2020.03.28 - Tentacular Tentacular
This log follows the story from: 2020.03.26 - De-Briefing of the PG-Rated Variety
The story continues in: 2020.03.30 - The Difficult Talks
It's evening and the forest is quiet. The sounds of some small animals can still be heard, but the regular chirp of insects or cries of birds are absent. The moon is partially hidden behind clouds, peeking out from behind them for several minutes before being obscured once more, the pattern repeating over and over.
Ciaran, having made plans to meet up with Tenebris at the forest's edge, is dressed in a black wife beater underneath a camo jacket and a pair of dark green cargo pants. Where he got this outfit is anyone's guess, it doesn't look like part of Jesse's normal wardrobe (which Ciaran borrows from frequently). Coming up to the line of trees at a spot not terribly far from the park where the attack took place, he runs a hand through his hair. "Here goes nothing," he mutters under his breath as he awaits the arrival of the others, Tenebris and a few more who agreed to accompany them on the excursion.
Tenebris has, in the interim, changed into what looks like a catsuit, but with certain cutouts and patterns that give it a much more suggestive, shape-accenting effect, and that isn't harmed by the plunging neckline that dips down to his waist! But he wears it well and with panache, even walking to wait at the edge of the forest. It's only seconds before he notices Ciaran's arrival and carefully makes his way over, with a grace superhuman in his steps. He may be wearing boots, but the uneven terrain doesn't slow him down. "Ciaran!" He calls.
Rinne had agreed to meet up with Ciaran out at the edge of the forest. Rinne with his new changed form can smell the trail of Ciaran as he heads out of the place where they reside. Rinne has hold of his scythe as he runs and then further is when he actually jumps into the air and starts to fly through the air, it was much quicker... he flies until he spots Ciaran and... Tenebris, landing near them. He turns towards Tenebris quirking a brow, wondering if he has met him before.
It doesn't take Noah long to find the rest when he listens to the nearby trees. He follows the path swiftly and quietly, the forest nearby responding in small ways to his aura as he comes up upon the group. "Hello," he greets in a whisper, patting Ciaran's side and squeezing his arm for a moment to reassure his friend. "What is going on now?"
Ciaran looks over at the sound of his name when Tenebris approaches, blinking once at Tenebris' outfit. "Don't you look... well-prepared?" It comes out as more of a question than a statement, one of the Fae's brows arching up as he gives Tenebris a good once-over. "I mean, well-prepared makes you sound more like a dish, which you're not, so..." Coughing, he adds "We'll just go with prepared. Regular prepared." Pausing, he sighs. "That also sounds like a dish. Fuck." Snapping his fingers, he says "Well-suited." Shrugging, he adds "Bit of a pun, but makes you sound less like something being cooked." And, rambling done, he turns to the other two arrivals.
Ciaran indicates Teneris, introducing him. "Hey guys. This is Tenebris. He's the fellow I met at the cafe, if you recall. Tenebris, these are Rinne and Noah," he explains as he gestures at each one in turn. As he peers into the forest, he frowns faintly. "So, I checked a map Otis had and I believe what I felt came from a bit further in, this general direction."
With that response, Tenebris breaks into a grin, looking around first at Ciaran, then to the others. He affords them assessing glances, sizing them up perhaps, and inclines his head in a respectful acknowledgement. "Rinne. Noah. Pleased to make your acquaintances. I hope you're ready for this."
He shifts his weight to one hip and folds his arms over his chest, focusing now on Ciaran as he speaks of the night's task and what's been developed since he last had been a part of the whole affair. "It's one of them, I'm sure of it now. I think that must be where we need to go." He glances lightly to the other two. "Be very careful. Abominations are merciless. They are anathema to everything you know as nature."
Rinne twitches his ears and he relaxes as Ciaran knows Ten, "Oh right.. I remember now.." he remembers from the discussion that night. Rinne then bows towards Ten, placing his scythe upright tapping it upon the ground, "I am ready" Rinne says. And then he looks towards Noah as he shows up, "Hey there, glad you could join us, " Rinne smiles and goes towards Noah, and places a hand around him and gives him a slight hug. Rinne then looks at Ciaran “I think the word your looking for is, ‘Dressed to impress?’” Rinne says with a grin.
