The Wrong End
Gau ended up coming back up the stairs once it was clear his friends down there would be alright enough to survive. He can restore some health with ease, but he can't heal a fever. That's something Matthew would need medicine for.
He hops onto Soan's back as the royal lion looked on in silence. Beruka and Corrin were chosen to be spared, and he had nothing else to add to the matter.
Later, once Baz and Matthew rejoin the others, they'll find the two in the living room as well. Soan is laying down on the ground while Gau is laying on his back - and sleeping soundly. Soan's eyes are ever-watchful, and he's ready to get up and move at a moment's notice if need be.
He turns his head to look at Baz and Matthew when they enter the room, but otherwise stays quiet, likely to not wake up Gau with his booming voice. He listens intently to the conversations around him as well.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.Sothis raises an eyebrow but gently has the orb of energy flying over to Medusa.
"Let us hope you do.", she says before yawning. Seems she's about ready to go right back to sleep.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.The Wrong End
It's the majority's decision over the minority's, but even still, Casper can't help but feel a pit in his stomach.
Violence begets Violence, he understood that. But the people who just tried to eat them are right there...
It screamed to him confidence, but he didn't believe confidence should come at the expense of safety. Not just for them... but the others.
If worse comes to worse, Seabaron or Kol'skaya can do the job. Did The Totem feel a smidgen of pride he had to maintain. Of course, he was human, not infallible. But it was more than pride. It was keeping the others safe. He gave Rick a look, motioning for the man to come to his side before he addressed Beruka with the closest approximation of neutrality he could.
"So... it went quiet. Doesnt eans it's not occupied. But whoever is occupying it doesn't want to be found. Also doesn't mean their friendly. What sort of unsavory types were moving through the area."
AwawaWrong End - Talk
... I do not know. They... manufactured weapons, in there. They had discovered them in the underground lairs of the city. Their walls stood tall. They did not accept people easily.. I did not fetch... Beruka stops herself from speaking further. ... I traded... regular things with them. They were powerful but cowardly. Too proud of their tall walls to leave them. They could have seized this fort but did not want to.
By the standards of this world, their town was bustling. And they put many refugees to grueling work to keep themselves going. Manufacturing more and more weapons... for their own uses, of course. They did not want to give those away.
... One day, I had loaded up with some of our weaponry - I wanted to trade it for food, wood, and other commodities. But their tall walls were gone. And the city, silent. I saw... inert people in the street.
I do not know what happened. I've strayed from it - as have others. If you need to go north, it is still the easiest route though. And it should have... commodities. Restaurants, pharmacies, ammunition depots, gas stations. But be careful. At times, I could hear... loud bangs from the city.
Edited by Bolded1 on Nov 17th 2024 at 10:06:22 AM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterTropique
At the beach bar where Jason had officially formed his new team of Outlaws, Maki Zenin
◊ leans back against the counter, her arms folded. Sitting on the barstool closest to her is Vi
◊, who's currently nursing a margarita as her hextech gauntlets rest beneath her seat.
"Let's see, kid your age with pink hair, seems like a real cheery type... That about sums up this Yuji guy, right?" the Piltovan brawler asks.
Maki offers Vi a nod in response.
"Have you seen him? Everything I have to tell him can't wait," she replies.
To her relief, Vi gives a quick thumbs up mid-swig before setting her glass back down.
"Yeah. Last time I saw the guy, me and him were at that noodle place where you met Jason. I didn't talk to him or anything, though, and we never got the chance because this crazy, drugged up vastaya turned into some giant dragon," she explains.
Maki, for her part, looks rather unfazed by the... unexpected circumstances of Vi's encounter with Yuji.
"So, he is here. Has he just been ignoring Sukuna, Kenjaku, and Mahito?"
"Sorry I can't help you more. Trust me, if knew where Yuji was right now, I'd lead you straight to him."
"I'll find him," Maki says. "And when I do, I'm getting all the answers I need."
She steps away from the bar and prepares to resume her search when Vi taps her on the shoulder.
"Maki, right? In case I'm not there when it's time, I hope you can get that parasite out of Corrin without, well... killing him, too," she says before cracking a grin. "Oh, and thanks for taking out that sick fuck Kenjaku. Just wish I could've beaten that godawful smile off his smug face."
"Sukuna will be carved out of him. I'm not letting him get away with repeating what happened in Shibuya."
With that, Maki walks off to continue looking for Yuji, the ocean breeze blowing through her dark green hair. Vi, on the other hand, goes right back to sipping on her margarita.
Edited by IchigoMontoya on Nov 17th 2024 at 3:42:37 AM
Denji
Previously on...
