saturations | Week 6 cyoa: hei, jiuqing, vin, and kashuu

[Oh this is all very bad very suddenly.

Well, first of all, Kashuu is using one of his precious Interventions on this wholeass npc Haurchefant because he's the one taking the brunt of the damage right now, since presumably this is a New Encounter.

Unfortunately he's not going to be smart about this either though i do not need a roll to tell everyone that Kashuu would choose to return for his comrades every time rather than run to safety, so the 16 roll is instead for him trying to FIGURE OUT HOW TO STEER THIS SHIP AND THEN NYOOMING FOR VIN, VAX AND HORSEY. ON THIS LITTLE FLYING SAIL BOAT. THAT PROBABLY CAN'T FIT THAT MANY PEOPLE.]

Head this way!!

[AND VAX... THEIR REAL CYOA PARTNER......... And Horsey who he has become inexplicably attached to despite knowing he's probably not real.]

[ You all want me to roleplay Vax till the end of this cyoa. Should have rolled higher first round. Haurchefant can't thank Kashuu for the intervention, but the appreciation is there even if he's struggling. Vax, however, has enough bite to yell at both of them to go—this is when the arrow of light pierces through the shield.

And it runs through both Haurchefant and Vax, straight through like a needle to fabric. Blood instantly flows out of their mouths, but they aren't just dead yet. They have a moment where they stand, a moment where Vax keeps his eyes on Kashuu and Vin. Haurchefant, too, turns to them before collapsing as if trying to parse what happened. They both collapse. Vax continues to tell them to go, to leave him behind, you guys don't have a fucking healer. The blood pools quickly below the two.

The Heavens' Ward are still coming, you fools. They are charging their next light arrow. ]

No!

[it's screamed out as she watches - haurchefant is unfortunate, but it's vax that she can't keep her eyes off of, tears already spilling for their, once again, very! real! friend!

solely for the sake of not making poor hei suffer any longer, instead of going right to vax's side and trying to pull him along with her... she's freezing in place, horrified, long enough that kashuu can probably scoop her up on the manacutter if he so chooses.

eli 🔪 vin Roll: [12] Result: 12]

[Ah, he really hates these places. This place. The prism. Because it doesn't really matter how fake someone is when they're looking at you like a very real person, and it really doesn't matter knowing that even if people die out here, they won't be dead back on the other side, when all is said and done.

Kashuu just gives a wordless yell of frustration and anger, careening the ship sideways so he can lean over the side of it and scoop up both Vin and also Vax because Vin rolled a 20 on BODY CARRYING HELP. But they don't have enough time or likely space on board to grab Haurchefant as well, and he hates having a human heart in this moment, which aches in a nonsensical way for this fallen person he'd barely even met, who'd been willing to risk his life for them.]

—I'm sorry!!

[RIP sweet Horsey, but with his 12 roll he's gonna try skedaddling the heckie outta here with Vin and their shot-up, bleeding-out Vax who's definitely real. SOON HE WILL REALIZE THEY'LL PROBABLY NEED TO GET AYMERIC TOO NOW THAT THIS HIGH-RANKED AND WELL-RESPECTED GUY HAS BEEN SHOT DOWN AS A HERETIC.]

[ The knight understands why they abandon him, smiling as he mouths something they can't hear yet they know. Somehow, they hear it in their hearts.

A smile better suits a hero.

And they leave Haurchefant behind, seeing the light in his eyes disappear as the blood pools under him. The corners of his lips stay quirked up, smiling them farewell beyond his time. Haurchefant Greystone lived to serve, that is a knight's duty. For Vax and Haurchefant, Kashuu and Vin must march on—for this is just an illusion, isn't it? It's all fake. All this suffering, all this death. All this heartache.

And in a flicker, Haurchefant's body is replaced with another as they fly away. Who is actually left behind is Yasusada... Kashuu will hear his voice in the wind: Did I do good, Kiyomitsu? I protected you this time.

That is a sword's duty. To serve, to protect.

As their manacutter flies away with their bundle of bloody three into the tundra, headed northwest to Dravania with the black bird following after them, the voice returns: "suffering. Sorrow. No matter the cause or origin. It is real."

To Estinien, they go, but you may have a tag round to be... Silent. For your surprise deados. ]

[when you nat 20 your body lifting roll but it is still just a body, it's kind of unfortunate!

she doesn't notice yasusada because all of her focus is on vax, who is clearly already gone even as they're both lifted into the manacutter, but - she's trying to stop the bleeding anyways in some vain hope that it'll make a difference. when it's clear that he's not breathing despite her efforts, she just

starts crying. it's fine. quietly, even though he can't hear her:]

I'm sorry...

