#support ● deathsdue.

[obsidiendo]

DUESSEL: "And I'm sure you're quite amused with the outcome, aren't you?" Duessel tries to keep his voice level, but there is an anger that is swelling deep within his chest. He closes his eyes, tries to center himself. "And what of your companion? Is she of the same mind -- to leave us here?"

VALTER: “ What’s not to laugh at? The two of you went through all this effort to collect your fiends and then— ” (A dramatic snap of his fingers.) “ —delivered right into the hands of your enemies. A perfect tragedy! ” At the last remark, he shrugs. “ I don’t care what she thinks. ”

This back and forth is only a momentary reprieve, if you could call it that. The heat rises and coats his mouth, making it harder and harder to breathe. Luckily Citrinne and Gerome are not distracted by the banter, and they keep their minds on the task at hand.

"..."

He sighs, breathes in through his nose as Gerome is freed. With eyes closed for just the moment he begins to swing, ready for Citrinne to help catch him and bring him down.

CITRINNE: Her hands only loosen after Gerome's bindings are freed, only realizing how tight her grip has been after slowly letting go. But she cannot rest yet, as the second man still needs assistance. "Of course, Sir Duessel," Citrinne nods before whispering to Gerome. "Can you...help as well?"

GEROME: Gerome nodded. "Of course. It was my plan to."

DUESSEL: Duessel leans as if to begin his escape, when his eyes narrow on Valter. "Are you doing something you should not be doing?"

VALTER: “ Why would I do that? ”

CITRINNE: "Could you two argue after he's safe on the ground?!" Citrinne finally snaps at her teammate.

VALTER: “ Before and after. ” He smiles. “ I agree with that kind of thinking. ”

He ignores him as best he can, and swings, swings --

-- lands. Safe now, he inhales sharply and tries to ignore the frantic beating of his heart. He's not someone who likes heights -- even taking away the whole 'lava pit' part, he feels out of place. Uneasy on his feet, and unsure what to do next.

Pleasantries are exchanged, and Duessel looks up just as Valter grabs Minjina... and runs.

END.

𝚆𝙻𝚅𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝟻𝟼: Creature Double Feature!

𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂, 𝚆𝙸𝙽. 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎! ▼

--- starring our two contestants: Duessel from Grado and Gerome from Ylisse! ---

[knighteclipsed]

“ Of course, of course, ” Valter handwaves. (It was his preference in all things to keep his pawns in one piece until it was time for them to break.) Something like an offering of comfort (but clearly from the mouth of one who often does not), he continues, “ We should be wishing for there not to be a next time though, shouldn’t we? ”

(Some effort is better than nothing, one would suppose.)

The tunnel is walked until the bend is rounded—and again, it opens up to the sight of one captured– two, this time, actually, and he sees—there is a boy he does not know, and quite frankly (he is a snake), Valter does not care either. What strikes him as a surprise is rather the one at his side, suspended above the boiling lava by a matching pair of manacles—

The Obsidian. Duessel.

—and it is all of Valter’s will to not burst into laughter at the sight (how the mighty have fallen!), but instead it wheezes out as a chuckle; a half-laugh; the lightest sense of amusement. A smile crawls onto his face, teasing:

“ Quite the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into, isn’t it? ” His head tilts, teeth sharp and eyes regarding the fiends at the other side of the lava pit. (They are creatures Valter and Citrinne had yet to encounter—a small wolf and an eyeless bear critter—and their supposed masters are helpless in the air.) “ A shame, really. ”

“ But if you don’t want them, I can take them off your hands. ”

Valter attempts to steal Minjina! [d20 Roll]: 8. Failure!

Duessel refutes, and the bear—the one Valter had locked eyes(?) with, demonstrated full intention to—declines as well. “ Why not? ” Moonstone calls, voice as if speaking with very low stakes. “ This is a competition, after all. ” We are enemies, Duessel. (A quick glance about.) “ And besides, even if I was in the helping mood, ”—a sweeping gesture then to what lay beneath them—“ you’re suspended above a pit of lava—one that I imagine you would like to not fall into? ”

Duessel speaks of amusement, and it could not be closer to the truth—“ What’s not to laugh at? ” (Obsidian fallen from glory, the acrophobic above doom, the easiest catches right before them–) “ The two of you went through all this effort to collect your fiends and then— ” (A dramatic snap of his fingers.) “ —delivered right into the hands of your enemies. ” (A dark smile.)