GUUARRGGHHH YOU'RE GONNA GET DOUBLE FUCKED BUDDY! Denji defiantly yells on his side, being slightly less eloquent than Nymbulda is, relatively speaking. He jumps at the Wrath Devil, his chinsaws positioned in front of his face as if to imitate a cross. As the Wrath Devils reacts by outstretching its arms, Denji slash in front of him with his chainsaws, but using the flat parts to avoid slicing them up.
Coz, you know, acid blood.
Acid blood which they'd jumped over - but Denji doesn't care. As the Wrath Devil's long arms break, being thrown to the side as floppy messes, he keeps going. And Nymbulda will be free to try at it again to stab it in the face!
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterTarkov
Huh. It was nice to see that their employers are smart enough to actually give some assistance than throwing them to the fire. Certainly better than working Wesker, at least.
He took the map, muttering a thanks to the driver amd turns to his ragtag team. Max was shivering because of the unexpected climate. "Deal with it for now." Hunk remarked absentmindedly as he examined the map and noticing where they are now and where they should head next. "Either we see if we can loot a coat that might not fit you from anyone that gets in our way or you can ask our driver for something. Seems like asking politely works." He folds the map and waves it towards his team. "If anyone needs it, just ask." He told them before pocketing it.
He nods at Taraki as he takes point. The silence was... unnerving. This was more than a ghost town. He expected at least some gunshots from afar but it felt like the environment was holding its breath the second they left their transport. He was glad they weren't ambushed right away but still...
"We have two choices. We either head forward and be quite predictable or search for a different route. We might get lucky and scavenge something for the latter but it will take us some time. Fortunately, I don't think our..." Hunk glances at their static transport. "Employers gave us a time limit. We could prepare for a bit and scout the location of our target but..." The specialist pauses, noticing Snake, who no doubt will react to the call he received. Hunk didn't spoke but he did waited for the Spy to do something.
...
Burning Sandstorm - Job's done(?)
"You're welcome, sweetie." Chavah waves at Artemis. Their other allies have left, Croque leaving quite fast that the AIS pilot wasn't able to even use her comms to say her own goodbyes. Oh well.
Strangely enough, the Agency hasn't recalled her or even messaged her. Were they expecting more? Surely they would've pulled her out now that the... 'allied' reinforcements has arrived? She eyed the approaching forces. With her restrictions lifted, she's confident she could survive if things turn sour but that was if she was alone...
She eyed Amelias and lets out a sigh of relief. At least the pilot of the giant gundam has been rescued but she had a feeling the girl wouldn't be welcome around these parts. Manipulated, she might be... She did caused quite a ruckus to the town. It was quite a miracle there wasn't a casualty, now that she thought about it.
"Of course. If miss Artemis needs a ride, I would be more than welcome to provide her with one." Chavah responded. She doesn't mind. She's quite curious to learn more about the girl and whatever fleshy construct she did to give herself an edge but for now...
"My own organisation hasn't recalled me. I highly doubted there's a problem on their end but I wouldn't mind joining you while I wait." Turning towards to Artemis, Chavah kneels and offers the AIS hands to the young girl. "Is there a destination you have in mind or perhaps you want to join mister Charlian in assisting the pilot of the Destroy Gundam? I won't mind giving you a ride if you're still quite tired from exerting yourself earlier." Her gentle invitation turns into a teasing voice. "Perhaps we can even have some girl-talk on the way. It's been quite some time I get to know more people~! Fufufu..."
She'll take this respite... Void knows she needed it after today.
What did happened to her Handler, anyway...? Hopefully, he's alright.
Edited by ImpuscaVana13 on Nov 17th 2024 at 12:34:29 PM
Fort Dawnguard
Alear springs off the ground and over Beruka's head, landing behind her, then goes in for a helm splitter slash.
—
Medusa reaches out a hand, holding an object that absorbs the light from the orb. She looks down at it afterward, first confused, then shrugs, resigned, and pockets it.
"My thanks."
Academy Investigation
Once they've all arrived, Terra walks right up to the crack. Ventus moves to try and stop him, but Aqua stops Ventus, holding him back by the shoulder.
"What are you doing?" she asks.
"I was steeped in darkness for a long time. Even though you brought me back to the light, the darkness will always be a part of me. But that just means...I can trace it."
"You're trying to sense where it's gone?"
Terra nods.
—
Warrick has taken to leaning against a tree, checking his equipment, when he feels it. That foreboding sense. A Jedi would interpret it as awareness of danger. A Sith might call it a threat detector.
For a Mandalorian, however, it is an opportunity.
He unholsters the hilt of the Berserker Great Sword, spinning it in his hand like a baton as he surveys his surroundings.
Edited by KiriK on Nov 18th 2024 at 12:34:45 PM
"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."Dawnguard
Beruka's eyes widen slightly at Alear's jump. And she raises her arms to block the downward slash, sparks flying off the impact point before she gets overpowered and tossed backwards, bouncing off the ground and being sent flying into the air.
