middaeg | (Open) Mareuer Catch-All

Entry tags:

(Open) Mareuer Catch-All

Who: Riku and you!
When: Throughout Mareuer.
Where: Aefenglom, Dorchacht, the Northern Outpost.
What: Quest and event prompts.
Warnings: N/A

Aefenglom
a; gardening

[Riku is no stranger to plant-life, having grown up surrounded by it. Aside from the naturally growing plants of a tropical nature, many islanders kept their own flower beds and vegetable gardens. He learned at a young age how to water and tend to plants, pull weeds, and even distinguish edible plant-life from poisonous ones. The teachings were both rather mundane and a matter of survival.

He finds himself grateful for them now, as his basic knowledge allows him to pass over the more basic classes and focus on something a lot more interesting. He wouldn’t have guessed that he would be able to grow plants using his magic. Magic, for him, has always been a matter of attack or defend. Abilities used for battle or healing. This is something new.

But classroom learning has never been a favorite of his, with his preferences laying more in the doing through trial-and-error. Which is why most days he can be found in the greenhouse after class, attempting to put theory into practice to…varying results.

He’s standing over a tomato plant with his hands hovering above it, speaking an incantation softly as he feeds the plant his magic. Excitement rushes through him as he begins to see the tomatoes grow bigger and rounder, becoming redder. He keeps going until they’ve reached a healthy size and then…he realizes he doesn’t quite know how to stop making them grow.]

b; quail fishing

[Riku peers over the side of the fishing boat as it rocks over the water, trying to peer through the reflective surface to what lies below. He’s never heard of these quail of the sea breed of fish before or seen what they look like. But the old fishmonger seems to be sure that there is plenty of them out here to catch.

There’s going to have to be with the number of other volunteers that have been packed onto the boat, else they’ll all be getting their fishing lines twisted and fighting over the catch. He’s pretty confident in his fishing ability, he’s been doing it since he was young, after all.]

Have you eaten this quail fish before? [He addresses the person closest to him in simple curiosity.] I heard they’re supposed to be some kind of delicacy. Seems kind of a big deal for some fish.

Dorchacht
c; monster rugby

[Competition has always been a weakness of his. Growing up the faster runner, the best with a wooden sword, and a collection of other bests that had been bestowed on him by the other children who looked up to him had made him more than a little smug about his capabilities when he was younger. Now that he’s older he’s gotten over some of that, but the desire to compete and test himself against others never has.

Learning of the Monsters-only rugby game, he took it as a challenge to be faced, ignoring the surprised glances and worried looks of city’s citizens as he approached the field. The other contestants, having both more experience with the game as well as physical strength, don’t go easy on him at all. And that’s exactly what he wants.

Someone plows into him particularly hard, knocking the air from his lungs as he falls to his side on the ground. A sharp hand motion and whispered spell causes a gust of wind to form, just strong enough to take a person off their feet.

No one said he couldn’t even the playing field a little.]

d; hungry grass

[The hunger seems to hit his stomach almost as soon as he steps onto the infected patch of grass. Even having been forewarned about it doesn’t stop the sensation from coming as a surprise. His stomach mounts a protest in the form of a loud growl that can be heard by anyone standing next to him. Although, if they’re standing next to him, chances are they’re experiencing the same kind of trouble.

One hand goes up to pat the bag he has hanging over one shoulder. At least he thought to come prepared.]

I packed some sandwiches and snacks, and even brought a couple of extras. I didn’t think we’d be needing it so soon. [He eyes the grass at his feet warily.]

I guess we can always eat while we search.

Northern Outpost
e; settlement ruins

[His last encounters with the spirits haunting the northern outpost had been less than great, but he still feels angry at the idea of these necromancers using their abilities to take advantage of their situation.

He’s learned better control over his magic, and a few more spells since the last time, but still arms himself with his Keyblade, just in case. He hasn’t had time to place any sharpening or protective spells on it, so it remains a blunt instrument, but one he can use to defend himself. Mostly.

Except there are way more animated corpses than he can handle at once, and the more they group up on him, the less room he has to maneuver his Keyblade. Calling for wind, he manages to push a couple of corpses to the side, making a wide enough gap to rush through. But it does little to buy him time as the corpses immediately give chase.

