[Event] Pumpkiller

[npcsofmana]

Who: A very big and magical Jack-O-Lantern and you
What: A giant pumpkin is trying to take over Domina... or something like that.
Where: West Domina, past the residential area
When: Day 33
Other: Likely some violence. Check the post for more info and ask any questions here.




At least, that's what the usual mail pelican is frantically squawking about on the front steps of home with her feathers going everywhere as she flaps her wings.

And.... there are some very disconcerting dark clouds gathering around Domina that haven't yet started intruding on the sky around Home. Perhaps this merits some checking out.

To those that venture forth, they'll notice that Domina is eerily quiet as they step into it from the road. Both Domina's tavern and inn seem empty, which is a strange thing in itself. Anyone who's visited the town regularly will have noticed that those two places, for good reason, are often the most lively places in town.

Just where has everyone gone....?

Comments

Pre-Pelican Mingle

[npcsofmana]

[Of course, before things start getting weird, it appears like it's going to be the same kind of morning as usual. By this point, no doubt more than a few people have gotten used to the pleasant weather and probably developed some sort of schedule.]

[And for those who aren't used to this all... Well. Feel free to get to know your fellow tree residents. After all, you all have something in common! First example: being randomly transported into a tree.]

Re: Pre-Pelican Mingle

[shimmer_on]

This was not her tent.

Normally Sunset would be more disturbed from waking up somewhere strange, but with everything that had gone on in the last week, she could be excused to be completely okay with this.

Touching the necklace she wore with the red shard stuck inside it, it was a small comfort as she started down around the tree house, looking for a familiar face or maybe someone to ask.

If she didn't recognize you, she gave a smile and a polite "Hello!" and other times, if she did recognize something about you, she'd call out with a question in your name.

Re: Pre-Pelican Mingle

[elementofloyalty]

"Uuuugh."

A familiar voice, maybe, and a form that might be a blast from the past. Rainbow Dash hovered in midair with a hoof rubbing her chin and a look of patent disgust on her face as she looked up at the sky. This flying routine just wasn't going well.

Domina and the Park

[npcsofmana]

[...As it turns out, the townsfolk are in the small park on the other side of the residential area. Some of them are seated on the various benches, and others are along the rim of the fountain. No one really seems concerned.]

[Well, a few people seem concerned and are fussing appropriately. However, the general majority doesn't seem to be. Judging by the way that they're standing around exchanging gossip, it gives off the impression that all of this is weird and annoying and concerning in that kind of bewildering way.... but like when an entire kitchen gets coated in flour and people are trying to figure out why. Definitely not an End Of The World (tm) feeling at all.]

[Feel free to join the throngs of people, or just nose around town while most of the populace is hanging around here.]

NPCs

[npcsofmana]

[Familiar faces can be seen around for anyone who looks. There's Rachel and her family standing over in one corner, and Miss Yuka is fussing over her egg by one of the benches. If anyone stands still long enough, they'll no doubt soon find Reverend Nouvelle coming over to check on them.]

[ > Interact?]

Pumpkin Fight

[npcsofmana]

[Amalette wasn't lying, however. There is a giant pumpkin problem.]

[Indeed, right where she said past all the houses and in the westmost clearing, a jack-o-lantern the size of a house has swelled to horrifying proportions. For some reason, the clouds are thickest in this area, draping it all in a darkness that makes the pumpkin's leer cut through like a knife. Thick vines coil and writhe around its base, lashing out with vicious force at anything close enough in its nearby vicinity.]

[Fortunately, this seems restricted only half of the clearing's total area, at the spots nearest to the pumpkin behemoth.]

[Unfortunately, curving out from the pumpkin's position in a crescent facing the road into it, there are dozens of smaller jack-o-lanterns. They're only regular sized, some even tiny, but that seems to be working to their advantage. They'll try to trip anyone close enough, and sometimes even use their vines to latch onto a person so that they can drag themselves closer and gnaw on them.]

[...Being that they're made of pumpkin, it's not very effective.]

[All the power seems to be in the giant pumpkin, so taking it out is obviously a priority. However, with its powerful vines and the smaller pumpkins getting in the way, that's going to be a little tricky.]

