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sticksandbones2023-04-06 08:03 pm
- !event,
- !tdm,
- elsword: add,
- elsword: elsword,
- final fantasy vii remake: aerith gainsbo,
- final fantasy xv: noctis lucis caelum,
- my hero academia: izuku midoriya,
- nier automata: 9s,
- original: felicity morais,
- original: hyacinth,
- original: rennuid tathviel,
- spy x family: yor forger,
- summertime rendering: shinpei ajiro
TDM 001
Whatever you remember last, something interrupts - be it a fight, a test, a walk, or death itself. All you can recall is a childlike voice (or was it voices?) asking, "Do you want to play with me?" before everything stopped. Your eyelids feel heavy, and the surrounding air is chilled. When you wake up, you and the others find yourselves standing in a makeshift plaza on a foggy morning. In the very center is a well. The water within is cold and clear as can be.
Surrounding the clearing is a ring of what looks to be the foundations of buildings never finished, save for two rather large ones and a smaller one. Only the small building has any light shining from the windows. One is labeled as an inn but has no name, and the other is an imposing, large manor with a red dog quietly scratching at the door. Given the indents on the wood, he's been at it for a very long time. Beyond the buildings is the start of a forest, though it quickly fills up with a fog so thick you can't see through it at all.
The smaller building is simply signed as a general store. A thick figure stands in the doorway, layered in brown and dark red cloaks that cover most of his body, save for brown worker's gloves and his pants. Two blue lights shine from the shadows where his face would be, and they shift as they watch you... before he turns around and takes his seat at the counter of the store. It's open, but he doesn't seem too thrilled.
There's a gap in the fog in the south east corner of it all, and you can hear the flow of water if approached. Trying to force your way through the fog lets you move forward four feet before you hit an invisible wall, while trying to go up- be it flight or climbing- sees you thwarted twenty feet above the canopy with a similar experience. Those above will see only the tree tops and a dense, heavy fog, and a cloudy, cold sun-lit sky. Through your explorations, you can find the start of a gate almost opposite across the clearing of the river, with a somehow familiar sign hanging from it:
Welcome to Aldric's Grove.
The inn is just as empty as the rest of the grove, save for the shopkeeper. Four rooms on the first floor are locked, and won't budge even under force, and their keys are missing from the clerk's counter. On the bright side, there are remaining keys, free to claim - keys to the store rooms, too. The kitchen is large, as one might expect from an inn, but the kitchenware seems a touch out of date, by anyone's standards. The pantry has enough to feed the lot of you for a time, fresh food and vegetables and dried or cured meats, alongside spices and herbs. One could bake if they were so inclined.
There's a lounge room as well, just before the stairs. All the furniture was pushed to the wall for what can be presumed to be cleaning, if the empty bucket and dry mop is anything to go by. In the center of the far wall is an empty fireplace, but there's no firewood to be found.
Upstairs are more rooms, accessible only with keys. It's not perfect, but it's at least a place to stay. There's a bed for two, a small table by the window, a dresser and closet, a very small stove and a private bathroom to each, but everything seems bare... at a glance.
The worst of it is that you know the layout. You've been here before- or... no, that can't be right. Surely you would remember a place like this. Right?
"What you take from the river, you must return." That's what the Shopkeeper says, if you stop by the store before going to the river.
The water rushing over rocks can be heard even from the distance of the grove itself, but upon approach it only seems louder. From what can be seen, the fog has only receded enough to grant access to 30 yards of the river and it's matching banks- after that, only fog and unusually thick bramble patches remain and block off passage on land or water. At it's deepest, the water is four feet deep and the current seems gentle. Fish can be seen swimming through the water, and objects glitter beneath the sand and mud.
Along the riverbanks, scales, small bones and teeth and strange coins marked with canines litter the ground. Keen eyes will note that some of the bones and teeth are that of animals, and some are that of humans. Some, however, are impossible to identify.
Stepping into the water feels relaxing. It's cold yet inviting. The fish swirl around your ankles before darting away, and just for a moment, everything seems like it will be okay.
On the other hand, when trying to cut through the brambles, there's a low rumble from the surrounding woods. Persist, and a vine coils around your ankle, dragging you into the water. That feels less relaxing, most likely.
