=>[MINI-META] The Decaying North Outgrowth

[zeflamigo]

"If she truly poses the most threat, then I am thankful we are well staffed," Odette complimented the blueblood, and even gave Kursha a polite glance. It was good that more of the children were off summoning less... difficult ghosts. She might have had to change her plans of seeing Schrad, if too many decided to recklessly chase a dangerous spirit.

With only a few graceful steps, she caught up to Lt Sarcel. She leaned in slightly, but was certain to give the upset troll her own space. "I may not be as physically apt..." Odette spoke low and personal, bringing her hands to her chest as an indication of her sincerity. "But should any danger come your way, I promise to have your back." Odette smiled and balled a hand up into a fist, shaking it with positive energy.  

[Micillia]

Static Charge

Static gave Kursha and Nahori a look after Sarcle's speech. He knew this was enough of something to call in military, but dangerous enough to make the Lt. caution them all? This really was something. The blueblood nodded to Nahori's worried question, hopeful for an answer. When the orangeblood military troll jumped to action, Static followed her.

"Should we, um, ready our weapons?" Static asked the two commanding military trolls, already getting his out and ready. "And uh, do you want us in some sort of formation?"

Melancholies

saedusk

 

[Melancholies]

Sarcel... tried to look appreciative of everyone's willingness to help. Truthfully, she was sincere, it was just difficult to make it apparent on her face. "I'm not sure." She answered Nahori cautiously, "I've never encountered a ghost, but I'd rather be prepared and not blind sighted." If trolls like Glamis had the authority to enlist military personnel and considered this worthy of his time, then it was worthy to Sarcel's as well. Just as she was about to agree with Odette on the capabilities of her group, she was swearing herself in as a shield. The offer was kind, even though Sarcel still wasn't sure to make of the redblood.

"Still. To you the same... Cygnet. Let's hope it won't come to that." She said instead. The tension refused to ease from her shoulders, but her face relaxed slightly.

Static's question was a good one too, though her voice caught in her throat as she remembered the fact that, by all technicalities, Kursha was the one in charge. Here she'd been barking out words without even thinking about it. It was a sobering realization, considering the last time she'd stepped foot in this hive she had been very... different. Meek. Shy. Trying desperately to take charge while convincing herself that everyone was still coughing down their sleeves. Now it was second nature.

She stopped organizing the items, instead letting Nahori take them into her own hands to finish assembling. Looking over at Static again, she threw her attention towards Kursha, "Static has a valid suggestion. Your call, Captain."

 

[Green Minuet]

Captain Kursha Vidari

As Odette sidled up to the Sarcel, all smiles and sweet words, a vein bulged in Kursha's neck. Odette could fool everyone else, but he refused to let her get to Sarcel. Even had she not been rebel scum, her personality itself was a disease, rotting society from the inside out. Her involvement with the lieutenant was unforgivable. Trying frantically to catch Sarcel's eye without alerting Odette, he made all kinds of gestures behind the redblood's back to warn her off, mouthing distinctly not to trust her.

Either Sarcel failed to notice, or she ignored him. Kursha lowered his arms, simmering with irritation. He would have to corner her later; her and some of the other trustworthy personnel. In the meantime, the rest of the team had begun to prep for the seance. Static and Sarcel looked to him for guidance. The greenblood swung himself up onto the bent remains of a table. He surveyed the once tidy nutrition block, now buckling under its own weight.

“Weapons out,” he affirmed. “Fan out in V-formation around the target, soldiers in front, and kids in back. I don't want to see anyone standing across from anyone else. Remember that our target is incorporeal, and stay aware of your surroundings and comrades at all times. Consider the centre of the block off limits. Before we begin, everybody pick a buddy. Starting right now, you stick to each other like glue, and look out for each other in case anything goes wrong. Got it?”

Quote:

Bossy pants is here.

 

[saedusk]

Nahori was grateful for the opportunity to do something to keep her hands busy, at least temporarily, while the others briefly conversed. The job she did was meticulous, a tight circle exactly as they were instructed, because if the orangeblood could do anything right, it was follow orders. Guineamom had drilled obedience into her like a religion.

Satisfied with her work, Nahori stood and brushed off the knees of her pants. By that time Kursha was mid-order and her fears about this ghost situation certainly weren't soothed.

"Yes, sir..." she replied sullenly when he was finished, sliding her weapons over her hands at the same time. Picking her own 'buddy,' though... she didn't have the confidence for that. Nahori looked around the room at everyone gathered—from the children to those closer to her own age to the adults—and waited. Hopefully someone would approach her instead.  

[Hivestuck]

Quote:

The kitchen was quiet for a moment, as though the summoning had failed. Then, as if they had always been there, long red streaks were visible along the walls, floor, and remains of the ceiling. Red handprints began to appear as well, covering not only the furniture but the paranormal investigators themselves. Almost as if some unseen spirit was frantically searching for something. Finally, one of the red handprints wrapped around the blade of a dusty kitchen knife, and with a sharp slicing sound, it was dragged out of its resting block.

 

[DraconicFeline]

The dead were dead... but if there was anyone Psykgi wanted to speak to from the mansion at all, post demise, it would be this one.

A question perhaps.

Why - when she'd had so much, gotten so far, clawed her way to such status and accaim... had Schrad fallen? Murdering highbloods... it was so impractical, so anathaema, so clearly and utterly twisted (in complete contrast to the redblood's stellar military service,) that Psykgi had to know why.

Sigh... but for now there was a meaningless ritual and.. well, she guessed they were sensible orders. Axe ready (for whatever good it would do against a spirit or a figment of the mind,) she glanced around to figure out who she would stick to like glue (something she was good at. Three kids, one super star among super stars (speaking of redblood role models oh my gosh. If the woman was military and didn't have that rebel past thing going for her... Psy would be even more into that schrad merch!)... and the rest were military. So who to stick to? Hmm...

Very much not the knife.

"Oh s**t."  

[Melancholies]

Sarcel was listening intently to Kursha's orders, mind wandering as she debated who exactly to pair up with. Pairing off sounded nice in an ideal world, but Sarcel had already decided that she was going to place herself in front of the kids who had decided to accompany them. Lusii present or not, the last thing she needed was one of them going home parentless, let along not go home at all. Nahori, she figured, would be fine with either Static or Psygki at her back. Odette had already pledged herself to watch over Sarcel's back. Now was going to be a good test of the redblood's faith.

Suddenly the room felt eerily quiet. She could feel her pulse in her neck, hear it rattling around in her head, the anxiety washing over her in waves as she thoughts that maybe, maybe it wasn't going to work. She didn't know whether to find relief in that. It, unfortunately, wasn't so simple.

The streaks made her freeze, eyes wide as she watches the hand prints frantically move around. There was one that caught her around her throat, and though there was nothing there it still felt like the air had been squeezed out of her chest. Then there was the sharp sound. Then there was the knife. Then the memories of Puchen shooting Schrad, that argument, further back to her footsteps in that moldy cave with the reptilian-leech monsters on her ankles--all came rushing forward. Formation and buddy system be damned.

Fight or flight kicked in. Sweeps ago it would have been flight, but this time she found herself viciously standing her ground as she put herself between what she could only assume was a knife-armed Schrad and the three children that had decided to tag along. Demari being a blueblood in particular made it very easy to imagine her body dead on the floor of the derelict hive.

"Everyone get back NOW."

 

[Doutei]

She knew the moment she'd entered that she shouldn't have come. The very air of the nutritionblock was heavy and dense, humid with hate. Yet a chill ran down her spine at the same time. Nervously, she glanced around at the older trolls as they discussed what to do and considered partnering up. Glancing over at Volkei, Demari wondered if they were meant to partner up all the kids and get out of the way or if Kursha had meant for them to find an adult each. Both seemed like bad options.

Red flashed before her.

Streaks slashed across the walls aggressively with her mind practically seeing drops of blood seep from them. Handprints patterned the area and she froze at the sight of them on Sarce's neck. When it disappeared and moved onto another troll, she let out the breath she discovered she'd been holding. She squeaked in fear as it stained the sequins of her dress before fading and moving on. Confused, Demari wondered what was happening and looked around bewildered until a sound answered her. She wasn't much of a cook but she knew that sound. Slowly, not wanting to believe it, she turned her head and looked.

It had the knife.

"O-okay." Demari's voice was soft, not out of gentleness but rather strain as she answered the lieutenant's order. Psykgi's words echoed the thoughts of many and Demari understood from both of them that this was seriously dangerous. Frightened, she hid behind Sarce, backing up against the wall. Desperately she fumbled and tried to grab hold of anything she could to protect herself with. The swarm of silvery flying fish circled around the children for now but seemed to be listening, awaiting orders. They were ready as needed.  

[Yamashii]

He was starting to feel better about coming. The room was filled with military officers and high ranking ones from the looks of their uniforms. They were combat experienced which had to mean they could easily handle anything dangerous. He flushed happily with pride to see Captain Vidari discussing the plan of action with Sarcel, Static and Nahori. They looked so professional that he relaxed and reached to pet Roa's nice warm fur.

"Captain Vidari, will you be my bu-" His sentence fell silent as streaks appeared on the walls. Aggressive red streaks that spanned every part of the room, followed by hand prints. Each one looked more desperate than the one before it. Volkei tried to live his life relaxed and zen, like a calm stone in a zen garden. But there were no breathing exercises, no meditations that could take away this panic.

He knew knives. He was not going to win against that one.

"W-we will!" He replied to Sarcel's orders. She looked fierce and ready to fight. He couldn't help but want to pull her back and drag everyone out of the room to safety. But he was too little and weak to have any effect on this situation other than to get in the way. He'd almost killed Isthai through recklessness, he could not do anything that would hurt anyone else. Volkei stepped backwards slowly, pulling a pair of cooking tongs out of his bag to protect himself with. It would not work as a weapon but metal would be able to block metal if more knives began to fly around the room.

