sticksandbones | [CLOSED] Zahliyaquest...2

[Luca loses sight of everyone in the blast and flash of glitter. Unexpected as it is, he doesn't have nearly the grace that Zahliya had. He finds himself sliding across the ground, dizzied and disoriented. For a moment, the whole world goes dull, not only from the impact of his head, either. It's only now that he picks up that his head had been oddly silent, and he only realizes it as the Phoenix's panicked squawking reaches him.

He shoves the voice down as always, before hefting himself to his feet. He wipes glitter from his eyes and... quickly notices things are getting a lot worse. He isn't sure what Siffrin has done to invoke Zahliya's ire, but it's definitely not good. Worse still, he's too far away to get there in any meaningful time.

Thus, his head quickly whips to the very pink girl that only just blasted him halfway back to the grove.]

Mamika! [He isn't sure how far her abilities, go. He doesn't know if she needs to recoup her strength. But right now, the girl is his only immediate hope. And if that doesn't pan out, if he's too late -

He'll need to protect their remaining number.

He fires a gout of flame, briefly surprised at the increased force with which it leaves him. He wonders if the Phoenix's diminished influence has anything to do with it, before turning his attention back to the Gargoyle. Surely this isn't the one he's shared so many nights with, but...perhaps some fragment of him is in there. If nothing else, he can provide a distraction while the others regroup.]

Zahliya - Ahli - this isn't you. What the hells are you doing?!

[ Mamika is very quick to make space between Zahliya and the rest of the group - rather, the rest of the group and Dipper and Luca. She's not sure where Siffrin went off to, but she's not currently looking for him, she's just trying to make sure things will calm down between everyone. She thinks it's starting to work when Zahliya is away from the group and... she'll have to apologize to Luca later, too, but right now...

...Right now............... oh no-

She hardly hears Luca calling her name, but even if she had, there really isn't too much she can do. Her magic is always so destructive, and she hates hates hates using it now. It's the same here as it was in the gods' world, and it sucks. What is she supposed to do when she can just...

She grips her wand tighter and gasps out a "No!!!" after Siffrin tries to grab for the swords and Zahliya swings at him. She responds by flicking her wand and yet again sending out hearts - multiple this time. They all pop like bubbles into a very bright, blinding light in front of both Zahliya and Siffrin in what, she hopes, is enough of a distraction to get some words out.

If she can get some words out, that is. She's certainly struggling right now, on the verge of tears already, but she has at least some resolve to try and fix things. Mamika does know she has to rush over to Siffrin since... he likely got blinded, too, so she'll have to put herself in-between them now. It's fine, they'll calm down and everything will be okay and things can't get any worse, surely- ]

M-Mist-Mister Zahliya! [ Look, she got it right this time! Round of applause for Mamika! She doesn't know how she's supposed to explain this to a memory, but ???? she has to try SOMETHING, so... ] W-we're not trying to hurt you! We're just all real frazzled because we got separated from our friends! There were eight of us, and you were with us, too! We... were looking for those swords you have now, because you lost them!!!! And I think we're here seeing this so we can figure out where you lost your swords so we can find them for you again - please don't be mad at Siffrin! We really are just trying to help! We wouldn't be out here to begin with if we didn't want to help you! You're supposed to be our friend!

[Shit, okay, things are continuing to happen. They almost had him and then suddenly Sifrin just- like okay, he can’t even be mad about that. It was worth a shot to just. Steal them, even if Dipper suspects those aren’t even the real swords.]

[Mamika and Luca are still negotiating and Zahliya is WAY crankier than normal. This is a memory or a mindscape or something like it. Dipper just dealt with having his psyche split up like this so he should be able to figure something out. What-]

[They need Zahliya to trust them despite all this. Dipper decides to try doing something he’s never tried to do on command, but with their location potentially being Dipper’s favored terrain and this being deeply dire, Dipper creates a hallucination that hopefully extends to Zahliya but also hopefully the rest of the party.]

[He makes it look like there’s a vine gripping Siffrin’s knife arm. He makes it sound like familiar laughter is resounding around them]

Come on guys, we can’t be fighting right now or we’re toast! Look? That bastard’s only going to get us to off each other faster if it keeps up.

[Dipper makes a sweeping gesture and hopes to god being raised by a conman is about to come in handy.]

