Event Log: February, Outpost Problems

[faileas]

Event Log: February, Outpost Problems

I. Adventuring We Will Go (Tomorrow) The word gets around pretty quick. Anybody who plans to journey with the group of Wilders venturing out to set up a new outpost is invited to attend a traditional gathering they have before an expedition: the packing party. On the evening of the 15th, the Wilders' HQ is bustling with activity. The whole group is present making the final preparations, sorting gear, and checking the carts for maintenance. The atmosphere is easy and upbeat, very casual, with Wilders laughing and telling jokes and stories as they work. One has to have a little fun before it's time to be serious, after all! A lot needs done, and more hands are always welcome. Camping gear and provisions need to be checked, inventoried, and dispersed into enchanted rucksacks that can hold twice as much as you might think they could - there will be enough rucksacks for each explorer in the party. Everyone is expected to carry their own. Shrunken-down construction materials for the new outpost need to be loaded into the three self-propelled carts the party will travel with (if only they were self-steering as well!). The carts themselves haven't been necessary for an expedition in a while; they could probably use some fixing up, greasing the axles and making sure the enchantments are fully charged with magic. And, too, this is a chance for the group to mingle and get to know each other. You have to be able to trust your fellows out there in the Wilde, after all. So there's a table with food bought off a few street carts: fried hand pies in meat (no one's sure what kind of meat, but hey!), veggie, and fruit varities; a pot of simmering jellied eel to be scooped into cups and eaten with spoons; fried squabs on sticks dripping grease. Beer is plentiful, as are bottles of a non-alcoholic ginger beer. Everyone is encouraged to eat, pack, and get to know each other. Especially because, the lead Wilders on this expedition will say, it's recommended that everyone going out there have a Bonded - whether it be their own normal Bonds if they're also going, or temporary Bonds with their fellow party members. The table also bears a few dozen of the temporary Bonding potions, and it's highly encouraged, though not required, that more experienced explorers temporarily Bond with those who are much newer to Aefenglom. It's nature's buddy system, you know. Whatever you're going to do, do it before the morning - the group leaves at first dawn, and will not wait for anyone too hungover to be on time. While having a Bond isn't required for the trip, the Wilders will strongly encourage it for anyone who isn't Bonded or whose Bond partners aren't going. The three-Bond safety limit does still apply to temporary Bonds, though! If you'd like to tag around for potential temp Bonds, head over to this thread right here!

