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(( Ronan --> Anita, Duncan ))

Shortly after arriving, his head had begun to throb.

It was a staccato drum roll in his cranium, a constant pounding that leeched at his vision and awareness of the surroundings. Had... had he actually gotten a concussion back there? Lack of food, water? Or maybe it was the malevolent weight of that eye, digging into his magic sensitivity like a rusty fish hook.

"Ronan! Oh my god. Here, let me take him so you can rest."

He felt his weight transferred over, turning to see the girl he had met just a day ago on the bus. "Anita..." Gun shots rang in his ears and his perception swam, him wondering for a moment if he were back in the navy and they had engaged the enemy. But no, that had been years ago. Then there came the screaming. He wasn't sure if it had started awhile ago or if he were just now hearing it. A wave of energy washed over him and there was a sudden sickening throb in his head, good hand flying up to clutch his forehead. The bandage broke under the touch, blood trickling down his face. "What... what the hell is going on over there?"

At this point he was unable to notice those next to him with the way the world now swam, barely registering as he was set down on the ground.

(( Duncan --> Ronan, Jeremy ))

Before any sense of relief could settle in him, a piercing shriek from the spider Raevan ripped through the air. Upon looking forward, Duncan noticed Anastacia writhing on the floor, his focus further dulled by the high-pitched noise. He could register that this was one of the few Raevans he knew. She was in pain-- he had to help.

Yet, just as Duncan stood straight to make his way towards the Raevan, Troxel-- the man who had briefly introduced himself to him-- stepped away and shouted, his voice clear even over Anastacia's own. Duncan listened complacently as Troxel threw the chemlights over to its designated station. Once Anita started to move, Ronan in tow, Duncan hesitated for only a moment before following closely behind her. He knelt over and stared at the sparse medical supplies left over. He felt his back and recalled that the Sigel had his supplies, and he stared helplessly out towards the forest.

"He's already wrapped up but can you give him a once over?" Duncan glanced back at Anita and nodded. "I've got it. I'll help you bring the other injured folk over here once he's alright." He patted Anita's hand as she gripped his sleeve and watched her go, fighting back the looming sense of impending panic as she left his side. Two gunshots rang through the forest and Duncan reeled in the shock and aftereffects it had on his hearing, which began with a series of sharp rings and gradually died down into one persistent pitch.

"What... what the hell is going on over there?"

"One of the Raevans are in trouble," Duncan spoke louder than he possibly needed to, given his now-impaired hearing, I believe Mr. Troxel is trying to get rid of whatever it is over there... don't-- don't you worry about them, though, you must stay awake." He grimaced and studied Ronan's primary wound, the gaping, bleeding injury over his arm. The blood on it was seeping through shockingly quickly, and Duncan went to reach for the roll of Gauze-- to their misfortune, it was nearly gone, and there were still others who needed the attention. Fortunately for him, Lazarus-- and soon after that, Jeremy-- burst into the forest clearing, both with more supplies.

"Just a moment," Duncan hastily went over to pick up his own backpack, as the other supplies went rightfully to Iorek and Zeke, who was also worse for wear. He quickly knelt beside Ronan and rummaged through his supplies, and was successfully able to find a bottle of painkillers. He took out two pills.

"We don't have any water for now, but you need to stay awake-- take this ibuprofen. Has someone already sterilized your wounds? Are you hurt anywhere else?" He spoke as loudly as he could above the din of the chaos behind him, but Duncan remained blissfully unaware of the situation that quickly arose with Rivener.

Then, of course, he glanced back. A parade of Raevans and a shock of noise sounded from a Raevan he was unfamiliar with, one with dull brown hair and antlers. Anastacia was still welling with pain, and the humans were still divisive among the chaos. And then there was Jeremy, who was working his way up towards the source of it all.

He was holding... a vial?

"Jeremy! Why are you preserving it?! We can barely contain it! Please, help us get rid of it! TELL US WHAT TO DO!"

Rivener, under the eye's spell, had escalated the situation rather quickly. If Cesc had not tackled Rivener in time, and the scorpion reached and touched the golden eye, he too would have suffered a similar fate as Kyou, falling unconscious and being stuck in the most horrible of nightmares until your body gave way.

