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Entry tags:
- arcane: vander,
- arknights: gavial,
- bastard!!: dark schneider,
- black butler: sieglinde sullivan,
- expanse (the): amos burton,
- fate/: quetzalcoatl,
- fate/: rin tohsaka,
- fire emblem: claude von riegan,
- genshin impact: tartaglia (childe),
- genshin impact: zhongli,
- granblue fantasy: eustace,
- magnus archives (the): the archivist,
- orv: dokja kim,
- star wars: cassian andor,
- star wars: jyn erso,
- trigun maximum: vash the stampede
The Seeds of Unrest, Phase Two 🌱
UPROOTED
Time has not been kind thus far, and the future will be no kinder.
The slow passage of days to weeks has seen both cities increasingly ravaged by the untamed growth of the enlarging roots. Their size is enough to uproot buildings by their foundations, if not bisect them entirely where they push through unfettered. In the worst-hit areas, entire blocks are left abandoned - if even standing at all, displacing families and leaving businesses in ruins.
Cetina and Kathova have been in near constant contact with Bearers via Communion, feeding them information about which areas to focus their lifesaving efforts. Yima’s Manor and the Seat of the Tribune - despite their closeness to the Trees - have been fortified by your leaders and act as a base of operations for each respective faction. You will be able to return to either to find sanctuary from the chaos beyond, but the innumerable civilians are not so lucky.
Bearers are tasked with rescue and recovery efforts and requested to assist hands on the ground with taking refugees to temporary shelters. Survivors must be dug out of the debris. Those who are capable of healing will be enlisted to assist at hospitals and triage centers. Supplies must be gathered and harvested from areas that are collapsed and too dangerous for civilians to navigate. If you are feeling generous, you can go on search and rescue missions, as many people are considered missing in both Highstorm and Springstar. Some areas are completely cut off to regular foot traffic by the massive, winding roots bearing countless Blight-blooms. Citizens are succumbing to the Blight flower’s effects persistent from phase one with more and more frequency.
While both cities slowly succumb to a deepening catastrophe, the situation worsens.
The slow passage of days to weeks has seen both cities increasingly ravaged by the untamed growth of the enlarging roots. Their size is enough to uproot buildings by their foundations, if not bisect them entirely where they push through unfettered. In the worst-hit areas, entire blocks are left abandoned - if even standing at all, displacing families and leaving businesses in ruins.
Cetina and Kathova have been in near constant contact with Bearers via Communion, feeding them information about which areas to focus their lifesaving efforts. Yima’s Manor and the Seat of the Tribune - despite their closeness to the Trees - have been fortified by your leaders and act as a base of operations for each respective faction. You will be able to return to either to find sanctuary from the chaos beyond, but the innumerable civilians are not so lucky.
Bearers are tasked with rescue and recovery efforts and requested to assist hands on the ground with taking refugees to temporary shelters. Survivors must be dug out of the debris. Those who are capable of healing will be enlisted to assist at hospitals and triage centers. Supplies must be gathered and harvested from areas that are collapsed and too dangerous for civilians to navigate. If you are feeling generous, you can go on search and rescue missions, as many people are considered missing in both Highstorm and Springstar. Some areas are completely cut off to regular foot traffic by the massive, winding roots bearing countless Blight-blooms. Citizens are succumbing to the Blight flower’s effects persistent from phase one with more and more frequency.
While both cities slowly succumb to a deepening catastrophe, the situation worsens.
STIRRING STORMS
As the days pass, inexplicable and unnatural weather occurrences will randomly plague both cities. They can last as long as a full day or as little as an hour before dissolving entirely.- Flurries: this snow is tainted by the Blight, making the snowfall look like ash. Any organic matter it touches will be affected by reopening wounds, re-infection of illnesses, or re-experiencing injuries that may have healed over years ago.
- Thunderstorms: these storms carry a frigid rainfall and heavy cloud cover, making already difficult-to-navigate disaster zones harder to clear. As each thunder bellow crashes overhead, you might swear you hear a familiar voice reaching out to you in the fading rumble… one that sends a message - either from the future or past.
- Fog: dense clouds of thick, freezing fog will roll in randomly, making visibility even more precarious. In your search for survivors - or your companions, you may find yourself coming face to face with someone else, instead: a version of yourself (or a companion) from another timeline. You may also hear your own voice calling out to you from within the fog, attempting to beckon you further into the mist.
