DARKNESS AND FROST log

[futhark]

DARKNESS AND FROST



A message is sent on the network on the 20th, informing the Mirrorbounds about the developments regarding a quest posted earlier in the month on the board.

Word comes from the Wilders’ headquarters in Dorchacht that there haven’t been that many sightings of the Nuckelavee for a long time. Most assumed that whatever the Mirrorbounds did must have driven the ghastly creatures away for good. Clearly, not a single person missed them. It is a nasty surprise to learn that not only did they not disappear completely, but now, angrier than ever, they pose a threat to Aefenglom as well.


THE NORTHERN OUTPOST ( 21st - 26th )

---

The Northern Outpost has seen steady development since its establishment, but nothing on a scale that could make it possible to survive an attack of demonic beasts. So it becomes a whirlwind of activity. There are ditches to dig, magical wards and barriers to set up, weapons and armour need inspection and some alchemical supplies are easier found in the surrounding forest rather than back in Aefenglom, but no one should go procuring them alone. But there are more mundane tasks too! With the sudden increase in population, the self-appointed kitchen staff of the Northern Outpost is barely managing to keep all the mouths fed and all the dishes washed (and pesky rodents kept away). All help will be enthusiastically welcomed no matter the level of culinary aptitude. There’s enough work for everyone.

Not far from the Outpost itself, a new structure rises from the ground quickly, incorporating a nearby shallow cave. That’s the Enclosure, the place where researchers who intend to study the Nuckelavee plan to lure one of the creatures. The construction has barely started, and there is much to do before it can hold its captive inside. Engineers, Arachne, Witches adept in Enchantment and Abjuration - all are welcome to lend their hands (as many as they can spare) in this scientific endeavor. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to further or even create a completely new field of study!

Mirrorbounds are encouraged to return and rest within the city, but should you decide to stay for the night, the moods are rather sour and tense. Still, people do try to enjoy the evening break, at least those who get it - night guards work in shifts. Someone makes a bonfire and encourages sharing stories as the night passes to lift morale. A chilling Nuckelavee scream might stop the relaxing and put everyone on edge. But it seems the creatures are refusing to come out just yet.


THE SLUMS 21st - 26th

---

Sprawling from the Other Side of the Bright Wall, the Outer City grows outward with no particular organisation or order, with buildings’ integrity decreasing the closer they are to the edge of the Wilde. While some of the inhabitants greet the aid provided with gratitude, there are many who treat it with distrust and their own fate at the mercy of yet another incomprehensible danger with blood-chilling apathy. Much work has been done by numerous Mirrorbound to help those living in the Slums but the memory of all those lost to the frost when the city shut its gates and left them to die casts a long shadow on all attempts to defend against this new threat.

Deprived of the comforts of magitech ubiquitous for the citizens of the city proper, the inhabitants of the Slums find their own creative ways to provide life’s necessities to each other. Carrying water has always been a task for younger ones in the families. A worrying number of those that go fetch water from a far away stream do not come home on time. They could have gotten distracted chasing a stray dog, roped in some mischief by other kids, or genuinely lost. With the new threat lurking in the darkness, people get increasingly nervous. What would look like harmless disobedience in quieter times now turns into an emergency. Investigate where the missing children have gone, find them and bring them home if you can.

Not all are happy for the help. There’s a certain figure frequently spoken about and often seen at the scenes of the especially vicious attacks: a man with unkempt hair and ragged clothing prophesying that those very horrors are no accident. That the beasts are a punishment for a terrible offence: accepting the foreign devils - those who came through the Mirrors - into the city. As time passes and the attacks continue, it starts to become obvious those who were in contact with the Mirrorbound are more likely to become targets of the hellish creatures, which lends credence to the madman’s words. Some denizens of the slums are just scared, but some become suspicious of the very presence of any Mirrorbounds in the area. Even those that come to help. Calm downthe fearful, convince the sceptics or find the sower of this panic and make him stop spreading his incendiary message.

