the two of you - shouxue, harley - are together, in a forest. it's very, very dark: the moon is new today, and there's only the light of the stars overhead and your lanterns to guide your way. as you come to awareness, you find purple fog, dark and heavy, that gathers around your legs. it makes you feel... sad? there's this somberness to it. it reminds you of what you've lost. who you've lost. xia gaojun. poison ivy. have you lost them? are they gone forever? what can you do?
both of you are mentally yourselves again, for the most part. but you are still wearing your collars, and you still instinctively know that these collars is laden with poison - that if you remove it, the poison will kill you.
the very first thing you might notice is that it is silent. the wind occasionally rustles through the trees, but there's no chirping of bugs. no birdsong. nothing.
[okay. well. regaining her identity sucks, actually. now she has to deal with that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. the despair at the knowledge that she might have lost ivy again, and this time possibly for good. she carefully rubs at her neck with an icy cold hand, anxiety prickling at her skin while she examines their surroundings.
and upon determining that she has no idea where the fuck they are, she turns to shouxue.]
[ not the identity issues. she sinks to the ground, holding her head. she may be healed, but she has to sort her thoughts out, trying to place herself. she touches her neck where the collar is. she looks at harley and frowns as she registers who she is and isn't.
she looks up at the sky, sees that it's a new moon, and freezes in fear for just a second. she shuts her eyes, as if she expects something, and then she breathes out, calming herself. she's okay. even if there is sadness... even if there is loss? she has to bite back more panic.
her raven friend is with her, who is now named manyue for the fun of it. ]
.... I will be fine. I don't like this at all. [ her voice is quiet, as to keep calm. ] There is no sounds of life.
Manyue, go up and scout the area. See if you can see anyone or anything other than trees.
manyue nuzzles at the side of shouxue's face, and then goes up into the trees! above the trees, even. you lose track of it very quickly - the dark is oppressive. the only thing keeping it back is the light of your lanterns, which are trying very hard to stay lit with how cold and icy it feels around you.
when manyue comes back, it settles up close, huddling against her jaw.
There's nothing... there's a path up ahead, to the left and right, but it's... this place makes me feel bad. ]
harley holds her lantern up and close to them while waiting for the bird to return. when it does, she tilts her head while listening to it... squawk. i guess. she does not speak bird.]
What did your friend say?
[quietly, but it still sounds like a hecking gunshot in the middle of the oppressive silence. she keeps one hand close to her weapons, ready to draw them the moment they're needed. if shouxue decides to go left or right, she'll follow her, making sure to stick close so she can react if something suddenly jumps at them. no double dying tonight, please.]
anyway. manyue curls up closer to shouxue, if it were even possible, feathers soft and warm against her cheek. you get the sense that manyue, were her dear raven not so devoted, would also not want to be anywhere near this place if given the choice, but for shouxue, manyue will press on.
as you walk forward, the right path appears to be a bit more muddy than the left path. the ground is littered with tree roots, gnarled and ancient. you can see ivy scrawled across the trees, and you'd think the sight of the plant life might be familiar, harley, but for you, it just feels worse. after all - right now, it feels like there's nothing left alive in this forest, right? is ivy? would she be, with you there?
your lanterns flicker against the oppressive, sticky darkness. shouxue, your senses are very strong as a huntress - draefendi's guidance helps you recognize that the air smells like rot, though rot from a distance. it does seem slightly stronger down this rightwards path.
but maybe that's a good thing. you're not the type to run away from danger, are you?
the purple fog continues to swirl around your ankles. it feels cold, but it's raised no higher, at the very least. ]
[everything is so heavy and still. lifeless. the sight of the gnarled roots and sprawling ivy makes her feel like someone has is squeezing her heart in an icy vice grip. makes her twitchy. makes her feel like there's not enough air even though, by all appearances, it seems like they're outside.
the purple fog is unnerving. the mud is... gross. she makes a face, making a small noise of disgust when the mud gets on her toes. she's wearing sandals. it's a nice distraction from the thought of dead plants.]
God, it's so fuckin' cold... I wonder where the others wound up.
