[LOC] The Root

[zeflamigo]

( OPTION C )

Vremea dragged Odette away, and Odette tried her best to keep up with her. After a while Vremea started to fall behind, presumably because of her poor choice in running shoes. Well to be fair she still looked fabulous. Odette took the lead and tried to keep up a good pace.

She turned and realized that they had lost the other two trolls from before. Odette panicked, hoping they had found their own way to safety. She took a moment to collect herself before moving on. She took a few deep breaths, and realized that she had to focus on the present. She had to take care of Vremea.

She stayed on her toes, skirting around the treacherous landscape like it was nothing. She kept herself in front of Vremea, testing the waters so her friend would not be hurt. Odette noticed a search party coming closer to their location. The two of them would have to make a move, and fast, or else they risked capture. "Vremea," Odette whispered, "If it's okay, I'm going to try to sneak past them. Please keep an eye on their movements and follow me."

Odette made it sound like she had a slight bit of confidence in herself, but in actuality she was quite afraid. She felt her hands shaking as she took her first steps in sneaking past the search party. She gulped her fears down and kept pushing forward. She just had to keep moving.  

[Magician Arcana]

Milieu didn't know how to respond. Did she try to make this girl grasp that there was no chance of giving away their spot by vocal noises? Maybe when she had a chance, but... Ah! They were spotted. Gritting her teeth, Milieu pulled herself from the broken glass and scampered after Estali. Her heart was pounding furiously, so hard it hurt and rattled her teeth.

(( Mili is following Estali - C Route!))  

[kamileunaire]

(Option A, Larque + Tamiya)

Larque panted miserably as he tried to lead them through the innards of the hivestem, a claustrophobic and dangerous area. There was no way to know how many there were, and Larque's bloodpusher was pounding so hard that he could hear it in his ears. This was not where he wanted to die. His breath was ragged, and he almost cried out as he stopped short in his tracks - two of the drones were ahead of them, blocking the way. He was about to yank Tamiya in a different direction when his lusus gave a particularly irate hiss.

There was nothing he could do to stop her. He could hear her cursing in her own eerie, hissing language, telling them to stay back while she took care of the problem. He wanted to argue, but there was no budging her when she became as pissed as she seemed to be. Larque pulled Tamiya back behind a gnarled piece of wreckage, watching fearfully and hoping that there weren't more than the two he had seen...

edit: ,__, its really late and i forgot to post in shout style. *cry*  

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Kursha was having a ball of it. Trespassing on closed off property, exploring the ruins, unravelling mysteries, evading capture...* Sure, it was dangerous, but that was what made it so exciting! Besides, it was not like he was ever really in harm's way. Alifax would make sure of that. With those meteors of his, he was certain to crush any trouble they encountered. Unfortunately, the adventure so far had proved to be a bit lacking. After their initial escape they had seen neither hide nor hair of the search drones. A shame. The game was no fun unless it had a bit of a challenge. So Kursha went looking...

Looking for trouble.

“Which way~?” he teased, as they reached an intersection. Though he spoke loudly, recklessly, the sound of his voice was dampened in the half collapsed halls. The rough, textured terrain created by the rubble simply choked off the noise. He turned to regard Alifax impatiently. “I think we lost them. It’s been a while since I heard any voices. I bet they got bored and left. Or maybe they dragged off someone else who was stupid enough to get caught. Who knows?” He shrugged.

Kursha cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hello!” he called. Even his high, screeching yell was swallowed up by the building. “Any of you mindless blockheads still around? Why don’t you come and get us?!” There was a pause as he strained his ears. Nothing. No response. “See? We’re alone!” He flashed Alifax a grin. Aside from a lack of excitement, there was nothing to worry about. He started down the left most corridor.

