RP: A Giant Explosion

Part of the A Few Fox Tales Arc

This is a Mage's Guild RP.

Summary

While in the process of a gift-related bit of infiltration, Ina is discovered by Daisy. Rather than bail on her quest, the shapeshifter presses onwards, now with a lovely Kitty in Tow. They then proceed to commit acts of terrorism. It's fine.

Venturil

Ina doesn't often come to Venturil, for a wide variety of (surprisingly) rational reasons. For one thing, it's depressing - with its vast stretch of blighted lands and haunted barrows. The dangers -should- probably factor into that decision, but- quite frankly, those in themselves weren't enough to dissuade her from visiting Chartsend. Which brings things to reason number two- its economy -sucks-. Compared to Chartsend, which was a nice resort city with a port- Venturil was some weird barbarian town, which had not only gotten devastated and enslaved by one set of lizard folks, it was also contending with something like over a decade's worth of another type of lizardfolk that liked to play at 'slavers & warmongers' in their jungles. Between that, and the giant people-eating-lizards, there were just too many scalies running around. Terrible. That said, the most important reason of all? There was nothing to do, really. Maybe it was predicated on years of misery, or maybe she was simply looking in the wrong places- but the simple fact that this had all become acceptable, the status quo, as it were? "Screw dat." This explains a lot about why Ina -doesn't- want to be here, but not so much why she's midway through the process of clambering up the grand white wall that surrounds the city. A black and red patch against its pristine surface- albeit, less as a foxkin, and more as a very large, very chubby raccoon with a satchel over its back.

Daisy knows absolutely zero about Venturil. Have you ever even been here before, kitten? She shrugs and takes in the scenery. Guards and path and wall and wall and wall and how much wall does this place need anyway? There's a gate and a oooooh sneaky. Spotting the fellow chonk, she heads right over to the raccoonish creature. You've got nothing else to do. Go on and be nosy. "Wha'cha doin?"

Ina feels her body go rigid upon being spotted- her little claws popping loose from the wall with a very-unsatisfying click. There's a moment there, where she flails against gravity in some effort to swim against the current, and then she simply accepts her plight. A moment later, the still air is filled with a crackle of wood- Ina's fall being broken by a sad, twiggly-looking shrug. She's still for a few moments, eyes unblinking- until the first attempt at blinking away the daze happens, followed by a rather frantic bit of flailing as she tries to roll out of the bush without getting any seeds, burrs, or whatever other nightmarish-for-fur things might be associated with said bush. "Adventurin'." She pauses, mid-flail, before she reaches her arms out towards the feline expectantly, "What're ja doin'?" The red and black raccoon's fingers wriggle. Definitely, because she needs help, and not at all because Ina is a tactile luck thief. Ch'yeah.

Daisy really can't do anything but just watch the girl fall. The bush did a dang good job of catching her, so no need to spring into any actions that might be considered heroic anyway. Though maybe a cape would be nice! Something dashing and flowy and warm at night. Oi! Do what you're good at already. The kitten blinks and takes a hold of them arms for some tugging. "Berry picking." She grins and somehow manages to get Ina out of the shrub. "I like the red ones. M'Daisy."

Inas' little legs kick at the bush on the way out- in part to help the disentangling process- but mostly just to beat it up for being all pokey. To the point that one side of it topples, causing her pack to spill out to the side. Thievius Raccoonus Ina, on the other hand, just dangles in Daisys' grasp- seemingly indifferent to the fact that she's rag-dolled herself like a plushie. It definitely has nothing to do with passively borrowing some luck with every passing moment of contact. That'd be extremely ungrateful behaviour. "Pleased ta meetcha'. Ja dinnit see nuthin'. Oh, n' I'm- " Should she be giving even an alias, given she was caught trying to cross the wall illicitly? "A raccoon. Clearly. Wanna go on an adventure, kid?" Ina just needs a white carriage marked 'free candy' now.

