kenoslogs | open | does everybody have it together

Entry tags:

open | does everybody have it together

Who: Liem Talbott & various
What: Setting update catch-all
Where: Alenroux
When: Throughout March

Liem is fully committing to assisting with Meridian's invasion of Alenroux, so he will be present there throughout the month, hunting monsters, scouting the woods, and keeping watch at Meridian encampments. At the beginning of the invasion, and potentially later in the month, he will be suffering from blood-withdrawal and will be more likely to accept blood donors so he can keep being properly useful. He's still keeping his drinking habits from public knowledge, though, so he won't be outright canvassing for volunteers.

Starters below are all closed, but if you would like to do something with Liem this month, please hit me up on discord or at

Sporelett. I will happily write a starter for whatever nonsense we decide to get up to.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[By nature and by choice, Liem is a man of action. He prefers to keep moving, to have a quarry to seek, whether it’s through darkened woodlands, the alleys and thoroughfares of the city, or jewel-toned parlours and gilded government halls. There is little in life that can match the anticipatory focus of a hunt, or the thrill of its conclusion.

In work and in play, however, downtime is inevitable; particularly when the realities of Liem’s unique physical condition catch up with him, as they often do when he pays too little heed to his body’s limits, or when he unwisely indulges in excess. Tonight, though Alenroux’s pitiless sun has long since sunk below the horizon, leaving the landscape to the gentle light of the moon and innumerable twinkling stars, Liem is in poor condition to be going on any hunts through the woods. He leans against the stout watchtower’s wooden rail, overlooking one of Meridian’s hastily erected encampments, as weary and haggard as if he’d been marching for hours through midday sun.

It is a poor time for him to be suffering the effects of withdrawal; he is far less useful to Meridian while so-afflicted, too ill for solo excursions into the forest to be wise, a liability because of his weakness and limited stamina. But he knew nothing of these plans when he agreed to indulge his blood-thirst earlier in the month. Now he suffers the consequences.

His senses, at least, are just as keen as ever — and the camp does need someone to keep lookout during the long, dangerous hours of night. The woman with whom he’s been sharing this watch tower has a rabbit’s sharp ears, but his night-piercing eyes remain a boon in present conditions. Beside him, his crossbow, Dignity’s Barb, rests within easy reach, to be used as weapon or signal at need.

It is his companion who first hears someone approaching the tower — but by the time her replacement ascends the ladder to join them, Liem has turned his head to regard the newcomer as well.]

[For the first few days of the occupation, Liem spends his time cautiously: scouting during the day, when the danger from roving monsters is less; sticking close to Meridian outposts at night to keep watch and defend them alongside the others on guard there. The shadows seem to follow him wherever he goes, but even when cloaked in gloom, his pallor and general ill health are apparent.

Until, all at once, he recovers his vigour completely. At this point, he can finally go about the business a man like him is meant to be conducting. At this point, he can finally hunt.

It is wiser to go with a partner; it means better hunting in the best case, and someone to watch his back in the worst. All the better if his partner doesn’t need light to see in the forest depths, where the canopy overhead blocks out every last sliver of moonlight. Those with no need of light are in somewhat short supply among Meridian’s shard-bearers — but there is a new face in the ranks who fits the bill, and Liem is just as content to work with strangers as with those he’s come to know over his months-long stay in Kenos.

It does not take long, once they penetrate into the cover of the trees, to find signs of monster activity. The creatures in the wood seem drawn to shard-bearers somehow; until every one has been culled from this forest, he does not doubt that they’ll continue to emerge in search of people to hunt. After only an hour, the quiver of crossbow bolts at his hip is lighter, and the leather of his gloves is stained with the blood of unidentifiable creatures, each one different from the last.]

This infestation stinks of arcane tampering. [Liem wipes a slender, shadow-dark blade on a fallen beast’s mottled hide, then sheathes it as he regards the gutted corpse. Even the entrails of the creature are alien — and he has seen the insides of many creatures in his life.] I have never seen such a motley assortment of creatures dwelling in a single stretch of forest.

[ Sasuke's a young man given to silence, speaking through action over words, and thus when groups are organized to carry out this strategic culling he has no arguments to make against his partner. It's just as well. The man has quickly proved his competency, moving fast under cover of darkness and executing his attacks efficiently and accurately. A solid partner to have around for an operation like this one.