Not giving up, she begins spinning vertically, using her momentum.
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterThe Wrong End
Casper looked to the others with a hesitance in his eyes. He glanced back to the others with a mild bit of hesitance.
"Oh thats thrilling really... So we take your advice in which the location has vaguely disappeared, and we go through that... Alright. I'll take your word."
He shrugged, looking back to the others with a cautious expression.
"Unless someone objects of course..."
The Arcade
Nymbulda sees a tactic under the creature's cruel visage, and starts to gormulate her own. She's strong enough to take a few blows, she's sure of that.
So she stabs her lance into the wall, and goes in with her shield to bash it's face, using her whole body weight against the devil to crush it against the wall.
That way Denji could think of a way to stop this creature, because boiling blood seemed less than ideal to spread across the pier.
AwawaThere wasnβt so much as a measure of life in the machineβs bright green optical sensors, yet they still felt scrutinous as they silently practically bore holes into each and every one of the demonstrative hopefuls as they spoke and showed, some doing more of the prior than the latter.
Totemβs introduction caught his intrigue. A vessel for souls was certainly a grappling premise, though Robot remained hesitant up until the man changed form. Where once he had been was now a fearsomely huge figure, one the machine greeted with a nod. If his other seven spirits were quite so impressive, Robot mused, theyβd have at least one easy decision. The next to introduce himself was the fighter, Sisyphus, though a demonstration didnβt yet come. Robot was skeptical, but if the man didnβt wish to show his skills off just yet, there wasnβt any reason to press further. And besides, the demonstrations themselves were, ultimately, useless. The real test of their capabilities would come in the fights. Still, among a crowd of folk either dressed up in pulpish costumes with flashy colors or armors of varying degrees of technical sophistication, or any number of other unique Arenagoer attire, Sisyphus and Caspire both caught his eye due to how normal they looked.
The same couldnβt exactly be said for the next in line whose uniform, while not nearly so egregious as half of the others here, was definitely far from average wear β at least for the modern era. Kurumi opted to put her considerably impressive speed on display, though that wasnβt all Robot had deduced from her exhibition. A vampire. A daywalker, at that. On average such creatures of the night hardly made for do-gooders, though she certainly didnβt look like any Dracula. In fact, of most of the more promising candidates in this group, she would probably be the best to have on a poster as a face of their operation.
But of course, these three werenβt the only ones present. Everyone else stepped forwards as well: some more auspicious, such as the armor-bound Steel Crusader and the six-shooter toting Deadeye, and some less so, such as the venerable Lord Penguin, surrounded by his small army of flightless birds. Then there were, of course, candidates who seemed like theyβd make good additions if not for the copyright nightmare the tri-district government would face by bringing them on, such as the shrouded vigilante Man and the charismatic Webhead.
"Very well. Now if youβll all stand in that circleβ¦" Robot pointed to a suddenly lit circle on the floor, rimmed by a halo of azure light. Once the group had crowded there it would begin to descend, and before much longer, theyβd find themselves standing in a brief hallway. At the end a pair of double doors on the larger side slid open, granting access to the same massive training area that the last room had been overlooking. Even now Robot stood up there, the lone figure standing on the other side of the glass separating them. His voice rumbled through speakers in the training room with them: "Here, the auditions begin. Find a circle for yourself, and do your best not to step outside once the fightβs begun." As he spoke, circles similar to the elevator theyβd just taken appeared all across the chamber, each one some fifty or so feet in diameter to accommodate for their larger candidates, of which there was a surprising amount.
Once everyoneβall twenty-seven in totalβhad situated themselves within a personal circle of their own, smaller platforms within each lowered into the floor, before rising again, each time with a copy of Robot upon them. Each one assumed a defensive position, refusing to make the first move against their foe. "Each of you will defeat the machine that stands before you. Consider this the first test."
β¦
Cecil took Luthorβs handshake, not at all dissuaded by the strength of it. He knew his kindβbusinessmen, predators who projected their strength wherever they could as they sniffed for a drop of blood to latch onto. "Straight to the point. Thatβs good. Iβll cut the bullshit, then." The man lowered himself into his chair, gesturing for Luthor to take a seat on the other side of the desk.
"Iβm sure you know why youβre here. Our tiny corner of the Hubβs decided theyβre done with the constant attacks, the fights, the almost monthly catastrophes. You were there during the last one. You helped." The man from the government preluded briefly; though the Tri-District area was far from being the epicenter of the Decepticon raid on Hub Centralis, it had nearly been ruined by the disaster. The Arena was a fickle bitch, and seemed to favor rebuilding some areas over others. Some, like their three cities here, were left behind by the realm, the people within forced to put the broken pieces back together themselves. And that wasnβt even to mention the lives lost, those who didnβt simply βrespawn,β who would never return. "We want your help, Mr. Luthor. Not your financial help, we have enough money for practically whatever we want to do, but your help. Iβve seen the footage. I was there, at ground zero, when the Decepticons came."
