Fantasy The Spirit-Bound

[Macintot]

Location: Outskirts of Fort Smith, Arkansas ll Date: September 15, 2020 ll Time: Approximately 6:30 p.m. ll Tags: None

The radio was down. Bryce's partner Hernanadez fiddled with it while Bryce drove back towards town. The "heart attack" they'd been sent to had been a prank, so now they were headed back to the hospital. They just needed to report to dispatch. If they could get the stupid radio to work.

Something bright streaked across the sky, grabbing Bryce's attention. Maybe it was a shooting star. But it looked too close to the ground for that. And it seemed didn't wink out. And it was moving sideways, towards Fort Smith.

Suddenly the radio came alive with static. Bryce started in surprise, then glanced at Harnandez. He could make out the voice of someone talking, but the static covered the words. The static cleared enough for a two words to come through: "Nuclear bomb."

The area ahead lit up with a blinding flash. An orange mushroom cloud billowed from the city. From the hill the were one, Bryce could see the shockwave ripping buildings apart like toy blocks.

Instinct took over. Bryce jerked the steering wheel. The ambulance swung around on two wheels and landed facing the way they'd come. Bryce floored the gas. The tires squealed as the ambulance hurtled down the hill. There was no saving the people outside. Maybe he could save his crew. They could come back to help the survivors.

The ground shook. Then the shockwave hit the back of the van. Time slowed down. Bryce could hear Hernadez's shout, feel the heat of the explosion and the momentum pushing him against his seat as the ambulance flipped end-over-end. The view from the windshield became a dust storm. It grew lighter as they faced the sky, darker as they faced the ground, the lighter again. He could feel them losing altitude. The windshield faced the ground again.

Tine returned as the ambulance slammed hood-first into the concrete, and everything went black.
---

Location: The Oasis (south-east section) ll Date: September 15, 2030 ll Time: Approx. 7:00 p.m. ll Tags: karma.chameleon Russian God Goonfire

Bryce groaned. He was lying face-down on the grass, and everything hurt. Had ge gotten thrown from the ambulance? He rubbed his head - his hair was longer than he remembered - and pushed himself up to his knees.

Bryce froze. There wasn't an ambulance nearby. There wasn't even a road. Instead, small ponds dotted the landscape, obscured by the silhouettes of palm trees and ferns. Bryce couldn't see any signs of the city, not even ruins.

Maybe he was dead? Bryce had always pictured the afterlife with streets of gold and people floating on clouds and playing harps. And he didn't think he'd be so sore.

A voice reverberated in Bryce's head. 'You are alive.' It didn't sound like Bryce's thoughts, maybe that was just part of passing out. The thought seemed trustworthy, at any rate. Or maybe Bryce was just in denial.

If he was alive, wherever he was, his first job was to administer first aid to any survivors. He stood up - nothing seemed to be broken, and where had those silver bracelets come from?-and looked around. He couldn't see anyone. But maybe they were obscured by all the ferns.

Bryce cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hello?" he yelled. "Is anyone alive? Shout back if you can!"

 

[Goonfire]

Manitoba, Canada; September 15, 2020; ~7pm...

Tired, winded, afraid...

Ciaran raced through the woods, yet no matter how fast he sprinted, he could hear the heavy footfalls drawing closer. His crazed father was gaining on him quickly. The only thing that stopped the madman from shooting with any accuracy thus far was the dense forest. Then, Ciaran emerged from the tree line, into a clearing. A vast expanse of flat land lay ahead of the fleeing boy...

BANG!

The redhead toppled as a bullet pierced him from back to front. He clutched his side as he rested on an elbow and his knees, blood trickling between his fingers. A foot kicking him onto his back provoked a yelp. Time seemed to slow as the wild-eyed, disheveled man in his 40’s hovered over his wounded son, grinning and holding a smoking rifle. Ciaran stared past him, for something else had caught the pained teen’s eye. An object hurtled through the sky, too close and far too narrow to be an airplane. It left a smoke trail as it coursed due north. In mere seconds, the earth rattled and the air grew warm, yet Aidan was unfazed. A scorching cloud enveloped the two of them, and that was the last Ciaran saw of his unhinged father. In fact, that was the last scene that registered in his brain for ten years.

