[PQ+] [SE] tearing open the sky

and the only solution was to stand and fight

The void’s chokehold on several regions made him all the more anxious for his own; and so the Sword kept a constant watch upon the outstretches of Halo. From the tundra, to the greenwing, he’d sent numerous patrols and trackers, and then unwound across the skies himself when the time allowed. Eventually, information and sightings had hastened a notable increase, and so he wasted no time in contacting those interested.

Arriving at the wide open space of greenery and snow, one might not have even considered it marked by any void creatures. But they all knew better; the insidious design of the Family gnawed at him, and eventually there were going to be other things committed and done.

But for now – it was hunting.

“Thank you for coming,” he nodded to both Ru and Elizabeth, eyes flickering over to things they’d snagged and brought. Deimos carried his own multitudes of items in his bag of holding, Zuriel followed for healing purposes, and Belial had already taken to the skies, intending to scout. “I figured we can search for anything nearby, and then take care of it.” Simplistic, but squashing threats usually were; a multitude of bloodshed for the threshold they stood upon.

--

This is a PQ+ to hunt void creature in the Greenwing (and will help with assisting the MHG)! Please post any items your character is bringing along, and start searching for any signs of void flora/fauna! No post order. This PQ+ must be completed by August 5th, and also qualifies for the SE in trying to stop the spread of the void.

1. Deimos
2. Hotaru
3. Elizabeth

DEIMOS

Elizabeth

Happiness is when
what you think,
what you say,

Even as Flowerbirth arrived, a sharp chill still had Elizabeth bundling in multiple colorful layers, including gloves and a scarf to diminish the prompted shivers. She followed Deimos out to the Greenwing, glancing around at the initially nonthreatening environment. However, upon closer inspection, she saw the purple hue of Void taint being hinted in the leaves' veins or the inner petals of a flower. It was unsettling that it had spread so much and her next shiver had nothing to do with the cold. 

Elizabeth pulled her bag closer, nodding to the Warden. "Of course." She would do what she could to assist in clearing the area of the infection, even if it was only minimal. Not sure what they might encounter out here, she could be considered overprepared by some with her bulging bag and weapons. All it did was highlight her inexperience, weighing her down with mostly unnecessary items. 

She shifted the strap on her shoulder and walked towards a nearby river, looking for any signs of Void as Deimos had instructed. 

---

Elizabeth arrives with her bag (food, first aide, and a notebook), a staff, and a dagger.

and what you do
are in harmony.

Hotaru

Open up the gates, I feel close enough to heaven
To go, to stay, to leave, to pray

Given Sunjata's affliction, Hotaru often leaves the void variants alone in her day-to-day life. Until Frey tells her otherwise, she will trust that Rae's decree that it is merely more evolution. Is it that simple? No, but Hotaru is also notoriously not a do-gooder, and as such is happy to leave the angsting, plotting, and inevitable heroism to those who are. Which is seemingly all of Caido, so clearly they don't need her help anyway.

However.

Hotaru does love to destroy things for fun if no other reason. Destroying things with Deimos? Oh yeah, count her in.

Heterochromatic eyes flit over Elizabeth curiously as she arrives, though she doesn't engage immediately and instead winks at Deimos with a cheeky edge to her accompanying smirk. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." With the promise of a hunt so near at hand her Attuned instincts are restless, eager to hunt, track, and slaughter, but with Belial already in the skies she is more useful in human form. It's not satisfying to her instincts, but she can be patient for a little while longer. It's bearable once they begin searching, her restlessness settling into a focused hunting mindset now that she can move about and comb over their surroundings with half-shifted falcon eyes.

- - -

Ru arrives with everything on her profile, and starts out on foot to begin searching with half-shifted falcon eyes to spot smaller details/see further.

But I guess they didn't like my confession
I know it's just a bad religion

and the only solution was to stand and fight

If they were immersed in any other angles and motivations, Deimos might have continued on parallels of cheekiness and amusements, but there was hunting and destruction to take place. So they set about in bright colors (it would make Elizabeth easy to spot, at the very least) and keen ambitions, aiming to ensure Halo didn’t suffer the same consequences as other regions. “We can meet back at the boulder,” pointing to one massive rock stalwart and bound to the inlet of clear water.