II. The Silent Forest It becomes clear that, while the journey starts off easy, it won't remain that way. The group leaves out at dawn and passes first through stretches of land considered 'safe' - safe enough to be generally habitable, and the first couple of hours see the occasional farm on the way. There are few to no signs of Cwyld this close to the city, but then they start to slip into the region considered 'in progress'. These are the lands the Wilders have been focusing on, and so while there are the occasional patches of infected plants, they're easily dealt with by small, controlled burns. As the day drags on and the hike continues, though, the landscape changes. The trees grow thicker and the underbrush more dense. The machetes have to come out at points to clear the path for the carts; whoever is currently on cart-steering duty, please don't damage them! The atmosphere, too, changes around this time; the laughter dies down, expressions become more serious, Wilders are noticeably more alert to the possible presence of Shades or hostile creatures. By evening, the forest is thick and dark, the trees around them ancient and twisting. No one has ventured out to this area in quite a while, the more experienced Wilders will say, and that becomes very obvious. The once-beautiful forest is heavily infected by the Cwyld, and the small cabin that served as a Wilder outpost is overgrown, still bearing the 5-year-old corpse of a dead Wilder. Adventurers are advised to take caution when touching anything - wear gloves and heavy boots and watch your step out here, folks. The way still needs to be cleared. a. The Flora The oldest of the trees present are fully dead, thick trunks turned black and shiny, letting in light from above where their leafless branches reach out to the trees around them. The brush is thick and thorny; even small pricks and cuts in the skin are liable to be infected, a black ring forming around the wound, darkening the veins branching out from it, and need immediate treatment to keep it from spreading. It's hard to avoid other than by simply wearing thick clothing and hoping for the best. Nestled in the roots of the trees are pitcher-like plants filled with a sticky sap; the Wilders are excited to see these, and despite the dangers, comb through them to see if any remain uninfected. The sap in infected plants is black and tarry, while in uninfected plants it runs clear. This sticky liquid is excellent for smearing over wounds to seal them and draw out minor infection, and they'd be delighted to take some whole plants back for cultivation. As well, a certain breed of tree seems to have escaped infection entirely; these tall, woody trees have shiny green leaves, a contrast to the rest of the forest, and bear small green fruits that smell (and taste, should you eat one) deliciously sweet. All is not always as it seems out here in the Wilde, though - be careful which fruit you choose to imbibe. These trees are not immune to the Cwyld, they only hide their infection well. It can only be determined which trees are infected by cutting into them and inspecting the sap (difficult, because the sap of all the trees is highly toxic, and even inhaling near it will have nasty side-effects of vertigo, vomiting, and even temporary blindness). If it runs black at all, the tree is infected, and the fruit, sweet as it might taste, is deadly poisonous. Trees that are only mildly infected are a Russian roulette: you have an 80-20 chance of getting a toxic fruit or a good one. Most of the Wilders don't feel it's worth the risk. b. The Fauna The party spends a couple of days in the Silent Forest out of necessity. Initially, it seems as if there is no animal life left on this desolate patch of land. No birds chirping, no mammals scurrying about, not even an insect to buzz around the explorers' heads. It becomes quite clear that the Cwyld has consumed nearly everything, and the life left is hardly life at all. Shades are not uncommon. When camp is made for the night, capable fighters will have to rotate guard duty and patrols around the campsite, to fight off the shadows of what used to live here as they sense life and magic to consume. Dessicated, white-eyed bucks with cracking antlers, bloated and mutated birds screeching angrily, even, perhaps, the Shade of a bear, huge, enraged, and difficult to take down. But that second night, those who are alert may get the tingling sense that they're being watched. They are, in fact, by a band of nomadic Monsters, primarily Harpies and Arachne passing through. They don't approach the camp, and they won't speak to any of the Wilder group, merely watching them with something like curiosity before they flee into the forest again. It's hard to get close to them before they disappear, more at home in this dead forest than you will ever be, but close observation shows that all are scarred in some way; missing parts of limbs, eyes, or bearing even worse marks on their bodies. c. The Solution It's too thick an area to clear simply by burning. They'd set the whole dry patch of forest alight and kill who knows what along with the Cwyld. Some smaller areas can be taken care of with fire and careful supervision, but the rest of it... The lead Wilder on this expedition, a prematurely-greying Witch named Rilla Sparks, puts forth a suggestion. She admits, it's one based heavily on theory and speculation, along with the findings of certain prominent researchers in the city. If they can find the leyline, she thinks the Witches in their party can flood it with enough positive, nurturing magic to 'flush' the Cwyld out of the vicinity, so to speak. Or, she hopes, enough to make it passable in the future. It's experimental, but isn't that what this trip is about? Discovering new things? If enough of the party is game, the first step is finding the leyline in the area. This can be sniffed out by Witches and Monsters both, as they're drawn to sources of magic, even tainted magic; and, too, if anyone takes a look from the air, the leyline becomes obvious, as it cuts a much darker, more heavily infected line across the forest floor, like a blackened vein. Once it's found, it's up to the Witches in the group. Gathering over the blackened ground, anyone who wants to participate in the ritual should join in pairs or groups, down on their knees to be closer to the earth, and should 'push' their magical energy into the leyline through their hands pressed to the dirt. Each push results in a pulse of light beneath the blackness of the ground, weak at first, but stronger the more magic is expended. It will take several hours, which means the occupied (and then spent) Witches will require the protection of their Monster fellows, and interacting this closely with a tainted leyline will have side effects. A low degree of Cwyld infection is possible in the hands, but not guaranteed. Intense fatigue and dizziness is certain, along with pain when casting spells, and terrible nightmares for as long as the symptoms last - anywhere from 2 to 6 days, depending on how much magic the individual Witch expelled and how much rest they get after. It will take some time to see if their labors bear fruit. They'll check on the area again on the way back; they can't stay in one place for too long.

