[ todomatsu can be seen hobbling along, making his way towards the collapsed tunnel and the ship that has finally, finally been able to land safely with the wild winds and the vines lashing out everywhere. owner, however, is nowhere to be seen. you remember with your keen inquisitor mind, because we do actually have to go get his stupid ass, that he went tearing off deeper into the gardens. maybe that's where the sudden pulse came from?
anyways no, the vines can be a little bit dead so you can whack them one more time for some more sp. ]
alright. well. instead of going towards the ship like a smart person (20 int?) temenos is not doing that. instead, he is dragging himself towards the center of the garden, towards where he saw owner go running off before shit went sideways. please gods lets hope that owner is not a mile away. he does, at least, have the forethought to mutter: ]
... Owner. I'm... going to find him.
[ into the earpiece. adrastea can probably drive back over here once the normies have been rescued, right ]
there's a beat, before adrastea's un-autotuned voice sighs in temenos' ear: ] Gods, at least I know where three of you are.
[ and that's that! you are hobbling off into the void of the gardens, bleeding out, leg in need of a further heal that will probably have to wait until you all get back.
it's not a mile, probably, but after a little ways temenos gets to just find a severed arm and a crimson red sleeve. so that's progress, at least? ]
[ CAN I GET A WEEK WHERE I DON'T FIND BODY PARTS? JUST ONE?
anyway this is terrible. he is not even remotely thinking about his own blood that he is leaving a horrible trail of right now, focused instead on his slow going journey to get to owner. he looks at the arm.
...
he keeps walking. sorry bro i can't do anything about that one for you
to adrastea: ]
I'll...update you shortly. [ hghk. okay. any blood trails to follow? more body parts? ]
[ :cleric_standing: what does he look like, an apothecary?
adrastea is silent for a little while longer, save for softly talking to kazuki since they don't turn off their feed. but they do eventually respond to him again: ] Just tell me where you are when you stop.
[ temenos gets to keep walking, or a facsimile of it given his current condition. none of the vines do much more than twitch under his feet or the sharp point of his staff, and then...
then, he gets to see the bloodied mass of vines tangled together with a single piece of red fabric sticking out like a bookmark. ]
-- Owner! [ thankfully at least there's adrenaline in there so he can move faster, stumbling over his own injuries and practically flinging himself at the bloodied vines. he's got -- a knife, a little pocket knife? that's better than nothing.
CUTTING AWAY AT THESE VINES - does it look like. safe to. is there anything to do. he does use his brain. ]
The - deeper in the garden, turn... ship around. Ngh. [ HOW BAD DID HE GET SMUSHED ]
[ he got smushed so bad, temenos. and contorted and torn into by the vines, warping his body into something deeply wrong, to the point that perhaps bones were exposed -
at least, you can't help but think that when you finally find him after cutting away and tearing into the vines. they come away, slack, and owner's dead form slumps out in the embrace of a headless skeleton. in his remaining hand is a crushed flower, yellow petals limp and oozing what looks like pus.
[ yeah that's. that's about what he was expecting. it doesn't matter that owner is tiny, but when he slumps out being cuddled by the skeleton, temenos absolutely cannot hold them up so they're all hitting the ground.
however. that's not actually the worst thing in the world if only because he can get him laid out. wounds are - bad, the arm is a lost cause, he's unmoving, dead. okay. he looks up to check if the ship is on its way or heading that way eventually, and then feels around internally for his sacred flame once more. the mana situation is bad. but... with enough planning, now, he should be able to at least...
okay.
he closes his eyes and sets his staff down. fingers lacing together into a prayer, he releases his own injuries and starts to focus. this is going to eat so much of his remaining energy, but it's worth it. sorry, owner - you don't get to die today. ]
temenos gets to witness the fluttering of eyes, and they open fully, and owner is alive. he breathes. he's in pain, because there's still so much broken and oozing and falling apart, but he's alive. and that's all he really needs.