Noah blinks a few times as he looks over Tenebris, then looks over to Ciaran. "This is the...ah...interesting fellow you met at my cafe?" he asks to double check. He nods a few times and looks over Tenebris, his silver eyes glowing softly as he does so. He then smiles sheepishly and bows his head politely. "It is nice to meet you," he says as he then pats Rinne's arm kindly and takes a deep breath. "It is...going to be like last time?" he asks nervously, looking toward Ciaran.
Ciaran just eyes Rinne at his quip, that same brow arching at the younger boy now. At Noah's question, Ciaran shrugs. "I'm not sure what we're going to find. I don't... feel the same energy I did that night. But something is definitely off, if Ten feels it too." Ciaran's lips draw into a tight line as he nods to Tenebris. "I was afraid you'd say that. I'm not sure if confirmation is a good thing or a bad thing, in this case." Shrugging, he turns to start making his way into the forest. "Even the forest itself knows something is wrong. I don't sense as many animals as there should be. They've either gone elsewhere or are keeping silent." Pausing, he gestures with an open arm in front of him. "You can take point, Tenebris. This is more your area of expertise, I believe."
"I'm dressed to move," Tenebris points out, flashing a grin to Rinne. "If I impress, it's just an incidental benefit." With a playful wink, he chuckles and then begins to move.
It's like a dance, but mostly in place, with only Tenebris to understand the coherent flow of it, or the meaning. But after seconds of this, he draws forth a thorned whip, and it seems to come from nowhere. He gathers it into loops and grasps it with one gloved hand, regarding it as if it were alive. And the way it moves, it may well be. With a nod of acknowledgement to Ciaran, he steps to the front and continues into the denser woods. "Animals will flee from them. Living things will despise them and avoid them. They know what is the worst danger to them." He steps aside, to avoid a low-hanging branch. "Don't let them touch you. They can -- and will -- do horrible things to you. Down to the spirit."
Rinne says, "Down to the spirit.. huh?" Rinne asks as he listens in. He sees the look from Ciaran, "What?" Rinne grins. And then he looks towards Ten chuckling towards him. Rinne begins to move after he removes himself from Noah, starting to move where ever he needs to go, scythe up for the ready, "I understand.. " Rinne says with a nod of his head.
Noah watches Tenebris's display, eyeing the whip curiously. He looks up to Ciaran and smiles softly. "I know a similar sort of spell. I haven't ever had to use it, though," he says as he follows along with the group. He looks to Rinne, then to Tenebris as he listens and walks quietly. "It certainly sounds terrible enough. I wonder what causes it, and why it is here. I haven't noticed anything like that before, at least not in these parts, so perhaps something has migrated?"
Ciaran tilts his head in curiosity at the appearance of the whip, but he refrains from commenting on it. As Tenebris explains in further detail the nature of abominations, a frown crosses Ciaran's lips. "Are they alive at all? That night, what I felt was corruption but I couldn't pinpoint a specific source. It was more those mutated plants and their origin that I was focusing on." He shudders at the memory of how it felt that night. Glancing at Rinne and Noah, he adds "Be vigilant. I don't think we're going to be able to get close to this thing without one of us noticing, but it pays to be watchful either way. As for what it's doing here, I'm not sure but I suspect the Spring Court knows more than they're admitting to. Any thoughts, Tenebris?"
"They come from outside universes," Tenebris answers Noah, looking over his shoulder for just a second and then his gaze snaps back in front of him. They can only come in through the cracks, or when invited, but that's easy enough for them to find. Suffice to say it's made its way here, and we must rid the world of it before it's able to cause more damage."
He lifts the hand carrying his whip, to brush back another branch, gently, and holds it for the others to walk past. "I can't imagine the Spring Court not acting instantly to destroy it," he replies, to that enquiry. "But they come suddenly, and it's easy to overlook them until it's too late. They're more the opposite of life, really. So it's hard to pin them down if you can sense the living."
Rinne says, “Hmmmm." Rinne moves forwards just a bit when Ten moves the branch and lets everyone through. Rinne thinks hard about this, "I can sense souls.. " he finally tells people, "Every living thing has a soul.." Rinne nods with his head. He still is confused about the courts, but hopefully one day he will get it. Rinne looks back towards Noah, watching him.