III. Ruins of a Past Life In the next couple of days, as the journey commences, the obvious signs of infection lessen in the landscape. The trees thin out again as they head further north. With the Wilde just barely dipping toes into autumn, and no thick canopy of foliage to block out the sun, it's a hot, uncomfortable walk. Those on cart-steering duty are considered lucky, getting to sit for a few hours, but it doesn't last - the duty is rotated between volunteers. Enjoy it while you've got it. At one point, with the sun high in the sky, they stop to refill canteens and jugs with fresh water and to take a bit of a swim. Here, the water cascades into a wide lake below, which eventually feeds back into the main river that cuts through Aefenglom farther south. At the top of the waterfall, it's much easier to see something in the distance, that isn't specifically on the route but is a small enough detour (only a mile or two off) that the guides permit it. It's the ruins of a former settlement, clusters of shells of burned out houses and buildings, a dried up well, and the crumbling remnants of a wall - reminiscent of the Bright Wall, but much, much smaller, only about eight or nine feet high at its tallest point. There is no magic left in it, though, nor any people in the ruined town. There haven't been for years and years, judging from the mossy overgrowth and state of disrepair. Some signs of the former inhabitants can still be found in the houses; the Wilders agree to make camp here for a night, to give everyone some time to explore. a. In The Daytime The ruins are depressing, but safe, in the daylight. It isn't hard to put together what happened here - a Cwyld outbreak must have come on them quickly, and judging from the hasty, half-burned homes, it was poorly contained. Some homes still contain skeletons in rotted scraps of clothing, some bones charred and others picked clean by animals. Many of their possessions still remain, except there are no books left anywhere in the town, even on shelves where books obviously were before. The patterns in the dust indicate that the books, all that survived the fires initially, were removed much more recently, within the last year or two perhaps. Otherwise, much is untouched. There are still dishes and flatware on broken tables, rotted blankets on beds, children's toys scattered over floors, axes hung on walls. A sort of thick, somewhat mucous-y grayish-green moss grows in flat sheets over most of the ruins. It isn't infected by the Cwyld; in fact, the areas where it grows seem to be free from it. Coincidence? Not? The Wilders have never seen anything quite like it, and are interested in taking samples back to study. (And for those of you who can't help but put things in your mouths: yes, the moss is edible. It tastes a little... earthy, but gives a pleasant caffeine-like buzz and burst of energy. Good for Witches still feeling the effects of the leyline flushing.) Outside the remnants of the wall, there are years-overgrown gardens, and perfectly good potatoes, asparagus, and raspberries can be found still growing, hardy and perennial even without human hands to tend to them. These people lived a more simple life than those in relatively-modern Aefenglom, as there isn't any magitech to be found, but somehow, they made themselves a home out here in the middle of nowhere. b. Ghosts of a Forgotten Settlement After nightfall, the dead town comes alive again, in a morbid sense. The party will soon find that the sunset brings the emergence of specters of the town's deceased residents - ghastly semi-transparent echoes of humans and Monsters, men, women, and children, in the state they were in at their deaths. Some are badly burnt, others were obviously infected, on their way to becoming Cwyldtid. Now, they go about their former lives every night, filling the ruined town with a sense of dread and foreboding that is impossible for the living to ignore. The ghosts cannot be touched or physically interacted with, and many of them simply ignore the Wilders and Mirrorbound completely. Spectral children play in the streets, adults tidy shops that are no longer there, or head out to the field to farm. They do so with expressions full of sadness, and desperation, as if trapped in this cycle of un-life. Others not only notice the group, but try to turn on them, enraged at the sight of intruders, though their shouts and screams are silent. They can't do any damage, but if they pass through you, you'll feel a bone-deep chill, despite the late-summer heat hanging in the air, and the specters' 'touch' will fill anyone with an aching, heavy despair, or rage - echoes of the emotions the ghosts experienced before their deaths.

