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Entry tags:
- !event,
- arknights: gavial,
- baroque: koriel xii (dextera),
- bastard!!: dark schneider,
- boy's abyss: gen minegishi,
- expanse (the): amos burton,
- fire emblem: byleth eisner,
- fire emblem: claude von riegan,
- fire emblem: dimitri a. blaiddyd,
- fire emblem: yuri leclerc,
- granblue fantasy: eustace,
- jinba: hayame,
- legend of zelda (the): midna,
- locked tomb (the): john gaius,
- oc: liem talbott,
- star wars: cassian andor,
- star wars: jyn erso,
- vampire hunter d: d
Toxic Love: The Exalt Oracle
NOTHING GOES OFF WITHOUT A HITCH
You feel it, the moment that the Exalt oracle opens its eyes, like something that rips through your body from head to toe, something that feel like fire, wild. It sears into your veins, like acid and fire, something that triggers something that makes you want to run, or perhaps turn and face something head on. Before you can find what sets you off – if you could find it. Bearers know what this sensation is, it is different but the same at its core. The emotions, the feelings it sparks are different – but in the end, you know it for what it is: An Oracle.
Kenos groans from the awakening, like a part of a whole sparks to life, and though you do not know what it is that they want yet, you understand and know their existence down to your core. That feeling to attack or defend, perhaps even flee, does not leave you, but instead it fills your veins, you feel it thrumming, pulsing, like the beat of a heart – if one has one. With the sense of awakening, bearers know the shape of what comes next, they will be asked to act, to do. You do not know how it will happen, or what the Exalt will ask of you, but the knowledge that it will happen is borne from experience, not from the Oracle itself.
As you begin to move, to… look, you are not long for this day, it clouds your mind, a hazy, drowsy feeling takes over, the encroaching dark that threatens to swarm, crowding from the sides, taking over your vision – until… it fully takes over, and Bearers are put into a deep slumber.
When bearers awaken, it’s difficult to make sense of what your sleepy eyes see. Structures begin to swim into view, and they like tall figures looking down upon you. It’s difficult to tell what they are at first, but as you wake up, you begin to see, they are not people, or creatures, but long spore-like stalks. Some have ribbed overgrowths that you can see, and some end in growths that ripple and hang over, but have no “cap”. They tower over the bearers, like towering spires and buildings, on all sides, as if they were trapped in a ring of them. As bearers look around them they will notice tall green spires around them as well, and it takes a moment for things to really settle in. Mushrooms. Blades of grass. The springy moss about them is almost as tall as they are, low to the ground. There are pebbles that appear as boulders, and the thunderous steps nearby indicate an insect or arachnid walking by, far larger than you. There is a stillness to this space, like a held breath, and as the bearers awake, and regard one another, and then to the center of the circle is – a small effigy in the center.
It is here, the Exalt Oracle, and you feel compelled to regard it, before you are given a pang down to your core. It compels you – pleads, asks, begs, and demands, all in one – for what it wishes for. Precious mementos and precious items that they are missing. They have been lost, and they are somewhere within the Liosachán. It beseeches the bearers to return its items, and begs they be returned here to the circle. There are no words, but there is a pleading sensation, a feeling that these items are treasured by this Oracle.
You feel at your sides, your pockets, and find one item on your person, a weapon, a companion, whatever it is you would bring with you to the conflict, shrunk down to a tiny size with you.
Stay steadfast, bearers, and capture theflag Oracle!
Kenos groans from the awakening, like a part of a whole sparks to life, and though you do not know what it is that they want yet, you understand and know their existence down to your core. That feeling to attack or defend, perhaps even flee, does not leave you, but instead it fills your veins, you feel it thrumming, pulsing, like the beat of a heart – if one has one. With the sense of awakening, bearers know the shape of what comes next, they will be asked to act, to do. You do not know how it will happen, or what the Exalt will ask of you, but the knowledge that it will happen is borne from experience, not from the Oracle itself.
As you begin to move, to… look, you are not long for this day, it clouds your mind, a hazy, drowsy feeling takes over, the encroaching dark that threatens to swarm, crowding from the sides, taking over your vision – until… it fully takes over, and Bearers are put into a deep slumber.
