epidemiology | EVENT ★ ZETA-12 WEEKS 3 + 4

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EVENT ★ ZETA-12 WEEKS 3 + 4

ZETA-12: WEEKS 3 + 4

After making their way through the biting cold of the tundra and the forest's deadly chasm, team Audentes reaches the swamp. Once there, their squidges will begin to transform.

For each choice your character has made, select one squidge evolution. Please note, you must have submitted your choice to the threads in the previous logs in order for your squidge to evolve.

For those who crossed the ice, there are two options. If they succeeded, their squidge has taken on one of the following features: fluffy fur, the ability to freeze small things with their breath, or small foxlike ears. If they fell through the ice, their squidge has one of these: fins, minor hydrokinesis, or protective scales.

Those who chose to walk around the ice, whether east or west, will have squidges with one of these attributes: faster speed, climbing ability, or goat-like hooves.

As for week 2 choices, everyone who soothed their squidge will find them with one of the following: small wings (able to keep them about a foot off the ground at most), a calmer demeanor, or the ability to soothe fear by touch.

For the grouping crew, one of these: the ability to heal small wounds on other squidges, long ape-like arms and hands (for hugging!), or a beautiful singing voice that can act as a beacon for other squidges.

Squidges that were forced to cross will have one of: increased independence, clawed fingers, or sharp teeth.

These evolutions may take place at a rate of your choice. Please note that apart from these changes, the squidges will not be undergoing any further physical development (size, etc) for now!

THE SWAMP (WEEK 3)

The swamp is damp and spooky, filled with rotting logs and large, spindly trees. The water level dips and rises, making traveling slow and difficult; at some points, there is no dry land at all, so recruits will either need to wade or find some other way to get through the murky water. Some of the fallen logs may create a series of interconnected bridges if you're nimble enough, but be wary not to put too much weight on the rotten parts of the wood.

Because there are no animals on this planet, recruits won't need to worry about mosquitos or crocodiles, but still be wary of dermal vines, which continue on from the forest, as well as something lurking beneath the water: in deeper portions of the swamp, recruits may run into a gangly, humanoid creature with gnarled fingers and a body made entirely of vines and twisted roots. The creature makes no sound and does not breathe, but it moves quickly and can shoot a cloud of powerful neurotoxin out of its maw.

Make your choice: You can attempt to fight the creature, but not all attacks will be effective and you risk injury to you or your squidge. Outsmarting is possible as well -- as the creature has no eyes or ears, it senses its victims through heat. Do with that what you will. Finally, you can choose to wait for someone else to do something and ride their coattails, as long as you’re okay with living with that. Please indicate your choice here.

After a week, the scenery begins to shift, lightening up as trees become fewer. Welcome to the grasslands.

THE GRASSLANDS (WEEK 4)

As opposed to the swamps, there are few hazardous plants in the grasslands. The most dangerous are more annoying than anything else: fluffplasters, the hairs of which become sticky and eventually harden like cement if they’re disturbed. For the most parts, the grasslands are grass, grass, and grass, with little variation in appearance. In fact, it’s kind of hard to tell if you’re going the right way, or if you’ve been here before. Everything sort of looks the same.

The other flora found are happygrass, which has a short-term calming effect on anyone who ingests it. On the other hand, beebulbs, long, spear-like stalks whose bulbs contain a delicious liquid which invigorates the drinker upon ingestion. Too much either way can lead to laziness or hyperactivity. A geared up squidge is a happy squidge most of the time, but there’s also the possibility of heightened anxiety.

The weather is pleasant for most of the journey, but near the end, the wind picks up and a storm begins to brew. The wind whips around and, while it’s very difficult to travel through (and very frightening for squidges!) it’s still possible to walk through.

The choices are these: Characters can keep going against the wind, although they’ll need to be wary of flying debris and their squidge’s fear. They can also choose to find shelter nearby -- there are several trees on the way that can be hidden under, a large cave many people can fit into a distance into the storm, and characters can also set up their own shelter. There’s less possibility for injury and squidge crying, but the tornado will put them back for hours; those who power through can talk their squidge through it, but they’ll still be a bit unhappy. Please select an option below to determine the future of your squidge.