IV. The Northern Outpost The sparse forest thins even more to the north. The terrain grows more uneven, rockier and hilly, with drier soil and hardy, sun-bleached grass instead of moss and leaf litter. Several natural rock formations can be spotted in the distance, growing larger as the group gets nearer. The trees here are few and far between, shorter and sturdier, casting only small circles of shade on the baked landscape. Wildflowers dot the grass in every color of the rainbow in the areas that remain uninfected. A low degree of Cwyld infection can be found here, turning the grasses overgrown, dry and brittle, and the sparse trees gnarled and blackened. This is to be expected, though. You can't venture this far out and expect anywhere to be completely untouched. The spot Rilla Sparks chooses for the new outpost is cradled between two large spires of stone, with a cliff-face at the back of it - protected on three sides to defend from animals and Shades, with a relatively clean stream within an hour's walking distance. Construction has to commence immediately. Once they land, it's a flurry of activity, as there is much work to be done. The building supplies are returned to their original sizes and it's all hands on deck to put together the low wooden building. With everyone working as quickly as they can, it should take about three days to get set up enough to consider the outpost open. Also on the to-do list: setting up the teleporter waypoint given to the Wilders by the Coven, to shorten the trip from Aefenglom to this far-flung outpost. It's smaller than the one in Dorchacht, only able to transport three people at a time, but the technology is the same. They'll need as many magitech-capable hands as they can get to calibrate it to the local energies and get it up and running. While all this is going on, exploration of the local area is high on the list as well, to ferret out any potential dangers that may be inherent to setting up here, or potential boons that can be taken back to Aefenglom, and to start work on their maps. There's a job for everyone, and while they're happy to let people do what they're good at, or rotate between different tasks, anybody slacking off will get the stink-eye - you came to work, right? This is no vacation! After the first day, though, things start... getting a little weird. Items start disappearing at random times, just out of nowhere, no rhyme or reason to the things taken. Hammers, half-drawn maps, scraps of wood, your half-eaten lunch if you look away from it for long enough. Personal items may go missing as well, if left unattended, so keep your precious things and weapons close. You may hear muffled voices - laughter, indiscernible chatter - around the times when stuff goes missing; it could be the voice of a stranger, or maybe it's the voice of someone you know, someone you've been traveling with for the last several days. But why would they want to steal your pen, or your handful of nails, or your drink cup? Weirder still, holes in the dirt start turning up in the night. Maybe six feet deep, dug at an angle like the beginning of a tunnel, and cutting off abruptly. Digging further down in these holes doesn't turn much up at first, but checking enough of them will turn up only a handful of the smaller missing items with teeth marks in them. Inconsequential, uninteresting, inedible things, or straight up trash in some cases. With enough persistence and maybe a good old fashioned stake-out, the culprits turn up: a pack of sand-colored, hyena-like animals that perfectly mimic human and Monster voices that they hear (often repeating words out of context, like much dumber parrots - they don't know what they're saying, only what the words sound like), and scavenge for whatever they can get their paws on. The hyenas are aggressive when confronted, and pack-oriented, but can be won over eventually by feeding them, or talking at them: different hyenas like different sounds and different words, so it might take some trial and error. Several bear low-level infections that can still be cured. Maybe eventually they can be trained. But then, where is everything else they stole? Please note that only a very small number of the items missing will be found on this trip! If you don't want something of your character's gone for an indeterminate amount of time, don't have it stolen. It's just possible they might turn up at a later date, however...

Welcome to February's event log, Outpost Problems! The expedition will last about an IC week for everyone who completes the trip; characters can return to Aefenglom with a pair of Wilder scouts at any stop along the way, though. As always, please direct your event-specific questions here! You can tag around for temporary Bonds in this thread, and if your character would eat the fruit in the Silent Forest, please post here for your dice roll (we did say it's a Russian roulette). Enjoy the trip outside the Bright Wall, everyone!

Comments

[whomthebelltolls]

I'm not sure it's possible to count. We'd have to capture them all, but there's a couple dozen at least. [She slips her hand down under her coat, and reaches for the Evelyn at her hip. Maybe she'll put a hole in one; one of the sick ones, so the rest of the warren doesn't have to worry as much about infection.] If they're infected and this close to the outpost, though, we should... take care of them all. Or as many as we can.

[stopfen]

There's also the ones that might not have come out. [They'd have to block the tunnels. Force them out. ] I don't think we'll be able to make a real dent until the morning... [When they'd have more eyes.

But then Mikasa tenses. Head and blade turning. As one of the rabbits just charges forward. Showing its teeth with its tail raised. It was quick... But it was still just a small rabbit, it had a lot of ground to cover. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

[Well, that's as good an opening as any. The Evelyn whips up into the side-handed hold that is most useful for wielding it, and the air rings with a cracking shot.

Maria also happens to be a good shot.

The thing is, it's a Quicksilver Bullet - and those aren't made to do as much penetrating damage, as to have as much impact as possible. It's disgustingly messy as the bullet hits the diminutive animal, splattering blood and a rather lot of fur and meat all over the ground.

Well, the rabbit started the fight, but Maria sure did just escalate it.]

[stopfen]

[Lady... Mikasa wasn't one to be bothered by gore. That was a requirement for her job. Everyone got used to the idea of gutting a chicken, or skinning a rabbit for food but. Lady, you just shot a rabbit. It was that small that even with a weaker bullet it really didn't look like a rabbit now.