The oasis; September 15, 2030; ~7pm...

“Wake up...”

Ciaran yawned gently as he stirred. He thought he heard a voice, but simply downplayed it under the assumption that it was merely the end of a nightmare. However, something felt wrong; a breeze nudged the blades of grass, which in turn brushed against his hair. He was also lying on top of something uncomfortable, which caused his tailbone to ache.

“Imbecile, I said wake up.”

It wasn’t a dream, for sure. Ciaran steadily rose from his bed of grass and went to wipe the sleepy-sands from his eyes, only to feel something dry scrape against his skin. His eyes opened for the first time in years, only to behold the thin layer of dried blood on his hand. The startling sight prompted him to pull up his shirt and check his side. There was merely a scar left; no pain, no further bleeding.

As he rolled onto his side, he felt something soft and fluffy rub against his leg: a furry, white-tipped tail that extended from the point of his previous discomfort: his tailbone. His heart began to sink as he then traced along his jawline with his index fingers, thumbs joining in to pinch his fur-covered ears, which had definitely changed shape. Luckily, there was no mirror in sight; he was afraid to see what he had become.

Another voice was echoing in the distance. Ciaran bolted up, minding his new tail, and called back in hopes of being found and returned home. “Hey!! Over here! Can you hear me!?”

 

[Gallus]

Calum Rolais
Detroit, Michigan ⋄ September 15, 2020 ⋄ 6:30 P.M.

The night was rife with celebration. Half-deflated balloons bounced around the sparsely furnished kitchen, tumbling off dollar store streamers and plastic disco balls alike. The decorations were shabby at best, but to the family of three with identical grins, it was perfect.

"Dad, seriously, quit it!"

"Oh, come on, Calum. Just one last shot?"

"That's what you said ten pictures ago."

Calum laughed as he darted around the kitchen. His hands shot up to shield his face from his father's relentless camera, only to falter as he nearly stepped into the path of the older woman entering the room. Calum's mother gasped as her son barely managed to sidestep away from a collision. The precariously balanced cake in her arms wobbled, threatening to tip and fall, before she quickly managed to regain balance. A scolding glare was shot at the father and son duo. The former laughing nervously before lowering his camera, the two exchanging a look of equal parts guilt and embarrassment as the older woman set the cake on the kitchen counter.

"What did I tell you about running around in the house?" Calum's mother clucked her tongue and turned to face the rowdy two. Despite the stern expression on her face, a glimmer of humor gleamed in her eyes. "We've just gotten the place, and I don't need the two of you already breaking it."

"Sorry, honey." Calum's father set his camera on the counter and wrapped an apologetic arm around his wife, a tender kiss planted on her forehead. "Just got a little overexcited. I still can't believe we finally have a real house."

"Me neither. I jut hope this is all worth it."

"Just you wait. It all will."

Calum watched his parents from afar, his expression softening at their display of affection. How long had it been since he'd seen them this happy? Actually, genuinely happy? The smiles they bore weren't the fake ones they gave after an exhaustive work week or a build up to disappointment. They were real this time. And, the young man silently swore to himself, he would make sure they would stay real. The moment lingered like the remaining warmth of a hearth. It was almost touching enough to distract Calum from the cloud of smoke and fire outside their window.

Almost.

•♣•​

The Oasis ⋄ September 15, 2030 ⋄ 7 P.M.