“ A perfect tragedy. ”

But he knows already what Citrinne will say—and Duessel inquires, not that Valter will speak for her. (People like her, who are kind without second thought, shine their weaknesses to the world—this is a contest, and Valter will not lose.)

“ I don’t care what she thinks. ” (This isn’t wasn’t about her to begin with.)

shiny hunting with the bestie

happyland: week one (creature campaign!)

[goldoanheart]

"Yes, though I have learned that it seems to be a notion unique to my home of Tellius. Fascinating, is it not? The way everyone's homeland has a different culture!" Kurthnaga claps his hands together excitedly with a smile, laughing happily all the while. Perhaps he shouldn't laugh, but learning of other cultures was far too exciting! And he was more than happy to!

"Long ears... rabbit..." Kurthnaga pauses in thought. The thought is horrifying though. A rabbit would most likely be one of the beast tribes and... all of the other beast tribes were... common predators of rabbits. Not to mention the hawks and ravens... Eeek! If there had ever been rabbit laguz in Tellius... no! What a terrible thought! "I'm afraid not. At least not in Tellius currently. If there ever was. I'm sorry, that I am not able to help your friend find others of his own. But all of us laguz... we are kin in a way, are we not? Perhaps there would be comfort in that idea for him. Just a suggestion though."

Kurthnaga bows his head with a smile as Gerome bids him a farewell, "And thank you for yours as well. Please do not be a stranger in the future; okay?"

end

A Lonely Thought

[taguelbunnyboy]

The academy had become a home, little by little. Friends made, old friends found again... it was like a little pocket of his home.

Without all the death-defying rescues and mass graves his timeline introduced him to.

But... he always missed his Shepherds - his ones, the older generation were fine enough, but... damnit, he missed his ride or dies. The people who kept him from extinction. The people he'd do anything to keep alive. Some of them were here, sure, but... he missed oh-so-many of them as well.

"..."

Sitting on a bench in the monastery yard, Yarne taps his paw on the soil, lost in thoughts. He... missed that hell, in a way. Sure, it sucked, there was so much pain and death. But... he was surrounded by people who would do anything to protect him, and he would do anything for them in return.

...It was like he was psychic.

He knew that mask. He knew the person behind it just as well. He could go up, crush him in a giant hug, but... no. Restraint.

So Yarne merely waves when he knows he's been seen, not expecting much overt response.

@deathsdue

Beneath the Mask

[goldoanheart]

"I see... I am glad of that." It rests his heart easy that they are not alone. Even if they are not truly surrounded by laguz of their own kind - Kurthnaga cannot gauge if that is the case or not from Gerome's word - they should not have to live their lives in lonely solitude for the rest of them.

"No, I suppose there is no reason. Just small talk, in the end." He smiles, bowing his head in both apology and goodbye, "If you find it meaningless then I will not keep you any further." He guides Green Bean towards his stable, before turning on his heel to leave with one last smile towards Gerome.

"I would be more than happy to talk again at later date. Please come find me if you wish to."

Do Wyverns Dream of Scaly Sheep?

[aimlessarchery]

