Onward: Red

[voidtreckermods]

The fight lasts a few hours before both sides pull back to tend to their injured and regroup. The humans retreat to the caves where a camp has been made.

The newcomers attract attention, mostly quiet attention. Stares, whispers. But no challenges. They helped after all.

It doesn’t take long for them to be cautiously accepted and they can find place to camp out in the caves. Rests are short, battles long, the humans helplessly outnumbered and yet they hold their ground. As days go by fights happen almost in shifts, the humans try and have a group out making trouble at all times. After all this is about distraction more than winning. Their plan is to hold the goblins’ attention as long as possible.

(OOC: This is designed to be a catchall event post for Red team for threads after the initial fight until the final challenge on day 12.)

Comments

Across the whole week

[knifewithnoname]

In the Battle

The fighting went on and on and yet the goblins never seemed to stop. No matter how many they killed there were more. She could be found on the outskirts of the battle mostly, she knew she wouldn't win a fight with one of these goblins and their flying wolves but she can try and get a lucky hit in.

Alternatively she had bandages. She is getting good at running into the aftermath of attacks and wrapping bandages around people. She knows quite a lot about bleeding, sometimes people were more useful alive and keeping them that way was a useful skill. She had never imagined she would be putting her knowledge to use in this way though.

But she wanted to be a Warrior and so this will be good practice, for if she ever gets back to her world.

In the Caves

The first downpour had been fascinating for her. It rained in Gauig, sometimes. Rarely. But not like this, not like the whole sky was falling down with the weight of the water. She had stood at the cave mouth fascinated.

The novelty had soon wore off. Rain was stupid. It was wet, it was cold. She was wet and cold. Colder than she had ever been in her whole life. Colder even, she thought then when the train had got stuck in space. At least then she had been dry.

One of the fighting women who lived on this world had given her a bundle of horse harness to fix and clean. She suspected it was to keep her away from the fighting but honestly she didn't mind. Battle had been a lot... different than what she had thought. Not that Kant had ever made it sound anything but messy and hard. But knowing a thing and understanding a thing were two different lessons.

She works on the harnesses silently, cloak pulled tightly around her as she shivers in the damp air.

For Peter

They had killed far too many goblins. They should all be dead by now. But there were still more.

She stood, cloak around her, hunched against the rain that was for some stupid reason going sideways and glared down at the goblin camp.

She looked up at Peter, her near constant companion. She figured Tony had told him to stay with her but it's fine. He's useful. He's strong, a good fighter. He talks far too much but she can mostly tune him out if she's in the emptiness.

"Where do you think they do be coming from? Do you be thinking there do be being a bigger camp?"

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter is feeling the heavy guilt of having killed goblins and the villagers have only congratulated him on the matter. It's not really a feeling he likes. Sure he's helping to defend the village and their children but he'd wanted to do it in such away that no one got hurt too badly.

He looks down at his empty webshooters and frowns. If only he'd done as Mr Stark insisted and worked harder on his web fluid. It wasn't like he didn't try at all-he'd gone through so many different combinations back on the train it was enough to make his head spin and he was going to need a new notebook soon. His is filled with all kinds of equations and theories and failed webfluid substitutes.

"Hm?" He looks up from his own thoughts and squints in the distance, focusing his powers more and dialing them us as far as he could get them without it causing discomfort. "I think I see some lights off in the distance." He tells her.

Actually, he'd been wondering that same thing. They'd taken on so many goblins but more and more seemed to just keep spawning like some kind of video game. Except in this case, there's no respawning if you get killed.

"Not a camp, exactly. It's just... the humans have a village right? So who's to say the goblins don't have one somewhere too? If we could find it, we might be able to find out why they want to kidnap kids in the first place. And why is it always the rainy season? If it was to uh-sorry for the idea, Buttercup- but eat the kids then it'd be an all year thing. But it's just the rainy season from what I've gathered."

He really wants to investigate further. He wants to find out why things are happening and stop them because if this has been going on for years then it really needs to stop.

"As soon as the rain lets up uh... a little, want to go with me and see if we can get a few questions answered?"

[knifewithnoname]

She glances at him. She understands enough to know he is being thoughtful about something but she doesn't know much. Maybe he's never been in a battle like this before either. Even though he was much older than her and was Tony's intern.

She squints in the direction he's looking but all she can see is stupid rain. Rain and more rain. But he has good senses so if he saw lights it's probably real.

A goblin village? It was a good theory. She wrinkled her nose, not worried at all about the idea of goblins eating kids. If they wanted to eat her they could try. She would stab them.

