lucetilogs | DRAFT - The Battle of Vaskoth

Entry tags:

DRAFT - The Battle of Vaskoth

Who: Anyone on the draft
What: The Battle of Vaskoth! Zombie uprising!
When: 25th to 28th (a second log will follow)
Where: Vaskoth
Summary: Please read here for event information
Rating: Z for Zombies

On the 25th, Lucetians are ushered in to join an already growing army to repel the Cultists.

On the 26th, strange symptoms are reported. The first Runners appear and by nightfall, the hospital is lost.

On the 27th, the cultist horde is completely lost to the virus. They send no more reinforcements.

On the 28th, the situation is grim and an evacuation is called. But the battle is not over.

Notes: There will be two NPC threads. One for Specialist Davis and another for Carol.

If you like creating your own NPCs, then check out this spreadsheet and be sure to contribute! This was originally set up by Griff for the Kin'cora event. It's been revised as a semi-official tracking spreadsheet for characters created on the fly.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[What do you know? Aang seems to have fallen asleep under a tree. Sure the area's oddly quiet and desolate. But there he is, laying in some awkward position, fidgeting uncomfortably and muttering some inaudible things to himself. It's clear he must be bending nightmares.]

[Shikamaru crouches down by the tree, watching Aang wearily but debating whether he should let him rest despite. He takes the time thinking it over to take care of his wounds. Just minor scratches on his arms, but he cleans them out and bandages them to be careful.

When he's done, he puts a hand on Aang's shoulder to lightly shake him awake.]

[The names of Robin and Moro could probably be heard along his mutterings before he starts to regain consciousness.]

Uh... What? [And as his consciousness comes back, he starts to gain an awareness of where he is... and springs up, still with bags under his eyes.] Shikamaru! What's happening? Are we under attack? [He shouts to the empty area.]

[Shikamaru is looking away by the time Aang opens his eyes, stone-faced to hide some emotion.

Moro...

Can't regret that now.]

It's fine. [He scrubs at a dark spot on his vest before realizing it's blood, and gives up.] They gave an evacuation order. Did you hear?

[Aang looks around for a few times to make sure before he turns back to Shikamaru.]

Yeah, don't worry about that. I've been helping everyone I could find to evacuate safely.

[He nods. That's good. That's a good thing to put him on.]

You should go too.

What? But... People still need me here. I can't abandon them.

It'd be better for them if you did. It's only going to get worse from here.

What do you mean? If it's gonna get worse, than I can't turn my back. I have to make things better.

That's what you're not getting. It won't get better. [He frowns hard, and tries to look Aang in the eye.] You keep freezing up. What do we do if you get bit, and you're fighting us?

[Aang's eyes waver uncertainly around Shikamaru's.]

N-no. I can't get bit. I won't. I'm... I'm controlling it better. I won't let myself m-mess up anymore.

That's why it'll happen. [He sighs, occupying his hands with a pebble. He misses his lighter.] This isn't a war for heroes, Aang. It has to be fought by soldiers. You're no soldier.

[He does know the difference - very well. He remembers the Invasion and the Battle of Sozin's Comet. In both cases, he operated separately, detached from the army to take on Ozai, while Sokka and/or his father took charge of the soldier part. But then... other people expected him to be a soldier, too. To take out a fleet of Fire Nation ships for the North Pole singlehandedly. To make the Avatar State a weapon of the Earth Kingdom. Couldn't he be both.]

Does it matter what I'm called? [He stomps the ground, raising a small pillar.] With everything I can do! [And he blasts some fire from his arms.] I should be saving people! [He bends some muddy water nearby and whips it around him.] And I can only do that here. [He tries to bend some air outwards, but it quickly dies down, as his face sinks.] I have to.

And? What about what you can't do?

Edited 2012-11-03 08:01 (UTC)

I... [He hesitates again.] I can't really save everyone. I've been... failing, so far. I couldn't help... I failed Moro. But that means... I should try harder, shouldn't it? I should make up for it. By... by helping whoever I can. [He blinks determinedly.]

[He shakes his head.]

Wrong "can't". If you're not able to figure that one out, you really shouldn't he here.

What do you think it is, then? Huh?

[...]

This is war. A man who won't kill is admirable. A man who can't kill won't last long.

[When he looks at Aang again, his eyes are hard.] I won't forgive you if you make me have to tell Katara that you died. Will you?

[And his shoulders sink as he considers it.]

N-no. I wouldn't. I... I can't put her through that again.

Then you have to go.

[He speaks softly, but he can't afford kind words. This is his kindness.]

Someday we'll see a war where your methods and love for peace will count. But this isn't it.

[He looks at Shikamaru, hesitating, wavering, blinking his dry eyes. He's considering the option, but his legs are quivering.]

I hope it can. It's bad enough to see the effects of this place eat my friends. And when I'm out here... I see how this world is eating itself. I want to stop it. Even if... I can't, yet.

Edited 2012-11-05 07:22 (UTC)

[He sighs now.]

I, I, I, I... I.

[He wonders what's up with that stutter.]

Are you okay? [But then it hits him maybe.] Or... We?

[He raises a finger like a gun. Now you got it.]

No one person can save this world. Certainly not you or me, who don't even understand it.

[He sniffs slightly and wipes at his nose with his sleeve.]

I think I get it. It's something I should have already learned for good. Back home... when I first found out I was the Avatar, the monks made it sound like I'd have to do everything alone. And I hated it. But it wound up not being that way. I couldn't have... stopped the war and saved the world, done everything I could... if it weren't for Katara and Sokka and Zuko and Toph and Suki and everyone else. So... so it'll have to be the same here. And you're right that... we have to work on understanding this world first.