MISSION 1
Participants: Hanako, Amami, Clamor, Lucifer, Meng Yao, Shinobu, Gundham
Location: Courtyard
Date: 08/07
(ooc notes: I will state any possible content warnings in the subject line of the mod response when it comes up. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please tell me so I can back off and refocus the thread.
There will be no tag order, and a mod response will come after at least 6 player responses OR the next day, whichever is earlier. Please note this means that if you're absent for a day or more, the thread will move on, but I will pace things so that people aren't missing large plot beats.
For this mission, characters will icly split into two groups, and there may be an opportunity to remix groups later in the mission.)
Location: Courtyard
Date: 08/07
(ooc notes: I will state any possible content warnings in the subject line of the mod response when it comes up. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please tell me so I can back off and refocus the thread.
There will be no tag order
For this mission, characters will icly split into two groups, and there may be an opportunity to remix groups later in the mission.)

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Hanako is already dragging Amami away when the world shifts, so Clamor is left to defend himself when the spirit's monstrous form makes an appearance... which turns out to be fine, actually, since he's kind of being ignored? But he's surrounding himself with a shimmering white barrier anyway, book flipped open and glowing in his hands, no way in hell is he taking is chances with this.
Monstrous appearance or not... this still doesn't sit right with him, and feels more like Hanako provoked the gardener and dragged them all into this than the gardener actually "snapping". Everything was going fine?? What the fuck, Hanako.]
Would everyone calm down?! We don't have to fight! [*citation needed, but look he's not gonna judge this guy just because he looks like a monster, lots of friendly spirits in Elrios have crazy looks like that...]
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[That's why he threw himself between the gardener and everyone else! Because he's perfectly calm and not at all ruffled by the sudden attack.
Anyway, he may have his whip drawn, but that doesn't mean he's using it. He's entirely focused on spellcasting... the binds aren't holding, and he's clearly straining to keep the Gardener in one place, not that the creature is going to be there for long at this rate. This is just a precaution, but it's a failing one. Stupid school messing with his magic, he should be able to bind this thing to the ground with zero effort.
For now, he'll try to re-cast the binding spell, same incantation and everything, but said with a bit more fatigue than last time. A stronger spell might be necessary, but this is what he's going with for the time being.]
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As it stands, Hanako ignores Clamor and does not stop fighting. The gardener lashes at Clamor at the sound of his voice, claws scraping the barrier before the monster turns and lunges at Lucifer again, trying to bite his head off before he can finish uttering the incantation.
The fire is slow to spread, but it is spreading, embers spat into the air and onto the grass and Amami should be careful as he looks about the tree. The tree is "gnarled and completely barren" which is how it always looks in void school, according to what I wrote in May's event log, but standing right up against the tree, Amami can see that is bears burn scars, the trunk split in some areas around the base with newer wood growing around the burn, and the wood is warm to the touch. Without the glowing wisteria petals, it's difficult to see anything in the branches while standing on the ground.
It is very cold outside, enough to make breath visible and fingertips grow numb. ]
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the burns don't come as much of a surprise to him; he's already growing more and more accustomed to seeing the scars of fire throughout the school, and especially this side of it. the new growth interests him enough to prod at it a little more, but if there's no sense of anything strange from it...
...
it's probably a pretty bad idea to climb a clearly very flammable tree when there's a fire spreading... but his team's also got people who can do some pretty amazing things, and even if nothing's up there, it could make a pretty good vantage point to see if any other spots stand out to investigate...
so he'll start pulling himself up into the branches. )
i rolled a d20 for this and got a 12 so ig lucifer lives
He retaliates, at least, attempting to lash his whip against the creature's face for daring to try and kill him. He hopes his horns scraped the roof of your mouth, asshole.
But that's interesting, that it only seems to attack things that speak... he'll shoot his shot.]
Stop speaking aloud. It seems to go after sound.
[Which is said obnoxiously calmly for someone who just nearly got his face ripped off. But why else wouldn't it attack Hanako, and instead go after Clamor, who's literally just standing there?]
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You're the one whose spells require speaking is what he wants to say, but unfortunately Lucifer might be right, so he's just going to shoot the demon an irritated look and hope that comes across. What else is he supposed to do!!! They were trying to talk things out and then Hanako went for the speedrun strats!!