It was the pain that woke him first. Quiet, aching, pounding pain. Dark eyes fluttered open, followed by a dragged out groan. Bits of grass clung to Calum's cheek as he slowly sat up. The world around him spun pirouettes around his head, each spin only making the unfamiliarity of his surroundings more and more apparent. What had happened? Shattered memories ghosted the corners of his mind. He could recall the flash of light, the rush of intense heat, the party--

Calum felt his heart drop. The party. His parents. Where were his parents? The young man scrambled to his feet, ignoring the worsening headache as he looked around wildly. There was no one in sight. Only lush trees and flora that dotted the grassy land. All at once, memories of being a little kid lost at the grocery store flooded back. Where was his family? Better yet, where was he?

Aye, little one, you'd do yourself much good if you'd just listen.

The voice crept into his mind like a lurking shadow. Strange and unfamiliar, yet not at all discomforting. Calum felt a lump grow in his throat, yet chose to obey. The young man perked up as distant voices threaded through the air. People. And where there was people, there was hope.

"Hello?" Calum's voice crackled and he cleared his throat before calling again. "Hey! I'm right here!"

 

[karma.chameleon]

Kamila

© southside

location: The Oasis (south-east section)

tags: N/A

A blinding light. The muffled shattering of glass and crumbling of walls. A wall of heat, hitting her all at once, down her throat and nose and burning right down into her lungs. Her brother yelling something. Then, nothing.
~
She was awoken by the weightless, breeze-like tickle of feathers gliding along her cheek, and down her jaw to her neck. Her brow furrowing against a pain behind her eyes, she rolled her shoulders in reluctant anticipation of wakefulness, her tired muscles protesting the whole way. She forced her leaden arms to move, splaying her fingers towards the ground to sit herself up-

-when she realised no such ground existed, her eyes snapped open, all illusions of sleep shattered.

At the exact moment she launched herself into a sitting position, she felt the...the whatever was holding her evaporate, and a sudden drop, one that couldn't have been more than a foot, forced her stomach into her throat. Her back hit something solid - painless, but shocking - and her air was pushed from her lungs. She stared, wide eyed, at the cloudless sky before her, almost unwilling to move.

She became aware of voices, drifting through the cold air around her, the sources just out of sight. Again, she bolted upright, this time pulling herself to her feet in her desperation to find out what was going on. "Who are you?" She cried, blinking back the furious tears that had, against her will, forced her eyes to burn. "What's going on?"​

STATS

REPLY

 

[Macintot]

The replies to Bryce's shout came back almost immediately, three people shouting back, and the rustling of vegetation indicating they stood up. Two men and a girl, all to Bryce's left.

Bryce turned. Against the setting sun, he could see the silhouette of two of the others. And his concussion must be messing with his head, because the nearer person seemed to have fox ears, like an anime character.

Bryce began crashing through the vegetation towards the figures. As he moved, he shouted again: "My name's Bryce's. I'm a paramedic. Are any of you injured?"

Bryce reached the fox-eared boy and stopped short. He really was going crazy, because the teenaged boy not only had fox ears, but also a long, bushy tail. Bryce stammered a few disjointed words before noticing the dried blood on the boy's hands and clothing.

"Hey, um - did you - you have. . . are you hurt?"

 

[Mena]

Hong Kong, Tokyo ✧ September 15, 2020 ✧ 6:48 P.M.
Something about today was giving Nao cold shivers down her spine, whenever this happened something truly terrible would happen. A middle-aged doctor, that was entrusted with taking care of her, opened her door and walked in with a grim expression on his face. He was accompanied by a black haired nurse, who was holding what the girl assumed to be at least, was her medical charts. "Miss Ayona, your family hasn't paid for your medical bills in several months.... I'm afraid you no longer can afford to stay here." Drowning out what the doctor was explaining to her, the patient simply turned their head and looked out the window in a daze.

Nao couldn't believe that her own family had just abandoned her like this, they truly loved her sister more than her. Suddenly Nao could see a light coming from the city. The blinding, hot light... that was the last thing she saw before falling into the abyss.

