seasonsrpg | march catch-all.

[ no need to talk about the other quest. it's finished and therefore done & done. ]

[ kaveh shakes his head as he wanders away from alhaitham, mehrak at his side. ] No. But I am curious... if the ship's supposed to be abandoned, then why couldn't he come here and get the materials? It shouldn't be dangerous, right? [ there's got to be a reason, and it's probably lurking below deck. ]

Why are all of these people posting commissions so damn vague?

It was abandoned by humans. I surmise that it wasn't abandoned by all living beings.

[ His attention sharpens when he hears the sound of movement coming from below their feet, glancing toward the nearest hole in the wood. ]

And unfortunately for us, we don't have any familiarity with the local wildlife.

No? [ it takes a lot to keep from laughing in disbelief. ] Did none of those books you had your nose in tell you anything about the creatures here? [ his eyes drop to the deck as he hears the skittering and he jumps back, catching sight of something disappearing back into the depths. he squints, curious, but not curious enough to stoop down and take a closer look. ]

[ he's playing it safe[r] this time. ] ...well whatever it is we should be able to handle it just fine between the two of us.

Unfortunately, that was the next set of books I'd been planning to read. The previous ones were focused on peaceful creatures.

[ Truly an unfortunate matter of timing. ]

[ At that sudden sound though, he summons out a Chisel Light Mirror to help light the darkness, sending it over with a wave of his hand. ]

Be prepared to retreat as well.

Of course. [ how convenient!!! not that kaveh had done his research. he had instead been finding the best hot spots for food & drink... but that's important too! ]

Alright. [ he follows alhaitham, summoning mehrak to his side in case he needs to pull out his claymore. ] What do you think could be lurking in the depths of an abandoned pirate ship anyway?

Edited 2023-03-21 20:51 (UTC)

Numerous marine wildlife that reside in near-shore or shallow waters would be our most probable culprit.

[ He catches that glimmer of something shining skittering away from the light of his mirror, eyes narrowing as he approaches the hole. ]

If we're unlucky, we're on top of a nesting ground.

... [ kaveh frowns. ] Let's hope not. [ since that's going to mean that 1) this place is going to be crawling with whatever chose to make its nest here and 2) the parents are going to be pissed about the intrusion. ] If we spot anything we should try to steer clear. Avoid provoking it anymore than we already ha- [ kaveh steps back as he, too, sees something skitter beneath the deck. ]

Do we really have to go down there?

If we want any sort of reward, it'll be down there.

[ This time he summons out three mirrors to send down into the hole, each one reflecting light into each other to light the space and- ]

[ And that's a lot of wiggling and eyes being reflected. ]

--Kaveh, get somewhere higher up!

[ Because they're about to be number 1: flooded with whatever chose to make its nest here. ]

[ kaveh takes several steps backward, even going as far to move up the set of stairs behind him. mehrak moves in front of him, sword at the ready. ] What did you see down there?! [ all the shouting is making him nervous! and anxious!! especially when he didn't see a damn thing!!! ]

Cats-

[ As ridiculous as it sounds, the evidence shows itself via octokittens emerging out of the hole. At least a dozen of them are climbing out, hissing viciously and swiping with their limbs while more start to climb over the edges of the ship on either side of them. Alhaitham brings up his sword to block an incoming tenta... leg? Attack? With a grunt. ]

Watch out, they're stronger than they look.

[ ...and just like that kaveh is staring down alhaitham like he's managed to grow a couple of extra limbs. ] Cats? Are you ser- [ but then he sees the strange feline like creatures climbing up from the depths of the ship, even coming up from the sides, swarming them like they're going to make them their next meal. ]

What are these things?! [ mehrak blocks tentacle strikes left and right, moving back toward alhaitham, because he's sorely tempted to grab his arm and yank him straight off the ship. ]

Cats.

[ He's absolutely saying that in a tone of 'can't you tell by now?' because well. Look at them. ]

[ They're at least mostly cat-like. ]

[ Summoning out three mirrors, he infuses his sword with dendro to use in unison with his mirrors and fend off those that are coming up in front of him, backing away to Kaveh's position as he does. But his mirrors keep getting grabbed and it's Not Looking Good. ]

There's too many of them.

...that! is not a cat!! [ he points at the thing as he has mehrak continue blocking incoming attacks. he's at least thankful there's some water around the ship, because as he uses his dendro abilities cores start popping up all over - eventually bursting and causing some beautiful bloom damage. ] Get back here. [ he tries to grab at alhaitham, to yank him back, mehrak moving out in front to stop his greatsword into the ship's deck. vines spill out from the point of contact and start grabbing at anything in their path - mainly the 'cats'. ]

This should keep them busy for a bit. [ making shit up as i go. ]

[ Sometimes he is sharply reminded that Kaveh has some strength to him and moments where he's being physically yanked back from the enemy is one of them. He just manages to keep his balance at the unexpected redirectioning, but has to bring up his sword quickly to block a sudden incoming spray of ink coming in their direction. He can feel some of it splattering against his bared upper arm, but there's no burning sensation with it thankfully. ]

We need to get rid of them in one fell move- how much longer can you keep them restrained?

...yeah. [ he murmurs under his breath, more to himself, since he's searching for something. ] If more of them don't show up, then I should be able to do so for a few minutes. [ he would have assumed longer to start, but it seems like the octokitties are starting to gnaw through the roots. ]

Alhaitham, there. [ he points at the mask, which is already in shit shape, but with a bit more convincing it could probably be toppled. ] Do you think you could get it to fall. I can get them in its path if you think so.