temenos gets to witness something else as well, but this time, it is something much less pleasant. it's watching a body reform, skin getting reattached, the sound of bones snapping back together in place and reforming. every now and then, there are extra eyes and mouths appearing and forming onto his skin, but then they disappear, and then reappear in a new spot, and vanish again. it is, genuinely, horrifying and nauseating to watch occur, something akin to watching a horror movie but worse.
the wounds aren't really healed, and the arm is still missing, but owner manages to stitch together his parts enough that he won't immediately drop dead right after temenos brought the life back into his body. it's enough, for owner to be able to look around and see where they are, and see temenos, and then just
unfortunately this is not that weird for him. this is the first time he's ever seen it reform in reverse, kind of, but people sprouting horrifying body horror additions is just another day in the life of an octopath traveler. he is tense when it first starts, worried, ready to take some kind of action (just in case it happens the way it happens at home) but temenos, perhaps to his credit, he keeps his perfectly calm and placid expression firmly in place when his eyes open. the vibe of Hm. Interesting!
thankfully, though, the revive takes fine. owner laughs, and - he can't help it, letting out a ragged one of his own, shoulders sagging in relief. ]
Bravo, Owner. It seems you've saved us all. Have you considered gardening?
[ is this the time for jokes
but it is genuine, as temenos looks at the stupid flower and his bloodied arm and then back towards where todomatsu and kazuki and the ship are. his other hand goes back to staunch the bleeding on his stomach, and he just kind of gives up. ]
Try not to move, hmm? I only...have enough left to heal once, and I don't know what shape everyone else is in.
[ here comes the craft... it's a soft, whirring sound that announces its arrival, a little banged up on the outside but still good to fly. the gangplank begins to lower, extend, and then adrastea's unhelmeted head pokes out. her eyes aren't bleeding anymore, fortunately, but the wetware is still having trouble focusing - one of the eyes is dimmer than the other, while the other's intake where the pupil would be has dilated so wide it takes up the entire eye while it sparks a little. ]
... gods, alright. Neither of you is going to die if I pick you up, are you?
[ she at least waits until the ship has touched down, this time, to get out. but she will come to assist you two losers. ]
Kazuki and Todomatsu are on board. Let's get you all in one place and out of here before something else happens.
[ thankfully he is not out of it enough to not be able to realize this is adrastea. he will lift a hand in greeting when she arrives, and will thankfully not fucking die when she helps him onto the craft. his one good arm does clutch onto the bones rather tightly though, so it will be the awkward shuffle of helping him with that in the way.
in his actual hand, though, is the heartseed. owner releases his grip enough to show it off to her. ]
[ ghk. temenos is up, too, using his staff like a crutch - his other arm is around his middle, holding the last remains of a vine in a Hole so it doesn't come unplugged. this is fine. everything is fine! adrastea gets a tired smile, and when they get to the craft, he lifts his staff up and murmurs: ]
I deliver unto you a miracle. [ one more time. it's the very last bit of his magic, before they leave this godforsaken planet - one more heal. it's not very strong i would never steal your injuries from you but it is enough to ease some of the pain and get everyone stabilized enough to not fucking die. 1hp remaining as a team. we did it.
with that, he's dropping into a chair, eyes closed. goodbye. ]
[ she just kind of looks at the bones that owner has refused to let go of, decides that she doesn't care enough to ask right now, and instead helps get him on board the ship to his seat with the other two. ]
Mission accomplished. This was a mess, but at least we got that taken care of - the energy blast from whatever you did messed up some of the ship controls and my wetware, but cleared up the spatial disruption.
[ down he goes... and then adrastea fetches temenos, helping grandpa hobble up the gangplank while pressing a gloved hand over his to help stem the bleeding. ]
You really went running off like this. [ still, she stops when he does the group heal, and then - up he gets, into his seat, for his well-earned nap. ] We don't have a complete recharge for a full jump, but it's enough. We'll leave the planet's radius and then I'll activate the lightspeed jump.
Rest, for now. I'll get you back.
