2460/Snowed In

Snowed In
Date of Scene:	15 June 2015
Location:	Wyveria
Synopsis:	Sanary goes out to the Tundra to hunt a Barioth and a Lagombi.
Cast of Characters:	581, Sanary Rondel

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Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The blustering peaks of the Tundra are cold even in the daytime, but at night, the rime-blasted landscape is only worse. The winds howl, darkening the night skies with a chilling blizzard that hinders vision beyond several yards out. Trees laden with snow rustle their branches in the wind, only for the blizzard to proceed with restocking what snow has fallen off. It seems like the time where many sensible monsters would rather go into hiding.

    However, Sanary is here on a mission tonight, and her prey would most likely be out in the cold as well. While travel to the Tundra's base camp would be provided by the Guild, on arrival she would be left alone with the canopied bed shielded against the wind and the twin chests, red and blue, that mark the base camp. If a campfire was lit, it's long since been smothered in snow, but at least the camp is set up in a safe place. Just by the freezing river, on the outskirts of the frozen forest, just out of the way enough that no monsters should be able to easily wander into it.

    The blue chest has the usual equipment for such a quest. Hot drinks, red liquid of crushed hot peppers kept in vials to stave off the worst effects of the cold; potions for healing; vials of cleanser to break up any ice locking one's limbs together; as well as paintballs, whetstones, and a helpful map of the area.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     It had been a while since Sanary had gone hunting for anything bigger than Jaggis or Popos, and she really needed to get some fo the kinks out of her system from not fighting alone for so long. Sure, it was good to work with others and cover each other's weaknesses, but she needed the time to just dig in and remember how to fight on her own.

     What better way than to fight two giant monsters on her own? She arrives at the camp in her usual/only set of non-basic armor: The Tetsucabra Z armor. She's also got her trusty gunaxe strapped to her side, the Daora's Casca slung over her back, and even a pickaxe in case there's any particularly shiny chunks of ore on the way to her targets.

     She's learned from the last time she went on a hunt unprepared, at least, even remembering to bring some hot drinks along in a satchel. No sense wasting time in the camp, though. After gathering everything in that blue chest (even the ammo!), Sanary peers at the map closely before starting on her path for the for the caverns!

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The path is mostly quiet as Sanary proceeds, passing through the forest and along several clearings. A few small Popo herds are braving the cold, but they barely seem to even take notice of her as she goes. The air is even clear of Bnahabra annoyances, most likely because the harsh winds would be too difficult for them to fly through easily. Better to hide in the caves where they can be lazier about things.

    However, soon enough, Sanary approaches a larger clearing that seems flanked by a few different caves that must weave through what seems like a massive wall of ice and stone, rearing high up in front of her with a sheer drop from the peak down to her level. It's from here that a strange, guttural cry echoes over the howling wind.

    One would expect to make use of snow by sledding, and that's exactly what the Lagombi does. From its high cliff, the rabbit-like beast slides on its smooth stomach down the icy mountainsides, weaving and slipping with nearly expert control. Its path is taking it down to the clearing, of course, but in particular...it's aimed right to smash into Sanary where she stands in the clearing.

    It would probably be best to avoid the several tons of fifteen-foot-long rabbit barreling down as fast as a speeding car.

    BOSS MUSIC: http://goo.gl/Hf3PQ2

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Chugging one of the hot drinks once she finally realizes that she hadn't done so earlier, Sanary sighs in relief at the heat from the peppers keeping her from freezing her ass off. Just in time, too, as the Lagombi comes charging down the mountain straight for her!

     "Not gonna mess it up this time..." The healer mutters to herself as a wide grin crosses her face, watching the oncoming rabbit beast while drawing the charge blade from her back. She could use the gunaxe, sure, but she hadn't really had an opportunity to practice with this thing just yet. Might as well do it now!

     As it draws closer, Sanary starts running towards the Lagombi diagonally, trying to move herself out of its path and turning radius. As she does so, she also takes quick swipe at the creature as it passes, trying to feel out the range of the blade without fully committing to a more reckless attack just yet.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    While the Lagombi can shift pretty well mid-slide, there are certain movements that are harder to pull off, like sharp turns while keeping momentum. By the time it's realized Sanary's out of its path, it's a little too late to turn, and the beast suffers a slash against the side for its fault. Its hide isn't very dense, and while the blast of ice from Daora's Casca barely seems to cause any harm, the sharp blade leaves a rather large spurt of blood from its flank.