[ separated again. still, at least you have each other, right? you have each other, and you. have the light of your lanterns. it's low, flickering and fighting against the chill, but the flame has yet to die off.
as you make your way down the rightwards path, further and further, the fog starts to thicken. it still stays low around your feet, but it's getting harder and harder to see the ground where you walk. it is uncomfortably squishy and cold (sorry harley) but at least it's an existing, solid ground under your feet. as long as you can make your way forward, then you can continue to walk on. occasionally, rocks break up the steps, but they're never quite big enough for you to gain your footing.
manyue cooes softly, just once, a noise that could be comforting for her, or for them both. it's hard to say. both girls feel a sense of determination that flickers through them as they start to press on.
in the far, far distance, there might be a shape in the fog. ]
upon spotting the shape, harley draws her gun just in case. better to be paranoid than underprepared, right? and while she doesn't say anything, she looks at shouxue with a raised eyebrow, cocking her head towards the figure as if to ask if she's ready to proceed, and then gesturing for her to stay a step behind harley.
(imagine if it turns out to be something totally harmless.)]
[ the fog getting thicker worries her. that's never a good sign anywhere. the ground may be squishy, but at least it cushions whatever sound they make (maybe).
she nods to harley and readies her bow just in case. she considers sending manyue ahead to see what the shape is, but the raven already doesn't want to be here and shouxue doesn't have to heart to stress it out right now.
slowly, carefully, you approach the shape. the only reason you can even see it, at first, is because of the lanterns - and all you see at first is that thick, purple fog. does it originate here? it's hard to tell, but the closer you get, you can see the shape is maybe not as large as you thought it was.
as harley inches closer and closer, the shape doesn't move. for a second - for a second you think you see a person, suspended in the gnarled, thick shape of the trees. a female figure, lithe, beautiful, one with the trees, hanging broken above the fog itself, but you look back and it's gone.
instead, the fog melts away, and you face this. it's an aurochs - tall, certainly larger than both of you, but it is not particularly huge. it stares at you through its white, bright eyes. it does not move - only once, enough to take a shuddery, pained breath.
[why did you have to make it sound like she's dating the lorax. stop.
unfortunately, a second is more than enough for harley to throw caution to the wind and dart forward at the sight of that person. then the second passes, she blinks, and she finds herself standing way closer to whatever the fuck this thing is than she would like.
having rolled an 8, she is already shaken and there is no way her aim is steady enough to shoot this thing — unless the monster rolls a 1. technically, i have inspiration and am allowed to reroll but no we die like gay clowns here.]
[ well... ivy and the lorax could have a conversation, don't you think? ]
I wish I knew, Manyue. Fly high and keep an eye out for anything that might help. Don't get in its way.
[ sure would be nice to know a weakness.
that's all i got because i also rolled an 8. she nocks her bow and tries to aim for an eye, but again, the girls are fully octo despite no longer being A S S I M I L A T E D. ]
[ SURE WOULD BE NICE too bad viktor's somewhere in (mumbles) having (mumbles)
anyway. the lorax wasn't there? what are you talking about. there's nothing, just this... monster. harley fires at it - bam! - and the shot goes above its head, clearing it. the creature doesn't even flinch. poor shot. pathetic.
meanwhile, manyue caws and immediately flies up, up in the air high above your head. the raven looks down at the scene below, but cannot get that high up, because it's just thick, endless, darkness, and...
she says - Shouxue, I think it's saying something! hmm.
anyway shouxue also, in true octopath fashion, rolled an eight. shouxue nocks her bow and aims for the eye, and her shot goes wide, but it slices the very side of the monster - and something purplish and gooey sloughs off the side of it when it does. ew? the monster stares at them both for a moment longer, and then lumbers forward. it moves unnaturally, like its bones are broken, like its forcing itself, stumbling forward.
something burbles out of its mouth as it makes a shuddery, heaving noise - this ugly, purple magic. it lashes out at the two of you. if you'd like to get hit by it you can, but with a 13 and 15 you realize its coming and might be able to roll out of the way. ]
with a 15, i'll say she moves out of the way quick enough to get fucking blaster. but some of the magic still brushes against her leg as she literally backflips out of the way. her hands are now full of mud and so are her shoes. this is fucking disgusting. god.]
—Fuck! Shouxue! [landing a couple of paces away, she steadies herself on her feet, and
starts flossing. that was what my nat 20 was for. thank you. anyway, please allow her to buff shouxue. she's basically trying to give her the help action here for whatever her next move will be. maybe dice maiden will love us for once...?]
DOES THAT MEAN..... SHE CAN TRY TO BEFRIEND IT....? LET'S TALK TO IT............. with a 3.
she will try, after she dodges out of the way, barely missing getting hit for this failure that's about to be buffed with a flawless flossing somehow. ]
[ you know i was going to try to find a way to work that 20 into you somehow still getting injured but since you brought up befriend, harley's drip is so flawless and her flossing is so lit that shouxue, you feel inspired. when you go to befriend the monster....
for a moment - and just for a moment - you can understand it.
it stares at you with those haunting, awful white eyes. they glow so brightly that they pierce through the darkness of the fog (is it getting thicker?), but they look - awful, and the monster heaves in this awful, garbled voice: ]
... Help...me...