In a mirror of Liem he too cleans his sword, though it's with a crackle of electricity and sparks that arc down steel to burn away flecks of blood nigh instantaneously. It remains unsheathed, gripped tightly in a gloved right hand – his left arm, or what very little remains of it, stays hidden beneath his cloak. ]

"Arcane tampering", huh... You mean you believe these creatures are part of the native population but have been warped into something else? Or brought here from elsewhere? [ It's by far the most he's said all night. ]

[Liem is content to have a taciturn partner for this outing, pleased to focus on the mission without being distracted by idle chatter — but he's equally pleased to have another person with whom to discuss his observations, especially given their concerning nature. He looks up briefly from the creature's insides as he answers, giving Sasuke a small nod.]

It could be either — though recent events at the Tree of Life make me think the latter is more likely.

[After one last look, Liem finally concludes his investigation of the carcass in front of him and rises from his crouch. There's no reason for them to linger, especially when the night is still so young.]

The monsters summoned there were not entirely unlike these. They were just as varied, certainly.

Similar in their dissimilarity, then.

[ It's not much to go off of but it's something, and for Sasuke who spent so little time at the Tree of Life and certainly has no frame of reference for Liem's experience it's even more. His head turns, the eye visible and uncurtained by hair sizing up a nearby tree. Tall enough to provide a good vantage point. ]

... for the next few, can you disable them instead of killing them? I'll be doing the same. If left alive, and with their minds more or less undamaged, I should be able to see more. [ It's a vague plan that certainly requires more finesse, but in conjunction they're perhaps a little too good at sighting and taking out their targets. No reason not to embrace a mild added risk for more information. ]

[Now what does that signify? Communication of some kind with the creatures? Or, perhaps more likely, some form of mind reading? That would explain more than not, though Mr. Uchiha himself remains unhelpfully vague in his request. Still, Liem remains interested in gleaning whatever helpful information they can from the creatures they manage to encounter tonight.]

That shouldn't pose too much difficulty — physiology permitting.

[Sometimes a monster has no discernable body parts, or it attacks with its brain, and then there's really nothing for it but to exterminate the thing as efficiently as possible, by whatever method proves effective. Happily, those kinds of creatures don't seem to be the majority.

There is nothing left to do but continue the hunt — though Liem prefers to do so from the ground, at least when their prey is not going to come to them. He is far more used to stalking and fighting over solid ground in any case. Checking the bolts still left in his quiver, he glances at his companion before continuing on, noting the direction of his focus.]

At least with the level of aggression most seem to show, it won't be hard to flush more out.

Given the variety in them we should have a greater chance. I won't need many. [ So he says, at least, unable to make the promise in good faith and yet he does so anyway. He's nothing if not determined.

Liem moves and thus so does he, but it's not the ground he sticks to. The tree he'd sighted is instead glanced up at before a burst of chakra at his feet has him leaping for its lower branches, silent and fluid in movements that have him quickly scaling its trunk. Vantage point secured his visible eye bleeds to red, quiet only for a moment or two longer before he's calling back down to Liem. ]

Two o'clock. There's a cluster of three, not far from our current position.

[Liem can't deny the usefulness of having a partner so easily able to spot from above. It makes their progress swifter as they make their way through the forest's monsters, culling those they come across in an effort to dent Alenroux's considerable monster population and make the vast island safer for inhabitants. It takes only a short while, once Sasuke has called out their next targets, for Liem stalk close enough to be able to catch sight of movement through the trees.

It's a cluster of lumpy-bodied quadrupeds sporting tough, armoured-looking hides. Other than the eyes in their broad, misshapen heads, nowhere on the creatures looks obviously vulnerable to attack — but they have eyes, and they have limbs, which suffices for now. Surely they can take at least one without killing it, once Sasuke is in position as well.

Liem doesn't have sufficient magic to use it all night long during his hunts, so there is nothing supernatural about the bolt he silently aims at the first of the creatures. He simply chooses a promising target — the rear of one squat hind leg, where the hide looks thinner — and lets his bolt fly.]

[ He's accustomed to working through silence, but in Kenos he's found they have certain significant advantages he doesn't intend to ignore. ]

Stay in contact, [ comes the message through communion, paired with no emotion or any genuine concern for their chances. He's confident, but not overconfident, not with the results he's already seen from their work in tandem.

Sharp eyes follow Liem just as they had followed their respective targets, and it's when he hears the whistle of that bolt that he immediately moves. Fast enough so as to seem like little more than a blur, he's in range from the treetops above when the creature lets out a bellow of rage and indignation at the pain it's forced to experience at Liem's hand. It's a perfect set-up; the monster is already charging his partner when Sasuke drops down from above, sword piercing into its back only deep enough to create a foothold.