✧

The Oasis✧ September 15, 2030
Nao was awaken by the light breeze of the wind glittering across her fingertips. She could suddenly feel the warmth of the sun and the grass underneath her arms as she slowly blinked her eyes awake/ Slowly pushing herself up into a sitting position, she glanced around to see not a hospital bed or a city but fields of lush flora and fona. The last thing she could remember was laying in a hospital bed looking out the window in her hospital room. But... where was that city now? Just what happened to all the people there? Where was she in the first place? Glancing down at her own appearance Nao couldn't help but be shocked to see that her legs weren't damaged... in fact they appared to be working fine as if they were never broken to begin with.

She didn't think that this was possible, even the doctors told her that there was a slim posibility that she would be able to walk again. To make matters worse Nao was dressed like some type of super heroine from an anime, everything screamed 'Magical Girl' about her outfit. Do you not like my work? I thought it would be apportiate for your personality type and what you appear to like in things. A voice echoed in her head, quickly alarming her. It was strange to hear another voice in her head, but it wasn't the strangest thing she's exprienced in her life thus far. The new voice felt calming, almost trying to soothe her against her own worries.

Snapping her thoughts off the voice in her head were several other voices, this time coming from reality. She managed to see their shadows against the sun, however there was nothing else she could see from where she was currently. "Uhm! Hello....is anyone there?!" The young girl replied, hoping that someone would reapons back to her.

 

[Goonfire]

Ciaran was standing and looking about when he heard and saw the person who had called earlier barreling in his direction first. He was certain this was some kind of bizarre fantasy; as if his own transformation wasn’t strange enough, this paramedic looked moderately hellish, with pointed ears of his own, unusually thick hair, and cuffs of some kind.

“Wha- Yes, I’m okay... I think,” the exhaled worriedly. Something was eating at the kitsune. “I’m sorry, but why the cuffs? They don’t look like police handcuffs...” He rose steadily to get a better look while making a conscious effort to be non-threatening. His mismatched eyes drifted distally from Bryce’s wrists. The claws made Ciaran gulp audibly.

 

[Macintot]

Bryce nodded, getting over his initial shock over the boy's foxlike appearance. His mind was re-entering paramedic mode. If the boy didn't seem to be bleeding, and in the wake of the bombs, anything that wasn't imminently fatal could wait.

At the boy's question, Bryce glanced at the cuffs on hid wrists. "I have no idea." Normally he'd puzzle over them, but right now he needed to find the survivors.

Bryce turned back to the boy. "Do you know first aid? See if you can find any survivors. Shout for me if they need medical attention."

Without waiting for an answer, Bryce ran off towards the second nearest voice he'd heard: the young girl. The sun was beginning to set, making it harder to see.

The voice from before echoed in Bryce's head: 'Stop and listen.' Bryce stopped and cocked his head to the side. There: uneven breathing, not far behind him. Bryce turned toward the sound. Now he could see a shock of platinum hair among the undergrowth.

Bryce began making his way towards the girl. "Are you hurt?" He called as he moved. "Everything is going to be okay. What's your name?"

 

[Goonfire]

“Vaguely. I’d have to call you back for wound care,” Ciaran clarified as his new acquaintance charged away.
Macintot

He stopped to listen, and sure enough, his legs instinctively carried him toward a fellow who towered over him. “Evenin’. Need a hand?” Ciaran offered, making eye contact with the cat-like stranger and noting the similar slit pupils. He genuinely wondered if all people stuck in this curious situation developed some animal features.
Gallus

 

[karma.chameleon]

Kamila

© southside

location: The Oasis (south-east section)

tags: Macintot

One of the voices drew nearer, and Kamila spun to face the source when it became apparent it was speaking to her. A man, his staggering height towering above her, and his chest thrice the size of her own body.

“I’m Kamila-“ She said, before blinking when she got a better look at the man. Over his stubble, he had two fangs extending from his canines.

