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Post by Vyn on Aug 11, 2011 18:11:08 GMT -5
Javaid had been warily watching the scenery, loathing ever second of standing in that foul-smelling mist, when vines suddenly shot forth from nowhere to constrict child and Esterberry alike. He was certain he shouted something in surprise, most likely in his native Hisstor, but what it was didn't directly register at that time.
Suha didn't have to ask, Javaid was already moving. (19 for reaction time)
There was no time to stop and weigh the consequences. Outsiders or not, he was the only one with a weapon. He couldn't very well stand by idly and watch as a child was dragged away by the very monsters she so obviously feared. He'd dealt with his fair share of monsters and no one deserved that fate, least of all a child.
His natural spade speed had him between the girls and the wall of mist in an instant and, with that speed still driving him, he brought his staff up to slash through the possessed vines. (16 for attack)
Basic Magical Ability: He can run up to 20mph in sprints and 10mph for up to an hour in extended runs.
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Post by Nathalia on Aug 11, 2011 21:26:41 GMT -5
The vines twisted more tightly around the child's body, dragging her down and under a smothering bed of foliage, the weight of the heavy, pulsating mass pressing down onto her.
The biting and snapping managed to maul a few vines, thick, plant fibers bursting open and raining a foul-tasting, bitter and hot liquid down on her as she flailed.
They didn't seem to care.
Phaedra fared little better, her scrabbling claws punctured the same "veins" as the girl, causing the thick liquid to assault her paws, stinging slightly and making the digits feel...numb.
In retaliation, the vines squeezed tighter, cutting off all air supply.
The attacking Bird did not seem to garner any sympathy, or indeed, any emotion at all.
One vine snapped out at her wings, seeking to wrap around it and twist.
(please roll for me, Dark).
Javaid's weapon is just what this group needed.
The vines holding Phaedra in the air were severed, though they did not relinquish their hold, and she fell to the ground with a dull thud, bruising her tail and still fighting to breathe again.
His second slash missed by the merest fraction and the child was dragged into the mist.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Aug 11, 2011 21:35:16 GMT -5
[14! *faints*]
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Post by Nako on Aug 11, 2011 21:37:28 GMT -5
For all that she was filled with feral rage in that split moment, when the vines literally popped in her mouth and stung her gums, tongue and face, she wasn't prepared for it. Still attempting to thrash, she howled out her fear, spitting harshly between her screams of horror. A certain finality began to dawn upon her as she realized that there may not be any getting away. She looked around desperately for her protector. But she wasn't there. Where, where??? She'd seen her only momentarily, free from the vines and on the ground.
The strange Hisstor had saved Phaedra. But not her. The two of them disappeared from her sight as she was pulled further away and into the horrifying mist. Pure terror struck her now, and she merely froze, jaw half open to let out the most horrid of helpless keens. Her potential saviors were nowhere in sight any more. It was over. She was going to die.
Funny, she'd sworn it would be Apocalypse that killed her, like in her nightmares. Huh. Well, she held some gratefulness that she was able to tell the man he was a sorry bastard before she was eaten alive by horrifying attack plants.
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Post by Bee on Aug 11, 2011 21:56:59 GMT -5
Phaedra had neither the time nor presence of mind to stretch out her arms to glide to the ground--she was still using her claws to paw at the wretched vines around her neck, which constricted beyond all reasonable measure. She hit the ground right on her tail with a jolt of severe pain. It was still nothing compared to her throat, but at least now she had a point from which she might be able to unwind them.
She had begun to feel a bit woozy, which was quite nearly the worst thing imaginable. Weakness of limb would be hot on its heels, and she threw all her strength into prying the vines off, finally managing to twist the damn things away and throw them to the ground. She gasped in air like a flopping beached fish.
When she finally had the presence of mind to process her surroundings, she saw the Hisstor (it would only be polite to thank him, profusely) and Suha (perhaps her, too), but not the child. She did not know the girl at all, but dread hit her like a punch in the gut.
"What the devil," she wheezed. "Where is..."