And to serve as a conductor for the electricity he suddenly forces down into its body, causing it to abruptly halt its rampage for a sharp jerk to the side and useless spasming of shocked limbs. ]

Two more, this one won't move for a while. Stay sharp.

[Although many of Meridian's shard-bearers were made aware of plans to invade Alenroux only days before the invasion began, it's clear to Liem that preparations for this operation have been going on for some time. Camp locations are well-chosen, fortifications are erected quickly and efficiently, and the soldiers secure everything with well-practised ease. Much preliminary work has already been completed in advance, and it shows in how smoothly the first week of the occupation unfolds.

However, difficulties are inevitable with any plan that involves 48-hour occupation of Alenroux. While for the most part Meridian soldiers have been successful in defending their outposts from nighttime monsters, in the past few nights alone there have been two separate patrols that have been ripped apart by an elusive monster dwelling somewhere in the forest's eastern reaches. Cornering and exterminating the creature has proved impossible thus far — which means it's time to bring in the big guns.

The big guns, in this case, are a seasoned monster-hunter and tracker, and an experienced and alarmingly capable arcanist. They decide to set out while the sun is still in the sky, though it grows red and heavy above the horizon as evening draws near. It will be easiest to track the creature down while it is still lairing for the day, but if its resting place proves too well-hidden to uncover, the fall of night will give Liem and Akua new opportunities to bring their prey to them.

They are getting close, at least. The tracks in the region of forest they've been examining are thick, their ages suggesting the creature has passed through this area multiple times over the past handful of days. Liem regards them thoughtfully as the light of early dusk filters through the trees.]

If we were going to lay a trap for it, this wouldn't be a bad place. It's bound to pass this way again, and sooner rather than later.

I agree. [ Her head looked down at the tracks, and she considered the way to do so. She was not so much a monster hunter, but she'd fought plenty of outlandish creatures, either ancient, terrible, or sewn together over the years. Her golden eyes narrowed as she considered. ] How long ago do you think that it last passed through here?

[ She crouched, to look at them closer. She was wearing an uncharacteristic pair of pants, her braids pulled around her head to keep out of her sight, and her fingers reached down to not quite touch it -- one never knew what a creature could cause -- but to feel at it, as if she were feeling for heat. This must be on the way to, or from, its lair, given the frequency Liem had suggested.

Curious. ]

If you give me a moment, I will lay a trap for it, to hold it still.

[ It's a simple magic trap, but one that she thinks will do well enough. There was no need to get too elaborate for the beast. That the Meris hadn't been able to deal with it was no surprise yet, but she -- nor Liem -- had not been present when it last attacked.

Nobody ever said that she lacked for pride.

She held her hand over the middle of all of the tracks, weaving the energy, and calculating the precise amount of energy that would be needed. ]

How tall do you think it is? And heavy?

[Liem watches curiously as Akua conducts her own inspection of the area, sensing for something he can't begin to guess at. Although he possesses the means for various kinds of aura detection, magic has nevertheless always been secondary to more mundane forms of knowledge for him, in all aspects of his life. He doesn't have the ability to use magic for anything but the most specific of tasks, whereas his knowledge of survival, tracking, and tactics has served him flexibly and well for the century or so during which he's nurtured it.

Which is exactly why he's leaving the spellcraft to Miss Sahelian.]

Based on the weather we've had today, ["today" meaning the last forty-eight hours,] I'd guess within a few hours of sundown.

[He's been having to adjust to the day–night cycles here; tracks age a little differently when the sun stays out for twenty-four hours at a time. It's been a learning experience.]

It would be about four hundred pounds; between [— he takes another glance around the track, assessing the surrounding trees and brush —] seven and eight feet tall. That would be consistent with the claw marks on the recovered corpses, as well.

[He's definitely seen bigger monsters, even just in Alenroux itself, but Liem knows from experience that smaller creatures aren't always less dangerous. Raw power is only one kind of threat that a monster can possess.]

[ There really was nothing better than a skilled tracker, Akua thinks to herself. Liem clearly knows his stuff, from the way he moved to the way he glanced and took stock of the trees and space around them. It also gave her plenty of information to calculate the right amount of power needed to trap this thing.