Daisy is very fond of bits and pieces and shiny things. So while Ina borrows luck, Daisy eyes the spilled contents of that pack. Can't hurt to help her clean it up, right? That would be the civil and neighbourly thing to do. Especially when you're trying to know more about the person in front of you that you don't know so well. She releases the raccoon to search thr-- help put the things back into the pack. "Nice to meet you too, Clearly." Go on, let her think you're a kid. That's cool. "I like new things."

Ina plops to the ground on being released, and then scuttles over to her backpack, seemingly more intent has all sorts of neat stuff. Like her wallet collection! Don't think too hard on her wallet collection. Or that there are multiple frying pans in the back, with one, in particular, having been dented to the point that it's notably convex. Most disconcerting, likely- is the dark red vial that's just rolling around, seemingly of its own volition. And the only object Ina seems to have any real interest in. "Fantastic! So, let's set da' scene, than." She catches up to the concoction, and begins to scuttle her way back over to the pack, slinging it over her shoulders under the assumption that Daisy has helped (herself). "A world renowned adventurer has set out on a great journey ta help a friend. A journey that requires them ta' overcome countless trials n' tribulations." One hand wiggles towards the city, as though she were presenting some mythical ruin, "That, and beating up some giant metal mook- which I heard you can find in or around here? I wasn't actually that clear on tha' details, so I was gonna poke into the guards room, look fer any reports- and given its bit and Iron or somethin', I was gonna scout out what in the environment I could use to, uh- make an impact." The 'raccoon' flexes with one arm, before pointing at her fluffy, noodly limb, "This ain't gonna cut it, after all."

Daisy didn't take anything! Honest! Cross the hearts and all of that jazz. Go on. Look! Look! Every collection and crown and bit of cookware is where it belongs. She sure is a chatty thing, isn't she? Ah that's okay though. Some people have a lot to say. The kitten looks up at the pointed to direction. She doesn't know what a mook is, but if it needs beating up, she will help. "I'm a good lookout. And a lift." She folds her little paws together in front of her. She isn't the strongest, but 'Berry' clearly doesn't look so heavy. She can help a little.

Ina glances from Daisy, down to her hands, and proceeds to do a bit of mental math. "Ch'yeah. Okay. One minnit." And without another word, she dives into her backpack, the interior clanking around as she sifts through what's there. When the noise stop, Ina re-emerges, albeit even smaller than before- given she now appears as a red and black coloured flying squirrel. One clutching the end of a nylon rope, and a small handkerchief. In order to avoid further jinxing her partner in crime, Ina tosses the handkerchief over the feline's hands, before hopping on with the rope. "Jus', uh- follow up on this once I find somethin' ta tie it too. N' bring tha' bag."

Daisy watches the rummaging with a little tilt of her ear. She doesn't remember seeing all that noise when she was putting the things back in the bag before. Then again, her own bag tends to grow things on its own as well. So everything is just as it should be. Wait. Isn't the trick supposed to be under the handkerchief? Magic does what it wants to, she supposes. Daisy places the little squirrel on her little red magic carpet on top of her head so she can grab the bag. "To the wall?"

Ina feels powerful, practically regal, as she takes her designated spot on top of Daisy's head. Really, the only downside is the simple fact that when she points toward the wall, like a general directing a charge, the feline can't see it. Something which obliges Ina-Squirrel to hang off the front of the handkerchief so she can repeat the motion within her co-conspirators' view. "Thatta way! Jus' toss me as high as you can when we get there." It's a great plan, definitely.

Daisy's eyes cross as she looks up to see where the little arm is pointing. "Got it!" And now that they're both the littlest, no one will see them! No one pays a whole lot of attention to Daisy anyway. She shifts the bag and tots off in her mightiest of steed skiptrots towards that wall. This bit looks good. She scoops the squirrel up from atop her head and decides the handkerchief should be tied around the little bit's neck. "Capes help you fly better." She giggles and waits for the guards to pass and one-two-threeee! Up into the air Ina goes!

