Swirling Consequences Start

[voidtreckermods]

On day Seven of the Month of Quicksand as passengers are beginning their day there is an announcement over the ICP system. “Attention voidtreckers and passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. Please give your attention to the following message from the void ministry.”

A blurring of the screen and it fades into a video of an elderly woman, skin a swirl of purple and blue sat behind a dark wooden desk hands folded neatly in front of her.

“Greetings crew of the Voidtrecker Express. I am commander Orlaith of the void ministry. As you will be very aware, you were recently involved in a dangerous and somewhat foolish experiment of the tethering system which we assume was initiated by your voidcraft. We received your call for emergency assistance, and were able to stabilise your craft enough to allow it to focus on ensuring crew safety. We are under the understanding that it was a crew member who used the emergency signal given by the Inspection Arm of the ministry, and that member should be commended. So too should you all, for we have reports that the crew of the Voidtrecker Express took part in a risky and difficult anchoring task to ensure the safety of all. As ever, the crew of the Voidtrecker Express exceed expectations for a crew with no formal training.

However, in less positive news, the actions of your Voidcraft have had a ripple effect throughout the void. Worlds that are non void active have reports of seeing void activity in their skies, with residents reporting dreams and uneasy feelings. In void active worlds there are more serious incidents. We have voidcrews in thousands of systems working towards stabilising the void access points.

We understand that after such an ordeal, your crew may be exhausted however we do need your help. System #5739 is a hub world that is extremely void active. It is used to weathering void storms and the barrier between the world and the void is thin. However, it is currently experiencing an unprecedented amount of void activity and world bleeding effects. We need a team to go in and help the citizens there, clearing out any issues and helping stabilise things from within.

The people there know about the void, and are used to void travellers. However, try not to stir up any extra trouble.” The last sounds almost exhausted. Their reputation may precede them.

The video ends.

I assume no one has any objections as voidtreckers have chosen to work with the Void Ministry. Please see your mission briefs. This is not a catastrophe mission."

They have a couple of hours before landing, a few hours to study their briefs and prepare for what is to come. Teams might chat, people might give out equipment gathered over the months, some of the passengers who have been on the train since the very early days of the month of Apple may have advice to give.

Either way a couple of hours later there is another announcement. “Shortly arriving at System #5739. Exiting the void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one...”

---

SWIRLING CONSEQUENCES: START

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WEARY WANDERER ~ FOREST ~ SCRUBLANDS ~ FARMLANDS ~ COMMS

QUICKSAND 7-10 ~ TEAM OBJECTIVES ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ OTHER DETAILS
ASK QUESTIONS ~ SHENANIGANS ~ TEAM PLOTTING ~ MISSION TASKS/REWARDS

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ARRIVAL

The train shakes as the view of the void leaves its windows, giving way to a cloudy and wet sky in its descent. There's a small bump, and they land on a set of tracks that lead them uphill. Grassy mounds can be spotted on either side, occupied by sheep, goats, and the occasional six legged antelope grazing. In the farther distance are secluded farm houses, or small clusters of buildings.

Things don’t seem so bad, until the clouds spark with colour that sends animals running, far skittish for anything they're used to.

The sparse hills give way to more trees as the train weaves through them, until finally comes to a stop at a small station, no more than a raised platform in the woods. With a sigh, the train doors open, and passengers can walk out into the clearing. Once everyone who wishes to leave disembarks, the train sets off once again, flying up into the air and out of sight.

"Oh good. You’re here!"

Looking over, voidtreckers will spot a young girl at the edge of the clearing.

"Ma said we should expect some void heroes any day now. She’s put some stew on."

And she’s off. For any who wish to follow her, she leads them to an inn, The Weary Wanderer written on a sign. It’s a large inn, larger than might be expected in such a remote place, and the innkeeper Albany quickly organises rooms and food for any who wish it.

