RP:Ding-Dong Ditch: Devilish Diversions
Part of the The Ice Plague Cometh Arc
Frostmaw Ruins
Kasyr 's looking pretty upbeat, today. And it's not just Satoshi's company, though she is certainly a large part of it. No, what currently has the revenant so elated is the call to action he's been given- a purpose that at once allows him to see personally to his wife's safety... while they instigate enough trouble of devilish origin that the hells might freeze over in jealous awe. Really, the Kensai can't help but crack a grin at that thought, and the accompanying promise of repaying a grievance. At least until he's once more forced to roll his shoulders, shuffling the large bundled item that's strapped across his back into a less cumbersome position. Since the revenant had started to amble into the ruins, Vesper had seemed heavier than usual- a trialsome development, though not one he hadn't planned for, given the pair of Katana's which lay sheathed at his hip.
Satoshi has abandoned her usual place following a step behind Kasyr, to instead lead their way into the ruins. After all, this is the eidolon's territory, its inhabitants her wards and warriors. Already the spirits have begun to gather upon sensing Satoshi's presence, an entourage that manifests in a variety of means: wisps of discoloration in the air, flickers of movement out of the corner of an eye, semi-solid soldiers lumbering along, shapes vaguely humanoid beneath ragged shrouds. All of them remnants of the long dead, and all of them sheep flocking to their eidolon shepherd--for it's Satoshi who freed them of Wetutherag's reign and his Ice Devil childrens' torment. On occasion, Satoshi glances back, as if checking on Kasyr or their ghostly followers. During one of these glances, the magus lifts a brow at the revenant, having seen him adjusting Vesper, "Try not to let that sword eat any of our friends, hm~? Save its bite for the devils." Although there seems to be a lack of Ice Devils thus far, which is making this mission of 'Draw off the ethereal guards so Josleen's rescue team can sneak in' seem almost useless.
Kasyr acknowledges Satoshi's comment with a meaningful pat to the blades at his hip, "It's why I brought alternatives, Cherie. I'll try not to bump into any the locals, however." With that said, the Kensai simply continues to trudge along after his wife, his coat drawn in just a bit tighter. It's not to stave off any sense of the cold, as much as some vestigial sense of comfort it might give. There was something about this place that resonated with the Kensai when he allowed his mind to wander, something that gave greater clarity to shades otherwise half-seen, distorting their images into something almost solid- before they once more grew out of focus. It's enough to evoke a frown from the Revenant, before he begins to awkwardly tug at the band of his goggles.
Satoshi, like her husband, is fiddling with her goggles, with the intent of swapping out Riss' shades with the more protective gear. As fashionable as the orange glasses are, they are of little use in warding off shrapnel. And shrapnel is a very common occurence when battling Ice Devils. Aside from the obvious use of goggles, however, Satoshi tugs her down into place for other reasons, as might become clearer when the lenses gleam azure once in signal of their enchantments awakening. Hildegard may think that Satoshi is plunging into this mission without forethought, made reckless by Tharn's death, but the kit is more prepared than the knight gives her credit for. Yes, there is no doubt Satoshi volunteered for this on a wild whim, yet she's been considering something of the sort for weeks now. A much needed diversion just serves as the perfect excuse. Grinning wolfishly at her thoughts, Satoshi slows her pace to end up alongside Kasyr so that she nudge her shoulder to his as they step past a long-broken archway and out onto an ancient plaza. Snow, ice, and scrubby weeds have overtaken the area, yet the fountain centerpiece still remains, albeit in such ruin it threatens to topple over with the next breeze. Upon the fountain's edge sits the ruins' most infamous inhabitant: the spirit of a young human girl, distinct with half of her skull missing, and her tendency to scream at any who draw near. She looks up when Satoshi and Kasyr arrive, her lower lip already quivering in preparation to begin her ghostly bawling. Satoshi leans toward the revenant then to murmur, "Know what Ice Devils -really- hate? Aside from me. When their prey, these spirits, are happy. We make the little one laugh instead of cry, and they'll come howling out of the woodwork for us~."
Kasyr 's hands are already pre-occupied with his goggles, so it's not like he really needs to do much to instead draw his hands over towards his ears, so that he can preemptively pressed them back against his skull. Really, the only thing that's stopping him from just devoting himself to that action is Satoshi's comment, the likes of which has the Kensai glancing towards her with an absolutely baffled look, "En fait, Madamoiselle, I believe I will have to leave this to your peerless talents. Unless your apprentice es on his way." Not a moment's passed after the Kensai makes that comment that he looks for any object that might serve as cover. And failing that, since the fountain isn't all that appealing, the Kensai instead toes the ground. Maybe he can dodge any snow-ball-y retribution, if it comes his way.
