Echo Incursion 01 - Jurassic Gateway (August 10th, 2016)

[raisednpcs]

It's a particularly hot day in the Gateway City zoo. What else could you expect? It's not like it's not to be expected, it is the middle of August, after all. But there's plenty of things to see here at the zoo, and the visitors' center is air conditioned well enough.

Just a normal summer day in a typical summer vacation spot. Right?

Well, that's when things change. Those in the visitor's center would find the building changing around them. There's suddenly a dinosaur skeleton in the middle of the place, with the banner "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" hanging from the ceiling.

That's not all. The animal enclosures are now different. What used to be a pen for the african elephants now has very large, very long necked reptiles in it. A gigantic, meat-eating dinosaur just tromped its way out of the lion habitat it's too much too large for, and unfortunately for the people around it, its vision is based on movement. The monkey house? Well, those are velociraptors breaking out of it. The aviary? Now filled with particular aggressive flying pterosaurs.

These are just some of the creatures making their sudden emergence, and it's not long until they spill out of the zoo and into the city proper. Dinosaurs are now walking the streets of Gateway City.

Yes, indeed. Just a normal summer day.

[OOC: The new event is live! Please see this post for npc information and just what characters will have to deal with.]

Comments

[peacefulwinter]

It's only been a couple minutes since Winter broke down and transformed into Cure Diamond; by now, a Precure's presence can only help calm the panic in Gateway City, rather than make it worse. No, the problem now is that she's attracting a lot of attention. When she subdues one, three more come to take its place, and it seems like half the city's prehistoric population knows that the real fight is here. She's being overwhelmed, but liberal application of Diamond Shower is helping to keep things in her favor, at least for now. She has larger spells in her arsenal, but... no, better not to use that yet.

From her hip, though, she feels a certain stiffness for a second, before a panicked voice calls up to her. "I sense the movement of darkness... but that can't be right! There can't be Selfish in this world, can there?"

Her blood runs cold, and despite herself, Diamond shivers. "Movement of... no." It meant one of two things. Either someone who could make those terrible monsters that preyed on people's insecurities had found a new life in this world, or, well... someone else that could make a similar one had. Maybe one of the enemies of Lily's team, or perhaps... someone new entirely? Maybe it wasn't even related to the Precure.

For now, that's not important. Cure Diamond has a duty, one she won't hesitate to fulfill. "Okay, Raquel. We're going in. It's going to be all right... I won't let anything happen." Her eyes narrow, and she crouches for half a second, before she springs into the sky. "I'll protect everyone...!"

She hasn't figured out what direction it's coming from. If it was above her or on the ground with her. She doesn't have any information at all, but that's never stopped her before.

[If you want to throw something at Winter yourself, go for it♪ Diamond may not be the only Cure, once things get nasty, but we can work something out if need be.]

[alilyinthemoonslight]

One can almost hear the mutter before a flicker and a flash appears above Winter as she launches into the air. Glowing cape billowing out behind her, Moonlight's long arm snaps out, hand grabbing for Diamond's. With more momentum she'd have outright plucked her from the sky, but she's damned well going to make sure she doesn't descend right away into a pack of angry, magically imbued dinosaurs.

"Not alone, you're not," she says, trying to keep her tone even, though her eyes likely betray a flash of concern. "You do have a team, dear, and even we're not going to outpunch some dinosaurs, of all things."

There's a 'tsking' sound as Cologne drifts by Diamond's hip. It's not directed at her, so much, as it was at Raquel. "Particularly if the dark feeling coming off them is correct," he adds.

[willdareanything]

It looks like there isn't going to be time to discuss the situation in too much detail, as a rumbling bellow. A car comes flipping around the corner, sliding along the street before crashing into a wall as more human screams come from it.

Hot on its heels comes a triceratops, the normally docile beast roaring and stomping its feet hard enough to shake the ground as it shakes its head in uncontrolled anger. A vicious red light shines from its eyes and it charges to overturned car, slamming its bony horn into the car as if trying to smash it open to get to the people within....

[peacefulwinter]

There's a moment of open shock as Diamond's pulled back, and she looks up to find Moonlight with... not really shock, but question. "Well, yeah, but... we have to do something, right? We can't just watch. There's no time for planning! We-"

She cuts off hard as the car comes around the corner, which isn't doing her mood any favors. With panic in her eyes, she looks over to Moonlight again. "We have to go!" That light is worrying in and of itself, but she's more concerned about the people. It's her mission, but... she made herself a promise, what feels like forever ago.

hold for one extra Diamond tag;

[alilyinthemoonslight]

"I'm not debating that! But we should do it together, not just rushing in without--"

She sees the crash coming before she hears it, and she's already flying down like a bullet towards it. Which, in their current state, would also likely pull Diamond right along with her. Sending them dropping at such a momentum, she suddenly releases her cloak and takes hold of Diamond's hand, attempting to flip the both of them over in tandem and ideally crash her foot into the dinosaur's side.