Normally, Python's schedule would be a little more relaxed after he's through with the preparation→execution→get-mock-executed cycle that was the Battle of Eagle and Lion this year. He'd duck aside after his early exit and find a nice place to nap on the emptier-than-usual campus of Garreg Mach. He wouldn't even have to think about weapons or sparring for the rest of the day. Normally, he wouldn't find a note on his desk about a brand new transfer student in need of combat assessment. Unfortunately, Python's life continues to be filled with abnormal situations, big and small alike. With a sharp grunt of effort, he hauls a training dummy into its proper place near one of the stone pillars that line the training grounds. The back of a gloved hand wipes the sweat from his brow, then reaches for one of the standard-issue lances snatched from storage. (His own is in his room somewhere…probably.) Slung around his torso is his more usual weapon of choice—an unassuming longbow. He drives the butt of the lance into the dirt below his feet, leaning into it as a support and assessing his new pupil with a critical eye. The young man is tall—probably not among the youngest of the student body, but not quite the oldest either. Hard to tell when he's wearing that strange mask across his eyes. The stern sort of air about him means Python isn't about to ask him to take it off. "Gerome, was it? Name's Python." he offers with a tilt of his head, "Archery instructor. I'm the unlucky duck who got booted out of the fancy mock battle early enough to come back here for more battling. Bigwigs wanted somebody to test your combat skills, figure out what sorta classes to put you in." He lets out a long, low sigh, back bowed forward as he laments his fate. Then he straightens up, rolls his shoulders back, and gestures toward the dummy at his side. "So, you wanna start with him or with me? Straw-for-brains over here doesn't fight back, if that sways your opinion at all."

@deathsdue

Ye Olde Accuplacer

[swordsmanoftranquility]

Zihark hears the tree fall after some time, just as he's in the process of wandering back. A long way back, because maybe he got a little distracted. Okay, more than a little. But he was heading back now! And hopefully not too late.

"Need some help?" He calls out, as he approaches the fallen tree, already neatly cut into logs, at last, "Looks like a good lot! Should be enough to last us for a little while; right? Might even have some extra!"

Goddess forbid there's ever anyone else on this desolate island after they leave, but perhaps if there's any leftover, they can set up some sort of arrangement so it can be stored for anybody in the future.

"Let's go going; shall we? I'm sure everyone else is waiting for us to come back."

out but not down

post-elimination

[fellpurpose]

a strange sensation — though not foreign — swells within his chest. a mixture of warmth and fondness, paired accordingly with a tinge of longing. reunions like these have become almost routine by now, as familiar as drawing breath. no matter the ebb and flow of time, it seems there is always an old face to encounter, and despite his attempts to prepare with scripts and protocols, he finds himself faltering nearly every time.

in their later years, gerome had never been one for physical affection. nevertheless, a large grin breaks across owain's face as he sweeps an arm over the other's shoulder, pulling him in wordlessly.

thank you for not forgetting.

the embrace lingers for a few beats until owain finally pulls back to study the two. "you do," he says with a wistful chuckle. " somehow, it always sounded cooler when you said it. it used to drive me crazy. heh. but NOW—!" he flicks his cape dramatically, directing attention to his new appearance. "i've sharpened my skills to a fine edge. you'll discover that i am an opponent far more DAUNTING and FORMIDABLE since our last encounter."

he settles onto an upturned bucket for a seat, careful not to make direct eye contact with minerva. "pray tell, masked rider. how long have you prowled these hallowed halls? and when did you intend to unveil thy visage, had you not been uncovered by mine own fell eye?"

a stranger who could be a friend

[fellpurpose]

what's this? a compliment from gerome? ha! the brooding hero must find himself in a far more genial mood than he'd initially assumed.

owain claps a hand onto an old friend's shoulder, grinning contently as he savors the imagery painted by gerome's declaration. reluctant though he may be to utter such praise aloud, lest it overshadow his own talents — the man always did possess a deftness with language. kindred spirits, in a sense, though the masked rider never seemed overly enthused by such a comparison.

"thank you," he intones with a swift inclination of his head, "and you're right. i stand corrected — tonight, you emit a resplendent, golden aura, akin to the brilliance of a million and one sunrises!"

owain is startled as a sudden grip tightens upon his own shoulder.

"...i do. sort of. " he responds, a hint of astonishment coloring his words. a solitary brow arches. "why? did inigo put you up to this?"

you spin me right 'round (please stop spinning me right 'round)

continued from here

[optimismxmagicism]

After a week had passed, it was finally time for his teammates to return to the central islands! With all the coconuts he and Forde collected for the party, he had plenty left over to make drinks out of.