[ congratulations on your successful mission! this is, believe it or not, a golden ending. you only get your trauma, your injuries (healed enough that you don't die on the way back, to your preference), any non-weapon gear that you managed to keep your hands on, your fancy fits (as recked as they are), and your newfound bonds after having failed a stealth mission, but... well, you succeeded at what needed to be done, and you didn't succumb to the Hanging Gardens.
up until the beginning of trial, you'll find yourselves having brief coughing fits and spells of exhaustion as the pollen and spores work their way out of your systems. minor hallucinations will also come and go, both auditory and visual, but they're not unpleasant ones and instead leave you feeling overall warm for having experienced them.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
anyways no, the vines can be a little bit dead so you can whack them one more time for some more sp. ]
no subject
alright. well. instead of going towards the ship like a smart person (20 int?) temenos is not doing that. instead, he is dragging himself towards the center of the garden, towards where he saw owner go running off before shit went sideways. please gods lets hope that owner is not a mile away. he does, at least, have the forethought to mutter: ]
... Owner. I'm... going to find him.
[ into the earpiece. adrastea can probably drive back over here once the normies have been rescued, right ]
no subject
there's a beat, before adrastea's un-autotuned voice sighs in temenos' ear: ] Gods, at least I know where three of you are.
[ and that's that! you are hobbling off into the void of the gardens, bleeding out, leg in need of a further heal that will probably have to wait until you all get back.
it's not a mile, probably, but after a little ways temenos gets to just find a severed arm and a crimson red sleeve. so that's progress, at least? ]
no subject
anyway this is terrible. he is not even remotely thinking about his own blood that he is leaving a horrible trail of right now, focused instead on his slow going journey to get to owner. he looks at the arm.
...
he keeps walking. sorry bro i can't do anything about that one for you
to adrastea: ]
I'll...update you shortly. [ hghk. okay. any blood trails to follow? more body parts? ]
no subject
adrastea is silent for a little while longer, save for softly talking to kazuki since they don't turn off their feed. but they do eventually respond to him again: ] Just tell me where you are when you stop.
[ temenos gets to keep walking, or a facsimile of it given his current condition. none of the vines do much more than twitch under his feet or the sharp point of his staff, and then...
then, he gets to see the bloodied mass of vines tangled together with a single piece of red fabric sticking out like a bookmark. ]
no subject
-- Owner! [ thankfully at least there's adrenaline in there so he can move faster, stumbling over his own injuries and practically flinging himself at the bloodied vines. he's got -- a knife, a little pocket knife? that's better than nothing.
CUTTING AWAY AT THESE VINES - does it look like. safe to. is there anything to do. he does use his brain. ]
The - deeper in the garden, turn... ship around. Ngh. [ HOW BAD DID HE GET SMUSHED ]
no subject
at least, you can't help but think that when you finally find him after cutting away and tearing into the vines. they come away, slack, and owner's dead form slumps out in the embrace of a headless skeleton. in his remaining hand is a crushed flower, yellow petals limp and oozing what looks like pus.
hm. okay then. what's the plan? ]
no subject
however. that's not actually the worst thing in the world if only because he can get him laid out. wounds are - bad, the arm is a lost cause, he's unmoving, dead. okay. he looks up to check if the ship is on its way or heading that way eventually, and then feels around internally for his sacred flame once more. the mana situation is bad. but... with enough planning, now, he should be able to at least...
okay.
he closes his eyes and sets his staff down. fingers lacing together into a prayer, he releases his own injuries and starts to focus. this is going to eat so much of his remaining energy, but it's worth it. sorry, owner - you don't get to die today. ]
I deliver unto you... a miracle.