[For the particularly observant, they may notice that a few pumpkins don't seem to be involved in the combat at all. Instead, they're nestled the furthest in, closest to the giant pumpkin's mass, and glow in a rainbow of colors instead of the typical jack o' lantern leer.]

NPC

[npcsofmana]

[The good news is that it seems like someone else is already fighting off some of the vines.]

[It's a diminutive individual with an onion helmet completely shielding his face. Despite the bizarre and even intimidating scene, he seems to be slashing at vines and tiny pumpkins casually using a small spear.]

[He clearly doesn't really need help, but he'll gladly accept any... or offer some himself is he sees someone in need.]

Avelwyn (OC)

[rimeandreason]

[Well that....sure is some scrawny white furry creature with a simple spear charging one of the pumpkins with a yell that's half battle cry, half an expression of utter 'I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING'. A small walking mushroom is toddling along behind him, although at the edge of the pumpkin patch the mushroom seems to suddenly think better of all this, and stays back just where the normal hedges stop.]

[He has all of the skill of someone with zero interest in physical combat who's had a bodyguard who probably could never be paid enough trying to teach him for his own good. Which is to say, not very much.]

[So he's going to end up hit by a stray vine and sent flying to back just outside of the patch, with the mushroom waddling over to look down at him in concern.]

[Please, someone help this idiot furchild.]

The Judge

[chattychat]

[As it turns out, even tiny pumpkins are a true menace when you are small and also a cat.]

[A blur of white can be seen as the Judge races around the outskirts, hissing and spitting furiously while a pumpkin clings with its vines for dear life. It's hard to tell who's more upset about this whole deal: the Judge with his new passenger or the pumpkin, who has been banging along the ground more than a dozen times by now.]

[Free them]

[elementofloyalty]

Hey hey hey!

[Rainbow Dash lands near a pumpkin, swivels on her forelegs, then bucks the gourd off into the distance.]

You get out of here! You stupid -- pumpkin things!

[But as she starts to take to the sky again, a vine snaps up from the ground, wrapping around her hind leg and bringing her to a quick halt.]

[gunbladegrrl]

[Maria is in her element.]

[The girl flips into the center of a pack of jack-o-lanterns with a howl that has more bloodlust than sense into it, turning the momentum of her landing into a vicious slash with the two weapons she holds. The brillant blue blades cut halfway into a pair of pumpkins each before she pulls the triggers on their handgrips. Twin explosions blast apart both of her targets as the weapons abruptly reverse course, and Maria kicks off the ground as the force twists her around, making the motion into another pair of attacks.]

[Within moments, a space around her as far as she can reach is completely clear, leaving her glaring at the largest boss-monster pumpkin.]

As if it wasn't obvious we had a target here.

[green_jesus]

[Nerfed right up the *ahem* and all, Thrall still had a mission to get to.

Doomhammer felt super heavy in his hands, as he swung it with as much force as he could muster. Pumpkins went flying as he thrust a palm forward, but instead of the flame shock or lava bolt he was so fond of hurling in the middle of battle, a quiet answer on the wind was nothing to be seen.

That's when the pumpkins dogpiled the shaman, throwing Doomhammer up and over into the crowd where it slammed into the cobblestones.

Thrall roared angrily, kicking and thrashing. The worlds once mightiest shaman, reduced to flailing.

This sucks.]

Zenyatta | protect your healers... wait, he can't do that yet... (+) I need healing!

[orbislife]

[ Zenyatta tried to talk to the giant pumpkin and smaller pumpkins numerous times, even yelling in case they were hard of hearing. All attempts at a peaceful resolution failed, and the giant pumpkin still thrashed dangerously with the small ones causing other kinds of chaos. Zenyatta retreats to the outer edge of the clearing and places Bothi on the ground. With others starting to go on the offensive, he intends to join the effort.

However... there are a number of problems.