Satoshi squints at the kensai. "Ezekiel's a rabbit, not a clown. And I'm a lady, I don't do -funny-." Which is a flat out lie for anyone that knows Satoshi. But those that don't know her might find the words believable, with the degree of indignity the magus shows in stance and voice. A sidelong glance at the ghostly child and the deepened scowl it wears leads to Satoshi urgently waving a hand at Kasyr, "Say something to her in those odd words of yours!" The little girl looks on the verge of exploding into tears, a fact that's emphasized by the couple's spirit entourage having withdraw to a safe distance. They, at least, know better than to set off the miniature banshee.
Kasyr gives Satoshi an exceedingly sour look at the dismissive wave and order combo. For a brief moment he puffs out his cheeks, before he swiftly recomposes himself, folding his arms across his chest, "Not like you don't say them. Et bien," And it's about that point that he starts in, his tone growing faster and louder with every word sputtered,"Cloque bernacles, Mille milliards de sabords, ouragans et tonnerre. Méduse, patauge lourdaud, ..Et c'est tout pour mon inspiration, c'est pas exactement comme je reste près des quais, c'est jours." And just as swiftly as he began, he abruptly stops, instead simply tapping his foot against the ground, and looking off to one side.
Satoshi, while Kasyr rambles, is digging through his backpack frantically. Because while the ghost child has stopped scowling, and is managing a watery smile, she's still not quite laughing at the kensai's foreign gibberish. The grin widens marginally when Kasyr stops, most likely finding amusment in his affronted demeanor. Thankfully, Satoshi voices a soft, "Aha!" then. For she's found what she's looking for, and plops it atop Kasyr's head triumphantly. At the sight of the fez, the spirit manages a weak giggle, and then a startled laugh when said fez abruptly sprouts a tail. From beneath the hat, Sparky sticks out his snout to wiggle his nose and sneeze at the intensely cold air. Satoshi offers the reluctant fox a nudge. "Go. Make her laugh. If any of us are comedians here, it's you, fuzzball." Sparky just gives the magus a baleful look. He hasn't quite trusted the magus since the she'd yanked him through that gaping wound in Kasyr's chest.
Kasyr 's hair is standing on end, and it's not because of fright. Sparky's looking a bit more...well, sparkier, than normal- there's a certain sheen to the kit, an eyecatching brilliance that only seems to get more intense with every moment. At this point, Kasyr's trying to look up at his forehead to get an idea of what's happening- but it's all a mess of bristling hair at that point. Before the Kensai can give the critter a tentative poke, the foxkit launches itself from his forehead, every intention of landing upon the icy magus in an effort to make her fur even more poofed out then it's own. Which is about the point it then moves to scramble away, so that it can try and take refuge behind the Kensai. Sparky like's his odds this time. No hole in his Kensai to be pulled through, a nice hillock of snow to burrow into, and a fez to hide under. Noone will be the wiser. "..Hrm."
Satoshi can see the scheme in Sparky's eyes (or the static in his fur, whatever). She's pointing an accusing finger at him while declaring "Don't you -dare-!", in the same instant he launches himself at her. The result is that Sparky collides with the magus' ascending hand, thus knocking him off course to be sent bouncing across the plaza floor. Brief though the contact between foxes is, it's still enough for a jolt to be delivered that makes Satoshi jump and yelp. Being mostly ice, there's not much of Satoshi for static to cling to, however, preventing the poof effect Sparky hoped for... and yet bringing about a different hoped for result, as the watching child begins to laugh. For the first time in an age, the ruins echo with sounds of the girl's mirth rather than her misery, as she sits upon the fountain with hands clapping together. Any thoughts Satoshi had of exacting revenge on Sparky evaporate with the laughter, her silently building ire receding as she nudges against Kasyr. "Well then," she murmurs with a lopsided grin. The content tone in her voice gains a glacial edge seconds later, when a horde of primal howls ripple through the ruins, carried on a foul wind. The devils have heard the laughing, enraged by the taste of joy. Unconsciously, Satoshi's hand falls on Ko'tar's hilt--the katana uncharacteristically silent. "Time to dance, eh?"