When bearers awaken, it’s difficult to make sense of what your sleepy eyes see. Structures begin to swim into view, and they like tall figures looking down upon you. It’s difficult to tell what they are at first, but as you wake up, you begin to see, they are not people, or creatures, but long spore-like stalks. Some have ribbed overgrowths that you can see, and some end in growths that ripple and hang over, but have no “cap”. They tower over the bearers, like towering spires and buildings, on all sides, as if they were trapped in a ring of them. As bearers look around them they will notice tall green spires around them as well, and it takes a moment for things to really settle in. Mushrooms. Blades of grass. The springy moss about them is almost as tall as they are, low to the ground. There are pebbles that appear as boulders, and the thunderous steps nearby indicate an insect or arachnid walking by, far larger than you. There is a stillness to this space, like a held breath, and as the bearers awake, and regard one another, and then to the center of the circle is – a small effigy in the center.
It is here, the Exalt Oracle, and you feel compelled to regard it, before you are given a pang down to your core. It compels you – pleads, asks, begs, and demands, all in one – for what it wishes for. Precious mementos and precious items that they are missing. They have been lost, and they are somewhere within the Liosachán. It beseeches the bearers to return its items, and begs they be returned here to the circle. There are no words, but there is a pleading sensation, a feeling that these items are treasured by this Oracle.
You feel at your sides, your pockets, and find one item on your person, a weapon, a companion, whatever it is you would bring with you to the conflict, shrunk down to a tiny size with you.
Stay steadfast, bearers, and capture the
SURVIVAL OF THE SMALLEST ( DAYS 1 - 5 )
Unlike the still, stale apocalypse that had been the setting of the Iconoclast Oracle, the greenhouse is lush and vibrant with activity.
The Effigy present within yearns to be reunited with what belongs to it, fixated upon the five items lost within the greenhouse. The swell of its longing fills all Shardbearers, urging them to take action, claim the items and present all five to it to attain victory for that Faction.
Over a period of ten days, Shardbearers of both factions will have to navigate environmental dangers, and the normal procession of time, as the greenhouse is going about its daily routine. Workers plod around like towering goliaths, weeding and watering and pruning the greenhouse's contents. The Liosachán's native population of fae begin to take notice of the newcomers in their midst, emerging from grassy mounds hidden in the natural landscape to spy and pry about the newness surrounding them.
For Shardbearers demonstrating particular selflessness, favoring the protection and defense of another, the Effigy responds warmly from the third day onward — rewarding them with a sign of their dutiful nature towards others in the form of fairy wings, the form of which are unique to the Shardbearer themselves.
DAY FOUR. The sudden thunderous sound of a storm begins. No, not a storm, the tumble and crash of water pouring down upon the greenhouse — the workers of the Liosachán perform their routines faithfully, after all. In watering the garden, the danger of the environment threatens to overtake Shardbearers and their work alike. Drops of water fall, their size equal or larger than even the tallest of characters, and trickles of water muddy the ground in the form of raging rapids.
The security of Meridian and Zenith's camps is even called into question, because as simple as the act of watering a garden is, it is a nightmarish situation for such itty bitty Bearers to be in!
DAY FIVE. By day five, the fae of the Liosachán no longer lurk and linger in the corner of one's eye. They make themselves known, having prepared a banquet below one of the mushrooms, within sight of the Effigy. A table draped in spider-silk lace awaits any Bearer who comes near enough, the sagging piece of driftwood polished to a gleam with golden sap, leaving it waterproofed and pretty to behold. A handful of corks serve as seating, with most of the fae draping themselves across scraps of cotton as though they are simply at a picnic.
They invitingly wave to Shardbearers, chattering brightly in their foreign, lilting tongue, waving tiny sandwiches and little clay pots full of jams and honeys, brandishing sugared berries that they bite into with gusto, staining their arms and faces in swathes of blue and red. They clearly are welcoming to whomever comes upon them, urging them to avail themselves to the bounty they have prepared. Perhaps some characters know better than to eat the food of the fae, recalling legends and lore about the mystical properties and implicit bargains made in becoming a guest. Perhaps some have no idea, and are simply hungry enough to dig in!
The Effigy present within yearns to be reunited with what belongs to it, fixated upon the five items lost within the greenhouse. The swell of its longing fills all Shardbearers, urging them to take action, claim the items and present all five to it to attain victory for that Faction.