“Well, there’s a whole lot more of you than there was.” She takes in the group after Maia explains that they are from the Voidtrecker Express. “Storms are getting worse, we’re getting reports of stampedes, landslides and monsters coming through the colours.” She explains. She has some maps of the area and happily allows her main common room to be turned into a planning station. She’s clearly used to void travellers.

THE WEARY WANDERER

The inn has a large and open floor, the entrance close to where a fire crackles, chairs and a table beside it. To the right are places for eating, and kitchen doors that lead in and out, while to the left is where a counter separates another route to the kitchen, and to the family's own private quarters. By here too are the stairs leading up into the bedrooms, with some also available on the ground floor.

There's enough room for the voidtreckers to squeeze into the front at once, and the tables can be joined to create a more team atmosphere.

The problems are everywhere it seems. Farms need help, dralite chicks need rescuing, and their parents reassured before they go on a murderous revenge spree. Voidtreckers can stay or plan or jump right into things - the forest and scrublands are the closest to reach with both behind the inn, while the farmlands will take half a day to reach. Alabany will mark on the maps where to go for the farmsteads, or ones she knows about, and allow her inn to be used as an intiial base.

For those whose skills lie more in cooking and maintaining camp, she will happily take their help in the kitchens, or suggest They go down to the nearest farmsteads and lend a hand there. It'll take about half a day on foot to reach the nearest few, but many hands are needed. They will have better tools for moving debris and making repairs; she has a few, but not enough for everyone, and she'd rather they be used around the forest if anywhere. She needs those!

Albany will warn about the dralites, and to plug your ears if you're going through the forest. Their screeching can stun and slow people even at a distance, and with everyone worked up, it makes it hard to get through. They happen to like bugs, and a fruit called matts - similar to dates, fruits that grow off certain small trees in the forest.

---

YELLING HEIGHTS: FOREST

Location of: Dralites, young and old, their nests; monkeys, voidblobs (uncommon), fruit cups and purple stars. Displaced people.

The Yelling Height's forest reach spreads far, wrapping around the lower third of the great Ciyesia mountain and its budding fellow heights, with trees as tall as redwoods making up most of its wood. This gives plenty of space for travellers to move through, but the treetops create thick canopies that shroud the world below, the dots of penetrating light visible in contrast. Against some trees can be found what look like bushes, and there's plenty of them around, along with moss; but looking closer, these have hollow middles, made up of pin needles, twigs, feathers and all sorts. Some have been ruined, some have eggs inside.

High-pitched cries can be heard echoing, but it can be hard to tell how far, or what distance they come from - there's too many, making what should sound distressing, sound like a racket. While there's paths that can be followed, some of the wood has fallen, with ways disturbed by rubble that's tumbled all this way down from the mountain. There are signs to aid - those that haven't been knocked over - to give some sense of direction. Still this wood is hard to navigate, and Voidtreckers will want to be careful about rushing in without a plan. Trouble lurks in all manners...

Dralites can be found scattered around this forest, big and small - Albany will tell them as much. The youngest are easy to locate, unable to fly, and make a lot of noise. Slow-moving and dragging their heavy wings, they need help moving with any speed. They can be found alone, or attracting the attention of the great chinchillas or monkeys (who see them less as prey, and more as something to bully and take out their frustrations on).

Some will accept help from the first person that approaches them, jumping on them and wrapping their wings around their neck or head, clinging on and accepting them as their ride. They will need to be returned to their nests, and will reject any nests that aren’t theirs. It'll be very similar to escorting a toddler, often throwing screeching fits if they don’t think their helper is trying hard enough, which can make it difficult for people to move around.

They are hard creatures to please, even so more the adults who are furious that their nests have been disturbed. As large as a sheep with larger wings and powerful talons they might just swoop down and grab smaller unsuspecting voidtreckers and carry them to their nests as workers to help fix them. Some of these adults may be near their nests, or will be seen swooping around above-head at startling speeds, searching for their young.

There are eggs that have gone missing too. A place they can hatch safely is essentia, since they can easily become pray or be snatched by the monkeys who live in the forest and steal from the inattentive.