Something happened when the young Frei's body made contact with the Sigel though. Rivener didn't really see what hit him, but his world suddenly turned topsy turvy and he had the wind knocked out of him as he fell. And suddenly, he realized he was back at the site where they found Zul's supposed remains. Only... Rivener was alone, not with Eiry or Ronan, and Zul... was alive... at least for just a moment. There was a bright light that blinded Rivener, coming from Zul's core. Then with an agonizing scream the baphomet's body cracked and he exploded into little bits, his blood came out like burning hot lava, splattering everywhere. Zul was there, and then he was not. It was like a cruel joke as the stone laid in the middle of the pentagram, just like how Rivener had found it before.

The eye did not flinch at the brawl starting before it, it remained still, floating above the pillar of black fire as it searched for it's next target. It was like it's job is done when someone falls under it's spell, and it would actively look for another one. Like it was a machine, emotionless, reaction-less, operating for one and only one purpose - to realize one's deepest fears in their hearts. However one reacted when that happens, is really none of it's business.

It didn't take long to find it's next target, one just a little younger than the one that just fell under his spell, a particularly vulnerable target.

As LuLu stare at the eye, seemingly in a daze, the earth suddenly began to shudder and quake under her. In her eyes, she looked around and everyone seemed shocked and clueless of what happened. But suddenly the cliff gave way under them and they plunged into the darkness beyond. Everyone was screaming, horrifying hollow screams as they disappeared into the blackness, along with the bunny as well. LuLu could not see the end of her fall as gravity pulled her down. Her wings seemed useless as he continued to fall. But surely there is an end somewhere? An end that she could not see. How far is it? Could it be thousands of feet away, or just a hundred or so? It could just be right before her and she couldn't even see it.

((Pasha >> Rivener, Cesc, Eiry, Laz, the Eye))

Melisande pressed her lips together, eyes still locked onto the Scorpion as he lunged forward. For a moment, she didn't respond to Eiry's hurt words, simply giving her head a shake in response. It wasn't until Cesc slammed into the Rivener that she winced and spoke.

"Once you've lost someone, you realize..." She reached a hand towards the Frei and Sigel as they grappled, but withdrew it slowly. Coming between them wouldn't help. "...there is nothing you wouldn't do to save someone you love."

The pain in her voice was a mirror to Rivener's expression, but it was lost in the din of the battle. Melisande still floated in the center of it, looking far more serene than she felt. Her stomach was twisting for the Scorpion, for the Stag, for the Doctor under the terrible beast. But it wasn't until the words left her that suddenly things began to fall into place.

Nothing you wouldn't do to save someone you love.

Rivener was screaming, incoherent, but it was Zul's face she suddenly remembered. The unforgivable thing that he had done...had that been the reason? Shock coursed through her, and Pasha's wings snapped open reflexively. She had exiled Zul for the very thing she'd just asked of Rivener!!

Melisande folded her hands over her stomach and bent, slowly pulling her wings in tight. The terrible scene around her had finally started to sink in. The Frei in the mud, thrashing as though she were being burned alive, the terrible shrieks of the injured and the frightened. She felt stunned, ill, and completely powerless. But her mind hadn't changed...they needed to take action, not just scream and suffer.

They needed...Zul.

Flashes of Roux, frozen and bloodied and burning, made her tighten her hands against her stomach. The Demon wasn't here, and he was the only one aside from Rivener that could do what needed done. Pasha lifted her eyes to Laz, and grief tore at her over his helpless expression. Closing the distance, she tried to settle one shaking hand on Laz's arm.

She couldn't kill something the way the other Sigels could. But she would have given her life to protect Zavier...and she knew Kyou was that important to Laz, if not to all of them. "I'll try. I'll try to help him." Melisande said, quietly. Her blue eyes searched the Fire Sigel's face for a moment before she gave him a squeeze.

Her petal tangled hair laid over her shoulders like a mantle as she turned, eyes seeking Kyou under the mass of shadow. Jeremy was near, but he seemed to be doing everything but helping. The Muse took a breath, closed one hand again around the ring over her heart, and started forward towards the Eye.