Some people have locked themselves in their homes and refuse to go out. You could try to reason with them or simply bring supplies at the door. Or try to convince them to help with building a protective wall around the Slums, sturdy enough to stay. Some of the people who open their doors might show low-level signs of Cwyld infection. They wonder if you’re still willing to help them knowing that?


When the darkness of night emboldens the Nuckelavee to venture further into the Slums proper, a group of Mirrorbounds take to patrolling the streets. But they could use more help. Protect those unfortunate enough to walk the streets at that time, chase away or kill the creatures that dared to come closer, and fight to protect the poor souls they chose to hunt.


NIGHT OF THE HUNT (night between 26th-27th)

---

Are you prepared for the fight of your life? You better be!

A heavy blizzard rages on the night of the 26th, giving a strange glow to the camp in the darkness as the light is dithered among falling snowflakes. Visibility is low, but some believe that nature itself can be used to help the hunters and defenders. To those who wish to take on this responsibility, several enchanted wands are given, with quick instructions how to use them to direct the winds of the blizzard for a short time. They can be used either to protect the warriors or against the creatures. The wands have only a few charges and will break upon using them up.

Every Mirrorbound and Wilder either present from the start or joining the group through the portal connecting with Aefenglom will be given a quick rundown of the camp, where the protection wards lie, what powers the barriers, and where weapons can be found. There are two sets of barriers around the camp -- the outer one that has multiple holes for the creatures to pour into, and the inner barrier that has to be held at all cost, as it protects people within. The plan is to lure the Nuckelavee for a frontal attack, let them pass through the outer barrier, let the inner barrier stop them, and then— close the barrier behind them, effectively shutting them in a walled ring.

Then they can be exterminated safely. Stun them, kill them, use spells or pointy sticks or guns — and maybe just maybe you can capture one alive. Fortunately, they don’t seem to have any kind of natural resistance towards mundane or magical weapons. They are just tough to kill and incredibly vicious, but limiting their movement should do the trick.

The barriers and wards only last full-strength as long as they are powered so Witches not focused on fighting are encouraged to do a recharging run along the campsite. Anyone needing a breather from the fray or whose focus is better spent on support can also bring ammo, or more weapons to counter the broken (or stolen) ones. Dragging out wounded fighters into the safety of the camp and healing them is also an important task, as neither Mirrorbounds nor Wilders lack in people who would fight to their last breath.

That’s the plan. How does it go in reality, though?

The Nuckelavee attack starts with chilling shrieks all around the Outpost before they emerge from the darkness. Those who have not yet met any of them will have a chance to witness that their aggression and looks are as terrifying as the stories said. They resemble a horse fused with a rider, with sharp teeth and without skin, raw body exposed. The creatures are not infected but are vicious, hardy, and strong, and they hunger for human and Monster flesh alike. Some might pick up weapons thrown at them; others will circle and try to isolate their chosen targets. Should they be angered, while in a furious rage they gain both speed and strength, but they lose focus and lack strategic thinking. So enraging them can break the formation, but it also makes them far more dangerous up close. They are susceptible to both magical and physical attacks alike, and beheading (of either the flayed-open horse head or the screaming man's head) will put them down permanently.

Be mindful of your comrades! It’s easy to lose each other in the blizzard. Nuckelavee don’t bleed red (they don’t bleed much at all), so any red trails on the snow belong to an ally. Don’t let the beasts drag wounded away. Get them to the healers who wait within the camp enclosed with the inner barrier.

During the fight, several crystal devices that strengthen the outer barrier start malfunctioning. That means the outer barrier cannot be closed shut, meaning a change of plans is in order. Several brave volunteers are needed from among Wilders and Mirrorbounds to leave the safety of the inner barrier and take the battle directly to the creatures, while locating and exchanging the malfunctioning crystals. This is an incredibly dangerous job, and everyone willing to undertake it is encouraged not to do so alone. Once the trap is sprung and the outer barrier shut, it would also lock those volunteers out of the safety of the camp -- unless they’re willing to try a teleport spell or wait for someone inside to handle the teleporting for them. The help will come, but until it does, they are on their own and straggling Nuckelavee that did not fall into the trap might still pose a danger to them...

