CLOSED.

[trueborn]

CHARACTERS: Neeners ( trueborn ) & Geepers ( ofobedience )
DATE: Backdated, prior to the newest log.
WARNINGS: Fighty, fighty boys. Will update.
SUMMARY: Ninurrta invites Giovanni on a hunting trip to eradicate some local beasties. What happens next may surprise you!

sssssssurprise!

Comments

[trueborn]

-- as I said, [ Ninurrta, three feet out on an already precarious branch, points down into the ravine below. The sheer size and depth of the labyrinth suggested, without a doubt in his mind, that the deeper they went, the larger the biomes would become. Worse still, the larger and more dangerous the quarry would be. He had suggested, to the man with him ( his hunting partner, selected for his boasting, rather than concrete knowledge of his skills ), that the older the multi-headed lizards became, the more prone to surviving they would become. And the larger and more deadly they would be, in their old age.

He's pointing down, into the ravine, where a great, eight-headed lizard seems to doze in the sunlight afforded to it. Strewn about its makeshift nest, are bones. Bones of other lizards, at least two nearly the same size as it. ] There must be a king, even among beasts.

[ He shimmies backwards, away from the edge of the ravine and the creaking of the branch, and alights on the ground, beckoning for Giovanni to join him. ]

Have I supplied you with an exciting enough quarry, mister? It's no minotaur at the center of this place, but it certainly is a unique challenge.

[ofobedience]

[Giovanni perches on his own branch with perfect poise, not bothering to cling on to the bark but balanced there on the balls of his feet, hands resting casually on his thighs. It's not so very different, now that he's grown accustomed to the strangeness of the multiple worlds they traverse-- a high branch or the precarious precipice of broken stone buildings, they're all one and the same, in the end.

He watches though, red eyes narrowed down to dangerous slits behind the orange sheen of his glasses, and already he can feel it rising in him, the fast ascending animal joy that overtakes him in the throws of a fight. He has to admit-- hunting with a companion who has big game in mind is proving to be a little more fun than going it alone.

He leaps down nimbly in a single bound to join Ninurrta when he beckons for him to do so. Flashes a crookedpin smile, even as his eyes remain fixed on what lies in the centre of that ravine.]

Until we locate said minotaur, this should do quite nicely.

[trueborn]

[ He keeps quiet, unwilling to cause even the most minute of disturbances - anything that might alert the great creature to their presence and ruin the element of surprise that they currently hold over it. Ninurrta is, surprisingly, the sort of youth who finds it easy to touch the arm of a peer ( even one as strange and newly-met as Giovanni ), and to try and bring him away from the edge of the ravine.

Only for a moment, so that he can lean in, conspiratorial, and speak with him. ]

The area below is its domain, so we must lure it to us.

[ Squinting! At Giovanni's build, his legs, the strange smile on his face -- he corrects himself: ]

I will lure it to you.

[ That sound better, hunting buddy? ]

[ofobedience]

[Something that may have caused an adverse reaction in Giovanni, at an earlier time-- the sudden feel of a hand clasping hold of him could easily lead on to the quick flick of his wrist, his own hand curling around said appendage, crushing the bones he finds there with a beautiful resonant crack. A vestige of the life he's lead-- always expect violence, every touch a prelude to brutality.

As things stand, he barely reacts. Allows himself to be tugged away with only the barest hint of reluctance, not quite wanting the monstrous thing within that pit to stray from his line of vision, now they've found it. And in truth - no matter his deceptively slender build, his unassuming countenance - he'd just as soon throw himself into the ravine and onto the beast that waits within then come up with an organised plan.

But instead, he listens. Ignores the whitehot scrabble in his blood that already demands a fight.

Slowly, he nods. He may hunger for violence along with the thing that rattled through his Spine, but he has always been fond of games (or at least, he has now for what feels like the longest of times), is prepared to play it Ninurrta's way.]

All right then, lure away. Look sharp, now.

[Don't go getting yourself eaten, or anything.]

[trueborn]

[ Excellent. With permission acquired to proceed, Ninurrta releases the man's arm and scurries off, low and quiet as he nears the edge of the ravine and begins to size up the beast. There's no use in prolonging this, no sense in drawing it out until the anxiety seizes him by the throat and leaves him paralyzed with indecision. A prince decides, and bears the weight of the consequences.