- General Note: Exposure to any of the above weather patterns will increase your Blight infection.
THE BLIGHT COMES FOR ALL
As if it were not enough to see the cities that have become your salvation at the end of the Timestream falling to collapse and ruin, the Bearers will slowly begin to realize their previous immunity to the Blight is eroding. They will begin to show symptoms of infection that increase into May’s event. ( For more information on the effects of the Blight and purification methods, please see the OOC Summary. )
Now that their last bastion - the Bearers - are just as much in harm’s way as everyone else, the populous’s efforts to formulate a temporary stop-gap solution are being rushed to completion. Time is not on anyone’s side. They will continue to work with those who have been kind enough to volunteer their resources and brilliant minds - collecting materials and attempting to figure out a way to avert their otherwise inevitable destiny.
🌙 YIMA will stress for all Zenite Bearers to prioritize their well-being and to avoid unnecessary exposure, to manage their symptoms as much as possible. They must fight for their own survival to bring in the birth of a new universe - and their lives are too precious to risk. Beyond that, she asks them to save what they can of their people and their most critical structures with the understanding that hard choices may be necessary.
🌞 CYRUS will implore all Meridian Bearers to prioritize the general population's lives and turn their efforts to save as much of Springstar as they can. He will note that Bearers have ways to help keep one another from suffering too much contagion and to coordinate their usages appropriately, to keep one another safe, and watch their backs.
Now that their last bastion - the Bearers - are just as much in harm’s way as everyone else, the populous’s efforts to formulate a temporary stop-gap solution are being rushed to completion. Time is not on anyone’s side. They will continue to work with those who have been kind enough to volunteer their resources and brilliant minds - collecting materials and attempting to figure out a way to avert their otherwise inevitable destiny.
ORDERS
Orders from your leaders will come as soon as infections among the Bearers have been confirmed.🌙 YIMA will stress for all Zenite Bearers to prioritize their well-being and to avoid unnecessary exposure, to manage their symptoms as much as possible. They must fight for their own survival to bring in the birth of a new universe - and their lives are too precious to risk. Beyond that, she asks them to save what they can of their people and their most critical structures with the understanding that hard choices may be necessary.
🌞 CYRUS will implore all Meridian Bearers to prioritize the general population's lives and turn their efforts to save as much of Springstar as they can. He will note that Bearers have ways to help keep one another from suffering too much contagion and to coordinate their usages appropriately, to keep one another safe, and watch their backs.
ANOTHER EN-TREE-TY
The Tree of Life continues to sicken, yet - thankfully - the progression of the Blight is slow. Still, Bearers will find themselves occasionally compelled to take a moment to sit beneath its boughs and vibrant leaves, even as some begin to show signs of discoloration and rot. Any characters who sit with the Tree with the purple leaf they found on their person after phase one will find it warming to the touch, its veins laced with gold. This effect will be even more effective if taken into the cavernous roots beneath the Tree! While this may fill you with a temporary sense of calm, it doesn't seem to have any other effects... yet still, you are compelled, if not curious.
The Tree has offered you this gift for a reason. Perhaps you will find its use before long.
...As long as you - and Kenos - survive long enough to discover it.
The Tree has offered you this gift for a reason. Perhaps you will find its use before long.
...As long as you - and Kenos - survive long enough to discover it.
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No. You're the first.
[ hahahahahahhahahahhahahahahahahahahah. ]
Are you planning on staying down there all day?
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[ Vash shoots this out accusingly as he FINALLY manages to get his coat properly over his head and untangled, looking red in the face from... exertion? frustration? maybe both. ]
And would you PLEASE stop trying to kill people?! AND. And, how many of those knives do you have?!
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in fact he barely seems like he's heard them. there's a tinge of exasperation, impatience, that touches his expression, but that's all there is. of course he won't apologize. of course he won't say how many knives he has. and he has no interest in killing the infected man now that he's incapacitated, no longer an active threat to either the young man from earlier or vash now. in fact, he glances back in the direction of the medical center briefly, wondering if they should take him back there. or — somewhere.
but then something cool touches his skin, then another, then another. the clouds above finally making good on the promise of snow from before with flurries beginning in earnest. cassian glances upwards, the flakes starting to collect on his gloves, his sleeves, melting into the exposed skin of his wrists and face and into his hair. he shivers.
then his next breath is a sharp inhale, every line of his body seeming to tense. he swallows, then he looks to vash, jerking a head to the blighted man underneath him. ]
Get him somewhere safe. He'll need help when he comes to.
