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Entry tags:
Event Twenty-Six.
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I serve the man for centuries. I give you food, I give you wood. I give you shed, I hold the soil under your feet. | |
Welcome to Awash's Twenty-sixth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs and posts for this event! | |
t's a calm, quiet, peaceful morning. It's still dark, the birds are still not even singing... and creatures, slinking and furtive, sneak into Town to drag friends, loved ones, and enemies alike away.
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Are you one of the victims who still has use of their legs? Are you a rescuer out to find the kidnapped townsfolk? Either way, you’re going to hear a bit of pathetic moaning from somewhere as you venture further into the forest—
“How sad…”
Look down, back up. He’s up in that monochrome tree right next to you, caught awkwardly in the branches and looking perfectly despondent. His skin deathly pale and bluish; his vibrant red hair now speckled with myriad blue flowers and leaves; his limbs swollen into thick, gnarled branches and roots twisting themselves about the colorless branches. What’s more, the bits of him that are still somewhat human are also strange, and much too small and tight for him, save around the chest region, from whence you can catch a peek of his oft-hidden scar.
How odd…but really, this entire setup is deeply suspicious and you probably have a lot of questions. But for now, he has a much more pressing concern:
“Have you seen my harp?”
ii. He’s a lumberjack and he’s not okay
Were you thinking of going into the forest to rescue the others? Were you thinking of doing it alone? Well, tough shit. You’ll find Tristan striding toward you as you near the edge of the forest, trying his best to look dignified while still clad in this ridiculous outfit. At the very least, he’s managed to arm himself with his sword and his harp, but even he feels that those aren’t necessarily adequate protection without his armor.
“How tragic that things must come to this…but it cannot be helped. I shall accompany you.”
iii. Mourning wood
Have you been immobilized as a tree? Poor you. Poor, poor you! Tristan is deeply sympathetic as he watches the dryads’ spell almost consume you entirely.
“How sad…I cannot think of any other way to break the spell.” Short of chopping you down anyway, but he’ll keep his sword safely hilted, thanks very much. And yes, he’s absolutely still a fashion disaster as he grimly contemplates your fate. Still, he gazes worriedly over your prone form, and whatever your gender, finally adds:
“But knowing the ways of this world…perhaps a kiss might suffice.”
iv. Wildcard!
[ Feel free to PM me or hit me up on Plurk at
Closed to Pyra/Mythra
Master…what are your orders?
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ii
He doesn't look disgusted. Just confused, and maybe a touch offended.
"Why are you wearing that?"
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i
[Hearing that familiar voice, she runs toward it without thinking... and then stumbles, horrified when she sees what he's become, a hand cupping her mouth.]
By the gods!
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iii
First the roots sprang from her feet, anchoring her to the earth. Then the wood began to wind its way slowly up her body, encompassing then becoming one with her flesh. It's a strange sensation, but she's becoming increasingly familiar with feelings of conscious immobility. Not a desirable trend by any measure, but this is her life now.
Currently, the wood has wound itself up to her shoulders and is creeping down her arms, which hang neutral by her sides as if she were standing around on any old day. There's no point in panicking, so Saber looks up calmly at Tristan and says, "Very well. Let us try it."
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"Archer...." There's concern in her voice and little judgment of whatever pieces of his outfit she can see. "Are your abilities hindered by your transformation?"
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III for maximum trauma?
Or maybe it is, because the dryads certainly seem to think it is. At least she stands out among the colourless trees, a vibrant yellow, rooted to the ground and angry as anything.
“What, really? Absolutely nothing?”
She doesn’t try very hard to tone the sarcasm down at all, especially because this very mouthy tree had given his outfit a once-over and was deeply, deeply judging.
“I refused to be kissed while you’re dressed like a pervert.”
will she and kaoru ever actually give him a break...
never but it's fine, the stress keeps him on his toes
at least he'll never get bored...
It’s fine, it’ll keep him looking young or something
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iii
Squinting, he looks up at the familiar voice.]
Archer? [He looks him up and down, still squinting.] What are you wearing...?
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hoping/guessing tristan is healed when this happens
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i
"Do you believe it will help?" he asks. It's not beyond the realms of possibility- the power of music can move men's hearts, after all. Though how it'll help here- well, perhaps they'll see.
