abraxaslogs | [open] March Madness

Entry tags:

[open] March Madness

Who: Samus & youuuuu
When: post-summit, March-April
Where: Free Cities, Cadens & Horizon
What: Samus discovers how to reach the Horizon, suffers some ill-effects from Ronan's chaos snafu (plotting), and other sundry things
Warnings: none yet. [also, brackets or prose; I'll match!]

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[ Samus is not normally superstitious, least of all about an eclipse. For her this would normally be another mundane celestial event, but it managed to be a bad omen anyway.

Having no innate magical abilities and only just recently coming to terms with the concept she could have magic of her own—which she was ill-practiced with—meant it was easy for it to get out of her control. She thinks she has it figured out. It's something akin to how her Power Suit would form, seemingly made out of a similar hard light energy, but fragmented, disjointed, only really appearing where a weapon impact might occur. With some effort and meditation in her apartment she can make it manifest in shards around her body. She's fascinated but finds it ultimately unsatisfying.

Following the eclipse, however, what were just shards suddenly take the shape of an entire suit of armor, thrumming with an almost violent energy. That's more like it! She doesn't get to enjoy her supposed progress for long however before she feels a familiar pang run up her arm, a raw hunger. Her fingers flex and start to draw energy out of the magical armor, consuming it, ripping it out of what feels like her own vey essence. She screams and drops to her knees, grabbing her hand as if it suddenly wasn't her own. The visage of armor itself fluctuates in shape with her distress; wildly growing spikes, scutes, feathers, tentacles, and then dissipating entirely in a spherical burst. She's left sweating and panting, bewildered. She doesn't know what happened or why, but as she lifts her head and sees the toppled over furniture in her apartment from the magical fluctuation all she knows she's now a danger and liability to anyone nearby.

What few on and off days the madness occurs she sequesters herself to the poorer outskirts of Cadens in an abandoned building. Samus tries desperately to keep it to herself, but some nights are long and her howls of frustration can be heard across streets, like a feral animal trapped in a cage that is their own body. ]

I don't understand. Why is this happening to me? Why now? [ She grits her teeth and tries to fight through it. The last outburst caused wood and stone to clatter and the building to shudder. A big dust cloud billows out an cracked open roof. She drops to her knees again and digs her hand into the floorboards, leaving long scores from her physically mutated hand. ]

I should have more control over this...!

[ Once Samus gained access to her Horizon her subconscious quickly filled the blank slate with conglomerations of memories, of numerous locations in her travels. Unless otherwise noted, Samus will appear in the Power Suit while in her Horizon or visiting other Horizon. Very welcome to cases of mistaken identity shenanigans or playing up the trope if you feel so obliged, or recognize her by some ~~other~~ other way. ]

Surface - [ Samus has made an entire career out of exploring dangerous worlds and navigating them thoroughly, so the caverns here aren't typically labyrinthian. However, between the dappled bioluminesnce and contrasting dark corners, it's entirely possible to still get disorientated. Around the next bend is a guide; a... robot guy? A cyborg? Someone in a suit of armor? Yep. ] ...Lost?

Surface rest station - [ Civilization: population (1). There are a bunch of tools and mechanical parts on the table over there, intermixed with a myriad of empty alien-brand beer cans and other miscellany. That mysterious robot guy is stationed at one of the computers, flipping through holo screens, seemingly a (scant, but growing) database on the native flora and fauna of Abraxas. In fact, the little Byat Khuu she obtained at the Summit is here too, curled up and sleeping on top of some crates or casually roaming wherever it pleases, not unlike a hamster-sized cat. It lifts its head as you enter, and Samus pauses what she's doing but doesn't turn to look or greet. ] You know, knocking first is polite.