The fight drags for what feels like hours, and the air grows colder and colder. Meanwhile, some of the trapped Nuckelavee figure out that they might get into the camp if they find holes within the barrier -- and one makes its way inside. Through the heavy snow, it might not be obvious at first, but something is happening within the camp… The Nuckelavee that furiously breach the barrier wreak havoc behind the safe line, attacking anyone it sees until it’s killed or subdued.

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, all of the creatures fall and the dead remain under the snow. Well… most of them. There were attempts to capture one of them alive, and while keeping them alive turns out to be even harder than just catching them (not only Nuckelavee perished that night… some might still want revenge for that, some want to end the threat once and for all), one of them remains. The battle has been won.


THE AFTERMATH (27th and later)

---

As day breaks over the horizon, the true damage can be seen. One Nuckelavee is thrashing, captured in the closed enclave. It howls and shrieks and won’t be reasoned with. It hates everything and everyone, and seems to be incapable of speech. Wilders have decided they will keep it alive for a week, and not a day longer (that is till 3rd September OOCly). Nuckelavee have proven to be cunning creatures, and the risk of it escaping is just too great.

Aside from that issue, there is still clean-up to be done, and mourning for those who have fallen in battle. The Wilders agree to give the Nuckelavee corpses to those interested in acquiring them for study/experimentation, but otherwise they plan on burning everything that’s left.

The following two evenings, there’s a victory celebration at The Sordid Shield. Everyone still able to stand is welcome, -- and drinks are free! Unfortunately, not everyone is happily drinking; there are those who lost comrades and are mourning the fallen. Others came out alive but require medical attention that on-field healers cannot give. The general mood could be described as grimly triumphant. The unexpected threat has been taken care of, but not without a cost.



OOC NOTES

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For those interested in studying the remains or the live Nuckelavee please refer to this space for questions/plans. The results of the research will be distributed at the beginning of September.

For plotting among yourselves, please use this post. General questions about this log can be directed here.

Comments

[futhark]

[ The old stories don't agree on everything, there was never one, the correct answer to the way how the world was built— but one of those told was that the world was born from a melody of a god so ancient, so primordial, not even Tuatha De themselves remembered their name.

Seeing a magical barrier being weaved into life with a musical spectacle and flair, reminded Cu, briefly, of that story. ]

Never a dull moment with you, Bard— [ And given how some of the Tired Wilders are just shaking off the awe at this method of spell weaving, it is a good thing. From one Caster to another, his tone turns playful and teasing ] If you think your work truly needs an improvised song, I can surely provide.

[ Right. What this song me about, no one knows. But... he took that as a challenge, and challenge needs to always be accepted. Sometimes with another one. ]

[futhark]

[ The relief Cú feels upon seeing her, is equal to the alarm at the question— that's the decision to make, and it's on him. Getting separated in this blizzard could as well mean not finding each other again, but both actions need to be taken. While the beast inside the camp is an imminent threat to the people recovering and supporting others, should more of them slip into the camp, they might not be able to protect it.

The momentary confusion as these thoughts race through his head pass, and is get replaced with grim determination. ]

Fix the wall. I trust in your mastery of Abjuration. [ He puts his hand on Zelda's shoulder, both to reassure and just feel another allied living being ] I'll engage the creature, and shoot a flare to mark our spot.

[lotus_of_rage]

Good.

[He'd heard the sound of him grunting at the pain. Considering he had just gotten kicked by a very large horse, he would have been surprised if he wasn't in pain. Nothing broken was the best that could be hoped for right now.

He glanced back over his shoulder hearing the sickening crack of the mace hitting its leg. Good, it was unlikely to be able to get up. He nodded at the comment about needing a sword and nodded. With a swift movement, he pulled Sandu free. Ignoring any flailing and thrashing it was doing, he moved to be able to see its neck clearly before swinging Sandu and decapitating it]

Hopefully, that was the largest one we'll find.