[He kind of wishes he could sum up the hysteria and fury he'd felt earlier, but that image of Horikawa's gored corpse does not actually help him to only feel the fiery heat of rage in this moment. Instead, even knowing what this is, seeing Yasusada's form growing smaller behind them as they sail off socks him right in the gut. It edges too, too close to home, after the last weekend. That could have easily been him. This could have been them. He could have been looking out onto that snowy mountain in the prism, and not just the snowy mountains here, seeing nothing but the end of a life more precious than his.

It sounds so much like Yasusada, too - like the exact thing he'd say if he were really in this situation. Tears spring to his eyes, but he quickly and furiously wipes them away. Stupid.

He turns his attention to Vin and Vax after, his two very real CYOA partners, and drops down to Vin's side, pulling her in for a hug.]

...We'll get him back out. He'll be okay.

[As they all always are, in some way, even if they return changed on the other side of the archways they get spit out of.]

MAH MORN NARR.
THE SAVIORS MUST PERISH.

[ They reach Dravania and instantly the cold is gone. There's no snow, isntead being replaced by mossy forest. The heat and humidity is on as they can see from the smoke coming from one of the peaks of these lands. Without knowing where to go and only being told Northwest, they continue northwest until they reach the Churning Mists... Vin and Kashuu will find it familiar because Aymeric showed them both by accident or purpose, if only a bit, but in the end they must find Estinien.

I'm going to pretend them two can figure out this massive purple floating island with thunder crackling around it is Nidhogg's lair. The aesthetic of this large landmass is purple, dark, and it would be filled with dragons, but instead it's... Full of corpses. Body after body after body, there are dragons strewn all the way to the center.

And there lies Nidhogg, dead, without his eyes, but Estinien nowhere to be found? Can't believe I had this header prepared but really I'm writing a "bitch's empty" comment. ]

Edited (Actually I typoed so much I’m sorry everyone) 2022-03-30 07:20 (UTC)

[everything about this is bad, but at least her and kashuu got some nice hugging time in on the journey here while he wasn't presumably sweating about having to fly them here.

as they land, she continues to try and take vax's body with them so they can put him in the pods later, a thing they will definitely have to do, but it's pretty rough! in the end she has to just kind of drag him hopelessly along behind her, because i rolled a three but she refuses to stop trying anyways.

anyways, once they get there, she's wary of approaching the dragon in case they get jumpscared and it isn't actually dead. when she notices it's missing both eyes instead of just one, though... ah. she remembers something she saw a few weeks ago.]

...Kashuu, this is a bad sign.

[You ever think about how neither of them have weapons right now.

Anyway yeah he'll help her tote Vax's dead body under the assumption that as with any other person who has died in these places, he'll be alive and ready to get podded about it once they leave! Though he'll gently set his side of Vax onto the ground once they get a look at the dragon that is already super dead and all.

Looking toward Vin at that, also remembering something with a frown.]

'Cuz of the eyes, right...?

[In the meantime he'll look around the area to see if he can loot any corpses for their weapons just in case they need those,,]

[ they may loiter cause! yeah, maybe there are treasure chests if Estinien didn't loot them... But dragons are made of flesh and bone, too.

How they try to get weapons or not, we will see. There is no sound except for the soft gales and the intervals of crackling thunder. No roars. Not patters of clawed feet. It seems they are alone here. What was once home to dragons became their graveyard.

The voice from before: "Vengeance begets hate... It is a never-ending cycle. An ouroboros."

The black bird is here, just chilling. Actually, it perches on Vax's corpse. Still chilling. ]

[she swats at the bird. i'm so sorry bird. it's not a very effective swat, at least...]

Get away from him!

[then she'll join kashuu in glancing around, seeing if there's any indication about where the fighters might have gone after their dragon battle.]

Yes, because of the eyes. We should be careful.

[especially after hearing this strange message.

eli 🔪 vin Roll: [3] Result: 3 for bird swatting]

This bird is definitely cursed.

[Just fckin squinting at it. He doesn't try to bat it away but he is definitely just vibing in his displeasure.

Me reading this comment like damb I can't believe hei is implying we gotta skin these dragons to use their hides as shields and their bones as swords.]

Mm, okay. Yell if you notice anything weird.

