middaeg | Ragged they come and the ragged they kill [OPEN]

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Ragged they come and the ragged they kill [OPEN]

Who: Berserker and you!
When: Through the month of June
Where: Various places
What: June Catch-all and quests
Warnings: Nothing right now but violence is likely because Berserkers.

[ 1. Talk Travels - Your ~~friendly~~ mail carrier ]
[ Berserker is out and about delivering mail. It suits him because it's mostly a solitary experience and he doesn't need to rely on anyone for help. He's just interested in delivering the letters and moving on. Some places have mailboxes, others don't, so some mail just ends up abandoned on the doorstep.

He's so involved in his work that he's not paying attention to where he's going, or rather he is and simply doesn't care if someone's in his way. The poor sap in his path gets plowed into and he barely pauses for a moment. ]

Name? I'll see if I have something for you.

[ Yes, he only cares about the task at hand right now. Sorry about that. ]

[ 2. Out of the City ]
[ Of course he's interested in a quest where he can fight and kill things. It may just be small vermin, but it's at least something he's good at. The efficiency of his killing is disturbing, much like the lack of interest on his face. It's cold, efficient, and emotionless, like it's nothing more than a chore to be done. He only pauses in his work because he feels as though he's being watched. Spearing a final rat, he leaves his weapon in the ground for the moment. ]

What is it? Are you bothered by something I'm doing?

[ 3. Walking Armor ]
[ A duel is a duel is a duel, even if the enemy in question is a suit of walking armor. His normal instincts in a duel are to destroy until nothing is left, but the person who made the request wants it back in one piece. The fight is not quiet, Berserker practically roaring as he meets the strikes of the enchanted armor. Sword clashing against his barbed, red spear, the sound ringing out clearly. He's not exactly struggling, but he doesn't seem to be making any headway. Though he's loathe to ask for help, he turns to someone he hears nearby. ]

Distract it and I can bring it down.

[ 4. Wildcard ]
[ Drop me a starter and I'll roll with it! PM me or shoot me a message on Discord glitzkrieg#0673 if you want to work out something specific! ]

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[ He's dealt with insects before -- they don't like weapons or magic. Unfortunately, he doesn't have his magic capability any longer, so their best bet if they attack may just be to flee. ]

Does it matter what it's for? You know what you need to gather, so just do it.

[ Ah, he's so kind. ]

I know..

[ She's delivered things for Worrick and Nic that she knew she shouldn't question or look into. The less questions you asked, the better, though it didn't mean she wasn't even just a bit curious. At least the Benriya were much nicer than Barry was about it. ]

But things are so different here..I can't imagine they'd use flowers to kill someone--

[ Unless they're poisonous. They didn't exactly have these types of flowers where she was from. But surely they would've warned her, right? ]

Oh--are those it?

[ She points at the orange flowers scattered about up ahead. They fit the description, and the bees flying from one to other were another sign that they were where they had to be. ]

Even if they do use them to for that, is that your concern right now?

[ Cold as ever. He really doesn't seem troubled at all by the bees, practically nudging Alex forward by stepping closer and closer to her. ]

Gather them quickly. Run back to me if the bees are bothered.

No..

[ Rather than cold, Alex felt like she was being told off like a child. Sensing him closer to her back does give her the sense to step forward (or was it more of a jump). She glances back at him, but doesn’t say anything more. It was better to move quickly while he wasn’t in a bad (worse?) mood and feeling less courteous.

It was a little hard to move fast when you were trying to be careful too though. The bees seemed to mind their own business for the most part. It almost looked relaxing to watch, actually, the buzzing like white noise.

She finds a patch that doesn’t look as occupied and crouches down to pick the flowers out. She really hadn’t seen this kind before, not that she could imagine these growing in Ergastulum. They were beautiful.

After placing what she thinks is enough in the basket, she gets up to head back to Berserker. Except she’s not careful in her turn as she accidentally swings the basket through some flowers that were occupied. The soothing buzzing became much louder, and a lot angrier. That seemed like the bees were bothered, and the time to run.

She goes as quickly as she can back to Berserker, a growing number of bees trailing right behind her. ]

I’m sorry!! It was an accident!

[ He watches her work for a time, his expression dropping as he sees her mistake. This is the outcome he expected, really. As she comes running to him, he moves to scoop her up under his arm. ]

You nearly did it, though. I'm impressed it took that long before you upset them.

[ Praise the first mistake. ]

Now hold on, unless you'd rather run away on your own.

[ That...was a compliment, right? Although now didn’t seem like the time to worry about it.

What exactly was she supposed to hold on to though?!

She curls up a little and tries to grip onto his arm best as she could in her position. ]

Are you sure you can outrun them?!

Don't doubt me.

[ A Servant he's not anymore, but he can still run far faster than someone his size should be able to, especially carrying another person. He knows he can't outrun them for long, but they was a pond nearby. A quick dunk in there would stop their pursuit. Use the environment to your advantage. ]

You can hold your breath, can't you?

[ She can be allowed a bit of doubt, can't she? Not that she can deny how fast he's going anyway. The question clicks as soon as she sees the pond up ahead, and it's not difficult to figure out what she's planning. ]

Y-yes, but--

[ Actually, she can do more than hold it. ]

But the flowers..!

