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

[mooninthewater]

[ The plus to having to force antidotes into his friends is that there’s really no need to hide his tentacles after that!! Elsword wouldn’t have any adverse effects to looking at them besides maybe that general unease they provide — in much the same vein of wondering if that coat in the corner of the room is actually just a person or not…

So Mizuki doesn’t bother camouflaging them. Rather, he keeps Elsword restrained until he can make sure he’s relaxed. Then he removes the syringe to put into the front pouch of his bag to be sterilized later, all while also shuffling around for disinfectant and gauze to help clean up those fresh wounds on Elsword.

That part will be done with his hands, of course. No need to get slime in the wounds. ]

This’ll hurt for a moment. [ He seems… very focused? Very… dissociative. He’s doing well. ] And… sorry.

[ He figures if any of these are bad enough to need stitches, that’s going to have to be a later problem, because Mizuki needs to get this at least dressed until he’s somewhere actually safe. Being mere feet away from angry flora is, perhaps, not the best place for medical procedures. ]

[simplicitas]

[Elsword is covered in things that need immediate medical treatment, several of them self-inflicted, so yeah. It's probably a bad idea to be so close to the plants... Elsword is still sort of out of it, but some of the plants are turning on them again.

He mutters something low under his breath, an incantation, and beams of magic shoot out from behind him to eviscerate some plants creeping too close. Don't worry about those.]

[mooninthewater]

[ …? Did he not move far enough away? Why can't he just do anything right? This looks so bad, and Elsword is still trying to… ]

Stop. You're hurt, it's… bad.

[ He almost sounds robotic. Like if he tried to speak normally, he might break his focus. Break down, even… ]

These bandages won't help much, you should get away from here for now.

[simplicitas]

I can still fight. It's okay. Whatever you did made the weird effects go away.

[The hallucinations and madness, he means. He is very much watching the immediate area, but he only ever tries to attack things that stray toward them so far. Essentially, he's on the defensive, even though he really wants to go on the offensive here.]

You and everyone else need me, right?

[mooninthewater]

[ Hhhh, his focus is faltering. He can't, can't, can't… Elsword's a hero, he knows he has to— he has to— ]

We need you in one piece! I-I… I just need you to tell me what to do so I don't mess up like this all over again. How're you supposed to do that if you're in the thick of it?? [ He doesn't mean to squeeze Elsword as tightly as he is, but he's trying so very hard to keep it together. This is a battlefield, there's no time to be upset.

Mizuki's tentacles do their best to keep whatever they can at bay, at least. Though, he seems a bit hesitant. He can't let the flowers eat any more of him, after all… ]

[simplicitas]

[Tell him what to do...? Ah...]

We need to keep other people safe and kill as many of the flowers as we can. So... if you could help me take some of these out, that would be best. I can cover your blind spots and you can cover mine.

[mooninthewater]

[ Not one to turn down orders, Mizuki's got quite the conflict of interest in his head. Do what Elsword - someonw who's morals are incredibly high and good - tells you to do, or protect him at any cost? If something happens to him... something bad, something awful, something horrible, he won't get those orders anymore. So, so, so he has to be okay. Main objective: Get Elsword to safety. Orders can be followed out after.

There's a brief glitch of Mizuki's form with static and colorful artifacts filling the air for the fleeting idea of a second before he's back and staring Elsword down. It doesn't take him long to hoist him up with a few of the tentacles and pull him away from the flowers. ]

I'll do that, then. [ His way of saying "I'll protect you first." He can't force Elsword to stay when he brings him inside, of course, but he can at least bring him there and hope to whatever gods can hear him that someone will be there to tell him that going out is a stupid idea while he's like that, because Mizuki surely would never. ]

[simplicitas]

Wha—

[PUT HIM BACK OF GROUND—]

Mizuki? Mizuki, I need to be out there—!

[no get scrangled nerd]

[mooninthewater]

[ Doesn't look like he's able to be reasoned with, sorry! Elsword is getting wrangled indoors whether he likes it or not. For what it's worth, Mizuki is still listening. ]

With no disrespect, I can do what you need me to while you rest.