She couldn't see anyone in the mist. Oh, no.
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Post by Nathalia on Aug 12, 2011 9:03:16 GMT -5
Should you choose to pursue the child, you will head into one adventure; should you choose not to, you will be ramped into another and Del placed into a different thread.
Keep up the RP, let me know your decisions through your characters.
What would they argue out?
Nako, kick back for a bit and assume your poor darling is out cold for a while.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Aug 12, 2011 12:30:35 GMT -5
Suha fluffed her feathers back down into a more acceptable presentation. Her quick action had filled her ‘good deed’ quota for the next month, at least; she’d risked feather and beak in her daring move, and almost lost a wing for her trouble. (That last vine had been far too close, and left her with a faint chill). It was a shame they had only rescued one, but that was life.
She noted Phaedra’s growing distress absently. “You aren’t honestly considering going after the child, are you?” Suha drawled, very well aware of the thought process that must be swirling around in darling Phaedra’s head. “You might not be so lucky to escape next time.”
Suha honestly couldn’t comprehend why the woman was so upset; she at least was alive, wasn’t she?
“The child is surely dead, and if you go traipsing after a corpse you’ll be swift to join her,” Suha warned. “Better we seek a way out of this infernal mist.”
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Post by Bee on Aug 12, 2011 13:17:30 GMT -5
Perhaps the oxygen had made her brain a little fuzzy; that might have been why she spent precious seconds staring at Suha with such a ridiculous expression on her face. She did not comprehend anything. Then she comprehended everything, and she was terribly disgusted by it. She stood up straight and went to adjust her glasses out of reflex, only to realize that at some point they had gone flying, and there was little chance of finding them in this fog. She used them for reading, not general sight, but they were a part of her face, and it was upsetting to lose them.
"I respectfully and empathetically disagree. We must search for the girl." However wretched and frightening those vines had been, the thought of leaving her to her fate was nauseating. She had never felt so guilty to be alive, and ordinarily Phaedra could not find it in herself to guilty about much of anything.
She had to at least make an effort.
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Post by Vyn on Aug 12, 2011 14:37:40 GMT -5
Javaid was not fond of Outsiders. He reminded himself of this multiple times as he stood staring into the mist where the girl had been dragged away. Yet, if that were so, then why did he feel so guilty? He clutched his staff a little harder feeling the weight of failure upon his shoulders. He had helped save one, yes... but this was not the way a child should leave the world. Though... who could honestly say she was dead and not captive of someone's strange desires? Hadn't she declared herself kidnapped to begin with?
The women spoke behind him. Opposing forces, both logical in their own right, Javaid knelt down to examine the remains of the strange vines he had managed to sever. They were certainly not normal foliage, considering they moved of their own violation (or perhaps under the will of another), but they also seemed to... bleed? Or perhaps it was a form of venom that leaked from the wounded greenery. He frowned deeply.
The world was a strange place to begin with -- he recognized that strangeness more than most -- but this was beyond even him.
"I agree with the Esterberry." He muttered as he rose to his full height once more. "There is a chance she may be alive still. Besides, just because one walks away from danger, does not mean they will find safety. We're more likely to find answers with the lost child than wandering aimlessly in the mist."
And aimlessness was all they were going to find in the direction he'd come from.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Aug 12, 2011 21:28:18 GMT -5
How sickeningly philosophical. Her second jailer--Carlisle, the old windbag--had been fond of similar statements and she found them not to her taste.
"Better death to be a possibility than a certainty," Suha hissed, incensed that these people were so eager to throw their lives away for a wretched child that they didn't even know. Children only caused disappointment and heartbreak; she had been told it enough times that she rather believed it, especially with advancing age.
Suha looked at their determined faces, and sighed; she knew when she was defeated, and would take defeat as graciously as she was able.
"Oh, very well. If you insist. Let's go find this child of yours." She clacked her beak in vexation. "But don't you dare blame me when you wind up dead."
Suha had only her wits--she had no special abilities that would aid her in this particular fight--and there was a certain safety offered in a group, as long as she was quicker than the rest...
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