[PQ] the earth is spinning; we can't just stand on it

In all the confusion, no lilies are found.

raza

First rats, now - what? - weird ass crows? Fuck this place. Between a heat that’s worse than Torchline and the bizarre creatures, I’m startin’ to get the desire to just… get out of here. Get this over with. I’m not the kinda woman who likes to be underground, unless I can hear the sea on the other side’a the wall.

There ain’t a lot’a time to mull over those thoughts as cries of eyes an’ meat fly around the group, Sunjata and Bastien in the front - I selfishly hope they get the brunt’a the attack as I try to make myself as small as I can again. I crouch, I try to back myself against a wall an’ defend my face, my knees, my arms. Dagger out, tip up - I thrust it at anythin’ that comes my way - without discrimation.  

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Raza backs against a wall and tries to defend herself with her dagger

With your big heart, you praise God above, but how's it working out for you, honey?

Bastien gasped at the sight of the ugly birds; he supposed it made sense that such creatures would reside in the Climb, with it's unforgiving heat and cruel landscape, but their appearance still made him surprised enough to pause for a moment.

When he had regained his sense he rode away from Sunjata then used his dark sphere to make an area of blackness he could hide within. "If you run here, they will not be able to see you!" Bastien called out to the rest of team, though of course if they followed his instruction, they would not be able to see either - but at least they'd be safe.

Of course, defense was all very good, but wouldn't end the problem. Bending down, Bastien picked up a rock; it'd have to do. With all his strength he lobbed it at one of the birds, hoping to scare them more than kill.

--
Bastien zoooms away from Sunjata then uses his dark sphere to make himself a little dark hidey hole. He then throws a rock at one of the birds.

Type: Grey
Dark Sphere | When the button on this small piece of tech is pressed, all light within a 5ft sphere is immediately darkened regardless of conditions. Ascended can still see.

Do you feel loved?

Bastien

Base Code by Sky!

DEIMOS

The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head
The thunder of the drums dictates

Confusion and chaos descended quickly – an intermittent void, pulsing with bewilderment, bedlam, and coinciding efforts to alleviate themselves of more beasts. The crows, seeking to bombard the party with their vicious onslaught, were suddenly set upon in more ways than one – and their own viciousness didn’t relent.

The Sword’s compelling efforts, though not entirely in vain, didn’t render as much damage as he would’ve liked. Perhaps the flock was a tight-knit group, and couldn’t be persuaded to mark and tear into their own – only a few, younger, more easily rattled members, assaulted and assailed one another, giving him opportunity and time to apply other incantations into the folly. He ducked from one beast, but another managed a swift peck into his shoulder, ripping and tearing along the fabric well before he could ramble into Bastien’s applied tactics; the pain causing a brief undulation.

The macaw was far more efficient – leading portions of the flock straight to him and along his trap, along the widening of the tunnel, where his larger shift would be able to occupy the expanded space. Their outcries poured, echoed, and reverberated off the walls, meat, the bolder, more audacious coming for Sunjata, while three others seemed entirely deterred, aiming for Bastien instead (when they could actually see him – baffled).

The tip of Raza’s dagger made its mark in slashes and lacerations; offended squawks here and there, two wounded birds falling, useless and limp, bloodied, battered, and broken along the cavern floor. Successful in her defenses, and assaults, she’d have time to escape in any direction she chose while the crows regrouped and reconsidered.

Unfortunately, Bastien’s rock didn’t quite hit any target, and the monstrous birds, intelligent and clever, utilized this moment to try and find him amongst the darker threads. They pecked, they chattered, they sought to obliterate, attempting to reach the Ascended by any means necessary.

Growling, the Sword uttered his feral command, following after Sunjata’s footsteps, towards dragons and openings, where they wouldn’t be so clustered together, and might have a better chance of alleviating the damned birds. “Go towards the springs!” And then he called forth the undulations of air – intending to hasten the beasts away.


--

ROUND SEVEN

About half the flock has been eliminated/deterred!

Deimos compelled several to attack one another, but has been pecked in the shoulder.

Sunjata has scared off several, but the bolder ones keep on coming!

Raza took out two with her dagger!

Despite his best efforts, the rock Bastien threw missed, and the birds have used it as a sign of his location, trying to peck at him!

Round is moving on in 48 hours or when everyone has posted!

The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead
The rising of the horns, ahead

And I can taste it, it's my sweet beginning

Chaos ensues, but Sunjata’s traded skin for feathers, to guide perhaps the hungrier crows out into the open – to get into a space where he’d be able to shift into the dragon form, to snarl and bare his teeth at the onslaught that pours out after him. And it’s successful, for the most part, him turning to face the opening of the tunnels, maw parting to snap at the crows that had chased them.

