deercountry | (closed)

[Well, he resisted the call to bloodsport after the first and so far only time he let himself answer it. He didn't like how much he... liked it. It's frightening to feel that dark and chaotic side of yourself win over. So he has done his best to not let it happen again no matter how much he passes out...

Of course, it wouldn't be so easy. He wakes up to the sound of cheers in the fighting rink and groans, rubbing at his head. Then he spots someone in the ring with him who he's pretty sure should not be here ever under any circumstances.]

...Wu??

[ Wu also resisted. He did his best, he channeled the feeling into fixing up the Raccoon Room, into playing music, even into training, which helps... a little. But clearly not enough, because he wakes up disoriented and woozy at the Gate. Again.

He's scared, but he's also feeling that feeling roaring up in him. This time, they push a spear into his hands, which is a little easier to control than the mace, but has a very pointy end which is scary.

He takes a deep breath and heads out into the arena, only to spot someone familiar. Is that good? Bad? He doesn't want to hurt Lance, but he doesn't want to hurt anyone! But he also really, really wants to fight. He wants to fight and that feeling is so incredibly strange for him, so foreign, that he doesn't know what to do with it except head for the middle of the ring with the spear in hand ]

Lance!

[ He wavers there, waiting for Lance to get ready, too, because even if he's going to fight Lance, he will do it the right way. ]

[Lance just sort of watches him for a moment as he heads into the ring with spear in hand and starts looking like he's trying to gear up for a fight. He doesn't need to be an empath to tell that that is the exact opposite of what Wu wants to do, but he clearly feels like he has to.

Lance throws up his hands.] Dude, I am so not fighting you. Are you kidding? [He looks up and around at the crowd. He's never tried this before, but:] So uh! I'm just gonna... take my friend here and go if that's alright! Haha. Ha. I'm.. sure there's plenty of other people waiting in line to kill each other, right??

[He starts to go over to Wu and put his arm around his shoulders to lead him out and whispers:] Just act casual, like this is totally normal.

[ Two parts of Wu are warring now: the part that feels this strange, disturbing need to fight, and the part that absolutely hates that idea and wants nothing to do with it.

But there's nothing sporting about fighting someone who doesn't want to fight. He lowers his spear, looking at Lance with wide eyes. This is Lance. He doesn't want to fight Lance! He's his friend, his buddy, they've been through some Stuff together. ]

Oh-- yes. Yeah! Normal. Totally normal.

[ He starts to go with Lance, but then a loud whooping cheer starts from the crowd and a shiver runs down Wu's spine, that need to fight rearing up again when his eyes shift across the arena to see a gate rising up, and a large beast trudging its way out of the gate with a low growling roar ]

Oh no.

[ He freezes, those two sides of himself at war again. He wants to fight. He wants to run. He's stuck in place, his eyes on the monster. ]

Smile and wave, smile and wave.

[Lance says with a hint of a nervous tremor in his voice. Partly out of the nerves about getting out of here, and also trying to resist the intense bloodlust. Not just from himself but from Wu and the crowd, thanks Empathic powers. But then everything shifts and he looks at the gate along with Wu.]

… Seriously? [That thing has a lot of teeth… and it's also something he can direct the bloodlust at. But Wu.. he looks over at him, seeing that he's frozen. There's no time to say anything, though as the beast starts charging and without thinking Lance hoists Wu over his shoulder and just starts running.]

[ At least he's saved from having to make a choice by Lance scooping him up. Wu lets out a shriek that unfortunately does grab the monster's attention. It lets out a roar and starts to thump after them, giant feet hitting the ground. At least it isn't too fast.

Wu keeps hitting Lance's back as he moves until he grabs on, wrapping himself tight around Lance's waist ]

Oh please oh please oh please get us out of here I really don't want to die today Lance!

[ Because begging and squeezing him tight will really help Lance get them out of here ]

[Lance nearly trips and falls and makes the equivalent of a verbal keysmash when Wu unfreezes and starts trying to full body hug him. Honestly, he didn't have a solid plan just yet, he just saw Wu frozen and knew there was no time to get him to unfreeze enough to work up a plan in time.]

Gah! We're not gonna die! Just. Stop. Suffocating me!

[The beast is thankfully not faster than him but it seems like it's matching his pace, which makes it a question of who has more endurance. His will surely shrink the more Wu squeezes the breath out of him.]

[ Wu does as he's told immediately, but then he almost falls and grabs on again, but less tight this time ]

Sorry, sorry! Yep, anything to not die. Not dying today! No sir, no thank you.

[ He squeezes his eyes shut instead, like that could block out the monster, which he can hear its tromping footsteps, its loud breath. It's coming closer ]

Will they let us leave?!

