[closed] mission: Hot Springs Episode!!

[illusionistic]

who: Aeacinos and whoever signed up here~
what: completing the hotsprings episode.
when: April 17th-19th
where: Beyond the wall!
warnings: Probably violence.



[ After sending out a mission transmission for whoever wants to help clean up the abandoned and overgrown hotsprings, Aeacinos will wait outside the wall for whoever decided to show up. He has a lot of food and supplies in hefty sized bags at his side so that there's enough for a few days worth of traveling. ]

Comments

Introductions - traveling to the site

[illusionistic]

[coquere]

[Hearing that Noct was going on this adventure meant that of course Ignis was coming along as well. And being Ignis, he brought along things for preparing meals. They'll be hungry after clearing the hot springs. He had a good idea of how many people to account for so there should be enough to go around when they get to that point.

Until they get there, though, he will stick close to the prince. He's courteous and polite enough to the others who are on this mission, but he doesn't really go out of his way to speak with them. He wants to keep his focus on Noctis]

[bottombitch]

[ Listen, no one marches into the great lunar wilderness on an empty stomach. So when they've stopped to rest, Aoba has swung into action. Where he lacks in combat ability, he makes up for in industriousness -- helping to set up camp and even ready to assist with meals. Although, he notes, there's one among them that seems to be a wizard when it comes to cooking. ]

...Um, do you want some help?

[ He asks one night, approaching the chef before the usual time he sets about cooking dinner. He's seen him do some incredible things with simple fare, and he likes to cook -- is notoriously bad at baking, but maybe he can learn a thing or two from this guy. ]

[coquere]

[Watching Aoba at work reminds him of Gladio. He eased right into the routine of how he always set up to cook while they were camping. So when Aoba actually offers to help, it takes him by surprise]

I admit I'm more accustomed to cooking for only four. Your assistance would be welcome.

[bottombitch]

[ Complete with a godawful mullet. Only blue. And the owner is scrawny even if you stood him next to a certain sleepy prince. Aoba's timid approach is largely because he's not quite sure if a man who is quite this talented at cooking would welcome his request, but fortune favors the bold and all that. His reply makes Aoba break out into a wide smile. ]

Great! [ He stands there, looking expectantly at Ignis. ]

...Um, what are we making?

[happiertimes]

[Cullen is, surprisingly, relaxed for a man walking with a group of like-minded individuals who are going to kill monsters. It's not at all a problem for him, since it gives him both the opportunity to leave the confines of the Quarantine with the chance to see action and the ability to possibly use this trip to possibly relax.

Despite the fact that everyone he's ever met (outside of his family, that is) thinks he's incapable of doing so, Cullen actually wants to not be 'on' all the time. Nonetheless, he's got sword, shield and sidearm well within reach and he's attempting to keep at least one eye out for any danger.

And if he's keeping a certain blonde within his line of vision, that cannot be proved.]

[tevinteraltus]

[ In all honesty, it hadn't taken much of an effort on Cullen's part to get Dorian here. He was bright-eyed and bushy tailed even, most likely at the prospect of stretching is wings, so to speak. Cullen, of course, was just as rigid as he ever was, and Dorian smiled slightly at the Commander as he stepped into stride beside him. ]

Are we off to war then, Commander?

[happiertimes]

[To be honest, he hadn't really thought it would take that much to get Dorian to agree to come along. Hot springs, a chance to fight, the opportunity to leave the Quarantine, and meet new people at the same time, it was like whomever had thought this up had Dorian in mind.

And he is not rigid. He's disciplined. :|]

From what I understand, we will have our work cut out for us when we get there. It's supposed to be overrun with all sorts of creatures.

[tevinteraltus]

[Yes, of course, Cullen. AS disciplined as a steel supporting pole. Rather "disciplined" indeed.]

Ah, I see.

[It isn't the first creature infested ruin he's ever trod into with a crew of unlikely but like-minded men and women of the Inquisition, and it would likely not be the last. It was...comfortable in a way he hadn't really anticipated, but he liked it.]

Any chance we might encounter normal-sized pests?