As well as helping the dralites, there are herbs that can be collected here. Purple Stars are leaves that grow at the top of tall trees. These can be found deeper into the forest, and are different from the other trees by their branches only growing at the very top, their bark stripy. They will need to be climbed, or flown up to - not getting startled by adult dralites is essential, or becoming target practice to the monkeys. They have rocks.

Deep in the most dampest sections of the fores, Fruit Cups grow in a tangle around spider plants, that will ensnare the unwary into it’s sticky grip. For every few flowers, there's a wide trapping of the spider plants, vines impossible not to get stuck to. But as difficult as they are to collect, they are useful, and the potions they make will be handy to the communities that require help. Some voidblobs have gotten trapped here too, and they'll become active once people get close.

---

YELLING HEIGHTS: SCRUBLANDS

Location Of: Farm animals, some voidblobs, great chinchillas, farmers in need; ruined paths, craggle leaf. Some dralites, mostly adult. Displaced people.

The trees eventually give way to a mix of rock and dirt, stone jagging up from the ground underfoot that travellers will need to watch out for. Vegetation is littered around, patches of shrubs as often easy to catch the eye as grazed grass poking out around mossy-coated stone. There are paths, or were, but only the remains of them can be found, the area reshaped by landslides.

Animals can be found isolated or in some groups, spooked by any newcomers around, and the odd shepherd trying their best to get their herds under control. But there's further trouble than blocked paths to deal with - because these jobs can never be simple.

The farmers' plans are to bring the grazing animals back down to the lower ground and to their farms, but they'll need help clearing up paths and guiding them off the mountain and back to their farmsteads. Not only will it mean moving debris and locating animals, it will also mean protecting them from the predators in the area - and other trouble.

The horned goats, often a worry on these slopes, have grown even more aggressive. They ram into herds and farmers alike, even attempting to send them rolling. They need driven off, away from the herds. The chinchillas are also more aggressive, running rampage through the hills and attempting to down the livestock and to take them back to their nests.

There will also be sightings of the voidblobs for the more unfortunate, dubbed such by the locals. Gelatinous and luminescent, they are a mess of what were likely multiple creatures that have been fused together, patches of fur and teeth and claws held together with thick veins of colour. They attack indiscriminately and without reason, and are difficult to take down, never responding to blows of any type. You only know when they're taken out by when they stop moving - otherwise, they will continue.

During the first night there is a disturbance on Ciyesia. Trees are felled, the mountain seems to rumble and more animals flee, spilling panicked down the mountain to the farm lands below. For whatever aid is giving to the area on the first day, this event causes more damage to the surrounding areas.

---

LOWER LANDS: FARMLANDS

Location of: Voidblobs (common), great chinchillas, a few horned goats; ruined pathways, farms in need; people to craft balms and potions, access to tools.

While not as high as the Ciyesia mountain, nor as shrouding as the blanketing forest, the rolling countryside shows its sloping and uneven distance, varying fields split by tones and sandy paths - or what should be sandy paths. But the damage to the earth is noticeable, chunks of the various mounds ruined, broken at parts. You can see trouble, ensuing or approaching, just by looking around long enough.

And the biggest trouble will be reaching it.

Buildings squeeze against fields and fencing, separated far from anyone that could be called a neighbour. But there's a few of what can be called villages, where trades are conducted and visitors are sure to stop. There's usually a singular inn, but people looking to call on the help of a void traveller to help with this mess. They can promise hot meals and some goods in exchange, but first needs to come the help.

Though moving the herds closer to the farms is a sensible idea that doesn’t mean the farmlands themselves are safe. Landslides have cut communities off, some of the chinchillas and horned goats have made their way down the mountain and angry dralites stalk the plains looking for their young.

The shaking of the earth and the landslides have caused damage and debris. Trees have been felled bolders moved, barns and houses have been damaged. There’s a big clean up operation required. Farmers have wheelbarrows and shovels and Albany has some more that can be borrowed. It will require a team effort to clear the roads and make sure essential supplies get where they are needed.

