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Entry tags:
- attack on titan: mikasa ackerman,
- bloodborne: lady maria,
- castlevania: hector,
- fgo: cu chulainn,
- fgo: ozymandias,
- fgo: scathach,
- fgo: wolfgang amadeus mozart,
- fz: arturia pendragon,
- fz: diarmuid ua duibhne,
- fz: iskandar,
- fz: waver velvet,
- hunter x hunter: killua zoldyck,
- idolish7: momo,
- mdzs: jiang cheng,
- monster duchess: leslie,
- original: saori nakagawa,
- star wars: merrin,
- the witcher: geralt of rivia
DARKNESS AND FROST log
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
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.
no subject
[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.]
1/2 this got long
[It’s only when they stop moving that she opens her eyes and realizes that it’s because Hubert shielded her from the worst of it with his body. He’s the one who got hurt instead.]
[For a moment, his title doesn’t come to mind before the name she hears others calling him.]
...Hubert...?
no subject
[In those seconds, Leslie’s mind races. She could continue to use abjuration, with the barriers she knows how to make, but that would at best delay it until she exhausts herself. She doesn’t know whether Hubert will be able to stand back up. She doesn’t know if the shadow horse is even alive. And, except maybe for some members of the Coven, she doesn’t even consider the idea that people outside of the Mirrorbound would proactively help her, so she doesn’t imagine the possibility of the night watch coming to save them. She can’t only defend.]
[She’s been taught how to defend herself with a weapon, but aside from the dagger, she hasn’t brought anything with her. The road where they fell is not full of obvious improvised weapons, either.]
[She could reach for her limited knowledge of the other schools of magic, like how she caused the Nuckelavee to stumble from ice evocation, but she doesn’t think that she would be able to actually stop it with those kinds of tricks.]
[Aside from abjuration, she’s been studying enchantment with Corrin. At first, she focused on enchantments that lasted for a long time but took a long time to prepare, like the chain in Edelgard’s birthday present, but Corrin has also taught her shorter boosts that can come from the school. Things that could be used alongside the sword lessons from both Corrin and Byleth. But she still doesn’t have a weapon to channel it through that would be long enough for her to face the Nuckelavee. Something longer....]
[She likely would never have tried it if she were entirely thinking clearly, but the Nuckelavee smashes the barrier with a swing from its sword and there is no more time to think.]
[Leslie reaches up behind her head to pull the deep green ribbon in her hair out of its bow, the two braids it had tied around behind her head falling down as it comes free into her hands. With a flick, she snaps the ribbon out to its full length. It stays extended flat as she brings it up, made solid by the magic now running through it. She spreads her feet without thinking about it into the stance her two teachers had drilled into her and brings the now hardened ribbon up in both hands to block the Nuckelavee’s sword.]
[Leslie winces as the force of the blow pushes down on her injured ankle, barely managing to keep one eye open, but both the ribbon, magically enhanced, and Leslie, who also has about three different enchantments running through her right now, do not bend under it. There’s a creaking sound that she’s pretty sure is from the ribbon, as strange of a sound that is to come from such a thing, and even enhanced by magic, her arms tremble, but she’s stopped it.]
[Leslie had trouble at the time not being grumpy as both Byleth and Corrin gave her advice in their own ways that boils down to accommodating for her size by using her opponent’s strength against them, but in this moment, she is not thinking of her frustration at not growing. She tilts her magically hardened ribbon such that the Nuckelavee stumbles forward at the sudden lack of resistance and its sword slides off.]
[She pivots on her good leg and (”They need to be beheaded. They won't stop otherwise.”) swings overhead toward the neck, pushing a second enchantment through the ribbon to sharpen it. Though its stance remains broken, it brings its own sword up to meet.]
[Leslie has never tried to hold five different enchantments at once and use the lessons in the use of swords and face a real armed enemy and do all of this with an injured ankle. A lot of things happen at once.]
[There’s a crack as the magic through the ribbon is not enough against a real sword and it breaks into two pieces. One end initially goes spinning off, but soon reverts to its normal form as it is caught by the wind, flapping uselessly as it is caught on an empty laundry line; the end in Leslie’s hand retains its form a little longer before it is once again a normal strip of cloth again, flopping in her hand. The Nuckelavee’s sword is at least pushed back, the force enough to drop the abomination to the ground from its unsteady footing. Leslie’s own legs also give out underneath her as her magic gives out and she is once again flung backward, though not so far this time, landing on the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her.]
