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vander's rescue
Who: Vander, his lovely and brave rescuers, and a whole lotta trouble
What: Vander was kidnapped by Aetós, so the people come to save him! OOC information and plotting can be found here.
Where: “The Zoo” in the Below
When: Sometime in between the TDM and March 17th OOC
Warnings: Violence, references to human experimentation/torture
It’s a long, winding way down into the Below, and you’re being led there by what seems like a girl, though at this point you’re also confident that she’s anything but. She’s fought with Shard-Bearers and held her own but was also captured by them to be questioned. And, in that, she eventually gave a piece of information in return. Her master, Aetós, had kidnapped Vander. If you don’t kill her, she can take you to where he’s being hidden. You can save him before her master makes him wrong.
So, a rescue effort was mounted. With many Shard-Bearers across factions here either to save Vander or simple for the allure of learning more about this mysterious figure, it at least gives you confidence that it can be handled. It’s disorienting down here so far below Springstar, but eventually, she comes to what looks like a sealed-up tunnel. She holds her hands against two particular bricks, and after a moment, they glow with teal light before all the bricks seem to shimmer. Like they all suddenly break, they become floating little motes of light, and a doorway lays before you.
It's a long corridor, but it doesn’t take long before you smell it before you see anything. There’s a largely animal smell here like a zoo, but it’s tinged more heavily with the smells of blood and rot. It’s enough to make a weak stomach heave a bit or at least get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand on end. But still, the girl continues on until you can see the hallway spill out to a large room.
Laying on a dissecting table is some kind of strange animal, but standing over it is a similarly strange masked figure. Some of you know, it’s Aetós.
“Right on time, Adelfoúla,” is all they say as they stand and hold up a silver hand. A complex orb of light appears, and they crush it. In front of you, Adelfoúla only gives a dispassionate ah— that’s followed by the sound of shattering porcelain, and she simply crumbles at the waist. You can rush forward, try to meet Aetós, but calmly, they just say—
“This will be good data. Hopefully you’ll find Vander before he gets eaten.”
And with a tick like the movement of a watch’s hand, they’re simply… Gone. Those sensitive to such things will feel it, the pulse of intense, strong magic, but before you can fully process, you can hear it: the creaking of cage doors opening down the myriad of hallways that line this one large room, the rumble of growls and claws against stone. Vander is somewhere in this maze of a facility, and you have to find him. Or maybe you just have to find what Aetós left behind.
OOC Notes : This log is a catch-all for all efforts related to the Save Vander plot! Including Vander's no fun, very bad time itself! If you'd like to participate in this plot, please see the OOC post. While the text above describes the initial arrival, this log can also be used for pre/post plot Communion, planning beforehand, etc. along with the expected threads in the facility!
What: Vander was kidnapped by Aetós, so the people come to save him! OOC information and plotting can be found here.
Where: “The Zoo” in the Below
When: Sometime in between the TDM and March 17th OOC
Warnings: Violence, references to human experimentation/torture
It’s a long, winding way down into the Below, and you’re being led there by what seems like a girl, though at this point you’re also confident that she’s anything but. She’s fought with Shard-Bearers and held her own but was also captured by them to be questioned. And, in that, she eventually gave a piece of information in return. Her master, Aetós, had kidnapped Vander. If you don’t kill her, she can take you to where he’s being hidden. You can save him before her master makes him wrong.
So, a rescue effort was mounted. With many Shard-Bearers across factions here either to save Vander or simple for the allure of learning more about this mysterious figure, it at least gives you confidence that it can be handled. It’s disorienting down here so far below Springstar, but eventually, she comes to what looks like a sealed-up tunnel. She holds her hands against two particular bricks, and after a moment, they glow with teal light before all the bricks seem to shimmer. Like they all suddenly break, they become floating little motes of light, and a doorway lays before you.
It's a long corridor, but it doesn’t take long before you smell it before you see anything. There’s a largely animal smell here like a zoo, but it’s tinged more heavily with the smells of blood and rot. It’s enough to make a weak stomach heave a bit or at least get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand on end. But still, the girl continues on until you can see the hallway spill out to a large room.
Laying on a dissecting table is some kind of strange animal, but standing over it is a similarly strange masked figure. Some of you know, it’s Aetós.
“Right on time, Adelfoúla,” is all they say as they stand and hold up a silver hand. A complex orb of light appears, and they crush it. In front of you, Adelfoúla only gives a dispassionate ah— that’s followed by the sound of shattering porcelain, and she simply crumbles at the waist. You can rush forward, try to meet Aetós, but calmly, they just say—
“This will be good data. Hopefully you’ll find Vander before he gets eaten.”