Now, if Lily did something like this as a normal young woman, she'd probably break herself in half. A Triceratops does not exactly move easily. But dropping out of the sky, with their combined power... well. She's banking on that being quite a bit more than enough, at least instinctively.

[peacefulwinter]

The tug on her arm does indeed pull her right along, and she squawks indignantly for a second before she sees where they're going, swinging herself around and helping to deliver that strong kick into the side of the beast. Really, she's not sure how much damage such a thing will do, but it has to do something, right?

She'll argue about proper rescuing and/or protecting protocol later; it's kind of a special situation.

[willdareanything]

The double kick strikes home with spot-on precision. The force of it is enough to knock the triceratops off the car and sending it stumbling away several steps. It's a good kick, maybe strong enough to crack a rib or two and the animal slumps down as its sides heave once or twice. For a moment, it's almost a pitiable sight.

... But then its head is up and looking at the two Cures. The light in its eyes burns brighter as emotions flickers across them. Pain, fear, anger. Hatred. It slams its feet down on the street with enough weight and power to crack the asphalt beneath them and roars at the top of its lungs. It's a... considerable sound.

And then it's moving. Charging straight toward the two of them with its head down and horns aimed to stab straight through them.

[alilyinthemoonslight]

As the two Precures land, Moonlight immediately moves the rip a door off the car, shouting and ushering the occupants to flee. There's a shout from above her as Cologne comes swooping down, while the Triceratops is still recovering.

"Cure Moonlight! Cure Diamond! These creatures, they're acting unnaturally! That darkness Raquel and I felt, it's within them!"

Moonlight grits her teeth and nods, just in time to see the beast charging straight for them. She bites back a curse and moves to dive out of the way, smacking her brooch to draw her Moon Tact at the same time. A flick of her wrist, and a wave of light, pure force and power of light, surges out for the beast's face. Her hope is to, at the least, temporarily blind it or slow it down.

From there, she's counting on Winter to back her up.

[peacefulwinter]

Diamond winces as she lands; that thing is strong. Strong enough to give herself and Lily trouble on sheer power. And that's not something that's happened particularly often before. Neither is the coming darkness that Cologne warns her about, of course, but... priorities.

When Moonlight springs to one side as the dinosaur charges again, Diamond goes the other way, bringing one hand below herself to spring back into readiness as she touches down, the other going to her side and claiming her Love Heart Arrow without fanfare. She slams a Loveads into it just as quickly, and when she lands, her momentum carries her a little bit further. Diamond begins to tap on the edge of her weapon lightly, the familiar sound of a tambourine ringing out over Gateway gently as snow issues forth. Creatures like this tend to charge in straight lines, right...? That's her assumption as she sends her ice straight into its path. Or, at least, what she hopes is its path.

[willdareanything]

The trike doesn't recognize the weapons being drawn on it, nor does it have any understanding of the words being spoken. Not that it would anyway. All it knows is the rage. All-encompassing, undeniable, and driving it to crush everything its eyes fall on. And right now that's the two creatures that struck it. Its side aches, and the tiny creatures are glowing with a bright light. It hurts its eyes.

Its charge doesn't falter when Moonlight's energy wave strikes across its face, although it does issue a pained bellow and squeeze its eyes shut. As a result, its feet hit the ice at full speed, sending it slipping and sliding across the surface. It doesn't quite lose its footing though and at the last moment, heaves its bulk to one side, attempting to smash into Moonlight with all its considerable strength and weight.

[alilyinthemoonslight]

Moonlight is already springing further away when the beast tries to smash into her, weapon trained on it. She hits the ground, heels skidding back along it, though she knows she isn't going to stay there for very long. No, if darkness is truly coming from that thing, there's really only one thing to do? At the least, she was able to calm the raptors with her power... surely, this had to work too?

Still, she doesn't want to play around, either.

"Winter, let's hit it at once!"

She lifts her baton into the air, a light erupting as a massive bulb appears above her. "Shine, flowers! Precure... Silver Forte Wave!"

The swell of energy launches with force, rocketing straight towards the beast. She can't quite do so in her position, but damn does she want to cross her fingers right now.