Whatever choices the team makes, they’ll eventually all reconvene as they set up camp for the last time before they hit the desert.

OOC NOTES

This log ICly and OOCly covers two weeks! Characters may proceed at whatever pace they'd like, but going too quickly or too slowly will mean they travel alone. (And those going too quickly will probably have to contend with screaming squidges, who prefer to travel at the speed of an easy plod.)

New characters will find one of the unbonded squidges toddling after the group takes a shine to them. A squidge will imprint on them very quickly, then refuse to leave their side or rejoin their unbonded friends.

Direct questions about the Zeta-12 mission here. And don't forget about the bounty board!

Please remember to select your choices in the threads below! How you choose will determine how your squidge grows. Please choose before July 21st, 12:01 AM GMT!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( as he suspected, it was taxing to reserve ones mana. to operate without the realm of what he was currently capable of. especially, in comparison to all the feats he was able and prepared for prior to his arrival within the ranks of alastair. however, as inconvenient as this technical handicap was, he wasn't one to focus on it. rationally, there was no merit to be gained from considering all his of his present shortcomings. facts were facts and he wasn't about to argue that. even in the face of a swamp monster. it wasn't necessarily a simple battle, especially in terms of garnering no harm to the squidge he's been rightfully entrusted with— but he's managed to pull it off. though, naturally not without harm.

he's received a few blows, and while it's not crippling (especially, in light of his abilities to heal himself— at least marginally), they are sizable to look at. particularly, the one against his chest, that carried out towards his forearm. most of it is heavy bruising, especially on his arms which he utilized to shield his squidge, however... some vines did manage to cut some flesh. regardless, he paid it no heed thus far. it's only once they have some leisure to relax that the ache truly settles in. he supposes it was an unbecoming image for a hero, but also... not precisely one that was surprising. heroes often laid their lives on the line.

moreover, as he wanted to preserve mana in the instance another monster of equal or more powerful strength did arise...

he mostly left everything that was superficial. sitting down, he suspects it was about time to have another look at it. which, is why he's stripped down to his inner shirt, his back facing the majority of the camp. he's debating on using another healing spell to clear it up completely, before his eyes meet a familiar figure. )

Green Witch? ( now who's turn is it.... to be walked in on?? )

[She can walk. She knew that now- and Arjuna knew it as well, having born witness to the emotional revelation and such a simple act had brought her. But Sieglinde still needed help until she remastered what it was walk naturally, her gait stiff and unbalanced, so she still largely rode her familiar or used the strange, skull-faced canine to support her, one hand on its collar.

It's that manner of conveyance she's using when she comes across the Servant, eyes widening slightly at the sight of the wounds on his person- but her ability to ascertain such situations prevents her from outright panic. There was no enough blood to be alarmed for loss, nor did it seem terrible deep, but still-]

Lord Arjuna-

[It was something she couldn't do before, not well, but she dips into a small, shaky, curtsy before she raises her head, concerned even for knowing it hardly a mortal wound.]

Did you encounter the creature of the swamp?

[She could not name such a thing, but beyond some carnivorous plants they'd run into, it was the only thing that seemed as if it might be closer to the status of "animal" or "sentient creature"... and she'd treated several wounds caused by it since they'd entered this territory.]

( there's a softer inclination of his head; a motion that's done more out of mere habit than actual consideration. a return to her curtsy. she appeared to be well enough, he notes. at least, she was faring. there's a small curve of his lips, though it's rather fleeting and transient. at least, in light of the concern she draws upon her visage. it's quite simple to detect, and perhaps to a degree, he's accounted for it. it's truly... regretful, he thinks. to have elicited that sort of distress. it's something he moves to alleviate. ) Yes, I have. ( creature of the swamp...

he doesn't miss the intonation in her tone. the implication behind those words. it was... rather strange. different from the demons he's battled. even monsters normally had some sort of spiritual connection to fallen dieties or beings that have gone astray from the righteous path, but... this was different. a true testament to the differences in environment and "enemies." still, he continues. ) Without a proper Master it was a bit different than what I had anticipated ( he leaves it at that. ), however... as you can see— nothing that couldn't be met with success. ( he looks back to her, this time with something equally imploring. )

Did you also encounter this creature?