1. He cannot channel energy and thus cannot hover or shoot his Orbs of Destruction.
   
2. He does not have access to his Orb of Discord for a similar reason.
   
3. He does not have his shields which would normally protect his frame. 50/200 HP
   
4. He will be trying to kick something much, much larger than him.

Zenyatta is logically aware of these short comings but ignoring them because he will not stand by when others need help. And he has gotten better with walking everywhere again. Falling back on his kick focused martial arts, he goes to strike. Luckily, a number of the smaller pumpkins intercept him and prevent a worse fate. He tries to kick one like a soccer ball. A second pumpkin rams into his back from behind. He thuds onto ground, sending dirt up into the air. The pumpkins latch on with their vines and try (unsuccessfully) to bite into his metal body. Still, there are lots of spots to get vine holds. His joints are locked, and they essentially pin him to the ground. Zenyatta... is more embarrassed than hurt. He sighs, ]

... Overconfidence is a flimsy shield...

[ Bothi runs as fast as possible on their thin vine legs to find someone to help their Omnic monk. If someone does not spot Zenyatta under half a dozen pumpkins, they might have a lullabud tugging on them. Help please. ]

Sam and Dean Winchester (two for the price of one!!!)

[escapedestiny]

[Archery is almost nothing like using a gun, Sam is finding out. The aiming technique may be relatively the same, but the follow-through is not. He's getting better, though. He's had a month of practicing, after all. And the point of getting a bow and arrows as a weapon was so that he could attack from afar. Except he's not attacking these pumpkins from afar, he's pretty damn close and that's because he's currently fighting back-to-back with his brother.

Dean has a sword. Acquiring a weapon had been on the top of his to-do list after arriving here, just as it had been for Sam. Winchester priorities. So Sam had taken him to Domina the day after his arrival and Dean (who is in actuality more of a geek than Sam, at least in regards to things like this, Sam's pretty convinced) had to have a sword. Unfortunately he hasn't had as much time as Sam has to practice with it so he's pretty much swinging it around like a buffoon in an effort to hit things.

It's still working better than Sam's strategy, though, because close-range combat and archery don't mix well, and he keeps getting gnawed on by the smaller pumpkins before he can take them out, trying to kick them off and stomp on them and cursing all the while.

All in all, it's kind of a ridiculous spectacle and probably high on comedic value but they're trying.]

[ ooc: tagging here will start tagging order of you -> sam -> dean (kickingand), unless for some reason you want to try and get one of them alone GOOD LUCK ]

Ken Joshima

[junkyarddog]

[Ken's probably fought weirder things than this. In fact, as a combatant, Ken probably is a weirder thing than this.

He's in Wolf Channel right now, because there's nothing like it for hit and run tactics - which is what he needs right now, because most of the vines that giant pumpkin is lashing at him are thicker around than he is, and Ken may not have much sense but he doesn't particularly want his spine snapped, either. The big problem he's encountered isn't really the vines, though; especially while channeling, he's more than fast enough to avoid things so big and ponderous. His issue is that, for all his attacking, he doesn't seem to be doing anything. There's a few clawed gouges in some vines, but most are too thick for this to have any appreciable effect.

Where the hell is a gourd's vulnerable spots???

In the end, when he discovers a tactic that works, it happens entirely by accident. At one point he runs along one of those vines all the way up to the pumpkin itself, scaling it with his claws and looking for something to hit, to claw, to bite - and not succeeding, because if anything its rind is even tougher than its vines. However, the vines follow, lashing out at Ken - and in the process of his dodging them, they actually smack the pumpkin, which seems to actually do damage. Certainly more than Ken could manage, even with channeled strength. The angry, hollow thud of the pumpkin hitting itself is solid enough to be felt through the ground.

It'll take a hell of a lot more hits like that one to do serious or crippling damage, but hey - it's a workable tactic. If Ken can keep up the energy and avoid getting hit long enough, at least. And...if Ken actually realizes he's onto something. For the moment he's retreating out of vine range to catch his breath, looking somewhere between angry and eager, and it's hard to tell if he even knows what he just did or that it might be a good idea to try it again.

Tactics aren't Ken's strong suit. Chikusa does the thinking; Ken mostly just does attacking. If anyone wants to express concern, or give advice, or speak to him at all, however - now is the moment, while he's taking a breather.]