[ rearrangement of priorities: there's something wrong with the snow (there's only one thing wrong with kenos right now, or one very salient thing), and they all need to get out of it. vash especially, the blight-stricken man, especially. the latter should be dealt while it's still possible. if vash is physically capable, and he should be, he can do that. and cassian will —
well, don't worry about it. ]
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he's crouched down next to him, examining the state of the man's head injury when he hears Melshi's directions; Vash angles his head up, looking at his companion with a slight frown. ]
Where're you off to?
[ does it still sound slightly haughty around the edges? gee, can't imagine why...
but he hasn't yet picked up on anything abnormal about the heavier snowfall. it's probably lucky that Vash's skin is nearly entirely covered save for his face and neck by habit - that, or maybe he's gotten lucky so far... ]
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[ oh, is that how we're characterizing what happened here? apparently we are. but vash is still moving too slowly. the snow is only continuing to come down, and cassian can't imagine it'll be long before he or even the blighted man start to feel the effects of it. won't they? no, better question: is he willing to risk that?
impatiently, he clarifies, ]
There's something wrong with the snow. We need to get out of it.
[ because with every prickle of cold and wet that touches his skin, his pain mounts. he flips up the collar of his coat to better protect his neck, but even that motion is stiff, difficult. he isn't clear yet on what, precisely, is happening, but — it's only going to get worse the longer they stay out here. ]
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that does serve to kick a little pep into Mr. Stampede's step; something becomes slightly sharper in his gaze before he's hauling the Blighted man up, slinging one of the guy's arms around his shoulders to give his weight an upward heave. ]
You took the other one to the med checkpoint, right?
[ the civilian he and 'Melshi' had run across after their paths had crossed earlier. before the... Tragic Events that followed, yes. ]
You think we make it?
[ 'we,' yes. he sure did say we. and Melshi can choose to hear a 'we' that refers to Vash and Blighted Guy, but he surely knows Vash is including dear, sweet Melshi in that 'we,' too. ]
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that means he hears the way vash says 'we' and understands his meaning. that means he considers the likelihood of argument following multiple answers he could give, and whether or not they really have time for that. he weighs his options, and chooses to go for the most expedient one.
so: in a low, urgent voice he tells vash the fastest way to get to that same medical checkpoint cassian had taken the other man to, where he'd come from to find vash. and then he meets vash's eyes, and he says, ]
Come back for me after. I'd just slow you down now.
[ the only reason he hadn't stirred himself to help carry all that dead weight vash is dealing with: he's not sure he can. the priority right now, despite the murder attempts before, is to get that man to safety and help. it's something that ranks above cassian's well-being, and vash's too. he glances upwards again and adds, ]
I'll try to get out of the snow. Don't let it touch you if you can help it.
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entirelyas stupid as he lets on. whether it's something he's able to tell from 'Melshi's' posture, from the tone of his voice, from the strain in his eyes - it's inconsequential. in what might come as a surprising move, the gunman doesn't argue with Melshi.he gives a nod. instead, he's shifting his weight to piggyback the unconscious Blighted man... and beginning to run off in the direction Melshi had indicated with a shout over his shoulder. ]
Get some cover; I'll find you. --And don't go and try to kill anybody 'til I get back!
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he huffs out a soft breath, almost a scoff, at the instruction — WHO IS HE GOING TO KILL HERE, HE'S ALONE — and watches vash leave with the man until they round a corner, out of view. getting vash to leave without him had been the gamble; there's no question in this mind that a man like this would come back for him. that's why he'd folded it into his instructions, and into his plan. suggesting vash do otherwise would only incite a different argument, waste time, for likely the same result.
instead, he finally allows himself a low hiss through his teeth, staggers backwards until he's inside a nearby alley, moves towards an overhang he'd seen from a distance. not a large one, but more protection than none. the cataloguing of his pain, his apparent injury, is a cold, clinical thing. none of it makes sense, but that's so often been the case in kenos. he hasn't felt this bad since —
since.
that pulls him up short. raises the question, again, of what the hell the snow is doing; but with more of an answer, reconsidered in this context. he
hurries over to that relative shelter, where he can let himself slide to the ground. and keep an eye out for vash, if the blighted weather doesn't stop his return. ]
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Hey, you didn't go and die on me, did you?