As Kursha said, they were alone… for all of five minutes anyway. After another turn, and then another, voices became audible. Voices and a hissing sound. It was about damn time! Without bothering to worry what the mysterious hissing sound might have been, Kursha made his way towards the sounds. It did not take long to find their source. He peered out from behind a piece of rubble. There were two drones engaging a lusus. While it was not in his nature to help others, the greenblood could not resist a scuffle. Especially not one he knew he was bound to win.

Improvising a tripwire out of a loose electrical cord and the debris, Kursha chucked a piece of cement at one of the drones. “Hey, moron!”

*Rescuing pigeons.

((God dammit. I had the shoutbox originally selected, but forgot to select it again when I lost the post. I believe Alifax is still travelling with Kursha. Choice A! Oh hai Tamiya and Larque.))  

[Sypon]

"Larque --" began Tamiya. She was cut off by the huge mantis. "M-mantis!"

She watched dumbly as she skittered towards the two drones. Kabukidad was nowhere in sight. Tamiya turned back to Larque and tugged on his hand. "W-wait... They will be back soon... They will be back."

Part of Tamiya believed it, but her bile sack still churned all the same. What would happen if Larque lost his lusus? What if she lost hers? She could hardly think about what she would do without Kabukidad. It was horrifying. As she peered back through the wreckage, she saw a glimpse of her father on a high beam. Tamiya closed her eyes tight and turned back, hiding behind the piece of wreckage with Larque.

There was suddenly a noise -- a young troll's voice? She dared not look. Whoever was joining the fray was not her responsibility, and his soul was out of her hands. Particularly if Larque's lusus decided to strike out at more than just the drones.

(w/ Larque, A)  

[Hivestuck]

Reminder: You need to fail twice in a row to be out! If you missed a round, it is considered a fail.

Results of Previous Prompt:
A) You face the duo and find yourself quickly outmatched. Not only are they bigger than you, but they brought their lusii to do some of the physical work to boot. When an immense coiling plated eel rises from the wreckage, and a supersonic screech is heard, you know it’s time to run. The infrastructure of The Root can't handle this battle. You are NOTICED.
B) The distraction method works! After bickering between themselves about if one of them saw or heard something strange, they all decide to go check it out. It lends you some time to sneak around before they notice you. You SUCCEED this round.
C) Unfortunately, the group of five has a better idea of what they are doing than you give them credit for. As you slide between the two trolls farthest apart, you’re immediately noticed by a sharp-eyed troll hanging on the outskirts of their patrol. They throw a snare between them and catch it, creating an awful tripwire (or perhaps a deadly game of limbo). Time go get out before you fall prey! You are NOTICED.
D) You stay put. Having not attracted any attention before, they don’t think to look in your location. It takes quite a while for them to depart, but you finally do so and SUCCEED this round.

Next Prompt:

You find yourself pursued! If you succeeded in the previous round, you will succeed as a result of this round. Where do you travel?

A) The top of the hivestem – near the caved-in garden.
B) The middle of the hivestem – a cavernous hole.
C) The bottom of the hivestem – nearest to the ground.

The next prompt will be posted September 9th.  

[seekingCylem]

[ OPTION C

Didero didn't wait around to see if his plan had worked. Either way, the next step was to run like hell.

The enormous building would have been difficult to navigate in its prime. Now it was confusing and dangerous. All Didero knew was that he needed to get to the ground level--ideally not by falling through a hole in the floor. As long as he was heading down, he was closer to being able to leave safely.

Didero risked a look back at his lusus as he ran. Life would be easier if both of them could fly. Learning parkour was starting to sound like a pretty good idea too. Then again, so was running home and pretending none of this had ever happened. ]

 

[zeflamigo]

Odette felt the eyes of the search party fall on her and she panicked. Not for herself, but for Vremea. She didn't dare turn around, out of fear that she might alert the others of her presence. This was bad, Odette realized. She didn't want to leave Vremea, but she didn't want to put her in danger. She didn't exactly have much time to ponder over the matter, either.

