=>[MINI-META] The Decaying North Outgrowth

[saedusk]

There was a relief, warm and real, in the pit of Nahori's stomach as Sarcel finally seemed to snap back to sense. It dissipated quickly, though, seeing her face, her mangled eye, seeing Static take an awful cut right next to her. Now wasn't the time to grow complacent. Every night Nahori wondered if she was making any progress in her bid to improve herself. Well, the fact she could continue moving at all despite her fear pointed to yes.

"Oh... okay!" she replied, eyes darting around the room, checking everyone's status. She was quick to focus back in on the task she'd been given, though. Sucking in a sharp breath, she gave Aconan's shoulder a quick pat, trying her best to be comforting when she wasn't exactly good at it.

"Okay, let's go..." At Loupsus's urging, she grabbed on. She hoped Static wasn't too hurt...  

[Yamashii]

"Roa, let's go!" Volkei nodded in response to his orders. With so many trolls hurt, the uninjured ones needed to help the others escape. He agreed that a retreat was the best option for now. With Demari's help, the two of them pushed Kursha Vidari to ride on top of the tiger lusus. Mio wasn't happy to share his seat but crawled into the greenblood's lap so they would both fit.

"If I'd known about her before her death, I would've looked up to someone like Schrad." He confessed to Demari as they escaped to the darkness of the catacombs. "A lowblood who made it all the way to lieutenant. But she's not a hero, she's just a heartless murderer!" Why had someone like Schrad been a ruthless killer? Why had she murdered highbloods in life, was it some kind of rebellion against the hemospectrum? But then, why did she no longer discriminate now that she was dead? His pump biscuit beat fast in his chest as he thought hopelessly over these questions. He was too young to find any answers.

Volkei held onto Demari's hand as they wandered the catacombs after the adults. Sarcel would bring up the rear and he wanted to be close enough to hear if she fell under another attack.  

[Micillia]

Static Charge

He was feeling just a little dizzy. Maybe it was the blood loss, maybe it was the rush of adrenaline that came to counter the pain, maybe it was just the fact that he hadn't slept that well yesterday. He felt someone take his arm, and sort of recognized the voice. "Ah, thanks," He said quietly, the beat of his plump biscuit in his ears drowning out the rest of the world. He felt something soft, something warm and cuddly, as he was pushed onto Loupsus. Well, warm and cuddly was good, maybe he could just focus on that and ignore the pain, plumpbiscuit beats, and yells he heard elsewhere.  

[Hivestuck]

The knives fluttered and strained against the gale winds, red handprints finally flickering under the duress of Odette's psionics. They continued to take swipes at the retreating trolls - a few at the lusii and the slower escapees.  

[Melancholies]

The euphoric wear of adrenaline was starting to work against her. Psykgi's body should have been easy to pick up, and yet Sarcel's arms fought to work, her legs buckling underneath her from the weight of another body. If there was any sort of trait that Sarce was notable for, it was her sheer force of will and her tenacity. Fingers curled around the redblood's clothes, she watched as her invisibility began to spread.

Turning to see Odette, a wave of relief washed over her as she saw the wind working against the knives. They would be fine, they would be fine. She had to keep telling herself to believe in the trolls present.

She only flickered back to visibility when she trudged back towards Nahori, the weight of her psionics too stressful to bear for her current state. Heaving a heavy breath, she also assisted the duo in securing the injured to Loupsus' back.

"Are you ready?" She asked the group once Charge was also safely secured. For a moment, despite the intense need to hurry, she found herself admiring Nahori's quickness to act. She was starting to get it. Aconan too, for it was only just now that Sarcel noticed the tears and the green. Her words that she said to Demari and Vokei echoed in her head, be brave, be brace. These children should have never bore witness to this. They should have never gotten hurt. She would remember how she felt in this moments for sweeps to come, always reminding herself that she wasn't infallible, always using the shame to be stronger.

"Don't hesitate. Just jump. I'll..." Talking seemed to exhaust her, "I'll meet you down there."

Clasping the Nahori and Aconan on the shoulders, she waited for them both to descend. In the chaos, she called out one final time to Odette.

"Hurry down Cynget!" And then she wavered, her legs sore, her muscles aching. It wasn't a jump, nor was it a graceful fall. Instead, Sarcel staggered slowly, the fight having bled out of her, the force of the gale pushing against her battered body as she tipped backwards into the abyss.

 

[T-Kai]

Aconan helped as much as she could to tug the injured onto Loupsus, but one arm was bleeding copiously and she was still a child and therefore weaker - mostly her job was to tuck limbs into the harness carefully so they wouldn't jostle out when Loupsus jumped down.

And jump he did as soon as Sarcel gave the command, carefully picking Aconan up in his jaws again.

Usually, Aconan would protest such juveline treatment.....but honestly, right now it was comforting, as he leapt down into the catacombs, trying to keep the ride as stable as possible due to the injured packmates he was carrying- difficult though that was.  

[Hivestuck]

When all of the trolls have escaped...

A sound like nails being dragged down a chalk surface echoed through the entire mansion - starting low and rising to a din so loud it caused eyes to water. Shaking and rattling under the din, the already decimated kitchen began to crumble. Large slabs of wall caved inwards, the room literally crumbling to pieces.

As the last of the dust cleared, the rubble was silent and still, red lines and handprints alike gone. Where there was once a kitchen was now scattered debris, without so much as a single wall remaining upright. The area still bore a strange, tense atmosphere, but no furious phantoms appeared to continue the attack.  