[At this moment, both Leslie and the creature are on the ground, placing a short pause on round three. The Nuckelavee, however, looks like it will be able to recover and stand to its feet first, its fall less damaging.]
no subject
[His body doesn't move when he bids it to; he watches the exchange between Leslie and abomination while the impact-borne numbness lingers in his limbs. Had this moment not been the precipice of life or death, Hubert would've been inordinately impressed by Leslie's ingenuity and initiative—as it was, he could only reach out to his conjuration mentally while clumsy feeling reemerged beyond the pain in his body.]
[So as the Nuckelavee tries to stand again, it's trampled with a vengeance by one particularly bloodthirsty otherworldly warhorse, even if its movements were jerky and uncoordinated. The blow the abomination had dealt to its leg would have killed or fatally lamed a real horse, but the conjuration felt no pesky things like pain or survival instinct. Its onslaught didn't even slow for how the Nuckelavee tried to hack at it.]
[Hubert staggers to his feet in the meantime. He couldn't keep up the level of spellcasting he'd been doing—as useful as conjurations were, the act of bringing the material into the world from the immaterial was a costly act. The bear had minimal investment and hadn't lasted long; his horse, on the other hand, Hubert had poured a considerable investment in to ensure it lasted at least an hour and would take considerable effort to tear its corporeal form apart. The spikes of iron were a considerable drain, as well. Hubert's choice of evocation and offensive conjuration would only serve to stall the beast. The Nuckelavee were both wondrous and horrifying in that fashion, in that no wound no matter how grievous would truly put them down save for beheading.]
[Hubert could pin this one with iron as well... but the blood cost he'd need to pay to supplement his waning magic would render him nigh useless, should it fail or a third danger await them between here and the wall. And that's assuming he could even manage that level of complexity around the pounding in his head. Botching such a spell would pose as much danger (or more) to them as the Nuckelavee.]
[An emergency reserve, then. At least until his head cleared. Hubert extends his hand to the side, forming one of the simplest conjurations—a simple retrieval to an object he had anchored to his magic with enchantment, and called the Arrow of Indra into his grasp.]
Run, [he commands once more, not even sure if Leslie could. He hadn't taken his eyes off their hunter to watch her fall. Still, if she could... the wall couldn't be more than half a mile away. At least Hubert could be sure he'd have the beast's ire, with the enchanted ink on his arm.] It will focus on me.
[The screaming of horse and abominable-horse comes to a halt. His conjuration took an impressive beating before it fell to the rider's sword and clawing, finally felled by the horse-head reaching up and tearing sizable shadows out of the conjuration's neck. The Nuckelavee stands, seething and screeching—and limping somewhat horribly. The shadow-horse's trampling had torn at the exposed muscle and ligament, and seemingly even broken a number of bones, including the rider's sword-arm. Hubert takes his stance, lance at the ready, projecting far more confidence than he felt in his silent challenge. Even as wounded as it was, the abomination was hardly any less deadly.]
no subject
[Last time, she’d disobeyed, turning back to shield him from the creature as he finished his spell. This time looks no less dire than the previous. No less likely to result in her mentor’s death. But this time, she has much less magical power to give, and she doesn’t have the kinds of vials that Hubert always carries with him, as reserves to draw on beyond herself.]
[There’s only a moment of indecision before she starts to move, her path aiming to just to the left of Hubert. It’s faster than a walk but slower than a run as she begins to mumble one last spell. She reaches one more time for the enhancement spells she used to briefly stand up to the Nuckelavee, but this time, she can only manage one. An enchantment to make the body faster, more responsive, with the energy to make use of it. It would be a useful one for running to the wall as fast as possible.]
[When she passes by Hubert, though, her hands reach out to touch his sleeve and her magic flows into him instead.]
[There’s a tingling feeling that runs up his arm, because she’s not used enough to casting enchantments on other people, but it fades as he may feel a jolt of energy like someone who drinks a little less than Hubert might find from a cup of coffee. Though not an extraordinary difference, as Leslie is still something of a novice at a spell like this, he should find his body a little better at keeping up with his quick mind.]
[With that, Leslie lets go of his sleeve once more and stumbles past without a word: stumbling from both the level of exhaustion from using so much magic over the course of their escape and her injured ankle. Despite this and despite a sob that manages to escape as she leaves him to an uncertain fate, she manages to push herself to move faster as she runs toward the wall.]
[On the way, she pulls out her watch to send a (handwaved) call out to Edelgard — who, despite being much farther away than any guard on the wall, Leslie trusts far more to be able to arrive in time to save Hubert if he needs it.]
We’re outside the wall, and Hu — Marquis Vestra is still fighting!
[She corrects herself even though she knows that no one would really be against her calling Hubert by something other than his title, least of all Edelgard. She’s the only one who feels like she ought to stick to respectful titles for the people here.]
