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

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[ 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?

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[That gets a little smile out of him--yes, he understands. It's less the actual place and more what it represents. For someone who spent his entire life in one of two cities, the wilderness is foreign and possibly hostile. Even in a controlled outing like this, however, the appeal is fairly evident. He's never just saddled up a horse and ridden somewhere, but he can imagine the sense of freedom it gives someone, if they're able to do it regularly.]

Yes, that makes sense.

[He might like it, too, if not for his own limitations and his illness keeping him from this sort of thing. He'll enjoy it for now, especially as they make their way to the rock formation, which is even more impressive the closer they get.]

I can see why you enjoy this.

[ Ciri shoots him a smile, and nudges her horse forward again, starting the walk down toward the sloping, striated rocks. Pancake will follow, plodding along whether or not Viktor applies his heels. ]

Right. Having fun?

"Fun" is relative. But yes, I'm having fun. This is a nice change of pace.

[He's going to feel it in the morning, but she doesn't need to know that. Not that he has much to compare it to, but he supposes that as far as horses go, Pancake is a good one, making the ride as smooth as possible (relatively speaking). He nudges the horse down alongside one of the formations, close enough that he can run his hand against the smooth stone--there's a striated rock on a ledge, smaller than palm-sized, which he inspects briefly before pocketing it.

This little detour brings him slightly further behind and away from Ciri than he's been riding, but surely that won't be a problem. Surely everything here is. Totally safe.]

[ Ciri rolls her eyes, exaggerated. ]

Oh, don't be such a wet blanket. You're either having fun or you're not! It's okay to admit it.

[ She leads the way down into the basin up ahead, where the rock formations jut out at intervals, with regular sand and rocks and sparse little desert shrubs between. ]

Come on. Let's go find a weird rock for you to look at. Maybe you'll get lucky and we'll find a weird cactus too.

[ Laughing at her own joke, Ciri goes on ahead to look around the basin, noticing that Viktor has decided to do some exploring of his own and lingering back. Since they're out here to do exactly that, she doesn't loop back; she has no intention of hovering and annoying both of them. He can enjoy looking around the desert all he likes. They have plenty of daylight.

In the meantime, Ciri decides to dismount and do some scouting of her own. She leaves Nixie grazing on some spindly shrubs, having looped her reins around a bit of rock jutting out nearby; Nixie probably wouldn't wander off, but it's a reminder in case she tries. After doing a quick walk around the basin, Ciri returns to feed her horse an apple from her bag for a few minutes, all the while just keeping an eye on Viktor nearby. Everything seems quiet. The desert during the day tends to be that way.

It's Pancake who notices first. His ears swivel quickly, and he raises his head up high, showing his teeth and beginning to dance in place anxiously, hooves lifting and stamping down. Ciri looks over in surprise at the sound, following the angle of the horse's ears. It takes her a moment to spot it, camouflaged against the red-striped shadows on a rounded slope of solid rock above Viktor. The beast is hunched low, holding perfectly still, until a twitch of its long tail grabs her attention.

With slow, measured movements, Ciri begins pulling her sword free of its straps on Nixie's saddle. She takes advantage of their silent method of communication, concentrating on Viktor. ]

You need to calm Pancake down and walk toward me. Slowly. Keep his reins short, but don't yank. Don't let him turn his head.

Edited 2022-06-06 22:39 (UTC)

I don’t suppose I could trouble you for a weird soil sample, while we’re at it?

[That’s an actual joke (he is not going to make Ciri mess around in the dirt), which he indicates by actually laughing, probably enough evidence that he is actually having fun. He appreciates the fact that Ciri doesn’t hover, letting him explore on his own, even if he stays on the horse for now (it’s simply too much effort to dismount and re-mount). He doesn’t realize how far he’s strayed until Pancake seemingly objects to something.

Even though he has no experience riding, it’s easy to tell that his horse is suddenly anxious. That’s…probably not great, and he finds himself looking around for Ciri, for instruction—when the words appear along the striated wall.

