lifeaftr | September Event: Burning Alive

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September Event: Burning Alive

SEPTEMBER EVENT: BURNING ALIVE

Who: Everyone!
What: HOLY SHIT A FUCKING DRAGON
When: September 12th to September 19th
Where: Both Nastrandir and Ensō!
Warnings: Violence, potential injury by fire, potential character death. If anything else comes up, tag as you go!

Now I'm Ready for War
If you don't see the calamity, you'll probably hear it - the furious roars of an enraged, hungry beast, paired with the loud crash of waves as a great deal of water shifts, all at once.

If you're on Nastrandir, you'll have a massive, three-headed, fire-breathing dragon to contend with, as well as its watery counterpart. Either focus on staying alive or take the fight to the creature directly. If you choose the latter option, bear in mind that the massive water-serpent will be dispensing weapons for your use, and that these weapons will be the most effective against the beast's scaly hide. You have full mod permission to injure Ahidalga in whatever way is feasible for your character. We won't be policing anyone's participation in this fight! If it's plausible for your character to help the water-serpent in putting this beast down, you have our full blessing!

If you're on Ensō, your task is a little less direct. Your job entails putting out fires and fighting Ahidalga's smaller (but no less vicious) brood. You will be receiving help from the Storyteller's paper birds, and those who wish to stick to their temple for safety are free to do so. Bear in mind that it is the weapons shed from the water-serpent that will be most effective against these smaller, draconian critters.

The days that follow, and the actions you take, will decide whether Nastrandir will be saved...or whether you're willing to let it, and all the history it carries, burn in the fire.

In the meantime, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC Event Info and Plotting Post
[ ♆ ] Nastrandir's Island Intro
[ ♆ ] Nastrandir's Locations Page

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] September 12th: Ahidalga appears, and their offspring begin ravaging the islands
[ ♆ ] September 19th: Either Nastrandir crumbles beneath the strain or Ahidalga is slain
[ ♆ ] September 20th: Monthly Storytelling occurs; characters who have died are revived in time to participate
[ ♆ ] September 24th: A new NPC makes contact with the islanders

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don’t know if I do either.

[The roar of the two dragons battling for supremacy washes over them and the smaller dragons roar in answer. Keith sighs.] This was just supposed to be scouting.

[Nothing is simple here. He shakes his head and draws his Bayard and swings the resulting sword to the side to warm up his wrist.]

Let’s see if we can even damage the littler ones. We can cut to one of those weapons falling from the...water dragon. If we can’t I’ll grab it. If I go nuts...

[If he goes nuts this won’t be good. He looks at Kravitz with a quiet calm. He doesn’t fear death.] Take me down if you have to.

[He's trying to hold himself from ranting into space, but it's much easier for him to center when there's people relying on him. Kravitz drops his shoulders, stretching his neck to get himself ready for this inevitable bullshit.

But the statement gives him pause, and he looks back at Keith.]

Why, exactly, would that happen? Is there a... trigger, or catalyst I should be on the lookout for?

I'll stop looking at you like a comrade. [Keith looks back at Kravitz as calmly as if he were talking about the weather. For a moment. He sighs and shakes his head, brows wrinkling and his eyes unhappy.] I'm just...covering possibilities while we're planning our move.

I'll keep an eye on things and chart possibilities as we keep moving. ...if nothing else this world taught us to be prepared for anything. [But he wouldn't give to be able to call on the Black Lion. He sweeps his sword to the side one more time then nods.]

Anything else before we go?

[He just nods. That's as much as they can handle right now, even if Kravitz makes a mental note to ask him for more specifics later.]

Rest assured, I will be capable of handling it should the situation arise. But let us concentrate on not hitting that peak.

[Kravitz steadies himself, looking out to the rampage.]

I want to see how high its reach is. If simply dropping those weapons harms it, I have another advantage I can leverage.

Do what you feel is right, I'll back you. [Kravitz can stop him if he goes crazy. That shouldn't be comforting. Relief sweeps through him as he focuses on the battlefield ahead of them full of smaller dragons crafted from lava and screeching. The deafening roar of the larger dragon battling against the water crafted dragon rolls over them like the boom of thunder.

The world turns crystal clear for him. The colors brighter, scents sharper. He belongs here on the battlefield. This is what Galra were made for. One last nod, then he plunges into the fray, swords held low but ready to come up. A smaller dragon breaks away from the rest, Keith drops down and rises in a vicious slash. It does nothing to the beast, the bayard blade passing through it. A sizzle of heat warns him he's in trouble and lunges out of harm's way as another dragon breathes fire.]

Okay! Plan B! Going for that weapon!

[He stays just behind, watching Keith's movements and trying to glean the information he needs. It isn't responding to his sword, and that's enough to get him to dispel his scythe for this combat. That simply isn't going to work. Thankfully, despite not having water spells, he's got something more multifunctional on their current battlefield.

Kravitz turns just a bit to the side, reaching out with his mind towards the water on the edge of the bank and pulling it forward. Instantly, a force of telekinetic energy scoops up a block of water and pushes itself onto the dragon going after Keith. It's not as perfectly effective as a weapon, but that doesn't mean the water doesn't cause it to sizzle and scream as the lava that makes up it's body cools and seizes up.]

Go! I can hold them!

[He doesn’t hesitate. He runs, turning his blade to give stinging slaps to the dragons instead of cuts. It’s a lot faster than attempting to attack what he can’t hurt. He ducks and dodges. He has a vanity about his hair but only because it reminds him of his mother and the father that fire took from him.