That’s how he ended up with a tray of coconut shells full of cool and refreshing coconut water. The little mage had been handing them out to teammates (and some friendly non-teammates too) so they could fight off the heat. Looking around for any others who might need a drink, he spotted a masked man who seemed to be in a furious bout of training. Looking a little closer he noticed the man even had a red bandana! So he was a teammate!

He didn’t even greet him at the start of the vacation, how embarrassing! He’d better rectify that quick. So, making sure to put on his brightest smile he approached the stranger. “Hi mister! My name’s Ewan, I’m your teammate!”Then he held up one of the coconut drinks, offering it to the taller male. “Here, want a refreshing drink? You look a bit tired.”

team snake respite

[obsidiendo]

& the darkness dissipates:

Duessel is no longer standing. He feels the heat curl in his lungs, and the tight iron around his wrists. His eyes are blind in the smoke, he coughs but even as he blinks he feels the waves of boiling heat brush over his skin.

He hears something. Hears a voice of a man long dead, a voice of someone who he never thought he would need to see again. His eyes adjust and he sees him:

The Moonstone.

He grimaces and tries not to make it overtly obvious how uneasy this particular ghost makes him. Seeing Lyon and Vigarde again is one thing... but Valter? The man who was once one of the Imperial Three, who fought beside Duessel in service to their country?

So begins a more dangerous game, with Valter holding Duessel and Gerome's lives in his hands. He looks to Valter's companion and hopes that she's not like him. She's not, and that's a relief.

He looks up at the restraints. "These seem secure. Which is both good and bad -- I'm not sure how we'll get down. We'll discuss the specifics of what to do with you--" he looks at Valter, "-- after we are on the ground."

He mumbles under his breath. "This man is dangerous, Gerome. Use caution."

𝚆𝙻𝚅𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝟻𝟼: Creature Double Feature!

𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂, 𝚆𝙸𝙽. 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎! ▼

--- starring our two contestants: Duessel from Grado and Gerome from Ylisse! ---

[obsidiendo]

He smiles. Duessel is no fool, but trickery is not his forte. That's fine: he's more clever than most by half, but not in the way that matters here. It seems Gerome is, though, and Duessel is able to put the pieces together.

Gerome makes his guess, and the motion confirms him as correct. He pauses, still knelt down, and then looks at the faceless being in front of him.

"You owe us an answer, then." There are many things he could ask, but the most pressing for him is about the dangers outside of the dark. There is a creeping fear, something cold on the base of his neck -- he ignores it, attributes it to Minjina's trickery. "What will happen if you dispel the darkness?"

as soon as duessel asks the question, he has a sense that he knows the answer—almost quick enough that he might think the minjina doesn't even need to answer him at all. that depends on the two of them.

He sighs. "It depends on the two of us," he relays to Gerome. Eyes still stay on the creature, as if it might disappear if he blinks. "I want to be out of the darkness, I have no fear of what is in the light. Or is it you that's afraid?"

He doesn't expect an answer. Instead, he nods his head towards Gerome. "Do you have another guess?"

𝚆𝙻𝚅𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝟻𝟼: Creature Double Feature!

𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂, 𝚆𝙸𝙽. 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎! ▼

--- starring our two contestants: Duessel from Grado and Gerome from Ylisse! ---

[obsidiendo]

The creature was caught with ease. He had to admit he was impressed with the young man's hunting skills; this is not something Duessel is sure he would have been able to figure out on his own. As it is, the fiend is theirs and he still feels the oppressive darkness loom over them.

Duessel was -- is -- still sure that this is at least partially the cause of the darkness. He's not as pleased with the addition of this fiend as he was with Wolfum, but there is something about it that makes him pause. It's as if he knows something about both of these fiends, like someone whispering to him about the components of their personalities.

He thinks: Minjina is clever. Minjina enjoys displays of guile and wit. And Minjina is curious.

"Look at me," Duessel says in a voice that demands attention. The general is many things: authoritative, strong, steadfast. But one does not command an army without wit.