I was luckily able to sneak past it undetected.

[But she had heard it, the wet slop of its glide through the mud and swamp, and saw glimpses, moments where she thought it might have noticed her, might be prepared to release that poison within it, or lash out.

Arjuna did not have a Master... that was right. The reminder made her expression slightly more troubled rather than relieve her concerns, urging her familiar forward in order to get closer to him, to be able to examine the wound visually best she could.]

Would you allow me to heal you... ? Or if you prefer, I do not mind granting you some of my prana...

[Saber had told her to be careful, not to offer such a thing to just anyone...

But Sieglinde could not fight. She wasn't strong. She could heal, and she had magic... and it seemed wrong not to use it, not to offer it to those who could put it to such use.]

( there's a sense of relief in that. it isn't that he had his doubts. after all, there was nothing detectable in her stance that implied a grievous injury. though, it's clear from her expression alone that it ... was still a far cry from a pleasant experience. so inherently removed from the realm of being considered without risk or worry. still, he doesn't have a lot to ponder on the options. on how she accomplished this feat, amongst many other vague, fleeting considerations. it's all lost and inevitably drowned out by her latter proposal.

he stands there. a bit silent. it's clear he's mulling over her words. then, he carefully crafts the beginnings of them. ) I am glad to see you remain unharmed. ( he starts. it's imperative, he thinks, to take all the statements in turn. as for the latter. )

As a Servant it'd be quite shameful to prove myself a burden. ( even healing probably required ... something out of her. a sacrifice in whatever form. mana. materials. potions? he couldn't precisely say. still, he gives a brief nod. ) As for the latter...

( he wonders how much about a servant's constitution she had knowledge of to make such a bold proposition. it isn't that he's opposed or finds reason for fault in it, but it's more ... complex. it'd be a detriment to her if this became a habit. or so he thinks, however brief. though, at the same time. he knows how advantageous it would be to himself and his current form to accept. still. a hero's bearings and all of that. ) You should practice care in offering prana.

( it isn't chastisement, as much as it's advice. chances are she's heard it all before, but look!!

he isn't someone who can just agree so easily. )

[It would be true, to say she had heard it- though likely also true that as well as she thought she understood it, she likely was still lacking in understanding something, somewhere.

But it was also true that healing with her own spells or giving him of her magical energy amounted to almost the same thing in the end- the method was where the line lay.

She took the moment to move closer until she was beside him, still just slightly removed, for the sake of dignity, formality, awkwardly lowering herself to her knees in a mess of skirts.]

I have done it before, but I do believe you trust that I am a witch- know that I do not give of it so naively.

[She had her rules, perfected by the time she'd spent agonizing over whether to give that man a part of her body, before she had known him well and knew only that he was suffering. Only blood, only drawn by her own hand, not straight from the vein, and only after she'd performed her own spells, but.]

Which shall it be?

[Despite the difference in their physical strengths, perhaps their magical strengths... she seemed quite sure he would need allow her to do one or the other.]

( it's the inexorable expression she dons that alerts him to the shortcomings of his own speech. it wasn't meant to be any sort of admonishment, and yet, he surmises that it implied the same, no matter the delicate fine tuning of his words. it's something he feels genuine remorse over, albeit fleetingly and in passing. he gives a nod of comprehension. of understanding that, despite her age and whatever she may know or not know of servants, she understood the significance of her offer. hence, he decides to take the lesser lasting of the two. or, at least what he concludes to be just that.

he releases a small exhale. ) It seems I've lost to your resolve. ( his previous veneer, which seemed nothing short of stern, despite himself— softens briefly. he presses a hand over his own wound, as if inspecting the damage from feel alone. or perhaps, in a way to solidify his own decision. )

Then, I'll be in your care. I've been preserving my mana, so your healing would be more than appreciated. ( moreover, he was curious to see how her magic worked in this place. what sort of patterns or conventions it would follow. which is probably where the imploring quality in his gaze comes from. )

[In Arjuna's defense... more people than one would likely expect looking at this tiny witch had lost to her resolve.