[He'll move to get a closer look at this eyeless dragon corpse in the meantime.]

[ The bird easily hops to dodge the smack, still perched on Vax. However, its talons are gentle... Just a well-behaved bird that seems to like this man. Birds of a feather, I guess.

But as they walk, the bird flaps to follow them.

Also, it is that or you find chests!! Nidhogg is just a lump, but to be frank with you there's no way you'd be able to break down his body in a single day. Like his brother, he's quite large. Ysayle is like... 6' to understand the scale and his body is long like a serpent. His eyes are gone and, with your cyoa-ff14 senses, Kashuu and Vin sense he really is dead. There is no aether in this flesh.

On the floor, they will see blood, fresh enough to stain fingers but old enough not pool past its splatters or pools. Deep grooves and dips would imply large claws, then some thinner scratches. There is one scratch that seems to stretch long in length, though. ]

[hmmmm.

she's giving this bird a very dirty look, especially after kashuu says it's cursed, but she'll go to examine the longer scratch, carefully putting a hand down to touch it. can she tell anything about it from looking?

eli 🔪 vin Roll: [13] Result: 13 to investigate this weird scratch]

[ Maybe Kashuu's intuition is wrong?

She can tell it was made by primed material, based on how thin yet deep it is. Its width is also consistent throughout with no abnormalities or changes, so the action that made this is also consistent and drawn out. If she continues to follow the scratch, she will find it leads in or out of this arena.

As if dragged. ]

[as she notices the scratch stretching out of this area, she looks over to speak to kashuu.]

It leads out of here... I think we should follow it.

[she'll wait to see what he says before doing anything! gently waits for aki to awaken]

[stumbles back STOP HE'S DECIDED HE DOESN'T LIKE THIS GENTLE BIRD. Anyway after he is done examining this super dead dragon he'll go over to look at the potential drag mark.]

--Might as well, yeah.

[Time to go follow the mark to hell, he will leave sweet Vax's dead body here and hope it doesn't spontaneously combust or something.]

[ you guys are just leaving his corpse? I should have left some dragons to eat him. As they follow it, they pass by a treasure chest!

sweats time to roll my friends ]

[STOP i forgot about him but vin did not so she's going to try to continue pulling him along with her fourteen... she can't abandon her very real vax...

hello to this treasure chest, though! she pauses as she looks at it.

weekend at vax's: eli 🔪 vin Roll: [14] Result: 14
the roll hei needed that i'm terrified of: eli 🔪 vin Roll: [7] Result: 7]

[STOP HE WAS GOING TO LEAVE IT HERE BECAUSE IT SEEMED SAFER THAN TRYING TO WEEKEND AT VAX'S-ING IT IF THERE'S DANGER AHEAD but he's not going to stop her either. He's going to be barely any help because he rolled a 7 for that so maybe he's just here making sure their bird friend doesn't peck out Vax's eyes before he goes over to take a look at the chest, too. 15 roll for that one! LOOT.]

[ The black bird is just chilling.

Me, nodding at Kashuu falling for the treasure chest. My roll is higher, so being a bundle of thieves, the chest snaps its teeth at Kashuu. They can get a sense that there is loot in it, however. ]

[she hates this chest already but also wants what's in it for when she assumes they have to boss battle something... that being said, she does not want to get bitten, so she's going to try to move around behind it and kick at the hinges with her good leg to try and break it.

since it snapped at him, though:]

Are you alright?

[eli 🔪 vin Roll: [8] Result: 8]

[SO RUDE. 12 for dodging means he doesn't make it away completely clear, but those nastyass wooden teeth don't do a lot of damage anyway. It probably just blends in with the damage from their arrest that i keep forgetting about,,

He's also giving the chest a nasty look though HE HATES IT HERE. To Vin:]

Yeah, I'm fine.

[He's also TIRED OF THIS SHIT so with an 18 roll he's also just going to try doing that thing where you just hold something open by putting your foot on the bottom and your hands on the top and pushing down/up at the same time.]

[ You are ABUSING this chest and doing well at abusing it. It keeps trying to snap, first at Vin's leg with a whole ass 16. It's knocked away after, though, and gets manhandled by Kashuu. It tries to nip at him again with an 11!! Suddenly, its mouth doesn't want to open so wide? Finicky thing.

As they just. Wrangle this chest with a dead Vax and a black bird, they hear a loud roar overhead. It is primordial and shakes them to their core, almost touching their souls with fear. ]

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✔️ THE AERY

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