Finn
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Played by Swift
Posts: 139
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Post by Finn on Mar 7, 2021 1:02:07 GMT -8
Finn moves to help as quickly and as safely as he can, drawing on his time with the Army (and his scout days so long ago). He heads toward her one step at a time, checking his footing as he goes. It looks like there was a sudden drop off, so he doesn't shift his weight forward until the ground is solid enough for him to be sure. "Does anyone have a pole, or a long stick? I've got the longest reach."
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Post by Kai Rose on Mar 7, 2021 17:55:41 GMT -8
Kai produced her longbow, reached over to offer the longbow to Firebringer, and once the little Elemental had a grip, she pulled in a steady, hand over hand way to help Firebringer out of the swamp.
She might not have been stronk like Ogre, but there was a trained practice to it, like the Wizened was doing a row at the gym or something.
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Post by Rowan on Mar 7, 2021 18:56:30 GMT -8
Rowan almost had the time to process the Knight of Lores' comment (and blush at it) before Dani took a big gulp of swamp water. There was splashing, there was screaming and not a whole lot of sneaking. His instincts kicked in as he reached into his satchel for a piece of fur and ate it. One down, two to go.
The last thing they needed was the very beast they were hunting to come running at them while they were splish splashing around like in a water park. If the spores didn't work, he would have to do it the old fashioned way.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 7, 2021 19:56:18 GMT -8
Fire grabs onto Kai's bow, using it to get herself out of the swamp and she is in a near panic. "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." She whispers to herself over and over again, shivering from the cold of the waters. She'd felt like she had been suffocating, but now... now she can breathe. It's okay. You're fine. You're fine...
"Thanks, Kai," her voice is hoarse and she gives a weak smile, an apologetic look on her face. She realizes she's just made a lot of noise and she can only hope that it will not attract too much attention. Another deep breath. Get it together. You're a Summer. "Sorry, I... sorry."
Immediately, she takes a look around, worried about whatever she might have caused.
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Post by Krakenbox on Mar 8, 2021 13:46:54 GMT -8
"No need to be sorry," Buck announced, climbing one of the twisting roots to squint into the mist. "If the ground is unsteady, it'll need to be spun into something more palatable. Better than half the group disappearing into surprise sink holes."
The She-Wolf wipes some of the mud off of Firebringer like a fussing aunt, before her head swiveled to answer Linden's question; now that the emergency had passed. "Many, legs, many tails. Lots of slithering."
Between the whole team, the paradigm shift creates a steady bank through the invisible floor of the marsh, though they all agreed that getting rid of the mud and environment completely would be too much potential attention. Once they had footing, the survivalists working as a team relocated the markings of their prey, directing the Spinning as they marched. The damage became extensive, along with the bones of various fantastical beasts being picked apart by larvae and buzzing insects.
As the mist parted, Lancelot pointed out the air bubbles in silence further into the mire. Ben tried to say something more than once, but his stutter was particularly severe today. He kept looking outward, past the nest onto the faded horizon, flinching and occasionally tugging at someone to move them away from an invisible threat. His mood was aggravated, masking the embarrassment of false alarms with simply ignoring any boundaries that his inklings were gospel. The She-Wolf stood next to him once he started demanding Rowan keep low, almost prone. The air around him buzzed and glitched as his voice was repeatedly lost in the blind panic.
"N-no it's- the air-̛̪̱̙̗̪̞i̫̘t̥͇'̝̫̞s̥̱̤͔̬ ̗̥͡a҉̟̪̩̘̥l͚̥̣͚͚̼̟l̛̘̘͓̫ ̡͙͇͍͉͍̥r̙̻e̝̫̜̙̹̪d̨̺̬̗̗͉.̧̙ Y̫̝o̡͕̹͓̪̙̪̬u- no you need to-"
Any further, and the vibrations would alert the Hyrda.
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Post by Kai Rose on Mar 8, 2021 13:56:37 GMT -8
After the rescue, she gave Firebringer a thumbs up and kept tracking forward. Her bow was returned to her back. As they went deeper, the paradigm shift moving them into a bank and revealing the hydra's carrion, she kept a constant sweep up.