At some point, there's an unusual sound- earth moving on it's own, old trees parting from their nesting place and rearranging themselves behind the fog. And as the din dies down, the fog parts, showing a thick tunnel of trees and leaves. It might look like something out of a fairy tale, if not for the sickening noises of the bark and wood creaking and writhing slowly. Whether you want to go or not, however, you will find yourself compelled to walk down the road eventually.
The road seems like a brief fifteen minute hike and a near three hour trek at the same time, but when you come to the end, you find yourself still in the woods, still circled by fog, but not the same as the grove. Once enough people are there, the path closes behind you. Keen eyes may spot hollowed out logs, trees with holes beneath the roots or high up above the branches, and large patches of very tall grass. Within the center is a cage with a pinecone shaped button on two opposing sides. Before you can finish taking it all in, however, a soft, cheerful whisper of a voice speaks:
"Let's play! If you win, I'll give you something special. Promise! Here, I'll explain the rules:"
1. Robbers must hide within the arena, and not get caught. Upon being found by the jailer, they have the opportunity to flee. But if they get caught, they get brought to jail.
2. Prisoners cannot free themselves, but free players can by pushing both of the buttons on the cage. This will give everyone a three minute immunity to run and hide again.
3. Players must move every five minutes, or they get caught immediately.
"The game will end if everyone gets caught or if at least one person stays free at the end of the hour."
The voice doesn't elaborate what happens if everyone gets caught- if you lose. Instead, it's jailer steps forward from the shadows, staring at everyone with a featureless face. It resembles a moose-faced centaur made of rusted metal and wood, yet what should be creaky, slow steps are light and agile. You have five minutes to hide. But when it bursts into a run, searching forcefully through grass, leaving cracks in the earth beneath its hooves as it starts to run, there's an unsettling feeling in your stomach: what happens if you get caught at all?
In order to win as a group, 10 threads featuring a successful escape- be it from the monster or from the cage- must be submitted by the end of the month. You may only submit one thread per character, but two characters can use the same thread. If you want to get caught and suffer consequences, or try to fight the monster, please use the "FIGHT OR FLIGHT" comment beneath the submission toplevel. Should the characters win the game, they will get a prize after all submissions have been accounted for!
CLICK TO EXPAND!
❖ A portion of the arena of the game- alongside the hiding spots in that area- are on fire, or destroyed by fire. Kjell forgot they were in the forest when fleeing the jailer.
❖ One of the cutting boards in the inn kitchen is cleaved in half, and the counter has deep gouges in it. Yor was cutting bread.
no subject
For all that had happened to him, Elsword never once lost any of those traits. Add is hurt. Add shouldn't have to be hurt, even if the wound is shallow. Were he not currently still in forest-surgery, Elsword would have already reached down to cover that injury with his hand and heal it. Since Add's so insistent on saving face, it's probably for the best that Elsword is currently unable to do much.
That will change soon.]
It's not "wasting my energy", [he echoes, obstinate as ever,] it's helping a friend. Let me help you.
[this is a THREAT]
no subject
He finishes the second cut on the vine... and then starts on a third cut, rather than pulling the whole thing off. How much longer can he stall before Elsword insists on healing his injuries and realizes there's like, maybe possibly a few more that aren't as obvious?? Only way one to find out.]
And what if someone else needs that help later? We're still in the middle of a dangerous situation. Every little bit could count, you should save your energy in case you need it.
no subject
I'll recover my energy. [He gripes.] You're hurt now, so if we come across more danger, you're just going to get hurt worse. The monster I destroyed reformed. What are you gonna do if it attacks you again? What if I'm not there to protect you?
[Checkmate have that protagonist logic, also let him fix you, his heal is only 200mp—]
no subject
[piling on the sweetness... but can he stretch this out to a FOURTH cut?]
no subject
Now that he's free of the forest's grasp (while it screams at him, and presumably also shouts in Add's ear that he needs to leave him there), Elsword takes a half-step forward and crouches in front of Add. His hand is already flying out to the cut on Add's side, and he knows that Add is going to try a tactical escape, so his other hand reaches for his friend's beltloop, where he hooks a finger through it. Sit, boy.]
Protecting you includes now, you know.