[It's clear from his tone he feels that's unlikely.]

[illusionistic]

[ For the most part Aeacinos will be leading the way to the hotsprings themselves. He's a sight to behold as his long 35 foot tail stretches out behind him. But he's open to conversation should anyone wish to do so.

During the evening hours he'll patrol, his eyesight better than most, as golden serpentine eyes might trail on anyone who tries to sneak up on him. He looks pensive though as he stares up into the starry night sky, lost in thought for a moment or two. ]

You should make your presence known beforehand. In these woods it is easy to think of someone as a beast or monster during the night.

[ He'll state as his tail undulates a little. ]

[tevinteraltus]

[ Dorian does have rather interested eyes for that...rather impressive tail...in a thoroughly academic capacity, mind you. That being said, he's always up for a bit of casual conversation, clad in enchanted robes and leathers as he was, and wielding an impressive staff. ]

I quite agree, though how would you have us go about it? Shall we choose some sort of call-sign?

Clearing the hotsprings

[illusionistic]

[stumbledfromtheashes]

Fighting monsters. It almost feels like home. Granted, they’ve never cleared out hot springs before, but they have cleared out a considerable number of caves and ruins. And at least there’s not the greater threat of Corypheus hanging over her head. Or Venatori trying their level best to kill her.

It makes everything simpler.

She could do without the giant spiders, here, though. As familiar as fighting them is. “Thought I was bloody free of you lot,” she mutters under her breath, gracefully dodging the web one of them flings at her, before darting forward to slash at it with her daggers. Instinct and familiarity makes her pivot sharply and side-step, as something green shoots past her.

"And some of you are poisonous. Of course."

[bottombitch]

Aoba's kitted out with a helmet and lightly shaded visor to protect his eyes, and padded gloves and attire that designates him as someone from Salvage and Repair. He hugs a bag close to his body as he drops down to a defensive stance, but despite being a scrapper (no pun intended) back home, he's easily outclassed by most of the heroes here in Quarantine.

Case in point, the very acrobatic elf making him feel like he should reconsider his personal aversion to firearms. He's pretty much a liability, especially when those terror-inducing spiders are jetting poisonous venom at them from afar.

"As if this couldn't get any worse...!" Aoba hisses under his breath, but as much as he's trying to stay out of the way, some rustling from behind draws his attention. One spider has managed to jump behind him and is closing in fast. He stumbles, his legs getting tangled up as he tries to run away and just ends up landing on his ass instead. "Shit!"

[stumbledfromtheashes]

The sound of trouble draws Iona’s attention, and she half-spins to catch sight of one of her questmates in quite a LOT of trouble. “Fen’Harel’s fucking asshole,” she spits, driving one of her daggers into the leg of the first spider harrying her, pinning it in place so she can deal with it in a second. She flings her second into the hide of the poisonous one and it shrieks in pain at the impact.

With the two immediate threats to her dealt with for the moment she’s turning on her heel and dashing towards the trouble, drawing a third blade as she runs. She doesn’t have much in the way of a plan beyond keeping a teammate safe. Dorian was probably going to kill her (Cullen too, maybe), but she can deal with that later.

He’s on his ass and the bloody spider is charging at him and there’s no time, so she goes with the course of action that makes the most sense and guarantees his safety. She leaps over his prone form and takes the brunt of the charge, deflecting the spider from its chosen target.

The spider barrels into her and she lets out a muffled grunt as it drives her off balance; she hits the ground with a hiss of pain, the spider on top of her hissing and shrieking. “If I never fight another one of you it will be too bloody soon,” she retorts, voice tight with effort as she works to keep the spider at arm’s length and get leverage enough to hit it somewhere vital.

She drives it up into the thing’s underbelly and it shrieks in pain. Pulling back, she stabs it a second time, twisting the blade before wrenching it hard to the side all but eviscerating it; there’s another agonised shriek as it weakly scurries off of her in its death throes.

“I hate those things,” she mutters, making no attempt yet to actually MOVE from where she lays on the ground.