"Do we be knowing if there do be being a no rainy season?"

Because there was so much water here, it felt like it never stopped raining. She nodded, smiling a little at the suggestion.

[hashtagparkerluck]

He offers a shrug because really, doesn't know for certain. It's possibly they're in rain forest type area although rain forests tend to be in much more... tropical climate.

"Well, that's a good point." He admits. "But the fact the villagers call it the rainy season leads me to believe there's at least some length of time where it doesn't rain as much." He explains. "So the weather must play a part in this somehow." Probably.

"Wait here, I'm gonna grab some stuff before we head out." Stuff like food. A hooded cloak because hiding his face might be a thing he needs to do later, and a pack to stuff it all in plus a couple of blankets.

He returns in a matter of minutes with some extra stuff and finagles it into a leather bag that he slings over his shoulder and pulls the hood up.

"Okay, pull your hood up and lets go on an epic adventure. Just. hopefully not too epic because we only have a week to do this."

[knifewithnoname]

She would like to see the non rainy season. Maybe they could ask the train to only send them to dry places in the future. Rain was stupid. She waited for him while he went to get the things he needed and then nodded.

"Okay I do be hoping it do be taking much less than a week."

Because otherwise they might starve, not to mention Tony would be furious with them if they were gone that long. She pulled her hood up.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Tony is going to be furious at them either way. There's a reason he's not telling Tony about this excursion. He looks her over a moment, trying to decide if he thinks she'll be warm enough. If not, he can loan her his cloak.

Peter heads to the edge of the cave and glances over where the villagers are all gathered around the fire. Out into the cold to get some answers. He's quiet as they duck away because this is important and he doesn't want to anyone trying to stop him.

Once they're far enough away from the camp he finally opens his mouth again. "So we're gonna keep off main road-that's probably the way the goblins are coming because it's the path of least resistance-so we need to stay hidden. Even with my super strength-that'd be too much for us to handle."

[knifewithnoname]

"I can be hiding, I can be being very quiet as well." A concerned look, she's not sure he can be quiet. But they will have to try. She began walking, spotting a goat track a little above the main pass, it seemed to have plenty of cover, gorse bushes, rocks. It would be a start. She pointed at it silently.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Surprisingly, Peter is able to keep quiet during their stealthy trek to what might be a goblin village. He's got his senses dialed up as far he can, he's trying to pay close attention to even the slightest hint of danger and keeping his hearing focused on any movements he might hear.

It sounds like there might be some goblins on the road a good way ahead so he slows his movements as to cause as little noise as possible. Do goblins talk to each other? They must have some means of communicating. He glances back at Buttercup and motions for her to come a little closer and crouch with him behind a rock.

He pulls out his notebook that's mostly filled with equations and note and flips it to an empty page before writing out. 'We're gonna sit here a minute and see if the goblins talk to each other, okay?'

[knifewithnoname]

She did as he told her, impressed that he had managed to be so quiet so far. She crouches, small and hidden. She's good at this, watching, waiting. Taking in information. She glanced at the notebook and nodded, sit. Listen.

The goblins were flying low, they seemed to use their wolves just to avoid mud. Which was a sensible thing, she thought. They were mostly quiet though there was the odd comment, directions, even a grumble or two about the rain.

All understandable. Most the monsters in her own world couldn't talk, so this was interesting. They hadn't seemed interested in talking to Peter during the battle, like they couldn't understand him. But maybe that's just because they couldn't understand why someone would talk so much in a fight.

Tony's Antics

[runs_on_batteries]

[ooc: I should've made a top level last time, so this is going to be for both.]

Tony had managed to put up with being on a horse and riding up to battle, but once the action started, he gave up on that quickly. He'd been fighting almost non-stop since. He was determined to try and see if they couldn't just save the city instead of let it get destroyed. He'd had some initial hesitations about whether he should question the motives and orders given from the train, but one look at the goblins and that had changed that thought process. He had tried to pay attention to where Wade was in the crowd, since he'd technically agreed to be his partner, but he wasn't too concerned about him. The man looked like he could fight just fine!

It was after he'd been fighting for close to twenty-four hours straight before he'd finally found their base to rest. Everyone was wary of him and his suit, but after explaining it was magical and joking (possibly not obvious enough it was a joke) that he was a god of war, they seemed to accept him much better.

He rested the minimum amount of time he could before getting back to the battle for another ridiculous length of time.

[ooc- Please feel free to bug him at any point during this.]

mid week

[knifewithnoname]

She was shaken awake by one of the fighters. Karla? Kyla? Everyone had strange names but this one was always kind to her and gave her extra stew, she should at least try and remember her name. "Your mister Stark's back. Thought I'd best wake you."