[devoursgods]

[It was absolute chaos.]

Get off!

Um... please get off?

[Hisame swatted at the smaller pumpkins with a stick he had found, trying to get them off of his partners. Mao was decidedly not happy and struggling with all of his might while Tatara was still and going cross-eyed trying to look at the pumpkin that was trying to chew on his helmet.

He lifts the stick overhead and brings it down with as much force as he could, half-dislodging the one on Mao.]

Can you get out, Mao? Tatara, I'll be over to help you soon!

[mithrarin]

[This is a lot better than monsters. Or the undead haunting a horrible field and a mysterious mansion. Or an army of soldiers...]

[Come right down to it, this enemy is probably the most tolerable and least horrible one Dust has ever faced.]

[The Sen-Mithrarin lops through vines and gourds alike with poetic grace, dodging their attacks with flips that carry him past them so he can strike from behind or long jumps that clear him several feet off the ground.]

[And yet all the same, he's frowning as he fights.]

[thebiggestguy]

[One didn't need to be huge and built like Dread to be a skilled pugilist. But it helped.]

[The Roegadyn moves from pumpkin to pumpkin with grim determination, landing flurries of blows with his fists and powerful strikes in fluid combos that more often than not leave the pumpkins shattered on the ground. Then on he heads, pausing only to recover his breath and shake off the pain the slapping vines left behind.]

[This is routine and commonplace, and he endures it as he does all the battles he's been in.]

Shouto Todoroki

[frigidi]

[He was a hero.

It was all instinct and muscle memory, although very aware that he couldn't call upon the frigid chill or the blistering heat to aid him it didn't mean he wasn't going to get involved. His legs moved on their own accord, the only thing on his mind was joining in and helping where he could. It wasn't sensible and he had no idea how he could help but... there had to be something.

...

Shouto had seen many things in his short life and dealt with much, from the Hero Killer Stain to (nearly) coming face to face with one of the most dangerous villains of all time.

A giant evil pumpkin?

That was a first.

It was around this time where he really wished he had his quirk available. He could make quick work of this with a blazing inferno, or encasing it with ice and letting the element do the work for him. Because right now he was staring up at a Halloween styled nightmare and he had no idea how to--

Ow!

Shouto really needed to start paying attention in the world, because he was too focused on the big one to not notice the couple of smaller ones barreling towards him, one gnawing on his arm, the other on a leg.]

Get...

[Grabbing the one on his arm by the stem, chucking it at the big one.]

off!

[...That wasn't a bad idea. Grabbing the other from his leg to whip it at the... Boss? It was pretty much a boss level monster. It's all he could do right now, so he'll just be over here...

taking the smaller ones and throwing them at the bigger one.

Better than nothing, right?]

[nekohohoho]

[Kuroo's seen enough of Kenma gaming to recognize just how weirdly convenient this boss fight is. It feels like a tutorial boss in an RPG.

Big boss that's still only threatening in a controlled way? Check; the giant pumpkin isn't mobile, or particularly dangerous to anyone prudent enough to stay out of the reach of its big vines. Add to that the fact that even the townspeople seem more inconvenienced than distressed, and no one seems to be grievously wounded yet...and it feels like a surprisingly small threat despite how big the thing is.

Mook enemies able to be taken out by even amateur fighters, presumably to farm experience? Double check. That's what Kuroo is currently taking advantage of, in fact. The small pumpkins aren't really a threat at all, even up close and personal, and Kuroo needs practice. Most of his money got spent on buying a sword and shield for himself, which he's been quietly but diligently working on learning how to use. But he hasn't had much in the way of practical experience using either, and this seems like a perfect, low-pressure opportunity to get some.

All that remains to be seen is if he can collect some money off this. He's been wanting to bring his finances back up after how much the sword and shield set him back.

So, for anyone watching, they'll get to see Kuroo engaging the smaller hostile pumpkins. He's barely using the shield, at the moment; it just doesn't have much utility here. His sword, by contrast, is pretty busy, slicing through vines and occasionally cleaving through a pumpkin. Anyone who knows Kuroo as a relatively relaxed, easily amused individual may be mildly surprised by how intent and thoughtful he looks as he's fighting; he's thinking out every strike, getting a feel for his movements and the speed and force each one requires. It might actually take some effort to even get his attention, which is more due to his focus than because he's in any genuinely demanding situation.]

