deercountry | who let this cat out here [CLOSED]

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who let this cat out here [CLOSED]

Who: Nara'a, Manabu, Ryunosuke, Kazuma
What: Trying to pill a corrupted cat
When: November
Where: a busted building somewhere in those dank woods past the Outpost

Content Warnings: beasthood, combat, animal injury, blood n guts and all that jazz

[with how crudely the map Nara'a's omen scratched out is, it's really unclear just how far from the Outpost the afflicted man could've gone. but between that and the compass he'd assembled last month, Manabu can't really ask for better, can he? that compass was supposed to be leading the three of them to some kind of fungus to help the Tower, but Nara'a is a more pressing matter. if they're not quick, it may be too late.

it may already be too late...]

The image was really hazy, but...but it was some kind of busted-up building. I don't know how far away that could be, but this has to be the direction it's in...

[he pushes naked, low-hanging branches out of his way, holding onto them to let Ryunosuke and Kazuma clear ahead of him. he'd given Kazuma the compass while he deals with trying to interpret the omni's directions as they go. Magnet hustles ahead of them, under some brush to sniff around for sign of their friend, getting mostly just the latent, corrupting stench of beast blood. being out here's no good for anyone, so more's the motivation to be quick.]

Everyone okay so far? [he's packed more than enough weepers to keep them inoculated from corruption, but it doesn't mean everyone's feeling great in this place.]

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I hope he's okay. [He hopes that they're not too late, but with how fast the corruption can spread, how quickly some enter Beasthood it might be. He ducks past the branches that Manabu holds back, pulling down his scarf as he glances back at Kazuma and Manabu.]

I think I'm all right. [He offers a reassuring smile.

Being out in the forest made it difficult to think at times, but they all were working together to keep each other from facing corruption. Ryunosuke adjusts his grip on his bow, wanting to be ready for anything.]

What about you? Are you holding up all right?

Still okay. Smell's not as strong, but I'm sure it--

[his remark is cutoff by the sound of a very distressed, monstrous shriek - one that makes his already-cold blood freeze.

unseen from the bushes ahead, Magnet starts growling.]

[Kazuma stilled up ahead, hand on the hilt of his sword. That shriek was enough to send a chill up his spine--as if he hadn't been on edge in the first place.

Magnet's growl only serves as an alert for how close they had to be.]

You both have ranged abilities...I can draw him out, keep him occupied while we assess the situation. [He knows it's not ideal. That it could possibly garner arguments. However, it was the best option they have at the moment, with Nara'a so close.] Stay in cover as long as you can, unless it's clear we can help him.

[Better to not give them time to argue. Kazuma moves ahead, cutting through paths and bush-wild alike to seek out the source of the inhuman shriek.]

[As Kazuma cuts through, he'll see a building appear through the brush. The building looks like an old wooden tower of some sort. It's rotted and taken back by nature, a shell of its former self. The boards at the bottom look like they're in better condition than the rest. You might even get some decent wood out of -]

[There's a crash, and a huge feline shape bursts through the near side of the tower. It's nearly twice the height of the men tracking it, with leather armor on its shoulders and forelegs. Its paws are outstretched as it leaps into the air to try to tackle whatever it is that's intruded on its lair.]

[A scythe is tucked into the leather straps on its back - one that will be familiar to Manabu. There's no more doubt as to what has happened.]

[hissed in as loud a whisper as he can:] Kazuma, wait-!

[god dammit. he exchanges a grimace with Ryunosuke before pointing at his pocket: don't forget the weepers! Manabu made sure each of them had some in pocket. for themselves, for Nara'a...

or what stands as Nara'a now. when he makes it into the copse where the ruined tower is, his stomach drops at the sight of the beast. how many times is this going to happen? himself, Varian...

it's hard to keep from shouting out to him right at the onset, to break cover and expose him and Ryunosuke to being targeted. even if there is some hope of reasoning with Nara'a in this state, it's not safe to cry out--]

[He nearly shouts after Kazuma, glancing at Manabu as he moves forward to try and at least grab him to slow him down. He should be more careful! What was he thinking-- of course, that's when the large feline appears near the side of the tower, and he ducks down hoping it didn't see him.

Ryunosuke quickly notches an arrow, keeping a close eye on the large cat-like creature as he tries to judge the distance between it and Kazuma.

How were they going to get close? How would they manage to talk him down? Could they talk what remains of Nara'a out of Beasthood? He frowns, worried about all the different ways this would play out.]

Shit... [Cursing does not come easily to Kazuma--a fact he prides himself on. But what else is one supposed to say or do when they're suddenly faced with a giant beast of a feline?