Ina's only real bit of prep work as they venture along is the diligent manner in which she chomps down at the end of the rope. An important detail to bear in mind when she finds herself promptly hurled up into the air, since it means Daisy gets to watch more of it unspool next to her, carried on the 'wings' of Squ-ina. Admittedly, it doesn't quite go as high as Ina would like, but then- flying is a bit of a misnomer compared to 'gliding'. All the same, she does tackle the wall fairly well, and with a bit of elbow grease, and a bit of effort- she vaults up and over the edge and onto the wall. Daisys' instincts are pretty decent, too- given there's enough of a gap in the guards that Ina even has enough time to tie said rope around one of the crenelations at the top of the wall. Something which leads to her jangling it around in an effort to signal the next phase of their lack of plan.

Daisy doesn't need a plan! Plans are for planners and Daisy is a do-er! Right now, Daisy is watching and giggling and silently cheering Ina's journey up that wall. Still with no plan, Daisy grabs a hold of that jangling rope and pulls herself up. Oomph. It is definitely a little harder to climb with this extra pack on her. She wonders if it wouldn't have been easier to just knock out the guards at the gate with something baked. Oh well. Climbing it is. Stretch those muscles! Once at the top, she peeks around to see if anyone is coming. "Safe?" She whispers.

Ina scratches at her face, the slow deliberate nature of the motion standing at odds with her altogether wild shape. "I mean- there's tha'-" Her head tilts back towards the guard still meandering towards what she assumes is a guard house, though whether it was to take a break, or to start the return trip back is beyond her. "Actually. I got dis'. You can do me a solid and look fer cannon powder barrels- n' just. uh'" This is the part of the plan where she definitely should have figured things out better. She definitely didn't want to stick that kind of thing inside the bag of holding she'd stashed in her bag. "...Roll 'em. Yeah. Jus' set 'em on their side 'n roll 'em along." And it's on that note that Ina begins to dart forward after the guard. Her goal is super simple, too. Dart between their legs, and then clamber up into the first gap in their armour they can find. Things can only go well from there.

Daisy pulls herself fully up over the wall and hides against it the best one can hide against a wall. Them gears just turn and turn in Ina's head and Daisy lets them. Having no clue what they're actually doing, she focuses on the solid. "Barrels. Got it." Easily staying small, she hunts around for the powder barrels that would be hidiiiing somewheeeere oveeer there! There, by the cannons. Go figure. She gets to one, turns it on its side, and watches for the next move.

Daisy peeks over the side of the wall as that guy goes over. Man sucks to be him. She goes back to getting more barrels and rolls them to where? The guard house over there! Hurry already and follow Ina. Little legs are good for darting quietly, yes that is a thing! She is making it a thing anyway. Barrels are rolled and rolled and eventually, she has them all lined up in a row. "What are we exploding?"

Daisy is the most curious if there ever was a George to be had! Only instead of yellow hats, she's following red tummies? Eh, she's seen stranger things. So now we have papers and armour and towers and running squirrels that are to be followed to marked places. Okay. We're going this way now! But what about the barrels? "Do we leave them?" She follows Ina.

Ina vigorously shakes her head at the mention of leaving them- and decides instead to help clear the way- a process she manages with a rather deliberate course of action. Bit by bit her height begins to scale up, as her minute form reaches the height of a dog, providing her the means of pushing aside the table to clear a path for Daisy to roll on through. Not that Ina's content with just that, seeing as she begins to pile weapons on the floor so she can pile the empty wood racks at the top of the stairs, along with chairs, and basically anything else that would serve as a suitable impediment for anyone looking to go up to their floor. And then, once Daisy has hopefully passed by with their prize in tow onto the next stretch of wall, the trickster belches. In and of itself, this would hardly be a dainty action- but it's made all the worse by the release of condensed fire she'd been storing inside of herself, an almost liquid coating that turns the room hot. "So, anyways. we have a distraction and should leave. Imma take point to catch anyone from the next station or-" ..Or the guard whose already coming out from the next guard station further down the way, and is seeing whatever ridiculous train Ina and Co consist of, from a third party perspective. Which, would be the end of things there and then- were it not for the fact that Ina is -incredibly- lucky (and mostly to others' detriment.) And there really isn't much that could be considered more detrimental, than a piece of the guard tower, damaged in the prior occupation by the Razurath, deciding to dislodge itself and clonk out the guard before they can even blow an alarm whistle. "So- we should hurry. It's two stations down. I think. I'll grab more barrels as we go." It's not like she doesn't have the height, now. The question is, how fast can they move, before smoke billows out from the guard station and gives away just how bad things are?

