[ it really doesn't take him too long to realize that the medicine isn't working. except it has to work, because then she'll die. and when her hand drops, and she's no longer breathing, it still doesn't take long for it to click and for toi to know that they were too late. if they even had time to help her at all.
it happened again. it keeps happening. there's really no such thing as a real connection, is there? nothing stays.
but then her body is grabbed and flown away, and toi at least scrambles to his feet and runs after it for a few feet, stopping once he sees how far it's going. ]
Come on. We need to get her back-- get the dogs.
[ where are they? hopefully they're still close by. he picks the shark up, mostly running on autopilot. ]
[Hot, stinging eyes is as far as he gets before the wyvern swoops in to bowl them out of the way. He can't believe he gets startled, and then he can't believe a pair of claws is just snatching Anya away. He gives a strangled, angry scream, trying to ignore the burn across his shoulder and back.
In this moment, he almost looks like his uncle.
When he goes to stand, he grabs the sword lying nearby and--just bolts.] Demon, come! [He continues to run as hard as he can until hopefully the dog catches up, and, if so, he'll reach up to get a fistful of fur to try to toss himself up enough to get on.
There is no other choice. He would never take any other choice.]
[Demon follows, immediately smoking again as he runs after Jin Ling and allows the boy to jump on. He's bowling over soldiers as he runs, but many more attack from the ground and the sky. Metal swipes through the air, arrows fly, and he's likely to get slashed and bruised as they race to the castle.
The wyvern is in sight leading the way. Sniff immediately follows and likewise soldiers attack from all sides. Nie has armor for the back and enchanted ropes for the front, but he'll have to slash and fight one-handed as they ride or he, too, will get slashed, shot at and bruised.
Yodel howls and there's a distant howl back as the dog grabs Toi by the collar and throws him aboard with the shark. Its mouth is zipped and it can't help now while it's in that state, but Yodel races after the other two dogs. Toi's most likely to get shot at with bullets if he's not careful.
All three find that the path the wyvern is taking is long and far. They have weapons and clothes to protect them, but only if they're smart enough to use them. Otherwise, the fight will continue as waves of soldiers from the ground and the sky attempt to stop them. Brightly-colored knights from the King's kingdom appear the further they go, fighting off the enemy and trying to clear a path. The journey isn't easy though, and there's a good chance they won't get out of this clean. An arrow to the eye. A bullet to the leg. A dagger to the back. Sometimes these things happen if one isn't careful.]
[well, first of all huaisang uses his clothes ropes to snag the jar toi abandoned, they're not done with that yet if there's still anything in it!
he's not an experienced fighter at all, so he's absolutely taking hits along the way, an arrow stuck in one leg that he doesn't dare let go of the dog or his weapon to try to pull out, and a couple of new slashes across one arm he tried to block with.
here are two questions, though. if he touches the necklace that seemed to react earlier, does it do anything or can he get a sense for what it might do?
the second question is how effective of a stupid move is it to just. combine the enchanted ropes and the scissor blade to basically extend its reach. nie huaisang will absolutely try to grab the handle of one blade with them and use the ropes to kind of whip it across multiple soldiers and then yank it back. don't @ him.]
[ toi uses the weapons he has; he throws the shuriken at enemies, and other times he'll use the staff, but it's difficult to use it all while also holding onto the shark, so he definitely gets hit. he eventually just shoves the shark into his shirt to keep it from falling off yodel.
he gets shot in the shoulder, and again on his thigh. and, because i have never had an eye injury before and finally see my goddamn chance, he gets hit with a blade at his left eye.
but he's still running on adrenaline, and there really isn't time to focus on the pain or the blood or anything other than the fact that they need to get anya back. it's the absolute least thing they can do for her after they let her die. ]
[The sword isn't Suihua, and he thinks if it was, he'd be able to do a lot more than he could have since only his father's sword would have had the strength do it right. He uses it bitterly and angrily to cut down everything in his way that Demon doesn't crush beneath them.
And he makes it through most of it by sheer will with simple cuts and bruises except for right near the end when he gets not one, but two arrows completely through the left shoulder. The bolts are too thick for him to snap, so he doesn't bother trying, letting the arm hang limp. They'll have to find a way to cut them later, if there's even a later;
he can't believe how easy it is to die when there's no spiritual energy to feed your body back together.]</small.
[The necklace, Nie will realize, can split into a bolas-type weapon, two heavier ends that swing and can smash into enemies before boomeranging back to him. It's an effective way to knock people out of the way. The scissors tied with cloth method, however, seems to do the opposite effect! While it can slice at other soldiers and clear a path, he will quickly feel himself draining of energy, heart rate slowing...
The three of them run with their dogs and fight through the worst part of the crowd, the wyvern screeching above them as it leads them out of the valley and up, up, up to a forest of bright autumn colors. Reds, oranges, and yellows flash before their eyes as the wyvern zips between the trees, leaving them to get smacked at by branches.
Their best bet is to get the wyvern to land, but Anya's body is in clear sight. The creature soars and they'll find themselves drawn away from a majority of the battle and toward an open forest grove.]
