witchual: (the boundary between dreams and reality…)
Magilou ([personal profile] witchual) wrote in [community profile] awashlogs2019-06-16 02:18 am

[ closed ]

WHO: Magilou and Artoria
WHERE: Deep within the forest
WHEN: Mid-June, pre-event
WHAT: Magilou and Artoria go in the forest for hunting. They get more than they bargained for.
WARNINGS: Monsters and the usual spooky forest shenanigans

[ When Magilou suggested that she and Saber take a trip through the forest for hunting, it's not as though she was expecting a welcome party. This is the barrier that keeps them enclosed in their fairytale prison; to call it foreboding would be an understatement. An endless expanse of colorless trees leading only to darkness, the mysterious quests for slaying monsters deep within - it's almost sinister in its simplicity, but this isn't the first abyss that Magilou has stared down.

After they've walked past the edges and into the deep thickets of gray beyond, Magilou looks behind her, only to see an unfamiliar maze of trees. It's impossible to see if the thought affects her at all, with her usual carefree mask plastered on. If it weren't for her efforts to keep her footfalls light and her voice low - and the fact that she'd triple-checked her Guardians and strung the journal she arrived with around her waist - she'd seem almost completely unprepared for what they might face. ]


I was hoping there'd be something exciting for the main course... but it's been so silent so far. If this is meant to be a trap, they could have made it more subtle.

[ It's silent. Silent, when there were animals to hunt at the fringes before, as if it was meant to drag them deeper in. It's... strange, unnatural, and even though that means everything bad and nothing good, Magilou doesn't stop walking. They've already come this far. ]
artorian: (there's the old man from scene 24)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-06-29 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
A contagious evil... How fearsome. I can only imagine the chaos such a thing would sow.

[ But she agrees that a quick death would be the best solution for it. Whether it be one person infected or one thousand, swiftly eradicating the poison to save the rest of the population would be the only wise choice.

Saber is a simple being. If something fights her, she fights back, and if her opponent dies in the process, she won't let herself feel too bad about it, whatever that opponent's life circumstances may be. She takes hold of her sword and turns to start herself and Magilou back down the path without a second glance at the Minotaur.

There's only time for a bit more chatter before the next trial comes down the path: a large troll with an equally large club bent on bludgeoning Saber and Magilou very much into meat puddles. Luckily, the dense forest makes handy cover against wide swings as tend to come from oversized clubs, so after a bit of ducking and weaving followed by another sword-and-sorcery high five of death, the troll falls as neatly as the Minotaur.

Next comes a chimera. Many things happen, and then it also dies. The intrepid pair carries on.

Though they've been able to emerge from their encounters unscathed, it's been a fair amount of exertion, so Saber gives Magilou a critical eye for any signs of exhaustion as they march along. ]


How are you faring? I have plenty of water and provisions if you are in need of a break.
artorian: (this new learning amazes me sir bedivere)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-01 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ Magilou's inspection will find Saber in perfect condition. The small bumps and scrapes she incurred during battle healed themselves in short order; even her armor, as crude in design as it is, gleams in the pockets of sunlight that reach them, restored as perfectly as if it were part of her skin.

Satisfied with Magilou's logic and endurance, Saber is content to continue along until they come upon the clearing. Immediately, a feeling of foreboding grips her. It emanates directly from the clearing, though it appears to contain only a thick, gnarled copse. Nevertheless, Saber tenses as if glimpsing a fist about to strike her and halts, reaching out to touch Magilou's shoulder and stop her as well. Some people pay passing heed to their gut feelings, but Saber has learned to obey hers absolutely. ]


Yes, let us go no further until we are completely prepared. I do not like the feeling of what lies ahead.

[ She unties the waterskin at her side and offers it to Magilou. Hydration is important! ]

When you feel ready, allow me to go first.
artorian: (sovereign of all england)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-02 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Spirits don't need water... or even food... Saber just likes to eat a lot. So she stows the water away in case they need it later before turning her full attention to Magilou, her expression a collection of flat lines.

She knows Magilou means the best, however she attempts to shroud her concern in bravado. If Saber were just Artoria, a normal person still susceptible to the tumult of death, she would find Magilou's spirit and camaraderie heartening. Even now, Saber admires her -- a woman who can dedicate herself to spreading joy in times of peace while bolstering herself with mettle when danger looms. Saber has nothing but the highest respect for Magilou. But still she hardens, her will becoming her voice and body. ]


Magilou, I hoped you would understand as a vessel to spirits. It is only logical for me to go first. If I am injured, I can recover quickly without fear of permanent damage. If a trap lies ahead, it is better that one of us has space to recover and react.