With great powerβ¦you know the rest.Syphi-Sisyphus - Tryouts
Sisyphus looked at Kurumi's demonstration, briefly recoiling from the flash of light. Compared to him, these candidates made excellent impressions. Taking a deep breath, Sisyphus felt Robot's judging look, and the judgment of those around him, yet it only steeled his resolve. Sisyphus made sure to be the first to the elevator, speedwalking his way to the center of the platform as he was surrounded, glancing at the most eye-catching costumes.
He had suspected the first demonstration would be required now, and Sisyphus began to zone out. It was not in an anxious way, but focusing, the world around him blurring as he got into the mindset to demonstrate his capabilities and set himself apart from those present. Anxiety began to creep in as the hopefuls were lowered to the hallway, a majority pressing past him, but Sisyphus marched forward, entering the training chamber. Scanning the chamber, Sisyphus wondered if this were one big battle royale, but Robot's sudden interjection over the PA derailed that train of thought.
A circle lit up right by Sisyphus's feet, and the superhero hopeful stepped onto the plate instantly, slowly moving to the center. Taking a deep breath, Sisyphus pulled his hoodie off, and holy shit this dude is ripped
. Folding his black hoodie neatly, he placed it onto his platform, pulling off his slip-on shoes and neatly placing them atop it. When the copy of Robot appeared, Sisyphus slowly turned to the construct, raising an open palm to indicate he needed a moment.
Crouching next to his hoodie, Sisyphus thrust a hand into the center pocket, withdrawing a roll of white athletic tape. Grasping the edge, Sisyphus began to wrap his arms at lightning speed. If nothing else, Sisyphus had excellent hand-eye coordination. Snapping off the last loose bit, Sisyphus rose, pocketing the roll and turning back to Robot with a bow. He looked back at his hoodie for a moment.
"I imagine music isn't allowed?"
He asked, tempted to reach back for his speaker in the center pocket. Sisyphus stood idle for a moment, turning his head back to his hoodie.
"Eh, fuck it."
He commented, whipping his head back around. A metal construct was the perfect vessel for Sisyphus to go a hundred and ten percent on. With nothing within but metal and wires, there was no need to hold back, no need for remorse. Sisyphus stepped forward at blazing speed for a normal man, planting his right foot hard enough on the floor it buckled beneath his strength.
Robot would have a moment to consider a potential counter, as Sisyphus clenched his right fist, poised to rush forward with a crippling blow to the side. A feint as Sisyphus suddenly shifted his momentum on a dime to spin around and attempt to smash Robot's constructed frame with a spinning back kick.
Wrong End - Zeloai
Zeloai too is in the kitchen, drawn deep into concentration by the aftermath of the events at the Shepherd's Bastion. The emergence of Baz and Matthew draws Zeloai out of his near-catatonic state, a smile on his face at their appearance. Still, he wondered if Ekaterina was going to reappear within the confines of this castle at a moment's notice, a thought that dours his smile. Rick's alcoholic-ridden attitude was not something Zeloai hadn't experienced before, but given their situation, it was having an unusually adverse effect on the Jedi Master.
Grasping his earpiece, Zeloai planted it deep into his ear and cleared his throat.
"Sounds like a plan, we have a few in need of extraction."
As the chatter from their caretaker went dead, Zeloai's attention is drawn to Beruka, narrowing his gaze on her after proclaiming precisely the opposite of what Tony had just said.
"You'll have to forgive my hesitancy to trust you over my benefactor, but why should I believe the town is empty? Even if it were, it's our best shot of making it out of here."
Looking to Rick, Zeloai continued.
"For those of us that want to leave, that is."
Hub Centralis - Yuji's Fighting Competition
So Yuji had walked into two traps that Sphere could activate at any time. Sphere decided that he was going to activate one of them to secure more hits on Yuji. But first, he is going to defend against 131 first. Sphere creates a giant wall between 131 and himself and then transmutes it to metal and sets its Transparency to 0.5 so he could see anything 131 would do.
"Robloxians are kind of like toy figures that you can play as in a video game! 131 over there isn't a Robloxian, but by my guesses he attacks like he's in a video game for Robloxians!"
To attack Yuji, Sphere created a pole with a HingeConstraint attached to another floating part locked in place, which was then made CanCollide false and invisible. He would then make a very simplistic plastic sword from three parts, and swing it at Yuji repeatedly, controlling it with his staff. Occasionally, he would reposition the floating invisible part so the spinning pole would hit Yuji again and again.