[That helps him keep up the running easier and gives him space to try and come up with a plan. He looks around for an exit as Wu asks.]

I don't see an exit!

[He looks over his shoulder at the monster chasing them and heaves out a breath a bit slower to steady his nerves.]

Okay, I think I can kill that thing. If I put you down somewhere, think you can stay out of the way?!

Yes! Yes! I'll stay out of the way, I promise

[ There's no way he want to get closer to that thing. It's so big and scary and the idea of Lance taking it on alone is scary, too, but here he is.

The bad news for Lance (spoilers) is that he won't be able to stay away, the bloodlust will come back in full force ]

[Wu seems like the kind of guy who's used to staying out of the line of fire. Unfortunately, Lance has forgotten about the bloodlust factor. He's feeling it himself, but it's also not the first time he's been overcome with something like this, it's happened so often to him and he still has some sanity issues to boot, that he's able to keep a decent grip on who his real enemy is.]

Great. Okay, hold on tight for a second!

[Just don't suffocate him. But he's bracing for that to happen as he grabs hold of Wu with one arm and starts building star energy at his back and from the waist down. Half his body glows bright like a star and they're enveloped in a shifting plasma halo and then he uses it to propel them both forward like a rocket to put a lot more distance between them and the monster.

Unfortunately, he's never tried that before, so when he tries to bring them to a stop, they go rolling in the dirt. Lance recovers quick and pops up, looking to where his companion ended up.] Wu! You alright?

[ So much is happening at once, and Wu feels completely overwhelmed, but he holds tight to Lance (not suffocating him) as the light builds up around them.

When they burst forward, he shrieks, clinging tighter until the force of the move breaks his grip and sends him tumbling away into the dirt. He's dizzy and dazed and scared and he hears Lance's voice, raising his hand weakly to wave at him. He doesn't know where Lance is, can't get himself to get up

But then he hears something else. As far as they got, lying in the dirt makes them the perfect targets, and has waving also attracted the attention of the beast, who's making its way toward them with its awful tromping feet and growling breath. Wu squeaks and pulls himself up, getting dizzy all over again, but not dizzy enough not to face down the beast, his bloodlust coursing through him. ]

I can take you! Come on!

[ He has no weapon, no armor, nothing at all, but that isn't stopping him, and neither is the fear in the pit of his gut. ]

Y-yeah. Can definitely, definitely take you!

[Well, on the bright side: that sleeper toughness seems to have saved Wu from serious injury. One the down side… he forgot about how Wu is definitely very vulnerable to bloodlust. Luckily, he can sense the shift in Wu's emotional state before the guy starts trying to challenge the charging monster. But still, it's gonna be a close save.]

Wu no! Snap out of it, you absolutely can not take it!

[He yells as he starts to form a star between both hands, making it as dense as he can. Boy is he glad he gave them a bit of distance because it's just enough time to create the projectile and then fire it at maximum velocity at the monster right before it crushes Wu.

The creature gets launched backwards a good distance and lands on its side. Frantically, Lance also calls to Wu immediately before it hits:] Wu, get down on the ground now!

[Because a big shockwave is gonna knock him back and seriously hurt him if he doesn't. Lance runs over to Wu as well to throw up an energy-plasma bubble around him to help lessen the backlash.]

[ Wu was as ready as he could be to take on a big, scary monster, meaning: not at all. So when Lance's energy burst slams into it, Wu leaps back with a yelp, covering his head with his hands, and it means that when Lance yells at him to get down, he sure as hell gets down on the ground, crouching on his knees with his arms braced over his head, whimpering to himself.

What was he thinking? What was he thinking?! He can't take a monster! He's lucky Lance is here or he would be dead right now.

The plasma bubble is also very nice because that shock feels awful, he can feel it in his bones and he curls up tighter until it's over.

When it is, he peaks out from under his arms. He's covered in dust now, and the monster seems at least somewhat down for the count. ]

Did you do it? Is it, is it dead?

[That... took a lot. He's breathing heavily now standing just a few feet from Wu and he drops the shield so he can place his hands on his knees and breathe. He's learning a whole lot about what he can do today. For a long time he's been too afraid of his own power to explore it, but now he has no choice but to go all out if he wants to keep Wu rom getting killed.

He looks over to him as the dust starts to settle, still trying to catch his breath.] I dunno, I've never... done that before.

[Just as he finishes saying that, there's a groan from the beast and it stirs.]

