he watches kazuki run off. that's probably fine. and then makes sure the captives are also doing okay where they are. they seem to still be alive so that's also fine probably.
owner will take the opportunity of everyone being fuckin blind to speak to the announcer. his tone is rather friendly, like how you'd talk to an old friend and not someone you just stabbed. ]
What is that thing and how do we stop it? If you refuse to tell me, I'll give you a new hole.
[ he doubts he'll get a useful answer but literally anything might help right now
[ what do you want him to do, help murder a guy? that's not very punk rock.
kazuki isn't cool enough not to flinch when temenos lets loose, but hey - if the glass is shattered closer to the prisoners out there, he'll go that way instead of the other exist. if not, into the exit he goes! whatever the path of least resistance is since no one is physically stopping him. somebody has to try to help them, right? letting all this happen isn't an option. where the hell are you akito he's mad and he's coming for you
Besides whatever just got set off? Probably the same thing you're seeing. It's coming from further in, some kind of yellow light's pulsing in the trees and everything rushing out from there. [ there's the sound of movement, and then crackling silence, before the now-familiar sound of the craft door opening accompanied by the sound of rushing wind. ] I need you four to find a way to get out of there without being caught up in the vines. This craft doesn't have weapons on it, but I do - I'll try to clear the plants out from here.
[ well, they're at least trying to do something here to get you guys out in one piece. but they're not aware of the prospects that were dumped outside for the ceremony, to join the many victims of whatever this heartseed thing really is.
the vine has two hands, unfortunately, but the good news is that all of todomatsu's brothers are free and trying to defend themselves to at least get to where there are more people and less vines. they also aren't out there alone and have faced weirder things than terrible, thorny vines and slowly blooming flowers - so it's probably fine! osomatsu is yelling at the other four in some attempt to boss them around, as the oldest, but it's... mixed success at the moment.
crick is trying very hard to get them to stop arguing while they're also trying to survive. it's not going great, but he's standing and fighting, trying to protect them and cover for rei who is busy attempting to cut himself free while his (redacted) interrogates and threatens a man. go figure.
owner is terrifying to this announcer, actually! he's bloody and trying to apply pressure to his gut as the guards fumble to make their way over, torn between blindly running at the stage and also blindly running towards where the source of light was. some of them have tasers, like he saw earlier. some of them have actual pistols. a few are more preoccupied trying to stomp or hit away vines. it's mixed success here also though. ]
The... the heartseed... there isn't any stopping it, but it's not... it's not supposed to be like this...
[ forces kazuki to go into the tunnel. the path of least resistance is there, even if there are people flooding into it with him. there's a flash of color that isn't green or the delicate pinks, whites, and yellows of the flowers that are opening, so akito is either trying to find him or run away from him. hard to tell. ]
don't get caught up in the vines. okay, easy enough. (it's not) but at least there's that? the vines are starting to get all up into the everything. are they attacking people/partygoers at the moment, not just the "criminals"? otherwise, he's moving!!! temenos probably needs to get him and todomatsu away from his initial light spell area, anyway, and he casts a second, smaller holy light spell at the vines that are stating to get nearer to them. are they reactive? do they shrivel? do they take radiant damage.
anyway i got lost in the sauce, is it just the tunnel to get out? how far is owner away from us currently.... temenos respects his making of holes and interrogation and stabbing but also let's not ditch the guy. in the meantime, he tilts his head across the room to where the innocent little guys are fighting off the plant, and calls out, loudly - and somehow, just as calm as if nothing is happening, ] Come along, my wayward lamb!
[ and then jerks his head in the direction of the tunnel? you better come when you're called.
also the second a guard gets close to him forget the spell, he's gonna start swinging, aiming to thwack someone right across the face with his staff. they need to start getting out of here. ]
[ frankly if any guard gets too close to them they're getting a fucking bullet to the face if the staff doesn't get there first.
he will also fire a shot at the vines if they're getting too up in his bros' business, and will take this moment while he has their attention to repeat the supportive words he silently offered earlier out loud. ]
HEY, NEET VILLAGE! STOP DICKING AROUND AND GET AWAY FROM THE PLANTS ALREADY!
but okay, he supposes it makes sense that the vines would normally NOT burst through the glass or else these people would likely not keep coming every year. ]
The heartseed. Where do I find it?