All of this sounds not good, but Viktor doesn’t waste time. He nods, whether she can see him or not, then wraps the reins around his hand while leaning forward to stroke Pancake’s neck. He’s not sure if it’s going to work, but he nudges a heel into the horse’s flank, hoping to slowly guide him back towards Ciri.]

[ Sword now in her hands, Ciri makes her way closer with the same slow, even movements, watching the creature out of her periphery and avoiding eye contact. She's never encountered one of these before, but despite her research and frequent exploration, the desert is vast; it's not much of a shock, even if it is an inconvenience. It looks to be some sort of large cat, and she's encountered other similar species. For now, it appears to be watching, but it's impossible to know if that's because it is guarding its den, hunting, or simply curious; the goal is to avoid aggravating the situation by triggering the beast's desire to pounce or chase. Hence, no sudden movements. Noise might anger it just as likely as scare it, so no loud sounds either.

Thankfully, Viktor's got a good head on his shoulders; he listens to her immediately. Ciri moves closer, wanting to get him behind her so she can better evaluate whether to try to scare away or attack the beast.

Unfortunately, Pancake's head is less cool than his rider's. He's just an old trail horse, used to quiet days and monotonous roads. The present danger is something he has no intention of sticking around for, despite Viktor's best attempts at soothing his little horse nerves. He snorts, tossing his head, and though he does turn at the pressure from Viktor's heel -- instead of walking slowly, Pancake lurches forward suddenly and tries to bolt. ]

Shit. Viktor!

[ So much for attempting to avoid the cat's attention. ]

Edited 2022-06-07 21:01 (UTC)

[He can be as calm and level-headed as he likes--it doesn't change the fact that this is his first time on a horse, and he's not as in tune with their unpredictability as someone like Ciri. Viktor does, at least, know that he's in danger, even if he can't see the threat. The horse knows it's there, though, and no amount of trying to calm the animal can stop what happens next.

The horse lurches forward, and Viktor's first instinct is to pull harder on the reins. It's not the right move, and it's only exacerbated by the appearance of the monster that's stalking them, making the situation entirely unsalvageable.

So, the inevitable happens. Pancake rears back in an attempt to escape the cat-like creature making a lunge for them, and Viktor, caught off-guard, can't balance quickly enough. The reins slip out of his grasp and he careens backwards, barely able to shout as it happens almost too quickly to process as the animal throws him and bolts.]

[ Ciri's already running, but there's a lot of distance to cover. She watches, swearing again, as Pancake rears and Viktor slides off; turns out it would have been too lucky to get an exceptionally calm horse, no matter how well-trained he was supposed to be. There's no accounting for panic in the face of a predator.

Speaking of which. The cat lands in a crouch beside Viktor, lips curling to show its long, yellow teeth. Its tail lashes back and forth, claws digging into the dirt. The horse might have been its original intent, but now there is new prey, smaller and weaker and easier to pick off.

And Ciri is definitely still too far away. ]

[Viktor is tougher than he looks--a testament to his upbringing, and a lifelong refusal to simply lie down and take it. He has some survival instincts, it seems, at least when it comes to not freezing up in the face of immediate danger.

That said, he's never been thrown off a horse. He's never had to fight a monster in the middle of the desert. It hurts, that's certain. He hits the ground and the wind is immediately knocked out of him, leaving him little time to scrabble into a more advantageous position.

He curses, loudly, and rolls over, seemingly more frustrated by this turn of events than actually frightened, though his wide eyes betray that, slightly. Viktor's first instinct is to reach for his crutch, perhaps in an attempt to use it as a deterrent--jamming it into its mouth or simply using it to put more distance between himself and the cat-like creature is probably the best course of action. Unfortunately, everything is long-gone with the horse.

The next best thing is to try and kick at it. If the monster is going to attempt to maul him, it might as well get a face full of metal boot for its efforts.]