    The Lagombi is quick to recover from that, digging its claws into the earth to come to a skidding, spinning halt not far from Sanary. Ears flat against its head, it levels a short bark at her before rearing up onto its hind legs.

    It doesn't charge this time, though. Instead, it digs its forepaws into the earth, then suddenly flips it all upward, sending a steadily-growing ball of ice, earth, and snow rolling swiftly toward Sanary! No doubt she's going to need some of those cleansers if she gets run over by that.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Didn't like that one, eh? Well.. Sorry, but a job's a job." Grinning slightly at her handiwork, Sanary keeps her shield raised as she circles around the Lagombi slowly while it's standing up. She's still not completely used to using a weapon requiring (relatively) more finesse than her usual fare, but it's not terrible. Weighty, at least.

     She raises an eyebrow slightly as it digs its paws into the ground, content to observe the creature for the time being while it isn't attacking just yet. "Come on... Take a swing, why don't ya?"

     When the massive ice ball starts rolling at her, though, Sanary's a little more confident in the sturdiness of her shield. Instead of trying to run past the ball, she instead braces herself for impact behind the shield and thrusts it out at the last second, intending to break right through the ice ball itself.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    While the attempt to smash the ball is...somewhat successful, it's a difficult thing to do with even a shield build entirely for this kind of purpose. The massive ball smashes into Sanary's shield and cracks, but doesn't exactly shatter: it strains against Sanary's defenses and crumbles, falling all around her. At least it doesn't send her flying or crush her, but instead she's now stuck in a pile of snow and ice for the moment. That might take a bit to get out of.

    The Lagombi seems content with this, giving a low grunt before starting to lumber up toward Sanary and her snow pile...

    ...but, before it can follow through, a far more menacing roar echoes through the Tundra. A streak of white flies through the air, smashing the Lagombi onto its side with a heavier burst of blood as black claws rake across its torso. The Lagombi howls, flailing its legs in the air, and the Barioth comes to a skidding halt as its wing claws dig into the ice and catch it for its landing.

    Far larger than the relatively small rabbit creature, the sixty-foot-long Barioth rears up, delivering a tremendous howl into the air. It's enough of an opening for the Lagombi to get onto its feet and attempt to start loping away, but with the Barioth's speed, it'll likely soon be overcome. However, the Barioth also doesn't seem to notice Sanary under that snow pile; could that be an opening for her?

    BGM CHANGE: http://goo.gl/koylpG

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     That didn't go nearly as well as Sanary had hoped. Cursing quietly to herself as she struggles to free herself from the snow pile, there's still just a slight grin as the Lagombi comes closer. It's not a completely pleased grin, of course, but there is a the prospect of the fight being more interesting than she had initially expected.

     Or... Maybe getting stuck in the snow did go better than expected? When the Barioth arrives suddenly, Sanary watches at the significantly larger beast with a wide-eyed stare.

     Right. The quest objectives did mention a second monster, didn't it? Thankfully, with the Barioth's attention diverted elsewhere, she's soon able to free herself from that snow pile. She doesn't waste too much time regaining her bearings, though, realizing how little time she might have to take advantage of the situation. Combining the blade with the shield to activate the weapon's axe mode, she puts all her weight into a massive swing at the Barioth from behind, aiming the weapon right for its rear leg to try and hamstring it early.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The heavy axe strikes at just the right time...for the Lagombi, at least. As the Barioth lunges forward, amber tusks bared to sink into the Lagombi's neck, Sanary's axe cleaves into its ankle and sends it stumbling down, blood bursting from its leg and a feline howl rolling from its maw.

    At the same time, though, it's that sudden interception of the predator that draws the Lagombi's attention back to Sanary. Upon seeing that she's /still/ there, it seems to forget its earlier fear and wheel around, rearing onto its hind legs and belching out a roar at her. Once more, it leaps as if to tackle her-

    Only for the Barioth's heavy, axe-like tail to swing toward Sanary at the same time as it regains its footing. That tail is going to send her flying if it hits, but so too will the Lagombi's tackle. Of course, they're both aiming for the same place...