"Please, don't hurt her." He whispered nervously, more as a prayer than a plea. Kursha had told them Sarcel was a softie.

But knives made short work of soft things.  

[Hivestuck]

There was a brief pause. Not of hesitation, but of cold contemplation. Sarcel Cincil was standing guard, in front of the children present. The knife swung around without warning and plunged into Psykgi, tugging in and out twice in rapid succession.

Melancholies

psyche

DraconicFeline

yoink

 

[zeflamigo]

Odette was paralyzed with fear. It had been so long, probably too long, since she had experienced a threat quite like this. Her guard had slipped, despite all of the warnings. She was not fast enough to protect anyone, not Sarcel, nor the redblood who received the stabbing. Odette sputtered at the sight of the red blood spilling from Psykgi. Without thought, she rushed over, throwing herself around the younger troll protectively.

The debris around her quivered, the wind picking up around them as quick and strong gusts. It was not a threat or a shield. Odette had considered earlier that the wind could probably do little to harm a spirit. Instead, this torrent of wind was wild and uncontrolled. Odette was confused and terrified. She didn't know what to do.  

[saedusk]

There was no way Nahori could've honestly prepared herself for this. How Schrad's ghost manifested, if it did at all, wasn't something predictable, especially not to a troll who'd never known her. All the orangeblood could do was worry—and for good reason, it seemed.

The streaks of red, the handprints, they all sent chills down Nahori's spine as she watched them splatter across the walls in a rapid sort of desperation she couldn't comprehend. Standing her ground was almost a side effect of fear alone. She'd totally forgotten about the buddy system at this point. Sorry, Captain Vidari.

What finally moved her from her spot was the attack, one that felt totally unchoreographed. How could they predict if they couldn't see the troll attached to the knife?

"W-Wait-! Don't... don't turn your back to it!" she shouted, running up on Psykgi and Odette. She grabbed at both redbloods and tried to help pull them back from the fray despite the sudden, wild gusts of wind that pushed at her. She didn't want the knife to keep stabbing.  

[Melancholies]

She had steeled herself for the knife. When it dove into Psygki instead, her face flashed into something absolutely enraged. Was this part of the game? Was it trying to get a rise out of her? The two truths of the situation were as followed: one, if it was, it was working, and two, there was blood--real blood--spilling out of Psykgi's body now.

"You stupid b***h!" Sarcel sneered, "Did you forget which ******** troll to go after?!"

Odette didn't help the situation much; she immediately flew into a panic and wrapped around her fellow redblood. What she wasn't expecting was the wind, her hair immediately trashing around her face, her jacket ripping off of her shoulders. While Nahori went to address the two, Sarcel did the only thing she could think of.

She dove for the knife to try wrestling it from Schrad's cold, dead hands.

Quote:
"Kursha had told them Sarcel was a softie.

But knives made short work of soft things."

 

[Green Minuet]

Captain Kursha Vidari

“Cygnet, pull yourself together!” Kursha barked. Mere seconds after Schrad made her presence known, the room spiralled into chaos. Already they saw first blood, a steady stream of red pooling at Psykgi's feet. Demari and Volkei huddled near the wall, alone save for their lusii. Nahori fought with Psykgi and Odette against the racing winds. Meanwhile Sarcel lunged into melee.

Surveying the scene, the greenblood ground his teeth. So ******** useless. They had lost any semblance of organisation right at the start. The children he could understand, but no one else had any excuse. The minute things went south, they were no better than wild animals, victim to their instincts. Training should have weeded that kind of behaviour out of them. No matter what the battlefield looked like, what kind of opponent they faced, they needed to remain in control to secure a victory. But now was hardly the time for regret. Morale would plummet unless he acted fast.

“Guard your weapons! Don't give her anything else she can use,” he ordered, as he leapt down from the table. He broke into a sprint, slowing as he reached Demari. Unslinging the rifle from his shoulder, he tossed it at the blueblood. It would only be a liability in such close quarters. “Anything comes near you, you beat them to hell with that. Stick with Volkei until I tell you otherwise. See if you can find that greenblood.” He raised his voice. “Charge, watch the wigglers!”

If the recruits could not organise themselves, he would do it for them. There was no time to reprimand Sarcel—not that he thought it would do any good. She was going to get herself killed. As he sprinted towards the blueblood, he passed by Odette, Nahori, and Psykgi. Somehow he needed to get through to that thick-skulled redblood. “Cygnet!” he called over the tempest. “Cygnet, damn you, leave Mentha with Caviap. I need your help!”

Had the circumstances been less dire, he might have gagged. Finally, Kursha grabbed for the communicator. His thumb squeezed against the transmitter. “Knife in the nutrition block. Kinda need some back-up as of yesterday.”

Hivestuck

not sure if supposed to quote, sleep is good bad