Most of the farms and villages have protections in place, but they are overstretched and exhausted. Villagers take turns patrolling, protecting the herds and the people from creatures should they be goats, chinchillas or the new and terrifying void blobs.

Extra people to set up perimeters are very welcome, as are those who can drive the creatures back into the forests. It’s not just the homes themselves that need protecting but also the paths between them, so voidtreckers and others can deliver supplies to the further afield communities.

Making the herbal remedies will mean finding the right people for it, but locating the villages is a good bet. Tinctures and teas are the best method, boiling the plants and breaking them down over hours. Even if you're not experienced, people being around to help monitor the pots and bottle them will be helpful. The craggle leaf are good as they are to feed upset livestock, but also as medicine, for helping against the voidstorm's headache-inducing effects.

---

FROM THE VOID...

DISPLACED PEOPLE: Once or twice a year, people can be found in the Yelling Heights, wandering around dazed and confused, hailing from a whole other world. Since these storms have begun there have been at least two a day, perhaps more that have yet to be found. They have no memory of arriving, some might not even have memories of who they are, or where they come from.

For now they need found, gathered in once place and care given to them.

VOIDBLOBS: The voidblobs, as they have been dubbed by those who have seen them, are truly monstrous creatures. Perhaps once multiple creatures they have been fused together, a mess of fur and teeth and claws held together with thick veins of colour these creatures have one instinct and that is to kill.

They are rampaging, strong in their urge to destroy. Fighting them is difficult as nothing seems to slow them down until they die, it’s hard to know how hurt they are and injury doesn’t seem to stop their brute strength or will to kill. They rarely will stop and fight either, requiring a team just to keep up with them as they will lash out and fight but keep rampaging on, drawn towards groups of people or creatures. They can be found anywhere.

VOIDTEARS: For now, it's Red Team's task to find these tears and secure a perimeter on them - a difficult enough job that will take the first few days of the mission. They aren’t visible except in the storms, and so finding them requires braving them, where the wind sings with void music, rain pouring with hail, and a strong sense of unease growing until it too unbearable to endure. But the exact point of the tears must be found: a spot where the kaleidoscope of colours shines down onto any under it, only visible in that area.

STORMS: These are scattered around the lands, never moving despite the clouds that do. In the storms, the voidtears pulse with colour. Being near them is uncomfortable, and there is always the risk of a voidblob coming through. Being near the voidtears for too long even outside of voidstorms will lead to headaches, and so it is wise to rotate who is guarding them.

THE FIRST NIGHT: Late into the first night, there will be loud noises, the earth rumbling and a worrisome show of lights as the full moon hangs in the sky above. There may be word from fellow voidtreckers what's going on, but either way, this disturbance will bring out trouble into the night, breaking fencing and some buildings that were on their last legs.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions ~ Shenanigans ~ Tasks Check-In & Mission Rewards
This log lasts for 7-10 Quicksand, with the next log going up on the 21st March (11 Quicksand). Please remember that we will be determining the progress of the mission by task objectives being fulfilled, so PLEASE visit the task objectives toplevel and let us know what your character has been working towards! We accept handwaves (especially if your character is around but you're on hiatus), but actual thread links will count more towards success!

An extra list of prompts for ideas, arranged by team (click):

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RED TEAM

You've either wandered into a group of voidblobs or see some approaching. They're annoying on their own, but as a group, they can cause serious damage.

The voidstorms are easy to find by the literal storms they bring, but the tears themselves? They're a pain to, only visible once you're right under them. How will your character persevere in the search? Flying, if you can, might seem the quickest option, but a closer level to the sky seems to make the headaches and disorientation worse.

You've somehow been convinced into fixing up a fence during watching the perimeter. Yes yes, that's important, but the area is clear for now, and what if an animal gets loose? More hands will get this done quick.

BLUE TEAM

What kind of people will you find out there in the wild? Someone desperate for an offer of aid, or someone suspicious, distrusting? Are they even human, or some other race - or sentient object?