“You have fangs.” She said blandly, an arm raising to point at them.​

STATS

REPLY

 

[Macintot]

Bryce stopped short as she reached the girl, Kamila. If the boy's tails had been a shock, the had nothing on the large wings that sprouted from the girl's back.

The girl pointed up at him. "You have fangs," she said. Bryce ran his tongue across his teeth. Sure enough, his canines ended in long, sharp points. He looked down at his hands, finally paying attention to his sharp claws, too much hair, and the silver cuffs that had come from nowhere.

Bryce's head started to spin. He hadn't considered that he could have changed too. What had that bomb done?

'Calm down,' the voice in Bryce's head snapped. 'Find the others. Gather them together. Then we cal talk about what happened.

Bryce took a shaky breath. The voice had a point. People could still need help. He could freak out later. He looked down at Kamila.

"Are you hurt?" He said. "You didn't break any bones or your. . . wings?"

 

[Spazzycat101]

Magdalena May​

A city apartment​

September 15, 2020, 18:30​

She was doing nothing, really, just tapping her fingers on the carbon fiber plating of her leg absentmindedly. Fairly suddenly, she stood and retrieved a small backpack from under her bed. She should go outside. It would be good for her.

May had just finished swapping out her prosthesis when a flash outside her window all but blinded her.

A bomb. No, there didn’t look to be a plane. A rocket?

Already she was rushing to her closet to grab her bow and some arrows. She didn’t have her gun, and it’s wasn’t a hunting bow or a takedown recurve, but a compound sports bow was better than no weapons at all.

Quiver on one shoulder, backpack on the other, and bow in hand, Magdalena rushed back to the window.

A mushroom cloud? A nuke? That meant there would be a shock—

Oasis

September 15, 2030, 19:00​

When Magdalena awoke, it was face-down in grass. She felt stiff, as if she was wearing a thick jacket that had never met fabric softener. She didn’t feel her bow in her hand or her arrows or backpack on her back. Worry flared momentarily before she looked up and saw them a few feet away. When she brought herself to her hands and knees, her hair fell irritatingly into her face and she felt an awkward weight behind her. Looking over, she saw feathers on her shoulder, soft trim on shoulder pads of a uniform she hadn’t previously noticed. It was a stylized, snowy-white military uniform that certainly wasn’t hers. Behind her still were more feathers. Magdalena tugged at a bit of down and flinched from pain.

‘What the hell?’ Her thought manifested aloud. These were wings. She had wings.

And there was frost on her fingers.

They weren’t blue or white, and they didn’t burn with frostbite. She could easily feel all her extremities, but couldn’t feel the frost on her skin unless she rubbed her hands together. When she did, the frost melted a bit, and she noticed her fingernails ended in odd points.

How are you doing?

May startled and scrambled to stand, but immediately keeled over backwards and landed on her wings like a feathery pillow. Just as quickly, she rolled over back onto her hands and knees, managed to clumsily fold her new limbs behind her, and ran for her bow. Awkwardly hunched forward, she nocked an arrow and pivoted to scan all around her.

‘WHO WAS THAT?’

Someone concerned. Please calm down.

Her whole body felt covered in goosebumps. Looking again over her shoulders, May saw the feathers—her feathers—standing on end, and a cat tail—a tail?—puffed up and lashing side to side.

‘Show yourself!’

I can’t exactly do that. And I need you to calm down.

‘What do you mean by that?’

I mean you should probably take deep breaths—

‘What do you mean by ‘you can’t show yourself?’

If you calm down, I’ll be able to tell you. You’re being quite loud.

Indeed she was; every word Magdalena had spoken was aloud and carried far, tone loud with alert. She hissed through her teeth, before then following the voice’s advice in regulating her breathing. It helped, to a degree. May was still having trouble consciously moving her wings and her tail. This is why she rejected a cybernetic prosthesis, dammit.