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[ If you’re an intrepid rescuer wandering in the woods, the first thing you’ll notice about this particular tree isn’t its vivid red color.
When he awoke in the arms of a maiden clad in naught but leaves, vines, and flowers, Wei Wuxian at first thought he was still dreaming; that’s his excuse, anyway, for why he tried to flirt with her. His charm went unappreciated, to put it mildly. At first glance, you’d think he got off easy: despite the leafy branches sprouting from his back, he can still move his arms and his legs. He can still still breathe, still speak, and still… smell. ]
I’m sorry! Really I am!
[ Dropping from each of the branches covering his back, and dangling at just about nose-level, is a large, prickly, spiny, and exquisitely aromatic fruit, the durian. It’s a fruit which, in terms of taste and odor, defies description. ]
Come back! Ugh! [ he fans the air before his nose ] Let’s talk about this, okay?
[ His efforts to find the dryad that cursed him have thus far been unsuccessful, but he’s still dragging his enfruited body around looking for her. The durians, regrettably, are ripening and falling from the branches at an alarming rate—and splitting open the instant they fall, releasing their distinctive... perfume. So instead of breadcrumbs, he’s leaving behind a vapor trail. ]
ii. in town
[ After he’s been freed from the curse, he’ll be stopping passersby on the street, asking: ]
Do you know of anyone who’s missing? What color are they?
[ Though he’s been to the onsen several times, he still has a faint yet distinctive onions/turpentine/pig shit/vomit/dirty sock aroma clinging to him. ]
iii. aftermath
[ It’s amazing how something can grow on you (literally). Much like how he’d got used to the stench of dead bodies when he was necromancing for a living, he’s actually grown a bit fond of the durian fruit. Which is why he’s set up a stall near the edge of the forest, to welcome the rescued townspeople home with a nourishing, uh, snack. ]
Here you go, nice and fresh!
iii.
Are you sure that thing isn't rotting?
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iii.
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ii!
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aftermath
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Wangji couldn't understand the dryads. He tried, but their chatter was fast, and they would not respond to him, not even to the notes he played. Then his mouth closed, his face starting to harden, and he understood. Somewhat.
In his unwillingness to additionally aggravate the wood creatures, he did not take out his sword. Instead, he started running in the direction that he was aware they had approached from. He had to find a way to warn people.
The tree bark spread over his face, and then down his body until his legs were difficult to move. But he kept going, until roots made steps impossible.
ii. shiver and quiver little tree
Even though his face and his legs had become tree, Wangji's mind was clear and his hands and arms were still free of the spell. So he had managed to sit down cross-legged before his legs were completely gone, and now he had taken out his guqin, strumming quietly.
He wasn't asking for help, though he was perhaps asking things of the trees. But, mostly, it was soothing. For anyone who might be stuck but still aware.
(He had not made it to the town. But he was closer to it than the place where the dryads took them. He had tried to get back to them all.)
iii. and home before dark
Lan Wangji was not a very sociable person. He did fairly well on his own, or with very little company. And, more often than not, people could be a little overwhelming. So he was not too likely to talk to a stranger.
But in a situation like this, he could not indulge his preference for solitude. He was walking around Chroma, seeking out people who were out and about.
"Are you all right? Are you in need of anything? Is someone close to you still missing?"
The transformation was painless, but that did not make it easy. If they could find everyone... that would be better.
iv. careful the tale you tell, that is the spell...
This is the wildcard option. Feel free to tag in with something else, or poke me at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
kikibug13. Will match format.
iii
"I have yet to learn that someone I know has been spirited away. Who is missing?"
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ii (1/2)
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ii
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[ this is, more or less, a baroque.
dextera has distorted before. just earlier this month, in fact, he suffered his baroque going out of control. although it has since calmed down, the remnants of it plague him nevertheless. after being swept away by the dryads, the branches start out of the scar on his side, pushing through his clothes and clawing out as if trying to reach toward the trees around him.
he looks bad, but mostly resigned to his fate. as long as he has his mouth, he can’t help but feel like he ought to take up the post of people like urim and thummim. ]
I don’t know how long I’ll be here… [ a beat. ] I’m hungry…
[ dextera has moved past hunger into full starvation—he doesn’t feel hungry anymore, but deeply dizzy. it’s an out of body experience that’s consuming him now, as his head lolls on the shoulder that’s slowly but surely turning to a deep, blue wood. ]
I wonder if this is what he felt like…
[ murmured, to himself, until he sees someone approaching. his eyes are tired when he lifts his head, but he seems to welcome the company, even if he’s also accepted that he’ll die out here in the woods. ]
Do you want to hear a story…?
