey is a pain in the ass, as after dragging it back out of the way of the fighting Lancer can't quite shake the carcass off his horn. Eventually he has to put it on the ground, press it down with his forelimbs and yank, which still takes several tries to get the prongs on his horn-lance past the heavy feathers.

    In the meantime Athela slides off his back intending to continue the fight on foot while he recoups, only to step back and stare with some mixture of awe and disgust at the monsterousity that descends into the fight, shredding the reanimated lesser turkey like it was made of wet rotting parchment. At her heels Eevee crouchs, fluff bristling out and ears slanted back in an expression that's is suppose to be distressed, but being what she is still manages to appear cute. "By Xernea's prismatic antlers..." Then as the moment passes Athela clenches her fingers, retightening the grip on her weapon as much as she is reaffirming herself to the task before them. "Do not lose faith! The creature may be large and powerful, but we are the many and the brave!" Then lowers her voice to aside to her pokemon a moment. "Slurry, I need thy rain, quickly." The slug-like blob blurbles a reply, and starts to wiggle around on her shoulder. It looks more like the jiggling of a jello mold than any sort of 'dance', but a Rain Dance is exactly what it is, the Pokemon's supernatural powers forming a light drizzle over Athela. It's enough to allow her to draw more of the moisture to her own water manipulation abilities and empower them.

    "Remember why we are here mine allies! Remember what be it we fight for this night!" By this point the gathering aquatic energy is visibly swirling around her as Athela puts her Tide Caller ability to use. "Strength of the tides, drag down this beast before us!" Athela turns her body to give a dramatic sweep of her arm to thrust it out towards the Turking, releasing the aquaphilic force she'd been gathering. As it rushes away from her it churns into itself, taking the form of a large vortex, hurtling towards the monsterous bird like a watery cyclone. Or more accurately, what happens when she uses her abilities to project a Whirlpool across the land instead of the sea. The Turking is too big for her to trap completely, but the vortex of water will continue to batter away at it until it spins itself out.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
The Turkies are still charning at them, even with all the fire power they are letting lose? It doesn't sem to be enough and now something worse is cming though them. she pauses as one Turkey rises from the carnage. She stops for a moment staring at it not sure what to think. She may reconsider eating Turkey ever again should she surive this. The Turking has commeth and now they have to defeat it.

<<...This is one of those days.>>

she notes over the comms she's also keeping tyrack of some of the newer faces here, well to her she has to wonder about this place even more, she sprints now dropping her cameo. She attempt to leap on the thing'sback and start shooting directly into it if she's able to!

William Pauwel has posed:
    The Turking is faced with perhaps more resistance than it is used to. Moments after the initial shock of that monster's appearance has worn off, the citizens of Gale open fire. Heavy weapons across the ramparts and mounted to the many vehicles begin bombarding the enormous beast. Heavy grey plates of mottled feathers crash to the ground around the Turking, staggering nearby, stampeding birds. Their rampage seems to have been renewed with the presence of their king, and the turkeys surge at its flanks, barreling forward into the collected defenders.

    But they're not just standing still, either. One turkey after another is knocked to its knees as armor-piercing rounds continue to cut through their numbers. The colossal turking's own charge is arrested by the bravery of one of Etria's explorers, her power protecting the people trying to push the great beast back, and her sword hacks away at its enormous legs. Another Elite leaps onto its ossified feathers, and begins opening fire into the behemoth from point blank range.

    But the Turking has its sights set on the Blue Eyes. The creature presses forward, hammering at the dragon with its massive beak. It tears and rips at the dragon's wings, head and neck, as if sensing, perhaps, the power Seto threatened to unleash. The other turkeys unleash their fury on the rest of the Elites. Now, in such close proximity, they are able to unleash a concerted wave of ossifying gas at the defenders!

    But then the weather turns-- rain pours from the sky, the sudden moisture seeming to dampen the clouds of gas, turning them into ash-grey rivers. The Turking glances up too late to avoid being caught up in a whirlpool. It gobbles furiously, battered by that funnel of water, but it seems able to still power through. The Turking takes one step, then another--

And then something explodes near its head.

    Near the gate, there's a... It looks like an honest-to-God humvee, except armored entirely in jet, black plates. Huge gatling guns are mounted to swiveling hardpoints on its rooftop. There, an older woman with obviously greying hair manhandles what appears to be a turret-mounted rocket launcher. "Will, y'all need to drive me closer! I missed its eye by a mile!"

