deercountry | [closed] general catch-all

[ Wherever Chizuru is in the jungle, something may begin to feel a little off. A bird takes off suddenly, the ambient noise dies down. There are a few odd thuds in the distance, slow but almost rhythmic, and heavy enough that vibrations begin to travel through the earth.

Soon enough the thuds become louder and louder, heading distinctly in her direction. Then comes a chaotic creaking and cracking of foliage in stereo, followed by cursing as vehement as it is girlish. Before Chizuru knows it, a girl she may recognize comes tumbling out of the dense greenery, landing in a low roll around the submachine gun in her arms. Tanya's eyes widen as she registers Chizuru in her path, but before she can shout a warning, a wet, ropey tongue darts out from the foliage behind her. ]

[ Tanya has had to deal with a persistent stalker or two in her brief life, but never one quite this annoying. The man isn't necessarily a genius of a hunter, nor is he at heart faster or stronger than her. The only things he has going for him are his persistence and his shameless cheating.

Ahh. It's hard to put into words how unfair the situation is. She's already suggested that he pick on someone his own size, or at least someone a little closer to his size than she is, but some people take the principle of equality far too literally. He's a bully, plain and simple. What's worse is that he has an anti-magic rifle in his arsenal. She found that out when he shattered both her protective film and defensive shell with a single blow; it was her own doggedness in turn that allowed her to escape with only a minor injury after that.

She understands that he's some kind of self-important hunter, but who would take pride in showing off that they killed a little girl? She wishes he would gain a little self-awareness. In the meantime, she thinks about how she's seriously going to have to kill him if she's going to get any decent sleep around here, let alone find the gameboard that's allegedly hidden somewhere. No matter how carefully she travels, he shows up on her tail eventually.

Suddenly, she has an odd feeling that someone is near. She's learned by now to trust her intuition; she stops, pours mana into her magic shields, raises her gun, and listens. ]

[ She escaped him once, but here she is again, dumped back in the jungle with an overly obsessed immortal hunter who may or may not want to mount her head on a wall. Life just doesn't work out the way you want it to.

Though it doesn't help her situation one single bit, Tanya curses the hand of the self-proclaimed God that keeps making her roll ones on the game board. She's been in this jungle for far too long; her clothes have long since devolved into a coat of mud and blood, and the lack of decent sleep is taking its toll on her. In fact, she's already paid a price for her decaying focus: the use of her left arm, which was caught in a shot from the Hunter's magic-piercing rifle. She was able to seal the wound afterward with a magic formula, and the silver lining was that she was able to collect a bit of her own Coldblood for future use. However, it was a harsh reminder of the unsustainability of her situation.

The unavoidable reality is that she's a child. She already needs more sleep than most people; becoming a Coldblood has only deepened her average debt to sleep. It gives the Hunter a few waking hours over her, and that disparity has quickly become an issue. She needs to seriously injure or maim him to buy herself time. The only question is how best to go about it.

She sits on a somewhat clean pile of rocks, settles her submachine gun on her lap, pulls out her canteen for a sip, and ponders a plan. Before she knows it she's nodded off, slumped peacefully (if somewhat uncomfortably) against the rocks. She's a light sleeper in the field, but until someone or something comes by to disturb her, she'll be trying to work off some of that sleep deficit.

[There's quite a few perks to being over six feet tall. The ability to stay effortlessly out of sight, including within the overgrown depths of a sprawling jungle, isn't one of them.

A wolf could have slunk through the shadowy undergrowth, dodging around trees and hiding under bushes...and Lys has certainly tried that, albeit to no permanent advantage. The old man with the miniature cannon had found her anyway, following her tracks with a skill and tenacity that would have been admirable if not for what he was using them for. In fact, the longer the chase went on, the angrier she found herself becoming, until it felt as though she'd swallowed live coals; it was wrong to hunt other people like this, dammit. She didn't have to value her own life to grasp that. This guy was better than a common bandit only where the caliber of his weaponry was concerned: not a sword, or even a bow and arrows, but something that made a straightforward blitz charge impossible. He was certainly quick enough to land a kill shot if given the chance, something not (yet) granted to him by the will of the cosmos—otherwise the glancing wounds along her back and sides would be infinitely worse.

Crouched in a nearby tree like a mud-streaked bird of prey, Lys carefully shifts her weight again, trying to find a comfortable position without making the branches creak too much as she scans the jungle floor below. The thick foliage made for excellent concealment, but the old man's eyes and ears were a lot sharper than they had any right to be. If she couldn't stay hidden, couldn't keep running, couldn't meet him in direct combat...then a sneak attack was the only thing left to try.