[Fortunately, Siffrin is fast. Fast enough to dodge a sword strike, at least. Not necessarily fast enough to avoid whatever that cutesy hearts flashbang was. He narrowly gets himself out of the way of the slashing sword only to be suddenly blinded, and he yelps in confusion, speed quickly turning to stumbling in his sightless state. He hits the ground and can barely even tumble to avoid injuring himself in the process.

Everyone's shouting. Mamika sounds like she's moved in front of him, which is worse because that is a kid and he can't rush in to protect her if needed, oh no oh no–

Siffrin blinks his good eye rapidly, trying to hasten the clearing of the stars filling his vision. Sight returns slowly, and when it does, it looks like there's a vine gripping his arm. Looks like, but strangely enough he doesn't feel it. Tense and confused, he yanks at his arm, already trying to get back to his feet.]

[Y'know he doesn't recall you kids being this stupid— but at least the sparkles and glitter and Mamika-ing actually stops him from, y'know, trying to finish Siffrin off for now. Please use the next two and a half minutes of your remaining lives wisely.]

"Just with me"? [Mamika. Honey. You saw him hatch.] You kids appeared with the caravan, don't lie to me! And I haven't lost the—

[LOOKS. AT SIFFRIN.

Marches over. Takes the sword back.]

—I haven't lost the swords! Not to you, and not to whatever that bastard that was sealed away is doing now. [So good job on the ruse, Dipper, because it seems to be working. He's not trying to kill a man anymore! Yaaay! But anyway, deep breaths. Deep breaths while he takes some time to think through all of this, pinching the bridge of his nose...] I have to kill the Black Sun. That is my duty. I don't have time for this. Listen to me.

[Very gravely, looking at everyone now:]

Your families are going to die if I don't take care of this, because of that caravan letting it out. Got it? Go home, go spend time with your loved ones. You know the path home, you've come here a hundred times before.

[Luca very much expects the worst to happen. What he doesn't expect is more blinding light. He barely lifts his own arm to shield his eyes, and when he lowers it, he still fully expects to find blood on the ground and Zahliya walking away. The fact that Siffrin is alive and Zahliya is still there is a good sign.

He glances toward Dipper as he speaks, then back to Siffrin and Zahliya. He sees the vine curling around the former's arm and lifts his hand instinctively. He's ready to fire off another jut of flame, if only to burn the vine away. Something stays it, at least just long enough for Zahliya to speak once more.

Loved ones. He could scoff at that. His only loved ones were here — one of them was missing, and the other had no idea who Luca even was. But that... That gives him an idea.]

Please. You have to let us help you. [He glances toward the others. Hopes to god they'll pick up on his plan.] Our loved ones are in there. My sister - I can't find her -

[If his voice hitches with actual panic, well. That just sells the ruse, doesn't it? He has no idea where Kiera is, doubts she's actually inside. But he'll lean into the excess emotion if it means pacifying Zahliya further.]

We are on the same side. We cannot abide by the Black Sun's existence, not while it takes from us.

Edited 2024-08-19 12:12 (UTC)

[ Ohh, Mamika doesn't like lying to Zahliya, memory-Zahliya or forgetful-Zahliya or not. She doesn't like lying at all, but she also feels like if she says "no, actually, all this is just a ruse to get you to like us so we know where you lost your swords" feels really bad, too. So she bites her lip for just a moment to swallow down whatever words she wanted to say, and instead decides to just omit a couple things... ]

Right... like I said, there were eight of us... [ She sort of trails off, half because she knows she's not good at this and half because she's worried about Siffrin. It's better Luca takes the lead on this, anyway. She's pretty sure she's already caused enough problems. Ones she wants to remedy, so she turns around to kneel next to Siffrin. ] Are you okay? I'm so sorry. Are you hurt??

[Oh it seems to be working, thank goodness. Dipper lets the vine curl away from Siffrin, carefully letting his illusion drop. He feels dizzy, from straining two separate abilities he does not actively practice, but it'll be worth it if it keeps things from escalated worse. He wipes the fresh blood streaming from his eye again.]

[He sees what Luca's doing and, honestly Dipper does not even have to lie. This is the opportunity he was hoping for to find out for himself, so his voice is not dissimilar to Luca's.]