[ the call comes from a bit down the block as he draws in closer, and he can't quite manage to keep the hint of urgency out of his voice despite the casual nature of his tone. he's worried; something is wrong with the snow. something that had hit Melshi fast and hard.
and there's no telling how hard, yet. ]
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[ is tossed back, so at least his sarcasm is intact. cassian isn't very far down the alleyway, and so likely isn't hard to find. he's on the ground, leaning heavily against the wall, breathing too hard for someone who isn't moving. if there's blood, (and there is,) it isn't apparent at least. perhaps hidden under all those layers? don't worry about it.
despite all that, he looks up to vash, focusing his attention by sheer force of will. he couldn't get up if he wanted to, but that isn't his only concern right now. it's not even his most pressing one. ]
You found the checkpoint?
[ it's as much concern for the man vash knocked out, as an excuse to look vash over with a critical eye. how is he doing, with the snow reopening old wounds? ]
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Vash comes a bit closer before crouching at Melshi's side; they are now sizing one another up, as men do (??). thankfully, despite bearing 230948092834 scars, Vash seems to be hanging in there, not outwardly worse for wear. ]
Yeah. They sedated our guy, said they'll keep him under for a while. People've been losing it all over the place...
[ ...he is worried, but he's doing his best to put that aside. one crisis at a time. ]
How you holding up?
[ 'because you look terrible' is, very kindly, left unsaid. ]
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[ is more a response to news of the survival of the man he tried to murder twice than how he's holding up, but could, you know, be some of both. he's holding up, and that's about as good as it gets right now. and at least vash seems to be doing alright, so much the better. if they were both doing poorly, the situation would be much worse. ]
We should get out of the weather. [ but, ] I'll need help.
[ is pretty much the understatement of the century. should vash go to help him up, he'll find that cassian makes a sincere effort — all gritted teeth and white knuckled and uncomplaining — but can't seem to support his own weight. his legs shake violently, move awkwardly, and he flinches away from touch too near his midsection. he might reflect, later, that it makes some kind of sense: that the snow reopened some of his most recent wounds. it's not random, much as he'd much rather be reliving one of a thousand old blaster burns right about now. ]
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Chest or back?
[ is it front-loaded? back? or is Melshi in the super fun category of All-Arounder where both sides are fucked? either way, moving will hurt - it's just a matter of how much and if they can find a way to transport him without, say... him passing out. ]
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[ admitted after a moment. it's not the whole story, but the worst; he'd gone down hard after getting shot in the data vault, hit a beam with his back before landing on his side. all a blur in his memory now, but he remembers enough to say. ]
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Sorry to say, but I'm not one of those real helpful types who can do [ he makes wiggly... finger... gestures? ] that healing magic stuff. We're gonna have to get you back to the med tents. You think you can hold out if I piggyback you...?
[ Vash thinks about making a wisecrack about how he'll be a real smooth ride or something, but 'Melshi's probably not in the mood for... you know. too much in the way of jesting, seeing as how the pinched pain in his eyes seems to be getting worse by the second rather than more tolerable. ]
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I would've expected you to take the opportunity to learn. It seems up your alley.
[ he says, to vash the stampede. in fairness he doesn't even know a single syllable of that name so how could he possibly know. but he nods at the question. it's as good a solution as any; he certainly isn't going anywhere by himself any time soon. can he hold out is less important a question than will he. what other option is there? he'd climbed to the communications dish on scarif hurt this badly and worse, and that'd been without help. it was what needed to be done.
on the topic, as they move so that he can get on vash's back, he asks, ]
Have you taken anyone's Shard back to the tree before?
[ does vash know to like, do that. just in case. his voice is tight, but no tighter than it's been since vash came back for him. the question is asked casually, maybe surprisingly so. it's snowing; this world is called kenos; if he dies, this is what you do with his shard. simple facts. ]
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Vash is, luckily, almost entirely covered with a back turtleneck shirt and trousers beneath his coat, and gloves on to boot; he'll be fine. ]
You keep talking like that and I'm gonna shove my whole boot in your mouth. Why'd you gotta bring it up now?! You're not kicking it, so don't go there.