[ dextera never cut down any trees himself, but he understands why the dryads might have been angry with them all. those were their homes, and he sees that now. that’s probably all they wanted everyone to learn, so he’s reluctant to damage the trees any further than he already has in his year here. he wishes there were something he could do in apology—which is how he ends up standing at the edge of the woods, a bag tucked under his arm.
to anyone who comes by, he turns to them. ]
Will you come with me…? I want to try planting these. I think it would make them happy.
( i’ll try to tag out with both dextera and sierra, so if there’s something you want to do with either of them, you can hit dextera here or get me at
ii
Look at you. Is this the time for a story?
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I
Uh... hello. [It still hasn't occurred to him that his person may have stepped on one of the twigs growing out of his body right now. Instead, he's trying to place the person's face, and finally concludes that he's never met them.] What... is what? The curse?
[He refrains from pointing out that they have it too.]
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(closed - Berkut and Keigo)
For such a murderer of trees the dryads did not go easy on this one, even with the fight he put up. They resorted to using a scarce poison to subdue him, and so Tonbokiri was literally dragged very deep into the forest, the dryads's forest lore allowing them to leave very little trace behind despite their burden.
To Tonbokiri, he is uncertain how much time had passed while poisoned. However, the full transformation to 'tree' is alarmingly near completion. He is aware of his situation, but frustratingly unable to do a thing about it. He'd been lying on his back when the transformation began, and since has planted roots everywhere he'd been touching the ground. He is now a long, amber-yellow, living log.
His hands had retained a death-grip on his spear, so even now it is with him. As the rest of him is scarcely recognizable as human, the spear is also becoming tree-like. Yet his spear, rising at a unnatural angle from the log and still retaining its obviously unnatural spearhead, is the surest sign of who this is...
If there were anyone to see it.
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The problem is, he's still in the forest, no matter how close to town he may be. He's never been in the woods alone. He's always been accompanied by people with strength or special powers. Leaving him alone like this is just not good rescuer service.
Lost in thoughts like this, he doesn't notice someone else is approaching until they're very close. He wheels around at the first sound that registers, or maybe it's just their general presence he senses.
"Don't kill me! It's too soon!" He's thinking too soon after being rescued from certain death but the general sense of I'm too young to die! works, too.
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Link has been cutting back the trees for months.
He has no hope of getting a word in with the swarm of dryads who drag him from his home and into the woods, even if they could be spoken with. There are so many hands on him that the delicate beings manage to keep him restrained, although he stopped struggling once he suspected that these were forest spirits of some kind. Were they taking him somewhere? Did they mean well? He wondered fearfully as they carried him off, their repetitive chattering beyond his understanding.
Finally, after what feels like an hour, the hands and the noise disappear at once. Link thumps to the forest floor, landing painfully on his back, and opens his eyes just in time to see the last of the crowd darting away.
What is going on? Could they have been trying to tell him something, or lead him somewhere? He rises to his feet anxiously. For some reason, his feet hurt. With no other options, he begins to walk, looking around for anything out of the ordinary - until the pain in his feet is too much to bear, and he sits on a log to take off his boots.
The skin of his feet is turning a golden yellow and gaining a dry, crust-like texture. The pain is from his toenails, which had somehow grown several inches in the past several minutes and, being pointed for some reason, had cut holes in his socks.
The scream Link lets out to echo through the woods is... not very dignified, but it's genuine.
[II. despair]
Hours later, as the sun is staring to set, Link's situation has not improved. He tried to carry his boots for a while, but his hands started turning yellow and hard shortly after his feet. As the minutes passed, the pain just got worse, and his hands and feet became more and more stiff.