(( Cruz -- Iorek, Zeke, Duncan, Ronan [and anyone else nearby] at the makeshift Med Station
Anita -- Xiu, Anya --> Melisande ))

Only after the gargoyle shouted the lab staff's name did Cruz gain recognition, his wet eyes going wild as he practically hyperventilated at the sight of him so worse for wear. Not just bloody and beaten but yelling and panicked, horrified and desperate. There was screaming, so much screaming in pain, in fear, in anger, shouting for everyone to calm down but no one did. All he could do to answer Iorek's question of his status was shake his head; he wasn't hurt at all. His arms still tingled but who gave a s**t about that when everyone else was so broken? Cruz sputtered, tears streaming down his face. He could barely make out shapes his eyes were so shrink wrapped with tears. While Iorek dragged Zeke to relative safety despite the man's best efforts to fight, Cruz did as he was told and assisted in grabbing Zeke's other arm. It lessened his ability to thrash around as much, making the trip a little easier, but he was still putting up a decent fight.

It was through Zeke's yelling that he understood the one screaming in the most pain now, at least compared to the sudden despair cried out by Rivener, was Anya. He looked back when Iorek forced Zeke to the ground near the surrounding med kits and his green eyes quickly pin pointed Anita in the shadows. She was standing near a starkly white raevan who was pinning a much darker one, a much more familiar one, to the ground. He'd become transfixed with horror at Anya's thrashing but his attention was called away when he felt the slight weight of Iorek shift against him and at the question he returned to his labored breathing and stuttering sounds. Cruz's hands quickly found Iorek's face, cupping both cheeks, and a harsh whine left his throat as he pressed their foreheads together. The stone frei was so tired, he knew, but he just kept going.

What the hell happened to all of them? Why did he get off so easy? His entire team was largely unscathed but everyone else... Cruz choked back a sob, pulling away to look over Iorek's face, his half-torso, his arms (oh god, his arms), and double checked his rune. He had no idea what the other frei ate but he was probably running low on energy and fast. His eyes then flicked to Zeke and Cruz gave another whine but he attempted to speak after giving a quick sniffle.

"Y-y-you n-need to take c-care of you so you can help her...!" He understood the man's sentiment but, as he was, he would be of no help. Everyone was charging in blindly and they were just endangering themselves. If they kept it up everyone was going to dwindle, waste away, and there'd be no one left to care for the injured. Cruz ran his fingers through Iorek's hair as he turned back, making sure his head was lifted so they could maintain eye contact despite his vision being clouded. "Yorek, s-stay here. Rest. M-make sure he doesn't get up. I'm f-fine. I'm fine. Please."

It was a quick, instinctual motion. While his hands gently cupped Iorek's face, Cruz quickly leaned in and pressed their lips together with the intent to be quick. Innocent. An encouraging act between friends despite it being food for him. However, once contact was made, his brows upturned and Cruz found it difficult to pull away. His breath hitched and his rune pulsed. Both of their lips felt warm and comfortable together. The other frei's rune and cloud flared brightly, energetically, while Cruz's dimmed and shrank. It wasn't much of a change, not noticeable save for between them and perhaps Zeke -- if he was paying enough attention -- and the kiss itself lasted only a few seconds. Once he pulled away, the croc's eyes stayed closed and his tear streaked face was in much less pain. He felt a wave of exhaustion and lightheadedness wash over him, brows knitting while his mouth hung open uselessly.


"ANYA!" she tried to call, unaware of Xiu's attempts to use his abilities and calm the spider down. Her hands hovered as she crouched, not sure what to do, where to grab. Before she had a chance to do anything helpful a swish of black cut the air and her upper arm was given a long red streak. Anita grunted loudly, left hand grabbing beneath the wound which quickly began leaking as she twisted away from both raevans and fell to her knees. She hissed, leaning forward as the pain seared through her system. Her pain tolerance wasn't high and it took her several seconds to not just sit there gasping, whimpering.