Odette squinted her eyes and frowned at the search party trolls. She held her ground until one of the trolls took a step towards her, and then she sprinted off in the opposite direction. She was careful to run far from Vremea, hoping she averted the search trolls' attention away from her. She felt sorry that she couldn't explain herself to Vremea and she cringed with personal disappointment. Odette ran and didn't dare look back.

She trusted Vremea would be fine. She was older, and smarter, wasn't she? Odette knew she would make it out fine. Really, a little kid such as herself was only bogging her down, right? Vremea would come out just fine on the other side, and then the two of them could meet up and have a sleepover and everything would be okay, right? Despite her optimistic thoughts, Odette couldn't help but feel worry in the pit of her bile sack.  

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Throwing a twelve pound rock at someone's head while calling them a moron is usually a very good way to get their attention. This scenario proved to be no different. The drone Kursha had assailed turned to face the young greenblood, hook weapon raised. That was not all though. A moment later, an enormous eel crashed through the wall, sending chunks of concrete and alabaster flying.

“s**t.” Kursha may have bitten off a bit more than he could chew. At the very least, he was glad the Colonel was not around to hear him swear. While the air was still thick with dust, he seized the chance to escape. He reached for Alifax's wrist. However the redblood was curiously absent. Had the teenager been struck by a piece of rubble? It was impossible to tell. Through the haze he could only make out silhouettes. Nothing looked familiar. “Al... Come on, stupid!” Kursha called, choking on the dust. He coughed into his elbow. “We're making a tactical retreat!”

Hoping that Alifax had heard, or better yet already fled, Kursha turned and ran back the way he had come. Nestled in the crook of his arm next to his breast, the pigeon let out a distressed coo. “Looks like it's just you and me,” Kursha panted, as he darted into the stairwell. He took the steps two at a time. By the time he reached the top his legs were aching. Perhaps the roof was not the best place to escape to since it left him literally with no where else to run, but out under the open sky the Colonel would be able to come to his aid. Besides, if worst came to worst and he needed to escape he could always drop down into the penthouse. He would just have to hope that the fall didn't break his legs.

Hiding in the shadow of the stairs, Kursha anxiously stroked the pigeon's neck. Even if it was just a stupid bird it was nice to have some company.

((I choose option A! Kursha and Alifax have split up.))  

[kamileunaire]

Larque did not reply to Tamiya's stammering, mouth agape as he watched his lusus charge at their would-be agressors, a shrill, hissing shriek emitting from her. He hadn't seen her attack so viciously in months, and it was a truly scary sight. He thought they would get off easily...but then there were the drone's lusus to worry about. The greenblood bristled fearfully at the beast that reared up, and quickly tore his eyes away as they tangled. What if she did die?

His massive insectoid caretaker fought a savage fight, but she immediately found that she was outmatched. Taking one last stab at the eel, she spun around, all but galloping back to Larque and Tamiya. She snatched Larque up by his shirt in her mandibles, and plucked Tamiya up with one scythed claw, bizarrely gentle, applying just enough pressure to grip, rather than harm. Clutching them tightly, she slithered off quickly, and began to burrow down, using her many legs, and her free claw, to facilitate their escape.

(Larque and Tamiya, Option B)  

[Sypon]

Tamiya felt herself rise off of the ground. The world was swimming. There wasn't much to the world any more but twisting metal -- if she wasn't afraid of heights before, she was now. Tamiya quaked silently as she was handled by the huge lusus, vulnerable and defeated. She allowed herself to be carried about like a ragdoll. Even when one of her sandals slipped off of her feet she stayed quiet, eyes brimming with tears. She hid her face in her robes and tried to breathe evenly, but found that she was more disoriented than ever. Tamiya passed out for a moment.

(Followin' Larque!)  