Daisy isn't one to ask why things are happening the way they are happening. Just do it and those things will tell you about themselves later. She's already agreed to help do a thing and it is too late to back down now. Piles and stacks grow with her help. Oh man, that guy is going to have a rough day tomorrow. She looks over at Ina. "Two? Okay." Time for barrel rolling! That she can do. "There's another!"

Ina is doing her best to lead the charge, in part because she's doing her best to clear a path for Daisy- and largely because this also doubles as 'getting barrels out of the way by adding it to the train of explosives. And honestly- things are weirdly- going pretty great. And then they hit the interior of the next guard house. Already, the sound of numerous bodies ramping up the stairs can be heard, likely due to the thick plumes of black emerging from the station behind them. "Jus' uh." Ina hops up onto a table, and then vaults to the Pack still on Daisys' back- somewhat mindful of her increased weight as she vanishes into it's depths- and then emerges with some small cubes that could be mistaken for dessert Gelatins. Emphasis on mistaken- given that Ina pulls out and unstoppers a beaker of swirling fluid, and then yeets it down the stairs. Which is important, because A) those were dehydrated gelatinous cubes (in a colourful array of flavours) and B) that was a growth formula. This means, it's really not long at all until a veritable Lego stack of multi-coloured goo gluts up the stairwell, and also swallows a few guards in delightfully lemon-scented corrosive death. ...It's fine. Someone will fish them out, surely. "Uh, Les' just." Last one, right? Just one final stretch to go and- "Oh. That's a lot of crossbows." Yeah, there are just 4 guardsmen on the wall now, staring them down as they burst into the last section of the wall between themselves and their destination. "Uh- Don't shoot?" Her paws shoot up in the universal sign of cowardly surrender.

Daisy is doing her very best not to follow those massive treats. They are not snacks. They are not snacks. They are- oh those are weapons pointed at them. Both paws on the barrel in front of her, she starts whispering a little chant. Tap. Tap. Taptap. Her foot pats against the floor. "Get ready to run," she warns her super fun new friend. "They're coming." And if you look over there, a black cloud is approaching. Quickly. But there's no breeze? Closer and closer it approaches, shifting shape as starlings do. They swoop down at those guards to distract and cause a ruckus.

Ina sees what's happening, and as the shadows shift- so do the guards. Two gawk, not quite sure how to process what's happening, with one even levelling his bow at the mass of birds- but the other two aren't quite as distracted. "Duck~!" Ina hits the ground to emphasize it's more about the motion, than identifying avians- and begins to ramp forward, ignoring the repeated thunks of bolts into the barrels. Really, she's just trying to gather up an ample amount of momentum, so that as the guards are finally faced with the swarm of winged warriors- there's not much preventing Ina from figuratively and literally barreling into them. And then stepping to the side so Daisy can finish the job. And, technically- it won't even take either of them all that long, as the Iron visage that looms before them, provides a more than adequate amount of context for why an antsy battle-ready squad was there. It's pretty creepy, too- giving Ina the sense that she's being watched, as though it were perpetually on the verge of moving, the groans and creaks of its body seeming more due to being restrained, than the strain of its body against itself. Wait, she is being watched. There's some really sour-looking Gnome fiddling with some runes on the thing. "Hey! Buddyyyyy~ Ja might wanna move!" That's enough warning, isn't it? The barrels, at this point, are still rolling around and getting knocked into the room- but, It's hardly enough for Ina, oh no. Back into her/Daisy's pack, she goes- this time to pry out an Umbrella. It's very unseasonal, yes- but there's enough pixie dust for everyone, which is nice for when the birds stop being a thing. "Ah, iffun ja can help load some barrels into that things maw- I got da' rest a' this, sistah~"

Daisy is very thankful for birds who will definitely be given snacks later when things aren't so crossbow-ey around her head. She ducks behind those barrels and rolls them faster and faster like the mini donkey-kongs they are. Barrels. Mouth? Got it. Down the hatch, big boy! It takes some straining, but Daisy manages to get the barrels to their destination. "Just. Pretend it is beer." She beams with positivity.