On it.

[ Getting any further overwhelmed meant that they'd have to abandon this mission and Alhaitham didn't particular want for this one to have troubles also. He'll make use of his flash-step like skill to move himself over to the mast, glancing back to make sure Kaveh's still good before summoning out his mirrors again. He uses the light reflection again to help in cutting through the rotting wood of the mast, an effort that takes a bit of time but once it's done he'll use his body to push his weight against the mast. ]

Incoming!

[ kaveh summons another horde of dendro tentacles, all of which immediately start groping and grabbing at the octokitties that manage to break free of the first gnarled bunch. mehrak keeps kaveh safe as he takes care of the cats attempting to break his concentration, but as soon as the mast falls it crushing the majority of the cats. kaveh breaths a small sigh of relief, the deck going silent, but there are probably more of them hidden below... they've just realized that the two scholars are a force to be reckoned with. ]

Are you alright, Alhaitham? [ he motions to his arm. ]

[ Good. This should make their search a little easier if these creatures have learned caution. Still, they should do their best to keep alert, especially since the ship was probably even more structurally weakened by their little escapade. ]

[ The adrenaline of the moment... doesn't wear off like it would normally now that things have settled for the time being. Alhaitham's no fool and doesn't miss that his body stays hot with energy... and there's a growing stirring in his head that he can't pinpoint yet. ]

... No. I think there may have been some sort of psychoactive drug in that.

...no? [ that's not the answer he had hoped for. kaveh feels his own breath hitching as the panic begins to set in. he approaches alhaitham, reaching to take him the shoulder. ] Psychoactive drug? [ r- really? he didn't think the octocats were going to wind up being poisonous? venomous? he supposes in the end it doesn't matter, because now he needs to find some kind of reversing agent. ]

We need to get out of here then, before it gets worse. [ the more active he is the more it's going to travel throughout his body and affect him. ] Off the ship, Alhaitham, now. [ he's not budging on this. the 'loot' is not worth whatever this 'drug' is doing to him. ]

[ That feeling grows and grows, itching at his senses and when he can finally put a name to it, his head snaps up, looking at Kaveh as he raises an arm to push him back and towards the boat himself. ]

No-! You need to get out of here first, Kaveh. I'm losing control.

[ kaveh's not expecting to be shoved, so he stumbles back, grabbing a hold of a broken bit of railing to keep from falling over. ] No, I'm not leaving. [ his heart is hammering in his chest as his concern peaks. ] Not like this, not while you're affected by this toxin. [ he swallows, wondering just how the hell he's meant to fix this. ]

[ he summons mehrak to his side and grabs his greatsword, motioning for the briefcase to grab one of the octocats. ] Bring it back to the guild and see if there's not some kind of antidote. Hurry. [ mehrak does as he's instructed and hurries off, and while kaveh knows he needs to try to remain calm he can't stand seeing alhaitham, the epitome of calm, cool, and collected, begin to lose himself to this insanity. ]

No matter what I'm not leaving you.

[ Why are you so damn stubborn, Kaveh!! ]

[ Not that Alhaitham is a man of grace and patience himself, but at this moment it's the last thing he wants to run into. He can already feel the edges of his control slipping, his grip on the sword in his hand tightening as the urge to attack climbs higher and higher. ]

Damnit Kaveh-

[ There's a growl in his voice that's almost never there. ]

Listen... to me-!

[ Kaveh hadn't been there to see him acting the role of a man overtaken by the insanity brought forth via using a Forbidden Knowledge capsule, but he was about to get a firsthand look himself. And this time, he wasn't acting. ]

No, [ kaveh stands his ground, although the sudden snarly undertone in alhaitham's voice does send a shiver down his spine. he's never heard anything like that come from him. ] contrary to popular belief, Alhaitham, you're not always right. [ he's just going to have to let this run its course, huh, and he can at least be a little thankful that they're both basically in the middle of nowhere, so he doesn't have to worry about anybody else getting dragged into this. ] I'm not leaving. I'm going to help. [ somehow. ]

[ kaveh summons another couple of vines, but instead of immediately creeping onto the deck and making themselves obvious they hang back... ready to reach out and snare alhaitham should kaveh find himself overwhelmed. ]

[ It's an extremely good call on Kaveh's part to prep himself because it takes only a second for Alhaitham to fully lose himself to the toxin. He doesn't even have time to argue one last time; he can feel his mind blanking out and a surge of rage flood through him that screams at him to attack. Attack the octokittens, attack the ship, attack Kaveh. ]

[ In a flash, he's launching himself straight at the older man and maybe it's a good thing that he doesn't have his mind about him to use his teleportation ability, because it gives Kaveh just enough time to counter him. ]

[ as soon as kaveh sees alhaitham's muscles tense like he's getting ready to spring for an attack he's bringing his greatsword up to block. their blades inevitably clash, and kaveh digs his heels into the deck to avoid getting pushed too far back from the momentum, alone. ] Alhaitham, can you even hear me? [ he shoves him away and drives his greatsword into the deck, which has already sustained a lot of damage from their earlier shenanigans. the begins to crumble, and kaveh quickly hops backward to avoid getting dropped into the deck below. he hears the octokitties scattering and several of them abandon the ship, which is great, because that's one less thing he has to deal with. ]

Do you know what you're doing?

march catch-all.

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