EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

[futurologists]

RETURN TO OSKA Upon arrival in Oska, new and returning recruits alike will find that something strange is going on. Any attempts to communicate with someone who doesn't speak the same language as you will be just that -- like you don't speak the same language. Let's hope everyone is good at charades, because you're going to be out of luck for a full day. On the second day, a text comes across -- surprisingly intelligible to everyone. Is it over? Well . . . crowley: Hello, Audentes. We are currently experiencing magitek difficulties, as you may have guessed already. Temporal insects have arrived with our latest arrivals, and as you may imagine, we have had our paws full. cherenkov: We are working out how to mitigate the pest problem for good. For now, please put your unpleasantly huge feet to use and stomp them out. Or other such methods. crowley: We have created a quick patch to facilitate text-based communications, but verbal translation will continue to be down until the insects are exterminated. Thank you for your patience. It's not over. TEMPORAL INSECTS This invasive species has worked its way in through the rifts along with the newest batch of arrivals, and information on them is available in the library (provided you can read the language it's written in!). It seems they behave like locusts, living quietly within the space between rifts for many years until their numbers suddenly balloon and they begin to swarm in search of food. These bugs move fast and pack a nasty bite, but are unarmored and easily squished. Each one is about the size of a football, and leaves a little tell-tale slime trail that makes it easy to track. They can cling to any surface, and won't hesitate to leap onto attackers and bite if they feel threatened. One can take a decently sized but non-lethal bite out of someone, but a number of them together will pose a real danger. If punctured or squished they tend to explode into moderately acidic goo that can cause caustic burns if not immediately washed off. They are attracted to any area of high temporal energy, which can be literally any surface, corner, or point on or within the castle and its grounds. As they begin to feed they cause temporal distortion in the area. This manifests as the immediate area seeming to flicker backwards and forwards through time. An insect gnawing at a table leg in the dining area, for example, might cause the area to stutter between years and years of dinner parties, ghostly attendants of all fashions and species appearing and disappearing as they enter and leave the affected area. An onlooker can't interact with temporal distortions directly, but if the insect is left to its own devices, it will eventually eat through all of the temporal energy and render the immediate area gray, frozen, and completely inert. It's highly recommended you kill or otherwise chase off an insect before it manages this, as it can do irreversible damage to a world. For affected Oska locations, please see this post. OOC NOTES The translation errors will continue through the rest of the month. For more information or to ask questions, please check the plotting post here! New bounties are available in Oska! Please remember to fill out your squidge success form before August 31, 23:59 UTC! Filling the form out is mandatory, even if you do not have the 3 squidge threads. You will not pass AC if you do not fill out the form. Characters who have been accepted on August 20th are exempt. Please direct questions relating to the success form here.

Comments

[perma_banned]

Any weapon made of metal. They bleed acid.

[And, of course, he had gotten plenty of that acid on himself. Ban had gone through a lot of clothes, dealing with those creatures.]

You don't happen to have a mace on you, missy?

[keystaff]

H-hoe? Mace? Um, no.....

[But ah. She herself should probably be more careful. Should be mindful of this if she did decide to use the Sword card or the like that required her to get closer.]

[perma_banned]

[He knew she summoned random things with those cards--stuff he had never seen or heard of, before.

Simply put, Ban wouldn't put it past her.

Though he assumed it would look adorable, as per habit.]

Guess not~. Looks like I'll have to take care of it, then.

[keystaff]

[Probably pink or with some sort of star studded ends or the like, if the Sword and Fly/Staff Cards are any indication of what any other weapons the Cards might make would look like. He isn't wrong there.]

But I still want to help somehow!

[perma_banned]

[Snickering, Ban reached over to pat Sakura on the head and offer her a shrug.]

You could swing a hammer. They ain't heavy.

[It was definitely not what she wanted to hear, though.]

[keystaff]

Hm. No. Hammers aren't. But I've never really used one.

[At least, not for any unintended purposes as a weapon. Mallets in arcade games are probably the closest she has come to such. Mostly she uses the Cards, uses the Sword. But that might not be the best idea at the moment.]

[perma_banned]

Then we ought to find you one~. I could even make you some gloves and an apron in case of the mess!

[Some older brothers would think games or arts and crafts were fun activities with their little sisters.

Ban thought destroying giant evil bugs was a good activity to share with his little sister.]

[keystaff]

E-eh? But, um....

[Would a hammer really be much if any better than using her sword? Either way requires her to get rather up close and personal.

But somehow, because this is Ban, this is not so surprising. Not really.]

[perma_banned]

C'mon~! [Ban reached down to scoop up and pick up Sakura about her waist, just like carrying luggage.]