[Some distant memory in the back of his mind says Add doesn't know. The soft golden glow of Elsword's magic surrounds him while he works — he doesn't quite have the fine motor control to localize it, the guy's kind of a walking nuke at all hours. Little El sigils float toward the cut, and if Add's on his Best Behaviour, they'll hit him and heal him with little worry.]
I want to take care of you, too.
no subject
That's not necessary— [the tiniest crack, his mask is slipping—he has to stop struggling before it slips any more. He clears his throat instead, hand pointedly held up close to his face. At this angle, Elsword probably can't see...]
... I wasn't done looking at your arm. Next time, at least give me a moment to finish the treatment.
no subject
You can look when I'm done. [For all he'd lost, his stubbornness remains.] It won't take much longer. ...You're not hurt elsewhere, right?
[He'll go obliterate that fucking moose again he don't care— but when he asks that question, his eyes dart to look at Add's face. Do not lie to him, he can smell your fear.]
no subject
[too irritable, too sloppy, is he really that easy to fluster? Add sighs, glancing away when their eyes meet. He's resigning himself to a loss in this battle... at least it's only Elsword.
He fidgets with the knife in his other hand, weighing his options once more. Elsword is bound to find out on his own, so... tactically, it's better to give the truth. He allows his cheery mask to dissipate, sore facial muscles relaxing into something tired and neutral.]
... just scrapes and bruises. Nothing deep. A few rough patches of forest, a couple hard landings. I'll have splinters to pick out later, but I'm more annoyed at the damage to my clothing, frankly.
[even if he sews it back up it'll still look bad, ugh... if only he had self-healing cloth, too.]
no subject
Perhaps someone in town knows. Surely that shopkeeper, or one of the people he met earlier...
It's unimportant now, and as that gash in Add's side finally closes, Elsword moves to look for other surface-level injuries. It seems most are hidden away underneath clothing, though.]
I can help you with the splinters, [he offers casually,] we can head back into town and do it at the inn. Someone there might know how to fix your clothes, too.
[...]
It'll be faster if we fly.
[what happened to "you can look at my wrist when I'm done" elsword—]
no subject
Anyway, Add is squirming again. Poking and prodding is fine when he's doing it for a medical examination, but when Elsword is doing it to him... is Elsword going to stick his hands under Add's clothes to check each little hidden injury? It'd actually be a lot faster if all his injuries were outwardly visible, in that sense, but...
well, there are aspects of it that he finds he doesn't dislike. but it's still uncomfortable, and slow, and he can't check Elsword's wrist while he's being opened up like an Addvent Calendar.]
Before we do that... [the moment he reaches a little too high Add snags him by that wrist, squeezing just a little too tightly—this is how he tests to see if it's broken. he's going to be really mad if it's broken.] Is there any discomfort? Numbing? It looked like it may have twisted its way under the gauntlet, so I'm going to remove it and check.
no subject
Yes, Elsword is sticking his hands up where they probably don't belong, getting as far as beginning to pull the edges of Add's shirt up when he's stopped — and his normally-inexpressive face twists into something pained at the squeeze. Elsword is quick to course-correct himself back to looking vacant, but Add's observant, so it's likely too late for him.]
That's not fair, [he protests, as he might've when they were kids — when Add wouldn't let him ride Dynamo and would race ahead of him — with 100% less zest for life in his tone.] Obviously it hurts when you squeeze like that.
[It's a poor defense. There are bruises forming on his skin in a pattern consistent with fractures, dark and purple, and the skin is not only hot to the touch but swollen.
If Add observes closely, he might see the smallest bit of black vine underneath Elsword's skin, just barely sticking out, an almost-imperceptible bump.]
no subject
Yeah, that feels pretty fucking broken. He's smiling again but in a passive-aggressive, threatening sort of way. At least he's being gentle now, drawing in a dynamo to get a scan of the internal damage, a small holoscreen forming to his right. Sure is a big red mark over Elsword's wrist on the diagram, as well as...
Hm.
His smile starts to wane again, attention focused on the data. He taps at his screen.] Knowing you, it'd probably take days to heal a fracture like this. You're always trying to rush things through, but you can't do that when it comes to injuries. You'll only end up breaking it again if you keep acting so recklessly...