[Hivestuck]

Results of Previous Prompt:

A) The top of the hivestem has been well looked-over. When they pass by they’re more keen on getting a lay of the land from the top of the hivestem, and don’t think to look down into the caved-in portion of the building. You SUCCEED this round.
B) The middle of the hivestem is an extremely dangerous gamble, but one that pays off. You’re undetected for now, but trying to get out unharmed will be a challenge. You SUCCEED this round.
C) The bottom of the hivestem lands you in an easy getaway spot, and some flexibility with your ability to hide in less-traveled locations. Unfortunately, the party spots you from the roof of the hivestem and immediately gives a harsh whistle to alert their companions to your location. You are NOTICED. If you SUCCEEDED the round prior, they don’t see you! You SUCCEED this round.

Next Prompt:

After a moment of quiet, an animalistic rumbling begins to sound. Lusii. While the group has split off, their custodians are used for tracking. They don’t seem interested in bringing you back unharmed.

If you are at the top of the hivestem: a huge, gliding reptile lusus comes quickly into view, having sprung from a faraway building.
A) Retreat into the caved-in garden
B) Attempt to slice at its gliding membrane as it passes by.
If you are in the middle of the hivestem: An immense, armored eel lusus begins its voyage from the dark, murky bottom of the hivestem up to your location. There are hives exposed due to the wreckage, but they are all farther down than your current location. Your current position might be large enough for the lusii to get through.
A) Retreat the way you came
B) Retreat into a hive adjacent to the hole
If you are in the bottom of the hivestem: A pack of howler lusii threaten you with their many needly protrusions. They circle the base of The Root, having picked up on your scent. There are some rather pungent food-leftover remnants of the wreckage nearby, as well as a broken fire escape hanging dangerously nearby.
A) Attempt to overwhelm the howlers’ sense of smell and use the distraction to escape.
B) Retreat using the fire escape

The next prompt will be posted September 11th.  

[seekingCylem]

[ OPTION B

Didero could hardly believe it. He'd made it to the bottom of the hivestem unseen. The safety of the other side of the caution tape was within his grasp!

But then there was snarling. Didero's shoes skidded on the concrete with how abruptly he stopped moving. He may have been able to avoid the eye line of the trolls throughout the building, but whatever stealth skills Didero may have possessed were no match for the sniffnodes of these prickly lusii.

The bright white of their quills provided a startling contrast to the gray cityscape behind them. Didero instinctively backed up as slow as he could manage. He was out of ideas. He could run, but even at his peak he'd be taken down in seconds by these howlbeasts.

Hatoful Dad, however, was finally free of the confines of the dilapidated Root, and able to take control of the situation. In a cloud of feathers, he took to the air, drawing the attention of both the lusii and Didero. Didero, panicking still for an escape, looked behind his lusus. There! Stairs! These lusii could certainly outrun him, but their ability to climb was something Didero was more willing to bet money on.

Didero ran for the fire escape. ]

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Kursha had been on the roof for no more than five minutes when he saw an enormous reptilian lusus alight from a distant building. Not good. The Colonel was no where in sight, and even if she was Kursha was not certain that she would be able to take on the wyvern without sustaining serious damage. His lusus was big, but not that big. There was nothing else for it. He would have to hide.

Fortunately no one was around to see his act of cowardice. Not that he was a coward. This was simply self-preservation.

“All right, fuzzball. In you go.” Sliding his rucksack off his shoulder, Kursha yanked it open and placed the pigeon inside. Then once he was sure that the bird was comfortable—or at least not at risk of being crushed—he pulled the drawstrings and gingerly slipped the bag back over his shoulder. From within, he heard the bird give an anxious coo. “Go to sleep already,” he muttered and got to his feet. He cast a wary glance at the horizon. The lusus was close.

Kursha darted out of his place in the shadows towards the hole in the roof. He almost threw himself over the side as he grabbed hold of one of the vines. The plant fibers creaked under the stress but held fast. Kursha made a quick descent. There was a bit of a drop at the bottom and he let himself fall, landing in a crouch. Then he retreated under the overhang. If the lusus had seen him, and in all likelihood it had, it would be best to keep as far out of sight as possible.

((Option A))