Once he agrees, though, the more mysterious expression perhaps befitting someone who labeled themselves a "witch" vanishes into a more tender smile, the stuff of doctors and healers, scooting closer once given a sort of permission to lay hands, gently reaching out to take his hand heedless of blood and remove it from the wound to allow her to see.

(He had nice hands.)]

A good choice. Allow me to purify your wound first.

[Sieglinde somewhat reluctantly withdrew in order to pull at the chatelaine chain about her waist, coming up with a crystal vial attached to the end of it along with several other items, (brooch, scissors, compass, small knife).]

This potion may sting a bit...

[She trusted a hero could handle it, though. She uncorks the top and begins to carefully pour a clear liquid onto his wound- and this was science, not magic, no matter that she called it a "potion". A chemical formula that killed bacteria and flushed debris from wounds, of her own make.]

( he's mildly consoled when he visually sees the weight behind her veneer finally lighten. the smile that replaces it is small and gentle, but he can see that it was one... only an individual who prided themselves in their abilities to heal and protect could suitably wear. in retrospect, it makes him realize that despite his own views on his duties, that he's... inevitably been given so much and returned quite little in comparison. it's ... a humbling consideration. one he often suspected he garnered in the young witch's presence. still, he doesn't dwell. doesn't contract reason for worry on her end.

instead, he merely crafts a smile of his own, a bit stunted from his prior thoughts, but one that remained equally considerate and good-natured. then, it melds in with the rest of his vested interest in her work. her hands moving quickly as they process the steps as she thinks them. ... and at her words, he gracefully closes his eyes.

he's prepared for the prickling. the sensation of his wounds being doused and dripping easily melting in with the heat of his skin. it's a strange feeling. one he probably hasn't encountered since his time actually living. but, he bears with it relatively well. ) What a curious "potion." I presume of your own making? ( he lifts a hand as if to touch it, but he stops himself at the half-way point. he suspected since she said "cleansed," it wouldn't be wise to touch it indiscriminately.

was this what was in her room upon their first meeting? is that where the creation process occurred? there are a variety of inquiries that naturally pop into his head, bit he doesn't utter any of them. ) But, please, carry forth. It's nothing this Arjuna cannot handle, I assure you.

Of course. I make all my own potions- and unguents, creams, and vapors, as well.

[Which she carted around almost constantly, no matter the mission, because you never really knew what you might need. Thankfully, ALASTAIR had given her a magicked pouch that was far bigger on the inside than the outside- it made carrying around her ingredients, potions, and spellbooks much easier.

Monitoring how his wound responded to the chemicals, bubbling slightly along the edges, Sieglinde recaps her potion after pouring a small amount into her palm- best to purify herself as well, before continuing to touch. (... Touch.)]

There, we are ready now-

[Inhaling deeply, she reaches out to lay that palm on his chest, eyes slipping closed.]

As I see thee weltering in thine blood, I call upon the goddess who governs, whom I beseech to aid thee now...

[ALASTAIR's translators transformed nearly dead language into words understandable by anyone, her voice low and sure as her magic flowed into Arjuna's wound, reknitting flesh and rejuvenating cells until the injury began to vanish, leaving only the blood he'd already shed behind.]

( it's an explanation he simply deigns to nod to. it's almost as if he were leisurely biding his time for the actual show. it isn't that he doubts her. instead of skepticism or dubiety, it's quite the opposite. he desired to see her in her full form. of the witch he met and the one he assisted. it's clear her condition was decent, but still, it never hurt to solidify this idea. especially, with how emotional their last encounter was.

it might have been a bit backwards to discover reason for trailing concern, especially in light of his own injuries, but it's something his mind naturally commits to. perhaps, out of duty. maybe out of something else. something more profound. still, the contact against his chest chimes in a reminder for him to focus. the feeling was different from mana exchanges, of course. even different from his own healing. while the touch alone allowed him to feel her magical energy swirling beneath the surface, especially on projection— it was dissimilar enough to get a small curious quirk of his brows. a brief settling of something more ambiguous in his expression.

it felt... empowering in a way. maybe being healed in general did that (especially, when not consuming his own mana), but it isn't like he normally borrowed other people's powers for that purpose. in a way, it's unique. he closes his eyes, as if to recall her incantation. then, he opens them to reach over and touch his chest. ) It's gone. ( his fingers rub against the sticky residue of blood, but he feels no gaping wound beneath it. no uncovered flesh to impede in this process.

then, he takes her small hand in his own. looking up towards her he speaks clearly. ) Thank you very much.