Over a period of ten days, Shardbearers of both factions will have to navigate environmental dangers, and the normal procession of time, as the greenhouse is going about its daily routine. Workers plod around like towering goliaths, weeding and watering and pruning the greenhouse's contents. The Liosachán's native population of fae begin to take notice of the newcomers in their midst, emerging from grassy mounds hidden in the natural landscape to spy and pry about the newness surrounding them.
Naturally curious, and equally dangerous, the fae of the Liosachán are Highstorm natives. They range in cool coloration, from soft violet-greys to deep stormy blues, and wear clothes fashioned from of goods pilfered from the pockets of workers, dropped on the ground or handcrafted from the environment itself. Wielding bits of copper tightly wound into blades and spears, they are a ferocious and cunning little people who seek to trick, trap and toy with Shardbearers. Direct violence is anathema to them, but violence that happens as a result of falling to one of their ploys is a badge of honor.DAY ONE - THREE. The Effigy initially urges Shardbearers to build bases of operation for defense and practicality, as surviving ten days without supporting one another is a surefire way to meet a grisly, tiny little end. Resources must be gathered: gather food and water, prepare shelter, establish unity and organization and prepare to set off into the wilds soon.
For Shardbearers demonstrating particular selflessness, favoring the protection and defense of another, the Effigy responds warmly from the third day onward — rewarding them with a sign of their dutiful nature towards others in the form of fairy wings, the form of which are unique to the Shardbearer themselves.
DAY FOUR. The sudden thunderous sound of a storm begins. No, not a storm, the tumble and crash of water pouring down upon the greenhouse — the workers of the Liosachán perform their routines faithfully, after all. In watering the garden, the danger of the environment threatens to overtake Shardbearers and their work alike. Drops of water fall, their size equal or larger than even the tallest of characters, and trickles of water muddy the ground in the form of raging rapids.
The security of Meridian and Zenith's camps is even called into question, because as simple as the act of watering a garden is, it is a nightmarish situation for such itty bitty Bearers to be in!
DAY FIVE. By day five, the fae of the Liosachán no longer lurk and linger in the corner of one's eye. They make themselves known, having prepared a banquet below one of the mushrooms, within sight of the Effigy. A table draped in spider-silk lace awaits any Bearer who comes near enough, the sagging piece of driftwood polished to a gleam with golden sap, leaving it waterproofed and pretty to behold. A handful of corks serve as seating, with most of the fae draping themselves across scraps of cotton as though they are simply at a picnic.
They invitingly wave to Shardbearers, chattering brightly in their foreign, lilting tongue, waving tiny sandwiches and little clay pots full of jams and honeys, brandishing sugared berries that they bite into with gusto, staining their arms and faces in swathes of blue and red. They clearly are welcoming to whomever comes upon them, urging them to avail themselves to the bounty they have prepared. Perhaps some characters know better than to eat the food of the fae, recalling legends and lore about the mystical properties and implicit bargains made in becoming a guest. Perhaps some have no idea, and are simply hungry enough to dig in!
UNWILLING TEN-ANTS ( DAYS SIX - EIGHT )
The scuttling, scrabbling feet of ants crawling over surfaces, winding their way through this grassy playground, has become normal. Their feet thunder as they go about their business, and it seems to be a normal cadence to life here in the underbrush, in the greenhouse. It is normal, and it is has become nothing to really concern oneself with. They are ants, after all, what do they do, but work? Endlessly, continuously.
That is, until the heavy, loud sounds of their feet draw closer to whatever place that the bearers have found to camp in. Whether solitary or as a group, these workers are no longer content to simply ignore the bearers, but they are a curiosity, perhaps even a bother. You have disrupted their lifestyle. The sleepy pattern of obtain food, return ot the hive, and back out again now has obstacles. Now there are not simply the fairies, who live their own lives and existences, a part of the ecosystem, but now there are these tiny bearers. Fighting, working together, arguing and disagreeing.
You are disruptive to their way of life.
The ants have come to collect on this due, and some bearers that are vulnerable, or perhaps merely caught, are taken away, your weight so light compared to the rest of their burdens that they carry. The strength of these ants is overwhelming, incredible at this size, and try as you might, if you are caught in their strong mandibles, you cannot escape. An ant, after all, carries 1000 times their weight with those powerful jaws. You, bearer, are nothing to them.