    "Relax Jane. This is these young folks' fight. We're just here t' provide some covering fire." A man says from the driver's seat as he adjusts his little spectacle glasses. Behind the woman on the roof, a... strange, dome-shaped robot, with a very obvious cowboy hat, swivels around and begins peppering the King with bright red lasers. "Howdy pard-ners," it drawls robotically, "Targets acquired. Designation: Turk-ey. Y'all are in violation of the law. Judgment: Baste in butter, roast."

    "Looks like the cavalry's here," Will mutters as he swerves, darting closer to the massive Turking. The Mistral's engine roars, Will pushes it /right/ for the gap between the Turking's feet. "Hey, Maaka! I'll get you as close as I can! Y'all'll need to handle the rest!"

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    "Go!" Maaka claps William on the shoulder, grinning beneath her helmet. SHe fires the remaining slugs she has loaded at the Turking as they get in close, before she slings the shotgun and grabs her grappling wire. "I got an idea, just stay close and get ready to turn when I tell you."

    Flinging her grapple at the ankle of the Turking, Maaka makes sure the line is taught before she taps Will's arm again. "Drive in circles around it, four or five passes ought to do it!" She says, holding on tight to the motorbike in preparation.

    Hopefully the line remains strong enough to snag the Turking up, or they're going to be in trouble if this fails.

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    Again and again, Emily picks the most dangerous targets she can. A turkey about to descend on someone here, a bird about to breathe on a townsperson there, cover provided for Maaka and Will, and for that matter anyone else with birds edging a little too close. But she's only got so many rounds left, so even taking it a shot at a time, she's going to run out. Just about the point she goes dry...

    "My /goodness/. That is quite the armament they've got back there."

    The butler ejects her empty magazine, drops it in her coat's pocket, takes up the coat itself, and with a cheerful, "I'll be taking my leave now. I did quite appreciate the ride, of course," she hops off the side of the improvised armored vehicle.

    The next anyone sees of her, she's climbing up onto Jane and Will's humvee, now /wearing/ her coat. And still carrying the assault rifle. "Rather busy today, isn't it? Do you terribly mind if I help man these wonderful heavy weapons of yours?"

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is attacked. Kaiba's eyes go wide. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is ripped into. The beak tears into the wings, and then rips off the head and neck. The flesh gives a bit of a digital effect as ripped, before it bursts into sparks of data. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is defeated.

     Kaiba stands there. He reaches for his deck, pulling out a card. Polymerize. He stares at it blankly.

     He stands still. There is absolutely /nothing/ he can do. The monsters in his hand? The levels are too high to summon without tributing. He can't Polymerize the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Graveyard, either. A frown.

     He is forced to pass his turn. He stays back, eyes locked on the Turking. Rage filling him.

Athela Valemore has posed:
    .... Oooooh, the summoned rain is making the ossifying fumes too heavy to stay in the air. Wish they had known that before, Athela would of ordered that Rain Dance at the beginning! Oh well. Probably still don't want to step in those likely toxic flows, who knows if they still posess the bone forming power.

    Better late than never, as they say. Athela will work with it. Timburr is still helping hold the defense line. Athela takes Goomy off her shoulder, setting him on Samurott's back instead. "Stay here, keep the rain going so they can't kick up those fumes again. Lancer, make some ruts so the poisoned water flows -away- from the town." Not a hard task to do with his ironclad claws and fluke to cut the ground with.

Athela turns, cloaking flaring briefly behind her with the motion. "With me, Sprite! I need your bolstering spirit." The little eevee nods and keeps on her heels as Athela starts running towards the fight trying to bring down the Turking. She yips and prances around the knightly woman's feet, giving her a temporary boost with Helping Hand.

    Which is exactly what Athela wanted. As they close in she clenches the Resolute Blade in both hands and winds back. It allows her to unleash it into a swing that carries the momentum from her run into the motion of the sword. Aquatic force starts to churn around the ancient weapon, drawing on the same powers Athela used to make the whirlpool cyclone before. There's a little splash of water as the tip grazes the ground when Athela makes her swing first with a downward stroke.

Only to erupt into a surging current as the Resolute Blade is swung upwards with the followthrough, rushing upwards with launching Athela into a powerful rising slash with her sword, its blade forged to cut through the hardiest of armors.

    Contrary to what it's name might first suggestion, 'Waterfall' is not water coming down, it's the force needed to climb UP said waterfalls. Such which force is now being put into Athela's upward strike.

