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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
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. ]