My uncles are missing, too. I think they might have come out here to try and stop the caravan.

[Or join it, who could say. Someone had to be present afterwards to draw the temple doors like that, but that doesn't account for them both.]

[Siffrin scowls as Zahliya snatches the sword away, half ready to jump back up and fight for it. But everyone's falling all over themselves to talk it out, and Mamika hurries over to fuss, so he just huffs, dragging himself back to his feet and brushing himself off. His muttered reply is at least soft enough for only Mamika's ears.]

I had it...

[They might have had some more choice words, but Loop's panicked voice suddenly popping into their head derails the irritation pretty quickly. Eye blowing wide, they hurriedly put their phone handsign back to their ear.]

Loop! We're outside! Loop? Ugh, this blinding–

[Despite how fast he'd jumped on the call, once again there's no response, and Siffrin's hand clenches into a fist as he drops the call.]

[Zahliya logically knows that people did walk in there (they broke the door down, the seal broke, the Creature woke up and now he's walking around). He doesn't know who was part of that caravan for real, and if it's not these kids, it might've been their loved ones... aaaaargh okay FINE you got him.

Siffrin is panicking over there and Zahliya figures it has something to do with the Temple, too, and his stony expression falls into something a little more like what everyone here is used to. It's warmer. Kinder.]

We will look. But I don't think... [Anyone in there is alive anymore.] Stay behind me.

[He turns, takes a step up the pathway, walks toward the smashed-in Temple doors...

And then everyone gets blasted with Joshua's spam mail mentally. Have fun!]

[Does he feel a little bad lying to Zahliya? Maybe. It has nothing on just how relieved he is to see something familiar on his face. For just a moment, he looksl ike the Zahliya he'd reach out to, tug the tail of, poke fun at. But that will have to wait. They have more important things to - ]

What in the light is a car?

[Don't mind him holding his head for a second. There's also some stray Phoenix chatter, more annoyed now that It knows Luca is alive, but still frantic nonetheless. As if he didn't already have a headache. Whatever.]

We're with you.

[He turns to the others, silently hoping that they'll continue to play along.]

Come on. We'll find them soon.

[Does he mean the swords? Their friends? Hard to say.]

[ Mamika reaches out to Siffrin again in an attempt to apologize, but recoils when she gets hit in the face with Josh's spam mail. Mamika doesn't even have a license!!! She winces. ]

W-was that-... [ Oh, she probably shouldn't be like "hey, I think I heard our friends" before they're inside. Because that's where they're going...???? What's the plan here, she's unsure. But, you know, she'll just nod at Luca and look to Siffrin and Dipper, waiting for them to follow along, mostly to make sure they're okay. She should take the rear, anyway. ]

[Was that fucking Josh's voice. What the fuck is going on. God he has the universe's biggest migraine and the last thing he needed was that guy's voice blaring in his ears.]

[Dipper grits his teeth and keeps quiet because it seems like they might finally be getting somewhere with Zahliya and they can't afford to make a misstep. It's fine, his head is pounding and he feels very lightheaded and floaty, but as long as he puts one foot in front of the other, he'll be good. Probably.]

[Besides, these people keep calling him a kid, if he punks out now, he'll never hear the end of it.]

[He makes the slightest pause as Mamika looks his way. He's good! He's kind of good. Don't worry about it!! He gives her a thumbs up as he follows on after Luca.]

[Just as Siffrin's given up on the call with Loop, there's a voice in his head again. Just not the one he wants, of course.]

What the–

[He'd ask what a car is, but Luca beats him to it, so Siffrin just frowns deeply and stalks off towards the temple. He hates all of this, thanks Josh.]

[Well. You guys wonder about what a car is, and Zahliya is too focused on the gore in front of him.

In the original timeline, he never saw this place after everything went down. He woke up, noticed the smashed-in doors, knew the caravan that ruined everything died in there, and he fucking left to go kill the problem before it killed everyone else. News flash: That didn't work, and that's why everyone is here in the Grove now, but it's the principle of the thing. He's never seen this.

In this timeline... oh, he's seen it. Who knows if this will fuck with his brain later or not, but that's rather beside the point.

