Session Start: Sat Mar 25 16:48:15 2006 Last time, on Hunters: It was a slow, quiet push back towards the flooded center of Tokyo for the team. The evacuation of the city proceeded around them with varying degrees of organization and chaos. And the Ningyo have begun to spread out over the city - they encountered two Ningyo, and were helped in the fight by two Ladies - Wrench and Beer. They didn't need so much help, though, particularly as Kyouko's new- found vampirism appears to have settled on mermaid blood. And guts. Though she did resist the brains. The team recalled Nike and Norcliff from their search for Princess Squeegee - their talents are going to be needed more in the search for Princess. [April 1, 2004 - 0330 local time.] [Ten kilometers ENE of the Queen of the Sea] [Session start.] The team is getting closer to the flooded zone now, and the evacuees are beginning to thin out. It doesn't look like there are a lot of survivors from the heart of the city - or maybe they just don't have the boats to leave. * LadyNightshade continues making her way through the streets of Tokyo towards the big bubble of water and hopefully Princess. ... hopes Norcliff gets back soon. Want to ask him something. * LadyMysteria takes a long moment to survey the devastation. It only seems to make the tremble in her lips strengthen. "Nnnnn..." The long, straight street seems to go downhill to where it meets water only a few kilometers ahead of you. * LadyHeat is finally not hungry anymore. Bleh I hate water. I don't mind water. I just hate what's bringing it here. Come on. You've heard more helicopters and airplanes fly overhead, but also more explosions near the center of the flood zone. * LadyRoyal nods curtly and follows. * LadyMallet doesn't mind the water. Wetsuits are nice. ^^ * LadyHeat is an Olympic-level swimmer. I like water. * LadyNightshade tries to plot out a route of things she could jump on once they reach the edge of the water. Water's good... but sometimes there's too much of a good thing, ya'know? Nightshade thinks there would be plenty of buildings ahead to bounce between, but the rest of the team might have some problems. * LadyMysteria presses on, wand white-knuckled and steps purposeful. She's pushed her shock aside and put some serious anger in its place. "Just have to move to the edge, and... we'll take it from there, I guess." There's a weird zipping noise, and suddenly the Secretary blurs to a halt right beside you. * LadyRoyal nods to her. * LadyHeat turns around. "That's lucky." Nike. Did you see anything? * LadyNike is panting hard. * Norcliff crawls out of Nike's costume and flops limply to the street, where he pukes cutely. * LadyNightshade twitches. ... and hello Norcliff. *hooo* Lots of things. *wooooooohhh* Too many Ningyo. *hhhaaaaaannhhh* * LadyMysteria 's features soften for a moment as she strokes the sugar glider's back. "Heh, poor guy." * Norcliff waves weakly, and makes spitting sounds. Apparently I'm not a very smooth ride. That's an understatement. Anything important? There's lots of Ningyo around. I can sense some Ladies as well, but they're outnumbered. I am in no way surprised. No big surge of Earth energy that might be Princess? * LadyMysteria looks in the direction of the bubble. "But an Order is an Order. Did you see any way we can get closer? A boat, elevated roadway, something?" * LadyMallet nods, quietly. How are the other Ladies doing? ...go into the flood zone? Wow, not really. I could jump it well enough but I don't think the rest of you could keep up. We *have* to get to Princess! Until then, I'm going to have the Queen's goddamn Order bouncing around in my head like a handful of marbles. As far as I can tell, we're killing more of them than they are of us, but I can't tell if it'll be enough. Princesses...? * LadyRoyal looks at Taki. "Care to do a quick look around, then? See if she's there and where or whatever?" * LadyMallet hrms. "Make Believe, can you make a paddleboat?" * Norcliff scrunches his little sugar-glider face up in concentration. And Norcliff, I've got a question for you.. I could. Does that work for you Maya? It works. We need to have an idea of what's ahead. No point in dying stupidly. Right. I'm sensing two, maybe three Princesses. Anything unusual? * LadyHeat wonders if any of them upgraded after the blast. Anything MakeBelieve makes... is that gonna show up on the ningyo's earth magic sense? ...unusual is the lousy Queen