She nodded, and small letters -- squiggly ones, that the shape and make of would leave ones mind immediately -- appeared, and vanished, as she started to put a working together. ]

Perfect. We'll need a trap that can withstand both its weight and the amount of force that it can generate, hopefully from a standstill, but if it comes running through here...

[ She's putting together something that can trap it, keep it from moving. At least long enough for the two of them to slay it.

A few moments pass, more of those squiggly lines, but afterward, it looks like the ground again. Completely bereft of any sign that there was something there. ]

There. Now when it comes, this should stop it in its tracks.

Do we have any other word on their attacks?

[ She looked back at Liem, questioning, but she was already stepping back from the tracks. It's best to lie in wait, she thought, lest they startle the creature into changing its path. ]

[As his companion is setting the trap for their quarry, Liem is surveying their surroundings with an eye to picking out a likely spot from which to spring an ambush. There are some decently sturdy trees about, which might be used for either cover or a convenient perch. Though being caught up a tree is never ideal, Liem has no doubts about his own ability to relocate in a pinch.

He picks out a suitably climbable maple with a good view of the track, and circles it thoughtfully as he considers Akua's question.]

The reports I heard about the attacks themselves were confused. It seems to have some manner of ability for incapacitating prey before it closes with them, though from the descriptions I was able to get, it's not clear whether the method of delivery was sonic or mind-to-mind.

Either way, it's best if we can strike at it while it's caught unawares. This should be a good place to attempt it.

Excellent.

[ She followed him to the Maple, dusting her hands off as she did so -- as if there were dust -- and she surveyed the location with an eye. She tipped her head up, considering. She would not climb it, but perhaps... It would be a waste of power, but do-able, if that were the hunter's intention. She would not be caught as the only one at ground if Liem was intending to catch it from up in the tree.

Perhaps the creature would not see them, particularly if she created a weave to hid them. ]

Are you thinking up? [ She asked, and looked up at the tree. ]

We will want suitable precautions up there. Would you mind a spell, when we are settled? I can shield us from view.

It might be advantageous. Even more so if you can use a spell to hide us.

[Liem gives one last glance to the tree before looking back at Akua, nodding briefly in agreement. If they wish to catch the creature by surprise, being out of its line of sight will be helpful. Most land creatures don't tend to bother to look up very often, once they're of a size that birds and arboreal animals stop being any kind of threat.

Though, not knowing anything about his companion's capabilities in this area, he would be remiss if he didn't at least offer:]

Would you like any assistance getting up?

[He's aware that magic users tend to be… diverse, in terms of their athletic ability. Some are like him, and pursue magical arts and physical ones in rough balance. For others, who devote all their time to magical studies, climbing ability does probably not rank highly on their list of priorities.]

Getting down will not be an issue. I can relocate us both in a hurry, if it's necessary.

Mm.

[ She looked up, and squinted. It would not be a terrible burn of energy, but it would be a burn. She would use something up, to find her way up there. Her form of magic was exacting, and precise, but it did not mean that she could simply teleport. Not without a gate, and without that...

If she had the power of winter, it would be a little thing, but every spell still came with a cost in this land. ]

Yes, I think that would be for the best, if you have a way up. I could make it, but the power required would be better spent on the creature, I think?

[ She wasn't so afraid of getting down, of course. Even without Liem's help. ]

You get me up there, and I guarantee it will not notice us.

[The fact that she doesn't even consider trying to climb the tree the usual way makes it clear to Liem which end of the mage spectrum Akua falls into. Which is fine; even if she cannot scale a tree without using magic, a perch in the maple's branches will provide them a worthwhile vantage point, one that is worth a little extra effort to attain.

From his position a short distance from the tree, looking up at its spreading profusion of branches, Liem spies a likely position somewhere between fifteen and twenty feet up, where a sturdy limb juts out from the main body of the trunk. That, he decides, will be their destination.]

Hold onto me, then.

[He doesn't wish to risk his companion's balance up in the tree before she's had the time to find her footing, so he will wait until he has an arm around Akua's waist and she's got a steady grip on him before making any moves to get them both up.

Then, he simply — steps forward, through a part in the air that was not present a moment before, to land confidently on the bark of that same sturdy branch, taking Akua along with him.]

[ She tightened her arms around him, wrapped around his neck in a fashion that allowed him to hold onto her if needed. She looked up, expecting some dazzling display of martial prowess, or a high leap, but she's shocked when they simply step forward, and then another moment they step onto the branch.