From there, they could set off in their searches. And though it may not have taken such firm roots here, it was clear the void had still struck and endeavored. From Belial’s grand heights, he’d hoot and holler far above the rest of them, catching sight of blackened and purple fur from a distance by one of the unfolding rivers.

Hotaru and her half-shifted falcon eyes would catch an abundance from a far distance, mostly the nastier version of frostblooms digging into the soil, and voidweaver spiders tucked alongside, as if brethren in arms.

Elizabeth sought information along the shallower portions of the river, and would find distinct footprints of a bear – likely ursur, though it’d be difficult to tell if it was infected or not at this juncture.

Deimos shifted entirely into his hellhound manifestations, and with Zuriel tracing behind him, trailed after scents – the ursur here, the foxes there, until something else cryptic and enigmatic lingered, and he glared into the pockets of snow, as if waiting to see what appeared.

--

The group has found some things! Either meet up at the boulder or continue to explore! No post order!

DEIMOS

Elizabeth

Happiness is when
what you think,
what you say,

Making sure to stay clear of Belial's path, Elizabeth nodded a confirmation at Deimos's instructions and reluctantly separated from the others. The area wasn't extremely familiar and the nature of their quest made her cautious. Her staff was clutched tightly in her hand, prepared for any trouble, and her eyes scanned the surroundings quickly. However, (luckily) her investigations around the river proved mostly fruitless. A set of tracks lined the bank, weaving in and out as if the predator had been hunting the fish within. There were no signs that it was a Void ursur, so she filed the information into her brain and moved on. She continued to search the area but found nothing else of note other than untouched blades of grass and crystal-clear waters.

Content that she had seen everything of nonimportance, Elizabeth shook her head and turned back towards the large rock the Warden had indicated. Maybe the others had found better clues. 

---

Elizabeth returns to the rock to regroup.

and what you do
are in harmony.

Hotaru

Open up the gates, I feel close enough to heaven
To go, to stay, to leave, to pray

There's a shadow of a pout that has the opportunity to become something more petulant, but the logic of meeting back up instead of pursuing the first creature she sees is irrefutable. Given her rather...traumatic reaction to the last hunt she had taken part in - although in her defense it hadn't been caused by the void entity itself - it makes sense to stick near the others to attack as a united front.

With two different variations present in the same area, Hotaru doesn't linger long or explore further. It's a prime target, easy as that. Returning to the rock Deimos had pointed out she tilts her head and smiles slightly at Elizabeth - honey and flies and all - and only turns when she can sense Deimos approaching. "Frostblooms and spiders to the east, a large cluster of both." Depending on the reports of the other two they could determine which threat was either the easiest to dispatch, or the greatest threat.

- - -

Ru groups back up and reports on what she saw.

But I guess they didn't like my confession
I know it's just a bad religion

and the only solution was to stand and fight

In other years or moments or gatherings, they might have split up and annihilated – but Deimos had learned valuable lessons through those streaks of independence. Splitting the party, besides the current scouting operation, was almost always a disaster.

Taking one last sniff and narrowed speculation at the snow around him, he marked the area with some sticks, placing them at odd angles so he could recall the exact spot of powder later. Then he drifted back to join the others, long and lanky hellhound jog bringing him to the boulder quickly and efficiently, before he shifted back. Zuriel followed alongside, looking haughty in the fields, while Belial continued to drift upwards, lazily strolling in the skies and clearly looking for a battle range to utilize.

But decisions had to be made first. His eyes flickered to Hotaru first, nodding along at the indication of spiders and frostblooms, clustered together. Then he relayed his own findings in a deep rumble. “Belial saw void foxes, and there are some ursur tracks. Hard to tell if they are infected or not.” Jutting his jawline to where he’d just come from, the suspicions remained, wanting to lay out all the possibilities. “There may be void echoes as well.” Adjusting his glance to Elizabeth, they could wait until she’d voiced her found portions, and then plan out their targets. “What do we want to deal with first?”

--

Share more information and decide what would want to target! No post order!

DEIMOS

Hotaru

Open up the gates, I feel close enough to heaven
To go, to stay, to leave, to pray

Ru’s pretty face is marred by a genuine frown for a moment, displeased by the idea of void frostfoxes. They’re one of her favorite Halovian natives and she hasn’t seen their corrupted versions yet. Though again, she must tell herself that Frey does not seem worried, and have faith.