His father used to mess it up with a fond smile on his face. But none of that is on his mind as he moves through the fray and drops into a roll. His hand closes on the hilt of the sword and he feels the water moving as if he grasped a current of water, letting it run through his fingers.

He whips about and comes up on his feet as he slashed at the nearest dragon. The blade carves its wing off. It screams as he reversed the blade and ends its life. He grabs a second blade and tosses it over the battlefield.] Kravitz! Take it!

[The benefits of Kravitz's experience are that he used to fight with all kinds of bodies; rarely did he do business looking like him, so embodying other items, elements, things came naturally. With the water of the bog so close it's easy for him to concentrate on the particular form of it, whip it from the ground up and out for barriers, armor, whips and cuts. The only downside is this is forcing him to run the defensive; water isn't particularly hard, and he has a specific weight ceiling for what can be carried.

Kravitz has to keep his energy focused towards the smaller ground troops, not able to spare much to Keith's sprint. But when his voice reaches his ears, he turns just in time to drop the water he was wielding and grab the blade from the air, getting his hands safely to the hilt.]

Thank you!

[He's not the best at swords, but he won't look a gift one in the mouth. Kravitz slices upwards on one dragon he was in combat with, the dousing it received cooling its lavalike body into a solid, and lobs the head right off. He lets out an excited shout, finally able to start working towards where Keith ran.]

Do we have more of a plan yet??

We’re thinning the smaller ones! They’re not reviving so we can ease the pressure off of everyone! [Keith calls back as he cuts his way to Kravitz’s side. He moves to guard his side as he takes a quick breath.] When we’re tired we’ll pull back. But we need to have less of these guys around.

[Or anyone taking on the larger dragon or coming to pull people off the field to treat them will have too much pressure on them.] We’ll cut towards the sea and make a stand right at the edge. We can duck into it if they bring too many.

We can escape that way. This place has all these holes and caves in it. Ember is scouting for us right now.

If it's just thinning out the heard, that's a plan!

[He just needs some kind of direction, and that sure is one. Still, he's looking up when he can, and most certainly has an idea for his next venture here.]

A little more involved than a typical scouting mission, but that'll have to do!

[Honestly, Kravitz seems to be enjoying himself quite a bit even if his words sound like protests. The thrill of the chase is wonderful, and the pulse of battle even more so.]

It wouldn’t be this place if it wasn’t more involved than the usual anything! [Keith calls out but there’s a grin on his face. Despite the circumstances he knows where he belongs. Battle isn’t the best of places but it’s his. Leading is just part of that. A direction in the vast storm of possibility.

He lets himself do what he does best, fight and kill. These aren’t deaths to haunt him. He won’t have an uneasy sleep plagued by blood and death this time.

His swordwork is that of a man ten years older and wiser than he, the sword dances cutting into small fire dragons like a scythe. He reaps lives as easily as breathing, keeping pace beside Kravitz or covering his back as they cut their way to the edge of the sea.

He turns to face the dragons again as the scent of sea water surrounds them. Not too far above them a tendril of the sea dragon rains swords. He grabs a second one and spins, turning and cutting in a lightning fast pattern.] Almost there. The more of these little ones we take out the less they can harass us when we go for their leader.

[He doesn't expect it, but the more he moves with Keith in back to back circles against the waves, but Kravitz finds himself laughing as they go. He's so used to feeling the pulse of battle alone, to stand by himself as he takes on the world and the dangers he protects it from. To be bantering with someone else, to feel his arms strain and pull with motion, to the sweat on the back of his neck and the smell of seawater in the air. Kravitz has been alive now on these islands for close to two years... but this is the most alive he's ever felt, right here in the grips of death.

Now that he has the bearing of his weapon, he decides to start getting fancy with it. Levitating himself is difficult, much more annoying than his flight, so instead of moving himself he moves the sword. Kravitz can create the distance by angling the weapon with his mind, summoning his scythe back to his hands and utilizing them both in tandem. He can control the playing field much easier at short range to lead them into traps, swiping forward so they leap back or dodge into the other blade. It's a lot to keep track of, but the adrenaline is doing it's well work as he steps light through the field.]

I'd say we get to become the leaders now, hm? Control where the battle moves! Move them exactly where we want them until they're forced to face justice.

[It's not just Keith that finds his home among battle, to be fair.]

[He's starting to understand why other Blades didn't see him as a Galra just an Earther. Living on these islands had shaped him closer to them in more ways than he ever wanted to admit. There's something calming and exciting about fighting. It's not the strength.

It's not he's protecting people. It's being full of purpose and...freedom. It's being without any constraints. But he's not alone. Again and again, Kravitz resonates with him and he feels more himself than he has since Shiro vanished. He calls out,] Yeah, and where we want them is driven towards the sea. That water dragon has all of itself spread out all over! We can use that!

[He catches movement from the side. Keith forces himself not to stare at the blade moving by itself. It's mesmerizing and that could get them both killed if he gets distracted. Laughter bubbles up and spills out, and he tries to muffle it. But it just won't stop. He hasn't laughed...in a while.] Hey...do you feel free? I do.

Edited 2019-10-24 05:41 (UTC)

[Purpose is exactly the feeling he understands, too. The exercise of power, the reassurance that he cannot be breeched in such a simple way, is a win he sorely needed after all his time here. This isn't what he expected when he went out today, but suddenly, he's glad he did. Keith laughs, and Kravitz is making no small show of the smile on his face as well.]

Yes, I think that's exactly the word for it!

[Free. Driven. A clear goal, a deserved punishment, and the power to own it all.]

Push the line back! Towards the ocean!

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September Event: Burning Alive

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