Her eyes narrow, as she tries to see what is there, to sense the spark of magic that she expects to find, but it's only a moment of investigation, before she turned her attentions toward the branch, and the two of them. ]

Impressive.

[ She said, and she sounds it. A rare thing to do, is surprise Akua Sahelian, but Liem has done it. She moved her attention quickly, to the space between them, and held her hands out, as if she was trying to construct a barrier, or something of that nature. ]

We'll have about ten feet to move within. It is centered on me. This should conceal us from sight, sound, smell, and any other methods of tracking.

[ Slippery letters manifested, and then dissipated, as quick as Liem could see them, before the shape and make of them would immediately vanish. He could tell they were there, but they simply would not be grasped by the mind of anyone that did not know of them.

High Arcana is a rather tough skill for mages to learn. ]

But I must maintain it the entire time. It will require me to concentrate.

[ Which did not necessarily mean she could not talk, but clearly, her mind would be somewhat occupied. ]

[Although Liem is not given to preening, he does enjoy a brief moment of keen satisfaction when Akua praises his technique. Teleportation is a magic he'd managed to grasp only in the last weeks before he was taken from his world, so it pleases him to make himself useful with it, even if it is just in the occasional small way. He gives her a small incline of his head, nodding in polite acknowledgement.]

If necessary, we can go down the same way.

[But that is a matter for the future. For now, he watches her work her magic, observing the way the strange letters of her working slide incomprehensibly out of view. Magic of that kind — the kind that is learned from theorems instead of simply memorized and enacted through force of will — remains patently outside his range of ability, especially at high levels. He feels fortunate to have her assistance in this venture.]

Commendably thorough. I will be keeping alert, so even if the spell occupies your attention, we won't be caught off guard.

[He assumes his ability to notice the creature's approach is likely to be superior to hers regardless, so he's content to spend their time waiting as lookout. As Liem is most used to conducting such hunts by himself, the prospect of a companion with a somewhat limited capacity for conversation doesn't bother him. He was not planning on using the time they were waiting to conduct any deep discussions regardless.

Taking stock of their immediate surroundings, Liem takes a moment to offer any assistance Akua might need to get settled long-term, then chooses a neighbouring branch that's still within the range of her spell to perch on himself. The track is in clear view below them, and their vantage provides a generous view further through the woods as well. It helps that it's still early in the season, and most of the plant life still has yet to fill out with leaves. Only the trunks of the trees obstruct their view along the trail.

The only thing left to do is wait. Liem keeps his crossbow balanced lightly in his hands — though he does not load it just yet, confident in his ability to do so at a moment's notice, even balanced on a tree branch as he is. Dusk deepens and turns to night around them, heralding the time when Alenroux's monsters will be most active. Whatever frequents this part of the woods is evidently not friendly to wildlife, as he doesn't spot anything larger than a squirrel pass by during their wait.

Then, the faint noise of movement, some distance off through the trees. He listens, and though Akua's spell keeps them from being heard, habit makes him keep his voice low regardless.]

Something is coming.

[ Once the spell is completed, and Akua is settled and silent, they wait. She's happy to concentrate on the spell, as maintaining it isn't a question of computation, but a question of will. This, however, was easier than the last time she'd done such a thing, as the last time they had been moving through the forces of the Mighty, not so long ago in her own world.

With the quiet of the forest, ever shuffle or skittering of creatures caught her attention, but when Liem pointed out that something was coming, she readied herself.

It lumbered closer, closer -- large enough that Akua's eye narrowed -- but when its foot hit her trap, it was caught. She could see her working tighten around its foot, and she spoke to Liem, her tone low. ]

On the signal, I will drop my spell. You will know it for how... explosive it will become around it. I would recommend shooting it when it does so.

[ With her instructions provided, she started casting -- she can thankfully cast two workings at once and the air around the creature started to bubble -- as if reality itself because caustic around it, as if the air itself started to drip and writhe. Then it started to shudder, and explode, and when it did, their ward dropped, and Akua hissed: ]

My ward is down.

[Liem has little idea of what the creature will actually look like until it finally comes into view below them. He sees splayed, spidery feet and similarly bony hands; small, spindly wings; a tentacled face from which stare two dully glowing eyes. It looks about right for what they were expecting, at least in shape and size — but it's also nothing he's ever seen before. The blank area covering their knowledge of the creature's abilities does make him a little concerned.

Quickly and fluidly, he loads a quarrel into his crossbow. The monster's abilities won't trouble them if they can kill it before it acts.