One brow rises briefly at the mention of Ursur, and she’s far too practiced to have her eyes so much as flicker toward Elizabeth when she reaches through the Attuned bond to ask, Can she handle that? Hotaru isn’t in the business of underestimating people, but the woman is a fresh face and frankly the Valkyrie won’t stake her own safety on untested prowess. Or lead the blind to their death.

“Depending on what you saw,” she provides with a nod toward Elizabeth, “I’d suggest the frostblooms and spiders first, as we can do a sweeping attack with significant damage in one go to both. Then perhaps the echoes, and reconvene from there?” The ominous memory snow doesn’t strike her as particularly dangerous, but it would hopefully be an easy target. “The Ursur may require a larger group.” It’s the only warning she’ll provide, though she must reluctantly admit that her own powers trend away from offensive measures currently. She’ll be utilizing her demigod strength, items, and shifts for the majority of this hunt. 

- - -

Ru suggest the blooms/spiders combo first, then echoes, then reconvene.

But I guess they didn't like my confession
I know it's just a bad religion

Elizabeth

Happiness is when
what you think,
what you say,

Although she wasn't very strong (okay, she wasn't strong at all), Elizabeth didn't appreciate the doubtful glances her way. She was here to test her limits for a reason and there was no 'safe' way to do that. That's exactly what she told Deimos, and the whole reason she'd come. She wouldn't back out now. 

Tightening her grip around her staff, she straightened slightly to voice her observations. "I spotted the same Ursur tracks along the river, although there's no evidence that it's Void. We can investigate those later, but I agree with Hotaru. We should start with what we know is infected and look for other clues. We could focus on the Void foxes after the echoes, then maybe look into the Ursur if we still have enough daylight." 

Elizabeth shuffled her feet and looked towards the direction of the frostblooms and spiders. They should be easy enough, right? Her lightning lingered beneath her fingertips, ready to defend, even if that defense wasn't more than a tickle to her enemies. She'd tried to sound confident, but she didn't want to let the group down or become a liability.

---

Elizabeth shares her finding and agrees with Hotaru's plan of attack.

and what you do
are in harmony.

and the only solution was to stand and fight

He didn’t particularly care for the notion of slaughtering the frost foxes either, but kept it in the back of his mind for now. The inquiry extended by Ru, in all its suspicion, made him stoic and reticent. We will see, instead of discounting Elizabeth entirely; he wouldn’t have brought her if he thought she was going to be useless. I can shield if necessary. Like the many times they’d been protected and guarded when their Outlander prowesses had just been starting out too; he wasn’t about to leave a fellow Halovian to be desecrated.

Others, perhaps. It depended on who it was.

Elizabeth ’s extension of information left him with a nod as well, reiterating the directions. “Frostblooms and spiders, echoes, perhaps the foxes, and by then we might see the ursur. If it is not infected, then we can leave it alone.” Pausing and wrinkling his nose, his eyes narrowed speculatively over the horizon, before turning back to the group. They had quite a bit of daylight left, at this rate. “And if it poses a problem, I will take care of it.” Leaving them out of the range of imminent and hostile danger.

With speculations over with, they could head out. “Lead the way,” he rumbled to Hotaru, and they could embark towards the cluster of smaller, weaker infestations.

--

Hotaru can post first and lead them to where she saw the frostblooms/spiders!

DEIMOS

Hotaru

Open up the gates, I feel close enough to heaven
To go, to stay, to leave, to pray

Well Ru certainly hadn’t cast any doubtful glances - she’d even smiled, which was playing very nice thank you - or even (magic-)voiced any speculation, but the dismissal is a reminder that this is Deimos’ constituent only. Ru is not a Halovian any longer, and this duty - this concern - is not hers to shoulder. Given she doesn’t want to tip off Elizabeth, she merely hums indeterminately through the bond and says nothing more. If Deimos intends to shield and deflect that is his prerogative; the Valkyrie is not so noble. 

She does, however, lightly click her tongue in disapproval at Deimos’ use of the word I when it comes to dispatching the Ursur. But perhaps she’s simply feeling primed for offense today and missing the abilities she used to have before her ascension to Frey’s side.