At least it didn't take him long to revert into "time to get serious" Champion mode. Link knows he can endure a lot and would when the situation demands it, and as he forges ahead in spite of his discomfort, he realizes he's been living a pretty laid back and responsibility-free life for the past several months here in Chroma, at least compared to what he had been doing back in Hyrule. He figured that everything was fine back home - he rescued Zelda, after all, and he knew people would protect her and venerate her the way she deserved. But as he wracks his brain for an explanation for what was happening to him right now, he realizes that if there were some well-known explanation, he wouldn't know it. He mostly keeps to himself in Chroma, after all, willing to help here and there but mostly keeping to himself, just waiting to be whisked home like other former residents had.
A pang of guilt hits him. Should he have been doing more this whole time? Is there some well-known danger of dryad kidnapping that his solitude had kept him from hearing about? Or maybe he's upset the Goddess somehow, who he's sure is still here as much as she's in Hyrule, and she's upset with him for not doing more.
It doesn't take long for the confusion and worry to take their toll on Link. After passing by a few colored trees, he finally stops at one that matches the color he was turning into - his color on the forum. He sits down under its branches and stares at his arms and legs. Branches had torn through his clothes from the surface of his bark-like skin, and tiny leaves are starting to bud in the sunlight.
Those fae cursed me, he thinks to himself miserably. Maybe they were upset at how everyone had been treating the forest. Maybe this has something to do with those "guardians." Either way, he no idea what to do, and no idea what direction to go in to get back to town.
"Is anyone out there?" he yells into the woods. The colored trees are easy to spot through the grey trunks and bushes. Maybe someone is passing close by?
ii
So being woken up by screams, yells and other protests to those who were being dragged away was not something he was expecting at all. It had him out of bed and out the door with his sword without a second thought, motion all but stopped short when he came to face with one of the strange colorless dryads.
It stared at him. He stared back. There was a sickening tension in the air, a moment where he almost, almost felt like he understood some sort of speech from the creature. It gave him something of a headache to even hear it, let alone try to decipher it, but he did gather that they were 'remaking their home'. The tension was broken only when the dryad simply moved on as if deciding he was only worth those few seconds of pause and confusing explanation.
Clearly, others weren't nearly as lucky as he was given the amount of commotion in town.
As much as he didn't want to harm obvious forest creatures that had, up until now, done nothing to the town he couldn't just stand around while his friends and comrades were dragged away to the woods.
The problem came when he attempted to follow some of them and the poor soul that was getting dragged away. He managed to nearly keep pace for a some of the trek, but the colorless trees quickly turned in to confusing mazes, twists and turns and trips that kept them from remaining in his sights. Soon enough he was struggling just to remember where he started and where he had already been. It didn't help that the sounds that had given him some direction at first were beginning to fade as the kidnapped individuals met their fate with whatever the creatures had planned.
It felt both like an eternity and no time at all when he finally stumbled across Link, sweaty and dirt-covered and not at all prepared for the trek he'd just made, nor what he was about to see.
The blue tunic caught his attention first, prompting him to call out as he approached.
"Link! Thank fuck, I finally found s... ome... one... oh god"
He slowed to a stop, a shaking hand going over his mouth in absolute abject horror.
"What..."
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II. Tree People (or "Treeple")
III. Wildcard
I
....This is why you should carry a spare, you know.
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ii!
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ii
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i: Investigation Time!
[Naturally, the moment he figured out that people were being kidnapped by dryads he went to go look for some.
In his hand, there's a whip that looks like a willow branch as he pushed aside some branches as he travelled through the woods. When he heard someone behind him, he turned, his whip raised...then lowered when he realized you weren't a monster.]
...have you seen any of the creatures responsible?
ii: Investigation But With Less Screeching
[So using TianWen had been a bust. Which left him with eavesdropping!
Which is why you'll find yourself pulled back and a hand against your mouth.]
Be quiet.
[Hopefully you listened because those totally are dryads that are passing by where you had been standing before. They're chattering about something but it seems to be incomprehensible.]
I.
You can't just go around like that when there are people around here!! [ Especially if he happened to whack one of the kidnapped few? Talk about hitting someone while they're down... ]
Actually, you shouldn't go hitting the ones that are responsible for this, either! I'm upset with them as well, but violence won't solve anything!
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[They took her in her sleep. But that was to be expected considering someone had told her she needed to the wood from nine trees for one household for the winter so she'd cut that amount for the house she shared with Rin and for Shiho, Caramia and Kyrie's home...and anyone else who needed help, really.
So it was natural the dryads would take her. But it doesn't make her any happier to wake up with branches for arms.]