"Like another drop in the endless void, untraceable by those seeking life, for none exists in these that drip in like acid rain across our world." Noah looks very thoughtful as he walks along, half-speaking to himself as he tries to digest the information he's receiving. He blinks at Rinne, curious at his divulgence of information, then looks to Ciaran and Tenebris. "I...don't know much about the Courts, admittedly. I really...I'm not sure, not about any of this." Very thoughtful, he looks.
Shaking his head, Ciaran explains "The Spring Court sent me here to investigate, but it’s possible they're not aware of the source of the problem. I'd never heard of these things before now, it certainly wouldn't have been my first guess. And if they're the opposite of life, it would make sense that it wouldn't really ping on any of our radars. Although, if that's true, I should be able to sense a distinct /absence/ of life if we're close enough to it. Kind of like a sudden void amongst the brightness. But that's just conjecture on my part."
Glancing over at Rinne, Ciaran adds "I think everyone's gifts, when it comes to sensing, are a little different. I can also sense plants, for example, although they're not quite as bright on my register as people or animals." His gaze turns to Noah. "Don't worry, I think with the exception of Tenebris we're all a little out of our element on this one. I appreciate the two of you coming along." He adds "Maybe the guys back home can give you two a crash course in the Courts, I'd probably do a mess of a job explaining it."
Tenebris lifts a hand. "Don't let it bother you." This, he directs at Noah's seeming insecurity, or at the least some doubt at their endeavour. "I think you've got the idea much better than most." He hopes the smile he offers is comforting. Soon, Ciaran speaks about his own circumstance, and so Tenebris listens and replies, as they find their way through the dense shadows of the underbrush. "I'm sure once you encounter it, you'll develop the ability to sense them. They're...unforgettable."
Rinne looks towards Noah. At least he isn't the only one that didn't know much about the courts. He has heard snippets and pieces but not the whole story. Rinne nods towards Ciaran, "I am happy to be here to help you guys out with whatever you guys need, that is my goal.. to stop whatever is going on so people can live.." Rinne nods, "I don't like taking people away if they don’t deserve it.." Rinne says talking about peoples souls.
Noah offers Tenebris and Ciaran both a sheepish, half-crooked smile, his face mostly neutral but for the curve of his pink lips. "I will have to remember to ask when we get finished here. At any rate...Tenebris, are you able to track these things?" he asks, looking around the forest. "Or, are you tracking the changes in the scenery? The forest is....quieter, here. It unnerves me." He looks to Ciaran, checking on how his friend is doing. "How do you feel, here?" He smiles over to Rinne and nods resolutely. "Yes, I am happy to help, too. I wouldn't feel comfortable with just one or two people going out to take care of something that could be....so terrifying."
Ciaran nods, lost in thought for a few moments. In a low voice, he says to the group "I think we're not far from where I felt things that night. At least, as near as I can tell from the map I saw." Rinne's comment about souls causes Ciaran to frown. "I really hope it doesn't come to that, Rinne. We can't let this thing harm anyone. What happened in the park mustn't be allowed again." Noah gets a nod. "I'm definitely sensing a shift in the forest right around here. Tenebris, are we getting closer? Something feels distinctly... off."
"I can sense them. Like I said, you'll probably learn to recognise them, after the first time you encounter one." Tenebris pauses, looking from side to side, then forward, and slightly to the right. "That way," he answers Ciaran, lifting his whip-holding right hand and extending his finger to point. "It's not far, and it's in that direction. Be ready, because it's not going to hesitate to try and take each and every one of us down."
Rinne nods towards the others, "Well lets us take it out before it takes us out, yes?" Rinne asks and then he looks towards Ten and follows him along, "I might be able to sneak pass, I do have the ability to go invisible.." he says, "If that would help.." Rinne says hoping that there is some way that he could help more as he walks carefully behind Ten and the others. He is taking the back of the group to make sure no one is attacked from behind, because that could happen.
Noah looks as pensive as ever, only getting more perturbed as he continues on with the group. "Then...are these things different from what we encountered before, or..the same?" He remains mostly quiet, stepping carefully as he walks on, his silver eyes resting on Ciaran every now and then somewhat discretely as if to ensure he's doing alright with the changing forest.