When she opened her eyes, she saw red. Red from the blood that spattered the ground, red from Rivener getting tackled as he yelled and mourned for Zul who wasn't even among their group -- had he even come at all? -- and red from the sudden anger that overtook her as she noticed the delicate sigel who'd accompanied her group on her way toward the dark pillar despite all sense and direction not to. "No," she groaned, pushing herself to her feet clumsily and immediately stumbling into a run. Her eyes were locked on Melisande's back, teeth gritted as she bit back the pain. When she was close enough, despite her right arm screaming at her not to release the pressure around the wound, Anita let go and used both hands to grab Melisande's shoulders, whipping her around so she wasn't facing the eye. The motion was extremely clumsy and she sent the both of them to the ground, fingers clutching tightly at the straps of the sigel's tank tops. Barely affording herself time to recover she all but straddled Pasha's ribbon and pinned her. Anita's face was dirty and red, expression contorted with pain and anger, tears of frustration welling but refusing to leak.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?! STAY AWAY FROM IT! Bullets didn't touch it! What the hell are you gonna do?!" Absolutely nothing. Endanger herself. Endanger others. They needed to keep their distance, not go charging in blindly. They had to think and what Pasha was doing -- no, most of the raevans -- was the exact opposite of that. The stag seemed to have Rivener covered so he wasn't going to go charging again, the white sigel had been left with anya and hopefully he wasn't too damaged, Iorek and Cruz were a ways away, safe, and she hadn't gotten a proper head count of who else was here but now, right now, Melisande was being a liability to everyone. "Get your a** over to the med station and actually HELP people if that's what you want to do so bad! All you're gonna do this way is get people killed!"

((Iorek --> Zeke, Cruz))

Reks grimaced as Zeke had a panic attack before him. The man looked awful and the sight of his tears gave Iorek the shivers. Throughout their journey, Zeke had acted as the crutch for their team. He was a delightful man, the happy guy you sought out to make you smile and laugh. But now the crutch had broken as what was most precious to Zeke was torn apart before him. The eye was destroying fellow raevan’s and human’s sanities as if it was as easy as tearing tissue paper. And now Zeke, once strong and seemingly unbreakable, had been reduced to a blubbering mess.

It was absolutely terrifying. Reks wanted to gather the man up in his arms and just hold him tight. Hug away the pain and grief but he’d surely be pushed away if not punched for such an act during this high-risk time. Iorek had never seen anything like this before and now he had it on full display just a few feet away. Break-downs were happening all over the battlefield as the eye rained chaos down on anyone that got close enough.

What were they to do? They had become playhouse dolls to the monster. Pawns in a bigger game that no one but it had the rules or know-how for.

“Zeke, please, calm down. We’re gonna help. People are helping her…” And he was not jealous of whoever had that task. Anya was a vicious opponent that played dirty. Course, how was he supposed to help anyone if he could barely keep himself up? Poor Cruz had become his faithful leaning prop. But even if Iorek couldn’t rush off to hold Anya down and drag her back to Zeke, someone else seemed to be trying to do that right now. Good luck.

If he was honest, Iorek would of liked to just let go and sob but then that would be another person down, another teammate drowning in the ocean of hopelessness. He had to maintain his sanity. As long as he was conscious the raevan could be of use. The brawn may not have been able to complete feats of strength by holding people back but there had to be another job to do. Somehow, someway, Iorek was going to help his friends…he just needed to figure out how to do that.

It didn’t take long at all for Reks to figure that out. When Jeremy approached the tiny first aid corner, Iorek did his best to straighten his wrecked body and appear presentable to the leader of this crazy venture. The raevan didn’t know what to say or expect from the old man but a med kit certainly wasn’t at the top of his list.

”Here, take this first aid kit and the pain killers…Use them well.”

Did he just become the medic? Iorek gulped as he clutched the first aid kit to his chest. “I-I will. Make the thing regret messing with us.” Was the only thing he could think of saying to Jeremy as the man then hurried off into the crazy battlefield. Not exactly the most profound and poignant statement, he’d regret it later, but darn it he wanted that creature to be eliminated.

It was a shame he had wasted his rage and power on revenge. Perhaps he could of done more if he didn’t let that other side of him out to solve the problems they encountered. Instead he was reduced to being a patient at the clinic. It was pathetic that he, someone that prided themselves on strength, couldn’t actually use it to help. But if he couldn’t use pure force there were other ways to help. Reks was not going to play the victim. There had to be more he could do, even if he was running low on energy. He still had his sanity and that must of meant something. His mangled hands caressed the cold smooth box he’d been given.

