|
It's a hot evening in Philadelphia, which seems to be mirrored Hedgeside. The air is crisp and pleasant, and the Trod is mostly quiet as the group wanders along it. Well--as quiet as the Hedge always is. The thorns rustle and shift past the Trod walls, creatures heard moving far off in the distance. Just out of the corner of their eyes all manner of lies lurk, trying to tempt them off of the path. But they know better.
Occasionally there's an old lamp post covered in thorns along the edge of the Trod, or an abandoned motorcycle or car that has petrified into basically just blocks of rust. Under their feet are mingled cobblestones and broken pavement with patches of softer soil.
Aurelio kept to the middle of the group for the most part, using his height to his advantage to watch for anything out of sorts. A short sword borrowed from the court's armory hung at his hip, ready to be used as needed. (Defense 5, Armor 2 from leather armor)
Gallowglass tends to stick with Aurelio; it's worked out for him before! He takes the opposite flank as the other page, in borrowed leather from the Summer court. He has brass knuckles in place on his fists. ((Defense 4, Armor 2))
Sigrun is blazing trails, as it were. Only not really, since they're on the trod. But she does keep near the front of the group. She is bright, and hard to miss. Her shield, in fact, attracts the eyes like it was made to draw the eyes. (It was.) It gleams brightly in just about any light, and serves to amplify the Fairest's own ambient glow quite well. She marches with her sword resting at her shoulder, ready but not willing to wear out her arm through constant use.
"Mearcstapa, the Autumn Scrivener, wanted us to observe the effects of this blight. Not only on the flora, but on the creatures that inhabit the hedge. If the food web is disturbed, the whole food chain will react to it. So odds are we're going to see more predator activity than we might otherwise. Even on the trod itself. So keep your heads on a swivel. I'd like to get some samples of infected plants and fruits, maybe of the wildlife if we can find any. And to see how far all of this spreads, if we can. The plan is to stay on the trod for this one. Fact finding only. Understood?"
Gallowglass gives Sigrun a quick nod; he lifts his hand, about to salute, and hastily drops it. "Understood," he echoes. "Fact finding only. Keep my big ass on the trod Got it."
As the group travels they do, in fact, see some signs of whatever this blight may be. It's easy enough to spot, even by Aurelio, even if he doesn't make much sense of it. There's places where the thorns seem more brittle and gray, plants with duller leaves. Things just feel less lush and vibrant.
But the others do notice that it's not a consistent area of effect. It seems to happen in patches, and with varying degrees. They wander through places which look worse off from others, but as they get further away from the Freehold and deeper along the trod, it does seem to be getting more prevalent.
Sigrun takes up a forward position, her shield at the ready, glancing back over her shoulders at the others. "Let's pause here for a moment. Collect some samples. I'll watch the front. If one of you could watch our tails, the rest of you can look for samples. And if you can find any fruits on these things, grab those, too. So we can see how it impacts them." She returns to watching the trod and the thorns for signs of potential trouble.
"I'll watch the flank, then." Sturm - clad from head to toe in black plate armor - offers from within the full masked helmet. She rolls her shoulders, stepping away from the group, and turning her attention to the section of the field that Sigrun is not currently guarding
Gallowglass moves to look for samples once Sturm takes up her post, nodding. "Gettin' samples, I'm on it." He edges to one side to examine their surroundings closely for a spot to take bits of the toxicity back with them.
"I can watch. I'm garbage at horticulture," offers Wren. She's small, for those that haven't met her, and currently sporting some tawny owl feathers poking past her flaxen hair. That, she's put in a bun just to keep it up. But she definitely looks the part of a psychopomp tonight, with owlish talons extended from her fingers and her big doe's eyes carrying a notable avian golden edge. "I'll tell Sturm if I notice something out of place. If we're gonna stop someplace for more than five minutes, will someone let me know? I have one last trick I wanted in play that I need a little time to make happen."
