EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

[futurologists]

BENDED TIME As outlined in the OOC post, things start to slow down and grow quiet in Oska for a few days as the bugs crawl away and slowly disappear. But then the cocoons hatch. Fully grown temporal insects claw their way out of them, each about the size and temperament of raging bulls. They come out far more aggressive and eager to fight, are are willing to take on anything that moves with jaws and claws alike. Except, of course, another insect — when two of them encounter each other, they enter into a mating dance and then slip away into another dimension, leaving behind only the temporary ghosts of years gone by. If you can’t find a way to pierce that thick shell to take one down, better find another one to pair it off with instead. Just try not to get bit while leading them around and find yourself suddenly 5 years old again. The insects aren’t the only thing going on in Oska, though. As it turns out, unicorns really hate this adult form of the temporal insects, and will start kicking their way out of their stalls in the stables to get at the insects in an attempt to impale or trample them. According to Uruz they’re gallant warriors, but not always quite cut out to take on a bug, and can easily get themselves hurt or killed. She would really appreciate recruits taking a moment to recapture any stray unicorns they may come across and leading them back to the stables. Try to avoid any insects on the way, or you’ll find yourself suddenly fighting insect and irate unicorn, which is no one’s idea of a good time. The lake is getting more active, too. All the fighting has woken up something in the depths of it. Dark red tentacles sometimes creep up onto shore — and don’t worry, this time they don’t belong to a sea goddess. The tentacles don’t attack unless attacked, and can in fact be quite agreeable. Nodes along the length of them act as primitive eyes, which see well enough to interact with anyone nearby. They’re also all a little peckish. Toss a tentacle a bit of food and watch it curl around and ingest it using tiny mouths on the underside. It might even be willing to play a few rounds of fetch or slap a bug into the sky for you if you put it in a good mood with a morsel of food. The senior ALASTAIR members can be seen out and about and doing their part, too. Uruz and Dagny fight as a team, centaur and elf, sometimes fighting back to back and sometimes as mount and rider. They’ll stop and lend a hand, but the cats are a little less generous. Cherenkov and Crowley fight inseparably and use magic and science in deadly combination to ward off and destroy the bugs, but can usually only be seen darting on their way from one place to another. They have a lot of magitek to repair in the destructive wake of the insects. Pomarr, neither as senior nor as invested in actively picking off the bugs, offers shelter near a tentacle-free portion of the lake, calling down storms to toss away bugs for her and anyone in the vicinity. OOC NOTES This log spans a week ICly. Characters will find themselves beginning to understand each other again as the bugs first vanish, as the effects of the cats’ work on the magitek pays off. The translation problem will be completely fixed by the time the cocoons hatch. All of the bugs will have been killed or shipped off by the sixth day, leaving the last day before their departure to the next mission blissfully relaxing. Any temporally misplaced recruits will be back to normal by the last day, as well. A reminder to anyone still texting: the texting feature of magitek jewelry operates based on thought! There are no physical keyboards, recruits merely think the message that they’d like to send to another recruit.

Comments

A

[heelies]

[Down the grassy slope which embraces the lake fly Achilles feet: he had seen the blood-red tentacles slithering from the broken surface of the water, beside which sits this boy so vulnerable for his slightness and solitude. Nor does the boy seem to have any inclination to flee, and so Achilles shouts after him.] Have you only empty sockets where your eyes ought to be? Have you a wish to die? That terrible monster has you in its grasp and yet you sit there still! [Even with his hand empty of spear, he cannot think himself helpless, for he calculates that his speed is great enough that if he can pry the boy's arm free, he can carry him away from the shore before the beast crushes them both beneath its fearsome tentacles. Thus he clothes his heart in courage and charges headlong into danger. Soon his swift feet carry him to the boy's side, and he purposes to scoop him up over his shoulder as a warrior might carry the body of a felled comrade.]

[skipabeat]

W-what?

[Pipes up Herve, confused, though he makes no move away from the seemingly dangerous tentacles. A wish to die? A terrible monster? Herve doesn't quite understand. He sees a friendly creature that is his friend, and this boy is seeing something quite different.]

[He barely has any time to protest, though, when he's suddenly scooped up - not even his weight can stop Achilles, since he's almost too light to be comfortable.]