Ciaran hisses through his teeth. "It's /here/? Shit. I wasn't expecting that at all." He slows his movement, closing his eyes and reaching out to 'touch' the life surrounding them. "There's definitely something wrong in that direction. No animals, and the plants feel... funny. I can't even put a word to it." Glancing over his shoulder, he looks to Noah and Rinne. "I'm not sure what we'll find. Stay cautious. Noah, I'm counting on your magic this time around as well. No pressure," he adds with a faint smirk. "Rinne, just be careful of getting too close if it's an abomination. I'm not sure what they're capable of, but I don't think invisibility will work on them. These things obviously have senses beyond sight. So did the plants we ran into last time."
Tenebris picks up the pace as he continues to stride towards the danger. "No. No, this isn't the abomination. This is some lesser corruption. Something more manageable." He breaks into a jog, ducking and leaping through the forest and every obstacle put in his way. His hands work the whip into a defensive pose, ready to engage.
Rinne perks his ears up slightly as he hears Ciaran, getting ready to fight, Rinne nods his head, "Alright.." And with that he sees Tenebris running off, "H-hey were supposed to stay as a group.. or that would be better.. " Rinne says sighing a bit as he too starts a jog, lightly taking his scythe and swiping a little bit of here and there plants, not trying to harm them, just cutting them away.
Noah stops in his tracks when Ciaran does, then looks sharply around the area. He takes in a slow, deep breath to focus, then remains steadfast at Ciaran's side. "My magick is yours," he says slowly, quietly, silver eyes gazing into the distance as he pulls his oak-carved wand from his back pocket.
Ciaran follows after Tenebris at a quick pace, easily keeping up in his natural environment. "So, more like the plant-creatures than the actual abomination itself? Well that's... mildly reassuring." He doesn't look very reassured, though. Nodding to Noah, he says tightly "It's appreciated. More than you know. Just don't put yourself in harm's way for no reason, okay?" As he notices Rinne cutting away at some of the branches and plants to clear a path for himself, Ciaran reaches out and touches the trees as he moves, 'encouraging' them to get out of the way. Their movements are subtle, but leave more of an opening for the group to pass through.
As they break into a clearing, that's when the thing shows. It's horrible, and it almost defies anyone to look at it. It's not a pleasant experience, not in any of the senses that have to engage it, and it feels utterly wrong. But this thing is rather unimpressive in size, barely larger than any of them individually. It seems to be made of tendrils, but not any living thing, and rather something moving as a mass of almost incomprehensible wrongness. As it draws up, it fires out a number of them, right at the approaching group, and it seems to enlarge to twice the size it previously was.
Tenebris flips to the side, and his whip whistles as he snaps several of them right out of the air. He's not even scratched, and they don't come close to touching him. But the thing is quick, and it hasn't slowed.
They finally make it to the clearing and the thing decides to show its ugly ass self, "I am guessing that is one of the things that we are after? " Rinne asks pointing with his scythe towards the creature. He takes his scythe then and attacks the tendrils, trying to cut them shorter.
Noah blinks a few times as he stares at the...thing. "Ew," he says, sighing out then as he nods up to Ciaran. "I can look after myself. I am more worried about what this is doing to the forest here, and how you'll be affected by it," he says, then beginning to gather energy within himself as he breathes deep and regularly.
Ciaran gasps as they enter the clearing, momentarily overcome by the utter bleakness of the thing before them. "Oh God, it's even worse than the last time." As the tendrils shoot out towards the group, he dodges to the side and narrowly avoids some that got past Tenebris' whip. "This must be the thing that caused the mess in the park, it even looks like some of those plants." Moving over to the edge of the clearing, Ciaran digs the fingers of his right hand into the dirt and reaches out to place his left on the bark of a particularly thick tree trunk.
Magic flows out from Ciaran's hands and towards the creature, touching the dead and dying grass and plants suffering from the creature's proximity. It seems even in the face of this /thing/, Ciaran's focus is on mending nature. "Don't worry about me," he says to Noah. "It's... disgusting, but I think I can fix the damage." And, you know, if his magic happens to do something to the creature in the process that wouldn't be so bad.
"Good! Keep that up!" Tenebris shouts to the others. Fortunately, they seem to have been missed by the tendrils launched out, so it's good Tenebris seems to keep its focus.