Adapt or die, as the saying went.]

[ The hunter has been so successful at tracking her down that she's begun to wonder if he has something like magic-detecting equipment on hand. As such she's been trying to make do without using formulas until there was a pressing need for it. Though she hasn't spotted the source of her discomfort yet, she considers now a pressing need; her instincts are screaming at her to move.

She deploys an optical camouflage formula. That is, she disappears from sight except for a very faint distortion in the air she occupies. At the same time, she throws herself aside — and an ear-ripping gunshot explodes through the forest! The trunk of the tree she'd been standing in front of blasts apart.

She suppresses a click of her tongue and carefully pivots around the nearest tree to put cover between herself and the direction of the shot. It'll be a game to see who can spot whom, then. In that case, she begins to build another spell: a heat detection formula. It takes a bit of time, but it'll even the odds more than a little bit. ]

[ Tanya has more experience than she'd like with her mind being tampered with. She's a bit sensitive about it, she'll readily admit. She's always been firm in her principles, but since being reincarnated she's been militantly vigilant about reaffirming her beliefs and making sure that no unwanted influences are encroaching upon her actions.

So being in a room full of blatantly tempting treasures and actually feeling that temptation despite every grain of logic telling her it must be a trap has been a massive red flag. There are even gold statues of people in here, their poses more reminiscent of horror movies than heroes or aristocrats. Tanya doesn't like it one bit. Anyone from either of her past worlds could tell you about the story of that old man with poor wish-crafting foresight, Midas.

She wants to get out of these catacombs as quickly as possible, but she can muster some patience in order to safely navigate this room. Thus, she decides to suppress her desire for all of the delicious ammo littered around the room and waits by the inside of the entrance to see what opportunities might come in the form of the next people to enter.

She's awoken from a light nap by a pair of people who open the creaking doors and immediately give in to temptation by picking up an epic-looking sword. In ten seconds flat, one of them accidentally zaps the other into a gold statue. Ah. Tanya immediately cloaks herself in an optical camouflage to avoid any unwanted attention and watches flatly as the makeshift Midas starts to panic and then eventually turns into a golden statue himself.

So that's that. It's a good thing she listened to her gut.

She waits a bit more, and the entrance door opens yet again. But oh, this time it's a familiar face. And not a bad hand to play with, as far as this room goes. Tanya smiles. ]

Scorpia! So you've made it this far.

[ Some people might be surprised to hear it, but Tanya prefers not to work alone. For a long list of reasons, really, but out here in the jungle with an overly enthusiastic people-hunter (read: serial killer), she considers it especially beneficial to have a second set of eyes around to watch her back — or in the worst case, to serve as a second target and split the risk between them.

Yes, it's even fine if her partner is another girl about her age. There are plenty of downsides to being a little girl, but there are advantages too: namely, being smaller and less detectable. Her new companion seems to have a decent head on her shoulders as well, which means she passes muster. Tanya's met plenty of grown men with a less reliable air.

She's in the middle of some quiet conversation with her companion when her Omen, a small fluffy shrike, alights on her shoulder and whispers in her ear. After a moment of listening, Tanya nods and the Omen takes back off into the canopy. ]

Our stalker isn't far off. If you have any last minute preparations, you should get them done now.

[ For her part, Tanya dumps her pack, shoulders her submachine gun, and secures her knife at the small of her back. ]

[ At first Chizuru decides to just stay away from the sound. She knows that she isn't the best when it comes to defending herself, which means that the best offense is the best defense - which, in this case, just means staying the heck away from anything that sounds even remotely omnious, like that sound in the distance.

But even as she moves to head in a different direction, the sound keeps getting closer and closer. Chizuru notices, and it's not like she just passively accepts that fact. If she can't run from whatever is coming, she will at least do her best to protect herself against what may come. Which is why her hands fall on the hilt of her kodachi, pulling it out of its sheath as she turns to face what might appear..

Except it's not quite the danger she expected. Chizuru was expecting a monster, not a person. It makes her give up on her fighting spirit entirely for a moment as she stands there, sword in hand - but the frog doesn't give up.

Which means that even before the girl registers the fact that Tanya isn't alone, that tongue is already latching out, wrapping itself right around the wrist of Chizuru's sword hand. ]

W-- What--!

[ It's starting to tug before Chizuru can register what exactly has latched onto her, rapidly dragging her in the direction of the frog that's still half-hidden in the bushes. ]

[Similarly, it's rare to work with someone with no annoying hangups about their status as a pre-pubescent child. So far, Tanya has been a relief to cooperate with. While they have no doubt that her priority is her own survival, that in and of itself is it's own relief.