He waits until Akua drops her ward before he shoots; when she does, he looses two bolts in rapid succession, aiming for the creature's chest and throat. One bolt finds its target, thudding into spongy flesh, but whatever Akua's magic is doing confuses his vision enough that his second shot only grazes hide. Liem doesn't bother cursing his aim; he just reaches for the next shot in his quiver.

Which is at the same time that the writhing, snared creature fixes them with its belligerent gaze — and screams. This time Liem does swear, though the noise drowns it out, dropping his quarrel from fumbling fingers in his haste to cover his ears. He sags against the tree's trunk as dizziness swarms him, and though he manages somehow to avoid pitching straight down onto the forest floor, it becomes obvious that their perch is no longer the best place for them to be fighting from. They're better off dispersing to ground level; he glances around the swimming forestscape — blood trickling from his ears — to pick a spot for relocation, and snatches for Akua's shoulder a moment before his magic whisks him into the midst of a small, skeletal thicket.]

[ The sound it makes -- Akua felt her mind react, like it had started to crash and burn. For a moment, there's nothing, then the magic just simply... vanished, the hold on the creature, the soupy sense of reality around it, everything gives, and Akua can feel her feet stumble, though Liem's attempt to get them to ground is welcome. She knows he is an ally, even if she cnanot think of anything else, and when they find the ground, it still took her a few moments to "reboot", as it were.

When it does, she hissed, and looked at the creature. ]

Now we know why they were so confused about what it was.

[ SHe said, as she moved to catch sight of it from within the thicket. ]

We need to take it out quickly, and make it believe we are elsewhere.

[ The creature looked left, and right, searching for them, before Akua's fingers crocked, and a ruffle of wind took through bushes on the other side of the clearing, and the monster swung its head to follow that. ]

I will not be hit by that again.

[ How dare they try to affect her mind, she thinks. ]

[It is well that their jaunt through space has placed them somewhere not immediately within sight of the monster, because Liem too requires a moment to recalibrate his nerves. His thoughts race about like startled rabbits in the wake of that mind-scrambling noise, and settle only reluctantly to the task of finishing the job they came out here to complete.

Fortunately, Akua's distracting breath of wind grants them both a much needed moment to think.]

It looks aberrant, to me, [he mutters, peering at the monster from behind the shelter of a slim alder tree. He reloads his weapon with practised fluidity, for now heedless of the dark blood trickling from his ears.] Alien, at least by the standards of my world.

[In the dark of the wood, he thinks the blood dripping from the creature's wounds has a greenish tinge. The quarrel lodged in its chest also hasn't had the effect he might have hoped for in something with a more typical set of lungs.]

But it bleeds. It has discrete anatomy. If we find its vitals, we can kill it easily enough.

Nothing that enough firepower can't address.

[ And oh does she have that.

Akua nodded, following the indicators he pointed out. ]

I am much more the expert on demons and devils rather than... whatever this thing is, but it will be easier to kill than some things I've dealt with. It at least bleeds.

[ She kept herself crouched, as she appraised the thing, looked it over and considered their next move. ]

Firepower is easy, but inaccurate. Though if I hit it fast enough, it will not have much time to escape the blast. Be ready.

[ Her magic is silent. There are no incantations or movements, though there are more of those slippery, odd letters that seem to vanish from mind the moment they vanish from reality, but the space around the creature shifted, and it's clear this time that it's heated, as if super-heated quickly before the space begins to shift, and shake, and it explodes, a series of them, rapid-fire, and they rocketed in the space the creature was --

-- had been, before it howled, having teleported out of danger, though its skin looks charred. ]

[Liem too has experience with creatures from the lower planes, and frightful though this beast appears, he still prefers dealing with a creature like this to fighting divs and other extraplanar monsters. At least, as far as he’s been able to tell, the monsters that stalk Alenroux’s woods don’t tend to have any great intelligence or complex plans for their victims. It makes hunting them simpler, as well.

Though this particular monster is putting up a rather spirited fight.

Liem takes Akua’s warning to ready himself, aiming his crossbow at the beast as her spell’s formula blinks in an out of existence. He watches the air around the being shift and shimmer, then explode, and he firms his grip on his weapon, ready to shoot the moment the cluster of explosions dies away—

But before even that, the monster howls and vanishes, in a move that is so familiar to Liem that he grits his teeth.]

It can teleport. No wonder the soldiers were at such a loss to pin it down.

[Liem scours the surrounding woods for the beast, pricking his ears to the hint of movement deeper into the trees. It is somewhere to the west of them, remaining mostly still.]