Raquna Sheldon (989) has posed:
Slamming into the Turking, Raquna digs her feet in as she pushes back against the Turking, eternally grateful for the weight of her gear for once in trying to keep the giant gobbler from advancing too far! A small part of her does regret trying to take on a portion of the damage everyone else is sustaining, but at least it'll make for a good war story at the pub later!

     Also because she's going to need so many drinks later. Stories go well with drinks, but enough of that. First things first: finishing off the big bird! "I wonder.. You think one'll be safe to eat when we're done here?"

     She's certainly got spirit, at least. Raquna keeps stabbing and slashing at the Turking's legs, only able to spare a glance towards the humvee and Alexis. She tries to keep the Turking still as long as she can for that grapple to hopefully hit its mark, too!

     "Careful with the aim up there! Gh... This one's really strong down here!"

William Pauwel has posed:
    Triumph! Atlantow throws its head back and unleashes a tremendous gobble! It resounds in the air and rattles men right down in their bones! The Blue Eyes dissolves before it, and with its great foe vanquished, it may turn its attention upon the others. But before it can advance to siege the gates, it'll need to get through Raquna who, despite her relatively diminuitive size, is proving to be inordinately hard to push past.

    But rather than hanging back, some actually come to bring the fight to IT. The Turking gobbles furiously as Athela charges in, flapping its wings through the twisting whirlpool tide, but what remains of the maelstrom prevents it from adequately defending against her strike. The knight's blade cleaves deep into the king's armor with enough force to reverse a waterfall. A moment later, a great gout of blood erupts from between the ruined plates. The king squawks and shivers, its tailfeathers fanning out!

    Just as with its lessers, the king's motion unleashes YET MORE QUILL MISSILES. They rain down upon the defenders like ballistae bolts! The king's fury distracts it from the boy on the motorcycle between its legs. Will grits his teeth as he weaves back and forth between the Turking's ankles at Maaka's direction. But... "I really hope y'all know what yer doin', Lex! Mistral's engine's good, but I'm not sure it'll be able to hogtie this thing!"

    Meanwhile, that elderly woman peers over at Emily's question and gives her a tremendously matronly grin. "My, what a polite girl. Feel free to take whatever you need, dear. It'll all be on the house!" There are gunnery seats at each of the chain guns, and a whole bunch of other heavy weapons besides. Apparently they stuffed the town armory into this thing's boot.

    "Hey, boy!" A rather... spectacularly large man rumbles at Kaiba shortly before shoving a hunting rifle into his hands. "Here! If y'all can't use yer fancy gear, you can at least shoot a gun!"

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    "Quite obliged, ma'am, thank you very much."

    Emily drops into cover briefly when a second barrage of quill missiles rains down. But she's soon back up, having laid the empty assault rifle at her feet. Instead, the butler slides into a gunner's seat, and with an experience and confidence that's probably little surprise by now, readies the minigun, spins it up, and opens fire.

    Her main targets are still the smaller turkeys, of course, but with that much firepower available to her, giving a little to Atlantow is also an option now! And it's an option she takes.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone's on the thing's back but she's not having too much luck it looks like she's done some damage to the huge thing. She's actually done some damage but it's not enough and with the Blue Eyes? She leaps the hell awya from it to let Kaiba's chief summon do it's thing. Kotone makes a three point landing and is up again on her feet in short oder opening fire, and wishing she'd brought some sort of AP round but she'll have to wait for next time or the day Overclock chose to finally /wake up/. Who knows when that will happen however.

She does have more grenade and she sends them flying at the creature.

<<This is way too early for October! Maaka? Rory lets bring this turkey shoot to a close!>>

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Maaka holds onto the line as Will makes pass after pass, keeping the line taught without letting them get all tangled up. It won't be much longer now before she runs out of cable but she has PLENTY of it around. It's also industrial strength, able to be used with cranes to lift heavy machinery with ease.

    "C'mon...c'monnnnn..." She feels her grapple gun go click, and she claps Will's arm. "Alright, we're good, peel!" She releases the cable, and then wraps her arms around WIlliam's waist. No this isn't romantic, shut up.

    It's not like she likes him. Baka. >:|

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     The hunting rifle is handed to Kaiba. He stares at the hunk of metal, looking at it. Something like this? He considers it useless. He believes in fighting with his own might. His own power. The power of his cards. The power of the Duel Disk, he built himself. He has some basic gun training. After all, laser tag is a game. But. It is not his thing. But, still... He holds the rifle in one hand. His other holds his cards. He draws, looking at it.