[ there has to be like something they can physically grab and take, right?
he hears temenos calling and will in theory run off in their direction as soon as he gets some sort of answer here, unless he dies in the next mod tag I guess ]
[ i'm sorry this tag is going to be so useless. he's just beelining for that flash of color, paying no attention whatsoever to who he has to shoulder out of the way or the vines around them. goodbye everyone. ]
[ everything is chaos! the vines are snaking in further, and the splintered and fractured glass begins to crack beyond the hairline fractures that had already begun. some of the vines are managing to slip through the cracks, and others are pulling the hole created by the holy light wider.
a hole is finally broken in at the ceiling, causing glass shards to rain down on everyone. it hits many an unsuspecting guest, causing them to cry out. temenos and todomatsu, roll to see if anything hits you as you yell at your loved ones and try to avoid guards. anything under a 12 will be more substantial damage, anything above will be minor. if you roll a critical fail then. well. sucks.
crick's head visibly whips up to hear that he's being called for, a cut across his face. but he does not disobey the command, and instead grabs one of the many identical siblings - ichimatsu, who hasn't done so great with the situation it seems - under his arm. the collective of NEETs do hear their brother, at least. a chorus of insults and relief and anger are shouted back. ] SHUT UP, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!?
[ crick wonders if this is what it's like to have siblings but doesn't ask questions as he hauls ichimatsu away as incentive for the other four to follow him. he's lost sight of rei - as have all of you - but whether that's for the best or not is uhhh questionable. given his personality and murderous intent about five minutes ago.
owner is far enough away from this to not take any glass damage at the moment, but he's kind of busy anyways so there are priorities here. the announcer spits blood on owner's nice shoes, but fortunately you probably can't see it in all of the red. still, he points back, deeper beyond the cracking glass. ] It's... it's inside the garden, further out...
[ the pulsing thrum has not stopped this entire time.
kazuki is gone forever. so long. there's a grinding noise behind him at the entrance of the tunnel, like metal twisting against metal, as vines press down on the glass. people scream more. it's loud and crowded, and people push back, but he can get a look at akito towards the end of the tunnel where he's got his hands pressed against the glass. ]
[ glass. there is glass everywhere. temenos manages to fling out another spell - this one quicker, summoning up a sacred shield up above his and todomatsu's heads. it doesn't absorb all damage, but it should at least eat some of the glass, and he shuts an eye when it cracks and jerks his head to try and avoid anything too painful or anything getting in between this stupid giant mask and his skin.
hearing the osomatsu siblings shriek and yell is even a little relieving for him, but temenos doesn't pay attention to it beyond that. for now he has to focus on the vines and the guards. the smaller holy light spells don't take nearly as much mana, and he fries a vine when it gets close and takes a step towards the matsus and crick, trying to shield todomatsu at the same time. his head moves, quickly, trying to keep track, and - ]
Kazuki! [ this is getting called into the earpiece?! HELLO WHERE DID YOU GO ]
[ under his breath because crick's already leading them off (for which he is grateful).]
Well, do it better.
[ jeez. he helpfully voices temenos's thoughts that they're probably all fucking thinking right now into the earpiece — WHERE DID YOU GO??? — but aside from this he's just tagging along behind his pope shield with his gun at the ready, i'm sorry. this isn't the part of things his skills were made for. ]
[ ohhhh that grinding does not sound good. the crowd pushes him back, jostling him this way and that - he really should've left the case on the stage - and he pauses just long enough to glance back toward the noise to see what's going on. is... the tunnel entrance collapsing...
he hears temenos calling, but this is kind of a lot? it's a lot, and he doesn't want to lose sight of akito in all this chaos. he's fine right now? tem can wait.
he starts trying to shove past the terrified guests back toward the end of the tunnel, shouting over them as loudly as he can. ]
Hey! Akito!
[ he doesn't look injured, right? what's going on over there ]
[ alright. well! well. it's fine, probably. everything is fine. y'all made some choices but that's what it's all about, isn't it? choices. you didn't choose to come aboard the eudora, and you didn't technically choose to come on this mission. but you have to live with the choices that you make, and the ones that others decide, too.
it goes like this.
in defending yourself and todomatsu, temenos, your staff strikes true. a guard goes stumbling back from your swing, holding his nose in shock - and you feel a little thrill of mana rush up your spine, some of it restored in a familiar attack. a call and response of aelfric's divine power. the sacred flame still trembles delicately, but it does have a little more strength again.
while you might not be skilled in this particular area, todomatsu, at least you fire the gun when you need it. another guard goes down with a strangled noise - not shot in the face, but at least slowed down enough by being hit that you aren't grabbed in the chaos. it's every man for themselves, and it might not even be that they were trying to do their job, but rather grab at what looked like an easy target to be thrown to the vines.