[tevinteraltus]

It was the scuttling, not long after Iona and one of their merry band ran off into the the damned corridor's ahead that caught his attention. In all his 30 years before heading to Ferelden, he'd never encountered one over-sized spider. Now, after their countless escapades, explorations, and narrow escapes, he was practically a veteran of the mutant vermin wars. That was most certainly chitin on stone.

Damn. Dorian could move at a quick pace when he needed to, though, and he was to them in seconds, only, in that time, Iona had already felled three of the beasts, though by the scratching sounds along the adjoining corridors, the victory was temporary. Olive eyes, sharp with adrenaline at this point, scanned the room, noted Iona's location (prone, not good) and the other one, Aoba he believed, also crouched on the floor (also not good).

"You couldn't have waited, could you?"

He was, of course, addressing his surrogate sister as he raised a hand above head as he centered himself in the room, assuring the shield would hit them all. A dome of green energy erupted from his hand, encircling them all and then shattering an instant later, raining down upon each of them. Where it hit was warm, like a comforting embrace, before it dissipated. Then he looked to Aoba.

"You should right yourself, if you're fit to. More are coming, I suspect from the skittering. The shield should keep their sharpest bits from getting to you, but you'd be wise to avoid the poison." And to Iona. "No rest for the wicked as they say."

closed to aeacinos; might get spicy

[bottombitch]

[ Aoba's been trying to hold his own, and for the most part he's kept out of the way of the others who are clearly better fighters than he is... but when you're the salvage and repair guy, your task is clear... and you become that much larger a target when you're not actively trying to fight monsters.

Aoba is in the middle of clearing a pipe and reattaching replacement parts to allow the steady flow of hot spring water into the various pools in this place, restoring the functionality of a dilapidated bathhouse when he's confronted with vicious monsters who would rather he serve as dinner. Huge wild dogs with bristling and venous quills on it's back pounce on him, causing him to shout in alarm. It's taloned paws pin him despite the way he tries to throw it off with an old pipe pressing against it's throat, but long lines of heavy drool drip from it's fangs onto his padded clothes as he chokes out a cry for help.

He's losing strength, and he needs help fast! ]

Aa-- Aeacinos?! Someone!! Help!!

spicy noodle to the rescue

[illusionistic]

[ Of course Aeacinos has been making his rounds to make sure those who were actively restoring the bath house had ample time and protection to do so. But he is only one person and even he makes mistakes. His first one was letting Aoba out of sight, knowing the other's lack in self defense and magical protection.

So when he hears him calling from across the bath house he's immediate in his course of action to attack the dogs that have found themselves a tasty human snack. Aoba won't have to worry for long before a large tail sweeps in, knocking the beasts several feet across the yard into the surrounding forest. Aeacinos will curl around Aoba with a snarl, fangs exposed and claws at the ready. ]

Are you unharmed? [ His voice is deep, rough, as he turns to give Aoba a once over. The dogs themselves look terrified and all but one backs away. The pack leader, the one that had initially pinned Aoba in the first place, will lunge at Aeacinos. But he'll easily grab it by the scruff of its neck, yelps filling the yard as it tries to snap and claw at Aeacinos' arm. Those quills coming dangerously close to stabbing Aeacinos but a portion of his tail will wrap around them, holding them in place. It gets a few bites in before Aeacinos will just...launch it into the forest, a resounding crack heard as it hits a tree hard enough to splinter the trunk. The other feral dogs will take that as a sign to leave, Aeacinos's tail slamming onto the ground will make it painfully clear who is in control of the situation as he finally turns to Aoba with a look of concern. ]

You should have not have been here by yourself.

Now I'm hungry

[bottombitch]

[ Fast, Aoba notes, as the huge snake rolls in, sliding around him and shielding him from any attacks with a speed that sends Aoba into a stunned sprawl, clutching at the scaly trunk of the body as he tries to regain his balance. He watches him throw the pack into a chaos, routing them with the strength and fury of a storm. It's terrifying, but Aoba feels relief spreading through him instead. It's sights like these that remind Aoba that he's in the company of something truly otherworldly, maybe even divine (or demonic, depending on how you look at it) -- Aeacinos in that half-man, half-snake form is a monster himself, a construct of dense muscle, scales and savage fangs and claws. His voice sounds like it could command an army or terrify it. Aoba suddenly feels like his legs are made of water after seeing him make quick work of the wild dog-like monsters.