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary lets out a satisfied shout as the axe hits its mark, seeming quite pleased with just how effective the charge blade is as an axe. Too big to use against people, definitely, but it's the perfect size for beasts like these!

     That said, Sanary's strategic decision-making could probably use some work. Perhaps it would have been better to let the Barioth tire itself out with the Lagombi first, but what's done is done. She'll just have to focus on making the most of it instead.

     Gripping that charge blade tightly in both hands, Sanary practically flings it in front of her and uses the momentum from that to try and throw herself /towards/ the front of the Barioth rather than away from its tail, hoping to get herself out of the range of that incoming tail from one side and the Lagombi from the other.

     Should she actually succeed in avoiding that whole mess, her next move will be to detach the shield and blade for additional mobility before chop at the Barioth's front arm. She's sorely tempted to switch to the gunaxe, but she's sticking it out for now!

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    Sanary's bizarre choice of evasion proves to save her this time. She slips just between the Barioth and the Lagombi, and the air suddenly fills with a sharp /crack/ as the Barioth's tail impacts against the Lagombi's cranium, cleaving off one ear and sending the Lagombi tumbling in howling pain.

    While the Lagombi is temporarily distracted with its broken ear, the Barioth is already turning to face both of its targets. Sanary's blade slashes against its forewing, but only just cleaves into the plated arm. That seems to be one of the stronger parts of the Barioth's body, and with good reason, considering how much it relies on that to be able to stop on the slippery ice. The blast of ice that comes up with the blade's impact doesn't seem to hurt it much, either, but considering where it lives, that's not too surprising.

    The Barioth's turn is purposeful. As it wheels around to face Sanary, its mouth opens to give full room for those massive amber tusks. Its arm pulls back, and with the full force of its body behind it, it tries to chomp down on Sanary with its bared fangs, each the size of claymores.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary's stubbornness knows no bounds as she keeps wielding that sword instead of switching to her gunaxe, knowing full well that the fire or lightning shells loaded into that weapon would probably be much more effective than the icy blade.

     AT least the Lagombi's out of commission for now. That lets her focus most of her attention on the Barioth, trying to figure out just how to successfully damage the creature without putting herself at too much risk. She's not quite fast enough to outright dodge the bite, and using the shield to take it head on might not be the best idea after that incident with the ice ball.

     So she tries to just grab onto the Barioth's head instead. She bites back a pained grunt as the Barioth still grabs hold of her lower leg in its teeth, but she's hoping the armor will be enough to keep it from ripping her shin off while she starts trying to stab its eyes out.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    Strangely, it seems the head of the Barioth is one of the weaker points. As Sanary's leg is caught between its teeth - but fortunately not those massive tusks - and the sabertooth wyvern starts swinging her into the air, it suddenly suffers a severe injury from the blade stabbing into one of its eyes. The wyvern abruptly releases Sanary with a tremendous howl, staggering back and pawing at the bleeding orifice with a mixture of confusion and pain. That should at least provide Sanary a minute to pull herself together.

    Or at least it /would/, if the Lagombi - now enraged and puffing a frosty cloud from its mouth - weren't gathering its own wits. The rabbit-like beast suddenly leaps toward Sanary from behind, except this time its arc is more aimed upward. The reason for this becomes obvious soon enough, as its rear comes crashing down onto Sanary from above, only for the Lagombi to roll forward and flop back onto its stomach once it lands.

    The Barioth isn't too happy, either. Its one good eye now glows a hateful red instead of the blue it was before. As the wyvern rears back its head, a cold mist seems to gather around its fangs before it snaps forward again and launches a ball of ice at Sanary only moments after the Lagombi lands. This isn't a normal ice ball, though: on impact with the ground, it erupts into a small, freezing tornado, casting icy winds all around for a few seconds.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary grunts and curses a few more times as she's unceremoniously dropped by the Barioth, bouncing off and rolling on that icy ground a bit. She focuses some of her magical energy into the wounds on her legs to jumpstart their regeneration, still staggering a bit as she picks herself up off the ground...