[Tears falling from her eyes, Leslie continues to run as the Nuckelavee fight’s final round begins.]
no subject
[He knew he was ill-suited for this enemy. The lance lacked cutting edges—but there was still a small chance he could behead the humanoid body with the tip of the lance and appropriate force.]
[Assuming Hubert ever had the opportunity for such a precise strike.]
[The Nuckelavee lopes forward, its charge uneven from his conjuration's damage. Its accompanying shriek sent ice through his blood, but long time conditioning held Hubert steady; he ducked under the too-long arm's swipe, a hoof narrowly missing his knee. He gouges the lance along the beast's battered side along the way, and disappeared in a blink of magic when the Nuckelavee swipes with a backhanded slash.]
[To his disappointment, the Nuckelavee pivots immediately when Hubert reappears a mere five feet to the side, far less disoriented by his teleport than he. The beast's sword meets the Arrow's raised haft, the force staggering Hubert aside—but he blinks away again before the horse-body can trample him.]
[Thus the fashion the fight proceeds for one of the longest thirty seconds of Hubert's life, a losing battle of attrition in the face of the Nuckelavee's unfaltering relentlessness. The force of the blocked blows jar his hands and arms towards numbness, his waning magic bleeds away bit by bit with every life-saving teleport, and through it all, even though his head has cleared, Hubert's never granted the two seconds he needs to weave a stronger spell or to find his footing for a fatal blow.]
[And then Leslie's parting enchantment fails. The hair's breadth margin he's been evading the beast vanishes. The horse-body's unnaturally sharp teeth sink agonizingly into his shoulder when Hubert's a heartbeat too slow, and knee-jerk instinct takes over.]
[Amid the pain he finds anger and blood, reaching into it greedily, ripping the mana out of his own spilling life's blood. If the Nuckelavee was to send him to hell, it would burn with him.]
[Literally.]
Burn! [It's a spell that required no thought, no structure. Just power and raw intent and fuel. His blood ignites explosively, a rough cone of flame blasting violently outward from the wound with a crimson flash. There's enough concussive force to stagger the Nuckelavee back, and Hubert hardly notices the teeth tearing free under the searing heat of too-close fire.]
[But while it bought him some room, the reflexive spell did little more than that. Now there wasn't just a pissed Nuckelavee, but a pissed Nuckelavee on fire. Damn these things, and their inability to be felled by anything other than beheading.]
[Just as Hubert's wondering how much more of his blood he'd need to fuel a Hail Mary of a teleport, an arrow sails from over head the strike the beast with far more force than should have been physically possible. The Nuckelavee hits the ground again with a thunderous impact. A large blur streaks by his vision as a large canine Turnskin leaps forward with a zweihander.]
[Hubert doesn't wait. He doesn't even need the prompting of the hand tugging at the back of his coat to turn and retreat, chasing after Leslie's path. Quicker than the girl, but that was more a grace of his long legs than any illusion of faring better than her.]
[He arrives gasping, his breath short and rapid. Hubert leans immediately against the Brightwall, sliding down to the ground, exertion heavier than gravity; this was far more than he's asked of his body in a while.]
no subject
[What the guard as not expecting was for Leslie to then stumble toward Hubert on legs shaking like a newborn fawn. "O-oi --!" but Leslie isn't listening.]
[She probably wouldn't have been able to balance in her current state if she needed to reach all the way up to Hubert's shoulder, but thanks to him sinking to the ground, she can hover her hand over his injured shoulder as she uses her other arm to prop herself up.]
[She doesn't have the energy to actually properly heal the wound -- really, she doesn't have the energy to really do anything, magical or physical -- but she manages to at least make the worst of the bite mark smaller, some smaller parts on the edges fusing closed and the rest pulling just a little closer to make the opening smaller and slow the blood flow. Even with that much, she can barely keep on her feet by clinging to the wall after she finishes.]
I'm sorry. [It's almost inaudible as the words are forced out between sobs.] I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
no subject
[Her trembling doesn't escape him; Hubert's hand raises to hover by her side warily, for all the good his wounded shoulder would be able to support her.]
For what? Quick thinking that saved my life? [Granted, an argument could be made that it never would have been endangered in the first place if Leslie hadn't ventured out, or Hubert would have handled the fight very differently had he not been concerned about another. That said, after they were thrown from the horse, Leslie's desperate stand had bought him the seconds he needed to recover.]