[ to harley, it just sounds like the agonized, garbled noise of a dying aurochs, but instinctually, it feels awful. all the hairs on the backs of both of your necks stand straight up, and you feel like the temperature in the area drops
shouxue, you swear for a second its voice sounds like the monster, and then like your mothers, moaning in pain in a symphony. ]
help mehelpmehelpmeHeLpMehelPmeHelPmeE
[ and then its jaw cracks open with another horrible, wheezing inhale, and more of that purple, black magic leaks free, rushing both at shouxue and harley. ]
[okay, well, this is the most horrifying unintelligible screeching she's heard in her life.
belatedly i remember that technically, harley can cast wind magic. so while she attempts to dodge out of the way of that purple, black magic — she's also casting a wind spell to try and push the monster's attack away from them. or just directly attacking it, if the former isn't possible. either way, she rolled a 10 for this. so. you know.
not even her flawless flossing can save us now...]
[ shouxue comes to an abrupt stop, hearing a voice she hasn't heard in so long. the ache of a memory cuts through her, and it's like she's frozen in time, remembering something horrible from years ago.
she's useless this turn. i'm so sorry. SAVE YOURSELF, HARLEY. ]
but it's too late for that. the magic feels wrong. that's the first thing - it slams into harley and shouxue both with the force of a locomotive. it's like it sucks the very life out of your body, and the damage it leaves is somehow both searingly cold and burning heat all at once. you can feel the Shadow rotting in your lungs when you inhale, thick and heavy. it strikes harley first, heavy across the stomach and her left leg - it leaves these awful, deep purple marks behind, not bruises but splatters of magic that'll never quite go away.
as for shouxue. standing perfectly still against a nat 20 - the magic strikes her right across her beautiful face. it leaves a mark - that same awful, burning cold all at once, leaving a dark purple smear across her eyes. she might feel the urge to close them, at first, the sting is so brutal and painful, but in the second before her eyes close, she sees something happen.
harley's wind magic... connects! as it turns out, this monster is actually not all that strong? the wind magic sends it flying backwards and hits a tree with an awful, wet slap. it moans in pain again - ] HeLpMehelPmeHelPmeEhelpmehHELPME
[ and harley's magic slams your mother's broken body directly into the tree. ]
[she coughs and hacks as the rot settles into her lungs, shivering in a miserable, muddy pile on the ground after the blast of magic slams into her stomach and leg. it hurts like a motherfucker. it's completely unlike any pain she's felt before, with the burning heat and the searing cold — and it's also a pain in her bleached ass because purple is so not her color.
growling, she picks herself up just enough to lift her arm and fire her gun at the monster again... this time with a 16. double tap! and she of course can't see what shouxue is currently experiencing, so. uh. oops.]
[ her cry of pain cuts itself off in a choke, as the Shadow seeps and rots into her lungs, and her hands fly to her eyes. she staggers backwards, as she shuts her eyes, and then anguish tears a scream from her throat.
she can't let her mother die again. she can't let her mother die again. it doesn't matter how it doesn't make sense. it doesn't matter that she's been dead over ten years. it doesn't matter it doesn't matter IT DOESN'T MATTER
does she know who she even is right now? does she even know what's happening? all she can hear are cries of help. she can't even see her mother anymore in the blackness. her mind goes blank. she scrambles towards who she thinks is her mother. ]
[ harley quinn where did you get a gun. the thing you are holding shoots... some kind of ammunition? but whatever it does, it hits.
as it turns out, this monster is not particularly strong. despite the strength of its magic, it rattles and makes a terrible, pained noise as the ammunition hits it. it's not quite dead, not yet. it wheezes and oozes forward from the tree, now mostly laying down, dragging itself pathetically forward - and then the second hit with the ammunition clocks it between the eyes.
manyue can't see what shouxue does. stop her, shouxue says, and the raven flutters around and then dives to the ground with a two, stopping in front of harley and dropping down to the ground next to her, wings fluttering and poofing up like she might shield her from getting closer to the monster. which is probably good.