Shifting so she might abandon those human sentiments, she flies overhead on tawny golden wings to guide them, lower than she might when scouting as she hovers around head-height. As they get close enough she lands quietly in the snow, feathers leaving imprints around where here boots form once more as she shifts and smoothly loads an ice sphere into her slingshot. Glancing back at Deimos and Elizabeth to ensure they’re all ready, she takes aim and launches one, hoping the explosive radius will damage a fair fire without needing to approach further. 

- - -

Ru guides the way back then makes clear she’s going to start an attack and launches an ice sphere at the frostblooms/spiders. 

Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded
Elemental Projectiles | A small bag with an unlimited supply of incredibly dense spheres of ice. Best when used with a slingshot, but can also be thrown. Explode upon impact in a 5ft radius. Will not melt while in the bag.

But I guess they didn't like my confession
I know it's just a bad religion

Elizabeth

Happiness is when
what you think,
what you say,

Perhaps Elizabeth had imagined the disbelieving looks, just projecting her own insecurities, because she doesn't notice any other hints that Hotaru might doubt her abilities (even if she has every right to). Those same inadequacies had her concerned about Deimos needing to take on an Ursur alone. She vowed silently to assist any way she could, unwilling to let him take all the risks. Although it made her smile when the other woman vocalized her disagreement with that particular plan.  

As Hotaru flew overhead in her bird form, Elizabeth tried to keep up with the pace, her eyes peeled for other forms of trouble as she trapsed across the scattered patches of snow and greenery. That quickly shifted to reveal the frostblooms ahead. She couldn't spot the spiders, but she had no doubt they hid within. At the demigod's warning, she stayed her approach long enough to watch her release a projectile into the field of Void infestation. Elizabeth wielded her staff to strike any excess blooms within reach, attacking any movements that might indicate a fleeing spider. 

---

Elizabeth uses her staff to strike any remaining frostblooms and guard against escaping spiders.

and what you do
are in harmony.

and the only solution was to stand and fight

For his efforts, Deimos gave no response to Ru’s tutting; she couldn’t have everything both ways. There likely wouldn’t be time for a larger group to come in afterwards (not before this impending meeting anyway), he had no intention of endangering either of them, and he frequently took everything on his own shoulders. In his mind, the problem was already achieved and solved.

So onward they went – intending to scour and scourge over the smaller portions first. Deimos sent Belial into the sky to oversee any other impending threats, and the rest followed Ru’s movements. She’d been correct in the sentiments – the Sword’s eyes narrowed to find the bizarre cluster of frostblooms and spiders, tucked away into one another as if they could shield each other.

Hotaru 's projectiles flew first, plunging an ice sphere into the cluster of them. While the plants took the heavier hit, it certainly caused the spiders to start fading out in a panic. Deimos ensured they weren’t going far with his Air magic, sending them into another cluster thereafter, where Elizabeth could knock her staff against multitudes. Weak, small, and already too overwhelmed, the arachnids were easily felled.

Surveying the damage wrought, he had to snort and shake his head; at least this should be a confidence boost for the newcomer. “One more attack from each of us will probably do it.”

--

Everyone has hit and the spiders have been eradicated swiftly! Hit at the frostblooms once more and then we can carry on! No post order!

Frostblooms: 50/75
Spiders: 0/50

DEIMOS

Hotaru

Open up the gates, I feel close enough to heaven
To go, to stay, to leave, to pray

It's quite satisfying to have her blow land solidly, crushing and scattering the spiders that no longer have any movement or life in their limbs. As Elizabeth moves in with her staff Hotaru hesitates, aware that her spheres have a rather significant radius to their explosive capabilities and not wanting to catch the woman within it.

Aiming carefully, Hotaru shoots another sphere with consideration to Elizabeth's location, so that the radius will take out the frostblooms without getting too close to the Abandoned woman. It may also freeze and shard-shatter against more earth than blooms, but between the three of them that shouldn't be an issue.

- - -

Ru shoots another sphere, further to the side this time so that the explosive radius won't catch Elizabeth in the crosshairs.

Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded
Elemental Projectiles | A small bag with an unlimited supply of incredibly dense spheres of ice. Best when used with a slingshot, but can also be thrown. Explode upon impact in a 5ft radius. Will not melt while in the bag.

But I guess they didn't like my confession
I know it's just a bad religion