He doesn’t pay attention to whether or not that’s successful, hoping that he might be able to frighten more of the creatures that lingered within the tunnels – a thundering roar erupting from the black dragon that sits idly between the tunnel and the springs, wings flared, all four feet on the ground prepared to stand his ground. How many more are left? He sends out to Deimos, voice thick and accented, his throat glimmering with a blue glow. If everyone made it out of the tunnels alright, he might consider throwing a bit of lightning down just to be sure they were gone.

---

Sunjata tries to bite a few of the crows that come out after him, before roaring in the hopes it might frighten more of them off. He preps himself in case they remain.

SUNJATA

With your big heart, you praise God above, but how's it working out for you, honey?

Bastien swore softly under his breath as his throw missed; he had never been all that gifted in sports and physical pursuits, had only ever exercised in order to retain an aesthetically pleasing body (and now that he was Ascended and frozen in time, not at all). Realising quickly that he had given away his position he jumped back onto his hoverboard and abandoning the safety of the dark, decided to make himself a moving target instead.

Surely Sunjata, as a dragon, had this handled. Bastien moved swiftly around the area to avoid the birds; if any of them were within the right height and range he would try to drive his hoverboard into them as an attack, ugly as it would be (he'd spend weeks cleaning off the blood and feathers, he was sure).

--
Bastien zooms about on his hoverboard to avoid the bird attacks and if any are in the right positioning for it, drives into them. Pow!

Do you feel loved?

Bastien

Base Code by Sky!

raza

Ey, maybe I’m gettin’ the hang’a this dagger thing - the frenzied little rodents much more difficult targets than these weird things, even with their talons an’ whatnot. I feel the weapon strick flesh once - twice - an’ then the attackers seem to clear a bit. Looks like there’s enough of an openin’ for me to dash through to the Springs. So I do, duckin’ my head an’ keepin my eyes on the prize - the open area -  clockin’ that Sunjata has now turned into a dragon of all creatures.

Yeah, okay, between the big guy an’ that, they don’t need me gettin’ in the way. Bastien zooms ahead’a me, an’ I fall in behind ‘im, lettin’ the guy do the brunt of the work with clearin’ the way to these oh-so-special Springs.

-------------

Raza nopes out and falls in behind Bastien’s hoverboard, hopefully making it to the springs.

DEIMOS

The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head
The thunder of the drums dictates

Unfortunately, for whatever bizarre reason, Sunjata did not have this handled. In all the chaos and confusion, in all the boldness of the crows, their audacity remained consistent, vicious, and vile, swooping in to peck at the dragon's eyes. The roars didn’t deter. The bites didn’t seem to bother; they were conniving and detrimental, continually aiming where he might not be able to reach. Meat! they cried, high and shrill, savage and unfurling, wicked, wicked, wicked –

That was where Bastien and Deimos came in. An intriguing combination of hoverboard tenacity and Mastered Air – the Ascended’s path sidelined many who’d been far too intent on the dragon or anyone else, to have paid attention to the potential threat. Swiftly, quickly, they were pummeled in a series of awe-inspiring movements, falling off to the side, sputtering with lacerated wings, cut short from their talon grasps.

The Sword’s methods were efficient – the churning, cyclical bouts of air, the rough gales of wind, shoved the rest of the crows down the tunnels, so their squawks could still be heard until the distance was lengthy – hollowed echoes turned to silence. Gone, Deimos solidified back to Sunjata. They were all gone.

And Raza? Raza had taken the cleverest route, sneaking in behind Bastien’s maneuvers and motions, though she’d likely find herself stained with blood from the crows (and that poor hoverboard was going to require a deep cleaning), and aside from a few stray pecks here and there, she made it out relatively unscathed.

And so they could abruptly arrive into the springs – where the world opened up in the same way it had before – the pool of water and its vivid, rising plumes, the exuding, potential comfort of healing measures, and the array of potential lilies immersed somewhere.

But first, a headcount – the Sword ensured he came up last, no intentions of leaving anyone behind, a deep breath unfurled from his chest, senses suddenly overwhelmed once out of the darkness. “All right, anyone hurt?” Zuriel sighed at him, her eyes instantly going to the wound along his shoulder, clearly still bleeding, but he sent her off to tend everyone else’s lacerations first. “We can heal up, take a breath, then look around. I have vials here for those that want to bring back water."

--

ROUND EIGHT

Phew! Made it through to the springs. Zuriel is available for healing if your character needs it, then take a look around! Feel free to take a container from Deimos to fill up with the water!

The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead
The rising of the horns, ahead

The hot mist from the springs blocks your view, for the time being. No one immediately sees anything lilies.