And with a tick like the movement of a watch’s hand, they’re simply… Gone. Those sensitive to such things will feel it, the pulse of intense, strong magic, but before you can fully process, you can hear it: the creaking of cage doors opening down the myriad of hallways that line this one large room, the rumble of growls and claws against stone. Vander is somewhere in this maze of a facility, and you have to find him. Or maybe you just have to find what Aetós left behind.
OOC Notes : This log is a catch-all for all efforts related to the Save Vander plot! Including Vander's no fun, very bad time itself! If you'd like to participate in this plot, please see the OOC post. While the text above describes the initial arrival, this log can also be used for pre/post plot Communion, planning beforehand, etc. along with the expected threads in the facility!
no subject
So, he’ll take the hit. If he knew about Hayame and Liem’s friendship, he’d probably even find it poetic in his twisted way.
There’s a harsh, hoarse sound of pain as the bolt finds its mark and immediately destroys the eye. At such a close range, it’d almost certainly go further and be fatal for most creatures, but Sebastian is something that was once invulnerable and immortal. He may have lost that in Kenos, but he’s still durable to a frightening degree. Worse still, pain isn’t so bad for a demon. By the way his smile splits to show much sharper and inhuman teeth, it’s almost like he enjoys it.
The bolt makes him stumble, but more of the pause comes from tearing into another bug that was about to take the chance to tear into him. Just like before, Sebastian grabs onto it, but this time, it gets tossed into Liem to try and throw him off balance. He doesn’t take the chance to remove the bolt, though. No, he still pursues Liem, but his claws don’t go for something that would inflict a mortal wound. He aims to dig claws deeper into the wound on his leg and open it up further.
At least it likely fits a puzzle piece together for Bondrewd. They had spoken of a demon's brand of cruelty, but Sebastian hadn’t expected to actually demonstrate it. ]
no subject
He is snapping another quarrel into place and aiming his crossbow at Sebastian's other eye, intent on at least crippling him to reduce the threat he presents, when the demon tears into the bug nearing him. Liem's aim is interrupted, however, by the sudden tumbling of the chitinous creature's body towards him; he only narrowly avoids being bodied by over a hundred pounds of spiny arachnid. Twisting away from its trajectory, he finds himself at Sebastian's mercy instead, and a sharp, pained sound tears from his throat as the demon rakes his wounded leg open, sending him to one knee while black blood weeps from the parted flesh.
He doesn't wait around for Sebastian to finish the job. The magic he calls on to whisk himself out of the demon's grasp taxes him more than usual, but he still manages to shove himself back onto his feet and vanish into thin air — to step into existence further across the room, behind the monster in a man's shape. Pain savages his leg when he puts his weight on it, dragging a snarl from him as he aims his crossbow directly at Sebastian's heart — it makes the shape of his magic a curse that he wraps around his weapon, and the name of that curse is demon's bane.]
no subject
On the peripherals of the struggle ensuing between Liem and Sebastian, Bondrewd is ( quite literally ) crushing bugs, his hands and arms slick with their blood, peppered with their organs, the material within them. His armor is dented, scraped and torn through by tooth and claw, and still he persists. Even his boots and tail are slick with gore, as he finally wades out of the sea of corpses he's made around himself and quickly comes to a decision about what must be done. Liem and Sebastian are fighting amongst one another. ]
Oya, [ he declares; perhaps the only sound he makes that becomes pitched, questioning. A verbal tic of surprise, for oh? this is a predicament. His companions are more important to him than maintaining his internal resources for himself, and so - with great pragmatism, he decides one what to do. He moves in, behind Liem and grabs for the stock of crossbow, attempting cant the item up toward the ceiling and away from the target it has made of Sebastian. At the same time, he thrusts his other arm forth, looping it around Liem's shoulders from behind. Forming a protective wall around his back, he intones: ] Far Caress.
[ and just,
it is an explosion of tendrils, to say the least. Sleek ropes of black material cast wide, like a net aimed directly at the greatest catch available. If he's able to capture Sebastian in it, the flattening of his palm toward the ground will close the snare around him and pin him to the ground. ] Mister Michaelis. Mister Talbott. As happy as I have been to observe the two of you in action, I really must request that you come to your senses.
no subject
This is why Sebastian is a Stargazer.
As Liem draws back and disappears, Sebastian barks out a laugh that sounds delighted, but his senses are still sharp enough to only be momentarily thrown off. He pivots, and in a motion that’s still elegant and efficient, uses the momentum to give one of the creatures a kick powerful enough to buckle its exoskeleton under the force. It’s not dead from it, but it will be. It’s also not important. All that feels relevant is that scream of pain and the warm blood on his hands. His now one-eyed gaze turns to Liem as he levels a shot again, and Sebastian shifts his weight low like he’s ready to pounce because this one he won’t let find its mark, he’s sure.