Underground Forest - [ Here there are many creatures. Most scurry away or pay you no mind, but it's also very likely a friendly if shy Dachora or mischievous Etecoon may decide to approach you, maybe even lead you to a scenic waterfall or peaceful clearing where some orange-clad armored person is sitting, seemingly meditating. There are some less friendly creatures around too if you're in the mood to be fight. It's probably a bad idea to attempt this alone, so someone will barge in with appropriate dramatic timing to help. ]

Chozo ruins - [ No doubt you've noticed the extensive slabs of ruins and hieroglyphs lining the many walls of this place, but one has a large chunk missing out of it, cracked and fallen out of place long ago. If you find Samus she actually has that missing chunk in her hand, but hasn't yet found where it's supposed to fit into. ]

WILDCARD - [ Yeah you can do that. You totally can. You should do it. ]

[ Jesper is still getting used to this Horizon thing, although he's much better at it than he expected. He's not great at focusing, so meditation does not come easily, but he loves exploring and so he often leaves his own space to seek out other options. It hasn't always gone well, but that never stopped him. He has no idea where he is this time, it's intimidating and wild out there, and he looks for shelter immediately. Jesper does not like extreme weather, thanks, and this place gives him the sense he could easily get lost.

Either he lucks into it or the Horizon is working with him, since he stumbles into the rest station quickly enough. Jesper looks much the same as he always does but he's in all green with fitted vest and button-up shirt, and his dual pearl-handled pistols casually hanging at his belt. He curiously takes in the area and notices the Byat Khuu first, since he attempted to chase the thing and got glitter-bombed for the effort. ]

Don't spit glitter at me this time, sweetheart.

[ Although it wouldn't matter much in here. Jesper spots the robot guy a second later but there is genuinely no fear in him, even when there absolutely should be. Instead he tilts his head curiously, smiling. ]

It's a bit disorienting, I didn't know where to knock.

[ When the magical fluctuations appear to subside Samus continues to sequester herself in isolation for some time. It takes a while for her to convince herself she's under control again. Still, it's left its impact on her psyche which means means copious amounts of brooding and drinking to process it. She's taken an liking to a local tavern in Cadens, The Blind Basilisk, and can find there evenings with increasing frequency at the bar or in a dimly lit back corner booth. ]

[ The other thing she does to keep her mind off of it is work. She's taken to monster hunting for some of the local apothecaries and butchers for when they need potion ingredients or meat respectively. She frequents hunting in the deserts surrounding Cadens but has been increasingly bold with her exploration, camping out in the wilds as needed. ]

[ One such excursion sees Samus returning to Cadens with a bundle of sand scorpions tied to her backpack by their tails. She marches through the streets, slick with sweat and with one or two obvious stinging marks puncturing her arms but seems otherwise completely fine for it. Despite this the combination of mild venom and long exposure to desert heat make it difficult to remember what similar-looking street her target destination was on. For as good as navigating as she was, she's not afraid to stop and ask for directions if it won't waste time. ]

The Potion's Eleven shop... Evylen runs it. Where is it?

[ Alternatively, she doesn't have scorpions but a huge deer slung over her shoulders. However, it's leaking blood. Like a big slippery long trail of blood down her back and leaving a red trail through the streets as she walks. OSHA violation happening all over here. ]

[ While Free Cities was a faction Samus thinks she most politically aligns with, she didn't particularly want to get involved with any of them if she could help it. Even so, when offered the opportunity by Marlo to go on an excursion like this she decided to take it for the sake of reconnaissance, if for her own sake. The more she knew about the political machinations and motivations here, the more she could know how to best avoid them. Furthermore, she was also personally curious what the energy read-outs on the caskets would be. These New Magic machines were more robust than she first gave them credit for. Perhaps it might even give provide some science for better understanding and controlling her own burgeoning beginner magic.

The trek out is mostly in silence. Samus is not one for conversation, though it's not hard to notice she has absolutely zero horse riding experience. Once she gets going, she's typically fine, but when the horse is particularly uncooperative she will simply get off of it and walk along it's side, clasping the reigns so it doesn't stray into the desert.

Perhaps Marlo had a sense of humor as well for assigning her someone like Goro. His reputation proceeded himself (aside from being a four-armed giant, which is an ironic sense of familiarity for someone who frequently associates with alien life) and that sort of experience would be indispensable. She didn't understand the full context yet, but, eventually she breaks bridges the lack of conversation as she trudges dutifully through the sand. ]

Is it true... one of these caskets is one you took?

Edited 2022-03-18 19:37 (UTC)

Goro half-turns his head to look back at Samus as she speaks up. He had welcomed the silence; most humans were far chattier than he liked, the incessant need to fill dead air aggravating. But it's been sometime since they set out, and since Samus has been agreeable traveling company so far, he merely nods.

"Yes." And then motions with his head to the casket currently being balanced on one massive shoulder, held in place by one of his upper arms. He carries another in his opposite lower arm, tucked against his body, for balance. He's been carrying them both since they set out and does not appear fatigued by it. "This one I took from a Solvunn sorcerer in kombat." He turns back to observe the desert in front of him.

"I had hoped to take another, but our battle was interrupted and I chose to withdraw." No need to jeopardize the casket he'd already won. They most certainly did not beat him.

She expected the Beast of Burden to do most of the work but when Goro took it upon himself to be said beast, Samus didn't argue it. He had two more arms than hers, after all. So long as the job got done was all she cared about. It meant she could afford more attention to the animals, supplies, and technological equipment here.

"No shame in a tactical retreat." She had her pride and even a bit of circumstantial arrogance but even she knew when to pull back in a situation she was clearly outmatched, or when it wasn't situationally advantageous. It seemed Goro understood the same.

"What interrupted it?"

"Our kombat was interrupted by another." Goro replies as they crest another dune. "Had I not already been guarding one casket I would have been inclined to welcome the additional challenge." He's taken on multiple opponents before and come out on top. "But as it was, retreating was the sounder option. I will finish things with them properly, later."

Retreat was all well and good, but kombat was still owed, and Goro intended to collect, from Himeka at least. The disappearance of the would-be shepherd's domain from the Horizon had not gone unnoticed by Goro, who felt a profound sense of disappointment that he would not have his , rematch.

"How much farther?" He asks.

It's not entirely satisfying but her main question had been answered sufficiently enough. It seemed the Dimming was a bit of a loss for Thorne so all the more reason to hurry up with this little experiment and not risk being out here longer than necessary or drawing unwanted attention. She suspected that, given the opportunity, Thorne would try to take these back.

"This is far enough." After the last dune the arid land spills out into a flat plain, dry earth peppered with brush, shrubs and a semi-circle of thirsty desert trees.

"We'll set up camp here." She says, seeing no better place. "I'll tie up the animals, set the caskets there. I'll come over with the equipment."

Goro merely grunts in response, heading to the indicated spot and setting the casket in his lower arms down first before sliding the other off his shoulder and putting it down next to the first. He rolls his shoulders, cracking his neck from side to side as he does so with an audible snapping noise.

"They are placed." He calls to Samus once he's feeling a bit limber again. "But as for the device, I will leave that to you." Its use had been explained to him, but Shokan hands were not exactly built for precision or delicate work, with only three meaty fingers to a single massive hand.

"The desert is dangerous. We will need to keep watch."

Goro is useful and competent and that's really all she could ask for in a mission like this. He does the grunt work of moving the caskets and she does as she declared. Once the animals and supplies are squared away she checks in on the device. During their journey it had on and off been emitting some staticky noise, which she remedied with some Percussive Maintenance, but she suspected that was only buying time it never had in the first place. She attempts to take it out but recoils her hand with a hiss.

The device is hot and smells like burning.

"You think they could have anticipated the need for basic liquid cooling out here." She groans and tries again, using the edges of her leather satchels like mittens to carry it.

By the time they're finished setting up, even Goro can smell the burning device, and he certainly hears Samus' hiss of pain. He approaches her as she tries to hold the device without burning herself. "Here." He offers a lower hand. "Shokan do not burn easily."

The benefits of having the blood of the dragon.

"We should not dawdle, however. The device does not look like it will last much longer. What must we do now?"

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[open] March Madness

[ECLIPSE CHAOS]

[HORIZON] pre or post-chaos

HELLO Surface rest station

[CADENS] post-chaos

[QUEST] closed to Goro

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