     "...Perhaps there /is/ a use for this hunk of metal after all."

     Kaiba holds the rifle under his arm, playing a card. The card is placed face up. Another monster appears. Another Maiden with Eyes of Blue. The beautiful white-haired woman stands there, blue eyes locked upon the Turking. This woman is, in many ways, a special part of Kaiba. He doesn't realize it, yet. He is simply aware of her connection to the Blue-Eyes, as a Card that can help Summon it. How can he possibly know what she was, so far in the past, when even he himself does not realize?

     How could he realize this card represents what was once his true love?

     He lifts the rifle towards the Maiden. Leveling it at her head. It's bending the rules of the game, /quite/ a bit. Pointing the gun at her head? He fires.

     The Maiden with the Eyes of Blue lets out a cry. But, as she falls forward, the Dragon rises. It returns from the Graveyard. Pulled out. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon lives again.

     "I PLAY THE SPELL CARD, POLYMERIZATION! Come to me... BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!"

     The two other Blue-Eyes appear on the field. They start to swirl together, merging. A creature appears in the air. A being, larger than the three dragons combined. Three heads are connected to its body. It lets out a massive roar.

     "BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON! ATTACK!"

     And, so the creature obeys. Its wings start flapping. It's mouths open up. A trio of powerful beams blast out. It attacks not just the Turking. Instead, it attacks across the battlefield, trying to slaughter and destroy /everything/ in his path. Before, Kaiba simply wanted to win. Now? He wants revenge. To show /how/ great he is.

     He tosses the gun aside, embarrased that he had to use such a thing.

Athela Valemore has posed:
    With the proximity of her attack Athela can do little about the great gout of blood that spews forth from the gouge Resolute Blade puts through the Turking's steel feather hide and flesh. Even if not a direct attack it style gysers from the wound with enough force to send the knight sprawling to the ground with red stains all over. That is going to be a total terror to scrub off her armor later.

    "Is anything about this beast NOT vile?!" she protests as she gets back to her feet. Just in time for another flinging of metallic quill missiles. Athela snarls as she quickly backpedals, using her sword to deflect several of the projectiles. A few still manage to zing past too close to comfort, leaving noticable slices in her armor. Her eevee has stopped running around to hide behind her from the wicked barrage of metal pinions.

    But Athela catchs a glimps out of the corner of her eye at what Alexis and Will are doing, and that gives her an idea.

    "Mizzen!" The Timburr pokes his head up from behind the barricades as he hears his name. "I hath an idea but I require your assistance!" The goblin-like pokemon grabs his log, vaults over the barricade and hustles in her direction. Athela deflects another bladed feather, then points at motorcycle antics. "Do like they are, but aim for the neck!"

    It takes a moment for it to sink in, but Timburr's eyes widen a bit as realization sets it. He grabs his log by one end and shoves the other into the ground to anchor it firmly in place.

    Then he unfurls the vines that were round about his arms, grabbing their lengths in his hands. He twirls them a few times at his side and then slings the long but durable strands of plant matter towards the Turking's neck.

    Then once they wrap around Timburr yanks his ends around his post in the ground then pops it out of the ground. Only to give the log a kick with his foot to make it spin around, winding the vines as it does, so they tighten around the Turking's neck to ensure the grip.

    Despite his small stature Timburr was tremendously strong, thanks to posessing Huge Power as one of his abilities and that earlier Bulk Up on top of it. Feet dig into the ground as he growls and pulls, trying to yank in the same direction as Alexis' efforts to trip the great beast and bring him down to the ground.

Raquna Sheldon (989) has posed:
One last push. Just one more, and the bird is going down! Raquna can feel her body straining to keep up with her own demands of it, spurred on by the sight of blood that isn't just her own! The turking's sudden movement send her skidding back some before she brings up her shield up, readying one burst of protective magic to try and mitigate the attack from its tail feathers.

     Or would that be the attack OF feathers? Either or, really. Whatever the case is, Raquna's attention is still partially divided between the primary target and her allies. The rattle of gunfire from Emily and Kotone has her on her toes just to make sure she doesn't stray too close to their line of fire, and when Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon returns to the battlefield... It actually gives Raquna an idea. She doesn't have enough energy to sustain protective magic for all of the Elites present at once, but maybe...

     Maybe she can boost the dragon's durability, at least. Moving to a position with the Turking between herself and Kaiba's dragon, she raises her shield once more to coat in a more focused protective aura!

     And then the redhead falls right over. At least she still has the shield on top of her to keep her relatively safe!