The dralites aren't good at in any way but wailing. But their eggs are unique, obsidian in appearance. So if you see a monkey carrying any such thing, or see one being carried by a great chinchilla - that's no lucky lump of goal. That's your way of calming down the ticking time bombs of angry parents.

PURPLE TEAM

Farm work isn't your chore, but the farmers need all their herds before they go anywhere, so you're getting involved whether you want to or not.

Make a good impression on the farmers, and they're likely to help you out. Need to borrow tools? Or can you convince the farmers to let you and your friends borrow some, passing them onto the people who need them?

ORANGE TEAM

Herb collection is hard enough with tall trees and spider plants but watch out for the monkeys who want to steal the prize.

Once herbs are collected they can be made into potions. They aren't too difficult to make and Albany has recipes if asked.

Herbs aren't the only things monkeys want, there's a group converging on a dralite nest, those eggs look very shiny.

ALL TEAMS

Distance is a real concern. Who will go where, where are places and people in need? Scouting is a good idea, and so is organising who will be best, where. ... or, you can just go and do your own thing.

Image Sources: Top header - Tavern - Farmlands - Void coours

Comments

[acapriciousthing]

She does notice the little twitch. Her job requires her to be pretty good at reading what others are feeling. Even if it's mostly distress in a work context.

"Well out of my jurisdiction here." That usually sets people a bit at ease.

She opens up the rucksack. "This should hold plenty if you want to do the picking." She's still just... sitting on the branch.

[blue_ice]

Seto freezes for a few seconds and stares. Oh...hello, Wash. Sir. Fellow passenger he's been trying to make a better impression on after that first mess. Seto's expression is very 'kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar' right now, but Athena didn't tell him he could stop. So he resigns himself to petting her until she's ready to leave.

"She hounded me until I joined the group and ate," he admits, gently rubbing her head between the ears. "I fed her some of my meal. It was only meat and rice."

Any feelings of unease don't last long. Athena's presence is soothing. "Did you just adopt her, or reunite here? I don't remember seeing her before."

[yondu]

Nothin' like balancing the scales between 'not wanting to hurt your friend' and 'not wanting to be ineffectual'. So he does what he has to. He's assuming, of course, that Vegeta's just going to barrel past him. He gets out of the way, but uses the chance to get a real good look at where the gaps in his armor are, what tender bits he can hit.

He whistles again and this time the arrow zips in the armhole of his armor, tearing and ripping around under there. Not through his skin- it's too tough for that. Like striking stone, really. But it's still enough to sear and burn with its force, the smell of sizzled hair and trails of smoke billowing out of it.

He's going to make one less layer for Trunks to fight through, dammit.

[light_of_willpower]

Trunks appreciates it, as he's pondering the situation. He needs to keep Vegeta from advancing... Especially away from the Inn.

The ground! Trunks smirks to himself, and watches where Vegeta's going to step. Before aiming a large burst of ki in that direction. HFIL, to add to the pressure Trunks is flying closer while still aiming that blast, to make a giant crater in the ground right as the Oozaru would step in it.

Bracing himself for impact, since this means Trunks is in danger of being stepped on too. Arms up, still glowing brightly in Super Saiyan 2, in addition to the uneven ground---Trunks pushes up. Hopefully this'll knock him back a bit, maybe off his feet too.

[yondu]

"Yeah, you been pretty good about that. You an' the angel both."

And really he should take them up on it. Not because he's in some kind of dire straights. He needs to just grab a damn bottle of some drink or another and come over and just be decent to them. He's unloaded on poor Aziraphale enough, and Crowley's granted him enough good twists of fate that they deserve something nice that maybe they can't miracle up themselves.

He chuckles at the story of sleeping a whole century, though. There's some scrub ahead of them, but Yondu makes it get out of the way. Those plant powers he picked up on Diagad being good enough to at least make them shift so its less of a tripping obstacle.

"How'd it feel? Sleepin' a whole century?"