[haha wow okay he tries that and then just kind of has a minor panic attack on this fucking dog, this is probably where he takes at least one of those slashes because he's just- trying to breathe. what the fuck! what the fuck. he hates these scissors. he's not sure if it's the method or just the distance, so he's going to keep them close as he gathers himself and slashes at a soldier who got too close. he takes a moment to check that his nose isn't bleeding, after.
the bola necklace though, he'll absolutely use; he throws it, then uses the time until it returns to slash with the blade, then repeats.
and when they get in clear sight of the wyvern, his hair now full of twigs and leaves from the branches, nie huaisang tries throwing it up at the creature to try to help bring the damn thing down.]
[ honestly if it wasn't for the fact the thing had anya then toi would have rocketed this bitch via shark
but as it stands, it does have her, so he will grab another shuriken..... and then shake his head, instead reaching into his pocket to pull out a gun. he'll aim-- and admittedly his aim is definitely not the best right now, considering he just lost an eye-- but he'll try his best to hit it. ]
[Well, all he has are bombs!! They hurt his already blistered hands, but whatever! It’s a suffering of pain that makes him realize he’s alive.
So he tries to balance on Demon while chunking a few at the wyverns with his good arm. It probably won’t be enough, and the dogs will have to dodge the spray of dirt and rock.]
Shoot it down!
[Whether gun hits or not, he barrels ahead with Demon toward the grove.]
[As they enter the grove, the war fades behind them and a curtain of vines close to trap them inside the ring of trees. The enemies behind them seem to disappear and the wyvern shrieks again. The bola wraps around its ankles, right above where its claws grip Anya's lifeless body and Toi's bullet clips its wing. Jin Ling's bombs temporarily blind the creature and a fiery wave finally sends it crashing to the ground.
The dogs come to a halt, growling at first as the smoke around them begins to clear. The growling becomes a confused sort of whimper, tails tentatively wagging as the vision before them becomes clearer.
Bleeding from the arm, covered in small burns and yet gracefully holding herself is a young woman, bound at her feet. Anya's body lays before her, and she looks down at her for a moment before she looks at the three boys. The dogs continue to whine, though this time in recognition.
Though the queen doesn't speak, she waves a hand to free herself from her binds before crouching down to Anya. An ancient, unidentifiable language is spoken as she brushes a hand over Anya's head. A passing ritual of some kind.
She faces them once more, speaking in the same tongue and though they won't understand her, she'll be able to make charades work as she points to a stump and to a tree. Inside the stump there's a small ornate box, and the tree reveals itself to be hollow.]
To return... [She speaks. She nods toward the box.] Thank you.
[You have served the queen and though you have lost one of your own, you have been rewarded...
Anya looks almost peaceful now, still battle-worn and broken, but her face looks less pained. This may not remain the case when she leaves but the thought counts.
Whenever they leave the room, everything will be depowered. The shark, the dogs, they will return to the status of stuffed animals. The clothing will be depowered and the weapons will disappear except for their sewing tools which remain normal household items.
And whenever they look in the box, they'll instinctually know what the following items are for:
There's a blacklight, sized and shaped to look like a dagger.
There's a small child-size bow with one arrow which may be used to enchant one target and influence them with any sort of thought.
A blue ring that will grow ice cold should the wearer be in the vicinity of someone who tells them a lie.
A small round shield, impenetrable from all attacks but still sized to really only cover a small distance.
In addition at the bottom of the box, they'll find what appears to be a well-worn photograph. The photo is a little blurry and off-center, but as they look they'll see that at the bottom of the frame there are three little sets of animal ears. Pink kitten ears, purple bunny ears, and orange fox ears. Behind them, a pair of legs extend up to the waist, the photo cutting off right at the edges of what appears to be a white coat. The room is unfamiliar to the group, but perhaps they should hold onto this for now.
The outside world awaits you. But take your time.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
it happened again. it keeps happening. there's really no such thing as a real connection, is there? nothing stays.
but then her body is grabbed and flown away, and toi at least scrambles to his feet and runs after it for a few feet, stopping once he sees how far it's going. ]
Come on. We need to get her back-- get the dogs.
[ where are they? hopefully they're still close by. he picks the shark up, mostly running on autopilot. ]
no subject
In this moment, he almost looks like his uncle.
When he goes to stand, he grabs the sword lying nearby and--just bolts.] Demon, come! [He continues to run as hard as he can until hopefully the dog catches up, and, if so, he'll reach up to get a fistful of fur to try to toss himself up enough to get on.
There is no other choice. He would never take any other choice.]
no subject
The wyvern is in sight leading the way. Sniff immediately follows and likewise soldiers attack from all sides. Nie has armor for the back and enchanted ropes for the front, but he'll have to slash and fight one-handed as they ride or he, too, will get slashed, shot at and bruised.
Yodel howls and there's a distant howl back as the dog grabs Toi by the collar and throws him aboard with the shark. Its mouth is zipped and it can't help now while it's in that state, but Yodel races after the other two dogs. Toi's most likely to get shot at with bullets if he's not careful.