As Ben gave his strange, cryptic warning, telling Rowan to get down, Kai gestured for the Summer Courtiers to get low. Her palm was out and she pushed it down toward the ground. She lowered her stance, moving almost like a wolf, using her legs and hands as required. A squat wasn't hard for a proper athlete. If the Summer Court's legs got sore, well, that just meant they needed to not skip Leg Day.
As they stopped and Ben started to panic, Rose squinted into the distance, focusing both out and up. The air? She held up a fist, signaling a halt.
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Post by Rowan on Mar 8, 2021 15:36:42 GMT -8
Slowly, trying to make as little movement as possible, Rowan reached into his satchel for the four black ski masks he had brought for exactly such a situation. He handed one to Kai, one to Finn and the last one to Dani, because she looked a little on the panicked side. He pulled his over his face, indicating to the others what they had to do, as he activated the Contract.
The fog concentrated around them at the Darkling's command, stopping their vibrations from spreading out any further. He turned his attention outward, shooting out the cloud of spores once more, throwing the weight of his will behind it. They were not going to go through this blind. Not on his watch.
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Linden
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Presence (3) Steady
Posts: 325
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Post by Linden on Mar 8, 2021 22:09:57 GMT -8
Linden crouched, using the butt of their spear to stabilize themself. Their eyes lingered for a moment on Ben, both uncertain and unsettled as they flipped between doubt and taking him seriously. He'd been right and he'd at least seemed wrong a couple of times, at this point they needed someone who knew more to call the shot. She-Wolf's comment about hydras and their many legs and tails wasn't strictly comforting, but with so many appendages how quiet could a creature be? As Kai signalled a halt, Linden looked back the way they'd come, just in case.
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Post by Krakenbox on Mar 9, 2021 23:27:50 GMT -8
Kai's attention tracks the subtle movements in the water of the nest, spotting subtle vibrations rippling across the surface. Rowan's spores fire into the air like a silent rocket, exploding far above anyone's line of sight as the probes rain down and along the subtle air currents to hum with tiny threads of sound. His head started ringing. The more he honed in to focus, the louder the screeching became—encompassing—like fire ants scuttling and biting across the flesh of his mind threatening to burrow deeper as the burning and fury needled through nerves. He felt reality shredding through a woodchipper. Blood trickles from the folds of the fungi that was his ears. The fog is thick as Linden looks back, though Buck's Hedgespinning seems to be stable. Some rats scurry, vaulting out of the water and taking advantage of the path that was provided.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 10, 2021 0:37:54 GMT -8
There is a kind of weird feeling when She-Wolf helps her get some of the mud off of her, but she wasn't going to complain. Having help, feeling supported calmed her substantially. Kai called for a halt and when Rowan handed her the ski-mask she happily complied. Cloak would keep them hidden, and they sorely needed that with what is likely to come right now.
The best she could do was keep an eye out and stay as quiet as possible. Wait and watch. Summer will help alert them for an ambush, so breathe. Breathe, focus, keep calm, and stay quiet. She let that being her guiding set of thoughts to keep her level headed. She waited and watched, keeping an eye out for any subtle movements.
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Post by Rowan on Mar 10, 2021 16:48:43 GMT -8
As his face bled, Rowan grabbed the closest thing that he could, which just so happened to be Ben's arm. His other arm was trying to collect the crimson liquid as his psyche bent to accommodate whatever it was he was picking up. His voice was breaking through in static and in cracks and pops of ancient vinyls.
"S̵-̸s̶t̴o̶p̶.̵ ̷ Please make it s̵̲̣̈́t̷͇̩͉̕o̷̩̽p̴̻͘̚. It feels like I̷͓̘̲̳̒͋̏̿͆̂͌͘'̴̹͍͇͉͔́͛̂̊͝͝m̷̥̺̑̊̍͆ ̵̡̱̜̞̫͎̥͂̉́̚͜ų̵̪̤̘̲̝̘̻̓̌̊̋̈͝n̵̰̳̙͇͍͉̈́r̵̟͈̉̀̃̆̄ǎ̵̪͙͕̬͍͎̎͗̉͂͘v̸̡̢̹̩̖̉̎̃͊͑ê̶̖̔̋̿̌l̴̳̬̝̲͌͆l̵͍̞͚̥̘̭͇̽͜i̸̜͗̋͋͒͠ñ̵̡̹̋̈́͘g̵̡̮̖͍̥̐͆̿̃͜.̴̡̺̰̹̣͉̊"
The Cloak held, woven tight by the darkness of his own Seeming.