When Jeremy was far enough away Iorek fell back against Cruz. Suddenly he felt sicker and dizzier if that was even possible. No one else was stepping in to give aid or take the kit away from him. It looked like as the holder, he was now responsible. Reks was deeply intimidated by this new task but he had no time to dwell on what was suddenly required of him. Under-qualification panic and crumbling pressure had to be pushed aside. He wanted a job and now he found one. In the state he was in, just wrapping bandages sounded exhausting but he had to do it. He just needed to get the strength…

And then everything thought and fear vanished in a poof when Cruz’s gentle hands reached out to hold his face. Then their foreheads pressed together and a lovely warm tingle bloomed in his chest. He was taken back to their first meeting and kiss.

“Cruz…?” Iorek softly asked as he looked at the croc raevan. Just gazing at his friend’s face, distraught and tearful, nearly broke his heart in half (Zeke had already done a heavy number on it) If his arms didn’t hurt so much he’d gather Cruz into a tight hug, as if that would banish the terror that plagued him. Heck, he’d become a care bear if hugs were the magical sure to healing his friends. And oh…those pretty green eyes were mesmerizing. Iorek gazed into them and felt a pleasantly warm tingle that brought back wonderful memories strong enough to silence every fear and worry he possessed. The darkness was forgotten as long as Cruz was willing to hold him and stroke his hair.

Cruz’s lips were moving but Iorek couldn’t hear him over the delightful buzz echoing in his head. To make up for it, the gargoyle just dreamily nodded along to whatever his first crush was saying. Goodness his heart was beating fast…

And then it proceeded to jump out of his chest when their lips met. Amazing. It felt absolutely amazing and…electrifying. This surge in power didn’t happen last time so what had Cruz done? Or was this love? D-Did Cruz love him? Did he love Cruz? The questions he had asked after their first bout made a grand entrance as they shared this moment lip-locked. Whatever it was, Iorek found the strength to drop his med kit and pull Cruz into his arms, securing the green raevan in a strong embrace.

Their ribbons twirled and danced together as the raevan’s runes pulsed in-sync with one another as they shared sweet affection on the battlefield. The bubbly warmth in Iorek’s chest spread to all his aching joints and wounds, hushing the harsh aches for the time being. It was like someone had pressed mute on his wounds. One moment he felt like he was going to collapse and never wake up again, and the next Iorek was ready to take on Mt. Everest.

Iorek was too happy to think clearly about what Cruz had done for him. Reks simply saw love as the healing factor instead of Cruz transferring his power to rejuvenate him. But then the kiss was over and Iorek actually growled in protest. He wanted more. Part of him just sought the affection of their intimate kiss while the other, the newer side, desired the power that brought it back from slumber. Luckily the hungry beast hadn’t gained enough energy to retake Iorek like earlier. But it would remember who had the ability to refresh it.

While Cruz looked exhausted, Iorek was beaming and grinning from ear to ear. It may have been very inappropriate for what was going on around them but he just got a kiss! Goodness, that meant he received two kisses during this venture from raevans! Wow!

“Whoa…that was…that was great.” Reks licked his lips and hugged Cruz. He even kissed the other’s cheek as a way of saying ‘thank you’. But when he pulled away, Iorek could see Cruz wasn’t sitting on Cloud Nine with him. The other was distraught and looked to be on the verge of collapsing.

“Hey, Cruz? Jeez you don’t look so good. Here, lets lie you down.” Iorek guided Cruz to the ground and did his best to wipe away the tears dribbling down his cheeks. As Reks did his best to prevent getting any of his blood on Cruz, he noticed the blood no longer gushed from his wounds. He was still damaged but the blood flow had stopped. Interesting. “You’ll be okay. Just take some deep breaths and try to relax. Don’t go running off, got that?”

It was then Iorek got back on track with what he needed to do. Reality had kicked down the door and he once again saw the trauma that surrounded him. But he was ready. Somehow the kiss had given him a jumpstart and he was ready to fight. Though instead of fighting with his fists he’d be using medicine.

Quickly Iorek retrieved the medic kit and popped it open to begin working. With renewed determination Iorek began working on Zeke. He may not have been a doctor but Reks had read enough zombie-survival books to remember some first-aid tips. Plus, the poor exhausted man was not much of a challenge for the raevan to handle now that he had a pick-me-up.

“Okay Zeke…I’m going to help you. Please try to stay still.” Reks tried to have some bedside manner as he removed the impromptu bandage Zeke had created and did what he could to clean off the dried blood. Once the wound was fairly visible, Reks felt like he was going to be sick again. That didn’t look good. He gulped back vomit and carefully graced the wound with disinfectant and began wrapping the bandage.