Kasyr shrugs his shoulders back in a deliberate manner, freeing that bundled package from where it rested affixed on his back, if only so it could crash into the ground. Really, the only preventative measure the revenant takes, is to casually swing out his left hand and catch it before it can fully tip over, so that he might instead lift it up and slam it down into the frozen turf. It's only when this is done that the Kensai set's his back to it- his right hand dropping down to hang loosely at the hilt of one of his hip-bound blades. It's about this point that the Kensai flicks an appraising gaze over towards Satoshi, alongside a bemused, "If you'll grace me as your partner." Sparky, for his part, is just doing his best impression of a ground hog, and burrowing even deeper into the snow. And succeeding rather admirably, since the Fez promptly collapses down into his improvised den.
Satoshi's hand is halfway extended toward Kasyr in the manner of one prepared to accept a dance with a gentleman, although the gesture is halted as a look of alarm flickers across the kit's face. The enraged shrieking of the approaching Ice Devils wasn't enough to make Satoshi worry, and yet the magus is suddenly bristling like a cat that's been dropped into a pit of hounds. Somewhere amid the Devil cries lurks a whispering voice, dark, twisted, and potent. Satoshi can hear it as much as she can feel it as a cold, rotting hand skittering up her spine. Something moves across--no, through--the snow that the frozen element revolts against, crying its pain and fear to the magus, urging her to flee before it can touch her too. In the span of seconds, Satoshi's confidence melts into caution, and her hand finally closes the gap with Kasyr's as she says, "We need to go. Now. We've given Hildegarde and Ezekiel their distraction." An earnest tug follows, the kit glancing over her shoulder as if half-expecting the Devils and company to already be looming there.
Kasyrs' cocky expression sours just mere moments later, coaxed onwards by the abrupt changes the empath detects in his wife's mood. Burgeoning battle joy is set aside, a grim wariness taking it's place upon the Kensai's features, even as he feels the comforting chill of the Magus hand within his grasp. The signs of the onslaught were impending all around them, the very wind about them picking up with a dreadful howl, and muddied snow is cast up into the air, mixing with the fresh deluge- rapidly marring the view of their surroundings. "You have a way out, or should I-?" Even as the Revenant ask's the question, he's beginning to tap into that vast reserve of energy he wields, at once readying it for his own use- but also allowing it to flow freely towards his wife should she need it for their defense; a feat enabled through the combination of their empathic ties and the physical connection they were maintaining. Sparky, for his part, whilst unaware of the details, does at least some intuitively aware of the impending troubles- enough so that it burrows up through the snow to rest upon the Kensai's boot- growling defensively at the flurry of snow.
Satoshi doesn't think, she simply reacts to the abhorrent presence drawing nearer. Grip tightening on the kensai, Satoshi screws her eyes shut in concentration and steps forward... stumbling as her boots crunch upon a snowbank nearly a mile outside the ruins. Never before has the magus pushed her Snow Blinking technique to such a distance, and never with a passenger. The effect on Satoshi is instant as she drops to her hands and knees, quivering from eartips to tails, and gasping for breath her undead lungs have not needed in years. With her mind in a violent turbulence, threatening to drop her into unconsciousness at any second, Satoshi doesn't have the energy to even ensure Kasyr and Sparky made it through the Blink along with her. All she had in mind was getting away from that location as quickly as possible, and it took every ounce of strength she had to do it.
Kasyr, though he's partially a source of energy for the Magus to draw upon, is still no closer to actually comprehending just what's occuring. Even with his perceptions altered by the invocations of his own energy, the alteration to his own being is still too difficult to follow, and yet moreso to actually conceive. All that the revenant is aware of is a sensation that is at once excrutiating, alien, and yet, strangely familiar as well. The feeling of being consumed by something that can only be described as a cold so piercing that it might be primordial, as it engulfs his form, shears it apart, and then reconstructs him by the power of her will, and his own desire to exist- it is almost beyond his grasp to comprehend. And yet, there is something within the depth of that power that brings to mind that primal energy at times managed to grasp hold of- both the pureness and the eternal nature of that raw elemental lightning. Kasyr is almost certain there is more to that thought...and yet, it's beyond his focus now- his mind and spirit instead reeling at the abrupt soul searing pain which rips through him as he (mostly) reforms. It's enough to coax the revenant into patting himself to make sure he's intact. Sadly, The Kensai barely has the time to contemplate the fact that this action is severely hindered due to the 'lack' of most of his left arm, with everything below the forearm gone. Really, all he can manage is an unbelieving look before he collapses face down into the snow. Sparky, for his part, pops into existance neatly above the Kensai- having apparently been spared due in good part tot he Revenants focus upon him. Well. Minus a chunk of his right ear. And half his tail.
