MINI EVENT: GARDEN OF EVIL

[sticksandbonesmods]

GARDENING

Content Warning: Carnivorous plants in a very unconventional way, horror hunger, attempted violence towards animals

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EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORNS

You've done well to avoid the flowers, haven't you? Though some hapless victims here and there may have nearly fallen to it, but even they've been rescued and taken to safety. And the flowers can't approach the General Store, the Trader's stalls, the inn or the house Elsword has built- something prevents the forest from creeping into it ever so softly, so of course it's minions couldn't either. But they're so hungry.

Starvation tears at the flowers like claws, and what should help them- the water and sunshine- burns like ice. The only thing that satisfies is flesh and blood and bone and they're hungry. And they've had enough of being told no.

As everyone goes about their day, the flowers still. They do not reach for and try to grab anyone, and for a moment all seems well. Up until Rusty begins snarling in a way uncharacteristic of him, trying to tear the nearest one out of the earth with his teeth. He is immediately ensnared in vines and leaves, with the full intent of tearing the old dog apart. The flowers shake and there's an odd hum in the air before they all seem to turn, looking at the denizens of the nest as if they had eyes. You will not look away. You can't look away. They are everywhere. On the ground, crawling up the walls of the fence, growing larger to block off the routes to safety, and always shifting to be in your line of sight. Look at them. Look at them.

Look at them.

The madness won't creep in slowly- as they force themselves into your vision, already you can see vines creeping at the edge of your vision, tearing into flesh that isn't there. Ravenous maws biting into the people around you and not letting go. Blood and sap pouring out like ichor. Blink once, blink twice, and it shakes away to reveal the truth but if you aren't careful the visions set in again. Misfortune radiates off of the flowers in waves, tripping you up and interfering with your aim and casting. Get ready, because the flowers aren't going away without some blood.

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Comments

A

[succiduous]

[Gnosis has basically decided "I am not going outside today, fuck outside, outside is bad" and enters the kitchen for a snack... which is when he sees Add. He's content to ignore the scientist and shoulder past until spoken to, at which point...

Hm.]

What are you making, exactly? Some sort of chemical, I wager, based on the composition of the ingredients taking up the counterspace.

[harmacy]

[yeah no sorry that snack isn't happening. Add is occupying the entire kitchen right now, there is no counterspace left to speak of, he either has his snack later or has it with a side of weedkiller. Add glances up from his holoscreen.]

Herbicides. Effectiveness varies, but this much should be enough to deal with the problem outside. It's safer than trying to start a fire, anyway.

[honestly debatable considering he's gonna be spraying bleach all over the grove]

[succiduous]

A fire is more than likely to kill all of us, or at the very least, take away our last remaining shelter from the storm, as it were. Good thinking.

[Yeah, okay, he'll help. Gnosis sets his Arts unit — that long, sharp cane he carries, filled with all manner of spinning gauges — on the counter, rolls up his sleeves, and sets to work.]

You're a newer face. Gnosis Edelweiss. A pleasure to meet you, despite the dire circumstances.

[Might've met you sooner if both of you weren't weird introverted science-types but here we are.]

[harmacy]

Add, doctor. The pleasure is all mine.

[aaaaand he immediately slides his recipe off to the side to help himself to the Cool Mechanical Cane as soon as Gnosis puts it down. He tilts it around in his hands, peering at it from all possible angles. hmm hmm hmmmmmmmm]

What a curious device... sharp edges, a weapon, perhaps?

[succiduous]

Technically-speaking, it's an Arts unit — that is, a device used to facilitate the casting of what others here have called "magic" — though in that regard, yes, one could consider it a weapon.

[There's an unspoken "yes I have bitch-slapped a motherfucker with this thing" somewhere in there. Gnosis does not look at Add; he merely sets about making weedkiller while the doctor takes a closer look.]

It runs on processed Originium, a type of fuel where I'm from, though in its unprocessed form, it can cause a disease known as Oripathy. Rest assured, were I to open my Arts unit currently, nothing untoward would come of it.