One of its legs might have come off... That's just excessive. And loud. Mainly loud. Because that sets the rest of the rabbits off, screaming and squeaking as they scampered around. Trying to weave away from whatever had killed the other one. ]

That keeps them away from us if they're all infected ...

[But Mikasa didn't have a gun. Just a sword that she'd had to save up for. ]

How many bullets do you have?

[whomthebelltolls]

They seem to be little more than regular rabbits, after all, perhaps minusing the large one. It may yet be a threat, if it resurfaces. [Welcome to the softer bullets that are made of Quicksilver. They're also, amazingly, quite useful for diseased and magically inclined creatures because of that property.

And now the enemies are in chaos; most pretenses of aggression have fallen off, and Maria is, if nothing else, satisfied with that.]

About twenty. And then I have magic.

[And reloading is a snap, at least; though the Evelyn is only a one-shot weapon, she's quite used to reloading it easily.]

[stopfen]

That'll probably be enough with how frail they seem. [Though Mikasa felt thoroughly useless. Occasionally a rabbit would run then dart away, when one of them turned to look. Trying to find a weak point. The blades and gun were giving them a difficult time.

Though they were still causing a racket.

And its dull. But under their many footsteps, there was the thud of something larger. Much larger. Drawn in by the noise and squealing. Mikasa draws in a breath as it slowly, hobbles into view. ]

A... Bear?

[It wasn't. She could tell by the walk it wasn't a bear. And it's ears were too large... She tenses. Changing her focus to it, eyes widening slightly. The smaller rabbits really didn't seem like an issue at all compared to that one. ]

Is this one a shade?

[whomthebelltolls]

If its eyes glow white and it bleeds magic ichor it is. Oh, but it must also be naught but a dead husk. [She's watching it, as it appears.] And it will stop at nothing but the total destruction of its physical form to try to kill you.

[Good luck! Well, or not, because Maria's already ready with the Evelyn to crack a shot out at it.]

Well, be careful about letting it get its claws or teeth into you. Cwyld infection must be burned out. [And then, Maria raises her pistol.]

[stopfen]

[Glowing eyes and leaking black magical... Goop/gas. Got it. There's a small nod. Even as she doesn't take her eyes away from the large beast. Her body twisting slightly, knees bending. ]

Your gun will be useful then. [She was better with a blade than a gun. So she'd gotten one. Ammo was also a factor, not being able to afford enough. If that wasn't an issue she'd have gotten a nice pair of fitted gloves and used the pistols of her gear. ] I'll focus on making sure the small ones don't get in the way. Do you think you can get it's joints?

[Slow it down. So getting close enough to use their blades wasn't suicide. As she spoke she lashes a foot out to kick a brave bun that strayed too close. Wincing slightly at the crack as it was tossed back. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

Perhaps the shoulder. This gun isn't made for pinpoint accuracy. [Maria does not flinch when the little rabbit goes flying. They shouldn't attack if they don't want to get hurt. It's unusual behavior for rabbits anyway - they must be sick if they're openly attacking things.

However, a Shade is a bit of a different matter. A Shade can be dangerous in a lot of ways, and not all of them involve just how big and powerful they could be.

Maria raises her gun, levels it, and cracks out another bullet at the biggest rabbit. Aiming for center of mass, though she does try to off-center the shot a bit to nail it in the shoulder, and does get it, for the most part.

Fortunately, damaging the body is in some ways effective. Unfortunately, these things are basically just animate corpses, so pain does not slow them down, only damage which limits movement.]

[stopfen]

That's fine, as long as it slows it down. [The actual killing it's self didn't bother Mikasa. Well it did but. This seemed like such a waste. The rabbits couldn't be eaten, not by anything. But they couldn't be left to live, not as they were. Even if they were attacking them.

The shade in a way was easier to deal with. It was already dead. Even if the bullet didn't do a lot, it'd take more than one to slow it down. At least this got some of the tendons? Hopefully that'd slow it. Not that Mikasa was sure how a corpse was moving so well in the first place.

Either way, she'd hope it was enough and circle round, getting just behind it as it reared up. Then it stomped it's front paws, on to the ground, steady hobbling towards where the bullet had come from. Ignoring Mikasa as she got close enough to jab her sword into the weaken shoulder.

It doesn't ignore that, turning to roar and gnash it's too long teeth at her. So close she has to back up, before she'd pulled the sword free. Leaving it in the joint as she retreated.]