...when I find who's responsible for this, they're dead!
ii: And Then She was A Tree
[She makes it back to town, at least, since she can fly. Though now that the bottom half of her body as well as her arms have taken on a tree like shape she's not sure she can land anymore.
So she stops, the roots of her feet not quite touching the ground as she turns to you and asks.]
What are the chances that I'll take root immediately if I land?
ii
But she had obviously already started out of the forest by the time he took to hunting her down.
He looked absolutely wrecked. This month has already been hell on him and what the dryads are doing to his friends is just as emotionally exhausting as it is physically. Covered in dirt, mud, probably dried blood...
He just looks at her with tired eyes and a defeated expression.]
Please don't...
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[…this is definitely something he didn't necessarily want to wake up to? Thancred doesn't catch much more than a glimpse, but it gives him a direction to go in- this is definitely some sort of incident-]
Did you see- I think they went that way!
ii. attempted resolution
[Well. So people are turning into trees. It's… not entirely like wildings, and there are tales, but-]
Well. Might a tale of a tree becoming human be of any use? Or- if anyone's another idea, I'm all ears.
i
They have retreated into the forest.
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[Chasing after screams had only gotten Rin so far. The bleak forest was such a maze, sparsely colored individual trees doing little to give direction and landmarks. He gave chase to the dryads but they were quick to twist, turn and dodge until he lost not only where he had come in but where they had gone.
He was determined to do something, though. He couldn't just abandon his friends that had been taken!
An hour, maybe two later (was time even remotely normal in the forest?) he stumbled across a singular dryad moving among the trees, just as colorless and stark.]
STOP!
[The creature halted and turned to the teen, staring with what seemed to be disinterest. He wasn't a target. He hadn't desecrated the forest as much as the others.]
Where'd you take them?
[A demand, met with the same silent, placid response.
Rin snarled, showing fangs as he yanked the blade from the sheath, pointing both sharp metal and blue flames at the creature. That elicited a reaction, one of both fear and uncertainty.]
Damn it! TELL ME WHERE YOU TOOK MY FRIENDS!
[He bellows loud enough to be heard even through the thick forest. He was seconds from setting the dryad on fire if he didn't get some sort of satisfactory response if no one thinks to stop him.]
ii. rescue
[Rin's efforts aren't entirely in vain. He may not find everyone. Hell, he may not even find that many, but the ones he does find he's absolutely determined to help in one way or another.
He'll stumble through the forest until he comes across someone less fortunate than him, likely tired and already covered in dirt and sweat, but ignoring his own discomfort for the sake of what others may be going through.
The transformations were horrifying, the things nightmares and movies are made out of. A part of him wants it to be just that - a messed up dream he'll wake from to find no one has been stolen, no one has been forced to endure such a painful, awful fate - but he knows that's just now how this place works.
Still, he's going to put aside his own mental and emotional discomfort for the time being because it's not about him. Its about them and doing whatever it takes to help.]
What can I do?
iii. aftermath
[The sun was giving its last glowing rays across a sky both colored and not, so far down the horizon it couldn't be seen anymore but not enough to be completely night time yet.
He sits in front of the cafe, sword propped against the outer wall and a slightly damp rag in his hands. He's filthy, caked on dirt, blood and sweat covering his skin and clothes as if he'd been in there for days.
It felt like it, to be quite honest.
He saved some.
Others...
Well, there's a reason he's not moving much.
He's simply staring blankly at the ground in some level of shock driven by both exhaustion and the things he witnessed, the ones he was unable to do anything for that he simply had to let go. He had intended to clean up before going inside but it seems as though it hit him all at once, leaving him in a trance as the sun continued its decent below the distant horizon.]
i
[That's all the warning he gets before Maribelle's hand suddenly grabs his arm, trying to pull him back.]
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[Waking up beneath the monochrome leaves of the forest was absolutely not how anyone had expected to start their morning, let alone Duo. Hell, the fact that he slept through an apparent kidnapping was shocking in and of itself given how light a sleeper he usually was.
Distant sounds reached his ears though being groggy from sleep made it difficult pin down just what he was hearing.
Groaning and grumbling, a deep ache seeping through his bones, he sat up and rubbed at his head while loose chestnut hair fell in his lap. Something in or on his hand was more scratchy than he was used to, prompting him to pull his hand away and stare at it blearily. His fingers were dark, a deep blue almost like a necrosis but rough like extremely dry skin.