[renegadeprince]

They act as a good 'one two' together; the quick and skittering annoyance of that arrow instantly stopping Vegeta in his step, roaring out his anger his mass swung this way and that, trying to dislodge it. It was certainly more than enough of a distraction to take away attention from Trunks' plan, his balance instantly thrown off despite his tail lashing out to try and keep it, no doubt mowing down any tree that was in the vicinity of it's arch, before he goes crashing down to the ground.

And he is certainly not happy about it, and about to make it very apparent; letting loose a thundering cry of rage, and a wave of ki blasting out. It's more a push than an attack, to throw everything back away from him as he pulled himself back up out of the ground, roaring up into the night air before searching for just what had attacked him.

[yondu]

This is a dangerous place to be and that ki blast knocks him off his feet, a hail of debris not helping. It's good that he armored up that coat or the damage would have been worse, and he uses the shielding from the gauntlet to deflect as much as he can. Point is, no broken bones yet. The air's still in his lungs. And as long as Yondu has a breath in him, he can still fight.

For that brief instant Vegeta will find respite from the belligerent annoyance. As soon as he can start bein' a little turd again though, Yondu's on it, the arrow zipping around, burning hot trails on the inside, catching and tearing and searing fluffy ape hair and igniting lining.

He starts back up the hill, trying to find another place with decent cover.

[yondu]

Yondu thinks about it long and hard, before he reaches into the holster on his arm and pulls out a knife. It's candy colored, of all things, shaded like a lollipop and like it should be made of hard sugar. It's a gift that he values, though, and he tosses it into the ground near Aden's fit.

Mid-toss, it seems to split into five different knives. It's an illusion, when thrown. Making it hard to tell which is the real one.

"Get it back to me after the mission's over. It might not look it but it's a solid weapon. It should help ya out plenty." Who knows, it might give him some ideas for armor and weapon requests when they get back. But he's not gonna leave someone who needs it unarmed.

"It's been real quiet out there but you're right, I don't trust it to stay that way. You need somethin'."

[unrecovered]

He doesn't miss that freeze - it's pretty pronounced - but he doesn't comment on it either. Seto will relax eventually, or he won't - it's up to him regardless, and Wash commenting won't help.

(Though, between Wash and Athena, Wash is the least likely of the two of them to bite.)

"She does that," he says instead. "She got on my case until I got food, and I guess she decided that she needs to do that to everyone else too." He shrugs. "She's my familiar, actually - I couldn't summon her on the train, but I could here, so she's sticking around as long as the magic lasts." Or until she takes a pretty good hit, but he's not advertising that to anyone who doesn't already know it.

In Seto's lap, Athena gives another mrah and shoves her head into Seto's hand. Right there. Between the ears. Yes. Good.

[yondu]

"Not enough luck. Just enough to get a whole lotta 'I don't know'. But I don't know how this three point tether thing can work when one of the points don't even exist anymore. We got these articles, though, remember? Ones from the Ministry when they was warnin' us about train stuff. One of the stories was about some Collector wantin' a sun god up his sleeve-"

And man, is there one of those in every universe?

"Which means that somebody figured out how to tether people against their will and abduct them entirely that weren't the train. So I wanna find out more about that case."

Even if he feels like he's sifting through garbage at a landfill for a diamond ring. "I guess in the spirit of actually makin' some progress, I'm thinkin' of makin' some practical requests concernin' items we need. You got any suggestion in terms of rescue equipment or somethin'?"

[unrecovered]

There's a hot second where Wash wants to push this guy back from the voidblob - if that thing gets back to its feet, he doesn't need to be doing defense and triage - but he fights it down when the blob does not move upon being poked.

(This is when the horror movie jump scare would happen, if there was going to be one.)

(There isn't one.)

(He breathes.)

"Because it's a last resort, not an opening salvo." It's a flat answer - he didn't read any insult in the question, so he doesn't bother putting any in his answer. "What was yours?"