The fighters seemed to have decided Tony was some far off knight or lord or priest or whatever it was that they saw as important on this world. He'd said he was a god, which was blasphemous but a battle was not the time to get mad at him about that. He came from a weird world. They also assumed Peter and her worked for him, which was sort of annoying but also easier than explaining about magical trains.

So it was a very sleepy girl with mussed hair who brought a bowl of stew to Tony a few minutes after he returned.

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony had found a spot to himself, which was difficult to do given how many people had to hide in these damn caves. He'd put away his armor and hoped not too many had noticed how he'd practically dropped to his knees when moving to sit down. He was positively exhausted. It was better than being in these caves though. He wondered why something so long ago was still causing him stress just because it was vaguely similar. He wasn't the captive this time, as he kept reminding himself.

He'd balked at the idea of putting a cloak on his armor when Joss had suggested it, but he was glad he'd brought it along. Drawing it around himself like a blanket, he felt sleep beckoning.

However, he was brought out of his thoughts when Buttercup appeared beside him with something that smelled vaguely like hot dirt in a bowl. He wasn't so tired he couldn't at least give her a grateful smile. She looked cute with her messy hair and sleepy face. "Thank you." He accepted the bowl and before taking a bite, he looked back up at her. "Would you care to join me under this cloak and tell me how you're doing?" The extra body heat- however small she was- would be welcome too.

[knifewithnoname]

She frowned but nodded. As dangerous as he was, he probably wasn't going to hurt her. She'd done nothing to make him mad. She'd even stuck with Peter despite the fact that not even a goblin army could shut him up.

Also it was stupidly cold. So she sat down next to him and pulled the cloak over herself. "I do be being okay, just cold. It did no never be being this cold in Gauig."

It got cold in the mountains where the temple was. Kant had told her once that it often snowed in the winter. Ice-rain that came from the sky. But she couldn't imagine it. If this was how cold normal rain was she didn't want to imagine it either.

[runs_on_batteries]

He'd find it hilarious that Peter had continued to yammer even to the goblins. The boy was exasperating. Buttercup, on the other hand, had been nothing but good since they'd had their differences. He was glad that seemed to be over with, at least for now.

He was glad now he'd opted to add more leather articles of clothing than he had originally. The gloves weren't the best made compared to what he was used to, but they were warm.

"It's a good thing, then, you aren't trying to run around here barefoot." It was a light joke, nothing he'd really expect her to do. He looks down at the bowl in his hand. The food wasn't very good but it was warm and filling, so he couldn't complain too much. As much as he wanted the rest of it, he looked down at Buttercup. "Have you eaten yet?" He offers the bowl to her.

[knifewithnoname]

"I do be wishing I could be, shoes do be being stupid." But she was glad she had decided to wear them, all told. Even if her feet hated them, it would be a lot colder without them. She took them off whenever she could though.

She shook her head, "It do be being for you. You did be fighting lots so you should be eating."

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony chuckles and nods. He was so grateful she was talking to hima gain. "Shoes are stupid. It's a shame they're so useful too."

He was reluctant about it, but after a moment he went back to eating. "Have you and Peter managed to not get hurt?" He was hoping at least she hadn't. Peter, he was less worried about. If the boy got hurt, he could at least heal quickly from it. That is unless he was trying to heal his head being separated from his shoulders.

"When we get home, we might try and do some hand to hand combat practices. Would you be interested in that?"

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, there was her leg but it had just been a cut, they had cleaned it up and it hadn't bled in the last couple of days. But nothing serious and so Tony did not need to know, he would only get scrunch faced mad.

She glanced up at him and nodded, "I would be being." She practised as much as she could but learning and fighting with another person would be useful. She thought she could learn a lot from Tony.

[runs_on_batteries]

He would definitely get all scrunch faced mad, but at Peter, not her. If he wasn't in his metal suit of armor, he would likely have injuries like the rest of them. Fortunately he was blissfully unaware there was any wounds on his kid.

"Is everyone treating you okay? Well.. besides the goblins, of course."

also mid week sometime

[afterburner]

It isn't Renee's intent, but Tony isn't the only one who causes a ruckus. Unlike Tony, however, the redhead just claims that she's a wizard. She can pull enough tricks out of her proverbial sleeve to make it seem like a legitimate claim, so that's what she rolls with.