They smile in anticipation as she announces the hunter's presence, withdrawing their second last vial of darkblood, withdrawn while they were resisting the beat of the drums. They pour about a quarter of it on the ground, and as the blood begins to writhe and transform, they drizzle another quarter and the process repeats. They cork up the rest. It's an emergency weapon.

Two duplicate Chara's with a faint red outline stand up, looking at Chara prime as if awaiting orders. They point to the direction that the omen came in from. One of them responds with a blank nod and goes ahead with their task, the other stares at Chara for about ten seconds before shuffling off after their fellow duplicate.]

They'll lure him into the creek. From there, we should be able to dispatch of this idiot quickly. [They don't have a ranged weapon of their own, but they do draw on their dagger, red and shimmering. It seems like there's very little chance of this hunter being able to survive a direct hit from it.]

Edited 2022-03-09 14:28 (UTC)

[When Scorpia enters the room, she's only somewhat worse for the wear. She's clearly been through a number of trials already between the jungle the other day and the catacombs today, sporting a fair number of cuts, bruises and other injuries on her fleshy parts. She still looks spirited as ever, though, while she sports a head flashlight!

As she enters the room, her friend quickly catches her attention, and she looks at her with a fond smile.]

Oh, hey there Tanya! It's great to see you! ...Well probably not here, here kinda seems like a bad place to be? But I am always glad to see you regardless! I, I made it here alright, and are you okay? Nothing's hurt you, has it? [She approaches in concern... and in the process she finally starts to notice all the grand treasures stored throughout the chamber.]

Whoa, what is this place...?

[The sudden crack of gunfire splits the false calm of the drowsy jungle scene in two. Up above, Lys doesn't jump so much as freeze, tensing into readiness. Exasperated annoyance is the second emotion to flash through her, right after surprise and right before a species of grim determination—she could've sworn the old man was farther away. Talk about bullshit.

She studies the blasted tree trunk for a moment, then turns her gaze in the direction the shot had come from, watching for any hint of movement. Arrows or bullets, some tactics remained the same; firing off a round drew attention to your position. Unless you confirmed a kill, you had to keep moving. Not moving was death.

Then again, what—or who, rather—was he aiming at? Maybe he knew roughly where she was and wanted to startle her into the open for a clear shot...but as she catches fleeting glimpses of the old man stealthily picking his way through the greenery, circling closer and closer to the tree she's perched in, Lys doesn't think so. He wasn't looking up. People never look up, hence her choice of perch, so again, what was he trying to find? Another "trophy"?

She glances around, looking for flashes of color or movement and finding none.]

[ In a sense, it's convenient that she's run into someone else. The option to abandon Chizuru to her fate and hightail it out of there while the frog is occupied does cross Tanya's mind. But immediately she abandons it, remembering that Chizuru is alleged Shinsengumi; if Tanya were to run and Chizuru were to survive, it could be catastrophic to Tanya's reputation down the line. Also, that's a bona fide sword in Chizuru's hand — surely she'll be handy with it!

She who acts second loses first, and so there's no hesitation in Tanya's response. She bounds over, her knife leaving its sheath at the small of her back to slice smoothly through the frog's tongue and release its hold on Chizuru. As the creature squeals in pain, Tanya jams her knife back into its sheath and raises her gun. She takes aim—

—and is promptly dragged to the floor by a second tongue that's whipped out to twine around her ankle. The new frog attached to it has evidently been camouflaged nearby, biding its time for an opportunity. Happy to have caught its new prey off guard, it rapidly reels Tanya in... ]

[ Very interesting. Tanya doesn't have much experience with blood magic outside of her own coldblood, so watching Chara work their darkblood is an illuminating experience. From a tactical standpoint, having a few expendable bodies to command at will can't be underestimated.

Speaking of underestimating things... ]

Don't get too cocky. A stalker that brazen is sure to have a stupid number of tricks up his sleeve.

[ She doesn't know Chara as well as she'd like, but since she's going to the trouble of teaming up with them, she'd prefer they stay alive and useful for as long as possible. That means no stupid deaths — or worse, stupid injuries that Tanya will end up having to help them deal with. ]

Alright. I'll go ahead, circle around, and wait for them at the creek. When he gets there, I'll cause a ruckus big enough that he can't afford to watch his back. I trust you can take it from there?

[ Tanya has had a rotten time of things, having consistently rolled extremely low in the jungle portion of her trials, but she is here and alive and that's what matters. There are a few rips and punctures in her cloak down to the uniform beneath, but she's already healed enough to function well on her own. It's the fatigue that causes her the most trouble now; it's hard to feel secure sleeping without anyone around to keep watch while she's out.