[Herve lets out a gasp, legs and arms flailing as his mind catches up to what in the world is happening:]

No, no-! What are you doing, they don't mean any harm! [He cries, though he suddenly devolves into a sudden coughing fit. As soon as it's over, he raises his voice again, though it's hoarse:]

Please, they're my friend, don't hurt them! Put me down!

[heelies]

[So fleet are his feet that even beneath the added burden of this boy upon his back, by the time Herve coughs out his words Achilles already has run several paces up the shore. His wildly flailing limbs help Achilles along little, and so at last he slows to a halt.] What is this you are saying? [He tries to aim his words over his shoulder, where dangles the poor boy's head. He has him situated so that his hips are the hinge from which each half of his body hangs, his head and upper chest against Achilles' back, and his legs hanging down Achilles' front. Achilles circles his waist with one arm and clamps the back of his knees with the other.] I saw the terrible serpent-like limbs, which surely must belong to some manner of monster that lurks within this lake. What mean you, that this creature is friendly toward humans? As friendly perhaps as sirens are to men who try in vain to sail past!

[skipabeat]

[Boy, this whole carrying thing is NOT fun. It's not fun at all. He's actually a bit afraid that Achilles might just let go of him and he'll fall face-first into the ground. Not exactly a pleasant image.]

No, it's not a... [Another cough.] Siren. It's like a friendly octopus or something, it really wasn't hurting me! I mean, I-I fed it too, so I guess it liked me because of that.

[He wriggles his legs vainly.] P-please let me go, I'm telling the truth!

[heelies]

[At last he listens and lowers the poor boy, although in regard to Herve's comfort he is hardly fastidious: down from his shoulder Achilles heaves him as he might a bundle of kindling as he sets it beside the hearth. He at least takes care to land the boy on his feet, as unwelcoming as the earth may be when he is so suddenly made to stand. Now shall he see the doubts which are plain upon Achilles' features.] Have you truly made friends with such a beast as that? [Back over his shoulder he looks to the water's edge, where wave the creature's tentacles in surprise for the abrupt absence of its company.] What of myself? Might it wish to hurt me? Or if you ask of it, shall it leave me too in peace?

[skipabeat]

[He wobbles a bit as he's set down, finally righting himself and giving Achilles a rather wary expression - he really should've asked these questions before trying to spirit him away, in Herve's opinion.]

Yes, yes I have.

[And then some expression of realization suddenly crosses Herve's face - with a wide, sweet smile, he reaches forward and grasps Achilles by the hand.]

Come on, let's introduce you. I'm sure it'll love you too! Trust me, it doesn't want to hurt you one bit.

[And without waiting for an answer, he starts tugging Achilles back to the shore if he'll be willing to come along.]

[heelies]

[He allows the younger boy to take his hand and lead him back down the shore. Upon his countenance perches a look of apprehension, which he thinks perfectly justified in such peculiar circumstances, but this boy is so earnest that he resolves to give him the benefit of the doubt. When they arrive at the water's edge once more, Achilles looks to Herve for guidance. Two of the creature's serpentine tentacles slither over the rippling surface to reach for the pebbled shore, and while he braces himself he retreats not one step.] What ought I to do? Shall I kneel before it?

[skipabeat]

What? Kneel?

[He lets out a laugh, immediately moving forward to reach and grab a tentacle, smiling wide as he turns and pulls the tentacle towards Achilles, as if expecting him to take it in his hand.]

You don't need to kneel, silly! It just wants to be your friend. Here, shake it's tentacle! Not too hard, though. Like a friendly little handshake!

[heelies]

[The bemused look upon his face makes plain his lack of familiarity with such a gesture, and so it is rather tepidly that he takes the tentacle into his grasp. Misunderstanding the strange boy's instructions, however, he shakes the slippery smooth appendage from side to side. When he does so, the other tentacle which caresses the wavering surface of the lake reaches upward to touch upon Achilles' shoulder. He tenses for but a moment, soon relaxing once he realizes that the creature has no wish to tear his arm from his shoulder nor to drag him into the depths of the lake.] You are right! It seems not to mind this in the least. How strange that a beast so frightening in form can be so mild of temperament! [Wonder hangs ripe from his words as he peers at the shimmering limbs of the lake dweller.]