They squirrel away the bearers within their hill, a complicated network of tunnels, junctions, and large spaces. Down within, where the air becomes stifling, and stale. The ants guard their pray, and you get the distinct sense that they see you not as people, not even as enemies, but as prey. You will be food – perhaps to the eggs that are gathered within this room, where you can see the stirring of new life, just beneath the surface. You may not have very long to live, if these little larvae get their mouths on you.
Or perhaps, your friends will save you? Once it is discovered that bearers are missing, the trail of ant prints on the ground is apparent – they are not stealthy creatures – and the feet lead from the locations of several kidnapped bearers toward the grainy ant hill that lies not far away. The hill itself swarms with life, with worker ants all over the surface, scuttling about, looking for the next meal for te colony. Or perhaps for more bearers to bring back for their young.
It will be dangerous, bearers, to save your friends. Should you choose to do so, you will be kicking the anthill, and the ants will protect what is theirs. Even if they just took it. Those bearers belong to them, now! Rescuers will find not only your average worker ant, ready to defend, but winged male ants will attack from above, and deeper, within the nest, near where the bearers are kept, lies the strongest ant in the colony: The Queen. Staggeringly large, strong, and vicious, when her subjects begin dying. She will do everything in her power to protect her colony, and that includes killing bearers, if need be. Or trying, at least.
Good luck rescuing your friends, bearers!
That is, until the heavy, loud sounds of their feet draw closer to whatever place that the bearers have found to camp in. Whether solitary or as a group, these workers are no longer content to simply ignore the bearers, but they are a curiosity, perhaps even a bother. You have disrupted their lifestyle. The sleepy pattern of obtain food, return ot the hive, and back out again now has obstacles. Now there are not simply the fairies, who live their own lives and existences, a part of the ecosystem, but now there are these tiny bearers. Fighting, working together, arguing and disagreeing.
You are disruptive to their way of life.
The ants have come to collect on this due, and some bearers that are vulnerable, or perhaps merely caught, are taken away, your weight so light compared to the rest of their burdens that they carry. The strength of these ants is overwhelming, incredible at this size, and try as you might, if you are caught in their strong mandibles, you cannot escape. An ant, after all, carries 1000 times their weight with those powerful jaws. You, bearer, are nothing to them.
They squirrel away the bearers within their hill, a complicated network of tunnels, junctions, and large spaces. Down within, where the air becomes stifling, and stale. The ants guard their pray, and you get the distinct sense that they see you not as people, not even as enemies, but as prey. You will be food – perhaps to the eggs that are gathered within this room, where you can see the stirring of new life, just beneath the surface. You may not have very long to live, if these little larvae get their mouths on you.
Or perhaps, your friends will save you? Once it is discovered that bearers are missing, the trail of ant prints on the ground is apparent – they are not stealthy creatures – and the feet lead from the locations of several kidnapped bearers toward the grainy ant hill that lies not far away. The hill itself swarms with life, with worker ants all over the surface, scuttling about, looking for the next meal for te colony. Or perhaps for more bearers to bring back for their young.
It will be dangerous, bearers, to save your friends. Should you choose to do so, you will be kicking the anthill, and the ants will protect what is theirs. Even if they just took it. Those bearers belong to them, now! Rescuers will find not only your average worker ant, ready to defend, but winged male ants will attack from above, and deeper, within the nest, near where the bearers are kept, lies the strongest ant in the colony: The Queen. Staggeringly large, strong, and vicious, when her subjects begin dying. She will do everything in her power to protect her colony, and that includes killing bearers, if need be. Or trying, at least.
Good luck rescuing your friends, bearers!
IN SMALL PACKAGES ( DAYS NINE - TEN )
The day after the ant-pocalypse brings with it the brush of recognition — the Effigy has foreseen the likely victors, and calls to them to approach it once they have suitably recovered. It judges them the ones whom are most devoted to what binds them, loyal to memory and remembrance, and begins to clamor for them to restore to it what belongs rightfully. Thus begins a full day of resting, locating last-minute items, shoring up defenses and preparing for the sprint to the finish line.
Certainly your rivals will not allow you to simply walk to the Effigy unassailed and unchallenged.