One manages to get close enough to grab a hold of his arm, and the sudden jerk is enough to knocks his feet out from under him. He falls backwards, the back of his head slamming into the ground and causing his eyes to blur and water. Shadows fall over him as he's once again surrounded.]

Wildcard

[ooc: I can be reached at

NearTheHeart and Rea#5792 for plotting! But feel free to write your own prompt.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Fauns are not the strongest when it comes to impulse control, and Hector takes one of those proffered sandwiches without protest. He tugs any meat out of the bread, and takes a bite of what remains.]

This isn't natural. [He says through a mouthful of food.] Eat a bite, then hold some in your mouth.

[They don't know how long it will take to pinpoint the issue, and their packs of food need to hold until then. Hector is hoping they can trick their bodies into thinking they are eating more than they are.]

We should split up and feel for anywhere the effect is stronger.

[Riku keeps one of the sandwiches out for himself, tucking the rest away for now. He takes a bite, chewing slowly as they move further along the grass.]

No kidding. [Nothing about this seemed natural.] Do you really think that will work?

[He supposes it's a good idea as any. Although a part of him had been hoping this would be cleared up quickly. It's only a field of grass after all. How long could this take?]

Right. [It beats digging up the whole field. Which might be Plan B if they don't come up with anything.] I'll start over there.

[He gestures to the right side of the field.]

Just let me know when your sandwich runs out.

Well, we won't have a better plan until we have more information. We might as well try.

[He nods at Riku as he chooses his direction.]

I'll take the left.

[Of course, that will take them through the whole field before they meet up in the middle, but that hindsight will be 20/20.

Hector heads to the left of the field and begins his sweep. He tries to take sparing bites of his sandwich when the hunger gets too great, but all too soon, he looks down to find the whole thing gone.

He looks up and waves his arms at Riku. He starts across to meet him...and doubles over partway through as his path takes him too close to the center of the field.]

[Riku begins his search on the right side of the field, stepping cautiously over the grass as if expecting it to attack at any moment. Which, as far as he knows, could just as well happen.

Staring down at the grass doesn't offer much to work with. It looks like regular grass aside from its strange side effects. Could the source be something underneath...?

His thoughts are cut short when he notices Hector's wave, and he's already moving towards the man when he sees him double over as if in pain.]

Hector! What's wrong?

[Once close enough, he places a hand on the man's shoulder.]

Do you need more food? [He's already opening up his satchel with his free hand.]

[Hector's on the ground, arms wrapped tight around his middle as the gnawing hunger rakes him. Whatever the magical effect is, it's staggering where he is.]

G-give me something...anything.

[Meat? That's fine. He'll chew through the faunish revulsion. He feels like he hasn't eaten for days, like he's past the verge of collapse. He groans, but tries to push through the pain.]

It's here. We're close.

[Riku pulls another sandwich from his bag. Peanut butter and jelly, luckily, no meat. He holds it up to Hector's mouth, unsure if the faun has the strength to reach for it himself.

The effects are beginning to hit Riku now, and his stomach gives out a terrible growl that he does his best to ignore for now. But it's excruciating and he finds himself pulling a strip of bread off the sandwich just so he can occupy his body with something.]

Nothing looks different about the grass here. Either it's something we can't see or...it's under the ground itself.

[Hector seizes the sandwich in both hands and begins to devour it. He's operating more in instinct than reason, and Riku should watch out if he doesn't want to lose a finger.]

H' much food d'ya haff left? [Hector asks through a mouthful of the sandwich. They can't afford to stay longer than their food supply can hold out. He swallows the bite.]

We should dig.

[Even it is an unseen thing, if it is tied to a specific place, there should be something anchoring it. If there wasn't, the hunger effect would float around the field.]

[He's quick to release the sandwich once Hector makes a grab for it. If his hands now free he's able to eat more of his own sandwich, taking a couple of big bites before wrapping the rest up for later.]

I have two more sandwiches and a handful of snacks. Nuts and some fruit mostly.