Sebastian springs forward as if to meet it, though as he does, he pulls the bolt from his own head before leveling it as a weapon. Who knows if it’s true, the idea that a vampire can be killed with a stake to the heart? But he imagines it’ll be fun to find out. The way his nerves scream with the pain of it just eggs him on into something more vicious and violent. He’s wholly focused and literally blinded, and it’s enough to easily forget that there’s another person here that can present a problem too.
The net-like spread of darkness doesn’t exactly bring Sebastian back to his senses, but more refocuses his attention as another threat presents itself. The calculation is clear in his expression, if only for an instant, and even though it taps into some of that precious stamina to do so, he tries to kick a step off the ground with more force and launch himself closer to them and out of the range of the net. But without his full abilities, it’s just not quite there.
He's slammed down to the ground and pinned, and immediately, there’s another burst of emotion in sharp clarity. As Sebastian’s claws dig into the ground enough to cause the stone to crack and screech unpleasantly against those sharp nails and he pushes up against the odd material, there’s nothing short of fury expressed in their connection, and it’s not quite that of a trapped animal like might be expected. There’s and edge to it that’s too hard and cold for that.
Sebastian snarls out a pained noise as he presses back flat as if acquiescing to the hold. In the low light, it’s almost impossible to see and could be missed if not for the unnatural shape of it. A shadow cast by the dim purple light of Bondrewd’s helmet moves in an unnatural way, curling sharply into a whorl of abyssal darkness. It raises from the floor in a whip-like motion, but there’s still prioritization happening here. Though it might seem like it’ll be turned against Bondrewd and Liem, it instead cleaves through a nearby creature just as smoothly as Sebastian’s claws are able.
If he’ll suffer this indignity, then he at least won’t be killed by a bug. ]
no subject
Except that all at once — as long, gore-filthy arms spring into view from behind him — dealing with Bondrewd suddenly becomes the only thing of importance.
Liem's shot goes high, streaking a full metre over Sebastian's head as his weapon is jerked up toward the ceiling. He hisses at the sudden grip around his shoulders, twisting in an attempt to wriggle free before Bondrewd can do any worse to him, or before some other threat can get close to take advantage of his immobility. The presence of bloody bits of viscera pressed tight against him doesn't make this seem any less likely; of anything, the smell only makes his struggles more intense.
Offering a verbal reply is beyond him at the moment; he is simply past caring about the niceties of civilized language, when violence looms so large at the front of his mind.]
no subject
Yet, they both find pleasure in things that would alarm most normal people. Both of them, delighting in the opportunity to puzzle their way through a situation — even if it means using violence as the best method. In the moment their awful little Stargazer brains connect, the brief shape of Bondrewd's mentality forms between them: that he considers allowing Sebastian's attack to find purchase upon Liem, because he is interested in observing the demon's capabilities. He had said so, soon after their first meeting. That, and he wants to truly see what happens when a Shard-bearer dies.
However, the lightning-fast flow of his mind reformulates the matter at hand: he cannot allow it, for all three of them are now injured and remain diminished in ability. Liem Talbott must survive this adventure. He is needed. Therefore, Bondrewd's mind mechanically shifts priorities — preserve Liem, subdue and defend Sebastian, eliminate the external threat, and escape the room. Whatever has induced such ferocity in them must be part of the room's purpose. ]
Saa, [ he sighs, closing his fist tighter around Liem's crossbow, fighting the against man's struggles even as he fights to contain Sebastian. To mind the lash of the shadow he manipulates — oh, how cute! — and ensure everyone escapes without any further maiming. He casts his attention back to the observation level, the glass that separates arena from relative security. Breaking the glass is not sensible. Ah, there. A door. ]
I am sorry, for these indignities. Mister Michaelis, you first.
[ Far Caress tightens around him, and Bondrewd pours the last of his resources into a one-two punch: Gangway, called out as he runs his fingers down the panel of light upon his mask ricochets viciously through a few straggling monsters, though the beam itself flickers and threatens to slow by the time it impacts with the handle of the door to the observation deck. It creaks open a little. Just enough.
The second step, is to whip the demon through the door and onto the deck itself. Yeet. ]
Mister Talbott. You are next.