Eat, rest, ensure your fellows are close and bolstered, for tomorrow begins the final rally.
On the morning of the tenth day, Meridian Shardbearers approach the Effigy with its five items in hand. In the midst of the mushroom ring, the Effigy stands as it had in the beginning — arms outstretched and back bowed skyward, gnarled fingers seeking contact with that which has been lost to it. It awaits, it strains, and even as it does, it requires one last test of ability. From the shadows of the towering mushrooms, the rasp of scale and soft hiss of a great beast descends upon the fae ring.
A gleaming garden snake, with glossy black and green stripes, blocks the way between approaching Shardbearers and the Effigy.
Between its bright eyes, pressed upon its brow is a scattering of brighter scales that appear to be in the shape of a delicate, three-leafed plant with spiraling patterns for leaves. It braces itself against the approach, and there is no doubt that to claim victory, the serpent must be subdued. Though Meridian approaches with victory in hand, they have not yet attained it — their rival faction and this beast remain in their way.
Certainly your rivals will not allow you to simply walk to the Effigy unassailed and unchallenged.
Eat, rest, ensure your fellows are close and bolstered, for tomorrow begins the final rally.
On the morning of the tenth day, Meridian Shardbearers approach the Effigy with its five items in hand. In the midst of the mushroom ring, the Effigy stands as it had in the beginning — arms outstretched and back bowed skyward, gnarled fingers seeking contact with that which has been lost to it. It awaits, it strains, and even as it does, it requires one last test of ability. From the shadows of the towering mushrooms, the rasp of scale and soft hiss of a great beast descends upon the fae ring.
A gleaming garden snake, with glossy black and green stripes, blocks the way between approaching Shardbearers and the Effigy.
Between its bright eyes, pressed upon its brow is a scattering of brighter scales that appear to be in the shape of a delicate, three-leafed plant with spiraling patterns for leaves. It braces itself against the approach, and there is no doubt that to claim victory, the serpent must be subdued. Though Meridian approaches with victory in hand, they have not yet attained it — their rival faction and this beast remain in their way.
MISSING LINKS ( THROUGHOUT )
As the Effigy desires to be reunited with what belongs to it, the swell of its longing stirs something more within all present Shardbearers.
With that foreign longing arrives knowledge: beyond the five items prized by the Effigy itself, there are other lost things within the greenhouse. Like a compass, each Shardbearer's mind points them in direction after direction, urging them to seek and explore. Implicitly, the thrum of comprehension fills your mind: these are things that do not belong to you, per se, but seek to have your hands ferry them home.
Amidst tangled brush, hidden under doffed acorn cap, tucked away in the belly of a fae's glittering den, lost in the depths of a puddle of spilled water that seems an insurmountable lake now, folded secretly into the petals of a towering, skyscraper-like flower, there are three additional items hidden within the tumultuous landscape that each Shardbearer feels a draw towards. Things that belong to someone else, eager to be reunited with them, but subject to whim.
Upon locating and retrieving one, the Shardbearer is filled with a sense of information — they know who this item belongs to, and they will know that they have a choice. Bonds are fragile things after all, and they exist to be enforced or abused, in order to advance a goal or to deepen a connection. How will you treat someone's precious bond? How will they treat yours?
With that foreign longing arrives knowledge: beyond the five items prized by the Effigy itself, there are other lost things within the greenhouse. Like a compass, each Shardbearer's mind points them in direction after direction, urging them to seek and explore. Implicitly, the thrum of comprehension fills your mind: these are things that do not belong to you, per se, but seek to have your hands ferry them home.
Amidst tangled brush, hidden under doffed acorn cap, tucked away in the belly of a fae's glittering den, lost in the depths of a puddle of spilled water that seems an insurmountable lake now, folded secretly into the petals of a towering, skyscraper-like flower, there are three additional items hidden within the tumultuous landscape that each Shardbearer feels a draw towards. Things that belong to someone else, eager to be reunited with them, but subject to whim.
Upon locating and retrieving one, the Shardbearer is filled with a sense of information — they know who this item belongs to, and they will know that they have a choice. Bonds are fragile things after all, and they exist to be enforced or abused, in order to advance a goal or to deepen a connection. How will you treat someone's precious bond? How will they treat yours?