[They'll have to find a way to make it last. When Hector suggests digging he nods and crosses the grass quickly to where they had left their borrowed shovels. Once he returns he hands one over to the faun.]

Let's start in the place you're standing, since that's where it hit you so hard.

[The sandwich is enough to get Hector back on his feet, but they'll need to work quickly.]

Thanks. Yeah, it's gotta be close to here.

[He takes up a shovel and shoves the blade down hard into the field to pierce through the grass. They dig. It's...not as deep down as a grave should be before they start uncovering dirt-covered bones.]

Fuck. That'll be it. [Hector's a former necromancer. He knows a body when he sees one.]

[Riku grimaces, stumbling back a step when he catches sight of what they've uncovered.]

Bones? [Did someone bury a pet out here? But no...those bones are too big to belong to a small animal.] ...Gross.

[He looks up at Hector.]

What do we do with them? I know we probably need to move them but...I'm not sure it's a good idea to touch them.

[Hector kneels, and starts carefully brushing away dirt from the exposed bones and moving them out of the hole. There's a reason most necromancers choose to wear gloves. Riku is right, direct contact isn't usually smart. ]

We're going to need to find someone local to question. I don't know what the customs are here for proper rites.

[Back home, it would be interring the bones into consecrated ground and saying a prayer over them, but here, who knows? Destroying the bones would probably work as well, but it would be unnecessarily cruel to the spirit trapped within.]

Keep digging. We'll need all the bones.

[Hector's voice is stern for once. Dead bodies don't bother him like they do normal people, and if he needs to take point to get the two of them through this, he will.]

[Riku is hesitant to get any closer to the bones, but watching Hector dig them out of the hole doesn't seem right either. He can't just stand around, he needs to help. Even if a part of him is afraid that the curse will grow worst on contact. But then...the other man didn't seem bothered.]

Maybe the guy who hired us can help. It's his field so that kind of makes this his responsibility too. [And maybe he would be a little more suspicious about the fact that he has cursed bones in his field if it hadn't been the owner who asked for help in the first place. He'd been genuinely concerned.

He drops to his knees on the other side of the hole and slowly begins to dig through the dirt, his fingers brushing across another set of bones as he uncovers them. He shudders but dutifully pulls them out.]

Do you really think giving them a proper burial with work? I don't want to end up cursing another piece of land.

You don't have to touch them, just help uncover them.

[This particular piece of dirty work, handling the bones, Hector can do and spare the younger man. It's easier for him to put aside the gnawing hunger when he can focus all of his energy on the gathering of the body and the explanation of the basic necromatic principles.]

And yes, it should work, at least to cleanse this field. With spirits, intent it key. They respond to ritual, not to reason. One plot of land will anger them because it isn't the right place, or they weren't laid into it with the proper ceremony. Laying it to rest in the way it would've expected in life should appease it.

[And it might be that the ghost recognizes their intent, because even though Hector's stomach growls and he starts to feel lightheaded with hunger, he doesn't collapse again.]

You sound like you've done this before.

[There's a hint of curiosity in his tone. He doesn't know anything really about Hector or the world he's come from. Aside from the fact that he seems to have a crazy fascination with things that can kill him.

He uncovers another set of bones and pulls them out of the dirt, ignoring the growling of his stomach. There's no way he's reaching into his bag for food when he's been touching people's bones. Not unless it becomes absolutely necessary.]

I know the theory. I didn't usually have to go through the execution.

[He talks while he works. Usually, he doesn't have to to through appeasement rituals. He used to be able to simply order a spirit to move on. The perks of being a Forgemaster.]

But this method is proven. It should work unless the grudge has been amplified by an outside power.

[They're getting closer to having a human's worth of bones, which is good. Horrific, that the body was just cast into the earth like this, but convenient.]

[Riku pulls out another two bones and adds them to the pile. He can only hope they're getting close to having them all.]

How would we be able to tell if the grudge has been amplified?

[If there's something they can do to ensure that the ritual works then all the better.]

Oh, we'd know. It would be doing much more than making us hungry.

[Hector keeps extracting bones. They are upturning them less frequently now, and Hector sifts through the dirt, feeling for any they've missed.]