despite the awful blackness, despite the blinding pain, shouxue, you can open your eyes - you can still see, but the edges of your vision are very, very dark. in your squinting, awful, pained vision, you see - not your mother, again, right? no. no, you see there's a monster there. the shape of an auroch. it stares at both of you with its haunting, beseeching white eyes.
and then. all at once, the purple and the shadow and the flesh start to slough off of its body with a disgusting, wet noise, melting and oozing to the ground, rotting off into chunks and viscera. it splatters some, and manyue covers harley from receiving an additional monster face mask on top of her mud body mask and injuries.
as the rotten flesh melt off the body of the creature, what stands in its place, briefly, is a perfect serious of bones in the shape of an auroch -
and then with a painfully loud clatter in the silent forest, they crash to the ground. the monster's flesh melts and rots into the forest floor, deep into the mud, and sizzles.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
SHOUXUE & HARLEY
the two of you - shouxue, harley - are together, in a forest. it's very, very dark: the moon is new today, and there's only the light of the stars overhead and your lanterns to guide your way. as you come to awareness, you find purple fog, dark and heavy, that gathers around your legs. it makes you feel... sad? there's this somberness to it. it reminds you of what you've lost. who you've lost. xia gaojun. poison ivy. have you lost them? are they gone forever? what can you do?
both of you are mentally yourselves again, for the most part. but you are still wearing your collars, and you still instinctively know that these collars is laden with poison - that if you remove it, the poison will kill you.
the very first thing you might notice is that it is silent. the wind occasionally rustles through the trees, but there's no chirping of bugs. no birdsong. nothing.
what will you do?]
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and upon determining that she has no idea where the fuck they are, she turns to shouxue.]
Are you okay, kid?
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she looks up at the sky, sees that it's a new moon, and freezes in fear for just a second. she shuts her eyes, as if she expects something, and then she breathes out, calming herself. she's okay. even if there is sadness... even if there is loss? she has to bite back more panic.
her raven friend is with her, who is now named manyue for the fun of it. ]
.... I will be fine. I don't like this at all. [ her voice is quiet, as to keep calm. ] There is no sounds of life.
Manyue, go up and scout the area. See if you can see anyone or anything other than trees.
[ she wants a bird's eye view. ]
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manyue nuzzles at the side of shouxue's face, and then goes up into the trees! above the trees, even. you lose track of it very quickly - the dark is oppressive. the only thing keeping it back is the light of your lanterns, which are trying very hard to stay lit with how cold and icy it feels around you.
when manyue comes back, it settles up close, huddling against her jaw.
There's nothing... there's a path up ahead, to the left and right, but it's... this place makes me feel bad. ]
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harley holds her lantern up and close to them while waiting for the bird to return. when it does, she tilts her head while listening to it... squawk. i guess. she does not speak bird.]
What did your friend say?
[quietly, but it still sounds like a hecking gunshot in the middle of the oppressive silence. she keeps one hand close to her weapons, ready to draw them the moment they're needed. if shouxue decides to go left or right, she'll follow her, making sure to stick close so she can react if something suddenly jumps at them. no double dying tonight, please.]
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she holds manyue close to her as she begins walking. ]
There is a path. It forks left and right, but otherwise... there is nothing else it can see.
[ she will begin walking towards the fork, holding her own lantern up to shed as much light as she can. ]
We should be careful.
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anyway. manyue curls up closer to shouxue, if it were even possible, feathers soft and warm against her cheek. you get the sense that manyue, were her dear raven not so devoted, would also not want to be anywhere near this place if given the choice, but for shouxue, manyue will press on.
as you walk forward, the right path appears to be a bit more muddy than the left path. the ground is littered with tree roots, gnarled and ancient. you can see ivy scrawled across the trees, and you'd think the sight of the plant life might be familiar, harley, but for you, it just feels worse. after all - right now, it feels like there's nothing left alive in this forest, right? is ivy? would she be, with you there?
your lanterns flicker against the oppressive, sticky darkness. shouxue, your senses are very strong as a huntress - draefendi's guidance helps you recognize that the air smells like rot, though rot from a distance. it does seem slightly stronger down this rightwards path.
but maybe that's a good thing. you're not the type to run away from danger, are you?
the purple fog continues to swirl around your ankles. it feels cold, but it's raised no higher, at the very least. ]
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the purple fog is unnerving. the mud is... gross. she makes a face, making a small noise of disgust when the mud gets on her toes. she's wearing sandals. it's a nice distraction from the thought of dead plants.]
God, it's so fuckin' cold... I wonder where the others wound up.
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It's worrying that we're separated again.
[ ... ]
It smells foul ahead.