@ all near enough to hear, which is probably everyone

 

[Macintot]

Tags: Gallus karma.chameleon Goonfire
Spazzycat101
Mena

The voice in Bryce's head cut off his conversation. 'Stop. Do you hear that?' Bryce cocked his head to the side. He could just hear the sound of something rustling: wingbeats?

The voice growled. 'Already? I thought we had more time.' The growl cut itself off abruptly, leaving Bryce in the quiet.
*
Hux withdrew from Bryce's mind and reached out to every spirit he could find. Vatra, Shisha, Nil, Elith, Tamlach. Not many of them, but hopefully they could keep any of their hosts from dying.

'We hear coming from the south,' Hux said. 'I don't know what it is, but it flies. We don't have much time.'
*
A few seconds after it left, the voice returned. 'Prepare yourself, Bryce. An evil sprit is coming.'

Bryce spoke an audible, "What?" First he was hearing voices, and now it was talking about some evil spirit. He really was going crazy.

'You are not going crazy, Bryce,' the voice said, 'and I am not simply a voice in your head. There is a. . . creature. . . coming, one responsible for the current state of the world. You and the others must destroy it. I don't have time to tell you more now.

Oh really? Bryce thought. He'd woken up in God-knew-where after after a nuclear explosion, having mutated fangs and claws, surrounded other people who'd grown extra body parts, and now the crazy-voice in his head was telling him he had to go kill an evil spirit. That was one heck of an explanation.

The voice snarled. 'Will you- It paused, the returned, calmer. 'I promise you, everything will be explained when this is finished. But I cannot right now. The spirit is nearly upon us.'

A screech rang out from overhead as a giant snake dropped out of the sky. Bryce instinctively stepped between it and Kamila and stared. The snake was twice as big around as Bryce, covered in green feathers, a pair of scarlet-feathered wings sprouting from its back.

The snake coiled and examined the grove, moving its gaze to each person in the clearing. Bryce held his breath, waiting for the creature to move.

Without warning the snake turned and struck at the two the fox-eared boy across the clearing.

 

[Spazzycat101]

Magdalena May​

You need to hurry. The voice took on a sense of urgency. There is something coming and you need to confront it.

‘What?’

Can you hear it?

As the voice in her head asked, May could indeed make out the rhythmic rush of air above her. A shrill screech suddenly split her skull.

‘GEAAGH!!’

She recovered quickly though, and after organizing her belongings, set off towards the sounds of distress. May wasn’t sure how she was so certain of where the noise came from, but she was.

Very quickly she came upon what she was searching for; other people, and the source of that screech. It was some odd, Quetzalcoatl-winged-snake, attacking one of the aforementioned people.

It’s hide looked scaly, and from here May couldn’t tell if it could be penetrated or not. But fluffy, feathery wings certainly could; she just had to aim for the fleshy part. It would cause the thing pain, disable flight, maybe even pin it to the ground.

Be cautious with restraining it, a ranged approach is safer.

‘Would you—I know!’ May hissed. Quickly she refocused, and fired an arrow at the creature, aiming for a wing.

Fortunately, and despite her claws that somehow she had, she managed to strike more than just feathers.


Macintot Goonfire karma.chameleon Gallus Mena

 

[Mena]

Ayano The timid girl noticed that there were others like her, having animal parts on their bodies. "That's good that everyone seems to be okay! Don't worry about me, I'm going to come over as quickly as I can so sit tight!" Ayano replied as she finally picked herself off the ground, a small leap in her step. She was relieved to see others, she had been secretly afraid of being alone here. The last thing she remembered was being in her hospital room, so her surroundings were much of a shock than anything. Ayano quickly dusted off her new clothes and walked over to where the others currently were located.

