kenoslogs | vander's rescue

Entry tags:

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!

Threaded | Flat

[ It's been nearly a week at this point since Vander has been captured.

He would have seen Aetós about, but he's largely been in Adelfoúla's quiet "care". It's a bit much for the word, since he's been kept in a cell like an animal and indeed, just from the sounds and smells of the place, he might be the only person in here. On occasion, Aetós stops nearby, taking something out of a cage, and then there's silence. Once, something had been brought in to be placed nearby. But from the confines of his cell, it's hard to tell what, exactly is going on.

At one point, Aetós stops by. They're well out of arm's reach, but they're here to say simply: ]

It took a bit to get what I wanted. But you'll be soon. Don't worry.

[ And indeed, it's two days after that he gets his standard meal. It's no different from any others in taste or consistency (though of perfectly serviceable quality, the equivalent of cafeteria food), but not long after, he grows drowsy. He might think he's imagining it in the haze, but almost certainly... Adelfoúla was staring at him as he fell asleep with a frown. It could be concern. Who can say?

But as consciousness returns to him, he's somewhere else. It'll return slowly, but he's looking up at a high stone ceiling. There's more light here, and it's tinged teal. As he looks around, it's rather reminiscent of an operating theater. And, to the side, stands Aetós with their back to Vander. ]

Very good. How does it feel? Your Discord should at least be down. I prefer it be at zero when I start.

[ With this in mind —

The soft clatter of old armor heralds his own tireless advance, heedless of the impact the maze-like structure of the outpost and the unknown dangers inside. Bondrewd functions as he always has: methodical, efficient, and given to unstoppable forward momentum. Advancing into danger, he is perhaps one of the first Shard-bearers that find their way into Aetós's base ( though, not before those who seek Vander, the Meridian man, lunge forth first; they have priority, if only for the love they hold for him ). No matter how dark it is, the cool, violet glow from his armor illuminates the way for him. The Sovereign of the Dawn finds companions quickly, once he branches off the broad arteries of the maze, venturing into peripherals and capillary-structures on a quest not for the kidnapped man, but information.

Sonorous and slow, he joins up with two others. One, he knows: Sebastian Michaelis, a fellow Zenith, who exists as intellectual and curiosity alike. The other is new, with an atmosphere of diligence that he finds suitable for their course of action; Liem Talbott does not appear a familiar face, not only because of Bondrewd's newness, but because he does not see him around Highstorm often. ]

Mister Talbott, Mister Michaelis. I will take the lead position as we make our advance beyond here.

[ He is a large man, after all. Armored and illuminated, although the other two may not need such assistance in seeing in the gloom of the area they have located. The dark flex of his tail stirs up some debris in the hall they take pause in, a singular door drawn between them and the perils beyond as they assess their advance and decide upon a course of action. Just some guys, chatting about where they would like to go and how to best prepare for what lies beyond. There is no map in the place, only the vague scent of metal and animal in the halls that exists beyond the heavy blasting door.

What lies beyond is unknown ( a series of short halls, heavy doors torn from their hinges and the main event, just beyond that ), but he is intent on forward momentum. He begins to slowly turn the wheel, the metal creaking against itself. Soon, he presses it open — casting a look toward the two of them. ]

Be ready. And, if I may recommend something, based on personal experience: while watching flank and rear, do remember what lies above and below as well.

[ How considerate! And then he's beyond the door, the soft clatter of armor and the steady set of his shoulders akin to the prow of an icebreaker, carving a path for the two of them. ]

[ As with every appearance of Aetós thus far, carefully wrought plans quickly erupt into chaos. In mere moments, Zhongli finds himself separated from those he entered the Below with, corralled into an side passageway from where the main commotion occurred. But in this disruption, it seems he has found a stroke of good luck - two other Shard-Bearers (one that he has met on a previous occasion) and a series of evenly spaced fluorescent lights that seem to lead them farther into this labyrinth and potentially to a location of some importance. The muffled cacophony of monsters and battle echo off the walls behind them with one steady sound sharply present in the forefront.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Zhongli has taken point of their small group, gold and onyx spear clutched defensively in one hand as he makes his way down this hallway. Those same geometric gold runes etched into the blade glimmer faintly about an arm's length around John (the Archivist's) person, forming a thin cylindrical shield around him. A precaution, since Zhongli was naturally a cautious person, and he did not want a repeat of what happened under the boughs of the Tree of Life when Aetós had last appeared. (Or perhaps it is an extra precaution because the call of the earth seems dim here and he does not know if it's due to this specific place or Kenos as a whole - newly harmonized as he is.) Zhongli glances up to where the last beats of sound reverberate, but sees no movement - cannot identify the source of the noise. ]

We should best prepare for running into something unpleasant here as well as do as best we can to assist the others.