[he's more concerned about the bit of Something under Elsword's skin, though. like any good scientist would, he's going to poke it with the butt of his knife.]
no subject
[Stubborn to the last... Elsword focuses momentarily on Add's screens, but the information flickering there is unimportant to him. It also doesn't make much sense, he's not a doctor, he's just a sentient piece of a holy rock.
At the very least, what he can do to be useful — since this is a losing battle — is help Add get that gauntlet off with his not-broken wrist. If only he were closer to the El, he'd have regenerated somehow by now...
Anyway, Add pokes the small bit of black vine, and it doesn't do much. It doesn't try to disappear under his skin, doesn't move, and there's no real sign it's even alive just based on a cursory tap. Elsword, naturally, grunts out a pained noise because what it is near to is his very broken bones, so anything that pushes that bit of vine in further is Going to hurt.]
Better me than you anyway, right?
[no Elsword that's not how this works—]
no subject
[It's difficult to get a clear scan with all the flesh and bone in the way, but... it's enough for him to be concerned. The Something is buried, too deep for a simple extraction. If he wanted to remove it...]
We'll have to perform surgery. [spinning his knife around for a second like he might literally start operating in the middle of the woods, but thankfully, he's not that crazy. he'll instead hold it out for a dynamo to swap for some gauze. we're wrapping that bitch up] It's not ideal, but it'll be simpler to wait until after to expedite repairs. You'll need to be careful with it until then. No heavy lifting, no climbing, report to me immediately if you notice anything odd or uncomfortable. That means no sword fighting, either—consider this a lesson in patience. Doctor's orders.
no subject
[He can't not get hurt, if he doesn't get hurt others get hurt. That's how that works.
Despite the biting sarcasm — delivered flatly, as always, though hopefully it comes across as teasing as he'd want it to be otherwise — Elsword can only nod. What's he supposed to do? Start climbing a tree to prove something? Right now, there's no point; even he has awareness that he needs to keep out of trouble if he intends to keep Add out of it. It's still frustrating either way. The briefest, dullest flash of that frustration wells up in his chest before being immediately snuffed out like candlelight.
Elsword looks past Add's shoulder through the trees, watchful for any danger or lingering moose-monsters. When the coast is clear, he speaks up again.]
We should go back to town, then. You're injured, too, and you didn't let me finish looking you over.
[ >:( ]
It'll be faster if we fly. I don't need my arm to do that much.
["Doctor's orders" and all that.
Unless Add is fast enough to hop on Dynamo and gun it, Elsword will pick him up with his good arm. Not like luggage, but rather by crouching and looping his arm around the good doctor's thighs in such a way that, when Elsword stands again, Add will be sitting on his forearm.
Or he can run before Elsword has a chance to continue the heroics, who knows, maybe they can race—]
no subject
[He sighs, tying off the dressing. He'll probably end up sitting through a check-up regardless... but only to dissuade Elsword from nagging him later. It's not a lie, this time, so there's nothing to worry about.]
Flight should be acceptable, so long as you don't strain yourself. Dynamo-- [is as far as he gets before being picked up unexpectedly, drones crowding around the pair of them. Add makes a very undignified squeak, voice a little too shrill when he tries to protest]
I can fly by myself just fine, thank you!! [he is NOT flailing to free himself but he sure wants to, its tempting, no one else is around to see]
no subject
You said you had splinters. [This point has absolutely nothing to do with flying; it's more of a warning that he is going to help Add scout those out and remove them as soon as they're back.] Hang onto me. I can't use my other arm right now. It's either this, or I throw you over my shoulder.
[The smirking continues. Once Add is secured, if he actually holds on or not, it's a simple matter of calling forth Sephira's wings. The six of them beat powerfully to build lift, kicking up loose soil and dead leaves on the forest floor (and probably blowing Add's hair around to boot, hold onto your hat). Taking to the skies officially is done with a crouch and a jump like a lion leaping, and then they're off.
It's a short flight. For all that ceremony, it's literally three minutes out of their day, and Elsword comes to land right in front of the inn without further fanfare. At which point, he'll be nice and set Add down before they go in.
You know. Wouldn't want to embarrass him by having people inside see them.]