     ... Right in time to notice the Lagombi coming at her from above! She's got enough feeling in her legs to start moving again, at least, and she just narrowly manages to avoid getting crushed by the rabbit beast by diving away from the landing point. dives out of landing point.

     Unfortunately for Sanary, that's still not quite far enough to avoid getting tagged by that freezing tornado, and she's knocked back several yards by the blast. Sent into another roll and tumble before flopping flat on her face, it takes the healer a little longer to get up this time. The weakness to ice from her armor certainly isn't doing Sanary any favors, and she's looking just a little more irritated at this double-teaming going on. She's still circulating energy inside herself to mend the more grevious bruises, punctures, and fractures, but she's also starting to focus energy into her eye as well while waiting for the creatures' next moves.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The Lagombi and Barioth don't seem to be dealing with each other much anymore. As is natural for this world, all the focus is on the hunter who's assaulted them both. The Lagombi is still on the recovery, but the Barioth is far more aggressive.

    The sabertooth wyvern suddenly leaps up onto the frosty wall just long enough to gain a footing, then just as quickly dives down at Sanary, claws outstretched and tusks bared to slam into her with all its weight!

    The Lagombi, meanwhile, takes a few moments to recover before making its move. It crouches as the Barioth leaps, wiggling its rear for a few brief seconds before bounding forward and sliding toward Sanary at high speed once more. Its rocketing sled assault should impact a few seconds after the Barioth, if they keep going at this pace.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     There's just no helping it. If the Barioth and Lagombi are targetting her, that's enough for Sanary to justify cheating. Just a little bit, anyway.

     At least she's not using her gunaxe still. Bracing her shield in front of her as she steps back, the lone hunter casts her gaze straight at the oncoming Barioth and channels the last bit of energy necessary into her eye before firing a concentrated heat laser at it! She detonates the blast early just in case the laser misses its mark, although she can't keep her attention on the Barioth for that long with the Lagombi coming her way.

    Sanary doesn't have nearly enough time or stamina to try and avoid it after having fired off that beam at the Barioth, but she's still got that shield on her. If the Barioth doesn't just land right on her and pin her down with its sheer weight, she'll try to intercept the Lagombi head on with both the shield and sword, aiming to use its momentum to maximize the impact against it.

     And if she does get landed on? Well, cart rides aren't so bad.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    While the Barioth is very skilled at what it does, handling surprising and powerful blasts of heat while hurtling through the air is beyond its capabilities. The heat laser strikes its vulnerable head mid-flight, and the force of the blast sends it hurtling out of its precise dive. It tumbles and yowls, and when it crashes into the ground, it's fortunately just past Sanary. Unable to land on its feet and use its wing claws to slow down, it tumbles through the ice and snow before crashing onto its front, dazed and scorched.

    The Lagombi, meanwhile, doesn't slow down at all. Whether it could on such short notice is questionable; either way, it barrels toward Sanary at breakneck speed, ready to slam into her head-on!

    Of course, doing so comes to its detriment. With several hundred pounds crashing into that shield, it may send Sanary flying, but it also suffers a deep impalement just below its chin. The Lagombi suddenly slumps, its controlled slide dissolving into a tumble as it crashes into the struggling-to-rise Barioth. Unlike the wyvern, it doesn't get up.

    One down, one to go.

    The Barioth, much more stubborn and durable than its rabbit kin, finds its footing soon enough, though with an added limp from its hind leg. It huffs and snarls, struggling to stay upright, yet defiant against this enemy hunter. With its limp, leaping may not be an option, but it still has a few more tactics left.

    The Barioth rears back, looking ready to hurl another ball of ice, but this time it uses the momentum of slamming back down to swing its hindquarters around and deliver a solid sweep of its tail to her side!

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Success! Sort of. Even though Sanary's plan worked better than expected, there's still the little issue of getting launched back several yards from the impact of the Lagombi crashing into her. Even with the shield and armor bolstering her defenses, she can still feel several bones in her arm cracking from the sudden force hitting her all at once.

     Tumbling around and falling on her yet again also isn't that fun. Thankfully, she's still able to keep a hold of her sword even though she's forced to leave the shield on the ground for the time being. It's better than being completely unarmed, at least.