He glances back, only once. Hoping to sight Giovanni and be able to reference the man's point on this battle-map, before he looks to the other side of the ravine and the heavy, dangling vines that descend down into it. A great handhold, if he planned on diving in and climbing out - but he's not. He's apt to deal with things from a distance, like he does now.

A leap. He throws himself across the width of the ravine, the hum of a spell bursting mid-way. Arcs of white, snapping with the sounds of something rapidly freezing, burst from the air around him - a barrage of slim projectiles that are flung at the back of the beast's lengthy necks and shoulders. There is

a bone-grinding shriek-snarl

and as Ninurrta lands, burying himself in the thick of the vines on the other side and grabbing for purchase, the massive lizard surges up and clears the top of the ravine in a single burst of motion. A majority of the heads focus on him, as he prepares to jump once more - and calls to Giovanni: ] -- and good hunting to you!

[ofobedience]

[And from his position a few feet away, Giovanni observes with infinite detachment, eyes narrowed behind their orange lenses if only to further increase his focus. It's there in him, the heady beat in his blood, the sparking beginnings of animal glee, and when his fellow Audente leaps, Giovanni takes a small step forward. Two. All the better to properly observe the action until the moment it comes to him.

And so he sees it, the snapping arcs of the spell, hears the bonedeep rumble of the thing in the pit, the sudden vibrations as the beast begins to rise. Inside his chest his heart is a drum, but not from fear or panic, no, only from the escalating anticipation that comes before a fight. And there it is, staggering in its size compared to the others they've come across before, and even before the sound of Ninurrta's voice plucks at his consciousness, Giovanni is already moving. Taking aim, both pistols raised.

The first volley of bullets is only a distraction, hits two of the heads square in the eyes and has the thing roaring out in fractured agony, heads snapping away from the original source of attack and onto Giovanni, instead. It is, of course, exactly what he wants from it.]

Come along, then. Let's play.

[And all the rest-- it's a blur of motion and bullets and fangs as Giovanni rushes to greet the oncoming beast with a laugh that rings out high and sharp as the shots from his gun that rend the air. Two heads dart forward, snapping and snarling trying to tear him apart but he's quick, much faster than any normal human has any business being. He spins and whirls and continues to laugh as he ducks underaround the massive creature, lands squarely on it's scaly back, hands ripping through scales and flesh alike and yes Giovanni's flesh starts to burn away as the acidic substance flows over them, but with a hissing onrush of smoke, the wounds close over as quickly as they're made.

He's already severed three heads before another twists and turns, not able to throw him off, no, but it catches his arm between its fangs, shears through flesh and muscle and bone within a matter of seconds. With a hissed curse of pain, Giovanni stumbles back, momentarily distracted.

Already his torn-off limb is beginning to regrow, the poison of the creature's fangs rendered useless against something specifically designed to be immune to all such things-- but it's possible he could use just a little assistance whilst the severed arm regenerates.]

[trueborn]

[ Conscripting Giovanni into this -- Ninurrta hunting trip-slash-defense mission -- could only benefited everyone in the long run. Disrupting the balance of power among the lizard-beasts would give them time to scramble for purchase in this place, and removing the largest threat in the area would let him rest well. That the man was holding his own, this well, was encouraging. Ninurrta had his own reservations, at first. Eager as he'd been to invite someone along, it had only been Giovanni's attitude ( sharp; hyperfocused; that smile of his, a baring of teeth ) that had sold him.

He'd made the offer, because he'd known a smile like that - there was a boy, bloodthirsty and wild, where he came from. ]

Giovanni -- !

[ He doesn't call out in panic; the man handles himself well in combat, swift and efficient. He calls to him to indicate his position, as Ninurrta lunges back across the gap, tipping his shoulder into a roll that allows him to clear one of the snapping, furious mouths that snatches at the tails of his coat. Giovanni's arm is just - gone. It's just gone, and for a moment, his heart breaks. This is his fault, this maiming, this inevitable thing. A scattering of ice spring at his heels, fingers brushing along the ground, sending up sharp gouts of glacial points. One of the heads, in mid-lunge, impales itself on the quick defense he's laid down.

He skids to a stop alongside the older man, and the look of horror and earnest concern fades from his face. Oh. He's mending. (There's no time to think of this, right now.) ]

How long do you need?