[ Never mind that there are gaps in his armor. That even he bleeds.
no subject
He looks up to Bondrewd and Liem both where he’s pinned, and the look in his eyes is nothing short of murderous. There’s something especially intense about the gaze that would be difficult to place, if not for that shared connection. It’s more indistinct than an emotion, but also alien and strange. It’s more a feeling of oppressive darkness that’s likely not dissimilar from looking down into the dark pits of the Abyss. It’s an instinctual want not just to kill, but to utterly snuff out any life within his vicinity.
Because, if he could, he would shed this form and do just that.
But the moment before he can consider it and try and evaluate if it would sap the remainder of his energy just to do so (a waste—), the material tightens. Sebastian’s claws dig into the ground more deeply as he nearly growls, and that shadow turns towards Bondrewd instead. It’s not overly tight, but like a trapped animal lashing out against anything near, it’s just enough to be a threat. It’s limited in range, though, and he can only extend it far enough for it to try and lash out against Bondrewd. It very well might not even be able to cut through his armor. But luckily, even if it is, well.
He gets tossed, so the shadow dissipates back into nothing almost immediately.
It’s definitely not the most elegant showing Sebastian has ever made. He crashes through the door and is only barely able to brace himself for it not being a more painful impact, much less to land it in a composed and acrobatic way he normally might. But it serves its purpose well, since the demon is away from the core of the fight, and with it farther away from the ward that’s causing this problem in the first place. ]
no subject
But Bondrewd's apologetic mien does nothing to soothe the frenzy that has already been ignited in Liem's blood. The man has put his hands on him, and what's more, the blood flowing from him smells far, far more human than the ichor-like gore now coating them both. It slides past everything else, sidestepping the stink of torn viscera and the shooting pain of Liem's savaged leg to saturate his senses. Somewhere, beneath the layers of armour and fabric, Bondrewd's heart beats a mesmerizing tempo.
As ropes of clinging material fling Sebastian away, removing him from being of immediate threat, Liem makes a decision. Abruptly, he relinquishes his hold on his crossbow, leaving Dignity's Barb to Bondrewd's grip as he shifts the focus of his own grasp — not to pulling free, but to twisting enough to cling to the larger man. He is drawn, with the single-minded focus of a striking snake, to the material covering his neck, and to the promise of hot blood beneath.]
no subject
His blood. That Liem seeks with his teeth.
For a moment, he is grateful to feel Liem's weight twist in his grasp — not to struggle away from him, but to crawl into his embrace. He seeks to gather him behind a thigh, to hold Liem aloft from the floor so that he may wade through the corpses, through the dying creatures, through the ones that still skitter and lunge — defensive, rather than offensive. They work in packs, he has noted, and to have diminished the size of the pack is to introduce the threat of certain death. Bondrewd wonders, briefly, whether or not Aetós had divested any of their monstrous charges of survival instinct — and then, he is bitten. ]
Ah?
[ Liem's teeth will struggle only with the initial material between them and Bondrewd's throat. He may bounce his own face off of the angle of the helm's jawline, but below is gathered cloth and cravat, torn loose by claw and tooth earlier. It presents a grand target, and one that is immediately between Liem's teeth; Bondrewd's blood is viscous, heavy in a way that speaks to something off, akin more to cough syrup than readily-flowing blood. All the same, he tastes? normal enough. ]
Aah, I see. [ ( Seeking behavior / query: defensive priority > sustenance requirement? / assess . ) ] Well. We go together then.
[ And with that, he snaps the tick-beast that has been latched onto him off his arm with a flick of his tail, and begins to wade towards the observation deck. Even with Liem gnawing on him, he holds him under one arm and forces his way through the door far before seizing the back of the man's head. ]
I would hate to defang you while removing you, Mister Talbott. Please come to your senses.
no subject
He’s weaker to magic than most things, as it’s the sole force that’s able to truly bind a creature like him, and so this feels like a vulnerability. He can still feel that ward encouraging that part of himself, and with it, the desire to just meet Bondrewd head-on. It could be a fight to the death and he realizes that, but a demon’s pride is fearsome and vicious. Being restricted in any way is an affront to be responded to with incredible violence.
…But as soon as he’s farther away from the effect of the spell that pulls out that vicious, beastly part of him, his personal value of control almost snaps back in response to it. The urge to tear Bondrewd limb from limb is smothered by Sebastian’s dedication to his principles, however warped they may be. He may be a monster, but he abhors being inelegant about it. It’s a point of pride that might seem arbitrary, but it was something he thought distinguished him from other, lesser demons.