[ Stating the obvious? Perhaps. But best to set the proper expectations of his intentions here. Anything that they learned here could be useful in understanding the greater scheme of which they faced. Any amount of creatures they could dispatch would assist the other Shard-Bearers in both rescuing the captured Meridian and ensuring their safe retreat. Or so he hoped they were all aligned in at least this much.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glances back to his two companions, gauging both their response and interest before continuing further in.

Clack. Clackclack. Clack. Clack. Clackclack. ]

[[ Summation for reference ]]

( ooc summary + notes )

[ Rescuing Vander is a priority, sure, but after Kaeya's debrief (brisk but thorough) Eustace finds himself far more interested in the secrets that Aetos's little outpost holds. Thankfully, it turns out they aren't the only two Shardbearers following Adelfoula down the winding tunnel towards the base, and there's enough of them gathered there (like a large flock of ducklings) that somehow he suspects that not all of them will be needed to break Vander free.

But also, they get a little lost when everything goes to hell. (Read: they get very lost after both fighting and fleeing from monsters.)

The tunnels are labyrinthine and winding, never quite leading where he expects, and after a third entry through a tunnel that he's pretty sure is going to dump them into yet another dead end with no Vander in sight, he simply gives up in trying to return to home base. May as well snoop around some while they're down here. Once they exit through this last tunnel, that is. Hope there's nothing spooky at the end. :) ]

How good are you at mazes?

[ Because apparently he FUCKIN' SUCKS!! Or maybe because it's dark and eerie down here and he hasn't been able to clear the scent of old blood from his nose this entire time. ]

Edited (MY TYPOS) 2023-03-23 01:20 (UTC)

[ The intention had been to find Vander, and this team had followed Adelfoúla into the facility, for long enough to see a momentary vision of Aetós, before there was a moment of blinking, and they were gone. Something lingered on the air, and Akua's eyes tracked it, it fanned out in all directions, but as she looked it over, considered that path -- of following them -- she thought, no, he would not lead back to the scene of where their quarry was, would he? She could not follow the magic any further than this room, anyway, and she turned, and let her steps take them to the first path that opened before them, the one that moved deeper.

Moving through pathways and hallways was dangerous -- there were plenty of monsters, but that was what Amos and Hayame were best at, wasn't it? Her fingers tested the wall to their left, her feet cautious. Three or four times, she had to stop them, and disarm a trap -- one meant to crush them outright, and another to burn them alive -- Akua was quick to speak up, and even once in a rush, wove the air before them so tightly that they could not move forward, lest they stepped into the muck that would surely disintigrate Hayame's hooves.

Now though, they were at a spot, and her eyes searched a wall. Looking it over, her fingers on her mouth, tapping. She looked at the two, before a howling sounded down the hallway, creatures trying to draw them out, perhaps? This certainly felt wrong, this wall before them. After a moment, her gaze hardened, and her lips peeled back as she ripped the magic before her apart, revealing stairs downward -- the sight of a light at the end of it...

Could that be?

Her head snapped up, and looked over at Amos and Hayame, who were -- she expected -- going to want to go for the monsters. ]

Forget about those! I think they're meant to distract us.

[ She pointed at the stairs which had -- very obviously not been there before. ]

[Claude hadn't expected any of this to go smoothly, not by a long shot. He knew there was something suspect about Adelfoúla's cooperation, but he thought that perhaps because they had spared her, because he had kept his promise not to harm her and instead watched over her, that perhaps she had felt something of a change of heart in her loyalties to her master. Maybe she really did want Vander to be saved. There had been something genuinely childlike about her, given her fondness for the picture books he'd given her and her blank, doll-like expressions. Maybe he'd pitied her situation a bit, softy that he is, guessing she was probably another of Aetós' victims.

Of course, there was the high likelihood of it being a dangerous trap, too; he's not naive, but it was one they had no choice but to spring. What shocks him more, however, is the way Aetós disposes of the girl as though she's nothing, even though she had fulfilled her task. It's rare for Claude to show genuine anger or upset, but in that moment, what had at first been a trip to retrieve an ally and learn more about a formidable enemy has instead become something more personal for Claude.

So there's no forced cheer from him for once as he moves quietly through the Zoo accompanied by Byleth, bow in hand and on high alert for distant noises -- voices of other search parties echoing down the hall, perhaps, or a suspicious, ragged breathing noise down a dark path. So far they've managed to slip past such creatures by being quiet and careful, but Claude knows their good luck can't go on forever.]

Don't worry if you've lost your bearings. [He says it quietly to Byleth, when he's sure it's safe to speak.] If we get turned around in here, I think I'll be able to remember our way out.

[Sure, he was focused on the mission, but being Claude, he's also busy plotting contingencies on contingencies. Hopefully it will help Byleth focus on just paying attention to the monsters.]

Threaded | Flat

FOR VANDER (CWs apply in this thread)

LIEM, SEBASTIAN & BONDREWD ( 🌿🚬 😶‍🌫️ )

The Winnowing Trial: John, John, and J̶o̶Zhongli

knot tangled.............yet (eustace & kaeya)

team go get dad!! (Amos, Hayame, Akua, and Vander!)