SUNJATA

the flood

i'm nothing more than a page unwritten
on the pavement, blowing in the wind

If there’s one thing or frustration for the Flood, it’s when the birds shift, their attention drawn to Sunjata’s eyes — eyes of steel that shut right upon their approach, his large head shaking back and forth to try and bat them away. Eventually, though, between everyone else’s work, the birds are gone and Sunjata remains in his dragon form, heaving quite the frustrated sigh.

Shrinking back down into his shape, he steps along the edge of Frey’s breath, peering around the edges of the springs, searching for something he hadn’t found the first time he was here. “Thanks.” He offers to those that had helped while he searches, shaking his head to Deimos once more. And when he focuses on the way the pools seem to spill into each other, he doesn’t spot anything either.

All he knows is his jaw is tight, there’s a red line of a welt beneath his right eye, and he’s tired of birds and rats — belatedly wondering if this is how Nate feels when it comes to bats.

you win a lot, and you lose
just a little bit more than you gained in the end

With your big heart, you praise God above, but how's it working out for you, honey?

Once again, Bastien seemed to manage to do just what he wanted; it was nice, after his period sick and unable to control his body, to be able to enact his wishes so easily. The birds were dealt with as he and Deimos' magic and technology combined (there was a beautiful metaphor in there about Old and New coming together, he thought) and the danger was through, the wounds sustained not serious.

His hoverboard was...well, gross, but he'd deal with that when he got home. It wasn't the first time it had been coated in something unpleasant.

While he had no immediate need for water, he took one of the offered vials anyway. "A souvenir, perhaps, but it also could be used for anyone left behind." Bastien supposed it wasn't impossible some confused sick person had hidden away from the water and the Voice's cure; if they wandered into the Sanctuary, he would be ready.

Do you feel loved?

Bastien

Base Code by Sky!

raza

“All good,” I call back, feelin’ quite clever indeed for my route outta there. The gore from the birds is fuckin’ gross, an’ I’ll probably have to toss the clothes entirely (or burn ‘em), but other ‘n that, don’t seem much worse for the wear compared to the others. An’ on the subject of clothes… what are the odds the hot springs are great for cleanin’ shit, too?

After pokin’ around for a bit, I see the water an’ decide a bit’a water couldn’t hurt. Just in case, or if we need it in the future. “It heals more’n the sickness, right?” I ask the big guy as I take a vial, slowly makin’ my way through the steam to the water. I test the temperature first, dippin’ a couple’a fingers into see just how hot it is. Is it okay to take a dip in it?

I’m on the verge’a quickly strippin’ this bloody shirt off an’ just goin’ in, if we’re gonna be here a little longer.

DEIMOS

The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head
The thunder of the drums dictates

With no one else requiring mending, Zuriel’s glare narrowed and pinpointed solely on him; so eventually the Sword forced away a grimace, and sat down upon a rock so the unicorn could reach his wounded shoulder. While she tended and mended, stitching together broken, jagged, lacerated skin, and combing over anything that could’ve been infected, he sifted through his bag. Listening all the while to those who searched, or bided their time surveying the grounds, his head inclined upwards to both Bastien and Raza, a small smile having worked its way along otherwise impassive features. “It could,” in factions of souvenirs and potential for more cures or ailments; but the beast was no healer. It was worth a try, in any case.

Eventually, he grabbed hold of the artifact he’d been searching for, and when Sunjata meandered closer, he tossed it towards the Flood. “Meant to give that to you earlier,” and then a shrug by way of explanation; no free moments when they were all consumed by chaos, confusion, and everything else in the wake of disasters. He’d likely recognize it from the Sea Panther.

Once Zuriel was finished, Deimos gave her a firm pat on the neck, and aimed to address the others. “Let me know when you are done here, and we can head back.” Safely, hopefully. “I will put the lilies in the proper place. Thank you for finding them.” And aiding others as stubborn as him, those who hadn’t yearned to venture towards the Voice’s aid out of mistrust.

So they’d be permitted to bide their time, earning their moments of repose after all the other ridiculous ventures, the battles with fauna, and spotting precious measures. Hopefully, their efforts wouldn’t be in vain, and things would end swiftly, smoothly, once the flowers were notched behind the falls.

--

Deimos has given Sunjata his fang necklace:

Type: Dark
Fang Necklace | A necklace of sea panther teeth. These may be used once per thread to cause intimidation to nearby enemies. (Enemies will roll with disadvantage for that round).

Thank you so much for participating! You guys rock and are much appreciated! Since we’ve found all the lilies, I’ll end this. <3

{FIN}

The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead
The rising of the horns, ahead