[ yes, he clearly knows what it means to bring a Shard to the Tree if that's any consolation - even if he hasn't done it personally. and... is very intent on not having to anytime soon, either. he shoots Melshi a look that says as much before he's helping Mr. Pessimistic lean his weight into Vash's back.
it's probably going to hurt like hell when he stands up. yeah. like, a lot. ]
Up on the count of three; ready? One, two--
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cassian doesn't have reason to expect it to get that far. after all: his wounds did not, strictly speaking, kill him the first time around.
one, two, three — it does hurt like hell when vash stands, a sharp sound slipping past even his tight jaw, hands at vash's front reflexively clenching into fists. he presses his forehead into vash's back for a long, long moment; doesn't raise his head until they start moving, and the inevitable jostling from walking becomes — repetitive. bearable, if nothing else.
and it's only after that, that he finally says, ]
So it wasn't just him you were determined to save. [ the young man; the blighted man. ] What is it, everyone?
[ how quickly vash had turned from DON'T KILL ANYONE to DON'T TALK ABOUT DYING, for all ways he's been irritated with cassian this entire interaction. ]
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anyway,
Mr. Stampede sets a careful pace, trying not to jostle 'Melshi' as much as he can manage. he'll keep a close eye on Melshi's vitals, ensuring nothing gets too erratic or out of control as they go. ]
I guess you could say this is but one small step on my journey toward world peace...
[ why did he say that all deep-voiced ]
Well, worlds peace. I was kinda working on my own, but now my never-ending trek through the unforgiving landscape of men's hearts has been expanded. [ ... ] Without my permission.
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[ it sounds strange on his tongue. as well it might, from a man who has never known true peace. his heart thumps hard, but steadily. his breathing doesn't ease, but it doesn't worsen either.
he wonders if he can imagine a peaceful world, a peaceful galaxy. he wonders if he can guess what such a thing would look like to this man. slots this consideration together with what he's seen of vash so far.
of course, vash could simply be lying, be joking. but it's something to think about besides the jolts of pain, besides his failing body. he'd been ready for his death on scarif, with jyn by his side. he'd prefer not to dissipate here and now with a near stranger, however temporary it may be. ]
You'll be working a while.
[ he finally concludes, voice flat. ]
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[ the answer comes with a smile over Vash's shoulder while he sneaks a look at 'Melshi,' continuing toward their destination; it has a strange energy behind it. it seems both undeniably happy and incorrigibly sad at once. ]
But haven't you heard that saying: 'it's not about the destination, it's about the journey?' I'm moving ever onward to complete my quest and seeing where the winds take me...
[ lordt i hope that npc wakes up and dropkicks him in the face at the med tents ]
You look like you could use some peace in your life. Kinda a shame about the whole Blight thing; an apartment with a view like yours? Mighty fine living, good a start as any.
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he doesn't bother paying much attention to the ramble about saying, or quests, let alone responding to that piece of silliness. but he does huff out a sound, wry and bitter and humorless, as vash returns to the question of peace. he remembers a similar sentiment he'd been told once, not so long before he joined the rebellion formally. ]
Some people aren't meant for peace.
[ he hadn't fought the empire because he expected to see its end in his lifetime. he hadn't fought the empire to create a better life for himself. so that someone else can taste freedom — that's all. a worthy cause to live for, to die for. ]
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Why do you say that?
[ knowing the 'why' is the thing, right? the most important thing. ]
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because his life never, not for a moment, allowed him the luxury. not the republic's encroachment on kenari nor the empire's toxic spill through the galaxy. because he doesn't deserve peace. he'd forfeited the right, if he ever had it, a long time ago. no one with hands as filthy as his should ever have that, if there's fairness in the universe. he'd come close once, but his arrival in kenos had snatched that away. ]
We aren't all so lucky as to be born in peaceful times.
[ sharp words, but not said without a sense of commiseration. he's seen the scars vash is hiding under that turtleneck, under that idiot's demeanor. he isn't under any illusions that vash simply has never known hardship. even through the heat haze of pain, he's clear on this much. ]
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