owner, you're... well, you're running into the vines. and there are yet more that try to rush you from above, now that they've broken through in all of the cacophony. they're the only thing that stands between you and the outside, though, considering that people are running very much in the opposite direction. you just have to get through the hole left behind by temenos, and then you'll be out.
akito is... mostly fine, kazuki. scraped up and absolutely terrified, but he starts hitting his palms against the glass. apparently he thought that this might have been an access point? but unfortunately for both of you, the tunnel entrance is starting to buckle, and people are filling it up like they're about to be crabs in a bucket. you're jostled back and forth, but - it's hard to look away from akito, who looks desperately in at you and looks like maybe he's saying your name.
but a final pulse shakes the entire garden, and then the vines bear down on the glass with so much force that it all shatters. temenos, todomatsu, and owner are cut by the falling shards, some smaller than others, some massive threats that they should hope they manage to avoid.
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he watches kazuki run off. that's probably fine. and then makes sure the captives are also doing okay where they are. they seem to still be alive so that's also fine probably.
owner will take the opportunity of everyone being fuckin blind to speak to the announcer. his tone is rather friendly, like how you'd talk to an old friend and not someone you just stabbed. ]
What is that thing and how do we stop it? If you refuse to tell me, I'll give you a new hole.
[ he doubts he'll get a useful answer but literally anything might help right now
anyway hopefully everyone else is having fun ]
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kazuki isn't cool enough not to flinch when temenos lets loose, but hey - if the glass is shattered closer to the prisoners out there, he'll go that way instead of the other exist. if not, into the exit he goes! whatever the path of least resistance is since no one is physically stopping him. somebody has to try to help them, right? letting all this happen isn't an option. where the hell are you akito he's mad and he's coming for you
what's out there!! ]
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[ well, they're at least trying to do something here to get you guys out in one piece. but they're not aware of the prospects that were dumped outside for the ceremony, to join the many victims of whatever this heartseed thing really is.
the vine has two hands, unfortunately, but the good news is that all of todomatsu's brothers are free and trying to defend themselves to at least get to where there are more people and less vines. they also aren't out there alone and have faced weirder things than terrible, thorny vines and slowly blooming flowers - so it's probably fine! osomatsu is yelling at the other four in some attempt to boss them around, as the oldest, but it's... mixed success at the moment.
crick is trying very hard to get them to stop arguing while they're also trying to survive. it's not going great, but he's standing and fighting, trying to protect them and cover for rei who is busy attempting to cut himself free while his (redacted) interrogates and threatens a man. go figure.
owner is terrifying to this announcer, actually! he's bloody and trying to apply pressure to his gut as the guards fumble to make their way over, torn between blindly running at the stage and also blindly running towards where the source of light was. some of them have tasers, like he saw earlier. some of them have actual pistols. a few are more preoccupied trying to stomp or hit away vines. it's mixed success here also though. ]
The... the heartseed... there isn't any stopping it, but it's not... it's not supposed to be like this...
[ forces kazuki to go into the tunnel. the path of least resistance is there, even if there are people flooding into it with him. there's a flash of color that isn't green or the delicate pinks, whites, and yellows of the flowers that are opening, so akito is either trying to find him or run away from him. hard to tell. ]
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don't get caught up in the vines. okay, easy enough. (it's not) but at least there's that? the vines are starting to get all up into the everything. are they attacking people/partygoers at the moment, not just the "criminals"? otherwise, he's moving!!! temenos probably needs to get him and todomatsu away from his initial light spell area, anyway, and he casts a second, smaller holy light spell at the vines that are stating to get nearer to them. are they reactive? do they shrivel? do they take radiant damage.
anyway i got lost in the sauce, is it just the tunnel to get out? how far is owner away from us currently.... temenos respects his making of holes and interrogation and stabbing but also let's not ditch the guy. in the meantime, he tilts his head across the room to where the innocent little guys are fighting off the plant, and calls out, loudly - and somehow, just as calm as if nothing is happening, ] Come along, my wayward lamb!
[ and then jerks his head in the direction of the tunnel? you better come when you're called.
also the second a guard gets close to him forget the spell, he's gonna start swinging, aiming to thwack someone right across the face with his staff. they need to start getting out of here. ]
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he will also fire a shot at the vines if they're getting too up in his bros' business, and will take this moment while he has their attention to repeat the supportive words he silently offered earlier out loud. ]
HEY, NEET VILLAGE! STOP DICKING AROUND AND GET AWAY FROM THE PLANTS ALREADY!
[ or that. ]
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but okay, he supposes it makes sense that the vines would normally NOT burst through the glass or else these people would likely not keep coming every year. ]
The heartseed. Where do I find it?