Almost like...
Tree bark.
It all fell on him at once. The sounds - screams. His hand - like a tree. And it was spreading, slowly but surely from his fingers to his hand. Panicked he raised his other hand and found it to be in a similar condition. Already it was getting difficult to move his fingers and there were tiny bumps becoming thin branches.
His voice joined the distant chorus of cries as he scrambled backwards and bumped in to a stationary, colorless tree which only caused him to scream louder and flail about until he was able to get to his feet. It had yet to begin there but he could already feel an unnerving tingle at his toes.]
What the fuck what the FUCK?!
[He tugged at his hair and looked around frantically as he swore shrilly. Breath came in terrified hitches, chest aching and heart racing.]
I-- I have to get out of here... !
ii.
[Which was, of course, easier said than done. The forest was a beast to navigate even on the best of days. Panic, fear, and a slowly encroaching curse taking over his mobility was only making things worse.
He lost track how many times he turned at this one colored tree only to come across another for the umpteenth time, how many times he tripped, stumbled or had to stop all together because carrying the weight of those increasingly heavy limbs was starting to take its toll on him. Every time his arms were on the ground for too long he could feel them start to attempt taking root and fear would set in again as he ripped those tiny vines out from the forest floor in a move that was both nauseatingly unnerving and painful.
An hour-- no, more. Two? Three? He still hadn't found the exit back to town.
He tripped again and hit the ground hard. Again his turned limbs attempted to pin him to the ground. This time, though, he didn't fight back. He didn't have the energy. He was so tired...
So tired of this town.
So tired of being some sort of cosmic joke to the powers that be.]
Guess this is it, huh... ?
ii
The curse has taken hold of you as well.
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[By Keigo's estimation, every day spent in Chroma is a chance for danger. Attacks from dangerous fantasy creatures, changes to his body or personality, handmade traps and pits - they're all fair game for what might go wrong. So he can't say he's completely surprised when some tree spirits steal him from his bed. It's just that it's been a while since he's experienced danger so personal and kidnapping-based.
He struggles as much as he can, but he's not a fighter. The biggest weapon he has is his voice, alternating between cries for help and begging the dryads to put him down the whole way into a deep part of the forest.
When they finally listen, it's not a positive thing. It's a getting a spell cast on him thing. As soon as it's complete, his feet are planted to the ground.
And he did not mean for that to be a pun because his feet are literally taking root and becoming encased in bark.
The dryads drift away and leave him to his fate. It's time to resume the cries for help. Now, they alternate with other pleas.]
I don't want to be a tree!
Hey! Animals! This is not your scratching post! Or your bathroom!
Is this about the wood-eating bugs? I'm sorry, but it was a quest!
[And with every moment, the change creeps upward in the making of a very pale blue tree.]
OOC
[I don't have any set plan for Keigo getting rescued, other than deciding that someone will and then leave him on his own to walk at least part of the way back to town so this thread can happen. Feel free to PM me or hit me up at
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Keigo! I have heard your cries for hel—oh, is that a partridge nesting among your roots?
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[SiZhui had been sound asleep in his room. He could remember, but it had seemed like a rather pleasant dream. At least until he woke up to a green maiden in his room. Clearly she hadn't expected him to have awoken and it startled her and she took off.
Rather uncharacteristically, he simply leapt out of bed and gave chase. Clearly a woman - green in color - sneaking into to people's rooms at night was nothing short of nefarious!
He lost her within a few paces of the house. But now, the poor junior was caught outside without his boots, in his inner robes - since he didn't have sleeping robes - and brandishing a sword. Way to look like a lunatic here...]
ii. Exploring
[Now properly dressed, SiZhui set out to see what he could find out. He had taken his sword and headed out into the woods. Maybe he'd be able to figure out what the creature was that had arrived in the early morning hours]
i
Is aught amiss?
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[ Shen Qingqiu can't say that he's 100% surprised that he ends up kidnapped, just that the ones doing the kidnapping is surprising. He can't help but wonder if this is about killing the guardian, but he sees that there are other people captured with him. What's that nosense?!