( he marvels a bit. it's strange how she felt so fragile, yet she possessed such stregnth.

as if to cement this point, he gives her hand a light squeeze before eventually releasing. )

[Sieglinde has met people who used magic in all sorts of ways- drawing it from the air around them, channeling it through wands or gems, producing it from within them just as easily as they breathed... but her own magic was akin to an inner fuel, something she drew on directly and drained when she cast her spells.

When she used magic, she gave of herself. With rest, it returned, but. Until then, it resided with the recipient of her spells. At the moment, Arjuna.

No matter how many times she'd performed this particular spell, the relief when she saw that the wound had vanished didn't change- a dip of shoulders, a small sigh of relief. Because no matter how she presented herself, "Green Witch"... the fact she rarely shared was that in her own world, she'd only had science. Oh, she'd been raised to think it magic... but in the end, that had all been lies.

But here, and now... she could be the Green Witch she'd always believed herself to be. Even more so.

And Arjuna was well now, (one life, she could heal one person at a time to make up for the lives she'd potentially destroyed), and he even held and squeezed her hand, quite suggestively even, bringing a light blush to her cheeks.]

It is nothing... it is but one of the Green Witch's duties, and you are hardly difficult to work with...

[Au contraire.]

( unfamiliar, but not unwelcome.

it's a phrase he was gradually becoming accustomed to in his brief time within the ranks of alastair. some individuals might have easily garnered this period of assimilation as being far more lengthy than just mere weeks, only seeming more and more prolonged in the face of their emotional turmoil— but, for arjuna who had lived a full live and continued to progress forward within the confines of time and space (and in his memories and legacy)— it was but a second to him. a blink of an eye. much like ... how before he knew it, she— the green witch whom he met by simple chance— was already at his aid.

it's a curious concept. even more so, when he feels he's been given insight to so many things through her eyes. of seeing her struggles and her accomplishments, albeit not all of it. though, maybe it could be argued that... that was simply infeasible. notwithstanding any of these considerations, his expression hardly shifts. his veneer still fixed at that semi-softened state; his lips slightly and more subtly upturned. ) It's commendable to have a firm grip over your own sense of duty. ( he almost seems to be brushing the blood off his hands as he pulls out his gloves once more. white with blood never really fared well together, but well. )

It would be a shame for me not to do the same. ( there's resolve on his features as he speaks. ) Then—

( he rewires his words. he supposes, it was never to late to begin giving back. )

Please allow me to accompany you here forth. At least until our next destination.

[It was commendable. It was commendable, was it not? To know duty, and to know responsibility... to have a task given to you, from birth, one that you knew you must fulfill.

... Sieglinde wanted to believe that. To believe that even if the duty she'd shouldered since she was old enough to talk and walk had been a lie, that it was still good of her to have known it. That perhaps something good could have come from all those lies and betrayal.

She flusters at the gallant offer, though, using another small splash of her potion to clean his blood from her hands before she anxiously tucked a few loose strands of dark hair back into her headdress.]

- Far be it for me to refuse such a chivalrous offer. I will accept.

[Except she just... lifted her arms, automatically, expecting to be carried about as she'd always been. Years of not being able to walk compared to a mere week or so of being able to meant that she... hadn't quite broken her habits, yet.

Though the sudden jerk back of her arms and flush on her cheeks probably meant that she had just realized.]