Amidst trying to make her vision stop spinning, Satoshi catches the cloying scent of blood heavy in the air. It's enough to bring the foxkin into focus, not out of hunger, but concern. She should have thought, or asked, or given Kasyr some sort of warning before abducting his mana supply and transporting them through frost and ice at such a distance. Teleporting magic is not a safe means of moving others with you, Satoshi knows this from experience with Svilfon--after his spell swapped their bodies in the middle of a desert post-teleport. "...Ah!" In a sudden panic at the memory, Satoshi's hands fly up to pat her face, feeling for her familiar whiskers, lengthy ears, and immaculate hair. Thank goodness, it's all there and she's not occupying a kensai's body instead of her own. Relief is short-lived however, as a low whimper draws Satoshi's attention back to the scent of blood: a puddle of which Sparky now lies in, spilling from the missing segment of tail and ear. And beside the bleeding fox, the revenant facedown in the snow. "Kasyr!" the magus cries as she scrambles over to him, hands on his shoulder to deliver an earnest shake. With each shake, Satoshi calls out the kensai's name, trying to bring him around as she rambles apologies. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It was stupid. I'm sorry." Satoshi remorseful? The Snow Blink must have rattled her more than she realized.
On some level, Kasyr almost wants to wave her off- to just close his eyes and sleep, and yet, there's a certain rationality that remains awake and alert within the Revenants mind, something that at once forces him to focus upon her voice, and upon the sensation of pain when further incentive is needed. Instead, the Kensai just offers up a half-hearted, "Shh. Shh." and a pained grin- he was still with her. Sparky isn't quite taking it as well, only moving so that it can coil closer to the shelter of Kasyr's body and trenchcoat, so it can shiver against his form- plaintively whimpering.
Satoshi's state of anxiety does a one-eighty when Kasyr shushes her, to the point she delivers a light smack to the back of his head. "I'll hush when you get up. I don't feel any better than you, y'know. And you're not the only one who came back missing pieces, so help me patch up Sparky before he bleeds out on you, hm?" With every word she speaks, Satoshi jabs the side of the kensai's head, making a nuisance of herself in hopes it'll rile Kasyr up enough to get him moving. After all, his healing is better suited to saving Sparky than hers--not that she isn't directing small bundles of snow to pack themselves into the fox's wounds as makeshift bandages. Sure, she can stop the bleeding by freezing it, but that opens an entirely new set of problems for the poor mammal, beginning with frostbite.
Kasyrs' ears crop up at the first jab, and wobble with every successive nudge- even as he slowly drags his right arm in front of himself, and begins to force himself up into a sitting position. The effort is in and of itself unpleasent, though he's ultimately able to bring himself face to face with the Foxkin magus. It's only then that he offers her a chiding 'Tsk', and redirects his focus towards Sparky. It was not often that he needed to, or even felt the compunction to call upon the powers that he'd been granted as Daedria's champion, and yet- such an instance existed now, not in one of her followers, but in one of his. In the creatures which had entrusted themselves to him. It's with that thought that he lay his hand upon sparkys trembling body, allowing that familiar feeling of the divine enter and pass through him- as he seeks to mend bone, knit muscle, and heal flesh. It's only when the task is done that it occurs to him, "...Think Luffy would give us a ride?" There's a lopsided, albeit brief, grin, "I could do without a scenic walk."
Satoshi waits until Sparky is properly patched before she scoops him up to be deposited in the front of her coat, where there's some semblance of warmth from the fabric despite the Eidolon beneath. The little fox has lost enough blood without burning himself out shivering against the cold. She's rubbing the top of Sparky's head affectionately when Kasyr mentions Luffy, causing the magus to wrinkle her nose in displeasure. "I could likewise do without being dropped into an abyss by her, thank you. I have a better option..." Closing her eyes, Satoshi tips her head to one side and murmurs inaudibly before slumping back with exhaustion. In the past few moments, she's burned through more energy than she'd normally use in a week, and it's left the Eidolon feeling wrung out entirely. Thus it's with a weary voice that she adds, "I contacted Emielle. She's sending Trebel to us." As rambunctious as the angha is, he's equally dedicated, and being as big as a cottage means he'll have no trouble carrying a pair of passengers--unlike Satoshi, apparently.
With a sigh that could likely be interpreted as relief, the Kensai sinks backwards into the snow, if only to state, "Good plan. It's a good plan. I like it." It's only after that the Kensai casually adds, "It'll be good, to eat something." Someone.
Satoshi probably heard Kasyr. Maybe. It's taking everything she has to remain conscious, she's not entirely sure she has anything to spare to listen too.