NOTES
Here are some prompts to set the scene and foundation of the Exalt Oracle!
— The theme of this Oracle is a loose edition of capture the flag, where the Effigy's items can pass through multiple hands within the ten day allotment.
— For additional ideas and fun, it is known that several Shardbearers have concluded their efforts to fulfill the Greenwood Yards' sidequest request.
— All details of the Exalt Oracle can be found here, and questions for the mods can be submitted here.
— For additional ideas and fun, it is known that several Shardbearers have concluded their efforts to fulfill the Greenwood Yards' sidequest request.
— All details of the Exalt Oracle can be found here, and questions for the mods can be submitted here.
no subject
Easier said than done.
[ Even his voice sounds strained as he keeps sawing pressing down on the ant with enough force that the ant can't easily buck up against him, though eventually it does manage to wrench its head free with a sudden jerk that almost has him falling forward while his heart does a somersault in his chest.
Though he quickly manages to regain footing, there's a horrifying moment where he realizes he might have just fallen forward right onto that chainsaw instead.
Maybe best to leave the chainsaw weapon wielding to the battle-loving experts here. ]
no subject
Gavial takes advantage of her own momentarily stunned opponents to maneuver a bit closer Atsumu’s way. Maybe not great to draw more attention that way, but it feels better to keep close enough to lend him a hand rather than risk getting stuck when he really needs it. That risky stumble of his doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but he’s giving it an honest try.
There’s a wave of her axe to threaten an ant back, and the insects are beginning to learn enough that the noisy weapons aren’t something to be trifled with.]
Hey, you good? Gotta be careful with these things.
no subject
Turns out his weapon of choice was made with squishy people in mind, and he's learning that not everything he's going to encounter keeps their skeleton on the inside.
His jaw clenches, and his response is given through his teeth. ]
Just peachy.
[ Not good, actually, though not dead, so at least he can keep on holding the chainsaw out, ready to take on any ant that gets close again. Which ironically... doesn't seem to be happening? More and more of them look to be holding back after taking a few painful lumps, or slices as it were. ]
no subject
[Said cheerfully, with a flash of a smile. Is there sarcasm there or is she just completely oblivious to the weight of it in the kid’s words? Who’s to say! But the ants are thankfully giving them a needed moment to catch their breath, though there’s no telling how long that will hold up.
One, two brief steps forward to swing her axe at a nearby ant again before she pulls back to keep near her companion. It rears up a little, giving an agitated snap of its pincers.]
You wanna try to take one down, or you think we should get out of here?
[Gavial could take it or leave it either way. Sure, she’s having a grand ol’ time squaring off against these things, but she had rushed in with the intention of lending Atsumu a hand, so that’s gonna be priority number one. Gotta make sure he stays safe (especially after the way she’s seen him handling that weapon…).
And either way, there’d be more fighting! They’d just have to decide whether it would be fighting a way free or fighting much harder.]
no subject
The fact that he stumbled into Dimitri, who seemed to have chronic do-gooder syndrome despite an unfortunate incident around some tree roots awhile back, while fleeing definitely hadn't hurt either.
This is all to say he is done with ants, and while killing one or two sounds like it might be somewhat therapeutic, he's the sort of done that makes the answer to that question easy to decide on. ]
You kiddin'? Those things are gonna keep comin' no matter how many we take down. If we can get outta here, we should while we can.
[ Any enthusiasm she exhibits is not mirrored in him at all as he quickly starts to back away from where the ants are gathered, watching the two closely as their antenna wave in what Atsumu is half-convinced is meant to be a threatening manner. ]
no subject
Alright, alright. Let’s see…
[The ants are looking like they’re feeling bold again now that they’ve started to regroup, so her pause to assess their odd and tiny battlefield is a quick one by necessity. The two of them have a bit of room to back off, but they’ll need a bit more of a buffer. One of the ants is looking much worse for wear than the others, having already had to fend off strikes from both buzzing weapons.
She points her axe at that one.]
There’s our weak link. We put the pressure on that guy and it’ll give us the breathing room to get out of here.
no subject
But at the moment he's still going strong from all the adrenaline pumping through him, and seems just fine to lift the chainsaw he's holding back up as his eyes narrow at the apparent weak link.