of the Sea. Princesses are just Princesses. It doesn't really matter at this point, Mallet. Can you give me locations? I can check them out first. One of them is straight ahead, I think actually IN the flood zone. * LadyNightshade nods. I can swim to her, too. I'll go check her out then. It may not matter, but I want to know in case it'll be an issue. * LadyNightshade moves to the edge of the water to start hopping rooftops towards the Princess. It might be lethal to rely on her if it's gonna give us away when we're really close. One's east of here, I think circling around the northern edge of the flood. And I think there might be one to the south, but she's right on the edge of my range and I might be misjudging strength. Maybe Princess is the one ahead of us. We'll know soon enough. * LadyNightshade notes all that as she moves. Norcliff, do Haruko's creations give off earth magic? Well, enough that it'll be an issue later? They'll be able to sense us anyway. Maybe a little? Not like proper weapons of the Earth, though. * LadyMallet nods. "Okay. Thanks." * LadyNightshade speaks over the radio. "If the others are outside the flooding, maybe you guys can check those out while I find this one." Good point. Good idea, yeah. * LadyMallet frowns. "One of them has to be Hardhat." We don't know if she stayed in Tokyo. I hope she didn't. She was bound to an area. Where would she have gone? Oh. I think... part of her Orders is that she was tied to that area. Somewhere where she couldn't Meteor-Hat us? Mmmmn. Let's not think about her right now. We might be able to win her over now... what with all that happened, but ok. She's not a priority at this point. * LadyMallet nods. "If we come across her, but we're not gonna seek her out if she's not in our path." Not like we can do anything about her anyway. Hopefully she's still sane enough to want to still thwart the Ningyo. One would like to hope. Taki reaches the near edge of the flooded zone. There are buildings here to hop between, but not too far ahead is the Imperial Palace grounds, looking like a lake. Taki, are you seeing her yet? Worse, she's right on the fringe of the radio range, and barely able to hear the rest of the team. * LadyNightshade looks around from the edge for any Princess size magic being thrown around. Not yet... I can barely hear you guys now, though. Uh-oh. Nnnngh. We have to get closer somehow. It's fairly dark up ahead, but there is some movement, both seen and sensed in the flow of Sea Magic. Come back in range. We need to stay together. Maya's right... * Norcliff wiggles his nose in Taki's direction. "I think that Princess is moving further into the flood zone, too. Not real fast, but she must have a boat or something." * LadyRoyal scratches her chin. Not much for us to do except press on. * LadyMallet breathes out, and takes a deep breath. "Well. If it's Princess, we need to catch up now. Paddleboats, fearless leader?" * LadyNightshade looks around for anything she can jump on to get closer. She can look all she wants, but either she detours kilometers around the Palace, or she goes swimming. Great, we're in their element. * LadyNightshade grumbles and dives in. * LadyMysteria shakes her head angrily. "We don't have much of a choice, do we... Make-Believe?" * LadyHeat almost reminds Mysteria that it's her element too. * LadyRoyal eyes Kyouko speculatively. ... we'll be okay, I think. The ningyo will be expanding their borders as quick as they can, and keeping a core group around the dome, maybe. The trip to there if we're already inside their border should be okay if we don't attract too much attention. Nope. So lets do it. Wait, which one are we heading for? I don't think we'll come across more than cleanup forces. Though... Norcliff, keep your senses open, okay? Of course, of course. * LadyMallet glances up. "... it's a cruel thing to think, but maybe if any more jets or copters come in, we can let them take the Ningyo's attention if we need a distraction." * LadyRoyal continues on. We'll do what we must, I suppose. Lets hope it doesn't come to that. It would be great if we could flag one down. I could have the Dragon Lord try to flag one down, but I think they'd probably try to shoot him. * LadyMallet continues ONWARD! ... that officer before. He still in range? The cop has been out of contact for more than an hour. * LadyMysteria simply shakes her head, staying the course. "Nothing seems to go right