It's easy enough for Rook to collect samples. They're standing in a fairly wilted patch of the Hedge, with plenty of plants and thorns to take samples from. If you're wanting to try to examine anything to get a closer look, you can roll Intelligence+Survival, Rook!
Aurelio moved to gather samples as well in a different patch from Gallowglass, keeping an eye out as he did so.
Gallowglass crouches to peer closely at some of the plants; he remains there, suspicion nagging at him. He rubs a hand against the nape of his neck. "I hate t'say...I ain't seein' a blight here. These plants are...are...hungry," he explains. "Like they ain't gettin' the sun they need, or they're in the wrong spot."
"No, don't hate to say that. That's good information, Gal. Grab some samples anyway. When everyone's done looking, we can keep moving." Sigrun gives another quick survey of the area before looking back over her shoulder at the others, just checking to make sure where everyone is before resuming her sentry duties. "Sound off when you're packed back up and ready to move, folx."
Wren is the first to hear it with her sharp ears--but a few moments later, so does Sturm. From just a little further up the trod comes a cacophonous noise of skittering and hissing.
Wren jerks a little, perking upright and twisting towards the sound with the vibrating tension of exactly what she is- a prey animal on alert- and then hisses to the others. "Sooner rather than later, there's a lot of something skittering its way over here. Like... like a lot of hissing stuff."
She points to indicate further up the trod.
Aurelio looked towards the indicated direction as Wren spoke, putting the gathered samples away and freeing his hands just in case. "Any idea of what?"
"Fuckin' A," Sturm's response is a low grumble, and it resonates (a little bit comically) inside of her closed plate helmet. Her fists go up - which is probably a little silly, considering what it sounds like their opponents are, but adopting the defensive pose is really more reflex than anything. "Dunno yet, but I can't imagine it's going to be pleasant..."
Gallowglass nods once to confirm Sigrun's been heard, reaching to work at one of the little plants. He doesn't just take a cutting; he pulls up the whole plant, roots and all.
Sigrun shifts her stance a bit, lowering down into a defensive crouch behind her shield. She sword on her shoulder is moved to rest alongside the rim of her shield as she prepares to deal with whatever may be coming down the trod. "Wren, double check our rear. Make sure we have a clear avenue of retreat if it's needed, and let me know what you see. Good eyes, too. Get your weapons ready, everyone. Just in case."
"Y-yeah! I got our retreat covered, lemme check. And- and I dunno, man, they're skittering and hissing. BUGS skitter, so- hissing cockroaches?! It doesn't sound nice." She darts off just a little ways to check if their retreat's clear, mentally resisting the urge to mash her metaphorical thumb on her "GTFO" button. For most people, Helldiving is a Process. For her? It couldn't be quicker.
"Shout if you see anything coming for us, and I'll peel back for you," Sturm offers as she passes Wren on the way to the front. She pricks herself, letting a bit of blue-ish blood dribble onto her hungry Token, runes flickering into existence as she steps into place besides Sigrun. Not that anyone can see it behind the plate mask, but she's excited. Finally! Shieldwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll!
It doesn't take long for everyone to be able to hear the noise, which is growing louder and louder by the second. It's all the warning they get before a wave of insectoid hobs comes down the trod. They fill up the whole width of it, and even up along the walls, thousands of the creatures climbing and crawling over every available inch of space, trod and thorns alike. Most of them are only a foot long at least, centipede-like and covered with needle-like barbs. Though there are several--at least six easily seen--that are nearly six feet long, with giant skittering legs and razor sharp thorns lining their long bodies. They seem incredibly agitated.
They seem to be coming from one end of the trod--allowing Wren to easily back up and double check that the opposite way is, in fact, clear. For now.
"WE'RE CLEAR!" Wren howls back, the distinct notes of personal concern for safety splattered across her shriek.
Gallowglass rolls his shoulders and plants his feet; it's almost like he's shaking off his ho-hum existent as a grumpy bastard and finally, finally gets to fuck some shit up. He takes a deep breath; the breath is destroyed in the wake of the terrible roar that spills from his core, reverberating off their surroundings. The Ogre swells like molten glass; within the frosted glass, visible skeins of gold and red veins pulse and roar like an inferno. ((2 glam, Might of the Terrible Brute))
Sigrun beats her sword against the rim of her shield three times, and the wind begins to slowly swirl up around her, becoming more of a whirlwind about her person, cold and cutting. Her own little personal windstorm, apparently. "I'll try to draw them to me and take the hits. If we can't hold them, we fall back in a fighting retreat. We can't let these things reach the hollows, they'll swarm our people just moving along the trod from place to place."
Aurelio allowed himself a small smirk as Gallowglass called upon a very familiar working, nodding to Sigrun as she gave her orders. He pulled the blade at his side for the moment, readying himself for the charge to come...
It's more the noise than the glowing that seems to draw the centipede-hobs' attention to Sigrun. The banging on her shield seems to send waves of agitation through them. The swarm continues moving forward down the trod, but many of the larger ones start swarming towards her, hissing aggressively. But for the most part the swarm seems set on just going forward--which, unfortunately, the others are still going to get caught up in it.
Aurelio trained his gaze onto the foremost bug of the herd, ice blue eyes glowing brightly as he claimed one of the samples gathered for the cause, tearing it sharply in half to show the true measure of his discontent. (Trying for Overwhelming Dread, which will be a Comp + Wyrd resist on their end)
The bug stops short in its charge forward, letting out a frightened chitter as it backs upwards, away from Aurelio--and the others.
Wren's big, owlish eyes whirl from one massive insect to another as her face goes pale. This isn't how she does things. There's so many. But she can't just do nothing (she could.) and she can't just run (she can.) so she does the best she can. Scampering back from the oncoming horde, she falls back and skids to a stop nearly sixty feet behind the nearest of her companions, turning back towards the mess to throw her jacket down like a prim and proper pissed princess shucking her mantle because the butler was too slow to come get it. As she does, mist starts to form on the ground as water condenses in a good twenty meter radius around her.
"RUN THROUGH IF YOU NEED TO, IT WON'T SLOW YOU DOWN! I HAVE AN IDEA!"
Sturm, meanwhile, has no intention of running anywhere except forward - and the only thing more dangerous than a berserk Jotunn is a berserk Jotunn that knows how to fucking box professionally. It's not difficult to startle something that operates mostly on instinct into action, but Sturm darts forward - leaning into a feint. The big critter reacts exactly as planned - dodging the fake jab she threw, and directly into the incredible haymaker that was rounding the corner like a truck directly for it's head. (Sturm deals 10L to the centipede. It also... uhh. Is either unconscious, or stunned based on whether or not it would like to blow a WP to stay up.)
The giant needle covered centipede only manages to get out a brief hiss before Sturm pulverizes it into bug-juice, what remains of it's ruined body curling in upon its self as it dies. Those needles are harsh to punch through though, and a few get lodged into her knuckles as she pulls back. (1 Lethal, though armor will apply to lower it to bashing if you have hand guards or something. Iron Skin also applies.)
Gallowglass manages to pick up one of the massive wriggly creepy crawlies--which does not appreciate this, thank you very much, and hisses and spits as it thrashes. But Gal squeezes, making it's chitinous shell crack. It's weaker, but not quite dead yet.
Gallowglass doesn't hesitate; Sigrun said those bugs could get to his people, and that's not an option. He advances two, perhaps three steps - and even though it'll hurt like a motherfucker, he sees a singular option: he grabs onto that motherfucker. And boy, does he. Nobody hugs like Gallowglass. He hulk-roars in the bug's face (or his butt, who really can tell) - and slams into the end facing him, biting it like a predator.
The rest of the large bugs swarm forward--two going for Sigrun. They thrash at her, but she brings up her shield to block one. The other manages to get a spike lodged into her foot, but her armor holds strong. (3 Lethal before Armor--so just 1 Bashing I assume)
The third comes rushing towards Sturm, perhaps seeking revenge--do these thing have enough conscious though to get revenge?--and brings sharp mandibles down onto her leg, biting in deep. (4L, again before Armor)
Meanwhile, the swarm rolls forward, crawling over Sigrun, Sturm, Aurelio, and Gal. None of them seem to be lingering, still focused on moving past them--but they sure as fuck are biting and stabbing with their razor sharp barbs in the process. It's impossible to not be overrun by them. (Sigrun: 5L, Sturm: 3L, Gal: 2L, Aurelio: 2L. Before Armor.)
Sigrun, your turn!
Sigrun holds her ground as the throng seethes forward and collides with the patrol. The fact that she's slow on the draw is unfortunate. She does her best to become an obstruction what with her whipping icy winds shielding her and her bulk in the way. But it's a big trod, and she's only one woman. Finally she lowers her guard and calls out across the writhing parade of ugliness, "HEY! Over here, guys! Check me out!" She wags her arms a bit, offering a big cheesy smile, "Say Cheeeeese!" And then there erupts the most blinding flash, aimed away from her companions. Sucks not to have eyelids, don't it fellas.
Sigrun's flare definitely has a reaction. A wave of startled hissing and chattering passes through the swarm. The large bugs had all looked towards her--and are now thrashing in confusion. The swarm, meanwhile, is scattering chaotically rather than moving as one force. Some of the tiny ones just seem to have curled up and go still, stunned from the bright light.
Aurelio manages to grab up a bug--but them are some spiney sharp fuckers, carving into his armor but not quite managing to get through. (Same deal, does 1 bashing cause armor. You dealing damage, QSF?)
Gallowglass releases the bug with his jaws - but only so he can slam forward again with a roar, tearing the bug's throat out with his teeth. The chitin makes a disgusting wet crunching sound as he rips it away. He has made himself a lovely handhold with his mouth.
Wren is running back into the thick of things but she is Helldiving- which, in the Hedge, works like you're a dematerialized Hedge Ghost. She can't physically interact with anything, or vice versa, but the Mantle of Frost Extreme Cold zone follows her. It's a 20m radius, but since she'll be moving deeper into the swarm next turn, nobody should have to spend more than one turn cold. The idea is to get it into the heart of the swarm so she can freeze all the little ones while the badasses kill the big ones.
The swarm does not react well to the cold. They start to notably move more sluggishly as the wave of icy air washes over them.
Sturm! There's two big bugs on Sigrun, one grappled by Aurelio, and one frightened one that is hanging back.
Wren watches the bugs wash over everyone else, and her stomach churns. It's physically nauseating to watch all those horrid things crawl over people she knows, works with, has heard about from other people, etc., and it's all she can do to hurl herself back into the thick of things- but hurl herself, she does. "Fall back through the mist! Don't stay in i-" Sigrun's seen this trick before, but - at least with Johnnie - never this quickly. When Johnnie discorporates, it takes fifteen seconds, minimum. Longer if she's feeling crappy. Wren? She hits the front lines and in three seconds she's gone- and the chill remains, soaking into the bugs, immediately chilling and slowing them down as the frigid mist follows her back towards the bugs.
(Yeah! Wren IS C...motherfucker was that a pun)
You're goddamned right it was a pun, strange narrator. You know who else is cool? Sturm is cool, and - upon turning to see Sigrun under the chittering mandibles of two opponents - she whirls on one, aiming another feint to corral the creature into her awaiting fist. It's not nearly as powerful of a punch as the first, but the Jotunn's massive hand comes flying around the corner - nailing the thing right in it's stupid chittering face with a haymaker. She flashes a grin at Sigrun from behind her dazed opponent... which might have looked quite charming were it not for the fact that she's wearing a helmet. A helmet covered in bug guts.
The punch doesn't squish the bug, but it is definitely Stunned, it's long body sprawling out and going still--quickly overrun by the panicking swarm.
Gal! There's a grappled one, a stunned one, a scared one, and one attacking Sigrun.
The swarm is scattered and frantic now--and most of them blind and starting to freeze. Bugs don't do well in extreme cold, it seems. Still, there's several crawling all over all of them--except Wren--but only Gal and Sturm feel some bites get through. (2L which is downgraded to 1 Bashing for you both)
The lone blind bug that is too dumb to stop trying to go after Sigrun tries to flail at her, but her supreme defenses are impenetrable!
Sigrun shoots Sturm a wicked smile in response to the look her way, though her weapon has still yet to be employed. Mostly she just keeps lowering her shield onto bugs and trying to keep the host confused and blinded. With a glance back to Wren, she turns back about and bellows at the top of her considerable lungs, "WITHDRAW! BY TWOS! FALL BACK TO WREN!" This is followed by another flare of her flesh, an incandescent explosion of white light that seers the eyes of all but those with her. She, herself, begins taking a backstep, smacking Sturm with the flat of her blade to get her attention. Back. "FALL BACK! BY TWOS!"
More of the swarm starts to keel over, going still--stunned by the force of the light, and then quickly swept up in the growing layer of frost that is building in the area. Many that had been crawling around on the others fall off to the ground. Only some of the larger bugs in the swarm remain, and those seem too disorientated to move forward down the trod--leaving them trapped in Wren's frosty trap.
Back up to Aurelio--Strength+Brawl for the grapple off.
The bug in Aurelio's arms soon feel another sort of cold as the Leechfinger does what he was made to do, the icy grip turning its own pain into a healing balm for himself. (Spending 2G for kith blessing to do 2B and downgrade his current bashing to nil)
Aurelio wrestles with the razor sharp centipede, but it proves too wriggly and strong for him to keep hold of. It unfortunately does not break away--instead turns and bites savagely at his neck. Aurelio manages to heal his currently damage just a split second before getting bloodied. (6L, downgrades to 4L from armor. Roll Resolve+Stamina.)
The bite FUCKING HURTS. It's worse than any bee sting Aurelio has ever felt, feeling like fire through his veins. But he fights off any other ill-effects.
Wren!
Wren charges deeper into the swarm, allowing anyone that falls back to clear its edge. She plants herself where she can keep the swarm inside the edge of her increasingly frigid horrortrap, her own body looking like she herself froze to death- something she's happily sparing her companions the sight of. For everything still inside the Mantle of Frost, life gets increasingly difficult, but it shouldn't take more than a token effort at relocating to get clear of the deadly mists at this point, and with Sigrun coordinating that fall back, the Changelings should be well poised to take on the increasingly debilitated bugs.
Sturm's gonna leave that unconscious bug where she dropped it, and pull back to behind Sigrun - and then hopefully out of the frigid mist that's spraying from Wren. Sturm is cool, but she does not want to be ice cold just yet.
Yeah, that bug is down for the count and looks pretty near squished!
Juuuuust before she retreats, Sturm sends another one of those powerhouse swings at the last bug on Sigrun, nailing the little fucker in the head and ringing his motherfucking bell.
Gal manages to yank off the bug from Aurelio and YEET it back into the swarm. Which seems to be just enough to knock it unconcious, and the bug goes still. (Take 1 Bashing from trying to grab the spindly fucker!)
Gallowglass pivots and snaps one big hand out, grabbing the bug on Aurelio. He digs into the thing's eyes to yank it like a bloodydamn bowling ball. "NO," he roars at the bug, and then he yeets it into the swarm. "C'mon," he tells Aurelio. "We're fallin' back together."
None of the big bugs are in any position to fight--or even conscious. The swarm is too scattered and panicked to do anything worth while as they skitter over Aurelio, him being the last to leave the swarm.
Sigrun withdraws to the edge of the mist that's rolled in and reforms her guard there. Alas, she is the only one with a shield, or this would be the perfect time for her to shout her favorite thing to shout in the whole world. Instead she just lowers her shield, readies her sword again and bellows, "FORM A LINE! ON ME!" Her voice carries clear across the battlefield, clarion clear and bright as a bell. It's followed by another flare of blinding, painful light that leaves the dwindling field of insects writhing once more.
This last flare seems to do the trick! The last stragglers in the swarm are stunned by the bright light, knocked out cold--and then become, well, very cold.
It takes less than a minute after that for the frost to build up more and more over the area, until the whole incapacitated swarm is frozen solid in an inch thick layer of crystalline ice.
We're out of initiative!
Sturm does, in fact, form a line on Sigrun. Right next to her. Fists up. Even though we're definitely not doing turns anymore.
There are a few stragglers that are clinging to their clothes and such--but those are easily picked off and squished.
Gallowglass shadows Aurelio to make sure he gets what he needs to heal, bringing him a few stragglers if needed.
And fall back Aurelio does, one hand on the wound on his neck as the other claims some of the fallen vermin and pulls what warmth remains within them to mend his own wounds. Soon enough the gash is more of a deep bruise, still painful-looking but not nearly as life-threatening.
Even with the damage downgraded, Aurelio has a nasty welp on his neck where he was bitten. That fucker is gonna itch like crazy while it finishes healing.
Wren fades back in with the same strange rapidity, from there to here in all of 3 seconds. She looks... she looks dead, but she isn't acting dead. Probably just the contract... probably. "Okay so... you might wanna give things a little longer. Another minute or two and everything ought to be dead, but come in here more than ten seconds or so and you'll start freezing over, too. So... just hang out a minute. I can back off if you wanna collect specimens first?"
Aurelio thanked Gallowglass with a quiet "Grazie", hanging back for the moment and keeping an eye out for anything else untowards.
"Any time," he rumbles gruffly, his brow set in an overprotective, mother-hen sort of scowl.
As everyone scatters to go about their post-battle business, Sturm hovers awkwardly. Whatever grace and speed she had in battle seem to melt away as the Jotunn returns to standing - still and quiet - like a mountain.
"If anyone needs me to help carry anything, just let me know. Otherwise I'm going to just keep an eye out for more trouble until we move on, or head back."
Sigrun stoops down and plucks up one of the writhing little buggos. Far from harmless, but her gauntlets shield her from the worst of their sting. She drops it into a mason jar, caps it, and sticks it into her pouch. "These are Razorworms. I've seen 'em before, they're usually ambush predators. The hide underground, hollow out pits, and wait for things to fall through into their swarm. Eat 'em. Dangerous, but very rarely seen above ground like this. Something would have had to have forced them out of their den for a whole hive to be on the move like this. We did right in killing them all, though. These things really would have stripped the skin off anyone on the trod back there. So good work, everyone. If you all are too wounded to continue or would prefer to fall back and regroup, just say the word. I'd rather we all make it back in one piece than push our luck, and my batteries are getting low."
"I am...low, as well." Aurelio nodded to Sigrun. "May be best to fall back."
"So what were they runnin' from," Gallowglass murmurs, as if that confirms a suspicion he was chewing on. "I'm ready t'head back when you are. S'your show, boss."
"Y-yeah. I'm- I'm not hurt but I'm tired. And... I'm not so sure they were running? I was thinking... maybe they're more like... starving. Maybe there isn't enough to eat coming through. Maybe thats why they had to hunt." Her tone is... cautious, making it clear its just a theory, but the theory isn't one she likes.
Because she has an idea as to why hedgebeasts might be starving.