There are bodies strewn across the main room. Blood splattered across the walls and floors, and the remains of broken wards throughout. A woman hangs from the ceiling, held to it via black vines around her wrists and ankles; the rest of her hangs limp, and from her open mouth is a hanging vine that has pierced through the back of her skull. She, like many people here, are very dead. Others lie mangled across the floors, some missing limbs or their heads, some completely gutted, some "whole" but otherwise lifeless. Each has some sort of damage inflicted by those black vines, but some of the gouge marks on the corpses are not entirely consistent with how the vines appear. Perhaps they were ripped open by teeth or fang or something else?

On the back wall, again held by vines woven through the skin, are two still-living people, a man and a woman. The longer they remain there, the more the vines grow, feeding off of their blood itself if the strange heartbeat-like pulse in said plants is anything to go off of. As time passes, both of their skin grows dry and taut, and white flowers bloom along the vines.

For his part, Zahliya's hands shake with rage as he grips either sword.]

Edited (forgot a cw) 2024-08-21 18:57 (UTC)

[Luca has seen and done a lot of things over the years. He's watched a poison rot his father so slowly that mercy was the only option. He's seen mutineers flayed and laid bare on icy shoals. He's burned attackers alive and listened to their screaming.

None of it compares to this. He's watched life leave eyes, but never to fuel something else. He finds himself moving before he can process it, extending his sword as he weighs chopping at a vine. They might still have time to save the people at the end of the hall, right?

He steadies himself just for a moment, looking to Zahliya.]

Can we help them? Will destroying the vines cause more harm?

[Before he steps through the doors, he brushes Mamika and squeezes her shoulder gently. No one had better say anything if she decides to hang back a bit.]

[It's about as bad as he expected in here. When Heimr talked about it, even on that description alone, he was preparing for something pretty gnarly. Seeing it truly something else. While Dipper's seen corpses and remains on this level in the past- his first two weeks in Deerington had been sloshing through mutilated corpses flowing like rivers through the streets- what strikes him here isn't the carnage.]

[It's the cruelty.]

[The scent of blood strikes him, too, but only because it makes him realize he's been out of Trench too long for the smell to actually jump out of him for once. Crazy.]

[In order to not think too much about that, he gets to work looking through the dead. He's quiet but efficient, trying not to disrupt them too much but making sure to identify them for certain that they don't belong to his family.]

[When Luca speaks up, Dipper stands back up and looks at the two at the end of the hall.]

...They look-

[He doesn't want to say it but ...they look pretty far gone.]

Siffrin, do you think your magic can help...?

Edited 2024-08-22 18:33 (UTC)

[It's like a cruel joke from the Universe that right as they head towards the temple, he gets one more message from Loop, a cheery reassurance that they're inside and not to bother with calling while something's wrong with the line. That's comforting for all of one second before they step into the temple and see the scene inside.

It's beyond horrific. Siffrin's stomach feels like it drops clean out of his body. He feels the urge to puke rising up and stubbornly fights it back down, making himself scan all the bodies quickly before he can fall apart.

It feels awful to think it, but there's a sense of relief as he fails to spot any familiar corpses.

Distracted by his quick search, he doesn't immediately notice that the two at the back are still alive until Dipper's calling his attention to it.]

It's not magic.

[But getting into the difference between Craft and magic sounds like a waste of time, especially with the state those folks are in. Siffrin grimaces at the people on the wall, jaw tight.]

...We should get them down first. I don't think anything I can do would make a difference while they're still...like that. But we'll probably have to move quick? I can deal with the vines too if someone can be ready to catch them.

[It probably wouldn't be helpful to just let them slam into the ground in this state. Or any state, really. It also probably wouldn't be helpful to mention that he's not the best healer and this might be beyond him, so he won't. All they can do is try.

Siffrin waits until someone is in position to catch them and then forms a scissors sign with one hand before slashing out with it. There's a sparkle of something like stars, but somehow more shadow than light, and an invisible force slices through the vines neatly between the wall and their bodies. He's already working as they begin to fall, making a new sign to heal what he can.]

[Just... under his breath.]

Or we could cut first and ask questions later.

[ Mamika is right behind Siffrin when she enters. Or... sort of enters, as it's more accurate. She hardly even lets her eyes adjust to the new lighting before she's immediately backing out again silently, standing two feet away from the front door. She's not sure she's really even processing what she's seeing. She's only just barely gotten used to the sight of blood as a whole, but this? This was...