Edited 2022-06-09 03:53 (UTC)

[ There's no time. The cat snarls, lunging at its flailing prey, and its jaws close around Viktor's leg.

Even the seconds it'll take Ciri to sprint the rest of the way are too many, she thinks. Viktor is unarmed. She's not going to let him get fucking eaten on her watch.

She raises her sword, concentrating on the space right beside him, on her blade in the beast's side.

She closes the gap in an instant, blinking out of existence and reappearing immediately. Not in the position she intended. Her blasted powers still unreliable, after all her practice, when it actually fucking matters--

Ciri falls from thin air about three feet above the space she'd been aiming for, and right on top of Viktor. Her sword stabs into the dirt just shy of catching his ribs. The cat lets go with a startled hiss, taking a swipe with one large paw at the back of Ciri's shoulder before she can right herself. ]

[The good news is that the brace prevents the animal from sinking the full length of its fangs into his leg--it tries, but the metal boot and the crossbars and straps keep it from getting a good grip on him. Viktor shouts anyway, more reflex than anything else, even as teeth cut into him. Without anything he can use to fight back, he spends these brief seconds trying to see where Ciri is, and how close.

Very close, without warning. He wasn't exactly expecting Ciri to do that. Viktor's reminded, again, just how little he knows about her, to the point where a power like this is entirely shocking. Afforded no time to react, all he can do is try to get out of her way, which is nearly impossible, considering she lands on top of him.

It's not ideal, but at least it startles the cat.]

[ Tangled up with Viktor, her back to the beast, there is little Ciri can do in time. The claws rake her back, the shock of pain making her snarl just as viciously as the animal. She twists, yanking the sword free and back, but she has little leverage and no room to move or roll, not with Viktor caught beneath her, not with the cat's jaws opening wide around her sword arm.

Despite the failure of her magic a moment ago, she's got little choice that doesn't involve taking on more injuries or risking Viktor. Ciri's free arm tightens around his neck, pressing their bodies close.

They're gone before the wildcat's teeth close. It is left bewildered and blinking in the desert sun.

And so is Nixie, yanking against her lead until she eventually frees herself and runs as well, before the predator catches up to what is happening. She'll trot home around sundown, confused and hungry. She knows where her stable is. ]

[ Hundreds of miles away, Viktor and Ciri land in a heap. This time, Ciri cushions his fall, landing hard on her back with a grunt, Viktor still clutched to her chest with one hand and her sword thrown out to the side in the other.

Without warning or any semblance of gentleness, she shoves him off, rolls free, and jumps to her feet to look for the beast, expecting it to lunge again. Expecting to be no more than a dozen feet clear of it, enough to reorient and attack.

Instead, she finds their surroundings entirely changed. The red rocks have suddenly become flat brown dirt spotted by gray-green shrubs and the occasional scraggly tree. The mountain range that always decorates the horizon to the north of Cadens is... on the wrong side.

Slowly, Ciri lowers her sword. ]

[He doesn't know what's happening--only that Ciri is on top of him, blocking the monster from doing further damage, then suddenly the solid ground beneath them is gone and back again in an instant. There's no more air to knock out of his lungs, but he doesn't weigh much, at least. They're suddenly somewhere else and he can't even process it, hitting the ground again before he's shoved to the side so that Ciri can spring to her feet.

Well, Viktor won't complain about that, at any rate, if it means she finally kills the damned thing, except--

There is no thing. Not anymore. The scenery is different and the skyline of Cadens is no longer in view and all he can really think is that something has gone very wrong.]

Ciri--

[Viktor can hardly believe this is possible. The only explanation is that she can teleport, but whether or not she intended to bring them to this place, specifically, well. He isn't sure. She seems just as surprised as he is, though she's facing the wrong direction. Viktor is staring out over the edge of a crater, which can't be what he thinksit is. Can it?]

Look.