Here's the trap: Sphere has tested and found out he essentially has complete control over whatever he summons. Therefore, when Yuji grabbed the pole to use as a weapon, he didn't know that Sphere could just delete it instantly, no matter how much supernatural reinforcing energy was added to it. So, Sphere's plan is to delete the pole Yuji's holding right before it and Sphere's sword touch, aiming to get a free hit in before Yuji switches back to his body's strength.
Edited by OffAndSphere on Nov 17th 2024 at 10:20:46 AM
The Tryouts
He looked to his opponent, Casper and Kol'skaya thinking that there had to be a catch. They had effectively dealt with far more reactive forces that they could pull from. But being given the chance to deal the first strike was refreshing.
If there was one thing Casper liked about Kol'skaya, is that he didn't give into anger often. He was clever in his own right. And so thw two of them figured out a game plan for whatever was up the robot's sleeves.
Kol'skaya moved his fist along his mouth as if wiping something off, the spittle landing on the floor to his side.
"π π‘π£π πππ€π πͺπ π¦, ππ€ π ππππ πππ₯ππ πππ€π₯, π¨πππ₯ ππ πππ€ πππ©π₯ ππ€ππ₯ π‘ππ£π€π πππ."
He revs up the bio-pistons in his arms, and goes for a powerful thrust of his fist towards the center mass of the robot, preparing his other fist for a uppercut.
Naturally, if this lands, the size of the oncoming pummeler means lights out for the robot.
Edited by ArbiterOfTheBog on Nov 17th 2024 at 11:30:06 AM
AwawaMad Arena - Talk
Zeloai and Casper both make good points. Which even Rick has to acknowledge, snapping his fingers after they're done. Right. The whole town just vanished? Out of the blue? Tha shit make zero sense. I wouldn't trust you even if you hadn't pulled all that shit!
... I did hear of that town. They called it The anthill. Lots of people saw it as a promised land of sort... like the Underground. Or the flying ship. But it's hard to communicate between towns and... I wasn't desperate enough to risk a trip there. Baz mulls.
"... I did want to." Matthew coughs weakly. He has an opinion he doesn't want to share. "But... Couldn't make it."
Your skepticism is understandable. But you've seen the fate of Twilight Town, have you not? It take little time for settlements to vanish, sadly. Beruka notes. And I dared not to find out how...Although, as I've said, I have heard... gunfire within it, she says. Either way, your shelter is north of it. You'll only need to drive through it.
They will. Because I'm staying here for Morty.
Matthew prepares to say something, but he coughs again, and this time, Baz looks a bit worried, grabbing him and scooting him a bit closer to the fire, for warmth.
Say, Casper. I'm sorry to ask but... you seem very smart. And those forms of yours... Could... I'm sorry, I don't know if it hurts you or not. But do you think that form you've used to knock out the dragon could... help? It looked like a doctor...
"Baz..." Matthew says. "Did you see how he knocked it out? What kind of doctors did they have in your army?"
It's worth a try. B-but... If you disagree, that's fine. We'll grab medicine in that shelter. Or ask Zeloai to see if he can't Force Push the cold away. Baz says, trying to laugh.
"You think there'll be any?"
Absolutely. It even come with a sugary sweet taste! Starrk's voice come to life again.
... It's been a while since I've ate anything sugar.
Edited by Bolded1 on Nov 23rd 2024 at 2:27:09 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterMad Arena - Talk
"Flying ship!?", Gau suddenly shouts, waking up in an instant. Fast and loud enough to actually startle Soan for a moment.
"Gau and friends were on flying ship when world was ending! Maybe friends there! We go to dead town! ... uh... when Matthew and Baz feel better.", he says after hearing Matthew cough.
"Hrm... well, you heard the boy. The two of us, at least, will go to town the moment Baz and Matthew are able to safely travel."
Everyone else, Soan included, knows that the chance that Gau's friends are actually in that town is minuscule, but Soan knows that telling him that won't change his decision. He'd have to see it for himself, as heartbreaking as that'd be for him.
And if one of his friends is there... then that would just be another boon for the party. From what Gau had told Soan, they would definitely want to help Gau if they met again.
The only possible concern is what would happen if said friend didn't trust the others here and would try to convince Gau to leave the group. Soan wouldn't be justified in stopping Gau if the boy accepted that.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.The Wrong End-Talk
Casper nods to Matthew.
"Usually doesn't hurt this bad... Nor have I had the flexibility to rapidly switch like this before. It's kind of unreal.
As he approaches the man he laughs at Baz, mist starting to envelope The Totem as he gave her a cheshire grin.
"I think the fact I knocked out a dragon should be a pro."