There's a toolshed with everythin' we need just down and out in the courtyard~!

[keystaff]

H-hoeeee?

[She would probably be more used to being carried more recently if it wasn't usually while she was passed out, her brother carrying her home and caring for her. Graham has done so once or twice, but this is a first for Ban. She's still not used to being hauled up like that so there may at least initially be some surprised flailing.]

A toolshed?

[perma_banned]

Yup! It's for folks tending to the grounds--the ones without powers, anyway. [Ban had fallen asleep in it a bunch of times. With Sakura held under his arm easily enough, he padded off and out of the library with a cheery little whistle.]

There ought to be somethin' roughly your size.

[keystaff]

I'm already used to using Sword. Will it be hard to learn?

[With Sword, it kind of magically imparts knowledge of how to use it anyway, to whoever holds it, plus Sakura is generally more of a 'try not to harm' type when she does go into battle. Depending on what they find, certain weapons or improvised ones might be more instinctive to use in comparison to others.]

[perma_banned]

[Ban, looking briefly to Sakura under his arm, didn't seem to register that thought. He knew her cards could do strange things but the word 'sword' was such a mundane one he didn't associate it with magic.]

I mean--all you gotta do is swing it. There isn't really any swordsmanship to it.

[keystaff]

That depends. If you're trying to just disarm and not hurt or kill them.

[There is a certain skill involved. Sakura herself just kind of skipped all that back home prior to her lessons here with some of the recruits that wanted to help her.]

[perma_banned]

We aren't disarming a bunch of slugs. We're smashing 'em.

[Sakura seemed incapable of diverting herself from her morals even when confronted with entirely soulless, destructive monsters.

It was a little inspiring, he surmised.]

[keystaff]

Smashing? Oh.

[So that's why he's talking about hammers or the like.]

If they're all...um, acidic though, wouldn't it be better to use something we can hit them with from a distance to avoid that?

[perma_banned]

Well, that's why we're gettin' you an apron~! They don't really gush their guts out but it couldn't huuurt.

[Ban was still hellbent on getting Sakura to hit something with a hammer.]

[keystaff]

But then I'd ruin the apron.....? [Still, better that than her actual clothes. Or her skin. The more layers the better and safer, really.]

[perma_banned]

Hahah! Cute, but it ain't some cooking apron. Ever seen the thick aprons smiths wear or gardeners wear? If you clear out thick roots, you need thick gloves and heavy aprons or else you'll get torn up or burned. It's gonna weigh a bit, so it might not be comfortable, though~.

[It earned another bit of hair ruffling from Ban, at least.]

[keystaff]

Oh, so thicker ones, you mean. I've only ever worn ones for cooking at home or in home economics class at school.

[So this would be heavier, undoubtedly. If they found any the might actually fit her. For all that she is growing, she could well still be a little short if most or all they find is adult sizes.]

[perma_banned]

[Ban began to remember that Sakura was still just about half his size. He reached over and stopped in the middle of his stride to trace his fingers through the air and count to himself.]

Riiight, I forgot. Anyway--I'm sure you'll get used to 'em. If you're into home maintenance then you oughta get used to thick aprons. You're definitely the sort to diligently tend to the appearance of your home, after all~.

[keystaff]

Well, I do like helping with the cleaning and cooking....I've never fixed things around the house though. Usually, dad or Toya-nii-san does that sort of thing.

[But if she felt more confident and had the chance to learn, she probably would. Ban isn't wrong there.]

[perma_banned]

Ah? What, like doin' repairs? They say boys're stronger than girls, growin' up, but I know a woman that could throw me for a dozen miles easy.

[Admittedly, she was also a giantess.]

You ought to try messing around with tools~. You could learn some handy things from trying to fix things when they break instead of buying new ones.

[keystaff]

I'm not sure I could throw you that far. If I could even pick you up at all.

[If this were the anime and she had 'Power' then probably. But, otherwise. No.]

Hm. That would be useful. I've done some stuff in...woodwork class and that sort of thing. You know, birdhouses. But I'm not the best with it.

[perma_banned]

Well, you're still a brat~. If you work out enough, you could probably do it. [Ban was used to women simply being strong enough to crush steel if they put their minds to it. There were a lot of women about the Holy Knights, after all. Anyone at the level of an apprentice could do ridiculous things--none the less the ones who earned their position as proper Holy Knights.]

Don't worry too much about your experiences, now. You do realize you're a kid in the spot an adult should have taken, right~? You're getting a lot more field experience in a ton of things than anybody your age.

If anything, you'll probably grow up to be hella scary, Sakura~.