wiedzminka: (one hundred & thirty-three.)
ℭ𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 𝔬𝔣 ℭ𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔞 ([personal profile] wiedzminka) wrote in [community profile] abraxaslogs2022-05-16 07:11 pm

[ CLOSED ] I've been tryna catch a fever dream

Who: Ciri and Viktor; later, Jayce
When: early June
Where: the desert outside Cadens, the crater around the Singularity, the ocean!!, Aquila, Cadens again
What: it's an adventure!!!! that nobody asked for!!
Warnings: blood, violence (mostly against monsters, probably)



[ When Viktor reached out to her to ask if Ciri would be willing to go with him outside Cadens soon, she hadn't thought much of it. Viktor had always seemed so curious when she would come back with supplies for him, or specimens to study; and she loves talking about her work, and would often share details while he took notes, or answer question after question when he showed particular interest. It is perfectly expected, then, that he should want to explore on his own sometime -- or, rather, not on his own but with her accompaniment, considering he might have a difficult time by himself.

But Ciri doesn't ask questions. She helps find and rent a horse for the trip -- "probably just a few hours, back before nightfall," she tells the stable -- and meets Viktor at his workshop in the morning, upon the agreed time. It's early, barely sunrise, while the cool air still lingers and dew clings to the sparse vegetation.

Ciri walks up leading Nixie on one side, while her mare shoots dirty looks at the dun gelding she's picked out for Viktor, chosen for his easy temperament and the stable's promises that he's perfect for first-time riders.

Nixie's tail flicks impatiently. Ciri stops in front of the workshop, nudging her with a shoulder to push the two horses further apart. ]


You are being such a pest. [ The horse. Not Viktor.

Viktor gets a smile and a greeting. ]


Ready to go?
techmaturgy: (3)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-11 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
No, no, wait--

[It's all futile, because there's no real time to protest. She's taking action because she's the only one of the two of them who can, and it's in an attempt to protect him. There has to be some kind of reason why she'd rather stay and fight, rather than take a chance on removing them from the situation entirely.

The problem is that he can't really go anywhere--he can't put weight on his bad leg, and without anything to lean on now that Ciri is occupied with the fight, he staggers backward, unbalanced. She presses the dagger into his hand but he doesn't know whether to try and lash out with it or keep it close.

An answer, at least, comes fairly quickly. He doesn't need to be told what to do when one of the insects avoids the blade and attacks her outright. It's within reach, made even moreso by Ciri stumbling under the weight of it. Viktor grips the hilt tightly and thrusts the knife forward--at the very least, he seems to know how to stab.
]
techmaturgy: (pic#15348805)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-11 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
[For a split second, Viktor looks surprised, like he wasn't even sure he could do something like that, but it's all short-lived. All he can really think is that whatever these things are could be venemous, that they could be in even deeper trouble if they don't get out of this situation as quickly as possible. Viktor's about to yell at her, again, to just get them out of here, instead of trying to stay and fight, but she beats him to it.

He doesn't need to be told to get back--he's already halfway there, off-balance from trying to fight, with nothing to hold on to or lean against. Viktor raises his arm, trying to shield his face, but the burst of flame that follows is so sudden that he can't avoid all of it. He takes a step too far back and suddenly it's like someone has hooked something into his chest--Viktor tries to resist and overbalances and the other direction, away from the edge of the crater.

Gravity does the rest of the work.
]
Edited 2022-06-11 21:40 (UTC)
abraxasnpcs: (Default)

[personal profile] abraxasnpcs 2022-06-13 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ The first few drops of blood seem innocuous. They stain the dusty ground, spotting it a dark red. As more fall, however, the dirt stirs. Where each droplet has sunk into the earth a tiny sprout begins to form, then a leaf, then a yellow-purple bud.

Should either Ciri or Viktor lean closer to examine the bud, it will burst into a small unusual floral creature. One by one, where each drop of blood has hit the earth, they rise out of the ground, hissing.

Their mouths are toothless, but their claws, while tiny, are sharp. They aren't very big, though. Actually, they seem rather well suited to being squished under a foot or crushed with a heavy rock - assuming one is quick. ]
techmaturgy: (pic#15747223)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Viktor is sprawled a foot away, groaning into the dirt, trying to pull himself up, at least into a seated position. Useless--he's been nothing but useless this entire time, and they're still not out of this. They need to go, but it seems like the Singularity's got one more thing to throw at them, if Ciri's reaction is any indication.]

What? What is it?

[He doesn't actually want to know, but if there's anything he can do, he's going to try, especially if it gets her to teleport them away from here.]
techmaturgy: (pic#15747223)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[Viktor has no other ideas. Viktor would rather be literally anywhere else but here. She says to get away from them, but it's easier said than done, when he's still on the ground, unable to haul himself up easily without his crutch.

When Ciri gets to her feet, he's afforded a better look at the creatures, though it's still unclear as to what they are and where they came from. She seems to find them a threat, at least, and that's good enough for him. One scurries too close to him, and he doesn't even wait--Viktor crushes one underneath his metal boot.
]

We need to leave, Ciri!

[At this point, he doesn't particularly care whether she thinks she can teleport them away or not--if they stay, he's most certainly going to get them both killed.]
techmaturgy: (pic#15348816)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
[On some level, he knows that asking her to magic them out of here while she's in such a state is not going to go well. On the other hand, however, they don't have a choice. She's not going to be able to fight off the insects on her own, something is spawning more strange creatures, and all the while he feels the Singularity's pull in the middle of his chest. If it's this bad for him, he can only imagine what she's going through.

All the more reason to, at the very least, make an attempt to leave.

Viktor is dragging himself to his feet in an effort to help her lessen the distance, reaching out in an attempt to close the gap, hand grasping for hers.
]

You can do this.

[She has to, at this point.]
techmaturgy: (pic#15348844)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
[He doesn't understand much of this--her powers, how they work, what she needs to execute them properly--but grounding her can't hurt. It seems impossible, given the chaos around them, but she squeezes his hand tightly and he does his best to hold her gaze.

Viktor has to trust her, because the alternative is that she gets injured or worse trying to protect him, and that's not an acceptable outcome. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of what she's implying, but they're out of options. Making the attempt, at least, is better than staying here and trying to fight.
]

I'll take my chances.

[Given the choice, he'll take the unknowns of her magic.]
Edited 2022-06-14 05:15 (UTC)
techmaturgy: (pic#15429930)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
[Viktor puts his faith in her because he has no other choice, but the truth is that he would probably trust her to do this, anyway. He tries to give her a nod of assurance and clings to her tightly, letting her do whatever she needs to get them out of this situation. It seems, at first, like it's working. The light is bright enough that it flashes on the inside of his eyes even as he squeezes them shut and furrows his eyebrows together like he's the one who needs to concentrate. Then, suddenly, a force behind his navel, different from the pull of the Singularity, a dropping out of the ground beneath his feet. Uncomfortable, yes, but relieving, all at once. That means it's working.

He hopes, anyway.

As the crater falls away around them, he thinks, briefly, of Jayce--of the mage that found him in the blizzard, in the mountains, in a similarly hopeless situation, and pulled him to safety. The Hexgate, modeled after that very same series of runes, launching an airship in a streak of blue. How beautiful magic is, when used like this.

It all ends very abruptly the instant they reach their destination. He expects ground to re-materialize underneath, but that's not the case. There's only air, and they're still falling, and he manages to open his eyes just in time to see a rush of deep blue-green below him. They hit the water.

Viktor sinks, immediately, with barely any time to realize what's happening and Ciri's arms no longer around him. Some baser instinct compels him to try clawing his way upward (or what he think is upward), but he's got metal strapped to his leg and around his torso, under his clothes. All the air is forced out of his lungs and it takes only a moment for the sunlight that breaks through the surface of the water to become impossibly far away.
]
techmaturgy: (8)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[He hopes, somewhere between the panic and the sudden lack of oxygen, that Ciri hasn't gone far and he'll feel the close of her hand around his arm any second. When it doesn't immediately come, and, in fact, he doesn't see her at all, that's when he starts to think that this is over.

Viktor has lived with the specter of death hanging over him for a long time--but there is, he thinks, a difference between the looming possibility of it and an immediate certainty. If Ciri doesn't find him in the next few seconds, he's going to black out and that will be it.

The thought, fleeting as it is, fills him with desperation, but it's not enough. It isn't enough--he can't overcome his own limitations, not even to pull his way to the surface, his own body dragging him down.
]
techmaturgy: (3)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's just barely slipping into unconsciousness when he feels an arm around him and the distinct feeling of being pulled upward. It's too late for him to be coherent, however, with no air in his lungs from the unexpected plunge into the ocean, so when they breach the surface, it's a long moment or two before his body catches up and realizes that there's air to breathe. She shakes him violently, trying to keep them both afloat and after a painstaking moment of no response, he rattles awake and gasps for air, surprised.

There's still nothing under his feet, and he's trying to tread without anything to hold on to but Ciri--the good news he isn't very strong, or very heavy, generally speaking, which means his flailing attempts to gain some kind of stability does little to drag them both down, with the braces the biggest hinderance, insofar as weight is concerned.

He does, however, seem terrified, spitting up water and largely unable to speak, eyes wide as he tries to comprehend just how they ended up here. Maybe they should have just stayed in the desert.
]

Don't let go. [If it's obvious by now, he can't swim.] Don't--
techmaturgy: (pic#15348805)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-14 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's still gasping and choking, even as he forces out words--trying to bring in more air just nets him a mouthful of seawater, so he stops trying and just nods, the terror still evident on his face. She presses her forehead against him and he squeezes his eyes shut, as if he expects her to make another attempt, because treading water in the ocean is even more untenable than being stranded in the desert. There has to be land. They have to be close, at least. He doesn't want to entertain another option--it's hard enough to breathe already.]

I'm sorry-- [Objectively, he knows that none of this is his fault, but he's certainly not making the situation any easier.] --I didn't mean--

[To slow her down. To put her in harm's way. To make her fight for him to the point that both of their lives are in danger.]
techmaturgy: (pic#15744999)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-15 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Calm down is a tall order in a situation like this, when he's trying to cling to her and tread water even against the pull of the metal around his leg, but there's no denying the relief that washes over him when she tells him to look and he sees land. It seems far away, but he knows that's just his mind making this all seem more impossible than it really is.

Safety is within reach, at least, he wants to hope it is.
]

That's--that's good.

[Right? Closer to Cadens than they were, and if there's civilization nearby, they can figure it out from there. He's much more confident about his ability to find a solution to their problem on solid ground, with a city in reach. He'll think about how close they'd come to death several times over once they get on solid ground.

Ciri tells him how he needs to hang on and Viktor obliges, even as he struggles to keep his head above water. They just have to hold out a little while longer, is what he tells himself.
]

Okay--okay. I can do that.
Edited 2022-06-15 01:21 (UTC)

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-15 04:20 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-15 15:32 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-16 03:56 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-17 19:52 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-17 23:03 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-18 03:26 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-19 19:18 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-20 21:25 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-21 02:01 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-21 03:53 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-22 20:04 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-23 00:34 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-25 19:16 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-26 00:34 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-29 21:52 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-06-30 18:20 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-07-01 17:32 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] techmaturgy - 2022-07-09 19:26 (UTC) - Expand