[ there has to be like something they can physically grab and take, right?
he hears temenos calling and will in theory run off in their direction as soon as he gets some sort of answer here, unless he dies in the next mod tag I guess ]
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Akito!
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a hole is finally broken in at the ceiling, causing glass shards to rain down on everyone. it hits many an unsuspecting guest, causing them to cry out. temenos and todomatsu, roll to see if anything hits you as you yell at your loved ones and try to avoid guards. anything under a 12 will be more substantial damage, anything above will be minor. if you roll a critical fail then. well. sucks.
crick's head visibly whips up to hear that he's being called for, a cut across his face. but he does not disobey the command, and instead grabs one of the many identical siblings - ichimatsu, who hasn't done so great with the situation it seems - under his arm. the collective of NEETs do hear their brother, at least. a chorus of insults and relief and anger are shouted back. ] SHUT UP, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!?
[ crick wonders if this is what it's like to have siblings but doesn't ask questions as he hauls ichimatsu away as incentive for the other four to follow him. he's lost sight of rei - as have all of you - but whether that's for the best or not is uhhh questionable. given his personality and murderous intent about five minutes ago.
owner is far enough away from this to not take any glass damage at the moment, but he's kind of busy anyways so there are priorities here. the announcer spits blood on owner's nice shoes, but fortunately you probably can't see it in all of the red. still, he points back, deeper beyond the cracking glass. ] It's... it's inside the garden, further out...
[ the pulsing thrum has not stopped this entire time.
kazuki is gone forever. so long. there's a grinding noise behind him at the entrance of the tunnel, like metal twisting against metal, as vines press down on the glass. people scream more. it's loud and crowded, and people push back, but he can get a look at akito towards the end of the tunnel where he's got his hands pressed against the glass. ]
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hearing the osomatsu siblings shriek and yell is even a little relieving for him, but temenos doesn't pay attention to it beyond that. for now he has to focus on the vines and the guards. the smaller holy light spells don't take nearly as much mana, and he fries a vine when it gets close and takes a step towards the matsus and crick, trying to shield todomatsu at the same time. his head moves, quickly, trying to keep track, and - ]
Kazuki! [ this is getting called into the earpiece?! HELLO WHERE DID YOU GO ]
no subject
Well, do it better.
[ jeez. he helpfully voices temenos's thoughts that they're probably all fucking thinking right now into the earpiece — WHERE DID YOU GO??? — but aside from this he's just tagging along behind his pope shield with his gun at the ready, i'm sorry. this isn't the part of things his skills were made for. ]
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well. owner gets the answer he wants and then just sort of
runs into the direction the announcer pointed at instead of following after temenos and todomatsu well bye that's my tag ]
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he hears temenos calling, but this is kind of a lot? it's a lot, and he doesn't want to lose sight of akito in all this chaos. he's fine right now? tem can wait.
he starts trying to shove past the terrified guests back toward the end of the tunnel, shouting over them as loudly as he can. ]
Hey! Akito!
[ he doesn't look injured, right? what's going on over there ]
no subject
it goes like this.
in defending yourself and todomatsu, temenos, your staff strikes true. a guard goes stumbling back from your swing, holding his nose in shock - and you feel a little thrill of mana rush up your spine, some of it restored in a familiar attack. a call and response of aelfric's divine power. the sacred flame still trembles delicately, but it does have a little more strength again.
while you might not be skilled in this particular area, todomatsu, at least you fire the gun when you need it. another guard goes down with a strangled noise - not shot in the face, but at least slowed down enough by being hit that you aren't grabbed in the chaos. it's every man for themselves, and it might not even be that they were trying to do their job, but rather grab at what looked like an easy target to be thrown to the vines.
owner, you're... well, you're running into the vines. and there are yet more that try to rush you from above, now that they've broken through in all of the cacophony. they're the only thing that stands between you and the outside, though, considering that people are running very much in the opposite direction. you just have to get through the hole left behind by temenos, and then you'll be out.
akito is... mostly fine, kazuki. scraped up and absolutely terrified, but he starts hitting his palms against the glass. apparently he thought that this might have been an access point? but unfortunately for both of you, the tunnel entrance is starting to buckle, and people are filling it up like they're about to be crabs in a bucket. you're jostled back and forth, but - it's hard to look away from akito, who looks desperately in at you and looks like maybe he's saying your name.
but a final pulse shakes the entire garden, and then the vines bear down on the glass with so much force that it all shatters. temenos, todomatsu, and owner are cut by the falling shards, some smaller than others, some massive threats that they should hope they manage to avoid.
and then, the flowers all bloom. ]