She also is carrying in two deer--which, when she sees the absolute crowd, makes her face fall a bit. Renee had no idea that there were that many people here--hopefully they'd make the best of her meager offerings. At least she figured out who was cooking quick enough--she really didn't want to spend a whole lot of time here, if she could help it.

Spotting Tony, Renee trotted over and crouched down near him. She really didn't want to call too much attention to herself, but damned if she wasn't going to report since she was here!

"Hey," she offered by way of greeting. "How're things holding up? I brought a bit more food, but I had no idea your crew was gonna be this big." Feels bad, man.

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony had been taking one of his few breaks when she came in. He sat up from where he'd been laying down wrapped in his cloak near one of the fires. The constant fighting and Tony not taking as much care of himself as he should've, he looked haggard. However, they've made great stride so he felt that was more important.

"They're going well," He answered, sort of a lie. As he straightened his hair and the shirt he was wearing, a little silver chain can be seen around his neck that he didn't normally have. "You bringing any food at all is helpful, Renee. How are the other teams doing?"

[afterburner]

"So far, so good." So what? her brain mutters. Renee just makes a face, because he really does look like crap. She's managed a little rest, and so she doesn't look too bad. But there are still bags under her eyes, and she doesn't...look happy, if one can call it that.

"Ignis' team is holding out, I just came from there. I sealed off the tower so they could get some rest, and I brought some food to them, too. I'm planning to do that again. Purple, I left in a cave holed up for the night, and they were all good. I'll head back there to check them out, too, but I wanted to go see how the Orange team was doing, too."

She's not going to make a comment on the chain, though it's definitely something she's seen before...on someone else.

[runs_on_batteries]

"You want to sit for a while?" The crouch she was in couldn't be all that comfortable and he hadn't had much time for socializing while everyone was focused on the battle. He rubbed his hands together and blew on them. He hated being as dirty and cold as he was, but he could handle it.

His attention was on her the moment she started giving the news of the other teams. "How are the kids? Is Ignis being stupid and running himself ragged?" He knows the man is, he didn't really need to ask. He rubbed his face in frustration even before she confirms it. Whenever she did answer, a hand went around the charm at his neck and he sighed heavily. "Thank you, Renee. In your estimation would you say all the teams have the right numbers backing them up for their task?" He had some opinions on that matter, but he wanted her viewpoint since she'd literally just witnessed it.

[afterburner]

"Nah, I don't have time." Well, truth was that she might, Renee could certainly make time, but even with her speed, it still took an hour or so to rocket around and keep an eye on the other teams. She didn't want to waste it and have something bad happen. Something she could have prevented.

"Orange I don't know yet, but I'll ask and see what...um, Curufin thinks when I get there." Or Feanor, not that she knew the elf had done what she'd done and ditched her team for another. She didn't know what had happened to Eva, but she could trust her cabinmate to give a good assessment, if his dad didn't beat him to the punch. "Purple...there's a lot of us, I think there could be some strategic allocation done in the future, depending on the mission requirements. Pretty sure Blue needed all the help I could give them--and no, Ignis might be trying to be dumb, but I told him to sit down and shut up and rest." Not quite in those terms, but she'd butted heads with him, and Renee only partially regretted it. But at least at that point? If she offended the advisor, he'd needed it.

[runs_on_batteries]

He rolled his eyes at her saying no to sitting. If he were honest, he'd be the same way though. He didn't like that he was taking a break now but the goblin army had fallen back and were regrouping too. Besides, he might not being taking excellent care of himself, but he did on some level know he needed the rest and the food.

"What about Eva?" He didn't know she was gone. He had assumed she'd be one of the leaders in the Orange team. "If you can at least see if you can lay eyes on Conan. He's the most vulnerable on that team." He listens to her report about Purple and scowls when she confirms his worry about the Blue. However, that last part makes him laugh. "Good work, Renee. When you're done with Orange, go back to Blue. I'll be a lot more comfortable knowing Ignis has someone competent like you backing him up."

[afterburner]

"I haven't seen her?" Renee shrugged at that. She hadn't really been looking hard either, especially since she wasn't part of Orange and they'd dropped after she had. But she nodded. "I'll ask about Conan, I'd hope that they at least kept an eye on him if he's the most vulnerable." Damn it all anyway, wasn't it bad enough that Blue was full of kids? Kids and Ignis, taking care of them by his lonesome.

"I was planning to go back as soon as I could--if Orange needs food or scouting I'll do that for them first, and then go back to the tower." Though Tony's words made her pause and squint at him.

"Did you hit your head? You just said I was competent, are you sure you're okay??"

Really, Renee's only half serious at this point, but she's gotta keep up the joke.