[His eyes flicker across her scrapes and down to her injured ankle.] You should not be standing.
no subject
That isn’t what I meant.... [She would certainly be one to argue that it would not have come down to such dangerous situations if it hadn’t been for her. She did buy time or, in one case, provide information, which were certainly crucial, but taken as a whole, Hubert saved her more than she helped him in return. Though he is the one with experience in war and her experience in survival was non-combative, she still feels bad that she wasn’t able to keep him from ending up in this condition.]
[She gives a weak smile.] I think...if I sit down right now, I won’t be able to stand up again until tomorrow. [How she expects to walk back to their house from the wall in this condition is unknown. Probably pure willpower.]
[Her voice cracks.] I just want to go h —
[She doesn’t call it “home,” because, despite everything, she still thinks that it would be too selfish of her to call it her home. Her longing for both has left Leslie with an extremely idealistic idea of what a real home and a real family means, and the worry that claiming either without the “right“ to them would be a bother to others.]
I want to be back at the house. I don’t want to be here anymore.
no subject
[But his eyes return to Leslie. Her entire being was stretched thin, from her endurance to her bravery. Tonight had already asked more than one of her age should ever be, and she answered valiantly. To fold now wasn't weakness, but a luxury—a child's luxury, and one Hubert wondered how often she'd ever had the chance to take.]
[He wouldn't take this chance from her by asking a little more of her bravery.]
[So Hubert leverages the haft of the Arrow like a walking stick, commanding his rattled bones to move, fighting his way to his feet. The other Witch approaches, asking about wounds, broken bones, and before she can take too much of their time, he cuts her off.]
Just enough to stitch the flesh, and her ankle, if you would. We'll manage from there; you have our gratitude.
[The woman purses her lips in blatant disapproval, but obliges. Just a little to stave off infection (in his case) and tide them along—the rest would take too long for his liking. His bruising and anything still torn under his shoulder's newly repaired skin could be tended to later.]
[Hubert glances at Leslie as the healer woman departs, ready to begin their long walk.] It will be an easier journey without that limp of yours. You'll have plenty of time to think of an explanation for this foolishness of yours. Lady Edelgard will no doubt demand to know why you were outside the wall at night. This has caused her great distress.
[But even as his voice remains level, even as he'd so far demanded nothing of Leslie, Hubert wasn't without his sternness.]
no subject
[But she doesn't. It's something that she will regret when this moment is behind her and she has rested, but right now, she keeps quiet as she watches the healer's disapproving face and ignores the evidence in front of her that he is continuing to push himself for her sake.]
[Her voice is barely above a whisper when the woman has finished with her ankle.] Thank you.
[When she turns back to Hubert to see him looking at her, his words make her still watery eyes fill further, but she forces herself to not look away or start crying in earnest again.]
I don't have one. Not one that excuses it. I panicked, and I made a bad decision. [She sniffles as she pushes herself off the wall. Her first few steps are more like a stumble, but she soon falls into an exhausted one-foot-in-front-of-the-other trudge.] But I'll tell her what happened.
[Leslie knows the dread of walking toward an expected punishment. This time is different. She knows the punishment will not be in cruel excess, but for the first time since she survived the fire, she knows she will deserve it. The feelings are difficult to compare, but at the moment, she thinks this way might be harder.]
no subject
[Perhaps her answer shouldn't be a surprise. Leslie's maturity always had been beyond her years. He glances away with a small sound, his pace set to slow steps.]
...I see. So long as you have learned. [But his mind wouldn't leave one detail alone. He hadn't seen any signs of fire nearby...] What caused your panic?
no subject
[It takes Leslie a moment to answer his question. The worry is one that is beyond her ability to pursue in this moment, but it's one that still weighs on her.]
I can't feel Mr. Hector anymore.
[After their talk as Hubert helped her with the familiar bonding ritual, Leslie told him and the others in the house when she and Hector agreed on a bond back in early June. (This has been formed as a temporary bond, which means that Leslie has not actually done a full bond ceremony at the Coven yet. They've been repeatedly using temporary bond potions for the past nearly three months instead, because Hector
has a fear of commitmentthinks he would be a bad influence as a permanent bond partner.)]He's been at the Northern Outpost. With the others hunting the abominations. And I thought...it wasn't long after I returned from the Outer City, and I thought it might be easier to feel the bond outside the Bright Wall, since he's so far away. And if he was hurt, or -- or dying...I didn't think I needed to wait to find someone to come with me.
[There haven't been any problems in her accompanied visits to the Outer City. It seems she relaxed too much from that.]
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[And whatever else Hubert had been expecting was a lesser concern than that. He could sympathize with that, at least. Even if "children have been disappearing outside of the wall" was a questionable time to employ such logic.]