[Partially because it was hard, but if it was the hardest... they were the two that took it out]

[foundfamilies]

[There's a slight "oof" from Leslie as she's caught by surprise when he presses her against the back of the horse, but she doesn't need to be able to see the abomination to guess that this was a part of the evasive manouevers. Nor does she need any feedback from her familiar to know their pursuer is right on their heels. The hoofbeats are louder than even her heartbeat in her ears.]

[He'd avoided the intial attacks, but it isn't like he could press any further down. If it aims at their lower position....]

[There was a time where she'd been chased like this before. It had not been so desperate a situation as this, though she does remember being carried by someone who seemed at the time to have run faster than anything Leslie had experienced up to that point from a giant predator. In the dream she had before she'd even heard the name of Aefenglom, she found the unfamiliar magic feeling familiar. She discovered that the ice magic that came from her fingertips at that time wouldn't come out in the waking world. Even so, when she did study a little evocation, she tried to reach for that feeling again.]

[She's brushed her fingertips against that unearned mastery over the months. Nothing anywhere near what she found in the world of dreams. Nothing to the point where she could confidently try to use it in a situation like this.]

[This isn't the first time Leslie has needed to walk into an uncertain place and make it work for the sake of her survival, though.]

[As she retracted her pointing arm as Hubert's evasive manouevers, her arms are a little pinned underneath her, but one is close enough to the edge that she can squirm a little and pull it out. She touches two fingers to the flank of the horse, mumbles the spell, and sends out her magic.]

[There's a chill in the air in a thin line snaking its way back and down one of the shadow horse's legs. Toward the end of the leg, it turns into delicate fingers of frost, falling off like snow every time the leg pounds the ground as the horse runs. Amid the shower of shattered frost, each contact with the ground also gives Leslie a moment to send a pulse of ice spreading behind it, freezing the ground in cones of ice.]

[(She desperately hopes that this isn't enough to cause problems for their own ride. She's trying to keep it a light touch here.)]

[Doubtless, some of the Nuckelavee's hooffalls will smash right through the ice, but she makes it as strong as she can manage with the hope that at least one or two slips will slow it down enough for them to gain distance. Hoping that it skids out entirely is perhaps too much to hope for, but she would like that anyway.]

III

[long_live_the_queen]

[The beasts had been coming closer and closer to the Wall as the nights drew on, emboldened by the dark or growing numbers of their kind, whichever. Time was running short to finish preparing.

Kaede wasn't here for that, though. She was here to hunt, to practice before the battle—and as the evening encouraged the beasts, so too did it ease the Chimera's movements. She'd found one, flitting after it from one growing pool of shadow to the next. It took no notice of her presence, its attention drawn elsewhere.

The Nuckelavee broke into a charge suddenly, raising its humanoid arm to strike at something, something that flashed bright with a shield that left the ozone afterburn of magic hanging in the air. Something that flickered with familiar silver hair that made Kaede's stomach drop. It—she—hurtled through a wall so decayed (Kaede hoped) it crumbled under a child's weight.

But this time, when the Nuckelavee advanced, the shadow behind it was faster.

Spindly arms reached from the dark, spiderlong fingers hooked into claws. Two, four—more than that, seizing the flayed horse by the back legs. Only two seemed to gain real purchase, the claws becoming solid and real as they dug deep into the hocks and tendons of the creature's flanks. It shrieked, that godawful scream that made the still-incorporeal feathers on Kaede's neck stand on end, and kicked out—but its hooves found nothing to strike. Some of the illusory arms vanished into so much smoke and mist, but more replaced them.

The Nuckelavee whirled away from where Leslie had been knocked down, furiously lashing out with its hooves and gnashing the sharp teeth of its horse head to find what was attacking it. As it turned and turned, a part of the shadows the limbs emerged from came unchained from the inanimate scenery, circling around to put itself between the little Witch and the monster.]

[fulgency]

If you would like, I am sure I could manage to get you a discount on the cost. [Ramesses invested early in the tattoo parlor, finding the endeavor noble and worthwhile. But perhaps more than his potential financial sway, he knows one of the owners quite well and he's quite adept at bullying him whenever necessary.] Waver happens to be a friend of mine.