It’s somewhere to the west of us now; still close by. Could you snare it again, or lock down its teleportation? I have some yet-untapped magic I can add to my shots, to finish the job.

[He nods in the creature’s direction, listens for another long moment, then stalks a little further through the underbrush, gaining some distance from Akua before he strips the glove from his right hand and incants a spell to quicken and empower himself. Now, all he needs is a clear shot.]

[ Akua released a curse in Lower Miezan -- her own language -- a biting thing with Frustration, though it's clear the monster has now elevated itself from "easy" to "nuisance". ]

Of course it can. It wasn't enough for it to be a mere beast, it has to be a bother as well.

[ She said it, derisively, but she's already looking to the west, her eyes narrowed, as she followed the lingering trails of... something. Her head dipped, as she nodded. ]

I can hold it. Just be ready to kill the thing before it creates yet another ability to slip our traps, hm? [ That's...mostly a joke. ] Now that I know to anticipate it, I will keep it from moving next time.

[ She can hold it, or she can blow it up, apparently. Creating a weave to lock it down would be something she could do, or she could do the other, but not the both of them. Typical mages.

She crept along, her feet silent, and the whisper of a promise of death and magic made her feet silent as she started off toward the creature, and she dipped behind another bush when she got close, to let her weave drop, and she began to cast. Her lips do not move, no hand motions, but those letters started to appear yet again, this time at the creature's feet, above its head, they moved in fast -- slippery though they were, like a chain that caught the creature, and lifted it, and started to compress the space it inhabited.

It could try to move, but the box was set, the workable space only That -- and The box was collapsing. It soon could move no further, like the creature had been... shrink-wrapped into reality itself. ]

[No magic guides the silent tread of Liem's booted feet as he slides through the woods, circling around to catch the creature in plain view; only decades' worth of practice keep his steps from making any noise, finding protruding roots and patches of bare ground amongst the twigs and leaf litter decorating the forest floor. He skirts a patch of dry bracken and pauses next to a thick tree trunk, observing the unnatural shape of the beast.

He does not dare get closer without risking its notice, so the paltry obstruction of a scantily leafed branch between them will have to be tolerated. He has shot through worse visibility than this — and if his bow retains even a scrap of its former luck, perhaps it will aid him. Dignity's Barb has long had a reputation for finding a mark even against the odds.

Liem waits until Akua springs her snare, chains of magic binding reality tight around the creature. When he spies the movement, sees the spell take effect, he steps just a bit clearer into view, aims his weapon at the beast — and shoots. One, two, three, four quarrels trailing ripples of magic, guided by his judgement as Abadar's weapon, by divine power and aberration's bane leap from his crossbow one after the other and slam into the creature's charred flesh: two more bolts into the spongy meat of chest and flank, one finding a dully glowing eye, and one piercing clean through its neck, each causing ruination upon impact, as though plunging into flesh already swollen with rot. The thing twists and gurgles in its prison with each strike, falling silent only upon the last, as greenish ichor weeps from its split, burnt skin.

Liem stands panting lightly, one last quarrel already half drawn from its quiver, regarding the snared creature for any remaining sign of life. But death seems finally to have claimed it; the only movement from that part of the forest is the drip of fluids onto the ground below.]

[ Akua watched it twitch with each and every impact, the way the creature writhed and shuddered from the impact. The flesh beneath it seemed to wither and pucker from the shots, and her lips curled as the creature's eye was taken, its neck, and she felt the strain from holding it lessen, as it lost its ability to exert its pressure and fought against her trap one last time, before it went limp, and she let the magic drop. The creature's body thudded to the ground audibly, and the silence of the forest from their fight almost eerie, now that they seemed to be the only two in this patch of the woods.

The creature had certainly driven most wildlife away, and the combination of magic and signs of battle certainly drove away the rest.

She stepped from the brush, and moved through it, before she peered for Liem. ]

Nice shots.

[ She said, as she continued forward, closer to the creature's body. ]

Your arrows, they are enchanted?

[ Though it's mostly idle, as her foot nudged the creature's body, to gauge if there were any reaction. Last thing they needed was for the creature to stir now. ]

[It is the noise of the creature's body thumping into the forest floor that stirs Liem from his tense, anticipatory stillness. He straightens from his tightly wound shooting stance, letting the quarrel in his grasp slide back into its quiver as he walks closer to join Akua beside the fallen carcass.