     "That'll... That'll do for that. Alright. Come on, you big bastard!" Psyching herself up to get ready to finish the hunt, Sanary resists the urge to use the last of her reserves for another heat laser and focuses instead on circulating it through her broken arm to get it back into working condition.

     Plus, doing that dodging thing faster people are so fond of. Without the weight of the shield to slow her down, she is able to move a bit faster on her feet, and even manages to avoid that tail sweep with several hops backwards. Once that tail passes her, she rushes back in with a heavy slash at the base, trying to just cleave it off with... A sword that might not be long enough to actually do that. Still, she's swinging it pretty hard!

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The tail seems to be another open spot against the Barioth, though perhaps not quite as much as the head. Sanary's blade digs deep between the Barioth's plates, drawing up a solid burst of blood against the wyvern's white armor. It's not a sever, but that's a powerful hit nonetheless.

    One that draws out a pained howl from the wyvern, its tail lashing back to try and pull free from Sanary's sword. Unfortunately, she's slipped in on the side where it's been blinded, so precision in attacking her is out of the question. However, at the same time, it has its whole body behind it that it can use. With a sudden lurch, it bounds to the side to slam its body into Sanary to try and open up the distance from her. Hopefully that should buy enough time for it to turn around and face her directly, where its remaining red eye can fixate on her and guide its fight for its life.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Good news! Even though the tail hasn't been removed yet, Sanary can see that the Barioth's tail has some heavy damage. Even better, she's regaining the feeling in her shield-holding arm and could probably go back and grab it once an opening presents itself.

     The bad news: Getting rammed into full force by the Barioth's hipcheck is not very pleasant. Spitting out blood as she's sent flying by the impact, Sanary does at least land near where she had left her shield. To make matters worse, though, getting hit that hard without a shield to blunt the impact means that instead of having one good arm to work with, she instead has two broken arms and some cracked ribs.

     "Tough one, ain't ya? Hah.... Shame I gotta take you out, but... Well." Coughing out some more blood as she forces herself back up onto her feet, the one-eyed human-sized hunter stares at the significantly larger one-eyed hunter defiantly while directing the rest of her magic reserves into her eye again. Trying to mend her wounds now would take too long, and getting hit again would just put her back at square one. "Come on. Let's finish this!"

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    The Barioth, pained and struggling to remain as proud as it normally is, snarls its rage at Sanary. The predator stays upright, though its injured tail stays on the ground, and it seems forced to lean on one side. Burns cover its head, and one eye is gone. The other glares red at Sanary...though soon enough fades to blue again. It just doesn't seem to have the energy left to maintain its fury.

    As the blizzard howls, the Barioth seems mostly silent, gauging the hunter shouting and struggling herself. Claws rake at the ice. A low rumble rolls up from its throat.

    All of the sudden, it leaps again. Claws and tusks bared, the Barioth puts all of its remaining force into one last leap at Sanary, one last blow to try and finish her off.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     There's little point to trying to run now. The Barioth's bigger, stronger, and probably even faster than Sanary is in an outright chase. With her body in the condition it's in, she's also probably not going to get very far if she misses.

     She just has to make sure not to miss. Giving the Barioth an almost respectful nod as it makes one last descent at her, the human digs her feet into the snowy ground beneath her and lets out a hot-blooded roar. She pumps the last bit of energy needed into her eye, firing off another explosive laser at the white creature when it's descending from the leap.

Ysabel Thibault (581) has posed:
    A roiling explosion blasts into the Barioth's head mid-flight. The creature lands, but just short of Sanary, its wing claws barely scraping over her before it comes to a skidding halt on all fours. The wyvern lingers there for a few moments, two slow breaths huffing between its fangs...and then it collapses, slumping onto the ice and snow and finally staying still.

    Quest Complete! https://goo.gl/WIYfI8

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary braces for impact as the Barioth comes down after getting blasted, waiting for the pain that never actually comes. She keeps staring straight at the wyvern as it takes its last breaths, stepping towards it slowly once it finally stops moving.

     "Not bad, fanged... Uh. Thing. Barioth! Yeah, that... Yeah." She takes a deep breath before collapsing onto it herself, a satisfied smirk crossing her face at the mission's success.

     "... Gotta tame one of these next time."