He moves to engage it, while the others stay back for the moment, and his movements are truly transcendent; it's like they're choreographed by someone who spent the last hundred years honing their art form. He spins, he leaps, he rolls and flips, and every muscle of that well-built body seems to be at his slightest beck and call. He never seems to follow-through too much or too little. Everything he does, it all has the appearance of pinpoint precision and intention.
Rinne nods towards Tenebris as he says that. Rinne continues to take his scythe and chop off the tentacles that spring out, not wanting them to touch anyone so they down get well, tentacled! This ain’t a hentai scene! That would be bad! Rinne runs all over the place as Tentacles spread out. There’s even a few times when Rinne bounces upon one of them to attack another with a slice and dice.
Noah stares at the tendrils with wide eyes, then slips his wand back into his pocket to procure a length of white cord. He uses his fingers to begin weaving with the cord, knotting and tying, his magick building in his fingertips as he works. "Athena, weaver goddess grand, protect us by your working hand. Warp and weft the steel-silk weaves, by your grace, so mote it be!" Noah's spell releases, the energy crawling up nearby trees to weave a powerful protective barrier in front of Ciaran and himself. He doesn't spend time resting on his laurels, though, continuing to work with the cord in his hand to keep his spell bound.
Ciaran stands back up, withdrawing his hands from the earth and tree. "It's no use. I can't do anything as long as that... thing... is still there." As Noah weaves a spell of protection and Rinne and Tenebris attack the thing's tentacles, Ciaran frowns. He takes several steps towards Noah, then turns to face the thing. "Tenebris!" he calls out. "Stay fast on your feet, this might get a little bit... out of my control!" The warning given, he claps his hands together with force and brings them to his face, closing his eyes. Dropping to the floor, he /buries/ both his hands into the earth with force. The ground cracks in front of him, moving towards a cloud of dust, dirt and earth swirling and moving towards the creature. The earth separates just underneath the cloud, not a very large crack but a crack nonetheless moving to shift the creature off balance.
Rinne dealing with the tendrils so grandly and decisively frees Tenebris from having to worry overmuch, which is made even less by Noah's excellent barrier. Perhaps he's another witch, Tenebris muses. He'll have to pursue that after dealing with this threat; his whip roars low in the air, like it was calling the storm. The thing moves almost impossibly fast. Tenebris, through some gift or skill, just seems to move faster than it.
He has to keep it busy. Whatever Ciaran intends, Tenebris figures it may well be the very thing they need to send this thing packing. It stumbles, but doesn't fall all the way in the crack, straddling it with the tendrils shooting out. Still, that does give Tenebris the opportunity to rip at the thing with his whip.
Rinne watches as Noah puts up a barrier, and Ciaran breaks the very ground! Rinne had managed to move off to the side a bit to catch his breath from hopping around on the creature. He watches as it sorta falls into the crack. From behind Rinne runs up with his scythe and with all his might instead of cutting with his scythes blade, he takes the head of the scythe, the bone part, the creepy bone part of the head of the scythe, and 'tries' to with all his might run the scythe’s head right smack into the thing’s back so that he could try to force it into the crack.
Noah watches the plant-beast warily, continuing to move his fingers nimbly as he knots his cord repeatedly and carefully. It seems as if he's wearing out the usefulness of the length of cord, now knotted and twisted in the image of a web. He lifts it up and lets it hang in the air before him, then pulls out his wand to snap his arm forward and send the motif knocking into his barrier, the sticky webbing launching out toward the plant-beast of sorts as Noah finishes his spell.
Ciaran's power isn't enough to widen the crack, and the creature is using those tentacles to hold on for dear life. "Fuck," he mutters under his breath. "Damn thing." He sees Rinne strike it with the scythe in an attempt to force it into the crack and when the creature slips deeper, Ciaran nods once with an idea. Noah's spell couldn't come at a better time, locking the creature in place. Withdrawing one of his hands, he squeezes it into a fist and raises it to his face even as he closes his eyes. "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten," he whispers, though it's not clear to who. A single tear drops from his left eye and touches his fist.
Immediately overhead, a thundercloud appears just above the roof of the forest. Lightning dances across the top of the cloud and a bolt strikes close to the creature. It doesn't hit the thing, though, instead catching the base of a nearby tree. The tree's trunk shatters and it begins to fall - right onto the creature holding itself up over the crack. Another bolt strikes the tree, this time catching it on fire as it hurtles down onto the trapped creature.
