[EVENT] The Trial of Hydra - Reclamation

Corsair found--to his surprise--that he was in rather a no-man's-land of Gembound. There was a cluster farther up ahead, and a bunch behind, but he was almost alone. That... didn't bode well, not here.

"HEY!" he crowed forward, crest arching to the 'sky.' "WAIT FOR ME!" Then he paused, glancing at Aran, his flapping arrested for a beat. The deer... wasn't looking so hot. "C'mon, buddy, you can do this!"

Cool. Encouragement: complete. Job done, Corsair flew off, hastening after the cluster of Gembounds that were even now barging in among the Eyehooks. His eyes darted upward, catching a glimpse of the FAR more massive and terrifying birds. Birds of PREY. The sort that ate you! His beak clenched, and he dove low, trying to weave in and out among the chaos without being targetted or hit. It was the only bonus of being small--the downside being, if one did get him in its talons, he was likely fucking dead.

And that did not sound appealing--not one bit.

Corsair angled upward, shooting up behind an Eyehook--back behind the wings, where he knew from experience it'd have trouble seeing. He rode there, carefully angling to stay above and behind it--out of sight to anyone and anything below, half-camouflaged against the Eyehook itself from above, and likely ignored or simply unseen by any of the passing vultures. To his elation, it worked: he scattered a few seeds with his talons, but otherwise shot right through unmolested.

"Success!" he hissed, and then--in an alarmed whisper--"Don't mind me," to the Eyehook soaring just below.

Luckily, it didn't hear him.

Round Six

The birds rose like a storm, dark wings shadowing the light from above and loose feathers cascading down around the Gembounds like rain. The screeches of the Eyehooks and the beating of a hundred wings were a thunder that drowned out all sound.

Vultures dove, talons raking at their targets. Beaks tore at flesh. Blood spilled, and one single eye was wrenched from its socket in a moment of agony for Reverend.

But the seeds had been strewn, perhaps to grow; now all that was left was to escape, to tumble back to the trails the Gembound had used to ascend, and to get away.

Aran, Fiver, Spinnaker, Duck Duck, Fleas and Reverend are under active attack by Eyehook Vultures. Reverend has lost an eye, and fallen back behind the group. These characters must post to save themselves or may be saved by anyone in the same Placement as they.

Everyone else may optionally post to sabotage, react, or aid anyone who shares their placement. However, a Critical Fail rolled at any point will inflict an injury that will cause the character to fall back by one placement.

A character may post once to roll to defend against each sabotage attempt made against them in addition to posting their own action.

Anyone who does not die is assumed to have safely fled the plateau by next round.

Since today's post came earlier in the day, Morpho and Ketur can be double-posted this round: one using the rules of last round, once using the rules of this one. If Roll #1 succeeds and they move ahead, they should consider their new placement before attempting a Roll #2.

Placement:

First: Hymn, Anselm, Huntsman

Second: Spinnaker, Duck Duck, Fleas, Wisperia, Corsair

Third: Aran, Whistle, One

Fourth: Kaizer, Fiver, K'cil, Conleth, Ketur, Jim, Zhusha, Morpho, Ivory, Star, Galleon, Glory, Ruby-Beta, Warrior, Captain

Fifth: Reverend

The next post will take place on September 13th.

NO NO NO NO he wails, but nothing comes out of his mouth. Flailing and lost in utter darkness, adrenaline pumping even as blood drains away onto the rocks. His wings aren't enough to dissuade the relentless tide of vultures, however.

So in one last desperate attempt, he reaches out with its magic, hoping, praying for anything. Around him, and the vultures, reflections appeared, turning a few of them into countless. The sudden appearance of more of their kind is enough to startle them, and they turn their talons towards fakes, giving enough of an opening for Reverend to limp towards safety.

He has no idea if it's the right way to go, with the way everything is nothing but darkness.

"Ah, crap," he thinks, as a beak dives down towards him. He backpedals, picking himself up off the ground just to avoid being skewered. But he's not out of the woods yet.

He opens his wings, hoping his magic would carry him fast, away from here, but all that catches him is another rending beak. He wails, the pain flaring through him.

The oversized birds descended upon Fiver, and though for a moment his body was stuck in an agonizing freeze, the split second after talons lashed across his brow-- just grazing above his eye-- the pain jolted him back to reality. Without thinking, he reacted like the cornered animal he was: his jaws snapped desperately at the air.

They landed on nothing, however, a flurry of feathers blurring his dizzy vision. He began to leap, snapping and biting, a valiant attempt to scare off the birds. Yet this only made him more of a target, as the Eyehooks swarmed, hungry to maim the intruder to their nest.

If this was how he was to die, let it be on his own terms. Fighting, bleeding, refusing that quiet death that wanted him. If it wasn't-- well, that was up to the unimaginable kindness of strangers that simply didn't exist in the equation of his mind.

He spun as he landed, ethereal wings spread in a flash of gold. His head was arched high as he scanned what had become a battlefield.

There was blood. There were vultures sweeping everywhere. He'd distracted a few, yes, but-

Fiver. He didn't know his name--but he could see the small brown form whirling, snapping at the air as the Eyehooks closed in. Warrior's eyes widened. He'd played the hero once, yes, but from this many of the birds-? Teeth gritted, and he called upon his magic, forcing himself into a gallop right back the way he'd come. Muscles shoved limbs like pistons, thundering across the ground, his mane and tail streaming out behind him as the golden armor and wings faded from view. Instead, he raised the sand from all directions, bringing it to himself to form into swirling shards of glass-like stone. "Run!" he called, head ducking low to try and protect his eyes, forcing himself between the birds and Fiver.

To his horror, the birds simply... ignored it. They swept around him, avoiding the shards or--in the case of one particularly large Eyehook--swooping in and taking lacerations through a protective coat of feathers while raking talons across his own hide.

His heroics had cost him, now, and blood began to streak the dust caked over his coat.