Emerging from the Smoke, and somewhat towering over the rest of the party, was the now all too familiar form of Doctor Harthorn. A long pause occupied hod presence, before his gnarled hands approached Matthew and gently dragged him him over.
"ππ¬π²π― π π²π―π―π’π«π± π¦π«π§π²π―πΆ π₯ππ° ππ’π’π« π±ππ¨π’π« π ππ―π’ π¬π£, ππ²π± β'π©π© π π₯π’π π¨ π²π π¬π« π±π₯ππ± π±π¬π¬, ππ©π¬π«π€ π΄π¦π±π₯ πΆπ¬π²π― π°π«π¦π£π£π©π¦π«π€."
Despite the fact Matthew would probably feel like a doll in this creature's hands, it still messed with him, and tapping it's fingers along his body, he could actually feel some sort of resonance within him.
"ππ¬π¬π― π‘π¦π’π±, π¦π«π±π’π«π°π’ π±π―ππ²πͺπ, ππ―π¬π©π¬π«π€π’π‘ π’π΅ππ¬π°π²π―π’ π±π¬ π©π¬π΄-π©π¦π€π₯π± π π¬π«π‘π¦π±π¦π¬π«π°. ππ©π© π ππ« π±π―π¦π€π€π’π― π π π¬π©π‘. ππ¬π€π’π±π₯π’π―, π±π₯π’πΆ π€π²ππ―ππ«π±π’π’ π¦π±. ππ¬π² π«π’π’π‘ π ππ«π±π¦-π¬π΅π¦π‘ππ«π±, π³π¦π±ππͺπ¦π«-π , π¦π―π¬π«, ππ«π‘ β¨π¦π«π ."
He spoke plainly of the ailment, and quickly put his hands to somewhere around his bag, rummaging through his cloak until he found a hard knot of wood. Taking it off he held it in his free hand, and began to little into the space a bowl.
"ππ²π π¨π¦π©πΆ β π₯ππ³π’ π§π²π°π± π±π₯π’ π±π₯π¦π«π€."
AwawaWrong End - Talk
That is great! Thank you so much! Baz says to Gau, getting up to try to hug him... although slowly (as not to make him anxious/fearful) and she'll back off if he back off. If he does, she's quick to brush off the potential embarrassment. Sorry! Well... At least I'm up on my feet? If you needed proof.
If he accepts, Baz warmly chuckles, letting him hug her for as long as he want.
She does quickly process what could happen (and her face suitably look a bit more melancholic) but decide that, if worse come to worse, they can always convince Gau's friend(s) to come with them. A guaranteed shelter, with apparently an express way home, wasn't something anyone would ignore so easily, especially with the group likely being good to Gau by that point.
Well, Baz would like to believe that, but she knew that they could believe the "shelter" was bogus and leave. Because Beruka's own shelter had been very much bogus.
Still, near-future wise, they had Gau and Soan's help guaranteed!
... Reed remain silent to these changes. They'd need golden tickets to escape - and the ones that Baz and Matthew had received had likely been torn up. If his count was right, few of the party members could escape even if they made it to the shelter. And while it'd be a very good base of operations, the loss of Zeloai could likely deprieve them of some firepower.
The shelter was a comforting illusion. If they were to reach it, they'd still need to go and acquire golden tickets. They'd merely have a good base of operations to hunt stragglers with.
... Well, I'm good to go. What about you, Matthew?... Matthew? Matthew is a bit silent, shivering slightly as he lets Harthorn/Totem do with him as he please. A very unpleasant experience for the young man, but one that he has to acknowledge is necessary? He's not sure how the good "doctor" will fix this. But he also is not sure of anything much recently.
He feel like a toy being manipulated by a child - but somehow, his "cold" is even worse on him. And so he's grateful to let Harthorn have a go at it. As for the others, they watch in puzzlement for some, amazement for others. Only Baz looks slightly worried, joining her hands together at her neck. Totem was a good person, and she wished she could not be unnerved by his appearance, yet...
It felt so unfair, he'd helped them out, right?
So Baz blinks and then smile slightly herself, attempting to show Totem how grateful she truly was for his selfless help of them.T-thanks, Casper! Thank you so much! I-I'm going to need time to come up with better ways of thanking you!
A selfless help that might be very important for later down the line, because Harthorn, if he can do so, will notice the malignance boiling in Matthew's chest is no common cold. It's poison. Spread from the part of his body that Ekaterina stabbed through. It's a bit slow acting, but that's perhaps because the poison is more of a nasty side effect than the main threat - the main threat being the big hunk of sharp metal it had been applied unto.
Still, if it were to spread, it'd kill Matthew.
As for how Ekaterina had managed to get it for herself?
Well...
Back when the group had defeated "Aelun"
...
