New Moon/Zahliya Event START!

[mooninthewater]

NEW MOON, WHO DIS?

!

"INVITATION"

Everyone will get a recounting from Mizuki about his encounter with the creature in the woods, regardless of whether or not you had your own run in it with. He knows it was brought up before, but he just wants to make extra sure everyone is up to speed! He gives a general outline of information that he learned from Ydalir, the Trader. (And, yes, he calls her that to everyone.)

One, the creature's name is Zahliya, but has many overall titles. His full title seems to be "Zahliya, The Purifier, He Who is the First Sentinel, the Grove's Guardian". It's kind of a mouthful, but Mizuki seems adamant you do your best to remember it all.
Two, "Purifier" seems to imply his capability to ward off and, well, purify corruption from the forest. This is obviously going to be very useful to the Grove as a whole.
Three, the fog is apparently at its weakest during that of a new moon, hence the timing. Which is tonight, Mizuki happily reminds you!
Four... "Zahliya needs our help."

He doesn't seem to elaborate further on that last point. Feel free to ask him about it, or just go to your fellow neighbors and be like "hey, what the fuck is that cryptic twink on about???" Regardless of what you do with that information, Mizuki strongly encourages your to meet with everyone at the edge of the fog closest to the inn tonight.

!

GATHERING

...And by "strongly encourages", it means he will drag your dumb ass to the meeting if you need an excuse to have them actually show up. Mizuki seems very adamant about this. Zahliya is their friend now! We don't leave friends behind.

Mizuki explains that it seems relatively simple, all things considered. Simple relative to other things within the Grove, anyway. They just all gotta... "wish" for Zahliya. Sort of like believing in fairies, or calling out one's name for them to appear. Sort of.

He's certainly not going to lead in this, however. He's just here to provide the information! If anything, he's more hopeful that someone else will take the reigns from him the moment all knowledge about this is out there.

!

OOC

The OOC post about this event is here. I figured I should make the post about it initially, considering Mizuki dug for the lore about Zahliya, but considering he is not the leader-type, he will simply defer to the group from here. This is helpful for both chaos reasons and so everyone can more easily be involved. I also left the first prompt open for any pre-discussions about this you'd like to get out of the way, though if you would just like to read through Mizuki's discussion with the Trader and handwave knowing it, I'm totally fine with that, too. Mizuki wouldn't make any attempts to hide information from anyone, assuming they asked him the question first.

Recap of the Event so far! (Click to Expand!)

• The event begins with characters learning and talking about how to go about the information above. Caoimhe's brought a song. Natsuno brought knives. BB brought herself (unfortunately). Add brought... medical attention. All's well!
• Until it isn't, as when the moon is at its zenith, there's a horrifying roar and two mysterious sets of footprints within the fog. Using the goggles from the Shopkeeper, Add is able to find a twisted looking creature and a humanoid. It's decided that it's now or never to call out for their Guardian friend.
• And he does, in fact, appear! But he certainly doesn't seem to be doing so hot...
• ...but taking care of him might have to come second to the very angry monster beyond Felicity's barrier.

Comments

[harmacy]

I don't believe in magic "be-all" solutions. Is there a problem with the church in particular, or would you be opposed to any type of expedition?

[he has a feeling it's the latter. also, he is digging into his medkit again. where's that sedative...]

We're not helpless children, Purifier. We can solve our own problems, with or without your help.

[mooninthewater]

[ Lots of wiggling makes it hard for Mizuki to comb through Zahliya's hair so, uh… Mizuki's just gonna scoot closer to Add and hold his hand. He's sorry, he didn't mean to start this… ]

[harmacy]

[and he is immediately slipping his hand out of that sorry touch is bad he's upsetti]

[mooninthewater]

[ Y-yeah fair. Okay. He's just gonna go and eat talk to the moose, then— ]

[purifier]

[Zahliya finally wiggles free, solely because he is Small and stronger than he looks. His wounds are still stitching closed, he's got these tight bandages on him, but he's free and he's getting up.]

You don't get to tell me that!

[And Zahliya reaches out

snatches Add's hat off the top of his head (and the glasses, too, when he sees the frames sticking out from his jacket pocket)

and books it off further into the Grove.]

[harmacy]

[He sits there staring for a few seconds, "steal my hat and run" wasn't one of the reactions he was prepared for...

and then he notices the glasses are gone

son of a]

Get back here! [a flash of violet as he hops onto Dynamo—if he was hoping to outrun a nerd with a limp, surprise, it's a nerd flying at him wreathed in an electric aura powered by six combat drones, you will not escape

he does this just as Moder starts getting pissed so hopefully Elsword turns in time to see him charging off into the Grove and not just the vines smashing through the ground of his treatment-zone, rip the blankets.]

[purifier]

[Yeah Elsword spins around and notices that Add is running off and thinks "ok cool" he's going back to bonking a moose with a sword, but this ain't about him,

this is about the fact that Zahliya was not prepared for Add to fly on his stupid little robots, and were he not still experiencing Wound Closing he would've already scaled the inn by now and started hissing from on top of it like a defensive dragon. But he is not. Instead, he's upping the sprint... he's a fast little guy but he's limited by legs so Add will catch up eventually.