Mamika's ears are ringing and she simply turns around to have her back face the door, shuddering violently and holding her wand tightly to her. It's fine! It's okay! She'll just, you know, protect the front door, ezpz-

Please don't touch her, she may just start crying. ]

[Cutting the vines isn't exactly easy. Siffrin will have to try a couple times, while Zahliya stands back and wonders why these people who let the Creature out, the ones who weren't even part of the settlement in the first place (or else he might have a modicum more concern for them) deserve to be freed when they've essentially damned everybody else.

He doesn't voice these thoughts. The bodies fall from the walls into the arms of those waiting to catch them, far lighter than they should be for grown adults. Though their wounds can be healed, it's not like the blood and life energy can be put back into their bodies, so they might not have long either way.

The vines, of course, aren't happy to let the prey go; they regrow rapidly and attempt to lash out at those of you occupied with the injured, but Zahliya is much swifter to act this time, burning them before they even have a chance to get within range. It's a bright green flame, much stronger than what Zahliya in the present day can use. Hm!]

[Where Siffrin's magic struggles, Luca steps up to try to help. It becomes a back and forth, with their strikes being followed up by lops from Luca's blade. He lets Dipper catch the first person, then casts his blade aside in favor of letting Siffrin's magic finish the job. Luca grabs the second person, feeling his stomach bottom out as the sheer lack of weight and muscle mass processes within his head.

He shouldn't be surprised that the vines begin swinging wildly, seeking out their prey once more. He slides back a step, balancing the body in one arm as he prepares to lash out with flame of his own.

Zahliya, thankfully, beats him to it. Which leaves him to focus on the person in his hand.]

Does anyone possess healing magic?

[Luca... doesn't wait for an answer this time, since it's clear no one's keen on being patient. He... probably can't make things worse by folding his hand around the worst of the punctures.]

Forgive me. [Maybe it's soft enough that no one hears this part of him. Maybe it's not. Maybe he's torturing an innocent person in their last seconds of life. Either way, a faint burst of flame will rise from his palm as he cauterizes one wound, and then tries to move to the next. Ssssomeone might want to stop him?]

Edited 2024-08-23 17:37 (UTC)

[Unfortunately, Dipper's weapon of choice isn't helpful for getting the vines down, between it's polearm and the shotgun form. Instead he pulls his coat off to use it as a barrier between his arms and the body of the poor fool they manage to cut loose.]

[Dipper expects the weight and gravity to hit him far harder than it does, and as he braces for it, the sheer lack is what almost causes him to lose his footing. With an unsteady breath he carefully sets down the person and waits by their side for Luca to do the same]

[Thank god Zahliya is aiming that fire at something other than them. Dipper's reflexes are good, but not that good, and he's barely got his hand on his gun before the fires take care of the vines.]

...Thanks man.

[Anyway, Luca asked a question-]

Sorry, I've only been studying it a little while and Pure Vanilla's disappeared so- [Wait is he doing what Dipper thinks he's doing.]

Hey, wait, let's see if Siffrin can help with his m- abilities first before we do that.

[The vines are disturbingly hard to cut. Siffrin has to swap between Crafting techniques a few times to manage it, and it takes all his focus to stay on task and not get distracted by what vines like that could do to a body – like the ones of his still-living allies that are hovering distressingly close to said vines ready to catch the near-corpses – but they manage eventually.

Switching quickly to healing Craft, Siffrin frowns as he works. He's definitely no Mirabelle, and this task only serves to highlight just how mediocre he is at healing in comparison.]

I'm already on–

[–Then they actually see what Luca is doing.]

Woah, stop, what are you doing?!

[They could have gone their whole life without knowing what burning human flesh smells like, thanks!!]

[Well. The good news? Is that the wounds are healed and or smoked like a ham??? The bad news is... uh. Everything else.

These people are too weak to really say much. One of them tries to manage words, but all that comes out is some gurgling. Either more work needs to be done, or maybe it's too late.]

I will look for your family members. Do not waste your time on the people who let the Black Sun out; there's no point to saving betrayers.

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cw: body horror, lots of corpses, torture/life-sucking as a death method, gore, slight mouth horror

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Pseudo Gag (ignore me rubie and wolfie don't want to jump order)

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