[As much as Waver might try to deny that, Ramesses knows Waver to really be a big pushover. Waver thinks it's entirely incidental that Ramesses pushes his buttons the way he does, but there's a method to it more often than Waver realizes. Not usually for Ramesses' personal gain, but that doesn't mean he's unwilling to do that if necessary or even on the behalf of one of his Bonded.]

[He says nothing for the help back up to his feet. But neither does he reject it or accept it while deeming it unnecessary. He may have an ego that could rival the size of this continent, but his pride is not so fragile that acknowledgment of his injury right now is forbidden. He can be stubborn and frustrated with what he deems to be deficits with this body later when there is less physical risk to both of him to do so.]

[Ramesses doesn't snuff the orb of light out, but the remaining barrier recedes. It's a small relief to not have that consistent drain on his mana any longer, but it pales in comparison to that feeling of vulnerability now that the barrier is down. Even if they could very easily hear any of the beasts coming from a good distance away without Fang's sharper senses.]

[But it's not the first time Ramesses has felt surrounded and this is far less risky of a situation or threat to his life compared to Kadesh. He's mindful of their surroundings to what extent he is able, but there is no spike of anxiety or antsiness that emerges and overtakes his wariness. If ever there was any doubt he was truly raised a soldier first, prince second, the proof is likely there more than any demonstration of his skill.]

Let's go.

[He holds out a hand to take his bow back from her.]

[bloodypath]

[The ice does well enough; the next swipe goes wide as the Nuckelavee stumbles, and when the abomination leaps in an attempt to avoid the cones, the strike cleaves into the shadow-horse's rear thigh instead of Hubert's back.]

[Hubert's grasp around Leslie's waist cinches when he feels his steed lurch; the conjuration did not feel pain, but the significant damage sends it staggering towards a fall. Hubert desperately courses magic through the runes of the new tattooed ring around his left arm, and before their horse hits the ground, they appear five feet ahead of it on the ground in a blink of teleportation.]

[Unfortunately, in his haste, he couldn't account for their considerable forward momentum, and Hubert still goes tumbling and bouncing across the street, Leslie clutched to him and doing his damnedest not to let his full weight crash down on her. He does manage to get his feet under him, but the best Hubert can manage is a crouch, momentarily dazed from both from tumbling and the impacts.]

[The shadow-horse is temporarily downed, but not dead. The Brightwall is close, but reinforcements from the night watch are probably at least a minute out. Nuckelavee round three, fight.]

[yesdoubt]

If you don't have any salt to throw, I'm going to guess it won't be. [Momo says it in good humour - if a little drier than his usual humour to suit the occasion - but he hasn't been in a lot of fights on this scale. He's normally pretty optimistic, but not quite optimistic enough to think they've gotten over the biggest hurdles of this fight yet.

Strapping his mace over his back again for the moment, Momo looks over the area. Most of the other creatures around here look to be locked in combat already, so they may need to move a bit further around the perimeter to find others still raring to go.]

Let's move around a bit. Gives me a chance to check if anyone needs medical help, too.

[stopfen]

[The question isn't answered for a moment. Neither of them. The fae's face hardening as she moved slightly in front of the girl.]

...I can smell blood. [Which was not a good sign. If she was alone she might have risked it, wouldn't have even thought about it if she'd been with someone else who could fight. It wasn't a lot of blood, and the air was still. Nothing was struggling at the moment.

But it might have already been too late.] Do you want to go back? [It was a hard choice. If they weren't too late already, then going back would be more time the person bleeding might not have. If they went now then Mikasa wasn't sure what would happen.]

[usurpers]

[ you dare tell him what he should or shouldn't eat? et tu, elliot? ]

Dorchacht. Let's go.

[fiddlestick]

[Nnnnngh, he hates when you get like this Eren!!!!]

Nngh- at least check to make sure they don't have Cwyld first!

[sing_for_me]

[ The smell of Maria's blood hits her nose and brow furrows more, her nails digging deeper into the beast. It rolls them around on the snow, pushing Alex down into the ground. She continues to push against its jaw, keeping it from biting her. ]

What are you doing!