[unrecovered]

Sitting up tends to trump her relaxing place, and she shifts to hop down when he scruffs her-

The purr immediately becomes a low, warning growl. Watch what you do with that hand buddy or you are going to lose it-

Oh. He's putting her down in his lap. That's fine.

The growl subsides as abruptly as it had started as she settles into his lap, though the purr doesn't start up again quite yet. She's still miffed at being moved like a disobedient kitten.

[10billionpercent]

"I don't know makes me all the more interested in the answer." Senku admitted, but then again that was his whole existence thus far.

"Wouldn't mind running into the Ministry again sometime soon." Senku admitted. "For those questions, and others. I'd like to get a clear picture on how one becomes void-active and how the void travel works. We're tethered to this train, but if the train is not independently behind it which is a possibility considering the AI comes from programming..." Whether or not it was operating under programming now was another question, and one likely the train couldn't answer. "Could be like that story, and be able to control our trajectory would be beneficial, would it not?"

Senku thought so at least, but those were the kinds of things he thought about on a regular basis.

"We have a decent supply when it comes to medical supplies, and food, it's finally expanding a little bit and added more variety. That was a help. What would be beneficial is everyone having a survival kit of sorts, but I'm not sure how much that would cost, although we can vote on things...hm, maybe I could request that as an option. There's things I carry on me that everyone should have, like a knife and some rope, some way to create a fire..that kind of thing."

They were things that had other uses, at least.

[redprayer]

Rezo crouches on the ground, both to make it easier to reach the small animal, and so he will hopefully appear less intimidating. He outstretches his arms and makes gentle coaxing noises; the creature’s wobbly footsteps get closer, and when he can almost touch it, he casts:

“Recovery.”

His hands glow with white light, bathing the lamb in healing energies. When he’s done, the lamb takes a few tentative steps sideways. This time its foot is able to properly touch the ground as it does.

[redprayer]

“An astral offensive spell.” He generally prefers those over other forms of magic when it comes to combat; astral magic is tidier, which is an important consideration for a guy who can’t see the tripping hazards he makes from blowing things up the regular way. “Given that it didn’t appear to have much of an effect, I wonder if that indicates these creatures are detached from this world’s astral side.”

Rezo is now kneeling by the dead voidblob’s side, although he is not going to touch it with his bare hands. Being closer to it isn’t providing much insight, admittedly. It certainly smells burnt, though.

“By the way, it didn’t injure you, did it?”

[redprayer]

There’s something about Tidus’s energy that strikes a quiet chord with Rezo, like it’s reminding him of something that he can’t quite place. Maybe it’s just the various younger people he’s worked with before. He’s known mercenaries and sorcerers in their adolescences and their twenties with similar temperaments.

At any rate, that’s not important. The two of them have a mission to discuss the logistics of.

“...I believe sheep can move at a variety of speeds,” Rezo says, uncertainly. He’s not unfamiliar with animals per se, but they’ve never been his primary responsibility. “They’re fast sprinters.”

If they need someone to go slow, Rezo at least is inclined that way. Rezo’s natural walking pace is fairly sedate, albeit tempered by the fact he’s a tall enough person that his steps are slightly longer than average.

[unrecovered]

It would be a solid enough explanation if he weren't pretty sure that the astral side this guy is talking about is different than the astral plane he got to be familiar with on Faerun. "It looks like a Greek mythology monster that got here via the Event Horizon. I think it's barely connected to itself, let alone anything else." Though if this guy decides to give the blob a full autopsy, he's leaving.

"Couple of bruises, maybe. Nothing big."

From further back in the field, Athena meows loudly. Hey! She found your gun!

[irrationally]

We have to close them so we can leave here, right?

[ Is this a very productive attitude?

.. maybe. Maybe not. Emporio is right that it's much better to deal with these things with a group of people, after all. But Alice can't help it. She was already reluctant to do this mission in the first place, and that certainly hasn't changed now she's actually wandering around in this storm.

If anything, it's only draining her motivation to do anything further. ]

Then I am going to close them. [ She says it as if it's just that simple. But there's no cocky overconfidence about her.