All three find that the path the wyvern is taking is long and far. They have weapons and clothes to protect them, but only if they're smart enough to use them. Otherwise, the fight will continue as waves of soldiers from the ground and the sky attempt to stop them. Brightly-colored knights from the King's kingdom appear the further they go, fighting off the enemy and trying to clear a path. The journey isn't easy though, and there's a good chance they won't get out of this clean. An arrow to the eye. A bullet to the leg. A dagger to the back. Sometimes these things happen if one isn't careful.]
no subject
he's not an experienced fighter at all, so he's absolutely taking hits along the way, an arrow stuck in one leg that he doesn't dare let go of the dog or his weapon to try to pull out, and a couple of new slashes across one arm he tried to block with.
here are two questions, though. if he touches the necklace that seemed to react earlier, does it do anything or can he get a sense for what it might do?
the second question is how effective of a stupid move is it to just. combine the enchanted ropes and the scissor blade to basically extend its reach. nie huaisang will absolutely try to grab the handle of one blade with them and use the ropes to kind of whip it across multiple soldiers and then yank it back. don't @ him.]
no subject
he gets shot in the shoulder, and again on his thigh. and, because i have never had an eye injury before and finally see my goddamn chance, he gets hit with a blade at his left eye.
but he's still running on adrenaline, and there really isn't time to focus on the pain or the blood or anything other than the fact that they need to get anya back. it's the absolute least thing they can do for her after they let her die. ]
no subject
And he makes it through most of it by sheer will with simple cuts and bruises except for right near the end when he gets not one, but two arrows completely through the left shoulder. The bolts are too thick for him to snap, so he doesn't bother trying, letting the arm hang limp. They'll have to find a way to cut them later, if there's even a later;
he can't believe how easy it is to die when there's no spiritual energy to feed your body back together.]</small.
no subject
The three of them run with their dogs and fight through the worst part of the crowd, the wyvern screeching above them as it leads them out of the valley and up, up, up to a forest of bright autumn colors. Reds, oranges, and yellows flash before their eyes as the wyvern zips between the trees, leaving them to get smacked at by branches.
Their best bet is to get the wyvern to land, but Anya's body is in clear sight. The creature soars and they'll find themselves drawn away from a majority of the battle and toward an open forest grove.]
no subject
the bola necklace though, he'll absolutely use; he throws it, then uses the time until it returns to slash with the blade, then repeats.
and when they get in clear sight of the wyvern, his hair now full of twigs and leaves from the branches, nie huaisang tries throwing it up at the creature to try to help bring the damn thing down.]
no subject
but as it stands, it does have her, so he will grab another shuriken..... and then shake his head, instead reaching into his pocket to pull out a gun. he'll aim-- and admittedly his aim is definitely not the best right now, considering he just lost an eye-- but he'll try his best to hit it. ]
no subject
So he tries to balance on Demon while chunking a few at the wyverns with his good arm. It probably won’t be enough, and the dogs will have to dodge the spray of dirt and rock.]
Shoot it down!
[Whether gun hits or not, he barrels ahead with Demon toward the grove.]
no subject
The dogs come to a halt, growling at first as the smoke around them begins to clear. The growling becomes a confused sort of whimper, tails tentatively wagging as the vision before them becomes clearer.
Bleeding from the arm, covered in small burns and yet gracefully holding herself is a young woman, bound at her feet. Anya's body lays before her, and she looks down at her for a moment before she looks at the three boys. The dogs continue to whine, though this time in recognition.
Though the queen doesn't speak, she waves a hand to free herself from her binds before crouching down to Anya. An ancient, unidentifiable language is spoken as she brushes a hand over Anya's head. A passing ritual of some kind.
She faces them once more, speaking in the same tongue and though they won't understand her, she'll be able to make charades work as she points to a stump and to a tree. Inside the stump there's a small ornate box, and the tree reveals itself to be hollow.]
To return... [She speaks. She nods toward the box.] Thank you.
[You have served the queen and though you have lost one of your own, you have been rewarded...
Anya looks almost peaceful now, still battle-worn and broken, but her face looks less pained. This may not remain the case when she leaves but the thought counts.
Whenever they leave the room, everything will be depowered. The shark, the dogs, they will return to the status of stuffed animals. The clothing will be depowered and the weapons will disappear except for their sewing tools which remain normal household items.
And whenever they look in the box, they'll instinctually know what the following items are for:
There's a blacklight, sized and shaped to look like a dagger.
There's a small child-size bow with one arrow which may be used to enchant one target and influence them with any sort of thought.
A blue ring that will grow ice cold should the wearer be in the vicinity of someone who tells them a lie.
A small round shield, impenetrable from all attacks but still sized to really only cover a small distance.
In addition at the bottom of the box, they'll find what appears to be a well-worn photograph. The photo is a little blurry and off-center, but as they look they'll see that at the bottom of the frame there are three little sets of animal ears. Pink kitten ears, purple bunny ears, and orange fox ears. Behind them, a pair of legs extend up to the waist, the photo cutting off right at the edges of what appears to be a white coat. The room is unfamiliar to the group, but perhaps they should hold onto this for now.
The outside world awaits you. But take your time.]