[ she looks down at the purple fog before looking straight ahead again. ]
We may as well face whatever is causing it. Be ready.
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as you make your way down the rightwards path, further and further, the fog starts to thicken. it still stays low around your feet, but it's getting harder and harder to see the ground where you walk. it is uncomfortably squishy and cold (sorry harley) but at least it's an existing, solid ground under your feet. as long as you can make your way forward, then you can continue to walk on. occasionally, rocks break up the steps, but they're never quite big enough for you to gain your footing.
manyue cooes softly, just once, a noise that could be comforting for her, or for them both. it's hard to say. both girls feel a sense of determination that flickers through them as they start to press on.
in the far, far distance, there might be a shape in the fog. ]
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upon spotting the shape, harley draws her gun just in case. better to be paranoid than underprepared, right? and while she doesn't say anything, she looks at shouxue with a raised eyebrow, cocking her head towards the figure as if to ask if she's ready to proceed, and then gesturing for her to stay a step behind harley.
(imagine if it turns out to be something totally harmless.)]
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she nods to harley and readies her bow just in case. she considers sending manyue ahead to see what the shape is, but the raven already doesn't want to be here and shouxue doesn't have to heart to stress it out right now.
if they die, they die.
time to approach the shape!!! ]
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slowly, carefully, you approach the shape. the only reason you can even see it, at first, is because of the lanterns - and all you see at first is that thick, purple fog. does it originate here? it's hard to tell, but the closer you get, you can see the shape is maybe not as large as you thought it was.
(there's a music change. )
as harley inches closer and closer, the shape doesn't move. for a second - for a second you think you see a person, suspended in the gnarled, thick shape of the trees. a female figure, lithe, beautiful, one with the trees, hanging broken above the fog itself, but you look back and it's gone.
instead, the fog melts away, and you face this. it's an aurochs - tall, certainly larger than both of you, but it is not particularly huge. it stares at you through its white, bright eyes. it does not move - only once, enough to take a shuddery, pained breath.
manyue shivers. What...is that?]
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unfortunately, a second is more than enough for harley to throw caution to the wind and dart forward at the sight of that person. then the second passes, she blinks, and she finds herself standing way closer to whatever the fuck this thing is than she would like.
having rolled an 8, she is already shaken and there is no way her aim is steady enough to shoot this thing — unless the monster rolls a 1. technically, i have inspiration and am allowed to reroll but no we die like gay clowns here.]
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I wish I knew, Manyue. Fly high and keep an eye out for anything that might help. Don't get in its way.
[ sure would be nice to know a weakness.
that's all i got because i also rolled an 8. she nocks her bow and tries to aim for an eye, but again, the girls are fully octo despite no longer being A S S I M I L A T E D. ]
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anyway. the lorax wasn't there? what are you talking about. there's nothing, just this... monster. harley fires at it - bam! - and the shot goes above its head, clearing it. the creature doesn't even flinch. poor shot. pathetic.
meanwhile, manyue caws and immediately flies up, up in the air high above your head. the raven looks down at the scene below, but cannot get that high up, because it's just thick, endless, darkness, and...
she says - Shouxue, I think it's saying something! hmm.
anyway shouxue also, in true octopath fashion, rolled an eight. shouxue nocks her bow and aims for the eye, and her shot goes wide, but it slices the very side of the monster - and something purplish and gooey sloughs off the side of it when it does. ew? the monster stares at them both for a moment longer, and then lumbers forward. it moves unnaturally, like its bones are broken, like its forcing itself, stumbling forward.
something burbles out of its mouth as it makes a shuddery, heaving noise - this ugly, purple magic. it lashes out at the two of you. if you'd like to get hit by it you can, but with a 13 and 15 you realize its coming and might be able to roll out of the way. ]
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with a 15, i'll say she moves out of the way quick enough to get fucking blaster. but some of the magic still brushes against her leg as she literally backflips out of the way. her hands are now full of mud and so are her shoes. this is fucking disgusting. god.]
—Fuck! Shouxue! [landing a couple of paces away, she steadies herself on her feet, and
starts flossing. that was what my nat 20 was for. thank you. anyway, please allow her to buff shouxue. she's basically trying to give her the help action here for whatever her next move will be. maybe dice maiden will love us for once...?]
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DOES THAT MEAN..... SHE CAN TRY TO BEFRIEND IT....? LET'S TALK TO IT............. with a 3.
she will try, after she dodges out of the way, barely missing getting hit for this failure that's about to be buffed with a flawless flossing somehow. ]
Are you in pain?
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for a moment - and just for a moment - you can understand it.
it stares at you with those haunting, awful white eyes. they glow so brightly that they pierce through the darkness of the fog (is it getting thicker?), but they look - awful, and the monster heaves in this awful, garbled voice: ]
... Help...me...
[ to harley, it just sounds like the agonized, garbled noise of a dying aurochs, but instinctually, it feels awful. all the hairs on the backs of both of your necks stand straight up, and you feel like the temperature in the area drops
shouxue, you swear for a second its voice sounds like the monster, and then like your mothers, moaning in pain in a symphony. ]
help mehelpmehelpmeHeLpMehelPmeHelPmeE
[ and then its jaw cracks open with another horrible, wheezing inhale, and more of that purple, black magic leaks free, rushing both at shouxue and harley. ]
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belatedly i remember that technically, harley can cast wind magic. so while she attempts to dodge out of the way of that purple, black magic — she's also casting a wind spell to try and push the monster's attack away from them. or just directly attacking it, if the former isn't possible. either way, she rolled a 10 for this. so. you know.
not even her flawless flossing can save us now...]
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she's useless this turn. i'm so sorry. SAVE YOURSELF, HARLEY. ]
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but it's too late for that. the magic feels wrong. that's the first thing - it slams into harley and shouxue both with the force of a locomotive. it's like it sucks the very life out of your body, and the damage it leaves is somehow both searingly cold and burning heat all at once. you can feel the Shadow rotting in your lungs when you inhale, thick and heavy. it strikes harley first, heavy across the stomach and her left leg - it leaves these awful, deep purple marks behind, not bruises but splatters of magic that'll never quite go away.
as for shouxue. standing perfectly still against a nat 20 - the magic strikes her right across her beautiful face. it leaves a mark - that same awful, burning cold all at once, leaving a dark purple smear across her eyes. she might feel the urge to close them, at first, the sting is so brutal and painful, but in the second before her eyes close, she sees something happen.
harley's wind magic... connects! as it turns out, this monster is actually not all that strong? the wind magic sends it flying backwards and hits a tree with an awful, wet slap. it moans in pain again - ] HeLpMehelPmeHelPmeEhelpmehHELPME
[ and harley's magic slams your mother's broken body directly into the tree. ]
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growling, she picks herself up just enough to lift her arm and fire her gun at the monster again... this time with a 16. double tap! and she of course can't see what shouxue is currently experiencing, so. uh. oops.]
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she can't let her mother die again. she can't let her mother die again. it doesn't matter how it doesn't make sense. it doesn't matter that she's been dead over ten years. it doesn't matter it doesn't matter IT DOESN'T MATTER
does she know who she even is right now? does she even know what's happening? all she can hear are cries of help. she can't even see her mother anymore in the blackness. her mind goes blank. she scrambles towards who she thinks is her mother. ]
Manyue, stop her!
[ she means harley. she wants to stop harley.
so it's a good thing i rolled a 2. maybe. ]
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as it turns out, this monster is not particularly strong. despite the strength of its magic, it rattles and makes a terrible, pained noise as the ammunition hits it. it's not quite dead, not yet. it wheezes and oozes forward from the tree, now mostly laying down, dragging itself pathetically forward - and then the second hit with the ammunition clocks it between the eyes.
manyue can't see what shouxue does. stop her, shouxue says, and the raven flutters around and then dives to the ground with a two, stopping in front of harley and dropping down to the ground next to her, wings fluttering and poofing up like she might shield her from getting closer to the monster. which is probably good.
despite the awful blackness, despite the blinding pain, shouxue, you can open your eyes - you can still see, but the edges of your vision are very, very dark. in your squinting, awful, pained vision, you see - not your mother, again, right? no. no, you see there's a monster there. the shape of an auroch. it stares at both of you with its haunting, beseeching white eyes.
and then. all at once, the purple and the shadow and the flesh start to slough off of its body with a disgusting, wet noise, melting and oozing to the ground, rotting off into chunks and viscera. it splatters some, and manyue covers harley from receiving an additional monster face mask on top of her mud body mask and injuries.
as the rotten flesh melt off the body of the creature, what stands in its place, briefly, is a perfect serious of bones in the shape of an auroch -
and then with a painfully loud clatter in the silent forest, they crash to the ground. the monster's flesh melts and rots into the forest floor, deep into the mud, and sizzles.
you can have a moment to catch your breath.
the purple fog is getting denser. ]
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cw: eye gore
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