sometimes..." * LadyMallet frowns. "No... might've been able to get him in contact with the military. Haruko, can you make a radio to talk to the planes on their radios?" Flag them down, get them to pace with us so they just don't get wasted. We should probably try to get closer so we can talk to Taki again... * LadyMallet has been walking and talking! Taki, how's it going? * LadyRoyal adjusts her mic. "Taki? Can you hear us?" * LadyNightshade tries to make her way around the buildings surrounding the palace so she can hopefully stay out of the water. "You guys are breaking up. What's going on?" Anything of interest yet? Ningyo, boats, trouble? We're heading your way, for now. She's still at extreme range, and the signal goes in and out. The Palace is pretty much flooded. I'm trying to make my way around it. ...erk. Stay there, we'll meet up with you and try to figure something out. Stay in radio range! Let us catch up! Aren't you going after the other Princesses? Norcliff said one was on the edge of his range--I'm guessing further in. * LadyRoyal glances at Norcliff. "...right?" If the one in front of us is Princess, we can't wait to look for the others on land. That's why I'm checking it out? Don't get yourself killed doing it! Stay in contact! If you can't scout the area effectively, we should at least get you some gear, or get Kyo to do it instead. You said the area was flooded. I haven't even seen anything yet... Have to know what's ahead somehow, and you're the fastest and most stealthy. And... right now, I suppose we should try to stay somewhat together. Too dangerous. * LadyMallet glances at Nike. "You and Norcliff mind tagging the other two Princess sources and seeing if any of them are Princess?" * LadyNike grimaces. "I'm running out of steam, but if Mysteria-sama says to, I will." How much more do you think you can feasibly run, Nike? This would probably be it, until I can get a few hours good rest. ... there's no coincidences when you're an MG, so what's ahead is most likely Princess. ... don't burn yourself out just double-checking stuff, though. I'd hate to make you push yourself needlessly. Let's check this first. Try to rest yourself. Hey, it's the end of the fucking world, I'm fine pushing things a little. I'm just saying that I only have so much gas. If you think it's worth it, I'll go. * LadyMallet keeps walking. "Even so, save your energy. When it comes to the actual end, who knows what the hell is gonna happen." Um... Ladies? Yeah? ...what. * LadyMallet glances at Norcliff quickly. Do you sense her? Norcliff? Is the Queen of the Sea coming to get us? The Princess to the south - definitely a Princess, now, she's coming in our direction now. I think she's running away from some Ningyo, too. ... well, that saves us some trouble. How quickly? * LadyMallet frowns. "Taki, get back here. Incoming trouble." Let's go help her? Maya? The one to the east is still moving, but not so fast. The one in the flood is making good time away from us now. Damn. Assist the southern one. Taki, come back as fast as you can. * LadyNightshade shrugs. "Alright." * LadyNightshade hops roofs back the way she came. * LadyMallet frowns. "Trouble behind us and in front of us... too much trouble." You can say that again... but don't. It never ends. Come on. * LadyMysteria looks in the direction of the approaching Princess, then starts on back south at a decent clip. * LadyHeat heads quickly to the south. * LadyMallet spins on a toe, eyes closed, then comes to a halt facing dead south. She starts jogging, keeping up. * LadyRoyal follows Maya The team is almost back where they started four hours ago. Their penthouse is visible to the east, sticking out of the flooded streets, and the IHA campus is silent and dark beyond it. * Lady_MakeBelieve hops on a bike and easily paces the others. Anyone else want a bike again? * LadyMallet drops the Mallet out of thin air, catching it in mid-run and mid- fall. She doesn't slow down a whit. I'm fine. Nope. No, thank you. You don't need Norcliff to tell you there's a knot of Ningyo ahead, but with the constant radiant power of the Queen in the distance you can't get a count. * LadyNightshade heads towards there, trying to meet up with the group on the way. * LadyMysteria grits her teeth, wincing at the feeling. "Never enough..." The streets here are completely empty. Everyone could see the water rising, and they've crowded north and west towards the