Edited 2022-06-09 23:06 (UTC)

[ She spins around, eyes wide, and if Viktor had any doubt she might have brought them here intentionally, it's surely erased by the naked shock on her face to match his. Ciri steps toward him again, casting a disbelieving stare between Viktor and the ground up ahead -- the way it drops off in a rounded, steep slope a short walk forward, and beyond it, at the structure rising from the ground, small in the distance but clearly massive. She can even see the hole near the top of it, a perfect circle through which the other side of the crater is visible beyond.

The way her stomach drops so fast leaves Ciri lightheaded. Or maybe it's the blood soaking the back of her blouse. ]

...fuck.

[Well, that kind of clears things up, at least in the 'did Ciri do this on purpose' department. He's still trying to process the fact that she teleported them, but that's quickly becoming secondary to the fact that they seem to be at the Singularity itself, which is hundreds of miles away. She's going to have to get them back, right? The alternative--being stranded out here with no horses and no supplies and Cadens a weekslong journey--is not something he wants to entertain.

First things first. There are immediate things to attend to, like the fact that they're both injured. There's a sharp pain in his leg, where he'd been bitten, to say nothing of the scrapes and bruises he's sustained from falling off the horse. Nothing seems to be broken, but when he gets his bearings and starts to sit up, it's not with an obvious wince.]

Are you okay?

[He says, like he hasn't just fallen off a horse and been attacked by an alien mountain lion and dumped at the edge of the Singularity's crater.]

Was that--was that you?

Edited 2022-06-10 04:26 (UTC)

[ She can feel it. The magic permeates the air, calling. A pull. A pull in her chest, in her bones. Her blood.

Ciri stumbles forward, wide-eyed, breath catching in her throat. With the thundering of her pulse nearly drowning out Viktor's voice, it takes her a moment to respond. She has to force herself to tear her gaze away. ]

We have to get out of here.

[ Neither question answered, Ciri returns to his side hurriedly, crouching to help haul Viktor to his feet. She scans him quickly for injuries, uncertain about his bleeding leg, but if he can't stand it'll be evident soon enough.

With the magic so thick, it feels like the smallest spark might kindle a conflagration. And her sparks are rarely small. Ciri glances over her shoulder the crater again, as if the monolith within might up and give chase. ]

If you can't walk, I'll carry you. Come on.

[He can't feel it like she can, having no ability of his own, but it's undeniable that there's a distinct pressure to this place that is uncomfortable and overwhelming, almost enough to make him forget about the throbbing pain that courses through him. She's at his side, but he doesn't need to be told to get to his feet--he's already working on it when she slips her arm under his and starts to pull him up.

They do need to go. He's just not necessarily confident that it will happen quickly, though he certainly seems to be doing his best.]

I can walk, I just-- [Even in outright peril, being carried is more than a little humiliating, but it becomes apparent to him that his crutch was strapped to the horse, now long gone and (probably) halfway across the continent.] I need to lean on you.

[ Where are they going to go? There is nothing out here, and they haven't their horses or gear. It's just luck that Ciri even has her sword. And behind them, the Singularity looms despite its distance, huge and foreboding in the back of her mind, scratching at the inside of her brain.

It is the key to everything. It can cause untold damage. Even alone (with Viktor, who knows nothing), just being here, too close to it, makes Ciri's heart pound anxiously, all senses on high alert as if some part of her expects enemy soldiers to appear from nowhere and begin demanding answers from her, or worse.

Before she can begin disentangling herself from the clash of various fears -- the Singularity, the desert, her own powers -- all vying for attention suddenly in her mind, another problem rears its ugly head. Many ugly heads, in fact. Even in the light of day, there's an odd, faint glow to them, heads carpeted with hundreds of -- teeth? proboscises? weird fur?

The giant insects emerge from the slumped, dry husk of some long-dead desert plant or perhaps beyond it, out of sight, and within moments their chittering and buzzing fills the air as the swarm grows. They only grow larger as they close the distance. ]

Are you fucking kidding me?!

Edited 2022-06-10 18:33 (UTC)

[Well, this is.

Bad.