He kneels down to its level, looking serious. "I wonder which one of us is the more clever. I have many years on you, but you are quite the little fiend. Would you like to play a game?"

the minjina looks up at duessel, though it's impossible to tell whether it's cowed or amused or anything else. it doesn't seem to be making any motion of refusal though, so might as well.

He nods as if in confirmation. "I will guess something about you, and if I'm right, you'll answer one of my questions. You may guess something about me or my companion, and if you're right, I'll give you something you want. Do you like those odds?"

He clears his throat and guesses: "The darkness isn't coming only from you."

the minjina's grin only spread wider, gleefully so, and it leaps soundlessly up and down at duessel's first guess. without ado, a thought occurs to duessel like something forgotten. he and gerome were really more warriors than tricksters, weren't they. given that it didn't give him any chance to pose a question, seems to imply that duessel's guess had been wrong.

𝚆𝙻𝚅𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝟻𝟼: Creature Double Feature!

𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂, 𝚆𝙸𝙽. 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎! ▼

--- starring our two contestants: Duessel from Grado and Gerome from Ylisse! ---

[obsidiendo]

Duessel did not take off the glasses. They seemed to adjust to the darkness, and he'd already grown used to them by the time they were shrouded in night. He raised his lance, looking about but still seeing...

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

He aimed his lance at some of the underbrush, his brow furrowed as he grimaced. He'd no reason to believe this is where the fiend -- if it truly existed -- was hiding, but it was as good a guess as any. "If you are in there, show yourself."

neutral! roll D2: 2! +0 Wildness +0 Wariness

Silence greets him, and he looks at Gerome. "Do you have an idea?"

𝚆𝙻𝚅𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝟻𝟼: Creature Double Feature!

𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂, 𝚆𝙸𝙽. 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎! ▼

--- starring our two contestants: Duessel from Grado and Gerome from Ylisse! ---

[obsidiendo]

The sun is in his eyes. He raises a hand to filter the light through his fingers but feels the heat beat down on him. He's alone -- except for his partner, a fellow member of Team Snake.

The sign does not give much information. He looks forward -- east, west, then south. A black dot seems to linger there, and when he blinks he realizes it doesn't go away.

Odd. Unsettling, but not the most pressing; there are 'fiends' to find. Duessel is not overly competitive, but he does not want to tie his partner down. With a curt nod he motions for them to head in the direction of the mountains -- where he is sure there might be something to find.

"I think we will have more luck in this direction," he says, as if he has any way to tell. The rocks around him have become steeper, more jagged, and he's not sure he's made the right call. "And besides, perhaps we shall find some shade in this--"

He pauses. There's something in front of them.

@deathsdue

𝚆𝙻𝚅𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝟻𝟼: Creature Double Feature!

𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂, 𝚆𝙸𝙽. 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎! ▼

--- starring our two contestants: Duessel from Grado and Gerome from Ylisse! ---

[obsidiendo]

He's glad to see Gerome unhurt. Whatever it was that Wolfum ran after, it seems to not be an issue now. Duessel adjusts his glasses and greets his companion with a small nod, then pauses at his question.

"Oh? These glasses? I found them..." he then hands the note to Gerome, "...alongside this. I don't know what danger this refers to, but I do think we should be careful."

He motions down towards the mountain. "Come, we should go back the way we came, retrace our steps before we try a different direction. Keep an eye out, though, we might find some other notes if we're careful."

He holds out his arm to steady himself on the rocks, and as he goes down he notices that the area is getting darker. It makes little sense -- it was hardly the twilight hours, but now he feels uneasy. The nerves he had before come back, and he grimaces.

"This isn't natural." An obvious statement. "There must be a fiend behind this." The words are spoken with more authority than perhaps they warrant, but he narrows his eyes and scans across the field. It's hard to see, but if he goes in the direction of that ominous black dot from before...

"Come, this way. I want to find the source of this."

𝚆𝙻𝚅𝙸 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝟻𝟼: Creature Double Feature!

𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂, 𝚆𝙸𝙽. 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎! ▼

--- starring our two contestants: Duessel from Grado and Gerome from Ylisse! ---