Be careful... An evil creature is coming... Go find yourself somewhere to hide for the time being, you are in no condition to fight... Warnings from the other voice echoed in her head as she approached the others. Suddenly a loud screech sounded above them before a flying snake swooped down on the unsuspecting group of people. "H-Hey watch out! That thing is coming straight at you!" Ayano yelled at the fox-eared boy across the clearing, hoping that her warning would reach him in time. However another person was quick to take action, they already starting to fight the flying snake thing, She could only get herself out of the way of the fight before she wound up hurt from their fighting.

Mentions:
Spazzycat101 Macintot Goonfire karma.chameleon Gallus

 

[Goonfire]

Ciaran’s queries were cut short as his attention was called to an approaching enemy. Nil answered for him; “Acknowledged, Hux. We’re ready.”

“What!?” Ciaran protested. “Ready for what? I’m not ready for anything.”

Nil continued, regardless of complaints. “Like those god-awful banjos, your kind was played. Played against yourselves, by evil spirits. Perhaps you should seek vengeance, starting with this one.”

“I... I don’t really fight, though.”

“... Are you kidding me?” The spirit was highly irritated. “Fine... At least be of some use. Use my hexes, maybe on Hux’s troglodyte. Focus and give him... strength. Yes, he needs even more of that.”

Whilst the two were bickering, the serpentine creature lashed out at Ciaran, who recoiled. The knee-jerk reaction left him a mere inch beyond the attacker’s lethal maw. He had to think quickly, or else the next strike would be a hit, guaranteed. What he did was outwardly unimpressive. “Help!” he called to no one in particular. However, he did look toward Bryce, for he was the only person with whom Ciaran was acquainted, at the moment.

The panicked glance and newfound intent to grant the paramedic extra strength made the wish become reality. A peculiar, invigorating warmth was delivered to Bryce’s burly frame as Nil’s supportive power manifested for the first time in millennia.

Macintot Spazzycat101 Mena karma.chameleon

 

[Macintot]

The snake lunged forward, its mouth snapping shut inches from the fox-eared boy. "Help!" he yelled, looking at Bryce.

Then the boy's eye lit up. Literally lit up. Bryce warmth began to surround Bryce. He felt pumped. He wanted to lift soemthing throw something, break something. He wanted to move.

An arrow whizzed out of the underbrush and sank into the snake's wing. It screeched in pain and turned to the direction the arrow came from and charged the direction the arrow came from. Bryce ran up grabbed the tail and pulled.

He hadn't expected to do much more than distract it. Maybe slow it down. Instead he threw it across the clearing. It whipped over Kamilla's head and slammed into the trees behind her. They broke under the creature's weight with a crack.

Bryce's jaw dropped. He stared at the creature as it shook off it pain and surprise. He shouted over his shoulder, "Just want to make sure I'm not crazy; did anyone else see me throw the giant flying snake?"

 

[Spazzycat101]

Magdalena May​

No less than two seconds after she fired the arrow, a second was nocked. But May couldn’t help but pause at seeing this civilian take the creature by the tail and fling it away like some odd variation of an obscure Olympic sport. Quickly she hid her unease and pulled the string taut.

‘Don’t just turn your back on it!’

Track it.

May visibly jolted at the comment from inside her head.

But now that she thought about it, she could pinpoint more acutely than she thought was reasonable where the serpent’s thrashing was coming from.

‘We have to confirm a kill. That might mean that we have to follow it, if it doesn’t come back searching for us.’ The tension in her bowstring did not falter, but May’s wings—quite involuntarily—fluffed up again.



Macintot Mena karma.chameleon

 

[Goonfire]

Ciaran couldn’t have breathed a heavier sigh of relief as he rested his hands on his knees. “Yes; I think we all saw it, and talk about a near-death experience before that,” he breathlessly confirmed to Bryce as the glow in his one amber eye faded, the hex drawing to a close for now. With it, the condescending voice went silent, if only for the moment. Somehow, Ciaran felt as though he had expended a reasonable sum of energy, almost like he had physically participated in the fight. He had no clue that he actually delegated some of his power towards what likely would’ve been a powerful throw, even without help.