[nekogamer]

[Kenma knew there was something wrong when he stepped out into the street. He looked over to see the giant pumpkin in the middle of the road. He barely managed to escape the vines that wanted to wrap around his leg as he moved to get away. He decided to look into healing magic to be useful in their new area, he didn't expect to run into this. Kenma thought he had enough trouble with the vines, until he saw the little pumpkins run towards him. He had to get to higher ground so he could figure out what to do next.

Kenma looked around to find a nearby place for him to climb when he spotted a tree. If he could get there, he could think about what to do next. He turned to run towards the tree when a vine wrapped around his leg and pulled him down on the ground. He kicked at the vine and pulled at it.

Any help would be good right now.]

Aftermath

[npcsofmana]

After a while, the constant efforts of everyone seems to wear down the pumpkin. Bruised and battered and a little sliced up in some places, it practically oozes in its place as though it might turn to mush. With all the chaos, it's hard to tell who exactly gets the final strike... but the Giant Pumpkin soon starts to churn and swell...

And two bright objects shoot out from its gaping maw, heading straight for Sam Winchester and Ken Joshima. As the light eases up, it becomes clear that they're a broom and a frying pan, respectively.

With the expulsion of those two things... The giant pumpkin and all its tiny pumpkin minions begin to lose their strength. As the vegetable goliath sinks into itself, the tiny pumpkins all begin to lose their strength and light one by one, no longer moving. As for the strange pumpkins near the giant with their odd lights? They all burst, some shooting off into the sky or earth while others make their way to those who have helped with the pumpkin problem to bestow gifts or give back that which was lost.

However, they all seem to give a decent berth to the broom and the frying pan...

In only minutes, the elemental spirits are all gone, disappearing into the rest of the world. That leaves only those who have gathered around... surrounded by pumpkins.

Lots of pumpkins.

So many pumpkins.

What does everyone do now?

NPCs

[npcsofmana]

Duelle the Onion Warrior is the first to speak up, apparently not finding anything odd about what's just happened at all. "Glad that's all cleared up!" he announces, flicking his spear a few times to get rid of pumpkin goo. Hefting his weapon against his shoulder, he starts to casually head back to the path into town. It's not a fast pace, so anyone who wants to talk to him could easily catch up.

In contrast, Reverend Nouvelle can be seen running and huffing up the path to the clearing with his feathers puffed out. Coming to a stop at the edge of the clearing, he presses one taloned hand to his chest and tries to catch his breath while talking at the same time. "Oof... Those... The siblings... Ooh... I was telling Miss Kurokawa...." He trails off, still breathing heavily.

Skyfire

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

Getting his toolbox was a real surprise. It was strange to him that it would appear as it had, but he wasn't going to deny that it made things a lot easier on him to have them.

Skyfire found a space out of the way, put his toolbox within easy reach, then parked himself on the ground and tried to clean the pumpkin goo out of his feathers and hair... It's not going well, but he's too tired to try and find water that he can clean up in. The look on his face is one of clear discomfort, finding being covered in orange ick is disgusting.

Still, he's glad that at least whatever caused this seemed to be gone and he hadn't taken much damage. Though he noted that he would need to start getting metal from somewhere. Either mining it himself or finding something to do to trade for it, because he needed to eat something eventually...

Hisame

[devoursgods]

After the strange golden figure had disappeared, Hisame was left standing there in confusion and curiosity as to what had just happened. His partners on the other hand were quiet for three beats before Tatara began to bounce in excitement.

"Hisame! Hisame, it came back!"

"What did?"

Just as he turned to look at them both, there was a brief flash in his pocket where he kept his digivice stored. The screen had lit up and with it Tatara and Mao began to change. Their mochi-like forms stretched and changed until they were once again in the forms he had come to know so well during his stay in the Digital World.

Tatara was once again Hagurumon, and Mao was once again Goblimon.

"You can digivolve again?"