Atsumu might not have been born to battle, but he is more than familiar with picking on a weak point until it crumbles. ]
Don't have to tell me twice.
[ And he's making his way towards it without checking to see if Gavial is coming with him, just assuming that she will be. ]
no subject
The ants are on alert now that their would-be prey is on the move again with bold steps toward the gap in their ranks. Gavial is sure to keep herself positioned between the healthier ants and her less battle-inclined companion, giving a warning swipe with her axe, revving it in a loud burst of noise. One snaps its little mandibles in agitation, but the insects seem sufficiently cowed for another moment.
It’ll give them just the opening they need to press on the injured one.]
Go for that front leg again!
[Shouted as she presses a little further to strike at a different leg; hopefully with a combined attack they can get it to the ground and skirt away for a safe retreat.]
no subject
It's a risky position in some ways. While the ants do seem to be giving them space after all the chainsaw threatening the two of them have been doing, this still puts their backs to the rest of the colony. Being surrounded means having to put your backs to someone at any point in time though, so there's little they can do about that as they try to press forward and out of this mess. ]
no subject
She holds it steady, taking a glance behind her to see how her companion is holding up. The chainsaw strike looks to be a decisive one, cleaving well into its leg enough to get it to stumble.]
Hell yeah! Get yourself clear and I'll follow after I hold them off a bit!
no subject
This one has a bunch of buddies to watch out for it though, and considering how all those buddies have been trying to make mincemeat of him for the past several minutes, he finds his sympathy for it is pretty limited.
He bolts forward as the head of the ant hits the ground as well, chainsaw well in front of him to avoid accidentally harming himself with the blade. It's not until he's on the other side of the ant that he glances back to make sure Gavial is really following him. ]
C'mon!
[ No point in fighting their way out of the ants only to leave his savior here behind, no matter how fight happy she seems to be. ]
no subject
So once it’s clear that Atsumu has gotten himself out of harm’s way, she starts backing her way toward the opening while she’s still got the chance. Another parting swing at the face of an ant that’s gotten too feisty, then she’s turning to run in earnest as it stumbles back from the blow.]
Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.
[She lets the whirling blades of her weapon fall silent as she moves to catch up with Atsumu, laughing a little.]
Now we just outrun them and we’re golden!
[Can’t be too hard, right?]
no subject
Guess growing up in a normal world meant he got to have a real appreciation for not dying in a way most of these lunatics never did. Still, he appreciates this particular one for saving his skin, even if she's going to laugh about the whole thing like they're having a fun little romp in the park rather than literally running for their lives. ]
Easier said than done when they got six legs, and we got two.
[ Made harder by the fact that Atsumu is actively fussing with the chainsaw as he runs, trying to turn it off. It has been handy in battling ants, but it's going to be a lot less handy if he trips and falls on top of it while it's still going. ]
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But first thing’s first: the kid needs to get that chainsaw turned off.]
Gotta hit that main switch again! Then the yellow one on the side—the safety.
[Which is incredibly important, because in just a few moments they’ll be coming right up to a steeper downward slope, and Gavial’s motioning to it with a wave of her free hand.]
This way! Watch your balance.
[And she’ll hit the slope and lean low, letting herself start skidding down along the loose soil to pick up more speed.]
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Probably not... it really depended on their own familiarity with chainsaws really.
Either way he's getting that safety switch flipped, and sighing with heavy relief when the thing turns off. He's grateful for it, but he would be significantly less so if he managed to mess himself up with it immediately after.
And just in time too, because as the come up to the slope, he stumbles for a second, before he manages to correct himself, and half-run half-skid down the slope. ]
Ah shit!
[ Until it becomes just skidding as he picks up speed, eventually his foot catching on a small pebble that feels like a bit rock right now, knocking him off balance, and causing him to tumble down the rest of the slope with an increasingly colorful string of curses. ]
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Though it’s probably a lot more risk when you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s a good thing Atsumu proves good at following directions, because the way his unsteady charge down the hill very soon turns into a tumble makes holding onto that weapon a dangerous prospect. Gavial curses in turn and tries to pick up the pace to catch up with him at the foot of the slope—carefully, because the last thing they need is for her to go tripping too and crashing right into him.
