Event Log: The Stampede

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for Stampede event
Where: All over the city
When: December 26th-December 28th
Warnings: None

There's a rumbling sound in the air early in the afternoon on December 26th. Whether you're new in town or you've seen it all, something like this hasn't happened before. Is it an earthquake? It feels kind of like a small one, and that might be endurable if not for the sudden snarling and gnashing of teeth!

As it turns out, these yet-unnamed apex predators are overrunning the city, ignoring their previous apprehension to barrel right through anything- or anyone- that stands in their way. Seemingly spooked by something, they are aggressive and violent and won't hesitate to tear anyone they meet to pieces... after trampling them underfoot, of course. They're so large and muscular that they may even take a few portions of buildings with them- how would you like to see one of these monsters crashing through your living room?

At least it's only these weird mammoths, though... right?

► This log covers December 26th-December 28th.
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you get squished, please let us know here.

Comments

[fogsong]

[ Sharon doesn't really play the patrol game, not enough care in the residents of the city to give much of a shit if something were to happen, but she does go on the occasional stroll in a plea to bury her anxiety and distress in something physical (it is, after all, what everyone on the network seemed to think would help—and it has, some). She works the perimeter to the city to avoid running into strangers and friends alike, though she knows it's bound to happen on occasion.

She spots the lumbering mammoth before she sees Cecily but the other woman quickly becomes her center of attention the moment the rogue rushes to action. Her heart pounds with panic and an urge to call for help blinds her momentarily before she drops her backpack in a sudden sense of action, panic becoming a secondary emotion to the immediate fight response at the possibility of Cecily getting smashed.

Fires hum to life in the air around Sharon as she gets close, letting her emotions guide them. She's not as skilled with a blade as her friend, nor does she think she can throw her knife hard enough to damage the hulking beast; the only thing she has that may be of help, even if she can only manage to frighten it back, is fire. Most animals know to avoid fire.

She whistles to try and catch the monster's attention, to force it to consider its options as Sharon stands nearly opposite to Cecily, which would give them both enough time to plan their next course of action. She lets her eyes meet Cecily's briefly, a way to show the other woman she has her back.

The two of them can manage this, right? ]

[closerift]

[ There's not really a need for conversation here, not when it's two old friends and a decent amount of fighting experience between them. Cecily hip-checks Sharon in a gesture of gratitude, smirking at the show of flames and the support.

It's nice to have friends who keep you from getting stepped on.

The apex predator rears back, clearly intimidated by the fire. It falls to the ground again and trumpets, dragging its front feet in the snow, but doesn't continue the rush toward them.

Instead, it turns and dashes back toward the city. ]

Dammit. [ She half-laughs, dashing forward again to distract it a second time. ]

[fogsong]

[ The woman dares to laugh as the beast changes direction, choosing neither of them in favor of the thicket of the city. Sharon races after, not quite as fast on her feet as Cecily. She focuses on forcing fire to appear ahead of the monster in a feeble attempt to guide it and refocus it but the fires appear and disappear feet behind it.

She either needs to change how she's thinking with her spells or it needs to slow the fuck down; either way, it's got to be stopped. She gathers fire in her palm, focusing it to grow as she keeps her legs pumping. ]

Trip it? [ She shout-asks as a plan option. A big beast goes down hard, after all, and something that size would take time getting back on its feet. ]

[closerift]

With what? [ Cecily half-laughs, half-pants. It isn't as if they have rope, or anything similar. Sharon obviously has fire at her disposal, but to what end? ] Please let me in on your plans if I'm expected to participate!

[ Whatever the case, she can act fast enough to make a move after Sharon does. If she's going to bring this thing to the ground with flames, then...creativity points to Sharon. ]

[fogsong]

I don't know, fucking magic? [ She asks back rhetorically, curling her powers in on themselves as she moves. They don't have time on their side, not if they want to catch it before it reaches the city. She can't move the ground nor can she conjure a tripwire out of thin air but she did have some control of fire.