He sits up with a sucked in hiss of pain, at least glad that even reduced so, he’s durable. Between the eye and other bruises and injuries he feels (a broken rib, perhaps…?), he’s sure it would be agony for a human. The pain isn’t quite so pleasant and motivating when he’s trying to resist the urge to tear into someone. ]
What a mess…
[ He reaches up with a hand towards his eye to assess the damage, and though it sends another bolt of pain to touch it, the verdict is quick. Destroyed. There’s an irony in that he doesn’t miss, but he won’t complain for it. He’ll just have to hope that getting out of here will also return his healing, and he’ll spend a few days recovering. How irritating. He spits a thick splat of blood to the side as Bondrewd and Liem enter, and though the thrashing makes him tense (How easy would it be to strike them both down now?), he stays where he is. He’s partially concerned that if he moves, the temptation might be too great to resist. ]
no subject
The blood is thicker than he expects: syrupy. But it tastes of living human blood, and that is all that matters. Liem drinks, greedily, blocking out the hissing and skittering of the bugs around them as Bondrewd wades across the body-littered arena. Who knows when they might gain the nerve for one last attack? He has to drink now, while he has the opportunity. And he does.
Until his escort brings him within the shelter of the arena's viewing area, and the frenzy of magic smouldering at the edges of his awareness gutters and goes dark. Then the only thing left is the heady thrill of blood on his tongue — still sweet enough to enthrall him for another blissfully ignorant moment. Until a large hand grips him firmly by the back of the head.
Realization slams into him. Carefully, Liem peels his gore-covered face back from Bondrewd's neck, his dark eyes wild.]
Gods below—
[He's latched onto him like a rabid animal, hasn't he. Liem tries to extricate himself, though at this point his feet are rather north of the ground.]
no subject
There are few creatures remaining, their ranks shattered against the onslaught of the former Sovereign and companions. He concludes they will be able to catch their breath, in this room.
As Liem begins to squirm, he swivels his head — the material of his attire dark, but gleaming wet with shed blood and the barest hint of skin below. Ah, so there is flesh and blood and bone below the canopy — but, it is of inconsequential material. Or, it will be again. For now, this is the only body that he has under his command, and he must treat it well. ] There, there. Mister Talbott, if you have calmed down enough, I will set you down. Mister Michaelis, have you steadied, as well?
[ Despite the heave of his body betraying the adrenaline still running through him and the agonies of exhaustion, despite the laboring weakness brought upon him by his own injuries, his voice is — utterly unchanged, as if being maimed and wrung out was of no worry. No importance, in lieu of checking on the two of them. His own experienced harm secondary, to the things he wishes to pursue. ]
What an adventure that was.
[ WHAT A FREAK ]
no subject
Essentially, yes.
[ He huffs out a heavy breath, then at least feeling confident that the effect is dwindling, he moves to stand carefully. It comes with a sharper hiss since the impact did indeed break a rib, but at least only one. Normally, it would be little more than an annoyance, but here with his healing slowed, it’s not so easily ignored. Once he’s up, he holds the injured side. ]
…I would call it a bit more than an adventure. [ Do you know how embarrassing this is, Bondrewd? Well, no, he knows the answer from what little he knows of the man. ] I— Well. I hope it is obvious, but none of that was… intentional.
no subject
It does not at all escape him that some of the more salient wounds the others have suffered were his own doing.]
I have had adventures that went better, [he says ruefully, looking from Sebastian back up at Bondrewd, and trying not to focus overlong on the dark, wet stain soaking the clothes along the side of his neck. He cannot think about it right now, because if he does then he knows he will burn up with shame, and now is simply not the time for such preoccupation.]
Nor was it my intent to harm my own companions. Are you… well enough to continue?
[Both Bondrewd and Sebastian are decorated enough with bug gore that he finds it difficult to actually tell the extent of their injuries, though he can smell the blood in the air without any trouble. Hopefully no one is in need of immediate recovery. Any dungeon is a poor place to rest, but one in which their strength and magics are reduced is especially so.]
no subject
Aah, his poor little companions. ] I would be grateful, should we take a moment to rest. An assessment of my own injuries is overdue.
[ He is bleeding, after all. Somewhere in his mind, he is aware of the pain ( Sebastian will know: there is a marvelously frightening ability Bondrewd possesses, the mental equivalent of shutting his mind away from his physical form; the endlessly relentless ability to carry on even when he is falling apart — ) and knows he ought to examine his armor, the body below it. ]
Intent is indeed what makes us higher forms of life. It was a pleasure to see you both shed your cultivated intent and rely more on instinct, however. Truly a pleasure.
[ As he murmurs it, he will press himself against the door, against the desk he had aligned with it to keep anything out — and quiet, the lights on his armor dimming to a faint violet. They'll pick up locating information after they all take a short rest, hurrah! Congratulations lads. ]