mountains. About another kilometer... She's still there, but I think she's stopped moving. ...crap. Making a stand. I hope she's alright... That's not good. Not good at all. * LadyMysteria twitches, looking back towards the bubble for a moment, then up ahead again. Taki lands in the middle of the group, dropping in from above. * LadyNightshade is still invisible though so no one knows! Hi guys! That's not fair. Miss me much? * LadyRoyal nods in the general direction of the voice. It was hard, but I managed somehow. * Lady_MakeBelieve just keeps biking along. Mmmmn. If only... Well, we're almost there. I'm glad you're back. I missed you too! I'd hate to have a ningyo bashing party without you. * LadyHeat prepares herself. How much farther? The Hunters come over a slight rise, and find the battle happening in a plaza a couple hundred meters ahead. ... Hah. Stand-off, toldja! * LadyRoyal points. "That much." There. The Princess is not visible at all, but all four Ningyo are blasting the hell out of something. * LadyNightshade hops over to help out and figure out which Princess it is. * LadyMysteria lets out a battle cry and marches ahead, already aiming her wand. * LadyMallet raises the Mallet high above her head, and gives a loud cry. "IN THE NAME OF BEAUTY, LOVE, AND MAGICAL GIRLS EVERYWHERE, I'M GONNA BEAT THE HELL OUT OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU! CHAAAAAARGGGGEEE!" * LadyMallet charges! ...shit. So much for the advantage of surprise. * LadyRoyal follows after, since the element of surprise has been shot to pieces. Taki still wasn't able to spot the Princess in the middle of Ningyo- spawned jets of water. but she has the best view of two of the mermaids hearing Mallet's challenge and moving to cover that approach. * LadyNightshade moves to flank since Mallet had to give herself away like that. * Sailor_Sunbeam looks at Haruko "Think I should go help?" * LadyMallet not so loudly talks into the mic, "Taki, sack the two ningyo who didn't respond to us." * Lady_MakeBelieve nodes "Try not to get hurt though." * Sailor_Sunbeam jumps to a building top, and moves to circle around from behind. * LadyRoyal gets into carding range...and then starts circling around. * LadyHeat prepares for boiling. Her mouth is almost watering. * LadyNightshade leaps out from the shadows and strikes one of the Ningyo still attacking the Princess with a stunning blow and follows it up with a 5 hit combo before splashing down in the water nearby. She can't help but grumble as her pants are once again soaked. The Ningyo she hit staggers away, trying to hold its head and gut at the same time, but her partner turns her jet of water on Taki, blasting the magical girl into a side alley where she bounces badly off a wall and goes down. * LadyNightshade grunts at the thud but doesn't make much else of a noise as she finds herself knocked unconscious. * LadyHeat makes sweet, delicious ningyo steaks out of the one who blasted Taki. Boiling Point! ...well, she steams it pretty good, and the mermaid looks rather red around the gills as it lunges out of the sudden column of boiling haze. * LadyRoyal shoots out a rain of cards at the nearest of the two other ningyo. Royal flurries out a spread of cards, which detonate wetly around the nearest Ningyo. It doesn't seem to do more than piss her off... * LadyMallet keeps charging! She's not slacking off on speed, but she -does- have the Mallet held defensively in front of her like a battering ram... The second pair of Ningyo fire off their own jets of water - one glances off the Mallet, while the other barely catches an acrobatically dodging Lady Royal. Mina goes skittering away with a mild case of road rash. * Lady_MakeBelieve finds some cover and just watches, ready to call for reinforcements if necessary. Star Tranquil Ovaries! * Sailor_Sunbeam poses dramatically atop a building before unleashing a swarm of brilliant orbs that slam into the Ningyo near the still unidentified Princess. One of them twists out of the line of fire, but the one already staggering from Nightshade's surprise attack is smacked around hard. * LadyMysteria takes aim at the ningyo that just evaded the Ovaries, and puts on a face that would scare small children. "... just die." Off the Star Gun bolt goes, aimed dead at the ningyo's nose. The mermaid doesn't even have time to scream as her face is obliterated and her skull splinters. She collapses slowly into the water, not dead, but