Zompania Draft - Draftees only, days 1-3.5

[lucetimods]

Who: All Draftees
What: This is your death. Followed by your time-traveling life and desperate bomb hunting.
When: From May 22 to May 20 to early May 23 (days 1-4)
Where: Zompania
Summary: Information post here
Rating: Varies on thread, please mark explicit material.

This post is for the draftee-only portion of the Zompania draft--the day 3 death, time travel to day 1, and then the events until the arrival of the reinforcements. Be sure to use the above info post for any plotting needs you might have. Enjoy!

Please note that there is a specific top-level comment thread for:

• The day 3 arrival of the draftees and the 6 hours that follow until the bomb is dropped
  
• Death--This thread can be treated as REFERENCE ONLY. Responding to it isn't necessary.
  
• Threads prior to departing for Zompania--post resurrection freak outs, arguments over how to proceed, etc.

All other threading, from day 1 until the reinforcements arrive, should be conducted as normal.

Be sure to tag this post appropriately: [canon] character name

Comments

[complicatedliar]

My thanks.

[Loki limps to the crates and sits gratefully. He's made of sterner stuff than mortal men, to be certain, but he's also been fighting as an Asgardian should, without pause for rest or even food. This has been far more taxing than Vaskoth. He's getting tired.

Carefully, he straightens out his leg.]

None terribly deep. But scratches add up after a while. The one on my calf is probably the worst.

[wise_maiden]

I see...

[ Minor scrapes, at least, could be healed over instantly from the first spell she casts, for refreshment and stability. While the effects sink in, she'll turn her attention to his calf specifically. Even in the dim light, she remembered seeing him limp in order to get to this position in the first place, and once the wound itself is made visible to her, she looks back up at him, briefly.. ]

This will take a little more time, so sit tight.

[complicatedliar]

[The wound in his calf is much nastier than he let on, really, and it's also dirty. The hazards of a messy field of battle see to everything getting dirty.]

Please, take your time. Sitting is a bit of a relief, I'll admit.

{That, and even that first spell she did helped immeasurably. Layers of exhaustion fall away. Which is good, and necessary considering there isn't any time for a break.]

[wise_maiden]

[ She gives a firm nod, then quietly resumes her work, bringing the small lantern closer. Her bag is handy as well, with all the necessary supplies for cleaning wounds right on top. Stopping the bleeding and preventing infection was the priority; the spell would also help toward that endeavor, but the grime couldn't be left there. For the moment she remains quiet, focusing on her work. ]

[complicatedliar]

[Loki leans his head back and closes his eyes, breathing out a long sigh. But he won't quite fall asleep at least.]

The MSF should have retreated from this field ere we were even brought here.

[wise_maiden]

It was a grave miscalculation, though given what we know now, you can't exactly blame them for trying to stop this.

[ Even if thinking too long about it was enough to make her feel ill again. Better to focus on that leg of his. ]

[complicatedliar]

I am forced to wonder if they knew in truth that this weapon even existed before we were all slain by it. 'tis a pretty little problem.

[wise_maiden]

Stopping this from happening again is one thing, but we don't know if they have others in the process of being made, either. We've been left out of their loop for a long time. Though they've always seemed to have some form of communication issues within themselves as well...

[ She shakes her head, cleaning away the rest of the grime before focusing her magic again on sealing the wound. ]

[complicatedliar]

I find that even more worrying. There is a very real sense of disorganization in their communications--even in the very call that brought us here.

Hah. Consider the strange little hiccups in time that have been going on in the village as well.

Whether one views the Malnosso as gaolers or altruistic saviors or a mix of the two, the level of incompetence displayed is beyond worrying.

[wise_maiden]

Indeed. Usually minor effects like that seem to be attached to something larger... and using a major shift to rewind time like this was bound to resonate with the world somehow. There's... bound to be lingering effects from this. We just --

[ The soft pale glow from her hands where they had been hovering over his leg suddenly winks out, and she blinks. ] No.

[complicatedliar]

Perhaps. Though from the calculations I had done before this, it doesn't quite fit. But it's... well. Possible I missed something. I shall have to go back over my notes once we return home and see where I might have gone wrong.

[She hadn't seemed tired before. What's going on? Loki quickly rises to his feet and tries to pull together an illusion. Nothing. He grimaces and bends to draw a dagger from his boot. How annoying.]

[wise_maiden]

[ She grimaces, quickly closing her bag and reaching for her staff again. The theory part of the discussion was interesting but interruptions were to be expected in the middle of battle.

They'd just have to continue to survive in order to finish it. ]

We have to get out of range. If it's coming toward our position, then others will be with it.

[complicatedliar]

[There isn't anything to argue about in that statement. Range isn't necessarily anything that will help kill what now stalks them. Still, Loki isn't in favor of being trapped somewhere. Better to be where there is more freedom of movement.

He ducks out of the doorway; the immediate area is clear. He waves Raine through.]