[whomthebelltolls]

[Maria's pretty good at the whole "fight me" thing; and it helps that she stands so tall above everything else. In the dim light, her pale hair and skin also help to make her stand out like some kind of a ghost, and make her a very obvious target to attack. She's ready for the rabbit, but Mikasa gets there first, and Maria watches the battle. If they both dogpile on the thing, they run risk of hitting each other, so she'll let it go one at a time.

It's a good thing she does, too, because Mikasa leaves her blade, wrenched into the beast's shoulder. Maria's first thought is to pull her spare dagger and toss it over, but she'll do that later. The rabbit is not going to leave the pursuit of Mikasa so easily.

Maria disappears in a flash of magic, and reappears nearby the shade - close enough that she can get a little extra momentum in out of the teleportation for a brutal overhead downward slash into the beast's unattended side while it's distracted. Maria's done a good job melding the magic into her old fighting style as much as possible. Because as it turns to bite and swipe at her, next, she simply disappears backward a few feet, and the strong jaws and incisors clamp shut on air. Maybe that'll help Mikasa get her blade back.]

[stopfen]

[Mikasa was stuck dodging. She was used to situations where one hit meant death, even if she was more durable than most. But she'd also been more maneuverable in those times. But she couldn't risk her gear burning her, not in the field and not if it was going to get worse.

So all she could do was keep weaving out of the way. It was fortunate that it was a rabbit in a way. It still had sharp teeth and claws, they'd still be deadly. But it's body simply wasn't built for fighting. Giving away tells with how limbs moved in ways they weren't intended to. Small delays that even its inability to feel pain couldn't compensate for.

That said... The smaller rabbits were certainly getting bolder. Running closer to the two mirrorbound in small groups. Trying to get underfoot. Though. That didn't seem like it was as much of a hindrance for Maria as it was for Mikasa. Whatever the taller woman had done, Mikasa wished she could.

But for now she'd take the opening she had. Lunging forward, grabbing the hilt, wrenching i-

Then she's off the ground. The rabbit hauling itself onto it's hindquarters taking her up with it. Stopping to sniff where Maria had been. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

[Good, that had provided a bit of an opportunity for Mikasa to -

- To dangle from the side of a bear-sized rabbit, well within range of those sharp front claws. So, clearly, Maria needs to run some kind of a distraction before it realizes that it has an easier target than the one that had just tore its whole side open and left it bleeding an acrid, ozone-scented ichor.

The smaller rabbits getting close is useful, at least. One of them darts forward, and Maria hopes she aimed right. She's not played any kind of kick ball in quite some time.

Her foot connects with the side of the small rabbit, and it screams in surprise and pain as it's bodily hurled through the air toward the big bunny, rebounding off the blackened, rotting side of the Shade with a thud.

She's over here, you overgrown rodent. Hopefully Mikasa can hurry with that weapon.]

[stopfen]

[Mikasa was already hauling herself up, pressing her boots against it. Trying to wrench the blade free. Her feet sliding from the blood and... It's not coming out. Not without her falling at a bad angle with a blade or getting heavily infected. Or both.

So Mikasa braces herself, grits her teeth and gives it a sharper tug. As the rabbit falls onto it's front paws, biting out again. It's jarring, but it helps the blade come loose. Along with Mikasa, whose reeling backwards. Just as the rabbit charges forward.

This was...a lot easier with her gear. Even if Mikasa was good at fighting. She was used to being able to hit things directly, or having more maneuverability. That doesn't stop her from swiping her blade at the shade's heels, just clipping one.

It's not down, or stopping it's charge. But it was slower, dragging one foot across the ground. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

[What a terrible fate it must be, Maria thinks, in that long, long moment that is really the blink of an eye, but with adrenaline pumping seems like an eternity, as the rabbit charges her down. What a terrible fate it must be to run your body to complete disintegration, to not even be present enough to stop. But, then, she supposes, these creatures are already dead. It doesn't matter - it's just magic using a body to suit its own needs.

Maria twists her blade to the side, ready to catch the rabbit should it come after her, and ignores as a little one starts to nip at the thick leather of one of her boots. It can't penetrate the well-cured hide covering her skin, and it's just a little wiggling sensation anyway, that doesn't distract her from lowering herself to meet the Shade's charge.