[ It'd be a waste for them to have gone through all the for the flowers to be ruined. ]

Drop them.

[ They could retrieve them after the threat's gone is his line of thinking. It's not far to the edge of the pond, a few more steps. It's the best option he can see. He waits for just a moment to give Alex a chance to make the choice. The bees are gaining on them, like a buzzing reminder of their mortality. ]

Dro--

[ Don't doubt him--

Wasn't it?

Alex closes her mouth and does just that, dropping the basket to the side--hopefully getting them to land on a bush or something soft. And even if it wasn't necessary, she takes in a deep breath and holds onto his arm even tighter. ]

[ Good, she listened.

The basket does land gently in a nearby bush, its contents safe. Without a moment of hesitation Berserker jumps into the pond. The bees scatter at the huge splash of water, not even taking the time to hover above the surface. Just a little longer...he can only hold his breath for so long. He lets go of Alex so he can surface, taking in a huge lungful of air.

Blissful silence greets him. ]

[ Her eyes squeeze shut as they dive into the water, her gills flaring out and the scales spreading along her arms. Her fin-like ears also grow and fan out more, hydrated by the cool, pond waters. When Berserker lets go, so does she, though she doesn't breach till a moment after him. She's still not much of a swimmer, so she's paddling more to keep her head above water. ]

Are--[ She sinks, then pops up again. ]

--they gone?

[ He only partially pays attention to Alex's transformation out of the corner of his eye. Interesting...He'd assumed her to be a witch, not a monster like himself. Berserker treads water, giving a look to her. ]

Yes. It's safe. [ He narrows his eyes. ] You can't swim well despite that form?

It's not like--I've got--fins--

[~~Yet.~~

She's fallen into water a few times now, but the best she can do is some doggy paddle hybrid. She's learning on the go here. ]

Never--had to--before--

[ She lived in a land locked area, and she certainly didn't have the luxury to go swimming. Doesn't help that it's fresh water and she has clothes weighing her down. At least she couldn't drown now. ]

Put your arms around my neck.

[ Sigh. He's too nice sometimes. He should really let her flounder and figure it out on her own. ]

[ She 'flounders' in place to keep afloat, once again almost doubting his words. It was clearly a bother, but even now he's still offering to help her. It would probably be even more of a bother if it took her forever to get on land though. Not that he would have any reason to wait for her either.

She paddles over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck loosely. His back is a lot wider up close like this.]

Sor--Thank you...

[ She mumbles softly. ]

[ She didn't apologize...Good.

Berserker is a strong swimmer. Even changed like an Alter Servant is, he still shared most of the strengths of the true version of himself. Swimming is one of those -- it's a survival skill, after all.

He swims easily with her holding on over to the shore, walking out with her still clinging to him. He's considerate enough to kneel down so she can stand on her own. ]

There...You'll dry off eventually.

Edited 2019-07-14 04:19 (UTC)

[ Her hold on him only tightens when they get closer to land and she can feel her legs starts to dangle. It probably wasn't that high, but it still felt like a long way down and her natural reaction was to cling even more lest she fall.

She does free him when her feet touch the ground, her shoes squishing wetly beneath her weight. Her clothes still felt heavy, clinging to her skin along with her hair. Not the most comfortable thing, but a small price to pay, really. She felt worse about him having to get drenched too. ]

It's not too bad..ah!

[ Her hand flies to her mouth when she remembers, and she starts off to look for the flowers. They weren't too far when she had dropped them--and she finds them soon enough, resting on a bush. She holds up the basket victoriously, turning back towards where Berserker was. ]

They're okay!

[ He's had worse. At least it's pond water and not bloody viscera -- still smells, but not as sticky. Berserker wipes the water from his face as he walks back towards Alex. Her victorious display is met with an indifferent look. Not a total loss, at least. ]

Do you need an escort back to town? [ Because he's done with his work now, as soaked as he is. ] Or are you fine on your own?

[ Her moment of victory is short lived as she starts to feel embarrassed right after and brings the basket back down. ]

Oh--no, it's okay! You've done plenty already. I can head back by myself.

[ She didn't want to bother him anymore than that. Although she did wonder if he was going to stay in his current state. Maybe she can return with a towel at least. She really had nothing else to repay him with right now--]

I um-- know it's not much..but maybe you might have a use for it.

[ She holds out three tiger lilies towards him, still left with enough for her task. ]

Or you could..use it to decorate your home...?

[ That sounded a little more ridiculous. He didn't look like homemaking type. ]

[ That offer is absolutely ridiculous. One, he doesn't have a "home", per se, and two, he really isn't one to decorate. But...they may come in handy for someone's spell ingredients. With a shrug, Berserker accepts them. ]

I'm sure I'll find a use for them.

[ He doesn't sound quite sure of that fact. ]

[ It's just for now, till she finds a proper way to thank him. But at least he accepted them. ]

Then..I'll be going. Thanks again..

[ She gives a small nod, taking two steps backwards before turning away.

It's a little later when she realizes..she forgot to ask if he had a brother. ]

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Ragged they come and the ragged they kill [OPEN]

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