It certainly looks dead, though he supposes it might only be stunned. But the slow seep of blood weeping from its throat suggests that whatever mechanisms had been in charge of its circulatory system are no longer operational.]

Nice spell, [he returns when he reaches her and looks down at the dead thing. When it doesn't move in response to her nudging boot, he returns his crossbow to its place slung over his back and draws a long, dark-bladed dagger instead, crouching down to examine it more closely. He starts with the face and the other visible details on its exterior, but cutting the thing open is definitely on the horizon.]

I put magic on my bow, briefly — but most of it was on me, to augment my strikes. The bolts themselves [— he pulls one free of the creature's chest, trailing greenish-blue fluid —] are mundane. The magic on them was wholly transitory.

[ She watched him start to press his dagger into it, she nodded, and moved to a different part. She does not open the thing, but the way her eyes start to search, it's pretty clear that she's examining it for something. As if she was ready the tea leaves, or the magic inherent in the pattern of blood seeping from an arrow wound. ]

Fascinating. It's effective. There are not many archers that can impress me so.

[ Her standard is: can shoot over a mile though. Fucking superpowered villains. ]

Thank you for your help with this, I do think it would have been quite the... bother on my own. Is there anything in particular you want from the corpse? I only wish to examine it briefly.

[ The way she's focused on it, however, suggests that she's already doing so. ]

[Liem looks up from the body long enough to aim a small, polite smile at Akua when she offers her compliments. This is one other nice thing about working with a partner on such a mission; he rarely had the pleasure of having his work appreciated so by a colleague when he worked solo.]

You flatter me. Your own assistance was invaluable. I wouldn't have liked to contend with more of its assaults.

[One such attack had been disorienting enough, and he doubts he'd have been able to kill it by himself without weathering more, even if he'd been lucky. Liem glances back down at the remains of the creature, turning its head with the butt of his dagger to view its uninjured eye.]

I intend to bring back as much of it as is practical. The soldiers will appreciate a view of the corpse, I think, and some of the parts might end up being useful — or at the very least, valuable.

[Someone in Kowloon is always willing to buy body parts from the weird creatures to come out of Alenroux.]

But I will wait as long as you need before taking a blade to it.

It isand capable. Particularly when our specialties can mesh. [ She said as she nodded, but it was only a few moments later, before she let her hands peel away from hovering over it. ]

Please feel free. I wanted to feel for any magic pathways, or if its ability was powered by it, but it does not seem so. I suspect its abilities are far more rudimentary. Perhaps the teleportation has a source, but it is not something I can divine.

[ She actually sounds...disappointed. Akua always did like to discover more to power her interest in magic. The fact that she was not a Savant was likely only because she fit another better, but she's clearly the type that took her time to hound new discoveries. She did not step far away, even though she offered him to do the cutting. ]

If anything is particularly tough, I will open it.

Creatures such as these are always a puzzle, [Liem agrees as he continues to examine the monster's face, pulling his quarrel from its ruined eye and examining the mess of tentacles for signs of a mouth.] Particularly when they hail from afar. Given that we now find ourselves in an alien world, I imagine that most will.

[Even the native wildlife could be strange, when the place they're native to is an island floating naked in the midst of the dark tapestry. Liem isn't even sure this one isn't native — he just knows it was far too dangerous to continue living.

After another moment's examination, he finally does push the creature into a straighter orientation and slide his blade into it. The darkly hued dagger goes in like a hot knife into butter, suggesting a keenness that surpasses that of normal steel.]

I will be sure to beg your assistance should the beast resist me even in death.

[With that, he slits it open along the entire length of its ventral surface, and goes about a rather mercenary examination of its insides. Like his companion, he's unable to divine anything of real interest from what lies within, but it's at least enough for him to decide what parts of the creature he wants to bother hauling back to camp. The rest of the carcass can be food for the forest's other hideous creatures.]

Just say the word, Liem.

[ She says it, but she crouched over the corpse with him, unafraid of blood. Perhaps, in fact, that was why she wore red, though the creature's blood had not been a guarantee to be red, though the decision to wear the color could be considered intentional, as she leaned close, to watch.

Her hands were not poised, but there was a readiness about her, as he started to cut, and when they are ready, she will assist him with what needs to be pulled back to camp, with their haul. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

open | does everybody have it together

for Voryn — night watching

for Sasuke — monster investigations

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i am so sorry for the age of this tag, life caught up with me so hard

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for Auka — a-hunting we will go

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🎀