She waves off Scorpia's concerned questions and climbs up to her feet, wobbling slightly as the last sands of sleep cling to her. ]

I would describe it as an unscrupulous death trap. Out of curiosity, how do you feel when you look at all these treasures? I mean emotionally.

Edited 2022-03-10 06:17 (UTC)

[ She finishes constructing her heat detection formula, understanding that every second she spent on it was a second the hunter spent creeping toward her. It takes even more time and focus for her to suppress her mana signal in an effort to avoid detection, but it's a necessary delay.

She finally deploys her formula in complete stealth and maneuvers to the cover of the next tree, stepping lightly and scanning the jungle as she goes. Immediately, she spots what must be the hunter skulking in the wild jungle foliage, closer than anticipated. There are other heat signatures as well, various small animals in the trees and — to her surprise, a human-shaped one as well.

She wasn't aware she had an audience. Someone who happened to be seeking refuge up above? Or some wannabe Tarzan just as wild and senseless as the hunter? Annoyance curls around her stress. She wants to say she doesn't have the time to deal with a third party, and yet she must; she has to be sure that once she engages with the hunter, she won't have another enemy ambushing her from above.

Tanya makes her way toward the mystery tree-dweller and settles behind a rock within view before letting her Omen, a round shrike, manifest. After receiving some whispered instructions, it leaves the influence of her camouflage and flits out low to the ground, hopping and skipping at what must be a sprint for a bird to a spot some twenty yards away, where it promptly jumps into some foliage with an audible rustle of leaves.

With that, the hunter, the tree-dweller, and her Omen are all in line with each other. If the hunter is enticed by the noise — and why wouldn't he be? — it should naturally put him in the direct path of the tree-dweller. ]

[That wasn't an answer for her concerns, but at least Tanya doesn't look badly injured, so maybe Scorpia can let that slide. She frowns at her wobbling before focusing her attention more on the riches surrounding them.]

Emotionally? Well... I guess I feel positive? I mean, it all looks so pretty and shiny. Almost makes you wanna just grab some and see how it feels! [But she doesn't seem to be exceptionally gripped by it, as she ponders further.]

...But... These aren't mine. They probably belong to someone else?

[ Tanya studies Scorpia and is satisfied that her response is well within what might usually be expected of her. It doesn't necessarily mean that Scorpia is entirely unaffected, but it's a promising start... ]

It's good that you're so conscientious. If I told you to walk through this room without touching a single piece of treasure, would you be able to do so? I want you to look hard at what's here and be honest.

[ She's aware that she's emphasizing the point to an annoying degree, but better safe than extremely sorry. ]

Thanks! ['Conscientious' isn't a word she places, but it does sound positive! She listens carefully As Tanya goes on, and she looks around more at the room's wonders.]

Of course I will, honesty's my policy. I mean, it does seem tempting! There's so many pretty-looking things that look nice to touch, and... hey, is that good over there? It looks delicious! [Her mouth is starting to water. She's been living off of mushrooms since she got stuck down here. She feels like it could have been days already!

Still, she takes a breath.]

...No, no. It's fine. I can wait! All this stuff seems nice and all, but... I don't need to touch it. I feel like... no, I know I can go through this room without touching anything. If that's a special request from a friend like you, Tanya, I'll gladly do that!

[ Wonderful. That's some good determination. Friendship is so nice. ]

Then it looks like I'll be relying on you to get through this room. I wish I could say my will was as strong as yours, but it's really all I can do to stay by the wall and try not to think about that box of grenades in the corner.

[ The research potential would be phenomenal. If only she could take them apart and work out some diagrams to reproduce similar models...

She shakes her head to clear her mind and gestures to one of the many golden statues of people nearby. ]

By the way, if we do end up touching anything, that'll be our fate.

[Scorpia is proud to be considered dependable! Even if she's not sure why she needs to be relied on... At least not until Tanya points out the golden statues, and her eyes widen in alarm.]

O-oh, really now! Yeah, that... Let's try to avoid that please! Don't worry, Tanya, I will be your guide escorting you safely to the exit of this room, completely touch free! You can count on me! What would you even need a bunch of grenades for anyway?

I have no intention of underestimating it. It would be a poor challenge if it were an easy fight. [That's why they're not letting it be a proper fight or a proper chase. Take away it's advantages, trap it somewhere it can't escape from and then cut away it's defences until they can reach out and pluck it's paper soul out of it's smouldering corpse.]