I'm glad he's on our side...

When the man turns, his scaly eyes pinched with concern, Aoba scrambles to his feet, looking very much shaken and unsteady, but he's otherwise fine. ]

I know -- I just -- I left my bag and...! Those things came out of nowhere...!

[ His bag, but it doesn't just contain possessions that can be replaced. Ren is in there, curled up into a ball of dark blue fluff in Sleep Mode. He couldn't leave him there all alone, even if he's just an Allmate. He pulls his back a little tighter against his body, defensively shielding it as he struggles to catch his breath and settle his heart. His pulse is running wild, his body drenched in adrenaline and sweat from exertion. He's safe, thanks to Aeacinos, but it was his fault for putting himself in harm's way.

And his fault for Aeacinos getting hurt shielding him. Aoba's eyes fall to where the hound had chomped at him and puts his hands out in alarm, trying to get a good look at him for signs of injury. ]

You're bit! Are you okay?

same ):

[illusionistic]

[ Aeacinos will just watch the forest before his attention is brought back to Aoba. He'll give him a worried look as he moves to lean in closer, head tilting to the side as he finally looks at his own bleeding arm. Hrm. He hadn't even felt that. ]

It is fine. This is nothing. It will heal and scar, but I am more concerned about you. That beast did not bite you, did it?

[ His tone is definitely worried and caring as he gives Aoba a once over with those reptilian eyes. ]

Celebratory finish!

[illusionistic]

[happiertimes]

[The fighting is over and the area is cleared of any creepy crawlies and monsters that go bump in the night. Cullen is tired and covered in things that he doesn't even want to think about. All he wants to do is get some of the aches out of his muscles from all the work he's put them through with this trip.

But now that the water is working and the springs actually seem to be in order, he is more than ready to put his normal stressors aside for a while.

After he's stripped of everything and all the grime, dirt and sweat is rinsed from his body, Cullen wastes no time in wrapping a towel around his waist and heading out to the pools to find one that he feels will be the most comfortable for a few hours.]

[stumbledfromtheashes]

[They are of a similar mind; once the hot springs are sorted Iona’s first thought had been to find one of the deepest, warmest pools she could find and soak away some of the aches and pains from the fight. It’s a good ache, though, the sort she’s missed since coming here. Or perhaps it’s that she’s missed feeling useful.

She made short work of removing her armour and weapons until she was down to nothing at all, rinsing off the dirt and sweat and stealing away to the aforementioned deepest and warmest pool.

Which is where she is now, submerged up to her shoulders in the steaming water, her damp blonde hair pinned messily up off her face as she closes her eyes and revels in the heat. It feels bloody fantastic.

The sound of soft footsteps draws her attention.]

[happiertimes]

[He's not really looking to see who is where in the area. He's perfectly fine taking a soak in a pool with a stranger, be they male or female. But he needs the right temperature, the right pool.

He passes by three that are a little cooler than he would like and a fourth that is too hot unless you're made of rock. The fifth, he dips his foot into the water. It's just right. He has his legs up to his knees in the water before he sees who else is there.]

Inqui- [No, he's not sure that he can go back to the formality he might have insisted before. Or that she will try to insist.] Iona.

[stumbledfromtheashes]

There’s something to be said for the simple familiarity of fighting monsters. It reminds her of home and Creators, she’s enjoyed feeling useful, here. Doing something beyond working at Graymarye and reading every book she can get her bloody hands on.

But the monsters have been battled, and the hot springs cleared, and it is time to test them out. She is aching and covered in the sort of gunk she hasn’t been since home.

She makes short work of stripping out of her weapons and armour and rinsing all the dirt sweat and grime off before wrapping a towel securely around her and finding one of the deepest and warmest pools she can to soak away the aches and pains of the fight in.

It’s bloody delightful.