Instead he just... tries to sigh quietly, taking a few steps back and flipping through the pages of his spellbook for something a little more helpful. He can try one of his own binding spells? Or...
notice something moving above them out of the corner of his eye
why is Amami in the tree, why isn't Hanako with him, why does he look unconscious??]
Oh for El's sake— [that's as much vocal complaining as he's going to allow himself before trying to quickly and stealthily move his way over to the tree, please let this "only attacks based on sound" thing be true because he doesn't wanna deal with this shit anymore]
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Those who happen to look up can see Amami's body dissolving into blue orbs of light, and if they look down, they can see Clamor's body starting to do the same, the drops of light rising into the sky and settling on the tips of the wisteria tree's branches as if blooming anew. ]
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Ooh Lucifer's about to do something bafflingly stupid but not quite as bafflingly stupid as what those two have done because holy shit. No, nope, not happening, nope. He puts some distance between himself and the gardener so that his head doesn't get bitten off again, and then—]
"May Earth heed the command of the First-Born — let flesh become that of stone, to protect those dear to me."
[—hey kids wanna become statues? No? Too bad, this is the first hex Lucifer thought of... Amami and Clamor are going to be rocks. If this works, he has an even dumber idea to follow it up with.]
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Hey Ori remember that time you told me Lucifer could summon imps on command well this is my worst abuse of power yet. Hello. Hi. They are coming. I don't have the mental energy to write another fucking incantation so please imagine Lucifer says something stupid and cheesy about the Hells obeying his command and summons imps to go drag his stoneskinned friends from the tree... We tryin this.]
1/2 because my needs two whole tags for freaking out, sorry
But...then...
What the FUCK!! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!!
Meng Yao can't even let out a yell in distress because he'll get his ass attacked by the gardener but at one point when he spotted Amami near the gods damned tree and then collapsed only for Clamor to follow suit...
Okay point being is that he's freaking out that shit has gone turbo bad. He...doesn't think he can heal decapitation with spiritual powers so he's...leaving that up to you, Lucifer. ]
2/2
At least he hopes one of those two end up happening. ]
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The blue petals remain on the tree.
The fire is still growing.
There is something in the dirt, uncovered by the gardener's thrashing. ]
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He's going to stand guard like a mother hen over the statues of his friends, and command his imps to go start plucking those petals off the tree. Maybe that'll do something?
Or he'll kill everyone. Haha... Yay. :)]
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At this point he channels spiritual energy into Hensheng, so he can use it more like a whip as he's running around, aiming it at the creature in an attempt to slice into it with a few strikes.
As an aside, he's going to be majorly upset if Amami in particular isn't okay after this. Maybe he can still do something and he will provided this doesn't all go really up in flames here. ]
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[ With no telling how long Meng Yao’s talismans will keep the gardener at by, Shinobu wastes no time springing into action. She gives herself a running start from the courtyard doors, each step jarring, keeping her grounded in the moment. She can’t do anything for Rantaro now, and she can’t do anything for Clamor, either, but she can do this. She can save the rest that are still alive.
The gardener’s undulating limbs in reach, Shinobu launches herself into the air as far as her legs will let her (which, when you’re as tall as Hanako and missing your cool anime swordswoman speed, is not very), and relies on the momentum she’s built on the run up to drive her blade deep into whatever flesh she can reach. ]
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perhaps sensing a loose patch of dirt in need of proper cleaning, the broom floats around the fires and chaos and begins to sweep the suspicious patch of ground uncovered by the gardener's antics. Whatever's under there, it's coming out.]
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In the sky, the petals dissolve in the imps hands as soon as they're touched, scattered in the air, no more than mist.
Back on the ground, the gardener writhes in pain, filling the air with its screams, the grass with black ichor that spews from its wounds. The monster slams against the side of the building, windows momentarily lit blue in response, and in that light, they can see dark shapes coming down the halls, void students heading for the courtyard door to claim those two statues. ]
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Lucifer might be frazzled but it's okay, he won't show it until later. His feathers may be puffed up but the worst look he has is the fact that he's bleeding from the face, so it's fine! He's only ruffled because he's injured not because he's worried because the Avatar of Pride does not care for mere mortals he does not—
Anyway, internal monologuing aside, Lucifer will undo the stone hex with everyone safely away from the tree and... he will pray, for once in his life, that this works. By Michael, please let this work.]
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And since broom-kun is next to him, he'll wield that too!!! ]
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the ring snaps in half, brittle in Gundham's hands, and the next thing they know... ]