surely out of this fight. * LadyNightshade bleeds and floats. ... in the name of the Earth. * Lady_MakeBelieve winces Her partner is still getting her bearings, and can only summon up a ball of brackish water around itself. The tumult of water in the spot where the Ningyo were attacking is finally subsiding, now that no fish are actively blasting there. The waters settle... revealing an orangey-yellow shape. Heat fixes her gaze on the shielding ball of water, and it goes white as its outer layer flashes into steam. The inner part of it doesn't, yet, but it's getting hotter... * LadyRoyal narrows her eyes and flings a card at the eyes of the ningyo that she flurried before. The fish-girl yelps as one eyeball is pierced and blood spurts out over the watery terrain. * LadyMallet continues the charge, jumping up and bringing the Mallet's enormous weight to bear on the face-bleeding Ningyos head unnervingly accurately, pausing to let the full impact of the weight kick in- then she kicks off the chest of the Ningyo, twisting in midair and bringing the Mallet to bear again.... "LEENA LEENA PANCAKE STRIKE! MEET THE INDOMITABLE EARTH!" The first Ningyo is hammered brutally aside, only barely keeping her balance above the water. The second Ningyo, still unhurt, has time to brace herself and somehow CATCHES the Mallet strike, twisting the weapon out of Mallet's hands and leaving the Lady to face plant in the water below her. * LadyMallet would yelp in surprise, but all she does is swallow water. The hurt Ningyo tries a Riptide in Royal's general direction, but there's not enough water to make it hurt. The one holding the Mallet scoots away from the Lady she took it away from, then uses her water blast to send the oversized weapon flying back AT Leena at impossible-looking speeds. * Lady_MakeBelieve winces twice as hard as before. The CRUNCH it makes as it plows the Lady into the pavement shakes everything - water, buildings, the very air - and Leena becomes her own pancake. * LadyMysteria visibly shakes as the mallet connects, but fights the urge to look away. Instead, she just stares all the harder---if her eyes could burn right now, they would. * LadyRoyal grits her teeth. "Leena!" Oh god. * Lady_MakeBelieve lifts her hand, a thin blue beam streaks up into the sky, where it traces out a large circular pattern that fills with shimmering colors. Through this fail flies the Dragon Lord, larger and with more sparkling scales than you recall. The death of the Dragon King seems to have treated him well. * Neo_Dragon_Lord flies down to where Leena fell, and moves her safely behind cover * Sailor_Sunbeam looks happy to see the Dragon Lord again, but quickly returns to the business of blasting Ningyo with shiny bits of doom, sending them in a wave towards the one bleeding from the eye and knocking it off balance. * LadyMysteria levels her wand to the ningyo that managed to flatten Leena, eyes narrowing. "You brought this upon yourself! God might care about you... but I don't!" Another bolt of light streaks out at the beast, once again aimed to empty out the contents of the ningyo's head. Maya, it seems, it through playing around. Another Ningyo is blasted to the ground, hammered down by the sparkly wand of doom. * LadyNightshade groans and rubs the back of her head where she hit the wall, using her other arm, she supports herself against the wall, trying to stand up and surveying the damage so far. The shielding Ningyo tries to increase its shield mass, but it can't stop the heat from seeping into the center where it's hiding... * LadyHeat keeps boiling at the ningyo surrounded by the ball of water. * LadyRoyal stalks over to the remaining ningyo up and does a point-blank Flurry on her. The Ningyo is smashed around by the explosions, and bleeds out in the watery street. The remaining one is slowly, deliciously poached by Lady Heat. It takes a minute, but good cooking always takes time. * LadyNightshade stumbles her way back to her feet and makes her way towards Hardhat, knocking on the shell. "Hey? You can come out now. It's safe." * LadyHeat licks her lips. * LadyRoyal growls at the body of the one she just hit. "About time. Fucker." * LadyHeat isn't hungry, so she doesn't eat any, however. ...um, who's out there? Friends. * Neo_Dragon_Lord senses that the danger is over, and flies off, saluting Haruko and Dani as he does so. Are you sure? [session end] Session Close: Sat Mar 25 20:17:59 2006