> Even Ekaterina, who had not moved, instead reaching down to grab something from Aelun, suddenly look up and head back for it.
She must have applied it sometimes during it - although not getting much space to apply it probably contributed to the poison acting not as quickly as it should.
Decadent Dawnguard - Talk
That wasn't a common poison. And Harthorn himself might plausibly struggle to fully cure it it in one go. What he can do is weaken its effects, which are going to get worse - imminently.
Matthew will still likely need medicine, but not ibuprofen. He'll need something specifically made to ward off poison.
"... Errr, pronostic, doctor?"
Edited by Bolded1 on Nov 18th 2024 at 6:55:42 PM
Nautolan picture belongs to Bonesmarinated on twitterComing War
"Reckless! Even if I'm here, that was still dangerous! What if I wasn't here!?" Asia cried out as she lifted the healed Hivemind Agent to her arms, pouting adorably as she chastised her friend.
Valorii, knowing a losing battle even if she wanted to assure her friend, simply cheated by warmly embracing the nun and patting her blonde hair with her lips. "I won't say silly things like 'I won't do it again' because we highly doubt things will go smoothly again but I assure you that I'll minimize risky plays like that even if you're there."
Asia pouted, even if she was enjoying the embrace. "I know that... I'm not that naive anymore. But I will still worry about you being so... you, Valorii. But still, I expected you do something like that later. Not this so early."
Valorii simply responded with a sheepish smile. "Failure can't be an option, and you know me quite well, Asia." She softly sighs. "Admittedly, I am not sure if sacrificing most of my swarm is worth it but I suppose I'll take it than all of us drowning in laser fi—"
Both of them perked up at the sound of something approaching the platform their on. Asia held Valorii by the wais, ready to leap, while said Agent readied her Kriss, releasing and temporarily exposing its heat sink to recharge the weapon before aiming it at...
""Oh."" They both gave Zystak a look before Asia smiles and waves at him.
"Comms disruption is a success, sir Zystak. We won't have to worry about anyone calling for help even if someone sneaks out and tries for an S.O.S." Valorii reported, tone professional and devoid of the softness she shared earlier with the Nun.
"Yeah, boss man!" Valorii sighs as Aila drops beside them, Decimator shouldered cheekily as she gave a sly smirk at the Hivemind Agent. "Even added a proximity mine below the consoles." The Arbiter shrugs at the annoyed look Valorii gave her. "No such thing as overkill, come on. No harm done."
Yosef follows after from their left, walking calmly and... passing by them? He had his M60 ready and they could see the silver-tipped rounds that's loaded to the weapon.
"And where are you going, mister...?" Aila called iut haughtily.
"Following after the Space Wizard." The Riskrunner responded dryly. "I'll give him some support with that thing that's made to counter people like him. Sooner we can be done, the better. We'll catch up." With that, he passes by them and the three girls could only give him a dry look.
"I... suppose you can lead the way, Sir Zystak." Valorii began, tone polite but slightly strained.
Asia perks up. "Oh! The soldier! Valorii, Aila. I'll pick up the soldier. I'll catch up, too. I'll be quick!" With that, the Nun turns back to pick up where they left the Steel Meridian soldier secured underneath some undergrowth, hopefully still all right after everything...
Aila and Valorii watched their blonde friend leave before looking up each other. There was a moment where it looks like a passive cat fight would occur but Valorii simply walks away and follows the leading crook.
Aila simply harrumphed. ...
..
.
Aila eyed the launcher Arzohi was holding, slightly jealous that the Dark Eldar got the thing first that she was oblivious at her surroundings first as she admired the guided launcher.
Admittedly, her Knuckleboom was better and mor versatile. But nothing wromg on having more booms, damn it.
Valorii stood behind the group, waiting for the others to regroup. Though she was directing a flummoxed look at Zystak. "Wait. There was something that was watching us when we landed and had a skirmish with the separated party of droids? But... that's... I genuinely thought you were wounded by the explosion." She could only rub the bridge of her nose, annoyed that something was stalking them.
Ugh.
At least that damn brute was distracted and Yosef wasn't here yet. She'll never head the end of it...
...
..
.
Yosef didn't engage right away. Keeping his cloak up as he approached the clearing and used his Nanovision to watch the duel. He can respect a good mano-o-mano but they're on a timer.
It wasn't only respecting the duel that was stopping him. There was a risk of the droid booking it if it realizes it was overwhelmed and that was a big no-no.
So for now, he could watch as he prepared his LMG loaded with HAMMER rounds. They were hard hitting rounds that could even mess up armored transports with concentrated fire. Drawback was, they reduced the firerate of firearms that was loaded with them. It wasn't much, but enemies that can react to direct gunfire was still a thing and the firerate matters with such opponents.