What Atsumu will find himself skidding to a halt next to at the base of the slope is a rivulet cutting through the soil of the freshly-watered garden—one that at this scale would come up to their waists at the very least, should they plunge forward. And as Gavial hurries to his side, grabbing him under one arm to help hoist him up, it soon becomes clear that that is exactly her intention.]
Shit, you okay? C’mon we gotta get across here, just a little farther!
[It would not be a quick jaunt, but hopefully it would be a big enough obstacle for the ants that they’d be able to make a cleaner break on the other side.]
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Then again, he would have been snapped in half by ant mandibles without it, so a few cuts are probably worth it.
It also helps that Atsumu is used to diving across hard surfaces when chasing after volleyballs, so he's used to the bumps and bruises that come with that, and is great at getting back on his feet. He practically bounces back up by the time he hits the water, stumbling a bit as she helps to pull him upright, but still springy for a guy who just took a nasty fall.
He'll deal with the consequences of that fall later, right now the adrenaline is pumping, and he barely feels any of it. ]
Peachy. Which way are we headin' now?
[ Well, most of it. He's kind of wobbly as he starts to wade into the water, his brain having experienced a nice rattling in his skull with all that hill rolling he just did. ]
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As much as they can hurry across this much water, anyway. She lets go of Atsumu’s arm once he seems like he’s steady on his feet again, and after brushing against one of his tumble-inflicted wounds, her hand comes away with blood. Internally, she’s cursing a little, but it’s something she’ll have to take care of once they’re in the clear. No use letting them get caught just so she can patch up a couple of scrapes.
Her own weapon his hefted over a shoulder to keep it above the water as she starts taking wide, purposeful strides forward. Just gotta stay steady, keep moving.]
If we get through here and into that patchy bit of grass up ahead, I think we can loose ‘em for good.
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After they get back to their normal size, Atsumu is going to stomp on every single ant he sees on principle.
As he moves forward he still feels unsteady, but he copies Gavial some, lifting up the chainsaw in his hands to keep it out of the water as he trudges ahead. ]
There better not be anything worse hidin' in there.
[ Which seems like tempting fate, but Atsumu's never been superstitious enough to worry about things like that. ]
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[She takes a quick glance over toward Atsumu, partly to check on how he’s holding up, and laughs.]
It’s probably better if there isn’t, huh?
[She’s very Normal, etc. Look, at least if there is more danger on the horizon the kid could do worse than having someone like her around when it happens, right?
As it is, their trek through the water is going smooth at least, even if its not quite at the same pace as the initial part of this daring escape of theirs. But soon enough they’ll make it closer to the shore at the other side, their strides quickening as the water begins to recede around them. With her own weapon balanced easily on her shoulder, she’ll reach out with her free hand at his back. It’s a gesture meant to be steadying or reassuring, whichever he might be particularly in need of.]
Let’s cross our fingers that we’ll be in the clear, then.
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A real doubled edged... chainsaw, this one. ]
Way better.
[ Regardless, he's going to hit the breaks on the chainsaw for now. She can go have her fun after he's safely gotten back to camp. Which... honestly he does still feel is a lot more likely to happen with her at his side. Certain reputation in his mind or not, she's now getting filed under the certifiably reliable tab, so that's something. He'll she's even doing the big-sis thing of trying to offer him physical support as she scoots him along out of the water.
He notices, and appreciates it, crazy but still very hot alligator lady. ]
Bugs better stay the hell away from me after I'm back to my regular size.
[ He will not be kind to them. ]
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Ha, that’s the spirit!
[Get that revenge later, Atsumu!
Now that they’re trudging out of the water and can pick up speed again, Gavial finally takes a second to glance back at their pursuers. And thankfully, it seems like the water is giving them some pause, just like she hoped. So she’s got a bit of a triumphant grin as she focuses back on the path ahead of them, giving Atsumu an encouraging thump on the shoulder before letting the steadying contact she’d offered fall away.
They’ll break through to the safety of that patch of grass in no time, and finally get a chance to catch a breather.]
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Though the breathers he gets after those best laid plays go awry is nice, because the rush of adrenaline might get him through most of these encounters, but there's still a shaky relief that comes with managing to survive just one more day.
And as he slips into the grass and out of view of the ants, he's very, very grateful to have managed to survive one more day.
And to Gavial, who is the reason for that survival. ]