[ Yes, Alex couldn't fight much, but Maria could, and Alex knew they were nothing compared to what she's already been up against. ]

This--You are not getting taken down by this!

[ She tilts her head back to look at Maria. Blood was dripping onto the ground, but the Hunter was still standing. Her eyes plead with Maria for the brief moment she's able to keep her gaze. ]

Please don't let it!

oh cw:blood/stab wound

[stopfen]

[The others had moved on, looking for a weaker point. Somewhere where the dragon wasn't.

Her teeth were visible as she gritted them, antenna flicking wildly and not finding anything but the smell of burning flesh and decay. Mikasa's nose wrinkled at the smell even if it wasn't catching the scent as strongly.

Even with the dragon's rumble, the fae didn't drop. Wings still holding her up as they buzzed. Her injured leg trembling beneath her. But...There was no danger, not for her. So she slumps, her wingbeats stopping her from landing on her ass. A harsh gasp escaping as the bone shard shifted.

The clear blood tinted with red gradually soaking into her trousers enough for drops to drip onto the frost-covered roof.

There was a comment on the tip of her tongue, What else would she do, sit on the roof and freeze or bleed out. But...it was held. Then her head fell, not looking at the dragon's face.]

[petcromancer]

[Hector's wool gives him some protection against the cold, but it's his curiosity that really keeps him alert. The Nucklavee finally appears through the tree line, and Hector leans forward, eager to see how it reacts.

The creature stomps straight over the now-frozen meat and raises its heads to sniff the air. It seems to catch Hector's movements, and it charges.

Hector raises his palms and tries to scramble to his feet, but his legs are chilled and half-asleep from crouching. He's definitely not outrunning anything with horses' legs.]

Wait, I wish to speak with you!

[He calls out, but the creature gives no indication that it hears or cares.]

[gynvael]

[ While Leslie goes through her notes, Geralt doesn't interrupt. He leans back against a brick pillar, watching the few townsfolk still out and about despite the warnings. She's thorough. He can give her that. Determined, too.

He tilts his head at one name. ] Livia's found.

[ Still leaves a few more. He's doubtful all will be found. Just one was lucky enough. But then, children are wily. Especially growing up in the slums, he wouldn't be surprised if they emerged on their own once the danger had blown over.

He takes a moment to consider. Natural course of action is to return to the creek. He's just not entirely sure he wants to drag Leslie closer to danger. Besides. He was at that stream earlier and he can't recall seeing evidence of others who might have gone missing. A place that full of people coming and going all day for water, it's hard to follow a trail never mind three.

In the end, it's the last boy he settles on as the first priority. ]

Parents say where he likes to go? [ Every child has a favorite hideout. ] Or were they too busy squabbling to be helpful?

[gynvael]

[ If Geralt notices her internal strife, he doesn't say anything about it. He's listening to the conversation as much as he is to the air. Every so often, there's a distant howl. Very distant. Might not even be clear to human ears. But to him, he knows without a doubt what's making that shrieking. ]

Both. [ He steps over a gnarled root, peering for signs of smaller human tracks. His voice is even, but the cynicism is hard to miss. ] Only so much land and so many titles. Everyone wants it theirs.

[ He shrugs. He's not part of that, usually. Has no interest in being part of it, either. He's seen borders drawn and redrawn amongst just the humans themselves. (They're being redrawn now, again, in a way he's trying not to dwell on. Because somehow, he'd gotten involved in that fucking mess and it's the last thing he wanted.) ]

[foundfamilies]

[ for a moment, leslie surges forward as though she would restrain him herself, but she shakes off the instinctive reaction to him escaping before she takes more two steps. rather than abandoning the idea out of how ridiculous an idea it is for a small child who has only recently gained even what strength might be expected from someone of her size to physically stop him, though, it’s only since merrin no longer seems to have plans for him and leslie has no idea what to do about him, either.

as leslie looks to merrin to ascertain that she’s given up on restraining the man, she notices that very intense look. though she is not quite intuitive enough to recognize it as the expression of someone recalling a painful memory, despite significant personal experience, she does know it’s not a happy expression.

she approaches merrin slowly and takes one of merrin’s hands in both of her own in what she hopes is a comforting gesture. ]

Are you okay?