Also he's putting the hat on his head (balanced somewhat off of his horns) and clutching the glasses for dear life, they don't break but he is trying so hard to keep these things out of Add's grasp—]

You don't know what you're dealing with in there! You should be staying in the Grove where it's safe and letting me handle the heavy lifting now that I'm healed!!

[harmacy]

You're not healed yet, stop running around before you tear your wounds back open! [and if the running doesn't then Add will

Zahliya got a head start, so Add isn't catching up... yet... slow down so he can unleash a Code Yellow on his stony ass

at least they're both far away from the threat of Moder now damn, that's one way to keep your patients out of danger]

[purifier]

[He will not slow down, he will simply lead Add in circles for as long as Add follows him tbh

Moder is off in the distance being given objects of extreme power/spoken to by Mizuki/stabbed by literally everyone else, this can only go well, and Zahliya is only slightly derailed from the chase when he sees some people getting hit with vines and hhhhh—

Now's your chance to kill them I guess]

[harmacy]

[he WOULD if his rolls would stop being so MID!!! Add is also distracted when he sees the vines lashing out, he's gonna be busy later ugh... they are both pausing to frown at this.

but then Chung drowns the battlefield in water. this may be confusing to Zahliya but Add, at least, knows it's a good thing. turning his attention back to the fleeing patient—]

Suction! [he extends an arm, and within the next second a large suction field will form between them at Dynamo's command, hopefully close enough for Zahliya to get dragged in and fucking stay there]

[purifier]

[There's a very unceremonious squeaky yelp, and then yeah, despite trying to move out of the way... the little guy is sucked in, though he's going to thrash and kick like he can possibly escape the field at all.]

Hey!!!

[LOUD GARGOYLE HISSING]

[harmacy]

Stop thrashing around, you're going to break them!

[the thrashing also prevents Add from physically pinning him again, but he is going to move on to step 2 of his plan: attempting to sedate the gargoyle

but he only has one dose on hand, so he has to make sure it hits the target and doesn't damage the glasses by mistake... please pay no mind to the one Dynamo hovering at the edge of the suction zone, trying to aim itself at his vitals. just hold still like a good little patient. it's going to launch itself at him right before the suction expires.]

[purifier]

They are perfectly safe! You are not going into the forest!!

[HISSSSSS and he sees that needle coming for him, and though he's suctioned, he's trying really hard to like ? fake it out? Dodge it? Do not stab him again he has decided he hates needles and you will not Get Him (Add will eventually Get Him)—

...

Yeah Add gets him right in the side, probably, and there's a few more seconds of struggling and then a Pissed Off, slumped-over gargoyle. If Add comes closer he's getting bitten.]

[harmacy]

[he'll risk getting bitten and becoming a weregoyle, he's going to stomp over there (the menacing electro-aura is gone) and start trying to wrestle the glasses free with his bare human hands like a psychopath]

Yes I am! Give— them— back! [Zahliya is drugged so it's a fair fight, he's only stooping this low because everyone else is too busy fighting a funny deer to watch Add try to put a gargoyle in a headlock]

[purifier]

[Add isn't going to have a hard time getting the glasses back from him after a minute, considering he's drugged up and sluggish, but Add is also very lucky that one of the hooves doesn't go for the balls because Zahliya is kicking.

So anyway, everyone in the Grove is very mature, especially these two.]

What do you think the Church is going to do for you?! [Grr grr grr] You're going to get yourself killed again! Do you know how many people would be upset if you were gone?! Do you know how upset I would be?! Stop being a child and listen!!

[not here]

[shineprism]

( by the el you are both so lucky he is preoccupied holy grailing people right now )

[harmacy]

[he is taking those glasses and putting them AWAY, thank you very fucking much, they are not going to get swiped again from inside his zipped-up medkit.]

No, you listen. You're the one acting like a child! [he says as he also swipes his hat back and puts it back on his head, fuck you Zahliya. at this point he has everything he needs so he's going to let go and stand back up like nothing even happened, wiping his hands of this mess.]

I'm going to the forest, end of discussion. I don't have to explain myself to you. Who do you think you are, barging in here like you own the place? Who gave you the right to boss me around?!

This is something I have to do. Now, why don't you be a good little patient and take a nap for me, hmm? Don't worry, I'll be back in time for your morning check-up.

[Add is no longer catfighting with the gargoyle, but Dynamo is still poised to make him cooperate... don't push your luck too hard.]

[purifier]

The person who's been fighting Moder off for the last month to keep you all safe!

[He protests, but it's clear he's fading fast... having a hard time keeping his eyes open thanks to the sedative...]

You don't... know what you're getting into, Add.

[harmacy]

What you think doesn't matter. I still have to do this. [he's repeating himself, but... there is a trace of something else in his voice, bitter and ashamed.

he has to be the one to do this. it's his fault all this is happening, isn't it?

anyway there will be no follow up questions because it's tree time]