Frankly, I do not think we will emerge from what awaits us entirely unscathed, but that is why it is even more imperative that we act with your safety in mind.
artorian: (there's the old man from scene 24)

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[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-03 08:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ Phew. Saber relaxes, if only slightly, her shoulders loosening as if taking a long exhale. She indeed would have -- and has -- fought tooth and nail on the subject, so Magilou's acquiescence is a tangible relief. She nods solemnly to Magilou's unreasonably framed demand, her tone calming in turn. ]

If I do happen to get injured, I will be certain to heal so completely that anyone would think you conquered our foes singlehandedly.

[ Without further ado, Saber takes up her sword and makes her way toward the copse. The pressure of foreboding squeezes in on her as one might feel when slowly walking into a knife, but she carries on with focused calm. Her Instinct is sharp enough to near prediction, and if she were truly wise, she would heed that intuition and turn back, dragging Magilou back to town with her.

But Saber has never been quite wise enough. There has always been a seed of audacity buried at her core, arrogant enough to defy fate and reason. If one tries hard enough -- if one tries long enough -- if one has done everything within their power to achieve their goal, then surely they will reach it. Even if her ever-faithful Instinct tells her that misfortune lies ahead, she must believe that she'll be able to emerge from the other end of it intact, if only she struggles well enough. It's hubris, plain and simple, but it's too close to her essence for her to grow out of. ]
artorian: (if you do not tell us where we can buy)

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[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-03 08:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ And to her credit, when the copse erupts into motion, she doesn't go lightly.

The trees and their branches burst at her all at once, like shotgun pellets attached to gnarled arms. Saber's reaction is immediate. The air wrapped around her sword, so dense as to warp the vision of all who lay eyes on it, releases in a shockwave in front of her that crashes against the onslaught of branches. For a moment, it's like a whirling, whistling, invisible wall is formed in front of her, the wind ripping at bark and splitting the straining branches that roar in wooden cracks to reach her.

And her sword, released from its sheathe of wind, suddenly illuminates the clearing. Its blade shines brilliant gold, as pure in light as the sun and nearly as searing. This she raises steadily, and when her shield of air inevitably runs out, it cuts through the branches that lash out at her as easily as if they were leaves.

But it is only one sword, and the branches are endless. The tree -- and the "copse" does seem to be only one great tree -- betrays no pain and slows for nothing. The wooden fingers break against the arc of the sword, but their arms reach underneath -- and they snare one of Saber's feet, lifting her high upside-down.

Her sword falls from her grip, the blade embedding itself straight into the ground. The whorls of the tree's trunk crease and bend until a fierce face becomes apparent, and a hole in its side widens into a gaping maw. Then, almost nonchalantly, a mere seven seconds after bursting into life, the tree swings Saber into its mouth and promptly closes it.

If there's no other interference, the tree will slowly settle back into the earth frayed and chopped, half its branches on the ground, content. ]
artorian: (but i must cross this bridge)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-05 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well. This is awkward.

Saber has never been eaten before, but she's fairly sure this particular experience is out of the ordinary: the inner walls of the tree are predictably hard and harsh, almost like being crammed into a warped closet if the closet were also lined with thick, oozing sap. Where the sap touches her, she feels herself losing control until she's swiftly immobilized from head to toe. Curiously, her throat doesn't seem to want to work either, and she finds herself unable to raise her voice or even grunt. If she had a need to breathe, she would be panicking -- and even without, it's an unpleasant sensation, like a very prolonged suffocation.

But worse is still being able to hear. Magilou's voice comes muffled through the tree, but the quiet shock and loss in it is so unlike her that it pierces Saber to her core. Just as Saber was supposed to be able to stand her ground, Magilou was supposed to be able to handle the aftermath with aplomb -- so none of this is going as planned, really. I am fine, she wants to shout, but her body may as well not be her own.

The only evidence of her continued well-being is her dropped sword, still sheathed in the ground and glowing bright. Saber wills Magilou to notice it and take heart. It's a part of her spirit; it wouldn't be able to stay materialized without her to sustain it with magical energy. ]
artorian: (knights of ni)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-06 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ In response to Magilou's posturing, a slow creaking begins to fill the silence of the clearing. The whorls and gnarls that comprise the tree's face shift, the eyes warping until they seem to fall on the slight woman before them. The tree does not otherwise move, dispassionate in its regard for Magilou, but at least it seems to be listening. If something of enough interest is put before it, it will consider an exchange.

Inside, a frustrated Saber continues to strain for movement to no avail. With a Command Spell, there would be a simple solution, but now she can only listen. Perhaps Magilou is bluffing about blowing the tree up, but Saber hopes she'll do it. Burn it, electrocute it, freeze it -- Saber is confident in her ability to survive any magical blow, even if her confidence is what got her in this situation in the first place.

An offering also seems like a feasible choice, though Saber doesn't know what Magilou has to offer. Magilou is fully capable of hunting, so perhaps wild game...? But with all the powerful beasts they encountered along the way, Saber doesn't like the idea of Magilou getting caught alone.