William Pauwel has posed:
    The raw power of KING GATLING is unleashed by Emily upon the Turkey legions! It turns out that this little old lady decided to stock the ammunition feed with /exploding rounds/ because each bullet that connects blossoms into a fireball, cutting right through the bird stampede. "You'll want to feather the trigger a bit, dear. Don't want the rounds cooking off on you!" What a nice old lady.

    Atlantow is looking worse for wear as a huge green explosion blossoms right over its bleeding breast, Kotone's grenade cauterizing its largest wound. The King of the Turkeys screeches in indignant agony as vines sling around its bright red neck. It turns out that fighting types can, in fact, hit birds; or rather, they can lassoo them. Atlantow struggles mightily, and for a time, it seems like it'll be able to hold on--

And then Will darts out that final turn. "Y' got it! Hold on ti--" Oh god she's already holding on. Uhhh. Uhhhhhh. Does he... Does he do something?

Uh.

GUN IT!!

    The Mistral's engine thunders as the motorcycle goes racing away. Suddenly, Atlantow's footing is pulled out from under it. With a great gobble, the creature topples, falling to the ground with a heavy, earthshaking impact.

Which is when Kaiba does the... Frankly disturbing. The man who handed him that gun looks on aghast when Kaiba summons, and then KILLS what looks to be a beatiful woman. Which somehow brings a dragon back from the dead. Which then combines with two more dragons into an EVEN BIGGER DRAGON. "...." he ellipses as he stares at Seto 'COLD AS ICE' Kaiba. And then he says, "Boy, y'all ain't right in the head."

    Not that he can argue with results. Atlantow is helpless before the supreme form of the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. It gobbles, exhausted, at the great dragon's feet as that terrible, pale light grows, brighter and brighter--

And then it seems to realize just what is at stake.

    There's a final, triumphant squawk. Atlantow forces itself upright, pushing through the restraints binding it to the ground with a spray of blood as they cut into its body. The King of Turkeys spreads its wings wide as the Blue Eyes unleashes its final attack. That wave of cataclysmic light washes into the behemoth, its wings enfolding around the dragon's breath. The world goes white and sketchy. Atlantow gobbles one last time as its entire being becomes nothing but speedlines.

But, when the light fades and the dust settles, the Turking's last stand was not for naught. Its subjects took the opportuity to flee, diverting their migration path around the town of Gale. Dozens of turkey carcasses litter the battlefield, and, right where Atlantow once stood...

William Pauwel has posed:
There's a long moment as the townsfolk of Gale stare at the form of what was once the Turking.

And then a voice goes up, "DIBS ON THE DARK MEAT, Y'ALL."

"DAMNIT PAULIE, THERE'S ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE."

Moments later, an enormous head smashes into the ground mere meters from Gale's gate. Atlantow's, apparently. Now they get to stuff it and mount it somewhere!

Emily Branford (999) has posed:
    "Ah, of course, thank you," Emily replies, her smile growing more cheerful. "Goodness, but you have excellent taste in ammunition. I haven't had a chance to work with explosive rounds in ages." Entirely gratifying.

    Needless to say, though, even she can't keep her face perfectly neutral when Kaiba does something absolutely frigid-hearted. That's... wow. That's cruel. But she only lets it show on her face for a second or two. One man's blatant cold-heartedness is much less important than killer turkeys. That's a problem she can solve easily, after all!

    And to be fair, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon puts on an impressive light show.

    Profuse thanks are given to the lady of the ordnance, before the butler takes her rifle and hops back off. She's quick to get herself some turkey, and later on one or two people will probably say something to the effect of, 'Yeah, she asked me how to prepare the turkey, if there's any detoxifying that needs to be done, that kinda stuff.' But anyone who actually goes looking for her will probably find that she's simply gone.

    Can't be late with dinner, after all.

Athela Valemore has posed:
    It's down! It's dow... Aaaaw shit it's getting back up again! Athela grabs onto Timburr to help pull, and keep him from getting yanked in by the Turking thrashing back to his feet. It's a few moments of tug-of-war, up until the hellacious blast from the revived and upgraded dragon sheers through the vine noose, sending Timburr and Athela tumbling backwards from the loss of tension recoiling into them.

    "Wretched thing knows not when to stay down." But then again, Athela doesn't really either. But by the time she and her pokemon get back on their feet, the great and terrible Turking has been roasted to a crisp. Literally.