Yes, that sounds like a good plan. I can take it from there. [They give a nod, glancing out at the overbrush.] If it goes wrong, I should be able to bring us back here using my blood abilities.

Oh, well, it's just in the design stages, but I've been putting together plans to open a grenade business.

[ She says this cheerfully enough that she momentarily looks her age. The prospect of getting back to a sane and somewhat familiar business model (the volatility of the product itself notwithstanding) genuinely makes her happy. Yes, no matter how many hardships you face, as long as you keep living and persevering, good opportunities will eventually come your way.

After a moment's consideration, she beckons for Scorpia to crouch down. ]

Sorry, but can I hitch a ride? I don't mean to treat you like a horse, but I think it'll be safer...

[ While relief fills Chizuru's chest to suddenly feel the force that's pulling on her stop, it's not as great of a feeling when she glances down and spots the tongue still wrapped around her wrist. Apparently it's just sticky enough to still cling to her arm on its own, and when it's cut off like this, it's a rather gross sight.

But there's no time to focus on that. Chizuru may be a gentle soul, but she would never let her own moment of being grossed out take priority over someone else's safety - and thanks to what happened to her only a moment ago, she knows what's going on the moment she spots Tanya moving so awkwardly out of the corner of her eye.

She gasps in surprise, and then moves.

Knowing that she's not good at this, the girl is well aware she's taking a risk here. But she can't just do nothing and watch Tanya get dragged off by whatever is attacking them, so she raises her kodachi to slice through the tongue that's got a hold on Tanya.

.. it's gross, the sound it makes when the tongue is fully cut through, still watching its remainders cling to them. The fact that Chizuru thinks it's gross and cruel definitely shows up on her face, making her look pained.

She frowns though, shaking her head. ]

Let's just run..!

[ Please, she doesn't want to find out how many more tongues can attack them in this moment, thanks. Watching two getting cut like this is too much.

And yet - despite saying that - Chizuru doesn't run first. It's like she's determined to not leave the other behind here, even though this situation is terrifying. ]

Is that right? ... Then I'll leave that call up to you.

[ Being able to retreat at will is a fantastic option, and one that isn't usually afforded to her. Hooray for blood magic! Especially when it isn't Tanya's blood being spent.

Satisfied that they're both on the same wavelength, Tanya gives Chara a parting nod before floating up and flying out. She traces a wide circle toward the creek in question, giving herself leeway to ensure she isn't prematurely spotted by the hunter. She scouts out a favorable position with plenty of cover, hunkers down, and waits for the arrival of the duplicate Charas to signal the upcoming arrival of the hunter.

When the man finally shows up, Tanya wastes no time. She shoots him from a fair distance, the successive pow-pow-pow of her submachine gun riddling him from leg to torso, but he impossibly stays standing. He even has the wherewithal to raise his rifle and fire back as if being shot didn't concern him at all.

Tanya quickly ducks back under cover, a bullet whistling over her head. Technically, she doesn't have to worry too much about doing damage; this time, she's just the distraction. So she focuses on scurrying from cover to cover and weaving suppressive fire inbetween, throwing in the occasional explosion formula to keep him interested. She even mimics a slow retreat, trying to keep his focus forward and his back unguarded. ]

[Kazuma has had a bit more luck, if only for the fact that he wasn't a hunter's target. While he's had his bad hands (or rolls), the worst of it hasn't had him up against a madman. He's heard him though, active in the jungle--shots ringing at odd hours and the cries of those that found themselves in his sights.

Kazuma's done his best to stay hidden in the copious foliage he's found himself in. If he'll be made a target it will be because of a poor roll of his own or the risk of helping someone else, he refuses to have it happen because of his own carelessness.

It's when he's extricating himself from one of those dense workings of plant and vine that he sees her, Tanya. It may have been a one-off conversation, but it's easy to recognize her--if only because she made a strong impression on him. And she was asleep. In the middle of this mess.]

Miss Tanya. [He hisses, trying not to startle her too much as he moves closer. He sees the gun within her reach, and as much as he wants to believe he won't find himself at the end of a barrel, he knows all too well how this place can set someone on edge.] Wake up.

[closed] general catch-all

chizuru! the jumanjining

lys! trophy hunter hunting

kazuma! unwelcome in the jungle

hunter no hunting

no subject

scorpia! touchable untouchables

chara! rugrats feat. knives | cw: impending maiming/violence, probably graphic

no subject

no subject

touches this

no subject

cw: violence against frogs henceforth...

i see i hecked up... 😔

IT IS FORBIDDEN

no subject

turns this thread into gold

oh....... i guess that's fine

no subject

no subject

no subject

all good haha

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject