wooliefrand | OCEAN QUEST P2

[Well that's an annoying extra something to have to deal with.]

We'll have to see what they're protecting, then.

Sigh. All this work assuming mer forms to have to go on land at the end.

There was always a chance we'd need to.

[ Eying the horde of sea wolves warily ]

Let's hurry and get up there before we get noticed. We don't want a commotion before we're ready.

[ Looks like they don't have much choice there. ]

Then let's move.

[ He'll be swimming away once everyone turns! ]

Roger.

[ moving along with the group! ]

[ avante!

Angie, at least, can just start floating around once they're out of the ocean. ]

Edited 2024-04-14 22:34 (UTC)

[Imagine not being able to change between human and merman forms as often as one wants. Couldn't be Levi.

He steps out of the water on two legs, keeping an eye on the merwolves. If there didn't seem to be an endless supply of them they might be able to simply take them all out. Alas. He'd liked the idea of just grabbing the priest and running for it.]

[the kneeling 'shadow' seems alarmed, not sure what they're doing....

But when they swim to the beach, they actually break their chant, calling out--]

WAIT, NOT YET--

[As soon as any of them step foot on to the beach, that other barrier reverberates, and golden chains seemingly shoot out from the ground...except they aren't chains, they're snake coils, blocking their way further.

The mist wolves, both the ones on land and water, perk their ears up. They can't see the sheep but they can see ALL THAT. Strangely, half of them don't bother trying to sniff out the intruders, instead going for the coil chains, violently trying to pull off as many scales as possible. Others begin to sing their own songs. . .

Roll 1d10! If lower than 5, you suddenly view someone else in the party as either 1) your most hated enemy or 2) someone you're madly in love with]

[ >rolled an 8

ah, nadeko. i see how it is. you murder the fuck out of him last time and now you are apologetic.

anyway this appears to be, at least partially.
a musical. battle. now.

...
if he attacks he'll break the vanish. time to start telepathically revenge-serenading wolves. he guesses. he is now ready to throw his whole chest into improv. ]

Put down-- your claws,
Cover your teeth,
Rest your jaws,
Now listen to me--

You don't need, to die today,
Nor do you need to fight,
Your burden can be laid away,
To bear another night!

Please stay this wrath,
From times of old,
We'll find a path,
To end this long-trod roooole--

You don't, have, to suffer,
So long, and.... goodnight!

[ IF THIS SEEMS LIKE IT IS AT ALL WORKING HE WILL NOW COMMIT TO FLINGING A SLEEP SPELL WIDE if not gg. wasted his turn singing ]

Edited 2024-04-15 01:55 (UTC)

[ rolled a 2, and for some weird reason he's giving Subito a truly, absolutely bewildered stink eye

but there's more important problems at hand, so he turns away to focus on this new wolf problem. Angie's attempt gets the benefit of the doubt for about 10 seconds, but if the singing and sleep spell don't do anything then Ananke's pulling out the energy blaster!! ]

[Oh, should they sing again? Levi would love to, except that a roll of 3 means he's now frozen in place momentarily, unsure to feel about the fact that someone he loathes is now standing where Ananke had been a moment before.

The fingers of one hand revert back into webbed merman claws, but he can't afford to attack indiscriminately. His invisibility would be gone.

He waits and watches for now.]

[ rolled a 3. Ananke's stinkeye goes totally over his head, because he only has eyes for the entity occupying Levi's space. ]

Why are you...?

[ Rolled a 1. He's looking at Ratatoskr worriedly. ]

... why are you...

[ Is he seeing Apple or Rubato? Who knows? But he is swimming close to Ratatoskr to hold his arm. ]

[uh oh shenanigans are happening!! For those affected by the hallucination songs, every movement your hated/loved one makes seems extremely real, and even if they speak, their voice will mimic that person's perfectly.

For some non singing wolves who aren't harvesting scales, they lash out, not sure where the invisible sheep are but gosh dangit they are not above blindly swiping out into the air!!

As for ANGIE...something is happening. Some of the singing wolves start to wobble, eventually falling over. Not all though, but it looks like that's the right direction.

The priest on the rock calls out--]

You all have to sing! Call the Forever Snake back to its roost! Its lost, everywhere and no where--it needs to come back!

[ welp. Fine. Time to keep doubling down on that bit. While everyone else gets their shit together from status effects, angie's gonna keep running his mouth. ]

Rest, dreamers of eternity,
Stay with us a while.
Though you have all the world to see,
This could be your last mile.

Home is closer than you think
As far a thought away--
If you cannot, we'll make the link
Until a time you may.

Out from the shores of rage and war,
You've seen it all, I know,
A wearied mind is good as blind,
To goodness, hope, and joy,

But, _{[ stop for "breathe" that is really buying time to think, ]}
Help is closer than you think
As far a plea away,
Please take this one into your heart
And let it now be swayed.

Edited (Code) 2024-04-15 13:03 (UTC)

[ It continues to be wild that The Negotiator has suddenly revealed that he's on Rose. A bold decision to make in the middle of a dire under the sea mission. What scheme could he be playing at? Trying to throw the mission to take Scaranke out while they're cut off from the rest of Earth's heroes???

Well fuck that plan!!! Scarab maintains laser focus on ~~Subito~~ THE NEGOTIATOR!!!!, scanners and energy sensors alert for any aggressive moves towards Ananke or the rest of Rose.

Meanwhile Ananke stays focused on dodging swipes from the wolves, even going so far as to yank any slow moving Rose out of range. Yes, even his newly revealed arch nemesis. In between dodging, he sing-yells a few awkward lyrics through clenched teeth ]

Beast of time, beast of space
Hurry quick you'd better race
To your roost where we await
For you to save us from this fate.

[Levi isn't a composer ~~until canon proves me wrong~~, so why does it bother him that his flockmates are crafting longer verses than his? He should just be pleased enough to listen to them. Is it because he feels responsible as their shepherd?

Leadership positions are so bothersome.

As for the hated individual in front of him... they're lucky he doesn't care for physical violence. (This is untrue, but for the sake of appearances he prefers to avoid it.) There are far more crafty ways to deal with an adversary. (He's not going to offer any help to Ananke at the moment if he needs it.) They're also fortunate that his recent fixation on the Forever Snake and his previous experiences with them means that the holy beast has more of his attention now.

Lost, the priest says, while the serpent had seemed to be searching for knowledge. Both of these things can be true.]

A mind divided can lose track of its goals
Each new curiosity only splitting it more.
Entwined yet scattered, one fish to a shoal,
Do you recall what your journey was for?

Your domain is time - your refuge, your power
No matter whence you go there's no fear.
Even so, when you can be at any place, any hour,
You will find all your answers are here!

[ Yana Toboso has said the boys have the Disney Gene that allows them to sing and dance when needed and so, you're valid.

He has to do this to protect his beloveds, right? So- he'll join in harmony with Levi, and then- ]

In the vastness of night,
Under starlight's embrace,
Find the echo of heartbeats...
The whispers of grace.

Though the cosmos invites with its infinite trace,
In the warmth of your hearth...
Lies the most sacred space.

So return from the edges...
From temporal seams...!
Where each moment's a memory,
Each whisper a dream.

For the solace you seek,
In the simplest of themes,
Rests in knowing that home is much closer than seems!

[ all he wants to do is wrap his arms around ~~Levi~~ his creator. this place can bring back the dead. if he waits, will his beloved creator leave him again?

he takes a step toward Levi, then shakes his head, holding back tears. ]

To the keeper of moments, I implore,
Come back, Time, and open the door.
In your absence, chaos reigns,
Return to us, release our chains.

With every tick, with every tock,
We long for your rhythm to unlock.
Guide us through the night, through the day,
Oh, Beast of Time, don't stray away.