Or, something like it. Maria leans a little as a tell, but the Shade can't react fast enough. It barrels right into-

- the thin air where Maria had just been standing, as a flash of magic takes her a scant foot to the side of the creature, but more than enough to avoid the charge entirely, as it goes careening right into the little bunny that had been nibbling on Maria's ankle, trampling it and kicking it around.

The edge of the Rakuyo in Maria's hand sparks fire, and she whips it to the side as she shifts her weight back at the creature, and slashes through the air. The after-image of fire lashes several feet beyond the end of the blade she brings down, and while only part of her sword catches the rabbit, the fire does a much better job.

Cwyld also tends to be a little... weak to fire. Dead flesh ignites readily, and surely enough, the creature screeches and flails as its flank and back end immolates.]

[stopfen]

[There's something sad about it. Mikasa has to remind herself that it's the illness. Something like a parasite that sunk in, the animal was dead, even if it wasn't, they were putting it out of it's misery. Not that it made it any less tragic, like with the titans they couldn't turn back into humans. It was just a matter of ending it.

So Mikasa readies her blade again. Ready for it, and any of the smaller ones. Giving another a swift kick. Her boots were strong enough to handle it. The rest of her clothes were more lightweight. Meant to be worn with gear where one touch was death.

Only...She didn't really have to be. Well she did, but it was more to dodge the creatures unpredictable movements as it tried in vain to put the fire out. Even then, it's movements slowed as flames ate through flesh that allowed it to move. Eventually it gets to the point where the creature couldn't move, just lie there dragging it's self along on front paws that weren't able to handle it's weight.

With the fight mostly over, Mikasa feels like she can talk again. Now it was time to clean up.]

...I guess enchanted weapons really are worth their price like the others said.

[Not like her sword.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Mmm, I enchant my sword as I use it. Such is the advantage of being a Witch. [Otherwise, it's a pretty average sword. It's demanding of a great amount of dexterity, which Maria has trained for years, but for the most part, it's just a normal sword. Not like a Chikage or something.] But fire is an element that comes easily for me, anyway.

[Something about the fire, the acrid burning flesh, and the Shade struggling and dying - again - before them has the rabbits in a more panicked tizzy than before. Their aggression is mostly forgotten in their state.] Most of these rabbits are beyond salvation. It would probably be for the best to simply exterminate the whole warren.

[stopfen]

They said I was a monster... [Not an obvious one yet, but still Mikasa wouldn't be able to learn something like that. The same went with healing. It seemed like all the things she would have been interested in, were things she couldn't do. ]

Yeah, with them being rabbits. Getting the ones that are hiding in burrows could be an issue though...

[whomthebelltolls]

Mm, unfortunate. [Thanks for the vote of confidence, Maria.] Some Monster types have their own magic and can lend themselves to certain schools, but they don't get the same variety as the Witches.

[Maria tilts her head, and then... shakes it.] I can just burn them out. It'll be ensuring all the ones on the surface are caught that I think will be the real difficulty.

[stopfen]

[Thanks Maria. That summed up Mikasa's thoughts on it. ] I've been told.

You can reach that far? [Well that was one thing solved. And Mikasa shifts. Giving her sword a flick to clear some of the blood into the dirt. Turning to look into the distance, pupils expanding. Her eyes were getting better, they had been great before but they were still getting better. ] Some are scattering. There's too many tracks.

[aka they weren't likely to get them all. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

Fire spreads quite easily, especially through narrow corridors where the wind can pick it up. [That's about her explanation for it.] You want to hunt down all that you can out here, and I'll chase them out? Just be wary for any holes in the ground. The flames will likely spew forth with some veracity.

I think this one is nearing the end?

[stopfen]

Right magic, it doesn't need fuel or explosives... [One day. She'd be used to it. Then the next she'd wake up back home, with no memory of all of this. Because that was how all this worked. But Mikasa moves on, sweeping the area. Pupils expanding to take in what little light there was.]

Hopefully most of them will have tried to hide in the warren.

[This was going to be a long night.]

Yeah we can end it here!

[whomthebelltolls]

Hopefully. Shall we get to work? [She rolls some of the fire across her fingertips, and approaches one of the holes.] We should be at least able to get most of them before daylight.

[stopfen]

[And so began the long arduous job of mopping up. Mikasa wasn't happy about it as she wandered off to search. The rabbits felt too defenseless, if it weren't for the illness she wouldn't have bothered touching them.

But with it being so contagious...Well, they had to go.]