Just stubborn anger trying to override all of the hurt inside of her. ]

[irrationally]

There are people where she would immediately be open with about that sort of question. Either because she is not close enough with them to not care about their opinion, or because she feels like she can just share anything with them - though the latter category is truly locked down to just a few people.

It's a little bit more complicated with this girl. Mostly because she's so young, and Alice is definitely the type who wants to try and shelter kids from certain things. As much as she can, anyway. This girl is already used to so much - but that doesn't mean Alice just has to pile more on top of it.

"Not really," she finally answers, deciding to go with the truth after all. "I have not quite felt like myself, ever since what happened just the other week or so."

The understatement of the century, but look, Alice is not going to drop an 'I think the train literally killed me' on a child like that. Not so suddenly, anyway.

(Even if it's a kid with a cool energy rifle.)

[flatteries]

"Right now?"

Apparently Inigo does not have to be told twice, because he's already shooting up to his feet the moment he hears that from Roland. He almost forgets the paper, even, in the middle of his haste, though he thankfully manages to make it disappear into his own arms band before he can accidentally leave it behind.

Because the next moment he's already moving. He's indeed leading their way out of the inn. Does Inigo know where exactly these creatures can be found? No, but he figures that if they go outside, they're surely bound to run into one.

The people inside of the inn talk about them way too much for that to not be the case.

But while they're not out of the inn quite yet, just making their way through the crowd towards the exit, Inigo can't help but look at Roland with big hopeful eyes. Youthful eyes.

"Oh, man, I'm so excited!" .. to eat innocent creatures, apparently. Or, well, maybe not so innocent. "Thanks that we can already go out to take a look at them this quickly, father!"

Look how easy it is to make Inigo happy with little things sometimes.. Just this one action from Roland, and he already seems to be over the moon.

[happyends]

[ ...

Suddenly Madoka is starting to look more nervous. ]

Um...

[ Her voice trails off, as if she isn't too sure whether or not she wants to say something - but she's realising that she kind of has to here.

After all-- ]

I.. I don't think you should talk to them like that..

[ This isn't even just Madoka advocating for monkey rights. Oh no. Because those monkeys suddenly are starting to look around on the ground, and some are starting to grab rocks..

It doesn't take a genius to imagine what the monkeys will want to do with those. ]

[redprayer]

Rezo does not know what a Greek or an Event Horizon is, but the second half of what the man says seems to be a reasonable point. This creature may qualify as a chimera but the accidental circumstances that created it are as messy as the end result.

Still, at least they’ve gotten through the encounter in one piece!

“That is good.” Rezo gets to his feet and walks over to Wash. “While they might be small, I can take care of them. Please, allow me-”

He’s about to cast a recovery spell except before he can do that they’re interrupted by the cat, and Rezo tilts his head in Athena’s direction. Come to think of it, he had heard a smaller animal running about earlier, but he hadn’t paid it much mind.

[sizedoesntmatter]

[He figured it had maybe something to do with the food, but him actually saying it made that obvious now. Looking down at his own what he got was slightly different.]

Next time we eat I will make sure to try some.

[agathokakological]

"Aren't we all." he replies with a small chuckle. He doesn't necessarily need the reassurance, the Death he'd known had an odd sense of humor, but in the end was barely a colleague.

Crowley lands on a branch himself, much easier than hovering mid-air. He begins plucking the leaves from the tree and tossing them into her rucksack as advised.

"Not that this isn't less odd for anyone else, but I imagine that must be particularly difficult for you, forced holiday and all. If you want to call it that."

[agathokakological]

"I mean it though," he replies, not necessarily because Aziraphale doesn't (he actually doesn't know), "If you need anything, you know I'm here. And I have a whole bank of supply points to spend... just waisting away."

The reality is that Crowley is just bad with money. His Mayfair flat was paid for by Hell's financial department, and whatever he didn’t miracle himself he'd expensed.

He shrugs in response to the question about his napping habits, "How's it feel to sleep for a night? I dunno. I like sleep."