Ina, for her part, is just trying not to get high off her own supply- given that her Umbrella is continually exuding pixie dust like some fae spice shaker. Just for emphasis, she opens and closes it a few times, the gust of wind pushing it's perpetual contents about the room, towards the parapet- and spreading an infectious, and mildly hallucinatory giddiness. The sort of thing that isn't good for balance- really, which is why said gnome artificer winds up stumbling down from where they were scowling, and into Iron Giant's ball/barrel pit. It's fine, they can hear unhappy pained noises. He's definitely alive. "So, anyways! Now, we exit outta this door~" She gestures off towards the guardhouse which would lead towards the jungle. "Jus' uh- I unno." She pauses, scoops up a pair of knocked-over helmets, and plants one on her squirrel head, and one on Daisys- as though they might make, "Convincin' guard outfits. Then we walk like nothin's the matter. You go first." Ina, being the epitome of class, holds the door open for Daisy. At some point, she actually remembers to click the umbrella closed, because the room is becoming absolutely -gritty- from the amount of pixie dust filling it. "S' this thing broken?"

Daisy knows damn well what that dust is and she is absolutely not interested in breathing any of it in. Okay so maybe a little bit. But not that much. Really. She giggles, adjusts her helmet, salutes Ina, and marches on out that door innocent as can be. She heads into the jungle, not stopping until she is sure they're far enough away that they won't get caught or stopped by anyone. "That was fun, Berry." She tugs that helmet off and grins back at Ina and the obnoxious mess they left behind.

Ina, well, she's a bit slower to depart, and that's mostly because she takes the time to pickpocket one of those clove-scented cigarettes that Tessa was so fond of out of her pack as Daisy swept by. With every bit of theatrical pacing that she can manage, the foxkin begins to step away from the guardhouse- from the sounds of frantic, near-manic guards, the shrill tweets of already retreating birds, and the subtle flare of burning herbs as the smoke is set to flame touched lips. "Cya' round~" The smoke flicked behind her, sailing end over end- until its smouldering cherry collides with the pixie dust her umbrella had exuded. Even from a distance, it'd be hard to miss the brilliant flare that briefly highlights the tower. A glorious brilliance to herald in a fledgeling dusk- and an even more momentous explosion. See, Ina had forgotten the first rule of 'Cool Explosions'. Don't stop to look at them. It's only from the good fortune of her arms having been spread, and the gust from the first blast pushing her clear of the wall, that she avoids the -actual- demolition, as a veritable disasters worth of cannon powder barrels detonate in near unison. Flaming bits of stone are kicked into the air, and scatter across the rooftops, countless burning globules spit out at adjacent buildings- and most dire of all, heaps of twisted iron spray in every direction- Venturils pet defensive project burst into ragged pieces. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Being lucky, does not equate to being impervious, and it's a very good thing Ina is wearing a helmet, given she proceeds to 'glide' straight through enough different kinds of tree branches, that she'd be the envy of a botanist. Then again, being lucky -does- mean she's not in the same space as the slab of Iron that carves out a rut beside her head, and then awkwardly tips over. "Woooo. Man. That was good." ...She goes to lift her hands up to dust them off, only for them to plop back down as though they were boneless. "n' we all lived 'appily...ever...after." Said no one in Venturil.

Daisy gave you 1 glitter-dusted daisy plushie.

Daisy can faintly hear the news reporter in the distance: There have been... explosions. She giggles to herself as she digs in her bag for a little something to give her new friend. Just something she picked up one day you know. "Thanks for letting me help today. Pranks are fun. Don't forget me."

Ina tries to give a thumbs up, but it's more sideways? It's fine. She just needs to walk this off when she finds her legs. "Fin' me 'n Rynvale." Murmur, Mumble Mumble. ZZZZZ. Yes, she can really just clonk out to sleep in the middle of the brush as the city burns.