[ Immediately, the shriek-snarl of the lizard: two more heads snap before them, and their teeth snag on the edges of the shield Ninurrta throws up. His hands outstretched, straining to hold against the force of the blows; he places himself between Giovanni and the beast, defensive, for however long he'll want him there. Even as one head crashes hard into his shields, and his knees quake. ]

Nevermind, I'll hold - I'm counting on you.

oh no his concern is cute .///.

[ofobedience]

[Ninurrta darts up with ice springing from his heels and whilst Giovanni is distracted by the teeth-rattling ache of both the severing of the limb and it's painful regrowing, he's still alert, still focused, eyes going to his fellow recruit as he skids up beside him.

There's no time to utter an answer before the thing starts to descend, and already Giovanni is raising his undamaged arm, squeezes off a quick round of bullets just moments before that shield slams up, the beast suddenly unable to touch them. And though his face is lined by pain there's still the approving upward tilt of his chin as he looks over at his colleague now, teeth bared on a rictus grin.]

A couple of minutes at most. But I can still fight.

[Better to wait, perhaps, better to be whole before he once again throws himself fully at that thing, but the words are there as a cold kind of reassurance-- if Ninurrta can't hold on for that long, Giovanni is ready and poised to go again. He steadies himself around his pain, makes space for it inside himself, and the moment of reprieve Ninurrta has already provided has given him time to collect himself, to prepare for the next onslaught.]

Get ready to move.

[And his missing arm, the bone has already reformed down to the elbow, muscle and tendon and veins and flesh rapidly growing around the gorily exposed humerus, smoke rising from him in thick acrid plumes.]

8,) he'll take care of u giovanni

[trueborn]

Very well. On your mark.

[ He braces himself; digging his heels into the dirt below him, locking his knees in place after he staggers his stance - all to keep himself from tipping over as the monstrous lizard hammers and claws at the barrier he's placed between it and the rapidly-healing Giovanni. This is not Merkava. Giovanni is most likely not undead, but the rate at which he's flesh knits and regrows reminds him of how quickly his father mends. How quickly those boy ( Xix ) ( -- Just ) are able to stand once more.

They're monstrous. They're holy. In this vague similarity between what he knows and what is new before him, he can place his trust - without a moment's hesitation.

Something splinters, at the fragile edges of his shield. A tooth poking through, a gnawing maw working angrily at the thing that has interposed itself between it and its prey. This king of reptiles will find its way through, before long. It's stopped bashing itself fruitlessly against the shield, and has begun to focus its teeth and claws on the fracture spreading along the upper left. ]

Please, be a little more careful.

[ A glance at Giovanni's still-mending arm. Surprisingly, he's not very queasy about it. ]

I can [ a brief 'ow' as the lizard snaps a chunk of barrier between its teeth ] lay down cover - and if one of us can get to its belly...

u////u

[ofobedience]

[He hears it, the splintering crack, head whipping quick to the side and his eyes - behind their orange lenses - lock and narrow on the creature working at their shield, the poison-tipped fangs beginning to snap and gnaw at that point of weakness. And during this time, his arm continues to regrow, radius and ulna rapidly forming, muscle and veins and flesh wrapping round, the myriad little bones of the hand beginning to take on their shape and it hurts but he can ignore it-- he's been here many a time before.

Then comes his teammate's words of caution, and Giovanni spits out a pained kind of laugh, but one that contains mirth for all that.]

Spoil spot. But I shall endeavour to.

[It's not as though this is something he enjoys, would rather avoid any further shorn-off limbs.

But again his attention is dragged back to the beast as that particle of barrier is snapped away and he readies himself, eyes the thing coldly, mind already racing toward the further action to come. Trying to remain several steps ahead.]

If you do that, I can tear the thing open, rip out it's wretched heart. See how it manages without one of those.

[Because he may be able to regenerate almost any part of himself, but as far as he's aware these things can only regenerate heads. He casts a glance at Ninurrta then, bares his teeth in another pained smile.]

I'll keep it busy whilst you prepare. I'm ready. Drop the shield.

[The last of his hand is still quickly forming, but he knows he can manage from here. Can see the struggle it's taking for his fellow recruit to keep hold of that shield.]