It was a challenge but Iorek worked to patch Zeke up the best he knew how while keeping an eye on Cruz. As he cleaned cuts and placed band-aids, Iorek tried to talk with the man in hopes of relieving some stress even though that was probably impossible with Anya’s well-being at stake. While he worked to repair the damage, a part of him wanted to surge into battle and fight the eye. He didn’t want to admit but he desired crushing the malevolent being in his hands. He wanted to see the blood of another coat the ground. But he also knew better not to let these dark thoughts get the best of him. Running in blindly hadn’t gotten him anywhere during this ordeal. He had only gotten himself and others hurt when he did that. At last, in the most unusual position, he was helping. Finally Iorek felt of use to his friends. He had a purpose.

((Cesc --> Anya, Xiu, Meli, Riv, Eiry))

Cesc skidded across the ground with Rivener wrapped around him, his hands and arms scraping across the unseen brush as the two went down like a tree falling. He braced himself for impact, for the Scorpion thrashing, for sharp wins digging into his shoulders or neck, but it never happened. First, Eiry leaped to his aid, grabbing his brother's arms, and then a pain and grief erupted from Rivener so strongly that Cesc thought Rivener had snapped one of his antlers off.

A groan ripped from deep in the stag's chest.

It was too much. Eiry and Rivener both at such close proximity made Rhedefre feel like he was going to pass out, like he was going to dry heave. Rivener stopped struggling and started screaming and Cesc crawled away from him without meaning to, his body taking over and trying to take him to safety. He couldn't -- he couldn't -- it was too much and he was too exhausted and every yell felt like an axe in his head. His shoulders shook and he looked up to see Melisande going and wanted to scream. His eyes burned with hot tears of frustration.

What was going on?

He didn't have the power to go to her. He didn't have the strength to tell her, stop it, stop it, don't you realize that even if you want to help sometimes you just can't, that all you're doing is hurting, stop it, please, stop it. But then Anita dragged her to the ground and Lazarus went to her, and Cesc breathed in a shaky, half-gagged breath and put his hands in his hair. His eyes unfocused as he tried not to retch. Too much.

He pulled himself up with the aim to go back toward Rivener, but his body knew that if he approached the brothers he would be useless. A passed out body on the ground. Something that would blend in with the mud and become part of it, that's all he could accomplish there. Like a white stag in a jungle years ago. And he couldn't bear the thought of adding more pain and blame and grief to Eiry's plate...

... something else. He had to do something else.

“Quick! Is there anything anywhere to subdue her?!”

Xiu's voice rang thin in his ears and Cesc whipped his head over to the part of the battlefield he'd left. He saw a green-haired frei kissing Iorek and watched his friend bloom from it. It pulled a sense of calm over him, the strange and sudden tenderness, incongruous but somehow necessary. He saw Zeke on the ground and Anya thrashing, her arms trapped in Xiu's hands.

Anya.

He'd failed her miserably, hadn't he?

"Wait..." breathed Cesc, pulling himself up, his shoulders slumped but his eyes glassy, determined. He floated toward the thrashing spider queen, locked on her form, and drew in a deep breath. His power was clinging to him now. The aura was close to his skin, radiating close, powerful and effective just centimeters from him.

Anya. She was a shell of herself, writhing in pain, biting and scratching and punching, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes wild. Who was she? Had he truly lost her in this horrible, chaotic, godawful place? He should have shielded that goddamn arrow...

"I'm sorry," the stag whispered. He put out his hands and touched her neck, his thumbs against her jaw, letting Xiu keep her pulled down as best as he could. He apologized again, over and over, like a mantra. He was deeply sorry. Sorry for touching her with his horrible, filthy hands. Sorry for the closeness as he drew against her, forehead to forehead, his arms around her writhing and struggling form. Sorry for failing to keep her safe when he should have. He closed the distance between them, blanketing her in his calm, letting it wash over her. She could punch and bite and stab him as he was flush against her, his cheek to hers, the embrace far more intimate than Cesc ever would have dared under normal circumstances.

But it was nothing. He couldn't take the pain from her, but he could give her her mind back.