Whatever her choice, Saber trusts her to be wise. Wiser than Saber's been, at any rate. ]
artorian: (he is the keeper of the bridge of death)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-08 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The tree's eyes migrate to follow Magilou's book as she offers it. It's a simple creature that evaluates the offering in basic terms: otherworld item, paper, stories. And it flips and flutters, which is a very rare trait among trees. A better item to absorb than the rude cutting girl.

The tree sways in a shudder of leaves reminiscent of a sudden gust of wind, and a branch reaches out to delicately catch Magilou's book in one of its forks. Then the crease of its mouth splits into a wide gape, and when the tree leans forward, it slides Saber onto Magilou in an unceremonious lump of sap.

Saber, for her part, can't immediately shake off her paralysis, so there's nothing for her to do but fall on Magilou with all the weight of her body and armor. And though she can't breathe yet, her heart still beats and her body is still warm... somewhere beneath all that thick, sticky sap. ]
Edited 2019-07-08 15:38 (UTC)
artorian: (jesus christ)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-10 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ Paying no heed to the comedy duo on the ground, the tree deposits its new book into the gulf of its mouth before slowly settling back into the earth. It seems perfectly content to hibernate there until it gets hungry again.

In the meantime, Saber is highly mortified. As the sap slowly oozes off of her, sensation begins to return to her body. Her limbs are slow to respond though, and the stickiness doesn't help at all. She stirs, and then with slothlike speed, slaps an armored hand onto the ground so that she can try and lift herself up. ]


I--ptooh.

[ Sap in her mouth -- she spits it out (not on Magilou) rather inelegantly before trying again. ]

Yes... Give me... one moment...

[ She attempts to enunciate even through her slurring as she regains the feeling of her mouth. Summoning all of her strength, she rooolllllls off of Magilou, leaving a puddle of sap in her wake. (She is so sorry.) From there she struggles to rise, only to tip over the other way in a heavy clatter of metal. She should probably wait a while longer before trying again.

... But as is the lesson today, Saber doesn't always listen to her better reason, because she'll attempt to get up a third time. If Magilou plans on torching the tree, Saber needs to be on standby in case anything (else) happens... ]
artorian: (run away! run away!)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-11 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ Saber summons her holy sword to her side, only to use it as a crutch to prop herself up on. But at least she's back on her feet, and that will have to be good enough for now. The time for extended talk can come later. For now, there's a tree asking for incineration. ]

I am fine...

[ Sort of. And because she can still feel the attention of the tree emanating toward them, she too drops to a whisper. ]

I will thank you... not to refer to me as a maiden. And no, there should be no complications... with your plan.

[ She stands up a bit straighter and nods to Magilou. Saber has her back probably! ]
artorian: (may seek warmer climes in winter)

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[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-11 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Magilou's magic is exactly as showy as she is. Despite her resolve to stay attentive in case Magilou is need of support, Saber finds herself captivated by the spectacle of the multiplying, dancing Guardians, needlessly perfomative but undeniably potent. She's seen a lot of magic in her lifetime, but her experience only informs her of the strangeness of Magilou's -- and the power lying beneath the silly facade. Any magus can learn how to fire a spell in a straight line. It takes a truly talented one to orchestrate a spell both dazzling and effective, nearly carnivalistic in its revelry.

The explosion at the end of it lights up the forest with a fury, even the stray hair atop Saber's head blown back with the force of it before gently settling back into its usual forward droop. Saber blinks and observes the wreckage. For Magilou to have left that small bit of trunk intact on purpose -- and Saber has no doubt that she did -- is a display of control almost as dramatic as the spell itself.

This was all so needless... ]
artorian: (whoa there)

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[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-11 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ ... and yet Saber finds herself smiling at the absurdity of it. She shakes her head. ]

I would never dream of stealing the finishing act from you, and I have tasted more than my fair share. The finale is yours.

[ She bears no grudge against the tree, as embarrassing and gross as it is to be covered in sap. She was the one who invaded its territory, after all. ]
artorian: (i did say sorry about the old woman)

[personal profile] artorian 2019-07-13 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[ After watching Magilou's last display of magic, muted in comparison to what came before but no less skillful, Saber meets Magilou with a smile. She's got a bit of a wet dog look going on, but enough of the sap has sloughed off by now that she can straighten up normally, her hand resting comfortably on the pommel of her sword rather than leaning on it like a crutch. ]

Yes, it was an arduous experience. The souls of those consumed before me were bound within its wooden walls and sought to possess my body as a means of escape. There followed a dire struggle for dominance among our five souls, which I fought with no certain victory. Had your rescue come five seconds later, I may have stood before you not as myself, but a dreadful old lech wearing the guise of my skin.

[ Of course, none of this happened. But Saber's smile stays firmly in place as she looks closely at Magilou as if expecting something. What is she expecting? Who can say... ]

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