I don't see them immediately. Head up the street, I shall guard your back.

[wise_maiden]

[ Range won't help kill it, but at the very least they wouldn't be cornered while powerless as long as other fighters could get in and do the job.

For now, that wasn't an option - only getting away, unless the other cultists found them first. She makes sure her bag is secure before stepping through the door and squinting into the dimness of the street ahead. Nothing visible, so it was a chance to take. ]

Understood. Be careful.

[ With the sounds of the city surrounding them, it's difficult to make out any closer sounding sounds of wings and weaponry. But she endeavors to listen as they make their way up the street. ]

[complicatedliar]

[Not having magic makes him feel curiously naked. However, he isn't entirely defenseless. Shifters can't take away pure skill. He follows behind her, keeping an eye on the streets to their rear.

He too, is listening. He murmurs to her:]

There may be a group to the east.

[wise_maiden]

[ She nods, making sure her grip on her staff is firm. ] The question is if we're cut off from regrouping with the others... and we don't have time to question that.

[complicatedliar]

Nay. We shall just have to play it as it comes.

Will you be able to hold temporarily if I focus entirely upon the shifter?

[Not a tactic he likes, but he doesn't have a lot of choice either, in a situation like this. Even with his abilities reduced, he has more than enough skill and experience to cut through a group and go for the heart--and even normally get a kill in fast if he goes all out.]

[wise_maiden]

Temporarily, but not indefinitely. [ She's more agile than most casters would be, but the dampener cancels out any benefits the exsphere would grant her toward it. ] If you think you have an chance to strike, let's not waste it.

[complicatedliar]

[He nods.]

Then that is what I shall do. [He's not going to look back.]

[He cocks his head, listening.]

We're going to be cut off at the next street crossing, I think. Be ready. [They could try to flee for better ground, but there's not a lot to choose from, where they are. And he's concerned it could cause them to be pushed into a worse situation.]

[wise_maiden]

Right.

[ It's times like this that she wonders if she should pick up other ways of fighting from a distance, if losing her magic is going to keep leading into these situations.

Something to keep in mind for later. For now she readies her hold on her staff, checking the blade she attached to the end of it.

No sooner that they approach the passing that the telltale sign of approaching wings grows louder. Raine moves into position to distract them, so that Loki has more of a chance of running through and making his move. ]

[complicatedliar]

[It feels a bit odd, to be letting the healer act as the decoy. If he were an even slightly honorable man, it would probably bother him.

Loki ducks into a doorway, hoping to let Raine gain the attention as the cultists land. And most of them do go for her. One comes after Loki, perhaps thinking him a coward needing pursuit. The enemy isn't expecting the very well-aimed dagger that hits him in the throat. He pauses for just a split second to retrieve the dagger, then runs with all possible speed at the soldiers intent on Raine.

The shifter won't look different from the rest of the soldiers, but is normally found surrounded by other soldiers. That's where Loki aims. He might not have his magic, but he's still Jotun, and far stronger and faster than a human. He uses that to his advantage as he attacks, slashing through toward the heart of the group.]

[wise_maiden]

[Her abilities may be limited, but stress and survival kick in to provide her with the adrenaline she needs to evade them -- for a time anyway. The blade she attached to the end of her staff comes in handy for slashing at the wings of attackers that get too close - at least these aren't the ones with the armor.

But it's almost too much, for a decoy mission. When it's just her, and when they're not supposed to get close, on an unbalanced playing field. As much as she tries to keep to the open space, there are still more enemies alive than wounded.

By the time Loki reaches the heart, there's only an alleyway left for to go -- narrow and debris filled, permeated with the stench of decay. It is here she must stand her ground, unless he fails -- or she does first. ]

[complicatedliar]

[Loki is still fast, but he has many enemies to contend with, and few of his normal tricks. He blocks, parries, slashes, attacks and counter attacks. One enemy manages to score a hit on his shoulder, another on his leg. He buries his dagger in the throat of one cultists, but feels no return of his normal power. That wasn't the one.

Another, he batters down with a kick and drops on top of, driving the blade deep into the cultist's eye socket. Still nothing. Hel, have they gotten smarter lately?

Then he notices two soldiers stepping in front of a third, a blatantly protective posture. Ha. He focuses on battering them out of the way, not concerned when he kills, maims, or just stuns. There's not much art to the fight now, but in the thick of it, it's always about survival and reaction, not about looking impressive.

Nearly there.]

[wise_maiden]

[ There are injuries that are slowing her down, now, as much as Raine struggles to remain a moving target. As long as she can duck through them when they're not trying to surround her -- the darkness helps, even as a wound lands on her upper arm as she ducks and tumbles to her knees to try and get behind them. The movement barely has her managing to keep a hold on her weapon. No magic yet. She strikes at their legs and attempts to get away from the alley.

One of them is quick to follow her steps, preparing to aim a savage blow to her side. ]