"I could do this all day... but I don't want to push anyone if they're currently running close to empty," Sturm's voice is a low grumble from within her helmet - and good lord the visor is fucking filthy. Sure, she's a machine, but someone get this woman a fuckin' towel! "If we are heading back, though, we could drop those bugs off with Mearcstapa on the way out, and then swing by my old place to grab my shit? There's only like four things to grab, and they'll fit in the truck - that way we don't have to trek back out that way again once we're home..." Beat. "Just saying."
"Let's get some samples. Live ones if we can, even dead ones will help. If they've got empty bellies, then that's evidence to support your hypothesis, Wren." Sigrun turns to nod back her way. "So. One last collection of specimens, and then we'll fall back to the freehold. Agreed?"
Gathering a bunch of little bugs is totally doable. If you want to break out one of the more in tact big bugs to take back, you can as well.
Gallowglass moves to the nearest withered plants in silence, pulling up two or three as possible; he is careful to get the whole plant. "Anyone got a jar?" He scoops up a small handful of the dirt.
Wren smiles a little but it isn't hard to see she is more upset at her own ideas than pleased at the praise. She helps to find bugs meeting the qualifications the others suggest, using her preternaturally sharp little claws to cut free any that are frozen too solid to move.
"No jar, sorry."
Sigrun underhands one of her Ball brand mason jars towards Gallowglass, cap screwed on. "I'm not using these for jam this fall after this. But here you go."
Aurelio would do his part gathering samples, helping where he could and offering to haul back some of the larger plants if needed.
He nods in thanks for the jar; dumps his little pile of dirt on the ground, unscrews the cap, and scoops up the dirt into the jar. He puts the two plants in there too; the lid is then screwed back on. He then moves to the carcass of his kill, hoisting it over one shoulder.
How deep are you digging, Gal?
Actually, if you're digging enough to get the whole plant...
As Gal is digging down into the soil to make sure he pulls up the whole plant, roots and all, he notices something strange--there appears to be a secondary root system intertwined with the plant he's trying to pry up. These roots come from deeper within the soil, and are notably thicker and stronger. He has to wrestle to pry the plant away from the roots.
"Come on, you fuckin' little motherfucker," he encourages the plant, digging at it with both hands. "Stop bein' a prick."
Sigrun collects what jars others don't have room for, shoving them down into her hip pouch carefully. Then she steps over to where Gal is currently struggling with the roots, sheathes her sword, and tugs out her boot knife, using it to saw through the tangle of roots holding the plant in place. "You seeing this, guys? Check it out. Looks like both of our hunches might be right, Wren."
Aurelio's eyebrow arched at Gal's exclamation, moving over to get a better look himself. "Odd...something else feeds from the ground as well, it seems?"
Sturm hovers awkwardly over the crouching pair - still keeping her eyes peeled for other potential attackers. "I don't know shit about fuck, sorry. What am I looking at? Do Hedge... plants not look like this normally?"
The roots are very hard to saw through. Where as the wilted plant is brittle and weakened... these roots are thriving. But after some sawing, Sigrun manages to cut off some samples.
Wren watches, nodding to Sigrun, looking less comfortable, not more. "My claws can cut... um... pretty much anything right now. Do you want me to get you a more intact sample?"
Sigrun slides her knife back into her boot and claps Gallowglass on the shoulder. "You've got excellent instincts. I think you just found the problem, here." Another clap follows the first as she rises back to her feet, nodding aside to Wren, "Please be quick. The longer we loiter around, the more likely we are to be jumped again."
He offers up a lopsided smile of thanks as he rises, nodding in agreement. "I vote that's our last sample and we bust on out of there," he says, nodding to Wren.
"Fuckin' fine by me," Sturm grumbles.
"Agreed."
With her sharp claws, Wren makes short work of digging down deeper into the soil, revealing more and more of the roots that appears to be literally suffocating the rest of the Hedge. With some claws and tugs, she pulls up some thicker clumps of the roots.
|