[belligerentwarrior]

Not gonna say no to that.

[A soldier, and a hunter. Two different sides of the same kind of caution and cooperation. There's a tension balanced in Fang on a razor's edge, and her easy manner and tone a mix of both confidence and a staunch refusal to show any shred of unease to the beasts hunting them in turn.]

[She passes the bow back without issue, shouldering her lance. The blades remain out, just in case. Her eyes drop to one of her scarred wrists as she starts ambling back towards the wall almost leisurely.]

What do you think I should get? Been thinkin' about gettin' something after the fur swallowed my old one, but the thought of a copy job doesn't sit right.

[A perfectly normal conversation to have with man-eating horse-man-corpses stalking the night. Despite her seeming inattention, Fang's focus is still sharp in her hearing. The screams (even if they made something primal in her want to flee), any incoming hoofbeats, even the cadence of Remesses' breath and footsteps. Fang wouldn't let him hide his injury if it proved to be worse once the adrenaline faded.]

[foundfamilies]

[Leslie is a remarkably brave child and one who manages to stay level-headed even when her life is under threat. But the battles she had to fight to survive were more metaphorical, not ones against strange abominations in open combat.

So when unnatural arms tear into the Nuckelavee, she freezes up for a moment, unable to process what is happening. It seems to her that the Wildes from which the Nuckelavee came are full of mysteries unknown even to those with far, far more experience than she has in the place. At the moment, the arms are preying on the creature that attacked her, but who is to say if it comes from a rescuer or from an uncaring predator that would as soon follow up to attack her?

Leslie doesn’t initially recognize Kaede in the dark. Leslie’s experiences, though, have come to strongly associate unnatural movements of shadow as a sign of friend, and it’s an association not shaken enough by the Cwyld for her to stop her from thinking it when that shadow moves between her and the abomination. It also shakes her out of her complete indecision.]

Thank you.

[First things first is to unearth herself from the remains of this house. The decayed state of the wall is doubly lucky for her — first when it ever so slightly cushioned her fall compared to being flung into a solid wall, and now when it makes the parts that fell on and around her much lighter. It’s just a matter of pushing things aside.

She’s actually more worried about her currently unrecognized saviour, though, because that’s how she rolls. Worry about others first and if there’s enough worry left, then worry about yourself. A model of mental health.]

Please be careful! It’s very fast and — [Her statement is cut off with a hiss of breath as Leslie stands up on her bruised ankle. Not broken or even sprained, so she can still walk, but painful nonetheless.] I can help! I think.

[She does have magic, but very little in the way of live-fire testing, as it were.]

[whomthebelltolls]

What happens to me matters not.

[That is... yeah about how she feels at the moment. The fire sparks in the air, first as the wobbling, shimmering air that is visible above a flame, and then fully as she manifests it in her hands. It's distracting, though - the increased heart rate makes everything else throb in time with the pulse, and it just... hurts. Everything hurts. Now that she's sitting, it hurts even more as her body starts to try to relax.

But she won't be deterred. The most desperate hunts were always the most rewarding, and this is no different.

She waits until almost the last possible second, in truth, gathering power and gathering power and gathering power until she finally lets it loose at the nuckelavee. It's not so much a fireball as it is almost a wave of flame that cascades forth, and the sudden rush of it clears the snow between them and the nuckelavee, for better or worse, even as the creature's engulfed in it.

If it survives, it's definitely not going to survive with much.

Maria, on the other hand, seems spent, breathing hard and ragged and sickly, and the blood that had been oozing from her wounds renews with fervor.] ... How persistent, for something dying. One would think it'd retreat to try to recover.