It might manifest...or attempt to physically harm us...

[It's all said matter-of-factually. The ghost hasn't done those things, so it's fine. Nothing to worry about.]

[After a couple minutes of both of them digging for any remaining bones and turning up nothing Riku begins clapping the dust and dirt off his hands.]

I think that's all of them. Now we just need to properly bury them, right? Do you know if there's a cemetery in the city?

[That's not exactly the type of location Riku is inclined to scout out on his own, so he's never even thought to look for one or ask about it. But maybe Hector would have?]

There's got to be, just out of practicality. People don't like living near burial grounds, but they also don't like having to travel far with the dead.

[Hector hasn't had a reason to look into the exact locations, given that he no longer has a use for corpses. It's something he would have known, back on Earth.]

The farmer will be able to put us on the right path.

[He strips out of his coat and begins piling the bones onto it to carry.]

Then let's ask him.

[Once the bones have been piled in Hector's coat, it's an easy task to find the farmer. Within minutes they've got directions to the graveyard as well as information on proper funeral rites.

Riku doesn't have much experience with graveyards, least of all with burying remains, but it seems easy enough. Dig a hole, bury the bones, say a prayer for the spirit's passing.]

How about here?

[He points to an open space set a little ways from the other graves.]

[Hector eyes the plot Riku points to, then scans the perimeter around the graveyard.]

Yes, that should do. It's still within the borders.

[It's consecrated ground, or whatever passes for that here. And there's no marker saying its claimed, so hopefully they won't be uprooting some other corpse for this one.]

Start digging. The length and depth of the shovel should be enough.

[No need for the full six feet down, considering the state of the bones. There's no meat to attract an animal into digging up the body, and no chance that it'll rise again as a zombie or vampire. Practically speaking, as long as it's deep enough that natural erosion doesn't unearth the bones, they'll be fine.]

Gods, I'd forgotten how much I hate digging. We should ask for extra for all of this manual labor.

[Riku nods, more than willing to follow Hector's lead, and begins thrusting his shovel into the dirt.

With the two of them digging it shouldn't take much time at all for them to dig a hole deep enough for the bones.]

Don't tell me you didn't know what you were getting into when you signed up. Digging was kind of the whole point.

[Hector shoots Riku an exasperated look. Talk like that in front of the farmer and they'll get paid less, Riku.]

Oh, so this mission was predictable, huh?

[Hector spreads out his bundled jacket and hops into the hole. Technically, the arrangement of the bones shouldn't matter as much as the consecrated ground and the rituals, but he's pretty sure they score bonus points with the spirit for laying out at least a simulacrum of the human form.

Besides, it's like doing a puzzle, which is more fun than the rest of this quest has been. Certainly more fun than digging. Hector arranges the bones]

I'm just saying, for a job well done, some extra cunes would not go amiss.

Edited (spelling) 2020-05-30 03:15 (UTC)

The digging part was, yes. I wasn't expecting to dig up someone's remains.

[He does feel something strangely close to satisfaction though. They're helping someone in a way. Someone who has passed on, yes, but even the dead deserve a certain amount of consideration and respect. Something these bones haven't received for whatever reason.

He crouches down at the side of the grave, watching Hector as he arranges the bones. He's no expert of anatomy or anything, but that's not going to stop him from trying to help.]

Are you sure that's supposed to go there?

[He shrugs.]

It could happen. The farmer could be so relieved to have the use of his field back that he offers us something extra. I just think asking for more might be a little...not great. We'd look bad.

[Hector looks up to give Riku a flat look. Don't backseat corpse-drive on him.]

I'm reasonably sure.

[This is not his first skeleton reassembly, kid. Sheesh.]

Fine, I won't say anything. He'd better be grateful, though.

[He's guessing that if soliciting a tip is taboo, asking if the farmer was responsible for the corpse is right out. Oh well.

He gets the skeleton laid out as closely as he can to its former shape. it's not perfect, but the effort's been made.]

Alright, now we bury it and lay some flowers. That should do it.

(Open) Mareuer Catch-All

D. Hungry Grass

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