In any case, he was able to escape with someone (or someones) and held onto their hand as he ran through the forest to make it back to the town. Cultivation was really amazing! It was really something that boosted a person's abilities above and beyond!!
Yet he wasn't able to get too far before he felt something funny. His right hand -- the one that he was using to hold the person's hand -- didn't feel right. When he looks down, he sees that it's now a branch?! COME ON!? He lets go of their hand as he stares at his branch-hand that is extending up to his arm. ]
... come on, we can keep running. [ Right! No reason to start worrying about this. Escape is more important!! ]
b. now starring as a tree in the background
[ Ah, to be a tree in the woods.
Whoever said that was something that was a comfortable or pleasing thing to be?! He's honestly a little freaked out about his current state.
Like, what is going to happen if someone happens to chop him down?!! Instead of a human stick, he's just going to end up as a stick!! ]
c. wildcard
[ Wildcard! Throw down any other scenario, like after the rescue even! ]
b
But knowing how to do it, isn't the same as saying he's capable of shedding tears on command.
After considering it, if he must cry, he didn't want it to be an emotional thing. If he had to pick, tears caused by physical pain was endlessly preferable because they were less of a blow to his pride than ones caused by emotions.
He approached the blue tree and as he did, threw up a barrier around himself and the tree. He doesn't want the smell of blood to attract anything.
He had considered using Huaisha, but being cut with a sword like that wasn't wise. And, at any rate, a sharp blade hurts less than a blunt one. So he pulls out a pritchel that he'd gone back to his workshop to pick up. Horrifyingly enough, it was even a little rusted, seeing how it wasn't one of the tools he'd cleaned up because he hadn't intended to use it.
Until now anyway.
He had to loosen the collar of his robe, because the fabric couldn't be pierced easily. Then he presses the tip against his chest, close enough to his shoulder he won't accidentally puncture a lung.
He paused there, looking at the tree. He's not...good at comforting strangers. But without a human face looking back at him, without even knowing if this person can hear him or not, it's a little easier.]
Don't be scared.
[The he presses the tip down until it broke skin. He didn't use his spiritual energy to dull the pain, but he didn't bow his back, didn't make a single sound as he pushed the pritchel in. The only sign of pain was the tremble in his hands and the way he pressed his mouth into a line.]
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A!
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[Drip...drip...drip...
Fran herself isn't turning into a tree, but she isn't exactly intact, either.
It seems that blood might hold the answer - to some facets of the curse, at least. Drawing blood from Chu Wanning's hand as he covered her mouth had planted the seed of an idea as to how she might save some of their lost companions. Bridal Chest was a blunt weapon, but she had ways of drawing blood regardless.
Fran has bitten her own arm open.
Even as an artificial life form, even as a spirit, she can still bleed. Incapable of shedding tears, incapable of...whatever it is that's meant to free yellows (that knowledge, still a mystery to her, makes it more of a relief that she was spared), at least she can still shed blood.
She paces the forest floor quietly, looking for anyone trapped who might need the release, silent save for the sound of blood falling from her hand.]
ii. be ... treegressive?;
UUUEEAAAAH!
[Fran's innate distrust of and kneejerk reaction to anything involving the forest might have been what saved her from turning into a tree, in the end. The dryads themselves were tricky and came in large numbers, stealthy groups, but they weren't fighters, and any Berserker is violent when cornered. The ones she hadn't scared away she'd mauled.
Unlike her quiet search for other townspeople to rescue, her charge against the dangerous woods is violently loud. There's little caution or foresight in the way she's storming the forest like a particularly heroic clap of thunder.
Maybe you're drawn to loud cry she lets out as she charges deeper into the labyrinth of trees, hunting down any last standing dryads. Maybe she ran up into the middle of a conflict you were already a part of. Maybe you got in her way during said charge and should probably convince her to not smash everything in sight, including yourself.
However you meet, her rage is boiling, and she's ready to fight.]
iii. wildcard;
[You know.]
i.
He doesn't find any tree-people. He does, however, smell the sharp scent of blood on the air. Deciding to change tack, he takes to the trees and uses his keen sense of smell to pursue it to its source.
A rustle overhead and falling leaves is about all the warning Fran gets before Akira jumps down in front of her.]
Hey. Are you bleeding?
[...It hadn't even occurred to him that jumpscaring a Berserker is a terrible idea.]
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