The air in front of the creature, at least several seconds, begins to glow like fire on the horizon; the moment the creature reaches the glow, the air explodes, fire whipping into the air haphazardly. All she can hope is that it's enough to steer the monster a little in their advantage. ]

[closerift]

Fair enough! [ And it seems to work insofar as the predator rears back, roaring, and turns in a different direction. Cecily flashes her friend a grateful grin as she dashes off to try and down the creature again. ]

Thank the Maker we've got you here, or else it would just stomp all over me. [ She's learning to fight this way, though. It may not shown in her single-handedly felling it, but the expression of determination and sheen of sweat aren't nothing. ]

[fogsong]

That better not be sarcasm. [ She counters as she watches Cecily fight. Even single-handed, the other woman was impressive and she showed skill beyond what Sharon thought was possible, beyond what she knew was possible for her. ]

[closerift]

Not at all! I am truly and non-sarcastically happy to not be flattened. [ No, she knows that she couldn't do this alone. It's an honest relief that anyone at all showed up, but especially someone she knows she can trust. ]

[fogsong]

[ Sharon may be learning how to fight from a few people (it's left her nights sore) but none of them have taught her how to handle something quite like this. She knows she's no good rushing forward, the only thing she can do with a knife well is throw it and cut her food, but she's good at other things (she's yet to settle on what they should be called).

With careful concentration, so hard she can feel a hum in her chest and brain, whispers of secrets from dark places, she telekinectically forces the mammoths front legs to the ground as if it'd stepped into glue. No movement could release it but it wouldn't lat too long. ]

I hope this thing is edible! [ You know, because looking at it, there is quite a bit of meat on this thing to go around. Unless it's tainted. Yuck. ]

[closerift]

[ Thoroughly impressed, Cecily allows herself a few seconds to stare wide-eyed at her friend as she brings the beast down. Not long after, she makes sure Sharon's display of power doesn't go to waste by darting between its legs, nearly dancing around its hulking form as she hacks and slashes. And...yes, she's hoping they'll be able to use the meat for some greater purpose than it going to waste, but that will depend entirely on whether it's actually animal meat or just nasty Door poison. ]

I miss my damn bow. [ She grumbles, sweaty and winded as she withdraws. Fortunately, though, the thing will buckle as soon as Sharon releases her hold on it, legs torn to ribbons and blood leaving it through the wounds. ]

[fogsong]

[ The moment Cecily withdraws, Sharon lets go and her knees go weak, eyes black as ink that slowly recedes. She rests her hands on her knees as the mammoth bleeds out, tiny, desperate movements of a creature that's accepted its death. She can't bring herself to feel empathy for it. ]

I miss your damn bow. [ It kept the other woman at a distance for their enemies which meant she was a little more safe; they'd be able to take care of things side by side but now Sharon has to keep her distance while Cecily does the hard work.

Her heart beat slowly returns to normal but she still feels weighted. ] You kick ass without it, though. I'd say people should be frightened of you.

[ A joke. Cecily is still a show to watch as she fought, even lacking in lacking a hand. Sharon admired her greatly for that, striving to be like that. ]

[closerift]

Frightened of me? [ She laughs, breathy and exhausted. ] You can't say that in sincerity when you can do the things you do. [ beat ] Your eyes are black, you know.

[ Cecily knows better than to be scared of Sharon, but that doesn't mean she isn't impressed. Intimidated. ...Concerned that people might take advantage. ]

I'm not sure that you realize how powerful you are.

[fogsong]

[ Idly, she rubs one of her eyes. She knows the black goes away on its, pupils now just abnormally dilated as her heart rate settles. She doesn't like to think about her abilities because she has no explanation for them beyond the stories The Order liked to rattle off, varying from witch to demon to sin to the mother of some god. ]

I'm not sure I want to know, honestly. [ She hesitates a moment. ] I sometimes don't even think it's my own power.

[closerift]

You wouldn't be the first to draw strength from someone, or somewhere, else. The mages in my world take their power from the Fade: another dimension. [ More or less. ] It isn't so strange that other magics might work in the same way.

[fogsong]

Magic may as well be a fairy tale in my world, Cec. Hell, I didn't believe in that kind of shit until I got here. [ It's still a little surreal, if she's honest, and more so when she's doing it. ]

[closerift]

And yet you could do these things in your world, couldn't you? What did you call it then?

[fogsong]

I always just thought something was wrong with me. I was told something was wrong with me.

[closerift]

Everyone is told that by someone, but that doesn't make it true.

[ Her mother told her that all throughout her life, after all. ]

[fogsong]

Yeah, maybe. [ She doesn't agree but doesn't have the energy or desire to go any further into it. She lets out a tired sigh as she looks the mammoth. ]

We're gonna need to call some people in to hack that thing up because I'm so not playing butcher after all that.

end it here?

[closerift]

I'm not interested in that either. Let's step away and we can make some calls.

[ No need to get grimy when others would more happily do the deed. ]

y!

[fogsong]

[ Sharon's already pulling out her phone and scrolling through her contact list and starts dialing, giddy about such a big catch, unaware that soon there will be more of these ugly beasts cutting through the city.

Boo. ]