Yosef would wait for his chance for Izawano to get some breathing room before speaking to their comms to not distract the jedi midfight.
"I'm at the edge of the clearing with a clear line of sight. Comms Disruption went well and the others went ahead. Give me a good shot and we can regroup with the other or finish up quick. Your choice." He messaged to the Jedi before waiting...
Edited by ImpuscaVana13 on Nov 18th 2024 at 7:22:33 PM
The Wrong End-Talk
Doctor Harthorn nods to Baz, though upon looking through the body, his long face can somehow convey the heavy news he had found.
"ππ₯π’ π΄π¬πͺππ« π΄π₯π¬ π₯ππ‘ π±π―π¦π’π‘ π±π¬ π’π«π‘ πΆπ¬π²π― π©π¦π£π’ π₯ππ‘ π£π¦π€π²π―π’π‘ πΆπ¬π² π΄π¬π²π©π‘ π°π²π―π³π¦π³π’. βπ’π― ππ’π±π―ππΆππ© π΄ππ° π°π²π¦π π¦π‘π’. π π²π± π‘π―π¬π΄π«π¦π«π€ π―ππ±π° π₯ππ³π’ π π«ππ°π±πΆ π₯πππ¦π± π¬π£ ππ²π©π©π¦π«π€ π¬π±π₯π’π―π° π‘π¬π΄π« π΄π¦π±π₯ π±π₯π’πͺ. ππ₯π’ ππ¬π¦π°π¬π« π¦π° π π°π©π¬π΄-π°π±ππ―π±π¦π«π€ ππ©π¨ππ©π¬π¦π‘ ππ’π₯ππ³π¦π«π€ π©π¦π¨π’ π π±π’π±π―π¬π‘π¬π±π¬π΅π¦π«. ππ«π° π¦π± π§π²π°π± π΄π’π«π± π°π±π―ππ¦π€π₯π± π¦π«π±π¬ πΆπ¬π²π― π«π’π π’π°π°ππ―πΆ π¬π―π€ππ«π°. β π ππ« ππ―π¬π‘π²π π’ π π―π’πͺπ’π‘πΆ, ππ²π± πΆπ¬π² π΄π¦π©π© π«π’π’π‘ π±π¬ ππ’ π’ππ±π¦π«π€ π¦π± π’π³π’π―πΆ 30 πͺπ¦π«π²π±π’π°."
Once they said this, they broke off another bulb from their back and a cap of shelf fungi from their neck. Applying it to the self made bowl, they placed their wrist syringe into the bowl and start to contract the needle like bark, a honey like substance comes out. He started to mix it with his wrist syringe, stirring the contents while speaking to Matthew.
"β π©ππ π¨ π ππ―π¬ππ’π― ππ«π’π°π±π₯π’π°π¦π π±π₯π°π± π΄π¬π²π©π‘ π«π¬π± π π¬πͺπ’ π΄π¦π±π₯π¬π²π± π¦π«π±π’π«π°π’ ππ―π¬π©π¬π«π€π’π‘ π±π¬π―ππ¦π‘π¦π±πΆ, π¬π±π₯π’π―π΄π¦π°π’ πΆπ¬π² π΄π¬π²π©π‘ ππ©π°π¬ ππ’ π€π¬π¦π«π€ π²π«π‘π’π― π π£π’πΆ-π£π²π°π¦π¬π« ππ«π‘ ππ―π¦π’π£ ππ’π―π¦π¬π‘ π¬π£ π₯π’πͺπ¬π‘π¦ππ©πΆπ°π¦π°. ππ¬ πΆπ¬π² π π¬π«π°π’π«π± π±π¬ π±π₯π¦π°? βπ± π΄π¦π©π© ππ²πΆ πΆπ¬π² π±π¦πͺπ’."
AwawaThe Coming War-Dialogue
Arzohis clung to the rocket launcher under Aila's gaze, looking back at her with his own stubborn gaze. Though this wad quickly whipped into both of them to quit wirh a quick flick of Dewa Faisung's tail. Which he, now with her attention, addressed her directly.
"I trust that your group has done their part eith minimal casualties? I'd like to inform you that I could hear you guys coming our way. Let's do something really smart, and keep a low profile and KEEP. MOVING."
The exiled prince let out a actually sinister sounded chortle, like a stressed hyena trying to keep quiet. He perked his head up every so often for him to catch a glimpse or peep from their stalkers.
Awawa

Stained Monsters - Aftermath
Left behind is not much, just some spilled dark matter ooze around the collapsed tunnel. They'd be better off inspecting Baltaos' corpse if they want to find anything of note. Though Luin might find it concerning how last time, Oltura's light was much more red rather than the current purple. Or how its scales seemed shinier than usual.
"That was a pointless encounter with a pointless person."