[whomthebelltolls]

... What a strange thing to offer. [Her eye watches Eren, then looks down at his hand, but she doesn't immediately reach to take it. Maria is not touchy-feely, she's cold and stubborn, and at the moment, rather unabashedly suicidal.

Also, injured, which just makes everything worse. And more cranky.] You've a Witch Bond, do you not? I'm not looking for charity or pity. Is there something you'd get out of it?

[whomthebelltolls]

I am fighting these creatures! [She barks back, but she knows, and maybe Alex knows, too. Maria didn't come out here expecting to survive.

It's really that brief moment of eye contact where Maria feels things start to come crashing down. It really is Alex, her Bonded, working to try to protect her from this suicidal madness. She suddenly, acutely, feels the degradation of her condition - the weakness in her body, the lack of focus, as the haze of mana oversaturation starts to lift, even a little.

She turns and whips her swords up against the creature closest to her, and they bite in deep, but perhaps not deep enough. She's not strong enough to cleave through muscle and gristle and bone so easily anymore, no matter how sharp her blades are. She can't push back against the Beast-like strength of the creature.

Every scream brings back memories of the wailing horse-man, and the piles of corpses, and the river of blood that runs through the Hunter's Nightmare.

It really goes to hell when the nuckelavee tosses Maria like a sack of potatoes, across the snow, and she slides on her wounded back, far enough to leave bloody streaks in the snow and mud. She barely gets the chance to get up, to dodge a few feet to the side, when the thing lashes out with its feet and catches her partially on the forehead. There's a searing pain, and then she's blacked out, and she doesn't start to woozily regain her mind until her back impacts the ground again, hard enough to knock the wind out of her.

She barely can get her swords back up to defend herself from the gnashing teeth, and flailing claws, and pounding hooves and rage. So much rage, she knows what this rage is, she's felt it before - it's] The sealess void, lair of beasts... bloodless beasts... beast-worshiping heathens, curse you fiends, and a curse for-

The water-! [Maria groans, as she gathers enough energy to teleport herself some distance away to try to recover. She manages to slowly drag herself to her feet, still rattled.] They're weak... weak to water, Alex. Get that one in the river! Get out of here!

[needsteaplz]

[Somehow she's not surprised Hector was still trying to get the Nucklavee to listen. Her heart is pounding loudly in her ears. How dare did this demonic horse encroached onto her territory and went after the faun, her predator instincts thought.

Saori didn't fight back against her chimera instincts, letting herself transform as she barreled towards her target. Now a red fox the size of a large crocodile snarled to reveal the sharp teeth of the reptile. At the last second, she twisted her front paws so she could swing the rest of her body, including the long crocodilian tail into the Nucklavee's to slam it towards the nearest tree. The chimera made sure to keep herself between it and the faun.]

Hector, we are going! NOW.

[usurpers]

It’s not strange if I need one.

[ she is thoroughly mistaken if complete kindness is what worries her— it would serve him too, of course. the hand stays, whether it’s awkward to or not. ]

One Witch isn’t enough for me. I consume too much magic.

[ and rather than taking his full share on elliot, he splits the necessity. some magic comes from elliot. the rest comes from witch blood. and the remainder comes from anything else he can manage to sneak a literal bite from. ]

[whomthebelltolls]

Is that a dragon thing? [They're supposed to be special, and given their size, she's not surprised, perhaps, they need more than other Monsters.

His hand hasn't moved, so Maria finally looks at it, and... reaches over, as though curious if it'll be any different than any other Monster. She held him as a small dragon to recharge his heat spells, but she didn't notice anything odd back then. Maybe this is different? His form is larger now.

Then, she presses a single finger into his palm. It feels a bit like a static shock; not quite painful, but with that same minute snap of power. Maria's been neglectful of her condition all right, and it's obvious. Very little feeds between them, of course, but there is a large well of power built up in the background, without an outlet.]

... I'll not accept pity, but I will take usefulness. I've only tried two permanent Bonds before, and of those, one is now failed, and the other nearly ended poorly for both of us, when we just fed each others' violence. Temporary, then, if you do not otherwise object. I need to be sure of... what is seen and felt, before I commit to anything.