[ revive. ]
no subject
temenos gets to witness the fluttering of eyes, and they open fully, and owner is alive. he breathes. he's in pain, because there's still so much broken and oozing and falling apart, but he's alive. and that's all he really needs.
temenos gets to witness something else as well, but this time, it is something much less pleasant. it's watching a body reform, skin getting reattached, the sound of bones snapping back together in place and reforming. every now and then, there are extra eyes and mouths appearing and forming onto his skin, but then they disappear, and then reappear in a new spot, and vanish again. it is, genuinely, horrifying and nauseating to watch occur, something akin to watching a horror movie but worse.
the wounds aren't really healed, and the arm is still missing, but owner manages to stitch together his parts enough that he won't immediately drop dead right after temenos brought the life back into his body. it's enough, for owner to be able to look around and see where they are, and see temenos, and then just
laugh. hysterically. ]
Temenos-sama! Hello!
no subject
unfortunately this is not that weird for him. this is the first time he's ever seen it reform in reverse, kind of, but people sprouting horrifying body horror additions is just another day in the life of an octopath traveler. he is tense when it first starts, worried, ready to take some kind of action (just in case it happens the way it happens at home) but temenos, perhaps to his credit, he keeps his perfectly calm and placid expression firmly in place when his eyes open. the vibe of Hm. Interesting!
thankfully, though, the revive takes fine. owner laughs, and - he can't help it, letting out a ragged one of his own, shoulders sagging in relief. ]
Bravo, Owner. It seems you've saved us all. Have you considered gardening?
[ is this the time for jokes
but it is genuine, as temenos looks at the stupid flower and his bloodied arm and then back towards where todomatsu and kazuki and the ship are. his other hand goes back to staunch the bleeding on his stomach, and he just kind of gives up. ]
Try not to move, hmm? I only...have enough left to heal once, and I don't know what shape everyone else is in.
no subject
[ yeah he's just going to lay on this ground until the ship comes there's not much else to do ]
no subject
mood
he's just dropping down next to owner. goodbye. ]
no subject
[ she at least waits until the ship has touched down, this time, to get out. but she will come to assist you two losers. ]
Kazuki and Todomatsu are on board. Let's get you all in one place and out of here before something else happens.
no subject
[ thankfully he is not out of it enough to not be able to realize this is adrastea. he will lift a hand in greeting when she arrives, and will thankfully not fucking die when she helps him onto the craft. his one good arm does clutch onto the bones rather tightly though, so it will be the awkward shuffle of helping him with that in the way.
in his actual hand, though, is the heartseed. owner releases his grip enough to show it off to her. ]
Mission accomplished.
no subject
[ ghk. temenos is up, too, using his staff like a crutch - his other arm is around his middle, holding the last remains of a vine in a Hole so it doesn't come unplugged. this is fine. everything is fine! adrastea gets a tired smile, and when they get to the craft, he lifts his staff up and murmurs: ]
I deliver unto you a miracle. [ one more time. it's the very last bit of his magic, before they leave this godforsaken planet - one more heal. it's not very strong i would never steal your injuries from you but it is enough to ease some of the pain and get everyone stabilized enough to not fucking die. 1hp remaining as a team. we did it.
with that, he's dropping into a chair, eyes closed. goodbye. ]
no subject
Mission accomplished. This was a mess, but at least we got that taken care of - the energy blast from whatever you did messed up some of the ship controls and my wetware, but cleared up the spatial disruption.
[ down he goes... and then adrastea fetches temenos, helping grandpa hobble up the gangplank while pressing a gloved hand over his to help stem the bleeding. ]
You really went running off like this. [ still, she stops when he does the group heal, and then - up he gets, into his seat, for his well-earned nap. ] We don't have a complete recharge for a full jump, but it's enough. We'll leave the planet's radius and then I'll activate the lightspeed jump.
Rest, for now. I'll get you back.
[ congratulations on your successful mission! this is, believe it or not, a golden ending. you only get your trauma, your injuries (healed enough that you don't die on the way back, to your preference), any non-weapon gear that you managed to keep your hands on, your fancy fits (as recked as they are), and your newfound bonds after having failed a stealth mission, but... well, you succeeded at what needed to be done, and you didn't succumb to the Hanging Gardens.
up until the beginning of trial, you'll find yourselves having brief coughing fits and spells of exhaustion as the pollen and spores work their way out of your systems. minor hallucinations will also come and go, both auditory and visual, but they're not unpleasant ones and instead leave you feeling overall warm for having experienced them.
good job! ]