[DraconicFeline]

Psy hadn't thought about how difficult it would be to track a weapon without a body to watch. Not that she'd ever been particularly good at that, but still - it was hard to know where it was going to go until... it... went.

Pain. Pain.

The knife had found one of the too many chinks in her guard, leaving behind all kinds of unpleasant sensations and far, far too much of her own blood.

Ma? Where are you? She was cold. She could feel herself getting pale, her blood rushing dizzyingly to her inner bits, to keep them safe.

It was just the ghost. She refused to pass out. But it was mesmerizing. Her blood, the dancing blade... You'll be stabbed if you keep staring like an idiot, come on Psy, snap out of it...

Wind got her attention, and she found herself, to her surprise, being protected. Wait, what? Odette Cygnet, the famous superstar of superstars, was doing... "What are you doing...?" she managed, a whisper against the wind. People didn't help her. Not out of the blue, not like that, not without something in return... right?

Psykgi swallowed and did her best to pull herself together when Caviap spoke to her. She gave her a shaky smile she hoped was reassuring... and that was all she remembered doing.  

[Hivestuck]

the summoning of

e̶͇͘p̷̳͗ŕ̷̲ă̶͉ţ̴̑t̴̜͆ ̸͙̐k̵͊ͅe̵̡̽w̵̧͐ṛ̴̋e̸̍ͅi̶̧̋

[blunderbuss] + [whale ammo] + [moustache wax] + [threats from children] + [lusus leather gloves] + [taxidermy] + [threats from adults]

Quote:

You place the items in the center of the block and wait...

 

[Micillia]

Static Charge

Static was actually glad Flydra had been there. He was not exactly comfortable when any of the Sirens were around, but between being with the Sirens, and bleeding to death? Her medical work was kinda a necessity after the Schrad summoning. Static was both apprehensive and relieved now. No kids had gotten hurt, but at the same time, many of the military trolls had gotten quite injured. One such troll was the greenblood Kursha, who was currently using Static as a support. Or more like, as a vehicle. Kursha was currently being carried on Static's back, and boy did the greenblood use his throne. Static had been worried at first, but the greenblood still had his usual demeanor. Truthfully, it was a relief. "Thanks again, Flydra." Static said, squeezing the other troll's shoulder. It was probably out of line, but, well, so was a ghost stabbing your leading officer in the face. "Um, Captain," Static said, trying not to move him or the greenblood too much. They had already lost plenty of blood. "I need to, um, set up Glamis's sensor thing..."

Yamashii

Green Minuet

 

[Green Minuet]

Captain Kursha Vidari

After exiting the catacombs, Kursha had dismissed Volkei and Demari's further insistence to help, redirecting them to Sarcel instead. Wrangling corporal Static Charge (ever present, ever convenient) into assisting him, he instructed the blueblood to take him to Flydra. He would not hear of going to the van parked outside, despite all protests. He made that emphatically clear with a slew of unsavory language and a loaded gun.

As it was, the blueblood was forced to drag him back into the north outgrowth. Kursha spied Flydra from afar, and told Static to hurry, urging him on with such verbal encouragement as “I could crawl faster than this,” and “Good thing I'm not bleeding out or anything.” He almost thought the blueblood seemed relieved to get away when Flydra finally intercepted them.

“Yeah, yeah. Go. Whatever. Leave me,” He waved a hand at Static, shooing him away with equal parts impatience and boredom. He slumped into a nearby chair, then took a breath to gather himself. His eyes swivelled towards the tealblood. “So, here's the lowdown, lieutenant,” he spoke matter-of-factly. “Took a knife in both legs and another in the back. Back hurts like a b***h, but it's the others I'm worried about. I've got feeling, but they're not working. Can you fix it?”

Somehow it sounded less like a question and more like a threat. The value of that threat seemed significantly less however, given his condition.

Micillia

I'm sorry he's an a**.

Yamashii

Flydra, bae, you're perfect.

 

[zeflamigo]

Stemma was apprehensive in time for this seance, especially after seeing the results from the other rooms. She hadn't considered the dangers of meeting with the seadweller, but he did have a reputation for violence. At least it was violence against non-trolls. Perhaps he was one of the more innocent of the parties involved, when put in that light.

Still, she was slow to help set up for this seance. When she finished, she backed up, keeping her distance this time around.  

[ImaginationsParadise]

With the whale ammo in her arms, Dalema skipped into the block with a big smile. There were plenty of trolls here she hadn't met before but it didn't matter, it'd be fun nonetheless! Comedi's seance sure was fun so she expected this one to be as equally as fun!

She let down the ammo with a thud and almost squished her little foot with it.  

[T-Kai]

Fletch save!  

[Yamashii]

"I can get your legs working temporarily and block the pain. But you will need more work after this is over." Flydra looked over Kursha's almost pitiful form with blood leaking out from his back and legs. Whatever had happened in that room with Schrad had not gone well. Almost everyone that had returned had been covered in serious injuries. The image of Sarcel's face had actually given Flydra chills.

"This will hurt. But it will feel better soon." She tugged at Kursha's pants to get a shot at the skin underneath them to look for a good vein. Pulling some needles out of her kit, she administered a painkiller first followed by a set of steroids. Too much use of these would have terrible side effects and damage down the road but they really needed the commander to help with this seance. Who knew what could go wrong this time?

"You've got about two hours now. After that, you'll be back where you started or worse. Come to the clinic when we're done here and I'll sew you up for real." She began to wrap the injuries with bandage after disinfecting them with some chemicals and gauze. The wounds were still pretty fresh and going to take some time to clot.

"All done. Be careful."