[But Hubert lets that point lie for now, sighing quietly through his nose. Tonight was already long. It was shaping up to be so much terribly longer. He'd have to stay as far back behind the lines as possible, and a moment to revitalize himself back at the house...]
[Those thoughts continue to mull in the back of Hubert's mind while he answers.]
So you ran off to find him. [Spoken as a statement of fact, not an accusation.] If your bond dissolved, there's no telling what the outcome is. He could just as likely be fine. But, [A breath that wasn't quite a sigh, and a shake of his head.] a concern for later. You're at your limit.
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I’m still not strong enough.
[Her words are intended as an agreement that she’s at her limit. She says it as though she didn’t begin the year still visibly underfed with her magic replaced with something new.]
[She can’t tell what happened to Hector — or even if anything happened to Hector. But if he was in trouble, she’d been unable to take even the first step to helping him out of it.]
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[Hubert's jaw clenches, focusing on the pressure of his teeth instead of the ache of his battered joints. He could do more. Once Leslie was safe with Edelgard, he could do just a little more.]
There will always be something in life you lack the strength for. You must be smarter. Learn from this, and do not repeat your mistakes.
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[Instead, it is merely adding weight to his words. The man the boy became certainly lived those words he says to her now. If a problem is beyond your strength, you find a way to shift the odds in your favour. That's what subterfuge is, isn't it?]
[She also thinks of Ozymandias's advice, when he told her that she limits herself by thinking she can only hope to master rote memorization or not believing in her ability to accomplish great things. She thinks of many conversations she's had in Aefenglom and in the last few weeks before she arrived here, where people have encouraged her or gently corrected her. With the piece from this conversation, her thinking shifts a little more away from the ways she learned most of her life, where falling short of perfect is a failure meant that she should have worked even harder into exhaustion, to something new.]
[The shackles of her childhood aren't easily broken, but the shape of an approach beyond beating herself up over the strength she doesn't have is starting to form.]
I will.
[She will learn from it. She means that with every fibre of her being.]
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[Her familiar tries to help, misty tendrils of shadow rising up to wrap around her, but without the magic they had back in her world, they can only lift light objects. However short Leslie may still be, she isn't light enough for that, especially with the good care she's received in Aefenglom in the forms of food, sleep, and exercise. At best, if Hubert doesn't catch her himself, the shadows can at least lower her to the ground slowly enough that there will be no hard impact onto the street. But for the moment, Leslie has passed out.]
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[And if his thoughts drifted to the parallels of his past a few more times, Hubert didn't dwell on or acknowledge it.]
[His Agarthan lance clatters to the street when Leslie stumbles, Hubert grunting as he drops to a knee to catch her with his good arm. Poor girl. This night had asked too much of her already. It's a tricky affair, juggling Leslie against his good shoulder essentially one-armed into a decent grip. Normally, her meager weight wouldn't be an issue—after their encounter, it posed a challenge. But they were close, Hubert muses as he staggers back to his feet. Then he freezes; it takes a moment to realize the darkness creeping its way around his arm and chest is Leslie's familiar, a gentle pressure pushing Leslie more firmly against his shoulder as the sentient shadows wrap their tendrils in a sling-like manner.]
[It isn't significant aid, but the shadows' effort does ease the girl's weight. And it's like that Hubert arrives at their dwelling some minutes later, an unconscious Leslie held against his shoulder by arm and shadow-familiar alike, the duo battered but whole. The only scent of blood about them was that of the already dried and scabbed, the torn coat of Hubert's other shoulder with whole skin under. One side of his jaw was beginning to impressively purple, but he could live with that.]
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What happened?
[She asks of no one in particular, but her eyes widen as she takes in Hubert's state.]
...Hubert, what did this? And...is she alright?
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She's only exhausted. [Hubert frowns, his brow pinching slightly.] I... did not arrive in time to keep her entirely from harm, but she will only ache in the morning. Take her, please.
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[It's not a tight grip, though, so a little gentle pressure will be enough to remove the fabric from her hand.]
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Should I summon a healer?
[Keeping her voice low, mindful not to wake the child, she frowns down, searching for injuries.]
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I do not believe it's necessary, [he starts, (carefully) shucking his ruined coat and moving towards the kitchen.] A healer at the wall tended her ankle; that seemed to be the worst of it. As far as I could tell, she only took a few falls.
[Hubert drops the tattered coat on a chair as he passes, falling into a brief silence.] You should be proud of her bravery and wit. She saved my life.
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Are you alright? What happened, that you were in such danger?
[She is impressed with Leslie, and she's immediately thinking about ways to repay her ward for her bravery.]
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oops forgot to check before hitting reply like I planned
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