However, he wasn’t expecting that creature to be alive after slamming through a clump of trees. The young witch was accustomed to mundane things being struck dead by such force; it provided a false sense of security, not that he knew better than to have such a feeling. So in short, it puzzled him that the winged archer some distance away was still rearing for a fight. Then, he squinted to behold the giant serpent had endured the blow. “No way,” Ciaran gasped in astonishment.

Macintot Spazzycat101

 

[Macintot]

"Don't jist turn your back on it!" a woman's voice shouted. Bryce looked up to see a woman run into view, armed with a bow. And Wings. Naturally.

Bryce turned back to the snake. Too late. The snake lashed out. It wrapped Bryce in its coils before he could react. Bryce pushed against the sides of the snake, but to no effect. He still felt stronger than he should have been, but the burst of power from earlier was gone.

The snake lifted its head and looked down at Bryce as he struggled. "You think you're strong, spirit boy? You are nothing. None of you are." It squeezed tighter. Bryce heard one of his ribs crack under the pressure.

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He tried to call for help, but no sound came out. The voice was telling him not to exhale but it didn't make sense and nothing made sense and he couldn't breathe and he was dying. He pushed again and again and again but he knew nothing would change and it didn't and the snake squeezed tighter. Blind panic was taking over, to the point he didn't notice the flames beginning to spurt from his bracelets.

 

[Goonfire]

Ciaran gasped as the beast closed in for another attack. His soft heart bled for the man being crushed by the coiling serpent. Just when he felt powerless to stop it, an idea crossed his mind: to try speaking to that voice again. “Quick! What can I do to help?” he asked quietly.

“I thought you’d never ask,” the disembodied voice started, quite satisfied with the question. “Remember what you just did? Try the opposite of that on the enemy there. Weaken it in the same way you strengthened the troglodyte, but expect it to be more difficult.”

“I... I’ll try.” Ciaran tried to focus his intentions as he did previously. His gaze then fell on the creature. “Let go of him, now!” Once again, that one amber eye flashed, except it felt as though this was a much more taxing process than before. If this was real, then the boy was draining himself to weaken this serpentine menace, if only temporarily.

“You don’t have to get mouthy with it, princess,” Nil mocked as his host concentrated on his odd efforts to assist Bryce.

 

[Spazzycat101]

Magdalena May​

The serpent struck again, this time opting to constrict one of the several other odd, mutated people. May decided she’d figure the animal stuff out later. But that creature had made a mistake by showing its scaly hide rather than slithering away into the underbrush. A dark lack of expression and cold calm overtook May’s body. The feathers began to lie flat again. She could even feel the thing, the voice, whatever it was, understand her in that moment and hold back, out of the sniper’s way. This was too dangerous a situation to risk interfering with her lethally acute focus.

She needed a good shot. It was clear enough for her, but for what wanted she had to move, because she couldn’t afford to wait.
In a short burst of movement aided by her new wings, Magdalena darted to one side so that she was closer to the direction the serpent faced, mouth open threateningly to strike.

An arrow embedded itself in the back of the monster’s throat. Another was pulled back, ready to loose. Half of May hoped that would be enough to prompt it to flee, if the thing failed to die, but still she was ready.

 

[Macintot]

Bryce felt the serpent's grip begin to weaken, just enough to gasp a few breaths. Then the serpent screeched and loosened its grip even further. Bryce gave a final shove and scrambled out of the serpent's coils.

Bryce stumbled away and stood, gasping and clutching his side. The serpent leaned forward and coughed, and arrow visible in its neck. Blood dripped from its mouth, popping and hissing as it hit the ground. Bryce watched. Maybe that was it. Maybe it would keel over or run away.

But the serpent stopped coughing. "Insolent worms," it hissed. Its gaze settled settled on the winged woman. Bryce could see the silhouette of a bow in her hand. The serpent lunged toward the woman, hissing a single word: "Die!"