Viktor all at once feels extremely foolish that he thought he could go on a trip like this and not immediately be a liability. Sure, this is an incredibly unfortunate series of events that they couldn't have planned for, but the guilt strikes him either way. They're in big trouble, and he's going to slow her down. She's going to get hurt trying to protect him. She already has been.

Still, he isn't about to call it quits. They still have options, he hopes, though the window of time to act is closing quickly.]

You teleported us here, yes? [Because that's what happened. That's what he's choosing to believe happened, even though it's clear she's just as bewildered as he is.] You can do it again?

[It's a question and a request and an uncertainty all at once. Somewhere else. Anywhere else. Surely she can make it happen.]

[ The swarm rises higher in the air, circling, casting ugly shadows on them both. Ciri answers distractedly, eyes darting between the creatures. ]

Yes. And-- no, not here.

[ That's not entirely true. She can use her powers here. She can try to teleport them back to where they were, or even back to Cadens, or just anywhere else. But if her ability was affected so strongly by the Singularity that it brought them both here, despite her having not the slightest intention to even get near this place, she has no idea what will happen if she tries to use her portalling powers so close to the monolith. For all she knows, the whole thing could split apart and start vomiting monsters from other worlds. Wouldn't be the first time.

Or they could wind up in the middle of the ocean. Or off a cliff. Or in space. She has no fucking clue, and she's maybe possibly panicking, just a little bit.

Ciri yanks her dagger free of her belt and shoves the hilt toward Viktor, releasing him in the process. ]

Stay behind me. Do not lose this.

[ And she takes up her position in front of him, sword at the ready, knowing it may well be less useful than a giant flyswatter against whatever these things are. She's never even seen a picture of them before. Are they venomous? How do they attack? What the fuck even are their faces?

The first wave begins to descend, more from above than in front, and Ciri instinctively steps away, crowding Viktor backward. Her sword swings out, slicing through one or two of them. Their chitinous little limbs click angrily.

Igni. She could try to use Igni. But the magic--

Is it different? If it's a Sign? She hasn't been having as much trouble with Signs as with everything else, and though she hasn't gotten to training on this one with Geralt, she knows it. She knows the sign for it, the theory. Fire seems a safer bet than blades against insects.

Or she might blow them both up.

Paralyzed by indecision and fear of the spiraling potential consequences, Ciri lashes out again wildly with her sword. One of the insects hovers down from above, the mass making up its face moving and wiggling, latching onto her bloody shoulder. ]

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.]

[ Ciri gasps, crying out when the insect latches onto the back of her neck and shoulder, the many little tentacle-like protrusions that make up its non-face slithering past the rips in her blouse and sinking in with something sharp, drawing blood. More of them try to crowd around her, and she stumbles, trying to figure out how to throw it off, when she feels the creature suddenly let go.

It thumps to the ground behind her, felled by a surprisingly solid strike from Viktor. But there are far too many of them, and considering they can fly, Ciri already knows there's no way she can handle them all. Normally, she'd tell Viktor to run, but-- well. That won't work either.

Igni it is. That, or something far more risky. She shouts a warning to Viktor first, just in case: ]

Get back and cover your face!

[ The Sign is the easiest part. Concentrating in this mess is the more difficult. Ciri throws her off hand out, perhaps too desperately. It's a good thing she told Viktor to be careful; the fire lashes out wildly, a wide burst of flames that scorches several insects to a crisp. It lasts maybe a second, and the heat of it wafts back in a rush, forcing Ciri to squint and take another step back.

There is a tug. A yank, inside her chest, not physical and yet-- very much real. Distracting. She gasps, turning away from the horde despite herself to look over her shoulder. ]

[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)

Viktor!

[ Ciri lunges to grab him, trying to keep Viktor from hitting the ground quite as hard, and ends up in one knee at the edge of the crater. The pull startles her, like a fist closing inside her chest and trying to yank back out. Blood drips from her shoulder, down her arm and hand bracing her, soaking into the sloping earth. ]

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