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: (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)
techmaturgy: (pic#15348792)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-15 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
[He nods, dipping slightly under the water in the process, but now that the initial panic has subsided, he can focus on a concrete plan. This can't be easy for Ciri, dragging him along even as he does his best to provide additional momentum--he understands what to do in that department, at least. There's no talking for the entire journey, which lasts too long, the shoreline still so far away until suddenly it isn't.

Viktor feels the ground under his feet and he tries to get purchase on it, and the only reason he doesn't fall over right away is because Ciri is still supporting him. They trudge their way out of the shallows and onto the beach, and as soon as the sand is stable enough beneath him, his knees buckle. She, arguably, had the harder job, but given Viktor's lack of experience in these kinds of situations, he all but collapses as soon as they're on solid ground.

He coughs, spitting up sea water, and then he keeps coughing, a rough, wet sound that shakes his whole frame until the sea water foams pink and then red. It subsides, eventually, leaving him on his hands and knees, blood dripping off his face as the waves wash in underneath him.
]
techmaturgy: (pic#15429943)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-15 03:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[Given the chance, he'd probably collapse right where he is, rolling over on his back and simply breathing until he's forced to move again. Viktor is vaguely aware that there's blood on his face, dripping out of his mouth and nose, but he's too exhausted to wipe it away or even pretend like there isn't something wrong with him, unrelated to being teleported into the ocean and almost drowning. Thankfully, Ciri doesn't ask about it, instead hooking her arm around his to pull them both to their feet.

He obliges, despite every part of his body screaming at him not to. They can't stay on this beach forever, not if they want to make a plan to get back to Cadens, so he forces himself to keep moving.
]

Do you know where we are?

[Aquila, if they're lucky.]
techmaturgy: (pic#15348799)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-16 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Near Aquila is not necessarily Aquila, and even after they drag themselves off the beach, they still need to make it to actual civilization. Viktor does his best to put himself on autopilot and ignore the pain of his injuries and the pain of exerting himself far past his own limits. He has Ciri to lean on, at least, though she's most certainly in worse shape than he is. All he can really do is push onward, trying not to count steps until sand gives way to dirt paths and then, finally, to the buildings that line the outskirts of the beach. It doesn't take long for them to be noticed.

Everything that happens after a few considerate townspeople take them to the closest inn is something of a blur. They negotiate room and board--Viktor might be washing dishes for a day or two, but ultimately the proprietor is sympathetic, and gives them a room and a meal for the evening. He imagines they can sort out an actual trip back to Cadens in the morning. For now, all he wants to do is strip off his wet clothes, clean his injuries, and sleep.

Ciri needs it, too, and he doesn't disturb her even after he wakes up. It's dusk, when he finally finds consciousness again, though he does his best not to disturb his temporary roommate. He makes the unilateral decision that they both need to eat something, so he heads downstairs to pick up meals for them. The room is small, and sparsely furnished, but there is a little side table and chairs for them to use, which Viktor turns into an impromptu dining space. It's only after he arranges the bowls and utensils that he moves to wake her, figuring that it's important to eat--she can always sleep more, later.

Plus, it's possible they need to talk.
]

Ciri. [A gentle nudge to her shoulder. He tries not to loom over her bed.] You should eat something.
techmaturgy: (pic#15429942)

[personal profile] techmaturgy 2022-06-17 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[Viktor pulls back immediately, wanting to give her some space. He's cleaned himself up and done a cursory dressing of his own wounds, but seeing how throughly exhausted she was, didn't press her to do anything before she fell asleep. Now, however, it seems almost negligent if he doesn't at least try to get her to eat something.]

Sorry.

[He withdraws to one of the chairs, moving gingerly on a wooden crutch that the tavern owner was able to borrow from the local apothecary.]

I brought it up from downstairs. I wanted to offer. [Plus, he thinks they could both use it. There are many questions he could ask, of course, but he knows she's on edge and he doesn't want to press the issue until she's ready.] We don't have to talk about it.

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