    "Well, now." Athela grabs a corner of her surcoat to wipe some of the dead turkey-dragon blood off her brow. "I think this city will not have an issue with food or deranged bird-monsters for some time."

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Kaiba lets the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon remain in the air for some time. He waits, making sure the Turkeys do, in fact, remain fled. Glances are given around. One to the man who gave him the rifle. One towards Emily, and the look from her. The gas mask, which has been sitting on his forehead since the arrival of the Turking, is tossed aside. He smirks, at the side of his lip, just a little.

     "If anyone has issues with my methods? Next time I will hold back from helping. Besides. It is a hologram. Not an actual person."

     Slowly, he starts walking towards his Blue-Eyes White Dragon Jet. Slow enough that others can banter with him on the way, if desired.

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    After everything's said and done, Maaka hops off the bike and returns to get her cable. She retrieves her grapple cord before she stores it in place, and then ambles off towards where she spies Emily. Along the way, she gives Raquna a hand up, grinning as she removes her helmet to reveal golden cybernetic eyes and blood-red hair. "Hey there, you okay?"

    Seto seems a right dick, so avoid that guy for now. Even the cold blooded killer cyborg seems uncomfortable around him, which says a lot.

    She also gives Athela and Timburr both a thumbs up in thanks for the assist, nodding to them briefly. "THanks for the backup with that takedown, you two. Pretty quick thinking there on both your parts."

    Sadly, before Maaka can really question Emily about things, like her training or what kind of butler does double duty as a commando merc, the girl-butler is gone. "Huh." The cyborg just looks around in confusion, before she shrugs and goes over towards one of the downed turkeys to help with getting it to the village. It seriously looks like these folks are gonna be able to live for /years/ on these carcasses, given how big they are.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore returns Alexis' gesture with a short salute of her own. "We were merely capitalizing on an already brilliant tactic," she replies modestly. Now, to get the dead birds into town so they can be... however these people divvie up giant turkey meat. Not to mention the wishbones these things must have. At least with her Timburr and Samurott there is plenty of extra carrying power to go around with the cleanup.

Raquna Sheldon (989) has posed:
It takes Raquna a few minutes to notice that Atlantow is significantly less alive than it was just a short while ago, and another moment to realize that Alexis is standing there to offer a hand. She blinks at the cyborg lady with an eyebrow raising just a bit, eventually taking her hand to get up somewhat unsteadily.

     "Ah. Could be better. Everything hurts, my arms feel like paste, and hibernating doesn't sound too bad. But..." She looks over at the giant fried turkey, then smirks back at Alexis.

     "... Some drinks might not be a bad substitute. Looks like we did a real good job out here, eh?" She laughs broadly before sheathing her sword and clutching her side, then turning towards William and locals. "You got a bar around here, right? We'll need a lot of tables tonight!"

     Priorities.

William Pauwel has posed:
Will breathes a long, relieved sigh as the Turking is finally slain. He putters the Mistral over towards the gate and hops off to join the others. "Well, y'all sure did a number on 'em," he says, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I just hope there're enough to keep the other varmints in check." Especially without their king! Well, turkeys are pretty resilient.

Why, they're probably busy crowning a new king as they speak! And then... they'll probably swear bloody vengeance or something. That'd be a problem.

    The people of Gale seem to have the transport covered, though. The same armored tractors that they rode out to meet the turkeys are being turned to hauling carcasses back to town and rescuing the injured. The armored humvee doesn't seem to be joining in the hauling effort just yet, though. It pulls up next to the congregating Elites, the man the driver's seat popping his head out of his window. "You kids did real well out there. Will, how about y'all take your friends back at the homestead, and we'll play host for tonight, eh?"

"Oh Bill, don't keep them from their fun. I'm sure they'd rather go to the saloon than spend time with us old relics." Jane says from her gunnery platform. "Oh, but if y'all do come home, I did bake some custard pie this morning~"

"Aheh," Will coughs into a balled fist. "W-well, it's up to these guys. I'm up to do whatever they want to!"

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Maaka looks up at Jane, and then her gunnery platform. "Nothing wrong with a little age if you ask me." She says, chuckling. "'sides, I'm pretty famished myself. All that turkey hunting can work up an appetite, yeah?" No way is she gonna turn down the chance to hang out with MINIGUN GRANNY, oh no.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa has done well enough she gets the heck away from the Turking as it just cut down by the entire team's efforts she takes a moment to make sure the thing is /done/ to make sure it's dead. She pauses for a moment poking the Turking's remains for a moment and backs off.

"I think it's goose is cooked."