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Post by Krakenbox on Mar 11, 2021 23:45:14 GMT -8
Buck holds up his fist, not realizing the chaos that was unfolding with Rowan under the cloak. Rather, he held a serious, experienced frown before mouthing something. They had not disturbed the nest, but the water was already starting to stir. One of the heads slowly emerged — large enough to see in the fog — running along a thick log as it lazily tasted the air with milky, blind eyes. Neither Knight called a charge, hesitating with the odd development. Rather, the group was directed to split into a pincer approach as the Runnerswift lit the sword covered in lamp oil. He held it aloft, and waited for the aging beast to react to the sensory input. The head snapped, a rumbling hiss that was more tentative than the group had anticipated. Lancelot murmured. "Something's scaring-" The hyrda was blown away first. The Sunset Prince managed to flash several meters back in the seconds between time, as he left a crimson streak that was torn to nothing but a silhouette of scrap, and the mourning curtain of Spring's raining tears. The blanket of spray and fire rolled across the Hedge in snapshots, the mind unable to keep up the hail of violence.
Rowan realized he was only clutching an arm, the black form of the Wolf flowing in waves of vermillion in a last attempt to shield her friend; himself left deaf as the molten lead spread through the fungal network-
Linden tried to cry out as a gout of meat popped with the escaping air bubble-
Firebringer couldn't feel her face, moving to touch it as the motion tipped her forward on a single leg-
Kai felt the swamp rushing into her chest, filling up the hot cavities with cold, wriggling sludge-
-Please make it s̵̲̣̈́t̷͇̩͉̕o̷̩̽p̴̻͘̚. It feels like I̷͓̘̲̳̒͋̏̿͆̂͌͘'̴̹͍͇͉͔́͛̂̊͝͝m̷̥̺̑̊̍͆ ̵̡̱̜̞̫͎̥͂̉́̚͜ų̵̪̤̘̲̝̘̻̓̌̊̋̈͝n̵̰̳̙͇͍͉̈́r̵̟͈̉̀̃̆̄ǎ̵̪͙͕̬͍͎̎͗̉͂͘v̸̡̢̹̩̖̉̎̃͊͑ê̶̖̔̋̿̌l̴̳̬̝̲͌͆l̵͍̞͚̥̘̭͇̽͜i̸̜͗̋͋͒͠ñ̵̡̹̋̈́͘g̵̡̮̖͍̥̐͆̿̃͜.̴̡̺̰̹̣͉̊"
Buck holds up his fist, not realizing the chaos that was unfolding with Rowan under the cloak.
Ben's trying to say something, white-faced as he hauls Rowan backwards, giving up to simply scream a wordless retreat.
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Post by Kai Rose on Mar 11, 2021 23:56:03 GMT -8
A moment's question, as the hydra evaporated in a red mist. Pain. There was nothing but pain, and --
The fist came up.
Red flashed in her skin as she realized what was happening.
"ARTILLERY --"
Kai was already running, fleeing as fast as she could toward cover. The concept of cover in the face of what was coming in the air tonight was powerful, and a trench formed before her to take shelter in on an angle that kept her moving away.
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Post by Rowan on Mar 12, 2021 8:22:49 GMT -8
Ben was dragging him and screaming in his face. Rowan was still reeling from having heard, Something, and his face pulsed with dull pain. But the imperative was clear: Run.
Kai was shouting, the Hedge was spinning and his instincts were kicking into overdrive.
He clawed at the dirt and mud to hide from whatever they were being warned about.
Rowan managed to focus on the now instead of remembering what was as he scrambled for cover. The adrenaline flooding his system kept the pain and the headache at bay, safekeeping for a time when his life wouldn't be on the line.
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Linden
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Presence (3) Steady
Posts: 325
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Post by Linden on Mar 12, 2021 11:44:16 GMT -8
Between Ben's screams and Kai's shout, Linden didn't need a third warning. If it had just been Ben, they might have hesitated, but after the last few days they took Kai's reaction without question. They sprinted, correcting their initial instinct and following after her; whatever was going on, being separated couldn't improve it. They ditched the spear entirely, freeing up their hands to help keep their balance better on the uneven terrain.
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