And that's all she wrote. Between Rinne and Ciaran, with Noah's webbing, it just discorporates as it falls. Pieces tear off in chunks and dissipate like ash popped into the air by a bonfire. Tenebris pulls his whip back and, with the flick of a hand, reaches out to try and lash it around the tree felled by Ciaran's lightning. It's still possible -- and now that the creature's been defeated, they may yet snatch back their sacrifice from the almost literal jaws of doom. But he'll need help.
Rinne falls to his knees, catching his breath, "It looks like we won.." Rinne says putting his scythe down next to him and his hands on his knees as he watches the creature falling down the crack, "What the heck was that thing?" he was curious, "How many more are there out there!?" Rinne also asks in a bit of a panic.
Noah watches carefully, stunned as the tree falls and crushes the restrained beast. He looks to Ciaran and smiles softly to the fellow, then turns his attention to Rinne. "I think we need to heal this land. That is what happened last time, they finally dissipated once the corruption was purged."
Ciaran's other hand withdraws from the earth and the crack begins sealing itself shut, the miniature sandstorm dissolving and the earth from it helping to seal the gap. The thundercloud is still overhead and, opening his fist, Ciaran lets a downpour of rain fall from it. The fire goes out almost immediately, a few stray flames flickering in an attempt to survive before they too fade. The bark is burnt, but salvageable.
Turning to Rinne, Ciaran mutters "That was the reason those plants mutated and attacked. With it gone, hopefully the forest can get back to normal." But with the abomination still potentially around, he's not counting on it yet. Turning to Noah, he asks "Can you help me with this? I can fix it, but I need it back in place." With the crack closed up there's no more danger of the tree slipping into it, but it still has to be set back in place.
"I'm going to need some help hefting this up!" Tenebris shouts to the others. The monster may be gone, but even with his spectacular powers, Tenebris can't be expected to lift a whole tree on his own. He looks at least like he's making good progress, but he can't keep it up indefinitely without some assistance.
With the danger mostly gone and the fire put out, Rinne can for sure help. He stands up from where he is and he walks over towards where Ten is and the tree, and Rinne grabs it on the other end, wrapping his arms around the trunk as much as he could, "I'll help.. I'll help the forest at much as I can.. I don't have nature powers but.." he trails off.
Noah nods to Ciaran and rushes over toward where Tenebris is next to the tree, doing his best to try to lift the tree with him. He's, unfortunately, not so strong, but he's giving it his best effort, at least! "It's going to be okay," he keeps saying softly.
With the tree almost back in place, Ciaran approaches it and gives a solid push. His Fae physique helps out and he's able to re-align the tree with its stump. As he kneels in front of it, the thundercloud slowly dissipates as he places one of his hands on the burnt trunk and the other in the ground. He begins healing the land and mending the tree. "If this were a normal thunder strike... I wouldn't be able to do this. But since I made it, I can unmake it." And that's what he's doing, restoring the tree to its original form. "Thank you," he whispers softly to the group. It's unclear whether he's thanking them for help with the creature or the tree - possibly both.
Once the task is done and greenery has been restored to the clearing, Ciaran looks up at Tenebris. "So that's what we're up against? Shit. I don't even want to think of going up against an actual abomination if this was just... you know, easy mode." Standing back up, he dusts off his pants. "I appreciate you lending your aid. I think... I think this isn't the end, though. You're right that I can tell what one of these things feels like, now. And... I'm worried this isn't the only one." He frowns at that thought.
"We must still find the source of that thing," Tenebris adds, stepping next to Ciaran and observing his handiwork. "But well done now, all of you! We managed to rid the world of something that, given time and opportunity, would simply have spawned countless more of those things, and then its spawn would have spawned more...and more beyond that."
The man smiles to Noah, to Rinne, and last to Ciaran. "I believe the Spring Court will be very satisfied at what you of all of us have accomplished here, tonight. And if you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you the next time you drop in to bring them up to date." With a wink, he makes a gesture, and his whip vanishes again, before he turns on the heel of his boot and starts to walk back the way they came. "Try to keep up! This forest is a maze."
The story continues in: 2020.03.30 - The Difficult Talks