[ Wu lets out a high pitches squeak and lurches toward Lance ]

Oh no oh please oh no let it be dead please let it be dead Lance I can't die like this I'm too young I have so much to do I can't die again please please please--

[ He's clinging to Lance's arm down, dusty and bruised and terrified and his fear is palpable through the touch. He doesn't know what to do, knows he's dead weight, knows that he might get taken over again by the bloodlust, that it might make him do something stupid again that will make this even harder and more dangerous for Lance ]

[Oh no, a panicking Wu is not what this situation needs right now, but he's not gonna shake him off and admonish him. Lance has experience feeling like the useless extra wheel and isn't about to enhance that feeling in someone else.]

Dude, hey. It's gonna be alright. [Gosh that fear is intense. Maybe he should give Wu a task…] We're gonna do it together, you trust me?

[Please god let him not be sending Wu into the jaws of death. Mako would probably kill him, but right now it seems like the best thing to help focus his friend's fear and bloodlust enough to keep him out of the way of danger.]

Yes. Yes? Yes, I trust you, Lance.

[ He's still holding tight, trying to get his breathing under control. He isn't helping, and he knows he isn't helping, but he's scared, so scared, and he doesn't want to die. He died already, once, and it's not something he wants to repeat ]

What, what do we do?!

[ He wishes he had any ideas, but his mind is static. ]

Okay, listen carefully. [He pulls Wu to face him and then places his hands on his shoulders.] I need you… to be bait.

[It's a long shot, but he has a back-up plan in mind in case it goes tits up. And to try and appease the bloodlust that may take over Wu, he explains, rocking Wu a bit with his grip in cadence with his words:] There's more than one way to kick a monster's ass, tricking it is one of the most courageous and coolest badass things you can do. So when you feel like you wanna fight it, just try and remember that. Alright? Stick to the plan.

Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan. Okay, okay! So I'm-- bait. That's the plan.

[ That isn't scary or terrifying at all. Wu stares up at Lance, trying and failing to hide his fear.

He takes a breath. Then another one. He trusts Lance. He can trust Lance. Right? Lance is a trustworthy guy. They've been through other stuff together! They can make it through this.

He grips Lance's wrist and nods firmly ]

I can do this. I can do this!

[ And with that, he lets go, gathering everything in him to yell like a maniac and run toward the monster, waving his arms and shouting: ]

I'M BAIT!

[For a moment, there, Lance is relieved because it seems like he got through to Wu. But all that comes crashing down as Wu starts rUNNING AT THE MONSTER AGAIN.

He stands in shock for just a moment before yelling and running after him.] WU NO! I HAVEN'T EVEN TOLD YOU THE PLAN AND THE BAIT RUNS AWAY FROM THE GIANT MONSTER!

[ Oh. Right. Away would have been smart. With a yell, Wu pivots on his heel and turns in the other direction, away from the monster and away from Lance ]

RIGHT, THE OTHER WAY! WE'RE RUNNING THE OTHER WAY! I CAN TOTALLY DO THIS! COME ON, MONSTER! COME AND GET ME!

[ Maybe this was the plan, maybe it wasn't, but he's running, as fast as he can, hoping that maybe this time he got it right ]

[Oh thank all the creepy dark gods of this fucked up place. Lance lets out a breath and watches as the monster gets a clue and starts chasing Wu. But before it can take more than a couple steps, he intercepts it with a large star right in its face.

It recoils at the brightness, and then he focuses on shrinking the star, condensing it and adding mass to increase its gravitational pull. The beast's feet drag in the dirt as it tries to get away, but it's locked into the star's orbit.

Lance looks over his shoulder at where Wu has gone to try and make sure he's still being bait, i.e., safely away from the action.]

Great job Wu! Now stay over there and make fun of it! Insults totally make it weaker!

[ Wu yelps at the crash of the monster and the star, ducking his head and stumbling.

But when he looks back, the monster is trapped in Lance's magic, and he's yelling at Wu and Wu can try that, can't he? He can totally insult this big, scary monster. ]

Yeah-- yeah! You fell for that, you big, big dummy! You thought you could get me-- hah! Not with my buddy Lance right there, boom, bam, he got you! Got you like the big sap you are! I bet you couldn't find a, an egg in a basket!

[Holding the monster like this in this trap has given him the time he needs to figure out where to hit it for maximum damage. But focusing like this is tough and he loses his focus when he laughs at Wu's insults. The star destabilizes and explodes, knocking him and the monster backwards. He manages to put up a shield to minimize the damage and keep it from reaching Wu.]

Oh man… [He groans from his spot in the dirt and then pulls himself up and sees the monster on its back.] Okay, I know what to do!

[And with that, he raises two fingers of one hand like finger guns and builds up a shot at the tips. Then he fires a star missile and guides it right into the weak point. Boom, dead monster. And then he falls back into the dirt.]

(closed)

Wu (bloodsport)

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