Beasthood--he's only ever encountered full Beasts before, ones that roamed and lived in these woods. Ones that didn't potentially have remnants of people he or others knew. Was there anything left to save here? ]

All right...come on then. [Sword drawn but angled so any strike with be with the dull backside of the blade. Even if there was nothing left of Nara'a to save, he had to try first. And that meant incapacitation, not outright slaying.

He's fairly certain he's not going to get through this without injuries of his own.]

[The catlike monster roars, charging at Kazuma with a paw upraised, intending to knock him aside. He takes the brunt of the blade as it knocks into him, but he doesn't seem to care. His large red eyes seem to almost glow with madness and anger, frustrated by this intrusion and clearly looking forward to their demises.]

[Or maybe not. Maybe he can't feel anything at all anymore. It's impossible to know the mind of a beast.]

Aim for the legs!

[Manabu shouts it loudly as he can while he takes off, leaving Ryunosuke to keep his hidden mark; he himself moves to get around to the side opposite Kazuma's come and being focused on, hoping he'll find a chance to flank the beast.

as he goes, he takes his pistol out of its holster, turning the safety off.]

[He inhales shakily, watching as the massive paw raises up to attack Kazuma. They weren't getting out of this without injuries of their own, but as long as he keeps his distance, maybe he could help minimize them. Ryunosuke shifts on his feet, before he rises just enough to be visible, string pulled taut as he takes aim at one of Nara'a's legs.

If they could get him down, maybe they had a chance.

He releases the arrow, watching it as it flies through the air toward the massive feline's leg before he turns away to dart back into the brush. He hopes it makes its mark, waiting for a shout or cry from the beast.]

Edited 2022-11-20 19:22 (UTC)

[Given the size of the beast, he's fairly certain he'll fail to dodge a hit completely. Either he'll get hit, or he'll face the effects of an aftershock once that paw makes contact with the ground around.

But the decision on that front is interrupted when he hears Manabu--sees him come through the trees. That was not the plan, not that he had garnered any agreement from either him or Ryunosuke before he had come out here on his own. So, rather than trying to dodge any hit completely, Kazuma moves with the hopes of managing another strike on the beast's downswing.

He's taken worse hits in a fight.]

[The front legs have gaps in the leatherlike armor, plenty big enough to slip a blade through. The beast's large paw slams the ground near Kazuma, the man having just barely dodged the catlike creature. The arrow hits one of the bracers and bounces off, but it does serve as a distraction.]

[It sniffs the air, growling quietly. More prey? More prey. It howls, the air ringing with the sound. There's probably going to be more beasts on their way if they haven't been scared off by the sound.]

[Manabu's shouting has drawn its attention. It snarls and pulls back, aiming to pounce at the man if he doesn't move. Its tail twitches wildly, almost... pleased? But beasts don't take enjoyment out of the hunt, do they?]

[shit. well. okay, so he's the distraction and Kazuma's the flank now...fine - he'll trust Kazuma and his sword to get some good hits off while he's busy being the focus; he lights up, sparks popping off into flame off his hair and shoulders, teeth grit.]

That's right...c'mon this way... [he's got a gun in one hand and a handful of weepers in the other.] You're hungry, right? C'mere, then...! [he fires a couple lasershots off-mark near its feet to entice him to come closer and get mad about it.]

[This was bad.

Ryunosuke has drawn another arrow, aiming for below the bracer once he realizes that he was off in his aim. He curses himself for the first shot missing, but he has to push that aside and focus. He's still at quite a distance, string drawn back as he follows Nara'a's movements. When he releases? He knows that his aim is true, but he can only account for so much.]

Come on... [He says quietly, eyes darting between Kazuma and Manabu as he notches another arrow. Especially Manabu as he starts to take aim and shoot at Nara'a's feet to try and draw him closer. If they couldn't get close, if they couldn't get him down enough to try and drag him out of Beasthood that meant---

He had to trust they could at least try.]

[He may have dodged the strike itself, but the force of it still causes him to stumble with the impact it makes with the ground nearby. He doesn't like that this has put Manabu up as a new target, but it does give him some advantage, tactically.

The gaps in the armor aren't wide, but they still present a possibility. If he's just quick enough...

He hears the whistle of an arrow more than he sees it. There's a slight relief in knowing that Ryunosuke is in the fray, even as he worries that the distance won't allow him to aim as truly as he might like. At any rate, perhaps with the arrows to contend with and the distraction Manabu is currently providing, his next strike will hit true. There's such a slim margin for error.]

[It snarls as the arrow enters its flesh, turning to snap in Ryunosuke's direction. So much prey... but this one in front of it is being annoying. It swipes towards Manabu, recognizing that the laser shots are dangerous at least.]

[The slice to its leg makes it howl, whirling around to try to smack Kazuma to the side. Its hide isn't terribly thick, just furry and armor-covered. Blood seeps from the wound as the beast tries to decide which target to focus on. Two have wounded it and one is actively harrying it.]

[It slams down a paw to try to pin down Kazuma, annoyed at the wound. Stop that!]

Come on you-- [wait shit NO NOT THAT WAY! Manabu flinches as he sees Kazuma get introduced to a giant monster paw, recovering in doubletime to launch himself forward and try to get himself between the cat's mouth and any attempt to take a bite out of Kazuma, making a play to shove his pistol into said mouth and prop it open. this is a very indelicate and graceless process, but if he doesn't try to get a fistful of weepers into this monster's gullet at least once then there'll be too much guilt to spare later.

this is the best he can do, wasting as little time as possible lest he get his arm bit clear off. please work...!!]

Kazuma!

[Not good, not good, not good. Ryunsouke watches as the massive paw comes down on Kazuma and pins him to the ground. He wasn't a close-distance fighter, and in this moment he feels helpless. His eyes widen when Manabu moves between Kazuma and the Beast, holding his pistol in such a way to --

He exhales, drawing another arrow from his quiver. If he takes aim now, teeth could very well take out Manabu's arm. He needs to wait, and take his shot when he has another opening. Hopefully, hopefully they wouldn't have to if they managed to get Nara'a out of this state.

He's feeling pretty pessimistic about it, however. One wrong move and all three of them could lose their lives.]

[Kazuma is left with little else to do but scream, something guttural and pained. The full weight of a paw pinning him down soon cuts off the sound, if only because he can't breath let alone scream. Instead he claws at the paw, trying to find a way to work himself free. He can't even try to take a blind swing, his sword having been thrown with the hit.]

[It's stopped from taking a bite by a sudden bit of metal in its mouth. Manabu's hand gets shoved back by a large tongue, the beast rejecting the mushrooms. Instead it puts a little more pressure on the man under its paw and uses its other one to try to smack away the new annoyance.]

[It would roar, but its mouth is jammed open. The most it can do is a sudden blast of hot air directly into Manabu's face.]

-!!

[the moment Kazuma's agony hits Manabu's ears, it's over for this mushroom venture - they're crushed or discarded in the midst of the tussle, forgotten as the noise simultaneously freezes and boils his blood. the immediate goal now becomes getting Nara'a the hell away from Kazuma by any means necessary. and since his arm's already in here...in for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.

Manabu yells in fury, his blind eye blackening, his skin crackling, upper body getting engulfed in white hot flame that he courses right into the cat's maw, his other arm looping around his still-captive pistol as a means to hang on as the beast recoils.

he won't stop -- can't -- even as his fire forces Nara'a backward.]

[This gives him an opportunity to move.

He quickly throws his bow over his shoulder, shoving the arrow he had drawn back into his quiver as he runs towards the fight. This was going terribly, Nara'a was seemingly too far gone to bring him back from the brink. He glances between Manabu and the beast as he moves closer to the scuffle, worry written in his expression at the implications of what they were going to need to do next.

He manages to get to Kazuma just as the beast recoils, lifting him up into his arms as he starts to carry him back away from the fight as carefully as he can, but as swiftly as he could. If he could get distance between them again he could make sure Kazuma is safe while also offering support fire as they continue to fight against Nara'a.

Once he feels that he's put enough space between himself and the Beast he lays Kazuma down.]

Don't move. [He says quietly, pulling his bow off his shoulder once more.] Just stay still, it'll be okay.

[Would it be okay?]

[All Kazuma knows between the next strike and being lifted to safety is pain, searing and hot in his chest. He's had to have broken something--or maybe he's bleeding internally. He's not medically trained so he can't say for certain. All he can say is that it hurts, and that will be a constant...if he doesn't die from it first.]

Where's Manabu...? [He asks after him, ignoring the order to stay still to try and sit up to see what is happening. He regrets it the moment pain lances through him again. He bites his tongue, hard and near to the point of bleeding to keep from crying out. He needs to know what's happening.

He doesn't exactly like what he sees. And he hates that he's now out of the fight, unable to do anything.] What more can we do? Can you get off another shot?

[This...had become an absolute disaster.]

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who let this cat out here [CLOSED]

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