In your embrace, we find our rhyme,
So come back home, dear friend of time.

[WELL SOMETHING STARTS HAPPENING

With Angie's verse, more wolves start dropping, some reading the situation and retreating back to the water with as many scales they can carry. A few try to hone in on the sound of his voice, pouncing at him.

Ananke manages to dodge but with his verse, hundreds, if not thousands of snakes begin to bubble from the shores, all writhing at their feet. This doesn't seem to deter the remaining wolves though, as they also try to pounce at his voice.

With Levi's verse though, the barrier shimmers, a hole, an entrance, seemingly opening up within, and some of the snakes surge forward. If he peers in, he can see something in the distance, a scale pattern? No, an eye. But it's been blocked, obscured, and there are writhing coils all around it forever twisting in nonsensical directions.

Then with Belle's verse, even with the mist surrounding them, they can tell something is happening--and that something is that the day rapidly changes from day to night and back over and over again. They might feel the effect of this--longer hair, longer nails, etc. It's like time is on fast forward.

Finally with Subito's, more golden chains appears, trying to block any other wolves from advancing, and despite the thousands of wriggling snakes, they can feel if they walk, a path may open up to them. ]

[WELL ONE WOLF AINT HAVING ALL THIS, and as things begin to go down, it brings out its claws and...slits its own throat, black gunk spewing from it as a familiar weed-like symbol glows on the ground beneath the snakes.

And a huge shadowy, snake like demon erupts from it, time freezing in place. It grins wickedly, hissing out its words.]

I ssssee. A test is in order.

[EVERYONE PRESENT ROLL 1D10. Whoever rolls the lowest begins to age rapidly. If they are unable to complete the 'game' that person will die of old age. (can also choose oocly if you just prefer)

For the rest, five memories appear, but they are blurry, purposely obscured. The demon hisses out: To whom and when do these belong to?

1) Two brothers...are they really? Tensions run high as they stand off at each other, on opposing ends.

2) An illusion, but this person embraces it, with zero feelings of regret and malice. If they had to redo it, they'd still choose this. . .

3) A young boy on a stage, acting, it's all pretend. But even as the crowd cheers for the star and boos him as the villain, he knows he must give it his all.

4) Someone stands before you, and you peer down at them. They're so small but begging, pleading for help. You offer them a bit of your power, but then. . .

5) There's water, water all around, as well as blood. This person is alone it seems, but then maybe not...there's someone with their face.

MIX/MATCH GAME - Characters instinctively know they must get at LEAST 3 correct (as a collective) to beat the demon game. ]

[ oop invisibility broken. have you ever seen an immortal doll age? now you have! to most here, his pink hair thins, his skin shrivels and sags...

to Scaranke, it's the same, except he's now a shriveled green... alien thing.

Subito squeals (croaks), his cry an amalgamation of alarm and delight. he addresses Levi directly. ]

Ha... hahaha. See, master? I can do it, too! The act of aging... it's not limited to just mortals. I'm... fragile, like this.

[ he's talking as if aging is some kind of art. ]

[Master? What? Levi looks briefly over his shoulder as if Subito might be talking to someone else. But he can't worry about who he might be addressing right now. There's a time limit set on their answers and... he's uncertain.]

I... believe the last one is mine.

[That's his memory, certainly. Or his brother's? The memories surrounding his twin still have so many holes in them that he can't call to mind a specific time. He gives Rata an uncomfortable look.]

From when my brother and I were elvers.

[That might not be enough.]

Edited 2024-04-16 06:44 (UTC)

...the very first memory is like to be my own. From... shortly before I came to the pasture. It led to a battle, in which one walked away, and one did not.

[ Watching "The Negotiator" with fascinated horror and alarm ]

Mine — uh, Scarab's saying the fourth one is...probably him? From the first time he helped me out in a fight.

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CW Snakes (1/2)

SHADOW GAME

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