( as usual, her words and her stance are poised. something that seemed far practiced beyond her years. there's something authoritative about it. unyielding and steadfast. something arjuna himself was accustomed to delivering. it's something he can relate to, despite not knowing anything else about her beyond that simple consideration. beyond his fleeting inklings of connections he's forged through the confines of his head space. perhaps, half out of whimsy, and half out of natural scrutiny. regardless of what leads him to these conclusions, it's something he respects. something he can concede to beyond just being fellow recruits or the will of alastair.

he's about to craft his next response; the words ready to deployed from the tip of his tongue, except her motion catches him slightly off-guard. he barely contains a hint of laughter that threatens to spill. instead, the humor attaches itself to his tone. amusement evident in the inflections he voice manages to take hold of. ) ... there's no need to hold back.

I did offer myself, had I not? ( he then holds an arm out for her to take hold of. she seemed... embarrassed or opposed to being carried, but he could offer this much, couldn't he? ) The journey will be long. ( look at how convincing he is... )

[Even if she was used to being carried, she still felt a bit embarrassing that her body's habits had yet to catch up with what her mind well knew. Even logically acknowledging that one wouldn't easily forget a decade of behavior...

It still seemed a bit childish.

But then again, so did toddling along on a journey too long for her to be comfortable on newly unbound feet.

So Sieglinde hesitates, torn between the two, before she finally lifted her arms back up again, lips pursed slightly.]

In that case, allow me to accept your generous first offer instead.

[It certainly wouldn't hurt to examine him up close and personal, either... Side motives being as they may.]

( her revised course of action isn't something completely unexpected, at least not considering it was a viable option from the start, yet still... it manages to get a brief rise of his brows. a brief imploring gaze before it settles back into his usual poised features. with that, he dips forward with a small: ) Certainly. ( with that, he tucks an arm beneath her. securing it before, before giving her a nod. )

Please hold on, Green Witch. ( it isn't as if arjuna would permit himself to create a misstep that could result in her falling, but it never hurt to give caution where it may be relevant. even if it was against all odds. call it a formality. still, he gives her something more easygoing on his features. ) Though, I worry this is hardly proper payment.

( especially, considering how well she did. he feels no pain. no lingering fatigue. no remnants of torn skin or bruised tissue. it was a truly clean process, devoid of messy detailing. even now, with the pressure of his bow, he feels ... nothing beyond the norm. nothing but the twine against his chest and his newest traveling companion. )

[Being carried was what she was used to, the truth of her life since the night her manservant had knelt before her and taken her tiny feet in his hands. She can still remember the tight grip she had on her handmaidens, the smell of the herbal smoke, the chanting of the crone, the fire reflecting in the eyes of the assembled village women... And she remembers the crack and the pain.

But she also remembers how to sit, how to place her hands and hold herself so as to not only ease the burden of her weight for her carrier, but also to appear a bit more independent, like she was simply sitting rather than being touted along, and she arranges herself accordingly, a small pink brush of blush on her cheeks.

He didn't... Exactly smell the greatest, but neither did she, they've been trekking through swamp, and smell aside she was quite close and he was... Quite exotically handsome, as usual.]

Then I shall consider myself able to call upon you once more if there comes a need for it, and then you may consider us even.

[She found little sense in arguing with men about what was fair or even, but she sounded firm about that, at least, even through her pursed lip attempt at preventing herself from looking too terribly pleased to be carried about.

They had places to go, and a planet to trek across, but. For the moment, he was healed, and she had a handsome escort, which was good enough to let herself try and forget the rest.]

After you.

[The sooner they left swampland behind, the better.]

If that's your verdict, Green Witch...

I shall abide to it. ( he finds absolutely no qualms to her suggestions. or rather, he's become familiar enough with her temperament and her will to have decisively taken her terms as quick as its proffered. he doesn't think she'd hold back on him, and equally, he finds no burden in conceding to it. rather, he discovers it a pleasure. an expectation met. something that should have only been natural for his designation as a hero. a matter he deeply prides himself in and lives by to a tee, despite his... true self.

still, the way she holds herself, despite her fragile position in his arms... shows regality. one he finds impressive. it showed not accustomization. maybe similar to himself, it showed she was firm on keeping face. or keeping grace, no matter the state of her body, and he finds himself sympathizing with that somehow. even if he's quick to brush it off. with a firm step...

he continues forth, kawaii green witch in tow via the arjuna bicep express. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ ZETA-12 WEEKS 3 + 4

sieglinde sullivan.

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